The Package

"Your eccentric great uncle recently died and left you his estate, which includes a rather large house filled with doors that don't always lead where you'd expect."

Eyeing the envelope on his desk, Neal wasn't sure how to approach it. Could it be a package from an enemy smuggled in through contacts, information not appropriate for the FBI's eyes, or something else unforeseen? With the questions roving through his mind, he was approaching his desk with caution.

"Are you going to open it? Staring at it doesn't do anything." Peter pestered from beside him. The two were just entering the office to start the day much as they always did so Peter had observed the entire process.

"Hey, is there anything wrong with using caution?" Neal chided his friend to have patience.

"You don't use caution, you're impulsive." Peter quipped while he shifted closer to the envelope attempting to peek at the address in the corner.

Intercepting his friend, Neal blocked his approach while defending himself. "I'm cautious. You only caught me on the bonds."

Unable to argue, Peter redirected the conversation back to the envelope, "Stop digressing, you are still avoiding the topic of conversation, open the envelope already!"

Finding himself slightly irritated, Neal quipped, "I know we've only had cold cases and mortgage fraud lately, but are you seriously saying you have nothing better to do than to probe into my mail?"

"Nope," Peter popped the p as he pulled a chair up and made himself comfortable before tapping Neal's desk directing him to also take a seat.

Noticing that the rest of the office had also quieted down, Neal realized Peter wasn't the only one eager for a distraction. Sighing, he knew he might as well give up. Shifting the envelope away from Peter's encroaching fingers, he lightly slapped the dancers away. Holding the envelope close, he pulled up his chair and sat down.

Still, he didn't open the envelope as he nervously wondered what it might contain. The sender information didn't clue him in at all as it was official but unfamiliar.

In response to Peter's rolling fingers, he slid his letter opener under the flap and slowly moved it along. There weren't any puffs of substance or an explosion, so he considered it a good start. Sliding the folded pile of papers out onto his desk, he hadn't expected there to be so many, but it explained the size and weight of the package.

Observing what he could see of the contents, he noticed that the papers were blank on one side, but they likely contained a lot of something if they were written through on the other.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Neal could hear the impatience radiating off of Peter as he tried to withhold further comment but shifted for the first peek. "I'm opening it."

With the first page clasped in his fingers, Neal stopped suddenly causing Peter to look at him questioningly. "I know everyone's listening and eager for a distraction, but I ask for the right to withhold information if this is too personal. Do I have that?" He didn't want anyone badgering him for details, or for Peter to take the documents to satiate his curiosity or to ensure they weren't criminal. What if it was clearance sensitive, or a personal threat?

"Agreed, you have the right to privacy as long as it isn't criminal related." Peter gave him the reassurance he expected, but something in his tone gave the indication that he expected to get details from him later if he refused to share with the office. Sometimes having the archeologist for a friend meant evading the inquisition even over minor things.

Hearing the general murmur of agreement from the rest of the eavesdroppers, Neal knew he wouldn't be mobbed if he withheld anything, just subtly questioned until something else garnered their interest.

"What do you think it could be?" Peter questioned as he reached for the sheet in Neal's hand trying to angle the paper for a better glimpse.

Shrugging as he withheld the page and lifted it, Neal started reading it to himself before going over the first part again. "My great-uncle died?"

"Did you know you had a great-uncle?" Peter asked while the rest of the office listened. Neal's surprise was telling and it piqued Peter's curiosity about his past enough to digress from the mystery before them.

"I didn't know I had a family, let alone a great-uncle," Neal commented.

"How come? Didn't your parents tell you about them?" Peter followed the trail to see where it would lead.

"No, my mom told me my dad was dead and we had no other family, while my aunt backed her up. Then again, when I turned eighteen, I learned that dad wasn't dead and everything I knew about my heritage was built on lies, including the truth that my aunt isn't actually my aunt." Turning to Peter, there wasn't any humor in Neal's voice. "You've always seen my past as a puzzle you wish to uncover, but what you've never realized, is that it's a mystery to me as well. I've spent most of my life trying to find my heritage and who I am. You may think I experimented too much, but it's been the only avenue I could think of to fill in so many blanks." Peter might not mind some of the CIA aspects of his experimentation, but even that might not be acceptable. Although it could be perceived as both a good and bad thing, a black ops agent was vastly different from a nonviolent White Collar con.

Putting his hand on Neal's shoulder, Peter told him, "I may not like your criminal experiments, but I like the man you turned out to be and I think you can still achieve far more if you try."

Ducking his head, Neal appreciated the compliment, "Thanks."

Not liking how quietly Neal took the compliment or the depth of the hurt Neal was masking with general acknowledgment, Peter asked if he was alright.

"Yes. He was my great uncle, I never knew him. Besides, most don't live long enough to see their great grandchildren born, let alone grow up. Considering that, it's a wonder he lived this long." Neal stared at the papers a little dazed as he reconsidered what he was missing out on and what he might have learned had they only met, even for a brief period.

Giving his friend's shoulder a squeeze, Peter knew he wasn't okay. "You're deflecting. How are you, really?"

"Okay, really, it's just… this means I might be the last Caffrey standing. Will I ever learn my heritage?" Neal wondered if the papers before him were the key to learning who he was, or if any chances he had to find the truth were buried with his kin.

"Maybe you inherited something that could help? You haven't read beyond the introduction." Jones piped in from his desk showing how quiet the office had gotten. Sliding his chair over, he silently offered his services as the resident lawyer just in case Neal had questions.

Giving up the pretense of work, Diana took up residence behind them too. "Oh, what if he legally acquired some masterpieces for a change?" Her jab had a jovial tone removing any sting. She was teasing him while trying to create interest in possibilities.

"Come on, Neal, read the rest of it." Peter encouraged in a softer voice. The reveal was food for thought to consider later, but at present, he still had the mystery before him to ponder and it proved a good distraction for Neal to rebuild his supports.

Returning to his silent reading, Neal skimmed through the legal documents for a few more pages. Then, in response to his audience's eager attention, he was forced to explain what they contained to reduce the growing irritation at his prolonged silence. "I'm getting his history now. To summarize, Connal Caffrey emigrated from Ireland as a child where he'd been the son of a poor farmer working the fields. Here, he forewent education and instead went into work on the docks. He started at the bottom in one of the shipping companies before working up to management and eventually going into business for himself."

Whistling, Jones was interested in what that likely meant. "I bet you inherited the company or at least some fortune he made off of it."

"What if it's an estate, maybe a mansion?" Diana grinned from behind where she was leaning on a desk.

"We won't know if he doesn't keep reading, what else does it say?" Peter applied to the source.

Putting his hand up, Neal indicated he was reading. Then when the patience was wearing thin around him again, Neal finished summarizing the contents. "They want me to be tested to prove I am in fact who I say I am. There is a facility for DNA testing with an appointment set for tomorrow and a legal company with a whole panel of lawyers names in representation for this."

Grasping onto an old question, Peter tried to catch him off balance. "So, Neal Caffrey is your real name? We've never been able to prove it for certain."

Grinning devilishly, Neal couldn't pass up the opportunity to share and tease. "Yes, and no. Caffrey is a family name, but not mine."

Enjoying a step of progress, but expecting the game, Peter grinned back. "You are a Caffrey by blood, but not in name, and you didn't specify on Neal. It's a start, and maybe these tests will be informative to all of us."

Knowing he had acknowledged Neal but denied Caffrey while clarifying on his relation, Neal didn't expect Peter to pick up on that. "Maybe, but you're further behind than you think, or maybe further ahead than you expected?"

Ignoring the head game, Jones jumped the conversation back to the interesting information presented by the forms. "That sounds like the preemptive steps to the reading of a will and a large inheritance. Are you going to pursue it?"

The speculation interrupted Neal's ability to answer as the office exploded in ideas as to what he might inherit.

"What's going on out here?" Hughes barked from the landing making everyone jump as they'd been too distracted by the conversation to notice when he opened his door and stepped out.

As the second in command, Peter took the inquiry. "Neal got a mystery letter. It turns out, his great-uncle died and he appears to be in line for some kind of inheritance, possibly as the last standing member of his family."

Calling them up, Hughes then barked for the rest of the office to, "Get back to work. I know we've only got cold cases and everyone's bored, but this the FBI, not a coffee shop for gossiping."

Ducking their heads, the team went back to their activities previous to the distraction, but it didn't stop their imaginations from running wild.

Climbing up the stairs, Peter and Neal walked together before taking their respective seats closeted in the boss' office.

"Now, what is this about inheriting?" Hughes asked them in general but was looking at Peter for the more trusted source.

Pointing at the papers Neal held, Peter shifted indicating him to lay them on the desk. "Neal's great-uncle died and he got this package. The papers summarize Caffrey's life before requesting Neal to be submitted to testing, including DNA, and appearing in front of a legal panel. Jones feels this is an indication of a pending will and inheritance waiting for confirmation he is eligible."

Holding his hand on the forms for a moment, Neal answered Hughes' obvious question. "This is not some con. I was lied to my whole childhood and didn't know I still had a family."

Frowning, Hughes didn't wish to go into Neal's childhood as that was Peter's puzzle. "Is it possible someone may be targeting you?"

Removing his hand and sliding the forms over, Neal allowed Hughes to check the names of the organizations and lawyers involved.

"This seems legit" Hughes was still reading through information. "Do you intend to pursue this?"

"I would like to see what I can uncover about my heritage, but the process would require me going outside of my radius during working hours. That would cost an agent and time." Neal mentioned the initial hurdles.

Turning towards his lead agent, Hughes asked Peter's perspective. "What do you think?"

Glancing at Neal, Peter took his silence as authorization to speak. "When Neal discovered he'd still had family and had missed out on the opportunities of learning his family heritage, he explained that much of his experimentation over the years has been an effort to fill in the blanks of who he is. This could present a huge opportunity to legally discover those answers. As long as he behaves, I don't see a problem with him missing a day or two to complete the test and perhaps using personal time down the road to investigate."

Nodding, Hughes agreed that it could be considered a part of his rehabilitation and set up the procedures to make it possible for Peter to take Neal through the process.

When they'd finished, Hughes dismissed them and Peter wrangled Neal away to fetch a cup of coffee. A few more moments to regain his focus, and then they had work to do to cover the time they'd be missing.

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