Charm

Chapter IV: Business

Neal, his telescope pointed towards the practise courts, twisted a knob on the side so that Dom's downcast face was fully, sharply in focus. "Hmmmm," he said musingly.

Wolset elbowed him in the ribs, by now thoroughly impatient. "What's 'appening?"

"She walked away," Neal informed Wolset, his voice thoughtful. "They talked, and then she walked away."

"So what are we goin' to do now?" demanded Wolset. "Love potion? A set up? No!" He held up his finger, his face lit up. "Lock them in a room together for a week!"

Neal took his eye off the telescope to eye Wolset in bafflement. "What are you talking about? The plan isn't to get them together. Eughh!" Neal pulled one of his theatrical faces. "My cousin and my best friend? I don't think so!"

Wolset looked slightly bemused by this. "What? Then what's our plan? What's the point of spyin' on 'em?"

"To torture Dom, of course!" Neal replied impatiently. Honestly, some people were so stupid! Kel and Dom together, indeed!

"But..." Wolset trailed off, his thoughts jumbled. "But surely the Lady Knight needs someone? And the sarge would be perfect!"

Neal gazed at him in disgust. "No! Never! You, my friend, have a disgusting mind!"


Wolset strolled to the barracks of the Third Company, whistling softly. Sir Neal was confident in his plans, but Wolset knew that this was a truly stupid idea. Torturing Dom? Not nearly as fun as setting him up with the Lady Knight!

Sir Neal mightn't think much of him, but he certainly knew how to cook up a good prank. And it was Sir Neal's own fault for telling him about Dom's, erm, feelings for Kel.

"Hey boys," he said cheerfully, as he walked into the barracks.

Lerant looked up at his tone, suspicion instantly written onto his face."What are you so pleased about?"

Wolset grinned, and didn't waste any time getting to the point. "I know something you don't know!" he sang softly, waiting eagerly for the reaction he was sure to get.

At this, Fulcher sat up off from lying on his bed. "Ooo, what?"

"It's about the sarge," Wolset told them gleefully.

"This oughta be good!" Fulcher's eyes practically shone with excitement. "Spit it out!"

Wolset paused, building the anticipation, and then couldn't keep it quiet a moment longer. "Dom likes Kel!"

Fulcher jerked up excitedly. "What?"

Winking, Wolset grinned. "Yep."

"No way!" Lerant narrowed his eyes doubtfully. "You certain?"

Wolset nodded, pasting a casually bored expression on his face. "Certain as the sun will rise."

A sly grin lit up Fulcher's thin face. "Well, now what?"


"Neal?" Kel asked tentatively.

"Mmmmm?" Neal mumbled thoughtfully, not really paying much attention to his friend. If he had been looking at her closely, he would have noticed a slight downwards droop of her lips, a minimal drop of the eyelids and a firm setting of her usual calm mask.

Instead, Neal was thinking about Wolset's foul mind. Dom and Kel! Together! Honestly, fancy even suggesting such a thing! The very thought!

Neal shuddered internally as he imagined Dom and Kel as a couple. Dancing! Kissing! What a thought!

"What does it mean," Kel began, twisting her hands in her lap nervously. "What does it mean if someone says that you're their business?"

"Whatever are you talking about?" Neal said absentmindedly, still picturing Kel in a long white dress kissing Dom. Foul! Just foul! "Who? Did the person say that you, as in yourself, were the person's business? Or that the person was their own business?"

Kel stared at him for a moment, slightly lost. "Erm... They said that I was their business, after I told them that my lov-... that something was none of their business."

Still not fully paying attention, Neal was interested, in a kind of unfocused way. "Oh? Who told you that?"

Kel certainly wasn't going to tell him that it was his cousin! "Oh, no one important," she replied innocently.

His mind still tangled in thoughts of Kel and Dom, Neal smiled indulgently at Kel's lack of experience. Fancy not knowing what being someone's business meant!

"Well, my dear," Neal told her. "Let me just say that when Yuki told me I was her business, she then threw her shukusen at my head and we-"

He trailed off with a slightly embarrassed look on his face, perhaps realising that what had happened next wasn't really appropriate for Kel's ears.

Kel frowned minimally, her mind working hard. "So when Yuki said that you were her business, she meant that she loved you?"

Neal flicked dirt from under his nails. "Yes, yes, I suppose that's it."

"Thanks, Neal," Kel said, standing up quickly. "Thanks a lot."

She walked away swiftly, leaving Neal still living in his vivid imagination.

It was about five minutes later that he finally grasped the connotations of what Kel had been asking him.

"What! Kel! WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE THEIR BUSINESS? WHO?"

Unfortunately for Neal, Kel was long gone.


Kel, her heart beating at about five times its usual rate, walked quickly back down to the practise courts, her mind focused solely on one thing.

If Neal was right, she hardly dared think about what could happen.

But then again, if he was wrong, she didn't want to think about the consequences, either.

All the same...

"No. I'm not courting anyone."

"Good."

"Why is that good?"

"... No reason."

Why hadn't he said something, then? It could have been fear of humiliation holding him back. It could have been. She hoped it had been.

She could be wrong. She could be horribly, utterly, completely wrong.

But what if she was right?

And that was why she had to do it. She had to find him. She had to know- now, before her cautiousness stopped her.

She practically jogged into the practise courts, glancing left and right, frantically searching.

Not there.

She ran back out of the practise courts and jogged towards the stables, her long legs taking long, smooth strides.

Reaching the stable doors, Kel continued inside at a fast pace, only to run smack into a solid figure inside, which grabbed her around the waist for balance.

"Sorry!" Kel apologised automatically. "I was just-"

She broke off abruptly, staring up into sapphire blue eyes.

Found him.

Her face slowly heated up. "Dom." She said, breathlessly.

She was more than a little embarrassed at how that simple word escaped her- it was half a huff of relief, and half a longing sigh.

"Kel!" He seemed thoroughly surprised to see her, and released her waist quickly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "What are you doing down here? Isn't it lunch time?'

Kel stammered for words. "Erm, yes, I guess so, I mean I think, I suppose..." She trailed off awkwardly.

Dom's eyebrows raised, and despite their encounter that morning, he found the corners of his mouth lifting with amusement. "My dear protector, if I didn't know you better, I would think that you're struggling for words!"

His usual joking manner relaxed Kel slightly and she shot him a playful look. "Lucky you do know me better then!"

He grinned. "As it is, because I know you better, I know that you're struggling for words!"

Kel laughed with him, feeling her insides warm at their usual banter, and then freeze, remembering the task that she had come to do.

Dom, seeming to pick up a tension in her, stopped laughing as well, and simply looked at her, his expression expectant.

Kel gulped slightly.

Should she?

Or was it only a recipe for disaster?

I have to know.

Gathering her courage, she mustered some words. "You said I was your business."

Perhaps not the best start. Dom went a bright, vivid red, all the way up to his ears, and avoided her eyes. "Yes, well, um, no, I..."

Kel, so focused on her own speech, wasn't listening at all. "Neal, well, he said that if someone said that you were their business... That... Well... You know... That..."

She was stammering again, and she knew it. She didn't know how to put it - perhaps 'Dom I want to know if you love me' would go down well? But her thoughts were running wild and she was sure that her face must be betraying her because...

All she could see was Dom, Dom, Dom- his blue eyes, his tanned skin, his muscular shoulders, his Neal-like nose, and his lips, so soft looking, so...

Kel reached up one hand, grabbed a handful of Dom's blue Own tunic, and dragged his head down to her level. Without giving herself a moment to hesitate or back out, she crushed her lips against his- and waited.

The reaction that this simple action invoked was surprising. One of Dom's arms coiled around her hips and dragged her closer, while the other tilted her chin up lightly. His lips moulded around hers, so soft, so sweet, so, so...

He released her suddenly, and the loss of his closeness was shocking to Kel. She choked slightly on the open air and finally regained her breath, her hazel eyes focused firmly on his face.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Is that alright?" Kel asked Dom finally. She thought from his response that it was, but she had to be sure.

The corners of Dom's mouth curled up and he broke out into a full, white smile. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Kel blinked at him, surprised at this revelation. "Then why didn't you?"

Dom laughed, and once again gathered her closer. "I think I will!"


It was agreed that neither would show any change in behaviour at dinner that night.

That was why an elated Kel and an ecstatic Dom sat together- but not too close, their legs not touching and their hands far apart.

And that was why, that evening, an oblivious Wolset and an unknowing Neal continued with their seperate plans.

Neal was pleased with himself, having been distracted from Kel's 'business' question by another master scheme, designed specifically to humiliate and torture Dom (in a friendly way, of course. And it wasn't like Dom hadn't had his fun torturing Neal over the years.)

Wolset couldn't wait to try his hand at matchmaking, and he, Lerant and Fulcher had full confidence in their plan's success.

Kel and Dom were eager for some more alone time, but unfortunately for them, it would be a long, confusing night.

Let the fun begin, thought Wolset, as he innocently watched an unknowing Kel and Dom at dinner.

Let the fun begin, thought Neal wickedly, as he fine-tuned his plans for Dom's ultimate embarrassment.

Let the fun begin.

A/N: Well I guess I totally failed my goal- which was, in case you'd forgotten, to finish this story by the New Year. I'll make my excuses to you- Christmas celebrations then I went on holidays for three and a half weeks- but yepp. Next chapter will be the last, that's either a good or a bad thing depending on where you stand :P
Thankyou all once again for all the reviews! They're fantastic and I always love reading them. So you're the best, guys!