Slow and Steady Seduction.

(A/N: okay so there was nothing slow about that first chapter. I've got myself stuck in a rut. This is going to be really hard...but im gonna write this story even if it does end up sucking...which it will...:'( )

Wyldon decided not to stay that night. He planned to ride out as soon as he could. He wasn't to keen on the idea of sticking around after the "incident" and he had a feeling Kel wouldn't want him sticking around. And he couldn't really blame her...

Kel sat in her office looking at the paper on her desk. She couldn't figure out what had shocked her most. News of her fathers death or Wyldon's boldness in kissing her. Her eyes blurred and stung with unshed tears. Her father had died, and she hadn't even been able to say good-bye. Her heart felt as though it were shattering, her stomach felt empty, yet she didn't feel hungry. She just sat there not knowing what to do or say. She hadn't even seen Neal standing in the doorway of her office, Merric right behind him.

Neal slowly walked in. he wasn't accustomed to seeing Kel cry . . . in fact he didn't think he ever HAD seen Kel cry. If he had he certainly didn't remember. Neither could Merric as he followed Neal in. Neal walked up to her and put an arm around her shoulder and knelt next to her chair. He kissed the tear that ran down her cheek. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Merric came up on her other side and knelt down also resting an arm on her shoulder.

"It's ok Kel," Neal whispered. "We're here," and Kel just let loose. She just let the tears flow freely and Neal and Merric just stayed next to her, quietly letting her deal with her grief...

"Are you leaving today then?" a quiet voice asked. Wyldon jumped and turned to see Keladry of Mindelan standing in the doorway of the stables. Her face was blotchy and her eyes were red. The whole camp had heard of her loss by now and the air had gotten slightly heavier. He hadn't realized just how close the refugees here had come to Kel. A lot of them felt her loss almost as though it were theirs. The refugees from Haven were the most sympathetic and supportive of their commander or "Mother" as a lot of them called her. He had also taken note of that. These commoners, peasants and criminals actually cared and respected Keladry. It was at moments like these he was glad he had relented and let her stay.

"Yes, well I thought under the circumstances-"

"It was an accident," Keladry declared.

"No, Lady Knight, it was deliberate action on my part. It was no accident," he told her. Kel frowned and looked at the ground, chewing on her lip. She stopped herself. She looked up again.

"That may very well be, but it is no reason why you should ride off when you wont reach Mastiff by nightfall and have to either, ride on in the dark, or camp along the road. Begging your parden My Lord, but I don't think that would be a very wise idea. We have a truce with Scanra. Not a peace settlement," she told him.

Wyldon felt stupid all of a sudden. What had he been thinking when he had decided it would be best for him to leave in the middle of the day when he wouldn't make it to Mastiff by dark? All he could think was that he had wanted to get as far away from his Lady Knight as he could. He obviously couldn't trust himself with her. She walked closer to the stable in which he was standing and patted his horse.

"I have had stranger things done to me," she told him, looking at his horse. "That was not very high on the list . . . probably third or fourth place,"

"It still shouldn't have happened. I am older, supposed to be wiser and am a married man with daughters your age and older,"

"But it happened," she said. She turned and looked at him. "What do we do about it?" she asked.

He looked around and saw no one else except them. So he did exactly what he shouldn't have done. He pulled her to him and kissed her again. Only he didn't pull back. And she didn't push him away . . . but she didn't kiss him back. He pulled away and looked at her. Her face was smooth. She let no emotion show so he didn't know what she thought of what he had just done. She looked at the ground then up at the wall.

"I guess we just avoid being alone together," she said and walked out.

Wyldon just stood and watched her leave. What else could he do?

(Im sorry if this is really short . . . but I'm kinda stuck! I have writers block. I don't know how I ended up with it. I just did. I mean . . . oh geez . . .)