Trust 8
===============

Jones knew Peter was trying to get back to working despite Hughes' request he stay away. He kept sneaking in to take a look at case files and hobnob with people to see if they had gotten any news about the masked man. Clinton worried about his boss, the bags under his eyes more than obvious. He had confided he wasn't sleeping well but he was starting to sleep better. Jones just nodded and told him to say Hi to Caffrey when he saw him. Peter had nodded with a tired smile, a brown paper sack in his hands. Apparently Mrs. Burke had made some special sandwiches to get the young con through his hospital stay. Jones had had some of her sandwiches and had to say she was one heck of a cook. He wasn't surprised she did well with her catering business.

An hour passed since Peter's visit to the offices and Jones received a call on his cell. He picked up and heard an excited voice on the other end. He got up and went to Peter's office upstairs and closed the door.

"Calm down, what's going on Ruiz?" He listened as she told him that both agents at the Evan's farmhouse had been found unconscious. Parker had been the worse off but there was proof someone had helped her along with Luis. There was no sign of Miss Evan's and her truck was missing. Jones told them to keep him up to date and hung up. The agent pushed his cell phone into his pocket and started out of Peter's office when he saw Hughes wave him inside.

"Jones, something the matter? That call sounded rather urgent." He nodded at his superior and told him about what Ruiz had found at the Evan's farmhouse. Hughes blinked and asked about Peter but Jones told him he had left an hour ago to visit Neal at the hospital. The older agent nodded and told Jones to go check on Neal and Peter at the hospital and take back up if necessary. Jones nodded leaving the office with two other agents.

(Going down?)

Jones made it to the hospital and told the two agents he was able to bring with him to spread out and look for anything suspicious. He made his way towards the nearest elevator and pushed the up button, waiting. After a few minutes he heard a ding as the elevator stopped and started to open up. He was about to walk in when he noticed it was pretty full with someone in a wheelchair. The figure was slumped over and wrapped up in a blanket. Behind the figure was a young man and woman along with one more man who held up a hand and promptly said:

"I'm sorry, this elevator is full." Jones blinked suddenly getting a good look at the younger man and seeing it was Neal. The young woman beside him was Lara Evans and Peter was in the chair. He was about to react when he saw the man who had spoken pull out a small automatic. Jones instinctively ducked to the side, drawing his piece but it was too late as the doors shut and the elevator began to descend. He looked at the display and saw that the car had gone down to the basement level garage and pulled out his cell, barking orders to the other two agents and then calling for backup.

(*All hope abandon ye who enter here)

Neal saw the man wave the gun and he exited first from the elevator followed by Lara and the bound Peter in the wheelchair pushed by both Miss Evans and the man. He waved them along till they stopped before a large van at the end of the aisle. The man had a remote in his hand and pushed a button that unlocked the doors and opened them automatically, the side door sliding open quietly. He waved the gun at them and smiled in that menacing manner.

"Mr. Caffrey, will you please assist Miss Evans with placing Agent Burke into the back of the van." Neal glared but complied, taking Peter's legs while Lara took this shoulders and they rolled him into the vehicle, the agent groaning slightly as they did so. Neal started to help Lara inside when the man clucked his tongue at them.

"Not so fast. Miss Evans if you will have the honors?" He tossed her a set of plastic ties and some duct tape. She stared at the items and then at Neal. The con turned his back to her, pulling his arms back and letting her bind him with the ties whispering: "Don't worry. Everything will be ok." He smiled as confidently at her as he could and she nodded back with a wide eyed glance. When she was done tightening the tie on his hands, she pulled off a strip of tape and pulled it over Neal's mouth and helped him into the vehicle after the man had checked and tightened the tie a bit more. He had her also tie Neal's ankles with another tie and then had her sit on the edge of the van and bound her in the same manner before pushing her inside and closing the door with the remote.

The interior of the van was dimly lit and painted black with foam rubber insulation possibly to keep sound from escaping Neal thought. The windows were painted black and no obvious knobs on the inside to pick or manipulate. The young man winced a bit, his wrists chafing from the tie and his chest wound hurting from his arms being tied back so tightly. He noticed Lara watching him, her face pale as could be and eyes watery with tears. He hadn't seen her so much as react to the situation beyond a few wide-eyed looks. Perhaps it was shock. He didn't know for sure but she seemed to be taking it as much in stride as could be expected for someone who wasn't in this line of business and he felt badly for her. He watched her try to smile at him despite the tape over her lips before she took a glance over at Peter who was barely conscious and groaning softly. She wiggled towards them and pulled the blanket as much as she could with her hands behind her till it was over the unconscious agent.

They felt the van moving after a while and wondered where the man was taking them when Neal thought he heard something else in the background. Despite the soundproofing of the interior he could still hear the faint sound of something like sirens. Had Jones managed to figure out what was going on and find them? Neal hoped so and he guessed as much as the van jarred going over something that could only be described as a really big speed bump. Neal rolled one way and Lara the other as the van jostled about. They both looked worriedly over at Peter who seemed unaffected by the jostling as he lay there on the floor still, blanket still over him.

Neal did the only thing he could think to do. It took a bit of work but he managed to contort enough that his body passed through his arms and he was now bound in the front. He breathed hard and lay back a moment feeling like he almost put out a shoulder if not his chest wound. He chewed at the plastic tie and at some point he managed to gnaw it enough it popped loose. He rubbed at his chafed wrists and moved over to Peter and felt around in his pockets beneath the blanket till he found what he was looking for. He cut loose his ankles with the nail clipper and then crawled over to Lara and did the same with hers. They removed the tape from their lips and Neal worked on freeing Peter from his bonds. He could still hear the sirens following them, the van jostling off and on as they hit pot holes or something.

"Neal, how..." He nodded at her and whispered back.

"I don't know but atleast we're free and he didn't seem to know you had the gun so that helps. We're not going to use it unless it's absolutely necessary, understand?" She nodded. Neal patted her on the shoulder gently and made Peter as comfortable as he could under the circumstances. Once he was done he took the gun from her and removed the clip and emptied the chamber, taking up the bullet and pushing it into the clip. He returned the gun to her and pushed the clip into his pocket.

"We don't need to have any accidents." She nodded, suddenly hugging him and whispering in his ear.

"Thank you. I mean... if you weren't here I don't know what I'd do." Lara pulled away and smiled at him, tears flowing down her cheeks. He rubbed one away and smiled back.

"I found your note. My brother... David... He practically raised me. I was at a loss when I received that letter. I didn't want to think about anything else so I just left the room as it was and hid the letter there. I never thought anyone would find it." She looked at him with a sniffle and rubbed at her nose absently. Neal nodded.

"Kate... I think you heard me call you by her name a few times. She was..." He stopped unable to continue but then Lara hugged him and he returned the gesture and they just sat like that a while till they felt the van stop. They both looked around hearing sirens still in the distance and very little else.

"Neal?" Lara's voice was tiny and she looked about to faint but he held her hand and smiled at her as best he could.

"Just think positive. Ok?" She nodded as best she could and then the door started to open, their captor looking at them seemingly unsurprised by their lack of bonds. He waved the gun at them and They slipped out of the van. Neal reached back for Peter but heard the cocking of the gun and turned.

"Leave him. He's just dead weight." The man started to point his gun at the agent when Neal stood infront of his friend and held his arms out.

"If you shoot him, you'll have to get through me." Neal saw Lara's expression pale three shades as she watched him stand there and the man point the gun at him as if he was going to shoot regardless. The sirens were getting closer and the man seemed to reconsider and waved at them both and told them to move away from the van as he pushed the button and closed the door with Peter still unconscious inside.

Neal took Lara's hand in his and they walked head of the man as he held the gun on them cocking and uncocking it loudly. He felt her hand squeeze his nervous and he just kept holding on trying to comfort her as they moved along unsure of what the man was going to do to them.

"You were meant to be on that plane, you know." The man said matter of factly. Neal stiffened , stopping his pace short and making Lara stop suddenly as she felt him pause. She saw the tight look on his face as he closed his eyes and stood there shaking ever so slightly.

"If your friend hadn't distracted you, there'd be two dead bodies in the wreckage and not just poor Kate's. Do you think she trusted you to be there with her at the end?" Neal turned and his blue eyes burned coldly as he started for the man but felt someone pulling him back. It was Lara. She whispered in his ear urgently and finally Neal found himself again and stopped struggling against her to get at the man. He spat in the man's general direction continuing to glare. The man laughed and waved them on with his gun. Neal didn't start walking till Lara pulled him and he followed her reluctantly.

"You're so predictable, Caffrey. You and Agent Burke. How else could all of this have started?" Neal stiffened and started to stop again but Lara pulled on his arm and pulled him along so he went with her.

"Don't let him get to you, Neal." She whispered as she leaned her head on his shoulder and hugged his arm. He looked down at her. Lara was shivering and yet she was the one who was keeping him in line when he should be helping her keep it together. He bit his tongue and let his anger slip away as much as he could laying his head gently against hers as they walked along.

"What a sweet scene. Seems a little soon after Kate's demise but I guess Neal Caffrey moves on from one exploit to the next." It was sudden and Neal couldn't say what came over him but with Lara close to him he pulled the gun from inside her jacket and pushed her aside to safety as he whipped around, cocked the pistol and held it to the man's head. He saw a grin on the man's lips as the gun touched his forehead and he lowered his weapon.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you have bullets in that? I knew Miss Evans had it and I know you took the clip out in the back of the van. Do you think I'm stupid?" The man started to raise his gun again when Neal growled at him.

"You mean this clip?" He hit the bottom of the handle briefly revealing it as he popped it back in and kept the gun cocked. He thought he saw the man gulp, licking his lips nervously. Neal looked briefly behind the man and saw the movement of agents heading their way. He didn't care one way or another, his finger pulling further back on the trigger ever so slowly.

"If you kill me, you win the game but you'll also lose. You'll be no better than I am. You'll have lost what little humanity you claim to have." Neal pulled back further on the trigger when he heard Jones call out.

"Caffrey, we're here. Put the gun away!" Neal didn't comply, his finger still tight on the trigger. He saw Jones looking nervously at him as the con continued to hold the gun at the man's forehead. The man smiled.

"Maybe it would be worth dying if it means you lose your humanity." Neal watched the man drop his gun to the ground.

"I'm disarmed. Shoot me. You'll be as cold blooded as me if you do it." He smiled at the con and flashed his green eyes in a daring fashion. Neal pulled back a little more on the trigger.

"Neal... Please." Lara was behind him, her hand on his shoulder. He could hear her voice crying even if he couldn't see her as he kept his eyes on the man, anger burning in him like an inferno. Neal shook his head and pulled the trigger, the man's smile tight but still triumphant.

The weapon clicked on an empty chamber over and over till Neal just stared at the man who now looked a slight bit paler. Jones had turned a tad lighter but he moved in with a few more agents and they handcuffed and dragged the man away as Neal dropped his arm and the gun to his side and let it hang there loosely. Jones walked over as the other agents left and gently pried the gun from Neal's hand and opened the clip.

"Empty? Caffrey..." He saw the young man's face turn about as white as he had ever seen it and then watched as he collapsed to his knees. Lara crouched beside him and he pushed his head into her shoulder as he trembled then seemed to faint. Jones helped her with the unconscious Neal and they lay him gently on the ground. Lara placed her jacket under his head and gently brushed his hair from his face. He looked boyish lying there.

"Neal... it's over. Rest." She thought she saw him nod at her his face relaxing somewhat as he she brushed gently at his hair.