Keeping Cover

It was a lovely day in the bustling city.

New York always had a hum to it, like music. If it wasn't the traffic, it was the people. One set the tune, and the other generated the lyrics.

There were the towering buildings that could be seen, even in the park above the trees, and then the clouds floated above that obscuring the tops of the scrapers. Birds flew and squirrels scampered.

The jungle might be concrete, but that didn't mean that nature hadn't found a way to thrive anyway.

Sitting with his morning brew and a newspaper, Bryce was minding his own business and enjoying a morning reprieve with no missions. He was on vacation.

However, since that wasn't guaranteed to last and he'd been advised that his next mission was expected to be based out of New York, he thought it might be best to get to the city ahead of schedule just in case… despite the potential complications.

Those complications weren't likely to come from his next assignment. No, they were from a past operation, one where he'd been assigned to play an alternate version of himself.

Neal George Caffrey had been cast as a con artist, thief, forger, and, in general, a criminal extraordinaire. His character had committed crimes all around the world, but he'd used the city as a base of operations. The home that he always returned to until he'd walked into a trap set by agent Peter Burke. Then he'd spent four years in prison, or allegedly anyway because he'd actually been performing in Operation Sandwall and then pursuing the Ring for the CIA. After he'd been killed for the second time, he'd briefly returned to the old alias to close out his sentence. When he had walked out that prison door as a free man with his four-year sentence completed, he disappeared like a fog on the breeze.

Smirking to himself, he could easily imagine Peter sitting at his desk and periodically doing a check… watching for some crime or another fitting his MO. Unless the CIA ordered him to resume the character or to perform a similar role, Peter would be checking for nothing.

Hearing someone clearing their throat rather close to him, Bryce glanced up to see that very agent standing over him with an eyebrow quirked up at him in amused curiosity.

Plastering on a smile characteristic of Caffrey, Bryce beamed up at the man. "Agent Burke? It's been a while."

"Four years and ten months is a while. What are you doing, Caffrey?" The agent was just as direct as he'd expect him to be in an interrogation.

Amused, Neal wasn't surprised that the agent would know exactly how long it had been since the day he'd sent him to prison to begin doing his time. "Is there a law against reading the newspaper and drinking coffee in the park? If so, I believe that would be a case for the police, not the FBI, and that the officer sent to enforce that would have their work cut out for them." He lifted his cup indicating the others who were similarly occupied.

Rolling his eyes, the agent tried not to show his humor, but he missed the slight lifting in his mouth as he continued conversing with him. "You know what I mean. Your sentence ended and you just disappeared. Now I find you just sitting here drinking coffee and reading the paper? You'd better not be reading up on that art show that's in town and considering casing it. We both know that I'll catch you if you try anything."

Tweaking the agent's patience since he approached him first, he couldn't resist his next action. "There is an art show in town? What page is it on? I should check that out." He shook the paper and began thumbing through the pages with his free hand looking for the article.

Huffing with a hint of a growl, Peter was not amused. "Don't tell me that the great Neal Caffrey, art forger, isn't aware of an art show that's happening near him. Especially not in New York City."

Grinning up at the agent, Neal answered him honestly, knowing that it would still set his paranoia on edge. "What can I say? I'm just here on vacation and am taking my visit as it plays out."

"Vacation? So, what, you got out of prison and have been traveling the globe to celebrate your freedom? Now you've decided to figure out what's going on back here? I don't buy it. What are you really up to, Neal?" Peter had shifted to putting his fingers into the band of his pants while his hands rested on his hips. He looked like an upset father scolding his errant son.

"I knew that would bother you, but I'm being honest, Peter. Contrary to popular belief, I am capable of that. At present, I'm only here on vacation, and I'm endeavoring to enjoy my coffee while reading my morning paper and listening to the music of the city." He continued to put subtle hints that would keep Peter guessing. He couldn't help himself to resist!

"At present… so, you're open to new plans but haven't had any specific intent to your time. Might I make a few suggestions?" Peter leaned forward slightly.

Enjoying himself, Bryce was glad that Peter had come across him. He was slightly worried that it might make his next assignment more difficult to perform if the agent tried to pursue him, but he also knew that he'd managed all of his operations before.

If nothing else, he could plant some clues sending Peter in the wrong direction, looking for Neal Caffrey, a man that he probably wasn't going to be. By chance, if the general wanted him to resume playing Neal Caffrey, then Peter would be keeping an eye out for him anyway since he knew that he was in the city again.

"And what might those suggestions be? And before you start, don't make suggestions like watching the Yankees in the stadium. I'm not a baseball fan like you are." He knew something of the agent's preferences, and they weren't the same as his.

Relaxing a little at the mention of his favorite sport along with an enjoyment of the conversation, Peter rocked back on his heels. "Although I would highly recommend watching a game in the stadium, I'm a Yankees fan myself, I'm also aware that you've never been noted to have a preference for sports."

Digressing from their original topic, Bryce wasn't above allowing a distraction. "It's not like you weren't tracking every little detail that you could discover about me. I was studying you too."

"Know thy enemy?" Peter cocked his head to the side as he ran his tongue over his lips. He was intrigued.

"Something like that." He couldn't resist continuing their game.

"Uh-huh." Peter shifted to looking up towards the people passing by as he thought for a moment. "And I know that you believe that you've successfully diverted me from my suggestions for your time in the city. Fine, I won't tell you what to do, but I will make a suggestion. Don't try to pull anything. You've done four years, and I will catch you which will mean more time. Why not try and see what life has to offer through legal occupations for a change?"

"Again with all of these assumptions? I'm hurt. Peter, how many crimes have you noted anywhere fitting any of my MOs?" He put his free hand to his heart and tried to play injured even though he knew Peter wouldn't fall for it.

"Cut the crap, Neal. We both know that you can live legally if you don't want to draw attention, and we both know that you're very good at committing crimes without being caught. You're suspected of far more than I've been able to prove. But that's not my point. Rather than spending your free time scoping things out, or bouncing around from one place to another, why not try to settle down and see where life takes you? Sure, you broke up with Kate, but what if there is another one out there for you, someone who won't run from you?" Peter's tone had turned serious again.

"You mean like an Elizabeth? I don't know if I'll ever be that lucky."

Peter had hit on a sore spot for him. Kate and he weren't really a couple, had broken up ages ago. Sarah had chosen Chuck over him. There wasn't anyone else in his life that had had a chance of getting close to him. Although he liked the idea of meeting someone, having a special person in his life who could know who he really was, that didn't seem likely. The life of a spy wasn't conducive to romance or settling down with a white picket fence.

"You won't know if you don't try and give someone a chance." The agent's tone had softened. He knew he was lucky, but he was extending hope to a con man.

"Well, I promise to try if I meet someone, but I won't promise any guarantees." He turned the agent off of that subject since it wasn't any fun for either of them so it wasn't likely to go anywhere fun or good.

Standing awkwardly in front of him, Peter seemed to be shuffling position slightly. He could be considering what else to say since he'd encountered a former case, or he could be trying to formulate an escape from a conversation that had all but officially ended.

Equally unsure of what to say or do, Neal at least had the excuse of shifting his hand to get a better hold of his paper as a breeze came up threatening to blow it away.

Fortunately, Peter's phone rang before anything could get to be too bad.

Answering it, he was being called away by someone or another in regard to a case by the sounds of it. When he hung up, he had his escape.

"Well, even if you aren't presently planning anything, that doesn't mean that someone else isn't. My case is progressing and I have a suspect to pursue. You behave yourself, Caffrey." Peter nodded to him in a friendly fashion before taking off down the path.

Watching him go for a moment, Bryce was surprised by how much he'd enjoyed their conversation.

For some reason, the thought crossed his mind that he and Peter could be friends. In another time or perhaps another life, had things gone differently, they might have even ended up working as partners.

Of course, something like that would have either required Peter to go into the CIA or him the FBI, but they were both technically agents so it wasn't like it was completely outside the realm of possibilities… just so remote that it was unlikely to ever transpire.

Confident that he'd retained his cover, Bryce shook his paper back out and went back to sipping on his coffee and perusing the articles.

Now, where was the article on that art show?

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

Alright, I'm posting rather early, and here's why.

First, work has me scheduled for the next eight days straight, and I thought six was exhausting in the past! I'm told I'll get my time off during the following two weeks as our family is out to visit along with a couple of basic checkups for eyes and teeth, but I have trust issues with my employers. My hope is that between the new kid I've been working with some and a new hire (hopefully an adult and able to take more than the teen), I hope they're able to alleviate some of the load as we've been so overwhelmed at work to get a pile of complaints this last weekend. But, my biggest hope is that the schedule isn't finalized and that bulk gets broken up a little before I'm just out of there for a bit between the times off. However, by contrast, the finances will be useful for paying for Wyoming's treatments.

Second, Wyoming decided that Ranger couldn't have all of the attention. It's probably been growing for at least a few days, but last night we discovered a large mass on the back of his testicles and at the base of his intestines. He had an emergency vet appointment and spent his day there for monitoring. They pulled a sample and called it 'suspicious' so it's being reviewed by a specialist in Colorado. His prognosis isn't good at this point, but we'll see what goes. Worst case scenario the mass will rapidly grow and either kill him or force us to put him down to prevent the alternative miserable death, and best case scenario they'll be able to remove it without causing additional complications before we'll get more time with him. With hamsters, things can tip in extremes in days so that might be all we have left with him or there might be a few weeks/months left. He's causing a lot of stress and anxiety at the moment, but people are praying for him and the vet is researching to see what can be done so we'll see what goes:'(