schroederplayspiano: Yes, but did you see the look on his face when he got out of Heather's car? He's a bright guy. And this has been the foremost thing on his mind lately. He probably was thinking about it all the way back from the reception to avoid listening to Heather's incessant, flirtatious chatter. (laughs)

Thanks so much for the reviews guys. Don't know HOW you found this story. Even when I'm looking for it half the time I can't find it... =/ I hope you'll enjoy the ride. :) Don't worry - there's plenty more to come, to fill those loooong days between now and Jan 24! The story will draw some from spoilers and previews, but with my own spin and interpretations.

Chapter Two – Come What Sorrow

Vincent's beast remained hidden in the shadows of the forest along the highway, watching as the paramedics tended to Catherine. His eyes never left her face, his heart breaking inside his chest, fighting with every ounce of his humanity to keep from roaring like the wounded beast that he was. Even if he had been in full human form he would have struggled to maintain his silence. For all the years he'd been on the run, all he'd seen – all he'd done that he'd regretted with every fiber of his being - he'd never felt the kind of soul-searing pain he was experiencing now. If she didn't make it…

His fists clenched. No. She had to make it. It couldn't end like this. He couldn't lose her now, never having told her what she meant to him. Not that he could stand losing her period, but to lose all opportunity and hope of ever telling her how much he loved her? It was unthinkable. Vincent's head was clearing just a little, his beast receding ever so slightly to afford him some rational thought, which was almost more painful for the mental anguish he had to deal with in addition to the primal emotions that were raging through him.

God, he'd been such a fool to walk away from her earlier. Why had he let his stupid pride stand between him and the woman he loved? His mind had been reeling from the shocking revelation that not only had Evan been "studying" him – specifically his DNA – but that apparently the humanity he still possessed was now in danger. Sure, Catherine had some sort of feelings for him now… but what if things progressed to where he lost more and more of what made him the man she cared for? What if she eventually had to turn him in and have him locked up to keep him from hurting himself, others, or – God forbid! – herself? He didn't want her pity, or to be a burden on her. All he wanted was to be with her; to grow old together, to spend a lifetime loving her, and be loved in return. He knew it was a pipedream, but it was one he'd been nursing for the last 9 years as he watched her grow into the beautiful, strong, confident woman she was today.

He watched as the ambulance pulled away from the scene, lights flashing and sirens blaring. He was just about to turn, when he saw Evan glance in his direction. He knew that the other man couldn't see him, but it was an acknowledgment that Catherine's co-worker knew he was there, somewhere, watching over her. He wondered how someone he'd just met could have discerned so much in those few moments, but there wasn't any point wasting time trying to reason it out, especially when his judgment was still clouded. He watched as Heather, with her heart beating erratically and her breathing ragged, walked into Evan's embrace sobbing. Evan held her and rocked her gently, although his eyes never stopped scanning the woods for some sign of the beast he'd met. A part of Vincent was relieved at the prospect that maybe Evan would turn his affection to Catherine's sister. He didn't want to be in competition with someone that now knew he existed. The man could ruin everything. But it was a chance Vincent had had to take in order to save Catherine. Even in his right mind he would have made the same decision again a thousand times, because she was far more important to him than his own life. Finally, he disappeared deep into the woods, heading back to the one person that could help him now – JT.

JT was busy beefing up the security system when he heard Vincent come crashing into the warehouse. He lifted his head and listened – normally Vincent was as stealthy as a hunting lioness. Something must be wrong if he was charging around like a wounded-

His thoughts were interrupted as Vincent came crashing through the door into the loft. When JT caught sight of his friend he froze, half from shock, half from fear. Vincent seemed to be stuck in some 'tween state, half man, half the beast, and he was looking pretty wild-eyed. Was this some sort of new fugue state surfacing? His eyes never leaving the beast, he began to fumble for the case that held his tranquilizer gun. He'd been tossed like a ragdoll into the concrete wall once before, and he wasn't exactly eager to be tossed like a sack of potatoes again. He would trust Vincent with his life when Vincent was in his right mind. But like this? Who knew what could happen? Although…

He paused a moment to really look at the beast before him. Something was definitely different about this manifestation. He wasn't raging, throwing things and generally tearing up the place. He just stood there, staring at JT, looking…. wounded. "Ohmygod, Vincent are you alright?" All thoughts of personal safety fled JT's mind as he rushed to his friend's side.

For all JT's bluster, Vincent was his weakness, and the depths of his compassion for his best friend knew no bounds. It's what had spurred him to spend literally thousands of hours in the past decade reading and studying and researching, desperately trying to find a way to reverse the experiment that had ruined Vincent's life. Sure, he had had to cut himself off socially from the rest of civilization to keep this secret they shared. But Vincent was his friend and something unspeakable had been done to him. What kind of friend would he be, if he turned his back on a man that had lost so much – endured so much? He never could have lived with himself. And in all honesty, it never even crossed his mind.

He watched in horror as Vincent fell to his knees and gave a roar that was so desolate it could only mean one thing. JT dropped to the floor in front of him and grasped his friend's shoulders gently. "It's Catherine, isn't it? Something happened to her?" JT hadn't really expected a verbal response. He'd never been able to converse with Vincent in this state before. So he was startled when Vincent answered him in a deep, hoarse, semi-human voice filled with despair.

"Accident… hospital…. WHY?!" A primal sob erupted from him, and in a fit of helpless misery he slammed his fists on the floor, shattering the boards and embedding splinters into his hands and wrists. With another roar he yanked his fists back up through the planks and stared at the spikes of wood sticking out of them.

JT held out his hand toward Vincent. "Here, let me help," he commanded gently. Vincent was breathing heavily from the stress of trying to keep himself somewhat together, but with some of his rage now spent, he did as he was instructed and held out his hands to let JT remove the fragments of wood from his thickened skin.

"Do you know what hospital they took her to?" he asked, as he yanked a particularly nasty piece of splintered wood from the back of Vincent's hand, hoping to distract him from the pain. No such luck. He paused, waiting very still when his friend growled and winced. "O-kay," Vincent ground out, letting JT know it was safe to continue. JT was still astonished at this new aspect of the beast. Could Vincent be somehow willing to keep the beast at bay, knowing how much was at stake for Catherine?

"Don't… know," Vincent said all of a sudden, breaking into JT's clinical musings.

"Hu-what?" JT struggled to connect the dots and figure out what Vincent was trying to say. He really needed to keep his mind in the present and leave the analysis until after the crisis was over. "Oh – the hospital. Well then, as soon as we finish this little chore I'll just call around and locate which ER she was taken to. I doubt they'll tell me much, but at least we'll know where to head off to."

Vincent was overwhelmed by JT's kindness. He knew his friend had grave misgivings about his "relationship" with Detective Chandler, but none of that seemed to matter just now. JT was being the supportive friend, taking charge, and bearing some of the burden of the situation that was like a crushing weight on Vincent's chest. He felt his heart rate start to slow and his breathing evened out a little more. JT was unaware of the changes because his attention was on getting the last of the splinters out of Vincent's hands. His speech was still slightly stilted, though his voice sounding more like himself when he said softly, "Thank you, JT."

JT's head snapped up and he assessed Vincent's condition. He heaved a mental sigh of relief to see his friend looking more like himself than he had just a few minutes ago. "Hey – no problem, man," was all he said. The one thing that Vincent didn't need from his friend was pity, and well JT knew it. "All done," he announced, and then before things could get any sappier between them, he vaulted to his feet and crossed the room to his desk, intent on calling the local ER's to find where Catherine had been taken.

Vincent sat and watched thoughtfully as his friend took control of the situation, his mind partially distracted from his agony. He realized for the first time since this whole nightmare began that for all that had gone wrong in his life, he did have things to be profoundly grateful for. And JT was near the top of the list… right behind Catherine. He was humbled by the thought of how many people there were in this world that weren't as fortunate as he was. What a jerk he'd been walking away from his precious Catherine, hurting her and pushing away something a lot of people would die to experience – pure, unconditional love. Yes, he was blessed. He just hoped that his epiphany wasn't too late, and hadn't come at an unspeakable price.

His attention quickly returned to the situation at hand when he heard JT conversing with someone about Catherine's condition. He'd found her! Vincent's heart began to race again, this time from elation as he realized Catherine was still alive, and as long as she was breathing, there was hope. He wouldn't allow himself to consider any other possibilities. If it was within his power, he would will her back to his side, and if given a second chance, he promised the universe right then and there that he would never squander it away or take the future for granted again. He scrambled to his feet and began pacing, anxious for JT to hang up so he could know what the hospital's side of the conversation was.

"Well, she's at Sinai, and they're prepping her for surgery," JT announced as he disconnected the call. "She's pretty messed up from the crash, but it's the gunshot wound that has them worried?! Just what haven't you told me here, Vincent?" Borderline hysteria. Things were returning to "normal".

Vincent reached up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that… apparently the accident wasn't so… accidental. You know that Sabrina Meyer woman that Cat was going to take down for murder? She rammed Catherine's car and from the looks of it, she flipped over at least a couple times – anyway, I guess she didn't want to take any chances that the injuries wouldn't kill Catherine, so she shot her."

"Oh. My. God. Did she get away? Wait… how do you know it was Sabrina?"

In spite of the tragic situation, Vincent actually lifted one corner of his mouth in a half-smirk. His Catherine was an amazing woman, and he was so proud of what she'd done. "I know it was Sabrina because somehow – and I have no idea where she got the strength after seeing how wrecked that car was – Catherine managed to shoot the matchmaker from hell, and she was just lying on the road when I got there." He suddenly sobered at another disturbing thought. "You know, I was so fixated on making sure Catherine was safe, I never even noticed what happened to Sabrina's body. It's an awful thing to say, but I kind of hope she was already gone when the emergency crews arrived. I'd say she got what she deserved."

"Well, I can ask when we get to the hospital. You best get out of that suit and into some comfortable traveling clothes. It'll make you less conspicuous." For the first time it registered with Vincent that he'd still been in his suit from the wedding when Evan had found him holding an unconscious Catherine. He couldn't help wondering what kind of conclusions Mr. Hotshot M.E. drew from that scenario. He bolted up the stairs to change, suppressing a smile at the thought.