So one more Neal-less chapter and more into what is going on in Peter's head. Also El kind of comes off as an emotional mess in this chapter, but we all now she is so not a mess. That said I think the response she has to letting a kid who should be in juvie into her home is appropriate.

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BTW: My keyboard is sticking, I hit a key and it doesn't work. Anyone got any good cleaning tips for cleaning laptop keyboards? I've already done they can of air.

Enjoy

For once in Peter's life he found himself thankful for the boring elevator music. It allowed him, to feel like he was drifting in his thoughts. In many ways he was.

Are these clothes and shoes going to fit Neal? El had insisted she go out and buy a few outfits for the kid as soon as she found out he was barefoot and only had one filthy outfit.

Ah El. She wasn't exactly thrilled when Peter told her about Neal and that Hughes had asked them to foster the kid. Oh she pitied the poor boy right up till Peter mentioned Hughes's plan. Understandably she was worried about their valuables being stolen. Quite frankly so was Peter and even now he planned to lock a few things up and out of sight before the kid come over. What really got Peter the most though was how worried El was that the boy would kill them in their sleep. Peter had been so taken back by her worry he had sat there slack jawed as she rambled.

Killing anyone, anything, was so unlike Neal that Peter simply could not respond, not till El had practically dropped his plate in front of him.

Telling El Neal had avoided violence in every case Peter had ever read had done little to ease her worry. Altemtly what got her to agree with the plan was the two pictures of the boy Peter had just received. The one having been taken when he was just 3 years old and the other right before he went missing at the age of 7. Those two pictures, learning he basically had no clothing to his name and had been sold to Peter where what broke El into agreeing to take the boy in.

Peter had actually been surprised by the tears that came at learning he was sold. She had been so fearful about the boy and then so worried for him so quickly it seemed a switch had been flipped.

The elevator dinged and more people entered. After a quick nod and smile Peter returned to back to his thoughts.

Danny Brookes, Neal George Bennett, and Neal George Caffrey.

Peter had figured they were done with all of Caffrey's aliases but Neal Bennett and Danny Brookes through him for a loop. Where had they come from? Because a 3 year old isn't going to change their identity.

First there was Neal George Bennett, which as far as anyone could find out was the real Neal. For some reason he had been placed in WITSEC and given the name Danny Brookes but no one knew why and the marshals weren't speaking. They, the FBI, knew it had something to do with Neal's father, James Bennett, but the marshals had blacked out all the information in his file, effectively leaving them in the dark.

Peter knew the marshals knew something because they would meet in Hughes's office or another empty office before and after meeting with the Peter's team and the missing person's team in the conference room.

Really all Peter wanted to know was how the U.S. Marshals had managed to lose a 3 year old they were supposed to be protecting and making sure he didn't get kidnapped by whoever they were protecting the Bennetts from. That was who Peter figured took the kid, someone aiming to get to James Bennett but without any incite on who or what James Bennett was (or even is) he was stuck.

But what do you know Peter? Peter asked himself trying to get back to the task at hand.

Neal George Bennett. Age 3 when he entered WITSEC and given the name Danny Brookes. At age 3 it would be easy to get him to forget about being Neal Bennett. It's doubtful he remembers now being Neal Bennett.

Danny Brookes. Neal's WITSEC identity. Went missing at age 7. At 7 it would have still been easy to get him to forget about being Danny Brookes and get him to go by another name.

Another name like Neal George Caffrey. That name Peter couldn't understand or figure out. How did Danny Brookes go back to being Neal George? I just couldn't be a coincident, could it? It just didn't make any since. And what is with the last name Caffrey? Diana was running the last name to see if anything fit but so far nothing had come up.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened on to his floor. Peter took a deep breath before walking forward. It didn't take long for him to be buzzed in and for the paperwork to be clarified about who was Caffrey's guardian.

Before he knew it he was walking towards Neal's room determined to find out what the boy knew about his own kidnapping.