Fic: The Philadelphia Story (NCIS; White Collar)
Title: The Philadelphia Story
Author: kaylashay
Rating: FR21
Disclaimer: I'm not USA / Jeff Eastin / etc. (White Collar) or Bellesario or CBS / etc. (NCIS), so I don't claim to own them.
Genre: Slash; Threesome; Crossover
Fandoms: White Collar; NCIS
Pairing(s): Gibbs/DiNozzo; Peter/El/Neal; Neal/OMC; Tony/OMC
Warnings: Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con
Word Count: 4,033
Beta: avamclean did a quick one, so all other mistakes are mine
Written For: hawk_soaring's January 2013 Unwritten Meme Prompt
Summary: Tony doesn't talk about his past much but all that changes when he arrests Neal Caffrey during the raid of a smuggling ring. Trouble is, Neal is working for the FBI -- and his handler isn't all that thrilled about finding out about Neal's past with the NCIS agent. Come to think of it, neither is Gibbs.
2012
"I said freeze," Tony repeated as he trained his gun on one of the guys trying to sneak out a side exit.
The man froze with his hands in the air and he slowly turned around to face Tony. When Tony saw the eyes, it was him that froze. Almost twenty years and he would recognize that face anywhere. It was like turning back the clock.
"Danny?" he managed to get out. The other man's eyes went wide and Tony knew that they both remembered.
Then time sped up and Gibbs was barking at him to cuff his guy so they could start figuring the mess out.
Tony took a deep breath and moved forward. He captured Danny's arms and put the cuffs in place.
"Danny Brooks, you are under arrest. Anything you say can and will..."
The words were being said, but Tony's mind was back in 1995 and the assignment in Philadelphia. The assignment that had been sealed by a court order, leaving a blank year in his record. The assignment he never wanted to think about again.
1995
Prior to leaving Peoria, Tony had secured his next job with the Philly PD. The funny thing was that he had never set foot inside a precinct building. He had been hired from out of state as an undercover police officer with no ties to anyone on the forces there, save his handler and the police chief. It was the kind of thing he had seen in movies and until he was neck deep in his cover he hadn't thought it existed.
Now, he was just Tony, a runaway street rat with no last name, no family and no place to call home. Although he was twenty-four, he could still pass himself off as seventeen or eighteen. That's what he needed to be in order to get to the bottom of Philly's street problem.
In the months before Tony's arrival, boys had been turning up beaten and raped prior to their death. Detectives had managed to scrape together enough to know that someone was using runaways for prostitution, but they couldn't pin anything down. So the idea had been hatched to get an undercover guy with no ties to Philly to try to get in on the inside. With applications out across the country looking for a change from Peoria, Tony was selected.
It had been a surprise at first at how much he enjoyed getting into character. He had always enjoyed pretending to be something else, and this gave him the perfect outlet to do it. What he didn't like was seeing how people were really living a life he was just using for a short period. There were kids that never had a chance and it hurt him to not be able to help each and every one of them.
It had taken months on the streets without enough to eat before Tony had finally made the right contact. Before he knew it, he'd been taken to a derelict motel and locked in a room. At first, he thought the room was empty, but then he heard the rustling of the soiled sheets piled in the corner and saw blue eyes blinking at him through the darkness of the room.
"You're not a customer," the voice was stronger than Tony thought possible, given how thin the boy appeared to be.
"No," he said as he moved closer. "Said I'd be a good addition to their stable and that I'd make some cash while I'm here."
The kid snorted. "I've been here two weeks and haven't seen a dime. Barely get to see food. Usually snatch something when they have me on the street."
"How'd you get here?" Tony asked as he settled in on the floor next to the kid.
"Same way anyone else does. I was desperate and had nowhere else to go."
"There's always a choice," Tony said quietly.
"Says the guy who just got his ass tossed in with me. They own you now. And don't think about going to the cops. They have a few on the payroll and a few more that use our services."
"I'm Tony," he said instead of continuing the discussion about cops. That could put him in a dangerous situation if someone overheard through the paper-thin walls.
"Danny," the kid said with a sigh. "For now anyway."
"So what's the routine like, Danny Boy?"
Danny rolled his eyes like he had heard that one his entire life. "They get us around six and take us to different parts of the city each night we're on the street. Two nights a week, they keep some of us here and bring clients in. That's what I was expecting since they didn't take me out tonight."
Tony looked over at the stained bed that Danny had apparently stripped the sheets from. There were opened cuffs dangling from the headboard. The sight caused Tony to shudder. Before Tony could ask anything else, the door banged opened and two men entered and Tony felt his heart stop. He had no backup, no badge and no gun and his handler was standing in the doorway with a wicked grin on is face. He was screwed.
2012
"His name ain't Danny Brooks!" Benson was shouting at the top of his lungs. "Said his name was Nick Halden! Gonna kill the little narc!"
"Shut up," Gibbs ground out as Benson was finally shoved in a car and the door slammed shut to silence him.
"You know him?" Gibbs questioned as he nodded his head toward the guy Tony was calling Danny Brooks.
"Long time ago. Had hoped he'd find a better life for himself. But apparently not," Tony said with a sad sigh. "Last I saw him, US Marshals were talking to him. Never heard the name Nick Halden though," Tony added, giving Danny a questioning look.
"That's because he doesn't exist," a new voice cut in and Gibbs and Tony took in the FBI badge that was flashed at them. "But Neal Caffrey does, and he's mine."
"Peter!" Danny called out. "What took you so long?"
"Considering we lost your tracker in New York, it's a wonder we found you," Peter said gruffly.
"Took you five days. Old age must be slowing you down. And I left you clues!"
"Clues that we had to get Mozzie to help solve. He even threatened to come with once I headed down here."
When the two finished their exchange Tony wanted answers.
"Look," he said, turning Danny to face him. "I know you are Danny Brooks from Philadelphia. Too much shit went down for me not to remember you. So why's our smuggling ring calling you Nick and the Feeb calling you Neal?"
"Would you accept that it's a very long story and one that we shouldn't be sharing all of out in the open? And call me Neal, because the name Danny Brooks doesn't need to be mentioned around prying ears."
"Okay, Neal. At least explain the FBI agent, because we are booking you otherwise."
Neal gave Peter a pleading look, but the other man just smiled and shook his head. "You know there's a running bet about if you'll get booked or not each time you go out. Of course, the booking party is usually NYPD, so NCIS would be a nice change of pace."
Neal sighed. "I'm on work release as a CI to New York's white collar division and Peter is my handler."
Gibbs grabbed the keys from Tony and tossed them to Peter. "He's yours. You deal with him."
Peter tossed the keys right back to Tony and nodded as Neal handed the now opened cuffs to Tony.
"I see you've been practicing," Tony said dryly.
"Comes in handy when I'm hanging around all these federal agents," Neal quipped. "So I've got more than enough goods on all your guys you just took down. Probably more than you had gathered prior to busting up this little operation."
"And I still want to know why NCIS is involved in this and why the hell you know Neal as Danny Brooks," Peter said as the four made their way to a car.
1995
Rogers, the guy that was supposed to be helping him, had manhandled him onto the bed and clicked the cuffs around his hands. The bastard had leaned forward and licked a stripe up Tony's neck before stopping with his mouth at Tony's ear.
"Been waiting for this since you were assigned to me. Ain't nobody gonna find you either since I'm still filing reports on your activity."
Tony jerked his head away and spat at the man's face.
"That was a mistake, boy," Rogers said and Tony heard Danny cry out in pain as the other man's belt slashed across his bare back.
Rogers smiled as he spoke. "See, you're going to let me do whatever I want and you're going to fucking enjoy it. If you don't, then Jeff over there is going to have fun with little Danny's back over there. Understood?"
Tony didn't move, he just kept his defiant glare on Rogers' face. Rogers nodded at Jeff and the belt flew again.
"No!" Tony cried out as he struggled against the cuffs.
"I'll ask again," Rogers said as he pressed his body down onto Tony's. "Do you understand?"
Tony nodded. He could take it. He would take whatever Rogers wanted to dish out if it kept that damn belt from striking Danny again.
2012
Before entering NCIS, Neal had grabbed Peter and pulled him off for a moment of semi-privacy.
"Peter," Neal said and Peter could see a hint of panic rising in Neal's eyes. "If I'm going to talk about how I met Tony later, I need you to do something."
Peter just nodded for Neal to continue. He had learned that it was better to hear Neal out instead of cutting him off immediately.
"Call Elizabeth and see if she can join us. I know she has work and Satchmo, but if I'm going to talk about this, I need her here too. "
"Why?" Peter asked, not liking sudden nervousness Neal was displaying.
"Because you won't like what Tony and I will be saying and having her here will keep you calmer. Also," Neal looked around before lowering his voice, "we said when we started our thing that there would be no secrets between us. If I tell you, then I'm telling her and if I have to do it, I only want to do it once."
Peter knew that it took a lot to rattle Neal, so whatever had happened during his shared past with the NCIS agent had to be bad.
"Okay," Peter agreed. "I'll call her."
After that the case had taken priority over discussions of the past. Peter and Neal had gone to NCIS to provide their statements and add to the gathering amount of evidence they would have against the smugglers. When he presented a flash drive that contained detailed spreadsheets of contacts and operations, everyone was excited.
Several hours later, El called to say she had arrived at the train station just as they wrapped up the case. By unspoken agreement, Gibbs found himself driving all of them toward his house after they picked up El and some Chinese food.
"So," El started after they had finished eating. She had noticed that Neal had barely touched his along with Tony. "Not that I'm all for a trip to DC, but what's this all about?"
When no one spoke up, Peter decided to start. "Apparently, Tony here knew Neal when he was still Danny. And since Neal only wanted the story told once, he decided you needed to be here to hear it."
Judging by the way Neal was not trying to be the life of the room, El figured that whatever it was had to be bad. She made Neal swap places with her so that he was in between her and Peter and she grabbed his hand in her own and squeezed.
"Whatever it is, we'll still be here for you, hon," El said softly, not caring what Gibbs and Tony thought of the situation. She was pleased to see Peter rest his hand on Neal's leg as a show of support.
"I'm glad you find someone, two someones," Tony said with a nod to Neal. "It helps," he added as he moved from the chair he had pulled in from the kitchen to sit on the floor at Gibbs' feet.
Gibbs reach down and rested his hand on Tony's head, petting his hair. "How about one of you start," he suggested.
Tony looked at Neal and after a moment, he started, "Remember how I always said Philadelphia had extenuating circumstances…"
1995
A month had passed. Unlike Danny, Tony had been confined to their little room. They still took Danny on his regular trips to the streets, but Tony only entertained clients in the room. After that first night, Tony didn't put up much of a fight. He knew they would carry through on the threat to hurt Danny if he did. He'd seen the pictures of the dead boys that had kicked off the investigation and knew they meant business.
It was hard letting the clients rape him, but it was harder watching them with Danny. He felt that it was his job to protect kids like Danny and he was failing miserably. During their down time in the late mornings, Tony cuddled with Danny on the mattress and they whispered to each other to pass the time.
Danny told Tony about running away from home in St. Louis on his eighteenth birthday. He never said why, just that a family friend told him some the truth about his family.
"Up until then," Danny said with an ache that showed on his face, "I wanted to be a cop like my dad. Then I learned he had bad blood and judging by where I've ended up, I have it too."
"You don't have bad blood," Tony said softly. "Whatever your father was, doesn't make who you are. Although, mine always said I would end up in a gutter, so I guess he wasn't far off."
"That first night," Neal said as a mere whisper in Tony's ear, "it sounded like Rogers was saying you're a cop."
"I am," Tony said just as quietly. "Rogers was suppose to be my backup and no one else in the city knows where I'm at. The chief knows I'm out here, but he gets his reports from Rogers."
"What's your real name?" Danny asked quietly.
"Actually, it is Tony," he said, smiling a bit for the first time in a while. "Tony DiNozzo. How about you?"
"Danny Brooks. For now."
2012
Gibbs was pacing the floor, his footsteps echoing through the silence. Peter would have joined him except for the look that El had sent his way commanding him to stay next to Neal.
"Tell me you got them," Gibbs finally ground out as he stopped in front of Tony.
Tony stood up and pulled him into a stiff hug. "We got them. It was actually Dan- Neal that saved the day."
Peter gave Neal a questioning look of pride and he picked up the story.
1995
Tony had been sharing the room with Danny for a month and a half and both were deteriorating. Danny tried to sneak food back in to the room, but it was hard. And their pimps weren't giving them nearly enough to keep them healthy. As Danny nursed Tony through a round a puking after a client had left the room, he began to hatch a plan.
During their conversations, Danny had learned about Tony's assignment and how there was only one other potential ally in the city. If the chief wasn't part of the ring, he would be their only hope. Danny knew that Tony had no way of escape, so it was going to be up to him to get them and the others out of the hell hole they had fallen into.
The next time he was out on the street, he made his move. Jeff had gotten distracted with one of the female hookers a corner over and wasn't paying close attention. And then a first timer pulled up and Danny took a chance.
"I'll blow you for free if you can drop me off at a payphone St. Peter's Church on 3rd and Pine."
Danny followed the guy's nervous glance around the street and tried to calm his fears. "Don't worry about them. My pimp's distracted. Just don't come back here again."
The man complied and Danny gave him his best blowjob as a reward before he got out of the car. The man even paid him, adding some change for the phone before driving away.
Danny was on edge as he picked up the phone and dialed Ellen's number. He could only hope that she hadn't been moved in the months since he had been gone. He had thought about trying to get to the police chief Tony had spoken of, but he was afraid of being spotted by someone in the building. Ellen and the Marshals were his only hope.
"Hello?"
Danny's heart flared when he heard her voice. "Ellen?" he asked shakily.
"Danny! Where are you? Are you okay!?"
"Not really. I'm in Philadelphia and we need help."
Ellen listened as he stumbled through a brief explanation. He glossed over the details, but he knew that Ellen would figure out what he wasn't saying. She had been a cop after all.
"Tony only knows the police chief outside of the guy that was supposed to be working with him. And I've seen too many of the cops around to trust going there," Danny wrapped up.
"I'll talk to the Marshals," Ellen said. "Technically, you're still under protective service with them. They can take over outside of the police jurisdiction. Do you have somewhere safe to go until they get there?"
"Tell 'em I'll be at St. Peter's Church. Someone told me it was a safe haven. Ellen," Danny trailed off, unsure how to continue. "I'm sorry I ran, but I had to. What you told me… Do you think I've got his bad blood in me?"
"No Danny. You gotta believe that you are good. I wish I had waited to tell you, but I was afraid that you'd find out another way with your graduation coming up. The Marshals were going to have to tell you and I wanted you to hear it from me."
"It's okay. Listen, I need to get off the street. I'll wait for the Marshals at St. Peter's. Bye Ellen."
"Bye Danny," and Ellen was gone.
Danny headed across the street and prayed to a God he didn't believe in that everything would work out.
2012
"St. Peter's?" El said with a small smile. "Guess it was kismet."
"Yeah," Neal said. "Things moved kind of fast after that. The Marshals got me and then they worked with the FBI to raid the motel I'd been kept with Tony. Between me and Tony, we had a long list of names to give them. It was actually where I first learned to pick pockets. I'd check their IDs while Tony kept them distracted."
"We made a good team," Tony said. "What I didn't get was how you disappeared so fast. I saw you talking with some of the Marshals while I was making my statement to the FBI and then I didn't see you again. And no one would tell me where you went."
"That's where the name Neal Caffrey comes in to play," Neal said softly. "My birth name was Neal Bennett and I had been Danny Brooks since I was three and my dad killed a fellow cop before turning states evidence and then disappearing. When I found out the truth from his partner Ellen, I ran and ended up tangled in that mess in Philly."
"After the raid, the Marshals gave me a choice. It was either go back to being Danny Brooks and be under their protection or take a new name and head out on my own. At that point, I didn't want to be Danny Brooks anymore. They made the name Neal Caffrey official, gave me some ID and a little cash and dropped me off in New York."
"And then you became a thorn in my side," Peter grumbled as he pulled Neal into a hug.
"But you love me for it," Neal said back.
"Guess that's when you headed to Baltimore?" Gibbs asked Tony. The two were sharing the armchair, with Tony sitting half on Gibbs' lap and half on the chair's arm.
"Yeah. I had to get out of Philly fast and Baltimore had me going to a shrink for the first year I was there. It's why I hate them now."
"Your record never said anything about it."
"I asked them to keep it quiet. I already knew it was hard enough being interested in men while on the force. Figured if the other guys knew I'd been raped and used as a hooker I'd be a pariah."
"And I want to go kick down a few doors at the Marshals' office for not telling us about any of this. They didn't even step in when we finally got your name during our investigation," Peter said to Neal.
"They'd written me off after Philly," Neal said. "Of course, they have me back now," Neal added as he waggled the tracking anklet Peter had reattached at NCIS.
"And we've got you too," El added, giving Neal a hug. "I'm glad you shared it with us," she said, trying not to tear up again. She wanted nothing more than to hold Neal forever after the story they had told.
"I just wish I could have helped you more," Tony said to Neal. "I tried looking for you over the years and never found you. I wish I could have kept you out (of) that," he said with a nod toward the tracker.
"You and Ellen both tried to tell me that I wasn't my father, but I wasn't ready to listen," Neal admitted. "I think I am now."
"What happened to Rogers and Jeff?" Gibbs asked and Tony could see he was still angry and wanted revenge on the two that had started Tony's trip in hell.
"I never looked back," Neal admitted as he turned to Tony for answers.
"Rogers was killed in prison by some guys he had sent away. Jeff's still serving time because they were able to pin one of the murders on him. Anytime he's up for parole, I take a trip to testify against him."
"Good," Gibbs said and his fists finally unclenched before he left the room without a word.
"How about you three take the bedroom," Tony offered. "It's too late to deal with a hotel room now."
"What about you?"
"He's going to be working on some wood project in his basement for at least a few hours to unwind. It won't be the first time I've slept with him down there."
Neal, Peter and El refrained from commenting and allowed Tony to show them to the bedroom. Tony held Neal outside the room while Peter and El headed in.
"I'm glad you're okay now, Danny," he said softly as he pulled Neal into a hug and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "And thanks for saving me. I never got the chance to say that."
"You saved me first," Neal said. "If you hadn't of been tossed in my room that day… I'd been thinking about killing myself," he admitted. "With you there, I knew I couldn't do it."
"I guess we're even then," Tony said. "Now go take care of your partners while I go stake out a hard piece of concrete basement floor. And don't make me have to arrest you again."
"I'll leave the arresting to Peter. He has a kink," Neal said with a wink as he headed in to the bedroom.
Fic Roundups By Year: 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013
Author: kaylashay
Rating: FR21
Disclaimer: I'm not USA / Jeff Eastin / etc. (White Collar) or Bellesario or CBS / etc. (NCIS), so I don't claim to own them.
Genre: Slash; Threesome; Crossover
Fandoms: White Collar; NCIS
Pairing(s): Gibbs/DiNozzo; Peter/El/Neal; Neal/OMC; Tony/OMC
Warnings: Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con
Word Count: 4,033
Beta: avamclean did a quick one, so all other mistakes are mine
Written For: hawk_soaring's January 2013 Unwritten Meme Prompt
Summary: Tony doesn't talk about his past much but all that changes when he arrests Neal Caffrey during the raid of a smuggling ring. Trouble is, Neal is working for the FBI -- and his handler isn't all that thrilled about finding out about Neal's past with the NCIS agent. Come to think of it, neither is Gibbs.
2012
"I said freeze," Tony repeated as he trained his gun on one of the guys trying to sneak out a side exit.
The man froze with his hands in the air and he slowly turned around to face Tony. When Tony saw the eyes, it was him that froze. Almost twenty years and he would recognize that face anywhere. It was like turning back the clock.
"Danny?" he managed to get out. The other man's eyes went wide and Tony knew that they both remembered.
Then time sped up and Gibbs was barking at him to cuff his guy so they could start figuring the mess out.
Tony took a deep breath and moved forward. He captured Danny's arms and put the cuffs in place.
"Danny Brooks, you are under arrest. Anything you say can and will..."
The words were being said, but Tony's mind was back in 1995 and the assignment in Philadelphia. The assignment that had been sealed by a court order, leaving a blank year in his record. The assignment he never wanted to think about again.
1995
Prior to leaving Peoria, Tony had secured his next job with the Philly PD. The funny thing was that he had never set foot inside a precinct building. He had been hired from out of state as an undercover police officer with no ties to anyone on the forces there, save his handler and the police chief. It was the kind of thing he had seen in movies and until he was neck deep in his cover he hadn't thought it existed.
Now, he was just Tony, a runaway street rat with no last name, no family and no place to call home. Although he was twenty-four, he could still pass himself off as seventeen or eighteen. That's what he needed to be in order to get to the bottom of Philly's street problem.
In the months before Tony's arrival, boys had been turning up beaten and raped prior to their death. Detectives had managed to scrape together enough to know that someone was using runaways for prostitution, but they couldn't pin anything down. So the idea had been hatched to get an undercover guy with no ties to Philly to try to get in on the inside. With applications out across the country looking for a change from Peoria, Tony was selected.
It had been a surprise at first at how much he enjoyed getting into character. He had always enjoyed pretending to be something else, and this gave him the perfect outlet to do it. What he didn't like was seeing how people were really living a life he was just using for a short period. There were kids that never had a chance and it hurt him to not be able to help each and every one of them.
It had taken months on the streets without enough to eat before Tony had finally made the right contact. Before he knew it, he'd been taken to a derelict motel and locked in a room. At first, he thought the room was empty, but then he heard the rustling of the soiled sheets piled in the corner and saw blue eyes blinking at him through the darkness of the room.
"You're not a customer," the voice was stronger than Tony thought possible, given how thin the boy appeared to be.
"No," he said as he moved closer. "Said I'd be a good addition to their stable and that I'd make some cash while I'm here."
The kid snorted. "I've been here two weeks and haven't seen a dime. Barely get to see food. Usually snatch something when they have me on the street."
"How'd you get here?" Tony asked as he settled in on the floor next to the kid.
"Same way anyone else does. I was desperate and had nowhere else to go."
"There's always a choice," Tony said quietly.
"Says the guy who just got his ass tossed in with me. They own you now. And don't think about going to the cops. They have a few on the payroll and a few more that use our services."
"I'm Tony," he said instead of continuing the discussion about cops. That could put him in a dangerous situation if someone overheard through the paper-thin walls.
"Danny," the kid said with a sigh. "For now anyway."
"So what's the routine like, Danny Boy?"
Danny rolled his eyes like he had heard that one his entire life. "They get us around six and take us to different parts of the city each night we're on the street. Two nights a week, they keep some of us here and bring clients in. That's what I was expecting since they didn't take me out tonight."
Tony looked over at the stained bed that Danny had apparently stripped the sheets from. There were opened cuffs dangling from the headboard. The sight caused Tony to shudder. Before Tony could ask anything else, the door banged opened and two men entered and Tony felt his heart stop. He had no backup, no badge and no gun and his handler was standing in the doorway with a wicked grin on is face. He was screwed.
2012
"His name ain't Danny Brooks!" Benson was shouting at the top of his lungs. "Said his name was Nick Halden! Gonna kill the little narc!"
"Shut up," Gibbs ground out as Benson was finally shoved in a car and the door slammed shut to silence him.
"You know him?" Gibbs questioned as he nodded his head toward the guy Tony was calling Danny Brooks.
"Long time ago. Had hoped he'd find a better life for himself. But apparently not," Tony said with a sad sigh. "Last I saw him, US Marshals were talking to him. Never heard the name Nick Halden though," Tony added, giving Danny a questioning look.
"That's because he doesn't exist," a new voice cut in and Gibbs and Tony took in the FBI badge that was flashed at them. "But Neal Caffrey does, and he's mine."
"Peter!" Danny called out. "What took you so long?"
"Considering we lost your tracker in New York, it's a wonder we found you," Peter said gruffly.
"Took you five days. Old age must be slowing you down. And I left you clues!"
"Clues that we had to get Mozzie to help solve. He even threatened to come with once I headed down here."
When the two finished their exchange Tony wanted answers.
"Look," he said, turning Danny to face him. "I know you are Danny Brooks from Philadelphia. Too much shit went down for me not to remember you. So why's our smuggling ring calling you Nick and the Feeb calling you Neal?"
"Would you accept that it's a very long story and one that we shouldn't be sharing all of out in the open? And call me Neal, because the name Danny Brooks doesn't need to be mentioned around prying ears."
"Okay, Neal. At least explain the FBI agent, because we are booking you otherwise."
Neal gave Peter a pleading look, but the other man just smiled and shook his head. "You know there's a running bet about if you'll get booked or not each time you go out. Of course, the booking party is usually NYPD, so NCIS would be a nice change of pace."
Neal sighed. "I'm on work release as a CI to New York's white collar division and Peter is my handler."
Gibbs grabbed the keys from Tony and tossed them to Peter. "He's yours. You deal with him."
Peter tossed the keys right back to Tony and nodded as Neal handed the now opened cuffs to Tony.
"I see you've been practicing," Tony said dryly.
"Comes in handy when I'm hanging around all these federal agents," Neal quipped. "So I've got more than enough goods on all your guys you just took down. Probably more than you had gathered prior to busting up this little operation."
"And I still want to know why NCIS is involved in this and why the hell you know Neal as Danny Brooks," Peter said as the four made their way to a car.
1995
Rogers, the guy that was supposed to be helping him, had manhandled him onto the bed and clicked the cuffs around his hands. The bastard had leaned forward and licked a stripe up Tony's neck before stopping with his mouth at Tony's ear.
"Been waiting for this since you were assigned to me. Ain't nobody gonna find you either since I'm still filing reports on your activity."
Tony jerked his head away and spat at the man's face.
"That was a mistake, boy," Rogers said and Tony heard Danny cry out in pain as the other man's belt slashed across his bare back.
Rogers smiled as he spoke. "See, you're going to let me do whatever I want and you're going to fucking enjoy it. If you don't, then Jeff over there is going to have fun with little Danny's back over there. Understood?"
Tony didn't move, he just kept his defiant glare on Rogers' face. Rogers nodded at Jeff and the belt flew again.
"No!" Tony cried out as he struggled against the cuffs.
"I'll ask again," Rogers said as he pressed his body down onto Tony's. "Do you understand?"
Tony nodded. He could take it. He would take whatever Rogers wanted to dish out if it kept that damn belt from striking Danny again.
2012
Before entering NCIS, Neal had grabbed Peter and pulled him off for a moment of semi-privacy.
"Peter," Neal said and Peter could see a hint of panic rising in Neal's eyes. "If I'm going to talk about how I met Tony later, I need you to do something."
Peter just nodded for Neal to continue. He had learned that it was better to hear Neal out instead of cutting him off immediately.
"Call Elizabeth and see if she can join us. I know she has work and Satchmo, but if I'm going to talk about this, I need her here too. "
"Why?" Peter asked, not liking sudden nervousness Neal was displaying.
"Because you won't like what Tony and I will be saying and having her here will keep you calmer. Also," Neal looked around before lowering his voice, "we said when we started our thing that there would be no secrets between us. If I tell you, then I'm telling her and if I have to do it, I only want to do it once."
Peter knew that it took a lot to rattle Neal, so whatever had happened during his shared past with the NCIS agent had to be bad.
"Okay," Peter agreed. "I'll call her."
After that the case had taken priority over discussions of the past. Peter and Neal had gone to NCIS to provide their statements and add to the gathering amount of evidence they would have against the smugglers. When he presented a flash drive that contained detailed spreadsheets of contacts and operations, everyone was excited.
Several hours later, El called to say she had arrived at the train station just as they wrapped up the case. By unspoken agreement, Gibbs found himself driving all of them toward his house after they picked up El and some Chinese food.
"So," El started after they had finished eating. She had noticed that Neal had barely touched his along with Tony. "Not that I'm all for a trip to DC, but what's this all about?"
When no one spoke up, Peter decided to start. "Apparently, Tony here knew Neal when he was still Danny. And since Neal only wanted the story told once, he decided you needed to be here to hear it."
Judging by the way Neal was not trying to be the life of the room, El figured that whatever it was had to be bad. She made Neal swap places with her so that he was in between her and Peter and she grabbed his hand in her own and squeezed.
"Whatever it is, we'll still be here for you, hon," El said softly, not caring what Gibbs and Tony thought of the situation. She was pleased to see Peter rest his hand on Neal's leg as a show of support.
"I'm glad you find someone, two someones," Tony said with a nod to Neal. "It helps," he added as he moved from the chair he had pulled in from the kitchen to sit on the floor at Gibbs' feet.
Gibbs reach down and rested his hand on Tony's head, petting his hair. "How about one of you start," he suggested.
Tony looked at Neal and after a moment, he started, "Remember how I always said Philadelphia had extenuating circumstances…"
1995
A month had passed. Unlike Danny, Tony had been confined to their little room. They still took Danny on his regular trips to the streets, but Tony only entertained clients in the room. After that first night, Tony didn't put up much of a fight. He knew they would carry through on the threat to hurt Danny if he did. He'd seen the pictures of the dead boys that had kicked off the investigation and knew they meant business.
It was hard letting the clients rape him, but it was harder watching them with Danny. He felt that it was his job to protect kids like Danny and he was failing miserably. During their down time in the late mornings, Tony cuddled with Danny on the mattress and they whispered to each other to pass the time.
Danny told Tony about running away from home in St. Louis on his eighteenth birthday. He never said why, just that a family friend told him some the truth about his family.
"Up until then," Danny said with an ache that showed on his face, "I wanted to be a cop like my dad. Then I learned he had bad blood and judging by where I've ended up, I have it too."
"You don't have bad blood," Tony said softly. "Whatever your father was, doesn't make who you are. Although, mine always said I would end up in a gutter, so I guess he wasn't far off."
"That first night," Neal said as a mere whisper in Tony's ear, "it sounded like Rogers was saying you're a cop."
"I am," Tony said just as quietly. "Rogers was suppose to be my backup and no one else in the city knows where I'm at. The chief knows I'm out here, but he gets his reports from Rogers."
"What's your real name?" Danny asked quietly.
"Actually, it is Tony," he said, smiling a bit for the first time in a while. "Tony DiNozzo. How about you?"
"Danny Brooks. For now."
2012
Gibbs was pacing the floor, his footsteps echoing through the silence. Peter would have joined him except for the look that El had sent his way commanding him to stay next to Neal.
"Tell me you got them," Gibbs finally ground out as he stopped in front of Tony.
Tony stood up and pulled him into a stiff hug. "We got them. It was actually Dan- Neal that saved the day."
Peter gave Neal a questioning look of pride and he picked up the story.
1995
Tony had been sharing the room with Danny for a month and a half and both were deteriorating. Danny tried to sneak food back in to the room, but it was hard. And their pimps weren't giving them nearly enough to keep them healthy. As Danny nursed Tony through a round a puking after a client had left the room, he began to hatch a plan.
During their conversations, Danny had learned about Tony's assignment and how there was only one other potential ally in the city. If the chief wasn't part of the ring, he would be their only hope. Danny knew that Tony had no way of escape, so it was going to be up to him to get them and the others out of the hell hole they had fallen into.
The next time he was out on the street, he made his move. Jeff had gotten distracted with one of the female hookers a corner over and wasn't paying close attention. And then a first timer pulled up and Danny took a chance.
"I'll blow you for free if you can drop me off at a payphone St. Peter's Church on 3rd and Pine."
Danny followed the guy's nervous glance around the street and tried to calm his fears. "Don't worry about them. My pimp's distracted. Just don't come back here again."
The man complied and Danny gave him his best blowjob as a reward before he got out of the car. The man even paid him, adding some change for the phone before driving away.
Danny was on edge as he picked up the phone and dialed Ellen's number. He could only hope that she hadn't been moved in the months since he had been gone. He had thought about trying to get to the police chief Tony had spoken of, but he was afraid of being spotted by someone in the building. Ellen and the Marshals were his only hope.
"Hello?"
Danny's heart flared when he heard her voice. "Ellen?" he asked shakily.
"Danny! Where are you? Are you okay!?"
"Not really. I'm in Philadelphia and we need help."
Ellen listened as he stumbled through a brief explanation. He glossed over the details, but he knew that Ellen would figure out what he wasn't saying. She had been a cop after all.
"Tony only knows the police chief outside of the guy that was supposed to be working with him. And I've seen too many of the cops around to trust going there," Danny wrapped up.
"I'll talk to the Marshals," Ellen said. "Technically, you're still under protective service with them. They can take over outside of the police jurisdiction. Do you have somewhere safe to go until they get there?"
"Tell 'em I'll be at St. Peter's Church. Someone told me it was a safe haven. Ellen," Danny trailed off, unsure how to continue. "I'm sorry I ran, but I had to. What you told me… Do you think I've got his bad blood in me?"
"No Danny. You gotta believe that you are good. I wish I had waited to tell you, but I was afraid that you'd find out another way with your graduation coming up. The Marshals were going to have to tell you and I wanted you to hear it from me."
"It's okay. Listen, I need to get off the street. I'll wait for the Marshals at St. Peter's. Bye Ellen."
"Bye Danny," and Ellen was gone.
Danny headed across the street and prayed to a God he didn't believe in that everything would work out.
2012
"St. Peter's?" El said with a small smile. "Guess it was kismet."
"Yeah," Neal said. "Things moved kind of fast after that. The Marshals got me and then they worked with the FBI to raid the motel I'd been kept with Tony. Between me and Tony, we had a long list of names to give them. It was actually where I first learned to pick pockets. I'd check their IDs while Tony kept them distracted."
"We made a good team," Tony said. "What I didn't get was how you disappeared so fast. I saw you talking with some of the Marshals while I was making my statement to the FBI and then I didn't see you again. And no one would tell me where you went."
"That's where the name Neal Caffrey comes in to play," Neal said softly. "My birth name was Neal Bennett and I had been Danny Brooks since I was three and my dad killed a fellow cop before turning states evidence and then disappearing. When I found out the truth from his partner Ellen, I ran and ended up tangled in that mess in Philly."
"After the raid, the Marshals gave me a choice. It was either go back to being Danny Brooks and be under their protection or take a new name and head out on my own. At that point, I didn't want to be Danny Brooks anymore. They made the name Neal Caffrey official, gave me some ID and a little cash and dropped me off in New York."
"And then you became a thorn in my side," Peter grumbled as he pulled Neal into a hug.
"But you love me for it," Neal said back.
"Guess that's when you headed to Baltimore?" Gibbs asked Tony. The two were sharing the armchair, with Tony sitting half on Gibbs' lap and half on the chair's arm.
"Yeah. I had to get out of Philly fast and Baltimore had me going to a shrink for the first year I was there. It's why I hate them now."
"Your record never said anything about it."
"I asked them to keep it quiet. I already knew it was hard enough being interested in men while on the force. Figured if the other guys knew I'd been raped and used as a hooker I'd be a pariah."
"And I want to go kick down a few doors at the Marshals' office for not telling us about any of this. They didn't even step in when we finally got your name during our investigation," Peter said to Neal.
"They'd written me off after Philly," Neal said. "Of course, they have me back now," Neal added as he waggled the tracking anklet Peter had reattached at NCIS.
"And we've got you too," El added, giving Neal a hug. "I'm glad you shared it with us," she said, trying not to tear up again. She wanted nothing more than to hold Neal forever after the story they had told.
"I just wish I could have helped you more," Tony said to Neal. "I tried looking for you over the years and never found you. I wish I could have kept you out (of) that," he said with a nod toward the tracker.
"You and Ellen both tried to tell me that I wasn't my father, but I wasn't ready to listen," Neal admitted. "I think I am now."
"What happened to Rogers and Jeff?" Gibbs asked and Tony could see he was still angry and wanted revenge on the two that had started Tony's trip in hell.
"I never looked back," Neal admitted as he turned to Tony for answers.
"Rogers was killed in prison by some guys he had sent away. Jeff's still serving time because they were able to pin one of the murders on him. Anytime he's up for parole, I take a trip to testify against him."
"Good," Gibbs said and his fists finally unclenched before he left the room without a word.
"How about you three take the bedroom," Tony offered. "It's too late to deal with a hotel room now."
"What about you?"
"He's going to be working on some wood project in his basement for at least a few hours to unwind. It won't be the first time I've slept with him down there."
Neal, Peter and El refrained from commenting and allowed Tony to show them to the bedroom. Tony held Neal outside the room while Peter and El headed in.
"I'm glad you're okay now, Danny," he said softly as he pulled Neal into a hug and gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "And thanks for saving me. I never got the chance to say that."
"You saved me first," Neal said. "If you hadn't of been tossed in my room that day… I'd been thinking about killing myself," he admitted. "With you there, I knew I couldn't do it."
"I guess we're even then," Tony said. "Now go take care of your partners while I go stake out a hard piece of concrete basement floor. And don't make me have to arrest you again."
"I'll leave the arresting to Peter. He has a kink," Neal said with a wink as he headed in to the bedroom.
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