Hey guys I'm back.
I apologize for the absence, I've just been struggling a lot with my depression lately so it's been hard to find the motivation to write.
That being said I can't say that this is the best I've ever written but I did my best and hopefully you'll like it.

CHAPTER 12

As soon as agent Collins had given him an address, Peter left the room and let Jones handle Collins, he didn't trust himself to be in the same room with the bastard for much longer.
He stopped by his office where Diana was sitting by the desk, going through some files while Neal was lying on the floor, reading a book while fighting to stay awake.
Peter opened the door and asked Diana to step outside, while Neal watched them with a curious look.
He updated her on Collins confession and by the end of it, she looked just as pissed off as he felt.

"Is there anything I can do?"
"I want you to take Neal back to my place. If all goes well we'll find Elizabeth and I can bring her back there."
"Got it, boss."

They walked back into the room and Peter crouched down in front of the boy.

"Listen buddy, Diana is going to take you back to the house while I go and check out a lead okay?"
"Do you know where my mommy is?"

Neal asked, while sitting up.
The hopeful look on the kid's face made him want to really tell him about the new information, but he didn't want to get his hopes up in case Collins were sending them off on some wild goose chase.

"Not yet, but we might be getting closer."

Neal's face fell and he nodded solemnly before he started to pack up of all of the schoolbooks.
As he put his backpack on, he let out a big yawn.

"Can I get some coffee before I go?"

The boy asked, giving Peter the puppy eyes.
Neal could already be a handful sometimes, and Peter didn't even want to imagine what it would be like with the kid hopped up on caffeine.

"Absolutely not."
"Mommy lets me."

Neal said with a pout and Peter laughed before ruffling the boy's hair.

"Nice try, buddy."

He then turned to Diana, who was watching the exchange with an amused smile.

"Remember Diana, don't believe anything he says."

He warned and Diana laughed, promising that she wouldn't before the two left the office.
Now that he knew Neal was taken care off, Peter could go and hopefully bring his mother back to him.

Peter had expected an abandoned building, somewhere remote where no one could see or hear anything that was going on, but instead the location turned out to be an ordinary house in an ordinary neighbourhood.
There were children playing on the street, several neighbours outside tending their garden or walking their dogs and on the way, he had even spotted signs about neighbourhood watch.
It didn't feel like a house where criminals could bring a kidnapped woman and keep her there for this long without anyone noticing.
That of course, was also a perfect way to blend in so Peter kept his hopes up.
Peter got out of the car and walked towards the house, followed by a couple of other agents as well as a tac team.
The neighbours stopped what they were doing and curiously watched the action taking place right in their seemingly safe neighbourhood.
An unlocked door allowed them to walk in and surprise the man who was standing in the kitchen, getting a beer out of the fridge.
For a second Peter thought that the man was innocent and they were in the wrong house, until he spotted a handgun lying on the counter next to the man.

"Freeze, FBI!"

The man froze before lifting his hands up and slowly turning around before one of the agents walked over to cuff him.

"Where is she?"

Peter asked the man, he was quiet as he weighed his options, and after a couple of seconds he made the smart choice.

"Basement."

He let the tac team go down into the basement first to clear it, he heard them yell before a couple of shots were fired and then finally they called for him and he rushed down the stairs.
On the floor was two men, one of them bleeding from his shoulder and the other one clutching his bleeding knee.
Peter couldn't care less about the men, all he could focus on was the big, locked door that they had been guarding.
He didn't even have to ask for a key before a member of the tac team handed him a key, presumably taken from one of the men.
The door opened with a loud creak and he could barely hold back a sob as he saw Elizabeth sitting curled up in a ball in the middle of the sound isolated room.

"Elizabeth!"

He called out while he rushed to her side, she immediately lifted her head, looking at him in disbelief and it took a couple of seconds for her to realize that it was really him.
As soon as Peter managed to help her stand up, she threw her arms around him and gave him a passionate kiss.
Tears of joy were rolling down her cheek and she carefully touched Peter's cheek, as if she still couldn't believe that she was being saved.

"Neal?"

She suddenly asked, her voice hoarse but worried.

"He's fine. Neal's safe."
He assured her and once she knew that her son was okay, she allowed herself to break down and cry while Peter held her tightly.

The paramedic finished bandaging up a wound on Elizabeth's forehead before she told Elizabeth to get some water and food into her and plenty of rest and she would be just fine.
Peter released a sigh of relief, glad that she hadn't sustained any serious injuries.
Elizabeth hadn't even wanted to get checked out by the paramedic at first, she had just insisted that she was fine and that she needed to go back to Neal.
Peter had to practically force her to sit down and let the paramedic quickly check for any serious injuries, while her colleagues worked on the wounded men.

"Can we go now?"

Elizabeth asked while flashing him puppy eyes, and he couldn't help but laugh at how much she reminded him of her son in that moment.
After getting a bottle of water from the paramedic, they got into the car and left the house.
During the ride Peter told Elizabeth the story about how Neal had shown up at his job, soaked to the bone after walking all the way from their home in the pouring rain.
Her face immediately paled, not at all liking that her 6-year-old had walked that far on his own.
Because of her worried reaction to that part, he decided to wait before telling her about Neal receiving a note and being forced to see that horrible picture, instead he moved on to informing her that Neal had been staying with him.
She stayed silent for a minute or two before she looked at him, with gratitude in her eyes.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do that."
"Elizabeth, I love you. Taking care of your son was the least I could do, besides I really like Neal, he's a good kid."

She smiled at him before she placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it slightly.
"I love you too."

As soon as they entered the house, they could hear Neal giggling while Diana jokingly accused him of being a cheater.
Peter looked at Elizabeth and saw that the sound of her child's laughter brought tears to her eyes.
Elizabeth waited in the hallway while Peter walked into the living room and saw them playing yatzy by the kitchen table.

"Hey Neal, I've got a surprise for you."

He said, trying not to smile too much and give it away.
The boy turned and looked at him, with an excited look on his face.

"What is it?"
"Close your eyes."

Neal closed his eyes while letting out an excited giggle.
Elizabeth walked into the room and towards her son, her crying almost giving her away.
She sat down on her knees next to the chair while Peter, Diana and even Satchmo quietly waited for the big reveal.
Elizabeth reached out her hand and gently touched his arm and it seemed as if the magical connection between a parent and their child kicked in, because Neal instinctively knew who it was and opened his eyes.
Neal stared at his mother for a couple of seconds before it finally seemed to hit him that it was really her.

"MOMMY!"

He cried out before leaping off the chair and into her arms.
The boy tried to voice all of his questions, tried to say at least something, but the young child was suddenly overwhelmed by his emotions and instead he started to cry.
Neal clung on to her as if she was a lifeline and she held him just as tight, rubbing his back.

"It's okay baby, I'm back. I'm okay."

Peter felt like crying himself and even Diana's eyes seemed to be watering.
In a way the scene was truly heartbreaking to see because all of this should never have happened, they should never have to be separated and spend every day worrying, not knowing if the other one was okay or even alive.
At the same time it was truly heartwarming to see mother and child reunited again, and see the strong connection and love between them.