AN: Set sometime after Lady Knight. Humour/Romance, oneshot for now.

Charm

It was Raoul and Buri's wedding feast, and Kel was sitting, fidgeting in a creamy brown and green dress, wishing she was dressed in more comfortable clothes. Mithros, why did this corset have to be so damn tight?

On one side of her sat her best friend, Nealan of Queenscove, deep in discussion about some book that Kel had never read with Numair, who was sitting across from Neal. On Neal's other side was his betrothed, Yukimi, who fanned herself impassively.

On Kel's other side sat Dom, dressed neatly in a new blue tunic with the Own symbol on it, which only succeeded to enhance his large, blue eyes.

Next to Dom sat his latest, a skinny, quiet blonde court lady wearing ruby red.

Despite the faint ache in her chest when Dom had entered the room with the blonde- Victoria-, Kel couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. She was obviously awed by the company that she sat in and hadn't much to say to anyone.

Dom, ever talkative, was attempting to include Victoria in a conversation. Kel hadn't really been listening, up until he had leaned across slightly to Victoria and picked up her golden necklace.

"What a pretty necklace!" he exclaimed cheerfully, twisting it around so that it caught the candlelight. "Who gave it to you?"

Kel saw Victoria blush a deep, embarrassed red and stared at the necklace more closely.

Oh no. No wonder the poor girl was so embarrassed.

It was kind of funny though...

Dom fingered the necklace, his face now curious at Victoria's silence. "What an odd shape it is. And gold, too. Do tell me. Where did you get it?"

Kel tried to save her. "It is pretty. It's, uh, kind of like Yuki's necklace! Look, Dom, isn't Yuki's necklace pretty! Neal gave it to her for, um, Midwinter, I think it was..."

She received a very strange look from Dom, who leant to try and see Yuki's nonexistant necklace, without letting go of Victoria's charm.

Victoria shot Kel a grateful look, while Kel couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the situation.

Dom was so oblivious sometimes.

And if there was one thing he hated, it was not knowing things.

As he turned back, he used all his charm on poor Victoria.

"Oh, come on. Tell can't be that bad. An old lover gave it to you? Your father's mother's sister's family heirloom? Someone who liked you but you didn't know gave it to you? You found it in the privy?"

Kel giggled at the horrified look on Victoria's face and Dom's strong flirting attempts, covering her mouth with her hand quickly.

Alanna, sitting further down the table, elbowed Daine and jerked her head towards Dom and Victoria.

"Look what he's holding!" she hissed, grinning wickedly. "He doesn't know what it is!"

Daine, in turn, stifled snickers.

Dom, noticing Kel attempting to contain a laugh, looked at her in bewilderment. "I don't understand. What is it?"

"N-nothing," she choked, holding a serious expression. "Nothing at all."

Dom sent her a quizzical look, but luckily, at this point, the dancing began.

Raoul and Buri went to take the first dance as the newly wedded bride and groom, while everyone watched, then gradually other people joined in.

Daine and Numair, Alanna and George and Neal and Yuki all joined the dancers. Victoria got asked to dance by a daring knight, and, with a hesitant glance at Dom, accepted.

Dom sat back in his seat, a pout firmly set on his face. "Well that was a disaster. She barely talked! She didn't answer my question about that damn necklace! And now I don't even get a dance!"

Kel had to laugh. "Stop pitying yourself, sergeant, I'm sure this isn't the worst you've been through." With a twinge of jealousy, she continued. "Ask some other poor, innocent, beautiful lady to dance if you have to dance."

His pout formed a grin and his blue eyes surveyed her seriously. "Dance with me, Kel?"

Kel's heart did horrible flip-flops as she managed to shake her head and laugh. "I said poor, innocent and beautiful Dom."

Winking at her, he replied easily, "You seemed to fit the description well enough."

She sighed dramatically, trying her very best to ignore his flirting- had he just said he thought she was beautiful?- and took his outstretched hand. "Just this once."

As they twirled amongst the other dancers, Dom far too close for Kel's comfort, he raised both eyebrows at her.

"I'm still waiting."

"For what?" Kel asked, honestly not knowing.

"For you to tell me what that necklace is or why it was so funny!" he told her, mock-frowning. "It's not fair!"

"Oh- that," snickered Kel. "Are you sure you want to know?"

Dom nodded vigorously- far too eagerly for what he was about to be told, Kel thought with amusement.

"The necklace is a charm to ward off pregnancy," Kel told him calmly and slowly, watching his face closely. "And you were touching it. And calling it pretty, and asking where she got it from."

His face slowly turned white, then pale red, then a deep, fully blushing red.

"Ah," he said minutely, dipping Kel back neatly for one of the dance steps.

The song ended and Kel and Dom went to stand by the drinks table, Kel grabbing a glass of water. As they stood, she noticed Dom staring- at her chest?!

"What?" she asked, self consciously glancing down at herself. Had her dress's actually reasonable neckline been pulled down? Had she spilt something on the front of her dress?

Nothing seemed amiss.

She looked up from her examination only to see Dom spluttering incoherently, his face a combination of shock, fury, horror, and something else that Kel couldn't quite define.

"What's wrong?" demanded Kel with real concern.

"Who are you wearing one for?" the sergeant choked out the words, his expression by now apoplectic.

Kel stared at him in bemusement, noting that his face was slowly turning an odd shade of bright red... "What?"

"You're wearing a thingimi! What she was!" Dom waved a long finger at Kel's neck. "Who for?"

A sudden dread filled Kel as she slowly moved her gaze down to discover that indeed, Dom was correct. Her anti-pregnancy charm had come out from under her dress's neckline.

Kel decided wisely, looking at Dom's still enraged expression, that now was a good time to be leaving the dinner.

AN: Explanation for that, let's just say Kel never took it off after Cleon. Hope you liked! :)