I AM NEAL (4)

A/N: Spoilers: Pilot. Quotes from show are in bold lettering.

It was the weekend and Peter and El were determined to make their new charge comfortable before the work week started again and they would have to leave the boy alone at home occasionally. Elizabeth planned on making arrangements to minimize her time away from the house until the boy adjusted and school started.

El saw the young boy was getting restless being cooped up in the house and recommended they take Satch for a walk in a nearby park. Neal jumped at the idea; he could get a phone to call Mozzie. As Peter and El walked arm in arm, they watched the overly sociable youth in action. Both of them were secretly relishing the idea that fate had given them the child that life had denied them.

Neal was relishing his own thrill. He had already acquired two phones, just in case one was turned off before he had a chance to contact Moz. He considered getting a third, but didn't want to take a chance of his pockets bulging too much and alerting Peter. He was also acquiring a few funds for his get-away. The fact that he was picking pockets right in front of a federal agent and the agent didn't have a clue put a genuine smile on his face. Moz would cuss him out for it, but that was later and right now he was having fun.

When they got home, Neal told the Burkes he was tired and wanted to go to his room to lie down for a while. Once he was sure he was alone and not followed, he called Moz,

"Hey Moz."

"Neal?"

"Yes. I need your help."

"Are you calling from a prison phone? You know…"

"No Moz, I'm out. I stole a phone."

Moz was incredulous, "You escaped?"

"No Moz. Burke got me out, you know, the Fed that arrested me."

Neal could hear the disbelief in Moz's voice, "The same Suit that locked you up got you out? Why?"

"Long story Moz. I don't want to be caught with this phone. Can you help me or not?"

"What do you need kid?"

Neal proceeded to give the short version of the story and his address and the location of the nearby park. When Neal explained he needed to get out of there fast before Peter asserted himself on him, Moz was furious,

"He touched you!"

"Not yet Moz."

"Then how do you know…?"

"Why else would he take me in Moz? Think about it."

"Did he figure out your real age? I told you to tell them."

"I hear someone coming, gotta go. Help me Moz."

Neal quickly hung up and hid the phone under the pillow and lay back, pretending he was asleep.

***WC***

Peter was pleased with Neal's progress over the weekend; he gave all outward appearances of adjusting to their home. Peter just didn't like the way the kid flinched when he got near him. It was barely perceptible, Neal did well in trying to hide it, but it chilled Peter every time. He felt it was just a matter of time before the kid would begin to relax around him. After all, the kid had to know he was safe; it was just an uncontrollable reaction as a direct result of the time he spent in prison.

El had managed to get the majority of the week off and what little she had to go into work, she would just take Neal with her. She had made plans for most of the week; shopping for clothes and signing Neal up for school were a couple of the major trips on her agenda.

The evening after Elizabeth was to take Neal in for placement tests and sign him up for school, Peter noticed she was a little irritated when he got home.

"What happened, Hon?"

"Neal."

Peter raised his eyebrows, "What about Neal?"

"He refused to take the tests. He just sat there and refused to touch them."

Damn, he knew things were going too smooth with the boy,

"Neal!"

Neal came down the stairway, face covered in innocence, "Yes Peter."

"Sit down." Peter pointed to a chair.

Neal calmly sat in the chair indicated.

Peter studied the boy a second with both hands on his hips, "Why didn't you take the test today?"

"It wasn't mine to take."

Peter looked at him confused, "What do you mean?"

"The paperwork said Bryce Bomer."

Peter sat down and rubbed his temples, they had been lax in letting Neal maintain his false name; he needed to become Bryce again.

"You are Bryce Bomer. You will be attending school as Bryce Bomer."

"No I won't Peter."

"And why don't you think you will?"

"I'm nineteen Peter. I'm too old for high school."

"You are sixteen."

"Well, in the state of New York I am allowed to drop out at sixteen. I'm not going to school."

"While you live under my roof, you will attend school."

'Well, I won't live under your roof for long.'

Neal's silence told Peter more than Neal wanted him to know. Peter could tell he was planning on running but Neal didn't understand it wouldn't be that easy. The GPS anklet would stop him.

"It is a condition of probation for you to attend school."

"What are you gonna do Peter? Send me back to prison?"

Peter looked like he had just been slapped in the face. He stood up and ended the conversation,

"You are going to school if I have to physically take you there every day myself! End of subject."

Neal had enough brains to drop the subject. He wished Moz would hurry and contact him. He walked Satchmo to the park every chance he got hoping Moz would show up. As yet, he hadn't.

***WC***

He was sitting back with his arms stretched out on the back of the park bench, his eyes closed and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. He felt someone sit down beside him.

"I saw the best minds of my generation get run down by the drunken taxicab of absolute reality."

Neal sat up, "Moz, finally! I thought you'd given up on me."

"Never kid, but I had to be sure all was well. How are the Suits treating you?"

"Okay I guess. He sure cramps my style." He lifted up his pant leg, "Can you pick it?"

Moz identified the model immediately, "No way. No way, you flew too close to the sun my friend, they burned your wings."

"I got to get if off and get out of here Moz. If you won't help me, I'll cut it myself."

"Not that model, kid. It has three small cables intertwined around each other that are designed to roll when you try to cut them. As soon as you cut into the anklet, you will cut the wire that's alerts the Suits you are trying to run. You will have to slide the bolt cutters in between the anklet and your ankle as you try to gnaw away at the cables. The Suits will either arrive before you finish, or right after you finish and catch you easily as you try to limp away, because the pressure of the cutters on your ankle is going to hurt like hell." Mozzie let his word sink in a minute, "Why are you so determined to leave kid?"

"I told you why! Before he… he…"

"Neal, has the Suit done even one thing to back your fear?"

"Well, no. Not yet."

"He won't."

"How do you know Moz? Why else would he take me in? It makes no sense."

Moz studied the boy, "Something bad happened in the pen, didn't it?"

Neal looked away, telling Moz all.

"The Suit put you there because you were too stubborn to tell him the truth. How do you think he felt once he found out you were only sixteen? He also knows you were hurt, doesn't he?"

Again, Neal's reaction told Moz what he needed to know.

"I think the Suit feels guilty, and that's why he took you in. I've watched the three of you together…"

"You watched us? You've been around and haven't contacted me!"

"I had to do my homework kid. As I was saying, I have watched the three of you together. They care about you kid. Look at your clothes. They could have taken you to the thrift shop or a bargain brand chain store, but they didn't. Those are some fairly decent clothes. And what about playing catch with the Suit the other day? You looked like you were enjoying yourself."

Neal had enjoyed himself. He had been bored and when Peter announced they were going to go to the park and throw a ball around for a while, he had thought, 'What the heck?', there was nothing better to do. He had thought he would be able to out throw the old man, but Peter put that hypothesis to rest rather quickly. He was pretty good for an old fart.

"I bet you didn't even see the pride in the Suit's face when you dove and caught that grounder."

Neal slumped in has seat, "So what are you trying to say Moz."

"I'm saying this is a great chance for you kid. Except for the fact he's a Suit, his records are exemplary. He is a fine upstanding citizen, they both are. They're good people Neal. They'll give you a good home."

"They're going to make me go to school!"

Moz studied Neal quizzically, "And the problem with that is…?"

"They'll make me go as Bryce Bomer." Neal stated as his face fell.

"Oh. Talk to the Suit."

"I tried; he's hard headed about it."

Moz sighed, "Neal, I don't know what happened to you in your past, but you need to come to terms with it."

"No, I need to forget it. Thanks for nothing, Moz." With that, Neal angrily got up and walked away. He had counted so much on Moz getting him out of there that he hadn't even considered other options. He went for a walk. He didn't care where he went or what direction; he just had to get his head around things.

He was stuck with the anklet. If Moz couldn't get it off, no one could. That meant he was stuck with the Burkes. He thought about the Burkes, mainly Peter. He had no problems with Elizabeth, but what about Peter? He tried to think of every time the agent looked at him or got near him, and he had to reluctantly agree Moz was right, he gave no indications that he was… was one of those.

Then he remembered the look on Peter's face when he had picked him up at prison. Did he really feel guilty? Why? It wasn't his fault; he was just doing his job. But he had looked awfully wretched that day.

He found a bus stop bench to sit down on and think. He might as well suck it up, he was stuck. At least for now. He glanced down at the tracker. Well, maybe not as long as he thought. The light was flashing red and it was emanating a beeping he hadn't even noticed. He had no idea how long the thing had been going off. He had a 1/2 mile range and looked around, not even familiar with where he was.

He figured he was going to a juvenile detention center. He wouldn't have to wear a tracker there. He could figure out how to get out and wondered if Moz would take him back then, or would he be on his own. It didn't matter to him. He waited for Peter to come and collect him.

***WC***