Let Your Heart Hold Fast
Chapter 12
The day of Neal's Halloween party was an exciting day for the little boy. He and Elizabeth had made three dozen cookies the night before and Neal couldn't wait to share them with his classmates. He was also really excited to wear his costume.
Elizabeth helped him get dressed that morning and as soon as he was dressed, he ran downstairs to show Peter his costume. Running into the dining room, Neal skidded to a halt in front of a tired looking Peter. "Here I am, Peter! Don't I look just like him?"
Peter eyed the little boy, taking in his shirt, tie, overcoat and fedora, before turning to look at his wife. "Is this a joke?" he asked her. "He looks like Frank Sinatra."
Elizabeth laughed, as Neal glared at Peter. "I am not Frank Sinatra, Peter," he said, indignantly. "I'm Dean Martin!"
It was Peter's turn to laugh at that. "Oops, sorry, Dino….." Turning again to Elizabeth, Peter whispered a serious question. "Was this his idea? Really?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Neal wanted to be something different from all the other kids, Peter. Apparently, he watched a few Rat Pack movies on those nights he snuck downstairs.
"Do you like it, Peter? Isn't my hat cool?" Neal took his fedora off, and thrust it into Peter's face. "I'd let you wear it, but Lizbef said I couldn't share hats with anyone. I don't think you'd look good in it, anyway, Peter. Lizbef said it made me look sophissicated and swab, but I think it would look silly on you."
"Oh, you don't think that I can pull off sophisticated and suave?" Peter asked.
"Definitely not with that tie, hon," El laughed. "Maybe you need to take some fashion advice from Little Dino."
Once they were at school, Neal and Elizabeth found themselves surrounded by superheroes, princesses and cartoon characters. Neal walked proudly into the school, causing all the kids to look at him in confusion and most of the adults to ooh and aah over him.
Walking into his classroom, Neal ran over to where Leah was, anxious to introduce her to Elizabeth. "Leah! This is my Lizbef. She's the one that makes the yummy cookies."
Elizabeth looked down at the small girl, who was wearing a cat costume. "Hi, Leah….I've heard all about you from Neal."
Elizabeth and Leah talked for a few minutes, while Neal stood next to them with a huge grin. Finally, Mr. Parker asked all the children to take their seats and all of the parent helpers to wait in the back while he took attendance. The day was to be a half-day, with an assembly planned for that morning, followed by the class parties. Neal was excited that Elizabeth had taken the day off and was going to spend the morning with him.
The class worked on several small projects, before being called into the gymnasium for the assembly. They were all happy to find out that they were going to watch a play that was being put on by one of the local high school drama clubs. Neal was excited to hear that there was to be a costume contest, too, and as they sat and watched the play, the teachers would be looking at all the different costumes. Every time he saw a teacher walk by, Neal sat up straight in his seat and made sure that his fedora was tilted just right over his forehead.
Once the play was over, they all sat in anticipation of who would win the costume contest. Finally, Mrs. Corbin walked out in front of the assembly to announce the winners. Elizabeth watched as Neal's face would light up and then inevitably fall at each announcement. Best superhero….. Best animal costume….. Best cartoon character… Most creative….. Each time the winner was announced, Neal would sink farther into his chair, clapping his hands quietly as the winner walked out to receive his ribbon.
Finally, there was only one category left and Elizabeth was just as hopeful and nervous as Neal was, as she waited to hear who won the coveted Teacher's Choice award. She took out her camera and readied it, just in case he actually won, and to her great relief, Principal Corbin announced that the Teacher's Choice award went to Neal Caffrey. Elizabeth took picture after picture of Neal's smiling face, as he scrambled out of his seat to get his ribbon. Everyone laughed when the fedora fell off his head halfway there and he had to rush back to get it. Eventually, he made his way to the front and Elizabeth was sure that everyone in the assembly had to be blinded by the dazzling smile on his face.
The rest of the day was a rousing success, as well. Elizabeth's cookies were a huge hit amongst the kids and Neal made sure that everyone knew who brought them. At the very end of the day, Mr. Parker held a small spelling bee, which Neal won easily, before announcing that they would be going on a field trip the next day to the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Neal loved museums and was excited to hear the announcement.
As they left the school, Neal talked non-stop about the events of the morning. Not wanting the good day to end, Elizabeth decided that they would surprise Peter at the White Collar office and have lunch with him. They stopped at Peter's favorite deli and picked up several sandwiches and drinks. Once they arrived at the FBI building, Neal insisted on carrying the bag of food himself.
Entering through the glass doors, Elizabeth immediately looked up to the office her husband occupied. Not seeing him there, she looked around until she finally found Diana. "Diana, can you tell me where Peter is? We brought him lunch."
Diana came over to talk to Elizabeth, her eyes moving down to the little boy at her side. "He should be back any minute, Elizabeth. So, this must be Neal." Diana bent down to Neal, offering her hand to shake, as she introduced herself. "Hi, Neal….I'm Diana and I work with your….um, with Peter."
Neal smiled up at Diana, as he shifted the bag of sandwiches around, so he could shake her hand. "Hi, Diana…..Guess what?"
Diana listened patiently as Neal told her everything about his morning. Elizabeth mouthed her apologies over Neal's head, as the boy chattered non-stop about the play, the costume contest, the spelling bee, Elizabeth's cookies and his upcoming field trip. By the time he was done, Diana couldn't help but laugh at the thought of what life was like at the Burke house. She now truly understood why her boss was looking so tired.
When Peter walked through the glass doors, Elizabeth and Diana laughed as Neal repeated everything he had just said to Diana, causing Peter to look like he was getting a headache. Neal never stopped talking as Peter led them upstairs to his office. He could see that everyone in the bullpen was watching and laughing, and he silently vowed to get them all back somehow.
Neal refused to take off his costume once they got home and it wasn't until Elizabeth reminded him that he would get to wear it again the next night when they went trick-or-treating that he finally agreed. The rest of the evening was filled with more exciting chatter, as Neal talked all about the field trip the next day. When it was finally time for bed, the poor boy didn't even argue, obviously exhausted from the amazing day he had had. For the first time in a while, he was asleep before Peter had even finished the story he was reading.
The next morning, Neal insisted on wearing a shirt and tie for his trip to the museum. He had begun to wear more casual clothes to school, after realizing that it was harder to play games at recess when he was wearing dressy clothes, but he wanted to look his best at the museum. He begged and begged Elizabeth to let him wear his fedora, but she told him no.
"Please, Lizbef! I promise I'll take good care of it. Please?"
"No, Neal. You're going to be busy at the museum with all of the activities and you don't need to worry about keeping up with your hat, okay?"
Neal stomped his foot in frustration. "That's not fair, Lizbef. I want to wear my hat!"
"Neal George Caffrey, don't you dare stomp your foot at me. I said no and I mean no, young man. And, the next time you stomp your foot like that you'll be spending some time in the time-out chair."
Neal looked like he wanted to stomp his foot again, but he stopped himself just in time. Sitting in that time-out chair was absolutely miserable for a child that rarely stopped moving and he had no desire to put himself through that again.
By the time he and Elizabeth arrived at the school, Neal was in a better mood. Elizabeth helped him out of the car, and then knelt in front of him to say goodbye. "Neal, I want you to promise me that you won't wander away from your class, okay? The museum is a huge place and I don't want you to get lost there. Behave yourself and do what your teacher says. Can you do that for me, sweetie?"
"I wouldn't get lost, Lizbef, but I promise I won't wander away. Mr. Parker said that if we did that we wouldn't get to go on the next field trip."
Elizabeth pulled Neal into a hug, breathing in the sweet smell of shampoo and maple syrup. "Be safe and be good."
Neal squeezed Elizabeth extra hard, before moving his little hands to her face. "You, too, Lizbef," he said, seriously.
Elizabeth found it hard to concentrate on work throughout the day. She wasn't sure why, but she had a strange feeling of unease at the idea of Neal being in a museum where anything could happen. She knew she was being paranoid, but after having a man prowling around her house, she figured she was entitled to feel that way. No matter how busy she tried to keep herself, her mind kept jumping to all the 'what ifs' of what could happen. She wouldn't be able to truly breathe until she knew that Neal was safe.
As she arrived to pick Neal up at school, she was surprised to find Neal standing with a frazzled looking Mr. Parker and Mrs. Corbin. Usually, he would be standing with the other children, waiting to be released once their parents arrived. As she looked around, she couldn't help but notice that there were more adults than normal milling around, and that some of the children were crying. She also noticed that Neal looked a little shaken and pale, causing her to feel the faint stirrings of panic settle in her bones.
Walking up to the three of them, Elizabeth looked first at Neal, before bringing her attention to the two adults. "Is everything okay?" she asked.
Mrs. Corbin looked rather serious, making Elizabeth even more nervous. "Mrs. Burke, I need to talk to you about something that happened when Mr. Parker's class returned from the museum. If it's okay with you, Tom will take Neal to get a snack while we talk."
Elizabeth agreed to this, gave Neal a quick hug and followed the principal into her office. "Did Neal get into trouble, Mrs. Corbin?" she asked, as soon as they sat down, thinking he must have done something particularly frustrating to make his teacher look so frazzled.
"No, not at all. Neal behaved himself very well, today, Mrs. Burke."
Elizabeth looked relieved at that, but was even more confused and nervous. Mrs. Corbin looked nervous, as well. "Mrs. Burke, there was an incident a few minutes ago that has us all a little shaken up. If it hadn't been for the quick thinking of Mr. Parker, I'm not sure what would have happened."
Elizabeth listened as Mrs. Corbin explained what had happened, terror filling her heart and soul.
"There was an abandoned, broken down car blocking the driveway that the bus normally takes to the school, so the driver had to take a detour. This detour meant that the students had to be dropped off on the back side of the school. Mr. Parker telephoned ahead to tell us of the situation and I gave the okay for the change in the drop-off point. I gathered up a few of the teacher's aides and we went out to meet the bus, wanting to make sure that everything was okay. As we walked out the side door and headed to the bus, which was on the other side of the soccer field, I saw a man standing off to the side. At first, I thought that he was just someone out for a walk, but as I watched him, I realized that he was watching the kids get off the bus, even as he walked closer and closer."
"I don't know why, but I had a bad feeling about the man. I tried to call to Mr. Parker, but he was still too far away to hear me, and was trying to keep the kids in control. There were several parent chaperones on the bus, too, but none of them saw what was happening. As we ran toward the bus, the man suddenly ran forward, calling out Neal's name. I watched as Neal stopped walking and turned toward the man. By this time, thankfully, everyone realized that the man was there, even if they didn't really know what was going on. Mrs. Burke, the man called out Neal's name and walked right up to him. I could tell that the man was preparing to grab Neal, and fortunately, Mr. Parker realized it, too. He ran over to Neal, picked the boy up, and handed him to one of the chaperones, before turning back to the man and confronting him. The man didn't seem to want to give up that easily, but Mr. Parker shoved him away, making sure that the chaperone had time to get Neal away. After that, Mr. Parker tackled the man to the ground. They wrestled around for several seconds, but then the man was able to get up and run away. Mr. Parker and Ed, the bus driver, ran after him, but he got away."
Elizabeth listened in shock at what had happened. Before she could say anything, Mrs. Corbin continued. "The police have been called and should be here any minute. I told them which way the man ran, so they're sending patrol cars to search that area. Mrs. Burke, do you have any idea who the man could be?"
Without answering her, Elizabeth grabbed her cell phone and quickly called Peter, who, of course, didn't answer his phone. She then quickly called Diana, telling her a little of what happened. Diana promised to track down Peter and send him over right away. Once that was done, Elizabeth turned to Mrs. Corbin. "I need to see Neal, Mrs. Corbin."
Without hesitation, Mrs. Corbin used her intercom to call the teacher's break room, asking Mr. Parker to bring Neal back. When the door opened, Elizabeth stood up and rushed to Neal, noticing once again how shaken and pale he looked. She scooped him up into her arms, crushing him to her chest. "Neal, are you okay?"
"I can't breathe, Lizbef," he groaned. "You're holding all my breath in again."
Elizabeth loosened her grip, but didn't put him down. She couldn't stop the tears that cascaded down her face or the trembling she felt throughout her body.
"Don't cry, Lizbef. I'm okay now, see?" With that, Neal took in a deep breath and let it out, making sure that Elizabeth knew he was breathing just fine. Elizabeth smiled at that and hugged him close again.
"You're doing it again, Lizbef," Neal gasped.
Finally, Elizabeth sat down in a chair, feeling like her legs weren't going to support her for too much longer. She still held on to Neal firmly, not wanting to ever let him go again.
By the time the police arrived, which was only a few minutes later, Neal had fallen asleep against Elizabeth's chest. Elizabeth had spent the last several minutes thanking Mr. Parker with everything she had in her for saving Neal. She could tell that the young teacher was still pretty shaken by what had happened, too.
After listening to the events again, as Mr. Parker and Mrs. Corbin explained it to the police, Elizabeth felt her anxiety increase. Where was Peter? The second that thought entered her head, she heard her husband's voice outside the office, identifying himself to one of the police officers. Seconds later, he walked through the door, immediately zoning in on his wife and foster child.
"Is he okay?" he asked, immediately.
"He's okay, Peter, thanks to Mr. Parker. He just fell asleep a few minutes ago, but he's okay."
Peter wanted to grab Neal and check him out himself, but he didn't. Instead, he bent down and placed a kiss on Neal's forehead, before doing the same to his wife. After that, he sat down and listened as the story was told again for his benefit. He definitely owed Neal's teacher a debt of gratitude.
Eventually, they came to a point in the questioning where they needed to know if Neal knew the man that had tried to take him. From the description Mr. Parker offered, Elizabeth felt that it could have been the same man that had been prowling around their house a few nights ago, but she really hadn't been able to see him clearly enough to say for sure.
Elizabeth gently shook Neal and they all waited for the little boy to wake up enough to answer some questions. It took Neal almost a minute to get his eyes to completely open, evidently still rather sleepy. Once he noticed that Peter was there, he climbed down from Elizabeth's lap and into Peter's, obviously happy to see the man.
They had decided before waking the boy that Peter would be the one to question him, thinking that Neal would feel less scared that way. Peter wasted no time, wanting answers as soon as possible.
"Neal, Mr. Parker told me what happened when you got off the bus. Do you know that man that called your name?"
"No, Peter. I don't know him."
"Have you ever seen him before, Neal?" Peter figured that was a long shot, but knew he should ask anyway. He was surprised at Neal's answer.
"I saw him at the museum today, Peter. He tried to talk to me, but Abby's mom got mad when I started talking, so I stopped."
"Do you remember what he said to you, Neal?" Peter asked.
"He asked me if I could show him where the bathroom was. He said he was lost and that I looked like I knew where I was going. I told him that I was five and that I didn't get lost, but before I could tell him where the bathroom was, I got in trouble."
"What happened after that, Neal? Did he leave?"
"Nope. He followed us around the museum. When we passed the bathroom, I pointed it out to him, but he didn't go."
By this time, every adult in the room had a look of horror on their face, realizing the extent of what could have happened to Neal. Peter wanted nothing more than to take Neal home and lock him up, never letting him out of his sight again. Elizabeth felt the same way.
"Neal, did he talk to you again after that?" Peter was terrified to hear Neal's answer.
Neal looked like he was thinking hard, his forehead creased and his nose scrunched up. "He told me that my shoe was untied and that he could tie it for me, but I told him that I knew how to tie my shoe. Abby's mom got mad at me again, because I stopped to tie my shoe. She said I was dawding….um, dawdling too much." Neal wrinkled up his nose at that word, making Elizabeth wonder if he remembered Jenna telling him the same thing all those months ago.
Peter felt like he could kiss Abby's mom for keeping such a close eye on Neal. "When was the last time you saw him, Neal?"
"When we got on the bus. He was standing by the door and he waved at me when we left. He said he would see me later." Neal looked up at Peter, a big yawn escaping him. "Peter, can we go home? I'm hungry and it's almost time to go trick-or-treating. If we wait too long, all the good candy will be gone and I'll be stuck with the candy that nobody ever eats."
Author's note: Who is the world is that creepy man? Any ideas? That's okay….I don't have any idea, either, lol. Stay tuned for more fedora wearing, nose scrunching, foot stomping, cute as can be Neal. Thanks for reading and just so you know…reviews are much appreciated and cherished.