Trust 5
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Neal was dreaming again. He found himself back on the terrace at June's, his hair whipping lightly in the cool breeze as he stared over the ledge. His expression seemed pensive and somewhat sad as he stared out at what could only be called a 10 million dollar view of the city. The scents of early Spring, late Winter and June's Italian roast merged into one soothing aroma that made him feel at ease despite the small frown that began to form on his lips.

He gave an audible sigh as he turned and looked at the wrought iron patio table, pulling a chair out and sitting. He was in fancy silk pajamas of a maroon and blue striped design with a warm robe wrapped around him. A small buffet of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and of course June's coffee was on display as he sat down but he wasn't hungry. The young man just stared at the food and paper lying there and felt a need to leave. He wasn't supposed to be here but this was where his memory was taking him, the only safe place he could think of after everything that had happened.

"Neal?" He looked up and immediately stood, nearly knocking the chair over as he did so. Kate stood there dressed the way he remembered her on the plane. He felt his throat grow tight but he continued to stand there staring at her unable to move or speak. She seemed to sense his uncertainty and moved forward slowly, grasping one of his hands in hers as she stood beside him. He could feel the warmth of her skin against his palm and it felt good but he could only think of one thing.

"You're not real... I know that." He pulled his hand away from hers and walked to the edge of the terrace and looked over the side. His body was stiff with tension and anger maybe, his shoulder shuddering slightly when she walked over and touched him on the arm.

"You're right. I'm not real." She paused then turned his face towards her and smiled the way he remembered.

"Neal, you're alive. Even with everything that's happened, you're a survivor. Wake up and find Peter. Trust him. He trusts you." He blinked at her, his eyes shiny with tears but he nodded slightly. He hugged her close, eyes closed.

"Peter... I don't know where..." He opened his eyes and found himself alone. Neal's arms were hugging air as he saw where he was for the first time.

The room was homey in a simple kind of way with lots of light colors in blues, yellows and greens. A window to the side was open, pale yellow curtains flapping lightly in the breeze. There was a dark wooden dresser to the far end of the room across from the bed he lay on. It had a small mirror on top where he could just see himself. His reflection looked tired and haggard, hair messy. Neal ignored that to look around the room a bit more, taking in the small details like knickknacks on the few shelves and pictures on the wall. None of it was valuable except in a sentimental sense as he found himself trying to make sense of the place. He noticed a wooden nightstand to his right that matched the dresser. A metal lamp with a light blue cover sat there along with a small windup clock. It all seemed so unreal after everything he'd been through and he thought he must still be dreaming.

The breeze felt cool from the window making Neal push the blanket aside with what little strength he had. His body ached all over but he felt a need to get up and move around. He pulled his feet around to the side of the bed as he managed to sit up with a quiet groan. The room swam a little but mostly he felt the aches and pains of his body which made him feel a slight bit nauseated. He looked around for a bathroom and finally noticed a door that blended in with the wall. He stumbled towards it and reached for the knob. To his surprise it started to open on its own. He stepped back as it opened and a young woman pushed it open with her shoulder. Her hair and form looked familiar to him a moment as he remembered his dreams.

"Kate?" He whispered but when she turned and looked at him in surprise he frowned, feeling sicker suddenly, collapsing to his knees. She had a tray in her hands and placed it quickly on the dresser before she helped him up. She pulled him through the door and down a small hall into another room. Neal leaned over the toilet and threw up. She held onto his shoulders and rubbed his back gently as he let everything out and talked to him in a familiar voice. Once he was done he heard the sound of running water and felt a cool damp cloth on the back of his neck. He flushed the toilet and went to the sink to wash his hands, face and mouth.

"Thanks." He said quietly as he turned to look at her and saw her smile slightly. At first he really thought she could be Kate but now that he saw her face he realized she looked nothing like her. His brow furrowed in a slight frown as he dried his face and hands and let her lead him back to the bedroom. Neal sat on the side of the bed and looked about as despondent as he could under the circumstances. He was thinking about everything that had happened to him and wondered if Peter had made it through. He barely had time to get over Kate's death, he didn't think he could deal with having to talk to Elizabeth about Peter's. He felt something warm and wet drip down his cheeks.

"I can come back later if you need more rest." Her voice was quiet but he turned and shook his head which seemed a relief to her. She pulled out a folding table and brought it to him as she placed the tray on top.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I just made a little of everything." He nodded at her trying to smile as he wiped at his eyes and looked up at her. She seemed somewhat nervous around him despite her kindness which made him curious.

"It looks good. Thank you." She smiled back at him softly and stood there watching him curiously.

"You look a lot better than you did when I found you. I'm glad you're feeling better." He looked up at her, blue eyes sparkling. She'd found him? Was Peter here too?

"You found me? Where? I don't remember much of anything after..." He trailed off not wanting to involve her with what happened. Maybe the masked men had thought he was dead and dumped his body? He shivered at the thought wondering again about Peter. He heard her clear her throat nervously as she spoke again.

"Well, I was taking a walk around my property when I found you in a ravine. I... I thought you were dead but then I saw you move." He nodded at her and motioned for her to sit down. She sat on the far edge of the bed, arms crossed over her chest in a guarded manner.

"I don't make a habit of bringing strangers in but you were hurt and nobody else around here for a few miles. Where did you come from?" She turned and looked at him with light hazel eyes that looked a bit green to him. He looked back at the food which included scrambled eggs and oatmeal. He took a quick bite of the eggs and then spoke.

"My friend and I were headed home when our car broke down. Someone jumped us out in the woods when we were walking to get help. You didn't find another man did you?" He started to describe Peter to her but she shook her head looking unhappy at her inability to help.

"I'm sorry. You're the only person I found. Do you think those men are still around here? I haven't heard anything about any masked robbers but there have been weirder things in the news." He shook his head taking another bite of the eggs and realizing he really was hungry. There was a glass of water and he took a few sips before eating again.

"Do you have a phone? I need to see if I can contact my friend's wife. She's going to worry about us since we haven't returned in..." He realized he didn't know how many days it had been. Hadn't they been kidnapped on a Thursday? He couldn't even think now. Her voice was soft as she replied.

"It's Sunday afternoon. When did you get robbed?" He blinked, his face paling. Four days? It had felt like so much longer. Elizabeth must be going crazy with worry. He cursed silently a moment before remembering he had company.

"Thursday morning. Four days. They must have a search party out for us by now." She nodded at him and patted him gently on the shoulder. She pushed the table and tray aside and helped him stand up.

"I have a phone in the other room. Don't have a cell phone though if that works." He nodded allowing her to take his arm and help him walk back out of the room, down a hallway with a few pictures here and there that seemed to have been taken and signed by a local photographer, and then into another room that could only be called the homiest and comfortable living room he'd ever seen. She led him into the dining room / kitchen area and pulled a chair up for him.

"I'm guessing you're from the city." He nodded with a bit of a blush realizing what she was going to say next but was surprised at her next statement.

"I lived near Central Park for a while but had to get away. Get far more use from my camera out here. Sorry, I'm keeping you from your call. Go ahead." She smiled and walked away into the kitchen area. Neal smiled at her and picked up the receiver and started to dial from memory. He waited while the phone rang and rang and then he got a voice mail:

"This is Elizabeth Burke. I'm sorry I missed you. Please leave a message after the beep. Thanks for calling!"

Neal sighed as he heard the beep and started to leave a message:

"This is Neal. I don't... know where I am but when I find out I'll call you back with the details. Maybe you can trace where I am from the number? I'll keep in touch." He hung up the phone and felt sick again but held back as he sat in the chair and tried to think of things other than Peter being dead.

"I guess you really are lost?" He turned at the sound of her voice and nodded. She smiled at him and held out her hand.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Lara Evans. I'm guessing your name is Neal?" She looked apologetic although he smiled back, standing as he took her hand.

"Neal Caffrey. I guess those pictures in the hallway were yours?" She nodded with a slight blush smiling shyly.

"Yeah. Came to the big city to get my start but found working in the city wasn't anything like what I had imagined. Now I do some freelancing to magazines and other companies. How about you?" She smiled at him and he gulped slightly trying to think what to say.

"I'm a renown international art thief." She blinked at him then laughed, smiling broadly.

"That's funny. You must be an actor or else work on wall street. You were wearing a Devor! Those aren't cheap. Wish I could have saved the suit but it was pretty beat up." He blinked at her and acted coy.

"Little joke I throw out there when I'm nervous. I work on Wall Street. Good guess. Don't worry about the suit, I'm just happy to be alive. Thanks." She nodded with a blush and pointed at the hallway.

"If you feel up to it, I'm going down to the corner market. There's some clothes in the closet from my brother's last visit if you'd like to borrow a few. You look about his size." Neal looked down at himself suddenly, having never noticed what he was wearing. He was in a gray pair of sweats that were a slight bit baggy on him and a plain white tee. Neal nodded at her and she smiled.

"I'm just finishing up a few dishes so let me know when you're ready." He nodded and started down the hallway again taking a second look at her photographs and seeing a lot more in them than he had the first time.

He closed the bedroom door, found the closet and looked inside. He found a pair of not so worn jeans that looked like they would fit along with a dark blue flannel button up shirt. He pulled off the sweats and pulled on the jeans and shirt. He found a pair of black socks and some dark brown top-sider type shoes and slipped those on his feet. Everything fit pretty well as he viewed himself in the mirror. He walked out of the room and into the hallway bathroom he'd been in earlier. He didn't feel so badly as he had earlier but he noticed a bit of a limp as he walked around.

Neal ran the water and splashed his face then put a bit in his hair and smoothed it back with his fingers. He dried his face and hands before making his way back to the living room. He was feeling considerably better about things although his thoughts kept going back to the issue of Peter. Where was he? What happened to him? Why had Elizabeth not called him back yet? He puzzled over everything when he heard a loud gasp of breath nearby. Neal rushed into the kitchen where Lara was and stopped short at the scene before him.

"Hello, Mr. Caffrey. I guess we were a bit premature about ending our little "trust" game. Seems you're not quite as dead as we had thought you were." Neal stood staring at the masked men, one of them holding a gun to the young woman's head and the other just smiling at him in that menacing manner. Neal just stared at the man, eyes narrowing.

"Let her go and I'll go along quietly." He wondered if they still had Peter in that horrible place. He shivered at the thought but he was more afraid of what could happen if they took Lara or harmed her. He felt his hands clench to fists at his sides, shoulders tight as he tensed up. He heard the man laugh.

"I thought now that your Fed friend was free, we could start the game up again with a new player. Your thoughts?" Neal gawked at the man as he processed what was said. Peter was alive? Then...

"No more games. Let's fight this out fairly or are you afraid?" Neal tried to add a menacing tone to his words although in his current state of mind he wasn't really acting more than expressing what he actually felt.

Lara's eyes were wide and frightened, her mouth covered by the hand of the man holding her with the gun. Neal didn't want to see her hurt and the masked man knew that but he couldn't act too rashly or her blood would be on his hands.

"A fair fight? So boring considering all the fun we had before with you and your keeper." Neal didn't respond to the empty threats knowing the man was just trying to draw him into some kind of action that would cause either his death or Lara's. He laughed back at the man, letting it all out despite the fear and dread that filled him. He saw a curious look in the man's eyes.

"I'd like to know what's so amusing, Mr. Caffrey. You hold this young woman's life in your hands. Are we playing the game or do we kill her now and end it here?" Neal was about to answer when he perked up at a distant sound that started to grow ever closer. The masked man seemed to hear it too as did his cohort who stiffened. Neal tried not to smile too much feeling maybe his call got through after all. The sound of sirens stopped outside the front of the house and the sound of men moving around outside was more than obvious in the quiet of the farmhouse. The masked man looked at Neal and smirked slightly.

"Good play on your part. Delaying us so the authorities could show up and rescue you. Such an easy ruse to ending the game in your favor but not a shortcut I would have advised." The man made a signal to the other masked figure holding the young woman.

It was too fast even for Neal to register as the gun went off. He smelled the acrid odor of gun powder and looked at Lara worriedly. She just stared at him, eyes wide but she appeared unhurt. She just looked at him horrified, her eyes looking at his chest, hand pointing ever so slightly. Neal looked down and saw a red spot just below his left shoulder spreading quickly. He just stared at it a moment before his legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees. He wavered there a moment looking up as the two men started to move away, dropping Lara to the floor.

"Now the game is over. Say hello to Kate." Neal slumped to the floor, his cheek touching the cool linoleum as consciousness began to leave him. Warmth spread beneath him as the blood spilled out of the wound and he felt a coldness wash over him.

"Why..." He could imagine her pleading to the two murderers as they walked away, the sound of the back door slamming shut. Someone flipped him over gently and he could just make out the blurry form of a woman above him, a hand touching where he hurt and putting pressure on the wound.

"Don't die... Please..." He held up a hand to the figure's face and felt a smile pass across his lips as he touched them on the cheek.

"Kate..."