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The drive to Katelyn’s house was quiet, as neither of them had much to say to each other until, pulling into the driveway, Katelyn finally broke the silence.

“Let me do most of the talking,” she advised cautiously.

Sarah quietly nodded as she stepped out. She couldn’t have possibly known just how close to Nicole’s house she stood, but she had never visited this neighborhood before. All around her, large houses with well-trimmed lawns sat nestled on massive tracts of land with manicured hedges.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?”

Katelyn smiled and approached Sarah, pulling her into a light hug. “Yes, I’m positive. If this doesn’t just completely fuck with them nothing will, but I don’t care. I’m doing this for us.”

“Us,” Sarah echoed. She smiled brightly. “Okay, I’ll follow your lead.”

Sarah clung lightly to Katelyn’s arm as the latter led her up the walkway. Heavy oak doors with high-polished brass knobs, knockers, and hinges stood impossibly tall, carved with intricate flower patterns before them. Katelyn casually shoved one of the doors open, which despite its size, swung freely on its hinges.

Inside Sarah’s low heeled sandals clicked, resonating loudly on the solid hardwood floor. She quickly hopped onto the nearby area rug to muffle the sound, blushing intensely. Katelyn laughed quietly,. “I guess you get used to it,” she added, stamping her heavy boot heel once or twice.

“Ah, it’s you Ms. Katelyn,” an older gentleman dressed in a shirt and tie with a silver vest and dark slacks called from the side-hall of the immediate foyer.

“Yeah, it’s me. Are the parental units even here?”

“The... ‘parental units’,” he echoed with mild amusement, “should be returning shortly. Your father was called in to handle some crisis or other, and since you took the Lexus without their permission - again - your mother drove, so she could be in the area in case of other problems.”

“Hey, they left the keys in the ashtray - again,” she replied, mildly annoyed. “Anyway they’ll get over it. They always do. Oh, Arthur this is Sarah. Sarah, Arthur.”

Arthur nodded toward Sarah, who herself had taken to trying to hide behind Katelyn. Katelyn laughed as she turned back to face her. “What? He doesn’t bite. Sweetie he’s just our butler.”

“Oh,” Sarah answered quietly. “Nice to meet you sir.”

“Please, dear child, call me Arthur. No ‘sirs’ required for this old man,” he added with a smile. “Now if you ladies will excuse me, I believe there is some mold somewhere that needs dusting.”

Sarah cracked a smile, trying not to giggle. Katelyn just shook her head slowly. “That man. He’s a sweet old guy though.”

“Doesn’t it bother you having people wait on you like that?”

“Hell yeah it bothers me,” Katelyn answered. “But try telling ‘Mommy and Daddums’ that,” she sighed. “Anyway, let me give you the grand tour while I still can. For all I know tomorrow I might be out on my ass,” she teased.

“Let’s see, where to start,” Katelyn mused, dragging Sarah along into the dining room area, although ‘room’ would imply a small, enclosed area. What Sarah found was more like a palatial dining hall with marble floors, a long, regal hardwood table lined with matched chairs, and fancy paintings and portraits on the walls, including several of people named in plaques on their frames.

“Wow, she looks like you,” Sarah pointed to a painting of a woman in a Victorian gown, standing under a large tree. Katelyn smiled as she nodded.

“Great Grandma Lenore. The family joke is she was some kind of witch, but in reality she was just one of many people caught up in the spiritualist movement back then. C’mon, I’ll show you the kitchen next. I eat in here with the staff, partly to fuck with my parents, and partly because they’re actually nice people.”

Katelyn walked to the refrigerator, not entirely unlike the one that now sat in Sarah’s new kitchen, lending creed to just how much Ashleigh had spent on her. She pulled it open, taking out a pair of pre-bottled fruit drinks, and passing one to Sarah.

“It’s fruit-punch flavor,” she added with a smile as she twisted the lid off hers to take a sip.

Sarah smiled faintly. “You know you’re not at all what I expected a rich people’s kid to be like.”

“You know Nikki, Robin’s girlfriend, right?” Katelyn asked, seemingly out of nowhere. Sarah nodded.

“Sure.”

“She’s richer than me,” she commented with a casual smile, watching Sarah slowly put down her fruit punch.

“Y-you’re kidding right?”

“I’m dead serious. Last year they hired a whole contingent of security guys to work Nikki’s Halloween party. Before that Heedless Despair, one of my favorite bands by the way, played at her sweet sixteen.”

“Holy shit. You’re kidding? I LOVE Heedless Despair! I actually got to meet them once, when I was … Um...” Sarah’s cheeks burst with color. “When I was running from Nathan at the state fair. I ducked under a tent to get away and there they were hanging out before their big show.”

Katelyn giggled. “Oh my God, that’s so cool Sarah! I met Shadowfang once, but my idol is Scarlet. I’m even taking opera lessons right now because I want to be just like her. Hey, do you want to see my studio?”

“Your … what now?” Sarah blinked at her.

“My recording studio. It’s not much, but I figure as long as those two so-called parents of mine insist on throwing money at me, I might as well put some of it to use, so we converted one of the guest rooms into a recording studio for me to practice in. F-Y-I? It’s sound proof,” she added with an innocent grin.

Sarah giggled, turning a few shades redder. “You um, you don’t say?”

“Mmhmm. Come on, I’ll show you the rest of the house then take you to see it.”

~oOo~

Katelyn gave Sarah the grand tour of their house, explaining how it had actually been in her family for generations. She referred to her family as ‘old money’ at one point, and talked about how which rooms were added on by which member of the family. Most recently was the home theater - a literal home theater with a large projection screen and seats with cup holders built in, as well as soda dispenser along the back wall, and a large old-style popcorn popper.

She showed Sarah the second floor bedrooms, which mostly consisted of guest rooms, save for two at the top of the stairs. She paused just outside on the landing and turned back to Sarah. “This is my room.”

“Oh, because you don’t like living on the same floor as your parents?”

“No. Well, actually that’s a side-benefit. See, the next room over was my nanny’s room when I was a baby, so in order to make life easier on her, they just put me in the next guest bedroom over. They converted it to a nursery of course, and the door between our rooms is still there, except now Nanny’s room is my recording studio.”

“Jeeze, I’m sorry Katelyn.”

Katelyn shrugged. “Eh, whatever. As soon as I turn eighteen I’m getting out of here. College or whatever, I don’t care, but I won’t be in this house anymore.”

Katelyn opened the door to reveal a somewhat unexceptional bedroom. She had a black laptop sitting on a simple wooden desk by her bed, a dresser piled with bottles, and on the wall, pictures of her with Maria and a couple of other girls had been plastered up with some sort of tack here and there.

“Not what you expected was it?” she teased. She turned to what Sarah thought might be a private bathroom. Sarah paused though, eyeing a cute photo booth strip of pictures of Katelyn, Maria, and what appeared to be a gigantic stuffed bunny. She couldn’t help giggling.

“What?” Katelyn asked, glancing over. “Ohh that.” She sighed softly. “Maria won that damn bunny at a carnival we were attending. The game was totally rigged. It was a basketball hoop with a regulation size ball, but not a regulation sized hoop, so I made the smart-ass remark that there was no way anyone could make that basket.”

“Maria made it?” Sarah asked, causing Katelyn to giggle. “Oh, she did one better. She bet the guy that if she could make a basket, he’d stop running a rigged game. He laughed and agreed. I mean, what did he have to lose against a little Latina right? He had no idea that Maria had the most free throws this season. Swish swish, baby. He was so impressed he gave it to her and promised to get a real regulation hoop next year.”

“Oh my God, that’s awesome. So where is she now?”

Katelyn released her grip on the door handle. “She’s gone,” she answered softly, her voice quivering as she slowly paced back to her bed, easing back onto it. “Maria was only here as part of a foreign exchange program, and … with how things are right now, I may never see her again. At least not until I get my passport and fly down there, but jumping a plane is a hell of a lot different from just stealing your parents’ car for a few hours.”

“Well, can’t she come back next year?”

Katelyn shook her head. “No. That’s just it, Sarah. Remember last year, how there was this big stink over illegal immigrants and shit?”

“Yeah, of course. I lived in Arkansas all my life. I never heard the end of the stupid racist jokes down there,” she answered with a frown.

“Well, it gets better. Maria’s uncle is a bigshot lawyer-politician or something down there, but in spite of his status - or maybe because of it, Maria’s been barred from entering the foreign exchange program again so soon. They might let her do it again the next fall, but right now she’s stuck. She wanted to move here. She had big dreams of attending Yale University and becoming a doctor, and making a real difference in people’s lives.”

By now, tears stained her face, and she could barely speak. Sarah rushed to her side and hugged her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, not really sure what else she could say. “There’s nothing anyone can do? I mean, my aunt Ashleigh loves to champion these kinds of situations.”

“I’m not sure if anyone can help. The Mexican Embassy’s spoken.”

“No, this isn’t right. I’m going to call my aunt as soon as I get home and tell her about this. There’s got to be something she can do, someone she can call. This isn’t fair to you or Maria.”

“Katelyn smiled despite her tears, leaning closer to kiss Sarah softly. “You are such an amazing girl. All the shit I put you through, and yet here you are willing to call in favors for me. I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Don’t jump down someone’s throat the next time they accidentally knock a bottle of lotion off on your head?” Sarah teased, but giggled, hugging her again. “Really, I understand where you were coming from. You had a lot to be upset about, and so did I, so when we collided it was like fire and gunpowder.”

“But which is which?” Katelyn asked. “Never mind, don’t answer that.” She stood, taking Sarah’s hand. “Come on. I want to do something with you that I’ve never done with anyone.”

She winked playfully, leading Sarah back to that door again. She turned the knob and stepped through, pulling Sarah into what she always thought a recording studio might look like. Along the near wall a large desktop computer tower sat, with expensive-looking speakers run off to the corners of the room. Carpet lined the floor and walls, with some sort of rough ceiling overhead.

Most striking for her was the white baby grand piano at the center of the room though. A microphone with a small stand sat extended from the center, and Katelyn fiddled with something at the computer, then quickly moved to take her place at the piano.

“This is a song I think you’ll recognize, Sarah, so I’d be honored if you’d sing with me.”

“What? Me? I...”

“Sweetie? This room is hot. We’re recording,” she translated, grinning. “You can thank Robin for introducing this song to me,” she added as Sarah sat down on the piano bench next to her. As soon as she began to play, Sarah immediately recognized it.

“Tale as old as time...”

“True as it can be?” Sarah questioned. She couldn’t hope to match Katelyn’s incredible voice.

“Barely even friends, then somebody bends,” she paused to giggle the next word, “Unexpectedly.” She smiled, nuzzling Sarah’s shoulder as she played.

The pair had just finished singing the first reprise of “Beauty and the Beast” in harmony, when the door flew open. Initially a stern-looking taller woman with bobbed black hair stood in the doorway scowling, until she heard the music, and stopped short. Katelyn simply continued playing, ignoring her, despite Sarah’s surprise.

“Ever just the same, even a surprise,” Katelyn nodded to Sarah.

“Ever as before, Ever just as sure,” Sarah picked up, and in unison, they sang, “As the sun will rise.”

The back-and-forth continued as the woman carefully closed the door, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. Sarah managed to glimpse the woman out of the corner of her eye, and smiled as they finished the song. Both girls giggled as Katelyn stood. “Hi Mom,” she offered rather warmly.

“Hi Mom? That’s all you can say to me? Young lady, we need to talk.”

Katelyn rolled her eyes, twirling her finger to indicate the room where Eleanor was now standing. “Red light? Recording? We’re still hot you know.”

Eleanor turned about as red as that little aforementioned red light on the wall outside, and Katelyn laughed quietly, strolling over to the computer to shut off the recording. “I’ll edit it out later. Hopefully the mics didn’t pick up you busting in here like some kind of Spanish Inquisition. What do you want anyway?”

“Katelyn, what’s gotten into you lately? First I hear you started a fight at the pizza parlor, and now I’m told you’re up here doing God knows what with an under-aged girl?”

“It’s called singing, Mother. You know, that thing I pay my piano lesson money to learn to do? Christ. Nothing happened, and as far as that fight, you need to get your facts straight because I didn’t start it. I god-damn ended it.”

“Watch your language, young lady.”

“Who the fuck do you think you are exactly? You dump me on the nannies to be raised, throw money at me all my life, and then bust in here trying to do some parenting when I’m two years away from moving out and never looking back?”

By this point, Sarah had begun quite frantically searching for an escape. She tried to edge toward the door, but Katelyn grabbed her arm.

“My GIRLFRIEND and I are leaving.”

“Katelyn, wait!” Eleanor called, but Katelyn simply brushed right past her. Despite the woman’s height, Katelyn’s superior physique allowed her to easily ignore Eleanor’s attempts to stop her. Finally, she called more softly. “Please, Katelyn. I want to talk to you. I know I haven’t been a very good mother.”

Katelyn spun on her toes, taking Sarah along for the ride. “Oh you’d better believe you’ve been a terrible mother. I don’t want your approval, and I don’t want this palatial rich kid crap. All I want is for you to wake up and realize that all you’ve ever done is push me away.”

Eleanor gasped at those words, choking up. “Is that what you think? Oh Katelyn... No. Honey, I,” she sighed softly, continuing more calmly now. “Come here girls. Katelyn there’s something I should have told you a long time ago.” She motioned for the two to follow her, but didn’t stop to see if they would, apparently hoping the promises of some dark family secret might entice them.

“If it’s about you experimenting with girls, you told me already,” Katelyn snapped. Eleanor paused to glance back at her, smiling sadly.

“That’s only half the story, Katelyn. Come into the kitchen. Arthur?”

“Yes ma’am,” Arthur called, emerging seemingly out of nowhere.

“Ah, would you be a dear and make some hot chocolate for the girls?”

“No, Mom. This is exactly what I’m talking about. You don’t know how to do anything for yourself. I’m amazed we don’t have our own chauffeur except that you’re afraid of letting someone else drive you anywhere. Now tell us what you want, or let us leave.”

She exhaled softly. “Alright, fair enough. Katelyn when I was your age, I brought home my first girlfriend to meet Daddy. What I didn’t tell you is, she was also my last.”

Katelyn smirked. “What, Grandpa threatened to take away your credit card?”

“No,” she answered softly. “He threatened to beat me within an inch of my life.”

Both Sarah and Katelyn stared, absolutely stunned silent.

“I’ll go and prepare that hot chocolate now,” Arthur added neutrally, but softly. Katelyn just nodded, very slowly, following him into the kitchen. Sarah, not sure what to make of any of this, decided to go along for the ride.

“My father was a hard man to live with, Katelyn. I know you knew him as a sweet old grandfatherly figure, but honestly, I hated him even more for that because, growing up, he treated his children like soldiers - even his youngest daughter. Children were to be seen and not heard, and God help you if you did something he disapproved of.”

“Wow,” Katelyn practically whispered. “I had no idea.”

“That was the point sweetheart. I swore that I would never do that to you. I promised myself when you were born, that you would never suffer wondering when the next beating might come just because you said the wrong thing at the wrong time. Honey, I love you so much, but I don’t know how to show it.”

“And, if I may be so bold,” Arthur added with a smile, “Ms. Eleanor leans on me so much because of the way her father treated her. She was quite literally afraid to do anything for herself because she was afraid of ruining it.”

Eleanor nodded sadly. “He’s right. Arthur has been like an older brother to me all these years. He doesn’t work here because we pay him so handsomely-”

“Although that does help,” he added with a chuckle.

“Now, about this fight at the pizza parlor. Do you want to tell me what really happened?”

“She was defending me,” Sarah insisted before Katelyn could even respond. “Some girl recognized me from the national TV coverage and started calling me names, like tranny whore and worse, and shoving me around. So Katelyn threw her out. The entire kitchen staff was like, cheering for her.”

Eleanor blinked several times, looking between the two girls. “National... TV coverage?”

“Oh, I’m sorry Mom. This is Sarah... Stevens.”

“Oh... Oh dear.” The blood seemed in that instant to drain from Eleanor’s face. “And... you’re... dating?” She asked the question as though she were asking what type of poison she could choose from for her execution.

Sarah and Katelyn smiled at each other, then back at Eleanor. “Yes, Mom, we’re dating.”

“Excuse me a moment. I need to make a phone call.”

“To who?” Katelyn asked, a little surprised.

“To my lawyer,” she answered frantically, practically dashing out of the room.

Arthur almost giggled - almost. “Between you and me, I haven’t seen her run that fast since she tried the prune danish sample platter at the Morgans’ Christmas party a few years ago.”

“You don’t think this is gonna be a problem is it?” Sarah asked hesitantly. Katelyn shook her head.

“Who knows? She’s probably just trying to cover her ass. She doesn’t know you like I do.”

“Well you’ve only really known me for a few days though,” Sarah advised.

“I’ve known you long enough to trust you, and more than that, to love you.”

“W-wha-” Sarah fumbled, but Katelyn cut her off with a brief, soft kiss.

“You heard me.”

“Oh dear,” Arthur mused, setting the girls’ mugs out and quickly making himself scarce.

Sarah giggled as she felt her back bump up against the counter, wrapping her arms around Katelyn’s waist. She smiled, leaning into her and resting her head on her shoulder.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for all this yet, Katelyn. I like you, and I mean, I really, really like you, but love? I-I don’t know yet.”

Katelyn smiled, stroking Sarah’s cheek. “It’s okay. I’ll wait until you’re ready if you ask me to. Just don’t ask me to find someone else. Please?”

Sarah smiled, leaning up to kiss her. “It’s not that I don’t want to go out with you. I do. I so do. I’m just new to all this. I’ve never had a real relationship, and not because of my age either.”

“You had a crush on someone back in Arkansas didn’t you? Who was it?”

“It’s... It’s embarrassing,” she answered, blushing. Katelyn reached down to tickle her sides.

“Come on, I’ve told you so much. You can give me a name.”

Sarah giggled, trying to squirm away, but Katelyn had her hopelessly pinned against the counter. “Okay, stop! Stop before I pee! I’ll tell you!” She paused to catch her breath again. “There’s one girl who’s been in and outta my life for years. When I found her again I was sure we’d finally get to start dating, but then I started having problems with bullies, and just kind of got progressively more distant with everyone.”

“You’re stalling,” Katelyn warned playfully, brushing her fingers down Sarah’s sides. Just the glancing touch was enough to cause Sarah to squirm.

“Christina,” she whimpered. “She was my best friend, but after I... after i started living as Sarah that was the end for any chances of ‘us’. She saw me as the sister she never had.”

“Ouch,” Katelyn flinched. “Sarah I’m sorry.”

She rolled her shoulders. “It’s okay. Maybe it’s even for the best. Thanks for being so understanding though.”

Katelyn smiled warmly, leaning down to kiss her again. “Thanks for not freaking out and breaking up with me.”

“You can’t help how you feel-” she started, but the sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted her.

“Oh shit. It’s my aunt.”

“Oh hell,” Katelyn muttered, watching nervously as Sarah answered.

“Um, hello?” she answered nervously.

“Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. What am I going to do with you?”

“Ash I can explain-”

“Hold on sweetie. I’m not upset, but it sounds like you already know why I’m calling, right? So do you want to tell me what’s going on, and why I just got an earful from someone’s lawyer about getting sued for dating a thirteen year old?”

“Um, well, it’s sort of complicated. The short version is, I’m kind of dating this super-hot sixteen year old ladies’ basketball star?”

Katelyn cracked a giggle. “Let me talk to her?”

“Sure. Hey, Ash? Katelyn wants to talk to you. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine. As long as one of you can get me up to speed here, so I’ll know whether or not I need to be doing damage control.”

“Hi, this is Katelyn. You’re Ashleigh McGreagor, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. So how exactly did all this come about? I want to know everything.”

Katelyn inhaled deeply, and from there proceeded to recount every little detail she could think of. Eleanor had by now finally rejoined the pair, standing off to one side and listening in on the one-sided conversation, at least until Sarah reached over to press the speakerphone button.

“I see,” Ashleigh finally responded. “Well, Katelyn, I must say I’m a little surprised.”

“Please don’t be upset with her. She needed... No, we both needed someone. We were just sort of in the right place at the right time.”

“Sweetie, I’ve already told Sarah that I’m not upset. I’m just a little surprised it took her this long without saying anything. I’ve already spoken with Margaret before I called, otherwise I’d have called sooner. We have some ground rules we need to set down if this is going to work, and unlike that little threat she made about the flag pole and city hall, I can actually do that and get away with it,” she added with an almost clinical neutrality in her tone.

“So let’s start with the obvious one. No sex. I mean absolutely no sex. No fooling around, no bending the rules with sex games or foreplay. None of it. Am I clear?”

“Yes ma’am,” both girls answered at once.

“We don’t have a problem with you kissing or holding hands, but no going to whatever equivalent of Makeout Point you have there, not only because one thing will probably lead to another, but you don’t want a reputation as the kind of girls who visit those places, either.”

“That’s not a problem,” Katelyn answered.

“There’s just one more thing. This is the most important rule of all.”

Katelyn looked nervously at Sarah, who shrugged back at her. “Um, okay. What is it?”

“I’ll be flying out to meet you and your parents just as soon as my schedule permits it.”

“That’s not a problem at all,” Katelyn answered, almost excited.

“Good,” Ashleigh answered simply. “Sarah, since I know you have me on speakerphone by now, I’ll just go ahead and say it. I love you sweetheart. Try and stay out of trouble all right?”

“Love you too aunt Ashleigh.”

Katelyn handed the phone back to Sarah, and Sarah just sort of smiled back at her for a moment or two. Eleanor, by now joined by Katelyn’s father Carl, approached the two.

“We have just one more ground rule to set down, and it’s not one that we’re proud of,” Eleanor began. Carl nodded.

“From here on in, if something does happen, you’re going to be on your own legally. I hate to do this, but, Sarah, we just don’t know you well enough yet, and with Ashleigh McGreagor involved, it’s a risk that our family lawyer very nearly quit over tonight.”

Sarah giggled. “I understand. She’s … an intimidating woman at first.”

He nodded. “Just so we understand each other. Personally Ellie and I have been dating since we were sixteen.”

Eleanor laughed. “Yes, but we had to sneak around until I was eighteen.”

“YOU snuck around?” Katelyn asked, shocked. Eleanor smiled.

“Why do you think I’ve been so lenient when you take my car without asking? I trust you to behave. You’re a good girl, despite our mistakes, and we’re very, very proud of you.”

“Thanks Mom,” Katelyn answered softly, stepping closer to hug both her parents, quite probably for the first time in years. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited to hear you say that.” She glanced back at Sarah and smiled. “Well, what are you waiting for? Get your butt over here.”

Sarah hesitantly approached, but Katelyn grabbed her up in a hug, holding her close. “I guess this means I should talk to Nikki about restoring a car for me.”

“Or you could just ask us,” Eleanor advised. “I know you don’t like to flaunt your inheritance, but it’s okay to spend what you have. It puts money into the local economy which helps people keep their jobs.”

Katelyn stared blankly at her mother. “I guess I never thought about it like that.”

“Economics is one topic which I understand very well,” she responded with mild amusement. “I’ll put in a few calls and advise the local dealerships you’ll be in the market for something soon.”

“Speaking of cars though, can I borrow the car? I need to take Sarah home. She just got her first booster dose of the big ‘E’ today to jumpstart her puberty, so...”

“Oh dear,” Eleanor answered, resting her hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “Sarah, dear, good luck. You’re going to need it.”

Katelyn giggled and kissed Sarah’s cheek. “Come on you.”

The pair stepped out into the warm, early evening air and walked hand-in-hand back to the black Lexus Katelyn had been ‘borrowing’ of late. Much like earlier, their drive passed by in relative silence, though it had a tranquil calm quality this time that the last one sorely lacked.

“I’d like it if you could go car shopping with me tomorrow,” Katelyn offered as they pulled into Sarah’s driveway. “But if you want some time alone I’ll completely understand.”

Sarah smiled as she leaned closer, pressing her lips to Katelyn’s. “I’d love to go with you.”

“Great. I’m not even sure what kind I want. I’ll look online tonight and see what I can find. See you tomorrow Runt.”

Sarah giggled, stepping out of the car and waving. “Later Buffy.”

---

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