This is the last chapter of my story. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. As an extra feature, I'm posting another tale Father's Big Night as a sequel. Many thanks and happy reading!

Chapter 21

Vincent sighed contentedly and pulled Catherine a bit closer, nuzzling her cheek as she slept. After making love, Catherine had dropped off immediately. Vincent was tired as well; but Catherine's announcement of her intention to move Below had left him simply too euphoric to sleep right away. So he had simply remained in the bed, enjoying the warm comfort of her sweet form against his own as she slept.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps in the tunnel outside his chamber drew Vincent's attention. The light, furtive nature of the tread left no doubt to Vincent's trained ear about who made them; It was Mouse. Not surprisingly, he ignored the obvious signal for privacy of the unlit lights outside Vincent's chamber.

But what happened next both mystified and intrigued Vincent enough to get him out of bed and draw him in the direction of the doorway. A tiny slip of paper appeared, slid under the privacy curtain of Vincent's chamber. Almost immediately, the footsteps resumed, quickly fading in the distance. Curious, Vincent picked it up and read the childish scrawl that was Mouse's writing. It held two words 'Dining hall.'

Vincent looked back at Catherine's sleeping form a bit regretfully. He was tempted to ignore the note; but something inside warned him it was important. Reluctantly, Vincent freshened up, dressed and headed to the large communal dining hall. Vincent arrived, expecting only Mouse. So he was taken aback somewhat to see most of the members of his immediate tunnel family assembled there, minus only Father. Mouse, Jaime, Cullen, Pascal, Mary and even the jovial William appeared to be awaiting him along with many other familiar faces. Since they were in William's domain as it were, it seemed only natural for him to be the first to speak.

"Vincent, Mouse tells us Catherine is moving Below. Is this true?" William began tentatively.

Vincent promptly answered, nodding emphatically as he did. "Yes."

Silence reigned for a single heartbeat and then the group greeted Vincent's news with a rousing cheer. "This calls for a celebration!" William proclaimed as he slapped Vincent enthusiastically on the back.

"Just a moment." Pascal spoke up. Though quiet, his voice carried enough authority to be heard over the din. "Vincent, you know I care about Catherine as much as anyone here. But we have rules and traditions that must be followed."

"Rules?" William blustered. But whatever else he was going to say was cut off as Vincent held up his hand to intervene.

"Pascal is right." he responded. "Our rules and traditions are what define us as a community and they apply to everyone. I know that Catherine would agree completely with me. Therefore, I am going to formally petition the council to allow Catherine to move Below."

Several of those gathered murmured their approval.

"Good!" Pascal offered. "The council meets in a few days and..."

"NO!" a resounding voice cut through the dining hall. Everyone turned in surprise to look at William.

"That's not good enough!" the burly underground chef insisted emphatically. "This isn't some new resident or helper we need to hide our secrets from to protect ourselves! This is Catherine; Vincent's Catherine, OUR Catherine!" he continued strongly as he moved among the crowd gazing hard into the eyes of each as he passed, driving home each point as he made it.

"When Father and Vincent were trapped in that cave-in, who was it that got Mouse the supplies he needed and helped us rescue them? When Paracelsus tried to kill ALL of us at Winterfest, who figured out his plan and saved us? When the Plague came; who was it who stayed Below risking herself to help? Just recently, who was it who helped bring Vincent back to us after his illness? And there's more; much more! How many times has Catherine proven herself; even putting her own safety at risk to help us whenever we needed it? Too many! We all know how much Catherine and Vincent love each other. We've seen it ourselves! It's time they were together! I say we finish this here and now; once and for all. Put it to a vote."

"Aren't you all forgetting something?" Mary's gentle voice interjected. "Father."

The silence quickly returned.

"Father already said yes." Mouse piped in. "That's how Mouse found out. Heard Father talking to Catherine when she asked permission. Father told Catherine yes if the Council said yes too."

"Well then, let's do this! We already have Father's vote. Mouse can attest to it." William announced loudly. "We're all here; let's have a council meeting this very minute. Mary, since Father isn't here, the honor of being chairperson should fall to you."

"That's all right, William." Mary answered in her usual gentle tone. "You seem to be doing quite well all by yourself. I'll defer the honor to you."

"Thanks, Mary!" William replied, grabbing a large ladle and banging it loudly on the table.

"All right! I officially call this impromptu meeting of the council to order. The proposal before us is whether to let Catherine move Below. As per tradition, is there anyone who wants to be heard on this matter?" Everyone turned expectantly toward Vincent.

He smiled broadly. A few months ago, this situation would have embarrassed him beyond measure. Now, he was glad of it.

When Vincent spoke it was simple, but eloquent and from the heart.

"Catherine and I love each other. We want to be together and share that love with all of you; the people we love and who love us: our family."

Several people including Mary seemed to be fighting tears.

"Good enough for me!" cried William, slapping Vincent firmly on the back again.

"Pascal?" William asked. Wordlessly, the pipe master nodded.

" Then, let's put it to a vote. All council members in favor of allowing Catherine to move Below signify by raising your hands and saying 'Aye'."

Everyone on the council raised their hands and agreed including Mouse who raised both hands high over his head.

"Mouse!" Jamie groaned, rolling her eyes, "You're not on the council."

"Sorry! Got carried away." he replied sheepishly. "Catherine is Mouse's best friend."

"I thought Vincent was your best friend!" Jamie replied, folding her arms in exasperation.

"He is! Mouse has lots of best friends; including Arthur. No rule against it!" Mouse shot back.

"Then it's settled!" William interrupted. "Tomorrow, we move Catherine Below!"

"Tomorrow?" Vincent inquired in a bit of shock.

"Absolutely!" William responded. "We've worked it all out." He said as several others nodded their affirmation. "Mark's business is doing so well that he just got a new truck. He's more than happy to let us use it and with that new, larger entrance to the tunnels in his bakery we can bring anything of Catherine's Below with ease. We'll have it all done in no time!" Vincent only hoped Catherine shared his optimism.

Operation Move Catherine Below began shortly after sunup. Though initially a bit aghast, Catherine had immediately taken to the idea. William, it turned out, had appointed himself project leader, setting up a command post in the kitchen and dispatching orders like a general on a military campaign. All other projects came to a screeching halt as William commandeered every able bodied adult to help. Any stragglers were quickly brought on board when the tunnel chef hinted not too subtly that anyone who could work but refused wouldn't be eating from his kitchen that day.

Mark showed up with a truck full of empty boxes that were soon packed with lightening efficiency. Catherine's apartment became a whirlwind as Jaime and the older children virtually flew through the task of packing Catherine's belongings while she supervised. Vincent was busy as well, rearranging his own belongings to accommodate Catherine's in what was now "their" chamber.

By the end of the day, Catherine was exhausted. Most of the unnecessary boxes were left at Catherine's apartment to await eventual transfer to Peter's Brownstone. But, her clothes, personal items, and several pieces of furniture now occupied prominent places in Vincent's chamber. Vincent smiled as he returned from thanking the last of their volunteers in the kitchen. To see Catherine's clothes in his wardrobe was almost a dream come true. But to see Catherine in his bed curled up like she belonged there was even better. Vincent smiled wider. Now, it was truly their bed. He walked over and dropped onto it as well, sprawling out next to her.

"Tired?" He asked as he pulled her close, nuzzling her hair.

She barely nodded and murmured her reply. "Totally pooped out."

He laughed gently; he doubted she'd be tired much longer when he told her what he'd just overheard in the dining hall.

"Well, I hope you'll be rested soon; we have to start getting ready for next Sunday."

"What's next Sunday?" She asked just as he'd anticipated.

"Our Wedding." He replied mildly.

"What?" Catherine bolted upright, instantly alert.

Vincent grinned even more as Catherine turned to glare at him in outrage. "And just when did you decide this?"

"I didn't." He replied innocently. "Father and Peter did. Peter mentioned that your father wouldn't have completely approved of you living with someone and Father agreed it set a bad example for the children. They wanted the wedding to be this Sunday; but William told them he needed more time for the food preparation and Mary said she could never finish your dress by then."

Catherine wasn't sure what the two older men were playing at; Peter knew full well that she had lived briefly with Stephen Bass and her former fiancé, Tom. Both times, her father had been aware; even if he hadn't exactly approved. Suddenly, it occurred to Catherine that she didn't care. If it meant marrying Vincent, what did it matter who made the decision? This was just another example of her tunnel family trying to make her happy.

"Okay, I agree." She agreed. Now Vincent was shocked; he'd expected a big argument or some protest at least.

"You do?"

"Yep. I'll take you any way I can get you."

"Catherine, don't you know you've always had me?" He chided gently as he pulled her close again.

"Really?" She shot back.

"Forever, My Catherine." He vowed once again as he lowered his head. "Forever."