Release

The next morning, Peter was pulled from his cell by one of the more regular guards he assumed to legitimately work in the prison. He was informed that he had a visitor before he was processed and walked to the public room.

Taking his seat gingerly, Peter endeavored not to wince too much since that hurt his face and would make his injuries seem worse than they really were. "Mornin' Hughes. It seems whoever has been keeping visitors away is only succeeding with El now."

"No one came to see you?" Hughes questioned while observing Peter's injuries for himself.

"Not at first, then Mozzie, Jones and Diana, and now you, sir." Looking at how little Hughes had brought with him, Peter knew it wasn't just a work orientated visit.

"Are they keeping you safe in here? It looks like someone took a run at you." Hughes wasn't pleased to learn that their protective measures didn't seem to be working. "The solitary confinement was supposed to prevent anything like this from happening."

"My cell is safe, and most of the guards are working to ensure nothing happens. This was just one incident where the guard left and a convict paid me a visit to the yard. I'm sure it's been taken care of, and I'm fine, really, I am." Peter tried to reassure his boss.

After observing him for a moment, Hughes opened his folder and began to lay out the timeline the team had accumulated for him based on their work, his time at home with his wife, and what they knew of his habits. However, there were some gaps still to be filled and he hoped Peter could point them in the right direction for where he had been in the gap times.

Answering the questions as best as he could, Peter lined up where he had been and what he had been doing through several of the gaps. Still, it wasn't enough to fill everything.

"I hope that's enough…" Peter muttered while rubbing his hand gently over his face. "Most of those times, I wasn't going or doing anything too specific, just randomly moving about lost in thought or emotions. What I thought Neal had done…If only I knew what was really going on; then I would have been looking for him more seriously instead."

Softening his expression, Hughes tried to comfort him a little bit. "No one would have guessed what was going on, there's no way to see something like this coming."

Looking up at his boss, Peter had a question he needed to be answered. "Please tell me Dak and Brad were caught for their participation in this. At least we know who they are."

"They were arrested shortly after you were. Since you were perceived as the instigator, OPR went for you first." Hughes answered the question.

"As curious as I am about how that interrogation went; a part of me doesn't want to know. I'm sure they pointed fingers at me to explain why they did it, didn't they?" Peter signed before shaking his head in frustration at the telling expression on Hughes' face. "How did they account for the differences between me in the office and the doppelganger outside of the office?"

"According to the reports, they said you were playing a role in the office, that you were a long-term mole in the system. They were to feed you information and assist you in whatever crimes you deemed necessary. Then as long as they worked well for you in the office and didn't damage your agenda, they were promised promotions and were free to commit crimes for their own profit on the side." Shaking his head, Hughes answered the question obviously on Peter's mind. "And no, they didn't know what that agenda was."

"So they were the ones who stole the painting we were investigating, and then someone tipped us off, possibly my doppelganger, for us to find them and Neal? It sounds like they were being used and the tip was to set me up to remove me from the picture for some reason." Peter speculated.

Frowning, Hughes locked his jaw to prevent himself from speaking.

"We were supposed to find Neal, weren't we?" Peter found himself feeling desperate for it to be confirmed.

"Peter." Hughes used his hands to try and signal Peter to calm down, if he continued to get agitated, then Hughes would be forced to leave. When Peter got the point and forced himself to portray calm, he signaled him to continue. "No, according to other recordings, Neal was left to die, and it was only a matter of time before they finished by disposing of his body. The tip was by someone other than your doppelganger who intended for us to find Neal before they succeeded. Apparently, they were looking out for Neal's safety, despite how bad the situation would look for you."

Widening his eyes, Peter realized that even though he hadn't been looking for Neal, others had been. Likely Neal's friends, the very same people who were endeavoring to protect him from the fallout. Running his hand through his hair, he knew he owed Caleb and Collin his thanks, they had to be involved with that in some way, and their action had saved Neal's life.

"Do you have theories as to who this anonymous person might be?" Hughes zeroed in on his body language.

"To be sure, no, but I have a few theories. Obviously, whoever it is, they're friendly to Neal, and not antagonistic towards me. They have enough reason to risk the chance of me being my doppelganger but are certain enough in our separate identities to protect me. There aren't too many people who would fit that." It was a rather short list, in fact, he could only think of Mozzie, Caleb, and Collin along with any unnamed people associated with them, like Caleb's wife.

"Mozzie has to be at the top of that list." Hughes guessed.

"Amongst others, we don't know all of the friends Neal's had in his life, only the few he's made known to us through chance or circumstances." Peter realized how little he knew about Neal's extended social circle. There were obviously some he hadn't previously known about with the reveal of Caleb and Collin, who else was waiting in the wings?

"You have a good point. Even you've never been able to trace him back to before his eighteenth birthday." Hughes mused on the idea.

"Time's up." The guard stepped forward to begin processing Peter for the return to his cell.

Saying goodbye, Peter was glad Hughes had visited and shared some of what was going on with him. It helped to have a better understanding of what was going on outside of the four walls of the prison.

Reaching his cell, he waited until he was alone to speak out for his protectors to hear. "Thanks, by giving us that tip, you saved Neal's life."

Going about his day, things followed his new pattern until he was pulled from his cell again. This time, instead of walking for the public room, he was taken through a different route, like he was being discharged.

Reaching the area by the front doors, he was released, given his civilian clothes, and led into the office area away from the main security. Standing in front of the OPR agents, he was surprised to see them looking less stern, but not pleased.

"Your fingerprints only show up on the transport box where the rescue footage shows you touching it. There is no presence of your fingerprints in any of the other locations touched by the torturer. Although you aren't clear, that gives enough reasonable doubt for you to be released on an anklet with continued suspension." Going through the procedures, they required Peter to remain in his radius, available and ran through the rest of the requirements that went with his release.

When they had finished, Peter was escorted out the door where his wife was waiting for him.

Hugging Elizabeth closely, he breathed her scent in and enjoyed the ability to hold her close for the first time in days. Then pulling back, he kissed her and said: "Hi, hon."

Smiling, Elizabeth was thrilled to have him back. "Hi, hon." She kept looking him over and lightly traced over his bruises showing her concern in a frown as she realized he wasn't unscathed.

Shifting her hand to where he could kiss it and then hold it close to his chest, Peter tried to reassure her. "Someone paid me a visit, but I had protectors. I'm fine, hon."

"Are you sure?" She looked worried as she turned her hand to hold his in return.

"I am. We aren't alone in this." Kissing her again, he shifted her into his side where they remained close but were able to walk. "Let's go home."

Leaning into him, Elizabeth didn't argue with him as she guided to where she had parked.

Taking the keys, Peter set her into the car before walking around to get into the driver seat. Then he pulled out and asked what she wanted to pick up for dinner on the way home. "You don't need to cook, and I don't want to eat out."

"Let's just go home and order in," Elizabeth suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Peter smiled while taking her hand in the middle of the car and resting their intertwined hands on the console. Navigating traffic, Peter asked her questions about what had been happening while he was in prison.

It took a little encouragement to get her mind off of his obvious injuries, but once she got going, she had quite a bit to tell him.

"I've only gotten to see Neal once. He's heavily guarded to prevent him from running, and to protect him from the attackers who did all this in the first place. Although the agents from your team were caught, the leader hasn't been apprehended." Glancing at him, she looked like she wanted to ask questions, but chose to continue talking about Neal instead. "He is looking better than when he was first put in the hospital. The drugs they put into his system have been seeping out fast enough for him to regain a lot of that awareness he usually has. They're probably going to put him through some physical therapy for a while since he doesn't appear to have walked in months. Based on the last comments I've heard from Mozzie, Neal was in that thing the entire time he was missing so he'll have to get his muscles working again."

"Do you know if they're putting him back into prison, or if he's going back onto his work release?" Peter asked to gather some more information. Since he was accused of hurting the kid, no one was officially allowed to tell him about Neal.

"Mozzie is fighting for his work release and says he has some good leverage in his favor to ensure that outcome." She talked through her various meetings with the con.

Then she transitioned to June with "Should he succeed, June says the apartment is just the way Neal left it." The discussion about June showed how she had been spending the duration of Neal's absence.

"She's been working to find Neal… Every social means in her power has been directed to looking for information. Then once Neal was found, she's redirected her focus to ensuring he is comfortable in the hospital with every amenity money can buy.

"Good… Good. Considering everything he's been through, I'm glad she's looking out for him." Peter sighed. "Has she talked about my doppelganger?"

"June doesn't blame you for hurting Neal either…" Elizabeth tried to reassure him.

"I'm that obvious, aren't I?" Peter smiled softly.

"Yes, you are. The person blaming you the most is you." Elizabeth tried to reassure him.

"And Neal," Peter sighed. "He believes I did it… At least on some level, because he told me to kill him to my face," His statement put a damper on the mood.

"Please honey, don't talk about him for a few hours. This is our first evening together since before Neal was found. Can we just have some time alone, to ourselves, without Neal distracting?" Elizabeth pleaded.

Looking over at his beautiful wife, Peter softened his expression. "I'm sorry, hon. It's not that I'm not thrilled to be alone with you… They, they left Neal for dead. He's only alive because someone other than me was watching out for him."

Getting tears in her eyes, Elizabeth squeezed his hand. "How…?"

"Hughes told me. According to the recordings, they tortured Neal, and then they put poison in the fluid lines to finish him off. However, someone tipped us off to ensure we found him." Squeezing her hand back, he tried to keep his emotions in control.

Moving her other hand to squeeze his arm, Elizabeth tried to comfort him. "I know this hasn't been easy for you, and it certainly hasn't been easy for Neal, but don't forget that it hasn't been easy for me either. Do you know what it's like to have your spouse thrown into prison for a crime they haven't committed, to be restricted from even being in contact, to know they were hurt?" As she finished, she gently touched his face indicating what she meant.

"No, and I can't imagine what this has been like for you." Peter parked the car in their driveway. "I get what you're saying. Neal's safe in the hospital, I've been cleared enough to be out on anklet… which I hope Neal teases me about later, so it's time to take a break from worrying. As of right now, I promise no more Neal tonight, just you and me. What do you say to some New York style pizza before cuddling on the couch?"

Leaning over, Elizabeth smiled into the kiss as Peter met her halfway. "You know my answer."

Kissing her again, Peter smiled. "I do."

With a parting kiss, Peter climbed out of the car to walk around and open the door for his wife. "This way my lady…" He walked her into the house where Satchmo greeted him with a wagging tail and many doggy kisses.

Settling in for the night, he enjoyed being at home with his wife and his dog.

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