A/N: Thanks for the reviews, here's the next chapter! What will Kel's reaction be when a barmaid flirts with Dom? Read on to find out!

Chapter Twelve: Flirting Barmaids & Lady Squires

"There's a table," said Dom, pointing toward a small unoccupied table with two chairs. The small eating-house was packed and the people seemed more boisterous than usual as Kel and Dom wound their way through the crowd. Kel figured spirits were high because it was Midwinter, and that called for a celebration. Of course the steady flow of ale always helped, Kel thought wryly as she watched two big men arguing one moment and laughing the next.

"If this isn't culture, I don't know what is," remarked Dom as they sat down at the table. He was watching the two men as well.

"Some people may disagree," said Kel, chuckling as the two men started arguing again. "Most nobles don't step foot in places like this because of this," she said, nodding to the men. They were laughing again, arms slung over each other's shoulders as they rocked back and forth to a bawdy tavern song they started to sing completely off-key. All the while not a drop of their ale escaped their mugs.

Dom laughed, "Yeah, and those same nobles pay to watch animals fight. This is much more entertaining."

"Would you like anythin' to drink?"

Kel looked up to see a barmaid standing at their table. "Yes, a cup of cider for me, please," she told her, not sure if she had heard her. The place was loud.

Looking for some kind of sign that she had heard her, Kel looked at the barmaid. She didn't even acknowledge her. She looked a couple of years older than Kel, and she was pretty, with dark brown hair. Her dress fit tightly to her body, accentuating her curves.

And her eyes were trained on Dom.

It turns out she hadn't heard her. She hadn't even looked at Kel.

Smiling flirtatiously, the girl moved toward Dom, "One glass of cider. And what would you like?"

Apparently she had heard Kel.

Dom grinned up at her, "I don't know. What do you suggest?"

The young barmaid smiled and leaned against the table beside him. "That's a difficult decision. I have so much to offer you," she told him suggestively.

Kel snorted with laughter, causing them both to look at her. Dom grinned but the girl looked at Kel with a narrowed glare. Then she looked back at Dom with that tempting smile of hers.

"So," she said, shifting so Dom could no longer look at Kel, "What can I get you?"

"One cider, please," said Kel. She was ignored as the barmaid observed Dom's uniform.

"You know, I really appreciate men who help protect Tortall. You deserve the best."

Kel rolled her eyes. Where was her glaive when she needed it?

Dom laughed, "I wish you would tell the king that. He seems to think we can go months on the road without a rest. And believe me, some men in the Own could benefit from a good beauty sleep."

Her laughter rang throughout the loud eating-house, and some probably thought it sounded beautiful. To Kel, it sounded like fighting cats.

"Can I have my cider now?" Kel asked.

She was again purposefully ignored as the young woman fingered Dom's sergeant arm band and asked, "What is this for?"

"It signifies ranking," he told her, "I'm a sergeant in the Own."

"The King's Own?" she asked, sounding impressed.

"What other kind of Own is there?" Kel asked under her breath.

"That is so neat. You must be very brave," she said, her voice dripping with compliments.

Kel could feel her lunch rising up in her stomach. Oh. Wait. She hadn't ordered lunch yet. "Excuse me, can we order some food? Or better yet, can we get our drinks?"

The girl ignored her, but Dom had heard her. "Kel's right. Would you mind grabbing us some drinks?"

The barmaid moved nearer to him, "But you still haven't told me what you want from me-"

"Um, a drink?" Kel asked, again falling on deaf ears.

"-or do you want to hear some of my suggestions?" she cooed at Dom.

"I think she's suggested everything already," Kel murmured meaningfully.

The girl's head whirled around, and once again Kel was met with a harsh glare. Kel smiled innocently, "Oh, so you can hear me. I was beginning to wonder."

With a loud huff, the girl stormed off, only to return with two cups of cider a second later, one of which she put in front of Kel with a loud thud. Kel's thanks went purposefully ignored.

Shrugging, Kel took a sip of her cider. All the while she could feel Dom's eyes on her.

With a mixture of amusement and curiosity, he watched as she avoided his gaze. Was it possible that Kel was jealous? Just that thought made a thrill of pleasure pass through him.

"I forgot how much I like coming here…" Dom ventured, hiding his grin behind his cup as he interestedly waited for her response.

Glancing over at him and then at the young barmaid who was already flirting with another man , Kel drawled, "I'm sure you do."

Dom chuckled as he followed her gaze and waved off her comment. "She's a barmaid, Kel, they flirt with everyone. It's completely harmless."

"She was practically crawling into your lap," replied Kel. Was she jealous? She sure sounded like it.

Furtively, Kel glanced over at Dom out of the corner of her eye. He was looking at her with a bemused expression, his eyes hinting at amusement as he tried to conceal a grin.

Oh Mithros, Kel thought, groaning inwardly, now he thinks I'm jealous, too.

But aren't you? asked a wicked part of her mind.

Kel took a quick gulp of her cider.

A huge grin started to spread across Dom's face, one he didn't even try to hide. So she is jealous, Dom thought to himself with elation as she used her Mask to conceal her emotions.

Suddenly, though, Kel blurted out, "I mean, how did she know that we weren't…we weren't…" She stopped.

Dom's breath caught. "We weren't what?" he asked curiously.

Kel's face started to heat up quickly. "You know…"

"Together?" he asked softly, his heart pounding.

She nodded her head quickly. They were moving onto dangerous ground and they both knew it. For a minute, an awkward silence passed between them.

They were spared when another barmaid- an older barmaid- came up to their table and asked, "So what'll y' be havin'?"

When the barmaid walked away with their orders, Dom turned his attention to the two drunken fellows who they had been watching earlier. The two burly men had broken out again into song.

"…Come many men to the ol' Jugged Hare,

Here where the ladies are sweet and fair,

Drink down your ale and steal a kiss if you dare,

'Cuz who knows when you'll be back at the ol' Jugged Hare…"

Dom chuckled as the men continued with their song. Then he turned and said to Kel, "The first time I ate here was right after I joined the Own. It was a free meal, too, after winning the bet that you would stay on your horse in the tilting yard when you were a first-year page." He smiled at her.

Kel rolled her eyes and grinned. "Why didn't you bet against me anyway? I probably would have bet against myself," laughed Kel.

Dom grinned, "I like trying to beat the odds. Besides, somebody had to bet in your favor. It wouldn't be any fun otherwise," he teased.

"Well I'm glad I was a source of someone's entertainment," she told him dryly.

Dom laughed as the barmaid returned with their meals.

As they started to eat, Kel asked him about his first years with the Own before she had become Raoul's squire.

Throughout their meal, they never ran out of things to talk about. They chatted, laughed, and told stories.

They were still talking as they left The Jugged Hare and walked through Corus' marketplace. Kel was laughing at something Dom had told her, when suddenly he said, "Do you want a pastry? I know a place where they make the best ones."

"Really?"

"Come on," he said, leading her further into the marketplace.

He took her to a small stall which smelled wonderful and was packed with an assortment of baked goods. The old woman behind the counter sweetly picked out a few pastries and put them in a small carrying bag for them.

After paying for them, Dom reached inside the bag and pulled a pastry out for Kel. "Here, try one. They're the best in all of Tortall."

Taking the pastry, Kel smiled, "What are you, a pastry connoisseur?"

"No," Dom laughed, "But I do know a good pastry when I eat it."

Seeing him take a bite of his own, Kel smiled and then did the same. It was delicious!

When she told Dom as much, he laughed. "Of course it is! What did you think, I was lying?"

She shrugged teasingly, "I don't know."

"Well then I don't think you deserve another pastry now," he said, grinning as she protested.

Grabbing for the bag, Dom laughed and pulled it out of her reach, "I don't think so." Then he started to walk down the busy street, smiling as she hurried after him.

Kel had just caught up to him and was trying to reach for the bag once more in Dom's outstretched hand, when suddenly they heard someone shout from behind them, "Get outta the way!"

Quickly they turned to see a large horse-drawn wagon right behind them, moving fast down the narrow road. Both Kel and Dom instinctively jumped to the side of the road, out of harm's way as the wagon rattled past them, the man shouting curses their way.

However, neither Kel nor Dom listened because they were pressed against a wall…and each other.

Their faces were inches apart as they looked at each other. Though neither said a word, both knew they were thinking about the kiss they had shared by the glazed look in one another's eyes.

Glancing down at her lips, Dom secretly wondered if she would taste like the pastry she had just eaten- warm and sweet.

Before he could give in to the temptation to find out, he pushed himself away from the wall and Kel. To break the silence between them, Dom held up the bag of pastries. "Not to worry," he said with a triumphant smile, "the pastries are safe."

"Well thank Mithros for that," Kel laughed, trying to recover from Dom's nearness.

Dom then reached his hand into the bag, pulled out a pastry, and began to eat it.

Raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest, Kel said to him, "Since you went to the trouble to spare the pastries, can I at least have one now?"

Dom pretended to think about his answer. "I don't know…" he started, "you are a friend of Meathead's…"

Kel grinned, "And you're related to Meathead."

"Touché," grinned Dom, holding the bag out to her. "That deserves a pastry."

Taking it, Kel smiled, "I'm almost inclined to give it back to you. Being related to Neal deserves a pastry."

They both laughed as they continued through the marketplace together.

"Is there something going on between you and Sergeant Domitan?"

Kel almost jumped at the whispered question. Turning, she found Yuki looking at her with her calm dark eyes, waiting. They were in the Great Hall, the Midwinter feast in full swing.

The large room was loud, so Kel tried to buy herself time by asking, "What was that?"

If she had been raised Tortallan, Yuki would have rolled her eyes. "You heard what I said Kel. Is there something going on between you and the sergeant?"

"Of course not," Kel told her. "What would give you such an idea?"

"Just recent observations," Yuki replied, taking a drink of her cider.

Kel waved it off, "There's nothing going on between us."

"Oh no?" Yuki asked innocently.

"No," Kel answered, returning her attention to her plate of food.

"Oh. Well then I guess you wouldn't care to know that he can't keep his eyes off you."

Kel almost dropped her fork as she quickly turned to look at Yuki. "Really?"

Hearing the eagerness in her voice, Kel reddened slightly as she met Yuki's watchful gaze.

After a moment, Yuki said, "And I've also noticed that you can't stop looking over at him either."

She didn't try to deny it. The truth was, Kel had been doing just that when Yuki had leaned over and asked her about her and Dom.

Yuki had noticed their stolen glances all night long. She also noticed that whenever their gazes met, one of them would quickly glance away, as if being caught. And this wasn't the first time Yuki had noticed it.

"Is there something going on between you?" she repeated.

For a moment Kel didn't say a word. Then she looked at Yuki. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked quietly.

Yuki nodded, "Of course. What is it?"

She could see Kel gulp visibly as she waited for her to tell. Finally, Kel leaned closer to Yuki. "A couple of months ago, Dom and I…well, we kind of…well…kissed."

Surprised, Yuki asked, "Really? Does that mean you two are…together?"

"No, no!" Kel said, "Not at all!"

Her friend's eyes clouded with confusion. "Then what's happened since then?"

"Nothing," Kel told her truthfully. "We only kissed the one time, and that was it. He knows about me and Cleon, and we even talked about it."

"You talked about it?"

"Yeah…sort of," Kel said, recalling the awkward conversation- if you could even call it a conversation. "We agreed that we wouldn't let one kiss come between our friendship. I mean, it was just one kiss," she reiterated.

Yeah, just one completely wonderful kiss, she couldn't help but think.

Yuki gave her a sidelong glance as if she could hear her thoughts.

"So it worked? You're just friends again?" she asked after a few moments.

"Of course," replied Kel, almost too reassuringly.

Hearing that in her voice, Yuki nodded her head, but didn't say a word. In her thoughts, recalling the looks between Kel and Dom, Yuki wondered when they would finally realize they were meant to be together…

A/N: I think we're all having the same thoughts as Yuki ;D. Okay, I'm going to speed this up now, so the next chapter will probably take place like at least a couple months after this. Tell me what you thought about this chapter! I enjoyed writing it! Kel jealous was fun! :D