Author's Note 1:
Here we go guys.
Last chapter.
I apologize if it seems a little rushed, I just wanted to get it out before Christmas.
I also want to wish everyone a merry Christmas or happy holidays if you don't celebrate Christmas.
CHAPTER 40
The kid just stared at the Burkes while the room went silent, it was like everyone was holding their breath while waiting for something to happen.
It felt like they waited forever and both Peter and Elizabeth started to feel really worried.
What if Neal didn't want to be adopted at all?
Then suddenly out of nowhere, Neal seemed to have processed their words and he just broke down crying before he threw himself at Elizabeth and Peter, doing his best to hugging them both.
"Yes I wanna be your son."
Neal managed to answer between the sobs and the guests went from deadly silent to loudly cheering and applauding.
It took a while for Neal to calm down but once he did, he was surrounded by people and every single one of them wanted to give him a big hug.
Last one was Mozzie who didn't have the energy to get out of the chair yet so Neal climbed up on his lap and threw his arms around him.
"I never thought I would say this but I am happy to have a son of a fed as my best friend."
Mozzie said, which caused Neal to hug him even tighter, happy that not only did he approve but he considered Neal to be his best friend.
When Neal pulled back, Mozzie met his eyes and gave him a serious look.
"Just promise me that you won't turn into a mini suit on me, okay?"
Neal giggled while Peter pretended to be offended and let out a "hey!"
"I promise, Mozzie."
He answered and even shook the man's hand before he got off his lap.
"I'm so glad you said yes, cause I don't know what I would do with this cake otherwise."
Elizabeth said as she came out of the kitchen, carrying a huge baby blue cake.
She put it down and on the cake it said, with a dark blue icing it said "Neal Caffrey Burke."
"You don't have to change your name, we just thought that maybe you wanted to have both our name and your mother's."
Elizabeth said, she had thought it sounded perfect herself but now she was uncertain about what Neal would think about it.
"I think it's the best name ever."
Neal answered, calming Elizabeth's worries, before she helped him cut the first piece of the cake.
The party had been a success, after eating the cake everyone had brought a little gift for Neal and even the Burkes got some gifts.
It had been like a birthday party and in a way it had been a birthday, it had been the day of their new life together, the day they went from temporary parents to permanent.
Neal couldn't stop smiling through it all, he no longer had to worry about foster parents who didn't treat him the way he deserved, he no longer had to worry about somehow ending up with James again and he understood that they wanted him, no matter what happened they wouldn't throw him away.
At the end of the party they had signed the papers before taking a picture.
In the picture Peter and Elizabeth both held the papers while Peter had his arm around his wife and Neal was on the floor in front of them, hugging Satchmo tightly.
It was a great photo and they would just have to get it framed and put somewhere in the house, so that they could always remember one of the best days of their lives.
Once all of the guests had left, the new family watched a movie together before it was time for Neal to go to bed, the child not even protesting because he was way too exhausted from the visit to the museum, the park and the party.
Elizabeth went to the bathroom while Neal crawled into his bed and Peter sat down on the edge of the bed.
Peter grabbed a story book but didn't start reading it, he knew that Elizabeth wanted to be there.
"Peter do you love me?"
Neal suddenly asked in a tired voice and Peter looked over at him, surprised by this sudden question.
"I tolerate you."
He answered before smiling to show him that it was just a joke and Neal smiled back.
The smile faded away and he bit his lip which showed Peter that something was clearly up.
"Why do you ask, buddy?"
"Why didn't James love me?"
Neal asked and Peter sighed, not only was it a very difficult question for him to answer but it was a very heartbreaking question.
"I don't know but it's not because of anything you did, okay? I just think that some people aren't meant to be parents."
Neal nodded, seemingly happy with that answer.
"I wish he wasn't my dad."
"Me too."
The six-year-old went quiet and for a second Peter actually thought that he had fallen asleep but then he talked again.
"Can I call you daddy instead?"
Neal asked, his voice so low that Peter could barely hear him.
Based on that and how red his cheeks were, the kid was embarrassed to ask.
"I would love that."
The redness slowly disappeared as a smile appeared on his face.
"Would it be mean to my mommy if I called 'Lizbeth mommy?"
"No I think your mommy would be very, very happy that you found another mommy that loves you just as much as she did and who keeps you safe. You will always remember your mommy and Elizabeth will never replace her."
Neal nodded before he let out a big yawn and closed his time.
By the time Elizabeth returned from her bathroom break, the kid was already fast asleep.
Neal held the bouquet tightly as they walked along the path, the gravel crunching beneath their feet.
"There it is."
He suddenly said and pointed towards their destination and they left the path and walked over the grass.
"We'll wait here."
Elizabeth said and the adults stopped, it was far enough for him to get some privacy but close enough for them to keep an eye on him.
Neal nodded before he walked the last few meters on his own.
The flowers trembled in his hands as he thought back tears.
"Hi mommy."
He greeted before putting the purple flowers by the clearly neglected headstone.
Neal hadn't been here since the funeral, James hadn't bothered to take care of his dead girlfriend's grave and his mother hadn't had any other relatives.
Peter and Elizabeth had promised that they would come here more often though, they had promised that they would make it look pretty.
He sat down on the grass, not caring if he stained his pants or not.
"I really miss you mommy."
Neal said as the first tear rolled down his cheek.
"It was bad after you left, mommy. Really bad."
He told her, hoping that there was a heaven and that she could hear what he said.
"But it got better. You see them?"
Neal said and looked back at the Burkes who gave him encouraging smiles before he turned back to the headstone.
"They adopted me and they love me and we will be a happy family now."
The smile on his face didn't last long because the tears just became more and more.
His mommy had been the only light in his early life and she had always promised him that one day everything would be better, even if her version of better had been different than his.
She had always thought that James would just snap out of it and become a loving man, a loving boyfriend and eventually husband and a loving father.
Even if they had different versions of better, he had always believed her promise and it killed him inside that she never got to see that things did get better.
"It does get better, mommy. It does get much better."
Neal said before the sobs took over and not long after that a couple of strong arms enveloped him and he was lifted up from the ground.
Peter hugged him tightly as Elizabeth turned to the headstone.
"Thank you so much for creating this wonderful boy."
"We will take care of him and we will love him for the rest of our lives."
Peter continued before they both thanked her again.
When Neal was ready, they walked away from the grave and started to walk towards the parking lot again.
Neal was still being carried in Peter's arms and he lifted his head from his shoulder to look up at the sky.
He wondered if his mother was sitting up there, looking down at them and smiling, knowing that her son would be okay.
"It does get a lot better."
Neal whispered before he put his head down on Peter's shoulder again, knowing that whatever happened from now on the Burkes would always be by his side.
Author's Note 2:
Wow, I am a little sad.
I do love this fic and it is sad to end it but I felt that it was time.
I just want to thank every single one who have read this story and I have loved writing it.
I remember when I wrote the first chapter and I spent over a week trying to decide if I should post it or not, fearing that no one would like it but I finally did it and I was so overwhelmed by all of the positive response.
So thank you all for reading, it has meant a lot to me and it's thanks to you that this story came to life and it has really made me feel better about my writing, that I'm trying to improve every day.
Thank you so much!
And if you liked this, I have decided to start a one shot collection following the events of this story.
I just wasn't ready to let this go completely.
If you are interested in reading more here's the one-shot collection: s/13154543/1/A-Different-Life-One-Shots