A/N- *mouth dropped open* WOW! So many reviews so quickly!! F-f-fourty six!! Like, wow! I only asked for thirty five! I only logged in for a minute yesterday (*mutters*stupidwalkstotinytinywaterfalls) and I was like WHAT THE!!!!! Awesome!!!! So yeah, thanks heaps for the reviews, and here's the next chappie!!!! It's sorta from Dom's POV, but not, it's just most, if not all, the italics are his thoughts.

Dom strode down the hallway, looking for his men. He had gotten up early- that is to say, earlier than usual, to hunt them out and practise, but so far, he hadn't found a single one of them.

He smiled as he reached his destination. He was sure his men would be in here. Playing cards, maybe.

He put his hand on the knob, but halted when he heard his name.

"...Dom and the Yamani getting together, as in really, really together!" He recognised Lofren's voice and he heard the chink of coins being set down on a table.

Slightly confused, but deciding to listen, he leaned against the door. It could be an entertaining show.

"Oh, c'mon," Wolset scoffed. " 'E's not serious about that one."

"Yes, 'e is, ya should have seen 'im staring at 'er last night!" Lofren argued indignantly. "Who're you betting on, then?"

"Uh...." Wolset mumbled. "Ten on Dom and Lady Kel!"

Outside the door, Dom nearly groaned. He wasn't really that obvious, was he? And besides, that was all over, he told himself firmly.

"Lady Kel!" exclaimed Fulcher. "She doesn't seem 'is sort, exactly, if ya know what I mean."

In the corner of the room, Raoul smirked subtly. Alanna and Yuki had sent him along to find out what the Third Company was up to, and what Dom was thinking...

"Don't ya think that the lady, what's 'er name, the Yamani one, looks like Lady Kel?" Lerant asked.

His remark was greeted by the whole room going silent. Unseen, Dom sniggered quietly. Honestly! Where had Lerant gotten that idea from? Kel was nothing like a court lady. She wasn't horribly slim, although she fits nicely into my arms...

Mithros! I'm hopeless! Thinking like some lovesick puppy! Dom shook his head and focused on what the men were saying.

Wolset closed his mouth abruptly with a sharp click. "Where'd ya get that one from, Lerant? Not enough sleep last night?"

A few men snickered.

"No," Lerant denied. "Just... when I was dancing with 'er last night, she just reminded me of Kel. Somehow."

Dom thought back to the two times he had danced with her. He hadn't seen anything... Well, anything Kel-ish about her.

Fulcher sniggered. "Far too much ale, if ya ask me."

"I wasn't askin' you!" Lerant glared daggers at him.

Raoul stifled a laugh. These men were certainly smarter than they appeared, and Alanna might just lose a gold noble to Kel.

Dom decided at this point to make an entrance.

"Morning, men," he opened the door and strode in, like he hadn't been standing there for a few minutes already.

Wolset swiftly swept a large pile of coins off the table and into a bag.

"Morning, Serg," he said, falsely bright and innocent. "How ya doin'?"

"Not very well," Dom informed them. "Mainly because I've wasted away the morning searching for a great lot of lazy men..."

The men exchanged uneasy looks.

"So we can all go out and practise hard!" Dom finished brightly.

There were groans from all of them. Wolset gave Lofren a relieved look, thinking Dom hadn't heard any of their earlier conversation.

"Right you are, Dom," Wolset said, much to the astonishment of everyone. "Let's go!"

He led the way out, and Dom realised with amusement that Wolset was trying to get the bag of coins out of Dom's sight, before he 'noticed'.

Raoul chuckled quietly and exited as well, unnoticed.

Kel awoke at dawn. Yuki had forced her to stay in Yuki's dressing room, where Yuki had set up a bed for Kel. Neal had been kicked out for the night.

Kel stood, stretching, and walked into Yuki's main room to find her friend awake, and brewing tea.

"Kel!" Yuki greeted her, smiling. "Would you like some tea?"

"Sure," Kel eyed her Yamani friend, suspicious at her happy expression.

Yuki poured the tea into a cup and handed it to Kel.

"So, ready for another day?" she asked brightly.

"No," Kel muttered. "Can I get you a different wedding present?"

She dreaded yet another day of being dressed up like a doll, but she dreaded most being around Dom. The problem was, she wouldn't be able to avoid him forever...

"Nope," Yuki grinned. "You promised."

"Remind me never to promise to do something for you again," Kel told her.

Yuki giggled as she rose, finishing her cup of tea.

"Time to get dressed! Dom's taking you riding in two bells time!"

Kel sighed as she also got up. "Can I back out of that?"

"No," Yuki frowned at her. "What's the matter with you? I thought you liked him."

Kel was suddenly engrossed in the floor. "Let's get dressed," she finally mumbled, awkward.

Yuki let it drop. For now, at least.

Dom walked away from the practise courts sweaty and covered in mud. The practise session had ended with Wolset chucking mud at everyone, after Fulcher had carefully tripped him up while sparring.

On the corridor down to his rooms he met the person he last wanted to see.

"M'lady," he bowed to Lady Kariami and a drip of mud slid down his face, only to hit the ground.

"Sergeant," her voice was as even as ever, if she was surprised, she wasn't showing it in her tone.

He looked up to see her eyes crinkling, her fan unfurled over the lower part of her face.

She was amused.

Feeling highly embarrassed, he mumbled something about having to go change and practically ran away.

As soon as he rounded the corner, Kel collapsed on the wall laughing. What on earth had happened to Dom?! And the look on his face when the mud had dripped onto the floor...

Neal came out into the corridor from Yuki's quarters. "Mithros, what's so funny?" he stared at Kel, his eyes narrowed, which only made her laugh harder.

"Your cousin," she finally managed to choke out, and Neal raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"Oh yes? And what has my cousin done now?"

"Mud," Kel told Neal, stopping laughing quickly, when she remembered her plan. The problem was, Dom was just too easy to like.

"Mud?!"

Dom jogged down to the stables, where he was supposed to be meeting Lady Kariami. He had been detained by Neal, who had come to his rooms babbling about wedding preparations and had finally fled, leaving Neal still talking.

He skidded past the Third Company who were lounging on the grass, smirks on their faces.

"In a hurry to meet your lady love?" Wolset called out.

Dom ignored him and hurried down to the stables.

Lady Kariami was waiting, fanning herself boredly. Dom studied her features, slowing to a walk as he neared her. No, he couldn't see anything even remotely Kel-ish about her, but he would keep looking.

A/N- I decided on a medium chapter, I was planning on writing a long one but didn't have the time. Soooo, by the way, by Lofren saying 'getting together', he means courting, not just harmless flirting and dancing.

Anyway, I'm not gonna say any particualar number of reviews, just, reviews!

And also, a poll:

Do you think that Dom should find out that Kel is Lady Kariami

a) At Yuki and Neal's wedding

or

b) Before hand

=)