[For Neal] After-Party

[girlsolo]

This, Kate thinks as she lifts her hand to knock on Neal's door, is definitely the worst idea she's had in a long time. It's such a bad idea that she can't even love it as much as she should. Kind of bad idea that leads to way worse than walk of shame. Except now she's staring at her hand and it's taking longer than it should to touch down against the wood and she can't really think what 'way worse' might be because it's better than drinking/smoking/sleeping/being alone.

Isn't it?

Her knuckles touch the door but don't rap. Just kinda rest there a minute, maybe two. She's not drunk, not the tipsy kind or the falling down kind either. A little buzzed and a little high and a little too much of both to convince herself that Lilo and Phoebe are the kind of 'not alone' she needs right now. Trip's probably a safer choice or picking up someone new. Sawyer's...not here, she reminds herself. Gone, like Declan and Liv and Imri and Daniel. But, hey, Will and Magnus have a baby boy and she had a civilized conversation with Druitt.

Knock on the door, Freelander, she reminds herself before she forgets again. This time she pulls herself up straighter first. She combs her fingers through her hair and manages not to rip it out by getting it stuck on the studs of her fingerless gloves and hopes Neal doesn't have company and does have a thing for bad girls in black leather.

Her knuckles hit the door finally. Once, twice. It sounds loud in the quiet of New Atlantis. Quieter now without Dr. J up at all hours in the research hut. A third time. If Neal doesn't come out, maybe she'll go sit in the Galactica hut with all of Starbuck's ghosts.

Comments

[notgoingtorun]

Neal hears the knock at his door and sets his book aside. It was a quiet night in for Neal -- not that some people would ever believe that Neal liked peace and quiet, but he does, and it's nights like this that help him remember that.

Still, he welcomes the interruption. He can only roll his eyes so often at this author's clumsy attempts to talk about modern art. "Just a minute," he calls out as he rolls out of bed and pads towards the front of the hut. He tugs down the front of his t-shirt as he swings the door open, revealing Kate on the other side.

"Hey," he says, smile softening as he takes her in. She's an interesting contrast to his casual, might-as-well-be-sleeping state, but he thinks he likes it. "Come on in," he says, stepping aside to let her through the door.