Resolution
Arriving at work early, Peter gave his statement to the investigating agents and then went to the conference room that was functioning as his workspace while his office was a crime scene.
It wasn't long before the rest of the team arrived followed by Neal coming in to give his statement. As Neal walked through the room, the agents around him fell silent. No one congratulated him, there weren't any conversations started, and everyone showed body language of shame or embarrassment.
Sighing as he watched the proceedings, Peter knew the team was feeling tongue-tied. Like him, they had accused Neal of theft, lying, betrayal, and generally being a horrible person. Then when the reveal came about, they learned that he was actually a deep cover agent, nothing like they thought he would actually be, and no one knew what to say to that.
Since the attack needed the assistance of a few more agents who had yet to be identified, the team worked together to bait them into the open. Per the arrangement, Neal was directed to play the part and be arrested for his alleged crimes.
Using what they had available, the team accused Neal of taking advantage of the situation to manipulate the FBI database in his favor. The story was that his file was full of criminal information before the hack, and the evidence against him was no longer present after. It made it look like he could be guilty or framed but provided enough evidence for him to be arrested for investigation.
Performing the arrest, the team took him to the interrogation rooms where he was grilled for a few hours by the visiting agents who were leading the investigation.
Once they were done, he was marched through the building heading for transport to prison. Considering what had happened before, they provided a larger guard to reduce the odds of infiltration by persons with an agenda. However, they endeavored to ensure a slight weakness, a means to encourage the agents to attack when and where they wanted them to.
Watching the procession from the security station, the story was that Peter provided support for his consultant's transfer while retaining distance after the attacks of his doppelganger.
Nearing the trap, the team encountered two agents who appeared to be performing their duties while discussing case files. Splitting up as they walked around the guards, the two agents each shot a dart out from under their folders to hit Neal from both angles of attack. Pretending nothing happened, they almost managed to reach the hallway behind where their escape route was, but Peter called over the radio directing the agents to be arrested and for Neal to be given medical attention.
In response, the guards split up with some aiding in the capture of the agents, while the rest handled the situation with Neal as he crumpled to the ground.
No longer watching the feed, Peter ran through the hallway listening to the radios as orders were barked and Neal's condition was described. Based on his initial reactions, he had been given an overdose of the drugs previously used in the attempt on his life.
Afraid of what that could mean, Peter needed to see Neal for himself, to ensure he was going to live through the attack.
Reaching the hallway, Peter pushed his way through the agents guarding the scene to pause when he reached the edge of the huddle surrounding Neal.
Standing there, he could hear the sound of Neal as he roughly drug each breath in, the concerned voices of the medics tending him as they stated the rapidly deteriorating state of his health, and his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Then coming out of the fog, Peter wanted to follow Neal to the hospital but was restrained from even getting a good look at his consultant.
Insisting on being kept up to date, Peter was forced to return to the conference room to help process the success of the operation.
It was two days before Neal was stable enough to receive visitors. Two days of worry and fear, time Peter spent trying to get permission to see his friend.
The brass was afraid Peter would make Neal's recovery falter, but they also understood that he wasn't his doppelganger and was genuinely concerned for his consultant. In honor of Neal's previous reports about Peter, the bosses granted him five minutes. Enough time for him to see his friend, but hopefully not enough time for him to upset Neal.
Agreeing to the many rules and stipulations set by Neal's bosses, Peter was willing to do whatever it took to be reassured that Neal was recovering and would be alright.
Entering the hospital room, Peter looked around and saw the many machines hooked up to Neal. They were monitoring everything or managing his basic bodily functions while he was still delirious. Blinking back the moisture pooling in his eyes, Peter was upset by the failure aspect of their operation. He had failed to protect his consultant, and Neal had nearly paid with his life.
"Why would you cry over me?" Neal muttered while looking over at him.
Aware that Neal perceived him as a hallucination, Peter still choked on the emotions his words caused. Running his hand over his mouth, he tried to ease the growing emotions that were making it hard to express what Neal's words did to him. "I'm crying over you because I care, Neal. I care that you were hurt, that your family was held as hostages against you, that you were forced to play something you aren't, that I missed seeing the depth of who you are, that I failed to protect you, I care that I turned my back on my partner and one of the best friends I've ever had. Neal, I care so much about you… You don't deserve any of this, and I'm sorry for everything I've done. It's understandable if you can't forgive me, but I apologize, for everything." Putting his hand on the bed next to Neal's arm, Peter was aware that he couldn't touch Neal, that it would hurt the man, so he watched as Neal blinked before turning away towards the window.
Hearing the guard duck in and instruct that his time was up, Peter tapped his hand against the mattress. "Feel better, Neal." Giving one last sad look towards his friend, Peter walked out the door to the waiting guard before heading home.
Neal was gone for several weeks. The time seemed to drag on for Peter since he wasn't distracted by his own incarceration or the problems his doppelganger created. They had been resolved.
Kieran had disappeared into a deep hole somewhere courtesy of the CIA, and each agent involved had been dealt with by their respective agencies.
With nothing else to do, Peter dropped another transfer form on Neal's desk and went back to work on active cases.
When Neal returned for a visit and to give his statement on the attack, the room fell awkwardly silent again. There hadn't been much time to rectify the situation between him and the agents so the issues hadn't gone anywhere.
Watching as Neal stood uncomfortably by his desk poking around at the papers piled on top, Peter felt the need to assist in rectifying the issue. Walking down from the landing, he approached Neal cautiously.
"You know… this wasn't my first go round. People keep acting like I can't take it, but for your information, I've been put through the box torture twice before, the last time I was clinically killed I was shot in the back because there was a traitor in my protection team, and Kieran was once my handler. Rogue law enforcement has been a threat or trying to kill me since I was three." Neal shuffled random things around as he spoke.
Pausing to see what was coming next, Peter didn't want to interrupt the first explanation Neal had given since the whole crazy mess with Kieran had occurred on the landing behind them.
Slowing down his shuffling to pick up one piece of paper, Neal stopped talking. His posture stiffened and his breathing stuttered.
"What I get tired of though, is how good of an actor I appear to be. Something tells me I will never stop being a con here." Then he slapped the paper back down on the desk before storming out through the glass doors.
Moving forward with his jaw working, Peter helplessly watched Neal jab the button for the elevator before hurrying into the car.
Unable to understand what caused it, Peter stepped forward towards the desk. Reaching out to finger the papers, he tried to determine which one had caused the upset. Then he touched the one that had slid slightly beneath three others. Tapping his fingers on the paper, Peter was hesitant to know what it was. The odds were that it linked back to him.
Sighing, there was no avoiding the inevitable. Lifting the paper up and flipping it over, he skimmed the numbers and first paragraph. Dropping it back on the desk, he had known it was going to link back to him.
It was the transfer form.
Peter wondered what Neal meant with his reaction to it. Was he just angry with him, did he not want to leave the team, or was it general frustration that caused his statement and angry exit?
"Are you okay?" Diana asked from his elbow.
"No... No, we're not." Peter didn't even bother with his usual lie that everything was okay between him and Neal, a fact that indicated just how bad things were between them.
"His statement did seem rather pointed. Has it crossed your mind that maybe he doesn't want to leave the team?" Jones asked joining them on Peter's other side.
"Yes, Hughes and I've talked about how he might prefer to remain with our team. In the past he's always been more accepted here than in other departments, he knows our people so he has less reason to worry about us hurting him, and he chose to make an agreement with me. However, as recent events have shown, I blamed him for a crime my doppelganger committed, I sent him back to prison and literally turned my back on him the night El was abducted, and for three months he's also been tortured by someone who looks exactly like me. That's enough reason for him to want away from me. Then in the office, he's had trouble putting his back to the team in general and things have been awkward since he's been back. All things considered, I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to transfer to another team for the remainder of his time here. Most of all, I don't want him to feel like he is constricted to this department whether he likes it or not, I want him to have the freedom of choice where he completes his assignment." Shrugging slowing, Peter wished he could explain it all to Neal. "He's been through enough; I don't want to hurt him anymore."
The silence behind him was broken by small murmurs of agreement. Everyone understood where he was coming from.
"Have you tried talking to Neal, to see what it is he would like to do?" Diana inquired softly while reaching out to put her hand on Peter's arm in support. "I know he hasn't talked to you and has done a masterful job of keeping to himself, but maybe it's time to break the silence and take the next step. He's shown his frustration that he thinks we only see him as a criminal, so it's time to remind him of the other ways we see him. We all need to do some reparation work, but you are the reason he chose us in the first place."
Hanging his head, Peter knew the weight rested on his shoulders. "No, I haven't really tried talking to him yet. I was hoping to ask to give him a ride home or something to start, but he found the form and stormed out before I got to him."
"My suggestion is that you give him the evening to work some of his anger out, but you need to talk to him first thing in the morning. I think there are several of us who will be finding our own times to pull him aside for a chat, but you need to fix things with him first." Diana didn't sound like she was suggesting so much as gently ordering.
"Yes, ma'am, I promise that I will talk to Neal first thing in the morning." Peter cheered up a little bit for her directive.
"Good, just don't take all day. There are others of us who would like to get our friendships back with him as soon as possible." She smiled in return before patting him on the arm.
"That goes ditto for me too." Jones encouraged from the other side.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Peter bid the team good night before leaving as well. He had an important conversation to prepare for.
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