Sorry about the delay in updating, hope it was worth the wait.
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Peter walked into the squad room carrying the puppy and a large bag of puppy supplies, El was in the room talking to one of the agents.
"Peter." The woman smiled, walking over to her husband. "I came to see if you wanted to have lunch with me." She smiled at the small puppy in his arms and gently took him from Peter. "He is so adorable." She cooed, cuddling the animal.
"He's part of a case." Peter explained. "Can you keep an eye on him while I talk to Hughes? Then we can have lunch."
"Sure Honey." El said, still cuddling the puppy.
"I can't believe I'm saying this." Peter said. "But I need to examine anything that comes out of him."
"What?" El asked, slightly confused.
"I think he may have swallowed some evidence."
"I hope it's nothing that can hurt him." She said, worriedly.
"No, the diamonds are pretty small."
"Diamonds." El smiled. "I knew I liked this adorable puppy for a reason."
Peter kissed her, then went up the stairs to Hughes' office. Once in the older man's office, Peter explained everything that happened.
"If we get the diamonds back." Hughes said, as he sttod by the glass wall looking down into the squad room.. "We will have all the evidence we need to insure a conviction of Caffrey. Caffrey has to have already figured that out, he is going to be trying to get that puppy back."
"I know." Peter said. "I plan on the puppy staying at the bureau under the supervision of a probie. Caffrey's smart, so I don't want the puppy leaving the bureau unless a seasoned agent is with him."
"Not a bad plan, but it won't work."
"Why not, Sir?"
"We don't have a new agent here that is brave enough to take the puppy."
"Caffrey isn't dangerous." Peter said. "He's infuriating, immature, exasperating, and very aggravating. But he isn't violent."
"I wasn't referring to Caffrey." Hughes nodded towards the squad room and Peter followed his gaze. He saw El sitting in a chair, cuddling the puppy. "I doubt any of our seasoned agents are brave enough to confiscate that puppy from Elizabeth. I know I'm not." Then he smirked at the now frowning Peter. "Are you?"
"Not by a long shot." Peter replied with a sigh. "Looks like I have puppy duty."
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Half an hour later, Peter and El were sitting on a bench outside the bureau. The little yellow puppy was sitting in El's lap and she was gently scratching behind his ears.
"He is so adorable." She cooed.
"He's Caffrey's dog." Peter grunted. "There is nothing adorable about him."
"How can you say that?' El wanted to know, holding the puppy out for Peter to get a better look. "Take a look into this adorable face."
Peter looked at the puppy and had to admit that he was kind of cute.
"Hold him." El said.
"I've already held him, Honey."
"Come on Peter." El said, holding the puppy out further to her husband. "Hold him and look into those beautiful eyes."
Peter sighed, but reached out and accepted the puppy. He held him out in front of him and again had to admit that he was cute, maybe even adorable. He was about to hand the puppy back to his wife, when a yellow stream of liquid hit him in the chest and ran down the front of his suite.
"That does it." Peter glared at the puppy. "I am taking you to a vet and have those diamonds cut out."
"Peter." El scolded him, as she took the puppy back and cuddled him. "Don't be mean to this baby."
"He just peed on me." Peter defended himself.
"He's a puppy." El said, standing up and stalking off back into the federal building in a huff.
"El." Peter called after his retreating wife, but she kept walking.
"Great." Peter muttered. "Caffrey probably put him up to that." Then he too went back into the building, and straight to the showers.
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Across the street, hidden behind a brick wall, Neal Caffrey was doubled over laughing. People walking by gave him strange looks, but that did not slow the laughter.
"Way to go Pup." He managed to say between his laughs.
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After his shower and change into a clean suite, Peter walked into his office and saw Elizabeth sitting in a chair in front of his desk. The puppy was running around the room playing. A bowl of food and water were sitting against one wall, and several chew toys were scattered around the room.
The puppy would run to one, bark at it and wag his tail, then pick it up with his mouth and shake it. Then he would drop that one and run to another, then start the process again.
"Are you still mad at me?" Peter asked.
"Of course not." El replied, standing up and kissing him. "I know you would never hurt Satchmo."
"Satchmo?"
"Yeah, isn't it a cute name?"
"Honey." Peter said, gently taking her hands into his and looking into her eyes. "That is not our dog, you shouldn't get attached to him."
"We could adopt him." El said, smiling.
"No way." Peter shook his head.
"Come on Peter, if we don't then he will be sent to a dog pound. He needs a home."
"No."
"How could you be so heartless?'' El asked, glaring at him.
"He's Caffrey's dog." Peter said, as thought that explained everything.
"Neal Caffrey can not care for a puppy while on the run." El said, a very determined look on her face. Peter knew that look, he knew he didn't stand a chance. But that did not stop him from trying.
"El, there is no telling what kind of bad habits Caffrey has taught him."
"Peter." El said, turning her glare up a notch.
"He probably has distemperment, rabies, and fleas."
"This adorable puppy does not have any of those things."
"I wasn't talking about the puppy."
"Peter." Once again El glared at him.
"Fine." Peter sighed. "We have been talking about getting a dog for a while now."
"Thanks Honey." El smiled, then kissed Peter.
"But if he pees on me one more time, I'm shooting Caffrey."
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Neal stood in the hallway of the Federal Building, watching as El walked into the ladies room. The small puppy was trotting along right bedside her. Neal looked around, making sure no one was watching him.
He was dressed as a janitor and was pushing a broom, pretending to be sweeping the floor. A couple minutes after El entered the ladies room, Neal slipped into the room. He saw the woman standing in front of the row of sinks, drying her hands on a paper towel. Neal leaned the broom against the wall and stuck a hand into his jacket pocket, making it look as if he had a gun.
"Don't scream and I won't hurt you." Neal said, causing El to jump and spin around to face the young man.
"Caffrey?" She recognized him from the many surveillance photos her husband had of him.
"I just want the puppy." He said, as the little puppy ran over to him and looked up at him while happily wagging his tail.
"You must be insane walking into the FBI bureau." El said.
"I didn't have much of a choice, your husband stole my puppy."
"Come here Satch." El ordered. The puppy looked at her, then at Neal. But didn't move.
"Now Satch." She ordered more sternly. The puppy whined a little, but then turned and trotted over towards her.
"Come here Pup." Neal called out, causing the puppy to stop halfway between him and El.
"Satch." El said.
"Here Pup."
"Will you leave Satch alone?" El asked Neal with a glare.
"What kind of name is Satch?" Neal wondered out loud.
"It's better then calling him Pup."
"You've got a point." Neal flashed a charming smile. "There is no need to argue, I promise to return him to you in a few days."
"After you have the diamonds?"
"What diamonds?' Neal asked, with an innocent look.
"Satch stays here." El said firmly.
"This gun says he goes with me."
"You don't have a gun, you don't carry guns."
"I see your husband has spoken of me." Neal removed his hand from his pocket.
The puppy sat on the floor, still halfway between them. His eyes darted back and forth between the two humans.
"Sorry, Ma'am." Neal said, walking to the puppy. "He goes with me."
El ran past Neal and grabbed the broom that he had been pushing.
"You leave Satch alone." She ordered, then swung the broom and hit him in the stomach with it.
"Hey!" Neal protested, taking several steps back. "Knock it off."
"With pleasure." She said, swinging the broom towards the man's head.
Neal duck and then tried to grab the broom, but missed. El swing the broom again with all of her strength, but Neal moved back in time and the broom missed him. The force of the swing caused El to loose her footing and she stumbled forward into one of the stalls. Neal quickly scooped up the puppy, then ran from the bathroom.
El ran after him, shouting. Several agents rushed over and she told them that Caffrey was there.
"El." Peter said, rushing towards her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"Did he hurt you?"
"Caffrey isn't violent, remember." El said. "He didn't touch me, but I tried my best to touch him with a broom."
"Did you make contact?" Peter asked with a small smile.
"Once. Peter, I'm sorry he got Satch."
"It's okay, Sweetheart." Peter said. "We still have him on bond forgery."
"He said he'd return Satch." She said.
"I'm sure he will."
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Five days later, Peter and El were snuggled together on the sofa watching tv. Both groaned when the doorbell rung.
"I'll get it." Peter said, standing up. He walked to the door and opened it, frowning at what he saw. There was a large basket with a small puppy inside it.
"Who is it Peter?" El's voice asked.
"Satchmo." Peter said, picking the basket up and taking it into the house.
El jumped off of the sofa and rushed over to her husband, picking the puppy up and cuddling him.
"Hey, boy." She said, smiling.
Peter sat the basket on a nearby table and took a note out of it.
"Dear Mrs. Burke." He said, reading the note. "As promised, I am returning Satch. I sincerely apologize for my lack of gentleness the other day; I assure you that I did not intend to harm you in any way. I know that you will take excellent care of the puppy; he deserves a good home filled with love. P.S. Tell your husband better luck next time. Sincerely yours, Neal Caffrey."
"You see, Peter." El said. "Caffrey has some good qualities."
"I guess." Peter grumbled, still not happy about the fact that the younger man had gotten away yet again.
"Look into Satch's eyes." El said, holding the puppy out to her husband. "They will put you in a better mood."
Peter took the puppy and held it in front of him. And then once again, a yellow stream of warm liquid hit his chest and slid down. El quickly took the puppy back, as Peter's face turned red with anger.
"Where are you going?" El asked, as Peter turned abruptly and stomped up the stairs.
"To change." He said. "Then I'm going to find Caffrey. He may not carry a gun, but I do."
"Don't worry, Satch. She said, cuddling the puppy. "Your new Daddy isn't usually this moody."
"El." Peter's voice filtered down. "Where's my extra bullets?"
THE END
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Please let me know what you think.