Neal felt more confused than ever. Last time he had felt this way he had escaped. He had been eighteen then. Then he had got the truth pushed up in his face and he had been unable to handle it so he had run. When he had found out about Peter and the ring he had felt the same, but stayed. Now he was not sure what was the truth any longer. Maybe he had pulled the rug away from under his feet all by himself this time.
He had left Avery and the party as soon as their deal was settled. Then he had walked aimlessly for an hour before he realized he had no anklet and no functional eagle.
Running was not an option. And he needed to know the truth. He walked to the Burke's and found Elizabeth alone. She invited him in and made them tea while they waited for Peter. He held his cup, not drinking.
"Neal, what is it?"
"Peter is the man with the ring," he blurted.
El stared at him and sat down by the table.
"And then he has Kate," he continued, looking at her.
"Neal, are you out of your mind? Peter doesn't have Kate."
"You sure about that?"
"Yes, I am." She was firm in her voice.
"How often is he gone?" Neal persisted. Peter could hide his secret from her as well. "How many late nights when you don't know where he is?"
"Stop it. Peter is the best thing that ever happened to you. And you're smart enough to know that."
"Yeah? Well, he has the ring." He held up the well-thumbed photo and dropped it before Elizabeth.
"That's your evidence?" Peter asked, coming down the stairs. So he was at home. But he did not seem angry in any way.
"Here's the ring," his handler said and placed a ring on the table in front of him. Neal picked it up. It was exactly as the one on the photo.
"It's a 10-year FBI pin. Put in 10 years, you get one. Most of us have them made into a ring," Peter explained.
This ring was real. But it was not the one of the photo. It could not be. There were more of them out there and this was Peter's.
"I've never seen you wear it," Neal said, but it felt like a stupid comment. It did not prove anything.
"It's a fraternity thing."
"Come with us to the bureau commendation dinner," Elizabeth suggested. "You'll see hundreds of them."
Neal's world stopped to spin. It became sane and real again. Peter was Peter. The man he felt he safe with. The only person in the world that he trusted completely.
A thought crossed his mind.
"Will I get one?"
He met Peter's eyes and saw him smile.
"No." His face broke into a familiar grin and Neal joined.
Now, sitting here, holding the ring, understanding what it was, it felt so utterly absurd that he had even considered Peter to be his enemy.
"I'm sorry, Peter." It felt inadequate, but no words could ever mend the harm he could have caused.
Peter towered over him as a comforting, fatherly figure.
"I promise you, we'll figure out who it is."
"Whoever it is is with the bureau," Neal said.
"Yup, that is a problem. But I need you to help me get Avery first," Peter said. "Go in and play Reed against him."
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White Collar - as an unofficial novel - part 3
फैनफिक्शनThis is the story of the tv series as a novel. The dialog follows the series, but there are also new scenes filling the gaps in the story. I wanted to capture the spirit of White Collar and the friendship between Peter and Neal. Part 3 starts with "...
