All This History We've Written

Part I : Origins

". . . the companions of our childhood always possess a certain power over our minds which hardly any later friend can obtain"

– Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

Security Blankets

For as long as Kathryn could remember, Sebastian Valmont had been a part of her life. Sometimes she wondered how things might have been different had they not been so close or even met at all. Certainly she would not be the same person she is today. Had it not been for Sebastian she just might have turned into that perfectly molded, air head debutante her mother so desperately wanted her to be. She might have had a closer relationship with Bianca. She might have even been able to have a normal, committed relationship with a man. One thing is for certain; her life would have been much simpler.

For that fact alone she was endlessly grateful that Sebastian was indeed a part of her life.

Still, their life together wasn't always so complicated. Before Annette, before Johnny, Eve, David and all their other conquests, before the deaths, before their…fallout, before everything went to shit things had been simple. Their world was black and white with very little grey to get in the way. It was just them against the world. But everyone has to grow up sometimes and even them, who saw themselves as being above everything and everyone, weren't immune. Some things you just can't avoid no matter how hard you try.

Kathryn didn't recall their first meeting, but then again she wasn't even one when it happened. Sebastian's Aunt Helen would later tell them about the summer their family's stayed at her estate on the island. She described the afternoons their mothers (which Kathryn interpreted to mean their nannies, as she had no recollection of her mother ever holding her, let alone playing with her) had put them in the sand box together. Of course Bianca was there too but for whatever reason it had been Kathryn he had latched on to. They had been inseparable that whole afternoon.

"And when your parents tried to pull you apart you cried and cried…"

"Maybe I was just hungry. Did anyone think of that?" Seven year old Sebastian grumbled to his aunt as she relayed the story for the hundredth time.

"I don't think so dear. Every time we tried to separate the two of you, both of you would scream and carry on. My, your poor parents must have gone through a dozen nannies each."

The pair in question smiled evilly at each other as they sat side by side in the bed, likely recalling all the hell they had given their caregivers in the past. Underneath the covers they locked fingers.

"I still think you're exaggerating Aunt Helen"

"Oh? Need I remind you of your first word young man?"

Sebastian's first word had been appropriately enough, "Kat". The Valmont's had an old cat, Tilly, for years but Edward and Annabelle had known that wasn't the Kat he was referring to. While his father found this bond between the children strange, his mother found it charming.

On the other hand Kathryn's first word was "chun". No one knew what the hell that was supposed to mean. At first Tiffany thought she might have been referring to their former Korean chauffer but he had only been employed by the Merteuil's for a few months so surely it couldn't be that. Kathryn continued to scream and cry "chun" until her father, who normally barely acknowledged her pointed out, "She's trying to pronounce that Valmont boy's name."

It might have been at this point that Tiffany Merteuil went from viewing Sebastian as a charming playmate to a viable threat to her relationship with her daughter. While the beautiful older woman might not have been mother of the year she did love her daughter in her own way and was desperate to be close to her. With Kathryn however this became impossible. She resisted her mother every step of the way. Any attempts at a relationship were rebuffed. Tiffany would try to touch her and Kathryn squirmed, she'd try to make conversation and the child would ignore her. It was as if at some point Kathryn had decided to shut her heart off to anyone that wasn't Sebastian.

Tiffany would then have to settle for Bianca. Somehow, over the years she had become the substitute daughter, the spare if you would. Kathryn refused her so their mother turned to her whenever she had an itch to bond with her daughter and she was shut down by her first choice. However, this attention was always half-hearted and even at an early age Bianca could see it. Kathryn was always the first choice and part of her blamed Sebastian for this. If what Helen said was true, he chose Kathryn and maybe because of this everyone followed suit. There must be something special about this girl if even a toddler can sense it.

If it had been up to Tiffany or even Bianca at that point the relationship between the two would have come to and end. Unfortunately for them what Kathryn wanted Kathryn got. From an early age whenever she was refused something or as often the case someone, she would throw a temper tantrum the likes of which was rarely seen even in the most pampered of children. She could scream, oh could she scream, not to mention break things.

Her mother one year refused to go to the Rosemond estate and Kathryn broke her eighteen century mink vase. When she told her daughter Sebastian couldn't come to their Christmas party she tossed her diamond tennis bracelet down the garbage disposal. Tiffany put her foot down on the young boy coming to Greece with them on their family vacation so Kathryn locked the nanny in the wine cellar and refused to tell them where she was until they agreed to take Sebastian.

Needless to say the Merteuil's spent every summer at the Rosemond estate and Sebastian attended every party and every vacation with them. He was like Kathryn security blanket. Most children carted around a piece of baby blanket or a stuffed toy, for her it was a blond curly haired boy with blue eyes and pouty lips.

Kathryn, who had always found her mother to be annoying and suffocating and her twin sister a virtual stranger and her father non-existent, Sebastian was the closest thing to security and love she had ever known.

They continued on with their idyllic childhood, spending summer's in the country and their winters in the city where they attended the same grammar school (Kathryn of course refused the same sex school her mother tried to put her in) and went on holidays together. All the while Bianca would tag along and try to be part of their world but she was continually rebuffed.

"Well I'm coming too"

Kathryn, who even at the tender age of seven, had an icy stare that could make any adult shiver and take a step back. She sent one such glance in her sister's direction. "No, you're not"

"But mother said you have to bring me along"

This brought a curt laugh. "Mother is not the boss of me now go play with Leticia and leave us alone."

"Sebastian, can I come?"

The beautiful young boy had always been slightly more pleasant to her than her sister but not in this instance. "Sorry Binks but we can't risk it"

"Risk what?"

"Risk you opening your big stupid mouth to mother like always," Kathryn huffed impatiently. "Now get lost, this is our thing. You're not invited"

Bianca was never invited on one of their adventures so she did what her sister predicted and went to tell their mother.

Everything changed for the children when they turned eight thanks to an event that would permanently scar forever one half of the amazing duo.

- to be continued