The new guy in the White Collar unit is... somewhat unusual.

Or, Neal didn't run away after learning about his dad ( well, he kind of did, but not really ). Instead, he changed names and became a cop. Things happened. And eventually, he joined the FBI.

To be clear, I'm not going to write this story yet. I have a few things in mind already, yes, but I'm mostly posting this because it's already been written.

Chapter 1: James Bond is an undercover cop?

Peter Burke wasn't happy. He particularly didn't like the fact that the Dutchman had, once again, made his team looks like fools. And he was even more angry that, above all, the elusive counterfeiter was still escaping from their just deserts.

Peter didn't put his personal glory above respecting the law. He wasn't content, mostly because the law had been broken, and a criminal, yet another one, was on the loose. This was his first concern in the long list of things that irked him about this case.

It didn't mean he took the shame of failure all that well.

The other FBI agents in the White Collar task force knew that very well, and it might explain why none of them tried to talk to him as he strode purposefully towards his office, already searching his brain for a solution out of this dead-end.

That is, none of them tried, except Reese Hughes himself.

The ASAC was just that, after all: Peter's superior. If he wanted to talk to Peter, he would, no matter the mood the special agent was in.

As it was, Senior Special Agent Reese Hughes had something to discuss with Peter Burke.

Peter stopped for a second, as his boss walked out of his own office and pointed two fingers at him, in the special Quantico fashion, and finally remembered. He hid a wince, forced himself to calm down – without much success as it was, but still, points for trying – and headed to Hughes' office. He knew this was going to happen some time today, and frankly, he had no idea how he had even forgotten about it.

In fact, it should have happened a few days back, but due to various bureaucracy problems and administrative set-backs, the actual file hadn't gotten to Hughes until now. And while Peter had no business knowing what was in that file, Hughes had insisted that they needed to talk about it, because the new agent who was coming to the White Collar unit was a very, very special case. Fresh out of Quantico, and perhaps difficult to handle, but apparently perfect for this task force, to the point that Hughes had thought it a good idea to directly put him under Peter as a result.

Peter'd still be in charge of the unit, but he hoped the youngster wouldn't try to push. All in all, the task force was Peter's. He had created it.

He pushed the door of Hughes' office closed, and looking quizzically at his boss.

"Is it really necessary? I can't say I'm that comfortable looking at the new guy's file when he knows nothing about me, and for us to work together afterwards..."

Hughes closed the file on his desk, and put it away.

"You won't have to look, Peter, I'll make you a summary. But it's necessary, yes."

Peter sighed, and took a seat.

"He's getting here this afternoon, isn't he?"

"Yes. Now, what I want you to understand, is that this kid could be one of our greatest assets, but he can also become the worst problem we'll ever face. I first saw his file two years and a half ago, and I was convinced of this the very moment my eyes fell upon it. I'm one of the two federal agents who convinced him to go for Quantico, because I believe he can do great..."

"But you'll need me to keep an eye on him, at least until we get to know him a bit better?"

Hughes sighed, and leaned back into his seat.

"Exactly."

Peter was growing more and more curious as this went on, he had to say. The new agent of the White Collar unit was bound to arrive soon but he already seemed like a new mystery to crack. If a kid fresh out of Quantico could give Reese Hughes this many hopes and this many worries at the same time, Peter Burke didn't know whether he should be worried or excited.

"Alright, tell me what is getting you in this state..."

"This kid became a police officer early, but never went to college or any other kind of higher education. He spent about three years doing the usual work of a police officer in San Francisco, one year as a detective, then was selected for his... unusual array of skills to go undercover, here in New York, on a long period of time, in order to catch a Moriarty-style criminal mastermind."

"'Unusual array of skills'?"

Hughes didn't comment right away, and when he did, it was with a somewhat dry smile.

"Forgery and changing identities. The boy was a true forger and conman in the making. He got the criminal group's trust with a very particular fake bond, which I'm pretty sure you remember, Peter."

Peter blinked.

Then he did it again, and again.

"Do you... have a photo of our new agent?"

Hughes looked like he wanted to laugh at Peter, but that had to be a mistake, because Reese Hughes didn't look like that even when there was something funny going on.

The ASAC obligingly handed him a picture of a young man Peter had no difficulty recognizing.

The special agent looked up and back at his superior, baffled.

"Are you telling me James Bond is an undercover cop?"

This time, Peter was certain he heard a teasing laugh behind Hughes' words.

"Was an undercover cop, Peter. Now, he's an FBI agent, just like you."

"But... We spent something like five years on his trail! Shouldn't the police have stepped in and asked us to stop, if we were interfering with their investigation? Actually, with an operation like that, shouldn't we have handled it?"

Hughes winced slightly, and Peter could tell it was now that the true problems were to be presented.

"It wasn't supposed to be that kind of op at first, Peter. They needed a long undercover job, but it was only to get throught the many layers of the mastermind's hierarchy. In fact, it should have been over in a year at worst. And the FBI was involved, only, not the White Collar unit. 'James Bond' covert was so secret it was decided we'd stop the investigations on him only if he got caught. Sorry to say that, but your work on him was mostly to help him keep pretense. Beside, I did tell you to let it go when the case took too long..."

Which Peter hadn't done, obviously. "James Bond" might have been one of the best criminals he had ever tracked, and apparently with absolutely no inside help... If there was one thing Peter Burke couldn't walk from, it was a challenging oppenent.

"Alright, but that's not all, isn't it? Something went wrong with the undercover job?"

"Actually, no. In fact, the kid was too convincing, too good, and too perfect a tool for his 'employer' to let him go. Seven months after the beginning of the op, Terrence Slade decided it was time to get his best team on a more interesting business. And as the man trusted no one, he literally got the team members abducted, shipped them in a container to Europe, and even microchiped them with exploding technology, just in case they decided to betray him."

Meaning, a cop undercover had been basically held hostage to perform a bunch of illegal deeds for a merciless master. Peter could already see the trailer for a movie in his head...

"Which explain the time in Europe, tracked down by Interpol. So, I assume he did really pull off all the heists and other thefts he's accused of?"

"Most of them, at least. He couldn't contact his superior, or anyone really, without risking Slade to pick up on his true motives. He wasn't exactly a prisoner, sure, but the chip was also a GPS, and the boss liked to perform surprise checking of the team's cellphones for example. A woman tried to walk out, and Terrence Slade just made her microchip explode."

Peter may or may not have gone a bit green at this point of the story.

"Long story short, the NYPD didn't get the news he was even alive before a few other months passed, the kid became one of the best criminals out there in the meantime, yet he also set up stashes of evidences around Europe, for when it would be finished, one way or another. Eventually we caught Slade's team right where he didn't have access to any kind of signal, the chips were discarded, and 'James Bond' provided the evidence for each of the crimes committed."

Which might explain the big number of arrests around the world at the time of "James Bond"'s disappearance, Peter realized. There had been a few weeks during which a bunch of cases had received evidences from confidential sources all at the same time, not only in the USA, but also in Europe, and in a few other countries where Interpol had actually suspected "James Bond" had gone to.

"So, what is it, is he potentially traumatized or somehing?"

Peter would be, at the kid's place. From what he had gathered, James Bond, also known as Nick Halden and a few dozens of other aliases, had operated for four years and two months, most of which had been under the threat of Terrence Slade.

Then again, it would be unlikely for a traumatized cop to make it to Quantico.

Perhaps the youngster fell more in the hard-revenge-against-criminals category. These cops and agents were usually good at what they did, but a bit obsessed by their work, and driven by hatred. Not the kind of people Peter liked to deal with on a daily basis.

Hughes, however, only looked at the glass panel behind him.

"If only. The problem with this kid is that he wasn't traumatized. At all. He did not like the use of violence, or the deaths, not at all, and perhaps he took it harder than most would, but apart from that, he was so perfectly in character he wasn't actually in character. He was too good at his cover job, in other words. People were talking, too, when they learned he was actually alive, but refused to be gotten out. They wondered if he hadn't changed sides, if he wasn't pretending to our faces."

"You can't be the best conman, forger, thief and other criminal titles when undercover, right?"

"Exactly. But he did hand over the evidences, and everything was returned to their lawful owners, except what Slade had gotten rid of. It took a few other months, but eventually the higher-ups at the NYPD couldn't keep stalling. They took him back. Then, after another year or so, he worked on a joint case with a friend of mine, and caught her eye. She talked to me about it, before..."

There Hughes didn't finish his sentence, and Peter knew better than to ask. Their job was a difficult, dangerous one at times.

After a short silence, the ASAC sighed, and looked back at the special agent.

"I went to talk to him, last year, and told him to consider Quantico."

"Obviously, he listened."

"That he did. He's by far the best of his class, and if he's not a fan of violence or guns, he still manages better than most. Actually, it seems he's an expert marksman, when he does bother to use his weapon. And the skills and contacts he gathered while undercover are right up our alley."

Hughes finished on that, but Peter could sense something in the air, things better left unsaid by the ASAC himself... but that he had no qualms saying, himself.

"You'd rather I make sure he didn't fall too deep in the other side of the game."

The other man refused to meet Peter's eyes, but didn't deny either.

"He's not a bad kid, Peter. But some habits are hard to shake. What I'm afraid of is that he'll blow a case by wanting to do the right thing, but not the right way, if it's... easier, or even more efficient."

Well, Peter would be the voice of reason in this duo, it seemed.

He still had that lime lollypop, though. Maybe he should eat it, now that he knew there was no point seaching for "James Bond"...

Still, he couldn't believe that had been the work of an undercover cop.

"We'll see, I suppose."

The special agent checked his watch, and found there wasn't much time left before the kid showed up. "James Bond" actually started the next day, but he had seemingly wanted to know the NYC office beforehand, because he was coming right as he got back from Quantico...

Hughes frowned at the door without really seeing it, and Peter took that as his clue to leave. He walked down to the desks, where Diana and Jones were busy looking over the Dutchman's case once again. Funny how the new probationary agent to arrive had just vaporised any thought about the case...

Diana looked up, and handed Peter an evidence bag with an odd piece of string in it.

"Boss, we found this after the safe blew off. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's also what's on your slee..."

Peter looked at his suit in search of whatever it was that had polluted it, and his eyes fell on a strand of fiber...

But before he could do anything about it, and before Diana could finish her sentence too, an unknown hand picked the strand off Peter Burke's suit, and brought it to the eyes of a very fine-looking young man, wearing a thousand-dollars suit from the sixties or the seventies.

"A security fiber for the new canadian hundred dollars bill? Interesting."

And this, Peter concluded, this was Agent Neal Caffrey.