Operation - Divorce

Ending B

Standing before the judge, Neal and Sara presented their case while Peter was along to stand as their witness that the wedding ceremony had been a part of a Federal Case and was expected to be a fake ceremony like the others.

The judge deliberated, but he decided that based on the legal grounds for granting an annulment, they did not qualify.

Although the marriage was expected to be a fake, they did consent to the ceremony and they were not drawn into the ceremony by a con artist like the others had been. Therefore, he denied their request and suggested that they get a divorce if they still wished to end their arrangement.

Disappointed, they walked out of the court to stand on the sidewalk.

Running a hand down his face, Peter looked awkwardly between them. "I didn't expect that, we'd hoped he would grant the annulment based on circumstances."

"Hope isn't a guarantee, there was always the possibility that our petition would be denied." Neal sighed.

"Now I guess we're stuck with the official record. That wasn't expected, when we started this was supposed to be a simple case and done. Open, closed, not a lifelong change and permanent record." Sara wasn't happy, she was disappointed, but at least she wasn't as upset as she had been when she learned that they were married in the first place.

"Are you going to file for a divorce?" Peter brought up the big question, the next step that needed to be faced.

Stumbling, there seemed to be some awkwardness, but Neal and Sara both stated that they would file for divorce.

However, there was something to how they both stumbled that seemed to indicate that they weren't as opposed to being married as they had been, to begin with, but they still weren't committed to the relationship.

Leaving it up to them, Peter said that they should discuss their next steps before telling Neal that he'd see him in the office.

Unsure what to do, Neal suggested a restaurant that was in his radius.

Agreeing, Sara accepted the invitation and they took off for lunch.

Sitting at the table, they perused the menu, placed their orders, and then the awkwardness set in again.

"So, this is what it's like to discuss divorce." Neal tried to lighten the mood.

Sara let out a little laugh of surprise, but her voice had a catch to it that indicated how uneasy she felt.

"Excuse me. My husband and I have been married for forty years. We thought about giving it up many times, but we also managed to find a way to work it out. Please, don't throw your marriage away until you've tried everything." An elderly woman interjected some encouragement.

That caused greater awkwardness as Neal and Sara both started to answer before they stopped talking and then Sara took the lead.

"We didn't intend to get married, we were working a case with the FBI where a group of con artists were faking marriages and then robbing the victims. They switched the fake minister for a real one on us and we ended up legally married. We're only friends, we haven't even dated for real."

"Maybe you should try, you seem to be a nice couple and friendships can turn into love. I know it's not my place, but I hate to see what could be a great relationship thrown away due to a misunderstanding or changes in life. Once people say until death do us part, they should mean what they say and grow with their partner, taking the time to get to know each incarnation of them as they learn and grow. People aren't meant to be stagnant all of their lives; they should be trying something new and becoming someone slightly different each time in the process." The lady shared her suggestion with them before excusing herself and leaving the restaurant.

Turning back to each other, Neal could see that there was a wistful expression in the way Sara's mouth was set and how her eyes followed the woman to her husband who was waiting by the door.

"You want to be like her, to have a relationship that lasts, the stability of a marriage you can depend on into old age." It wasn't a question. He could see the answer in her posture, but truth be told, Neal had watched the man as he'd paid their bill and stood patiently waiting for his wife before escorting her out the door.

"They're obviously a happily married couple. My parents' relationship didn't last, and I've never known one that did." Sara was melancholy as she reflected on childhood memories.

"I don't remember what it was like before my parents divorced, I've never known a happy home myself. However, I have seen the kind of relationships that last. Peter and Elizabeth have what it takes, June and Byron made it, I think Chuck and Sarah had what it takes, and even though Stephen and Mary were both spies, they did the best they could to do their work and have their family too. Although work got in the way, I like to think they found a way to keep in touch… Stephen is a genius like his son so I'm sure he'd find a way."

"Do you think we could have what it takes?" Sara asked the hard question.

"I don't know. Like you said, we haven't even dated for real. Although we've technically been married for nearly a year, we've never taken that situation seriously beyond the official. We haven't dated, we haven't talked about possibilities, we just filed for annulment and hung out waiting for our court date. Sure, we've become friends in the process, but what if we could become more given the time and effort?" The bigger question was if they'd get the chance. Sara occasionally traveled for her work and if something changed he could be reassigned at a moment's notice. Would it even be a good idea to try?

"Would you like to try?" Sara's voice was hesitant. Although she didn't sound at all concerned, her eyes darted back to the front of the restaurant where she'd last seen the couple.

Cocking his head, Neal waited until she looked back at him before giving his answer. "I think the question is if we'd be trying because we want to give our accidental marriage a chance, or if we're just pushing because we like the idea of having what they do."

Pausing, Sara's eyes opened wider and a look of surprise flit across her face. "That is a good question." She didn't seem to have an answer so they dropped the conversation for the time being.

Eventually, their meal arrived and they began to eat, but it wasn't until they were finishing up that Sara had a response.

"What if we're giving our relationship a chance because we'd like to have what they do? We might not have chosen this path, but now that we're on it, why not give it a chance and see where it leads? It's not like we aren't already married after all." Sara tagged the last part on with a smirk as she tried to lighten the mood.

"Alright, so we're officially dating/married. What do I call you, my girlfriend-wife?" Neal grinned back at her.

Leaning forward while stirring her drink, Sara eyed him speculatively. "No, that's too big of a mouthful. What about goofy nicknames? That wouldn't be specific to relationship status."

"Well, Neal and Sara aren't exactly easy to pick nicknames off of, they're short. What do you suggest?" He leaned forward to match her posture and meet her eyes flirtatiously.

Grinning, "How about Teddy Bear?"

"Hmm, and what if I were to call you Cutie Pie?" Neal chuckled rather than getting offended.

"Okay, I see your point."

Sara frowned. "What if you were to call me…"

"What about Babe? It doesn't carry the imagery of baby, but it's not something like honey since my brain now associates that as Peter's and Elizabeth's code for love." Neal shrugged at the suggestion.

Looking up as she mentally tried it out; Sara decided that it could work. "I guess it's a place to start, unless we come up with something that we like better later."

Agreed, they paid their bills and parted ways to return to work.

Entering the office, Peter flagged Neal up to join him.

"What have you decided?" He was nosy and curious, but as his handler and the agent who'd led the case that got them married in the first place, he also felt responsible.

"Well," Neal said as he took a seat and attempted to put his feet up on the desk to irk his friend, "An older lady suggested that we at least try before getting a divorce and Sara said that we hadn't even dated for real, so we decided to give it a shot first."

Grinning, Peter almost let his feet on the desk pass, but the habit was too strong so he gestured for them to be removed. "I'm glad to hear it. You never know, things might work out for you two if you give them a chance."

Shrugging, Neal wasn't willing to write them off, but something lurked in the back of his mind. He knew what his secrets were, and although Sara knew some of them and had heard hints about others, she didn't know all of them.

She certainly didn't know that he was an undercover agent only pretending to be a con artist with government backing. That alone created plenty of ways that things could go wrong and ultimately spoil their relationship.

"I know that look; you want to come up with potential obstacles despite knowing that they won't necessarily happen. My suggestion to you is, don't, don't give in to those thoughts. You can't stop them, but don't let them get the better of you." Peter warned.

Being 'an old married man' himself, he had the experience to fall back on even if he had to go back some years to the earlier stages of his relationship with Elizabeth.

"Sara and I have talked, she knows more about me than you do, but that's not everything, there are things that she still doesn't know, things that I can't tell her. Secrets have a way of rearing their ugly heads and causing problems. For my parents it was my dad's crimes that destroyed everything, but for me…" Pausing to shake his head at Peter, he changed what he'd been going to say. "I know that look as well and it isn't some crime or anything like it that could cause an issue. Quite the opposite, actually."

"You mean concerning that old friend who ended up in government and his family?" Peter's attention changed, this was practically a forbidden topic, one that Neal hadn't brought up or allowed to be discussed since his slip. However, the archeologist had been waiting to go digging for more!

"Yeah, something around that plays into it, but there are also things from my own family that could complicate things. Things happened when I was three, eighteen, twenty-one… things that were beyond my control, things that changed my life forever, and between them, there are plenty of reasons why things might not work out between Sara and me. I'm just being realistic here; I know that even a fraction of the complications in my life can ruin a solid relationship… what damage could all of them do?" His expression had fallen by this time. He wasn't to a depth of hopelessness, but he was truly uncertain and fearful.

Softening his expression, Peter couldn't argue with him. "I guess you take each of those complications on if you encounter them, but don't go building or burning bridges until you need to. Sure, those complications might all come up, but probably not all at once. Give the relationship a chance, give Sara a chance, give yourself a chance."

"Thanks, I needed to hear that. You're right. We might end up facing any or all of them, but even if a few hit at once, they probably won't all come at the same time. If we work together we might stand a chance."

Peter's words were encouraging and reminded him to strategize to accomplish the mission rather than just focusing on how to handle the fallout if everything came apart.

His marriage with Sara was still in a fledgling stage. They'd developed a friendship and they were learning how to approach each other and their future. Nothing was set in stone, there was no rush, and they had time to take it slow and progress at whatever pace they needed to. Given time, they could develop a bond capable of handling even his biggest secrets… he hoped.

"There, I see that strategizing going on. Keep working to win, and I'm sure you two will be okay as long as you keep moving forward together." Peter was back to smiling, their conversation had taken a lighter turn.

"Especially if we have our marriage counselors on standby… is Elizabeth as good at this as you are?"

"Better! She can handle crying women and her father is a psychologist."

Now he was grinning in amusement and their banter was back to a more familiar ground.

"Hmm, I'm thinking I should just drop by with some food and drink. You guys would be far cheaper than the usual route." Neal teased as he got up.

"That's what friends are for and don't you forget it. But, don't make it too late or too early, and make sure you bring something good when you come."

Turning back towards his friend after that directive, Neal couldn't help but grin, "You're so certain that your services will be necessary?"

"Considering that you accidentally ended up married meaning that you're going about this whole thing backwards, yeah, I expect that there will be challenges that you need to work through. It doesn't hurt to talk about things with friends who have experience." Peter's tone had once again bounced back to being more serious with the flow of the topic.

Giving it a moment's consideration, Neal had to agree. "Well, now that I know the rules, I know where to find you."

Unfortunately, he was right.

His operation as Neal Caffrey proved to be too much for their relationship.

Beckman had ordered him to perform a heist per the circumstances surrounding his role, but he wasn't to reveal that the government was involved or that he wasn't actually going to be keeping the goods.

However, Sara learned that he was indeed guilty of the crime and that became the wedge that grew between them.

Ultimately, it was Sara who filed for divorce and served Neal.

Signing his name and giving no contest, Neal couldn't force her to remain in a marriage that she hadn't entered willingly and one where she didn't feel that her partner could be trusted.

It was too much to ask really.

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

Apparently, I didn't get this posted last week.