"I'm afraid we have some bad news." The voice of their prime suspect came over the speaker from the wire, addressing Neal.

"What do you mean, Sir?" Neal asked politely. Peter cursed under his breath.

"Get out of there, Caffrey," he muttered. "C'mon, I know you know something's off."

But Neal didn't heed the unheard advice.

"Well, we have discovered some... discrepancies in your story, Mr Ellis," Davids said. "Or rather, Mr Caffrey."

Peter swore again. "His cover's blown," he said over the radio, standing up and preparing to leave. Several things then happened in rapid succession.

"Copy, Agent Burke," the team waiting outside said. "Do we go in?"

"I can explain," Neal said over the radio at the same time, a hint of fear behind his placating tone.

"No more lies," Davids hissed. There was the sound of a gun cocking.

"Yes," Peter shouted. "Get in there now!" He opened the van doors and a gunshot echoed from the speaker and the building. His heart skipped a beat. Neal.

Peter burst out of the van and ran toward the building, seeing with slight comfort that the police were already getting up there.

"Neal!" He called.

"In here," came the slightly weak response. Peter came into the room to see Davids and his assistant being cuffed. His eyes darted to the wall and his shoulders practically sagged with relief. Neal was there, sitting on the floor with his head against the wall and his eyes closed, slightly pale but largely unharmed.

"You alright?" Peter asked. Neal nodded slightly and Peter offered the conman a hand and helped him to his feet. Once Neal was standing, Peter's gaze was caught by a bullet embedded centimeters from where the consultant's head was. His jaw clenched and anger filled him.

"Are you guys okay from here?" Peter looked to the nearest man. He nodded.

"Yeah, we got it," he said.

"Nice work," another officer added to Neal.

"You, too," Neal said, flashing a smile. A third man clapped Neal on the shoulder. Peter nodded to them and carefully whisked Neal away before he could get caught up in the post-op congratulations fest. He was happy to see people outside the bureau appreciating Neal for once, but he and the consultant had things to discuss.

Silently, Peter got into the surveillance van and waited for Neal to do the same. Staring the ignition, Peter glanced over to see Neal's hands shake minutely as he fastened his seatbelt; his anger deepened.

"What is wrong with you, Caffrey?" Peter growled.

"What?" Neal looked over, confusion written across his face, still slightly pale.

"You don't even get it, do you?" Peter turned a corner, exasperated.

"Get what?"

"You didn't follow my directions to get out at the first sign of trouble, Caffrey, and you almost died because of it," Peter's voice raised in volume until he was shouting. Neal winced slightly, but his tone was defensive and placating in one breath.

"It didn't seem like it was going to go downhill that fast," Neal said evenly. "I didn't want to jeopardize your op after all the effort you put into it." Peter glanced at him again and he felt frustration pour through him as he saw Neal's earnest expression.

"Are you really that stupid?" Peter demanded harshly. "Do you really think the op is more important than your life?" His hands clenched on the steering wheel.

"I don't know," Neal admitted in a quiet voice. Peter looked over and saw the conman looking out the window, his posture stiff. Instantly regret flooded through Peter and he let out a breath.

"Neal, I'm sorry," Peter said. "I- I shouldn't have yelled, but when I heard that shot I honestly thought..."

"I thought so, too," Neal said, almost looking at Peter but finding the dashboard instead. "It was the closest I've come in a while." He shrugged. "I just... I didn't want to let you down."

Peter's chest tightened slightly and he sighed. "You haven't let me down yet," he said gently, "so stop worrying so much about it."

Neal finally looked up, his eyes holding something like vulnerable curiosity. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, I do." Peter half-smiled and Neal beamed at him. Looking much less pale and much more like himself, the consultant proceeded to try to switch on the radio and Peter swatted his hand away. Neal was like a kid in that way, bouncing back from things so quickly.

"Same rules apply here as in my car," Peter said, raising an eyebrow.

"Even after we just had a moment?" Neal pleaded with a puppyish expression.

"It was not a moment, Caffrey. What are you, a twelve-year-old girl?" Peter's eyes showed that he didn't mean it, and Neal shrugged cheerfully.

"Don't think so," he said. "Sorry to disappoint." Peter shook his head, amused. There was a moment of more comfortable silence.

"By the way, I'm supposed to invite you to dinner. Elizabeth needs your 'palate' again."

"I'll be there," Neal said, grinning brightly. Peter rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling back.

"Let's see if we can make it till then with no more near-death incidents, okay?" The agent requested.

"I'll try," Neal said with a smirk. Peter raised an eyebrow in mock-threat.

"You'd better."