Title: Of Knights, Bishops, and King.

Summary: Peter needs to know everything he can about Matthew Keller and his relationship with Neal, so he goes to the only person he knows who may be able to give him unbiased answers. Or mostly unbiased.

Characters: Peter Burke, Mozzie.

Warnings: None.

Notes: Mostly canon compliant.

...

"I need you to tell me everything you know about Matthew Keller and his relationship with Neal," Peter demanded as soon as he walked through the door to Neal's loft and sat opposite the other man.

"Ha," Mozzie exclaimed, placing his wine glass back on the table. "Really, Suit? You expect me to rat Neal to the Feds?"

"That's not- It's not like that," Peter bit out in frustration. "I'm not here as an agent, Mozzie. I just- I'm worried, alright? The way Keller acts with him isn't normal. The way he looks at Neal and how he talks." He shook his head. "It's almost like he's-"

"Besotted with him," Mozzie finished solemnly. He met Peter's wide-eye gaze with an unimpressed look. "I've known them both for years, Suit. Of course I noticed."

Peter's mouth went dry as soon as he realized he wasn't just seeing things. It was all real. Mozzie had just put a name to what had been in the back of his mind since he met Keller but had refused to acknowledge. Until now.

"And is he? Does he have those feelings, I mean," He added awkwardly.

Mozzie didn't say anything for a long moment, his sharp blue eyes behind the glasses fixed on him. "I have never been able to determinate with certainty if it's only a deep and fairly disturbing admiration for Neal's skills and, well, everything that makes him Neal, or something more."

That was something, at least, Peter thought dryly. He had to resist the urge to just get up and leave. He didn't want to hear anything more, he was sure of that, but he had to. Keller was dangerous and on the loose, and Peter needed to have as much information as he could if he wanted to be ready when he came back- because of course he was coming back.

"Neal told me they met in Monaco playing backgammon. He also admitted they worked together." It was actually Diana who replayed the latter to Peter, but he was hoping that by sharing what he already knew he could convince Mozzie to talk.

The con man didn't say anything. It took Peter a moment to realize the reason for his silence.

"Dammit, Mozzie! I don't care what laws you and Neal broke then- not right now. I just want to be able to protect him from Keller if I need to." The continued silence and arched eyebrow made him sigh. "You have full immunity, you and Neal, from whatever may reveal tonight. You have my word."

Mozzie stared at him for yet another long moment before offering a small nod. "They worked together temporally, yes. Neal was good, but he was still learning when they first meet, so he found himself fairly impressed by Keller's skills. Keller was just as impressed, though, and it wasn't long before they decided to join their talents.

"I was busy elsewhere at the time," Mozzie added vaguely as he looked somewhere to Peter's right. He emptied his wine glass and refilled it before speaking. "But I warned Neal about Keller as soon as I learned about their partnership. However-"

"He didn't listen," Peter finished for him with a grim twist of his lips.

Mozzie didn't seem happy with the interruption, but he didn't deny it. "The thing about Neal is that while he's far too smart to dismiss what he learns- especially when it comes from his most intimate circle of acquaintances, he has never let himself be completely swayed by someone else's thoughts and feelings. He has always liked to take the time to make up his own mind.

"In fact, I'm sure it wouldn't come as a surprise to you to know many of us advised him against trusting or getting involved with the Feds," Mozzie said unapologetically. "Alas, he made his own decision on the matter, just like he did with Keller."

It didn't matter how much Peter hated the comparison, he had to acknowledge the truth in Mozzie's words. If Neal had listened to his friend he wouldn't have worked with Keller, but it was equally likely he wouldn't be working with Peter right now. And that would be far from the only change. Hell, he probably wouldn't have even arrested him.

Peter couldn't even begin to guess what the right thing would have been for Neal.

"They worked fairly well together," Mozzie admitted begrudgingly without offering any details about said 'work'. "Nevertheless, it didn't take long for Neal to realize for himself there was something not quite right about Keller."

"When he saw him kill one of his accomplices in cold blood because he thought he made a mistake," Peter filled in, remembering what Neal told Diana.

Mozzie's surprise was visible only for half a second. "That is what put an end to their partnership, yes, but even before that happened, there were certain details Neal doubt the partnership."

Peter wanted to demand more information. He wanted to know exactly what it was Neal had seen before, and yet hadn't been enough to make him walk away. It took all of his willpower to remain silent. Peter knew Mozzie was already giving him more than he probably wanted to share, so he had to be patient.

"Neal was determinate to cut all ties with Keller after that tragic incident, but Keller didn't feel the same way." Mozzie adjusted his glasses in the short silence that followed. "He kept chasing after Neal for a couple of months, showing up with new jobs he wanted them to pull together, or offering his expertise for jobs Neal was planning. He always turned him down, of course, and Keller stopped eventually.

"That was when he started wanting to compete with Neal instead, and so the taunting and offensive remarks began. Unfortunately, Keller has always known the right buttons to push to get a reaction from him," Mozzie added as he shook his head. "But even when he turned them into rivals, Keller never stopped keeping up with any jobs Neal pulled and he never missed a chance to talk up Neal and his skills to anyone who would listen to him."

Peter closed his eyes, elbows resting on the table as he put his head in his hands. The truth was, everything Mozzie had just told him only served to make his worry grow. It was obvious Keller was obsessed with Neal, and he knew that that kind of behavior never ended well for the object of the obsession.

"Do you think he would hurt Neal? Physically?" He asked quietly.

Mozzie looked down at the empty glass between his hands as he considered the question for a long time. "I think a part of Keller likes Neal- likes him perhaps a little too much if you ask me, and he may even wish he could learn to be more like him. But another hates him and wants nothing more than to tear Neal apart and bring him down to his level.

"Most of the time both sides are so tangled up together they can't be told apart, creating some kind of balance. However, there is simply no way to know for certain which side will outweigh the other in the end."

An ominous silence filled the loft as the possibilities behind that last augury ran through their heads. Keller was smart and ruthless, a combination that never should be underestimated.

Minutes or hours later, the sound of the phone vibrating in his pocket pulled Peter out of his dark thoughts. It was a very welcome respite.

"I should go," he announced as he put his phone away. And thank God for that. Peter didn't think he could deal with any more of this tonight. Maybe not ever.

"Should I expect Neal to arrive soon, then?" Mozzie inquired, dark eyebrows raised behind his thick-rimmed glasses.

Peter didn't bother making excuses or denying anything. After everything that had been said tonight, Mozzie deserved better. "He should be done with the surveillance by now. Jones is going to drive him home."

Mozzie nodded once and reached for the bottle on the table to refill his glass one more time.

Peter hesitated a moment before getting to his feet. He didn't ask Mozzie to keep their conversation from Neal. That would only serve to ensure the little guy would tell his friend all about it the moment he crossed the door tonight. Better to let him decide for himself what he thought was best. Peter just needed to be ready for a possible confrontation tomorrow if Neal didn't like him asking questions about Keller and their past.

He almost sighed at the thought. it didn't matter how often he and Neal found themselves at odds, it never got easier.

Peter's hand was already on the doorknob when he looked back. "I guess I'll see you around, then."

Mozzie merely raised his glass. "Give my regards to Mrs. Suit, Suit."

"I will," He promised, a smile flashing across his face as he exited, closing the door behind himself.

Maybe it was time Peter made the search for Matthew Keller a top priority- more than it already was for him anyway. The man was proving to be even more dangerous than Peter had first thought.

...

a/n: Thank you for the comments and favorites! It made me so happy to see people enjoyed my late first White Collar fic. Like I mentioned before, I have a handful of short (less than 2,000 words) one shots I wrote years ago, and so I decided to turn this into a collection and put them together here. I hope you will enjoy them as well!

As for this fic: I've always been fascinated by the strange relationship that existed between Neal and Keller. It's so interesting to see the way Keller acts and talks about Neal. How he's always talking about the 'good old days', about how good Neal is, and how eager he acts when they have to work together. So, I tried to explore that here, along with some protective Peter and Mozzie because I love that too. Speaking of which, even now I have a hard time getting a grasp of Mozzie's voice, so I hope he doesn't come too OOC.