Happy Endings

From LianneZ4:

How about Bryce somehow helps Neal during the Kate/music box mess? Maybe Neal contacts him from prison when Kate breaks up with him, or maybe he somehow interferes later... Bonus points for one twin posing as the other and for a happy ending.

Heat and sound pressed down on him. Ringing sounded in his ears. He wished he hadn't figured out what had happened so quickly.

He wished he hadn't turned to check; he wished he hadn't seen the ball of fire that was a plane only moments ago.

Smoke rose to the air, pulling ashes up with it and debris covered in flame scatters over the ground.

"KATE!" He needed to see it; he needed to see her. But he couldn't see her so, on impulse, he surged towards the flame. "KATE!" Hands grab him, pull him back and there's Peter's voice and Peter's warmth, so different to the heat of the flames. It grounded him enough to let the tears flow freely. He could stop holding the cries of anguish back and just let it all go.

He doesn't remember much after that. It seemed like he blinked and he was back behind bars, as if it was all a nasty dream.

He wished it was a dream.

Here's what Neal didn't know. And someone really owed him an apology for not telling him until after:

The pilot of the plane was one of Kate's choosing. And she chose the second-best man she knew.

He wasn't sitting in the cockpit either, but standing near her.

"Agent Burke's here," she said.

"Dial the number," he told her, pulling out a fire blanket. He had an idea what would happen now that things were about to go wrong. He had planned for this.

The plane had an exit on the other side. He pulled her up and dragged her out. He had to pull her along as she kept glancing back to where Neal was walking up to the plane.

Neal would be fine; they were the ones in danger. The explosion sent a force slamming into their backs, cutting Kate off mid-sentence and sending them sprawling across the ground as fire rained down on them. Bryce held up the fire blanket for protection and grabbed the phone from where it fell and tossed it back into the flames.

Kate let out a hiss of pain and he pulled her forward and away from the hanger. A burning plane stood between them and Neal.

"Hurry," he ordered as he pulled off his jacket and passed her a police cap. She took off her jacket, tied up her hair and placed the cap on her head. Bryce tugged his hair back and made sure his sunglasses hadn't come off in the explosion. They were dressed well enough to pass for police in the short-term.

"Alright," he said, "let's go."

Here's what Neal did know:

After Peter refused to let him search for Kate, even with the picture as his evidence, Neal made a phone call.

Bryce didn't pick up and, as far as he knew, he didn't receive any of his messages or he did and he ignored them.

What Neal didn't know was that Bryce had been shot, again. He was on bed rest for weeks and light duty for a few months after that. By the time the CIA was letting him back out, Neal had already been out on the anklet for a few weeks.

Bryce burnt his old number and so didn't find out about Neal's situation until he took a quick mission to New York. He had expected to find Neal out and possibly engaged to Kate; if Neal had got the courage to actually ask instead of just dreaming or freaking out about it.

He didn't see Neal and so he received most his information second-hand from FBI reports, phone calls to Hughes and emails to Peter. It was enough.

It allowed him to meet with Kate moments after Peter left. It allowed him to speak with her as Neal's twin brother; "by the way, nice to meet you," he had said before taking her gun out of her handbag and scolding her for having it.

He helped her play the situation and untangle the web she had gotten stuck in. He was the one to realise that it wasn't just about some box, it was about revenge.

Revenge made things messy. It meant that this was also about her and Neal and there was less chance they would make it out of this alive if their usefulness ran out.

That day on the plane, Kate's usefulness ran out. If it hadn't been for Bryce, who knows what might have happened?

Neal sat in his cell. Peter had promised to get him back out but, he didn't care. He sat there, on the bed with his legs crossed and just stared at the wall. He didn't have the energy to do much else.

"Neal?" He twitched at the sound of her voice. "Neal?" His head turned towards the entrance of the cell, where she was standing.

"Kate?" he questioned, crawling off the bed. The door to his cell opened and they met just inside, his hands wrapping tight around her.

"I'm sorry!" she said to him, holding him just as tightly. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

Bryce stood there as they hugged and whispered promises to each other. Finally, he had to speak.

"Agent Burke's going to get you out of here soon," he said.

"I know that," Neal responded, placing his forehead against Kate's. Now that he had her back, he didn't want to let her go.

"What do you want to do?" Bryce prodded, moving closer to Neal.

"I think I'll take the deal, go back to June's and work off the rest of my sentence, would you stay with me?" he said to Kate.

She nodded.

While Neal was staring longingly into Kate's eyes, Bryce bumped up against his brother and pushed something into his hand.

Neal gave him a curious glance, his other hand still attached to Kate.

"It's a better option than the one you hid in plain sight," Bryce explained coolly as Neal's fingers explored the object.

He froze when he realised what it was.

He swallowed.

"Uh, Kate?" he said, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Yes?" she questioned in a confused tone. She glanced between him and Bryce, wondering if what she wanted to happen was happening.

"I know I'm just a con and," he looked around at the bland prison walls and made a face as he said, "this probably isn't what you expected when we started dating but, when Peter gets me out of here, would be willing to help me build a life on the outside?"

"Of course," she insisted, placing her hand over his. He twisted his hand, so she could feel what he was holding. He waited until comprehension lit on her face and she gave a little gasp before he knelt.

"Kate Moreau, will you-"

"Yes!" she squealed before he finished, taking the ring and slipping it onto her finger without his help.

Bryce laughed at Neal's surprised expression.

"About time you asked," she told him, hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek and then on the lips.

"Maybe you shouldn't have run?" he suggested in between kisses.

"Oh, I'm getting the talk on not running from Neal Caffrey?" she joked, leaning back to give him a smug look. "Really?"

Bryce cleared his throat, reminding the happy couple that he was there.

"Best man?" Neal asked him, not even needing to ask the full question. "I'd make it Peter but, he throws terrible, terrible parties."

"But, he's married to a professional event planner," Kate questioned, crinkling her nose in confusion.

"And she'll be planning the wedding but, not the bachelor party," Neal said.

"I really hope I'm not about to see the first fight break out," Bryce pointed out. They laughed and Neal shook his head.

Kate untangled from him.

"I think I need to make your brother understand just what's going to be allowed at this 'bachelor party'," she said giving him one last kiss before leaving.

"I haven't said 'yes' yet!" Bryce pointed out.

"Oh, you will," Kate said confidently.

Neal listened to their footsteps walk away with a goofy smile planted on his face. He couldn't wait to tell Peter about this.