Neal had spent the afternoon trying to research the Pink Panthers and what they might be up to, but his mind kept wandering back to his strange conversation from the morning. So when his phone buzzed at 4:32 he grabbed it gratefully.

Mozzie's text was quick and to the point. "Lancaster received big gov contract three months ago. Pulled all resources off other projects. 14,000 employees and all his big equipment. Left 25 jobs unfinished. Something smells…" Of course Mozzie saw a conspiracy, though it was a little odd that he dropped all of his other contracts. Neal sent his thanks and tried to turn his attention back to his research, but he soon gave up with a sigh. He never could resist a puzzle and this one just dropped into his lap…

Why did Lancaster want art so badly that he wasn't above hiring a thief to get it for him? Was it really possible that the FBI was looking for an excuse to deny his early release… or worst to keep him in custody indefinitely? He wanted to believe the supposed good guys wouldn't sink that low but the he couldn't put it past them. He believed… knew there were agents who would be horrified by such an idea… Peter, Diana, Jones… came to mind. They wholeheartedly believed in the system they supported. They weren't infallible by any means, the young man had been witness to proof of their humanity, but they were basically decent, honest people and he thought if their superiors tried something like that they would fight it fiercely, but he doubted it would matter. Maybe he should rethink his plan to keep Peter out of it… letting his friend know about the conversation might head off their plan…if there was a plan. He wondered if Peter would believe him, would he take the word of a criminal over his superiors.

Neal frowned, he was getting as paranoid as Mozzie…

Maybe it wasn't as dire as a set up… maybe they were simply testing him, trying to determine his ability to go straight. He could understand that… but that still left the question of whether he should tell Peter or leave him out of it. If it turned out to be dangerous, Elizabeth would not be happy about him getting her husband involved.

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Neal seemed … quieter after lunch. Calmer or lost in thought completely was hard to tell, but he was sitting at his desk and appeared to be getting some work done. Peter had pulled his tracking information from this morning. Nothing interesting came up… the younger man spent nearly an hour at the park before he stopped briefly at a coffee shop and headed to the office. On his lunch break he went home and stayed there, the agent noted. He frowned, something was definitely up… he considered, fleetingly, pulling up the security footage from the park just to see if he could find out what happened there, who Neal met with… Peter sighed and went back to work.

It was six thirty by the time his wife's call reminded him he was supposed to be bringing Neal home for dinner.

"Come on" he told the younger man "Elle wants you to come over."

"Wow… so no option?"

"No option for either of us. I think she has something she wants to tell you."

"Oh." Neal grinned "well luckily I don't have other plans tonight."

Peter watched his friend as he drove… the younger man remained surprisingly quiet until they reached the bridge, apparently lost in thought.

"Peter…" Neal hesitated uncharacteristically "Would your bosses be interested in my ability to go straight before they approve my… release?"

"I'm sure they would be, Neal. Why?" The agent risked a look at his friend

"Would they… test me?"

"Test you how?" Peter turned his gaze more intensely to his passenger. The young man shrugged, before gesturing sharply for him to watch the road and falling quiet again. "Did something happen?"

"What do you know about Miles Lancaster?" Neal asked after several blocks.

"Who?"

"Miles Lancaster, he owns National Steel Construction… Just got a big government contract a few months ago…"

"Never heard of him. Should I have?"

"No. I suppose not."

"Neal… does he have something to do with your "conversation" this morning?"

"He offered me a job." The words seemed to escape before Neal could contain them. The young man dropped his eyes.

"A job?"

"Yeah."

"You have a job."

"Actually I have a work release… job implies I get paid." The brilliant grin didn't quite cover the anger in his friend's eyes, Peter thought. "And can quit." His own anger flared momentarily as he remembered the reason the younger man wasn't free.

"Yeah it does." Several blocks passed in silence. "So a job… what kind of a job?'

"That's where it got weird."

"Weird?"

"He wants an… acquisitions expert."

"A what? He wants you to steal for him?" Peter flinched a bit at the glare Neal sent him. "Sorry…so what exactly is an acquisitions expert?"

"Actually that was my first thought too." His expression softened. "But… he wants me to buy and borrow art for him."

"Why? If he wanted the art honestly why not hire a gallery buyer?"

"I have no idea. I had Mozzie look into him… he couldn't find any shady business."

"Mozzie couldn't find any shady business on a guy who wants you 'procure' art for him? I find that hard to believe."

"Other than he dropped twenty-five active contracts when he got the government one… there's nothing strange about him."

"Besides wanting to hire you." Neal's head shot up and he flinched slightly "you know what I mean. If he wanted you for appraisals it would be understandable but…as a buyer…When most people hire an alleged thief for acquisitions…" he floundered to a stop and shrugged.

"I know." The younger man grinned and the agent hoped it was only his imagination that it seemed a bit forced. The silence that followed edged toward uncomfortable. His conversation with Mozzie played through his head again. Maybe Neal wasn't as able to forgive as he wanted to be.

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Elizabeth's announcement over dinner changed everything. Neal sighed, he knew what he had to do. He was more aware than most people gave him credit for of how much getting to close to him could cost. He had not missed the silent warning in Elizabeth's eyes as she smiled and told him she and Peter were finally going to be parents. "Do not bring anymore chaos into our lives, Neal." Her eyes demanded, and he silently swore he wouldn't. Once he was free… once they brought down the Panthers and he was released he would walk away. He might send a card occasionally, maybe even call once or twice a year, but he would no longer affect their lives. It was probably best for everyone.

He gazed out across the glittering panorama beyond the railing. He smiled, just like the city waited just outside his balcony, the world waited for him just outside his imprisonment. Suddenly Neal knew what he needed to do. The plan came together in his mind fully formed in a moment. If he pulled this off he could start his life over as if Neal Caffrey never existed. He would try to go straight, he fully intended to try, but if he failed… no one would know. None of his friends, his family would be hurt by any of his future actions… or by his past ever again. They would be upset at first, but… it was for the best. He hated to do it to them and he hated to lose his family again, but he could do it. He would do it.

Neal raised his glass in salute to the world. "Here's to truly starting over." He thought, a small sad smile lingering on his lips.

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

"Boss?" Diana appeared in his door way.

"Come in. What can I do for you?"

"I ran Lancaster like you asked."

"Anything?"

"As far as I can tell he's clean."

"Thanks'

"Boss there is one thing though that struck me as strange."

"Ok, show me what you've got."

"Lancaster has developed a sudden interest in art… and real estate."

"Real estate. Where?"

"Little town upstate. Less than two thousand people. He bought two thousand acres there in the last six months and moved in a construction crew… almost a hundred people, but as far as anyone in town can tell… he's not building anything."

"He's not building anything? That is a lot of land… to not build anything on."

"Yeah it is. Although… the locals claim that shipments of steel are delivered regularly, and he seems to be digging a hole."

"A hole?"

"A tunnel actually."

"There's nothing illegal about digging a tunnel." He scowled thoughtfully.

"No." she shrugged "But it is strange and it is something."

"It is something." Peter considered quietly "Did his interest in art develop about the same time?"

"It did… and it's no less… intense. He has hired twenty-eight gallery buyers and three museum curators." She shrugged. "I don't think there is an investigation here, boss unless we find something more. The timing is really strange though."

"Strange how?"

"He found his new interests… less than one week after signing that government contract."

Peter frowned. All of this was interesting and very peculiar, but while it might indicate Lancaster's impending mental break down there was nothing illegal about any of it. Which meant Diana was right, they had no grounds on which to continue to investigate the man.

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Neal startled awake to the sound of his door opening. He darted a quick look toward it and breathed a sigh as he recognized Mozzie already stalking his wine rack, apparently trying to read labels in the dim light that filtered in through the windows. The young man glanced at the clock by his bed and smothered a groan.

"You know it is almost two am, right?"

"I am not confined to nine to five hours." The smaller man tossed over his shoulder as he extracted a bottle and moved swiftly into the kitchen to retrieve a glass.

"But I am." Neal pushed himself up and pulled on his undershirt. "Is there a reason you are stealing my wine at this hour or were you just bored?"

"The intelligent man is never bored."

"Then I assume you have a better explanation than Isaac Asimov for why you are here."

"I do…" Mozzie poured himself a generous serving of the beverage before offering it to his friend. Neal shook his head and waited, containing his impatience with an effort, as his friend settled onto his couch. The small man toed off his shoes and made himself comfortable before he continued. "You were right… Lancaster is up to something."

"What is he up to?"

"I don't know." The younger man took a deep breath and smothered his exasperation.

"What do you know, that couldn't wait until morning."

"He hired Evan."

"Evan? Forty-Third Street Evan? Your new favorite fence, Evan?"

"Yes." Mozzie frowned "And he's not my favorite fence, but Alex is out of the country. He is good though… one of the best… reminds me a bit of you when I first met you… young, enthusiastic… no artistic talent unfortunately, but…"

"Lancaster hired him… for what?"

"Wants him to 'find' certain items for him… no questions asked."

"What items?"

"Evan didn't know. Lancaster wasn't specific. He said he wanted anything the kid came across that was historically or culturally important. Which is very odd."

"You're talking about odd, Moz?"

"I just thought you would appreciate the information." He frowned up at his young friend.

"Thanks Moz, I do appreciate it." Neal covered a yawn "Now if you don't mind drinking quietly I'm going back to bed. I need to be up at six. Save me at least one glass of that, it's a very nice vintage."

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

"Special Agent Peter Burke?" the young man asked as he shifted his brief case from one hand to the other and absently brushed his blond hair back from his eyes. Peter quickly sized him up. Wire rimmed glasses perched on a thin nose, greenish hazel eyes backlit by the idealism of a kid recently out of college. The boy's whole appearance radiated assistant. Neal dropped his feet from the desk and sat up straight, his expression suddenly wary

"Yes, that is me."

"My boss, Senator Henry Ross would like to see you… immediately if it is convenient."

"I'm busy at the moment, how's two- thirty tomorrow afternoon."

"Mr. Ross is leaving town tomorrow. He would like to see you today, please." The kid pushed his glasses up quickly.

"I see."

"The senator is on an understandably tight schedule, you see."

"I see."

"And as a federal agent you have a certain responsibility to those who represent the federal government."

"I do, but that doesn't mean I'm at their beck and call."

"Agent Burke, Mr. Ross elected not to send his personal security team to retrieve you, but he would very much like you to join him for lunch." The assistant spoke anxiously. Neal made a barely audible noise drawing Peter's eyes to his friend. The younger man frowned and shook his head fiercely, clearly nervous.

"You'll forgive me, but the last time a senator came around here making demands… He was a less than honest person."

"I assure you, Mr. Ross is not a threat to you Agent Burke, but he would like to speak to you." The agent's cautious mind warned him to be careful, but curiosity made him nod.

"Alright, let me secure my computer and I'll be right with you."

"Thank you." The man adjusted his brief case again and stepped out of the room to wait.

"This is a very bad idea, Peter." Neal hissed

"You're going to lecture me about bad ideas." He raised his eyebrow

"You're telling me you don't think there is something funny about a senator suddenly demanding to see you right now? With the Panthers in town and the whole Lancaster thing in the works…"

"Of course there is. It makes me wonder what we stirred up that got his attention."

"And you are still going to just walk in there alone."

"I highly doubt he's going to try to hurt me."

"How about end your career… your wife is pregnant. You have to be careful you need your job."

"I'll be fine. You get to work on that report you owe me." Neal sighed and threw his hands up in an exaggerated shrug.