Menagerie - A collection of Short Stories and Drabbles in the world of White Collar. (I don't own anything but I do like playing with the characters when I can.)

Drabbles #30 - Returning

(AU, mystery, sci-fi, friendship, angst, hurt/comfort, spoilers for all seasons. Based in part off the Japanese movie: "Be with You.")

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It had been sudden, Neal disappearing in a the blink of an eye as Peter yelled, the gunman shooting first before the agent could even register. He had done it for him, something off when he went back to see why Neal hadn't met him at the spot they had picked. It had been a simple assignment and now... Neal Caffrey was gone.

Hours...

Days...

Weeks...

They passed by in a blur and every day he tried to go looking for his friend until Reese and everyone else banned him from the site and still he went back against their wishes until he was hospitalized for exhaustion and stress. Neal was gone. He wasn't coming back. He hadn't left on a trip. The con hadn't escaped. He was just... gone. No body, no signs other than a shoe and part of a cuff in the water below. Only the smallest of forensic evidence where he had fallen when the cliff crumbled and his body had collapsed back, face calm to the swiftly moving river below. It was a miracle Peter hadn't killed the man who did it, only disarming him with one shot but Jones had been there and that had been the only force keeping him from physically harming the murderer of his friend and partner as he gazed over the cliff side. Rain fell on them but he didn't care, drops trickling down his face and eyelashes in a cold spray.

Neal.

His mind was only thinking of his friend.

"Boss..."

He turned at the sound of a familiar voice, eyes searching hers for some solace.

"Neal... we have to find him."

Diana looked as lost as he did, her eyes turning to glance at Jones and the other agents who were there now booking the man who had caused all of this. There were no words to be said, her hands holding him securely, wrapping around him with a blanket as he shivered and felt like crying but no tears would come. Neal was gone.

He woke up from the memory, pulse racing, breath hitching some as he glanced over at the clock and saw it was only 2 AM. He gazed beside him and saw an empty space, the blanket pushed aside where his wife had been. A sudden panic rose in him and he left the bed without a moment's thought, moving out into the hallway and seeing El coming out the bathroom, a surprised look on her face when he hugged her tightly.

"Hun... Peter, what's the matter?"

He continued to hold her, thinking if he had lost her too but he hadn't. Neal had kept her with him, giving up the treasure. Neal had always been there to help when he needed it and suddenly he felt like there was a gaping hole waiting to swallow him up.

"Nothing... I just missed you."

Peter knew she didn't believe him but he didn't care, holding on to her as they walked back to the bedroom and she curled up beside him.

"It's ok, hun. We'll get through this."

(TBA)

Author's Note: Something I was working on but put aside. Still trying to figure out how to make it work. Just a piece in a larger puzzle I haven't finished mapping out yet. Let me know if you like!