Author's Note: Sorry it has taken eternity dear readers, but I had writters block and I've started planning Brooklynn's wedding, which I have found is really hard to do when you are trying to plan a wedding in NYC from Houston, TX. If anyone has suggestions of where to have a 250 person wedding reception in SoHo or the Greenwich Village let me know please! I'd like to thank my Beta, Sparky Dorian, and my reviewers AngelMarieMalfoy, Iuliana, and randomchick15. Hope you like this chapter. Read and Review.

Neal quickly crossed the street to June's house with his old novelty New York City subway map umbrella overhead. It had been oddly rainy in the Big Apple all week and Neal had cold feet and a slight runny nose that he was determined to stop by the next morning. In the hand without the silly umbrella Neal had a grocery store bag with rice, lemon, and chicken broth. Lemon and rice soup had been the remedy for colds since his childhood and after he had jumped ship and moved in on his own at eighteen, Neal had learned how to make the soup himself.

Once he made it into his room in June's house Neal changed into warm pajamas and dry socks and began to make his soup. It was only about 7:30 pm when Neal finished his soup and the thirty-two year old began to think about one time he and Brooklynn had been practically drinking the soup like water.

On top of the roof of their apartment building in Brooklyn ten year old Neal held a four year old Brooklynn as he spun them around in the pouring rain. The roof of the building was a garden and Neal had been playing with his little sister. The church clothes and their father's oversized tie Neal was wearing declared him Prince of the Ye Ole Land of the Fairy Garden. He had had a paper crown that was beginning to turn to mush and had been discarded; also a plastic scepter that had been dropped when the rain had begun ten minutes before. Brooklynn wore a pink tutu over her faded jeans and green shirt. The fairy look was completed with a pair of bright purple wings that had elastic arm holes and bare feet.

Neal liked playing with his little sister, and with all of his friends gone for the summer, she was the only one to play with, but she always had the most creative ideas, and didn't want to play 'getting married' or 'boyfriend/girlfriend' like the girls at school would want to during recess. Brooklynn knew where they were, where things went in her world, and even what they were. As brother and sister they explored the universe. The moments always inspired Neal to do drawings of their adventures. They went on African safaris, lived the lives of Parisian Artists, art thieves, Cops, Fariyworld citizens, royalty, and everything in between.

Neal put Brooklynn down and bowed.

"May I have this dance, Princess Brooklynn?" He asked in his official Fairyworld prince tone.

"Yes, Prince Neal, you may!" Brooklynn replied in her Fairyworld voice with a smile that showed the crooked teeth she possessed as she curtsied.

Brooklynn hopped up on Neal's feet and took his hands.

For five more minutes Brooklynn and Neal danced until their mother, off on Saturdays, came up. She made them change into dry clothes but it was too late; the next morning both woke up with colds. For a whole week the siblings were stuck on the couch. Luckily, their mother had left gallons of Lemon and rice soup for them to eat. Both had lots of fever chills and had it every few hours John, the art student who live in the apartment above and watched the siblings over the summer, had to heat up lots to keep Neal and Brooklynn warm. It rained all of the week they were sick, and for two more weeks after, setting the New York City record.

By the time they were well Neal had drawn the entire garden and all of Brooklynn's fairy friends. He had also drawn their adventures in the subway tunnels (made by sheets and the kitchen table and chairs), the music club they owned in the 1980's (using the record player and old clothes their parents had), and finally the art gallery featuring all of Neal's work from the past few years. Brooklynn had pushed him aside every time he put something up on the orange, green, light pink, and dark blue sheets their father had pinned up for them the night before, staring up at them with a smile.

Neal went over to his book shelf. It had been two weeks since reuniting with his sister and Brooklynn had given him a box that she had received from Kate about a month before Neal had broken out of the super max. It had his photo albums, old paints, and other things.

Neal opened his photo album to a random page. He looked at his smiling sixteen year old self with ten year old Brooklynn in front of him at the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building's chrome top behind them. Neal chuckled at the photo below it of the two making funny faces.

Other photos near the two were from the same night. They were in Battery Park, next to the fountain in Central Park, in the heart Time Square, at subway stations, a record store, on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and in it. There was also a picture of them at the Statue of Liberty in the early morning sunrise, and lastly their large two room suite at the Plaza. Even as a teenager Neal had begun pulling cons to get what he wanted, though Brooklynn and his parents had been clueless at the time.

"Neal!" the ten year old called irritated, as he slowly walked behind her with a large backpack.

"The observation deck will still be there in two minutes, Brooklynn," Neal replied to his sister who stood at the entrance to the deck with arms crossed and her left foot tapping.

Brooklynn let out a huff of air, sending the thin dark brown hair on her head up in the air.

"Have some patience, Brooklynn; we've got all night," Neal said as he gave a tug to one of the many colorful hair wraps in her hair.

When they stepped out on the deck both were blown away at the view. Though half of their film had already been used at Battery Park, Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they went crazy with pictures. Of the four rolls of twenty-five pictures a roll only ten pictures were left to be taken.

"Are you ready for dinner?" Neal asked, putting the camera back into the large backpack.

Brooklynn suddenly realized how hungry she actually was and eagerly nodded her head.

"Well time to go to our room at the Plaza Hotel then, they've got room service," Neal smiled as he hoisted the backpack up.

"Let's go!"

When they arrived at the Plaza Brooklynn's eyes went as big as baseballs.

"Go look around; I'll check us in," Neal said and Brooklynn replied with a slow nod.

Neal was able to convince that he and Brooklynn were the kids of a wealthy business man who was paying for their one night stay in a two bedroom suite and were to have whatever they wanted.

After exploring the room, jumping on what would be Neal's bed, and changing into pajamas, the siblings ordered chocolate shakes, fries, and a large pepperoni pizza.

At midnight Brooklynn began nodding off.

"Ready to go to sleep?" Neal asked when her head hit his shoulder for the third time.

"Yeah, I think I am, Neal," Brooklynn replied, getting off of the couch.

"Come on, I'll show you the best way to get under the covers,"

The room Brooklynn was sleeping in had a large bed with tons of pillows on the bed. The blankets and sheets were folded over only an inch from the pillows but Neal guided Brooklynn how to squeeze in between the sheets so not to disrupt the mastery of the made bed. Another picture was taken, only five left on the last roll of film.

"So do you think you'll be okay without me for two weeks?" Neal asked after giving Brooklynn a hug and kiss on the forehead.

"I'll miss you, but as long as you promise to write me you can go to Paris,"

"Deal."

"You've got to pinky swear first," Brooklynn added to her demands, sticking out a small pinky.

Neal clasped pinkies with her.

"I, Neal John Caffrey, the greatest big brother in the universe, promise you, Brooklynn Marie Caffrey, the greatest little sister in the universe, that I will send you a letter everyday along with a postcard while I am in Paris, France for two weeks this summer before my Junior Year, and your fifth grade year."

"Deal," Brooklynn replied, sealing the pinky promise, the most sacred of pacts.

They next morning the siblings got up early and from the ferry they looked at the Statue of Liberty. Once again they pretended. They pretended they were immigrants coming from another country across the Atlantic and see the Statue of Liberty after their long journey. Neal never forgot how important it was to pretend. It gave you hope, and with hope, you had almost everything. (Brooklynn ended up learning a second lesson when she looked back at that moment as she got older. She learned that you had to work hard to get what you wanted. To be a great fairy princess you had to keep your garden beautiful, to be a successful artist you had to perfect your craft and work hard to get others to appreciate it, for immigrants to go to America they had to save money for a long time, and lastly, to work with an important in a museum you had to get a Masters degree, have six years experience in a lesser job, and continue to impress those above you to keep the job.)

Neal flipped through the photo album until about 9 pm, remembering different moments of his and Brooklynn's lives growing up. Neal decided to go to bed early, but his phone rang before he got into the soft welcoming bed.

"Hello," Neal greeted.

"Hey Neal, it's Leo; I was just calling to see if you would want to get some drinks tomorrow night?"

"Sure," Neal replied, though slightly surprised that his sister's fiancé wanted to get drinks. Sure, the two had gotten on some what friendly terms but Neal had only known Leonardo Calvani (Leo) about two weeks.

"Great. We can meet at The Trump International Hotel bar at about 7pm."

"Okay," Neal agreed.

After they hung up Neal knew that tomorrow night's plans were Brooklynn's idea, but he was kind of thankful. He wanted to stay around and if he was going to be seeing Brooklynn it probably meant a whole lot of Leo. If it meant a few awkward ice breakers to make the rest of their lives comfortable, so be it.

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