Moving right along…things are starting to get more complicated for our would-be lovers. Enjoy!

FYI, I don't plan to drag this out for too long. This story will probably be a total of around 10 chapters or so in the end.

Update 6-20-05: Per Domi's suggestions, I've made some changes to the first part of this chapter.

Chapter 4

The next night, Dani and Kelsey had returned to their room and were preparing for bed when Kelsey noticed that Dani had stopped brushing her hair and was staring off into space, looking thoughtful. He slipped up behind her and put his arms around her. "How's my favorite heroine?"

Dani started at his touch, then turned and smiled at him, the smile that never failed to take his breath away. "Fine, love. Sorry I wasn't listening to you."

Kelsey laughed. "That's just as well, since I stopped talking five minutes ago. What's on your mind, Dani?"

"Oh, nothing important, I was just thinking." She paused and then added, with deliberate casualness. "So, what did you think of Anomen's new friend, what was her name…Elenelle?" Not waiting for him to respond to her question, she continued, "She's certainly beautiful…"

"I'd say! Very beautiful." Kelsey said earnestly. When Dani gave him a mock glare, he amended hastily, "Relatively beautiful, I meant to say. So, what did you think of her, honey?" Kelsey grinned. "After all, you usually do have an opinion on the lives and loves of our little band."

"Just trying to be an effective and caring leader." Dani replied rather officiously. "Well, despite being very attractive, I don't think she's Anomen's type. I doubt anything will come of it."

Kelsey raised his eyebrows in surprise. "His type? I didn't know Anomen had a 'type'. Other than you—and you were obviously a special case—the women I've seen him with had only two characteristics in common; 'pretty' and 'available'. And judging from the way she was hanging onto to every word of his tales of heroism and daring-do, I think this new one qualifies."

"Well, you have to admit that for the people here, we are all rather heroic." She looked at Kelsey fondly. "And unlike you, Anomen is available for the elf-maidens to swoon over. Besides, he can be pretty charming when he wants to be."

"Anomen is charming? That's certainly news to me!"

"I don't think he tries to be charming to you." Dani commented dryly. "But yes, since he stopped acting alternatively angry and morose all the time, he can be really sweet…and funny too."

Kelsey looked a little stunned. "'Sweet' and 'funny'?" He repeated incredulously. "Those are two words I've never heard used to describe Anomen before. I'll guess have to take your word for it, because I've sure never seen it. So why don't you think Elenelle is his type?"

"Well, it's like you said, she was hanging on his every word. She just seems too…clingy for him. He wants someone with a little more spirit than that—someone who'll stand up to him." Dani said firmly.

"Why do you say that? Anomen seemed perfectly happy to have Elenelle 'cling'—maybe he'd prefer someone who will look on adoringly while he plays the big, strong hero."

"I thought that too, when I first met Anomen. You'd think a nobleman and aspiring knight would want a wife who was the 'noble ideal' of womanhood; you know, sweet, demure, and happy to stay home and have babies while her man was off slaying dragons or whatever. So it didn't make any sense for him to fall in love with me."

Kelsey grinned. "Believe me, you're the only one who thought that!"

Dani rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Kelsey. A fighter-adventurer-Bhaalspawn on a quest to save her sister from the Cowled Wizards is about as far removed from someone like Maria Firecam as you can get. But then after some of the things he said about his parents' marriage, it began to make sense."

"Anomen adored his mother, but he told me he never really understood why she didn't do more to get herself and her children away from Lord Cor. Whether she was afraid of the public disgrace of leaving him, or just felt it was her duty to stay with her husband, it doomed her and the children to a miserable life. Even worse, Anomen's sister Moira also refused to leave her father even though Anomen begged her to." Dani paused. "When Anomen told me that he knew I'd never put up with a man who treated me like Cor treated his mother, all the pieces fell into place."

"Anomen feels that he has inherited his father's violent temper, and…" Dani sighed and looked at Kelsey, her eyes sad. "I think that deep down, he is afraid that he will become like his father. I'm sure he's never told himself that he must fall in love with someone who is not like his mother, but by doing so, he has kind of a…safeguard to prevent himself from turning into his father."

Kelsey shuddered. He had met Anomen's father, Lord Cor Delryn, briefly on one occasion, and remembered it all too well. "Yeah, it may not be nearly as bad as turning into the Slayer, but I can see that the prospect of turning into Lord Cor would be very…unappealing."

"So that's why I think he'd be more likely to fall in love with a woman that has a backbone and a mind of her own. Someone like…"

Kelsey finished the sentence for her. "I know, I know, Imoen." He chuckled. "You don't give up, do you, Dani? You've been trying to play matchmaker for Imoen and Anomen since we got out of Spellhold, and with no noticeable success, I might add. She treats him like a big brother she loves to torment, and he treats her like a pesky little sister."

Dani sighed in frustration. "I know. If they'd only realize how perfect they are for each other."

Kelsey grinned at her. "Like your other matchmaking project…Jaheira and Valygar?"

"Now you're just being mean, Kelsey. You know as well as I do that the only reason that didn't work was that it was too soon after Khalid's death and she wasn't ready to fall in love again."

Kelsey's mouth quirked a little in response, but his only comment was a diplomatic, "Whatever you say, dear." Then Kelsey laughed and kissed her. "Dani, I've heard it said that it's the people who are happy in love who want everyone else to be happy in love. Think that's true?"

Dani laughed and pulled him close. "Without a doubt, love. Now, let's get to bed, I'm dead on my feet."

Kelsey grinned at her. "You don't have to ask me twice, beautiful. Though I hope you're not too tired." As they snuggled under the covers, Kelsey said, "Hey, Dani, I meant to ask you, why was Jaheira in such a foul mood tonight?"

"I don't know, Kelsey, I wondered about that myself. It was strange; it seemed to come out of nowhere." She gave him a sly grin. "You know, I bet she wouldn't be in such a bad mood now if she'd fallen in love with Valygar like she was supposed to."

Kelsey groaned in mock despair. "I give! I surrender! I will never question your matchmaking skills again!"

"You surrender, do you?" Dani asked him teasingly. "How very convenient." She pulled him close and kissed him, and no more words were needed for quite some time.
Danira sighed heavily. There were some aspects of being a group leader that she hated, and dealing with personal conflicts between members of the team was definitely near the top of the list. To make matters worse, the person who had caused the trouble this time was the one person on the team unquestionably her senior in age and experience, the one person she would never have expected to need her "let's all behave like adults" speech: Jaheira. As she and Jaheira sat down together, she wondered what the best approach would be. When she recalled some of the lectures Jaheira had given her in the past, she decided that for Jaheira, brutal honesty was called for.

"Jaheira, what in the Nine Hells has gotten into you? You've been acting like a wounded she-bear for the last three days!"

"I…I don't know what you're talking about." Jaheira replied, with one of the most unconvincing displays of nonchalance that Dani had ever seen.

Dani rolled her eyes. "Jaheira, please. How long have I known you? I have seen you angry, fearful, in pain, and overcome by grief, but I can't recall anytime when you've been as ill tempered, cranky, and downright bitchy as you have been recently. Why, just yesterday, you shrieked like a fishwife at Minsc because Boo left some cracker crumbs on the table! Minsc, of all people!"

"Well, perhaps I have been…out of sorts lately. I think it is this prolonged period of inactivity that I am not accustomed to…"

"Uh-huh." Dani answered skeptically. "Well, leaving aside for now that not too long ago you told me how tired you were of traveling and how you couldn't wait to stay in one place for a while, I have another question for you. Why have you been so much harder on Anomen than anyone else?" Dani noticed that Jaheira gave a brief start in surprise, which she quickly suppressed.

"Really, Dani, now you are imaging things!" Jaheira replied indignantly.

"Well, if I'm imaging it, Anomen is too. After that last time, it looked like he was trying to decide which was the least dishonorable course of action; to hide anytime you get near him, or to say some very ungentlemanly things to you. And I can't say I'd blame him in the least if he did."

Dani's voice softened. "Look, Jaheira, I know you've never liked him or trusted him, but after all we've been through together, I think he's more than earned our trust and respect."

"He may have your trust and respect," Jaheira replied tartly, "but then, you've always been far too trusting. I know what kind of man he is, so I'll make up my own mind, thank you."

"Jaheira, I don't think you do know what kind of man he is. You may think you do, based on what he did after his sister died and he was expelled from the Order, but is it fair to judge his whole life by the lowest point in it? It would be like deciding what kind of person you are by considering only what you said and did right after Khalid died. If I recall, you were not at your most kind or tolerant then."

Jaheira scoffed. "It's hardly the same thing." To Dani's surprise, Jaheira got up and began pacing restlessly.

"It's not exactly the same, but in its own way, losing his sister and his dream of joining the Order were just as devastating for him as Khalid's death was for you. I know you've always thought I was foolish to give him a chance after he was expelled from the Order, but he's tried so hard and come so far since then, and I don't understand why you can't see that. Whether you believe it or not, he's a good man, and he's fought and bled every bit as much as the rest of us. I don't know what's been bothering you lately, but he doesn't deserve to bear the brunt of your ill-temper just because he's made some mistakes in the past."

"You say I trust too easily, and although I admit it was difficult for us all when I had to tell him I loved Kelsey," her eyes clouded a little at the remembered pain, "he has been a good and loyal friend to me, and repaid my trust many times over." She added, almost as an afterthought, "I'm sure he'd be happy to be your friend too, if you'd just give him a chance."

Dani glanced up at her and was astonished to see Jaheira blanche and flinch at her final words. Jaheira sat down in the chair next to Dani with none of her usual grace, and stared off at nothing with a stunned expression. She looks like Anomen hit her with his mace. What did I say? After a few minutes, Dani was growing concerned and was about to speak again, when Jaheira turned to her, her eyes bleak.

"I…I see your point, Dani. Perhaps I have been unfair to consider only what he was and not what he has become. I can see that he is not the angry and violent man he was a few months ago. "

"Well this is a surprise! And I'm sure it's the very first time you admitted I was right and you were wrong about something!" Dani gave Jaheira a wry smile.

"Don't expect it to happen often." Jaheira retorted, but with much less bite than usual. Then, under her breath, so quietly that Dani wasn't sure she heard her correctly, Jaheira added, "But how could I have made such a terrible error?"

Not sure what to make of Jaheira's aside, Dani continued. "Of course, that doesn't explain why you've been picking on him so much recently. I can't imagine what horrible thing he could have done to bring down your wrath on him, but if it is something he's done, talk to him, Jaheira, and I'm sure he'll be reasonable. I'd say the fact that he hasn't blown up at you so far is a good indication of how much better he's gotten at controlling that temper of his."

Dani paused, then added. "Jaheira, these past few months have been one long nightmare, and I know you still miss Khalid very much. You and Imoen are the closest thing I have to family, and we haven't had much opportunity to talk lately. If there's anything you want to talk about, you know you can come to me anytime."

"I know, child." Jaheira patted her cheek affectionately. "Thank you. But this is a problem I must solve on my own. Anything less would truly be cowardice. If you'll excuse me, Dani, I have much to think about."

Dani could have sworn she saw tears in Jaheira's eyes as she left the room with her head down, already deep in thought. Dani shook her head. She had seldom had a stronger feeling that there was much more going on than she knew about. Huh. And knowing Jaheira, I'm sure I'll never find out, either.