Oblivion 1 parts index

Chapter Two

It was sheer bliss being driven along with nothing to worry about. The sun shone brightly and Catherine closed her eyes to rest them. She was aware of dappled sunlight through her eyelids as they passed by tall trees, and could remember having the same experience when her father had driven her this way many years before.

She liked to feel the breeze through the open window ruffling her hair and to smell the scent of pine and wild flowers as they drove along. As the car climbed the mountain passes, she breathed deeply of the fresh mountain air. There was nothing quite like it.

Devin stopped the car to get out and stretch his legs. He thought she was sleeping so did not disturb her. Catherine listened to his footsteps as they crunched on the gravel of the mountainside, and she listened intently for sounds beyond.

She had loved to do this as a child. Her father had explained to her that one could visualise the world about oneself so much better than sight allowed for, and then in years to come, it would be a scent or a sound that would bring the whole experience flooding back.

Catherine could hear the lazy sound of a brook trickling over stones somewhere to her left and the croaking of frogs. If she listened very intently she could hear the occasional plop as a frog hopped into the water.

The air was filled with the chirruping of birds. She tried to pick out each kind of bird by its superlative song. The throaty song of the blackbird, the chirrup of many sparrows, and there was something else, not a bird, but a rustling in the treetops that signified animal life. Squirrels! Oh how she loved those furry little creatures. Smiling to herself she visualised their colours and antics as the jumped gracefully from treetop to treetop.

England was filled with the grey squirrel, Hyde Park and St. James' Park had been full of them, come to that so was Central Park. The red squirrel, the original native of England had become a rarity, and was being re-introduced into wildlife parks. And then in Austria she would see the shy mahogany coloured squirrel, much larger than the grey or the red, if she remained very quiet and waited for them to emerge. The first time she had seen one, she had wondered what it was. It was so beautiful.

As Catherine heard Devin walking slowly back towards the car, she drew in a deep breath. No doubt he would appreciate a rest from the driving and she should take over. Opening her eyes, she found everything to be just as she had imagined, although the sky stunned her. Awesome fluffy white clouds strolled across the intense backdrop of a blue summer sky.

Opening her door, Catherine twisted her legs around so as to stretch them before standing up, and Devin held the door back for her so she could alight.

"That brook over there Cathy, its a great place to splash your face. Not at all cold, yet very refreshing", he dried his own hands and face on some paper towels located in the glove compartment, "Here take some of these with you, it will save water dripping down yourself when you have finished."

Catherine thanked him, and taking the towels she headed straight for the brook. The water was so clean and clear it took her breath away, and tiny little fish could be seen darting beneath the stones as she placed her cupped hands into the cool water. It felt so good on her skin as she splashed it up against her face and around the back of her neck, and Catherine began to marvel at how far the water had travelled down from the mountain peaks to feed into the little brook. She thought it would be interesting to follow the trickle of water back to its source, giving life and flourish to everything that it touched on its way down. Looking up at the mountain Catherine could see tiny little flowers bobbing their dainty heads in the breeze, carpeting the mountainside between lush green grass wherever the brook had overflowed its banks. And from experience she knew that the very rocks themselves would be home to little lizards sunbathing themselves, while keeping a watchful eye out for hawks. And snakes would be hiding from the hot sun in cracks and crevices, until the sun went down, when they would slither through the lush grass in the hope of finding frogs. Inside the mountains themselves there would be caves and tunnels filled with deposits of calcium carbonate, standing like pillars known as stalagmites, or those that hung from the ceiling called stalactites. The easy way to remember which was which, was that stalagmites, might grow very tall, while stalactites had to hold on tight to the roof. Catherine thought this was a marvellous way to remember. Vincent had taught her this.

Patting herself dry with the paper towel she headed back to the car. Devin was slouched up against it, looking up at the mountains.

"I love the mountains Cathy. One day you must come and stay with Charles and I, and you know if we planned it very carefully, we could perhaps smuggle Vincent there too. Out there one can travel for kilometres without encountering a single person. Charles really came to life there, and do you know the only people we did meet, were so understanding that they took Charles beneath their wing immediately."

"Vincent would love that Devin, but you would have a hard time convincing your father that it was a soundproof idea."

Devin grimaced, and Catherine laughed out loud. Her laughter echoed all around them and the birds fluttered in the treetops in surprise.

"Well I guess we had better press on Cathy, do you want to find a motel or something, or should we just keep on driving?"

"Let's see how we feel shall we? Its my turn to drive now while you rest anyway. If we see anywhere we fancy staying we can stop, though to be honest one of the loveliest experiences for me is driving through the mountains beneath a starry sky, and as it promises to be a full moon tonight, the show should be spectacular."

"Sounds good to me Cathy, in fact perhaps we should drive all night and rest up during the heat of the day, there are some really quaint villages and family run hotels that we can choose from with delicious food, mmm, I can just taste that apple strudel and spaghetti now."

"Not in that order I hope." Catherine teased him, laughing.

Devin chuckled, as he settled down in his seat and closed his eyes.

When Peter arrived back in New York he was downhearted. He had thought about it so much during the journey home and still not found a way in which he felt happy about breaking the news to Vincent that Catherine had disappeared again. Neither had he been able to locate Devin who he knew to be in London, for he was one of the people he had called, after speaking to Joanna. Even Devin had flown the nest, but he would not mention this to Vincent or Father, since Devin's whereabouts were of a confidential matter, he only knew of his being in London because he had to provide Devin's medical notes to a doctor that had requested them over there.

After speaking with Joanna that morning, Peter had taken the first available flight to London, after setting things up at the surgery with a relief doctor, and when he had arrived in London, he had taken a taxi straight to Joanna's apartment. One look at her face as she opened the door, told him to expect bad news.

"Peter I'm so sorry you've had a wasted journey", he could see that she was very upset, "Catherine has gone, I don't know where she is, she just left this note."

"Did she know I was coming?"

"No. When you called, I assumed that Cathy was still sleeping, and I went back to bed, and when I got up later I thought it was strange that she wasn't up, then I found the note and all her things had gone. A neighbour tells me she saw a young woman hailing a cab outside early this morning. I rang your receptionist and she tried to catch you at the airport, but you had already boarded and there was no way of reaching you. Look at least come inside and freshen up, you can stay here if you want, while you decide what to do."

Peter stepped gratefully into the luxurious apartment and his feet were immediately enveloped by a thick pile of carpeting in a beautiful peach colour, and he was struck by how welcoming the room was. Warm apricot walls with pretty flower borders a matching sofa and chairs, and the walls were studded with lights with apricot shades. Peter could imagine the softness their glow would add to the room when the main light was off at night.

Most of the furniture was pine, and there were a lot of glass and mirrors making the rooms appear larger than they were. Huge leafy plants flourished in every room, and on top of shelves trailed ivy and kangaroo vine.

In the dining area there were huge floor to ceiling windows that overlooked a courtyard filled with rhododendrons in blazes of stunning colour, red, mauve, pink and even a creamy yellow. In each corner of the courtyard were shrubs covered in dainty blue flowers, and Peter thought they were beautiful.

"What are those Joanna, do you know?" he asked pointing towards the shrubs.

Joanne came to see where he was pointing, "What the blue ones, pretty aren't they? Let me see now, its something to do with the sea I think. They are sea, sea, oh I've got it, and its nothing at all to do with the sea, its just that's what the name makes me think of, they are called Ceonothus Bushes, and they take really easy from a cutting. I'll get some for you if you like, though isn't there a law or something that prevents one from transporting plants from one country to another?"

"Yes, its mainly to do with the occupants living in the soil or their eggs beneath the leaves, one can never tell what else is being transported from place to place."

"Like the Colorado Beetle, you mean?"

"Yes, and more recently the New Zealand worm. It eats the earth worm you see, and without the earth worm we would be in great deal of trouble."

"You must be a keen gardener then Peter?"

"When I have the time for it, yes. I do like to have a beautiful garden to enjoy, and I should be grateful for some of those cuttings, I'll smuggle them into America somehow."

Joanna made Peter some coffee, while he continued to look around. He picked up a photograph of Joanna and Catherine together with a cheeky faced Joe towering behind them. Joanna followed his gaze. "That's the two of us in New York," she told him, with laughter in her voice, "Wherever we went Joe always seemed to pop up, we didn't realise until the film was developed that he had been following us. I have a whole roll with some part of Joe on every photograph, they are really funny. He must have got a real kick out of playing that trick."

"Joe is a good man, and a loyal friend to Cathy, but even he doesn't know where she has gone."

"Maybe not the last time you spoke with him, but Cathy was intending to call him the first chance she got. She had forgot to mention to him that she was going away."

"How did you find her while she was here?"

"She wasn't the Cathy I know and love, she was very touchy. I tried to fix her up with a date and we fell out over it among other things, I thought having someone new in her life would make her forget Mr. Mystery."

"Mr. Mystery?" Peter enquired, lifting one eyebrow.

"Yes, perhaps you know something about this guy. Cathy told me that she was in love with someone, but could not see him anymore. She was so secretive about him. Once she would have told me everything but not this time. She assured me that she was trying to forget him, but every time I caught her unawares she would be staring off into space, like someone tormented, so I don't think she was making a very good job of it."

"She could never forget him Joanna, and I don't really believe that she wants to do. Catherine is very mixed up right now, believe me, if she wasn't suffering from this depression she would never have acted so out of character."

"So you know this guy that she is in love with then, what's he like?"

"Yes I do know him. I've known him since the day he was born, the same as I know Catherine, but I'm afraid any information about him is not mine to give."

"What's with the big secret then, it bugs me, it really does. I want to know?"

Peter smiled, and sipped his coffee, "Sorry Joanna, you should know better than to ask a doctor to break a confidence, I can't tell you anything."

"How about telling me about their baby then?"

"Cathy told you?"

"Yes, though I have to admit she didn't mean to do, it kinda slipped out about the post natal depression, and I was quick to notice."

"I can imagine." Peter grinned.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Peter laughed, "I'm sorry Joanna I can't tell you about Jacob either."

"Jacob?"

"The baby."

Joanna fastened her teeth to her bottom lip and giggled, "You just did. I never knew his name. That's better than nothing I suppose. So how about telling me his father's name now?"

"My lips are sealed, and I am going to change the subject. Do you mind if I ignore you for a while, and rest, I feel very tired."

"No of course not, I'm sorry, I'm forgetting my manners, you must be tired, here put your feet up on the sofa and get some rest."

When the room was silent, the sound of the clock ticking had a hypnotic effect, and Peter found his eyelids drooping. It had been a long, tiring and disappointing day. He had really hoped to see Catherine, she was like a daughter to him, and because he also knew Vincent so well, he had been one of the few people she had felt comfortable with in confining problems she encountered with their very complex relationship.

"I think I ought to go and check in at a hotel Joanna, or I am going to fall asleep right here on your couch."

"Hey that's okay Peter, you go right ahead. You can have the spare room, I have to go out anyway this evening, and there are plenty of restaurants around here where you can eat, or have something delivered. Make yourself at home, and don't wait up for me, I'm not usually home before daybreak."

Peter was too tired to argue the point, he was grateful for her hospitality. Tomorrow they would see if they could work out where Catherine may have gone, and he would begin searching for her all over again.

And search for her he did.

Borrowing that photograph, he went along to all the local hotels, and when he drew no leads there, he got the telephone directory and called almost every hotel in the phone book.

Finally when his fingers ached from pressing buttons, and his throat rasped from asking, he found her, or at least found where she had stayed. And he was so relieved when the clerk said, "Miss. Chandler, yes she stayed here for one night a week ago, before boarding a plane to Paris, other than that she left no forwarding address." Peter was so relieved, but as that was as far as he could trace her, and he felt so despondent when he had to go back to New York, without the news that Vincent had been expecting.

As the moon rose over Central Park, Father made his way through the tunnels. He had become increasingly worried over Vincent, for every night his adoptive son had left his own child to go and stand at the entrance of the tunnel into the park, listening to the night sounds around him.

Father found him gazing at the stars. In silhouette of the moon he stood there and though Father had approached quietly, and Vincent had not turned around, Vincent had sensed his father's presence.

"Look Father, Orion, see how beautiful it is, Catherine showed me how it would remind her of a little dog, I couldn't see it then, but I find I can now." he pointed up at the constellation.

"Vincent try not to torment yourself. Peter did his very best, but it would appear that Catherine does not want to be found just yet. You know she is courageous and strong, she will look after herself."

"There have been many times Father when I have saved Catherine's life. The Bond that we shared told me when she was fearful and when she was happy. I no longer sense this, and cannot tell if she is in danger anymore. It grieves my heart in not knowing. She has been gone less than two weeks yet it feels a lifetime. Jacob needs his mother. I see the sadness in his eyes, I feel it in his body when I hold him. Catherine should be here with us Father. With me."

"I think Vincent, that Jacob mirrors your own loss. When he is with you, he senses your feelings and reacts to them. I find no such sadness in him when he is in my arms. You must try not to show your feelings when you are with him, he relies on your strength and love. If your heart is with Catherine, Jacob will know it is not with him."

"Perhaps you are right Father, yet I find it so difficult when I look at him. I see Catherine's face in his, her eyes, her hair. Holding Jacob close, I feel a longing for Catherine that is new to me."

"When Catherine first came into your life Vincent, it was an anxious time for me. I watched you change. For once in your life you revelled at having a beautiful woman love you. I never expected that Catherine would stay as long as she has. She is a very special person Vincent, and I have grown very fond of her, yet what she is doing to you now grieves me, but I have accepted it, because I always believed that this day would come."

"But why Father? Catherine knows how deeply I love her, she must know the pain she is causing me.?"

"Catherine is from the world Above. Even I did not suspect that your love would go so far as to produce a child, and I feel that Catherine has found that aspect of your relationship difficult to handle. I would listen to her telling Jacob about the wonderful sights of her world, and would see the wistful look in her eyes at the knowledge that she would never share these things with him. I think that was the start of it Vincent, of her depression, and the only way she could cope with it was to separate herself."

Vincent sighed, "Do you still believe that she will return Father."

"Yes I still believe so, Once she has had time to analyse her feelings she will come back, after all this is where she belongs now and she will never find happiness anywhere else, especially without you."

"I wish I had your faith Father, her words sounded so final. I have re-read them over and over, they were cool and distant, I could not even read between the lines."

"Don't try to make more of her letter than was actually written Vincent. Try to remember that her depressed state clouded her thinking. I believe that had she of endeavoured to write sentiment she would never have found the courage to carry out her plans. No, Vincent, the Catherine we know would never have treated you so badly, and she will return I am sure of it."

Vincent nodded, "Thank you Father. Please return now, it is growing chilly. Do not worry about me, I shall be a while yet, I have some thinking that I need to do."

"How can I not worry, try not to be too long huh?" Father patted Vincent's shoulder, turned and walked back down the familiar tunnels, knowing Vincent would follow when he had straightened out his thoughts.

Listening to his father's footsteps receding into the depths of the earth, Vincent remained gazing up at the stars. He had always loved them. To think from their vantage point they could see all the peoples of the earth in a single moment. How he wished he could be up there amongst them, then he would see clearly where to find Catherine. If only she had remained in America he would have found her, but Paris! he shook his head, that was impossible for him, but then, that was what she had intended. Father had been right in the things that he had told him, but Vincent found it hard to believe that Catherine had actually left him in the first place. Turning he walked back into the security of his underground world, there was a place he felt compelled to go.

As far as their relationship was concerned Catherine knew far more than he did. When she had told him she was pregnant, he hadn't known what to think, it would put it mildly to say he was stunned, for he could not remember a single thing about the child's conception. At that time he had been under great stress following Paracelsus' lies and but for Catherine's courage, he would have died.

He needed to retrace the steps of that fateful day, to return to the cavern where the fevers had racked his body, in the hope that being there would restore his memory.

It was a long walk and the tunnels were eerie and unlit, save for the odd lantern burning from time to time. It was not an area where people were encouraged to go, hence the darkness acted as a deterrent. Bad things happened to people down there, it was where the demons resided. Though Vincent's eyesight was such that the darkness did not hinder him, he kept his gaze fixed firmly on each pinprick of light in front, as he strode purposefully ahead.

Reaching the cave he hesitated before entering. He could hear echoes in his mind of his roars that day from the fury that had been ripping him apart.

Wildly he had crouched against the far wall, and when Catherine had stepped through into the cave he had seen her as an angel and had tried to attack her. It was only when she had screamed his name in anguish that he had stopped and crumpled as dead at her feet. And that was where his memory failed him, yet he knew for a certainty that something beautiful had taken place thereafter.

Carefully, he lay down to the sandy floor, lying back in his place, and closed his eyes trying to visualise the moment.

He could remember thinking that he had died. He felt himself go, to be taken off into that peaceful place where pain and hurt vanished forever. A new experience had engulfed him, he could sense another being close by, hear the angel's voice from afar calling his name, and could feel her warm breath upon his face.

Then a wonderful rapturous sensation filled his very being, the feel of her lips on his, and his senses reeled as her kiss deepened and a tingling started in his toes that rapidly swept through his entire body chased by a fiery passion that gave him back his life. He remembered how the thud of his own heartbeat had engulfed him, and could hear the groans burst forth from his mouth by their own submission.

From deep within himself all the feelings he had been trying so hard to deny rose to the surface and bubbled forth as her kisses deepened.

Opening his eyes, he had seen not an angel but Catherine, his beloved Catherine, her mouth fastened against his. In her love for him, she had crossed over the boundaries of their relationship and given her consent to step beyond.

As he saw the sorrow in her eyes, his arms had encircled her, pulling her eagerly against him to return her kisses, watching as the sorrow became joy as she realised he had survived and she had hugged him closer towards her.

Now as Vincent visualised the moment, he could see it all and felt the rising of his desire just as it had occurred that momentous day. And momentarily felt shamed by the passion of his arousal that day which had grown by its own accord beneath the weight of her body.

New feelings surging through his body at that time brought the sudden realisation of how desperately he wanted to make love to her, and now he groaned at the thought. He had wanted her so much, but had to be certain that Catherine wanted it too. Time and place ceased to exist and all Vincent needed to know was that they were in complete agreement over this. Cupping her face in his hands he had searched her eyes, finding within them raw passion and a pleading that was hard to deny. There was no going back now, her eyes told him all he needed to know, and as wave after wave of exquisite desire broke through his body he was aware of only one thing, the shuffle of clothing and her arms pulling him over to lie on top of her. Her legs tightly clamped around his.

He knew nothing else as his mind had become filled with Catherine, the scent of her enflamed him, her softness engulfed him, and as his body had finally claimed hers, every thought, every feeling shattered into a million explosive pieces.

Now as he lay remembering every detail he smiled. How could he have forgotten it! It had been the most sensational experience of his entire life. He could remember that Catherine had cradled him in her arms, kissing his face and stroking his hair, as semi-conscious he had lain afterwards feeling both physically and mentally drained. Then after Catherine and Father had helped him back to his own chamber, he had slept deep and dreamless for days, while Catherine had never left his side.

Getting up now, he felt refreshed. Leaning against the wall of the cave he remained thinking, wherever Catherine was at that moment, she took that memory of their shared love with her, how could she not come back? As if in response to that question something twinkled at him from the sandy floor, and bending he found within the folds of sand the crystal pendant, that she had lost that day, and he hung it high to watch the facets sparkle before his eyes. Filled with a deep sense of fresh hope, Vincent fastened the crystal around his own neck, then made his way back to his chamber and to the child he and Catherine had created that wonderful day in the fulfilment of their love.

Catherine stood looking out from the balcony of the little hotel on the edge of the Dolomite Mountains, on the border of Austria and Italy. This was what she had yearned to see again, the jagged ranges stretching as far as the eye could see. Beautiful hues of grey and orange rock. It had been this orange rock that she had remembered the most. Strange how some things imprint on the mind like that, yet orange mountains were especially impressive against the blue of the sky. During the time there with her father she had visited some of the grottoes in the side of one of the Dolomite Mountains. One had been excavated by archaeologists from the British Museum two miles into the mountain where they had unearthed remains of cave dwellers from thousands of years ago.

What had impressed her the most however, were the huge stalagmites and stalactites, and the way the British Museum had installed coloured lighting to enhance their beauty, giving her a longing to come back and see them again.

The entrance to the grotto was high up on the mountainside, and Catherine had found it awesome to find that as visitors entered the grotto they could be seen walking above the clouds.

As she and her father had queued to go in, Catherine had marvelled at the thought of walking through the fluffy white clouds to reach the grotto, yet when she at last reached this height she had been so disappointed as it was nothing more than fog. The illusion had been better than the reality.

Inside the grotto she had gasped at the sheer beauty as the floodlights picked out the huge wet pillars, and the walls were sharp and rugged as if someone had sliced bits off them for the making of tools and weapons. The first guided tour took one into the mountain half a mile, and the deeper one went the colder it became. The dampness alone brought a chill to the bones that exceeded the chill brought about by the sight of the mummified remains of a large bear. And deeper still the skeletons of a mother and child lying side by side amid a scattering of pots and what one assumed to be cooking utensils. It had been hard to say what had killed them, though the archaeologists had assumed they had died one bitter winter and that the bear had used the same cave centuries later, and had died during hibernation. The second guided tour took one even deeper into the mountains, the whole two miles and it was said to be spectacular but Catherine had not taken that tour so far down.

Now as Catherine stepped back into the warmth of the room, she let out a deep sigh. The mountain air was exhilarating, fresh and crisp, really there was no place on earth for her that appealed as much as these mountains. She planned to do all the things she had done while there with her father, mainly because she had promised herself, that some day she would return, but now that her father had died the memory of that holiday was poignant and she craved to feel his presence. She missed him terribly especially since she had Jacob, and going back to the places they had travelled together reconciled him to her in a way nothing else could.

A loud knocking at her door interrupted her thoughts, and opening it she found Devin standing there, holding out his arm for her to take, "Would Madam care to join me downstairs for dinner," he asked politely bowing.

Catherine laughed at him, he really was such a nice person, just like his father in many ways, and she told him, "Yes, thank you Sir, I would love to do."

Devin got his spaghetti at last. Piles of it. There was nothing quite like eating spaghetti on its home ground. A huge plate was set before each of them, of pale cream spaghetti topped with a meaty sauce. The waiter handed them each a fork, and hovered behind them while they grappled with the yards of spaghetti.

Twisting it around her fork, Catherine found it a lot harder than she had remembered, for every time she captured a forkful, it slid off on the way to her mouth and plopped back into the sauce. It was very messy.

"You mustn't let gravity get the better of you Cathy, look watch the expert."

Devin twisted a fork around and around on the plate in the bulk of spaghetti, then with great speed transferred the whole into his mouth. Strands of spaghetti hung down his chin, and he un-politely sucked them in. They lashed from side to side, splattering sauce all over his face.

Catherine burst into laughter, "Yes that's good Devin, but let me show you the easy way."

Taking the side of her fork, she proceeded to cut the spaghetti into small pieces. Unfortunately, this was the reason why the waiter hovered behind them, anticipating this move, and as soon as he saw her cut it, he whisked the plate away, and set another steaming plateful before her, winking at her as he said, "We don't allow cheating here Madam."

It was Devin's turn to laugh, "They always do that. And they will stand behind you until you master every last forkful, believe me."

Catherine opened her eyes wide in disbelief, "I will never eat all that Devin, I'd burst."

"Don't over estimate yourself Cathy, you have got to actually get it to your mouth, yet!"

Fumbling with the yards of pasta was so difficult. Catherine watched the other diners, who seemed to have mastered it with ease.

Devin packed his fork full and with gusto transferred it to his mouth, while other people took the messier way of putting an end of spaghetti into their mouth and sucked it in, others shovelled the pasta on to the fork and ate it that way.

Catherine chose the latter, it did after all seem the more ladylike of the three, yet it soon became apparent that the pasta was very filling, and she could not eat it all. Pushing aside her plate, the waiter was reaching across to retrieve it, "If it has turned cold madam, I can bring you another hot plateful," he told her, with a twinkle in his eye.

Catherine stared at him in horror, "No, please no, I could not eat another mouthful."

"Then perhaps madam, would like to dance now, no?"

Oh the thought of it, after all that spaghetti, Catherine shook her head, not trusting herself to speak, and the waiter laughed at the look on her face. He shook his head, thinking, these Americans they think they have the monopoly on life, yet they don't know how to live!

Laying on her bed later, Catherine was too uncomfortable to sleep, so she set up a chair on the balcony to sit and watch the sun setting behind the mountains. It was a spectacular night.

One of the things that used to interest her as a child was not knowing whether the sky was actually light blue as in the daytime, or dark blue as at night. During the day when one looked up at the sky, it seemed to have a canopy, yet at night the sky was infinite. She had never lost the feeling of awe for the galaxies, the stars and the planets as far as the eye could see and beyond. Then she had been thrilled to learn, from Vincent of all people, Vincent who had never walked out in the sunshine, that the sun wasn't actually golden, but was all the colours of the rainbow. And as the sun rose in the sky every day, the shorter red rays were dominant and spread out across the horizon mingled with varying hues of pinks and orange, and as the sun rose higher then the longer blue rays became dominant and turned the whole sky to blue.

Sometimes on very rare occasions one was able to witness a momentary green sunset, as the very short green rays spread out across the horizon at the setting of the sun. All of this took effect as the sun's coloured rays bounced off the earth's own protective layer, the ozone.

As a cloak of darkness gathered up its wings and spread from the west to ooze across the night sky, Catherine sighed, this had always seemed ominous to her and she could never still the shiver that it brought running up her spine. Yet in an awe-inspiring way it held its own beauty, enveloping the land in its wake making the distinction between day and night. And one by one the stars popped into view, the brightest of them all, known as the evening star, was not a star at all, but instead the planet Venus. Usually invisible by the light from the sun, Venus was the most striking with its flashing colours of green, blue, red and gold, and strands of silver light pulsating from it.

Catherine could stand and look at the night, all night, if only her eyes could stay open long enough, to be able to savour every moment, and as the whole sky became darkened Catherine could see Orion. She had told Vincent how its shape reminded her of a little dog. He could never see it. However, for him, Orion held its own magic. It was one of the few constellations of stars that had its own nebula visible to the naked eye, and with strong binoculars one could see the fuzzy star burst. While with a telescope one could see the nursery of new stars being formed. And the intense vibration of colours of varying hues of pink and cerise could be seen with the aid of a camera fixed to a satellite, one that sent back pictures of this amazing nebula, and Catherine marvelled at all that was taking place right before her eyes. These things too, Vincent had taught her.

Becoming suddenly very tired, Catherine went across to lie upon her bed. The night was warm and crickets could be heard out in the grounds, while fireflies darted here and there, like tiny torches probing the darkness.

The scent of the night wafted across to her, and she closed her eyes and slept.

Far across the Atlantic Ocean, Vincent watched the sunrise. He didn't often stay out so long, but the night had been so beautiful and he could not tear himself away. Summer was ending and there was a cool breeze in the air, though wrapped in his cloak to shield his face he did not feel it. Since remembering that day in the cavern with Catherine, the special Bond he had shared with her had returned to him. Father had said that it had only disappeared while part of his memory had gone. A gap in his life had dislodged the connection, and when that gap closed, the Bond had resumed its place.

So Vincent had sat beneath the stars all night being thrilled by Catherine's emotions.

He felt wonderful, whatever her emotions, he was at least happy to feel the connection, and to be a part of her again. It erased the aloneness he had felt of late, though with her mixed emotions of happiness and sorrow, he found it hard to contemplate exactly what was on her mind.

One moment she seemed ecstatically happy, as if someone known to her had just stepped into the room, and the next she appeared wretched and forlorn. It grieved him that he could not be there to comfort her when she needed it the most. And he found it a great burden that at times she seemed to be enjoying herself without him. She had said that he should try to forget her.

Had she been able to forget him? Had she found someone new to take his place in her heart?

He shook his great head sadly. He loved her so much. His arms ached to hold her, and his lips longed to kiss hers. He wanted to be able to tell her that he had remembered, and since then had renewed it over and over in his mind. His desire for her had mounted with each passing thought and he didn't quite know what to do about it.

Feeling the connection to her only intensified his desire, it was new to him, and he felt humiliated by its force.

Unable to concentrate on anything else, his mind seemed to have taken control, as he re-lived that day in the cavern. How good it had felt when first she had kissed him, the sweetness of her lips on his. Her courage at stepping over the boundary that had always held them back before.

The way his body had come to life beneath her lips, the desire that had spread from his toes and swept through his body like a fire engulfing him until he had been overcome with passion and love for her. Had she of drawn away from him at that moment, he could not contemplate, he did not want to think about that, for he would have found their relationship too painful under those circumstances to continue, and it would have been exceedingly embarrassing every time they saw one another.

He was grateful to her for setting him free to be what he had always desired to be; a man. For allowing him to love her as a man. It was a dream he had always denied himself. To risk having a mounting passion for her, in fear of where it would lead him, he had never wanted to frighten or hurt her as he had hurt Lisa. Yet Lisa had taunted him, and Catherine did not, she was always respectful of his feelings and never created a situation that could get out of control. He'd sensed that she longed for him to kiss her, but ever mindful of their situation had patiently waited for him to feel comfortable with this revelation until the day in the cavern, when she believed him to be dying.

Prior to that occasion she had never known of the times he had bid her goodnight, with the longing to pull her into his arms and kiss her sweet lips, yet he had always found the strength to resist, although she had waited there in expectation. Had she not, they would have both been lost, for he would never have been able to hold back, if she had made it known of her own desires.

Vincent found though that it emotionally drained him to be around her while fighting within himself to do the right thing, for he could not trust himself that a kiss would be enough. With the re-birth of his memory and their Bond Vincent was overcome by the power of his desire for her. He was having to learn self-control, and it was not easy. In many respects he was grateful for Catherine's absence, allowing him the time to conquer his passion, and learn to control it. Yet he often thought about Catherine's return and how he would welcome her. At that moment he felt that he would sweep her up into his arms and carry her off to his chamber to make love to her, yet that very thought shamed him. And when he really thought about it, he hoped he would never allow an event like that to take place between them, for he could not allow her to see the intensity of his feelings.

Yet he longed for her so. His heart seemed to be dying. He did not know for how much longer he could bear to be apart from her, and wondered if she could feel his pain. In a way he hoped so, perhaps then, it would bring her back to him.

Catherine awoke feeling refreshed. She hadn't felt so good in a long time, and for the first time in many weeks she had a deep longing for her baby and welcomed the feeling.

Previously she had been dismayed that she had hardly felt anything from leaving Jacob behind. Though it had been her intention to walk out of his life and not regret it, she had been annoyed with herself that it had all been so easy to do. She had reasoned that any other mother who could do that was a bad parent, and not fit to be a mother any way. Yet missing Jacob did not alter the situation any, did not change the fact that he was every bit Vincent's son, and as such she could not evaporate the sadness that he was not like other children and he could not share his life with her. If she were to bring him up and he went with her to see the snow capped mountains, the sun dappled water, beautiful pine forests with leafy green ferns, rainbows and rainstorms, crashing foaming oceans. All the things that delighted her senses the most. It would only add to his heartache, that the burden he carried would mean that someday all those things would be snatched away from him, and he would be forced to live beneath the city streets. And that would be like allowing a blind man to see for a short while, and then have his sight snatched away again. And Catherine could not do that to her son, she loved him too much, better to have never known, than to have known and have it taken away.

Hadn't Father himself told her that it was the colours he missed the most. She couldn't allow Jacob to have such pain. If she could be sure that he would never grow to resemble Vincent, it would be different, but they could not be sure, and could not take any risks.

Showered and dressed, Catherine made her way down to breakfast. Devin was already there munching on toast and apricot jam, and waved her over when he caught sight of her. "Hi, Cathy, did you have a good night?"

"Yes, when finally all that spaghetti went down, I slept well. I left the window open and the fresh mountain air was delicious. Have you noticed how all the different countries have their own familiar scent Devin?"

"Mmm, like the scent of croissants in France, the scent of Strudel in Austria and the tantalising scent of spaghetti in Italy, you mean, although having said that it is just as good in Austria, unless its because we are on the border of the two.?"

Catherine caught the emphasis on spaghetti, "You will never let me forget that will you?" "Never." he replied, with a mischievous grin.

Catherine sat down and poured herself Some coffee. "When do you have to be at your interview Devin?"

"Two days time. Plenty of time to sight see first, what are your plans for today?"

"I wanted to visit the grotto I went to see with my father, we never got time to explore the two mile route, and I should like to do that."

"You have something about being beneath the earth don't you?"

"Its funny, but yes, I have always found it delightful."

"You know Cathy, tell me if its none of my business, but are you and Vincent having problems?"

Catherine looked at him a long time before answering, "Why do you ask that Devin?"

"Well when I first bumped into you in Paris, I automatically assumed you were there on D. A. business, but I don't know, call it intuition if you like, but I now get the feeling that's not the reason you are here at all."

Catherine fumbled with her napkin.

"You don't have to tell me Cathy, its not important."

"Yes it is. It is important, and you are right I am having problems, but Vincent isn't the problem, I am."

"Care to talk about it Cathy?"

"Yes, I do need to talk to someone, and I know at least you will understand. Joanna tried to prise it out of me, but of course I couldn't confide in her, she doesn't know Vincent, and I couldn't tell her anything."

"I thought you said Vincent wasn't the problem?"

"He isn't...well not directly. Look Devin did you ever get any of our messages about Jacob?"

"My father?"

"No, not your father Jacob, I mean my baby Jacob."

"You have a child?"

"Yes, we did send many messages to you, but if you were travelling you wouldn't have got any I suppose."

"This baby... Cathy, whose is it?" Devin was almost afraid to ask.

"Devin, what do you take me for. I love Vincent...how can it be anyone's but his?"

"Its Vincent's child?" Devin asked incredulously.

Catherine nodded.

"Wow."

"Is that all you can say?"

"For the moment, yes."

Catherine shrugged, "Then I will continue with this later, and give you time to get your head around it." She pushed back the chair and made to leave but Devin chased after her, "Cathy, wait!" he caught her up as she was stepping through the hotel doors out into the sunshine, "Cathy please wait, its not what you think. Look I don't know what it is I meant, but I didn't mean to offend you. Look let's walk along together and you can tell me all about it."

Catherine smiled, "Only if you can clarify what you mean by 'it'." she teased him.

Devin laughed out loud, "That's better Cathy. I couldn't believe that your and Vincent's relationship had gone that far. You see Vincent told me about the time with Lisa, and I knew he was afraid never to take a chance like that again."

"Vincent was young then Devin, and he didn't love Lisa, not really. Infatuation maybe but not love. And Lisa taunted him, he knows that now."

"Still to know that you and he actually...well you know... I find it hard to believe."

"There you go again. Why so hard. Vincent is a man like no other, with a man's desires like any other."

"And you are a beautiful woman unlike no other, and could have the pick of the eligible men in New York, so why did it have to be Vincent?"

"I fell in love with him. Vincent is everything to me, more than a man, and when I look at Vincent I see only the man, never the beast. He is beautiful in my eyes."

"Then you are more remarkable that I gave you credit for Cathy. I really believed that friendship would be all you would offer him, I'd like to hug you for giving him so much.

Vincent is very special to me and I too see the man and not the beast. In my eyes we are brothers."

Walking along in silence they came across a small trap pulled by a Palomino coloured pony, with its golden fur and creamy mane and tail. "Devin, let's take a ride shall we, do you know what these ponies are?"

"They're animals aren't they?" Catherine smacked his arm playfully, "No, silly, I mean did you know that they are the native pony of Austria. They are called Haflinga ponies, and are very sturdy and strong. Come on get in, we can travel up the mountainside."

Devin enjoyed it far more than he had expected to do. Horses had never really appealed to him, but being in the open topped trap, pulled by the clip clopping pony, beneath the pine trees along with the avid interest of the interchange of conversation, he found that he enjoyed himself immensely.

He still found it incredible that Vincent had actually come to know the pleasure of men, and he longed to speak with him about it. Catherine wasn't to know, but he and Vincent had spoken long into the night on more than one occasion about quite intimate subjects from time to time, as they had grown up together.

"So tell me about your son Cathy, does he look anything like Vincent?"

"Yes and no. He is very beautiful. He has Vincent's blue eyes and golden hair, which I am sure will be as unruly as Vincent's eventually, and though Vincent tells me that Jacob looks like me, I cannot see a single bit of me in him.

"That's usually the way. We can never see ourselves mirrored in anyone or anything else. Take me for instance, when I look in the mirror I can never believe that handsome man is me."

Catherine laughed out loud.

"I bet my father got a shock when he found you were pregnant?"

"Not just your father, Vincent got a shock too."

"Pardon me?"

It was Catherine's turn to look mischievous. "Vincent can't remember a single thing about the event. You remember that terrible time when Paraselcus lied to him, and he had that nervous breakdown?"

Devin nodded.

"Well it was then at that time that he and I... well you know...and he never remembered any of it. Many parts of his past were lost at that time. The Bond we shared was one of them."

"So he has no recollection? Poor Vincent."

"Why do you say it like that Devin?"

"Well just think Cathy, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that you have produced a baby, and not remembering how it came to be, must be so frustrating. You imagine, yourself, waking up and finding you are pregnant and not knowing how it came to be. Wouldn't it send you nuts wondering about it?"

"Yes, I suppose it would, put like that. Do you know I have never given it much thought in that way. And it is something Vincent and I have never spoken about."

"Wow."

"There you go again."

"I don't know what else to say Cathy. Yes I do, why then are you here, surely the memory loss is Vincent's problem, why are you the one to run away from it?"

"Its not like that Devin. Apparently I have, or had, post natal depression, I do feel better now, but while it raged I found myself not knowing what it was I wanted from life. All I knew was that I craved a normal life, one where I could share my world with Vincent and Jacob, and leaving them both seemed the right thing to do at the time."

"And now?"

"And now I don't think I should have left, but now that I have, I think it has afforded me the opportunity to stay out of their lives and make a new one for myself. Vincent and Jacob have each other, my world is an intrusion in theirs, it makes Vincent desire the things he cannot have, and that in turn makes me feel wretched."

"I can understand how you feel, but you are wrong Cathy. Take me for instance, I lived in that world, was born into it. Vincent never saw me as any different until the day came that I could leave and he could not. Still he never wished to deny me that chance, and has lived for the stories that I bring him, on my return trips. I am what I am, and he is what he is, neither one of us expect to take anything from the other. In many respects I envy him for the way he fearlessly walks the night, spending whole nights out beneath the stars in very lonely places. I couldn't do that, I'd be too afraid of getting mugged or knifed, but with Vincent's acute sense of hearing he knows ahead of time when danger exists, and can flee from it, or fight it. He does a lot of good in clearing New York of criminals, even if in its wake his way is a bit messy. I know that Vincent longs to be able to walk out in the sunlight, Cathy, but me well, I would love to walk fearlessly beneath the moonlight, wouldn't you?"

Catherine nodded slowly, as a bright smile lit up her face, and Devin felt as though his heart had somersaulted. She really was beautiful, Vincent was a lucky guy.

"Yes." she told him finally, "I have never looked at it that way before."

"You see Cathy, its because of what Vincent is that makes him so special. That and the way my father brought him up. Vincent is unique, maybe we will discover there are others like him, but for now he is the only one, and you can't do better than that. Vincent has come to terms with not being able to live in your world, and it is yourself that must come to accept that."

"Supposing I can. How could I leave behind my world to be with him, and know that I can never introduce him to my friends?"

"Are your friends really so important Cathy? Who are your real friends? Vincent's world has people in it who have become your friends too, could you take a man from your world and introduce him to them?"

"No, I promised I would never betray their secret."

"Then what difference does it make that you cannot take Vincent Above and introduce him to the people there?"

Catherine accepted this logic, she wondered why something so simple had been so hard to grasp.

"Cathy if one of your friends were offered the opportunity of real happiness forever, do you think they would refuse it for the sake of your friendship? Think about the future Cathy, can you visualise yourself growing old and grey with the satisfaction of knowing that you have never forsaken your friends, while denying yourself the chance of love? Of what use is that? So that someone can say, 'Good old Cathy, she sat on the shelf so that she would always be there just in case I ever needed her.' Or would you prefer to grow old with the one you loved, storing up precious memories to treasure in your old age. Which path of life would make you most happiest, which path would make you most bitter. You have to make a choice Cathy, friends or Vincent. I know if I had found a love like the one the two of you share, I know for a certainty which one I would chose."

Catherine sighed.

"Still the long face Cathy, what else is there?"

"I know what you are saying Devin, and believe me you have put a lot of things into perspective..."

"But?"

"But it doesn't alter the way I feel, the fact that I want a normal life."

"How do you define normal Cathy?"

"Basically I want what every girl wants, a husband, a family, security."

"So you have two out of three Cathy, you said you saw the man and not the beast, why then do you believe marriage with Vincent would be impossible?"

"I didn't say that."

"No?"

"Devin, I want Vincent as a lover, but I have never thought of him as a husband, yet deep down inside my morals are such that marriage comes before children, and now that I have it in the wrong order, my conscience bothers me."

Devin took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "So you decided that you would be better off making a fresh life for yourself with someone new, and do it in the right order, but its too late for that Cathy."

"Why?"

"Because you are being unnaturally selfish. You are thinking in terms of only what it is you want. And in so doing you are forgetting that others have a say in things now."

"I believe Vincent and Jacob are better off without me."

"Does your heart or your head tell you that?"

Catherine looked at him. It was an unusual question, but she answered with, "My heart tells me this is right for all of us."

"The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate. Who can know it?"

"Is that a quote from somewhere Devin?"

"Yes, from the Bible, Jeremiah I think."

"I wouldn't have taken you for a Bible Scholar Devin?"

"Just another re-bound from my past Cathy, you know me. However, you are evading the subject at hand."

"I hoped you wouldn't notice, for I don't know what else to say."

"How about drawing out the real reason from your head rather than you heart. What exactly is it that you do want?"

Catherine thought long and hard. Her heart kept pricking her with seeds of doubt. Her heart told her that Vincent and Jacob were better off without her. Her heart told her that it was too painful to continue with the relationship as it was. Her head asked her, "for whom?"

Watching as the many expressions chased across her face, Devin remained silent, allowing her time to analyse her feelings, praying within himself that her head would lead her to the right conclusion. To him the answer was all so obvious, yet she had to see it for herself.

Slowly she found the strength to shut out the cries of her heart and listen to what logic was telling her. She had tried to forget Vincent, to blot out thoughts of him and Jacob from her mind, her heart had told her it was the right thing to do. She had been uneasy with this battle going on inside her for so long that she had grown too weary to think, to feel anymore. Some days her misery had engulfed her and she had wished for the oblivion of everlasting sleep, but deep inside she had reasoned that this would be taking the easy way out. She longed so much to be free of the pain, the longing, the hunger, 'for what? for what?'

As reprieve from her thinking the pony and trap came to a halt and the driver waited for them to alight. They had reached a small taverna high in the mountain, and while Devin paid the driver, Catherine walked on ahead.

"Would you like something to drink Cathy?"

She nodded, "Yes please, I'll have a long cool glass of Apfelsaft, and I am sure you would enjoy one too. Its delicious."

Devin nodded, "Yes I have tried it before and I agree."

Catherine found a small table on the terrace overlooking the sheer drop over the mountain to the valley below. It was breathtaking. Momentarily she allowed herself the freedom of clearing her head while she drank in the fresh mountain air, there really was nothing quite like it.

Devin came back presently with two glasses of golden liquid. Catherine took hers gratefully, and sipped, savouring the first delights of this fresh tangy apple juice, so sweet, so sharp.

"Mmm", she uttered, eyes closed, licking the drips from her lips, "I have looked forward to this so much."

Devin eyed her humorously. He sat down at a seat by the table looking out across the view, "Its like we are nowhere else on earth isn't it."

"Its perfect Devin. I have longed to come back here for so many years. Sometimes in the first waking moments back home, I have visualised myself stood here, leaning on this railing, overlooking this valley, with a glass of cool Apfelsaft in my hand, and sometimes the longing to return has been physically painful.

"If I had known that memory it would be the same for me. Perhaps from now on, I will hold it as dear to me, as you do. But I think a lot of it will be to do with the company. Who would have thought it, eh, that me, as Vincent's brother would be in another country with the woman he loves, its kinda funny when you think of it."

Catherine chose to ignore some of the remark, speaking instead of his home, "And yet you live in the mountains, surely you have greater memories?"

"My mountains are a special place Cathy, but there is a lot of dust and barrenness from time to time, being here is different, besides in my mountains one doesn't come across a beautiful spot like this offering such delightful refreshment. The mountain air gives me an appetite, are you hungry, would you like to eat?"

Catherine shook her head, "Not yet, there is some place I have to go. Devin would you mind waiting for me, I really need to go there by myself."

"That's okay, and if you really don't mind, I will fetch myself a meal while I wait for you." "I don't know how long I'll be."

"Take all the time you need Cathy, it's so beautiful up here, I could stay here until I fossilise."

Catherine laughed, and leaving the remainder of her drink for later, she set off, past the rows of tables, down some steps and out onto the short nibbled grass of the mountain itself. Passing some goats, she made her way up the familiar path until she found the place she sought.

Nothing had changed. It was still as unspoilt as it ever was. She lay on the sweet grass, tenderly covered with wild flowers and rolled over to look around her. The taverna was obscured by the height and the density of the fir trees, giving her total seclusion. And the sky above was the deepest of blues, interspersed with tiny white cobwebby clouds and she wondered if time stood still in this perfect place, for it was exactly as she had remembered.

She wished she had brought a notepad and pen, for suddenly she had an overwhelming desire to write down everything as she saw it, and send the letter to Vincent, telling him of all this awareness, around her. She knew he would be transported there by her words and he would love every moment of it. Returning to her earlier thoughts she allowed her mind to drift over the last few weeks. It was true that she had seriously believed that leaving Vincent was the right thing to do, yet hadn't her head told her that she had been wrong about that?

She allowed her head the right to rule without the intervention of her heart and logic found its way to the truth. Instantly she knew, what she had already known, but had refused to see it, that Vincent was her life, her whole life. Her love and the love of her life, and being there on the mountain, while precious to her, was incomparable to being thirty feet below the earth with him. Things that Devin had said came back to haunt her. She had been selfish in believing that making a fresh start and getting things in the right order was the right thing to do, had only successfully brought pain and misery to other people. And to continue with that plan, she would only be leaving behind an blazing trail of hurt wherever she went, and whosoever lives she touched by her compelling desire to do what was right, she would hurt others, just so her conscience would not be troubled. And that was wrong.

Slowly her mind allowed for the beauty of acceptance, to believe and accept that with love all things are possible. ' Love is long suffering and kind, love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests...'

That's what she was doing of course, looking for her own interests, Catherine was surprised that the scripture had been recalled to mind like that, almost as if someone else were reading it to her, as it continued inside her head, 'love does not look for its own interests.' Wasn't that what she had been doing? 'Love does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury, it does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things...Love never fails.' (1st Corinthians Ch. 13).

Letting out a deep sigh, Catherine applied the latter of the verse to Vincent. No matter what she had put him through in her selfishness, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would not keep account of the injury, and that with his life as it was, he believed all things, hoped all things, endured all things. Their love had given him fresh hope and he had come to accept it for real. 'What had she done to him, by snatching the foundation from under his feet?' For the first time Catherine began to see her actions the way he would have seen them.

Her note however well meaning, would have cut through him as surely as if it had been a two edged sword. Catherine moaned in anguish, she had not intended to cause him such pain. Getting to her feet, she brushed the dirt from her clothing and made her way quickly back to where Devin waited patiently for her. One look at her radiance told him all that he needed to know. He hugged her in greeting and lifted her gaze to meet his, "You have reached a conclusion?, he asked her.

"Yes Devin, I'm going home." Then as she realised the enormity of her words, she quickly added, "But I promise I will be back to help you. What you are doing here is of up-most importance to me too, and I desperately want to find out about Vincent's background, and will help you in any way I can, but for now there are those that need me, and I have kept them waiting far too long."

Devin hugged her tightly, her body against his sending a flicker of something he didn't want to dwell on, so he pulled away to pick up her half finished drink and offered it to her. Catherine drank it gratefully, unaware of the mixed emotions Devin was trying to disguise, as she drank it quickly as no longer relinquishing its flavour seemed important to her.

"How will we get down, I fear the pony and trap have long since left, how are you at riding the chair lift Cathy?"

"Oh adore it, but we cannot ride together, the seats are too small, do you mind?"

Devin shook his head, it was just as well, her presence made him heady, and that unnerved him, he didn't want anything to emphasise how his body reacted around her, of its own accord. "Not at all," he found himself telling her, "come on let's get started, the sooner you are back home the sooner you will return. And Cathy?"

"Yes Devin?"

"I am so glad that you reached this conclusion. You know the answer was before you all along. There is absolutely no reason why Vincent should not, could not be your husband, but promise me you won't go getting married before I can be there to see it?"

"I promise, Devin. It wouldn't be the same without you, I owe you such a lot."

Devin smiled, he was happy that Vincent was getting her back, still he couldn't help feeling sad that she was leaving. And hoped that she would be back as she had promised, and soon.

Getting into the chair lift had always been a wondrous experience for Catherine. As each chair lift came through the kiosk, each passenger had to stand, back turned to its approach and literally jump backwards onto the seat, buckling the harness as they went along. For the chairs never stopped running, and passengers had to embark and disembark in split seconds, or miss their chance entirely.

The ride down the mountains was every bit as breathtaking as Catherine had remembered. The small seat of the chair lift didn't allow for much movement. It would swing slightly, and the fear of falling was ever present. As the chair left the security of the mountainside, Catherine swung her legs out in front of her, thrilling in the feel of being suspended so high above the ground. It was a slow way to travel, but afforded its own delights. The view was fantastic. Allowing herself to turn slightly so as not to tip the seat too much, Catherine looked all around her. Her heart was lifted, she was going home, home to Vincent, back to his home, to her home. For she knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that she could live in his world, and no longer did leaving behind all she had ever known matter to her anymore. She would acclimatise to living Below, and find something to occupy her time, when she wasn't either loving Vincent or bringing up his children. Involuntary she passed the palm of one hand over the flatness of her stomach, the thought of more babies delighted her. Vincent's babies. She wiggled in her seat and was rewarded by the gentle tilt of the chair swinging her to and fro.

And as the chair made its ascent to the first anchorage point to the ground, it rattled and swung precariously, causing her to hold her breath. These points always unnerved her, and after so long since riding in one, her trust had waned, she really felt that at any moment, having come so fully to her senses, she would now plummet to her death, and Vincent would never know that she had been returning to him. The thought brought tears rushing to her eyes, and a fresh wave of longing, to know that she had come so close and yet was so far, and it was unbearable. Then as the chair lift tracked its way expertly through the links, up and over, and travelled on its way along the wires to the next anchorage point, Catherine regained her trust, and gingerly turned in her seat to view Devin coming up behind. He was about twenty feet away and she could see by his expressions that he was loving every minute of it, swinging out his legs to and fro, making the chair creak and groan, as if he was on a park swing. Catherine laughed and called out loudly, "Hey Devin stop that, you'll bring us both down if the wire snaps."

Serious he stopped at once, "I never thought of that Cathy," he called back.

The rest of the journey they continued in silence, each to his own thoughts, delighting in the wonder of the ride, so far above the ground, with the fresh mountain air sneaking into every part of their being.

As the chair made its descent, Catherine un-harnessed herself in readiness to disembark. This, along with getting on to start with, were the funniest parts, one literally had to leap off, or the chair would be inside the kiosk in seconds and start its ascent once more. Waiting for Devin, Catherine watched his expressions as he approached. He didn't disappoint her. Un-harnessing himself well before time, he leapt off the seat five feet above the ground, landing squarely and safely, but just as his look of triumph surfaced, too late he saw the empty chair from behind approaching, and it caught him on the back of his head, hard. He fell forward, and Catherine ran to help him up, "You idiot Devin. Are you okay?"

Stunned, he affirmed that he was, but Catherine was not convinced. Taking his arm, she led him away from the danger zone, and made him sit down, while she felt the bump on his head, growing beneath her fingers rapidly.

"I'm okay Cathy, my pride is hurt more than my head, honestly."

"And so it should be, your father's fears for you are well grounded, you do seem to do the most impetuous things at times."

"What?", the look on her face concerned him.

"I was wondering Devin, if it is safe for me to leave you alone. Perhaps I should stay just long enough for you to get that job and be out of danger. What more will you get up to without me here to rescue you, I wonder?"

"Its okay Cathy, I won't do any more foolhardy things, I promise." his heart hammered at her suggestion to stay, " but you know if that offer of staying really does exist, I would appreciate it. My interview is in two days time, it would be great if you could just stay long enough to see the outcome of that. If I don't get the job, I shall need another plan."

Reluctantly Catherine nodded, wishing she hadn't offered, still two days wasn't long, not considering the length of time she had already been away, and it would afford her the time to do the rest of the things she had planned to do after all.

Devin of course was being entirely selfish, as he did from time to time. Despite his little speech and the fact that Catherine only had eyes for Vincent, and he did not intend to move in on her in that way, he could not deny the fact that he enjoyed her company, and there was some attraction on his part towards her. He told himself it was because she connected him to his home, a home that he missed if he was honest with himself, and she also gave him a connection to his brother, who he missed the most. And having Catherine there to talk to about Vincent helped to ease his longing to see him again. That's what he told himself, for he could not trust himself to analyse the real reason as to why he wanted her around him a few days more.

However, Devin did not want Vincent to have to worry any longer about the whereabouts of Catherine, and so without consulting her, he sent a telegram to his father and Vincent via one of the helpers, and posted it that evening on his way down to dinner.

Continued in Chapter Three