Those You Leave Behind
AN: Tag to S3 Judgment Day. The consequences, for all concerned, of Neal's return of the Raphael and his quick departure. Just to warn you…there is a part in here where Elle is not too nice to Neal. I blame it on the EVIL plot bunnies, myself. I'm just saying.
At any rate, I just wanted to say a special thanks to all you guys who have me in your alerts and favorites. I don't get a chance to thank you any other way. Jackie
E. Parker decided witness protection was not all it was cracked up to be. She had loved her home on Roosevelt Island. But it too was getting old. She had had to give up a lot when she had testified against her fellow officers. The corrupt cops who she was now being hidden away from. She had lived a great life. And the one bright spot in it all had been her partner's son. Neal, as he now called himself, had been a great kid. But she would not have recognized the man who had stood in front of her, had it not been for those amazing blue eyes. She smiled as she started packing her boxes to move. The FBI had actually helped her out. They had basically ransacked her place. But they had not found anything of value to them. Her link to Neal was where it needed to be, and she was off to live another adventure elsewhere.
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Sara Ellis stared out the windows of her office in Manhattan. She had not known what to think when Peter had told her Neal had left. That Neal had just cut his anklet and left. She had, in the first month or two, hopes that Neal would call her. That he would let her know that that he was okay. But it had been 6 months, half a year, and no word. Sara sighed and turned away from the window. Her boss had been happy about the return of the Raphael, and he had been happy about the money. But he had not been happy about being duped by one of his employees. Sara had had to explain what had happened that day in the lobby. Sara had not been fired, thankfully. But she had been 'disciplined' by the company. She had been given oral and written reprimands. She had had her commissions reduced and she had been placed under the scrutiny of a fellow 'recoverer' for a period of 3 months. At the end of that time, if she had performed her duties satisfactorily, her commission and status would be restored. If not, she would be fired. Sara has passed all the tests and had been reinstated to her full commission and duties. But she wondered…had saving, helping Neal, been worth it?
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Elle watched her husband pace. That was all Peter seemed to do these days. It had been six months, but he had worn it like it had been 6 years. She would even swear he had gotten a little gray around the temples. Elle knew not to try to talk to him when he was like this. It meant things had not gone well at the Bureau. But then, things never went right at the bureau these days. Elle missed the closeness she had with her life partner. And while she knew he was not telling her things to keep her from worrying, the not knowing worried her more. She knew she could handle anything, as long as she knew what it was that was coming at her, at them. Elle looked at Peter, making a silent plea for him to talk to her. To unload his burden on her shoulders, but he was not talking. She tried to study the plans she had for one of her client's upcoming nuptials. But images of flowers and cake were replaced with images of Neal Caffrey leaving the country, and taking her husband's career with him. Elle sighed, put down her planner and when into the kitchen. She poured herself a cup of coffee, and started diner. She could not believe it when Peter had told her he had given Neal permission to run. Peter had explained to her it had been just a nod. But he knew Neal well enough to know that that would be the only motivation Neal would need. And deep down, she guessed she didn't really blame Neal for running. But still, there were days, like today, that she wished that she had never met Neal Caffrey. And she hated herself for it.
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Peter was back in his office. Had another night passed already? One more long, endless, day of coming into the Bureau to see what new horrors awaited him. Kramer had certainly made good on his promise. He had thrown all he could at Neal. Kramer had charge on top of trumped-up charge, from public endangerment to littering.
Kramer had also written Hughes a long very accusatory letter about Peter's actions, mainly concerning Neal's possession of the Raphael. But Kramer also outlined Peter's assistance in Neal's avoidance of the U.S. Marshalls. And he, most generously, included his personal observations of Peter's interactions and relationship with his CI. Kramer had concluded that Peter had allowed his relationship with Caffrey to cloud his judgment and corrupt his thinking. Kramer had said, in summary, that Neal would be better served if he were in D.C. He cited Neal's flight from custody as a prime example of Peter's inability to handle his charge.
Peter still had his job, though he was not sure how he had managed to keep it. He supposed Hughes had convinced somebody somewhere that they didn't want Agent Peter Burke's head on a platter. And at any rate, he had had Jones and Diana working on locating Neal. He had started almost as soon as Diana had told him Neal was gone. Peter had hoped Neal would have contacted him, at least once in the past 6 months. He had hoped Neal would feel safe enough to do so. But Neal hadn't.
Peter hadn't wanted to lose Neal to Kramer. Peter had let Neal get close to him. Close to his wife. And Neal had repaid that kindness, in his own way, of course. But he had repaid it. But still, in the back of his mind Peter couldn't help but feel he had been conned, just a little. Was all that stuff Neal had said about feeling like he had a home in New York just for Peter's benefit? Had Neal just been waiting for his next big score? Unfortunately, six months without hearing from Neal had given Peter his answers. And they were not the answers he had hoped to hear or had wanted to hear. Peter sighed. Maybe Kramer was right after all, 'once a con, always a con.'
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Neal was back in New York, but things were not going well. He had told Mozzie he needed to get back. He had to go home, even if it meant having to then relocate to D.C. He could not keep running. He was tired. He was tired of the bull's-eye on his back. He just wanted to be able to live his life.
He and Mozzie had flown back. Lolanna had returned too. She was, Neal was sure, a permanent resident in one of Mozzie's many houses. Neal was guessing Friday.
Neal was not sure how to announce his return, so he went to the Burke's residence. He knew Peter was still at work. But he wanted to get a 'lay of the land' at the FBI, so he needed to talk to Elle.
Elle heard the doorbell. She wasn't expecting anyone, so when she saw Neal she was truly surprised.
"Neal!" Elle said. She was surprised, but not happy to see him.
Elle moved aside so that Neal could come in. He hesitated just a moment before walking in the door.
"Elle, I…." Neal started.
Elle shook her head. "Don't apologize, Neal." Elle paused, fuming. "A smile, a little charm, and some cheap words aren't going to help you."
Neal opened his mouth to speak. He could see Elle was getting angry.
"Do you know what Peter has been through these past months? Do you even care?" Elle threw her hands in the air. "Not to mention I stood up for you in front of the board. We both did and told them your sentence should be commuted."
She looked at Neal, daring him to speak. She continued.
"We both felt like idiots, Neal. Maybe after all these years, you were just waiting for the next opportunity to score."
Neal shook his head. "No Elle, it's…that's not true!" Neal implored.
"Peter hadn't heard from you for six months, six…long…months." She paused. "What… they don't have phone service wherever you were? You couldn't call him to; at least, find out what was happening back here. There are ways around detection, Neal. If anyone knows that, it would be you."
Neal shook his head. He again attempted to speak.
"He was going through hell here, Neal." Elle stated pacing the floor trying to control her anger. "He still is. Kramer was after this job, though I think that is over now. Kramer's been demoted, thanks to his own actions. But while he could, Neal, while Kramer could, he threw some bombs in Peter's direction. He wrote a long damning letter to Reese Hughes about Peter. And it would have stopped right there, Neal. But Hughes higher-ups got their hands on it. But, Reese, God love him, called in some favors or performed some magic because all Peter got was a demotion. He didn't get fired. Firing was the recommendation. But it didn't happen."
"I didn't know…I didn't mean." Neal stammered. He had never seen Elle this upset, and especially, not at him."
"I don't care what you didn't know or what you didn't mean, Neal, because it happened!" Elle went to the door and opened it. "I want you to leave."
She stood patiently while Neal looked at her in surprise. It took a minute for him to realize what was happening.
"Elle, I am…truly sorry." Neal stood.
Elle just shook her head. "I want you out of my house! Leave! Now!" Elle watched him until he made it to street level. She then shut her door and locked it.
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Neal was sitting in the park on a bench staring, unseeing, at the people around him. Peter sat down beside him.
"Elle is very sorry." Peter said, opening his paper. "She called me almost immediately after she told you to leave. She was in tears."
Neal looked at him, then back at the sea of people in front of him. He didn't speak.
"She's…this has been hard on her. She's been so worried about me that she can't work. And it's…."
"…it's all my fault."
"That is not what I was going to say." Peter replied.
Neal sighed. He leaned forward on the bench and ran his fingers through his hair. "Doesn't make it any less true."
"I gave you permission to run."
"You didn't scream 'RUN!' standing there on the steps. You didn't buy me a plane ticket."
"No." Peter agreed. "But I know you well enough to know what you'll do when you feel cornered. And I gave you that information."
Neal looked at Peter.
"Elle is not really upset with you. She understood why you ran, we both understand it. Elle said she would hate to have you living in D.C. She would miss you too much."
"That's not the vibe I got from her." Neal said in regards to his latest visit.
"Neal," Pete tried to explain. "…neither of us expected the backlash this would cause. I had no idea Kramer had such an vindictive streak when crossed. He put me through hell."
Neal nodded. "Elle mentioned that."
"We spent weeks worrying if I would have a job. Could we pay the mortgage on just Elle's income for a while, until I could get something else? We spent weeks working on our personal budget, trying to see where we could cut corners. We spent weeks looking at want ads, trying to see what else is out there for me, Neal. As it turns out, I don't have a hell of a lot of other marketable skills. And I would have to retest for my CPA certification. I'm not even sure I could pass that test now. It's been too long since I've really used all that stuff." Peter confessed.
Neal just looked at Peter.
"Kramer charged you with everything he could. He wanted to make sure you never got out of jail. Even if he had to trump up charges to do it. He…I told his boss that. I had proof. I had recorded our conversation." Peter pulled out the 'special' pen he had given Neal to use in the past.
Neal nodded.
"It made Kramer sound so bad he had to have a disciplinary hearing. He got demoted. He…."
"Elle told me." Neal admitted. "She mentioned a long particularly vicious letter…."
Peter nodded. "It was…horrible. And it would have stopped at Hughes, but Kramer made sure that Hughes bosses knew about it." Peter explained. "Hughes had to pass it on."
"What happens now? What is this demotion about?" Neal asked.
"I've not really been demoted, more like put on probation. I had a cut in pay, and I no longer supervise Jones and Diana." Peter explained. "But…I will be back, in full force, by the end of next month."
"I'm glad, Peter. I really am."
Peter nodded. "But…that means you're going back to Rikers for a little while, until my situation gets straightened out."
"You mean…I'm getting another chance?" Neal asked, completely surprised.
Peter nodded and he stood. "You know how this works."
Neal nodded. He stood also and put his arms out in front of him, allowing Peter to cuff his wrists.
"Thank you." Neal said as he and Peter walked to the US Marshalls waiting just outside the park entrance.
THE END