Courthouse

Despite how circumstantial the evidence was, Neal was going to trial.

The FBI was embarrassed he had committed the crimes right under their noses, so they were placing his cases before a jury to determine his guilt and punishment. White Collar had prepared the cases and collected evidence, and combined with his criminal history, it wouldn't take much to get a conviction.

Walking into the courthouse, Peter was glad Elizabeth had chosen to be in the audience. Prosecuting the man who had become his friend wasn't going to be pleasant, so he was happy to have her support. Holding her hand until they reached the hall where everyone else was meeting, he tried to gain strength from their physical connection.

Reaching the hall, Peter looked around to see nearly everyone present. Sara was there as Neal's ex-girlfriend, the Larkin family were entering with Bryce's God-mother, June was relieved to have Elizabeth take the seat next to her, and Jonathon was sitting towards the edge of the group as he wasn't closely connected to them. Further away, Chuck was walking in while talking to a blonde, who Peter assumed was the man's wife. Although they weren't grouped together, they had at least all arrived.

"Hey boss, there is some construction going on in the other hallway, so most of the people are going to be crowded into here. Do you think Neal might try to take advantage of the limitations in security to make a run for it?" Diana asked as she updated him. The team had collected their paperwork, but Peter would be the primary representative for the cases. Since Agent Smith had continued to look guilty, the agent had disappeared and most of the office was preoccupied with the ongoing OPR investigation. It didn't look good for the FBI, so the bosses wanted to keep Peter as the face for the agency because he had a stable and long-standing reputation for being honest.

Peter's gut seemed to be in a constant state of churning or kicking. Something was wrong, but Peter had long since lost track of what it could be. Deciding not to take any chances, he felt it was best to be close to Neal until he was in the open courtroom. If the man tried to run, no one had ever been able to catch him like Peter. "I think I will help watch him, having an extra pair of eyes won't hurt when it comes to Neal."

Almost smirking, Diana had expected his reaction. "I already made arrangements with the Marshals. If you don't need me, then I will head back to the office."

Taking a moment to look around and try to estimate why his instincts were screaming at him, Peter had no idea what to expect. "Something has been wrong through this whole mess, and my instincts are screaming at me that it is about to get worse, but I don't know why. Is it simply because the man I had begun to see as my best friend is being charged with several crimes that will leave him imprisoned for life, or is it something else? Unless something more definitive comes up, we should be fine." Peter decided to dismiss her rather than keep her for something that had been going on for months anyway.

"If you're sure, boss. But call if anything comes up, or else I will have to carry my threats for Neal out on you," Diana lightly threatened. She knew not to bet against the gut, but she also trusted Peter to know when he needed her.

Taking a quick walk through everyone, Peter made sure they were comfortable and knew what was going to be expected of them. Then he stopped by his wife to explain how he was going to be with Neal to keep an eye on the man as the construction made for a weakness in security.

"Keep an eye on him, but also watch out for trouble. Something about this has been bugging you all along, be careful." Elizabeth warned him worriedly before kissing him quickly.

Reciprocating her kiss, Peter tried to calm down but only felt his system tightening up even more. "I will, hon." Then he walked over to the hallway where Neal was being guarded by Marshals.

Turning the corner, he spotted the two Marshals walking through a side door with their charge chained in between them. Neal was shuffling along in his shackles and wearing one of his basic suits for his court appearance. He looked the same as he had at the hotel before the attacks had started. As it was, the only differences were the chains and healing injuries from the previous attempts on his life.

Shifting into the cautious agent, Peter walked up and introduced himself with his badge. "I'll be helping keep an eye on Caffrey until his court appearance."

"Welcome to the party, Peter. The real fun is over here anyway." Neal smirked as he took his seat on the hard bench where the Marshal's directed him to be.

Reverting to something of their old banter, Peter felt it was better than his confusion. At least there was an element of normalcy to being cop and robber than former friends. It was almost like their first trial experience, "Don't get used to it."

Peter strolled along the stretch of hallway and glance up around the galleries above them. It was definitely an easy place to escape if someone wanted to, and Neal was fast and skilled at making a getaway. Once he was satisfied with his surroundings and knowledgeable of where the weak spots were, Peter took a seat opposite Neal where he could keep an eye on him.

"This is only temporary, Peter. I don't know what the future is going to hold, but I get the feeling today is going to decide it." Neal was serious, yet almost relieved. He seemed to sense that something was coming too.

"Something tells me it isn't going to be good," Peter couldn't help remarking. Didn't Neal understand the ramifications of what was happening? Even if the jury let him free of the crimes, the FBI wasn't looking to renew his deal. Their partnership had officially ended. Although he didn't want to work with a partner who was using him, he couldn't deny the wish to work with his friend again, like before.

"Probably not in the aspect you foresee. Still, the back of my neck is definitely tingling." Neal rubbed his hand across his neck again. It seemed to be a nervous tick. The closer it got to his court appearance, the more his neck seemed to be bugging him.

Unsure of what Neal meant, Peter speculated possible meanings. "Is this about the threats on your life again?" His back suddenly went rigid as his senses honed in on the possibility. If someone was going to try and kill Neal again, the courthouse would be an easier target than solitary confinement. Either that, or he would be more vulnerable in transit, but he had made it to the courthouse safely.

"Who said anything about that? I certainly didn't. There haven't been many opportunities for conversation in solitary," Neal deflected. He put his carefree mask on like armor.

"Caffrey," Peter wasn't in the mood for games, and the kid should get a better grasp of his seriousness between his tone and use of his surname.

"Burke," Neal played back.

"How many times do I have to tell you that your life isn't a game?" Peter was getting angry again. It was bad enough he was going back to prison, but death was so much worse.

"You seem to think at least once more is necessary." Neal had fully reverted back to an almost playful banter which was only riling Peter's temper. Making Peter mad seemed to be his goal.

Getting ready for a full telling off, Peter was about to repeat every speech he had ever done on safety before he decided not to. If Neal wanted to push his buttons for a fight because he was lonely, then Peter wasn't going to be played. "Apparently you know what the speech is."

"Come on, Peter. You aren't going to play with me?" Neal almost whined.

Growing more taciturn, Peter wondered why Neal was suddenly playing the annoying con game. Sure, he had always been annoying, but he had never taken it to this level of childishness before. What was his angle? Refusing to rise to the bait, Peter settled back to silently observe. Neal was obvious up to something, but what was his ploy?

Sitting back in the other hall, the rest of the group were having a more pleasant time. Most of them had separated off into various groups and were holding their own conversations.

June, Sara, and Elizabeth were discussing the apparent outcome of the situation.

"I still can't believe Neal would have taken such advantage of me." June had been disappointed to learn her fears were being validated. Neal being prosecuted meant her house was about to be permanently quiet again. His presence had brought so much life to her home with his smile and excitement, she felt young again as she helped the young man adjust to his new life and got caught up in his adventures. He was a good friend and the best improvement to her life in recent years.

Reacting in anger, Sara wasn't as surprised. "What upsets me is that I allowed myself to be blinded to the potential. He is a known criminal and conman, but I still got involved with him."

In an effort to keep the peace, Elizabeth was torn between which side to stand on, so she chose to remind them that even Peter wasn't sure what was going on. "It isn't fully decided yet. Although the evidence does look like Neal is guilty of everything, it is all circumstantial. As slim as it might be, he could be innocent. I don't know what to think, and even Peter is torn by the whole situation."

Deflating a little bit, Sara revealed that her anger was a cover for her pain. "Why can't this all be over? It seems like we just keep getting pulled back and forth between his guilt and his innocence. I want him to be innocent as much as you do, but I also know he is a criminal with his head in the clouds."

"Oh, honey," June reached out to her. "I remember when Byron was still tempted to be involved with the criminal element. It was a rollercoaster ride of adventure, but there was always the possibility of flying off of the rail which terrified me. He was never killed or seriously harmed, but he did land in prison a few times. Eventually, he settled down and I didn't have to worry about him anymore, but it took some years for him to learn that our family was more important. Neal could still learn." She tried to encourage Sara and give her hope if she wanted it.

Suddenly thinking over the time they had been friends, Elizabeth could see how Neal had fluctuated between improving and backsliding. "She is right, even if Neal is guilty, it doesn't mean he won't regret it later. He has shown signs he can improve, but maybe he was tempted too much this time."

Afraid of that line of thinking, the three women fell into alternate conversation, but the topic remained in the back of their minds.

Across the hall from them, Chuck and Sarah seemed to be content to talk quietly by themselves, but they were also observing the others from time to time.

Catching Elizabeth's glance once, Chuck nodded at her in acknowledgment, but his eyes conveyed pity. He remembered what it felt like to be in her shoes, confused as to what Bryce was up to, and he didn't envy her. Bryce had put him through years of questions and hatred before he had finally been able to learn the truth about his friend.

It was less awkward for him than it was for Sarah. She found her attention continuously drawn to Sara as another ex. Although the other woman didn't know it, they had both been romantically involved with the man known as Neal. Her mind found its way back to the days where she feared he had betrayed her when he was a traitor to his country. Discovering he was innocent and a hero had been a great relief, so she hoped Sara would be fortunate enough to learn the truth as well.

Making their observations, the two tried to generally ignore the one person who was continuously paying attention to them. Jonathon was mostly watching Chuck, but he was also curious about Sarah. In recent years Bryce had only talked about Chuck in the past tense, so Jonathon didn't know what role he currently played in his life or how informed he was. Did they know, where they aware of what Bryce was doing and what was going on? He himself only knew the basic details.

Finally, there was the Larkin family sitting off to the side by themselves. There had been a general acknowledgment of Jonathon because they knew who he was, but otherwise, they were more interested in lamenting the situation.

Richard and Wyatt were upset by how bad the image was for their family, a Larkin impersonated by a common conman? It was unthinkably embarrassing! Felix was trying to use the impersonation as a reason to draw attention to himself because he had only wanted his brother to help, it wasn't his fault the man was so good at fooling him.

While they were absorbed in their embarrassment, things they would rather be doing instead, and all the general inconveniences of such an undesirable situation, Clara and their friend Mrs. Wymond were forced to keep their displeasure to a minimum. Clara focused on Felix and kept him occupied by preparing for their appearance in court. Thinking through conversations and observations concerning Neal gave them something else to talk about. Mrs. Wymond used her role as a family friend and Bryce's God-mother to agree with the family's distaste for being so ill-used, but she also tempered them down to a more agreeable level that wouldn't create a scene in front of an audience.

They were passing the time easily enough, but the distant sound of gunfire and combat brought all conversations to a halt.

Thank you, everyone, for commenting/reviewing, following, leaving kudos, and choosing to favorite :D