Disclaimer:: I do not own White collar, slight kate bashing in some parts, and some fluffy Peter X Neal love

Chapter 1: Taken

"Damn it Neal you're going to get yourself shot at again if you keep this up. Not to mention Hughes is going to have your ass for your latest stunt." Peter said as he paced his office, he had been yelling at the conman for an hour for once again putting his life on the life when he was told to back off during a sting operation.

Peter could hear his voice getting hoarse as he finally took a seat behind his desk. It was at that time that Special Agent Lauren Cruz knocked on the door as she opened the door. "Um…sir we have a location on him."Cruz said slinking away quickly before Peter tried to turn on her for interrupting him.

Neal didn't show it on his face but inside he was terrified of Peter, yes it was his fault that Peter was yelling but yelling still bothered him no matter who it was. Getting up slowly he looked at the agent sitting across the table from him. "Peter… I" Neal was cut off by a raised hand.

"I don't want to hear it Caffrey, just get out of my sight for now. I'll be in the conference room in a few minutes" Peter said waving the young man out of the office. The con man walked out and followed Cruz and Jones into the conference room.

When he entered the room Neal noticed that everyone was looking at him. He was starting to get nervous as everyone began whispering to each other.

Hughes looked at the young man "Caffrey, how does undercover as an up and coming artist sound?" the older man asked knowing that offer Neal an undercover job in something he does very well would pique his interest.

Neal felt strange with everyone looking at him "I'm going to take a wild guess but this has to do with the Reaper case right?" he asked looking at the big boss man standing before him. Hughes nodded "Yeah, if you have a problem with that I'm sure you can catch the bus back to the super-max." Hughes said giving a small smirk. Swallowing hard Neal licked his lips

"All right, fine I'll do it…" he said with a small glare. It was at that time that Peter walked into the room. Neal looked at the floor his brilliant blue eyes seemed dull at the moment.

When the meeting was over Neal felt like his death warrant had just been signed, he knew the stories about the Reaper, he was an art forger that wasn't as good as Neal but he made a name for himself not just for his art but for the fact that anyone that either worked for the man or tried to arrest him ended up in a body bag.

Despite the fact the heat was on in the office Neal actually started to shake at the thought that he would be dead very soon. Walking down the hall he went into the lounge room and lowered his head into his hands.

"Neal, are you all right?" Peter asked as he walked over to the couch where Neal was sitting, his trademark hat askew on his head. Moving his head up quickly, Neal gave a cheery smile. "Yeah I'm just a little tired is all; I was up all night reading and then I just couldn't fall asleep before work." he said keeping his fake smile plastered on his face.

Peter knew Neal well; he had been chasing the young conman for quite some time. He would never admit it verbally but Peter admired Neal, to stay ten steps of him for so long before finally getting caught. "I know you pretty well Neal, especially since your face is almost as white as the fabric of that couch you're sitting on" Peter said moving in a bit closer. "You've been like this since the meeting began. If we're partners, you can tell me what has the great Neal Caffrey so scared" he said.

Standing up quickly Neal just stood there for a moment before raising his head up a bit and taking in a deep breath. "I'm not scared of anything, you should know that after following me for so many years." Neal said clenching his jaw tightly as he walked out of the lounge in a huff which made Pete think of him like a child more than ever. "What a brat" he mumbled as he grabbed the folder that Cruz had told him she left in there and walked out to the main area to make the final plans for the undercover job.

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After four hours of planning Neal's cover story given to him to study and memorize his ankle monitor was deactivated and he was given a new one hidden in a digital watch. The slight weight loss made his whole body feel like it was so much lighter.

The conman felt more nervous than his years in prison. He looked at the three sitting in the van he locked eyes with them as he put the earwig in and put the hidden camera glasses on.

"So how do I look?" he asked looking at the three, Peter glanced up from his screen "Well at least you don't look like a cartoon. Maybe you should adopt this look" he said looking back at the screen.

Neal gave a feigned hurt look "You can be so mean sometimes Peter" he said putting his hand over his heart. "Well I'm off" he said hopping out of the back of the van and heading down the street so that he could enter the small gallery and let the van pull closer.

As he walked into the gallery Neal had an overwhelming feeling hit him again as he was patted down for weapons. "Come on guys, we're all friends here" he said with his trademark goofy smile. When the guards were done Neal was lead down the hallway into the gallery where the meeting would take place.

Sitting at a glass topped desk was a middle aged man; Neal guessed late thirties- early forties at the most, with light olive skin and dark hair that was slicked back. "Ah, you must be that new up and coming artist I heard about. I heard word that you work as an art restorer at the museum. Other than that you're like a ghost. Oh forgive my manners I'm William Briarcroft but everyone calls me Bill" he said holding his hand out.

Neal walked over and gave a small smile "I'm David Burrs, you can call me Dave. I've been wondering for quite some time why you would need art restorer, my research says that you collect artwork that is very current and there is no need for restoration." Neal said trying to milk information from the man in front of him.

"I've been looking into some older works of art and I noticed that they need some work done in a few places and instead of paying those big name restoration groups I thought I would give an up and coming artist the chance to prove himself to me." William said giving a small smirk.

Neal fidgeted with his tee shirt; he had changed from his suit to jeans and an older tee-shirt and hoodie to make him look more art student than consultant. Playing the part of someone nervous about a job offer was easy at the moment. He pushed his glasses up a bit "Sounds like fun, so where is the painting?" Neal asked looking around the very empty gallery.

William chuckled softly "Oh it's nearby I just wanted to meet you first and see if you were perfect for the job or not." He said walking around Neal as if he were a choice cut of meat. The young conman turned his head a couple times to keep his eyes on the other man.

Peter if I live through this, you owe me one… Neal thought as he stood frozen to the spot.

In the van Peter was watching the video feed from the glasses Neal was wearing. "It seems like everything is going well, all we have to do is make sure Neal gets out of there soon and alive." He said taking his eyes off the screen for a moment and looking at the other agents in the van.

"Lauren, make the call and get him out, he's been there long enough" Peter said keeping a close eye on the monitor.

Lauren grabbed her cell phone and called Neal's phone and waited for him to pick up when she heard the phone connect she took in a deep breath. "Hi honey, are you coming home soon?" Lauren asked in case someone was listening in.

Neal gave a small smile "Yeah baby, I'm coming home soon I'm almost finished at the market. I'll see you soon" Neal said looking at William as he finished up the call and hung up. "Sorry about that, you know how woman are… always checking up." He said chuckling softly.

Walking over to the table William chuckled "You're right, that's why their only good for certain things if you know what I mean. But before you go Dave I want to talk just for a few more minutes." Neal nodded his head slightly "Yeah what is it?" he asked acting more calm.

"You studied art everywhere, so you must have heard of this man, he does wonderful work but he doesn't work legit he's a forger, hell he is one of the best in the world. Neal Caffrey is his name. It was a damn shame when he went to prison" William said as he walked back over to Neal and slowly circled him.

Peter looked over at his partners before grabbing the microphone for Neal's earwig. "Neal, get out of there... now" Peter said trying to keep his voice calm.

"Funny thing is the gossip is that he's no longer in prison, he's now the FBI's little lap dog. I've always wanted to meet him and funny thing is my men have been following him for a while and taking pictures. I especially like this one of him leaving the FBI building… dressed as you Dave… or should I say Neal." William said.

Spinning around quickly the last thing Neal saw was the butt of a gun coming toward him, his world whet black in the blink of an eye. The glasses had landed quite a distance away. The last thing the small camera saw was Neal lying on the floor with a head wound before a bullet destroyed the glasses.

William moved quickly and removed Neal's watch "Hello all little FBI agents that are listening, we're going to be leaving now. But if I see one van follow us I'm going to blow your little pet's brains all over my nice car and I really don't want to do that." He said with an icy cold chuckle.

Dropping the watch on the ground the forger smashed it under his foot as he men grabbed Neal and brought him out to the back alley and dumped him in the trunk of the car that was waiting for its occupants. Once William was in the car it took off down a service alley that led to a street two blocks away.

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Peter slammed his fist on the table in the van "How the hell did this happen?" Peter yelled as he looked at the other agents. "Is there any way to track Neal?"He asked both Cruz and Johnson shook their heads sides to side. They knew it would only infuriate Peter more but he had to know the truth right away.

Pacing the small confines of the van Peter felt himself losing it, he needed fresh air and he needed it fast. Kicking the back door open he climbed out of the van and ran his fingers through his hair. Peter wanted to yell and scream another thing he never wanted to admit is that in all the time they worked together he had grown to liking Neal as a partner and friend. Even if there were times the conman drove him up the wall.

Johnson bit his thumb nail as stood there "Everything happened so fast, maybe Neal still has his phone and we can track it." He said looking at the blank screen. Peter looked at the screen then at the tech guy behind him. "Do it now" he ordered as the man started to type as fast as he could.

"Caffrey's phone is traveling west toward the tunnels; we're going to lose them in ten minutes. Wait he's making a call" Jason said turning and looking Peter. Soon Peter's cell began to ring, grabbing it off the table he picked it up "Neal… Neal, are you all right?" Peter asked.

"Ah, so he really is Neal Caffrey, which must make you special agent Peter Burke. Now I'm not going to hurt your pet con too much as long as he does as he's told. Now good bye for now I'll be in contact." William said as he hung up and lowered the window and threw the phone out the window.

Neal slowly began to wake up, moving his head slowly he noticed that he was somewhere dark and uncomfortable. While he began to think of logical places he could be a loud car horn blared. "Car horn… car trunk… great" he mumbled as he searched his pocket for his phone. "Kate… I'm sorry, I failed to find you." He whispered as started to reach around for something to use as a weapon. Soon the car turned again sharply and sped up. Neal shifted to get rid of the annoying pain in his back.

When the car finally stopped the trunk lid opened letting light in. Neal blinked a few times trying to let his eyes adjust to the light when a dark sack was forced over his head.

"Come now little pet con" Bill said as he led his men to a private elevator. The elevator rose to the top floor. When the elevator stopped Neal felt his stomach settle as he was dragged out into what he guessed was a large open area. He could feel the warmth of sun light on his face.

Walking around Bill closed the blinds before Neal's blindfold was removed. "Welcome to your current home. You'll stay alive longer if you do what you're told." He said with a smirk.

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"You let him get kidnapped, where the hell was the back up?" Hughes yelled as looked at the agents in front of him.

Peter looked down for a moment before looking at his boss. "I'm starting to think that this was all a trap. Briarcroft knew who Neal was the whole time which means he needs him for some reason or else he would have killed him on the spot. We were told by Briarcroft himself that he would be in contact." He said taking another glance around the room.

Hughes looked at his agents "You're dismissed for now. Keep busy who knows when this man will contact us." He said letting the agents leave his office.