Not sure how I feel about this chapter, but here it is anyway...

"Peter?"

Elizabeth asked hesitantly as she sat down across from Peter at the dining room table, after they had put Neal to bed. She wrapped her hands around her hot coffee mug and nervously squeezed it.

"Yeah?" Her husband replied, glancing up from the newspaper was reading.

"You know I can't watch Neal tomorrow and since you can't just keep taking him to work with you," She paused until her husband met her gaze. "I think we should start thinking about maybe sending Neal to...daycare."

Peter dropped his newspaper on to the table and stared at her with an amused expression. "You're joking."

"No, honey. I'm not."

"El! The kid was terrified of leaving the house with us and let's not even start with him thinking we are going to give him away. This will just be icing on the cake, a huge cake!"

"I understand that, but we need to start thinking about what will happen if he doesn't change back! If he," She stopped to lower her voice. "if he doesn't change back we're going to have to enroll him anyway and plus, if he is around other kids and has a good time, maybe it will ease his nerves about all of this."

"Elizabeth, I really don't think that's a good idea. Dropping him off somewhere, with people he doesn't know, with other kids? He's not even a normal kid. I just...I don't think it is a good idea."

"My friend Valerie sent her kids to this daycare. She loved it and felt safe leaving her kids there. Peter..." She trailed off. "I think this could be really good for Neal. It will give him an opportunity to interact with other kids, despite the fact he isn't a 'normal' one and maybe help him cope with all of this. You and I both know that it's not good for him to be so scared and attached."

Peter stared at her with an understanding but regretful look. "You're right, but he's not going to like it."

"Not at first, but after the second or third time he goes and gets a feel for it, he will probably really enjoy it."

Peter dropped his gaze back to the newspaper, but didn't really look at it. "Maybe."

"Alright, then. It's settled. I'll call the daycare first thing in the morning and you can drop him off since it is own your way to work."

"Wait. You want me to be the one to drop him off?"

"Well I would, but I have to go across the city and it is on your way to work."

Peter let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand down his face to help ease the new stress he felt welding up. "Alright. I'll...take him."

The next morning, Peter had parked alongside the curb a few blocks away from the daycare and cut the engine.

"Petew, why awe we stopping?" Neal asked from the backseat of the agent's car as he peered around the side of his car seat to look out the window. Peter took a slow, deep breath while deciding it would be best to get the boy out of the car before delivering the bad news. Peter was really just stalling the inevitable for as long as he possibly could.

"Petew?" Neal asked again, as the agent unbuckled him and took him from his car seat.

Peter didn't answer until he had Neal's small backpack dangling from his forearm, carrying Neal securely on his hip and the car locked. "Neal, you're going to go somewhere really fun today."

"Wowk. I'm going to wowk with you."

"Ahh, no. No, Neal, you're going to go somewhere fun while I go to work. You're going to have a lot of fun and meet new people. Then, I'm going to pick you up from daycare and-"

"Daycawe?" Neal shouted, before fighting against Peter so the older man would let him down. "No, no, no, no, no. I go to wowk! Not daycawe! I'm not going to daycawe!"

"Neal." Peter replied forcefully and he held Neal tighter. "Neal, stop moving. Stop trying to get down or I'll send you to daycare for the rest of your sentence, understood?"

Neal immediately stopped and turned surprised eyes to the agent, partially because of the threat, but mostly because the scolding tone in the agent's voice. Peter froze too as he realized how paternal he sounded. The two of them just stared at each other for a few seconds that passed like minutes, before Peter continued walking and turned the corner to bring them to the entrance to the daycare.

"Pete-"

"Not. A. Word." The older man warned again as he walked in.

"Good Morning, Sir. How can I help you?" A young blonde headed woman asked, from behind the desk to the left of the lobby.

"I'm Peter Burke, this is Neal. My wife, Elizabeth called this morning about dropping Neal off for the day."

"Oh yes!" She replied, while she typed something into the computer. "Okay, Mr. Burke. Your wife gave us most of the information over the phone. You're dropping off your son Neal Burke-"

Peter almost choked when the woman said Neal Burke, but thankfully kept a cool facade, something 'adult' Neal would find humorous no doubt, and apparently 'child' Neal found it funny too by the sound of muffled giggles in his shoulder. He tuned out what the woman was saying while he silently wondered why Elizabeth had failed to mention she told the daycare Neal was their son, but when he heard his name he decided he should be paying attention to the woman instead.

"Okay, Mr. Burke. All I need from you is at least two phone numbers we can contact you at and I need to see your driver's license or some form of I.D."

Peter pulled his wallet out and gave her his license as he told her two phone numbers.

Ten minutes later, the woman finished getting additional information from Peter, returned his driver's license and told them they were all set.

"Alright, sweetheart!" She said cheerfully, turning her attention on Neal. "Are you ready to have some fun while Daddy goes to work?"

Neal didn't answer her. Instead, he turned his head away from her, back over Peter's shoulder.

"Um, could you give us a minute?" Peter asked, politely. The girl nodded and went about organizing files, while Peter put Neal down and squatted in front of him. Grabbing him gently by the shoulders, he spoke to him.

"Hey, listen to me. I'll be back as soon as I get off from work. Just have fun and meet the other kids. You'll have fun, ok?"

Neal didn't say anything, just looked down at his shoes.

"Hey." Peter brought Neal's head up with his index finger under the boy's chin. "Be good. No shenanigans. Are we clear?"

Neal just blinked slightly cloudy eyes.

"Neal." Peter warned.

"P-please don't leave me hewe." Neal whispered, his bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.

"I'm not leaving you. I'm coming back to get you after work, Neal."

"No. Please, I-I want to go to wowk."

Peter sighed and glanced at the woman who was trying to wait patiently for them.

"Listen, buddy...I know, but you have to stay here. Remember the badge I gave you. Be brave, Neal. Okay?" Peter replied, as he motioned for the woman while standing up.

"No!" Neal shouted and moved to latch on to Peter's leg, but the agent stepped back with a gut wrenching feeling as the woman grabbed Neal's hand to guide him back to where the other kids were.

"It's okay, Mr. Burke. We will take good care of him." The lady stated as she motioned for Peter to go ahead and leave. Peter sighed, but realized he wasn't helping the situation by standing there, so he turned to exit. Neal's desperate protests and cries made it difficult to put one foot in front of the other, but the agent managed to make it to the door only to be stopped dead in his tracks by one word spilling out of Neal's mouth.

"Daddy!"

The cry came out of Neal's mouth before his mind even began to process it. The word felt like a foreign language across his tongue and he probably wouldn't have realized what he had said if he hadn't noticed Peter stop leaving. He ceased his struggles against the lady pulling him back into the back of the daycare and mirrored the agent's lack of movement. Peter had yet to turn around and it made Neal nervous. Embarrassing heat reached his cheeks and his breath caught in his throat while he tried to tell himself that he only called Peter 'daddy' because he was suppose to be Neal Burke, but deep down inside his childish mind he knew that wasn't the truth. It made his bottom lip tremble even more and he bit it in attempt to still it, but it didn't help. Water lined his eyes and threatened to spill over while Peter's back still remained towards him, causing his desperation for the man to come and get him even higher. He just didn't understand why.

The lady tugged at his arm. "Come on, sweetie. Your daddy has to go to work, but he will be back before you know it."

Neal stumbled as the woman pulled him along gently. He noticed that he was getting closer to the door that led into the back and once he stepped through it, Peter would be gone. Embarrassment forgotten, desperation took ahold of Neal in a burly grip and his cries were forced from his throat once again.

"Daddy...please!"

The woman said nothing and continued to guide Neal back until an adult voice stopped her.

Peter felt his heart twist and plummet to the bottom of his stomach upon hearing Neal call him 'daddy' again. He closed his eyes and weighed his options. Elizabeth being angry at him for not taking Neal to daycare he could take and smooth over in a day or two. Leaving Neal at the last place he wanted to be, especially after his outbursts, he couldn't even think about.

"Wait." He called out, before he had even made up his mind. "Stop."

He finally turned around and upon seeing Neal, he felt he couldn't get the kid out of there fast enough. He crossed the room in four long strides, ignored the displeased look of the woman who let go of Neal's arm and picked up the boy who was all but jumping up into his arms.

"I'm sorry, but I can't leave him here."

"Sir, I know it is diffic-"

"I will not leave him here." Peter repeated, before taking Neal's backpack from her and walking out of the door.

Peter leaned against his car while holding Neal with one arm and his cell phone with the other. The boy's head rested lazily on his shoulder, while he dialed a phone number and held it to his ear.

After three rings, he was greeted from the other end of the line.

"Diana, you know how you said if I ever needed anything with uh...the Neal situation, you would help out?"

"Yeah, Peter. What do you need?"

He felt a relieved sigh escape his lips and a weight lifted from his chest. He silently thanked God for her, before replying. "A babysitter. I'll have another agent cover your cases for today, Hell, I'll do them myself if I have to, but I really need you on this Diana."

He heard her easy laughter on the other end. "Sure, Boss. Do you want me to meet you somewhere?"

"No, I can just drop him off at your place, if that's alright."

"Perfect. I'll see you in a bit."

"Alright. And Diana?"

He heard another laugh. "You're welcome, Peter."

Peter took a deep breath as he ended the call and slid his phone back into his pocket before praying that the day didn't go as roughly as it had already started out to be.

AN: Next chapter: Diana baby-sitting Neal and Peter explaining to Elizabeth why Neal didn't go to daycare.

Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!