*I don't own White Collar... even though I put it on my Christmas list :(

So... I am sooooooooooooooooooooooo exceedingly sorry for taking so long! I have been devoting every moment that I have that I'm not studying for Finals or relearning to play tennis. I am sorry for the lack of... content, but I promise I will do better next time. Please read and review, even to say that you are mad at me for not reviewing!

Chapter 3

Peter looked back and forth between Neal and me, shocked. "We thought you were dead..." Neal murmured, sitting in the chair next to mine, in shock.

"I'm sure the Circle made sure you thought I was. They cover their tracks well." I muttered bitterly. "They wanted me to kill you and our parents, to assure my loyalty, or whatever that junk is. They really just hate leaving anyone who knows their agents."

"The explosion the next year..." Neal's eyes widened with realization. "After it... they told me I was delusional... that you were never real."

"I did not plan for you to still be inside, I am sorry." I shrugged, feeling a little awkward with the emotion in our conversation. When you spend most of your life pretending to kill people and trying to escape a secret terrorist organization, you don't get many of those conversations. "I have been sent to kill many people, but none of them have died by my hand, and the only reason some did die was because they didn't take my advice." I directed the last comment at Peter, who had been watching the two of us, partly shocked, partly happy.

He considered my comment for a moment, brow furrowed. After a moment, he nodded to himself. "Considering the facts that 1) you helped your captives escape, 2) were shot three times by your 'partners', and 3) everything you said checks out, I can't help but believe you." Peter gestured for me to hold my handcuffed hands up and unlocked them with a small key he pulled out of his pocket.

"Are you sure you won't get in trouble?" I looked at him, meeting his honest gaze, something I wasn't used to. Even with Neal, there was always the small gleam that said 'I-know-something-you-don't-know', but Peter's eyes hid nothing. I rubbed my wrists, trying to get the feeling of cold metal off of them.

"I'm sure I can wave all charges, since you tried to stop it." Peter smiled at me.

"Thank you. I already owe you more than I can repay," I smiled back.

Peter nodded, and then seemed to think of something. "Maybe there is a way you can repay it. You said you know everything about the Circle?"

I nodded, slightly confused. "Yes, and I will tell you, but you would need an army to totally stop them. Unless you had someone on the insid... Got it, I'm caught up now." Peter laughed and I grinned sheepishly. "So, do you want me to go back in or something?" I asked hesitantly.

Neal suddenly stood up straight. "No. No, no, no, and if it wasn't clear enough the first four times, NO. I just got my sister back; I'm not sending her back to the people that kidnapped her.

"Neal, we'll never get another chance like this. And Rebecca... er... Susan..." Peter looked confused for a moment and held up his hands helplessly.

I smiled, "Rebecca is fine."

"Rebecca, then. As I was saying, Rebecca knows her way around and is already trusted there."

"I don't care, she's my sister, and I'm not losing her."Neal glared defiantly at Peter defiantly.

"Neal, please, listen. I can't just run away from the Circle, as much as I want to. If I try, it would only be a matter of time before they find me and kill me, along with anyone who knows me. On the other hand, if I go back to the Circle, I could help stop them, and, more importantly, keep you alive." I smiled sadly at him. "Neal, I'm not a 12-year-old anymore."

Neal opened his mouth, obviously going to protest again, but Peter glared at him and held up a hand for silence making Neal's mouth to snap shut. "Neal. We get that you don't agree with this, but, honestly, we'll most likely still go through with it. But I was never planning on sending her in alone."

Neal had been glaring at Peter, but when he heard the last sentence, his eyes widened. "Not alone? Why didn't you mention that before? Who would you send?" Neal questioned, firing question after question.

Peter laughed and got this knowing grin. "Well you really didn't give us a chance. And I was thinking about sending, if he agrees, of course, a certain con-man named Nicholas Halden. Do you think he'd agree?"

Neal got this idiotic grin on his face and said, "I'm pretty sure he would agree."

I frowned, confused and frustrated. "Now wait a second. I never agreed to get someone else in! And who on Earth is Nicholas Halden? Do you know how hard it will be just to get them to let me in without getting shot in the head? And getting someone else in, that will be next to impossible!" I stood up, trying to emphasize my point. "Is this, like, your way of saying you don't trust me?"

"I'm not saying we can't trust you, but we need to have first hand information from an FBI member." Peter shrugged with a face that said there would be no negotiating.

"Fine," I sighed. "Who is this 'Nicholas', then?"

Peter pointedly looked at Neal. Neal grinned and said, "Nicholas Halden has been one of my major aliases while I've been in New York."

I gritted my teeth and glared at Peter. "You are going to make this hard for me, aren't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well for one, he is an FBI consultant. And he was at the bank. And he has no experience with weapons of any kind. All of this on top of the fact that he's my brother, well... let's just say it won't be easy to get him in alive."

"But it is possible?"

I thought for a moment, and then spoke slowly, trying to show how much I disliked my plan. "It might be. But that's a big might. If we play this right, it could be possible. But it's all based on maybe's and might's." I paused to see if Peter wanted to comment, but he gestured for me to go on. I hesitated, but continued, "Well, for one, we need it to be convincing that I've gained your trust, but plan to betray it. We also need a few arguments between you and Neal. And me and Neal alone so I can convince him to betray you, but he will be hesitant. After, say, a couple weeks, you and Neal have a huge argument, and everyone 'alienates' Neal, Neal and I escape, we run to the Circle and they, hopefully, take us in." I waited for Peter's response.

Peter nodded thoughtfully. "I think I see what you're describing. It could work. Is there anything else?"

"Don and Leon, the men with me in the bank, were taken into custody, correct?" Peter nodded. "Ok, well I need to talk to them. I might get them to work with us."

"Nobody's been able to get them to say anything. I'm curious how you're going to do it." Peter tilted his head a bit, showing his curiosity.

I smiled and shrugged a little. "A girl's got to keep some secrets, right?"

Peter smiled back and backed towards the door. "I'm going to arrange a visit to the prison Don and Leon are in. You two just... stay."

"Arf arf! We'll be good puppies," Neal joked and I grinned.

Peter smirked and quietly closed the door. I casually walked over to stand by one of the large windows covering two of the walls that looked out at the buildings across from the FBI office. I scanned the buildings, quickly finding what I was looking for. A long cylinder protruded from a potted plant on the roof of the next door building, the roof slightly above the level we were on, pointed directly at me and Neal. It was no doubt a rifle manned by a Circle agent sent to silence me before I could tell any secrets. "Neal, whatever you do, do not look of the window. Look at me, or the table, anything but the window. A Circle agent us, and ready to kill us. I turned away from the window calmly, making eye contact with Neal, trying to keep the Circle agent's finger nice and far away from the trigger.

"Hmm, sounds fun. So, what's your plan?" Neal grinned, his eyes never wavering from my gaze.

"Act hesitant. Like the plan, I offer to get you to the Circle, and you're not sure about it. Talk about anything, just make it convincing."

Neal immediately launched into a monologue about everything from his past to Peter's dog Satchmo, all the while maintaining a perfect hesitant expression. I nodded inwardly, not wanting to give the watcher and clue to our plan. I turned towards the window again, a fake expression of annoyance on my face. I pretended to glance back and make sure no one was watching before turning back to where I saw the rifle sticking out of the plant. I slowly held up a hand, displaying the Circle's symbol for 'Hold your fire!' There was no response, so I rapidly formed more symbols, roughly saying 'I won't betray. That's a new recruit, we'll escape soon.' There was no sign of movement from the rifleman for a few heart stopping moments. Then the rifle barrel slowly disappeared from view and a familiar young face appeared. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when I recognized Tamara, a young member of my elite team, a group of people also looking for a way out. She nodded once at me, looking unsure, and then disappeared from view down a stairwell.

I smiled a bit too myself, glad that the plan was working so far. "Neal, you can stop talking now, "I murmured quietly, and he stopped in the middle of some story about someone named Keller.

"So what's going on?"

"Wait, back up a moment. Did you say Keller? As in Matthew Keller?"

"Yah, why?"

"He used to be a Circle agent. He found out that I had found you and hadn't killed you, and tried to turn others against me. I convinced them he was lying and they kicked him out. You said he was trying to kill you?" Neal nodded, surprised. "Hm, he must have found you and tried to get at me. Such a loon, always wanting to play chess."

Neal's eyebrows raised in surprise. "So... You're the cause of all my problems."

"It would seem so." I smiled sadly.

Peter walked in, holding a small card. "So, what'd I miss?"

"I saw one of my... co-workers, and told them Neal was a new recruit. So, in other words, we're in." I grinned at Peter happily.

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