A Situation Like That

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Disclaimer: I stole the line, "The unfortunate mother of an unmannerly lout," from The Raven Ring by Patricia Wrede. Good book; go read it. Everything else belongs to Tamora Pierce, except for dialogue.

And now, the last chapter.

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Kel's laughter filled the carriage. "No- you didn't!"

"We most certainly did," Dom smirked.

"You're awful!" exclaimed Kel. "I can't believe you would do that to milord." She paused. "And on his wedding night, of all times."

The sergeant grinned wickedly. "Well, that was the idea."

Kel shook her head, smiling. She was glad she'd agreed to come tonight. It had been nice, just talking with him- getting to spend a little time together without eminent death and destruction. It seemed that the night could only get better, as well. For a moment, she let her practical self go and dreamed of dancing in Dom's arms.

Coming back to the present, she resumed, "Bright Goddess, I'm almost afraid for my own life."

"Well, you don't need to worry," Dom reassured her. "I wouldn't do anything to-" He broke off, looking out the window. "I think we're here."

The lady knight forgot her curiosity about what his last words would be at the return of fluttering in her stomach. The thought ot meeting Dom's mother, along with a good many of his other relations, made her more nervous than she cared to admit.

The sergeant seemed to sense her anxiety. "Look, there's nothing to worry about," he told her, placing a hand on her arm. "We can leave early if you really hate it."

She smiled at him. "No, I'm fine. I'm sure it will be fun."

"That makes one of us," he teased, removing his hand. Kel felt a pang of regret at the loss of the contact. It disappeared, however, as he offered her his arm with a courtier's bow. "Milady, if I might have the pleasure?"

"That's the second time today you've done that," Kel remarked. "I can walk, you know."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "It would be impossible to think otherwise," he drawled. "However, the entire point of my bringing you here, besides spending time in your lovely company, of course-"

"Of course," Kel remarked, with a straight face.

"-is to make it appear as though we are a couple," concluded her friend. "Are we going to stand here all night? My arm is starting to hurt."

She took the proffered arm. "Fine."

Dom led her towards the house, remarking, "At the risk of being branded repetitive, may I say again how beautiful you look tonight?"

Beautiful, she thought, the word making her somewhat dizzy. "I won't brand you repetitive- just a liar."

She expected a witty retort, but all she got was, "It's in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?"

Their arrival at the door left her no chance to respond- a good thing, as she had no idea what to say. He thinks I'm beautiful, she thought, and the idea made her breathless. She followed him inside the house.

----

"Dom!" A short, elegantly dressed woman rushed towards them the moment they entered the Masbolle's townhouse. She embraced the sergeant warmly, despite her formal clothing.

He laughed as he kissed her on the cheek. "Hello, Mother."

"It's been too long," Dom's mother scolded, taking her son's hands. "Oh, it's good to see you. You look wonderful."

He bowed laughingly. "Only per your request."

As they bantered, Kel studied Dom's mother. At first glance, it wasn't easy to see traces of him- with her brown hair, streaked liberally with grey and her bright green eyes, she reminded Kel more of Neal than Dom. But the humor and vivacity already apparent in her manner clearly resembled her son's as well.

The woman turned to Kel then. "Dom, you didn't tell me you were bringing anyone!" She eyed Kel speculatively, seeming to see into her soul. The effect was ruined, however, when the older woman smiled; warmth and understanding mingled in her eyes. "I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm-"

"The unfortunate mother of an unmannerly lout," interrupted Dom. "Mother, this is Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. Kel, my mother, Lady Elaine of Masbolle."

"It's a honor to meet you, dear," Elaine said pleasantly. "And a pleasure as well. My son and nephew have told me of some of your heroics, but I must say, they hardly did you justice."

Kel couldn't imagine that she was a very impressive sight, even dressed as she was in one of Lalasa's perfect gowns. Still, she curtsied- catching herself before she bowed- and smiled back at the woman. "It's nice to meet you too."

The speculative gleam returned to Lady Elaine's eyes. "Well, I can tell that my son wants me to leave, so I'll be off." Kel snuck a glance at Dom and saw that he was blushing slightly. "You two enjoy yourselves." With that, Dom's mother disappeared into the crowd.

"She can be a little overpowering," Dom offered by way of apology.

Kel shook her head. "I see where the family charm comes from now."

Raising his eyebrows, he smiled. "Why, thank you. Listen, do you want anything to drink?"

"No thanks," she replied.

"Damn," he swore in mock regret. "And here I was thinking I'd be able to get you intoxicated enough to dance with me."

"You won't need to get me drunk for that!" Kel responded without thinking.

Grinning, he disappeared into the crowd, leaving Kel to wonder when she'd become such a proficient flirt. Probably a result of Dom's lessons.

Her reverie was interrupted by a half-shout. "So you're the wench that slept her way to knighthood, then?"

Kel turned, forcing down her rising anger. Even after she had proven herself over and over, bigots like this still remained. "I am Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan," she replied calmly, emphasizing her title.

"Just as I thought," the older man sneered. He had the look of a fighter go somewhat to seed; in his late fifties, Kel judged. He was also quite obviously intoxicated, which perhaps explained his behavior, if it didn't justify it.

Repulsed, the lady knight turned away, hardly wanting to argue with this man in this particular place. The man, however, grabbed her arm. "Slut!" he cried. "Don't turn your back on me!"

Kel flexed her muscle sharply, forcing him to let her go. "You're drunk," she said with disgust. "But even if you were sober, I wouldn't listen to a word of your slander or lies. Don't touch me again." Aware that people were staring, she turned away and pushed through the crowd.

A hand caught her arm. She spun around, thinking that it was the man again, but relaxed when she recognized Dom. He offered her a glass of water. "Here. I thought you might want this after that little incident."

Kel drank gratefully, trying to calm herself. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry about that," the sergeant apologized. "He's my sister in law's father; we're forced to invite him to these sorts of functions. You'll never catch him on the guest list again, though." He looked at her closely. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, meeting his gaze. He looked as though her were about to say something, but closed his mouth, a wry smile on his lips.

"What?" she asked.

Dom shook his head. "You're amazing."

"What?" she asked again, stupidly.

"You're amazing," he repeated. "You've coped with so much from the conservatives off the court- so calmly, and then you get onto the practice courts or the jousting fields and you prove them completely wrong." He shook his head in wonder again. "I don't know. You're amazing."

He took a deep breath. He was still smiling at her, and Kel wasn't sure she'd be able to remember her own name if someone asked her. "Well, since I just made a complete fool of myself on your account," the sergeant continued, "the least you can do is dance with me."

Kel shook her head. Now that the moment to really dance with him had come, she felt uneasy. "I'm not a very good dancer," she hedged.

"Good." He grinned at her startled expression. "It's your turn to make a fool of yourself." Without another word, he seized her hands and drew her out onto the dance floor.

Flustered at Dom's touch, Kel found herself wildly inventing steps or desperately copying the dancers around her. "Relax," Dom breathed in her ear. His voice simply made her more nervous. She tried to concentrate on the music, trying not to think of Dom's hand on her hip or his breath on her cheek. She let herself forget about the man, her feelings for Dom or what Neal would say if he saw them right now, and simply relaxed in the sergeant's arms. Slowly, she felt herself begin to respond to the beautiful melodies.

"See?" Dom murmured. "You can dance."

"Thanks." She carefully avoided his gaze, knowing that if he saw her expression, her eyes might reveal more than she wanted them to. Instead, she stared out at the other couples, when a familiar green-eyed gaze caught her eye.

"Oh, no," she muttered.

"What is it?" His grip on her hand tightened slightly.

"Your cousin's here," Kel replied. "And if I know Neal, he's never going to let us forget this for the rest of our lives."

She could here the smile in his voice. "Well, that doesn't sounds so bad. I'd rather have this evening repeated in tales, then, say some of our Scanra exploits."

"Yes, but do you really want Neal to tell the story?"

"Good point. What do you suggest?"

That we stop dancing was the sensible conclusion, but Kel would no sooner give up the opportunity to stay in his arms than she would give up her sword to an enemy. "Blackmail him," she suggested instead.

He laughed. "I like the way you think. I have plenty of blackmail material if he tries anything."

"Good." They danced without speaking for a few minutes.

"Kel?" Dom broke the silence.

"Yes?" The tone of his voice thrilled her; she both wanted and feared to meet his gaze.

"Not a single matchmaking mother has approached this evening," he said lightly. Her hopes were dashed slightly, as he continued, "Have I thanked you already for that?"

"Only ten times, but you can thank me again."

"Kel?" Something in his voice compelled her to look up.

Was it her imagination, or did he draw her a little closer? "Kel, I-"

"Well, isn't this a pretty picture?" a voice interrupted them. Kel turned her head; Yuki and Neal were dancing fairly close to them. Almost instinctively, she let go of Dom, just as the song ended.

"I could say the same of you," the sergeant said to his cousin, moving off the dance floor. "Are you enjoying the party?"

Neal looked disappointed to have his attempt at insinuation thwarted, but vainly tried again. "Not as much as you two seem to be." He nodded towards Kel, who was chatting with Yuki.

Dom ran a hand through his hair, his eyes on Kel. "Yeah, thanks for suggesting that I invite her."

His cousin shrugged. "It's not as if you needed my help anyway."

Surprise filtered through the sergeant's eyes. "You're not saying that she-"

Neal cut him off. "Yes, cousin o' mine, I am saying that. And furthermore, I'm right. So you might want to take my advice for the second time in your life and do something about it, because I, for one, am getting sick of watching the two of you dance around each other." He paused. "No pun intended."

"I don't think it was one," Dom muttered absently, clearly deep in thought. He nodded pensively, then clapped Neal on the shoulder. "All right, Neal. Thanks."

"Anytime," Neal nodded at his cousin, as the two of them went to collect their companions and depart.

-----

"So, was it as bad as you expected?" Kel asked, smiling, as she leaned against the door to her rooms.

"Actually, I enjoyed myself thouroughly," responded Dom. "But do you know what would have made my evening absolutely perfect?"

Kel's heart began to pound. "What?" she managed, unconciously leaning forward slightly.

"If you had beaten up that idiot Meltren."

The lady knight covered her disapointment with a laugh. What did you expect, Kel, that he was going to kiss you again? "I'm sure I'll have other opportunities."

The sergeant took in this words without comment. A brief silence stretched between them, in which Kel desperately racked her mind for the words to express what she had to say. Failing in her search, she opened her mouth to bid him goodnight, but he beat her to it. "Kel, I'm not sure I'll ever have another opportunity to do this, so I'm going to seize the moment."

With that, he bent his head slightly and kissed her full on the mouth. Kissing him was every bit as pleasurable as she remembered it, and she hesitated only an instant before responding warmly. His hands brushed her neck, then steadied there, deepending the kiss. When he finally let her go, both of them were breathless. His eyes were questioning.

She smiled in answer. "If it's up to me, you'll have plenty more opportunities," she replied, before taking his face in her hands and kissing him again.

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Happy Birthday, Judie! You're sixteen! I hope you enjoy this . . .

So. Another fanfic is done! Woot!

So it's merely one of many fics to be finished, but it's a step in the right direction.