Department of Vital Statistics. They help us with marriage and death certificates, even Social Security numbers for those of our children who grow up and decide to leave our world here for college or work in the world above.”
Diana was struggling to wrap her mind around what Father was telling her. “Was there a marriage ceremony for Vincent and Catherine?”
Father smiled softly, “Yes, it was a lovely ceremony, performed by our Chinese helper, Kevin Chin, who has performed all of the marriages in our world. They were married more than a year ago, the last Saturday in September.”
Diana took the ring from him. “This ring is beautiful, Father! It is way too big to be Catherine’s. Is it Vincent’s?”
Father answered, “Yes. Catherine’s rings are on her.”
Diana pursed her lips. “I see. You buried her with them.”
Father tipped his head sideways and raised his eyebrows, “No, but she is wearing them.” Diana looked at Father in stunned silence, as the meaning of his words began to sink in. Father continued, “Catherine is alive!” Diana’s jaw dropped. “And Vincent doesn’t know? Father, he is in such pain!”
Father said very emphatically, “He mustn’t know! The entire community knows and is shielding Vincent. When we found that she was still alive, her condition was precarious, and we were not sure we could save her. Losing her again would probably have destroyed him. The other problem I worried about was the fact that his empathic links were just beginning to be repaired. While Vincent was in his self-imposed exile, trying to protect us from Gabriel, I gathered everyone together. They had all been coming to me individually, finding out like close communities always do, that Catherine was not dead. I sat them all down, while Vincent was gone, and explained why it was imperative to keep this secret from him. I told them that they mustn’t tell Vincent about Catherine, no matter how hard that became, or heartbreaking it seemed. I explained to them that if he knew before he was fully well, with his empathic link to her reestablished, his desperation to save her would surely impair the complete restoration of that link.”
Diana nodded as understanding dawned on her, “I can
see that. Please don’t worry, Father. ’Need to know’ is a part of my job description. Vincent won’t find out from me.
Father told Diana about the struggles he had been having with Vincent, especially before he found his child, trying to keep him from taking reckless chances. He told her that he had been compelled to tell him, when he went after Gabriel’s murderous assassin, Snow, “You won’t find Catherine again by embracing death!” Diana agreed that she had also been having similar conversations with him, when she was trying to convince him to let her help him.
Father continued, with pain in his voice, “I can’t tell you how hard it was, in that moment, not to tell him that Catherine was still alive. I knew, though, that it would destroy what we were trying to accomplish in helping him to heal his link, and the distraction of that knowledge would probably have gotten him killed in going after Snow. Vincent certainly wasn’t going to allow Snow to continue his killing rampage down here. Before Vincent could get to Snow, he killed two of our community members. One of his victims was just a teenage boy.”
Diana told Father about one of her first conversations with Vincent, after she found him on Catherine’s grave, badly wounded. “While Vincent was recovering those three days in my loft, after Gabriel blew up the Compass Rose with Vincent and Elliott Burch on it, he told me about his connection to Catherine and how it had been broken. I told him I was sure that ability would return to
him. It had already begun to be mended when he felt Little Jacob’s heartbeat as Catherine was bearing him. That was how he found her after Gabriel stole her child.” Diana shook her head slowly. “So, you are
Diana was struggling to wrap her mind around what Father was telling her. “Was there a marriage ceremony for Vincent and Catherine?”
Father smiled softly, “Yes, it was a lovely ceremony, performed by our Chinese helper, Kevin Chin, who has performed all of the marriages in our world. They were married more than a year ago, the last Saturday in September.”
Diana took the ring from him. “This ring is beautiful, Father! It is way too big to be Catherine’s. Is it Vincent’s?”
Father answered, “Yes. Catherine’s rings are on her.”
Diana pursed her lips. “I see. You buried her with them.”
Father tipped his head sideways and raised his eyebrows, “No, but she is wearing them.” Diana looked at Father in stunned silence, as the meaning of his words began to sink in. Father continued, “Catherine is alive!” Diana’s jaw dropped. “And Vincent doesn’t know? Father, he is in such pain!”
Father said very emphatically, “He mustn’t know! The entire community knows and is shielding Vincent. When we found that she was still alive, her condition was precarious, and we were not sure we could save her. Losing her again would probably have destroyed him. The other problem I worried about was the fact that his empathic links were just beginning to be repaired. While Vincent was in his self-imposed exile, trying to protect us from Gabriel, I gathered everyone together. They had all been coming to me individually, finding out like close communities always do, that Catherine was not dead. I sat them all down, while Vincent was gone, and explained why it was imperative to keep this secret from him. I told them that they mustn’t tell Vincent about Catherine, no matter how hard that became, or heartbreaking it seemed. I explained to them that if he knew before he was fully well, with his empathic link to her reestablished, his desperation to save her would surely impair the complete restoration of that link.”
Diana nodded as understanding dawned on her, “I can
see that. Please don’t worry, Father. ’Need to know’ is a part of my job description. Vincent won’t find out from me.
Father told Diana about the struggles he had been having with Vincent, especially before he found his child, trying to keep him from taking reckless chances. He told her that he had been compelled to tell him, when he went after Gabriel’s murderous assassin, Snow, “You won’t find Catherine again by embracing death!” Diana agreed that she had also been having similar conversations with him, when she was trying to convince him to let her help him.
Father continued, with pain in his voice, “I can’t tell you how hard it was, in that moment, not to tell him that Catherine was still alive. I knew, though, that it would destroy what we were trying to accomplish in helping him to heal his link, and the distraction of that knowledge would probably have gotten him killed in going after Snow. Vincent certainly wasn’t going to allow Snow to continue his killing rampage down here. Before Vincent could get to Snow, he killed two of our community members. One of his victims was just a teenage boy.”
Diana told Father about one of her first conversations with Vincent, after she found him on Catherine’s grave, badly wounded. “While Vincent was recovering those three days in my loft, after Gabriel blew up the Compass Rose with Vincent and Elliott Burch on it, he told me about his connection to Catherine and how it had been broken. I told him I was sure that ability would return to
him. It had already begun to be mended when he felt Little Jacob’s heartbeat as Catherine was bearing him. That was how he found her after Gabriel stole her child.” Diana shook her head slowly. “So, you are
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