Title: Encore!

Disclaimer: I don't own ER, or any of the music. I'm not trying to profit from any of the songs, it's for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews!

Thanks Historianic! The karaoke is in here for a reason, trust me. On a side note, about Neela, I don't want to give away anything. All I can tell you is to keep reading.

Ray and Neela walked into the club. Before the karaoke, it was just a regular club. Music and dancing, people drinking. She started to make her way over to the bar to order her usual Frozen Margarita, while Ray went to go give the song that he and Neela were going to sing to the DJ. After that, he made his way over to her. She was still at the bar and he placed his hand gently on the back of her shoulder to get her attention. She turned around.

"Want to dance?" he held his hand out to her. She smiled and then let him lead her onto the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around her. She was finally in his arms. He was a little closer than she would have liked him to have been, but the feeling of being in his arms felt too good for her to tell him to pull away from her, even a little bit.

"This is a side of you I've never seen." she said when Ray started moving along the dance floor. They looked more like they were gliding across the floor than actually dancing.

"When you're in a band, you have to know how to dance." She gave him a questioning look. "What?" he said.

"Nothing. It's just…I don't know…you're a doctor but you're also a musician…it's like you're two completely different people."

He nodded "I just like to try different things."

"You're a good doctor. Where did the Van Halen persona come from?" His face dropped. She immediately felt bad for asking him that. She didn't mean it the way it sounded. She also thought it was a little weird because she's said worse to him before and he didn't get offended. She wasn't trying to insult him, she just wanted to know. It was strange that he had this alternate life, doctor by day, and musician by night. She had always wanted to know why. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I was just-"

"It's ok." He cut her off "I know what you meant. It's not something I usually talk about." he admitted. She hadn't hurt him, he just wasn't expecting her to ask him that.

"You don't have to if you don't want to." she wanted to kick herself for doing this to him.

"No. I'm fine." he took a deep breath and looked into her eyes. He said in almost a whisper "When I was 9, my dad started using. Cocaine, marijuana, heroine, you name it." he was now looking down, looking very sad and even pained "He started to change into someone else. One day, he just…" he took so long to say it that she started to wonder if he was even going to "didn't come back."

She looked at him with so much feeling and pain. She felt so bad for him. "Ray…" she whispered

"Please don't pity me. I don't want your pity, I'm just trying to tell you." She placed her hand on his cheek, then gave him a sweet and caring smile. "The day he left, I found the guitar he gave me for my birthday. I hadn't really used it that much before then, but I picked it up and I started playing. I forgot about the abandonment and the hurt just for a little while. I was going through so much and when I played the guitar, it helped me escape from that." she could tell he was trying to hold back the tears. He didn't want to cry in front of her. He didn't want her to feel sorry for him, but how could she not? "I couldn't stop feeling responsible for what happened."

After he said the last part, she completely froze there in his arms for a couple seconds, she was in shock. Finally, she said "Ray, your dad leaving was not your fault." it was the first thing that she had ever told him honestly and out of pure compassion.

He finally looked at her again "It had to have been. If I had been better, then my parents wouldn't have argued over me. I pushed him over the edge."

She couldn't stand to hear him talking like this. She grabbed his hand and held onto it tightly "Listen to me. Your dad didn't leave because of you. People have problems with their kids every day and they don't leave. Your dad leaving is his fault and no one elses." she looked into his eyes, bold and determined, she wanted him to know that she meant what she was saying to him "You're a good person. You care about me, and have always been there when I need you. It's your dad's loss, not yours."

He leaned forward and embraced her, holding onto her tightly. He had been carrying this around with him his whole life. "Thank you." he said softly into her ear. He held onto her for a minute or so and then pulled back and began swaying to the music again. "I never told anyone, not even my mom" he told her, referring to the guilt he experienced over all those years.

She looked at him surprised "Why did you tell me?" she knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help but ask. When was she ever going to learn to stop asking so many questions?

He let his mouth go into a small smile "Because…it's you." he got a sweet and tender look on his face.

She now had a smile on hers. She was touched. She pulled him closer to her and continued dancing with him. She placed her head on his chest and heard the soft, steady beat of his heart and closed her eyes. They spent the next few minutes just dancing in silence. Enjoying the warmth and gentleness of each other.

She never knew Ray could be so caring and sweet. He was constantly surprising her. Like the time when he stayed up all night with her and watched a whole season of Dancing With the Stars that she taped on the DVR because she was so busy, even though he hated that show and had to be at work early the next day. Or when she tried really hard to get tickets for the ballet but couldn't get the time off of work. He pleaded with Weaver until she agreed, knowing how much it meant to Neela to go. Being so sweet, and if it hadn't been for him she wouldn't have been able to go in the first place, naturally she took him with her. He surprised her even more when he actually liked it.

"So, tell me something about you." he finally said. Now that he had just told her something no one else knew, he wanted her to return the favor.

"What do you want to know?"

"Something no one else knows." he told her truthfully

She looked at him and tried to think of something to tell him, then said "I didn't always want to be a doctor."

"What did you want to do?" he asked, genuinely interested

"Promise you won't laugh at me?" she told him seriously

"Promise."

"I wanted to be a chef." He stifled his laugh. He couldn't help it, he got the mental image of her in the kitchen. He still remembered the time when she tried to make toast and practically burned the apartment down. I mean, it was just toast for crying out loud. If she had become a chef, then she probably would have been on the news for accidental arson. "You're laughing at me."

"No, I wasn't." he lied "Good thing you didn't opt for the white hat." He blurted out and she gave him a dirty look. "Um…because you know, you're…such a good doctor and all…and it wouldn't be the same without you." she continued to look at him "Sorry."

The look on her face suddenly went away. She could never stay mad at him for too long. "When I moved in with you, it worked out perfectly. You cook, and I eat."

He chuckled "So you're saying that living with me is perfect?"

"I don't know about perfect, but it has it's moments."

He wasn't expecting that answer. He started to get that yearning look on his face again, like he had a few weeks ago. "When?"

"When you put a blanket over me after I fall asleep on the couch, or when you go to the store and come back with a pint of Rocky Road for me when I didn't ask you to." she smiled at him. Ray was loud, sloppy, and annoying sometimes, but he did think of her. Yes, there were times when he would drive her up the wall, but she did like living with him. She pulled him a little closer to her "I like having you as my roommate."

He looked in her eyes and he knew that she meant it. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to be closer. All he could think about at that moment was kissing her. He slowly started to inch his way to her face. He had thought about this moment so many times. Neela didn't know what to do, she wasn't expecting him to react that way. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her and kept moving his way closer to her lips. She just stood there, watching him inch his way to her face. For some reason, she couldn't move. She knew it was wrong and her mind kept telling her to stop this right now, but she was rooted to her one spot in the floor. Maybe it was Ray's hold on her, maybe it was the fact that people were around, or maybe she secretly wanted it just as bad as he did. She didn't know. He was now getting so close that she could almost feel his lips on hers. She could feel his breath on her face, his breathing had considerably quickened. Just when their lips were going to touch…

"Hey, everyone, this first song is going to be done by, you guessed it…Ray and Neela!"

They opened their eyes and stared at each other for a couple seconds before making their way up to the stage. They hadn't even noticed the music had stopped. They each took a breath, still reeling from the overwhelming desire they just experienced.

You don't need to be beautiful to turn me on

Ray had forgotten he had picked this song. God, why had he picked this song? It took them a while to get into it but the crowd cheered for them, whistling and clapping.

I want to be your fantasy, maybe you could be mine

You just leave it all up to me, we could have a good time

They were finally getting into their usual routine up there. Joking around and dancing onstage, and both tried their best not to think about before.

You don't have to be rich to be my girl

You don't have to be cool to rule my world

Ain't no particular sign I'm more compatible with

I just want your extra time and your…kiss

Ray and Neela turned to each other just before the last word, making kissing sounds at each other and fake kissing the air over and over. The audience laughed. Right after the song ended, the crowd cheered loudly. They just looked at each other. That didn't help them take their mind off of what just happened between them. They still hadn't gotten off the stage yet which was starting to get a little awkward. The DJ tapped Ray on the shoulder. "Um, you guys can leave now." They both slowly made their way off the stage.

Ray wasn't sure what was going on with them. Were they friends? Were they something more? Friends wasn't exactly enough to describe them, but they weren't dating. What were they? Of course he wanted more, he had known that for some time. They had had not just one, but two attempted kisses, but it didn't necessarily mean they were something more. Both times, he was the one who leaned in, not her. He was the one that wanted it. She didn't push him away or try to stop it, that's true, but that doesn't necessarily mean she wanted to be with him either. He still wasn't entirely sure how she felt exactly. Did she want it too, or was she just allowing him to do it?

As they were walking to the car, Ray noticed that it was colder than when they went in. Neela was just wearing a thin party dress. "Are you cold?" he asked

"No. I'm fine." she said with her arms folded and shivering. He knew she was lying. Ray knew her better than that. He took off his coat and gently placed it on her shoulders. She put her arms through and pulled her hair out of the collar. She could still smell his scent lingering on it and tried her best not to pay any attention to it "Thanks." He knew that she didn't want to be any trouble but, he didn't like to see her in any kind of misery even if meant he would have to experience some himself. As long as he didn't have to see her like that, it was worth it. He didn't care what it was. When she looked at him, she felt bad for having his coat, it wasn't exactly warm outside. "What about you?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." He still had his arms on her shoulders from when he had put his jacket around her, not able to move them quite yet. From the look on his face, she was so sure that he was going to kiss her. He wanted to sweep her into his arms right then and there and crash his lips onto hers. Kissing her the way he's been wanting to kiss her for some time now, but two attempted tries can really mess up a guys confidence. He turned and started making his way to the van. The moment had passed.

A/N: This chapter was a little harder to write, but I hope you liked it! Please review!