AN: I've used some dialogue from the show in future chapters. Thank you once again for the wonderful reviews!

Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to USA Network and Jeff Eastin.

CHAPTER 6

Peter had had a difficult time trying to calm down Elizabeth after her visit with Caffrey. He listened to everything that happened and sighed. Of course she was right. Caffrey didn't belong in there. He'd waited a day for things to cool off and decided to visit the kid to see if he had changed his mind.

Neal looked awful. He had a big bruise in the right side of his head and he was limping slightly, but trying to hide it.

"Peter. So good of you to come," Neal said sitting in front of him.

"I came to see if you hadn't escaped again, after what El told me," Peter said.

Neal shifted uncomfortably in the bench. "You really shouldn't have let your wife come here Peter. This is no place for Elizabeth and I think it would be better if you don't let her come again."

Peter gave him a perplexed look. This kid was a walking contradiction. Peter didn't think any other person would care about someone they hardly knew. A criminal certainly wouldn't care about the wife of an FBI agent. He wondered if the connection Caffrey had towards his wife was something he had ever felt before.

Neal had brought out a folder and put it in front of Peter. "I'm glad you're here Peter. I've been doing some research and I think I've found a way I could help you out." He pointed to a picture in the folder. "Ankle monitor for supervised release. I'm too much of a risk for outright release or probation, but I can be placed on supervised release rather than in secure detention." In other words, I'll get the hell away from this place, Neal thought.

"I've researched this. I could wear the GPS tracking anklet within an allowed radius and I have to be back where I'm staying by curfew. These are tamper- resistant and it signals you and the police if there are tampering attempts. It's never been skipped on." Neal beamed at Peter hopefully.

"Where would you be staying, Caffrey? A foster home? They've tried that before and you ran away the first second you had a chance. I'm not even sure they take in criminals."

"They have to, Peter."

"You'd still be with other criminal kids?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't get in trouble Peter. I'd just help you catch my old boss and stay out of the way."

"Is this the only way you'll help the FBI? If I get you out of here?" Peter asked.

Caffrey nodded. Peter stood up and Neal looked expectantly up at him.

"Sorry. Nice try Caffrey." Neal's face dropped in a second.

"I don't trust you." Peter said simply and started walking towards the exit.

"That's smart. I wouldn't trust me either," Neal said under his breath as he got up and walked back towards the door.

Peter spent the next two days looking into Neal's suggestion. It basically came down to a place where the kid could stay. The FBI was willing to push a judge into allowing the anklet if Neal helped them close the case. The only problem was that no one wanted to take him in.

Peter looked into both sides of Neal's family and could only come up with that one aunt mentioned in all the files, his mother's sister, Ana. He drove all the way to New Jersey to talk to her and he got laughed at. She had two jobs, her husband had two jobs, and they had two kids. There was no way she could take him in. She wouldn't take him when his mom died and she definitely wouldn't take him now that he was a felon. Peter tried to explain that Neal was cooperating, and that he wasn't remotely violent. Ana seemed to believe quite strongly that the kid was just a criminal 'like the good for nothing parasite her sister had married.'

And that was that. There were no other relatives and Peter was kind of relieved. He didn't think he'd stand another person throwing the kid away like yesterday's trash.

After that lovely encounter with Caffrey's aunt, he had tried speaking with different judges, social workers, and foster homes, but he didn't have any luck. Caffrey couldn't be placed in another foster home. He ran away before, and now he had a three year sentence before him. Peter had submitted the papers to see if they could find him foster parents but it was very unlikely. There were a lot of other kids that had priority over a criminal teenager.

Peter had gone back to talk to Neal the next day and explained that his chances of getting out weren't good. The boy just shrugged after he told him about his aunt.

"I don't blame her. Why would anyone want a screwed up kid like me?" Neal answered after Peter had finished talking.

"That's not true Caffrey. It's just hard to place you somewhere, but I'll keep trying."

Both knew they were empty words.

They sat quietly for a while and Peter regarded the kid with concern. Caffrey didn't let a single emotion play on his face.

"I'm fine Peter," said Neal after a few seconds. "Go home to Elizabeth."

Peter couldn't reply anything. What was there to say? He hated this. Without a place to stay, there wasn't anything he could do for Neal. And when did he become Neal and not Caffrey? He had to remember that the boy was caught with two million dollars in stolen paintings.

But he doesn't deserve all of this, he thought.

Peter reluctantly got up to leave. "I'm really sorry kid."

Peter and Elizabeth lied side by side in their bed. They were looking at each other in the moonlight coming from the window.

"Why are you overthinking this Peter?" Elizabeth asked. Peter had tried to get Neal out, but no place to stay meant no deal.

"I don't know El," Peter sighed. "It's not supposed to work this way. It just shouldn't be this easy. He did something wrong, he's supposed to pay the price. I can't help thinking that this anklet thing is just his next escape plan."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "You think Neal escaped Juvie, saved my life, and then got himself beaten up defending me just so he could trick you into getting him out?"

"It's a working theory."

"Yeah, keep working on it."

Elizabeth took her husband's hand in her own. "Peter, we can't let him stay in there. You know it and I know it. This is the only way."

Peter closed his eyes. Of course she was right. She was always right.

"Why is it so hard for you to believe he'll do the right thing?" she asked.

Peter smirked. "Let's just say that's not his first instinct."

"Trust isn't yours."

"Occupational hazard," he paused and rubbed his neck. "I just like to know I can trust in something."

"I know you do, but sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith." Elizabeth reached over with her hand and caressed her husband's face lovingly.

She loved him more than anything in this world. He was a good man. He was a man that believed in doing good things and second chances. There was no doubt in her mind that he would do the right thing now. He cared about Neal too. She had seen him worrying about the boy every single day since he met him. He had researched and talked relentlessly to social workers, judges, and even Reece in the last few weeks. Peter didn't like to admit it, but the real problem behind his indecision might be that he cared too much about what happened to Neal.

"Hon," she said after some minutes of silence. "He ran before, but it was different. We'll be here for him now."

"I'm not sure that will make much of a difference," said Peter doubtfully.

"I'm sure. It'll make all the difference in the world." She nuzzled closer to him and settled down for sleep. It was late and they both had a long day ahead tomorrow.

"El, I love you." Peter whispered into the night after a long time.

"Mmm…love you," she whispered back, startling Peter who had thought she had fallen asleep. Peter's heart swelled with pleasure at her words, and his thoughts turned towards Neal again. He didn't trust the boy, but he was going to give him a chance. He tried to quiet his thoughts and went to sleep.

It had taken three days to finish arraigning everything. Peter had made his way to Crossroads that same night as soon as they had giving him the anklet. When he got there they informed him that Neal had been placed in solitary confinement ever since the day El had visited him. They had conveniently left that information out of the reports they sent him. The director insisted that it hadn't been a punishment but a precaution. Precaution my ass, Peter thought making his way towards the solitary cell. They were taking it out on the kid because he had given them the slip and escaped. It was that other guys, Keller and his "friends", that deserved the punishment, but Neal seemed to have a supernatural power to attract trouble. His complete lack of self-preservation and consequence didn't help either.

Peter was sure that the solitary rooms weren't supposed to be legal anymore. They were harsh punishments, especially for someone like Neal. The CO that walked in front of him stopped in front of a door and addressed him.

"You came to take Neal out?"

"Yes. He's making a deal with the FBI."

"That's good. I…" he hesitated. "It's just, this place isn't right for the kid. I sort of talked to him when he was here, you know, before, and he was always so…polite. Now, he…he hasn't been… eating right… He hasn't been talking."

Peter frowned and couldn't shake the sick feeling forming rapidly in the pit of his stomach. He stepped inside the room and the door closed behind him. Neal was in that awful orange jumpsuit sitting in his bed on the corner of the room. He was leaning to the right, his back resting on one wall and his head on the other. He was looking straight ahead and didn't move or acknowledge Peter as he approached him and sat down in the bed.

"Caffrey, get up, I'm getting you out of here." Peter said steadily.

Neal did nothing. He kept staring at the wall in front of him and Peter's concern went up another notch.

He tried again. "Caffrey, its Agent Burke. I've got you the deal with the anklet, your social worker was supposed to tell you two days ago."

Nothing.

Peter moved closer to the boy to look at him in the eyes. There was no sign of recognition. Peter was distressed. He had never seen Neal this quiet, this…still. Neal was unresponsive. His body was limp, but on closer examination Peter noticed that his hands were shaking slightly. It looked like an involuntary reflex, like it was something his body was doing but his mind couldn't control.

Peter knew that Neal didn't like to be touched, but maybe that's what he needed to come back from wherever he was. He reached over and grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him a little bit.

"Caffrey, what's wrong?"

Peter was getting scared now. Neal didn't even flinch at his touch.

What the hell is wrong with the kid?

"Neal," he said desperately. "Neal. It's Peter."

At those words, the boy finally seemed to come back to reality. He roused slowly and started blinking rapidly; trying to understand what was going on. He stopped shaking immediately and smiled when he met Peter's worried eyes.

"Peter," he said smoothly. "What are you doing here?"

He shook off Peter's hand from his shoulder and sat up in the edge of the bed. Peter was baffled. What had just happened? Neal sat completely alert in front of him. A moment ago he had been near comatose. Did he even remember what had been going on?

"Are you okay?" he asked carefully.

Neal gave him an annoyed look and responded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Peter kept staring apprehensively at Neal. The boy might have fooled him another time, but not after what he had just witnessed. Peter decided to let it go for now. He would find out later what was wrong with the kid from the Juvie doctor.

"They didn't tell you I was coming?"

Neal shook his head.

"I told them to let you know two days ago. I had to wait for the anklet but the deal was already confirmed," Peter continued, trying to explain everything as clearly as possible. "I'm taking you out of here. You'll wear the anklet and help me and the FBI solve the case."

"I guess one of those foster houses finally agreed to take me in?" Neal asked.

"No. They didn't. You'll be staying with El and me."

Neal let his mask drop for a second and looked stunned. "I'm going to live in your house?"

"Yep," Peter replied.

"I'm living with Elizabeth and you, in your house?" Neal eyes dropped to study the floor. "Peter, are you sure that's what you want to do? I mean, I'm not…" Neal paused, not knowing how to continue. "I'll probably…"

"Caffrey, you'll live with us and you'll be fine." Peter said sturdily.

"I'll live with you," Neal repeated, slowly rolling each word in his mouth. "I can do that."

Neal tried to get up quickly and the room started spinning. He felt his legs giving out and sat down again. Peter moved to try and help him, but Neal held up a hand to keep him away. "I'm fine Peter, just a bit dizzy."

Peter backed away and regarded Neal thoroughly from head to toes. After a few seconds he addressed Neal again.

"On second thought, I think I'll leave you here for a little while."

Neal's head snapped up immediately, his eyes incredibly large. "What?" he said quietly.

What the hell is Peter talking about? Didn't he just say that I could go with him?

Neal could tell it was going to happen. He felt it coming miles away. He always felt it coming. No one could see him like this. No one should see him like this, but Peter was standing right in front, and he didn't think he could hide it this time. His breathing was getting faster and he could feel his heart pounding.

Peter had changed his mind about taking him. He knew it. He should be able to tell by now when people are lying. Suits just don't take criminals home. What was he going to do here?

I'll be alone again…

Peter was leaning over, holding Neal's right shoulder, and talking to him. Neal couldn't hear a word that he was saying. What was going on? He felt the impulse to run, but there was nowhere to go. The room was spinning again and his body felt numb.

Please not again, please… please, please…breathe. Breathe, Neal, breathe…

"Neal, breathe." Peter's voice finally made it through the haze.

Peter had no idea what had gone wrong. He had been trying to tell Neal that he would leave him in the room for a few minutes while he talked to the Crossroads doctor. He wanted a full medical report on Neal before they left. Something was wrong with him, the unresponsiveness, the dizziness, and now this.

Something is wrong.