A/N: Here it is; the last and final installment of Painted Eyes. The story comes to a close. Whoosh. Okay, enough. Enjoy!

9 months later.

"Caffrey, you're late."

Neal Caffrey flashed Peter Burke an easy smile and proffered a tall, crisp white Styrofoam cup. "Soo, I'm guessing that's a 'no' to this fresh, steamy hot espresso?"

Peter good-naturedly snorted, rolled his eyes, and grabbed the enticingly warm, fragrant extra-large coffee, all seemingly simultaneously. "Alright, alright, wipe that smirk off your face." He gulped from the coffee before turning and nodding, heading for the staircase that led up out of the bullpen to the offices. "Come on; I have something to show you."

Neal tilted his head and curiously followed after Peter. "An interesting new case, I presume?" He halted in the middle of the staircase; behind him, a harried-looking young redhead gave a start, her eyes widening as the six tall, brimming cups of coffee wobbled on the tray she balanced before her. "Peter, please don't tell me that it's more mortgage fraud."

The weathered FBI agent chuckled as he led Neal up the last step and around the corner to the glass-walled conference room, where Neal briefly took note of Diana and a small, solid form perched on one end of the long rectangular table. "No, no mortgage fraud," he said, pushing the door open and stepping back. "Just an old friend."

Neal looked up and suddenly stopped in his tracks. The slender, dark-haired female that he had automatically taken for Diana was not Diana, but a much younger woman, almost still a girl yet had it not been for her knowing emerald eyes, smiling at him from beneath her silky dark chocolate-colored curls.

And by her side perched a child, a lovely fairy of a little girl, with toffee-colored ringlets, a caramel complexion, an inquisitive smile and eyes as bright and green as her older sister's.

Peter gave Isabelle a friendly, respectful nod before turning to Neal. "I'll leave you two to catch up," he announced, and with that, whisked himself out of sight.

"Isabelle." Neal greeted the visitors with a brilliant smile that would have been charming if it hadn't been busy being genuine.

"Neal Caffrey," Isabelle Reilly drawled, rising to her feet, a smile playing across her lips. "It has been far too long." Her eyes were open, kind. "I have someone here that I'd like you to meet. Mia, meet Neal Caffrey; Neal, meet my sister, Mia."

Mimi "Mia" Reilly regarded Neal with infinite interest in her curious green eyes. "Hi," she chirped brightly, her voice cheerful and friendly. "I'm Mia. You're Neal? Izzy said you're a completely gorgeous specimen of male."

To Neal's surprise, Isabelle burst into laughter. He raised his eyebrows her way, a smirk curving up the corner of his lips. "Completely gorgeous, am I?"

Isabelle's eyes danced. "Tell him what else I said, Mia."

Mia gave Neal a pearly, toothy little grin. "Izzy also called you naïve, nar—nar-siss—nar-sitick, and a sleazy womanizer."

Neal couldn't help it: he let out a genuine peal of laughter to match Isabelle's, his eyes lighting up and looking very, very blue. He knelt before the little girl, flashing her a grin of his own. "Tell me, do you know for a fact what a womanizer is, Ms. Mia?"

Mia giggled and scrunched up her left eye in a very unsuccessful (and very adorable) attempt at a wink. "Yes sir; a womanizer is a grown-up man who sells his body to grown-up girls in order to get what he wants."

Isabelle and Neal's combined laughter echoed around the conference room until each was left happily gasping for breath, tears of mirth in their eyes. "Okay, admit it, you definitely taught her to say that," Neal chuckled, fondly ruffling Mia's frizzy bronze curls.

"I really didn't," Isabelle laughed, dropping an affectionate kiss on the top of Mia's head. "Mia's a genius, aren't you, Mimi?"

Neal grinned. "I think you are," he stated, his tone frank and matter-of-fact even as his eyes danced merrily. "In fact, I'm a genius myself; you'd make a great wingman, you know."

Mia grinned back. "May-be."

Neal laughed and rose. "She's cute," he remarked appreciatively, as Mia peeked over her sister's shoulder to look out the glass walls to the city below. He hesitated slightly, then asked, "How's—?"

"Her leukemia?" Isabelle looked at her baby sister, tenderness and relief intermingled on her radiant face. "It's gone into submission, for now. The doctors say that, given some time, she'll be okay."

Neal nodded, his eyes kind and very earnest. "She will be."

Isabelle smiled softly. "Yeah. I think she will be, too."

Neal cocked his head. "But wait; don't tell me that you came all the way out here from where Witness Protection relocated you to Dallas just to come and see me and my 'completely gorgeous' face?"

Isabelle laughed. "You wish, Caffrey, but we're not here for you; we're here because, believe it or not, you aren't the only criminal recruited to work for the FBI."

Neal raised his eyebrows, smiling. "Really? You too?"

For a moment, a ghost of Isabelle's old coy smirk returned to her lips. "You're looking at the FBI's newest forensic artist."

Neal feigned shock. "No tracking anklet?"

Isabelle shrugged. "I'm clean," she declared.

Neal grinned. "Then I guess that I'll be seeing you around. Literally," he added.

Isabelle laughed. "And that wasn't even a pickup line!"

"Miss Reilly?" Jones's head popped into the conference room. "You're needed down in Anthropology."

Isabelle straightened. "Duty calls." She nudged Mia with her hip. "Say bye to Neal, Mia."

"Ciao, Neal," Mia sang over her shoulder, already trotting out the door.

Isabelle smiled. "Well, good day to you, Mr. Caffrey. Until the next time we meet."

Neal was smiling, too. "Maybe next time, I'll even show you some of my artwork."

Neal watched as Isabelle and Mia exited the conference room and descended the same staircase that he and Peter had come up earlier. He watched as, together, they crossed through the bullpen, stopping to say hello to Jones on the way, and his eyes were still on them as they stepped into the elevator and were gone from sight.

"Neal?"

Neal blinked and started, to find Peter standing before him, his gruff expression hinting at a barely contained smile. "How was your 'catching up'?"

Neal smirked broadly. "She thinks that I'm completely gorgeous."

Peter just shook his head, chuckling as he good-naturedly rolled his eyes. "Well, guess what, Mr. Male Model, being gorgeous isn't going to solve an art heist. You coming or not?"

Neal looked to Peter's open, expecting face, which still held glints of his gruff, good-natured humor; and then beyond Peter and down into the bullpen, to Jones and Diana, laughing as they talked over coffee and case files; and even to Hughes, who sat in his office discussing something animatedly on the phone, unconsciously reigning over them all. Neal grinned.

"Yeah," he said, placing his signature gray felt fedora on the crown of his immaculately tousled brown hair. "I'm coming."

Because really, he was one of them now.

A/N: The End.

Did anyone else take note of the complete and utter change in Isabelle? I mean, at first she's this cold, coy seductress; then she's an angry, passionate accuser; then she's a quiet, grave confessor; and now...she's just a normal 21-year-old girl. It just goes to show that underneath all of our facades and masks, we are just normal people trying to make a place for ourselves in the world. You hear that, Neal? :)

Oh, and I have to ask: Did you like little Mia? She's sort of a child wunderkind. I like her. She's cute and she called Neal a narcissistic womanizer :D

I apologize if this seemed a little choppy or off-kilter; I was falling asleep at 2 a.m. finishing this up for you guys before I leave for my week-long sabbatical to Bermuda :) But ANYWAYS...it's done :) It's finished. I love it. I love all of you amazing readers & reviewers. Thank you SO much to:

booksmartblonde333, Kiki Cabou, NayahReidWhumper xD, govgal, readpaintlaugh, Amagake, shel 263, januarysunshine13, Artgirl56. Ale, anonymous tip, realawsome, Autumn, kenziecaffrey, Ultracape, morgo7kc, Funshine908, and nexteighlives, Painted Eyes' very first reviewer (and the one who convinced me to limit Neal's smirking to a reasonable amount :D). Thank you all for your great advice & support, and thanks to all of my subscribers and readers. (Oh and I apologize if I've missed anyone who's reviewed that I haven't mentioned here; you are still greatly appreciated, I'm just kind of in a rush! :D)

Till Neal's next adventure!

cheers!

-queen