Bryce answered a lot of questions. Questions about how he managed to become Neal Caffrey. Questions about what it was like to be undercover for so long. Questions about how this could possibly be true.

Finally, he decided that they had spent enough time and dismissed the agents to their work. He had Jones, Diana and Peter stay back.

"We need to discuss the Pratt situation," he said.

"I figured," Jones said, retaking his seat. "I doubt we can keep going the way we are."

"Why not?" Diana questioned. "It's not like we were doing this all above board."

"Because I'm now going as Bryce Larkin. While I could keep sneaking around as Neal Caffrey, the name Bryce Larkin also attracts enemies. I don't want Pratt to learn about it."

"He probably already knows. After all, he tried to plant his own agent here," Jones pointed out. "He'll know he failed and he'll want to know why."

"I don't even think we know why," Bryce mused. "But I can't let him just continue what he's doing."

"We don't plan to," Peter said.

Bryce nodded in agreement. "However, this is not an official case. Hughes didn't make it one for a reason and I at least understand that. If you want out, especially now that Hughes isn't around to protect us, now is the time to get out."

Jones and Peter shook their heads. They would be staying.

Diana burst out laughing.

"What?"

"You're a good leader, Larkin! I never thought I would see the day I was glad you're in charge."

"Way to hurt a guy, Diana."

"It's a shame the CIA can't assist. I feel like having some spies on our side would be helpful," Jones sighed wistfully.

"You just want to ask them questions about being a spy," Diana said.

"I'm sure Bryce can answer your questions," Peter said to Jones.

Bryce had gone still, eyes focused on the table.

"Is something wrong?" Peter asked.

"I... do have some people I can call from my CIA days," Bryce admitted. "But they think I'm dead."

"Neal," Peter sighed.

"Bryce," Bryce corrected.

"Either way, you're not dead now so you should reach out."

"If you trust them, that is," Diana added.

"I'll think about it."

Bryce did think about it. He thought about what Ellen would want and how he could best get Pratt. He also thought about what might happen if reaching out to Chuck went wrong.

He had a lot of ideas about how it could go wrong.

Diana was right. If he trusted them, he should tell them. But he didn't want the CIA to look too deeply at any of this.

He did some research and then entered Peter's office.

"I have a job for you."

"On the books?" Bryce shook his head. Peter sighed. "Okay, let's hear it."

"Turns out the CIA people I know aren't fully integrated into the CIA. They have a failed spy company which still has valid contact information."

"You want me to contact their company? What if no one is monitoring it?"

"Then I have a back up. But I need them to come here without realising I'm here. I don't want anyone else to realise it."

Peter considered it for a few moments. "Okay, what do I do?"

Bryce smiled softly as he passed Peter a file. "Contact details are in there. You want help as an FBI agent to bring Pratt down because he killed a friend of yours. Is that alright?"

Peter nodded. "What are we telling James?"

Bryce's mouth turned down. He had forgotten about James with everything else that was happening. "I don't want him to know about Bryce Larkin."

Peter's eyebrows went up. "So we tell him nothing?"

"I'll get Mozzie to send him on a couple of wild goose chases while we work with the CIA. It might be a good idea to step back from this."

"I'll get to work on this. Let Jones and Diana know that you're Neal Caffrey if James is around."

Bryce nodded, part of his smile returning. "You really should have my job."

"I have a job of my own," Peter countered. "Besides, we still make the best team."

James requested a meeting through Mozzie.

"You've been quiet the last few weeks. How is everything progressing?"

"We still don't know where Ellen hid the evidence box," Bryce responded. "I have Mozzie on it."
"What about you?" James said insistently.

The last couple of weeks had been an adjustment for Bryce. Going back to being Bryce had been like dumping a bucket of cold water over himself. Neal was a name he had been given at birth, something he only learnt about at 18. Right before Stanford. Before Bryce Larkin.

Neal wasn't something he expected to be.

"James, when Mum died-"

"Your mother's dead?" James said in shock. Bryce blinked. James obviously knew nothing aside from Neal Caffrey. He hadn't looked into Bryce Larkin or the Danny Brooks that Bryce grew up as.

Even Peter had looked deeper into Bryce's life than James had. Hughes had somehow looked deep enough to discover the spy underneath it all.

"Yeah, she died shortly before I landed on the FBI's radar. It's why Ellen was important to me, she's the last connection to my past."

"I'm here too," James said. "I know I wasn't there when you were growing up but I was before."

Bryce felt a sinking in his chest. "Yeah. You were." Something niggled at Bryce. A memory from Stanford, something he hadn't thought about in years.

Two friends, roommates, talking about their respective parents. One, whose mother disappeared and later had a father walk out on them. The other, whose father was a criminal and whose mother was mentally checked out from their life.

What would Chuck make of James? What would James think of Chuck?

Bryce internally crafted a test for James. He shouldn't test family but, as two hurt roommates decided years ago; 'If they're going to come back, they better be prepared to earn it.'

Bryce was shocked to see Mozzie and Peter sitting at his table.

"James seemed disappointed as he left," Moz announced.

Bryce sighed. "You were watching us?"

"Of course, mon frère. I would like to say, I'm pleased with the distance you are encouraging between yourself and James."

"There's no distance."

"Bryce, you barely exchanged more than a few words with the man. And you didn't tell him about the key."

"Peter, how did your meeting go?"

"That was a terrible attempt at changing the subject," Mozzie scolded. "I thought I taught you better."

"They accepted the job and will be in New York in a few days."

Bryce's shoulders sagged in relief and he felt like he had made the right choice. He was worried about what Chuck would think if he came back to see Bryce trying to get close to his estranged father. It wasn't healthy but he wanted the chance to make up with Chuck without having to worry about James.

"Who accepted the job?"

"Some group that used to be called Carmichael Industries."

"Carmichael Industries?" Mozzie screeched, knocking Bryce out of his thoughts about the many things he still had to apologise to Chuck about. "That group that declared war on the CIA? That somehow got the Piranha to help them out? The same Carmichael Industries that has worked with the Verbanski Corporation, despite being rivals?"

Peter gave Bryce a shocked look, which Bryce returned. What had Chuck been up to? And why had none of this turned up in his research?

"I guess?" Bryce responded. He wondered if Mozzie knew about Carmichael's connection to the CIA.

"How did you even contact them? They disbanded without a trace."

"Their contact information is still up to date. Someone must still be monitoring their job requests."

"And they accepted to come out here? Why?"

Peter shrugged. He too wondered why but he trusted that Bryce had a reason for bringing this group in. "I just followed what, um," Peter stammered and looked over at Bryce.

"I told Peter how to contact them," Bryce told Mozzie.

"You-" Moz paused for a moment as his brain put the pieces together. "Carmichael Industries has some kind of connection to the CIA, don't they?"

"Yeah. Actually, they would be the group that I would recommend taking over your request as well as helping us with Pratt and finding Ellen's evidence."

Mozzie thought about it. "I'll see what they're like first."