Special thanks to ansel for planting the seed for this story and for her wonderful original art work.
On the Outside, Looking In
(Week 16)
Chapter 1
Neal moaned as he drifted through that fleeting and unsettling state of consciousness, somewhere on the continuum between blissful sleep and rude awakening. He could hear the sound of retching off in the distance and he sat up abruptly, coming to as reality finally kicked in. Regrettably, the all-too-familiar sounds coming from the bathroom had become common place lately, although with each passing day he'd dared to hope it would be the last. He padded over to the bathroom, taking a quick detour to grab a glass of water from the kitchen sink and he made his way to the back of the apartment. He stood in the doorway to the bathroom waiting patiently and taking in the unfortunate yet recurring scene before his eyes: Sara Ellis, leaning over the toilet bowl while her body heaved uncontrollably.
After ten solid weeks of morning sickness, Neal and Sara had finally found a happy medium between him rushing to her side – which made Sara uncomfortable – and having to stay away completely – which made him uncomfortable. He waited the obligatory few seconds until his girlfriend composed herself and sat back on her heels, indicating the worst of it was over and he bridged the gap between them, letting himself fall on the floor behind her and handing her the glass of water.
She looked up bleary-eyed, her face red and puffy and gave him a weak smile.
'Aren't you tired of this routine?' she asked, her voice hoarse
'Not as much as you are' he answered with a small encouraging smile
Sara took the glass from his hand and brought it to her lips while Neal slid back, settling up against the wall and inviting her to let herself fall back against him. She was breathing roughly, still recuperating from the efforts associated with emptying her topsy-turvy stomach and she willingly let herself lean back against Neal's chest, his arms opening to welcome her. She burped noisily and laughed out loud, unable to help herself – at this point, it was better than crying.
'Quite the sexy girlfriend you've got there, Caffrey' she said in a self-deprecatory tone
'I'm not complaining' Neal responded, letting his arms slide around her waist and settling his hand on her ever expanding baby bump
Neal loved her burgeoning belly and he took every opportunity to run his hands over it, feeling its now familiar and comforting roundness and fullness as well as its amazing significance. His laptop had 13 different pregnancy websites on his 'favorites' list which he navigated daily, getting all the information anyone could ever possibly want on the various stages of pregnancy and he reported diligently every night as they prepared to fall asleep. Of course, that didn't keep him from prattling on at all hours of the day to anyone who would care to listen including, to their utter chagrin, Mozzie, Peter and all of his co-workers at the White Collar Unit.
'I'm sorry you have to go through this every day' he whispered in her ear, his tone empathetic
'It's not your fault I'm in the minority of women who are still having morning sickness at week 16' she said, letting her head drop back on his shoulder
She felt him flinch and she instinctively pulled forward in response; Neal had suffered a gunshot wound to the shoulder three weeks earlier and although it had been no more than a graze really, certain movements still caused him discomfort – though he tried to downplay it for Sara's sake.
'Still hurts, huh?' she asked as she placed her hand on top of his on her belly
'Barely' Neal answered, pulling her back in to continue the impromptu snuggle
The couple had experienced a very tumultuous beginning to Sara's pregnancy. Back in early August, she'd found herself smack dab in the middle of a nasty recovery and she'd suffered a broken arm, a concussion and bruised ribs. Just three weeks ago, she'd ended up in hospital again with a placental abruption and Dr. Cooper had ordered her to take a week off work to rest and recuperate. Add to that the fact that Neal had gotten shot during the takedown on the Moretti case and they'd barely had a chance to settle into a 'normal' pattern of preparing for parenthood.
'I don't feel like going to work' Sara whined as she ran her hand languidly over Neal's, an unusual admission for the typically overzealous insurance investigator
'Why don't I see if I can get a day off later this week and we can do something special together?' Neal suggested, kissing the top of her head
Since the Moretti case, things had been quiet at the office, Neal spending his days going over old cases and the usual, boring mortgage frauds. Surely Peter wouldn't begrudge his CI a day off to spend with his pregnant girlfriend after all the extra hours he'd put in lately.
'I don't know, Neal... I've only been back to work a couple of weeks' she said wistfully
'I think Sterling Bosch owes you a lot more than a couple of days off, don't you?' Neal reasoned
'O-kay' she answered slowly as a smile slowly returned to her face
It would be nice to spend some time together for a change, she thought, maybe do lunch, go shopping or just hang out watching old movies, reconnecting after a busy few weeks.
'I do need some maternity clothes...' she said turning to gauge Neal's reaction
Neal, Mr. Metrosexual, loved shopping and he gave her a big smile in response. He loved to help Sara choose clothing and unbeknownst to her, he'd already picked up a number of outfits he'd squirreled away in their large walk in closet and he was just waiting for the right moment to surprise her with them.
'Sure. And we could visit that new kids' boutique down by the art district' he added excitedly
Their small apartment was already overrun with baby clothes – although they were still in the dark about the baby's sex and Sara cringed every time she saw Neal arriving with another new purchase.
'Neal, you've got to stop buying clothes, we're not even going to know the sex of the baby for a couple of weeks yet' she said
He jostled her and kissed her neck as a means of diversion.
'You just let me... spoil our baby' he said, finally
He'd gotten Mozzie to liquidate some of his 'assets' and he was having a hoot walking into the various kids' boutiques in Manhattan and buying whatever his little heart desired, usually on a whim. He hadn't told Sara yet but he'd been hoarding stuff in a second floor bedroom that June had made available for him. It was chock full of toys and unisex clothing and Neal smiled at the thought – he couldn't wait to show Sara all the great loot he'd gotten.
'Feeling better?' he asked as his hands slowly began to wander to other parts of her body, his intentions now shifting from wanting to comfort her to something entirely different
'Huh, huh' Sara answered as she smiled naughtily and turned to face him
WCWCWC
Peter watched as Neal strolled in to the White Collar Unit with a wide grin on his face and a spring in his step.
'Neal! You're late!' he said harshly as he greeted his CI
Neal's face grew serious and he gave his boss an eye roll, hoping for some indulgence; after all, it wasn't his habit to be late.
'Oh' Peter relented as he took in the look on Neal's face 'Was Sara sick again this morning?'
Neal nodded, playing it up – Peter didn't need to know that Sara was feeling anything but 'sick' by the time he'd finished giving her some Caffrey loving right there on their bathroom floor.
'The morning sickness... it's just not letting up' Neal said, his face solemn
'Aww, that's really too bad' Peter answered sincerely
He was more than pleased to see Neal settling into a more domestic way of life and far be it from him to stand between a man and his pregnant girlfriend especially when said girlfriend was Sara Ellis – but he was wise to Neal's tricks after three years of sharing his daily life with the conman.
'Look, the Museum of Modern Art sending in someone to meet with us at eleven. You want to sit in?' Peter asked
He had a feeling he might be needing his CI's insight on this new case, although the details were sketchy for the time being- something about paintings from their newly acquired collection of Mayan art.
'Yeah, sure.' Neal answered with his usual enthusiasm. Anything was better than facing that pile of never ending files waiting for him on his desk.
Peter prepared to return to his office and stopped suddenly, turning towards his partner and he pointed an accusatory finger at Neal.
'Oh, and Neal – you should know better than to use Sara's delicate condition to cover up your early morning romp in the sheets' he said as he turned on his heels and walked away
WCWCWC
'So? Any plans for tonight?' Neal asked as he stopped by Jones' desk on his way back from fetching coffee
'My mom's in town so I'm taking her out to a Broadway show' Jones said, his eyes still riveted on his computer screen
'Nice. You should take her to dinner at Nerai, over on 54th. Their tuna tartare is out of this world' Neal said as he propped himself up on the edge of Clinton's desk to continue the conversation
'You don't know my mom, Caffrey. Pizza or fried chicken is more her thing' Jones said as he looked up
'Well...tuna tartare is an acquired taste, I suppose' Neal admitted, realizing his suggestion hadn't been very useful 'But John's Pizza in Times Square has this amazing brick oven...'
Neal could be counted on to have unlimited suggestions about restaurants and entertainment venues in the wider New York area, a testament to the high life he once lived and still strived for.
'Thanks Caffrey' Jones answered 'We might just give that a try'
'Neal!' the men heard from up above
Peter stood on the promenade, looking down sternly at his crew and he pointed in the direction of the conference room.
'Looks like I'm being summoned' Neal said as he stood to follow the sound of his master's voice
He sauntered up the steps, noticing a woman already seated in the conference room. She must have slipped by him while he was getting his coffee – Neal's face tensed; he prided himself on being aware of all new arrivals in their offices. He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him as instructed by Peter who was standing at the head of the table, poised to make the introductions.
'Neal, this is Roseanne Lebeau, she's one of the curators at the MoMA' he said as the woman rose to take Neal's hand
'Ah, the infamous Neal Caffrey' she said with a definite French accent as he smiled his megawatt smile at her
She was a very classy looking lady, in her mid to late forties, Neal guessed, with a lot of grace and poise and in some strange way, she reminded him of June.
'C'est un plaisir de faire votre connaissance' Neal said, obviously trying to impress the woman by showing off his knowledge of the language of Molière
She smiled, a small smile, not the one he was hoping for - the one he usually got when he hit a home run and impressed the hell out of unsuspecting marks, especially women. He drew back and dialed it down a notch; surely he'd find a way to make inroads, all he had to do was be patient.
'Ms Lebeau is concerned that some pieces from their collection of Mayan paintings might have been tampered with or switched out for forgeries' Peter explained
Neal took a seat, his attention now focussed on what Peter was saying.
'I brought in a piece that I suspect might not be an original' she said as she reached behind her to pull a small painting out of a portfolio
Now, Neal was interested, his eyes moving to the painting, eager to have a closer look. He glanced at the curator, waiting for permission and took the small framed painting from her hands, making his way to the window to get the best light possible. Within mere seconds, he looked up, very cocky and sure of himself.
'Well, there's no doubt about it – this is a fake' he said
TBC