I have not wrote in a long time due to a death in the family recently. Well I have just gotten back into the mood to write so decided to do a story that I have had a few requests for from my stories about Neal and Peter being brothers.

Many wanted to read what it would have been like if Neal and Peter had grown up together. So I am going to write a series of dreams about what life would have been like for a young Neal and Peter. Each Chapter will be one dream but this first chapter just sets up how the dreams occur.

If you would like to read about something specific from their youth just let me know and I will work it in.

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"Mrs. Burke, I'm Agent Nick Daniels."

Elizabeth's fingers tightened around her cell phone, the very phone she had been waiting for Peter to call on moments ago. Her breathing quickened to match the pace of her heart as it beat furiously in her chest. Suddenly she was fully aware of the uncontrollable trembling in her hands, she stiffened and her teeth clenched as she attempted to stop the unwelcomed tremors, but her efforts failed her.

She knew the second she opened the door this was the one thing she had feared the most. There was obvious hesitation in the man as he spoke. She could even see the pity in his eyes. She wanted to just step back and slam the door sealing him and the news he was there to deliver outside. Would that make it any less real?

"There was an incident this afternoon and your husband has been shot. He's been taken to the hospital." The man continued.

She gasped and her hand released its grip on her cell phone and rose to cover her mouth. The phone dropped to the floor as if she had just released her grip on hope. Hope that Peter would call to tell her he was safe, that everything had gone as planned and the fears she had for him that morning, were unwarranted.

After a few seconds of silence she swallowed and realizing that the agent had mentioned hospital she let her hand slowly float away from her mouth. "How bad is he?"

"I'm not sure of all the details but he was being taken to the St. Andrews hospital. Would you like a ride there?" He motioned to the black sedan parked in front of their town house.

She nodded and bent down to retrieve her phone. As she stood back she looked at the agent. "Neal, I need to call and tell Neal."

"Neal already knows, he was with Peter." He sounded so patient and kind as he spoke.

She nodded again she knew that, she must be in shock. She turned and grabbed her purse hanging from the coat rack behind the door and followed the agent to his car.

As she walked into the Emergency Waiting Room she was greeted by Neal. His hair was disheveled and there was a tinge of blue on his left cheek where a bruise was beginning to form. His tie was loose around his neck and the two top buttons of his dress shirt were undone. Her eyes fixated on a large red stain on his collar. Blood she thought. "Where is he?"

Neal saw her staring at his bloodied shirt and knew she what she was thinking. He extended his arms and wrapped them around her. "He's in surgery, he'll be okay, he's a fighter."

She found some comfort in his words but she craved more. "What happened?"

"We were working under cover and the guy we were after was onto us so he set a trap. None of us could have known." Neal pulled away and gently guided Elizabeth to one of the chairs in the waiting room.

She sat down and felt a tear fall from her eye. She hadn't even realized it had been there. "I told him I had a bad feeling about this one."

"He's going to make it, Peter's to stubborn to give up this easy." Neal gave a half smile.

She took a deep breath and felt her lungs expand almost to full capacity. She exhaled slowly and her trembling began to weaken for the first time since she answered the door. "I know." She whispered as the air escaped her lungs.

Elizabeth and Neal both kept a close eye on the digital clock over the nurse's station. Four hours had passed and they still had no word on Peter's condition. Even the multiple times Neal had requested for information from one of the passing nurses only resulted in, "He's still in surgery, as soon as we know something we will let you know."

Time kept passing slowly, ten minutes felt like an hour, an hour felt like an entire day. The no news was good news didn't seem to ring true in this case.

All the commotion in the emergency room didn't seem to faze either of them. A baby screamed with a high fever on one side of the room, while a little boy that looked to be no more than 3 or 4 threw his toys at anyone that dared walk within range, the mother did little more to stop him than repeatedly yell, "Tommy No" or the occasional "1… 2… 3" countdown that resulted in her doing absolutely nothing. Not even a tyrant toddler could pull them from their thoughts.

Every time they heard the swinging doors open and saw a doctor dressed in scrubs emerge they would stand and watch as he scanned the room looking for the family of his patient, it was always someone else. They would then return to their seats with a wave of disappointment that they were becoming accustomed to.

Neal closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind him. He sighed and felt his fatigue threaten to take control. Suddenly he felt something hit his leg. He opened his eyes and looked down. A small blue ball was rolling away from his feet. His eyes trailed up and he saw the little boy, Tommy standing only a few feet away. He was laughing and reaching for the ball again. "Tommy, come here. Now!" His mother waived from her seat. Yet she did not attempt to put down her Vogue magazine, nor did she show even the slightest sign she would get up to retrieve the boy. She just continued to order him to come then she started the countdown. "Tommy, 1… 2…!" She seemed to avoid three, probably because that would require her to actually do something. Instead she ordered again "Tommy, don't make me count to three."

Tommy ignored her, he seemed to be immune to this parental countdown, he retrieved the ball and without a moment of hesitation he threw it at Neal again. This time Neal caught the ball he leaned forward and gently tossed it into the air with one hand and catching it with the other. He looked at the little boy and smiled.

Tommy's eyes were wide as he watched Neal toss the ball again as he stood to his feet, this time catching it behind his back.

Neal placed the ball on the back of his hand he began to move his hand beneath the ball rolling it front to back, side to side, all the while keeping it perfectly balanced. The boy's eyes were wide. "Cool." He said as he watched Neal float the small ball along his hand. With a flick of his wrist it was in the air again and landing softly in the palm of his hand. He knelt down to look the boy in the eyes and handed the ball to him. "Practice."

Tommy quickly took the ball and nodded. "I will." He ran back to his mother, who became completely engulfed in her magazine yet again apparently forgetting about the child she brought with her, and he began tossing the ball in the air and trying to catch it before it fell to the ground.

Neal returned to his seat. Elizabeth grinned. "You're really good with kids, is there anything you're not good at?"

Neal smiled and his head slowly bobbed. "Yeah, following orders."

They both laughed and it was the first time since they had been in the emergency room that they felt anything other than worry. It had been enough to distract them and they had not noticed the Doctor who came through the double doors a few seconds before.

"Burke Family?" He was asking as he looked at them unsure he had the right people.

Elizabeth and Neal both stood to their feet in surprise. "Yes." They said in unison.

"I'm Dr. Tolith. You're husband did well during surgery. Thankfully the bullet missed any vital organs, we did have to repair some muscle and ligament damage to his shoulder but he should be fine."

Elizabeth gasped in relief, "Oh thank goodness."

Neal rubbed her back and smiled. "See, I told you he's a fighter."

"He's being moved to a room now, it will probably be a little while before he wakes up but you can go in and see him as soon as we get him settled."

"Thank you doctor." Elizabeth reached out and hugged the doctor, he didn't seem to mind, he was probably used to the sudden outburst of emotion from people, physical contact included.

After a few minutes had gone by a nurse escorted them both to Peter's room.

When they walked in they saw Peter on the bed, he looked like he was sleeping peacefully. A monitor beside him was beeping rhythmically as it tracked his vitals. Elizabeth was happy to hear that sound. She walked over and squeezed Peter's hand tightly. "You really scared us this time hon."

Neal stood at the foot of the bed and watched Peter. His eyes rapidly moving beneath his eyelids. Neal furrowed his brow. "It looks like he's dreaming."

"He probably is." Dr. Tolith said as he entered the room. He walked over and began adjusting a dial on one of the machines. "Often when someone is waking from anesthesia they have very vivid dreams. So vivid some even have trouble deciphering reality from their dreams when they wake up."

Elizabeth still gripping her husband's hand looked from the doctor back to Peter. Now noticing his rapid eye movement. "What's going on in there Peter?" She squeezed his hand.

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The next chapter will start Peter's Dreams. I will probably post it tomorrow. Hope you enjoy, and I have not abandoned my other story I just have not had the inspiration to write in in yet.