Peter Burke loved his job with the FBI, but sometimes even he needed a break. And this was the first Saturday he'd had off in a while and he was going to enjoy it. Elizabeth was in the kitchen making them some sandwiches, Satch was sleeping contentedly on the rug in front of the fireplace and a baseball game was about to start. And Neal had decided to spend the day with June at a local art festival in Central Park, so he didn't need to worry about him. What more could a man ask for?
El came out of the kitchen with two plates and handing one to Peter, she took a seat next to her husband.
" Well, this is nice." she said as she cuddled into her husband. " We actually have a Saturday all to ourselves." " Yep, no cases, no stakeouts and no Neal." Peter replied.
" Please, Peter, like you didn't invite him for dinner tonight." El teased her husband.
" I know, but at least I have a few hours with you all to myself." Peter gently kissed his wife.
" Well, in that case, I guess we should make the most of it." El answered with a seductive smile of her own.
They were in the middle of some serious making out when Peter's cell phone rang.
" Is it too much to ask for one day? If that's Neal, I'm sending him back to jail." Peter grumbled as he went for his phone.
Elizabeth just laughed at her husband.
" Burke."
" Agent Burke, this is Mac Campbell with security. I hate to call you like this, but we have a little problem." he explained.
" What is it?" Burke asked, curiously.
" Um, a little girl, sir. She just walked in saying she needed to talk to an FBI man and handed me an envelope."
" Where are her parents?"
" She won't tell us. I would've called Social Services but I didn't think I should do that just yet. The envelope is address to Neal Caffrey care of Agent Peter Burke." Max explained.
To say that was a surprise to Peter Burke was an understatement. Not to mention his curiosity.
" I'm on my way." Peter said.
" Peter?" Elizabeth asked.
" Um, I need to go into the office. Someone just dropped off a little girl who handed them an envelope address to Neal care of me." Peter explained.
" Who would just dropped their child off like that?"
" I don't know, but I'm going to find out. And I'm going to find out what Neal has to do with any of this."
With that, Peter grabbed his keys and headed to the office. It was Saturday and it was supposed to be his day off, so he wasn't too worried about his casual dress of jeans and t-shirt. He showed his badge and the guard told him that until he got there, they were holding the little girl in their main office. Peter thanked him and headed there. When he got there, he was not ready for what he saw.
The little girl was sitting in a plastic chair swinging her legs back and forth as she snacked happily on a bag of animal crackers someone had gotten her. Next to her sat a little Disney Princess backpack and a juice. She looked for all the world as though this was the most natural thing in the world. But it wasn't until the little girl looked up and they locked eyes, that he felt a sudden punch in the gut. He'd seen those eyes too many times not to know where they came from.
" Uncle Peter!" Bella cried and set her cookies down next to her juice before jumping off the chair and running towards him and tackling his legs. " You came just like Mommy said you would."
Peter wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or say to that. He had no idea who this little girl was or who 'Mommy' was. He knelt down to be eye level with the girl.
" Uncle Peter?" Peter asked, encouragingly.
" Sorry. I'm Bella Caffrey and you're my Uncle Peter. That's what my Mommy said." Bella explained. " She said you would take me to my Daddy."
" And who is your Mommy?"
" Mommy, of course." Bella answered like it was the dumbest question ever.
" Sir, this might explain things. It's been checked and there's no trace of anything harmful." Max explained simply so they wouldn't scare the child and handed the agent a pair of latex gloves.
Peter pulled the gloves and opened the envelope and side were some papers. He pulled out the first one and it was a birth certificate for one Izabella Marie Caffrey. And according to her birth certificate, Bella would be turning six in a couple of months. But it wasn't until he got to the parent's names that he got a shock. He'd kind of figured out who Bella's father was but it was a shock to see who her mother was: Alexandra Hunter.
Peter looked back down at the little girl who only smiled shyly back up at him.
" Oh, boy."
" Now can we go see Daddy?" Bella asked.
" You know what? Why don't we go upstairs and call him to come down here?"
" I get to see where you work, Uncle Peter?"
" You sure do. And your Daddy works here, too. Let's go upstairs. I'll carry your backpack for you, is that alright?"
" Sure. I just have to thank Mr. Max for my cookies and juice." Bella said as she went over to the large guard. " Thank you, Mr. Max for my cookies and juice. I hope I wasn't too much trouble."
Max couldn't help but smile at Bella.
" No trouble at all. I hope you have fun with your Uncle Peter and Daddy." Max couldn't help but rib the agent. " And you be a good girl."
" I will." she promised and took the outstretched hand of Peter.
Max watched as the two headed to the elevator and got on. When the doors closed, he just shook his head.
" Caffrey with a kid. Things are about to get interesting." the other guard, Robert, commented.
" As if they aren't already." Max answered. " Now, get back to work."
About an hour later, Neal strolled through the doors of the New York FBI Field office. He'd been at an art festival with June in the park when the call from Peter came in and he'd said that it was urgent. What he hadn't expected were the looks from security at the doors.
" Morning, Neal." Max said, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.
" Max. Robert. So you guys got stuck with the Saturday shift. I hope it hasn't been too boring for you." Neal smiled back and joked.
Since coming to the White Collar Unit, there were several agents who were not exactly fond of having a con in their midst, tracking anklet or not. But most of the regular staff liked Neal and there was more than one secretary with a crush on the young man.
" Oh, not always. In fact, some days excitement just walks in off the street." Max said as he checked Neal in.
" Yeah, and it come in a variety of shapes and sizes." Robert added.
Neal looked between the two of the them. They obviously knew something he didn't and he couldn't help but wonder if that's thy Peter had called him in.
" Have a good day, Neal." Max said as he headed towards the elevator.
Neal got on and Max and Robert continued smiling at him and it was making him just a tad nervous. He made his way upstairs and into the White Collar Unit only to find not only that he had been called in, but also Diana and Jones. What really started to make him nervous how they all turned to look at him when he walked in. He had even considered turning around and making a run for it when Peter saw him and beckoned him.
" Peter? What's going on? Whatever it is, I didn't do it." Neal promised.
" Oh, I'm afraid you did. The question is, did you know or not?" Peter answered.
" I think I would know if I committed a crime. In fact, so would you."
" Follow me."
Neal tossed his hat and coat on his desk before following Peter up to his office and he didn't miss the fact that everyone followed. Peter walked in and then Neal entered the office. There, Neal noticed the little girl sitting there. When she turned around and they locked eyes, Neal felt like he'd been punched in the gut.
" Daddy!" the little girl jumped up and ran to wrap her arms around his legs.
" Daddy?" Neal whispered, looking up at Peter for some kind of explanation.
Peter's expression softened when he realized that Neal had no idea. He handed Neal a piece of paper and waited for a few seconds as he read it.
" Alex?" he breathed, all of it becoming overwhelming.
Neal looked from the birth certificate to the little girl to Peter and back again. This wasn't possible. Suddenly, Neal couldn't breath, couldn't think.
" Whoa, there." Peter said and he and Jones both grabbed Neal as he started to go down. " Diana, why don't you take Bella here and show her Neal's desk."
" But I wanna stay with Daddy." Diana whined.
" C'mon, Bella. Your dad has colored pencils and paper in his desk. He needs to talk to Uncle Peter for a minute." Diana urged.
" Okay." Bella reluctantly agreed and took Diana's hand.
Peter and Jones helped Neal over to a chair as he tried to get his breathing under control. Peter wasn't sure what to think since he'd never seen his consultant so shook up.
" I take it you didn't know?" Peter asked, gently.
Neal shook his head.
" How could she not tell me?" Neal finally sat up and looked through the glass to the little girl. " She's really my daughter?"
" If the birth certificate is legit, then yes. Since we already have you DNA on file, we just took a swab of Bella's and they're running the test now. We're double checking the birth certificate as we speak." Peter paused.
" In fact, why don't I go see how that's coming along." Jones said and practically ran out the door.
Peter shut the door and turned back to the normally unflappable Neal. He sighed heavily as he sat down next to him.
" You know, I wish I could say I'm surprised. Since meeting Alex, I'd kinda wondered if there was more to your relationship than professional."
Neal chuckled, bitterly.
" You know what they say about mixing business with pleasure." Neal replied, softly. " Peter, what little there was to what Alex and I had was professional and competitive."
" She was the female version you, huh?" Peter teased.
" You have no idea. We came together by accident and I knew even then it wouldn't work. I don't even know why were together as long as we were. We were just too alike and too competitive." Neal reminisced. " We did a job that didn't exactly go according to plan. Shortly after, she said that we should just keep things 'professional'. I guess there was a little more to it than that."
Peter didn't know exactly what to say. I mean, what was there to say? But the more important part was what was Neal going to now? Neal was really in no position to care for a five year old child. Half the time, Peter felt like he was a five year old child himself. Not to mention there was the little issue of Neal being an ex-convict wearing a tracking anklet assigned to the FBI for the next three years and change. Would he even be allowed to the keep the little girl if she really was his daughter?
A knock at the door brought reality back to the office as Jones walked in.
" Everything checked out. The birth certificate is real." Jones replied. " Here's the DNA results."
Peter nodded and looked at Neal, who was looking at him. He took the results from Jones and read them.
" Well, congratulations. It's a girl." Peter revealed.
" Now what?" Neal asked.
" Well, now, you need to go introduce yourself to your daughter and then we need to locate Alex. I have a feeling that she didn't send Izabella here to you just because." Peter said.
Again, Peter couldn't get over how nervous Neal seemed. Neal, despite his immature ways, he always seemed confident and composed. But apparently, the prospect of talking to a five year old completely threw the unflappable Neal Caffrey off his game. With a gentle push, Neal made his way down to where Izabella was contently drawing.
As Neal approached, he studied the little girl. She had brunette curls and delicate features that definitely came from Alex. But when she looked up, her blue eyes were all his. And when she smiled, a smile that was all his, Neal felt something in his chest shift and he couldn't help but smile back. In that moment, he knew this little girl really was his. He walked over and knelt next to her.
" Hey, there, Bella, are you having fun?" Neal asked, huskily.
" Yes, sir. Are we going to your house now, Daddy?" Bella asked.
" Um, actually, Bella, we need to ask you a few things. Can you think you can do that?"
Bella set her pencils down and turned to her father.
" Sure."
" Okay, do you know where your mommy is?"
Bella shook her head.
" No. Mommy said that the bad man found us again and we had to go. She said she sent me to my Daddy to keep me safe." Bella explained. " She said she would see me soon, but I had to stay with you."
" Do you know who the bad man is?" Neal asked.
Bella nodded.
" He think he my Daddy, but I know he not. He is very bad man. I saw him do bad things. He hurt people." Bella explained, sadly.
" Who is the bad man, Bella?" Peter urged.
" His name is Bovier." Bella answered.
Neal stopped breathing. Of all people, he didn't think Alex would get involved with someone like him.
" Oh, God." Neal gasped.
Peter pulled Neal aside.
" Neal? Who's this Bovier?"
" Bovier is a fence who deals in antiquities coming from the Middle East and he's based in Paris." Neal explained. " He's not someone to mess with. If she sent Bella here, it's only because she's in trouble with him and she's on the run. Peter, if Bovier finds Alex, he'll kill her."
" Do you think he would use Bella to get to her? Maybe that's why she really sent Bella to you?" Peter asked.
" I wouldn't doubt it. Bovier is known for getting what he wants. If he wants Alex dead, she won't last long." Neal answered.
They both turned back to the little who was laughing at something Jones had said. Somewhere, Alex was on the run alone and she'd sent the leverage against her to safety. Question was: would it be enough?
Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. This is harder than I thought. It may be a little while before I post more as I want to write a couple of chapters ahead. Any comments or thoughts about what will happen with Neal and Bella are welcomed.
