Epilogue:

The sun coursed through the open window, filling up the room. A stray beam glided directly over Vincent's eyes. He moaned at the interruption of his peaceful slumber and raised his arm to block the offending light. With his eyes shaded Vincent began to open his eyes. When his vision focused at first he saw the outline of his arm. Then the room became clearer, but he was surprised to see that he was not in his chamber.

Where am I? he thought. The room was large and painted a cool gray. There was also a large dark oak vanity to one side, next to a large walk-in-closet, and a master bathroom. The window where the offending sunlight appeared was actually a set of French doors that lead out to a small balcony.

A smaller flicker of light caught his eye. Following Vincent saw it was coming from the arm (which he now saw was bare) he was holding up. Looking more closely Vincent saw a golden band encompassing the ring finger of his left hand. He studied it, wondering where it had come from, when a small sound caught his attention. He turned his head, only to have his nose instantly buried in soft, brown hair.

Catherine was curled up at his side, her hair spilling over her bare shoulders, while the blanket was pulled over her chest and half her shoulders. Vincent's other arm was wrapped protectively around her waist over the blankets. She smiled in her sleep as she snuggled into him. Her finger absentmindedly grazed the golden hairs on his chest. Suddenly the memories of about two months ago came flooding back.

After Gabriel had been defeated the Council had agreed on making Catherine and Rosie permanent members of the Tunnel community. Their things were moved from Peter's house into Vincent's chamber. Of course it was still six weeks before Catherine's leg was fully healed. Vincent was also bedridden until Father removed the stitches from his side. During the first week Jacob and Rosie acted as messengers between their parents.

The Council had also agreed to make Tasha and her family Helpers. After the run-in with Gabriel's goons, Joe Maxwell had demanded answers about Catherine. The Council had been hesitant to allow Joe to know of the Tunnels because he was the new D.A., and there were concerns with how he would react. Luckily Tasha had come up with a brilliant plan. With Maize and Katie's connections with the C.I.A. and the F.B.I., Catherine's name was already buried deep in the Witness Protection Program.

Tasha met with Joe and explained that Catherine had contacted the F.B.I. and notified them when she discovered Gabriel's plans after she escaped. They had insisted that Catherine disappear. Luckily for them Gabriel had already faked Catherine's death for them. But since they did not know how many men Gabriel had in his organization, Catherine's true whereabouts needed to remain secret. Oddly enough Joe bought the story, especially after Tasha produced Catherine's forms, but he insisted on seeing Catherine. A meeting was arranged as soon as Peter and Father said she was all right to move around.

After five weeks Catherine was well enough to move into Vincent's… their chamber. Rosie had already been moved into Jacob's room and even had her own bed. Although sometimes the twins would share one of the two beds if either one had had a nightmare, or had fallen asleep after Vincent had read them a story. Catherine finally had a sense of being home.

Yet Vincent had been restless. Although he had everything he ever dreamed of, there was one thing that plagued him constantly. For one thing, his relationship with Catherine seemed to have fallen back into the old rut. Only, now it involved kisses in the privacy of their chamber. Yet that was were the intimacy ended. Vincent decided to speak to Father about it, and Father simply told him to do what he thought was right. With that in mind, Vincent had invited Catherine to join him at their favorite spot by the Falls. After simply enjoying the view and reading some of Shakespeare's Sonnets, Vincent stood up. He reached out and took Catherine's hands in his, pulling her to her feet.

Catherine had no idea what was going on until Vincent dropped down to one knee, still holding her hands. He began telling her how much he loved her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, if she would have him. Of course Catherine immediately said "yes" and dropped to her knees to embrace him. When the tears began forming in her eyes, Vincent slipped one hand from her to reach into a hidden pocket inside his cloak. He pulled out a black, velvet box and opened it to reveal a golden ring with a small diamond in the center. The ring had once belonged to Father's wife, Margaret, and Father had given the ring to Vincent when they had had their talk.

The wedding had taken place one moth after the proposal. Catherine had looked beautiful in her mother's wedding gown (Peter had retrieved it from storage), and the twins were little angels in the new outfits Mary had made for them. Tasha and her family were invited (Tasha being Catherine's maid of honor), and were overjoyed to meet Catherine's family, especially Vincent. Devin and Charles were also in attendance as Vincent's best man and groomsman. It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception had been just as wonderful.

Catherine and Vincent spent a majority of the evening dancing with one another whenever they weren't talking with friends and family. Charles kept the children company as the watched Sebastian do his magic tricks. It was also noted that Tasha and Devin seemed inseparable the entire night.

Afterwards Vincent and Catherine were about to depart for their chamber when Father approached them. As it happened, Father told them that they were depart for Catherine's cabin tomorrow, and take the next two weeks for their honeymoon. Of course this stunned both Catherine and Vincent. Apparently everyone in the Tunnels felt that their favorite couple deserved this. Of course there had been one small catch, two actually. Neither Jacob nor Rosie wanted to be separated from their parents for that long. Tasha offered to have the children stay with her for the first two nights, and then watch them whenever the couple needed some alone time. The following evening, with the help of Tasha and Katie, Vincent and Catherine were packed for their trip.

Drawing himself back to the present Vincent smiled down at his beloved wife. Wife. To think such a blessing could have been bestowed upon one such as him. To have all he ever dreamed of once seemed impossible.

Slowly Catherine started to stir. She stretched her stiff muscles before her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him with such love in her eyes and smiled. That smile did it for him, and soon Vincent was kissing her.

"Mmm, good morning to you too," she smiled more.

"Did you sleep well, my love?" Vincent asked as he drew her closer.

"Of course," she giggled. She inched herself upward to place a lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Would you like to watch the sunrise?"

"If you will join me Catherine, I may find the strength to leave this bed." Both arms snaked around her as Vincent pulled Catherine on top of him. "I'd much rather enjoy this morning in your company."

This surprised her, but not by much. Their first night alone at the cabin had been peaceful, but the second night showed her just how playful Vincent could get. It had surprised them both, but the night had been spent with just them and their love. Just as she was getting comfortable the telephone rang.

Catherine groaned and dropped her head onto Vincent's chest. She knew she needed to answer it, but the phone had been relocated to the living room. Sliding herself from their bed, Catherine walked over to the vanity and slipped on her robe before exiting the room.

Vincent sighed when she left. Then he decided to get up himself. He threw off the covers and retrieved a pair of flannel pants that were lying near the bed. Slipping them on he made his way over to the balcony. He stepped outside and inhaled the fresh air before taking in his surroundings. The view from Catherine's cabin was amazing. Not only was it miles from any neighbors, but the lake shone as the sunlight bounced off the water.

When they first arrived, and after packing all their supplies away, Catherine and Vincent took a stroll around the cabin. Vincent had never seen so many stars before. He remembered when he looked over at Catherine how happy she looked. The next day they had gone to Catherine's secret glen. They had laid down in the tall grass and watched cloud formations. They were planning to have a picnic when by a stroke of luck a couple of deer passed through.

Vincent closed his eyes as he placed his hands on the balcony, enjoying the morning breeze. The memory was still clear in his mind of the doe and her two young fawns. He could hear Catherine gasp in delight as the deer came close enough for them to touch. He was in an utter state of bliss.

This was the state Catherine found him in. She had just gotten off the phone and returned to rejoin her husband in bed. She thought maybe they could have a few more minutes to cuddle together when she noticed the bed was vacant. It didn't take her long to find him out on the balcony. She smiled and slowly walked up behind him. She knew through their Bond that he knew she was there, but it didn't matter. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and snuggled her face into his back.

"That was Tasha. She said she'd bring Jacob and Rosie over about five."

"I hoped they enjoyed their stay," Vincent continued to stare at the landscape. One of his hands rose to settle over her hands.

"Oh I'm sure they did," Catherine assured, "and I bet Jacob enjoyed getting to know Thomas. You can bet those two will be up half the night telling us everything."

Vincent chuckled. Soon the cabin would loose the peaceful silence, but he had missed the children's presence. He reached around and pulled Catherine in front of him. He ran his fingers threw hair, twirling a few strands around his fingers. He liked the longer length of it. Catherine had almost decided on cutting it, but he had insisted she leave it. Not that he didn't like her hair when it was short. There was just something more mesmerizing with the longer length. And the way the sun shone off of it. She looked so beautiful in the sunlight.

Catherine was thinking the same thing. Vincent's hair seemed to turn pure gold in the sunlight and his eyes sparkled. Of course, they shone with all the love he had for her. She could imagine he was seeing that same love reflected in her own eyes. And the way his finger gently glided through her hair. She couldn't help but lean into his gentle touch. She sighed and her arms found their way around his neck.

"You know," her voice taking on a playful tone, "we still have the cabin to ourselves for a few more hours." She started leaning in more until their lips where barley a few inches apart. "What ever shall we do in the meantime?"

Vincent smiled and raised his brow. He stopped strumming his fingers through her hair and wrapped both arms around her back. A devilish gleam shone in his eye. "Hmm, whatever in deed my love? Perhaps I can make a suggestion."

"Oh? And, what might that be?"

Instead of answering her question, he brought one of his hands up to caress her cheek. She nuzzled into his touch and angled her head to the side. Slowly he leaned closer to her and his eyes became half lidded. Then he captured her lips in a loving kiss that soon became more passionate. Catherine eagerly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him more tightly in hopes to bring them even closer. As the kiss deepened Vincent scooped Catherine in his arms bridal style and carried her back inside.

The End

XXX

AN: Well that's the end of my story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Once again I do not own any of the BatB characters.