Okay, so I know this is going to be one of perhaps many stories picking up where the series left off, but I just had to throw my hand into the hat. I'm posting this chapter now to see if anyone is interested in where I think things could go from here. I'll go ahead and say I will be using something Jeff Eastin recently said in an interview about where he could imagine things going for Peter and Neal in the future. I will also say that I'm a big fan of Peter and Neal's friendship that sometimes bordered on father-and-son territory. This story will definitely have that aspect, as well as drama and action! Who knows? I might throw some whump in there, as well, haha. *winks* Anyway, please let me know what you think!

Oh, and as for the title, this could and does refer to many things, not just the obvious.

Finding What's Lost

Rain trickled down the glass of his window slowly as he stared out of the vacation rental apartment that he had stayed in for the better part of a year. He wasn't the only person in Paris to stay in one of these homes for longer than a year. When people of means vacationed in Paris, they tended to stay for a while because it was the only way to take all of it in. While he usually considered his reasons for doing things in life far different from the average person's, he found it ironic that he could actually state a reason for coming that matched so many others' this time: the Louvre.

It was definitely one of the reasons why he was there:

The Louvre had announced to the world about its upgraded security. It was supposedly impenetrable. That was exactly the kind of challenge the old Neal Caffrey would have enjoyed undertaking. The old Neal Caffrey would have loved to refute their claim as quickly as possible—within weeks or months of their assertion—but he found it impossible because their enhancements really were good. He had seen quickly that he would need help if he really wanted to do the job. He had suspected that from the very beginning, even before he had arrived in France. And, that presented a problem: he didn't want to work with a team. Not yet. It was still too soon.

He closed his eyes as he rested his forehead against the cool glass and sighed. Who was he fooling? He couldn't con himself no matter how much he wanted to. The reason he hadn't made a play yet was because he was still unsure about who he was to become, who he is…

Neal Caffrey was no longer among the living, at least officially, and that left open so many possibilities: should he allow the siren call of the Louvre to overwhelm him or should he listen to that part of himself that sounded a lot like Peter nowadays and choose to live the "honest" life?

Peter.

There wasn't a day that went by that he hadn't thought about the man. He wondered everyday if Peter figured out the clues he had left behind. From Mozzie's account of things, it seemed like he hadn't, and before he had thought any better of it, Neal had practically begged his friend to give Peter a little nudge in the right direction. Supposedly, Moz had done it. He had shown Peter the card, explained what could have been the greatest con in Neal Caffrey's life, and then left.

Had it been enough? Peter had everything else, he knew: the key to the trailer, the bullet…he knew Peter was smart enough to figure it out.

Neal stepped away from the glass and shook his head. "Why does it matter?" he asked himself silently. Did he simply want Peter to know he was alive? Or, did he want Peter to chase him?

Either could be seen as selfish. Peter had settled down. He was a 9 to 5—sometimes 6—guy now. He had a son to look out for. He didn't have the time to jump on a plane and chase down cons who had filled up so many years of his life with chaos and havoc. Neal knew he had done the most unselfish thing in his life when he decided to leave New York, Neal Caffrey, and Peter Burke behind.

Now, he had possibly screwed all of that up, and why?

"Because I miss him," he whispered softly.

He felt instinctively rather than heard someone approach him from behind. "And, I dare say he misses you," a familiar voice muttered.

Neal turned around and smiled ruefully at Moz.

The other didn't chastise Neal despite the fact that he obviously knew what the younger man was thinking. Because Moz normally would have, Neal didn't know if his friend was still angry at him or not. He had every right to be. Neal had kept him out of the loop for the longest time, but he had needed it to happen that way. In order for Peter, the Pink Panthers, and everyone else to believe Neal Caffrey really was dead, Moz had to believe it—he had to stick around in New York for a while. If he had simply disappeared into the night, Peter might have given chase right away, and that might have led him straight to Paris. It would have ruined everything, all of his plans to keep Peter, El, and their son safe. They all needed time-the passing of time was a comfort. It made it easy for those who needed to forget to forget, after all. He supposed after a year, that's why he wanted to push the envelope and figure out what Peter knew. If Peter had figured out the clues, maybe he understood then and now that the only way to remain safe was to stay away indefinitely. Neal could understand that…

He just wished he knew what Peter knew! Sometimes he felt that if he did know, he'd then be able to make decisions about his own life, about where to go and what to do from here.

As things stood now, he didn't have a clue.

=)=)=)

Peter stared at the screen in front of him and El peered over his shoulder.

"Hon, are you still debating? It seems like you've been sitting there for days."

The FBI agent brought his hands to his face and rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Without glancing at her, he replied, "I feel like I've been sitting here for days." He lowered the screen of his laptop shut and turned slightly on the couch to face his wife as she walked around the furniture to stand beside him. "What if I'm right?"

El bit her lip slowly and looked over at Neal, their son. She sighed and whispered, "I think you already know the answer as to whether you're right or not. I think what you're really debating is what you should do about it."

Peter nodded reluctantly before he turned to look at Little Neal, as well. "I…want to go," he admitted softly. "I want to go to Paris and find him. He left me the clues. He obviously wanted me to know he's still alive."

El interrupted, "But does that mean he wants you to follow him?" She shook her head. "Peter, he left for a reason—Neal always had reasons for everything he did. Whatever it was this time, it had to be a good one. You know he never would have left us otherwise." She then walked across the room and picked up her son from the day crib she had set him in earlier. She then sat down next to Peter and her husband immediately ran his fingers through the baby's soft dark curls. She leaned her head on Peter's shoulders and continued, "The night before the operation, Neal told me that we were his family. He promised me he would keep you safe…and I can't help but believe that this, and everything that happened that day, was him keeping that promise."

Peter pursed his lips together and nodded. He believed that, too.

He faced the laptop again and lifted the screen once more. On it, there was information to buy tickets to Paris, France. He stared at it for a few seconds more before turning back to look at El.

"Hon," he said beseechingly.

She knew that tone and nodded slowly.

=)=)=)

All comments are appreciated. Let me know what you think, please!