Repercussions
The week was drawing to a close and Peter started to feel a gut-wrenching instinct that things were about to go wrong. He didn't have any indication of why or where the feeling was coming from, but he could sense it all the same.
Running through the things that were going on, he considered his parents' visit, his efforts to repair his relationship with his brother, and then his caseload.
Most of his current cases were standard mortgage frauds with only one exception, and it seemed simple, so it was the most likely to be the cause for his concern. It wasn't a normal case. They were pursuing a suspect who liked to steal paintings and then he would leave little notes at the scene of the crime. On the surface, they were arrogant and confident which meant they were likely to slip up. But, beneath the surface, they could have something up their sleeve. Was there a backer that was going to pop up to bite them?
"What's on your mind?" Jones asked as Peter stood stirring his coffee and staring out over the room in general.
Shrugging, Peter couldn't peg exactly what was on his mind. "I haven't been able to define it yet to say."
"That gut instinct of yours kicking in?" Jones was working on his own cup of coffee while carrying the conversation.
"Yes, but what's wrong isn't something I've figured out yet. This is one of those annoying times where my instincts seem to be picking up on something, but the rest of me isn't putting the pieces together." Peter stopped stirring his coffee and set the cup down on the counter before turning to lean against it. "What scares me the most is that the potential targets have expanded. Since I recently found them, my biological family could be at risk in addition to my adopted family and Elizabeth. The numbers of my immediate connections have doubled."
"I'm sure it wouldn't be easy for an enemy to find your biological parents as there are hardly any records to connect you while you've only known about them yourself for a week. They'll probably be safe even if someone does go after you, and we'll all be here to back you up should any of your family be targeted. Whatever has your gut tingling, it's going to be alright." Jones reassured before patting him on the shoulder and heading back to his desk.
Hoping he was right, Peter sighed, picked up his own cup, and headed back to his office as he also had a pile of paperwork to process.
One of his worst nightmares came true.
Peter woke up in the middle of the night to his cell phone buzzing on the nightstand. Reaching out to grab it, he shifted to a better position for retrieving it until his fingers caught the device. Then rubbing his eyes to wake them up, he checked the caller ID and didn't recognize the number. His gut clenched as he opened the phone, set it to record the call, and answered.
Just as he feared, the voice was going through a changer so he didn't know if they were male or female let alone any other identity markers. Listening as they gave their demands, he realized that they had grabbed Neal, Roan, and Diane while they were having one of their evening visits.
When the conversation was finished, Peter didn't have to wake Elizabeth as she had already heard his raised voice. There was no way he could keep quiet enough for her to sleep while someone threatened his entire biological family.
"What are you going to do?" She asked as she hugged him from behind and kissed his cheek in an effort to provide some comfort.
"Call the office, then Mozzie. We'll need all hands on deck for this one and I could use Mozzie's connections into the criminal underground. The more we have on our side the better the odds are for them surviving this. It's against regulations for the Bureau to give in to demands, and if we don't, they're threatening to kill them all." His voice cracked as he stated the last part, but he couldn't help it. He was too worried to care.
Giving him a squeeze, Elizabeth told him to call the office and get the team going so that they could bring their family home. "You only just found them, and we aren't going to lose them. I like your family and I want the chance to get to know them better." With another kiss, she moved off from her side of the bed and began getting ready for their early morning start to the day.
Taking a deep breath, Peter tried to get his initial nerves under control. Then he started the phone calls. He had people to notify and an investigation to begin.
Working together, the team quickly built up a chain of events.
Roan and Diane had gone to the mansion to visit with Neal as had been their routine all week. The explanation for why they were visiting brought out their shared history and biological connection with Neal which also revealed Neal's connection to Peter.
Later, when the evening was done, Neal had uncharacteristically accompanied them out which placed them together for when the black van pulled up and the men had jumped out. A traffic camera caught the edge of what transpired but the number of guns involved meant there hadn't been a safe way for them to evade capture. Then the van was lost in transit so agents were combing for any means of picking up the trail again.
After they watched the footage, Peter wasn't comforted by the comments many of the agents made as they only confirmed that his family was in danger despite their government connections.
Pacing nervously around the office, Peter wasn't allowed to lead the case as he was emotionally compromised by the situation so he instead chose to remain close while being out of the way.
The team was diligently working to find any lead, but none of their active cases seemed to qualify and the one he'd suspected didn't have enough information yet to prove it one way or the other. Peter didn't have any enemies who were recently released from jail and there hadn't been any threats to indicate intent from someone new. With nothing else to do, they cast a wide net out with some attention to his current theft case suspects hoping to come up with results.
While the team was working, a new face entered the office followed by three others. The leader was tall, had short brown hair, and he didn't seem interesting on the surface, except Peter could sense that there was something about him. His suit was fairly standard for a company man and his demeanor was serious which blended in with the concern of the office so Peter couldn't place why this person had caught his attention.
Behind him, the man's entourage composed of a blonde woman who remained at his elbow while looking about with keen observation, on his other side a small man stood with the hint of a smile on his face as he looked about with interest, while behind them a larger man grunted with contempt. They appeared to be business associates as their attire wasn't typical for government agents, but their calm attitudes in the middle of the chaos didn't seem fitting for business moguls either.
Then Peter made the connection. His parents, they were government and had connections to Neal's government history. These people must be here due to their disappearance.
Moving forwards, Peter introduced himself and asked for their names. "I'm sure you're here because of the abduction of my family. You aren't FBI or in business, but your suits are all professional and you seem rather accustomed to the chaos of an abduction investigation. However, I don't know how you fit into the equation beyond that. Neither my brother nor my parents have detailed their involvement with the government." Peter was upfront and forward with them. Although he wanted answers, that wasn't the point until after his family had been recovered safely.
The larger man in the back gave a different grunt, perhaps indicating that he was slightly impressed? While the man and woman on the sides each raised their eyebrows in surprise. However, the lead man didn't seem fazed and merely put his hand out to shake.
"Hello, agent Burke, I'm Charles Carmichael, but you can call me Chuck, and this is my team." He indicated them as he pointed out his wife Sara Carmichael and their associates Michael Carmichael and John Casey.
"Glad to meet you. You wouldn't happen to be Chuckles, a man who became a legendary agent by chance, would you?" Peter generally addressed them before focusing on Chuck. This had to be the person Neal had referenced when he was in the hospital.
Smiling slightly, Chuck nodded. "I see my reputation precedes me. Our mutual friend told you about me? My sister told me about you."
"I owe Ellie and Devon my life. Although we didn't confirm anything we discussed, we did have an alleged conversation about you and our mutual friend. However, most of what I heard about the two of you and how you know each other comes from what he said while I was in the coma." Breathing deeper for a moment, he worked to retain control of his emotions as Neal's words would always be painful memories. "When they're safe, there is something I want to ask you." Peter had a lot he wanted to talk about with Chuck, but there were more important things to worry about.
The man's smile fell and his eyes took on a softer quality. "Don't worry agent Burke, I forgave your brother. I just never got the chance to tell him after I had." Waving the questioning looks from his team aside, the man directed their attention towards Peter. "But, you're right. We need to get them home safely and then the rest can be worked out later. Let's get to work. As you said, we're to help as representatives of… other branches of the government. My team and I might be private contractors, but we have a heavy background in government work."
"Speak for yourself." The big man in the rear pulled out a badge and stepped forwards. "Colonel John Casey. I'm the official representative sent with the team."
"Washington said we were expecting a team. I assume you are the representatives being sent to handle the interagency cooperation?" Hughes approached the group and made the official introductions.
Left behind, Peter could only watch as the group moved away to disappear into the conference room. Shaking his head as he resumed pacing, he could only hope that Chuck knowing his family's secrets would be able to help get them home sooner and safer.
Kept at a distance, Peter could only watch as people entered and exited the conference room. He was sure the agents would do their best to protect his family, but he would feel better about the situation if he knew what was transpiring behind the closed door.
"They're going to be fine. You know they're all connected to the government somehow, and that comes with training. I know your family will be able to hold out until the teams can reach them. We just need you to believe in them." Elizabeth ran her hand up and down Peter's arm trying to comfort and relax him, but it only did so much to alleviate the tension.
Pausing, Peter turned toward his wife and tried to breathe deeper to calm his nerves. He knew she was right, but that didn't stop him from worrying all the same. "They're still in danger, and until they get back safely I can't help but worry. For one, I don't know what their connection to government is. Are they desk workers, or do they have field training?"
"Does Neal manage without FBI field training? Have you seen him need a gun? I think he has more skills than he lets on. Your parents haven't shown what they're hiding, who knows what they can do?" Elizabeth caught his hand and prevented him from turning away from her to pace anymore.
Sighing, Peter really wanted to sit at a desk and hold her, but his nerves kept buzzing so he felt the need to keep moving and work off of the energy.
Pulling him in, Elizabeth pushed him into a chair and then sat on his lap to hold him down. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she laid her head on his shoulder. "Breathe. Neal's friend is working on this with your team. They'll be alright."
Burying his face into her shoulder as an attempt to hide, Peter breathed her scent in and tried to follow her advice.
A noise disturbed his efforts so Peter looked up to see Chuck entering the office with a serious expression. Calling out to the man, Peter needed the reassurance that nothing was wrong. "Chuck?"
Pausing in his march across the office, Chucked waved. "They're alright, but this is going to be tricky. It's a good thing they're… well, who they are. I know you're worried and telling you not to isn't going to help, but they're good at handling things like this. I've worked with all three of them. Trust me, agent Burke." Then he continued up to the conference room where he disappeared again.
Wrapping his arms around Elizabeth, Peter pulled her in closer and held onto her as his anchor in the storm.
When Peter was finally allowed into the conference room, it was to explain his part in the takedown.
The CIA and NSA were going to pretend to do an exchange where the enemy got to see Peter before they would hand his family over. However, the agencies had a lot of plans up their sleeves to ensure that he and his family would remain safe. None of the agencies wanted their people endangered.
After they finished getting things together, Peter kissed his wife and hugged her close before walking away with the other agents. They had an operation to finish.
Standing on the scene, Peter was back to fretting. He knew everyone was doing their part, but he only knew the general elements of the plan. What secrets did the CIA and NSA have? How were they ensuring the safety of his family? It took everything he had in him to plant his feet and avoid pacing.
Observing the activity of the agencies, Peter watched as some monitored the perimeter waiting for the enemy to arrive, others were going about their duties setting things up for their arrival while speaking through radios, and he couldn't see any of Chuck's team, at least not in his line of sight.
Suddenly, everyone shifted their activities in an indication that the enemy had entered the perimeter.
Swallowing, Peter was glad to feel Hughes come up behind him.
"This will all be over shortly, and then you can take your family home. They'll be alright, Peter. I know you've heard this repeatedly, but it's true." His boss clapped him on the shoulder comfortingly before taking his place next to him.
Holding position, they waited while an armored black SUV pulled up in front of them.
There weren't many people inside. His parents and brother, of course, the driver, and two armed guards who moved into position to either side of the hostages. The hostages were each blindfolded and bound so they were reliant upon their captors to avoid tripping or stumbling as they moved out into the open. Then standing with the gunmen focused on Diane and Roan, Neal stood sandwiched in the middle.
"Are you all okay?" Peter asked them. It was expected for him to be worried so he easily played the part.
Three nods greeted him, but no one said a word.
Fearing why they didn't respond, Peter was facing one of his worst nightmares. His entire biological family was standing in the middle of armed men with their lives at risk. Being blindfolded and bound, they weren't able to defend themselves either.
While the agents were organizing the handoff of the hostages, Peter focused on watching his family.
Suddenly, a shot rang out and Neal's chest blossomed blood as he flew backward.
Seeing it play out, Peter's heart stopped and he couldn't breathe. After all of this work, after everything he did in an effort to repair his relationship with his brother, and it was all over. His brother was dying right in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it.
Barely listening, he heard a second shot ring out before his peripheral caught sight of his mother doing a defense move stomping on the toes of the man next to her while his father put an elbow into the face of the man next to him. Moving quickly, they personally took their attackers down in hand to hand combat showing the escape of their bonds and physical awareness to fight even when blindfolded.
With the immediate threat removed, Diane began barking orders with practiced ease and suddenly more agents popped up everywhere.
Peter barely noticed it all; his focus was on his brother's prostrate form.
As soon as he was released by whichever agents had moved to hold him back, Peter rushed forwards to his brother's side and checked on him.
There was nothing, his brother didn't have a pulse. Desperate, he put his hand over his nose and mouth only to feel nothing there either. However, he did feel the wetness soaking into the knees as the blood spread in a puddle beneath them.
Moving into action, Peter was preparing to resuscitate his brother when he realized he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Ripping his shirt open, he began undoing the vest to get a better picture. Had his brother been hit in the vest and was just reacting to the impact, or had he truly been shot? Touching his finger to the bullet, he found that it was solidly lodged in the vest behind the blood pouches.
Checking his brother again, he found a weak pulse and a push on his chest seemed to kick something into gear as Neal gasped.
Continuing to monitor Neal's condition for a few minutes, Peter was rewarded with his quick return to normal breathing patterns while his pulse got stronger until he regained consciousness.
When Neal opened his eyes and looked up at him, Peter was surprised to see water dropping onto Neal's face causing the man to twitch. Wiping it away, Peter felt the next one fall and realized he was crying softly.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" he growled softly while putting a hand on Neal's chest to prevent him from moving up. "When you took that shot… it looked real. Then to find that you had no pulse and weren't breathing, I don't think I've been so scared in my life!"
Looking up at him, Neal seemed to be watching him, studying his reaction, but he didn't say anything.
"The paramedics are here, you need to give them space to check him over." Roan was there and put a comforting hand on Peter's shoulder before reaching to lift him up by his arm.
Stepping back, Peter didn't lose eye contact with his brother until the paramedic stepped in between them.
After a few minutes, it was determined that Neal would be transported to the hospital for a checkup before being released to go home. While he took a ride in the ambulance, Peter was given a lift by Roan.
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