Chapter 18

The drive home was short and uneventful; the roads practically deserted at noon on New Year's Day. Neal and Sara sat in the car holding hands as they drove in silence, heading home after a most invigorating and enjoyable night out on the town.

'That was so much fun!' Sara declared for the second time as Neal glanced fondly at her

He still didn't quite know what he'd done in his wretched life to deserve the likes of Sara Ellis, the woman who had taken a chance on an ex con, who'd actually married him and given him two amazing children; he never wanted to find out what his life would be like without her.

'We definitely have to get back to our regular date nights now that Liam's a little bit older' he said, feeling her warm, soft hand in his

She nodded; it had taken almost six months for her to start feeling like her old self again and she hoped she'd never again have to go through anything as painful as post-partum depression. Her difficult climb out of that deep dark hole had caused a strain on their marriage and Neal had been patient and loving, helping her through the daily struggles as she battled her demons. Fortunately, she'd finally made it out of the long, dark tunnel and Neal's love and understanding had been the main reason she'd managed to come out the other end relatively unscathed.

'So, you do realize we have people coming over for dinner in six hours, right?' she asked, thinking of the seemingly insurmountable task ahead of them

'Piece of cake' Neal uttered, countering Sara's typically 'glass half empty' comment

'You'll see... it'll be fine' he added and she couldn't help but smile at his eternal optimism

The soothing silence of the car would soon be replaced by the busy sounds of their hectic, boisterous household and that was fine with both of them; as a matter of fact, they looked forward to the chaos as Hope inevitably bustled through the house unleashing her boundless energy and Liam giggled loudly, anxious to join in. Their children were at the centre of their universe and a few hours away from them – although a welcome break in the routine – was more than enough respite from the life they both loved.

The neighborhood welcomed them home and Neal noticed the Masons' car in their driveway as they drove past; Hope would be thrilled to hear that her best friend had returned to the street. He parked the car next to Mozzie's old beat up van – why Moz drove that thing, he'd never understand – and the couple slowly made their way to the front door, holding hands and enjoying the last few seconds of peace and quiet.

'Daddy! Mommy!' they heard the second the door opened

Hope appeared from the back of the house followed by Mozzie who was carrying his godson in his arms and looking a little worse for wear.

'So' Mozzie said as he came into view 'I see you've returned to the scene of the crime'

'Hey Mozzie!' Sara said as she kissed him in greeting, stopping to place another kiss on her son's head 'How were they? Did they give you a hard time?'

Mozzie scoffed at the notion. The kids never gave him a hard time - mainly because he let them do (and eat) whatever they wanted.

'Daddy, I saw the big ball fall and the man was counting backwards!' Hope said excitedly as Neal lifted her into his arms to give her a hug

He gave Mozzie a dirty look - so much for getting the kids to bed at a reasonable hour.

'And we had poutine for a midnight snack' she added as Mozzie averted Neal's eyes

'Poutine?' Neal said, his voice even 'Greasy fries... with cheese curds and gravy... at midnight'

'Yes!' Hope said, higher than a kite on what snack food, Neal could only imagine

'Well, I'm glad you had a good time' Sara said as she took Liam from his uncle's outstretched arms and headed for the family room to nurse him

'Neal, I think I'll head out and have a shower before tonight' Mozzie said, grabbing his coat and making a hasty exit; he knew Neal was none too pleased with his 'laissez faire' attitude with the kids

'Thanks Moz' Neal said sincerely as the little man scurried past him

'Daddy! Can we play Operation again?' Hope screamed, more than spoke, directly into Neal's ear and he winced at the unexpected sheer volume of her voice

'Whoa, whoa, sweet pea. Let's take a deep breath, okay? We've got company coming and Mommy and I have a lot of work to do before everyone gets here' he said as he watched her smile dissolve into a frown

'Hey' Neal continued, hoping to return his daughter to her previous good mood 'Did you know Olivia is back? Why don't you invite her over to play for awhile?'

Hope squirmed out of Neal's grasp as she shrieked with joy at the news.

'Olivia's back, Mommy' she screamed as she ran to the back of the house

Neal took a long, slow cleansing breath.

Okay...they were home.

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By the time mid-afternoon rolled around, the crowd expected for New Year's dinner had grown from seven to twelve guests. Jeff and Donna Mason were on their own for the day and, in a sudden outpouring of goodwill, Neal had called out to Charlie Stevens who he'd seen shovelling outside and had invited both Charlie and his wife, Myrtle, to join them for dinner.

As the number of guests grew, Sara continued to add more place settings at the dining room table - which normally sat eight people. Twelve was a bit of a stretch but they'd make it work; after all, it was all in the spirit of the holidays. The house smelled amazing as Neal began to work his magic in the kitchen, working efficiently and quickly now that his hand had almost fully healed.

Sara kept an eye on the kids and saw to the logistics, making sure the table was set and the house presentable for the houseful of guests who would be arriving shortly. Peter and Elizabeth were set to take a detour into Manhattan to pick up June who'd returned the day before from her trip out to California and Mozzie would be making an appearance in his own good time – the excellent Merlot Neal had purchased for the occasion was a guarantee of that.

Olivia and Hope had been thrilled to reunite after more than a week apart and they had settled in with their Barbies and the usual paraphernalia in the family room while Liam snoozed up in his room.

'Can I help with any of that?' Sara asked as she swept into the kitchen and spied her husband hard at work; pots and pans on all four burners

'I'm good' he said calmly as he stopped long enough to give her a quick kiss 'How's the table looking?'

'It'll be tight be we'll make it work' Sara responded, glancing into the family room 'Anyway, I doubt the girls will sit for longer than fifteen minutes...'

Neal smirked; it was true. Olivia and Hope would likely gobble down half their plates and be ready to return to playing together with all their great Christmas loot. Suddenly, Hope appeared next to Neal's side.

'Daddy, Olivia and I want to put on a concert after dinner' she said, her eyes excited

Neal cringed at the thought but gave her his best Caffrey smile.

'That's a great idea, honey. Why don't you guys go practice in the basement' he said, hoping to keep the distracting noise to a minimum

'Let's go Liv' Hope called out excitedly as she prepared her latest assault on her parents' delicate ears.

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By six thirty, the house was full of happy revelers. Neal invited everyone to take their seat at the table which was overflowing with platters of food he'd been lovingly preparing over the past few days. Sitting down to a meal prepared by Neal Caffrey was always a treat; he was bold and adventurous in his choices and everything he prepared turned out amazingly delicious.

'Neal, you've really outdone yourself!' June said as she tucked into an avocado salad

She sat to Neal's left and looked up momentarily as he reached out to squeeze her hand, a wide grin on his face. Whenever they had a family meal in the Caffrey dining room, she would always sit in the same spot, a tradition Neal hoped would continue for many years to come.

'I'm really glad to have you home' Neal said affectionately as the loud murmur continued around them

'I love visiting Lorna but... well, I missed you and the children' she said as she turned to glance at her godson whose high chair was tucked in between her and Neal at the head of the table

She reached over and fed the baby a spoonful from the bowl of mush sitting on the table and Liam gurgled at the sight of his grandma, smiling down at him.

The room buzzed with conversations as everyone shared the excellent company and the amazing meal. Neal looked down towards the other end of the table where he could see Sara engaged in a rather animated conversation with Myrtle Stevens while Mozzie sat on the other side of his wife in an intense discussion with Peter who was rolling his eyes in response to something the little man said. Olivia and Hope were giggling madly as Charlie Stevens told them some joke and Elizabeth was deep in conversation with Donna and Jeff Mason about the downside of being away from home for the holidays.

It was a motley crew to be sure but it seemed fitting that they would all come together on this day around the Caffrey table to celebrate the beginning of a new year with all its hopes and possibilities.

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'Olivia said I don't sing very well' Hope said, her voice sad, as Neal prepared to tuck her in

'Oh yeah?' he responded non commitally, sitting up on the edge of her bed

He could hear the mumbled voices downstairs as their guests continued to mingle and celebrate the arrival of the New Year.

'Yeah' she admitted, pouting '...and it made me sad'

'Well, what do you think?' Neal asked, hoping to evoke a little introspection on his daughter's part

She shrugged. 'I don't know... but I like to sing' she said

'Then, you should keep doing it no matter what anybody else says' Neal said wisely 'But, you know, sweet pea, we can't be good at everything – even if it's something we really like to do'

He watched as she listened carefully. She couldn't imagine a single thing her daddy couldn't do better than anybody else; he was everything to her and in her child's eyes, he could do no wrong.

'When I was little, I used to love running but I didn't do it very well. I never won any of the competitions at school – even though I used to practice all the time' Neal admitted

'But you go jogging all the time' Hope said

'Yeah, I do - because I like it. Now, I do it for myself and I don't really care what anybody thinks or whether I'll ever win any races'

Hope looked up at her dad, wide-eyed. She thought he was perfect in every way and his admission was forcing her to see things in a different light.

'So, don't give up on singing, just have fun with it okay?' Neal concluded as he pulled the blankets up to her neck and tugged lovingly at her nose

She nodded, her sadness vanished. 'Love you Daddy' she called out as he rose to turn out the lights

'I love you too, sweetie' he responded with a wink

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'Wow! That sure was an amazing meal, Neal' Elizabeth said with a sigh as she kicked off her shoes and settled in next to her husband

It was close to midnight and the guests had all left except for the Burkes. The foursome was enjoying some peace and quiet as they sat in the living room by the Christmas tree sipping on brandies and enjoying the silence which had finally returned to the house.

'Thanks!' Neal responded, self-deprecatingly as Sara gave him a knowing look

She hadn't a clue how he did it but Neal could whip up a gourmet meal with a minimum of ingredients; she'd once seen him throw together a fantastic brunch for four with just a few eggs, some herbs and some day old pumpernickel bread.

'I can't believe we're starting a new year' Peter said as he put out his arm for Elizabeth to curl up in

Neal did the same, inviting Sara to settle in beside him 'Well, personally, I'm glad to leave last year behind' he said 'I'm looking forward to a quieter year'

Peter laughed. Excitement and intrigue followed Neal Caffrey everywhere he went and he couldn't imagine a time when there wouldn't be some turmoil around the ex-con.

'What?' Neal asked with a frown on his face

'You... that's what. Are you telling me you don't enjoy a little excitement in your life?' Peter asked

'Excitement, yes, but...' Neal began as he squeezed his wife a little tighter 'Last year wasn't just excitement...'

Peter looked thoughtfully at his best friend. He was right; it had been rough going for the couple and by extension, for their little family. Less angst and more honest to goodness adventure would likely be more welcome.

'Well, you know you're welcome back to the Bureau anytime' Peter said wistfully

He missed having Neal by his side on a daily basis and although he'd made peace with Neal's choices, he still found himself looking longingly over at the ex CI's old desk every morning when he stepped into the White Collar offices.

'Yeah, well, I'm sure we'll get a chance to work together on something this year' Neal answered mysteriously

Sara looked over at him, seeing the excitement dancing in his eyes; despite her misgivings every time her husband got involved in a new case, she knew it was in his blood, a part of who he was – and frankly, it added to the mystique of Neal Caffrey and remained one of the reason she loved him so much.

'Well, I think we should toast to the New Year' El said, sitting up and holding up her glass

'To excitement - minus the turmoil!' she said with a laugh

Every one lifted their glass, echoing her toast. Above all, the four friends hoped they would find themselves together again in twelve months time, looking back on a most excellent year.

La fin