One of the Best
Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to Jeff Eastin and USA Network.
A/N: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for all the reviews! I am glad you are liking the story.
Chapter 5
Peter and Elle were sitting at their dining room table eating Elle's delicious home-cooked lasagna. The hospital food was just not setting well with either of them, so they had been spending more time at home so Elle could cook after both of them got off work.
"So, what's our cover story going to be?"
Elle broached the subject she had wanted to discuss all afternoon after savoring a bite of her lasagna.
"We need a cover?"
Peter seemed a bit startled at the question.
"Honey, Neal's going to start asking questions. We have to come up with a good story that's believable."
Peter was really confused; why on earth would they need a cover story?
"Why don't we just tell him who he really is?"
Elle gave Peter her best you're-not-seriously-considering-doing-that-are-you look.
"Do you really want him to go back to a life of crime? Are you planning on telling him that he's a notorious art thief who led you on a wild goose chase for years before you caught him? Are you going to tell him that he spent almost four years in jail before he escaped only to have you catch him again and send him back to prison? That definitely won't encourage him to trust you. He looks at you as the enemy right now. He sees you as a cop; not a friend."
"So, to encourage him to trust me, I should lie to him about who he is? I won't do that Elle. Neal is who he is, we can't just change him. All I asked of him after he was released into my custody was not to look for Kate and what did he do? He goes looking for Kate. He didn't even try to change. I gave him a great opportunity and he tries to blow it right away. I know he doesn't remember any of this, but it doesn't qualify him for a get-out-of-jail-free card for a new life Elle. He's still the FBI's responsibility for three more years. We can't just turn him into a regular citizen; there are still consequences."
"I know that Peter, but he's not Neal and we can't keep pretending he is. This accident has made him a different person. He doesn't even know us! Dr. Worthington said his memory may never come back. Do you really want to remind him who he is so he remembers Kate, prison and all the drama with Mentor and the plane explosion? No! I won't let you. He finally has a chance for a normal life."
"Elle, this isn't normal! Having amnesia isn't normal! Having a tracking anklet and being restricted to a two mile radius IS NOT NORMAL. THERE IS NO NORMAL FOR NEAL!"
Peter's voice had risen significantly, and Elle felt challenged to meet his decibel level.
"Peter, you're NOT LISTENING to me! THERE IS NO NEAL! He doesn't exist anymore. The only thing left is a shell of a man who thinks I'm his mother, and you're a cop! DOES THAT SOUND LIKE NEAL? He's confused and he's scared. Who wouldn't be in that situation? He needs to know that we are there for him no matter what, and then actually be there. Do you want him to dwell on the past while he's stuck in a hospital bed unable to do anything about it because you thought it was noble to bring up all his past indiscretions? This is not the time to bring up his past, Peter! We need to concentrate on his future!"
As much training and experience as Peter had as an FBI agent, it was completely useless when arguing with his wife; they rarely ever fought, but when they did Elle was a woman on a mission, and not even what Peter considered to be clear, logical thinking was going to get in her way.
Neal was Neal even if he didn't remember anything at the moment, and he was going to be Neal again; Peter was certain. Neal just needed time to recover.
"Elle, look at me."
He waited until she lifted her eyes to his, grimacing at the sparks shooting out at him.
"What if he remembers? What if we've created this new persona and all of the sudden he remembers? He will never trust us again if he figures out we lied to him about who he is! Even if he doesn't remember who he is right now he has certain…tendencies, he…he may not understand them or even know why he feels that way, but Neal is Neal, he just he won't fit anywhere…anywhere normal as you want to put it."
Elle was at that moment remembering that she had married a stubborn ox and that at times he really made her mad.
"Peter, I love you to death, but you're an FBI agent. You look at the world as an FBI agent and you see the worst in people. You see a criminal and that's all you can see. What if this is Neal's chance to change but you won't let him?"
Peter was not letting her comment go this time, he'd had enough.
"You never think anything positive about me, do you? If you'd seen what I've seen after all these years on the job, you'd have a different perspective. Besides, I gave Neal a chance, didn't I? He's proven he can be an asset to the department. I don't expect him to change his stripes; I don't expect him to live a normal life. He's never going to change; it's who he is! Elle, he flat out lied to Sara on his polygraph test, and yet somehow he passed it! What does that tell you? He needs boundaries and restrictions like his anklet because he CAN'T BE TRUSTED!
Peter regretted the words as soon as he said them, because they weren't completely true. Neal was just so slippery that while Peter really was trying to trust him it seemed every time he turned around there seemed to be some new complication in Neal's unauthorized search for Kate (and now her killer.) Peter knew that no matter what Neal would fall for the temptation. Sara had proven that when she had Neal arrested for possession of stolen evidence from the FAA, and Peter had to talk Sara out of pressing charges. Neal was never going to learn. Even though Kate was gone and Neal didn't remember anything, Peter still couldn't bring himself to believe that Neal could really change enough to lead the normal life that Elle so desperately wanted him to have.
Elle, however, was not so willing to forgive Peter for his comment and lashed out at him.
"You are so two-faced Peter Burke! You are so concerned with your career and the risk you took getting Neal out of prison, and then you act like you are so noble because you did. You only look at him as an asset, something you can use. Can't you see that Neal wants to trust you, and he wants you to trust him? Working together has been the best thing that has ever happened to either of you! Are you really that dense? Can't you tell he was trying to change? Neither of us are perfect either, Peter!"
Peter could see the fire raging inside of Elle, and it was definitely not the romantic type. He had only seen her angry like this once or twice, and knew she wouldn't stop until she had told him what she really thought, so he remained quiet.
"What, nothing to say?"
Elle waited to see if Peter would dignify her comment with a response. He didn't.
"What are you going to do now that he is of no value to you? He obviously can't help you recover stolen artifacts or paintings anymore. He can't pull off any undercover stints in his condition; much less walk anywhere in the near future. What is he worth to you now? What use could you possibly have for someone who has no criminal intuition anymore? Is that a sign for you to just dump him back in prison because his inability to complete any assignment is a violation of your precious agreement? What other choice does he have? I'm sure you could arrange it so that he could have his physical therapy back in prison."
Elle was being overly sarcastic, but couldn't help herself. She stopped to take a deep breath. Peter didn't say a word.
"Don't you see Peter? Neal's a blank slate ready to be filled with love, friendship and family. Maybe that's what was missing before and why he chose a life of crime! Think about it! We have a chance to change his life!"
Elle looked over at Peter's face; she didn't think her reasoning had any effect on him whatsoever, and before he could stop her she grabbed her jacket and purse and disappeared out the front door. She needed to be alone.
##
Peter watched Elle grab her jacket and purse and run out the door, leaving him to clean up the dishes. He wanted to go after her, but he wasn't ready to apologize; he was still convinced he was on the right side of this argument. He cleaned up the dishes with a little more banging and clanging than necessary. It wasn't fair! He had been thinking about Neal, it's all he had been doing for the last few weeks since Neal had been injured. How dare Elle insinuate that he hadn't been thinking about what was best for Neal! And what did she mean, by 'you're an FBI agent…you see the worst in people. You see a criminal and that's all you can see'.If he really saw the worst in Neal, why would he go to such great lengths to get him released from prison, befriend him, and try to model law-abiding behavior to show Neal that it was better to solve cases the FBI way, than to go off half-cocked like he usually did. What on earth was wrong with that?
Sometimes he just didn't understand Elle, and she obviously didn't understand him; it seemed like she didn't even try and that made him mad. Peter felt his control slipping just like it had when Fowler had gotten a search warrant on Elle's business and was ransacking the place. He felt helpless and wanted to be mad at someone; currently that person was Elle. He saw a pen lying on the table that Elle had used earlier to compose their grocery list for the week. He had asked Elle to pick up some more pot roast when she went to the store, and they were having a great conversation over dinner until Elle brought up the cover story idea. That was, without a doubt, the most outrageous idea she had ever come up with. He picked up the pen and hurled it toward the front door where he had last seen Elle. He was trying to relieve his frustration and anger at her; it didn't help. He heard a woof and realized he had nailed Satch with the pen. He walked over to the dog, apologized, and scratched him behind the ears.
"You know Satch, sometimes women are just trouble, they don't think things through and yet I'm the one that always gets in trouble for it."
Satch woofed his agreement, and followed Peter to the couch anticipating a nice long tummy rub.