WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF DEATH
"VEE, what the fuck is going on?" Felix asked his sister as he Calypso and Oliver all crouched around the top of the spiral staircase.
Venetia shushed him, "It's Farleigh."
Oliver softly asked, "What happened?"
"He tried to nick something."
Calypso didn't believe that, she could hear the faint arguing and Farleigh pleading with his aunt to believe him.
Felix gasped, "What are you talking about?"
Venetia softly scoffed, "He's a fucking idiot."
"He's not a fucking idiot, he wouldn't do that," Calypso mumbled.
They heard Duncan demand, "Move!"
And with Elspeth's pleading Farleigh was escorted out.
Felix's soft eyes widened, "Fuck."
That caught his mother's attention and they quickly dispersed.
___
"I mean, it's outrageous!" Venetia exclaimed, sunbathing on the small dock hovering over the pond.
The heat was even more outrageous, they all were spread out of the green, close to the edge of the pond, wearing swimsuits. Felix sat next to Oliver who had his knees to his chest and Calypso resting on a towel, wearing her prescription sunglasses as she tried to block out the speculation.
Oliver questioned, "What actually happened?"
Felix informed, "He sent an email to Sotheby's to say that he'd 'come by' some Palissy plates."
Venetia scoffed, "I mean, the idiot. He had to have known that Dad went to school with the chairman. I mean, talk about biting the hand. And Mum and Dad would give him anything he asked for."
"Yeah, well, obviously he got sick of asking."
"That's ridiculous. He's more spoilt than we are."
Calypso rolled her eyes, pulling out her phone to text Farleigh that she would try and convince his aunt and uncle to have him back, even though it was likely they would, everything was too stressful right now. She missed Farleigh and it had only been an hour, the guy was a prick but he held a place in her heart. He was the one to give her the nickname River – a bad joke about how it was Felix's middle name but it just stuck.
"I mean, come on, Vee. You... You have to admit. It's a little bit dark, him having to go to Mum and Dad with a begging bowl," Felix huffed.
"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo."
Calypso snapped, "Have a fucking brain. He didn't do anything."
"How would you know, trouble?" they all turned to her.
"He's your cousin," Calypso sat up, eyes darting between the siblings. "he's not thick enough to steal something belonging to any of you or anything at all, I mean for Christ's sake Felix you and him have matching rings," her love sheepishly glanced down at his signet ring. "There are certainly other people in this house more inclined to steal. Farleigh is a shit-stirring prick but not a liar," she targeted Oliver briefly. "Nor a thief. He's your cousin and you're all so quick to dispose of him."
"We're not disposing of him," Felix tried, but she only shook her head.
"You'll probably do the same to me next."
Felix was extremely hurt to hear that, even more, distressed that she was lying so far away from him.
Venetia went to say something but Oliver beat her to it, "Cali, are you alright?"
She snapped her head towards him, and Felix and Venetia were shocked that he referred to her as that.
"I'm fine. Olly," Calypso muttered bitterly.
Felix didn't like her nickname rolling off Oliver's tongue, not one bit. He tried to get her attention but Venetia quickly warned them to stop speaking about Farleigh after seeing her parents stroll over.
"Guys, guys, guys."
Felix hushed, "Oliver, don't mention it, okay?"
Oliver's brows furrowed, "What happens if they bring him up?"
"They won't."
"What a glorious day," Sir James noted, walking beside his wife with his Panama hat in hand. "Never known a summer as hot as this one. Sweltering. I think it's even hotter than last year. I didn't think that was possible, but here we are again."
Calypso put down her phone when she caught Felix waving at her, she softly waved back annoyed that she couldn't ignore him.
"It's hotter than Barbados, apparently. Barbados!" Sir James said looking around.
Elspeth gushed, "No, I can believe it, darling."
"Honestly, I don't think I've ever been hotter in my life," he remained astonished as his wife collapsed into a lounge chair. "Oh, I need to check with Robert ...to make sure that he's being extra vigilant with the hydrangeas."
"Very wise, my love," Elspeth exhaled, "Oh, bliss. bliss, bliss, bliss." she hummed when she heard the song quietly playing. "Mmm! Oh, this song. God, I haven't heard this song in forever." She sighed, "I used to hang out with them all, actually, when I was modelling," she paused, "Your mother did too Calypso, right before your dad trapped her," Felix noted his love's face drop slightly. "Britpop, Blur, Oasis. God, the parties. Oh, but then, of course, 'Common People' came out and everybody thought it was written about me. Which was completely mortifying and ridiculous. I mean, I barely knew Jarvis."
Venetia called out, "What? "
"She came from Greece. She had a thirst for knowledge. It couldn't have been me. I've never wanted to know anything." Elspeth groaned, "God, I wish we didn't have to go to London."
"I didn't know you were going to London," Felix said, playing with the grass beneath his feet.
"Pamela's funeral."
He replied softly, "Oh."
"Pamela died?" Oliver turned to him shocked, apparently, he was the only one who didn't know.
"Yeah."
"She'd do anything for attention."
Oliver seemed very affected by her sudden death, guilty almost.
"My love?" Felix called out to her.
"Hmm."
"Where's your necklace?" he noted her neck was bare and slowly she did too.
"Holy shit," Calyspo patted around, to see if it fell off but it didn't. "I think I took it off when I got in the bath, worried it was gonna slip down the drain."
Elspeth waved her off, "It's fine, if you lost it you can just get a new one."
"Fuck," she rushed off and Felix was quick to go after her.
"I don't know what the problem is, Felix will replace it," Elspeth breathed out.
___
"Cali it's okay, we'll find it," Felix watched his Calypso fall apart as she scoured his room, needing to find her necklace.
Her perfect dove necklace.
She didn't want to make a mess, with every movement she put his things back how they were, the same with the bathroom, not wanting to give anyone the excuse to get rid of her.
"I can't – I don't know where it is. I'm sorry," she revealed, with tears pooling in her eyes.
He immediately rushed over, cupping her face, as a way to calm her. Her crestfallen expression made his heart hurt, he couldn't bear to see her like this.
"Why are you apologising? It's fine if we can't find it," he tried, feeling her face tremble as she tried holding back her tears.
Her lip quivered, "How? You brought it for me ages ago."
"Maybe I could get a new one for you."
Her face tensed making him quickly regret the suggestion, she pushed his hands away, staggering back in disbelief.
"What?" she rasped, "It cost a fortune Felix, it has sentimental value you can't just replace it."
"I didn't mean it like that," he promised, he just wanted to find a solution.
One that would calm her down but she was a mess over this necklace.
He only ever saw her like this when her parent's neglect hit her particularly hard and he always knew how to cheer her up. Making her tea – with a lot of milk and three teaspoons of sugar, or buying her a vanilla latte before they took an evening stroll, reading books together or even talking about their day to each other.
But now, his brain was stuck, partially due to his cousin's absence, which clearly impacted her more than him.
"No I can't – you can't just get a new one. I want that one the original one," she stressed, breathing heavily as her glossy eyes darted around the room. "You can't replace something priceless. Please understand that."
"I do, I really do," he vigorously nodded, annoyed that he kept putting his foot in his mouth, "I mean, we'll try and find it. I'll get Vee and Olly to help."
He then saw her pull a face he was unfamiliar with.
It was nasty, nothing like her.
"No, not that freak," she spat, startling him.
Felix sighed, "Don't be like that."
"I don't trust him," she cried out, with a tear finally trickling down her face, steaming her glasses so she pulled them off, letting them drop to the floor. "I don't like him, he shouldn't be here. Farleigh should be."
He slowly approached again, "It's okay."
"It's not, I lost the necklace. I lost the necklace," she sobbed, "help me find it. Just you."
He wrapped his arm around her as tears soaked his chest, "I'll help you, pretty girl. I'll help you."
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a/n:
my girl is going through it. yes, oliver took the necklace, sneaking into the bathroom after she took it off and left. it's a punishment, just like he set farleigh up after the the public embarrassment. you could say that he wants to make cali look insane in front of felix, but would that really work, considering felix just wants to make her happy and is in love with her?
the fact she had to defend farleigh again proves that not only did she care for him but that she understands that everything to the catton's is replaceable. so her losing her necklace and their solution is to get a new one is only adding to her fear. her fear of being abandoned and replaced like her family continue to do to her.
also, I started watching ugly betty again and I love the fashion from 2006/7 mainly the low-rise jeans and clingy vest tops.