White Collar: The Nightingale

Chapter Thirty-one

"Kate..."

Neal woke with Kate's name still on his lips although he had been in the middle of a dream when he'd spoken it. The first few seconds of being awake were always the most difficult. It had been nearly two years since she was killed and six since he'd had the chance to wake up with her in his arms. However there were mornings where the past six years seemed like little more than a bad dream.

It didn't help that there was a beautiful woman curled up against him. Neal tried to untangle himself from Hsing without waking her up, but she was using his arm as a pillow. Laying on his side Hsing was on hers as well and had her back against his stomach. She was hugging his free arm like a teddy bear as she slept heavily.

Neal was torn between the fact that he didn't want Hsing getting the wrong idea and the fact that he was more comfortable than he'd been in over a week. The veterinarian had done a wonderful job on his side and it was barely even bothering him. He'd been so tired for so long that he had almost forgotten what it was like to be well rested.

The sun was barely breaking through the white frosted windows of Mozzie's studio apartment. Sighing in defeat Neal closed his eyes and went back to sleep without disturbing Hsing. Breathing deeply Neal slipped in and out of a light refreshing sleep. It was like staying in bed on a rainy day when you knew you should be getting up and getting something done, but it felt far too good to do nothing to start the day just yet.

The midmorning sun was pouring into the room by the time Neal finally woke and stayed awake. When he tried once again to reclaim his arm from under Hsing's head she began to stir. Whereas Tachi had been ready to get out of bed and get back to work Hsing was far more interested in nuzzling against him and going back to sleep. Working carefully Neal was able to escape. Hsing made a small noise of protest as he got up, but she quickly settled back into sleep.

Getting to his feet Neal looked around the empty apartment. He spotted a note tapped to the inside of the front door. Taking the note down he read Mozzie's messy handwriting. The note informed him that Alex was still nowhere to be found and that he was going to try another avenue. Neal would have preferred to work with Alex, but every second he was off anklet it was going to be that much harder to explain when he went back.

Neal checked a few of the other doors looking for the bathroom. The first two lead to closets. The third connected to the next studio and was probably Mozzie's 'escape' route. The four lead into a large bathroom with a walk in shower that was only separated from the rest of the room by a wall of frosted glass bricks. Stripping down Neal turned the water in the shower to near searing hot and stepped under the soothing spray.

Neal wasn't sure how Mozzie managed to get hot water and electricity hooked up to the delapitated building, but right now he didn't really care. Facing the wall Neal placed his palms against the still cold tile and leaned forward slightly to stretch out the muscles in his shoulders and back. Bowing his head he let the hot water slip down his back.

A sudden light touch between his shoulder blades caused Neal to jolt violently enough to almost cause him to slam into the wall in front of him. Turning around he found Hsing had joined him. She smiled and stepped up to him and laced her hands together behind his neck as she pressed against him. Neal reached back and turned the shower to cold before the situation got any more awkward. He gasped as the suddenly icy water struck his heated skin. Hsing giggled and reached around him to turn the water back to warm.

"Hsing..."

Hsing brought her arms back up around Neal's neck and used the purchase to pull Neal down into a kiss. Neal tried to back away, but his back was already against the wall. He reached up and caught her wrists so that he could free himself. She released him from the kiss, but she kept her ivory against his.

"Hsing, stop this."

"I love you."

"No." Neal said gently. "I'm just the first guy that's treated you like an equal. You've been through a lot, none of thi..."

"Why am I not good enough for you?" Hsing asked hurt. "I would do anything for you."

"That's part of the problem."

"I do not understand you."

"I think we're having a bit of a culture clash." Neal smiled sadly. "I don't want to take advantage of you."

"I do not mind."

"I do."

Hsing gave Neal a full minute under the warm spray of the shower to change his mind. When he made no move to accept her affection she sighed and pulled away from him. When she turned around to leave Neal was surprised to find that she had a tattoo in the same style as the one he had painted on Tachi covering her lower back. There was a pine tree that was only half finished that reached up to her mid back and then just awkwardly stopped.

"Hsing, your tattoo..."

"It is not complete. I never had the chance to finish my training. I never had the chance to earn my nightingale."

Clearly on the verge of tears Hsing gathered up her clothing and left. Fearing that she might bolt again Neal turned off the shower. Hastily wrapping a towel around his waist Neal hurried after her. Neal crashed into Hsing has she had quickly turned around to return to the safety of the bathroom when she'd discovered that Mozzie had just returned to the apartment.

"Uh..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude." Mozzie said when Neal couldn't find words. "Although it is my house."

Neal stepped to the side and let Hsing retreat into the bathroom to get dressed. She closed and locked the door before Neal could retrieve his own clothing from the bathroom. Deciding against asking for it Neal just made sure the towel was secure around his waist. Mozzie looked at him disapprovingly.

"I'm going to have to bleach my shower now." Mozzie complained.

"Nothing happened."

"Why not?"

"Mozzie," Neal sighed "did you fence the Waterfall or not?"

"I did." Mozzie said proudly. "I got five million for it."

"Five? It's worth three, four at most."

"Funny enough I was able to get a better price by claiming you were the one who stole it." Mozzie smiled.

"My reputation is getting out of hand."

"It really is. But what can you expect? Running around with the Feds is bound to get you noticed."

"Great." Neal said with little enthusiasm.

"I have everything all set."

Mozzie had his satchel thrown over one shoulder which he brought over to the kitchen table. Mozzie dumped some bundles of cash along with several passports, and half a dozen airline tickets. Neal picked up one of the passports. Inside was a small picture of Hsing. Glancing around Neal spotted the white board on the far wall that she and Mozzie must have used for pictures while he was sleeping. The work was good, it looked real even to him.

Before Neal could inspect the rest of the items Mozzie's cell phone began ringing. Mozzie looked at the incoming number before quickly putting the phone back in his pocket. Neal watched Mozzie as his short friend tried to ignore the phone ringing in his pocket. The phone went silent for a few seconds before beginning to ring again.

"Are you going to answer that?"

"I don't recognize the number." Mozzie said quickly.

"Let me see."

Mozzie backed away as he pulled the phone out of his pocket once more and answered it.

"Haversham." Mozzie answered as he turned his back on Neal. "...I'm sorry, who is this?"

Neal heard the tone but not the words of the caller squawking through the ear piece. Something about it caught his attention.

"Mozzie?" Neal asked as he stepped closer. "Is that Peter? Is he okay?"

"Uh..." Mozzie closed the phone. He dropped it to the floor and stepped on it. "Wrong number."

"Why did you do that?"

"I always destroy my phones after a wrong number. You can never be too careful."

"Right..." Neal said suspiciously. "I should call Elizabeth. Where's my phone?"

"I got rid of it."

"Why?"

"Because it can easily be traced."

"Mozz..."

"What do you think of the work?" Mozzie redirected handing Neal the other passport.

"It's good." Neal admitted, agreeing to let the topic drop for now. "Very professional."

"It will fool any customs Agent."

Neal had assumed that the second passport was also for Hsing so that she could change identities along the way. However when he opened it he was surprised to find an old picture of himself staring back at him. Neal furrowed his brow as he looked over the convincing forgery.

"Bryce Larkin?" Neal questioned as he read name on the passport. "What kind of name is 'Bryce'?"

"I don't know." Mozzie shrugged. "What kind of name is 'Neal'? In my book that's a verb, not a name."

"Touche."

"If you don't like it you can change it when you get to Tokyo."

"Tokyo? I'm not going to Tokyo."

"Of course you are." Mozzie insisted. "Everything is in place. The local airports will be watched so you two will drive to Maine, fly to Canada, and jump a few flights from there to Japan."

"Mozzie...I..." Neal hesitated. "I don't fly."

"You 'don't fly'?" Mozzie repeated skeptically. "So it's a sudden new fear of flying that's keeping you here?"

"Sudden fear? Mozzie, the last plane I tried to board exploded and killed the woman I loved."

"Neal, what's really going on?"

Neal didn't answer right away. He put the passport down and leafed through the airline tickets, half of them read 'Bryce Larkin'. Hsing came out of the bathroom, having taken a shower and collected her emotions. She didn't approach them, she went over to the couch and made herself comfortable. She avoided looking at them and just stared at the Nightingale sword that was laying on the glass coffee table.

"Neal?" Mozzie asked to bring his focus back to the conversation at hand.

"I'm not ready to just leave my life and run off to start again."

"You don't have a life here, you have a 'sentence'." Mozzie pointed out. "Neal, you are never going to get another chance like this one."

"I don't even know if Peter survived."

"Does it really matter?"

"Of course it does, he's my friend."

"Under certain conditions. Think of it this way: if he is alive it is only a matter of time before he connects you to the forgeries that Zhang left for him. If he doesn't make it your time with the F.B.I is over. Either way you're going back to prison."

"You said 'doesn't make it'."

"So?"

"So, tricky word play is how you manage to keep the truth from me without actually lying. Your use of 'doesn't' instead of 'didn't' tells me Peter's alive and you know it. That was Peter on the phone wasn't it?"

Mozzie took a breath to lie, but Neal gave him a look that told him that he already knew the truth so there was no point. Mozzie crossed his arms over his chest and pulled his shoulders back in a failed attempt to look taller and more imposing. Mozzie's second tactic for not lying was to say nothing at all.

"Mozzie." Neal said in a warning tone. "Peter's awake, isn't he?"

"Fine. You caught me." Mozzie huffed. "Peter's recovering just fine. He'll be up and back to his old Suit ways in a month or two. That doesn't change the fact that you have the perfect opportunity here."

"Peter being alive changes a lot of things Mozzie."

"Haven't you heard the story of 'The Fox and the Hound'? It's a friendship that's doomed from the beginning."

"The fox and hound save each other's lives and they part with a mutual truce in the end."

"Yes, but the point of the story is they have to go their separate ways in the end. They go back to their respective worlds. It's time you did the same."

"I can't just leave."

"Of course you can, and now is the time."