TITLE : In Your Eyes
AUTHOR' NOTES : Part of "The Hunter Chronicles". Follows "Someone To Fall Back On". Story inspired by Matt Bomer's birthday.
DISCLAIMER : I don't own any of the publicly recognizable characters. They belong to Jeff Eastin, White Collar writers and USA Network.
SUMMARY : It's Neal Caffrey's birthday and he's in a less than celebratory mood. That is Alex Hunter showed up in his apartment with a surprise gift. (strictly AU/OOC; non-Romance)
WARNING : There isn't a lot of Alex Hunter in this story, but she does play a significant part. Again, if you're allergic to her, I must insist that you stop reading now. If not, then please proceed and I hope you enjoy reading the story.
Neal Caffrey woke up and turned his alarm off. He kept telling himself that today's just another ordinary day. He should do what he normally does on a Saturday. But his friends have other plans, especially June. Neal knew for a fact that she and Elizabeth had planned a surprise dinner party for him and his close friends tonight. It would have been fine if it was just a regular dinner party. It was a birthday dinner...for him.
Neal hated his birthday. Well, hate is a strong word. He just really, really, really don't like it. It's been kind of tough to celebrate, since he's had more than one date of birth that he knew of. Plus, he hadn't exactly thought of any reason why he should celebrate. Then, of course, there was the birthday cake, where you have to make a wish before you blow out the candles. Clearly a con perpetuated by bakeries worldwide, as Mozzie once said.
He was barely out of bed, when he heard a knock on the door. He sighed and put on a robe over his pajamas. It was probably June, here to ask if he's doing anything tonight. Neal didn't have the heart to tell her that Mozzie had already ruined the 'surprise' part of the party. He put his best smile on his face before he opened the door.
To say that he was surprised to find what...or rather who...was on the other side of the door, would've been a grave understatement. It was Alex, with a warm smile on her face. One hand was holding a pink pastry box, while the other, held the hand of a blue-eyed little boy. Their son, Nicholas. He had a huge red balloon tied to his wrist.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" the two greeted him in unison.
Neal didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. "Thank you! Please, come in." he told them.
"Were you surprised?" Nicholas asked him.
"Yes, I was very surprised." Neal answered. With a hand over his heart, he looked at Alex and mouthed the words 'Thank you'.
Alex smiled in return. "You're welcome." she replied. "These are for you." she gave him the pink pastry box.
Neal opened the box and grinned widely when he saw the contents. "Cupcakes!" he said.
"I didn't know what you liked, so I told Mama to bake the same cupcakes she makes for my birthday...red velvet cupcakes with white chocolate frosting. I hope you like it." Nicholas told him.
"Those are actually my favorite kind." Neal said, as he set the box down at the dining table.
Nicholas looked at Alex and smiled. "You hear that, Mama? We like the same cupcakes!" he told her.
"Yes, I heard." Alex replied. "Go sit on the sofa over there, while Neal and I have a chat." she told him.
"Are you going to talk about me?" the little boy asked, his eyes twinkling.
"Of course, we are." she answered.
"Okay." Nicholas said. "May I watch the telly, please?" he asked politely.
"Sure you can." Neal replied.
He led the boy to the living room, and turn on the television for him. He switch the channel to one of the few kids network that he knew. Luckily enough, The Muppet Show was just starting.
"Breki!" Nicholas exclaimed.
"Breki?" Neal asked. He saw Nicholas point to the frog. "Oh, you mean Kermit?" he said.
Nicholas shook his head. "Breki." he insisted.
"Kermit is called 'Breki' where we're from." Alex clarified.
"Okay." Neal said. He turned to Nicholas. "Enjoy 'Breki'." he told him.
Neal went back to the kitchen with Alex. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off of Nicholas. His son was actually there, in his apartment, in his living room watching TV. His smile widely when he heard his little boy laugh.
Alex cleared her throat to get his attention. "Neal...he knows." she said.
Neal turn to face her. "He knows? You told him?" he asked.
Alex shook her head. "He figured it out. He asked me for confirmation. But he already knew." she answered. "He told me that it felt 'right'." she added. She stared at Neal to gauge his reaction. "I guess it's official, Caffrey...you're a father." she told him.
Neal's eyes sparkled and his smile grew wider when he heard those words. "I'm a father!" he repeated. He leaned closer and pulled Alex to a tight embrace.
"Nicholas!" she exclaimed, and pulled away from Neal and rushed over to where her son was.
The little boy was standing at the balcony, looking up. "This will do." he said.
Neal joined them at the balcony. "It's alright. The whole place is child-proof." he assured Alex. He turned to Nicholas. "What do you mean, 'this will do'?" he asked.
Nicholas rushed inside the apartment and was back moments later. He had a pen and paper on one hand, and the big red balloon on the other. "For this!" he said. He handed him the pen and paper. "Write down your birthday wish." he told him.
Neal hesitated at first, but started writing at the urge of his son. "Now what?" he asked.
Nicholas took the piece of paper from him, and folded it seven times. Then, he tied the paper at the end of the balloon's string and handed the balloon to Neal. "Here." he said. Neal accepted the balloon. "Now let it go." he told him. Neal did as he was told. Together, they watched as the balloon flew away. Nicholas looked at Neal. "Once the balloon reaches the sky, your wish will come true." he explained.
"Oh!" Neal replied, as he looked at Alex, who watched them with great amusement. He turned his attention back to Nicholas. He leaned closer till he was at eye level with the little boy. "I think your balloon was psychic...my wish already came true." he whispered. He stared into Nicholas' eyes and the boy's expression mirrored his.
They all went back inside the apartment, and was about to have some cupcakes, when Neal heard a knock at the door. He excused himself to answer it. He opened the door, and there stood June.
"Neal, darling, I was wondering if you had made any plans for tonight-" June paused when she saw realized that they weren't alone. She already knew Alex...that wasn't the surprise. No, she was startled to see the little boy in the room...and his astounding resemblance to Neal.
"I want you to meet someone." Neal said, as he ushered her in. They walked towards the living room. "Nicholas, I'd like to introduce you to a good friend of mine, Miss June Ellington." he told the boy. "June, I'd like you to meet Nicholas Hunter...my son." he revealed. Neal felt ecstatic when he heard himself say those words out loud.
June looked at Nicholas, then at Alex, and then at Neal, her eyes glistened with tears. "He's beautiful!" she said.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Ellington." the boy politely replied.
"The pleasure is all mine, Nicholas." June told him. "But you mustn't call me 'Miss Ellington'...it's too formal." she said. "We're family, my little darling. You call me 'Grammy'." she instructed.
"Grammy." Nicholas repeated, as he looked over to his mother. "Did you hear that, Mama? I have a Grammy!" he told her.
"Yes, Moonbeam, I heard." Alex answered. She looked at June. "You're too kind." she told her, with great sincerity.
"Like I said...we're family." June replied, before giving Alex a hug.
"We were just about to have some cupcakes, would you like to join us, Grammy?" Nicholas invited her.
"I would love to, my dear...but I'm afraid I can't. Those thing are bad for me. I blame old age." June replied.
"You're not old...you're beautiful." Nicholas told her.
June laughed out loud. "Oh, you really are your father's son!" she said. "I have some ice cream in the freezer downstairs, would you like to have some. " she asked the kid.
Nicholas looked to Alex for permission, and she nodded. He turned to June. "Yes, please." he answered.
"Fantastic! I'll have it sent up here." June said.
"Nicholas...what do you say, baby?" Alex asked her son.
"Thank you, Grammy." Nicholas told June.
"You're most welcome, my dear." June replied.
June excused herself, and Neal walked her to the door. Before she left, she turned to face him. "He really is beautiful, Neal." she said. "Such an adorable and charming little boy." she added.
"You'll get no argument from me." Neal told her.
"I assume you already know about the dinner party tonight?" she asked him.
"Yes, I do." he answered.
She looked over at Nicholas and Alex. "I understand if you can't make it. After all, you have important people to attend to." June was giving him an out.
"I'll be there." Neal promised, and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
After June left, Neal returned to the kitchen. Nicholas had already started eating one of the cupcakes. Neal chuckled as he watched Alex wipe away the frosting from the kid's cheeks.
Nicholas turned to face him. "I like it here." he told Neal. "Can I stay here?" he asked.
Neal coughed and cleared his throat. He looked at Alex nervously.
Nicholas noticed his unease, and giggled. "I didn't mean LIVE here!" he clarified. "I mean stay here for the day...so we can be together on your birthday." he said.
"Oh...sure!" Neal replied. "If it's alright with your mother." he turned to look at Alex.
Alex looked at both father and son. Both of them had the exact same expression. The puppy dog eyes...the charming smile...the gorgeous dimples. Alex knew when she was being double-teamed. And she also knew that resistance is futile.
"Alright...fine!" she relented. "You can spend the day with him..." she told Neal. "But I'll be back tonight to pick you up." she said to Nicholas.
Neal and Nicholas both jumped from joy. "You won't regret this." Neal told Alex.
"I already do." Alex replied. "He's allergic to soy, cucumbers and blue cheese."she informed him. She went through her purse to retrieve something. Once she found it, she handed him the pen-like object.
"What is that?" Neal asked.
"It's an epinephrine auto-injector...just in case you forget." Alex replied.
"I won't forget." Neal said to her. But Alex insisted, until Neal took the pen. "Alright, but he won't be needing it." he assured her.
"Uh huh." Alex said.
"I'll keep him safe, Alex. Nothing bad will happen to him...not on my watch." Neal promised.
"Good." Alex replied. "Because if I come back tonight and find one hair out of place...you and I, we're gonna some issues." she warned him. With that, she took her purse and leaned to kiss Nicholas. "See you later, Moonbeam." she said.
"Later, Mama." Nicholas replied.
Alex walked towards the door, but turned back. "Behave yourself." she said.
"I always do." Nicholas reminded her.
"I was talking to your father, Moonbeam." she said with a smile, before turning to leave.
After Alex left, Nicholas turned to face his father, and stared him directly in the eye. "We are going to have so much fun." he declared, with a playful grin and a twinkle in his eyes.
Neal actually gulped when he saw Nicholas' expression. He had a feeling that this was going to be a long and adventurous day.
~END OF CHAPTER ONE~
FOOTNOTES :
*Well, there you go. The moment you've been waiting for. It's official...Neal Caffrey's a daddy! ;)
*Neal does have more than one DOB listed in WC...one in October, one in November, and another one in March.
*In Hungary, Kermit the Frog is called 'Breki'.
*It just felt right that June should be the first one to meet Nicholas. Plus, she knows how to keep a secret.
*What do you think...should Mozzie meet Nicholas as well?
*What kind of fun does Nicholas have in store for Neal? Stay tuned.
*Many thanks for reading this chapter. If you like it, please feel free to leave comments and kudos.