Chapter 12

The lobby of the Plaza Hotel was quiet when Sara arrived at 10:20. She hadn't been there in ages - ever since that conference on recovery strategies that Sterling Bosch had held there two years before. It was certainly a very posh hotel and she wondered if Neal had gotten a room here to surprise her – if so, he was going to spend the night alone on a very expensive mattress because she was nowhere near just forgiving and forgetting.

The events of the past twenty-four hours had forced her out of her stupor and although she was still feeling depressed and detached from her life, the present situation had spurred her into action. The children needed her and, without Neal to lean on, she'd had no choice but to step up to the plate and do her job as a mom. With or without Neal, she would find a way to get better; Liam deserved a mom who loved him and cared for him and she was determined to give him just that.

The constant pushing and pulling continued in Sara's mind as she replayed her conversation with Elizabeth and her best friend's reassuring words about Neal's loyalty and devotion.

Sara was suddenly reminded of an incident which had occurred early on in their relationship while she was pregnant with Hope. She'd been eight months along, feeling as big as a house and totally undesirable when she'd popped in one day to surprise Neal for lunch. As she'd gotten off the elevator on the 21st floor of the Federal Building, she'd spotted Neal by his desk chatting with a pretty blond clerk who, Sara could tell by her body language, was flirting with him.

She'd hung back for a moment, eavesdropping on their conversation as she fell prey to her nagging insecurities. She could hear the two of them chatting and she could see that Neal was being Neal, bantering with the young woman and flirting mindlessly as he did with every single man or woman he'd ever met in his life.

'So, why don't we get a drink after work' the pretty blonde woman had said, fluttering her eyelashes.

Although Neal had his back to her, Sara had recognized the subtle signs of awkwardness in his body language, the way he always shrugged and looked down at the floor whenever he was uncomfortable with a situation.

'Sorry' he said as it dawned on him that the woman might have more than a passing interest in him. 'I've got plans with my girlfriend tonight. Did I mention we're having a baby?' he asked as the woman's face dropped, disappointment obvious in her eyes.

'I can't wait' he continued, his voice animated. 'A baby girl… in just a couple of weeks. We're both really excited.'

Neal seemed to spot her obvious look of disillusionment, eager to make her feel better. 'Can I get you a cup of coffee?' he asked, pointing to the small kitchen area nearby.

The woman smiled, grateful for his kindness even though he'd rebuked her advances. When Neal had turned around, he'd spotted Sara standing there and he'd rushed over, taking her in his arms and dragging her over towards the young woman to introduce her, bursting with pride.

Over the past five years, she'd seen that scenario played out over and over again as Neal continued to be the charming, debonair gentleman who wouldn't hurt a fly – especially female flies – but was firm about his commitment to Sara, letting all those wannabe girlfriends down easy.

She walked nervously to the elevator bank and resolutely pressed the up button. If Neal wanted to talk, she might be inclined to listen but she still had too many questions to just gloss over Neal's reckless behaviour. Even if he was guilty of nothing more than being impulsive and naive, it was unacceptable that he had not told her about this woman's sudden appearance in his life. More than anything, what irked Sara was that this woman had been inside their home, having dinner with her husband and children while she was struggling with feelings of depression and inadequacy at the Burke house. What had Neal been thinking? He hadn't been thinking much of anything by all accounts since that trollop had even been in their daughter's bedroom, tucking her in and educating her on the sensitive issue of divorce!

Anger rose once again and she had to remind herself that Neal's lack of impulse control, by far his worse feature, was also what made her love him so much. It made him Neal, a man who was always ready to leap into any situation to help those he loved, no matter the risk to himself. Damn it! Why were relationships so complicated?

The elevator dinged and Sara stepped in, nervously pushing the number eight and taking a deep breath as it started to move. What was she going to find in room 806?

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The bed he was lying on seemed to move underneath him as Neal drifted in and out of consciousness. He felt nauseous and confused and he wasn't sure where he was or what he was doing there. He could have sworn he'd heard Matthew Keller's voice earlier and he attempted to pull himself up onto his elbows so he could get out of the bed, his body immediately giving out and forcing him to fall back down. All he knew was that he needed to get home to Sara and the kids; they needed him and he had to find a way to get back. He saw Michelle looking down at him as he struggled to get up without success and then, he blacked out once again.

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Peter Burke stepped into the house, dragging a tired Satchmo behind him. Lately, the dog had begun to slow down and he seemed to get tired more quickly when he was walked. They were both getting older but that was no reason to let up on him; both he and Satchmo needed their daily walk.

He strolled over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door in search of a beer, finally making his way over to the couch to watch a little bit of the game before hitting the sack. Elizabeth wasn't there to nag him about putting his feet up on the coffee table or setting his beer down on the table without a coaster so he did both simultaneously with a small smile on his lips. He thought about the mess Neal had gotten himself into with this woman; it wasn't the first time his partner had exercised poor judgement when it came to the fairer sex. The ex-con was a chick magnet, always had been, and he seemed to relish the effect he had on women. Peter couldn't count the number of times he'd had to reign him in on a case as Neal became captivated with some pretty young woman – hell, he had even hit on Diana in the beginning. Of course, since he'd married Sara, Neal had worked hard to tone down the charm but he would always be Neal effen Caffrey, irresistible con-man extraordinaire Peter thought, with just a touch of envy.

Neal was infamous for his impulsive reactions to people and situations, always acting with good intentions although things didn't always work out quite the way he planned. He reflected on all the cases they'd been on where Neal dove in head first not thinking about potential danger to himself. Peter had no doubt as to Neal's devotion to Sara but he also knew how easily his partner could dig a hole for himself and he resolved to stay well away from any domestic issues in the Caffrey marriage unless Neal specifically asked for his advice. And even then...

There was no denying that Peter was proud of Neal, like anyone would be proud of a baby brother's accomplishments and he admired him for overcoming obstacles and making good on his life. Ever since Neal had been off anklet, he'd been practically a model citizen. Sure, he still hung around Mozzie, helping him out on small time capers from time to time but even Moz had mellowed over the years and had become more a nuisance to Peter than any real menace. Neal had proven to Peter that he could be trusted and despite evidence to the contrary, Peter knew without a shred of doubt that his partner had his back and would always have his back. But getting involved in Neal's domestic life was where Peter drew the line. Peter had learned over time – lots and lots of time – how to keep his wife happy and he lived and died by the saying: 'Happy wife, happy life' - which included feet off the furniture and coasters for his beer bottle whenever El was around.

Neal, on the other hand, although he was madly in love with his wife, seemed to always get himself into complicated situations. If there was a simple trajectory from A to B, you could be certain that Neal would opt for the more convoluted path towards his goal. Luckily, there was unwavering trust in that marriage as evidenced by Sara's unflustered reaction to the numerous women who had literally thrown themselves at her husband over the years. It took a strong, confident woman to overcome any doubts as to her husband's faithfulness and devotion and Sara Ellis was just that woman.

Unfortunately, Peter could see that Sara's present condition made her much more insecure and he hoped that somehow, Neal wouldn't choose this particular moment in time to mess up. Sara's usual panache and self-confidence were sadly missing in action and she would be apt to react much differently to any perceived lack of judgement on Neal's part.

By 11:30, he was starting to nod off and he took a cursory look around the place, checking that the doors were locked and the stove was turned off before making his way to his lonely bed. He hated it when Elizabeth wasn't curled up next to him and he never slept quite as soundly when she wasn't there. He walked over to his phone, intending to plug it in for the night when he noticed that he had a message.

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Michelle Young looked around the suite Matthew Keller had provided for her and let out a long sigh. This guy must really hate Neal to do this to him. Here she was in a beautiful room in downtown Manhattan with a gorgeous man next to her in bed yet it was all wrong. She suddenly felt the urge to run; she just couldn't wait to grab her stuff and get out of Dodge. She had no interest in seeing the fallout from what was about to take place and the faster she got out of there the better. Once Sara came – and presumably went – she would pack her stuff and head back to her little, boring life in Chicopee away from all this drama. She wondered what would happen to Neal and Sara once she and Keller left town. Would they ever get their marriage back on track? Or was the damage she was about to inflict on the couple irrevocable, leading to a parting of the ways? And what about those cute kids, how would they cope with an eventual separation?

She thought of how it might have played out differently if she had bumped into Neal without pretence or plotting. He might have even introduced her to Sara and the kids, maybe had her over for dinner with his family... she was certain she would have liked to get to know Sara under those circumstances. As it was, she was about to shatter this woman's life for good by convincing her that her faithful and loyal husband was cheating on her.

It wouldn't be long now and she made certain Neal was in the proper position – on his back – as she straddled him, laying her head on his chest as she waited for their guest to arrive. She looked at his face and Neal's eyes opened and widened in horror at the sight of her in his arms. He struggled to resist her but the drug he had ingested made his attempts seem pathetic and he lay there, powerless to move. At the designated moment, Michelle would place his limp arms around her and kiss him passionately, creating a visual that Sara Ellis would never forget.

A timid knock was heard and the door opened slowly.

'Neal, are you in here?' a woman's voice asked.

TBC