Ok, so an idea came to mind... I was left with many emotional gaps after season 4 and the whole Neal's dad story arc; and because fanfiction allow us to travel to new dimensions, I decided to fill in those gaps.

This story builds on those missing scenes I would've loved seeing with Neal and his dad or Peter and James or Sara and Neal and how they became 'amis-amants'; or how Mozzie was such a strong touchstone for Neal and his way of dealing with his newfound father, etc. So many that if I don't get them out, I'll explode.

So here it is, I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

(Story begins right after episode "Family business" ends)

James Bennett made his way downstairs slowly, wanting to savor each and every word he just heard from Neal's voice. He stopped mid-staircase on the elegantly wooden-carved piece in June's mansion, he grabbed the handrail and closed his eyes replaying those words in his mind again "I want you to be a part of my life", Neal had said to him a few seconds ago. He grinned widely and taking a deep breath he made his way outside to find Peter Burke waiting for him

Leaning casually on the hood of his car and with hands in his pockets, Peter couldn't help but smile at the big smile James had on his face. It could only mean one thing "So things went well with Neal, then?" he said not really asking, just confirming it.

James blinked rapidly trying to hide the tears that had escaped earlier. No tough cop should cry, he thought "Is it that obvious?" he said grinning

Peter chuckled and shook his head at the amazing resemblance of that grin he had seen so many times before on the young conman's face. He went to the driver's seat and buckled up waiting for the older man to do the same. He turned silently looking at James whom nodded in return, giving him some sort of signal to go on and lead the way to this safe house Mozzie had provided for the time being.

Forty minutes had passed in silence, they had just advanced to Upstate New York and Peter was blindly following Mozzie's instructions through the GPS. Peter was familiar with this part of town since he grew up around here, yet, he couldn't help but be shocked when he saw that they were approaching the town of Kent, which sits high on the spectacular Hudson Highlands 60 miles north of New York City in the north central portion of Putnam County and they had just crossed the border for Wonder Lake park, one of the two parks under permanent protection of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

"You gotta be kidding me" said Peter bewildered at Mozzie's nerve of building a safe house in the middle of a forest protected by the US Government

James smirked figuring out what got Peter so shocked "I guess Mozzie is a true US citizen and feels the right to claim his land"

Peter grunted in annoyance "I could arrest him for this!"

"Based on what evidence, Agent Burke?" said James with that ridiculous smirk on his face, just like Neal's, having fun teasing Peter. They were speaking the same language and as a former law-enforcement officer, James knew what kind of buttons to push just to annoy Peter

Peter sighed and glared at James "I'm glad you find this amusing, Detective Bennett"

They stared at each other for a moment and burst-out laughing at their situation. Peter parked the car and turned off the engine "You know, before I met your son, I would've flipped at this and now look at me, helping a fugitive to hide in the middle of a US-Government protected forest. Neal has managed to corrupt me… a lot" he said with a smile

James was not smiling. He had a lost look on his face "That's what a son does. They change your life forever" he said with an air of nostalgia "Do you have children, Peter?"

"No, I don't" said Peter no longer smiling when he saw the change of mood on James

James tilted his head slightly and gave him a hint of a smile "But you got Neal, right?"

Peter didn't know exactly what to answer and even when he usually was excellent at reading people, James Bennett was one tough book to read, just like Neal. He decided to give a non-answer "Neal's a handful" he said with a tone of amusement in his voice

"He's a great kid and you're lucky to have such a deep connection with him… he considers you more of a father than me, you know?" said James and opened the door getting out of the car as if he had just said something trivial about the weather and not the bomb he just dropped on Peter

What?! It was all that Peter was thinking after hearing that. He sat there motionless for a couple of seconds before reacting and getting out of the car himself.

"Thanks for driving me here, Peter" said James once he got his bag out of the trunk

"Ah, no problem. Please keep your safe phone near you and here, take my spare gun, just in case" said Peter nervously

James took the gun and smiled "Thanks, Peter…"

Peter suddenly felt as if he was standing on thin ice, unsteady and with wobble legs. He knew he had to move but he couldn't "Um, well, take care ok? We'll keep you posted" he said awkwardly

James extended his hand and once Peter shook it he grabbed it with both hands "I'll never be able to thank you enough for being there for Neal and for being a man whom he can look-up to. You know, everything that I never was" he said with his throat feeling funny

Peter tightened his grip on James' hand and clenched his jaw containing all the emotions he was feeling "James, he grew up wanting to be like you and even when you cannot change the past, life has given you a chance to be a part of Neal's life now"

James chuckled "He just told me so before I left. It's pretty amazing the bond you two have" he said releasing Peter's hand "I'll do my best to step up to the task at hand then" he said getting all detective-like

In the meantime…

Neal was just staring at the view from the terrace in June's mansion, New York City at his feet and he had an impossibly huge grin on his face. His father was back for good, he thought. He suddenly felt cold bony fingers wrapping around his arm, followed by thin well-toned arms wrapping around his abdomen, slowly tracing a path until reaching his muscular chest from behind and splaying the elegant fingers there

"Wanna share the reason for having such a beautiful smile on your face? Is it for me, Caffrey?" said Sara smiling herself while placing a small kiss on his neck and resting her head on his back

Neal sighed in contentment and placed his hand on top of hers kissing each one before turning around and wrapping his arms around her "You always make me smile but just this time, I'm afraid it wasn't just for you" he said sweetly kissing her temple

He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the apartment "My father and I are kind of starting to bond" he said shyly

"Really? Wow Neal, that is… I'm so happy for you!" she said genuinely excited for him. After the whole Flynn ordeal, he had told her everything about it and they spent another late night 'just talking', which had become a new favorite activity between the two of them. They weren't exactly dating again but they both knew that there was something strong between them, strong enough to feel comfortable and safe in each other's company without having to put a name to the relationship. Neal trusted Sara and Sara trusted Neal. They had agreed to have no more secrets between them, too many had hurt them in the past and now they talked a lot.

"Yeah, it's great" said Neal fishing his hands deep in his pockets "He even hugged me and kissed me" he added with a small voice, blushing and fidgeting, looking more like a shy little boy despite the tailored suit he was wearing

She impulsively grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him happily "We should celebrate!" she said going to get a new bottle of wine. "Oh I have an idea! There's this new exhibition at the German embassy, they're preparing a temporary exhibit of Frederick's artwork, I can get you a couple of VIP passes and you can go with your dad to have some bonding quality time"

Neal smiled taking one of the glasses from her "Sounds amazing but I'm afraid the bonding time won't be so easy, there have been some complications…" he said and explained that his dad had to go hide on Mozzy's safe house because of Dennis Flynn Jr's unexpected murder.

"Oh… well, if it's in the woodsie New York State area, it's not so far away, maybe you could find a way to keep in touch more often and just enjoy being together, without so many complications around, you know?" she said seating on the couch with her legs underneath her

"You suggest some father-son camping time?" he said joking

"Of course not, you my dear wouldn't survive one day on the woods" she said pointing a finger to his very expensive suit

"The pot said to the kettle…" he said chuckling

"I was a girl-scout, thank you very much!" defended Sara and pulled her skirt a little higher "See this scar here? A raccoon bit me because I was protecting a little one from my tribe before the furry thing attacked her!"

"Your tribe? Did you sleep on a tipi instead of a tent or something?" he teased her

"Shut up Caffrey, you city boys don't understand the wilderness" she said throwing her hair back proudly

"Whatever, Pocahontas" he said before Sara threw a cushion at him

Neal laughed and stood up putting his hands up in surrender "Want some dinner? This city boy can cook for you"

Sara grinned "Now that I believe. Yes please!" she said excitedly getting up barefoot "Can I help?"

"Sure, you can start the fire, I'll go get the recently killed squirrel I just hunted in Central Park" he said feeling funny as hell and just happy as a hipo

Sara actually laughed at that and went to set the table thoroughly enjoying this newfound carefree relationship she had with Neal, it's as if he was her best friend with the occasional amazing love-making and without the pressure of an actual commitment. They both felt comfortable being in this zone. She knew she was not fooling anyone (including herself) pretending to be in total control of her feelings but she didn't care, she was enjoying this too much and seeing Neal with this new injected energy and happiness because of his father made her heart swell deliciously.

As always, your reviews make my day. Please type away! ;)