HOW FAR
Summary: "He did have that plane ready awfully fast…" When faced with life's greatest trials, what would you do for a friend? Peter, Neal, Mozzie, Diana and Hughes must find their own answers to this question as the knowledge of the U-Boat treasure surviving the fire comes to light. AU to On Guard, earlier posted on collarkink as a response to a prompt.
A/N: The story has been beta'ed by my friend November Leaving.
CHAPTER 5
When Peter Burke enters Reese's office, Hughes is already waiting for him.
"You called me?" asks Peter.
"Yes, I did," says Reese shortly. "Burke, what the hell is going on in my division?"
Peter hesitates. "Didn't Neal tell you everything?"
"Caffrey gave me a story full of holes that raised more questions that it answered," answers Hughes gruffly. "Then his lawyer showed up and the talk was over. Forget about Caffrey; I'm asking you. What is the truth about the Nazi treasure?"
His agent looks a bit uncomfortable. "How much do you know?" he asks at last.
Reese narrows his eyes. "Enough to realize that we're dealing with a heist of the century. I need to hear the truth from you, Peter. What is your involvement and what do you know for sure?"
To Hughes's displeasure, Peter doesn't answer immediately. "I suspected that things weren't as they seemed when the warehouse exploded," says Peter elusively at last. "I might have confronted Neal about it –"
"Might have?" Reese can hardly believe his ears. "This isn't a guessing game, Burke. I know you accused Caffrey of stealing the treasure and that you found a scrap of his painting and had it tested at the Dearmitt Gallery. What I don't know is if he stole the treasure, what else you know, what you've kept from me and if you've tried to cover for him. And I don't know if I can even trust you anymore when it concerns Caffrey, after I've learned that you had possible evidence of a crime he committed and kept it from the Bureau!"
Peter takes a deep breath. "I've had my suspicions about Neal's involvement," he admits painfully. "I thought I recognized the scrap of his painting, but I wanted to be sure before I involved the Bureau –"
"So to protect him, you might have damaged the chain of evidence," says Reese flatly.
"Yes, sir."
Ninety-five percent of time, Reese and Peter act as the good friends they are, even in the office; after all, they've known each other for years, and Reese hopes that Peter will one day take his place. But there are still times when Reese has to act as Peter's superior – and it's clear that Peter understands this is one of those occasions.
"I had the painting tested," says Peter. "The results said that it was dated back to the 1930's."
"But you were still suspicious," says Reese. "Why?"
Peter hesitates again. "I had a gut feeling," he says at last.
"So you're trying to tell me that despite all evidence for the contrary, you still thought Caffrey took the treasure. You confronted him – this afternoon, basically in front of everyone – and it was all based on just a feeling." Reese makes a pause and then asks incredulously. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that?"
"What do you want from me, Reese?" asks Peter directly.
"I want you to do your job!" exclaims Reese. "I want you to stop evading and to behave like the honorable agent I know."
He watches the storm behind Peter's calm façade. Then Peter stares right into his eyes. "All my assumptions were merely guesswork. I don't know anything else about Neal's involvement."
Reese stares right back. "And that's all you have to tell me," he says stonily.
There is a heavy silence.
"I encouraged Neal to come clean," admits Peter at last. "But I'm telling you the truth, Reese. I had no definite proof of Neal's guilt."
"If you had, would you have brought it forward?" asks Reese directly.
"I understand my duties," replies Peter.
Well-aware of the evasiveness of Peter's answers, Reese stares at the younger man long and hard – though not without compassion.
He can practically feel Peter's dilemma. Since the beginning of their unusual and unique partnership, Neal Caffrey has somehow become Peter's friend. If he was completely honest with himself, Reese has to admit that the young conman and thief has somehow wormed his way into the hearts of most of the people in his division – and Reese isn't an exception.
And it's not like Reese has never broken rules for a friend; telling Peter about Judge Clark's tape is just one example that comes into mind.
But friend or not, the treasure heist – and the way it has been committed, with explosives and all that – is way past beyond what Reese can ever accept to be covered up in the name of a friendship.
"So this is really all," he says, with only a hint of question.
"For now, yes," says Peter cryptically.
"Damn it, Burke!"
Reese shoots up from his seat and walks to the window. He stares at the city outside.
This is not how he has envisioned this discussion. He realizes that Peter won't tell him anything else, and also that if things continue to deteriorate, then before the end of the week, he might be forced to start the motions for Peter's eventual dismissal.
"You may go, then," he says to Peter at last.
When Peter leaves, Reese wonders what he'd do if Peter tried to interfere with the investigation in order to help Caffrey.
After all, Peter is Reese's friend. Still, how much of a blind eye could he turn if it came to that?
The thought fills Reese with a deep feeling of unease.
o – o – o
Peter makes a deep sigh when he leaves Hughes's office and returns to his own workplace.
He hasn't changed his mind. He won't cover for Neal. However, he has also come to realize that he wants Neal to have the best chances in face of the disaster that's coming his way. He has promised Neal time to confess, so that's exactly what Neal will get. He feels guilty for deceiving Hughes, so he reminds himself that he has never actually told him a direct lie. His conscience nags at him that this is exactly the sort of reasoning that could have come out of Neal's mouth.
He looks at his watch, only to find out that it's barely half past four.
Six hours.
It has been less than six hours since he has found the treasure. Since then, he has informed his consultant (friend) that he would send him to prison, he has suffered a small breakdown in front of Diana and now he has just lied to his boss, whom he respected ever since he started working in the White Collar division.
He should probably be working on some sort of case, but right now, Peter honestly doesn't remember – or care – what he is supposed to be doing.
He wants to go home, hug Elizabeth, pet Satchmo and drink his favorite beer. Just for once, he wants to leave early; to forget the Bureau, the cases, his job and especially one certain blue-eyed conman.
"I'm not lying to you, Peter. I swear I didn't steal it –"
"You're a felon and a thief, Neal. That's all you are, and it's all you'll ever be."
"I want you to do your job!"
"You should give him a chance to explain, honey."
"If he did this, then he doesn't deserve another chance –"
Peter shakes his head and picks up a random file.
Ah.
Mortgage fraud.
It's a tiring, annoying work that doesn't require that much thinking; exactly the kind of case that Peter can use to distract himself before he can officially call it a day and leave.
Some time later, he becomes lost in the dull word of numbers.
He thinks he might be in a middle of a breakthrough when he gets a call.
"Mr. Conman Lawyer," says Peter flatly when he picks up. "Your today's appearance was not appreciated. Interrupting Neal's confession is not gonna help him in the long run."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Suit," says Mozzie sharply. "What are you going to do about Neal?"
"And what do you think I can do, Mozzie?" asks Peter sarcastically. "It might have slipped your mind, but I'm not omnipotent. There's a certain limit to my ability to clean up a mess. You were supposed to prevent it." Peter pauses. "Oh, but that's right. You didn't prevent it," he says bitterly. "Maybe you even helped create it. Is that it, Mozzie? Did you persuade Neal to help you with this madness? Did you pull him into this crap?"
Silence.
"That's it, isn't it," says Peter in realization. "You two decided to do this, but it's only Neal that has to pay the price. And he won't talk, because he actually tries to be a good friend to you. What a perfect show of loyalty between fellow cons!" Peter stops himself before spitting out more sharp, bitter words. It doesn't matter that Neal decided to trust Mozzie first. That's not what this is about – at all. "And now you'll take the advantage of it, so while I lose my job and Neal end up in prison, you'll walk free. What an amazing job. What a perfect plan!"
"You're delusional, Suit," comes Mozzie's cool answer. "Now tell me. How far are you willing to go for Neal?"
"You mean after all this?"
When he was talking to Hughes, Peter's first instinct had been to defend Neal. But now, when he has Mozzie on the line, he feels the anger and hurt once again. "I'm half the mind to just sit back and watch."
"Cute," says Mozzie shortly. "But I need to know, Suit," he continues persistently. "You already tossed him over the board once today. Now, are you going to do that again, or will you actually help him?"
"Excuse me – I betrayed Neal?"
"You tattled on him to the rest of your FBI buddies!"
"Oh no, you're not pulling that one on me," says Peter flatly. "You did this, you can deal with it. Neal has made his choice without a though about anyone but himself –"
"Neal is being a better friend to you than you could ever understand," snaps Mozzie.
"What?" asks Peter incredulously.
"You heard me," says Mozzie, and Peter detects a strong feeling of bitterness.
"So in your mind, it's okay when friends lie to each other?"
"You're really touchy about that, aren't you?" asks Mozzie curiously. "Neal is a conman, Suit. You can't expect him to change his whole personality so that you could sleep better at night."
"I'm not asking him to change his whole personality!" exclaims Peter. "I would be content if I could believe that he won't screw me like that again the first moment he gets a chance."
"You mean like you did, when you accused him out of nowhere after he almost died? Five hours of interrogation," says Mozzie forcefully. "You ask him to trust you, but you don't trust him back."
Peter shakes his head in dismay. "You know what? I've had enough of this. Tell me what you want, or you can go to hell."
There is a long moment of grave silence. "Okay. I will ask once again," says Mozzie with deliberate slowness. "Will you try to protect Neal?"
Peter lets out a long, weary sigh. "I don't think I have the means, Mozzie," he says tiredly.
"Don't concern yourself with the means," says Mozzie. "Will you do it?"
"Mozzie, what are you planning?" asks Peter with a feeling of unease.
"Will you do it?"
"What are you planning?" asks Peter again. "Mozzie. What's your angle? Mozzie? … Mozzie!"
"Damn it," curses Peter quietly when he realizes the call's been disconnected.
He stares at the mortgage fraud case at his desk. Then he places the file back into the desks and gets up from his chair.
Maybe he should really pay Neal a visit.
o – o – o
"They said you didn't want to talk to anyone else today," says Peter.
Neal looks up at him in surprise. "Peter!"
He quickly gets up from his bed in the holding cell.
When Peter enters, Neal eyes him with a mixture of anticipation, hope, anxiousness and curiosity. But Peter's blank face gives him absolutely no clue about the state of his mind.
"So, how do you like my new accommodations?" asks Neal finally with a charming smile. "It's not quite cappuccino in the clouds, but as I recall, you weren't a big fan of that either –"
"Neal," says Peter with just a hint of warning, and Neal immediately stops speaking.
However, three minutes later, it's clear that whatever Peter's intentions have originally been for coming here, they've either changed, or Peter's waiting for Neal to make the first move – though what that should be, he has no idea.
"Why are you here?" he asks at last.
"Honestly? I'm not sure," admits Peter after a pause.
And then there's this awkward silence again.
"You were both in on it, weren't you?" says Peter and finally looks at Neal. "You and Mozzie. That's what you meant when you said you didn't steal it."
"I can't comment on that," says Neal blankly; partially dreading that Peter has some evidence to support his claim, but also wondering if that changed something in Peter's eyes.
"That doesn't make it any better," says Peter, as if he has heard his thoughts.
Neal sighs. "Peter, I'm sorry for what happened –"
"What's Mozzie doing?" interrupts him Peter.
Oh. So that's the reason why Peter is here. Neal wants to smack himself for getting his hopes up that this was about anything else than Peter fulfilling his responsibility.
"I don't know."
"Neal –"
"I don't know, okay?" snaps Neal, suddenly feeling completely fed up with everything – the treasure, Mozzie, Peter, himself. "Just because we're friends doesn't mean I know every single thing that he has planned."
"This is bad enough as it is," says Peter warningly. "Don't make it worse by some half-cooked crazy scheme."
"There is no scheme," retorts Neal.
"Neal –"
Initially, Neal had been angry and crushed when Peter didn't believe him after the warehouse explosion. Now he wishes he could still feel the anger instead of the devastating grief, anguish and guilt.
"Go home, Peter," says Neal tiredly. "There's nothing left to do today."
"Don't do anything stupid, Neal, not now," says Peter, and it sounds almost like he's pleading.
"Go home to El, Peter," repeats Neal, and he hopes the talk is over, because he gave Mozzie a promise – not to mention, he has little to say to Peter anyway.
Peter stares at him, before he wordlessly nods and turns to leave.
And suddenly, Neal feels like he has just missed something vital, something extremely important.
"Peter!" he calls quickly, before the agent has the chance to leave his cell.
Peter turns around. "What is it?" he asks wearily.
Neal opens his mouth and then closes it. Indeed, what is this about?
"I know my word probably means nothing to you in this situation," he says at last. "But I meant it that day on the airstrip. I didn't want to run anymore. That hasn't changed, Peter."
Peter looks at him in a way that's both incredulous and grave. "Then how could you do this?" he asks. "Why, Neal?"
He has given Mozzie a promise.
"I can't tell you," says Neal ruefully. "I'm sorry."
There is a pause.
Then Peter speaks.
"That's not good enough anymore," he says, and closes the grated door behind himself.
Neal sees Peter walk away – and he makes a sudden decision. Screw the promise.
"I don't know what Mozzie's doing," he calls. Peter stops, but doesn't turn around. "He made me swear that I won't talk to you until tomorrow noon. That's all."
Slowly, Peter nods. Then he walks away, and leaves Neal alone with his doubts, regrets and shattered dreams.
Neal sits back on the bed. Later, he starts tracing shapes on the wall with his fingers.
The pattern follows Munch's painting, The Scream. Neal likes some of the man's works – but this one always gave him creeps. Now it feels strangely appropriate.
Has he just betrayed Mozzie? Has he made things worse? Has he just lost the last chance that Peter might ever forgive him?
What is the color of the sky?
A/N: Four more chapters to come!
As always, reviews are highly appreciated.