Notes: So, if you didn't already know, KeJae and I talk. We also have plans. This is one of them. KeJae came up with the concept behind this story (based off a combination of concepts from stories we've written) but, we're both going to write a story each to that concept and post them around the same time. Mine's over a chapter long... but oh well.

The concept is a mix, as KeJae described it. And is as follows: a story where Peter turns out to be Neal's bio dad… but then he learns about Bryce? Maybe Neal is secretly NSA so Peter learns that he has not only one son, but two, and that they are both legendary agents with one ironically playing his CI? (My story messes with the order of this a bit).


It Runs in the Family - Chapter 1


Peter didn't know until it was all over.

He was a dad.

They had just been messing around but somehow, she had ended up pregnant. She had ended up pregnant and died in childbirth.

Peter didn't even know if the child was a girl or a boy. It had been given up for adoption.

Peter had to put the incident behind him.


When Peter left baseball and became an FBI agent, his family had been worried and happy all in one. His father might have been in construction but his uncle, grandfather and even his cousin Kieran Ryker were all government agents.

It kind of ran in the family.


Chris Gates, Interpol. Neal wondered a few times if he could have gotten away Danny Brooks, NSA when he introduced himself to Melissa Matthews, FBI agent from DC Art crimes. But the NSA had nothing to do with the stolen Nazi art. At least, according to the agencies that were not NSA.

"How is this asset protection?" he sighed to Mozzie as he looked over the treasure. He was getting tired of all the lying and cons. If they just turned the treasure in, then he wouldn't have to worry about it.

"Patience young padawan," Mozzie responded.

Neal shot him a glare, blue eyes narrowing.

"Wrong 'padawan'."

"Right," Mozzie said with a nod before launching back into his explanation, "it's not like we can just hand it over. Especially since the more we look into returning the art, the more stones we turn and the greater risk that someone will put the pieces together. There's a whole process we need to go through in order to return it and until then, you and I are tasked with protecting it from thieves."

"Even if we get mistaken for thieves?" Neal responded.

Mozzie's manner turned gloomy as he realised what was really bugging Neal.

"Is this because no one believes that you didn't steal the treasure? And because the Suit is looking so hard, in order to prove you guilty?"

Neal looked ashamed and Mozzie didn't like it. He had met too many NSA agents 'married' to the job; agents who forgot why they were there and how to protect people.

"Don't be sorry about that. I know you're not guilty." Neal glared at him again. "Yeah, yeah, I know. This is partly my fault. I pulled you into this."

"No offence, Moz but I would have liked maybe one other person on my side," Neal sighed.

"Look, I'm really close to finding one of the lost owners of the Degas. Hopefully that will speed up the process. Just a little longer, Neal."

Neal sighed, completely unaware of another conversation taking place across town which also concerned the stolen art.


His name was John Casey and he worked at the Buy More in Burbank but was on holiday in New York. That's what he would have said if anyone asked. But, most people stayed away from the ex-military man turned spy who certainly looked the part. His eyes squinted and he scowled as he looked over the airport and dialled his phone.

"All right, General, I'm in New York like you asked. What have you got for me?"

"Turn to your left," the General instructed and Casey turned to see the person herself, flanked by agents on both sides as he walked up to him.

Casey ended the call and wondered just what the General had going on in New York that allowed her to personally make an appearance.

She handed him a file.

"Asset protection," she informed him. "You've heard about the Alder arrest, correct? One of our agents managed to acquire the very thing which caused him to surface. We're only partway through identifying everything which is a challenge considering the NSA's main art expert is currently tethered to a 2-mile radius as part of his cover."

Casey was slightly confused at the 'identifying' part and why they needed an art expert but he opened the file and quickly skimmed it.

A Nazi U-Boat containing looted and lost art? And the art was currently stored in New York?

"General, this has the potential to be an explosive situation and not in the way I'm used to handling," he pointed out. "What do you need me here for?"

"We're about to start moving the art, painting a huge target on our men and the location. You're there to make sure it doesn't become an explosive situation, in any way."

Casey nodded although he still found it odd that he had been pulled away from the Buy More for this when he could think of a number of others who could take his place. Then he flipped to the section on the other agents and realised why he had been chosen.

"You're sending me under with Brooks?" The kid was going to kill him. It didn't matter that Larkin had survived the shot Casey had taken at him, it only mattered that he had shot Brooks' twin brother.

"Brooks has no choice in the matter. His cover is creating most of the mess and there aren't many places where we can send someone who looks like a dead CIA agent."

Casey made a face. He remembered when the CIA and NSA learnt they had unknowingly hired twins as agents. Even Larkin and Brooks had been shocked to stand face-to-face.

Bryce had been adopted into the Larkin family and Danny had been adopted into the Bennett family as Neal but became Danny of the Brooks family through cooperation with WITSEC.

The twins had been cautious around each other at first but, they had bonded and Casey suspected they almost trusted each other with their lives.


Casey knocked on the door of the residence of Neal Caffrey and let himself be guided to Neal's apartment by a lovely older woman who had figured out that he wasn't an ordinary citizen in one glance.

Casey then knocked on the door of the apartment and was met with a short bald man in glasses.

"The Suit send you?" the man demanded to know in an accusing tone.

"The General sent me," Casey growled, hand going to his gun. The bespectacled man frowned at him.

"You've got the wrong place, buddy. This is Suit central."

"Uh-huh. Look, I need to speak to Brooks."

"Who? No one of that name here."

Casey sneered and growled as he racked his brain for Brooks' cover surname.

"Let me see Caffrey."

"Wow, never thought I'd hear that name from your mouth," Neal commented.

The short man jumped as Neal pulled the door open and revealed the apartment in all its windowed glory. Casey was impressed. All those windows and yet, because of the building outside, it would be difficult to snipe someone in here. In addition, the best angle for a snipe shot had a street, not a building, in that direction making it too low to shoot here.

"Nice place," Casey commented as he walked in.

"You… actually mean that? Okay. Thanks?" Neal was confused. "What are you doing here, John?"

"You actually know this guy?" the glasses man questioned.

"John Casey, NSA-"

"Ex-NSA, I work in the private sector now," Casey corrected. Neal raised his eyebrows but continued;

"This is Mozzie. I really can't tell you much more than that."

"John," Mozzie greeted him.

Casey growled.

"You know, the best way for me to tell you and Larkin apart is how you call me. At least Larkin calls me Casey."

Neal shrugged and motioned towards a laptop. One password later and Casey was getting his first look at the stolen Nazi treasure.


Peter's smile vanished as Sara walked into the White Collar office with a strong stride and serious frown. There was only one person who could make her turn up here with a frown like that.

"What has Neal done now?" he asked.

"I don't know," Sara responded cautiously. She looked back out at the bullpen as if she expected Neal to suddenly appear.

"You don't know?" Peter questioned. Sara wasn't the time to dance around issues. Especially when they concerned Neal. "What do you suspect then?"

"It's probably nothing," she started with, "but Neal's got a visitor."

Peter raised his eyebrows and nodded for her to go on.

"He's bulky and short tempered, not the kind of person I would expect Neal to be friends with at all. I think Neal might be involved in something big."

"Do you think it involves the treasure?" Peter asked.

Sara shrugged.

"I don't know. All I know is that it's very suspicious. And Peter, he carries a gun."

"That does sound out-of-character for Neal. Perhaps I should check this guy out?"

Sara breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks. His name is John Casey, although I don't know whether it's his real name or not."


"Hi Neal, who's your friend?"

Neal frowned at the suspicious tone to Peter's voice. He probably should have expected something like this, after Sara barged her way into his apartment the day before. She had been looking into why he hadn't been inviting her back to June's. Neal wondered if their relationship would last if she went running to Peter every time he did something.

"Hi Peter, his name's John Casey and he's just visiting while holidaying in New York. You know how it is, you know someone with the best views in the city so you crash at their place for a few days."

"I can't say I do," Peter responded, eyeing Casey up and down. He could see what had worried Sara. The man reminded Peter of the marshals. He had bulk and stood to attention like a solider. The expression on his face was also similar to the disapproving ones the marshals would send Peter's way.

"I'm not in the mood to explain myself to the FBI," Casey said, "and why should I? I haven't done anything wrong."

"No, you haven't. However, Neal did. That's why he wears that anklet around his ankle and why I like to get to know his friends," Peter responded.

Casey gave a grunt.

"And what did you find?" he asked.

"You were arrested for murder," Peter said, eyes narrowing.

"And exonerated," Casey responded.

Neal watched them exchange words with a frown. Not only where they ignoring him but Casey was purposely trying to rile Peter up.

Or he was just that bad with people, especially FBI people.


The General frowned. She had cancelled all her meetings for the day in order to undertake the favour John Casey had called in.

Find out whatever she could about Peter Burke.

She had a feeling that the two didn't like each other. From what they knew, Burke was a very straight-laced kind of agent. An upstanding citizen who would not at all appreciate the way Casey worked.

Perhaps that's what bugged Casey about the man.

She pulled out all the files they had gathered when Peter and Neal first met and a few other samples taken from the hospital and the FBI.

She looked into his family and had people confirm his relationship to them via DNA testing.

Since the Brooks-Larkin debacle, the CIA and NSA cooperated in sharing agent information where possible. They also engaged in DNA testing to see if people were related to other agents in the field. The people who did the testing were not told whose DNA they had, only the person who oversees the test would know.

In this case, that was General Beckman. She hadn't expected the people conducting the test to pull her aside.


Bryce Larkin's phone went off. He grabbed the handle of the suitcase he had been ordered to pick up and answered it.

"Is this important because-"

"Larkin. Shut up and listen." Bryce did just that, surprised to hear the General's voice. "We found him."

"Him? Which him?"

"The one favour you asked of us when you joined."

Bryce froze. His heart stopped and he felt faint. This was not what he expected. Ever.

"I thought you said-"

"That 'the files are impractical as your father's name isn't mentioned on any of them.' Correct. I will admit, this was dumb luck. One of our random DNA tests located him."

Bryce could hardly breathe. They had found his father!

"Have you told Danny yet?"

"No. It was Agent Brooks' case which brought us this sample. He's already close to him, but doesn't know that this man is your father."

"What's… what's his name?"

"Peter Burke. Head to the nearest Drop Zone, I've left information for you."


Mozzie walked into the room in a slight panic.

"Keller knows about the treasure!"

That was all he needed to say in order to have the undivided attention of Neal and Casey.

"What?" Neal questioned in a serious tone.

"He cornered me while I was checking out some new outfits and… maybe dreaming of my island retreat-"

"-right, the NSA brought you out of retirement for this mission," Casey recalled.

"And it has been a well worth it mission, for all I miss my island," Mozzie commented, "but, to continue, Keller questioned me about the treasure. He's certain we have it."

"He's not wrong," Neal reminded them with a shrug. "So, what do we do? Play dumb until he goes away or address this now?"

"Both," Casey answered. Neal raised an eyebrow but his head gave a slight inclining nod. Casey went on, "you play dumb. It's time I do what I was hired to do."

"Time to get some action," Mozzie smirked.

Neal sighed and rubbed his forehead. He didn't think it would be that easy. He had been trying to nail Keller for years and the other man always managed to slip away somehow.