THE DRIVE TO THE TV STUDIO
I hated when he did that. Gets in the car with that not quite smirk, not quite a laugh. I don't see anything funny about a woman crying. Especially when that woman is in my home. Especially when something I apparently said - totally innocent - made her start crying.
THE PREVIOUS EVENING - BURKE ENTRYWAY
I couldn't believe this. El is dragging me over to the entryway like my mom used to when I was going to get in trouble but she didn't want to yell in front of company.
"What'd I do?" El's got that no non-sense, don't argue with me look. I didn't do anything.
"I don't know. You see she's crying." SEE! Even she doesn't know what's wrong but I'm getting in trouble for it.
"I can see that she's crying." El cuts me off. But something's not right, my FBI brain kicks in - you know, the one that is ignorant of rising spousal anger. "I need to know if John met someone for a drink." Doesn't she get that? "Maybe he didn't tell her? Does she suspect him of cheating?" Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! That was it, that was why she was crying.
"Yeah now I'm going to let you go talk to her?"
Well, yeah that's what I do? Question people, find answers.
"This is important."
"Go upstairs."
What? I'm… why…
"Up. Stairs."
I can't believe this. In my own home. Me, Peter Burke, Agent of the FBI. I'm being sent to my room like I was in high school.
BACK TO THE CAR
"How could you have no idea?"
"What?"
"How could you have no idea?" Neal stated again.
"Oh, I don't know. It was good news. She wasn't supposed to cry."
Neal just gave me that damn grin "So what did Elizabeth do to you?"
My head snapped round. He pointed to the road. I focused back on the road.
"What do you mean 'what did Elizabeth do'?" I mean it's not like I was 5 and had wrecked that pair of school pants when I climbed a tree and got snagged by a branch.
"Weeeellll you said she sent you upstairs." He turned his head towards the window and put his hand to his mouth. I still heard the laugh.
"Oh." I need to NOT talk about this - especially with Neal. "So Ms. Teagan…"
"No, no, no, no, no. Come on Peter, don't try and change the subject." He gave that grin that said 'I know what happened' but he couldn't know.
"I'm not changing the subject. I am redirecting the conversation back to the case at hand, which is far more important than what goes on in my bedroom." Besides, he didn't know. I mean how could he.
PREVIOUS EVENING - BURKE BEDROOM
I paced around the room, not quite sure why El was mad at me. I wasn't the one cheating. I had only asked a question. Sheesh, did she want me to solve the case or not?
I sat at the edge of the bed, fidgeting.
The door opened and El stepped in. She looked a little bleary-eyed and tired.
"Peter, why are you still up" She crossed to her dresser and opened her nightgown drawer.
I stood up and went over to her. Slowly wrapping my arms around her waist, snuggling in close.
"Well," I said as I brushed the hair away from the back of her neck, kissing her gently "I just wanted to make sure Dana was okay."
Her head raised up. "She's… she's… well she's a wreck. First John is arrested and in jail and now" she sighed and leaned back in to me as I continued to softly kiss her neck "and now this. Possibly cheating on her."
"Awww, come on El, do you really think he's cheating on her?" I let my hands slowly slip under her shirt.
She wriggled in my arms so she could turn and face me. "Anything is possible." She draped her arms over my shoulders, entwining her fingers behind my neck. "But no, I don't think he was."
"So…" my eyes drifted to the bed, her head tilted so she she could look over my shoulder.
BACK TO THE CAR
Yeah, Neal SO didn't need to know what went on in my bedroom last night.
