Whatever It Takes: Birthdays and Bad Choices

Author's note: This one-shot takes place in the Whatever It Takes universe. It probably won't make much sense if you haven't read that story first.

Neal woke up to the sound of what could only be a trumpet blowing in his ear. That in itself wouldn't have been so bad, but whoever was playing it had absolutely no skill, whatsoever. Jumping up in bed, he looked wildly around, only to find a laughing Peter Burke standing before him.

"What the hell was that?" Neal yelled, as he tumbled to the floor, his legs tangled up in the sheets of his bed.

"Hey! Watch the language, Birthday Boy," Peter laughed, as he helped untangle his son from the sheets. "Don't let your mother hear you talking like that."

"Sorry," Neal answered sheepishly. "It just sort of slipped out once I realized my eardrums weren't ruptured. Where did you get a trumpet anyway?"

"It's mine," Peter said. "I played it in high school."

Neal laughed at that, causing Peter to frown. "You were better then, weren't you? Please tell me you were better then."

"I'll have you know that I was a great trumpeter at one time," Peter exclaimed. "One of the best in our band."

"Your band must have really sucked," Neal laughed.

"Don't think that I won't ground you, just because it's your birthday, little man."

"Mom won't let you do that," Neal laughed before running around Peter and down the stairs.

Peter followed with a smile on his face.

Once downstairs, Neal was excited to find that Elizabeth had prepared all of his favorite breakfast foods for him.

"Happy Birthday, sweetie," she said as she smothered him in kisses. "How does it feel to be sixteen?"

"It feels pretty good," Neal answered. "It'll feel even better if you promise me that Dad will never be allowed within ten feet of a trumpet ever again."

"Sorry about that, sweetie. I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how stubborn he can be."

Neal sat down at the table and started filling his plate with chocolate chip pancakes and French toast. As they ate their breakfast, Elizabeth talked about what they had planned for Neal's birthday. The boy was obviously excited to hear that they would be spending the morning at one of his favorite museums and then lunching at a new Italian restaurant he had been wanting to try. He was even more excited to hear that Sophie would be joining them for the day.

Once breakfast was over, he ran upstairs to get ready, excited for the first time in a very long time that it was his birthday.

The morning at the museum was perfect, as far as Neal was concerned. He enjoyed showing Sophie all of his favorite works of art and talking with Elizabeth about the newest exhibit, which she particularly liked. He also enjoyed seeing Peter looking decidedly bored.

Once they were done at the museum, they made their way to Trattoria L'incontro, where Elizabeth told Neal and Sophie that they could order anything they wanted. Neal ordered a Calamari Fritti as an appetizer and Ravioli Ricchi for his entrée. He had always wanted to try calamari.

They all enjoyed their lunch choices, even Peter…. until the bill was given to him. Without a word, though, he paid the bill, wondering how it was that a kid that had practically grown up on the streets of New York had such refined tastes in everything.

After lunch was finished, they spent the afternoon in Central Park. Neal and Sophie went on a long walk and rented a canoe for a few hours. Elizabeth and Peter spent several hours on a blanket underneath a shade tree. All in all, it was a wonderful day for everyone.

By four o'clock, Elizabeth decided it was time to head back home. Unbeknownst to Neal, while they were out and about, both sets of his grandparents were busy planning a surprise party for him. Neal thought that they were just going home to spend the evening watching movies. He was glad that Sophie was planning on joining them, too.

Once they arrived home, Elizabeth ran inside before Neal was even out of the car. Grabbing Satchmo and his leash, she walked back outside and asked Neal and Sophie to take the dog for a quick walk. Neal was more than happy to do it, wanting to spend more alone time with his girlfriend. Elizabeth and Peter watched the two teenagers walk off and then turned and ran into the house.

When Neal and Sophie hadn't returned after thirty minutes, Elizabeth started getting nervous. After everything that had happened with Neal recently, she had good reason to be concerned. Peter figured that the boy was just wanting to spend some time with Sophie, but he went to check on them to make his wife feel better. Opening the door, he was embarrassed to find that he was interrupting a rather passionate kiss between the two teens. He had to clear his throat two different times before either one of them realized he was there. Breaking apart in an embarrassing rush, both of them stepped around an equally embarrassed Peter and into the house.

"Surprise!" everyone yelled the moment Neal walked in through the door.

Neal was completely shocked to see so many people in their living room. Looking around, he realized that both sets of his grandparents were there, as well as his aunt, uncle, and cousins. He was even more surprised to see Diana, Jones, Hughes, and several other of Peter's agents. His biggest surprise, though, was when he saw Mozzie lurking in the corner, staying as far away as he could from the conglomeration of FBI agents.

"What's going on?" he asked Elizabeth, who was standing next to him with a great big smile on her face.

"They're all here for your birthday, Neal," she laughed.

Neal suddenly felt a little overwhelmed by the thought. He really couldn't remember ever having a birthday party in his young life. Mara had never been the type to care about trivial things such as birthdays and the birthdays he spent with Mozzie were much more subdued. During his time on the streets, his birthdays had passed without him even realizing what day it was.

To Neal's embarrassment, his eyes filled with tears, but he quickly regained control of himself. Plastering a smile on his face, Neal made his way around the room, greeting everyone and thanking them for coming. He happily suffered through several long hugs from his grandmothers and aunt, and then claps on the back from Grandpa Ben and Uncle David. Robert Mitchell gave the boy a small smile and shook his hand as he wished him a happy birthday. Things were still a little uncomfortable between the two of them, but it was getting better.

Once he made his way to Mozzie, he gave the man a quick hug, knowing that he wasn't really one for physical contact.

"Mozzie, I'm glad you're here!" Neal said.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, mon frère," Mozzie answered. "Although, the Suit left out how many other suits would be here."

"Don't worry, Mozz…..they won't bother you, I promise. I won't let them and neither will mom."

Mozzie threw an affectionate look at Elizabeth. "I definitely feel better with Mrs. Suit here. Plus, I'm hoping that she will serve that delicious gelato she made at Christmas."

Neal spent several more minutes talking with Mozzie before being called over to the center of the room by Elizabeth. To his mortification, everyone around him suddenly burst into the Happy Birthday song, while Elizabeth brought out a giant cake with sixteen candles burning brightly. With everyone's eyes on him, Neal took a deep breath and easily blew out the candles.

After everyone had had their fill of cake and homemade gelato, Neal was instructed to sit in the middle of the room to open his presents. Other than the Christmas he had just spent with Peter and Elizabeth, Neal was not used to having people give him presents.

He made sure to thank the person that gave him each present as he opened it and his gratitude was sincere. Eventually, though, he got to a gift that had no name on it. Opening it up, he was surprised to see a picture of his two year old self in a beautiful silver frame. The picture showed him wearing what could only be his father's policeman hat and badge, as he was stuffing cake into his mouth.

"Mom?" he asked. "Where did you find this?"

Elizabeth stepped forward and looked at what Neal was holding. She looked up at Peter, confusion evident on her face. "That isn't from me, sweetie. Peter?"

Peter looked at the picture, too. "I've never seen it, either," he said. Looking around the room, he asked if anyone knew where the present had come from. He was surprised when Will spoke up.

"I found it out on the doorstep, Uncle Peter. I didn't see who dropped it off, it was just there when I took Eva to the park."

Peter immediately took the picture from Neal, making sure to hold it only by the corner. "Jones, can you take this and check it for fingerprints? I want to know who it's from as soon as possible."

Jones stood up and grabbed the picture frame with a handkerchief. Peter grabbed a zip lock freezer bag from the kitchen and held it open for Jones. Minutes later, Jones left to see what he could find.

Unfortunately, by this time, the mood of the party had deteriorated significantly. Peter, Elizabeth, and the rest of the adults had an uncomfortable suspicion of who the picture was from, but no one talked about it at the moment. Instead, Elizabeth tried her best to get the party back on track. She solicited Mozzie's help and eventually they had a rousing game of Charades going. Elizabeth and Peter both kept a watchful eye on Neal, who was doing his best to look like he wasn't disturbed by the recent turn of events.

A few hours later, the party dwindled down and everyone offered a last birthday greeting to Neal before leaving. Once everyone was gone, Neal quietly helped Elizabeth clean up while Peter checked in with Jones. When he walked back into the house, Neal and Elizabeth could both tell that he had learned something and was rather upset about it.

"Dad? Did you find out who it was from?" Neal asked.

Peter looked at Elizabeth before turning to Neal. "Neal, why don't you go upstairs and get ready for bed?"

"No way!" Neal yelled. "I want to know what you found out! Besides, it's only seven o'clock!"

"Neal, I'm not going to argue with you about this. I want to talk to your mother first."

Neal started to argue, but thought better of it. Instead, he stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Peter waited to hear the door to Neal's bedroom slam before turning back to his wife, not knowing that Neal had quietly snuck back down the stairs and was listening nearby.

"It's Mara, El," Peter growled. "I don't know how she did it, but the picture frame and the picture had her fingerprints all over it."

Elizabeth gasped at his words. "What does that mean, Peter? Did she escape? Is that what happened?"

"No, she's still in custody, El. She must have had someone helping her, but I have no idea who."

"What are we going to tell Neal, hon?" Elizabeth asked, worriedly.

"I don't know, but I don't think he needs to know that it was Mara," Peter answered. "I don't want him to worry about her again."

"Peter, I think we should tell him."

"Not yet," Peter said. "Maybe once we know more about how it happened, but not right now."

Neal didn't know how he felt about the fact that Mara had sent him a present. He had been trying to put her completely out of his mind, but for obvious reasons, it was a hard thing to do. Now, she had somehow reinserted herself back into his life, shaking his fragile sense of security. What did she want from him?

Making his way back to his room, he couldn't control the anger mounting in him at knowing that his dad was going to lie to him. So much for rule number two, right? Changing into his pajamas, he waited patiently for Peter to come upstairs and lie about what he had found out. All the while, he was working on a way to get to the truth himself.

Peter felt bad about lying to Neal, but he truly felt it was necessary. More than anything, he wanted to protect his son from everything having to do with Mara Steele. He was ashamed to admit that part of his reluctance was because he wasn't entirely sure that Neal wouldn't do something stupid. No matter how much the boy had matured since he had been in their care, he was still unable to control his impulsivity.

After gently knocking on Neal's door, he opened it to find the boy sitting on the edge of his bed. He could tell that Neal was still angry about being sent to his room.

"Hey, buddy," he said. "I'm sorry I sent you up here, but I wanted to talk to your mom first. Now, I'm ready to talk to you, okay?"

Neal shrugged his shoulders, not trusting himself to answer without giving away his anger.

"Neal, Jones is still working on things, but we don't have anything definitive yet, okay? So, what do you say that for now we just put this all out of our minds?"

"He didn't find anything?" Neal asked.

"Not yet, bud." Peter hoped that Neal couldn't tell how guilty he was feeling.

"Okay," Neal said. "I'll see you in the morning, then."

"I thought maybe you'd want to come downstairs and watch a movie or something," Peter offered.

"I think I'll stay up here and read for a while. It's been a long day."

"Okay," Peter said. "Goodnight, son."

"Goodnight, Peter," Neal said before turning his back on his father.

Peter walked back downstairs with a growing sense of concern. Neal hadn't called him Peter in several months, so hearing him say that was very distressing.

"How is he?" Elizabeth asked as soon as he entered the living room.

"He's upset, hon, but he'll be okay. He said he was tired and just wanted to stay in his room."

"Peter, are you sure? Maybe we should tell him what we know."

"We will, El. Once we get more information. For now, let's just keep it between us, okay?"

Elizabeth didn't really agree with her husband, but she also didn't want to cause Neal any more hurt. Maybe waiting wasn't a bad idea.

Neal woke up the next morning with a plan forming in his brain. He knew it was a horrible, impulsive plan, but he also knew he was going through with it. After taking a quick shower, he dressed as quickly as he could, went downstairs for a quick breakfast, and followed Peter out to the car.

The ride to school was made mostly in silence, although Peter tried to start a conversation several different times. Once they arrived at school, Neal said a quick goodbye and walked into the school without looking back at Peter. He didn't want to take a chance that seeing Peter again would change his mind. He had a plan and he was going through with it, no matter what.

He made it through his morning classes and at lunchtime he made his move. Walking over to a table in the lunchroom that held a few seniors, he sat down and addressed one of them.

"Hey, Elliot…I have a proposition for you, if you're interested. Do you want to make a little money?"

"How so, kid?" the tall senior answered.

"I need to borrow your wheels for a few hours. I'll pay nicely."

Elliot laughed. "Do you even have a license, Caffrey?"

"No, but I know how to drive. And I've got $200 for you."

"$200? Really? Just to let you borrow my wheels?"

"Yeah, so what do you say?"

"I can't let you take my wheels, kid, but I'll drive you where you need to go. When and where?"

"Right now," Neal answered. "And I'll tell you on the way."

Without another word, Elliot stood up and led Neal out of the cafeteria.

It took them almost two hours to get to the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. By the time they got there, Neal was tired of listening to Elliot's choice of music. He had always hated rap music. Once they were there, Neal told Elliot to stay in the car, and he made his way into the building.

Entering into the front door, he walked quickly up to the desk. The trip had taken longer than he had planned and there was only twenty minutes of visiting time left. After checking in, making sure to tell the man at the desk that he was Mara Steele's son, he was led into a small room. The officer asked him to have a seat and mere minutes later, Mara Steele was led into the room. Neal was glad that the room was partitioned off and that Mara was sitting behind this partition. Suddenly, he wondered what exactly he was hoping to accomplish by meeting with her.

"Neal? What are you doing here? You must have gotten my package. Happy Birthday, baby." Mara looked at Neal with predator eyes.

Neal did his best not to give away how uncertain he was feeling at the moment. Taking a few long seconds to make sure that his voice was under control, he finally answered.

"Why did you send that to me, Mara? What were you trying to prove?"

"I wasn't trying to prove anything, Neal. That's always been one of my favorite pictures of you and I thought you might like to have it. Do you remember that day?"

"No, Mara, I don't. All I remember of you are days filled with misery and hate. I'm sure there was a time that we were happy, but you ruined that. You, Mara! And you don't get to make up for that! I don't need you and I never will! Just leave me alone!"

"You came all this way just to tell me that?" Mara asked. "Do the Burkes know that you're here?"

"Just leave me alone," Neal repeated. "I hate you, Mara! "You're pathetic and I never want to see you again. You don't deserve me, so just leave me alone!"

With that, Neal stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Mara to stare after him.

Peter was thinking about heading out of the office for the day when Diana entered his office. He could tell by the look on her face that something was wrong.

"Boss? We have a problem." Diana shifted her feet nervously in front of his desk.

"What kind of problem, Diana?"

Before she could answer, Peter's phone rang. Holding up a finger to Diana, he quickly answered. Minutes later, he practically slammed the phone down, anger suffusing his being.

"Damn it!" he growled. "That kid is going to be the death of me. That was Neal's school, telling me that he skipped out on his afternoon classes. What am I going to do with him?!"

"Peter, I know where he is. Jones put a request in at Bedford Hills Correctional to be notified of anyone visiting Mara Steele. We just got a call that she had a visitor this afternoon."

Diana cleared her throat before continuing. Her answer shocked Peter to his core.

"It was Neal, Peter…"

Author's note: Well, I was planning on this being a one-shot, but it's gotten a little out of control. I promise I'll have the next bit up soon. Thanks so much for reading. I would love to hear your thoughts on the story.