The Pizza Order
Since Elizabeth was busy with an event, Peter had invited him over to continue working on the case from the comfort of his home.
Happy to provide some company for his friend, Neal agreed to the arrangement and they talked about the case on the drive out.
When they arrived at the townhouse, Peter went about taking care of Satchmo since he was the first one home.
The dog had been home alone for a few hours so he needed to be let out and taken for a walk before he'd be ready to settle for the evening.
While Peter let the dog out the back, Neal organized the files on the dining room table since that was where they'd be eating once the pizza was ordered and arrived.
Then the two men took a walk to give Satchmo his stretch before bed. Not bothered by the cool evening, their path through the neighborhood meandered about as much as their conversation topics.
Enjoying the companionable time, Neal didn't mind the activity. It was one of those normal aspects of life that he didn't get to experience for himself so he appreciated the chance to see it through his friend.
Arriving back at the Burk's, Peter called in the pizza order to a nearby pizzeria before heading upstairs to change.
Waiting, Neal hung out with Satchmo and the files.
He loved Satchmo. The dog was so friendly and well-behaved. If his life was more stable, he'd love to have a dog.
However, that wasn't to be. He'd gone into the CIA during university and life had become a whirlwind adventure of one mission after another. There was no time or place for him to settle down and take on the responsibility of a pet.
Even his current assignment as Neal Caffrey could change despite being long-term. It didn't matter what happened, getting thrown into prison again, encountering the public corruption that he was pursuing, or some other unforeseen circumstance that could possibly happen would make a mess of his situation. The pink diamond case had been proof that he didn't even have to be guilty for everything to fall apart.
Peter was apparently caught upstairs as the pizza order arrived before he'd returned so Neal got up to answer it and pay for the order.
Pulling his wallet as he walked towards the door, he had the necessary cash on hand to handle the bill and tip.
Satchmo accompanied him on the trip before standing at his side while he opened the door.
A gasp caused him to look up abruptly before he came eye-to-eye with none other than Chuck Bartowski!
"nug Davang?" He whispered harshly to his old friend. The CIA had better not be pulling him!
"cho? Bl'lQtaHvlS, blqlplu'meH. nug Davang?" Chuck fired back at him just as rapidly in a high-pitched whisper due to his shock.
At least he'd been practicing since there wasn't hesitation to his speech.
Hearing Peter upstairs, Neal knew he was going to be coming downstairs in a moment so there wasn't much time for them to get their stories straight. "gaDanDaq gaDanDaq ghoSbej tlhlngan yo' 'ej laSvarghmeyraj sQaw'chu'. SoH?"
"'ach vutwl' nuvpu' gorDu'ghom veng 'ej Suvwl'vlDa." Chuck hurried to give his story as Peter came walking down the stairs.
"What are you guys talking about?" Peter had a curious expression on his face when Neal turned to see him approaching from behind. He'd clearly caught the end of their conversation so he knew something was up.
"It turns out that we went to school together. This is Chuck, and Chuck, this is my handler, agent Peter Burke." Neal made the introductions going with the facts since that was the easiest story for how they knew each other, but he hoped that they'd manage to evade the worst of his inquisition.
"Really?" Peter perked up and cocked his head as he looked Chuck up and down taking a thorough catalog of the man. "And you didn't know that you were both in the city?"
"No, Chuck was on the West Coast last I knew so this is a surprise." Neal took that inquiry with ease.
"But he knew that you were in the city?" Peter, of course, continued to push the subject.
"No, sir. I hadn't heard from him since we crossed paths at university." Chuck answered, but he had gotten pretty good at lying since they had crossed paths since then.
Turning to cock his head at Neal, Peter had a little bit of a grin.
Neal bet he thought that Chuck knew him by some alias and that they'd crossed paths through some con of his or another.
"Does he know your real name?" Peter asked still facing Neal with a curious expression.
Having seen the flash on Chuck's face, which meant that his records were in the Intersect, he bet that Chuck did indeed know. "I told him while you were upstairs."
That surprised Peter as he looked between them. "You never tell anyone, so why are you so open with him?"
Facing both of their curious expressions, Neal knew that it might hurt Peter, but it was the truth. "I've never fully lied to either of you, but circumstances have been different with Chuck than with you. For one, his father went through my life from beginning to end back in the day, so it's not surprising that Chuck would know more than most about me."
Puzzled, Peter was back to cocking his head, but this time he also pursed his lips. "His father knows everything about you?"
Exchanging glances with Chuck, Neal wasn't sure what to say in response to that.
"Do you trust him?" Chuck asked nodding towards Peter.
"Yeah, but don't bring him into your father's secrets," Neal warned, they'd cost him big time, and Peter had more to lose!
"What?" Peter kept looking back and forth between them with a growing frown.
Turning toward Peter, Chuck explained, "My father was… a special kind of agent. Neal here saved my life so my father checked him out and contacted him. In short, that didn't go well for Neal and I ultimately ended up involved with my father's agency work. I can't, and won't share anymore, and don't mess with Neal either."
Putting his hands on his hips, Peter stared at Chuck while he let that process through his mind for a few minutes. Then with the deepest frown Neal had ever seen on his face, he looked back and forth between them. "If you're an agent, what are you doing delivering a pizza to my house?"
"Therein lies the other reason why I was surprised to see him." Neal tagged on as he looked at Chuck with a raised eyebrow. "You were the one who chose to tell him that you have agency affiliations."
Rolling his eyes, Chuck just cast an annoyed look at him before shaking his head and returning his attention to Peter. "I can't tell you, but the short of it is that I was pulled here for an operation that I have particular skills for. My role is as a pizza delivery driver for the night and your order just happened to be given to me. As hard as it might be to believe, this is purely a coincidence."
Buying it for the moment, Peter just turned to Neal, "Coincidences seem to follow Neal. I assume you can't stay?" He made a gambit to get to know him a little bit.
"No, and I've already stayed longer than anyone expects so I need to be getting back. Oh, but I should probably give you your pizza first." He handed the box over to Peter with a grin.
While they were processing the handoff, Neal pulled one of his business cards out and slipped it into the cash he'd already prepared to give as payment.
"Here, and there's a tip in there for you." He passed the payment to Chuck as he looked him in the eyes. Chuck would most likely pick up on it and slip the card for references on how to contact him again later.
He figured it would work smoother if he just gave Chuck his contact information. Then the man would be less likely to cause an issue by looking into him and raising flags. He also hoped that it would discourage him from notifying his team. Although Sara wouldn't be too big of an issue, he didn't want Casey or any of his enemies to figure out that he wasn't dead. Not that Casey would necessarily try to kill him again, but his enemies most definitely would!
Watching as Chuck turned and slipped the card smoothly from the cash into his pocket, Neal grinned at how far his friend had come. The man was growing as a spy. Then he had a sudden thought cross his mind. Did that include his red test? Had Chuck sacrificed that much of himself?
"What? I don't like that frown." Peter was still standing beside him as he also observed the situation.
Turning to go back into the house, the evening had a different feeling for Neal than it had earlier, but it wasn't all bad. Chuck knew that he was alive and might reach out again in the future. "I'm just thinking about how much he's changed, and I hope it's all for the better. However, I know what kind of work he got into, and if he went all the way… It's just, I hope he didn't sacrifice too much of himself. There's a reason I tried to keep him away from trouble, but he's too smart for his own good sometimes."
"Sounds like someone else that I know," Peter cast a glance at him with a smirk as he moved to set the box on the table and opened it.
"Peter, you think it's dangerous for me to get caught up in White Collar crimes, but that's nothing compared to the kinds of things that Chuck gets into. If he goes all the way, he'll be forced to kill people." It was walking a dangerous line as it would attract Peter's concern, but he also wanted him to understand enough to stay away from it.
Pausing again, Peter looked at him in full concern. "Does that have anything to do with how things went badly for you?"
Leaning on a chair across from his friend, Neal gripped the back. "I don't want to tell you what transpired around that, and frankly, I legally can't. However, there are agents and government personnel out there who can't be trusted and I've run into far too many of them to feel comfortable around most badges. The fact that you are an exception, that I know that I can trust you, is the only reason that I'm willing to work with you."
Softening his expression, Peter appreciated that, but it didn't alleviate his concern. "What about that public corruption?"
"You… you really don't want to know. However, Peter, don't go looking for them. Leave them to those who are in a better position for it. Chuck's dad laid a major foundation for them, and it's being worked on by multiple agencies." He poured everything into that expression; he needed Peter to understand just how much he shouldn't pursue this case.
Breathing deeply for a few moments as he stared back, Peter growled at him lightly. "You'd better stay away from it too."
Taking the win, he lifted his hand and held up his fingers, "Scout's honor. I have no intention of getting involved." More importantly, Washington wanted him to stay out of it, and as long as that remained the case, he should be able to avoid getting caught up in the Ring and their minions again. The public corruption related to his father and any others he might come across was another story.
Squinting at him, Peter seemed to pick up on the extra details that he didn't voice. "And what aren't you telling me?"
Tossing his head, Neal admitted the gist of the rest, "That there is no telling what other public corruption we might run into."
Rolling his eyes, Peter didn't like that. "Of course, there is always a loophole with you."
Sitting down, and grabbing a slice to encourage Peter to do the same, Neal grinned up at him. "This isn't a loophole, just experience talking. Even a con man runs into a lot of law enforcement. You might be the only one who caught me, but you weren't the only one who tried, and I researched everyone who seriously looked into me. A lot of them had skeletons, Peter, and some of them were… more prolific than others."
Joining him running more on autopilot than anything, Peter sat down and began working on his own piece of pizza. "Why am I not more surprised?" He shook his head as he talked around the bite he'd just taken.
"Because it's me, and I tend to keep life interesting." Neal continued to grin at him as he continued to work to redirect Peter's attention away from Chuck towards his ultimate goal of resuming their conversation about their case.
"Alright, I'll go with your request and let this go."
He breathed out a sigh of relief.
"But, on one condition," Peter tacked that on as he pointed his piece of pizza at him.
"And you give me a hard time for loopholes?" He wasn't surprised though, it was typical of the agent to tag things on. "What?"
Staring him in the eyes, Peter was dead serious. "I want you to tell me if anything comes up. I don't care if it's a shadow of that corruption; I want to know when there might be something to worry about."
That was to be expected, any agent in their right mind would want to know when they were in danger so that they could do something about it. "Agreed, I'll do what I can. However, they got behind my back last time so I can't guarantee I'll notice them any more than you will."
Shaking his head at him, Peter chose to eat their meal in silence while he mulled on their conversation.
It wasn't until they were cleaning up that Neal managed to redirect his focus onto the case that they'd been working on, "We might as well work on this so that we can wrap it up."
"You're right," Peter shifted the case folders that they'd been working on to the space in between them.
Settling in, they resumed the evening that they'd originally planned despite the interruption.
Going to work the next morning, Neal met Peter as they entered the elevator.
Fortunately, they were alone because the man brought up the evening before.
"See your friend again?" Peter held his briefcase in front of him as he looked up at the numbers counting down.
"No, but he's working, so I assume he had things to do that were more important than dropping in on an old friend." Neal looked at his reflection and watched Peter's.
"Do you think he'll reach out to you? I saw you slip him your card." Peter continued to pry.
"Maybe, it's hard to say though. We were friends back in the day, but things have gotten complicated. There have been times where he wasn't happy to see me…" That didn't mean that Chuck wouldn't be willing to reach out to him again, especially since Sarah had chosen to stay with him.
"That's another thing that I can understand. I wish I could have gotten to talk to him some more, I think he has some very interesting stories to tell about you." Peter grinned as he turned towards him.
Relieved that Peter was able to be light-hearted about it, Neal just grinned back. "And that's just one of many reasons why I'm glad that that probably won't be happening."
"Okay, I get it mystery man; you don't want me to know too much about you. I hope you'll trust me enough to open up someday." Peter's grin mellowed as he looked at him.
"Trust isn't the issue, Peter. I trust you like the FBI version of Chuck. However, it's best not to mix the FBI in with his work… it's dangerous, and you have Elizabeth to think about." The doors opened and they walked into the White Collar office.
Flagging them down before they could mount the stairs, Diana and Jones brought a file up to them.
Taking the lead, Diana introduced what was happening. "Why did the CIA send information over on your current case? Apparently, one of their agents solved it last night."
Accepting the information and flipping through it, Peter glanced up at Neal and then them with a puzzled expression. "They solved it and compiled all of the necessary evidence for us? Did you get any information on the agent and why they'd help out with one of our cases?"
Jones took that, "All they'd give us was that the agent's name was Chuck. Said you'd know who he was?"
Laughing, Neal knew that answered Peter's earlier question. "I guess that's a yes, Peter, Chuck is going to be reaching out."
"Is this going to be a problem?" Hughes asked from the landing just above them.
"Neal?" Peter turned the question over to him.
He needed to choose his words with care, but he also liked the idea of letting his closest friends in the FBI know that he had more connections than just criminals. "I've told Peter some, but it's best not to go looking into him. Chuck is not a threat, if anything, he likes to be way too nice and helpful which makes him a target. However, those who would target him or protect him make things complicated and dangerous so it's best not to get into the middle of things."
Frowning down from above, Hughes didn't look pleased either, but after an exchange of glances with Peter, he chose to let it go. Waving them all off, he ordered, "Get back to work then."
Jones and Diana looked curious, but neither of them pushed the subject after Peter backed Hughes' dismissal.
Looking at Neal for a moment, Peter seemed to be finalizing whatever thoughts were running through his head. "I guess we have a case to close."
Turning to follow him up the stairs, Neal knew that this wouldn't be the end, that Peter would be watching and that Chuck would likely be contacting him again, but for now, things were back to normal.
*Translations according to a translator:
nug Davang = What are you doing here?
cho? Bl'lQtaHvlS, blqlplu'meH. nug Davang = Me? You're supposed to be dead! What are you doing here?
gaDanDaq gaDanDaq ghoSbej tlhlngan yo' 'ej laSvarghmeyraj sQaw'chu'. SoH? = Neal Caffrey, reformed con consulting for the FBI. You?
'ach vutwl' nuvpu' gorDu'ghom veng 'ej Suvwl'vlDa. – Chuck, pizza delivery guy. Working to get close to someone at the pizzeria for their connections.
Thank you, everyone, for reading, commenting/reviewing, and leaving kudos :D
This is the last chapter in this collection, for now, so next week I'll be posting "Twins versus Twins." Since that is only a single chapter, it's time to vote for my next posting. Please check out the list of completed stories on my Fanfiction profile page and let me know via PM or review/comment what you'd like to read next and I'll post whichever gets the most votes.
