Luminescence

By ChicagoTunnelKid

Vincent put the last of the supplies that had lain on top of his bed into his rucksack. Catherine would be arriving soon for their trip to a new cavern he had found; it had luminescence on the stalactites that was something to be seen. He had thought of her, of them, when he first came upon it. They would have a meal with candlelight all around them. Afterwards, he would surprise her by blowing out the candles, one by one, and watch her as the light from the luminescence grew. It lasted hours, so that their time in the cavern would be magical. 

He smiled, feeling her anticipation grow closer. She was hurrying through the tunnels. He felt her joy for him, for their time together, for something new to experience. This he could do for her, and it was something no man Above could provide. He closed his eyes to better feel her emotions, until a breathless Catherine burst into his chamber.

"I'm here! I'm ready, and, I believe, on time!" She checked her watch in confirmation.

Vincent bowed his head in deference to her proclamation. "You are. And so am I, ready, that is."He held out his arm. "Shall we?"

She linked her arm through his and, smiling broadly, she said, "We shall!” 

They walked companionably for nearly an hour. "How much longer will it be?"

"At least another hour, I should think." Vincent himself had made the trip in about an hour and 15 minutes. But his legs were longer and he was used to a faster pace. Besides, he was in no hurry. Their times together were infrequent and rather sporadic, so when he was with her, he maximized the experience as he could. Thinking along those lines, he spoke up. "Would you like to take a break?"

"Actually, that sounds like a good idea."

Vincent laid down his rucksack, and pointed to a rocky outcropping just on the other side of the tunnel. They sat in silence until Catherine asked about the place they were visiting. 

"How is it that no one has discovered this place before now?"

"I'm not certain, but I think that, over time, some shifting in the rock layers here Below opened a cavern that was otherwise pretty closed off."

"It's safe, though? I mean, shifting rock doesn't sound too reassuring."

"It's safe. The shifting happened quite a while ago. The other reason it hasn't been found is that most of our exploration has been in other directions."

"How come?"

"For particular needs. We need water supplies, living quarters, temperature-controlled environments. Most of those needs compelled us in other directions. We didn't ignore this route, it just didn't seem to hold much promise."

Catherine thought a moment. "So this would be somewhere private?"

Vincent looked at her. "Yes, you could say that."

"Good."

"Good," he echoed, then paused. "Why good?"

"Vincent, your chamber has more traffic in and out than Grand Central Station has trains." She smiled and linked her arm through his as she leaned into him. "When we're together, I wish it could be just the two of us. Selfish, I guess."

"No, not selfish. I feel the same." He looked down at her head and brushed a light kiss across the top. "As much as everyone loves you here, I hate sharing what little time we have with others."

Catherine stood up and pulled up Vincent beside her.

"Let's get going to this place! I don't want to waste a moment more."

True to his estimate, another hour saw them to the entrance. He held his lantern before him and led the way in. He put down his sack, and undid the top. He pulled out about six candles and a book of matches.

"Here," he held them out to her. "Spread these around us and light them as I prepare our meal."

"Ooh, a candle-lit dinner!" she teased.

In no time, the two sat upon a blanket festooned with food with a ring of candle and lantern light surrounding them. They ate, and enjoyed a bottle of wine that was Catherine's contribution to the trip.

Catherine leaned back, supported by her hands. "That was wonderful, Vincent! Thank you!"

"Thank William," Vincent admitted. "He's the one who put this together for me. But I'm glad you enjoyed it."

He packed up the leftovers and put all but the blanket and candles away in the rucksack. Catherine remained as she was, studying his movement and grace as he moved to accomplish his task. She loved watching him move.

"I have one last surprise for you, Catherine. Close your eyes."

She did as instructed, wondering whatever it was he was planning.

One by one, he blew out the candles until all were out. The luminescence began to glow.

"Open your eyes."

Not only did she open them, she opened them wide in surprise.

"Oh, Vincent, it's wonderful!" She squirmed around on the blanket until she had looked full-circle at the glow provided by the cavern. "It's almost magical, fairy-like." She blushed at her own fanciful imaginings.

"That's why I wanted you to see it," he admitted.

"How long will it last?"

"Several hours." His head lowered and with a tilt he admitted, "I tested it."

She launched herself into his arms, loving this man who would walk four hours round trip just to test how long the luminescence would last!

He shifted their combined weight so that their heads were pillowed on the rucksack and their legs were splayed out, intertwined. This -- holding and being held -- was the nearest thing to bliss that he could name. If he could, he would wish it to go on forever. Yet the nearness would become his unraveling as his desire would become stronger than his will to contain it. He sighed.

"That's certainly a sigh. What were you thinking that caused that?" she asked.

"Nothing.Everything."

"Vincent, you have a way of saying something that tells me nothing."

He had poked the bear now, and would pay for it. She wouldn't let this go.

"Some things are best not shared, Catherine. They're private thoughts."

She mulled over that response, acknowledging the truth of it, prima facie, but recognizing it for the side-step it was for Vincent.

"Everyone needs some privacy," she acknowledged, "but I think, in this case, your thoughts were not just about you, but something about us. That is one topic that doesn't seem to get a lot of discussion - us."

 Her only answer was a tilt of his head.

"Why did you pick this place, Vincent? It's quiet, out of the way, even romantic. What better place to talk about our dream than here?"

He sighed again. "Catherine, your optimism is one of the many things I love about you."

"Optimism that we can discuss our relationship?" 

"No," he said quietly. "Optimism about our dream becoming more." He shifted, putting himself a little way from her. "I wish -"

He didn't get to finish his thought. A massive groaning and grinding, followed by tremors, shook their hideaway cavern. In an instant, their world crumbled down around them. Because they were beneathan outcropping, a large piece of stone wall had fallen across it, trapping them beneath, with rubble filling in the sides, and more stone cascading around them.

At the start of the tremors, Catherine had clung to Vincent, and he threw his body over hers to protect her. It took several minutes for the dust to settle, their coughing the only sound to be heard. All light was extinguished; even the luminescence had been swept away.

Vincent could feel the rising panic in Catherine. He wished he had a little birthday candle to light to push back the darkness like her mother had done for her.

"Catherine? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" His voice rasped from his coughing.

"I ... I think I’m okay." She tried to control her fear. After all, who better could she be with than Vincent in such a situation."How about you? Are you hurt?"

"I suspect I'll have some bruises, but other than that, in pretty good order."

He tried to sit up, to see how much space was available. He could only sit about halfway up. He next laid out again and rolled to his right, carefully crossing over Catherine, then to his left, both times barely getting one full roll before encountering large rocks.

"Catherine, we are in serious trouble." He spoke quietly, and had scooped her back into his arms before delivering the news, hoping to soften the blow. He felt her head nod against him. "I know."

Both absorbed their predicament.

"Vincent, do you see any source of light?"

He knew she didn't ask out of fear, but out of hope.

"No, this is about as dark a place as I've ever been."

"Perhaps we could start moving smaller stones…"

"There aren't many small stones, Catherine. Most are large pieces cleaved off the face of the walls. And from the noise coming behind us, beyond the larger stones, the smaller ones filled in the opening."

"Well, after a while the others will come look for us, right?"

"Perhaps." His eyes closed shut in prayer. Please, please let there be a chance we could be found. "Catherine, they may not come in time. This space is so small, our air supply won't last very long."

He felt her sharp clutch of fear at his words, followed by deep breaths as she tried to control herself.

"This can't be the end. It can't. We've hardly had a beginning, I mean, the amount of time we've spent together over these three years wouldn't amount to even a year. This can't be all, it can't!"She began to sob, her face pressed into his shoulder.

His own tears ran silently down his cheeks.

At last, she pulled her head back and pulled her hands away to frame them around his face, that face that she desperately wished she could see one last time.

"Vincent, I love you so much, I can't express it. You have given me so much ... everything. I wouldn't trade our time together for anything!"

"I love you, Catherine, with everything that I am. You have given me so much, so much I never expected to have in my life. You are my life, my everything." His hand had moved up to cup her face, each needing to hold the face that was burned into their memory.

With unspoken agreement, their mouths sought each other to complete their link. The kiss started tentatively, but soon became ravenous as they both wished to make up not only for lost time, but for all time.

Desire exploded between them.

"Catherine," Vincent expelled in a rush, tearing his mouth from hers. "I don't want to die before knowing if, whether I can …" His forehead touched hers. His ability to put his thoughts into words was lacking, between his desire for her and his lack of finesse in such matters.

She didn't care. She knew instantly what he wanted, and it was what she wanted as well.

"Make love to me, Vincent. I don't want to die without loving you, either."

As strong as the desire was, neither rushed into it. For one thing, it required some dexterity to set the stage within such a small enclosed space. Buttons were loosened, clothing pushed aside or up and down, but hands and touch were the most important tools in discovering one another. Catherine enjoyed the freedom to kiss Vincent as often and as deeply as she could. She could tell that he was a willing recipient as well. He loved stroking her body, limited though he was, and his mind filled in the parts he couldn't access. The time came when both moved to complete their union, to feel the connection that physical love added onto love from the heart.

Vincent's fears dissipated as soon as the joining was complete. The Bond was singing to him, as her emotions swirled in his head with his, jubilant in the completeness of their love.

Catherine exulted in the feeling of being joined with Vincent. As often as she had dreamed about it, reality delivered more. She, too, felt their Bond in full measure for the first time, vibrating in joy and happiness. Frissons danced along her body and she murmured his name.

Both lay quietly entwined, lost in the thoughts of what had happened, and the fate they yet faced together.

"Thank you, Catherine, for showing me I'm more man than beast, at least in love. I wish I had found the courage long ago. Instead, I stupidly let my fears rob us of being truly together, as you always wanted to be."

"Don't apologize. You did what you thought best for both of us. And, in the end, you discovered much more about yourself, and we made love unlike anything I've ever experienced before."

"Really?" he couldn't help but inquire.

Blushing under all the dust, she punched his shoulder and said, "Don't beg for compliments in bed — it's not manly!" They both smiled. How wonderful to be light-hearted after sharing such closeness, especially in the face of likely death.

"How much longer do we have?" she asked. "I'm beginning to feel lightheaded."

"Not much longer." He stroked her hair at the side of her face. "I wish I could see your face, other than in my mind's eye, to gaze once more intoyour beautiful green eyes."

"Your blue eyes are much better ..." Her sentence died out as she faded from consciousness. All Vincent could do was cradle his love as he, too, slowly lost consciousness. "I love you, Catherine," were the last words he uttered.

Faint noises became louder as rubble was cleared away. Large levers propped up the largest boulder, and Pascal and Mouse deftly crawled under and tugged the two bodies out. Father felt for a pulse and announced, "They're alive!" Immediately, he and Mary began CPR, blowing life into the precious couple.

Once they were breathing on their own, each was loaded onto a stretcher and the long trek back to the hospital chamber began. It was a laborious trip for all involved, but their hearts were joyous because they were able to bring their friends back alive.

When Vincent woke up, it was in the hospital chamber, with IVs attached to his arm. He looked at the smiling faces of their friends.

"How did you know?" Vincent asked, incredulous that he and Catherine were still alive. He knew this because upon awakening he had immediately looked around him until he found her lying in the bed next to him. His left hand reached out to hold her right hand. She still hadn't woken, but he could feel all was well through the Bond in a way he never had available to him before.

"One of our helpers, Dr. Wallace, the geologist at the university, came to warn us about predicted shelf shifting beneath the surface. The area he pointed to on our maps was where you and Catherine had gone. We immediately rounded up equipment and medical supplies we thought we might need, and set off." Father smoothed Vincent's forehead with his hand, needing physical confirmation he was all right. "A faint rumbling noise occurred, followed by a crescendo, and we ran, or hobbled in my case, as quickly as we could. We prayed we would be in time."

"Thank you, Father. Everyone." Vincent looked at those gathered in the small hospital chamber. "Words are all I have to thank you."

"Your being with us is all the thanks we need." Mary smiled, grasping his right hand in a hug. "That's as close as I ever want to come to losing you, Vincent!"

"Yes, MomMare."

She smiled at his childhood name for her, a combination of Mom with Mary.

Catherine stirred and opened her eyes. Confusion set in as she gazed at people standing around her. "Am I in heaven?"

"No, my dear, just in my hospital chamber."

"Father?" Her head turned toward his voice, and then she cried "Vincent!" and tried to sit up, only to fall back. Something tugged on her right hand, and she glanced down to see a familiar hand holding hers. She looked over to see those lovely blue eyes shining their love to her.

"I'm okay, Catherine, as are you. Very sore, but fine." He smiled.

"Let's give our patients a chance to rest." Mary started shooing everyone out. She stopped to arch an eyebrow at Father. 

"I'll check their blood pressure once more, and be right with you, Mary."

The last of them left as he pumped the cuff around Catherine's arm. She was only looking at Vincent. He shifted to do the same for Vincent, and noted he had eyes only for her.

"For two people who barely made it out alive, you two are definitely happy. I take it the picnic went well before the cave in?" Father asked.

"Yes. It was the best picnic I've ever had," Catherine stated.

Vincent nodded his head on the bed.

"Father, Catherine will be staying over more in the future, and I'll be needing a rug for my chamber entrance." 

Catherine marveled at how matter-of-factly Vincent made his pronouncement, when it was about a subject that was one of Father's greatest fears.

Father looked at Vincent, then at Catherine. "I'll have Kanin see to it. I'm sure he'll have it done before I release you from the hospital. I want you both to stay another 24 hours for observation." He paused to smile at them and took a hand of each in one of his as if to bless their happiness.

"Rest now." He bent over first to kiss Vincent's brow, then pivoted to do the same on Catherine's. As he rose up from Catherine's forehead, he whispered, "My daughter" and winked. Catherine would remember that later. Right then, they only had eyes for each other and their future together...