"Oh Neal!" Elizabeth's expression was pure delight, her blue eyes following the toddler as he crawled across the floor pushing a small car. "He is adorable!"
"Isn't he." The young man smiled. Elizabeth standing at his door at six in the morning had been unexpected, after everything that he brought into her life recently he was surprised she was still speaking to him, but her reaction to Will was no surprise. "Can I get you anything? I was just about to make breakfast…"
"No thank you, that's fine, I already ate. When Peter told me last night that a woman left her son with you… I thought maybe you needed some help, but you seem to have everything under control." Neal grinned.
"Not everything… I actually don't have a lot of experience with toddlers." He chuckled self derisively "Taking another person to the bathroom is a definitely a new experience." She giggled at that. "June helped us sort it out."
"He looks just like you… Peter said he isn't yours?"
"It is disturbing isn't it?"
"It is … remarkable." she smiled diplomatically. Neal decided to allow the look to pass unchallenged. The little boy abandoned the car in favor of climbing onto the bed. "He seems to be clever too" she commented drily as the small boy dragged a little box to give him the necessary boost.
"Very…" Neal glanced at the clock, a worried frown on his face. "Elizabeth would you mind helping him get dressed… I have an hour until I have to be at work and I still have to…" he gestured to his own pajamas and the boys footed sleepwear.
"Absolutely"
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Scooping up the child, Neal gently deposited him in her lap. Bending to eye level with the boy he said "Will, this is Elizabeth… she is my friend and she is going to help you with your clothes, ok?"
"Ok Eal… are you leabing?" his thumb found its way into his mouth.
"I have to go to work in a little while but I'll be back."
"Otay"
"Who is watching him while you're gone?" Elizabeth asked
"June said she would… she has to run out for some quick errands at seven but Olivia is down stairs until she gets back." He shrugged "She didn't exactly hire on to be a babysitter but it's only for a few minutes."
"I could watch him." She offered almost hopefully, making Neal wonder why she and Peter never had children.
"You wouldn't mind?" He flashed her a bright knowing grin "Olivia will be relieved… He can be a handful." Elizabeth chuckled and the young man had a pretty good idea what she was thinking. He sighed
"I wish he was mine, Elizabeth but…" guys like me don't get happy endings, he finished silently, or families. He almost believed he had found both with his friends here…
)()()()()()()()()()()()()(
Peter glanced quickly around the bullpen, noting that Neal had yet to arrive before waving Diana up to his office. The young woman nodded. She gave him a tight smile as she approached, of course she knew what he was going to ask first.
"Anything?"
"On the woman kidnapped outside Caffrey's? No." she shrugged "missing persons and NYPD are working on it but so far, other that Neal's description of the man and the car there really are no leads. Whoever took her has dropped completely off the grid."
"What about the woman? Any luck IDing her from his sketch?"
She shook her head "nothing. It's like she doesn't exist."
"I don't think Neal made her up."
"Me either but her face just isn't in the database."
"Thanks Diana." He smiled tightly "Keep trying."
"Will do boss,"
"And Diana I want to ask you to do something… strange."
"What's that boss?"
"Run Neal's picture through the data base…"
"Ok?" she gave him a baffled look
"Pair it with the name Michael Scotts."
"New alias on Caffrey...?"
"Our mystery woman called Neal that. He says he never used that alias but if she mistook him for the guy…"
"Then Neal's face might be close enough to trigger a match… I'm on it."
)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(
Neal shrugged out of his overcoat and hung it neatly behind his desk, lips turning down a bit at the nasty turn the weather had taken over night. From bright sunny spring yesterday to freezing rain and sleet this morning… just walking from the cab into the federal building had left him damp and chilled…the weatherman predicted the unpleasant weather would last all week. Which was just perfect to match his mood. Three days and there was still no trace of William's mother. He sighed, the little guy was ok during the day, but he cried for mommy every night. Despite his reservations he was getting attached to the toddler, and he couldn't stand seeing the baby sob for her, clinging to him and pleading to go home.
He looked up as Miranda charged into the office an envelope tucked under her arm as she shot him an icy glare, motioning him to follow as she took the stairs as though she owned the White Collar office. Peter met her at the top of the staircase.
"Good morning Miss Wallace." He looked calm in the face of her cold fury. "What brings you to see us this morning?"
"Privacy policy demands I discuss this matter in confidence with Mr. Caffrey." She shot Neal another glare "do you have a space that we will not be over heard." Peter glanced at the younger man and with a small shrug led them into his office. Miranda seemed to find the space acceptable as she lay her manila envelope on the desk and waved Neal to a chair dismissively "if you will excuse us Agent Burke …"
Neal looked at his friend, then reluctantly back at the angry woman… he sent the older man a nervous look "Peter can stay if he wants." The kid said casually as though it didn't matter either way.
"Very well" Miranda said as the agent settled into his chair with a stubborn set of his jaw. "I will discuss the matter with him here." She opened the envelope and Neal noticed it had already been unsealed and he frowned. "It would appear Mr. Caffrey, that despite your protests to the contrary you are the boy's father."
"That's impossible!" Neal caught his voice rising and took a deep breath to calm his tone though it did nothing for his racing heart that seemed have lodged in his throat. He made an attempt to swallow it before he continued "I told you I was in prison three years ago"
"I am aware that certain types of visits can be arranged Mr. Caffrey." The way she said his name so smugly grated on his nerves.
"You're right" Neal met her eyes with an expression of absolute calm and reason "But there are conditions and the visits are recorded. If you check my record you will see I was first ineligible… and if I had such a visit it certainly wouldn't have been with a stranger."
"Ineligible?"
"Unmarried."
"DNA does not lie Mr. Caffrey."
"I am aware of the science of genetics but… I'm telling you it is physically impossible" Mozzie's clone theory was beginning to sound more rational by the moment, because he knew he didn't have a brother... at least...
"There must be some explanation…" she fixed him with a dark look but her certainty visibly wavered. "An off the books visit arranged by a well -paid guard… a nurse in the infirmary…"
"No. I was … I had a girlfriend… I planned to propose. I would never have betrayed her like that."
"And she can confirm your relationship?"
"I think that matter isn't within the scope of your investigation" Peter broke in and Neal sent him a grateful look. He really didn't want to try to explain that to this woman. She's have him painted as an abusive stalker and she would probably decide he was responsible for... the way it ended too.
"Very well" she conceded "but how ever it happened, he is the father of the minor in question."
Neal brightened suddenly at a new thought "Does this mean you won't be looking for a foster home to place him in?" Miranda sent him a startled look.
"As the biological parent… assuming there is no evidence of abuse or neglect, and based on the abandonment of the minor by the other parent… I have no choice but to place the child in your custody until a hearing to arrange a permanent custody arrangement between you and his mother." Her brow creased "though if you want to maintain guardianship… and are willing to take responsibility for the minor why are you so adamant that he isn't yours?"
"His name is William and his mother didn't abandon him she left him with me to protect him… she was kidnapped off the street just a few minutes later…"
"You didn't answer my question?"
"Will is a sweet smart little boy… I would love for him to be my son, but I know with absolute certainty that he can't be…"Neal met her gaze evenly "there just isn't any way, no matter what your file says." He said it sadly… letting more longing seep into his voice than he intended to. A son would mean a family… a chance at building a real home. He pushed the thought aside.
"I see…" With a confused look the social worker gathered her purse and file and stalked out of the room.
"You ok?" Peter asked. Neal plastered a grin on his face albeit a bit stiffly
"I'm great." His enthusiasm was too forced, he knew it the moment the words left his mouth. His friend offered only a reproving look in response. "How am I supposed to be?" he shrugged "I managed to get a son… without having sex with or even meeting his mom… I thought you were supposed to get paid for sperm donation." He tried to lighten the atmosphere.
"Neal…"
"He's a sweet kid Peter, smart and cute … and a real handful."
"Exactly how I would picture your son…"
"But he can't be mine." Neal shrugged "even if I wish he was" he added silently in his mind.
)()()()()()()()()()()()()(
Pulling his most trusted subordinates quietly into his office, Peter waited until they were seated before he began…
"Jones as odd as it sounds I need you to check with the prison… Will is between 24 and 30 months… I need you to confirm Neal didn't any conjugal visits during the time he might have been conceived."
"Sure?" he frowned "but isn't that an invasion of privacy?"
"Just verifying what he already told me." Peter's lips twisted up into an almost smile "might find out if there were any pretty nurses working in the infirmary too… and find out if there is any record of … well…" this part was really awkward "collection of semen samples…"
"Eww" Diana commented under her breath. Glancing at her co-worker she smirked "Glad you are making that call, not me." Jones wrinkled his nose helplessly
"I need you to make a few calls as well" Peter began, she flinched inwardly
"Tell me they have nothing to do with Caffrey's sex life…please"
"I need you track down Neal Bennett's original birth certificate… not the one that Neal uses… I'm pretty sure he got that from the Marshals when he first left home… or he forged it… either way, I want the original paper copy from thirty years ago."
"I can do that."
"Any luck on finding Michael Scotts.
"Yes and no… I got a red flag, so I know he exists… probably, but that's as far as I can get, so far."
"Well keep trying."
)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(
Will chattered happily as he shook the salad dressing in the plastic container. Perched on a stool at the counter he was "helping" make dinner.
Neal flinched slightly as the door slammed open, looked up from the broccoli he was cutting, and reflexively caught the small flailing arm as the stool the boy was perched on, wobbled.
"Hey Moz… not knocking again I see." He kept is voice bland.
"I fail to see the reason to warn people of my approach, especially given the grave circumstances."
"I can think of a few reasons some warning would be nice…" Neal grinned
"Stop grinning, this is serious" the older man snapped.
"What is?" he regarded his friend "Did you find something on the card?"
"Take it!" Mozzie hastily withdrew the device from his pocket "give it to the suits and forget you ever laid eyes on it, Neal!"
"What's on it?"
"It's better that you don't know!" the small man paced the length of the apartment before coming back to face his companion. "Your new girlfriend… she's a terrorist!
"What! What's on the card Moz?"
"I told you, you are better off not knowing… you know it is bad if I'm telling you to go to the suits but this… don't just go, RUN this to them… I only saw enough to know I didn't want to know more. I know you like to play with fire but this… stay far away from whatever this is!" he spun on his heal and bolted for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"Given the situation I think it best if I go to ground for a while. For once, Neal, please listen to me and leave it alone."