(Chapter 4)

Elizabeth entered the bedroom with the tray of food for Andy but noticed the silence and slight tension immediately. More so after she heard her husband's voice grow stern as she stood inside the entrance.

"Neal... He told you to come here?"

She saw the look on Andy's face, confusion and some fear as if he were in trouble but wasn't sure why as Peter loomed over him on the bed until she coughed and her husband turned, that look on his face that made her want to shrink back. There was anger there if not suspicion, El uncertain what to think, curious what was going on as she put the tray to the side and asserted herself.

"Peter! Stop bullying the boy... what's going on here? Andy?"

She was willing to be kind and give both the benefit of the doubt but until she had details she couldn't tell which side to take although Peter was always her first choice. Andy looked too afraid to speak as her husband sputtered in an upset tone.

"Neal sent him, El. Tell my wife what you told me..."

The boy was looking more afraid than she had known him to be since they'd met yesterday. He was trembling, shaking almost as he scooted back against the bed as if he might go into the wall and hide there.

"I... saw a man. The one in the picture in your kitchen. He was here and told me to tell your husband the truth. He disappeared before I could ask what he meant. Am I in trouble?"

El saw Peter's manner stiffen more than she'd ever seen, his brown eyes flashing at the boy suspiciously but she wrapped her arms around her husband, whispering for him to wait outside. Once Peter was out in the hallway, probably listening out of sight she moved closer to Andy, keeping her manner calm as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him.

"Hey... You're not in trouble, Andy. My husband and I are just worried about you... and the man you spoke of. He's a friend of ours. When did you see him?"

She saw shutters go down over those blue eyes, very much the same way Neal did when he refused to discuss something. The boy was scared but she wasn't sure why, turning to find Peter staring inside the room from the doorway. This was getting more complicated by the moment as she patted the boy on the arm, wondering how to get him to talk as she stood and went to bring the food over to him.

"Eat something, Andy."

The boy nodded, looking down at the soup curiously before finally taking up the spoon to eat it. After the first bite he seemed to calm down, a soft smile on his face.

"You put parsley in this just like Neal said. It smells good."

El blinked uncertain what to say, only a few people ever having had her soup. How would he know about the parsley or that Neal liked it in her soup? She glanced back at Peter, leaving the boy a moment to talk to him quietly in the hallway.

"Hun... what's going on? What happened before I got up here?"

Peter ran a hand through his hair, a tired look on his face as he leaned against the wall and sighed.

"I don't know. I thought... for a moment that Neal was in here. Crazy right? Andy was still sleeping but when he woke up I told him we could help him if he needed it, that it was my job and then he suddenly said Neal had told him I'd say that."

He paused, a look she thought she'd never seen on his face as he wiped at his eyes and continued.

"Something odd is going on here, El. You mentioned he was on the stoop yesterday before I got home?"

She nodded, realizing how her husband was thinking. Maybe this was their ransom note? They had sent a boy to them to tell Peter about Neal being their captive or had their friend somehow sent the boy as his own messenger to let them know he was ok? They couldn't be sure as they peered in on him, Andy eating the broth with a less than transparent expression. He was still hiding things but what, they could only guess at until they had figured out who he was and how he was connected to Neal's disappearance.

()()()

A few minutes Earlier:

Andy waited for the couple to return, the nice woman who seemed to want to help and somewhat stern man who was more stand offish but still seemed like he wanted to help him. He had the odd feeling like he should know them from his past, deja vu evident as he waited in their guest room, eyes glancing around until he felt sleepy and started to nod off. Someone shook him, their manner urgent as he came to partially and saw two bright blue eyes looking back at him. It was the man from the photo. He was no longer dressed in orange but a nice suit with a skinny tie and nice shoes. There was a sadness about him that called out to the boy as he thought of his own uncertain past.

"You have to talk to them, Andy. Tell them what you remember."

He blinked uncertainly, scooting back a bit as the man moved closer. There was no threat but something else made him afraid to confront the man.

"Who are you? I saw you in the picture downstairs. You were arguing with her husband... with Peter."

The man nodded back, a slight smirk on his face.

"You can call me Neal. Peter and I have argued many times although that one was more for show than anything. He's my friend, Andy. He can be yours. Peter is a good man who I trust with my life. He will help you if you let him in."

The teen didn't know what to think, his heart torn between running and staying. They seemed like nice people but something in him made him want to leave so as to not burden them with his problems. He felt a hand on his shoulder, the man smiling down at him gently.

"Tell Peter the truth, Andy. Remember what happened."

Andy was about to answer when the door opened and he saw Peter there. It felt like he had woken up from a dream, the conversation with the now vanished Neal fuzzy at best but still real enough he knew it had to have happened. There had been a few minutes of sanity while he talked to Peter and put the sling on his hurt shoulder, before he mentioned the man he had been talking to. It was as if suddenly everything went crazy, Peter interrogating the teen about where he had seen Neal. El had rescued him from further questioning but she also looked surprised and curious, that same anxious gaze as her husband when he mentioned the person named Neal. Who was this man and why were they concerned about him? The teen couldn't deal, El making her husband leave as she tried to comfort him but he didn't want to talk about it anymore so she let him be. Finally he relaxed a bit as El gave him some food, a tray of soup and crackers which made his stomach grumble with hunger. When was the last time he had eaten? A voice like Neal's spoke in his head as if standing next to him in the room. When he repeated the words, she paled slightly, the smile still there but more forced as she excused herself and he heard them speak in quiet tones outside the partially closed door.

"They won't betray you, Andy. Talk to them. Tell Peter what you remember."

He gazed up to see the man standing there but now the teen understood what Neal was.

"You're not real... I've known things before. You're just another hallucination."

Andy spoke quietly, looking up to see if they had heard. Neal wasn't real even if he was based on a real person. Since he'd been with Baker he had always had a kind of sixth sense about certain things as they went out and committed their petty thefts. A part of him was good at picking the right mark for pickpocketing and not getting caught while also getting into tight places and disarming the security systems. If not for that incident the other night he'd have been ok and not dealing with this wound in his shoulder or the Burkes.

"I'm real, Andy. Think about it. Who do you think has been telling you how to survive with Baker? Have I led you wrong?"

The teen cocked his head at the illusion, uncertain what to think as he finished up the soup and put the tray aside. His head was still a bit warm and achy as he curled up on his good side and tried to ignore the man.

"No... but that doesn't mean you're real. I can take care of myself. Go away!"

He hit the pillow frustrated when the man pleaded with him to listen, putting it over his head to drown him out but the voice didn't leave. It was in his very thoughts so he couldn't make it go away.

"Andy... don't push me away. We can help each other. Trust..."

The voice suddenly died away, the teen squeezing his eyes shut to push the illusion away. It had worked before, his fists tight until he thought he felt something wet and warm on his hands, his eyes finally opening to see what. He had dug his nails into his palms until they bled.

"Andy? Are you ok?"

Elizabeth was there again, smiling at him but looking worried. She saw his hands and her face paled more than it had before as he watched her turn and call to her husband. The man, Peter saw what was going on and went away for a moment before returning with a first-aid kit. Andy wasn't sure what to do other than let them help as he glanced down at his bloody palms.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I should just go..."

He wanted to run away, leave these nice people alone and forget everything. He wasn't sure what he needed to do, eyes looking away from them in shame. A gentle hand grasped his chin and raised his eyes to theirs, Elizabeth gazing back at him.

"It's not your fault, Andy. We want to help you if you let us. If Neal sent you here, we need to know."

Andy wanted to know why Neal was so important or how he knew of the man without having met him before. It had started with the dreams recently and the picture that was over their sink. The teen didn't understand why Elizabeth was kindly to him but somewhere deep inside he knew he could trust her.

"I don't know... I haven't actually... met him if that makes any sense."

She looked at him curiously, her hand moving to his good shoulder and gently squeezing. Peter was finishing with the bandages on his hands as Andy tried to explain to them what happened. Would they believe him?

"Try us. Give us a chance to understand."

Peter's tone was less stern than before and Andy saw he was not judging him the way he had thought. Neal might be right about these two if he was real and apparently he might be.

"I've been staying with a friend. I ran away from home because... I don't remember why exactly but it was bad there so I left. I ended up at my friend's home and he took me in. Recently, I was hurt. I became sick and dreamed of the man you call Neal. I hadn't seen him before but I started to hear him in my head."

He could see that they were listening, being polite more than likely but the more he thought about what he was saying the more he realized they would just give him up like everyone else. The truth wasn't always the best way no matter what people said to the contrary. Someone had told him that once but he couldn't recall who. The boy wondered if he should continue or not? He didn't want to snitch on Baker, Eddy and Jacob regardless of what he knew. He wasn't that kind of person.

"So you think he was there when you were ill, Andy?"

Andy shook his head, uncertain what to explain about how he knew about these things.

"Not like he was THERE with me but more like... this is going to sound weird but... like a ghost."

()()()

The day before:

Baker glanced through the file with Caffrey's name over it. He had come highly recommended, everyone they had talked to saying he was the best at what he did. There must be some element they were missing because he was resisting the conversion and drugs or maybe the injury had caused some kind of imbalance. Whatever the problem, he would have to report it to his bosses if he didn't find Andy soon and snuff the problem out at the source. The last group had been anything but perfect, two men dying of crushing injuries and the last one going insane before he fell ill and died of some odd brain hemorrhaging. They had finally gotten the batch right with Jacob and then Eddy. With Jacob it hadn't been the conversion so much as the mood enhancement. The kid could have been a real psychopath if that part hadn't work and he was still somewhat violent when he didn't drink enough of their special energy drinks. Baker would keep an eye out, putting the book away as he tried to figure out what he was going to do. He exited his bedroom, locking the door behind him before calling out.

"Jacob!"

The boy turned, a nervous look to his face hidden away quickly but not enough that Baker didn't see it. Something was up, the teen not even close to packed.

"Have you finished packing yet? Where is Eddy?"

The teen was nearly as tall as himself, Baker 5'10" while the boys ranged in height from 5'7" for Eddy to 5'11 for Andy but he was less worried about that boy hurting him than Jacob. There was still some wildness there despite the conversion.

"He went out to get some supplies in case we needed them..."

Jacob was a terrible liar and only good at doing the rough part of the jobs. He wasn't dumb but he was more into brute intimidation when he could get away with it than actual thinking things through. Something was up and Baker was pretty certain he knew what as he watched the boy trying to think of another lie to tell.

"He's looking for Andy, isn't he?"

The boy paled some, nodding finally with a flush of embarrassment to his cheeks of as Baker walked over and put a hand on each shoulder.

"Well at least someone is looking for your wayward brother. Why didn't you think of doing that, Jacob?"

He threw in a stern tone, the boy looking up at him with angry eyes. Good, he was mad at him. Maybe they would find Andy or help figure out where he went. He was about to say more when a clap of thunder made him pause, looking out the window to see the skies had darkened and rain was starting to come down. It was only minutes later it was hammering the house and streets outside. If Andy was out there, he was cold, wet and hungry or would be soon in this weather. Jacob continued to look like a puppy that had been scolded as the man changed his tune to get things back in court.

"It's ok, Jacob. We can look for your brother once the weather eases up. I just hope Eddy wasn't trapped in that downpour."

He acted the father figure enough to ease the boy back into his graces as Baker kept the one hand on the teen's shoulder as a slight hint of control. They walked into the kitchen and took a drink from the fridge. Jacob looked at the energy drink and smiled, his eyes lighting up slightly but still looking upset at what had happened.

"Go play your games, Jacob. I need to call some friends to help us find your brothers."

The boy left with a nod, going to the living room and soon Baker heard the sound of guns firing and explosions. The kid liked his violent games but that figured. Aaron Tarkin had been one of the most violent offenders put away in Rikers but who would guess he had a new identity in the form of a precociously wild boy named Jacob? Baker smiled to himself, going to call up the favors he had. Someone must know connections to Neal Caffrey so he could find out if the boy went back to his old haunting grounds. While the others were quick to learn new things, only a few of their old habits remaining, what he knew of Neal had stayed nearly intact but for some memory gaps. The con had been strong willed and Andy was definitely proof of that. He pulled out his cell and went out on the porch, the rain beating hard enough to drown his voice to the outside world and the boy inside.

"It's me. I have a bit of a situation I need you to fix."

oOoOoOo

Author's Note: Now we have an idea what's up but what is Baker's game and what kind of danger is Andy in. He's remembering more.