HOW FAR

Summary: "He did have that plane ready awfully fast…" When faced with life's greatest trials, what would you do for a friend? Peter, Neal, Mozzie, Diana and Hughes must find their own answers to this question as the knowledge of the U-Boat treasure surviving the fire comes to light. AU to On Guard, earlier posted on collarkink as a response to a prompt.

A/N: The story has been beta'ed by November Leaving.

Once again, thanks everyone who reviewed the story or put it on their Favorite/Alert list.

CHAPTER 6

First thing Mozzie does, he goes to the warehouse's location and carefully observes it from distance. But when he sees all the FBI agents there, he has to admit that there is nothing he can do on this front and quietly slips away.

Unfortunately, this also means that his list of possibilities has just gotten several ideas shorter.

Not that he really thought that he could kill or bribe a handful of FBI agents… Mozzie knows that some people view him as weird, but there is a huge difference between weird and insane. Besides, Mozzie likes Elizabeth, and she would be sad if her husband came to bodily harm. Neal would be sad. No, the Suit has to be protected and looked after, even if his current knowledge puts everything that Mozzie holds dear in danger. And if Mozzie can't take Peter Burke out of play, then there's no way that he can cover up the treasure theft and free Neal this way; not after today's events.

(The fact that Mozzie might share some… crazy… non-existent… affection for the Suit as well is completely insignificant. It's a force of habit, really. Still, it's sort of alarming that being so close to the FBI has already messed up Mozzie's brain. And that thought leads to some very dangerous areas…

Better get back on track – for now.)

Since there is no way that Mozzie can get all the FBI personal involved into one place, the superquality mind-altering drugs secretly stolen and smuggled from China won't help either – not to mention that Mozzie would have to find a really good hypnotist for them to work, as he doesn't trust his own skills for something this big. The Russian government device to erase memories is still in the trial phase. Besides, by now, the feds probably already have second, third and fourth set of backup records. At least that's what Mozzie would have done in their place.

He stops at a local bar, not so far from Neal's place. He orders some gin and a glass of water with lemon. Twenty minutes later, he pays and leaves, still without a clear idea what to do next.

If Mozzie was truly selfish and ruthless – or even cowardly or opportunistic enough – he would abandon Neal now; maybe even encourage his self-destructive impulses. He would let Neal take the blame for the heist, leave New York, disappear for a while and then come back. Mozzie knows Neal wouldn't truly blame him if he did exactly that.

But.

It feels wrong.

Now who was he kidding, thinks Mozzie bitterly. He has been there for Neal – and Neal for him – in the past year and half, and also years before that. He can't just abandon him now.

Mozzie remembers when he first met Neal; when he persuaded him to cash the bonds and involved him in the long con on Adler. He knows that Neal would have most likely cashed the bonds anyway, but it was him who had introduced the kid to the truly high-stakes game. One thing led to another – but in the end, it was Neal who ended up in prison for four years, despite Mozzie's undeniable involvement.

Mozzie can't help it but notice a bit of a pattern here.

There've been two times in Mozzie's life when he made a move for the score of the lifetime. Both times, he involved Neal. Both times, things ended badly.

The con on Adler was blown partially because of Neal's feelings for Kate; the treasure heist got shot to hell because of Neal's friendship with Peter and Jones.

Both times, it was Mozzie who started the con, and Neal who took the big risks.

Last time, the long con indirectly contributed to Neal's imprisonment.

And now…

Mozzie stops in the middle of a street. He pulls out a doll out of his pants' pocket and stares at her before shakes his head. "We can't let him become the sacrificial lamb on this one, Lolana."

When an old lady gives him a strange look, Mozzie wakes up from his thoughts, hides the doll and continues walking.

But how could he get the FBI off Neal's back?

It won't be easy, that much Mozzie knows. Right now, Neal is their only lead. And if he doesn't tattle on Mozzie, they'll most likely pin the heist on him – or at least make him pay very dearly for his part in it. Mozzie can't let that happen.

But the FBI won't leave Neal alone, not unless…

Unless they were distracted by something else.

Something… or someone.

When it comes to running cons, Mozzie has great eye, quick hands and sharp mind. He knows all the usual tricks and even more of the unusual. He doesn't have Neal's artistic abilities, but he makes up for it by being a damn good hacker. It's the diversity of their skills that makes him and Neal such a good team. Usually, Neal creates the pieces to sell, charms the crowd and makes his escape, while Mozzie remains the guy behind the curtain; a skilled puppet-master, someone who can plan the long cons, and also The Master of Stalling and Distraction.

When he truly puts his mind to it, Mozzie knows how to build labyrinths of distractions; how to create a maze so thick that the truth becomes buried under layers and layers of misdirection. He briefly curses himself for his rash actions with the Nazi treasure. Using Neal's paintings has been extremely irresponsible, and now they're paying the price.

He considers what kind of thing could be used to clear Neal's name.

The problem is, since this heist was so big, none of the usual mislead-distract-tire out tactics could possibly work – and especially not after Neal's damned, insane surge of honesty.

Here, Mozzie can't help but shake his head in dismay.

He has badly underestimated the bond between Neal and Peter; the bond between Neal and his FBI team. While it's true that their problems started elsewhere, in other circumstances, they never would have gotten this bad. Mozzie knows better than to ask someone to pull a con on his family or close friends; in such cases, feelings get involved, and things get messy. Except now it seems he has inadvertently done just that.

It shouldn't have been a problem, thinks Mozzie bitterly. Neal has conned the Suit and lied to him in the past, and anyway, it should have only been a few days, a week at most, before they disappeared with the treasure.

At least that had been the plan – before Peter Burke intervened.

Mozzie finds his favorite bench in the park and sits down.

The problem with Peter is that he won't stop at just Neal's involvement. No, Neal could believe whatever he wanted – but Mozzie is sure that at the very least, the treasure heist will earn him a file in the FBI records, even if they don't find enough to charge him with. That means that his days of blissful anonymity are finally over.

Was there any distraction big enough that could get the feds off their back?

He could kidnap Satchmo, smiles Mozzie at the intriguing idea. Then his smile falls down – that might distract Peter for a while, but it wouldn't stop the rest of the feds. And anyway, taking care of a dog would be too complicated; besides, Mozzie doesn't trust Satchmo – the dog has been living with a fed for far too long. He would probably escape and reveal Mozzie's hiding place.

He could go to Mrs. Suit and ask her to plead their case. But the thought is still only vaguely shaped when Mozzie discards it as well – that could have worked before the whole New York FBI division found out about the treasure, but not now. While Mozzie knows better that to doubt El's abilities and power, he also knows that there are some limits even to her influence. She might have been able to persuade Peter – hell, she even might have been able to persuade that old guy, Hughes – but this has become too much even for her to handle.

Distractions…

He could infest the FBI offices with cockchafers; or rodents. Or he could make up a reason and get the Bureau invaded by children – or models. Or he could steal the treasure again – Neal would have an alibi this time, and the FBI would have to search for the new perpetrator. And if the treasure was stolen again, there was a chance that the FBI won't be able to prove Neal's guilt…

Yes, thinks Mozzie in joy, he could infest the FBI offices with rats, May beetles and long-legged girlies, steal the treasure again, destroy all the FBI records on the treasure (in fact, make that ALL FBI records, period) and use the Russian mind-wiping device to make everyone forget anything treasure-related.

That could be so much fun!

Mozzie basks in the thought for a while before he reluctantly starts to think about all the problems. With their current rotten luck, Mozzie would most likely get trapped somewhere with a group of anarchistic children, end up eaten by the rats or harassed by some enthusiastic, fake-blond teenage girls, while Neal would die inside the holding cell when the Russian superdevice accidentally exploded. Or Mozzie would miss a set of the backup records that one of the agents kept under their mattress at home. Or he would get caught – and Neal would be blamed as his conspirator. With their misfortune, someone would call Homeland Security and they would be thrown to ADX Florence as terrorists for the rest of their days.

Still, the idea has its merits, and Mozzie considers it for a while. Which makes him admit the biggest problem – he lacks the manpower for this. He could pull this off alone, maybe even successfully – in five days; or even four, if he truly pushed it to the extreme. But Mozzie considers it a small miracle that Neal isn't back in prison already – he mostly puts it down to the fact that the feds were too busy with the treasure and that they wanted to question Neal again. But those reasons wouldn't hold them off for long - meaning, he simply doesn't have the time.

In the end, he reluctantly abandons that scheme as well.

Which leaves him with… nothing.

By now, the only reasonable thing to do is to skip town and disappear before this all blows over. Except since Neal decided to "see this one through" that would mean to leave him behind – and take the fall for the heist.

Mozzie hesitates… is he ready to do that?

Damn Neal's stupid Stockholm Syndrome!

There is one possibility to deal with that, thinks Mozzie. He could take Neal away against his will, drag him away from New York and keep him safe until he regained his senses. The anklet and Neal's current situation in the lockup don't dissuade Moz in the slightest.

Now, the question is: Is he really willing to kidnap his friend?

Of course he is, answers Mozzie immediately. It is for Neal's own good. When it comes to his friends, Mozzie would do – many things.

But there are problems even with that, because a) Neal's an escape artist – and in his insanity, he might want to run back to the feds, b) the feds would be after them immediately, and c) Neal might hate him for it. While Mozzie believes he could deal with a) and b), he can't imagine that he would destroy his friendship with Neal forever.

Not that it's likely, thinks Mozzie. Neal would be happy once he recovered from being brainwashed.

But…

But what if he's wrong? What if Neal has truly begun to change? What if –

This is crazy, thinks Mozzie decisively. He should worry about himself, not Neal. The kid might be his partner in crime, but Moz is not responsible for him.

(And it's not like he ever thought about Neal like his younger brother, really, because that would be completely insane, and Mozzie with his healthy skepticism is one of the sanest people in the world – )

But it doesn't matter, realizes Mozzie. Neal was willing to take the fall for him. And what kind of friend would he be if he wouldn't do the same?

When Mozzie reaches the conclusion, he is stunned. No, he is completely thunderstruck.

Could he really…?

Yes.

Yes, he could. And what's more – not only he can, he will do this.

Mozzie touches his head with the tips of his fingers as he wide-eyed stares into nothingness and imagines his next step.

Then he exhales and stands up.

Okay.

However, before he decides for this course of action, he needs guarantees.

He calls the Suit. He tries to scare him and guilt him into just the right state of mind, so that when tomorrow comes, the Suit will do what Mozzie needs.

With men like Peter Burke, guilt is a good motivator. Now he simply has to believe that his accusations will do their work over night.

Then he considers the next course of action.

Mozzie realizes that if he wants this to truly work, he needs help. He considers the people that he could ask in this case, and comes up with three names – June, Hale and El. He isn't really comfortable with involving any of them – except for June, maybe – but beggars can't be choosers.

His decision made, Mozzie looks at his watch and makes some quick calculations. After that, he makes three quick calls and picks up some necessary cash.

Then he sets out to the nearest shop with electronics.

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