The Journey: Chapter 1: Laughter is the best Medicine

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. I only own my dreams.

A/N: This story is the third in a trilogy. Start with Communication Lines then What Dreams May

Come. Otherwise this story will be a challenge to figure out.

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Kel and I jumped apart as a sudden roar followed by a crash sounded below us. Grabbing robes, we dashed down the stairs as quickly as our injuries allowed. The door to Neal's office stood open and a swirl of paper floated to the ground.

"Neal, do I want to know?" I asked quietly.

He glowered at me. "I opened the window."

I glanced out the offending window. The trees danced about in a crazed frenzy. The shutters rattled then crashed closed then flew open again. Kel stepped forward and latched the giant noise makers, stilling them.

"I'm never going to get these done before Wyldon gets here," Neal moaned. He began pacing, stepping over and around the fallen reports.

I sighed and reached to pick up a page. "Neal, you did number the pages, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

Kel groaned. "Neal, military reports are always numbered."

"They are?"

I moaned. "Yes, cousin, they are. And before you ask, it is for any number of reasons."

Kel and I began to answer him in tandem.

I started. "One: if you are going to give a report to a clerk to copy, it is nice if they know what order the pages go back in.."

"Two," Kel continued. "If a report gets lost on someone's desk it is easier to put back together."

"Three: battlefields are a little chaotic, in case you didn't notice. If something happens, like flood, fire, big wind gust, or a battle that moves just too close for comfort you have to pack fast. You may not always get them back in order." I finished.

"Well, I didn't know that."

"I figured. Tell you what, Meathead. If you get them back in order, I will help recopy them." I said, taking pity on my idiot cousin.

"As will I," Kel agreed. "Until then, Neal, I'm going back to bed. Dom?" Kel smiled slyly.

I grinned in return and offered my arm. She carefully placed her hand on my arm as gracefully as any lady. Neal's jaw dropped to the floor as we made our way up the stair. We barely made it to the room before we doubled over laughing.

"Have you ever seen anything so funny? I thought his jaw would unhinge." Kel laughed.

"I've managed a time or two to get him. He knows, you know."

"Knows what?"

"That I love you." I grinned. Kel smiled. Gods how I loved seeing her smile. "That was what we were talking about in the furo. He was threatening me."

"Threatening you?" She cast me an inquisitive look.

"He didn't want you to get hurt. I have a reputation, Kel, you know that. He just wanted to know what game I was playing," I defended.

She looked toward the window and said something that I couldn't quite hear.

"What was that?"

With a wry quirk to her brow she asked, "And just what game are you playing at, Sergeant Domitan of Masbolle?"

"Why, my dear..."

"Hey you two, I just...oh. Sorry, was I interrupting something?" Owen burst into the room.

"Hello Owen," I sighed. "What do you need?"

"Huh? Oh! I just saw Neal. What did you do to him? He's downstairs talking to himself. He kept saying your names."

"Oh, well, we just told him that we would recopy his reports for him since the clerks are out of commission for a few days," Kel smirked.

"Oh, I thought you'd played some trick on him, the way he was grumbling. He should be happy you'd do it. His hand writing is lousy." The young knight turned and walked out forgetting to shut the door behind him.

I reached out and shut the door. I looked back toward Kel. She was making her way toward the cot.

I sat on the edge of the bed. "Kel, I..."

The door swung open again.

"Dom, good you're here."

I turned to see Numair standing in the door. "Where else would I be?" I sighed. I looked toward Kel. She was shaking her head.

"Where else indeed," mused the mage. "I got the message from Raoul that you remembered some key information about the devices."

"Numair, wait!" Daine trotted up the stairs. "Hello Dom, Kel. Numair they aren't cleared for work yet. Neal says you can't interrogate them until tomorrow."

"But..."

"Tomorrow, love." The great mage reluctantly allowed his lover to pull him away.

Daine leaned back to close the door. "We'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest."

We nodded.

''Before anyone else comes in maybe we should go to...''

The door swung open again. ''Well, look at you two sitting there as nice as you please while the rest of us do the work. Typical nobles.''

Fanache stood in the door with her arms crossed. If it hadn't been for the glint of mischief in her eye I might have taken her seriously.

''Yes, Mistress Fanache? What can we do for you?''

''You can tell that pompous fur merchant to get his furs out of our lambing pens or he'll have a right mess on his hands.'' The woman turned and walked out.

I sat down on the bed and looked at Kel. She looked nearly as frustrated as I felt.

"Dom, maybe..." She started.

"Kel, Dom, I just wanted to...are you all right?" Raoul asked walking through the door..

I glowered at my knight commander. "I want a room with a lock," I growled.

His eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"The only person who has knocked on that door today was Tobe. Owen has been in here twice, then Numair, followed by Daine pulling him out. Then Mistress Fanache burst in threatening to let the ewes give birth on the stock belonging to the fur merchant. Now you. What does it take to get some peace around here?"

I stood up and limped out of the room, too frustrated to stay. I wanted to scream. I wanted to go to the practice fields and beat on recruits. I wanted to hold the woman I'd fallen in love with and tell her that I wasn't playing any games with her. I got as far as the end of the hall, leaned on the window sill and buried my head in my hands.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Would you like to talk about it Sergeant?" Buri asked quietly.

I shrugged, but followed her down the stairs and out the door. The trees continued their mad dance. I struggled to make my way through the gale.

"Tobe, go tell Neal that I need to have a private word with Sergeant Domitan. We'll be in Raoul's office." The boy nodded and darted inside.

We entered the office and Buri bolted the door.

"Now, would you care to tell me what has your tail in knots?" She sat on the edge of a desk.

I sat down and rubbed my face. "I don't know, Commander. We can't seem to get the time to say two words to each other. If either one of us starts to say anything the door opens and we have company."

"Well, a lot is going on," Buri replied. "But I can also see that you might just want some peace so that you can rest. After all, you start back on light duty tomorrow."

"It isn't just that," I said quietly. "I told her, Commander."

"Told her...?'' Buri's questioning look slowly changed to one of understanding. ''Ah, I see. And does she return your affection."

I grinned. "I'm pretty sure she does."

"Pretty sure?"

"Well, she did ask me what game I was playing," I conceded. "But since she was laughing when she said it? Yes, I'm fairly certain that she returns the sentiment."

"Oh. Well, given your reputation, I'm not surprised. So what did you tell her?"

"I didn't. I couldn't. Every time I started to say something, someone would walk in. No one knocks." I ran a hand though my hair.

Buri chuckled, leaned forward and patted my knee. "Stay here." She walked out.

I stayed in the chair thinking. A light tapping sounded on the door.

"Come in."

Kel stood there in the door staring at me. I stood up and offered her my chair.

"We need to talk, Dom." Her hazel eyes danced.

"I know. We tried to before, but..."

"The whole world decided they needed to be in the room at that moment. I know, I was there." She turned and bolted the door. "Now then," she took a deep breath. "Dom, I want the truth."

''Truth?''

''Yes, Dom, the truth. I know how I feel, but I need to know if you are serious."

Somehow I had suspected that she might ask just that question. I steeled myself for her reaction. "Kel, I swear, I'm not playing any games. I never was with you. You are one of my very best friends and have been for sometime. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with you. "

She fingered the faint scar on her brow. "Along the way? You don't know when?" She laughed softly.

"No, not really. I realized it when I was unconscious. I was talking to someone, I thought it was the Black God."

"Is that what you meant before? When you said you thought you were dead?" She asked quietly.

I nodded.

"Mithros, Dom, I don't know what to say."

"You said you loved me. Now unless that was a lie?"

"Of course it wasn't a lie." She protested. She spun away and went to the window.

"Then just let it be what it is. Give me a chance. Give us a chance."

She pivoted slowly and gave me a small smile. "You know that everyone will be trying to get us married."

I grinned. "I can't get married. I'm not ready to muster out of the Own." A thought struck me and I laughed. "Anyway, I may be promoted soon."

"Oh?"

"Flyn has more than noticed that slip of a thing that's been after him," I laughed.

Kel snickered. "She chased him, all right. Indeed she did."

"She'll keep chasing until he catches her,'' I agreed. ''The way I figure it they'll be handfasted by next Midwinter.''

''And wed by next Midsummer,'' Kel finished.

''And we both know what the law thinks of that." I couldn't help the grimaced. "Out on his ear with only his pension and his inheritance."

"Which are both quite substantial," Kel noted.

I nodded. While I was glad the mood had lifted, I didn't really want to talk about Flyndan's love life. Not then, when ours was so new and precariously close to the edge. I took a deep breath.

"Kel, I don't really want to talk about Flyn."

"No." She looked at me quizzically. "Dom, who else knows?"

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to think. "Well, Neal and Buri, for sure. Yuki suspects." Kel nodded. "Oh, and Tobe."

"Tobe?"

"He found out from Hawk." I shook my head.

"He found out from your horse?" she asked in a deadpan voice.

I nodded. "Tobe made me promise not to hurt you any more than necessary."

"He's a bit overprotective. What did you say?"

"I told him I didn't plan to ever hurt you. Of course that doesn't stop you from hurting my poor hide. You are the knight, after all."

She reached out to swat me but I was faster. I grabbed her hand in mid-swing. In an instant we were wrestling. I felt her wriggle out of my grip and before I could stop her she had me at her mercy.

"Hey, no fair!" I gasped, trying vainly to protect my ribcage. "No tickling!"

I snaked around and trapped her hands then leaned in to kiss her. I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of her: sandalwood and pine.

When I opened my eyes I noticed familiar shadows flit across the room. Upon looking out the window, I saw the all too familiar sight of the back of my cousin's head. Trust him to think he was hiding while keeping his back to the window and forgetting to duck.

I hand signaled to Kel that we had company. We both turned to watch as Raoul, Owen, and Neal crept around to listen at the door, secure in the erroneous thought that they had not been seen.

"Do you want to have a little fun?" Kel whispered.

I looked at her with a grin. Glancing out the window I saw Yuki and Buri storming toward the door. We waved them off with matching grins. They nodded and slipped around the corner where the trio would not see them.

"Dom!" Kel yelled. "I don't care what you say. You are now and always will be a flirt who toys with women's emotions. I wouldn't want to be caught dead with you if you were the only human male left!"

I leaned forward and took her hand, assuring her that whatever I said next was as far from the truth as I could go.

"As if I could honestly care a whit for a sexless, barbaric chit who plays at being one of the men!" I yelled back, glad that the trio was on the other side of the door and couldn't see my grin. I was barely able to withhold my laughter as they scuffled.

"Sexless? Better sexless than a player!" Kel hollered. Her voice shook with laughter, but I could only guess what it sounded like to the idiots. I glanced out the window. Buri was shaking violently with suppressed laughter. Yuki had her face in her hands.

"Shall we?" I asked.

I motioned our conspirators to approach. They sneaked up behind the men.

Kel's eyes danced merrily. Together we reached forward and in a smooth motion unbolted and threw open the door.

Raoul, Owen, and Neal landed in an ungainly heap. Three pairs of eyes looked up at us. Four pairs of eyes looked down on them. Kel arched one brow.

"Can we help you gentlemen?" She said dryly.

"Dom, I can't believe you said tha-mmff," Owen stopped short with Neal's hand plastered over his mouth.

"Owen, I'd say we've been had," Raoul sighed. The threesome slowly clambered to their feet.

"I'd dearly love to know what you thought you were doing," Buri said dryly.

"Eh, um. what we were...right. Neal?" Raoul stuttered.

"Oh, well, um. That is we, um. Gods. Owen?" Neal cast an imploring glance toward the youngest member of the group.

"What?"

Kel buried her head in her hands. "You are unbelievable."

"Nealan, we must discuss your deplorable behavior." Yuki led her intended away. I somehow couldn't help feeling just a bit sorry for him.

"Gosh, I think she's mad."

As one, we turned on the young knight completely nonplussed. He looked at me and grinned.

I gave him a thoughtful look. "You know something, Sir Owen? I think you're right." I looked back at Kel. "Shall we?" I held out my hand.

She took it and we faced the gale together.

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A/N: So? How is it? Did you like it?