Second Part
Chuck showed Agent Burke and Neal Caffrey around the office. He introduced them to the agents and showed them the conference room where they would be presenting.
Sometimes he got the feeling that someone was looking at him. He turned around to see no one besides Neal, who was touching and fiddling with everything.
"This place looks similar to the New York office," Neal commented as he walked around the conference room.
"Neal," Peter sighed in exasperation. "I'm sorry about him, usually he possesses much more tact than this."
"Hey, I didn't say anything about what a bad idea for security that is," Neal responded with. Chuck flashed back to Stanford. Bryce had acted in much the same manner, dancing around an issue when he thought it was wrong but others accepted it as fact.
"Considering that most people rarely see the inside of one FBI office, let alone two, I don't see it as a fault in security at all."
"Except FBI agents," Neal countered with, "but I guess you trust all the agents who come through here? No secrets or lies among you?"
Chuck's mouth twisted up.
"It's the FBI, a federal criminal investigative, governmental organisation. We have operations from white collar crimes to counter-intelligence. Secrets are part of the package."
Neal shifted stance slightly.
"Is that a new view Mr...?"
"Just call me Kevin."
A throat cleared in the distance and both Neal and Chuck jolted before turning to Peter. They took a step away from each other, both wondering when they had stepped so close to almost be nose to nose.
"Excuse me," Peter said. "Agent Kevin, have you met Neal Caffrey before?"
"Uh, no?" Chuck responded, uncertain as to why Agent Burke was asking him that. He knew someone who looked like Neal Caffrey but hadn't met 'Neal Caffrey'.
"And you've never worked any cases where Caffrey was involved or suspected to be involved?"
"I don't think so."
Peter's head tilted and his hands dropped from his waist. The curious frown remained and Chuck wondered what the man was thinking.
What would Agent Burke think if Chuck explained that he thought his CI was a spy?
"Uh, by the way, my boss says you'll be staying at my place."
"In an apartment? Are you sure there'll be enough room?" Neal questioned with a raised eyebrow and frown.
"Oh no, I moved out a while back. My wife and I bought a house and we should be able to give you both a guest room during your stay."
Neal nodded and looked around again, picking up a pen from a nearby desk and fiddling with it. After a moment, he frowned and turned to Peter.
"Something wrong?" Neal asked Peter and Chuck wondered what had prompted the question. Peter's stance hadn't changed and his expression was still curious.
"Not at all," Peter responded, although the words didn't ring of truth.
"If you have any problem with staying at my place, I'm sure I can work something out with the boss," Chuck added, seeing a chance to not take these two home. It was a bit of a shame, Chuck liked Agent Burke and wanted to get to know him better.
But, Neal was going to be a problem.
"I think we'll be fine," Peter said and Chuck wondered if he imagined the way Neal tensed for a moment there.
Chuck showed them around the office and ended the tour at the desk he had. There were a few cases which he needed to consult on but nothing urgent. After all, the boss didn't know he was going to drop in today.
"This your desk?" Neal questioned, dropping into is seat and spinning it around a few times.
Peter gave Chuck the look he was beginning to translate as 'sorry about Neal being Neal'. It was somewhere between apologetic and annoyed. Although he had heard Peter scold Neal during lunch over how he was acting more childish than usual. Neal had refused to supply Peter with a reason for his actions.
But, in the same overhead conversation, Peter had made a good point. How had Neal known that Chuck had lived in an apartment? Chuck really didn't want to entertain the idea that Neal had some connection to Bryce but he really couldn't ignore the hints.
"Look, before we leave, can we talk?" Chuck said to Peter. He already knew that Neal would try and wriggle out of the conversation if it was directed at him. "There's just a few things you need to know before you meet my wife."
Chuck led them to a room where he had shut off the cameras. It was soundproof and private, plus he had already scanned it for bugs.
He stayed by the door and noticed the way Neal seemed a little like he was trapped in a cage, judging by the way his eyes darted around for a few moments and assessed their situation.
Chuck opened with;
"Look, my wife doesn't know I'm FBI."
"She doesn't?" Peter questioned with a frown.
"Why not?" Neal asked with a tilt of his head and a curious frown.
"It never came up," Chuck responded with a shrug. "Plus, she doesn't have a high opinion of the FBI."
Chuck noticed Neal nod, his expression softening.
"I'm confused," Peter said. He looked between Chuck and Neal. "I could understand her having a problem with it, if she knew. But, what kind of person has a problem with the FBI, if they're not a criminal?"
"The CIA," Chuck stated with Neal adding;
"The NSA and any other three letter organisation you can think of."
Peter frowned at Chuck.
"Okay. I think I'm starting to understand what's going on here. Neal, have you met Kevin's wife?"
"Not Kevin's wife, no."
Peter's frown suggested that he noticed the way Neal specified his answer.
"Have you met someone else who may be connected to Kevin?"
Neal's lack of an answer was enough for him. It was a confirmation that Neal somehow knew this guy.
"Dammit Neal," Peter sighed.
"It's not all Neal," Chuck was quick to say. "I feel that I do need to tell you that my name's not really Kevin as well as warn you that my wife is involved with the CIA and won't take kindly to two FBI people in the house." A pause and then he muttered, "especially since one looks a lot like Bryce."
"Bryce?" Peter questioned. He caught the look Chuck sent towards Neal and turned to face the conman. "What con did you pull on these people?"
"Not so much a con as a necessity," Neal responded, taking a step back from wrathful Peter. As wrathful a Peter as Peter could get when it didn't involve someone hurting others when he could have stopped it.
Chuck's face lit up in an 'ah-hah' expression as Neal gave himself away.
"Do I get to hold a needle to your face this time?" Chuck quipped.
Horror flashed across Peter's face but Neal smirked.
"Heh. I guess I've gone soft," he commented, stepping forward. "Peter, my real name isn't Neal Caffrey. It's actually Bryce. That's how I know Kevin here. His real name's Chuck. Well, Charles but no one calls him that."
"A few people do," Chuck corrected. "And at least my Boss knows my real name."
"You told the FBI about the CIA?"
"And the secrets you sent."
"When?" Neal was surprised that he had never caught this. How had it not occurred to him to investigate Chuck's past?
"Shortly after I met Sarah," Chuck responded, "by the time we found you, the FBI had altered my record here so that it was under the name Kevin. You wouldn't have found it."
Neal gave Chuck an annoyed look at his confidence.
"You don't know that."
"Okay, I'm not sure I understand what's going on here," Peter interrupted.
"Sit down Peter and we'll explain," Neal said. When Peter didn't move he added, "really, you'll want to be sitting for this."
