Disclaimer: Don't own them. 'Cept for Neal. Teehee.

I wanna be bad (bad)
You make bad look so good
I've got things on my mind
I never thought I would
I, I wanna be bad (bad)
You make bad feel so good
I'm losing all my cool
I'm about to break the rules
I, I wanna be bad

Willa Ford – I Wanna Be Bad

Underneath the Surface – Chapter 14 – A Strange Occurrence Concerning a Brush, a Bath, and Teeth Cleaning Powder

"Woah."

"Yeah."

"I mean, really. Woah."

"Yeah."

"We – we did that."

"We sure did."

"I mean – that was – woah."

"Yeah."

"Woah."

Neal looked over at Kel from the other side of the bed. Their clothes had been discarded – somewhere. Somewhere could end up being a lot of places, if Neal had to end up looking for his underwear, but that wasn't the point. He had just – done things... unchaste things... sexual things... with Kel... his best friend Kel... woah... it was slightly... unnerving...

"So... ah..."

"So..."

Kel glanced at him as she tried to gather the sheets closer to her body. 'Not that it matters,' she thought bitterly to herself. 'He's seen the entire show already anyway.'

"You hungry?"

Kel gave Neal a reproachful look. "Is all you can think about is food and sex?"

Neal blushed, an uncommon action for him. "No... I was just... wondering."

"Oh."

"So..."

Stillness stretched across the room in thick, tangible waves. Kel wanted to reach up and grab it, toss it out the window and throw it away. This was awkward enough as it was, without the stifling silence to add to it. She had no clue as to what to say to him. They had just – well, had sex. Good sex, if she was any judge. Not that she had any previous experience, but still... she had thought it was good. She supposed, anyway... it was better than in the dreams, at least...

"This is awkward," Neal said finally.

"Good observation," Kel agreed, staring up at the ceiling.

"Um... do you think we should... talk or something?"

"Is that what you do after you have sex with your best friend, when you're currently with his cousin and he's getting married in – oh, five days?"

"You're mad," he stated.

Kel sighed. "No, just tired of whatever game we're playing."

"Do you regret it?"

Kel took her time in answering. "I don't know," she answered finally. "It was alright when it was still a simple flirtation, but this is-"

"Going over the line," Neal finished for her.

"Yes," she agreed. "Yes, it is."

Neal put his hands behind his head as he propped himself up on the headboard. "What do you want to do, Kel?"

"I don't know," she snapped. "I'm just a tad confused at the moment." Her voice was harsh and sharp.

Neal frowned. This wasn't like Kel... then again, it wasn't like her to sleep with him, either. He didn't know if it had meant something to her, or if it was just one of those 'in the moment' things... women could be fickle when it came to things like that. 'Forget fickle, they can be a downright nightmare!'

"Well then. What do you want me to do while I wait for you to stop being confused?" he asked, his voice coming out more severe than he had intended. Kel bit her lip.

"Whatever you want to do," she said, her voice dry.

Neal scowled. "Fine," he replied as he sat up in bed. Kel followed him with her eyes.

"Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom," he uttered as he slid off the bed and into the darkness, without a stitch of clothes on. Kel blushed unwillingly. It took a very self-contented man to do that...

Neal yelped as he tripped over a chair and hit the ground.

"I'm okay!" he voiced as he shot up to his feet. Kel snorted as her eyes followed his movements. He had a cat-like grace to him, a stealth of sorts. He swayed with every step in a motion that would almost seem feminine, if she could forget the fact that he was very naked and a tad sweaty. From things that he had done with her... nice things...

Kel closed her eyes tightly and forced herself to look away from Neal's retreating figure. It didn't mean anything. It didn't mean anything. If I keep saying it to myself in my head, it'll make it true. It didn't mean anything...'

Neal's head popped out of her bathroom. "Do you have teeth cleaning powder?"

"In the cabinet above the sink."

"Thanks."

Neal darted back into the bathroom.

Kel sighed. What was she doing? And why did he have to use her teeth cleaning powder? Not that she minded or anything... it wasn't expensive... and why was she getting worked up over teeth cleaning powder when she had just went and lost her virginity?

Things were not looking up.

"You got a brush or something?" Neal said, popping out into view again.

Kel picked up a comb at her bedside table and tossed it to him.

"Thanks," he said as he retreated into the bathroom.

Kel made a face. He was making this into his room... it wasn't his room... he had no right to just take over like that. Just because they had slept together...

"Hey, can you send some water up for a bath?" Neal asked from inside the bathroom.

Kel blinked.

Gathering the sheet up around her, she stalked towards the bathroom. "Who do you think you are, Nealan of Queenscove? You think you can just come in here and sleep with me and that it'll automatically turn into your room or something? You can't just-"

Kel was effectively cut off by Neal's lips on top of hers. Her eyes widened as her grip on the sheet loosened, falling finally to the ground. But the time he pulled back, a grin dancing across his face, she was quite breathless.

"Go get water for a bath." His grin grew.

Kel's eyes widened as she raised her eyebrows. "And what exactly do you need a bath for?" she asked, backing up as Neal stalked towards her.

"I'm sweaty."

"Yeah, so am I."

"I think that's the point."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, you're sweaty, and I'm sweaty, thus the whole bath thing..." his voice trailed off as he looked at her. His glance was similar to the way you would look at a small child who wasn't grasping a concept quite correctly.

Kel blinked. "Uh... I don't think... I mean, maybe we should-"

Neal kissed her.

"Will you ever learn to shut up? You put too much importance on talking," he said when he pulled away from her.

"Well, you think awfully high of yourself. You think you can just-"

Neal kissed her again.

"Do-"

And again.

"That-"

And again.

"Stop it Neal!" Kel said as she pushed away from him. "This doesn't change anything! Us having sex-" she waved a finger at him "-it doesn't change what's going to happen! We can't do this!"

Neal backed away from her dejectedly. Looking down at his feet, he frowned plaintively.

"Well, if it doesn't change anything..." his voice trailed off in a gloomy disposition. Kel crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly realizing that she was naked. Not the best conditions, under any circumstances... well, most circumstances, anyway.

Neal suddenly looked up at her. "Does that 'not changing' rule apply for the rest of tonight?"

Kel glanced at him, turning to him in an almost violent gesture. "What do you mean?"

"Well, if we did anything else tonight, it wouldn't count... might as well make the rest of the night worthwhile..."

"What are you implying?"

Neal gave an aggravated sigh. "What I am implying, Kel, is that if this is going to end, we might as well end it with a bang."

"Eh...?"

"Wouldn't you rather remember this is an amazing night that you spent with your best friend rather than the night that you broke up with him?"

"I don't think I understand..."

"Kel," he said, walking up to her and taking her hands into his and grasping them tightly. "Let's end things tomorrow. For now, let's just enjoy ourselves, all right?"

Kel looked at him for a moment.

"It'll make it harder."

"I know."

Kel let out a deep breath she hadn't known that she had been holding and for the first time, she understood things perfectly. She would wake up in the morning and Neal wouldn't be there. He would be back in his bed, safe, with Yuki to marry in a few days. They would spend the rest of tonight together, and it would be the most brilliant night she ever had, and then it would be over.

Generally, it seemed like a good idea.

Except for that whole 'over' part...

"Neal-"

"Kel, please." He forced her to look up with him from the sheer power of his words. "I – I need you tonight, okay?"

Kel bit her lip. He looked so – vulnerable. It bothered her. Neal wasn't supposed to look vulnerable... he was supposed to be confident, and sure of himself, and generally, an ass. This whole 'emotion' thing wasn't good for the sole reason that it made her want to comfort him.

Comfort, meaning that she would do anything that he wanted...

It surprised both of them when Kel captured Neal's lips with her own. Neal stumbled back a step, unsure of her intent.

Until, suddenly, it became very clear.

Kel brought a hand up against Neal's chest and pushed, hard. He staggered back until his calves hit the bed. He fell onto it with a surprised look in his eyes.

"You want to enjoy tonight?" Kel asked, her voice low, eyes darker than Neal had ever seen them. "Fine."

She smiled suddenly. "But I get to be on top."

Neal raised his eyebrows as Kel stalked over to the bed. He backed up, forgetting that he was naked, forgetting that this was Kel, and forgetting, for a while, that he wasn't supposed to be doing this. Or enjoying it, for that matter...

Kel placed her hands on the bed as she bent down to crawl onto it. Neal scooted back to give her room to get on. She was pretty sure that Kel wasn't acting like herself... well, not pretty sure. Very sure, actually. It wasn't something that he would have expected her of... especially after their last time together. He never took her for the dominant in bed type...

Kel suddenly reached over and pushed him down firmly onto the bed.

'Well. I won't make that mistake again...'

Edging forward, Kel wrapped her calves around his thighs, straddling him. She took his hand in both of hers and kissed it once before giving him a grin that looked remarkably like his own.

'Guess I've been rubbing off on her...'

Sliding down his body, she bent down and ran her lips over his chest, easing herself on top of him. Her mouth ran over his nipple, and she suddenly bit down. Neal shuddered in a mixture of shock, a mild agony, and just a tad more satisfaction than was healthy for him. He never took himself for one that liked the submissive parts of sex. And here he was, Nealan of Queenscove, enjoying every bit of it.

Kel smiled self righteously as she worked her mouth over his chest, soothing it where she had just inflicted pain. Small sounds came from the back of Kel's throat, making him almost painfully aroused... Her hands reached to clench his shoulders, keeping him in place. He wasn't particularly sure whether it was for his benefit or hers. Her lips ran down his chest, teasing, playful. A gasp came from the back of Neal's throat.

Kel looked up at him, her eyes dark with eagerness. She gave a lusty laugh. "Like that, do you?"

Neal made a face. "Dominant, much?"

Kel shrugged, her body pressing down on his. "You got your chance to be on top."

"Hm," Neal murmured, reaching his arms down to pull her up next to him and into his arms. "Shh." He held her like that for a moment, before grinning and flipping her over onto her back.

"Bastard!" she cried when he pinned her to the bed.

"Come now, Kel. You wouldn't have all the fun," he said as he moved down her body and kissed her between her breasts.

"You – you – bas...tar...d..."

"Heh..."

"That's... not... funny..."

"Yes it is."

"Is... not."

"Is too."

Kel slipped a leg around his.

"Is... not!"

Kel flipped him over to straddle him.

"Hah."

"No fair."

"Yes fair."

"Do you really want to get into this again?"

"Not really."

"Hm. Then shut up Neal."

"Fine. But at least let me be on top for some part of the night."

Kel smiled before bending down over him. "Normally, I would mind. But tonight-" she kissed him lightly on the lips "-I think we can make an exception."

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

A/N: Yeah, I know it's short, but it's the chapter you wanted me to do to continue the... eh, other stuff. And they did have sex, you morons. Gah... I swear, it was like some of you didn't know or something... oh well. Whatever. Hope you didn't think it too... eh... icky. I know some people that don't appreciate stuff like this. But it sorta had to happen, when I think of it. Plus, originally, Neal was gonna look like a real ass. Now, at least, he's not too much of an unlikable character. Whatever. I have a mailing list, by the way. If you want to be in it, please just say so on the review. It'll make it easier than going through everyone's email... so anyway. Thanks to Min, for cheering me up tonight by just being wonderful. Seriously, thanks. You didn't even do much, but hey. Thanks to Sarina for betaing sorta. Thanks to the reviewers. I'm being really emotional today. It's that time o' month... it's so horrible. I feel like someone killed my best friend or something... god forbid. But anyway. Kate, write IT goddamnit, or I will do something painful to you. *smiles sweetly* Anyway, gotta go. Love y'all... Heh. *cough Amanda and Jennifer*

Love,

Stacey