"Sorry I'm late." Neal smiles his widest smile at Peter, stepping through the open door, blue gift box clasped tightly in both hands. "Diana wouldn't let me leave until I'd finished my report."

"I look forward to reading it." Peter grins and takes his coat.

"Nah, you won't, but just try not to freak out over the bit with the knife, okay?" He speaks quiet and quick, eyeing the person he came to see over by the dining table.

"Knife?" Peter repeats.

Neal can feel Peter's wide-eyed glare boring into his back, but keeps moving forward, pretending not to hear the demand for more detail in his tone.

"Happy birthday Elizabeth." He greets her with a hug and let's her guide him into the kitchen, away from the already gathered crowd and more importantly, Peter.

"Oh Neal, it's beautiful," she exclaims removing the lid of the little blue box he'd passed her to reveal a silver bracelet.

"You brought my wife jewellery." Peter breaths down his ear, creeping up behind and leaning over his shoulder.

"Platonic jewellery." Neal defends, keeping very still, gaze fixed forward, letting Peter make the next move.

"What does that mean?"

"Means it's not a diamond ring suit." Mozzie mutters wryly, walking through the kitchen and helping himself to another glass of Merlot.

"It's impressive." An older man speaks up from over his other shoulder, also managing to sneak up on him without making a sound. "You must be Neal."

Bookended by the two taller men Neal isn't certain which way to turn, but despite his penchant to lose his patience quickly where he's concerned, Peter's never been one not to have his back.

"And you must be Elizabeth's Father." Neal returns in equal measure, turning and holding out his hand.

Looking the older man over he can't help but note the similarities in demeanour compared to Peter. Both had the clear desire to be the alpha male in the room. Both aimed to set others on edge to exert their authority. Neal has never bothered with posturing himself, often finding a nice smile worked just as well and was far more sophisticated.

In that vein, after shaking hands pleasantly he aims said smile at the smaller woman standing to their left, who Mozzie had been engaged in an enthused conversation about the moon landing until her curiosity clearly got the better of her.

"Pleased to meet you too, Mrs Mitchel."

He takes her hand in his, intending to be a gentleman, but clearly Elizabeth gets her tactile and take-charge demeanour from her mother because she knocks his hand out of the way, pulling him down to her height and giving him a big hug instead.

"Call me Joyce," she coos enthusiastically into his ear.

More than a little flustered by the unexpected welcome, it takes Neal a second or too after being released to notice Peter quietly laughing at his side.

"She's a strong woman." He comments shyly, meaning in more ways than one.

"Neal you're just in time for cake." Elizabeth cheers, preventing any further ribbing and waving everyone towards the kitchen, the bracelet twinkling on her wrist.

Neal waits for everyone to go ahead, but when he starts to follow the group a hand on his arm holds him back. "A knife, Neal?"

"Should have known you wouldn't let it go." He sighs, giving the ceiling a woeful look, wishing he'd kept his mouth shut and let Peter be as mad as hell tomorrow when he read it.

"Ah huh." Peter nods. "We'll pick up this conversation later." He releases his arm once Neal confirms his agreement, despite really not having a choice, but then once again as he turns to leave that hand still gripping his arm holds him back. "You sure you're alright?"

Neal automatically nods, but looking into brown eyes that always see right through him, he knows Peter deserves better. He mentioned it for a reason after all, even if it was a subconscious one.

"It was a little scary there for a while, but I handled it." He tries his smile on Peter. "Diana even let me cuff him." It bounces right off. "Look, I-"

"Peter! Come on, interrogate Neal later."

Peter makes a face, like he's ready to deny doing any such thing, but then suddenly remembers it's his wife's birthday and let's her have this one.

"To be continued." He eyes a nervous Neal, walking away.

Neal breaths a sigh of relief, taking the reprieve and using the time gained to fabricate a good story which, though will contain the truth, will also ensure there's nowhere for Peter to take it.

…

"Having fun?" Peter welcomes Neal to the patio, where he's been sitting for the past hour having found an escape from the glaring eyes of his father in law.

"Elizabeth's dad is an interesting man." Is all Neal can think to say.

"He's certainly impressed by you."

"Really?" Neal beams, remembering too late to school his reaction. "I mean, of course." He laughs it off, or tries.

By Peter's indulgent grin he knows he isn't fooled in the slightest. "Ah Neal," he sighs and turns serious. "I'm sorry about today."

Neal frowns. But one look at the document in his hand and all is clear.

"How on earth did you get that?"

"Had Diana email me a copy. Luckily she was still in the office."

Neal checks his watch. Last he saw Diana she'd been kept behind by Kramer, Peter hadn't been missing that long which meant…

"Stop over thinking, I'm sure it's nothing to do with you."

"You're lying." Neal's eyes narrow.

"I'm guessing. I don't know anything either. She said she'd talk to me tomorrow." Peter gives him a sympathetic look. "One stress at a time, please?"

Peter didn't often make requests, normally he ordered, so this must mean Kramer's visit was troubling him just as much. Knowing how it feels to have only questions and no answers, Neal agrees to let the subject drop for now.

"So, you were apologising for something?" Neal regains the twinkle in his eye and takes a seat.

"Don't get cocky." Peter sighs good naturally, a sure sign he knew he'd left himself open on this one.

"You have nothing to apologise for Peter. I was doing my job." Neal let out a matching sigh.

"Lending you to your ex-girlfriend?"

"Okay that one you should apologise for." The humiliation factor of being babysat by Diana and Jones was high, adding Sarah into that was cruel and unusually punishment, even for Peter. "You know I can take you treating me like I'm five years old, but please don't drag anyone else into doing the same, especially my ex-girlfriend. It's icky."

"Icky?" Peter breaks out in laughter.

Neal glares.

"Okay, okay." He holds both hands up in surrender. "I was desperate, if it wasn't for El's birthday we'd have worked the case together you know that."

"Yeah, I do. Maybe if you had been involved Sarah wouldn't have been held hostage and threatened with a knife."

"Or you." Peter speaks pointedly. "Next time let the armed agents handle the armed criminals."

Neal should have the good grace not to comment and just listen, but Peter's instruction on not rushing an armed suspect provokes a reaction, making it impossible to keep his mouth shut.

"But he went after Sara," he stresses with all the intensity his overly blue eyes can muster. "Plus, I thought I could take him down."

"You thought wrong." Peter remains unmoved.

"I'm aware."

"You're just lucky Diana sounds as formidable as she looks, otherwise Bryan might not have stopped when he did."

"Believe me Peter, the image of that knife coming at me is still very much at the forefront of my mind."

A sudden silence drops between them, Neal clamping his mouth shut embarrassed by what he let slip and Peter feeling all sorts of helplessness, imagining how scary it must have been and guilt for not being there to prevent it.

"Here you both are!"

"Hey Elizabeth." Neal smiles brightly up at her.

"Sorry hon, we'll be in in a minute." He winks at her, knowing she'd understand.

El slips back inside blowing a silent kiss to her husband and running her hand through Neal's hair on her way past.

"We should head back in." Neal stands, straightening out his suit and tie.

Eyes focused downward, schooling his features so when he goes back inside there's no trace of the unsettling thoughts he's been having. It's because of this process Neal misses the moment Peter also stands and enters his personal space. So, he's taken by surprise by the warm hand grabbing his wrist and another using a thumb to raise his chin.

Looking up there's a split second where he recognises that look on Peter's face before arms wrap around him and holding tight rock him from side to side. The move is so familiar, so what he is used to from this unlikely friend, that Neal melts right into the comfort being freely offered. Not another word is spoken. There's no need. By now Neal knows Peter loves him, cares for him in a way no one has since he was a kid.

Slowly the image of the knife and thoughts of what damage it could have done, both to him and Sara, start to drift away.

"Neal stop messing around with the suit and get in here. We're going to play Pictionary and wine is at stake!"

Mozzie's yell, which manages to be heard through the closed window, is what finally breaks the moment and has them pulling apart. Without comment Neal moves first, Peter's hand still on his back as they walk into the house.

…

"That boy is rather interesting. Almost as interesting as his friend."

"Mozzie? He's definitely different. Neal's pretty level headed though." El smiles at her father.

"He and Peter are close."

It's not a question, so she leans over looking out the window where his gaze is focused. What she sees is Peter holding Neal tightly, moving them slightly from side to side. His gazed focused somewhere out over the garden, Neal's face pressed into the rough material of her mother's terrible sweater, both oblivious to the audience they are attracting. She knew something had been going on by the number of phone calls and then worried looks Peter had directed to his phone when he thought she wasn't looking. It was rare for them to have an uninterrupted weekend; the FBI not being known for its regular hours and she really does appreciate the effort he's put in to ensure her birthday went as smoothly as possible. She guesses she also owes Diana and Jones a massive thank you since they must have been the ones in charge this weekend.

Going back to her father's not question though… "Neal needs someone like Peter in his life as much as Peter needs someone like Neal."

"Co-dependency can become problematic, but it is treatable." Alan Mitchel diagnoses, as if they were participants in one of his studies.

Elizabeth chuckles. "Neal can be a little clingy with Peter, but then the anklet does take away a lot of his independence."

"I was talking about Peter."

She laughs out right now. "Peter isn't co-dependent." She turns on her father. "Not in a bad way. Peter needs to be needed and Neal needs someone to tell him what to do sometimes, because he really doesn't know. Peter prefers to be that someone because he knows he won't lead him down a less then healthy path."

It's at that moment Mozzie decides to hollow to the two outside and prove who the less than healthy path might be.

"They're good for each other." She states succinctly, not backing down.

"I taught you well." Her father smiles fondly, turning away from the window as the pair wander in. "You'd have been a credit to the profession."

"It helps with party planning more than you think." She takes a massive gulp of wine, as well as husband & CI handling, but she keeps that gem to herself.

Before they can join the others her father stops her, losing all pretence of being unreadable he stands before her and gives her a look she's never seen on him before. "There are four main types of parent-child relationship. Only one is completely positive. The odds are stacked against us from the start." His eyes track back to the casually smiling pair now standing side by side in the family room, watching Mozzie's exuberant actions as he explains to her mother the rules of alcohol Pictionary. "It looks like you are both doing a good job."

A/N:

Exhausted everyone? Me too lol. How's many is that? 7? I think it's 7. So… These were all hanging around on my one-drive doing nothing, some I may expand upon should the mood strike. I try to avoid posting anything shorter than 500 words but I hope sharing these little fics (and the odd longer one) was at least a little entertaining for you 😊. Thanks for reading and I hope everyone has a good day!