I Have been wanting to write this story for EVER:) I apologize in advance for my crappy spelling and any errors in my story. I'm working on it. I would really appreciate any feedback anyone can give, the goal is to get better right? Please review, thanks.
Peter knocked on the door already irritated, By now El was probably letting Satchmo eat his dinner. At the last minute Hughes decided to stick Peter on this rather cut and dry case.
William Hamilton age 38 was a suspected witness in a gas station heist involving the death of a good samaritan as well as a cop. The robbery occurred around one in the mourning where two men in black masks came in and threatened to owner at gunpoint forcing them to hand over the money in the cash register. There had been only two customers in the store at the time but video footage placed this man William smoking at the backdoor of the store three minutes before the crime happened The two masks were recovered in a dumpster behind the gas station. Mr. Hamilton was nowhere to be found but the police believed this man may have seen the two thugs faces and was either too scared to confess or just didn't care enough. (You would be surprised about how many people didn't.) But the possibility of the man knowing something was too big to ignore. According to his file he had been kicked out of his apartment three months ago for failure to pay the rent so a clerk from the grocery store he frequented explained he crashed here with his friend James Caffrey.
All he needed to do was question this man, but in such a run down apartment building as this Peter wished he had accepted Jones offer of back up. It was always places like these that the seediest criminals lived .Peter sighed as he rang the doorbell again. It didn't look like anybody was home, he was about to leave his card and just come back tomorrow when the door swung open.
Whatever Peter had been expecting is definitely hadn't been a young teen boy standing there gawking at him.
Peter scrambled for the words he had just forgotten. "Hello I'm agent Peter Burke for the FBI, does Mr. William's reside here?" He asked half expecting the kid to say he had gotten the wrong address. Instead the boy's demeanor quickly changed to a bright smile " Yes he does, unfortunately he is not in right now, should i tell him you came by?" For whatever reason the boys tone sounded hopfull Peter would accept and leave.
Peter glanced at his watch realising he most definitely missed dinner.
"Nah, thats okay i'll wait." He said not wanting to admit to the boy that the last thing he wanted to do was come back here to this sketchy apartment one more time than he had to. Peter was about to head back to his car where at least he could listen to the game he was missing when the the thought struck him to find out why a boy so young was here.
"May i come in?" He asked politely hoping the boy wouldn't slam the door in his face.
Instead the boy widened the door allowing Peter into the small apartment. Leading him through the small living room, if you could call it that, into the matchbox kitchen. He sat down at the fold up table on a old moving box while the boy busied himself in the trashed kitchen.
"We have beer, water or coffee take you pick." The boy called back.
"Coffee would be great, Peter told him for the first time glancing around the apartment.
To say the place was a train wreck would be very generous. The living room was extremely small only big enough for one moth eaten couch with two seats gone and what looked like throw up and beer all over it. The filthy hard wood floor was carpeted with beer cans and the occasional food wrapper. Moving boxes and wine bottles lay around creating a maze type creation. Trash bags were piled together in the corner halfway to the ceiling making the whole apartment reek of moldy pizza and gym socks. A small hallway led out of the room to what Peter suspected was the other rooms. A grim dingy window with a cracked pain had a small shirt taped over it acting as blinds, Peter suspected it was the boys. Beside the window and a large crack running up the wall the walls were only decorated with stains and lewd posters of half naked girls. The small kitchen was an avalanche waiting to happen of plastic cutlery and plates piling past the sink, counters and onto the floor. Peter watched as the young boy perched himself precariously on the tip of the dirty counter trying to reach a handless mug.
" Do you live here." Peter asked feeling sick as he tried to remember the child services number. The boy looked up from pouring the coffee and around the apartment for the first time realising what it must look like.
"No," he laughed, "I don't think my mom would approve of that."
Peter frowned as he looked around again, " Mr. Caffrey and Mr. Hamilton must be absolute slobs.
The kid returned to the table handing Peter the Coffee sludge in the broken mug holding water for himself in a washed beer bottle, sitting down on a twin moving box.
He only shook his head and laughed again. "No it's not their fault, they both work day jobs and haven't had time to clean up. Mr. Caffrey just moved in here a few days ago and has to deal with the mess the last residents left. He has always been very close with Mr. Hamilton so when he lost all his money in the stock market James invited him to move in until he got back on his feet."
" And you're here because?" Peter prompted.
"Well I get paid to clean up, it's kind of like being a below minimum wage maid but hey works work right?" The boy flashed a grin playfully showing in his blue eyes. He was going to be quite the lady killer one day
"What's your name kid?" Peter asked curiously realising for the first time that he forgot to ask.
"It's Nick Holden." The boy said with a smile.
"No offense Nick but I think you're going to get sacked." Peter said glancing around again.
Nick laughed " Well I did just start today so I haven't made that much progress, but can't be too good at my job or it will be all cleaned in one day and I will have to look for another job." The boy glanced nervously at the door quickly before turning his attention back to Peter folding his legs beneath him. " If i may agent Burke why would a gas station robbery be in the FBI jurisdiction?"
"One of the victims was the son of a diplomat." Peter replied impressed a boy so young picked up on it.
"How old are you anyway's?" He asked
"Fifteen, I look young for my age." Nick replied seeing Peter's skeptical expression."
Peter shrugged and took a experimental slip of his coffee sludge.
"Sorry is it bad?" Nick asked worriedly.
Peter shook his head quickly doing his best not to gag.
"Wow, it's really snowing out there." Nick said happily catching sight of the blizzard out the window.
Peter nodded in agreement sneakily spitting the coffee sludge back into into the half mug. "It was snowing a bit when i came here but this is just all out war.
Peter sighed getting up "Well i really had better to be going, at this rate they'll close off the roads for the first time in two years."
The boy nodded standing up also, But to Peter's horror Nick's legs seemed to give out as his world tilted to the floor sending him sliding down to the hardwood floor.
Peter rushed over trying to wake the boy hurriedly shaking his shoulders.
Nicks brilliant blue eyes fluttered open taking in Peter's appearance slowly.
"Are you okay kid?" Peter asked worriedly.
Nick nodded shakily trying to get to his feet only to be pushed back down again by Peter.
"You shouldn't get up, give me your phone and I'll call your parents."
Nick's eyes widened at that, "You can't there out of town." Nick said quickly trying to shake the dizziness out of his eyes his hands immediately going to the back of his head.
"Then are you staying with Mr. Caffrey until they get back?" Peter asked trying to piece it together.
Nick nodded painfully again. "Aunt May recently died and they rushed over to the funeral, it was so last minute they asked Mr. Caffery to let me stay here for a few days. He is a family friend and is use to doing stuff like this. But he works all the way out of town and with all this snow he probably won't get home until really late."
Peter nodded understanding so far. "What happened to your head?" He asked concerned.
"I got whammed with a baseball bat at practice today, it was an accident but boy oh boy that kid isn't our best player for nothing. I think he gave me a concussion."
"Shouldn't you be at a hospital?" Peter asked panicky.
The boy frowned "For a concussion?" he asked "I don't think so, besides it's not my first."
"You shouldn't be alone!" Peter insisted.
Nick shrugged "Mr. Caffrey should be back eventually, I'll be fine."
Peter shook his head firmly "No way am i leaving a boy with a concussion alone in a blizzard, you're coming home with me."
"I don't want to inconvenience you Mr. Burke i'm fine really." He insisted trying once again to get up.
Peter shook his head, "It would be on my conscience forever if i let you stay alone besides my wife is already mad at me for being late, i'm sure bringing an injured kid home will get me out of hot water."
The boy smiled "You're not going to let me decline are you?" he asked.
Peter returned his grin "You have no idea kid."
Nick sighed, "Alright lead the way Mr. Burke."
"Call me Peter."
It gets better promise, lots of Neal lies and Whump to come, but in this fanfic Neal is a good kid who was dealt bad cards in life. Please review it would mean the world to me. THNXS X 100000 and nine.
