Chapter 2
Peter sat at his desk absentmindedly signing off on the many cases which had accumulated in his in-basket over the past six weeks or so. He and Neal, along with the rest of the crew, had been knee-deep in the McNulty case and the man had proven to be a worthy opponent. The case had lingered for weeks before Neal had been able to get his hands on enough incriminating evidence to bring him to justice. Peter peered down into the pit as the worker bees continued to toil at their respective tasks.
Jones was at his desk, doing research on a new case that had just popped up, Diana was at the coffee machine getting a caffeine fix and Neal seemed very concentrated as he typed away on his keyboard – probably finishing up his report on the take down.
Peter knew that life was in constant motion and that change was inevitable but having Neal on his team was something he truly enjoyed and had become accustomed to and he realized he wasn't ready to let their working relationship go. Sure, he teased his partner mercilessly but he also sincerely enjoyed the carefree banter, having someone he considered his intellectual equal to spar with on a daily basis. He had been surprised by Neal's reluctance to jump in head first when he'd offered him the possibility of staying on as a paid consultant. He thought back to the many comments he'd carelessly thrown at his CI over the years, trying to keep him from getting too big for his britches. He now regretted some of those remarks; Neal wouldn't show it but Peter knew that he sometimes hit below the belt with his off-hand comments and every once in a while he could make out a fleeting look of hurt in his partner's eyes before he recovered with bravado and a phony smile. If Neal stuck around, Peter vowed to be more considerate of him – after all, Neal was deserving of at least as much respect as everyone else on the team.
WCWCWC
Neal re-read the same paragraph for the third time hoping he had accurately relayed the facts from his last day on the McNulty case. The case had taken much more time than it should have and things hadn't really started happening until Peter had agreed to let him go undercover. Ryan McNulty was a career criminal who had a significant little empire dealing arms and drugs in Chicago before he had relocated to New York the year before and had decided to diversify into bonds and forgery. With his connections on the street, Neal had managed to ingratiate himself to the man and had gained his trust by sharing his extensive knowledge of the criminal element in New York. McNulty had been appreciative and had taken Neal into his confidence and things had been moving along swimmingly until one of McNulty's men had spotted Neal coming out of the Justice Building and reported it to the big cheese.
Neal had been caught red-handed with the needed evidence and he had found himself facing down the barrel of three guns when Peter and the rest of the crew had broken in with seconds to spare. That had been just a little too close for comfort for the CI and he had glossed over the details when he had recounted the takedown to Sara that night, holding her a little tighter than usual and making love to her a little more fervently than he typically did. Of course, Neal loved the adrenaline rush of going undercover but he was no fool and he knew that he often played with fire - something he couldn't afford to do now that he was a husband and a father.
Neal glanced up to look towards Peter's office and saw that his boss was looking his way. He gave him a small wave and returned to his computer screen. He hadn't yet decided if he was going to take Peter up on his offer to stay on; he wanted to take the next few weeks off to spend with Hope and talk things over with Sara. He had been thinking of corporate security and of course, he'd had overtures from three different insurance companies to work for them on retainer evaluating recovered art. He was also painting a lot since Hope's arrival and although the apartment was certainly cramped with all of the baby's gear, he had brought down the easel Sara had gotten him as a wedding gift and set up in a small corner of the apartment so he could keep an eye on Hope while he worked. He would enjoy some down time, especially after this last case. He would be more than happy to play house-husband for a few weeks, putting meals on the table, caring for Hope and weighing his options.
However, the thought of leaving the White Collar Unit permanently was disconcerting for Neal. It had been a part of his life for over four years and he had developed a good solid working bond with most of the members of the team. Although he loved his work, he associated it with his role as a CI which after today, he would no longer be. He didn't know if he could make the switch to a regular consultant role – he wondered if some of his colleagues would ever see him as anything but a criminal, reformed or not and that realization alone was enough to dampen his enthusiasm to stay on. Of course, his relationship with Peter would change too and he wasn't quite sure how to handle that; he would no longer be the con-man that Peter treated with a measure of skepticism at every turn. Over the past four years, his partner's comments had often stung and hurt him although Neal would never let it show. He wondered if Peter was really capable of treating him with the same respect he had for Jones or Diana or anyone else who was a legitimate part of his team. He had shared that concern with Sara who encouraged him to discuss it with Peter, put his cards on the table so to speak and Neal resolved to do that over the coming weeks; he would definitely sit down and share the reasons for his reluctance with his partner.
WCWCWC
'Diana!' Peter called out as the agent walked by his office
'Yes, boss' she responded poking her head through the door
'I need a favor. Do you think you and Jones could take Neal out for lunch so I can get everything set up for our celebration this afternoon?' Peter asked, keeping his voice down
'Sure thing. How long do you need?' answered Diana
'Take him out for a long leisurely lunch and that way it'll give El time to decorate and ... whatever else she's doing. And Sara is coming with the baby, June too. And, against my better judgement, I invited Mozzie although he hasn't responded yet...'
'Alright, leisurely lunch it is' said Diana with a wink
WCWCWC
'So Caffrey, how does it feel to finally be getting that thing off your ankle?' asked Jones as they tucked into their gourmet sandwiches at the upscale restaurant Diana had chosen for them
Neal looked up at both of them, doubt obvious on his features as he spoke.
'You know, it's strange. Mixed feelings, really. It's been a part of my life for so long; I'm having trouble imagining that I can get on a plane tonight and fly to Europe if I want to... well, legally anyway.'
'Well, you deserve your freedom, Neal' said Diana 'You've worked hard to get to this point'
Neal smiled shyly at the compliment. Over time, his relationship with Jones and Diana had evolved into friendship and mutual respect. They recognized the skills Neal brought to the table and they gave him his due treating him like a full-fledged member of their team despite the anklet and its significance.
'Thanks. I'm excited, don't get me wrong. It's just that... it changes everything, you know. Everything and anything is possible now and I'm just not sure what I want to be when I grow up' Neal said, laughing nervously
'Well, we'd hate to lose you, that's for sure' added Diana 'but I can certainly understand that you need to think about your future'
'I'm just not sure about where I fit in at the Bureau without the anklet, you know. I was only there because of the release program and now that that's over...'
'C'mon Caffrey, you fishing for compliments, buddy' interrupted Clinton Jones
Neal looked at him quizzically.
'You're a natural and sure, it'll take some adjustment to a new role but you've been a part of the team for a long time' added Jones
'Yeah, I know that' said Neal 'but I know for a fact some of the people in the office will always look at me with suspicion and will only see me as a criminal. Hell, some of the women in the secretarial pool still scramble to hide their purses when I come into the office'
'Caffrey, you can't be worried about what everyone thinks – and believe me, those people are in the minority. You've proven yourself to be trustworthy – well, at least when it counts...' said Jones
Neal shrugged in response. He wasn't sure he wanted to bring up his reluctance regarding his changing relationship with Peter but he was feeling brave and if anyone knew Peter Burke, it was Jones and Diana.
'What about Peter?' he asked finally
'What about Peter?' echoed Jones
'You know, the jokes, the threat to put me back in the slammer if I don't stay on the straight and narrow. That defines our relationship for the most part – the mentor and the CI, you know. I'm just not sure where this leaves us when I'm no longer a flashing green dot on the screen'
'Neal, you've always been a helluva lot more than a flashing dot on the screen for Peter and you know it. Sure, it'll take some time to redefine your relationship with him but he truly respects you and anyone can see how much he enjoys sparring with you. I'm sure he's having a hard time imagining life at the office without you' said Diana, smiling
Neal continued eating, listening with interest to his colleagues' take on the situation. It was certainly worth having the discussion with Peter and seeing where he stood on the matter.
WCWCWC
'Oh, hello sweetheart' June gushed as Sara came down the stairs carrying Hope
'Hi June!' said Sara as she passed the baby to June's outstretched arms
June had become a grandmother figure to Hope and the baby gurgled as the woman began to coo.
'You look so pretty for Daddy's special day' she said bouncing her up and down and making the infant laugh heartily
'And so do you, mommy' she added, looking at Sara with a sincere smile
'I'm so glad you're coming with us' answered Sara 'Neal will be thrilled to have you there'
'Well, I wouldn't want to miss it' said June 'Neal...' she stopped, her voice filled with emotion
Sara smiled indulgently while June recovered.
'Well, he's like a son to me and I'm so proud of him' she continued
'I can tell you that he feels the same way about you, June. You were the first one to give him a chance after he was released and he'll be eternally grateful to you for your trust and friendship'
Sara and June had taken a long time to warm up to each other. The first time Sara had shown up at June's door, she had been flanked by the NYPD and had been searching for the FAA envelope she'd suspected Neal of stealing. June had not appreciated the young, strident woman bringing the police to her door. Although June's activities were on the up and up for the most part, she still harbored a mistrust of all enforcement agencies and that extended to Sara and even Peter in the early days.
But Sara had proven to be a loving and devoted partner to Neal and the women had bonded throughout Sara's pregnancy and they had only gotten closer since Hope's birth as June doted on the baby and indulged her in every way.
'So, ready to hit to road... grandma June?' asked Sara, tentatively
'Yes, we are' said June enthusiastically
TBC