Chapter 12: The Sudden Declaration of War

"No one who, like me, conjures up the most evil of those half-tamed demons that inhabit the human beast, and seeks to wrestle with them, can expect to come through the struggle unscathed."

-Sigmund Freud

The first thought that entered Kathryn's mind as the sunlight filtered through the windows of her lavish blue and gold paneled room was not a sane thought at all. In fact, she had been more than a little freaked out when she realized her head was resting on a very familiar albeit very hands-off chest that belonged to none other than her stepbrother, who had miraculously been able to actually get some decent sleep. Kathryn quickly froze, her entire body going rigid at this unusual act of intimacy that didn't even begin or at least end with sex, although it had certainly been going there if she hadn't stopped him.

"Are you coming back to me, Sebastian?"

Dear holy mother of whoever it is out there, what the fuck do they put in those goddamn painkillers that cause her to feel twice the high and lessen the caution with her words? She slowly retracted her hand that had been resting under his own and started to move away when he stirred, his eyes blinking beneath the closed lids and his long eyelashes fluttering as though he was having a dream. Her green irises watched him, thoroughly fascinated at Sebastian's sleeping habits, mainly because she'd always thought he had none. Sebastian never slept, and when he did try to, he would somehow wake up in the middle of the morning and just write in that loser journal of his to pass the time. As she watched him though, it seemed as if he had slept the entire night, forgoing his insomniac tendencies. But why? How? Was it simply the fact that his mind finally caught up with his body and he simply became human, or was it…?

I'm turning into a fucking pussy. Kathryn almost laughed out loud at the sentiments she was oddly having. Was this the perverse satisfaction Valmont got when he watched her sleep? Did they have that same, thoughtful look on their faces as they slept, as though they were, or at least, Kathryn, was witnessing the retribution and chaos she would bring upon to those who hurt her? What does Sebastian think of that gives him so much peace? She glanced at the clock, nine in the morning. She wanted to leave that bed of temporary insanity that had Sebastian in it, but she took a few more minutes to observe him as he slept. He certainly looked good, even better than when he was in high school. He'd allowed his usually short and kept hair to grow a bit longer, and there was the slightest stubble on his jaw that made him look older, somehow lessening that playboy aura about him. He was impassive, unmoving yet somehow there seemed to be a minor smile that made his lips curl. Was he smirking at her in his sleep?

Okay, enough. She slid off the bed, and headed toward the bathroom, wincing as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Court would really have hell to pay for this, but now simply wasn't the time and he wasn't worth the effort nor the energy. She turned her cheek, gingerly touching the already lightening scar and hoping she wouldn't have to go to her mother's 'doctor' to have it done. A glinting platinum object caught the rays of the sun and took her attention, her hand grabbing the crucifix she'd kept as a constant companion.

Stop that.

Damn his voice. Was he actually talking in his sleep or had his (concerned?) warning permanently imprinted itself in her head? Sighing in exasperation at the way she was acting, Kathryn placed the cross back down.

"And where do you think you're going?" a sleepy, amused voice startled her.

"Last time I checked, I didn't have to inform you of my whereabouts."

His eyes were still puffy from sleep, but he looked gorgeous even in the morning. He stretched his arms and yawned, his washboard abs partially covered by the sheets. "So was it good for you as it was for me? Personally, I didn't think the sex was as great as I thought it would have been. Some of the insipid debutantes I've fucked might even teach you a lesson or two."

She caught the momentary urge to throw something big and heavy that might smack him right on his annoying face but resisted and instead opted to roll her eyes. "Either shut up or get out of my room."

Sebastian got off the bed, a contrite smile on his handsome, sleepy face. "You know I love annoying you." He replied, burying his face in her hair as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Apparently so." She glanced at their reflection and wasn't at all frightened at what she saw. Had the world somehow turned up and over, screwed itself senseless and placed them into an alternate reality in their sleep? "Almost as much as you love Annette?"

She felt him flinch as she said the Virgin's name, "Don't start, Kathryn. It's too fucking early."

"Since when have you gotten the right to tell me what I can and cannot do?" she shoved him, grabbing the silk robe to put on her temporary-less-than-perfect bruised body. "Go crawl back to your room, will you? I have to take a bath. Besides, don't you have to get back to the missus? I believe I hear Mary Poppins calling."

She shut the door in his face, only to be annoyed more as he incessantly followed minutes later with a lascivious smile on his tanned face.

"Sebastian! Get the hell out, you pervert!"

"I thought it was my civic duty as your stepbrother to stand guard in case all those losers whose lives you ruined suddenly jump from behind the closet and try to strangle you… Although a sponge bath could be added to my list of tasks if you ask nicely."

"I'm bruised, not paralyzed moron. Don't your hormones ever rest?"

"Not until they're fully…" his gaze traveled over her delectable body, clearly visible under the water. "satisfied."

"I believe that's what the prissy blonde Goldilocks is for."

He groaned, his face falling. "Must you constantly bring her up?"

"If I recall, I believe the phrase was 'I'm completely infatuated with her.' What's the matter, Valmont? Trouble in paradise so soon? Did you and Mrs. Cleaver disagree on what curtains to hang in your little white house with the picket fence?"

"Nothing okay? I've just been so fucking bored and I needed a distraction!"

Oh, fuck. He realized it as soon as a dark look crossed her smiling, haughty face. Open mouth, put foot in, Valmont. The smile on her face melted away, to be replaced by an especially irate look that could very well embody the phrase 'If looks could kill'.

"A distraction?" she asked, her voice cold enough to freeze the water she was submerged in. "I see. Thank you for clarifying that, Sebastian. Now get the fuck out."

"I didn't mean it like that!" he protested, trying to approach her only to be stopped with a glare.

"You see that hanger that's very well within my reach? If you don't leave within the next five seconds I'm going to make sure that the sharp hook gouges out your eye." The evil look she was giving him caused him to wince, her tone no longer teasing and no longer had that miniscule bit of warmth it had earlier.

He almost groaned in frustration, why did this always happen? Still, he knew when to pursue and when to back off. This was not one of those times wherein he would test the boundaries of her patience because he was well aware that Kathryn didn't make idle threats. "Fine." He shot back, not even bothering to slam the door. "I hope you hit your head while standing up."

"Bye, loser!" she called out, adding to his annoyance. It was too early in the morning to argue with her, but then again, it practically happened on a regular basis so why did he even bother trying?

As soon as Kathryn was finally alone, she sighed and leaned back, the warm water not bringing her the solace she needed.

"I'm not going anywhere."

She heard footsteps from inside her room, oh, for crying out loud doesn't he ever quit? "I said, fuck off, Sebastian!"

The steps stopped, only to be replaced with a slight laughter that clearly wasn't Sebastian's. "I guess we know somebody had a not so good night." Belinda replied, coming into her bathroom to take a seat in front of the glowering Kathryn.

"Oh. It's you."

"That's exactly the kind of heartfelt greeting every sibling looks for." Her gaunt cheekbones were flushed a pale reddish color and her gray eyes unusually bright. Coke, possibly? She gracefully crossed her long legs, smoothing out the creases of her black and white dress with a snide smile on her face. "I ran into a suspiciously half naked Sebastian on my way here… It seems you're ahead of schedule."

"I work fast. What is it you want, Belinda?" She noticed how quickly Kathryn avoided the topic about Sebastian, choosing not to divulge the exact incidents that happened last night. It wasn't a good sign; usually she gloated.

"I want to know when you plan on Annette Hargrove's coup de grace." Her lilting tones sharpened as she watched Kathryn carefully, looking for any signs of mischief that usually came when she was about to strike back.

"Why so curious? Don't tell me you're developing that ludicrous emotion called compassion... Although it has been known the strike the hardest of hearts when it comes to Pollyanna." Just ask my asshole of a stepbrother, she thought to herself.

Her gray eyes shifted away from her inquisition, obviously hiding something. "Not at all. Mother has informed me that little Ms. Hargrove would be joining the modeling for charity event at the Hamptons in three weeks and I wondered if you were planning on making sure Dorothy doesn't make it past the catwalk, so to speak. It would be a waste of space to allot a slot for her if she's too puffy eyed and disgraced to arrive."

"I'll let you know." Kathryn replied, the thought that Annette Hargrove's disgusting middle class body in expensive outfits making her nauseous. "I still have to talk to Blaine."

"That's fine." Her sister sighed, "Are you absolutely sure you want to do this? Sebastian's not going to like it."

"C'est la guerre." Her eyes closed but her lips curved upwards when Belinda finally left. That's war, it cannot be helped.

Kathryn wrapped the silk robe around herself, her feet touching the cold floor as she strolled to her large closet, once again filled with the arduous task of choosing among the thousands of various items of clothing that was most likely worth a small fortune. Something glinted in her peripheral vision and she turned towards her dresser, the large diamond twinkling from the precious platinum and gold ring that looked wonderful on her. Not wanting to be bothered by the nagging thoughts of her confusing situation and seduction with Sebastian, she tried to focus on the cold gleaming feel of the jewelry against her fingers. Something cold for the ice princess. Too caught up in her thoughts, she failed to notice that her door had been opened and someone had walked in.

"La belle dame sans merci." A deep, husky voice filled her ear, causing her to jump in surprise. The beautiful lady without mercy? She almost dropped the ring as she turned around, coming face to face with a smiling, handsome man who bore the aristocratic features and upstanding of a perfect French gentleman. Her mouth must have dropped open because his coffee colored eyes crinkled as he looked down at her, his brown hair recently cut short and his tall, muscular body adorned with the latest Armani suit. While Mathieu De Comte had the same general features of that idiot Court Reynolds, it was clear that the former had the upper hand. Son of billionaire oil tycoon Philippe De Comte and American socialite Sarah Lancaster, he had recently inherited the family business and was in New York for business purposes.

At least it had been for business, until a very disturbing phone call he'd had. In which case, now was an entirely different matter.

What the hell? She quickly recovered her wits before he had a chance to ask what the problem was. She grinned back and wrapped her arms around his neck, hoping the bright smile on her face mirrored his pleased look. "Mathieu."

"Kathryn." He imitated her tone, the smile never leaving his face as his hands slipped inside her robe, gently caressing her body. "You look beautiful."

"I don't even have the proper clothes on."

"Even better." He murmured, taking the ring from her hand and slipping it into her slender finger. "I think this belongs there."

The familiar feeling of his warm hand on hers comforted her in a sense, and as he moved to untie her clothing, Kathryn could feel the anxiety and apprehension she'd felt when Sebastian had touched her the other night melt away. In the past few weeks, she'd felt herself lose and regain control so quickly it was difficult when to see if she was still continuing her final act of war against Sebastian or if she just, like Annette, wanted things back the way they were. On her terms, of course.

"Nothing okay? I've just been so fucking bored and I needed a distraction!"

A distraction? He wanted to see a fucking distraction? Her lithe, smooth body tensed, the few remaining droplets of clear water brushed off by his gentle hands. As Sebastian's words reverberated in her ears, that snide, slightly condescending tone that angered her more than it hurt her, Kathryn realized that she'd been turning into what she'd initially accused Sebastian of in the first place. A damn pussy, and she'd be damned if she was going to fall in the same trap he'd been in. As she kissed Mathieu back, she willed herself to get rid of all the thoughts and waited for that warm, relaxed feeling she'd get right before she'd have sex. When Mathieu's face had contorted with worry at her current state of health, she silenced him by pressing herself against his taut chest. She'd surrendered to the limitations of pain last night, and dammit, she was Kathryn Merteuil for fuck's sake. Pain was irrelevant to her. There was only lust and retribution, hatred and sex.

---

It was nine thirty in the morning and so far, Sebastian was not having a good day.

"Are you coming back to me, Sebastian?" Her sleepy question, the Percoset dulling her thoughts. At least, that's what he wanted to think. Still, despite their argument earlier, he wanted to get back on her good graces. The shift in her usual ice cold personality was what he didn't want to remember simply because it aroused his curiosity more than his lower regions. Finally pulling on one of his trademark long sleeved blue button downs, he grabbed the bouquet of flowers he'd sent the driver to purchase after breakfast and purposely strode to her room. He imagined her smirk when she saw the flowers, her possible first comment being 'Ever the fucking pussy, Valmont. I suppose you also brought heart shaped chocolates?'

He chuckled to himself, imagining how her sneering green eyes would eye him in disdain. Of course, there would be that triumphant half smile on her lips that would tell him otherwise, that would let him know that while it killed him to make the gesture, she was glad he'd made it… Possibly even more so because she hated how Sebastian admitted defeat. He was about to knock when he heard a loud groan coming from inside, and it was that telltale Kathryn's-having-sex groan that caused him to tense. He swallowed thickly and opened the door, his face paling and good mood disappearing as he watched the water from her damp hair run down the back of a handsome, brown haired man he didn't even know. Her silk bathrobe, the same one he'd carefully taken off from her aching body the other day, lay discarded on the floor as Kathryn bit her lip, her hips grinding against the man's lap.

"I missed you." He murmured, echoing the words Sebastian himself had said the day Kathryn was assaulted. She visibly froze and her green eyes opened, finally noticing that her stepbrother was standing there holding a bunch of flowers and a stunned look of disbelief on his face. Any normal woman who got caught having sex would have immediately covered herself up or blushed in embarrassment, but since when has Kathryn ever been any normal woman?

"Nothing okay? I've just been so fucking bored and I needed a distraction!"

His words exactly. She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to make his presence known. Seeing him seemed to anger her more, and she rode the man faster, her moans shuddering throughout the entire room.

"Who said anything about sex? I thought we were over this, Kathryn… I chose Annette, remember?"

"This doesn't change anything."

"Almost as much as you love Annette?"

She stared at him, channeling the anger she'd felt for his betrayal that had burdened her for the past three years. At that point, while staring at Sebastian while he stood paralyzed in front of her, Kathryn had never been more determined to make him feel what it felt like to be stabbed in the back and to have that knife twisted so badly he would still be having nightmares about it by the time he grew old and gray. Pressing her cheek against the man's jaw, she boldly spoke in his ear.

"I love you, Mathieu."

War, Sebastian?

The Bet came back to her with a blinding impact that she felt herself be numbed to the pleasure of sex for a couple of seconds.

"You do get dumped for the innocent little twits."

"She's really getting to you, isn't she?"

"If you must know, yes. I don't know what to do. I can't stand that holier than thou bullshit and yet, I'm completely infatuated with her."

"She shot you down?"

"Exactly the opposite."

"You're telling me you had the chance to fuck her and you didn't? God, are you a chump."

"Tell me all the details."

"It was... Fantastic."

"Oh come on. For her first time?"

"I know. That's the amazing part of it. I mean, it wasn't like Cirque du Soleil acrobatics, just standard missionary stuff, but it was... ah forget it. I'm going to sound like a Hallmark card"

"No, tell me."

"It was... it was like the emotional part outweighed the physical part."

"I want to fuck."

"And I don't."

The crestfallen look on the handsome blonde's face appeared and left so quickly Kathryn thought she'd just imagined it. His blue eyes hardened and his chin was tilted up in defiance, his fingers letting go of the bouquet. The flowers fell to the floor gracefully, its beauty and bright colors mashing together as he raised his foot to crush the petals before storming out of her room.

War.

A/N: Aww I know you guys wanted them to get back together but did you honestly think I would make it that easy? –evil laugh- For those of you who have no clue as to who Mathieu is, he was actually mentioned in chapter 4, but I guess you all just dismissed him as some loser bit player in the story. And the 5 million dollar ring that was mentioned to be worn by that woman in the picture was actually in chapter 6, when Kathryn was contemplating whether to wear the said ring or not… Tsktsk. Things aren't always what they appear… hahaha and J! Woah you're like the only one who noticed. Quite good with the details. ;-) And guys, thanks for the reviews, it's what makes me update faster.

J: Linguistic alchemist? Interesting term, I might explode with pride. Haha, but seriously, I'm glad you liked it.

Katie: Do you really want me to tell you what's going to happen without the extravagant literary shit? Hahaha, but if you really can't wait for the future chapters, just email me and I might be inclined to answer a few of your suspicions…

Sam: You have it in for Mathieu, too? Talk about being a K/S shipper. Lol, and I hope you're having luck with the BtB brainstorming because I WANT AN UPDATE! Damn writer's block!;-)

Nicole: I hope you don't figure it out just yet, because then I'd be severely disappointed. Hahaha, however, just in case you have, I've taken the liberty of adding a few twists and turns along the way.

Whoever wants some spoilers raise their hands… None? Okay. That's good, because I have no idea what happens next.