Would you all believe me if I said I didn't forget about this story? Probably not, but I swear I didn't! I'm still writing…just very, very, very, very delayed. Hope this makes up for it. I will try my best to update again soon and have another update for I'm Sorry I Can't Be Perfect soon as well for anyone who's reading that as well! Sorry I'm terrible at update. Glad whoever's reading this is sticking with me. Thanks!

"Peter, relax. I'm fine." There was evident amusement in Neal's voice as he watched his partner's consistent pacing across the hospital room floor. He hadn't stopped circling since they had arrived, and it became increasingly annoying with each step.

"I know, I know," Peter mumbled dismissively, but he didn't stop his pacing. Neal rolled his eyes and pulled his newly cast arm closer to his body.

The whole thing was pretty dumb, really. Neal Caffrey, world renowned art forger, con artist extraordinaire, FBI criminal consultant, had finally proven his imperfection. It had only taken the slightest moment of distraction, and he had tripped on the sidewalk and plummeted to the ground. Of course, Peter had laughed at first, but then, when Neal had stood up, clutching his arm to his chest, the man had gone into full panic mode. And Neal had learned just how terrible his partner was in an emergency. It had taken the man several minutes of nervous questioning before it dawned on him to take Neal to the hospital. Once they arrived, he spent even more time arguing with nurses and doctors, flashing his badge in an attempt to get some kind of special treatment. His attempts were ignored, and they were left waiting in the front lobby along with a long line of others with similar injuries. Peter's worry hadn't let up then. He had disappeared for quite a while, and Neal assumed it had been to call the office, telling them that one of their assets had been damaged. When they finally got a room, a nurse did a quick exam and X-rays, Neal's doctor put a cast on the younger man's arm, and told them to wait for the nurse. Peter didn't stop pacing the whole time this was going on.

"Okay, that needs to stop," Neal finally said, allowing his annoyance to come out in his voice. Peter stopped and looked at him in confusion.

"What?"

Neal shook his head. "You're going to drill a hole straight through the floor," he laughed. "Sit down. You're driving me crazy." Peter stared back at him for a few moments before sliding a plastic chair across the room to Neal's bed, where the younger man was sitting upright, his legs dangling over the side. "Did you call the office?" he asked, knowing that the only reason for Peter' pacing was his need for a distraction. He was going to have to be the distraction now.

"No," Peter said, realization hitting him. "I forgot."

Neal furrowed his brow in confusion. "Then what were you doing earlier? When you disappeared?" he had been sure that was where Peter had gone off to.

"I called Elizabeth and Mozzie, and June and your mom," Peter explained, as if that had been the acceptable thing to do. Neal didn't look happy at all.

"You did what?" he questioned in a deeply annoyed voice. "Peter, I broke my wrist. I'm not in a coma. They didn't need to know about this. Especially my mom," he whined. "What did you tell her?"

Peter thought back to the conversation, wincing as he remembered his words. "That you were in the hospital and that she should get down here immediately."

Neal groaned and covered his face with his hands. "You have got to be kidding me…"

"To be fair, I didn't know how bad it was then," Peter said defensively.

"New rule: if I'm not bleeding out of my head, you don't call my mom," he ran a hand through his hair. "You called my mom," he stated, still in disbelief. "Peter, she's going to come down here."

"So, maybe that's a good thing…"

"Were you not at lunch?" Neal questioned, panic beginning to set in. "Peter, I don't think she wants anything to do with me anymore."

"Maybe this will change her mind," Peter suggested with a shrug.

"She probably thinks I was killed," Neal said absently. He allowed himself to crack a smile at Peter's less than stellar performance. "You really couldn't have worded that call any worse…"

"I'm sorry," Peter said innocently. Neal laughed.

"Yeah. I know," he nodded. "From now on, why don't you let Elizabeth handle emergency situations." Peter nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," he agreed with a smile. At that, Neal's nurse casually strolled into the room, as if she hadn't kept them waiting for more than a second, when really it had been almost an hour.

"How's the arm, Mr. Caffrey?" she asked, picking up his injured wrist and studying it carefully.

"It's fine," Neal shrugged. "I really just want to get out of here," he mumbled. Peter was shocked. It may have been the first time he had seen Neal pass up an opportunity to flirt with such a beautiful woman. Apparently, even his partner got impatient with slow service. He laughed.

"Well, then it's your lucky day," the nurse smiled. Neal didn't return the favor. "These are very mild painkillers," she continued, handing Neal a bottle of pills. "Take them twice a day for three days and then only if necessary after that. Talk to Christine at the front desk, and she'll schedule an appointment to get your cast off in four weeks."

"Fine," he said, sliding down from the hospital bed. He mumbled a quick, "Thanks," almost as an after thought and then led the way out the door.

"Oh, Mr. Caffrey," the nurse called after him. He froze in the doorway. "You have some visitors waiting for you in lobby." Neal let out a groan. Peter laughed and shot up from his chair, taking the lead into the hall. Neal followed begrudgingly.

They made their way down the hallway, past the nurses station, and out into the front lobby. Neal hung back slightly, trying to get a sense of the room before he let himself be seen. He scanned the crowd, nervously, and, finally, his eyes landed on Elizabeth. He had never been so happy to see her before in his life. His visitor hadn't been his sister or mom. Just Elizabeth. He smiled with relief and followed Peter over to her. The woman breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Neal.

"Thank god," she said, grasping him by his upper arms. "Peter made it sound like…" she trailed off and turned to her husband angrily. "You told me it was an emergency," she exclaimed, slapping Peter across the chest. He winced.

"I thought it was," he said with a shrug. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and turned back to Neal.

"You're okay?" she asked him. He nodded in response.

"Yeah. I'm fine," he held up his cast. "Just a scratch."

"Is there anything you need?" Elizabeth asked, carefully studying his cast.

"Nope," Neal answered quickly, shaking his head. "Just feeling pretty dumb right now. I really just want to go home."

"Of course," Elizabeth agreed, and she turned to her husband. "Peter'll take you home. Call me if you need anything."

"I will," Neal promised. Elizabeth gave a satisfied smile and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before parting ways with them. "How cryptic were you in your phone calls?" Neal asked Peter with a laugh as they turned to leave the lobby. The moment of amusement lasted for only a moment, however. His face fell when he finally noticed the two people who had been standing just a few feet away from them the whole time.

"Mom," Neal stated blankly. "Kristen." After the way lunch had gone, he hadn't expected to see his mother or sister any time soon.

"You're alright," Kathryn said immediately. She scanned his body for any sign of life threatening injuries but quickly gave up and met his eyes. "We didn't know what to think."

Neal shot Peter another angry look before taking a step towards his mother and sister. They both shifted away from him, however. "I"m sorry about that. I didn't even know Peter called." He smiled sadly. "You shouldn't have come." He hadn't meant it like that, though. He didn't know why he kept doing that. His words weren't such a mess in his head. He hadn't meant that he didn't want them there. Of course he did. The trip had just been unnecessary. Peter's troublesome mistake. He didn't want them to be there simply because they thought he was lying unconscious in a hospital bed.

"Okay," Kathryn nodded. "Well, as long as you're okay…"

"You know what?" Peter interrupted loudly. Neal turned to face him, dread evident in his face. "I really have to get back to the office," the agent announced, even though Neal knew he had taken the rest of the afternoon off. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Do you think you could take Neal home for me?" Peter asked, and realization struck Neal at once. This was a set up. He was being conned. He glared back at his partner in annoyance. "I would, but it's really out of my way, and…"

"Of course," Kathryn answered readily. Kristen looked at her in amazement. The same amazement that Neal was still look upon Peter with.

"No," Neal interjected. "It's fine. I can walk. It's not that far. Really," he insisted. He couldn't imagine the thought of being alone with them. He loved them, but there was too much they didn't know. Too much he would have to explain.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Peter said, smiling knowingly at Neal. "Neal, it's over thirty blocks. You have a broken wrist. You aren't walking." Neal was ready to keep protesting, and Kristen even looked like she wanted to start in the same argument, but it was clear that Peter and Kathryn had already made up their minds on the matter. "Plus," Peter added, knowing full well what he was doing, "you're out of your radius. Somebody's got to keep an eye on you." If looks could kill…Neal's eyes bore into Peter with pure anger. "I'll see you tomorrow, kid," Peter said, ignoring his partner's look. Without another word, he left the hospital, leaving Neal alone with the two women.

"You're probably ready to get out of here," Kathryn noted. Neal was still watching Peter's disappearing back. He turned to face his mother as he felt her hand softly touching his uninjured arm.

"What?" he questioned, shaking his head. "Yeah. Let's just go."

Kathryn led the way out of the hospital and to the car. Neal couldn't help but feel a strong sense of nostalgia as the three of them walked through the parking lot. It seemed like just days ago that he and Kristen had been bickering over the front seat of their old beat up station wagon. Neal always won, of course. They both knew he would going into the fight. Kristen was far to young, and Neal was a master of words, but he always humored her. He listened intently to her reasoning and then gently let her down when he saw the flaws in her argument.

There was no argument this time, however. Kristen slipped into her rightful place in the front seat without saying a word, and Neal was left to cram himself into the backseat. Kathryn chose not to comment. It seemed she was still stuck in the past as well, mindlessly gossiping to Neal about his old friends, as if he had just been away for a few weeks at summer camp. He didn't call her out on it. He nodded along, smiling when she turned to look at him in the rearview window. The only time he spoke was to point out directions to June's. He could tell that they were nervous about something, and, as they drew nearer to his apartment, he realized that it was his housing arrangements that had made them so uncomfortable. They had no idea he lived in the guest room of a Manhattan townhouse with a million dollar view of the city. They heard criminal. They assumed the worst.

He watched them through the mirrors, staring up at the high-rise apartment buildings and neighboring townhouses along his street. Confusion was evident in their faces, but neither of them said anything until Neal pointed out June's own house from the rest.

"Right here," he said casually, as if he had pointed out nothing more than a broken down building that contained his tiny loft.

"Here?" Kathryn questioned, slowing down only slightly. Neal laughed.

"Yeah. This is it."

Finally, Kathryn pulled the car to stop in front of June's house. Neal didn't move for several moments. He knew what Kathryn wanted, and he knew that that was exactly what Kristen didn't want. His mother was honestly trying. He had to give her that. Lunch had been a complete disaster, and yet, she was still here. She wanted to make it work, but Kristen had given up. She had given up long before she even knew about Neal Caffrey, and there wasn't much he could do about that.

Although he still wasn't entirely sure about his decision, he sighed and turned to his mother and sister. "I'm starving," he said. It had been almost six hours since lunch. His entire day had been spent in the hospital. This certainly wasn't a lie. "Why don't you guys come upstairs? I can make us something to eat," he shrugged. "We can talk."

"We'd love to," Kathryn answered immediately, cutting off her daughters look of distaste. Kristen just rolled her eyes and followed her mom and brother out of the car.

"How'd you con your way into this place?" she asked the instant they stepped foot inside the giant house. Kathryn turned to her fearfully, thinking that the girl's words could turn Neal away at once, but he simply laughed.

"It wasn't a con," he said with a smile. "I just got lucky. Right place at the right time."

They climbed up the stairs, Neal quietly leading the way in an attempt not to disturb his landlady. When they reached the top of the stairs, Neal pulled out his key and went to let them in. However, he found that the door was already unlocked. He knew exactly what that meant, and it brought on a sudden feeling of dread. He shouldn't have invited them up. This was a mistake. Maybe he could make them leave. They wouldn't care. They didn't even like him that much anyway. He sighed. Even Kristen was looking at him curiously, desperate to see inside his apartment. He braced himself as he opened the door and let them inside.

They hadn't made it more than three steps in the door before a voice greeted them from the kitchen table.

"I thought you were dead," the familiar voice called through the dark. Neal shook his head and flipped the light on.

"No, Mozz," he said, showing his friend his arm. "I'm fine." Mozzie was looking at Neal's arm, though. All of his attention was on the two women who had come in with the man. He stood up at once. Neal caught his eye for just a second, giving him a pleading look: Please, just this once, act normal. "This is my mother, Kathryn, and my sister, Kristen," Neal introduced them. The three exchanged "hellos" and handshakes.

"Well," Mozzie began quickly after introductions were made. Neal had given him enough warning looks for him to know that now was not the time. He would explain later. "It's getting late. I should get going." Neal breathed a sigh of relief. Mozzie was his best friend, and he loved the guy, but he didn't dare throw another thing onto his mother and sister's place. Especially not Mozzie. That was too much.

"Oh, no," Kathryn said with a polite smile. "Don't leave on our account. We'd love for you to join us." Neal's eyes widened because he knew that look on Mozzie's face all too well. There was sheer entertainment in his friend's eyes. He was enjoying watching his friend squirm. Neal gave him one last warning look, but it was too late. Mozzie gave him a wide smile and then turned back to Kathryn.

"If you insist," he said with a shrug.

Well, that was plotty. Just trying to get back into it. Hope it wasn't too boring! Let me know what you think, please.