Chapter 8

'It's Neal!' El cried out as she glanced down at the ringing phone, sitting between her and Sara on the kitchen island.

Sara was up like a shot, something El wouldn't have thought possible and she instantly reached out, bringing the phone to her ear.

'Neal?' she called out, her voice breathless.

'Hey! Yeah, it's me' he replied, relief flooding his voice. 'Don't worry if the phone cuts out, okay? It's always hit and miss with the cell phones in here.'

'Are you guys all right?' she asked; it sure was nice to hear his voice.

'Yeah, yeah, we're fine, just… just bored out of our skulls… and hungry. You guys better have saved us some dinner!' he said, trying to lighten the mood.

His face grew serious and Peter watched with interest as he spoke. 'What about you, are you okay?'

'I'm fine, we both are' Sara replied dreamily; whether she meant her and Elizabeth or her and the baby was unclear but it made Neal smile all the same.

He stood there in the confined space, with his elbow awkwardly up in the air — the only position in which he'd managed to get a signal.

'We're just sitting around, waiting for you guys' Sara added, finally relaxing at the familiar sound of Neal's voice. 'We went ahead and had dinner but don't worry, there's plenty left for you.'

Sara's eyes met Elizabeth's who smiled back at her. She'd waited countless nights for Peter to come home from chasing down dangerous criminals; this little adventure was pretty tame in comparison. But if Neal kept working with the FBI, El knew that Sara would know many more moments of uncertainty and worry in the years to come.

'Don't go out on the ice without me, okay?' Neal warned, as always, overprotective. 'It's really bad out there, it's dangerous.'

'Actually, it's just plain rain now' Sara replied. 'But, don't worry, I won't.'

There was quiet on the other end of the line. 'Neal?' she called out to the dead silence which was immediately followed by an annoying dial tone.

She let the phone drop and looked over at her friend, staring at her from across the kitchen island.

'Lost the call?' El asked unnecessarily.

Sara nodded. 'He sounded pretty upbeat, but bored.'

'At least we know they're safe' Elizabeth commented, getting to her feet. 'Now, can I tempt you with some freshly baked apple pie?'

WCWCWC

'Damn it!' Neal shouted at his phone just as Peter had done earlier.

'Everything okay?' Peter asked from his spot on the floor.

'Yeah… she sounded fine. Said they ate…' Neal said as Peter groaned.

'…but they saved us some' he added with an eye roll.

Peter held up his phone with a smirk and Neal stared back at a picture of himself, grinning widely.

'What?' he asked, wondering why Peter had taken a picture of him standing there, talking on the phone with his arm up in the air.

'This is what you look like when you talk to Sara' Peter informed him, getting to his feet to join him. 'Or when you talk about her… or think about her, for that matter.'

Neal raised his eyebrows, looking rather annoyed. 'It's nice to know you can amuse yourself at my expense.'

'Well, when you start to have doubts about whether or not you're doing the right thing, just remember this is how this woman makes you feel' Peter commented as he tucked his phone back into his pocket.

The two men faced each other in the closed space and Peter managed to navigate around Neal, taking two steps then turning to retrace his movements in the other direction in an awkward attempt at pacing.

He let out a giant exhale. 'I can't take much more of this' he moaned, sounding like a petulant child.

Neal shook his head. 'Try four years in a nine by six cell' he replied glibly.

Granted, this little escapade would soon be forgotten, unlike the lifetime memories Neal had of his more than four years as a special guest of Sing Sing Penitentiary. But despite that sad realization, Peter felt his stomach grumble and let out a plaintive moan.

'I am starved!' he complained again.

'For God's sake, Peter!' Neal snapped back. 'Get a grip! I once had to go three days without food and I ended up feasting on some grubs and scorpions I found.'

Peter gave him a look of absolute disbelief but Neal stared right back at him. 'You don't believe me?'

Peter settled back on the floor and watched Neal join him, preparing to tell him another one of his many tall tales.

'Moz and I got separated once in Thailand after a job gone bad' he began as Peter gave him a foreboding look; he wanted details.

'We'd been planning to attend the annual royal procession in Bangkok so we could get close to some of the jewelry the royal family would be wearing for the occasion. It was… let's just say, it was a poorly planned job that was even more poorly executed. I was young and foolish… and impulsive. Moz tried to warn me but I thought I knew better. Anyway, we were spotted and we ended up hightailing it out of there so fast we couldn't see our shadows. Mozzie managed to make it back to the safe house but I got stuck in the bush and I got myself turned around… I spent two nights hiding out in the jungle with turtles and lizards and snakes and frogs — by the third day, I decided I needed to have something to eat before I passed out so I rustled up some frogs and some scorpions.'

Peter stared at him, disbelieving. 'Scorpions? You ate live scorpions?'

'Yeah…' Neal teased, egging him on. 'You just bite in, they're wiggly… and delicious' he said as Peter grimaced.

'Of course not! You stun them, with a rock and then you… Look, when there's nothing but wilderness around you, you have to make do. Don't tell me you've never eaten anything that was out of your comfort zone.'

Peter reflected, his eyes rolling back in his head as he conjured up the memory of the strangest thing he'd ever ingested.

'I had a vegetarian burger once' he finally said with a straight face. 'El ordered it for me behind my back and I was halfway through finishing it before I realized what it was.'

Neal scoffed; surely Peter was pulling his leg.

'You've never had frogs' legs?' he asked as Peter frowned.

'Why would I want to have frogs' —'

He'd barely spoken the words when a rumbling sound was heard and the bright lights came on above their heads, startling them. The next thing they knew, they were moving, slowly, steadily, the elevator gliding smoothly downwards as the light indicator came on — 17, 16, 15, 14.

They both got to their feet, grabbing their coat jackets from where they lay nearby.

'Yes!' Neal shouted out as he gave Peter an enthusiastic high five.

'Finally!' Peter added.

The ride down was short and uneventful, the doors opening onto the familiar lobby and the two men wasted no time stepping out, eager to return to their lives. They left the building without looking back, glancing out at the ugly mess outside the doors of the Federal Building.

The rain was still pouring relentlessly onto the frozen streets, salt trucks visible in all directions as city crews attempted to make the roads and sidewalks passable for drivers and pedestrians alike. Neal and Peter walked gingerly towards the parking garage located one block away, sticking to the most traveled areas on the pavement in an attempt to keep from falling and breaking their necks.

Peter was the first to lose his footing, slipping on an icy patch which was hidden underneath a puddle the size of a small river. He went down, his arms reaching out to cushion his fall and Neal leaned down to help him up, immediately joining him on the ground as his legs slipped out from under him, landing him butt first in the pool of water. Both men cursed and upon getting a glimpse of the other, began to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, struggling to get back on their feet. They managed to help each other up, their overcoats soaked and their disposition rather soured; at least, the elevator had been dry.

'Let me see that wrist' Neal said as they finally arrived under the shelter of the parking garage.

Peter let go of the hand he'd been holding against his body since the fall, his wrist beginning to swell under his grasp.

'Can you move it?' Neal shouted over the sound of the punishing rain.

Peter demonstrated with a flick of his wrist, wincing in pain. 'I think it's just a sprain.'

'Do you want to go get it checked out?'

'Yeah… by Dr. Elizabeth Burke' Peter said with a forced grin. 'She has an office in Brooklyn.'

'Here' he added as he pulled out his car keys. 'You drive.'

The sound of the rain grew muted once they were safely in the car and the two men tried to make themselves as comfortable as one could while wearing soaking wet overcoats in freezing temperatures. Neal cranked up the heat and turned to look at Peter.

'Are you sure you don't want to stop by the emergency room or a clinic on the way home?'

'Naw, I can move it' Peter mumbled. 'It's not broken. Anyway, El will take care of it' he added knowingly as Neal scowled.

'Oh, yeah? Did Elizabeth get a medical degree I don't know about?' he asked with a smirk.

'You'll see' Peter said, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. 'One of the perks of being married is that your better half fusses over you and is always there to take care of you. Sometimes, if you play your cards right, you can even get… extras.'

'Extras?' Neal repeated, puzzled.

'Yeah, you know, back rubs, cuddling… sex.'

Neal let out a roaring laugh. 'You have to pretend to be hurt for your wife to want to have sex with you? Peter, you're worse off than I thought.'

Peter seemed a little embarrassed. 'No, you know what I mean, you can play it up a little when you're sick or a little under the weather… women love that kind of thing, that needy, puppy dog look. It makes them feel needed.'

Neal shook his head in disbelief. 'Well, all I can tell you is I don't need to injure anything for Sara to be interested in sex. Especially lately…' he added, letting his voice trail.

He hesitated for a moment but Peter wouldn't - or couldn't - leave well enough alone.

'What do you mean, lately?'

'It's just… she's been a little… predatory the last couple of weeks.'

He regretted saying the words as soon as they left his lips and predictably, Peter couldn't help pushing for more details.

'Oh yeah?' he said, his sore wrist momentarily forgotten as he prodded Neal for more information. 'What do you mean, predatory?'

'Not predatory exactly… just… don't get me wrong, she's hot as hell, especially since she's gotten pregnant and we have no problems in… the bedroom. But lately, she's been really into it and it's just… I don't know, the baby's in there and —'

It was Peter's turn to make fun of his partner. 'What? You think your daughter is listening in on the two of you having sex?'

'No! Ewww! Peter!' Neal said with a shiver. 'It's just… I don't want to hurt her, she's taking up a lot of room in there and… sometimes, I worry about, you know… poking her.'

Peter let out a loud bark of a laugh at Neal's expense as Neal frowned, concentrating on keeping the car on the road.

'Poking her?' he repeated loudly. 'I see you have a rather inflated perception of your… attributes.'

'No!' Neal said, indignant. 'It's not about the size of my… Forget it! I am not discussing this with you' he said, pouting and returning his attention to the road ahead.

Peter could see that Neal was genuinely concerned about hurting the baby during sex. 'Look, I'll admit I don't have any experience sleeping with pregnant women but I'm pretty sure it's…' he stopped momentarily, searching for the right word. '… well insulated in there.'

'Insulated…' Neal repeated, deadpan. 'This is my girlfriend we're talking about, Peter, not a thermos.'

'Well, look it up' Peter advised. 'You're the one who's made it his mission to know everything about your girlfriend's pregnancy.'

They grew quiet, uncomfortable with the topic as Neal maneuvered onto the bridge, following closely behind a salt truck despite its slow speed; better safe than sorry.

'So, are you asking her tonight?' Peter said after a few moments of silence.

'To have sex?' Neal replied, surprised at Peter's question.

'NO! You know…' Peter said with a head nod towards Neal's breast pocket.

'Well, I'm not asking her in front of you, that's for sure' Neal replied, obviously still smarting from Peter's earlier teasing.

Silence returned and Neal seemed to snap out of his bad mood. 'I'm going to try to get her to come home with me…' he said, his voice quiet.

Peter could sense the very real jitters Neal was experiencing and he recalled his own 'proposal' to Elizabeth, the incessant butterflies in his stomach as that little velvet box burned a hole in his pocket. It was a big decision and there was always the fear that, no matter how much you thought you knew a woman and believed you were on the same page, she could turn down your proposal — for all kinds of reasons.

'It'll be fine, Neal' he said, his voice reassuring. 'Sara loves you and you two are going to be great together. Mark my words, in ten years, you'll be asking me for advice on how to keep your marriage interesting.'

Neal scoffed. 'I think I'm fine with keeping Sara interested' he said, a little grumpily. 'And, besides, I'm not sure you'd be the one I would turn to for advice on keeping a woman happy.'

Peter seemed peeved but remained quiet; El was perfectly content in their marriage — wasn't she?

Neal began to thaw and after a few moments of silence, he glanced over in Peter's direction, noticing the man was rubbing his wrist absent-mindedly.

'But thanks for the offer' he muttered. 'So, how's your wrist?'

'I'll live' Peter said stoically. 'I've had paper cuts that hurt more than this.'

'Peter…' Neal said, growing serious. 'Look, I really appreciate you listening to me back there. I guess it's not every day you ask the woman you love to marry you and I'm feeling a little… tense.'

'Perfectly understandable, buddy' Peter said, bringing his good hand up to squeeze Neal's shoulder in the cramped quarters of the car.

Neal looked over and smiled.

'Now, keep your eyes on the road' Peter reprimanded.

WCWCWC

'I don't know how you did it but you managed to help me forget about my troubles' Sara said as El pulled the photo album off her lap and returned it to its rightful place underneath the coffee table.

After dessert, the two women had settled side by side on the couch and Sara had spotted the wedding album, her attention drawn to the beautifully bound memory book. The last hour had been spent with El recounting their wedding day, pointing out friends and relatives in photographs, talking about the meal, the venue, the cute way in which Peter had stuttered when he'd recited his wedding vows.

'Do you ever think about getting married?' she asked Sara.

Sara smiled wanly. 'I think everybody wonders if marriage is in their future someday. But to be honest, I've never been the type to dream about her wedding day - I guess I'm not really into the whole princess thing, the hype, the cake, the dress… Growing up, I was always more focussed on my career, on learning to stand on my own two feet; I tended to prefer guys with their nose to the grindstone and their feet firmly on the ground.'

El smiled; what Sara had just described was pretty well the opposite of Neal, a guy with his head in the clouds and his heart on his sleeve and yet… Neal and Sara made it work somehow.

'After my parents died…' Sara continued. 'I just wanted to concentrate on having a successful career and making sure I didn't count on anybody else to give me what I needed… or wanted. I tended to do my own thing, I was never really big on taking chances.'

El studied her friend; she'd come a long way but old habits died hard and it was obvious Sara Ellis was still afraid of getting hurt.

'Well, marriage is a huge commitment' Elizabeth admitted. 'But it's amazing when you share it with the right person.'

Sara nodded, her gaze far away. 'I've never thought of myself as a white picket fence kind of girl and now, I've fallen in love with a guy who's anything but the marrying kind.'

'You don't see yourself with Neal in the future?' El asked.

She knew all too well from Mozzie's earlier confession, that Neal was very much seeing himself as the marrying kind - even though Sara hadn't yet discovered that about her boyfriend.

'We'll always stay connected' she said, rubbing her belly. 'We share a child and I know he'll always be there for her… for the two of us but… well, it's not going to be a traditional relationship, I don't think.'

'You never know' El mused. 'People change, they grow and they evolve and sometimes they realize that what they need, what they truly want… well, it's not what they thought they wanted all along.'

Before Sara could respond, the phone rang once again and this time, El was quick to rise and reach for it expectantly. The conversation was short and she turned to look at Sara.

'The guys have been sprung' she announced. 'They'll be here any minute.'

WCWCWC

The slow commute finally ended at the doorstep of the Burke home and the two men stepped carefully onto the sidewalk, staring up with alarm at the icy steps leading to the house.

'I've got salt in the trunk' Peter announced as he perched himself against the car and waited for Neal to walk around to his side.

'I'll do it, Butch' Neal teased. 'You just try not to fall off your horse again.'

He slowly made his way to the trunk of the car, finding the bag of salt and practically skating over to where Peter stood, hanging on to the car for dear life.

With great effort, Neal slipped and slid over to the sidewalk portion right in front of the Burke home and began to sprinkle the salt, watching it almost immediately sink into the softening ice, breaking it up on the surface.

'Wait until I do the steps' he advised Peter as he methodically spread the salt, climbing slow but steadily, making sure to generously coat the slippery steps.

He came back down, offering his arm to Peter as the older man grimaced.

'Is this what it's going to be like in twenty-five years? You helping me up the steps to my house?'

'If you're lucky' Neal teased, pulling his friend along. 'Careful!'

They took their time, arriving at the front door thoroughly soaked to find Elizabeth standing in the vestibule waiting for them to make their way up.

'Oh, my God! You guys are sopping wet' she cried out to them as they stepped into the house.

Sara stood, hand on her belly, right inside the door, trying to give them room to manoeuvre and her eyes went immediately to Neal's whose gaze was searching for hers.

'Hey!' he called out with a wide grin despite the horrendous weather conditions and the fact that he was soaked all the way through.

It took but a minute for Elizabeth to notice that her husband was protecting his right wrist and her eyes searched his for an explanation.

'What happened?' she asked, concerned.

'Oh, it's nothing' Peter said sombrely, playing the sympathy card. 'I feel on the ice, I think I sprained it.'

'Oh no!' El said predictably, arm around her husband. 'Come here, honey. Let me look at that.'

Peter gave Neal a small, sideway glance and if Neal didn't know better he could have sworn he saw a small smirk on the older man's face as he was whisked away into the kitchen for a thorough examination - and some cuddling, snuggling and who knew what else.

'Finally, you're here!' Sara sighed as the Burkes disappeared into the back of the house.

Neal pulled off his hat and let his coat drop at his feet, his arms instantly around his girlfriend, holding her so tight he thought he might hurt her.

'Sara!' he murmured, relief flooding his voice.

She brought her hands to touch the ends of his hair which, despite the fact he'd been wearing a hat, were soaked through.

'Let me get you a towel' she said, attempting to pull away. 'You're drenched.'

'No, no, it's okay. Just hold me for a minute' he said breathlessly as she gave in and hugged him tightly.

She pulled away, his arms still tightly wound around her back, feeling her round, comforting belly warming him from the bone chilling cold.

'You are a sight for sore eyes' he murmured, bringing his hand to cup her face. 'You okay?'

'Me? I've been safe in this house for the last few hours. You're the one who's been out there braving the elements.'

'It's just rain' he said, his eyes riveted on her face.

God, she was beautiful and just the sight of her took his breath away. He felt unexpected emotion rising in his chest as she gave him a glorious smile.

'Come on in' she said, finally pulling out of his grasp. 'You must be starved.'

Neal leaned down to pick up his coat and hung it on a nearby hook, finally stepping in and closing the inner door and he saw the fire burning in the fireplace, feeling the warmth of the house envelop him.

'Aww, it's nice to be in from the cold' he admitted as the Burkes reappeared, Peter holding an ice pack against his injured hand.

'It doesn't look broken' Elizabeth reported as the men moved to the living room and took a seat.

'How about a drink?' Sara asked, moving to the dining room table and pouring two wine glasses.

By the time she turned around, El was at the refrigerator, grabbing a beer for Peter and Sara returned one of the glasses to the table and made her way to sit next to Neal.

'Here you go, sweetie' she said, handing him the glass of wine.

Peter wagged his eyebrows at Neal. Just play it up, buddy his body language telegraphed…and you'll get lots of nice cuddles.

'That's nice' Neal moaned as he settled back and took a sip of his wine.

He looked at Sara, summoning up his puppy dog eyes. 'It was brutal out there.'

'Oh, baby, I'm sorry' Sara said, falling right into his dastardly trap. 'But you're here now' she said, moving in closer and whispering in his ear. 'I'll take good care of you.'

Peter and Neal exchanged knowing looks, turning towards their significant others as the women continued to fawn over them.

Maybe Peter had a point.

WCWCWC

The rain ended by mid-evening and despite Peter and El's kind offer to have them spend the night in the guest room, Sara insisted on heading back home - her home. Neal had tried his best to convince her to come back to Manhattan with him but Sara was adamant that she wanted to get a few things done at the apartment. The subtext was clear: Sara needed some time to think things over and was asking for space to do it.

Neal insisted on accompanying her over to her place and once there, he walked her up the steps which, thankfully, had been salted by the building's superintendent prior to their arrival. Once at the door, he tried one last time to convince her to come home with him, to no avail.

'Then, how about I come inside and… tuck you in' he suggested with a wag of his eyebrows as the cab idled at the curb.

Sara leaned in to kiss him and he felt himself melt in her touch, the warmth of her mouth welcome against the cool night air.

'Not tonight, Neal' she whispered, pulling away from him. 'But I will take you up on your invitation and come over to your place for dinner tomorrow night. We can talk then, okay?'

He grimaced at her use of the term your place; he considered his apartment at June's to be their home and he was more determined than ever to show her that she belonged there, with him. At least, she'd agreed to come over for dinner, that was something and Neal grew determined to make it a night she would always remember.

His arms curled around her back, settling her in his arms, unwilling to let her go - not yet, anyway. They had never really done the traditional thing called dating but as they stood there in the portico of her brownstone, he felt like he was returning his date home after an evening out and angling for an invitation to come in for a nightcap.

He kissed her again, more insistently; the warmth of her body against his, both calming and intoxicating.

'You know that's going to cost you a fortune' Sara said, pointing in the direction of the cab.

'I don't care' Neal murmured, his mouth returning to hers, nibbling on her bottom lip.

'Come on Caffrey. You're giving everybody on the street a show' she said - despite the fact there was no one in sight.

'I don't care' he repeated, his face solemn and earnest. 'I love you, Sara.'

'I love you too, Neal. Now scoot' she said, physically prying herself from his insistent grip.

'Get some sleep, okay? And I'll see you tomorrow. Around five?'

'I'll be waiting' he said as he watched her turn away.

He stood there, watching as she made her way to her apartment and unlocked the door. She turned and gave him a small wave and just like that, she was gone.

And he felt so, so cold.

WCWCWC

'Oh, honey! That looks so sore' Elizabeth said as she watched Peter struggle with buttoning up his pyjamas with his bum wrist. 'Here, let me do that for you.'

She kneeled on the bed, facing him as he gave her a forlorn look.

'El, are you happy with me? I mean, in our marriage' he asked, out of the blue.

She chuckled. 'Of course I'm happy, honey. What's that all about?'

'Nothing… just a conversation I had with Neal.'

She frowned in response. 'Things are getting pretty serious between him and Sara, huh?'

'Could be' he replied, hesitant about sharing Neal's news until Sara had that ring on her finger.

'Ouch' Peter moaned, mostly for effect, when El accidentally brushed up against his hand.

'Sorry, honey' Elizabeth cooed, watching as Peter slipped in under the covers.

'You know what would feel really good?' he said with a tentative smile. 'A back rub.'

He turned over onto his stomach, waiting for El's magic fingers to go to work on his aching back.

'A back rub?' he heard her say. 'For a sore wrist?'

'No, no, not for my wrist' he lied, hoping a back rub might lead to some more serious cuddling and maybe more. 'But I was sitting on the floor for hours and… I'm still frozen to the bone.'

'Oh' El said with a knowing smile. 'You're frozen to the bone.'

Peter looked over his shoulder; he knew he'd been made but he didn't care — not really.

'And what bone might that be?'

WCWCWC

The silence in the apartment cut through Neal like a knife; he hated it when Sara wasn't there. She was a bright light in his life; coming home to her at the end of the day always made everything worthwhile.

He got undressed, leaving his ruined clothes in a pile — everything would have to be sent to the cleaners anyway — and he climbed into the cold, lonely bed.

He opened the pretty blue box and stared down at the ring he hoped would be on Sara's finger by the end of the next day. It sparkled in the near darkness and he sighed at the thought of Sara and the baby so far away.

The next thing he knew, his phone was in his other hand and he was dialling the all too familiar number as he continued caressing the ring box, holding it snugly against his chest.

'Hi Neal' came Sara's soft voice. 'You made it home all right?'

'Uh,uh' Neal murmured into the phone. 'But I miss you… did I wake you?'

'No, I can't sleep' she admitted, secretly happy to hear his voice and wishing he was lying there next to her.

Neal smiled in the dark. 'Is she keeping you up?'

Sara chuckled softly. 'She's doing some sort of aerobics, I think.'

Neal got a faraway look in his eyes. He put the ring box down on the bedside table and pulled the blankets up to cover his cold, shivering body.

'Why don't you put the phone up against your belly' he whispered, his voice rough.

She smiled and did as he asked, balancing the phone on her baby bump. She could hear Neal's soft voice as he talked to the baby, telling her how much he loved her, how he couldn't wait to hold her in his arms, how anxious Mommy and Daddy were to finally lay eyes on her. Sara felt the movement in her belly begin to quiet and her body started to relax in response to the sound of Neal's voice singing softly, from across the miles.

It took but a minute for the two of them to settle and Sara lay her hand on her stomach, rubbing the baby's back as the little one's daddy sang to her.

After a few minutes, the baby stopped moving and Sara felt her hand fall away listlessly, Neal's voice lulling both his girls to sleep.

La fin