Emails Reveal

Peter was really curious and worried about my work history with the government… so he decided to ask another of my identities for information. Needless to say he figured it out.

Neal and I had even more to talk about now and I played his game right back at him. He tried redirecting me from other pieces of his identities when I got too close, so I poked more into those details and refused to be redirected. Combine that with his more relaxed way of handling my inquiries and I was making progress.

Now that I knew about his college career we discussed how he used to sit in the back of his classrooms sketching or chatting with Chuck. We compared college stories as he was the nerdy frat boy while I was just a nerd. I had a new means of getting my technology issues taken care of as I was learning what all Neal could do. Then finally, I learned that Neal had supposedly gone to DC to be an accountant after he graduated from college to hide his work with the government.

Oddly enough, Neal wouldn't tell me anything about Bryce after that. Apparently he joined the government sometime in college, but he didn't go fully into active work until after he graduated. During the college years he had civilian based stories to share so he talked openly about them, after that his life became confidential so he tended to clam up about any details.

That brought us to talking a lot about our day in DC with the majority of our attention on our conversations and the results thereof. We discussed the history, jokes, teasing, and law enforcement much like we had that day, only this time, Neal wasn't a troubled young adult. He freely laughed and joked and shared his objective opinions with me even though he was cautious not to give away exactly what means of employment he chose to go into with the government.

I remembered that I once told Neal that he was "Intelligent enough to be an intelligence officer" and I have to admit that a part of me fears that he followed my suggestion. Why? Because the intelligence world often involves a great deal of cloak and dagger like deception and danger. It would mean that the kid I have thought of like a little brother for several years went into a line of work where his friend could be his enemy and literally stab him in the back… and the worst part is that I'm the one who suggested it. But there is so much secrecy to his past of Bryce Larkin that the CIA is a very possible history for him. Hmm, perhaps I could ask Jayden what he knows about Bryce Larkin. Just because Neal and Chuck can't tell me doesn't mean that someone else can't.

The problem is that Jayden isn't always the fastest person to get back to me with answers as he is still an active agent roaming the world at the government's bidding. He has kept in touch with me ever since we worked that case together nearly a decade ago, but there have been times where he takes a whole year or more to get back to me. I don't know why and I haven't asked him because I know that he can't tell me, but it doesn't stop me from being curious or vaguely concerned because a whole year is a long time.

Still, the more that I think about it the more I think that asking Jayden is my best bet as he would either know information or he would have the resources to find out. The only problem is that he might not tell me anything either, no matter how long it takes for him to get back to me. He is my last resort though as Neal and Chuck won't talk, the team don't know anything about Neal being anyone more than Neal and Danny, and I have poked around to see what I can find about Bryce Larkin myself to no avail. I mean I have really had no luck. It is like he told his boss that I knew about Bryce Larkin and suddenly his file disappeared from the system because I can't find it anywhere yet alone see what's in it. This mystery is something that I could see Neal laughing over at his desk below while he monitors my computer and messes with my efforts of searching by controlling my results… in fact that may be exactly what he is doing as he has been rather busy on his computer lately and he always seems rather smugly amused after one of my failed searches. Since I now know that he is an engineer and a rather accomplished hacker with government permission to mess with things, I wouldn't put it past him.

Once the decision is made, the key is to get an email out to Jayden as soon as possible. After all, the sooner he gets the question the sooner he can provide answers. My message is simple and to the point. "What do you know about a government employee named Bryce Larkin?" That is all because I want to start out vague and see how he reacts. If he can't tell me anything then maybe I can garner something out of what questions he asks to get to the point of what I would like to know. With the message put out into the internet world, it is out of my hands and all that I can do is sit back and wait.

I don't know what is up with Neal, but he just gives me a sideways look as I pick him up for the day at work and he has a quiet air about him like he is rather amused about something. Does he know about my email? That is something that is private between Jayden and I so there is no possible way that he could know about it. Unless… he knows Jayden, he is monitoring my emails, or he is Jayden? No… it can't be that. I mean, how many of those young men that I befriended could he turn out to be? The other two, no matter how unlikely, seem to be more likely than him turning out to be Jayden too. Then again, it could be more of a generalized assumption in relation to my inability to put the pieces together. Maybe he is amused by how long it is taking me. Or maybe I am simply reading too much into it all and he is enjoying watching me try to read everything about him and looking for clues in things that are no more than they seem. (Kind of like the prank that never came, only I'm looking for the clues that aren't there).

Ughh, this is the part of the whole thing that drives me nuts and why I don't like it when Neal is up to something. The games of outsmarting each other can be fun, but I prefer when it is on a smaller scale with the hope of an end in sight where we can get back to just being friends. This is like having to keep ahead of criminal (who might not be so criminal) Neal for the rest of my life, only he has told me every crime and I just have to put the pieces together… I hope El doesn't get too frustrated with this as she was once rather jealous of the con who took so much of my time to catch. Then again, she is just as curious as I am since we have known each one of his previous 'main identities' according to him. Really, I need to take a break from this and focus on work as I am going to drive myself crazy if I keep obsessing over this.

When we get to work, Neal is still silently amused but he refuses to tell me what is so funny. We walk up to the office and we get to work on our cases like usual so I try to switch my focus to solving my pile.

The day passes quickly, and I work without success to keep myself from checking my email too often. Eventually the day ends and it's time to drop Neal off and head home for the evening. It's like he knows that I need a break because he hasn't said or done anything all day besides quietly work at his desk and follow the routines that we have developed over the years.

For a few days we settle into this routine of general silence and everyone notices that there is something different. Diana and Jones have both asked me what Neal has done now, I tell them that he hasn't done anything, but that we have a game going and I need a break. This peaks their curiosity, but my quiet look that says 'I am not going to answer' has them studiously leaving my office with the plan to observe the game for themselves when it resumes.

It took three days for Jayden to get back to me, and he wasn't very helpful. "He's dead." That was it. After waiting three days to see what he would have, and all he has to say is information that I know to be inaccurate (interesting and terrifying, but inaccurate all the same). So I responded. "Besides that. What do you know of his reputation for instance?" I now really wanted to know what Jayden had meant by telling me that Neal had died. Was it faked like his shark attack death was, or was it something more?

That evening I had new questions for Neal to fill the drive home. In fact I was so eager to get back into the game that I didn't even let him buckle his seat belt before I let him have it. "So, what happened that Bryce would have a reputation for being dead? I know that you can't tell me details, but tell me what you can because I really need to know what that was about!" There is anger to my voice because I know that something had to happen in order for him to have that kind of a reputation with the CIA.

He seemed a little remorseful about something, but he answered me quickly. "You're right. I can't tell you nearly so much as you would like to know, but the basics are that I was working on something with Chuck's family when I was betrayed. His family and team were hurrying to back me up, but a person from the protection team shot me in the back and I was dragged out of the room while the others took care of the situation. The boss wanted me to remain 'dead' so no one, not even Chuck and his lot, got to know that I am actually alive. My record remains with me as deceased and I was put back to playing Caffrey the con." Then he had a little twitch, like he had caught, as I did, the use of the little word 'remains.'

"'Remains?' What is that supposed to mean?" The panic didn't go down in my voice, but rather up.

Now he really looked like he wished he could eat his words. "I'm sorry Peter. That wasn't the best way to handle the subject. Yes… I was 'killed' before that too. Unfortunately what Chuck's dad calls his third best creation tends to get me shot.

We had a large organization that worked inside of several agencies and they were composed of traitors. When I was sent to prison as Caffrey, I was actually ordered to let you catch me so that I could pretend to be a traitor and infiltrate this group when they 'recruited' me. They ordered me to steal that something Chuck's family protects and I did. Unfortunately one of the best snipers and assassins also happened to be protecting it. He shot me and I 'died' for the first time only to be revived in the ambulance."

That really frustrates me. I now know that my best friend has been 'killed' twice protecting this 'thing' and he can't tell me anything else about it. But it's more than that. Also, now I know why I had that feeling when he left at the prison. It was a feeling of foreboding because I almost lost him twice, twice! "That explains why I felt like something bad was going to happen to you when you went to prison. I assume that both of those 'deaths' occurred then?" He simply nodded at me and I continued. This was something that would haunt my dreams, but there wasn't anything else that he could talk about in relation to it. "What do you mean that you were ordered to 'let' me catch you? Like you simply walked into the trap and played your little game of 'I Spy the FBI?'"

He busted up laughing at that but turned sheepish at my glare. "Yeah Peter. That is exactly what I did and it amused me that you actually guessed accurately. Since I had orders to allow myself to be captured, Mozzie told me that he had heard from an unreliable source that he could find Kate, and I knew that you would be behind the trap. It worked out perfectly and was rather funny as well because I played my 'little game' to know exactly what was going on. A compliment for you though, if I wasn't an agent too or a really good criminal, I would have fallen for it and it would have been impossible for me to escape." He sighed and I could see that he was building himself up for an emotional trip. "I don't choose to continue to work with you just because you're one of my best friends, but also because you're one of the best agents that I have ever known and I trust you to have my back through anything. Even after being betrayed and everything, I can trust you and that is something that I can't say for the majority of the agents that I have met and worked with. It is an honor to get to work with you for many reasons."

I was emotionally wound up so it hurt to hear Neal be so amused about how he simply walked into my trap and played me into thinking that I had actually caught him. If I wasn't so wound up he would have teased me out of my emotions until we were joking about the situation, but instead he softened the blow by adding a compliment in how well the trap was set. Then he further reached out to me by adding that he chose to work with me for our friendship and his respect for me as the agent that I am.

Which reminds me, he slipped. "'Agent too' huh."

There isn't anything else to say at the moment. If I say that he is also my best friend and likely the best agent that I have known, it gets a bit too personal and I'm too wound up for that right now.

My words appear to take him by surprise. "Uhh, yeah. I wasn't supposed to let that slip. Since the cat is out of the bag, I am a 'Lead Agent in Charge' of the project that I work with Chuck's family." Then he clammed up again.

"So Neal Caffrey the con is simply an undercover role of the Agent Bryce Larkin?" I had forgotten that he said he went 'back to playing' the role. "What about the crimes?"

He sat back in his seat while sitting slightly towards me in order to have this conversation. "Well, Neal is my real name as you know, and my agency identities are generally dead so that doesn't leave me that many identities to fall back on. Neal Caffrey and one other identity have become my names with one carrying a badge and the other an anklet monitor. I wouldn't entirely call Caffrey an undercover role. It is a role that has a purpose which needs to keep my agency affiliations secret and in that sense it is a cover, but it isn't because Neal Caffrey is intended to remain as my public name even after everything is finished. As for the 'crimes,' I have to get permission through multiple agencies in order to make a move and there is always something behind the scenes going on. It's not really my style to run around and randomly commit crimes because I want to achieve a goal." He looked like he was relieved to tell me that the whole 'criminal' identity was in fact a role, and there was also some humor and a definite smirk as he joked about randomly committing crimes.

Then we found ourselves to be outside of his place and he left with a few last parting words. "I know that the knowledge that I was technically shot to death is going to be upsetting for you, give me a call if you need to… it doesn't matter the time Peter."

I nod at him and try to tell him before he leaves that he means a lot to me too. "Neal…" He stops and turns to hear what I have to say. "Thank you. You know that you are also my best friend and apparently the best agent that I have ever worked with… just… thank you."

With a nod and a gentle smile, he leaves and the conversation ends like two brothers sharing a moment before going on with life.

As the days pass I continue to pull information out of Jayden but it is annoyingly like yanking teeth. He isn't actually telling me anything and it continues to get on my nerves so I reach a point where I ask him why he can't tell me anything.

Then he sends me a familiar message. "You see agent Burke, I know some of the information that you seek, you know information that I would like to know, and then he has more secrets that neither of us know. It is easier for me to deal with because I know why the secrecy, it just annoys me because although neither of us can talk about it, he is one of my best friends and has been for a long time."

Seriously! He sends me the exact same words that Chuck had used when we met a few weeks ago. So I tell him that. "That sounds like Chuck and it doesn't answer my question." I hit send with extra force as he is seriously frustrating me.

To my surprise, I hear Neal laughing in the office bellow and turn to see that he is watching me from his desk. Something about that has me up and walking down to him before I really think through what I am suspecting. As I walk down, I can see that Neal is suddenly hiding whatever is on his computer and trying to play like he wasn't doing anything but studiously working the file spread a crossed his desk.

Neal doesn't seem to be the least bit surprised as I slide him over, chair and all, and look at his computer. I can't believe it! The page that he is trying to hide is his email… and the very email that I just sent Jayden is open and glowing back at me. "My office" is my growled order to him while the rest of the office (who have stopped to watch) gets "Back to work everybody."

I'm obviously not exactly happy (more surprised, amused, frustrated, and curious with frustrated dominating), but Neal practically dances up the stairs behind me muttering "It's time" while the office tries to pretend that they aren't watching.

When the door is shut and the blinds are closed, it is time to begin this discussion. "So you are Jayden and that is the mystery identity that carries a badge?"

He grins at me. "Yes. And it is also the last actual identity that I have played… there is one last nickname for me… but it isn't an identity."

Just like that the tension eases up considerably. I have put the pieces together. He was born Neal George Bennett in DC and went into Wit-Sec when he was three. There he grew up as Danny Brooks in St. Louis until he was eighteen. Then he picked up the Wit-Sec identity of Bryce Larkin who based out of Connecticut with a fake family while he went to college at Stanford and joined the CIA. Finally, he picked up several identities like Jayden Smith and Neal Caffrey for base identities with an unknown number of aliases. I was missing several smaller details, but I knew all of the overall pieces of his life… except one little nickname. Still, that was a vast improvement to feeling like I had countless names to learn. "Who would have thought… I wanted to work with three people as my partner and one perfect criminal… and they all turn out to be the same person who I am lucky enough to have as my partner and best friend."

For a moment we simply bask in the knowledge that I know who he is and that the game is over. "Wait a second." That rings a bell. "The game. Neal Caffrey. You asked me for permission to play Neal Caffrey with me as your FBI contact and you weren't supposed to tell me because you're involved in some kind of operation. So, how did I do?"

Suddenly Neal is rather contemplative. "Hmm, I don't really know. I guess we'll have to tell Elizabeth later and let her be the judge."

"Later, why later?"

"Do you remember when we had lunch with Chuck and I said that you might have some forms to fill out depending on how much you put together?" I mentally face palm as I realize that I now have to fill out more paperwork.

"I figured out enough so now I have paperwork to fill out." Perhaps that will allow me to figure out some new information about him.

Now he is all business. "Exactly. I need to call her and see where she wants to meet us. While I do that you might want to start closing down for the day as this is going to take a while." To my surprise he pulls out his cell phone and dials the number without hiding anything. (Not like I know what number he dials or hear anything more than what he says).

Soon enough he is up and telling me that he is going to close down his work as he walks down to his desk. There is still a business like air to his posture, but he has loosened up so as to hide the situation from the rest of the office.

When I have finished I pick up my jacket and walk down to meet him at his desk as he is slipping on his jacket.

Jones approaches us and asks me if there is anything that I need him to do, and I surprise him with my answer. "Neal and I are just going to meet someone to settle some paperwork. I'm told that it is going to take a while so we closed down for the day. Since there aren't any major cases to finish it will be fine if everyone just continues to work on their piles." Jones nods curiously and walks back to his office while Diana looks like she will be up as soon as we leave to theorize the reasons for our behavior. The rest of the team continues on their piles of case files and I know that the oddity of me leaving early will join the gossip of the day.

With the office settled, Neal and I take off.

After we are safely away from the office, he shows me that he has my keys and I start asking him questions. It turns out that he is going to drive because we are going to a secret safe house where we are going to meet General Diane Beckman who just happens to be the director of the CIA and the NSA as well as a General in the Air Force with a former position of leading another agency on top of that. Suddenly I realize that Neal is not only an agent, but he seriously outranks me and anything that I expected to find about his position. Hmm, surprising but not a bad thing.

The General turns out to be a short woman with rusty red hair and a steely glare. She is all business as she pulls out form after form and asks for my signature while stating the importance of each detail and reinforcing the need for confidentiality. Occasionally she answers my questions or allows Neal to, but more often than not she is very short in her replies and doesn't allow me to know too much of the technicalities.

When it is all signed and I carry a new clearance level to match my overwhelmed mind, I have learned a lot about Neal. He is a living legend and superspy who worked to protect something called the Intersect which is a computer database containing everything from undercover agents to nuclear codes (there is more but they seemed to think that the rest was beyond my need to know). It also turned out that each of Neal's aliases were also responsible for closing cases with his 'alleged' crimes. They also shared that Jayden was Neal's alias for his involvement in several more large cases. Finally, Neal Caffrey is going after the dirty cops behind his family's disappearance into Wit-Sec, but no one would expect him to be such an agent because he does a very good job of playing the criminal.

As soon as the situation is taken care of, the General is a gust of air when she disappears as quickly as possible. I guess a busy leader in DC doesn't have much time to spare.

It was time for Neal and me to inform El of at least the basics and let her decide who won on the game. Due to the secrecy of the conversation, we decide that it would be best to have the debate in the safety of my home with some take out so I arrange the evening with El on the phone while Neal drove to the restaurant. We have had these types of evenings enough times that Neal simply drives, places and picks up the order, and drives to my place while I enjoy a conversation with El on the phone.

Eventually we get to my place and El has everything taken care of so that we can simply serve up the food and start the discussion.

First, I started by explaining to El the ridiculously annoying conversations that I had been having with Jayden as I tried to find out more information about Bryce up to the point where I saw the email on his computer. Then I paused to let her figure it out for herself so that we could sit back and watch her reaction.

The look on her face was priceless as she realized (as I did) that Neal reading the email on his computer meant that he was Jayden. She was surprised and elated as that meant that Neal was all of the young men that we had befriended and cared about.

With the information generally out in the open, we continued in the conversation as we filled El in on the general details of meeting Neal's boss and what all that meant for El and I having to keep even our limited knowledge secret from everyone (including the team).

Finally, Neal and I told El about our conversation the first time that we worked together and the game that he requested permission to play. As expected, it didn't take El long to figure out that the International game of cat and mouse as well as the following role of Neal Caffrey and the mystery of his identities were all parts of that game. We finished catching her up to the situation by telling her that she was going to be the judge of who won the competition.

I tried to bribe her into voting for me by stating that my winning meant that Neal would have to take us out to dinner, but Neal countered my statement by saying that the deal was only that the loser had to take the winner out to dinner. Then he made a motion for El to get to go along for dinner simply as the reward for listening to us try to outdo each other. Of course, that statement was followed by El's and my agreeing to the suggestion. This led to Neal's bribery that the motion was his idea so he should win which was accompanied by a charming smile and wink.

Elizabeth simply laughed at our antics and decided to think it all through on her own terms. "Well. First, the game was initially intended to be an international game of cat and mouse. Even if you were ordered to forfeit Neal, Peter won when he caught you and you went to prison. Second, you have been pulling your shenanigans at work as Caffrey, but how often does Peter beat you and prevent you from 'allegedly' committing a crime?

Neal looked rather sheepish so he made a comment. "Humm, yeah, about that. I may not end up committing the 'alleged' crimes… but I get the intended work done by some means while holding my cover as Neal to a point that you have each been shocked when you discovered a new identity. That's not even mentioning that an entire FBI office doesn't realize that I am a CIA agent as my other FBI bosses are based in DC."

Nodding, El acknowledged that. "Okay, so keeping cover in a close working proximity to an entire office of FBI agents and even hiding from the 'archeologist,' who happens to be your boss and friend, is a point in your favor. But the third part that you mentioned was your secret identities. When Peter learned enough about you to have to sign the papers, I think that counts as him winning that challenge. So the final count is two to one… I'm sorry Neal, but I think that means that Peter wins."

Despite my technical win, I decided to let Neal have his crowing rights as he did do a great job of playing his part while keeping me completely in the dark and Neal agreed to treat El and I to a nice dinner Saturday night. In the end we each got the part that was the most interesting to us.

Thank you for sharing your opinions on what I should post next. I'm glad that you like having a say and are willing to help me choose what to put up next :D (Reminder for those who have a preference, this story ends next week so check out chapter 11 for summaries and let me know before two Sundays from now when I'll be posting the next story) :D