I have often wondered what Neal could have gone through in Prison, you know with his pretty face and all. I have been watching Prison Break and that is what caused this idea to develop. Also Neal is by far not a violent person, so I imagine he may have faced a lot of difficult situations. This is just my exploration into his life as an inmate.

So I am not really done with my other story A Brothers Search yet. But this idea has been itching in my head to get out for a couple of weeks now so I just decided to start it.

This actually takes place after a Brothers Search, after Peter and Neal learned they are brothers. So if you don't know what's going on in the beginning, you can read the last few chapters of that and it will pretty well give you what you need.

But this is more of a flash back piece to what Neal might have experienced while in Prison.

I sadly don't own the show nor the characters. But I love to write about them.

Chapter One: Guilty

Peter sat across from Neal in his office at the FBI Head Quarters. Neal was reading through a file Peter had handed him on their current case. His thoughts kept tracing back to the conversation he had with his father the night before. John had finally told Peter everything that happened that night at the BallPark. The night Neal's polished guise had crumpled. The night Neal allowed himself to be seen by Peter's father.

Neal was excellent at hiding himself from the world. But there where times when he dropped the mask, and Peter saw inside. He remembered back to the first time he ever saw Neal drop is disguise. It was the first time he visited him in Prison.

He had received a card from Neal requesting him to visit. He had received several cards from Neal, but this was the first card that made a request like that. He planned on ignoring it, tossing it aside, pretending it was just like the other cards he had received from the inmate. He had closed the chapter on Neal Caffrey, no point in revisiting it. But despite his best efforts to forget, there was something in the words written that pulled Peter back to the card, again and again. He read it every night for weeks before he finally decided to pay the conman a visit.

When they escorted Neal into the visitation room where Peter sat waiting, Peter noticed he was not the usual carefree Caffrey. He had a black eye and a busted lip. Neal smiled at Peter as he entered the room, cold hand cuffs bound his wrist. Peter frowned as he looked at the young man. He no longer saw the Charming Conman. He was looking at a young man, a broken young man. Instantly Peter's demeanor changed. He went from proudly starring down at this conquered criminal, to looking upon him with concerned. He couldn't remember what exactly he had asked Neal, but he never forgot Neal's reply. "Please, get me out of here, Peter." His voice was sincere, and filled with pain.

Then just as Peter saw Neal's guard fall completely down, he saw it rapidly replaced with a suave smile as Neal continued, "I mean it's great and all. You know with all the fine wine and food. But I don't belong here. You know that."

And just as Neal put up that solid wall around him again, Peter did the same. Their moment of genuine, true, unfiltered emotion had passed. As quickly as it had shown through, it had disappeared. And they where back to Agent vs Criminal. Peter left that day determined Neal would remain behind bars until he had served his entire sentence.

Now though about all the things that had happened since then. Everything they had discovered about each other. Peter wanted to see the real Neal again. He wanted to see what his father saw that night. "Neal, my dad told me about what happened that night."

Neal slowly rose his head and looked at Peter, "He did?"

"Yeah."

Neal smiled, "And, let me guess, you're worried about me?"

Peter shook his head, "No. I just like the fact that, once in a while, the real you comes out."

Neal chuckled, "The real me. And you've seen the real me?"

"Remember the first time I ever visited you in prison? You asked me to get you out."

Neal cast his eyes down at the floor, "Yeah." His voice was soft and almost escaped Peter's ears.

"That was the first time I ever saw the real you. What happened to you in Prison Neal? What caused you to show that side of you?"

Neal almost flinched at the question. That was a part of his life he prayed he would forget. Peter did not know what he was asking. Neal could never tell Peter. But as he stared down at the file in his hand, it almost looked as if it where replaying those years on the pages before him. His mind raced through his thoughts, carrying painful memories with it.

"We, the jury, find the defendant, Neal Caffrey, to be "guilty" of the charge of First Degree Forgery in the state of New York."

Neal felt his heart drop as he heard the word "guilty", sure he had a feeling it was coming. But to actually hear it was surreal. He swallowed hard and no matter how hard he tried he could not force the smile that all was going to be fine. He looked over and saw Peter, the Agent that captured him, the Agent that testified against him. He was sitting in the audience, his arms crossed over his chest. He had a smile of victory across his lips. Despite Peter Burke's persistence, his uncanny ability to some how read Neal's next move, to send him behind bars, he had admiration for the older man.

Peter was respected. The Agent had a way that forced respect from others. And it was respect for who he was, not who he pretended to be. Neal admired that, because even though he himself had been able to gain respect, it was all based on a lie. His respect was derived from a fake place.

Neal looked passed Peter and his eyes fell upon Sarah. She had also testified against him, calling him a liar, a thief, and a sociopath. Of those things, two where true, yes he was a liar, and yes he was a thief, but he was not a sociopath. He had a conscience, he had just learned how to ignore it. He felt love, he just learned how to hide it. He had managed to put up a front for others, a front that from someone on the outside looking in would have believed her, would have believed Neal Caffrey to be a sociopath. But if they where on the inside looking out, they would know that was far from the truth. And somehow, Peter had managed to get a small glimpse inside Neal. He just hoped he would never forget what he had seen.

The judge issued Neal's sentence, four years, four years behind bars. In a level one security prison, filled with criminals from all walks of the life, not only thieves, but rapists, murderers, and pedophiles, people that had committed unimaginable crimes. All of whom Neal hated, detested. He did not belong among these hardened criminals.

Once he arrived at the place he would call home for the next four years, the first person he met was his cell mate, Levi Easton. He was a tall medium built man, he was a few years older than Neal. He looked to be in his mid thirties. He had dark hair, his green eyes looked as if they held a secret. As Neal walked into the cell the man offered a crooked smile. "I'm Levi."

Neal sat his bedding that he carried into the cell down on the bed. He turned to face the man, his charming smile crept across his lips, "Neal."

The guard shut the cell door behind Neal as he turned to leave.

Levi leaned against the wall and his eyes scanned over Neal as if he where looking for answers. "What you in for?"

Neal sat down on the edge of the bottom bunk and rolled his eyes. "I'm in for four years." He smiled sarcastically.

"Four years huh? Well I guess that eliminates the top two candidates."

Neal frowned and looked up at him, not sure what he meant by that, "What do you mean?"

"Look I get it, you don't want to tell me what you're serving your time for. But coming in here with only four years on your sentence, well that just says you're small fry."

"Small fry?"

"Yeah. You're not in for something hard like murder or rape. So what'd ya do, piss off the bosses daughter?"

Neal looked back down at the floor not wanting to reply. He had never been in prison, but he knew to be careful who he tangled with.

"Listen kid. I'm not your enemy. You're going to face plenty of those in here." Levi stared at Neal waiting for him to respond. But when he kept silent, he continued, "Myself, I got five years for B&E, then another two years for possession of an illegal fire arm. I've got three years left."

Levi had a gruff exterior but he did seem genuinely kind. There was something about his demeanor and tone that put Neal more at ease. Neal looked back up and smiled, "Bond forgery."

"Forgery, must of not been very good if it landed you in here."

"I was plenty good. Let's just say I made a mistake."

"Wait a second, are you the kid the FBI caught? The one that loves art?"

"How do you know that?"

"You're a legend around here Picasso. At least among the thieves. They talk about how there is this master mind kid keeping the FBI on it's toes. Taking millions."

Neal rolled his eyes and leaned back against the wall as he sat on the bed. "Yeah, well a lot of good it did me."

"You need to be careful boy."

"What do you mean."

"Pretty face like yours, in a place like this, you walked in here with a target on your back."

"Any advice?"

"Yeah. There's only two ways you survive in this place, one, keep your head down and do your best to stay invisible and be their puppy. Or two, take em on and pay your dues."

"What did you do?"

"I paid my dues." Levi held his hand up, it was covered in scars from his hand to his elbow from a severe burn, his skin looked like it had been melted. "Let's just say they leave me alone now." Levi smiled, yet there was a flicker of remorse in his emerald eyes, for the price he had to pay.

Neal looked out past the bars of his cell in to the large open Prison room. The building was filled with men who wouldn't think twice about committing another crime inside the joint. He realized Levi was right. He had come in with a target on his back. He would never be someone's pawn. If it meant he had to pay a price, then he had to prepare himself for that.

Thanks for your reviews and reading.