Oops, I accidently uploaded chapter 6. Did any of you notice that managed to read it before I deleted it? LOL. I have several chapters going at the same time. Sorry.

Anyways, hope you enjoy the real chapter 5. If you do, let me know. That is, review, Please!

Birgitta

All rights belong to CW.

5. Why settle for normal, when I can have you?!

Even a mile out, I know I'm too late. I'm sprinting, running so fast that my lungs are aching. Yet, I am going to be too late. He is strangling her. His dirty rough hands are squeezed tightly around her perfect neck, choking the life out of her. It doesn't matter who he is, if he has a family, or that he is only following orders, he is dead! I will kill him!

I never slow down, not even when I grab a hold of her assaulter and slam him into a brick wall. Catherine is not conscious so she cannot stop me. In her present state, she cannot restrain the Beast which only she is capable of. There is a cut to her forehead, almost in the same spot as that night 9 year s ago. I have seen and smelled her blood. He has done this, injured her and caused her to bleed. He has hurt her and he will pay!

After the Beast part of me has taken out its fury and I have managed to calm down, I walk over to her. Her pulse is steady but the cut needs attending and all the way around her neck, evidence of the assault blotches red. It's where the bastard had his fingers upon her.

This is my fault. I never should have left her side. But, how was I to know? She had been nearly home. A few more blocks and she would have been home… safe. Muirfield knows where she lives, where she works, and they will keep coming at her until she is dead. I can't let that happen.

Catherine moans and not the kind of moan that I have fantasized about. Her pain and wound is my fault and it's up to me to care for her. I take great pride in the fact that I can help her and not only as a Beast, but also as a skilled man. I am a Doctor, able to heal her and make her better. She does not know this, I will never tell her, but she means everything to me. I love her. I think I have loved her for all these years, ever since I first saw her in the woods. That night I saved her, as I have many times after, as I will again and again for the rest of our lives. Protecting her has become my sole purpose. It has become my only reason for existing.

Carefully, I pick her up in my arms and carry her to her car. Her head falls against my shoulder, her brown soft hair tickling against my chin. I never want to set her down. If only I could hold her like this forever, with her warm body pressed against mine and her hot breath on my skin. I don't want this moment to end for I don't even dare to hope for anything more. She is a Beauty and I am a Beast. Such pairings belong in fairytales, not in real life. In real life, she will choose someone who can give her normal… someone who is normal. The letter still clutched at my heart will surely tell me just this.

I get behind her wheel, driving her to my place. Even though I know where she lives, her place is off limits to me. It is my forbidden and unobtainable Mecca. I want to get there more than anything, but it's an unachievable journey. Sure I've stepped inside but I have never sat down for a meal at her table or gotten myself comfortable on her couch. I am a Beast so I have no right to expect to be a part of her everyday life. In the shadows, in the darkness, is where I belong. Keeping her safe and alive is my responsibility. Helping her solve crimes and assisting her with finding her mother's killers is how I get to share in her life. But, I can expect no more. I will never be more. Her letter will surely tell me just this.

Her car smells like her. The interior is thick with her scent and I swallow hard in an effort to control myself. She has an effect on me, every little part of her: the way her brown eyes look into mine, the natural scent of her skin and hair, her sensual voice, and especially her touch. Like when she kissed me. She calmed the Beast, took away the anger, but what would more do? Would increasing desire and excitement have the same effect as anger? Not that it matters. It will never be. It was just a simple kiss to calm the Beast and to avoid detection because she's a friend and because she cares about me. I should read nothing more into it. The letter will surely…

"Vincent?"

I glance over and her eyes, her beautiful brown, are struggling to stay open. Pain crosses over her face and the Beast threatens to once again appear. But, the attacker is dead. There is nothing more the Beast can do. Now, it is my turn, the man, the doctor.

"It's alright, Catherine. I took care of him and once home, I'll take care of you."

I'm keeping it plain and to the point. If I add too much emotion, she may see through me and I can't risk that. She can never know how much she means to me.

"Him? I thought it was a woman," she says.

She's referring to the disguise of the Muirfield agent. Agents dressing as bag ladies; what's next? To what lengths to take us all out will they go? I'm not worried about me. It's her safety I fear for. Tonight's incident was too close of a call. I almost lost her.

"Vincent, I can't run from a crime scene," she says, asking indirectly for me to turn around.

I nod, understanding her dilemma and position, yet I cannot comply. "There have been too many circumstances, Catherine. One more involvement…"

There is no need to finish. Catherine is as clever as she is beautiful. She knows that her partners and coworkers are starting to wonder, especially him… Evan…

Agreeing and accepting, she leans her head back onto the seat. Her eye lids flutter close once again and my foot automatically pushes down a bit harder. I want to get there now. I want to take away her pain. I want to clean her wound and close it back up. I want to ensure that she will not have a permanent scar. I don't want her to be marked and ruined… like me.

The warehouse lays dark and empty when I pull up. JT is still out, trying to get lucky. Who knows when he might be back. He might not be back until the morning if he gets really lucky. So, we have the warehouse all to ourselves… just the two of us. This shouldn't please me. It is dangerous that is pleases me. I shouldn't be happy about being alone with her. Nothing will come of it, other than my own misery. I will tend to her, we will talk, and she will leave. Then, I will spend the next hours tossing in my bed foolishly dreaming of her. It's foolish because it can never be. She is a Beauty and I am a Beast and such pairing does not happen in real life.

When I open up her car door and I reach in to pick her up, her eyes open again. "I think I can walk, Vincent," she tells me but I shake my head.

Of course I am aware of the fact that she can walk, especially if she was to lean on me. She is in my arms because this is where I want her. The delicate weight of her pressing against my forearm, the feel of her arms wrapped around my neck, and her soft red lips just inches away from my burning flesh, this is what my mind will replay over and over again after she has left. This is what will keep me from going insane over longing for her. This is what will sustain me until next time we are together.

And, my mind will add to the actuality. It will add kisses, touches, undressing, words of affection whispered by her into my ear, moaning, moving, releasing… To imagine is both pleasurable and painful since it can never be. Yet, my mind is relentlessly cruel and loves to torture me.

Once up on my floor, I hurry to set her down on my bed and turn my back to her. Too many dreams are of her on that bed; undressed, wanting, pleading, loving… And, then I heard that she was laying down on my bed today. Why, I still do not know. I could ask her… yet I won't… just like I still haven't read her letter. I'm a military killing machine, a Beast, nonetheless a coward. Catherine's weakens me. She is my kryptonite.

Despite the forbidden thoughts raging wild inside my head, I try my hardest to keep my exterior unfazed and solid. Professional and task oriented, I grab my first aid kit and return to her. Looking at her, she seems perfectly comfortable on my bed, as if she belongs, as if there is no other place she'd rather be.

'Is this why she was on my bed earlier?'

Realizing how disillusioned I am being, I give my head a quick shake to clear it of unrealistic notions. It will never be. We will never be. The letter will clarify all.

"Here," I tell her and hold out two Advils as I sit down my stool. Thankful, she takes them with a deep swig of water. "Stay still," I urge and lean in.

With a steady hand, I clean her cut and close it up. It is not as bad as I first thought. There will be no scar. She will not be damaged like me. Not that it would have truly mattered. Catherine is a true Beauty and a small scar would not change that.

"Will I live?"

I look into her eyes and find them gleaming with humor. She must be feeling much better.

"Yeah, you'll live," I play along. She brings out the playful side of me, a side I thought was forever gone. "It was another close one, Catherine. You have to stop investigating them… please. Not just for me… for you… If anything was to happen to you, I'd…"

'Shut up!' I urge myself in my head.

A spark flashes in her eyes as they narrow for an instant. The reaction to my words is sudden and barely noticeable but I catch it. My heart begins to race as I become aware of my blunder.

"You'd what?"

I shake my head, refusing, and reach for a bandage. Her eyes search my face for an answer, an explanation, as I cover the fresh stitches with the small patch. My gaze is locked on my task. I cannot face her probing gaze. It feels as if she can see right through me, read all my hidden desires. These desires must be kept a secret for she believes us to be only friends and partners. No one could ever love a Beast, especially a Beauty.

"Vincent," she finally says, when she comes to term that no reply is coming. I dare to look up just for a second before once again looking away. "Where have you been?" She asks and my heart speeds up with her direct confrontation. She deserves an answer, yet I do not answer. "Did you get my letter?" She inquires and I nod while I attend to her. I'm pretending to be busy. "Did you read it?"

"No!" I admit, because I have to, because I can't lie to her.

"Why not?"

Her voice has no vice, only sadness, perhaps disappointment and it tears at me to know that I am hurting her. I continue working for keeping my fingers occupied helps. She expects an answer . She expects and deserves the truth which is that I am a coward and I can't bear to read her dismissal. This I can't reveal. This I can convey. The only thing I have going for me is that I am a Beast and I can protect her. If she was to know that I am a coward…

"Things have changed… haven't they?"

This catches my attention and my eyes have to find hers. "Changed?"

Her smile is secretive, enticing, and seems only for me. "It used to be about you saving my life, my mother, and Muirfield. But now, things have changed and there is… more."

'More?' My heart whispers with hope, yet my mind refuses to give in to such inconceivable fantasies.

Staying pragmatic and detached, guarding a heart that is no longer mine, I continue to act as her Doctor. "There," I say and run a finger carefully over the bandage to smooth it out. "That ought to…"

My sentence is cut short by lips against mine and everything freezes: time, the warehouse, my body, and my mind. Fingers come up to caress the lines of my cheekbones and the lips open slightly to allow a tongue to run free. She is kissing me. Catherine is kissing me and for no apparent reason. There is no Beast to calm and no people around to hide me from. She is kissing me because… because…

Coming to my senses, I break the kiss even though there is nothing that I want more. "Catherine, don't!" I urge her because I know that it is wrong.

She blinks, surprised and dazed. Her cheeks have a blush I notice and her heart is racing. A soft crooked smile causes one side of her mouth to tilt upwards. Fascinated, I study her lips, lips that were but a moment ago upon mine. My own lips still tingle from the experience and they want to experience it again… and again…. and again…

"Vincent," she says and a shiver travels down my spine for I love the way she says my name. She says it gently and patiently, without any anger or hurt. "I may not have super senses like you. I may not be able to hear if your heart rate has picked up or if your breathing has grown deeper. Still, I can tell that you want me."

I chuckle once in desperation. "Want you?" I frown and get ready to get up off of my stool, needing to get away from temptation. I am halted by her hands placed on my knees and I don't have the heart to push them aside. "Catherine, it isn't right. This is wrong and you know it."

"It felt right to me… just like last time," she whispers, her voice holding such hushed intimacy that I almost surrender and tip her backwards onto my bed. "You should have read the letter!"

She leans in once more, her lips ready, but somehow I am able to find the means to resist. "Catherine, don't! You deserve a normal life. You deserve normal."

"Normal?" She smiles, astonished and with soft laughter bubbling.

Her hand reaches up and runs across my scar. I can't resist leaning into her hand, enjoying her touch, enjoying her. She is my weakness. Even the Beast is powerless.

Her fingers run across my bottom lip, tracing its curve as she seizes my gaze. "And I thought you knew me, Vincent. Normal," she laughs. "Why would I settle for normal… when I can have you?!"

Her words make no sense. It must be the hit to her head. She doesn't know what she is saying. She is not thinking clearly. I must make her see reason.

Again protesting, I begin to plead. "Catherine, I…"

She presses her lips against mine before I can finishing, telling me that she doesn't want to hear it, that she's decided, that she wants me… me!

This time, the kiss is different. It is not careful and hesitant, it is passionate and demanding. She is claiming my lips with hers, taking me and possessing me with her mouth. Full of desire, as desperate for me as I am for her, she lifts off the bed and slides up into my lap. With each of her slender legs on either side of me, she sinks down and straddles me on the stool. While driving me mad with her ravaging lips, her fingers move into my hair to pull me to her even closer. Not able to resist any longer, not seeing the point of it, I grip her ass and pull her to me. My loins begin to pound with desire and the need for her rises to an almost painful level. She moans, telling me that she shares my need for release.

"Well, isn't this cozy?!"

Both of us seize the kiss simultaneously and look over at the intrusive figure looming in the shadows; JT is home... and alone. I guess, he didn't get so lucky tonight. In fact, a failed military experiment and Beast got more lucky.

Embarrassed and still reeling from the turn of events, I turn my attention back to a panting Catherine. She is still in my lap with her fingers in my hair and she hasn't moved an inch. The same thing goes for me with my fingers seemingly permanently molded around her backside.

When we don't move, JT clears his throat in an obvious sort of way and it is clear that he is not leaving. He is my friend and he wants the best for me. This, breaking Catherine and I apart before things get too heavy, is him trying to protect me. I appreciate his loyalty and his commitment, but right now… he is really pissing me off.

"JT, do you mind?" I ask, knowing that he will mind… a lot.

Catherine shifts, pulling away and my hands are forced to let go. "It's ok. I'll go."

Every part of me is screaming in protest on the inside, yet…"Ok."

Just as she is taking a step away from me, walking away from me, she surprises me by placing one last kiss on my lips. It is soft, quick, and simple. Nonetheless, it signifies everything. She is letting me know that what just happened between us is more than just a onetime heat of the moment incident. This is only the beginning. Much more is to come.

"I'll see you tomorrow?"

Before I have a chance to answer, she grabs her jacket and head towards the exit. There is no need for an answer for she knows that I will always be there; watching and guarding her. In fact, I'll be following her in the shadows all the way home. It was so close tonight. I'm not taking a chance again.

She beams a grin at JT as she passes and walks out. JT sets in on me the minute she is outside hearing range, lecturing about the dangers.

Uninterested, way past the point of reasoning, I stand up and argue my case. "Get real, JT. If you had a woman like Catherine in you life, would you push her away?"

JT stares back and then throws his hands in the air with a grunt. I watch him descend the stairs, muttering to himself as he takes each step. Catherine was right; JT needs to get laid… badly. It would most likely cure his grumpiness and cup-half-empty view. Maybe Catherine has a friend.

Outside, a car engine comes to life and all thoughts of JT are gone. From the dirty warehouse window, I watch as she sits perfectly still in her vehicle. She is not moving. She is holding and waiting so I do too. I won't take off until she has. From the shadows, I will trail her and this time all the way to her door.

Then, just as her foot presses down on the gas and her car takes off, she speaks. Her words travel through metal and stone to my ears. She has spoken because she knows I'll be able to hear; no matter the distance, the obstructions, the car engine, the wind…

I touch my hand to my chest as her request reaches me. "Read the letter, Vincent!"