An hour later, they were standing in the living room of the safe house.

"Rules." Peter said, looking at both children. "Stay away from the windows, stay inside, and do not use the phone."

"I can't go outside?" Joey asked, giving Peter his best puppy eyes.

"No." Peter answered. "You have to stay inside for right now."

"Don't worry, Joey." Neal said. "It'll be fun."

"Not as much fun as going outside." The little boy said.

"Joey." Erica said, knelling in front of him so they were eye level. "Remember, I told you to follow Peter's rules as if they were mine. You are to stay inside and follow all of the rules, or you will be in big trouble. Understood?"

"Yes." But he wasn't happy about it.

"Good." Erica said, standing up.

"Come on, Joey." Jones said, "I'll show you which room is yours."

"We sleep in the same room." Erica said.

"Okay." Jones said. "You two can have the room with the bigger bed." He held out his hand and the little boy took it and walked with him upstairs.

"He really listens to you." Peter said. "Maybe you can work your magic on Neal and get him to listen."

"I'm good, but not that good."

"Hey!" Neal protested. "El, they're double teaming me."

"I can see that." Elizabeth smiled.

"Are you going to help?"

"Of course Neal." She said. "Peter, I doubt anyone can get Neal to listen."

"I meant help me." Neal said. "Not them."

"You did not specify." Elizabeth reminded him.

"Diana, are you going to help me out here?"

"No."

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Later that day, Diana was the only agent at the house. Her and Elizabeth were sitting at the dinning room table playing cards. Erica and Joey were sitting on the sofa in the living room watching tv, Satchmo was laying on the sofa with his head on Erica's lap.

"I'm board." Joey said. "Wanna play a game?"

"Sure, what do you want to play?"

"Hide and seek."

"Okay, go hide."

Joey jumped off of the sofa and ran upstairs, Erica smiled and sank further into the sofa.

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Peter and Neal were in Peter's office, both men were frustrated that they still didn't have any leads on Finch.

"Peter." Jones said, standing in the doorway. "Marsha Candela wants to talk to you."

"Who's Marsha Candela?" Peter wanted to know.

"Child advocate."

"Send her in."

"Sure."

Jones left and a moment later, a woman in late twenties walked in. Both men stood as she entered.

"Ms. Candela." Peter greeted, shaking her hand. "I'm Agent Peter Burke, this is Neal Caffrey."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." She said, sitting down. "I am here because of Erica and Joey."

"Yes, I figured that."

"I would like to have a private conversation with Erica, now if possible."

"That's not possible." Peter informed her. "I am sure you're aware that a threat has been made against her life."

"Yes of course. I'm assuming she is under round the clock protection."

"Yes she is." Peter assured her.

"I still need to speak with her, it's protocol."

"I understand." Peter said. "I can bring her here in the morning. That way you can have privacy, but she will still be protected in a safe place."

"That sounds fine, I will be here in the morning around nine o'clock."

"Erica will be here. So you need to speak with Joey as well?"

"Not right now."

They said their goodbyes and she left.

"Well looks like Erica will finally get her child advocate she was so adamant about earlier." Neal said.

"She didn't really want one." Peter smiled. "She was just trying to annoy us and avoid answering questions."

Before Neal could respond, his phone rang.

"It's Mozzie." He said, as he answered it. He listed for a moment, and then said "Thanks Moz." And hung up.

"He find out something?" Peter wanted to know.

"Yeah, seems that Finch likes to frequent a gentleman's club on Madison Avenue."

"Looks like we're going to a gentleman's club."

"Elizabeth's going to love hearing that." Neal said.

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Peter and Neal walked into the club, and Neal's gaze automatically went to the busty waitress wearing a very skimpy dress. "Can I help you gentlemen find a table?" She asked, smiling at Neal.

"What are you doing here Burke?" A deep voice asked, before either man could answer the woman's question. They turned to see a man in his early thirties. He was just over six feet tall, with broad shoulders and huge arms. He was glaring at Peter.

"Henderson." Peter said. "You work here?"

"Yeah, now leave before I throw you out." He said, taking a menacing step towards the two men.

"Friend of yours, Peter?" Neal asked, getting nervous.

"Lance Henderson, I arrested him five years ago for bank robbery."

"I said leave." Henderson growled.

"How old is your daughter now, Henderson?" Peter asked. "Around fourteen."

"You leave my daughter out of this."

"Right now we are protecting a twelve-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother." Peter informed him. "We're here for that reason only."

"What do you need to know?" Henderson asked.

"We're looking for a man named Finch."

"Yeah, he's a regular. Hasn't been in for awhile."'

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"About three weeks, him and one of the new girls hit it off. She quite the next day, haven't seen either of them since."

"What's the girl's name?"

"Kiki."

"Her real name."

"No idea, she was rooming with Rose. She may know where she is."

"Where's Rose?"

"She's out of town, be back tomorrow. I'll have her to call you."

"Thank you."

"Just keep those kids safe."

"I will."

Henderson walked off, after Peter gave him a business card to give to Rose. "Come on Neal." He said, but the younger man was not paying him any attention. He was staring at the dancers on the stage.

"Caffrey!" Peter snapped, but still no reply.

Peter sighed, then grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the club.

"New rule Peter." Neal said, as they climbed into Peter's car. "No more arresting people who could bench press a small car."

"You don't get to make the rules." Peter said, as he pulled into traffic. "And I will arrest anyone who breaks the law." He gave the younger man a sideways glance. "Remember that."

"Oh, I remember that all right."

"Good."

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Peter and Neal walked into the safe house, and saw Diana and Elizabeth sitting on the sofa.

"Any trouble?" Peter asked, as he bent down and kissed his wife.

"None Boss." Diana said.

"Good, go home and get some sleep."

"Okay." She stood up. "Any luck?"

"We may have a lead, but won't know for sure until tomorrow."

Diana nodded, then said her goodbyes and left.

"Where are the kids?" Peter asked.

"Asleep."

"Not anymore." Neal said, as Erica entered the room.

"I thought you were asleep." Elizabeth said.

"I was, I heard the car pull into the drive." The young girl said. "Did you find Finch?" She asked Peter.

"Not yet, but we're still looking. Go on back to bed, in the morning you're going back to the FBI headquarters to speak with a child advocate."

"I'll pass." She said. "I only said I wanted one to aggravate you and avoid answering questions."

"I know." Peter said. "But you still need to talk to her."

"No I don't."

"Erica, it's late and I'm tired. Now go to bed."

"Make me." The twelve-year-old snapped, glaring at him. she was not used to people telling her what to do.

"Excuse me?" Peter asked.

"I said make me."

"Erica." Peter said, sternly. "I am not in the mood for your attitude."

"Too bad."

"Go to bed."

"No."

"Erica." Elizabeth said, trying to calm the situation.

"Piss off." Erica said, sitting on the coffee table and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Enough!" Peter boomed. "Go to bed right now young lady, or to the corner. Your choice."

"You can't make me stand in the corner, I am not a child." Erica said, standing up and standing toe to toe with Peter. He dwarfed the young girl, but she was not baking down. She couldn't believe he was treating like a little kid.

"You are a child." Peter said.

"Compared to you, the Rolling Stones are children."

"That does it." Peter gently, but firmly, took her arm and lead her over to a corner.

"I am not standing in the corner." She insisted.

"Yes you are." Peter said, his voice hard. "I will not tolerate this behavior."

"You have no right."

"I have every right." Peter growled. "You are a kid, I am an adult. Look Erica, I care what happens to you, I care about your future. Right now you are under the impression that you can do whatever you want without consequences. And I know that in the past, that was true. But not now, now you are under my protective custody. And part of that protection is to ensure that you are not only physically safe, but also taken care of"

Erica stared at him for a moment, not sure she really heard him. He really did care for her.

"Turn around and face the corner." Peter said.

Erica wasn't quite sure why, but she did as she was told. She couldn't explain why, but it felt good to stand in the corner. She was always the one in charge, the one making the rules for her and her brother. It felt good to give some of that responsibility to someone else. To have an adult who she trusted enough to give that responsibility to.

After fifteen minutes, Erica was really regretting back talking Peter. Standing in the corner was boring, no wonder Joey hated it.

"Come here, Erica." Peter said.

She turned around and walked over to Peter, who the only one else in the room. Neal and Elizabeth had left while she was in the corner.

"Are you ready to go to bed now, without any argument?" Peter asked.

"Yes."

"Then go on, I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay."

"And you will go in the morning and speak with the child advocate."

"Okay, I will."

"That's my girl" He gently kissed the top of her head, "Good night."

"Good night." Erica smiled.

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Erica wasn't sure what woke her up, but something felt wrong. She looked beside her, but didn't see Joey. A quick scan of the room proved that he was not there. She quickly got out of bed, trying to calm the feeling that something was wrong. The young girl walked into the hall and down the stairs, but still heard nothing.

She walked into the living room and saw Peter laying in the floor, a bullet hole was in his forehead.

"Peter." She whispered, covering her mouth with her hands to keep from screaming.

"You killed my husband." A voice said. She turned and saw Elizabeth and Neal standing there, both glaring at her.

"What?" Erica asked.

"You killed my husband." Elizabeth repeated. "He was protecting you, it's your fault."

"No, I…I didn't want him to get hurt."

"But I did get hurt." Erica spun around and saw Peter standing there, the bullet hole still in his head. "It's your fault."

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Peter was checking the locks on the doors one more time, when he heard a loud scream coming from the kid's room. He drew his gun and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst into their room, then quickly put his gun away when he saw the young girl sitting up in bed crying. Joey was standing beside the bed, looking at this sister with a scared expression.

"It's okay, Erica." Peter said, sitting on the bed and wrapping the girl in a tight hug. "It was just a dream."

Erica clung to him and sobbed.

Neal and Elizabeth were there by then. Elizabeth sat on the bed also and gently rubbed circles in the distraught girl's back. Neal picked up Joey and carried him out of the room.

"It was just a dream." Peter assured her, again surprised by how natural it felt to comfort the young girl. How right it felt to hold her in his arms.

Erica continued to cry, eventfully falling asleep I his arms. Peter gently laid her back down.

"Must have been a horrible dream." Elizabeth said, as she covered the girl up.

"Yeah." Peter agreed.

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More coming soon. Please let me know what you think. I love feedback :))))))