I'm glad everyone is enjoying this story. I hope you continue to do so. More is revealed about Neal's "old friends."

The Boy He Was Before Chapter 4

Neal sat on a bench in the center of the park near a large water fountain and waited for Ashlyn and the others to show up. He was still in shock and confused as to why they were in New York City, but he had a feeling he would find out very soon.

As if on cue, he heard his old name being called out. "Danny!"

He stood and reached to button his jacket when he remembered he had taken off his Devore suit and settled for a pair of blue jeans and a loose black t-shirt. Yes, it wasn't the usual apparel of Neal Caffrey, but it was the old style of Danny Brooks. Since it seemed like his old friends were insistent on seeing Danny, he figured he'd play along and deliver him on a silver platter. That way, perhaps, he would find out why they were there and what they wanted.

He watched Ashlyn, Jeffrey, and Rob close the distance between them. When they reached the bench, they merely stared at one another for a moment.

Ashlyn looked at the two friends who accompanied them and back at Neal. Everyone could feel the tension at this meeting, but it was apparent that Ashlyn didn't like it. She smiled and said, "Hi, Danny. I'm glad you agreed to meet us."

He nodded and said, "I don't think I had much choice." He forced himself to smile, and the others grinned.

"Now is that any way to greet your old friends out of the presence of the FBI?" Rob asked.

Neal's smile fell as he questioned, "How do you want me to greet you?"

Rob shrugged and said, "Well, a legitimate smile for your saviors would be nice, for starters."

Neal looked away from Rob and looked back at Ashlyn. She was always the easier one to deal with. "I'm sorry. It's just a shock to see you. I've started a new life here and I didn't expect my old one to catch up with me." He then glanced at Jeffrey and asked, "Why are you here?"

Rob reached out and grabbed Neal's arm to get his attention. "We have a job. Imagine our surprise when we saw you here. It's like fate."

He frowned. "What do you mean 'fate'?"

"Isn't it obvious? We have a job and we were actually debating on how to…" He paused to look around at the people present. Cautiously, he mumbled, "…get to our location. Now, we know. You'll get us inside."

Neal shook his head and said, "I told you in the past that I have no intention of participating in one of your jobs. When I broke into those warehouses, it was a stupid boy worrying about a place to hang out with his friends. Before I left St. Louis, I told you I didn't want that life and I don't want it now."

Rob and Jeffrey looked at each other and laughed. Ashlyn frowned and said sharply, "Cut it out, you two. Just tell him."

Neal continued to look at Rob as he grinned almost sinisterly. "Yeah, okay, Ash. Look, Neal—that's what you're calling yourself, right?—we looked you up after we saw you earlier. You claim to still be the boy who wants to follow in the footsteps of your dad, but it seems to me being a stealer and a forger is a poor way of doing that. It seems like your new life actually followed what we had in mind. The only difference is you wouldn't have gotten caught with us."

Neal smirked. He knew he was going to get a rise out of them, but he didn't care at that point. "No, the difference would be you riding on my coat tails and cashing in on my successes. No, thanks. Besides, I've changed my life. I work for the FBI now."

The two men glared at him and Rob spat, "Only because you have to!"

Neal opened his mouth and was about to respond when he saw both of them ball up his fist. He knew there was no way he could take them both on if things got physical. He backed up a little and was surprised when he felt someone grab his shoulder. He turned his head and cried out in surprise, "Peter!"

=)=)=)

Peter had been sitting in the FBI building fifteen minutes ago and had decided to check Neal's anklet for the tenth time since his C.I. had left earlier. He still had a bad feeling that something was going on with Neal and his old friends, so he wanted to track his whereabouts. When had he checked it the last time, he noticed that Neal had finally left his apartment and was stagnant in Theodore Roosevelt Park. Figuring he was meeting with his old friends since Mozzie would have simply shown up at June's, he hurried to the park.

Luckily, he was just in time. He had seen the menacing stares from the two men of the group. When Neal had taken a cautious step back, he knew it was time to make his presence known to everyone.

"Neal," he greeted calmly. He glanced at his partner. That's when he got a really good look at Neal since he was focused solely on him. He could tell something was different about him, but he couldn't quite place it until he looked at his clothes. Shocked, he blinked a few times. Wearing baggy shirts and blue jeans wasn't his C.I.'s typical attire. He couldn't remember a time he had seen him dress down so much. "What's going on?"

Neal swallowed slowly. Undoubtedly, everyone present could tell he was nervous. "Nothing, Peter. I'm just meeting up with my friends." He grinned, but Peter could tell it was one of those panicked smiles.

Rob, on the other hand, wasn't as nervous as Neal at that moment. His glare that had been on Neal intensified when he focused on Peter. He wrinkled his nose in what looked to be disgust and spat, "Why does the FBI show up everywhere we are recently?"

Peter glanced at Neal briefly before replying, "I can't answer for the times before I met you, but since then, I can tell you the common denominator: it's Neal. The more you deal with him, the more you're likely to see one of us. Good thing you're all good, law-abiding citizens, right?"

Jeffrey and Rob smirked as Ashlyn replied, "Yeah, exactly."

Peter turned his attention to Neal and said, "We need you in the office again. There's been a break in another one of our cases."

Neal looked back at his friends and Peter could literally see the wheels turning. He wondered what he was thinking. He knew it would be something that would get Neal into trouble.

Neal smiled and said, "I'll be right there, but can I speak with these three for five minutes more? Then, I'll be the FBI's for the rest of the evening."

Peter nodded and asked, "So you're feeling better now?"

"Yeah."

Peter walked away, leaned against a tree twenty feet away, and continued to watch this meeting.

=)=)=)

Neal shook his head at Peter. He didn't know whether to be annoyed or amused. Peter had the habit of showing up at the important moments. It was always at a moment when Neal would have rather have had him far, far away. Walking closer to Rob and Jeffrey, he hissed softly, "Okay, just tell me. What do you want?"

"We already told you," Jeffrey answered. "We have a job. We want you to help us break in."

Neal glanced back at Peter before questioning, "Didn't you get enough earlier in the week? I know the Friedman diamond heist was your work. I knew as soon as I saw you."

"Well, we have another," Rob spat, "and lucky for us, you have finally joined us in our chosen line of work. And, you will help us."

Neal raised his eyebrows and asked, "Oh, and how do you know that?"

Rob smiled harshly and replied, "It's simple, really. I'll go over there and tell that FBI agent about what happened in St. Louis."

Neal felt his skin blanch.

"I'll tell him that you caused two people to die."

Neal frowned and shouted, "What?" He quieted when he turned to see Peter move his back from the tree and look at him with concern. He lowered his voice and snapped, "You know that wasn't my fault! It was yours! You should have never been there and you were the ones who overreacted."

"Overreacted?" questioned Rob. "You would be dead right now if it weren't for us! You owe us! But that doesn't matter. You're going to help us. I assume you are aware of the felony murder law in Missouri, which provides that if a killing occurs during the commission of a felony, the persons responsible for the felony can be charged with murder. That includes you, Neal. You were the one who broke in to that warehouse! You were the one who caused us to have to bring out those guns! You were the one…"

He shook his head. "You know my intention was not to burglarize that place. My crime was trespassing, which is not a felony!"

Rob and Jeffrey laughed. "Do you think they're really going to believe that about Neal Caffrey if we tell them otherwise?" No. They'll stick you back in prison for a long, long time. Even your buddy FBI agent over there won't believe you." Rob smirked and continued, "We'll be in contact."

Neal frowned before turning to look at Peter. The truth was he actually didn't know if Peter would believe him or not. Right now, their relationship was strained because of everything that had happened with Hagan. He didn't know if he could risk it…

=)=)=)

Let me know what you think, please! And, please stick with me. This does go into the boy Neal was before. I'm setting up why we will hear the story as the next chapter will show.