Hey guys :), so this is the second half. I know the first one wasn't something special, but I think this one is. Even though it's still small progress. I decided to concentrate on the relationship between Peter and Neal, so El will remain a side character. And I promise that there will be more action soon. Thanks to everyone who commented or read my story, I really appreciate it. Enjoy! :)
When Neal found himself finally alone in his room, he took a deep breath and lay down on the unbelievably comfortable mattress. He felt as if he was being rolled over by a truck and if he was honest, he had still trouble to believe that this actually wasn't a sophisticated strategy. No one, except Mozzie and maybe his mother, was ever really worried about his wellbeing. He had to be very careful not to reveal something he didn't want to, just because he felt so odd in this strange situation.
He curled up on the bed, but didn't dare to cover himself with the feather soft, dark blue and grey blanket. He knew had to stay awake to fulfil his duty first. The minutes passed by very slowly and he permanently had to change his position to prevent his eyes from closing. The pain killers and the fever made him dizzy and only the thought of Mozzie made sure that he kept on fighting his exhaustion. He heard the Burke's talking in the bathroom and then there was just silence.
The unusual sounds around him made him nervous and he waited for one and a half hour before he decided he couldn't hold on anymore. Neal stood up and crept towards his room's door without making the slightest noise. Moving in total silence was no trouble for him, he had a lot of practice in similar situations with his father. He opened the door very slowly and went into the hall.
Neal could see the open door of the Burke's bedroom and smiled sadly. Peter didn't trust him anymore that he did. And, of course, Neal proved just at the moment that the Agent was right, he actually couldn't trust him and should never do. Neal sneaked down the stairs and avoided the noisy spots. Even though he had been very tired for hours, he felt able to memorize all the creaking stages and reached the living-room without an accident.
He sat down on the kitchen table and pulled over El's mobile. Neal had noticed it on top of the table while they were eating. El left it here to charge it. He couldn't change that his call would appear on El's next bill. But Peter, if he even checked the bill, would only find the number of a local chines restaurant and hopefully wouldn't even become suspicious.
Neal turned the device on, but of course he needed El's pin code first. Let's see… He knew that many people liked to keep it simple, even though they knew how dangerous this could be. Neal tried Peter's and El's date of birth (of course he knew exactly when both of them were born), but no, access denied. Then he had only one last try left, before the mobile wouldn't allow any more. Maybe El just kept the pin code which she got after buying the phone. In this case he would never find out the correct one just by trying. Without even thinking about it, he typed in 1234 and couldn't believe it when, finally, the home screen appeared. Far too easy, El! he thought and sighed in relieve.
He dialled the emergency number. "Red Dragon restaurant, how may I help you?", someone asked on the other end.
"I'd like to order something. Number 42b without peppers and garlic, please.", he said without any hesitation. Keller told him to do so if he had to get in touch with him, but only if absolutely necessary. And, of course, he had to use 42, the answer to everything. As if he himself would be omniscient, Neal thought and rolled his eyes.
"All right…we're very busy right now. Please call back in about 15 Minutes and repeat your order. Is that possible?", the man answered.
"All right!", Neal replied and hung up. He rubbed his eyes and felt the deep wish to lay down and just sleep with his head on the table. But he had to stay awake. So he decided to stand up and walk around while he was waiting. He reluctantly went over to the opposite wall and looked at the pictures of El, Peter, Satchmo, friends and family. They were all smiling, it appeared so unbelievable perfect and he felt like an intruder again. He didn't belong here, he would always remain a troublemaker and he didn't want to destroy any part of the Burke's life. He again felt the urge to grab his shoes and coat and just run as fast as he could, but he knew that this wasn't possible.
He turned away from the pictures and felt a deep heaviness in himself. Would he ever belong anywhere? He doubted it. But with Mozzie he had come as closely as possible to the feeling of a real family. He headed back to the kitchen table. The 15 Minutes were over, so he dialled the well-known number again.
"What the hell are you doing out there, bloody bastard?", Keller shouted a split second later and Neal was startled by the sudden outburst.
"I… it wasn't my fault. I did as you say, and I got the key card. But this Agent insisted to take me to the hospital. I told him I didn't….", Neal tried to defend himself as quietly as possible. He felt slightly anxious, that Keller's shouting would be hearable upstairs.
"You fuckin son of a bitch, just stop talking, I'm not interested in any explanations of your incompetent behaviour. What did I think to send a stupid child? Where are you know? Are you able to fulfil your duties or can I finally get rid of the ballast in my cell down there?", he bellowed.
Neal felt a shiver running down his spine. He wouldn't tell Keller where he was, simply to protect them.
"I'll work something out. I'll have access to the headquarter soon, I promise. Is your contact man still available?", he asked tightly.
"Of course he is, he's not an unreliable kid."
"All right, I'll get in touch when I'm ready. Under one condition. I … I want to talk to Mozzie. I want to make sure that he's … he's still alive.", he said, his voice a lot shakier than he intended it to be.
"Do you really think that you're in any position to ask for something?", Keller replied coldly.
"Actually I do think so, Keller. Even though it didn't work out exactly like you planned this stupid robbery, you still need me. Or would you like to do it yourself? To break into the FBI headquarter? I'm pretty sure that you won't find someone who would actually be so stupid. Am I right?", the anger was boiling inside him and slowly replaced his exhaustion.
Keller paused for a moment, probably to weigh his possibilities and then answered in disgust: "All right. Hurry up and find a way to get this done. Next time you call I'll make sure your little friend will be with me. But I warn you. Even though I need this fuckin painting, my patience isn't endless. I'll kill him without any hesitation. Understand?".
Neal clenched his fists. "Yes. But I promise you would regret doing that, I'll make life hell for you.", he said, his voice full of the hatred he felt right now.
Keller laughed contemptuously. "Now I'm afraid. Don't overestimate your own possibilities, kid.", he answered and hung up without any prior warning.
Neal stared at the phone in his hand and had difficulties to get along with his feelings. He felt as if he could explode any minute, helpless and exhausted, but also full of adrenaline. The loneliness hit him badly. It was too much to handle, simply too much. But he had to.
He deleted the dialled number and put the phone back exactly where it was. Then he slowly stood up and headed towards his room. When he entered it, he could see something moving right next to his bed and immediately froze. His heart was pounding quickly in his chest and he felt the urge to run again. But then he recognized the wagging tail and the fluffy head and allowed himself to relax. It was just Satchmo waiting for him to come back. He knelt next to the dog and gently stroke his soft fur.
"Hey my friend, you really startled me, did you know that?", he whispered.
Satchmo simply gave him a kiss and then lay down again, obviously satisfied, only a few inches away from the bed. Neal smiled. So at least he had some company for tonight. He crawled under the blanket and rested his head on the pillow. Even though he could still feel the anger inside him, he had to admit that he enjoyed the feeling of the soft bed linen and the upcoming warmth. As soon as he had found a comfortable position, he felt his tension ease and finally fell asleep.
Peter woke up with a gasp and sat upright in bed. At first he didn't know why, usually he never had any trouble sleeping through. A look out of the window told him, that it was still deep in the night. He looked around in confusion and then noticed a noise coming from the guest's room. He turned left, but El was still sleeping soundly. He quickly stood up and slinked out of the room and silently shut the door behind him.
The noises became louder and he could hear a whimper now. "No, don't do that… nooo, please, don't… I'll make you regret…". Neal's door was half open and Peter carefully opened it without any sound. The first thing he could see was Satchmo, who lay right next to Neal on his bed and howled softly, but Neal didn't seem to recognize it. The boy was covered in sweat, the strands of his brown, wavy hair stuck to his face and his cheeks were scarlet. The crumpled blanket was at the foot of the bed and Neal tossed around in his sleep and moaned and wailed while doing so. Peter reluctantly came closer. He could see tears running down the boy's face now.
"Mozzie… no… please don't, please…", he pleaded in great despair.
"Neal…", Peter said softly, but the boy didn't react and went on tossing around. Peter sat down on the edge of the bed. Satchmo looked at him, visibly confused. Peter stroke his soft fur. "It's all right, boy. He'll be better soon.", he said reassuringly and Satchmo seemed facilitated and jumped off the bed and left the room. Peter turned back to the boy next to him, who was still tossing around.
"Neal, buddy, you have to wake up, it's just a dream!", he tried once more, but again without any success. He hesitated for a moment, but then gently put his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Neal!", he tried, a little louder now. Neal started up and looked around, eyes wide, bewildered.
"No, go away…", he yelled and frantically tried to free himself from Peter's hand. The kid tried to get as far away from Peter as possible and protected his head with his hands. Peter slowly stood up and backed away a little, to give Neal some space.
"It's all right, kid, you're save here. I won't hurt you. Calm down, everything will be ok!", he said soothingly and could literally feel the boy's pain himself. He felt his heart racing. Neal breathed heavily and was coughing again. He stared at him, terrified. Peter could see how the boy slowly regained full consciousness. He rubbed his hair nervously, wiped away his tears and looked down embarrassed.
"I'm sorry. I really am, Peter.", he said softly and warily moved from its corner back to the middle of the bed.
"May I?", the Agent replied and pointed to the edge of his bed. Neal hesitated a little, then nodded reluctantly, but still didn't look up. Peter made an effort to move very slowly and sat down again, careful to leave enough space between the two of them. They both remained quiet for a few minutes.
"Are you feeling better, buddy?", Peter said gently. Neal nodded.
"I really didn't mean to wake you. I…I'll take care that it won't happen again.", he gave him an anxious sidelong glance.
"No... I mean a nightmare isn't your fault, kid. But you scared me!"
"I'm sorry. You did, too.", the boy said again, very subdued. "I'm all right, Peter. Go back to sleep, please!"
Peter didn't go into it. "Neal, who's Mozzie?", he said thoughtfully.
Neal's eyes widened again and Peter could see pure fear and shock in his expression, before the boy was able to put on his mask again. Someone had trained this boy well.
"Um, who?", he answered innocently.
"You called for him in your sleep."
"Dunno. Come on, Peter…Mozzie isn't even a proper name, don't you think? You must have misunderstood.", he looked openly at him with his bright blue, still tired looking eyes. But Peter felt sure that he didn't misunderstand. Neal coughed again, held his chest and a hint of pain crossed his face for a split second.
"Did you change your bandages?", Peter asked worriedly.
Now the kid avoided his gaze again. "Yes, um Peter…I'm all right, just go back to sleep, I won't bother you anymore."
Peter looked at the untouched bandages on the shelf next to the bed and then shifted his gaze back to Neal. He could see how uneasy the kid felt in his company.
"Neal…, you know that I would never hurt you, don't you?", he asked softly. Neal nodded reluctantly but didn't look up.
"Good. I know it's a difficult situation for you. There's a lot for you to cope with right now and I bet the strange environment and the FBI Agent so close by don't really help, but you can trust me. I really want to help you, as best as I can. As long as you're in my custody I'll protect you and no one will be able to hurt you, kid. I promise!", Peter said in a firm voice.
Neal looked up for a short moment, a deep sadness in his eyes and then nodded again.
"So… how about I'll help you with your bandages? Just help, I won't ask or say anything."
The boy didn't react, and Peter could literally feel the tension in the boy's body. He sighed and reluctantly stood up.
"All right. I'll go get some more pain killers instead then. I'll be right back!", he turned and headed towards the door.
"Peter…wait!", Neal hesitantly said, barely audibly. "It's… it's ok. I mean… you can help me, if you really want to."
The Agent smiled. He sat down again and grabbed the bandages and the ointment on the shelf next to the bed and waited. Neal glanced at him uncertainly.
"I really don't want to talk about it."
"I know and I respect that.", Peter replied calmly.
The kid hesitantly took of his shirt, he could barely raise his arms and always kept an eye on Peter.
"May I?", the Agent asked gently and pointed to the old bandages around Neal's chest. The kid slowly nodded and Peter started to remove them as carefully as possible. Neal stiffened and stopped breathing. Peter could feel his body trembling.
He had to hide how terrified he felt when he was finally able to take a look at the kid's bare chest and back. It looked like a cruel mosaic out of scars and bruises. He had never seen anything similar and could feel the anger rising inside him while thinking about the human beings that were responsible for torturing the boy like that. Neal looked down at the blanket stoically and didn't move at all. Peter, as promised, didn't say anything and took the ointment.
"Is it all right if I touch you know?", he asked quietly. Neal nodded again. Peter took the ointment.
"So...hands up, please. I don't think I need to tell you to freeze right now, right?", he joked to calm the boy down a little. Neal smiled tensly and raised his arms.
Peter gently started to apply the ointment on the boy's back. At first Neal winced a little, closed his eyes and obviously struggled to tolerate the touches. Peter could feel every bone and every scar and bump under his fingers. How could this kid even survive all these horrible years? Peter asked himself terrified.
"You were right.", Neal suddenly broke the silence, his eyes still closed.
"With what?", Peter asked confused by the sudden change of subject.
"I do know why I've sent all these postcards and presents." Neal paused for a few seconds. "I think I… I sometimes imagined to be part of a proper family. I watched you, your wife and Satchmo and you looked so happy, like... I always thought a real family would look like. And it felt nice to have someone to write and to talk to, as if we actually were family or friends or whatever and I didn't feel so alone while pretending… You know what, just forget it, it's stupid."
Peter sensed a huge lump in his throat and felt deeply touched. Neal's eyes shot open and Peter immediately knew that the special moment was over now. The kid grabbed the bandages.
"I can do this on my own now, thank you very much.", he said and avoided Peter's gaze again.
The Agent nodded and reluctantly stood up. "It's not stupid, buddy. I promised to be there for you, just like family or friends would do and as I told you, I keep my promises. Always!", he said firmly.
Neal looked up and met his gaze. "You shouldn't. I'm not worth it, Peter. I really appreciate everything you have done for me so far, but I'm nothing more but trouble."
Peter shook his head. "You're not, don't ever say that again. You've made wrong decisions and you obviously haven't had reliable grown ups around you. But you're not a bad person, Neal! Far from it."
Neal stared at the blanket again and Peter didn't know whether his words really reached him. "Let's talk tomorrow. Try to get some sleep. We'll do this together, everything will be fine. Understand?", Peter wasn't so certain about that, but he was willing to try his best.
Neal nodded reluctantly and Peter said good night again, turned off the light and closed the door. He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath. What did you get into here, Peter?
