Author note: This story was supposed to be written for Reverse Big Bang in 2015. Long long time ago. I actually wrote 99% of the story before I got totally blocked and RL put writing in the drawer. Now I finally finished.

This story is for Aragarna who requested it at RBB and waited so patiently for me to finally end it. I hope you like it Ara!

Spoilers: White Collar from Season Four, Person of Interest from Season Two

Banner Designs: Aragarna

Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to Jeff Eastin, USA Network and FOX, Person of Interest belongs Jonathan Nolan and CBS. I'm just borrowing the characters for fun.

"Nine-one-one, operator twenty-three, what is your emergency?"

"Shots fired at 118 West 85th Street. My friend is hurt."

"Sir…"

Some days earlier

John Reese was not someone that got attached to people. Not in his line of work, not with his baggage. And yet after he met Harold, it changed. Gradually, week after week he started to care about his employer, that became his friend.

Helping people, when they are about to die, or in worse cases, be the one to kill, was a dangerous job. But John needed to have a purpose, a goal in life. He was thankful to Harold for giving him one. Now it was time to return a favor. Not that Harold lost a goal in life, that came long before John even knew him. When Harold first started to try to help people he got the number for the Machine. But now, after frantic Root kidnapped him. Harold became wary and afraid. He also didn't leave the library, the center of his normal operations, for the past three weeks. It was John that for these past few weeks received their numbers to help. To him has also fallen the responsibility to get out with Bear, the dog he took off crazy gang members.

So this is what brought John to Washington Square Park in the morning, the only place that Harold drank tea from. He knows the cart driver by name, and always gave a hefty tip for his drink. The park was also a place when he usually got the call from the Machine.

Apparently not today. He took Harold's tea, and his coffee and went into the library to check on his friend. When left too long on his own, he tends to get obsessed with people they weren't able to help.

"Finch?" He called out at the entrance. Usually, Bear will come by to say hello, or Harold would call out a greeting. But space had this empty feeling, that he knew meant no one was there. "Finch?" he called again entering the main room where Harold's computer equipment stand. It was empty. Setting beverages he brought with him to the table, John smiled faintly. Now everything will be coming back to the norm.

Turning he was ready to leave when the door opened, and Harold together with Bear came in. "Ah, Mister Reese, good to see you." He greeted John with a slight smile, and little restraint he showed since his abduction.

"Harold. How are you doing today?" John nodded. Observing Finch intently. He was still moving a little bit slower than before. The limp was more pronounced and his small frame more bent too. He was still hurting, but at least he started to take the dog out, little progress.

"We have a new number," Finch answered instead.

Peter's first day back at the office was a mix of happiness and mind-numbing paperwork. Although, he welcomed it much more than the evidence cataloging in the Cave. Not to mention being back where he belonged, and where he could still watch out for Neal.

The information that he shared with him during their picnic break was still heavy on his mind. Neal's father, mother, Ellen, the witness protection program. It was something he never suspected, although it explained a lot. Especially Neal Caffrey having no records before his 18th birthday. His eyes moved to check on Neal, slumped over a set of his paperwork to fill.

Peter's gut was nagging at him. There was still something going on, and this something had to do with Neal past. It was something he would need to investigate. Ellen was obviously still in the program. Which meant, the danger they were in, was still as actual, as it was thirty years ago when they were placed in it.

Maybe he could meet again with Ellen to get some insight on what to look out for? Neal getting to her place the first time caused the Marshals to move here somewhere else and put into heavy protection. He had no doubt that she would be soon moved again. Especially when Collins, and then himself showed up at her door. New York stopped being a safe place for her.

The question was, was it still a safe place for Neal?

A soft knock on the door snapped his attention back to the office. Neal didn't even wait for an entering call, just went in and sat on the chair opposite Peter.

"Got the paperwork done. Diana will give it to you when she checks if I didn't miss anything, but only your piece is missing."

Peter nodded. Neal smiled his con-man smile, and Peter's gut clenched. It was never a good sign.

"Can I leave earlier today? I have a date with a charming older lady." Blue eyes twinkled with mischief.

"June back from visiting her daughter?" She left just a few days after Peter brought Neal back from Cape Verde.

This time the smile, that Neal served, was genuine. "No, she is supposed to be there for the next two weeks."

"Ah, that leaves Ellen. You want to get as much as possible about your father before she is moved again."

"How did? Never mind, yes and I hope she will be more open now and tell me some details. There is something fishy about the story she told me the first time, and I want to know more." Neal admitted, little reluctant. He promised Peter the truth and honestly, he was trying to keep his word. But he was afraid that his actions might put Peter, or Elizabeth, in crossfires again.

"Just be careful. And Neal promise me whatever you will learn that you will just not go on his own to dig things up. People have not put in witness protection, and stay in it for thirty years, without a good reason." He could see the gears running in Neal's head. Trying to come up with an answer that will be a technical truth, and at the same not admitting or promising anything at all. "And no asking Mozzie behind my back to help you check it."

This time, Neal chuckled. It was sometimes scary how Peter could predict his next move. "All right, I if I learn anything I will come, with it, to you first."

But that wasn't exactly what Peter needed to hear. "I'm serious Neal. Whatever is going on, be careful and don't go looking for trouble. My gut is saying something wrong is going on."

This time Neal nodded, he put Peter in enough trouble already. The famous gut helped to get both of them out of them, or at least was a great detector of what was coming. If only Peter were more often inclined to share his gut feeling. Or when Neal wasn't blinded by the rush of the con to listen to his friend.

"I promise," Neal said, absolutely serious. And he meant it too.

Peter was silent for a second too long, his eyes still firmly set on Neal as it trying to read him better. "Fine, now get the hell out of here, and give my regards to Ellen." He waved him off, his attention shifting back to paperwork before the conman even left his office.

John usually didn't have time to observe how Harold worked. He knew it involved a lot of computer screens, typing super fast on a keyboard. All usually ending in breaking into top secret databases, helping identify their number. Or sometimes help save their lives. This time, he helped first to decipher the number.

He found out how it was done when Harold stopped getting out. The numbers, or rather coded numbers, were provided to him instead. But that took barely five minutes. The rest of the time he spent playing with Bear and observing his friend work. John was a patient man, but he was also more a man of action.

"Huh," Harold grunted before the screen. His fingers stopping the tap, tap rhythm.

"Harold, did you find something?"

"Apparently our number is Katheryn Hill." He typed again, and printer set on a small table behind him started to work.

"Who according to all databases I checked…"

Pushing his chair Finch turned to get the printout, and just as the chair stopped he stood up. John joined him by the board they usually put most of the information they could find.

"… have no digital footprint since 1982."

John put tape on top of the photo, securing it in one place. A thirty-year-old photo of a young woman, she was probably in her late twenties or early thirties. In her green eyes, he could see a spark of stubbornness and character.

"Any idea what happened to her and why she disappeared?" John followed his friend back to his computer.

"Well so far no, but I will dig more and call you as soon as I know. It might have something to do that she was a cop and her partner was arrested for murder. Why don't you take Bear for another walk and bring some tea, I need to break into a few other databases."

All that remained for John was really either sit again and observe his friend. Who once again was intently looking at the screens, his fingers moving with incredible speed over a keyboard. Or he could take Bear out again. Secure not only some tea for Harold and coffee for himself but maybe something to snack on too. There was this nice bakery, few blocks away - The Greatest Cake - that he liked to visit.

It didn't take long, and he was on his way back when comm in his ear cracked lightly when the connection was established.

"Mister Reese, it looks like our number is in Witness Protection. She arrested her partner for murder. Then disappeared into protection soon after he admitted guilt. She was moved to St. Louis where she was for seventeen years. After that, she moved first to San Francisco, then only a few years later to New York. She is now known as Ellen Parker."

"So she might be in danger because of something that happened in the past. Do you have an address for me?"

"I will have it when you get back, there are still few things to check. If it's related to her status as a protected witness. Something terrible might happen not only to her but also to other people that were placed with her."

"I see you in five."

"I brought you something." The brown bag was set slowly beside Harold's' arm. He was so engrossed in finding information about Kathryn, or rather Ellen that he didn't hear John and Bear coming back.

"Is that the famous fresh chocolate au pain from The Greatest Cake?" Without waiting for an answer, Harold was opening the bag, inhaling deeply. Well, John didn't have to answer now. While Harold ate his pastry, he took a look on the board. Another picture joined the one of young Kathryn, Ellen Parker presumably. She might be 30 years older, but the eyes were the same shape and color.

"When I got to her new name it wasn't so difficult to find out where she lives, and how she looks now."

"So where am I going?"

"Roosevelt Island, she lives in apartment 14 E on 4221 Main Street."

"I'll keep you posted."

Just after Neal visited Ellen for that first time on Roosevelt Island, she was moved to a new location. They gave her time to take the basics, but everything else she had to leave behind. Not for the first time, but it was a few years since that happened last, and she wasn't that young person anymore that could be uprooted within hours.

But her new place wasn't bad, and what was important close enough for Neal to be able to visit without Peter Burke to tag along. After his return from the Island, Neal told her a lot of his history with Peter. Oh, she knew he arrested him. But Peter, in his quest to find Neal and bring him back to New York, didn't tell her everything. Besides, there were always two sides to the story.

Sitting on the stairs she enjoyed the summer weather. "Ellen!" Neal's happy voice averted her attention from a gardening catalog. There were a few big pots before stairs, and she hoped she will be here long enough to plant something new.

"Neal." She hugged him, or maybe this time he hugged her. The tension in his back that she felt that first time was still there. She wondered if there was anything she could do to help ease it someday.

"Come one in, I've made sun tea. You're going to love it. And you can tell me what got you so tensed up." Flashing a smile that would make any conman abide by any request she led him to her new home.

"What about the Marshals, won't they move you just because I came by, again?"

She took him to the kitchen and beside tea also provided his favorite childhood cookies. Sitting beside him she smiled again.

"Oh no, we all know this is just a temporary place, and as soon as they find me a new one I will be gone."

"And they will probably move you out of state."

"Most probably, you know we were in witness protection for a reason, and it still is valid."

"Ellen, I need to find out more. I need to know if… if I'm my father's son, and all the bad that he has done, am I like him?"

"Oh dear. No, listen to me. You are not an evil person, you made some mistakes, and from what Agent Burke told me you paid for them, and… " she playfully kicked the anklet "you are still paying for it. But you never would do what he did."

"Murder someone."

"Yes."

"But I almost did."

That was something she didn't expect, the raw pain in his eyes, the sadness and realization that in some way he was his father's son.

"But you didn't. Neal, you have a good heart, and I know you would do many, not so legal things, but you are not a murder. Not in cold blood like James was."

"What happened? Ellen, I need to know. We wouldn't be put in witness protection just because he killed someone."

"No, we wouldn't, but Neal this is much more complicated and still dangerous, it's better to let the topic lie and not coming back to it."

"Ellen, I need to know. Truth."

It wasn't something she wanted to share. Even now after thirty years she still wanted to keep him safe. But the last time it didn't end so well either. The truth had consequences, and she wasn't sure either she or Neal could face them. She was afraid that the truth still wasn't safe.

She smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and a smile that Peter Burke would recognize in an instant. A conman smile.

"I will tell you before I'm gone. There is someone else that you should talk about it too."

"Peter?"

"No. Although I think it might help you later when you know more. But before that, my friend Sam, he helped me with the investigation." She winked at him, receiving a relieved smile in return. "On the side. He will be probably able to tell you a little bit more. But I need to contact him first and see where he is. He is working undercover and communication is sparse."

"Do you know when they are moving you?"

"Not yet, but if they do that before I get some news from Sam, I'm sure we can come up with a way to communicate."

"Oh, I know just the person. Next time I will bring Mozzie with me, I'm sure you will like him."

"Mozzie? Why don't tell me more about him, while I make us something more substantial than cookies? What would you say for Cornish hen?"

Neal's smile was almost blinding with happiness. "It's my favorite."

She laughed. "I know."