Interlude


Although several of the team had anticipated a visit the first thing in the morning, none of them were able to achieve their goal.

When Peter arrived to visit Bryce, he was surprised to discover that a medical team from Washington had come up during the night. They had processed the transfer papers through forcing him to be removed before visiting hours had even opened. Knowing the man was an agent seemed to help relieve the surprise, but such a sudden removal was still shocking.

Trying to call Chuck only connected to a voicemail, Elizabeth hadn't heard from Sarah, and no one knew what was going on. With nothing else to do, Peter headed for work early.


Walking into the office, Peter collected the agents who were about the room into a collection. "If any of you were expecting to visit Bryce today, that won't be possible. He was removed by Washington this morning and I haven't heard back from Chuck yet to have any further information."

"Are we going to see him again?" was the general consensus of the team.

"I don't know," Peter was disturbed by the admittance. The man had been his friend, and he hoped to have the chance to rebuild their relationship, but that wasn't going to be possible if the man was going to disappear on them.

Settling in at his desk, Peter went to work on the pile of case files stacked up around him. Since he had been spending so much time at the hospital to be by Bryce's side, he had been neglecting much of his duties beyond solving their current caseload. There was a lot of bureaucratic work and other cases still to be handled. Burying himself into words and numbers, Peter was oblivious to the passing of time and preferred to focus on getting his work done.


Jumping as his phone startled him, Peter was almost surprised to see that Chuck was returning his call.

"Hi, Chuck," he responded to the call, "I was surprised to see that everyone was gone from the hospital this morning."

"I'm sorry about that. The boss wanted to have Bryce closer to make sure there was nothing else to worry about… considering some of the projects he has been involved with in the past. Fortunately, she has arranged for the best experts in the field to give him a checkup. There shouldn't be anything to concern, but it's best to be safe rather than sorry." Chuck tried to inform Peter without giving too much away.

Relieved to know that Bryce was being looked after, Peter voiced the question that worried him the most, "Is going to be coming back?"

"As Neal Caffrey? Probably not, but he will do his best to make a trip through on his own given the chance. When and how will depend on what goes once he is given the all-clear to resume active duty." Chuck continued to explain, "Bryce speaks highly of you, so he will make sure to retain as much of your friendship as he can. I know things have gone badly between you recently, but as he and I were estranged for more than five years, you can repair the damage."

Happy to hear the good news, Peter was hopeful for their friendship. Perhaps they would be able to make repairs yet considering that Chuck and Bryce had managed to work things out, even after so long a disagreement. In comparison, time-wise, his argument seemed to be nothing.

Feeling more at ease, Peter leaned back into his chair and talked a little longer. As the future was unknown, he requested some basic details to confirm that Bryce was doing alright and asked to know what Chuck had in mind. He liked the young agent too, and was wondering if he would be coming back around or keeping in touch through the future.

Interested, Chuck agreed to keep in touch and looked forward to getting to know more about the friends Bryce had made. "I'd like that. Bryce has good taste in friends, and I would enjoy getting to know you as well."

Laughing, Peter took that as a compliment, "Few seem to reach such a high standard, and I'm honored that he seems to include me."

Wrapping up their conversation, Peter was glad to have some closure for what was going on and Chuck's promise to keep in further touch.


Having only the occasional conversation with Chuck to keep him in touch with his friend, Peter focused heavily on his own work. There was so much to do that his attention wasn't easily distracted.

His primary case continued to be the Larkin problem. With the two suspects on the run, he had his work cut out for him in finding them.

Utilizing the typical routines, Peter had placed up wanted posters and the law enforcement world was on the lookout for anyone fitting their description. Considering that they were only amateurs, he assumed catching them would be far easier than chasing Bryce in his Neal persona had been.

What made the difference was that Bryce wasn't entirely hiding because he wished to be followed, and he didn't use his wealth as a means of evading capture. Instead, he had used his wits and speed to keep one step ahead.

Picking up the trail after several weeks of searching him out, Peter was amused to realize that Kendrick actually believed he had waited him out and the man was coming out of hiding with the belief that he was safe. Based on his misconception, it wasn't hard to follow the trail as Kendrick spent the ill-gotten gains on a lavish romance with Kendra Peyton.

Shaking his head, Peter wasn't surprised she had followed the money and was likely the motivation behind them breaking cover. The woman had an expensive taste with a propensity to socialize in situations where she could flaunt her good looks and wealth. Hiding from the law wasn't conducive to such desires, so she was going to ultimately be the reason for their downfall.

When the day came that Kendrick and Peyton were cornered and placed in jail by the local authorities, Peter took the personal trip to help escort them back. As the case lead agent, he was welcomed by the local authorities and found the return trip rather interesting.

Taking his seat for the flight with the Marshalls and the two suspects, Peter enjoyed studying them. When he questioned Kendra, he was particularly curious about what her answer would be. "Why did you run with Kendrick when you all but had the Larkin wealth in your grasp through Wyatt?"

"Because he was siphoning the wealth away which meant he was slowly taking the larger amount and putting Wyatt into debt. He was also offering a more exciting life by working to outsmart the others." She didn't seem so certain or confident in her choices anymore but wasn't repentant either.

"At least marrying him wouldn't have led to a jail sentence," Peter remarked.

Finding their conversation dulling quickly, Peter knew they were smart enough to pull the heist off, but not smart enough to get away with it. That was another reason why he wished Bryce was around. He had the intelligence to do both.


Standing in the Washington base, Bryce was watching the buzzing of the city through the window. He was still being placed in protective custody while the medical staff ran their tests, but there didn't seem to have been any adverse effects from his injuries, so there was hope he would be released soon.

In the meanwhile, Jonathon continued to take care of his personal life, Chuck was keeping him company to assist in whatever he needed, and Peter was completing his family's case. There wasn't much for him to do, but he wasn't one for standing idly by.

"Has Jonathon found a new place of employment for Parker?" He startled Chuck as the man walked up behind him.

Chuck knew Bryce was good, but he had thought he might actually manage to sneak up on him, considering how inattentive Bryce had appeared. "Yes, he did. You will like who he found too."

"I'm sure June will appreciate having him around the house. He is closer to her age which will provide her with a friend, and he will enjoy continuing in servitude to someone who will actually appreciate him despite his age." Neal surmised that his friends would get along well. Plus, having Parker at the mansion would make it easier to visit him at the same time as he did June.

"Did you request him to arrange that, like you did his proxy bid of your favorite painting?" Chuck asked.

"No, but I'm not surprised he would have arranged it. Jonathon knows how much I have always liked Parker, how much I like June, and what they have each dealt with recently. It was a logical arrangement to put together," Bryce had been certain Jonathon would come to that conclusion.

"Should I even bother asking who you have requested as guests for the Larkin party?" Chuck wondered. He hadn't been to a Larkin event in a long time.

Smiling as he turned around, Bryce figured it would be obvious who he would want present. "You and Sarah are invited, of course. Don't be surprised if Peter brings Elizabeth, or if Sara shows up too."

Matching his smile, Chuck was looking forward to the party. "So, that means you have to pass the rest of your tests if you are going to be free from here in time for the weekend."

"That shouldn't be an issue. I just have a residual headache when there is something too loud. Otherwise, everything else has healed fine and my medical records shouldn't keep me here past tomorrow morning," Bryce reassured him. He had been down these roads enough times to know generally what to expect.

"Won't your headache hurt you at the party?" Chuck questioned. He did remember the tendency for loud music and a lot of talking.

"If it gets to be too much, then I can easily take a walk through the gardens, or stand out by the water." Bryce wasn't worried; he had dealt with social events and headaches enough times that he knew when to leave.

Shifting the conversation, Chuck wondered if Bryce knew anything more about what to expect after his medical leave. Considering that he had just publicly come back to life, he was being given additional time off to get his personal life back into a semblance of order. His mission was done and his cover was blown, so there was going to be some work involved before they could make their final decision.

"There aren't any updates for certain, but the bosses are thinking about having me work as your counterpart, perhaps working as a liaison for the FBI, or maybe even some more minor jobs closer to home where my cover doesn't need to be so deep. With a socialite family and my return to life, my deep cover career is over." Bryce wasn't upset by that. He still hoped to retain fieldwork in some way, but which friend he worked with wasn't as much of a concern. They were both going to remain in his life, once he repaired his friendship with Peter anyway.

"Then let's get to work on your case. The bosses still want the last of your reports and we have some time to get them finished." Chuck directed him back to a table where he spread the remaining papers into two piles. Since it was the first time that he could help, he took great pleasure in being able to assist his friend to get his work done while he finished walking through the recovery stages from his injuries.

Taking his seat on the other side of the table, Bryce sighed as he got comfortable. This was what he had hoped would be possible, but had feared would never be. Smiling at Chuck as he looked at him in concern, Bryce shrugged. "Peter knows who I am, Mozzie isn't running away because I'm an agent, you are here, and I have a chance at repairing several of my relationships now that the truth is out. This is worth it all."

Grinning, Chuck was happy to see him so relaxed. "Just don't go putting us through this again, next time we won't be so forgiving," he teased. What he meant was that Bryce shouldn't die on them again, or they would be chaining him somewhere for his safety.

"Without deep cover, it shouldn't be an issue, but I'll hold you to that." As long as they were willing to be there to bring him back or help him recover, he would take any punishment that they felt necessary.

Settling into a comfortable working routine, the two agents landed into the task and made quick headway.


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

Alrighty, everybody, this week is Quinis' birthday, so for a bit, I will be posting two stories. The birthday special will start on the 12th and then continue on the weekends until completion :D

In addition, Persuassioned is down to three weeks after this. So, if you want to throw your vote at me for what to post next, I won't post it until after the two stories are finished, but it's a good time to begin casting votes ;)