The Ultimate Deception

Summary: A confrontation between Annette and Kathryn leads to disaster.

Authors Note: I know it's been forever since I've updated this but here it is. One more chapter to go which hopefully I'll get up more sooner than later. Please read and tell me what you think

Chapter 15: One Final Tragedy

"You're alive" a baffled Annette muttered for a second time that evening.

"Hello Annette" Kathryn replied in her typically cool manor. "What are you doing here?"

Shaking her head she answered "funny I was about to ask you the same thing. What...how? You died..."

Kathryn said nothing at first she only studied her rival as if realizing she had to choose her words carefully. "Yes well I didn't."

Annette tried to wrap her head around what she was saying "it was an act?" When she was met with only a passive shrug she scoffed "of course it was an act. Jesus I should have known." Shaking her head in disgust she hissed "what kind of monster are you?"

Wrapping her leather coat tighter around herself Kathryn scowled "I don't have to explain anything to you so why don't you just turn around and pretend you never saw me."

"What about Sebastian? Are you going to tell him..." Annette trailed off when she remembered the note and realized that Sebastian already knew. It explained why he suddenly was leaving her. "He already knows doesn't he?"

"Yes I told him this morning" smiling smugly she continued "right before we made love."

Annette sighed as she looked up at the night sky "you two are going away together?" It was more of a statement than a question but the hurt was still evident in her voice. Staring out at the frozen lake below her Annette couldn't believe what was happening. Just last night she thought her life was finally getting back to normal. Sebastian seemed to be returning to normal or at least forgetting about Kathryn for awhile and she was making plans for her future. Their future, but now it was all falling apart. Sebastian was leaving her to be a with a women who up until yesterday was dead. Turning away her hand flew to her head as she muttered more to herself than to Kathryn "this isn't happening."

"Fine keep your head in the sand and believe what you want but the reality of the situation is Sebastian choose me. He loves ME. We are going away together and we will be happy."

Kathryn then breezed past her rival but Annette stopped her "no, you don't get to walk away that easily. Do you have any idea the damage you caused with this latest stunt?"

"Stunt?" She asked outraged "I almost died you stupid bitch! Because of you and your twisted need to hold on to a guy who never belonged to you in the first place I almost died."

Annette laughed coldly "funny I don't recall stuffing the heroin up your nose."

"You mine as well have. It wasn't bad enough to hurt me you wanted to see me destroyed, well you almost got your wish."

"You're such a hypocrite" she hissed. "You and Sebastian did the same thing to me. You took something I held dear and believed in and turned it into a bet. Another way to amuse yourself."

This time it was Kathryn who laughed a hard, humorless chuckle. "And look how that turned out, you got Sebastian only that wasn't enough and you blew it. So don't you dare blame me for your fucked up life."

"But I do blame you Kathryn. However the funny thing is that in the end it doesn't matter." Stepping towards the brunette confidently she explained "you see my life will go on. I will be happy again, I'll survive this just as I do everything else but Sebastian is another story."

"I knew it" Kathryn sighed "this is all about holding on to Sebastian."

"No it isn't. It's true I still love Sebastian and I care about him but I realized a long time ago that he isn't in love with me anymore and I except that."

"Right"

"It's the truth Kathryn. The only thing I want his for him to be happy and I know there's no way in hell you can make him happy."

Kathryn raised her eyebrows as if challenging her "oh and you're the big expert on what makes Sebastian happy?"

"I know what makes him miserable and that's you. Do you have any idea what it was like for him when he thought you were dead?"

Her eyes looked towards the ground she replied "it was hard I know-"

"No it wasn't just hard. Christ Kathryn he tried to kill himself!" Even as Annette said it she was surprised she was telling Kathryn after all she never told anyone before.

Immediately Kathryn looked up at her in shock "what?"

"The night after you OD'd he freaked out, trashed his room and tried to slit his wrists. I found him passed out and if I hadn't gotten there in time he would have died."

"You're lying" she said shaking her head.

Annette's eyes locked with hers "no I'm not. Sebastian never talked about it again I'm not even sure if he knows I know but ever since that night he has been slowly trying to kill himself. He was hurting so bad and he loved you so much and...it was all for nothing."

Kathryn was quiet for a moment before she said in a voice barely a whisper "I love him." Looking up at Annette she said more confidently "everything that happened is in the past and so are you. We are leaving together tonight."

With that Kathryn turned away from her and started to leave. However Annette still wasn't finished, she needed to talk to her still to make her understand. "I'm not done yet!" She yelled as she grabbed Kathryn's arm and turned her around.

"Let go of me!" she yelled back. It was then as she tried to pull away that Annette lost her footing thanks to the wet grass. In the next instant she fell backwards while still gripping Kathryn and fell back onto the icy lake. Both of the girls slid onto the icy surface and slid an even six feet away from one another. Looking down Annette's hand's shook in fear. Luckily the lake was frozen enough that they hadn't fallen threw but if either one of them made one wrong move they would both freeze to death.

Annette who was positioned on her stomach, slowly glanced over at Kathryn who was resting very still like on her side. "Don't move" she told her.

"Hadn't planned on it" Kathryn replied.

"Ok this is what we're going to do" Annette explained calmly but her voice was anything but. "You're closer to the dock so you slide over a little first and then I will. If we both go at the same time the ice will break."

"All right" Kathryn said for once not putting up an argument. Very carefully she tried to slid her body over to the wooden plank which was about five feet away.

When she made it about a foot in a half Annette stopped her "ok it's my turn." Once Kathryn had stopped she moved out a little farther. She thought she might be able to make it all the way when she heard the ice started to creek.

"Shit!" Kathryn hissed "stop moving. I think I can make it the rest of the way." Gently as possible she started sliding until she was almost at the dock. However she was just about there when once again the ice began to creek only this time in was louder. Kathryn looked below her expecting to see the ice start to crack only there was nothing. Slowly she glanced over at Annette and realized that it was cracking under her.

Annette's pretty blue eyes went wide in fright as she looked quickly over at Kathryn. Before either girl could say anything the ice broke and in that instant Annette fell threw.

"Annette!" Kathryn called out as her rival hit the icy water and shrieked. Annette tried to stay afloat but the cold water made it nearly impossible. As she watched her struggle to stay on the surface Kathryn tried to make her way over to her but as soon as she moved once in her direction the ice began to crack. A second later she too was swallowed up by the icy lake.

* * * * * *

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sl-"

Before the happy melody could continue further Sebastian switched the station to one of the few channels that wasn't playing Christmas music that evening. It wasn't that he hated the holidays but he had other things on his mind namely the new life he would soon be beginning with Kathryn. As he thought of her he couldn't help but break into a large grin. Her being alive was the best gift he could ever hope to get.

Following his quick good-bye to Annette Sebastian had gone out and taken care of some last minute things. He had said good-bye to Blaine but he didn't tell him what he was doing or where he was going. Blaine had cared for Kathryn a great deal but the less people who knew about her actually being alive the better. Next he had made a stop at Tiffany's where he purchased a last minute Christmas gift for Kathryn. And last he had drawn up a good-bye letter to his father telling him he was going to Europe and he would get in touch with him when he could. He had left it with one of the maids to give to him when he returned.

Now with his car packed with suitcases he drove up the long rode to the main house where he would meet Kathryn. He felt almost giddy at the idea and smiled when he saw the town car already parked. However as he got out he also noticed the blue Sedan which he didn't recognize. It was as he started to approach the car for closer examination that he heard a scream that was unmistakably Kathryn's.

Whipping around Sebastian looked out to the lake and saw something move. Immediately he took off running towards the lake and as he got closer his heart filled with dread. "Kathryn!"

Even as he moved closer he got no answer and as Sebastian came upon the lake he realized why. The frozen lake had cracked only a few feet but it was large enough for someone to fall in and someone had. Kathryn had already gone under and was having trouble staying above water, in fact only her arm remained. "Kathryn" Sebastian called out again desperately but she didn't respond. Knowing he would freeze to death if he was in the water only for a minute or two he still went in after her.

The water hit him like a hundred knives stabbing him all at once but he tried to ignore the pain as best he could. He reached for Kathryn who was still moving but barely. Sliding his arm as far as he could get it he grabbed her from around the waist and pulled him to her. Immediately thanks to her weight and his own he began to get pulled under. Still Sebastian struggled with everything he had and refused to let her die.

With a large gasp he bobbed to the surface still clinging to Kathryn. Somehow he managed to climb back onto the icy grass and then pull Kathryn up. To Sebastian's amazement she was still conscience but barely. "Kathryn" he said cradling her in his arms "you need to stay awake. Don't go to sleep."

Shaking terribly she nodded and blinked her eyes. Sebastian hugged her closer while still shaking badly himself and muttered "you're ok, everything's going to be ok."

As he hugged her cold wet, body to his she suddenly spoke in a voice barely a whisper "Annette."

"What?" Sebastian asked looking down at her.

"An-Annette. Sh-she's" Kathryn looked down at the icy water.

Sebastian looked at the crack in the ice and it was then he realized who the other car belonged to. "Annette fell in?" When she nodded in response he cursed "shit."

Slowly he set Kathryn back on the grass and she managed to hold herself up. Getting up on shaky legs Sebastian walked the dock and looked back down into the icy water. He saw nothing. Glancing over at Kathryn he saw her usual confident cool eyes fill with fright. He knew he had to go back down and look for Annette.

Bending down he started to slide back to the water when suddenly something in the water appeared making his jump back in shock. It was a very white hand wearing the same bracelet Sebastian had purchased last year. With dread Sebastian reached out and took the hand and slowly pulled up Annette. When he saw her face, once beautifully flushed with color was now ghostly white he felt him stomach turn. "Oh god no" he whispered. His hands shaking from the cold and from shock he managed to pull her all the way out of the water and onto the dock she was standing on not fifteen minutes ago.

Sebastian knew she was dead but still he couldn't bring himself to search for a pulse. Sliding a hand over her now cold face he stared at her blue eyes staring back at him and he wanted to weep but he couldn't do that now. He would grief for her but he knew he had to act fast. Taking one last look at her he closed her eyes then looked over at Kathryn who looked truly stunned. Getting up he walked over to her. "Sh-she's dead?" she asked in a voice of a bewildered little girl.

"Kathryn you're shaking. I have to get you inside or you'll freeze to death."

"But Annette-"

"I'll take care of it" he assured her as he picked up her small body. As they started for the house Kathryn's driver suddenly appeared. "Go call for an ambulance" Sebastian instructed him. The man didn't question him and instead ran back to the car. With long strides Sebastian approached the house and went inside. Luckily since no one used the place during the winter most if not all of the staff was gone. Still Sebastian was quiet as he crept up the stairs and took Kathryn to one of the many guest rooms.

They entered a large room with a huge canopy bed in the middle. Turning on one light Sebastian sat her down on the bed and then went to the closet to find her something warm to put on. He came back with a pair of sweats that Kathryn normally wouldn't be caught dead in and a robe. Without saying a word he quickly undressed her then slid her under the covers. He then changed himself into something dryer all the while keeping his eyes on her. Finally he asked "are you ok?"

"I will be. What about Annette?"

Sebastian looked out the window "the police should be hear soon and I should be there to greet them. You have to stay out of sight, no one knows your here."

"Annette knew" Kathryn replied solemnly.

"What was she doing here?"

"I don't know to see you I guess. She was trying to stop me from going. She grabbed me and we fell back..." Kathryn trailed off as her eyes welled up slightly. "What are we going to do?"

Gently he caressed her face as he explained "I'm going to talk to the police, make them realize it was an accident. I'll probably have to go to the hospital with them but after everything is taken care of I'm going to call you" he moved the shiny, black, old-fashioned phone closer to the bed. "Then we'll figure out where to go from there."

She nodded slightly then whispered "I'm sorry. Maybe I never should have come back."

"No" he said "what happened was an accident Kathryn and I am so grateful you are alive."

He leaned down and kissed her gently. "I love you" she told him.

"I love you too, everything will work out I promise."

It was then Sebastian heard the familiar wail of an ambulance siren. "I have to go. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes"

"I'll call you when everything's finished" he assured her as he got up and headed for the door.

"I'll be waiting."

Sebastian took one more glance back at her before leaving the room and heading back outside where there was now several paramedics and cops out by the lake. As he started down to them the driver suddenly appeared. "Sir I took the liberty of parking the car in the garage before the police arrived. Is there anything else you or Ms. Merteuil need?"

Sebastian knew that if the cops saw the car they might start asking questions. Nodding he replied "thank you. I'm going to need you to stick around for a little while, we'll be needing your services later this evening. If the police ask she was never here understand?"

"Yes sir"

Nodding Sebastian headed back to the lake where he saw the paramedics standing over Annette. As he approached them an older man dressed in a dark blue suit approached him "excuse me sir do you live here?"

Turning his eyes from Annettes pale form he answered "sort of. I live in the city, this is my fathers summer house."

"And you are..."

"Sebastian Valmont"

The detective looked back at Annette "how do you know the girl?"

"She's my girlfriend. We were suppose to meet here but when I arrived she had already fallen in."

The man gave him a once over "by the looks of it you went in after her I'm guessing?"

"Yeah I tried to...is she..."

As if on cue on of the paramedics turned around and shook his head sadly at the detective. Turning back to Sebastian he told him "I'm sorry son but she's gone."

Although Sebastian knew it when he pulled her out of the water the news of Annette truly being gone still managed to shock him all over again. One single tear rolled down his face as he thought about how he could have prevented this. Maybe he never should have told her he was leaving to being with he didn't know. Finally swallowing back his pain Sebastian wiped the tear away and asked to no one in particular "what now?"

Epilogue Coming Soon