Disclaimer: All characters are property of USA network, Jeff Eastin, ect. I just take them along for a little ride.
Special thanks to my dear friend Sarah (1983Sarah) for all her help and encouragement and the great beta. Any mistakes that are still in there are mine.
"You know, I used to take pride in being able to steal your wallet," a very familiar voice rang out from behind the partially opened door at Peter Burke's back.
This voice, the one he hadn't been sure he would hear ever again, made a smile spread on the agent's face, and it was accompanied by a feeling of joy mixed with relief that was filling his heart. Now he knew why the boy had taken his wallet just minutes ago and more importantly who had put him up to it.
He closed his eyes for a moment and willed his racing heart to calm, its fast rhythm not only being caused by running after the little thief. He couldn't quite believe it yet that, albeit with some help, he had succeeded. Shaking his head a happy sigh escaped him before he turned around and pushed the dark wooden door open fully. Rooted to the spot he took in the sight greeting him.
In the middle of the room stood Neal Caffrey, dressed casually and as usual blending in with the environment. The only difference to the mental image the agent had from six weeks ago when he had last seen him was the beard the former con man was now sporting which made him look a little older. But otherwise he seemed as playful as ever with a small smile lighting up his features and amusement twinkling in his baby blue eyes.
"But," Peter prompted in what was more a statement than a question as he welcomed the banter, a piece of normality in this somewhat bizarre situation. It was like a ball being tossed back and forth so he waited for Neal's return.
Which consisted in Caffrey's right arm coming from behind his back and in his lifted hand he held the agent's dark-brown leather wallet, showing it demonstratively. "If a kid can do it," he finished the other man's sentence with a barely suppressed smile.
Burke shook his head again and stepped through the doorway before getting stopped by Neal when the man slightly raised his left hand in a halting motion.
Even though he trusted Peter, having seen him in Collins' company earlier made him play it safe despite not sharing Mozzie's belief that his friend was working with the other agent. But life as a con artist had taught him to better be safe than sorry, especially when on the run from the authorities.
Clearly surprised at this somewhat strange behavior Burke lifted his arms sideways in a non-threatening gesture, palms facing Caffrey, and shrugged slightly but still came to a stand just inside the room. Neal watched his every move carefully. For once he wasn't sure where they stood in terms of their friendship after everything that had happened.
His smile had been replaced by a slight frown now as he slowly approached the agent, leaving an arm-length gap between them as he stopped again. He wanted to keep what little distance he could get, not only to Peter himself but also the old life the man represented that he might never get back, as well as the memories of what he had lost and all the emotions from having to leave that were bottled up deep inside his soul, fueled by his guilt for having left behind a mess for Peter as his handler.
This hesitant and somewhat distant way of treating him puzzled Burke, his own smile gone as well and his eyebrows raised when eye-contact was the only communication between them for several seconds.
And then the agent got it. The former thief was unsure of his intentions and there was too much at stake for him to not remain cautious, even with his friend. And Peter couldn't blame the young man's instincts, especially after him just showing up here seemingly out of nowhere.
"How are you, Peter?" Caffrey asked in a lower voice after a moment.
They had touched this subject in their phone call last night already but with Burke just appearing here the young man was concerned. He was pretty sure that his friend was in more trouble than he had let on, if not before than definitely now. Because he knew that Peter wasn't assigned to find him, the agent had told him as much in their brief conversation, and while Neal had suspected the other man might search for him, this sudden appearance so quickly after Peter's unexpected call spelled problems.
But being a con man his poker face didn't betray his worry as he lifted his right hand and handed over the wallet. The agent took it, his eyes never leaving his friend's.
He knew what Neal was really asking but he didn't see the point in adding to the other man's guilt. After all some of the trouble Peter was in had been his own doing. Hughes had told him to think about what's important and it had taken him less than a second to know it was Neal. So he stuck with last night's answer when he replied, "All right."
Letting out a relieved sigh at the more favorable change in the other man's behavior Burke acted on impulse, usually more Neal's character trait, and stepped forward to bridge the distance between them, his smile reappearing even wider than before.
Instinctively the con man took a half-step back, surprised by the sudden movement, and then stopped when Peter's arms engulfed him in a hug. A small smile made its way on Caffrey's face as the arms around him gently tightened their hold after the non-existent resistance on his part.
Peter's left hand patted his friend's upper back once before trying to hold on even tighter. He had set his partner out on the run so he needed this bit of physical contact to assure his mind that his friend was okay.
"Damn good to see ya," he said, his left hand almost pressing into the other man's upper back which expressed much more than those simple words ever could. Everything he didn't know how to say, like how much he had missed his friend the last six weeks which had felt like an eternity, that he was sorry for the role he had played in the events that had resulted in this mess.
And Neal finally let himself relax, lowering his guard just a bit, and slowly hugged back, allowing himself to take in the warmth of the embrace, like a blanket of security wrapped around him. He hadn't been able to admit it to Peter that he had missed New York every day, neither over phone nor now that an important part of his life there was standing right in front of him.
Knowing the other man as well as he did he should have realized that it wouldn't just stop at the phone call which had supposed to be the goodbye they hadn't gotten before. Because reality had proven over and over again what Neal had known all along: Peter would always find him. And deep down he was glad about that constant, now more than ever. "You, too."
That was what Peter wanted, needed to hear. He released his friend and affectionately patted Caffrey's upper arms before taking a step back again, knowing he'd have to explain his surprising appearance here.
"Look, Neal, I -" Just then Mozzie emerged from behind a knight in armor statue behind Neal and moved toward them with his arms crossed and an accusing look in his eyes, coming to a stand next to his fellow con man. "Off the convenience, suit. Neal calls you and the next day you're sharing pina coladas with the supersuit on our island?"
This was the last missing piece Burke needed to finally understand his friend's reluctance earlier. He should have known though. After all Neal must have seen him somewhere in town in order to put up the kid to guide him to the former thief's hideout. And while Mozzie's always present paranoia concerning anything FBI, Peter still included to a certain extent, probably made it harder for the agent to convince them of his good intentions he was glad that Neal had had at least one familiar and trustworthy person around him on the run. Which Burke had pretty much guessed or at least hoped for since it wasn't the first time that Mozzie had organized a getaway for them, even if this had been the first time they had actually had to execute it.
Addressing the bald little guy he explained, "It was the only way I could warn you." He shifted his gaze to his friend with something akin to pleading in his eyes while he continued, "Collins is dangerous," unconsciously repeating his words from last night.
"We noticed. He turned half the island against us," Neal replied even though it wasn't really necessary to point it out since he knew the agent had had a front row seat when Collins had announced the bounty on the con man at the local bar just a couple of minutes ago; which had definitely made it a whole lot harder to leave this island without getting caught.
Ever since Collins had shown up in their little corner of paradise Caffrey knew that they had to leave and fast. Peter's arrival hadn't changed that fact, only the destination and quite possibly the way they'd do it.
Burke nodded once and said, "Which is why we need to get outta here as soon as possible."
He left out the part where he would take Neal back to New York. Because he knew he didn't have to mention it. For all the perfect front the con man had put up Peter had a suspicion that the other man wasn't as done with New York as he had tried to make the agent believe last night. In a way though Caffrey had been right; the run was over, just not in the way he had meant then.
Now they only had to come up with a plan to make it off the island without further problems and delays, preferably undetected.
And just like that they weren't three men on two sides of the law anymore. They were an excellent team, as always.
A/N: Thanks for reading! If you have some time please leave a review! Constructive criticism is always appreciated.