(( here is the final chapter of Rebirth but it is not the end of the story look for Rebirth II:Consequences. I hope you all like this chapter and keep reviewing and reading to find out what happens. Loves and Hugs Bun Bun Babe~)
Chapter 9: Fallen Angel
Neal watched as the town car drove off when it vanished around the corner. When he was alone Neal pulled out his phone and dialed a number from memory. As the other end rang Neal moved backward until he hit the edge of a steel building. "Neal…what's up did you forget something?" Nick asked as he excused himself from dinner with his girlfriend. When he didn't get a response he got worried,
"Neal…hey what's wrong?" he asked again getting worried. Neal put his head in his hand as he slid down the wall and curled up in a ball. "Nick I'm probably in the worst trouble of my life, I know you're in the city tonight…" Neal was terrified he figured everything out the moment Adler had mentioned Jordan; Adler was the man known as Puppet Master. Nick took in a deep breath and looked into the restaurant at his girlfriend. "I'll come get you, okay… I'll be there as soon as I can; do you want me to stay on the line?" Nick asked. Neal tried to hide the sniffle that would give away that he was on the verge of crying. "I'll be fine, just please try to hurry," Neal said softly as he hung up on his brother and pocketed his phone.
Nick sighed and walked back to his table "I have to go…Neal says he's in trouble but he could just be blowing things out of proportion again, you have the key to the hotel room I'll be back as soon as I can," Nick promised as he kissed his girlfriend before leaving the hotel restaurant and hailing a cab. After giving the address he sat back and held on for dear life as the cab driver got him from the Plaza hotel to the docks in less than seven minutes. Nick paid the driver and told him to wait a ten minutes. Walking down the long entrance to the docks Nick glanced around he wished he had brought his gun with him. Scanning the area with his eyes he found Neal crouched under a light his bag beside him.
Rushing over to his brother Nick looked him over for any injuries and when he couldn't find any he grabbed Neal by the shoulders and pulled him to his feet. As Neal looked at the ground he felt stupid for calling his brother. "Come on I'm taking you to June's and you're going to tell me everything and I mean everything or else I'm leaving it to Peter to find out what's wrong," Nick remarked as he dragged his brother back to the cab and pushed him inside and gave the cabbie June's address. The cab drove quickly down the twelve blocks to June's. Neal stayed quiet as he held onto his bag and let his brother guide him into June's house. When they were in Neal's apartment Neal dropped his bag by the door. Moving across the apartment Neal dropped himself into a chair by his easel and looked at his brother. "Alright, what trouble are you in?" Nick asked as he watched his younger brother.
Neal slowly got up from his seat and went to his wine bottles on his counter and opened one up before grabbing a glass from the cabinet. "Do you remember the last thing Jordan Wilson said before he was shot?" Neal asked as he poured a glass of wine. Nick thought for a moment "Yeah, he said someone else pulled all his and that dirty agent Lawson's strings… why do you ask?" Nick questioned as he watched his brother. Neal quickly downed one glass of wine before pouring himself another, "I met up with Adler again…" "Him… again…how many times did Burke bounce your head off the headboard for you to become this stupid? He is not to be trusted, you should know that…" Nick asked as he tried not to get mad at his brother.
"He knows who killed Kate, I need to know what happened, and you would do the same if something happened to Catherine," Neal said as he looked at his wine in his hands. Nick sighed "God you're such an idiot Neal...so how does Adler tie in with that Wilson guy and this terrible trouble you're in?" Nick asked as he got up and grabbed a beer from the fridge. "Adler is the Puppet Master and he had Jordan killed and he told me if I turn him into the FBI I'll have the same ending as Jordan, and I may have agreed to do a job for him…" Neal said softly as he kept his gaze down.
Looking at his younger brother Nick resisted the urge to crack him over the head with his beer bottle for his stupidity. "So how am I supposed to help you get out of this anyway?" he asked wondering what kind of crazy plan Neal had. "I just need you to call the U.S. Marshalls and do an impression of Peter and tell them you're going to be undoing my tracker and you need the alarm turned off so you can remove it for four hours, when I tell you when to call them. You don't have to do anything else I promise," Neal said hoping his brother would help him out. "If you get me arrested I swear I'll never forgive you for the rest of our lives," Nick said as he agreed to the offer. "I have a feeling there is more to the story but I'm not getting into it it's your screw up not mine, now I'm going back to the hotel and try to propose to Catherine… if you call me one more time tonight… just don't, I'll see you later Neal," Nick said as he put his beer down and left Neal's apartment.
Neal brought the beer to the sink and dumped it out before he dumped his glass out and washed it before putting it on the drying rack. Walking across his room Neal went into his small bedroom area and stripped his clothes off and grabbed the pair of silk bottoms he left in the drawer and put them on before he grabbed his night care kit out of his bag and brought them to the bathroom. Once he was ready to call it a night Neal crawled into bed and tried to get comfortable. As his head hit the pillow he remembered he promised to call Peter, reaching for his pants on the floor he grabbed his phone and sent Peter a quick text saying he was turning in early and he would call him in the morning. After sending the message Neal turned the light off and tried to sleep.
Waking early the next morning Neal yawned as he climbed out of bed. Then after dressing in a pair of jogging pants and a tee shirt he put on a pair of sneakers before grabbing his phone and wallet and house keys. Stretching as walked down the stairs Neal exited the mansion and began jogging down the sidewalk Neal followed his usual jogging path down the sidewalk smiling at the usual people getting ready to start their day. After jogging a few blocks Neal made his way into the small market he frequented and grabbing a basket Neal picked out what he needed from the shelves. It was as he passed down one aisle that he stopped and looked at the energy drinks. If I'm going to be keeping up with work and my after work project I will need these, I should grab a couple now Neal thought as he grabbed a dozen tall cans of energy drinks and put them in his basket before walking to the register. Once he paid for his things Neal began the walk home, when he got back to June's he let himself in and made his way up to his apartment.
As he entered his apartment Neal felt something was off, he knew that June was still visiting family and the maids were not there so there was no one in the house but him but he had the nagging feeling that someone had been there touching his things. Shivering slightly Neal put the bag of groceries on the counter and began putting things away. Waving the feeling off to pre-theft jitters Neal went into his back storage room and got his tools ready to forge the necklace. Pulling out his phone he called Mozzie and waited for him to pick up the phone. "Moz I will be there in ten minutes, do you have everything ready?" Neal asked as he grabbed his sketch book and the envelope of pearls and packed them along with the energy drinks into a small gym bag. "Okay I will be there soon Moz," Neal said as he checked to make sure he had all he needed before leaving.
Leaving his apartment Neal jogged down the stairs and leaving the mansion he walked down the sidewalk to the loft Mozzie had within his radius Neal checked to make sure he hadn't been followed as he climbed the stairs to the top floor."Moz you're a real prince to do this for me," Neal said as he went over to the workbench and started to look everything Mozzie had gotten him. "You realize this is insane right… you're going to get caught and you're going to go back to jail," Mozzie said as he hovered around Neal like a moth to the flame.
"Moz everything is going to be fine, I probably won't get caught… if I do I have a great lawyer that will keep me out of prison," Neal remarked as he got to work on the forgery. Not wanting to hover around any longer Mozzie grabbed a book and walked over to the couch on the other side of the loft. Neal was lost in his own world at that point. He had slipped on a pair of latex gloves to hide his prints and keep any blood from his hand from getting out in case he ripped out his stitches. In the back of his mind Neal was already planning on how to get into the private residence. As he started on attaching the fake diamonds into the settings on the first pendent he thought to what Gabe had said to him about Peter arresting him. Just as he brushed that thought aside his phone began to ring.
Reaching into his pocket Neal cradled his phone against his shoulder. "Good morning Peter…oh I'm not up to much just hanging around with Moz, yes I'm staying in my radius," Neal said as he winced as he felt another stitch tighten when he moved his hand the wrong way. "Well I'll see you Monday at work," Neal said before hanging up. As he put his phone down and picked up the pendent Neal worked carefully for three hours as he made sure each diamond was perfectly in place before moving onto the next one. I should start mixing and creating the fake center gems… it's going to take three days and I'll have to watch the process closely to make sure the stones come out perfect… Neal thought as he mixed the powdered chemicals for the center stone.
By dinner time Sunday night Neal had just finished stage one of the gem making and now he had to wait another six hours to turn the heat down and make sure the fake gems were keeping shape. Downing a seventh energy drink Neal sat down and yawned, he made sure he bought the strongest drinks at the store and they were working. He had been awake for two days non-stop.
"Neal, do you want something to eat?" Mozzie called from the small kitchen of the loft. The ex con looked up from his sketch pad and shook his head he was too wired on caffeine to eat at the moment to eat since he knew it would absorb the drink in his stomach and make him less awake. If I eat anything I might fall asleep and Mozzie has said he won't be a part of this anymore than he is… Neal thought as he felt the new caffeine start to work. I'll have to make sure I don't look too tired at work tomorrow, Peter will get suspicious if I look like I'm about to fall asleep. He added as he continued to sketch a few new drawings.
Peter looked at his laptop as he checked Neal's tracking data again. He had chased Neal for years and he knew his lover well and Neal being in one place that wasn't his home for a long time was not a good sign. "Honey… do you want the ketchup?" Elizabeth asked as she tried to get her husband's attention, she was worried Peter had been starting at his computer for so long that Satchmo had already attempted to steal his dinner from his plate three times without him noticing. Elizabeth reached forward and pushed the top of the laptop down to snap her husband out of his trance. "Oh sorry El…it's just Neal hasn't moved from this spot in two days, it's not a computer hack he's actually there but I can't figure out why… he said he was visiting Mozzie but I can't help but think this has something to do with whatever it is he's hiding from me. If I ask him again he'll just stonewall me again," Peter said as he finally began to eat.
"I'm just glad that you finally snapped out of that trance, I was afraid I was going to have to rob a bank to get you attention…and Neal is a big boy if he's not doing anything illegal then just leave him alone. You know how Neal gets when you don't trust him," Elizabeth said as she got up from the table with her empty plate. Peter had reopened his laptop at that point. "Oh that wouldn't catch my interest very much," Peter remarked as he started to get lost in his own world again. Walking back out of the kitchen Elizabeth looked at her husband "Oh really, so what does get your attention then?"Elizabeth asked with a smirk. "Well it's your charm and your beauty that gets my attention," Peter said leaving his ex con lover out of the sentence altogether. Right away Elizabeth sat back down at the table with a smirk on her lips. "So what about Neal, how does he catch your attention, I have to say I'm quite curious to find out what you would say," Elizabeth said as she waited for an answer.
Knowing he was destined for the dog house after answering the question Peter sighed "Neal catches my attention with everything I guess, it's hard to put into words...it's just something about him is all," Peter said as he looked over at his wife. Elizabeth smiled at her husband "Neal is like that I guess, I have no real reason to be jealous since you've practically been with Neal for almost as long as we've been together. Chasing him all around the world, staying up long nights thinking about him…you know before I actually met him I was jealous of him having all your attention, he was sending you cards and keeping you busy on our anniversaries he was your white whale. And now he's your boyfriend… funny how the world works, so I have to ask…are you going to tell him about Christmas at your parents?" Elizabeth asked as she smiled at her husband.
Laughing a bit Peter shook his head. "Not yet, I'm afraid they would eat him alive…you know how religious my folks are, if they found out he was bi that's one thing they may pretend to like him while he's there, if they found out I was sleeping with him it's the end of the world for me. But since he invited me to his family's home I guess I have to invite him," Peter remarked as he started to plan how to ask Neal in the back of his mind about the upcoming holidays.
After a long night of talking Peter dragged himself up the stairs to his room to get to sleep early for work the next day, when he pulled his shirt off he heard his phone buzz, and after grabbing his phone off the nightstand he found a text message from Neal saying he would meet him at work the next day. Shrugging it off Peter put his phone back down and finished changing before going to bed for the night.
Whistling as he walked into the FBI building Peter went through the downstairs security and made way to the elevator as he took the short ride up to the twenty-first floor. As he walked to the office door he spotted Neal sitting at his desk working with his head down. Peter entered the bullpen and stopped by Neal's desk. "Good morning Neal, you're here early," Peter remarked with a smile. Neal looked up from his paperwork with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face. "What's so damn good about it…?" Neal grumbled his blue eyes hidden behind two dark black bags; his attire was that of casual pants and a turtleneck. "Neal you look like you haven't slept in two days…"Peter remarked as he watched his lover look away and go back to work. Trying to keep from looking up Neal started to fill out a report he had already done. Grumbling and crumpling the paper up he felt Peter grab his hand.
"Neal you're tired go home and sleep, I can't have you around when you're this cranky," Peter said as he patted Neal on the head. With a loud crack as Neal slapped Peter's hand away. "I'm not a child you don't have to tell me to go home and sleep. I am fully capable of working, I had one of those little energy shot things a couple minutes ago so I'll be back to normal soon. So go do something useful and let me do the job I'm allowed to do," Neal snapped as he tried to concentrate on the paperwork before him. Peter rolled his eyes and walked up to his office with Diana and Jones behind him.
Diana closed the door behind the three of them and stood with her back to the glass wall. "What's got his panties in a knot?" she asked glancing back at Neal who was currently glaring at his cousin. Peter looked over Diana's shoulder at the ex con and sighed when he saw Neal grab Dante around the neck and started to throttle him. Sighing loudly Peter walked to the door and yanked it open, "Neal stop strangling you cousin, Dante leave him alone," Peter called as he sighed again.
Grumbling as he let his cousin go Neal yawned as he sat back down, at that point he was radiating an aura of crankiness that seemed to be spreading out far enough to alert anyone walking by that he wasn't to be bothered. Grabbing his already finished report Neal stomped past a group of probie agents that pushed themselves far from the passing ex con out of fear. Neal ignored them as he walked into Peter's office without knocking. "It's not nice to talk about people behind their back," Neal grumbled as he stumbled a bit when he got to Peter's desk.
"Go home Neal…you're dead on your feet and you're no good to us this way," Peter remarked as he held his hand out to keep Neal from falling over. Neal forced himself to stand up straight and stay awake. "I'm fine Peter…I told you… that…" Neal mumbled as he tried to stay standing his sleep deprived mind shut down and wouldn't listen to him as he tried to move away from the three agents. Peter caught the unconscious ex con and sighed under the weight of the younger man. "Jones, go get a cot and bring it in here," Peter ordered as he sat on the floor and let use Neal use him as a pillow.
Jones left the office and went to the storage locker in the basement and found a usable cot and brought it back to Peter's office, after setting the cot up he walked back to his desk and let Peter take care of Neal. Peter moved Neal to the cot and grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and used it as a blanket to keep Neal warm. He's out like a light; I doubt a bomb would even wake him up… Peter thought as he sat at his desk and worked on his cases. At lunch time Peter checked on Neal and found him still dead to the world. Diana walked in and smirked "So he's still out of it, he must have been up for a long time to be this out of it. Do you want me to bring you back something from the take out place?" Diana asked as she looked away from Neal's sleeping form.
Peter looked up from his paperwork. "Chicken lo mein and orange chicken fried rice with two egg rolls and a large wonton soup, also make sure they give you extra fortune cookies" Peter said as he handed Diana his money for his and Neal's lunch, he knew that even if Neal didn't wake up he would be hungry later. She nodded before leaving and heading out with the other agents. When she returned she handed Peter and Neal's order over to her boss along with his change. Peter got up and closed his office door before he opened the bag of take-out; he looked at the food and pulled his order out of the bag before closing it back up.
Opening the carton up of lo-mein Peter fished a fork out of the bag before he searched the top layer of noodles for the right piece of chicken, when he found it he speared the slice of chicken and ate it as he worked to get his paperwork done faster than if he just watched Neal sleep. If I sent him home who knows if he would actually go to sleep…its better that he passed out here where I can watch him. Peter thought as he glanced back over at Neal's sleeping form. When he was full he repacked the bag and went into the small kitchen area and put the bag in the fridge with the express orders that no one touch it unless they wanted to deal with a cranky Neal again. I have my threat of prison for him and now I can get more work done here with the threat of a cranky Neal… he just made my job easier…Peter thought with a smirk as he walked back into his office.
By the end of the work day Peter had finished his paperwork and filed it in all the right places. He said goodbye to the other agents as they left before he returned to his office and sat by Neal's cot and shook him lightly to wake him up. Neal slowly opened his eyes and yawned. "How long have I been asleep?"He mumbled as he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Peter smiled and looked at his watch "About eight hours give or take a couple minutes, I was starting to worry about you…so care to explain why you were so tired that you passed out?"Peter asked as he brushed some hair out of Neal's eyes. "Right…about that…I didn't sleep well all weekend so I'm sorry I worried you, If I had called in you would have told me to cowboy up and get into work," Neal said with a smile as he scooted off the cot and sat beside Peter.
"I got your favorites from the take-out place down the street, so why don't you eat because I'm sure you're hungry after sleeping so long. Why don't you get our food from the fridge and we'll have cold take-out for dinner," Peter said as he got to his feet and walked into the conference room. After a minute Neal walked in with the bag and sat across from Peter.
Peter watched Neal as he started to eat the cold food; he waited for the right moment before he jumped "I know you're lying to me Neal… about something and I know it's big so I'm only going to warn you once. Stop now before you get in too deep and tell me what's wrong so that I can help you," he said as he watched Neal for any reaction. "You know what I think I'm going to go and heat my food up, wonton soup is much better hot," Neal remarked as he avoided Peter's gaze as he got up and went to the kitchen area to warm his soup. When he got back Peter was waiting for him so they could talk. "Peter… I'm not lying to you, so please trust me… it's a two way street and if you don't trust me then why should I trust you?" Neal asked trying to get some of the heat off of him. "I do trust you Neal, that's why I hope you, trust me enough to tell me the truth," Peter replied as he watched the younger man.
I'm already in way too deep; in fact I'm not even treading water anymore I've already sunk and drowned in the proverbial ocean… Neal thought as he picked at the wonton in his soup and looked down from Peter's gaze. "Neal… how would you like to come to my parents place for Christmas?" Peter asked with an uneasy smile. "Oh, I would really enjoy that Peter…but I think I may have other plans for the holiday," Neal said as he speared the wonton in his bowl. I may be in jail or on the run depending on how this job goes… Neal thought as he looked at the FBI agent sitting across from him. "Wait a minute I thought you didn't want me to ever meet your family?" Neal asked a little stunned. Peter looked across the table at his lover "I think it's time you met them… as my partner only, my family still thinks I'm a devout Catholic," he remarked as he looked directly into Neal's eyes. Neal smirked seductively "I think you fell off that train the day you first met me," he remarked as he took a bite out of the dumpling on his fork. "But as for your invitation I'm gonna have to go with a maybe… for now," Neal said softly as he kept eating.
Once Neal was finished and the leftovers were packed up Neal made his way over to the elevator to wait for Peter while he packed up a few files to take home, I don't know what to do Peter is on to me... he knows I'm lying to him but not what I'm lying about. Neal thought as he went down to the car with Peter. Staying quiet on the ride homeNeal tapped his fingers on his knee as he thought things over as he was driven home. When Peter pulled up to June's he put the car in park and turned the engine off. "You don't have to come up Peter, my place is probably a mess and I'm going to go bed as soon as I get up there," Neal said trying to keep the agent out of his his head Peter got out of the car and walked around the back and opened the door for Neal. "I'm just going to make sure you get up the stairs without falling, I wouldn't want you to get hurt. Besides I want what's left of my food and you have the bag," Peter remarked with a chuckle.
Neal laughed as he led Peter inside and up to his apartment, as he unlocked his door and opened it he turned the lights on and made his way to the counter to take his food out. Moving quickly he put his food in the fridge and handed Peter his food in the bag. "Well here you go, I'll see you in the morning," Neal said as he kicked his shoes off. "You're acting strange Neal…I know you're hiding something and I will find out what you're hiding from me. Now I'll go, I'll be here to pick you up at seven the day after tomorrow so be ready for me, tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment so you have to fend for yourself for a couple hours" Peter said as he made his way to the door. Neal never passes up the offer to keep me for as long as he can but now he's pushing me out the door, he thought as he wondered what Neal was up to.
"I'll make sure that I'm ready, I'll see you later tomorrow Peter," Neal said as he gave Peter a quick hug and kiss. "I'm going to go to bed after I read a bit," Neal said as he walked over to the chair by his book case. When he heard the door snap behind Peter, Neal stood up and pulled his phone out and dialed Mozzie's number. "Hey Moz could you bring the necklaces over, and keep an eye out for Peter's car he's on to me…no he doesn't know what he just knows. I know… I know… you're right getting romantically involved with the FBI is a very bad idea, but that is your opinion" Neal said before he hung up. Two days…that's when the necklace is leaving the museum… Neal thought as he let out another sigh.
Peter walked up the stairs to Neal's apartment when he got there he found Neal at his table reading the front page of the paper about a necklace leaving the museum and going back to private hands after being in the museum for years. "You're looking happy about something," Peter remarked as he sat across from Neal and looked at him. "It's just such a nice day and I missed riding to work with you yesterday," Neal answered as he put the paper down and got up from where he was sitting. "El was glad she got to see that necklace in the museum…she said it's pretty amazing, have you ever seen it before?"Peter asked as he grabbed the empty cup on the table and poured himself some coffee.
Neal looked at the picture in the news paper. Is he on to me? Neal thought as he gave a fake smile, "Peter you know that museum is out of my range so I couldn't go to it," Neal said as he stood up and walked by Peter. I need the key to my anklet… I'll have to steal it after work, beer laced with anti-anxiety pills worked on Nick I'll just invite Peter up, then I'll slip a couple pills in a beer and let him drink they should knock him out until morning Neal thought as he walked to his dresser to put something warm on since it was the beginning of December and cold out. "Why don't you wear that grey turtleneck it really looks good on you," Peter remarked as Neal dug around and found the warm shirt Peter liked. After finding a pair of warm pants to go with it Neal jogged after Peter and went down to his car.
When they got to work after fighting city traffic Neal ran upstairs first and found Nick at his temporary desk. "Hey little brother…whoa" Nick caught himself as he almost fell over his own feet as Neal dragged him into the stairwell. "Nick…Peter is on to me…I don't know how much he's figured out but we've got to make our move tonight," he said as leaned against the wall. "Look Neal, what if you just make a run for it…mom and dad can hide you in Europe or Asia," Nick said trying to keep his brother safe.
"Nick, he'll never give up…and if I run who knows what Adler will do to ones I leave behind, so please help me out…if I get caught I swear I'll never turn you in," Neal promised. Nick sighed "Cat is going kill me but you are my brother and I know that you'll owe me big for this and I mean best man at my wedding and paying out of pocket for a bachelor party and paying for the whole wedding. Do that or you go hide in a cave in France," Nick said as he gave his terms of agreement. Neal thought for a moment and came up with a counter offer. "What if I get you Burke Premiere events to do the wedding, my bakery does the cake and I throw the biggest bachelor party so big it makes the headlines of the paper," Neal countered as he held his hand out. "Sounds like a plan, just don't get caught alright," Nick said as he shook his younger brother's hand.
As they returned to work Neal looked up at Peter's office and watched him for a moment before going to his own desk to work. The necklaces are done and I have the address all I need to do now is get out of this anklet and get back into it in four hours…I just need the key and Peter has it on his key ring and I'll have to get it from him before I can make my move. Neal thought as he got back into the groove of work. The workday progressed with few problems Hughes was happy that everyone managed to get through working a day with three members of the same family with little problems. Peter had spent the day going over cases and watching Neal's every move. By mid day Jones walked in "I looked Neal's data over again and he's made two trips to that dock, and the second time he took a cab or a car of some kind," Jones said as he handed Peter the report.
Neal stretched his arms over his head at the end of the work day; he looked at his brother before he stood up and walked to Peter's office. "Hey there, how about drinks tonight at my place… you me and some beer for you and wine for me?" Neal asked as he sat across from Peter. "That sounds good, I could use a beer, why don't we head over now we might get stuck in traffic if we wait," Peter said as he got up from his seat and walked around his desk. When they got into the car Neal watched the agent beside him memorizing each move he made the entire ride to June's, he knew that if anything went wrong he would have to run and never come back to New York.
They made it to June's two hours later since the traffic during rush hour around the federal building was a nightmare; Neal smiled and walked upstairs with Peter. When they got up to his apartment Neal walked right over to his bookcase and grabbed a DVD case off the shelf. "Will you stay and watch this with me?" Neal asked hoping to spend one last night with Peter. "I don't see why not, we really haven't done this in a long time," Peter remarked as he removed his jacket and tie. Neal put the DVD into the player and curled up on the couch and put his head against Peter's chest and put his arm around him in a hug.
Peter smirked when he saw which movie they were watching "Seriously… Catch me if you can? I thought you would find this movie annoying?" Peter asked as he looked at Neal. "I think this movie is perfect, it's almost like someone was writing about us…" Neal said softly as the movie started. Nuzzling against Peter's shoulder Neal sighed and listened to Peter's heartbeat instead of the movie dialog. Peter put his arm around Neal and felt him move closer. As the movie got closer to the end Neal got up and got Peter another beer, using a slight of hand trick he slipped two sleeping pills into Peter's beer and gave it a small swirl before handing it over. So by the end of the movie Peter began to feel drowsy, Neal swallowed hard as he sat up and looked at the older man. Biting his lip he watched as Peter started to fall asleep. "I'm sorry, please… forgive me," as he whispered and kissed Peter. Reaching into Peter's pocket he grabbed his keys and pulled them out, grabbing the key to his anklet he put the rest of the keys on the coffee table before he got up and shut the TV off. Walking to where he was hiding the fake necklaces he pulled them out of the vase on his mantel.
Grabbing both necklaces Neal shoved them into a small bag along with a card of security codes, a stethoscope and a small bag of tools. Walking into his closet Neal put on a blue jumpsuit and brushed his hair down to make him look younger, looking at his reflection in the mirror he sighed softly. Neal pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Nick's number. "Yeah… Nick I'm going to head over soon. Moz got me a truck, he has it tucked away at the edge of my radius, I'll call you when I get to the truck, as soon as I hang up then you call that number I gave you and tell them I'll be offline for…. Let's see it's going to take time to get in, ten to twenty minutes to get the safe open, so give me an hour you know what better make it two incase it goes south I have an hour to get away," Neal said hanging up as he walked out of his apartment and slipped through the mansion.
Ten minutes later Neal found the old gas company truck tucked away in the free parking lot, grabbing the keys off the tire he got into the vehicle and called his brother again. "Nick, make the call, I'm in the truck… and look if I have to make a run I will get in touch with Mozzie somehow and he'll give you any money you need for the wedding," Neal said before hanging up. As he waited the seconds ticked by like hours, watching his anklet like a hawk he watched the lights turn off. Sticking the key into the lock he waited until the beep sounded that said the lock had disengaged. Pulling his anklet off Neal looked at it for a moment before throwing it out the window into the mud.
Driving away as fast as city traffic would allow Neal knew deep in his heart that with each passing second there was little chance of returning to his sheltered FBI consultant life. When he arrived at the address Neal grabbed his bag and walked across the street and made sure he remembered his lines. Knocking loudly he waited for someone to open the door. As the door opened Neal smiled "Excuse me Mr. Richards, I'm Mark Ryan I work for the gas company, we've been working on a gas line a block away and we're going door to door to check to make sure we haven't had any leaks on the gas line that runs under this row of homes, I'll have to ask you and anyone else that lives here to leave the home for safety precautions for at least two hours while I disconnect and check your gas," Neal lied hoping that he would believed.
With a nod Neal was led in by the owner of the house to the kitchen, after being warned of the security system and the dogs out back the older man primed the security system for the second floor and left in his town car. Letting out a huge sigh Neal grabbed his phone and called Mozzie. "Okay Moz I'm in now keep watch for his car I'm going upstairs now, and you weren't kidding this guy has every system known to man…"Neal said as he typed in the first code and once that went through he typed in the next two codes until the system shut off. Running up the stairs like a jack rabbit Neal ducked into study and looked around until he spotted the safe.
Rushing over to it he opened his bag and tossed the tools aside and grabbed the stethoscope and placed it against the safe over the tumblers. God bless the older generation still trusting these old safes. Neal thought as he smirked and listened for the tumblers to click behind the steel face in front of him. When he heard the first tumbler click a spark of pleasure shoot up his spine. Ignoring the feeling Neal listened for the second tumbler as he began to turn the dial again when the second tumbler clicked ten minutes later he was giddy as he began to work on the final tumbler.
After twenty painfully long minutes Neal heard the sound of the final tumbler clicked Neal ripped the stethoscope away from his ears and wrapped it around his neck. Opening the safe carefully he smiled at the view in front of him. Sifting through the safe Neal grabbed the flat box on the top shelf and after opening it he looked at the necklace in awe before he stuffed the necklace into a silk bag and the first fake into the box and returning it to the safe as he stood up. After shutting the safe door and grabbed his bag. Neal got ready to leave he felt his phone buzz against his leg. "Hey Moz… I got it, wait… what; okay I'm going to run for it, meet me out back in the alley, leave the truck Moz…" Neal said as he hung up on Mozzie and skidded into the kitchen skidding to a stop in front of the back door. Opening the door Neal ran out and jumped over the small patio area into the yard below.
Looking around the dark yard Neal remembered the warning about the dogs, moving forward he felt a twig snap under weight. Right away he heard a snarl come from under one of the large trees. Running like a marathon runner Neal came to the back fence, not wasting any time he leapt over the tall fence and ignored the pain in his leg from where the dog's nails had caught him. Landing on the ground hard, dropping his bag he stripped off the gas company uniform that covered his clothes.
Dropping the suit into a trashcan Neal ran down the back alley to where Mozzie was waiting for him, reaching into the bag he pulled the silk bag with the real necklace out of his bag and held it out to his friend. "Here Moz take this and hide it at one of your places, don't go back to the loft in my radius chances are Peter will look there first. And thanks Moz… I'll make it up to you someday," he promised as he ran off into the shadows. Making his way to a busy street Neal tossed the cap he was wearing before he flagged a cab. Pulling out his phone he called Adler's burn phone and waited for the man to pick up.
"I've got it…alright; I understand… the end of the dock the box on the deck… I'll be there in less than fifteen minutes and you'll get what you want I promise," Neal said as he patted the duffle bag where the fake necklace was hidden before hanging up and putting his phone in his pocket. The cab pulled up to the docks and came to a stop; Neal paid the driver and got out of the cab. The air felt heavy to Neal like someone was watching him, looking around the area he shook it off and made his way down to the docks when he stepped on the dock he took in a deep breath as he walked down the semi lit dock to a waiting speed boat. When he got to the end of the dock he found a box resting on the deck of the boat. As he stepped onto the boat Neal dropped the second fake necklace into the box and closed the lid before stepping off the boat.
Neal could feel the con artist in him telling him that something wasn't right, as he headed back toward the only road that led back to the city from the wharf area Neal swore he saw something move in the shadows. Before his mind could even process the thought large flood lights flooded the area with light catching him off guard and making him look like a deer caught in a car's headlights. As he raised his arm up to block the light he could see shadows moving around him. Soon there was a ring of FBI and local police officers surrounding him with their guns drawn. It took Neal a moment to realize that someone was yelling at him to put his hands up, when his mind caught up to what was going on the ex con backed away a step only to find that the police officers that had been hidden behind a dumpster had closed in and had him trapped.
Looking for any escape Neal felt his entire being crumble when the line of agents in front of him broke to allow Peter through. The second his eyes met with Peter's Neal knew he was in the deepest trouble of his life. In all the years he knew Peter he had never seen him look so angry. Neal closed his eyes and waited for the impending tongue lashing he knew he was about to receive. After a moment Neal slowly opened his eyes and looked at Peter. Before he could open his mouth to apologize Peter stopped him with a glare. "You lied to me Neal…again… and again over the last few weeks, before you even think of lying to me again just know this, I don't want anything to do with you, I don't want to be your lover… your partner… I don't even want to call you my friend… you're going back to prison Neal for a very long time," Peter hissed as he turned and walked away.
Trying to hold himself together Neal started to hyperventilate as he tried not to break down in front of the police and other FBI agents. Diana walked forward her gun gone and her handcuffs in its place, she slowly began to cuff Neal's hands together in front of his body so he could wipe away any tears in the car. After a moment Diana led Neal past the ring of agents and brought him to her car, she placed him in the back seat and looked at the broken shell of Neal Caffrey, "I'll give you a couple minutes alone to let it out but if you run I will shoot you and I'm not kidding…" she warned as she shut the car door and walked back over to Peter to tell him that Neal was secured. Lowering his face into his hands Neal broke down and let all the tears he was holding back fall free.
Diana walked up to her boss she knew she was stepping on eggshells as she approached him, before she opened her mouth she stood as still as a statue and waited for him to address her. Peter was fuming in the cornering of Neal the speed boat had gotten away before the FBI could stop it. When Peter turned to his former probie he looked at her and waited for her to speak. "I have Neal in the back of my car; I'll take him back to the office and begin to question him," she said hoping that putting distance between Peter and Neal would make both of them feel better. Going back to her car Diana got behind the wheel and looked at Neal in the rearview mirror.
"Whatever he said Neal he didn't mean it, you have no idea how much Peter cares about you," she said as she drove back to the FBI office. Neal put his fore head against the headrest of the driver's side. Sniffling loudly Neal moved his hands the handcuffs jingling slightly, "Diana… I really messed up, Peter hates me I know it…"Neal said softly as the car drove through the night and returned to the FBI office. When they got back to the office Neal let Diana lead him to the conference room where she un-cuffed him. Pulling his phone out Neal looked at Diana "I'm allowed to call my lawyer right?" he asked in a clear moment of tears. Diana nodded and left the room she stood by the railing and watched Neal through the wall as he made his call.
Peter walked back into the office an hour later he had taken a long to try and calm himself down but it hadn't worked he was still quite angry at Neal for doing what he did. As he walked out of the elevator the elevator across from him chimed and his wife walked out with Mozzie. "Hon what are you doing here?" Peter asked reigning in his anger. "Mozzie called, he told me you arrested Neal and that he wanted to talk to me before you yelled at him," Elizabeth said as she walked into the bullpen, she looked up at the conference room from where she was standing she could see Neal in the far corner sitting on the floor. Elizabeth removed her coat and put it down on an open chair before walking up the stairs and entering the conference room she carefully walked over and sat on the floor beside Neal.
"Shh… its okay Neal, I'm here…"she said softly "Peter hates me…he said that I lied to him again and that he wants nothing to do with me anymore, he doesn't want to be my partner, my lover or even my friend… I didn't mean to make him this mad," Neal said as he started to cry again. Putting a comforting arm around Neal, Elizabeth rubbed his back. "Neal why did you do it?" she asked softly as Neal curled up closer. "Because a man I used to work for told me that if I stole the necklace for him he would tell me who was the one behind Kate's death…I wanted to back out I swear but when I met up with him again the day after Thanksgiving he told me if I turned him into the FBI he would have me killed like he did Jordan Wilson, I couldn't back out… I tried to keep Peter out of it as much as possible to protect him" Neal sobbed as he tried to forget the hate Peter had etched on his face earlier that night. Elizabeth sighed softly and petted Neal's hair, after a few minutes she realized Neal was being too quiet, looking down she realized Neal had cried himself to sleep.
After believing that he had waited long enough Peter walked into the conference room to discover his wife coddling his former partner. "So I see he's corrupted you to believing whatever story he's come up with," Peter remarked as he walked closer. Shaking her head Elizabeth slipped free when Diana came over and took her place and put a pillow under Neal's head. Getting up from the floor Elizabeth grabbed her husband's arm in a death grip and dragged him into his office. Making sure the door was closed between the office and the conference room Elizabeth turned on her husband.
"You have no idea what Neal was doing…he didn't give me a name but he did say that a man he used to work for told him that if he stole a necklace he would tell Neal who actually blew the plane up and killed Kate. Neal also told me he wanted to back out after he talked to you but the day after Thanksgiving the guy who hired him threatened to have Neal killed if he was turned into the FBI so that's why Neal didn't say anything to you. He was protecting you…now go and apologize to him because he thinks you hate him," she said trying to mend the shattered friendship.
Peter shook his head "I can't, I'm also being investigated as well… the U.S Marshalls called Hughes, apparently I called them and told them I would be letting Neal off his anklet for a case for two hours, so if I have any contact with Benedict Caffrey in there I could kiss my job goodbye. Neal is going to jail El; he broke the law and I have to protect my own ass for once," Peter said as he looked at his wife. Elizabeth sat down in Peter's chair and looked at the floor and before Elizabeth could say anything Jones walked into the office. "Sorry to interrupt but there is an insurance investigator Sara Ellis from Sterling-Bosh here she says her client called about a stolen necklace. She also says she knows who did it and she has proof," Jones said looking down a bit. "She has security photos of Neal at her client's home posing as a gas man," Jones said as he backed away and left the office. Peter sighed he knew that Neal was in even deeper trouble than before.
Sara walked into the conference room with Hughes, Jones and Peter where they looked at Neal sitting in the chair across the table from the door with his lawyer by his side, right away Sara could tell he had been crying not long ago. "Hello Neal long time no see, are you still taking things that don't belong to you, so where is the real necklace?"She asked putting her hands on the table and leaning toward Neal. Sitting quietly Neal looked at the table and didn't speak. "Fine, but my client is pressing charges, he wants his necklace back Caffrey, and after you give it back you're most likely going back to jail. Unless you're going to claim you're innocent," Sara added as she watched Neal for any reaction. Neal looked up from where he was staring and locked eyes with the investigator.
"No I'm guilty, I took the necklace…I'll admit it. Also against my lawyer's advice I'm also admitting that I've drugged a federal agent or at least attempted to, I stole the key to my anklet and used it to get away, I called the Marshalls and impersonated Peter and gave the necklace to the man that hired me," Neal said lying about most of the events. Hughes cleared his throat "That's half right Caffrey, we know you didn't make the call…Peter told us what he heard and we also have the request on tape for analysis," he said looking at Neal. Mozzie pulled Neal over and whispered in his ear. "You're going to serve thirteen years if you admit to all of this, if you just give the real necklace back we can reduce you're sentence… and don't get all self righteous about needing to learn a lesson. I'm sorry Neal but this has to be done," Mozzie said as he pulled away.
Standing up Mozzie looked across the table. "My client is willing to learn from his mistakes and he will return the real necklace back so that his sentence will be reduced to fifteen months and give up the name of the man who hired him for another five months taken off, thus giving him a ten month sentence with the chance of getting off early for possible good behavior," Sara looked at the ex con and nodded her head. "Mr. Richards said he would drop the theft charges if he got the necklace back, so you have a deal… give up the necklace and the name and you'll be out of jail in no time," she said agreeing to the terms she had spoken to Mozzie about before.
Neal lowered his gaze moving his hand in front of his mouth in thought. "No deal…I want to serve all thirteen years, I did the crime and I admit it… I'm not going to learn anything," Neal remarked looked up at Peter. "Maybe it will straighten you out, maybe some of your stupidity will finally leave and you can finally grow up to be like everyone else, and maybe you can finally come back to work here… you know work, a concept you still can't seem to grasp at your age," Peter remarked. Mozzie looked at everyone, "I need a minute alone with my client," he said as he watched the room clear out quickly. Once they were alone Mozzie began to pace,
"I don't want to do this Neal but you've left me no choice…" Mozzie remarked as he reached into his bag and pulled out the small black bag Neal gave him earlier that night and before Neal could stop the shorter man he walked out of the conference room and over to where Sara was waiting. Mozzie held out the bag. "Here is the necklace; the man that hired Neal was Vincent Adler he originally promised to tell Neal who killed his girlfriend then when Neal was about back out his life was threatened as for the call it was Neal's brother Nick," Mozzie said telling the FBI everything they wanted. Hughes looked into the conference room and nodded his head "Jones… Diana, take him back to the prison, I'll clear his sentence agreement with the DOJ," he said as he watched Neal.
Looking at each other Jones and Diana walked into the conference room and avoided Neal's gaze as they stood him up and handcuffed him. No one spoke as Neal was led out of the office. Neal stayed quiet as he was put into the back seat, he didn't bat an eyelash when he was put in the back seat of the car or when the door was shut. The drive was long and quiet; the check in process took close to an hour. By five in the morning Neal found himself back in a cell in an orange jumpsuit.
