Vincent watched as Catherine practically exploded through the door of Tess' apartment building, running full steam until she was in his arms. He wrapped her in his embrace, careful not to squeeze her too tightly. "Hey now," he crooned as his hands soothed her. He could feel the way she was trembling and knew she was crying. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. He didn't realize he'd stopped breathing while he awaited her answer.

"Of course I do," she sniffled, curling closer into his chest. "Besides, it's not like we have any other options."

Vincent's hands stilled, and Catherine could feel his body tense. "Catherine, there are options."

"Vincent, what are you talking about? Muirfield knows we're here. They are just going to keep coming after us as long as we stay here and I keep using my real name. We have to do this."

He took a deep breath before blurting, "I could turn myself in, Catherine. They wouldn't keep trying to kill you if I gave myself up."

Catherine pounded his chest once with her fist. "Like I said, we have no other options!" She pushed away from him, her body practically vibrating with anger. "How could you?! How could you even suggest such a thing? As if I could go on living knowing you had done that? That you'd willingly traded your life for mine? If they take you, Vincent, they may as well take me too, because I'd never survive it. I wouldn't want to survive it."

"Catherine – "

"NO! Tell me, Vincent. How would you feel if Muirfield captured and killed me?" She bit her lip nervously. She was going out on an emotional limb here, but she was reasonably confident that she knew what his response would be. That was her last coherent thought before his eyes started to glow, followed by a wave of emotion full of rage and desolation slamming into her full force that drove her to her knees. Vincent was on the ground in front of her in the next breath, cradling her in his arms.

"Catherine! What happened? Are you all right? Damn it, I knew this was too risky. You need bed rest and medicine. We'll get you somewhere safe and then-"

"No, it's not that," she gasped, her fingers pressing desperately into his arms as she tried to pull herself together. "It was just your reaction to what I asked you-"

"Oh my god, Catherine I'm so sorry. I didn't think how that would affect you. Truthfully, I didn't think. Just the mention of something like that happening started making me a little crazy-" He stopped abruptly, and stared into her face. "Oh, this is so not good," he mumbled.

"What's not good?"

"We never thought – I never realized – I mean, since you've uh, changed – I haven't 'beasted out'. Catherine – what is that going to do to you when you feel my beast enraged?" Vincent collapsed from his knees until he was sitting on the ground. He drew his knees up until he could rest his forehead on them, his fingers thrust into his hair in despair.

This was the scene JT witnessed when his headlights shone on them as he pulled into the parking lot.

Catherine feathered her fingers through his hair, and stroked the side of his face. "I don't know what will happen, Vincent. All I do know is that as long as you're with me, I can face anything. Please don't ever doubt that for a moment. We'll get through this, just like we've managed to deal with everything else so far. Together. Okay?"

Vincent refused to make eye contact with her as he rose and helped her up, struggling to subdue his inward emotions regarding the subject as he led her to JT's waiting car. He didn't need her knowing that he wasn't nearly as confident about their future as she was. He was just glad that she couldn't read his mind as well as his emotions, or he'd be sunk. But for as much as he thought his efforts were shielding Catherine, his lack of concession on the matter hadn't escaped her notice.

"Problems?" JT asked as they climbed into the back seat.

"Yes," Catherine answered in the same moment that Vincent said, "No!"

"Well that was definitive," JT commented with a smirk. "Is this what it's going to be like living with the two of you? Because if it is, I think I better buy a tent or something…"

"Vincent's solution to every bump in the road is to turn himself over to Muirfield," Cat blurted out. If she hadn't been staring out the window to avoid eye contact with Vincent, she would have seen his mutinous look. He certainly didn't want to air their "dirty laundry" to his best friend; partly out of pride, but mostly because he knew that JT would chew his ass for even thinking something so stupid. Only Vincent didn't think it was all that stupid to sacrifice himself for the people he loved. Besides, wouldn't they really be better off with him out of the picture? They could carry on with their lives instead of always running to try and save them. He brooded as he turned to stare out his own window, lost in thought. So many people had been hurt because of the rash, emotional decision he had made back in 2001.

He was so lost in thought that it didn't even register with his conscious mind when JT told Cat, "I've tried for years to tell him that wasn't a viable solution, but he can't seem to get it through his thick head that there are still some people who care about him. Maybe you'll have better luck getting through to him." Vincent may not have heard JT's statement, but there was no mistaking the piercing pain that came from Catherine. It made him almost want to throw up-

Catherine pounded on the back of JT's seat. "Pull over-!" JT wasn't sure what the problem was, but he'd come to trust Catherine implicitly, and immediately pulled onto the shoulder of the road. He was surprised when she bolted from the car and sprinted into the bushes along the highway.

"What the-" he began, only to be interrupted by the sound of Vincent's door opening and slamming shut. "-hell," he concluded to an otherwise empty vehicle with a sigh, dropping his head to thump on the steering wheel. Those two were going to be the death of him if they didn't get their relationship sorted out soon.

Vincent trailed after Catherine, breaking into a dead run when he heard a scream of pain give way to violent retching. All of this was his fault. Somehow he was going to have to make it right. He nearly stumbled over her before dropping to his knees next to her, pulling her hair back from her face as she emptied her stomach. When she finished, she dissolved into sobs that left Vincent totally speechless. This vulnerable side to Catherine kept taking him by surprise. She could be tough and strong when she had to be, but she'd been pushed past her tolerance level lately. Combined with her injuries, maybe it was just all too much. Vincent had no idea what to say to her, so he just pulled her into his arms and held her while she released all her pent up emotion. When her crying finally subsided, he gently brushed her hair from her face, tracing her delicate jaw with his strong fingers. When he reached her chin he tilted her head up until she was forced to look at him. "You wanna tell me what that was all about?" he asked in a low murmur.

Catherine closed her eyes, and fresh tears leaked from under her lashes as she bit her lip to keep from bursting into another round of sobbing. Vincent cradled her against his chest, pressing soft kisses into her hair while trying desperately to comfort her. He felt her despair acutely, but was unsure what the root cause of it was.

"I just can't keep doing this, Vincent," she finally choked out.

Vincent went completely still. Wasn't this what he wanted? For her to surrender to the inevitable and let him turn himself in to Muirfield? Then why did the thought that she'd come to the end of her rope with him hurt so much? His heart felt like it was lodged in his throat as he asked, "Can't do… what, exactly?"

"I can't keep doing this emotional rollercoaster with you." There was no mistaking the agitation underlying the weary tone in her voice.

"So… what are you saying, Catherine? That you want to split up?"

Catherine pushed herself upright, getting to her feet and stepping away from him. Even if her arms hadn't been wrapped around herself in a defensive posture, there was no mistaking the emotional walls he could feel her putting up between them. "That's largely up to you," she said, turning her back to him and looking off into the distance. "You know, I thought we had overcome this particular hurdle when we acknowledged our feelings for each other, but apparently I was just being a fool to think that once you knew how important you are to me, that you'd stop acting like your life doesn't matter. But if JT hasn't been able to impress that on you in all these years, it doesn't give me much hope. And I'm so tired Vincent. It's bad enough to constantly be running and looking over my shoulder, but to have the one person that makes it all worth it continually threatening the equivalent of suicide just pushes me over the edge. Do you have any idea how selfish your "noble" gesture would be? You'd finally be at rest, but I'd be left behind grieving and angry – and if you're honest with yourself you know as well as I do that Muirfield would probably still hunt me down because of what I know."

"No," he growled. "I'd make it a condition of my surrender that they leave you alone."

Catherine spun around abruptly and pinned him with an incredulous look. "Seriously? Do you honestly believe there is an ounce of honor in that entire organization? Basically, you'd be feeding me to the wolves. I'd be left on my own trying to protect not only myself but JT as well. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm moving on from my old life, changing my identity, and trying to fly under the radar. And I'm doing it with or without you." She turned her back on him once more, staring off into space. "Maybe you're right. Maybe we need to part ways before we get in any deeper."

Vincent wasn't sure if it was his heart breaking or hers that was choking him – or maybe it was both. All he knew was that every dream he ever had was about to walk out of his life for good. How had something he offered to do to protect the people he loved gone so wrong? Tough beast though he might be, he couldn't stop the tears that streamed silently down his cheeks at the thought of never seeing Catherine again. But if that's what it took for her to be happy and safe then he would have to find a way. "If that's what you want…" he surrendered in a defeated murmur.

"Since when has anything I want made any difference to you? Certainly not when you were plotting to just up and rip my heart out by giving yourself to Muirfield. Do you really think that's what I want? To be rid of you for good?"

"You know, sometimes I wish we had never met," he said softly, wiping the tears from his cheeks. He looked up at her sharp gasp. "No, I just mean it was so much easier protecting you when you weren't on Muirfield's radar. You would never have developed these feelings for me, and would have been able to just live the normal life you were intended to have."

"Vincent, since when do you have the right to decide for me what is the life I'm intended to have – or even want? Why do you insist I'd be better off without you? Is that how you feel? That you'd be better off without me?"

"NO! God, no! How could you even think such a thing?"

"How can YOU? How dare you make me fall in love with you and then just threaten to throw it all away! HOW DARE YOU?!" Her rage gave way to a fresh onslaught of crying, and she turned to make her way back to the car, stumbling from her vision being obscured by the tears. Vincent was worried she would fall and injure herself further, so he ran to her and scooped her up in his arms for her own safety. "Let…me… go…" she sobbed out. "Y-you've made it p-pretty clear how little you care for me. Just l-leave me alone."

"Shh," he said into her hair, cradling her tenderly in his arms so as not to hurt her. "Catherine I'm so sorry."

"For what?" she sniffled out. "For finally being honest about your feelings for me? For acting like this was just some big game?"

"Hey now, that's not true," he chastised. "There's nothing remotely amusing about this situation. I have been honest about my feelings. If anything, I've held back just how deep my feelings for you go. I didn't offer to turn myself in to throw what we have away or get away from you. I did it because I love you so much I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to you, and especially for it to be my fault. I could never live with that on my conscience, can't you understand that?"

Catherine nodded against his chest. "I can. But if I make the decision to be with you, wouldn't anything that happens to me by my fault? Vincent, you have to stop carrying the weight of the world and everyone else's decisions on your shoulders. Everything bad that happens in this world is not somehow your responsibility."

Vincent sighed. He knew in his head she was right, but somehow he still felt like so much bad that had befallen those he loved was his responsibility. Sometimes it was just hard to turn that off. "I know you're right," he said softly, conceding finally to her logic. "It's just really difficult to believe after everything that's happened, you know? You don't know how much I wish all of this could just go away so we could be happy together without all this drama."

"I know," she breathed on a sigh, nuzzling her face into his neck and relaxing somewhat, now that he was starting to see reason. "But like we talked about before – every relationship is going to have its drama. No one gets a drama-free pass in life. Stuff happens. Our drama is just a little different than the average couple is all. But it's how you handle it and who you have by your side that makes all the difference. And if it's all the same to you, you're the one I want to sort through all the craziness with."

"Hey, I want that too. It's just… I get scared, y'know? Not for myself nearly as much as for what could happen to you. And even if it isn't my fault entirely, I still couldn't live with it if I couldn't protect you."

"Vincent, in the eventuality that happens, you just have to remember one thing." He looked at her questioningly. "You need to remember to focus on the fact that I love you more than anything in this world, and for whatever time I had with you, I was the happiest I had ever been in my life. Sure, I could have had a 'normal' life with a 'normal' guy… but I wouldn't have been truly happy. So what good is that? When you hold me… when you kiss me… I feel like I'm complete. I wouldn't trade one minute of that for 50 years of passionless living. So if I die, I will die a happy woman for having had you in my life."

"Oh Catherine," he moaned softly, his lips almost touching hers, "I am so in love with you. I've fought so hard because I feel so selfish wanting you the way I do with all the horrible things going on in my life. I never even dared to dream you could feel this way about me, and when we couldn't seem to stay away from each other the guilt nearly ate me alive – especially after Muirfield got you in their crosshairs. But never ever did I want to push you away. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me – and I don't just mean since Muirfield. I mean ever."

"So then, no more talk of turning yourself in, right? We will never have this conversation again?" Catherine stared into his eyes, willing him to tell her what she so desperately needed to hear.

Vincent leaned the last inch to brush his lips against hers. "Never again," he told her. "I promise."