Peter sat at the table having dinner with his wife. He was unusually quiet as they sat together. That usually meant that there was something wrong. Peter was playing the night's events over in his head trying to figure out what was bothering him. Peter and Neal had just wrapped up a month long case and for the last two weeks Peter had been wondering what was going on with Neal. Sure, Neal was concerned about Mozzie's recovery. The music box and Kate were still looming in the background but this was something else and Peter just couldn't put his finger on it. "That is nice honey." muttered Peter. He heard El's voice but he didn't register what she was saying to him.

"I was thinking of renovating the kitchen sweetheart. Taking it in a more gourmet direction. The contractor I consulted said that it would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 dollars. But that is no trouble right?" asked Elizabeth taking a sip from her glass of wine. She could always tell when Peter was focused on something other than her. She usually tested him by throwing in completely random comments.

"Sounds great honey…so is dinner." said Peter. Although at the moment he had not eaten very much of his dinner. At most he had taken a few bits of his beef wellington.

Elizabeth said "Peter…what is going on with Neal now?" As of late Neal was the only person that commanded that much of Peter's attention. Peter had become quite fond of the younger man and he often worried about Neal.

Peter sighed. "Neal, is keeping something from me again…I know it. I just hope it isn't something that is going to get him put back into prison."

"Well, is it something about Kate?" asked Elizabeth.

"No…no. I don't think so. Neal and I have been pretty much sharing everything we know about the Kate situation. There would be no reason for him to hide anything from me about that. No, this is more about the case we just wrapped up…I feel like he knows something he isn't telling me…" said Peter.

"Like he is protecting someone?" asked Elizabeth curiously.

Peter nodded and said "Maybe…I don't know. But when we busted the jewel thief ring tonight…he looked relieved when he saw the culprits…he looked visibly relieved."

"You and Neal have a good relationship…why don't you just go over there tomorrow and ask him for the truth…?" asked Elizabeth.

Neal Caffrey walked into his room at June's house and closed the door behind him. Neal had spent his evening walking to clear his mind. Tonight had been the culmination of two very long months for Neal. For the last two months Neal and Peter had been working a case that involved high profile jewelry heists. However, most of the victims were unaware that they had been robbed because a near perfect replica was always left in its place. The crimes had nearly gone undetected until a French heiress tried to auction off a family heirloom only to find out that it was a fake.

Almost as soon as Neal saw the replica he knew at least one of the persons behind the crime. And that knowledge had put him in absolute agony from then on. Neal recognized the work to be that of Jade Santos. But Neal called her Raven. Neal and Raven basically grew up together and were the only family that the two had to speak of. They had come to New York together. He had lost contact with Jade six or seven years ago when she moved to Rome. The last time they saw one another was pure agony. Jade walked away with a broken heart and Neal did too. There were still nights he laid awake in bed and wondered if he'd made the right decision for everyone involved. Seeing the replica had brought all of those emotions and memories back to the forefront of his mind. Neal reached out to Alex Hunter and asked her to get a message to Jade that FBI was onto her. For the next seven weeks Neal worried that Peter would identify Jade on his own. But tonight when they made the big bust and brought down the ring of thieves Neal was relieved to see that Jade was not in the group. For some people that would be enough to set them at ease but Neal was still worried about Peter finding out the truth. And worse yet Neal felt bad for keeping secrets from Peter and this was a big secret. But this part of his life had to stay private to protect the innocent. To protect an innocent. Neal took off his coat and hung it up. He flipped off his hat and hung it on the coat rack as well. Neal turned on the lights and stopped in his tracks seeing Jade Santos sitting at his dining table drinking a glass of his best wine. A smile flickered across his lips seeing her sitting there.

Jade Santos was seated at the dining table wearing an emerald green sleeveless dress with a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. Her jet black hair was curly and pulled up into a messy bun. She wore green contacts that made her eyes sparkle and looked exotic against her smooth caramel colored skin that was thanks to her African-American and Cuban descent. Jade smirked seeing the way Neal looked at her. Jade stood up from the table and walked over to Neal. Her heels lightly clicking across the floor. "Neal Caffrey...you are a sight for sore eyes." said Jade in her soft voice that always seemed to lull Neal into a calm state. She hugged him tightly and pulled back placing a soft kiss on his cheek leaving traces of her lipstick behind. She pulled back and said "I owe you at heartfelt thank you Neal. If you hadn't warned me I would be in federal lock-up tonight facing an assortment of charges. Thank you...you saved my skin. Although, when Alex dropped in...I was shocked that you even still recognized my work."

Neal's mouth was still hanging open. Some things got better with age and Jade was one of those things. She seemed more beautiful to him than ever before. She had poise about her that seemed even more refined. It was then that Neal admitted to himself just how much he had missed this woman. Neal's hand went up to her face and lightly caressed her cheek before leaning in and kissing her on the lips. He pulled back and lightly brushed a loose tendril away from her face. "It is nice seeing you too, Jade. Of course I recognized your work as soon as I laid eyes on it. You, my love, are a one of a kind artist. You are like the Picasso for forged jewelry and paintings. How did you get in here anyway? Lock pick?"

She smiled after the kiss. Neal kissing her always made her feel so weak in the knees. "Well, I always considered myself more of a Maruja Mallo of forged art. Beautifully talented woman not given nearly enough credit for her masterpieces. But I suppose as criminal I must accept the fact that my genius will always go unclaimed. Or perhaps I could leave a list of my best crimes to be read after my death." She chuckled softly. "No, your wonderful landlady June let me in after I told her that I was a very old friend of yours...Alex vouched for me. She is an absolutely charming woman. We talked for hours and she prepared the most delicious meal for us. I hope you don't mind...but I told her that I wanted to wait around to see you."

"No, I don't mind at all." said Neal with a smile looking at her. He took her hand and said "It has been too long since I last saw you. What are you doing here in New York? The last time we spoke I thought you were on your way to Rome...never to return again? Come...let's sit down and have a glass of my..." Neal picked up the bottle. "Château La Fleur...you've always had excellent taste in wine. I should have known that you would have gone for the most expensive bottle in my modest collection." said Neal pouring himself a glass. Neal had a seat in the chair next to the one that Jade had been sitting in when he arrived. Neal unbuttoned his vest and took up a relaxed position in the chair. His eyes fluttered over Jade's face memorizing it.

Jade had a seat and crossed her legs. She picked up her glass and smiled. "Well, you know that I do like the finer things in life. That was something that you and I have always had in common with one another. I see even under the FBI's thumb you always manage to land on your feet." Jade nodded to his plush surroundings. "I stayed in Rome for a few years running cons and doing a few heists here and there. All the while it felt like New York was calling me back home. There is something about this city that draws you back in no matter where you are in the world. So...I returned to my home and tried to find you...only to find out that you were in prison. Federal prison at that...I asked around to find out how you came to be in that position. I was not surprised in the least when I found out that Kate was used as your lure. You were always willing to sacrifice everything for her." Jade tried not to sound bitter. But Jade been one of the things that Neal had sacrificed for Kate. She took another sip from her glass hoping the liquid would stifle her.

Neal swallowed the wine in his mouth and nearly choked on it. He could hear the bitterness in Jade's voice. But more importantly he could see the hurt in her eyes as she spoke. Jade had always been the type of woman that refused to express her true emotions. She believed that emotions made you weak...emotions made you a mark. And seeing how his life had unraveled because of Kate and his obsession with her...he was inclined to believe that there might be truth to that. Neal said "I am sorry for how all of that ended up Jade. I needed to find Kate. So...cons...you've never been interested in cons."

Jade was a talented woman and she had grifting in her blood. Her grandmother, mother, and two aunts had all been grifters and they had passed that invaluable skill onto Jade. But Jade was much more fond of high stakes heists. She was also a world-class forger of

paintings and jewelry. Jade never liked grifting because grifters never really got to have a life of their own. They were always moving along and making up aliases. Jade wanted a simpler life that included children and a husband and for a brief time...she had that. As a teenager Jade was madly in love with Neal and Neal loved her in his own way. When they were older Jade became pregnant with their daughter. They didn't have anything at the time, but Neal went out of his way to make sure that their baby would want for nothing. "I tried to get in contact with you after I left for Rome...I sent letters...lots of them. I never heard from you. I needed an easy way to take care of myself and cons...well cons are easy. Less time between work and pay than what I do. I took you for a lot of things Neal...but I never believed that you could be a man that could abandon your own flesh and blood."

"Abandon my own...what are you talking about Jade. You are the one that moved to Rome..." said Neal confused by all of this. "I didn't want you to move. I still wanted to be a part of Sofia's life...you are the one that took her away from me!" said Neal getting upset. The day that Jade took off to Rome with Sofia had been one of the worst days of his life. Neal had been secretly looking for Kate for months. All the while he was in a relationship with Jade. One day Jade had given Neal an ultimatum...he could continue looking for Kate but she would leave him. Neal had begged Jade not to go but he couldn't give up on finding Kate. That had broken Jade's heart. He could still remember Jade sobbing as she packed a suitcase for herself and Sofia. That day she walked out of their apartment and out of his life. Sofia was near and dear to his heart. He had missed the little girl more than anything but he had respected Jade's right to move to Rome.

"Don't talk so loud...!" said Jade in a hushed voice she nodded her head toward Neal's bedroom area. "You were willing to walk into a trap Neal...you were willing to risk everything. You were willing to sacrifice your family for her. What was I supposed to do with that? I couldn't just wait around for her to dump you again so that you could come back to me. I am no one's second choice Neal Caffrey. I am worth more than that...much more."

Neal knew there was nothing to say in response to that. She was very right. Neal got up from the chair he was seated in and walked over to his bed. He turned on the lamp and paused seeing Sofia curled up in his bed. Her curly chocolate brown hair framed her angelic face. But more than that there was a younger child asleep in the bed also. The smaller girl looked like a younger version of Sofia. She was clutching a small teddy bear in her arms. Neal quickly turned the lamp back off. He walked back over to Jade searching her face for answers. He tried to talk but couldn't form the words. He felt like he had cottonmouth for the moment. "Is...the younger girl...my?" Neal could even finish the question. "Why didn't you tell me?" asked Neal in a hushed whisper.

Jade said "I was hurt that you wanted to go back to Kate...it broke my heart, Neal. I was angry with you and I am sorry for running off to Rome. But I sent you a letter awhile after I left telling you that I was pregnant and that if you wanted to be a father I'd come back even if we weren't a couple. I waited for you Neal. I never heard from you. I sent a second and third letter and I never heard from you. I lived in Rome for a couple of years before I came back to New York looking for you...that is when I found out that you were in prison. It just didn't seem the right time to yell at you for abandoning us. Then you got tangled up with the feds..."

Neal said "Jade...I never got any letters from you...never. I would have answered you...I would have told you to come back. Even if we weren't together I would have been a father to the kids...you have to know that...you know how much I love Sofia. It killed me not being able to see her. It killed me not to be able to see you. You know things about me that no one else knows or could ever understand."

Jade looked into Neal's eyes wanting to believe that he just hadn't received the letters. She knew the person he was but that was before he fell for Kate. Everything else went on the back burner when Kate was concerned. But something about the sincerity in his voice made her believe him. She smiled a little as her scowl slowly slipped from her face. She picked up her glass drinking a little more of the wine.

Neal could see the honesty in the words that she was saying. "I was probably already in jail awaiting trial when you sent those letters. I found Kate not long after you left me. I went to find her at a storage unit...and the FBI apprehended me there." said Neal. It took a lot for Neal to wrap his mind around everything. He reached over and took Jade's hand. "I am sorry for hurting you...I am sorry for letting you down when you needed me the most."

Jade shook her head and said "We were both young and you made the right decision Neal. You loved Kate and if you would have stayed with me...it wouldn't have worked out. You would have always been longing for her. I would have been miserable and angry all of the time and I would have made you miserable too. Well...more miserable than you already were."

Neal kissed her hand. "So, my second child...what is her name?" asked Neal looking into Jade's eyes. He shook his head slightly thinking about all of the time he had missed with both of his children.

"Isabella Marie Caffrey. Of course she is six and a half years old and she's amazing Neal. She's so smart just like Sofia. Isabella is learning to play the piano and Sofia is a wonderful violinist and pianist. And they both can spot slight of hand even better than I can. I think they received the very best of both of us. Sofia still asks about you. I tell them stories about you."

"I can't believe I've missed so much time with both of them. I don't want to miss out on anymore time..." said Neal sincerely. Neal interlaced their fingers and gently squeezed her hand. "So the heist...is there any way that comes back on you? I mean could someone from the group make a deal and give you up?"

Jade shook her head and said "Not a chance. I operated the crew like the Great Oz. They never met with me directly. They received their instructions in a series of drop-offs and pick-ups and from random burner phones. No one used their real names everyone had a code name to prevent them from turning on each other if they were picked up. The only way to link me to the heist is if someone could identify my work. And since I've never been caught before..."

"You can't do this anymore Jade. Peter is relentless when he feels like he is missing something. When he runs everybody he is going to realize that he doesn't have the person that orchestrated everything and he doesn't have the person capable of forging that necklace. He will not give up...I don't want you going to prison..." said Neal concerned.

"I've been running these heists to bank money for myself and the girls. I don't want them to want for anything. My mother sends money for the girls but it isn't enough...here in the city. I have a day job too. But if you really think this Agent Burke is going to catch on...I won't pull anymore jobs in the U.S." said Jade.

He smiled and said "I don't think you should pull anymore jobs anywhere for now. I have some things stored...I could always turn them over to Alex and let her fence them for me. I don't want you to have to worry about money."

She smiled and said "I don't want you to do that. I do not want to bring in unwanted attention to you. You have a good life right now...one that isn't behind bars. It isn't as if we are living in poverty Neal. I have a nice little place Connecticut. The girls go to a really great Catholic School. I work as a curator."

Neal laughed and said "An art forger working as a curator at a museum? I always did love your sense of humor, Jade. Ever been tempted to help yourself to all of the bounties you see before you?"

Jade laughed and said "Not at all. It is all modern art...you know it has never been my taste. That is the way I keep myself honest. I work somewhere that has no appeal for me. But my conning does come in hand for unloading the pieces for a handy commission."

"Mommy?" called a small voice.

Neal looked over and saw his six year old daughter Isabella clutching her teddy bear. She yawned tiredly and ran over to her other.

Jade lifted the little girl up into her arms. "What is wrong sugar bean? Can't sleep?"

"I need some water." said Isabella cuddling against her bother tiredly. Her little eyes fluttered shut.

Neal stood up. "I'll get you some water." Neal went over to get a glass and filled it with water. He walked over and kneeled in front of the chair that Jade was sitting in. "Here is your water."

Isabella timidly took the glass. "Thank you." said Isabella. She drank a little of the water. Isabella handed him back the glass.

Jade smiled and lightly rubbed her daughter's back. "Belle...do you remember me telling you about your Daddy?" asked Jade.

She nodded tiredly. "I members..." said Isabella.

Jade chuckled softly. "Well, this is your daddy. And he is very happy to meet you."

Isabella gave a timid wave. "Hi hi."

Neal waved back at his daughter. "Hi..."

Jade laughed. "She is more talkative when she is more awake. I am sure she will talk your ear off tomorrow." Jade stood up. "I am going to go put her back to bed." said Jade.

Neal stood up setting the glass on the table. "I can put her back to bed." Neal gently picked up his daughter. He was nervous that she would be upset but she wasn't. Neal carried her to the bed and tucked her in with her slumbering sister. "Sleep well my princesses." said Neal quietly. Neal walked back over to Jade. "She's amazing Jadey...amazing."

Jade smiled softly and said "Yeah...she is...they both are. Sofia is going to be so glad to see you." Jade stood up hugging him tightly. "It is getting pretty late..."

Neal smiled and said "Let's talk outside so that we don't disturb the girls." Neal took her hand and then walked outside. They snuggled together under the stars and talked about what had been going on in their lives since they parted ways. Eventually, they dozed off to sleep. Neal's arms were protectively around Jade.

The next morning June came up with a breakfast spread for everyone. She sat outside with Neal and his little family to eat breakfast. Neal and Jade regaled June with tales of their childhood. And Jade told of her mother's grifting tales.

Isabella was seated on Neal's lap eating fruit from his breakfast plate. Neal didn't seem to mind. In fact he couldn't wipe the smile from his face.

Peter arrived at Neal's early that morning. He needed to talk to Neal to ease his mind about the bust the previous night. Peter knocked on the door a couple of times and no one answered. Peter frowned and tried the door knob and found that it was unlocked. Peter walked in and then headed outside hearing voices. "Good Morning Neal...June..." Peter looked at the woman sitting next to Neal and the two little girls seated at the table.

Isabella giggled stealing another piece of fruit for Neal's plate. "Here daddy!" said Isabella offering her father a piece of mango.

"Daddy?" asked Peter looking at Neal. Peter looked at the two girls and he could see how Neal could be their father. But he couldn't believe that this was something that Neal would keep from him. Not something this big…right?

Neal stood up holding his daughter in his arms. She was still wearing her pink feety pajamas. "Peter...this is my daughter Isabella and that is my daughter Sofia. And this is their mother...Jade."