A/N: I am really, really sorry if I offended anyone with my last fanfic so, as you might have seen, I have taken it off. I hope it doesn't happen again.

New angsty fic for Kel. ENJOY!

LONG LIVE FAITHFUL...

Trying Complications

In the Court records, it was the coldest Winter recorded in the reign of King Jonathan and his Queen, Thayet.

Kel and Neal had already guessed that much.

They often spent nights in each other's rooms, whichever room, it didn't matter, giving each other comfort and warmth. It got so lonely and cold in the winter nights, with no one to love.

But still, even if they both wanted to love each other, they couldn't. It was forbidden. Not allowed. Against the rules. Whatever you wanted to call it; that was what it was. So they didn't, because they couldn't. Or they could, but they wouldn't. It was so confusing.

Kel and Neal were sat in her rooms, both perched precariously on the window seat, curling up to each other, and both keeping the other one warm with their own body heat. It was the only comfort either of them ever got.

"What are we going to do?"

"I'm not sure."

"Do you have any idea?"

"No."

Kel sighed. Everything was so much easier when they were just friends. Everything was so much simpler.

She snuggled closer to Neal and tried to suppress a purr of pleasure at the feel of his warm, soft skin against hers.

"Will you marry me?" Neal asked, gently stroking Kel's silky hair, sifting it through his fingers, enjoying the feeling of the rare pleasure.

"I don't know."

"Why not?"

"I... it would hurt Yuki."

"Is that the only reason?"

"No."

"Tell me then."

"It's... complicated."

"We're best friends. We're meant to share everything with each other," he reminded her gently, secretly hoping that they could be something more than just best friends.

"I know but it's... difficult, like I said."

"Tell me."

"I want to get my shield. I don't want to have to worry about looking after a fief, or love, or having children..."

Neal, surprised by her sudden outburst, held up a hand to halt her explanation. "Wait! Children? I never asked you to have kids with me Kel! Gods! You're only sixteen! I'm not ready yet! I want us to be happy! I want us to live together in peace; to love each other. Is that too much to ask?" Why did she have to make everything more difficult than it ought to be? He wondered silently.

Kel sighed, partly at Neal, and partly in frustration of the helplessness of their situation. "Yes... and no. I want to be happy as well Neal, I really do, but I can't be happy if some of my friends are unhappy. And that will happen if I marry you. Yuki will be heartbroken- she'd probably never speak to me again, and Cleon... I hate to think of what Cleon might do."

Neal groaned. Cleon always made things worse! "He'd probably try and kill me because I'd taken his 'precious rosebud' off him."

"He needs to understand that I'm not his to own," she muttered angrily.

"He stalks you." Neal tried to be reassuring, but underneath, he was bubbling in anger for his one-time friend who was now trying to steal Kel off him.

"I know. Tell me about it."

Neal moved slightly further away from Kel, dropping her head, and put his own head in his hands. "So that's it then. Neither of us can be happy for fear of hurting other people."

"That's right."

"So you can't... There is no chance...?"

"No. And neither can you."

They both looked out of the window from their position crushed together on the window seat. They watched the snowflakes dropping from the sky, both lost in their own thoughts.

They were only human.

But even humans are allowed to be happy once in a while.

But they couldn't see it.

A/N: awww! Fluff! How cute! Now review! Pretty please...