This was written for kanarek13. Happy belated birthday!
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR ALL OF SEASON 5!
"Shit," Neal swore, looking around the dark hallway. He was stuck in the catacombs of all places and he couldn't see a way out. It was his entire fault that he was trapped, of course. He wanted to try to navigate the tunnels in order to see if there was a quick escape route to the outskirts of the city. He wasn't planning on stealing anything from the City of Love but he figured that if he ever had to make a quick getaway in Paris, he should know the catacombs.
He pressed his hand to one of the walls that was covered in skulls and cringed when he thought of how old the bones were. Not surprisingly, even though the skulls wiggled around, they were hitting a solid wall. He had to find the proper way out, and fast.
An hour had passed and Neal felt like he had walked in circles. Everything looked the same. He knew that he had ventured into an area that wasn't open to visitors so there weren't many lights in the tunnels.
Neal almost had a heart attack when his phone vibrated in his pocket. After walking around bones for a few hours, he had gotten used to the silence. "Peter, hi," he spoke. "How are you?"
"I'm fantastic," Peter replied. "D.C. is beautiful in the springtime. In fact, El and I just went to the Cherry Blossom Festival a week back. I didn't get a chance to call you when your anklet was removed since I was travelling. How is it?"
"Well," Neal answered, running his hand through his hair, "it was great until three or so hours ago. I'm a little lost and now, I'm getting a little chilly."
"Where are you? I called Diana an hour ago and she told me that you were vacationing. I hope you haven't returned to your island."
Neal laughed. "I almost died in Cape Verde. I'm actually in Paris. I'm actually shocked that I get reception in the catacombs. This Orange service is totally worth it."
"Are you planning on going to London?" Peter asked, hesitant to bring up Neal's ex. "I know that you wanted to go—"
"I'm not sure yet," Neal cut in. "The last time I talked to Sara, I was dating Rebecca and we all know how that went."
"If you're not going to London, you should come to D.C.," the other man suggested. "There are a lot of museums here and it's been a year since we've moved. El and I miss seeing all our friends in New York.
"I don't know," Neal mumbled. "I would love to see you and El in person but I really don't want to be in the country's capital right now. I'm still a convicted felon. I've just been let off the leash and I don't want to be that close to government officials right now."
"Okay, maybe some other time." Peter wasn't sure but he felt like something was off with Neal. "Are you okay, Neal?"
"Of course," Neal answered flippantly. "I'm fine. I'm enjoying the return of my freedom to move within my two-mile radius. The Lourve won't let me look around without a guard with me but I've gotten used to that."
"Have you gotten yourself a girl yet?" Peter asked, unable to help himself. "You always have those vacation girlfriends, so don't even deny it."
"No, it's just me and occasionally Moz. I've decided to change, Peter. I'm tired of re-living my past and making the same mistakes. Girls and I, we just don't work out well and when I get involved with one, someone ends up going to jail or dying."
"Sara's still alive, last time I checked," Peter joked. "I think that girl, Maya, is still alive too."
"I almost died when she decided that money was worth more than our relationship," Neal pointed out. "I need a long break from females. They just have a way of screwing with my head."
"Yeah, women do that," the FBI agent agreed. "Anyway, when will you be back in New York? I was actually calling to ask you if you wouldn't mind giving a few tours of our house in Brooklyn because we've decided to sell it."
"I'll be back in two weeks. So, you're not coming back to New York?"
Peter let out a deep breath. "No. I've already been promoted and I've only been here for a year. I love D.C. and I think I'm here to stay."
"Your career is important and I'm glad that everything is going well for you. We've missed you in the office but now you're on to bigger and better things."
"Yeah, bigger and better things," Peter echoed. "I have to but I'll call you later."
"Sure. Bye Peter."
Peter pressed the red button and ended the call. He couldn't place his finger on what exactly was bugging Neal, but something was weird.
Meanwhile, Neal was still looking for a way out of the catacombs. It was almost eight o'clock and he was feeling hungry, cold and tired. He might have been a former thief, but he wasn't made for the long stake-outs and now, he was starting to feel bored and his phone was almost dying.
He roamed around the passageways, attempting to retrace his steps from that afternoon. After a few minutes of roaming around, he finally fell across a stairway back to the surface.
When he emerged, he could see the Eifel Tower brightly lit and all the buildings were brightly lit. I am never going back into those catacombs without a map, he thought wryly as he walked towards the closest restaurant.
Thanks for reading. A review would be loved as always!