(no subject)

[smileforaliving.livejournal.com]

[New York City is all around him, a mixture of loud noise and constant movement. He's standing in the middle of the sidewalk, holding a piece of paper and scanning the crowd.

And there she is.]

Kate! [He starts running after her, pushing people aside as he goes.] Kate, wait!

[He runs faster and faster, following her through the streets, darting into alleys and making sharp turns but he can never quite reach her, no matter how fast he goes.

His lungs are burning, his legs ache but he keeps moving, taking another quick turn and nearly crashing into a brick wall.

A wall. A wall with no other exits in immediate view and too high to climb.]

...Kate?

[He looks around, expression momentarily helpless.]

Comments

[smileforaliving.livejournal.com]

I saw her. [There's a snap to his voice, an urgency that he doesn't bother trying to hide.] I saw her and chased her down here. I know i did.

[burkethejerk.livejournal.com]

Then where is she? [He looks around, pointedly, at the wall that can't be climbed or gone around, at the alley without other easy exits behind them where Neal would have seen her turn around.] You tell me how she got out of here, and I'll walk away and you can go after her. I'll even help you follow her, if you need it.

[smileforaliving.livejournal.com]

I don't---I don't know. [He slumps against a wall, fingers raking through his hair.] I don't know what's going on. I just knew I saw her and I had to go after her. I thought I could--She should be here, Peter. I should have been able to catch up to her.

[burkethejerk.livejournal.com]

I don't know what you were chasing, Neal, but it wasn't her. [It's said gently, despite the disappointment that still colors Peter's expression.]

[smileforaliving.livejournal.com]

[He squeezes his eyes tight, taking in deep breaths and opening them again. Somehow he was hoping doing that would make things make more sense, would explain why Peter is here, where Kate went. All it does is let him see spots for a few moments.]

What are you doing here?

[burkethejerk.livejournal.com]

Just walking around. [There's a pause, and a momentary frown when he can't quite put his finger on how he ended up in the area, but he puts it out of his mind; he just wasn't paying enough attention to where he was going.] I didn't know I was going to find you here, if that's what you're asking.

[smileforaliving.livejournal.com]

[He studies him, watching his expression closely for a few moments and then relaxes. He believes him. I don't know what's going on. [It's said weakly, tiredly even.] She should be here, I know she should.

[burkethejerk.livejournal.com]

I don't know. [And he's back to sounding gentle, like the wrong word will spook him. He's not as worried that Neal's going to run off any second, now that he's seemed to accept that Peter doesn't have anything to do with this, but it's not completely gone. When Peter continues, it's mostly trying to placate him.] We can look around for exits, but I don't think there's going to be anything.

[smileforaliving.livejournal.com]

Neither do I. i>[He sighs leaning against the wall, his hands running through his hair.{ I just....I don't know. I don't know what could have happened. I was following her, Peter. I know I was. She was right there. [He doesn't mean for it to come out that way but his voice is a mixture of pain and frustrations and so much longing that it hurt.]