Tuesday morning finds both Burke's and Neal at the breakfast table, cradling cups of coffee. Bowls of half-eaten cereal sit in front of them, but all had been too stressed to eat, thinking about last night's events.
"So will you need to go into the office today?" asked El to Peter after enough silence. "With everything that's going on."
"Officially, I don't know anything until someone from the team calls." said Peter. "So right now we're on a wait and see thing." As if by magic his phone rings. Peter picks it up and walks into the kitchen to answer.
"Want to make bets on who is the one calling?" said Neal, trying to sound cheerful.
"What would be our wager?" said El, half-heartedly playing along as she looks into the room Peter just walked into.
"Hm, whomever wins gets to learn a secret about the other person." said Neal, after thinking a moment. "The loser doesn't have to confess to anything too crazy or illegal...and we both swear on Satchmo's life not to lie."
"Bringing the dog into this?" said El, with a giggle. "But you're on. I'll say Diana."
"I'm going to go one up and say Hughes." said Neal pondering a moment and figuring it's the most likely knowing Peter's boss. "Possibly wanting to make it the most official by being the one to tell Peter."
"We'll see...I hope to learn one of your secrets though." said El, smiling. "You're a mystery to most of us."
Neal tips an invisible hat. "Just the way I like it." he said with a smile. Peter walks back in and rolls his eyes at Neal's antics.
"So who was it?" asked El, glancing at Neal. "We're both curious."
"Hughes was calling with the news." said Peter, noticing something is up between El and Neal as Neal quietly gives a little cheer. "What were you two up to?"
"We made bets on who would call." said El, looking at Neal and rolling her eyes laughing. "Alright, Neal, you win."
"Do I even want to know the wager?" said Peter, sitting down. "Hughes wants me and Neal in soon to officially be on the record we know. I said we would come by Wednesday after Neal's doctor appointment."
"We wagered a secret." said El. "It was Neal's idea."
"Do I get to be in on it?" said Peter, curiously.
Neal shrugs. "El lost, so it's really up to her." he said. "El?"
"Fine, fine. I once streaked in public." said El, blushing. Peter gives her a weird look. "What, Peter, it was college." Both boys burst out in laughter. "I was dared."
"This definitely does not leave this house." said Peter at Neal, though still laughing. "But yeah I never would have guessed, hun."
"Seems you have two lawbreakers in the house." said Neal, continuing with the fun to keep the seriousness of what's going on out of his head as much as possible. "Whatever will you do Peter? Oh, did you get arrested El?"
"I did." said El. "I was only in jail for a couple hours that time until some of my friends bailed me out and I only got a warning."
"I see I have lost already." said Peter, shaking his head.
Neal catches the error in what El said. "Wait, that time?" asked Neal, coyly.
El realizes her mistake. "Ah what I get for telling secrets on pretty much zero sleep. Fine, I also caught got with a fake ID once. I spent an overnight. Peter knows about that one - it came up under surveillance."
One of the burner phones on the bookshelf rings. Everyone looks towards it at once. "Will I even want to know who that is?" asked Peter, walking over. "Hello?"