Stepping into Neal's apartment felt strange… knowing the young man wasn't there. Especially followed by a slender man that wore Neal's face but was definitely not his friend. Kevin Grant looked at him in surprise… clearly this was not the type of place he had expected, but he said nothing, eyes flicking from the books to the paintings along the wall... his fingers brushing the half- finished piece on the easel, trying to get a feel for the man who lives here, Peter guessed.

"He wants to meet you" Peter broke the silence

"Your consultant?"

"Neal. Yes."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea." He met Peter's gaze "for his safety…obviously being mistaken for me hasn't been good for his health, being seen associating with me wouldn't be any better." the older man sighed, not disagreeing.

"He won't see it that way." Peter said quietly

Several minutes passed in near silence before a light knock proceeded the entrance of Miranda Wallace. She stopped just inside the door way.

"Was there a reason you wanted me to meet you here Agent Burke?" she gave Kevin a disdainful look…

"Yes there is… Miss Wallace this is Michael Scott…"

"That is very amusing, Mr. Caffrey but… I am very busy. If you will excuse me…"

"Miss Wallace…" Peter's voice was tight as he spoke "Neal is currently in the hospital… and unable to be present. This is Michael Scott."

"I see…" her face wavered uncertainly "and you believe this man is the one Mr. Caffrey insisted he was mistaken for…"

"He is."

"Mistaken identity doesn't explain the test results."

"It might… there is one way to find out." It would answer more than one question actually, Peter thought, but he wasn't ready to voice his suspicions yet even though he was almost certain.

"I could, I suppose, run another test…" her voice held a long suffering tone.

"If I may, what are we talking about?" Kevin's voice was light, amused by the conversation, but years of learning to read Neal had taught Peter to hear the underlying tension.

"Amelia Woodbridge left something… someone in Neal's care."

"Someone?"

"She left a minor child in the care of Mr. Caffrey…"Miranda was still regarding the man with an air of doubtful surprise.

"A child?" Kevin repeated painfully… Peter winced, the kid sounded like he was choking.

"Her son" the older man clarified

"Amelia had a son?" he was clearly getting control back and his voice barely wavered. "She never mentioned…"

"She did… his name is William." Peter watched the younger man's reaction closely… "He's two and a half."

"Two and a half?" his eyes were calculating, counting months as he quickly did the math. Seeing the moment of realization and disbelief Peter gave him one last push

"His eyes are the exact color of yours." clarity registered in Kevin's eyes, followed by shock and then a brief flicker of something resembling panic before his face closed, covering the rest of his thoughts.

"Open up" Miranda broke in, holding up her swab. He obediently opened his mouth too stunned to argue. The social worker took her sample and turned to go. "I'll have the results in a couple of days." She said from the door way.

"She's a real ray of sunshine, isn't she?" The young man commented wanly

"At least she didn't call you scum." He offered, with what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

Kevin looked around the apartment again, wandering the room in silence, clearly lost in thought, until Peter cleared his throat quietly. The younger man looked up.

"I brought this." Peter extended the memory card. The Kevin took it silently, turning the little device over in his hand.

"This is what they wanted…" he finally said "this is why they killed Amelia?"

"It is."

"Do you know what's on it?"

"I never looked but IT gave me a summary."

"Worth killing for?"

"Worth dying to protect." The younger man nodded gravely, in acknowledgement of the difference. He tucked the card into his pocket and turned away thoughtfully, swallowing hard several times.

"The men you have in custody… you think they killed Amelia?"

"I'm certain they were involved." He saw that flicker of emotion in blue eyes as Kevin nodded

"I don't doubt that." He shook his head "but they are not smart enough to have pulled it off alone."

"I know. There were absolutely others involved."

"Who?" his voice hardened dangerously. Peter flinched… this man would not hesitate to pull the trigger if he decided to.

"Before I give you a name I want a promise that you want justice not revenge."

"I want both," His jaw clenched "but I'll play by the rules as long as it's possible" Peter sighed… that was as good as he was going to get.

"James Dennison." He finally conceded "he runs an information business…"

"The FBI can't find him?"

"Finding him isn't the biggest problem, though he is definitely laying low… we need proof he was directly involved." Kevin turned away then… striding to the French doors as though he owned the apartment. Peter could see the muscle in the young man's jaw clench tight enough to snap.

"Dennison has been on our watch list for a while." His smile was grim when he turned back into the room. "He is known to be a dangerous man. I'm sure my boss would approve a move against him… I can get you proof, Peter." The soft voice was colder than ice.

He was out the door in a moment, his back ramrod straight and his stride confident.

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

"Berrigan." She answered her phone, laying her sandwich aside

"This is Regina Johnson." The voice made her sit up a little straighter. "You left me a message about the Grants?" Yes she had, two days ago when Peter gave her the name.

"Yes Ma'am. I understand you cleaned their house for twenty-five years before Mr. and Mrs. Grant died."

"I did. What is this about?"

"I wanted to ask you about their son?"

"Kevin… that poor boy…"

"Why do you say that?"

"They were picking him up after his first year of college when they died in that accident."

"Kevin was with them?"

"He was… as I understood it the boy only survived because he was in the back seat. Can you imagine being seventeen and waking up alone in the hospital with broken ribs, a broken femur and burns all over your legs… and the first thing anyone tells you, is your parents are dead. The poor boy… it's no wonder he doesn't come back to the house…"

"You haven't seen him since the accident?"

"he came back to visit his father's grave about 3 months after the accident… just after he was released from the hospital… he stayed in the hotel and left to go back to college the next day. The last time I saw him was about a month after that… at his mother's funeral"

"I see…"

"He sends me a cheque once a month to go by and look after the place… but he never comes back."

"I see… Mrs. Johnson I actually wanted to know if you remember when Kevin was born."

"Of course not. They adopted him in August before he turned two in September…I remember the day they brought him home though… like it was yesterday. Little guy was so little… looked a lot younger than he was… but he talked… talked like he was much older… and cried for his daddy… I never knew what happened to his dad… funny little guy though… had an imaginary friend until he was ten… would talk to him like he was in the room… he called him Neal… even included him in his bed time prayers…"

"Do you remember the name of the adoption agency?"

"No… there was no agency… not really, just a woman who came to the house… her name was Natalie… Natalie Shea, if my memory serves."

"No one thought she was suspicious?"

"She said she couldn't afford to raise her son after her boyfriend died… Mr. and Mrs. Grant had tried to have a baby for fifteen years…they tried adopting twice only to have it fall through… and now she was just offering to give them one… I don't think they thought about it too much."

"I see. Thank you Mrs. Johnson." She hesitated "do you know how much they gave Miss Shea?"

"I don't know how much… but I know they gave her a substantial check to help her get back on her feet."

Hanging up Diana knew two important things… two dots that no one else had ever connected in the old case… If Kevin Grant was Nicholas Bennett, then the other eight missing children were probably sold off in legitimate looking non -agency adoptions too, and the kidnapper had an accomplice.

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

"Hey hon." She smiled nervously as he bustled in the door. "Tell me you are planning on sleeping here tonight." He returned her smile

"I was planning on it." there was something about his expression as he turned to hang up his coat.

"Neal told you to leave him alone didn't he?"

"Actually he told me I looked terrible… and not to come back until I had dinner with you and slept at least ten hours in my own bed." She could help joining him when he laughed, but her question weighed her down.

"I took Will to see him yesterday morning."

"That's good… it didn't scare the little guy did it?"

"It didn't seem to…" she toyed with her necklace self- consciously "he crawled into the bed and hung onto Neal like a life line."

"He didn't mention a visit."

"He was pretty out of it… they were getting ready to for skin grafts…" she swallowed "did they take?"

"Too soon to tell." He studied her closely "Elle, hon what's wrong… something happened?"

"Before we left he fell asleep… I could tell his dreams were… bad…" she sighed "then he said… something about not telling who his boss is…" the expression on Peter's face almost answered her questions "he didn't … tell them… did he?"

"No he didn't." he dropped his eyes. "I'm sure of that." Elizabeth shuttered, her vision blurring with tears…as he confirmed her fear.

"That's why they hurt him isn't it?"

"It's part of the reason, yes."

"They tortured him for…" her frantic blinking only dislodged the moisture in her eyes sending it rolling down her cheeks. "It always seems like he comes out on top… but he never really does, does he?" and then she was crying in earnest. She felt Peter's arms around her his hand petting her head nervously… the tension in his body as he tried to think of what he should do. She buried her face into his shoulder and tried to get her emotions under control. "For months I've been thinking… wondering if the price of his friendship was too high… for us." She sighed and struggled not to cry again "Now I just keep thinking maybe the price of our friendship has been too high for him."

"Apparently he doesn't think so." Peter said softly.

"I know." She shook her head "but he should… he's lost so much…too much… because of us."

)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()(

He stood with his hand on the door, with every intention of stepping through but the words he heard froze him in place.

"You haven't told Peter have you?" Diana's voice asked anxiously

"Why… would I … tell him… about a … dream? Didn't mean… to tell you. I blame the … drugs."

"Good" she sounded far too serious for Neal's teasing response

"Unless…" he was quiet a moment "Diana? What is it?"

"Nothing." Peter could picture the look Neal was giving her for that, without seeing his face.

"I can… see… you… thinking… of a story."

"They must be reducing your drugs… you are to d*** perceptive." There was a hint of a smile in her voice now but weariness too.

"They are…" he said his tone suggested that was obvious. "Back into… the human range. Now… why are… you worried… about… telling Peter… about a… dream." The way he struggled to get the sentence out was painful.

"Because it wasn't just a dream." Diana's words were barely audible

"You mean… it… happened…" there was fear in his voice now "Peter… really wants … me…"

"NO!" the emphatic answer echoed for a moment "Absolutely not… it wasn't like that. I don't know how you remember that at all but obviously you don't remember all of it."

"But he… told Davis… to stop…?" the question turned the older man's blood to ice.

"Yes… but he didn't really want him to… he just thought… Neal, he lost hope for a minute. You looked so bad and you weren't responding and…"

"He thought… I was…"

"Yeah." She sighed "at that point you pretty much were." The room was quiet for a full minute except for Neal's harsh breathing and Diana shifting in the chair. "He dove in the river to find you… it was twenty-four degrees, but he dove in and refused to come out until he had you. You need to know that." Peter waited at the door… waited for he didn't know what. "You can't tell him you remember, Neal…"

"It would …upset him…" his voice broke slightly.

"Upset him? Yeah, that's one way of putting it." she sighed again "Get some rest."

"That's… all I do… lately…" he complained but even Peter could hear the exhaustion creeping into his voice. The older man lifted his hand from the knob… he needed some coffee before he entered that room. He clenched his hands to keep them from trembling, but he could do nothing about his twisting stomach.

It wasn't possible but somehow Neal remembered the moment he gave up on him. He needed to bring it up with him… Needed to explain. Diana shouldn't have told him to keep quiet. Neal deserved to hear the truth from him, but he had no idea how to start that conversation. "I was eavesdropping Neal and I know you remember that I told my agent not to save you." Yeah that would go over well. Maybe he could wait until his friend was stronger…