"Neal, I know you're in there. Open the door."

"Well, I'm trying to decide if I really want to open the door or if I'm just considering it because I think you need me to open the door."

"Neal, please open the door, I want to talk to you." He heard the lock disengage and Neal's footfalls as he walked away.

Neal was taking his usual seat at the small dining table, going back to his coffee and breakfast as Peter shut the door behind him.

Peter walked toward Neal stopping awkwardly in the middle of the room. "I, uh, was wrong and I'm sorry." He had decided that it would be best to get straight to the point.

Neal turned to him. He looked tired under the stony facade he was giving Peter. "Thank you for stopping by to apologize. I'd offer coffee, but I know you're on your way to work and wouldn't want to be late." He smiled his best 'fake smile' at Peter and went back to his coffee.

"I know this is going to make me sound like a complete... after everything, but you wouldn't have unlocked the door if you weren't going to forgive me."

Neal's stiff posture lapsed. "Peter," he sounded tired, "I knew I was going to forgive you the second I left the house the other night. I just need to be angry for a little while, okay?"

"You have the right to feel however you want to feel for as long as you need to feel it." Neal gave him a doubting look. "I read that somewhere," Peter was a little embarrassed by the admission.

"Well, when I'm done feeling my feelings," Neal turned in his seat, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he spoke, "I think we need to talk about changing a few of the parameters of our relationship."

Peter nodded, "Of course, I know I need to...?"

"Peter, I love you and who you are. I don't need you to change anything."

"Me, too. But for you. You don't have to change anything. I love you too."

Neal smiled at him, a real one this time, causing Peter to chance taking a few steps closer, coming into a crouch in front of Neal, "Peter, I'm not going back to the bureau."

"What? We love working together."

"How are you ever going to trust me, the real me," Neal put a hand on his heart, "if you have to spend half your life watching me lie?"

"That's work, you're undercover. You've seen me undercover." Neal huffed at him and Peter felt his hackles rise. He was good undercover, maybe not Neal good, but...

"Are you saying that the fact that you watch me lie my way into people's businesses, homes, lives every day has no effect on how you view me? That sometimes you're not going to wonder where the lies stop and the truth begins?"

"I can't say that," Peter leaned in to catch Neal's eyes as they fell from his face, "but I can try to keep the 'work Neal' and 'home Neal' separate and when I try and fail you can kick me in the shins and tell me try harder."

"It won't work Peter, Kate and I tried, but in the end all we did was con and manipulate each other. Mostly because that what we thought the other one was doing."

"We are not you and Kate."

"And we are not you and El. We have to find something in the middle that works for both of us. We don't have to live totally separate home and work lives, but I don't think we can make it, if I go back to the bureau."

Peter wanted to argue the point, but maybe Neal was right. He'd been so easily thrown by Kramer's remarks because there was a part of him that knew what Neal could do to people; how easy it was to fall under Neal's thrall.

Peter went down to his knees, "So you're going to work for Sterling?"

Neal quirked his head to the side, "Have you been watching me or did Moz rat me out?"

Peter winced, "All of the above and I, uh, spoke with Sara."

Neal's face went distant and let out a slow breath, "I guess that means I have Sara to thank for you being here."

"Maybe a little, but I like to think I would have figured it out on my own eventually." Peter said shrugging his shoulders.

Neal's hands came to cup his face, "I like to think so, too."

Peter leaned in to the touch, "Are you still too angry for me to give you a kiss?"

Instead of answering him, Neal just brought his face closer and gave him a soft, forgiving kiss.

Epilogue:

"It's bigger than the bullpen."

"I know it's great!" Neal enthused, "And there's a bar behind those shutters and a private bath. And, when I say bath, I mean it has a bathtub, a shower and a closet full of clothes." Neal was pointing out features as he presented the office of Sterling-Bosch's newest Consultant.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You were slumming it with the FBI."

Neal smiled at him magnanimously, "I had other benefits at the bureau that took higher priority."

"Yeah, crappy coffee and a broken chair. I can't believe you left."

Neal came to him, circling his arms around Peter's waist, "You want to know the best part?" Peter arched his brows as he nodded. "My door locks, I have the only key and my desk is very sturdy."

"Neal, we are not making out in your office." Neal started swaying in his arms and Peter allowed him to start moving them toward the desk. "Peter, do you really think that with an office like this that I only want to make out on the solid mahogany desk that they imported from Italy just for me?"

Peter sat, when he felt the edge of the desk hit the back of his thighs, "I should have known working for Sterling would be bad for your ego."

"Oh, to the contrary, plying me with all these perks because they're afraid I'll leave has been very damaging to my ego and it is in severe need of some stroking." Neal had leaned down as he spoke, whispering the last word into Peter's ear.

"I thought we were doing this to keep our work-life and our home-life separate."

"We are -they are totally separate." Neal said shrugging the jacket off his shoulders. "Except you are sitting on the file for my first case and we'll need some FBI help, but we'll talk about that later."

Peter looked around for any tell-tell signs that the room was monitored by a security camera. "I already checked, Peter. No recording devices of any kind. After all we want the customers of Sterling-Bosch to be feel they can be honest when filing claims, without the fear that their statements will come back to haunt them." Neal said between the light kisses he was brushing along Peter's cheek as he spoke. It was so distracting that Peter hadn't noticed that Neal's hands were busy unbuttoning his shirt, until they were halfway up his chest.

Peter surprised Neal by wrapping his arms around him and pulling him flush. "Okay, but just this once to celebrate your new job and your first case." Neal voice was full of mischief, his eyes open and light as his lips came to Peter's and he whispered, "I like that plan."

the end.