Title: Making Sacrifices

Authors: VirKatJol and relaxjolene

Rating: NC-17 (mostly PG-13ish)

Summary: Kahlan must pretend to love another to advance the quest

Disclaimer: We don't own them. If we did they'd have been way better advertised and millions more would be tuning in and we wouldn't be fighting so hard for a Season 3.

A/N VirKatJol: This started a long time ago, then we decided to Big Bang it since it was already started. It's quite the ride for me. Thanks to relaxJolene for writing with me for part of it. Thanks to Pickgems for the Beta'ing! valhallalilly and morgenwrites thanks for cheerleading and being overall awesome and encouraging! I love you all!

A/N RelaxJolene: THANK YOU MY BB pickgems FOR READING ALL THIS OVER THE COURSE OF A MONTH and ty pickgems for writing my A/N for me!

Chapter 1

"I think I found a way in," Cara burst into camp with her announcement.

The group turned to look at her and waited until she set her pack down and settled by the fire before they began quizzing her for answers.

"I hope it won't take too long." Richard was worried about the quest to find the stone; tears in the veil were popping up with more frequency. All these side adventures took time from the main one, precious time that they didn't have.

"It will all depend on Kahlan."

"Wait, why me?" Confusion wasn't a familiar tone to her voice, but Cara's riddling wasn't easing her mind.

"You're a woman."

"Yes, thank you for pointing that out. So are you." Kahlan rolled her eyes at Cara. She wanted her to just come out with it all.

"I already don't like where this is going, and I have no idea about the destination." Richard interrupted. "Out with it, Cara!"

"The man with the information and artifact that we need requires something himself." Cara's eyes went from Zedd's to Richard's, and then settled on Kahlan. "A wife."

"No." That was the only word Richard let out of his mouth before jumping up and leaving the campfire.

Kahlan's eyes followed Richard's hasty retreat before returning to catch the Mord'Sith rolling her eyes impatiently. "Please continue, Cara." She said, raising her chin defiantly as their gazes met in a challenge.

"Are you sure?" Cara taunted, her tongue swiping over her lips as she grinned a cheshire grin at the Mother Confessor. "You don't want to catch him, and try to convince him that you could never love another?"

"Cara…" Kahlan's tone should have been a warning to stop, but Cara continued on either unaware or uncaring.

"His concern is a waste of time!" Cara stood, placed a hand to her agiel and began pacing back and forth while she spoke. "He can't be with you! The next town we come to, I swear, I'm going to take him to the nearest brothel and MAKE him sample the wares! That should solve this…"

"ENOUGH!" Kahlan's voice echoed through the woods, as she rose to her feet, hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Sit down, Cara!"

Cara stood her ground for a moment, fingers wrapped around the agiel at her side, stroking the weapon as she battled for superiority with the other woman. Her head cocked to the side as she glanced at Kahlan across the fire. Flames were dancing in the Mother Confessor's eyes, and Cara would have sworn she could see her pupils beginning to dilate.

"Alright," she ceded, nodding as Kahlan visibly relaxed, and they both returned to their makeshift seats. "Alright."

"Tell me what I have to do, Cara."

"According to the rumors flying around the tavern, Sardius Stalker needs a wife to fulfill some sort of prerequisite for his estate. They said that only the lady of the house is allowed to open the vault. It stems from one of the first women in charge of the Stalker estates. She didn't want her cheating husband to get into her valuables so she had it spelled. The wedding ring will activate the door when worn by a woman who's been wed to the current Lord." She saw Kahlan's brain working and knew what she was thinking. "The bond won't work if you confess him, so get that look out of your eyes." Cara glanced at her trying to gauge her reaction to all the information. "All the drunkards seemed quite confident that the glasses were in there. They claimed that he'd been in the bar many times bragging about how the Seeker needed something that he possessed, but couldn't get to… yet." Cara just rolled her eyes. "I still don't see why we need to get these…"

"Cara, the book we found about the compass said that the only way to truly find the stone is the read the compass with these glasses. If we don't get them, who knows how long it will take to find it." Kahlan let out a puff of air. She was being driven crazy by all of Cara's second guessing. "Okay, so how did I become the bait? Why not you?"

The Mord'Sith looked away, a strange expression crossed her face. "I may have already had a run in with Stalker, years ago, but it was… memorable…"

"Okay… So how do I get in? I'm the Mother Confessor; he could recognize me. I'm a fairly well known entity."

"Well, this is the part that you won't like." Cara might have wanted to put Kahlan down more than once, but this part wasn't something that she wanted to break to her. She knew Richard was going to be even angrier. "You'll need a new look, including cutting your hair…"

"Cutting my…" Kahlan repeated, her fingers absently pulling at a few wayward strands as she spoke.

"Yes, your hair." Cara interrupted, "It has to go. It is your most recognizable feature Kahlan, the one thing that truly gives your position away."

"I can't cut my hair." Kahlan let out a puff of air as she spoke, watching her fingers as they twirled the strands around and around.

"You don't have any choice if we're to continue on our quest." Cara retorted, indigence rising in her voice. She was impatient tonight, ready to get this over with and to be back on the trail again.

"No, Cara, you don't understand." Kahlan paused, choosing her next words carefully in order to make her point clear. "iI/i can't cut my hair. It's physically painful for a confessor to cut her own hair."

Cara rolled her eyes, "You don't even know what pain is, Kahlan, but since you think the slight discomfort of cutting your own hair will be too painful for you, we'll just have someone else do it. Perhaps Richard will be up to the task."

Kahlan's hands fell to her lap, finally still as she stared into the fire. "How short?"

"A little longer than mine should be sufficient."

"When?"

"As soon as you can convince Lord Rahl to do it for you, and if he won't, I'd be happy to lend a hand." Cara said with a smirk, "You should go find him now, he's probably had time to calm down a bit."

Richard had found a spot to sit in the woods, his back against a large tree trunk, knees up with elbows crossed on them. His head was tipped back looking through the canopy at the places the sun slipped through and tried to find the forest floor. He didn't want any part of giving Kahlan over to another man. If he couldn't have her, no one else was allowed to either. He didn't care how chauvinistic or egotistical that sounded, she was his, even if they couldn't share their bodies.

He heard a rustling of the leaves and tilted his head to see Kahlan approaching him. He let out a sigh. He knew that she was going to do this, and he didn't want her to, but he was sure that Cara had explained why it ihad/i to be Kahlan and not the Mord'Sith that completed this part of the mission.

"Richard…" She spoke his name with hesitation, wanting to see his reaction and test how angry he still was.

"So you want to become another man's wife?" The bitterness in his voice surprised even him.

"There are a lot of things I want, but that will never be one of them." She stood at his feet now, hands on her hips. "I want your support and…" She felt a tear slip down her cheek, so she grit her teeth and blinked rapidly trying to make sure no more would follow. "I'd like to know that I have your love as well, but I understand if you can't love me after I go through with this charade. I don't know how far I'll have to go…"

"Kahlan." He whispered her name and stood up. His arms immediately enclosed her and pulled her into his embrace. "I hate this plan." His lips were next to her ear, speaking softly. "I could never stop loving you."

She returned the hug, wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her face in his neck. She felt herself calming at the feel and scent of him.

"I need you to cut my hair." She blurted out, and felt him stiffen against her.

His hands instinctively moved up to touch her hair, running his fingers through the long, dark, silky strands. He adored her hair, it was part of who she was, and he knew that it signified her standing in the Midlands.

"Why are you asking me to do that to you?" It would break her heart, having to chop off all that beautiful hair.

"I can't."

"Sure you can, you can use my knife…"He reached to his side and unsheathed it from its scabbard.

Kahlan didn't feel like explaining again. She took the offered weapon and gripped a piece of her hair, only a very small section. She knew the excruciating pain that was about to hit her. Drawing in a few deep breaths she lined up the knife, closed her eyes and sliced.

The scream of pain she let out must have terrified him. The knife was no longer in her hands. He'd taken it and tossed it into the dirt. She was on her knees now, but didn't remember being knocked over by the awful sensation. He had a hand on her back, rubbing soothing circles, the other on her face, wiping away the tears. His lips felt cool against her forehead as he placed light kisses there, helping her ease away from the ache.

"Why did you do that?" While his voice was quiet, it was demanding. He wanted an answer.

"I didn't feel like explaining it again." She made her voice just as stern. "I didn't think that telling you would be as effective, either. Seeing how much pain it causes is more convincing than just hearing about something that wouldn't make any sense to someone from a land without magic."

His hand wound its way into her hair, pulling her face towards his until their foreheads met and he gazed directly into her eyes. "I would have believed you." Richard stroked her cheek with his thumb, "I'll always believe you."

"I know Richard." Her hand found a resting place over his heart, slipping beneath the fabric of his tunic to feel each beat in time with her words, "I'm just…tired."

"Tired?" Richard's voice was a mere whisper, his eyes searching hers for any clue as to her meaning.

"Exhausted, frustrated…" She paused, mentally weighing her words, "Tired of arguing. Tired of having to defend myself against those who should be my friends."

"Cara?"

She nodded her head once, their foreheads slipping apart for a moment, only to rejoin a second later. "It's nothing I can't handle." She said, "Sometimes I just want this to be over." Another tear slipped from the corner of her eye as she spoke, and he brushed it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Kahlan?" Richard spoke her name, and placed a light kiss on her lips. He took her other hand in his, and twined their fingers together, "It's okay." He used his hand in her hair to pull her lips to his again.

"Richard…" Her voice was breathy as she mumbled against his lips, "We don't have time…" But even as she spoke the words, her body betrayed her true emotion inching closer to his, longing to be pressed against his rugged frame. Her hand left its spot on his chest, making it's way across his shoulder and clinging to the nape of his neck, holding him to her, as if she feared he might run away were she to let go.

They kissed slowly. Kahlan took his bottom lip between hers and sucked on it, laving it with her tongue. She heard him moan into her mouth and she answered with one of her own. Both of them content to kneel on the ground with their mouths connected in a loving caress. She pulled away first, stood up and picked up his knife from the forest floor. Kahlan drew in a deep breath and then handed the knife back to Richard.