Everybody Loves Kel

by an anonymous geek

A/N: Okay, I love writing Kel fics, but I am not up to writing 10 or more full length fanfics, so I decided to write one fic where each chapter is a totally new story. So, everyone falls in love with Kel, and you get to decide who falls in love with Kel next. Just let me know in your review, and I will try to write a story about that character. I'm just doing Neal first because he's my favorite, though I might write one full length one with him and Kel! hehe. So, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own nothin'

Chapter One: Neal

[Don't know the year, but Neal and Kel are both knights and this takes
place after Lady Knight, and Kel is 25 and Neal is 30]

Neal walked through a garden in the palace, not at all in a good mood. He wanted to throw something or rip something apart because of the sadness in his heart. No, he had been sad at first, but then he became more angry with himself than he had ever been before. That was why he was now walking through the garden: he wanted to calm down. Why had he been such a fool? This question haunted him, and he could not be consoled. Everyone left him alone, and for that he was grateful. His father at first had tried to speak with him, but soon learned that it was to no avail, his son was heartbroken, and he was not the one to help. Neal needed someone close to talk to, and that was why Duke Baird had sent a message to her, telling her that she was needed as soon as she could spare some time. But Neal knew nothing of this, and that was why he was so surprised to see her sitting on a bench in the garden.

"Kel?" he asked, not believing his eyes.

She looked up and smiled at him. "Hello, Neal."

Neal stared at his friend. She looked very different from the last time he had seen her. He had last seen her when she had left Corus to check on her newly rebuilt fort. She was more womanly now, her last childishness wiped away from the gory experiences she had been through. Age seemed to have caught up with her, and she no longer looked like an overly tall teen, but like a beautiful woman. Neal smiled weakly at her.

Kel patted the bench, indicating that Neal should sit down. He did so. They talked for a long time, catching up on what had happened to each other lately (though Neal left out the most recent thing that had happened to him), and then just reminisced about old times, recalling both sad and happy memories. Then Kel brought up the dreaded subject.

"Neal, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied immediately.

Kel's eyebrows rose. "There's no use in lying to me, Neal. I'm your friend. I'm not going to force you to tell me what the problem is, but I want you to know that if you ever need anyone to talk to, I'll be here for you." She rose from her seat and started to walk away, but then Neal grabbed her wrist.

"No, Kel. Don't go. I'll tell you. Best friends don't keep secrets, do they?" She smiled. "It all started when Yuki and I got into a fight. Well, it wasn't a big one, but we had a lot of disagreements, and she thought it would be better if we didn't marry and she returned to the Yamani Islands. So now she's miles and miles away and for once I can't do anything about it. The problem is, I'm too stubborn to admit my faults and ask her to come back. I'm beginning to doubt that we were really meant for each other."


Kel nodded, and then did something that surprised him. She hugged Neal. Not just a quick, loose, 'I-don't-really-care' kind of hug, but a long, tight hug of a friend. "I'm so sorry, Neal." She pulled away from him. "As far as I can see there are two possibilities of things to do. One, you admit your faults and try to work things out with her. Two, you leave it alone." She looked Neal in the eye. "It is possible that you aren't really destined for each other." He gave her an incredulous look. "I'm serious. I was positive that Cleon and I were meant for each other, and look at us now. Cleon is married and has a child, and here I am, an old spinster."


Neal looked at his friend and noticed a tear running down her face. 'She hasn't quite gotten over Cleon yet, I guess,' he thought, automatically forgetting his own problems, and worrying over Kel. She rarely showed emotion, so it was pretty serious when she did. She wiped away her tear. "Look at me! Here I am trying to help you out, and I end up crying all over you. I am getting more and more like those silly court ladies day after day." She grinned, and so did Neal. They walked out of the garden together, both feeling better than they did when they had entered.

~ * ~

Neal and Kel sat in the mess hall as Kel tried to persuade Neal to eat his vegetables, just like old times, when an old friend felt like dropping by. A large shadow fell over the table, and they both looked up to see a smiling Cleon. Neal smiled, and Kel had a fake smile already plastered on her face. She would not let her self-pity get in the way of having a good time with her old friends. Neal looked at her and knew that she was not at all happy, but still didn't want his pity. So, he pretended as if he didn't notice.
"Cleon! What are you doing here?" he asked.


"I am stationed here at the moment, while my family is still at home. I tried to persuade my wife to come with me this time, but she wanted to stay at home." He sighed, then looked at Kel. "Kel? Is that you? Gods, you look really different. How are you?"

Kel grinned. "I'm fine, and you? I hope you haven't gotten into too much trouble."


"No, no. My wife keeps me out of any scrapes that I could get myself into."


Neal noticed that every time Cleon said "my wife", Kel cringed. He felt bad for her. At least he didn't have a married Yuki around talking about her husband. That thought made him feel really bad for Kel. What must she be going through? It had to be terrible. Neal really didn't listen as Cleon rambled on and on about random things. He was deep in thought about Kel. The poor innocent girl had only one crush, and then the object of her affections married another.

Neal, as a boy, had had many crushes, including Kel, but he would never tell her that. He had always gotten over them, and he was forced to admit that he had gotten over Yuki, in the time that he had spent with Kel. Kel was a wonderful person. She was a good listener, was a kind person, and was a good comforter. And she was really beautiful with her brown hair and dreamy hazel eyes, but that was beside the point. But at this point, Neal had forgotten the point. All he was thinking about was how beautiful Kel was. After a few minutes he was already composing poems about her rose colored lips. Then he was brought back into reality.


Kel was so completely unattainable. She only loved Cleon, and he doubted that she would truly ever get completely over him. Cleon. He soon became angry at Cleon for breaking Kel's heart and marrying another. How dare he hurt Kel in that way! But his thoughts soon drifted back to Kel. It was obvious that she had only loved Cleon, and probably would only love him till the day she died. So there was no hope for Neal. And he would hate to hurt their friendship by telling Kel that he loved her. She would probably be ashamed of him, and would not to be his friend anymore. He ignored the fact that this would most likely not happen, but in Neal's mind, he was so sure that she would hate him if he told her. So, he would just have to keep it a secret, and he would never tell Kel about how he felt.


A question from Kel broke his thoughts. "What?" he asked, and then he realized that Cleon was no longer there.


"I said, 'Are you finished?'"

"Oh, yeah, I guess I am. I'm not hungry anymore. Where'd Cleon go?" They got up and started walked out of the Mess Hall.

She looked at him in a funny way. "He left a while ago, but you were too deep in your thoughts to notice." She paused, and then continued. "You are more fickle than the court ladies. It seems as if you have forgotten about Yuki. Which lady is it now?"

Neal was taken aback at how well Kel knew him. He wanted to just say, "You," but decided against it.


He realized that he must of said it, from the look on Kel's face. 'Oh, no. Now I've done it. Kel will hate me now,' he thought.

For a while, she just stared at him, but then she started laughing. This confused Neal immensely. Finally, she composed herself. "That was a good one, Neal. I almost believed you. Even the whole daydreaming part! It was so convincing!"

He stared stupidly at her. She thought he was joking! He decided he now had to admit to Kel that he loved her. He couldn't lie to her, and she deserved to know the truth. Quietly, he said, "I'm not joking."

Kel's jaw dropped. He guessed that he must have looked sincere enough that she believed him. "Really?"

By now they were out in an abandoned hallway, outside of the Mess Hall. "I've never been more serious. Kel, I loved you since I first met you, but I thought I had gotten over that crush like I had the others. But, now that I'm with you again, I've realized that I love you more than ever." He looked away, not wanting to see the hate that he was sure was in her eyes at that moment. After a long moment of silence, Neal decided that he needed to look up, and the look in her eyes surprised him. He didn't see hate there, instead there was something else he couldn't discern. He was still sure that she was angry with him, but was hiding it. "I know you probably hate me for this, but I thought that you deserved to know. Friends don't keep secrets, remember? I understand if you never want to speak to me again."

He started to walk away, but then Kel caught up with him. He stopped walking, and she looked him straight in the eye. "I have a confession to make too, Neal. I've been keeping a secret from you for a long time. I have loved you also, since our page years. Only, I was too frightened to tell you this." Neal was so surprised. Kel loved him? How could that be true? She only loved Cleon. But then he saw in her eyes that she was sincere. He smiled, and so did she. He leaned his face in closer to hers, and she did not move away. His lips touched hers in a gentle, but loving kiss, and Kel did not push away, but she kissed him back.

~ * ~

awww, now isn't that the way things should be? hmmm? So, review and tell me who you want to fall in love with Kel, next! okay?