B is for Best Friends


The team was sitting in a meeting waiting for a witness to show up. Being a former government employee, he was coming in to help get them started based on what he'd seen and his experience in the field. They hadn't been given much information so the team was biding their time.

Somehow the conversation had digressed from professional topics to what their favorite letter would be if they had to choose. The choices ranged from A to Z and had random to creative reasons. No one was surprised when Peter picked E for Elizabeth, but no one was sure what to expect from Neal.

"B," Neal said with a little contemplation. He was playing with his rubber band ball as he leaned back, but his expression looked a little wistful.

"Why, it can't be B for Burke?" Peter quarried curiously. He was killing time with paperwork but had kept up with the conversation.

"Yeah, what is her name?" Jones teased expecting a love interest to be behind the name.

"Ooh, or what has he allegedly stolen that starts with a B?" Diana added another option.

Sighing as he leaned forward, Neal clarified. "B is for Burk, the name of my best friend from my school days, my legal name, and my birth name." Something about his tone indicated a lot of hurt behind those reasons.

Peter cocked his head curious of why he made that list.

"I guess you could say B is for best friend, you and he are the closest friends I've ever had." Neal still didn't provide more details on the other names, but Peter seemed to appreciate his placement.

"Why don't you talk about that other friend, or just give him a call? You obviously miss him," Diana noted. She and the rest of the team were curious but approached the conversation with caution.

"Because I'm dead to him," his voice dropped as he disclosed the uncomfortable information. "Protecting him senior year saved his life, but it had a domino effect that caused me to ultimately lose mine. I was revived so it didn't stick, but I'm not to contact him for the risk it might be permanent next time." That was too much for Neal's comfort so he got up for coffee and a break from the stares.

While he was gone, there was an awkward exchange of glances. Neal had died for someone before?

When he returned, Neal kept his attention on his coffee and was glad to note that the conversation had changed topics. Taking his seat, he participated when directed, but otherwise, he was happy to remain an observer.

Eventually, the witness did arrive. He was young with brown features, and he was dressed casually in jeans, a nerdy tee shirt, and chucks. His smile was friendly, but he didn't seem familiar with an FBI office as the team secretary walked him up. As he entered the conference room, his expression changed before he exclaimed. "You're not dead, again! Why didn't you tell me?"

Choking on his coffee, Neal seemed to be startled out of his reverie. "Chuck?" He gasped in between his efforts to regain his breath.

"I'm the witness on vacation you've been waiting for but I got held up since Sarah is sick. However, I wasn't expecting you, and you didn't answer my question." He remained frozen as he stared at Neal.

Regaining his composure, Neal took a deep breath. "Remember the first time?" At the man's nod, he continued. "You weren't a part of the team to accidentally rescue me. Due to everything… I wasn't allowed to contact you and it was thought best for me to return here. I'm Neal, by the way, it's my birth name."

Taking that in, their witness relaxed some but also paled. "I'm sorry; I wish I knew you were alive. We'd have been looking for you, but Sarah was allegedly given your ashes so there seemed to be no point in searching."

"Don't worry about it; this stuff has been going on since I was three. At least this danger comes from decisions that I made instead of my father's." Neal was trying to be nonchalant but remained tense.

"My father's creations are what caused these situations instead. What I'm most surprised by though is that I didn't know your birth name. Does everyone use aliases? John is Alex, Sarah is Sam, you're Neal, who next? We went to school together; I thought I knew who you are." Then the conversation took a puzzling shift. "She will hear from me on not telling me you're alive, but I can guess why you went with it. We'll talk about that too. My dad was killed in action since you were last around so if he told you something, it no longer applies."

Neal flinched so everyone assumed the older agent had indeed said something, but he gave his condolences on the man's loss.

Thanking him, Chuck also seemed to note the flinch, but he didn't comment directly. They were late enough, the meeting needed to begin.

Shaking his hand and beginning the formal introductions, Hughes directed the man to the front of the table with him and Peter. Going to work, they began lining up the case and what was to be done towards solving it.

The afternoon passed quickly with work being the primary focus. There were sideways glances at Neal, particularly by Chuck and Peter, but no one had been able to discern why Neal had suddenly been so vocal or why he seemed so sad. Granted, what he hinted at seemed to be the cause of his emotions, but why that series of events, why now?

When the day ended, it wasn't a surprise that Peter and Chuck both cornered Neal. Although he seemed reluctant, Neal sighed and complied to go with them for the evening.

Riding with Peter had been awkward, but the addition of Chuck almost made it miserable for Neal. He tried to avoid their curious glances and seeking questions, but it was impossible in such a close space with two curious agents.

"Why now, Neal? You didn't know Chuck was the witness until he entered the office." Peter started with the basic point while he drove.

"It's always in the background. Most days I'm better at suppressing myself, only showing the parts I want to be seen. Some days though, they're harder than others. Why today? I can't answer that, I don't know the answer." Neal told his window reflection of himself knowing the others could hear.

"You could have reached out to me, you know?" Chuck tried to reach out to him. "It's not like you didn't know where I live, work, my field and civilian names, and how to make use of that knowledge. Before, before you died, you emailed me, you visited, why not do so again?"

Whether it was Peter's presence or a general preference, neither knew, but Neal didn't answer the question so Chuck fell silent. He seemed to be playing with his phone in the backseat, but he was likely reaching out to contacts for information.

"What do you normally do on those tougher days?" Peter kept up his own line of inquiry.

Shrugging, Neal was general in his response. "Keep busy. There is always a case, an errand, I can paint, or see if June needs anything."

"Or randomly show up at my place under the pretense of boredom. That's why you came over this weekend, isn't it?" Peter recalled events from the previous weekend while navigating traffic.

"Maybe, it depends on what's going on," Neal was still deflecting and evasive.

Pondering their situation, the car fell quiet for a while. Each one was either trying to figure out how to get past Neal's wall of defense or reinforcing said wall of defense.

When they arrived at June's, Peter walked up with Neal while Chuck followed behind. At the loft, Neal bought himself some time by ducking into his closet to change. In casual slacks and a turtleneck, he noted that Peter already had a drink and Chuck was perusing the options. Quietly checking, he began seeing what he could put together for a meal. Then he began to cook.

"You can tell me you know, and I've managed to get the okay for Peter to know the basics." Chuck picked the conversation up again. "I had Sarah when I was in your shoes and Casey was around despite not being the talkative type."

Neal's snort while he worked had Peter curious.

"You're an agent doing a long-term undercover operation as the con you might have been. It's lonely to play the bad guy with no one around who knows." Chuck spilled the secret while watching the reactions.

Peter held his drink tighter to avoid dropping it even as he stared at Neal, "Agent?"

"I'm on permanent assignment, Chuck. You make it sound like I can surface someday." Neal grumbled while keeping his back turned.

"What?" Peter was flummoxed, he didn't seem to know what to say or do.

With a sigh, Neal started talking about his situation but continued to cook so that he wouldn't have to look at them. "I was three when my father was arrested by his partner. My name was changed from Neal Bennett to Daniel Brooks, the first recreation of who I am transpired with Wit-Sec. Growing up, my dad's partner taught me everything she knew to keep me safe, but I thought it was towards my aspiration to be a hero cop like my dad allegedly was. When I turned eighteen, the second transformation happened as I learned the truth, left Wit-Sec, and became Bryce Larkin. Chuck and I were roommates at Stanford, so he didn't know much about me beyond Bryce before snooping today. Junior year I was recruited and have transformed with each case or mission since." Life got more complicated after that and he wasn't sure what to tell either man so he focused on cooking.

Smirking a little, Chuck seemed proud of himself. "I didn't entirely snoop, she told me some, and I do still work with the other operation at times. I may be generally retired, but I have some sway as myself for being my father's son and Director Special Agent in Charge of All Operations. That outranks your Agent in Charge position." He paused for the unimpressed glance from Neal that he threw over his shoulder. "Besides, you now have Peter to talk to and I know where to find you if you don't talk to me."

Neal didn't seem sure that was a good thing while Peter looked hurt by the assumption Neal didn't want to talk to him or didn't trust him to know.

"I know you're usually a 'by the book' agent Neal, but I also know how much it wears on a person to keep such secrets from those closest to them. Peter is your other best friend, so like I needed to talk to Morgan, you need to be as honest as possible with him." Chuck shifted to hunting down tableware for them to eat with.

Remaining with his back to his guests, Neal sighed. "I've never had people to turn to; I'm used to dealing with things alone."

Snorting, Chuck wasn't impressed. "So, that's the issue? You don't want to admit that you can't handle this on your own?"

Frustrated, Neal put his utensil down on the counter with more force than necessary but was still careful not to damage June's things. "It's not that. I can admit when I'm not enough or in the wrong. I've asked for alterations to missions knowing I couldn't handle them as assigned, and I've made mistakes. This though, I've never been in this situation before, I don't know what this is! If nothing else, bringing Peter in makes him a more likely target for danger. You should know better than anyone that I don't like to endanger my friends."

Relaxing some, Peter seemed to be catching his bearings. "Neal, I'm surprised you don't know about the fatigue that comes with long-term assignments. The FBI takes careful care who is put in such situations, and even then they're reevaluated periodically to see if they're still needed and how well they're holding up. Based on your pattern when I chased you, I doubt you remained undercover the whole time. Now that you've been permanently assigned, this has probably been a while coming. Do you have another handler, someone from your agency you can talk to?" Moving to help get the tableware collected, he helped Chuck who had been randomly searching.

"Not really. The director checks in at scheduled times, otherwise, I contact her if needed or I'm your problem." Neal shrugged, oblivious to Peter's frown.

"You're not my 'problem,' you're my responsibility if anything, but more importantly, you're my friend." Peter corrected from where he was setting the table.

Chuck smiled at the unresponsive drawer pleased to hear someone stand up to his friend. Once he'd counted out the necessary silverware, he moved to help Peter set the table.

Finishing his preparation of the meal, Neal put the food on plates but left a little back without explanation. Carrying them over to the table, he set them down for his friends. Then to his surprise, Peter pulled him into a hug.

"You aren't a problem, and I don't like you thinking of yourself that way." He patted him on the back as he released him.

Not usually much of a hugger, Chuck surprised him by pulling him in next. "I'm glad you're alive! Don't stay away, okay?"

When he was released, Neal wasn't sure how to answer. "I'm dead to the world. I have a radius; I can't just hop on a plane and visit."

Smiling a little, Chuck said he had a plan. As they sat down to eat, he began elaborating on digital means to interact. "We can also visit you. If work doesn't bring us through, we can always take a vacation. I hear New York has more restaurants and options than you can try in a lifetime, maybe we should take that challenge."

Peter snorted in amusement, "We do have a lot of choices, but you'd have to live here to stand a chance at trying them all." This caused the conversation to dissolve into what options the city provided.

When the evening came to a conclusion, Neal passed the other portion to Chuck, "For Sarah, if she wants it, or you can get a start on trying all those restaurants if you prefer."

Thanking him, Chuck turned the dish around in his hand. "His name is to be Stephen Bryce Bartowski, he's due in about two months. If you don't keep in touch for my sake, do so for his. I want him to know who he's named after."

With his eyes misting, Neal didn't seem certain what he'd heard. "He's named after me?"

"Of course, he's named for my father who died in my arms, and my other best friend who died in front of me after sacrificing so much for my family," Chuck confirmed proudly. "I owe you for everything you did and I didn't think I could thank you since you were dead to my knowledge."

Smiling softly, Neal ducked his head, "You're welcome." Then looking up at Chuck, he added, "It's an honor that you'd name him after me."

Exchanging another hug, Chuck then left so that Peter could speak with Neal alone. He had a promise for more time to talk later, but they still had things to work through that Peter couldn't be present for.

Staying behind briefly, Peter gave Neal another hug. "I can see why B is special to you. Bennett, Brooks, and Bryce are the elements of you really are while Burke and Bartowski represent us. I can tell you how B represents you to me, you're my best friend."

Hugging Peter tighter and feeling the most relaxed he had in days, Neal agreed. "B is for best friends."

Releasing him with a final pat on the back, Peter smiled as he bid him goodnight.

Closing up the loft and setting in to relax for a while, Neal noticed how much better he felt. He could finally feel like painting or reading without the restless monster gnawing at his insides. Maybe they were right; maybe the operation had gotten to him. If that were true, then the promise and support of friendship released him. Chuck was insistent on setting up communication for those times between visits. Peter was willing to patiently wait for him to feel comfortable talking more about himself.

Checking his phone while he decided what to do, Neal found texts from Jones and Diana. Both were checking in that he was okay and offering support if he needed them. Neither agent even tried to make him talk or acted suspicious of him.

Responding to each in turn, Neal thanked them for their concern and told them he was feeling better after talking to Peter and Chuck.

Settling on painting, Neal wondered if he could finish a piece for Chuck before he and Sarah left. They had plans to meet so he was sure he'd work out his past with them, but a gift wouldn't hurt.


When the case was closed, Neal prevented Chuck and Sarah from leaving while he went to retrieve the mysterious item from behind his desk. Then he gave it to them in the conference room.

Uncovering it together, Chuck and Sarah gasped at the sight. It was abstract and a mixture of pictures within pictures.

Looking it over while Sarah tried to manage her hormone-induced tears on top of her gratitude and surprise, Chuck started picking out what he could see. The images interlocking was obviously a tribute to the Intersect, but there were recognizable shapes like their college building from Stanford, the Nerd Herd Desk, the guns from their old game of Assassin, and more vague concepts he couldn't immediately identify. Still, it evoked feelings of friendship and fond memories so it was the best gift his friend could give.

Hugging him in thanks, the couple took their painting and headed for the airport.

Behind them, most of the team cleared out of the conference room to return to work, but Peter, Hughes, Jones, and Diana remained.

"You know I have a history of connections with the NSA and other agencies. Even my resources weren't enough to get the full picture of you Caffrey, but based on what I did find, it's an honor to have you on the team." Hughes didn't have much to say, but he acknowledged that he'd looked into him as he stacked his papers before going to his office.

Following suit, Diana smiled. "Personally, I like B is for Bryce. Who knew you were such a good conman, I mean, we knew you were good, but this good?" With a playful bop on his head with her folders as she passed by, she set a new threat. "Don't cross me, even with who you really are, I think I can take you in a sparring match."

Having stacked his papers, Jones got up to leave. "My money is on Anderson, but that might be me." Then he smiled at Neal as he followed Diana down to their desks.

Neal stood staring after them, he hadn't expected that!

The snickers coming from Peter as he sat noting a few last points on his paperwork indicated his thoughts.

Turning to frown at his friend, Neal questioned, "Did you…?"

Putting his pen down as he looked up, Peter was beaming in happy amusement as he continued to chuckle. "I promise, I didn't tell them and I wasn't expecting that. However, they're good agents, so I'm not really surprised either."

Puzzled, Neal wondered how they had figured the information out. He wasn't that easy to discover, his information was secure on all fronts. Were their connections and resources really that good? "Chuck?" Had his old friend continued to talk?

Sobering, Peter got up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Chuck didn't tell and I got a call from your other boss this morning confirming that you're still safe. Hughes has his background deep in the FBI and NSA, Jones has extensive military contacts, and Diana has a lot of political pull. They found the information carefully on their own."

Relieved, Neal relaxed knowing everything he'd worked so hard to protect was still secure. "Good, it's not just you all that I need to protect, I play Caffrey to bait out those threatening my family."

Intrigued, Peter wanted to know more, but as Neal wouldn't spill just then, he opted to take him home for lunch where Elizabeth could work on him instead.

"Nice try, Peter, but I'm not that pliable," Neal smirked despite accepting the invitation.

"We'll see, Neal. We'll see." Peter smiled as he squeezed his shoulder before going to put his papers away and get ready for lunch.

Going down to his desk, Neal noticed how most of the team continued to treat him with the same general friendliness, while Jones and Diana were working but paused to smile at him. Locking down his station, Neal realized that he was finally home. June and the loft, Peter and the team, Mozzie as his criminal contact, and even Chuck and Sarah were back. Life was truly good.


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

For any who might have missed it, I missed posting a chapter of Triple Trouble on this site that was posted on AO3. My error has been rectified and Protection was posted earlier this week, but I'm noting it in case anyone doesn't do notifications and would like to read it :)