Hi. In case you don't really know what to think of this, be assured that I don't either. It started out as a Kel/Neal fic, and I intended to have them making out passionately and confessing their love for each other by the end of it. But when it got to the point where they should start making out, I just couldn't do it. I guess I'm in Kel/Neal friendship mode right now. So sorry if this doesn't really have a point. I hope you like it anyway.

Friends

She was walking back from the mess when he cornered her.

She sensed him coming up behind her and spun around, prepared to defend herself if need be. Kel wasn't shocked when she saw that it was Joren; very few people dared to come silently behind her like that, certainly not any of her friends. They knew what she could do. But apparently Joren hadn't learned his lesson.

His strange behavior in the past months, the standoffish cordialness, was still troubling her. She was wary, but nonetheless restrained herself from immediately defending herself against him, partly because there was nothing to put her on the defense. He didn't attack her. Somehow, this made her even more unsettled. But, as always, she kept her emotions hidden and her face blank.

"Is there something you needed?" she asked cautiously. He advanced toward her, stopping when she drew back. He had an odd look on his face, one that she had never seen before. But still, his haughtiness showed discreetly through in that cold glint in his eyes. He's putting on a show for me, she thought. But I can see right through it.

"Would- would you care to let me walk you back to your rooms?" he asked in a trying-to-be-friendly voice.

"I'm sure I can get there by myself, but thank you for the offer," Kel replied, and kept walking.

He came running up beside her. "It's no problem, really. It's my pleasure." Kel shrugged in response, and decided her best bet would be to walk on and ignore him.

They strode on in silence, and finally they reached Kel's door. She didn't really know what to do, and didn't want him to know how her magic key worked, so she turned around and waited for him to leave.

Apparently he had other plans.

As she was turning he grabbed her arms and pinned her against the door in such a way that she could not move. For once, her Yamani training failed her, because what he did next caught her completely off guard. He kissed her.

It felt surprisingly nice, and she found herself reacting involuntarily, kissing back. After a few seconds she got her sense back long enough to feel revulsion and tear away from his grasp. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

He just smirked and began to move in again, but this time she was ready, kicking him where it hurt the most. "Get out of here, I don't want to see you ever again," she said, and was dismayed to find that her voice was shaky. For good measure she kicked him again, making him groan and double over.

"I got what I came for, bitch," he rasped, then stumbled down the hall.

Kel just slumped against her door. She felt suddenly exhausted, and closed her eyes for a few moments. For now she was grateful that Raoul wasn't around; he was in a meeting. She got a rude awakening when she glanced down the hall and found her group of friends all standing there at the corner, gaping. Feeling remarkably close to tears, she unlocked her door and shakily entered her room.

"Kel, open up! Kel!" Owen's scared voice sounded muffled through the door. Kel stuffed her head farther into the pillow.

In the past ten minutes all of her friends had called to her, begging her to come out, to talk to them. Now she was sure Owen was the only one left. She heard something that sounded remarkably like a boot hitting her door, and then Owen's muffled "Ow!" Then silence.

She lay how she was for almost a minute before finally lifting her head up. She still was having trouble comprehending what had just happened to her, and wasn't sure she wanted to think about it.

She slowly stood and walked to her closed door, planning on checking to see if anyone was still outside. When she pulled it open a form that was all arms and legs fell into the room; Kel stepped back in time to avoid being crushed.

"Neal!" she breathed, and quickly shut the door. "What do you want?"

Neal stood and looked at her incredulously. "What do I want?" The same thing everybody else out there wanted. To know what just happened!"

Kel looked down; her mask was in danger of falling apart, and she knew it. A warm hand on her shoulder made her look up. Neal was staring intently at her, deeply concerned.

"Kel," he said, "tell me what happened between you and Joren."

Kel began pacing, but after that got old sat on the bed and motioned for Neal to sit beside her. She would NOT cry. No. That would be stupid. It would be like admitting that Joren got to her, when he most definitely didn't. She sighed. Who am I trying to fool?

"I was walking back to my room and he caught me off guard. I'm sorry I snapped at everyone at supper. I should've waited for all of you, then maybe this wouldn't have happened."

Neal draped his arm around her. "It's okay. Mithros knows you're so calm around us most of the time, you have every right to be angry once and a while. So what happened, he caught you by your door?"

She sighed again. "No. It was outside the mess hall. He offered to walk me back to my rooms, and-"

"As if that weren't incentive to be wary! Really, Kel," Neal said, but noticed Kel glaring at him and stopped talking. He cleared his throat. "Continue."

"I was wary, you dolt. I told him no, but he just kept insisting, so I decided to ignore him. When we got to my room he just threw himself at me, and I was so shocked I couldn't react."

"I was wondering why you didn't pull one of those Yamani flip things."

"Well now you know."

"Guess I do."

Silence.

"Neal, can I tell you something?"

Neal rolled his eyes. "I thought we'd been through this before-"

"Shut up." Kel cut him off. "You can't tell anyone, but when he was kissing me, I sort of…unintentionally kissed him back. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for that. I'm…ashamed." She hung her head for emphasis.

Neal lifted her chin. "Kel, do you like Joren?"

"You know I loathe him."

Neal sat back. "I think you just got caught up in the moment; lack of romance in your life will do that to you. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure if I kissed you you'd eventually kiss back, too, but that may be because I'm so good-looking." He puffed up his chest, reminding Kel of a rooster. She giggled, then spoiled his moment by jabbing him playfully.

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm still really disgusted by Joren, and I suppose only time will make it fade. But thanks for talking to me." She couldn't stop herself from hugging him.

"Really, it's no problem." It felt so comfortable, just sitting there, being held by her best friend. After a few moments Neal spoke again. "Maybe you should know that all of our lovely friends went after Joren and his minions. I think they had murder on their minds, especially Owen."

Kel jumped to her feet. "WHAT?"

Neal looked alarmed. "Look, calm down, it's not as if we haven't gotten in fights with them before; I would have gone too, but I was worried about you-"

"This is different!" Kel exclaimed. "This isn't a fight over them bullying younger pages, this is over my stupid honor! If Lord Wyldon finds out…well, I guess there's nothing he can do, since I'm a squire now, but this is the sort of thing I didn't want to happen….there will be questions if this gets around to him, and you know it will. Gods," she ran her hands through her hair and looked imploringly at Neal.

He sighed. "Kel, there have been fights over things like this before. Yes, over your honor," he said at Kel's look. "You weren't really supposed to know about them, and they weren't over anything as drastic as this, but what do you expect us to do? Sit back and discuss it over tea?"

She collapsed back on the bed. "I don't know. I guess I should feel lucky to have friends like all of you, but sometimes I wish you weren't so…..temperamental. Aren't we even going to try and stop them?"

"Do you really want to? I thought it'd be rather nice to watch them doing punishment duty from the sidelines, for once, but…" he trailed off.

She gave a short little laugh. "I may be slightly evil, but that actually doesn't sound too bad. I don't really feel like getting more involved than I already am, anyway."

He sat back next to her. "There's something else. Owen said he was in one of the necessaries off the squires' wing, and he heard Vinson and Garvey talking. They were saying how they didn't think Joren would have the nerve to, uh, kiss you, and that he'd owe them each five silver nobles if he didn't do it tonight. Of course the little dunce forgot to tell us about it until after it actually happened."

Kel was dumbstruck. "So it was…"

"A stupid bet," Neal finished for her.

At first she didn't really know what to think, but then a flood of anger and relief hit her. Anger that those boys still thought they could take advantage of her, and relief that Joren didn't actually have feelings for her. Not that I really thought he did, anyway, what with him calling me bitch and everything.

She was startled out of her reverie by Neal. "What are you thinking?" he asked quietly. She told him.

"That'll always be there. There are just some people who never learn. I think it comes with the territory."

Kel nodded. Again silence overtook them, but it was comfortable. They sat like that for minutes that seemed like hours. Finally the bell rang that signaled they were supposed to be in their own rooms.

Neal got up slowly and headed for the door. Before he could open it Kel hugged him again. "You know you're my best friend, right? Meathead?"

He ruffled her hair. "And you're mine, but I hope you'd know that already. Don't call me Meathead." He released her, and before leaving the room kissed her on the forehead.

She watched him go, marveling at how just being with him could always make her feel better. For someone so pert, he really did have healing powers. She flushed slightly; being so close in proximity to him had brought back sparks of her old crush. Hurriedly she put them out. For now, having Neal as a friend meant far more than having Neal as a lover, and knowing that he would always be there, through thick and thin, comforted her. She smiled to herself and got ready for bed.

The End.