/* Thursday */

Neal woke up early the next morning and something felt odd. It took him a while to realize that he felt well rested, probably for the first time within the last 4 months. There hadn't been any nightmares or rolling around sleeplessly. This was definitely a good start to the day on which he was about to seize an undercover mission. Yes, it felt odd, but not bad, not bad at all.

The consultant called Sara on his way to Federal Plaza. He remembered Peter mentioning that she hadn't wanted him on the case. Now, he was going to find out why.

His former girlfriend was pleasantly surprised by the call. She made no secret of her original intentions. "There's a good reason for keeping you off the case. I don't want you to get hurt. Granted, no one would be more qualified for this undercover job than you. But you're still recovering. That's why I want to keep you off this case – and I mean it. Stay off, please!"

Neal sighed in frustration. "Let me guess ... Peter called to tell you that I've bitten off more than I can chew. Dangerous criminals. Guns. Starving and miserable consultant. Take it slow. One step at a time. Did I forget anything?"

Sara felt uncomfortable. "I understand your anger. You still feel betrayed and have every right in the world to do so. It's hard to rebuild trust. I'm not exactly an expert on relationships or trust matters in general myself. Frankly, I'm worried about you. Needless to say, as the woman you have proposed to, I'm entitled to worry."

Neal could hear her smile across the 3,500 miles separating them. She went on. "Are you really able to face the risks and dangers involved in this mission? Probably, Peter got caught up in confusion about this as well as I did."

Her fake fiancée affirmed there was no need to worry; he was fit and well. Before she ended the call, Sara appealed to Neal once more. "Call me if you need help. If you should realize you're in over your head, I'll be there to help. I'm not saying this will happen, just if."

Neal felt strangely touched by her clumsy attempt to, hmm, do what exactly? Talk him out of it? Support him?

Neal arrived early at the Bureau. Peter wasn't in yet, but Hughes was. Which was just perfect, since the conman had planned to have a private conversation with his handler's boss. He didn't waste any time and headed over to Hughes' office.

Half an hour later, he was wearing a smug smile as he walked over to the conference room with Hughes. Mission accomplished! Peter wouldn't be amused. Neal didn't want to miss out on all the fun when Hughes broke the good news to his handler.

Peter was busy setting up the job ahead with the team. His boss declared the meeting closed and asked everyone except the senior agent to leave the office. Neal was waiting outside, leaning against the wall. Although he couldn't hear anything through the closed door, the visual impression he got was quite revealing. His handler was royally pissed off, pulling a wry face when his boss left.

"Neal, conference room! Now."

The consultant casually entered the room and flopped into a chair. He stared into Peter's eyes with a steadfast gaze, full of defiance.

Burke didn't hold back. "I don't believe this. You went behind my back to coax Hughes. Congratulations, you can be proud of yourself. Obviously, you convinced him that Jones doesn't know enough about art or con tricks to do the undercover job. Fortunately, you speak Russian as well. So, this job is yours! Well done! I hope you don't get more than you bargained for. Still, I don't get it ... Why do you want this assignment so badly? Tell me!"

Neal wasn't willing to confide the truth. Probably, his handler's only concern would be to serve justice and send Mozzie to prison for the alleged crimes involved in the operation. Trusting a Fed is like eating glass. If you don't like the taste of your own blood, you should refrain from doing so. Hence, he gave a non-committal answer.

"You were right. I think it's about time to resume my former life. I can't hide inside this office forever."

Peter shook his head. "Cut the crap. There's more behind that. I know you. This mission is dangerous already, even without my CI pursuing a hidden agenda. You need to trust me on this; otherwise, it's going to be hard to protect you out there." He sounded pleading and resigned at the same time.

Neal just shrugged his shoulders, rubbing the scar on his forehead absentmindedly as he stared at the table. His handler recognized defeat. "Ok then! Let's get started. We have a lot to plan if we want to make this work. 'Work' meaning arresting the bad criminal and letting the good CI come out unharmed." Eventually, named CI flashed a faint smile.

The complete team spent the day making the necessary preparations. Neal slipped smoothly back into the role of the CI going undercover. When Diana asked him to join her for lunch, he realized in astonishment that he felt actually hungry. He persuaded her to go to a sushi bar in downtown instead of grabbing a tasteless sandwich from the shop across the street.

After work, Neal had taken a shower and was sitting in his apartment still shirtless, reading intel on Orlov. Suddenly the door was pushed open and someone stormed in. "Where is he? Even more important, where is my painting?"

The ex-criminal was stunned. "Alex! I'm pleased to see you again, too, after all this time. Thanks for asking. I'm fine. How are you?"

She didn't come to exchange courtesies. "Cut it out, Caffrey! I've given a prized icon painting to Mozzie. He wanted to pay me off today. Only, he's not taking my calls. Where is he? But first of all, get dressed!"

Alex didn't show her dismay. She couldn't remember the handsome man being all skin and bones ever before, not to mention those scars on this chest. What a shame! Reminiscing, she smiled at the pleasant memory of Neal's well-toned body. Both of them had shared some pretty pleasurable experiences, on and off. She wasn't a particularly caring person, but she hoped with all her heart and soul that he would get his act together. It would be too bad to lose him.

Neal had known Alex for too long to be offended by her bluntness and put on a shirt. "Sorry, I didn't expect visitors. Otherwise, I would have postponed my shower. Maybe you would have been interested in joining me? It has been a while, hasn't it?" He smiled teasingly at her.

"No thanks. Business before pleasure. Once again, in plain terms: Where is Mozzie? Where is my money?"

Neal got serious. "I don't know. I've been looking for him too. I'm afraid he might have gotten into trouble."

Alex confirmed his concerns. Furthermore, she told him some details regarding Mozzie's business partners. They seemed to be ruthless and determined. Before she left, she hugged Neal, who in turn promised to call her as soon as he found Mozzie.

AN:
Here's the next chapter. I am very, very glad that larura has volunteered to beta read. Thanks to her, this chapter can be read without having a rash breakout from grammar and spelling errors.

I'm so excited that still so many of you keep up with the story!