A/N: Sorry for not updating, I was on holiday and didn't have access to my files. Enjoy!

Chapter 9: Hard Sell

"If only there was some way to compare this to your life," Mozzie remarked, gesturing to the chess board between himself and Lizzy.

"I get it, Moz," Lizzy glared at him. "I'm a pawn. Your analogy lacks creative thinking."

"You're upset because it's accurate," he countered. "See, Kate has reign over the whole board, while your movements are more…restricted."

"Fowler has to be lying about Peter," she growled, only half paying attention to him. "There's no way Peter has Kate."

"Everyone has a price," Mozzie reminded her. It was something he'd done his best to drill into her head when she was growing up. He'd been forever telling her that she was too trusting while she argued that he was paranoid. "Peter's in the perfect position to control everything. I hate to give him credit, but the suit's smart."

"I know him," she practically whined, unwilling to believe that someone she was beginning to see as a friend could do this to her. "There's no way he could do it."

"Prove it," Mozzie dared her. "Find the ring. Find the king." He grinned at the little rhyme he'd made; amused by the fact he'd managed to include his metaphor.

"See if he has it," Lizzy nodded in agreement, going through different ideas in her mind of what she could do.

"I'm the bishop," he informed her. "In case you were wondering."

"I didn't doubt it," she teased him. He always favoured the bishop piece when playing, while she tended to focus on the underestimated pawns. To be honest, she didn't mind being compared to a pawn since they could become queens if they tried hard enough.

When she got to the FBI office, Lizzy was given the details to a boiler room scam that they wanted her to go undercover for. It meant that she'd be off her anklet for a little while, a fact that made the mission more appealing.

To get in, she had to interview with a guy named Brad. The interview went fine, but Brad turned out to be a total pig towards women, making Lizzy glad that she wasn't herself around him. She made an effeminate looking man, but she'd been assured that she was a stunning woman if she tried to be.

Apparently, she'd done so well her first day that the man behind the scenes wanted to see her. This had the downside of being forced to spend more time with Brad, but it also helped her get closer to closing the case.

Using her quick thinking, she arranged to meet Peter at his house, giving her the chance to find out if the ring belonged to him. It felt like a stone had fallen into her stomach when she found a photo of Peter wearing the ring. She really hadn't wanted it to be him.

"What's wrong with you?" Mozzie questioned, looking over the chess board at her.

"I found the ring," she admitted. "It's Peter." Anger and betrayal bubbled up inside her, making her lash out and knock the chess board to the floor. There was something vaguely satisfying about seeing the chess pieces roll around on the floor, but it didn't make her feel any better.

"I'm so sorry," Mozzie reached over and took hold of her hand, tugging her forward until she was wrapped in his arms.

She sunk down into the comfort he was offering. "I don't understand why," she murmured, burying her head into his shoulder.

"He's a suit," he said as if it explained everything. "You going to play it out?"

"What choice do I have?" She asked, lifting her head to look at him. It was meant to be a rhetorical question, but she really did hope that Mozzie had a solution. She didn't think that she could continue working with Peter when she knew he'd taken Kate.

"They've got you off the anklet for this one," he told her. "We could run."

"We'd need some cash," she considered, trying to think of all of the possibilities. She didn't know if she'd be able to leave Kate, but she knew that she couldn't face Peter every day anymore.

"We can get cash," Mozzie smiled. It was an expression that was filled with the thrill that comes with pulling off a con. There was no doubt how he was going to get the cash they needed. A part of Lizzy hated that she would be taking Mozzie away from everything, but there was no way she could leave him and she knew that he'd always follow her if she tried. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Get the money," she decided.

She managed to convince Peter to go undercover with her. They were invited to a house party, where Peter was led around the house and Lizzy watched the guys shoot. When Peter came back outside to join them, anger had her showing that she could shoot.

Mozzie had made sure that she'd always be able to protect herself. She'd gone through self-defence classes, as well as shooting lessons and basic knife training. Peter looked a little surprised at how well she could shoot, but she just glared at him angrily.

After inventing a new play on the spot that involved Peter telling everyone that she was a corporate spy, Lizzy was taken back to Peter's house to talk about the accusation she'd made about him having Kate.

Elizabeth helped convince her that Peter didn't have Kate. Apparently, the ring was something people got when they'd spent ten years in the FBI. It was a relief to know that her trust in Peter hadn't been misguided.

She was extremely glad that they'd worked their problems out before going back undercover, since her life was literally in Peter's hands. She passed out for a few moments from lack of oxygen; she'd given Peter the only breathing device they had, telling him that she trusted him.

Luckily, she hadn't blacked out long enough for it to do any damage and didn't have to be taken into hospital. However, her show of trust had Peter admitting to things she wasn't sure he would have told her before.

"Well, it's ready," Mozzie announced, walking through her apartment door. "Are we running?" He stared at her for a few seconds before sighing and sinking down into the chair across from her. "You folded. You're back in chains."

"I had to see this one through," she told him with a smile before filling him in on all the details that she herself hadn't known.

"Fowler wants the music box," he repeated. "But you don't have the music box."

"I know," she groaned. They'd been amused when the rumours had started circulating about how she'd stolen the music box. Neither of them had bothered to correct the rumour, knowing that image was important in their business.

"Now what?" Mozzie demanded, a gleam in his eye that said he already knew what she was going to say.

"Now we find the music box," she grinned mischievously, naturally including his in the plan without needing to ask. "And then we steal it."

"Welcome back," Mozzie grinned back at her happily, lifting the glass of wine that she poured for him in a silent toast to her return to the wrong side of the law.

"I didn't realize that I'd ever left," she laughed, taking a sip rom her own glass.