A/N: Hey Guys! This is the sequel to I'm Not That Easy Blue Eyes! It takes place roughly a year after the accident just to let you know. Hope you enjoy!

I don't own White Collar just the little mistakes here and there!

Eleanor Roberts lay stretched out on the sand, the warm tropical sun dancing on her back. The thick smell of sea salt and hibiscus flowers mingled with the lazy breeze and the soothing sounds of waves crashing on the shore to form a serene lullaby. Neal lay beside her, his well sculpted chest glistening in the afternoon light. His hand was intertwined with hers as he slept on. It was peaceful here. The sound of the waves washed away all of her fears and anxiety. She was no longer plagued with constant thoughts of work or reminded of the dull pain in her leg she felt with every step. Here, her mind was free from any burden, free to wander where ever it desired. It was just her, the sun, the sand, and Neal.

"We should buy a house out here." she said more to herself than anything.

"A house?" Neal asked his eyes opening to reveal a pair of clear blue eyes that rivaled the ocean.

"Yeah, but not a big one, a small one, big enough for you and me." Eleanor said sitting up and looking at the crystal blue water kissing the azure sky. "A nice little house away from the city, you could wake up in the morning, look out you window and be in paradise."

"I don't need a beach front view to be in paradise." Neal said leaning over kissing her gently on the lips. A flock of seagulls flew overhead, their cries echoing all around. At first the sound was peaceful but then the gull's call turned loud and piercing.

"Ellie." Neal moaned groggily, the pressure of his hands on her hips gone. The warm tropical breeze had been replaced with cool steady air and the hypnotic sounds of the waves had vanished. All she could hear was the annoying call of her alarm.

Groaning and clenching her eyes shut, reality hit her. She was not on some tropical beach escape but lying in bed, Neal moving restlessly beside her. Mustering the energy, Eleanor slow got up, hissing though clenched teeth as a sharp pain shot up her left leg. Reaching for her phone, she shut off her alarm, the numbers 3:30 burned into her eyes. Why did I say I would take the morning shift? She thought to herself as she looked back at Neal, who was no longer moving but blissfully out cold. Rubbing her eyes, she limped over to Neal's closet and pulled out a pair of dark blue scrubs.

She made her way to the bathroom and turned the hot water on full blast. The scalding water drummed on her back easing away her tension and relieving the pain in her leg. It had been almost a year since the accident and things slowly started to get better. Most of her injuries had all but healed. All she was left to manage with was random bursts of pain that would leave her temporarily immobile and the subtle limp in her gate. Other than that, her life had almost returned to normal. Almost.

Being in a relationship with Neal Caffrey was never normal. Every day was a surprise. He was something she had never seen before. Constantly upbeat, always moving, always charming. All Neal had to do was flash his winning smile and he could have anything that he wanted. Neal was a con man and Eleanor was madly in love with him. Neal had been there for her in her darkest time, she owed him everything.

After her shower Eleanor pulled on her scrubs and toweled her short dark hair dry. Before she left, she gave Neal a soft kiss on the cheek and swept from the room. It was still dark in the rest of the house, yet despite the early time, the outside street was bustling with cars. The morning air had an invigorating bite to it, the sweet perfume of summer shinning though. Sighing to herself she stepped off the curb and hailed a taxi. She didn't know why but today felt like it was going to be a long day

"Ellie! Hey Ellie!" called a young nurse standing up from her chair as Eleanor walked by. Eleanor closed her eyes and stopped walking. She had hoped to pass by the nurses' station completely unnoticed, especially by the newbie. Not that she had anything against the new girl, Eleanor was sure she was a nice person, she was very…over the top.

"What's up Janet?" Eleanor said false cheerfulness in her voice.

"You have a phone call." Janet said holding out the phone.

"Can you tell them to call me later? I'm a little busy."

"It's your mother."

"My mother?" Eleanor asked in disbelief.

"She seems like a very nice woman." Janet said with her sticky sweet smile. "She reminds me a lot of my grandma; did you know that I'm from the south too? Well, really, I was just born down there, but my grandma lives-"

"Just give me the damn phone." Eleanor snapped cutting off Janet. Janet pursed her lips together and handed over the phone. "Hello?"

"Ellie is that you?" her mother asked in her thick southern accent.

"Yeah mom it's me. Is something wrong?" Eleanor asked turning away from the nurses' station so she could have her conversation in peace.

"No nothing's wrong. Why do you always assume something is wrong when I call?"

"Because you never call unless something is wrong."

"Oh now that's not true, I call you all the time."

"Really, as I recall the last time you called me it was to tell me that Aunt Sharrie died, three years ago. I think that qualifies as bad news mom."

"Oh…well I was calling to let you know that I'll be town in a few days!" her mother said after a beat of silence.

"In town? You mean like here in New York?"

"Yes, silly what else would I mean?"

"H-how long are you staying?"

"A day or two. Your father and I are going to spend the rest of the summer at your Aunt Betsy's house."

"Dad's coming too?" Eleanor said her mouth hanging open.

"Well I can't leave without him."

"Where are you two going to stay?"

"At your apartment of course, is there a problem with that?"

"No, no problem."

"No…" her mother said expecting to hear Eleanor say more.

"No Ma'am, there is no problem." Eleanor said blushing.

"Our flight arrives tomorrow at noon; will you be picking us up?"

"Yeah, I'll pick you up." She said breathlessly.

"Good, then I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"Love you too." Eleanor said before hanging up the phone and smacking herself on the head. What the hell just happened? She thought to herself as she returned to phone to the nurses' station.

"Uh oh, I know that look. What happened?" Neal asked walking up to her, dressed smartly in a charcoal gray suit.

"My mom just called. She's coming into town. With my dad." She said still shocked.

"Is that a bad thing?" Neal asked confused.

"I haven't talked to my mother since Danny's funeral."

"So it is a bad thing?"

"What are you doing here?" Eleanor asked suddenly as if waking up from a horrible dream.

"I was picking you up for lunch that is if we are still going?"

"Yeah, yeah, just hold on a second." Eleanor said shaking her head. She walked behind the nurses' station on left a note on Janet's computer telling her she was out. Neal wrapped his fingers around Eleanor's as they walked out of the hospital.

Eleanor was in a state of disbelief. She hadn't talked to her mother in almost six years and now here she was stopping by like nothing happened. It was so out of the blue that it had taken Eleanor completely by surprise. After her last conversation Eleanor was sure that her mother would never talk to her again. But this was her mother she was talking about. Her mother was a crazy aristocratic southern woman who held strong to her beliefs. If you did something she didn't like, she wouldn't hesitate to ridicule you. She would be the one to randomly show up just to catch her off guard and point out all of her faults.

"Ellie are you ok?" Neal asked his eyes wide as they walked down the sidewalk. Eleanor had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed how tight her grip had gotten around Neal's hand.

"I'm fine." She said quickly, loosening her hold on Neal's fingers. Neal gave her disbelieving look a small smile forming on his lips.

"You were thinking about your mother weren't you?"

"No." she lied. Neal's eyes smiled back at her, not believing her lie. "Yes, I was."

"You wanna talk about it?" he asked as they stop in front of a hot dog stand. Eleanor bit her lip looking at Neal with hesitation in her eyes.

"No, don't worry about it. I'm fine." She said brushing off his offer.

"Fine, we won't talk about it." Neal said taking two hot dogs from the vendor and walking over to a bench. The bright summer sun was shining in full force. Its warm glow filtering through the green leafs. It was a beautiful day, yet Eleanor couldn't appreciate it; her conversation with her mother still weighing heavily on her mind. The more and more she thought about it, the angrier she got.

"I just don't get it!" she said suddenly. "She calls me after all these years like nothing happened, oooh she makes me so mad!"

"Ok I guess we are going to talk about it." Neal said taken aback by her outburst. "What happened between you two?"

"After the funeral she wanted me to come back to Georgia with her. She wasn't that thrilled when I left in the first place, so she thought Danny's funeral would be the perfect time to get me back home. She said I had nothing left for me here and I should just go back with her. But I told her that I didn't want to. I still had a life here, even without Danny. I had friends, a job, I wasn't about to leave it. We had this big fight…I haven't talked to her since."

"So what's the big deal? It sounds like she's gotten over the fight."

"Yeah right, my mother doesn't 'get over' things. She'll hold a grudge to the grave especially if it's someone in the family. No she's just coming up here to point out all the flaws in my new life. She just so damn controlling. Always yes ma'am, no ma'am, yes sir, no sir. It's her way or the highway." Eleanor spat.

"Do you really think that? Even after all these years, you still think she's mad at you for not moving back with her?"

"I don't think, I know. Just you wait and see, she'll bring it up when she meets you-" Eleanor stopped suddenly, the color draining from her face. "Oh my God, she has to meet you!" if her mother didn't want her living in New York, then she sure as hell didn't want her daughter dating a convicted felon. She felt her face grow red as her breaths came in quick short gasps.

"Ellie, calm down!" Neal said rubbing her arm. "It's not that big of deal!"

"Oh yes it is! You don't know her the way I do Neal! If I tell her about you she'll kill me!"

"Then we don't tell her who I really am." Neal said with a glint in his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Eleanor asked confused.

"I think I can live with not being Neal Caffrey, con man, for a day." He said smiling.

"You would do that for me?"

"I would do anything for you Ellie." He said kissing her on the forehead. "Which name do you like better, George Devore or Nick Halden?"

Tell me what you think!