Kel awoke, and stretched, delighting in the feeling of having a very warm (and very naked) body next to hers. She rolled over so she could face Dom. The few rays of the sunrise that snuck through the shutters formed a buttery shaft of light, ending at his nose, and turning his hair to a rich gold. Very carefully, as to not wake him up, she gently ran a finger down the bridge of his nose, so lightly that it was little more than a whisper. But being part of the King's Own, Dom had been trained to wake with the slightest noise or touch.
"Sorry," Kel whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you, you can go back to sleep, you just looked so peaceful..."
Dom blinked a few times, deciding if he should stay awake, or if he should drift back into the peaceful sleep. "S'okay," he mumbled. "I was getting up anyway."
"I'm i sure /i." Kel said with a snort of derision. "If I hadn't waken you, I could've come back at sunset, and you'd still be dreaming."
"I would not!" Dom retorted indignantly, deciding to fully awake.
"Of course not," Kel said, her tone betraying her true feelings.
"So," Dom started with an impish grin, "did you have fun?"
"Oh, stop it, you," Kel reddened. "And to answer your question; yes. In fact I could say it was the best I ever had."
"But of course," Dom said cockily, "Nothing but the best for I my /I lady."
Kel got quiet. "Dom?" she asked in a small voice, "i Can /i I be your lady? How can we ever be together? You're the King's Own, and I'm a knight. The King's Own can't marry, and I have my own agenda. I also can't let you quit your job, you're a sergeant, and you've worked for years to get this far!"
"Hush," Dom silenced her with a soft kiss, stirring the desire in Kel that she thought she had quelled the night before. "I know things look bleak now. But last night, we were together. I'm going to be in New Hope, with the Kings Own, for at least a month or maybe two. We've got at least that long to decide, because as of right now, I know that I want to spend a long, long, time with you."
"Truly?" Kel wondered, letting some of her insecurities surface. Dom nodded. "But... Why me?"
"What do you mean?" Dom looked puzzled, his forehead crinkling.
"I mean, why do you want to spend your life with me? I've seen any and all of the court beauties throwing themselves at your feet, giving you alluring glances, and just making sure you knew that they would be willing wives. I mean, besides the whole fact that you i can't /i marry, why did I strike your fancy?"
Dom was silent for a few moments, remembering the first weeks she had spent with the King's Own. Kel had never acted like a "normal" lady. She wouldn't sink into the background if there was something she saw wrong. She was never truly self-absorbed, neither was she gossipy. She could pull her weight in a battle, and wasn't afraid to do what had to be done. "I know this will sound sappy," he finally decided, "but I knew that I had found someone special when you seemed so at ease, and under control, when we were at the battle with the first metal beast. Most of the imen /i were frozen, but you were the one who was on top of things, and deciding what needed to be done. Just that one small period of time made you more than a friend in my eyes, but I didn't want to, um, distract you while you were still training. Then there was that whole issue of the redhead..." Dom then broke off, blushing slightly. "I didn't mean to go into a long speech or bring up any unpleasant memories..."
"No, it was perfect. You're the first man that I've had sex with, and I'm glad that it was this way. It was with someone I do care about, where he actually does respect me."
Dom's armed snaked around Kel. "You know," he said, "that's the highest compliment you could pay a guy. At least to a man who's worth your while."
"And you are."
"Is that a question? Or a statement?"
"That was a statement, Dom, don't be so insecure!" Kel gently chastised.
"Yes mi'lady," he agreed.
Kel rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bathe and get dressed now, okay?"
"That's fine, do you want me to meet you for breakf-" Dom broke off. They were supposed to meet Neal and Yuki this morning for breakfast. Judging from the angle of the sun, they were supposed to be there... 10 minutes ago.
"Oh crap!" Kel cursed, and jumped out of bed, and into clothes, faster than Dom had ever seen her move on the battlefield.
"I'm going to go change," Dom offered, as he quickly dressed in what he had been wearing the night before. "I'll meet you in the garden," he called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.
Kel sat down on the edge of her bed to pull on her boots, silently reprimanding herself for not realizing what time it was, but slowly found it useless. Each time she reminded herself why she was late, she couldn't seem to mind all that much. i If Dom and I marry, if we can marry, I know that everyone would approve, even Raoul. /i Kel hadn't been oblivious to the knowing glances he kept shooting her and Dom when they had been together lately. Kel finished tying her boots, and stumbled out the door, raking fingers through her hair as she hurried down the hallway, until a certain unruly knight heading in her direction knocked her to the floor.
"Sorry!" Neal called over his shoulder. "I'm running late for a breakfast!"
"No, really?" Kel drawled from her new resting place on the floor.
Neal whirled around. "Gods, Kel, I'm sorry! I didn't see you!"
"I hadn't noticed," Kel responded dryly.
"Yuki's going to kill me!"
"She's going to kill all three of us," Kel replied.
"All three of us...how do you know Dom will be late?" Neal trailed off. Then a spark of intelligence lit in his eyes. "So, how i do /i you know that Dom will be late?"
Kel suddenly fell silent, blushing to the roots of her hair.
"So you two finally did it, didn't you?" Kel didn't respond. "I was wondering when you would get on with it! He's been raving about you for the past three years!"
Kel finally snapped out of it. "You knew and you didn't i tell /i me?!"
"Well, I think it i is /i time for breakfast, don't you?" Neal hurried off down the hall. Kel sighed and trotted behind him. i Does this mean I'm going to have to put up with his dirty jokes about Dom and I now? /i she mused.
"Sorry," Kel whispered. "I didn't mean to wake you, you can go back to sleep, you just looked so peaceful..."
Dom blinked a few times, deciding if he should stay awake, or if he should drift back into the peaceful sleep. "S'okay," he mumbled. "I was getting up anyway."
"I'm i sure /i." Kel said with a snort of derision. "If I hadn't waken you, I could've come back at sunset, and you'd still be dreaming."
"I would not!" Dom retorted indignantly, deciding to fully awake.
"Of course not," Kel said, her tone betraying her true feelings.
"So," Dom started with an impish grin, "did you have fun?"
"Oh, stop it, you," Kel reddened. "And to answer your question; yes. In fact I could say it was the best I ever had."
"But of course," Dom said cockily, "Nothing but the best for I my /I lady."
Kel got quiet. "Dom?" she asked in a small voice, "i Can /i I be your lady? How can we ever be together? You're the King's Own, and I'm a knight. The King's Own can't marry, and I have my own agenda. I also can't let you quit your job, you're a sergeant, and you've worked for years to get this far!"
"Hush," Dom silenced her with a soft kiss, stirring the desire in Kel that she thought she had quelled the night before. "I know things look bleak now. But last night, we were together. I'm going to be in New Hope, with the Kings Own, for at least a month or maybe two. We've got at least that long to decide, because as of right now, I know that I want to spend a long, long, time with you."
"Truly?" Kel wondered, letting some of her insecurities surface. Dom nodded. "But... Why me?"
"What do you mean?" Dom looked puzzled, his forehead crinkling.
"I mean, why do you want to spend your life with me? I've seen any and all of the court beauties throwing themselves at your feet, giving you alluring glances, and just making sure you knew that they would be willing wives. I mean, besides the whole fact that you i can't /i marry, why did I strike your fancy?"
Dom was silent for a few moments, remembering the first weeks she had spent with the King's Own. Kel had never acted like a "normal" lady. She wouldn't sink into the background if there was something she saw wrong. She was never truly self-absorbed, neither was she gossipy. She could pull her weight in a battle, and wasn't afraid to do what had to be done. "I know this will sound sappy," he finally decided, "but I knew that I had found someone special when you seemed so at ease, and under control, when we were at the battle with the first metal beast. Most of the imen /i were frozen, but you were the one who was on top of things, and deciding what needed to be done. Just that one small period of time made you more than a friend in my eyes, but I didn't want to, um, distract you while you were still training. Then there was that whole issue of the redhead..." Dom then broke off, blushing slightly. "I didn't mean to go into a long speech or bring up any unpleasant memories..."
"No, it was perfect. You're the first man that I've had sex with, and I'm glad that it was this way. It was with someone I do care about, where he actually does respect me."
Dom's armed snaked around Kel. "You know," he said, "that's the highest compliment you could pay a guy. At least to a man who's worth your while."
"And you are."
"Is that a question? Or a statement?"
"That was a statement, Dom, don't be so insecure!" Kel gently chastised.
"Yes mi'lady," he agreed.
Kel rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bathe and get dressed now, okay?"
"That's fine, do you want me to meet you for breakf-" Dom broke off. They were supposed to meet Neal and Yuki this morning for breakfast. Judging from the angle of the sun, they were supposed to be there... 10 minutes ago.
"Oh crap!" Kel cursed, and jumped out of bed, and into clothes, faster than Dom had ever seen her move on the battlefield.
"I'm going to go change," Dom offered, as he quickly dressed in what he had been wearing the night before. "I'll meet you in the garden," he called over his shoulder as he headed out the door.
Kel sat down on the edge of her bed to pull on her boots, silently reprimanding herself for not realizing what time it was, but slowly found it useless. Each time she reminded herself why she was late, she couldn't seem to mind all that much. i If Dom and I marry, if we can marry, I know that everyone would approve, even Raoul. /i Kel hadn't been oblivious to the knowing glances he kept shooting her and Dom when they had been together lately. Kel finished tying her boots, and stumbled out the door, raking fingers through her hair as she hurried down the hallway, until a certain unruly knight heading in her direction knocked her to the floor.
"Sorry!" Neal called over his shoulder. "I'm running late for a breakfast!"
"No, really?" Kel drawled from her new resting place on the floor.
Neal whirled around. "Gods, Kel, I'm sorry! I didn't see you!"
"I hadn't noticed," Kel responded dryly.
"Yuki's going to kill me!"
"She's going to kill all three of us," Kel replied.
"All three of us...how do you know Dom will be late?" Neal trailed off. Then a spark of intelligence lit in his eyes. "So, how i do /i you know that Dom will be late?"
Kel suddenly fell silent, blushing to the roots of her hair.
"So you two finally did it, didn't you?" Kel didn't respond. "I was wondering when you would get on with it! He's been raving about you for the past three years!"
Kel finally snapped out of it. "You knew and you didn't i tell /i me?!"
"Well, I think it i is /i time for breakfast, don't you?" Neal hurried off down the hall. Kel sighed and trotted behind him. i Does this mean I'm going to have to put up with his dirty jokes about Dom and I now? /i she mused.
