Disclaimer- No. Just No.
AN- What did you guys think of Deadline? I loved it, especially Neal as Captain American. So this chapter took me an extra day because it's almost double length so I really would like to get a lot of reviews. If you'd review, it'd be amazing.
And thanks for all the alerts, favorite, and reviews I've gotten. I really appreciate them.
Two days passed uneventfully.
A normal person after being kidnapped and held hostage by a rival con of your almost-son and his 21 year old gun-slinging partner would be relieved to have two days rest without having said blonde come for a visit.
Under El's circumstances, it made her all the more edgy. What Juliet wanted, Juliet got. She made sure the doors were locked and kept Peter, Mozzie, and Diana on speed dial. A baseball bat was tucked in the front closet, the spare key in the gutter was removed, and curtains were drawn at night. The nightmares of that night came with relentless intensity and Peter was beginning to notice her slipping composure.
Elizabeth stared vacantly at the wall, her mind drifting off.
That night they had a bottle of wine, more specifically, Bordeaux.
Neal's favorite kind.
She was sure Peter hadn't noticed. He probably saw a good bottle of wine and opened it, not thinking of the blue eyed con man. El had drunk it, but she felt like she was betraying Neal. Each sip tasted like ash, and the red liquid sloshed in the bottle like blood.
"El, you okay?" Peter queried, sitting slowly next to her. He looked into her eyes, passion and love radiated and danced in the brown orbs. "You've been a little out of it these couple days. I mean, just drifting off and your work friends have noticed too and…"
Elizabeth smiled at Peter's awkwardness at emotional talk. For a man who was so stellar at reading criminals and earning Neal's respect and adoration, he was clueless at how to talk to his own wife about feelings.
"I'm okay sweetheart, just…" El let the sentence trail off, caught in turmoil. One part of her was screaming to tell Peter the truth about Keller and Juliet and Neal. The other, which sounded strikingly similar to Neal in her head, begged to just forget all about it and move on with her life.
"Just what, hun?" His hand tightened around hers, making the brunette woman flinch internally at the memory of how Neal had clutched at her hand after meeting Juliet.
"Oh nothing." Elizabeth smiled, patting his hand affectionately. "Just contemplating the mysteries of the universe." At her husband's disbelieving look, she gave him a peck on the cheek and went to the attached bathroom. "I'm fine honey. You know that. I've got my FBI knight in shining armor. What else do I need?"
When the bathroom door closed, the smile slipped off her face and Neal's face and a small hard drive flashed across her mind's eye.
"So, Mrs. Suit." Mozzie called as he stepped out from behind a tree with a newspaper shielding his face. "Any particular reason you are asking to meet me here of all places?"
Elizabeth glanced up at the ornate house they were standing outside of, and then glanced back at the small con. After enduring another day of silence on the Keller end, the brunette was taking matters into her own hands. If Neal knew about the hard drive, where she was, and the schematics of the hideout, that means he must have done his research somewhere. The FBI would have searched his room at June's, but El had a sneaking suspicion the woman knew more than she told the agents.
Also, if Keller or Neal had left something for them, they would have put it somewhere where only she or Moz could find it.
"Neal knew everything about the hideout when he rescued me." Elizabeth stated calmly, letting Moz step alongside her and walk up the stairs to June's home. "He must have done research. If he had notes on this 'Serenity' hard drive, knowing what he knew could be useful in getting him back."
The con man stopped dead three feet from the door.
"And what?" he gaped, not bothering to hide his skepticism. "First off, suits already searched the place. Secondly, June has probably gotten rid of everything. Third, why are we getting him back and not the FBI?"
Elizabeth whirled on the smaller man, her normally calm disposition flaring rapidly into an impassioned fury.
"First off," She snapped, causing Moz to flinch back in shock. "You know if Neal wanted to hide something from the FBI, he could. Secondly, June loved Neal. If she still has Bryon's suits, I bet she kept whatever she could that was Neal's. Third, because as far as the FBI knows, Neal took off running that night. They would want to interrogate and follow the playbook, which we don't have time for."
Elizabeth stopped and turned to the door.
"I didn't protect Neal that night. I should have. I will do whatever it takes to get him back."
Mozzie gazed at her, admiration and awe written across his face. Any thoughts he had ever had about the female Burke being weak were obliterated and replaced with the fire of her loyalty. She was a better friend to Neal than he was.
"Okay El." He said, shifting his focus back to the current situation. "We'll talk to June; search the apartment, and then what? The hard drive is encoded, so maybe I should ask around and see who the best of the best at hacking is?"
"Okay." She replied simply, the burning fury gone from her voice. Elizabeth pressed the doorbell then turned back to Moz. "Sorry I snapped at you." A pink tinge had flooded her cheeks, causing a similar one to flood Mozzie's.
"You had every right to. You were there that night. I wasn't. If you say Neal is alive and we need to get him back, then I should damn well listen Mrs. Suit."
Elizabeth beamed at the con man, who returned the sentiment. A passerby who only knew of the duo's reputations would have been astounded at how well they got on. An expert con man whose lust for treasure had driven the FBI-agent's party-panning wife to be kidnapped was hardly a typical pair of friends. In fact, they wouldn't have been friends if Neal hadn't brought them together.
And since Neal had brought them together, they would bring him home.
Juliet Tyler smirked happily to herself as she gazed at the CCTV feed trained on the Burke household. Peter wouldn't be home for hours, and Elizabeth had left the house to go meet with Caffrey's friend and talk about whatever they talked about. They were, without a doubt, scheming and plotting to try and locate Neal.
She didn't have a fear in the world however. Matt had known that he would need someplace to hide in New York once this business with the Burkes and Caffrey was cleared up so he had set up the safe house. Admittedly, the business has extended longer than expected, but nonetheless.
"Still gazing away at Peter's house?" Keller's familiar voice called the doorway. "It's been two days since you told Mrs. Burke about what we want and that we have what she wants. Go persuade her some."
Juliet smiled and turned to Matt. He was still cast in shadow in the doorway, but she could feel his impatience at not having access to his Serenity drive and his frustration at his condition.
"Patience, Matt, was never one of your virtues." The blonde stood from her chair and sauntered over to the con. "We have what we need to make her co-operate. If push comes to shove, I'll jog down and leave a few cryptic letters. If I start shooting, Burke is going to catch on and the FBI will get involved."
The two began moving slowly down the hallway in silence, each caught up in contemplation. Juliet knew Elizabeth was first gonna search for Neal and deal with her second. She also knew that the woman would try and keep her husband out of these dealings as long as possible. No matter how many times the wife would prove she could handle herself moderately, Peter would always mother hen over her and treat her like glass. If she told him what happened, he'd drag the FBI into it, and El would be left on the sidelines with no input in the proceedings.
And if that happened, either Peter and his FBI agents would get shot down or any hope she had of precious Caffrey being alive would be squished.
Matthew Keller's phone rang, jerking both of the criminals from their thoughts.
"Keller here."
"We have a problem." A gravelly voice on the other side of the line replied in a monotone. "You and Ms. Tyler need to get to the containment area now. It's Caffrey."
Matt snapped the phone shut in irritation and moved down the hallway in a whirlwind with Juliet trailing quickly. When he reached the steel doors, they slid open and in the middle of the room stood a thin man. He was pale and small with thin wire glasses and a head of thinning brown hair.
"Speak." Keller snapped when he reached the quivering man.
However, it was the gravelly voice that spoke instead from behind them.
"Caffrey has emerged from his coma." The large man said, his voice as flat as his face was emotionless. "Dr. Hunt didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. All we can do for now is keep pumping sedatives into him."
"He'll stay out though?" Juliet cut into the conversation as Matthew moved towards the hospital bed in the corner of the room where Neal Caffrey lay asleep.
"As long as we keep the medicine flowing and Hunt doesn't mess up." The man replied, causing the doctor to shrink back in terror.
Juliet gave them both a curt nod. She hated working with others, excluding Matthew of course, but Ricardo was excellent muscle and Hunt, despite his cowardice and sniveling ways, was a genius surgeon.
Which was luckier than ever now that Keller needed one if he ever wanted to escape the wheelchair that Elizabeth Burke had confined him to.
Okay, I put so much work into this chapter, I would really love some reviews.
Like, seriously, if I don't get some nice ones, I might cry.
Anyways, review please?
-D.A.