SquidgeWorld Archive

OooOooO

"I'll be there at seven tomorrow. Meet me in front of your place," Agent Jones said.

Neal sighed. It was a half hour later than Burke picked him up, but it was still too early. He said, "I'll be there."

Agent Jones was the smiling, quiet African American agent on Peter's team. Neal hadn't really exchanged more than a few words with him, but he assumed that Jones was responsible and smart since Peter didn't tolerate anyone who was less than that on his team.

Neal had been surprised to know that Diana Lancing had already left for a position in Washington DC, having completed her probationary year. He had mixed feelings. He felt Diana could see right through him, but she was interesting and Neal liked interesting. He wasn't sure what Jones was about yet. He has studied all of the team, but most of his attention was on Peter who was his main mark.

The idea of thinking of Peter as a mark left Neal almost queasy. Then his repulsion over the idea worried the hell out of him. Glumly, Neal wondered if Peter was controlling his mind just as Moz said.

The anklet felt like a ball and chain today.

OooOooO

Bright and early the next morning, Jones showed up. Neal handed him a croissant and a thermos cup of June's Italian Roast. Jones showed all of his big white teeth, his eyes crinkling in pleasure.

"Now I see why Peter plays chauffeur for you."

Jones said, "Peter said you should work on some cold cases and make notes. The rest of the team is working on another mortgage fraud case."

Making a face, Jones said, "I like the art cases better. A better class of criminals."

"How long have you worked with Peter?" Neal asked.

"I was a probie when I started and have been with him for five years. Why settle for less when you have worked for the best?" Jones said, smiling again.

Under Jones' watchful eye, Neal read files, did research on a computer that had more limitations than a home schooled kid's and made copious notes. The only thing that Neal could say about prison was that he had learned to cope with boredom. That skill was needed desperately now.

Neal worked until noon, looked around for Jones in the expectation of lunch to find he was gone. Neal had nothing but spare change in his pockets. Moz had to head out of town for a while and Neal still hadn't access to his own funds. Neal had no problem being fed by Peter and he expected Jones to get that he had no money. Unfortunately, Jones hadn't read the script and must have left for lunch directly after a brief meeting with Hughes.

His stomach grumbling, Neal headed for the break room. Peter had shown him some powdered soups and crackers that were in the common domain. Hughes and Peter alternated buying a case of these unsatisfactory snacks for emergencies. That would have to do for lunch. On the way, Neal spotted the cookie jar that Caroline, the senior file cook, kept at her desk and filled almost daily with delicious concoctions. He headed over and smiled. "Caroline? Do you mind if I grab a couple of cookies?"

"Sure." Caroline said, opening the jar. "Peter usually feeds you lunch. Jones doesn't know that, does he?"

"No, don't tell him. I'll manage. I don't want him to think I'm a sponge. "

"Clinton is a sweetie," Caroline said. "He wouldn't let you go hungry."

Neal had met Caroline his second day with Peter when Peter had sent him to her to fetch a record. He had spotted the cookie jar. It was well after noon, and Peter was too absorbed in work to think about food. At his glance, Caroline lifted the lid of the jar which was shaped like a dog's head and invited Neal to grab one of the gigantic oatmeal cookies.

"I'd send one for Peter but if he ate a cookie, he would never eat a healthy lunch," Caroline explained. "So says El."

That had made Neal smile. Elizabeth Burke ruled all.

Today's cookies were peanut butter, golden, moist, nutty, and sweet. Neal's eyes closed in pleasure. "If you weren't married, I'd propose."

"I don't think cookies are the basis for lifelong relationships."

"Your cookies are," Neal said, brushing a crumb from his lapel.

OooOooO

The next day, when Neal came to see what Caroline had in her cookie jar, she handed him a brown paper sack with a wonderful turkey sandwich on home-made stone-ground wheat with cream cheese and avocado. She had added an apple and, of course, he had a cookie, a snicker doodle, wafting cinnamon and vanilla into the air from its waxed paper wrapping.

"You want some company at lunch?"

Neal nodded and ended up sitting in the small break room with Caroline, her best friend, Aggie Howard and Koko Shelton who worked in accounting.

Koko 'needed work' Caroline had once said, which meant that she was one of the natural caretaker's projects.

Koko was a few credits away from her bachelors in accounting. She had a book out even now as she ate. She joined the conversation briefly from time to time, but she had to use her free time to study.

Tossing her elaborate braids, Koko said, "Having a two year old, working, and going to school doesn't give you much time to relax." She smiled and added, "Tika is worth every hour of lost sleep. I take most of my classes online after she goes to sleep." Koko covered a yawn and went back to her book.

Neal assumed that he was in the 'needed work' category also, but he didn't mind because Caroline liked him enough to care about him. In a rare honest moment, Neal could admit that he may have made a misjudgment or two.

Perhaps....

Neal admired pictures of dogs and children, charmed smiles out of all three ladies and really had a good time.

His sandwich was marvelous.

OooOooO

Caroline fed Neal for most of the week Peter was gone. Jones kicked in a lunch finally. Seafood place. Good enough for the price. Jones was far less straight laced than first impression. They spent the lunch discussing theoretical crimes that Neal certainly did not commit. Jones didn't push. He just prompted and kept his questions coached in theory and, of course, Neal teased around any information that might have incriminated him and Jones grinned and didn't insist on more.

"You miss Peter?" Jones asked.

Surprisingly, Neal did. In a few short days, he felt he belonged at Peter's side. It reminded him of when Peter chased him. He had never felt more alive. No matter how Moz or Kate or Alex castigated him for it, he couldn't help teasing the brilliant agent. He loved sparring with Peter but he loved working with him even more.

"We make a good team."

Jones nodded and said, "Yeah, that's true. Hope it works out. You make the job a little more fun."

"Thank you," Neal said, adding, "Thank you for lunch."

OooOooO

The next day, Jones picked Neal up early, but at least, he warned Neal about it. Neal woke an hour early, made extra coffee. Cook had made a nice little plate of cheese and fruit for his breakfast. Neal nibbled as he read the paper and drank his first cup of coffee. As he left, Neal grabbed the white paper sack with chocolate croissants that cook bought from Neal's favorite bakery. Jones grinned as Neal handed him a coffee and one of the delicious flaky pastries.

"I'm going to be a sad man when Peter comes back. This is one cushy gig, driving you to work."

Neal smiled at that. He said, "I'll remember an occasional cup of coffee and croissant for you."

After Jones ran out the door for his stakeout on a museum, Neal resumed reading through files. He entered notes. He avoided crimes committed by compatriots, even those his old enemy, Keller, committed. Much as he disliked the man, Neal preferred to use his mind rather than what Peter would have described as guilty knowledge. Even with that codicil, Neal was reasonably sure he had solved two cases while Peter was on vacation. He was eager to show Peter even as he scolded himself for hic childish wish to please the man who controlled his life.

Caroline arrived early most days. Neal went down to help her with the multitude of things she brought to work, including, of course, the cookies she baked the night before. He was carrying the biggest bag inside when Koko showed up with the prettiest little girl that Neal had ever seen.

"Neal, this is Tika," Koko said. The little girl grinned up at Neal, petite elfin face surrounded by dozens of beaded braids. Her eyes were astoundingly large and surrounded by lashes that could have sold gallons of mascara. She had a cute smidge of a nose and a generous mouth, sweet as a cupid's bow. Tika was a lovely golden brown and was as trim as a ballerina. Her mother was pretty, but Tika was incredibly beautiful.

"Tika is so smart," Koko said proudly. "She already counts to five and knows the alphabet."

Neal squatted and pretended to pull an origami flower from behind Tika's ear. He had made it earlier, planning on giving it to Caroline. He was sure she wouldn't mind him giving it to Tika. The little girl giggled.

Neal waited with Koko until her friend, Emma, who worked at the day care, picked Tika up. He entertained the little girl with magic tricks, charming her and making her giggle.

As he walked Koko into the building, Neal said, "You are very lucky to have such a beautiful and bright daughter."

"I am," Koko said. "My Mama is a decent woman, but she lost my Papa when I was young. Mama had a bad boyfriend and it took her a lot of years to wise up to it. Me, I followed in her tracks but when I had Tika, I took one look and I knew I was going do right for her. I told her father, Anthony, that he better give up his life of crime and the drugs if he wanted to be part of her life." Koko winced and said, "Turns out he didn't want to be part of our lives."

Neal winced. He admitted he dreamed of having a family, of giving them a dream life with the money had gained from his cons and forgeries. Somehow, Koko's statement threw his fantasy into a real light that tore at his heart. He forced a smile and said, "You made the right choice, Koko."

"I know I did," Koko said. "Sometimes the hard road is the right one."

As often as he could, Neal made a point of spending the few moments that Tika was outside with Koko with the young family. It felt like being part of something sweet and normal. Neal never knew that he could hunger for feeling like a common man, but he did.

OooOooO

During his vacation, Peter had only called the office five times, the fewest calls he had ever made when away from the office. Of course, El had taken his phone for two days out of the week. He had agreed, persuaded by methods that were unfair, but decidedly fun. Four of the calls were to Jones, checking on Neal. The more Jones assured him that Neal was behaving well, the more Peter dreaded finding out what his wily charge was actually doing.

However, Peter was happy enough to see Neal and to find no evidence of shenanigans, even after the most careful investigation. The one thing he noticed was that Neal excused himself from lunch with Peter on Tuesday. When Peter went by the small break room the clerks usually used, Neal was laughing and eating a sack lunch with the formidable Caroline, lioness of the file room. Peter knew that Caroline had a soft spot for Neal and that she was intelligent and strong, able to defend herself. He still worried.

After Neal returned from lunch, looking satisfied and slightly sleepy, Peter said, "What are you trying to get Caroline to do for you?"

"What?" Neal asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Having lunch with her, all those smiles? You're running a con."

Neal spread his hands. "Caroline happens to make a fabulous sandwich, the equal of all those great cookies. She made sure I had lunch while you were gone. You didn't exactly make any arrangements for me."

Come to think of it, Peter had not. He assumed Jones would think it through, realizing Neal had no legal source of lunch money.

Whoops.

"It's not always a con, Peter. I like people and what's not to like about Caroline?"

Peter spent a few moments looking for any tell from Neal. He saw nothing, but was also sure that Neal could conceal almost anything, even from Peter.

"I'm no snob, Peter, whatever you think. Caroline is a friend. So are Aggie and Koko. They accept me. They like me. What's wrong with that? Am I not allowed to have friends?"

There was a faint brittle tone to Neal's voice. He was genuinely irritated.

Still, Peter did not want Neal manipulating FBI employees. His hands formed a steeple. He gazed at Neal sternly. A thought struck him.

"Koko is very pretty," Peter said.

"Koko is pretty but she is focused on her daughter, Tika, and trying to manage college and work besides being a single mother," Neal said.

"I didn't know any of that," Peter said. He couldn't keep the surprised pleasure out of his tone.

A moment later, Peter put his hands on his hips, shoving his baggy jacket out like wings, he pursed his lips and made sure his eyes reflected only the sternest look. "Yeah, well, we have work to do."

Work consisted this week of endlessly looking at financial reports and comparing them to individual bank accounts, transfers of funds, signatures, and personnel profiles. Neal hung his head like a kid being kept in from recess, and followed Peter dutifully back to his office.

OooOooO

A week flew by. The cold cases both worked the way Neal had predicted except that Peter assigned the investigations to Jones. After he made the arrests, Jones strutted around the office as if he had been the one to crack them instead of being the one who took Neal's ideas and confirmed they were true.
 
Peter told Neal to cowboy up. It was better than prison.

It was better, but Neal had enjoyed the first case despite his desperation to solve it. He wanted the same excitement, not heaps of files and Peter grumbling over them.

Peter always insisted on being at the office an hour before most of the agents started. He said he liked the quiet to think. 

Neal tried persuading Peter to let Jones pick him up, but Peter wouldn't hear of it.

On Thursday, Neal stood in front of the mirror, blow drying his hair. He used enough product to assure that it would stay in place unless he was engaging in athletic action. Little chance of that, he thought as he arranged his part. He was considering redoing the part when Peter called and said, "Where the hell are you?"

"You're early," Neal argued.

"Don't make me have to come up there to get you."

"I'm coming," Neal said as Peter looked at his watch as if Neal was the one off schedule. Peter was fifteen minutes early. Neal was barely down the stairs when the housekeeper let Peter inside.

"I wasn't even finished with my hair!"
 
"You look gorgeous," Peter snapped. "Put your coat on."

"You're early," Neal complained. "You could have called and let me know."

"I could have," Peter said, gleefully. "If I didn’t own your ass, I might have. But, oh, look, I do."

Shrugging into his coat, Neal said, "There's this nice little bondage shop on Sixth if you want to pick out a collar for me."

"I was just thinking this morning that Satchmo might need a new one. Since you don't mind hand me downs," Peter replied.

Well, Neal knew that he had an equal in the battle of wits when he sparred with Peter. He contented himself with a nod, tipping his hat to a superior opponent.

OooOooO

In the Taurus, Neal reflected on the slower pace of mornings with Jones. He wondered why he had missed Peter so much. Had he so quickly forgotten Peter's morning rush?

"What are we doing this morning?" Neal asked, "That we have to go in early?"

"You are doing the same thing we were doing yesterday," Peter said. "I have an early morning budget meeting. I am going to be in hell."

"Oh, sorry," Neal said. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Just no shenanigans," Peter said.

Neal lifted a brow. He would love to know why Peter used that word.

Reading him easily, Peter quirked a smile. "Father Murphy always told us, no shenanigans. Last of the great Irish priests."

"You don't have to worry about me," Neal promised.

"Hmmph," Peter grumped.

OooOooO

After Peter left, Neal went downstairs to see what was in Caroline's cookie jar since he had missed breakfast. Koko stood at Caroline's desk, wringing her hands in anxiety. Despite his friend's fretting, Neal didn't worry greatly. Koko wasn't exactly a cool, collected woman. He smiled at her and smiled bigger at the tiny version of the beautiful black woman. Tika stood by her side holding her mother's hand. A worn doll dangled from Tika's other tiny hand.

Neal loved Tika who was the most adorable, intelligent, and charming two year old he had ever met. Tika was a perfect miniature of her pretty mother. She had a plump little mouth that smiled so big when Neal did magic tricks for her. She had tiny hands with little dimples over each knuckle. She even had a lovely voice not shrill as some toddlers had.

Neal adored children. When he was in foster care, he had always looked out for the younger kids. He often baby sat even though that was against the rules of foster care for him to do so. It was no hardship. He thought it was fun. Tika was the only child with whom he had any close contact since Peter took him out of prison. When Koko's friend was late, Neal colored with her, praising her blobs of color as if they were juvenile Matisse paintings.

Looking miserable, Koko said to Caroline, "You couldn't just watch her until the end of the meeting?"

"I'm sorry, honey, but I have to work with Ruiz today. You know how he is. He would have us both fired."

Neal asked, "What's wrong?"

"The daycare is closed today and I didn't know. Something about the plumbing. Usually my Mom baby-sits when the daycare is closed, but she's sick again. Emma was going to watch her, but her son has a fever and they are going to the ER. I don't have any leave left and I have another of those budget meetings. What am I going to do?"

"Listen, I'm not doing anything important. Let me take her," Neal suggested.

"Really?" Koko said.

"Yeah, you don't have to worry. I have experience. I used to baby sit all the time when I was a kid," Neal said.

"You were a baby sitter?" Koko asked, sounding skeptical.

"I lived in foster homes with lots of other children," Neal confessed. "Some of the homes were so full you had to pitch in. I liked the little guys. They were fun. They didn't judge me. So I was an expert. Might be rusty now, but, hey, Tika is a good little girl."

"Are you sure Peter Burke will let you? He seems to keep you on a tight leash."

"No problem. Peter is in a budget meeting too," Neal said.

Desperation leads to rash decisions. Koko handed over Tika's diaper bag and said, "She has snacks in there. She takes a nap at eleven. She's toilet trained. Caroline will bring her to the rest room. Just ask her every once in a while. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me," Neal said, giving Tika his best smile. Tika smiled back, a perfect miniature con woman of her own, used to her charms getting her way.

As soon as her mother was out of sight, Tika tugged on Neal's sleeve and said, "Hungry, Neal."

Neal looked in the diaper bag and found some wrapped cheese in a little package with a freezer cool pack. He offered that to Koko.

The toddler made a face and said, "No, candy! Mommy give me candy."

"Ah, no, she doesn't. Mommy wants your teeth to be all white and shiny like they are now," Neal said, bringing Tika to Peter's office. He thought he could work most of the day when Tika didn't need attention.

Tika pouted and turned her rather adorable plump lips toward Neal with a well practiced droop. Neal steeled himself and said, "No, candy, Tika. Would you like to color?"

"Sure," Tika said. She held the crayon in her hand, most of her fist around it. It was the pink one. She scribbled industriously. Neal was making notes about the mortgage fraud case so didn’t notice immediately when Tika moved her crayon from the discard pile of the copy machine to another of the mortgage files.

When Neal noticed, he winced and grabbed the file for Caroline to fix. Thank God, Caroline was in charge of all the file jackets. She wouldn't report Neal's mishap.

Tika giggled as Neal rode her downstairs on his hip. Caroline shook her head at the desecrated file jacket and said, "Oh, you are going to owe me. Personalized Christmas cards with Australian Shepherds."

"Yes, Ma'am," Neal bounced Tika on his hip and asked her, "Would you like Caroline to take you to the potty?"

"Maybe?" Tika lilted, "You come?"

"No, I'll wait outside."

Neal was leaning next to the door of the woman's restroom when he spotted Peter coming downstairs, yelling, "Neal? Neal, where are you hiding?"

In a moment of desperation, Neal ducked into the woman's restroom with his hand over his eyes. "Sorry, Caroline, is there anyone else in here?"

"Lucky for you, no," Caroline said. "What were you thinking?"

"Peter is looking for me and I don't want to explain about Tika," Neal said.

"I thought he wouldn't mind?" Caroline said as she helped Tika wash her hands.

"What he doesn't know won't bother him," Neal said.

"Oh, Neal," Caroline said. She shook her head. "You are a darling, but I worry about you."

Shrugging, Neal reclaimed Tika and said, "Can you make sure the coast is clear?"

Sighing, Caroline poked her head out and then back in. "Clear."

There was a little used room off the file room in the basement. It had a couch. Neal dutifully brought his files down and his notepad. Tika played with her colors and had her snack. Neal caught the flaw in the security system which allowed someone, probably the vice president with the hooker habit, to transfer funds without leaving her cyber footprints. He was jotting notes when Tika tugged on his jacket and said, "I want my mommy."

"She should be done soon," Neal said. He checked his watch. "It's naptime."

Despite Tika's drama, she was asleep in minutes of lying down. Neal really meant to keep working, but the soothing deep breaths from the toddler made him close his eyes to rest... just for a moment.

Two hours later Neal woke with Tika sitting on his chest, prying open one of his eyes.

"I have to go potty."

Grabbing his work along with Tika, Neal found Caroline, made sure Ruiz wasn't in sight, and turned his charge over. Slumped against the wall, Neal drew a deep breath. A strong hand clamped on his arm. "Where have you been hiding?"

It was Peter. Neal said, "Downstairs in the room next to filing. I couldn't think in the bull pen with Ruiz yelling.  Peter, I think I know how Sharon Calhoun did it. Here, I made some notes. Take a look and let me know what you think."

"Good," Peter said, giving Neal a curious look. "I have to go back to my meeting. Keep working."

"I will. I'm going to do some research on that insurance fraud scam we were discussing."

"Great," Peter said. He glanced over his shoulder as Neal pretended to head for his office.

As soon as Peter was back in his meeting, Neal retrieved Tika and headed for the cafeteria. The cafeteria was a small place that offered coffee a grade above the office pots, unimaginative sandwiches, and soup. It was operated by a blind lady, Gloria, and her stalwart short order cook, Matt. Neal didn't usually eat there, but Peter sometimes sent him here for coffee, water, or a snack.  Neal adored Gloria even if he despised the cuisine. Tika ate a cookie and half a banana. Neal has another cookie, the other half of the banana, and a cup of coffee.

Soon, Tika turned her charms on Matt and had the aspiring chef wrapped around her finger. They had to leave before Tika wheedled a third cookie.

Neal revised his opinion even further about parenthood. There was no way Kate and he could have raised a child on the run from Peter. It was difficult enough to do for one day.

OooOooO

About Four Pm, when Peter was supposed to be in his meeting, Neal held Tika on his lap and tried to work despite her soft whimpers. Tika wanted her mommy, her school, and her schedule. It had been a long day.

"Have you added kidnapping to your crimes?" Peter's voice asked.

Neal turned and said, brilliantly, "Uh. It's Tika Shelton, Koko's little girl. I was just watching her for a few moments."

"Uh huh." Peter studied Tika who took one look at him, clutched Neal, and wailed.

Neal fought the urge to join the toddler in tears.

"So this is why you have been playing hide and seek with me all day?"

"I worked!" Neal's voice went ragged almost as it had at thirteen when it changed. "You saw that I worked."

At this point, Tika slid off Neal's lap, marched over to Peter and kicked him in the leg. "You mean."

"Tika!"

It was Koko. She said, "I am so sorry, Agent Burke."

Tears welled up in Koko's eyes. Peter winced and said, "Don't cry. Really. Don't cry."

"But Neal was just trying to help me. I don't want you to punish him just because he has a soft heart."

Peter held up both hands as if to fend the tears off. He said, "No problem, Ms. Shelton. Really."

"My boss said I can go home early since I worked through my lunch," Koko said.

With a swift kiss on Neal's cheek, Koko reclaimed her daughter and her diaper bag.

"Thank you, Agent Burke. It won't happen again, believe me. Thank you, Neal, you're my hero."

OooOooO

Neal's smile felt weak, not the charm bomb he aimed at his marks.

Shaking his head, Peter said, "Neal."

"It won't happen again."

Sighing, Peter said, "Neal, only you could make a genuinely moving gesture turn into a day long con."

"Koko can't help it. Having a kid eats up your leave days and she has a sick mother too."

"Right. So what you did wasn't wrong, it was the way you did it. Next time, Neal, ask."

Neal smiled widely.

He said, "Next time, I will."

Peter shook his head and said, "Here I thought I caught a master con and it turns out I caught one of Santa's elves."

"I do look good in tights."

Peter merely pointed at the other side of the desk and glared.

Neal sat.

He felt warm and happy.

The End