Chapter 25

There was a time in her life when Elizabeth Burke's most fervent wish had been to have a houseful of kids: the inevitable chaos, the incessant noise, the echoing laughter, the wonderful sibling rivalries. But alas, fate had intervened and her life had taken a different path and so, over the years, she'd learned to fill the silence in her home with happy guests - something she looked forward to doing at every opportunity.

As she puttered around the kitchen, on this Saturday evening in early November, getting the last of the appetizers plated up, she took a moment to glance into the living room, taking in the smiles and happy faces of their extended family, all intent on enjoying the moment.

'So, quite a bit less formal than last week, huh?' Jones said as he elbowed Diana whose drink sloshed around in her hand

'Yeah, I much prefer this kind of get-together – and I get to bring Christie along' she said, spying her girlfriend in deep discussion with Mozzie and June

'I thought spouses were welcome last week. Why didn't you bring her then?' he asked

Diana gave him an eye roll. 'I just don't feel the need to share my private life with every bigwig in Washington and unfortunately, homophobia is still alive and well - despite what people would have you believe' she said, a touch of sadness in her voice

Jones gave her a shoulder shrug; he'd never thought twice about the fact that Diana was in a same-sex relationship and it hadn't crossed his mind that others might.

'Hey, you two!' Peter's voice interrupted 'Can I freshen up your drinks?'

'I'm good' said Diana as she looked around 'Still no sign of Neal?'

'We told him to get here by six thirty; you know... so he could make an entrance' Peter said

'Ah' said Jones 'now, that sounds like Caffrey'

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Neal rushed over to the other side of the taxicab to open the car door for Sara; he'd always been a gentleman and he always would be. He didn't have very many fond memories of his mom but if there was one thing she'd managed to instill in him over the years, it was to respect women and be courteous at all times.

He took Sara's hand as she stepped out onto the curb and he admired her grace and beauty, once more. She always looked amazing – no matter what she wore – and he had a fleeting flash forward to how she might look in the delivery room, having their baby – would she be in a designer hospital gown and most importantly, would she be wearing four inch heels?

He shook off the amusingly random thought and returned to the present and those insistent butterflies in his stomach which he'd begun to notice on the cab ride over. This was an informal get together at the Burkes in whose home he'd had dinner countless times and he was surrounded by people he cared about and who cared about him; what was there to be apprehensive about? As if on cue, Sara spotted the fleeting look of discomfort in his eyes as she took his hand in hers.

'You okay, Caffrey?' she asked with a small smile

'Yeah, yeah' he said a little too quickly to be truly sincere

'It's going to be a great evening, you'll see. Just relax and enjoy it, okay?' she said with a wider smile hoping to convince him everything would be alright

His smile broadened and seemed a little more genuine this time and he took a deep cleansing breath and reached over to close the car door behind Sara. Being the centre of attention was great when you controlled the situation but for all his arrogance and airs of self-importance, deep down, Neal was insecure about his many talents and it felt strange to draw attention to something that had always come naturally to him.

The couple made their way up the steps to the Burke house, hands clasped firmly together and Neal thanked his lucky stars once again that Sara was by his side; he wasn't alone anymore.

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The meal was amazing, as always. Elizabeth had pulled out all the stops and June had raved about the cauliflower salad, wanting the recipe so her staff could prepare it for her next bridge club. Everyone chatted loudly, laughter echoing through the Burke home as the small, close knit group of friends enjoyed each others' company as well as the excellent food prepared by their hostess. Mozzie was spouting his usual doomsday scenarios and conspiracy theories as June listened patiently to her bespectacled friend. Jones, seated on the other side of Mozzie, wasn't as generous and he steadfastly countered every single one of the conman's outlandish assumptions, unable or unwilling to let Mozzie's paranoia get the better of him.

As always, El was the consummate hostess and she presided over the meal, sitting at the head of the table with Peter directly to her right. His main duties included helping to serve the meal and keeping everyone's glass filled with the wonderful wine he'd bought. Diana and Christie sat, side by side, chatting with Sara about some art gallery opening they'd been to and Neal was seated next to his girlfriend, taking it all in from the sidelines, enjoying the sight of the motley crew who, at first sight, appeared to have very little in common with each other except for their individual connections to him.

He glanced around the table, realizing that through some bizarre twist of fate (divine intervention?), this diverse group of individuals had somehow become his extended family. When he'd convinced Peter to let him work for the Bureau three years earlier, it had all been a carefully crafted con and originally, he'd had no intention of sticking around to fulfill his end of the bargain with the FBI. He'd figured he and Mozzie would make quick work of his anklet and that they would take off after Kate, happily resuming their previous life of crime which had been so rudely interrupted by his impromptu stay in prison. Little had he known back then that Peter, Elizabeth, June and later Sara would all factor in his eventual transformation – a journey he hadn't planned on taking nor had he realized he'd wanted to take in the first place. Now, he couldn't walk away if he tried. His emotional ties with these amazing people were rock-solid and he had a life in New York that he never wanted to leave behind; his brief escape to Cape Verde had led him to the realization that all the riches in the world were meaningless without people to share them with.

By the time the meal ended, Elizabeth directed everyone's attention to the large screen television which had been placed for everyone to see. Neal glanced nervously at Sara, wondering what that was all about and she reached over, under the table, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it for good measure. As Peter rose to set everything up, there were the obligatory snarky comments from Jones and Diana about Peter's limited skills in all things electronic but Peter soldiered on and in no time, the screen came alive revealing the goings-on at the Baccarat Hotel one short week before.

Peter was standing at a podium and after some polite applause from the audience, he could be heard talking about his wonderful team, their many virtues and their unwavering commitment to getting the job done. Neal smiled as he listened to Peter speak; he shared the same respect for the men and women he worked with; they had covered his ass on many occasions and they made going to work each day a more pleasant experience than it had a right to be.

When Peter had finished talking and had put away his speaking notes, Neal's heart sank briefly as he realized that he would always remain on the periphery of this wonderful group of people he worked with every day. He tried to shake off the melancholy and he looked over at Peter who was smiling at him, seemingly having picked up on the fleeting sadness in his CI's eyes. Neal covered up his dejection with a quick smile back but it didn't fool Peter who could see that the Bureau's snub had hurt Neal deeply and had inadvertently fed into his insecurities about his place as a bona fide member of the White Collar team.

After the applause had died down, Neal noticed that Peter remained standing at the podium staring thoughtfully at the award he'd just been handed as if he were in some sort of a trance. Neal immediately recognized the statuette in Peter's hands - he'd noticed it sitting proudly on the mantle in the Burke living room the moment he'd walked in earlier. It was a clear glass statuette in the shape of the FBI logo and he could see some engraving on it, probably the names of the team members, he surmised. He returned his attention to the screen as Peter began to speak once again.

Neal watched and listened, his eyes wide as Peter mentioned Neal's name, commenting on the fact that a very important member of their team wasn't among the names listed on the award and Neal returned his gaze to his partner with a questioning look. Peter smiled back and gave Neal a head nod towards the monitor, urging him to keep watching. As Peter spoke of Neal and his invaluable contribution to their team, Sara could feel Neal's hand beginning to relax in her grasp as a genuine smile began to light up his face. The more Peter talked, the bigger Neal's smile got and try as he might to act blasé about it, by the time Peter had finished talking, Neal just couldn't keep from grinning from ear to ear.

The hotel ballroom and the Burke living room grew quiet as Peter finally stopped speaking and suddenly, the sound of a lone person applauding could be heard breaking the silence at the Baccarat Hotel. The camera, which had been recording Peter's speech, jerked as it followed the sound of the applause trying to find the person who was now clapping enthusiastically. Neal watched in surprise as the video camera searched the room and finally stopped on Reese Hughes who was standing alone, clapping in support of Peter's latest remarks. Before long, the applause grew and Neal watched as others in the ballroom began to stand up and applaud in support of the senior agent.

Suddenly, Neal realized that the dinner guests were also standing around the Burke's dining room table, applauding loudly and turning towards Neal as he sat there in shock. Sara let go of his hand and stood beside him to join everyone in their enthusiastic standing ovation as Neal sat there, mouth agape, struggling to take it all in.

As the applause began to fade, there was a decisive knock at the front door and Peter was up in a flash to answer – almost as if he'd been expecting it.

'Are you expecting any other guests?' June asked as she turned to her hostess

Before Elizabeth could answer, the door opened revealing Reese Hughes standing in the doorway, looking relaxed in dress pants and a shirt; not the usual stiff suit the team was used to seeing him in every day.

'Is this a good time?' he asked as he made his way into the living room

'Perfect timing!' Peter responded as everyone stood to greet the newcomer

Neal exchanged a puzzled look with Jones who seemed just as stunned as he was to see their boss appear in the middle of a social affair but El and Peter didn't look the least bit surprised as Reese was ushered in. He shook hands with everyone and when he finally made it over to where Neal stood, he put out his hand in greeting.

'Caffrey!' he said in his usual gruff manner

'It's good to see you, sir' Neal said as he shook his hand

Reese's eyes moved to the woman standing next to the ex-con and Neal's gaze followed, realizing introductions might be in order.

'Sir, I believe you know Sara Ellis' Neal said as he turned towards his girlfriend

'Sterling Bosch, right? Yes, I believe we've met' Hughes said, taking Sara's outstretched hand

'I understand congratulations are in order' he continued as he looked from Sara to Neal

Neal put his arm protectively around Sara and beamed proudly.

'Yes sir, we're expecting a baby at the end of March' Sara explained with a smile

Reese didn't say anything but nodded approvingly and smiled at the happy couple.

'Caffrey, I wanted to stop by and tell you in person that the Bureau is very proud of the work you've done since you've been with us. You've shown us that you're willing to take on some tough cases and see them through to the end' he began

'Thank you sir' Neal said as he listened to the older man's praise

'Now, I don't want you to get too big for your britches, Caffrey' Hughes warned, his voice serious 'You still have a ways to go before you finish your sentence but I wanted you to know that we appreciate your hard work and we thank you for your service to the Bureau'

Neal smiled and thanked him again, noticing Peter grinning out of the corner of his eye.

'Now, if you'll excuse me. My wife will have my head if I don't get back to the car in time to make it to the opening act of La Bohème' Hughes said as he rolled his eyes and shook his head – obviously not his choice for a night out

He bid everyone a good night and was gone in an instant, leaving Neal and the rest of the guests bewildered.

'Wow!' Neal said as he made his way over to Peter 'Didn't see that one coming'

'Thought you might appreciate hearing how much you're respected by everyone at the Bureau' Peter said '... well, everyone that matters that is' he added with a wink

Neal, Mr. Silvertongue, seemed at a loss for words and he just kept staring at Peter, obvious gratitude in his eyes. He could feel a lump forming in his throat and in order to avoid embarrassment - and in true Caffrey style - he attempted a deflection, turning towards the mantle nearby.

'So, this is the famous award!' Neal said, changing the subject

'It is' Peter said as he watched Neal carefully examine the statuette

'This is nice Peter, you should keep it in your – '

He stopped suddenly, his eyes glued to the award in his hand and he gazed up at Peter who was grinning widely, raising his eyebrows waiting for some sort of reaction to what Neal had just discovered.

'But... aren't you going to get in trouble for this?' Neal finally asked as he ran his hand over the plate with the name 'Neal George Caffrey, confidential informant' engraved

'Naw. I'm already in enough trouble as it is. This is staying in the New York office anyway' he said casually although Neal knew full well Peter was going out on a limb for him - again.

'Thanks Peter' Neal finally said, decidedly choked up

Peter reached out to give his CI a hug. 'Well deserved, Neal, well deserved!'

La fin