The next morning, the sun rose on Kel and Dom laying together peacefully, a smile on their faces, even while sleeping. They hadn't done anything the night before, but were just happy with each other's company, snuggling together unconsciously. Today, Dom woke first. He yawned as he shifted to look at Kel. 'Gods, she's beautiful,' he thought to himself, without an ounce of doubt in his mind.
As Kel wasn't waking up, Dom decided to try for another few minutes of sleep. When he closed his eyes, he felt Kel awake; her hand reached up to stroke his hair. He opened his blue eyes lazily, and looked into her hazel ones. "'Morning, love." He greeted her.
She smiled, the innocence of sleep still on her face. She appeared peaceful, and vulnerable. "I know how we can win our next war," Dom said, without thinking.
Puzzlement swept across her features. "What are you talking about?" Was Dom really this strange every morning?
"Well, you are a force to be reckoned with, but right now, you look sweeter and more innocent than an angel. If the enemy saw you in the morning, they wouldn't think twice about attacking." Dom blushed. He wasn't the one who normally sweet-talked the ladies.
"We'd better not let this secret slip then, right?" Kel asked, with a twinkle in her eye.
"Nope. That's my special secret. No one else is going to get the chance to find out," Dom reminded himself. "About the wedding," he started, wanting to make sure that Kel hadn't had any major changes of thought overnight.
"What about it?" Kel knit her eyebrows, looking worried. "You aren't having second thoughts, are you?"
"No, of course not!" he protested, hurt. "I was actually wondering what kind of a ceremony you would like, a big one, a small one, at the capital, at a home" Dom trailed off. He was running out of ideas.
"Oh!" Kel had forgotten completely that getting married was more than just living together. They would have to make a public announcement, and have a ceremonyKel's head spun with the implied details. "I would have to say that I'd prefer a small ceremony, but I'm not picky as to where it's held, the important thing is that I'll be with you-" Kel stopped, shocked. "I didn't really say anything that sappy, did I?" she asked, a blush steadily creeping up her cheeks. It seemed that getting married involved a lot of blushing.
Dom couldn't control his grin. "I believe you did, m'dear."
Kel sighed resignedly. "I don't suppose you're not going to tell everyone else about my..." Kel trailed off, not knowing what to call this new side of her.
Dom looked indignant. "You think that I would let that slip? That the fierce warrior Kel has a soft side? Of course I won't tell Neal...but there might be a public announcement in front of the whole - Hey, that hurt!" Dom good-naturedly rubbed the arm Kel had hit a moment before. "I was joking!" he insisted.
"I know... Did I hurt you?" Kel watched Dom rub his arm.
"Yes, greatly," he exaggerated. "The only way to make it better is a kiss from a fair lady." He cocked his head and batted his eyelashes.
"It that's all it'll take..." Kel trailed off, her mouth busy with things other than talking for the moment.
~*~
About an hour later, Dom and Kel walked into the dining hall together, nearly oblivious to the glances they were getting. Finally, a catcall from Neal woke Kel out of her reverie.
"Hey lovebirds! Sleep late?" Neal queried with a knowing gleam in his eye that Kel didn't likenot one bit. Oh no, it looks like he's about to -
"Did Dom keep you up, Kel?" he asked wickedly. Tease me mercilessly Kel finished with a sigh, but then decided to play along.
"He sure did, Neal What would you say Yuki? Does Neal keep you up like that?" Kel asked with a sly wink.
Yuki's face was carefully blank for a moment, but then her eyes lit up with understanding. "Well" she stalled, "not that often"
Kel often told Neal that his eyes were bigger than his stomach, and now it was no exaggeration. "Yuki!" he gasped, his manly pride damaged.
The women burst out laughing, receiving a hurt look from Neal. Yuki rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and pulled Neal close for a kiss, which evoked an adamant, "Eww!" from a small brown-haired boy who had been hovering in the background with Owen.
Neal laughed, "Just like his dad, isn't he?" Kel snickered, but decided not to voice her opinion.
"Hey, Neal," Kel cooed, bending down to ruffle the little boy's hair. He was now about two, and already learning how to use his large green eyes to his advantage. As she stood up, she caught Dom's eye, and nodded. "Neal? Yuki? Owen? We, I mean, Dom and I, have something to tell you-"
"We're getting married!" Dom announced, proudly, throwing a protective arm around Kel's waist. Neither could keep the grins off of their faces.
Neal's jaw dropped, Yuki's eyes were moist, and Neal Jr. was pulling Owen's hair, whose jaw was also nearing the floor. "Yo-you-you're getting married?" Neal stuttered.
Kel nodded, her eyes now clouding over. "What's the matter with you two?" She asked Neal and Owen, noting their faces.
Then Neal started talking rapidly. "How could you not tell me, Dom?! I'm your favorite cousin, or don't you remember? And you, Kel! What happened to being my best friend and-"
"Neal, this is the part where we offer our congratulations," Yuki reminded him gently. "Even after three years of me, he still hasn't learned. When was this decided?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation from looking like a small-scale skirmish.
"Last night, at least for sure, we had some problems to iron out." Dom said.
"Is that all that was decided last night?" Neal asked, ducking just in time to avoid a smack from his cousin, as Dom rolled his eyes.
"What kind of a ceremony will you have?" Yuki demanded, her Yamani-lady training kicking in. "We could have a large state wedding, it's not everyday that the realm's resident Lady Knight gets married off, you know-" Yuki broke off, worried. "You aren't losing your job, are you Dom?"
"No! That was the problem we had to sort out, last night."
"What do you mean?" Neal looked interested. "Members of the King's Own aren't allowed to marry."
"Well, I had to talk to Raoul, but we got things worked out. You see" Kel tuned Dom out; Own had caught her eye. The whispered congratulations he sent her way didn't reach his eyes, leaving Kel feeling very small inside.
Yet another complication of getting married, I suppose, she thought ruefully.
As Kel wasn't waking up, Dom decided to try for another few minutes of sleep. When he closed his eyes, he felt Kel awake; her hand reached up to stroke his hair. He opened his blue eyes lazily, and looked into her hazel ones. "'Morning, love." He greeted her.
She smiled, the innocence of sleep still on her face. She appeared peaceful, and vulnerable. "I know how we can win our next war," Dom said, without thinking.
Puzzlement swept across her features. "What are you talking about?" Was Dom really this strange every morning?
"Well, you are a force to be reckoned with, but right now, you look sweeter and more innocent than an angel. If the enemy saw you in the morning, they wouldn't think twice about attacking." Dom blushed. He wasn't the one who normally sweet-talked the ladies.
"We'd better not let this secret slip then, right?" Kel asked, with a twinkle in her eye.
"Nope. That's my special secret. No one else is going to get the chance to find out," Dom reminded himself. "About the wedding," he started, wanting to make sure that Kel hadn't had any major changes of thought overnight.
"What about it?" Kel knit her eyebrows, looking worried. "You aren't having second thoughts, are you?"
"No, of course not!" he protested, hurt. "I was actually wondering what kind of a ceremony you would like, a big one, a small one, at the capital, at a home" Dom trailed off. He was running out of ideas.
"Oh!" Kel had forgotten completely that getting married was more than just living together. They would have to make a public announcement, and have a ceremonyKel's head spun with the implied details. "I would have to say that I'd prefer a small ceremony, but I'm not picky as to where it's held, the important thing is that I'll be with you-" Kel stopped, shocked. "I didn't really say anything that sappy, did I?" she asked, a blush steadily creeping up her cheeks. It seemed that getting married involved a lot of blushing.
Dom couldn't control his grin. "I believe you did, m'dear."
Kel sighed resignedly. "I don't suppose you're not going to tell everyone else about my..." Kel trailed off, not knowing what to call this new side of her.
Dom looked indignant. "You think that I would let that slip? That the fierce warrior Kel has a soft side? Of course I won't tell Neal...but there might be a public announcement in front of the whole - Hey, that hurt!" Dom good-naturedly rubbed the arm Kel had hit a moment before. "I was joking!" he insisted.
"I know... Did I hurt you?" Kel watched Dom rub his arm.
"Yes, greatly," he exaggerated. "The only way to make it better is a kiss from a fair lady." He cocked his head and batted his eyelashes.
"It that's all it'll take..." Kel trailed off, her mouth busy with things other than talking for the moment.
~*~
About an hour later, Dom and Kel walked into the dining hall together, nearly oblivious to the glances they were getting. Finally, a catcall from Neal woke Kel out of her reverie.
"Hey lovebirds! Sleep late?" Neal queried with a knowing gleam in his eye that Kel didn't likenot one bit. Oh no, it looks like he's about to -
"Did Dom keep you up, Kel?" he asked wickedly. Tease me mercilessly Kel finished with a sigh, but then decided to play along.
"He sure did, Neal What would you say Yuki? Does Neal keep you up like that?" Kel asked with a sly wink.
Yuki's face was carefully blank for a moment, but then her eyes lit up with understanding. "Well" she stalled, "not that often"
Kel often told Neal that his eyes were bigger than his stomach, and now it was no exaggeration. "Yuki!" he gasped, his manly pride damaged.
The women burst out laughing, receiving a hurt look from Neal. Yuki rolled her eyes good-naturedly, and pulled Neal close for a kiss, which evoked an adamant, "Eww!" from a small brown-haired boy who had been hovering in the background with Owen.
Neal laughed, "Just like his dad, isn't he?" Kel snickered, but decided not to voice her opinion.
"Hey, Neal," Kel cooed, bending down to ruffle the little boy's hair. He was now about two, and already learning how to use his large green eyes to his advantage. As she stood up, she caught Dom's eye, and nodded. "Neal? Yuki? Owen? We, I mean, Dom and I, have something to tell you-"
"We're getting married!" Dom announced, proudly, throwing a protective arm around Kel's waist. Neither could keep the grins off of their faces.
Neal's jaw dropped, Yuki's eyes were moist, and Neal Jr. was pulling Owen's hair, whose jaw was also nearing the floor. "Yo-you-you're getting married?" Neal stuttered.
Kel nodded, her eyes now clouding over. "What's the matter with you two?" She asked Neal and Owen, noting their faces.
Then Neal started talking rapidly. "How could you not tell me, Dom?! I'm your favorite cousin, or don't you remember? And you, Kel! What happened to being my best friend and-"
"Neal, this is the part where we offer our congratulations," Yuki reminded him gently. "Even after three years of me, he still hasn't learned. When was this decided?" she asked, trying to keep the conversation from looking like a small-scale skirmish.
"Last night, at least for sure, we had some problems to iron out." Dom said.
"Is that all that was decided last night?" Neal asked, ducking just in time to avoid a smack from his cousin, as Dom rolled his eyes.
"What kind of a ceremony will you have?" Yuki demanded, her Yamani-lady training kicking in. "We could have a large state wedding, it's not everyday that the realm's resident Lady Knight gets married off, you know-" Yuki broke off, worried. "You aren't losing your job, are you Dom?"
"No! That was the problem we had to sort out, last night."
"What do you mean?" Neal looked interested. "Members of the King's Own aren't allowed to marry."
"Well, I had to talk to Raoul, but we got things worked out. You see" Kel tuned Dom out; Own had caught her eye. The whispered congratulations he sent her way didn't reach his eyes, leaving Kel feeling very small inside.
Yet another complication of getting married, I suppose, she thought ruefully.
~*~
Sorry it took so long to update, I've been getting really busy, what with the school play and all, of which I'm head of the costuming. But that wasn't my excuse for not updating, I actually had the first ΒΌ written for awhile, but got stuck. *sigh*
But I want to thank my really awesome beta's, 'Nita, and Saraswathi, they're both really talented, and they help me a lot, so...Thanks again!
