YOU MADE A PROMISE

by Tunnel Muse

It’s been a little over a year now. It took six months to set Catherine’s father’s estate in order, selling his townhouse, and storing his furniture until she decided what to do with it.

Her dad’s business at Chandler and Coolidge was stressful and infuriating. Going through the paperwork, she noticed underhanded dealings with clients, overcharging on bills, embezzlement of company funds, and downright theft. After confronting Jay and his son Mark, she was glad her father hadn’t seen what his so-called partner had done to his firm and his good name. Jay bought Catherine out for seventy percent of the firm’s price; otherwise he’d face prosecution for fraud and embezzlement, for which he thanked her profusely. She wanted none of it; however she was glad to be moving on with her life.

Now, except for her father’s desk and chair, plus the turquoise table he bought in China, some books, and the photo of her mother, she left all his other office things behind. She no longer cared about it after her father died; she wasn’t thrilled about corporate law anyway.

The pain slowly left her, made easier with Vincent’s love and strength. She knew, for the first time in a long time, she wouldn’t be alone. Vincent was her world and he was hers. She would spend her off days and weekends with Vincent after a long hard week at work. It was the only time she felt relaxed and stress-free, as well as loved.

After a year, her life was heading in the right direction and her relationship with Vincent would be moving forward as well…she hoped.

* * *

The devastation with the Outsiders had left Vincent emotionally bruised and battered. Having to kill…again…to save his family, the community, his world, because it was the only home he had and it needed to be protected. His having to protect Catherine from their evil and violence made him hate who and what he was.

He didn’t know who to be angrier with more.

William, for saying in not so polite terms that he should protect them by killing the intruders, implying he was their weapon of choice? He knew others thought so, too, yelling at him and Father jointly. William regretted his words later and their implication.

At Father, for lying to him when he found out that he had asked Catherine to bring her gun, which meant only one thing…shoot to kill if his task failed?

Then, there was Catherine. His anger was a mix of fear of losing her to those maniacs and her not staying away, as he had asked…no, demanded quite forcefully.

In the end, the Outsiders were thrown into the Abyss, never to be seen again, and another bullet was removed from his shoulder, with a scar to take its place.

Catherine tried, with love, compassion, and a large amount of guilt, to help him allay his own guilt and inner turmoil.

“Let me help you,” she had said with sadness in her eyes and a soft voice.

“How can you even look at me?” he’d replied, barely looking at her.

“There is darkness in all of us, Vincent,” she’d said calmly.

After asking her to leave, she had looked at him, bending her head slightly, waiting, and saying nothing.

Looking up reluctantly, he had said, “Please!” He could say nothing more, just bent his head down.

“I love you!” was all she said, walking away, tears threatening to fall.

Vincent did his disappearing act for several days; then he took on his classes, anything to stay busy and not think. Life went back to normal for the most part, but he couldn’t keep his mind off Catherine.

* * *

Then came Catherine’s father’s death and her coming Below. It was a strange and wonderful, nerve-racking dream come true.

They had a taste of life together, even under those sad circumstances. The few days Below for Catherine were everything she loved, to be with the man she loved dearly.

Vincent secretly loved having her there as well, though his fear and other concerns kept him from expressing it to Cathrine. So, he quietly kept his own counsel.

With Catherine now back to work, and having settled her father’s estate and business dealings, they saw each other on her days off, which were rare as usual and mostly weekends. They loved their time together, listening to music in the park or concerts Below done by the children and tunnel residents. There were nights when they just enjoyed reading to each other until almost dawn. On those evenings, neither wanted the other to go. Weekends were always too short, and there was the never-ending work that followed week after endless week.

For Catherine, less work and more Vincent were what she wanted more than anything.

Vincent, if he was truthful to her and himself, wanted that, too. But how? He knew the times he felt her fear and uncertainty about the dark side of him, that dark and violent side he knew she saw and felt.

In truth, her fear of him wasn’t of his dark side but her fear of losing him, or of him being harmed by those who didn’t understand. Those who only saw an animal, a beast, not a man at all – the man she loved more than life. And she had told him more than once how she loved him in words and in actions.

Another truth he had refused to face honestly was that it was he who was afraid of who and what he was, and not Catherine. It was he who put barriers up, distancing himself from her more than once. He couldn’t or wouldn’t give himself fully, not realizing that he was using her job, her life Above, and her friends as excuses to keep them apart.

Catherine systematically tore the barriers down one by one, leaving none in their wake. Every time, it was Vincent who kept rebuilding the barriers where Catherine saw no boundaries or limitations that they couldn’t overcome. She had such belief and strength in their love and their Bond; for her there was nothing but their future ahead of them.

While she was with him Below, she grieved and began healing over her father’s death.

He stayed strong, comforting her, and even through her grief, he felt her love and concern for him.

She knew it was hard for him to have her so close. She felt his love for her, but she also felt his fear and apprehension. She could feel him try to control his emotions around her, believing it wasn’t the right time for that now. She was there to heal and for support, to heal her bruised heart.

Keep in control, close off your emotions, concentrate on being there for Catherine and her needs, he told himself inwardly. He forced himself to shut down, with difficulty, that part of himself. Catherine’s eyes and her overwhelming love for him made it almost impossible to achieve, however. Father’s constant warnings and harping concerns about her being Below definitely weren’t making it any easier to tolerate.

The kiss she gave him on his unique lips before she left for home was his ultimate downfall. It left a huge crack in the shell around his heart, shocking him. It was the last thing he had expected or hoped for. It had happened so unexpectedly, he’d had no way of stopping it. Catherine only smiled, turned, and walked away, not looking back, leaving him there surprised and staring into the dusty light she walked through.

* * *

Both worlds resumed their busy lives as the weeks passed by.  For Catherine, it was the usual unending depositions, court duties, endless witnesses to interview, and meetings with Joe and Moreno. She would get so busy, all that she could do was crawl into bed and sleep from exhaustion. Oh, how she missed Vincent and their quiet and peaceful time together. Yes, it was a sad time then, but there weren’t six o’clock wake-ups, the cold coffees, meal-less nights, and morning traffic rushes to get to work on time.

For Vincent, it was his literature classes, math classes, and swimming lessons, not to mention the chambers that needed to be enlarged or pipes that needed repairs done. He, too, missed the quiet and peaceful times with Catherine – their talks, their times spent reading together. He missed just sitting by the falls in the Chamber of the Falls, not saying anything at all, listening to her breathing, her heartbeat, and their Bond, holding her in his arms contentedly.

He missed Catherine terribly. The dilemma, however, was how to go forward. He couldn’t reconcile himself with who and what he was; the darkness vied with his ability to truly love Catherine as she deserved. How?!

His only solution was, as Father warned so many times, to break the relationship off permanently, to sever all ties with Catherine…forever, letting her live Above with someone else. He knew this would destroy him emotionally and physically. He knew he would die a slow, painful emotional death of loneliness with no one to fill his broken and dying heart, leading eventually to physical death. But what else could be done in this untenable situation? This half-life was unbearable and not fair to Catherine or himself.

He needed time to think. The hours of hard labor had helped, but in the silence his mind wouldn’t rest. He decided to message Benny, one of the helpers, to come to see him. That evening, he gave Benny a note to give to Catherine.

The next day, during his lunch run, Benny handed the note to her with the chicken salad sandwich she had ordered. With a warm smile, she thanked him as he continued to serve the others in the office.

Catherine opened the note, recognizing the handwriting.  As she started reading it, her heart sank.

Dearest Catherine,

I’m going away for a while. These past few weeks have left me weary.
I will contact you soon.

        ~  V

Shocked, she looked to see Benny, who was about to leave, and she called out to him. He returned to her desk.

“What can I do for you, Catherine?” he asked with a smile. It slowly faded when he saw her expression of concern and confusion. “What’s wrong, Cathy? You look upset.”

“Benny, did Vincent say anything to you when he gave you the note?”

Puzzled by her question, he said, “No, nothing at all. He only asked me to hand it to you, nothing more.” There was a small pause, then he said, “I’m sorry, Cathy,” and he walked away.

Reading the missive again, she sighed, placing the note into her purse. It was already Friday, and she’d hoped to spend the weekend with Vincent; now she had no plans. Perhaps she could have dinner with Jenny. She had canceled lunch with her two days before.

* * *

The weekend came and went. Dinner with Jenny was lovely, but Catherine couldn’t stop thinking about Vincent and the note.

The workweek was busy and dragged slowly. She worked into the evenings and went home exhausted, falling into bed. She barely ate that whole week, worrying.

Another week passed, and she was going into yet another workweek with no word from Vincent. Now not eating and also not sleeping well, she looked tired and very pale. Her thoughts were spinning, and she was unable to concentrate. Where was Vincent? Why did he not contact her? They had seemed so close after her father’s passing, but now she worried. She knew he was worried about their relationship moving forward, but she’d hoped it would.

The silence was deafening and very disconcerting.

Joe and Edie noticed her tiredness and her distraction.

“Are you okay, Radcliffe?” Joe asked, concern in his voice. He waved Edie over to Catherine’s desk, feeling he needed backup, knowing Catherine’s occasional stubborn streak.

“Hey, girlfriend, what’s going on?” She looked from Joe to Catherine.

Rubbing her eyes slowly, Catherine looked up at them. She was only half listening. “What? Oh…I’m…I’m all right. I’m just tired, that’s all. I’ll be okay; maybe a coffee.”

Joe and Edie looked at Cathy, then at each other. They knew she was far from all right. As she returned to her work, Joe took her pencil and pulled her up from her desk. “You are not fine, Cathy, not fine at all. If you don’t mind an analogy, you look like death warmed over. When did you eat last?” he asked, shaking his head. “You look like you haven’t slept in weeks either. You’re going home. Now!”

“But I have too much work and…” she said, trying to interrupt him.

“No…Cathy, I’ll get a couple of the interns to pitch in, no arguments. Edie, see she gets a cab, okay? Make sure she doesn’t make any detours along the way.”

“Okay, boss man. Come on, girlfriend,” Edie encouraged. “Let’s get you a cab.”

On their way out, Joe called to her, “I don’t want to see you for a week, got it? Get some rest.”

“Okay, Joe,” she called back.

She knew she could use some rest. But what she really needed was Vincent and his arms around her.

It was only Monday, so she had eight days off until the following Monday.

She walked into her apartment, locked the door, and dropped her purse and case. She hadn’t had time to put any work in, so it was pretty empty.

Changing into her pjs, she ate some soup and went to sleep.

* * *

While this was going on with Catherine, Vincent had left for deeper tunnels. He’d go down to the deep catacombs, apart from their world. No one other than Vincent would travel there. Having taken supplies with him and a blanket, he traversed the miles from the familiar hub.

He, like Catherine, hadn’t slept well or eaten very much. Occasionally he would open their Bond to check on her, but for the most part he closed it as tight as possible. When he did sleep, however, he could no more close the Bond than he could stop breathing.

In his nightly dreams, he would think of her, seeing her beauty, and imagining how he would love her, his arms wrapped tightly around her body, nuzzling her neck. The dream would at times become disjointed, with him being with Catherine, then Lisa, reliving the pain he caused, then changing to the killing of the Others to save his family, his home, and his beloved Catherine.

How was their relationship to move forward, if he feared hurting her? How could he be everything to her and what she deserves, what she believed he could be? She had so much trust and faith in him. She had so much love for him, he could almost physically grab it with his hands; it was that real.

On one of those evenings, alone by the fire, his thoughts went to their conversation in the Chamber of the Falls. She told him of her seeing her father, and the conversation they’d had. It was so real to her, and he felt the honesty in her voice and in her heart.

He remembered saying to her then, “You’ve made peace with him.”

“Yes, he understood,” she’d said. “He understood everything.” She smiled at the recollection.

He couldn’t help smiling, thinking about it.

“Whatever I do now, it’s okay.”

He had felt her joy at that moment, but he had also felt his own apprehension at what it would mean and what would happen now. She wanted to stay, she wanted a life with him, whatever that would be. She said she wasn’t scared.

Although she genuinely believed it, he didn’t, or he didn’t want to believe it. Fear and self-loathing about who and what he was were putting walls and boundaries around him. He was making a cage, built by his pain and fears, pushing away the woman he professed to love more than his own life.

Exhaustion finally took hold, and he slept a fitful sleep of sounds and shadows.

* * *

Vincent suddenly awoke with a start and a low growl. He sat up quickly, looking around. The fire had burned out and a chill filled the chamber he was in. He rarely felt the cold, considering his body hair and the clothes he wore, but for some reason he was chilled to the bone. He decided to restart the fire for warmth and for light, and he also relit the lantern for extra light that the fire couldn’t give. There was still darkness in the cavern, leaving strange and eerie shadows. Though Vincent knew he was alone there, it made him feel uneasy, although he didn’t know why.

He pulled some biscuits and water out of his satchel, and he ate slowly and sipped his water. He looked around again, seeing nothing, but his senses were heightened.

This is ridiculous, he thought to himself. I’m the only one here. No one else comes down this far.

Trying to relax his tired muscles and eyes from little sleep, he finished his small meal. He closed his eyes as the fire warmed him, driving the chill away. He thought of Catherine; he felt her tiredness and sorrow. He knew it was his doing, and it shamed him to cause her such pain. He could feel her dreaming and feel her emotions. Vincent knew what she desperately wanted…she wanted him in every way a woman wants a man.

He felt Catherine so clearly, he thought she was right in front of him.

CATHERINE!!  He almost shouted her name into the darkness, reaching for her.

Not realizing it, he had dozed off momentarily. Now, rubbing his eyes, his senses were on alert again. “It’s just a dream. That’s all it’s ever going to be,” he said sadly, shaking his head.

A soft glow appeared to his left, a sort of mist, like from the Chamber of the Falls.

This isn’t possible, not down here! Vincent’s eyebrows raised and a low growl emanated from his throat. “Who’s there? Narcissa… is that you? What are you…?”

He couldn’t finish; he just stared at the strange misty glow in front of him.

Slowly, the glowing mist moved toward him. Rising to his feet to move away from the vision, his feet stiffened. The mist continued to move until it stood in front of Vincent’s disbelieving form.

“Narcissa, is this one of your conjurings?” He tried to remain calm as he spoke.

A figure walked out of the mist, not quite clear at first.

“Who are you? What are you?” Vincent asked as bravely as he could, feeling quite unnerved.

The apparition said nothing, but moved closer. The shock in Vincent’s eyes and mind shook him to his very soul. Suddenly, he realized the vision wasn’t Narcissa at all, but male. Vincent’s apprehension waned, but his curiosity remained.

The apparition smiled and spoke softly. “Maybe you should sit down before you fall down, Vincent.”

Stunned, Vincent could only comply with the request. Sitting down heavily on the hard ground, he could only stare. “How is this possible? I must be dreaming.”

“Life is a dream we all walk through, Vincent, and we get only one of those. We must make it a good one if we can,” the vision said calmly. “Do you mind if I join you?”

“Of…of course… Please!” Vincent stammered, his voice shaky. Realization dawned that he was actually having a conversation with Catherine’s deceased father.

No longer afraid of this strange scene, he just waited and wondered where this conversation was going to go. There was a moment of silence as he adjusted to the unusual vision in front of him, then he found his voice. “Is this really happening? Are you really sitting here with me?” he asked hesitantly.

Charles reached out to touch his arm, gripping it firmly but not painfully – a father’s way of getting one’s attention. “What does it feel like?” He smiled warmly.

“It feels real enough,” replied Vincent, still digesting the scene.

“Well, this is real, and so am I.” His smile faded slightly, and his eyes turned sad.

Vincent’s empathy took hold, and sympathy for who he had to accept as Catherine’s father. “Why are you here…now?” was his first question.

“Cathy is why I’m here….and you, son.”

“Me!” he replied, surprised, a look of confusion on his face.

“Yes…you, Vincent! I’ve been gone for a while now, but I’ve felt Cathy’s up and down emotions. She’s getting over my death slowly, and the pain has lessened. I’m glad about that because the loss of her mother took so long to recover from. My passing took less time because she wouldn’t be alone. That was my greatest fear, always.” Charles paused a moment to collect his thoughts. “Cathy has a very soft soul and, like you, has her own empathic ability to sense a person’s heart and truthfulness. She didn’t always believe in it herself, however. She also has something you both share, other than your special Bond, which connects you.”

“What is that?” Vincent asked, puzzled.

“Stubbornness,” he said with a knowing smile.

Vincent didn’t question it. He knew she had a stubborn streak in her, especially when it came to her relationship with him and her tenacity to hold onto their dream.

Charles continued, “I’m here because she called for me. Even though she and I made peace with everything, she’s still unsettled. I don’t know what she told you about our conversation the last time we spoke. It amazed me that I was able to see her one last time, before I…” He paused.

“She told me you understood everything that she said to you about the attack, and that she could finally tell you she was fine,” Vincent stated.

Looking away a moment into the fire, Charles replied, “Yes, she also said with conviction how much she loves you. I felt it in her, the truth of it. I know now where her heart lies, and her love, it’s with the man she loves…YOU!”

Charles looked into Vincent’s unique face and sky blue eyes. “Can I ask you a question, Vincent?” His eyes did not lose contact with Vincent’s.

“Yes, of course.”

“I need an honest answer, okay? You seem like a man of integrity; otherwise my daughter would not love you so deeply and completely.”

Vincent was surprised by his assessment of him, never having met him before the hospital visit, and even then Charles was not really aware of him or Catherine. That thought aside, he responded, “You can ask me anything, and I will be honest with you.”

“All right then. Do you love my daughter?” he asked, coming to the point.

Vincent hesitated only a moment. “With everything I am or ever could be!” His emotions were evident.

Charles knew he spoke truthfully. “I know. I see how you have shown your love to her. I’ve also seen how you saved her from the Others that tried to hurt her, and the men who tried to kill her when she protected you.”

Vincent hung his head in shame, not wanting to look at her father.

“You’ve protected her so many times. There is no shame in who and what you are, Vincent. The true animals are those who left her in the park to die, when her face was slashed. She would have died there without you, believe me. I know what society thinks about you, their fear of you. I honestly feared that, too, but no more. I want so much to thank you for saving her. I bless the day she crossed your path.”

Vincent raised his head and looked at him. “These hands are…”

“Beautiful, isn’t that what she said to you? They are her hands?”

Shocked, he responded, “But I killed with these! How can I trust myself to…how can you trust me with her?!”

“Because I trust you, as Cathy does, with her life and her heart. There are many weapons in this world, Vincent, and all can kill. Your tools are built in; others carry them in public or holsters – some for truth and justice, some for evil. You use yours to protect those who you love, your family, your home, my Cathy.”

“But I have nothing to offer her. She deserves so much more than I can give her.”

“Money, Vincent, isn’t everything. She has that, but it doesn’t fulfill her as much as you may think. She wants something money can’t buy; she wants a love that comes once in a lifetime. Her mother, Caroline, and I had that love until she died too young. I’m with her forever now.”

“But…what if I…” Vincent started to say.

“No more ‘buts’; it’s your turn. It’s time for you and Cathy to find happiness just like her mother and I did.” Standing up, he brushed his pants off and adjusted his jacket. Vincent stood up as well.

“I forgot to mention, I told Catherine, and now I’m letting you know. I heard everything she said, and I heard everything you said.”

“You did?” Vincent didn’t understand how.

“Yes, I did. And I also remember, my boy, you made a promise to me.”

Taking hold of Vincent’s shoulders in a firm grip, Charles took him back to the hospital room all three had been in. Catherine’s words played in his mind as clearly as if it were yesterday. Like a reel in a film, it replayed every detail of that night, recalling his words.

“I realize to you I am a stranger, and that was not your choice. But what Catherine and I share has taken great courage, especially for Catherine. She has sacrificed much in order to live a life of generosity and of love. Please know this, that I will protect Catherine, watch over her, and love her until my last breath.”

Charles stepped away from Vincent and the reel faded.

Looking at Charles, wide-eyed, Vincent’s vision blurred, tears threatening. “I’m sorry, sir!”

“Don’t, son. Don’t let fear and lies rob you of joy and love. Trust yourself, trust Catherine. Remember, love is stronger. It will help you go with courage and with care. I love you, son.” Grabbing his shoulders, Charles gave a huge hug. “Grab that girl and love her with everything you have. Tell her that we love her, love you both. You have our blessing!”

“I will, I promise!” Vincent replied, returning the warm hug, feeling very grateful.

As the mist returned, Charles backed away, turning to go. He smiled as he turned to face Vincent one last time. “Vincent, one last thing. When life gets rough, it will have its bad times. Love always, be each other’s strength, and remember…” As Charles faded into the mist, so did his last words. “I will be watching over you both, and remember, son, you made a promise…prom…ise…”

* * *

The last word echoed in the darkness. Vincent awoke to a black cavern, the fire he thought he had relit, cold. Realizing it may have been a dream… No…it was no dream at all. When Vincent got his bearings and he was fully awake, he could smell Charles’ cologne ever so faintly.

As he went to pick up his blanket, he spotted something lying on it. On the blanket lay a large, red clown’s nose.

As he was scooping everything up unceremoniously, all he could think was Catherine. Putting the clown’s nose into his cloak pocket, he tied everything else into the blanket.

Running as fast as his legs could carry him, he raced to Catherine.

* * *

It was still Monday but extremely late. Catherine was restless, unable to sleep. Turning her stereo to classical music, she tried to relax and think of Vincent, hoping he was all right.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her balcony doors. Jumping up, she ran to open them, finding Vincent there out of breath. They threw themselves into each other’s arms, crushing each other, not wanting to let go.

“Catherine!” He breathed into her hair, smelling the shampoo and conditioner. She smelled amazing.

“Oh, Vincent.” She breathed in just as heavily. She was so happy to see him, she held him even tighter.  “Oh, I missed you so much! I love you so much!”

“And I love you, my Love! I’m so sorry, Catherine! Forgive me!”

She pulled away slowly, looking at him. He had never used terms of endearment with her. She drank in the words, looking lovingly into his eyes. The unexpected words melted her heart.

Vincent felt her joy as she came back into his arms. “Forgive me, Catherine, I should have trusted in our dream. I should have trusted in our love. I was terrified of causing you harm, of hurting you. I hated what I was, what I am, especially after I killed the intruders that threatened my home and you. I felt unworthy of your love. I had to go away and sort things out. I had to find out if there was any hope for us, any future.”

She smiled warmly at him. “You were gone for so long, I worried you wouldn’t come back. What happened? Something seems changed. Can you tell me?”

Vincent shook his head, and a strange smile appeared on his face. He was thinking back to the strange dream, if it even was one. “I don’t even know how to explain it to you! You probably won’t believe it when I tell you!”

Catherine’s expression made him laugh lightly. Another thing he rarely did, not wanting to show his canines. Now however, he seemed not to care. “Catherine, I know it’s late, but I would love for you to come Below tonight. Please, would you?”

“Yes, of course.” Her smile widened. Her puzzlement went to pure curiosity and eagerness to know what happened. “Give me twenty minutes. Meet me at the threshold. I’ll throw some clothes on and pack a few things, okay?”

“Very well, Catherine. I’ll be there.”

* * *

She was there in less than twenty minutes. She was so excited, her feet almost flew to the basement.

Vincent was there in record time as well. Grabbing her small bag and taking her hand, he walked with her to his chamber.

She could feel his excitement and the lightness of their Bond. She couldn’t wait to hear what he had to tell her.

He placed Catherine’s satchel on the table. Taking her hand, he led her to sit on the bed; he sat next to her.

She felt his mind racing along with his heart. He offered her some tea, which she gently declined. She took his hands in hers and said softly, “Tell me what happened last night?”

He took a deep breath, exhaling sharply. Would she believe him, he wondered?

“Catherine…do you remember when you told me that you saw your father, and you spoke to him? You told me that he understood everything about us?”

“I remember.”

“I said to you that you made peace with him but not yet with yourself. The truth is, I couldn’t make peace with who and what I am, of the violence, the killings, even if it was to save those I loved. I was afraid to hurt you and love you as you deserved.”

Catherine caressed his cheek and waited for him to continue.

“I went below the catacombs. I do that when I need to think. I was there for a while, and I felt your sorrow, your aloneness. I knew I was to blame, and it shamed me because I swore never to hurt you, and I did. Tonight when I finally slept out of exhaustion, I woke when I sensed I wasn’t alone. I called out, thinking it was Narcissa. She shows up in strange places unexpectedly sometimes, but it wasn’t her.”

“Go on.”

Nodding, he continued. “The fire was out, so I relit it. Just then, a light misty glow appeared. I growled as a warning, but it continued unhindered. I could only stare at it in disbelief as a figure came forward towards me. I asked, ‘Who are you?’ It moved closer to me, and I stood to confront it.”

Catherine said nothing to this, only stared at him.

“He smiled at me as he spoke to me. He suggested I sit down before I fell down, It stunned me when I looked at him. I realized at that moment that it was your father! But how?”

“My father!” she said with shocked surprise.

“Yes! Believe me! I couldn’t believe it myself, at first, but yes…He said the same thing to me that he said to you. He understood everything, but he needed to talk to me. He wanted to remind me of something I had forgotten, and he wanted me to be reminded of it again. Remember…”

“Remember? Remember what?”

Caressing her cheek tenderly and brushing his lips to hers, he responded softly, “Oh, Catherine! My beautiful Catherine! My promise! I made your father a promise in the hospital that night!”

“A promise, Vincent?” She tried to understand him.

“Yes, I had made him a promise that night, and thereby to you. A promise I didn’t keep, and I am sorry for that. A promise I now intend to keep to him and to you,” Vincent said vehemently. “Do you remember my words to him that night?”

The realization dawned suddenly. She had kept those precious words in her heart, cherishing them…one day hoping… “I remember.” She looked down, suddenly shy. Her cheeks turned a soft blush pink. She hoped he didn’t notice, though her heart pounded slightly and her breathing was a bit labored.

“I’m sorry that I let my fears keep us from dreams, my Catherine. I told you we had to go with courage and with care, but it was I who betrayed that dream. It was I who let fear almost destroy our dream. You had faith in our love and our dream, and it was your father who had to come and remind me. Forgive me, my Love. Your father said it would be our love that would give us the strength we need to get through the hard times and stay strong. He said he would watch over us and that they give their blessing.”

Reaching into his cloak pocket, he pulled out the large red clown’s nose, handing it to her. She couldn’t help but smile even as tears streamed down her face.

“Catherine, help me keep the promise. Tell me I haven’t lost you. I love you. Love me, Catherine. Marry me, be my wife, my love, my forever?”

“Yes! Yes, my Love, I will!”

* * *

A promise kept

* * *