DEATH SHALL HAVE NO DOMINION
Chapter 3 - Love’s  Return
By Cindy Miller

 Jacob Wells, “Father” to the community beneath the city, hobbled into Vincent’s chamber to discover the reason for his delay.  The Naming Ceremony for his grandson was about to begin, and as yet father and son had not made an appearance.  The child was almost three months old and had just recently been rescued from his abductors.

 “Vincent?”  Father glanced around his adopted son’s chamber.  His gaze rested finally on the broad shoulders and tawny mane of hair bowed tenderly over his own son.  “Are you both ready for the ceremony?”

 “Hello Father.  Yes, we’re ready, but…we are waiting for something.”

 “Waiting?” Father queried.  “What for?  Everything is ready; everyone is already gathering in my chamber.”

 Father moved nearer to place his arm across those muscular shoulders.  “What’s wrong, Vincent?”

 Vincent shook his shaggy head.  “I’m not sure.  I haven’t spoken of it, but for weeks now I’ve had an uneasy feeling, shadows of memories with Catherine…of our connection that was broken when I was ill, and afterwards…when Catherine was carrying our son.”

 Vincent’s voice was no more than a choked whisper.  Over the years Father had heard Vincent’s voice register everything from the gentlest whisper to an earsplitting, earthshaking roar.  He thought he had heard every quality of human emotion expressed in his son’s tone, but hearing the odd uncertainty in Vincent’s quavery voice now, rocked Father’s composure.

 “I thought at first that I was still grieving for her, and…I tried to put these thoughts, these feelings aside for my son’s sake…for our bond.”

 “And now, Vincent?  Tell me what you’re feeling?”  Father’s face was a mask of concern and sympathy.

 “This morning, Father, suddenly I felt…connected again!  I felt Catherine call out to me and…all that she was, all that she felt…filled my mind and heart.”  He was trying to find the words, but shook his head sadly.  “I can’t explain it; my mind tells me it is impossible and yet…I’ve missed her presence so much,” he whispered softly, “It is such a sweet pain.”

 Father tried to divert Vincent’s raw emotions back to the present.  “Do you still feel this…connection?” he queried.

 “Yes!  It has not diminished.  It is growing stronger, nearer.  I can’t help but cherish this feeling.  I know it can’t be true, but I feel…somehow…she will be here for the ceremony.”

 Father scowled his alarm at this turn in his unique son’s psyche.  Was the loss of the woman’s love making him go mad?  These last weeks of mourning her loss after a near brush with death himself, the terrible ordeal of finding his son at great physical risk-almost loss of life, must be more than Vincent could handle!  Dear God, how was he going to help Vincent recover from his loss?  What could he say?  No one should have to endure what Vincent had been through, and now this!  Would it never end?

 Vincent grinned wryly, placing his free hand over Father’s.
 “Don’t worry, Father, I’m not going mad.”  Glancing down tenderly at his cooing son he continued, “Come.  Our friends are waiting.  I’ll be all right.”

 Father gave Vincent’s shoulder a squeeze.  “Vincent, you and Catherine had a love that cannot die.  It will always be real…to all of us through the miracle in your arms.  She will not be forgotten, I promise you.”

 “I know.”  Vincent looked down fondly at his son, who was happily studying his father’s feline features.  “Father…he felt it as well.”

 “Vincent, with your bond, what he probably felt was an echo of your own feelings.”

 “No, Father…he cried out at exactly the same time.  So…we were waiting,” he added simply.

 Just then, one of the tunnel children, Kippur, dashed into the chamber.  “Are you coming?  Everyone’s here!”

 After exchanging a final look, Father and Vincent followed Kippur to the larger chamber where Father held court over his piles of books and the community Below.  Everyone was there, including the Helpers from Above, and the woman, Diana, who had helped Vincent find his son and dispatched Catherine’s murderer.  She was a Helper now, a friend, fighting the injustice Above as Catherine had.
 

 An hour of study at the Bayville Public Library’s Media Center didn’t answer all of Catherine’s questions, but it did fill in most of the missing pieces of her nine months of isolation from the outside world.  This accounted for her months of imprisonment by the villainous mobster, Gabriel, the time lost while unconscious, as well as the recovery of her health and memory.

 Her associate, Joe Maxwell, had been appointed to District Attorney after John Moreno’s part in Catherine’s ‘murder’ was discovered.  Moreno had been found slashed-by Vincent?-at the carousel in Central Park.  Catherine felt betrayed by her trust in her former employer gone bad.  However, Joe would do well as D. A.; he deserved it.

 Sadly, her friend, Elliot Burch had lost his life in a marine explosion…another strike against her enemy.  Poor Elliot.  He had suffered so much, yet had much to give.  Maybe it was for the best; he couldn’t be hurt any more.

 As she read further, she found that her ’murderer’, Gabriel, had been shot in his New York mansion by Diana Bennett of the N. Y. P. D. Special Investigations Division; shot in self-defense.  (So, ‘cousin’ Diana was with the N. Y. P. D.!)  An empty crib and signs of a scuffle were in the room where the corpse was found.  In the basement, they had found a shattered, electrified cage with broken leg irons.  No speculation was given as to the purpose of the cage, but the fact that it was found empty relieved some of her fear for Vincent, and her baby.  The fallout from these events was far reaching.  The little black book that had started these life-changing events had shaken up the corporate world.  Collaborators were being sought out and prosecuted.  Much of the corruption in the ‘system’ would be rooted out.   Catherine was certain Joe would make a clean sweep of the city and come out on top of his career.

 Well, her part in it was long over.  Joe would gladly have taken her back if she wished.  She was sure he would find a place for her that would mean a big step in her career as well.  Considering her next move, she thought it hardly seemed right to walk back into the lives of friends who had thought her dead, grieved for her, and gone on with their lives.  There would be too many awkward explanations to make, and she had made too many enemies who would be happy to finish the job.  It would also mean putting her friends Below in more danger.
 No, better to remain ‘dead and buried’.  Her apartment would have been rented out long ago, and her things given away or put in storage.  She could have her old family friend, Peter, look into all that later; not that anything really mattered that she didn’t already carry in her heart.  Besides, she suddenly realized that she no longer wanted that life Above.  She felt out of synch with her old lifestyle, had been out of touch with her friends since she met Vincent, and her father had gone ahead to Heaven with her mother.  All the relationships and things that had tied her to the world Above were broken.  Now she had a chance to start a new life!  She had a place to call ’home’, a family she was sure would take her in, and Vincent, her heart’s desire, would be there, safe with their son.  She was surer than ever before, where she wanted to be.

 Vincent had taught her to follow her heart, and she willingly followed it now.  Catherine lost no time in catching the next train to the city.  The old life was behind her, yet she couldn’t…wouldn’t quite allow herself to contemplate further the possibilities of life Below in the tunnels.  She had experienced that life briefly after her father’s death, when Vincent had taken her Below to grieve.  What would it be like to be with him..always!  A great happiness began to glow deep inside her, and she wished the train would go faster.  She would meet the Helper at the subway newsstand, get him to guide her to the outpost sentry, and so on, down -unannounced-to…Vincent.  His name brought a tender smile to her trembling lips.

 “I’m coming, my love.  I’m coming home,” she whispered, and somehow, this time, she knew that he heard her.
 

 The Naming Ceremony had begun.  It was a tradition begun, to mark the first birth in the world below the city, over thirty years ago.  Vincent struggled to remain attentive, as he more than half listened to that sweet inner voice which grew steadily stronger and nearer.  The anticipation within him mounted moment by moment.  He didn’t know how, but she would be here soon.  He must be ready!  It was all Vincent could do to master himself, to stand still and respond to the event taking place around him.

 Father was eyeing him as he spoke.  “…and we welcome the child with a name, upon which, I believe Vincent has decided.  Vincent?”  He tried to keep the snap from his voice as he caught his distracted son’s attention.

 “I have named my son Jacob Wells,” Vincent replied on cue, just as the baby squealed in excitement.  Everyone looked at baby Jacob and laughed with him.  But Vincent knew what had caused the outcry.  His eyes shot toward the entrance of the chamber.  There!  “Catherine!” he whispered, his jaw agape.

 Catherine smiled down at him from the stairs.  She had arrived at the ceremony just in time and was glad.  Others in the gathering followed Vincent’s gaze and spotted the ’reincarnated’ beauty.  Her eyes never left his as she moved down the steps and eased through the astonished crowd, which parted to let her pass.  Everyone was stunned by her sudden reappearance.  A few brave souls reached out to touch her in disbelief.  No one spoke as she paused before him.  It was a truly miraculous and beautiful moment, as the group held their collective breath.

 Vincent extended a trembling hand to tentatively caress her cheek.  She was real…warm…and alive beyond hope!  “Catherine…how is this possible?” he asked, spellbound.

 “It’s possible, Vincent, because….’Though lovers be lost, love shall not; and death shall have no dominion’.  Your love called me back.  I’ve come home, my love, to stay…with you!”  Standing on tiptoe, Catherine whispered those last words against his lips.

 Wild, sweet joy exploded in his soul.  His senses were reeling, overloaded!  His soul willingly embraced the reality of her substance, the warmth of her lips pressed on his, her arms flung around his neck, her heart and soul joined with his.  He could feel her lack of reserve, her total commitment to him.  She was truly and completely his.  In that timeless kiss, it was all he could do to prevent himself from crushing her to him in his need.

 When he raised his head in wonder, he glanced over to Father for his understanding, his permission.

 Father was grinning broadly, and gave him a slight nod; then putting his arms around them, welcomed her officially to the community.  “Welcome Home Catherine.”

 A chorus of ‘Welcomes’ came from all around, followed by a barrage of questions, but Catherine forestalled them.

 “I’ll tell you the whole story as I know it very soon,” she promised, “but right now I’d like to hold our son, Jacob.”  She turned to behold their child who was still in Vincent’s arms.  Tremulously touching the baby’s tender, golden skin, his tiny hands, his sweet face and downy, red-gold hair, a look of wonder crossed her face.

 “Vincent, he’s so perfect, so beautiful!”

 He carefully placed the baby in Catherine’s eager arms.  He knew how much she had longed for a child of her own to hold.  “How can he be anything less than the sum of our love,” he replied in his deep, velvety voice.

 As she turned her face up to his, tears of joy trickled down her cheek.  He couldn’t bear to see her cry, even when moved by a mother’s love.  Tenderly, he kissed away her tears.  His arms embraced both his loves, mother and son.  Their love was so palpably real, so beautiful, that no one witnessing this joyous reunion was unmoved.

 Father quietly cleared his throat when one of the young girls came up and asked impatiently, “Is it time to give Jacob his gifts yet?”  Laughter broke out all around and the ceremony continued with the welcoming of baby Jacob officially to the community.

 In her turn, Diana Bennett approached the young family to offer her gift and good wishes.

 “Catherine,” Vincent introduced her, “this is our new friend and Helper, Diana Bennett.  She is the one who helped me find Jacob.”

 Catherine smiled gratefully at the red-headed detective.  “Hello!  We can never thank you enough for all your help Diana.  I read the official newspaper account of your efforts.  I believe I owe you my life, also ‘Cousin’.”

 Diana grimaced self-consciously.  “I’m glad I was able to help you in a small way, and save this precious baby,” she said while playing with the child’s hand.  “Vincent, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that Catherine was alive; I didn’t want to raise any false hopes.  I’ve been so busy with the case, and the last time I called to check on her progress, they indicated she might never come out of the coma.  I staged her funeral to bring out her ‘murderer’, and found her friends instead.”

 Catherine nodded, understanding the tactic.  It was what she would have done.  She interrupted with a question.  “Diana, how did you know I was alive?”

 “I came on your case after Joe asked me to investigate.  I began at the coroner’s office, who was about to begin the ‘autopsy’.”  Diana hesitated, slightly embarrassed.  “Any cursory examination would conclude your apparent death, since your vital signs were in a deeply comatose state.  Of course, once the examiner incised, he could tell you were barely alive.  He quickly ran some blood tests, which showed the morphine overdose.  Together, we decided to smuggle you upstate to this nursing facility I knew about.  Then I staged your funeral as planned.  There were no guarantees that you would make it back, in spite of our discovery, but it was the safest plan we could make while we flushed out the murderer.”

 Catherine nodded again, “It saved my life!  So, you were the only two who knew the truth?”

 “It was the only chance you had.  I didn’t know whom I could trust.  I never even told Joe, even after I knew I could trust him.  It wouldn’t have helped you any and he didn’t need the extra distraction.  I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, least of all you, Vincent.  I’m sorry!” she repeated, and her glance around the crowded room was all-inclusive.

 “I didn’t realize the power of love until now,” Diana continued.  “Seeing the two of you together, I believe in it now, and I understand that what you have is timeless.”

 “I doubted love myself, Diana,” Vincent admitted.  “In my grief, I forgot Catherine’s last message.  You thought to spare me more pain.  Thank you for the gift of your friendship during difficult days.  And thank you for keeping her safe.”

 Diana knew then, that that was all she had ever felt for Vincent; friendship, deep and lasting.  The attraction she had felt for him all along, besides his personal magnetism and kindness, was the love that he had shared with Catherine.  It was the guiding light that she had been seeking in her own life.  Now she believed she would find it!