Hello hello!
Thank you all for letting me know what you think and I am SO glad that you don't feel the same way. I was seriously doubting myself and so I think I kind of got demotivated a little (please, please, please JodynnLynn, do NOT take this as an attack or whatever! Like I said, I REALLY DO value you leaving your thoughts!).
And of course: Thank you SO much for the reviews!
Back to the story: this chapter picks up right where we left off. I've included the previous chapter's last paragraph to refresh your memories.
Please review!
Soph
Sara smiled at his ever remaining deviousness. Even if it could, she didn't want him to get rid of it. It was a part of him and she wanted it. She just needed to trust that he wouldn't use it against her. It surprised her that she almost could.
She didn't need much convincing and they soon picked up where they left off.
It was practically thirty seconds later that they were interrupted by the clearing of one's throat, "Clearly, the talk went well?"
The seconds that followed where those filled with awkward throat clearing and the readjusting of clothes and selves.
Sara cleared her throat, shot a quick – almost apologetic - smile towards Mozzie and turned around to continue filling the coffee machine's water reservoir.
"I was just about to make coffee, want some?"
"No, thank you, some of us have actually been up and running for more than an hour."
Neal and Sara eyed each other sideways, a meaningful look full of mischief being exchanged as they interpreted Mozzie's words their own way.
"Ugh, gross." Mozzie waved disapprovingly at the look.
"What's in the bag, Moz?" Neal asked, ignoring Mozzie's reaction and changing the subject.
Mozzie walked over the island and poured the contents of the bag on the table: Passports. Two, to be precise.
"Your new ID's, my finest work yet, this year. If I may say so," Mozzie took a moment to raise his eyebrows and grin in self-satisfaction. He handed the passports to their new respective owners.
"They will sort of," he emphasized his words with an estimating gesture of his hands, "tell you where we are."
Neal took a look at his new ID and raised his eyebrow questioningly at Mozzie, "Adam Deklan?"
Upon hearing Neal's new ID and reading her own new name, Sara gave a slight chuckle, "Evangeline Pira," she stated, and she too, gave Mozzie an amused look.
"Very subtle, Moz," Neal couldn't help but smirk at the ways his friends' mind works.
"Considering the circumstances, I thought it was appropriate," Mozzie explained and shrugged, taking in their amusement with an appreciating half smile.
"Please don't tell me you're Prometheus?" Neal asked hesitantly, kind of dreading the answer.
"No, I'm Bob," Mozzie said as a matter of factly, "when you don't let Suits into your life, what is hidden will remain hidden."
"I still don't know where we are," Sara brought up, "Last time I checked we were still on Earth, but nowhere near Parnassus."
"True," Mozzie agreed, "but kinda false."
"Again with the riddles, Moz?" Neal's tone reflected the impatience he was feeling; he, too, was eager to know exactly where they were.
"We're on Isle Corycian, and as you may or may not know: The Corycian Nymphs were the sea maidens of the Cor-"
"Of the Corycian Cave of Mount Parnassus," Neal finished with a nod as he realized Mozzie's train of thoughts.
Mozzie pointed a finger at Neal, impressed by how quick he caught on, "Exactly."
"So… where exactly is Isle Corycian?" Sara asked
"Somewhere between the Seychelles and Madagascar."
Both Neal and Sara's eyes popped a little at that. It was one thing to know you were away from home, it was another thing to know just exactly how far away you were.
Sara swallowed hard, "Wow…that's…"
"Far," Neal finished for her with the same blank, but almost terrified, look on his face.
"What?" Mozzie said defensively, "You both knew this was happening, you were there!"
"Relax, Moz, we're just getting used to the idea, that's all."
"Well, you were used to it just two hours ago, is all I'm saying."
He was right, they knew that. Plus, they had said goodbye to their old lives and had welcomed their new ones. But why did longing seem to pinch at their hearts? A longing for something that wasn't here; a home?
Neal didn't want to think about that. This was his home now. A deserted, pinhead Island somewhere in the Indian Ocean, thousands of miles away from New York. From Peter and Elizabeth. June. The FBI.
Neal ignored the dark shadow slowly creeping over his heart and decided to change the subject again, "So, Deklan and Pira, I understand. Adam and Evangeline?"
"Uhm, hello? Forbidden fruit? It's what got us here."
"Right."
Mozzie put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out a small stack of something in a brown envelope, "of course, Adam and Evangeline have credit cards, bank accounts, discount passes to their favorite stores and library passes."
He poured out the envelope's content on the island as well and gave Neal and Sara their new plastic lives. They took them over, hesitantly, but curious. Neal impressed and Sara, again, in awe.
"I must agree," Neal said, "definitely your finest work yet, this year," Neal sounded impressed.
"Thank you. And I, too, must agree."
"Does this mean we can… go out? Shopping? Go see people? Live?" Though Sara had intended for her words to come sarcastically, she couldn't entirely remove the hopeful undertone.
Neal gave a smile at the way she asked the questions, but soon refocused on Mozzie, waiting for him to answer.
Mozzie decided to keep them on edge just a little while longer while his glance continuingly changed between Neal's expectant gaze and Sara's.
"Mozzie!"
"Moz!"
"Alright, alright! Yes, you may live your lives. Carefree, might I add. You're welcome."
Sara couldn't stop the squeal that escaped from her throat and she quickly made her way to the other side of the island, where Mozzie was standing. She put her hand under his chin and placed a quick peck on his cheek, "Thank you!"
Neal watched the scene happen in front of him; Sara swiftly turned around and continued for their bedroom, giving Neal a quick wink in the process. He smiled back and shifted his attention to Mozzie, whose cheeks were left glowing and lips were left smiling. Though Mozzie was all but pleased when he had told him on the phone that Sara was coming along, Neal was glad to see that they were getting along again. Sara had told him they had a talk and Neal was glad: There was no way he could live in the middle of two of the most important people in his life, especially now.
Mozzie waited until Sara closed the bedroom door and then cleared his throat, "So, what are the plans with little miss Repo? You can take the boat if you need to…"
Neal narrowed his eyes, "When did you become the enabler of my relationship with Sara? Don't tell me there's another meaning to our new names?" Neal meant for the last sentence to be a joke, but somehow, actual concern slipped in his voice. Dealing with Mozzie could be tricky, the guy's mind had a life of it's own.
Mozzie chuckled, "Last time I checked there were still 7,047,217,517 people on this planet, and still growing by the second. I don't think you'll have to worry about that meaning."
For some reason, relief washed through him at those words and Neal shared a smile, "Well, I'm gonna need some cash, did you fence the jewelry yet?"
Mozzie nodded in reply, "you'll find all you need in the cabin, combination is Versailles, eight years ago."
Neal found himself grinning at the memories and gave his friend an impressed look, "good one," he complimented with a sideways tilt of his head.
"Thank you."
"Thanks, Moz," Neal gestured to the passport and his entire new identity as he started moving towards the bedroom, "you need anything from the mainland?"
Mozzie pulled one of the brown paper bags – that were still on the kitchen island – towards him, "no, I'm good for tonight," and he pulled out a bottle of wine and a book – well it was more an old leathered hard cover pressing the loose, yellow papers together.
Neal gave a final nod adios and continued after Sara, towards their bedroom.
"That was nice, what Mozzie did," Sara said as they were stepping out of a local bistro, facing the breeze while the setting sun kept their skins comfortably warm. She put her arm through Neal's and he pulled her tighter. There was just something about walking on the boulevard with a view of nothing but a vastness of sea being cut off by a setting sun, that made them both feel just a little like maybe it was going to be okay. Maybe, they could live here forever and be happy. Maybe, this could really be their new home.
Neal gave a soft laugh, "I think he did that for his own piece of mind, Mozzie is very skeptical of new ID's."
"No, I mean everything. He arranged all of this and he actually almost kicked us out of the house to go on a date. It was nice."
"Yes, it was. You're starting to get under his skin," Neal mocked impression.
Sara smiled, ignoring his mocking tone, "I think I am. We should thank him, do something nice for him," Sara's gaze was already focusing on something in the distance as she was trying to think of what they could give to or do for Mozzie.
"What, you wanna set him up?" Neal joked.
Sara's eyes instantly brightened and she gave a short gasp, "Yes! We should do that!"
Horror took over Neals expression as he stopped them in the middle of the boulevard, standing now across from Sara, "No! No way, we should not do that."
"Wha- It was your idea!"
"No, it wasn't. It was a bad joke, that's all."
"I think it's a great idea," Sara concluded.
Neal rolled his eyes while his throat gave sound to a groan, "why do you people always take the bad jokes seriously?" he mumbled.
"Oh, come on. It could be fun? I never set anybody up and I would never, but… we're here now, not there. We have these new lives and new places… New people. We should try new things."
Neal didn't know if Sara was trying to guilt him into this, but be it deliberate or not; it worked. He looked at her and saw noting but eagerness in her eyes. He recognized it as the same lust she would get with new cases. He could say no and they could continue facing the sunset together, but he knew she had already set her sights on this new project and she would pursue.
Finally, Neal sighed, "fine, but you're taking full responsibility. If Mozzie asks, I didn't know anyt-" he was cut off by Sara's lips crashing on his.
Dining tourists looking outside the window would see a young woman in a turquoise sundress with white flip-flops and a matching flower-clip on her head, keeping a strand of hair from falling in her face, kissing a young man wearing a white chino and a baby blue linen shirt, finishing his outfit with a stray hat.
Dining tourists looking outside the window would see a young, happy couple, most likely on their honeymoon, being lost in the moment – and each other – under the golden glow of the pink sunset.
No one would see the wanted Neal Caffrey or Sara Ellis from New York City.
Okay, so first off: Isle Corycian does not exist – at least, not to my knowledge – and is completely made up (the rest of it is true Greek mythology. Well… true mythology? You know what I mean!) The reason Neal and Sara's new ID's are "subtle":
Their first names are Adam and Evangeline: Adam and Eve. The first people, according to the Bible, Quran and Torah. They were sent to Earth as a punishment for eating the forbidden fruit and according to the books' respective religions, that's how all of us got here. I know I'm putting it bluntly and I mean no disrespect to any religion out there! I'm just trying to keep it short cause I think most of us already know the story, right?
Their last names are Deklan and Pira: Deucalion and Pyrrha. According to Greek mythology, Zeus was so angry with mankind that he loosed a deluge and Deucalion and Pyrrha were the only survivors because Prometheus (father of Deucalion) had advised his son to build a ship. After Zeus' deluge, Deucalion's ship landed on top of Mount Parnassus, making Deucalion and Pyrrha the only survivors and leaving them with the task to repopulate the planet. Again, this is very bluntly put, but it should make you understand this chapter.
Hope you liked it and please review!
Soph