Next chapter!!! 

Review!  I order you, Review NOW!  In the name of me!  JK….please review though…..puh-lease

Next chapter doesn't come till I've gotten at least 15 reviews!  So there

Hehe….

Sorry if any of the characters are OOC…..I like 'em better that way….sometimes…..muahhahahahahahaha………yea and it is an AU so whatever….

Disclaimer:  yes, yes, yes….you guys know it by now….well I hope you do…..I mean with all the fics you have probably read……anyways all Tortallan stuff belongs to Mrs. Tamora Pierce!!!  And any other thing in here you recognize I do not own.

On with the story:

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            "Hurry up Lump," Joren called as Kel maneuvered with her luggage through the top level of the crowded parking deck.  He looked over at her; as she struggled with her luggage, people jostling her from the sides.  Her shoulder length, brown hair had fallen out of the knot she'd put it up in earlier that day and it caught the morning sunlight, seemingly glowing.  'What am I doing? Staring at the Lump?' he thought angrily to himself.  'Even if her hair is pretty?' asked a wicked part of his mind. 

            "Patience, Joren!" she yelled, her own wearing thin.  They had only been in each other's presence for around twenty minutes and already Kel was resisting the urge to strangle him. 

            Joren stopped abruptly at a black Dodge Viper and fumbled for something in his pockets.  He pressed a button on his key ring that caused the Viper to beep twice.  "Get in," Joren ordered.

            Kel just stood there, shocked.  "This is yours?" she asked incredulously. 

            Joren nodded.  "Yup," he replied, almost civilly.  "My pride and joy," he told her.  (a/n: ok so sue me….I know the phrase is cliché )

            "Wow," she breathed in awe. 

            "Hop in," he told her, coming around to pick up her luggage.  He startled her, and even more himself, when he held open the passenger door for her. 

            "Thank you," she said to him.

            "No problem, Lump," he said quickly to cover his nice deed.  'Much better,' he thought.

            She glared at him as he took her luggage and put it in the trunk.  He hopped in on the driver's side and asked, "Ready?"

            Kel nodded, "Yes, Matthew."

            Joren growled and added, "Whatever you say, Christiana."

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            They drove in silence for more than an hour, heading in the directions their PDAs from Wyldon directed.  Around nine in the morning Joren broke the silence.

            "Want something to eat?" he asked.  Not waiting for an answer he told her, "I'm famished.  I woke up late today and didn't have a chance to grab breakfast."  Kel nodded and go out her purse.  Joren shook his head.  "It's on Wyldon," he told her, mischief in his hard blue eyes.

            "Um ok," Kel said as Joren pulled into the exit lane and came to a stop at a traffic light. 

"Tortall'donalds ok?" he asked her, locking his cold, blue eyes with her hazel ones.  "I've heard they have pretty good breakfast sandwiches."

Kel nodded, intrigued by what she had seen in his eyes. 

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            Joren drove until four in the afternoon.  They had stopped once for lunch and once again to gas up.  At four he pulled into a convenience mart.  "Want anything?" he asked Kel.  "I'm going to get some coffee."

            "Sure," she replied.  "Coffee, please.  Black."

            Joren nodded and went into the convenience mart.  Kel leaned back and thought about the day.  'We haven't fought that much,' she commented to herself.  'It's amazing.  He's been almost civil.'

            Joren came back and handed her a cup of coffee.  "Want to drive for a while?" he asked her.  "I've been driving since eight and it's a little past four now."

            "Wow I didn't realize it was that late," Kel admitted.  "I could really drive?" she asked him.  "I mean I'm not insured on this car and it's really nice and…"

            Joren cut her off, "It's fine."  He smiled cockily.  "I've got plenty of money," he said with more than a hint of superiority in his voice.

            Kel frowned.  Here was the Joren she knew.  "Fine, I'll drive," she told him.

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            Kel drove until two in the morning, stopping once at a drive-thru for dinner and another time because Joren 'desperately' needed to use the facilities.  Around two she felt herself nodding off.  Pulling into a gas station she woke Joren, who had been dosing in the passenger seat.  "Joren," she said. 

            "What?" he growled, clearly not in a good mood; although Kel couldn't tell if it was from lack of sleep or if it was just his usual personality surfacing.

            "It's two in the morning," she told him.

            That woke him up.  "You drove until two in the morning?" he yelled.

            "Yes," she said.

            "Gods Mindelan, get out," he said motioning towards the driver's door. 

            She stepped out and stretched.  Joren got out of his side and climbed into the driver's seat.  Kel situated herself in the passenger seat with her pillow behind her head.  "Are you fit to drive?" she asked.

            "I'm fine," he told her.  "I've been asleep since dinner which was around seven hours ago."

            "Okay," she mumbled, already drifting off to sleep.  Joren looked over and noticed she hadn't strapped herself in.  He reached over and pulled her seatbelt across her.  Snapping it in he justified his actions to himself saying, 'Wyldon would never forgive me for loosing her so soon into the mission.'

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            Around five in the morning he couldn't see straight.  Joren pulled into an inn about a mile off the highway, went in and checked in.  He decided they would stay there until one or two in the afternoon.  After that they were close enough it would take them only thirty minutes to cross the border.  He went outside and tried to wake Kel.  She wouldn't budge.  Finally he returned to the front desk, requested help with their luggage and picked Kel up.  Her lightness surprised him. 

Going into the room he placed her gently down on one of two double beds in the room.  "Thank you," he told the man who had carried their luggage, and flipped him a copper coin.  Joren looked over at Kel and realized she might be cold; there were goose bumps on her arms.  'Of course,' he thought to himself.  'It's only winter, Joren,' he scolded himself mentally.  Walking over to Kel he pulled the blankets up around her.  A lock of her hair had fallen across her face.  He brushed it behind her ear thinking to himself, 'Gods, she looks much softer when she sleeps.'

Barely able to stand straight he stumbled over to his bed and fell on top of it, asleep before his head hit the pillows.

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            I know not much happens and the characters may seem a little quick to accept each other.  I'm accrediting that to years of maturity on both their parts.  Please review…..please, please, please

I know it's kind of short…..o well….sorry