Weeks later, Catherine sat in her living room, watching Gilmore Girls and eating Oreos.

"No, no, no, no, no. And if I wasn't clear before, no. This is not happening," Carlos said sternly, entering the room.

"What?" Catherine asked with an cookie in her mouth.

"I refuse to let you sit around here and do nothing. You have a life, remember?"

"You must be thinking of the other Catherine. The one who has a boyfriend and a perfect life."

"Show me around the opera house," Carlos begged.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "Fine. Give me five minutes to get ready."

"You look fine. Let's go." Carlos pulled Catherine by the arm out the door.

—————

Catherine and Carlos walked behind the stage and the latter whispered, "This place is amazing."

"Can we go to my dressing room?" Catherine asked nervously.

"What's wrong? You're never this...shaky," Carlos said worriedly.

"I don't want to run into certain people," Catherine sighed.

"I see. Sure, let's go."

"Carlos," Cath said with a smile, "what's her name?"

"Maria," Carlos grinned.

"So, what I'm hearing is, you just met a girl named Maria?" Catherine teased.

"Shut up," Carlos laughed. "I didn't want to say anything, because of you and Matt."

"It's alright...I think it's over with Matt anyway," Catherine sighed as they entered her dressing room.

"Cathy, don't say that," Carlos said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Angel of Music, don't deceive yourself. You love him."

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied, studying her shoes.

"Cath, your mind goes from infatuation to marriage, and from space and time to breakup and death in a moment," Carlos laughed. "He didn't say to stop seeing you as much, just that you should get to know each other a bit deeper, be sure you know what your getting yourself into."

"Carlos, I know how these things work. How do you think Patrick broke up with me? He said he needed space. I went weeks without hearing from him, and then he texted me saying that he didn't want to be with me anymore. He texted me! He didn't even have the guts to do it in person," Catherine moaned, running her fingers through her messy curls.

"Okay, Patrick was a psychopath. You can't assume Matt's actions off another person's flaws. Might show that you don't know him as well as you think anyway," Carlos noted.

"I'm not judging Matt. I'm just saying that I've been down this road before. I know how it ends," Catherine sighed.

"By assuming you're on the same road, you're already judging that he's the same as all the others, that'll he'll leave you." He sighed and gave her a worried look. "Cath...if your basing all this off your dad-"

"Everybody leaves. I'm destined to be alone. I should start my cat zoo now," Catherine decided. "I'll have to pick out a thousand names first."

"Alright," Carlos laughed, "what's his number? I gotta call this guy."

"Or...we could go through the mirror," Catherine smiled mischievously. She pressed the spring and slid back the glass. "Shall we?"

Carlos stepped into the hallway. "Isn't this a little..."

"Phantom of the Opera? Yes, it is," Catherine laughed. "This was exactly how we met. He showed up in my mirror."

"Awe. You have an Erik," Carlos teased.

"Had," Catherine corrected.

"He's still your boyfriend," Carlos reminded.

Catherine rolled her eyes. "For now...Like I said, I'm going to buy a cat this week. It'll be the first of many."

"Catherine..."

"Carlos, it's fine. I've accepted it. I don't see how anybody could love me. Josh was right. I'm quick tempered and selfish. It's my fault that my previous relationships haven't worked out. There's a pattern here...If only I knew what it was."

"Hey," Carlos said, grabbing Cath by the shoulders and looking her square in the eyes. "You aren't selfish, and the reason why your other relationships didn't work out was not because of you. Those guys were awful people. You're wonderful. I don't ever want to hear you call yourself things that you're not. Is that clear?"

"Yeah," Catherine smiled.

"Josh is a jerk. He has no right to say those things about you."

"He just gets overprotective when it comes to Matt."

"It still doesn't make it right," Carlos sighed. He put an arm around Catherine's shoulders. "Chin up, my little Angel. Matt's gonna come around."

"No," Cath sighed, "I'm a jerk.  I don't listen to anyone...I really love him, Carlos. He's a brilliant guy."

"Catherine, stop it. I mean it. You know that if Lotte was still here, things would be different. Your life, your trials have shaped you into who you are. Once again, the failures of your past relationships were not your fault. You do listen. You've always listened to people you care about."

"Maybe you're right," Catherine smiled sadly. "It's just..."

"I know," Carlos sighed. "I know, Cathy."

Catherine led Carlos into the elevator. "You sure you want to do this? What are you going to say to him?"

"I just want to meet him," Carlos decided.

The elevator door opened and Catherine froze.

"Cathy? You coming?" Carlos whispered.

Catherine shook her head. "I can't face him. Not yet," she whispered back.

"Somebody there?!" Matt called from the kitchen. "Did you bring me back a fortune cookie, Josh?"

"Go!" Catherine whispered to her cousin.

Carlos cleared his throat. "Um, yes. Are you Matthew Collins? Listen, I would like to speak with you for a moment. It's about Catherine."

"Who the heck are you?!" Matt exclaimed, rushing around the corner and quickly putting his mask on.

"I'm Carlos Daei," he replied simply. "Cathy's cousin...Listen, man, I'm just here to meet you."

"Lord," Matt mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Come in. Sorry. I can't take risks here."

"No, I understand," Carlos replied kindly. "I really have no idea where to start."

"Is she alright?" Matt asked eagerly. "She kinda ran off on me."

"Define alright," Carlos moaned. "She's just...being Catherine and freaking out a bit."

"My friend Josh is getting food," Matt said awkwardly. "You're welcome to stay."

"I've got Catherine waiting for me, but thanks," Carlos replied. "Look, she explained the story to me. I just wanted to say that she loves you. She's a special girl. Don't lose her...She isn't a fan of 'taking it slow' because in the past, she's gotten hurt. She has herself convinced that everybody leaves her and she's destined to be alone. She has a hard time trusting people, so the fact that she trusts you is not something to be taken lightly."

"But taking it slow means spending as much time together as possible.  Every second I spend getting to know her makes it less likely I'd ever leave," Matt laughed with a frown. "Does she doubt my ability to be liable?"

"I don't know exactly what it is, but as far as I can understand, she's afraid that you're going to break up with her."

"Catherine, what am I gonna do with you?" Matt moaned. "Then why doesn't she come here and talk to me for herself?"

"Catherine," Carlos called. "I'm sorry, but will you come out?"

"We had a deal," Catherine groaned.

"Catherine-Rose Evangeline Daei," Carlos said sternly.

Catherine came out begrudgingly. "Death, Carlos. And it's going to be slow and painful," she said, shaking a fist at her cousin. She shifted uncomfortably and stared at her shoes. "Hey, Matt."

"Cath," He smiled softly, engulfing her in a warm embrace, "you scared me, kid."

She tensed up slightly, but wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. "By doing what?"

"Running off like that!" Matt laughed awkwardly. "I thought you'd leave me for good."

Catherine held him tighter. "How could you think that I'd ever leave you?"

"You seemed pretty mad," Matt said, raising an eyebrow. "And I'm well familiar with your tendency to use your temper to try to escape conflict rather than facing it."

"I wasn't mad," she sighed. "Matt, I'm not going to lie. I was hurt. I didn't know how to react."

"I love you, Cath," Matt mumbled, awkwardly glancing to her cousin.

"I love you too, Matt," Catherine replied with tears threatening to roll down her cheeks.

"Sorry," Matt mumbled to Carlos, "I think we're...good here."

"It's just so cute," Carlos teased his cousin.

"Don't make me punch you," she threatened.

"You guys are close, then?" Matt said with a small laugh.

"Oh, yeah. Cathy's practically my little sister," Carlos grinned. He was about to tousle her hair when she grabbed his wrist.

"I'd think long and hard about that one," she smirked.

"I'm glad," Matt smiled softly. "She deserves more than what she gets in this lousy world."

"I've got you. That's all I need," Catherine smiled.

"What does that make me?" Carlos asked, faking offense.

"Goodbye, Carlos. I'll see you at the apartment."

"Ah I see," he replied with a knowing smiled. "Bye, Evangeline."

"Shut up," she laughed.

"Evangeline?" Matt questioned.

"I'm going to kill him," Catherine smiled, shaking her head. "He calls me that sometimes to tease me. Evangeline is my middle name. Technically my first name is Catherine-Rose."

"I love it," Matt smiled.

"My sister and I actually shared that. Her name was Charlotte-Rose. I'm not sure exactly why my parents did that, but us girls liked it," Catherine shrugged. "Her middle name was Angelina."

"Beautiful," Matt smiled, trying to picture her in his head.

"Have I ever showed you Lotte's picture?"

"Not sure," Matt said with a frown. "I don't think so."

Catherine pulled out her phone and showed him a picture. "This was taken not long before she died."

Matt gave a grave little nod. "Me and Josh have a photo like that." He bit his lip and gave a small shake of his head. "Couldn't imagine."

"Losing her was by far the hardest thing I've had to go through," Catherine sighed.

"Time and tide wait for no man."

Catherine pretended like she knew what he was talking about. "Very true...So, what do you have planned tonight?"

"A long talk with you," Matt replied, making his way to the fridge.

The couple heard a voice come from the elevator. "Awe."

"Carlos!" Catherine scolded with a laugh.

He poked his head out. "I'm sorry. Was I supposed to leave?"

"That was the idea," Catherine smirked.

"Hey, did you need me to beat up Josh for those comments he made?"

Catherine looked at Matthew and then back at her cousin. "Nah. Save it for the next time he does something stupid."

"I could break something in the sound department. That would give you two more time alone," Carlos suggested.

"What do you think, Matt?" Catherine asked.

"Cath, that sound system Josh self engineered. It's his prized possession. You hurt that thing, and he will literally kill himself."

"Sorry, Carlos," Catherine frowned. "You can leave him a creepy note and sign my name to it, if you'd like."

"Done."

Carlos left in the elevator, leaving Catherine and Matthew alone.

"I think, Miss Daei," Matt smiled softly, "we have some catching up to do."

"Alright. Come sit down and tell me what I've missed."

Matt sat down and took a heavy breath. "I-I remember Melody. All of it."

Catherine sat down and put her hand on his. "How are you doing? That can't be easy for you," she said softly.

"Cath," Matt said taking her hand and putting it to her cheek, "Cath, I need to let go of her. Somehow. But- You can't replace her. You shouldn't try. I don't want you worried that she's some impossible thing you should be trying to become. You're not my Mel. And that's fine. That's beautiful. I love you. You."

Catherine wrapped her arms around Matt. "I love you too. I'm glad you remember her. Don't think that I'm not."

"It's weird," Matt mumbled with a sad laugh, "going seven years with a black pit in your memory, and then getting a wife and becoming a widower in just one day." He gave a small chuckle. "I'm guessing not as many guys are able to find love again to help them through it."

Catherine laughed sadly. "I don't think so."

"Honestly, Cath, if I didn't have you," Matt said hoarsely, "I might not have anything left to live for."

"I don't know what I do without you either," Catherine sighed. "You didn't really miss a whole lot on my end. I'm no longer speaking with Mari, and Josh called me selfish. That's about it...I missed you."

"I kissed you too," Matt grinned. He flushed pink in realization. "Missed you. I missed you too."

Catherine took off the mask that he was still wearing and tossed it aside. She grabbed Matt by the collar of his shirt and pressed her lips into his. "Looks like this time I kissed you," she teased.

"Did I kiss back?" Matt asked with concern. "I don't think you did it long enough for me to tell."

"I don't know. Maybe we should try again to be sure," Cath smiled. She pressed her lips into his, slowly pushing him to a horizontal position with her on top of him.

It was then that Josh entered the room.

"And we're back," Josh smiled softly, sneaking toward his room. He wasn't going to ruin this for them. He knew what it was like to be alone. Someone had cared about him like that once, before things changed and time moved forward. He gave a sigh and attempted to open his door silently.

Catherine knew Josh was there but ignored him. She pressed her lips harder into Matt's, her hands still clinging tightly to his shirt. Slowly, she moved one hand behind his head and the other to his cheek. Catherine stopped and pressed her forehead to his. "I love you, Matt. More than you know," she said softly.

"I'm sorry," Matt mumbled, "for Caleb. I know how it feels to have someone taken from you without warning."

"He's fine," Catherine laughed. "I saw him eyeing one of the girls in the costume department the other day. Besides, I'm sure he'll easily find someone better," she said, cuddling into Matthew's side.

Matt frowned. "But still." He shook it from his head and sighed. "Promise me you'll talk things out, not just run off next time?"

"I promise," she smiled, kissing his cheek.

"I'll hold you to that."

"I want you to promise that you aren't going to leave. I've been hurt by too many people, by people I never thought would hurt me. I need to know that this is concrete, that it's going to stick, because I can't lose you."

"If I leave, it will be no fault of mine," Matt said firmly. "I can't promise I'll stay forever, but I can say nothing will ever keep me from you on my part."

"I want you to promise me something else," Catherine sighed. "No more secrets. We have to tell each other everything."

"Everything," Matt smiled.

"Why haven't you told Maddie that you're alive? She deserves to know," Catherine noted, biting her lip. "I mean, she is your sister after all."

"She has a kid," Matt sighed. "The last thing I want is four federal agents showing up on her doorstep and interrogating her for my whereabouts. It's better this way."

"Why would they want to know where you are? Everybody thinks you're dead," Catherine reminded.

"The leading official on my case had suspicions, ones he would be quick to revel in, were any sign of me to appear anywhere near my sister."

"I can't believe they think that you were behind Mel's accident," Cath said, growing visibly angry. "It's ridiculous. You would never. They don't even have solid evidence."

"They had all the evidence they needed, Cath," Matt sighed wearily. "And as a child, I didn't exactly have the clearest of records."

Catherine put a hand on his burned cheek. "It's alright. It doesn't matter now," she said softly.

"It does," Matt groaned. "Cath, there's still things I can't remember. What if- what if they're right?"

"Hey," Catherine said, pulling herself on top of him so that she could look him straight in the eye. "Listen, I know you didn't. I don't want that to even be a possibility in your mind. Got it? They are wrong about you. I can tell. Matt, I love you. If I cared about things that you did in your past, I wouldn't be here right now. Whatever happened, it doesn't matter now."

"It would matter to Maddie," Matt said with pain in his eyes.

Catherine ran her fingers through Matthew's hair and rested her hand on his cheek, kissing him gently. "I love you. Everything's going to be okay. I'm here now," she smiled.

Author's Note: The picture below is the one that Catherine showed Matt of her and Charlotte. It is also the photograph that Catherine was looking at in chapter 22. The girl on the left is young Catherine and the girl on the right is Charlotte.