AN: Written as a comment_fic.
Peter was confused, it had happened again. It had happened the same time last year, but Neal had insisted that there was no significance in it. The other man had received a small parcel, last years had been a copy of the game Zork, this years was a small keyring, a plastic arrow with a rubber end attached to a keyring. Both packages had been addressed to Neal from someone called Chuck, but Neal refused any knowledge of a Chuck, and Peter hadn't found any mention of a Chuck in the whole time that he had spent investigating Neal.
There was never really a note, only a post-it stuck to whatever had been said, that only ever contained one word, Chuck. Peter could almost believe that it was an alias that Neal had used, and someone was still sending stuff to him as Chuck, but the packages had all been addressed to Neal Caffrey care of the FBI. It was strange to say the least, especially as after claiming no knowledge of Chuck or of the reasons behind the gifts, Neal had spent days playing Zork in his downtime, and now had the plastic arrow attached to his keys that he carried everywhere with him.
Neal Caffrey smirked internally at the turmoil he was causing Peter, it was fun to say the least. Chuck's little gifts were driving Peter to distraction, but it helped Neal in that he felt as though he was still in little ways at least, Bryce Larkin. Bryce Larkin had died twice now, once as an accountant, and once as a CIA spy. Neal Caffrey was his life after death in a way, a gift from General Beckman, it did mean spending a bit of time in prison to cement his cover, but a few weeks behind bars was better than being dead.
He had been surprised at the General allowing him to dig out one of his old cover identities, one that had many cover identities of its own, but he was grateful. While the life of a CI for the FBI was nowhere near the life of a CIA agent, the NSA had given him a chance to still live. The only thing had been the need to cut all contact with the life of Bryce Larkin, for the second time Chuck had believed him dead. Or he had at least until the intersect had gotten another upgrade. Chuck had then started sending him a gift on his birthday, always something small and odd, something from their past, showing him that he was still thought of, was still part of Chuck's life, and was still at the heart of it all, Bryce Larkin.