A/N: Okay, it's been a looong time since I updated either this or As Long As We're Here...you have my permission to totally and completely flame me or refuse to ever read my fics again....but you have to read my new chapters first! I am soooooo sooooooo soooooooo sorry! Anywho, enjoy! Oh, and the title is complements of Jess/Gaia, who is obviously entirely insane (as am I for asking her to beta) and, among "Attack Of The Killer Love Monkeys", suggested "Allergies", Allergy Attack", "Guilty", and "Guilty of Love". So, since I was feeling a bit spontaneous and just generally weird, I chose "Attack of The Killer Love Monkeys"!! *grins at Jess* Thaaaaaaank yooooooouuuuuuu!!!!
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Kel squeezed Thom's hand. "Bye."
"Wait!" he cried, stricken. "Where are you going? You can stay with me." His eyes were pleading.
Kel smiled, kissed him on the cheek -- after a quick hall check, of course -- and whispered, "I have to go talk to Neal."
"But -- why?" He clasped his hands together. "I'll beg if I have to."
She pushed his hands down, serious now. "Thom, I'd like to spend some more time with you later, but I really have to talk to Neal. Really. As in badly." He sighed. "Right. Later." His thumb brushed her cheek then, dropping his hand, he walked away.
Kel leaned against the wall, watching him go. She closed her eyes wearily. "What am I doing?" She knocked at Neal's door, hoping he'd be in there. The instant the knob began to twist, she lurched forward into the room. "I think I'm going to be sick," she informed an extremely bewildered Neal, who then forced her to sit on the bed and tell him everything. When she said, "I kissed Thom," Neal raised an eyebrow. "He must have been a pretty awful kisser if it made you feel sick." Kel glared and reminded him that her parents were going to make her get married. At Neal's blank look, she cried, "Neal, I really like Thom! I don't want to hurt him, or lead him on." She swallowed hard. "What if -- what if I fall in love with him?" she whispered, obviously terrified.
Neal hugged her tightly. "We'll deal with that when it comes. No -- if it comes," he corrected himself.
"If," Kel repeated, as if reassuring herself.
Pulling her to her feet, Neal said," I say we go talk to Sir Myles." Kel nodded in agreement, and so they ventured out into the castle.
For the first time since arriving at Pirate's Swoop -- No, she corrected herself, since meeting Thom -- Kel looked at Neal. Really looked. There was the same muscled body, same eyes glittering with mirth even in seriousness such as now, the same unnerving smile which, suddenly, wasn't so . . . well, it just wasn't unnerving any longer. Her palms weren't sweaty and her heart wasn't jittery. She found herself realizing that it didn't matter to her that he filled out his dark shirt perfectly and his well muscled legs were full of power as he strode down the hall. In fact, she actually caught herself wondering what Thom was doing at the moment, but nearly slapped herself for it.
Neal stopped suddenly, and Kel's eyes turned up to him, confused. At her questioning noise, he said, "Um . . . I think I'm lost." He gave her a guilty look, and surveyed the hall hopefully for a person. Kel also looked but just couldn't force Thom out of her mind.
"Looking for someone?" Alianne asked, causing Kel to jump. Spinning around, Kel cried, "Alianne! Please -- d'you know where Sir Myles is?" She tried to avoid the younger girl's eyes, praying she wouldn't mention any of what she'd seen.
"Sure," the red-head said brightly as Neal joined them. Alianne smiled at Kel when Neal wasn't looking, a devious smile, then began animatedly giving directions, Kel blanked out, knowing that Neal was listening, and suddenly became incredibly nervous about what Myles would say. " -- listening? Kel?" And then Neal was shaking her arm and inspecting her face, concerned. Shaking her head, Kel realized Alianne had left. "So where are we supposed to go?" she asked Neal, who only shook his head and muttered something about "crazy girls" and then started walking in the direction, Kel presumed, of Myles. Kel bit back a grin at his annoyed swagger, and ran to catch up with him. She reached him just as the door he'd knocked on opened and Neal turned to her exasperated: "We were right by it the entire time!" Not bothering to answer, Kel flicked her bangs off her forehead and smiled at Sir Myles, a bit quivery. "Could we -- " She glanced at Neal, who nodded encouragingly "could we have a word with you?"
Smiling, Myles ushered them inside, then turned to his daughter and son-in-law, sitting on a couch, and said, "Well I do believe we've worked this out, haven't we?" When George opened his mouth to protest, Alanna placed a hand on his arm gently, and shook her head. The two left, nodding to the squires, who bowed.
Leading the two to seats, he placed tea before them and ordered, "Drink." Without argument, the two sipped carefully -- the tea was scalding -- and waited for their teacher to ask what they'd come to speak about. When they'd half finished, he finally massaged his jaw and questioned, "How've you been holding up with all this chaos?" In truth, they all knew, it was a decoy, only being used because he was too polite to out right demand they tell him what was wrong, but they all played along with the ploy anyhow. Eventually, though, conversation died to a silence until Kel, who hadn't spoken a word since they'd entered, whispered, "I think I've just made a huge mistake." Then, against her will, she began to cry. Through Kel's tears, and Neal comforting her, they managed to tell the whole story. At the end, Myles sat back and propped his hands behind his head, eyeing the ceiling thoughtfully. After a time, he stood and enveloped Kel in a hug. "You will always be the same Kel. You've found yourself and no matter what, no one -- not even your parents -- can take that away." Smoothing her hair, he told her soothingly. "Don't worry, I'm the spymaster -- I'll make this my prime directive -- I promise." He smiled and Kel laughed wetly, eyes still watering.
The door opened with a creaking sound and Baron George entered, freezing when he saw them. "Is -- what's the matter?" he asked.
Myles made as if he were handing Kel his handkerchief and, quite seriously, told the Baron, "Allergies." Then, letting out a fake sneeze that sounded uncannily real, he shooed him out. Shutting the door, he turned to face Kel and Neal. "Now," he said, clapping his hands together once. "I think you should return to your rooms and get set for lunch." He acted as if nothing were wrong, which Kel assumed meant her seriously thought something could be changed. So, they filed out of the room and did as they'd been told. Once alone, though, each of the three did the same thing: sat and held their heads in their hands, each wishing that for once, life would deal the shitty hand to someone who actually deserved it.
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A/N: That last line is inspired by my cousin's song, so credit to him for indirectly giving me the idea. I know, aren't I just so evil to stop there? And I know it's short, but I can't help it, it's a good place to stop, plus I can't think of what else to write. Pleeeaaaaaaseee review!
~Dani
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Kel squeezed Thom's hand. "Bye."
"Wait!" he cried, stricken. "Where are you going? You can stay with me." His eyes were pleading.
Kel smiled, kissed him on the cheek -- after a quick hall check, of course -- and whispered, "I have to go talk to Neal."
"But -- why?" He clasped his hands together. "I'll beg if I have to."
She pushed his hands down, serious now. "Thom, I'd like to spend some more time with you later, but I really have to talk to Neal. Really. As in badly." He sighed. "Right. Later." His thumb brushed her cheek then, dropping his hand, he walked away.
Kel leaned against the wall, watching him go. She closed her eyes wearily. "What am I doing?" She knocked at Neal's door, hoping he'd be in there. The instant the knob began to twist, she lurched forward into the room. "I think I'm going to be sick," she informed an extremely bewildered Neal, who then forced her to sit on the bed and tell him everything. When she said, "I kissed Thom," Neal raised an eyebrow. "He must have been a pretty awful kisser if it made you feel sick." Kel glared and reminded him that her parents were going to make her get married. At Neal's blank look, she cried, "Neal, I really like Thom! I don't want to hurt him, or lead him on." She swallowed hard. "What if -- what if I fall in love with him?" she whispered, obviously terrified.
Neal hugged her tightly. "We'll deal with that when it comes. No -- if it comes," he corrected himself.
"If," Kel repeated, as if reassuring herself.
Pulling her to her feet, Neal said," I say we go talk to Sir Myles." Kel nodded in agreement, and so they ventured out into the castle.
For the first time since arriving at Pirate's Swoop -- No, she corrected herself, since meeting Thom -- Kel looked at Neal. Really looked. There was the same muscled body, same eyes glittering with mirth even in seriousness such as now, the same unnerving smile which, suddenly, wasn't so . . . well, it just wasn't unnerving any longer. Her palms weren't sweaty and her heart wasn't jittery. She found herself realizing that it didn't matter to her that he filled out his dark shirt perfectly and his well muscled legs were full of power as he strode down the hall. In fact, she actually caught herself wondering what Thom was doing at the moment, but nearly slapped herself for it.
Neal stopped suddenly, and Kel's eyes turned up to him, confused. At her questioning noise, he said, "Um . . . I think I'm lost." He gave her a guilty look, and surveyed the hall hopefully for a person. Kel also looked but just couldn't force Thom out of her mind.
"Looking for someone?" Alianne asked, causing Kel to jump. Spinning around, Kel cried, "Alianne! Please -- d'you know where Sir Myles is?" She tried to avoid the younger girl's eyes, praying she wouldn't mention any of what she'd seen.
"Sure," the red-head said brightly as Neal joined them. Alianne smiled at Kel when Neal wasn't looking, a devious smile, then began animatedly giving directions, Kel blanked out, knowing that Neal was listening, and suddenly became incredibly nervous about what Myles would say. " -- listening? Kel?" And then Neal was shaking her arm and inspecting her face, concerned. Shaking her head, Kel realized Alianne had left. "So where are we supposed to go?" she asked Neal, who only shook his head and muttered something about "crazy girls" and then started walking in the direction, Kel presumed, of Myles. Kel bit back a grin at his annoyed swagger, and ran to catch up with him. She reached him just as the door he'd knocked on opened and Neal turned to her exasperated: "We were right by it the entire time!" Not bothering to answer, Kel flicked her bangs off her forehead and smiled at Sir Myles, a bit quivery. "Could we -- " She glanced at Neal, who nodded encouragingly "could we have a word with you?"
Smiling, Myles ushered them inside, then turned to his daughter and son-in-law, sitting on a couch, and said, "Well I do believe we've worked this out, haven't we?" When George opened his mouth to protest, Alanna placed a hand on his arm gently, and shook her head. The two left, nodding to the squires, who bowed.
Leading the two to seats, he placed tea before them and ordered, "Drink." Without argument, the two sipped carefully -- the tea was scalding -- and waited for their teacher to ask what they'd come to speak about. When they'd half finished, he finally massaged his jaw and questioned, "How've you been holding up with all this chaos?" In truth, they all knew, it was a decoy, only being used because he was too polite to out right demand they tell him what was wrong, but they all played along with the ploy anyhow. Eventually, though, conversation died to a silence until Kel, who hadn't spoken a word since they'd entered, whispered, "I think I've just made a huge mistake." Then, against her will, she began to cry. Through Kel's tears, and Neal comforting her, they managed to tell the whole story. At the end, Myles sat back and propped his hands behind his head, eyeing the ceiling thoughtfully. After a time, he stood and enveloped Kel in a hug. "You will always be the same Kel. You've found yourself and no matter what, no one -- not even your parents -- can take that away." Smoothing her hair, he told her soothingly. "Don't worry, I'm the spymaster -- I'll make this my prime directive -- I promise." He smiled and Kel laughed wetly, eyes still watering.
The door opened with a creaking sound and Baron George entered, freezing when he saw them. "Is -- what's the matter?" he asked.
Myles made as if he were handing Kel his handkerchief and, quite seriously, told the Baron, "Allergies." Then, letting out a fake sneeze that sounded uncannily real, he shooed him out. Shutting the door, he turned to face Kel and Neal. "Now," he said, clapping his hands together once. "I think you should return to your rooms and get set for lunch." He acted as if nothing were wrong, which Kel assumed meant her seriously thought something could be changed. So, they filed out of the room and did as they'd been told. Once alone, though, each of the three did the same thing: sat and held their heads in their hands, each wishing that for once, life would deal the shitty hand to someone who actually deserved it.
~~~~~
A/N: That last line is inspired by my cousin's song, so credit to him for indirectly giving me the idea. I know, aren't I just so evil to stop there? And I know it's short, but I can't help it, it's a good place to stop, plus I can't think of what else to write. Pleeeaaaaaaseee review!
~Dani