Under Cover || N.C fanfiction. COMPLETED

15

"Morning Lily." Peter said as I walked into the office, holding the glass door open for Neal who was walking behind me. We had gotten out of the apartment pretty quickly, Neal had slept on the couch again last night. The bed was a one time thing and thankfully Neal saw it the same way I did.

"Morning Peter, how're you?" I asked as Neal passed me and I closed the glass door. Walking next to Peter and Neal as we walked up the stairs towards the conference room.

"I'm good Lily thank you, we've uncovered some new information on the homicide case." Peter said opening the glass door to the conference room so I could walk in.

The room was busy, it wasn't as busy as the first time that I had been in but it was full. The american flag still hanging in the corner of the room, it was weird to see an American flag when I was so used to a British one. I smiled when I saw Jones near the back of the room and he smiled back as I sat next to him.

"Morning." Jones politely said as I smiled back getting out my notepad and pencil. " How has your days off been?" He asked as I just huffed.

How have they been?

"Eventful." I truthfully said and Jones let out a chuckle making me laugh. I looked over the room and saw Peter stood in front of the room holding a remote, probably for the white board behind him. I looked past the sea of people and saw Neal sat near Peter, leaning back in his chair. He had taken his hat off and now began to flip it in his fingers.

"Right." Peter said loudly making us all turn our attention to him. "As you all know we have gained new information on the homicide case." He said clicking the screen and two photos appeared. One of an elderly man with obvious lines on his face, deep brown eyes and grey hair including some stubble around his face. "This is Tom Middleton, we know that he is an extravagant art owner, what you might not know that is four years ago he bought a piece of art worth billions. Which he thought was the real thing only for it to be a forgery." Peter then looked at Neal who just shrugged. "Now, we know that his son Noah is hosting an opening of the new. New York art gallery, we already have a way in as Agent Scarlet and Neal will be going undercover as a married couple and trying to find out what the Middleton's know about the murders."

I looked at Jones as he just smiled at me, "at least you don't have to be in the van." I smiled back politely although I didn't quite know what was so bad about the van.

"All we know about Noah is that he is a very wealthy, young, attractive man." Peter said as I looked at the photo of Noah, Peter wasn't lying he was quite attractive. He had short brown hair and deep brown eyes, but unlike his father he didn't have any stubble. Instead he had obvious cheekbones. "So Noah has bought his father his own art gallery as after was happened four years ago, his father was embarrassed to even show his face in the art community." Peter went on.

"But if he was so scared to show his face then why has Noah bought him an art gallery?" I asked as Peter and the rest of the room turned towards me. "Wouldn't that just make his situation worse?"

I saw Peter smile as he flipped the slide and there was a painting of 'Girl with pearl earring.' "Good question Scarlet." Peter said and I smiled slightly to myself and everyone turned back to Peter, I looked over and saw Neal rise his right corner of his mouth in a smile and I smiled back. "Recently, Tom Middleton has come by this painting 'Girl with pearl earring.' now this painting has been under the collection in The Hague since 1902. So we have reason to believe that they wouldn't part with this so easily.-"

"So you think that whoever has given him this painting, has gave it as blackmail so if he knows anything he wont say anything even if he remotely thought about it." I interrupted making Peter nod. Although I still felt bad for butting in.

"Precisely." Peter said walking around the front of the room, like he was on a stage and we were his audience. "So if we know who gave them the painting, we know another part of the homicide case." Peter finished. "I want everyone to focus on finding those men and researching the Hague until the find something."

Everyone seemed to put everything away writing things down in an obvious hurry, standing up as the chairs squeaked against the hard floor. I looked over to see Jones standing up. "That was really good analysis, Lily." he said and I smiled standing up as if to join him.

"Thanks Jones, what's so bad about the van?" I questioned as he just laughed. Walking past most of the chairs and to the door opening it for me.

"You don't want to know." He said making me laugh thinking about how stuffy it got in there, and how aggravating it must be not to work on the field. I guess I understand it, but the way Jones had said it, it has seemed like he had spent most of his career in the van. I don't see why, he was obviously fit enough? I hope he didn't think less of me because when I came I immediately got taken on a case. I'd have to speak to him about it, soon.

I was halfway through walking out of the door when I heard Peter's voice. "Scarlet, I need to talk to you." I stopped in my tracks giving Jones an apologetic smile and then moving towards Peter. I looked over to Neal's empty seat to see that he had already exited the room. What did Peter want with me? was he angry because I kept butting in?

Peter just gestured to Neal's empty seat as it was the one closest to him, so I sat down as Peter sat on the glass desk. "I hope I didn't do anything wrong Sir" I started nervously my hands sweating. "I'm sorry I kept interrupting you halfway through your presentation." I rambled and I looked at Peter as he just smiled.

"If anything I'm glad you interrupted me." Peter said and I smiled in relief. "no one has brains like that since Caffrey came along and honestly I was starting to doubt what they actually taught at the academy." He said jokingly as I laughed along with him.

"Well thank you sir." I said politely and he frowned.

"Lily, don't call me sir." Peter said and just as I was about to say sorry he interrupted. "You've seen me in your personal life, you're friends with my wife and myself, just call me Peter or Burke." he said smiling as I nodded.

"So what did you want me for sir?" I asked as he rubbed his hands together.

"I wanted to ask you if you knew about Caffrey's past." Peter started, raising his eyebrows questioning me. "has he told you about his anklet, about Kate? or about his forgery work?" he questioned.

"Yes, he told me a few days ago." I said, looking at Peter and his smiling face. "he only told me briefly though, didn't go into too much detail. He told me about Kate's passing and that he tried to find out how she died but he can't find anything. He told me about the forgeries and the deal to work with you for four years, hence the anklet but that was about as much detail as he went into." I finished as Peter just nodded his head.

"Well scarlet, I think I need to tell you a little bit more about the man you're living with." Peter started, pushing himself up from the table and grabbing a chair and sitting in front of me. "Do you happen to know a short, bald, passionate man named Mozzie?" he asked and I just shrugged and shook my head in a blank way. "Oh you have so much to learn scarlet."

Hi guys I hope you enjoyed this, I know this was less about the relationship and more on the plot but I want to steer away from the relationship for a while as I thought it was getting to chlicé and I needed an actual plot to this story. So tell me what you think and vote and comment if you enjoyed, happy reading! Lily.