It was only a matter of time. He already had keys, he already had a room, his drink of choice had its own compartment in the fridge and his toiletries were spread throughout the ensuite. Deciding he had all but moved in anyway and after justifying that he no longer spent anytime at his old place, Peter cancelled the lease on his studio apartment and moved in the few remaining pieces of his life. His bed went into the guest room which previously had only a day bed and his lounge went into the basement. His dining table was left behind for any future resident of his studio apartment. He found that the remainder of his life could be packed easily into half a dozen or so boxes, which was a little depressing when he thought about it. El had discussed the move with Neal who gave his approval in his own quirky little way by making a sign for the master bedroom that read, 'Big Brother lives here now so anything you say can and will be used against you.'
One night, not long after the official 'move-in', Peter quietly went downstairs for an iced-water about 2am. He was just rounding the bottom of the stairs to head back up when he all but collided with young Neal. The water splashed across the wooden floor and it took Peter a few moments to register that the kid had come through the front door, not from the living area like he had. And unlike Peter, who was in his pajamas, Neal was fully dressed.
"What're you up to Agent Burke?" Neal got his voice first.
"What are YOU up to, don't you mean?" Neal only ever called Peter, Agent Burke as a way to frazzle him.
"I thought I'd do a bit of exercise. We had a big meal and I ate too much desert. You know how it is?"
"No I don't Neal!" Peter's whisper was as loud as one could get without it technically being called yelling. The agent grabbed Neal's arm and dragged him to the table. "Sit down!"
Neal obeyed and Peter pulled out a chair. "What's going on Neal?"
"Like I said…"
"No BS Neal. I'm a federal agent. Don't waste your time thinking of some lame excuse. If it's not the truth don't bother."
Neal sat, lips sealed, staring defiantly at Peter.
While waiting patiently for a response, Peter noticed Neal's satchel. He always wore the satchel. Never left home without it. This time however, it was bulging. "What's in the satchel, Neal?"
"My stuff."
"Let me see."
"That would be an illegal search, Agent Burke."
"Not if you let me."
"In that case, I choose not to let you look in my personal satchel, Agent Burke."
"Do I need to get El?"
"No."
"She can look in your bag."
"But you can't use the evidence against me if she does." Peter hated with a passion that this kid was so acutely aware of the law. Not because it stopped him from doing his job better but because in Peter's world, kids weren't supposed to know, didn't need to know about that side of life.
"I don't want to use anything against you Neal. You're a part of my life now and I'm more than a little concerned that you're coming home at 2am in the morning after being who knows where, carrying what I suspect is either stolen property or an illegal item of some kind. Am I wrong Neal, cause if I am, I'll still be upset about you sneaking out but I'll apologize for not trusting you with what you are carrying in your satchel?"
Neal stood up, Peter followed. "Wake Mom up if you need to Peter but I'm not letting you look in my bag."
Peter contemplated his options. He'd have to talk this over with El and by the time he did, all evidence would be long gone. Without thinking, he grabbed Neal's arm again, turned him sideways and swatted him very hard across his backside. "Go to bed, Neal. Don't let me catch you out at this time again."
Neal was in so much shock from the swat, he didn't remember walking up the two sets of stairs, changing into his pajamas or climbing into bed. He lay awake for a while, thinking about his encounter with 'Father' and while he hadn't lost the round, he clearly wasn't the winner either.
-W-C-
Peter was keen to speak with El at first light. He was pretty sure he never made it back to sleep after the 2am incident. He was concerned about El's reaction to him smacking Neal. Clearly the child had never been spanked in his life and the subject had never come up. Peter was hoping he wasn't about to get his walking ticket.
He had to wait till the alarm went off at 7am to break the news. Before they got up for breakfast, Peter confessed, "El, I swatted Neal last night."
El did the whole eyebrow raising thing that she did so well so Peter took that as a sign to explain. "I went down to get a drink about 2am, I know, it's New York and you don't need ice in water in New York. Anyway, I ran into Neal coming in through the front door. I made him sit down to explain to me why he was out so late and then I noticed something large in his satchel. I asked him to show me and he refused and told me I'd have to get you up so I turned him around, gave him a solid swat to his backside and sent him up to bed."
El was speechless before springing out of bed and grabbing for her dressing gown. Peter braced himself. Surely it wouldn't come down to this. "He wouldn't show you in his bag?" El didn't wait for an answer. She was heading up the stairs.
Should he follow? It seemed El was going to take this up with Neal. He'd never been up to the kid's room so he quickly raced after one very angry mother. El stopped halfway up and turned to Peter. "I wouldn't have minded if you woke me, Peter. And I also wouldn't have minded if you pried the satchel from his defiant little hands. What's more, Neal would have known that as surely as I'm standing here. Next time, please feel free to give him a sound hiding before you send him to bed." Peter released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
El began to continue up the stairs when they both heard the front door open and slam shut. There goes the evidence. Early bird gets the worm in this house. Accepting their defeat and knowing full well they wouldn't find any clues in Neal's room, El and Peter returned to the master bedroom to get ready for work.
-W-C-
Peter buttoned up his shirt and asked, "El you're not as upset about Neal being out late at night as you are about him not letting me see in his bag? You already know about his nocturnal adventures?"
"I don't know what he does, I can guess. I saw it all ten years ago. I try not to let it get to me." El sat down at the dresser, straightening her long wavy hair with a wand. In a voice that was missing her usually confidence she continued explaining, "We kind of have an unspoken agreement. I ignore what I call the 'René gene effect' and in return, he does the right thing by me at all other times. It's my way possibly of holding onto my son, give him a bit of leave way, get a lot of love in return. I feel a bit lost how to handle it sometimes. Maybe a bit scared of the future." El's tone became more forceful again as she spoke. "I'll admit I turn a blind eye to what he gets up to out there, but I can control what happens in this house and he will be respectful to us and if we ask him to show us in his bag, he will do so without question!"
"And what if he doesn't?" Peter pulled on his jacket.
"He's never disobeyed me directly."
"First time for everything, Honey."
"Luckily for me, you're a light sleeper who is crazy enough to go all the way downstairs to get a drink because our bathroom doesn't have an ice-dispenser. Sounds like you've arrived on the scene just in time, sweetie."
After dinner that night, the wayward son was rounded up and Peter and El sat down with him to lay down the law, explain the rules and to deliver a very stern lecture about obeying parents. They weren't really new rules, or surprising rules – don't go out at night by yourself, no stealing, no doing anything that might lead to trouble or there'd be consequences. Neal sat politely through the lecture and acknowledged the rules that he had absolutely no intention of following.