Hey guys! :) Thanks again for you patience and for all your comments! I really enjoy writing right now and the next chapter is almost ready, too. Hope you're all healthy out there. Have fun!


Neal once more entered the FBI headquarters main entrance, his heart pounding fast in his chest. He felt the shape of the key card in his right shoe under his foot. Hopefully, they would not search him. He looked at Peter, who threw him an encouragingly smile, before he went through the metal detector.

To his utter dismay, the device began to bleep, and he had to step aside. A security guard with tired eyes stepped forward.

"I've to pat you down, kid. Will be quick, don't worry."

Neal nodded and managed to stand still, even though he couldn't keep himself from slightly shaking. If he had to take off his shoes, he would have been done for. But the guard stopped after reaching his ankle. He carefully lifted Neal's pants and grinned.

"I see! That's the evildoer! Suppose you're a real badass, aren't you, kiddo?". Neal shrugged indefinitely.

The guard broke into laughter. "Can't be that bad, according to your angelic face." He straightened and faced him with a friendly smile.

"Well, whatever. You're ready to go, buddy. You're with agent Burke, right? Don't worry. He's one of the good guys!" Neal hung his head, recognizing a well-known feeling of guilt rising up.

"I know! Thank you, sir!", he replied and turned to leave.

"Good luck, kid!" Neal waved back and threw him a weak smile.

Peter was waiting in front of the elevators. "You're all right?", he asked concerned.

"Yeah, don't worry Peter. It was just my beloved jewellery down there!", he replied sarcastically.

Peter chuckled. "At least it's something unique. Which is worthwhile for a conman, isn't it?", he replied.

"Nah, not remotely old enough and absolutely not my taste. Would you mind taking it back?", Neal answered with a serious expression.

Peter chuckled again. "Forget it, kid! But don't worry, it suits you." T

hey both entered the lift, standing silently side by side. Peter watched the kid intensely and noticed his clenched fists. "Don't worry. I'll take care, we'll treat you right.", he softly said. Neal nodded and managed a half smile.

When they entered the office, Neal once more felt all eyes on him. He hurried to look down, feeling ashamed. The good-looking female agent came closer.

"Hello, boss. Nice to have you back! Hughes wants you to join him in his office. Shall I take him over?", she said, ignoring Neal as best as she could.

"Yes, thank you Diana. Please be gentle, will you?", he slightly squeezed his arm and left Neal in her custody, who ventured a quick glance at the agent and noticed her derogatory look.


"Come on, Caffrey.", agent Barrigan said in a frosty tone and grabbed his left arm to guide him.

Neal resisted the urge to free himself and willingly went with her to the well-known interrogation room. He silently sighted in relief. At least he knew where he was. He entered the room and took place behind the table. The agent sat down in front of him and just stared at him in silence. He felt more and more uncomfortable but remained as calm es possible. He even managed to return her gaze.

"What is this all about, Caffrey?", she sharply asked after a while.

"I beg you pardon?", he answered, feeling slightly taken aback.

"Oh, come on, stop being foolish. Agent Burke may, but I don't fall for this kind of tricks. We were looking for you for years and didn't even have a clue that you're just a teenage boy. We couldn't catch you, you were a pain in the ass for all of us. And suddenly there you are, standing in our office, sleeping in agent Burke's home. I repeat myself: What is this all about? What made you surrender?", she questioningly raised her eyebrows, her expression full of suspicion.

He held her gaze. This kind of treatment was something he felt familiar with and his cocky self became noticeable.

"Well, maybe I just wanted to know what it's like in my enemies home? A little courtesy call is never amiss.", he said self-reliantly, leaning back in his chair cross armed.

Her expression changed, reflecting anger and annoyance. "Stop that, kid. Don't play with me, it's certainly not the time and not the place. We both know you're here on purpose, with a specific goal. I assume this didn't work out as you had planned it, considering your little accessory. But you're not someone who gives up that easily. I think agent Burke isn't able to see that anymore. Peter's is a brilliant agent and a respectable man, but he lost his objectivity in your case. You better keep in mind that even if you were able to mystify agent Burke, there are a bunch of agents behind him, who won't stop being suspicious! He did a lot to protect you, I don't really think you deserve that! You're a criminal, regardless of your age. You caused a lot of trouble and you won't escape your punishment. I'll take care of that!", she said sternly.

He smiled, feeling excitement tickling in his stomach. He could definitely work with this kind of treatment. He shrugged indefinitely.

"I allegedly caused a lot of trouble. But well, you're right. I definitely don't deserve Peter's kindness. I never asked for any of that. Don't worry, even though I really appreciate what the Burke's did for me, I'm not planning to disturb their life for much longer." He couldn't hide the bitterness in his tone and noticed that she was frowning. He stared at the tabletop for a few seconds.

They remained quiet for a few seconds, before she went on talking, her tone a lot more gentle now. "Well, would you like something to drink? Water or coffee?", she asked him.

"Water would be great, thank you.", he said, raising his gaze again, smiling at her. She left the room. Neal was well aware that, even though no one was inside the room, he had to expect someone standing behind the one-way mirror, watching his doings. So he remained perfectly calm and just waited for something to happen. When the female Agent came back with his glass of water, Peter followed her and they both sat down in front of him.

Peter's appearance had changed, he seemed much more formal now. Neal felt his nervousness again, mixed with excitement and anticipation. He realized that somehow this kind of conversation suited him much better than the former ones with Peter about his feelings. He hadn't have experienced gentleness in the previous years and consequently didn't know how to react. But he had to handle similar situation like the current one several times and always found a way out of them, so he felt far more self-confident.

He knew he had to offer them at least something, but he had to be careful not to reveal too much. Peter turned on the recording device at the table in front of them.

"All right, Neal. This is Agent Diana Berrigan and I suppose I don't have to introduce myself. Are you ready?", he threw him a professional but warm smile and Neal nodded, returning his smile.

"Perfect. At first, tell us your full name, please!", Peter demanded.

"Neal George Caffrey.", he obeyed willingly.

"Thank you. Well, as we all know, you were caught red-handed while breaking into the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, trying to steal a valuable painting by Raphael. Do you admit doing that?", Peter stared at him expectantly.

Neal shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "I guess I haven't got a choice."

"And the painting, the…wait a minute." Peter began searching through the file in front of him, his file, Neal assumed.

"The agony in the garden.", Neal helped him out, still grinning.

Peter looked up, puzzled for a split second. "Well, yes. Were you especially after that painting?"

"No, I just liked it. I'm interested in different works of art, you know. And I really adore Raphael, so I thought why not stealing something nice and valuable I strongly admire? I'd like to have a painting like that one day, preferably hanging over my sofa in my mansion in Italy. I'd love the sight of it while drinking a nice Cabernet Sauvignon.", he replied without the slightest hesitation. Of course, he expected a question like that and had decided earlier on that it wouldn't be wise to reveal his specific target. That obviously wouldn't make it easier to steal it again.

Now Diana asked sharply. "Incredible. Stop messing around, kid. You're sitting in front of two special agents. This isn't a game, you've committed a serious crime and you'll most likely spend a few years in prison after all. Why did you do that? Why risking to break into a high security museum like the MET? Just for fun?"

He looked at her, impassively. "I needed the money. And I tell you, agent Barrigan. The safety standards are surprisingly low. It's definitely NOT high secure.", he shrugged again.

"And whose idea was it? Who planned the whole heist?", Peter went on, still watching him intensely.

"Oh Peter, don't you think I would be able to plan it myself? You're hurting my feelings." Peter raised his brows. Neal chuckled and quickly added: "Ok, ok, I'm just kidding. I got wind of the possibility to earn a lot of money in one night and just attended, without thinking twice.", he tried to look as innocently and young as possible.

Agent Berrigan snorted. "Come on, Caffrey. You're not an ordinary teenage boy and you're definitely never doing something without even thinking about it. Don't tell us you didn't know exactly what was going on and who was behind all this."

Man, that woman clearly wasn't easy to circumvent. "Well… First of all: Thanks, that's too kind!", he winked at her and she rolled her eyes. Neal grinned satisfied, but then noticed the serious look of Peter next to her.

He shrugged again. "I really needed the money. And even though I'm not stupid and yes, I normally do think twice, I had to do it.", he simply added.

"What for?", Peter eyed him carefully.

It took Neal a moment to think about it. "Nothing special. Ordinary things, like food, rental fees, clothes…", he then answered calmly.

He saw agent Barrigan's eyes soften a little. "You had to take care of such things? Even though you were only what… 14 by then?" Neal stiffened slightly and he looked at her defensively. He didn't like this new direction.

"I've been able to take care of myself for a very long time and I still am. As you said, I'm not an ordinary teenage boy and I like it that way.", he snapped, avoiding their gazes.

The female agent leaned back in her chair, sighting. "I see, tough guy…", she exchanged glances with Peter, so Neal assumed that he recently briefed her not to go deeper inside the family background subject. Another wave of guilt caught him, and he felt strangely touched by that realization.

"Well... We'll come back to your former crimes later…". Neal interrupted her. "My alleged former crimes!", he corrected her determined.

She heavily sighted again. "Yeah, whatever. For now, let's get back to the one who planned the whole thing. Do yourself a favour and just tell us about him."

Neal shook his head in regret. "Sorry, I can't."

Peter groaned. "You promised something, kid. Remember that.", he sharply said.

"I know, Peter. But I never said I'd involve others in my confessions.", Neal forced himself to meet the agent's eyes.

Agent Barrigan shook her head. "That's a pity, kid. It really is. So, am I right that you're not willing to reveal the other persons involved? Besides the head of it, I mean? We've still got one of your allies in our holding cell, but he's not much of a help.", Neal went on staring at Peter, trying to convey that he felt really sorry, then he slowly shook his head again.

Peter rubbed his forehead "Could you at least describe how you managed to get inside the building? What about all the security devices? What about the guards?", he then asked, sounding very tired.

Neal's face lit up. Now he finally had something to offer. He began to explain his approach, in every detail, without revealing anything about Mozzie or the other guy. It took him over half an hour. In the end, he hesitated for a moment, but then he even told them that they had a deal with the guards, which he assumed Peter already knew by then. Peter nodded, satisfied and smiled at him.

"Pretty impressive, Caffrey." He went on, asking a few questions about his proceeding, which Neal tried to answer as best as he could. It felt nice to please the agent, even though he knew he soon had to disappoint him again.

"Well, that's even something. I bet the MET is eager to get this information.", Peter went on. Neal smiled back, suppressing a yawning, which Peter noticed.

"I think it's enough for today!", he determined, sorting out the papers in front of him. Neal felt a cold shiver running down his spine. He had to stay just a little bit longer!

Then Peter went on talking. "I'll just check a few things in my office and discuss something in private with my team before we head back home, kid. You'll wait here. But don't worry, I'll send a junior agent to keep you company!", he chuckled.

Neal felt relieved, but hurried to hide his feelings. "Aww, Peter. I thought, by now you'd trust me!", which he obviously couldn't, he bitterly thought.

Peter grinned. "I'll be back soon. Don't do something stupid!", he mockingly replied and they both left the room. Neal took a deep breath, stealing himself for his upcoming task. His chest hurt, as if his ribs tried to remind him of the duty his father wanted him to fulfil. Now he was alone in his room, he struggled to sit upright, all the strength vanished with the leaving of the two agents.

A young male agents entered the room soon after and sat down in front of him. He seemed to feel uneasy and didn't question him in any way, so Neal remained quiet too.

Suddenly someone knocked and a middle-aged man in a black suit entered the room.

"Neal Caffrey, right? You've got to follow me, kid.", he simply said, without introducing himself.

The young agent qickly stood up. "What? No… I've got the order to stay here in this room with Mr. Caffrey, until agent Burke comes back!", he stuttered, even blocking the other man's way with wide eyes.

"Calm down, mate.", the stranger took out his badge and showed it to the younger man, sounding very bored. "It's a direct order of agent Burke. He obviously just forgot to tell you. Mr. Caffrey has to come with me for identification purposes. And you better not disturb agent Burke right now, he's in a meeting and, as you will know, he doesn't like any form of interruption."

Without waiting any longer, he pushed the agent aside and grabbed Neal's arm to pull him up and out of the interrogation room. Neal's upper body screamed in pain, but he ignored it. If only he had taken a few more of the painkillers this morning... The young agent stayed behind. Poor guy! he thought.

They turned around a corner. Neal freed his arm in a rush.

"Leave me alone.", he hissed through his teeth. The man groaned and grabbed his arm again. "Stop that, fucking son of a bitch. You caused enough trouble. I'm risking my career to make this possible. So just stop moaning." Neal clenched his fists but remained quiet. The man led him to the elevator. As soon as they entered it, the man began to talk again.

"Listen to me, kid, cause I won't have time to repeat anything. When we reach the basement, I'll press the emergency button to stop the elevator. After that, I'll help you climbing on top of the cabin and you'll be able to reach the ventilation shaft. You'll have to crawl and take the first one right, then right again, then left. Try to leave the shaft as quietly as possible, the exit is behind a huge shelf, but try to anyway. The guard in front of the actual evidence champer is lazy, he normally doesn't move that much, but be careful. Head right and you'll stand in front of the main with the safe. I suppose you know how to go on after that, don't you?", he looked at him intensely. Neal nodded.

Again, he had to admit, that he felt somehow thrilled in a pleasant way by the thought of the upcoming events. So maybe that was his fate anyway, he would remain a criminal forever, because he needed the agitation. The man suddenly grabbed his arms again and forced them behind his back. A sharp pain made him wince.

"Shut up, kid. And leave your hands where they are.", the man hurried to say.

The elevator doors opened and revealed a bunch of people waiting outside and trying to enter it. "Sorry, I've got an inmate in here, so no one else is allowed.", his attendant said, blocking the entrance. The people outside complained loudly, but otherwise obeyed.

The stranger repeated this two times, until they reached the basement. Then he pressed the emergency button and the elevator stopped moving abruptly. "Come on!", he hastily said and tried to remove a panel over their heads. Neal tried his best to help him, but saw stars swimming in front of his eyes because of the pain, so he stopped. The man threw him a sharp glance, but didn't say anything.

When finally the exit above them was open, the man rummaged in his pocket and handed him a small torch and a black key. "You'll need that key for your anklet. Use it after leaving the building, understood? As long as you're inside, he won't be able to trace you, we're deep down. But removing it will start an alarm, so don't do it too soon. Do you have the key card?", he asked.

Neal nodded and with the help of a given leg up climbed through the small opening above them. He gritted his teeth to avoid a yelp, it felt like a knife cutting straight through his upper body. He managed to stay conscious by shaking his head and focused on his surroundings. It was pitch black in the elevator's shaft and smelled of old iron and oil.

Neal turned on the torch and could at least see a little bit more, even though the cone of light was pretty small. Neal noticed a ladder on the left hand side and a few meters above he could see the entrance he was looking for. For a moment, he looked down in the cabin again. The man watched him intensely.

"Good luck, boy! I know how it is to be indebted to Keller. He's dangerous. Listen… just don't mess around with him. Do whatever he wants you to do and then run, as far as you can. Take care!", his face softened slightly, and Neal noticed a hint of sympathy in his expression.

He suddenly realised that this man, whoever he was, most likely had to follow his own advise after his latest actions. His debt to Keller had to be enormous to risk his own career and life just to help him. Neal threw him a grimly smile.

"Thanks, I'll try my best!". Without a second glance he headed towards the ladder, climbed up and, ignoring his aching body, crawled through the dusty tunnel. It felt like a déjà vu and he thought how absurd it was that he had described a situation similar to the one right now just minutes before in front of the two agents.

The thought of Peter and Elizabeth crossed his mind and feelings of guilt and sadness crept over him. He threw a glance in the dark, cold tunnel in front of him and suddenly felt the urge to turn around and return to Peter's office. But then the lift behind him started moving again and the roaring sound helped him to focus on his goal. He had to help Mozzie and after that start all over again, nothing else mattered.


Peter banged his fist on the iron table in the interrogation room, making the young agent in front of him flinch.

"What do you mean "he just left"? You disregarded a direct order. I told you to stay with him in this room and he "just left"?", he roared in discomposure.

The young man looked frightened and absolutely helpless, like a puppy right after the separation of his mother. But Peter neither had the time, nor the patience to act sensitively. After reappearing, the young agent sheepishly looked at him and Peter knew in an instant that something went wrong. He listened to the story of an unknown agent who, allegedly after Peter ordered him to, came in, took Neal and just disappeared with him. Peter simply couldn't believe it! All these young agents had been able to graduate in Harvard, but in real life they completely failed at executing the easiest tasks.

As soon as he got to know the whole story, he switched on his phone and started the tracking app.

"No signal!". What the heck? Nausea mounted inside him. That simply couldn't be true. What was going on here?

He rushed out of the room, without wasting another thought on the young agent and convened his whole team. In a husky voice he quickly informed them.

"I knew it, this snotty-nosed brat!", agent Barrigan exclaimed furiously.

"We don't know what happened, Diana. Maybe… someone forced him to go?", Peter offered half-heartedly and didn't believe his own words.

Suddenly the odd behaviour simply made sense. The reluctance towards the hospital visits, his whole "I can't talk about it" attitude, the tenacity to come back to the headquarter… What for? He asked himself.

And suddenly the penny dropped, and his eyes widened in terror. "The painting!", he gasped.

But before he could do anything, his phone started beeping. He immediately knew what it meant and felt completely lost. Neal had removed the anklet.

After all Peter did in his favour during the last few days, this kid just mucked him, without any hesitation. The betrayal squeezed all the breath out of him.

"Boss?", Jones asked cautiously after a few seconds passed by. "What's wrong?".

Peter pulled himself together, becoming aware of his team's eyes on him. He cleared his throat and replied in a steady, livid voice:

"I suppose Caffrey managed to escape again. And I strongly assume that he took the Raphael. This time he went too far. So… let's hunt him down!".