I am back from camping so I should be able to write more. I had fun, but it's nice to be back home and be able to sleep in my own bed. Tent-trailers do not have the most comfortable beds.

I just got asked again by this mysterious 'guest' person to do a teen Neal fic, so I'd like to tell everyone that I have been working on one. It's not very far, but I always liked them so I decided to try it out myself. I have also been working on several other fics as the thoughts come to me. I currently have about twenty in progress, all of which run from five-hundred to three-thousand words.

With that said, I will not be posting anymore stories until I finish one of my other two stories so they're not neglected.

Right, on to the story!

He didn't want to be there, in fact there were many, many places he'd rather be. But he knew he needed to come if he wanted closure, and, seeing Keller in prison-orange should be quite satisfying.

Peter had insisted on coming with him and Neal was secretly grateful for his presence. It made him feel safer having the older man with him. Peter probably knew that, but Neal wouldn't say it out loud and he's sure Peter understands that as well.

Neal sat down on the metal bench with Peter and waited for the prisoner to come into the room. It seemed like so long ago that he was the one on the other side of the table. How things have changed, definitely for the better.

After a few minutes of waiting, the man he never wanted to see again came into the room. Neal's heart-rate picked up when he saw him, but he pushed the fear away as best as he could and put his game-face on.

The guard patted Keller down then held him by the arm as he led him to the bench on the other side of the table.

Neal knew he was going to have to see the man during his trial, but it wouldn't be as close as he was now. It was one thing to see him across the courtroom, but to see him five feet away made him want to give into his animalistic instincts of preservation that where yelling at him to run and hide, preferably at the Burkes. But he held his ground - he's not running this time.

Keller leaned forward, put his hands on the table and interlocked his fingers, causing the handcuffs around his wrists to clank on the metal table. "Caffrey, Burke, it's so good to see you two," he said cheerfully.

"Keller," Neal said, a bitter note in his voice.

"Not excited to see me, Caffrey? I'm hurt," he said with a smile on his face. A chill ran down Neal's spine. That was the exact words he spoke in one of the many nightmares Neal had had in the last couple of days.

Apparently Keller didn't expect a response because he moved on to bugging Peter. "So, Burke, you decided to let your mutt out on a walk. That's nice," he said, then leaned in close and whispered, like he was telling a secret, "but, if I were you, I'd invest in a muzzle."

"Why did you want to see me?" Neal asked, trying not to show any emotion other than anger on his face.

Keller gave Peter a 'you see what I mean?' look, then turned to Neal. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. I heard you were attacked the other day," he said with feigned concern.

"Yeah? Where'd you hear that?" Neal challenged.

"Just a little birdie," Keller said, waving it off.

"We know that the man who tried to kill him was working for you," Peter said.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think that?"

"I saw him," Neal said.

"Where?" Keller asked with feigned confusion.

"In the room you held him for nearly twelve hours!" Peter growled.

Realization seemed to dawn on him then. "Oh! That place."

"You're going down for a hell of a lot, Keller," Peter said.

"Are you sure about that?" Keller asked, causing a bolt of fear and uncertainty to shoot through Neal. But he told himself they had Keller on too much for him to see the light of day ever again. The fear that was flowing through his veins didn't help convince him of that fact, though.

"You're not getting out of this, Keller - not this time," Peter said confidently. It helped a little to know that Peter thought he had the situation under control.

"If you say so," Keller said with an easy shrug of his shoulders.

"I think I won this match, don't you?" Neal asked with confidence he didn't feel.

"Oh, the game may be over, but the war has just begun," Keller said threateningly.

"You're going to spend the rest of your life in here, so you'd better get used to it," Neal said. "You can't hurt me anymore." He wasn't sure he wanted to say that last part out loud, but it was out there now.

"You have no idea how far my reach is," Keller said, an evil smile on his face.

"I think it goes about eight by ten feet," Peter said.

"You can't talk for yourself, Caffrey?" Keller asked, then shrugged. "Figures. You're just a mutt - a sub-human surrounded by people that don't give a damn about you."

Neal clenched his hands that were under the table into fists. It wasn't the pet remark that irked him, but the one about his friends. He knew there where people that cared about him, but the words still angered him.

"I can only imagine what that makes you," Neal said.

"Oh, I don't like to give myself titles," Keller said, leaning back. "I'm a man of originality."

"Said the forger," Neal said.

"Said the pot," Keller shot back just as quick.

"Was there a real reason you wanted to see me?" Neal asked, changing the subject.

"I just wanted to see you, of course," he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We're old friends, right?"

"We were something, but we were never friends," Neal said, even more contempt in his voice than the last time he said those words.

"Wow, that hurts. That hurts right here," Keller said as he put his hands over his heart.

"You know, that actually could have been believable if I didn't know for a fact you don't have anything that even resembles a heart," Neal said coldly.

Keller smiled wickedly. He loved the verbal dance him and Neal always did. Once upon a time, Neal did too - back when they were 'something.'

"Are we done here?" Peter asked.

"Does your mutt need to get back in his radius soon? Wouldn't want animal control to come and take him back to the pound were he belongs," Keller said, wolffish smile on his face.

Peter tensed even more than he was before. Neal was pretty sure the agent wouldn't attack Keller, but the man's words seemed to really get to him.

"That's fine, you guys can go." Keller smiled maliciously. "I've gotten what I wanted."

Neal had no idea what that meant, but the evil intent behind the words still scared him.

With their strange conversation over with, Peter stood up and so did Neal. Keller waited until their backs were turned to attack. He quickly stood up and lunged at Neal, makeshift shiv in hand. Peter saw the movement from the corner of his eye and grabbed Keller's arm to change the path of the blade, but not before the knife sliced Neal's arm. Neal yelped in pain and surprise and backed away.

The guard was still outside the door. He was fumbling with the keys, but there were so many on the ring he had that he was having trouble finding the right one.

Peter twisted Keller's arm until he dropped the shiv. He then took the opportunity to punch Keller square in the jaw. Finally hitting the man was very satisfying, if Peter's expression was any indication.

Before Peter could restrain him, Keller swept his leg out and hit Peter's legs, causing him to go down hard. Keller started towards Neal, picking up the knife on his way without breaking stride.

Neal backed up until he hit the wall. With nowhere to run, Keller was able to corner Neal. Keller swung his knife through the air, straight at Neal's chest, but Neal caught Keller's arm with his own. Keller continued to try to plunge the shiv into Neal's chest, but Neal's arm was a temporary defense.

Keller's anger and persistence was far more powerful then Neal and his weakened body. Neal knew he wouldn't be able to overpower Keller, so he kneed him in the stomach, putting as much force behind it as he could. Keller didn't back down though, so Neal repeated the process a few more times until Keller pulled away, holding an arm around himself as best as he could with handcuffs on. He didn't look upset or angry - he looked delighted. He was happy to be fighting Neal.

Keller held the shiv in the air, preparing to attack again when Peter tackled him to the ground. The knife fell out of Keller's hands and skittered a few feet away.

Keller tried to squirm away, but Peter pinned him to the ground. With Keller's hands still cuffed, he couldn't put up much of a fight, so Peter just held Keller down until the guard got there.

The guard finally got the door open and came over to Keller and Peter. He pulled Keller off the ground and took the prisoner away.

With Keller taken care of, Peter turned to Neal, who was watching Keller be escorted out of the room. The man was still smiling at them, the blood on his teeth making him look even more crazy.

"Neal, are you ok?" Peter asked, causing Neal to turn and look at the older man. He didn't answer though - he just stared unseeingly at Peter, like he was looking through him. "Neal," he said, louder that time.

Neal jumped and focused on Peter this time. "What?"

"Are you ok?" Peter asked. "Did he hurt you?"

Neal looked at himself. "Uh, I don't think so," he said, but the blood on his sleeve said otherwise.

It was strange he didn't feel anything. That was until Peter touched the cut. "Ow!" He said and pulled his arm out of Peter's grasp.

"Sorry, sorry," Peter said. "I just want to see how bad it is."

Neal trusted that Peter didn't try to hurt him, so he let the agent check his wound. Peter took his hand and slowly pulled the sleeve up. The cut wasn't too deep, but it was bleeding quite a bit still.

"We need to take you to the infirmary," Peter said.

"It's not that bad, Peter," Neal insisted. He just wanted to get out of there. It definitely wasn't a good idea to see Keller.

"This is going to need stitches," Peter said.

Seeing the the almost fatherly concern that was becoming common in Peter's eyes, Neal realized that the older man wouldn't let it go. So he sighed and conceded. "Fine, I'll go," he said and let Peter lead him out of the room and to the infirmary.

Ok, what should happen next? I don't have anything else written so I could go any way. Should I just end the story soon? Should the shiv Keller used be laced with poison and Peter has to somehow help Keller out of prison or Keller won't give him the antidote? (I may or may not have an evil mind.)

If you guys come up with something, tell me and I'll consider it! The only things I won't do is non-con, death fic, or slash. Oh, and there will be a happily-ever-after at some point, so keep that in mind.

Reviews make me smile!