Author note: You'll have to forgive Neal for being a bit of a prat at the start of all of this...he's never spent any time with Animula and he's subject to the social norms of an unusual alternate universe.

Chapter Two

Neal woke with a headache that was threatening to kill him. It felt like there were overly excited monkeys playing with metal marbles on a glass surface in his head. He had never really understood the phrase 'haze of pain' until he tried opening his eyes. Neal recalled drinking a bit too much at the gambling party, but he didn't think he'd had nearly enough to deserve this. He didn't even remember how he'd gotten home.

Realizing that there was a good chance he hadn't made it home Neal risked opening his eyes once more. Staring up at the familiar ceiling of his apartment he breathed a careful sigh of relief. Trying to piece together his memories from the previous night didn't provide much useful information. Making a mental note to never drink like that again Neal went to sit up to survey the full extent of the damage.

Pushing himself up to sit on the edge of the bed Neal looked up and found a stranger standing about fifteen feet away watching him. Yelping in surprise Neal scrambled back across the bed until he fell off the far side. Hitting the floor the room spun around him for a moment. He was starting to suspect that he got into something stronger than just alcohol the previous night. Quickly getting back to his feet he found the intruder still standing in the same spot. Neal relaxed slightly as he recognized the Animula, he was even still wearing the same tux from the party.

"Apologies, Master Halden, I didn't mean to startle you."

"I remember you, you're Cheng's Animula...Peter, right?"

"That's my name yes, but..."

"Just how much did I drink last night?" Neal lamented.

"More than you should have, Master Halden." Peter replied honestly.

"No kidding." Neal rubbed at his temple. "Thanks for...seeing me home or whatever, tell your Master I appreciate it but that it really wasn't necessary."

"You..." Peter hesitated. "You don't remember last night very well, do you?"

"I have to admit there are blanks. Something about those last few drinks just didn't set right. I never really drink hard liquor. I hope I didn't make a total ass of myself." Neal chuckled. "Who won the card game?"

"...you did."

"What?" Neal's already sour stomach twisted. "Please tell me Cheng sent you to deliver the Matisse."

"No."

"So you...uh..." Neal reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I was Cheng's entry in the game." Peter finished for him.

"That makes me your new Master?" Neal asked still not sure he was hearing this news right. "I'm sorry, it's just I was not expecting this."

"That makes two of us."

"I need coffee." Neal muttered to himself as he tried to figure out exactly how this had happened.

Somewhat on edge Neal jerked back when the Animula suddenly turned around. Peter stepped into the kitchen and began looking through the cabinets. Neal kind of felt like he'd woken up to find a bear in his house, the bear didn't seem to think anything was out of place as it rummaged about, but Neal had no idea how to react to the situation.

"What are you doing?" Neal asked.

"Making coffee."

"You don't have to do that. I meant it more as an expression."

"Master Hald..."

"My name isn't 'Halden'." Neal admitted. "It's Caffrey, Neal Caffery."

"Master Caffrey..."

"Can you hold that thought?"

Neal didn't wait for an answer. He was regretting his previous evening of drinking in every sense of the word. About to be violently sick he left the Animula in his kitchen and retreated into the bathroom.

Listening to Neal being sick in the bathroom Peter sighed, wincing in pain. With a heavy heart he looked around the small well decorated apartment with the New York skyline view. He hadn't really bothered to inspect his new surroundings last night, he hadn't even been hundred percent sure that Neal really lived here. The human had been cheerful, but barely coherent by the end of the night and he had given the taxi driver a few addresses before settling on this one. The front door hadn't been locked so Peter had just helped Neal up the stairs and into bed.

Exhausted from the long difficult day Peter had just risked laying down on Neal's couch for a few hours of much needed sleep. Always a light sleeper he had been woken when his new Master had started to stir and had gotten up so as not to be caught sleeping where he shouldn't be. Getting a new owner was always disorienting, but this was the first time that it had come as a shock to both him and his new Master. Peter had no idea what to expect and he hated that. Learning that Nick was actually Neal was a bad sign. Peter had already suspected Neal when he hadn't known how to treat him at Cheng's gambling party.

"You came to con Cheng, he conned you instead."

Closing his eyes Peter tried to ignore the pain throbbing across his shoulders that suddenly flared. Peter knew that his Market value was practically nothing at this point, but he still hadn't expected Cheng to just give him away. He wasn't sure if it had been a calculated move or if he'd just seen the opportunity and taken it. It didn't really matter either way, the past two years had been a nightmare and future didn't look much better.

"I hope you've gotten your life back together, Elizabeth." Peter sighed to himself. "Personally I think I've probably gone from the frying pan to the fire with this one. A con artist...although anything is better than being sent back to the Market."

Peter had developed the habit of talking to himself during his last run through the Market. Under normal circumstances at this stage in his life he should have been able to expect another ten to fifteen years working for an investment firm or something similar. However as his list of owners had grown longer and his resume had become increasingly complicated the risk of losing return on investment with him was too high to attract a good corporate owner, and he was getting too old to interest a good private buyer. His next return to the Market would most likely end up being a one way trip.

"I can't go back. I won't. I promised myself I wouldn't die there." Peter reminded himself. "Maybe if I..."

Peter stopped himself as he heard Neal turning off the running water in the bathroom just before returning to the living room. He pulled his shoulders back despite the flare of pain that it caused in an instinctive reaction to having a human enter the room. In his experience human expected Animula to hold a posture that gave the impression of standing at attention. Neal looked at Peter warily, it was clear that part of him had expected to return from the bathroom and find that the previous encounter had just been a hallucination or something equally imaginary.

"Sorry about that." Neal smiled nervously.

"No need to apologize." Peter said seriously.

"Right...um...this is a little awkward."

Peter wasn't sure how to react. He had been around plenty of human who were uncomfortable being near him, but he'd never had a true owner who didn't automatically just treat him like a subordinate or just treated him as though he was a breathing computer. Peter decided that the best action was none at all. His new Master would settle into the role quickly enough, it was human nature after all.

Suddenly being thrust into the position of 'owner' Neal wasn't finding any of this to be coming naturally. Although the more he thought about it the more he realized that there could be some real advantages to having an Animula around. In order to go after the really big fish you had to prove that you were one of them and only the rich and powerful brought Animula to meetings.

Just as he done the night before Peter's eyes lost their focus as he waited for Neal to address him. It was unsettling to see, but Neal assumed it was normal. He didn't often give much thought to the concept of his own soul, let alone the idea that someone could lack one. He wasn't sure what he thought of the commonly held belief about Animula, but he had to admit that there was something unnerving about the broken look in Peter's unnatural eyes.

"It's going to take me a while to get used to you, and vice versa I'm sure." Neal said. "I've never even met an Animula before you, let alone owned one."

"Then may I give you some advice, Master Caffrey?"

"Please call me Neal."

"My apologies. May I give you some advice, Master Neal?"

Neal was going to correct him again when he suddenly realized that he was probably asking too much of Peter to use his first name. As foreign as such subordination was to him it was probably part of how Peter interacted with humans. Neal waited for Peter to offer up his advice but he just stood silently. It took Neal a moment to realize that he hadn't officially given Peter permission to share his advice.

"I'd love to hear any advice you have. Like I said, I'm new to this."

"I am not." Peter assured. "There are four core rules to owning a Animula that ever Master needs to know and a fifth that is unspoken but is universally understood."

"I'm not really one for 'rules'." Neal chuckled. "However, I suppose I should at least hear them if we are going to make this work."

"Do not speak to me, unless you want something. Do not look at me, unless you are trying to get my attention. Do not listen to me, unless I'm saying something you want to hear. Do not touch me, unless your intention is to punish me."

"I don't have any intention of hurting you." Neal said quickly at hearing the fourth rule.

"I haven't reached this age by being disobedient so hopefully you won't have need to."

Neal doubted that he would dare strike his accidental acquisition even if he was blatantly disrespectful. Peter appeared submissive on the outside, but Neal still had the distinct impression that his obedience was only skin deep. Having given his advice Peter settled back into the slightly blank stare that he adopted when he was waiting for further orders.

"What's the last rule?" Neal asked. "The unspoken one."

"Do not mistake me for some one who could ever be your friend."

"Unless...?"

"Unless?" Peter repeated confused.

"All the other rules had an 'unless' of some sort attached to them."

"The fifth rule does not."

"No exceptions?"

"No exceptions."