Going Home
Curled up in the back seat, Neal watched the world go by as he left the city for the first time in quite a while.
"Did Chuck and Sarah make it home safely?" Elizabeth asked from the passenger seat.
"Yeah, they texted that they had a safe landing." He paused for a moment. "They also promised to visit as much as possible, and the rest of their family will reach out if they come through the area too… now you can expect to have secret agents randomly popping up out of nowhere."
"Have you resolved your old differences with them?" Peter asked from his usual spot in the driver's seat.
"As well as can be done over the phone. " Neal shrugged. "Morgan still isn't my biggest fan, most of the family is generally accepting, Sarah is happy to see me with a life, and Chuck is the only one enthused… but then he was the one that I was always closest to and the most open with."
"At least you get to have your friend back and the general acceptance of his family." Elizabeth tried to point out the bright side. "Do you think they will keep in touch with you?"
"Chuck and Sarah will. The rest may reach out if they feel the need, but aren't too likely to keep steady contact. If nothing else, the other agents will reach out for work related purposes." He knew that Orion would reach out if he wanted help, and Frost seemed to be willing to work with him.
"Just be careful… I've already had enough scares to last a lifetime." Peter shuddered from his position. The memories were still very vivid in his mind.
"That goes for you too, Peter… you've scared me as well." Neal reminded him.
"Both of you be careful!" Elizabeth interjected. "I don't want to lose either of you."
"We don't go looking for trouble, but when it finds us, we have each other's backs in the field. If there is anything that we can do, we will do it to make it home in time for dinner… or to visit for dinner." Neal commented to try and lighten the mood.
"You have that right buster. I expect to see you over for dinner at least a few times a week." Elizabeth started to smile.
"And maybe the occasional breakfast." Peter added with a smile in the rearview mirror.
"'Just as long as I don't waive fake badges in your face'… but, what if I was to wave a real one?" Neal teased with a smile.
"I would like to see that at least once." Peter commented.
"Why haven't you shown that?" Elizabeth asked
"It's not something that I am supposed to be waving around, or carrying, in case someone sees it that shouldn't. An agent's badge isn't exactly expected from a con artist." Neal explained.
Understanding, the others still wished to see it once.
"Maybe, sometime when you are over at my place I'll show you where I hid it." Neal smirked.
Making plans, the others shared a conspiratorial glance. "I think we need to have dinner at your place when we get back… it's about time you cooked."
Laughing, Neal agreed. "Deal."
Driving down his home street, Peter felt his excitement mounting. "We are just past the next block with the acreage right on the edge of town." He informed Neal.
"So that park we just past is probably the one that you grew up playing on?" Neal asked. His mind was picturing miniature versions of Peter and himself playing on it regardless.
"That is the location, but newer equipment." Peter glanced in the rearview mirror. "You're picturing what it would have been like if we had grown up playing there, aren't you?" He said as he started up the driveway.
"Sort of, more like picturing mini versions of us playing a childish game of our International chase… that is the closest I could come to picturing it." Neal said as his interest shifted to viewing the house ahead of them.
The Craftsman house had a steeper than usual pitch to shed the heavy snows, but it retained the characteristic décor common to the style of home and the big welcoming porch that invited guest to stay a while. Looking around, the landscaping was muted with the lateness of the season, but it was obviously beautiful in the peak of summer.
While Peter parked the car, Iris and Isaac walked down the stairs to greet them.
"You know, I hadn't thought about it before, but you really look like mom Neal… If I had known that you exist, I wonder if I would have associated your similarities to our parents. I mean, you have mom's dark hair, blue eyes, and build, but dad's smile, and a mix of our personalities. Now that it's hitting me, I wonder why I hadn't noticed before." Peter noted.
Unsure of whether it was a good thing to have their mother's feminine build, Neal was happy to hear the other comparisons. "Dad is a lot like I pictured him… like an older version of you with a little salt and pepper on top. You both have the brown features and the broader build, but you do have mom's tendency of placing your hands on your hips." Neal smiled.
"Like that's a bad thing?" Peter questioned with a smile.
"It's not a bad thing, but I'm just pointing out that you have mom's characteristics too." Neal said as he reached to open his door.
As their parents reached the car, the conversation dropped for the moment as they exited the vehicle to greet the rest of their family.
Walking up the stairs, Neal admired the house. It was full of handcrafted woodwork and the stone fire place was perfect for cozying up with the flames on a cold winter's day.
Unable to help himself, Neal imagined climbing up the stairs as a little boy, following Peter as they snuck down early on Christmas morning to see their gifts… his mind created so many happy memories that didn't exist, that it hurt. His father wasn't there to carry him up when he fell asleep on the couch, his mother wasn't there to tuck him in at night, and his big brother wasn't there to keep him company when Evelyn was locked away in her depression.
Sighing, he almost missed the collection of frames hung in the hall. Pausing, he stopped to peruse through the pictures that depicted the family through the years. Smiling, he laughed softly at some of them.
"You look pretty happy there with your ice cream Peter." Neal teased his brother about a picture of him covered with the delicious treat.
"If you're not wearing it as a kid, then it's not good." Peter shrugged. "Don't say that you didn't end up wearing your food, every kid does at some point." Changing the subject slightly, he wanted Neal to share a story. "Do you have any fond ice cream memories from when you were a kid?"
"Not really… Ellen taught me how to make a banana split, and that was always something special that we had on the nights that she watched me, but there isn't a particular time that stands out."
"Would you mind if we made that something special, in her memory, since she can't share that with you?" Iris asked.
Neal welcomed the chance to make it more special.
Continuing down the hall, Iris made sure to stop him by a particular frame. Reading it, Neal was touched to see their names collected together. 'Isaac Benjamin, Iris Esme, Peter William, and Aaron Micah' was listed with their last name in large print and a family picture hovering above. "I'm honored… and touched." He breathed to calm his emotions.
"You were always a part of this family, but this is the first time that we have been able to include you on the family wall." Isaac said proudly as he watched the effect it had on Neal.
There was a misty look to Neal's eyes so he tried to distract the family from noticing. "So, which room was Peter's?"
Guiding them to it, Peter led the way. "It's mostly the same way that it was when I moved out. Mom and dad did make some adjustments though…"
Opening the door, Neal wasn't surprised to see the baseball trophies, sports posters, and other paraphernalia that was characteristic to his brother. There was a mixture of old world charm from the house, sports paraphernalia that Peter loved, and something undefinable that made the room cozy in such a way that it screamed 'Peter's room.' "I like it."
"Even without the nerdy posters and figurines everywhere?" Peter asked lightly to tease Neal.
"Yes, even without the nerdy stuff that always littered my room."
Leaving Peter's and Elizabeth's stuff, the group moved to the next room down the hall.
"This is technically the guest room, but that was only because we couldn't call it yours…" Isaac rumbled.
With tears in his eyes, Neal hugged both of his parents. "Well, I'll be honored for it to be referenced as my room when I come to visit.
Although she didn't say it out loud, Elizabeth wanted to say, 'maybe you can leave something here too act as another anchor,' but she couldn't without feeling like she was imposing.
"I wish we could make it your childhood room, but that isn't possible." Iris lamented.
"Peter and I talked about that…" Neal said as he moved mysteriously to his bag. "Meet Ted, the only belonging that I have had for as long as I can remember." He handed them his childhood teddy bear.
Laughing through their tears, his mother hugged the bear tightly while his father stroked its head. "Thank you son… thank you for giving us a piece of your childhood." They said.
Showing Neal through the house, the rest of the Burkes enjoyed giving him the full tour and sharing various stories about things as they went.
"This clock was your grandfathers. He carved it for your grandmother as a gift for their first Christmas together." Iris continued to tell how it was passed to her on the first Christmas that she and Isaac had been married.
"Why wasn't it passed to Peter and Elizabeth when they were married?" Neal asked.
"We actually got a clock from my parents." Elizabeth explained.
"So, we hope that you will take it someday." Isaac said. "That way it stays in the family and we get to see it passed on through to another generation."
Unsure of what to say, Neal paused. "I would love to have an heirloom, but I don't know if my life will ever settle down enough to marry."
"Maybe, someday Neal, there is a lot of time for things to change." Peter encouraged. "You're on a steady assignment, so maybe that will turn into a relationship, or something different with your work that can create an opening for a future relationship."
Hopeful, Isaac and Iris didn't push Neal, they knew that he was being realistic with his government work, but they still wanted to see him settled down someday.
Finishing the tour, they arrived in the basement where they had a pool table and some other assorted games.
"What else do you expect to do when the snow is a couple of feet deep?" Was Isaac's reason for the family game room.
"How about I show you some tricks?" Neal had one of his con artist expressions on as he stood with a pool stick.
Interested to know her son's skills, Iris asked. "How did you learn to play?"
Getting a little sheepish, Neal cut the con act. "Evelyn wasn't exactly the most attentive to things like lunch money, and there was a pool hall between home and school…" He left the sentence hanging.
Feeling awkward, the group fell silent for a moment.
"Well, let's see how well fed you were." Isaac challenged with a smile. "Peter and I have played many a game down here, so we have the native advantage."
Grinning in anticipation, Peter grabbed a stick himself and joined the challenge.
Laying out the rules, they started into the game while the others chatted with them and observed.
When that game finished, they rearranged the players for another game.
"Come on mom, how about you and dad play Peter and me?" Neal asked.
Seeing the challenge in Neal's eyes, she decided to teach him a lesson. "Don't think that I can't play. I have grown up on this game as well, and even though I haven't ever been a pool shark, I do know how to play a mean game of pool."
Loving the homey environment and the fun of relaxing with his family, Neal didn't care if he won or lost, it was simply the joy of playing the game. "Bring it on, mom. I'm going to enjoy pitting my skills against you with this round."
"Go Iris!" Elizabeth playfully cheered. "What? We girls have to stick together." She smiled as she lightly kissed Peter in apology for cheering on the other team.
"Now I'm thinking that we should do girls verses boys for the next competition." Peter responded with a teasing smile.
"I can play, but I would be a weak point." Elizabeth tried to back out.
"Uh-uhh, there is no backing out now hon. You said that you girls have to stick together, so now you have to play at least one round." Peter playfully pushed.
"Fine, but don't complain when I'm too easy to beat." Elizabeth had a glint to her eye. She wasn't a bad player, but she was fishing for the advantage of being underestimated… even if it was only by Neal.
"Peter has told me stories Elizabeth, no one is falling for that one." Neal burst her bubble.
Laughing, the group enjoyed her effort to glare at her husband. As they all knew that it was in fun, no one took it seriously.
Settling in, they spent the rest of the afternoon bonding over games as a family.
Getting up in the morning, Neal meandered his way down the hall in his pajamas. Walking past the pictures, he slowly looked them through again with more understanding. They had spent a while the evening before going through stories of who each member of the family was, how they were related, and some interesting story or aspect about them to make them more familiar to Neal.
Walking down the stairs, Neal could hear the others talking about plans to throw the long awaited party to reveal his existence to the extended family. It was odd, but as he was learning who they were, the rest of the family would soon be learning who he was as well.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he continued around the corner until he entered the kitchen. "So, the rest of the family will be here later today for the initial meet and great?" He already knew the answer, but he was letting them know that he had heard part of their conversation as it carried through the house.
"Yes." Peter answered. "Remember, I told you that the rest of the family would be around for at least one day to get to meet you for the first time."
"I know, but I was trying to point out that your conversation carries, so I have heard most of the plans." Neal informed them.
Unable to be disappointed, Iris smiled and began to fill him in on the details again now that she could show him her ideas in person.
Smiling at Peter, Neal let her show him the ideas and threw in some ideas of his own as to what would make a good family gathering, at least as far as he had always imagined anyway.
Placing a hot plate of food in front of him, Isaac patted his shoulder. "We have waited a long time to throw this party, so we aren't worried about it being expensive Neal. Think of it as thirty some years of birthdays that we have missed."
Relishing the atmosphere, Neal dug into his food. "I think this will be fulfilling a lot of dreams." He said to the table at large.
As Isaac joined the conversation and the planning began in earnest, Neal let their words flow over him. The party didn't matter, and the details weren't what made the party special. It was the fact that his family was throwing him a party to officially recognize and welcome him in as one of their own.
Thank you everyone for reading, commenting, leaving kudos, and choosing to favorite :D
I still need to know which completed story readers would like to see next, but for lack of current requests I have chosen to do "Ryder Reviews - A Fairy Tale Romance" next week. It is a one shot addition to my first story and focuses on how Peter's and Elizabeth's romance originally started as well as how it progressed after their abductions...
