Chapter 12

The week apart turned into two, then three and four, and Kel threw herself into the relationship with Merric. Before long they were stealing kisses in corners, and Kel tried to tell herself that she didn't feel like she was kissing a friend.

"Kel?" They broke apart frantically. She really didn't want to be caught, especially by him. "Ah, the wonder of young love. I know what it's like to be apart for that long, but I never would have thought you to be the type to go at it in a corner, but that always was Dom's style. Come out now, Dom, I need to welcome you back." Neal looked away from her farther into the alcove to pull out a slightly wrinkled Merric. "I really don't want to see-" He got a good look at who he was holding in his hand. "Merric? What are you- I thought Kel- What? Kel? Why are you here? I'm not judging you Kel, I'm not, but I have to go. I have to go now."

Neal turned around and practically ran out of there as fast as he could. He was so confused. Fist his best friend married his cousin, became pregnant with Dom's kid, and now she was cheating on Dom? It wasn't like Kel to cheat, not on anybody, but on Dom? Neal couldn't keep it a secret from him, but he couldn't tell on Kel. Could he?

He turned into a random room in the hall, not knowing where he was, hoping he wasn't going to walk into someone's bedroom. He was in luck, and he turned into an empty class room.

He sat down on one of the desks. It wasn't like Kel to cheat, he knew that. He knew Kel. If anyone was going to cheat it would be Dom, but Neal didn't expect that either, he knew them both to well. What if- what if it wasn't Dom's kid? Dom was sure to jump to Kel's rescue, He had been in love with her for so long, and wouldn't have had much of a choice. It was crazy, because Neal didn't see Kel being stupid enough to get pregnant, but it actually made sense. Neal though back to that first day when Kel came back, when he had run his Gift over her and come up with a positive pregnancy. If it hadn't been Dom's kid the test would have shown him that- unless...

"Neal! I need to talk to you! It wasn't like you thought! Let me explain!" Kel burst into the room.

"I know Kel. I figured it out." His voice had turned cold, against his will. He knew why she hadn't told him, and it made sense to him. The only people who needed to know were Dom and Kel. But... It still hurt. "Tell me Dom knows."

"About what?"

"The kid and... Merric."

"Of course he knows about Merric, it was his idea." Kel paused, wondering how to phrase it properly, "This is Dom's kid now. Genetics have nothing to do with it. He has accepted responsibility for it, and I hope that he can grow to love it."

"You and Merric... why?"

"Honestly, I was afraid. I was afraid of being in a marriage without love, and I wanted to prove to myself that I would be okay. It was the wrong way to go about things, I see that now. When you found us, I thought, what if we told people about us, you know, what if it wasn't a secret. I didn't like that idea, I realized, because it's not love."

Neal sighed, "Are you going to end it with him?"

"I have to, don't I?" There was a long silence as they considered what this meant for the future. "Did you say Dom was back?"

"He's unpacking in his room."