Okay, I'm really sorry I didn't update for so long! I promise I'll do my best so it won't happen again... Here is chapter 9! As always, it wouldn't be here if it wasn't for ButtermilkCavalry. A huge thanks to her!


When Wilkes left his cell Neal knelt down by his bed and started searching frantically under his mattress for three plastic pieces - a cell phone, a battery and a pin card Luigi had given him a few days before. The con man got up and leaned against the wall. Then, he put the pieces together and dialed a number before sticking the cell to his ear. It rang twice before Neal could hear the other man answer: "Burke."

Neal shut his eyes tightly, trying to blink the tears away. He needed to focus. "It's me.", he said with a voice as steady as possible, "I changed my mind. I don't want to work with you anymore."

"What?", Peter answered. "What's going on Neal?", the agent tried.

"Nothing. I'm done with you and that whole FBI thing. I want to spend my three years here and go back to my old life without you!", Neal managed to sound angry despite the tears on his cheek. Years of training to get this confident tone of his were finally paying off.

"Neal, I know this is not what you want. What aren't you telling me?", Peter's voice was soft and concerned and Neal just wanted to tell him everything, but the con man had already played this through in his mind, had already asked himself all the questions. Could Peter help? Could he get protection for Luigi and Neal out? Could he move Wilkes to another prison? But Neal had always come to the same conclusion – he had trusted the FBI once, he wasn't willing to take the chance of losing someone close to him again. Peter had failed him in protecting Kate, getting her back to Neal. Even if his handler was willing to help, bureaucracy would slow him down. Neal didn't have time. He had to go through this alone. "I'm done, that's it. I won't sign any paper. And I won't come back.", he said sharply.

"Neal, don't do this, talk to me!" Peter was begging, his voice was getting louder. Neal couldn't answer; he slid against the wall, choking back his tears.

"Neal! Tell me what the hell is going on!", Peter was yelling now. Then, for a moment, there was deafening silence between them until Peter finally broke it. "Ok, I'm on my way."

"No!" Neal realized he had used most of his strength to yell that simple word. He slumped down to the floor and buried his head in his second hand. "Don't come. I'll reject your visit anyway. I don't want to see you again, Burke." His tone was sharp, cold. Neal would have been proud of himself any other time but this wasn't a con. Or at least not one he would brag about later.

The con man hung up the phone, exhausted. He just wanted to shut down his brain now. He wanted to stop thinking about Peter. He couldn't. He could picture the agent very clearly in his mind. Peter was always at his office at this time of the day. He probably had spent the whole conversation looking through the window, focusing on Neal's voice, trying to find a clue, a lead to what was going on. He would never figure it out. Neal wouldn't let him.

The young man pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned his head heavily against the wall. Now that he had made the call there was nothing, noone, he had to be strong for, and he just broke down. He could have stayed strong. He could have gone to Luigi and told him everything. Maybe they could have made a plan, found an idea to get rid of Wilkes. He didn't.

He could have called Mozzie, asked him to get him out. They could have gone away, as far from New York as possible. Maybe Mozzie would have found a way to make Wilkes believe that Neal was dead. He could have protected Luigi that way. He didn't.

He didn't do anything smart, anything rational. He just leaned against the wall. Broken.

It could have happened days before.

It could have happened when he was in solitary.

It could have happened the first time Wilkes had raped him.

He had no explanation why it hadn't happened before. But it was now he realized that he was broken.

The con man made no move. He spent the whole afternoon in the corner of his cell, his face buried in his knees. When a guard came to check on him Neal didn't get up, didn't answer. Only his shaking body could tell the guard he wasn't dead. No one else came into his cell that day. People seemed to be afraid now. Just like kids who had broken their toy.


When the line went dead, Peter just threw his cell to the opposite glass wall. A fine line appeared where the phone hit the glass. Peter didn't even care that he'd have to pay for that. He didn't care about anything anymore. Within seconds Diana and Jones rushed into his office, wondering what had happened. Peter didn't even turn around to look at them. His gaze lingered on New York, but he had no eye for the beauty of the city.

"What's going on boss?", Diana asked.

Peter raised his head. "I don't know.", he answered honestly. "I just got a call from Neal. He doesn't want to come back. He wants to stay in jail... He won't tell me why."

Jones raised an eyebrow. "But you said he was in a pretty bad shape... I thought he wanted to get out as soon as possible."

"So did I...", Peter answered. He didn't know why Neal wanted to stay in jail but he was sure it was a mistake. And he was also sure he would find out what was going on in that stupid brain of Neal's and get his sorry ass out of jail anyway. What he didn't know was how he would do it.

"If you need anything boss, I...", Diana started before taking a glance at Jones who nodded, "...we can help."

"Thank you guys.", Peter tried to give them a comforting smile, "Maybe you could start by finding the list of the convicts and find out which ones of them are linked to Neal."

"Sure", Diana answered and the two agents left the office.

Peter went back to the window, unsure of what he should do. He wanted to go to the prison, to find Neal and get the truth out of him. He didn't. He knew it was a bad idea. He knew it could be dangerous, not for him but for the con man. Even when he didn't know why.


Scientific studies proved that reviews make me write faster! =P