Hey Everyone! sorry it took long time to come back with the chapter. To make it up to you all, I have posted a longer chapter. Hopefully won't take long for the next one :)

Thank you so much Icylightning, Hilary, PastOneonta and Shalimar70 for your fantafabulous reviews. It is your reviews that make me write the chapters faster. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Let's get on with the chapter

"Sure, kiddo. I will surely help you out. I will inform you as soon as possible.'' Peter assured Neal who smiled his charming smile first but then suddenly went pale.

Peter instantly knew why Neal had this reaction. Memory or no memory, Neal would always have this fear his dad. No matter what the situation is. But right now, Peter need not worry about that. Neal no longer had to fear his dad, James because his dad was no longer alive on this planet.

What Peter did have to worry was what was he going to tell Neal and most importantly how, that James was dead.

El's beautiful faced twisted in confusion. James was long dead. Then why did her husband just lie to Neal?

''Um, Peter?''

''El.. Why don't we talk about everything later huh!" He begged El with his eyes not to speak anything here in front of their kid.

Neal who was watching this conversation was starting to have major trust issues with this couple.

''You are going to take me to my dad, right?" He asked skeptically.

''Of course! Kiddo. You just focus on getting better." Peter smiled tightly. He placed his hand on Neal's right thigh and pressed to comfort him.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Neal shrugged his shoulders. He softly removed the man's hand from his thigh. He was feeling suffocated by the love they were showering upon him. He did not miss the hurt look on the man's face but he really didn't want all this. He didn't deserve all this. specially from strangers.

He knew what he had waiting. He had James. He had Max. Those monsters would never love him the way this couple were behaving. Then why should he allow himself these small moments of respite. He would never get his happy ending.

Right now, he just wanted to go to his damn home, to James. He was sure James would have sent Max by now with search party to look for him and he didn't want to anger his dad any more than necessary.

''Neal! Neal!" Peter called out more loudly. Neal jerked out of his reverie and turned towards the man. ''You okay there, buddy?"

''Yes! Why do you ask?'' Neal replied a little too quickly.

Peter just rolled his eyes. Memories or no memories. Neal couldn't hide his tensile mood.

''Umm.. By the way, may I know your names, please? Even though you are complete strangers to me, you guys are helping me out. Least I should know your names, right?" Neal asked suddenly.

Peter and El looked at each other as their hearts were shattered to million pieces. Never they had imagined they this day would also come where they would be introducing themselves to Neal again.

El smiled her sweet smile. She came and sat down besides Neal. She took his both hands in her hands and pressed them comfortingly and answered, "Neal, baby, I am El. El Burke and he is my husband, Peter'' She flicked her eyes towards Peter.

Peter smiled and nodded. ''I am an FBI agent and El here, is an event planner,"

Neal paled. FBI agent! What was an FBI agent doing here? And didn't they say that he was their kid? How in the world was it possible that he was their kid? He was sure that the agent had an ulterior motive.

He wasn't their son or anything. He scrunched his face to remember how he landed here in the hospital in first place. Surely, he must have been doing his dad's work when this agent must have barged in to arrest him.

And now he was lying and making excuses that he was their kid so that he could get out valuable information out of him. But the agent forgets who he is dealing with, Neal thought shrewdly. He was Neal Caffrey. The famous conman. Nothing can be gotten out of him without his will.

"Neal, honey!" the lady whose name was El called out. There was something in her voice that Neal couldn't quite understand but it made him want to listen to her.

"Yes, Mrs. Burke?" Neal questioned.

"You zoned out again baby. You can talk to us. Please tell us if anything is troubling you.'' She bought his right hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. Neal felt instant warmth course through his body. He quickly took away his hand from El's and hid it under the blanket. He didn't want this unnecessary love from her right now.

''I am feeling sleepy. Can you both please leave so that I can rest. Please." Neal requested.

He was actually getting tired and sleepy because of the meds in his system. Plus, he just wanted alone time. He wanted to think of ways to get away from the FBI agent quickly. His dad would turn him into dead meat if he knew that an FBI agent was there with him in the hospital.

Both Peter and El seem so lost at Neal's sudden dismissal. They really never thought that they would have to say goodbye to Neal this way.

But they knew there wasn't much they could do in this situation.

''Of course, kiddo. Whatever you want. If you need us, we are right here, okay." Peter assured Neal. He squeezed his right thigh is comfort softly and then urged El to follow him out the door.

El got up from her place next to Neal and came more closer and gave a soft peck on her kid's forehead. Neal just sat there stunned by this gush of affection showered upon him. No matter how he dismissed them, they just kept showering love upon him.

"Get well soon, sweetie. Ho.."

''El, Let's go." Peter stopped her from continuing. He feared that if El told Neal about home, then the kid would freak out more than he looked. He would be outright terrified.

El turned to her husband and understood. She got up and joined him. Both of them smiled at Neal one last time before finally exiting the room.

Doctor Thyme who had been patiently watching the scene unfold before him finally came forward and checked up Neal. After he was thoroughly satisfied with his patient's health, he too took his leave, after letting Neal know that he would be visiting him again in some time later.

Outside –

Peter let out a tired sigh. "Doctor, can you please tell us, when will Neal's memory return?" He asked the doctor even though he knew in such cases you never knew when the patient would fully recover.

Doctor Thyme smiled but this time his smile didn't reach his eyes. "I don't want to give you both any false hope, Agent Burke but I really don't know when shall Neal fully recover."

"What?'' El gasped softly.

"I am really sorry, Mrs. Burke but Neal can remember everything the next moment or the next day or he might remember in next month. There is no time limit to this. We really cannot predict how a person's brain works.''

The couple only nodded. This was the exact thing that Dr. Collin Grant had informed them when Neal had faked his memory loss. Only this time the memory loss is real.

Inside the room

Neal finally let out the breath he was holding. What was happening? Why were the Burke couple so good to him? And they said that he was their kid? How? FBI agent was his father? Something was seriously wrong here. If only he could just remember something from his past related to them.

He screwed his face and thought and thought but he just couldn't place Peter or El anywhere in his past life. Suddenly, the pain in his head increased. He clutched his head with his heads. And then the nurse was beside him.

"Excuse me, kid. You need to take rest." The nurse whose name tag read 'Rose' said with a sweet smile. She seemed to be in her mid-forties. She had a chubby face and was around 5 foot-ish,

Neal returned the smile. "Um, can I use the restroom, please?"

''Sure, kid. Want me to help you get there?" Rose asked

''No, thanks, I think I can mange that feat." Neal replied promptly. Come on, he was 15, for God sakes. He was not going to take some nurse's help to get to the restroom.

The nurse removed the covers gently and detached the wires for now and adjusted the IV stand so that it could be carried together. Neal sat and turned to his sides. Gingerly he kept his feet on ground. It was a foreign feeling. After a few seconds, he tried to get up, but a wave of dizziness crashed over him and Rose was there instantly.

''Kid, you had a bullet hit you near your head. It is okay to ask for help." She said encouragingly.

Neal blushed and then nodded. Rose came and stood beside Neal and Neal she threw his arm over her shoulder, so that Neal was leaning on to her. She took most of Neal's weight. She carefully led Neal to the restroom that was in the corner of the hospital room.

Neal was tired even though it was a mini trip. He was panting. He just wanted to go back to the bed and sleep. But he also wanted to go pee.

"Um, thanks. Rose. I got it from here. You can stand here. I will finish off and then you can drag me back to my bed." He requested the nurse.

Rose smiled and nodded. Neal held the stand tightly with his fingers as he thought if he let loose then he might topple over and went inside the restroom and locked the door.

After finishing his business, he quickly washed his hands. He was getting so so tired. He then decided to wash his face. After splashing water over his face, he turned off the faucet and stood straight to see his reflection in the mirror on the wall.

Surprise and shock were mixed feelings that came to his mind. He was 15 but he didn't look like when he was 15. Plus, the gash where the bullet was hit was now bandaged was making his handsome face look very gothic. Something was off. He closed his eyes. He tried to remember something that would help him but all that he could remember was his dad James, Max and Mozzie.

''Mozzie! Yes! I should talk to him. Maybe he will help me." Neal spoke to himself.

With that he turned away from the mirror and was out of the restroom. Rose then gently guided him back to his bed. She made him lay down and adjusted the IV and attached other wires too.

''If you need anything, I am just a bell away. Okay, kid.'' Rose spoke sweetly.

Neal nodded sleepily. The drugs in his system and the short trip to the bathroom was enough to take him to the dreamland and he was out like a light.

At the Burke House

El was comfortably lying in the arms of her husband Peter. But sleep was far far away for both Peter and El. Both couldn't just take out the conversation they had with Neal at the hospital.

''What if he never remembers us, Peter?" El suddenly asked in a scared voice.

Peter hugged her more tightly and answered, "El, we have overcome more harsher situations than this, right. I am sure Neal will remember everything soon.''

''But the way he spoke to us today, his eyes, there was no recognition at all, honey."

''Remember, Hon. This too shall pass. I promise." He kissed her forehead and El wrapped his hand around her husband's waist. Her eyes began to get wet. Peter felt the wetness but didn't say a word. He too was feeling upset about the whole situation they had gotten into.

It was only this morning that Neal was arguing with them about going on the damn mission and being careful about it. If only they had known of the outcome, they would have never allowed Neal on this mission.

Suddenly El spoke up, ''Honey, why did you lie to Neal about James? Shouldn't we have told him the truth. It would have helped him remember faster."

"Hon, I didn't want Neal to take any more stress than he already was taking. Imagine if we told him then and there that James was dead. How do you think would he have reacted?"

El hummed in agreement and Peter continued,

"Already he was freaking out because we told him that we were his parents. Now think what would have happened if we had dropped the bomb that James was no more.''

"I guess you right, Peter. But I was wishing we could have informed him about James. I thought by this news his memory would have returned.''

Peter sighed. El was being unreasonable. He too wanted their kid to come home but he knew if Neal wasn't faking his memory loss this time, then they needed to be patient. Neal would definitely remember everything soon and he would be back home soon.

He didn't reply to El. He simply held her warmly and closed his eyes, hoping that nightmares wouldn't trouble the Burkes tonight.

At the Hospital-

Neal woke up with a start. The pounding in his head intensified. What woke him up? He was panting as if he had run a marathon. He shifted to his left and then to his right to get into a better sleeping position but the IV and all the wires attached to him were making it impossible for him to get into a comfortable position.

He massaged his head with his hands to lighten up some of the pain in his head. His hand touched the bandaged area and he let out a whimper. It was too painful. How the hell did he get shot there? Who saved him? Who brought him to the hospital? The Burkes? Surely, that FBI agent must have brought him here.

Why hadn't his dad showed up yet? Why hadn't that monster Max showed up yet? And where was Mozzie? Of course, his eccentric friend hated hospitals so he won't be seen here but at least he should have called.

"Called?" Neal spoke aloud. It didn't matter if his friend hadn't called him yet. He could always call him, right? "That is, if I can find a phone here!" Neal rolled his eyes. ''Ouch! That hurt" he winced.

He sat up gingerly on the bed and looked around. He was lying on the hospital bed that was on the centre of the room. On his right there were all sorts of machines keeping him safe. On his left side was a table on which a jug of water a few fruits were kept in case he got hungry.

On his left only on the wall was the window which a had beautiful view to the city. It was almost winter now. The 1st flakes of snow had started falling softly. Below the window there was a cupboard, on top of which, some clothes and other items were kept.

Maybe those were his? He slowly removed the needle attached to the IV and turned to his left and put his feet down. He didn't know what he was going to get from those clothes. Maybe he had a phone on him? He could use it to call Moz. If not, he would at least go use the washroom that was in the corner and make use of the short trip that he was going to make.

He stood up slowly putting his entire weight on his legs. At first he swayed but then he steadied himself and started the trip towards the cupboard.

He reached the cupboard after a few minutes. He rummaged through the clothes. There was nothing much there. Only a blue checked shirt, a black jean and a red jacket.

Neal rubbed his face with his hand and sighed. So much for you to find a phone! He just threw the clothes back on the cupboard. Something fell onto the floor with a cling.

Neal frowned. Whatever it was, it was shining in the moonlight that was coming through the window. He gingerly bent down to pick it up. He let out a soft gasp. It was a silver chain with a pendant.

Since when did he wore chain around his neck? Neal thought aloud. He then took the pendant in his hands and turned it to check it out properly. It was in a shape of a snowflake with blue stones embedded in it. It was glinting in the moonlight. It was really very beautiful. He closed his eyes. He tried to recall something from his past that could tell him about the shiny metal that he was holding? But nothing came to his mind. He just couldn't remember wearing it.

He then adjusted his eyes to read that was written on the pendant. He let out a shocked gasp.

There on the pendant, it was neatly carved 'With love, Peter and El'

I hope you are all still me. please do review and let me know if I should continue.