Chapter 4
Neal woke with a soft groan, he felt worse now than when his heat cycle had started. His back protested as he sat up fully and looked around until he spotted Peter fully dressed and watching him from the kitchen area of the apartment with a pissed look on his face. As he got out of bed with a blanket around his waist Neal stumbled a bit as the pain in his lower back hit him. Peter stood stock still; anger still coursing through him. "I told you last night we couldn't sleep together and when I woke up this morning, I'm in your bed with no memory of last night…it was really low to use your abilities against me like that. I knew that trusting you was a huge mistake. You were only thinking about yourself," he said pushing away from the counter and moving toward Neal. Neal lowered his gaze as he waited for the strike to come but when nothing happened Neal looked up to find that Peter had vanished leaving the siren alone. Neal lowered his head again in shame as he made his way to the closet and dressed in some simple sweat pants and a fitting tee shirt leaving the sheet behind as he walked back to the main room. Neal felt more ashamed by the minute at what he had done that he quickly walked over to the bed in the corner and stripped it of all the sheets. Neal picked the comforter off the floor that had been from the night before and wrapping himself up in a cocoon Neal lay on the stripped bed trying not to let Peter's words get to him.
Peter arrived home his hair still ruffled from having sex the night before. Seeing his wife standing there Peter ran his fingers through his hair and sighed as he tried to find the words to tell his wife he had slept with someone else. "So how was the sex?" Elizabeth asked catching her husband off guard. Peter gaped like a fish for a moment as he tried to figure out his wife knew and she smiled. "Mozzie called and told me you went over there and that Neal was in full heat… also the hickey poking out from your collar is a dead giveaway," Elizabeth said seeing Peter rush over to the closest mirror and look at the mark. Peter looked at his wife's reflection in the mirror as he spoke. "You seem fine with it as if I had a choice; I told Neal I wouldn't sleep with him so he used his song against me and force me to sleep with him. How do you feel about it now?" Peter said stepping away from the mirror not wanting to look at what happened to him. "I could be angry but Peter… he's a siren it's in his nature to do that but you should know that already. I'm upset that it happened but I can accept it. You need to understand that too. He is a confused young siren who's just following what comes naturally to him" she said calmly as she walked over and fixed Peter's hair.
"El…but I slept with someone other than you and your fine with it?" Peter asked a little confused at what was going on. Smiling again Elizabeth kissed her husband's cheek. "It was a onetime deal and I know that you'll keep coming back to me," Elizabeth said hugging Peter and kissing him before pulling away. "Now enough about Neal, you promised to take care of those pesky garden wraiths; they are running the yard with the weeds and I asked you to get rid of them days ago," she said shooing Peter toward the back door. Going outside Peter pushed all thoughts of Neal out of his mind as he concentrated on the task before him of clearing his yard of the devilish little imps that were causing havoc to his yard.
As the day progressed Neal dragged himself from the comforts of the cocoon when he started to overheat. Walking around the apartment Neal stripped out of the tee shirt and tossed it on a chair as he sighed softly and paced around the apartment. Picking at some food for a couple minutes Neal gave up when he wasn't feeling well, sighing softly the young siren let his hand slide over his stomach. "Looks like I won't be going into heat for a while…" Neal mumbled to himself already feeling the changes in his body starting and knowing that living on land wouldn't be an option after a certain point Neal sighed and dressed in some jeans, a fitted shirt and sneakers before leaving the apartment. Neal kicked a few small stones as he walked down the sidewalk not really planning on where he was going. Going as far as his legs would allow Neal stopped and looked around; he was officially lost at that moment.
Sighing he saw a bench and made his way over to it and sat down to rest. Sitting on the bench Neal tried to relax as he tried to imagine what his child would look like. Getting up from the bench once he was fully rested Neal started walking again down another street. As a siren I should be with my mate but Peter made it pretty clear that he didn't want me around. Neal thought as he stopped and stepped out of the way for others to pass by him. Following the crowds Neal walked closer to midtown. Making sure no one jostled him too much Neal kept walking through the crowded sidewalks still thinking about his future.
"It's been a while Neal, you can come quietly or we can make a scene," Kramer said walking up to the siren. Standing there for a moment Neal turned to the agent. "I'll go with you quietly in exchange for somewhere with access to a body of salt water…I'm carrying and I need to give birth in the water," Neal said standing there not showing any signs of running. Kramer smirked and nodded "I can arrange that, but first I have to book you," he said as he cuffed Neal and brought him to the waiting car. Driving to the Crypto corrections department Kramer manhandled the expecting siren into the booking room as all the information was taken down. Allowing the agents to pull him around the office and process him Neal overheard the agents talking about his lock-up. This is what I deserve… and I'm no longer a bother to Peter… Neal thought as he was put in a holding cell until his new home was ready. The day seemed to drag on forever by sunset he was finally taken from the cell and loaded into a transport van taking him to his new home.
Neal kept his head down when they arrived. Sighing he winced at the cruel irony that Kramer had put him in as they walked under the arches of the Central park zoo. Heading through the park Neal looked at the animals around him as the FBI agents and the zoo staff led him to a new aquarium. Giving a small sad smirk at the irony again of being in a fish tank Neal felt the handcuffs being removed only to have the zoo staff led him to an opening in a large glass wall surrounding a tank that started on one level and went down one the glass wall overlooking the hall of the other tanks. Stripping his clothes off Neal got into the temperate water and disappeared under the surface as he changed into his tail and gills. Swimming around the large round tank Neal found a hidden spot deep in the large rocks under the water that had a big enough opening that would accommodate his growing midsection. Swimming to the bottom of the tank Neal leaned against a small crop of rocks and got comfortable.
Peter turned the game on when he finished in the yard and dropped on the couch with a beer appearing in his hand as he got comfortable. "Hon… while you were out in the yard Mozzie called, Neal went out and never came back to his safe house," Elizabeth said as she sat on the couch beside her husband. "He's probably sulking somewhere, he looked pretty guilty when I popped out of there," Peter said working on his beer. Elizabeth rolled her eyes a bit. "You know you told me you would explain how you do that again," she said curling up against Peter. "It's simple, to transport a person or item from one place to another you picture the item or person in your mind then you have to think of the destination and it happens," Peter said making a glass of wine appear on the coffee table for Elizabeth. Turning his attention back to the game Peter reclined so he was more comfortable and found his thoughts drifting to Neal, shaking his head he concentrated on the game.
By the end of the game Peter was beyond peeved at his team for making it so far that season and then to lose at the end of the season and in disgust he turned the game off before the end. Peter left the living room and locked the house up for the night before heading to his home office to look over some work before turning in for the night but lost himself in his work until the very early hours of the morning when he crawled into bed beside Elizabeth and put his arms around her. Forgetting all about his evening with Neal; Peter got comfortable and fell into a deep sleep as he forgot all about the siren that he believed was sulking somewhere.
Waking late the next morning Peter passed on breakfast and reading the paper as he rushed to work. Laughing at her husband's lack of keeping track of the time Elizabeth cleaned up the kitchen before she left for work for the day. Arriving just by the skin of his teeth Peter saw his former mentor in his office and looking way to happy like the cat that got the canary. "You look way too happy, you bag yourself another werewolf pelt for your collection?" he asked dropping into his desk chair wishing he had eaten something that morning. "Better, I caught a masculum aqua sirenis," Kramer said as he sat across from Peter. Thinking for a moment Peter mentally translated the Latin name and stared at the other man. "Neal… what did you do with him…where is he?" Peter demanded getting to his feet quickly "Calm down Peter… he's fine; in fact he gave himself up if you can believe it; when I found him he was calm as he requested a place with access to a body of salt water because he's carrying young, interesting he's moved on from the last brood he slaughtered. I wonder how long this one will last?" the agent asked with a smirk.
"Where is Neal? Tell me right now…"Peter demanded as he got into the other agent's face. "You're acting as if you give a damn but don't worry in a week you can see him when his exhibit opens," Kramer said as he walked out of the office. Letting his anger get the best of him Peter grabbed the other man and shoved him against the wall. "Damn it… where is Neal!" he growled pushing his arm up against Kramer's throat just as he pulled away by Diana and Jones. "I'll let this slide but do that again or keep causing trouble and I'll have your badge," the older agent warned as he rubbed his throat a bit before leaving Peter's office. Relaxing and trying to catch his breath Peter watched the other agent until he vanished from sight. "I'm good you two can go… I have to go look into something," Peter mumbled as he waved his agents away.
Taking a seat back at his desk Peter began digging into records of arrests the night before. Peter hit a dead end when his access was denied whenever he tried to open the file Kramer had on Neal. Closing the search Peter sighed as he grabbed his phone and called Mozzie to ask him to work his magic on finding out where Neal was. "I don't care if you have to use a locator spell or something, just look for him," Peter said as he rubbed his forehead. As he tried to get his head into his work Peter opened some files and looked at them not really paying attention to them. Neal told Kramer he was pregnant…is that possible? I mean I know he's been pregnant before but with my child…El will never accept this or he might find this perfect irony, Peter thought as he finally got his head into work and worked on the cases as best he could.
By the end of the day Peter was at his wit's end when he hadn't received a call from Mozzie yet on Neal's location but when he got home on time Peter found a note on the table that he had to fend for himself for a while. Turning the television on, he turned the local news on and got a beer before dropping on the couch and stretching out. :: In local news the Central Park Zoo announced today that their new underwater exhibit hall 'A view of the seas' will be opened next weekend with a special exhibit that will be sure to astound and amaze:: Peter perked up a bit at the news report catching the tail end of it as the weather came on. It can't be that simple can it? Peter thought as he sat up a bit.
The week seemed to take forever to pass until Saturday morning came around but Peter was up before dawn, with a cup of coffee in his hand before he woke Elizabeth up and dragged her to the park. They arrived before the zoo even opened so they could get tickets before anyone else. Elizabeth rubbed her eyes as she tried to get a straight answer out of her husband about why they were at the zoo. When the gates opened Peter bought two tickets and dragged his wife to the exhibit hall. They were handed Bluetooth headphones and told to put them on for the guided tour through the hall. As they walked down the sloping dark hall they seemed to travel underground with only the light from the tanks illuminating the way they followed. They walked slowly through the hall as the tour picked up the Bluetooth receivers by each tank. Peter looked in every tank for a few minutes before they reached the final tank that stretched back up to ground level. As he walked up to the tank Peter barely listened to the voice over the headphones while noting the sign telling them to keep the headphones on for safety. Peter was looking for any sign of the stubborn siren swimming around.
It took Peter all of ten seconds to spot the siren hidden among the sea plants. He never actually got a good look at Neal's true form before and was taken aback by the beauty when Neal swam out from behind the rocky outcropping. The feathering fins at the bottom of his tail to the line that ran down his back mimicked the sea plants in movement and color. Neal moved through the water with such a grace that Peter forgot he was there to rescue him. He gave the glass a light rap with knuckles to get Neal's attention and saw Neal look right over at him before he swam over to look at the agent through the glass. Flicking his tail Neal watched the agent and his wife before swimming away and hiding when more people showed up behind them. Neal blended into the rocks and hiding in the cave Neal put a hand over his fluttering stomach before he peeked out to see if the agent was still there.
Swimming to the surface Neal pulled his body onto the rocks and sat there for a moment before looking up at the sky through the glass doors at the end of the hall. Neal purred lightly at the thought of his mate being so close. Neal opened his eyes slowly as he looked at the glass wall keeping him in the tank and seeing a pair of legs he dragged his eyes up to the face to see Peter standing there watching him. Lying back on the rocks; Neal put a hand over his stomach and rubbed it a bit. The action was not lost on the agent he knew what Neal was telling him. I am so screwed… he thought with a sigh. "Neal…I'm sorry, I'll get you out of here as soon as I can," he said in a low voice as the other people started to come up the stairs.
After locking eyes with the agent Neal glanced over at Elizabeth. "Don't worry Peter…if I'm here then you don't have to worry about your soon to be dirty little secret getting out," Neal said before leaving the rocks to dive back under the water to swim around near the window. Neal watched an approaching group of school children that were walking around and he swam up close and though of his sirelings that hadn't had a chance to even leave the water. Sighing softly he plastered on a fake smile and did a few underwater back flips to entertain them and seeing them smile made him smile for real.
"Peter, come on…and what did he mean by secret?" Elizabeth asked as they handed the Bluetooth headphones in at the exit. Taking his wife's hand Peter walked out with her and walked her toward the sea lions. "It seems that Neal is pregnant and I'm the father, but it's not like I planned this, he's the one that seduced me…I'm the victim here," Peter defended hoping Elizabeth wouldn't be mad at him. Stopping dead in her tracks Elizabeth looked at her husband. "So you… and Neal are having a baby…alright…so what does this mean for us?" she asked. Shrugging his shoulders Peter sighed. "I'm not sure but all I know is the only people who know about that baby right now is Neal, Kramer, you and me… but as soon as the world finds out there is a siren being born in captivity money will be thrown around and they will be separated as soon as they can be," Peter stated keeping a straight face trying to hide that he was very angry at the thought of his unborn child being sold off like a common pet.
Elizabeth carefully put a hand on Peter's shoulder. "As a federal agent you have to uphold the law…but as the father of that child you need to do everything in your power to get them out of the public eye," Elizabeth said with a smile as she just condoned Peter breaking the law in this case. Peter looked back at the brick building behind them determined to come up with a plan to save the siren and his unborn child. After leaving the zoo Peter made a couple calls to Diana and Jones and told them to meet him at Mozzie's shop. Arriving at the shop at the same time as his most trusted agents Peter led them and Elizabeth inside to the library in the back of the store where Mozzie was fuming at the intrusion of his sanctuary. "Calm down… we needed a safe place to talk and with your paranoia about being bugged I knew this was the right place," Peter said sitting the shop owner down. "You're right suit… so what's so important that you came into my store like this?" Mozzie asked as he looked at the two demi agents as he called them.
"Kramer arrested Neal and from what I can tell from questioning the crypto unit either they sold him or placed him at the city zoo. What they don't know is that he's pregnant and as soon as that's made public his child will be sold as soon as they can be separated. I won't let that happen for two reasons…one that is also my child he's caring and two it is a rotten thing to do. We need to get Neal out of there before he starts showing," Peter said giving out all the information. Feeling three sets of eyes on him Peter sighed. "He seduced me using his song alright and now he's carrying my child and I won't let them be separated," he added looking at the three before him. "So how do you plan on getting him out of a giant fish tank at the zoo and not get caught?" Diana asked very skeptical that any plan would actually work. "I'm going to do something… I'm going to steal him from the zoo and send him back to his home wherever that is," Peter said taking a seat at the table and sighing. Sitting in silence the five of them thought the idea over before Jones cleared his throat. "So you're willing to risk your career to send them somewhere and never see them again?" he asked knowing it was the elephant in the room.
Peter sat for a moment lost in his own thought before nodding "I would; it's not Neal's fault that Kramer has a vendetta against all non-human creatures, and if he hadn't been captured from his home then none of this would have happened to him so I'm going to do what's right to help him," Peter said feeling a slight nag in the pit of his stomach of never seeing his child. Peter sighed as he gave Mozzie a nod. " I'm going to turn a blind eye but I need you to do anything you can to get information on the zoo's security I don't care how you do it but just do it," he said leaning back in the chair.
Swimming around in circles Neal gave an internal sigh as he heard a bunch of repetitive knocks on the glass. He looked over at a group of teens from the class trip that had strayed from their classmates and were teasing the siren with their incessant knocking. Neal gave a tiny smirk when he noticed that they weren't wearing their headphones over their ears. Neal poked his head out of the water and pulled his body onto the rocks as he began to sing bringing the teens up to the top of the tank with a glazed look in their eyes as he tweaked the song a bit causing them to be more aggressive. As he watched closely Neal smirked as they began fighting each other to get over the plate glass wall and get closer to him. Intensifying his song Neal felt his wicked streak coming out in full force as the teens began beating each other bloody to be the one to get into the tank.
Neal had learned over his life time how to blend in with the humans around him but deep inside he always felt an air of superiority over the humans around him. The siren smirked as the tour guides rushed over and managed to pull the boys apart and drag them toward the exit. Neal felt the boredom come back tenfold as he slipped back into the water and swam around some more just as another tour group showed up. Swimming around closer to the glass Neal studied how the younger children pointed and smiled at him while the older ones seemed less interested. Moving closer to the glass so he wouldn't be seen he popped up before ducking down again playing a game with the little children as the tour guide talked. Neal wasn't like other sirens he would never harm a child he loved children in fact even human children especially while they were so innocent before they grew up to be cruel and heartless. When the group left Neal went to his cave and put a hand over his stomach.
My little one…I promise we'll get out of here soon, this will not be your home ever, the siren thought as he left the cave and sat out on the rocks under the water just so he could see another group of people and not be bored. Not that he wanted to admit it but Neal wished Peter would have stayed longer or would come back at least. As the tours slowed and ended for the day Neal kept an eye on the zoo workers as they walked around cleaning up and preparing for the next day Neal watched with limited interest as he drifted lazily through the tank keeping a mental record of everyone who worked there to see who he could ensnare for his enjoyment but everyone seemed to be wearing their headphones since the incident earlier that afternoon. Once everyone had finally left and the building locked down Neal looked at the fish he shared a tank with and watched them swim around and play.
Neal could only tell that days were passing without seeing the sun by the tours starting which meant it was a new day and the cleaning crew always meant that the day was ending. Soon days started to blend together Neal was starting to lose his mind from sheer boredom. He knew the reason the fish around him weren't going crazy because they were just fish with short attention spans and lower intelligence than the siren. Even talking to his child in his mind was starting to wear on his nerves. Days for all Neal could tell were turning into a week, one week became two and two weeks turned into a month.
Feeling the depression sink in deeper Neal couldn't do it anymore. Forcing himself to smile hurt even. As he slumped at the bottom of his tank Neal sat there as the tours stopped at his tank; lying on the underwater rocks Neal knew he looked pitiful just lying there. If it wasn't for his child he would be slowly starving to death. Peter never came back…he really is ashamed of us…I don't blame him though… Neal thought as he made sure to keep his forming baby bump from showing as much as possible as the tours walked by his tank.
Peter dropped onto his couch like a walking corpse; his workload had tripled in the last month after Kramer had petitioned and won for the right to create a new branch of the White Collar crypto unit that did deeper undercover work than before. Of course Kramer's first choice for second in command was Peter and his two best agents. "Hey hon… whoa you look beat…Kramer's still working you hard isn't he…"Elizabeth remarked as she helped Peter take his shoes off as he draped an arm over his eyes. "He knows that the second I get a moment of free time I'm going to help Neal so he doesn't let me have more than a day to rest before he puts me back undercover. I can't do this much longer and I can't make Neal wait…" he mumbled moving his arm away from his face with a sigh. "The second I free him Kramer is going to be on top of us if we stay in the states," Peter said sighing. Elizabeth gave a small smile at the thought running through her head.
"Well you have always wanted to travel for vacation why not do that…go with Neal to his home and wait for the heat to blow over," she said patting Peter on the head. "You're telling me to run away with a sexually pleasing siren that is pregnant with my child, are you sure about that?" Peter asked wondering what his wife was up to. "Not in so many words but I rather see you two safe then both locked up," Elizabeth remarked tightening her grip on Peter's hair. Peter nodded and motioned for Elizabeth to stay quite incase Kramer had ears in the house. "I'm going to take a nap, wake me around eight; I forgot I've got a pick-up game with Jones tonight," Peter lied as he grabbed the note pad on the table and wrote that he would save Neal that night.
Elizabeth nodded as she got up from where she was sitting on the edge of the couch letting her husband rest. As the hours ticked by Elizabeth busied herself in the kitchen making dinner to keep up appearances even though in the pit of her stomach she was worried about what could happen if Peter was caught stealing Neal from zoo. When it was finally time to wake Peter Elizabeth walked into the living room and shook her husband awake. Peter groaned and rolled over a bit until he fell off the couch and just laid there for a moment. "Hon you're going to be late for your game if you don't get up now," she said playing along with the lie as Peter got up and went upstairs to change before checking for any tail waiting for him outside. After changing into some street clothes Peter grabbed a duffle bag and left the house and got into his car to drive into the city.
Neal swam around his tank to stretch his tail out after sulking all day but after breaking the surface he felt like he was being watched. Looking up Neal smiled when he saw Peter leaning over the glass wall and looking right at him. "Peter….you came back for me," Neal said not caring how sappy it sounded as he swam over to the wall feeling close to a million times better. Peter open the glass door open and crouch down to help him out of the water. Neal reached up as he was pulled out of the water. As he sat on the doorframe Neal couldn't keep from smiling as he was caught off guard by a deep kiss and moaning softly Neal slid his hands up into the other man's hair pulling him deeper into the kiss.
"Neal…" A voice calls causing the siren to pull away from the kiss and look over his shoulder. "Peter… but…" Neal said in a confused tone as he turned back and saw someone he never thought he would see again. "But… but I killed you…" Neal said in a stunned voice as he tried to pull away. "Magical clone...he was hosting the party; I made a perfect clone and when I heard the slaughter going on I took off for the south of France for a while," Adler said as he grabbed Neal. Vincent smirked at the struggling siren as he tried to get away.
Peter stood stunned that his cousin-in-law was still alive. "Let him go Adler, just let him go," Peter said trying not to sound like he was pleading. Vincent smirked at the reaction he was getting from the agent. "Oh how cute you have a soft spot for my pet," Vincent said as looked at Neal and saw him slowly struggling to breathe through his gills. Peter moved closer and stopped when he saw the handle of a gun in Adler's belt. Neal squirmed at the arm wrapped around his waist. Feeling light headed Neal made one more attempt and breaking the hold. Falling into a strange somewhat seat position on the floor he moved his hand over his stomach to protect his child from harm. Rushing forward Peter put his arms around Neal and held him.
Peter leaned in while keeping his voice low. "Think of your home, picture it in your mind right now," Peter whispered as he slipped a bracelet on Neal's wrist just before he finished the spell. "I'll find you I promise," he added as Neal vanished from his arms in a cloud of silver swirling smoke. Vincent watched in horror as his pet vanished. "You're going to regret that Peter…I will find him and bring him back here," Vincent remarked as he made his way toward the door. "No you won't… because I'm putting my foot down; I bind your abilities… I bind them so you may never use them again… I bind your abilities from this moment until your dying breath…" Peter chanted putting his full heart into his spell making it stronger. "You bastard…" Vincent hissed as he pulled out his gun and cocked it before firing without taking aim. Vincent smirked as his shot grazed Peer's side hoping it would also break his cousin's concentration. "I curse you, I curse you Peter Burke and anything that brings you joy will wither and die!" Vincent cursed as he threw a small black dagger hitting Peter in the chest mere inches from his heart.
Falling back into the tank Peter hit the water hard. Opening his eyes he felt like he was being lifted out he slowly began to concentrate on a face though he couldn't seem to concentrate. "Peter, it's okay… I've got you," the voice said as Peter slipped into darkness. When he finally was able to open his eyes again he squinted at the harsh sun. Seconds later a shadow figure blocked the light from his eyes. "You really had me worried, you had a terrible fever for days, that knife was soaked in poison," the voice said until it finally clicked in Peter's head that it was Neal's voice he was hearing. "Neal? Where am I?" Peter groaned as he sat up slowly. Neal smiled softly before he spoke. "You're on the island where you sent me… this is my home, as soon I arrived I just had this weird feeling and the next moment you fell into the ocean. I rescued from a group of Mako sharks," Neal said as he pushed some hair out of Peter's eyes.
"So where is this island anyway?" Peter asked slowly getting to his feet and looked around the lagoon that was seemed to be sheltered by coral reefs and rocks. "We're thirty miles from Crete off the shipping lanes it seems a bit strange but I like the privacy especially being pregnant, the island is uninhabited by humans and the ocean around us is home to more Mako sharks than you would like; it's the perfect safe haven…well at least this lagoon is. The reef is too thick for any sharks to get close; so our child will be safe for the two years he will have to live in the water," Neal said pulling his body closer to the water and got in and enjoyed swimming around his blue scales shining in the sun.