VICKY

Catherine sat on the bed with four-month-old Evan in her lap. Shehad just finished feeding him and was trying to summon the energy toput him in his crib when Vincent came in from the study and sat downbeside her.

"What is it?" he asked.

Catherine shook her head. "I'm so tired all the time. I guess I'mjust not recovering from having Evan as quickly as I did when I hadthe others." She looked at him and laughed. "Maybe it's just that I'mgetting old."

Vincent regarded her tenderly. "Maybe it's because you'repregnant," he suggested.

"That's not funny!" She glared at him. "Vincent!"

"Perhaps not," he agreed gently. Something in his eyes made herpause.

"You're serious!"

He nodded.

"No! I can't be pregnant!" Catherine almost wailed her dismay."We've been careful!"

Vincent continued to look at her steadily and she leaned forwardto rest her forehead against his shoulder. "How sure are you?"

"Almost certain." He put an arm around her and squeezed gently."I'll put Evan to bed." He took the baby, kissing Catherine softlybefore carrying Evan to the nursery.

When Vincent came back, Catherine was still sitting in the sameposition, muttering to herself. She looked up as he sat down besideher. "I don't feel pregnant," she argued. "I always have morningsickness and I feel fine. I'm just a little tired." She was almostpleading with him.

"I feel the child's presence," Vincent told hercompassionately.

Catherine lifted her hands in despair. "I've only been back atwork for three weeks. When I tell Joe I'll be taking anothermaternity leave, he's going to kill me."

* * * * *

Several nights later, Catherine woke from a deep sleep, confusedand disoriented, and sat up slowly. Her movement roused Vincent, whorolled over sleepily.

"Catherine?"

She looked at him uncertainly. "Did I go see Peter today?"

"No," he answered carefully. "Your appointment is fortomorrow."

She made a sound of relief and sank back down on her pillow. "Imust have dreamed it."

Vincent raised himself on one elbow and leaned over her. "What didyou dream?"

"I thought Peter told me I wasn't pregnant after all. I felt sosad and empty... as if I'd lost something."

He put an arm around her, pulled her close and whispered, "It wasjust a dream."

* * * * *

The following September, after an easy pregnancy and uneventfullabor, Catherine gave birth to a healthy six pound, eleven ounce babygirl.

Vincent was holding his daughter, running a finger through herprofusion of red-gold curls and feeling a closeness unlike that whichhe had experienced with the boys. It was a tenuous feeling which hadbeen growing over the past few weeks, one that reminded him of hisbond with Catherine. But that was impossible... wasn't it?

Almost as if in response to this thought, the baby opened hereyes.

A sudden burst of noise as Kipper shepherded the three little boysinto the room made Vincent look up, disrupting his reverie.

Jacob trotted to Vincent immediately so he could see the baby, butCharles was getting a little tired of new babies and he had somethingelse to show his parents.

"Look what Evan can do," he announced proudly. Kipper set Evan onhis feet and balanced him as Charles crouched down a few feet awayand held out his arms. "Come on, Evan. Come to Charles!"

Evan laughed and toddled one, two, three steps before stumblingand falling into Charles' arms.

Catherine clapped her hands. "Evan! You've learned to walk!" Onhis hands and knees now, Evan crawled quickly to the bed and pulledhimself up.

"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma!"

Kipper came over and lifted Evan onto the bed, grinning. "Charlesand Evan worked on that all morning. They're very pleased withthemselves."

"Charles is a good big brother," Catherine said with a smile forhim. "And Evan is getting to be such a big boy!" She pulled Evan intoher lap and hugged him. Kipper made a stop by Vincent's chair toadmire the baby before leaving the chamber.

Satisfied that he had gotten the praise due him, Charles wasfinally ready to see his little sister. Jacob was already inVincent's lap, `holding' the baby, and Charles went to lean on thearm of the chair.

"What do you think, Charles?" Vincent asked.

"She's okay, I guess. For a girl. What's her name?"

His parents exchanged amused glances.

"She doesn't have one yet," Catherine explained.

"When will she have one?" Charles wanted to know.

"When your father and I think of one we can agree on," Catherinetold him dryly.

Jacob looked up. "I know a pretty name," he announced.

"You do? What is it?" Vincent asked him.

"It's the prettiest name I ever heard," Jacob informed them.

"Okay. What is it?" He had Catherine's interest now, too.

Jacob took a deep breath, fully aware that all eyes were on him,and relishing the attention. "Tinkerbell," he said importantly.

Catherine turned her head away quickly and Vincent stifled his ownamusement. Only Charles laughed out loud. "Grandfather's been readinghim `Peter Pan,'" he explained.

"You can't name a baby Tinkerbell," he told Jacob with thearrogance born of being older.

"I can, too," Jacob insisted. "Can't I, Daddy?" He turned toVincent for confirmation.

Vincent had his smile under control now and he spoke to Jacobsolemnly. "Tinkerbell is a very pretty name, Jacob, but I don't thinkit's quite what your mother and I had in mind."

"Oh." Jacob was crestfallen.

"If it will make you feel any better, Jacob," Catherine said fromthe bed, "He doesn't like any of the names I've thought of, either."

They had been deliberating for weeks now. They had agreed on aboy's name almost immediately, but couldn't seem to reach an accordon what to call a girl. Vincent wasn't enthusiastic about anythingCatherine thought of, and she wrinkled her nose at all of hisideas.

The days passed and the stalemate continued. Fortunately,Catherine and Vincent found their inability to reach an agreementmore funny than aggravating. At the end of every fruitless debate,Vincent would shake his head sadly and say, "I guess we're going tohave to call her Tinkerbell."

For Catherine, the breaking point came when he actually began torefer to the baby as Tinkerbell. "Vincent! You are not naming mydaughter after a fairy!"

He laughed his quiet laugh. "We have to call her something."

Catherine was adamant. "Not Tinkerbell."

* * * * *

When the baby was five days old, Catherine found Vincent in theChamber of the Falls, watching the rush of the water as it tumbleddown. She sat beside him quietly, the baby asleep in a carrierstrapped to her chest.

"Should you have walked so far?" Vincent asked her.

She smiled at him. "I'm fine. I came to talk to you. Seriously andwithout interruptions."

He regarded her patiently.

"I keep getting the feeling," she began, slowly, "that you have aname in mind... a name you haven't suggested yet." She looked at himwith a question in her eyes.

He nodded slowly and looked back at the water.

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Because you won't like it," he replied.

"I might."

"You won't."

"Vincent! You don't know everything about me! Admit it, I stillsurprise you sometimes." She pulled at his sleeve mockthreateningly.

He looked at her with the faintest hint of a smile. "Yes.Sometimes you do."

"Then tell me."

He sighed. "Catherine."

It was a moment before she realized that he wasn't calling hername; he was telling her the name he wanted to give the baby. Hetruly wished to name the baby after her.

"Vincent," she said slowly, "I don't know what to say..."

His smile deepened.

"Except you're right," she went on. "I don't like it." Theexpression on her face was a mixture of regret and love.

He reached for her hand. "I know. But I'm like Jacob - it's theprettiest name I know."

Catherine looked down, studying the way their fingers were lacedtogether. Lifting their joined hands into her lap, she began tostroke the back of Vincent's with her other hand.

"What would we call her?" she asked tentatively, weakeningslightly. "Lena's Catherine is called Caty."

"Cathy?" he suggested, equally tentative.

She looked up at him in mild exasperation. "Vincent. I'mCathy."

"Not to me."

"To practically everyone else in the world, I am. It would be tooconfusing. Besides, how can she grow up to be her own person if shehas my name?" She squeezed the hand she still held on her lap. "I'mnamed for my mother, you know. Only she was Katharine with a `K' andeveryone called her Kate. I used to hate it." She sighed. "Vincent, Iknow it's what you truly want, but it makes me veryuncomfortable."

"All right." Vincent yielded, disengaging his hand to touch one ofthe baby's bright curls. "It's still Tinkerbell."

"Vincent!"

* * * * *

The next day Father came to them, concerned. "The naming ceremonyis scheduled for tomorrow. Are you going to have a name for the poorlittle mite by then, or shall we reschedule?"

"I don't know, Father," Vincent said wearily. "It is difficult tobelieve that, with thousands of names to choose from, we cannot findone we both agree on."

"I find it difficult to believe, myself," Father allowed.

They had reached the point where they were just recycling the samenames over and over and it was Charles who finally found thesolution.

"I know a name," he said. "But you might not like it."

"Charles," Catherine told him, "We're desperate. We'll listen toanything you come up with."

"I found it in one of Father's books," he explained.

"What is it?" Vincent inquired.

He told them and they exchanged thoughtful looks.

"I like it," Vincent said after a moment.

"So do I," Catherine said and they laughed in relief.

* * * * *

They kept everyone else in suspense until the naming ceremonyitself, swearing Charles and Jacob to silence. Jacob was a littledisappointed that his parents had chosen his brother's suggestionover his own, but Vincent privately assured him that there was noreason why they couldn't still call the baby Tinkerbell sometimes.After calling her that for almost a week, it seemed to suit her.

As the eldest brother, Charles was allowed the privilege ofholding the baby at the ceremony. He stood stiffly proud as hisGrandfather officially welcomed the new child to the community.

"And we welcome the child with a name," Grandfather was saying,"upon which, at last, Catherine and Vincent have decided." A generallaugh swept the chamber. "Charles?" Grandfather turned to himexpectantly.

"She has two names," Charles said significantly. He and hisbrothers all had two names on their Above birth certificates, but hadbeen given only one name at their own naming cermonies Below. Charleslooked at his mother and smiled. "Her name is VictoriaCatherine."

THE END