Benches

[Catherine Woodruff]

Catherine inconspicuously jumped a little when Reeves pushed away from the bench. She watched him pace with wide, deep eyes and as he spoke her heart began to crumble. She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to leave New York; she didn't want to leave her family, and she didn't want to leave Reeves. It wasn't his fault. He spoke as if he'd poisoned her or put her under some kind of spell to make her love him. It was just as much her sin as it was his.

Catherine stood, grabbing his hand and turning Reeves toward her, and then she kissed him. Only this time it wasn't a short peck like previously. She kissed him softly, but passionately, holding on to him as if her would disappear at any moment.

[henry]

He had seen enough. He had followed her all the way her, ducking and dogding around corners, trying to keep himself civil, but this was too much. The sight of his sister, his Catherine wrapped in the arms of this...this trash. It made him more angry than he could say. He couldn't stay hidden any longer. Stepping out from behind a nearby tree, Henry marched over to the two tearing Reeves away from Catherine by the arm. He stared at Catherine with angry, confused eyes.

"Catherine," he almost pleaded, "what do you think you are doing?"

[reeves]

Reeves was surprised when a stern hand grabbed his arm and tore him away from Catherine, he fell to the ground, before pulling himself up and brushing the dirt off his shirt, looking up at Henry Woodruff in surprise.

This wasn't good, Henry looked so angry like he could strangle somebody. At his question, Reeves couldn't help but get a little angry.

"Catherine,what do you think you are doing?"

Reeves wanted to shove Henry and sock him good in the face but that wouldn't do. Looking between the two siblings, Reeves could see the hurt in Catherine's eyes, but as well in Henry's. He just watched in dismay, wishing Henry would stop being a tyrant to Catherine. Why couldn't he just understand. Reeves sighed and stood a foot away from the two, scuffing his boots into the ground and wiping his eyes with the back of his arm.

[henry]

Henry looked to Reeves in disgust. He wasn't even good enough to spit on. "You here with this gutter rat. Do you not know how that makes us look?"

[Catherine Woodruff]

Catherine was speechless. She stared up at Henry, a small fear in her eyes but more of worry. She looked to Reeves who had fallen to the ground from Henry's force.

"Henry..." she thought of more to say, but couldn't.

[reeves]

"You here with this gutter rat. Do you not know how that makes us look?"

Reeves couldn't take being called a rat. He just couldn't. He was a person, just like anybody else.

"One thing, Sir high and mighty Woodruff. I ain't no rat. I don't live in a gutter, I live in an apartment. Maybe a rundown one, but a home at the least. My parents died in a accident when I was nine years old. My older brother has to take care of us now, my sister gave up a lot for her family, and we stick together. I work for me and my family's living. You might not have to do that but it would do you a lot of good if you did! You may have money, you may think you have everything you want but you don't. If you keep treating people like this then there's one thing you'll never have, you know what that is? Love. You may act like you care about Catherine, but you don't love her. If you loved her, would you and your parents shut her up in some mansion? Learning and being a lady all day long? Cuz if you haven't noticed. Catherine's a human, not some doll you can control. She don't want to be shut in all day, she don't want the pressure she has to put up with all the time. She don't want to be perfect! And I'll tell you one thing, kids in gutters have more love than you ever will. I love Catherine Woodruff and I ain't afraid to say it."

Reeves finished his speech, giving Henry, no not a glare, instead he just shook his head at him.

[henry]

Henry looked bored as Reeves rambled off his life story as if it were of any importance, even chuckling a bit at just how ridiculous he sounded with his talk of living in an apartment instead of a gutter as if that were any better. His amused smiled stayed plastered to his face until the lilliputian challenged his caring about Catherine. Henry may have been a lot of things and there were, without a doubt, things he couldn't care less for, but Catherine was not one of them. He loved his younger sister and wanted to see her well taken care of -- something this boy could not do. She was too young to know what was good for her.

"How dare you!" Henry swung his hand back to knock Reeves forcefully to the ground.

[Catherine Woodruff]

Catherine was quiet up until this moment, scared to say anything for both her sake and Reeves. She knew Henry wouldn't hurt her, but she wasn't to sure about how he would treat Reeves. Then as if answering her question, Henry knocked Reeves to the ground with the back of his had. Catherine gasped, running over to his side.

[reeves]

Reeves had hit the ground hard, and he felt pain sear through his forehead. He could handle it, he had been in more than one street fighst before. He knew something would be bleeding or bruising soon though. He took Catherine's hand when she ran over to him and now glared up at Henry, in the same disgust as Henry had shown him earlier.

"Fine, you're better than me, sure, you care about Catherine. You love her, but not in the way I do. Real love ain't blaming somebody for ruining reputations or causing shame. You all are too caught up in the foolish things that don't really matter. You don't care about her happiness, you only care about your titles!"

[Catherine Woodruff]

Catherine helped Reeves to his feet. She looked at Henry and with in a voice surprising to herself even said, "I'm staying with Seth."

[henry]

Henry could not believe what he was hearing. "Catherine, think about what you are saying. This boy doesn't care a thing about you. Look at the trouble he has caused already."

[Catherine Woodruff]

"He hasn't caused any trouble, Henry. He hasn't done anything. I love him." Catherine pleaded knowing she wasn't going to get through to him, but it didn't stop her from trying.

[henry]

"No..." Henry looked at Catherine with wide eyes, for the time forgetting that Reeves was even there. He was struck dumb, but then became angry, raising his voice. "Do you want to end up like Robert? He left, threw his life away to follow some tramp who left him once he gave up his money. Do you want that? To be shunned and cast away from all you know and love to be the whore of a street urchin?"

[reeves]

"Do you want to end up like Robert? He left, threw his life away to follow some tramp who left him once he gave up his money. Do you want that? To be shunned and cast away from all you know and love to be the whore of a street urchin?"

Reeves shook his head and clutched Catherine's necklace in his hand, that little shred of gold giving him any hint of confidence.

"I don't care how much blasted money you got! I only care about Catherine! She's been kind to me, which is more than I can say about most people. Catherine deserves to have some happiness in her life. I told you she don't deserve to be controlled!" at the last question, Reeves tensed up, feeling more anger and concern then he ever had in his entire life. He grabbed Henry by the collar and told him straight.

"I'd never dare treat Catherine like that. I told you I love her, why is that so hard for you to comprehend?" Reeves asked in a low angry voice, before shoving Henry away from him, scowling at him.

[henry]

Henry straightened his tie after being shoved by Reeves, going with his better judgement of not settling the problem by simply killing him right then.

"You will regret this night. Both of you." Turning to Catherine he added, "Catherine, you have a decision to make. I expect you home within the hour." And with that he left, not saying anything to either of them.