A/N: This isn't as intense as the last chapter, so I'm sorry about that. It also features very fast scenes, seeing as how things are happening so quickly that if I took the time to describe everything, I'd go nuts.

Chapter 22: Great Winds Are Coming

"Interesting. Great winds are coming, Matthew, and darkness, and much pain. Do you see? One of the skerries is dying... I fear only grief can be the outcome."

-Dream, in SANDMAN #32: "Slaughter on Fifth Avenue"

A shrill ringing pulled her out of the dreamless slumber she'd been having. The thick curtain of dark brown hair swayed gently as Kathryn let out a sleepy sigh, her body refusing to join reality at such an early time but the persistent sound of her cell phone didn't let her mind return to its state of rest.

"Sebastian, can you get that?" she murmured in annoyance, her eyes still closed as she shoved him on the chest. She received no reply. Assuming he was in too deep of sleep, she tried to drown out the annoying sound, but it still didn't work.

Her green eyes finally shot open, "Sebastian! Answer the fucking phone!"

His chest was covered in a red sheet, Sebastian's handsome face still, pale and lifeless. It took a moment for her disorientation to wear off when she realized that the sheets weren't red last night.

Oh, God. She opened her mouth to scream but there was no sound. Her trembling hand, the one that had tried to get him to move earlier, was damp in his blood.

"Sebastian," she said desperately, pulling off the blankets only to find a single stab wound on his upper left chest. The entire bed was cold and the mattress stiff from the stain, she felt her entire body succumb to panic and then reach hysteria.

"Somebody help!" she screamed while she held his shoulders and shook him, the drops of salty tears from her panicked eyes temporarily increasing the temperature of his cold body.

"Please wake up." She sobbed, once again praying to a god she'd never believed in to let her stepbrother open his blue eyes. His stiff body felt heavy and his head was cradled on her lap. Kathryn rocked back and forth, pleading and screaming. A part of her wanted to run out and get help, but the other part, the part she despised and understood, knew that he was gone and she just wanted to stay with him even though he'd left her. Again. But this time, he wasn't coming back.

The door opened and she looked up to find Mathieu approaching her with a grim look in his golden eyes.

"You did this?" she gasped, gaping at him.

"It's just like you planned." He answered softly, reaching out to her. "It's time, Kathryn. Our flight to Bordeaux leaves in half an hour."

"DON'T TOUCH ME! I never told you to kill Sebastian!"

"I didn't." he murmured calmly while she glared at him with rage.

She let go of Sebastian and scrambled off the bed only to hear a clatter on the floor as a silver knife fell from the bed. Her hands suddenly hurt, and it was then that she realized it wasn't just his blood on her hand. There were angry markings on her palm that came from the intricate carvings of the knife's handle resulting only by tightly gripping it.

Her fiancé watched her, "I didn't kill him." He repeated. "You did."

"You're lying!"

"You wanted his heart to bleed for you. For rejecting you, remember? Now it's done."

She launched herself at him, hands clenched into fists as she beat against Mathieu's broad chest, pummeling at him with everything she had. "I didn't want that anymore!"

He didn't seem to get hurt at her punches and only pulled her in, "It's too late, Kathryn."

"It's too late, Kathryn..."

"Too late…"

The sound of the door closing caused her green eyes to open and Kathryn Merteuil sat up, her hands still clenched from the nightmare she'd had. The bed was empty, there was no Sebastian in it, but the sheets weren't red either.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite stepsister." He drawled, smiling at the sight of the gorgeous brunette sitting up on the bed. "I would've brought you lunch, but I knew you'd just throw it up so I didn't bother."

Ignoring the dig, she jumped off the bed, wincing at Sebastian's poor choice of color for his clothing today. His shirt was red. Blood. Knife. Death. Stab. Her hands ripped the shirt open, the buttons flying in all directions while it exposed his muscular chest and she quickly touched the part where he had been stabbed in her dream.

Oblivious to her peculiar behavior, he only chuckled, his hands on her small waist. There was a happy twinkle in his crystal blue eyes that she'd never seen before, "You know, if you wanted sex, you should have just said so. I know this is a new shirt but I would have gladly taken it off at your request."

She heaved out a heavy sigh, once again doing something unlike her as she hugged him tightly, "You're alive."

"The coke was a bitch, but yes. And besides, I have no plans of dying anytime soon. I still have to steal you from Mathieu and kick old man Merteuil's ass, remember?" He was puzzled at her behavior, but the contented half grin never left his handsome face as he breathed the scent of her brown hair.

"Where'd you go?" she mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes when he smiled at her earnest expression again. Strangely enough, from this point of view, Kathryn looked like a little kid.

"Back to the hotel to get changed, I didn't want to run into your psycho fiancé and your insane sister so instead of going to the hotel where you were staying so I took the liberty of buying you some new clothes." He gestured to the various shopping bags scattered on the floor, there was a joking gleam in his eyes. "For some reason, the salesladies were all very eager to… pleasure me. They all gave very good… oral advice, as you can see; I ended up buying quite a lot."

Kathryn shoved him and he cried out in indignation, "You man-whore."

He clutched his chest in mock hurt, "I am not. I didn't even agree to a ménage trois like that cute blond haired chick said when they were modeling the lingerie I bought for you… Although I must admit you would have looked better in it than any of them."

"Well, you should've agreed to it. That might have given me ample time to go give Mathieu a call and arrange for a little get together right here in my father's house…"

Sebastian lost his mirth, frowning at her reply. "That's not funny."

She smiled, pouting teasingly. "Is somebody jealous?"

"Is somebody being a bitch?"

"Is somebody willing to join me in the bath?"

His red lips formed a small O and his frown deepened, "Tough call. I'll have to think about that."

She chuckled and began rifling through his purchases, all containing the latest and most expensive in fashion. "Now, let me get this straight. You go shopping for women's clothing, blush while you're talking to Blaine, and now you have to think about whether or not you're going to join me in taking a bath? Careful, Valmont, I'm starting to think you might have a lot more in common with Greg McConnell than you thought."

"Well, ask those scrumptious young things at Victoria's Secret and I'm sure they're willing to testify otherwise."

Kathryn was admiring the black lace underwear set when she stopped for a moment to glare at him threateningly, "You didn't really fuck any of those French hoes, did you?"

"Now who's jealous?"

"Now who's being a pain in the ass?"

He grinned and came up from behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her bare waist. "I kind of like you better without clothes on."

"Yes, and while the majority of the male population would also prefer that, we don't always get what we want, do we?" The underwear she'd been admiring dropped on the floor as Kathryn felt his lips on her neck. "Hmm, that feels nice."

"I can think of about a hundred other things that would feel better." He murmured in reply, his hand creeping steadily between her thighs. "And just so you know, I didn't fuck any salesladies…"

"I know." She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from groaning at Sebastian's ministrations. "You're insanely devoted to me, blah…" she gasped as he nipped at her neck, "Blah… Blah…"

"Insanely devoted would be too strong a word, don't you think?"

"Well, I do recall a certain impromptu proposal last night…" Kathryn answered coyly, her hips swaying against his groin.

"And I do recall somebody saying yes…" Sebastian gave a loud groan when she decided to return the favor.

"Perhaps I've changed my mind…"

He stopped touching her, "Have you?"

Kathryn turned around, chuckling at his serious expression. "Join me in that tub and I might consider giving you an answer."

"Bitch." He called out as the bathroom door shut. As soon as he heard the water run, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a ring, examining it under the light and smiling to himself while the diamond glinted.

---

"Admit it, Mathieu. It all backfired, didn't it? You lost, I won." Belinda came up to him, seated in his office, where he'd fallen asleep waiting for Kathryn to call. Massaging his shoulders tantalizingly, she chuckled. "I own you now."

"I love you, my little Lolita." He replied, but he pulled away from her, "But you will never own me."

Belinda flinched, "Our deal, or have you forgotten?"

"Has she left me yet?"

"No, but it's only a matter of time. You made sure of that with your little stunt yesterday."

He lifted the phone off its hook, "Then nobody has won yet. Go away, I need some privacy."

While the eldest Merteuil strolled out of the room nonchalantly, she heard him laugh through the phone.

"Hi, Nina, it's Mathieu."

Belinda was about to go out for a walk when she heard him make another call, and she froze at his words. Her heart started pumping with fear, anger and worry, grabbing the keys of the rental car; she slammed the door and never looked back.

There was a meeting to be attended to.

---

Being under the employment of a high profile family such as the Merteuils had taught Madame Meraux to see, but never to talk to about. She had been unknowingly privy to the personal lives of the wealthy and sometimes, she truly despised having had to witness some of the things she had. However, as soon as Kathryn's brunette head appeared from the hallway, Madame Meraux had been glad she'd stayed for as long as she did.

In the midst of the long days of emotional and spiritual darkness that had haunted the Merteuil mansion, there was an unbelievable light coming from their youngest. The most beautiful smile was on her pink lips; her dark green eyes weren't sad and haunting as they were before, but rather open and contented. Sebastian had an arm around her small waist, the same look on his relaxed face.

It was odd… Almost as if they were…

"Good morning, Madame Meraux." Sebastian greeted the old lady, giving her a charming smile that she could only surmise had probably caused thousands of other girls to squeal inwardly.

Kathryn's cell phone rang for the millionth time since yesterday, all calls coming from Mathieu. Her eyes momentarily clouded over and she and her handsome stepbrother exchanged a look.

"Ignore it." He said, kissing her forehead and grinning endearingly. "Or tell him to go fuck himself."

"How about I take this call now and you can go fuck me later?" Kathryn chuckled teasingly, her jade eyes narrowing at his suggestive expression.

"Deal." Sebastian quickly said, sitting down at the table while the food was being served as Kathryn went outside to talk to Mathieu.

"I've never seen her so happy." Madame Meraux commented, setting the other dishes down.

She found herself staring into the bluest eyes she'd ever seen in all her years. Sebastian folded up the sleeves of his shirt and a small smile reached his lips. "If you knew me as long as you did Kathryn, you'd say the same thing about me."

"Don't hurt her, Mr. Valmont. The girl's been through enough during her stay here… Both the Merteuil girls have."

His gaze wavered when the swinging door opened and Mimi was caught staring at him with an adoring look in her dark eyes. A smirk made its way on Sebastian's face and he raised a dark blond eyebrow to the young maid. "Bonjour, Mimi." He called out and Madame Meraux shot him a intimidating glare that strangely reminded him of Kathryn's.

"I presume you have a history with women?" she said sharply, like a mother protecting her innocent young from a predator. His smirk could only deepen, Kathryn was far from innocent.

"A little."

Of course, if Madame Meraux were back in New York City and was able to listen to the other young girls there, a little would be an understatement. But she hadn't helped raised Kathryn and Belinda without picking up their knack to read through one's answers. Sebastian was lying, and it didn't really take her astute observation skills to see. Being a Valmont and being as handsome as he was, she knew very well that Sebastian more than his fair share of women in his lifetime. She was just concerned that Kathryn would be one of them. Madame Meraux wasn't aware that her favorite Merteuil girl was now very much capable of cutting his balls off and serving them for breakfast if he had indeed hurt her, but he didn't correct Madame Meraux. It was kind of nice to have someone still see Kathryn that vulnerable.

"And your intentions for Kathryn? I know all about young men like you, Mr. Valmont."

Kathryn stepped into the dining room, her expression dark after talking to her fiancé. The first one, that is.

"You have nothing to worry about, Madame Meraux." He paused, staring at the beautiful dark haired woman thoughtfully. "I love her."

Kathryn's expression changed as she shot a surprised look at Sebastian and Madame Meraux left the two with a satisfied grin.

"Pussywhipped." She commented, challenging him with a teasing stare as she brushed her dark hair back.

"Oh? Would you rather I return to my bed hopping ways and screw Mimi?"

"Only if you wish to die a slow and painful death."

"Careful, Kathryn, I'm starting to think jealousy is very unbecoming of you."

"Who said I was jealous?"

"You're not?" he stood up, raising his eyebrows. "Okay, because Mimi's actually quite fond of me…"

Kathryn's green gaze narrowed, "Don't… you… dare…"

Sebastian slowly pushed the seat forward and made his way to the kitchen, his eyes still trained on Kathryn, who was now glaring at him with utter contempt.

"Admit it or I'll fuck her."

"Admit what?" she scoffed, crossing her arms in defiance. "I've got nothing to admit, Valmont."

"That the color of your eyes resembles the emotion you're feeling right about now."

She rolled her eyes, "No." She paused, leaning forward to pick up the fork. "Go ahead. Fuck her. Just take a bath when you're done, I don't like you all sloppy."

Oh, she wanted to play that game? He might love her, but he still loved annoying her. Sebastian shrugged, "Fine."

He noticed Mimi wiping the table with a small cloth, her fair blond hair tumbling down her back. Interesting. There was now silence in the dining room where Kathryn had been eating and he smiled, wondering how far it could go.

"You've got killer legs." He commented, and in no time, Mimi was practically begging him to take her clothes off. He held off as long as he can, wondering when the hell…

"Sebastian. Put. The. Girl. Down." Her voice frosty, hands on her hips, and the unmistakable look of annoyance and jealousy on her beautiful face.

"Not until you say it."

Kathryn let out a frustrated scream, the same eye gouging look she'd given Mathieu now fully directed to him. "Fine! I'm jealous! Now put her down before I use that knife over there to shove up your arrogant lascivious ass."

God, it was ridiculous for him to feel as happy as he was at her admittance. Was it possible for him to actually stop smiling that day? The handsome dark blond haired man finally put a humiliated Mimi down and he offered her a sympathetic look. "If it's any consolation, Mimi, if the circumstances were different, I would've fucked you."

"Fuck off." Kathryn sneered at the girl, who scrambled out of the kitchen.

"Now, that wasn't very nice." Sebastian frowned in disapproval, "I was just merely stating a point."

"What, you're engaged for less than a day and you're already molesting the help? You're hardly the poster boy for nice."

"Well, if you had just stopped being the hardheaded bitch you are, then we wouldn't have had to include poor Mimi in this." He came up to her and picked her up, surprised at how light she was. "Now, this jealousy concept… I'm very much curious about this peculiar emotion the great Kathryn Merteuil has suddenly acquired."

"I hate you." She muttered, not really hating him at all as he leaned in and kissed her.

"I love you." He replied, noticing how she differently she smiled whenever he'd said it.

"Like I said," she sighed, breathing near his ear while she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Pussy-fucking-whipped. Now what am I going to do with you? You're so pathetic."

"You wouldn't be interested in a little foreplay with Mimi, now would you?"

She bit his lip lightly, "Not on your life. I hate sharing you."

"Now you know how it feels to see with you that that creepy fuckhead."

"Now you know how it felt to watch you fall all over Dorothy." She shot back, glaring once again at the mention of Annette's name and the reference to The Bet.

"I wish we'd never made that fucking bet."

"Me too." Although she wished she'd never made any kind of bet. "Now shut up and fuck me."

---

The intercom at the Merteuil gates buzzed once again, and Madame Meraux answered it.

"This is Mathieu De Comte, Kathryn's fiancé. Please open the fucking gates."

---

Where was his employer? The man scratched his newly shaven jaw, his eyes were red from the contact lenses and truthfully, he just wanted to get the entire thing over and done with. This was, by far, one of the craziest jobs he'd ever had.

A knock on the door sobered him up, and he quickly ran to the door of the sleazy motel. When he opened the door, he found himself staring at the end of a pistol aimed right at his face.

"Hello, 'Papa.'" Belinda said sweetly, her gray eyes glinting with extreme malevolence. "Shall we have a talk?"

---

They say that when you're in love, everything just seems brighter, the colors more vivid, and life just seems to get better.

For Sebastian and Kathryn, there were none of those things. The only things they noticed (if they even noticed at all, given the fact that they couldn't get their hands off each other) were the discarded clothing on the floor, and the world didn't seem brighter, in fact, it was just the same thing. The sounds they heard weren't of birds chirping as the clichéd saying goes; it was only the steady thumping of the wooden bed against the paneled walls and the occasional moan coming from either of them.

"You think we could… Ahh…" he gasped as he felt her fingernails rake across his back. "Christen all the rooms and desecrate your ancestral home by… Fuck…"

"Fucking?" she finished for him, her eyes half lidded.

He could only nod wordlessly as she continued to move against his crotch, the splendor of her naked body not escaping his admiring blue eyed stare. "God, I love you, you evil bitch."

"Talking…" she moaned when he started fingering her, those green amazing eyes of hers rolling back in bliss, "…dirty again?"

"Not at all, just merely stating a known fact." She gave a surprised yelp when he flipped her over, his longer golden curls hitting his smiling ocean colored eyes. "Your turn."

She shook her head, "No."

"No?"

Smiling like she never thought she would, Kathryn took particular delight in teasing him. "I'm not as pathetic as you, Valmont."

His striking features deepened into a scowl and he pulled out of her, stepping off the bed and trying not to chuckle when Kathryn watched him in stunned surprise. "Really? Well, perhaps Mimi will find the pathetic trait endearing."

"Hey, come back, you fucking asshole!" a breathless Kathryn demanded, staring daggers at him for being such a jerk. "I was so close!"

"Say it, you hardheaded bitch."

She gave an annoyed sigh, proceeding to pull a non resisting Sebastian along with her. Her eyes flickered over his muscular form hungrily, a smile threatening to peek through her lips when their eyes met. "Fine. I love you, now can we cut through the bullshit and just stop bringing that damn maid up?"

"I love you? I know there's such a thing as familial love, but this is just pushing it."

They both froze at the sound of Mathieu's voice and Sebastian could see her eyes lose the smile it held the night before.

"Fuck off, De Comte." His protective instincts came in and he covered Kathryn up with a sheet.

"Fuck you, Valmont." There was no trace of easy going kindness on Mathieu's handsome face. He was cold and impassive, his golden eyes trained only to his fiancé, who didn't shrink away from the intensity of his gaze. "This has gone too far, Kathryn. You've made your point; now let's go back to the hotel."

It was just like in her dream, the same setting, only Sebastian was alive and Mathieu didn't reach out to her with his usual warmth. Kathryn felt a prickle of fear run through her like a sudden gust of wind, but she didn't show it. Sebastian's hand was on top of hers and he gave her a reassuring squeeze, his blue eyes blazing with hatred for the scowling man standing in front of them.

"No." Kathryn replied coldly, the mere feeling of her stepbrother's hand on hers oddly giving her the push she needed to set Mathieu straight.

The brown haired businessman's gaze never wavered as he grabbed the discarded bathrobe and tossed it on the bed, his features twisting in disgust. "Get dressed or I'll tell him."

"Tell me what?"

She cast him an almost pleading look that made Sebastian nervous, "Fuck you, Mathieu." She whispered, before turning back to Sebastian, the happiness twinkling in her green eyes were now diminished.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, withdrawing her hand from his and stood up, wrapping the robe around her frail body.

"What? What the fuck is going on? Don't tell me you're leaving with that guy!"

"Well, she is getting dressed, isn't she?" Mathieu replied, deadpanned.

The handsome blonde wrapped the sheets around his torso, his fists clenched in anger. "Can you give us a second, De Comte?"

"Like I would." He sneered, but then Kathryn placed a hand on his tanned wrist and Sebastian watched in fascination as Mathieu's frown softened when he caught Kathryn's unreadable gaze.

"Please," She said calmly. "You know I'm leaving with you."

"Like hell you are!"

"Five minutes." Mathieu relented, stepping out of the room while Sebastian could only gape at her, bewilderment written all over his face.

"You can't honestly tell me you prefer him over me."

"It's beyond my control." She replied numbly, inwardly wishing Mathieu would just disappear. Grabbing her clothes on the floor, she started getting dressed, trying hard not to look at Sebastian because it was killing her to watch him so confused.

He grabbed her wrist angrily, a look of quiet desperation written in his pleading blue eyes. "Don't go. What can I do? Just tell me, you want me to beat the living daylight out of that asshole? I will. You want to go back to New York right now? We'll go, just don't leave. Don't leave again."

Damn him. She yanked her arm from his rough handling, grateful that her emerald irises were very much capable of putting up walls between the turmoil of emotions she was feeling at that moment. "It's not you, it's me." She began, not knowing that she was using the same speech Sebastian had used on Annette years ago. "I'm completely fucked up."

"Kathryn, look at me. You can't expect me to believe that bullshit. I said that to Annette, you can't tell me that crap."

"It's not crap!" she stepped into her dress, her gaze still averted from him. "I just- I just wanted to repay old debts. You won the wager, remember? Now I don't owe you anything and things are as they should be."

"STOP LYING TO ME!" he yelled, throwing a priceless antique to the floor in one angry smash. "Do you love him?"

She paused a long time before answering, "Yes."

"And me?"

She picked up her shoes and sat down to put them on, and was it just him or were her hands shaking as she fixed the straps?

"It would have never worked out." She replied, the transition from actual human to unfeeling bitch almost complete. "Did you honestly think everybody would just accept us fucking, let alone getting married? We'd be the laughingstock of society, Sebastian. That's just fucked up."

"Yeah," he sneered, hating and loving her more than ever. A part of him wanted to wring her neck to squeeze out those fucking lies she was spouting, the other part wanted to grab on to her, to breathe in the scent of her hair and just stop her from leaving him again. "You and your precious reputation, how could I have forgotten? That's all you ever really cared about, isn't it?"

"If you want to think that way, yes. Anything to get you through this fucking day, Sebastian."

"I hate you." He whispered, feeling hollow as she finally fixed him an unwavering stare. "I fucking hate you."

There was a momentary lapse of painful grief in those mysterious eyes, but in a flash, it was gone. It was replaced with a gaze he knew well, that of hidden emotions, the placid cold mask of the ice princess now in its place.

"Goodbye, Sebastian."

The two words she'd last said to him three years ago echoed into the room with haunting taunts, and even though she was gone, her voice still remained, mocking him.

"I just wanted to repay old debts"

"Now I don't owe you anything and things are as they should be."

"It wouldn't have worked out."

"It's not you, it's me. I'm completely fucked up."

"It's beyond my control."

"Yes, I'll marry you."

"Fine! I'm jealous!"

"I wish we'd never made that bet."

"Me too."

"I love you, Sebastian. God help us both."

There was something glinting on the floor and he picked it up, swallowing thickly as his eyes focused on the cold ring that felt strangely warm in his numbed fingers.

---

"Happy?" Her gaze was focused on the passing scenery as the limo went through the streets smoothly. She felt Mathieu's hand on hers but she jerked it away, glaring at him with utmost hatred even though his brown eyes were so sad.

"I underestimated your connection with him." He said softly, hiding his reaction at her hateful glare. "I apologize, Kathryn. I should have never allowed it to go too far. Besides, you didn't think he'd never betray you again, did you? He loves you for now, Kathryn, but what about when the next Annette Hargrove comes along and his interest is piqued?"

"Shut the fuck up, Mathieu. I hate you."

"Things will get better, you'll see." He answered confidently, his golden brown eyes staring at her and he was just overcome with the desire to touch her and erase every trace of Sebastian's remnant on her and in her. He truly regretted ever agreeing to her plan of revenge, possibly more than she did. "I bought the chateau for you. We can go there, if you want." Mathieu said, trying to incite some sort of mirth into his fiancé.

She remained silent for a couple of minutes, her pink mouth pursed and sad eyes staring out, wishing she were somewhere else. Finally, she fixed her gaze at him and what she said didn't exactly reassure Mathieu. He was losing her.

"Keep it. I don't want it anymore. If you bring me there, I'll burn the fucking place down."

---

The minutes were slowly passing by so slowly, and she silently willed for the fucking clock to cut her some slack by quickening its pace. Kathryn stole a peek from her room, where she had locked herself in ever since she got back. Mathieu was in his office, going through some papers and Belinda was nowhere to be found, even though her sister wasn't the one who'd come barging into the Merteuil mansion, she hated Belinda as well. Somehow she wished the gray eyed blonde was getting stalked by the paparazzi while she was snorting some drug.

Kathryn was bitter. She was angry at herself, resentful at this fucking situation she was now in, but most of all, she was worried. Sebastian was not the most rational person in the world, and after all that she'd said to him, there was a likely chance he'd do something either harmful to himself, extremely moronic, or something both at the same time. She had been trying to call him up, but he'd turned his cell phone off and since then, she'd been waiting impatiently for Mathieu to fall asleep or at least leave before Belinda came home. God knew how fucking loyal Belinda was to Mathieu and she couldn't risk that.

"Come on…" she murmured impatiently, thinking what she could possibly say to Sebastian to make him forget what happened earlier.

A half hour passed, and she finally decided that she couldn't wait any longer. Stealthily sneaking out of the suite, her gaze was too focused on the waiting elevator to notice a very familiar looking man with striking green eyes and dark hair headed toward the hotel room she'd been in.

---

It was in moments like these that Sebastian Valmont had truly wished his priorities still included acquiring as many conquests as he could.

"Poor baby…" the gorgeous red haired woman he'd brought back to the hotel frowned at his expression, running a long red fingernail across his smooth cheek. "I'll make it go away."

He tried to gaze at her as her head bobbed down, but all he realized was that he'd picked the perfect distraction for the night. Red haired. This woman didn't remind him of sweet and virginal Annette Hargrove, who'd destroyed his relationship with Kathryn three years ago, and it didn't remind him of Kathryn, who'd picked him up only to throw him further and just probably watch in delight along with that idiot fiancé of hers as he tried to claw his way out of the hell she'd placed him in. His breath reeked of alcohol, his tongue thick and refused to move. The normally put together Valmont was slurring, his thoughts disarray from the coke he and… What was her name again? Naomi? It was something that started with an N…

Oh, yes. Nina. That was it. He leaned back against the leather armchair, faintly hearing his zipper go down and feeling her warm hand slip through his boxers. Sex to numb the fucking feelings he should never have felt towards a woman he should never have gotten involved with. That was how it had been before, right? Just a mindless, challenge deprived life of women and wealth, but then she came along and elevated everything to an art form. Sex became a mind game, and the need to feel something became a joke to her. He would have laughed out loud at his strange eagerness to get her approval, but he was disgusted at himself for being like a dog begging for her affection when he should have known she was incapable of any kind of affection save maybe the way she would stare at the bloody carcass of her manipulations.

"You'll make it go away, huh?" he grinned flirtatiously, trying to bask in the glow of her naked body rubbing against his chest. "How do you propose to do that?"

"I have my ways… So what's her name, honey?" Nina asked, her red lipstick smeared all over his neck while she showered him with teasing kisses.

His irrational, alcohol fueled mind didn't even wonder at the fact at how this woman could have possibly known he was just using her to get back at Kathryn. "It doesn't matter."

"She's an idiot to have let you go…" she gasped, her eyes widening as she got accustomed to his size being inside of her. "I would've never done that."

He groaned, pulling Nina towards him and kissing her, their tongues sensually massaging each other's while she rocked back and forth, the warmth of their joined bodies was exhilarating and far more satisfying than any amount of drug or coke because he was sticking to her. He closed his blue eyes and finally let out a loud laugh, his strong arms gripping her waist tightly.

"Fuck you, Kathryn." He yelled, momentarily thinking he had heard the door open.

Nina obviously got a kick out of it, and while most women would have been puzzled, she was smiling at his anger. "Again." She moaned, going faster.

"FUCK YOU, KATHRYN!" he screamed, and this time, his words hadn't been heard by only Nina and himself. He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on the beautiful, petite woman with long brown hair standing in front of him with a sad and hateful look in her green eyes.

"Kathryn? Are you really here?" he asked, confused.

"Bastard." She whispered before turning to leave. Her cell phone rang, and she answered it to find Belinda's voice shaking.

"Kathryn? It's Mathieu… He's at the hospital… He was nearly killed at the hotel."

A cold feeling of dread made her shiver, and Kathryn remembered all those things that had happened while she'd been in Paris. True, he had blackmailed her into leaving Sebastian, but then again, wasn't it what she did to Sebastian years before? Didn't she also appeal to his reputation in order to get him to dump that twit Annette? And she'd only done it because she would have gone through great lengths to get him back, and she did. Sebastian hadn't appreciated that effort, in fact, he'd just laughed at her. Now someone had tried to do that for her, and no matter how cruel or twisted it might have been, she wasn't going to laugh at Mathieu for attempting to win her back. Climbing into the limo, she saw Sebastian running out of the hotel dressed in his boxers, his fists slamming against the window and a furious yet pleading look in his dazed blue eyes.

"Besides, you didn't think he'd betray you again? He loves you for now, Kathryn, but what about when the next Annette Hargrove comes along and his interest is piqued?"

Fuck you, Sebastian. She sat on the other side of the limo and ignored his protests.

"The hospital, please." She informed the driver, realizing how right Mathieu had been. Granted that she'd said all those things to Sebastian and it might have hurt him, but couldn't he have trusted her enough to wait for her to give him a real explanation before going off to fuck the first woman he saw? Damn him, then. If he wanted things that way, then so be it. The car drove off, and she stared outside as he slowly became smaller and smaller to her eyes… A figment of the past she should have never indulged in.

"Another dream… I despise him for doing this to you."

"Fuck." She whispered, entering the hospital room minutes later to find Belinda seated beside the hospital bed, her gray eyes furious and her hand resting on a sleeping Mathieu's wrist. His lips were dry and parched, a blood stained gauze on his stomach and his handsome face thankfully spared aside from a couple of bruises. She felt guilty at leaving him like that, when he had only tried to help her get the revenge she never should have attempted to do. Her sister was right, she hadn't been ready. Now they were all paying for her ridiculous arrogance.

"Who did this?"

She didn't answer, her doll-like curls moving as she stood up. "I have to go take care of a few things." She replied, kissing Mathieu's cheek. "Don't leave him."

"Kathryn, will you marry me?"

A genuine smile spread across her doll-like features. "Yes."

"He betrayed me. I always get betrayed by men I develop affections for."

"I'll never do that." He paused, smiling at her. "I'll never betray you."

His long eyelashes fluttered open and his golden eyes looked unsettled before resting on the Merteuil siblings.

"I won't." she replied, sitting down beside him.

"My two favorite beautiful women in the world." His voice sounded parched and Kathryn dutifully handed him a glass of water. "Where are you going?"

Belinda didn't answer for a couple of seconds, "To tie up some loose ends."

When she left, Mathieu noticed Kathryn staring at his stomach. "It's not as bad as it seems." He said softly, stroking her hand. "You've come here to tell me it's over, haven't you?"

"No." she was surprised at how strong her voice sounded, and then, she wasn't so surprised. She remembered Sebastian fucking that virgin bitch, and then she remembered watching from the balcony at how affectionate her stepbrother had been towards Annette, giving her the adoring kiss, the whisper of the three words they both usually avoided…

"Yet I'm completely infatuated with her."

"Don't do it, Sebastian."

"I-I'm willing to take my chances."

"Let's do it. Let's get married when we get back to New York."

---

Kathryn opened the television the next day, hoping to get some actual form of entertainment while Mathieu continued to sleep. There was news of an unidentified man with dark hair dumped in the toxic waste factory near one of those seedy motels, his face entirely distorted by the acid splashed on him.

She shuddered, turning the television off. There were truly some sick people in the world.

A/N: Mathieu hating time. Haha. It killed me to write this chapter… But I promised you all that I wouldn't make it so easy. Kay, I'm glad most of you loved the last one. But now I have to work my ass off if I'm going to try to write something like that again. Dammit. I've spoiled you guys. I've used all my powers and I don't think I'll get it back for this story. With that being said, prepare to be disappointed. Hahaha. And guys, thanks for the awesome reviews. It's what keeps me going. I'm trying to write a one shot for now, but be assured that I'm already working on the next update.

Katie: I don't even know what to say. Aside from the usual THANK YOU. Like I said, it's my favorite chapter too. As to your question, I was actually listening to classical music (my favorite for the moment being Moonlight Sonata. It was what Mathieu and Belinda were playing on the piano when Sebastian met Mathieu for the first time) when I wrote that chapter. Dunno if that's any help though. I don't know if I'm born with some extra part of something, (although that might explain a few of my crazy quirks…) I just throw all those deep words into one sentence and they come out looking great. Lol, and literary goddess? That's a first. And no, it's not close to being over. Are you insane? Hahaha! Now we'll watch it all fall down…

Keri: Sorry to disappoint, but as you can see, this chapter is less than spectacular. I admit it. Anyhoo, thanks for your speculations… Hmm… And I'm still awaiting your chapter 11. ;-)

WashedOut: This is probably the nth time I've said thanks, but thanks.

Nicole: Evil's kinda good. In this instance. Haha. as for driving Belinda nuts, I think I'm going to go nuts before her if I continue adding these twists