Deny Me
Author: Ashley K.
Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own them.
AN: This is the sequel of 'Making An Intention.' The character, Monique, I
first introduced there will be used, a lot, in this fic.
Sebastian:
I just heard some interesting news.
My long-lost stepsister is finally returning home, after her year abroad. France did her well last time she visited. A part of me remembers that time with a smile. Another part scolds the first; Kathryn is no longer a part of me.
Tiffani and my father have planned a welcome home party, for the night of her arrival. All of Manchester Prep has been invited, as well as some of Kathryn's relatives.
This should be an.interesting night.
Part Three:
"Damnit Troy! I thought I told you to make sure the caterer's would be here on TIME!" Tiffani's unhappiness at her husband's ineptness echoed throughout the lavish Valmont-Merteuil townhouse. Servants all over the house started working faster than ever before. None wanted the Missus's wrath to be directed towards them. This was the highest paying job any of them had ever had, and, to be fired here was a career homicide.
It didn't help that the young mistress was returning.
"Tiffani, honey," Troy attempted to placate his wife, "I did call them. It's not my fault the mayor decided today would be the best day to start construction!"
"Get him on the phone!" Tiffani ranted. "How dare he interfere with *our* party?! We fucking paid for his fucking campaign!"
With a soft sigh, Sebastian rolled out of bed. He had planned on sleeping through the morning; the best method of avoiding Tiffani and, later on, Kathryn. Unfortunately, not even he could sleep through one of Tiffani's tantrums. Picking up his robe, Sebastian made his way into his bathroom.
He stopped at the mirror and stared at the man reflected back at him. So much had changed, in a year. He and Annette's relationship was now very steady and very committed. While Annette expressed some fears about Kathryn's return, Sebastian felt confidant that they would be able to face anything Kathryn threw at them.
Sebastian, himself, had become an honor student. Although nothing could pull his grades up from the previous years, his overall GPA was decent enough. Combine that with his outstanding SAT scores and his father's wealth and power, he was practically begged into the Ivy League school of his choice.
Annette, on the other hand, was having difficulties getting into the college of her choice, which was anyone Sebastian was going to. While she did have the amount of extracurricular activities needed, neither her grades nor her test scores were up to Ivy League standards.
Frowning, Sebastian, for the hundredth time, wondered why it was such a big deal for Annette to get into his school with him. It wasn't as if he was going to forget about her. He mentally shrugged, as he stepped into the waiting shower.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sebastian, where is she?" Annette whispered into her boyfriend's ear. They had been at the party for two or three hours and hadn't seen Kathryn yet.
"Probably still getting ready, love," Sebastian said, smiling his hello to the family priest. He seriously doubted that, however, considering that he just heard, from Cecile, that she saw Kathryn.
"Okay," Annette said, tugging at her dress. Sebastian frown his disapproval. While he was no longer quite as big of snob as before, he still got embarrassed by the fact that his girlfriend refused presents of expensive clothing or jewelry and choose, instead, to wear the same three dresses over and over again.
Mingling with the crowd he had been a part of since birth, Sebastian didn't stop and talk to anyone, although some of Kathryn's old friends did try. None of the girls at Manchester really believed that he had changed; they all figured he kept it quieter.
Suddenly a girl crossed his vision, and just as sudden, disappeared out of it. Turning his head, Sebastian looked for the girl, and found her, turned with her back to him, talking to some of the family's friends.
Casually, Sebastian integrated himself with the group, unable to get a clear view of the girl's face. Just casually, she left, and Sebastian followed.
Slightly amazed, Sebastian watched as she entered Kathryn's room. He followed. "You're not allowed in here." he started, trailing off as the girl turned to show him her face.
Familiar emerald green eyes smirked at him, surrounded by waist-length honey-blonde hair. Gone was the ice-princess and in her place was somebody else. Instead of her trademark black, she was wearing a white beaded strapless dress that gently clung to curves. France had struck again. While the first time France brought a sinister elegance, this time just brought back elegance. None of Kathryn's trademark malice was apparent.
"Hello, dear brother," Kathryn sweetly said. After a cursory glance, Sebastian didn't notice the crucifix anywhere. "How has your year been?"
"What, with you in France, perfect. And your's?" Sebastian asked.
"France was beautiful! And my aunt Monique.she is such an inspiration!" Kathryn raved on and on about France and her aunt. Sebastian looked skeptically at his step-sister.
"Who the fuck do you think you're fooling, Kathryn?" Sebastian softly, maliciously asked, grabbing onto her forearm.
"Ow!" Kathryn exclaimed, wrenching her arm out of his grip. "I've changed, Sebastian. Do you honestly think that you're the only person in the world who can?"
"You? Change?" Sebastian asked. Kathryn sighed and turned away from him. Sebastian grabbed her arm, again, and turned her towards him. "Don't turn away from me! What the hell is going on in your head?"
If he wouldn't have been so shocked, Sebastian would have noticed the man in Kathryn's room. "Ahem," the stranger said, coldly.
"Who the fuck are you?" Sebastian asked, as Kathryn, once again, wrenched her arm out of his grasp.
"This is my fiancée," Kathryn said. "Nicholas, this is my step-brother I told you about, Sebastian."
"A pleasure meeting you," Nicholas politely said. "Next time I see your hands on my fiancée, however." he trailed off, the thinly veiled threat apparent.
"The pleasure's all mine," Sebastian said, smirking.
"I was just coming up here to see if you were awake," Kathryn apologetically explained to Nicholas. "He's suffering, a little, from jet lag," she explained to Sebastian. "Mother and I both thought it would be for his own good to take a small nap before dinner."
"I'm awake," Nicholas said, smiling at Kathryn, love and devotion shining through his eyes. "I was just going to go downstairs and find you, Kathryn."
"I was getting worried," Kathryn confided, her own expression mirroring Nicholas's. Sebastian barely held a groan. "Come on, let's head downstairs," she suggested, holding her hand out for Nicholas's. "Are you coming?" she asked, over her shoulder, to Sebastian.
~*~*~*~*~
"Sebastian, is that Nicholas Giovanni with Kathryn?" Annette asked as the couple was being seated for dinner. Directly in front of them was Kathryn and Nicholas.
"I don't know his last name, but it is a Nicholas," Sebastian replied. "He's Kathryn's fiancée."
Looking at his own girlfriend, Sebastian noticed her face whiten. "What is it, Annette?"
"I'll tell you later," Annette promised, face still ashen.
"Annette?" Nicholas asked, incredulously, "Is that you?"
"You know her?" Kathryn asked him.
"No."
"Yes."
Nicholas and Annette both answered the question simultaneously. "Annette, don't lie!" Nicholas gently scolded her. "We were high school sweethearts, until I moved to New York, with my paternal grandfather, when my parents passed away."
Sebastian glanced up at Kathryn, missing, by a second, the smirk that crossed her features. Instead all he saw was her own shocked expression.
Sebastian:
I don't think Kathryn would go that far.
Would she?
Sebastian:
I just heard some interesting news.
My long-lost stepsister is finally returning home, after her year abroad. France did her well last time she visited. A part of me remembers that time with a smile. Another part scolds the first; Kathryn is no longer a part of me.
Tiffani and my father have planned a welcome home party, for the night of her arrival. All of Manchester Prep has been invited, as well as some of Kathryn's relatives.
This should be an.interesting night.
Part Three:
"Damnit Troy! I thought I told you to make sure the caterer's would be here on TIME!" Tiffani's unhappiness at her husband's ineptness echoed throughout the lavish Valmont-Merteuil townhouse. Servants all over the house started working faster than ever before. None wanted the Missus's wrath to be directed towards them. This was the highest paying job any of them had ever had, and, to be fired here was a career homicide.
It didn't help that the young mistress was returning.
"Tiffani, honey," Troy attempted to placate his wife, "I did call them. It's not my fault the mayor decided today would be the best day to start construction!"
"Get him on the phone!" Tiffani ranted. "How dare he interfere with *our* party?! We fucking paid for his fucking campaign!"
With a soft sigh, Sebastian rolled out of bed. He had planned on sleeping through the morning; the best method of avoiding Tiffani and, later on, Kathryn. Unfortunately, not even he could sleep through one of Tiffani's tantrums. Picking up his robe, Sebastian made his way into his bathroom.
He stopped at the mirror and stared at the man reflected back at him. So much had changed, in a year. He and Annette's relationship was now very steady and very committed. While Annette expressed some fears about Kathryn's return, Sebastian felt confidant that they would be able to face anything Kathryn threw at them.
Sebastian, himself, had become an honor student. Although nothing could pull his grades up from the previous years, his overall GPA was decent enough. Combine that with his outstanding SAT scores and his father's wealth and power, he was practically begged into the Ivy League school of his choice.
Annette, on the other hand, was having difficulties getting into the college of her choice, which was anyone Sebastian was going to. While she did have the amount of extracurricular activities needed, neither her grades nor her test scores were up to Ivy League standards.
Frowning, Sebastian, for the hundredth time, wondered why it was such a big deal for Annette to get into his school with him. It wasn't as if he was going to forget about her. He mentally shrugged, as he stepped into the waiting shower.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"Sebastian, where is she?" Annette whispered into her boyfriend's ear. They had been at the party for two or three hours and hadn't seen Kathryn yet.
"Probably still getting ready, love," Sebastian said, smiling his hello to the family priest. He seriously doubted that, however, considering that he just heard, from Cecile, that she saw Kathryn.
"Okay," Annette said, tugging at her dress. Sebastian frown his disapproval. While he was no longer quite as big of snob as before, he still got embarrassed by the fact that his girlfriend refused presents of expensive clothing or jewelry and choose, instead, to wear the same three dresses over and over again.
Mingling with the crowd he had been a part of since birth, Sebastian didn't stop and talk to anyone, although some of Kathryn's old friends did try. None of the girls at Manchester really believed that he had changed; they all figured he kept it quieter.
Suddenly a girl crossed his vision, and just as sudden, disappeared out of it. Turning his head, Sebastian looked for the girl, and found her, turned with her back to him, talking to some of the family's friends.
Casually, Sebastian integrated himself with the group, unable to get a clear view of the girl's face. Just casually, she left, and Sebastian followed.
Slightly amazed, Sebastian watched as she entered Kathryn's room. He followed. "You're not allowed in here." he started, trailing off as the girl turned to show him her face.
Familiar emerald green eyes smirked at him, surrounded by waist-length honey-blonde hair. Gone was the ice-princess and in her place was somebody else. Instead of her trademark black, she was wearing a white beaded strapless dress that gently clung to curves. France had struck again. While the first time France brought a sinister elegance, this time just brought back elegance. None of Kathryn's trademark malice was apparent.
"Hello, dear brother," Kathryn sweetly said. After a cursory glance, Sebastian didn't notice the crucifix anywhere. "How has your year been?"
"What, with you in France, perfect. And your's?" Sebastian asked.
"France was beautiful! And my aunt Monique.she is such an inspiration!" Kathryn raved on and on about France and her aunt. Sebastian looked skeptically at his step-sister.
"Who the fuck do you think you're fooling, Kathryn?" Sebastian softly, maliciously asked, grabbing onto her forearm.
"Ow!" Kathryn exclaimed, wrenching her arm out of his grip. "I've changed, Sebastian. Do you honestly think that you're the only person in the world who can?"
"You? Change?" Sebastian asked. Kathryn sighed and turned away from him. Sebastian grabbed her arm, again, and turned her towards him. "Don't turn away from me! What the hell is going on in your head?"
If he wouldn't have been so shocked, Sebastian would have noticed the man in Kathryn's room. "Ahem," the stranger said, coldly.
"Who the fuck are you?" Sebastian asked, as Kathryn, once again, wrenched her arm out of his grasp.
"This is my fiancée," Kathryn said. "Nicholas, this is my step-brother I told you about, Sebastian."
"A pleasure meeting you," Nicholas politely said. "Next time I see your hands on my fiancée, however." he trailed off, the thinly veiled threat apparent.
"The pleasure's all mine," Sebastian said, smirking.
"I was just coming up here to see if you were awake," Kathryn apologetically explained to Nicholas. "He's suffering, a little, from jet lag," she explained to Sebastian. "Mother and I both thought it would be for his own good to take a small nap before dinner."
"I'm awake," Nicholas said, smiling at Kathryn, love and devotion shining through his eyes. "I was just going to go downstairs and find you, Kathryn."
"I was getting worried," Kathryn confided, her own expression mirroring Nicholas's. Sebastian barely held a groan. "Come on, let's head downstairs," she suggested, holding her hand out for Nicholas's. "Are you coming?" she asked, over her shoulder, to Sebastian.
~*~*~*~*~
"Sebastian, is that Nicholas Giovanni with Kathryn?" Annette asked as the couple was being seated for dinner. Directly in front of them was Kathryn and Nicholas.
"I don't know his last name, but it is a Nicholas," Sebastian replied. "He's Kathryn's fiancée."
Looking at his own girlfriend, Sebastian noticed her face whiten. "What is it, Annette?"
"I'll tell you later," Annette promised, face still ashen.
"Annette?" Nicholas asked, incredulously, "Is that you?"
"You know her?" Kathryn asked him.
"No."
"Yes."
Nicholas and Annette both answered the question simultaneously. "Annette, don't lie!" Nicholas gently scolded her. "We were high school sweethearts, until I moved to New York, with my paternal grandfather, when my parents passed away."
Sebastian glanced up at Kathryn, missing, by a second, the smirk that crossed her features. Instead all he saw was her own shocked expression.
Sebastian:
I don't think Kathryn would go that far.
Would she?