A/N: Thank you all for your support! Hope you'll enjoy the chapter! Reviews are loved!

"Arms, legs, heads are where they're supposed to be." announced the dark-haired doctor.

Peter opened his mouth to ask about the 'heads', but the woman continued, not taking her eyes off the papers she was signing. For some strange reason, the agent found it difficult to communicate with this gloomy woman. Her curt manner and abrupt movements weren't helping the fact that she knew a lot more than Peter did, at least in this particular sphere. That meant Peter wasn't in control of the situation, which made the man feel uncomfortable to say at least.

"Is there anything specific I should do?" asked Elizabeth, ignoring her husband's fastened, and loud, breathing.

The doctor went on with explanations and recommendations. Peter used that time to relax a little and everything seemed to be finally getting normal, when…

"No need to worry, Mrs. Burke. As I said, the babies…"

"Ah, excuse me?"

The doctor put down her pen and looked at the agent, who dared to interrupt her.

"What?!" asked the woman sharply, if not rudely.

"You keep saying 'babies'." bluntly replied Peter. At that moment he felt like a child asking stupid questions. His face must have been showing the distress he was feeling, because the woman's voice seemed to get softer.

"Yes." continued the doctor, burying her head in the papers again. "The triplets are…"

"Tri… triplets? You mean there are three babies?!" Peter's voice trembled and he felt like he had forced half the desert down his throat.

Peter exchanged glances with Elizabeth, who seemed equally as nervous.

"Daddy, if you can't control yourself, I recommend you to wait outside, while we finish here." said the doctor impatiently. "Of course this is not frequent, but I assure you, it's completely normal. With a little more attention and care everything will be fine."

To the rest of the doctor's monologue both Peter and El were listening as if they were under some kind of spell. Elizabeth was trying to pull herself together, while her husband's eyes were darting from one corner to the other. Not every day you are told to expect triplets!

"Hey, Hey! Take a deep breath!"

Subconsciously the agent understood that those words were addressed to him and obeyed.

"That's it… Breathe… One more deep breath…" the doctor repeated over and over. "I'll prescribe you both some sedatives… As well as breathing techniques for your husband." added the woman, eyeing Peter.

Soon after that the Burkes were on their way home.

Neal was sitting at the table in the living room, surfing the Internet, when he heard the front door being unlocked. Hurriedly, he closed the laptop and opened his book.

"Hey, guys." smiled the teenager, watching as Peter went straight into the kitchen and Elizabeth took place beside Neal.

Neal glanced between the agent and his wife. The woman was glowing with happiness, while Peter looked… well, he was a bit red. Before Neal could ask anything, Peter started the conversation, returning with a glass of water.

"How's your homework?"

"Almost done. How was the hospital?"

"Informative." replied Peter, handing the glass to El. "I think we need a bigger house."

Before anyone was able to add something, the agent continued.

"Searching for the house will take time. So we'll have to cope with this for a while. For that we need to repair the filter and to paint the ceilings…" said Peter with enthusiasm. "Neal, why you are sitting? Go open the window. The doctor said El needs extra care… Never mind, I'll do it myself."

While Peter was gone, Neal looked questioningly at Elizabeth.

"We're going to have triplets." smiled the woman.

When the teenager noticed a look of worry and concern on her face, he tried to reassure her that everything will be just perfect.

"I'm not worried about the babies, sweetie. At least not as much as I worry about Peter right now." replied Elizabeth, watching as her husband returned with a couple of pillows.

Passing the table with his load a few times and finally getting an advice from his wife to put the pillows on the couch, Peter took his seat opposite Neal. The teenager couldn't help but smile in answer to Peter's own big goofy smile. With every passing second the agent's smile continued to grow, until finally a thought crawled into his mind.

"Hon, why won't you go lay down? And I'll make dinner."

Peter made a move to help Elizabeth to stand up, only to be stopped.

"Honey, I'm pregnant, not sick."

Peter smiled again and disappeared into the kitchen, to get yet another unnecessary glass of water.

Neal looked at Elizabeth one more time. Peter's behaviour was far from being usual.

"Don't worry, sweetie. He'll get over his emotions soon. And Neal?"

"Yeah?"

"I know you can't read upside-down." stated El, standing up and taking away the laptop.

The whole evening went with Peter either aimlessly walking around the house or trying to help Elizabeth in some odd ways. Neal didn't mind until Peter decided he was slacking off. Now the teenager was taking out the garbage. For the third time in an hour. He sighed and made his way back.

"I just need some fresh air, hon." heard Neal, as soon as he entered the house.

The young con looked at Elizabeth with pleading eyes, when he realized she was about to walk Satchmo. El didn't need words to understand what he was asking.

"And I'm taking Neal with me. So I'll be in good hands, Peter."

Before the agent had time to protest all three were walking down the street. Satchmo was playing with the leaves, which covered the whole street as an expensive Persian carpet. Looking at the dog's joy, Neal started purposely stepping on the leaves, so they would make crusting noises under his feet. Except for those sounds, it was quiet. Warm wind was blowing, spreading the calmness of the autumn evening around the block. Dark clouds in contrast with the magenta sky made the sunset look even more magical. The teenager was so engrossed in watching the dragon-shaped cloud trying to 'eat' the sun that he almost fell down.

Coming to his senses, Neal looked at Elizabeth. She was happy and he could see it in every feature of her face and body. It was that quiet and peaceful kind of happiness. Usually we remember the emotions that were only the background to the main event. But from time to time it's good to be level-headed and enjoy the moment itself. And that is exactly what Neal did. Losing himself in a light chat, he felt happiness running through his veins.

They continued walking, not noticing how with every step they were slowing down the pace. Sometimes you need to leave your problems on the shelf and go out for a while. No work, no bad guys, and especially no school…

"By the way, Neal, on which subject you were working so hard when we got back?"

So much for no school. Neal hoped that El wouldn't bring up that incident but unfortunately no such luck.

"French. And I was doing my homework at first, it's just…" the teenager cut himself short and continued walking, keeping his eyes on Satchmo.

"It's just what?" asked Elizabeth when it was evident that Neal wasn't going to talk if not asked a direct question.

"Every time the teacher explains something, I think I understand. The second I'm left alone with the book, I have no idea what to do. Nothing I do is right."

"I think you're giving up too easily. Maybe we should look for another book, where the rules are explained better? Or we can always call Mozzie."

"I don't think another book will help. I guess, learning languages is really not my thing. And Moz is busy these days. I don't want to bother him with some stupid school stuff."

By this time the sun was completely gone and the moon was hidden in the clouds. One by one the street lamps were turning on.

"I'll leave the lecture about the importance of getting good education to Peter, but can I give you a piece of advice?" asked El, turning around to walk back home. "Don't wait until a difficulty turns into a real problem. It's not an easy thing to learn something new and you have to understand that it will take time before you get to see the results. Patience and hard work are the part of the process, Neal."

"Yeah, I know. But when I start thinking about just how much time it will take…"

"Time will pass anyway, sweetheart. It's up for you to decide whether you are going to waste it or spend it wisely. It won't hurt to spend extra twenty minutes on your French, would it?"

After that the conversation drifted to other topics, and Neal was really enjoying himself, when they finally reached the house. Peter was humming a catchy tune, while flipping through the channels. He seemed to be calm enough. Satchmo curled near Peter's legs, while Neal and El took their places on both sides from the agent. Neal took the hold of the remote, while Peter wrapped his hand around El and with the other was ruffling the teenager's hair.

"El!" suddenly cried Peter, right in the middle of the film. "We haven't told our parents yet! I'll go get the phone…"

"Honey, don't you think it would be better to call in the morning. Let them, and us, have a peaceful night."

Peter settled down and the rest of the evening the family spent without any incidents.

The next day Neal was goofing around with his friends before school started. He bumped into Roger and dropped his books. The young con heard whistling when he got down to collect his property from the floor, but didn't pay any attention to that. School was always noisy. Neal lifted his head in time to see two slim tanned legs stopping right in front of him. His eyes travelled higher, registering a short checkered skirt, a tight blouse and finally the laughing eyes.

"Wow, Caffrey! I have just walked into the building and you are already at my feet."

Neal stood up as quickly as his beating heart would let him, feeling a bit dizzy. Whistling and laughing filled the hall but Neal didn't hear anything, while looking at the girl of his dreams. Not that long ago she was only in his thoughts. But now, when she was standing there, surrounded by her annoyingly giggling friends, Neal couldn't think about anything, except for how beautiful she was. Perfect hair, perfect smile…

"Hey, Timmy!" said Kate teasingly, walking away.

Tim narrowed his eyes and kept silent. And Neal? Neal was still looking in front of him.

"And she's far from being pale…"

Roger heard his friend's murmuring and began questioning him.

"What are you talking about, dude? How do you even know Kate?"

"She's… um, a friend of mine." replied Neal.

"Ah, I know what's going on! You like her, don't you? She's a big fish to catch, and judging by your exchange you are not her favorite." continued Roger, trying to catch up with Neal, who was on his way to the classroom. He wanted to escape the embarrassment. He allowed the whole school a glimpse of his true feelings! The young con tried to ignore Roger, but with no success.

"It's more complicated than you think, Roger."

"Then let's make it less complicated. Come on, Neal. Flowers, chocolates and don't forget your smile. Any girl…"

Neal abruptly stopped and turned around, looking Roger in the eyes.

"Kate is not just any girl. You can't just walk up to her and ask her out. Cheesy phrases and cheap bouquets won't work. And the whole 'Romeo' act won't work either."

"How can you know?" challenged Roger.

"Because I tried that. Even the stupid balcony…"

"Well, that makes things easier. There are two kinds of girls, Caffrey: the ones who like good boys, and others, who like bad guys. And since you've tried being a nice guy…" Roger purposely stopped, letting the information to sink in. Getting an understanding smile from Neal and hearing the bell, both followed the crowd into the classroom.

By the end of the school day, the plan was almost ready to be put in action. Neal was walking home, when he heard Tim asking to wait up.

"I heard what you guys are planning to do. That's a bad idea, Neal." said Tim as soon as he was beside the young con.

"Why is that, Prince?"

"Shhh! Guys from school can't know about… well, about that. And I'm serious. Kate is not the girl to hook up with."

"That's exactly why you are doing business with her." retorted Neal. "Tim, I don't know what happened, but I get it that you are at swords' points with Kate."

"That has nothing to do with…"

"And I think it does, Tim. What happened, huh? Couldn't divide the profits and now you want to take revenge on her? Tell you what. Not gonna happen!" Neal's voice was rising dangerously.

"Your choice, Caffrey. I warned you." answered Tim calmly, before leaving a highly irritated Neal.

Elizabeth noticed that Neal was constantly talking on the phone the whole evening. But he told her he was chatting with a friend and eventually she let it go. After all, Neal wasn't a toddler and he could make decisions on his own. They needed to trust the boy. Besides, one agent in the house was enough, decided El, and went to make some coffee for the said agent and a new, although still unofficial, member of his team.

Mozzie found himself coming more often to Suit's house. Usually his visits had something to do with Adler or the fan. But lately Mozzie didn't have any new ideas and was still leading his investigation. Nevertheless, Mozzie had proven himself a great asset to the Bureau and even agreed to help Peter with some of his cases. Mozzie was still Mozzie and that meant he wasn't going to just stop being who he was. But the short guy also enjoyed the idea of relieving the monotony of life by some unusual, in his opinion, methods. Those methods included getting rid of his enemies, or people he didn't like for some reason or another, using the hands of his greatest enemy – the government.

Neal saw that Mozzie and Peter were working on a new case and even afforded his help, but both men ignored it, being engrossed in their discussion. Not that the teenager really wanted to do anything. Neal tried to convince himself that he didn't care, but deep inside he was hurt. With El being pregnant and Peter and Mozzie working together, Neal felt like a proverbial third wheel. At least he had true friends like Roger, who always had time for him. And there also was Kate. Maybe she pretended like she didn't care, but Neal hoped, no, he knew that she still had feelings for him. With the plan he and his friends were working on, the young con was going to win her heart once and for all.

Was Neal right about Kate? Was she the same girl he fell in love with? There is a saying that some people never change. That is exactly what can be said about Kate. A few people like Neal regarded her as a kind young lady, who needed to pull up a façade of a strong and independent person. Others viewed her as a mean and manipulative girl. Who was right? Everybody and no one at the same time. The truth is that Kate was just a spoiled child. No one said 'no' to her. She was used to getting what she wanted no matter whether she truly needed it or not.

So after her spectacular appearance at school, Kate felt alive again. Although going away with her father seemed like a lot of fun at the time, it proved to be the exact opposite. She didn't know anybody there; therefore she had to build her reputation from scratch. Back in New York everything was waiting for her to take control and get back in the game. And Caffrey with his canine loyalty served as a great platform for bringing her popularity up. The best thing about this situation was that Kate didn't even need to do anything. Neal would run after her himself. At first Kate thought about getting rid of him, or at least his stupid affection. Soon enough she realized that a lot of girls at school found Caffrey attractive and guys seemed to get along with him. That's why she decided that it would be not a bad idea to keep him as a part of her entourage.

The next morning, convinced that it was going to be the easiest game to play, Kate was walking towards school like a queen. Passing the school yard, her mood got better as practically everybody greeted her. People, who possessed more luck than others, got a glance or two from Kate, and were melting from happiness. Kate saw Neal in the crowd and walked past him. She didn't need to see his reaction to know that she got his attention.

Kate's cheerful frame of mind was changed a few hours later. There she was, as gorgeous as ever, and Caffrey went past her without even noticing her. The reason for his strange, and not to mention outrageous, behaviour was another girl!

How could he do something like that?! He was supposed to be grateful that he was allowed to breathe the same air as her! Yet here he was, talking to somebody else! Did Caffrey lose all sense of shame?

Kate took a deep breath, reminding herself that she wasn't supposed to care. The girl felt like a volcano had erupted inside of her. Her breathing was uneven and her head was ready to pop like a balloon. Kate wanted to rip that girl's head off. And Neal's head as well! How did he dare embarrass her like that! Something had to be done about this immediately. She needed a solution to this small, but very frustrating, problem and she needed it fast. The first step would be finding out about Caffrey's new acquaintance.

Nobody, not even her closest friends, noticed that something was bothering Kate. To everyone she acted as usual: proud posture, confident walk and a dazzling smile. In fact, Kate was trying to rein in her emotions and concentrate.

At lunch time she acted as usual and was sitting with her friends, when she saw the girl Caffrey took interest in.

"Who's that ginger-haired mouse?" asked Kate. Her voice didn't give away any of her feelings, though.

"That's Sara Elis." replied one of the girls, happy to provide the needed information. "Just another member of the crowd."

Kate looked uninterested and turned the conversation into another direction, all the while thinking about Sara. The volcano inside of her wasn't going to calm down any time soon.

A little later, a short blond girl joined the table. She sat beside Kate and leaned forward. The rest of the girls followed her lead, knowing that the blondie had something to tell.

"You'll never guess what I just heard." started the girl, speaking quickly and quietly. "Remember that guy from yesterday? Caffrey. Well, he likes our Kate!"

"Hardly a revelation, Abby." replied Kate. "Lots of guys like me."

"This one is different. He's working on some kind of super-secret operation to win your heart!" retorted Abby. "Come on, Kate! Aren't you at least a bit excited? He's kinda cute."

Kate smiled. Yep, with Caffrey everything was easy. He brought the solution to her tiny problem himself. That Sara girl was nothing after all. Now she just needed to wait and see what the next day would bring.

The next day did bring a lot of surprises and not only for Kate.

Peter was standing near his car, enjoying the fresh air. They had just closed a particularly difficult case and Peter used a rare chance of taking an early break. That's why the agent decided to pick up Neal, so they could have lunch together. For the last couple of days he was caught up in work and didn't have enough time for the teenager.

The bell rang. Peter was watching as a crowd of teens left the building. A few minutes passed but Neal still didn't appear. Just as the agent was about to make a call, he noticed a small group crossing the school yard. One of the boys, or was it a girl, reminded him of Bigfoot, wearing lots of chains. As this monster, no, just a misguided child, was coming closer, Peter took a better look at him. An oversized black leather jacket, black T-shirt and tight black jeans were only a small part of this catastrophe. Huge golden chains, although Peter doubted it was real gold, were hanging on the boy's neck and there were also a few of them tied to his jeans. There was even a ring in his nose! Seriously, where were his parents looking when they sent their boy to school?! His Neal would have never…

"Hey, P'ther!"

The agent looked at the person, who addressed him. Familiar blue eyes were looking at Peter from under the thick layer of black eye-shadow.

"Neal." breathed out Peter, still not believing his own eyes. "What… how… Is that a tattoo on your neck?!"

"Relax, P'ther! It'th not a real thatthoo."

"Real or not, get rid of it! Why are talking like that?" everyone could hear the agent now. Gone was the first shock and now Peter was determined to get to the bottom of this. He didn't care that people were looking at them; he just needed to know what in the world was wrong with Neal.

"Don'th shout, P'ther! It's not a real tongue piercing."

"Take that thing out of your mouth immediately! Not real… Is there anything real about your appearance? Have you seen yourself in the mirror, Neal?! And for God's sake, go wash your face!"

The teenager turned around to walk back to school, but Peter, coming to his senses and realizing that it will only make things worse, stopped him.

"Just get in the car already!" barked Agent Burke.

"Fine. No need tho shout." mumbled the young con.

A lot of people saw, and most importantly heard, a heated exchange between Peter and his charge. But no one, except for one person, regarded it as a new opportunity.

Vincent Adler parked his car in the shadow. He went out just in time to see Burke yelling at Caffrey. Adler watched the scene with pure delight. Burke didn't let him work since his return. Either he or his team were always tailing Adler, not allowing him to get new information on the map. Burke deserved to have some trouble with his puppy. Vincent smirked when Peter raised his voice enough for him to hear. The only time Burke wasn't thinking about work was when he was with his family. That's it! Adler found Burke's Achilles's heel. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about it before.

"Hi, Daddy!" said Kate.

"Hello, Katie." replied Vincent, shifting attention to his daughter and opening a door for her.

Getting into the car, Adler turned on the engine, all the while looking at Burke.

"Isn't it Caffrey over there?" asked the man. "I wonder what caused such dramatic change in his appearance."

"Neal is just trying to win my heart." answered Kate proudly.

"How is that supposed to work? Didn't know you liked clowns."

"Caffrey tries to be a bad guy. And I hate clowns, Dad, but having one as a pet is never a bad thing."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, Kate. Can you make sure Neal stays that way for a while? Keep him close. I don't think it will be a hard task." said Adler.

"What's in it for me?"

"We'll agree on something. You know that I'm a person of business."

Saying that Adler saw Peter's car driving away and turning around he drove off in the other direction.

When they finally were home, Neal went into the house almost shutting the door right in front of Peter's face.

"Watch the attitude or I'll be forced to help you."

"It's a free country and I'm a free thitizen, P'ther! I can do whath I wanth!" retorted Neal.

"Free citizen…" said Peter under his breath, taking the phone to order some food.

While they were waiting, Peter decided that they needed to have a normal conversation. After all, he didn't give Neal any chance to explain his behaviour.

"Neal, all I want to know is why you are doing this."

"That's where we should've started, P'ther. Buth no, the firsth thing you do is yell. It's for Kate. She needs to understand that I'm noth going tho give up so easily. I'm willing to do whatever it thakes tho win her heart." explained Neal.

The teenager went on saying something else but Peter couldn't understand the half of it. That fake piercing was really annoying. And the most irritating thing was that Neal didn't want to take it off, declaring that he needed time to get used to it so that his normal speech would return.

The take-out arrived and Peter went to open the door. Neal was ascending the stairs, when he heard the voice of the agent.

"And take off that piercing!"

"Aaah, come on P'ther! Don't be a party-killer! It's not like you're my father or something!" said Neal good-heartedly.

"I'll show you a party-killer! Where's my slipper?" shouted Peter, hearing the bedroom door shutting.

That evening Neal took Satchmo for a walk, which gave Peter time to discuss some things with Elizabeth.

"I don't think we should worry just yet, hon." said El, after listening to her husband. "It's not like he's doing it only to irritate you."

"To tell you the truth I think he does. He didn't take that damn piercing off until you asked him to. The problem is that Neal thinks I'm joking around with him. I don't know what's really going on in his head, but he acts like I'm his friend. I like spending time with Neal but I don't feel like his friend… I feel more like his…"

"Father?"

"Exactly." replied Peter. "But like Neal said I'm not his father. And he knows it and behaves like there is no tomorrow. Something happens and I don't have any right to decide what to do. We don't have any rights."

"We'll figure something out." said El and kissed Peter softly. After a short pause she started laughing. "You have to admit, Neal's new choice of clothes is pretty hilarious. But somehow he manages to pull this off."

"Yep." Peter joined El in a laughing fit. "The funniest thing about this whole situation is that I had a jacket just like that when I was his age."

Their conversation was interrupted by an unexpected visitor. Mozzie practically ran inside the house. The Burkes never saw him as excited as he was that day.

"Suit, I've made a break-through on our case." said the short guy, opening a box he brought with him. "Where's Neal? I want you all to see this!"

"He'll be here any minute. Mozzie, would you explain what's going on?" asked the agent, joining the other man.

"Why the door is unlocked… Oh, hey Moz!"

"Neal, you've got to see this…" began Mozzie and turning around stopped and looked at his young friend. "Hmm, new look? Acceptable enough. Come on, I have to show you something!"

"Sorry, I have my own things to take care of." answered the teenager and disappeared upstairs.

Mozzie looked like he was about to try and call Neal once again, but Peter stopped him.

"Let him be, Mozzie. So, what you've got?"

Any other day Mozzie wouldn't have let that go so easily; but that day he was too excited to argue. Retrieving a microscope from the box, Mozzie took out a small case.

"Please don't tell me it's…" started Peter, already knowing what it was.

Sitting beside the agent Mozzie carefully laid the fan on the table.

"When you told me Beauchamp's story, I decided to examine the fan one more time…"

"What is it doing here?" growled Peter, pointing at the fan. "It's supposed to be in the evidence."

"I needed it for the investigation so they gave it to me. It's not like I took it myself. Lady Suit was with me the whole time. As I was saying…"

"I highly doubt that Diana said you could take it with you!"

"I made an important discovery, so I took the liberty…" tried to explain Mozzie.

"This is FBI, Haversham. We do things by the book."

"Fortunately, I'm not part of the FBI. So I do things by myself. What I found is important!"

"So important it couldn't wait till morning?" asked Peter.

"If all discoveries waited till morning, there wouldn't be any discoveries at all!" retorted Mozzie loudly and then continued returning to his usual tone. "There is a special hiding place in the fan. Most of the fans of that time had such places for exchanging secret messages or keeping small things. You see these two boards at the sides of the fan? They are called guards. They 'guard' the fan when it's folded. The right guard is the usual size, while his left brother is quite thick. And this is where the 'safe' is hidden. With one soft motion it can be opened."

Mozzie demonstrated the opening and looked at Peter waiting some kind of response.

"Anthony found it the first time we were examining the fan, but as this, let's call it 'safe', was empty, we didn't pay much attention to it. Today I looked under this incredible microscope and found that there are numbers carved on the wood inside the 'safe'. I haven't figured out what those numbers are yet. Maybe it's coordinates, or some kind of a code. Here. See for yourself."

With that Mozzie gave the microscope along with the fan to Peter, who examined everything for a few minutes.

"Looks like you're right, Mozzie. Good job." said the agent and got a small, yet satisfied smile in return. "Still a question, though. Where did you this microscope?"

"FBI has some interesting equipment to offer, so I helped myself to it. You can give this to me as a present, you know. My birthday is tomorrow." declared Mozzie.

"Then what we were celebrating last week?" asked Elizabeth, who happened to be making her way to the backyard.

"Anyway," continued Mozzie, ignoring El's questions and trying to avoid uncomfortable conversation. "What do you think, Suit?"

The ringing of the phone stopped Peter from answering the short guy's question. Peter was in a good mood when he picked up the phone. But that was about to change.

"Yes, Principal Parson." replied Peter through gritted teeth after hearing the first phrase. His face was getting red and his eyes were looking for his slipper. If Neal saw him that moment, he would definitely have wanted to run. And that wouldn't be the worst idea.