Neal's POV

Keller was an annoying man but he didnt get in Neal's way. In the last few years, he barely left Neal's side. Instead, he watched as Neal did small-time jobs.

Neal was trying to make a name for himself. As a new thief, no one knew him yet. They knew Mozzie who had taken him under his wing. Without Mozzie, Neal wouldn't have made such a big name for himself so quickly.

Becoming a big player so quickly made the FBI search for him all the harder. Neal was able to keep one step ahead of them. His training with the CIA allowed him to predict their movements.

Keeping one step ahead of the FBI was keeping his skills honed. He would let them get close then escape right from under their noses. The closer he got the bigger the thrill.

Agent Peter Burke was not some low-level lackey. In everything that he had seen the man was a skilled agent. If he was a CIA agent then he would have been one of the best. If he was then he would be able to catch Neal with ease. Thankfully he wasn't and that allowed the younger man to build himself up.

The only real change was when Kate left him. She said she couldn't take life anymore and she was done. He didn't blame her. She wanted a simple life with some of the pleasures of the world.

That was not something he could provide for her. Despite wanting to put his past behind him Neal couldn't live a quiet life. It just wasn't something that was meant for him.

Mozzie was glad to see the back of her. To the older thief, she just got in the way. Neal always felt a kind of kinship with both of his friends.

Neal was forced to leave Mozzie behind, however. Rumors that the Music Box surfaced reached him. Even in the CIA, he heard of the box.

No one knew what it was for but every agency was searching for it. People said that it led to a priceless treasure.

Rather than use his friends he got into contact with another thief. Alex Hunter was a well-known thief that occasionally worked with Mozzie. They had met in Paris a few months back on another job.

The search for the Music Box took them to Cairo. They both broke into a museum rumored to have the box. It was a trap.

Neal barely escaped due to his training with the CIA. Instincts had kicked in and when a gun was shoved in his face, he broke the guard's arm.

For half a second cold eyes bore down onto the guard who begged for his life. He claimed to be a father to two young children. And just for a moment, the killer within him shone through.

In the end, it was the pain in his shoulder that reminded him he wasnt that kind of person anymore. He wasnt a killer.

So he ran and on his way out disassembled the gun. He would not know until later that Alex froze at the sight of a gun. She didnt have the battle-hardened instincts he did and was captured. Later she would escape but their relationship wasnt the same after that.

Neal allowed everyone to believe that he had stolen the box that night. In truth, it wasn't even where it was supposed to be. Either someone got it before them. Or it was never there, to begin with.

Either way, it spelled trouble for Neal who had to leave Cairo immediately. From there it was back to New York. Word got around that she was laying low there. Back where things began for both of them.

The moment he landed in New York Keller tried to stop him. Like Neal in the time since they had come to their agreement, he had made a name for himself.

To the world outside of the CIA Matthew Keller was an arms dealer. He was a conman and thief when the occasion called for it. It allowed him to be near Neal without arousing suspicions.

Keller came to him to warn that the FBI was on his tail. That they would use Kate against him. Neal could see the truth in his eyes.

That was something he could accept. To him, Kate was worth the risk. At the way, he was going the FBI was going to catch up to him.

Keller didnt approve of his mindset, thought it was too risky. Putting himself in danger by risking jail was a mess for the CIA to clean up. He didnt want their help. All he wanted was to be left alone. To find out what his real purpose was.

Mozzie surprisingly agreed with Keller. He didnt want Neal to be captured. The older man never approved of Kate. Surprisingly he liked Keller better. If only he knew the truth.

In the end, both men were correct and he was arrested by the FBI. Not before he shook hands with Agent Burke. Green eyes had widened as he met the cool blue eyes.

Neal might have accepted that Burke caught him but that didnt mean he was going to change. The walls he had built around himself were not so easily destroyed.

In this world, he trusted no one with his entire heart. Even Kate and Mozzie only saw a small part of his true self. It was not enough to make a real connection with either of them.

Trusting no one meant that no one fully trusted him. At least not the smart ones or those who saw that he was a conman.

The trial was a joke. He was sure that Matthew had pulled strings. He was sentenced to four years in prison. Far lighter than he would have expected.

Agent Burke had not liked such a light sentencing. It was clear in his eyes but he couldn't argue any more than he already had.

Neal would do his time in jail. There wasnt much he could do there. Keller would occasionally bring him things to read but that was it.

A boring life for him could only last so long, however. He never expected the consequences that would ensue from going after the Music Box. Then never telling a soul that he didnt have it.