Hello! For those of you who're reading my other Dynasty fic, don't worry! I'm still writing that one. But I had a thought the other day that was so funny and interesting to me that I had to write it anyways. May not be everyone's cup of tea compared to the other one, since it's an AU set back when Fallon was in high school, so her personality won't be as, well, set in stone or strong as it is during the timeline of the show. But I'm going to try and stay true to what we know about her, and sort of work backwards. I'm also changing Steven&Fallon's age gap, taking wild guesses at details we haven't been given, and altering timelines slightly for dramatic effect here, so don't take too much of the timing in this seriously. We're going full-blown AU on this one, friends!

So if you're interested, still, hi! Also, please bear with as I figure out where this little plot idea of mine is heading, haha!

The first day of winter break for their Sophomore year had arrived, and Fallon was beyond excited. The holidays meant visiting Dad at work to learn about the company, and skiing with her friends using family money. And Christmas, of course. The best time of year all around. Not to mention the fact that her sixteenth birthday was mere weeks away, and before she had to even go back to school! As far as she was concerned, there was nothing that sounded more promising. She slid into the backseat of the family car with Monica and Jeff, only half acknowledging the new driver because the three of them were already deep in conversation about their plans.

Fallon leaned forward, dropping her book bag in the floorboard of the front seat so she could cross one knee over the other and face her friends. As they chatted away, the front door opened so Steven could climb in.

"Seriously, Fallon?" He turned his head to frown at her, gesturing to the bag that was taking up his foot space.

"You get to ride shotgun, Steven. Don't complain. After we drop these two off, you can put it back here."

He rolled his eyes but sat down anyway, dropping his bag on top of hers and shutting the door. Then he clicked his seatbelt on and turned to the driver. "Sorry I'm late, Michael."

"That's fine, Mr. Carrington," the young man responded. He was a student at a local university – a football player looking to make some money during the breaks in hopes that he would always have a solid backup job with this rich family that, frankly, overpaid him. Not that he minded taking money from people like Fallon and her parents. He almost felt bad for Steven, though, considering the brother was the nice one of the bunch.

So they headed off through the streets of Atlanta, heading for the Colby's estate, and Fallon talked almost the entire way there. The Colbys didn't seem to mind, though, as the trio laughed and shared mutual excitement for what the time off had in store for them. When they made it to the Colby house, which was like a fake miniature in comparison to the ridiculous, overly-extreme grandeur of the Carrington manor, Monica and Jeff got out, and Steven didn't even bother moving his bag to the back seat.

Instead, Fallon told Steven that he was welcome to join them for their plans, even though he hadn't bothered speaking up when she mentioned they should go somewhere.

"Didn't realize you were talking to me," Steven replied, shrugging good-naturedly.

Fallon just frowned, sinking back into her seat and gazing out the window for a moment before checking her phone and laughing softly at whatever she saw there.

The rest of the ride home was quiet, and even if Fallon wasn't enjoying the views, Steven and Michael were. They were also enjoying the quiet, if they were being honest. The turned at the gate, driving up to the manor so Michael could drop the siblings off at the front door. As soon as they parked, Fallon opened her door and made her way inside, leaving Steven to carry both bags. He and Michael shared a conspiratorial look before Steven pushed his own door ajar.

Fallon was reaching for the front door, but it flew open in her face, making her jump back with a shocked gasp. "Mom!" Fallon chided, glaring at Alexis as she walked through the door. "What are you doing?"

Alexis stopped short at the sight of her children and the car. Even Michael got out of the car at the sound of Fallon's reaction. At first, Alexis just stared at all of them. But then Fallon's gaze lowered to her mother's collection of bags, being brought out by Anders' team of staff.

"Mom?" Steven echoed, setting down his and Fallon's school bags in favor of opening his hands in confusion. "Nobody told us to pack for a vacation. Where are we going?"

"Nowhere," she replied, shaking her head.

Blake's voice carried through the entry hall towards them as he approached in a rage. "Alexis!" He stormed out, joining the menagerie of people outside and only increasing Alexis's distress. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Kids, go inside," Alexis told them, somehow expecting them to do as she asked despite the circumstances. Obviously they didn't. Michael looked ready to do so, though. Alexis turned to him in question. "Open the trunk, would you?"

His eyes widened slightly but he reached inside the car door to hit the button that would pop the trunk.

"Mom," Fallon continued, "what's going on? Where are you going?" The brunette was starting to get worried, thinking maybe someone on Alexis's side of the family had died, or her mother was in trouble somehow.

Alexis waved a hand and the staff began picking her bags back up, transferring them to the trunk and towards the back seat.

In her shock and panic, Fallon rushed forward to try and block the bags. "Stop! Mom, you can't go."

"I have to," Alexis countered, gesturing for Fallon to move aside.

Of course, the brunette did no such thing. Instead, she crossed her arms like she'd seen her father do when he wanted Alexis to listen to him. "When will you be back?"

Alexis narrowed her eyes sharply. "I don't know, Fallon. Now move aside."

"Will you be back?" Fallon waited, but Alexis didn't have a response for that, apparently. Despite herself, she felt her eyes water. "What did we do?" It came out as a whisper, and made Alexis step forward, taking hold of Fallon firmly by her upper arms.

"Nothing."

Using the hold she now had on her daughter, Alexis drew Fallon away from the car, depositing her next to Steven, whose cheek she brushed gently with her hand before backing away and climbing into the car. Over the roof of the sedan, Fallon stared at Michael imploringly. Don't take her. He just shook his head in apology, clearly stating that he didn't have a choice.

Deciding she had one last shot before her mother closed that door and left, Fallon shouted at her, pulling at Steven's hands as they tried to restrain her. "I'll be right here until you come back! You really want to make your daughter, your baby, stand outside waiting for you?"

"Don't," Alexis warned her, deeply serious. "Don't, Fallon."

Fallon blinked rapidly, working to control herself – control her breathing – and didn't even feel the way Steven pulled her tighter to his side. Was he not as surprised as her? She glanced his way, but he was just staring at the car. Watching as Alexis slammed the door, Michael got in, and the car started. Fallon turned her chin again, staring after the car as it pulled away.

Blake turned and stormed back inside, but the Carrington children didn't move. Not for a while, anyway. Determined to believe that her mother wouldn't just leave her without an explanation, Fallon stayed even after Steven turned to wander inside. When he returned with a tissue, she just frowned.

"Your mascara," he explained, prompting her to snatch it up and dab under her eyes. "C'mon, sis. She'll be back. Anders has dinner ready, so-"

"If she comes back, I have to be here. I told her I would be."

"Fallon, if she turns around, Culhane will tell us. Anders texted him. You can come back out, okay? She wouldn't want you to skip dinner. Besides, you've been standing here over an hour. Your legs don't hurt?"

"Imagine if I were wearing heels," she muttered, shaking her head.

"Exactly. Come inside."

Reluctant, but tired and a little cold despite the admittedly temperate Atlanta weather that winter, Fallon let him lead her inside.

Michael returned the car that night, and when Fallon demanded to check it, every trace of her mother was gone.

Three days later, Fallon was moping in front of the TV when Monica texted her to ask about when they were leaving for the ski trip. Taking a minute, Fallon knew that this was the moment she would have to decide how others would see her in the wake of her mother's apparent abandonment. Everyone seemed to react to her as Monica did, taking their cues and not asking questions unless she'd been particularly conceited towards them – not that Fallon would ever admit to something like that, of course.

It didn't take long for her to decide that she didn't want the Colbys to know. They'd lost their father a year before, but he had been taken from them, and their mother had been abusive, so her leaving was a good thing, right? Alexis chose to leave them, and so Fallon came to the conclusion that in some ways, her friends wouldn't understand. It wasn't the same. And believe it or not, she felt bad about the idea of comparing things when she had the option to simply ignore it.

That's what Alexis would've done, right? Certainly not. All the better, Fallon decided.

So she shot back a simple, Tonight?

And then got to packing, assuming that they would hop to it as well. Steven must've heard her moving things around – or, perhaps, the crash of her suitcase as she tugged it down from the top of her closet and it leapt off the shelf.

"What are you up to?" He asked, standing in the doorway.

Fallon looked over her shoulder, the teary-eyed girl gone and replaced with someone cold and empty. "You think just because Mom decided to bail on us, that I'll bail on Monica and Jeff? We're going skiing, as planned. You want to come or not?"

Steven shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "No, I... I should stick around for Dad."

She shook hers in return, tutting at him. "Dad hasn't left his office since after dinner on Friday. You can try, but it isn't like he's ever put us above his work. Remember my recital in elementary school? He got stuck in traffic on the way home?"

"And got mad that he lost a deal with the Falcons, I know. But when he does finally come out of that room, you won't be here. And he'll need somebody."

"Don't do this to yourself, Steven. You and Daddy don't see anything alike and you know it." Fallon sighed. "Look, I'm not saying it's me versus you and not both of us, for him. But I don't want to come home to you two fighting. Please."

"I'll try. But there aren't a lot of promises in this house that get kept."

That was fair. Fallon shrugged a little sadly and went back to packing, picking up her phone to confirm that Monica and Jeff were on board. A surprising smile lit up her face when she saw that they were, and perhaps Steven was pleased to see it, or perhaps he didn't notice, but either way, he started helping her pack.

Less than six hours later, Fallon, Jeff and Monica were checking into a charming ski lodge that her father himself would have probably put up with. She'd picked something nice enough to make the Colbys believe she was feeling normal, but simple enough that she could get lost in make believe. She dodged questions whenever she would zone out, and they seemed more interested in hitting the slopes than in digging into what was wrong with their rich-girl friend.

One such afternoon, Fallon retreated to a window-side chair the lounge to take a call from Steven, frowning at the version of her brother she was hearing. Something was off; he sounded... confused. Different. "Steven?" She urged. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Dad and me, we got in a fight."

"God, Steven, you didn't... What happened?"

He laughed, actually, which made her head tilt sharply to one side. "I can't tell you."

"Steven!"

He chuckled again, but it sounded a bit sadder that time. "I did something I shouldn't have. And dad found out, so I did it more."

"Don't get in too much trouble. I can't drag Monica and Jeff back without them asking questions, you know. And you don't want to start the new semester off in the red." She shrugged, even though he couldn't see it. "So to speak."

"It's fine. Have fun."

"Behave. Just two more days, okay? See you soon."

She hung up, stood, and slipped her phone into a zippered pocket that would keep it safe on the slopes. The clock on the wall said she was supposed to meet Monica and Jeff for lunch in five minutes, so she turned to head towards her suite, only to stop when she came face to face with a guy who looked about her age.

"Sorry," he offered, stepping at the same moment as Fallon, and in the same direction inadvertently. From him, it raised a chuckle, but Fallon wasn't exactly in the mood. She flashed a closed-lipped, brief smile before stepping aside again. He did the same.

"I don't know if this is your way of hitting on a stranger, but I have people I'm supposed to go meet," she told him.

He laughed harder at that, holding up his hands as he stepped back far enough to give her the space to step around him. "Have fun with your... people," he said, watching long enough to see her look back as she headed off.

She ended up being late to meet the Colbys, but just passed over the reasoning. They didn't need to know about Steven, after all. So she said she'd gotten into an argument with some guy who thought a little too much of himself, and knowing Fallon as well as they did, they of course completely bought it.

When she came home the day before Christmas, her grandpa was there. It was a minor miracle at first, considering he would be enough to distract her father, at least for a while. But Christmas wasn't right at all without Alexis there. It was quiet, even with the forced singing and fake merriment. At least they had a gorgeous Gingerbread house that they could destroy the night after.

Alexis was still gone by New Year's, and by that point, Fallon had really started to give up. A sweet sixteen, which was coming up in mere days for Fallon, sounded infinitely less sweet when that girl's mother had left without explanation. That word Alexis had said was haunting her more and more by the day, though.

What had Fallon done? Nothing. Was it an apology or an explanation? Fallon had been acting out more, spending less time at home – typical teenager things. Steven, who was over halfway done with high school at that point, had always been the calmer one. But after one too many parties and Alexis once again expressing her disapproval, Fallon had thrown a righteous fit the week before, leading to nightly arguments.

Fallon hadn't listened. Her mother had told her to behave, told her to stay home... and Fallon hadn't done any of it. But surely that fight, the ones in the months before... Surely not. Yeah, Steven was perfect and had always been their mother's favorite, but she was the baby of the family. Weren't the youngest kids supposed to get away with more?

The thought didn't fully manifest until the night before her birthday, when Blake announced that Alexis was, in no uncertain terms, not coming back. Not for her party, not at all. She didn't see a point. But she'd sent Fallon a gift – and a strange one, in Fallon's opinion. One that said nothing about their relationship other than just how violent and volatile it was.

She handed it over to Anders immediately, needing no further training beyond what she'd already gotten from her father. And it was a sorry excuse for a reminder of her mother.

She cancelled her party, which was set to take place that weekend, and ignored all the questions that were sent her way. What did it matter, right? She wouldn't see these people again. Not for months, at least. The next morning, her father gifted her Butterscotch, the horse. Which would've been much more exciting if he hadn't gotten her the animal in order to soften the blow of his news:

She and Steven weren't going back to school like normal. His drug use and her decision to go skiing, apparently, along with Alexis's choices, led him to enroll them without warning in a boarding school in New York. No amount of kicking and screaming could change his mind. But he added one more so-called gift to her birthday list. He'd gotten Monica and Jeff in as well, and after talking to them and hearing how interested they were in seeing a new place – despite the obvious pity-paying Blake was doing – Fallon did try to get on board. No pun intended.

Try was the key word, though.

The car pulled up, and she hadn't even begun packing, which was of course unbelievably unlike her. She had spent the afternoon with Butterscotch, after realizing she wouldn't see the beautiful palomino until she came back over a break – not that she had any idea when non-private schools took breaks. Steven had to come in to force her into it, and as they were ushered into the cars with their various bags, ready to head to the airport to meet Monica and Jeff, Fallon turned back to her father, nodding like she could see every part of him.

"You're doing this because of me, aren't you? Because of Mom?"

"Get in the car, Fallon."

Biting down a little too hard on the inside of her cheek, Fallon spun around and got in the car, already planning a way to avoid having to come back home for the summer holidays in June. The car pulled away, just like Alexis's had, and Fallon took a look at the estate for what she thought might be the last time.

Silent though she was, Michael finally spoke up from the front seat. "For what it's worth, Fallon? Happy birthday."

She crossed her arms and stared out the window. "Yeah, whatever."