"Are you okay?" Peter asked Chloe. Neal watched her blink, turning her eyes to him.

"You're not a real teacher?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"Did you use me?" Her eyes went from him to Peter and back to him again.

Neal was unsure what to say. They had used her, but… Evan stepped forward.

"I was the one who contacted the FBI," he said.

"You? Why?"

"Money was disappearing. I didn't know it was your dad." He paused and looked at his shoes for a moment before he looked at her face again. "Though I suspected it was."

Her eyes went back to Neal.

"Can I talk to you?"

He exchanged a quick look with Peter.

"Sure."

They walked down a corridor.

"What's going to happen to him?" she asked.

"Well, he'll have to go to prison," Neal started but felt that was not really her question. "Chloe, your life is about to change. I'm not gonna lie to you, it won't be easy. But don't run away from that. This could be an opportunity. A chance to start over, maybe live the life you really want. I got that chance, and it's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks, mister... Wait. What's your real name?"

Neal did not want to let Mr Cooper go. It had been a good time. He pulled his glasses off.

"Neal. Take care, Chloe."

It was time to let go and leave her to other permanent people in her life.

"Can I talk to you?" Chole asked Neal.

Peter gave him a little nod, and the two of them returned into the building. Peter did not intentionally follow, but he needed to get to Slater's office. As it were he past the corridor where Neal and Chole walked.

"Chloe, your life is about to change," he heard the young man say. "I'm not gonna lie to you, it won't be easy. But don't run away from that. This could be an opportunity. A chance to start over, maybe live the life you really want. I got that chance, and it's the best thing that ever happened to me."

Peter smiled at this. It was good to hear that his pet convict felt that way. It gave him hope and confidence that what he felt in his heart was right, even if the rules he lived by said something else.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

They said their goodbyes, and Peter was about to move on when Evan joined Chloe.

"Hey. I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for everything."

"It's not your fault. It's my dad's."

"Well, if you ever need anyone to talk to..."

"Thanks. And I really did like your poem."

Evan seemed a bit baffled. Then Chole opened her cupboard and it was packed with red roses. She giggled and pulled his hand and walked away with him.

At the other end of the corridor, Peter saw two familiar faces: Neal and Mozzie. Of course.

One day, when Neal returned to the office, he saw Peter in a meeting with three unknown faces. He had a pretty good idea of what the meeting was about —the one that would decide whether to keep him free or put him back in prison. The one that could make his commutation a mistake and an embarrassment.

The meeting ended. Peter walked to his office, and the other three walked past him to the elevator without a look or a word.

Neal strolled up to Peter's office, fighting to make it look more casual than he felt.

"We've got an early day tomorrow," Peter said, working. "Got to get a jump on the Mortenson real-estate scam." He looked up at him. "Nice tie."

Neal had forgotten about the school tie.

"Oh. It was a...thank-you gift from Evan." He took a step into the office. "I know I- I complicated your life…"

"Stop. Don't say anything else."

"Can I say thank you?"

"I told them the truth," Peter said.

Yet, here he stood, still. And not in chains.

"But you didn't tell them everything."

Peter sighed and rose. He walked around the desk and stopped directly in front of him. He seemed to search for words.

"What you did on this case, how you carried yourself... Makes me believe this partnership can work."

Neal was so relieved and happy. It felt like this would be the fresh start they both needed after everything.

"I know what this opportunity means. Trust me."

Peter was silent and then sighed. From his pocket, he pulled the two Yankee tickets.

"They're nice, but they're not what matters to me." He gave them back to him. Neal knew why and respected it, even if it felt like a pebble compared to excluding certain things about a submarine.

"About the commutation—" he tried.

"Oh, I've already made enough big decisions for one day."

"Got it."

"Those tickets being the hardest."

"Pretty good seats," Neal said, tempting him.

"I know."

"You sure?"

"See you tomorrow." Peter returned to his desk.

Neal left the office.

"Nice tie."

"Oh. It was a...thank-you gift from Evan." Nice touch, Peter thought, and was pretty sure that he got the tie for more than busting Woods. "I know I- I complicated your life…"

"Stop," Peter said. "Don't say anything else."

"Can I say thank you?"

Thank you to what, Peter wondered.

"I told them the truth," he said.

There was silence for a moment.

"But you didn't tell them everything." It was not a question. If he had said everything, Neal would not have been here.

He was not entirely comfortable with what he had just said or not said at the meeting, but he trusted his gut feeling. He wanted Neal to understand that this was not a slack. He stood before the young man, trying to describe something elusive.

"What you did on this case, how you carried yourself... Makes me believe this partnership can work."

"I know what this opportunity means," Neal assured him. "Trust me."

Peter was silent. He made up his mind one last time. From his pocket, he pulled the two Yankee tickets.

"They're nice, but they're not what matters to me." He could not keep them. Neal or anybody else should never ever be close to thinking that he had been bribed if it came out that Peter knew more about the sub than he had said.

Neal took the tickets.

"About the commutation—" he began.

Peter had enough of this.

"Oh, I've already made enough big decisions for one day."

"Got it."

"Those tickets being the hardest," he admitted.

"Pretty good seats."

"I know."

"You sure?"

"See you tomorrow." Peter returned to his desk.

"See ya'"

Neal left the office. He heard him say hello to Jones. Those tickets… a dream come true, but it was the right thing to do.

"Hey," Jones said, knocking on his open door. "Caffrey just gave me two tickets to a Yankees game tonight. And they look real. Want to go? Good seats."

Peter stared, dumb. Neal… How did he do it? He managed to give him what he wanted but this time no one would ever see it as a bribe.

He rose.

"I'll drive. Thank you for asking me."

"No problem. It's kind of short notice, and I know you like the game."