A/N: So, longtime WC fan, first time poster to this particular fandom. Enjoy, just an idea that popped into my mind on Neal and trust.
A Little Something Called Trust
He could count the people he had trusted in his life on one hand. He'd learned early – earlier than most should – that people weren't to be trusted for various reasons, therefore he'd been selective and kept his own close friends to a dwindled number.
He'd never had a mother to trust. She'd skipped out and left he and his dad to deal with each other, and that had been something neither of them had ever quite come to an understanding on. He'd tried, sure, but he had never asked for a bright eyed little boy that so desperately needed… something. Nicolas Caffrey had never known what that something was, nor had he ever really cared.
He trusted Mozzie. There was no question about that. The eccentric man had been his confident and co-conspirator on more than one occasion. If he needed something, Mozzie would always be there to provide it. Information or just a friendly ear to listen to the woes that he would never voice to anyone else. Moz was a constant. Until the day that one or the other was buried six feet under, they would always watch out for each other.
Teachers and authority figures certainly hadn't made it onto his short list when he was growing up. He hated them, but worked them every bit to his advantage. He'd found out early that his charming smile and bright blue eyes could charm just about anyone into anything. Except for Mrs. Presh in the fifth grade. He was convinced that she was pure evil. That really was the only explanation.
He'd trusted Kate when everyone around him told him that he shouldn't. She'd spun him around faster than he could ever follow – something few could do – and he knew that he lost control when it came to her. With his heart, he gave his trust. It was more than he could say that he and Alex had ever had.
He did not trust the FBI. There were too many secrets, too many people that didn't trust him. Lack of trust never bred trust in return. That was something he'd learned the hard way too. He might like some of the agents, but when push came to shove, he couldn't trust them with his life. Not something that precious. In the end, wasn't that all someone had?
But then there was Peter. As Neal Caffrey lay on the hard, broken concrete of a back alley that they should have never been in in the first place, his thoughts turned to the agent that had tracked him down and put him away. And then he'd done it again. Over and over, Peter would be there to catch him and help set him straight, no matter what. He was willing to risk so much to try and trust Neal, and maybe that was why he'd done it.
He trusted Peter to stay there with him, to hold his hand, and keep him awake until help came, even as his own blood pooled beneath him. He trusted Peter to have gotten the bad guy with a single shot when given the chance. He trusted Peter… Absolutely. A smile perked his lips at the thought as he gripped his friend's hand a little tighter. At least Peter Burke could trust in the fact that Neal Caffrey – a man that could hardly tell truth from lie anymore and would always, always be a conman at heart – would take a bullet for him. He had earned that piece of trust the honest way.
A/N: So, just a note, I'm addicted to reviews. Yes, it's true. Would you be so kind as to feed my addiction?
TS