Out of Touch

by frostfalcon

The sequel to Out in the Cold, what happens when fate puts Neal back in Stanislaus Wieczorek's path?

Frostfalcon

Out of Touch...

Out in the Cold – Sequel

This was my White Collar H/C Advent story for this year... Sorry I forgot to post it here, I got it up on AO3 and then went back to study for my last final.

Started 08/18/2015

Finished 12/16/2015

Stanislaus Wieczorek was not a superstitious man by nature but he believed in fate. When it seemed like divine providence decided to give him another chance at Neal Caffery, well who was he to thwart fate's grand scheme? He hadn't thought too much about the man he had left drugged and wandering in the snow right before last Christmas. He had been too busy trying to make sure he didn't lose his illicit empire. Stan hadn't wanted to kill Neal outright so he left it up to chance. Chance was a wonderful thing too as it had just delivered Neal back to him on a silver platter.

Stan watched as Neal smiled brightly at the barista as he accepted a latte and croissant from her. Neal had never really seen him, they'd never been introduced and even if they had been the stuff flowing through his veins at the time would have prevented any memories of him. There might be some vague feelings but nothing that would let Neal recognize him in this crowd. Even that day there had been no one that knew who he was, as far as the people in the warehouse had known he was just another of the boss's men, not the man himself.

Stan watched for the right opportunity to find out more of Neal's routine. He was going to do this right and as far as he knew Kasimierz was still looking for a new young man to take his mind off of things and replace his last young man. He could already see the dollars coming in! He'd make a significant amount off of Neal, he was beautiful, intelligent, spirited and perfect for Kasimierz. All he needed was the right plan to make sure that when Neal vanished no one would think to look for him until he was safely with his new owner, it was time for some research into just who his quarry is and how he could be acquired.

Neal felt the weight around his ankle, it was comforting. He was able to deduce he had been taken almost the moment he woke. Who ever had taken him must not have realized he was wearing the tracker, all he had to do was wait and Peter would show up and take him home. He reached down to touch it, just to reassure himself. It felt wrong, there was a strip of leather around his ankle... no no no, this was wrong! Neal went from sort of conscious to full on awake and terrified but didn't move too much he didn't want to give away just how aware he was in case someone was watching. They had the skill to take him from his home without him knowing until just a few moments ago and the ability to replace the tracker with something else without him noticing. This was wrong, creepy and Neal had no clue where to start when it came to those that didn't wish him well, since he started working with Peter the list of those that wanted to hurt him had just grown longer. This was not a good day and when the door to the room opened he knew that is was only going to get worse. His captor was taking no precautions to hide his identity and he was holding a pistol and a small tote bag.

"I see you are back with us." the man said with a hint of an accent and he placed the bag on the floor. He reached in and took out a bottle of water and some sort of meal replacement bar and tossed them toward Neal. "I suggest you enjoy both of those and then I'm going to give you a choice."

Neal reached for the water and the bar. He noted that both were still sealed and with the pistol still aimed at him he had no real option than to eat and drink.

"Now that you are done you can either take these pills or I can use the syringe I have in the bag." and he held up a baggie with a few pills sitting in the lowest corner of it.

"What are they?" Neal asked while trying to figure out a way to leave the room.

"Just something to make you sleep, it will be more comfortable for you to be sleeping during your trip. Either way your are going to be unconscious, I just think that a few pills would be easier on you." The man bent to place the pills down close enough for Neal to grab them. He then reached into the bag and brought out another bottle of water.

Neal looked at the pills and realized the man holding the gun was going to get his way. He couldn't think of any options, the gun was something that pretty much made sure of that. He didn't want to deal with what ever was in the pills but an injection of an unknown substance or possibly being shot were even less attractive options. Neal picked up the pills and the new bottle of water. He looked at the pills trying to figure out what they were but he couldn't see anything to give him a hint. He spilled them out into his palm and tried to figure out if he could fake taking them.

"I will know if you don't swallow. I'm going to stay right here until you are asleep so don't think about trying to trick me. We did a lot of research on you and know what you are capable of." he said looking sternly at Neal.

That one statement gave Neal some information, who ever grabbed him was after him in specific, there were more people involved and they had a plan for him. None of realizations made him feel good about his situation. He took the pills, what else could he do?

It didn't take long for his eyes to drift closed and true to what the guy with the gun said he waited until Neal was unconscious. He never even felt when the man bent down and touched him to make sure he was really out.

Peter was getting annoyed waiting for Neal. He was running early that morning and had stopped to pick up a latte for Neal and coffee for himself. Neal was more than half an hour late and hadn't answered his call or texts. The weekend had been quiet and today they were going to go over a few reports. It wasn't exciting but Neal wouldn't just blow it off, even if it was a Monday morning.

Peter waited a few more moments and then pulled up Neal's tracking data. The tracker was at June's so Peter decided to head over that way and see what was going on.

When he arrived the maid was working on the main floor and let him in and he went up to Neal's apartment. He knocked on the door and when there was no answer he announced himself and knocked again. There was still no answer so he tried the door, it wasn't locked and and opened easily. Peter called out for Neal and didn't hear anything. He walked in and everything seemed to be in it's place except for the tracker which was sitting on the coffee table. He looked at it sitting there and he would have sworn that it looked forlorn, but that was just fanciful thinking. The tracker was an object it didn't have feelings, yet there was something off about the way it was sitting by itself. Peter wondered for a moment how it could be there and still transmitting like it was in it's place on Neal's ankle. There had been no calls from the Marshals or any momentary glitches reported.

He didn't think about it too long before he heard a noise behind him and glanced over his shoulder hoping that Neal was there. It was Mozzie, and he was standing in the open doorway looking a little confused.

"Suit, what did you do? Did you set him free?" Mozzie asked as he stepped into the room and looked at the anklet.

"You mean you don't know where he is either? You didn't have a hand in this?" Peter turned to face Mozzie.

"Not a clue, I haven't heard from Neal since Saturday morning when he e-mailed to say he wasn't feeling well and that he wasn't going to be making dinner for us. I was going to drop this off so it was here for when we did eat, as it should pair well with the Tortellini and Sun-dried Tomato pesto Neal was going to make." Mozzie held out a bottle of wine.

"So what happened?" Peter asked mostly to himself.

They both took a look around the apartment. Everything was right where is should be including Neal's emergency stash and the bag he kept packed for the "just in case" situations. Mozzie told Peter that Neal wouldn't have left without the bag but didn't say anything about the stash, the less Peter knew about the fact that Neal was ready to vanish at a moment's notice the better.

"Was there anyone else that could have gotten that off and helped him run?" Peter asked as he continued to look around.

"No, he had come this far and was ready to stick it out to get his freedom the right way. He genuinely likes working with you. I have no clue why, but he does." Mozzie said as he took a look in the refrigerator. Taking note of what was there, all the stuff for the dinner that didn't happen was still there. He closed the door and took another look around. This time he glanced at the bed and realized it hadn't been made. Neal always made his bed upon waking, it was something he was adamant about. He thought it looked neater and Neal liked his space looking just right, unless it was part of something he had planned.

"Peter did you notice the bed?" Mozzie asked as he took a closer look around it.

"Yeah, he didn't make it. Sometimes people run out of time and skip it, so?" Peter replied as he walked over to see what Mozzie was trying to get at.

"Neal doesn't skip it, the bed is made as soon as he gets up unless there is a specific reason or it part of a set up for something. It's a major pet peeve of his. Something is wrong I just know it." Mozzie stated as he knelt down and looked under the bed.

"Suit, look at this." Mozzie pointed under the bed.

Peter squatted and there about a foot underneath the bed there was knit cap. It looked nothing like anything Neal would wear. It seemed to be a basic black acrylic knit hat and it looked like it might have gotten kicked under the bed as well as having been stepped on. Peter wasn't going to touch it just in case it was important, it was time to call this in. He was pretty certain something had happened to Neal.

"Mozzie out now, I'm going to call in a team to process this place. I'm thinking something happened to Neal. Is there anything that we are going to find that we shouldn't? If so I'm going the hall to make the call. Please relocate anything Neal wouldn't want us to find. I shouldn't be saying this but I'm giving you a moment to keep our friend out of more trouble, Okay?" Peter pulled out his phone and headed to the hall.

Mozzie took Neal's stash, his emergency bag and the fireproof box of paperwork and put it all in June's panic room and met Peter in the hall.

"Suit, did you see Neal's laptop? It's not in the usual place." Mozzie asked as he made sure that he hadn't left anything incriminating around. Neal was pretty good about keeping the place mostly legal so June didn't have any problems. Neal had a place to put things he didn't want found, it was near one of Moz's safe houses.

"No, I didn't think to look for it. Maybe it's where ever Neal is?" Peter asked and then took a look around to see if he missed anything else. If Neal left voluntarily more things would have been missing, he had all weekend to clean out the place. Peter was sure that where ever Neal was he hadn't planned to go and he probably didn't want to go. He would have left some sort of message for Mozzie at least if he had time. Something was really wrong.

Neal woke up a few times but really never enough to do more than have something to drink, usually a meal replacement shake and some water and then everything would fade again. This seemed to go on for a while and Neal had no concept of time but at least once he was sure that he was in a moving car.

When he did actually wake up for more than a handful of minutes he felt very weak and like his brain was still mostly asleep. He was able to look around and noticed he was in a bed and he had a needle in the back of his hand. He looked at it and then followed the tubing that lead from it to a bag hanging on the side of the bed. Hospital he thought, I'm in a hospital. I wonder what happened? That was as far as he got before his eyes shut and he was out again. He didn't hear the men outside the room talking about him.

"Why does he have the cuff around his ankle?" a well dressed gentlemen with a subtle accent asked another man who was leaning against the wall next to the door.

"We found that even while he was unconscious he was agitated, it seems the tracking anklet that he was wearing has become comforting to him in a way. He quieted down once we put something around his ankle." the other man said while poking at his phone. "Ah, the transfer has gone through. Mr. Caffrey is all yours, I'll have my men leave and you can bring in your people."

"It was nice doing business with you, and thank you for keeping me in mind when you found him. He's a bit older than I like, but his beauty more than makes up for it." the well dressed man remarked as he shook the other man's hand and then gestured for the men he'd had waiting to take the place of the men that were leaving. Once the transaction was complete and passage to the airport secured they would give his new toy enough sedative to keep him thoroughly out for several hours and start their trip home.

Moving him from the room that he'd been in to the car was done in a few moments. Damijan Kasimierz was a very happy man. He had just procured a lovely new companion, his men had laid Neal across the back seat of the limousine and he just lifted Neal's head, slid in and resettled Neal so he could stroke Neal's hair as they drove. They were a few hours from the Canadian border and he had a private plane waiting at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. He was going to enjoy getting to know Neal, Stanislaus had excellent taste when it came to finding new companions. Acquiring Neal was a exquisite Christmas gift to himself.

Neal woke up slightly, he felt someone running his hand through his hair. His head was on someone's lap and things felt disconnected, he felt nice and a bit warm but something felt a bit off. His mind was fuzzy and floaty it was odd. He couldn't remember who he was with but they were being so gentle that he just let himself fall back asleep.

The team showed up to process Neal's apartment. Peter pointed out the tracker sitting on the table, the hat under the bed and then turned them loose to see what else they could come up with. Peter himself went back to the FBI office's to get the team working on finding Neal and he had to let the proper people know that Neal was missing. He wasn't sure how he felt. If Neal had run than he was probably physically fine but in deep trouble when he was caught, but if he had been taken and that seemed to be the case than it wasn't a legal mess that was the problem. There were so many people from his past and then his work with the FBI that had a score to settle that the chances of Neal being found unharmed were not that encouraging.

"Boss, we got lucky! Besides the hat we found a scuff mark by the balcony doors and a few fingerprints. There were a lot of smudged and unusable ones but we did get a hit on one of them." Diana said as she looked over the details she had been given by the team that went through Neal's apartment.

"Who?" Peter asked trying to look at the tablet Diana was holding.

"Sebastian Nedved, he's thirty-seven and his prints were on file from an arrest for petty theft and they were found in that warehouse last year. You remember that case, Neal ended up getting drugged and dumped in the cold." She said as she tried to find out if they had a current address for Nedved.

"This has to have some connection to the Wieczorek file. He deals in human trafficking and we did do some pretty solid damage to his operation. Maybe he had Nedved and some of his people grab Neal for revenge?" Peter asked, mostly to himself, thinking out loud and not liking where his thoughts were going.

"We also got lucky in that one of Nedved's know associates has a current address. Shall we pay a visit and see if Mary-Louise Vincent knows how to get in touch?" Diana suggested while getting directions to Ms. Vincent's home.

"Yeah, I think it's a good time to see if she'll show us some holiday cooperation." Peter grabbed his jacket and headed down to the garage with Diana and Jones following.

The ride to Yonkers wasn't too bad at that time of day and Ms. Vincent didn't know where to find Nedved but she did have a cell phone number and was perfectly willing to give it to them. She was very unhappy and wanted that "cheap son of a bitch" to go to prison for whatever they could pin on him. She told them he was a seriously violent man and was only too happy to contribute to his capture. They thanked her and called in to the office to see if they were lucky enough to be able to track his phone. Peter also took a moment to let Mozzie know just in case his methods panned out faster, he was more worried about Neal at the moment than he was about procedure.

It didn't take very long for both the office and Mozzie to get back to him. It seems that not only was this guy violent but he wasn't very smart about leaving a trail. His phone was in a restaurant in the Hell's Kitchen area, so that was exactly where they were heading.

He was sitting down having an early dinner with a woman that looked a lot like Ms. Vincent, Nedved had a type. They didn't have anything of than a fingerprint at the scene of an abduction but that was enough to bring him in for questioning and maybe putting a little "fear of the law" into him.

It didn't take too long for him to start spouting off about what they had done. He didn't give up anyone in Wieczorek's organization but he did say that they delivered their quarry to a man called Kasimierz for a nice payout. Then he started laughing about how much a pretty man like Neal was worth and that it had been long enough that he was probably already on his way to his new home. He said something they didn't quite catch and then demanded they call his lawyer and recited the number from memory.

Peter gave Jones a look and Jones went to call the lawyer. They were the good guys and the man did have rights even if they were only questioning him and hadn't arrested him yet. It wasn't their fault the guy didn't need much to get him talking. Then Diana read him his rights and they arrested him for kidnapping. They had a name to work with and a friend to find and his predicament just seemed to be getting worse.

Neal still hadn't figured out what was happening, he kept sort of waking up but not fully. Everything was dreamy and he couldn't string two coherent thoughts together. He could tell he was stretched out across the rear seat of a luxury car and that he was being stroked. His head was in somebody's lap, he could remember a hospital room. Maybe he was with Peter and something happened and Peter was trying to keep him calm? Neal also realized he wasn't able to move, everything felt heavy and distant. This was the most he had been able to think in what seemed like forever an just when he was really beginning to connect he felt a pinch somewhere on his arm, he was pretty sure it was his arm and then he was sinking back into the darkness.

"Pretty boy, can't have you up and about yet. We'll be crossing the border soon and I need you to be still and not causing a fuss when we do. I'll take care of you soon, I promise." Kasimierz whispered, his lips practically kissing Neal's ear as he did so.

He looked at his watch, just a couple more hours until they were at the border and then it was a short wait until they could cross into Canada. The plane would be waiting and then they could be home and he'd have all the time he needed to teach Neal what was expected of him from now on. He couldn't wait the first few months with a new companion were always nice. Damijan was soon daydreaming about all the things he could introduce to his new toy. They were going to have so much fun!''

Peter was able to get people (and Mozzie) working on finding anything they could on just who Kasimierz was and where he could be. So far they were able to find out that he was in the business of importing luxury items into some of the Eastern European countries. He was rich, more than rich really but there wasn't too much information on him. Nothing to hint at any criminal ties other than he was distantly related to Stanislaus Wieczorek by marriage, something to do with distant cousins. He was a very private man.

He did have a few planes that he used for his business and there were two currently on this side on the Atlantic. One was currently being loaded at Newark and the other had landed in Montreal just a few hours ago and wasn't scheduled to leave for a day or so as they were getting the cargo ready to be loaded.

Peter wasn't sure which plane they should check out and sent a team to Newark and he headed up toward Montreal with his team. They had to try and find him before Kasimierz got Neal out of the country. If they managed to get Neal out of the U.S. things got much more difficult. Peter hoped they weren't too far behind Kasimierz, Nedved did say that the exchange had gone down a few hours before they picked him up so the lead shouldn't be that big unless they left straight from the exchange. He just had to get Neal back home safely. They asked the State Police for their cooperation and the had come through by setting up a check point and hopefully they'd find Neal before too long.

The FBI and Marshal's knew by now that Neal wasn't running so they weren't looking to find Neal to imprison him, they were treating it more like he was an endangered agent. That made Peter feel better about the situation. He wanted to push the car to it's limits but it was December in New York so there were things like black ice and sun glare to deal with. He was taking the route the GPS said was the quickest, they had to catch up. The thing that was in their favor now was the Kasimierz didn't know they were looking for him and had called ahead to the border guards to look out and detain him if he got passed to Police checkpoint. The entire team was hoping to get Neal home reasonably unharmed and were hoping for a holiday miracle.

The driver opened the privacy partition and informed him there was some sort of delay as traffic backed up a bit.

Kasimierz nodded and told the driver to continue on.

"Soon we will be on our way home Neal. I will show you the beauty of Christmas in my country. I will teach you to appreciate the things I will do for you. We will have a quiet holiday at home and next year if you are good I will take you out to the city and show you how we celebrate!" he stroked Neal's hair and started thinking and planning their future.

Soon traffic was totally stopped instead of slowed. The driver shifted the car into park and got out to take a look, maybe he could see what the delay was. He saw that there were police cars on either side of the highway ahead and they were looking into each car and then waving people through.

"Mr. Kasimierz, we may have a problem. There is a police checkpoint ahead. What would you like to do?" The driver asked.

"Is there a way off the highway before we get to it?"

"The median is flat here we could cross over on to the other side, in fact a few other cars are doing the same thing but it might look suspicious." the driver stated as he watched a few of the vehicles in the left lane cross the median.

"Do it, I'd rather not wait and the GPS will reroute us once we take the next exit." He went back to whispering to Neal about the plans he had and what he planned to do once they got to his home.

The car didn't really seem to like going over the median but they didn't get stuck on it. Soon they were on their way heading south this time and planned on taking the next exit. The jostling woke Neal up a bit and he whimpered.

"Shh, my lovely boy. Dami has you and I will take care of you. Just go back to sleep we are going home soon." Kasimierz whispered as he stroked Neal's hair until he settled back down.

The officers that were manning the checkpoint noticed a few cars going over the median and radioed it to the State Police headquarters. The State police sent a few more cars to check on the cars that had crossed the median.

Peter was driving as fast as he could safely with Diana sitting in the front seat on her cell phone and Jones was sitting in the back seat watching the road. They had heard from the State Police that some of the cars had avoided the checkpoint. After a brief discussion they decided to try and track down some of the cars that had turned around with the extra Police officers that had been called in and hope that the checkpoint would work if they had chosen wrong.

They heard from the Officers that they think they had followed a car that had been acting more than a little suspicious. They were in pursuit and were hoping to get them to stop. Diana got the location and they headed to rendezvous with the Police and lend a hand. Peter felt that this was the break they needed to find Neal.

They got to a rest stop where there were several police cars, several everyday cars and a limousine. The officers had the limo surrounded but the only occupant had been the driver.

"Clinton, Diana take a look around and see if Neal is anywhere around here. I'll see what the officers have and join you in a few moments." Peter ordered as he parked, pulled out his badge and headed over to the officers that were guarding the limo.

Diana and Jones headed into the rest stop building to see if they could spot Neal. They hadn't gotten further than the vending machines in the vestibule when they heard shots being fired and the screech of tires. They rushed back out to see Peter and the police officers trying to stop a silver Honda that was trying to leave the rest stop.

The car's occupant shot back and as it raced by it hit one of the police cars and the police car got pushed knocking into Peter and one of the officers. Then it slowed briefly and the passenger door flung open and Neal all but poured out of it and then the car took off again. Several officers tried to stop the Honda and a few got into their vehicles and started to pursue the car. The rest were taking care of their fallen officer, Peter and Neal.

In the midst of everything it seemed that the Officer and Peter were sporting only minor injuries but in the fray Neal had been grazed on his side. Neal was totally out of it, he was bleeding but alive and Peter was just thrilled that he was breathing. He was checking over everyone but paying special attention to Neal when Jones and Diana came running up. They started trying to help get things under control when a few more patrol cars and an ambulance pulled up.

Once the police realized the danger was passed they waved the paramedics in to take care of the injuries. The officers took care of taping off the scene, getting statements for those that were at the rest stop, collecting evidence and making sure that everything was done by the book. Neal was the most critical being unconscious so they had him taken care of, loaded up and ready to go first. They stopped to look over Peter and Officer Simmons. Peter had had minor abrasions, bruising and what was most likely an ankle sprain. Officer Simmons had a probable fracture to the lower part of his left arm, they'd know more after the X-Rays were done. They were all secured and heading to the hospital with a few officers, Clinton and Diana following in their vehicles.

"I heard you lost your boy." Stan said into the phone.

"Yeah, but at least I was able to get out of the country."

"I hope that you do not expect a refund or for me to reacquire Neal for you free of charge." Stan said as he tried to figure out how much he should charge if he was asked to do so.

"No, I'm not taking the chance. He is too closely tied to the FBI. It is an unfortunate loss, both financially and personally but I think it is better if I walk away."

"If you change your mind let me know. Now what did you want to discuss with me before we covered the Caffrey situation?" Stan asked.

"I need you to see about taking care of my driver. He should be fine as long as he states that he was just paid to drive and had no idea what was going on. If it looks like he is going to do more than that he needs to be kept quiet. I would also like you to keep an eye out for another young man, this time one that is less of a hassle. Neal was perfect but I need to let things cool down."

"Of course Dami, my friend. I will make sure your driver is taken care of one way or another. I would also be happy to keep an eye out and I am sorry that it went wrong." Stan said and then they pretty much made small talk and hung up.

Stan was glad that the exchange had gone down well on his end. If it were his fault Damijan Kasimierz would have be a lot less forgiving. The man was powerful and had a temper but had this oddly easygoing way at times. He was very confusing but a very profitable friend.

Peter had been taken care of in a efficient manner in the Emergency Department and then released. He took to visiting Neal. Neal was waking up for short periods but not really retaining memory of those times. Peter was worried but the doctors assured him that Neal was going to be just fine. Peter decided that he could step out to get cleaned up, change and find something to eat. It had been a very trying day and he was in pain from his injuries.

Neal finally woke up entirely. He hurt and felt like there was something missing. He was in a hospital and he could tell by the way his head felt the he had been unconscious for a while. He looked over and noticed Peter's coat sitting on the chair. He didn't see anything else that gave him a solid lead on what was happening. He tried to think back his last clear memory, it was going home from the office and picking up some groceries for a dinner with Mozzie. Obviously something hadn't gone as planned.

"Neal! You're awake. We were getting worried." Peter exclaimed as he entered the room.

Neal winced at the sound of Peter's voice, it was loud compared to the silence he had been in.

"Peter, it's good to see you. I hate to ask but what happened? I'm laying here and you are limping." Neal asked as he looked closely at his friend.

"During the rescue I get a little banged up. No major injuries, just a few small things." Peter walked over and picked up his coat before sitting down.

"Rescue?" Neal asked with a decent amount of confusion in his voice.

"It's a long story, we'll go over it later. I just want you to know that you are going to be fine. The drugs that Damijan Kasimierz gave you are almost totally out of your system. He didn't do anything to you and the gun shot wound was relatively minor in the scheme of things." Peter stated.

"I was shot? I was drugged? Wait let's go back to I was shot?" Neal said as he lifted the blanket and saw a bandage covering his right side.

"It was more of a graze but you were so out of it thanks to the sedatives Kasimierz had been giving you I don't think you even noticed at the time." Peter said trying to reassure Neal.

"Dami, I remember he said that Dami has me, he called me his lovely boy. What went on?" Neal muttered.

"Neal, don't think about it too much. He never had the opportunity to do anything to you. He never even got to see you topless. All he had time to do was keep you sedated and try to take you out of the country. The bullet wound was a ricochet, so it wasn't like he wanted to kill you. You are fine, we know who he is and that he has left the country. You're safe and healing, things are going to be fine." Peter held Neal's hand an tried to make sure that Neal knew things were going to be alright.

"Thanks, I'm sorry I probably messed up Christmas again. This is the second year in a row that I've been in a hospital for part of the Holiday season." Neal sighed and plucked at the blanket.

"Don't worry about it, we're just happy that this ended as well as it did. There is still a lot we need to figure out but you were our priority and now that your safe we can deal with the rest as it comes. You should be released in a day or two and we'll be heading back to the city."

"Thanks for finding me, I think I need a little more rest." Neal said as his eyes drifted closed.

"Anytime Neal, no need to thank me."

It took a couple of days but Neal was almost back to his usual energy level. He was getting one last exam and then he'd be released to go home, take it easy and of course follow up with his primary care physician. He was looking forward to getting home where he could be comfortable and find out why Mozzie kept texting almost undecipherable messages.

"Neal, you good to go?" Peter called out as he entered the room.

"Just waiting for the paperwork and we can head out. Thanks for staying to take me home."

"Anytime buddy."

The ride to Peter's home was uneventful and El had outdone herself on Neal's welcome home dinner.

"I hope you don't mind staying here for the rest of the Holiday season. You shouldn't be alone and we want to make sure you are taking care of yourself." El explained as she handed Neal a mulled cider and they all sat down to dinner.

"Not at all, I am sorry I seem to have disrupted Christmas again." Neal apologized.

"None of that, you can't help what other people do. We are all just glad that you are back where you belong." she said as she passed a bowl of Brussels sprouts.

Neal thought about things while he added some of the sprouts to his plate. He still had no real firm idea what had gone on. This experience left him with yet another blank spot in his memory to go with the one he got from the previous year's misadventure. He knew that the incidents were linked somehow as the organization they had tried to take down last year was involved.

After dinner they all moved to the couch, a little tenderly in Neal and Peter's case. El decided they had to have more mulled cider and that it was time to decorate the tree. The tree was already up and the lights had been put on before Neal disappeared. All that was left to do was to put on the ornaments.

"Come on Neal, before were put on those ornaments we need to put on this one." Peter said as he held up a new tracking anklet and smirked.

Neal looked relieved when it was fastened around his ankle. Peter was confused as to why Neal had accepted putting it back on so quickly.

"Let's get this tree decorated and have some dessert. We have to be at the office early to get the paperwork done and then we can take a few days for recovering from this experience." Peter said as he stood up still going a little slow thanks to his ankle and picked up a few glass balls to hang on the tree.

Neal stayed on the couch and relaxed, moving made his midsection hurt. He could direct where the ornaments were going just fine from there. A few moments later El noticed Neal was asleep.

She quietly got Peter's attention and motioned for him to get his phone and take a picture. She was happy the whole family was safe and sound. This year she'd have to find a way to make sure this was the last time her family was almost lost. She was going to consult with Mozzie while the boys were at the office. Between the two of them they could find a way to make sure things like this didn't happen again, they were clever.

Stan was looking at a young man that was skating down the sidewalk. Kasimierz would approve of this one, he thought. He wasn't as perfect as Caffrey had been but this one was barely into his twenties and living on the streets. As long as he checked out medically he'd be easy pickings and there was no one to miss him. He looked around and decided that as much as he loved New York the California sunshine would do he good for a while. He could run his business from LA just as easily as he could from New York. Things on the east coast needed time to cool down a little, at least they would once Dami's driver was found.

The End