"So... do you wanna talk about it?"

Peter was so far out of his league. He had never been good at consoling victims or dealing with emotional witnesses or crying, he hated crying. He did not know what to do when there was crying despite actual FBI training on the subject. Neal had always been the more emotionally attuned partner and took the lead on those kinds of things, which is why their partnership worked. With Neal compromised it was his turn to lead the emotional part of the investigation. Maybe referring to the whole situation as an investigation was just proof of how inept his emotional intelligence was. But it technically is an investigation, one he's definitely going to have to report to Hughes about. No, it felt insensitive and dismissive to refer to his friend's (whatever this was, he was so out of his depth he didn't have the ability to name it) as an investigation.

The entire lunch, even though Neal refused to call it that, had been pleasant yet strained so far. They didn't speak much and only chatted about safe topics, like Satchmo's recent misdeeds at the dog park or El's new catering menu that Peter couldn't stand. It was the perfect fall day, cool enough for a jacket but very sunny and surprisingly warm in the sun. The sounds of the the concrete jungle's oasis over the white noise of the city felt soul cleansing, that was until...

"So... do you wanna talk about it?"

"Are we really goin to do this now while I'm trying to enjoy my hot dog?" Neal said poised about to take a bite of his half eaten hotdog, his relaxed disposition quickly evaoprating.

"I thought you said that you didn't like hot dog's?" Peter accused around his mouthful with "all the fixings" which turned out to be mostly onion.

"I never said that I didn't like hot dogs I only meant that I would rather eat the sushi I pointed out on the way here"

"Just eat your hotdog" Peter chided.

Peter thought he heard Neal mimic him under his breath but pretended not to. Neal kept up his charade of anger for a bit longer, arms crossed and hotdog discarded on the bench at his side but gave up and finished it after a few more minutes of silence or as close as one could get to it with Peter's enthusiastic chewing. Peter slowed down as he ate the last few bites of his hotdog trying to delay the conversation.

After a few moments of both men staring off into the park, hotdogs long gone and Peter trying his best to come up with a game plan to talk to Neal, he finally decided on, "What was your dad like?"

"Jesus, Peter! Of all-"

"-I'm sorry. I didn't think that question throu-"

"-I'm gonna call Elizabeth beca-"

"Don't you dare bring her into this! If yo-"

"I'm calling her. She is better at this than you she wouldn't just ask how my murerous dad is." Neal ended his little rant with a glare that Peter returned with equal force. There was a beat of silence before Peter conceded defeat by turning his gaze back into the park in front of them.

"Ok... that may be true but what about this? For every question of mine that you answer, you get to ask one of me and I have to answer it no exceptions?"

"So I have to answer every question you ask and you have to answer all of mine?"

"No you only answer whatever questions you want to but for every 'satisfactory' answer, I will answer one."

Neal pretended to think on it for a moment but Peter could see the gleam in his eye. Neal was not naive. He knew that most of Peter's questions will be answered with the files he undoubably has in his office. He was getting his answers with or without his cooperation, he might as well take what he can from it.

The con held out his hand, "you have a deal."

Peter grinned while accepting the shake. He did not notice Neal remove and pocket his watch during the exchange but Neal figured he owed Peter a little grief and Elizabeth would back him up on it.

"My dad was great. He took me for ride-alongs in his police car. He got me presents for my birthday every year. He would host these big barbeques and invite the entire department." Neal smiled at the memories, he seemed oddly fond of them.

"Yeah... he sounds, um, great." Peter had no idea what he expected Neal to remember about his father, but this wasn't really it.

"What? Were you expecting him to come home and plan murders with me or something like that" Neal smirked at Peter.

Peter shrugged, "something like that."

Neal shrugged too, "He was great, which is why it sucked when it came out that he was a murderer. We didn't believe it at first, then he confessed and when we got to visit him the one and only time in jail before his trial he admitted to us that he chose to get involved with the Flynns and just got in over his head. That's why it really felt like a betrayal. I was too little to understand what he said other than he killed our friend. I didn't understand, I just thought you were a monster or you weren't and he was a monster so his behavior towards me must have been a lie his entire life. I know now that he loved us and people are more complicated than that, I still don't understand why he chose to kill Uncle Jim but I understand how he got there. His decisions in the end still made him a monster so I was right in a way"

"You knew the victim?" Peter was too invested in the conversation to realize that he was the only one asking questions but Neal noticed.

"Yeah, Uncle Jim" Neal said like that explained everything just to annoy Peter.

"Yeah, I got that," Peter snapped, then softened upon hearing his own tone, "Who was Uncle Jim to you? How well did you know him?"

"The whole department was close everyone took their kids to work so we all knew each other and all the officers. Plus he was always came to our barbeques. Because he was my dad's CO they saw a lot of each other and were close. He would stop in all the time. Honestly I didn't know him that well but he was always around. My dad just referred to everyone he worked with as my aunt or uncle so he was my Uncle Jim."

Something wasn't adding up for Peter, "So did your mom cook at these barbeques?"

Neal understood what Peter was trying to ask, "This was before my mom kinda lost it. My dad was the only person she knew when she moved to America. She had a big family back home so it was hard for her here. Her English was not great either so she really had no friends outside of the department but she was definitely involved too."

"So did you speak French?" Peter asked cautiously, he tried not to let it show how funny he found how French Neal was.

"You know I speak French" and he did. He knew Neal was conversational in at least eight languages and fluent in several of them. He prided himself on this knowledge while chasing the criminal across the world. Both cat and mouse knew everything there was to know about the other in an attempt to remain one step ahead.

Peter gruffed, "you know what I mean, did everyone in your house speak French? Is that where you learned it?" Peter knew it was but was still fascinated to hear the details. His career catch was Neal Caffrey but he was just as much of an enigma the day the caught him as the day the case first crossed his desk.

"My dad took French in high school and did ok. When he was stationed in France, he picked it up pretty easily. When he met my mom she did not know any English. He taught her what he could and she took classes once she got here and realized the language barrier. We just all spoke French to each other at home but spoke English if there were other people around." Neal just shrugged after his explanation. To him this wasn't interesting but most monolinguals found it fascinating.

"You spent your summers in France."

"That's not a question Peter" Neal said.

"Did you ever visit your family in France after leaving WITSEC?" Peter finally settled on. He really wanted to know about the whole experience but Neal was right, that wasn't a question.

Neal reamined silent for a moment, "No."

"Did you think about it?"

"I did but..."

"but?"

"But I wasn't sure if anyone told them what happened to us. I don't think that my mom was in any state to and Ellen didn't speak French. I wasn't sure what they thought about me. I also felt like I left my family and past behind me and visiting them was undoing that, even if they had no idea. I don't know if they'd care. I might just be the kid the housed a few times and lost touch with or maybe they've been looking for me, their long lost son. I was afraid to know. I was also afraid it was dangerous."

"Did you want them to look for you?"

"I'm not sure."

"Why not?"

"If they never looked for me that means that they didn't care about me but if they did that would just equal hurt for them. They might think I'm dead or worse and I don't want them to go through that, but I also want them to care. I'm not sure which is worse."

"Neal, there is no way that they didn't look for you."

"You can't know that Peter."

Peter was quiet at this, "You're right I don't know but I have a gut feeling about it. You know my gut."

Neal huffed a laugh and dug the heel of his palm into his eyes, "not your gut again"

"How about me and you take the rest of the day off? Our cold case isn't going anywhere or getting any hotter, so let's track your family down?" He said with a subtle building excitement for his friend.

Neal glanced at his leg where his anklet lay hidden under his pantleg, "I'm not sure that reconnecting is a good idea."

"Let's just find them, figure out what they are up to now and get a read on them, if they would be interested in reuniting with you, without letting them know that you have been found."

Neal still looked uncertain.

"I understand that a lot has happened today. I'll give you some time to process everything but I'll be at your place at 5:00 to pick you up. You're coming over for dinner. What we do after dinner is up to you, we can watch the game, we can watch a movie or we can find your family."

"I can tell you right now we won't be watching the game" he muttered, then said, "ok, thank you, Peter."

Neal looked relieved that his decision was delayed.

"...So?" Peter was now openly staring at Neal.

The younger man looked bewildered, "So, what? OH! You want your watch back!"

Peter yelled "what?!" and yanked his wrist out of his sleeve, while Neal just beamed, "Sorry I almost forgot that I took it."

Agent Burke had to take a deep steadying breath after accepting the watch before he could reply, purposefully ignoring the thievery for now, "I said that I would answer any questions that you had so now it's your turn."

"Oh, I was going to hold onto my questions." Neal deadpanned with a shit eating grin.

Peter floundered for a second, "You can't hold onto your questions, that's not what I meant!"

"Yeah, but you said that you would answer any question I had but not when. I think they would be best utilized at a later time."

"Unbelievable, that is like six questions."

"Seven. actually"