The Child

Chapter 4- The Confession

Disclaimer: *begins to hurl her stock of grenades at the still approaching IRS* HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU PEOPLE?!?!?! The characters are NOT mine! Get it?! NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT!!!! *points to Tammy* They are hers! I swear it! GET OFF MY BACK!

A/N: *clears throat* Cleon comes up in this chapter…and finds out…(Also, at this point, only Neal, Alanna, and of course Kel knows that she's pregnant.) Okay, guys, I just wanna make this perfectly clear now: I LOVE Cleon. I love Kel and Cleon together. The only thing I don't like about Lady Knight is the way she got rid of Cleon. I ALWAYS write K/C fics. Even if they don't have a lot of fluff. I do NOT like Kel/Raoul or Kel/Joren fics. I can /stand/ Kel/Neal and Kel/Dom (I even have ideas for stories, but I doubt I'll write them or post them…)  but Kel will NOT end up with Neal or Dom in this fic. She will stay with Cleon. In my other story Everything's Okay in the End, she ALSO is with Cleon (there's a lot more fluff in that one though, so if this story is a bit to much for you, you might wanna check out that one!) anyhow, Cleon Cleon Cleon Cleon Cleon! Cleon all the way! Okay, on the next chapter.

And much thanks goes to Chavi West-Wind for the title! Yay!! Hehehe I give you desserts! Hooray desserts! *giggles*

A week and a half later Cleon was arriving at the palace for Midwinter. (Real Quick A/N: I have NO idea if it's winter but I have to keep that in mind! Please, please, if when the baby is born it's not August of September, yell at me, k?) Kel didn't think she'd need to tell Cleon she was pregnant—she was convinced that she was already starting to show, no matter how many times Neal or Alanna told her she hadn't changed a bit. All the same, she was trying to come up with a sensible way to explain it to him, and also to keep him from worrying too much. She couldn't.

The next day Kel waited for him to arrive at the stables. As he saw her he smiled widely and dismounted his horse and ran to her.  He was about to hug her, but she stepped back.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

Kel quickly recovered for her silly, what was habit these days, reaction. "Nothing." She said, smiling at him. "I just want to get a proper look at you."

He leaned in to kiss her but someone was coming loudly around the corner.

The sound of excided male voices was making their way towards the stables.

"Cleon!" Young Owen turned the corner to see the too-slow-couple still inches away from lip-to-lip. Neal, Faleron, Merric, Seaver, Esmond and Roald all followed him eventually.

Neal had also glimpsed the two pulling away at the last minuet and smirked. Then he elbowed Owen in the ribs and muttered "I told you so."

Owen's eyes widened. "Gods strike me, it's true! I thought Neal was just funning!" He grinned at the crimson Cleon and Kel. "So Cleon…" he started. He yelped at glared at Neal as a boot hit his shin.

Neal only shrugged and said innocently, "We will have plenty of time to dish at dinner." He smirked at the blushing pair once again. "Come on children," she motioned to the boys behind him. "Let's give the love birds some privacy before we bombard them with teases and questions of our own whilst we dine." They all left the barn stifling giggles.

Still blushing Kel said, "Well, I was going to say, we needed to talk about something during dinner, but that idea's flown out the window."

Cleon grinned. Then he looked curious. "What do we need to talk about?"

Kel bit the inside of her cheek. "It takes some time to explain. After dinner? My room." If possible she blushed a bit darker, as did Cleon. Then they both smiled and agreed to meet in Kel's rooms after dinner to talk.

*~*~*

All through dinner the boys made dirty jokes about Kel and Cleon, no matter how many threats they threw. Kel stopped throwing threats when Neal said slyly, "Oh, someone like you and in your position wouldn't dare start a fight, would you?" The others paused their laughing to soak in what Neal had said and the look of poison Kel shot at him. Kel decided she'd leave the threats to Cleon, and the death glares to her.

In Kel's rooms, Cleon sat in a chair while Kel locked the door. As she did, Cleon gulped. Then forced a laugh. "Locking the door, eh? Well, well, well…" Kel snorted and smiled at her sweetheart.

"No, I just don't want anyone coming in and hearing what I have to say. I'm trying to keep it a secret, see." Cleon nodded slowly. This must be important. he thought.

Kel took a deep breath. "Please don't interrupt me. This is going to be hard to say as it is." Cleon nodded again, this time worry set deep in his gray eyes. Kel took another deep breath.

"Two weeks ago, I went walking. I forgot to bring a weapon along with me. I lost track of time and what I was doing and I found myself deep in the Royal Forest. Something—" her voice tightened up, but she continued, "Something grabbed me from behind." Her eyes filled with tears remembering it, but she blinked them back, and held up a hand as Cleon made to move toward her. "Let me finish, please."  She quickly whipped away a runaway tear and licked her lips. "It was a centaur. It took me to a cave and," she looked away, unable to stop the tears now, "and he raped me," she gasped.

"Oh, Kel, I—" Cleon started.

Kel was nearly bawling now. "I'm not finished!" She forced herself to look him in the eyes, knowing that it would hurt more, but it would be better that way. "Cleon…I'm pregnant."

She looked at her feet and didn't see Cleon moving in to hug her. As soon as his arms touched her shoulders, her legs buckled and she fell to the floor wailing like a terrified infant.

"Mithros, Kel, what's wrong?!" Cleon cried.

She was trembling violently as he grabbed her shoulder. "Please don't touch me," she managed to croak.

He pulled away but still asked, "Why? What is it? Please don't cry Kel!"

After Kel had calmed down she explained that when men touched her she was flooded with memories of that night and couldn't stand it.

"But Kel, surly you know I wouldn't do anything!" Cleon protested. Did he think she was being silly?

"Of course I know…I also know Owen, Neal, and Prince Roald wouldn't do anything, but that doesn't keep me from screaming when they brush my arm. It's like it all happens again in that moment that we touch. Believe me, if I could just turn it off, I would! But…" her lip started to quiver and Cleon resisted the deep urge to pull her into his great arms and comfort her.

Kel looked at her feet again. "I—I'm sorry. But…"

"Kel it's alright. I'll help you through this." When she raised her eyebrows at him, he said, "Come sit here," he motioned to a table. They sat across from each other. Kel put her hands in her lap. "No, no. Put your hands on the table." Cleon told her. She obeyed slowly.

"What are you going to do?" she asked inching her hand back a bit.

"Kel, concentrate on my face. My eyes. My voice." Cleon told her softly. "You know I would never do anything to hurt you. I'm going to touch your hand and I'd like you to try not to pull away."

"Cleon, I don't know."

"At least try Kel! You're a knight of the realm! Sooner or later you'll have to touch a man. Why not let the first one be me?" he grinned at her. She had to bite her lip to keep her face Yamani-smooth. Finally she nodded to let him know she would try. "Alright..." Cleon reached out a lightly brushed her hand.

Memories flooded her. Her tunic was gone. She was screaming. She was in terrible pain. Her throat was raw. She was going to pass out—

"Kel!" Cleon was kneeling beside her on the ground. She had curled up in her protective ball once again and was screaming. She covered her own mouth. She sighed. "Cleon, I am sorry! I tried but...well, maybe I didn't try, but you don't understand how terrible this is! It's so hard. And it hurt so bad..." she started to cry.

Cleon really hated to see her like this. They tried again. And again. And again. They tried for hours to see if Cleon could touch Kel without her cringing and shrieking. They couldn't. Finally Cleon sighed and said, "We should both get some rest." He was a bit hurt that Kel was so horrified by the fact that he touched her, but he made himself remember it's not just him, it's all men. "Would you like to try again tomorrow?" She didn't answer. "Kel?"

She was slumped in her chair fast asleep. You couldn't tell she had been terrified out of her whits for the past hour and a half or so. She didn't stir when he leaned down and gently kissed her.

A/N: phew! That was long. Longest chapter yet, I believe. . .perhaps I'm wrong though. *shrug*  anyhow how'd you like it? You can tell me ALL about it by simply clicking that lovely blue button to your bottom left. Yes, you know the one. Yes! Hehe. I like reviews. Especially good ones. They make me happy! Hhehehehehehe. A lot of reviews have said it's weird, and that's kinda what I was going for. I mean, I've never seen a Tammy-fic where the main character is raped and gets pregnant and what not. Anyhow, I know it's odd. I know it's different. That's what I was hoping for. And I hope you all like oddness and different-ness. Yeah. Okay. Review please, will you? Ta! Oh, and I still need a name for this chapter, so if anyone has suggestions I'll pick from them. I'd appreciate that!