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Here is chap 17!

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Do you wanna talk about your nightmare?"

She swallowed hard and said."Yes, I do."

The rest of the night, Catherine poured her heart out. She told Vincent everything. About the nightmares she had of her mother, every single night. That she hadn't been able to sleep peacefully for years now. Every time she closed her eyes, all she saw was her mother being shot to death. She also told him, why she had to go away. Where she wanted to go and why.

Catherine and Vincent were sitting next to each other on her bed. She looked away from him and whispered.

"Before JT got taken, I was on my way to the place where you saved my life for the first time, 9 years ago. The same place where my mom was murdered. I am not sure what I will find there, but I just felt like I needed to go there. Even if it was just for one last time. My heart tells me that I need to be there and maybe… just maybe I could get the closure that I so desperately seek, that I so desperately wanted, so I could go on with my life…" her voice was trembling.

Vincent placed his hand on her cheek and slowly turned her face towards him.

"But then JT was taken and I had to come back. And so here we are." She said, while looking at him and then trying to avoid his gaze again.

Besides her dad and Heather, she hadn't talked with anyone else about her mom, about her feelings. It felt so good to be able to have someone that listened, really listened to her. Vincent didn't try to force her to tell her more and wasn't judgmental or tried to tell her to get over it or advised her to talk to a shrink. He just sat there and listened to her. And that's what she needed; someone who was there for her and who just simply listened…

"I uhumm… I have always been afraid of losing someone close to me. But when my mom died, it got only worse. I was afraid to sleep… I uhumm… in the middle of the night I used to wake up gasping for air, terrified to lose Heather. I then jump out of bed and run to her room to see if she's ok. And I always find her in her bed, safe. Before my dad met my stepmother I used to call him in the middle of the night, asking if he was alright." She chuckled and shook her head…"Crazy, huh? But I couldn't help it, Vincent. I don't think I could survive if something happened to either one of them."

During her confession, Vincent had intertwined their fingers, their hands locked tightly. But he couldn't help, but loosened his tight grip a bit. She talked about her dad and her sister. What about him? What did he mean to her? He couldn't help the selfish thought, a bit jealous of her loved ones.

As she felt more and more comfortable with him around and him knowing her deepest, darkest secrets, Catherine grabbed both his hands in hers and looked at him lovingly. She brought his left hand towards her lips and with her eyes closed, she kissed it softly. Then she did the same with his right hand, her eyes still closed. It was like she was able to read his mind…

"You mean so much to me, Vincent. You mean the world to me, you do know that right? I uhumm, I cannot name it yet… the feelings I have for you. But I do know that they are very strong and pure. I've never felt this way before for someone. If I would just simply said, that I loved you. Then I'd be lying… do you know why? Because this… this thing that I feel for you… it is more than love… it is so much stronger and deeper than that." She confessed.

After hearing her confession, he got a huge lump in his throat and his eyes got teary. He gave her a light peck on her lips and smiled.

"You are pretty incredible, do you know that?" he whispered.

She gazed into his eyes and nodded."Yeah, a lot of people say that."

Vincent chuckled and rolled his eyes at her playfully.

"Thank you for listening to me, Vince." She said.

"That's what I am here for, Catherine." He replied.

Vincent looked at his watch and said."It's almost 4 in the morning, Cat. Aren't you tired? Wanna get some rest?" he asked.

She nodded, but he saw a little bit of fear in her eyes.

"Cat, are you alright?" he asked.

"Yup." She lied and nodded, but he saw right through her.

He sighed and said what he said next, even though he was afraid of how his body would react if they would be that close.

"Want me to…uhumm… sleep next to you?" he asked.

She looked up at him, her heartbeat kicking up a notch. And of course he noticed it and also she knew that he noticed it.

'Dang you, Vincent Keller with your advanced hearing!' she thought.

"Yes, I'd like that. I would feel safer with you so close." She replied, biting her lip.

She took the left side of the bed and he took the right side. She felt really comfortable with him next to her; she didn't even feel a little awkward. It was like she often had been sleeping next to him… weird, huh? Her eyes closed without her accord and the feel of the warmth of his body, made her even sleepier. It felt so safe with him next to her on the bed…all her fears evaporated into thin air…

Catherine had a huge urge to snuggle closer to him, yet she was satisfied by their closeness at the moment. Automatically a wide smile graced her gorgeous face. She felt that she was about to fall asleep. So before that happened, she said something that made his heart swell gloriously. Her words were:

"Vincent, I don't even want to think about the possibility of losing you. You know why? Because I simply know that my heart will not survive that."

Vincent's warm, snugly body was the last thing on her mind, before Catherine drifted off to dreamland…

After a couple of minutes, Vincent heard that she was fast asleep. Her heart was beating steadily, her body radiating warmth. He couldn't believe they were sleeping in one bed! That was the thought that stayed with him, while he lied next to her. He took a deep breath, her amazing scent teasing his nostrils. God! She smelled amazing! Like vanilla and roses. He kept inhaling her scent, like he wanted to swallow it. It was pure bliss.

He never knew that a person could smell this good. He opened his eyes and saw that her dark, shiny hair was framing her face. Beautiful, gorgeous. He didn't think words could describe her beauty at this very moment. She had a peaceful look on her face. Vincent had to smile satisfied, because a few hours ago when he woke her up from her nightmare, she had a face filled with fear. And now he saw the opposite… that satisfied him very much, knowing that he took her fears away, even if it was just for a short time. He then admired her gorgeous hair. He had the urge to caress it, but he held himself back… he wasn't sure if he could trust himself…

So instead he closed his eyes again and listened to her heartbeat… it was like music in his ears. It was really nice to have a warm body next to him in bed. Not long after, Vincent too fell asleep... dreaming of him and Catherine… Together…

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Ruby.

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