A/N: Last one! I want to thank you all so much for reading, reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story! It means the world to me, I love you all! This series of one-shots has been a ton of fun to write and I hope everyone enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If you think my work even compares to that of the amazing Jeff Eastin, you have problems.

Warning: None.

Word Count: 791

Happy reading!

It wasn't a secret to Peter that many agents in the Bureau considered keeping Neal Caffrey as a consultant, a mistake. It also wasn't a secret that most agents disproved greatly of the relationship that had formed between the two of them. Peter could see their reasons, but he couldn't understand them.

Neal had mentioned several times before that a great number of the human population sees the world in black and white. When Peter asked what he meant by that, Neal explained that they don't read between the lines, they don't try to see the bigger picture. They don't dig beneath the surface. The more time he spent as Neal's partner, the more Peter realized just how right this was. Some people just need a second chance. Give them that, and they may surprise you. That wasn't the most popular mind set of their coworkers.

Lot's of people would be wary of someone like Neal if all they saw was his file and list of suspected crimes, but more so for FBI agents. From day one of training at the academy, one thing was drilled into their heads: cops are good, criminals are bad. Undeniably, Neal was a criminal. Even Peter couldn't dispute that. Peter had been one of the few agents able to avoid the bureaucratic brainwashing, but most weren't so lucky. To them, Neal was just the felon stereotype. It's a thin line between stereotypes and prejudices.

If he had to ponder their thinking, there were many reasons why Peter shouldn't get so close to Neal.

The easiest and most obvious answer was the fact that for at least three years—and who knows how long before that—Neal stole from people for a living. That was the first thing that every young Probie thought of when discovering that they would be working alongside Neal Caffrey, a thief. What Peter thought of was how so many of his crimes could have been faster, less risky and more profitable if he'd brought a weapon with him and used it. He didn't. Neal stole from people but he would never hurt an innocent. He avoided guns like the plague and despised violence more than anyone Peter had ever met before. As long as Neal was really trying to move past that lifestyle, then it didn't bother Peter.

The next reason was one that Peter had thought about more than anything else involving his consultant: Neal lied to people. It was a necessity as a conman, and Neal had used his skills to his full advantage. He invented personas and led people to believe things that weren't true so he could manipulate them for his own benefit. But then again, wasn't undercover work the same thing? Getting people to do what you want, whether it's give information or evidence, or anything else to lead to an arrest? Lying to maintain a cover was different than lying for a con, but only in the person's motive. His ability to trick people into trusting untrue facts was one of the many reasons Neal was so good at his job at the FBI. He was using his techniques for good. As long as Neal stuck to that, Peter could live with it.

The final item was trust. More times than he cared to count, Peter had heard the words, "How can you trust a criminal?", or, "Are you sure he can be trusted?", or, "Caffrey can't be trusted." Peter considered trust too vague of a word. People could be trusted for different things, and to different extents. If he had to put it simply, Peter did trust Neal. But trust wasn't simple. There wasn't a doubt in the agent's mind that Neal would give up his own life before he let Peter, Elizabeth, Mozzie, June—or anyone in his life he cared about—get hurt. Peter would trust him with his life in the blink of an eye, and several times, he had. Stemming from his hatred of violence, Neal would give up anything to protect the greater good. And wasn't that exactly what the FBI was for? It was the only aspect of trust Peter cared about. The rest would take care of itself over time.

Peter could go on forever listing the reasons he shouldn't be friends with Neal, reasons why an ex-con shouldn't work in the FBI. There were dozens. But zero mattered. Zero of them would make a difference. Because in the end, Neal would strive to do what's right. It was who he was, and who Peter was helping him be. Nothing is ever truly in black and white.

A/N #2: THE END! This collection is finally complete! Until next time, my friends.