Neal Caffrey, Suspect at Large

Chapter 6

"So let me get this straight."

Peter was staring at the stoic looking Neal in disbelief.

"You're telling me that you disappeared without a trace or any communication, but that's all okay because you almost did?"

By the end of his tirade, Peter was yelling. Neal seemed to slightly recoil from his once beat friend. The woman in the corner seemed to be frustrated with the nonexistent progress made so far. A quick glance at her watch proved that they'd been there for at least three hours so far.

"Did you even listen to him? At all?" Grace growled. She was fed up with this stubborn agent.

"I will tell you again, and I'll speak slowly so your pathetic little brain can keep up." Grace had stalked forward till she was inches away from the bound agent's face.

"He. Couldn't. Tell. You." she hissed.

"I really couldn't." said Neal. He was slumped over the back of the chair. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept in days.

"If I had told you, you would have tried to help me. You would use FBI resources to do it." Neal rubbed a hand over his face.

"There was only three outcomes to something this big. You kept your mouth shut and did nothing, what I'm doing which is trying to shut them down on the run, or you and anyone you might have told loses their job or are discredited or end up dead."

Peter was floored. For the past two years, he had told himself that Neal was being selfish. That he didn't care about him or anyone that he had gotten close to while he had been consulting with White Collar. If this was true then that meant that Neal had given up any chance of freedom to keep them safe.

"Alright. Now what?"

The look on Neal's face was almost enough to make him laugh. Almost.

Grace hid a smile and answered Peter's question.

"Now," she said, her smile turning savage, "I get to drop Agent Reeves off at the hospital."

Peter watched, confused as Neal smirked at his girlfriend.

"Just remember, he has a gunshot wound. Don't embarrass him too badly."

Grace winked and practically skipped out of the room. Neal shook his head and smiled indulgently.

"God I love her, but she has a vindictive streak a mile long."

The casual way he said it 'god I love her' spoke volumes about how significant this woman was to Neal. A lot had changed in the past two years.

Peter looked at the faint bloodstain he could see in the kitchen and shivered.

Yes, a lot has changed.