What He Does Best

Chapter 28


For as long as Neal could remember, he had never seen Mozzie speechless. The man always had something to say, especially when it involved Peter and the FBI. Neal wasn't sure what he really expected of Mozzie, though, to be honest. There was a part of him that thought his friend would jump at the chance to not only pull one over on the FBI, but to also be a witness to Neal's forgeries. Another part thought that Mozzie would want absolutely nothing to do with helping Dmitri in any way at all. But, never would he have thought that the paranoid man would be rendered speechless.

"Come on, Mozz. Take a deep breath and maybe a drink of your wine and focus. I need some help here," Neal said.

Mozzie grabbed his wine and drank half of it in one swallow. Before Neal could say anything else, he gulped down the last of it and poured himself some more.

"Mozz," Neal groaned. "I need you sober, please!"

Mozzie took a smaller drink and then put his glass down on the table. Sinking down into the nearest chair, he finally turned to Neal. "Are you out of your mind?" he asked. "Did Dmitri brainwash you while you were there? Did you drink the Kool-Aid?"

"No, I'm not out of my mind and Dmitri didn't brainwash me. I made a deal with him, Mozzie. It was the only way I could see to get him to release Peter."

"I notice you didn't say that you didn't drink the Kool-Aid," Mozzie said. And then, "Neal, this is a crazy idea, even by your standards. What if you go through with this and actually forge the paintings and fence them? You don't think the Suit is going to find out? He keeps closer tabs on you than a father does of his daughter on prom night. He'll know you're up to something."

"I don't have a choice, Mozz. When I told Dmitri that there wasn't any way to use the bonds, he nearly lost it. I had to use every trick in the book to get him to even consider my offer. He threatened me….. he threatened to hurt the people I care about. I have to do whatever it takes to get him out of my life and I think this is the easiest and the fastest way."

"You think this is going to be easy?" Mozzie asked incredulously. "You're going to have to lie straight to Peter's face, Neal. You're going to have to go behind his back, deceiving him at every turn. Do you really think you can do that?"

"Like I said, I don't have a choice. But, I can't do it alone. I need your help."

Mozzie took another drink. "Of course, I'll help you, Neal. I just want it on record that I find this whole mess distasteful. And I have a bad feeling about how it's going to end."

"Trust me, I find it distasteful, too," Neal answered, choosing to ignore the last part of Mozzie's statement. "So, what piece should I start with?"


Neal's alarm clock went off at eight o'clock the next morning, causing him to throw his pillow at it in a pathetic attempt to shut it off. Instead, it continued to blare its obnoxious tones until he got out of bed and silenced it. Once he was out of bed, he made his way wearily into the shower. He had only slept for four hours, thanks to the planning session that had gone on for hours. By the time Mozzie left at four o'clock in the morning, with a list of the supplies needed for the painting, Neal was feeling nauseous and was barely able to keep his eyes open.

Once he was out of the shower, he dressed as quickly as he could, giving himself plenty of time to join June for breakfast. Stepping out onto the terrace, he found June sitting at a table, waiting patiently for him to join her.

"Good morning, June," he said as he bent down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, Neal." June looked him over from head to toe again. "You still look exhausted. Didn't you sleep well?"

"Not really, I guess," Neal answered. "I had a lot on my mind."

"Well, I'm sure that Mozzie's presence contributed to that a great deal," June chided. "If I'm not mistaken, he didn't leave here until four o'clock this morning."

"I'm sorry if he woke you up, June. His steps can be a little heavy sometimes." Neal tried to redirect the conversation, but June wasn't buying it.

"Neal Caffrey, you were supposed to rest last night. You've been through a lot these last several days and the last thing you need to be doing is planning some mischief with Mozzie!"

"We're not planning anything, June," Neal tried.

"Don't you lie to me, young man. I know you well enough to know when something is going on in that brilliant head of yours." June grabbed both of his hands before continuing. "Please be careful, Neal. I can't bear the thought of losing you."

Neal couldn't tell her that the reason he was doing what he was doing was because he couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Or Peter. Or Elizabeth.

"I'll be careful," he promised. "Now, would you mind passing me some of that delicious coffee?"


Peter arrived right on time and was surprised to find that Neal wasn't already downstairs waiting for him. He still didn't have a replacement phone, so he had to actually get out of the car to fetch his partner himself. June, who was apparently on her way somewhere, opened the door herself, and told Peter that Neal was still upstairs. A minute later, he was standing outside of Neal's apartment, firmly knocking on the door.

"Neal? Let's go," he called. "I told you I'd be here at nine o'clock."

When he received no answering call, he tried turning the knob and was surprised to find that the door was unlocked. He would have to have a talk with his partner about that. He needed to be more careful with Dmitri still on the loose. Entering into the room, he looked quickly around, noting that nothing seemed to be out of place. He also noted that there didn't seem to be any sign of Neal.

"Neal?" he called out again. "Neal!"

Seeing that the terrace door was open, he stepped outside and walked around the corner. To his surprise, he found his partner, passed out on a Chaise Lounge near the wall. Even more surprising, the man was sound asleep, as evidenced by the light snoring that could barely be heard.

Peter's first inclination was to yell as loudly as he could right next to Neal's ear as payback for making them late. Instead, he took the rare opportunity to study Neal in such a rare and vulnerable state. He immediately noticed the dark circles under the man's eyes, as well as the sallowness of his skin. He didn't know how he had missed it before, but now it was glaringly obvious that the young man had lost weight. Neal had already been rather thin, so he really couldn't afford to lose weight. Peter thought that he would have to encourage Elizabeth to fatten the kid up some.

Looking down at his watch, Peter realized that they were really going to be late if they didn't head out soon. With that thought in mind, he bent down and gently shook Neal's leg.

"Hey, partner," he said loudly. "It's time to wake up."

Neal mumbled something that Peter couldn't quite make out, but didn't actually wake up. Peter stepped closer, choosing to shake the young man by the shoulder instead. "Neal! Let's go, kid!"

Neal's eyes flew open and he looked around in confusion, until his eyes finally landed on Peter. Within seconds, the confusion lifted and Neal stood up as fast as he could.

"Peter, you're early!" he said with a smile.

"No, I'm not," Peter growled. "It's a ten minutes after nine, Neal. You were supposed to meet me downstairs at nine o'clock, remember?"

Neal looked at his watch, as if he didn't believe Peter was capable of telling time correctly. With a frown, he looked back at the lounger he had been on, glaring at it as if it had personally betrayed him.

"Sorry about that," he said ruefully. "Once breakfast was finished, I still had almost thirty minutes to wait, so I sat down on the lounger. I must have fallen asleep."

The dark circle under his eyes were much more noticeable, causing Peter to wonder if Neal had gotten any sleep at all. "How did you sleep last night?" he asked.

"Not very well," Neal admitted. "Too much on my mind, I guess. How about you?"

"I slept like a baby," Peter laughed. "I'm sure it had something to do with the fact that I knew where you were and exactly what you were doing. Peace of mind is definitely conducive to good sleep."

Neal eyed his partner enviously. "Well, some of us aren't as lucky as others when it comes to peace of mind," he confessed.

Peter dropped his smile and looked seriously at his friend. "Neal, I know these last several days have been hard on you, especially with your mother's death and all. Once we're done giving our statements and helping with whatever they need help with, I'll clear it with Hughes for you to have some time off, okay?"

"I don't need time off," Neal answered, trying a little reverse psychology. Of course, he really did need time off, so he hoped that his lie was convincing enough.

"Yes, you do, Neal. You just lost your mother and you need time to grieve. And I wasn't sure if you were wanting to plan a memorial service for her."

"Peter, I'm fine," he said. "You know that my mother and I weren't close. I've known she was dying for the last year and a half, and it's actually a blessing that it's finally happened. She was miserable toward the end. And there's no need for a memorial service. There's no one else to remember her, really."

"You still need time to grieve, Neal," Peter stated. "She was your mother."

"Yes, she was," Neal agreed quietly. "But that doesn't really change things."

Peter eyed his partner closely, but decided to let the subject drop. "Grab your jacket, kid, and let's get out of here. I don't think we'll earn any points if we're late on our first day back."

Neal grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the kitchen chair and put it on as he followed Peter out of his apartment and down the stairs to the car. There was a part of him that was relieved to be going back to the FBI building, but another part of him wanted to be left alone, so he could get started on the painting for Dmitri.

They were almost halfway to the Federal Building before either one of them said anything. Unfortunately, they both broke the silence at the exact same time.

"Why do you think Dmitri…."

"How long do you think…."

They both laughed at the situation.

"You first, Neal," Peter said.

"Okay. I was just wondering how long you thought this whole 'taking our statement' thing will take."

"It could take several hours," Peter admitted. "They'll want to go through it all several times to make sure that we remember everything. Why do you ask? You have a better place to be?"

"No, of course not," Neal laughed. "I just thought that maybe when we were done I could cut out early and try to get some sleep."

"Hmmmm….," Peter said, eyeing his partner curiously. "I'm pretty sure that Hughes wouldn't mind giving us the rest of the day off afterwards. And Elizabeth wouldn't mind cooking us up a good meal."

"Thanks, Peter, but I'd like to just go home. Try sleeping in my own bed again. Maybe next time, though, okay? I'll take a raincheck."

Peter didn't say anything to that. He had a feeling that Neal was up to something, but he had no idea what it could be. And the last thing he wanted to do was make Neal think that he was suspicious. Whenever that happened, the young man went into extreme stealth mode, making it harder for Peter to keep an eye on him. And Peter knew that he needed to keep a very close eye on him now.

Deciding to change the subject, Peter asked Neal his original question. "Why do you think Dmitri let us go? He had to have had a plan when he took us, so what happened to that plan?"

"I have no idea what he was thinking, Peter," Neal answered. "The few times I talked to him, he never let me in on what his plans were. And then after my mother died, everything changed. Suddenly, he just wanted to drop everything. He thanked me for agreeing to see her and he ordered his men to drop us off in the middle of nowhere."

"That's it? He just changed his mind?" Peter asked.

"Look, Peter, I don't have any idea what he wanted with me, other than that. He said that my mother had been asking for me for the last few weeks and he wanted to give her what she wanted. That's all."

"Do you think he's gone for good?" Peter asked. "Do you really think that there wasn't any other reason that he wanted you?"

"I don't know, Peter!" Neal said in frustration. "The only thing I know is that Dmitri really loved my mother and he would have done anything for her. As far as I know, that's why he kidnapped me. And you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, thanks to me."

Peter pulled his car off to the side of the road and turned to face his partner. "Neal, I don't blame you for the fact that I was taken against my will, okay? You had nothing to do with that."

"Yes, I did, Peter," Neal stated firmly. "If I hadn't called you that night and told you that I needed help, you wouldn't have been knocked unconscious and held captive in that tiny room. Elizabeth wouldn't have been terrified for days on end. The FBI wouldn't have had to waste manpower and money on looking for you. It's my fault."

"It's not your fault, kid. I was so relieved when you told me that you needed help, Neal. I knew that something was going on with you and I was so afraid that you were going to do something that would inevitably leave you in trouble. So, when you called me, I was so relieved. And to be honest, Neal, I'm glad that I was there with you. Maybe having me there made Dmitri slow things down a little, right? He's a smart enough man to know that killing a federal agent would bring down the full weight of the FBI right on top of him."

Neal didn't think that Dmitri would have hesitated to kill Peter if he had reason to, but he didn't share that with Peter. Instead, he kept quiet, not knowing what else to say to the man. Luckily, Peter continued to talk, giving Neal an opportunity to gather his thoughts.

"I know it was hard for you to ask for help, Neal, but I really hope that this is just the beginning of you realizing that I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you. You don't have to go at anything alone, as long as you trust me and have faith in me."

The conversation suddenly stopped and for the rest of the trip, Neal stared out of the window as Peter's words seemed to hang in the air between them.


Giving their statements did indeed take several hours and by the time they were done, Neal was ready to scream. The interrogator spent so much time on every little detail, leaving Neal with a dry mouth and a sore throat by the time they were done, not to mention the intense desire to throw something through a window.

Peter didn't look much better when they finally met up in Hughes' office. Neal could tell that he, too, was exhausted and frustrated. Stepping into the ASAC's office, Hughes gestured to the two chairs that were sitting in front of his desk, before taking his own seat behind the desk.

"Agent Berrigan said that you wanted to talk to me about something, Peter," Hughes said right away.

Peter threw a quick glance over to his partner who was staring at the stack of papers on the desk in front of him. "Reece, I'm sure you've read the statements that we've made, so you're aware that Neal's mother died a few days ago. I'd like approval to give him a few days off for bereavement."

Neal could feel the older man's eyes on him and forced himself to look up. Hughes seemed to be studying him rather closely. "Of course, Peter," he said quietly. "Caffrey, I'm sorry for your loss. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you. In the meantime, why don't you take the next several days off and we'll see you bright and early on Monday morning."

"Thank you, sir," Neal returned.

After a few more words between Hughes and Peter, Peter stood up and walked out the door with Neal following closely. Once they were back in Peter's office, he waved his hand at the chair, obviously wanting Neal to sit down.

Neal sat down rather ungracefully, a large yawn disrupting the silence and causing Peter to reevaluate what he was about to say. He was planning on having Neal sketch the faces of some of the men that had been at the warehouse, but now he knew that the young man was much too tired for that.

"Neal, go home. And actually try to get some rest this time, okay? You're exhausted."

Neal wasn't about to argue with the man. He really was exhausted. In fact, he decided that sleep was his number one priority at the moment. Standing up, he stretched his back out before turning back to Peter.

"I'll gladly take you up on that offer," he said. He turned to walk out the door, but then quickly turned back to Peter with a mischievous look. "Peter, remember how you said that I could always come to you for help? Well, how about helping me out with some money for a cab? I haven't had a chance to go to the bank recently."

Peter rolled his eyes as he grabbed his wallet out of his jacket and handed Neal some money.

Taking the money, Neal quickly counted it before looking back up at Peter. "Can I have a little more, so I can grab some lunch, too?"

Peter rolled his eyes again, but handed Neal another twenty dollar bill.

"You're the best dad ever!" Neal teased as he walked out the door.


By the time Neal made it home, he could barely hold his head upright. His eyes were burning and his entire body was aching significantly. Once he was in his apartment, he wasted no time throwing off his jacket, shirt, and tie. Seconds later, he was toeing off his shoes and socks and stepping out of his pants. Falling into his bed, wearing only his boxer briefs and an undershirt, he was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

When he woke up hours later, he had a few seconds of confusion before his head cleared enough for him to remember where he was and what he was doing. He looked at the clock next to his bed and was surprised to see that it was almost eight o'clock at night. He was also surprised to realize how hungry he was.

Even though Peter had given him the extra twenty, Neal hadn't taken the time earlier to get something to eat. Having not eaten since breakfast that morning, Neal was almost feeling nauseous. He padded over to the kitchen area, wearing only his boxer briefs, but not really caring. Usually, he would throw his robe on or at least his pajama bottoms, but he didn't really see the point at the moment.

Minutes later, though, he wished he would have taken the time to get dressed when the door to his apartment flew open to reveal Peter and Elizabeth standing there.

"Neal!" Elizabeth cried when she saw him standing by the refrigerator. "You're okay!"

"Of course, I'm okay," Neal sputtered in surprise. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"We tried calling you several times on the landline, but you didn't answer," Peter explained. "There was no one here to check on you, so we drove straight over from the restaurant. Why didn't you answer the phone?"

By this time, Neal was walking over to his bed to grab his robe. After he cinched it around his waist, he turned back to the Burkes. "I didn't even hear the phone ring, Peter. I was sleeping, remember?"

"You never sleep that soundly," Peter said.

"I was exhausted, Peter! And how do you know how soundly I sleep? Have you been spying on me? Should I be concerned?"

Peter started to reply, but Elizabeth cut him off. "Boys! That's enough."

They both looked sheepishly at her, not wanting to make her mad.

"Sorry, Beth," Neal offered. "I guess I get a little cranky when people burst into my apartment without warning."

"We're sorry, Neal," Elizabeth replied. "We were just worried that something had happened to you."

"You know, contrary to popular belief, I am able to take care of myself," Neal jested.

"That may be contrary to popular belief, but not to my belief," Peter quipped.

"Peter!" Elizabeth scolded. "Really!"

Before things could go any further, Neal turned to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of beer. He handed it to Peter and then poured Elizabeth a glass of wine. Once he had handed the glass to Elizabeth, he turned back to the refrigerator and started rummaging through it. A few seconds later, his stomach growled loudly enough for his guests to hear.

"Neal, when did you eat last?" Elizabeth asked as she put her glass down and moved to the refrigerator.

Neal gave her another sheepish look. "I had a great breakfast this morning with June," he finally admitted.

"Breakfast?!" Elizabeth cried. "You haven't eaten anything since breakfast?"

Peter was surprised when Elizabeth turned back around and glared at him. "Why are you glaring at me?" he asked.

"I told you to keep an eye on him, Peter. You should have made sure that he ate something today. He's your responsibility!"

Peter and Neal both responded vehemently and at the same time.

"I'm not a child, Beth!" Neal yelled.

"He's not a child, El!" Peter yelled.

"Well, apparently he's not grown up enough to make sure he eats throughout the day, Peter."

Neal passed a quick glance to Peter, trying to tell him that he would handle Elizabeth. Peter sat back in his chair, prepared to let Neal work his magic.

"Beth, I'm sorry, but I really wasn't hungry when I got home. I wasn't feeling well and all I really wanted to do was sleep."

Peter could tell that Neal's magic was starting to work, especially once the young man gave her his signature hurt puppy look. Unfortunately, Peter also knew not to count on Elizabeth to fully fall for any of Neal's cons. She was much too smart for that.

"Neal George Caffrey, I better not find out that you're skipping meals ever again. Is that clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Neal answered softly.

"Okay, then, have a seat and I'll cook you up something," she said as she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

"You don't have to do that, Beth," Neal said. "I can make something myself."

Seconds later, he was scrambling over to the table, trying to get away from Elizabeth and her dish towel.

"You'll learn not to argue with her eventually, Neal," Peter said with a grin just as Elizabeth snapped her dish towel against the young man's backside. "It's much less painful that way."

"Ow!" Neal howled as the dish towel snapped against his backside for the second time. "Thanks for the warning, Dad."

As he scrambled into his chair, he missed the contented look that passed between Peter and Elizabeth.


Author's note: Awwww…gotta love the little family moments, right? They're all just so perfect together, especially when Elizabeth is in full on mothering mode. Who wouldn't want to mother Neal every now and again?!

I hope you didn't mind all the fluff. And I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It really didn't go where I thought it was going to, but that seems to be the way of most of my stories. The characters seem to take on a life of their own and just do whatever the heck they want, lol.

Thanks so much for reading. I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter/story. Take care, all.