A bad case of Writer's Block and some dissatisfaction with the turn this story has been taking sent me back to the original episodes in need of some serious inspiration. After viewing them and having a serious discussion with a fellow BatB fan, I have decided to take a seriously different turn with this story than I had originally planned.

Poor Vincent and Catherine have suffered more in the course of their romance than every Shakespearean tragedy and Wagnerian opera combined! Not only have they both been kidnapped, shot, beaten up, and nearly killed; they've even had to fight plague, home invasion and a blasted Chinese tong war! (Not to mention one of them developing amnesia about their first time together!) Enough already! It's high time they got their"Happy Life"! I hope I can do them justice. (P.S. I have made some major rewrites in chapters 1 and 2 in keeping with the new theme. Please excuse my previous snarky comments. I was having a bad day!)

"Death Shall Have No Dominion"

In the celestial sphere of the heavens, a conflict was brewing.

"PLEASE!" the fair haired being of ethereal beauty pleaded with the equally handsome dark messenger beside her." You can't do this! Haven't they been through enough? You can't take her away! Not now!"

The messenger beside her sighed. "I'm sorry, but I have no choice. You of all people should know that. It's not as if I wanted to; but it's simply her fate. Don't worry. I know you were responsible for her, but you'll be sent to guide another."

"It won't be the same!" she cried, tears rolling down her unearthly face like stars falling. "He needs her! They both do!"

Just as the messenger seemed about to reply, the very air around them began to vibrate in a way that was quite distinct and very unmistakable. Though no sound actually came, the two beings both heard a simple command could have only come from the highest levels.

Like the gentlest wind, it floated down barely a whisper, but was instantly heard.

"Send her back."

"Wait, are you sure? I took her hours ago. It will cause all kinds of problems." the messenger protested rather childishly.

The fair haired being looked at the messenger in shock and disbelief that he was stupid enough to question the authority of the force behind the command. It came again, this time far more forcefully .

"Send her back!"

Wincing sharply and realizing his error, the messenger hurried to obey.

"At once." he assured, turning to his commanded task as he disappeared.

"Thank you!" cried the celestial being before she too vanished.

There was no one left to here the words that came next.

"We have plans for those two. Their destiny is still to come."

Some time later, the dark messenger sighed in relief. Though it had taken a great deal of effort, he had finally completed his commanded task. What happened now was up to those involved themselves. Turning, he vanished back to the celestial realms.

Chapter 1

For a long time she floated, drifting like a leaf in the wind happy and peaceful in her surroundings. But soon, she began to slowly become aware of other things. Images and faces floated in and out accompanied by sounds that made little impact. But, through it all something seemed to be tugging at her, pulling her in the direction of those sounds, urging her onward toward something nameless too powerful to resist.. But the darkness returned and the feeling soon faded. She slipped back into the nothingness.

Dr. Peter Alcott sighed heavily as he entered the tunnel to the strange and unusual world that existed below New York. For nearly three months, he had put off this trip, fearing the impact the news he had to deliver would have. As he made his way to the edges of the world down below, he began to realize that his initial decision to delay coming here had been a terrible mistake. He should have come here almost immediately.

The first person he met was Mary, the underworld midwife. She seemed surprised but quite pleased to see him.

"Why, hello, Peter." Mary greeted him warmly. "We haven't seen you in a bit. Where have you been keeping yourself?"

"Hello, Mary. I would love to talk, but I must see Jacob about something very important. Have you seen him?" Dr. Alcott asked.

Perhaps it was his grave expression or the somberness of his manner, but something told Mary that whatever had made Peter Alcott come here was dire indeed. Taking up his sense of urgency, she dispensed with further pleasantries.

"This way. I'll take you to him, Peter." she responded.

Jacob Wells, A.K.A Father, looked up from his book and his face lit up in greeting at seeing his old friend.

" Peter!" he boomed in welcome. "It's good to see you! You haven't visited us in ages. What have you been up to, my old friend? Out tending patients, no doubt?"

Dr. Alcott looked at Jacob, one of his oldest and dearest friends and swallowed hard. He only hoped their lifelong friendship could survive the powerful blow he was about to deal it.

Peter held up his hand to stop his old friend from saying anything further. Gathering his nerve, he started the speech that was the hardest he had ever had to make.

"Jacob, I have something I need to tell you. I realize now I should have come here three months ago. I won't try to make excuses or rationalize my decision. I can only say that, at the time, it seemed like the best thing to do for everyone concerned. Now I know better, but I can't undo what I've done. I can only try to correct my mistake."

Father looked at Peter, utterly mystified and confused at the words his old friend spoke.

"Peter, whatever are you talking about? You're not making much sense." he observed.

"It's about Catherine, Jacob." he responded, pausing for breath. "She's alive."

Unfortunately, his words had exactly the impact Dr. Alcott had feared. Father had been so stunned initially that he had barely maintained his balance as he staggered to a nearby chair. One look at Peter's grim visage had told Father that this wasn't some sick joke or strange mistake. His old friend was telling the truth. For several minutes, silence had loomed, overpowering the room. Then, the angry recriminations had begun.

"Peter, how could you keep this news from us?" Father demanded. "You know what she meant to Vincent, not to mention the rest of us! How is this even possible? Are you sure?"

"Unfortunately, yes. As to how, the answer is a bit more complex. All I can tell you is what I know. Catherine was found supposedly dead in her apartment. She was then taken to the county morgue for a scheduled autopsy to determine her cause of death. While she was there, a technician noticed something strange. Upon further investigation, she was found to have a faint pulse." Dr. Alcott stated.

Father asked the obvious question again." How was that possible?"

"I wish I knew. Keep in mind, Jacob. Catherine was pronounced dead by the two paramedics initially called to the scene and the Doctor that saw her at the hospital when she arrived. All three were certain she had no pulse or respiration and had been dead for hours. But, you were a doctor, Jacob. You know that medicine doesn't know everything. Somehow, she survived." Peter continued.

"But, I still don't understand." Father protested." Her death was in all the papers. Why was there no mention of this? How could it not be made public?"

Dr. Alcott snorted derisively. "How do you think, Jacob? The Chandler millions; of course. In spite of her parents' deaths, Catherine still comes from one of the wealthiest families in the state. The Chandlers would do almost anything to avoid a scandal especially now with Reginald Chandler running for Governor. Why do you think there was no mention of the fact that Catherine had given birth shortly before her supposed death? It was bad enough that the papers got hold of the fact that Catherine, one of their "best and brightest" was found dead with drugs in her system after vanishing for almost seven months. How do you think her family would have reacted to the scandal if it was made public that she was pronounced dead for nearly twenty four hours only to be suddenly discovered alive on an autopsy table no less? They spent a small fortune to cover all this up."

"But, where has she been? What happened to her?" Father demanded.

"That's where I came in, Jacob. I'm sorry to tell you this, but the Catherine that you knew may be gone forever. It's true, she had a pulse. But she was barely alive and in a deep coma from the drug overdose." Peter sighed. But his tone quickly turned bitter." Reginald Chandler contacted me immediately, right after paying off the autopsy technician. He didn't even send her to a regular hospital! Catherine was immediately transferred to my care and placed in a very exclusive private nursing facility under an assumed name. The medical tests showed that Catherine may very well have suffered irreparable brain damage. I honestly thought Catherine might not even survive, let alone live this long. That's why I haven't come here before now. When you told me about the terrible ordeal that Vincent went through shortly before her disappearance and after what happened to Catherine and their son, I felt it wasn't right to prolong his Vincent's agony by knowing her condition. I didn't want to put Vincent and all of you through that grief a second time."

"So why come here now, Peter?" Father challenged angrily. "What possible difference do you think telling us all this now could make?"

"Yesterday, Catherine woke up, Jacob." Peter informed him. "She could barely speak and still seemed only half aware of her surroundings. But she did say one thing: Vincent. Then, two hours ago, when the night nurse was making her rounds, she discovered that Catherine was nowhere to be found. She's missing, Jacob. I need Vincent's help to find her."

She was wandering, like in a dream. Images floated past, like leaves in a stream. She knew she must keep going. Something large and powerful pulled her inexorably onward towards something distant. It was so powerful, it had called her back from the quiet darkness. Where or who she was escaped her, but it didn't matter. All she knew was that something strong and undeniable was pulling her toward a goal she had to reach no matter the cost. Nothing else mattered. Relentlessly, the strange force pulled at her as she gave it a name: Vincent.

For almost a full day, something had been stirring in Vincent. It had started the day before as a strange tumultuous twinge, a vague sliver of restlessness that had left him highly agitated. Over the next few hours, it had grown exponentially until he found himself endlessly pacing his chambers. Soon, the feeling had begun to swamp his senses, overwhelming him with its wild intensity. Feeling horribly confined and desperate for relief, Vincent had left little Jacob in the community nursery under Mary's care and gone into the tunnels, running at full speed, trying to escape the inner chaos that was now consuming him. Not since he had lost his bond with Catherine had Vincent felt so close to the edge of his sanity. He felt as if any moment his feral side might break loose, wild and unhindered and this time Catherine wasn't here to bring him back. In desperation, he headed back to the park where he and Catherine had met so many times and spent so many happy hours. Perhaps there in that peaceful place he might find some brief respite among his memories, bittersweet though they were.

She was close. She could feel it. The force that pulled her, the goal she sought was almost in reach. If she could only find it, everything would be all right. Somehow she knew it. Almost there, just a little farther. Familiar objects floated into view as she reached for a hidden handle she knew would open the door to a hidden tunnel that led to a magical place. There in that place of warmth and safety, she knew she would find him and all that she sought.

As he rounded the last corner of the tunnel to the park, Vincent froze as an impossible but infinitely beautiful vision came into view. Fearing his mind had finally become unhinged, he stopped, almost afraid to move or breathe as he looked upon a ghost: Catherine! Just when he thought he might truly be mad, the ghost turned and her face lit with a familiar expression of unbridled joy as she spoke the sweetest word he had ever heard and despaired of ever hearing again: his name.

"Vincent!" the vision cried out.

His heart literally stopped in his chest and he froze. Then, suddenly, he was moving. In seconds, he had in his arms the one person he loved most but believed was lost to him forever. She had run to meet him, literally throwing herself upon him and grabbing on for dear life like a drowning victim clinging to a life line. The moment they touched the bond they had once shared came thundering back to life in a raging torrent. Catherine's emotions crashed in on Vincent like a tidal wave, swamping his senses and almost sending him to his knees with their intensity. Wild chaos mixed with unbridled joy as she clung desperately to him. Through it all, he kept repeating her name as tears streamed down his face unchecked.

"Catherine! Catherine!" he whispered over and over as he struggled to right his senses.

Catherine only sighed in reply and tried to snuggle deeper into Vincent's firm embrace.

From her, Vincent sensed a tumultuous chaos that quickly gave wave to a strangely overwhelming feeling of peace. Almost simultaneously, her body relaxed and she went limp in his arms. For a moment, he was terribly alarmed, but further investigation revealed that Catherine was only deeply sleeping, her breath soft and even.

His heart still pounding with joy and his head swimming with the return of their bond, Vincent picked Catherine up and headed for the remote chamber that he had retreated to during his madness. Strangely, he wanted Catherine all to himself, afraid of encountering anyone else lest this prove to be a dream or some elaborate hallucination. Running swiftly, he soon found his way to the remote chamber deep below the catacombs. It was much as he had left it. Carefully and with infinite gentleness, he laid Catherine on the pallet he had left there. For the first time, he began to notice the pallor of her skin and shadowed hollows on her face.

For a moment he wondered if she might have somehow indeed returned from the dead. But it didn't matter. She was here now and everything else paled in comparison. Gently, he picked up a soft cloth and wiped away the smudges of dirt upon her face and clothes. She appeared to be wearing some sort of pajamas and slippers, not that it mattered. Tenderly, he tucked a warm blanket around her before settling down at her side. For several hours, he merely laid beside her, watching her sleep. He was afraid to sleep himself lest he wake up and find her gone, just another of his tortuous dreams. Finally, though, sleep overcame him and he too drifted off into the best, most restful sleep he had had since Catherine had disappeared almost a year before.