Last One Standing
In response to this prompt:
pipilj on May 14th, 2012 11:54 am (UTC) Prompt/Request: (#4) Water pistol tournament
Characters: Neal, OFC, cameos by Peter, Diana, Jones, Hughes, and Blake
Rating: G
How could I have forgotten the disclaimer???? Jeff Eastin, I would trade you my first born male child for one of these guys (well, not Ruiz), but I don't have one.
Neal held his hands up in a placating gesture and slowly backed away from the young agent holding a gun on him.
"Please," he said, his eyes wide and pleading, "please, just - just let me take off my jacket. It belonged to my landlady's late husband, and it would break her heart if it was damaged."
"I don't trust you," she replied, coldly. She was Organized Crime's newest probie, and Agent Ruiz had told her all about Neal Caffrey - conman, criminal, thief, forger. Liar. She took a determined stance, her right hand holding the gun, left hand supporting the right.
"Look," Neal said softly, "you hold all the cards. You have to know I'm not a gun guy. You know that once you pull that trigger there's no going back. Just five seconds to consider, that's all I'm asking," he said as he slid first one arm, then the other, out of the sleeves of his jacket, slowly, so she could see his hands at all times. Other than one visual sweep of his chest as he slid the jacket off her eyes locked onto his. Her first mistake.
Other agents from his team and Ruiz's surrounded them. None of his team - his colleagues - his friends - would help him. Could help him, he mentally corrected himself. The worst part was, he didn't know just where all of Ruiz's people were. He guessed they weren't behind him, since he hadn't been shot in the back. Yet. And since they weren't behind him, he could enjoy the rush that came with talking her out of something she wanted - needed - to do. Shoot Neal Caffrey. He watched as her mouth tightened in the moment before he lowered his arm to drop his jacket.
"Take the shot," Ruiz yelled.
She was momentarily distracted, long enough for Neal, in one smooth motion, to pull his gun from the back of his belt, swing it forward and fire directly at her heart. She looked down at the wetness on her cotton button-down shirt and then back at him, shock on her face as her second mistake registered.
"Ruiz was right," he told her, "I'm not trustworthy. But it's better you learn this from me than some stranger on the street." He probably shouldn't have smirked at Ruiz but he couldn't help it. Ruiz's emotional outburst just cost him his last agent on the field.
Peter, Diana, Jones and Blake cheered as Hughes made the pronouncement, "the winner of the Intra-Agency Water Pistol Championship goes to the White Collar Division. Good work, all of you. Nice move, Caffrey."
Neal expected an illegal shot to the head from Ruiz or one of his minions, but Ruiz was smart enough to know not to retaliate in front of Peter's team or Hughes. Especially Hughes, if they wanted to go after Neal sometime in the future. Team Organized Crime would make sure he'd never see it coming.
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