Okay not as soon as I predicted, but at least I updated. Really I am just procrastinating studying for my test tomorrow.
Neal woke up to the smell of Italian. Half asleep, he stumbled up and towards the smell.
"Oh good, you're up!" A woman's voice brought him fully out of dream world. Neal opened his eyes completely and was almost startled to see an unfamiliar house around him. Events of the day rushed back to him, and he slid onto one of the kitchen stools and Elizabeth flurried around the kitchen.
"I thought your husband wasn't coming home until later?" Neal said through a yawn. He had glanced at the clock to see that is was barely after five.
"Usually. But he called me to let me know that he is coming home early." Elizabeth said with a smile while she stirred some pasta.
Neal just sat there, trying finish waking up. It usually didn't take more than thirty seconds for him to be fully awake, but that was in the morning. Mornings usually involved school and getting ready.
"Do you mind setting the table?" Elizabeth asked. Neal nodded and yawned, then got up to grab the pile of silverware that Elizabeth had left out on. He placed them properly on the table.
Once Neal finished, he went back over to the counter. He was now out of the whole "going to fall back asleep the second my head hits a pillow" phase of waking up. Now he was in the "zombie with slight awareness" phase. Not bad for a teenage boy.
"Hey honey!" Elizabeth called out. How she did it made Neal smile, just the thought of a loving husband coming home to a loving wife.
"Hey hun." A gruff voice came from the entrance. Neal snapped out of all sleep modes and was on high alert at the sound of it. It couldn't be, could it? Neal shook the thought from his head. What were the odds that he could fall asleep on the very doorway of the wife of the FBI agent who was after him? He knew that he was having a bad week, but it seriously couldn't be this bad.
"We are in here." Elizabeth called. Neal could hear a man taking off his shoes and making his way through the house.
"Oh that's right. You said someone was here." Neal heard the man's voice call over to the kitchen. The footsteps were getting closer, and his heart was beating fast. He needed an escape plan in case his worst nightmares were true. "Hi, what's up wit-"
A tall man in a rumpled suit with short brown hair styled in a typical adult way entered the kitchen and froze, stopping in mid sentence.
Neal just stared at the man that would probably hunt him until the ends of the earth.
Agent Peter Burke had just entered his home, and the kid that he had been looking for was sitting at his kitchen counter.
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Peter was enjoying his drive home. Sure, they hadn't found Bennett, no Caffery, yet. But they would, and the bonus part of his day was that he would see his wife early.
Peter was in a good mood until he entered the kitchen. He could vaguely remember Elizabeth telling him that they would have a guest, but he figured it would be one of El's co-workers, or a neighbor. Never, in his wildest dreams, could he have imagined that one kid that the entire New York White Collar division was looking for was just sitting at his counter.
The shock was so much that Peter just froze when he entered the kitchen. Not that the kid was doing anything. The teenager that had been a pain in his ass for many months now was just staring at the FBI agent; his bright blue eyes were wide with fear. But something else was in there too. Peter could see that Neal's mind was working, and what ever was going on under the dark haired head of his, Neal wouldn't get to do it.
"Honey, this is Neal. I found him asleep the doorstep of the office this morning." Elizabeth said. She hadn't turned away from the stove yet to see how the two were reacting to seeing each other.
"Your in my house." Was all Peter could say. Neal was still frozen, but Peter could see his muscles tense. The kid was ready to run.
"Yes, he is in our house. I invited-" Elizabeth was cut off by the scraping of the stool against the wood floor and her husbands shout of "No you don't!"
She turn around to see her husband grab the polite young man she had met today and pin his arms behind his back.
"Argghhhh!" Neal yelled out, almost like he was in pain. Elizabeth was furious at this display.
"Peter Burke! What do you think you are doing?" Elizabeth shouted at him.
"Hun, this is Neal Caffery. He's the kid that has my entire division searching the streets of New York." Peter grunted out. After the little yell Neal had let out, the kid was struggling to get out of Peter's grip.
Elizabeth just stood there. She knew that Neal was not a bad kid, but if her husband said that he was a criminal, than the charming young man who had helped her all day was. Finally, Elizabeth spoke. "Neal, stop struggling."
Neal stopped immediately. His body went almost still, but Peter could feel him shaking. Neal tilted his head up to Elizabeth, and she nearly cried.
His bright blue eyes, which had seemed so alive and happy today, looked desperate, sad, and pleading. Elizabeth looked at the boy sadly. There was nothing she could do.
"Neal Caffery, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be held against you in a court of law." Peter spoke. He continued to read Neal his rights, but the kid just sort of hung there in Peter's arms.
"Peter." Elizabeth spoke, her voice soft. Peter stopped speaking and looked over to his wife. She had tears in her eyes.
"Peter, at least let him have dinner. Neal won't run away, he promises." Elizabeth said. Peter just looked at her like she was insane.
"Don't give me that look." Elizabeth ordered, having to turn back to her stove to keep dinner from burning. "That young man is very polite. Plus, I just told you he will promise."
Peter was still staring at her like she was insane. Neal shifted slightly; bring Peter's attention back on him.
"Hun, I know you think he is a nice kid." Peter said slowly, almost fearing his wife's reaction. "But he is criminal. This kid has evaded arrest for over a day. I doubt he will promise to stay here for dinner, and then let me arrest him again. I mean come on, he-"
"I promise." Came a soft voice from the teenager in Peter's arms. Peter watched as the dark head of Neal Caffery slowly turn as best as he could in his position until one clear blue eye met the pair of Peter's brown. "I promise I will not run away. You have my shoes, and its supposed to snow tonight. Do you really think I would go outside barefoot? And my jacket too. I might be a criminal, but I don't want to freeze to death."
Peter just looked down at the kid with the same 'Are you insane?' look he had given Elizabeth.
"Peter, let him go and pour yourself a beer. Dinner is ready." Elizabeth ordered. Peter did as he was told, and released the kid.
Neal straightened himself once released, fixed the black shirt he wore, and smoothed back his hair. He turned to Peter to give him a little smart-ass smirk, and then walked past him to help Elizabeth.
Peter just sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. This was going to be a long dinner.
Okay again, sorry! But it's longer than other ones, and they finally met up again. Reviews are welcome! And if I'm writing a scene with observations and you think I left out a few, let me know. I can go back and change it.