Blast from the Past
Chapter 1
7.7 years
'Happy birthday, Repo' said Neal, smiling and producing a small box out of nowhere. His years as a conman had enabled him to fine tune some pretty amazing sleight of hand and he'd never lost that talent over the years.
Sara looked into his eyes with curiosity, smiling as she took the beautifully gift wrapped box (definitely not Neal's handiwork) from his outstretched hand and carefully began to unwrap it. Neal was a master at choosing thoughtful gifts for every occasion and after years of trying to rise to his high standards, Sara had decided it just wasn't worth the aggravation; he would always do the gift giving thing better than she would, no matter what. Her only saving grace was her far superior talent for wrapping gifts – it seemed that for all his flair, Neal was all thumbs when it came to gift wrapping.
She glanced inside the box, rolling her eyes as she spied what was inside.
'Oh, no! Which one of the kids ratted me out?' she asked, laughing
'Liam – if you can believe it' answered Neal
At two and a half, Liam wasn't much of a talker but somehow he'd managed to spill to his dad that he'd found Sara rooting under their bed, frantically looking for the lost earring. The beautiful pearls had been a wedding gift from Neal and she'd worn them every year on their anniversary ever since their wedding day.
'You must have known I'd figure it out eventually' said Neal
'Well, I assumed I had seven more months to look for it before I had to come clean' said Sara, looking down at the beautiful earrings. 'Thanks, Neal. I think they're even more beautiful than the originals'
'Well, I can tell you the price has gone up since I bought the originals, so be forewarned. Don't freak out when we get the Visa bill' said Neal, eyes twinkling
It was one thing to surprise your soon to be bride with a gift on your wedding day without her knowing you'd busted the bank but there were very few secrets when you'd been married for over seven years. The fact that Sara was the bill payer in the family didn't help when it came to keeping money secrets from his wife and Neal had just learned to go with the flow.
'So... 39. How does it feel to be closing in on the big 4-0?' asked Neal, teasing
'I wouldn't know. Perhaps you can enlighten me' answered Sara always giving as good as she got
'Well, you look beautiful' said Neal more seriously as he squeezed her hand 'As a matter of fact, you get more beautiful every year.'
'Once a conman, always a conman, Caffrey – or is this just a case of a man knowing what his wife wants to hear?' asked Sara, smelling a con
'Neither' answered Neal with a warm sincere smile 'Just stating the facts, that's all'
Sara leaned over the table between them and placed a gentle kiss on her husband's lips. He was such a romantic and he'd been instrumental in helping her soften up over the many years they'd been together. She didn't really care why he said those wonderful, romantic things – she just hoped he'd never stop.
They were interrupted by the waiter arriving with their food plates and Sara sat herself back down as she admired her choice - certainly not the type of fare the couple was used to sharing on their Friday night dinner out with the kids. They were dining at Eleven Madison Park in Gramercy and Sara figured that Neal must have booked weeks in advance because he'd managed to snag seating in the upper balcony overlooking the main dining room with an extraordinary view of Madison Square Park through amazing floor to ceiling windows. She took a deep breath, taking in the aromas of the amazing food on her plate.
'Neal, you're really spoiling me' she said finally, letting go of his hands to pick up her utensils
'You deserve it' answered Neal simply as he turned to his own plate
Dinner was leisurely, certainly a luxury and a rarity considering their busy lives as working parents of two busy children. Their life consisted of running the kids to and from school and the child minder, getting to work on time, putting in long days and returning home to making dinner, giving baths and supervising homework only to fall into bed exhausted and getting up to do it all over again. Not that either one of them was complaining. They both loved their family life and their time and energy gravitated mostly around their kids; frankly, they wouldn't want it any other way.
However, they did try to carve out some quality time for each other and thanks to Peter and Elizabeth's support, they got to enjoy special nights like this when they could turn their attention exclusively to one another. The fact that the kids were with the Burkes in Brooklyn and that they would have the house to themselves when they finally got home seemed to add to the romance of the evening and they both looked forward to reconnecting after a longer than usual dry spell.
Their children were definitely at the centre of their universe though and even when they found themselves alone, conversation would automatically flow to include the latest gem from Liam or Hope's most recent accomplishment. Liam was a rather quiet little guy, less outspoken than his sister and at two and a half, he had begun to develop his own personality and become his own little person. He was lanky, with a physique similar to his dad's but the coloring was all Sara – blond, reddish hair and freckles which peaked during the summer months. Although he was physically active, he was poised and coordinated and certainly not prone to being rambunctious. He seemed to prefer physical activity to the arts which Neal had learned to adjust to as his son began to show interest in certain team sports.
Hope, on the other hand, was very affable and confident and she could hold her own whether she was interacting with her friends at school or grown-ups in her entourage. The past year had been difficult for the child as she recovered from a very nasty incident involving Matthew Keller who had seen fit, in his warped mind, to kidnap her and hold her hostage just so he could see Neal suffer. It had been a terrifying time for the family and although Hope didn't speak much about it, her behavior had changed since the incident as she became a little more leery of the world and not quite as trusting of people she didn't know well. The odd time, she would still ask to come into her parents' bed at night, a sure sign that the normally well adjusted child was still struggling with the fallout from that scary episode in her life. Both Neal and Sara had been very patient with their daughter and Neal had worked hard to help her work though her fears through painting which Hope had a definite talent for. She had come up with a couple of really frightening pieces and Neal had used those occasions to get her to face her fears and share her concerns with him. Luckily, Hope was open and she shared her thoughts and feelings easily, helping to foster that special bond between father and daughter.
'You know, it's been over three weeks since Hope has asked to come into bed with us – I think that's the longest she's gone' said Neal, picking at his food
Sara nodded in agreement. 'I saw that painting she did last week. Even I was scared'
Neal just looked intensely at his wife.
'Do you think we should take her to therapy?' she finally added, her concern evident
'I don't' answered Neal as he stared into his wife's eyes noticing they were slightly glistening 'I think as long as she continues to talk about it, we should leave it alone'
Neal was a believer in people working things out for themselves – he'd had to figure things out on his own his whole life and he felt that because of those life experiences, he'd been able to develop some coping mechanisms and even though they hadn't all been healthy coping mechanisms, he believed that Hope had to figure things out for herself. He continued to be there, watching over his daughter and he felt he could guide her if need be and not let her slip too far away from the wonderful little person she was. Sara, on the other hand was not one for dwelling on feelings at the best of times but she was worried about their daughter and she didn't want to do anything that would further damage the child.
'I think if she was closed up and didn't talk about it, we'd have something to worry about but she's open about how she's feeling and she's doing well at school...' Neal added
Sara took in a long slow breath. 'You're right. Let's just keep an eye on her' she finally said
'So, how's work?' she added, changing the subject to more neutral territory
'Busy. Did I mention the Tom Thomson that came in this week?' asked Neal, suddenly animated
'Which one?' she asked, her curiosity piqued. The painter was a renowned Canadian artist, one of the Group of Seven and his work had become even more sought out after his untimely and mysterious death.
'Autumn Foliage' he answered, excitedly
'That's a beautiful one. The colors are amazing' said Sara, just as excitedly
The couple loved to talk about art and they shared a love and appreciation for it in all its various forms. With Neal now working for Finch and Johns as an authenticator, he got to see some pretty amazing pieces up close and having them in his hands seemed to scratch an itch he no longer felt compelled to scratch by stealing them, something Sara was eternally grateful for.
'Yeah, well it's even more gorgeous in person if you can imagine' said Neal, his eyes wide
The waiter returned, this time with a miniature birthday cake decorated in marzipan in glorious fall colors, miniature autumn leaves in orange, yellow and green. Sara's eyes widened at the sight – it was just too beautiful to eat – and the waiter retreated giving the couple some privacy while he went to fetch coffee for them.
'What's up with that couple?' asked a fellow waiter when his cohort returned to the serving station
'I think it's the woman's birthday' said the first man
'Are they married?' asked the newcomer
'I don't know! What's with all the questions?' said the waiter, impatiently
'I think I recognize her. See if they have wedding bands, will you?' asked the tall, burly waiter
His buddy served up some coffee and made his way back to the table where Neal and Sara were now feeding each other bites of amazing lemon cake. That new guy – Craig Whatsisname – was really weird, thought the man. He'd only been with them for a couple of weeks but he seemed moody and brooding and didn't mix well with any of the other staff – a definite loner. Whatever was motivating his bizarre questions at this point in time was a mystery to him. The waiter discreetly glanced down at the couples intertwined fingers as he placed the coffee on the table.
'Everything to your satisfaction, sir?' he asked
'Terrific. Thank you' answered Neal as he glanced briefly at the waiter and returned his eyes to his beautiful wife
The waiter returned to the serving station noticing that Craig Whatsisname was lurking around awaiting his return.
'So?' asked Craig, his tone urgent
'The man has a wedding band' he answered, shrugging the question off and going about his business.
Craig Williamson continued to stare intensely at the couple, anger building inside him as he took in the news. He looked intently at Sara, her warm smile, her familiar red locks and his pulse quickened at the sight of her. Sara Ellis was his, she always had been and she always would be and he couldn't accept that someone could be standing in his way.
TBC