(here is chapter eight, you all know the drill its review time for a wonderful story and just so everyone knows there is one more chapter left but like the harry potter movies this story is in two parts hehe I hope you enjoy the last two chapters)
Chapter 8: Playing Into the Devil's Hand
Neal fumed as he paced over the pool; the large ornate cover of the globe clicked under his feet as he gripped his phone tight in his hand. It will take at least two weeks to make the necklaces maybe a little longer; Adler said he'll be giving me the other information I'll need to get into the house. If Peter had my phone it's a good chance he looked at the call log and started his own little investigation… that means I've got to be more careful and act normal… if I start to avoid Peter he'll get even more suspicious. Neal thought as he paced. On his third pass he stopped and noticed his brother standing in the doorway watching him.
"What's got your panties in a knot? I haven't seen you this agitated since we were kids," Nick remarked with a chuckle as he walked over to his brother and gave him a pat on his head. Neal backed away and sat on one of the wicker chairs and sighed. Nick smirked and watched his brother "Come on shrimp out with it before I hold you down and force you to tell me," he warned with a charming smile almost as good as Neal's. Watching his brother closely Neal looked around for any signs of his FBI handler or his wife. "Fine, it's none of your damn business and I don't trust you to tell you what I may or may not be up to," Neal commented as he stood up.
"I just want everyone to drop it…Peter's on my case, you are, and Mozzie. I just want to be left alone about this… I know it's crazy and stupid and it might land me back in prison but you know what Nick, I don't care I just don't care anymore as long as I get what I want," Neal remarked as he stood up and stormed out of the pool room and through the library. As he walked down the hall Neal doubled back when he saw Nick's car keys sitting on the counter. Smirking at the sight of the keys Neal glanced around and saw that the room was empty. "Too easy," he whispered as he swiped the keys and passed through the kitchen and across the back all and into the garage. Neal opened the door to the garage and looked at Nick's sports car that he had imported there from Russia. Using the garage door opener Neal climbed into the sleek black sports car and started it up before tearing out of the garage and down the long driveway.
Turning towards town Neal smirked as he drove down the roads and revved the engine. I have to keep this car in perfect condition or Nick will really skin me alive since this is his baby and it means more to him than his own girlfriend and family. Neal thought as he pulled up to a stop sign and gave a sigh of relief as he felt all his agitation worry and anger at Peter melt away as he pulled away from the stop sign and make his way closer to town.
Driving into town Neal felt the rush and excitement of stealing a car run up his spine and let out a shudder of pleasure as he accelerated the sports car down the road toward town. As he arrived into town Neal pulled into a shopping plaza and parked in an open space before getting out and locking the door behind him. As he walked through the parking lot Neal entered a seedy looking pawn shop tucked away in the corner of the plaza. "As I live and breathe…" the old man behind the counter said as he moved out to where Neal was standing.
"Hey Dad I…finished putting the jewelry away in the safe," a younger man said ignoring Neal all together as he turned and walked into the backroom and slammed the door behind him. Neal winced at the sound and turned to the older man. "He's still mad about that isn't he?" Neal asked in a soft voice. "I'll give you two some time to talk I have to run to the store for some lunch," the man said as he left the pawn shop with the door jingling as it slammed shut. Walking to the back room Neal knocked and opened the door and gave a small smile. "Hey Gabe…I came here to apologize…"Neal said softly. "Too little too late Neal, now get lost I don't want to speak to you ever again, why don't you just go…it's what your good at," Gabe said as he sat down on one of the stools and leaned over the desk and picked up his jeweler's loop to look at the rings on the tray.
Neal leaned against the door and watched Gabe as he worked "You still do good work, I'm glad you kept up with your skills," Neal complemented as he tried to get the other man to look at him. Gabe looked over at Neal and melted at Neal's charm. "You're still the same charmer I fell for in high school," Gabe remarked as he put his loop down and leaned against the desk and looked Neal over once "So what do you want from me?" he asked as he stood up the faded band tee shirt just barely leaving anything to the imagination. "I came to apologize is all since I'm finally in town after being in jail for a while. I'm really sorry I didn't get in touch after I left home," Neal apologized.
Crossing his arms over his chest Gabe tapped his foot waiting for Neal to tell him the truth "okay… you caught me I need two, three foot long white pearl necklaces that look like they could pass for pearls on a fifty thousand dollar necklace. I know you and your father deal it hot jewelry. I'll give you anything you want as payment," Neal offered in hopes that he could get the pearls he needed. "All I want is the goodbye kiss you never gave me, if I don't like it you don't get anything," Gabe said watching Neal like a hawk. "One kiss and that's it, okay then this is the kiss you should have gotten," Neal said as he grabbed Gabe and pulled him into a deep kiss to apologize for all the pain he caused.
Neither one of them heard the bells on the front door jingling and not wanting to let Neal get away Gabe shoved Neal against the wall and pushed himself against the ex con and attacked his lips. Struggling to pull away Neal finally got a breath of fresh air as the back room door opened revealing two police officers. One of the officers was an older gentleman in his forties. "Hey Uncle Jacob…what are you doing here?" Neal asked watching the exit out of the corner of his eye.
"Your brother called the police and said you stole his car, so turn around and put your hands on the wall," Jacob said as he turned his nephew around and began the process of handcuffing him. "You're being arrested for grand theft auto, so get moving…" Jacob said as he dragged Neal out of the backroom and through the shop and out to his police cruiser.
After a short drive Neal found himself handcuffed to a bench in the police station while his uncle went to make a call. Looking up and down the hall Neal wiggled the handcuffs until he felt them start to become loose. "Trying to escape already? Peter asked as he walked up to his cuffed lover. "It's not what you think Peter…I just borrowed his car without asking and Nick treats that thing like it's his baby and no one but him is allowed to drive it," Neal commented as he wiggled his cuffed hand a bit. "Can you get me released Peter?" Neal asked with his best puppy dog eyes.
"I think I'll leave you here for a while, if I keep bailing you out then you'll assume I'll always bail you out. So if you tell me why you took you're brother's car I'll think about getting you free," Peter said as looked at the younger man. Neal looked around for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I went to a pawn shop where my ex from high school works with his father, remember I told you that I left high school before I graduated… well I originally made plans to run away and travel the world with Gabe but things happened and I left without him and I didn't even say goodbye to him so I gave him the goodbye he deserved," Neal remarked as he pulled on the handcuff that kept him attached to the bench.
Peter quirked his eyebrow at the goodbye comment "What kind of goodbye did you give him?" Peter asked very curious to know how Neal did goodbyes. "I apologized, and I gave him the goodbye kiss he deserved to get from me when I left," Neal remarked as he filled Peter in on why he took his brother's car. Looking Neal over for a moment Peter waved the cop over that had shown him where Neal was. "Officer I want him released," Peter said as he flashed his FBI badge to the younger man. Neal smirked as the officer unlocked the handcuff around his wrist.
Standing up quickly Neal chuckled as he walked to the elevator with Peter. "Quick question, how did you know where to find me?" Neal asked as the elevator doors opened. "I followed your anklet or did you forget you were wearing it?" Peter asked as he waited for Neal to get into the elevator. Neal smiled as he stepped into the elevator and leaned against the railing. "It's nice to be a semi-free man again, I guess we better get Nick's car out of impound before heading home," Neal remarked as he tapped his fingers against the faux wood panels of the elevator car.
"Nick already took care of that he drove over with me in your father's car and he left with his car, now I hate to admit it but I don't drive well with stick so I'll let you drive back home just this one time," Peter said as he handed the key to Victor's Lamborghini Gallardo to Neal. Smiling like a kid in a candy store Neal walked quickly over to the rich forest green car and opened the driver's side door and climbed in. Neal practically purred when he got comfortable in the driver's seat. Peter climbed in and seat belted himself into the bucket seat and gave a silent prayer as Neal started up the flashy car and took off.
The sports car roared like a lion as Neal drove it through town and turned heads as he shot through a yellow light and up the street toward his family home when they came to the turn Neal went left and drove down the road with the car's speed increasing slightly. Neal glanced at Peter as he drove "I want to apologize for how I acted before with talking back at Elizabeth and storming off like a kid…I'm going to make it up to you right now," Neal remarked as they left town and headed down a few back roads until they were by a small lake and hidden by large trees. Turning the engine off Neal smirked as he looked at Peter before pulling him into an apologetic kiss.
In the back of Peter's mind he realized that not even an hour ago that those lips were kissing someone else and he knew he had to remind Neal just who he was allowed to kiss. Snaking his hand around Neal's neck he grabbed the younger man by the scruff of his neck and pulled his head back to reveal his swollen lips and slightly blush tinted cheeks.
"Now before I let you apologize I have to remind you that you are not allowed to kiss anyone but me…is that understood?" Peter questioned as he held Neal and watched him smirk "Oh yes I understand…Agent Burke…I also understand I broke the law and you have every right to punish me," Neal purred as he managed to pull free and latch onto Peter in another kiss. Pulling away Peter shrugged "I think I might let this one slide, but if you ever tell anyone I let you get away with this it won't end well for your backside. Now let's get back…I don't think your father will appreciate his car getting dirty," Peter remarked as he let Neal go.
As they sat looking at each other a large pine cone fell from the tree above and struck the hood of the car making Neal let out the highest pitched scream Peter had ever heard come from Neal. Unable to control himself he gave up any thought of covering his mouth as he laughed at his lover's reaction and finally bit his lip to try and stifle some of the laughter. Neal gave him a not so playful punch in the arm as he looked at him "That's not funny, and I wouldn't have screamed like that if I hadn't been caught off guard," Neal argued as he tried to protect what was left of his dignity. Peter finally stifled his amusement as he rubbed his arm where Neal punched him. "How about you get those keys and we go home before the evil pine cones come back again," Peter remarked as he started to laugh again.
Neal got out of the car and grabbed the keys as he climbed back into the car and started it up before driving back down the dirt road and toward his family home. When they arrived Peter looked at Neal and saw him still look upset that he had been laughed at. In the back of his mind Peter knew Neal hated being laughed at after the time Diana and Jones had laughed at him when the copy machine's toner cartridge had blown up all over him and got his tee shirt and jeans stained blue after an undercover job after which Neal had locked himself in the bathroom for the afternoon forcing everyone to use the bathroom on other floors. "I'm sorry for laughing at you kitten, but you come on you have to admit it was funny…" Peter argued in his defense.
Victor walked out into the garage and looked at his son in the driver's seat of his car "Don't even think of getting out… I want you to back it out of the garage then wash and put two coats of wax on it and you should hurry up the sun will be going down in a four hours," Victor said before heading back inside. Neal grumbled as he put the car in reverse and brought it outside to wash it, rolling the window up he shut the car down and looked at Peter. "You should go inside so I can finish this up quickly," Neal said with a smile as he got out of the car and got the bucket, sponge and hose ready.
Peter walked over to the low brick wall and sat down and watched as Neal filled the bucket with soap and water before dunking he sponge in the warm water. "Don't forget to wash the wheel wells also since they are full of mud," Peter called from where he was sitting.
Two hours later Neal finished washing and waxing the car and by that time his arms were killing him as he put the luxury car back in the garage and made his way inside to join the rest of his family for dinner. Sitting in his seat Neal served himself as he listened in on the different conversations going on between his family and his father's side of the family that had arrived while he was putting the second coat of wax on his father's car. "Your car is back in the garage and the keys are on the kitchen table," Neal said when he managed to get a word in edge wise with his father.
Victor nodded "I hope you learned your lesson, you don't drive a car like that through the mud; you could have damaged it," he said as he grabbed his glass of wine. Rolling his eyes a bit Neal ate his dinner in silence his arms throbbed from the two coats of wax he had put on and buffed off the car. Peter watched Neal and smiled that his lover had learned his lesson by doing hard work. "Maybe you'll wax my car the next time you break the rules, it seems to do you some good," Peter remarked only to get a glare in response.
When dinner finished and the table cleared the jet lagged family members retreated to their rooms to get some rest for the next day. Neal made his way into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine and a wine glass as he made his way into the sitting room where there was a small fire going. "Can I join you?" Peter asked holding up another empty wine glass. Nodding slightly Neal opened the wine bottle and poured out two glasses before re corking it and putting the bottle on the floor so he could put his feet up on the coffee table.
Peter grabbed his glass and sat beside Neal "I'm just going to ask this once then it's out of my system. What was your real reason for going to see your ex? I don't know anyone who would just randomly go to apologize to their former lover…especially you; you wanted something from him didn't you?" Peter asked as he sipped his wine. Neal smiled and looked at the glass of wine in his hands and thought fast, gulping down he glass of wine he put the glass on the table and turned away from Peter so his left leg was folded across the couch and removed his shirt before he put his chest against the arm rest. "My back hurts will you rub it for me?" Neal asked as he looked over his shoulder.
"I guess you did do a lot of work today," Peter replied as he put his glass down and placed his semi warm hands on Neal's back and began to rub his thumbs in small circles to loosen the pain in Neal's back. Neal let out a moan as he felt his muscles loosen up as he put his head on his arms, Peter smirked as he moved up Neal's back and pressed down a little harder earning another loud moan from the other man as he arched back against Peter's hands.
Enjoying the free massage Neal felt himself get very tired at the relaxing touch, when he was relaxed he fell back and let his head fall hard into Peter's lap, looking up into Peter's eyes Neal smiled. "You're a prince for doing that I feel much better now, thank you very much Peter," Neal mumbled as he started to drift off. Leaning forward Peter grabbed his wine glass and poured himself another glass before he sat back to let his lover sleep. "Good night Neal…sleep tight," he whispered softly as he watched the fire crackle in the fireplace. Neal rolled onto his side and nuzzled against Peter's thigh as he got comfortable and fell into a deeper sleep.
Peter finished his wine and put the glass down before he put his head back and started to drift off as well. As his eyes began to close he looked down and at Neal and ran his fingers through Neal's hair once more as he drifted deeper into sleep. While the fire burned itself out the room grew considerably cooler Neal slowly began to wake up, he groaned softly at cool air and getting to his feet Neal grabbed Peter's arm and pulled him up and using all his strength to drag Peter out of the room and up the stairs. After struggling with Peter's weight Neal pulled the other man into his room and helped him into bed. "Just tell me if you don't want me to remove your clothes," Neal remarked. When he didn't get a response he began to remove Peter's shirt and pants until he was in his boxers. Neal stripped off his own pants and crawled into bed and hugged Peter close as if he were a giant stuffed animal. He fell asleep when he was sure that it was safe.
Neal woke late the morning to a heavy weight on his chest, opening his eyes he noticed that Peter had rolled over and had pinned him to the bed. "Peter…you have me pinned to the bed…and if you don't get up I'm going to…" Neal dropped his voice when he felt Peter's chest rumble with laughter as he tried to feign sleep a little longer. "You didn't mind earlier when I rolled on top of you," Peter remarked as he started to get up. "Who said I wanted you to leave? I just wanted you to shift so I could keep breathing," Neal whispered as he hugged Peter and gave him a long good morning kiss.
They pulled apart when they heard a knock on the door, Neal managed to slip away and put some pants on before opening the door to reveal Elizabeth. "Is my husband in there? And you have a visitor downstairs some guy named Gabe and he…" Elizabeth was cut off as Neal pushed by and walked quickly down the hall. Peeking into Neal's bedroom she found Peter putting his clothes back on. "Fun night? You two disappeared after dinner last night; did Neal whisk you away again? " She asked with a smile. "No we just had some wine in the living room and I gave him a massage because he was sore then he must have brought me up here at some point because I know we fell asleep downstairs. What did Neal's ex want from him now?" Peter asked very curious at that point.
Rushing down the stairs in a pair of sweatpants Neal found Gabe carried a large yellow envelope with a large bulge in the bottom of it that held the distinct outline of two pearl necklaces. "You are amazing, thanks for doing this on such short notice and on a holiday also I really owe you big time if you come into the city after all this passes I'll take you out to dinner," Neal offered. Gabe nodded his head. "That sounds like a fair trade now answer me this, who's the old guy watching us from upstairs?"He asked motioning his head toward Peter. "Oh that's Peter he's what Dante has named my FBI squeeze, you met his wife Elizabeth already," Neal remarked as he tried to get Gabe to walk toward the door. Freezing in place as Neal attempted to push him out the door. "You mean to tell me you're sleeping with the guy who arrested you… twice? Does he know what you're up to?" he asked as Neal got his footing and pushed him out the door. "I mean it doesn't take a genius to figure out what you're up to Neal," Gabe added as he was pushed across the threshold of the doorway.
Chuckling uneasily Neal looked for any signs of Peter before speaking. "He doesn't know, and I would like to keep him in the dark so you can avoid going back to prison; by the way how did you figure it out anyway?" Neal asked as he stopped pushing Gabe to his car. "Well like I said it doesn't take a genius, I got suspicious when you said you needed pearls that could pass for ones on a fifty thousand dollar necklace, so I did a little digging and I found the Gem of the galaxy a seven carat rare blue with a purple tint sapphire set on a silver pendant and surrounded by twelve diamonds on a string of pearls. When I was sure that was what you were after I also remembered your M.O. when you steal paintings you like to leave a forgery in its place hence one pearl necklace, the other one I'm at a loss for but I won't ask you to go into details," Gabe said as his pulled his keys from his pocket.
"That Burke seems like a good guy, just think about that when you go after that necklace… he's an FBI agent first and your lover second; he won't hesitate to throw you back in prison. Well I have to be going, I'll see you around Neal, and good luck with this you're going to need it," Gabe remarked as he got into his car and drove off. Neal looked at the envelope in his hand for a moment before he walked back inside and up the stairs where he walked by Peter and barely acknowledged him as he walked into his room and locked the door behind him.
Peter was instantly curious but before he could put his ear to the door he was dragged into the guestroom by Elizabeth under the premise it was time to dress for the day and offer their help to make Thanksgiving dinner. Not wanting to start an argument Peter dressed and went downstairs as he kept an eye out for Neal while he washed and peeled potatoes. There were so many people in the kitchen that no one noticed Neal was missing from dinner preparations.
Neal walked into the kitchen an hour later and moved seamlessly into a job of making the stuffing with his mother, Peter wanted to interrogate Neal until he told him everything but he never got the chance since it seemed Neal had been doing his best to avoid the other man by staying across the kitchen from him and taking the longer cooking jobs that required his full attention. By noon the food that needed to be put in the ovens were stacked in and the cooking process began, with an hour window before the rest of the guests arrived everyone decided to take a break on the patio off of the kitchen.
Grabbing a chair close to Neal, who had taken to sitting alone in the corner, Peter watched him until he finally looked at him. "Can I help you with something?" Neal asked with a smirk as he reclined back a bit in his chair. "Well before everyone else gets here there are some things you should know. You know how my father's side of the family is a bit… lax when it comes to the law, well my mother's side is the complete opposite…in fact they don't know anything about my father's side of the family or what everyone really does for a living . Well except for me, having my face splashed all over the paper for my crimes made me look like the black sheep of the family in their eyes. So don't feel bad for me if they make comments or jokes. We all take it in stride knowing that we're better than them…my grandparents may have owned this house at first but they sold it my mother and father when they wanted a smaller place and my aunt is still sore about that after all these years," Neal remarked as he filled Peter in on the family history.
"So I assume that your mother's side knows nothing about… you know…" Peter was trying to find the right way to ask his question until he saw Neal smirk. "You mean that I'm bi… no they don't know that, my aunts might be more accepting of me as so my uncle but not my grandfather. If he knew he would shave my head and ship me off to the war before he would accept my sexual orientation. Even if they found out the worst that could happen would be that they already think I'm a screw up and deserve to be in prison," Neal remarked as he sighed and got up from his chair at his mother's call.
Peter followed a few minutes later and entered the dining room to find a new group of people he never met before, Neal pushed his way through the crowd and walked over to Peter. "I guess I should introduce you to everyone, this is my Aunt Rachel her husband Jacob, their kids Jackson and Rosalynn, and over here is my uncle Lee and Aunt Dawn and their triplets Chip, Jennie, Essie. You met my grandpa a couple days ago and this is my grandmother Sarah," Neal said as he introduced everyone. Peter shook hands with everyone before Neal introduced him. "Right everyone this is Peter, I work with him at the FBI, he's my hander and pretty good friend even though he does have a weird taste in food, clothing and hobbies," Neal said with a smile which was only returned by a few of the others.
"Burke, you must have had plans with your own family this holiday, instead of escorting my convict of a grandson here," Tobias remarked as he watched Neal closely as if he was waiting for him to steal from him. Peter resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the family. "I was actually invited by Neal and his family, so I'm fine with being here for the holidays and Neal is actually an ex-con, he's working the rest of his jail sentence off for the FBI as a certified consultant," Peter corrected bluntly not caring that he was talking back.
Neal slipped into the kitchen to avoid being seen as he smiled that his grandfather had finally been stood up to. Peter was amazing I'll have to remember to thank him later for that; he did something I was never brave enough to do… Neal thought as he helped bring out the three bowls of salad and rolls. Peter walked over and helped with one of the bowls, when their fingers brushed against each other Neal smiled. "Thanks…for helping with the bowl," Neal said softly thought he knew Peter understood what he was really thanking him for.
As everyone sat down Neal managed to wrangle the seat between Peter and Elizabeth. "Since Neal wasn't here for the last few years why don't you say grace honey?" Natasha said with a smile. Neal lowered his head and smirked as he gave Peter a sideways glance before he spoke *"Gentile signore, siamo qui riuniti per spezzare il pane e godere di questa festa, mentre siamo costretti a vedere i parenti che non possiamo stare e mangiare il cibo che ci fa grassi," around the table snickers broke out from Victor's side of the family, Natasha looked up at Neal her lips in a thin line. "I think we're going to have someone else try... Nick why don't you show us how it's done... the right way," Natasha grit out.
Nick smirked and looked at his brother *"Cher seigneur, je vous remercie pour cette fête, nous allons prendre, pour une fois que je mange quelque chose que je ne serai pas assis dans la salle de bains le reste de la nuit for, Amen." Nick said with a smirk as his family laughed. Victor looked at his sons, "Okay I think that's enough, now let's start eating," he said smirking as everyone started to eat.
Peter leaned over and looked at Neal, "care to explain what was said for those who don't speak Italian and French?" Peter whispered. Neal smirked "I'll tell you later," Neal whispered as he pushed his salad around his plate with his fork as he stroked the finger of his free hand against Peter's thigh for a moment before pulling away as he ate and acted as if nothing was happening.
When the salad was over Neal and Nick helped their mother bring out the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and other dishes. They both took their seats as Thanksgiving dinner and the conversations started. Peter watched Neal as he ate and talked art with Elizabeth he knew instinctively Neal was trying to apologize for keeping Peter to himself for the last two days. Elizabeth happily accepted the apology they talked about taking a trip to the museum together if Peter would let them. After a few minutes Tobias decided to talk about his favorite subject of putting his second oldest grandson down.
"Why do you have to be such a disappointment to your mother, why when I was your age I was enjoying a great career with a family of my own to take care of and what do you have… a felony record and a personal babysitter that has to miss the holidays with his own family to be here making sure you don't rob a museum; no offense Burke, I must apologize for my no good grandson… I always told my daughter her parenting skills were weak and I've always been a firm supporter of real punishment in prison. There's nothing like a good old fashion whipping to get the point across. I think parents should be allowed to give their kids a smack when they deserved it… my girls got spanked and look how they turned out… Neal never got punished and see what happed he became a criminal. In fact in my opinion he should have gotten a daily beating to set him straight, his job with you is too cushy… all that art and not doing any real work, white collar crimes aren't even dangerous," Tobias said as he drank some more beer.
Before anyone could respond Neal started to give a cold chuckled that would make anyone shiver as he stood up and looked across the table at his mother's father. "So you think my job is easy…in the last year and a half my girlfriend died, I lost my memory, was poisoned, kidnapped, sold as a white slave beaten and tortured for a month, raped, shot and I nearly died twice." Neal said as he slammed his hand on the table right on his wine glass shattering it under his hand and the glass cutting him as he squeezed the broken glass in anger and ignoring the pain.
"There are some days that I pray that Peter will send me back to prison so I can be safer than I am at my job… and I've shot and killed a man, so tell me grandpa just how cushy does that sound to you… because this is the final straw I'm not taking your shit about me any longer and guess what I love doing what I do… I'm proud that I was able to forge those bonds and get away with it… for a while. I love aging painting to match the original and forging maps and the occasional signature on a document. I love the rush it gives me when I get behind the wheel of a car I just conned out of someone's possession. And as a hobby I do this," Neal said as he pulled a wallet out of his pocket with his good hand, it was a light denim wallet that belonged to his uncle Jacob. "You really shouldn't leave this in your back pocket it's too easy to steal," he added as he tossed it across the table.
Peter stood up silently and wrapped Neal's hand in a cloth napkin; he knew Neal was in pain and that he was probably going to need stitches, so when he got into the kitchen he followed Neal's instructions to find the first aid kit. When he stood up Peter found Neal waiting for him on the patio sitting in a chez lounge chair keeping his head turned away from his injured hand. "That had to be the most amazing thing I've ever seen you do Neal," Peter remarked as he sat down and got the tweezers and some gauze to remove the larger shards of glass. Neal winced at the pain slightly "I lied just a bit; I don't really pray to go back to prison… at least not anymore, so Dr. Burke how bad does it look?" He asked with a playful smile as he became his old self again.
"I will say this Neal; you sure do know how to make the holidays more interesting, and I think you're going to need some stitches but not too many; and we should hurry we could end up waiting all night to see a doctor," Peter remarked as he cleaned up the first aid kit. Neal pulled his phone out and dialed a number and waited a couple rings. "Hello…Doctor Stone, it's Neal Caffrey… I need a few stitches, no I'm home for the holidays, yes… four hundred and a Degas… okay two Degas and a Monet, I'll be on the patio in back," Neal said before hanging up. Peter put the kit down and didn't even to bother asking any questions about the call. "Do you need anything else?" he asked looking the injury over once more.
Neal smirked "I want a kiss to make it better right here," Neal remarked tapping his lips with his finger. "Only because my kitten has a boo-boo" Peter replied as he leaned in and gave Neal a small kiss to make him feel better. "Much better, uh can you stay with me…? I know I'm going to have a shot to not feel the pain but needles make me nervous," Neal said softly as the doctor walked around the corner of the patio with his bag in hand. "You know the drill; hand out and eyes close," the doctor said as he pulled a needle out of his bag to inject the local anesthetic.
Keeping his injured handed tucked close to his body Neal shook his head as he thought of the needle being stuck into his skin, Peter sat down behind Neal and put his hand over his eyes. "Just think of something else I won't let you peek so let me hold your hand out," Peter remarked as he put Neal's injured right hand in his right hand held it out to the doctor.
Putting his head back Neal whimpered as he felt the needle pierce his skin. When his hand went numb Neal sighed and allowed Peter move his hand that was covering his eyes so he could look at the sky while the doctor worked on his hand. When the doctor was done he bandaged Neal's hand and left four hundred dollar richer. "I'm starving; do you think there is any white meat left? Neal asked as he and Peter made their way into the house, they walked back into the dining room and found everyone waiting for them so they could eat dinner.
After eating his fill Neal talked about some of his cons that he had already been charged for and knew he didn't have to worry about being arrested. Everyone hung on ever word as he went into detail. Peter smiled when Neal told them about how he sent a bottle of champagne to the FBI team that was watching him. When dinner was finally over and the pies and cakes were served. Neal took a break from his stories to let Peter have a chance to talk and answer questions. Neal got up from the table and favored his right hand a bit as he helped put the leftovers away when his brother walked in and shoed Neal away from the food and did the work for him. "You stood up to the Admiral, you deserve to relax and rest your hand," Nick remarked as he took the wooden spoon from him.
"So are you ever going to tell him what you really do for a living in Russia?" Neal asked with a smirk as he sat at the kitchen table. Nick looked over his shoulder. "Are you kidding I'd like to keep my family jewels right where they are not taken off with a shotgun," Nick remarked as he scooped the rest of the stuffing into a large bowl. Neal stopped the wine glass he was holding from reaching his lips. "That's a charming way to put it, it's nice to see your time in Russia hasn't changed you too much," Neal replied with a smirk.
"Oh please you don't have the stones to tell him your bi so don't try and judge me for not telling him I work for the Russian government," Nick said as he filled the sink with water. Neal smirked as he stood up and left his brother to do the dishes. Walking out of the kitchen Neal went into the grand sitting room where everyone was sitting and talking. Looking around the room Neal spotted Peter talking to his grandfather and making his way across the room Neal stood beside Peter "Burke can you excuse us for a minute I need to speak with my grandson," Tobias said as he looked over at his grandson.
Peter knew that it was important so he excused himself to find the desserts before they were put away. Neal watched Peter as he walked off and left him alone. "You know for years I pushed and pushed hoping you would be a man and fight back but you never did but now I'm happy to say that I'm glad you finally stood up for yourself and proved you're not a wimp…and you're less of a disappointment now," he added as he clapped his grandson hard on the shoulder.
Neal smiled weakly "There is actually one more thing I have to say, I…I… Nick works for the Russian government," Neal said spilling his brother's secret and not his own. "Just don't tell him I told you, I have to go do some things…" he added as he walked away and went to the kitchen to get a glass of wine. After pouring a glass of red wine Neal walked out to the patio and watched as his cousins' daughters were running and playing with the dogs. He smiled as he watched them play. Kate and I could have had all this at one point…it would have been nice, Neal thought as he thought about going to Central park and walking hand in hand as the kids laughed and played. What if had kids and they were…on the plane with Kate… Right at that moment Neal felt as if his heart was being shredded to bits at the thought of his nonexistent children being killed in the explosion.
Taking a step back Neal sat down on one of the chairs and looked at the wine in his glass. He was so lost in his own world he didn't even hear someone walk up beside him. "Here you are…Neal… Neal what's wrong?" Peter asked as he moved in front of Neal and sat across from him. "Neal you're crying…" he added as he cupped Neal's face in his hands and brushed the tears away with his thumbs. Reaching over Neal put the wine glass of the small table before he looked back into Peter's eyes. "I was just thinking about Kate…I was remembering our talk about kids, then this horrible thought crossed my mind… what if we had a child and my child was on that plane with her…" Neal said as fresh tears trailed down his cheeks. "I'll stay out here with you for a little while," Peter remarked as he moved his hands down and took Neal's hands in his and lifted them up and kissed his knuckles of them a couple times.
Neal smiled as Peter slowly released his hands and looked up when he heard someone clear their throat. "Oh…sir, you should know I was trying to tell you before when I spilled Nick's secret…" Neal said as he slowly stood up. Tobias held his hand up. "No need to explain your mother told us years ago after you ran away from home after your friend Gabe came looking for you when you didn't show up to school for three weeks," Tobias added as he looked at Peter "Burke…you may not be a military man but you have only one order, you keep my grandson from being a total screw up and try to keep him out of prison as best you can," Tobias said as he walked back inside. Peter smirked at his order. "He really doesn't know you very well does he," Peter remarked as he helped Neal to his feet and walked inside with him to talk to Neal's family some more.
As it got late the local guests headed home for the night and Neal said his goodbyes to everyone. He walked back into the kitchen and poured a new glass of wine before taking the bottle with him as he walked to the living room. As he sat on the large leather couch he sipped the wine in the dark room. Peter had gone to bed with his wife not long ago leaving Neal alone with thoughts. "You know your father told me when we first met that only men with guilty intentions drink wine in the dark, so going by his logic you must have some very guilty intentions especially if you plan on drinking that whole bottle of wine… do you want to talk about it?" Natasha asked as she sat down on the chair next to the couch. Neal looked at his mother.
"Not really, I know the risks of what could happen but I'm following some advice a wise woman once gave me…no matter what happens if you're following your heart then you've broken no laws, because matters of the heart are more important than anything else in the world," Neal said quoting his mother from when he was a child. Natasha stood up and shrugged her shoulders. "Alright then try to get some sleep soon sweetie," Natasha said as she kissed Neal on the forehead before leaving the living room. As she closed the door she walked toward the stairs to the second floor.
Shaking her head she looked at Peter at the bottom of the stairs "I'm sorry Peter I tried but he didn't want to talk at all, but I think he gave me a clue as to what he's up to, he repeated something I said to him when he was six about following his heart… so if we think in Neal logic then it might have something to do with Kate, who else has this much control over my son," Natasha said as she kept her voice down so as not to let Neal overhear her. Peter smirked, "I take it you weren't much of a fan of Kate?" Peter asked as he ascended the stairs with Natasha.
"Of course, I never trusted her I always thought she was up to something, I only met her twice and she acted nice but Peter you have to remember I'm a mother and a thief I know how to act to fool others and I know an act when I see one, I just wish my son wasn't so blind to her actions, now I will see you in the morning," Natasha said as she split away from Peter and walked down the hall to the master bedroom.
Peter stood there and sighed. How could I not see it…it's always Kate, it's always going to be Kate even when she's dead she still has her claws deep in Neal's heart, Peter thought as he made his way into the guest room and changed before climbing into bed. As he pulled his blankets up and put his arm around his wife Peter felt his mind drift to thoughts of Neal what Kate had to do with Neal's recent actions. Sleep didn't come easy but after hours of tossing and turning it finally came to Peter.
By three in the afternoon Peter woke up with a small groan, he looked around as he sat up. Right away Peter noticed his bag was on the bed and halfway packed for him. Changing his clothes quickly he went downstairs and found Neal sitting at the kitchen table sipping a glass of water. "Neal, we we're supposed to leave two hours ago, where is Elizabeth?" Peter asked looking around the kitchen. Neal smiled as he looked up from the paper, "Elizabeth took the train home already, she got a call early this morning a bride was on the war path about the roses or something like that, so Elizabeth left around six and she took Satchmo with her she also said you were having trouble sleeping and that I should let you sleep as long as possible. So I did and your sense of time must be way off since its three in the afternoon Peter you've been out like a light all day," Neal remarked as he stood up from where he was sitting.
"We should get going then," Peter said trying to get his sense of time back to normal. Neal smiled "I'm packed and ready I'm just waiting for you Muffin," Neal said as he walked past Peter and kissed his cheek. After a rush job of packing Peter dragged his bags to the front door where he found Neal waiting for him dressed like an average guy not an ex conman. "You look good…what's the occasion?" Peter asked with a smile, Neal froze for a second thinking Peter was on to him; quickly he covered his worry with a smile. "I like to dress down when I'm traveling on the train is all; we should get going though we wouldn't want to get home too late," Neal said as he opened the door for the driver who took their bags and held the car door open for them.
Peter got into the car and watched Neal climb in; when they arrived at the train station they rushed to the platform and got onto the train as it arrived. The train car was quite full forcing Peter and Neal to stand by the far doors of the car that didn't open at the platform. Neal could swear that someone was copping a feel but before he could speak he felt Peter pull him dangerously close and his grip tightening on him, for a moment he swore he heard Peter growl protectively though at the same time the brakes squealed.
The train arrived at Grand Central on time and by the time they fought their way through the throng of people Neal fixed his grip on his bag as he walked up the stairs with Peter to the cab stop. "Peter I'm going to catch a cab and head home, I've got to get ready for work on Monday. I'll call you later I promise," Neal said as he hailed a cab, he knew that he only had an hour to get to the docks. He looked back at Peter with a smile as he got into the cab and told the driver where to go. After fighting city traffic the cab pulled up to the docks and after paying the driver Neal got out of the cab and pulled his jacket close to him as he walked to the docks and sat on the bench and waited.
"Cutting it close Neal? I don't usually work with people who are tardy, now come walk with me…" Vincent said as he started to walk down the small wharf. Hitching his bag on his shoulder Neal followed behind him like a loyal dog, "I've been kind enough to give you this meeting so I could make sure you weren't going to back out on me… if you tried to back out then you never will find out what happened to Kate," Adler said as he turned around and looked at Neal. "Here you go, this is the address of the residence and I want the necklace as soon as it's out of the museum," he said as he pulled a card out of his breast pocket and handed it to his former protégé. "If you try to turn me into the FBI you might just end up with a bullet in your pretty little head like that drug dealer, I think you know who I'm talking about… well I must be going now," Adler said as he waved his car over and got in and took off.
Just incase everyone is curious to know what nick and neal said at thanksgiving dinner
Neal: (Italian ) *Dear lord, we are gathered here to break bread and enjoy this feast while we are forced to see relatives that we can not stand and eat food that makes us fat.
Nick(French)*Dear lord, thank you for this feast we are about to eat, for once I'm eating something that I will not be sitting in the bathroom the rest of the night for, Amen.