What's meant to be will always find a way - Chapter 13: Neal, is that you?
Author: NYWCgirl
Fandom: White collar
Pairing: None
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Mozzie
Warning/genre: none
Spoilers: none
Rating: Gen
Word Count: ~1155
Summary: Fifty ways Peter and Neal could have met. Peter gets a call.
This chapter can also be found on AO3.
Neal knows he is in trouble, he should never have taken the job. If he survives this, he knows he will chose his future jobs more carefully. He should have listened to Mozzie, he tried to warn him but he was cocky and knew better.
The bodyguards of his mark got him good. Blood is still seeping from the two bullet wounds and he knows he needs medical attention, quick.
He tried calling Mozzie, but he doesn´t answer his phone so he left a message once he remembered Mozzie is on a job as well and out of state. He is feeling woozy and his limbs are feeling more heavy with time passing. Maybe gravity changed. He can see his vision graying out. He needs to find a spot to stay safe, where he can´t be found by the men chasing him.
Think Neal, which one of Mozzie’s safe houses is best equipped to take care of a bullet wound? He comes up blank. Hi memory failing him. But he really needs to take action like right now if he wants to make it. He stumbles into the street. He needs to find a way to get to one of the safe houses. He can’t take a cab, they will drop him off at the hospital and hospitals need to report gunshot wounds. Nausea is building, he doesn´t have very long before he will into shock or loses consciousness. He needs to get off the street. There is a parking garage coming up, he can go in and try to hot wire a car. He stumbles towards it, but knows he isn´t going to make it, especially with his blood soaked shirt, he will be picked up by security camera’s. He takes his phone and stares at the numbers. Think Neal, you can do this. The numbers seem to blur into each other, but eventually his fingers start typing a number he knows by heart.
‘Burke!’
The relief the FBI-agent picked up the phone is so big, he almost goes down. He leans against the wall.
‘Whoever this is, I am not in the mood for a prank call.’
‘P’ter?’
‘Neal?’
Neal wants to say something but he needs all his energy to stay conscious.
‘Neal, is that you?’
‘Yes.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘shot.’ He slurs.
‘Call 911, Neal.’
‘Can’t’
‘Neal, listen to me, you need medical attention if you were shot.’
‘Twice.’
‘You were shot twice?’
Neal hums his confirmation.
Peter sits down behind their probie’s desk and starts up the location finder.
‘Stay on the line Neal, talk to me. What happened?’
‘Maybe …’
‘Maybe what?’
‘Allegedly tried to take… s’mthing and g’t shot?’
The moment Peter gets a location, he gets his keys and runs towards his car.
‘Neal, you have to keep talking to me.’
‘Tired.’
‘I know Neal, that’s the blood loss, but you have to keep conscious, OK?’
When there is no response, Peter puts his lights on and steps on the gas. When he arrives, he pulls out his gun and slowly checks the perimeter. No use to walk into a trap. When he fairly sure, he is alone, he starts looking for Neal and finds him slumped on the ground, unconscious.
He jumps when Neal´s phone rings. He answers it.
‘Neal! I just received you message, why didn´t you go to Rose, you know it is stocked to treat a gunshot wound.’
‘Who is this?’
‘Who is this? I called Neal, who are you? I swear buddy, if I know who you are, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. I am well connected my friend.’
‘I just found Neal, he is shot twice in the chest. I am calling 911.’
‘No! you can´t! Whoever you are, take him to my safe house. I will text you the address. I will send someone over who can take care of him.’
The call is disconnected and Peter stares into it. Was this the unknown accomplish they have been looking for? If he wants answers, he will have to take care of Caffrey first. He walks back to his car, driving it as close as he can, he takes out the tarp he keeps in the trunk in case Satchmo has to be taken somewhere and lifts Neal onto it. He then drives towards the address that was send to him.
* * *
The address he arrives at is a non-descriptive building. He checks it out first, no need to let caution in the wind. The code he was given opens the door. He then lifts Neal into the house.
‘Anybody home?’ A voice hollers from the door.
‘Yeah, in the bedroom.’
Peter awaits the man with his gun ready. But the woman who enters is clearly a paramedic. A paramedic who is in someone’s pocket.
‘Put the gun away please, I am just here to help someone. I was called for a gunshot victim, so I guess by the amount of blood on him, he is the one.’
‘Yeah, he is.’
‘OK, let me go to work then.’
‘Of course. If I can help, let me know.’
‘Start by giving me some more light.’
Peter brings in one of the lamps from the living room and aims the light at Neal. In the bright light he even looks paler than before. The EMT starts working and soon she has the wound disinfected, stitched and bandaged.
‘He needs antibiotics and pain relief, but I assume you can get this for him.’
Peter realizes she thinks he is the one that called her, so he nods. Whoever called him will be able to, he is sure of it.
‘Ok, let him rest, I have him a sedative, so he will be out for a couple of hours.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
When the EMT leaves, Peter sits down. He is an accomplish to a crime, what has he gotten himself into? He knows he should have brought Neal in, bring him into the system, but the kids is too young to be locked up somewhere where he only come out of worse.
He studies the kid, ‘you know, this can´t end well, Neal, someday, you won´t be quick enough or you won´t be able to reach me…’
He pulls his gun when he hears a door open.
‘Put the gun down suit.’
‘You are the one that called Neal.’
‘I see you stood in the front line when they were handing out brains,’ the bald man states, ‘but thank you for taking care of Neal.’
‘You are welcome. I’ve got to go.’
‘You should.’
Peter leaves the building, driving home, thinking about Neal and the strange little man that clearly is an accomplish.’
* * *
The next day, when Peter wants to check on Neal, the building is empty. There is not a trace left that someone was here just yesterday. They are gone.
.
Fandom: White collar
Pairing: None
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Mozzie
Warning/genre: none
Spoilers: none
Rating: Gen
Word Count: ~1155
Summary: Fifty ways Peter and Neal could have met. Peter gets a call.
This chapter can also be found on AO3.
Neal knows he is in trouble, he should never have taken the job. If he survives this, he knows he will chose his future jobs more carefully. He should have listened to Mozzie, he tried to warn him but he was cocky and knew better.
The bodyguards of his mark got him good. Blood is still seeping from the two bullet wounds and he knows he needs medical attention, quick.
He tried calling Mozzie, but he doesn´t answer his phone so he left a message once he remembered Mozzie is on a job as well and out of state. He is feeling woozy and his limbs are feeling more heavy with time passing. Maybe gravity changed. He can see his vision graying out. He needs to find a spot to stay safe, where he can´t be found by the men chasing him.
Think Neal, which one of Mozzie’s safe houses is best equipped to take care of a bullet wound? He comes up blank. Hi memory failing him. But he really needs to take action like right now if he wants to make it. He stumbles into the street. He needs to find a way to get to one of the safe houses. He can’t take a cab, they will drop him off at the hospital and hospitals need to report gunshot wounds. Nausea is building, he doesn´t have very long before he will into shock or loses consciousness. He needs to get off the street. There is a parking garage coming up, he can go in and try to hot wire a car. He stumbles towards it, but knows he isn´t going to make it, especially with his blood soaked shirt, he will be picked up by security camera’s. He takes his phone and stares at the numbers. Think Neal, you can do this. The numbers seem to blur into each other, but eventually his fingers start typing a number he knows by heart.
‘Burke!’
The relief the FBI-agent picked up the phone is so big, he almost goes down. He leans against the wall.
‘Whoever this is, I am not in the mood for a prank call.’
‘P’ter?’
‘Neal?’
Neal wants to say something but he needs all his energy to stay conscious.
‘Neal, is that you?’
‘Yes.’
‘What’s wrong?’
‘shot.’ He slurs.
‘Call 911, Neal.’
‘Can’t’
‘Neal, listen to me, you need medical attention if you were shot.’
‘Twice.’
‘You were shot twice?’
Neal hums his confirmation.
Peter sits down behind their probie’s desk and starts up the location finder.
‘Stay on the line Neal, talk to me. What happened?’
‘Maybe …’
‘Maybe what?’
‘Allegedly tried to take… s’mthing and g’t shot?’
The moment Peter gets a location, he gets his keys and runs towards his car.
‘Neal, you have to keep talking to me.’
‘Tired.’
‘I know Neal, that’s the blood loss, but you have to keep conscious, OK?’
When there is no response, Peter puts his lights on and steps on the gas. When he arrives, he pulls out his gun and slowly checks the perimeter. No use to walk into a trap. When he fairly sure, he is alone, he starts looking for Neal and finds him slumped on the ground, unconscious.
He jumps when Neal´s phone rings. He answers it.
‘Neal! I just received you message, why didn´t you go to Rose, you know it is stocked to treat a gunshot wound.’
‘Who is this?’
‘Who is this? I called Neal, who are you? I swear buddy, if I know who you are, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth. I am well connected my friend.’
‘I just found Neal, he is shot twice in the chest. I am calling 911.’
‘No! you can´t! Whoever you are, take him to my safe house. I will text you the address. I will send someone over who can take care of him.’
The call is disconnected and Peter stares into it. Was this the unknown accomplish they have been looking for? If he wants answers, he will have to take care of Caffrey first. He walks back to his car, driving it as close as he can, he takes out the tarp he keeps in the trunk in case Satchmo has to be taken somewhere and lifts Neal onto it. He then drives towards the address that was send to him.
* * *
The address he arrives at is a non-descriptive building. He checks it out first, no need to let caution in the wind. The code he was given opens the door. He then lifts Neal into the house.
‘Anybody home?’ A voice hollers from the door.
‘Yeah, in the bedroom.’
Peter awaits the man with his gun ready. But the woman who enters is clearly a paramedic. A paramedic who is in someone’s pocket.
‘Put the gun away please, I am just here to help someone. I was called for a gunshot victim, so I guess by the amount of blood on him, he is the one.’
‘Yeah, he is.’
‘OK, let me go to work then.’
‘Of course. If I can help, let me know.’
‘Start by giving me some more light.’
Peter brings in one of the lamps from the living room and aims the light at Neal. In the bright light he even looks paler than before. The EMT starts working and soon she has the wound disinfected, stitched and bandaged.
‘He needs antibiotics and pain relief, but I assume you can get this for him.’
Peter realizes she thinks he is the one that called her, so he nods. Whoever called him will be able to, he is sure of it.
‘Ok, let him rest, I have him a sedative, so he will be out for a couple of hours.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
When the EMT leaves, Peter sits down. He is an accomplish to a crime, what has he gotten himself into? He knows he should have brought Neal in, bring him into the system, but the kids is too young to be locked up somewhere where he only come out of worse.
He studies the kid, ‘you know, this can´t end well, Neal, someday, you won´t be quick enough or you won´t be able to reach me…’
He pulls his gun when he hears a door open.
‘Put the gun down suit.’
‘You are the one that called Neal.’
‘I see you stood in the front line when they were handing out brains,’ the bald man states, ‘but thank you for taking care of Neal.’
‘You are welcome. I’ve got to go.’
‘You should.’
Peter leaves the building, driving home, thinking about Neal and the strange little man that clearly is an accomplish.’
* * *
The next day, when Peter wants to check on Neal, the building is empty. There is not a trace left that someone was here just yesterday. They are gone.
.