Author's Notes: So, this is the final chapter, I believe. I think I've tied up all the loose ends. Thank you to all the Guests who took time to review and also to night-batfamily, ynwa, 21JumpStreetMcQuaids, sarafine-ecleips, Nina and KeJae. Thanks for all your reviews!

I would love it if readers would take the time to review at the end of this chapter (tell me something you liked in this story if you don't know what to say).

Chapter 17

Neal's commutation was both a happy and sad affair. Neal Caffrey was free but, everyone from White Collar knew that he had turned down the CI job Hughes had offered and had a feeling that they might not see him again.

There was a cake shared at the Burke's place after the anklet came off for the final time.

"Congratulations," Diana said quietly to Neal as he sipped at the champagne El had bought for the occasion. "So, what's next?"

"Travel the world, I guess," Neal responded with a smirk. "It's been a while since I was last in Paris. And I'd like to see the Louvre."

"That better not be foreshadowing, Caffrey," Jones commented as he passed Diana a slice of cake. "We don't need the extra work."

Diana laughed.

"Yeah. Think about the amount of paper work you're sending your old colleagues' way the next time you want to steal something," she added, making Neal laugh too.

"I will," he said, raising his glass in toast before moving to work the crowd.

Mozzie was the next to confront him.

"So, where'll we be going, mon frère?"

Neal looked down at him and felt a pang of loss. He wouldn't be able to do this with Mozzie, his next mission didn't require input from his quirky asset.

"Just me this time, Moz," Neal responded.

"Ah," Mozzie commented, "the Suits have converted you to their ways. You want to travel without the excitement?"

Nope. There would be excitement, just the Bryce variety of excitement.

"I guess. Without what you'd consider to be excitement at least," Neal responded.

Mozzie's bottom lip shuddered for a moment before he bowed his head and raised his glass.

"To our Final Score," he toasted and they clinked their glasses. Although not obvious to anyone watching, they were really toasting to the loss of the opportunity to get to the final score together.

"'Final Score', huh?" Peter questioned, sending Mozzie away with his words. With the obstruction gone, he turned to Neal. "So, should I be worried?"

"Hmm?" Neal questioned, putting on the con smile he knew bugged Peter. "Of course not."

Peter raised an eyebrow and his expression told Neal that he didn't believe him.

"I hear they're sending you after Mickaël Dufour," his whispered to him in a conspiratorial tone that made Neal smile sadly. "Be careful, he's supposed to be really good a picking out infiltrating agents."

"Ah, but I'm not an agent," Neal responded in a 'tsk tsk' tone, "I'm just an American ex-felon going on vacances."

Peter exhaled and closed his eyes. It was all too easy to imagine Neal dead in some foreign land.

"So, it seems that most of the FBI agents here think you're taking a job with us," Chuck commented, seeming to appear beside them.

"What?" Neal questioned in confusion.

"Yeah," Chuck said, nodding in the direction of the platter where Sarah was talking to Diana. "They think we're here because we want you working for us."

"To be fair, you did ask," Peter pointed out. Not only had Chuck asked him for permission to poach his partner but, Neal had also come to them 'to talk' when Chuck had asked.

"The answer's still 'no'," Neal said, just in case Chuck was about to ask again. Although he would love to work with his old friend, he knew that it wouldn't work well. Working with his ex-girlfriend and someone who hated him was a bad combination; Morgan could be most unpleasant if you crossed him.

"How's Sarah?" Peter asked, "any luck yet?"

Chuck's eyes sparkled even though his expression didn't change.

"No. But, we're not really trying." It had only been a week and three days ago that Sarah decided to stop using birth control to see what would happen. If she fell pregnant, she fell pregnant and, if not, they could talk about whether they really wanted to try in a few months time.

"Good luck, buddy," Neal said, raising his glass again. It was almost time for a refill.

Bryce watched as the local police arrested Mickaël Dufour. He would be on his way to the US where he could be held accountable for everything the CIA had on him. As he walked away, he noticed a hole in his trousers. Sighing, he poked his finger through it and thought of a time when he could have sent them to a tailor to be mended.

A time when he wore nice suits and was surrounded by people.

"Stop being sentimental," he quietly scolded himself, his voice providing a focus away from his thoughts, "and focus on the job." He went back to the safe house to change his clothes and his identity and then walked down to the dropbox where his next set of orders would be.

He found the box with his number on it and opened it, finding the familiar yellow envelope that held his orders. He took it out and started back down the street, taking a moment to enjoy the busy streets of Paris.

Then he walked back to his hotel room and opened the envelope. He read the page and read it again. And he read it another time just to be sure.

He was being sent to New York. There was a money laundering operation which the CIA believed was connected to an illegal weapons trading operation.

And that was all he would get to know until he returned to New York. There was a time and place listed where he would meet his partner and handler for the mission.

Bryce arrived in New York two days later and was sitting at the bench specified in the orders, in Central Park and at the time specified. He had headphones in his ears and tapped his foot nervously, as if he was tapping to the beat of a song. He bounced his head as well. Anything to redirect the nervous energy he was feeling. Unlike other missions, he had too many questions about this like. Like, how long would it be? Where the FBI also looking into it? And would there be time for him to drop in on old friends? He also wondered if it would be safe for him to stay at June's for the duration of the mission.

These were not questions his handler would answer. These were questions that he shouldn't ask.

Bryce sighed and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I saw a mockingbird in the park," a voice droned from behind him.

He yelped.

"Peter?" he questioned, turning around to face his old FBI handler. It felt like ages since he saw anyone from Neal Caffrey's life and yet, it also felt like no time at all.

"Kieran today," Peter explained moving around to sit next to him. Bryce raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Mockingbirds?" he questioned with a smirk.

"Mozzie's suggestion," Kieran said with a shrug. "He's been driving me crazy with all his visits," he shook his head. "And I thought Neal was bad."

"Really?" Bryce questioned. He was surprised that Mozzie would continue to see Peter, 'the Suit'.

"El's okay with it, except when Mozzie starts talking about Neal. I probably shouldn't have told her why you went."

Bryce made a non-committal noise. He wouldn't have told Peter either, except he hadn't and Peter and found out anyway.

"So," Kieran said, pulling out an envelope and passing it to Bryce. "I put in at the CIA for a new partner."

Bryce opened the envelope and read the information inside. He would primarily be working with his established cover as Neal Caffrey to provide support to Agent Kieran Ryker in his cover as Peter Burke. They would also be teamed up for other missions and stapled to this was a copy of a request made for their presence in Burbank at a TBA date in nine or ten months to provide tactical support and extra security.

"Wow." It was all he could think of to say.

"'Wow'? That's it? All of Mozzie's bugging to find a way to get you back here and that's all you can say?"

"Seems like you'd need to take that up with Mozzie," Bryce responded with a smirk. He waved the file. "So, do I get any say in this?"

"Nope," Kieran joked. He then added, "seriously, if you don't want to-"

"That's not what I'm saying," Bryce interrupted with a glare, moving the files away form Kieran's reaching hand.

"Good, I was hoping you'd accept," Kieran said. Bryce gave him a curious look. "When I told her about this, El insisted on inviting June and Mozzie around for dinner. I really didn't want to go back without you."

Bryce looked down at his dark leather jacket, yellow shirt, dark pants and running shoes. The combination wasn't really expected of Neal Caffrey.

"Come on," Kieran said, slapping him lightly on the back. "There's still a few of Neal Caffrey's suits in the guest room at my place. If we leave now, you should have enough time to get changed."

Bryce couldn't help posing one more question about this arrangement as they walked back to Peter's car;

"Hey, since I'm your partner, does this mean I get complete access to 'Homestead'?"