Another rather short chapter, but it followed very quick so that should make up for it :) Thankyou for any of the reviews I get! I was rather surprised to get my first review and it just motivated me to throw out another chapter! Enjoy.
It was the morning before the heist and Seth Greenwood, a.k.a Neal Caffrey, had finished his perfectly forged painite gem and was ready for action. Peter had burned the Bishop's forger by having obvious Feds stake out his house and place of work making sure the Bishop, now discovered to be River Aglet, would not be interested in his service anymore. Then, conveniently, Seth Greenwood had stepped up to fill in the previous forger's shoes so that the heist could continue without a hitch. The alias had an exemplary record: forged bonds, paintings and gems, with that unusual resume the hiring process went along quite smoothly.
Neal and Peter were walking along the street headed towards the surveillance van outside the Stanton's mansion. For this op Caffrey's anklet needed to be off and Peter had many reasonable worries. "Now Neal, promise me you won't do anything stupid or off the beaten path? Only what we planned, okay?" he asked with precaution and waited for the young man's promise.
A tiny smirk appeared on the kid's face as he rolled his eyes in a teasing way, "Yes Peter, I promise. I don't understand why you're so worried though, it's not like I'm a rash, unpredictable teenager."
Peter let out a coarse laugh, "Oh and you always follow the rules to a T as well," he added with a snort. The older man shook his head; Neal really was a good kid, just a little misguided. His intentions were good, but his methods were another story. Despite his many disapprovals of the young conman, he was very proud of him, though he would never admit it.
"Oh but you must admit, I am very good at following rules," Neal continued with a spring in his step. His facial expression genuinely portrayed his feelings: a joyful look hung in his azure crystal eyes. Never mind being caught or put on a tracking anklet, the kid who was so used to running finally felt like he belonged. He could walk side by side, not to mention the same side, with the man he respected most. Peter was a role model and a father figure to the struggling Neal, although he would never admit it.
"The only thing you're good at that involves following rules is finding the loop holes in them. I tell you to not step a foot outside a room, you walk on your hands to Alaska," Peter retorted.
"It's not my fault you don't give specific enough directions. Maybe if you could work on your crafting you would find a way to leave out any loop holes," Neal countered jokingly.
Peter's mouth twisted in disdain; he could never win against Neal's silver tongue. "Alright, that's enough, let's get in the van and suit up." By now they had reached the inconspicuous surveillance van and Peter climbed in first with Neal following.
After removing the anklet and equipping the audio recording watch, Neal and Peter joined the show casing on the top floor of the Stanton's elegant home. The charity event turned out to be more like an aristocratic party with banquet tables of prestigious cuisine and hors d'oeuvres. Beautiful chestnut wood columns adorned the edges of the room along with ornate glass display cases positioned on walls or on open floor stands. The dress attire was very formal: girls in long gowns and guys in suits. Of course the Suits fit right in.
Neal strode over to the bar area while he waited for the heist to commence. His part in all of this was the fake FBI agent making the swap. Originally his part was limited to the forging only, but after a showy display of his stealthy skills, the swap man was passed up and relegated to play the part of the decoy. Once he was given the signal by River, he would go change into the Fed jacket and arrive after the decoy. In the meantime, he might as well enjoy the fine party.
He leaned an arm on the bar counter and asked the tender for a glass of wine, but before he could take the glass Peter swooped in to intercept it. "Nope, sorry kid, you're under aged," he said with a grin. He took pleasure in denying Neal something since Neal had always gotten his way.
Neal groaned, "Peter come on, my alias is twenty-three! It's to help my cover story, having a drink helps me fit in." He flashed a smile and raised his eyebrows hoping that Peter gave in. Instead he pursed his lips and set the glass back on the counter.
"Neal, you're on the job, even I won't have a beer. Just suck it up and don't break anymore laws than you have to," he spoke with authority has he gave Neal a pat on the back. Neal returned him a flabbergasted look. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I can't believe we are at a high-end event and you would settle for a measly beer out of all the exquisite wines they have!" Neal said convicted passion. Peter couldn't tell if he was joking or actually serous. But before he could confirm, Neal's pant leg vibrated. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and saw a text from the Bishop: "Commence the heist" it read. Again with the fancy language; he couldn't just be a casual thief.
Oh the fun begins! Some serious action will be following in the next chapter, and I promise it will be much longer.