(( I would like to thank Peppe again for betaing, now I hate to sound mean but unless I get more than six reviews on this chapter I might put this story on hiatus, which means that I won't get back to it...hopefully people will review because I would like to finish this series)) (( loves and hugs BBB~)
Chapter 6: Family
Neal cautiously walked into the house with his furry friend. "Why don't I show you guys to your room," Neal said as he handed Satchmo's leash over to Elizabeth and grabbed their bags. "You won't get lost and if you ever need help just ask me for help since your room is right next to mine," Neal remarked as he tried to break the tension between him and Peter. "I bet you planned that out didn't you," Peter quipped as he walked up the stairs and marveled at the mansion's interior, it screamed fancy and not to be touched. Elizabeth smiled "Peter just let it go. Neal isn't here illegally; he asked permission even if he had lied a bit he still came here under FBI guidelines," she said as she walked into the large guest room that was the size of their entire first floor back home.
Peter yanked his bag out of Neal's hold and tossed it on the bed "You're still in big trouble but I think I'll let you stew with worry about when you're going to get punished for this," Peter said as he looked at the younger man. Elizabeth rolled her eyes "I'm going downstairs, now play nice you two," she said smiling as she walked out of the bedroom and back down the stairs to the dining room where she heard voices coming from.
Natasha got up from the table and smiled at her guest "Elizabeth it's so nice to see you again, how was your trip?" she asked leading Elizabeth to an empty seat by the table. "It was very nice, I'm glad you said Satchmo could come but may I ask where he might be staying since I assume you don't want dog hair everywhere," she remarked as she took her seat.
Nicolai put his fork down on his plate. "He'll be staying with my dogs and mom and dad's at night but during the day he's free to wander," Nick said giving a short whistle bringing two Dobermans into the room. "You don't have to worry; they are friendly to other dogs. Puka and Dimitri are just angels, great with kids and they even saved my life once," Nick said as he slipped his dogs a strip of bacon each.
Elizabeth smiled and unhooked Satchmo who right away went over and began to sniff them after a moment all three dogs crouched down and began to run around and towards the kitchen. Soon everyone was back to eating as Elizabeth was brought a plate by one of the family's staff.
Leaning against the doorframe Neal watched Peter as he sat on the bed, It's been a few weeks now and I can't stop thinking about that offer Adler gave me… I steal one little thing and I can find out the last piece of the puzzle, Neal thought lost in his thoughts. Peter watched Neal chewing on his bottom lip deep in thought, and moving from the bed Peter stood before Neal and looked at his eyes and saw that Neal was so lost in his own world that he didn't even realize he was standing there. Reaching forward Peter tapped Neal on the nose making him jump. Feeling his heart rate go back to normal Neal realized Peter had moved from the bed, "Sorry I was thinking about something," he said softly as he looked down and avoided Peter's gaze.
Right away Peter knew that Neal was hiding something. "Neal, what's wrong? You look troubled," Peter commented hoping that Neal would tell him what was bothering him. However the ex con looked at his lover and gave a weak smile "I'm sorry; I was ignoring you the last two weeks I just didn't want you to find out about this surprise," Neal said changing the subject away from his behavior. "Kitten…I know when you are lying to me, now don't change the subject and tell me what's wrong. You look like you want to talk about something but then you don't want to," Peter said knowing Neal is being secretive.
Neal moved away from the doorframe and kept his eyes down as he walked into the room and closed the door so they could have some privacy. "I'm just worried about the holidays, seeing family I haven't seen for over four years," Neal lied putting up a smile to hide his lies. Not wanting to push it any farther Peter walked to the door and stood facing it "You know you can tell me anything, don't take this the wrong way Neal but I thought you trusted me, so what changed?" Peter asked as he opened the door and walked out of the room. Neal slowly followed Peter and dragged his feet "Peter… I…I'm glad you're here I missed you," he said softly as he followed Peter to the dining room. Sliding into his seat between Neal and Elizabeth Peter said his hellos as a plate was brought out to him.
"Sweetie, are you feeling alright; you don't look well?" Natasha asked looking at her youngest son as he pushed his cooling eggs around his plate. Neal looked up with a smile to see everyone looking at him "Yeah…I'm just not really all that hungry," Neal remarked as he put his fork down and handed his plate over to his brother. Natasha wiped the worried look off her face before looking at her sons "Your Grandfather wants to come for a visit today I need one of you to pick him up," she said calmly. Nick dropped his fork at the same time Neal jumped up from his chair, both young men made a mad dash for the door.
Nicolai grabbed his brother by the back of his shirt and tried to pull him away from the door "I had to drive him here yesterday, it's your turn!" he yelled trying to escape first. Neal grabbed onto the door frame and ignored the fact that he was being choked by his own shirt. "That's enough you two now sit back down and behave like two men in their thirties not a couple of two year old boys," Natasha said putting her foot down. Nick and Neal slowly made their way back to their chairs until Nicolai looked at his watch. "Shit, Catherine's plane lands in an hour and I have to get to Windsor Locks before it lands," Nicolai said as he reached over and flicked Neal's nose hard "have fun with Grandpa," he added as he ran out of the house and into his car and peeled out of the garage and down the driveway.
Rubbing his nose Neal groaned and got up from his chair "I'll go get Grandpa," he said softly as he walked by Dante and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and dragged him out of the dining room. "You have to come with me since you are legally my guardian for this trip, and also he might go easier on me if you're in the car. Now let's go," Neal said grabbing the car keys off the key ring and made their way to the garage.
Dante groaned as he got into the back seat of the car and waited as Neal drove through town to a nice home, Neal looked in the rearview mirror at his cousin. "Dante… later we need to talk about something I need your honest opinion on what I should do," Neal asked as he got out of the car and went to the door and knocked. Neal waited until the door opened and his grandfather came out using his cane to walk to the car. "It's good to see so you well Grandpa, now let's get going…" Neal said trying to get back home as soon as possible.
After a quick car ride home Neal helped his grandfather inside and into the living room with Dante taking up the rear. "Daddy this is Peter Burke and his wife Elizabeth; Peter is the FBI agent that arrested Neal…Peter this is my father Admiral Tobias Bell," Natasha said from her seat. "Burke…you a military man at all in your career?" the older man asked. Peter shook his head. "No sir, the FBI recruited me right out of college and I've been with them ever since," Peter said calmly.
"College sounds nice; Natasha couldn't get her boys to go. I told her for years that the boys needed structure which the Navy would have given them that and get them into college after they served their country. But not only do they both run away from home but one of them becomes a convict and the other is a Commie," Tobias said before looking around the room before adding, "Where is the little Red anyway I thought he would be here for the berating that is waiting for him," Tobias said as he looked at his youngest grandson. "Neal… you look terrible, Natasha are you feeding this boy… he looks like he's about to pass out," Tobias remarked using his cane to poke Neal. Peter looked at his partner and saw Neal did look ill, "I'll help him upstairs…come on Neal," Peter said softly as he helped Neal to his feet and helps him out of the room and up to Neal's bedroom.
Neal hung onto Peter as he was put to bed "I know you're hiding something Neal and I'm going to find out you know that right? I know you too well to know that you're not really sick only that you're making yourself sick with worrying about something." Peter said pausing as he helped Neal into bed and propped him up with pillows so he was sitting up. "Now you can either tell me what's wrong, and get better or you can get worse," Peter commented as he picked up Neal's hand and began rubbing his thumb against the back of Neal's hand. "Peter… what if I was to say hypothetically that there is something bothering me and…" Peter held up his hand and stopped Neal from finishing his sentence "Let me just ask, is this one of those hypothetical talks where it's actually the truth and you're trying to see how I would react to the news or is this just a true hypothetical talk?" Peter asked trying to get to the truth. Neal thought for a moment "The second one, I just wanted to know how you would react to a certain situation," Neal remarked as he twisted his sheets in his hands.
That means Neal is hiding something that he knows I'll get mad at so he wants to ask about my reaction before he does it which means it's something illegal and potentially very dangerous, Peter thought as he looked at his younger lover. "Go ahead I'm listening," he added as he prepped himself to keep his anger in check. "Peter, what would you say if I told you I was able to do something for some information about something important and this something I would have to do may involve breaking into a private residence and steal something of value," Neal said trying to be as vague as possible to keep himself legally safe until he decided on the offer.
"As an FBI agent I am obligated to say that I would have to arrest you if you did anything like that no matter what kind of information it was; on the other hand as your lover I have to say that I'm a little offended that you are possibly keeping this from me and making yourself sick, but since this is completely hypothetical then you now know my answer and I hoped that helped," Peter said hoping that Neal would come clean and tell him the truth. Smiling softly Neal watched Peter for a moment before speaking "It did help, and now to deal with this stomach bug before the holidays, I'm starving…can you make me something to eat, something that isn't spicy or doesn't smell," Neal requested with a smile, he hoped Peter wouldn't see through his lie about his illness. "Homemade chicken soup with extra egg noodles and carrots, light on the peas with four shakes of sea salt and two of cracked black pepper," Peter recited knowing Neal's preference for soup since he had learned one night on surveillance for a case and they had talked about everything they could think of to stay awake.
Giving a bright smile Neal put his hands on his lap. "You're really going to cook me soup from scratch, you're too good to me Peter I can see why Elizabeth married you," Neal remarked as he chewed his lip a bit. During the last two weeks Peter noticed that Neal had taken up the habit of chewing on his lip when he was lying or hiding something, but not wanting to question him again he kissed Neal on the forehead and ruffled his hair. "I'll go start the soup you just rest, now is there anything else I can get you?" he asked hoping that he could get the truth out soon.
Thinking for a moment Neal wiggled around a bit in thought "Nope I'm good, just some soup and maybe you'll cuddle with me a bit while it cooks?" Neal requested with a pout, "I guess for a little while, let me start the soup first then I'll come back after a little while and that will give me time talk with your family as well," Peter said as he headed for the door and left the bedroom.
"He's got you so whipped that it's not even funny; and it's not a stomach bug trust me, this started the day we got permission from Hughes. During lunch he just picked at his food it was obvious his mind was elsewhere I could tell right away but I didn't question him but now even I'm worried about him. He's gone on this long and I'm pretty sure he hasn't been sleeping well either. On the train ride here yesterday he was so quiet. Something happened that night before he came back to work and he's not telling anyone it seems," Dante remarked as he followed Peter to the kitchen.
When he was sure Peter was gone Neal got out of bed and grabbed his cell phone from his bag and the business card with the number on it, as soon as he dialed the number he made sure the number was saved before tearing the card into little bits before throwing the bits of paper out the window and crawling back into bed. He put his phone on his nightstand and glanced at it once more before getting more comfortable. So Peter will arrest me if he catches me… I will have to make sure I don't get caught. I know it's wrong and Peter said it was illegal but knowing the truth about Kate and her final minutes I need to know… Neal thought as he shifted a bit until he was comfortable in bed and warm under his blankets.
Peter looked around the kitchen he began to dig around looking for all the ingredients to make the soup, he noticed that at Neal's parent's home that they had a few servants and that they seemed to cook their own food. Dante sat at the island counter and tapped his feet on the floor as he watched his co-worker. "Dante… can I ask you something? Why did Neal and his brother try to run away earlier when their grandfather was mentioned?" Peter asked as he filled the large pot with water. Smirking Dante leaned back in his seat. "I don't know much but what I remember is that when Nickolas and Neal were left with their grandparents sometimes to be babysat… their grandfather used to make them train for the Marines, he also used to spank them with his cane or a belt for hours, he tried to beat the weakness out of them. I guess they are just reacting to that; I mean they were only like two and five years old at the time," Dante said as he grabbed one of the carrots off the cutting board and took a large bite out of it.
Grabbing a knife Peter prepared the meat and vegetables and put them into the pot to cook "Watch that soup, I'm going to go talk with Neal...for a little while," Peter remarked as he left the kitchen and went back upstairs and into Neal's room. As he walked into the room Peter closed and locked the doors behind him before he made his way to Neal's bedside and sat down on the edge. "Peter, what's…?" Neal was cut off by Peter's lips on his; not letting the other man get away Neal grabbed the front of Peter's shirt and pulled him closer.
As soon as the need for air became a priority Neal pulled away and closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. "I'm sorry that I ignored you for two weeks, it looks like that it makes you upset," he remarked as he tried to clear his mind, the overly stuffed goose down pillow cushioned Neal's head and protected him from hitting his head on the headboard behind him. Peter looked at the younger man "Neal…your hypothetical talk before got me thinking, what if the person you may or may not steal this item for what will happen if they back out of the deal and leave you holding the bag? You'll go back to jail…I wouldn't be able to bear the thought of having to watch you locked away in a jail cell," Peter said softly as he got up and moved around the bed and laid down beside Neal and pulled him into his arms.
Neal closed his eyes and thought about Peter's words "I wouldn't go back to jail because I would never fall for such an easy trap, and I have you… you would never let me go back to jail would you… you would protect me wouldn't you?" Neal asked as he sat up and searched Peter's face for the answer. Thinking things over Peter pulled Neal closer so their foreheads were touching "I love you Neal but my job comes first and I will put you in jail if you do anything that breaks the law," Peter said as he pulled Neal into another kiss. This means if I choose to do this job for Adler I'll go back to jail… if I'm caught, so that means I just can't be caught, Neal thought as he returned the kiss and stayed close to Peter. When they pulled apart again Neal purred and leaned close and whispered a few things in Peter's ear as he used his skills to unbutton the dress shirt that Elizabeth had insisted Peter wear that morning until each button was undone.
"It still amazes me you can do that you can do that without me even noticing your hands," Peter hissed when he felt Neal's cold hand touch his skin. Neal smirked as he ran his hand along chest "You know you left me very hot and bothered a few weeks ago, maybe I should do the same to you…at least this time you can shower that is if I let you get up off this bed," Neal purred as he nuzzled against Peter's neck. "As much as I want to spend all day in bed with you Neal I would like a tour of the house and the grounds, and I thought you were sick anyway?" Peter asked as he saw Neal sit up and look away.
Sitting up Neal gave a fake huff of annoyance "I am hungry, so I guess I can postpone sex for a while," Neal remarked as he got out of bed. "I will show you around, I think there will be one part of the yard you will like the most. But first…" Neal leaned back and pulled Peter into one final kiss before he letting the man go, "I really want that soup you've made, maybe you can add it to your list of food you can cook," Neal remarked with a smile. Peter gave Neal's back side a playful slap, "don't get cute Kitten or you won't get any soup at all," Peter remarked as he fixed his clothes and began to fix his hair.
"Well we started the tour with your room, mine, the dining room and the kitchen; then we should go to the back yard and the gardens. It might sound boring but it's nice out there," Neal remarked as he grabbed Peter's hand and dragged him down the back stairs and into the kitchen, he let Peter stop and stir the soup before he pulled the older man out the back door and onto the patio that overlooked the gardens.
Peter looked the immaculate yard over "I still can't believe you and your brother grew up here, how did your parents afford this and raise you two… wait don't answer that I have a feeling that the statue of limitations haven't run out yet," Peter remarked as he let Neal pull him down the stairs and down a path into the hedge maze that made up the garden. Neal smiled "You're right about that, somebody could go to jail if I tell you how they paid for this place," Neal remarked as he led Peter through the hedges to a large area of open land. "Special permits were bought for this but we have a stable and a few horses since we own the house that comes with approximately thirteen point fifty acres of land but my grandfather bought the nine acres of land behind the house for my mom and aunt to have their horses and their riding ring and what they needed when they were younger," Neal said as he led Peter into the stable.
"Do you know how to ride?" Peter asked as he made his way over to one of the horses and scratched the horse behind his ear, Neal smirked. "Of course I know how to ride, Nick does as well how else do you think he got girls to like him he told them he had horses and they always wanted to come over and see them" Neal remarked. Peter watched as Neal talked to the horse and petted its neck softly. "From here we can go to the fountain and the center of the maze," he added as he grabbed Peter's hand and walked out of the stable and led him back down the field to the hedge maze. When they got to the fountain in the middle of the Neal walked over to the lounge chair and waited for Peter to sit down before Neal crawled on top of him laid out like a large cat. Peter smirked he realized all Neal needed was a large tail and a pair of cat ears to make it a full package.
Right on cue Neal began to purr when Peter's hand slid up and down his back. Both men sat and enjoyed the silence of the world around them, the gentle bubbling of fountain made Neal smile "So what do you think so far?" Neal asked softly as he tried to keep a straight head on his shoulders, Peter thought for a moment as he looked around. "It's nice, it's very you...what's funny is that a year ago if anyone had told me I would be lying on a lounge chair behind a huge mansion owned by Neal Caffrey's family and I had that said person draped over me I would have thought they were crazy," Peter remarked with a smile. "Keep those hands where I can see them Neal…"he added when he felt Neal's hand move from his chest.
Giving a devilish smirk Neal decided to ignore Peter's warning and moved his hand lower, as Neal's hand reached the top of Peter's pants a loud air horn blared above both men and making Neal jump backwards off the chair and into the tall rose hedge behind him. "You see I told you that old air horn worked," Dante said laughing as he walked out from behind the hedges with Neal's older brother in tow. Neal freed himself from the rose hedge; his back and face covered in lightly bleeding scratches "You two realize that this means war right?" Neal asked as he dusted himself off and locked eyes with Nick before looking at Dante. "Same rules as always, no bodily harm that warrants a hospital visit and no breaking any of Aunt Nat's things unless you want a slow and painful death, so are we agreed?" Dante asked looking at his cousins "So agreed," replied Nick and Neal at the same moment.
Nicolai smirked as he began to walk away. "See you later shrimp…oh and don't worry Agent Burke you're not a part of this, you'll only get pranked if you're caught in the cross hairs, right before I forget its ten points apiece for Dante and me and zero for you," Nicolai remarked laughing as he walked off with his cousin leaving Neal to stew with annoyance. Neal walked around the lounge chair and dropped himself roughly into Peter's lap and pouted. "They always get me first in our prank wars and I always end up losing," he huffed as he fell back against Peter's chest so his head was nestled under Peter's chin.
Peter ignored the pain Neal had caused by sitting on him so hard and sighed. "Just leave me out of any pranks you're thinking of Neal or I will put you over my knee and spank you so hard you won't be sitting until Christmas," Peter warned as he let his arms drape over Neal and hold him close. Neal slowly got to his feet and held a hand out to Peter. "We should check on the soup," Neal remarked as he pulled Peter through the hedge maze and into the kitchen. "It still has to cook a little longer…Neal?" Peter looked at the younger man and saw him looking around the room.
Neal checked that his brother and cousin were nowhere to be found "Peter can you check the soup to make sure they didn't spike it with anything," he remarked checking the pantry for any signs of the other two pranksters. Walking over to the stove Peter stirred the soup and tried some and found that it tasted fine. "Don't worry they didn't do anything to it," Peter said calmly. Neal closed the pantry door and stuck his head into the living room; he was so preoccupied with his search that he didn't hear Peter walk up behind him.
"Any sign of them?" Peter asked making the younger man jump a bit, "That's not funny Peter… this war has been going on since we were little kids and every single time I ended up losing," Neal said sighing as he walked over to the small kitchen table and sat down. After a few minutes Dante and Nick walked in their hands held up. "Peace, we came for lunch… the soup smells really good and we wanted some is all," Nick said as he sat beside his brother and watched as Neal scooted away from him.
Dante slid into the seat on the other side of Neal and placed a basket of wheat rolls on the table. "You three are at peace right now so try to remember that while we eat," Peter said as he brought three bowls of soup over to the table with ease. As he placed the bowls down he smirked as he placed his bowl down and sat down, Dante handed the spoons out and smiled. Soon they were digging in to the homemade chicken soup, the three cousins dug into the soup quickly. After a moment their eyes were watering and their mouths were on fire. All three of them made a grab for the wheat rolls in front of them on the table.
"I do believe that is thirty points, ten for each one of you…" Peter remarked with a smirk as he grabbed a roll casually from the basket. Neal rubbed his eyes as he chewed the bread hoping that the bread would help with his burned tongue. "Looks like you got us good Burke… and you're in the lead but we will get you back and it will be good I promise you that," Dante said with a smirk. Neal looked at Peter and pushed his bowl away from him. "Did you spike the whole soup or just our bowls?" Neal asked with a glare. Peter reached across the table and took Neal's bowl. "The rest of the soup is fine but Neal you can have mine," Peter said exchanging bowls with his young lover. Neal looked at the bowl cautiously for a moment before trying a small sample to make sure it wasn't spiked with hot sauce also.
Neal chuckled when his brother and cousin decided to leave to plan on how to get Peter back. "That was very devious; you do realize that I will have to get you back Muffin," Neal remarked as he finished eating. Once they were done and the dishes were put in the sink Neal looked at Peter. "Why did you prank me too?" he asked crossing his arms over his chest. Peter knew that he would have to explain himself and quickly to keep from upsetting Neal; "I'm sorry, you were a casualty of war Kitten, how else was I going to get Nick and Dante to stop picking on you. I thought if they believed I was the new fair game they would go after me more than you, especially after I knew you were worried about something that you still won't tell me about. Now you're free to worry all you want and plan on how to get them back," Peter explained.
Letting his arms drop from his chest Neal was at a loss for words at what to say next "Peter…the night before I got permission to come here I…"Neal stopped speaking when his future sister in law walked into the kitchen. "Darling mladshego brata, it's so good to see you again," Catherine said as she hugged Neal. Smiling Neal pulled back after a moment, "I'm so sorry that we didn't get a chance to talk more at the reunion," Neal said smiling.
I was so close to finding out what Neal's so worried about… now I have to get him to lower his guard again to tell me, Peter thought as he left the kitchen and looked around for any signs of Nicolai or the rest of the family in the living room as they talked art with Elizabeth, he parked himself on the couch beside his wife, looking across the vast living room he saw the two prank happy cousins talking to one another and watching him closely.
Natasha looked at Peter and Elizabeth. "How would you two like to see pictures of Neal when he was little?" she asked as Neal walked into the living room. Right away Peter smirked "I would love to see what Neal looked like when he was a child. The more embarrassing the better," he said as he patted the couch beside him for Neal to sit beside him. "Mom, please don't show them… anything but that..." Neal begged as he covered his eyes as his family circled around and started to look at old photos of him.
"Here is a photo of all the boys when Neal was four which means Nick was about six, so was Dante, and Romano would have been five and Adrian had just turned two. This was just before Christmas and Vincent and Bianca were visiting for the holidays and the older boys decided to start some ridiculous prank war by cutting all of Neal's hair very short. We had to put a hat on Neal for months," Natasha said as she ignored her youngest son's pleas to stop.
Neal groaned as he heard Peter chuckle at the pictures of his earlier days, "Neal you were so adorable you had such cute light brown hair as a baby," Elizabeth said as she looked at a picture of Nick and Neal with both boys pouting and covered in paint neither of them looking older than nine and seven. "There has to be a story behind this one," she said pointing at the photo. Nicolai laughed "I remember that, Neal had painted his first perfect forgery of 'The creation of Adam' from the Sistine Chapel, and I was jealous because he was younger than me and I shoved him and then he shoved me and we both got in trouble… it was the first time Neal was grounded and the tenth time that year I was grounded," Nicolai said laughing.
Peter smirked and saw Neal wasn't enjoying the trip down memory lane. "Peter you cannot tell anyone about anything you see here… I mean it," Neal warned as he tried to sound threatening. Peter chuckled "I don't know, after the mustache photo you passed around maybe I should get you back by passing a couple of these photos around," he said as he clapped Neal on the shoulder only to get a dirty look from his younger lover.
Once Neal had enough of Peter getting a peek into his past he excused himself and ran off to the one room he knew he would be safe; the wrap around library that looked in on the indoor pool. I'll hide here for a while no one will think to look for me here,Neal thought as he looked over the books on the shelf as he ran his finger over the spines of the books while walking around the length of the library. After walking the first floor he made his way up the spiral wrought iron stairs to the second floor and took a seat on the large chair in the corner. Neal kicked off his loafers and curled up in the large chair to get comfortable as he decided to wait his family out until he was sure it was safe to go back.
Peter knew he would have to find Neal and make sure he wasn't pouting or worse planning his revenge on his earlier practical joke. Walking down the hall Peter found the library and he knew right away if Neal was looking to hide somewhere this is where he would go. Moving silently Peter tiptoed up the staircase and over to where he figured Neal would be hiding and there he was dozing in the chair with his hair mussed up and hanging over his eyes. This seems too easy I should be careful…the vacationing FBI agent thought as he walked over and started to lean over.
Jumping up Neal pounced on Peter and ended up pinning him to the floor. "No one comes up here so we've got all the time to be alone," Neal remarked smirking. "I came here to tell you that your mother is taking El to a couple local galleries and your father said he's going to pick up some extra food for when his family visits. So we're not really alone, your brother and cousin are still here," Peter said as he managed to push Neal off of him.
Neal smirked and sat up. "Since you pranked them they are going to avoid you for a while and if I'm with you then I'm safe, so how about we go for a swim in the pool," Neal suggested as he got up and helped Peter to his feet. "Don't worry about a bathing suit no one is going to walk in on us if we lock the library doors then we'll be safe," Neal said as he led Peter down the stairs to the pool room and began to shed his clothes until he was diving into the pool nude.
Raising his eyebrow at this Peter watched Neal swim around with perfect ease. "Peter will you just get in the pool already, if you don't I'll splash you until your clothes are soaked… so either get in the pool and keep your clothes dry or get soaked and be forced to walk all the way back to your room dripping wet," Neal remarked as he treaded water. Peter rolled his eyes and quickly undressed and got into the pool at the far end away from Neal. He was wary of being in the pool during the twilight hours. "Neal, if someone so much as sees us I will put you over my knee and spank you," Peter warned as he tried to relax. Neal smirked as he swam closer to Peter and took to sitting on the step behind him. "Come here, this should help," Neal purred as he started to rub Peter's shoulders. "No wonder your such a grouch all the time you're so tense, I bet if you were more relaxed you wouldn't be quick to punish me all the time," Peter pulled away and swam to the center of the pool when he was sure Neal was behind him he turned around and made his move to pin him against the wall.
"Now you're going to tell me what you were about to say in the kitchen before, as you said we're all alone now so spill," Peter demanded as he ignored Neal's squirming. "Peter…I went to the docks near June's and I was afraid that if I told you would think I was trying to run away," Neal lied with the straightest face he could muster. "If you were still in your radius I never would have thought you were running away," Peter remarked as he held Neal close. He's still hiding something and it's looking like he won't tell me and I won't be finding out the truth until he's in trouble. He thought as he moved back letting Neal go free from where he had been pinned. Neal let out a sigh of relief as he ran his wet fingers through his hair.
Purring loudly Neal circled the older man like a shark and latched onto him "Where do you think you're going Agent Burke?" Neal said with a smirk.
Nicolai looked through the railing of the second floor library with Dante beside him "Now we just have to wait until they are too preoccupied to notice us," Nick whispered as he watched his brother and his FBI squeeze. Dante nodded as he kept an eye on the two piles of clothes by the pool. Neal looked at his hands, "I'm going to get out before I wrinkle up," Neal remarked with a smile as he gave Peter a quick kiss as he slid out of the water and grabbed his clothes and made a grab for Peter's clothes.
"Put them down Neal… and if you know what's good for you you'll get back here so I can keep an eye on you, and if you don't think I'm serious then keep this in mind, if you steal my clothes I'll deny you any alone time you might want with me," Peter remarked as he turned and looked at the younger man. "You wouldn't dare!" Neal said turning around and looking at the other man. "Try me… I'll get out this pool and take my clothes somewhere else to spend my time," Peter warned as he watched Neal drop the clothes in a pile and stomp back over to the pool edge like a child about to throw a tantrum.