A Better Life
peppe1951
Summary: What if Neal had been born in the 1920s to a drunk and abusive father and a caring mother, who died before he turned ten. Neal was forced into a life of crime to survive until he found a better place. The characters from White Collar and NCIS will appear in the story. Warning: Disciplining of a minor. Don't like? Don't read! Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to USA and NCIS belongs to CBS and Paramount; I only write about it.
Prologue:
It was after his Mom's funeral that things went from bad to worse. His father crawled into the nearest bottle as Neal tried to deal with her death; but when he became the punching bag for his father Neal took off to live in the streets.
"Any where is better than here," yelled Neal after being hit in the face by his father….all because he hadn't moved fast enough to get him the bottle he wanted.
"Get it yourself," Neal had cried after being ordered to fetch him another bottle. The back talk had enraged the man who had backhanded Neal causing him to run before he could be hit again. He ran with the shouts of retribution at his back; he was not going back and he didn't. He found an old shack to sleep in and resorted to stealing and rummaging through trash to eat.
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Chapter 1
Moz had been out searching for another partner; the last one had been arrested for pick pocketing a few days ago and he was in need of another one preferably a small one if possible and who was he to see a few days later other than just what he was looking for. The small boy looked like he hadn't had a meal in days and was just hungry enough to try anything.
"Hey," greeted Moz as he started up a conversation with Neal, "my name is Mozzie and you look like you could use a friend and something to eat…am I right?"
Neal had been subsiding on next to nothing as he looked for a new life for himself; one without his abusive father and he hadn't been doing very well. When this kid offered him something to eat he could only nod.
"Well, come along then," offered Moz as he led the way to his hideout, which turned out to be an abandoned building a few streets over. Before long Neal was following him into the poorly furnished building and stopping only when Moz did in a bedroom that looked wonderful to Neal's eyes.
He watched hungrily as Moz pulled out several cans and an old pot which he emptied the cans into before placing it on the open flame in the fireplace; all Neal could think about was the food that was cooking and the smelling of the warm food being dished out to him in an old bowl. It didn't take him long to sit on the floor with the bowl of hot food and to nearly devour it in front of the amused Moz.
"What's your name, kid?" asked Moz.
"Neal…Neal Caffrey."
"Well Neal Caffrey, would you like to join me here?" asked Moz as he filled the bowl back up for a second time.
Neal nodded he was too busy eating to take the time to answer properly.
"Good…but if you join me you are going to have to work to help support us," explained Moz.
"Doing what?" Neal asked after swallowing.
"A little of this and a little of that," replied Moz as the boy continued to eat. "Once you have finished I'll teach you exactly what you can do," and thus began to teach Neal the life of a pick pocket. All too soon Moz realized what a talented student Neal turned out to be. He took to pick pocketing with an ease that you would have thought he was born with and soon he bypassed even Mozzie. It was by chance that Mozzie learned of Neal's talent for drawing and he was able to turn him into a capable forger.
They were living the life of Riley and with the skill of them both the old building started to look like home with more furnishings in the bedrooms the boys lived in. Just when Neal didn't think things could be better he was caught in the very act of pick pocketing and hauled away to jail.
It was there that he met another thief by the name of Tony and they instantly became friends and were able to escape on the way to court.
"Mozzie," yelled Neal as he entered their building, "I brought a friend…his name is Tony…can he stay?"
Mozzie looked the new kid over and soon there were three living and thieving together…a year went by before trouble once again showed its head and Tony and Neal were captured by the head of the New York House of Refuge, Garrett Fowler himself.
"Hello DiNozzo," Fowler said to Tony as he attempted to pick his pocket and causing the young boy to freeze with fear. "You won't get away this time," he added as he took out his cane and began to hit him on his backside fiercely.
Neal seeing that his friend was in trouble threw himself at Fowler and began to kick and bite him and this stopped his assault on his friend; but it was too late for them to get away as the police alerted by the commotion to them in custody. Fowler was able to produce identification and was set free but his testimony doomed the two boys and they were led away.
This time more care was taken and the two boys were eventually led before the judge.
While waiting to see the judge the two boys hatched upon a scheme that they hoped would eventually free them. They looked enough alike with their dark hair that they could be mistaken for brothers. They would try and con the judge into believing that their parents had been killed and they had been forced out on the streets to survive however they could. In fact this had been true for Tony he just included Neal s the younger brother he didn't really have. They just hoped they could convince the judge that hey had only stole to survive.
Judge Matthews was known as a fair judge especially when it came to children. He would rather give a young felon a second chance then to send them to a reformatory. Neal and Tony lucked out when they were led before him.
"What re their names?" Judge asked the officer who had led them in.
"Neal and Tony Caffrey," the officer replied. Tony had decided that his Italian name might be recognized since he had been picked up before. So they decided to use the Neal's last name instead.
"What were they arrested for?"
"Pick pocketing, your honor."
Judge Matthews peered down at the two boys and asked, "why were you two picking pockets; don't you realize that this is considered a form of stealing?"
Tony began to tell the judge about how their parent had died when a cholera epidemic had run through their neighborhood and how their belongings had been burned to keep the epidemic from spreading leaving them with nothing…no parents or shelter or a way to survive. The boys could tell that they had the judge hooked.
"Why didn't you ask for help?"
"We did but no one wanted to help us; they even tried to get us committed to the New York House of Refuge and that was no place for us…we saw the despair and brutality and wanted nothing to do with it…we had no where to go your Honor…and to keep from starving we had no recourse except to steal to stay alive," explained Neal as he took over the explanation.
That had done it; Judge Matthews was convinced that they would be better off in an orphanage with the possibility of their finding parents then to send them off to a reformatory. "Okay, I've listened to all you have to say and have made my decision to send you to the St. John's Orph….," he began to stay when from the back of the room a voice was heard to say,
"Your Honor, I have something to say before you make your final decision!" and Fowler approached the Judge's Bench.
"Who are you and what do you have to say that will change my mind about these two boys?" asked Judge Matthews.
"My name is Garrett Fowler and I'm the Director of the New York House of Refuge, Your Honor and these two are not who they say they are. They are not brothers. The older one is Anthony DiNozzo and the younger is Neal Caffrey; they met in jail where they were both picked up for picking pockets," he explained.
"And how do you know that, sir?"
"I have friends in police stations, sir and I was talking to one is hopes that they could tell me where I could find Tony and he remembers them both being in a cell together. They managed to escape on their way to see the judge and I guess they decided to stay together."
"Continue, please."
"Anthony DiNozzo was picked up for the first time when he was about ten and brought before your predecessor who sentenced him to two years with me; he escaped before I could take custody of him. Neal Caffrey stole a music box from a friend of mine a few months ago and I hope that when I have him in custody I can persuade him to tell me where it is."
"Is what he's saying true, boys?" the judge asked Tony and Neal and could read the dismay in their eyes and realized that they had conned him.
"As much as I hate to do it, with this new information I have no choice but to sentence the two of you to two years at…."
"Your Honor!" and again Judge Matthews judgment was delayed as another voice from the back of the courtroom interrupted the judge.
Judge Matthews looked up to see two individuals wearing badges approach his Bench. "Yes?"
"Judge we would like to offer you another alternative then sending these two to the reformatory," began the older of the two. "My name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs and I am a US Marshal working out of Washington, DC. This is my cousin Peter Burke who is a Deputy Marshal out of the same location," he explained as he showed the judge his credentials as did Burke a minute later.
"What is your alternative because I truly would hate to send these two young boys to the House of Refuge," replied Judge Matthews.
"To adopt them Your Honor and have them become part of our families," replied Burke. "My wife and I are childless and I know that the younger boy, Neal would fit in quite well with Elizabeth and me; and my cousin Jethro already has a young daughter, Kelly who would love having an older brother as much as his wife Shannon would want a son," Peter explained warmly.
Judge Matthews turned to Tony and Neal and asked, "Would you two like to go and live with these two?"
"Yes, sir," Tony and Neal said at once. Anything would be better than the House of Refuge and Fowler. They figured they could give the men the slip later.
"I so order that Neal and Tony Caffrey be placed into the custody of Marshal Gibbs and Deputy Marshal Burke," and slam down his gavel thus making it official and before Fowler could do anything to stop it although he did try.
"Hey, what about the music box he stole?"
Marshal Gibbs turned and said, "Did you see him take the music Box?"
"Well, no but it was taken by a pick pocket in the area he's been known to frequent, it had to be either him or he knows who has it," blustered Fowler.
"That's not evidence enough that the boy took it, Your Honor," entreated Gibbs.
"I agree…Mr. Fowler your claim is dismissed…boys go with the Marshals," Judge Matthews declared as he called for the next case thus ending the proceeding at once.
