Okay, I've resolved to write another fanfic!

I'm doing this mostly because I haven't had anything to write lately, and I want to write! The story I was working on has lost its sparkle, and I need something to occupy me until I can find it. So this is going to be short, but as it's Vidanric and Mel, it should be cute. This will most likely be fluff, which I don't normally write. Soo... read on!

Vidanric RULES!

Idea stolen heartlessly from Phaerie. Being distracted by other things, I was too lazy to come up with something original. However, I did not copy anything from her story word for word (A.K.A. plagiarism).

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I'm just making them play the parts for my little show. They belong to Sherwood Smith, who is a god among writers. This story begins with Sherwood Smith's words, not my own.

Chapter one: Now or Never

I turned to the double doors, which were of foreign plainwood, and paused to admire the carving round the latch, and the painted pattern of leaves and blossoms worked into it. Then I opened one, and there in the middle of a lovely parlor was Shevraeth. He knelt at a writing table with his back to a fire, his pen scratching rapidly across a paper.

He glanced up inquiringly. His hair seemed damp, but it wasn't muddy, and his clothing looked miraculously dry.

I gritted my teeth crossed my arms, and advanced on him, my cold- numbed lips poonched out below what I knew was a ferocious glare.

Obviously on the verge of laughter, he raised his quill to stop me. "As the winner, he murmured, "I choose the time and place."

"You cheated," I said, glad enough to have the embarrassment postponed.

"If you had waited, I would have shown you that shortcut," he retorted humorously.

"It was a trick," I snarled. "And as for your wager, I might as well get it over now."

He sat back, eyeing me. "Wet as you are--and you have to be cold-- it'd feel like kissing a fish. We will address this another time. Sit down and have some cider. It's hot, just brought in."

"We will not address this another time," I said, gritting my teeth. "We will address this now." Shevraeth gave me a faint smile.

"As the winner," he repeated, "I choose the time and place."

"So that you may embarrass me in front of the entire court?" I demanded nastily. Shevraeth's mask dropped for a slight moment, revealing something indiscernible. He quickly hitched it back into place and looked at me for a moment.

"Is that what you believe?" he asked, his voice quiet and calm. "That I would try to ruin you?" I bit my lip.

While I certainly didn't believe that the Marquis was so mean- spirited as to do something like that I still didn't know quite what to think of him. Since his arrival at our castle he'd been nothing but polite. True enough, I still didn't trust him with his courtier's mask, but so much as he'd shown, nothing was especially spiteful towards me. I looked at Shevraeth again, and I could see that all my thoughts had been clearly visible on my face. I looked quickly away.

"No," I said at last. "I don't think you would." I knew I ought to apologise, but apologising to him had never been easy for me. My throat closed up.

"I--" I said. I took a quiet breath and started again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. You've been nothing but polite and patient with me, and I thank you." Shevraeth nodded.

"Apology accepted," he said simply. He took up his quill and began to write. I stared at him. He didn't look up. I stared at him longer, not moving. He still refused to look up.

"Are you going to get it over with or not?" I asked, trying to keep the frustration down. Shevraeth looked up, seemingly surprised.

"What?" he asked.

"Our wager," I said slowly, as one might speak to a child. "Are you going to kiss me or not?" I glared at him.

"I thought we discussed this?" Shevraeth asked. For the third time he repeated: "As the winner, I choose the time and place." I almost screamed in frustration.

"Unacceptable," I said testily. "I don't want you to choose a time or place where it might be of any sort of embarrassment to me."

"If I give you my word of honour that I will not choose to collect my wager when it would somehow embarrass you, will you agree to stop pestering me?" Shevraeth asked, getting decidedly annoyed.

"Absolutely not," I said. "Now or never." Heaving a sigh, Shevraeth set down his quill and shot me a look.

"You have got to be the most positively vexing woman I have ever met in my entire life," Shevraeth commented. I smirked.

"If you must collect, do so now," I said, giving him a hard look.

Shevraeth shook his head and gracefully took to his feet. Walking around the table, he held out his hand to me. I declined his help and got up, admittedly less graceful than he. I looked into his face and saw him giving me another of his assessing looks. I raised my eyebrows, but he simply shook his head.

I stood on the tips of my toes and brushed my lips gently to his. I was surprised at the jolt somewhere around my stomach, but I ignored it and started to turn to get myself some cider. Shevraeth grabbed my arm and turned me back to face him.

"What?" I asked. Shevraeth smirked.

"That, Countess, was no kiss in any sense of the word," he said. I raised my eyebrows.

"Somehow I doubt that assessment is correct," I said stiffly. "Because I do believe it was."

"No, I'm afraid it wasn't," Shevraeth said smoothly. I felt that funny jolt in my stomach again. "This, however, is." Shevraeth pulled me closer to him and pressed his lips gently to mine, kissing me gently. A shiver ran through me, and I tried to stop the jolt in my stomach. I pushed Shevraeth lightly to break the contact, and looked away. I could feel Shevraeth's gaze on me, and I sat down quickly at the table, before my legs gave out.

So that was kissing. If I'd known it was so pleasurable, I would have started flirting sooner. I remembered the shiver, and tried to push it out of my thoughts. Right now I had to concentrate on not embarrassing myself further...

So tell me what you think! If you think I should keep going please tell me. If you think this story should die a slow, painful death... well, I could arrange that. Just review and tell me what you think. Longer chapters? More Fluff? More Danric? Any of those I can come up with. Happy messages accepted gleefully, Flames used to toast marshmallows. In the meantime, I'm off!