Title : Father and Son
Author's Notes : Death of a minor character. Alex , along with Nicholas, comes back to New York to bury a loved one. Some characters mentioned are from one of my previous fics, "Thieves", "Strasbourg" and "New York". Takes place months after Under the Radar, Treasure, Stay Too Long and One Night In Bangkok.
Disclaimer : I don't own any of the recognizable characters. That honor belongs to Jeff Eastin, White Collar writers and USA Network.
Summary : A story of fathers and sons. If ever the two had a chance encounter, will Neal even recognize his own son? How long can Alex continue to keep the truth from him? [AU/OOC]
CHAPTER ONE
MORGAN RESIDENCE, NEW YORK CITY...
Alex Hunter took one last look at herself in the mirror as she finished up getting ready. Even make-up couldn't conceal how tired she was, so she didn't even try. She looked pale and exhausted. She got very little rest on the plane and very little sleep the night before. On top of that, she was still recovering from the injury she had from a job she did a few weeks prior, back in Istanbul.
She looked at the bandage on her arm. She and her crew did a job for Valerie Vega, their friend from UNSC. It was a simple enough recovery mission until everything went wrong and she ended up taking a bullet in her upper left arm. Good thing it was merely a flesh wound. Still, it made her think a bit harder about life and death, and her own mortality.
"Life and death." she thought. That is what brought her back to New York in the first place. Well, death, mostly. She was there to bury a family member. Luther Morgan, Hale's eldest son. A man who was in the prime of his life. A soldier who fought for his country. A brother to her, even though they weren't bound by blood. She tried hard not to cry again, but failed as memories flooded back.
Even when they were younger, Luther had always been the brave one. He was her constant defender, her big brother who always protected her from all the bullies. It didn't come as a surprise to her when she heard that he joined the Marines. It was his calling, to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
It came as a shock to all when they heard that his plane was shot down in Afghanistan. His widow, Aisha, was inconsolable. His mother, Iola, was heartbroken, to say the least. His son, Caleb, was devastated. Alex felt so helpless, she didn't know how to comfort any of them. No one ever really knows what to say or do during times like these. She sighed and left her room and proceeded to join the others downstairs.
In the living room, Alex watched her son, Nicholas, as the young boy tried to cheer up his friend Caleb, with card tricks. She could see that Caleb's heart wasn't in it, but he continued to humour Nicholas anyway. She applauded her son's efforts though. His charms had always managed to cheer people up. She smiled at Nicholas when she caught his eye. He smiled back at his mother and winked. She had hoped that she could have brought Nicholas to New York under happier circumstances. She knew that it was risky to bring him along with her, but it was for family.
She looked at the porch and saw her friend Zeke having a conversation with Iola, Aisha, Lenore and Lance. Zeke had accompanied Alex and Nicholas to New York to make good on the promise he made to Jack Hartnell, Alex's boyfriend. Zeke promised Jack that he would protect Alex and Nicholas from any and all harm. Jack was very protective of Alex and Nicholas, especially after what happened in Istanbul. Jack couldn't go with them because he was called on a mission, so he was more than glad that Zeke went with them to New York.
Alex continued to look around in search for that one person who was missing. She found him in the backyard, alone, staring up at the sky. His eyes were red, anyone could see the pain that lived there. She slowly approached him and gently patted him on the back. He continued to stare at the sky, didn't even turn around to face her.
"Look at the sky, Alex. It looks so beautiful! It's a nice, sunny day. No clouds at all!" Hale said, almost choking on the words. "My son is dead, and yet it's still a beautiful day!" he told her, on the verge of tears. "It hardly seems fair. I lose a son, and yet the world goes on turning!" he cried, as he finally turned around to face her.
Alex reached for him and pulled him into a warm embrace. The man who took her in after she was orphaned at a young age. The same man who was usually strong, the source of strength of the whole family, now crumbled to tears over the tragedy. She wished she could do more for him, for all of them.
"Hale, I can't even begin to comprehend how much pain you are in at this moment!" she confessed. "If there's anything I could do to help, just say it!" she said, as she continued to hug him, her hands gently rubbing his back.
"Oh, my dear, you're doing it now." he said. "Thank you, for being here. I appreciate all your efforts to comfort us." he said, as he pulled away from her. He kissed her gently on her forehead.
"We're family, Hale. Of course, I'll be here. I'll stay as long as you need me to!" she assured him.
He wiped the tears from his eyes and gave her a weak smile. "Do me a favour, my dear. Don't tell Iola about this." he asked of her.
"Hale, I think Iola would understand. She's in pain too! Like you, she's also grieving for a son. We're all doing our best to stay strong, but she needs you, Hale. She can't do this alone." she advised him.
As if on cue, Iola joined them in the backyard. "There you are, darling." she said to Hale. "Look, I need to go out for a while. I have some errands to run, but I'll be back soon. Will you be alright?" she asked him.
"I'll do it, Iola!" Alex volunteered. "Please, let me do this! I need to do something...I feel so helpless!" she begged her.
"Well...if you're sure, dear." Iola said reluctantly. Alex nodded. Iola gave her the list of the things that needed to be done. Alex went back inside the house, giving Iola and Hale some privacy.
Alex went to find her son. She saw him with Zeke and Caleb.
"Hey, Moonbeam! Mama's going out for a while to run some errands for Grandma Iola, okay?" she told Nicholas. "Now, I want you to be on your best behaviour! Don't give grandma or you aunties any problems!" she said.
"I'm always on my best behaviour, Mama!" Nicholas answered.
"I mean it, Nicholas! No shenanigans! You promise?" she asked.
"I promise, Mama!" he said, as he raised his left hand.
"Nice try, Moonbeam! Other hand!" she pressed.
Nicholas smiled sheepishly and raised his right hand this time. "I promise, Mama!" he said.
Alex hugged him and kissed him in the cheeks. "You're so cute!" she said. "I love you, baby!" she told him.
"I love you, Mama!" he replied.
She saw Zeke approach them. "I'm going out for a while." she told him.
"Yeah, I heard. I'll be going with you." he informed her.
"No need to, Zeke! I'll be back in a few hours!" she protested.
"I promised Jack that I'll keep you safe. I'm going with you!" Zeke insisted.
"You can stay with Nicholas!" she argued.
"Nicholas will be safe here at the house. Not sure if you will be, out there." Zeke replied.
Alex finally gave up. There was no use arguing with Zeke. She turned to Nicholas. "Moonbeam, we'll be back soon, okay? If you need me, you can call me on my cellphone." she told her son. "You still have your 'panic button'?" she asked, referring to the little device Asher gave Nicholas to use in case of emergencies.
"Yes, Mama." he answered, showing her the little key chain the shape of a tiny spaceship with a red button in the middle.
"Good boy!" she said. "See if you can cheer up Caleb." she told Nicholas.
"I'll try, Mama." Nicholas answered. With that, mother and son said hugged and said goodbye.
After Alex and Zeke left the house, Nicholas looked for Caleb. He found him at the backyard, hiding at the tree house.
"Geez, why can't you just leave me alone?" Caleb asked him, quite irritated.
"I just wanted to check if you're alright." Nicholas answered.
"I'm not alright! My father's dead! He's never coming back! I'm never going to see him again, ever! Do you understand that?" Caleb snapped.
"I don't." he answered his older friend. "I wouldn't know...I don't have a father, remember?" Nicholas whispered.
Caleb felt guilty. As angry as he was, he knew that Nicholas was only trying to be a good friend, and that he had no right to take out his anger on the kid. He didn't mean to make Nicholas feel bad.
"I'm sorry, Nicholas. I'm trying to not be angry, but I can't help it." Caleb said. "I think I'll go out for a bit. Maybe I'll feel better when I come back." he said. He took his backpack and proceeded to climb down the tree house.
"Hey, wait!" Nicholas said. "I'm going with you!" he told Caleb.
"You can't!" Caleb said.
"Why not?" Nicholas asked.
"I'm not even allowed to go out! I'm sneaking out!" Caleb revealed to him.
"So? I'll sneak out too!" Nicholas told him. "You can't leave without me! What if they find out you were gone and they ask me where you went?" he asked.
"What if Aunt Alex comes back and find that you're gone? Didn't you promise her you'll behave?" Caleb asked.
"Yes, but it's okay. I had my fingers crossed in my other hand! I learned that from Uncle Asher!" Nicholas justified.
"Okay then!" Caleb finally agreed. "But no whining!" he warned. With that, the two young boys sneaked out of the house.
"Where are we going, Caleb?" Nicholas asked, excitedly, once they were out of the house.
"You like art?" Caled asked him.
"You know that I do!" Nicholas answered.
"Well, you're in for a treat,then!" Caleb told him, as he hailed for a taxi. One stopped in front of them and the two boys got in. "Museum of Modern Arts, please!" Caleb told the driver, as they driver proceeded to drive away.
~END OF CHAPTER ONE~
Footnotes :
*Yes, I know...short chapter. Will write more next time.
*Valerie Vega is a Aretha's mentor and friend. She works for the United Nations Security Council. [Strasbourg]
*Alex's crew, of course, consist of Aretha (strategist) , Asher (hacker) and Zeke (security). [Thieves]
*Hale's family, the Morgans consist of Iola (wife), Luther (oldest son, deceased), Lenore ( daughter), Lance (youngest son), Aisha (daughter-in-law), and Caleb (grandson). [New York]
*I'm sure that Jack Hartnell and Neal Caffrey will meet eventually in one of my fics.
*Spoiler : Nicholas meets someone when he gets to MoMA...guess who?
*Thank you for taking time to read this chapter. If you like it, please feel free to leave a comment.