I had a few different ideas in my head of how things might have gone after the finale (despite Jeff Eastin thinking the finale wasn't open ended, and despite his bizzaro 'born bad' thing). And this one seems so plausible - Neal thinking he's making a break of it, but coming to realize that he doesn't really want that. Thanks so much for your lovely feedback. It's always nice to hear that something I've written really resonates with people!