7B: Subsiding

It was about midnight when Peter had what felt like his second heart attack of the day. He glanced in on the boys to see if they were sleeping alright and to verify that nothing had happened, like them getting smaller. He counted three bodies across the bed, but the distant one on the other side, Kyle, didn't look right. Further inspection found a pillow formed as a makeshift decoy.

Searching, he didn't find the boy anywhere in the room, the bathroom, upstairs, or downstairs. After a quick search, he stepped out the back door to see if the kid was on the roof or something.

Sure enough, a small figure was struggling to navigate the transition from the roof overhead to the top of the trellis. He was in a precarious position so he didn't want to startle the kid.

Moving into position as the kid continued to struggle; Peter was ready when he fell with a startled cry. Catching the kid, Peter then locked his grip so the startle wouldn't cause him to kick or hit.

"Where do you think you're going? Do you have any idea what your brothers would think if they woke up to you gone? What if I wasn't here to catch you? You could've really gotten hurt with that fall!" Pelting him with questions as he hauled him back inside, Peter hoped he'd think before trying such action again.

Putting the kid down on a stool while he locked the door and reset the alarm, he hoped he'd have a good reason for his actions.

Turning on the light, he saw the kid blink and try to adjust to the brightness, "Well?"

Hanging his head, the kid seemed to be thinking.

"You might not be my direct responsibility, but your brother is, and do you think I want to tell my friend that I let his brother get hurt on my watch?" Peter knew Neal's brothers had no direct relationship with him, and their perspectives seemed to be negative for some reason.

"I need to tell my friend where I am, he'll be worried," Kyle finally answered.

"And you couldn't call him? You've had hours to notify your friend that you ran into your brothers. While we were at the office, all evening, ever since the initial details from your rescue were done. That's not a good enough reason for taking such a dangerous move as climbing out and down from the overhang," Peter reprimanded.

"Why does it matter?" The kid tried to defer answering.

"What if you broke you're back landing on the chair beneath where I caught you? Does that matter?" Peter bounced his logic right back.

Deflating, the kid seemed to lose a lot of his hostility. "I doubt my friend would believe me, I'm used to handling things on my own, I don't know!"

Trying to see how confusing the day could be, Peter gave the kid a break. "Why don't you notify them that you ran into your brothers and got distracted? Then if this lasts, you can either make other arrangements or have them come here. They don't worry as much and might not need specifics, you have means for backup plans, you and your brothers can help each other handle this, and you're together if we can find a way to reverse it." It wasn't all-inclusive, but Peter hoped it was enough that they could sleep without any more incidents.

"Fine, I'll call him from down here, but I want to be alone." There was still a stubborn defense, but at least Kyle was willing to be more logical.

Nodding, Peter could accept the negotiation. "Deal, your phone should be with your things and you can go back up when you're ready, but stay in the house. The people who did this shouldn't come after you here, but I don't want to take any risks." Peter ruffled the kid's hair casually and patted his shoulder as he walked by. He noticed that the kid was surprised, but he didn't push or force anything. Heading up to his own bed, he heard the kid get his phone and go back downstairs, but he wasn't awake long enough to know that he had gone back to bed.

At about three, Peter made another check on the boys. They were all three back in bed and sleeping. Neal wasn't resting peacefully though, so Peter focused on him.

Moving further into the room, Peter kept an eye on Neal. He didn't seem to be in pain so it was more likely that he was in the clutches of a nightmare, perhaps inspired by the events of the day.

There wasn't room to sit on the bed so Peter leaned over and put his hand on Neal's head which was the only part visible above his blankets. Moving his fingers back and forth soothingly, Peter softly whispered. "It's alright Neal, you and your brothers are safe here."

After a few moments, a sleepy little whisper sounded scared from the middle, "Peter?"

"Yeah, I'm here buddy, everything is alright." Peter hummed reassuringly while he kept up the comforting motion.

"Except us being small…" Neal seemed to be more bothered by it than he'd let on.

"Except that, but I hope being here isn't so bad while it lasts. It's not like it should be permanent, you should be able to resume your normal life before too long." The idea of the boys staying had its appeal, but it wasn't right, they were adults with their own lives to live.

"But what if it is? What if we remain small, I couldn't go to prison like this?" Neal's voice had some panic to it which caused his brothers to shift.

"Sh," Peter cautioned, "Come here." He waited while Neal paused before standing up. Before Neal could move to walk off the bed, Peter just picked him up and lifted him over his brother's sleeping form.

Neal was shaking so Peter sat him on his arm and slipped out the door to carry him downstairs. Sitting on the couch, he sat Neal beside him and put an arm across his shoulder. "Why do you think I'd send you back to prison?"

His eyes were misting despite his efforts, but Neal managed to explain. "I'm small, people wouldn't take me seriously, and I'd be in too much danger because we'd never know when or if it could change. What if I'm stuck in a child's body?!"

Changing his mind, Peter picked him up into a hug. "There is no reason to send you back to prison, and this is a greater reason not to. As for work, you're our consultant and this doesn't stop you from helping in the office, even if we have to make some arrangements. If you're stuck, which I highly doubt, then when your sentence is up you'd be free to continue consulting, or maybe you'd rather do your own art. Whatever happens, you're our friend and welcome to stay as long as you need to. I can't imagine what this would be like, but I can at least support and help you through it." Peter continued to hug Neal and rub his back.

Holding onto his t-shirt for reassurance, Neal seemed to be calming down.

After a while, Peter realized that Neal had fallen asleep leaning against him. Giving him another hug, Peter then carried Neal backup and carefully tucked him back between his brothers. Then ruffling his hair one last time, Peter went to try and get a little more sleep.

When he woke up, Peter was surprised to find himself alone. Elizabeth was already up, and judging by the smells whiffing up from below, she was also cooking breakfast, a weekend breakfast on a weekday.

It must be the boys. With them in the house, he and his wife were getting a vague taste of what it could be like should they have kids someday. Smiling as he moved to get ready, Peter found himself just as excited despite the difficulties he'd encountered with Neal's brothers the day before.

When he peeked into the guest room, all three boys were still asleep. They were the same childish size but appeared to be resting peacefully.

Going downstairs and finding his wife cooking breakfast, Peter kissed her on the cheek while stealing a piece of bacon while she wasn't looking. "Good morning, hon."

"Good morning to you too," Elizabeth smiled happily as she worked. She seemed to have missed his theft until she commented, "That's one less from your stack."

Amused, Peter enjoyed his treat despite Satchmo licking his chops and looking at him with his big puppy eyes. However, he did give in and gave him one of his treats before they went for their morning walk.

If it wasn't for the strangeness of the boys being adults in child-sized bodies, Peter could get used to this in many ways: playing games, comforting small people at night, having a family breakfast in the morning, and then working with his best friend.

Sighing, despite the beautiful morning, that was another point that got to him, he'd miss working in the field with his best friend. The office work was only part of their days.

Mulling it over as he walked, Peter decided to enjoy this time while it lasted with the hope that life would return to normal soon. That way, he got a taste of the best of both worlds. With a plan in mind, Peter found his mood picking up again.

Back at the house, Peter let Satchmo off of his leash and went to help his wife finish preparing the meal and set the table. Working together, they quickly had the tasks finished before the first tussled head came peeking around the corner.

Ruffling the kid's hair as he passed, Peter noted Caleb's surprise. Was their dad not around growing up, did they not have that kind of relationship, or was it just because it was him? Unsure, he went to rouse the other two to eat while it was hot.

Looking into the guest room, he found the other two boys in the process of waking up.

Before he could decide what to do, Satchmo trotted around him and proceeded to give the hand dangling off of the bed a thorough licking, "Satchmo!" Peter called but the dog was too excited so he only trotted around the bed to find a foot to lick.

One boy didn't seem impressed with being licked awake, but the other giggled before pulling his foot under the covers.

"Satchmo, you know better than that," Peter scolded as he caught the dog and sent him to the hallway.

When he looked back, there were two tussled heads looking at him. "Breakfast is hot so come and get it."

Climbing out, the boys stretched as they got up, each had a startled moment remembering that they were small, and then they walked downstairs with him.

Caleb was already set but Peter made sure the other boys were able to climb up with the books and pillow boosters. When Kyle zoned out, Peter gently picked him up and lifted him to his seat. Again, this garnered a startled reaction, but Peter didn't know why.

"Why the special breakfast, you normally eat cereal on a workday?" Neal wondered between munching on his bacon.

"It's not every day we have guests," was all Peter said on the matter. He didn't want to embarrass the boys and he wasn't sure how to describe his and Elizabeth's emotions on the situation.

The other two seemed to generally accept the explanation, but Neal continued to look at them as he ate. He obviously knew them well enough to at least guess, but he didn't make any additional commentary on the unusualness of the large meal.

Finishing first, Elizabeth had to go to work so she kissed Peter and said goodbye to the boys.

After she'd left, Peter felt some trepidation; would the boys act up again? Fortunately, they continued to eat quietly until he heard a knock on the door.

Letting Hughes in, Peter invited him to join them for breakfast.

Generally accepting, Hughes had been working since early in the morning so he was glad for a cup of coffee and some food. While he ate, he seemed to be working something through in his mind as he watched the triplets.

It didn't take long for the food to be consumed and Neal volunteered to haul the dishes to the kitchen while Hughes discussed his finds with Peter.

Allowing the boys the activity while remaining close enough to hear, Peter talked to Hughes about the agencies that were teaming up to handle the situation.

"We were contracted by the CIA and NSA during the night, the Marshals know Neal's situation and that you're watching him, while the FBI is agreeing with your proposal to keep him out of the field at present. He's to remain with you working outside of the office for now as this case is the top priority, but what will be done to help them will depend on how this progresses. There is no protocol or procedure, so we're flying blind." Hughes grumbled over his coffee.

The situation was about what Peter expected, but at least they had confirmation. Discussing possible directions to take, they had plans for what each was going to do for the day.

Once Hughes had left, Peter went to the kitchen and found Neal on a chair washing dishes and directing his brothers. "Need some help?" Peter stood next to Neal as he observed the activity. Neal was washing, one of his brothers was rinsing, and the third was drying and putting away.

"Maybe put away? We'd be faster if we didn't have to figure out where to go." Neal suggested as he scrubbed a dish before passing it to his brother.

Taking up residence at the end of the line Peter started putting the dishes away as they were handed to him and other minor cleanup tasks if Neal was busy with a tougher dish.

When the task was done, Peter had casework to do and he needed to keep up with the investigation into what had happened to the boys. Meanwhile, he had Neal pull out games to keep his brothers occupied between that, the television, and their phones.

It was after lunch when Peter noticed the boys getting quieter. They all seemed to sense a feeling of impending danger.

"Take Satchmo and go upstairs," Peter instructed Neal to take the dog and his brothers to safety while he would handle whatever the cause of their distress was.

Pulling out his phone in one hand and undoing his holster to rest his hand on his gun, Peter called in a report that something was off. He didn't know how, but their suspects had found the boys.

With the reassurance that help was on its way, Peter looked about, but there wasn't anywhere that was safe. All angles could be seen either by the front or back, if not directly then through reflections between the pictures and mirror.

Taking up the best position he could, Peter waited.

Only a few moments passed before a large shadow could be seen up the side of the back door. That must be the guard Neal reported taking them. The man seemed to be checking for security and then Peter heard what sounded like some kind of technical override as his alarms turned off with a soft beep.

As quickly as his mind thought 'they're coming in,' both the front and rear doors were forced open to allow men to enter. They were dressed in black and had ski masks to cover their faces. Each was heavily armed and they had the advantage of numbers.

Hearing men go up the stairs; Peter hoped the boys were well hidden with Satchmo. It felt like he had four children to protect and he couldn't fail!

By this point, he was endeavoring to hold his attackers back, but they were splitting up and he wouldn't last long if backup didn't arrive soon.

Distracted by the noise upstairs, Peter was afraid the boys had been found when a bullet came through the wall into the back of his shoulder. Grunting, he didn't want to think about the wood shrapnel or the damage causing the pain he felt. His brief distraction had already done enough damage.

Before he could raise his weapon with his weaker hand, Peter found multiple guns pointed directly at him. He was surrounded and defeated!

Closing his eyes for a second as he lowered his weapon, he tried to rein his fear in. The boys were still safe since they hadn't been paraded before him and he hadn't heard anything from them. Hope wasn't lost!

Having shifted to stand with his hands slightly raised, he was going to gather as much information about these men as he could, even if it was vague.

The leader spoke in another language, presumably ordering his death as fingers tightened on triggers.

Hoping his wife wouldn't have to see the destruction of their home, hopping for the triplets' safety, and hoping to live, Peter still mentally knew he was about to die.

Multiple shots rang out while he blinked so that when he reopened his eyes, Peter found himself facing the triplets each with a gun in hand. He blinked again unsure of what to do with the situation.

Holding his hands up, Neal was back in the basics of his suit since he was adult-sized. "Before you react, Peter, my legal name is Daniel Brooks, agent Daniel Brooks of the FBI."

He was going to blame it on blood loss, but Peter had to admit that he was also shocked as his legs gave out and he slid towards the floor. While the dizzy reaction hit and caused his head to spin, Peter realized that Neal's name meant that he and his brothers were the famous identical triplet agents.

Feeling a slap, Peter refocused his eyes to see Neal's worried expression hovering over him. "You're losing blood fast. We've called an ambulance." Then he passed out.

When the hospital stay finally ended, Peter was surprised to find Elizabeth accompanied by the triplets when she came to pick him up.

"What's this?" Peter asked Neal, although he was pleasantly surprised.

"You wound me if you think we aren't going to be here to help our surrogate mom pick up our surrogate dad." Neal smiled playfully, but there seemed to be a mask hiding more. Watching him for a moment, Peter decided it was two emotions he was hiding. How deeply he felt connected to them as surrogate parents and perhaps embarrassment or fear of the reaction to those feelings.

Easing his fears, Peter responded easily, "Isn't that what surrogate sons are for? At least, in situations like this; we don't want to make a habit of picking anyone up at the hospital. That goes for all three of you, by the way, I've heard of your reputations… Bryce." Peter gave a pointed frown at Bryce, the youngest brother, the brother who was rumored to have died, twice!

Plastering on a smile, Bryce tried to evade that while both of his brothers snickered at his expense. "Hey, I resemble that remark."

"You do, that's the problem. Now that I know who you are, I expect calls when you're around professionally and visits when you can," Peter set the beginning of rules. "That also goes for you, James."

Ducking their heads, the other triplets promised to do what they could.

As the group moved toward home, Peter looked forward to his recovery period. He had his wife, his best friend was with him, Neal and his brothers were still surrogate sons, and he could enjoy his downtime with all of them.

"By the way, we fixed the wall while Elizabeth was at Junes. It looks like nothing happened," James assured him with the reminder to call him junior.

"Something is different though…" Bryce hinted.

Sighing, Neal clarified, "We had to replace some things as they were too damaged."

"Don't worry about it; I'm just glad everyone is okay," Peter reassured from the passenger seat.

When they arrived, Elizabeth opened the door and Peter followed her in before looking to her gasp. Hanging on the wall, there was a family painting. It showed Peter and Elizabeth sitting together while the triplets stood around them as adults. Then a smaller picture hung on the wall behind them where, upon closer inspection, Peter saw the same image reversed. The boys were child-sized and posed with Neal sitting on Peter's lap, Bryce on Elizabeth's, and Junior sitting half on each leg in the middle. They had huge smiles and looked like a happy family.

Feeling his eyes mist, Peter gave Neal a solid one-armed hug in thanks while being careful of his sling. "It's perfect!" He sniffed, but the battle was pointless.

He made sure to give each of the other boys their own hug as well before he settled in on the couch in fatigue.

Helping Elizabeth, the boys got pizza and settled around Peter for a movie and something of a family night.

Comfortable with Elizabeth beside him and the boys around them, Peter knew he'd be entertained with cases, stories, paper basketball, and company until he had healed enough to resume everyday life. But, he'd always have his wife and surrogate sons. The picture watching over them was just an image of the family they'd become.

Thank you, everyone, for reading, reviewing, and leaving kudos :D

Over the last couple of days, we've noticed that Ranger is missing some fur, it's thinning in other areas, and he's lost weight so that he's scrawny which is very unhealthy for hamsters! We're concerned about what might be wrong but the vet is closed so we're doing what we can. Hopefully, things turn out okay, but I know my anxiety is way up :(