Disclaimer: Once upon a time, there was a little girl who thought she owned Tamora Pierce characters and all to do with TP books. That little girl was kidnapped by the IRS and dragged off to a mental institution off the coast of the Antarctic. I am not that little girl.
A/N: I don't care that I'm not being responsible. I'm not moving it up to R just yet. That could change, but... it's not likely. Only if I really do something... er... ya know. Right. Jude, I can't wait anymore. I had this finished on THURSDAY and I waited till today and you didn't finish betaing. So I'm just going to post. Bah. Ja everyone!
These dreams go on when I close my eyes
Every second of the night I live another life
These dreams that sleep when it's cold outside
Every moment I'm awake the further I'm away
Heart - These Dreams
Underneath the Surface - Chapter 4 - Tangible Illusions
Kel froze. She recognized that smooth voice, with all its haughtiness.
'I am going to die.'
Slowly, she edged around, swallowing. Neal sat in a cushioned armchair, resting lackadaisically with one leg crossed over the other. He was drumming his fingers along the armrest with a smirk tugging across his features. Kel gulped.
"You haven't answered my question, Lady Kel. Since when have you taken to murmuring my name in your sleep?"
Kel's vision darted from Neal's plainly amused green eyes to the floor. 'No matter where I am, he always seems to unnerve me,' she thought furiously. 'What am I supposed to say to him?'
Finally, she rested on neutral territory. "What are you doing here?"
Neal pretended to wince. "Ouch. Harsh welcome, Lady Kel."
She scowled. "Since when have you taken to calling me Lady Kel, anyway?"
"Since you started acting like one." Neal grinned at her. She scowled again.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked him, eyebrows furrowing.
"Well, a certain Cleon of Kennan has told me that you've expressed a particular interest towards a certain cousin of mine. Maybe you could finally be ready to settle down...?" he smirked when she saw her outraged expression.
"You've obviously been taking too many of the narcotics that they have reserved for you healers."
"Are you implying that I am high?"
"Yes."
He glared at her. "Shut up." He sighed, then laughed. "Well, come here then. Give your best friend a hug." He got up to embrace her. "You know, I think you've grown some since the last time I saw you." She broke out into a grin. "Alas, you shall ever continue to grow." He grinned as he slipped his arms around her and held her tightly.
"I missed you Kel," he admitted after releasing her from his hold. "Things have been... different without you."
Kel cocked her head at him. "How so?"
Neal shook his head. "Just different." He suddenly grinned. "No one to tell me to eat my vegetables."
"But I'm sure you ate every one of them anyway, didn't you, Meathead?" she asked him, with a slight sarcastic tone in her voice.
He grinned. "Every last one of them, Milady. You can be assured of that." He held a hand up to her face and touched her cheek. Kel felt blood rush to her cheeks.
"Blushing?" Neal asked her softly. "Did you miss me that much?"
Kel pulled back away from him, fleetingly forcing a smile a smile to save face. "If I said that I pined for you, would you leave me alone?"
Neal pulled away and clutched his heart. "My dear Keladry, how could you say something like that? Do you not love me, as I love you?"
Kel froze.
'Damn dream.'
She laughed uneasily as Neal looked at her with concern. "Kel?" he asked, worry filling his voice.
"It's nothing. Just something I remembered from a while ago. It's nothing to worry yourself about." Neal raised an eyebrow and shrugged.
"Whatever."
They stood there for a moment until Kel asked him, "So what are you doing here?"
Neal's expression became suddenly one of worry. "Cleon told me that you fainted."
Kel shifted edgily in front of him. "Yeah. I was tired."
"Why?" he asked, his voice full of anxiety over his friend's state.
"Haven't been getting enough sleep, I guess." Kel couldn't meet his eyes. He rested a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him.
"What's wrong, love?"
Kel felt her heart flutter ridiculously. This wasn't supposed to happen! He never gave her all these soft touches before! He was throwing her off course, with all these big words, like "love." She wasn't used to this from him!
'Or maybe it's just the part of you that wants him to carry you off to his bed right now,' an evil part of her mind insisted. Kel mentally blanched over that thought. She felt like smacking that traitorous perspective of things.
She sighed and lowered her gaze. "I don't know. Everything has seemed so confusing lately." Neal frowned.
"How so?"
Kel mentally hit herself. 'Why did I just say that? Why, Mind, why?'
"I don't know. It just has been. With Scanra, and Cleon bothering me all the time, and you getting married, it's been crazy. I'm just glad to be home." She looked up into his sparking green eyes and found concern in them. He sighed.
"Do you want me to give you a sleeping remedy? I can make those, you know," he asked her, bringing the finger that had been at her chin up to her cheek again.
"It's not so much not being able to sleep," Kel started. "I get to sleep just fine. It's staying asleep that's the problem."
"Dreams?" he inquired quietly.
"You could say that," she answered softly.
"About what?"
Kel froze. She hadn't had time to think of a good lie to tell him. Telling him the truth was certainly out of the question. What was she to say? Oh, Neal, I think I might just be subconsciously in love with you because I've been having very sexual dreams about you removing my breastband quite skillfully...
Kel found herself blushing. Neal raised an eyebrow at her sudden change in demeanor.
Kel quickly replaced her blush with her trademark Yamani mask. "Well, you know. The war," she said as she attempted a small smile.
Neal looked at her skeptically. "You were blushing over a war?"
"Yes, for your information. I was. So there." She crossed her arms over her chest and pretended to glare at him. He shrugged again.
"Whatever. I don't believe you though."
Kel snorted indignantly. "Sure. I don't care. Be quiet and stop prying."
He grinned. "Whatever you say, Lady Kel."
"And stop calling me that. It's annoying."
"Ah. The reason for my existence. How could I forget?"
Kel raised an eyebrow. "What?"
He sighed and let out a small chuckle. "Today, I was bothering Yuki for... something, I can't remember, and she said that being annoying was the aim of my existence. Or something to that effect." He grinned.
Kel snorted. "Poor Meathead. Always getting picked on." (A/N: *cough NATALIA cough*)
He smirked. "Alas! 'Tis true! I am forever damned to be the object of others' destruction!" He laughed, while Kel raised an eyebrow.
"That made very little sense."
"Well, of course it didn't. Now, come on, I'm hungry. I've been sitting here all afternoon worried sick, and I'm getting food!" He took Kel's hand firmly in his and tugged her towards the door. Kel felt a steady heat coming from her hand.
"Neal, hold on, I'm coming! Stop tugging!" He abruptly turned around and stopped, Kel ramming into him from his incessant pulling. 'Damn that inertia concept,' Kel thought furiously.
Neal's chest was up against her own, and she could feel heat coming from underneath his tunic. His hand had unconsciously slipped around her waist to keep themselves from falling when he had rammed into her. Her breath came hot and shallow as their eyes met.
She suddenly found his lips on hers.
He was kissing her, and not just kissing her, he was blowing her mind away. He was pouring sweet nectar onto every touch of his lips, and more so, he was doing it with ease. He kissed her with passion and heat and - fire. Kel thought after this kiss, nothing else could humanly compare to it. Sweet ambrosia came from his lips to hers, sparing her nothing. Her knees became weak. Was this really happening?
Slowly, Neal pulled back. Two distinct spots of color were visible on rosy cheeks. His chest heaved slightly, moving up and down in rhythm with hers. She found herself looking up into his very green eyes.
'He has nice eyes,' she mused, her mind still in a daze. 'I wonder why I never noticed that before.'
"Kel," Neal breathed. He tightened his hold around her waist. Kel gasped involuntarily. His hand had traveled down far further than protocol.
"Neal," she began unsteadily. "Why - why did you do that?" she asked him, her mind muddled in confusion.
"I just-" he started. "I just wanted to show you how much I missed you. I told you about Yuki thinking I was annoying. Well, that's not exactly all of it." He looked at her uneasily. "Things haven't been going too smoothly since she got back from the Islands." He paused, Kel taking everything in. "And I - well, I've been thinking about you a lot..."
Suddenly, he grinned sheepishly and shrugged. "Oh well."
He grabbed her roughly and lifted her up so that her legs were entwined around his waist. "Neal-" he silenced her with a bruising kiss. She broke away and looked at him as he walked over to the bed she had been sleeping on. "Neal, I don't think we should be..." her voice became softer as Neal kissed her neck. "...doing this..." She moaned softly when he shifted her weight onto one arm and used the other to unbutton her shirt.
He placed her gently on the bed and finished the job of unbuttoning her shirt. He was kissing her everywhere his lips fell; her eyes, her cheeks, her neck, her lips. Their passions soon increased when Neal's shirt found it's way to a chair across the room. Kel groped wildly for skin as Neal undid the laces on her breeches. She found herself gasping when his hand slid across her hip.
She kicked her breeches off impatiently. They were always getting in the way! Neal's hands glided slickly over her legs. Her hips, her calves, her inner thighs...
She realized abruptly what she was doing. She was acting like some prostitute that offers herself for whatever a man could afford! Neal had never told her that he wasn't with Yuki, he had just said that they were having problems. What if they were still betrothed? No one had bothered to tell her...
"Kel," Neal moaned into her mouth. Neal had discarded his own breeches just moments before. The only thing keeping them from being completely unclothed was their loincloths. Kel's shirt and breastband had disappeared a long time ago. Where they were, exactly, Kel had no idea.
Neal slid his fingers over her loincloth. Kel shivered involuntarily. She could feel him on top of her. He was pressing onto her, crushing her. His hips were already grinding against hers.
Suddenly, Neal stopped and grinned.
"So. Having fun yet?"
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Kel voiced loudly. She felt something warm and lumpy at her back. 'What is that?'
"Er... Kel? Are you all right?"
Kel whirled around to see Cleon sitting behind her. They were riding on Cleon's horse, Ermelian riding on Hoshi. Kel looked around strangely.
"Wait," she said. "Where - where are we?"
Cleon raised an eyebrow. "You fainted. I was taking you to the palace so you could get the healers to check you out. I think something serious is going on here, Kel and I want to know what it is," he said thoughtfully. Ermelian had stopped Hoshi and was staring at the two of them.
"Yes, you're just so concerned," she said dryly. Cleon shot her a look.
"Mel," he started warningly. "Kel is my friend. I'm supposed to be concerned." Ermelian frowned, but turned away.
"Fine."
Cleon grimaced, but returned his attention to Kel. "Do you think you can stay on your horse on your own?" Kel nodded. "All right. Mel!" he called, turning to Ermelian. "Do you want to switch horses with Kel?"
She felt like she would like it more than everything, considering the circumstances. Her pride, however, would not allow it.
"I'm fine here," she said pompously as she rode ahead on Hoshi. Cleon's expression drooped and he whispered to Kel, "we had a little... philosophical disagreement after you fainted." Kel nodded.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I was out of it."
"I know," he agreed. Sighing, he continued. "Don't worry about it, though. It'll blow over eventually." She leaned back against him.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Cleon's eyes shot open.
"Gods, no! She'd probably end up slapping you with her glove and challenging you to a joust or something! And then I would have no wife," he added, a smirk starting to form on his face.
Kel snorted. "I'm sure. She's that possessive?"
Cleon laughed softly. "It's not that she's possessive," he started. "We're still in that phase of our marriage where we try to get up before the other and clean our teeth so that our breath is fresh and clean when the other gets up. I know, I know," he said, seeing Kel's skeptical glance. "It doesn't make much sense, but we're early on. I think it scared her to think that something might be going wrong."
Kel nodded. "I understand." She leaned back onto his chest subconsciously, and Cleon put an arm around her. They were silent as they approached the royal palace, until Cleon asked, "so what are you really dreaming about?"
Kel stiffened. She hadn't wanted to discuss this with him.
"And don't bother to deny it. I heard you. You were quiet enough that Mel didn't, but I was behind you to keep you from falling off my horse. What's wrong, Kel?"
Kel relaxed and sighed. "I've been having dreams lately."
"I think we established that fact."
Kel shot a dirty look at Cleon, but dismissed it. "Yeah, well. They're... er... not too... chaste..."
Cleon's eyes lit up. "You've been having dirty dreams about someone?" He laughed. "Ah, I kind of expected it. You were, after all, making those weird noises when we slept together a couple of nights ago."
Kel scowled at him. "Yeah. They've been keeping me up lately. The lack of sleep is just starting to get to me, is all."
She sighed and leaned back against him again. She was so comfortable like this. Cleon was her friend, her best friend at times. He was the only one of her knights in training that had been up at the border with her, and they had spent a lot of time together. She didn't begrudge him for marrying another woman. She had felt the spark slipping away even before he had told her the news.
They were silent for a moment, until Cleon spoke up. "Are you going to tell me who it is?"
Kel made no reply at first. She could trust Cleon. She knew that, and he knew that. He knew when to keep his mouth shut, believe it or not. Considering the circumstances, he would do just that. But still... Neal was getting married. It would make things a lot more complicated by telling Cleon. Cleon would bother her, and say things like, "you should tell him before you let him go forever," and that kind of nonsense. And, knowing her, she would probably become so exasperated that she would do just that.
"No," she answered finally. Kel couldn't see him, but she knew he was frowning. 'Oh well. Let him frown all he wants.'
Suddenly, a scream could be heard from the distance. Kel snapped her head toward the shout. Cleon turned his gaze in the same direction as Kel's. Up ahead, Ermelian stopped Hoshi and turned around, wanting to know what all the fuss was for.
A rather frazzled looking Nealan of Queenscove was rushing towards them, barely trying to contain his glee.
Kel froze. 'How... lovely.'
"Kel!" he called. "Kel! You're finally back! You're finally back!"
He rushed up to Cleon's horse, which, unfortunately for its two riders, reared up in shock of Neal's energetic arrival. Kel and Cleon both let out a yelp as the horse reared. Neal regained enough of his common sense to grab the reins and pull Cleon's steed down. Neal grinned sheepishly at the two as Cleon glared at him. Kel simply looked at him with the strangest look in her eyes...
"Heh... sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare the poor beast," Neal drawled. Cleon sighed in exasperation.
"Neal, I think you could scare just about anything with that arrival of yours. Were you trying to kill us?" Cleon asked him. Ermelian had jumped off Hoshi in an effort to reach Cleon before he fell.
"Cleon! Cleon, my love, are you all right?" she asked him, worry filling her pretty blue eyes.
Cleon grinned smugly at his wife. "Oh, I'm fine. You know me. I always come through in a pinch."
"And you!" Ermelian roared, advancing on Neal with a raised fist. "Who are you to put my husband in such danger? What do you think you were doing? You could have - have - killed him, and then where would I be? Husbandless, a widow, cold and lonely on the streets of Corus..."
Neal slowly edged away while grinning nervously. "Heh... Cleon? Please call your wife off me. Please?" He backed up when Ermelian started on him.
"Why, I aughta..."
"Mel, sweetie, I think you should stop. Sir Nealan is getting married soon and we wouldn't want to have to explain to Lady Yukimi how he died," Cleon said tensely to his wife.
Ermelian sighed, and pursed her lips. "Fine then. Why don't you go jump off a bloody cliff?" she murmured under her breath.
"Mel, my dove," Cleon started, jumping off his horse to leave only a perturbed looking Kel sitting there. "Don't worry. I won't leave you. Ever. I couldn't do that to you." He went up to her and took her hands in his. "I love you."
The touching scene was interrupted by a rather loud snort coming from Neal. Cleon glared at him. Neal snorted again.
"Shut up, Neal," Cleon told him.
He grinned at Cleon before turning his attention to Kel. "Well? Are you coming down or are you just going to stay there all day?"
Kel smiled tightly. Let the fun begin.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Heh... hope everyone liked. I think I'm seriously going to have to up it to R soon. I mean, they got pretty damn close... and I didn't leave you with a cliffhanger this time. I didn't know how bad an effect that could have on people... you were all quite angry with me. It was quite humorous. Heh... oh well. Anyway, I'm not going to bore you too much this time. I'm just gonna say that I love you all, and please keep reviewing. 77 in four chapters? Amazing...
Thanks go to:
Fiona: I know exactly what you mean about the strange looks the parents give you. Mine give me strange looks all the time. It's not even funny any more... *sigh*
Huzzahuzza: Hmm... I am partial to the old name. I don't know why. Oh well. Hope to see more of the A/R.
Arsahi: Oh no. I have condemned myself to ceaseless prodding and poking. Darn... why did I tell you to read? Why? Gaaahhh... Oh well. Love Neal. Always love Neal. He's such a stud. ^_^
Pam: Well, I guess I won't have to worry about your orange bananas then... hehe...
Min: Heh... soft porn? What is this soft porn? Heh... well, to my 14 year old self, it feels very corrupted. You would feel like this too if Kate went and asked for your advice on how to write an NC-17 ff WHEN YOU WERE 14!!!!!! Gaaahhh..... sorry. Getting emotional again. Oh, and suuuuuure you're not a child molester. Heh... wait, no, then that means I can't have Draco either. Cuz that would make me a child molester. Gaaaaaahhhhhh...... Actually, it wouldn't cuz we're the same age. I think. Gaaaahhhh...
Kate: Gaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...... that's such a funny word. Heh... oh well. Anyway, Neal is soooo mine. Not yours, whorish person. MINE. M. I. N. E. As in MINE. Ha. So there. Take that and use it to fry your potato chips. Heh...
Farah: Hmmm... well, I think I like it. The new name, I mean. It reminds me of the whole Farah Fawcett thing a little too much, but oh well. Oh, and free time? What is this free time? What's it like? Does it taste good?
Jossie: During the summer, when they're no school, my mother thinks I have anemia because she says I'm just waaaay too lazy. Mothers are so jealous that they have to do work and we don't, aren't they?
Brigid: Neal is mine. Get over it. OH, and thanks for reviewing.
'Chelle: Gaaaaahhh...... I get waaaaay too much homework all the time... don't even get started with weekends. The only tv I ever watch anymore is Gilmore Girls, Angel, and Smallville SOMETIMES. Gah. Oh well. Thanx sweetie.
Natalia: Wow. That's so freaking true. Huh. None of us ARE corrupted until we come here. I mean, a year ago, I didn't know what an orgasm was until I came here on December 5. WOW!!! ALMOST ANNIVERSARY!!!! I'll have to do something special for all of you... maybe I'll actually commit myself to finishing Rebound... hmmm...
Lauzeik: Wow. I don't think I've ever been called a wench so far. YAY! Heh... OMG OLP SONG IS ON!!! YES!!!! Sorry. I have an unnatural obsession. *cough Min cough* Erm... no, they aren't going to have sex in the dreams. I'm saving that for... when they really do... ya know...
Merry: Well. That was... pleasant. Just... lovely. Right. Anyway, thanks for reviewing. Mmmm... Wolverine... Hugh Jackman... mmmmmmm...
Flicker Fire Fly: Thanks! A lot of people have been saying they love Cleon... what has this world come to???
Melian: Thanks, sweetie!
Judie: See? I called you Judie. Heh... omg I love your new story. I had to actually get up and calm myself before sitting back down. Heh... And I'm going to email you this anyway, so...
Kenta: Heheh... smut smut smut... love the smut... even though it makes me feel corrupted... heh... oh well. I don't care. That thought with the Neal mage thing actually crossed my mind, but I decided against it. Cuz... I don't want the story going like that really. Loved your new chapter!!!
Lady Marie: The best fanfic you ever read? Well. You obviously haven't read all of them. I mean, *stutters* Mine certainly isn't the - the - best. I'm trying to be modest here. Heh... I wouldn't like to be responsible for your death at all. Heh...
Lady Sandrilene: I'm not holding it against you! Jeez! That day, I just felt random, and I was listening to Nirvana, and they just do that to you. Ya know? Well, probably not, but oh well. Fanfiction has corrupted me. That's the only reason I would ever write a K/R. You might eventually get there one day. Heh... my friend wrote a K/Jon...
Queen of Fluff: Thankies! Tomorrow?
Dani: Hiya! Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. I've been on email sabbatical for like... 2 weeks? *grins sheepishly* OMG CONNER AND CORDELIA HAD SEX!!!! OMG!!!! AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks everyone!
Much love,
Stacey