Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Chapter 1

7 months

November 2nd. That date had been etched in Neal Caffrey's consciousness for over a year. The looming date and its significance popped up at every turn – when he thought about the approaching holiday season, when he put an upcoming appointment into his phone or when he glanced at the calendar hanging innocuously on the refrigerator. Unless something unexpected happened – like Philip Kramer rearing his ugly head or Neal deciding to break into a museum – today was D-day, freedom day, naked ankle day or any number of other cute names Neal had given it.

He lay on his back, arm behind his head contemplating the day ahead; the view straight up through the skylight revealed a cloudy day in that way November skies had of being threatening and he felt a chill as he pulled his arm back in under the duvet and turned to curl up against his wife.

Neal and Sara were still newlyweds by all standards; although the wedding band now felt like it belonged there on his third finger, there were still plenty of new 'married stuff' the two of them were discovering. Like having to check with each other before making any decisions which involved the two of them or remembering to ask each other before accepting a dinner invitation or finding a new house they could both agree on – which had been uppermost in their mind since their daughter's arrival seven months before. After all, they had only been married for four months and married life took some getting used to especially for two free spirits like Neal Caffrey and Sara Ellis.

Neal felt Sara stir under his arm and smiled; this part, the coming together of their bodies in all kinds of wonderful ways was not something he'd had to get used to. Their connection had always felt right ever since the day he first kissed her among all those stacks of documents in the library of the city archives.

'Hi' Sara whispered, her voice still deep with sleep

She ran her foot up and down his left leg all the way down to his ankle and felt the familiar item there and she purred.

'I think I might miss it in some weird way' she said under her breath

'Oh, no you won't' answered Neal, stifling a smile and snuggling up to her neck to deposit a lingering kiss

'Still, I wouldn't mind making out with a guy on parole one last time' she said suggestively as she turned to face him

'Oh yeah?' Neal muttered as his lips moved in on hers, needing no more than the mere suggestion of sex to get him going.

'Is that what does it for you? Sleeping with a criminal?' he said playfully as his lips began to move south

'Well, it is kind of exciting' she volunteered with a deep sigh, as his lips passed playfully over her breasts

'So, does that mean you're not going to find me as sexy after today?' he asked his face returning to hers as he pulled her closer

'Oh, no. You'll always be my ex-con...' she began before he cut her off with another long, lustful kiss

As was often the case, they were rudely interrupted by some gurgling sounds coming from the back of the apartment.

'I swear...' said Neal, pulling away with a long sigh '...does she have some sort of sex radar?'

Since Hope's arrival, the couple couldn't count the number of times Hope had interrupted their playtime. She seemed to have a gift for knowing when to make her presence known and Neal regrettably turned away from Sara as his feet hit the cold floor.

He returned with their daughter in his arms and Sara watched as Neal made his way back to bed, the cooing now mutual as he slipped under the blankets with Hope.

'I think she's hungry, aren't you sweet pea?' he said as he deposited her next to her mom

'Good morning, sweet girl' said Sara as she opened up her arms to greet her

At seven months, Hope was becoming more independent and certainly more mobile. She was crawling now and the apartment had been child proofed – as much as possible. Certainly, the loft had never been designed with a mobile baby in mind and although most of June's special mementoes had been safely stored away, there were still a number of dangers inherent in a fourth floor walk up. Neal had totally chewed Mozzie out that day he'd left without closing the door behind him. Within seconds, Neal had found Hope on the stair landing looking down and he cringed at the thought of what could have happened if he hadn't been quick to react. Truth be told, he hadn't even shared that less than stellar incident with Sara. She was already more than anxious to move to a new house, complete with a backyard for Hope to play in and they had been furiously visiting homes since their wedding in June. Surprisingly, house hunting had turned into a full time job and with both of them back to work now, it had occupied most of their free time.

'Is that true Hope? Are you hungry?' asked Sara as the baby began pulling at her mom's nightshirt trying desperately to get to her breast

She settled in between her parents as Neal propped himself up on his elbow to gaze down at the two of them, a goofy smile on his lips. These days, this was definitely one of his favorite things - watching his beautiful dark haired daughter breastfeed, a look of love and contentment on Sara's face as she stared down at the baby. He smiled at the sight despite himself and he thought back over the past year - and what a year it had been. Sara getting pregnant quite by accident (if there was such a thing) after his return from Cape Verde, his realization that he wanted a family life more than he even knew, Hope's birth, their wedding... He couldn't possibly have imagined how happy and content he would become with this life and today he would be taking another big step on his road to a new life – he was about to become a regular law abiding citizen, his criminal past now permanently behind him.

Of course, a leopard couldn't change its spots and Neal still had those 'urges' from time to time, especially with Mozzie still in the picture but overall, when he weighed the risks of what was at stake, he was usually able to overcome the desire to step too far outside the lines.

He realized he was smiling as Sara's eyes met his with a similar look.

'What?' he asked, unaware of the silly grin he still had on his face

'You! That's what. You always get that silly look on your face when I breastfeed her' she said

'That's 'cause it's my favorite part of the day' he answered, as he touched Hope's head lovingly

Being on a mission to have her hunger quenched, she didn't even look up and she continued happily suckling on her mom's breast making some content noises as she drank.

'Neal Caffrey! Who'd a thunk it? Master criminal – a total softie' said Sara, a smile on her lips

'Objection, your honor - ex-master criminal, after today' he corrected as he deposited a kiss on Sara's forehead

'So what time is this thing anyway?' she asked, laughing

'I'm not sure. Peter is being very secretive about everything but I know he has some sort of celebration planned' answered Neal 'Elizabeth wants you to call her this morning'

Although Neal had always enjoyed being in the spotlight, he was feeling slightly uncomfortable not knowing exactly what the crew at the White Collar offices had planned for him on his special day. He liked to be on the planning side of surprises not so much on the receiving end; not having control on his environment was still a pet peeve of his. He hoped it didn't involve him giving any type of 'speech' – surprisingly, he was feeling rather emotional about the whole thing and he didn't want to make a spectacle of himself.

He had to admit he had very ambivalent feelings about having his anklet removed. The accessory had been a part of his life for over four years – it was like a mistress in some ways, always there morning, noon and night. He had cursed it on so many occasions, hating the restrictions on his freedom that it represented, the limitations on his movements and the fact that it dictated the restaurants he could frequent, the museums he could visit. Yet it some ways, it was comforting. The anklet represented the beginning of his salvation, his link to a 'normal' life away from his previous life of crime and it was his tether to Peter whom he credited with bringing him around to the virtues of a life without crime.

Peter had already offered Neal a job as a consultant at the bureau and the young man had been mulling it over. He also had overtures from some of the larger insurance companies to do freelancing as an authenticator. Sara had been instrumental in putting his name forward at Sterling Bosch and other companies including Finch and Johns had also shown interest in him. Although it was exciting to think of all the opportunities ahead, it was still disconcerting not knowing exactly what the future held especially for a man like Neal Caffrey who still felt the need to control all aspects of his destiny.

Luckily, he was feeling settled and happy with his home life and Sara kept him anchored, something he was grateful for during this time of uncertainty. He dropped his head on his pillow, curling up against his wife and daughter and he closed his eyes, totally content.

WCWCWC

'So, El, what time will you be over?' asked Peter, nervously gathering his things as he prepared to leave

As much as this was a big day for Neal, it was equally important to Peter. He was the other half of the anklet connection, the other end of the tether and he realized that he was filled with equal parts of excitement and apprehension as the day finally arrived. As much as the past four years had meant limitations for Neal, they had been a responsibility for Peter – a responsibility he took very seriously. He had taken a chance on Neal and although at times over the past four years he had cursed making that commitment, overall he was proud of what he had accomplished with his protégé. Although the learning curve had not been smooth by any stretch of the imagination, Neal had risen to the occasion and had shown everyone that he was worthy of living a full life free from the shackles of the prison system represented by the ever present anklet.

Peter wanted this day to be special. He had arranged for a celebration at the White Collar offices for the removal of Neal's anklet. Being married to an event coordinator helped when it came to the logistics of such an event and he had heavily relied on Elizabeth to plan for food and decorations.

'Honey, breathe' said Elizabeth as she reached out to touch his arm

Peter smiled weakly at her realizing his breathing was quick and shallow.

'I know this is a big day for both you and Neal and it's going to go off without a hitch, you'll see' she said reassuringly

'Thanks, hon. I appreciate everything you've done... I guess I hadn't realized how taking off Neal's anklet was going to affect me until just now' he said

'Honey, I know that you and Neal have been connected by that thing for four years. But believe me, the bond you two share is a lot deeper than that piece of rubber, okay?' she said attempting to look into his eyes

'You're right. Neal and I will still be connected after today – it's just, you know... our relationship will be different, more equal, and that takes some getting used to...' said Peter, staring off into the distance

'Well, I have every confidence you two will find a way of working through this' said El 'let's just concentrate on making this a special day for Neal, okay?'

Peter nodded. Whatever challenges they might face in redefining their relationship would wait for another day. Today was about celebrating Neal's freedom and his new life.

TBC