New Friends and Old Foes
An old nemesis of Byron's returns, putting June in danger. This story features a three year old Hope, especially for Nanard, who tells me that preschool Hope is her favorite character.
Chapter 1
3.3 years
Early summer in New York City. The days were definitely getting warmer but the nights were still cool enough to be comfortable for sleeping. The suburbs always seemed cooler anyways – away from the asphalt jungle of Manhattan. Seven a.m. at 4788 Meadowbrook Street in White Plains found Mom and daughter sitting at the kitchen table while Dad finished up getting ready for work – a typical Friday morning in the Ellis-Caffrey home.
'Mommy, I'm not hungry' whined Hope as she stared down at her bowl of cereal
'Try to have a couple of more bites, okay honey?' said Sara, sipping her coffee and continuing to glance at the business section of the New York Times
Hope looked down and gave her bowl a not so subtle bump sending the milk onto the table, a big white stain on the dark oak.
'Hope! Be careful!' said Sara, an edge of annoyance to her voice
She made her way to the sink to get a dishrag as Hope began to protest.
'I didn't do it. Patricia did it!' she exclaimed, pouting
'Well, regardless of who did it, someone needs to clean it up' said Sara as she handed her daughter the dishrag to clean up the mess
'I see Patricia's at it again' said Neal as he finally made an appearance, dressed for work in his usual fitted suit and vintage tie, this one a beautiful shade of burgundy.
He made his way to Hope, placing a kiss on her forehead before turning to his wife with a glint in his eye. He locked eyes with Sara, placing a kiss on her lips: 'Good morning... and happy anniversary. Again' he added with a wink
Sara smiled in return. They were celebrating their third wedding anniversary on this June morning and Neal had already given her a memorable gift in bed before she'd reluctantly made her way to the shower. She hoped to have the chance to reciprocate later in the day.
'Neal, I don't know about this ... thing' she said, pointing vaguely in Hope's direction.
They had decided that they would try not to make a big deal out of Hope's new imaginary friend. Neal had gone on-line and researched the subject; imaginary friends were very common in children Hope's age and they usually were a sign of a very creative mind – a fact that had somehow brought a smile to his lips. Still, it was becoming an issue with Hope who blamed Patricia for every little thing that happened and Sara was growing irritated; Neal on the other hand was enjoying watching his daughter be imaginative and he marvelled at her creativity as Patsy became the patsy for every single misdeed or transgression.
'Patricia's not a thing, Mommy, she's a person' said Hope, fully engaged in the discussion that did not directly involve her
'Well, Patricia needs to respect the rules just like you do' Neal added, trying to buy the peace
'So, you ladies remember that we're having dinner at June's tonight, right?' asked Neal as he grabbed some Italian roast in a travel mug – a far cry from the five dollar cup of coffee he used to pick up on the streets of Manhattan.
'What's this case Peter's called you in for again?' asked Sara, suddenly interested -although Neal had tried to explain earlier while her mind had clearly been focussed on another part of her anatomy.
'There's some activity by the waterfront – some equipment's been spotted in one of the empty warehouses and Peter thinks someone's setting up a counterfeit operation' he said
'Well, be careful, Caffrey' Sara said, grabbing his tie 'I'd kind of like to make it to our fourth wedding anniversary – the traditional gift is silk' she said as she let herself imagine a beautiful silk blouse or high end scarf – but she'd have to wait another year.
Year three was leather and Neal had yet to reveal what he'd bought her – a purse? a beautiful new wallet? Neal was famous for rooting out thoughtful and gorgeous gifts for his wife – thank God for her fashion conscious husband, she thought.
WCWCWC
June Ellington was nothing if not an accomplished and gracious hostess. She loved entertaining and although she did all the planning herself, she had plenty of help with the execution and on this day, she buzzed around the kitchen giving orders and making certain that the planning was complete for her dinner party. She'd invited the Burkes as well as Mozzie over to celebrate Neal and Sara's wedding anniversary and she was taking special care to include all of Neal's favorites on the menu. Although the couple had moved out over two years before, they were regular visitors to the home on Riverside Drive and on more than one occasion when they'd been over, she'd found Neal up in his old apartment, admiring the mural he'd painted in Hope's room. Moving to a larger home was a no-brainer for the Caffrey family but Neal still missed the buzz of Manhattan and the beautiful home he'd had the chance to live in for over five years.
June finalized the menu with the kitchen staff and sent them on their way to pick up the necessary provisions as she, herself, headed out to buy a new outfit to wear – the advantages of being privileged, one which June never took for granted.
WCWCWC
The Harvard crew assembled in the conference room as Peter shared the intel they'd been able to uncover based on the comings and goings at the old warehouse by the waterfront. This was like the Dutchman all over again – a sophisticated bond counterfeiting operation. The head of the crew had yet to make an appearance but Peter suspected that Jaylon 'JB' Brown was making a return; he'd recently finished serving fifteen years for counterfeiting and manslaughter and some of the men who'd been spotted near the operation were known acquaintances of his. If this was Brown, he'd have his work cut out for him; his main counterfeit guy in years gone by had been Porky Williams, and Porky was still in the slammer - for another five years.
'They've been seen moving in presses and ink but no paper or plates' said Jones as the group looked at the undercover pictures taken from near the site. 'But the equipment we've been able to see is definitely not for bills'
'Sounds like they might need the help of a master bond forger' said Neal, rolling back in his chair, looking glib
Peter knew where this was going and it was exactly why he'd called Neal in on this case. Although Neal had helped out on a number of high profile cases since his anklet had been removed two and half years before, he'd also been working on retainer for some large insurance companies as well as providing care at home for Hope. Over the past year, Sara had finally fully recovered from her bout with cancer and although she was still being followed by the team of oncologists and would be for another four years, she had resumed her job full time at Sterling Bosh and she and Neal had started to try for a baby brother or sister for their daughter.
Life was good, once again.
But Neal still loved a good undercover operation and he couldn't resist the opportunity to be 'bad' while helping the FBI catch the bad guys. Going undercover to help print fraudulent bonds would certainly scratch an itch that had never completely disappeared for Neal and when Peter had approached him about the job, Neal had discussed taking the assignment with Sara and had decided to jump in feet first. Of course, he'd been a little sketchy on the details where Sara was concerned; she still worried about him when he took on undercover assignments at the White Collar Unit. He preferred to fill her in as things evolved – no sense in her worrying needlessly about something that might never happen.
'I agree with Neal. They could sure use his help with this operation. Diana, do we have a decent back story ready for Neal Caffrey?' Peter asked
Diana began to read from prepared notes: 'Neal Caffrey was released just last year from Sing Sing after serving eight years for bond forgery and has been doing odd jobs – he's definitely still in the market for the right job' she said, raising an eyebrow at the mixture of truth and fiction in what she'd just read
Neal just smiled. Although his allegiance was clearly with the law and order side of the fence these days, it was always a hoot to play with the bad guys and keep his 'skills' up.
'Alright, let's put the word out on the street that Neal's available and see if JB bites' said Peter as the group dispersed
As Neal prepared to walk out, Peter grabbed his arm 'You sure you're up for this?' he asked
Neal just gave him the 'Are you kidding me, Peter?' look as he shrugged
'Oh, and happy anniversary' said Peter as Neal began to walk away
WCWCWC
June Ellington returned from her trip to Alexander McQueen to find her home in total disarray. The staff had returned to find that the place had been tossed during their absence. All floors of the mansion had been visited and no room had been spared in what had been a thorough, professional search for something very specific. None of June's jewelry or silver had been touched nor were countless other expensive and desirable items. June was instantly suspicious as she ordered the staff to scatter around the house to put things right before her guests arrived.
(15 years before)
'I'm not up for this' Byron said as Jaylon paced up and down the front parlor of the mansion on Riverside Drive
'It's our chance at one last big score' the other man said, his arms wildly gesticulating
'You've been saying that for the past thirty years. I've only been out for two years and I'm not going back. You're already on the FBI's radar as it is with your last batch of 100$ dollar bills – and that incident...' said Byron, letting his voice trail
'Just hang on to the plate while I get things set up then' JB was saying
'I don't want that thing in my house!' said Byron, his voice growing louder 'I promised June I was done and nothing is going to make me break my promise'
Jaylon continued to pace, a caged animal.
Their history went all the way back to their foolish teen years and they'd done countless jobs together mostly small time scams and cons – nothing violent until their last gig, that is. During a high stakes poker game they'd set up in an abandoned office space, JB had suddenly produced a gun when they'd been discovered – leading to a scuffle and the death of a security guard. Byron had lost it. He had never in his life resorted to violence and the altercation had led to a parting of the ways between the men – that is until JB had shown up with a stolen plate for government bonds, begging Byron to hide it while he set up the operation.
But Byron's last stint in jail had kept him away from June and his kids for over five years and he had no interest in going back.
'Look, I only need a week to set things up. Just hang on to this and I'll be back for it' he said, throwing the plate towards Byron and making his way out the door.
June stood out of the sight, listening and wiping a tear.
WCWCWC
Neal strapped Hope into her car seat in the back of the SUV and placed the bag filled with freshly picked strawberries on the seat next to her. Who would ever have predicted that Neal Caffrey, ex-con man, would have a garden in his back yard complete with a strawberry patch? Truth was, Neal loved his suburban back yard and he had become an enthusiastic gardener – an extension of his creative streak – and he loved the fact that he could pick fresh fruit in the morning and have a still-warm pie on the table for dinner.
'No' Hope screamed 'Patricia's sitting there!'
'Oops, sorry Patricia' said Neal as he placed the bag on the floor in front of Hope
Sara rolled her eyes as she settled into the front passenger seat of the car. She was having much more trouble dealing with Hope's imaginary friend than Neal was. Sara had never had an imaginary friend growing up – she didn't need to, she had her sister Emily who was four years her senior and was always up for taking care of her younger sister. Sara, of the rational mind, balked at such an indulgence and she feared that her daughter would lose contact with the real world if she continued sharing her bed, her meals, her hopes and dreams with Patricia.
Neal on the other hand had been raised alone – and lonely – and he'd had his fair share of imaginary friends growing up. Friends he'd tell his secrets to; friends who didn't judge him when he took things he wasn't supposed to; friends who were there for him no matter what. Sometimes, Neal wondered if Mozzie wasn't such a friend; he'd taken on the role of confidant for Neal for the past fifteen years or so but for better or for worse, Mozzie was all too real.
'Ready?' he asked as he pulled out of their driveway on the way to June's
He reached out for Sara's hand, a small gesture but all the same, Sara's mood changed from annoyed to content as she looked up at her husband.
'I love the purse' she said as she ran her hand over the new gift. It was beautifully crafted, in shades of emerald (her favorite color) and although years ago, she might have shunned it for not being a Vuitton or a Prada, she appreciated the fact that Neal had chosen it with her (and their budget) in mind.
'I'm glad. I knew you'd like the color' he answered as he tapped the pocket of his jacket 'And I love the cell phone case. How did you know I needed one?'
Sara just smiled at him. He'd been telling her for the past six months that he needed a new cell phone case and that he'd seen one he really liked at Holt Renfrew.
She just shrugged in response. He was ten times better at getting the right gift than she would ever be and he didn't mind having to lead her down the path to the perfect gift if he had to.
'Don't touch that!' they heard from the back seat as Hope admonished Patricia for doing something or other that was not allowed
'What's she doing?' Neal asked, curious as he glanced in the rear view mirror
'She's touching the strawberries' she answered
'Oh, those are for Grandma June' he said, his voice mock serious
'Those are for Grandma June' Hope repeated, in exactly the same tone of voice as her dad
Sara just shook her head.
TBC
