Neal woke up and stretched out in the warm and comfortable bed, revelling in the fact that it was Sunday.

He winced slightly as a small but sharp pain from his backside greeted the movement.

Of course, had he been at home last night he and Mozzie would probably have gotten through two or ten bottles of wine between them and he would be currently nursing a killer migraine.

He snorted as he clambered out of the bed and thought "thank God for small mercies" wryly.

As he meandered into his adjoining bathroom, the realisation that his week-long grounding was over as of tonight, he was momentarily confused to find himself feeling conflicting emotions.

He was happy as hell that he wouldn't be getting his ass handed to him every night, which was a major perk to his release, but…at the same time, he had to admit he was a little melancholy.

As much as he hated to admit it, spankings aside, his grounding at the Burke house had been more pleasurable than it had been punishing.

Sure, Peter was a nag about getting up on time and going to sleep at what he considered to be a reasonable hour and if El had her way he'd be five stone heavier, but…it was nice, not living alone.

Even for a week.

Sighing slightly, he hopped in the shower and was soon washed and dressed in a casual jeans and t-shirt.

Padding down the stairs in sock clad feet, he caught the distinct smell of freshly made pancakes and hurried his gate slightly.

Peter could be a feral wolf when it came to El's pancakes.

Pushing open the door, he greeted a bounding Satchmo and returned Peter and El's good morning smiles with ease.

Setting himself down gently in his usual spot as El turned to grab him some juice, he shot a death look at the elder man as he chuckled quietly enough so his wife wouldn't hear him when Neal let out a soft hiss.

When his glare did nothing but to increase the quiet chuckling, Neal changed his tact and grinned mischievously.

"Gee, Peter…didn't the Bureau doctor tell you that you were only supposed to have fruit salad or muesli for breakfast from now on? Because of your high cholesterol he found last week?"

This was all said in a tone of great and deep concern, but Neal had to bite his lip to refrain from a bursting of laughter when El whipped around sharply.

"What's this?" she asked loudly, staring gravely at her husband.

And his massive plate of pancakes, doused with maple syrup.

Holding up his hands in a placating gesture, Peter flashed his most charming smile.

"El, honey…the doctor, he's new. He's just being over cautious, he-"

What the new doctor was, they never found out.

Peter was interrupted as El whipped the plate of pancakes out from under him with Ninja stealth, and began rooting in the refrigerator for fresh fruit, all the while loudly scolding her husband for failing to mention his check up.

Whilst her back was turned, Peter shot a look of deepest threat across the table at a now red in the face from suppressed laughing, Neal.

When the bowl of freshly diced fruit was placed in front of him with a further rebuke, Peter smiled weakly in acceptance.

"Thanks hon, this looks great."

"I want that at all eaten by the time Satchmo and I get back Peter, I mean it. Neal here will tell me if you throw it out, won't you Neal?"

Looking up at the agitated woman solemnly, Neal nodded immediately.

"Of course I will El; really. I can't believe Peter would be so lackadaisical about his own health."

"Me either" she agreed grimly, and with another cross look at her husband, she and the gleeful retriever swept from the kitchen.

When the front door closed, Neal was finally free to let out his laughter, which he did in great racking peals.

"You are so dead kid" came the angry growl across the table, which just made the young man laugh all the more.

The irritation Peter felt with his cheeky charge melted away as he watched him laugh, his boyishly handsome face alight with his characteristic devilment.

As much as he wanted the boy to toe the line and reach his full potential, he never wanted him to lose his…Caffreyness.

As he rolled his eyes at the laughing Neal, he leant forwards to snag a pancake of the younger mans plate, only to have his hand vigorously slapped away.

"Neal!"

Smirking and moving the plate further out of reach, the young man leant back and laughed again.

"I will tell El if one golden morsel goes in your mouth Peter."

The elder man glowered across the dining table, and Neal held up his hands with a grin.

"I'm sorry Peter, it's just you've taught me that it's never ok to lie."

Peter couldn't help it.

He burst out laughing and surrendered himself to his bowl off fruit with a grin.

God damned kid.

Soon their amiable chatter was interrupted in the form of a galloping Satchmo bursting in, in an intense search of water.

After checking in with Neal about her husband's progress drawing an eye roll from the man as he answered sweetly that Peter had been as good as gold, El grinned and fixed herself a quick cup of coffee.

Joining the table, she chattered with the two for a while before draining her cup and announcing she had to go and get changed, giving Peter a meaningful look that wasn't missed by Neal.

He hated to admit it, but his heart sank slightly.

El and Peter usually went out and did various married couple things on a Sunday like taking in a show El wanted to see, or going to see a game Peter was interested in.

Hanging around the house on his own wouldn't be fun, but Neal was determined not to be a baby about it.

Focusing on his own remaining dregs of coffee he smiled warmly at Elizabeth as she tousled his hair lightly on her way out of the kitchen, once again leaving Peter and Neal remaining at the dining table.

As Peter watched the boy finish his coffee, he took a deep breath and steeled himself.

"Ok Neal, I want you to go on upstairs now and-"

He was interrupted.

Of course he was.

"Aw come on Peter, why can't I just stay down here while you're gone, I won't break anything."

Sighing, the elder man tried again, determined not to give the kid a chance to inadvertently talk himself into trouble.

"Don't interrupt please" he scolded, and kindly pretended not to see the eye roll he got in response.

"Now, as I was saying…as today is the last day of your grounding, I would like you to go upstairs and write down all the reasons that led to you getting into this mess, what you learned from your punishment, and what you can do in the future to ensure that something like this never happens again. You have one hour, and then I will be up to check it and it had better be to my satisfaction, for your own sake."

He said all this very fast, in an attempt to lay the cards on the table.

It would be easier to fight with the kid when he knew exactly he was fighting against.

Predictably, Neal blanched and opened his mouth with startling immediacy to let forth a string of protests that would be more suitable at an election rally than a dining table.

"Peter you cannot be serious. How many times do we have to go over it? I get it, ok? I get it, I get it, and I get it. I'm not a mute; I can tell you all of those things. I don't need to write them down. It's completely ridiculous. It's completely unnecessary, it's-"

"It's happening" Peter interrupted sternly, shooting a stern glare over the table.

Scowling, Neal folded his arms over his chest and let out a long wavering breath.

"This is so incredibly unfair" he fumed.

"No, what's incredible is you still thinking it's a good idea to give me lip" Peter shot back.

Sighing loudly, Neal rolled his eyes but made no further comment.

His backside did still sting after all.

Softening his tone somewhat, Peter tried again.

"Go on now; I'll be up in an hour. Just go and get it over and done with please Neal."

The kid made no movement other than to tighten his arms across his chest and shoot a scowl back at his handler.

Not wanting to get angry with the younger man, Peter tried a different tact.

"Neal, come on buddy. Don't disappoint me now, not when you've been doing so well" he cajoled.

It had the desired effect.

For Peter and El, and to an extent Mozzie, were the only people in the world that Neal George Caffrey gave a damn about disappointing.

They were the only people whose opinion of his opinion of him mattered to the self assured con.

Still though, the young man had absolutely zero desire to spend his Sunday morning writing some asinine list about how he'd screwed up and what he'd learned from it, like some unruly ten year old.

So he too, changed tact.

Fixing Peter with the most morose eyes that the elder man had ever seen, he let his shoulders droop sadly.

"Haven't I been punished enough?" he asked softly, letting an unbelievable amount of dolefulness creep into his voice.

Knowing exactly where the kid was going with this, Peter suppressed a smile.

"It's not a punishment Neal" he began, but was cut off by the derisive snort his words garnered.

"It's not" he repeated, "it's to try and make sure that I never have to punish you like this again. It's genuinely for your own good whether you can see it that way or not, and I'd really appreciate it if you could just do as you were told please. You don't have to like it, but you do have to do it."

"Now" he added, letting a note of firmness enter his own voice.

He had a schedule to keep.

Weighing up his options quickly, Neal sighed.

He only had two, and they both knew it.

The easy way, or the hard way.

Letting out one last tragic sigh, he slowly stood and began to slouch his way from the kitchen, sniffling slightly in self pity as he went.

Reaching the handle of the door, he rolled his eyes when Peter's voice rang out behind him.

"One hour Neal, and don't you roll your eyes at me."

Deciding to make a hasty exit, the young man nodded and scampered out of the kitchen, leaving a now slightly smiling Peter in his wake.

Meandering into his room and reluctantly seating himself at his desk, Neal drew a piece of blank paper from the stack on the shelf and picked up a pen.

Progress from thereon out was more… stilted.

Neal, who was effortlessly loquacious, stared at the blank piece of paper with an equal blankness in an uncharacteristic bout of writers block.

After staring out the window for twenty minutes and swinging back on the hind legs of the chair lazily, he startled when he saw the clock.

Hurriedly refocusing his mind, he turned his attention solely on the maddeningly clean sheet of paper.

Deciding to just do as he was told for once and tell the truth, he eventually put pen to paper and soon the sheet was beginning to fill with his neat handwriting.

Before long he was chuckling to himself.

He may as well have some fun, he reasoned.

Prisoner's still get fun, he rationalised.

Peter,

Please see below your completed instructions, which tentatively infringe on my constitutional right against self incrimination. I have included clear headings to assist with your failing eye sight.

Constitutional Rights Infringement Category One: "Reasons that led to me getting into this mess."

(1) I tampered with my anklet, and have been doing so for a….while (ish, not too long, honest)

(2) I put myself in danger because I didn't come to you for help

(3) I lied to you (lying by omission technically, which is just being quiet really, I'm a quiet guy)

(4) I put myself at risk of going back to prison (even though I am in prison)

Constitutional Rights Infringement Category Two: "What I learned from my punishment."

(1) Not to tamper with my anklet (not even for "not too long")

(2) Not to put myself in danger

(3) Not to lie to you (even by omission, even if it is being quiet really, even if I'm a quiet guy)

(4) Not to put myself at risk of going back to prison (applies to when I get out of prison)

(5) You have impressive upper arm strength for a guy your age

(6) Not to get in trouble without El being at home, food is of a much better quality that way

(7)I need to leave more books at your place

Constitutional Rights Infringement Category Three: "What I can do in the future to ensure this doesn't happen again."

(1) Come to you

P.S. (I love you)…. (Just kidding, it is an awfully good book/film though, you should read/watch it (probably best in your case to just watch it.)

(1) I'm really sorry

(2) It won't happen again

(3) Thanks for not murdering me

(4) You're not that bad, all things considered

(5) Can I download the new series of Antique Roadshow when you're gone?

Yours faithfully, (even if under duress)

Neal George Caffrey

Neal had just finished his signature with a flourish when the knock came on the door.

Looking down at what he had written, he suddenly felt a small bout of panic.

What if Peter thought he was being disrespectful?

Sighing as he realised there was nothing he could do about it now, he called out in a quiet voice for the older man to come in.

Entering, Peter felt relief when he saw the kid at his desk, one small victory.

Striding over to him, he placed a warm hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him.

"How did you get on bud?"

Squirming somewhat in response, which Peter took as a bad sign, Neal merely glanced down at the sheet of paper in front of him.

"Hand it over kiddo."

Squirming even more, Neal bit his lip in apprehension, but did as he was told.

Taking it from the kid's outstretched hand, Peter nodded his approval.

"Good. Now, whilst I read this, why don't you go on and get freshened up in the bathroom."

Neal glanced down at himself in confusion.

"Why? What's wrong with me?" he demanded, feeling slightly hurt.

"Nothing" Peter chuckled, "but just do as you're told."

Rolling his eyes but being glad to be out of the man's direct line of vision whilst he read his paper, Neal nodded, albeit in confusion, and disappeared into the en suite, and Peter settled down in the vacated chair and began to read.

As Neal brushed his teeth for the third time, he was alarmed to hear muted noises from his room.

Straining his ears to hear through the thick walls, his heart sank as they caught what appeared to be the low growling sounds that could only be emanating from Peter.

Forcibly hitting himself in the forehead, Neal cursed his stupidity.

Why couldn't he have just been polite and to the point in that stupid letter, why did he always have to have the last word.

Peter was going to kill him.

Glancing around the bathroom nervously as the sounds from his adjoining bedroom increased, Neal sighed.

There was no way out.

Squaring his shoulders, and his opinion deciding very bravely to just face the music, he tentatively opened the bathroom door and strode out.

A split second later he felt his jaw drop an inch and his heart make up the distance it had plummeted.

The noises he had heard had indeed come from Peter.

A buckled over with laughter, Peter.

Spying Neal enter out of the corner of his eye, the agent composed himself as best he could, and rose from the chair.

Still chuckling, he made his way over to a now grinning Neal, and playfully and gently, cuffed him around the ear.

"You are the most incorrigible brat I've ever met" he rebuked half-heartedly with a matching grin.

"Thank you" Neal retorted, as he gave a mockingly theatrical bow.

Rolling his eyes but still letting out the odd chuckle, Peter again placed a warm hand on the kids shoulder.

"Ok you menace, cheekiness aside, am I to take it from this note that you understand that what you did was wrong and that you will never pull such a stunt again?"

Looking up into the elder man's face, Neal was surprised by the quickness of his own answer.

"I understand why it was wrong and I'll never do it again" he replied, one of the few replies that he ever gave where he didn't think about it first.

Smiling his warm smile, Peter clapped Neal on the shoulder proudly.

"Good man Neal, good man."

Unashamedly basking in the praise, the younger man beamed up at the older one.

"So, can I download Antiques Roadshow?" he suddenly asked eagerly, not feeling like reading and not wanting to be bored all day whilst Peter and El were out.

"Sorry kiddo no can do" Peter replied simply, biting his cheek as the smile fell from Neal's face.

"Oh… ok" he murmured quietly, "I guess I'll just read then, if that's ok?"

"Nope, can't do that either" came the reply, causing the already crestfallen Neal to balk even further.

"You're making me clean aren't you?" he asked glumly, briefly remembering the time Peter had made him completely clean out his basement as punishment for some other caper.

Clearly recalling the same memory, Peter couldn't help but let a chuckle escape him.

Neal could be flat out adorable when he wanted to be.

When the boy looked up at him in confused despondency, Peter decided to put him out of his misery.

"You can't watch TV or read" he said, as suddenly fished around in jeans pocket and held up three what looked like tickets of some description "because El and I are taking you to that exhibition you gave me so much grief about yesterday. A friend of mine knows a guy and I got tickets sorted last night."

Silence ensued.

It ensued for a quite a while before Peter's laughter broke it.

Laughter at the rarest of all rare events.

Neal Caffrey was speechless.

For a minute or so anyway, which the elder man savoured.

"But" he eventually spluttered, "but…it's over?"

Smiling at the kid's amazement, Peter shrugged slightly.

"It's over in DC" he corrected, "it is just beginning in Boston."

Another speechless moment ensued.

"Peter…that's over a seven hour drive" Neal murmured incredulously.

Whilst he would gladly have walked to Boston to see the exhibit, he really couldn't expect Peter and El to make that kind of a trip.

"I know" Peter said cheerfully, "El's already made devilled ham sandwiches for the car."

Carefully ignoring the latter piece of information, Neal looked up at Peter in obvious confusion.

"Why would you drive all the way to Boston so I could see an exhibit? I thought I was grounded? What about my anklet?"

Once again placing a hand on Neal's shoulder, Peter looked down at him fondly.

"Question one: because, you deserve it. All things considered you've been great about this week, and overall I'm really pleased with your attitude. Question two: you are grounded, you're not to leave mine or El's sight, and I mean that. Question three: as for the anklet…" Peter looked slightly sheepish for a moment, "if anyone asks we were following a lead, I've already cleared it. We're off work tomorrow anyway, so it won't matter that we're not back until all hours."

Neal again felt his mouth fall open.

This was surreal.

He had expected to spend his Sunday moping around the house, and all of a sudden it was turning into the best Sunday he could possibly have hoped for.

"So I'm not in trouble anymore?" he asked, hearing the wondering quality of his own voice.

Squeezing his shoulder, Peter nodded.

"You're not in trouble anymore" he confirmed happily.

Neal felt himself inflate with considerable and unhindered happiness, until a thought crossed his mind that made his face fall.

Seeing this, Peter tilted his head slightly and stared at him.

"What's up?"

Shuffling slightly, Neal merely squirmed on his spot and didn't answer.

"Come on kid" Peter encouraged, "what's the problem?"

Reddening slightly, Neal sighed realising, as always, disclosure was inevitable.

"It's just… we probably won't get back until the early morning and umm…well, it's just…"

Peter grinned.

"It's just awfully late for a spanking?" he supplied knowingly, his eyes twinkling.

Scowling somewhat at the perceptiveness, Neal nodded slowly… but stopped moving his head immediately as an awful realisation dawned on him.

"You're spanking me before we go aren't you?" he squeaked, his earlier happiness growing legs and hightailing it from the room.

Laughing slightly again, Peter nodded.

"Sure am" he replied easily, biting the inside of his gum to refrain from completely dissolving into laughter at the horrified look crossing the young man's face.

Seven hours each way on a stinging backside was surely an earthly form of hell.

Deciding again to put the kid out of his misery, Peter took a firm hold of his wrist and gently guided him towards the bed, intensely relieved that the young man, for once, saw fit to cooperate.

Plopping himself down in his usual perch, he quickly put a still horrified looking Neal over his knee, and wrapped and arm around his waist.

"Ready Neal?" he asked, grinning freely now that the kid couldn't see his face.

The muffled "yes Peter" was so mournful; the elder man couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Always with the dramatics.

Raising his hand, he quickly laid five relatively gentle swats down across the kid's backside before pulling him up off his knee and setting him back on his feet and standing up himself.

It was certainly the first eight second spanking he'd ever dished out to the younger man.

Not even feeling the slightest of slight stings in jeans clad backside, Neal looked at Peter in complete confusion.

"What was that?"

"That was your last spanking" Peter grinned.

Neal was beginning to feel so familiar with confusion that it didn't even affect him that much anymore.

"I don't get it?" he murmured softly, looking to the floor in an attempt to focus his mind.

Laughing, Peter gently tipped the boy's head up to level eye contact between them.

"I told you, I'm proud of you and how you handled this week. But, I said I was going to spank you every day for a week, and I meant it. But…I never said how long or how hard. See where good behaviour gets you?"

Neal began to feel a grin cross his face as he digested this.

"So…that's it?" he asked, needing solid clarification.

He would have be a good lawyer he thought to himself briefly.

"That's it" Peter clarified genially, "unless of course… you think I need to put you back across my knee and do the job properly?" he teased.

Backing away hastily and holding his hands up in defence, Neal shook his head vehemently.

"No no…that won't be necessary" he said firmly.

"Thought not" Peter chuckled.

Looking at the young man in front of him, the agent was thoroughly relieved the week was at an end and found himself genuinely looking forward to just having a good time with his wife and the kid.

"Come on now" he chided, "we need to get going. Grab whatever you want for the ride, and then meet me at the car in twenty minutes tops, ok?"

Beaming once more, Neal nodded eagerly.

Smiling, Peter began to make his way out of the room to see how El was getting along.

He made it as far as the door before a voice stopped him.

"Peter?"

Turning immediately, the agent found Neal right in front him.

Kid walked like a cat.

"Yeah buddy?"

Contemplating his words for a moment, Neal remained silent and Peter waited with his habitual patience.

When no adequate words came to mind, the younger man abandoned them and instead in a very un-Neal like manner, threw himself into Peter's torso for a hug.

Slightly startled, but recovering quickly, Peter wrapped his arms around the kid's slender frame and chuckled as he felt him bury his face in his chest.

It was this burying that caused the boy's next words to be muffled, but the agent's trained ears caught them anyway.

"I wasn't really kidding about the P.S."

…..

TBC

…

A/N: Ok, so no stern spanking in this scene but by the end of the week I felt like Neal earned a bit of slack! There will be plenty more cross Peter scenes to come however so fret not!

Thanks for reading guys, please let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to see.

Credit to "Guest" from December 28th for the list/letter suggestion! Loved it so decided to throw it in there, not my usual thing so please let me know what you thought!