"What was that with the name you asked for?" Peter asked when they stepped into the elevator the next morning.

"Phil Landerer?" Neal replied, glancing at his handler. "I thought you had googled it already."

"No. Spend the evening with my lovely wife trying to forget that I spent the previous two hours with a woman who either thinks a hunting knife adds to the romantic mood or was ready to stab me."

"She won't likely stab you until you're married," Neal said and got a grim stare back.

They reached the third floor and joined the others in the conference room.

"Selena made a call after you left," Diana told Peter when they arrived. "I'm pulling up the audio now. Hang on."

"It's me," Selena said. "He left early, but I think I got to him."

"Did you spook him?" a male voice asked.

"Not at all. I'll have Williams down on one knee by the end of the week. After that, you finish the job, and it's payday."

"She has a partner," Peter concluded with a grin.

"Whoever her partner is, they probably run the endgame," Neal said.

"You're gonna have to keep seeing her," Diana sighed.

"Is there another option?" Peter asked. No, he pleaded. "Anyone?"

"I'm sure Elizabeth will be completely…" Neal searched for the word. "Supportive?"

Peter did not seem to agree.

"We'll find out when we talk to her."

"'We'?"

"Yes, we," Peter insisted.

Neal did not want to be part of any argument between the two of them.

"Oh, come on," he objected. It felt unfair.

"You're coming. I know someone who got me into this."

"You?" Neal suggested. "You got yourself into this."

"With a great deal of help from you."

"And Jones." As far as he could remember, Jones had pushed just as much as he.

"Stop it, Neal. You're coming. End of discussion."

Neal tried to stay quiet. It worked for five seconds. Just when Peter was about to say something else to the group, Neal burst:

"Why me and not Jones?" He glanced in Jones' direction, and he seemed amused.

"Because you're a convict with an anklet, and I own your time," Peter said. "And El will not kill me while you're present."

"But she will kill you while Jones is watching?"

"Neal. You're coming."

"But—"

"Unless you prefer an orange jumpsuit instead of that tie."


"Why do you have to see her again?" El was not pleased. Of course.

"We've run into some..." Peter started but did not find the words. What had he expected, really? To arrest her on their first date? "…complications, but—"

"Elizabeth, this, this woman is a murder," the kid said beside him. Peter was not sure he was helping.

"Another reason I don't love this!"

"She needs to be taken out," Peter said.

"Down," Neal corrected him.

"Down. She needs to be taken down. El, I want this over with more than anyone."

The woman he loved above all else looked at them both like she was about to cry in a way that reminded Peter of a sulky five-year-old.

"Is she attractive?"

Peter shook his head at once.

"Not really." A big, huge lie. But sensual as Selena might be, it would never be a woman that he could love, murderess or not.

"Define 'attractive.'" Neal added to the story and somehow confirmed that Peter was lying.

"You know, I'm gonna—" El started. "I'm gonna take Satchmo for a walk; get a little air."

She got the dog.

"Bye," the kid said beside him.

"See ya, honey." Peter wanted to make sure there was an agreement to come back. He did not get anything in return. But she was not that mad. Not now. Would a walk make it better or worse?

"That wasn't a complete train wreck," his pet convict said.

"But that's as far as it goes," Peter told Neal. El was not a woman that would shout and yell and throw things. This was what El was like when she was angry.

"You're seeing Selena again tonight. What's your plan?"

"Well, I'm gonna try to get to her cellphone and find out who she's talking with. The sooner this ends, the better."

"Then propose."

"Right. What?" He had not realized what the kid was saying.

"Well, you said you want to speed things up, right?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing says 'enamored' like—"

"Polygamy?"

"'Marry me,'" Neal corrected him. Sure, it was just an undercover job, and they would never be married for real, but he could not, would ever, propose.

"No! No, the cell is a good start."

"All right, it's your operation."

"And I'm not changing it. Diana has already prepped the team. She's following me in the van."

Neal pulled his jacket on.

"Sounds like you got it covered. Do you mind if I take off?"

"Where are you going?"

"Sara's coming to my place. You're not the only one with dinner plans."

Neal left before Peter had time to object. Not that he would. He just still could not see the con-man he had chased for four years seriously dating, maybe setting down.


There was a knock on the door, and Neal put the phone on silent and put it in a bowl far away from the dinner table.

He opened the door. Sara was outside. Every cell in his body tingled when he saw this fantastic woman.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, I got your message. Is everything okay?" He had not asked her to come over to dinner. Just texted her and asked if she could come over and help him ASAP.

"I don't know," he said with a serious face. "You tell me."

He opened the door fully and backed away, letting her in.

When she saw all the candles and the laid table, her jaw first dropped, and then she smiled as she inspected the room.

"You're trying to impress me."

"Well, look, I know you said I didn't have to, but..."

She moved up close to him

"But it makes you feel better," she said. They kissed.

"The dinner is not quite ready yet," he said. I was not sure how fast you would get here. "Some wine while we wait?"

"Sure."

He opened the bottle and poured two glasses. He gave her one of them, and they walked out on the patio.

"What if I hadn't come?" she asked.

"Then I would have left-over lunches and probably have less hopes for the future."

"That's not fair," Sara objected. "I might have been out of town, not able to get here."

"I was pretty certain you had not left, and if you were, and were still interested, I guess you would have texted me back."

"You knew I was in town?"

"You live here."

"Yeah, but I travel a lot." Sara looked at him, expecting him to answer the underlying question. "You checked up on me."

"Just a little bit. Just to raise the odds."

She giggled.

"Good thinking." They kissed again and drank their wine.

"I'll have to check on our dinner," Neal said.

"It's very lovely for a first date," Sara mused at all the candles as they walked back inside.

"Don't expect this every time."

"Oh, there's gonna be a second date?"

"Guy can hope."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"I could be talked into it." They moved to kiss, but Neal glanced over her shoulder at his phone, which was clearly active and buzzing. She noted. "Neal, go check your phone."

"Thank you."

"Yep."

He picked up the phone and saw there were four messages from Peter. The latest, which had made the phone buzz said, 'clear out - I'm commandeering your date RIGHT NOW'.

Neal turned around in panic, scanning the room.

"Who is it?" Sara asked.

"We got to get out of here right now. Peter's undercover. He's coming up the stairs. I'll explain everything later." Sara picked up her empty glass from the table and moved towards the door with no questions asked. "No, no! Not that way! The closet," he guided her in the right direction. "Uh, new bottle." Could not have an opened bottle on the table. Sara was on it and grabbed both their glasses and the bottle. "Through there." Neal took out four portion-sized quiches from the oven and placed them on the table. He heard Peter and Selena in the staircase going up. Sara had her hands full and could not get the door opened. "I got it, I got it." Neal opened it. "Sorry."

"Ooh, grab me a quiche," Sara said, disappearing from the living room.

Neal hurried to the table and grabbed one of them as Peter put his head inside. The first thing he did was to make a gesture with his head for him to leave. Thank you, Peter, but we need to eat too. Neal wanted to say but just hurried to join Sara in the back region.


Peter waited down on the sidewalk this time. He did not want to risk getting inside her apartment again if possible.

She came out, and he hurried to open the door.

"Wow. Look at you," he said. She snuck her arm around his. "No purse?" he noted as they walked to his car.

"No. I was in the mood for something a little more private tonight," she said. "Let's go to your place."

Peter stopped dead.

"My place?" They could not go to his place. Not his real home. But there were other places. "Sure. Sounds good."

"Oh, it will be."

He let her inside the car. As soon as he closed the door, he brought out his cell phone. Neal was not answering. It got to voice mail.

"Neal, change of plans. You have fifteen minutes to clear out of your apartment, or my cover's blown. I'm commandeering your date."

He got inside. He could not call Neal now. He started the engine and drove.

They passed a flower store, and he got an idea. He parked by the sidewalk.

"Wait here a second, will you?" he said to Selena and hurried out. He jogged to the flower store. Inside, he tried to call again. Still voice mail. He sent a text as well.

Then he bought a single rose. It was as close to a proposal as he would get.

He handed it to her when they got to the car.

"Oh, Peter… Thank you!"

He drove to June's house.

"Is this your place?" She was baffled.

"No, no. I rent a small apartment only."

They walked up the stairs as slowly as possible.

"Just let me make sure we're all set," he said as he peeked inside. Neal was there! But he seemed to know what was going on. He did not seem happy, no surprise, but that was a later issue. The door closed behind the kid, and Peter opened it for Selena. "Here we are."

Her jaw dropped.

"Amazing!"