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palace_domSean read the letter and then read it again. He wiped his face with his hand and pushed his chair back, getting up and pacing while he thought. In the end though, he decided he couldn't decide, not with the little information he had. Taking a deep breath, he resumed his seat and pressed the buzzer. "Dom? Can you come in here please?"
Grabbing his com, Dom headed into Sean's office. "Need something old man?"
Sean shook his head. "Take a seat. I need to talk to you." He smiled, not wanting Dom to think he was in any kind of trouble and waited til he was comfortable and had put down his com. "Want to talk to you about the Caines." he said.
At the mention of Caine, Dom's ears perked up. "Is Caine involved in what happened to Harry or to Eric? I knew that wanker was a bastard. I just knew it!"
Sean was surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered, following Dom's leap of logic and seeing how he could jump to that conclusion. He shook his head. "No. Not at all." He bit his bottom lip, worrying at it for a second and then sat back in the chair, at his ease, fingers steepled in front of his face. "I got a letter from young Matt, apologizing for his father's visit here and mentioning you." He let it rest there, waiting to see what Dom would offer.
"Matt sent you an apology?" Dom was dumbfounded for a moment then thought back to the odd formality he had noticed in the other man. Must of had tons of prissy manners drilled into him by that bastard. Then he realized that somehow Matt had 'outed' him and Elijah - possibly in the letter. Blushing, Dom offered up a half-grin. "Well, Elijah and I decided to do a little sleuthing after what happened to Harry so soon after Caine visited. Since the argument he had with you two was over Matt, we went over and met him, Matt that is."
"Ahh, I see. Got out the junior detective kit did we?" Sean couldn't help but grin, his head shaking in mock disbelief. "Matt apologized for any trouble his father might have caused me and offered to never again darken Palace's door if I so desire." He looked at Dom from under his lashes. "Which, if you know Matt, is one hell of a sacrifice to make, or even just offer. So, what did you talk about?"
"He did?" Dom yelped. "Oh fuck Sean, I told Matt you weren't mad at him. Oh man, I'd better call him as soon as we finish! Oh shite, he must be going apeshit about the thought of that. That guy bought his apartment so he could see Palace every day!"
Dom chewed his lip, antsy to make the call but then finally realized Sean was waiting for the answer to his question. "We just asked him if he knew why his git of a father could possibly resent him being selected by you for a Masque hookup. He didn't know and so we ended up talking about other things. I don't think he even knew about the whole gift basket thing to Harry."
Gift basket? Sean filed it away; he'd ask Harry. "No, he probably didn't. Nor does he know the answer to your question, as you discovered for yourself." Dom saying he would be, 'calling Matt', gave Sean pause and he fell silent for a moment. It was decision time. He could take a chance on their contact ending there, or he could take matters into his own hands and tell Dom the truth. Maybe Juliet wouldn't be happy, but she'd be even unhappier if Dom and Matt continued with their contact in ignorance. Letting out a breath, Sean said, "There's something I have to tell you."
Dom was busy processing the knowledge that his instincts about Matt being as clueless as he and Elijah were until Sean’s voice broke in. The expression on Sean's face made his stomach clench for some odd reason. Cautiously, he nodded. "Okay..."
Searching frantically for a gentle way to say it, Sean could come up with nothing. He looked at Dom who was watching him apprehensively and gave him a little smile. "Matt's your brother." he said softly.
Dom shook his head once. "What? Sean? My brother? What are you talking about? Who told you that bollocks?"
"Dom." Sean's voice was quiet, but demanding of his attention. "Lemme explain . . ."
Standing up, Dom started to pace as he stared at Sean in disbelief. "You fucking believe this? Is this what Caine told you? It's a lie, Sean. Not true and I can't believe you bought it!" His stomach was hurting even more, images of Matt flashing across his brain. "Did it ever occur to you that we're the same bloody age?"
Sean stood up, came around the side of the desk and laid his hands on Dom's shoulders, halting his progress and guiding him back to the chair. He made sure Dom would stay put by sitting directly in front of him on the edge of his desk. "Yes, he is around the same age, but it is true and I'll explain it all." He folded his arms and closed his eyes briefly. "Let's start at the beginning . . ."
***
Sean cracked the foil on the champagne and twisted the cork, gently easing it out and pouring into the three glasses. He handed one to Juliet and offered a toast. "Here's to Uppers," he grinned, clinking the glasses together. "Upper thighs, upper abs., upper arms....."
Harry strolled back into the room again, clad in jeans and a red t-shirt and sighed dramatically. "Still talking about me I see." he said, hands on his hips, unable to contain a grin.
"And an ego to boot..." Mum murmured to Sean as she sipped her drink. "Yum! I love champagne. Harry, luv? Are you still standing and pouting?"
"'M not pouting- looking for drink!" Harry said, lifting his glass from the table and clinking it against Sean's. "Good for you, old man," he said, planting a kiss dead centre on his forehead, then plopping down beside him on the couch and taking a long drink, making a face at the champagne.
As they drank and talked, Juliet couldn't help noticing Harry's face every time he took a sip. "Don't tell me you can't appreciate how amazing this champagne is? Harry! This is top of the line. Wasted on you, wanker." She giggled and took his glass away and drank his. "Haven't had champagne this high end since I left Sedat."
Harry laughed as Juliet took his glass away from him and shrugged, "Never got the taste for it- always snuck a beer or made do with pop and the hard stuff when I was browbeaten into going into a party that had it." he explained, getting up from the couch with a grin and a wink. "Sean, I'm nicking your beer. Deal with it." he said, heading for the kitchen.
"No appreciation of the finer things, eh Mum?" Sean smirked over the top of his glass. "This is good stuff." He picked up the bottle, now empty, and handed it to her. "They serve that in Sedat?" he asked ingeniously, then called out to Harry asking him to bring in the second bottle on his way back.
"It's heavenly." Juliet settled happily, enjoying the fine buzz already bubbling through her. "We always served this brand at the house for the big parties. Course, it was partially for show but then much of the party was for show anyway. Appearances must be kept up!" She saluted the air with her glass.
Harry came back into the room, juggling a beer and a spare for himself, as well as the bottle of champagne, which he placed in front of Sean. "There - all yours - just as long as I don't have to drink any more of it." he said with a shudder.
"Thanks." Sean took the bottle and performed the ritual, re-filling Mum's glass before his own and placing the new bottle in the cooler on the table. He relaxed back into the couch and raised the glass to his lips but didn't drink. "You worked in a big place in Sedat then mum?" he asked.
Sipping her drink with a huge smile, Mum nodded then stopped when her head spun a bit. "Umm, what? Oh yes, I did. My family did. Well my mother and I after my father's business failed. Poor luv, he had the worst luck and died much too young. So, Mum started there to pay off the debt and then I as well when they bought my Service Debt." She sipped again. "Hmm, parties all the time. Pain in the arse but the tips were good."
Harry frowned and looked at Sean, opening his mouth to ask him what he was on about, switching midstream and taking a pull off his beer instead. Sean's questions were going somewhere, and Harry wasn't going to fuck with that, even if he had no clue what was going on. He sat back quietly and listened, watching Sean out of the corner of his eye, trying to figure out what he was after.
"This was before Dommie came along, right?" Sean took a tiny sip of his drink and tipped his head to Harry, silently asking him to refill Juliet's glass. "Where you met his dad, I suppose?"
"Lovely, just look at those bubbles!" Smiling lopsided at Harry, Juliet picked up her glass again. "What Sean? Oh, yes, my goodness I was only 20. A few years before Dommie." She hummed a little. "So hard to leave it but had to be done. Couldn't stay after all."
Sean's expression was relaxed and easy but his eyes were displaying his intense interest in the bits and pieces of information Juliet was leaking. He'd long wondered about Dominic's father, knew damned well there was a story behind it, and now it seemed he was about to get to the bottom of it. If he could just keep her talking . . . "No." he offered mildly. "I expect not. Couldn't stay."
"You know what's horrible? It's horrible how people get so caught up in money! And I should I know, I was the same at one time but any fool figures out that other things matter more. How could I raise Dominic like that?" Juliet peered at Sean as she waved her glass to make her point.
"And if she had had her way... can't even think about it. No, had to leave when he wouldn't change his mind. I mean Sean, a house more important than your own son! ? Couldn't stay could I? Dommie's better off without it. We can handle the debt. We will." Juliet nodded forcefully and took another sip.
"Him being . . .?" Sean invited casually.
"Hmm? Well, Dom's father of course, you asked me about him. Don't you remember?" Mum chided gently.
"I don't know about him," Harry pointed out, reaching over to top up Juliet's glass.
Sean sifted through memories, bits and pieces of quickly cut off comments and nuggets of information and said, "I know you told me a bit, Mum, but you never mentioned his name."
He sat back and crossed one leg over the other, making deductions and hoping he was right. "He wouldn't leave her, wasn't that it? And I think I remember something about his wife? You said something once that sounded like she wanted to take Dom?" He swirled the liquid in his glass and studied it's movement, head bent and hoping Mum had enough champagne in her that she'd forgo her usual reticence.
"I did tell you...didn't I?" Juliet's not sure anymore but it makes sense that she might have. "Oh yes, his wife, cold awful bitch, part Dnaran you know. Gods bless the King and Queen though. But Glenn she could freeze petals off a rose. But it wasn't her fault, was mine. Stoopid, foolish gel. Believed that he'd leave her but money talks with some. Did with him for certain."
Juliet put on an accent like a man's. "The Caines are an ancient family name Juliet, can't just walk away from that. We must think of what is best for the estate." Speaking more normally she added. "Ugly pile of bricks."
Harry's eyes widened in recognition. "Caines? That'd be Michael then?" he said, trying to keep his voice casual like Sean's. Anyone who was of an older family who was anyone, which included the Sinclair's, knew who the Caines were. And although the few big events Harry had attended that they'd been at were a few years back, not to mention that he'd had to be dragged there by the short hairs, he knew enough to know that Mum's description was, well, pretty much balls on accurate.
"Yes..." Mum nodded and drank again. "I don't know why it shocked me so when it all happened. He was just...he could be charming...make you believe you were the center of the world." Sipping again, she nodded. "Don't like talking about him because really it wasn't his fault. He was and is a weak man. But I was too young and foolish to listen or think things through. My fault really. My issue to fix."
***
Sean stopped his recitation, figuring that he needed to wet his throat and Dom needed time to absorb what he'd been told so far. "I'm getting a drink." he said and wandered over to the cabinet with one eye on the clock. Not quite over the yardarm but Dom could probably use something substantial about now and he knew he could. He poured two small measures of whisky and handed one to a silent Dom, propping himself back up onto the desk and waiting patiently, sipping his drink.
Feet up on the chair, Dom uncurled one arm enough to take the glass from Sean and drink it down in one fiery blast that tore through him. His thoughts were whirling like mad. Mum had told them. Mum. Not Caine. He thought back to all that she had ever told him about his father. She had never mislead him about the man being a good fatherly type but a total ratbastard arsehole like Caine - no. And it wasn't like Dom hadn't thought before that it was all too probable that he had half-siblings somewhere, but to actually know that Matt was one, was something he just couldn't resolve yet.
Continued here...
Grabbing his com, Dom headed into Sean's office. "Need something old man?"
Sean shook his head. "Take a seat. I need to talk to you." He smiled, not wanting Dom to think he was in any kind of trouble and waited til he was comfortable and had put down his com. "Want to talk to you about the Caines." he said.
At the mention of Caine, Dom's ears perked up. "Is Caine involved in what happened to Harry or to Eric? I knew that wanker was a bastard. I just knew it!"
Sean was surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered, following Dom's leap of logic and seeing how he could jump to that conclusion. He shook his head. "No. Not at all." He bit his bottom lip, worrying at it for a second and then sat back in the chair, at his ease, fingers steepled in front of his face. "I got a letter from young Matt, apologizing for his father's visit here and mentioning you." He let it rest there, waiting to see what Dom would offer.
"Matt sent you an apology?" Dom was dumbfounded for a moment then thought back to the odd formality he had noticed in the other man. Must of had tons of prissy manners drilled into him by that bastard. Then he realized that somehow Matt had 'outed' him and Elijah - possibly in the letter. Blushing, Dom offered up a half-grin. "Well, Elijah and I decided to do a little sleuthing after what happened to Harry so soon after Caine visited. Since the argument he had with you two was over Matt, we went over and met him, Matt that is."
"Ahh, I see. Got out the junior detective kit did we?" Sean couldn't help but grin, his head shaking in mock disbelief. "Matt apologized for any trouble his father might have caused me and offered to never again darken Palace's door if I so desire." He looked at Dom from under his lashes. "Which, if you know Matt, is one hell of a sacrifice to make, or even just offer. So, what did you talk about?"
"He did?" Dom yelped. "Oh fuck Sean, I told Matt you weren't mad at him. Oh man, I'd better call him as soon as we finish! Oh shite, he must be going apeshit about the thought of that. That guy bought his apartment so he could see Palace every day!"
Dom chewed his lip, antsy to make the call but then finally realized Sean was waiting for the answer to his question. "We just asked him if he knew why his git of a father could possibly resent him being selected by you for a Masque hookup. He didn't know and so we ended up talking about other things. I don't think he even knew about the whole gift basket thing to Harry."
Gift basket? Sean filed it away; he'd ask Harry. "No, he probably didn't. Nor does he know the answer to your question, as you discovered for yourself." Dom saying he would be, 'calling Matt', gave Sean pause and he fell silent for a moment. It was decision time. He could take a chance on their contact ending there, or he could take matters into his own hands and tell Dom the truth. Maybe Juliet wouldn't be happy, but she'd be even unhappier if Dom and Matt continued with their contact in ignorance. Letting out a breath, Sean said, "There's something I have to tell you."
Dom was busy processing the knowledge that his instincts about Matt being as clueless as he and Elijah were until Sean’s voice broke in. The expression on Sean's face made his stomach clench for some odd reason. Cautiously, he nodded. "Okay..."
Searching frantically for a gentle way to say it, Sean could come up with nothing. He looked at Dom who was watching him apprehensively and gave him a little smile. "Matt's your brother." he said softly.
Dom shook his head once. "What? Sean? My brother? What are you talking about? Who told you that bollocks?"
"Dom." Sean's voice was quiet, but demanding of his attention. "Lemme explain . . ."
Standing up, Dom started to pace as he stared at Sean in disbelief. "You fucking believe this? Is this what Caine told you? It's a lie, Sean. Not true and I can't believe you bought it!" His stomach was hurting even more, images of Matt flashing across his brain. "Did it ever occur to you that we're the same bloody age?"
Sean stood up, came around the side of the desk and laid his hands on Dom's shoulders, halting his progress and guiding him back to the chair. He made sure Dom would stay put by sitting directly in front of him on the edge of his desk. "Yes, he is around the same age, but it is true and I'll explain it all." He folded his arms and closed his eyes briefly. "Let's start at the beginning . . ."
Sean cracked the foil on the champagne and twisted the cork, gently easing it out and pouring into the three glasses. He handed one to Juliet and offered a toast. "Here's to Uppers," he grinned, clinking the glasses together. "Upper thighs, upper abs., upper arms....."
Harry strolled back into the room again, clad in jeans and a red t-shirt and sighed dramatically. "Still talking about me I see." he said, hands on his hips, unable to contain a grin.
"And an ego to boot..." Mum murmured to Sean as she sipped her drink. "Yum! I love champagne. Harry, luv? Are you still standing and pouting?"
"'M not pouting- looking for drink!" Harry said, lifting his glass from the table and clinking it against Sean's. "Good for you, old man," he said, planting a kiss dead centre on his forehead, then plopping down beside him on the couch and taking a long drink, making a face at the champagne.
As they drank and talked, Juliet couldn't help noticing Harry's face every time he took a sip. "Don't tell me you can't appreciate how amazing this champagne is? Harry! This is top of the line. Wasted on you, wanker." She giggled and took his glass away and drank his. "Haven't had champagne this high end since I left Sedat."
Harry laughed as Juliet took his glass away from him and shrugged, "Never got the taste for it- always snuck a beer or made do with pop and the hard stuff when I was browbeaten into going into a party that had it." he explained, getting up from the couch with a grin and a wink. "Sean, I'm nicking your beer. Deal with it." he said, heading for the kitchen.
"No appreciation of the finer things, eh Mum?" Sean smirked over the top of his glass. "This is good stuff." He picked up the bottle, now empty, and handed it to her. "They serve that in Sedat?" he asked ingeniously, then called out to Harry asking him to bring in the second bottle on his way back.
"It's heavenly." Juliet settled happily, enjoying the fine buzz already bubbling through her. "We always served this brand at the house for the big parties. Course, it was partially for show but then much of the party was for show anyway. Appearances must be kept up!" She saluted the air with her glass.
Harry came back into the room, juggling a beer and a spare for himself, as well as the bottle of champagne, which he placed in front of Sean. "There - all yours - just as long as I don't have to drink any more of it." he said with a shudder.
"Thanks." Sean took the bottle and performed the ritual, re-filling Mum's glass before his own and placing the new bottle in the cooler on the table. He relaxed back into the couch and raised the glass to his lips but didn't drink. "You worked in a big place in Sedat then mum?" he asked.
Sipping her drink with a huge smile, Mum nodded then stopped when her head spun a bit. "Umm, what? Oh yes, I did. My family did. Well my mother and I after my father's business failed. Poor luv, he had the worst luck and died much too young. So, Mum started there to pay off the debt and then I as well when they bought my Service Debt." She sipped again. "Hmm, parties all the time. Pain in the arse but the tips were good."
Harry frowned and looked at Sean, opening his mouth to ask him what he was on about, switching midstream and taking a pull off his beer instead. Sean's questions were going somewhere, and Harry wasn't going to fuck with that, even if he had no clue what was going on. He sat back quietly and listened, watching Sean out of the corner of his eye, trying to figure out what he was after.
"This was before Dommie came along, right?" Sean took a tiny sip of his drink and tipped his head to Harry, silently asking him to refill Juliet's glass. "Where you met his dad, I suppose?"
"Lovely, just look at those bubbles!" Smiling lopsided at Harry, Juliet picked up her glass again. "What Sean? Oh, yes, my goodness I was only 20. A few years before Dommie." She hummed a little. "So hard to leave it but had to be done. Couldn't stay after all."
Sean's expression was relaxed and easy but his eyes were displaying his intense interest in the bits and pieces of information Juliet was leaking. He'd long wondered about Dominic's father, knew damned well there was a story behind it, and now it seemed he was about to get to the bottom of it. If he could just keep her talking . . . "No." he offered mildly. "I expect not. Couldn't stay."
"You know what's horrible? It's horrible how people get so caught up in money! And I should I know, I was the same at one time but any fool figures out that other things matter more. How could I raise Dominic like that?" Juliet peered at Sean as she waved her glass to make her point.
"And if she had had her way... can't even think about it. No, had to leave when he wouldn't change his mind. I mean Sean, a house more important than your own son! ? Couldn't stay could I? Dommie's better off without it. We can handle the debt. We will." Juliet nodded forcefully and took another sip.
"Him being . . .?" Sean invited casually.
"Hmm? Well, Dom's father of course, you asked me about him. Don't you remember?" Mum chided gently.
"I don't know about him," Harry pointed out, reaching over to top up Juliet's glass.
Sean sifted through memories, bits and pieces of quickly cut off comments and nuggets of information and said, "I know you told me a bit, Mum, but you never mentioned his name."
He sat back and crossed one leg over the other, making deductions and hoping he was right. "He wouldn't leave her, wasn't that it? And I think I remember something about his wife? You said something once that sounded like she wanted to take Dom?" He swirled the liquid in his glass and studied it's movement, head bent and hoping Mum had enough champagne in her that she'd forgo her usual reticence.
"I did tell you...didn't I?" Juliet's not sure anymore but it makes sense that she might have. "Oh yes, his wife, cold awful bitch, part Dnaran you know. Gods bless the King and Queen though. But Glenn she could freeze petals off a rose. But it wasn't her fault, was mine. Stoopid, foolish gel. Believed that he'd leave her but money talks with some. Did with him for certain."
Juliet put on an accent like a man's. "The Caines are an ancient family name Juliet, can't just walk away from that. We must think of what is best for the estate." Speaking more normally she added. "Ugly pile of bricks."
Harry's eyes widened in recognition. "Caines? That'd be Michael then?" he said, trying to keep his voice casual like Sean's. Anyone who was of an older family who was anyone, which included the Sinclair's, knew who the Caines were. And although the few big events Harry had attended that they'd been at were a few years back, not to mention that he'd had to be dragged there by the short hairs, he knew enough to know that Mum's description was, well, pretty much balls on accurate.
"Yes..." Mum nodded and drank again. "I don't know why it shocked me so when it all happened. He was just...he could be charming...make you believe you were the center of the world." Sipping again, she nodded. "Don't like talking about him because really it wasn't his fault. He was and is a weak man. But I was too young and foolish to listen or think things through. My fault really. My issue to fix."
Sean stopped his recitation, figuring that he needed to wet his throat and Dom needed time to absorb what he'd been told so far. "I'm getting a drink." he said and wandered over to the cabinet with one eye on the clock. Not quite over the yardarm but Dom could probably use something substantial about now and he knew he could. He poured two small measures of whisky and handed one to a silent Dom, propping himself back up onto the desk and waiting patiently, sipping his drink.
Feet up on the chair, Dom uncurled one arm enough to take the glass from Sean and drink it down in one fiery blast that tore through him. His thoughts were whirling like mad. Mum had told them. Mum. Not Caine. He thought back to all that she had ever told him about his father. She had never mislead him about the man being a good fatherly type but a total ratbastard arsehole like Caine - no. And it wasn't like Dom hadn't thought before that it was all too probable that he had half-siblings somewhere, but to actually know that Matt was one, was something he just couldn't resolve yet.
Continued here...
