Can't Let Go <Leah, Open>

[guitarherolost]

Dennis had just gotten through his day. It felt like forever without the island, but in reality, it was only around 5. And he needed a drink.

He walked over to the Ston Pony bar and quickly signed an autograph for a little kid before walking inside. He could smell the liquor and the smoke from cigars immediately. He seated himself and sighed deeply, before ordering a beer from a nearby waitress.

Dennis ran his hand through his long brown hair. He let it grow that long time on the island, which he now realizes wasn't really a long time. He wished he could go back with no worries this time, no worries about surviving, and just getting relaxed and comfortable.

"Thanks," he muttered when the waitress tossed the mug on the dusty table, spilling a bit on him. He grimaced and grabbed a few napkins. No worries about spilling alcohol on the island...well...except when Hurley found that car in the jungle with beer in it. Those were some good times that Dennis would love to relive.

[leandra]

Leandra was not in the best of spirits at all. She had another bad day so far. Miles had stayed the night, even though nothing happened which surprised her, not for herself, but for him. The soon as he realised nothing was being laid out for him, she half expected him to leave, but he didn't.

Then when they woke, he tried to force himself on her and she had to keep telling him no. It ended with them having breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. How weird was that? She hadn't felt comfortable telling him what she told him at the end of their breakfast date, but truth was she needed to try and find out who she was again. Having Miles by her side wasn't going to do that.

A good few drinks was in order, so she took herself off down to the Stone Pony, walking right up to the bar and ordering a vodka and coke. As she went to take her drink to the table, she noticed a face she was certain was familiar. Not entirely sure why, where did she know him from? She couldn't quite place her finger on it.

She sat with her head in her hands, mulling over her earlier decision, and then got distracted by the guy at the bar again. She remembered she she had seen him from, he was a survivor, he had been on the Island too, she just hadn't got around to speaking to him much.

Leah wondered if she should go over and say something to him, but was scared to in case she made a fool of herself, so remained where she was and continued to mull over everything which had happened over the past few days.

[guitarherolost]

Dennis wiped the alcohol off of him and grimaced. Ah well, most of his shirts were stained from something or another. He took the mug by the handle and took a swig before his attention was brought to the door, which had just opened.

In walked the blonde girl from the island. He recognized her right away since his thoughts were on the island anyway. He saw her glance in his direction a few times and he smiled lightly at her. Her name was...Leah.

In a way Dennis wanted to go over and talk to her. He didn't get to know that many people that well, he was on good terms with almost all of them, but she was one person who he hadn't gotten around to talking to. Maybe if he went and talked to her, there would be some connection to the island.

He'd never thought of that before. Maybe just doing something that had to do with the island would make him feel better. Maybe if they talked about it, he wouldn't miss it so much. He made up his mind and walked over to Leah and sat down two seats down from her. "Buy you a drink?" He offered.

[leandra]

Leah continued to look like she was drowning her sorrows as she kept her head low and kept taking sips from her drink. She wasn't going to knock them back like there was no tomorrow, last time she did that she had got crazy drunk. She didn't want to make a fool of herself this time. When she needed to stand up, she wanted to be able to stand up, not fall down onto the floor in a heap.

Her thoughts were interrupted however by a voice, she looked up, through her fingers which she separated from her eyes so she could see, and it was the guy from the Island whom she hadn't spent much time with. Dennis if she wasn't mistaken. She smiled at him slowly.

"Sure, thank you if you're offering" Leah said continuing to smile at him, "vodka and coke please" she continued still smiling at him. The first thing she noticed was his eyes, they were mesmerising.

[guitarherolost]

Dennis smiled again when she accepted. He told the bartender the order and turned his attention back to Leah. "So I take it you know who I am, right? Because I remember you." Dennis regretted saying that. It was just like him to immediately mention the island. Maybe she did remember him and he wouldn't have to mention the island, possibly bringing others into the conversation. He kind of wanted to speak to her alone.

The smile on her face, though pretty, was somewhat forced. Dennis wanted to ask what was wrong, to see if he could help, but he forced himself to wait. Patience was something he needed to learn for himself.

Leah seemed nice enough. He wondered vaguely why he didn't talk to her more on the island. They probably could've been great friends, and still can. And there was something else nice about Leah, something Dennis was very, very grateful for-she kept his mind from straying back to the island.

[leandra]

Leah smiled again, "Yes I remember you, Dennis right?" she asked softly, she was pretty certain it was Dennis anyway. "It's nice to know you remember me" she continued in warm tones as she continued to sip on her drink. The one she already had that is.

She felt like she needed to make conversation with him, but wasn't sure how. Would he want to talk about their days on the Island, or just forget it, like some of them did?

"How does it feel for you?" she asked softly, "Being back, I mean away from the Island?" she continued, because being away from it, didn't feel right to her, even though she hated it at first. By the time they got rescued, she had started to enjoy her time there. It would be good to have someone else to speak to about the Island.

[guitarherolost]

Dennis grinned. She did remember him. "Yeah, Dennis. Nice to know that you remember me too." So they got the intros down. But what next? He knew, deep down, no matter how much he tried to prevent it, the island would be brought up, most likely soon, as it was the only thing they really knew about each other so far.

He sighed deeply when she asked about being back. The smile vanished from his face and he slouched over the bar, looking rather depressed. He glance up and looked her in the eye. "Truthfully? I hate it."

There, he'd said it, she probably thought he was crazy for wanting the island so badly. "I miss the place. A lot. I thought I wanted to be back here but...no. It's just not right, now that I've been there, I just want to go back again, more than anything." He wondered what she felt about being back. It struck him that she probably wouldn't have asked if there was an obvious answer. Were there really others who wanted to go back?

[leandra]

"Well I know we didn't spend much time together on the Island, but I do remember you and it's nice to see you" Leah spoke softly with a warm smile.

Leah gave Dennis a sad smile when he said he hated being back from the Island. She knew how he felt in many ways. She hated it at the beginning, but once they were rescued and back in Los Angeles, nothing felt right.

"I know how you feel about that, I haven't felt right since being rescued, but I don't know if I could go back" she said softly thinking about her father. "I haven't had a chance to see my father yet, and I don't know if I could go back without seeing him" she continued.

It was weird how they both felt the same way about being back in Los Angeles away from the Island, maybe they could have some sort of connection since they both felt the same way about being away from the Island.

[guitarherolost]

"Yeah, nice to see you too, Leah," Dennis said, trying to regain some happiness and not think about how much he missed the island. It would've been nicer to see her there, again, but maybe, if they had stayed, he never would've gotten a chance to befriend her like this.

Dennis had to admit he was rather shocked when she said she knew how he felt. He had wondered if he was the only one who missed it and now he met someone who shared the same feeling. "At least you have some reason to stay here," Dennis said, swishing the ice around in his glass. "I've got no one here. Not that I have anyone on the island, either."

Really, he had friends here, nothing more. His family was gone, could have been dead for all he knew. At least he'd be happy on the island, and maybe, he wouldn't be alone, if he could get Leah, and possibly a few others, to come back, if they could. "I hope you get a chance to talk to your dad soon, Leah."

[naomi]

Miles wandered into the Stone Pony for the second time that day. He'd been to the police station, spoken with Callis, hung around the rest of L.A. taking some time out and wondering what he'd wasted his time with these last few days. Linus gave him the impossible task of getting everyone together to go back to the island and meanwhile he was spending his other time on this whole 'who killed Avery' case, when frankly the guy had it coming to him.
It was then that instead of Ana-Lucia Cortez, who he was hoping to see (albiet horribly hungover) he saw the woman he'd just been fighting with (not Charlotte this time) - Leandra, giggling it up with that Oceanic guy from the police station. He shook his head, supposing that she was so easy that everybody got a turn. He figured he'd nonchalantly approach them. Not his fault that she was a regular in his bar. She was like a spider, laying in wait for prey here or something.

"You know, you're wasting your money buying her a drink" Miles said coming up on Dennis' right. "It's not like she won't sleep with you for less than that."

[leandra]

Leah smiled again and blushed slightly when Dennis said it was nice to see her again. It was nice to talk to someone who was nice and didn't turn from in lots of different directions wondering what mood they were going to be in next. She was of course referring to Miles.

It was weird, all they had wanted, at least from what she knew was to get rescued off the Island, and since coming back, all she wanted was to get back there. How many of them felt the same way she wondered to herself. With herself and Dennis that made two of them at least. However, this time, she'd only go back to the Island, if she could take her father with her.

"Well other than my dad, I have no one here either" Leah replied softly with a small smile, "Like you, not that I had anybody on the Island, but somehow deep down I just feel it would be good to get back" she continued. Since Dennis didn't have anybody here, and she didn't have anybody other than her father, than maybe she and Dennis could become friends. Good friends she thought to herself. Maybe even special friends in the future.

"Thanks Dennis, I hope I do as well" Leah replied about talking to her father soon. She was enjoying her time with Dennis, just talking when she heard the oh so familiar voice of Miles and he wasn't being very nice either. Leah wasn't going to lose her temper, she certainly didn't want Dennis to wonder what kind of person she was.

"How dare you" she said as she drew back her hand and slapped it hard against his face. She wouldn't allow him to treat her in such a way. She looked back at Dennis almost pleadingly, hoping he wouldn't take what Miles said in a terrible way. The last thing she wanted Dennis to think from what Miles said was that she was some sort of tart.

[guitarherolost]

The genuine innocent smile on Leah's face made Dennis completely glad to be where he was, for once. It was relaxing to not have to worry about anything, and to just talk to someone that he got along with straight away.

"Well that just makes it more important that you see him soon," Dennis said when she told him that she had no one besides her father. "But in the meantime, you and I could always hang out together." He flashed her a sincere smile.

"Do you live in LA?" Dennis asked. Most of the Oceanic survivors that didn't live in the area were just staying at the Roosevelt hotel like he was. He sort of hoped she lived around, though; Leah was one person that he would be really glad to see again. Sure, there were others, but they really didn't understand what they had all gone through recently. He and Leah had about the same experiences on the island.

Dennis hadn't seen Miles walk right next to them, but he heard him say something. And before Dennis could react, Leah had slapped him across the face. Dennis snickered slightly, and then caught Leah's eye. She had a rather pleading expression on her face, and he matched her look with a questioning stare. But he broke the gaze and turned to Miles. "Earlier, Miles, you told me that I could be doing anything with that Oceanic settlement I got. Now, when I'm buying a drink for a sweet girl, you tell me it's a waste of my money!"

"You know, I can't very well tell you to get out of here," Dennis said threateningly, hoping Miles would leave them alone after this. "But I can tell you to get out of my face, because I'm tired of seeing you."

[leandra]

"It does make it important I see him" Leah said with regards to her father, and she smiled even more when Dennis suggested they could hang out together. "Well I'd rather like that Dennis" she replied with a slight blush.

It had been a long time since she had blushed like that, the last person to have done that was Sam. He used to make her blush at the drop of a hat. Spending time with Dennis seemed like a good idea, and he was nice. Much more nice than Miles, but then it wouldn't be hard for anybody to be nicer than Miles.

"In fact, maybe you and I could visit my father together" Leah suggested, hoping it didn't seem too forward, she just felt that since coming back from the Island and being in a weird place, they might as well be in the weird place together.

"I actually live at the Roosevelt just now, but my father wants me to move in with him, he says there is a lovely room with en-suite bathroom for me, sounds lush really" Leah explained. She knew her father wouldn't mind Dennis coming to the house, he wouldn't even mind Dennis staying if it were to come to that. From what she had been told about the room, it was big enough to be almost like her own little flat.

When Dennis started questioning Miles, she decided to stay quiet and wait to see what he had to say for himself. She had already slapped him and that was enough. She wouldn't make a scene here, she wanted to enjoy her time with Dennis. If Miles wasn't man enough to see she and Dennis were only being civil to each other then that was his problem, not theirs.