A/N: This story is a sequel to another story called "Fake people". You need to read that story first to understand what's going on here.

And to everybody who was waiting for the sequel! I'm grateful to you all. If it wasn't for you, my amazing readers, this story wouldn't exist. Here is the first chapter! I hope you'll enjoy reading!

I still don't own "White Collar".

New beginnings, old habits

Elizabeth Burke's heart clenched. And who could possibly stay untouched by those pleading, ocean-blue eyes?

"Elizabeth, I can't…"

With swift, gentle movements El straightened Neal's shirt and put her hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Neal, you've been through a lot, but somehow you managed to stay strong. This is not the time to give up."

"El, please! I want to stay here, with you!"

Neal dropped his gaze to the floor, when Elizabeth sighed and shook her head.

"Sweetie, you know that it's not something I can change…"

"Elizabeth, I'll be good. You won't even know I'm here! Please! Think of another punishment. I'll do anything but this!"

"Neal, we've discussed this and you know it's not a punishment." replied Elizabeth, giving Neal his bag and leading him to the door. "This is for your own good."

The teenager was about to protest but a sudden noise of the car's horn stopped him. Neal glared at the driver, whose dwarf of a car was parked right in front of the house.

Neal felt El's arms around him and in a blink of an eye, found himself in a warm, loving embrace. For a second Neal wanted to push the woman away, but quickly came to his senses. He couldn't be angry with her, not now, not ever. Especially now, when he needed her comfort the most. Elizabeth was one of the few reasons left to be happy. But he had to leave her to go to a place filled with strangers…

"I'll see you really soon, sweetheart. You won't even notice how the time will pass."

"Somehow I doubt that." grumbled the teenager and made his way to the car. Sitting at the passenger's seat, Neal glanced at the driver. How could he be so happy?!

Neal turned to look out of the window, in hopes of getting a little more confident and calm. When the car was driving past the park, where Neal occasionally met with Mozzie, the teenager smiled. It was a small sad smile, but still a smile. In sight of the recent events Neal found it difficult to be in a good mood. He wanted to hide somewhere and never come out, and he would have done something of that sort, if it wasn't for El. Her plan of making sure Neal was always occupied worked like a charm. But as soon as the young con was left with his thoughts, the world around him dressed in black. Strangely enough, even painting didn't help to bring back the colours to life. All Neal wanted… No, that is not the right thing to say, because he didn't want anything… And when someone loses any interest to life…

"Such a wonderful day, don't you think so, Neal?"

"Yeah, sure…"

"I don't remember my first day at high school, but I do remember Peter's." continued the driver.

At some other time Neal would be all ears, listening to a story about Peter, but today he wasn't paying any attention.

"Richard, can we leave this story for another time? I don't want to talk about…"

"Why not?" asked the agent's father, looking at the teenager, who just turned away and sighed deeply.

"It's just… Don't get me wrong, you're awesome, Richard…" started Neal.

"You can call me Grandpa. I'm not like Mandy who insists, but, you know, I'd like that. But no pressure, Neal. So, you were saying?"

"I just wish it was Peter… I want him to be here today. I know that he's…" Neal stopped himself and closed his eyes.

"No matter where he is, I bet he's proud of you. We all are. And although you're not up to listening to the story, I'm still gonna tell it. So, as I said, it was Pete's first day of high school. He got all dressed up and…"

The rest of their way Richard talked about pretty much everything, while Neal's mind was focused on two topics: Peter and school. But the closer they were getting to the dread destination, the further Peter was hiding in Neal's subconscious. The teenager's heart was beating faster with every passing minute, and by the time Richard stopped his "baby", Neal couldn't feel or hear anything except for that rhythmic beating. Only Richard's booming voice and the colliding of his strong hand with Neal's shoulder, managed to bring the boy back to his senses.

"You'll be alright, kid. Just go and enjoy yourself. It's the best time of your life, believe me."

Putting one shaky foot at a time on the ground and still not daring to get out of the small vehicle, Neal turned to look at Richard, who did nothing but winked in encouragement.

"Just remember to breathe, buddy."

Breathing did help Neal a little and soon he was entering the building of school, using his "Caffrey charm" to hide any evidence of anxiety.

Neal was grateful when it was finally lunch time. He survived the first half of the day, and had to admit that his fears were unreasonable. Surely, there wasn't much excitement, but nothing bad happened either. Neal was adored by the female population and quickly made friends with some guys. There were people who didn't like Neal… And would you like some new guy, at whom your girlfriend looks with big dreamy eyes?! Speaking of girls…

Neal turned around when his eyes caught the sight of braided ginger hair. The girl went past Neal, not even noticing his presence. There was something about that girl. You could see her, but at the same time she wasn't, well, very "noticeable"… Focus, Neal! You don't even know each other, but she already hates you.

The young forger sighed when he remembered his first class: calculus. According to his teacher, Mrs. Nash, Neal would never be able to do anything rational with numbers. Oh, well. No need to put any effort into this subject then. But it still wasn't the most pleasant thing to hear on his first day, especially when he knew that it wasn't true. Of course Neal missed out a lot of important stuff during his "extended break" from school, but it didn't mean he was the lost cause. Why would the teacher say so? Maybe it had something to do with Neal thinking her name was Mrs. Rash…

And then it was that girl with ginger hair. What was her name? Neal was sitting next to her in calculus, but she ignored him. Actually, she wasn't the only one. Neal hadn't even spared a look in her direction during the whole time, and then he successfully forgot about her and was reminded of her existence only a few minutes ago.

"Whoa! Hey, Curly Sue! Is that really you?"

Neal froze. Only one person could call him that name. Was that… No, that was simply impossible!

"Roger!"

Neal still couldn't believe his own eyes. In front of him was standing a tall, plump guy with red chubby cheeks and a big tomato-like nose of the same colour. His flaxen-haired head was a bit big for his body, which made his whole appearance rather ridiculous.

"Glad you still remember my name! Come on, sit with us, and tell me everything about yourself. We haven't seen each other for like… four years!"

When they reached the table, Neal saw that a few guys were already there. The young forger didn't know any of them, but after a few seconds his eyes stopped on one of the boys, who slightly shook his head, as if he wanted to adjust his coal black hair. Neal understood the gesture as not to reveal that they were already acquainted and lowered his head in agreement. This silent exchange went unnoticed and soon Roger was introducing Neal to his friends. The young con smiled and greeted everybody, while his mind was focused only on the black-haired guy. Neal never expected to see anyone from Kate's gang at school!

"And this is Tim. He's…" Roger continued talking in his low, grating voice.

Tim. So that's Prince's name. Interesting. And his friends probably don't know about his hobbies…

"Nice to meet you, Tim." said Neal shaking hands with the guy, who simply nodded and then took his seat, slowly straightening his shamrock green jacket.

"So, Neal, what have you been up to all these years? Not a single phone call since you left! By the way, what happened back then?"

"Ellen was hit by a drunken driver." stated Neal.

"I'm sorry, dude. She was a great woman." replied Roger with sympathy and laid his hand on Neal's shoulder.

The rest of the boys kept silence. Tim turned away for a moment and returned his eyes on Neal, when he began talking again.

"Yeah… Anyway, then I bounced from one foster home to another for about a year. And then…"

"What happened?" asked one of the boys.

"It's actually a long and boring story." smiled Caffrey, not eager to continue this conversation.

A pretty brunette in a short skirt saved Neal from an uncomfortable chat just by walking by. All eyes turned to her, while Roger went further than just looking and whistled loudly, getting a disdainful glare from the girl.

"Hey, Rog, remember how we used to lay down under the staircase to look at the girls." started laughing Neal.

"You bet! The girls were making noises like whales at dinner time!"

A roar of laughter arose and soon everybody was sharing various stories, until it was time to get back to classes. Roger and Neal headed in the same direction, as they had chemistry together.

"Mr. Conner is one of the coolest teachers ever. But he also gives the most difficult tests. Rumour has it that he keeps those tests in a safe, which he made himself. Not a single living soul managed to break into it."

Roger was speaking very quietly, although there was no need for that. Even if somebody had decided to listen into their conversation, it would have been impossible, as there were too many people speaking on too many topics. Besides, not everyone was listening to their own conversations, let alone others'.

"What makes you think he made the safe himself?" asked Neal, walking into the classroom.

"Let's just say, I know a guy, who knows a guy…"

"I got it, Roger. No more questions."

Neal's friend wanted to say something more, but the bell rang, postponing the unfinished chat.

As Neal found out during the lesson, Mr. Conner was really an amazing teacher. He did everything for his students to understand "the beauty of science", as he put it. Neal was sure that if needed, Mr. Conner would even stand on his head to explain the material. Despite that Neal had truly started to adore the teacher, soon enough his thoughts traveled to the back of the room, where Roger said the safe was located.

"Psst, Neal!" whispered Roger, noticing Neal's mental absence. "Don't tell me you're thinking about that gorgeous brunette, cause that girl is totally mine. Got it, Caffrey?"

"Got it, Lankford."

"There won't be enough time for girls anyway. With the upcoming test and such."

"Test?" Neal turned around to fully look at Roger, getting a reprimand from the teacher. That made Neal focused for the whole six minutes before he resumed his conversation with Roger.

"I knew it! You were thinking about that girl!" whispered the fair-haired boy in reply. "There will be a chemistry test next week. Get your head in the game, Neal!"

Soon enough the lesson was over and Neal was walking down the hall with Roger, who was still complaining about the unfairness of giving a test at the beginning of a school year.

Elizabeth was right and time did fly pretty fast. The school day was over, but Neal wasn't ready to leave just yet. The teenager carefully opened the door of an empty classroom and stepped in, all the while looking around, in case Mr. Conner was somewhere near. Although Neal was sure that there was no one else in the room, as he saw with his own eyes the teacher leaving, he was still cautious.

The young con had a chance to examine the classroom and see all the interesting stuff he failed to notice the first time he had been there. In addition to the tables, cluttered up with books, boxes, bottles with something gurgling inside, flasks and different models of things Neal didn't even know about, there were a lot of lockers, covered with charts and diagrams. On the walls, as well as on the desks, there were posters about safety regulations and other rules, which were ignored by all the students far too often for Mr. Conner's liking.

Coming closer to the built-in safe, which had quite an impressive size and looked like a gargoyle, protecting the temple of science, Neal held his breath. The safe wasn't hidden; on the contrary, it stood out and drew attention of every passerby. Glancing across the room once again, Neal made the final step that separated him from the object of interest. Under the careful and exactly measured movements the lock clicked pleasantly in less than a minute. The operation was successful! Neal smiled proudly and successfully ignoring yet another poster, which invoked to put on a protective mask, opened the door of the safe, getting an unexpected and far from pleasant surprise.

"Welcome to our school, Mr. Caffrey."

Neal was sitting at the steps, trying to feel the fresh air, which was next to impossible, considering… well, considering his current state. The first day at school and he was already in trouble. Lucky for him, Mr. Conner decided that involving the principal was completely unnecessary, but letting Neal off the hook without even calling his parents was completely out of question. Lucky him indeed! Richard said he would come and that is why Neal was waiting for an ocean-blue car to appear.

A small group of girls in cheerleader's uniforms went out of the building. As soon as they caught the sight of the teenager, sitting at the steps, they started giggling. One of the girls went as far as "confessing" to Neal that she found his face simply adorable. The boy glared at the girls, who quickly vanished, as shadows on a cloudy day. Neal stood up angrily and was about to go back into the classroom, when he heard a car being pulled up on a half-empty parking lot. Finally! Richard surely took his time…

Neal turned just in time to see a clearly annoyed driver, shutting the door of the car. Only it wasn't the vehicle Neal expected to see and…

The teenager didn't have any time to comprehend what was happening, as a furious bear, who was woken from hibernation, was getting closer. And that "bear" was no one else but Special Agent in Charge Peter Burke.

Peter was still not fully recovered, because only two weeks passed from the day he was wounded. But he was strong, both mentally and physically, and doctors assured he would be as good as new in no time. The agent had lost a lot of blood, although he was still not convinced that it was only because of the injury. A certain youngster, who had, by the way, been placed in the hospital room next door, as Peter found out minutes after he opened his eyes; that youngster did everything so that Peter wouldn't suffer from any type of blood dregs. No, Neal made sure Peter's blood was circulating!

Even from the distance Peter could see how Neal made a few steps back after seeing the fuming agent approach. The agent made a few deep breaths to calm down. The reason Neal lost consciousness and collapsed that day at the hospital was too much stress along with exhaustion. Peter definitely didn't need the repeat of that. He needed to be calm to deal with the issue at hand.

Peter was calm and determined until he saw Neal's face covered with bright pink substance. The agent started laughing, stopping a few steps away from his wayward charge. Now that he had a better view, Peter saw that the teenager's face wasn't all in paint, which made it even worth and Neal looked like a shabby wall in an old hospital. Moreover, the pink disaster was all over Neal's neck and hands. It even somehow got on his shirt. But was exhilarated Peter the most was the fact that Neal's ears were now the same colour as his face.

Neal instantly started pouting, offended by Peter's reaction. But that only brought another wave of laughter from the agent. A few embarrassing moments for Neal, but the funniest seconds for Peter, Richard came over. The eldest Burke was about to ask what was going on, but seeing Neal, the question died on his lips and he joined his son in a laughing fit.

"H-how?" all that Peter managed to squeeze from himself, still laughing hysterically, holding onto his stomach.

"I opened the safe and something flew out." mumbled Neal in reply, sitting back on the stairs. "What are you even doing here, Peter? It supposed to be your first official day back at work. Besides, I called Richard."

"My 'baby' … broke down." said Richard trying to stop laughing. "Had to call Pete… Oh, son, you look like a drunken flamingo!"

"That's where you're wrong, dad." Peter finally got some control over his emotions. "He looks like a hungover flamingo!"

"Ha! Ha! Very funny, Peter!" grumbled Neal and standing up went into the building with two laughing Burkes in tow. Peter was trying to apologize, but Richard didn't even make a parody of an attempt to calm down.

By the time they finally reached the classroom, both Burkes looked like nothing had happened, all the while trying to avoid looking directly at Neal. Peter seemed to be in his usual business-like, no-nonsense mood, which Neal thought was more "Peter-like". The teenager usually enjoyed when Peter was showing his emotions and let himself laugh freely. But not this time.

Mr. Conner was waiting for them and as soon as everyone was sitting, the adults began talking, while the subject of their conversation kept staring at the window, not even pretending to listen. Neal was brought back to earth when Peter spoke up.

"It won't happen again, Mr. Conner. I'll make sure of it."

There was something new in Peter's voice. It was authoritative as always, but it wasn't the boss' authority, but more like a… parent's authority. As if Peter could read Neal's thoughts and decided to make a more lasting impression, the agent sent a meaningful look in Neal's direction.

"Neal? Do you want to say anything?"

No doubt now. The "Dad" voice.

"Umm… yes. Mr. Conner, can I have a dissolvent now?" asked Neal smiling, but catching Peter's eyes, added quickly. "And I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"It's OK, Neal. I accept your apology but next time read the instructions." winked the dark-skinned man. "As to the dissolvent… Unfortunately, I don't have any, but you'll be able to find it easily in any store. I'll write the name…"

No later than five minutes, Neal was walking to the car, while Peter and Richard were walking behind, quietly talking. The young forger was keen on getting away from school as fast as possible. He made a move to open the door of the Taurus but Peter's voice stopped him.

"Not so fast, buddy. I'm afraid you'll be sitting in the back today."

"It's a cruel punishment, Peter." retorted Neal.

"Speaking of punishments, you're grounded for the rest of the week. But riding in the back has nothing to do with it. It's that… Let's just say I need to focus on the road." replied Peter, trying to hide the laughter, which was threatening to return any second since the agent looked at the boy's face.

"Maybe I should lay face down, so you won't be distracted?"

"You're full of great ideas today, I see…" started saying Peter in reply to Neal's biting comment, but was interrupted by Richard, who came closer.

"Tell me, was it really because of the answers to the test?"

Richard was calm and confident. He didn't raise his voice; in fact he was speaking a bit quieter than usual. The eldest Burke was patiently waiting for an answer, leaving his son to watch the scene with respect and amazement. Yes, Peter still had a lot to learn.

"No… The code on the safe looked so interesting and… um, I've been told no one had ever managed to open it, so I kinda decided to try."

For Neal this kind of interrogation was new. He usually had to deal with Peter's lack of time and impatience. But Richard showed that he had plenty of time for a serious conversation. What in the world had happened to a loud and funny Burke?!

"Hmm…" was all that Richard said and opening the door, got into the car.

For a few minutes everybody was quiet, but soon Peter broke the silence, stopping the car at the traffic light.

"Neal, who told you about the safe?"

"A friend of mine, but it doesn't matter. I would have noticed it anyway. You saw it, it's huge!"

"By the way, one of your friends asked to tell you he's waiting for you." said Peter, deciding to drop the case and talk on a more interesting topic.

"Who?" Neal was genuinely surprised. None of his friends actually knew Peter in person, except for Mozzie. But the short guy usually just came, making himself at home.

"Hughes. He smiles like a hyena and rubs his hands, so I guess he's eager to see you. We can even go now…"

"No! No, Peter, please! I can't go, not like this! Besides, I haven't done everything yet and if he finds out…" started the teenager.

"Oh, he already knows. Said that the dust bunnies in the storage room will be waiting for you and you're welcome to get acquainted with them any time you like." continued the agent. "Serves you right, if you ask me. That's what you get for running away from Hughes."

"But you were about to arrest Adler! I had to be there!" argued Neal.

"Pete, stop torturing the poor boy." said Richard, making Neal's head go in circles. Who was the good and who was the bad cop here?

Not long after that, Peter was parking the car I front of their Brooklyn house. At the same time, but from the other direction, another car appeared.

Elizabeth was planning to go shopping with Richard, but as both Burkes left, Mozzie was more than happy to accompany her. The woman went out of the car and before she could understand what was going on, two big blue eyes on a pink face were getting closer. In a blink of an eye that face was buried in her shoulder and Neal's voice was complaining about his horrible day and how it couldn't be any worth.

"You'll tell me everything in a minute, sweetie. Let's go inside." replied El, stunned by the kid's appearance and lowering her voice added. "The neighbours are watching."

Mozzie was the only one truly happy to see his friend in such condition. He didn't waste any time and he knew who was "the boss", went straight to Peter.

"Suit, I'm happy to announce that I have a solution to your colourful problem."

The agent looked tiredly at Mozzie and taking a beer from the fridge, decided to ignore him.

"I've been working on it for some time and I'm sure it'll work." pursued the short guy, following Peter to the living room.

"What is it, Mozzie?" finally asked Peter, not even looking at his collocutor.

"A hand-made dissolvent." answered Mozzie. When Peter turned around and looked at him doubtfully, the conman added. "Made with natural ingredients and love."

"Will it return Neal's skin colour to normal?"

"Yes."

"And you just happened to have it with you?"

"You never know what you might need."

"Fine." Peter didn't have any strength to argue. "And Mozzie…"

"Everything will be fine, Suit. Don't worry. Worrying is suffering in advance."

With that Mozzie joined Elizabeth, who was trying to get a full story from Neal. And Peter went outside and let himself get a few minutes of peace.

The sound of footsteps made the agent turn around. Upon seeing his father, Peter relaxed once again.

"The 'baby' is all good and ready to go." announced Richard, standing next to his son. "And so am I."

"Are you leaving already, Dad?"

"Yeah, I've been here long enough. And you know your mother. She can't live without me…"

"And you can't live without her." concluded Peter, chuckling.

"Can't deny the truth. Peter, don't be too hard on Neal. He's been through a lot these weeks. Trust me, I've see all of this. That boy of yours is truly a good kid. Now you need to become a good father to him." said the eldest Burke, looking his son in the eyes.

"I'm trying, Dad."

"Does he know that?"

Silence followed. Peter sighed and Richard smiled.

"Patience and kindness, Peter. It's all both of you need."

"And discipline." mumbled the agent, looking somewhere in the distance.

"What are you talking about? You're incorrigible."

Saying that, Richard went back into the house to say his goodbyes.

Richard left and El was talking with Peter, leaving Neal with his friend, who was in the process of taking out small bottles with a muddy liquid.

"Moz, are you sure about that?"

"Absolutely. I made it when I was helping Adler to take off the layers of paint. And you know the result: no harm was done to the canvas." reassured Mozzie, beginning to rub Neal's arms with the dissolvent.

"Have you tested on something other than canvas?" Neal trusted Mozzie but his 'scientific inventions' could be dangerous.

"I didn't have a chance… Stop complaining and be grateful that you're the first person to experience the importance of my discovery." replied Mozzie and continued putting the dissolvent on Neal's face. It seemed to work and with every passing second the teenager's face was getting back to its natural state.

"See, I told you. Everything is totally fine. Now, go wash it off, if you don't want to smell like that for the rest of your life."

"What was in there anyway?" asked Neal, standing up and heading to the bathroom.

"You don't want to know, my young friend." came the answer.

A couple of minutes later Neal returned and sat on the couch.

"Mozzie, is it supposed to itch?"

"I don't know. But just in case, try not to scratch…" replied Mozzie, all the while packing away all his stuff.

'I feel strange. And everything is swimming…" mumbled Neal, scratching his neck.

At this point Mozzie began to panic. Suit would definitely kill him now.

"It's OK, Neal. You'll be fine. I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're no longer pink. The bad news is that now you look like pulmonaria officinalis."

"What's that?" asked Neal, not really listening to his friend, who was now in a hurry to leave.

"It's a plant. Its leaves are green but they look like they were splashed with white paint…" murmured Mozzie, more to himself and taking his bag looked once again at Neal, who was scratching his face. "Suit! I've done everything I could! I'm leaving and also thoroughly recommend to take good care of Neal!"

With that the short guy made his way to the door.

"Neal, if anything happens, you know which number to call." said Mozzie and then saw Peter entering the living room. "Well, you're in good hands, mon frére. Later!"

Peter didn't understand why Mozzie had left so abruptly. But then he looked at Neal. The teenager was scratching his face and arms violently. And was it just the agent's imagination or Neal looked a bit swollen?

"Neal, buddy, what's wrong? Do you need any help?" asked Peter, trying not to show Neal how scared he was.

"A bucket!" answered the teenager.

Peter rushed to get the requested item. When he came back, Neal looked even worse and Peter couldn't hold back his emotions any longer.

"El! He's purple!"

Elizabeth appeared from the kitchen and gasped. Apparently Neal was wrong and that day was getting worse.

"Honey, don't worry! In your condition it's important to stay calm, El." continued Peter, pacing nervously. Looking at the teenager, who getting more swollen, the agent started shouting. "El, call the ambulance!"

That was completely unnecessary as Elizabeth was already dialing the number.

"Neal, buddy, can you breathe?" asked Peter finally sitting down beside the boy. "Keep calm, OK? The doctors are on their way."

"Pet'r?" Neal's voice was hoarse and he looked awful, but still managed to smile. "Don't forget to breathe yourself."

"How can I breathe when your ears are… Oh, God! El! The ambulance!"

"It will be here in a few minutes, Peter." replied El as calmly as possible. "Neal, don't listen to him!"

The next day Neal had to stay at home, the fact he really liked. Maybe people will forget about the "pink accident". If not, at least he got a small break.

After a few hours of being stuck in bed, the teenager was getting bored out of his mind. It was just an allergic reaction to whatever it was that Mozzie put into his stinky dissolvent, but Elizabeth, who decided to stay home with Neal, was convinced he should "take it easy". But the young forger had to admit, he liked it when Elizabeth was hovering around him like a mother-hen…

All in all, the day was uneventful. Sooner than Neal could imagine, a light evening wind started blowing, as if gently persuading the sun to retire early for the day.

Neal heard the joyful barking of Satchmo and a few minutes later two voices were talking downstairs. The teenager closed his eyes, burying his head in the soft pillow. Although he wasn't doing anything all day, the boy felt exhausted.

The door opened and Peter looked into the room. The agent tried to speak quietly, but Neal still heard him.

"Hey, Neal, may I come in?"

Neal sighed dramatically and slightly nodded, while Peter sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Oh, Peter…" moaned Neal like he was in extreme pain.

Peter rolled his eyes at that display but decided to join.

"If there is anything I can do for you, just ask.

"Peter…" Neal's voice was "weak" and Peter had to admit that the boy was a good actor. "Come closer… a little bit closer…"

The older man's ear was almost touching Neal's face now.

"I don't know if I… It's so hard to say this… Peter, promise me." continued Neal, closing his eyes in a dramatic way from time to time. "Promise you'll forgive him."

"Whom?"

"Moz…" Neal whispered that and closed his eyes completely. For a few minutes they stayed like this, but soon Neal opened one eye and looked at Peter, who kept silent. "Come on, Peter!" said the teenager in his usual tone. "You were supposed to grant the dying man's wish."

"If it wasn't for Mozzie, the 'dying man' wouldn't be dying." exclaimed Peter.

"Mozzie isn't the only one responsible. He wouldn't have to use the dissolvent if I hadn't broken into the safe. And I wouldn't have done that, if you hadn't made me go to school in the first place."

"So you blame me for all of this?" asked the agent, raising his eyebrows.

"Yep. It's entirely your fault." smiled Neal.

"Fine. Mozzie is forgiven. But he is not allowed to touch you, feed you or be around you within a couple of meters."

"That's not very forgiving."

"It is too much forgiveness." stated Peter, standing up. "He's lucky I'm so generous."

Awkward silence fell for a couple of minutes.

"And now without all that drama, Neal, how are you feeling? Is there anything…" started Peter, but didn't get a chance to finish as Neal hopped off the bed and stood beside the agent.

"I'm fine, really. But could we, you know… talk?" asked the young con, full of determination.

The older man looked at his charge and simply nodded, not sure what to say. Kids and teenagers were still a thing he couldn't figure out. Peter made a move to sit but once again Neal showed him he had other plans.

"Let's go outside, to the backyard. If you don't mind, of course."

"I don't see why not."

Saying that Peter put his arm awkwardly around Neal's shoulders and they went outside. Sitting down on the bench, Neal looked at the old oak, which he was painting the other day. Now the tree's leaves were not only green, but red, orange, yellow and brown. Soon that beauty would be gone, but for now it looked like the sun had decided to lend one of its rays to make the tree bright and colourful. The nature will take off its majestic robe, just like the bride puts away her dress after the wedding, and penetrating winds will bring cold rains. Long and boring weekdays will follow, until joy and happiness will be restored by the first snow.

Neal didn't want to tell Peter, but he found it much easier to talk here. It was their place. The teenager glanced at the agent and saw that the older man felt the same. It was written all over his face, and even his posture seemed to be more relaxed.

Peter noticed that Neal was flying in the clouds and doubted whether to say anything or not.

"You sure did scare me yesterday." finally said the agent. "Even El reacted better than me… I think she's cooking something special for you. I wanted to help her…"

"It's better if you don't. No offence, Peter." smiled Neal.

"None taken."

"Peter, I'm sorry." said the teenager, finishing their meaningless conversation and getting straight to the point. "I'm truly sorry for what happened. I think I've said it to everyone but you…"

"Neal it wasn't your fault. Allergy is not a thing you can control."

"You know I'm not talking about that." Neal was looking Peter in the eyes. "I still can't let go what happened to you two weeks ago. It was my fault."

"Neal…"

"Peter, please, let me say what I want to say. I am aware that I wasn't the one who attacked you. I know that you don't blame me for what happened. But I still feel guilty… and somehow responsible for all of this mess. I acted childishly and foolishly. I shouldn't have run off, but what happened at the office…" Neal saw a pained expression on Peter's face and continued so that the agent wouldn't have a chance to say anything. "It brought some unpleasant memories, and I acted on impulse. I'm sorry. Trust me, Peter, those are not just empty words."

Peter studied Neal for a few moments. The boy lowered his eyes the second he stopped talking and now he was staring in front of him, but Peter doubted if he saw anything.

"Neal, look at me." when the young con looked up Peter spoke up again. "First of all, I'm glad that you decided to talk. This is a mature thing to do when you have problems, and it proves that I wasn't wrong about you from the very beginning. Your heart is in the right place and that brilliant brain of yours is capable of making the right decisions. It's also capable of brining you into the world of trouble, but we'll work on that. Neal, even if you did act foolishly, I forgive you, El forgives you, we all forgive you."

At this moment Neal looked away from Peter, but the agent hadn't finished and catching Neal's chin, he made him look up again.

"I blamed myself too for what happened to you with Adler. I could have held him or…"

"It wasn't your fault Peter! It was just a concourse of circumstances!" exclaimed Neal, not believing his own ears. How could Peter be responsible for that?!

"Exactly. And you know what? I forgave myself. And you should forgive yourself, because our situations are not that different."

Neal had to say, that made sense. It wasn't like he ordered those robbers to attack Peter.

"We need to put the past behind us. We both have certainly learned our lessons. Now it's time to forgive and forget." said Peter.

"I forgive you for everything you've done, Peter. And I'm sorry for everything I've done." replied Neal sincerely.

"I forgive you. And I'm also sorry." answered the agent, not looking for other words, as those were just what they both needed to hear.

For a couple of minutes they were sitting in silence. Not because they didn't know what to say, but because they didn't need to.

"It's so beautiful." said Neal finally breaking the silence, at the same time not taking his eyes away from the sun, which was now much closer to the horizon.

"It is." agreed Peter, looking in the same direction.

They watched as the sun was lazily hiding behind a small cloud, which looked like a fluffy bunny. Neal still wanted to say so many things and Peter still had a lot on his mind, but all of that could wait. They spent too much time hurrying. Now they both needed some tranquility…

Peter was about to continue their talk, when Elizabeth called him, asking to speak with the visitor. Peter sighed and looked at Neal, who nodded, but stayed otherwise still. Neal decided to stay outside just a little longer. At least a part of his worries was gone and it felt like a second breath opened. The wind started blowing stronger and at last Neal went into the house. Walking into the living room, he was surprised to see Mozzie, who was telling something to Peter. The agent looked concerned and when Neal got closer, he understood why, as he heard Mozzie's words.

"Adler is back in New York."

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