It was like any other day in the tunnels until suddenly it wasn’t. A roar of agony reverberated throughout the inhabited warren where only the taps on the pipes and the rumbling subway trains had previously been heard. The silence that immediately followed created even more consternation for the tunnel folk.

“Father, what’s happened?” Cullen breathlessly ran into the study seeking information.

Several other residents had already piled into the area awaiting news on what had precipitated the roar. Mouse had checked and Vincent was not in his chamber. No one knew where he currently was.

Father shook his head and began to speak. “Vincent didn’t like the answer I gave him to a question he asked. He will be fine once he processes the facts.”

Mary was the only one brave enough to try to pry the information from the tunnel patriarch. “What was the question?”

“It’s nothing to worry about. Let’s all get back to work to finish the assignments for the day.” Father’s dismissive tone was met with murmurs that indicated no one was buying his explanation. He further dismissed their concerns by putting his glasses back on and reading the ledger before him at his desk.

* * *

Vincent’s legs were pounding and eating up the ground as he created as much distance between himself and Father as the tunnels would allow. His cloak and hair were streaming behind him as he continued to push farther into the depths beyond the catacombs. The ache in his heart was not assuaged in the least as it thundered to keep oxygen flowing to the muscles he was abusing in his retreat. Eventually, his stamina was strained to the point that he needed to stop and catch his breath and get his bearings.

He looked around to assess his surroundings as he gulped air into his strained lungs. It seemed that his mind had let him run blindly without consideration of his destination. He realized that he was standing in an alcove just beyond the catacombs.

He needed a place to sit quietly and reflect on Father’s harsh words. He found a boulder along one wall and settled down. He pulled one foot up onto his improvised seat and rested his folded hands on his knee. His eyes closed as he retreated to the thoughts that were plaguing him. The tears he had shed during his retreat slowly dried on his face.

Catherine had been on his mind and in his heart ever since he had escorted her back to her world after her ten-day convalescence in his chamber. The intimacy of tending to her as she healed in his bed had woven threads of connection unlike anything he had previously experienced with another person. During their goodbye, she touched him with her hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder before they were interrupted by vocal sounds coming from her basement. The physical touch had opened something in him that he was at a loss to figure out how to close.

She had gone Above three months ago, and he had not had any contact with her since. Well, there was no contact unless you counted the times when her emotions merged with his when he had not even been thinking about her. He didn’t know what to do with those feelings. She had imprinted herself on his soul, and he had no way to interact with her in her world. And she was certainly not going to find her way back to interact with him in his.

He had tried discussing this with Father who only made things worse. His pronouncement that the future held no hope for a relationship between the two of them cut deeply. The actual words Father used were burning in Vincent’s mind.

“Vincent, look at who and what you are. Look at who and what that woman is. You are totally incompatible. She is a debutante from Above who can have any man she chooses. She is the type who is in the society pages of the newspaper. She has wealth, power, and position. You have nothing she needs. You have nothing to offer her.

“Stop pining about her and get back to the life you had before you made the unfortunate decision to bring her to our world. It was a mistake. You need to accept that and move on with your life here in the tunnels. There is nothing else to be done.” Father leveled the pronouncements at him with the coldness of one who would offer no comfort.

Vincent remembered venting the hurt through a deafening roar before fleeing from the torment his father was inflicting. He might never forgive the man who raised him for pummeling him with this torrent of unrelenting facts. Each assertion tore through his heart like a bullet.

There was no relief from the pain of the truth. He was not fully human, unworthy of the love of a woman, and he would be alone for the rest of his life. This woman who had become the focus of his emotional sanity was unaware of his need for her. She would never know the connection that had started between them, and she would never be able to react to it. His future was bleak with this perspective.

His role in the community was a celibate protector, teacher, and friend to all. He was supposed to offer emotional support to everyone and suppress his own wants and needs to be accepted. For all intents and purposes, he was seen as a eunuch. He reluctantly accepted that this was the best he could hope for considering his obvious differences from what was normal.

What no one seemed to realize was that his natural empathic abilities allowed him to experience what emotional connections between people were supposed to be. Father had adamantly conditioned him to know that those connections were deemed off limits to him.

A wave of happiness and excitement suddenly washed over him. He instinctively knew that this was a feed from Catherine’s current experience. She was celebrating some small victory in her life Above. He could grab that sharing of positive energy and numb his pain for the moment. He was pleased that her life was going well in this instant. The feelings merged with his own and gave him a respite from his introspection.

He decided to go Above and walk the city this night to gain some clarity. As he made his way to the surface, he circumvented the home tunnels to avoid detection by the sentries. He wanted his whereabouts to remain a mystery to Father for now. He could feel the heat from the pavement and smell the perfume of flowering plants as he made his way through the city.

He found himself outside Catherine’s building and looked up to where he surmised her apartment overlooked the park. Without conscious thought he found himself making his way up to the roof. He quietly let himself down onto her terrace and pressed himself against the wall. His breathing and heartbeat were so loud that he thought he might draw her attention from inside.

He listened carefully and could hear her voice. There was no audible response from whomever she was in conversation with, so he assumed it was a telephone call.

“No, Tom, I am not yet healed enough for social engagements.” There was a brief pause. “I told you, no. I mean it, Tom. I’ll let you know when I’m ready. Good night.” There was a tinge of harshness in her voice, and he heard her put the handset loudly in the cradle.

Silence followed and he could feel her emotions as a combination of sadness and irritation. He wanted to be able to comfort her, but he knew it should never be allowed. Her world and his had no common ground, so no contact should be attempted.

He sighed and silently climbed back to the roof to overlook the city. He berated himself for even attempting to get this close to her. He had been thinking with his heart and not his head when he sought proximity to her. He promised himself that this would be the only time he would seek to be near her.

He spent the next several hours roaming the darkened streets, keeping to the shadows as he observed the nightlife of the city that never slept. These encounters always left him feeling bereft of any connection with people. They were always close and within reach if he had chosen to make his presence known, but his honed fear of discovery kept him from attempting to make any contact.

The sky was starting to bleed the colors of sunrise that signaled his need to return to his underground prison. He made his way to the drainage tunnel before dawn and opened the secret door to the tunnel world. As he passed through, he dreaded his next encounter with Father.

He successfully navigated the tunnels to his chamber without seeing anyone. He gathered some clean clothes and made his way to the bathing chamber to freshen up for the day. The ablutions freshened his body and his outlook. He was prepared to face another day of tunnel assignments. Life would continue despite the turmoil that was always beneath the surface of the carefully controlled persona he portrayed to his world.

He took the stairs down into Father’s study where the old man was having his first cup of tea.

“I see you have found your way home.” Father looked over his glasses and into Vincent’s eyes.

“Yes, Father. Please forgive me for my outburst.” Vincent offered his contrite demeanor to match the patriarch’s expectations. This was the uncomplicated way to move forward.

“You are forgiven, son. Shall we go have breakfast now?”

Vincent nodded and meekly followed his father into the dining hall.

* * *

Catherine’s life underwent significant changes during her recovery from the brutal attack that had altered her trajectory forever. She had stopped living her life on the default setting. Every action she was taking was on purpose and had a goal. She would no longer let anyone else determine what course her future would take.

She would never again allow herself to be left defenseless. She pursued the knowledge and skills to defend herself against physical attack. She evaluated her relationship with Tom and found that changes were needed, or she would no longer be willing to stay where her opinions and wishes were not considered.

She often thought back to the time she spent in pain and blind in a stranger’s bed, healing from the attack. The gentle voice that offered comfort and solace permeated her dreams and memories. The being who owned the voice held a special place in her heart. She wished that she could find someone in her own world who had the qualities of that special individual. She almost couldn’t believe that someone with a mythical quality could have been real, yet she knew that he was.

He had told her that she had the strength to move forward after her trauma, and she was currently proving his assessment as correct. The surgery to remove all but one of her scars had been successful, and she had made a career change to match the change in her outlook on life.

Her father had been displeased when she veered from the course that he had plotted for her future. His well-meaning attempt to have his daughter follow in his footsteps and eventually take over his law practice felt like a box in which she did not want to be imprisoned. Taking charge of her own life felt freeing and terrifying at the same time. The new Cathy was forging ahead with a determination that she previously never knew existed in her psyche.

She thought about Vincent and wanted to reach out to him to thank him for saving her life and acknowledging the inner strength he recognized in her. Without his support and encouragement, she would never have been able to make the needed changes to the way she lived her life.

She sat down at her desk to write a brief note to him requesting a meeting. After all, she couldn’t exactly call him, and she would never be able to find her way back to his chamber.

Dear Vincent,

I have been doing well since you rescued me. I would very much welcome the opportunity to see you again. We can meet wherever you feel safe. You can leave your answer where I left this note for you. I will check periodically for your response.

Your incredibly grateful friend,

Catherine

She placed the note in an envelope with his name and left for the subbasement of her building to access the entrance to his world. She was extremely cautious as she made her way down the stairs to the storage room with the entryway. She made sure she was alone and then carefully opened the door to descend the ladder.

She was hopeful that if she left the note far enough into the tunnel, someone from his world would find it and deliver it to him. She cautiously crept past the brick opening where he had disappeared and dropped the note along the wall. She had a flutter of anticipation as she made her way carefully out of the basement and back to her apartment.

She waited a week to check for the presence of the note. It was still untouched. She made a weekly trek to the tunnel. It was finally gone after the third week. She smiled as she anticipated finding a response soon. She couldn’t wait to see that striking face and hear that voice say her given name again.

* * *

The children had been spending time playing in the tunnels to escape the hot August weather Above. They wandered to explore different routes for variety. Kipper found the note addressed to Vincent and shoved it into his pocket. He knew that Vincent was on a work detail below for the next week, so he gave the note to Father to hold.

When the tunnel patriarch was told where the note was found, he waited until he was alone to open it. His worst fears were realized when his suspicion that the note was from that woman proved to be correct. This was definitely something that he would and could not allow to progress.

He dropped the paper and envelope into the flames of the brazier that blazed in the study. It was his duty to protect his son from the heartache further contact with her would cause. He felt justified in making this decision for Vincent in the name of love.

* * *

Catherine made it a point to check for a response to her note every day for the first week. She tapered off checking twice a week for the first month. When no answer was forthcoming, she only checked weekly. After the third month with no response, she assumed with regret that Vincent did not wish to have any further contact with her. She stopped her trek to the tunnel entrance and decided to let her wish to see him again die.

She had much to occupy her life without forging a new friendship with an unusual man who lived a secret existence. Her new job was demanding as she had to constantly prove herself to her new bosses who seemed to see her as a spoiled rich girl. Her relationship with Tom was stalled due to her resistance in letting it move forward. She had a challenging time forgiving him for always wanting her to support him without regard to what she wanted. She needed to find the courage to end the relationship entirely.

* * *

Vincent continued to experience the roller coaster of emotions that emanated from Catherine through the bond. Sometimes he was overjoyed when he felt her happiness. Other times he felt her despair. He only wished that he had the courage to go to her and tell her of the bond they shared. Father’s words regarding the impossibility of a relationship between them always curbed his ability to act towards making contact.

He wondered if she ever thought of him and if any of the happiness he experienced through her was due to her memories of him. Then he chided himself for such wishful thinking. Sometimes the pull toward her was so strong that it robbed him of sleep, leaving him to restlessly wander the city nights. He had never accessed her building again as the temptation to make contact would be uncontrollable. So he settled for trying to stifle the ‘bond’ as he had come to call it and just be content with his lot in life.

* * *

It had been nearly eight months since Catherine had healed in Vincent’s bed, and Father thought that the matter had finally been allocated to a one-time event that his son had finally accepted. Life in the tunnels was normal with the usual concerns of having enough food, seeking medications as needed for the sick, and maintaining security of the entrances. No crisis was currently in play.

Father walked up the steps from his study and down the corridor to Vincent’s chamber. He found his son sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. He recognized the brooding look immediately. He was sure it had to do with that woman.

“Vincent, you know that she can only bring you unhappiness.” He needed to make sure that the message he had been preaching over the last months was finally understood.

“Then I’ll be unhappy… but I can’t forget her.” His voice was forceful as he abruptly stood up and started to pace the chamber. “We’re still connected.” He needed words to convey how different and meaningful this connection to Catherine was than anything else he had ever experienced. Unless he could find the words, the older man’s understanding would never materialize.

Father’s sorrow was reflected in his eyes as he shook his head. He desperately wanted his son’s torment about the woman to end. The endless brooding about something that could never be was starting to upset the balance of the tunnel community.

“I can feel what she’s feeling, I know what she’s thinking… when she’s frightened, when she’s happy or sad.” Vincent’s pain was palpable.

“Vincent, your senses, your empathic powers are quite extraordinary. It’s your gift. And these powers have been heightened by the concern, the love that you feel. But don’t let your act of kindness destroy you.” The plea was sincere and he hoped that his words would break through.

The response was meant to convey what Father refused to accept.  “Maybe, I have no choice.” He left the chamber to find solace in his inevitable solitude.

* * *

The next few days became a blur as Vincent tried to get on with the life that had been planned for him. His friends, although none of them had met Catherine, tried to reach out to distract him with tunnel concerns and other engagements. He was invited to special dinners, chess matches, musical recitals, and craft projects with the children. He suspected Father’s hand behind the overt attention.

However, through it all, the connection still burned in the background of his daily life. Her reactions to the life she was living Above continued to drift into his consciousness with random frequency.

One evening after dinner, he decided to spend some time dusting and organizing his bookshelf. He was drawn to the copy of Great Expectations that still had the bookmark lodged at the beginning of the last chapter. The entire book except the ending had been read while Catherine was still in his care. The last chapter of his life with Catherine had not yet been written. He decided that it was time to do so.

On impulse he donned his cloak and grabbed the book before making his way to the surface. He was determined to leave the book on her balcony and catch one last glimpse of her if possible before he retreated to his lot in life in the tunnels. Surely one last view of this woman who had permeated his thoughts for months was not too great an ask of Fate.

Enroute to her building he felt the bond ripple with irritation that was subsequently followed by relief. Whatever had transpired for Catherine that evening seemed to have a positive outcome. He was pleased to know she was doing well.

He landed with a light thump on her balcony and made his way to the table where he placed the copy of Great Expectations. He had stepped over to the shadows of the balcony wall when she appeared with a gun in her hand. He was immediately sorry when he felt her fear, but it quickly dissipated when she recognized the book and who had brought it. She smiled and looked around the balcony.

“Vincent!” Her voice was full of happiness and surprise as she rushed over to him and into his arms. He automatically put his arms around her in an embrace that flooded his heart with the warmth of her acceptance of him.

“I didn’t mean to frighten you. I’m sorry.” His contrition was apparent in his husky whisper.

She leaned back in the hug to look into his eyes. “No, no, I’m so glad to see you. I left a note for you in the tunnel in August and when I never heard from you, I thought… well, I thought that you didn’t want to see me.”

His head tilt accentuated the confusion in his expression. “Catherine, I did not receive your note. I would have responded had I had the opportunity to read it. What did it say?”

“Only that I wanted to see you again and be your friend. Some opportunities just seem too good to pass up.” Her smile radiated from her healed face as she felt a closeness with this man who was so different from anyone else in her life.

“Thank you, Catherine. Yes, I will be your friend.” He let a smile overtake his expression as he felt his world turn on its axis and her contentment filled their connection. Instead of the last chapter of their journey together, this night was to be the beginning of a new course for them. He would take any steps necessary to ensure a chance for a future with this woman in his life.