White Collar – Medium Exchange- Chapter 8

Neal's first thought when he got to the safe house and saw the police cars and ambulances outside lining the streets was that he was too late again to save someone he loved. He had hesitated to join Kate on the plane, been minutes too late to save Ellen and now Mozzie. He wasn't aware of turning away, of faltering steps becoming a run, his feet pounding the pavements, running, running until he couldn't breathe, couldn't run anymore, and only then slowing to a walk, but not stopping. He didn't feel any pain. He just had to keep moving, maybe then he could stay ahead of it, the truth couldn't catch him, hurt him.

He didn't see the car pulling up beside him. It wasn't until Jones was in front of him blocking his way, making him stop, that he even saw him.

"Neal, where are you going?" Jones asked impatiently. Neal tried to step around him but Jones grabbed his arm. Neal was vaguely aware of pain from his cracked collar bone as it shot down his arm and chest and the burning all over from his run but it all seemed far away, unimportant somehow.

"Neal, stop. What happened?" Jones asked. He didn't know what to expect to find when he had tracked Neal's anklet, at best he hoped the bad guys had failed to realise Neal was wearing it, that they might find Neal and Mozzie and worst he expected to find the anklet discarded. He hadn't expected to find Neal just wandering along. Neal seemed to be in shock.

"What happened?" Neal asked.

Jones looked at him confused. That's what I asked you." He told Neal gently.

"Is he dead?" Neal clarified the dread in his eyes easy to see.

"We don't know." Jones told him honestly. "The two agents outside were shot but there was no sign of Mozzie in the safe house. We think he was probably taken. We thought you had been there too, what happened?" He asked Neal again.

"I got there too late." Neal explained. It was all he said. Jones took Neal's arm and steered him to the car. Neal didn't resist as Jones opened the door and put him in and didn't say a word during the ride that took him to the office. Peter was already there, co-ordinating the search and response operation. Jones trusted Peter to know the best way to deal with this.

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The office was bustling as normal and Peter was just reviewing the latest data in his office when something made him look up. He was shocked to see Jones coming through the doors, followed by Neal. He quickly made his way down the stairs to meet them and hugged Neal briefly.

"We thought they had taken you. Did Mozzie get away too?" Peter asked. Neal didn't respond. He looked at Jones for explanation.

"I found him wondering along the waterfront." Jones explained, speaking over Neal's head like someone would do with a child. Peter turned to go up to his office, expecting the other two to follow only to look back and see Neal still standing there. Something was very wrong, Peter realised. Jones took Neal by the elbow and steered him up the stairs to Peter's office. They got him sat in a chair and got him a warm cup of coffee. With some prompting they managed to get him to drink it while they went through the latest papers. Combined with being in the warm and light office with Peter and Jones they gave Neal time to pull himself back together.

"I'm sorry." He told them looking up from staring into his cup, awareness back in his eyes.

"What happened?" Jones asked again.

"I don't know. I was heading back to the safe house, the police were already there. I didn't want to know…" Neal trailed off, his eyes watering. Peter made eye contact with Jones.

"I'll go check in with the teams, see if there is any more news." Jones picking up on Peter's cue, excused himself to go check in with the rest of the team, leaving the two of them alone. Peter waited until Neal got himself back under control, flicking through the papers on his desk, checking them for anything he might have missed, or at least pretending to.

"There was no blood in the safe house. He was most likely taken alive. If they had wanted him dead we would have found him there, like the agents" Peter told Neal. It was cold comfort. One agent was dead, one seriously injured and Mozzie was taken, maybe dead too, all because of Neal. No. He couldn't think about that now, Neal told himself. He had to find Mozzie that was all that mattered now. The numbness he felt now was good. It would help him focus, find Mozzie alive or otherwise, find the people who did this. The rest could wait.

"We need to bring in Michelle Morgan. Question her." Neal told Peter.

"We don't have anything to bring her in. There is nothing tying her to the safe house, the shooting of the agents." Peter told him. We've got some CCTV of the men, we're running them through the database but it's not that clear and the van's plates were obscured."

Fury suddenly surged through Neal like an electric current but he kept it contained.

"I need to go to the safehouse. If he was able Mozzie would have left me a clue" Neal told Peter tightly. Peter hesitated, then nodded and picked up his car keys. He understood Neal's need to do something and if anyone would find Mozzie, reading some obscure clue left behind, it was Neal.

"Let's go." Peter told him.