This is Bonkers4Reid… Ca Staub's beta… And this is what I'd like to call a "Beta's Note"

I just wanted to start out by saying that I read each and every one of your reviews and savor them just as much as our lovely writer does. Some of you may not know this… Ca Staub is Brazilian and she writes in Portuguese. My job is to fix the problems created by the online translator and to reform the story into an easy-to-read English format.

It is 100% my fault that the updates on this story have gotten behind. Ca Staub likes to post new chapters every Saturday, Monday, and Thursday. I've recently taken on a lot of extra shifts at work (like three times the amount of hours I used to put in!) And I am also a full time student; so unfortunately, most of my writing right now is in the form of essays. Every time I get behind I want to kick myself for keeping both our awesome author and of course you amazing subscribers waiting!

I just wanted to apologize personally, so if you are mad at Ca Staub for the slow updates, please forward your flaming darts to me! I am the one to blame.

Now onto the amazing Chapter 21!

Peter hadn't told Hughes about Neal when the older agent had called, as he thought it best to tell him in person when he returned to the Bureau the next day. The truth was that Peter still couldn't comprehend it all himself.

He couldn't believe the things that Sara and Mozzie had told him. It wasn't that he wanted his friend to be guilty, and in fact, under other circumstances, he would have been very happy, but he couldn't get over how he'd turned his back on his friend when he'd needed him most.

The guilt he felt was overwhelming. He could never express in words the exact emotion he'd felt when Sara had finally told him the truth about Neal. And when Mozzie had admitted that he, not Neal, had stolen the treasure he had felt as if he couldn't breathe. He didn't think Neal would ever forgive him, even though Sara tried to assure him he would. Peter wouldn't blame Neal if he couldn't forgive him, especially since he thought he'd never be able to forgive himself.

When he hung up the phone he went to the waiting room and met up with Diana and El. Diana looked at him sadly. He was pretty sure she knew. She was holding an envelope in her hand.

"Are you okay, boss?" She asked worriedly.

"No, and I don't think anything will ever be okay again." Despite the words he tried to sound calm. "What's that?" He pointed at the envelope.

"These are the results of the test you requested." Peter had forgotten completely about that. The crushing blame and guilt hit him full on again when Diana handed over the envelope.

"No." He said refusing it, "You can throw that out, I already know what it is."

"Okay." Diana said.

"You know?" He asked simply.

"Christie told me a few hours ago." Diana admitted.

"What are you talking about?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

"I'm heading home. Please call me if you need anything."

"Thank you Diana." Peter said watching her go.

"Peter, what's going on?" Elizabeth insisted, "You both seem to speak in code. Where is Sara?"

"She's with Neal." Peter said, sitting down beside his wife.

Elizabeth watched Peter, waiting for him to elaborate. He didn't, so she lightly touched his arm. "Hon, what happened? What did Christie say? "

"Neal is sick and there's no cure." Peter said without looking at her.

"God! That's why he's been looking so thin lately? "Elizabeth asked sadly.

"I guess." Peter's voice sounded muffled. He could no longer hold back the tears and El came closer to him. "He'll never forgive me."

"Oh, Peter." El hated seeing her husband like this.

"I didn't believe him, El. I didn't listen when he wanted to talk to me." Peter wept as spoke. "I was stubborn and now he's going to die."

"No, Peter." El replied with deep concern, "He won't die."

"He will, El. He has cancer and he doesn't have much time left."

Elizabeth let out a quiet gasp before covering her mouth with her hand.

She loved Neal and she couldn't believe this was happening. El hugged her husband, tears streaming down her face. "Go see him, hon. You need to stay with him." She remained in Peter's embrace for several minutes. "I'm going home to put Sachtmo out and get some sleep, I'm exhausted. I also have to clean all the mess."

"I don't want you to go home alone." Peter feared for her after what had happened.

"It's okay hon, Keller and his accomplice have been arrested." Elizabeth tried to calm him.

"Still, I'll be more comfortable if someone accompanied you home, just for tonight." Peter said, taking out his phone.

"Okay." She let her husband call Diana. He was already feeling guilty about Neal and she didn't want to add more worry to his list.

Peter called Diana and discovered that she was still in the hospital talking to Christie. She returned and agreed to escort Elizabeth to their home. Once the women had left, Peter asked the receptionist where to find Neal's room. One of the nurses directed him there.

Neal was asleep when Peter came in. Sara was at his side stroking his hair. Peter stood in the doorway for a moment. Neal was very skinny and Peter cursed himself for not having noticed the signs before. But now, wearing a hospital gown rather than his usual suit, it was obvious that his friend had lost a lot of weight.

"Sorry, Peter." Sara said when she saw him. "He could barely keep his eyes open so I told him to sleep."

"It's okay, I'll stay here." Peter said pulling a chair and sitting on the other side of the Neal's bed.

Peter and Sara sat there silently for hours until dawn. Sara decided to get a coffee, but Peter stayed with Neal, just listening to him breathing. Peter watched as Neal opened his eyes sleepily. He turned to his partner and smiled.

"Hey, Peter." His voice was a very low tone, but firm.

"Good morning, Neal." Peter almost couldn't say the words. "How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?"

"A little." Neal responded after thinking for a while. "My head hurts a little, but not like my stomach." Neal admitted.

"Your stomach hurts like yesterday?" Peter asked.

"No." Neal replied. "It doesn't hurt that much."

"Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

"If you're asking about Diana bringing me here, yes I remember that." Neal said.

"Good." Peter said.

"What about Elizabeth? Is she okay?" Neal asked.

"She is safe and sound; made it home without a scratch." Neal breathed a sigh of relief to hear that. "She managed to fool Grant into thinking that the dog bite was infected. Diana and Jones tracked him down when he went to a pharmacy. During the time that he left her alone, El escaped by cutting a window with her ring and busting the glass with a chair."

"You have a very smart wife, Agent Burke." Neal said, smiling again.

"I know that." Peter replied, speaking in a jovial tone, but he quickly became serious again. "Neal, I'm sorry. I know you probably will never forgive me for suspecting you… It was all my fault. "

"It's all right, Peter." Neal insisted.

"No, it isn't! I accused you of so many things." Peter said with tears in his eyes.

"It's okay, Peter. Everyone makes mistakes. I'm not mad at you." Neal said in the same tone as before, "Speaking of mistakes, when will you send me back?"

"Back?" Peter was confused.

"To jail," Neal explained, his tone was bitter when he said the last word.

"Neal, I know the truth." Peter said.

"I figured that." Neal said wearily. "I imagine that Christie doesn't want me to leave here, am I right?"

"Yes," Peter said simply.

"So, when will you send me to the prison infirmary?"

"Neal, when I said that I knew everything, I mean I know everything." Peter said clearly. "I know about your illness and the real truth about the treasure. Mozzie told me everything. "

"What?" Neal seemed to suddenly become more awake, and he attempted to sit up in bed, only to regret it when the pain in his stomach pulled him back down. "Why would he do that?" Neal breathed heavily, wrapping his arms around his stomach.

"Are you in pain?" Peter asked fearfully.

Neal only nodded in response, closing his eyes tightly.

Peter took the initiative and pressed the call button. A nurse arrived, followed closely by Sara.

"What happened?" The nurse asked.

"He's in pain." Peter said.

"All right. I can give you something for that."

"No, I don't want it." Neal said. "I want to stay awake."

"You can." The woman reassured him, "It will only take away the pain."

Neal didn't fight anymore and let the nurse inject something into his IV. She wrote on his chart and left. Sara put her coffee cup on the table next to Neal and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Feeling better?" She asked fondly.

"Why did he do that?" Neal ignored his girlfriend; he had to get to the bottom of this. Sara looked at Peter questioningly, not understanding until Neal continued. "Why did Mozzie confess?"

"Oh, Neal!" Sara understood now.

"Please, Peter." Neal pleaded. "Don't send him to jail. Please!" Neal was almost crying.

"Neal, once he officially confesses, I can't do anything." Peter would normally tell him to cowboy up, but he couldn't do that now.

"So? Don't let him confess!" Neal pleaded desperately.

"It's the only way… If he doesn't confess, the blame falls on you, meaning you'd be arrested."

"I don't care." Neal literally had tears in his eyes. "He... he didn't mean it. He does stupid things, but it's not for spite. Mozzie doesn't deserve to spend years in jail for this."

Sara tried to calm Neal down and he put his head on the pillow again. A knock at the door drew everyone's attention.

"Hey Neal," Diana greeted, entering the room. "How are you?"

"Better." Neal tried to control his voice. "Thanks for bringing me here."

"Anytime." Diana said with a smile and turned to face Peter. "Boss, can I speak with you for a minute?"

Peter and Diana left the room and Sara remained in the same place. The pair was quiet until Elizabeth entered the room minutes later, after greeting her husband and Diana in the hall. She smiled broadly when she saw that Neal was awake.

"Neal!" She addressed him warmly, approaching the other side of Neal's bed and taking his hand in hers.

"El! I'm glad you're okay." Neal said returning her smile.

"Oh, dear." El said, "You are one of the reasons I'm here right now. I think I owe you my life. Thank you."

"I didn't do any more than anyone else. As I understand it, you escaped on your own. By the way, good job in fooling Grant!" He said winking at her.

She blushed slightly. "Thank you." Even sick in a hospital bed, Neal Caffrey had his charm.

Elizabeth stifled a yawn and Neal smiled. "Tired?"

"Sorry about that. I just couldn't fall asleep last night. Actually, I doubt anyone slept." Elizabeth looked at Sara and imagined that she and Peter hadn't caught a wink sitting up in chairs. "Well, all but you, I bet." She said pointedly to Neal.

"I slept very well." Neal said with a smile.

"With all the medication they gave to you, I would have been shocked if you had been able to stay awake!" Sara said smiling.

"Well, I'm going to get a coffee, if you don't mind." Elizabeth said.

"Go ahead." Neal replied.

"So, are you relaxed now?" Sara asked once El had left.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Neal looked embarrassed. "I just can't accept the idea of Mozzie going to prison."

"He'll do it for you."

"He shouldn't have to." Neal said firmly.

"Come on Neal. You can't deny that you were happy to see Peter here when you woke up! Or would have rather been arrested?" Sara responded.

"I don't care."

"But I do!" Neal looked surprised by the change in her tone. "He committed a crime, whatever his motivation. I don't want him arrested, but I'd prefer him over you. You did nothing, you don't deserve it. I don't want to see you in there. I couldn't bear not being able to be at your side when..." She covered her face with her hands when she could no longer hold back the tears.

Neal's thoughts turned fully to Sara. God, how could he be so stupid? He hadn't given a single thought toward her in all this, about how she would suffer. If he were to be arrested, the person who it would affect the most would be Sara.

"Sorry." He said with genuine repentance while he pulled her into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

Sara said nothing until she stopped crying and he released her. "It's okay, I shouldn't be this way. You need someone who will be strong for you, not breaking down crying all the time!"

"I always want you to be open with me. I don't want you to pretend that you are okay if you aren't."

"Okay." She said giving him a kiss. She took a sip of her coffee. It was still hot, even though it had been sitting on the table for a while.

"I miss coffee; I haven't had any in months." Neal said.

Sara looked at him and a rebellious thought crossed her mind.

"Here." She said offering the nearly-full cup to him.

"What?" he asked surprised. "Sara, you know that coffee will make me sick."

"Yes, but you're in a hospital right now… Unlimited medications… But if you don't want it..." She teased, taking the cup from him.

"No, I want it!" He said with a smile as he grabbed it back from her.

"Then drink it soon as possible, because I feel like I'm smuggling it for you."

He sipped and savored the coffee. The coffee wasn't good, but for Neal it was the best coffee he'd ever tasted.

"Thank you." He said.

"I would say any time, but that won't be repeated." She said kissing him.

"I love you." He said through the kiss, but Sara's reaction wasn't quite as he expected. She pulled back, staring with wide eyes. She was helping him so much and was always there with him, and he could not deny the feeling; he just had to let her know. But her reaction told him that Sara might not have felt the same for him. He suddenly felt like he'd made a huge mistake, so he apologized quickly. "Sorry. Never mind, forget that."

"What...?" Sara almost panicked. She'd always been tough and it was hard for her to show her feelings, but she knew deep down there was another reason why she could not say the words. Sara was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Am I interrupting?" Peter asked.

"No." Sara answered, instantly regretting her response when she thought about how much it could be hurting Neal's feelings.

"Well, I just came here to say that I have to go to the office." Peter said.

"Mozzie is going to confess now?" Neal asked.

"It would be, but there were other things." Peter said, and then tried to explain himself when he saw the expression on Neal's face. "Keller confessed last night."

"For El's kidnapping?"

"No, for stealing the treasure."

Neal looked very confused. After all, why would Keller confess to a crime he hadn't committed?

"He requested the presence of Russian authorities." Peter explained. "Originally, much of the Nazi treasure had been stolen from the Soviet Union, so Keller said he stole back to save it from Vincent Adler..."

"So the Russians see Keller as a hero and rather than trying to kill him..." Neal continued.

"The Russians will help in his defense." Peter finished. "So now Mozzie doesn't need to confess!"

"Peter..." Neal didn't know how to thank him. He knew that the agent wouldn't have been able to let Mozzie walk free if he'd officially confessed.

"Remember, I'm doing this for you, not for him."

"Thank you."

Peter gave a little laugh before he approached the door to leave.

"What?" Neal smiled, watching his partner.

"I don't know what Mozzie dreads more, the FBI or the hospital." He laughed again.

"I think it's the Bureau. He kind of had to overcome his phobia about hospitals when he got shot."

"I wouldn't say that by the way he was shaking when Jones and Diana brought him here earlier."

"Mozzie is here?" Neal's eyes lit up for a moment.

"No..." Peter didn't know how to break the news to him, "He's already gone."

"Ah!" Neal tried to hide his disappointment. He wanted to talk to Mozzie and apologize for what he'd said.

"I have to go. Bye." Peter said before meeting Elizabeth in the doorway. They spoke a few words and he kissed her before leaving.

"Well, I see that things are the same as when I left." She smiled. "Sara, darling you must be tired. Why don't you go home and get some rest then come back. "

"No, I'm fine. I'll stay."

"She's right." Neal agreed.

"I don't want you to be alone."

"He won't be. I'll stay here with him." El promised.

"You don't need to do that, Elizabeth." Neal protested.

"I know that, but I want to." El said with affection. "Besides, I don't know if I'm ready to stay alone at home all day after what happened."

"All right, then." Sara agreed, before kissing Neal. "I'll be back soon." She gave El a look as if to say "if anything happens, call me" and then she left.

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