What Happens When You Throw Out the Rulebook

By RascalFlattsS

Disclaimer: I don't own White Collar

Warnings: Some mild violence and swearing. Nothing too bad, I promise. Plenty of Neal Whumpage, though!

Ta-da! An update! Sorry it took so long—I've been working nights at work. Now, I'm back on the day which opens up the evenings for Fanfiction. Hooray!

The van came to a sudden and abrupt stop, causing Neal to slam his head against the back of the van. His vision swarmed as the pain in his head tripled.

"Jeez, learned to how to drive, will ya!" shouted Neal.

The van doors opened and the bright light once again blinded Neal. He instinct tried to shield his eyes from the bright light but with his hands still handcuffed to the rail, he could not. Neal struggled, the handcuffs cutting deeper into his skin until a small line of red rolled down his wrist.

"Keep struggling," said Narravo. "You're not going to get free."

Neal looked up at him, "Well forgive me for trying but I've gotten out of worse scraps then this."

Navarro signaled to his men. The two nodded. They reached in and hooked the handcuffs from the top bar. They roughly grabbed Neal and toss him roughly on the ground.

Before Neal could even sit up, Navarro kicked him in the ribs. Hard. Neal gasped in pain.

"What did I tell you about back talk?" asked Navarro. He emphasized each word with a kick to the rib.

Neal rolled over to his side, gasping as white hot pain ran across his chest, causing him to forget how to breathe.

"Pick him up," commanded Navarro. Neal felt himself being picked up and being dragged through the building. They walked down a hallway into an elevator.

"Can't we take the stairs?" asked Neal.

"Shut up," snapped one of the men.

"I would," say Neal, "but thanks to you and your reckless driving, plus your gun-waving-and-hitting-people-in-the-face-with-it, I have a concussion. And it is doctor recommended that you do not fall asleep or you could end up in a coma."

The goon pulled out his gun and pushed it against Neal's temple. "If you don't shut up right now, you're going to have a bullet in the brain to match the one of our leg."

Neal gulped. Navarro sighed. "Put that away Joe! Caffrey can't forge anything if he's dead."

Joe grumbled and put his gun away. Neal let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Just remember Caffrey," warned Navarro, "you may be the best forger but you sure aren't the only one out there." He grabbed a hold of Neal's chin. "Understand?"

Neal nodded. "Crystal clear."

"Good," said Navarro. He patted Neal's check. Neal tried not to visibly flinch.

The elevator doors opened and Navarro stepped out into a large apartment with large windows. The walls were white and there was very little furniture.

"Bring him over here," commanded Navarro. Joe dragged him over to a sofa and pushed him roughly onto the couch. Neal gasped slightly as the pain in his ribs flared.

"So Neal—may I call you Neal?" asked Navarro.

"I really rather you didn't," said Neal. "First names tend to be reserved for friends."

"And that's exactly what I want to be," said Navarro. "I want us to be friends."

"Friends usually don't shoot each other," growled Neal.

"Well, our friendship is off to a rocky start," said Navarro. "But if you hadn't trespassed onto my private property, I wouldn't have had to shoot you."

Neal took a deep breath, trying to control his anger. "Okay," he said, taking a calming breath. If he managed to get himself killed before Peter got here, Peter would be bring him back from the dead to kill him again.

"Look Navarro, I don't want to die. And you don't want to kill me," said Neal. He heard Joe scoff in the corner but he decided to ignore that.

Navarro nodded. "I'm sure you don't. So are you going to do what I want?"

"I will," said Neal. "But I have two conditions."

"Letting you go is not an option," said Navarro.

Duh, thought Neal. He took another deep breath, "That's not what I was thinking. First, I want to get some medical attention. And it doesn't need to be a hospital or top notch medical care," he added quickly. "Just some better wrappings, antibiotic, and maybe an IV to replace the blood loss. And pain meds-definitely going to need some of that." He paused, "I won't be able to help you if I die of complications from a bullet wound."

Navarro nodded, "Very well. That can be arranged. What's your second request?"

"I want to see my friend," said Neal slowly. "Her name is Gina De Stefano." He paused, "I believe that she is a mutual acquaintance of ours."

"She is," said Navarro. "And that's it?"

Neal nodded, "I also want her to remain unharmed while she's in your care."

"Of course," said Navarro. "I would never mistreat a lady."

"Good," said Neal.

"Well Neal Caffrey, we have a deal," said Navarro. He held out his hand and Neal took it.

"Joe, Rob," said Navarro, "take Caffrey to go see our guest."

Joe and Rob grabbed Neal and dragged him down the hall to one of the bedrooms. Rob unlocked the door while Joe held on to Neal.

"Any chance of getting rid of the handcuffs?" asked Neal.

"Not likely," said Joe. "You may have Navarro convinced but not me," he whispered in a deadly voice. "One wrong step and I won't hesitate to kill you."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Neal. Rob opened the door and Joe threw Neal into the room. He landed hard on the floor on his side, his bruised ribs taking the brunt of the fall, causing pain to flare up in his chest.

"Are you alright?"

Neal looked up and saw a young woman with long blonde hair looking down at him. She got up off the chair and helped Neal sit up.

"Gina, I presume?" He asked. She nodded. "I'm Neal. I'm a friend of Mozzie's."

"You work for the FBI?" asked Gina.

Neal shrugged. "More or less. I'm here to help you."

Gina raised an eyebrow, "No offense, but you look like you need more help than I do."

"Hey, I'm working on a plan!" said Neal.

"You don't have one already?" asked Gina.

"Hey give me a break!" said Neal, "I have a concussion! What's your excuse?"

"I don't work for the FBI," said Gina.

Neal smiled. He could see why Mozzie liked this girl. "Touché."

There you go! A nice long chapter for you guys. Because I care.

Please R&R!