Author's Notes: Neal left in the wee beginnings of August. More like the last day of July. So, in grand total, Neal spent six weeks on the road. Which means that, at the end of this part, they're in the middle of September. Just letting you know.
Perhaps Coincidence (Part One)
When Neal descended the stairs to eat breakfast with the rest of the wayhouse, he found the table devoid of Kel. He figured she thought he hadn't heard her supposedly secret confessed apology, or she knew and didn't want to face him. The former seemed more probable than Kel avoiding him, though he didn't know for certain in this turbulent time. In response to this thought, Neal ate quickly and piled a plateful of breakfast food for Kel and hurried up the stairs. This would serve as Neal's proverbial olive branch, he decided. The proverbial olive branch that would let Kel know that he forgave her for acting so differently, and he knew that for some reason she had to prove or at least act like she didn't care about him for some reason, so he would forgive her for that too. He would have too. He wanted too.
Neal stopped at Kel's door and shifted the tray to one hand as he rapped lightly on her door. It opened moments later, revealing a startled, sleepy Kel. She blinked awkwardly at him, reached up and finger-combed her hair quickly and stepped aside to let him in. He accepted the invitation silently and set the tray on a desk sitting perpendicular to the window and parallel to the small hearth. He looked up and at her, approaching her slowly. Beseechingly, he searched her eyes for a spark of something, any emotion at all.
"Sorry," he said gruffly. He dropped his gaze from Kel. "I know we declared war on each other yesterday, but I don't like us fighting. Fighting means we have bitter feelings towards each other, and I...I don't like feeling that way at you, Kel. So...I'm sorry."
Kel felt the tears drift down her cheeks before she knew she had started to cry. She wiped them away and said, "Thank you."
Neal nodded, still not looking at her, and headed out. "We leave as soon as you finish eating and getting ready. I haven't been to Corus in a month and a week, which means you haven't gone back to the palace in...three months, roughly. I want to get there as soon as we can. I just wish we had another horse to help Seiryn pull the carriage faster."
"We have ten gold nobles, don't we?" Kel asked suddenly. Neal nodded. "We could buy a horse from the wayhouse keeper. Certainly he has some he would sell willingly for a gold noble or two."
"Good idea," Neal agreed. "I'll go finish packing and go negotiate with the keeper about an extra horse." He darted out of Kel's room across the hallway and made sure everything had gone back into his bags. Satisfied that everything had, he headed down the stairs again, unaware of Kel, who ran across the hallway as fast as she could and slipped into his room.
"I wonder if he has it," Kel murmured to herself. She pulled open one of Neal's bags and riffled through the contents, looking for a royal purple, cylindrical tube with a red capping that had a golden tassle hanging from it. Letters no one but the Master could understand adorned the sides of the tube. "Come on, come on...Bardev said he had it!" she exclaimed frustratedly, closing the bag. She picked up the smaller one and felt around for something vaguely resembling the shape of the tube, and sighed at the lack of purple tubing in Neal's bags. That meant either Jeraldine had it, or Merric had it. "Impossible for Merric to have it, though...Bardev would have said something."
She left Neal's room and hurriedly ate her breakfast once safely inside her own. She had packed everything for the day's journey the night before, and wondered when Neal began to leave so late on journey days. Kel quickly changed her clothes and waited outside the room, her bag slung over a shoulder, watching for Neal to appear in the hallway. When he finally did, he had a look of regret and relief upon his handsome features.
"We have another horse," Neal announced. "However, we only have eight nobles now. We'll have to stretch them."
"I doubt it," Kel told him, nonchalantly. "We can afford to sleep on the ground occasionally. How long will it take to get to Corus?"
Neal quickly calculated in his head the amount of time it would take for them to go from eleven miles outside Magistra to Corus, and promptly came up with a figure. "Six days, give or take a day or so depending on the obedience of this new beast of a horse."
"I see," Kel said. She waited as Neal retrieved his bags from his room and Cane took a perch on his shoulder. "Will we leave now?"
"I hope so," Neal replied as they headed down the stairs. "Looks like it."
Three days later, Neal and Kel had stopped on the side of the Great Road East to relieve themselves. When they came back, they found that their money, valuable clothing, and Neal's book on the Abscador Scroll had gone missing. Someone had robbed them on while they had relieved themselves. The only things they had left were a map, the weapons they carried, the actual bags themselves.
"Dammit!" Neal cursed. "How the hell did this happen?! I hid the carriage well! Merric and I used to do this all the time! Not so much with Jeraldine with us because she claimed using nature as a latrine was unsanitary--"
"She's right, you know," Kel interrupted. "And anyway, they only took money and clothes."
"'Only' money and clothes?! Only?! Kel, do you understand that the only clothes we have now we seem to be wearing right now?! And...they took my book. They took my book!" Neal growled, upset. However, he climbed up to the perch at the top of the carriage and picked up the reins.
Kel rejoined him on the perch and patted his arm. His anger seemed to lessen and finally he sighed. "We'll reach Corus soon anyway."
"Exactly," Kel agreed. "When we get there, we can just restock our supplies. Even if we have to wear palace clothes."
Neal snorted. "Palace clothes? I don't think so. Not if I can help it."
"I think spending so much time with Jeraldine turned you into a knight who wants higher quality materials," Kel informed him.
"And I think spending so much time with Jeraldine turned you into a girl," he told her. "I saw you wearing the skirt yesterday morning and a couple days ago."
Kel's cheeks colored a little. Why had she worn that stupid skirt again? Some impulsive feminine need? She rolled her eyes at Neal and crossed her arms over her chest. "Spying on me now, Neal?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Neal retorted. "Although, I must say, you did look rather appealing in that skirt." He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, pleased that her cheeks colored a little more. "Now, I don't know about a certain part of female anatomy..."
"Neal!" she cried, hitting him on the arm.
Neal laughed, and she hit him again. "Did I get to you, Kel?"
"Oh, gee, Neal, I don't think so," she huffed sarcastically.
That's the Kel I know and lo--like, Neal thought, smiling to himself. He had missed her. He slid an arm around Kel's waist and hugged her to him, using one hand to hold the reins. He felt Kel stiffen at first, which he dismissed as her remembering she had to not show affection for some reason, but she gave in and leaned on his shoulder.
Neal kissed the top of her head. "I've missed this Kel."
"I've missed this Kel too," she murmured. "You have no idea how long I've just wanted to relax again...I want normalcy..."
"I can help you get it back," he offered.
Kel felt like crying. Her desperation made him worry, her secretiveness pushed him away, and now, because he was selfless Neal, he wanted to help her get what the Master wanted. But she couldn't ask him, because he didn't have it, and if she told him, they would take him next.
And she really didn't want that.
"Sorry," she muttered, shaking her head. "I don't think you can."
There she goes. All secrets again, Neal thought bitterly. But she will tell me, all in due time. I hope.
Kel pulled away from him then, much to Neal's chagrin, and he once more took hold of the reins with both hands. Better to get to Corus as soon as he could, that way he could marry Yuki and beat his...whatever he had for Kel to the back of his mind. He would have to think of Yuki, and children he would have with her. He had to think about other things besides Kel. He had, like the man with no brain he seemed to be lately, run off after dropping everything to find Kel. He had found her, after running all over the continent, and somehow found his feelings ran so much deeper now. Big mistake.
Maybe...maybe if he would stop wondering what it felt like to kiss her, he would be okay. Or maybe if he actually did kiss her, he would stop wondering, and he would find that kissing her felt like kissing a sister. Or something. Because he hadn't meant to start liking Kel as more than a friend, he really hadn't. He knew that something had always sat there in the back of his heart, waiting for a chance, and he handed that little spark a golden opportunity. What had started as a spark now roared with flames. He lo--
No! he mentally beat those thoughts away. Stop it! I don't WANT to think about Kel that way! She's my best friend!
Kel watched a myriad of emotions cross Neal's brooding face. She had no idea what he thought about, but she guessed it had something to do with her lack of openness. If only he heard her apology a couple nights ago, then maybe he would understand...
"How long ago did you see Yuki?" Kel asked quietly, trying to make small talk.
"Almost a month and a half," Neal replied softly.
Kel nodded. "Do you miss her?"
Neal debated what to tell her in his mind for a moment or two and finally answered with, "Yes."
"Stupid question, right?" Kel wanted to know. "Of course you miss Yuki. You love her more than anything and you'll get married as soon as we get back to Corus and get settled."
"Something like that," Neal agreed in a roundabout way. Liar! Liar! his heart screamed at him.
Shut up! his mind yelled at his heart. Neal tired easily of this constant battle between his mind and heart. He would have to give into his heart eventually, he knew. He wanted to keep others under the illusion that he loved Yuki though.
"Did you ask Dom to serve as your best man?" Kel inquired, keeping her eyes on the road ahead.
"I did," Neal affirmed. "And he accepted."
"Who else did you ask to serve as ushers?" she asked absently.
"Cleon, Merric, and Roald," Neal shrugged. "Roald kind of looked at me funny when I asked him to be an usher, and he wanted to know why he hadn't been requested to serve as the best man. Cleon, too."
"Merric just said, 'if you want me too', right?" Kel surmised.
"Just about," Neal laughed a little. Silence, save for the horse's hooves and the carriage wheels, settled over them again.
When Corus finally came into sight in the horizon three days later (it had showered a little on the fifth day of the trip back to Corus, stalling them for a day while they waited for the roads to dry up enough to take a carriage and two temperamental horses on it), Neal almost cried out with relief. Kel actually did. She hadn't seen Corus for longer than he had, and he felt so comforted by the fact that he had come home after rescuing Kel that he urged the horses faster.
"Neal, I think I may jump off of the carriage and kiss the ground once we get inside," Kel said happily. "I can't wait to see everyone again..."
"You and me both," Neal agreed hastily. "I wonder if Merric's back yet?"
"Maybe," Kel said blankly. She hoped that Neal didn't ask her if she knew anything about Merric because then she would have to lie and say she didn't.
Within an hour and a half, Neal and Kel reached the castle gates. The guards, happy to see two faces they hadn't seen in a very long time, let them in immediately, not bothering to ask about the carriage. Three hostlers ran up and took Seiryn, the new horse, and the carriage as soon as the two riders clambered off and grabbed their empty bags.
"I think they missed us," Neal said to Kel, grinning his patented way. Kel just rolled her eyes and scanned the yard for people she knew. "Well, let's go get reunions started, shall we? I know a couple of people will almost jump for joy when they see you."
They entered the palace and got stopped every few moments to get a "welcome back! Where did you go off to?". They somehow managed to get to their quarters, change into new clothes, and went together to go find someone they knew.
"Kel!"
Kel and Neal both turned.
"Neal!"
Owen of Jesslaw ran up and attached himself to Kel's waist, hugging her tightly. "Kel! I can't believe it! Neal did jolly good in finding you and bringing you back to us. You should've seen him, Kel. Neal worried so much about you, you'd think that he was to marry you and not Yuki!"
Kel rolled her eyes and gave Neal a stern Look. "Well. Good thing he found me then, hm?"
"Very good! Jolly to have you back, Kel," Owen grinned at her.
Neal just shook his head and caught Kel's eye. "I'll go and look for Yuki."
"She left," Owen piped up.
Neal blinked rapidly, not quite comprehending what Owen had just told him. "She...left? What do you mean, 'she left', Owen? Where did she go?"
"She went back to the Isles about a week and a half ago," Owen relayed the information. "She said she didn't know when she would come back and told me to tell you, 'should you decide to come back,' that..." he paused. "I forget exactly. I have it written down though; I knew I would forget if I didn't." Owen dug through his pockets as Neal waited impatiently. "Ah! Here!" he held it up triumphantly, then opened it. "'Tell Neal that whenever he decides to show his face again at Court that my father has fallen ill. I don't know when I will return. Also have him write to me. I will expect a prompt apology for leaving me and abandoning guests that traveled many miles to get to Tortall for our wedding.' She sounded angry."
"I would have gotten angry too," Kel agreed, looking at Neal expectantly. Then she smirked. "You had best get to writing that apology then, shouldn't you, Neal?"
Neal sighed. "What should I apologize for, again?"
"Neal!" Kel cried, exasperated. "You know exactly what to apologize for."
"She knew I went after you, Kel," Neal protested. "I don't see why I should apologize."
"Just humor your fiancee, you dolt," Kel hit him on the back of the head as she said so. "Apologize to her and she'll welcome you with open arms. She may even ask you to have the wedding in the Yamani Isles. Wouldn't you like that? You two have planned to get married for so long, why put it off any longer?"
Kel sounded a little too much like she wanted Neal to hurry up and get married. He looked at her, doubt shading his green eyes. He finally shook his head and said, "I want to go see if I can find Lady Alanna."
"She left," Owen piped up again.
"Dom?" Neal wanted to know.
"On duty again," Owen said.
"Merric?" Neal raised an eyebrow.
"Thought he went off with you," Owen drew his eyebrows together in concern. "He did go with you, didn't he?"
Neal nodded. "But he left us for something right before I found Kel. You mean to tell me he hasn't come back to Corus yet? Did he write at all?"
"You'll have to check the post," Owen answered. "He hasn't returned yet. Maybe he tried to find you again?"
Kel felt uncomfortable. She knew exactly where Merric had gotten too, but she wouldn't--no, couldn't tell where he went, or else something horrible would happen to him. Luckily, someone else she knew came down the hallway: Raoul.
"Raoul!" she called, waving.
"Kel!" he called back.
Kel disentangled herself from Owen's arms and ran to Raoul, hugging him tightly. Neal's chest tightened at the sight, and he felt his lips start to press firmly together. His fists balled of their own accord, and his skin felt like it was on fire. He knew this feeling all too well from when he used to fancy the court ladies: jealousy.
You...moron, Neal told himself. Why do you think you've become jealous of Raoul of all people? He chose Kel as his squire for the love of all things holy. My friend, you've hit an all-time low if you fancy yourself jealous of Raoul.
Owen watched Neal intently. He finally poked Neal's arm when Neal took to wearing a murderous glare. "Neal."
Neal suddenly snapped out of it. "Huh?"
"Intelligent as always," Owen grinned.
"Oh, ha ha." Neal rolled his eyes in irritation. "Well, if Kel should need me so, tell her I have gone off to talk with Roald."
"He--"
"Don't even tell me he left. Let me find out on my own," Neal snapped before letting Owen finish. The younger boy, due to go through his Ordeal in just two months, just shrugged and watch Neal leave to Roald's quarters. Neal muttered darkly to himself as his feet carried him automatically through the hallways of the palace, not pausing in their relentless pace to even say hello to the people who took the time to do so as he passed.
However, when Shinko stepped out of her chambers, she said hello to Neal. He immediately stopped, turned, and bowed to Shinko. "Hello, your Highness."
"Pleasant to finally see you again," she told him, smiling. "I trust you found Kel?"
"I did," Neal nodded. "Do you know where your husband has gotten off too?"
"He has gone riding with Princess Kalasin and his father," Shinko informed him. "They should return in an hour or so. They just wanted to ride around the grounds."
"Thank you," Neal bowed and left, hurrying to the stables. He wanted nothing more than to just get updated on the status of things from Roald before hitting the sack and sleeping till morning. So he mounted the new horse he had bought from the man at the wayhouse--Neal had named it Skunk for the sheer black pitch of its coat and the white stripe down its nose--and took him out for a brisk walk. "Where would Roald, Kalasin, and Jon have gone?" he murmured to himself. "They can't have gotten far; they never ride for more than an hour and a half on the grounds..."
Neal chose a trail and started down on it, knowing Roald preferred this trail over others. Perhaps they had gone down this way? It seemed most likely, and he saw sets of three pairs of hooves in a triangular formation (someone in the lead, two behind, following, who Neal guessed to be Jon and Roald, while Kalasin led), so he continued down the path at a swift pace.
He soon heard Kalasin's laugh and knew they hadn't gone too far ahead. He suddenly wondered if perhaps he shouldn't interrupt the pair's time with their father, but somehow managed to convince himself that he would only take a moment, get what he needed to know from Roald, then head back to his rooms and sleep until tomorrow. As Neal approached, he felt stronger and stronger the need to lie down and sleep. He hadn't eaten very well in the past six weeks and he felt the effects catching up with him. He hadn't slept too terribly well when he and Merric, or he and Kel, slept out doors. It also didn't help that most nights he tossed and turned in bed when they stayed at inns or wayhouses, or he didn't sleep at all, or he had a disturbing, in the sexual way, dream about Kel, which he knew he shouldn't have. During the entire trip he had worried about someone, or two someones, or debated mentally, and now that he had come back to Corus he had hoped that all of this nonsense would stop once he saw Yuki again but now she had gone back to the Yamani Isles to take care of her father and he couldn't see her.
By the time Neal actually reached Roald, Jonathan, and Kalasin, he had tired his heart and his mind out by thinking and fighting his feelings too much. "Ho!" Neal called. "Your Highnesses and Your Majesty!"
"Ho, Neal!" Roald cried out happily. "Did you find Kel?"
"I sure did!" Neal answered, trotting up to the three. Kalasin looked at him and blushed, shyly waving. "Good afternoon, Princess Kalasin."
"G-good afternoon, Sir Neal," she stuttered.
Neal fought off the urge to look at Kalasin as if she had gone mad. He turned to Jonathan. "Good afternoon, Your Majesty."
"Good afternoon, Neal," Jonathan replied.
"Roald," Neal said, looking at the man he had come to speak with in the first place. "May I speak with you privately for a moment?"
Roald nodded. "I'll only be a few minutes, Father, Kalasin," he told them and followed Neal a little way down the path. "What do you want, Neal?"
"Just an update," Neal sighed. "I heard a little bit from Owen, but he didn't elaborate too much as he felt the need to hug Kel until she almost popped."
Roald chuckled. "I see. Well, not much happened while you and Merric went off galivanting around Tortall. Your wedding guests left after the first week. Most of them did, anyway. Wyldon and Owen stayed here on 'official business'--personally I think Owen talked the old goat into staying because he worried so much about Kel. Father assigned Cleon to border patrol and he should arrive tomorrow after his term ends. Yuki went to the Yamani Isles a week ago to tend to her ill father. We had a few scuffles with both Scanran and Bazhir rebels. Seems one or two bands of Bazhir want to combine forces and unite the Scanrans as they had during the war. Domitan and some of the King's Own have gone down to the desert to settle the bitter resentment down there enough to not have a threat of revolt in our own country. Interestingly enough, Kel's family didn't know she had gone missing until I notified them. I can't really think of anything else that happened of any relevance, your and Merric's absence seemed to have brought a little peace and quiet to the court. You would have thought the court ladies would have nearly busted with gossip when they heard both you and Merric had gone after Kel, but...I suppose Shinko and Yuki put a stop to that before it started. Anyway, if I think of anything else, I'll tell you. I really must go back though, Father and Kalasin look like they just might wring my neck if I stay here chatting much longer. See you at supper, Neal."
"Actually, I won't go to supper tonight. You have no idea how much six weeks away from the palace, traipsing around Tortall, wears a man out," Neal confessed. "I'll see you tomorrow morning though. I plan to help the pages and squires with their weapons practices just so I can get back into a normal routine."
"Okay. Tell Kel hello for me if she doesn't want to come to supper," Roald requested, and took off at a canter over to his father and his sister.
Neal returned to his quarters, and as he entered the hallway to his rooms he found someone standing in it. He couldn't quite see who because the visitor took to the shadows. He frowned and said, "Who goes there?"
The person stepped out of the shadows.
Neal didn't recognize the man. He looked somewhat like the Kel, with the same color hair and face shape, but aside from that, he didn't look anything familiar. "Hello?" Neal offered uncertainly.
"Nealan of Queenscove, I presume," the man said.
"Yes sir," Neal confirmed.
"Inness of Mindelan," the man offered his hand.
Neal's eyes instantly lit with recognition. He had never met Kel's brother face-to-face, but he knew about him. Inness had served as Cleon's knight-master after he had become a squire. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Sir Inness."
"'Finally?' You mean Kel has talked about me?" Inness arched an eyebrow as Neal opened the door to his quarters and invited Inness in.
"Well, not particularly," Neal admitted. "Just a word here or there, but Cleon said some wonderful things about you."
Inness chuckled. "No, I don't suppose we met on the Progress for Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami, did we?"
"No, sir," Neal answered. Why am I being so police to Inness? He's Kel's brother for Mithros's sake...
"I came to ask you something," Inness said suddenly, the small smile he wore disappearing. Neal remained silent, waiting for Inness to continue. "Cleon told me that my sister disappeared a couple months ago. He also told me that you had invited him to act as an usher at your wedding. Imagine my surprise when I learn that the wedding got canceled because you went gallivanting off after my sister."
Gallivating? Why does everyone think my trek was a piece of cake or something? Neal wondered.
"Now, I ask you, Neal," Inness plowed forward, his tone overly friendly. Neal felt a brotherly threat coming on, and he didn't like it at all. "Did my sister neglect to invite me to her own wedding?"
Neal's eyes went wide. "No. Not at all. You see, my fiancee--Yuki--she had asked Kel to serve as her maid of honor...I...I didn't plan to marry Kel."
"Do you love my sister?" Inness wanted to know, tearing Neal apart with his eyes.
"W-what kind of love do you m-mean, Sir Inness?" Neal stammered.
"You know what I mean," Inness said flatly, his fingers dancing over the hilt of his sword.
Neal gulped. "Well...I...I have a fiancee..."
"Answer the question," Inness commanded, his hand wrapping around the hilt.
Neal felt himself start to sink to the floor, wishing a hole would open up underneath him. "I-if...If I said yes, would you hurt me?"
"Does she love you back?" Inness loosened his sword from the hilt.
Mithros, he will kill me... Neal thought nervously. Damn protective older brothers. "No."
"If you ever force yourself upon my sister, I will not hesitate to make you unable to do so to anyone ever again," Inness threatened. "If you even attempt to do anything to her without her permission, I will hurt you. Badly. Just think lots of pain. Clear?"
"...Crystal," Neal said, opening the door. "I understand perfectly. I'd also appreciate it if you didn't...tell Kel about our little conversation. I'd rather keep my...feelings...to myself."
Inness nodded. "Very well." He left.
Neal watched Inness until he disappeared and shut the door, locking it as well. He shed his clothes and pulled on a night shirt with trembling hands. He didn't shake so much from Inness's warning--though, the man did have a frighteningly overwhelming presence--but from the fact that he had admitted it to himself and Inness that he, indeed, loved Kel as more than a friend. The exact thing he had hoped to ignore and thus not feel. Apparently, the gods had not wanted him to follow that plan of action. Were the gods trying to tell him something through Inness?
You stupid dolt, he berated himself as he sank into his bed. You just miss Yuki. You think you love Kel only because she happens to have a female body, and you know her. Let's not forget we have male anatomy here. Male anatomy usually likes female anatomy. You don't love Kel other than a sister-like love. Yeah. That's right.
Don't listen to him, his heart piped up. You do love Kel! That's what I've tried to tell you Merric mentioned it that one night! Finally! It took Kel's older brother to scare you into an admission, didn't it? You finally know that you love Kel! Don't listen to him and his "human anatomy" denial theory.
Don't listen to him! Listen to your head for once, man! You have a brain for a reason. You. Don't. Love. Kel. Got it? You don't love her! You don't love her except as a friend! his mind tried to squash his heart's voice, but his heart wouldn't stay silent. It had had enough of just twiddling its proverbial thumbs.
Now you listen here! Remember what Jeraldine said? Be selfish! Be selfish, dammit! I had you to the point where you had resolved to let Yuki go, show some kindness--but no! You listened to that gods-forsaken brain of yours! And look where it got you! If you'll just--
"Shut up!" Neal moaned, covering his ears. He really hated this war going on between his head and his heart, his sensible side and his emotional side. He just wanted to hit his head and go unconcious or something. He didn't know what to listen too. He knew he felt more for Kel than he definitely should have. The worst part about it...he couldn't tell anyone. He couldn't talk to anyone about it, especially since Merric had disappeared. He ran through the list of people he could talk to and came up short: the only person he could even think about talking to happened to be someone he didn't have a particular affinity for, so that ruled Cleon out.
However, as Neal debated who to talk to, he drifted off to sleep.
Kel sat in her room, at her desk, pen in hand, parchment on the desk. She used the last rays of sunshine to write the letter she knew she had to write.
'Master:
Merric has my map. Either you find the Abscador Scroll again yourself, or you send me my map.
-Keladry'
She folded up the parchment and stuck it in a package. Carefully, she slipped down the hallway and pulled one of the servants aside. The servant, a man with shifty blue eyes and conspicuously dark hair, simply nodded when she handed him the letter.
"Boo," Neal said quietly, sneaking up behind Kel. She whirled and grabbed his arm, twisting it before she saw his face. "Ow!"
"Oops," she answered apologetically. She offered him a smile. "Sorry?"
Neal shrugged. "No matter. Just try not to make a habit of it, okay?"
"I'll try," Kel promised. "What do you need?"
"Just a little bit o' your lovin'," Neal replied easily.
"Neal," Kel blushed. "Don't say silly things like that."
Neal shrugged again. "I only say the truth."
Kel stuck her tongue out. "Oh yes, Neal. I believe that. Totally. You have me convinced."
Neal swept her into his arms and onto the bed. "Now now. Is that any way to speak to your best friend?"
Kel squirmed as he straddled her waist and pinned her arms above her head, pouting. "I thought we agreed we had gone beyond best friends."
Neal kissed her gently. "Hm, remind me."
"Neal!" she squeaked.
He kissed her again and again, slipping his free hand to the place where her shirt met her breeches, slipping his hand underneath the cloth and tugging it from the waist of her pants.
Suddenly, he was alone. "Dammit," Neal cursed under his breath. He looked up at his dark ceiling, then out the window at the clear sky with so many stars. Neal didn't want to think anymore. "I think...I think I need to tell her..." he murmured to himself suddenly. "I can't...let this go on anymore. It...hurts."
Cane hopped into his window then. She cheeped at him and flew over to his bed.
"Hey there, lovely lady," he said, rubbing her head with his thumb. "I'll bet you had a big day of socializing, hm?"
She chirped. She fluttered outside for a moment and fluttered back in.
Neal frowned. "What's wrong?"
She tugged on his sleeve and fluttered back to the window.
He walked over obediently and looked outside. He could see nothing except the courtyard. "What do you want me to see?"
Cane shrilled angrily and tugged on his sleeve some more.
"Hold on, hold on," Neal tugged on his pants and changed his shirt, deftly pulling his boots on and climbing out the window after Cane. "Did I talk in my sleep or something?"
Cane flew in the signal for yes.
"Did I say something about loving Kel as more than a friend?" he asked.
Cane, yet again, flew in the signal for yes.
"Do you want me to tell Kel?"
She flew in the signal for yes one more time.
"Do you think she feels the same way?"
Cane chirped.
"How comforting."
And suddenly, Neal found himself at Kel's door. Cane pecked the door itself and flew off, leaving Neal to fend for himself. The door opened to reveal Kel in her night clothes.
"Neal?" Kel asked, frowning. "Did something happen?"
"Er..." Neal said uncertainly.
Now or never! his heart urged.
His resolve suddenly became firm. He took a deep breath, looked Kel in the eyes and said:
"Kel, I need to tell you something."
