Disclaimer: The obligatory 'it's not mine.' It isn't. I just wish it was.
This was written for a challenge at gameofcards over at LJ, where the challenge was to show the first meeting for two characters whose first meeting was not shown on screen. The title is from The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel.
It was 2:48 in the morning and she could not sleep. This was nothing new to June – she had had many sleepless nights when Byron had been out late so many years ago. She had hoped that it was a thing of the past when Byron had gotten out of the life, but that had not been the case. In fact, she thought it might have gotten worse since she had offered Neal a place to stay.
It had only been a couple of months since Neal had moved in, but she was already attached to the young man. He reminded her of her husband and the son they never had. June loved her daughters, but she and Byron had always wanted a son. She wanted to think that Byron would have liked Neal if they had ever had the chance to meet.
A gentle tapping brought June out of her thoughts. The cup of decaffeinated tea in her hand sloshed a little as she set it down. The tapping repeated itself. June rose, padding softly towards the front door. There was a slight figure illuminated on the doorstep, shifting back and forth with anxiety. The girl had dark hair tucked into a hood and some of the brightest blue eyes June had ever seen. If it was anyone, it was probably Kate Moreau. She paused, then hit the intercom button.
"May I help you?"
The young woman jumped, looking down at the intercom on the outside of the building for a moment. Then she pressed the button and glanced at June. "I-I'm looking for Neal."
"He's not here right now," June said gently. She silently thanked Peter for keeping Neal late on an urgent case. "Should I tell him you stopped by?"
The girl hesitated. "I—" she bit her lip, looking down at the ground for a moment. "No. Don't tell him. I shouldn't be here anyway. I'm only putting everyone here in danger."
June cocked her head slightly. Now she was certain that it was Kate. From this point it was a gamble. Neal had mentioned that Agent Fowler from OPR was somehow involved and there was every chance that there was a detail on her house – though June was certain that she would have noticed if there was. "He probably won't be back tonight," she told the girl gently. "But I doubt anyone is watching if you'd like to come in for tea."
There was more hesitation while Kate considered this. "You're inviting me in? You'd trust me?"
"I've got Neal living under my roof. I have had more than my share of cons in and out over the years. If you're up to something, I'll know." The smile she gave Kate was a pleasant one, but every word she spoke was the truth. She had known exactly what Neal was up to when she had met him in the thrift store. Agent Burke thought she was just another victim of his CI's schemes, but June knew better. She had spent too many years with Byron to be fooled by Neal Caffrey's good looks and cover boy smile.
Kate offered her a weak smile in return. "Thank you."
Once the younger woman was in the house, June guided her to the kitchen and settled her in a chair and busied herself making another cup of tea. She could feel Kate's gaze on her back but there was only silence.
When she set the teacup down in front of Kate and settled back in her own chair she could see the worry clouding Kate's eyes.
"How is he?" Kate asked finally. She ran the tip of her finger along the rim of her teacup.
June contemplated the question for a moment, taking a sip from her own cup. "He's doing well. He misses you. But he seems happy. He's making a home here."
Guilt flashed across Kate's face. "That's – that's good."
She did not seem happy about that, June noted. "He's spent his life running or in prison. It's good to see him putting down roots."
Kate was silent for a long time after that, slowly sipping her tea. The silence was companionable rather than awkward, something June was certain they were both grateful for.
When her teacup was empty, Kate set it down and pushed away from the table to rise. "Thank you for the tea," she said. "Please don't tell Neal I stopped by."
June gave a sharp nod. They both knew it was for the best. Otherwise he would get worked up about how he had not been there to see Kate and talk to her. "Just be careful, dear," June told her.
Kate offered her a faint smile. "I will."
That was the last she said to June. She showed herself out, though under June's watchful eye.
June locked the door behind her and went to put the cups away. She could not say she approved of Kate Moreau, but she hoped the girl would do the right thing. She hoped Neal would finally stop chasing Kate – that he would finally stop running.