![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sheenianniTitle: (Meet Me) At the Crossroads (Part VI)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sheenianni
Artist:aragarna
Fandom: White Collar
Notes: See Prologue
PART VI
Maybe it was because El was out of town that night, maybe it was the incident at the FBI. Even then, Peter doesn’t know whether it was suspicion, worry for his friend or simple curiosity that prompted him to come to June’s house that night. He parked the Taurus on a different street and walked the rest of the way to Neal’s apartment and then watched the place from the outside because he had nothing better to do than this unofficial stakeout. Staring at Neal’s tracking data on his cellphone, Peter observed Neal walk around his room; he saw the light in Neal’s window go out and the anklet dot stop moving roughly at the same time as the previous days.
And nothing strange was happening.
Feeling like a fool, Peter was about to go home, when suddenly the door to June’s opened. Hidden in a shadow, Peter watched Neal walk out – but his anklet data were still showing him at his apartment. With a mix of curiosity and anger, Peter starts to follow him, intent on discovering what Neal has been up to. He is careful, never letting Neal spot him, and after half an hour he thinks they might finally be reaching Neal’s destination…
… until he finds himself in some dirty lost alley, with a gun aimed at his heart.
Peter’s instincts kick in and he pulls out his own gun, aiming it straight at Neal’s chest even as the incredulousness of the situation makes his head spin. ‘Neal, what the hell?’
“Peter?” asks Neal in shock. For a second, the gun in his hand falters a bit, but then he straightens himself and steadies his grip. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” asks Peter in disbelief. “How about you, Neal?”
Neal swallows but doesn’t lower the gun. “You followed me?”
“I can’t believe you.”
“Peter–”
“I thought you were having nightmares. I worried about you; I even met with Mozzie, and you…” Peter stops before he says something he’ll regret. “Give me the gun, Neal.”
“Peter, I was having nightmares–”
“Don’t you dare!” Peter explodes. “Don’t you dare justify this. How long has this been going on; a week? Two?”
“Every night since the day I got out,” says Neal softly.
Peter’s stomach clenches with the acidic feeling of betrayal. “And you said I lied to you,” he utters with a harsh chuckle. “Wow.”
“I didn’t have a choice–”
“There’s always a choice. You just made the wrong one. ” Through his anger, Peter tries to hold on to his last bits of control.
He takes a deep breath. “Give me the gun, Neal,” he repeats his earlier request.
Neal blinks. “I can’t.”
What? “You slipped your anklet, you lied to me, you carried an illegal weapon… Don’t make this any worse. Just give it to me.”
“Peter, it’s not what you think–”
“You’ve been trying to find Kate’s killer,” says Peter tiredly. Suddenly, he even doesn’t have it in him to be furious anymore – disappointed, yes, but the bubbling rage leaves just as quickly as it came. Because it’s about Kate – it’s always been about Kate, and her ghost has been haunting Neal even after her death. “What were you going to do if you found them? No, don’t answer that.” The image of Neal with a gun standing above a faceless person pops into his mind, and Peter almost feels ill. “Did you think I wasn’t serious when I told you we would do this together? I swear to you, we will get justice for Kate… but not like this. Never like this.”
Silence.
They’re standing there in a dark alley with guns aimed at each other. In the distance, Peter hears some yelling and the sound of cars. He locks eyes with Neal again and is shocked to see tears there, even as his lips form a weak smile.
“I’m sorry,” Neal says hoarsely as he lowers the gun. He grabs the barrel and hands the revolver to Peter, who puts back his Glock before accepting the foreign pistol. It’s not until he has the weapon secured that he allows himself to breathe out.
“You going to cuff me?”
Peter shakes his head. “Not tonight.”
He doesn’t know where they go from here, how they’re going to get over this last breach of their friendship. Yet even with the disappointment, the pain of being betrayed and the residual anger, Peter knows he won’t be reporting this incident. He will ask Neal how he skipped his anklet, and then they will have to talk – but later. Not tonight.
“Come on. You’re coming home with me,” says Peter almost gently, but with a tone that doesn’t allow for protest.
He’s shocked when Neal meets his eyes and speaks up. “Peter… there’s something I need to show you.”
* * *
‘There is something I need to show you.’
The moment he finishes his sentence, Neal wants to kick himself when he sees the new flash of anger and pain in Peter’s face. “Neal–”
“I lied to you,” he says unnecessarily – what else is new?
“I know.” Peter takes a deep breath. “Look–”
“I’m not looking for Kate’s killer. I’m not,” says Neal when Peter starts shaking his head.
“Then what are you doing out there? What could possibly explain your anklet and the gun?”
“I needed the gun to protect someone.”
“Who, from what? And how is sneaking around in the dark protecting anyone?”
“I don’t…” Neal hesitates. “Turn off your phone and come with me. I’ll show you.”
“You know, I’m really not in the mood for a treasure hunt right now,” says Peter irritably. “Let’s go home. Whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait until the morning. We can talk, and then tomorrow if you still think I need to see this–”
“Peter. Please. Let me show you this.”
“Tomorrow–”
“It’s a matter of life and death.”
That gets him Peter’s attention.
The agent stares into his eyes, searching his face for signs of deception. Neal lets him, showing nothing but his honesty; not that he would be surprised if Peter didn’t believe him. He should have been more careful, shouldn’t have raised Peter’s suspicion… and yet now that the secret’s almost out, he only feels relieved.
Even if Kate will have his head for this.
“If you’re lying to me…” says Peter at last.
“Not this time. I swear.”
With a frustrated sigh, Peter turns off his phone, then takes out the battery and drops both of them in his pocket. “All right. Now what’s so important it can’t wait until tomorrow?”
Neal gives him a tentative smile. “You’ll see.”
* * *
He doesn’t know what caused him to listen to Neal’s plea. Perhaps he is hoping for an explanation that would make it easier to accept today’s events. However, when he realizes that they seem to be travelling in circles, Peter’s patience finally wears thin. “How much longer?” he asks at last
For a moment, there is no answer. Just as Peter’s about to snap, they take a turn and Neal looks at him. “We’re here.”
“What?”
The alley in front of them consists of two houses that seem abandoned and a warehouse with a rusty lock and a broken window. Staring at the desolated place, Peter wants to turn back when he notices Neal walking to one of the houses. His jaw drops when he sees Neal pull out his set of lockpicks and move to open a door.
“Whoa! What the hell are you doing?”
To his shock, Neal just smiles at him. “It’s okay, Peter. Mozzie just doesn’t like normal locks and keys.”
“Wait, Mozzie lives here? Neal, what’s going on?”
“It’s one of his safehouses,” Neal replies as he opens the door. With a broad smile, he steps inside and motions for Peter to follow him. “Close the door behind you, okay?”
“You meant – are you kidding me? You took me all over the city to see Mozzie?” exclaims Peter in disbelief. “I’m gonna kill you.”
“You can leave that for later,” Neal laughs at him. “Now come on!”
Behind his aggravation, Peter can’t help but marvel at the change in his friend. He can’t remember the last time he has seen Neal this happy and excited, carefree even. With some hesitation, he closes the door and follows inside.
He passes through what appears to be a corridor while Neal opens the door to the living room.
“Hey, I’m back! Kate? Kate, where are you?”
What?
Peter opens his mouth to break Neal from his delusion –
– and then he hears the sound of a gun being cocked behind his back.
“Over here, babe.”
Even before he slowly turns around, Peter already recognizes the voice…
… and comes face to face with Kate Moreau, who is very much alive and holding a gun to his face.
* * *
“Kate!” exclaims Neal happily when he finally hears the sound of her voice. “Hey babe, how was your…”
He freezes when he notices the scene in the living room. “Peter…? Kate, what’s going on?”
“So I guess this is what you wanted to show me.” Peter raises his eyebrows. “May I say, I’m really tired of being held at gunpoint tonight.”
“Special Agent Peter Burke,” says Kate, her voice tainted with cold anger and fear. “Neal, what the fuck is he doing here?”
“Hello Kate. Again with the gun. Nice to see things haven’t changed,” says Peter sarcastically.
“Shut up!” screams Kate, the gun in her hand trembling. “How did you find us? Did you follow Neal?”
“It’s all right, I brought him here,” says Neal hastily. “Let him be, Kate.”
“You brought him here?! Have you completely lost your mind?”
He has never seen Kate like this.
His head spinning, Neal can still barely believe that this is happening. The gun is aimed at Peter’s heart and too close to miss.
Neal swallows. “Kate, it’s going to be okay.”
“Really? He knows I’m alive now. How is this going to be okay?”
Taking a deep breath, Neal smiles at her. “Look, I trust Peter–”
“Wait… so you planned this? You actually planned this and didn’t even tell me?”
“Not exactly–”
“Is this why you proposed yesterday?” asks Kate on the verge of tears. “I don’t believe you. This is actually worse than Copenhagen.”
Shit. “That’s not true, Kate. I swear it’s not like this–”
“What happened in Copenhagen?” Peter dares to ask despite the gun Kate is still holding on him.
“None of your business–”
“I tried to con her so she would go to Europe with me,” answers Neal painfully. “I didn’t ask; I just lied to her. Then when she called me out on it–”
“–you went without me anyway,” Kate finishes softly.
“And I’ve regretted it ever since. You know I’d do anything to take it back.”
“I know.” Kate bites her lip.
As the emotions are calming down, Neal finally dares to cross the room to Kate’s side, trying to ignore the look of hope mixed with mistrust in Peter’s face. He lays his arm around Kate’s shoulders and kisses her hair. “Hey.”
With a sign, she leans into his embrace. “A clear getaway for both of us; that was all I asked.”
“A getaway?” asks Peter.
Ouch.
“I’m sorry.” He seems to be saying that a lot today.
Kate looks up at him. “You really weren’t conning me today…?”
“No. Look, I’ve made my share of mistakes in this, but I wouldn’t hurt you like that again.”
“Maybe not intentionally.” Kate takes a deep breath. “So what about him?” she motions at Peter.
“I trust Peter.” Lightly touching her arm, Neal gestures towards the gun. “May I?”
Wordlessly, Kate lowers her arm before handing him the weapon. “Okay.”
“Thank you,” says Peter from his position a few feet away.
Kate glares at him before looking back at Neal. “So if you didn’t plan this, how come that the two of you came together?”
Neal clears his throat. “Well…”
“What the hell is going on here?!”
* * *
It’s been a while since Mozzie felt this annoyed. However, seeing the group of Neal, Kate and the Suit (in his safehouse, with a gun) brings him to a new level of headaches. When this is over, the rest of the world could go screw itself – he was going on a vacation.
“Hey, Moz,” says Neal sheepishly.
“Mozzie?” asks Peter in disbelief.
“Hi, Mozzie. I see you haven’t been alerted to the change of plan either,” says Kate with a half-sarcastic smile.
“What is it with all of you and guns?” exclaims Mozzie. With a glare, he plucks the semi-automatic out of Neal’s hand. “Does anyone care to explain what happened here? When did we agree to involve the Suit?”
“Peter figured something was wrong and followed me. So I brought him here,” says Neal with a small shrug.
Mozzie glares at him. “I thought you were being careful!”
The Suit stares at him. “Wait, if this is your place… You knew Kate was alive. And yet you told me she was dead.”
“She was already presumed dead. It was part of the plan,” Neal interjects from his place.
Mozzie draws in a sharp breath. “Neal–”
“What, Moz? It’s not like it’s going to work now.”
Kate’s eyes widen. “You can’t be serious–”
“What plan?” asks Peter.
Considering Neal’s words, Moz sighs. “You have a good point. Fine.” He clears his throat. “Why don’t we all sit down?”
Kate frowns. “Don’t tell me you agree with him.”
“The real question is, do we have a choice?” asks Mozzie practically. “Well, Suit – welcome to the den of crime.”
* * *
For the third time in less than two hours, things around Peter take an unexpected turn.
It’s an hour after midnight and he is in the kitchen in Mozzie’s house. He’s sitting at the same table with Kate Moreau, who did not die in the explosion and who apparently likes to point guns at him. While Mozzie pours three glasses of wine and somehow finds a bottle of beer for him, Neal explains his plan in the nutshell – to run, fake his death and live happily ever after with Kate. His CI is looking at him with a hopeful and earnest expression; Kate on the other hand barely bothers to hide her hostility.
It takes all Peter’s willpower to just sit there and listen to their rationalizations when Neal admits his deceit and trickery of the past month. And yet even that is not the worst of it.
“Explain to me one thing. What happened with the plane? You obviously weren’t on it when it exploded.”
“And what were you doing there, Burke?” retorts Kate angrily. “Why should I trust you?”
Peter clears his throat. “I was trying to stop Neal from making a mistake–”
“Bullshit. You know what, this could have all been over if you hadn’t interfered. The plane was set up, Fowler had the music box, everything was fine until you showed up.”
Neal speaks up. “Kate–”
“When and how did you get off the plane?” demands Peter. “What’s the deal with the music box?”
“Peter–”
“You have some nerve! You jailed Neal, you used me, you took the music box from us and you still think you have any right to demand explanations from me?”
“Okay, enough!” snaps Mozzie and interrupts their argument. “Look Kate, you’re not helping this, so calm down.”
“But–”
“Peter, would you just listen to her for a moment?” asks Neal in tandem with Mozzie.
Peter wants to argue; to shake Neal or just walk out the door. But with the other three staring at him expectantly, he holds his tongue back. “Fine. Talk.”
There is a moment of silence.
“Kate, please…” Neal prompts her.
“Less than six months before the end of Neal’s sentence, someone started following me around,” says Kate at last. “Two weeks later, I’m suddenly fired from my job and someone tossed my apartment. I moved to a different place just until things blew over… that was when I met Agent Fowler.”
Fowler…
Peter tenses at hearing the familiar name. “What did he want?”
“Neal’s stash – allegedly.” Kate takes a deep breath. “I sent him to hell; said that he would have to be more creative if he wanted to threaten me… Then the next time I visited Neal, one of the guards tried to stop me, said there was something wrong with my paperwork. After three years and seven months, suddenly there was something wrong… I wasn’t buying it. Luckily one of the other guards knew me and let me in.”
“See, this is classic! The oppressive power of the Man–”
“So they harassed you,” says Peter.
“My new place was tossed as well… Fowler came to see me again. I tried to record him, but he was too careful to say anything incriminating. He once again asked about Neal’s stash and implied that bad things would happen if I didn’t give him what he wanted. I thought he was looking for a way to stick new charges against Neal and called his bluff.” Kate pauses. “The next thing I know, Bobby – one of the guards – tells me Neal has been hurt in a scuffle.”
“I didn’t know you noticed…” says Neal quietly.
“Of course I noticed,” says Kate with a sigh. “It might have just been a coincidence, but I couldn’t risk that they would escalate things. So I came up with the plan to leave Neal a message and I staged the breakup. It didn’t occur to me at first that he would take me seriously. I prepared the message and left it at our apartment…”
“Message?” Peter asks.
“The bottle,” says Neal.
“What–”
“I left town; I only came back every two weeks or so to check the bottle was still there in case Fowler got to it. On my last visit, I told the landlord I’d be moving out in three months… Two days later, I read in the paper that Neal escaped and got caught.” Kate takes a deep gulp from her glass of wine. “Fowler found me again. He said he could make Neal’s escape charges go away; came up with the so-called “Mentor” scheme. He said he’d set Neal free in exchange for his stash.”
Peter frowns. “And you believed him?”
“What was I supposed to do? With Neal caught, it was worth the risk,” says Kate sharply. “I took Fowler to the hiding place–”
“-except it was empty,” finishes Neal with a grimace. “I didn’t fully trust Kate, so I gave her the wrong location,” he explains to Peter. “One of the many mistakes we all made in this.”
Kate shakes her head. “Fowler was angry. He thought I was still trying to play him. That was when he revealed that he wasn’t the mastermind behind all of this, that there was someone else on it. The day Neal was sentenced to four more years, I got a call from Vincent Adler.”
…
“What?” Peter wonders if his ears are playing tricks on him. “You mean the Vincent Adler, former CEO…”
“The one and only,” confirms Neal with a grimace.
Peter grits his teeth together. “Explain.”
* * *
When Neal suggested that they tell the Suit the truth, he could have ended it right there and then if he had opposed the idea strongly enough. Instead, he gave Neal his blessing and suggested that Kate follows his lead, revealing their most important scheme to a fed.
If someone told Mozzie a year ago that this day would come, he would have thought that they were crazy.
But in some weird way, he does trust Peter Burke, and so he doesn’t protest when they’re putting all their cards on the table. He fills in a few well-placed “alleged” and “rumored” as Neal tells the story of their con on Adler, but otherwise he doesn’t interrupt, even as he notices Kate stirring impatiently next to him.
When Neal is done, Kate finishes her part of the story – about how she struck a deal with Adler, the music box for her and Neal’s freedom; about how Adler demanded she stay away from Neal until he had the music box; about her “damsel in distress” act and Adler’s paranoia that she and Neal would turn against him. She tells them how Adler got them the plane, how Fowler bought the explosives and she found a pilot willing to give up his current life and identity in exchange for a big amount of cash. Finally she tells them about Adler’s double cross and how she got off the plane in the last seconds before it exploded, barely escaping a certain death.
Mozzie doesn’t blame her when she keeps her explanation to the minimum.
Even now, he feels cold when he thinks of Kate going head to head with Adler – because while Kate is getting good at this game, Adler is a mastermind who has beaten even him and Neal. And maybe that’s also part of the reason why Mozzie doesn’t protest Peter’s presence, because if there is a man who can compete with Neal’s intelligence, it’s definitely the Suit.
“Mozzie, can I talk to you for a minute?” asks Peter at last.
“Of course, Peter,” he replies and motions for Peter to follow him into the privacy of the living room.
“I don’t trust her,” says Peter almost immediately after the door closes.
Mozzie sighs. “Suit…”
“She admitted she worked with Adler. We have no proof that Fowler actually threatened her. She toyed with Neal, she led him to escape; she’s setting him up for something–”
“You need to stop this, Peter,” says Mozzie seriously. “Look, Kate’s no angel, but she’s head over heels in love with Neal. For Christ’s sake, she visited him in prison every week for almost four years. Isn’t that enough?”
“She set up the plane to explode. The pilot is dead. You can’t justify that. I can’t believe you side with her on this.”
“It’s not about sides,” says Mozzie tiredly. “You think I didn’t have doubts, that I don’t see how Neal does stupid stuff for her? I was there, Suit.”
“How do you know she’s still not working with Adler?” asks Peter thoughtfully.
“After the explosion, Kate called me. She was… it was bad. ” With as few words as possible, he summarizes the past month. He tells Peter about finding Kate collapsed in a stolen car just a few meters from one of his safehouses, her back and thighs horribly burned and bleeding. He remembers how he called his ‘doctor’ friend and then barely got Kate inside, how he tried to keep her stable when she went into shock. He skips the yelling match and Kate’s delirious insistence of not going to a hospital.
They couldn’t give her anesthetics at first of fear that they might kill her. Instead, they stuffed a rag in her mouth and Mozzie held her down while she thrashed as the doc cut off the pieces of her clothes. Once they were done cleaning the wounds and applying bandages, he helped force some strong antibiotics down her throat, not that they did them a lot of good. The fever and infection set off just a few hours later, and once again Mozzie argued with his friend until his voice was raw against bringing Kate to the hospital.
The next five days were a blur and a nightmare. Was he wrong, was the person after Kate a lesser threat than the infection that threatened to kill her? Mozzie still feels sick at the memory of the crippling horror that Kate would die at his hands after surviving the explosion. Then the spoon-feeding, helping her to the bathroom, taking care of her burns week after week, lying through his teeth to Neal while he visited him in prison…
At some point of his tale, Mozzie numbly realizes that he’s sitting on a sofa. He touches his face and realizes his eyes are damp. As his feeling comes back, he realizes that Peter has his hand on his shoulder, keeping him steady. He can’t bring himself to push it away.
“We’re going to get him,” says Peter when Mozzie finally finishes.
Mozzie shakes his head. “You can’t involve the FBI. Adler might have more people than just Fowler. If we tip off our hand–”
“We’ll keep the investigation low-key; a tight team of people we trust completely,” says Peter with determination.
“That’s not…” Mozzie stops his protest before it can really fully form.
He doesn’t trust the feds; he doesn’t want to work with the feds. The problem is that Peter’s idea has its merits.
“How small a team?” he asks.
“For now, just Diana, possibly Hughes. Hughes is my boss–”
“I know who they are. Suit.”
He’ll have to run a background check on them. And yet, Mozzie already considers the benefits of having an inside person at the FBI…
“We don’t know where to find Adler. And we’ve got no leverage,” Mozzie voices his last objection.
Peter smiles at him. “That’s where you are wrong…”
When he hears the news, Mozzie gives him a grim nod. “We have to tell Neal and Kate.”
* * *
After Mozzie and Peter leave the kitchen, Neal pulls Kate in a hug.
“Well, this isn’t quite how we planned it,” says Kate somewhat defeatedly.
Neal squeezes her hand. “About Peter–”
“I don’t like him,” she says immediately. “But if Mozzie says he’s all right…”
“You don’t trust me?” asks Neal only half-jokingly.
Kate shakes her head. “Your intentions, maybe. When it comes to our associates, I’m more comfortable with Mozzie’s judgment and paranoia.”
Neal doesn’t tell her how vehemently Mozzie once protested her inclusion into their gang. Then again, given that Mozzie once vetoed Keller and Riley, Kate might actually have a point.
She looks up at him. “I’m sorry for what I said before, about you trying to con me. I thought after all these years, it would be easier somehow…”
“I know.”
In their happy moments, they’ve been acting almost as if they never split up, as if the music box, prison and the plane were just a bad dream. And for almost a month, Neal managed persuade himself that they would never really have to talk about these things… until now.
“I’m sorry I lied to you about Copenhagen.”
Kate shakes her head. “I’ve known for years that you regretted it–”
“Yeah, but I never said it. Well, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you… I shouldn’t have tried to con you. And I especially shouldn’t have left before I set things right.”
“Why did you leave?” asks Kate openly.
Her simple question takes Neal by surprise – wasn’t it clear? But then again, maybe not. “The music box was worth a fortune. I knew it could have given us the life we wanted… I thought you were wrong,” he admits as he finally realizes the full extent of his mistake.
Because it wasn’t just about lying to Kate. No, conning her would have been bad enough, but then in addition he disrespected her wishes and left because he decided that he knew better, without even trying to talk to her again. And in the end, they both paid for it.
“I guess there’s some work ahead before we get to our happy ending,” he says as he touches Kate’s hand with the ring.
“We will get past it,” says Kate with a small smile.
They will.
Even before Copenhagen, their relationship has never felt quite so real.
Suddenly, Neal has to ask another question… “Would you have really shot Peter?”
Kate bites her lip. “I was going to tell him to put on his own cuffs, and then… Maybe Mozzie would have some of those date rape drugs that mess with your memory… What do you want me to say, Neal?”
It’s not a clear no, and Neal doesn’t know what to make of that knowledge until he remembers his own revolver and the incident that took place just a few hours ago.
“Just don’t do it again, okay?”
“I won’t unless he tries to hurt you.”
“Kate–”
“If you expect me to just stand by and watch while he arrests you again or backstabs you–”
“I trust Peter. You said you trusted Mozzie’s judgment. Can you just try to get on with him?”
“Okay, but…” Kate shakes her head. “The plan is blown. What are we going to do now?”
Good question. “Maybe Peter would let us go…”
But even as Neal says it, he knows it’s not going to happen. He likes Peter, and he trusts him to have his back, but he knows Peter has too much faith in the system to just let them run and disappear.
He will have to talk to Peter. Internally, Neal grimaces. He has hurt Peter badly; he broke his trust and used his concern to manipulate him as he plotted his escape. Then there is the matter of slipping his anklet and the gun… It’s a small wonder Peter hasn’t just stuck him back in jail and thrown away the key.
Kate is right – what are they going to do?
Suddenly, someone knocks on the door, and then a few seconds later Mozzie peeks in. “Hey, can we come back in? There’s something the Suit has to tell you…”
* * *
When he enters the kitchen again, Peter immediately notices that Kate and Neal are holding hands and standing close to each other. However, it’s only as they all sit down again and Kate places her free hand on the table that Peter notices the ring on her finger.
What…?!
“You got married?” he manages to ask despite his shock.
“What?” asks Neal, startled. Then he follows Peter’s look and smiles. “No, just engaged.”
“Wow. That’s… wow.” Suddenly, Peter’s glad that he’s sitting, otherwise his feet might give away under him. He had not seen this coming.
Then again, he really should have.
He wants to protest; to tell them there is more to marriage than kissing, running and waving guns in ‘defense’ of your spouse. He opens his mouth – and then he meets Neal’s wary eyes and realizes that his criticism right now would be useless. “Congratulations,” he says instead and even manages to sound sincere.
He is rewarded by Neal’s huge grin. “Thanks, Peter. That means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome,” Peter replies. “Though I’d appreciate if your fiancée could stop pointing guns at me…”
There is a moment of tension before Kate’s expression eases a bit. “That could probably be arranged…”
“Thank you,” says Peter with a light smile. When Kate gives him a small nod, he is confident that they have established a tentative truce, for now at least.
One step at a time.
“We were going to talk about Adler,” says Mozzie then and brings them back to the reason why they’re here.
“Right,” says Peter and turns to his friend. “Neal…”
“I don’t suppose you’d just let me leave and go through with the faked death scheme?” asks Neal with a crooked grin.
“Not a chance,” says Peter immediately. “We can do this the right way.”
It’s not just that they would be breaking the law or that his career would be ruined, although these do play a part in it. Mostly, Peter just refuses to let Vincent Adler get away with murder on top of everything else. However, a part of him also wants to see Neal free and not just holed up in some obscure country in the Middle East or South Africa. They can only accomplish all of this if they do it by the law.
“I assume you have a plan,” says Kate curtly.
“We take down Adler,” says Peter. “If we can find him, we’ll put him on trial for his financial crimes and for a murder and attempted murder.”
“Even if he’s in prison, do you really think we’ll be safe?” asks Kate skeptically. “Besides, there’s no point. We don’t have any way to find him–”
“You said he called you,” Peter interrupts her.
“From a burner phone, that’s not–”
“Moreover, if Adler provided the plane, there might be some sort of trail, financial or other. After that, I want to talk to you about everything you remember from your talks with Fowler and Adler. If we can find Fowler, maybe he’ll know something.”
“He would have gone underground…”
“I’m not done,” says Peter. “We also managed to decode a part of Fowler’s diary. He was supposed to meet with someone three weeks from now. We will be there, see if we can find something. And finally…” he saves the best for the last… “I have the music box.”
Neal jumps on his feet. “You have what?”
Mozzie interjects. “Neal, if we can discover whatever Adler wants with the box…”
“…we’ll find what Adler is really after…”
“And then we can use that to find him,” Peter finishes victoriously.
Neal swallows. “Peter, do you really think…”
“I swear, we can do this.”
The three of them look a deep breath and look at their remaining member. Peter takes a deep breath. “Kate…?”
There is a pause.
Finally, Kate nods. “I’m in.”
* * *
Epilogue
Author:
sheenianniArtist:
aragarnaFandom: White Collar
Notes: See Prologue
___________________________________
PART VI
Maybe it was because El was out of town that night, maybe it was the incident at the FBI. Even then, Peter doesn’t know whether it was suspicion, worry for his friend or simple curiosity that prompted him to come to June’s house that night. He parked the Taurus on a different street and walked the rest of the way to Neal’s apartment and then watched the place from the outside because he had nothing better to do than this unofficial stakeout. Staring at Neal’s tracking data on his cellphone, Peter observed Neal walk around his room; he saw the light in Neal’s window go out and the anklet dot stop moving roughly at the same time as the previous days.
And nothing strange was happening.
Feeling like a fool, Peter was about to go home, when suddenly the door to June’s opened. Hidden in a shadow, Peter watched Neal walk out – but his anklet data were still showing him at his apartment. With a mix of curiosity and anger, Peter starts to follow him, intent on discovering what Neal has been up to. He is careful, never letting Neal spot him, and after half an hour he thinks they might finally be reaching Neal’s destination…
… until he finds himself in some dirty lost alley, with a gun aimed at his heart.
Peter’s instincts kick in and he pulls out his own gun, aiming it straight at Neal’s chest even as the incredulousness of the situation makes his head spin. ‘Neal, what the hell?’
“Peter?” asks Neal in shock. For a second, the gun in his hand falters a bit, but then he straightens himself and steadies his grip. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” asks Peter in disbelief. “How about you, Neal?”
Neal swallows but doesn’t lower the gun. “You followed me?”
“I can’t believe you.”
“Peter–”
“I thought you were having nightmares. I worried about you; I even met with Mozzie, and you…” Peter stops before he says something he’ll regret. “Give me the gun, Neal.”
“Peter, I was having nightmares–”
“Don’t you dare!” Peter explodes. “Don’t you dare justify this. How long has this been going on; a week? Two?”
“Every night since the day I got out,” says Neal softly.
Peter’s stomach clenches with the acidic feeling of betrayal. “And you said I lied to you,” he utters with a harsh chuckle. “Wow.”
“I didn’t have a choice–”
“There’s always a choice. You just made the wrong one. ” Through his anger, Peter tries to hold on to his last bits of control.
He takes a deep breath. “Give me the gun, Neal,” he repeats his earlier request.
Neal blinks. “I can’t.”
What? “You slipped your anklet, you lied to me, you carried an illegal weapon… Don’t make this any worse. Just give it to me.”
“Peter, it’s not what you think–”
“You’ve been trying to find Kate’s killer,” says Peter tiredly. Suddenly, he even doesn’t have it in him to be furious anymore – disappointed, yes, but the bubbling rage leaves just as quickly as it came. Because it’s about Kate – it’s always been about Kate, and her ghost has been haunting Neal even after her death. “What were you going to do if you found them? No, don’t answer that.” The image of Neal with a gun standing above a faceless person pops into his mind, and Peter almost feels ill. “Did you think I wasn’t serious when I told you we would do this together? I swear to you, we will get justice for Kate… but not like this. Never like this.”
Silence.
They’re standing there in a dark alley with guns aimed at each other. In the distance, Peter hears some yelling and the sound of cars. He locks eyes with Neal again and is shocked to see tears there, even as his lips form a weak smile.
“I’m sorry,” Neal says hoarsely as he lowers the gun. He grabs the barrel and hands the revolver to Peter, who puts back his Glock before accepting the foreign pistol. It’s not until he has the weapon secured that he allows himself to breathe out.
“You going to cuff me?”
Peter shakes his head. “Not tonight.”
He doesn’t know where they go from here, how they’re going to get over this last breach of their friendship. Yet even with the disappointment, the pain of being betrayed and the residual anger, Peter knows he won’t be reporting this incident. He will ask Neal how he skipped his anklet, and then they will have to talk – but later. Not tonight.
“Come on. You’re coming home with me,” says Peter almost gently, but with a tone that doesn’t allow for protest.
He’s shocked when Neal meets his eyes and speaks up. “Peter… there’s something I need to show you.”
‘There is something I need to show you.’
The moment he finishes his sentence, Neal wants to kick himself when he sees the new flash of anger and pain in Peter’s face. “Neal–”
“I lied to you,” he says unnecessarily – what else is new?
“I know.” Peter takes a deep breath. “Look–”
“I’m not looking for Kate’s killer. I’m not,” says Neal when Peter starts shaking his head.
“Then what are you doing out there? What could possibly explain your anklet and the gun?”
“I needed the gun to protect someone.”
“Who, from what? And how is sneaking around in the dark protecting anyone?”
“I don’t…” Neal hesitates. “Turn off your phone and come with me. I’ll show you.”
“You know, I’m really not in the mood for a treasure hunt right now,” says Peter irritably. “Let’s go home. Whatever it is, I’m sure it can wait until the morning. We can talk, and then tomorrow if you still think I need to see this–”
“Peter. Please. Let me show you this.”
“Tomorrow–”
“It’s a matter of life and death.”
That gets him Peter’s attention.
The agent stares into his eyes, searching his face for signs of deception. Neal lets him, showing nothing but his honesty; not that he would be surprised if Peter didn’t believe him. He should have been more careful, shouldn’t have raised Peter’s suspicion… and yet now that the secret’s almost out, he only feels relieved.
Even if Kate will have his head for this.
“If you’re lying to me…” says Peter at last.
“Not this time. I swear.”
With a frustrated sigh, Peter turns off his phone, then takes out the battery and drops both of them in his pocket. “All right. Now what’s so important it can’t wait until tomorrow?”
Neal gives him a tentative smile. “You’ll see.”
He doesn’t know what caused him to listen to Neal’s plea. Perhaps he is hoping for an explanation that would make it easier to accept today’s events. However, when he realizes that they seem to be travelling in circles, Peter’s patience finally wears thin. “How much longer?” he asks at last
For a moment, there is no answer. Just as Peter’s about to snap, they take a turn and Neal looks at him. “We’re here.”
“What?”
The alley in front of them consists of two houses that seem abandoned and a warehouse with a rusty lock and a broken window. Staring at the desolated place, Peter wants to turn back when he notices Neal walking to one of the houses. His jaw drops when he sees Neal pull out his set of lockpicks and move to open a door.
“Whoa! What the hell are you doing?”
To his shock, Neal just smiles at him. “It’s okay, Peter. Mozzie just doesn’t like normal locks and keys.”
“Wait, Mozzie lives here? Neal, what’s going on?”
“It’s one of his safehouses,” Neal replies as he opens the door. With a broad smile, he steps inside and motions for Peter to follow him. “Close the door behind you, okay?”
“You meant – are you kidding me? You took me all over the city to see Mozzie?” exclaims Peter in disbelief. “I’m gonna kill you.”
“You can leave that for later,” Neal laughs at him. “Now come on!”
Behind his aggravation, Peter can’t help but marvel at the change in his friend. He can’t remember the last time he has seen Neal this happy and excited, carefree even. With some hesitation, he closes the door and follows inside.
He passes through what appears to be a corridor while Neal opens the door to the living room.
“Hey, I’m back! Kate? Kate, where are you?”
What?
Peter opens his mouth to break Neal from his delusion –
– and then he hears the sound of a gun being cocked behind his back.
“Over here, babe.”
Even before he slowly turns around, Peter already recognizes the voice…
… and comes face to face with Kate Moreau, who is very much alive and holding a gun to his face.
“Kate!” exclaims Neal happily when he finally hears the sound of her voice. “Hey babe, how was your…”
He freezes when he notices the scene in the living room. “Peter…? Kate, what’s going on?”
“So I guess this is what you wanted to show me.” Peter raises his eyebrows. “May I say, I’m really tired of being held at gunpoint tonight.”
“Special Agent Peter Burke,” says Kate, her voice tainted with cold anger and fear. “Neal, what the fuck is he doing here?”
“Hello Kate. Again with the gun. Nice to see things haven’t changed,” says Peter sarcastically.
“Shut up!” screams Kate, the gun in her hand trembling. “How did you find us? Did you follow Neal?”
“It’s all right, I brought him here,” says Neal hastily. “Let him be, Kate.”
“You brought him here?! Have you completely lost your mind?”
He has never seen Kate like this.
His head spinning, Neal can still barely believe that this is happening. The gun is aimed at Peter’s heart and too close to miss.
Neal swallows. “Kate, it’s going to be okay.”
“Really? He knows I’m alive now. How is this going to be okay?”
Taking a deep breath, Neal smiles at her. “Look, I trust Peter–”
“Wait… so you planned this? You actually planned this and didn’t even tell me?”
“Not exactly–”
“Is this why you proposed yesterday?” asks Kate on the verge of tears. “I don’t believe you. This is actually worse than Copenhagen.”
Shit. “That’s not true, Kate. I swear it’s not like this–”
“What happened in Copenhagen?” Peter dares to ask despite the gun Kate is still holding on him.
“None of your business–”
“I tried to con her so she would go to Europe with me,” answers Neal painfully. “I didn’t ask; I just lied to her. Then when she called me out on it–”
“–you went without me anyway,” Kate finishes softly.
“And I’ve regretted it ever since. You know I’d do anything to take it back.”
“I know.” Kate bites her lip.
As the emotions are calming down, Neal finally dares to cross the room to Kate’s side, trying to ignore the look of hope mixed with mistrust in Peter’s face. He lays his arm around Kate’s shoulders and kisses her hair. “Hey.”
With a sign, she leans into his embrace. “A clear getaway for both of us; that was all I asked.”
“A getaway?” asks Peter.
Ouch.
“I’m sorry.” He seems to be saying that a lot today.
Kate looks up at him. “You really weren’t conning me today…?”
“No. Look, I’ve made my share of mistakes in this, but I wouldn’t hurt you like that again.”
“Maybe not intentionally.” Kate takes a deep breath. “So what about him?” she motions at Peter.
“I trust Peter.” Lightly touching her arm, Neal gestures towards the gun. “May I?”
Wordlessly, Kate lowers her arm before handing him the weapon. “Okay.”
“Thank you,” says Peter from his position a few feet away.
Kate glares at him before looking back at Neal. “So if you didn’t plan this, how come that the two of you came together?”
Neal clears his throat. “Well…”
“What the hell is going on here?!”
It’s been a while since Mozzie felt this annoyed. However, seeing the group of Neal, Kate and the Suit (in his safehouse, with a gun) brings him to a new level of headaches. When this is over, the rest of the world could go screw itself – he was going on a vacation.
“Hey, Moz,” says Neal sheepishly.
“Mozzie?” asks Peter in disbelief.
“Hi, Mozzie. I see you haven’t been alerted to the change of plan either,” says Kate with a half-sarcastic smile.
“What is it with all of you and guns?” exclaims Mozzie. With a glare, he plucks the semi-automatic out of Neal’s hand. “Does anyone care to explain what happened here? When did we agree to involve the Suit?”
“Peter figured something was wrong and followed me. So I brought him here,” says Neal with a small shrug.
Mozzie glares at him. “I thought you were being careful!”
The Suit stares at him. “Wait, if this is your place… You knew Kate was alive. And yet you told me she was dead.”
“She was already presumed dead. It was part of the plan,” Neal interjects from his place.
Mozzie draws in a sharp breath. “Neal–”
“What, Moz? It’s not like it’s going to work now.”
Kate’s eyes widen. “You can’t be serious–”
“What plan?” asks Peter.
Considering Neal’s words, Moz sighs. “You have a good point. Fine.” He clears his throat. “Why don’t we all sit down?”
Kate frowns. “Don’t tell me you agree with him.”
“The real question is, do we have a choice?” asks Mozzie practically. “Well, Suit – welcome to the den of crime.”
For the third time in less than two hours, things around Peter take an unexpected turn.
It’s an hour after midnight and he is in the kitchen in Mozzie’s house. He’s sitting at the same table with Kate Moreau, who did not die in the explosion and who apparently likes to point guns at him. While Mozzie pours three glasses of wine and somehow finds a bottle of beer for him, Neal explains his plan in the nutshell – to run, fake his death and live happily ever after with Kate. His CI is looking at him with a hopeful and earnest expression; Kate on the other hand barely bothers to hide her hostility.
It takes all Peter’s willpower to just sit there and listen to their rationalizations when Neal admits his deceit and trickery of the past month. And yet even that is not the worst of it.
“Explain to me one thing. What happened with the plane? You obviously weren’t on it when it exploded.”
“And what were you doing there, Burke?” retorts Kate angrily. “Why should I trust you?”
Peter clears his throat. “I was trying to stop Neal from making a mistake–”
“Bullshit. You know what, this could have all been over if you hadn’t interfered. The plane was set up, Fowler had the music box, everything was fine until you showed up.”
Neal speaks up. “Kate–”
“When and how did you get off the plane?” demands Peter. “What’s the deal with the music box?”
“Peter–”
“You have some nerve! You jailed Neal, you used me, you took the music box from us and you still think you have any right to demand explanations from me?”
“Okay, enough!” snaps Mozzie and interrupts their argument. “Look Kate, you’re not helping this, so calm down.”
“But–”
“Peter, would you just listen to her for a moment?” asks Neal in tandem with Mozzie.
Peter wants to argue; to shake Neal or just walk out the door. But with the other three staring at him expectantly, he holds his tongue back. “Fine. Talk.”
There is a moment of silence.
“Kate, please…” Neal prompts her.
“Less than six months before the end of Neal’s sentence, someone started following me around,” says Kate at last. “Two weeks later, I’m suddenly fired from my job and someone tossed my apartment. I moved to a different place just until things blew over… that was when I met Agent Fowler.”
Fowler…
Peter tenses at hearing the familiar name. “What did he want?”
“Neal’s stash – allegedly.” Kate takes a deep breath. “I sent him to hell; said that he would have to be more creative if he wanted to threaten me… Then the next time I visited Neal, one of the guards tried to stop me, said there was something wrong with my paperwork. After three years and seven months, suddenly there was something wrong… I wasn’t buying it. Luckily one of the other guards knew me and let me in.”
“See, this is classic! The oppressive power of the Man–”
“So they harassed you,” says Peter.
“My new place was tossed as well… Fowler came to see me again. I tried to record him, but he was too careful to say anything incriminating. He once again asked about Neal’s stash and implied that bad things would happen if I didn’t give him what he wanted. I thought he was looking for a way to stick new charges against Neal and called his bluff.” Kate pauses. “The next thing I know, Bobby – one of the guards – tells me Neal has been hurt in a scuffle.”
“I didn’t know you noticed…” says Neal quietly.
“Of course I noticed,” says Kate with a sigh. “It might have just been a coincidence, but I couldn’t risk that they would escalate things. So I came up with the plan to leave Neal a message and I staged the breakup. It didn’t occur to me at first that he would take me seriously. I prepared the message and left it at our apartment…”
“Message?” Peter asks.
“The bottle,” says Neal.
“What–”
“I left town; I only came back every two weeks or so to check the bottle was still there in case Fowler got to it. On my last visit, I told the landlord I’d be moving out in three months… Two days later, I read in the paper that Neal escaped and got caught.” Kate takes a deep gulp from her glass of wine. “Fowler found me again. He said he could make Neal’s escape charges go away; came up with the so-called “Mentor” scheme. He said he’d set Neal free in exchange for his stash.”
Peter frowns. “And you believed him?”
“What was I supposed to do? With Neal caught, it was worth the risk,” says Kate sharply. “I took Fowler to the hiding place–”
“-except it was empty,” finishes Neal with a grimace. “I didn’t fully trust Kate, so I gave her the wrong location,” he explains to Peter. “One of the many mistakes we all made in this.”
Kate shakes her head. “Fowler was angry. He thought I was still trying to play him. That was when he revealed that he wasn’t the mastermind behind all of this, that there was someone else on it. The day Neal was sentenced to four more years, I got a call from Vincent Adler.”
…
“What?” Peter wonders if his ears are playing tricks on him. “You mean the Vincent Adler, former CEO…”
“The one and only,” confirms Neal with a grimace.
Peter grits his teeth together. “Explain.”
When Neal suggested that they tell the Suit the truth, he could have ended it right there and then if he had opposed the idea strongly enough. Instead, he gave Neal his blessing and suggested that Kate follows his lead, revealing their most important scheme to a fed.
If someone told Mozzie a year ago that this day would come, he would have thought that they were crazy.
But in some weird way, he does trust Peter Burke, and so he doesn’t protest when they’re putting all their cards on the table. He fills in a few well-placed “alleged” and “rumored” as Neal tells the story of their con on Adler, but otherwise he doesn’t interrupt, even as he notices Kate stirring impatiently next to him.
When Neal is done, Kate finishes her part of the story – about how she struck a deal with Adler, the music box for her and Neal’s freedom; about how Adler demanded she stay away from Neal until he had the music box; about her “damsel in distress” act and Adler’s paranoia that she and Neal would turn against him. She tells them how Adler got them the plane, how Fowler bought the explosives and she found a pilot willing to give up his current life and identity in exchange for a big amount of cash. Finally she tells them about Adler’s double cross and how she got off the plane in the last seconds before it exploded, barely escaping a certain death.
Mozzie doesn’t blame her when she keeps her explanation to the minimum.
Even now, he feels cold when he thinks of Kate going head to head with Adler – because while Kate is getting good at this game, Adler is a mastermind who has beaten even him and Neal. And maybe that’s also part of the reason why Mozzie doesn’t protest Peter’s presence, because if there is a man who can compete with Neal’s intelligence, it’s definitely the Suit.
“Mozzie, can I talk to you for a minute?” asks Peter at last.
“Of course, Peter,” he replies and motions for Peter to follow him into the privacy of the living room.
“I don’t trust her,” says Peter almost immediately after the door closes.
Mozzie sighs. “Suit…”
“She admitted she worked with Adler. We have no proof that Fowler actually threatened her. She toyed with Neal, she led him to escape; she’s setting him up for something–”
“You need to stop this, Peter,” says Mozzie seriously. “Look, Kate’s no angel, but she’s head over heels in love with Neal. For Christ’s sake, she visited him in prison every week for almost four years. Isn’t that enough?”
“She set up the plane to explode. The pilot is dead. You can’t justify that. I can’t believe you side with her on this.”
“It’s not about sides,” says Mozzie tiredly. “You think I didn’t have doubts, that I don’t see how Neal does stupid stuff for her? I was there, Suit.”
“How do you know she’s still not working with Adler?” asks Peter thoughtfully.
“After the explosion, Kate called me. She was… it was bad. ” With as few words as possible, he summarizes the past month. He tells Peter about finding Kate collapsed in a stolen car just a few meters from one of his safehouses, her back and thighs horribly burned and bleeding. He remembers how he called his ‘doctor’ friend and then barely got Kate inside, how he tried to keep her stable when she went into shock. He skips the yelling match and Kate’s delirious insistence of not going to a hospital.
They couldn’t give her anesthetics at first of fear that they might kill her. Instead, they stuffed a rag in her mouth and Mozzie held her down while she thrashed as the doc cut off the pieces of her clothes. Once they were done cleaning the wounds and applying bandages, he helped force some strong antibiotics down her throat, not that they did them a lot of good. The fever and infection set off just a few hours later, and once again Mozzie argued with his friend until his voice was raw against bringing Kate to the hospital.
The next five days were a blur and a nightmare. Was he wrong, was the person after Kate a lesser threat than the infection that threatened to kill her? Mozzie still feels sick at the memory of the crippling horror that Kate would die at his hands after surviving the explosion. Then the spoon-feeding, helping her to the bathroom, taking care of her burns week after week, lying through his teeth to Neal while he visited him in prison…
At some point of his tale, Mozzie numbly realizes that he’s sitting on a sofa. He touches his face and realizes his eyes are damp. As his feeling comes back, he realizes that Peter has his hand on his shoulder, keeping him steady. He can’t bring himself to push it away.
“We’re going to get him,” says Peter when Mozzie finally finishes.
Mozzie shakes his head. “You can’t involve the FBI. Adler might have more people than just Fowler. If we tip off our hand–”
“We’ll keep the investigation low-key; a tight team of people we trust completely,” says Peter with determination.
“That’s not…” Mozzie stops his protest before it can really fully form.
He doesn’t trust the feds; he doesn’t want to work with the feds. The problem is that Peter’s idea has its merits.
“How small a team?” he asks.
“For now, just Diana, possibly Hughes. Hughes is my boss–”
“I know who they are. Suit.”
He’ll have to run a background check on them. And yet, Mozzie already considers the benefits of having an inside person at the FBI…
“We don’t know where to find Adler. And we’ve got no leverage,” Mozzie voices his last objection.
Peter smiles at him. “That’s where you are wrong…”
When he hears the news, Mozzie gives him a grim nod. “We have to tell Neal and Kate.”
After Mozzie and Peter leave the kitchen, Neal pulls Kate in a hug.
“Well, this isn’t quite how we planned it,” says Kate somewhat defeatedly.
Neal squeezes her hand. “About Peter–”
“I don’t like him,” she says immediately. “But if Mozzie says he’s all right…”
“You don’t trust me?” asks Neal only half-jokingly.
Kate shakes her head. “Your intentions, maybe. When it comes to our associates, I’m more comfortable with Mozzie’s judgment and paranoia.”
Neal doesn’t tell her how vehemently Mozzie once protested her inclusion into their gang. Then again, given that Mozzie once vetoed Keller and Riley, Kate might actually have a point.
She looks up at him. “I’m sorry for what I said before, about you trying to con me. I thought after all these years, it would be easier somehow…”
“I know.”
In their happy moments, they’ve been acting almost as if they never split up, as if the music box, prison and the plane were just a bad dream. And for almost a month, Neal managed persuade himself that they would never really have to talk about these things… until now.
“I’m sorry I lied to you about Copenhagen.”
Kate shakes her head. “I’ve known for years that you regretted it–”
“Yeah, but I never said it. Well, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you… I shouldn’t have tried to con you. And I especially shouldn’t have left before I set things right.”
“Why did you leave?” asks Kate openly.
Her simple question takes Neal by surprise – wasn’t it clear? But then again, maybe not. “The music box was worth a fortune. I knew it could have given us the life we wanted… I thought you were wrong,” he admits as he finally realizes the full extent of his mistake.
Because it wasn’t just about lying to Kate. No, conning her would have been bad enough, but then in addition he disrespected her wishes and left because he decided that he knew better, without even trying to talk to her again. And in the end, they both paid for it.
“I guess there’s some work ahead before we get to our happy ending,” he says as he touches Kate’s hand with the ring.
“We will get past it,” says Kate with a small smile.
They will.
Even before Copenhagen, their relationship has never felt quite so real.
Suddenly, Neal has to ask another question… “Would you have really shot Peter?”
Kate bites her lip. “I was going to tell him to put on his own cuffs, and then… Maybe Mozzie would have some of those date rape drugs that mess with your memory… What do you want me to say, Neal?”
It’s not a clear no, and Neal doesn’t know what to make of that knowledge until he remembers his own revolver and the incident that took place just a few hours ago.
“Just don’t do it again, okay?”
“I won’t unless he tries to hurt you.”
“Kate–”
“If you expect me to just stand by and watch while he arrests you again or backstabs you–”
“I trust Peter. You said you trusted Mozzie’s judgment. Can you just try to get on with him?”
“Okay, but…” Kate shakes her head. “The plan is blown. What are we going to do now?”
Good question. “Maybe Peter would let us go…”
But even as Neal says it, he knows it’s not going to happen. He likes Peter, and he trusts him to have his back, but he knows Peter has too much faith in the system to just let them run and disappear.
He will have to talk to Peter. Internally, Neal grimaces. He has hurt Peter badly; he broke his trust and used his concern to manipulate him as he plotted his escape. Then there is the matter of slipping his anklet and the gun… It’s a small wonder Peter hasn’t just stuck him back in jail and thrown away the key.
Kate is right – what are they going to do?
Suddenly, someone knocks on the door, and then a few seconds later Mozzie peeks in. “Hey, can we come back in? There’s something the Suit has to tell you…”
When he enters the kitchen again, Peter immediately notices that Kate and Neal are holding hands and standing close to each other. However, it’s only as they all sit down again and Kate places her free hand on the table that Peter notices the ring on her finger.
What…?!
“You got married?” he manages to ask despite his shock.
“What?” asks Neal, startled. Then he follows Peter’s look and smiles. “No, just engaged.”
“Wow. That’s… wow.” Suddenly, Peter’s glad that he’s sitting, otherwise his feet might give away under him. He had not seen this coming.
Then again, he really should have.
He wants to protest; to tell them there is more to marriage than kissing, running and waving guns in ‘defense’ of your spouse. He opens his mouth – and then he meets Neal’s wary eyes and realizes that his criticism right now would be useless. “Congratulations,” he says instead and even manages to sound sincere.
He is rewarded by Neal’s huge grin. “Thanks, Peter. That means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome,” Peter replies. “Though I’d appreciate if your fiancée could stop pointing guns at me…”
There is a moment of tension before Kate’s expression eases a bit. “That could probably be arranged…”
“Thank you,” says Peter with a light smile. When Kate gives him a small nod, he is confident that they have established a tentative truce, for now at least.
One step at a time.
“We were going to talk about Adler,” says Mozzie then and brings them back to the reason why they’re here.
“Right,” says Peter and turns to his friend. “Neal…”
“I don’t suppose you’d just let me leave and go through with the faked death scheme?” asks Neal with a crooked grin.
“Not a chance,” says Peter immediately. “We can do this the right way.”
It’s not just that they would be breaking the law or that his career would be ruined, although these do play a part in it. Mostly, Peter just refuses to let Vincent Adler get away with murder on top of everything else. However, a part of him also wants to see Neal free and not just holed up in some obscure country in the Middle East or South Africa. They can only accomplish all of this if they do it by the law.
“I assume you have a plan,” says Kate curtly.
“We take down Adler,” says Peter. “If we can find him, we’ll put him on trial for his financial crimes and for a murder and attempted murder.”
“Even if he’s in prison, do you really think we’ll be safe?” asks Kate skeptically. “Besides, there’s no point. We don’t have any way to find him–”
“You said he called you,” Peter interrupts her.
“From a burner phone, that’s not–”
“Moreover, if Adler provided the plane, there might be some sort of trail, financial or other. After that, I want to talk to you about everything you remember from your talks with Fowler and Adler. If we can find Fowler, maybe he’ll know something.”
“He would have gone underground…”
“I’m not done,” says Peter. “We also managed to decode a part of Fowler’s diary. He was supposed to meet with someone three weeks from now. We will be there, see if we can find something. And finally…” he saves the best for the last… “I have the music box.”
Neal jumps on his feet. “You have what?”
Mozzie interjects. “Neal, if we can discover whatever Adler wants with the box…”
“…we’ll find what Adler is really after…”
“And then we can use that to find him,” Peter finishes victoriously.
Neal swallows. “Peter, do you really think…”
“I swear, we can do this.”
The three of them look a deep breath and look at their remaining member. Peter takes a deep breath. “Kate…?”
There is a pause.
Finally, Kate nods. “I’m in.”
Epilogue
