A/N Hello, everybody, huge apologies for the lateness but I have returned with an update for you. :D

Thanks to all Reviewers!

Dedication: to Lady Shang1 for her review. :)

Disclaimer: I only own the characters you don't recognize ie. Salina, Dom's other siblings.

"Do I have to go?" Dom demanded of his wife with a put upon sigh.

"I'm afraid so," Kel answered fighting to keep from laughing at the look of dismay on his face, thankfully her years of living in the Yamani court held out against her amusement.

"You're not going." Dom protested.

"Yes, well, I've been cleared from all social functions excluding that blasted baby shower." Kel replied.

"I won't have any fun without you there." The sergeant informed his wife.

"Nonsense," Kel protested. "Torment Neal, that's always fun for you."

"I suppose," Dom allowed. "But not as fun as being with you."

"I promise I won't have any fun while you're gone," Kel told him with mock solemnity.

"There's no need to go quite that far," Dom replied. "I'll settle for pining after me with extreme moroseness."

"If I'm busy being extremely morose how would I be having fun?"

"That can be a mystery for you to ponder for the next few hours when we are forcibly kept apart."

"Dom?"

"Yes, Kel?"

"Just go to the ball."

"One would think you were trying to get rid of me," Dom stated trying to seem put out, but the effect was rather ruined by the grin he couldn't manage to keep off his face.

"Yes, that's exactly it," Kel agreed. "You've uncovered my plot to get rid of you so that I can sneak off to train."

"Are you really?" Dom asked narrowing his eyes at her.

"Mithros no." Kel replied. "Not even I am going to sneak off at six and a half months pregnant with triplets to train."

"Just making sure." Dom answered. "Now I had better be going, I probably will have to drag my lord from his rooms and that takes time, especially since Buri isn't here." He added with a wince.

"Good luck," Kel told him with a commiserate shudder thinking back over her time with Raoul and his severe aversion to all social events.

"One last kiss before I go to my doom," Dom requested leaning down to capture his wife's lips in a kiss before calling out a last goodbye and heading out the door.

-Story Break-

Salina was currently seated with Lady Margarry at a table in the far corner of the ballroom which was their chosen spot to hide from suitors, not that Lady Margarry had to worry about it anymore being engaged to Owen, but she was willing to oblige her friend in her desire to hide from many of the less than desirable gentlemen.

As with the last ball, Lady Jaquetta of Naxen and Alexandra HaMinch were also making up their table, although at present they were off dancing leaving Salina alone with Margarry.

The dancing had not yet begun, so people were mostly talking amongst themselves as they waited for the ball to officially begin. Salina had seen her brother come in with a disgruntled looking Lord Raoul a few minutes earlier, and she could spy Neal and Yuki in conversation with her uncle a little ways off from her.

She spotted Alan talking to his mother on the other end of the room. She thought he might have looked annoyed but she couldn't be sure from the distance.

Liam was seated at the head table in between Shinko and Jasson. He looked bored from what Salina could see but he spied her looking at him and seemed to brighten up slightly, he leaned around Shinko to call something to his parents. She saw the king shake his head, but then the queen gave him a look and apparently whatever it said seemed to be enough for the king because he waved Liam off. She looked away back toward Lady Margarry when Liam started to make his way over to her.

"Good evening Salina, Lady Margarry," Liam greeted bowing in greeting. Both Salina and Margarry stood up to curtsy to the prince and Salina barely managed to hold in a groan of dismay when she saw Margarry raising an eyebrow at her in response to the absence of a title in Liam's address to her. "Would it be all right if I borrowed Salina for a short while?" He requested of Margarry.

"Oh, no, go right ahead, your highness." Margarry replied covering her grin behind her fan.

"Would you care to dance then, Salina?"

"I would love to," Salina replied allowing Liam to lead her onto the dance floor.

They danced four dances together instead of the two that they had originally intended. After that Liam had needed to go off to talk to foreign dignitaries and other noble families, and Salina had gone off to find Margarry.

Unfortunately, she spotted her friend talking with her father and her fiancé, so Salina decided she would seek out Alan for entertainment, a choice she would shortly come to regret.

"I heard you and Prince Liam are quite close." Alan remarked nonchalantly.

"You've been talking to Neal," Salina replied flatly. "He gossips more than all the ladies I know, I swear."

"He was just catching me up on the news," Alan replied in her cousin's defense.

"Liam and I-"

"Liam?" The knight inquired raising an eyebrow at her.

"Shut up," Salina glared at him. "He asked me to call him Liam, I told him to call me Salina, end of story. I call you Alan and everyone doesn't go around insinuating that we have some kind of secret romance going on."

"Sure, sure," Alan agreed holding up his hands in a show of surrender. "Let me make it up to you."

"Dance with me," Salina requested a vaguely evil grin spreading across her face.

"I hate dancing. You know that." Alan groaned theatrically.

"So I do." Salina agreed. "However, you're the one who wanted to make it up to me, so here we are."

"Fine, let's dance."

"Do try to sound less like you're being escorted to an execution." She commanded lightly.

"No one in my family likes these balls." Alan pointed out in his defense as she pulled him towards the dance floor.

"No one really likes the balls, but the lot of you, only make it worse by sitting in the corners moping about and plotting revenge." Salina pointed out logically.

"I hate it when you make sense." Alan replied grudgingly.

"Get used to it."

-Story Break-

"You have been no fun at all tonight," Neal complained to his cousin. "You haven't even bothered to annoy me once.

"Tormenting you isn't nearly as fun without Kel here." Dom replied sulkily.

"I don't really see what one has to do with the other, but okay, sure." Neal agreed.

"I don't get why I have to come here if she's not."

"You went to balls alone for years before you married Kel or were even involved with her." Neal pointed out.

"Yes, and I had no fun then either," Dom responded.

"I sometimes think that the king only makes us all come to these things because he thinks it's funny to watch us all suffer." Neal noted. "Seriously, you are absolutely no fun at all when you're busy pining over Kel. It's just a few hours."

"I haven't seen her that much lately." Dom defended.

"You can always try sneaking out the back way, like you did at the last ball."

"I did no such thing," Dom replied in a lofty tone.

"We all know you and Kel snuck out so there's no point in hiding it." His cousin replied. "Now, seriously, I am going to go find my lovely wife, and I suggest you just sneak away before I am forced to listen to any more of your complaints about missing Kel."

"I would never do such a thing." Dom protested.

Neal just waved a goodbye at his cousin and headed across the room to where he had last seen his wife. Ten minutes later he spotted Dom sneaking out a side door.

A/N Review! Woot!

So, do you guys know that Jonathan wants to marry Liam off to someone from Scanra? Personally I think he's a bit ridiculous with these forced arranged marriages for all his children. Seriously, what kind of alliance can they really have with Scanra considering that excluding Maggur they've never really had a solid king, and leadership switches so often it's not like any alliance would really be very secure. Thus, if Salina and Liam end up together I'll just have Liam basically tell his father to stick it, only not in those words. :P

Girls:

Alessandria: 58 votes

Arianna: 55 votes

Zara: 31 votes (suggested by Bradhadair fire starter)

Boys:

Jason: 62 votes

Adrian: 51 votes

David: 36 votes

Nicolas: 22 votes

Godsparents:

Girls:

Yuki: 68 Votes

Alanna: 29 Votes

Shinko: 20 Votes

Salina: 18 Votes

Lalasa: 12 Votes

Oranie: 12 Votes

Buri: 10 Votes

Patricine: 2 Votes

Adalia: 1 Vote

Demadry: 1 Vote

Boys:

Raoul: 55 Votes

Neal: 55 Votes

Anders: 29 Votes

Roald: 23 Votes

Merric: 4 Votes

Wyldon: 5 Votes

Tobe: 2 Votes

Davlon: 1 Vote

Avinar: 1 Vote

Owen: 1 vote

George:1 Vote

Seaver: 1 Vote

Salina/?

Liam of Conte: 18 Votes

Alan of Pirate's Swoop: 16 Votes

Merric of Hollyrose: 5 Votes

Faleron of King's Reach: 2 Votes

Review!