Author's Notes~
Hola all! Part three of White Love is here! :DDDD I'm overwhelmed at the amazing response this story has gotten, you've no idea how much it means to me! Here you are~ -hands out cookies and Neal plushes- You deserved them, faithful readers and reviewers~ :) Keep it up! They are my power source to update! ;)
Now, a lot of you have suggested that June could have taken custody over Natalie. Well, if she did that than I wouldn't have had that separation thing, which I wanted to have in~ But dang, you guys all had great ideas!
After this, I'll be updating Captive Heart probably~ I'm just focusing on this 'cause I want to get it done before Christmas. Then it's back to full focus on Captive Heart (That is set to be finished before Jan. 19th~)
Without further delay, let the story continue! :)
White Love
Part Three
Above the clouds seemed to have gotten darker and fuller, shadowing the sun from giving off all its light. This gave the atmosphere a gloomy feeling to it.
Gloomy, that word perfectly fit the moment.
The snow now seemed to be falling at a heavier pace outside. A thin sheet of frost was just evident on the surface of areas of the car, particularly the windows.
Awkward silence filled the air the entire trip, Natalie sat quietly in the back with a dropped face with an etched frown. The small girl had pulled her legs close to her on the seat – being small enough to even be able to do that comfortably.
There was a distant, watery look to her eyes. It was obvious she was unhappy about the change. She knew, though, that nothing could be done about it. But Neal said he was a friend… She recalled, trying her best to be confident and positive.
Unfortunately, she didn't have much experience with that and failed at it.
Peter didn't bother trying to stir up any kind of conversation. He really didn't want to have to bring this girl home. He'd rather just leave her with Neal but Neal was the last person he'd pick to be a guardian. What good guardian did White Collar crimes, breaks out of jail, and do unlawful things even when he was on the right side of the law? Neal can be a good guy, but most certainly not a good role model. Of course, this girl wants only to stay with Neal. But since when did anybody not want to stay with Neal? He thought with annoyance. Neal always attracted everyone it seemed.
Soon Peter pulled up in front of his house, taking a moment and leaning his head back slightly, "Here we are," he said, the first words he actually said to the girl.
Natalie looked out the window; the house looked narrow to her, but cozy. It was a big downgrade from the mansion, but having had no home all her life, Natalie wasn't at all picky.
Peter got out of the car, going around and opening the door for Natalie. She looked out at first; cautious as though the floor might drop from under her, then stepped out with her bag full of the few pieces of clothing Neal had bought for her.
She followed Peter up to the door. Peter dug for his keys, unlocking and opening the door soon after.
Elizabeth was relaxing on the sofa, reading a magazine. She looked up when she heard the opening door and got up, "Hey, you're a little late," she said, turning to face him with a small smile.
Natalie slowly came in after Peter, El's eyes at once went to her and she looked puzzled, but smiled at the girl and bent down towards her, "Oh? Who's our new friend?"
Before Natalie could respond, Peter tapped her on the shoulder, "El, could I speak to you in the kitchen?" El looked to Peter, confused, but nodded, "Yeah, sure," he then turned to Natalie, "Make yourself at home in the living room in the meantime," he offered before leading his wife away.
Natalie watched them go, though she didn't step any farther towards the living room. In the last week, she had already begun to feel at home at June's with her and Neal. But here she felt stranger once more. She still didn't understand what was wrong with staying with Neal. After all, he clothed and fed her, what more was needed?
But she didn't understand law.
In the kitchen, Peter explained the situation to El.
"So she'll be staying with us for a short while. Then we'll call somebody, Child Services perhaps, find her someplace to go, and that'll be the end of that," Peter finished.
After uttering the last word, he saw a glare being given to him from Elizabeth, "Peter!" she scolded. "First of all, how could you take Natalie away from Neal when obviously they formed a bond and second, how could you even think to call Child Services when you know that?!" her voice was hushed but stern.
Agent Burke was slightly taken aback by the whispered anger, "El she's a homeless, orphaned, child! Not some lost pet! She can't have a criminal guardian who belongs to the FBI!"
El refused to rid of the glare, "She's staying until at least New Year's. Within that time you and I will bring this to a satisfying resolution. For Neal too!" she added on firmly.
"El, I really-"
"Get into the spirit of Christmas!" insisted Elizabeth, putting her hands on her hips, "This girl will be spending a happy Christmas with us and so will Neal."
"We had him over for Thanksgiving though…and I think June will be staying home this Christmas-"
"Peter!"
Peter put his hands up, "Okay, okay! We'll arrange something,"
Elizabeth crossed her arms, "We will," she confirmed. She then left the kitchen where Natalie still stood by the door. At once a friendly, warm smile came on his wife's face as she approached the girl, "Come on, you can use the guest bedroom. Let's get you settled in. I'll set you up with some cartoons and than I'll bring you a nice cup of hot chocolate before dinner. How does that sound?" she said as she lead the little girl gently upstairs, holding her hand.
Natalie had followed, feeling more comfortable with El than she had with Peter and managed a small smile through her sad eyes. Despite the kindness Peter's wife brought, she still wished she was back with Neal at the mansion. Neal made her laugh, Peter wasn't funny. Even Mozzie was more fun.
The guest bedroom wasn't big, a bit on the small side but overall decent. There was a twin bed tucked by the window, a simple dresser against the opposite wall, a sliding door closet and a decent sized simple desk. On the dresser was a small television. The wall was painted a gentle green which Natalie found pleasant. A matching, roundish rug was placed in the center of the room. It was cozy, she admitted, but still stranger-feeling.
Elizabeth took the remote lying on the desk, pressing a button which turned it on and flipped through the channels until she found the cartoons. She smiled to Natalie, placing the remote back down, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll be right back with that hot chocolate!"
Natalie heard the door click; she looked around the room, just standing there for a minute or two. She finally made her way over to the bed and climbed up on it. It was a soft bed and she sunk into it. The cartoons interested her a little, she never really had cartoons before, and the corners of her mouth would twitch upward slightly at Tom and Jerry. She liked cartoons, they cheered her up.
Elizabeth had made her trip quick and before she knew it, El came in with a cup of hot coco and cookies on a tray and handed it to Natalie with a smile, "I added some cookies too, thought you'd be hungry," she said.
"Thank you…" Natalie said in a small voice, sipping the hot coco. She learned to love hot coco over the past week with Neal, whom had given her plenty of it to keep her warm. It was a soothing feeling as the drink flushed down her throat.
El smiled, "Dinner won't be far behind!" she promised, "Is there anything I can get you?" she asked with a tilt of the head.
Natalie slowly shook her head, "No, I'm fine," she assured, pleased at herself for how well she was speaking. Neal had helped her out with that the past week.
El nodded, "If you think of anything, don't hesitate to ask," she said, heading for the door. Before she closed the door, she threw in, "Oh, and by the way, Neal will be visiting in a couple of days," she said with a smile before closing the door.
A beam of the sun was now evident on Natalie's face.
The hours were getting late, the sun was gone and the moon was bright. Brighter than even the Christmas lights that hung.
Neal was sitting on the sofa, his eyes concentrated in thought as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. In his mind, he calculated. He knew he couldn't keep Natalie at Peter's forever. No doubt in his mind Peter would ever take in a stray child. Thankfully he was at least willing to keep Natalie at his place for a small while at least. Hopefully through New Years so she could at least have a pleasant holiday.
If anything, Neal would like to be able to watch over her at the mansion. Of course, the way Peter saw it was that he was a criminal.
There was then a knock on the door, Neal sighed and got up to get it. He really shouldn't have been surprised when Mozzie appeared on the other side, "Hey," he said, inviting himself in.
Neal shut the door and turned to him, "You're here at a late hour," he commented.
"I was passing by and thought I'd stop in," Mozzie explained, looking around, "Say, where's the kid? She asleep already? Can't be that late,"
"It's eleven-"
"Kids stay up 'till two in the morning nowadays," Mozzie cut off, but Neal looked at him with slight impatience, "Mozzie, I don't have her anymore," he said with disappointment in his voice.
Mozzie paused, turning to Neal, "You don't have her? You didn't lose her in the park did you? I knew that'd happen! But of course you never listen to me anymore,"
"No, Mozzie. Peter took her,"
"What?"
"He found out I had her with me and, since I'm technically a criminal she couldn't stay," muttered Neal, sitting down at the table.
Mozzie frowned, "Well…where is she?"
Neal smiled slightly, "Luckily, I was able to persuade Peter to take her to live with him and Elizabeth. It'll buy me some time to figure things out before she's sent to an orphanage," he cringed a little at the last part.
Mozzie blinked, "Neal, why can't June just take custody over Natalie?" he proposed.
Neal sighed, "I already thought of that. But that's not likely either,"
"June's pretty responsible,"
"But she still lives in a house with a room I'm renting," Neal pointed out, "If June was in the process of adoption and they found out she has a felon staying in her guest bedroom, do you think they'd allow her to have a child stay in her custody?"
"Well…." Mozzie thought for a moment, sitting down at the table with Neal, "She doesn't have to tell them…"
"Are you forgetting about Peter?" Neal questioned, "He won't let it slide. He's a by-the-book guy,"
"Hey, I'm just throwing out ideas that come to mind,"
Neal bit his lip, his chin resting on his fist, "I'll find a way," he murmured, half to himself, "Not even Peter will be able to take her away,"
Author's Notes~
Huh, I didn't double check this time...So don't know how good this one is. 8D
-thinks- What should reviewers get this time....?
Reviewers get to share Neal Caffrey! :D (However that'll turn out! XD)
And you'll be loved~ :)