"Hello Neal" he heard a cool sexy English ascent say as he walked into his apartment.

"Ruby" Neal said by way of a greeting, flashing his slightly arrogant but unbelievably charming smile at the women sat at his table.

She was as beautiful as he remembered, jet black hair that shocked against her porcelain skin and big green eyes so deep they could almost be called emerald. She sat in a modern sundress, revealing her long crossed legs and killer heals.

"Miss me?" She said taking a sip of the wine she had poured herself and lighting up a cigarette she pulled out of the packet placed on the table.

"You know how I feel about that" Neal said walking over to Ruby and taking the cigarette from her month and putting it out in the sink. He had always hated her smoking, it was such a disgusting habit, in fact, he had even moaned about it on their wedding day if he remembered rightly.

"Hey, they're not cheap you know, imports from France, extra thin." Ruby protested but returned an equally charming smile.

"I get it, for the sophisticated lung cancer." Neal replied why pouring himself a glass of wine from the bottle she'd opened. He laughed slightly to himself, that was so typical of Ruby, she had even more expensive tastes than him, she was the sort to go down to the welfare office decked out in vintage Chanel and Tiffany.

"Were all going to die someday Neal, anyway Emma has one of the highest rates of health insurance going." said Ruby

"Your still using Emma Brown? How has that alias not been burnt out by now?" Neal questioned, he couldn't keep Nick Holden alive for more than a year, Ruby had been Emma since before they'd even met.

"Well, unlike someone I could mention, I don't run around giving the FBI reasons to look for me" Ruby said a wicked look dancing across her face "How was prison by the way?"

"Routine" Neal answered sporting a look to match hers "You never came to visit."

"You know my feelings about prison, why would I voluntary enter somewhere I've spent so long avoiding, besides I sent you gifts" Ruby replied.

"You sent me contraband, which could have got time added to my sentence" Neal corrected her.

"And did not come in use?" Ruby replied rhetorically "Besides it's not like you made a big effort to get in touch when you got out, I had to hear about it from that creep Zev, not a pleasant experience. Then I had to do a lot more digging to find out about your new job. Is it true you're in bed with the FEDS now? Working with Burke off all people?"

"Peters not so bad" Neal answered defensively.

"So it is true" said Ruby eyebrows raising as looked at Neal with patronising bemusement, "and fact remains he's still a FED, I never would have guessed I'd end up married to grass"

"Hey, I may be many things but I'm not a snitch. I just didn't feel like spending the best part of my life locked up or on the run, some of us have trouble just walking away from our lives, leaving everyone we care about behind" Neal said irritated.

Ruby sighed, obviously Neal still hadn't gotten over her walking out on him, not that it was necessary a bad thing. Partly because it meant she had something to use to her advantage, but mainly because in many ways she was still drawn to him. There was a certain something about Neal that no other man she had met had, an alluring combination of confidence, arrogance and mischief that she couldn't resist. After all it wasn't every day Ruby walked down the aisle in a little chapel somewhere lost in the south of France. Although she had eventually realized she had to work alone, not for only her sanity but that of Neal's as well, and settling down really isn't an option for people like them. She still often thought of Neal and the jobs they pulled together, much of Ruby's best work in fact, not that she was planing to let him know that any time soon.

"Ok, fine you're not a snitch" Ruby said not in the mood to rise to the bate.

"Why are you here?" Neal said starkly after a long pause.

"What I can't just pop round to say hello, no ulterior motive necessary?" Ruby answered taking another sip from her glass, Neal's taste in wine really was quite good she thought to herself.

"Ruby I know you, there is always an ulterior motive" he said raising an eyebrow at her.

"What do I do Neal?" Ruby answered him twirling her glass in her hand.

"Don't change the subject" Neal said flatly.

"I'm not" Ruby said quickly, with a suggestive glint in her eye.

Neal sighed, Ruby was enjoying making him fish for answers, toying and teasing people was her thing.

"Fine I'll bite. Ruby Walton former runner of the long con, now the best fixer this side of the Atlantic, you name it she'll get it. Information, valuables, documents it doesn't matter, if give her a request she'll give you a price." Neal said pacing the length of his apartment

"Exactly and it's not about the price of the item..." said Ruby.

"…Its about how much it is worth to whom asks for it" Neal finished for her. "Still that doesn't tell me why your here?"

"I have something very valuable to you Neal" Ruby said getting up and walking over to lean against the kitchen sideboard.

"I very much doubt that" Neal said turning to face her.

"Oh yer" Ruby said pulling out a small key ring from her purse and spinning it round her finger.

"Is that" Neal began to say.

"The key to your anklet" Ruby cut him off "Yes, yes it is."

"How?" Neal questioned almost in disbelief.

"Oh it's a very long boring story that involves a Marshall named John, a Honkey-Tonk bar and some Good Night Cinderella, not that its important. The fact is I have it and if you want it, I need your help" Ruby said somewhat flirtatiously still twiddling the key ring on her finger

"It's probably useless anyway. The Marshalls would have deactivated it as soon as they realised it was gone" said Neal confidently

"Not if it was replaced with a replica, so they have no idea it's even missing" replied Ruby, matching him, a little annoyed Neal hadn't given her more credit.

"Okay. Who says I even want it?" Neal said defensively.

"Please Neal, what's the point of being out if your still in prison?" Ruby said a very matter of fact tone to her voice.

"Ok, say I do, what could you possibly need my help with." Neal said turning on his charming grin and wandering over to Ruby until they were inches apart.

"I mean you made it very clear when you left that you preferred to work alone, and I know you are more than capable of handling yourself." Neal said reaching his hand up to brush a stray piece of hair aside from Ruby's cheek. By this point his voice had become slow and seductive. "So I can't think of anything I could possibly have to offer you" Neal leaned in and whispered in Ruby's ear.

As he did so Ruby noticed a rush of lust run through her. Neal noticed it too and choose this moment to strike.

He put one hand round her waste firmly and pulled her into him to deep rough kiss. Whilst doing so slipping his hand into hers and tangling their fingers together, a light as a feather inching the key off her finger and onto his.

Most girls would have been so overcome by his touch they would have completely missed the lift. However, Ruby was not most girls. Pretending to want to speed things along, she leaned back on the side, opening her legs and moving her head back revealing her collar bone for him to kiss. As Neal's lips moved down her neck, her hands effortlessly delved into his pocket and took back the key quickly palming it before kissing him once more and slowly placing a hand on his solder so he pulled away.

Ruby began to giggle, Neal knew that laugh, beautiful, devilish, attractive and concerning all at once.

"Nice try Caffrey" she whispered in his ear before turning to leave.

What? Neal thought momentary then reached into the pocket he'd slid the key into of course coming up empty handed. He had forgotten Ruby had been the one to teach him that move.

"I'll see you soon" Ruby added before disappearing out the door.

Neal couldn't tell whether to consider that last comment a threat, and yet for some reason, his was grinning.