WHILE I LIVE YOU LIVE

by JessicaLynne

What if Peter Alcott had found Catherine after Vincent left her apartment
at dawn during the opening scene in “Walk Slowly”?

CHAPTER 1

Vincent was devastated as he left Catherine at dawn. He had finally found her on that rooftop after six months of searching. Now the love of his life, his soulmate, his bondmate, the wife of his heart was dead. She had died in his arms by the stairwell after telling him they had loved and he was a father. He had stayed in her apartment mourning her all night. But with the arrival of the dawn he had been forced to leave after giving her a final kiss goodbye and a promise that while he lived she lived in him. He was numb as he walked through the tunnels. Reaching the Whispering Gallery bridge, he roared out his grief for everyone to hear before making his way to his chamber.

Meanwhile, something very different was going on Above! Peter Alcott had arrived at Catherine’s apartment. The housekeeper had been in yesterday to clean. He wanted to stop by and check her work after attending an overnight emergency delivery at St. Vincent’s Hospital. Everything looked satisfactory so far. Walking into the bedroom, he was shocked to find Catherine lying on the bed and the balcony doors wide open!

Realizing immediately that Vincent had found her and brought her home but had been forced to go Below when the sun was rising, he raced to Catherine’s side and started examining her. Feeling for a pulse and putting his ear close, he listened for the sound of her breathing. Very faint but it was there! There was blood on the blanket where she was lying. Feeling her abdominal area he could easily tell that Catherine had just given birth. She hadn’t retained the placenta, that was good. There was a small lump in the pocket of the hospital gown she was wearing. Putting on gloves Peter put his hand in the pocket and removed a bottle labeled as morphine. Upon closer examination he realized it wasn’t morphine but a compound sedative! Reaching for the phone on the nightstand, Peter dialed 911. Telling the dispatcher what he had found, he waited for the police to show up. He would have to go Below as soon as possible…

CHAPTER TWO

[Author’s Note: Credit to Fields Of Lavender for his/her story Death Shall Have No Dominion on the original Tunnel Tales for a lot of what happens in this chapter.]

After Catherine had been taken to the hospital and the first responders had left, Peter took the elevator to the sub-basement of Catherine’s building and went Below. Tapping a message on the pipe, he let Jacob know he was on his way down. Arriving at Jacob’s library, he was not surprised to see Jacob and Mary sitting together in mourning. Peter sat down at Jacob’s desk and told them both that he had found Catherine after Vincent left, and she was alive, though unconscious, and had been taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital. The tears of mourning became tears of joy. They all agreed that Vincent had to be told immediately.

Arriving at Vincent’s chamber, Peter told Vincent he had found Catherine after he had left that morning and what happened. Vincent was upset and blamed himself for leaving Catherine to die, but was immediately told it wasn’t his fault what happened to her. Vincent shocked Jacob and Mary by saying yes it was. Vincent explained to them that Catherine had told him she conceived in the cave and had given birth to their son last night. It was the baby’s heartbeat as he was being born which had allowed Vincent to finally find Catherine. Peter promised Vincent he would make arrangements for Vincent to visit Catherine.

Despite getting no sleep at all, Peter returned to St Vincent’s and went to see Catherine. One of the nurse practitioners was a Helper’s daughter, so Peter arranged for her to be in charge of taking care of Catherine. Catherine had been admitted as a Jane Doe, so Peter had her readmitted under her mother’s name, as Caroline Evelyn Wells. Peter had no doubt in his mind that if Catherine’s kidnappers found out she was still alive, they would be coming after her again. Finally he went home and crashed for several hours.

At the same time Below, an emergency Council meeting had been called. Everyone Below now knew that Catherine had been found and she was alive. They also were told that Catherine had given birth to Vincent’s son last night, and the baby had been kidnapped by the same people who had taken Catherine. Ideas were brought up about how to start the search. The people Below had few resources, so they knew that they couldn’t do much themselves. Father volunteered to go to the DA’s office and speak directly with Joe Maxwell. Vincent offered to speak to Elliot Burch that same night. If both men Above agreed to help them, they would have what they needed to begin the search for Vincent and Catherine’s son.

CHAPTER THREE

Jacob dressed in his 1950s suit and went Above. He headed to the District Attorney’s office. At the desk he asked for Joe Maxwell. He was disappointed when the receptionist told him that Mr Maxwell wasn’t in; however, he was welcome to make an appointment for when Mr Maxwell returned to work. Thanking the receptionist, Jacob took the elevator back downstairs and left the Criminal Justice Building. Looking around he spotted a telephone booth nearby. Walking over to the phone booth, Jacob found the Manhattan phone directory, so he looked up Joe Maxwell’s home address. Fortunately, his apartment building was within walking distance.

Jacob made his way to the building. It was a good thing Joe’s apartment was on a lower floor; Jacob’s bad hip was hurting and he desperately needed to sit down. Knocking on the door, he waited for Joe to answer. After introducing himself and explaining that he was a friend of Catherine Chandler, Jacob was invited inside.

Joe told Jacob he was suspended from work but had been looking for Catherine on his own time. Jacob told Joe that Catherine had been found alive. She had been taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital. She had been pregnant and had just given birth to his grandson. Now her kidnappers had the baby, and Jacob was seeking Joe’s help to find and rescue his grandson.

Jacob knew that Joe and Catherine were friends as well as coworkers, which is why Jacob had sought him out. Joe replied that because he was suspended there wasn’t much he could do officially. However, he could get in touch with a police officer that he knew he could trust. Reaching for the phone, Joe contacted Greg Hughes and explained the situation to him. Greg referred Joe to the 210 Special Crimes Unit and gave him the name of Detective Diana Bennett as well as the 210 watch commander’s phone number. Joe then asked Jacob how he could get in touch to keep him updated. Jacob gave him Peter’s name and phone number and told Joe he could reach him through Peter. Jacob then left and returned Below. The hot springs in the bathing chamber would help relax the pain in his hip.

Meanwhile at the same time Below, plans were being made to bring Catherine down. When the sun set and it was fully dark outside, Vincent made his way to Elliot Burch’s office building. Riding on top of the elevator to the roof and using the fire escape to get to Elliot’s office floor window, he climbed through the window and walked down the hallway to Elliot’s office.

Vincent let himself in quietly and then introduced himself to Elliot. He told Elliot he had found Catherine as well as where she was. Elliot was shocked to hear about Catherine giving birth to Vincent’s son, but agreed he would do whatever it took to find the baby and bring him home. Getting on the phone, Elliot spoke to Cleon Manning and explained everything to him. Vincent thanked Elliot and returned Below.

CHAPTER FOUR

It had been three days since Catherine had been brought back to her apartment. The monitors in her room at St. Vincent’s Hospital were keeping track of her vitals. On the third day, during an overnight shift, Peter was sitting next to Catherine’s bed when her eyes slowly opened up. Looking on either side, she saw Peter and smiled. Peter explained how he had found her after Vincent brought her back to her apartment but had been forced to leave when the sun rose. He also told her that everyone Below was doing everything they could to search for her son, and that Joe Maxwell and Elliot Burch had also been enlisted to help.

At the same time Below, Vincent was restless. He couldn’t sleep. All of a sudden, he felt something stirring inside him. Sitting up in his bed, he knew instantly that his bond with Catherine had been restored! She was awake! After quickly changing his clothes, he ran to the Central Park exit and made his way to St. Vincent’s. Using the fire escape, he climbed up the building until he was outside the window of Catherine’s hospital room.

Vincent had tears in his blue eyes as he looked into Catherine’s sea foam green eyes. All three began quietly talking about how to bring Catherine Below as soon as possible. Peter would have her discharged and released to his care the next morning. She would go Below using his threshold, then return to Peter’s to give any statements and depositions needed. Vincent stayed until dawn before returning Below, overjoyed at being reunited with the only woman he loved.

That same morning Joe got in touch with the 210 watch commander at the precinct and requested to speak with Diana Bennett. The commander told Joe that Diana worked from home and that she only worked on one case at a time. Joe explained that he had been suspended from work but was working on his own time on behalf of a coworker and friend, and that Greg Hughes had referred him. The commander picked up the phone and called Diana, then gave Joe her address. Joe drove to Diana’s and she let him in.

After introducing himself, Joe got directly to the point. He told her about Catherine, how she had been abducted but found alive. She had given birth to a baby boy, but the kidnappers now had her son. He had been asked by the baby’s grandfather, Jacob Wells, to try and bring him home. He also gave her Peter Alcott’s name and phone number, telling Diana that she could reach Jacob through Peter. Diana said she would accept the case.

Joe then went to St. Vincent’s. Arriving at the nurse’s station, he saw Peter Alcott signing some release papers for a patient. Peter brought Joe to Catherine’s room. Catherine hugged Joe and thanked him for agreeing to search for her son. Joe told Catherine about Diana and how he had enlisted her help. Peter held up the release papers and told Joe that Catherine was being released to his care and would be staying at his house during her recovery.

Joe told Peter he had given Diana Peter’s phone number as a contact number for Jacob Wells, and that she would most likely want to get in touch with both Jacob and Catherine. Catherine agreed and said that would be fine. Once the release papers were signed, Catherine was wheeled out of the hospital to Peter’s car for the ride to his house. Vincent was waiting at Peter’s basement threshold and took Catherine Below while Peter went to his room to sleep.

CHAPTER FIVE

The following day, Diana called Peter and asked to speak with him, Catherine, and Jacob. Peter agreed and said Diana could meet them at his house. He gave her the address. Peter then went to his basement threshold and tapped out a message letting Catherine and Jacob know Diana wanted to meet them. About fifteen to twenty minutes later, Jacob and Catherine arrived right as the doorbell rang. Vincent waited at the basement threshold door, but would be able to hear everything.

Introductions were made. Diana asked for everyone’s consent to be recorded on tape, which was given. Catherine told Diana everything that happened from the moment she was kidnapped. Jacob told Diana it was his son who had found Catherine and brought her to her apartment. Peter explained about finding Catherine in her bedroom, his medical findings, and that he had called 911.

When Diana asked where the baby’s father was, Vincent, who was standing near the basement entrance door by this time but still hidden, spoke up and let her know he was there. He said because of his appearance he didn’t want to be seen, yet he was willing to talk about what happened. After also giving his consent to be recorded, Vincent explained about his empathic bond with Catherine, how it had been broken because of his illness. He went on, telling Diana how he had searched for Catherine, and it was feeling their son’s heartbeat as he was being born which had allowed him to finally find her on the rooftop of the building where she had been held. He also remembered seeing her kidnapper’s face as he flew away in the helicopter with their baby. Vincent described the man as very thin, with dark hair and dark eyes. He gave the address of the building where he had found Catherine, 1900 Sixth Avenue. Affidavits were signed (Catherine took Vincent’s to him to sign) affirming everything they said was true. Diana thanked them all and left.

Arriving at the address Vincent had given her, Diana took the elevator to the top floors of the building. There was no one there; everything was abandoned. She saw the room with the video monitors, the room where Catherine had been held, and the birthing room. Going back to the monitor room, she rifled through the papers she found scattered on the desk and on the floor. They looked like medical records and had all of the details about Catherine’s pregnancy. The records also had the doctor’s name on them.

Taking the papers with her, Diana headed back to her loft. Logging onto her computer, she connected to the 210’s computer network and looked up the doctor. He was a personal physician, employed in a home located in Staten Island. Calling Joe Maxwell, she asked to meet him privately. Joe agreed and arrived fifteen minutes later. She gave Joe the medical records she had found, the tapes with everyone’s depositions, the signed affidavits, and what she had found out about the doctor who had injected Catherine with the sedative. Joe thanked Diana and left.

Joe had not been reinstated at his job yet, so he took everything back to his apartment. Listening to the tapes, he was shocked and angry to hear that it had been John Moreno who had arranged to have Catherine kidnapped. Their boss had been on the take and no one had known! Calming down, he continued to listen as Mr. Wells and Dr. Alcott gave their depositions. The last tape was the most intriguing. He knew Radcliffe was very private when it came to her personal life, so hearing the voice of her baby’s father for the first time as he told his side of what happened caught Joe off guard. Joe could hear the love Vincent Wells felt for Catherine with every word he said.

Turning the tape off, Joe was frustrated. He couldn’t let Moreno know he knew the truth. If the District Attorney himself was corrupt, who knew who Joe could trust? There was only one person who was above the District Attorney in the chain of command, and that was the New York State Attorney General. Picking up the phone, he made the call to Albany.