Hey Guys(: Here's Chapter Twelve, as stated. Enjoy! Review please!


Title :: Neal's Secret - Chapter Twelve.
Disclaimer :: Still hoping. Maybe I'll put them on my Christmas List.
Summary :: Trust is questioned between Peter and Neal when someone Neal knew gets brought up. Neal's trying his hardest to hide something, Peter just has to try harder to figure out what it is.

Peter had gotten back to the office, walking up to the conference room and immediately asked his Agents what they knew.

"Is Neal-" Diana looked up at him.

"With Mozzie." He answered quickly. "Is Sam-"

"No location." She said, handing him a case file.

"And Roy-"

"Waiting for you in interrogation. He just got finished with booking. Good timing." She handed him his coffee mug, full.

Peter gave her a smile.

-x-

After two hours Peter just wanted to give this up. Roy wasn't talking. He wasn't doing much really, except taunting Peter with phrases like 'You'll never catch him', 'You won't win' and 'I hope you hang on to that criminal of yours'.

Peter was looking at the smirking face infront of him, taking some pride in the darkening bruises that were around it from Neal - the kid did a damn good job.

"You're going away for a long time." Peter said with satisfaction. Roy glared at him. "Whether you help me find Russo or not, I don't really give a damn, but you - you won't see daylight again."

Roy then gave him a sick smile. "You think I don't know how your tactics work Agent Burke? Scare me with sentencing, oooh. isn't that...FBI 101?" Roy teased. "Not a tactic. I will not make a deal with you. I don't care what you choose to do. You will spend the rest of your life locked up in a cell no matter what you tell me, helpful or not. I'll spend one," Peter held up his finger, "more minute here, letcha think about it, after that. You'll be escorted-"

"Yeah, yeah. I know where I'll go." Roy smirked. "I can't believe Neal hasn't called you yet."

Peter didn't let his curiosity show, there was something that was telling him to check his phone now even though it hadn't rung, still wondering where that comment had come from. "Hell, I can't believe you left the kid alone."

Burke kept his temper in check. "Come on, Petey." Roy smiled at his impromptu nickname. "You honestly think Sam was going to wait to get Neal back? Even after your little show? Please. He doesn't have the patience."

"What is your point?"

"My point is - he broke out of jail to get him and, where ever you left that shitty thing of a kid is exactly where you will find Sam. Right about..." He waited a few moments, looking at his watch teasingly, before that damned smile came back. "Now." It took everything Peter had not to lash out and add a few more bruises after the insult but Neal's safety was what was on his mind now. He glared at Roy. "Get him out of my face." The officer by the door reached over, dragging Roy up and the douchebag in handcuffs mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that?" Peter asked. Roy met his eyes. "I said that your little worthless son of a bitch deserved it." It was an impulse, lapse in judgement and only lasted a second, but Peter's fist was against Roy's jaw and the criminal was caught by the officer holding onto his arm without the ability to take in air. Peter didn't even stay in the room long enough to see his team's reactions.

-x-

After speeding to Neal's place, only breaking a few traffic laws and violations, Peter ran inside. There was a crash distantly upstairs and Peter's team was up behind him. "Go." He instructed without sound, immediately getting to Neal's section of the house.

Peter didn't wait, didn't count, didn't clear a single other room before running through the loft door and holding up his gun. Jones and Diana fanned out behind him, guns up.

Both Mozzie and Neal stared at them, eyes wide. There was a plate - the snack plate from earlier Peter noticed - on the floor, in pieces.

"I didn't drop it! You have no evidence!" Mozzie yelled, reflexively throwing his arms up and all the way above his head. Neal's hands were defensively up as well, not as high, and he stared over at Mozzie. A look of 'what the hell did you take' on his face as he shook his head slightly and dropped his hands.

Peter quickly apologized as their guns were lowered. "Is...everything...okay?" Neal asked slowly, watching closely as their guns were placed back on their belts.

"Just...making sure you were okay." Peter said. Neal was about to say something before he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned slightly.

"You can put your arms down now, Moz."

It was silent for a few moments, Mozzie looked at Neal then at each Agent individually, then lowered his arms back to his sides with a skeptical look.

"Peter, what did I tell you about scaring Mozzie?" Neal asked, looking at the group of Agents, actually smiling.

"I wasn't scared!" Mozzie protested from beside him. "Oh! You should've seen your face." Neal laughed slightly, imitating Mozzie and meeting his eyes.

Peter sighed, cutting their laughter. "Roy thinks Sam is coming back."

Neal's face fell, relaxing mood leaving him and he looked over at Peter with anxiousness. He swallowed hard and the Agent regretted taking his good mood away from him. Mozzie looked over at Neal, concerned, silently asking what he wanted to do. "I uhm..." Neal bit into his bottom lip. "Excuse me." He disappeared behind the door that lead towards his closet and bathroom.

Mozzie watched him leave before looking at Peter.

Peter met his eyes before looking at his team. "I want patrol around here tonight. No one gets inside this house that we don't know about." Peter ordered quietly as he looked at Jones and Diana and they left to set it up and grab the van.

"What should I do?" Mozzie asked.

"Stay in here with Neal."

Mozzie nodded. "I can do that."

-x-

Hours passed and nightfall came quick, without any sign of Sam - which should be classified as a good thing but Peter wanted to catch this bastard. Jones, Diana, and him were in the van on the corner close to June's house. Peter desperately wanted to be inside with them but he knew that if Sam noticed he was there then there would be no chance and him showing up and them catching him.

Cameras were outside, inside, and mics were placed inside the loft - when Mozzie had run back...to wherever he stays...to grab a few things for the evening, otherwise someone, probably Peter, would've gotten a tangent about Big Brother being able to watch - which no one wanted.

They had the place surrounded and within the van was an eerie silence as they watched Neal and Mozzie's movements inside, feeling a bit guilty because neither con knew about the surveillance equipment - Neal hadn't come out of hiding until a little while ago to know.

No one knew what to say - to comfort eachother.

No one knew how to react to the whole situation. They didn't want to.

-x-

At the table inside, Neal had arms folded and his head down ontop of the table. Mozzie sat across from him. Neal didn't move and he frowned slightly.

"How bout those Yankees?" Mozzie asked with attempted excitement, sipping from his cup of tea.

"Moz, you don't watch baseball." Neal commented. Mozzie frowned slightly at the exhausted sound of his voice. "Red Socks?" He tried. "That's another baseball team." Mozzie's thumb played with the handle on the mug, ignoring that fact. "I made tea."

"No thanks, I don't want any."

Mozzie placed the cup down. "I didn't make tea for you. This is my tea."

"Then why are you telling me?" Neal asked as he turned his head to the side, facing away from Mozzie with eyes still closed, to move his neck a bit. He'd been in the position to long.

"It's a conversation starter."

"That's a terrible conversation starter." Neal said, lifting his head only slightly and giving him a look.

"Oh? Is it? We're conversing." Mozzie picked up his cup and took another sip with a smirk. "Checkmate."

Neal shook his head, placing his face back down into the fold of his arms. "What are you still doing here, Moz?" He turned his face away again.

"To comfort you of course." Mozzie looked down at him, about to place his hand on his back before pausing. "No no, that's not going to work. I'll comfort you from over here." He stood, moving seats to sit on the other side of Neal - the way he was looking - and took a seat.

It took a moment but Neal lifted his head, hair falling slightly against his forehead. He gave Mozzie a skeptical look and Mozzie shot back a smile. It got Neal a laugh and that's really all Mozzie had wanted.

Neal sat up, rubbing at his eyes. "Can I ask you a question? I didn't want to ask Peter." His voice was laced with uncertainty. "Sure."

"You're not gonna...get mad at me, are you?" Neal asked. Mozzie met his eyes, trying to understand. "I just...Moz, when I was in the car with him. I..."

"You were scared."

"Yeah, but. I relaxed. I mean, I...come on, I fell asleep..." Neal leaned back in the chair, stretching his legs out. His hands came up to rest on the table and Mozzie sat closer. "What is it Neal?"

"I...I started thinking."

"Congratulations."

"No," Neal smiled a bit at the interruption, "I mean. I...I was thinking about him. But..." He couldn't find the words. He didn't know how to explain it without sounding crazy. "He said something." Mozzie watched him expectantly, waiting for the rest of the thought. "He...he told me I...I was safe with him..." Neal's eyes fell to his hands on the table, fingers playing at one another in an attempt to distract himself.

"Neal, you know he was just-"

"I know. But...I started to think about it. And...God...Moz...he...he wasn't being him. He was...being gentle. And...right."

Mozzie gave him a confused look. "What?" He asked.

"I know. It sounds crazy but...he...Moz he was acting different. It had caught me off guard. But...he was right."

-x-

Back in the van, the team exchanged looks. Peter felt worse now for listening in on the conversation. It was obviously something Neal hadn't planned on sharing with him.

But, what the hell happened in that car?

-x-

Mozzie was looking down at his friend, their eyes meeting, the expression on his face still not understanding.

"Think about it. Remember, the beginning? Everytime I got hurt, Sam had always appeared. Out of nowhere. And...and..." Neal looked away again. "After...he...after it began...everything...changed." Neal desperately tried to explain himself and it took a few moments but Mozzie sat back.

"You think Sam was keeping everyone else from hurting you?" Mozzie asked.

Neal sat up straight, wrapping his arms around his abdomen and looking down with embarrassment. "Neal-"

"I know. It's stupid and crazy. And I just...forget I said anything. It's nothing-" Mozzie's hand came up to his shoulder, stopping his rambling. "It's not crazy."

Neal looked up at him. "Like I said, he was just acting completely different."

"How so?"

"He...I dunno, just...holding my hand and being almost caring and...telling me to relax, that he wanted me...and not hitting me...and, yeah." Neal's voice trailed off as his hands moved to his lap.

Mozzie watched him with quiet understanding and knowing that Neal didn't want talk about it anymore.

"So, how bout that tea?" Mozzie picked up his cup and Neal laughed.

-x-


So, so, so. Chapter Twelve. That's two tonight! (And, just saying, Big Bang Theory kicks ass) Plus I finished my make-up work! Be proud! Goodnight-morning since It's around four am -Guys(: Review, please. I sleep better when I get those...