[alan_shore's birthday!]

[lawyer_girl]

She calls Alan a day late on purpose, already on her way to his hotel when she does. She told David to call her if he wanted to come to dinner as well, although after his traumatizing accident with Ronald McDonald, he doesn't seem too interested in eating out anymore. Still, it's Alan's birthday -- well, it was... yesterday -- and she did get him

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[alan_shore]

"Is this death on the line?" he asks pleasantly.

[lawyer_girl]

"Close. Think prettier and scarier." She turns into the hotel and circles the lot, looking for a place to park. "Are you dressed?"

[alan_shore]

"Yes, but that can be remedied in a matter of seconds."

[lawyer_girl]

"I'm sure David would understand. It was your birthday yesterday, after all." She parks, locks the car and heads toward the hotel.

"I'm on my way up. Two minutes and I expect you to be presentable Mr. Shore."

[alan_shore]

"Will that be all, Mrs. Shaw?" He's working--horror of horrors--at a table just makeshift enough to fall short of the term "desk." He straightens papers and puts them in his brief case while awaiting a response. He'd much rather be caught naked than practicing law.

[lawyer_girl]

It's only taken her two months, but she no longer visibly cringes when someone calls her Mrs. Shaw.

"I know better than to ask anything too difficult of you, Alan." She hits the elevator button and moves to hang up her phone, then asks, "Third floor, right?"

[alan_shore]

"Third floor," he affirms. "I'll see you shortly." He hangs up, finishes disguising any semblance of professionalism, gives the room a quick once-over, and selects a tie from his closet.

[lawyer_girl]

She hangs up her cell phone and gets onto the elevator, riding it to the third floor. The last time she was in Alan's room he was sixteen and he'd ruined her shoes. At least at the end of this night he'd still be an adult.

She knocks on the door, then leans against the frame, waiting for him to open it.

[alan_shore]

He opens the door almost immediately, halfway through knotting his tie. He's almost cheerful, in marked contrast to his attitude toward last year's excursion. Perhaps because he's already gotten through the actual birthday.

[lawyer_girl]

"Happy birthday," she says, smirking. "You look good for forty three."

[alan_shore]

He smiles. "You look good for a married woman. By all means, come in."

[lawyer_girl]

"Thanks," she says, smiling back, then enters the room and looks around. "Were you working?"

[alan_shore]

"Someone will be billed for my time, make no mistake." He takes the opportunity to finish tying his tie. "Speaking of work, how are things at your office? Acquired any new souls of late?"

[lawyer_girl]

"Yeah, you know Mike, right? Kitty's friend. He came by to look at some contracts today. Nothing on them about souls, technically, but close enough."

[alan_shore]

"How suitably ironic." He vaguely recalls Mike aiding in the destruction of Lilah's original contract. "Were they to his liking?"

[lawyer_girl]

"He liked that the contracts no longer include a perpetuity clause unless deemed absolutely necessary by the Senior Partners. At least not at the East Coast branch. My little contribution to the company." She's pleased with that, it means she gets to go to hell peacefully when she dies this time around.

"I could have one drawn up for you if you'd like a look." It's easy enough to joke about it, knowing Alan will say no.