Title: Midsummer's Dance

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I own all these characters. I own the Protector of the Small books. I own everything that has to do with Daine and Keladry and Cleon and Numair. If you believe any of that, you are in need of serious help.

Story Summary: Keladry and Cleon don't get along; never have, and never will…or so they assume. So when they make an agreement that at first seems like a great idea, but soon gets out of hand, they discover that people are not who they seem. And emotions are not to be fooled with. Love and pain go hand in hand, but what happens when the pain is sweet and the love rejected? Keladry and Cleon have one summer to find out exactly will come to pass when one of them wants it, and the other doesn't.

Chapter One: The Effectiveness of Cynicism

"Keladry! Kel, honey, the phone's for you!" My mother's voice echoed up the stairs.

I scowled and glanced over my shoulder. To answer the phone, I had to walk across my room to my bedside table, where my dragon phone sat.

"Whoever is calling had better have something VERY important to say," I grumbled to myself. I pushed away from my computer and grudgingly slumped over to the bed and threw myself on it.

I yanked up the dragon head receiver and grumbled, "Hello…"

"Hey Kel!" It was Freddie Kennan, my next door neighbor and long-time friend. Her voice was cheerful and perky, as per usual. "Whatcha doin'?"

I gave a heartfelt sigh and a wistful look to my computer where I had been working on my latest column for the school newspaper. "Nothing."

"Well…you'll never guess who showed up at my house today!!!" I could practically see Freddie bouncing on her bed, twirling the phone cord between her fingers.

"I don't know…" I hated guessing games. "Uh…Brad Pitt. Brad Pitt showed up on your doorstep and asked you to marry him."

"I wish! No, guess again! Oh, never mind…I'll tell you!" She paused dramatically. "Cleon! It was Cleon!" I had to hold the phone a foot away from my hear, she was screaming so loud.

Cleon was her older brother, and apparently he actually made it through the first year of Harvard law. The Kennan family had had a really big celebration last year when Cleon got his acceptance letter in the mail. I, sadly, had been forced by my mother to attend.

"Well, well, the little Crud's home. I'm just bursting with excitement. I can't wait to see what bit of torment he's cooked up for me in the past year." Since the year I started fourth grade and Cleon started sixth, it has been his life's goal to make mine a living hell. And so far, he has succeeded. Nine years of torment from Cleon Kennan. That is probably why I'm such a sarcastic and cynical person today.

I swear I could hear Freddie rolling her eyes. "Oh come on Kel, you know Cleon is only like that to you because he knows that it gets you so annoyed. I promise he'll be nicer from now on! Go look out your window!"

"My window? Why?" My window faces the street. There is never anything of value to spy on there, except maybe Mrs. Collard who walks her little poodle every morning, and every morning both her and Sweetums (that's her poodle) are wearing matching outfits.

"Just do it!" Freddie stomped her foot. Sometimes, I think her parents lied about her age. There is no way she is seventeen and in grade 12. She acts like a nine year old.

"Fine, fine, fine." I walked over to my window. "Okay, what am I looking at, exactly, that is so incredibly fascinating?"

"See that black car in front of my house? The one with the word Mercedes on the side?"

I zeroed in on the car in question. It was indeed a black one, and it did indeed have the word Mercedes on the side. It was also a very nice, brand new convertible, and the car I had been saving up to buy for the last year and a half.

"What the heck is my dream car doing outside your house on a Friday afternoon?"

"Oh…nothing much, at the moment. It's Cleon's." Now that had me stunned. Cleon Kennan had a Mercedes? The same Cleon that calls me Laddie and asks why I'm not a lass?

"Kel? You still there?"

"Uh…" I could not find the words to form what I wanted to say. "Could…could I come over later?"

I really think I'm telepathic or psychic or something, because I know that Freddie smirked when I said that.

"Sure, Kel," She paused as someone in the background said something to her. "Oh, and Cleon says he hopes you're happier when you get here or he's gonna beat you up like he did in eighth grade."

I snorted. "He wishes. Crud only got those hits in cause I had a cold and a broken arm. Tell him that now I'm bigger and stronger with two good arms and four classes of kickboxing behind me."

Freddie giggled and relayed the message. I heard Cleon's roaring laughter in the background and his yell, "In your dreams, Laddie!" before Freddie said goodbye and hung up.

Cleon's gonna wish he never came home for the summer, I thought. It's my turn to make his life a living hell. I rubbed my hands together and sat down in front of my computer again to form a list of the many things I could do to torment my archenemy.

*~*~*~*~*~*

	
	I hate curiosity. It is, as I have learned, my greatest weakness. So naturally, as I was planning how to ruin Cleon's summer, the curious little Keladry inside me wanted to get a better look at that lovely car sitting under the maple tree outside. I wanted to stay and plot against Cleon. It was a toss up, but little Kel and the car won.

It was about seven o'clock before I actually got downstairs, and it was two hours later by the time I made it past my social butterfly of a mother. She can't go a day without organizing at least one charity or party. It's all she ever does: plan, plan, plan. So you know where I get it from.

Well, when she finally let me out the door, it was completely dark outside. The minute I stepped out into the cool night air, I was struck with yet another idea for my column. I write the "Kel's Future" column, and it's basically devoted to my opinion on the future of the human race and our world. I write about how if we don't put a stopper in pollution, we'll all look like that guy on that movie with Geena Davis, "The Fly". That's the one about the guy who gets turned into a human/fly thing. He looks really gross.

I also write about what I think the world is going to be like in fifty years or so, with the advance of technology and brain power. A few people think my column is weird, but most are intrigued by my "imagination," as Mr. Stogart puts it. I think they just read it to laugh at my lame concepts and sarcastic remarks about the government.

So as I was walking the ten feet to Freddie's house, I tried to put together something for a "clean air policy" in the future. People recycling their air like they recycle their garbage, that sort of thing. I was so caught up in my thoughts, I didn't hear the footsteps behind me until someone put their hand over my mouth and pulled me into a car.

Now, my mother has trained me to never get into strange cars with strange people, but in this case, I had no choice.

I struggled against the steel-like grip and tried to bite the person's hand. I was about to pee myself to get free, when I heard the laugh. It was a booming, cheerful laugh that could only come from one family.

The Kennans.

The person let go of me and I fell back against the soft leather seat. "Cleon, you ass!" I sucked in breath and desperately tried to slow my racing heart. "I thought you were some kind of psycho…oh, never mind. I was right."

Cleon leaned back into his seat and smiled at me. "It's nice to see you haven't changed, Laddie."

I glared at him and crossed my arms. "I'll have you know, that name no longer bothers me. I'm well aware that you are a moron and a jerk, so nothing you call me or say to me will bother me in the least."

Cleon scratched his head. "Is that right?"

I set my chin stubbornly. "Yes."

He looked at me with his green eyes somehow mocking me. Don't ask me how it's possible for eyes to mock, but his did. "Okay, well, what about what I do to you?"

I snorted. "There is nothing you could do that could bug me, either." I was about to say something else when the light in his eyes changed. They were no longer mocking me. They looked almost…serious. Now, that was something new. Cleon was never serious, except when it came to school. But this was different. It was a kind of scary serious.

"What?" I demanded. "Stop looking at me like that." He didn't stop. "Okay, you're freaking me out. I'm going to leave now." I reached over to open the car door, but his hand snaked out and grabbed my arm before I was even close.

"Wait," he said, almost desperately. This was definitely not the same Cleon that left for school a year ago. That Cleon was never desperate.

I glanced over at him and scowled. "This had better be good."

He let go of my arm and reached in his pocket as though he were searching for something. "I, ah…I got you something."

Cleon bought me something? I raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Are you feeling okay?"

He looked up at me, his eyes confused. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" I guess he finally found what he was looking for, because he pulled a small silver box out of his jacket.

"Well, it's just that the only thing you've ever got me was that box of chocolates filled with worms. And that box doesn't look big enough to hold enough worms to gross me out. So what's the deal?"

Cleon looked really nervous. He was twirling the box from hand to hand and kept fidgeting in his seat.

"Okay Crud, say it before I pound it out of you."

He sighed and glanced out the window before turning to me with a scared look on his face. "Look…Kel, I know we've never really been very good friends,"

I interrupted, "Try we've never been friends at all."

"Yeah. But I need to ask you for a favor. A really really big favor."

I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. "How big a favor?"

Cleon pursed his lips. "Oh, lets just say this favor is bigger than if a dragon landed in your backyard and asked you to take care of her baby."

Hmm, well this favor must really be important, if he used that as an example. "What's the favor?"

"First, say you won't hurt me or say no right away until I explain." He edged away from me in his seat.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure, whatever. I swear I won't hurt you or say no until you explain your really big favor."

Cleon took a deep breath, preparing himself to ask the favor. "I need you to pretend to be my fiancé.'

My mouth dropped open. Fiancé? He wants me to act as his fiancé??? Here I was expecting something like "Would you mind washing my car every day this summer?" or "Could you maybe never come visit Freddie so I don't have to look at you?" But no, it had to be "Would you pretend to be my fiancé?"

"Ah…why?" For some reason, I didn't really want to say no. Maybe I was having a mental breakdown or something, because I actually wanted to do the favor for him.

Cleon looked relieved that I wasn't rejecting the idea straight off. "Well, you see, my friends from University are coming to visit this summer, and I kinda told them I was engaged. To a really hot girl." He paused. "And you really don't look that bad, and I don't really want to have to bribe anyone to do this."

I gave him a look. "Gee, thanks, Cleon."

He grinned. "No problem. So, you'll do it?" I just looked at him, and he sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll give you a hundred a week, plus I'll do all your chores for the whole summer."

My eyes remained riveted on his face, and I didn't move. Cleon groaned and said, "And I'll let you drive my car every day. In fact, you can have half ownership."

I considered what he was offering, and decided it didn't sound so bad in return for me just saying "Oh yeah, I'm gonna marry Cleon."

"Okay, one question." I glanced at Cleon and he nodded. "Why me? Why don't you ask Brenda or one of your many ex-girlfriends? I'm sure they'd be happy to do it."

He smirked and picked up my hand. "Because you, Keladry Mindelan, are my moonbeam of light." He pressed his lips to my knuckles, and I felt a strange tingling sensation rush down my spine. "You are my star of beauty, my flower of patience." I rolled my eyes. "And because I'm in love with you."

Okay, now that I was not expecting. "Uh…what?"

"I have been in love with you ever since you knocked the wind out of me at my Harvard acceptance party last year." He pulled me closer. "So, what do you say? Be my fiancé for the summer?"

I blinked at him, a little flustered. "Uh, yeah. Whatever." Anything to get you to let go of my hand. "I…I gotta go."

I scrambled out of the car and raced into my house, slamming the door behind me. As soon as the door was shut, I leaned against it and let out a puff of air. That was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. And the weirdest part about it, was Cleon said he loved me! He called me Kel, which he has never done before.

I was about to go upstairs when someone knocked on the front door. I knew who it was even before answered it. Sure enough, it was Cleon, the glare from the streetlight making him look dangerous, like a lion hunting his prey. I nearly smiled. This was the Cleon I was used to, not the one who had held my hand and spoke of moonbeams and love.

"You forgot this." He held out the small silver box.

I looked at it suspiciously. "What is it?"

He pressed the box into the palm of my hand. "Open it."

I gingerly picked up the box with my other hand, removed the lid, and nearly dropped it in surprise. Lying in the center of the box, surrounded by a blue satin cloth, was the biggest, shiniest, most expensive looking diamond ring I'd ever seen. I didn't move or breathe until Cleon reached over to pluck the ring out of the box. He put the box back in his pocket and slid the ring onto my finger. I stared at it, my mouth agape and my eyes wide.

"Only the best for my little moonbeam," he said proudly as he kissed my knuckles the way he had in the car, the way that had those tingles racing down my spine again.

My mouth flapped open and closed a couple times, much like a fish as I'm embarrassed to admit, before I managed to get my voice working again. "How…what…this thing is huge!" I pulled my hand away from him to peer at the gigantic rock. "Is it real?"

Cleon looked genuinely offended. "Of course it's real! Why wouldn't it be?"

I stuck my hand out and wiggled it as the diamond sparkled. I had never owned anything so glittery. It was kind of fun to wear. "It must have cost a fortune! How could you afford something like this?" Before he could answer, I put my hand by my side, looked at him through narrowed eyes and said, "How did you know I'd agree?"

Cleon grinned and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Wishful thinking, I guess."

"Um, Cleon," I began hesitantly, not really wanting to bring this certain issue up, but it had to be spoken of. "About that think you said in the car…"

"That I love you?"

"Uh…yeah, that." Hearing him say it made me feel really weird. Not a bad kind of weird, just a different weird. "Did you mean it?" I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping that he would say this was all just a big joke.

"Of course I meant it! Kel, this last year has been torture for me."

Yes! my mind thought. Torture! That's good, right?

"Being away from you is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Not being able to see you, to hear you call me Crudface; it left me hollow inside."

Damn, he was good. I was actually starting to feel something for the sap. Then he ruined the moment by stepping forward and pulling me closer to him saying, "Keladry, my heart, my love, my life. Please say you feel the same."

Oh man, this was starting to turn out like one of those stupid soaps my mother watches.

"Uh…give me some time, okay? This is a lot of information and…stuff to digest in one night." I gently pulled away from him. "Let me sleep on it. Is that all right with you?"

Cleon smiled in what I hoped was understanding. "Dream of me, my dove." With that last sappy comment, he left, closing the door behind him.

"Well." I walked into the kitchen to find something to drink.

This was going to be one long summer.