Chapter 11
Neal came swaggering into the office with a newspaper in his hands and bounded right up to Peter's office. He didn't pay attention to the curious glances the agents sent his way. Now that he and Ryker were working on a CIA mission together, Neal and Peter were trying to put their differences aside to work together. In other works, things were back to the way they had been.
At least on the surface.
"I have our next case!" he announced cheerfully, holding up the paper.
Peter glanced up with an irritable expression which momentarily softened to a smile.
"Going department store shopping?" he quipped, "I would never have guessed."
"What?" Neal turned the paper around and noticed the large ad that took up half the page; one of the department stores was having a sale. "No, I'm talking about the article under it." He placed it on the table and pointed to the paragraph long article about a painting that was stolen overnight.
Peter gave him a disbelieving glare that caused him to back up a few steps.
"NYPD's going to handle that case, not us," he said, "and you have a real estate scam to solve."
Neal sighed. He was only trying to have a little fun and it had felt like ages since he had been able to joke around in the office.
Peter glanced up at him.
"You can go now, Neal," he said. He waited until a very unhappy Neal made it to the door before adding, "and El wants you to come round for dinner."
"What?" he questioned, turning quickly to face him. Was this some kind of trick? He goes round and El feeds him poisoned food or they lock him up in the basement base or something.
"She wants to know more about your life," he responded.
"Oh," was all he could say. It was the oddest request he had ever heard. He nodded that he would be there and walked out of the office.
He noticed that some of the agents were giving him suspicious looks. To them, it appeared like he had worked his way back into Peter's good graces very quickly after their falling out. Most didn't know why he and Peter had been fighting, although Jones and Diana had suspected.
And they had started acting normal around him as soon as it looked like Peter had forgiven him. He hadn't done anything to get Peter to forgive him. He knew it had to be an act.
His stomach churned as he wondered just how much of Peter was an act.
Peter sighed and ran his hands through his thinning hair. Acting normal with Neal wasn't as hard as he thought it would be. Neal was likeable; it was one of the things which drew him to the conman in the first place.
But, how much of Neal was an act? He had certainly seemed confident when he walked into the office and a little apprehensive when Peter told him about dinner. He wondered what Bryce really thought about the offer. Was it the same as Neal; a little apprehensive and probably worried about intruding, or did he consider it a waste of time now that they knew his real identity?
He tossed those thoughts from his head as he stood up and grabbed his jacket. He sent a text to Sarah, stating that he hadn't heard from Ward yet, and walked outside into the bullpen.
"Hey, Peter," Jones greeted him in a hushed voice as he walked by. "Is there something going on with Caffrey?"
"No. Why do you ask?" he responded. Neal looked fine to him, waving at him from his desk.
"Just, and I know I'm out-of-line but, the issue with Keller. Do we really know his role in it?"
To Peter, it felt like he was asking, 'do we really know Neal?'
"Keller was trying to bring Neal down and hurt me in the process," Peter responded. It was bending the truth. The treasure had also been a big motivator but Keller wasn't a guy who did things for a singular reason.
"Peter, ready to go?" Neal questioned loudly, tipping his hand onto his head. "Don't want to leave El waiting."
Jones gave Peter a look that said he thought he was getting to close to Neal.
"El insisted," Peter told him, "she believes the right person is behind bars and wants to give Neal the benefit of doubt." Both things she had said before they had learnt about Bryce.
Jones wasn't convinced but he did back off.
"Time to go?" Neal questioned as he walked over. Peter nodded and he gave a sigh of relief.
Peter shot him an exasperated look; did he really have to be so eager to leave?, and then felt a sting of pain as he realised that Bryce might really want to leave. He had mentioned going back into the spy game after Neal Caffrey's commutation hearing.
Neal! He wanted to call out but, the words wouldn't come. And then he turned around and flashed the Caffrey smile;
"Come on, Peter or I'll leave without you," he said, pulling out his keys. Peter slapped his pockets; when had he taken those?
He pushed the knowledge that Neal was going leave down deep and cursed the other man for taking his keys.
Neal laughed and skirted out the door. Peter followed, shaking his head at his partner's antics.
El wasn't alone when they arrived. She was sitting in the lounge with Sarah across from her.
"Sarah," Neal breathed in surprise, "what-"
"We were just talking," Sarah responded quickly, clearing her throat and nodding her thanks to El.
"Oh, you don't have to go." El stood up when she did.
Sarah grabbed her handbag, a small cream-coloured thing, and moved towards the door.
"Chuck's probably expecting me back soon," she explained, excusing herself.
"Uh, bye?" Peter called after her.
"What was Sarah doing here?" Neal questioned.
El gave them an exasperated look as she shrugged her hands in the air and let them drop to her sides.
"She came to talk," she explained.
"About what?" Peter asked, slightly confused and protective. He didn't understand what a spy would be doing in his house while he wasn't here. "She didn't go downstairs, did she?"
"No," El responded in that tone she got when he was being overly suspicious to the point of insensitive, "she really was here to talk."
"She didn't have to leave," Neal questioned, just as confused. Peter made a motion of agreement and El groaned and rubbed her forehead.
"You are her ex," she pointed out.
"Yeah. What does that have to do with it?" Neal questioned, honestly baffled.
"People don't usually hang out with their exs," El explained patiently.
"But, we're spies," Neal pointed out, "we shouldn't let out feelings get in the way."
"Shouldn't doesn't mean don't," El countered. She looked at Peter when she spoke. He didn't want to participate in this; he really had trouble talking about emotions and stuff, so he just smiled and nodded.
"So, what's for dinner?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject. Neal gave him a look that said he wasn't fooled but El's eyes widened in realisation.
"I haven't decided yet," she mused in surprise, "I got so caught up chatting that I lost track of time."
"I could cook," Neal suggested and before either of them could protest he started walking towards the kitchen, adding, "since you've been kind enough to invite me to dinner."
El looked happy at the prospect and Peter had a moment where he thought it was okay. Then he remembered that there was a spy in his kitchen, offering to make him dinner and he needed to be worried about poison in the food.
"We could help," he pointed out, following Neal.
Author's note: Chuck and Sarah return next chapter.
