(HUGE thanks to Kanarek13 on AO3 for letting me use one of their arts for inspiration on this fic! Go check out their shit! It's amazing! This is for the one titled Trouble in Paradise and I had so much fun making it! Definitely would want to do more for their stuff~ Anyway, go check out Kanarek13 and enjoy the fic!)
(Idk where itty bitty Neal went so I'm just gonna... pretend he doesn't exist yet, even if this is a post-series fic)
(Peter/Neal/El if you squint)
The gift had been very well thought out, and just seeing Peter and Elizabeth smile when they realized where he was sending them was thanks enough for Neal, who had been wanting to do something like this for them for quite some time. He expected them to leave for the week, entrust him with Satchmo, and maybe bring back a souvenir or two for him. But the night before their flight, they invited him over for dinner where they handed him an extra ticket.
Neal took the slip of paper from Peter's hand in shock. "What's this? I only got you two. Elizabeth, you're not staying behind, are you?" He'd feel awful if that were the case. The trip was supposed to be for her and Peter alone. Lord knew they needed it.
"Of course not," she assured him. "And neither is Peter. We pooled our resources and managed to get you a seat beside us on the plane." She slipped an arm around Peter, looking excited and happy. They both did, and Neal was reminded once again of how lucky he was.
He grinned broadly. "I don't even know what to say... You didn't have to do that. This was your trip."
"Just returning the favor," Peter said, smiling. "Besides, Satchmo will be fine with the neighbors. He loves their kids. And you need to get out. I'm sure Paris was fun, but..." he held up his own ticket pointedly. "Panama looks amazing."
It wasn't lost on either of them, the irony there. The old Neal would love Panama as well, but not for the scenery or the sunny beaches. No, the old Neal would like that Panama had no extradition treaty and that it was the perfect place to retire with a boatload of cash, if one were so inclined.
Now, however, he was excited for different reasons. He'd get to see the sights and experience it all with the two people he loved most in this world. He'd get to see Peter outside the confines of the office and out from under the weight of life as an FBI agent.
He grinned broadly. "Looks like we're going on vacation."
-)()(-
The five hour flight wasn't too bad. Neal got the window seat while Peter and Elizabeth didn't seem to mind as long as they were next to each other. Peter, of course, had brought his crosswords, and Elizabeth had her Sudoku books.
Neal enjoyed the trip, making conversation with the other two and staring out the window at the clouds, which had always fascinated him the way they seemed to swirl around the plane's engines. He thought he might try and paint that once they got back to New York.
At one point, a little boy behind him had peered up over his seat to say in a tiny voice, "Lookit."
Neal had turned around to see a small blond-haired boy with a miniature black fedora on his head, grinning.
Neal grinned right back, reaching up to tip his own hat.
The boy's mother smiled, blushing some as she pulled her son back down into his seat, murmuring quietly that he shouldn't bother other people on the plane.
Neal faced back to the front, still smiling, and he caught Peter's eye. His friend shook his head, though he was smiling as well. "Only you," he muttered.
The three of them were getting restless by the time the plane landed in Panama City and they went through customs in what must have been record time. Neal couldn't help but look around and analyze the various exits and the general layout of the place, even after they got through it all and stepped out into the sun again. Old habits...
Peter led the way to where they would be staying, which was quite impressive, a four star hotel close to the beach. Their room was on the third floor, overlooking said beach, and Neal knew he definitely wanted to go there sometime during their stay. They didn't bother unpacking quite yet, eager to get out and explore a little bit of the city before it got dark, so Peter and Elizabeth set their bags on one bed while Neal set his on the other before the three of them headed out.
They walked the streets together, investigating the little shops and stores around the area, which Neal found unique and intriguing. They didn't have time for much else, though, before the sun began to go down and Peter suggested they head back to the hotel before they got themselves lost. Neal thought that was ridiculous. He knew exactly where they were. But it was getting a little colder now and he hadn't brought a jacket, so he didn't argue.
"We'll spend the day in the city tomorrow," Peter promised.
Neal and Elizabeth agreed. They were all tired from the plane anyway.
-)()(-
Elizabeth was up bright and early, as usual, and shortly after, Peter rolled over, realizing she was gone. He got up as well and Neal only stirred when Peter tossed a pillow at him, shouting, "Wake up call! Let's go!"
Neal sat up, bleary-eyed, but eager to begin the day, and he was ready in record time, dressed in some nice tan shorts and a white button down shirt. Elizabeth wore an orange sundress with matching sandals while Peter had opted for a simple T-shirt and cargo pants.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Elizabeth exclaimed as the two boys started for the door, and they turned back questioningly. She pulled out her phone and waved it at them. "We need to document this venture of ours. Come on, selfie send-off."
The other two knew it was pointless to argue with her, so they huddled together, grinning broadly into the camera as Elizabeth snapped the picture. "Oh, how lovely. And with that, we're off!"
They started by taking a bus to the inner part of the city where there were more shops and things. Neal was amazed by just how crowded it was, but he didn't mind and neither did Peter or Elizabeth, it seemed. They refused to let anything so trivial bring down their high spirits.
Right away, Elizabeth found an essential oils store and the boys accompanied her inside, instantly enveloped in the strong aromas of whatever it was that filled the humid air.
While she perused the shelves, Neal leaned close to Peter and whispered, "Don't get any anniversary ideas from this."
Peter would deny that he'd been considering it. "Why not?"
"Far too complicated," Neal replied. "You'll never survive past patchouli and tea tree. I'd stick to the cheesy rooftop scenes if I were you."
"Duly noted."
From there, they hit some souvenir shops and Peter found a shirt that made Neal cringe, which was enough to convince him to buy it and immediately put it on. It had a picture of the Joker on it with 'I am so serious' scrawled beneath it in red letters.
Since it was Neal, and he seemed to have a radar for these kinds of things, they eventually found a small hat shop and Neal practically dragged them inside, beaming. Twelve minutes later, they walked out, Neal now sporting a new fedora almost identical to the one he'd had in Cape Verde, the one he'd lost somewhere when Collins had come after him. He was quite pleased to have found one like it.
Before they knew it, half the day was gone and their feet were sore from walking so much. The heat had only seemed to intensify, making them sweat as well.
"How about the beach?" Peter suggested. "Can't come to Panama without enjoying their famous white beaches."
"Lunch first," Elizabeth said, ever the logical one. "Then beach." Everyone could agree with that.
They found an outdoor café with surprisingly great coffee and delicious food, most of which Peter wasn't sure how to pronounce, but Neal saved him from embarrassment, thankfully. He also flirted with the waitress, which was no shocker, because it was Neal, and Neal would find a way to flirt with a rock if the situation fit.
They ate slowly and enjoyed the shade for a while before heading back to the hotel to change into their swim clothes.
"I've got a great idea for tomorrow," Neal said, having changed into his navy blue trunks, and Elizabeth walked out of the bathroom, putting her dark hair up in a ponytail. Her suit was black with colorful pink designs all over it.
"Uh oh," Peter muttered, packing a bag full of sunscreen, snacks, and towels, as well as everything else they'd need for their beach jaunt. He had yet to change into his grey swim trunks.
"Do I still need to clarify that it's nothing illegal?" Neal deadpanned. "Because it's not. It's actually a wildlife sanctuary a few miles outside the city. I looked it up. Elizabeth, they've even got spider monkeys." He knew she loved monkeys. The cute ones, anyway.
"Sounds like a plan," Peter agreed, seeing his wife's smiling face at the mention of her favorite animal.
-)()(-
The beach was pretty crowded, but not too bad. They walked down the sand a little ways and found a perfect spot to lay out their towels. The white sand was no joke. It looked absolutely perfect. Neal slipped off his shirt and headed straight to the water, which was warm, but it felt good after walking around in the hot sun all day. Peter and Elizabeth soon joined him and the rest of their day was spent in or around the waves.
They watched the sunset from their towels, then packed everything up and headed back to their room at the hotel, tired out and ready to call it a night.
"That was a day well spent," Elizabeth said chipperly as she turned off the lights and crawled into bed beside Peter.
"Gonna be hard to beat that," he hummed in agreement. "That animal park better hold up to its reputation, Neal."
"Wildlife sanctuary," Neal corrected. "I've never been there, but it looks nice." He'd never technically been to Panama in general, and he decided to say so. "I've never been to this country at all."
Peter sat up, as he'd predicted, glancing over at him on the other bed. "2004 was a lie too?!"
"Hey, I let you draw that conclusion," Neal said in his own defense. "I didn't lie to you. And that was before you caught me the first time."
Peter grumbled, "Let's just go to sleep."
Neal allowed himself a tiny smirk.
-)()(-
Neal was beginning to regret his suggestion about the wildlife sanctuary. He sat in the back of a dusty red Jeep rented from a short pudgy Panamanian named Vito, which Peter was now driving all the way back into the jungle where the place was, and the roads were so bumpy, he swore he was going to bounce out of his own skin. Up front next to Peter, Elizabeth attempted to touch up her makeup. She was scary good at doing so while in a moving vehicle.
"How much further?" Neal asked at one point, about twenty minutes into the drive.
"How should I know?" Peter retorted, "This was your idea."
"Don't you have GPS?"
"On my phone, yes, but there's no service."
Of course. Neal sighed, rubbing his face and feeling about a week's worth of scruff there (Elizabeth said she liked it). After a moment, he spoke up again, having seen a flash of white off to the side of the road, nearly hidden by broad green leaves. "That was a sign back there. What did it say?"
"Ten more miles," Peter replied. "We've got all day, it doesn't matter when we get there."
Neal went back to watching the trees go by. The jungle had only gotten thicker the further they went, and the road could now barely be called a pathway, rough and muddy. The tires of the Jeep sank low into the tread marks on either side so that Neal was convinced the bottom of the car was sliding against dirt.
He was jerked from his thoughts several minutes later when the Jeep suddenly stuttered and the engine ground to a halt with a horrendous clanking noise. As the car rolled to a stop, Peter cursed. Elizabeth glanced over at him in worry, asking, "What do we do?"
Peter sighed. "Let me take a look at it. Hang on." He hopped out and moved around to the front, lifting the hood.
Neal leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows against the center console. "How much faith do you have in his mechanical skills?"
"Mm... 83% give or take," came the reply. "Add an extra 10% if he's properly motivated."
Neal nodded. "Shall we motivate?"
"I don't think this is the time or place for that."
"Yeah, you're probably right."
They both eventually hopped out and walked around to stand beside Peter, who was glowering at the engine before him like it had personally offended him. "This is gonna take forever to fix," he sighed.
"We could walk," Neal suggested. "It's only, what, four? Four and a half miles now?"
Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't mind. It's a beautiful area. A walk might be nice."
Peter begrudgingly agreed and together, they started off down the road, leaving the Jeep behind for now. They could probably find someone to help them once they got to their destination.
Neal pulled his hat down a bit, falling in step behind Elizabeth while Peter led the slow charge through the jungle. At least they had a road to follow, and it wasn't too hot now that they were under the cover of the trees. Strange birds sang from above, and when they looked up, they could see the bright colors dotting the canopy. There were other jungle noises as well, but Neal had no idea what those were, despite having done extensive research on the local wildlife.
"It is a beautiful area," Peter commented after a while.
Elizabeth smiled. "I wonder if they've got parrots like these at that animal place."
"I'm sure they do," Peter replied. "Neal, did you read anything else about it, or just the spider monkey thing?"
"They've got a lot of big cats," Neal replied, stepping over a particularly large tree root that jutted out into the road. "Elephants, giraffes, zebras, all the usual stuff."
"This'll be fun," Elizabeth said, looking over her shoulder to grin at Neal.
"Assuming we ever get there," Peter muttered from the front of their little line.
"Relax," Neal said. "Enjoy the scenery. You don't get this in New York."
"No, you certainly don't."
Overhead, the birdsong continued and Neal occasionally pointed out a species he knew to Elizabeth, who seemed fascinated by the variety of colors.
They'd gone maybe a mile before it happened, and for a second or two, no one was even sure what "it" was. One minute they'd been plodding along, and the next, Elizabeth screamed, leaping away from the side of the path with wide eyes.
Neal froze, searching quickly for a large bug or a snake or whatever it was that had frightened her, and he spotted a long brown creature curled up in the tall grass alongside the trail, most of its body hidden from view, but it was quite clear what the thing was.
"What?" Peter asked, having spun around at his wife's cry of fear and he looked about ready to wrestle a jaguar if need be.
Neal held a hand out as if to steady them. "Shh, just back off slowly. He's probably just as afraid of us as we are of him." At least, he hoped so. He knew some snake species around here gave no shits about anything. He was pretty sure this wasn't one of them, but maybe that was just false hope.
He saw Peter and Elizabeth slowly begin to move away. The second he took a step back, however, the strike came and he yelped, jumping a foot in the air as the thing's head snapped toward him, revealing just how big it really was. Neal guessed about five feet. He got a clear view of its open mouth, a flash of bright pink, and then he felt it smack his right leg just below the knee and slightly behind. It hardly felt like a bite. More like someone grabbing his leg briefly. It was mostly the suddenness of it that startled him.
By the time his feet hit the ground again, the damage had been done and he quickly stumbled back before the snake could lunge at him again. It hissed, coiling back up in the grass, but it didn't otherwise move.
"Neal!" Peter exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
Neal nodded shakily, not taking his eyes off the snake. "Come on. We'd better move before we piss him off even more." He walked back the way they'd come, trying not to limp, and the other two followed a short distance before Neal stopped and sat on the side of the road, wincing as he inspected the two perfect puncture wounds in his calf. Blood had already welled up in them.
"Dammit!" Peter exclaimed, kneeling beside his friend. He knew enough about venomous snakes to know exactly what to do and he got no resistance from Neal as he pressed his lips to the wound and sucked, trying to draw the poison out.
Elizabeth crouched on Neal's other side, face taught with worry, and Neal offered her a smile, despite the situation. "Well, we wanted an adventure, right?" he joked, but his face was pale and his hands were shaky, heart hammering in his chest. He tried to hide a wince, taking his hat off and running a hand through his sweaty hair.
Peter spat off to the side. "I need a tourniquet for this."
"Belt," Neal suggested and Peter wasted no time in taking his off, wrapping it tightly around Neal's thigh.
"You couldn't have taken that off earlier?" Neal smirked.
"Stop it," Peter snapped, though he knew Neal was only trying to distract himself and make them feel a little better. It wasn't doing either of those things. He pulled out his cellphone quickly, but then shoved in back in his pocket when he realized there was no service here, probably wasn't for miles. "Alright, we'll get to the Jeep. I can fix it real quick and drive straight back. We need to get you to a hospital ASAP." No one asked him how he intended to do that, and he didn't think he had the answer. It had to be done, so he'd do it. That was that.
"What if we kept going?" Elizabeth asked, glancing down the road towards the direction of the animal sanctuary.
"That's at least three miles," Peter replied. "And they're not guaranteed to have the right antivenin. It's only one mile to the Jeep." He didn't like that they'd have to sit and wait for him to get the thing started again, but it was probably the better option in the long run, however terrible it seemed at the moment.
Neal nodded once, getting to his feet and placing his hat back where it belonged. "Agreed." He hissed in pain, trying to keep weight off his right leg. "Yeah, that hurts..."
They knew it was a bad idea for Neal to be moving at all, but they didn't have much choice. When they got to the Jeep, it'd be fine. But there was still a mile for them to walk, and Peter didn't know how much time they had. It all depended on how much venom he'd been able to suck out and what kind of snake had bit Neal in the first place. None of them had really gotten a good look, he thought.
Neal limped along for the better part of that mile, but towards the end, he stumbled, falling to his hands and knees. He blinked rapidly and got to his feet again, but Peter refused to make him walk anymore. They only had a short distance to go. He could carry him the rest of the way. Neal, thankfully, held back on the witty comment Peter knew was right on the tip of his tongue as he hopped onto Peter piggyback style and they started off again, trying to move quickly.
The Jeep came in sight eventually and Elizabeth ran ahead while Peter carefully followed with Neal.
Neal's face was covered in sweat and he kept blinking to try and clear away the blurriness in his eyes and the dizziness in his head, which only seemed to make it worse. His leg was on fire and his stomach twisted in pain.
Peter gently deposited him in the front seat and Elizabeth climbed in back, reaching around to hold him as he slumped against the door, his hat slipping off his head again. "Just sit tight. We'll be out of here in no time."
Neal gave her a nod, then, as Peter hurried up to lift the hood again, he turned his head to look at her, smirking. "Motivation, right?"
That got him a smile, but he could tell she was still extremely worried about him. Neal tried to reassure her with some small talk, finding it funny that it was him doing the reassuring in this situation and not her. He wasn't worried. After a while, though, he didn't feel like talking so much anymore, so he leaned his head against the window and tried to keep his mind off the steadily growing pain in his abdomen. His leg just felt numb now.
He was staring at a white flower off on the side of the road when Elizabeth leaned forward to place a hand on his shoulder, frowning. "Hey."
Neal blinked over at her, only just realizing that he was breathing harshly through his nose loud enough for her to hear. He shook his head. "I'm okay." Which was a blatant lie. His mouth tingled in a familiar way and he fought determinedly against throwing up. If his stomach hadn't hurt enough before, it certainly did now. He kept his eyes closed, even as Peter and Elizabeth started talking back and forth, about the car and about him. This was getting unbearable, but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to worry them any more than they already were. There was nothing they could do for him anyway.
After what seemed like ages, Neal felt the Jeep roar to life and he blinked over at Peter, who looked relieved enough for all of them. "Okay! Let's get out of here. Neal, you okay?"
Stupid question. He so obviously wasn't, but Neal gave him a quick smile and a thumbs up before returning to staring out the window.
When the Jeep started moving, he groaned, then bit his tongue to quiet the sound. Elizabeth's cool hand rested against his forehead briefly and he closed his eyes again, enjoying the small comfort.
He had never wished for smooth pavement more in his life, but that clearly wasn't going to happen anytime soon, so he braced himself against the bouncing of the Jeep, even if he could tell Peter was trying to drive more carefully. He watched the trees go by, then rather randomly thought of that boat song Peter had taught him back when they were going after McLeish. The remembrance of it made him chuckle weakly, which earned him an even deeper look of concern from Elizabeth. He didn't bother to explain.
"How you holding up there?" Peter called, glancing over at him worriedly.
"Not so great," Neal replied, his voice sounding off even to his own ears.
"Just stay awake, alright? We'll be there in no time."
Neal didn't answer to that since he didn't need to, and he tried not to focus on the steadily growing pain in his leg, stomach, and head. The jostling of the car didn't help matters at all, but Elizabeth's hands holding him were welcomed, as was the lavender scent of her perfume.
He tried to keep his eyes open and he thought he'd done a good job at that until he found himself suddenly waking up to Elizabeth's frantic voice.
"He won't answer me! Neal?"
Neal opened his eyes, finding that they were still in the Jeep, still bouncing along on the rough road. He glanced over at Elizabeth's face close to his, and she looked at him in relief. "Oh thank god. Hey, we're almost out of the woods. Hang on, sweetie."
Neal didn't have the strength nor will to form a reply so he tugged the corner of his mouth upward in what he hoped was a reassuring smile. She didn't look very reassured.
Through half-lidded eyes, Neal turned his gaze over to Peter, who was focused on nothing more than getting them the hell out of there and to the nearest hospital. Speaking of...
"Try to call ahead?" Neal mumbled.
"Yeah," Peter said, "I got a few bars a while back. Every hospital in the area knows to be prepared. You must have been out. El, how's he doing?"
"I'm right here," Neal griped, but they both ignored that and Elizabeth proceeded to tell Peter just how not fine he was. Neal didn't disagree. In fact, he was getting a little worried, himself. His heartbeat had slowed considerably and become almost hesitant, like it wasn't sure what it was supposed to be doing anymore. He felt so hot, and the pain in his leg was actually the least of it. His stomach still made him nauseous and his head was so fuzzy, he had a hard time paying attention to much else besides just how crappy his body felt. All from one snake bite. It didn't seem fair.
He could tell when they got off the dirt road and he opened his eyes again, not having realized they'd slipped shut. Outside, he could see Panama City just a short distance off.
"Almost there," Elizabeth soothed, placing one hand over his forehead again and one across his neck.
Something suddenly occurred to Neal and he blinked hard, forcing himself to alertness as much as he could. "Bush..." he rasped, wincing. "Bush..."
"What?" Peter asked, brow furrowed. "El, what's he saying?"
"Neal?" Elizabeth prompted, but everything was getting fuzzy again and he was only able to mouth the word he'd been trying to say before his eyes rolled back into his head and he felt his aching body go limp against the door of the car...
"Neal!" Peter shouted, but there was no reply. He pressed his foot harder on the gas, mouth drawn in a tense line. "El, you gotta try and wake him up. We're almost there." They'd reached the edge of the city and Peter quickly brought his phone up to locate the nearest hospital. Lucky for them, it looked to be just about three blocks away.
Elizabeth had no luck rousing Neal, so by the time Peter stopped the car and jumped out, he fully expected to have to carry his friend inside. Instead, an emergency team was already waiting and they rolled a stretcher over, ordering Peter and Elizabeth to stay back.
Neal was pulled gently from the car and laid on the stretcher, and now that Peter got a better look at him, he felt his heart skip a beat. Neal was pale as a sheet and even in his unconscious state, his eyebrows were drawn together in pain, sweat covering his face.
He didn't get much time to gawk. One of the men beckoned to the two of them while Neal was rushed inside. As the man led them in after, he asked, "We need to know what kind of snake it was that you saw. Did you get a picture?"
Again, Peter's heart sank. "No, we didn't. It happened so fast, I didn't even see it." He glanced at Elizabeth, who shook her head, looking about ready to cry.
"Alright," the man said, leading them to a small waiting room. "And how long ago did this happen?"
"Uh, about an hour," Peter answered.
"Good, good." It was said almost as one word. "If I bring some pictures, do you think you could identify the snake?" the man looked at Elizabeth. "Did you see it?"
She nodded. "Yes, I saw it. I... I can try."
There were more poisonous snakes in Panama than Peter had thought. When the man returned with a small booklet, Elizabeth narrowed it down to a brown snake with black markings, but there were at least three that looked the same. "It's one of these," she said, "But they all look so similar, I can't tell."
Peter suddenly pointed sharply to the one in the middle. "Bushmaster! Hon, that's what Neal was trying to tell us in the car!"
They quickly showed the picture to the man who had introduced himself as just Michal, and he nodded. "Good, good. Now don't worry. As long as it wasn't a tree viper, Mr Caffrey should be alright. And since it's only been a short time, there should be no permanent damage."
After listening to Peter tell exactly what had happened, he left quickly, and Elizabeth sank into a chair. "He'll be alright."
"Yeah," Peter said, sitting beside her. "He's Neal."
-)()(-
"Mr Burke?"
Peter sat up hastily, raising his eyes to see another doctor standing there. "Yes? How's Neal?"
"Resting," the man replied. "He should be just fine. The amount of venom in his bloodstream wasn't lethal, but it would have caused some serious damage without treatment. Given what you described, I'd say this situation is fairly common as to the cause. The snake you stumbled across had probably just eaten a large meal and couldn't move, so it became aggressive when it saw you so close. Either that or it was a female carrying eggs, since it didn't take off right away. As for your friend, the area around the bite was badly blistered, but we took care of that. He was suffering from hypotension and bradycardia, which is when the heartbeat slows to below a normal pace and the blood pressure drops. We administered the antivenin, so he should be showing signs of recovery now if you'd like to see him."
Peter and Elizabeth followed the man to the room where they had Neal, and when they walked in, Neal lifted his head with a small smile. "Hey."
Peter sighed heavily. "Neal Caffrey, you almost gave me a heart attack. Again."
Neal shrugged helplessly, not looking sorry at all. "Well, you know me. Always with the dramatics." He'd gained some color back, and he didn't look to be in any pain, probably due to whatever was in the IV they had him on. But even so, he still looked like hell.
Elizabeth came to sit on the edge of the bed, giving him a sympathetic look. "How do you feel now? Better?"
Neal nodded. "Yeah."
Peter moved around to sit in the chair on the other side of the bed. "You should be out of here soon. Still wanna go to that animal park?" he teased.
"Ah, no," Neal chuckled. "I will not be traipsing through the jungle anytime soon, thank you. I just wanna go back to the hotel and relax for a while."
"I'm with you there," Elizabeth agreed. She leaned down to plant a kiss on Neal's cheek. "My hero."
"I didn't do anything," Neal said. "In fact, I think we all know why the snake went for me. I mean," he gestured to himself. "Look at me."
Peter barked out a laugh. "Sure, Neal. Whatever makes you feel special."
They stayed with him for about an hour while he gradually began to look more like himself. Michal returned to tell them it was alright to go home now, as long as Neal took it easy for a day or two.
"I'll make sure of that," Peter promised while Neal changed back into his own clothes.
"Good, good," Michal smiled.
-)()(-
Back at the hotel, Neal sank into his bed with a long, tired sigh. "Well that wasn't what I had planned..." He sat up after a minute, inspecting his leg, but Peter smacked his hands away before he could pick at the bandage.
"Leave that alone."
It wasn't even 2 o'clock yet, so Elizabeth ordered them some food before heading off to take a shower, saying she felt like she was covered in dirt and sweat from that awful hike in the jungle.
Peter sat beside Neal, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "I know we keep asking you this, but how are you feeling?"
"Leg's a little sore," Neal admitted, "But I'm fine. Now that I'm not actively dying, that is." He suddenly froze, one hand flying up to his head and Peter looked at him in concern, but before he could ask what was wrong, Neal gasped, "My hat!"
Peter rolled his eyes, tempted to give the other man a shove for scaring him. "Don't worry. El and I got it."
Neal relaxed, but glanced around as if the hat would magically appear.
"In the car," Peter offered. "Want me to go grab it?"
Neal shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. Thought I lost it on the road."
Peter turned on the TV, pleased to find a baseball game on one of the channels, and he settled back on Neal's bed to watch it. Neal laid down beside him, curling up against his side like a kid. By the time Elizabeth came back, he was fast asleep. She made an "awww" noise and slipped into the bed on Neal's other side, content to watch the game with Peter.
Peter glanced down at Neal with a smile, the terrible events of the day seeming like just a bad dream. And as he leaned over to give his wife a tender kiss, Neal tucked between them, he was never more grateful for the family he had.
-)()(-
The rest of their vacation went by without incident and they even got to go to that wildlife sanctuary. Elizabeth took pictures of Peter over by the tigers and Neal feeding the giraffes, nose wrinkled in laughter. And, of course, she got her pictures with the spider monkeys.
In the gift shop, Peter came up behind Neal and draped a long, stuffed snake around his neck, causing Neal to jump and whirl around, pointing sternly at him. "That's not even funny!" But there was a spark of mischief in his eye as he tossed the toy right back.
By the time they packed up and got ready to leave, the incident had pretty much been forgotten, though Peter knew as soon as they got back, Neal would be showing off his battle scars like a proud teenager, telling everyone about the huge dangerous snake that had attacked him. Peter would probably let him have his moment of glory, if only out of sympathy for what he'd been through.
Back on the plane, as he watched Neal stare out the window and Elizabeth work on some more Sudoku, he couldn't help but think about how much worse things could have turned out.
Neal could have been bitten by a much deadlier snake. They might not have made it to the Jeep in time or back to the city. They'd been close enough to not even knowing what kind of snake had bit him, and if it weren't for Neal, they may never have figured it out.
Elizabeth nudged him, bringing Peter back to the present, and she offered him a smile, seeming to know what he'd been thinking. He smiled back and leaned over to give her a kiss.
"Eugh!" Neal snorted, pulling his hat down over his eyes. "Get a room."
Elizabeth leaned over further to plant a kiss on his cheek as well, enjoying the blush that earned her.
Things had turned out fine.