A/N : So as to avoid confusion...

Saab = Alex

Nick = Neal

Ford = Mozzie

CHAPTER TWO

"Mozzie's a lot of things...but he's not bad." Peter said to Neal, leaning back into his chair back at his office. "Remember when you told me that?" he asked his friend.

"Yes, I do." Neal answered.

"You still believe it?" Peter pressed.

Neal looked at him. He had told Peter the conversation that had transpired between him and Mozzie while he was looking away. "Yes, I still do. He's not evil, Peter. He's doing this mostly because he wants to protect Alex...because he really does care about her. Pissing me off is just icing on the cake." he said.

"And why would it piss you off that he's 'married' to Alex?" Peter asked.

"He's married to 'Saab'...ALLEGEDLY!" Neal corrected him.

"You didn't answer my question." Peter pointed out.

Neal sighed. He looked straight into Peter's eyes, but remained silent.

Peter realized what Neal was trying to tell him, but can't. "NO!" he said. "Neal...say it ain't so." he told him. "You and Alex?" he asked.

"I have deep feelings for her, Peter, yes. I never really had a chance to explore on it until recently. And I haven't really haven't exactly discussed it with Alex. Now, it seems that I may not have a chance to." Neal replied.

"Neal, you know how I feel about Alex. You know how I feel about you AND Alex. You know that I'd rather have you see other women than have a relationship with Alex. But if I can dictate you what to do regarding matters of the heart...if I can tell you who you should and shouldn't date, who you can and can't love...then I wouldn't be a much of a friend now, would I?" Peter told him.

"Thank you, Peter." Neal said.

Just then, there was a knock on Peter's door. Agent Clinton Jones entered moments later carrying some files and a pile of books. He set the books down on Peter's desk and handed the files to him. "That's all I could dig up for now, Boss." he told Peter, as he took a seat next to Neal.

"What's all this?" Neal asked.

"I gave Jones an assignment." Peter answered cryptically, as he flipped through the pages of the files in his hand. "Oh, this is interesting." he commented.

"New case?" Neal inquired.

"No, this one's a favor for a friend." Peter answered. He saw Neal raise an eyebrow. "They're files regarding a certain man named 'Sanford Stone'." he revealed.

"And?" Neal pressed.

"And...it's like Mozzie said. Cover's impeccable. Too good to be true." Peter replied.

"That's because it's NOT!" Neal said. "What do the files say?" he asked.

"It says here that his REAL name is Sanford Lucian Stone, an eccentric and reclusive mystery fiction writer, who goes by the nom de plume, S.L. Stone. Wrote 33 novels so far, 27 of them have been consistently on the top bestsellers list." Peter told him. He started to look at the books Jones brought him. "Among his list of bestsellers are 'Tik-Tok', 'The Golden Commandment', 'Stop Killing Me', 'All the Roses are Red', 'The Brimstone Club', 'Until Proven Innocent', 'From Cradle to Grave', and what is sure to be next up in my must-read list...'The Dentist of Detroit'." Peter continued, holding out a copy of the novel for Neal to see.

"That other file is from the IRS. All of his taxes are in order, nothing suspicious stands out." Jones informed them. "I looked at his records, no criminal history...not even a parking ticket." he added.

"Do you have a file on 'Isabella'?" Peter asked.

"Blue folder." Jones pointed. "Mostly boring stuff you wouldn't believe. Everything seems legit. She's as pure as a Maryknoll nun." he scoffed.

Peter read the file. "It says here that 'Isabella Bianca Juno' married 'Sanford Lucian Stone' on Halloween Day seven years ago in Napa Valley, California." he told Neal. "Look, there's even a wedding picture in the society pages, most probably doctored." he added, as he showed Neal the photo of the 'happy couple'.

"How romantic." Neal said flatly. "I wanna know what scam they were trying to pull, and on who, that required a cover this extensive." he said.

"I highly doubt Mozzie will tell you now." Jones told him. "And as for Alex..." he let his voice trail off.

"Look, Neal..." Peter began. "Everything in these files look legit, just like Jones said. Legally, we can't take 'Saab' away from 'Ford'." he told his partner.

"There must be some way we can prove that they're not Saab and Ford!" Neal said.

"To prove that they're NOT 'The Stones', we would have to prove that they're Mozzie and Alex. Now, we have a file on Alex Hunter...but Mozzie, as you know, is virtually non-existent. Like Keyser Söze." Jones pointed out.

"Meaning that all we could ever prove is that Alex married Sanford under an assumed name...which would only incriminate her and won't likely help the situation." Neal concluded for him.

"I hate to tell you this, but all we have Mozzie guilty of is LYING." Peter told Neal.

"And last time I checked, that's not illegal, unless you're under oath." Jones added.

Neal leaned back into his seat and sighed. "So we have no other options." he said.

"Right now, our only chance of getting Alex away from Mozzie is if she comes out of this 'psychogenic fugue state' she's in." Peter told him.

"I can help her with that." Neal said. "The tricky part is getting her to trust me first." he added.

"Which is impossible, at the moment." Peter told him.

"Peter, nothing's impossible." Neal said.

"She doesn't even remember you." Jones pointed out.

"Oh...you just give me time." Neal answered with a smile.

"How are you gonna CON her?" Peter asked him. Neal gave him an indignant glare. "Oh, don't look at me like that, Caffrey! I may not know how that devious mind of yours work, but I certainly know when it's working. I can see wheels spinning, light bulbs switching on. Add those to that 'cat who ate the canary' expression on your face right now, and I can tell that you're up to something. I know you have a plan. What is it?" he pressed.

"I'm just going to be my usual charming self." Neal replied.

"So, you're going to use your seduction skills on her?" Jones clarified.

"Seduction is such a dirty word. I prefer enticing her into my open arms." Neal corrected him.

"And you think this is gonna work?" Peter asked him.

"Peter, outside of Diana and Elizabeth, do you know of any other woman that's impervious to my charm?" Neal asked him.

"The name Brittany Nicole ring a bell?" Peter teased him.

"That was in second grade and I had a gap in my teeth...let's not dwell on that, shall we?" Neal said defensively.

"Fine, Neal...go forth and charm the pants off of Mrs. Stone!" Peter paused briefly "I can't believe I just said that." he muttered, as Jones chuckled.

Neal sat with an impish grin on his face. He knew exactly what his next move would be. He was ready to start the first phase of his plan.

BROOKLYN MUSEUM, the next day...

Saab's captivating voice permeated the air as she lead a tour into the South Hall of the Beaux-Arts Court on the third floor of the Brooklyn Museum. She looked lovely, wearing a black and gold, light georgette silk Gucci Kimono dress, with multi-layered pleated skirt. She exuded grace and confidence as she briefed a small crowd about the works of Claude Monet.

"Vernon in the Sun..." Saab began. "In 1894, Monet returned to a subject he had depicted ten years earlier : the church of Notre Dame looming over the townscape of Vernon in northern France. Monet often systematically created a series of works on the same subject, and he painted a number of versions of this view from the opposite bank of the Seine at different times of the day to record varying effects of light and atmosphere. In this instance, hazy sunshine blurs the Gothic church's carved details as well as the distinction between architecture and foliage, river and bank. Monet thickly and uniformly brushed undifferentiated strokes of pale purple, pink, blue, and green across his canvas, creating a dry, encrusted surface." she elaborated.

The group listened to her attentively as she talked more about the painting, until they eventually moved on to the next one. They walked towards the end of the south hall and stopped in front of Monet's The Doge's Palace.

"Another oil on canvas, 'Le Palais Ducal', otherwise known as 'The Doge's Palace'. Daunted by Venice's innumerable picturesque views and art-historical legacy, Monet delayed visiting the city until 1908.-" she started her spiel before she was interrupted by someone from far back of the group.

"And once he was there, he explored familiar artistic concerns—reflection, atmosphere, and structure— through the city's fundamental visual elements : its water, light, and architecture." said 'Nick Halden', who looked like a very dashing and dapper film hero from the 1950's in his three-piece classic Fioravanti suit with matching wide brim walking hat. He smiled as he eased his way in front of the tour. He addressed the group. "To capture the Doge's Palace, one of Venice's most notable monuments, Monet positioned himself across an expanse of water, in a gondola. Not a very easy task, may I say. Believe me, I've tried it. I don't recommend it to those gets sea sick easily." he told the crowd, then turned to face Saab, and winked.

"Thank you very much for sharing that, sir. May I remind you, we only interrupt the tour if we have questions." Saab replied, shaking her head, yet looking quite amused. "Moving on...Despite the horizontal format of the canvas, and of the palace itself, Monet accentuated the vertical through reflection, dissolving the solid structure into a shimmer of pink, green, and yellow. Although he spent several sessions painting directly in front of his subject, he reworked this canvas in his Giverny studio in preparation for a 1912 exhibition." she continued.

As Saab went on with the rest of her spiel, 'Nick' didn't take his eyes off of her. When the tour finally concluded and the crowd had dispersed, he saw her walk towards him, a smile illuminating her face.

"You are what my mother would call a 'smart ass', Mr. Halden." she joked.

"That's funny...it's what MY mother used to call me as a child." 'Nick' replied. "THAT, and 'Little Man'...please call me Nick. Cause calling me 'Little Man' at this age would imply something entirely different!" he said playfully.

The smile on her face broadened, and she started to laugh. "What brought you here?" she asked him.

"I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by...see how you were doing." he answered.

"How very nice of you!" she said. "I'm doing fine, thank you." she added.

"Have you had lunch yet?" he asked her.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I was on my way to meet my husband for lunch. He's running a little late...he had a meeting with his publisher." she answered.

"Would you mind if I keep you company?" he imposed.

"No, not at all." she answered "I'm sure Ford would be more than happy to see his best friend have lunch with us." she added.

He helped her put on her coat, and they headed towards the door. Saab felt a jolt of electricity when Nick placed his hand down the small of her back as he guided her towards the exit.

"Something wrong?" he asked her, noticing that she seemed perplexed.

She stared into his eyes for a moment, before she spoke. "Nothing." she replied, as the exited the building.

Outside, Nick started to hail for a cab, when Saab stopped him. "Nick, what are you doing?" she asked.

"Getting us a cab." he answered.

"Why? Oh, wait, movie stars like you don't like to walk?" she teased him.

"No, it makes us sweat and we don't like to sweat. Nor do we like to take the subway." he joked.

"Don't worry, the restaurant's not far from here." she laughed. She placed her hand on his arm to guide him where to go. Her face grew serious. "Tell me something, Nick. Did my husband send you here to make sure I'm alright?" she asked. "Be honest." she said.

"Well, Saab...I can honestly tell you that Ford did NOT send me here to babysit you." he answered.

She smiled again upon hearing this. "Look, I know how much he loves me...it's just that he gets too protective sometimes. It's become a bit stifling." she revealed to him. "I'm sorry. You don't want to hear about my marital woes." she said.

"You two having problems?" he pried. "Did Ford do something?" he pressed.

"What? NO!" she immediately denied. "He's a good man and a fantastic husband. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me." she added. "It's ME who has a problem." she told him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Something hasn't been right with me, ever since the accident. I've mention my memory lapse before." she told him. "I don't know. I just feel...inadequate. Like I can't do anything right. As if I'm helpless without Ford." she confessed.

"I'm sure that's not true." he reassured her, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face. "Looks, Ford's probably just worried that you haven't completely healed from the accident." he added. "Speaking of which, do you remember what happened to you?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, only from what Ford told me." she answered.

"Which is?" he pressed.

"We went to Rio Grande do Sul for our second honeymoon. I was supposed to meet Ford at the Porto Alegre Botanical Gardens, when the taxi I was riding on collided with a truck." she replied. "I was in a coma for several weeks. My husband kept vigil and prayed by my bed side the entire time." she added.

"But you don't remember any of it?" Nick clarified. "I mean, you only know this because Ford told you." he said.

"Yes, of course. My husband has no reason to lie to me." she answered. "Besides, he was the first person I saw by my side when I opened my eyes. Oh, he looked so happy when I woke up." she said. She looked at Nick and continued. "Call me a sap, but I believe that it was his love for me is what brought me back to him, from the brink of death." she told him.

"Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey." Nick said, as she looked at him with surprised eyes. "What? Try not to faint. I leave the Voltaire stuff to Ford...I'm a Byron kinda guy." he told her, giving her one of his brightest smiles.

"You know something, Nick? You do have a certain amount of charm in you. But don't worry...I'm going to ignore it and hang out with you anyway." she quipped, as they continued to walk slowly, side by side.

"Wait...where are we going?" he asked her.

"It's an Austral-Asian gastropub in Prospect Heights, 'The Sunburnt Calf'." she answered, enjoying the look of disdain in his face.

"Masticating a bloody rare cow for lunch doesn't seem too appealing." he told her, wrinkling his nose.

"Oh, don't worry...they have a vegan menu for all you movie star types." she retorted.

"I look like a vegan to you?" he asked incredulously.

"I wouldn't know...I don't keep track of all these celebrity diets." she chuckled.

"I'm not a big fan of diets, to be honest." he told her.

"Ah, they have a menu for that too!" she said. "They have a wide array of drinks for those who are on a 'liquid diet'." she informed him, as they continued to walk.

"Let me guess...'MOO-Tinis' and 'MOO-Mosas', right?" he joked.

"You forgot, 'MOO-Jitos!" she laughed. She stopped walking. "We're here." she announced, pointing to the sign 'The Sunburnt Calf'.

"Yeah, here we are. Look, they even have a flashing neon sign and everything." he said.

She looked at him and smiled. "Are you ready for a gastronomical adventure, Mr. Halden?" she asked him, as she held out her hand.

"Oh, what the hell...I'll try anything once, Mrs. Stone!" he answered, as he took her hand and let her lead him inside.

UPPER WEST SIDE, MANHATTAN...

A man in disguise stood in the far corner, in silence. Hard as he tried to be incognito, it was undeniable who the man was. Dressed in his black checks dress shirt underneath his brown tweed jacket, with a red polka dot bow tie, and suspenders holding up his wool trousers, Mozzie attempted to conceal his identity by wearing dark sunglasses and a straw porkpie hat.

He continued to observe her from a distance, something he had done numerous time before, as she stood outside the office of Burke Premiere Events, waiting for someone.

Mrs. Suit. Mozzie thought.

He watches over her every chance he can. Still reeling from the events that took place not too long ago. Mozzie couldn't help but feel protective over Elizabeth as well.

Sure, the Burkes have both been gracious enough to forgive Mozzie for his involvement with Keller. If only Mozzie could be as kind to himself as Peter and Elizabeth have both been to him. But Mozzie couldn't completely forgive himself for putting Mrs. Suit in harm's way.

Mozzie smiled as he remembered the times he had spent with Elizabeth. When she visited her at the hospital after he was shot...when they traded ossobuco recipes...when they played gin rummy together. He missed those times. He wanted to recapture those moments, but he knew it wasn't possible at the moment. He had other responsibilities now...someone else to take care of.

He looked at this watch and noticed the time. He was late for lunch with Saab. Alex. His wife. She was waiting for him. Mozzie smile at the thought. He took one last glance at Mrs. Suit, who was now giving Peter a kiss. The couple got in the car and was about to go to lunch. Mozzie's smile widened.

She'll be safe for now. The Suit's with her. Mozzie thought. He turned around and walked away...off to meet the woman who was waiting for him.

THE SUNBURNT CALF...

Mozzie arrived at the restaurant where he and his 'wife' meet most often. He was led to the table where she sat, only she was not alone. To his chagrin, she sat there with Neal. As he walked towards them, he caught the tail end of the story 'Nick' was telling her.

"...So, he takes his shoes off, right. I told him, 'Are you kidding me, Ford? You can't outrun a bear!' And then he tells me, 'Yes, I know...but I can outrun YOU!'" 'Nick' told Saab, who was laughing so hard, she had tears in her eyes. Nick looked up to see 'Ford'. "Well, speak of the Devil! About time you got here, buddy. We were getting hungry." he told him.

"Nick, a pleasant surprise, as always. What brought you here?" Ford asked in a flat tone, as he sat down next to his wife.

"Oh, you know me...I could never pass up a sharing a meal with good friends, for old times sake." Nick replied.

"Oh, hon, I was starting to get worried." Saab said. She straightened Ford's bow tie and leaned closer to kiss him on the lips.

"I'm sorry, hon. My meeting ran a bit late. Didn't mean to keep you waiting." he apologized.

"It's quite alright. Nick here kept me amused with stories of your shenanigans, hijinks and youthful folly, back from when you were still young boys." she told her husband. "I must say, I admire your friendship. After all these years, you two still manage to be there for each other. That is very rare." she added.

After a brief awkward pause, Nick cleared his throat. "So, Ford...what made your meeting run long?" he asked.

"I had a fight with my publisher. Creative differences, you know how it is." Ford answered. "He kept rushing me to finish my latest novel. I said to him that quality artistry can't be rushed. And then I told him where to shove his deadline." he added.

"Oh, dear! Sounds serious." Saab exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it, hon. There are plenty of other publishers out there who would kill to publish my novels." he assured her. "Right, let's order." he told them.

"I already ordered for you, hon. Your favourite, poached eggs, salmon and avocado on a toasted whole wheat muffin, Hollandaise sauce a la Benedict on the side, and a glass of freshly squeezed pineapple juice, no ice. Just the way you want them." she told her husband.

"That so sweet of you, hon." he said, giving Nick a taunting glare.

"Right, our orders should be arriving soon. I'm gonna go to the ladies room, powder my nose and check my messages." she excused herself. "You boys better behave while I'm gone." she teased them before she left the table.

"That is a very nice ring she was wearing, Moz. Did you give her that? Of course, you did!" Neal said as soon as Alex was out of ear shot. "The Symphony solitaire, if I'm not mistaken. That precious ring that Ernest , the Duke of Hanover, gave the the Duchess Sophia upon their engagement. Last time I checked, that happens to be a part of the u-boat treasure which wasn't in the manifesto." he stared at Mozzie accusingly. "You've been holding out on me, Moz. You still have a portion of the treasure." he stated. He should have known that Mozzie wasn't the type who would walk away empty-handed.

Mozzie merely ignored Neal's accusations. "I told you to leave us alone." he said.

"What? You thought that I would back off just like that? Come on, Moz! You didn't think it was all going to be THAT easy, did you?" Neal provoked him.

"You know, for a moment there, Neal...yeah, I kinda did." Mozzie replied.

"When did you start underestimating me?" Neal asked him.

"When you started acting and thinking like your Fed friends." Mozzie answered.

"I adapted and evolved, but deep inside, nothing has changed. I'm still the same old me, Moz." Neal told him.

"Don't worry, I won't make the same mistake twice." Mozzie replied.

"Oh, I'm not worried. You maybe good, but I'm so much better." Neal taunted him.

"BETTER doesn't cut it. When I fight, I fight dirty. You know that." Mozzie reminded him. "You better bring your A-game, Neal. This could turn ugly." he warned him.

"Savor this moment, Moz. You won't have Alex for that much longer, that I can assure you." Neal shot back.

They both straightened up once they saw Alex approaching back to their table.

"Saab, I've been thinking, hon." 'Ford' said as she returned to her seat. "I believe that a change of scenery would benefit the both of us. You could use the time to heal. I could work on my book. I think it would be best if we did some traveling." Ford suggested.

"Traveling? We just got back from Brazil." Saab replied.

"Yes, but that trip didn't turn out so well." he told her. "We need new memories, pleasant ones. And I'm thinking way beyond vacations." he added, looking at 'Nick', who just sat there silently, but visibly annoyed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"We should buy a boat. Hemingway had a boat." he suggested.

"Hemingway knew how to swim." Saab replied. "Oh, honey, I'm not sure about this. What about my job?" she asked again.

"You are too good for that job. You can find another one...a better one. Something you would be appreciated for." Ford told her. "Besides, you LOVE boats." he said.

"I also love arboretums, but that doesn't mean I'd like to live in one!" she answered. She took a deep breath to clam herself. "Tell you what, hon..." she started. "If the museum doesn't promote me full time status soon, then we'll explore your 'boat' idea." she compromised.

"Deal." Ford replied. "You won't regret this. I mean, do you know the best part of living in a boat?" he asked her.

"What?" she asked.

"No matter where in the world you travel, you'll always be at home." Ford answered with a charming smile.

"Oh, honey. I'm always at home when I'm with you." she told him, as she leaned closer and hugged him tight.

Mozzie looked at Neal, with a smug expression painted on his face. "I WIN!" he mouthed quietly to him.

The rest of the the time was spent with the three eating their lunch in silence. Saab occasionally would chime in and talk to Ford about her day. Nick would only speak when being spoken to. He traded angry glances with Ford every once in a while, unnoticed by Saab.

You win this round, Moz. Neal thought. He realized it was a mistake to underestimate his friend. He knew what Mozzie was capable of. He sat there and ate his meal in silence, as he planned his next move.

~END OF CHAPTER TWO~

FOOTNOTES :

*"Mozzie's a lot of things...but he's not bad." was one of Neal's lines from "The Dentist of Detroit".

*All of Ford's book titles are a figment of my imagination. So is the Symphony solitaire.

*It seemed like a good time for Peter to bring up the 'Brittany Nicole' subject.

*"Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey." one ofmy favourite quotes from Lord Byron.

*The Sunburnt Calf is a gastropub in Brooklyn that specializes in the fusion of Australian and Asian cuisine. Haven't been there, but I've heard good thngs.

*This was a bit hard to write since I didn't know how Neal would charm a lady and be subtle about it.

*Another thing that was difficult to write was how Mozzie could be sinister and yet retain his lovable qualities. I always found him lovable when he shares a scene with Mrs. Suit. Also, I'd like to believe that Mozzie save some of the treasure for a rainy day.

*I've always wanted to write a story where Neal and Mozzie would contend skills with each other.

*Thank you so much for reading this chapter. If you like it, then feel free to leave a comment.