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Kathryn stretched, a kitten waking from a nap. The bed beneath her was soft, with white silk sheets and a red silk coverlet. She began to purr and opened her eyes.
"You’re awake," he said, glancing at her from the other end of the room.
"You noticed," she replied, stretching her arms above her head sensuously. "You know, that wasn’t a very nice thing to say."
"What? About not wanting you?" Angelus asked, turning to regard her with a smile. Kathryn sat up, pouting.
"Not nice at all." Suddenly she laughed, tossing her head and unfolded her long, bare legs, sliding off the bed. "I’ll just have to change your mind." She walked over to him and slid her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, roughly, then pulling away. "I’m hungry," she announced.
"Why don’t we go out for a bite then, and then you can go home and reassure your sweet cousin that you’re all right," Angelus said. Kathryn shrugged slightly and grabbed her coat off one of the bedposts. She opened the door and walked out into the front room of the mansion. Spike and Drusilla looked up at her, then at Angelus as he followed her out.
"What’s this?" Spike asked. "Bloody Slayer Clone Day?"
"This is Kathryn," Angelus said. "Part of our family. And ironically, Buffy’s too. We’ll be back later."
"Aren’t you going to introduce me?" Kathryn demanded as he started out.
"Oh right. Wheel Boy’s called Spike and that’s Drusilla," Angelus said. The latter began to pout at the offhand tone in his voice. He smiled and grabbed Kathryn’s hand. "Let’s get out of here."
"Gladly," she purred, and followed him into the night.
"Kathryn!" Joyce exclaimed, going to open the door. "What are you doing out there?"
"I got separated from Buffy at the Bronze and I couldn’t find my key," Kathryn lied blithely. Angelus waited behind her, smiling in the shadows.
"Well come in, you must be freezing," Joyce said, stepping aside. Kathryn’s eyes caught Angelus, the dark no obstacle for her un-human senses. She blew him a kiss, and smiled cruelly at Joyce’s back. Now was time for some fun…
"Kathryn!" Buffy cried, spotting her as she entered the living room. "Where’d you go?"
"I got distracted dancing with this guy and then I couldn’t find you!" Kathryn cried. "Did you guys have a good time?"
"Spectacular," Buffy said, a note of sarcasm in her voice. "We’re all upstairs, I was sent down for snacks. Why don’t you go on up? We were all worried, we couldn’t find you." They didn’t know how truly worried Buffy had been…Angelus knew who Kathryn was, and Buffy really wouldn’t put it past him to try something. But Kathryn looked fine, so she was just worrying…she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.
Kathryn ran up the steps, not caring that her hair was tumbling over her shoulders and her skirts were hiked up. Sebastien and Buffy’s friends were gathered in her room. Kathryn didn’t even bother saying hello, just smiled enticingly at Xander, Oz and Sebastien and sat on the bed, kicking her shoes off and letting her skirts ride up on her thighs. Xander was drooling. Her smiled widened until Cordelia began hitting him. Sebastien looked at her appraisingly and their eyes met. His were darker than usual, and there was something unusual there–of course, hers were crueler, less human than ever. Because she wasn’t human.
But she was going to have some fun before they found that out.
"Kathryn," Sebastien drawled. "You look in good spirits."
"Oh I am. I’m wonderful. And it’s so nice to see all of you," she replied lazily. Oz looked away. She gave a little sigh. Xander commenced drooling again. Sebastien just watched her with dark eyes, wondering if she’d finally decided to let the truth be known.
"I’m back!" Buffy announced, entering the room with a bowl of popcorn. She stopped, seeing the tense silence. "What happened here?"
"Nothing," Kathryn said quickly. "Nothing at all." Buffy glanced uneasily around, her eyes catching Sebastien’s.
"Um…I have to get home," Willow said, standing up.
"I’ll drive you," Oz volunteered, standing as well.
"We have to go too," Cordelia said firmly, yanking Xander to his feet. He frowned.
"What? Why?"
"Because," she said icily. "Come on Xander." Kathryn smiled graciously and gave her a little wave.
"Good night Cordelia. Xander." Truly, he was pathetic, but it was nice to make Cordelia and everyone else squirm. A small, temporary amusement true, but there’s was plenty of hours left in the night for others, better kinds of fun.
"I’ll walk you down stairs," Buffy said in a small voice, obviously confused as to what was happening. Kathryn watched them go, then stretched sinuously and lay back on the bed, turning on her side to see Sebastien.
"What are you doing?" he asked. She smiled innocently.
"Whatever do you mean brother dearest?" she inquired, beginning to unbutton the top of her overdress. He watched her, mesmerized.
"You don’t seem overly concerned with the whole goody-two-shoes thing anymore," he replied easily, showing no sign that he was phased by any of her actions. She slid off the bed and stepped close to him.
"What can I say? It was a phase," she purred, taking another step torward him. "I just don’t see the point of hiding what I am anymore. I’ve been changing Sebastien."
"You seem the same to me," he said. She laughed.
"That’s because you know me. Now it’s time for everyone else to get to know me too. I’m sick of hiding. I’m sick of being perfect. I want to have fun."
"Did you win the bet?" Sebastien asked. Kathryn’s mouth curved enticingly.
"Not yet, but tonight. Tommorrow night at the latest. What about you? Is Buffy really as innocent as she seems?" Sebastien didn’t have time to reply, because Buffy came back in the room and frowned at the sight of them very close, Kathryn’s top half unbuttoned.
"What’s going on?" she asked. Kathryn turned away from her stepbrother to her cousin, identical eyes blazing.
"Buffy. Dear, sweet Buffy. What’s up with the clothes?" Buffy glanced down at her knee-length skirt, tank top and cardigan.
"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.
"And the hair," Kathryn went on. "Blond is really out this season, you know. I think maybe red…or black. You could try the vamp look." Buffy stiffened slightly, her lips pressed together.
"Kathryn…" she said uncertainly. "Are you okay?"
"She’s fine," Sebastien said coldly. "She’s just decided to show her true colors."
"True colors?" Buffy asked. Somehow the cold gleam in Kathryn’s eyes and the cruel smile on her lips reminded her of Angelus, but Sebastien seemed not at all perturbed. Why didn’t he seem perturbed?
"Kathryn’s not exactly what she would have you believe she is. Or maybe she is, now. But she’s not what your mother thinks she is certainly, or your school. She’s not what the world thinks she is."
"And what about you Sebastien?" Kathryn lashed out. "I supposed you’re an angel." Buffy paled at the word and swallowed hard.
"At least I don’t hide what I am," Sebastien said. Kathryn laughed.
"But you do!" she cried. "But you are. Shall I tell Buffy all about you? Would that make you happy? Why are you giving me that look Sebastien? Why should you care?" Sebastien grabbed one of Kathryn’s wrists but she pulled it away easily. She walked to her suitcase, flipped it open and pulled out a few of her more provocative outfits, all black.
"I’ll be seeing you," she said. "Why don’t you be nice boys and girls and tell Aunt Joyce something." Buffy was still staring with wide-eyed shock. Sebastien looked resigned, if anything. Kathryn kissed Buffy’s cheek and ran a clawed hand across Sebastien’s cheek before leaving the room, a bag over her shoulder. Joyce was nowhere to be seen, so she simply walked out the front door and into the darkness, where Angelus waited to hear of her success.
"So you’re saying Kathryn’s always been like this?" Buffy asked, sitting down on her bed with a thump. Sebastien nodded.
"As long as I’ve known her. She uses people and then discards them; twists them to her purposes, to her lies. She’s a coke addict, it’s in that silver cross she wears all the time. When she’s in the bathroom, she’s probably snorting cocain. She’s a slut too, she just doesn’t let it get out," Sebastein said, looking slightly disturbed himself. But only slightly.
"And you never told anyone?" Buffy asked. He shook his head, walking to the window and staring out.
"Who would I tell? Everyone believes she’s perfect anyway. And it doesn’t hurt me."
"But-but–" Buffy spluttered for a second, then stopped. "Why now? What happened?" Sebastien shrugged.
"I don’t know. She finally burst. She’s had enough, I guess. She said she was changing. Do you really want to talk about this?" he asked suddenly in a burst. Buffy blinked.
"What else would we–" and then it hit her. They were alone in her room. She stopped and swallowed and licked her lips. He wasn’t looking at her.
"Sebastien, I don’t know what to do around you. You make me feel…like I haven’t felt for a long time. But I’m not ready to feel like that. I don’t want passion or love or any kind of a relationship at all. I just want time and quiet."
"So you’ll hurt us both?" he asked in a rough voice. He turned and she could see tears glimmering in her eyes.
"Sebastien," she whispered, standing and walking towards him. "I’ve hurt so much already. I don’t think I can do this. I don’t think I can trust myself or anyone else again." He looked down at her, his eyes dark and pained and hers bright with hope and despair and unshed tears.
"I can’t be around you then. I need you too much. I–I can’t do this,"
Sebastien said, and with a swift kiss he was out of her room. Buffy bit back
a sob and slowly sat back down on her bed. Kathryn had just…left, for God
knows where. Angel was gone forever. And she couldn’t let Sebastien in.
ending #1 of part 8
or ending #2 of part 8
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