Hey everyone! Thanks for the kind reviews, I always get kind of hyped up after reading them so I'm a bit mad right now. Well, a few points to make about the reviews:

1. Cleon does feature in this chapter. But there's going to be lots of Cleon flaming. So it's all ok.

2. Good spelling is all thanks to my tiny obsession with grammar/spelling, and also something to do with someone I sit near inmy Physics class who has a huge obsession with apostrophes. So... uh, well... meh... that was pointless. Moving on.

3. If you remember in Chapter 1 I said I'd only read one modern Kel/Neal before, and by some strange coincidence I found it today! It's called Tea Leaves by elemental-girl and it is very very good :) You should read it. I took some distant inspiration from it so if you like this fanfiction you will love Tea Leaves. Probably. If you don't, please don't sue me...

So... yeah. Hope you like the chapter, it's a bit short as I'm completely hopeless at writing long periods of time as I run out of good dialogue and get so unhappy with it I end up deleting the entire thing. And now I'm just rambling on and on when I have things to do... I'll post the next chapter tomorrow. Until then, my knaves!

"Kel - uh, wow, you look great."

Neal flashed a smile to her and beckoned her in. "I'll introduce you to everyone." Kel nodded and let Neal help her take off her coat, then smoothed her hands down her chocolate brown silky dress. She peered over Neal's shoulder and observed the couple of guys standing in his living room and just two other women.

"Everyone, this is Kel." They all smiled at her, but she kept her face blank as she shook hands with some of them. "Kel, this is Cleon - Merric - Seaver - Roald - Owen... and Ermelian, Cleon's wife, and Shinko, Roald's wife." Kel shook hands with most of them, but couldn't reach half of them so ended up just shooting a couple of tiny smiles. Neal handed Kel a glass of wine, and she took a small sip, even though she wasn't particularly keen on alcohol.

"So... how did you two meet?" asked Shinko from beside her husband Roald. Kel hid a smile behind her hand and gave Neal a look which clearly read, "You can tell them."

"We... uh, met in a..." Neal cleared his throat and finished, "coffee shop..." Cleon threw back his head and roared in laughter while Kel made several mental notes. 1. Cleon is an idiotic twat. 2. Never talk to Cleon. 3. Try and come up with some joke about his stupidity. 4. Stand on his foot and pretend I don't notice. 5. Walk into him and make him spill his wine over his stupid shirt.

"At least it wasn't a blind date," snorted Merric, raising his eyebrows at Cleon and Ermelian with amusement. Kel grinned to herself.

"What are we eating, anyway?" Kel called to Neal who was busily showing off in the kitchen. Neal relayed some posh French name that she didn't understand at all.

"To the table, knaves! Grub's up!"

Kel rolled her eyes and called, "Way to ruin the moment, Neal..." He rushed through and set down all the plates, laden with food, onto the table. Shinko leaned forward and whispered something in Ermelian's ear, and they both giggled. Kel scowled into mid-air and began to make some more mental notes.

"Kel, you're sitting here... Cleon -"

Kel paused and looked down at the seat. "Hang on, why am I at the end of the table?"

"Because I'm at the head of the table because I'm most important, and you're the second most important because you're the person no one particularly knows very well," Neal stated, sliding into his seat.

"That doesn't make sense," Kel remarked from her seat.

"You know, Kel, you really need to stop complimenting me on my supreme sanity." He smirked and raised his wine glass in a toast. "To being honest." With a look which was a cross between rolling her eyes and a somewhat bemused smile, Kel raised her glass.

"Is this some private joke or something?" Cleon asked stupidly, but he raised his glass anyway. Kel found herself smirking to herself in complete satisfaction at his unbeaten stupidity.

A three course meal and a couple of glasses of wine later, Cleon was acting even stupider and Kel had laughed a record two times. Neal threw down his knife and fork and raised his glass again, swilling the small amount of wine left in his glass. "Well, this has been a most pleasant evening. See, I told you I wouldn't need to order pizza..." This got a small chuckle from Kel while the others just sat there wondering why they had so many private jokes when they met in a coffee shop. "But now I get to open some presents!" Small packages were passed down to Neal as he shoved his plate out the way. Kel's present was small and square.

Neal ripped into the first package and gazed down at its contents. "Uh - socks... thanks, Cleon..." It took all Kel's inner strength to stop herself from roaring just as Cleon had when he'd found they met in a coffee shop. "Chocolates! Thanks, Roald, Shinko!" He left Kel's small package till last, opening up all the other presents first. (I would list them, but I can't think of anything else to put. I'm not very imaginative...) Finally, he gently pulled away the dark wrapping paper and ribbon, revealing a small black square.

A book, with a midnight-black dust cover.

"Is this...?" Neal's voice trailed off as he carefully peeked under the dust cover.

"What is it?" asked Cleon, craning his long, pale neck to get a better view.

"It's a book," Ermelian told her husband. "What's it called?"

"That's for me to know and you to... not... find out," he replied mysteriously, flashing a dazzling smile in Kel's direction. "Thanks, Kel."

Neal proceeded to thank everyone else for their presents again, while Kel gazed around the room, tapping her wine glass against her chin. "Does anyone have the time?" she asked quietly. Seaver quickly replied that it was nine thirty, sending Kel into a flurry. "Sorry, Neal, but my friend is coming round to my house to drop off Jump, and I have to be there -"

"Hey, sure," Neal said, standing up and walking to the door. He continued in a hushed voice, "I'm sure I'll survive. This evening's been great: I don't think I've laughed at Cleon so much in my entire life..." Neal helped Kel put on her coat and turned her so they were looking at each other face to face. "Thanks for the book - was it the one you were reading..." Kel nodded with a look of amusement. "You'll be at the café tomorrow, right?"

"Sure," she replied. "I'd better go -"

"Not so fast," Neal interrupted, pulling her into an embrace. "You're one of my best friends and I've only known you two weeks. See you tomorrow."

"Bye," whispered Kel, slipping out the door and closing it gently.