A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Without further ado, here's the next chapter I promised! This picks up where the last one left off…Kel and Dom are going on a walk!

Chapter Eight: Something Unexpected

"…The progress took a meandering route south and west…"

-Tamora Pierce, Squire p.318

"You didn't!" said Kel, astonished. She looked at Dom with wide eyes. They had been walking together through the woods for some time, talking about this and that.

Nodding his head and laughing, Dom affirmed, "We did. Meathead and I were quite the little monsters when we were little." He looked over at Kel walking beside him. "Didn't you ever do things like that when you were younger?" he asked.

"Not really," she confessed, "the Yamani culture is much different than our own. Children start learning the glaive and fighting skills from a young age. Pulling pranks would be considered immature and disrespectful."

"You mean in other words they're fun," he said. Dom smiled as she gave him an amused glance. "How about when you came back to Tortall? Did you pull pranks then?" he asked.

"Oh, my brothers had played plenty even before we returned," she replied, "but I was already ten by the time we moved back here. Hardly of an age to take pleasure in pulling pranks anymore."

Dom laughed, "Are you kidding? That's about the time Neal and I started to get our best ideas. That is, until he left for the University and I soon joined the Own. I still think I got the better deal," he told her secretly.

"Neal wouldn't think so," grinned Kel.

"No, he wouldn't," chuckled Dom. Then more seriously, he added, "If nothing had happened to his brothers, I know he would still be at the University today."

Silence fell over them.

Then Dom asked her, "Why did you decide to become a knight? Was it your brothers' influence also?"

Kel shrugged, "A little. I also enjoyed the training I had gotten in the Yamani Islands, but even more than that, I just wanted to help people, keep them safe. You can't do that sitting in court," said Kel sarcastically.

"You sound like Raoul," smiled Dom.

"Well it's true," she claimed. "And I definitely didn't want to spend the rest of my life managing a fief and raising babies. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I just wanted something more. I wanted to actually do something. Gods-willing, I can raise a family later on in life. Not now, I'm not ready for that yet."

Immediately Kel thought of Cleon. He already wanted a family. He had made that clear to her when they had been at Mindelan. To be truthful, it had frightened Kel. She was far from ready to have children. She was still trying to protect her own bum.

Giving her a sideways glance, Dom thought that she could be ready for anything.

"Let me be the first to say then that Court doesn't know what it's missing. Their loss is our gain." He winked at her.

Kel rolled her eyes, but Dom took great pleasure in the smile that she was unable to hide. That smile was one of the reasons why he put so much effort in to making her laugh.

"Thanks, Dom, but let me be the first to say that you're ridicul-"

"Shh," Dom interjected, waving his hand to quiet her down.

Laughing, Kel said, "Well it's true. I know the court does not miss-"

He quieted her again. "No, no. Listen."

She did as he instructed. In the distance she could hear people talking and shouting, their voices carrying through the still woods she and Dom were walking through.

Silently, they moved toward the noise, alert and steady. Quickly and quietly they reached a large bush, which seemed to be between the two of them and the people whose voices had now increased tenfold. Cautiously, Dom pulled back one of the bush's thick branches and peered through.

Then he did something that completely baffled Kel, who was squatting to his left- Dom started laughing, his hand no longer on his sword.

"What is it?" Kel asked.

Still laughing, Dom told her, "Look for yourself."

She did. And what she saw made her laugh too.

It seemed as if half of Third Company had decided to take an afternoon swim in the nearby lake.

"Luckily we're so far inland and bandits would be crazy to attack that many men," commented Kel, "They must be able to hear them in Carthak."

Dom chuckled. "At least they know we're having a good time then." He stood up, and pushing the big branches of the bush aside, he waved to Kel, "Come on. Let's add some more noise to this ruckus."

Eventually making their way to the edge of the lake, Dom and Kel stopped. They were standing on ground slightly higher than the lake's surface, so at first the men did not notice them. They were too busy dunking each other under the water and making jokes at others' expenses.

Clearing his throat, Dom spoke up loudly, "What is this? Shouldn't you boys be working?"

One of the men from Dom's squad shouted back, "We are. We're trying to have some fun on this boring Progress. It's hard work!"

Many of the men, including Dom, laughed.

The men returned to their fooling around while Dom turned and grinned at Kel, "And they didn't even invite us. What lousy friends."

Kel laughed then turned to see Dom sitting down on the grass, taking off his boots. "What are you doing?" she asked him, grinning.

"I can't let them have all the fun," he replied, smiling back at her. Then standing back up, he said, "And call me crazy, but I figured I should take my boots off before I got in the water."

Looking out at the men and turning back to look at Dom again, Kel laughed, "That would be g-good…"

As she turned her head she trailed off, alarmed as she watched Dom reach for the hem of his tunic. Kel felt her heart start to pound, thinking she should probably look away.

But she didn't.

As she watched, Dom pulled his tunic up and over his head, revealing a bare and well-muscled chest. Kel ceased to breathe as she watched him place his discarded tunic down next to his boots.

"Very good…" Kel heard herself whisper, still appreciating the young man in front of her.

Then suddenly, as if her words had snapped her out of her trance, Kel quickly averted her gaze. She could feel her face burning.

Seemingly unaware of the effect he was having on her, Dom glanced over at Kel and asked, "Are you going to join us?"

"Uh, n-no, I'm fine. Really." Kel mentally kicked herself. Why had she stammered? And why could she no longer look at him? She had seen plenty of guys shirtless before, so why did it bother her now?

"Are you sure?" asked Dom. After hearing Kel's affirmative response, he replied, "Alright, but you're gonna miss out on all the fun." And with that, he ran and dove into the large lake.

A short while later Kel found herself sitting against a tree, watching the men playing in the water, her gaze involuntarily returning to one man in particular.

Dom and a few others had decided to hang a rope from one of the large trees by the water and were using it to swing out into the lake. She watched the men swing out one by one and come back to try it again, but her eyes were always drawn to Dom. She could tell he was enjoying himself by the look on his face as he swung out and splashed into the water. Kel had a good idea that he had done it often before.

"Do you want to try it, Kel?"

Dom, pulling himself out of the lake and onto the bank where Kel was sitting, smiled as Kel responded, "No, I'd rather sit back and watch everyone else make a fool of themselves."

Although she sounded collected, her heart once again was starting to pound faster. She was having a very hard time trying not to look at Dom- or his nicely shaped broad shoulders which were usually concealed beneath his tunic.

"Ah, come on, Kel," he pleaded, "It's a lot of fun and perfectly safe." As Wolset walked out of the river behind him, Dom added jokingly, "See, even Wolset can do it, and he's not exactly in top shape."

Wolset, upon hearing this, turned, and without saying a word, pushed Dom. He fell back into the water with an uncomfortable sounding slap.

The men nearby roared with laughter, and Kel wasn't much quieter.

When Dom came spluttering to the surface, he noticed her laughter. Treading water, he looked at her and grinned, "I would like to have you know that that hurt a lot. I think I now have a water burn, thanks to you."

Kel stopped laughing and looked at him amusedly, "Me? How did I have anything to do with it?"

"If you would've just tried the rope, I wouldn't have had to make that comment about Wolset," he replied, still smiling. "So I'm blaming it on you."

"That's ridiculous," said Kel, "It's your own fault. I already told you I didn't want to go in."

"Well that option is no longer yours," replied Dom, pulling himself out of the water once again.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kel, suddenly wary.

Dom grinned mischievously as he walked closer to her, "What I'm saying is that you no longer have a choice. You are going in whether you like it or not."

"Why?" she asked, inching away from him slowly.

"I already told you. It's your fault Wolset pushed me in." Then he added, "Plus you need to have a little fun Kel."

"I have fun," she responded, "and you got yourself pushed in."

"Fine," laughed Dom, "Then think of it as payment for the prank you helped Raoul with."

Then, before she had time to react, Dom reached for her, and before she knew it, he held her in his strong arms, with one arm underneath her knees and the other under her shoulders.

She looked up at him with complete surprise. He smiled.

"Sweeping Squire Kel off her feet, eh, Dom?" joked Qasim who was waiting for the rope swing. Dom laughed as Kel blushed. The way he held her was a way men carried dainty court ladies, but it made Kel feel…well, slightly giddy- and the fact that Dom was still shirtless might have been an extra factor.

"Where're you takin' her?" teased another suggestively. The men laughed as Kel felt her face burn hotter.

Dom chuckled and looked down at Kel, "She's going into the water whether she wants to or not." Then he leaned down and told her, "I would hold on if I were you."

"But Dom, I don't want to-"

But Dom was already running with her in his arms toward the edge of the bank which stood a few feet higher than the lake.

When they reached the edge, Kel shouted, "Dom!" and flung her arms around his neck as they jumped off together. Dom was smiling broadly as Kel turned her head into his shoulder right before they hit the water with a great big splash.

Kel surfaced inches away from Dom, who was still beaming at her with that handsome smile of his. "That wasn't too bad, was it?"

"It's freezing!" said Kel, shivering slightly from the cold water.

Dom grinned, "You just need to get used to it," and then purposefully splashed water at her.

"Dom!" she shouted again, trying to dodge the cold water he splashed at her.

Hearing him laugh, she decided to return the favor. "Hey!"

Kel smiled, "How do you like it?"

His response was to splash her again.

That started the beginning of a short water fight, which ended when Kel launched herself at Dom and she dunked him under the water. After their truce, they joined in a game the other men were starting to play. It involved four people who were chosen to close their eyes and swim around the lake, trying to catch any of the others. Once a person was caught, they were out.

After the four people were chosen, the others swam for safety. Kel, finding a big rock to hide behind that was still in the water, swam over to it and hid behind it. The lake was shallow enough there so that she could stand. It wasn't long before she could hear someone swimming toward her. However, when they finally rounded around the rock, it wasn't who she had expected.

It was Dom.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, surprised.

"I was coming back here to hide," explained Dom grinning while standing in the shallower water, "I didn't know you were already here."

"But I am," Kel replied, "Can't you find another-"

"There aren't a lot of other places to go. Besides this could be a long game, at least we can keep each other company."

"But-"

"Shh," Dom hushed. "The game's already started. Do you want us to be the first one's caught?" he asked, smiling.

For a few minutes they stood there quietly, Kel trying to keep her mind off Dom. It was a hard task with the rest of Third Company around, but alone together was practically impossible- especially when he looked so good without a shirt on. That made it a hundred times more difficult.

She was still thinking about Dom's lack of a shirt when suddenly Dom moved toward her, pushing her gently against the rock.

"What's going on?" she asked, unaware of what he was doing.

"Shh," he said again. This time, however, it was whispered in her ear from where Dom stood behind her. "Aiden's swimming on the other side of the rock. Stay still."

Aiden was one of the four chosen to catch people. Knowing that, Kel moved quietly against the rock just as Aiden appeared, his eyes closed as he searched with his hands.

Kel watched as he moved away from her and started getting closer to Dom. This caused Dom to move nearer to Kel, whose chest was already pressed against the rock. Hearing Dom's movement, Aiden reached out- and the only way for Dom to get out of his reach was to move even closer to Kel, his chest then pressing against her back.

Kel felt herself tense at his touch. Dom's arms circled around her to brace himself against the rock. Looking at his big hands resting beside her own on the big stone, and feeling his hard chest against her back, Kel was finding it hard to breathe. How long were they going to be stuck like this? When would Aiden finally move on? And why did Dom have to smell so good?

They both were standing perfectly still. Dom listened to Aiden's movements behind him, but his eyes and thoughts were on the young woman in front of him. He could smell her clean, soothing scent and soon found that all his attention was focused on it. He liked the way she smelled. He was enjoying it so much that he almost didn't noticed when Aiden had moved on.

Dom then realized that he was still pressing against her for no apparent reason.

Awkwardly, he pulled back slightly and chuckled hesitantly, "Well that was close, wasn't it?"

Kel, who had guiltily been enjoying the feeling of his nearness, suddenly jerked back at the sound of his voice, her elbow then banging against the side of Dom's head.

His hands immediately flew to the spot as Kel spun around and gasped, "Mithros, Dom, I'm so sorry!"

Dom groaned, "No, I should've moved out of the way." His eyes were closed as he tried to ease the pain in his head.

"Here, let me see," said Kel, reaching for his hands.

He pulled away, "No, I'm fine."

Kel rolled her eyes, "No you're not. Just let me see it. Move your hands."

"No, really, Kel, I'll be fine," he replied, looking at her.

She raised her eyebrows, "Dom…"

"Okay…" he conceded reluctantly.

Shaking her head, Kel muttered, "Men and their pride…" and then reached up to move his hands. "See? You're bleeding," she announced, showing him the blood on one of his hands.

Seeing that there wasn't a lot, Dom shrugged, "I've been through a lot worse." Then he grinned as Kel reached for the hem of her tunic and tore off a piece, "However I am blaming you for this, too."

Kel smiled as she wet the cloth and used it to clean off the small cut on Dom's head. "I guess I owe you that much."

Dom smiled back. He watched as her smile faded and she concentrated on the cut. Her touch was as gentle as the look in her eyes- the pretty hazel eyes that he had seen so often in his sleep.

Looking down at her, he realized how close they were in height. She stood just a few inches shorter than him, those tender hazel eyes looking at him concernedly. Studying her face, his eyes travelled down to her lips. They were parted slightly as she worked. Dom found himself gazing at her full, soft-looking lips, wondering what they would feel and taste like against his own…

Kel, feeling his gaze, slowly lowered her hand and looked over at him. Their eyes met and locked. Kel was unable to look away from his soft, heated gaze that seemed to hold so many secrets. She watched as his eyes lowered to her lips. She wouldn't be surprised if the whole Progress could hear her heart drumming as she looked at his own lips. The lips that were always quick to smile. The lips that she wanted to lean in and kiss.

The lips that, after a quick glance into each other's eyes, were slowly moving closer and closer to her own.

Dom was now so close that she could feel his warm breath on her skin. Kel's eyes fluttered closed as one of Dom's large hands cupped her face, her attention heightened as his thumb grazed over her bottom lip. She felt his hand lift her head slightly.

Then he leaned in and kissed her.

It was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Heat rushed through her and the only thing she could think about was the feeling of Dom's warm, soft lips on her own. There were no words great enough to describe it.

The only remotely coherent thought that sped through her mind was that she was glad for the rock at her back. Without its support, she thought her legs surely would have given out by now.

His kiss was soft and sweet, and Kel was just starting to respond, when-

"Oi, Dom! Where are y' lad?"

A/N: Well, there you go! The forbidden kiss (as Oirishgoddess put it)! :D yay! I'll update soon!!