Neal was having a great time at the park. He had spent a long time pushing little Isabella on the swings but now it was Sofia's turn. He smiled as Sofia squealed to be pushed higher. Neal could remember the last time he brought Sofia to this park before Jade took off for Rome. In his mind Sofia was still that same little girl. If the sun glinted just right she still looked like his baby girl. But he knew better. He had missed out on so many years and it made his heart ache. He looked over at the slide and smiled seeing Isabella playing with Jade.
After awhile Sofia hopped off of the swing and said "I am going to go play on the fort dad." Sofia ran off to go play.
Neal chuckled and walked over to a bench having a seat. He watched the girls playing.
Jade walked over and had a seat with him. She said "Sofia and Belle are having a wonderful time Neal. Coming to the park was an amazing idea. I thought they might have been a little leery about this whole father thing but...they've both taken to you easily. But you are a sweet guy...who could resist loving you?"
"They are great girls, Jade. You've done a good job raising them on your own. But then you were always the strong and organized one. Whenever I flew too close to the sun you always reminded me that I'd get burned." said Neal. He looked at her and said "Jade I don't want you to have to raise them on your own anymore. I'm not pulling cons and I am not in prison. I am ready and available to be their dad. I mean...if you'll have me."
"Well, you taught me how to enjoy life. I was always so serious but you made me see that in order to enjoy life you have to live it. You helped make me who I am Neal. My happiest times were with you." said Jade holding his hand with a smile. "Of course Neal...why do you think I showed up at your place last night with them? I could have taken your warning and disappeared into thin air. I am good at that you know. But I stuck around because if you want to be a father to the girls...then I want that for them too. We always promised that we'd try to give Sofia as normal of a family as we could. I am still committed to that. You know I don't have much to do with my family. My mother sends money but she has no interest in being a grandmother. So I figure maybe you can get the girls on the weekends?" asked Jade.
Neal's smile faded somewhat. "I was hoping that you'd be willing to move back to the city. Connecticut is so far away. I've already lost so much time with the girls...I don't want to miss more time with them. I want them to have what we didn't."
"Neal...I have a life in Connecticut. I have a home and a job. I can't just walk away from those things. And living in the city is horribly expensive...if I am going to go straight...living in the city would bleed me dry. And as nice as your place is...it is really only big enough for you. There is no way that the girls and I could live with you." said Jade. She looked into his eyes. She could see how much he wanted to be a father. She sighed softly. Neal always pulled at her heart strings.
"I know...that I am asking a lot of you, Jade. And I know that I don't have any right to ask you to change your life for me. Sofia is ten and she doesn't remember me. Isabella doesn't know me at all. I can't make up for lost time but I want to be there every moment that I can. Let me fence some of my better pieces. Alex can move them quietly ... under the radar. It'll give you a really nice nest egg." said Neal.
"I don't want you putting your freedom at risk. I can't just make a jump like this without making a plan first. Give me some time to find a job here in the city. Once I've done that...then we can go from there. I have a car I will try to get the girls into the city to see you as much as possible while I work some things out...okay?" asked Jade. She moved to kiss his cheek.
Neal moved his face so that Jade's kiss landed on his lips. He chuckled and after the kiss and took off his hat. He set it a top her head and relaxed on the bench watching the girls play. "We have a deal...I'll be patient...as long as I get to see my girls."
Jade laughed softly feeling the hat on her head. She reached for his hand and lightly squeezed it. "You aren't completely to blame for everything that happened. I took off like a child having a tantrum when we broke up. I was heartbroken and hurt and instead of sticking around so that you could be a father to Sofia...I ran away from our problems and our failed relationship and that wasn't fair to you and it wasn't fair to Sofia."
"I wasn't myself at the time...I was so crazy to find Kate. Nothing else mattered to me at the moment and I completely self-destructed. I am glad that you left...I destroyed my life I wouldn't have wanted to destroy your lives too." said Neal.
"I understand Neal...sometimes we do crazy things when we are in love. I followed you to Copenhagen for God's sake. I would have followed you to the ends of the Earth Neal. I've never loved anyone the way that I love you and I don't know that I ever will. I've always believed that there is one special person for everyone. I just didn't realize that sometimes the person made for you...feels like someone else was made for them." said Jade. "We were better friends than we were boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife. I think I always wanted something from you that you couldn't give me. I spent so much time trying to figure out why you didn't or couldn't love me as much as I loved you. And then it came to me...you loved me...but you weren't in love with me."
Neal sighed a little. "I never meant to hurt you. I loved you and I still do. I'll always love you Jadey. When I fell in love with Kate...it wasn't just Kate. I fell in love with a life that we both wanted to have. I was intoxicated by the life and by her. I lost who I was..."
"You don't have to apologize or explain yourself Neal. I am okay." said Jade with a smile. "I have a good life and I am happy. I've got two great daughters and I am living the life I always wanted." Jade was lying but she didn't want Neal feeling bad or worse yet trying to rekindle a relationship that was better left dead. No matter what Jade would always want Neal but now she was old enough to know that it wouldn't work. Jade and Neal watched the girls climbing the fort in the middle of the park. Jade chuckled and snapped a few pictures.
Several cars sped up to the park and Peter hopped out of one of the cars. "Spread out!" ordered Peter. The Marshals' were able to give Peter Neal's last location. Peter was hoping that he hadn't done anything incredibly stupid. Peter searched the huge park hoping to see Neal's impossibly silly hat anywhere in the crowd.
Diana Barrigan helped search the park looking for Neal. Diana knew just how dangerous the situation with the music box was. She wasn't convinced that this last glitch wasn't connected to that box somehow.
Peter's hopes started to falter as he looked for Neal and didn't see him. Peter was walking by a bench and stopped seeing Neal's hat. He ran around the bench and let out a sigh of relief.
Neal stood up and asked "Peter what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" It was then that Neal saw the other Agents in the park.
Peter turned on his radio and said "I've found Caffrey… stand down." Peter said "The Marshals couldn't track you. Your anklet went black right before their system went down. As far as they can tell...your anklet is the only one that went on the fritz before they lost control of the monitoring system. I didn't know what to think."
"Peter do you really think that I would go on the run after reuniting with my family. Jade doesn't like the idea of living on the run. If I tried to go on the lam I'd be doing it by myself." said Neal. But then Neal's mind started to wonder why his anklet was singled out. The last time something went wrong with his anklet Fowler was manipulating it. "Fowler?" asked Neal looking at Peter.
Peter shook his head and said "The man that was pulling Fowler's strings. I think it is time that we find the man behind the curtain...it is time to go after Vincent Adler." The hardest problem would be figuring out where to start their search. Adler disappeared and authorities had been looking for him from that point on.
"If he was bold enough to do this...I don't think we will have to find him...I think that he will be coming after us. And that means this whole thing...just got a little more dangerous." said Neal. Neal's eyes scanned the park looking for his girls. Neal looked at Jade. "Maybe it is time you take the girls back over to Connecticut..." said Neal looking at Jade.
"But Neal..." said Jade.
Neal cut her off and shook his head. "You need to take the girls back home. You'll be safe there. I don't want any of you becoming a target."
Peter said "I can have an agent take Jade and the girls home. We need to get Mozzie...we need his help with that equation. We've got to put this thing together and figure out what Vincent Adler is really after. He is going to make his play for you sooner rather than later."
Neal nodded and said "Jade come on let's collect the girls so that I can say goodbye to them okay..." Neal took her hand and walked with her to locate the girls. Neal and Jade looked for the girls and found Sofia still climbing on the fort. But Isabella was nowhere to be seen.
Jade started to panic. "Belle!" Jade climbed into the fort herself looking for her daughter.
"Sofia come here baby." said Neal holding her hand for dear life while Jade climbed through the fort looking for Isabella. "When is the last time you saw Isabella...?" asked Neal trying to stay calm so that he didn't scare Sofia.
"We were playing in the fort and she said that she wanted mommy and you. She was running over to the bench so I went back to playing." said Sofia. She looked around for her little sister. "I'm sorry..."
Neal hugged her tight. "You didn't do anything wrong baby...you didn't do anything wrong." "Peter!" yelled Neal to get his attention.
Peter and Diana ran over and asked "What is going on?"
"We can't find Isabella. She just disappeared...we had our eyes on her the whole time...we lost sight of her when you came over to talk...and she just disappeared." said Neal.
Jade climbed out of the fort. "She isn't in the fort Neal...I stood at the top and looked around...I don't see her! Where could my baby be?"
Peter nodded to Diana letting her know to radio the other agents to let them know they had a missing child. "What was Isabella wearing?" asked Peter.
Jade said "She was wearing a pink sweater dress with pink and black polka dot tights and uh...Mary Janes..."
Diana walked away getting Isabella's description out to the other agents.
Peter looked at Neal. "Adler?"
"How? He wouldn't know anything about my kids or Jade. You didn't even know about Jade and my kids." said Neal. "I've got to find her." said Neal. He let go of Sofia's hand. "Stay here with mommy." Neal kissed Jade. "I am going to find our daughter." Neal took off looking for Isabella. "Belle! Belle honey where are you!" said Neal.
Peter yelled. "Wait! I'm coming with you." Peter ran after Neal and started looking for the little girl. Peter's eye caught the sight of a grown man carrying a young girl out of the park. "Neal follow me!" Peter pulled out his gun and ran through the park. "FBI! Freeze!" yelled Peter as the closed in on the man that was running toward a gray panel van. As they got closer Peter could see that the little girl was dressed in the clothes that Jade described.
Clinton Jones heard Peter identify himself and ran toward the scene. But at the last minute he changed direction. He ran around the back way and slammed into the would-be kidnapper knocking him and the little girl to the ground.
The waiting van pulled away quickly.
Jones got onto his radio and rattled off the license plate number.
"Belle!" yelled Neal rushing over to his daughter. He scooped her up into his arms looking at her to make sure she wasn't hurt. He could see a few scrapes. She had some blood on her face.
"I want mommy." sobbed the little girl. "Daddy...I want mommy." said Isabella.
Neal couldn't believe he heard the sweetest words from his daughter as the worst moment. He nodded. "We'll get your mommy."
"Call for an ambulance!" said Peter the blood on the girl's face.
Jones said "Peter...I don't think it is her blood. Looks like she took a bite out of crime..." Jones showed Peter the man's left hand that had been clamped over Isabella's mouth. His hand was bloody and had several bite marks on it.
Diana, Jade, and Sofia ran toward the group.
"Isabella!" said Jade running over. "My baby." said Jade gently taking her from Neal. Jade held onto her daughter tight.
Neal hugged Jade and Isabella. He pulled Sofia into the hug as well.
Peter said "I don't believe in coincidences. This was Adler..."