Servare Vitas
Title: Servare Vitas
Author: NYWCgirl
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: Neal/Peter
Characters: Peter, Neal, Mozzie, Diana
Warning: none
Spoilers: none
Rating: NC-13
Genre: AU, hurt/comfort, permanent injury, hostages, same sex marriage
Notes: Servare Vitas = To save lives (the motto of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team). Written for my ‘Hostages’ square on my H/C bingo card.
Word Count: ~5375
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Peter and Neal are FBI agents, only in completely different departments. Faith brings them together.
Story can also be found on AO3
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Peter cannot believe this is happening. How is it possible that the operation has gone south so quickly? A couple of minutes ago he was still chatting with their main suspect. He still doesn´t know what happened or how they made him. Guns were pulled and before he could say the panic phrase or do anything, he had been shot. They obviously wanted him to live, because they shot him in the leg, but Peter can immediately tell, it is a serious injury. Not like in the movies where the hero limps away. His thigh is bleeding profusely and he is lying on the ground without really remembering how he has gotten there.
When he scans his environment, it is obvious that everybody is tense and Peter is convinced that this operation is the last thing he will do in this life. He is outnumbered, definitely outgunned and his leg hurts like hell. He isn´t going anywhere, that much is clear.
He is pulled upright but his leg isn´t supporting him and he sinks back on his knees. He has to use all his will power not to puke. He is cuffed with riot cuffs behind his back and a black bag is pulled over his head, effectively blinding him.
Great, this wasn´t how he had expected to die, especially not after he transferred from Violent Crimes to the White Collar department.
He is again pulled to his feet and can´t contain the cry when pain shoots through his leg. He can feel the blood dripping down his leg. Two men pull him to another room, they forcefully shove him inside where he tumbles to the floor. He is wondering what will happen next when he hears shouts from next door.
“FBI, don´t move.”
“Do not come closer or we will kill your agent.” A gun is pushed against his head.
“This isn´t going to work. The FBI doesn´t negotiate.” Peter grits between his teeth.
The short forced march, although he was pulled and carried more than he actually walked, has made the bleeding worse or so it feels as Peter can´t see his leg.
“If you want a live hostage, you will need to bandage the wound.” He says matter of factly to his kidnappers.
“Shut up!”
Peter is backhanded and his head snaps back. He can taste blood, so he probably bit his lip.
“He is right, find something to stop the bleeding.”
One of the men rummages through the boxes that are stacked in the room. He ties what feels like a piece of cloth around Peter’s leg. Peter has to fight with all his strength to stay conscious while they manipulate his leg. The men are discussing what they should do next when Peter´s phone rings. The leader of the group grabs the phone out of Peter’s pocket and swipes it to answer.
“Special agent Burke?”
“Special agent Burke can´t come to the phone.” The voice mocks.
“Is he alright?”
“He´s just fine.”
“What are your demands?”
“We want free passage out of the building.”
“OK, but first we need to know if special agent Burke is unharmed.”
The telephone is pushed against his ear.
“Peter Burke.” His voice is muffled by the cloth bag over his head.
“Agent Burke, are you alright?”
“I was shot in the upper…”
Peter is hit with something over the head and blacks out before he hits the ground.
“Special agent Burke?”
“You talked to him, so now take care of our safe exit. You have fifteen minutes.”
The moment Diana hears the gunshots, she orders the waiting team in and contacts Reese Hughes. She explains that Peter is still inside and probably hurt.
Reese contacts the HRT team and they gear up. It takes them twenty minutes to arrive at the scene of the hostage situation.
While the team gets ready, their team leader walks over to the FBI-van.
“Hi there, I hear one of your agents is taken hostage. Who is in charge?”
“I am.” Diana steps forward.
“Diana Berrigan.” She extends her hand and he shakes it.
“Nice to meet you, I am Neal Caffrey. Now, shall we get your agent? What is his name?”
Diana tells him and shows him the building plans and gives Neal a short version of what they are up against.”
A smaller balding man walks up to them.
“Neal! I heard you might need my services?”
“Yeah, Mozz, it is one of our own, not sure if he is injured. Can you plug these plans into the guys info? And tap into my frequency.”
“Will do.”
The man leaves without another word.
“Nice.” Diana mutters under her breath.
“Mozzie has lousy manners, but he is the best in what he does.”
“And that is?”
“He is our eyes in the building, he is sort of a human GPS, the best there is. If there is nothing more you need to tell me, then I am going to brief my team.”
Neal walks over to the group of men that are waiting for him.
The telephone rings and Diana answers it.
“Your fifteen minutes are up. Can we leave the building? If I see one cop, I off your agent.”
“You can exit the building, all the LEO’s have pulled back, but you need to release special agent Burke.”
“You think I am stupid?”
Diana can see that Neal and his team have taken strategic positions for when they exit the building. She knows they can listen in on her conversation, or at least their team leader can.
“I need to know special agent is still OK.”
“Well, you will have to take my word for it.”
“I…”
The line disconnects.
She can hear Neal instructing his team, they are ready for action, it is going down any minute now. The tension is almost tangible.
“Alpha 3 for Alpha leader.”
“Come in, alpha 3”
“Hostage is injured. Two males in front position, hostage in between them, leaving building in… 3… 2… 1.”
The moment the door opens, the silence is almost deafening. The men scan their surroundings and drag an obviously injured Peter with them, by the looks of it, he is barely holding on to consciousness. They need to take care of this fast. They can´t let them get away from this place, because the hostage won´t survive the ordeal.
“Stand down.” Neal whispers in his mic. “Alpha 1, Alpha 4 and Alpha 5, ready to engage?”
Acknowledgment comes from all three men.
“Alpha 3, I need you to take down target on the right. Alpha 4 and 5 take left, I will secure hostage”
“Alpha 3 affirmative for takedown right.”
“Alpha 4 affirmative for takedown left.”
“Alpha 5 affirmative for takedown left.”
Diana is getting anxious. She can see Neal giving signs to his men. The four criminals are still nervously scanning their surroundings while carefully walking towards the car in front of the building, dragging Peter with them. Two men walk to the other side of the car. The moment they open the doors, the team comes in action.
“FBI, Freeze! Drop your weapons, hands were we can see them.” Neal shouts.
The man pushing Peter into the car raises his gun and aims at Peter, but freezes for a second before going down. The gun report is lost in the chaos. The whole operation only took a couple of seconds.
Neal pulls Peter up and shields him while dragging him to safety. They are half way to safety when Peter suddenly goes limp and drops to the ground. Diana gasps and jumps out of the van to assist Neal, but he already picks Peter up in a fireman carry and runs towards the waiting ambulance.
“Wow, that was…”
“Is he alright?” Neal interrupts her, addressing the EMT.
“Give us a moment.”
“Sure.” Neal walks back to his team who have turned all the hostage takers in custody of other agents.
“Thanks guys, good job. Go back to HQ. I will join you later. I just want to check up on our hostage.” He gives them all a fist bump and walks back to the ambulance.
“And?”
“Agent Burke regained consciousness. He wants to talk to you.”
“Oh… OK. Neal hops into the ambulance, signing his men to go.”
Peter is pale and obvious in pain.
“You are the agent that saved me?”
“I´m just part of a team, but yeah, I am their team leader, if that is what you mean.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me and you are welcome. That is why we are here for.”
Peter studies Neal´s tactical armor.
“You’re SWAT?”
“No.” Neal smiles. “We’re HRT.”
“Guys, we need to get going.” The EMT urges.
“Of course. Get well, special agent Burke.”
Before Peter can say anything, Neal jumps out of the rig and closes the doors.
Neal smiles, now that the adrenaline is fading, he is tired. He says goodbye to the other agents and promises to send his report first thing in the morning.
He gets in the car that is waiting for him and drives back to their headquarters where his team is waiting for him. He asks if anyone can make some coffee while he showers. He is glad to be able to get out of the heavy gear. Well, to be honest, he is gladder that their hostage is alive and the op went well, but still. He lets himself soak up the warmth of the water in the shower, before getting out and joining the men in the common room.
* * *
Once the ambulance pulls into traffic, Peter has trouble staying awake. The stress that leaves him in combination with the pain killers drain him of his energy. Keeping his eyes open is getting more difficult by the minute. He still feels the pain in his leg, but it is in the distance, it is a strange feeling. The rocking of the rig, finally pushes him over the edge and Peter closes his eyes.
Once they arrive at the hospital, Peter has difficulty keeping track of all the people around him. People are asking him questions which he doesn´t always get but tries to answer anyway. Finally someone is shaking him and he opens his eyes; When did he close them?
“Agent Burke?”
“Hmm?”
“We are talking you into surgery to fix your leg.”
Peter just nods, he is just so tired, he can´t muster the energy to care. What did she just say?
He is moving again and when they stop, he is lifted on something and then there is a mask over his face. Someone is asking him to count backwards, but everything turns black before he can answer.
* * *
Peter wakes slowly. When his mind becomes more aware, he remembers being awake before. He realizes he is on some strong pain killers, which explains the woozy feeling. But most of all, he is thirsty, so he locates the call button and pushes. A nurse enters the room and smiles when she sees Peter is awake.
“Welcome back, agent Burke. How are you feeling?”
“OK, I guess. Thirsty.” Peter croaks.
The nurse pours some water in a plastic cup and pushes the lid closed, adding a straw. She makes sure he drinks, because his eyes are already closing when she finishes taking his vitals.
“Rest, the doctor will come to talk to you later.”
* * *
After dinner, Diana visits him during evening visiting hours. She brings a big card signed by the whole department. They all chipped in and bought a basket with micro brewery beers, snacks and x-rated magazines. Everything a bachelor needs while he is recuperating. She is briefing Peter on the operation when a new visitor enters the room. It is the HRT team leader. What was is name again?
Peter just stares at the man. His piercing blue eyes scan him and his company and finally settle back on his face. He smiles;
“Hi, I don´t know if you remember me? My name is Neal. Neal Caffrey.”
“I do, I guess, it is all a bit foggy in my memory.”
“I can imagine. I just wanted to check up on your before I head home. I see you are doing as good as can be expected.”
“Yeah, I´ll live.”
Neal smiles, Peter likes the smile, it is big and genuine and it lights up Neal´s eyes.
“I will leave you to it then.”
“No need to rush off, I don´t get that many visitors.”
Did he just say that? Seriously? How pathetic does that sound?
Neal is polite enough to pretend not to have noticed.
“It is time I am leaving.” Diana says, clearing out after saying goodbye. She winks at Peter when she walks out and closes the door behind her. Suddenly it is just the two of them.
“I have nobody waiting for me, so what did the doctors say?”
“There is severe muscle damage in my thigh, and a small amount of nerve damage, they can´t say if I will make a full recovery, but I am optimistic. I should be fine with some physical therapy.”
“That´s good.”
Peter studies Neal, he is fit, and slim, In full battle gear, Peter only saw his blue eyes, but now that he is wearing fitting denims, a blue button-up, he looks like a male model.
“So, HRT? What possessed you to sign up for that division?”
Neal gives another one of his brilliant smiles.
“It was either HRT or becoming an assassin.”
When Peter gives him a questioning look, Neal, explains himself.
“I´m a very good marksman. I finished Quantico top of my class, but the instructors noticed my abilities as a sniper. So I enlisted for HRT.”
“Well, I am happy that you did. You saved my live.”
“You’re welcome. All in a day´s work.”
Peter has to admit, he likes Neal, he looks like a likeable guy and he seems so relaxed, not at all what he expects for someone who needs to work under tremendous pressure. He realizes that he is almost drooling and he clears his throat.
Neal smiles shyly.
“You visit all your rescues?”
“I try, I like to see how they are doing. We always meet in the worst of circumstances, so that is not always a good reference.”
Peter´s disappointment must show, because Neal steps closer.
“But I really wanted to see you.”
“You did?” Peter feels a blush creep up his neck.
“This sounds stupid, I don´t even know what your situation is, but I would like to get to know you.”
Peter starts coughing.
“Oh, I´m sorry. I didn´t want to embarrass you.”
“No, no, you are right in your assumptions.”
Is that relief he sees in Neal´s eyes?
“Maybe we can go out for drinks or diner when you are able to.”
“I would like that.”
Suddenly someone bursts into the room, addressing Neal.
“Are you done ogling the suit, we have a call. Let´s go.”
“Peter… Mozzie, Mozzie… Peter. Sorry Peter, duty calls, I will call you.”
Neal waves and they are gone, leaving Peter a bit dazzled.
Did this just happen? Has the head of the HRT team just asked him out on a date?
* * *
Mozzie has his gear in the car and Neal changes clothes during the ride over. By the time they arrive at the convenient store, he is geared up. He walks over to the agents that are assembled behind one of the FBI-vehicles.
“Special agent Caffrey. Who is in charge?”
“Special agent Carrier. We have a hostage situation. One of the store clerks is being held by our suspects.”
“One guy?”
“Yes.”
The team prepares the raid while Neal tries to negotiate with the hostage taker over the phone. It is obviously a scared kid who got in way over his head. In the end they are able to arrest him and rescue the victim without bloodshed.
Mozzie takes care of the gear and Neal drives back to the office to take care of the paper work.
When he uploads his reports into the system, he realizes it is already late, so he grabs his stuff and drives to the gym he knows is still open to have a swim. It is his way to get rid of the stress of the day and he needs to stay fit anyway. It is also a way to get rid of some of the sexual tension he felt after visiting Peter.
* * *
Days pass and Neal´s team is not operational deployed. They fill their days with physical training, mostly combat training, gear maintenance and sniper training. On Wednesday evening, Neal has a drink with the guys when he is called.
“Hi Neal, it´s Peter.”
“Oh hi, wait a second, I´m going outside so I can hear you better.”
Neal leaves the bar and paces the sidewalk while he talks.
“How are you doing? I was planning on calling you.”
“I left the hospital yesterday.”
“That´s good to hear.”
“I was wondering…”
“Sure, I want to go out for a drink.”
“Oh, I was hoping to invite you to dinner, I am not allowed alcohol yet.”
“Sorry, I didn´t think of that. Sure, but tell you what. Are you mobile? Why don´t you come over to my place? I will cook and you can leave when you are tired.”
“A date it is.”
“How about Friday night. I´m off around six, so seven?”
“Great.”
“I will text you my address.”
“OK, see you on Friday.”
“Bye.”
* * *
Friday arrives faster than expected. Neal has made sure he finished his groceries on Thursday night. He prepared the meal that night so he would just have to heat it up as he knew he wouldn´t have enough time on Friday.
He leaves the office early and hurries home to prepare everything. Exact at seven, the door chimes and Neal hurries to open it.
“Hi Peter, welcome, come in.”
Peter hobbles with the crutches he is still not used to.
“So, how are you doing?”
“Good, physio is going great. Glad to be out of the apartment”
“That is good to hear. Do you like lasagna?”
“Sure, I love Italian.”
“Sit down. You can sit at the table. Diner is almost ready.”
“So, how was your day?”
“Had therapy today, hydrotherapy.”
“Swimming? Maybe I can join you?”
“You swim?”
“Yeah, I like swimming, it gives a great workout.”
“Maybe you should join me, I am not much of a swimmer.”
“Wouldn´t mind swimming with you in the mornings or evenings. For therapeutic reasons of course.” Neal waggles his eyebrows suggestively.”
Peter starts laughing. “If you put it that way. I would like that.”
Neal opens the stove and out comes a delicious looking lasagna. The food even taste better than it looks.
“You are a great cook.”
“Maybe you are just hungry after your workout today.”
“No, I could get used to this.”
He stops talking before he says more nonsense. They finish their meal and Neal clears off the dishes telling Peter to stay seated and rest his leg.
“You want a pousse-café?”
“What is that?”
“Coffee with something extra, amaretto, or…”
“Surprise me.”
Neal serves a fantastic espresso with a shot of amaretto, remembering too late Peter isn’t supposed to have any alcohol. He apologizes while drinking it.
“Why don´t we go to the living room. I guess you would like to sit more comfortable.”
“That would be nice.”
Peter takes his crutches and slowly makes his way to the couch. He sits down with a sigh. Neal positions himself next to Peter and it feels so good and natural.
“Penny for your thoughts, a buck if they are dirty.”
Neal gives him that bright smile again.
“This is nice, it feels good.”
“How was your day?”
“We didn´t have a case, so we did mostly close combat training.”
“All day?”
“Pretty much.”
“Wow, you don´t seem to be tired.”
* * *
“You have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon today, right?”
“Yeah, at ten.”
“Call me when you‘re done, OK?”
“Sure.”
Neal is not happy on leaving Peter alone for this meeting. They have grown closer over the weeks and Neal has a bad feeling about the way Peter´s leg is healing. But he has to go to work, they have aan assignment today. The Violent Crimes team are planning an arrest and they asked back-up from SWAT and HRT. Mozzie took care of their gear and Neal sits in on the briefing. When they are finished he informs his team and they are on their way.
Neal gears up on location feeling the adrenaline taking over, but he focuses on his breathing and the job that needs to be done.
When the signal is given and the take down starts, all hell breaks loose. Two hours later, everything is over. The arrests are made, no agents got hurt and the bust was a success. Mozzie drives the team back to base and Neal showers and changes into his regular clothes when he sees that he has a missed call. Peter. Peter called him but didn´t leave a message. Something´s wrong, Neal can feel it in his gut.
“Hey Moz, I´m going home early.”
“Sure Neal, see you tomorrow.”
“Neal drives home but Peter is not home. He drives to Peter´s apartment and let´s himself in with the key Peter gave him.
He finds Peter curled up on the couch.
“What´s wrong?”
Peter startles on hearing Neal’s voice. It is like he didn´t hear Neal enter the apartment.
“Peter, you are worrying me. What happened at the doctor´s appointment?”
Peter pulls himself together.
“The doctor told me I will never regain full mobility in my leg.”
Neal doesn´t say anything but pulls Peter into a hug.
“I am sorry to hear that, but you will be fine.”
“I will never get approved for field duty, Neal.”
“I know, but that doesn´t mean that your life stops.”
“The life I know does.”
Neal swallows. Peter is right, life as he knew it will never be the same. They hug each other until Neal´s stomach growls.
“Stupid of me, you had an op today, you must be starved.” Peter looks up at Neal.
“Yeah, I am sort of starved, but don´t bother, I will fix us something.”
Neal untangles himself and checks the kitchen. There isn´t much, which was to be suspected, as Peter mostly stayed at his place the last couple of weeks. He takes his phone and orders some tomato soup. While he waits on the delivery, he makes grilled cheese sandwiches. Comfort food, just what they need.
Neal needs to encourage Peter to eat and when they are ready, he takes Peter to bed and spoons Peter until finally Peter succumbs to his grieve. Tomorrow will be better, Neal thinks before dozing off.
* * *
But it doesn´t get better and over the next days, Peter slips into a depression. He refuges to go to physical therapy, he is losing his appetite and he is a foul mood most of the time. He snaps at Neal and tells him to go on with his own life and to leave him alone. But Neal refuses, he loves Peter and he isn´t giving up that easy.
After another day of silent avoidance, Neal calls Mozzie to go out for drinks. He needs to go out for just a short while, just to recharge.
He makes sure Peter has everything to be comfortable before he leaves.
When he arrives at the wine bar Mozzie is waiting for him.
“Mon frère, glass of Merlot?”
“Yes please.”
“So, how is the suit?”
“His name is Peter, Moz.”
“Touchy, touchy… but seriously.”
“Depressed, and I don´t know how to help him. He refuses to o to therapy sessions. He needs to use the leg if he wants to be able to use it in the future. I should have seen this coming, it wasn´t healing as it was supposed to.”
“And how are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“It must be tough taking care of someone you love that is struggling and doesn´t want to be helped.”
Neal stays silent.
“Well, it is good you called me. I´m glad to see you. Another glass?”
“Yeah, I might as well.”
They chat some more until Neal says he needs to check up on Peter. After Neal leaves, Mozzie is still thinking about Neal´s predicament. Peter is a fellow LEO and they should stick together. Maybe he can help, he needs to make some calls.
* * *
“Peter, let´s go out for a walk.” Neal tries. He is smiling and enthusiastic.
“My leg hurts, I´m not in the mood.”
“Still, I want you to come, you need the exercise, we will have some gelato on the way.”
Peter sighs and moodily dresses. If Neal is one of his cheerful moods, it is easier to give in then to resist. Maybe it will cheer him up and he must admit that gelato sounds tempting.
They walk out and towards a small park where Peter´s favorite ice cream pallor can be found. He has to admit, he is in a better mood already. They sit down, place their order and before it is brought out, Neal is staring at some point in the distance and smiles. Peter follows his gaze and can see Mozzie approaching. He stops every now and then, but finally they can see why he is going so slow. He has a German shepherd puppy with him. It is gorgeous and full of life. She japs and whines and jumps against Peter.
“Aren´t you a cutie.” He ruffles her coat.
“Excuse me miss, do you have a bowl of water for this little lady?”
“Of course sir.”
“Is this your new K9 officer?” Peter looks up at Neal and Mozzie.
“Not exactly. She was mend to, but she washed out, she was diagnosed with possible hip displacement, a common problem with these bigger breeds.” Mozzie explains. “We are looking for someone that is willing to adopt her.”
Peter returns his attention back to Mozzie, picking her up and placing her in his lap.
“Does she have a name?”
“Ella.”
Peter pets her and her eyes are closing for a puppy nap. The men eat their gelato and have some coffee afterwards. Neal sees the fondness in Peter´s eyes.
“Neal, what…”
“Yeah?”
“Never mind, just a crazy idea.”
“I don´t mind, that is why I asked Mozzie to bring Ella over. She needs a good home and I know you like dogs, so I thought…”
“I would like to give her a home.” Emotion creeps in Peter´s voice.
Mozzie retreats and leaves the two men alone.
“Take a picture of her, she looks so cute in her K9 harness.” Peter asks Neal. Neal smiles, it was a good decision after all.
Peter is proud as a new dad when they walk back to his apartment.
“We need to stop by a pet store to buy her kibble and some toys.”
“No need, Mozzie dropped everything off already. Her own blanket and dog bed, her bench, toys, food and bowls. I never imagined a puppy needs that much stuff.” Neal chuckles.
“I need to take obedience classes. She will grow into a big dog and I want to be able to trust her completely.”
“Sure, knock yourself out.”
When they arrive back home, Ella starts to sniff and explore the apartment.
“Neal, what is the cat litter box doing in the laundry room?”
“She is trained to relief herself in one. When our dogs are waiting in the van, they can´t be walked, so they are trained to use a litter box.”
That makes sense, Peter doesn´t want to think about the smell in the van, but hey, totally understandable. And it is a good thing, as he isn´t that quick on his feet nowadays.
* * *
A couple of weeks later, Peter gets the verdict. He is not longer approved for field duty. The FBI suggests to promote him to a desk job, and Peter tells them he will think about it. The cane he has to use bothers him but it also enables Mozzie to assign Ella a support dog status, so she can come with Peter to the office.
All the agents love her and nobody makes a fuss about her being in the office. Her intelligence is noticeable and she is very well behaved. They place the litter box in the men´s room and there is always someone to let her out of the office into the toilets. Peter also never has trouble to find someone during office hours to walk her.
Once the official paperwork comes through that she is a support and therapy dog, Peter accepts the desk job.
He finally is able to settle in his new life, accepting his limitations and disability. He enjoys his new life with Neal and Ella and soon they decide that they are moving in Neal´s apartment. It is bigger and has a better access to a large park and stores.
* * *
Peter gets up and picks up his cane so Ella gets up as well, it is her cue that Peter needs her. They slowly make their way out of the office, Peter´s leg stiffens when he sits all day and today is a bad day. He is glad it is Friday night. It has been a hell of a week and he is worn out. He just wants to go home, take a long soak in the tub and lay on the couch with Neal. He can only hope Neal isn´t on call tonight. He sighs in relief when he reaches the building. Jerry, the doorman gives Ella a treat and asks if he should take Ella for a walk. Peter thanks him but explains that Neal will probably want to take her for a run tonight.
A smile creeps on his face when he opens the door and a delicious aroma floats towards him. His heart makes a little flutter realizing his love is already home.
“Hi Hon.”
“Oh hi hon, how was your day?”
“More paperwork that I would have ever imagined possible.”
“Poor baby, here, take a beer and sit down. Dinner is almost done. Afterwards you can take a bath while I take Ella for a run, how does that sound?”
“Like you are God sent, you do realize that, don´t you?”
Neal just smiles and retunes his attention to dinner. A couple of minutes later, he calls in Ella and gives her her food before he calls Peter.
After a simple but delicious meal, Peter insists he cleans up the table, so Neal prepares Peter´s bath before he changes in sweats and running shoes.
“Your bath is ready, enjoy. I´m going for a quick run with Ella.”
Peter gives Neal a quick kiss and Neal is off with an excited Ella. He enters the bathroom and relaxes already. Candles are lit, his favorite scent of bubbles are used and a beer and newspaper are next to the bath on a side table. It would be a shame not to take advantage of it, so he quickly undresses and slides into the tub.
He wills himself to relax and puts a washcloth over his eyes. Perfect.
He stays in the tub until the water starts to cool, has a quick shower and puts on the PJ´s Neal likes so much.
When he walks into the living room, he stops death in his tracks.
There are dozens of candles and Neal is kneeling in the middle of the room on one knee. Ella sits next to him with a little basket in her muzzle. Neal gentle pushes Ella towards him and Peter sees there is a ring in the basket.
“Peter Burke, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Peter picks up the ring, it is a plane white gold wedding band with a finger print on it, presumably Neal´s.
He can feel the motion built in his throat when he croaks out.
“Yes, I will.
The (Happy) End
Author: NYWCgirl
Fandom: White Collar
Pairing: Neal/Peter
Characters: Peter, Neal, Mozzie, Diana
Warning: none
Spoilers: none
Rating: NC-13
Genre: AU, hurt/comfort, permanent injury, hostages, same sex marriage
Notes: Servare Vitas = To save lives (the motto of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team). Written for my ‘Hostages’ square on my H/C bingo card.
Word Count: ~5375
Disclaimer: Characters are not mine…
Summary: Peter and Neal are FBI agents, only in completely different departments. Faith brings them together.
Story can also be found on AO3
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Peter cannot believe this is happening. How is it possible that the operation has gone south so quickly? A couple of minutes ago he was still chatting with their main suspect. He still doesn´t know what happened or how they made him. Guns were pulled and before he could say the panic phrase or do anything, he had been shot. They obviously wanted him to live, because they shot him in the leg, but Peter can immediately tell, it is a serious injury. Not like in the movies where the hero limps away. His thigh is bleeding profusely and he is lying on the ground without really remembering how he has gotten there.
When he scans his environment, it is obvious that everybody is tense and Peter is convinced that this operation is the last thing he will do in this life. He is outnumbered, definitely outgunned and his leg hurts like hell. He isn´t going anywhere, that much is clear.
He is pulled upright but his leg isn´t supporting him and he sinks back on his knees. He has to use all his will power not to puke. He is cuffed with riot cuffs behind his back and a black bag is pulled over his head, effectively blinding him.
Great, this wasn´t how he had expected to die, especially not after he transferred from Violent Crimes to the White Collar department.
He is again pulled to his feet and can´t contain the cry when pain shoots through his leg. He can feel the blood dripping down his leg. Two men pull him to another room, they forcefully shove him inside where he tumbles to the floor. He is wondering what will happen next when he hears shouts from next door.
“FBI, don´t move.”
“Do not come closer or we will kill your agent.” A gun is pushed against his head.
“This isn´t going to work. The FBI doesn´t negotiate.” Peter grits between his teeth.
The short forced march, although he was pulled and carried more than he actually walked, has made the bleeding worse or so it feels as Peter can´t see his leg.
“If you want a live hostage, you will need to bandage the wound.” He says matter of factly to his kidnappers.
“Shut up!”
Peter is backhanded and his head snaps back. He can taste blood, so he probably bit his lip.
“He is right, find something to stop the bleeding.”
One of the men rummages through the boxes that are stacked in the room. He ties what feels like a piece of cloth around Peter’s leg. Peter has to fight with all his strength to stay conscious while they manipulate his leg. The men are discussing what they should do next when Peter´s phone rings. The leader of the group grabs the phone out of Peter’s pocket and swipes it to answer.
“Special agent Burke?”
“Special agent Burke can´t come to the phone.” The voice mocks.
“Is he alright?”
“He´s just fine.”
“What are your demands?”
“We want free passage out of the building.”
“OK, but first we need to know if special agent Burke is unharmed.”
The telephone is pushed against his ear.
“Peter Burke.” His voice is muffled by the cloth bag over his head.
“Agent Burke, are you alright?”
“I was shot in the upper…”
Peter is hit with something over the head and blacks out before he hits the ground.
“Special agent Burke?”
“You talked to him, so now take care of our safe exit. You have fifteen minutes.”
- * *
The moment Diana hears the gunshots, she orders the waiting team in and contacts Reese Hughes. She explains that Peter is still inside and probably hurt.
Reese contacts the HRT team and they gear up. It takes them twenty minutes to arrive at the scene of the hostage situation.
While the team gets ready, their team leader walks over to the FBI-van.
“Hi there, I hear one of your agents is taken hostage. Who is in charge?”
“I am.” Diana steps forward.
“Diana Berrigan.” She extends her hand and he shakes it.
“Nice to meet you, I am Neal Caffrey. Now, shall we get your agent? What is his name?”
Diana tells him and shows him the building plans and gives Neal a short version of what they are up against.”
A smaller balding man walks up to them.
“Neal! I heard you might need my services?”
“Yeah, Mozz, it is one of our own, not sure if he is injured. Can you plug these plans into the guys info? And tap into my frequency.”
“Will do.”
The man leaves without another word.
“Nice.” Diana mutters under her breath.
“Mozzie has lousy manners, but he is the best in what he does.”
“And that is?”
“He is our eyes in the building, he is sort of a human GPS, the best there is. If there is nothing more you need to tell me, then I am going to brief my team.”
Neal walks over to the group of men that are waiting for him.
The telephone rings and Diana answers it.
“Your fifteen minutes are up. Can we leave the building? If I see one cop, I off your agent.”
“You can exit the building, all the LEO’s have pulled back, but you need to release special agent Burke.”
“You think I am stupid?”
Diana can see that Neal and his team have taken strategic positions for when they exit the building. She knows they can listen in on her conversation, or at least their team leader can.
“I need to know special agent is still OK.”
“Well, you will have to take my word for it.”
“I…”
The line disconnects.
She can hear Neal instructing his team, they are ready for action, it is going down any minute now. The tension is almost tangible.
“Alpha 3 for Alpha leader.”
“Come in, alpha 3”
“Hostage is injured. Two males in front position, hostage in between them, leaving building in… 3… 2… 1.”
The moment the door opens, the silence is almost deafening. The men scan their surroundings and drag an obviously injured Peter with them, by the looks of it, he is barely holding on to consciousness. They need to take care of this fast. They can´t let them get away from this place, because the hostage won´t survive the ordeal.
“Stand down.” Neal whispers in his mic. “Alpha 1, Alpha 4 and Alpha 5, ready to engage?”
Acknowledgment comes from all three men.
“Alpha 3, I need you to take down target on the right. Alpha 4 and 5 take left, I will secure hostage”
“Alpha 3 affirmative for takedown right.”
“Alpha 4 affirmative for takedown left.”
“Alpha 5 affirmative for takedown left.”
Diana is getting anxious. She can see Neal giving signs to his men. The four criminals are still nervously scanning their surroundings while carefully walking towards the car in front of the building, dragging Peter with them. Two men walk to the other side of the car. The moment they open the doors, the team comes in action.
“FBI, Freeze! Drop your weapons, hands were we can see them.” Neal shouts.
The man pushing Peter into the car raises his gun and aims at Peter, but freezes for a second before going down. The gun report is lost in the chaos. The whole operation only took a couple of seconds.
Neal pulls Peter up and shields him while dragging him to safety. They are half way to safety when Peter suddenly goes limp and drops to the ground. Diana gasps and jumps out of the van to assist Neal, but he already picks Peter up in a fireman carry and runs towards the waiting ambulance.
“Wow, that was…”
“Is he alright?” Neal interrupts her, addressing the EMT.
“Give us a moment.”
“Sure.” Neal walks back to his team who have turned all the hostage takers in custody of other agents.
“Thanks guys, good job. Go back to HQ. I will join you later. I just want to check up on our hostage.” He gives them all a fist bump and walks back to the ambulance.
“And?”
“Agent Burke regained consciousness. He wants to talk to you.”
“Oh… OK. Neal hops into the ambulance, signing his men to go.”
Peter is pale and obvious in pain.
“You are the agent that saved me?”
“I´m just part of a team, but yeah, I am their team leader, if that is what you mean.”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me and you are welcome. That is why we are here for.”
Peter studies Neal´s tactical armor.
“You’re SWAT?”
“No.” Neal smiles. “We’re HRT.”
“Guys, we need to get going.” The EMT urges.
“Of course. Get well, special agent Burke.”
Before Peter can say anything, Neal jumps out of the rig and closes the doors.
Neal smiles, now that the adrenaline is fading, he is tired. He says goodbye to the other agents and promises to send his report first thing in the morning.
He gets in the car that is waiting for him and drives back to their headquarters where his team is waiting for him. He asks if anyone can make some coffee while he showers. He is glad to be able to get out of the heavy gear. Well, to be honest, he is gladder that their hostage is alive and the op went well, but still. He lets himself soak up the warmth of the water in the shower, before getting out and joining the men in the common room.
* * *
Once the ambulance pulls into traffic, Peter has trouble staying awake. The stress that leaves him in combination with the pain killers drain him of his energy. Keeping his eyes open is getting more difficult by the minute. He still feels the pain in his leg, but it is in the distance, it is a strange feeling. The rocking of the rig, finally pushes him over the edge and Peter closes his eyes.
Once they arrive at the hospital, Peter has difficulty keeping track of all the people around him. People are asking him questions which he doesn´t always get but tries to answer anyway. Finally someone is shaking him and he opens his eyes; When did he close them?
“Agent Burke?”
“Hmm?”
“We are talking you into surgery to fix your leg.”
Peter just nods, he is just so tired, he can´t muster the energy to care. What did she just say?
He is moving again and when they stop, he is lifted on something and then there is a mask over his face. Someone is asking him to count backwards, but everything turns black before he can answer.
* * *
Peter wakes slowly. When his mind becomes more aware, he remembers being awake before. He realizes he is on some strong pain killers, which explains the woozy feeling. But most of all, he is thirsty, so he locates the call button and pushes. A nurse enters the room and smiles when she sees Peter is awake.
“Welcome back, agent Burke. How are you feeling?”
“OK, I guess. Thirsty.” Peter croaks.
The nurse pours some water in a plastic cup and pushes the lid closed, adding a straw. She makes sure he drinks, because his eyes are already closing when she finishes taking his vitals.
“Rest, the doctor will come to talk to you later.”
* * *
After dinner, Diana visits him during evening visiting hours. She brings a big card signed by the whole department. They all chipped in and bought a basket with micro brewery beers, snacks and x-rated magazines. Everything a bachelor needs while he is recuperating. She is briefing Peter on the operation when a new visitor enters the room. It is the HRT team leader. What was is name again?
Peter just stares at the man. His piercing blue eyes scan him and his company and finally settle back on his face. He smiles;
“Hi, I don´t know if you remember me? My name is Neal. Neal Caffrey.”
“I do, I guess, it is all a bit foggy in my memory.”
“I can imagine. I just wanted to check up on your before I head home. I see you are doing as good as can be expected.”
“Yeah, I´ll live.”
Neal smiles, Peter likes the smile, it is big and genuine and it lights up Neal´s eyes.
“I will leave you to it then.”
“No need to rush off, I don´t get that many visitors.”
Did he just say that? Seriously? How pathetic does that sound?
Neal is polite enough to pretend not to have noticed.
“It is time I am leaving.” Diana says, clearing out after saying goodbye. She winks at Peter when she walks out and closes the door behind her. Suddenly it is just the two of them.
“I have nobody waiting for me, so what did the doctors say?”
“There is severe muscle damage in my thigh, and a small amount of nerve damage, they can´t say if I will make a full recovery, but I am optimistic. I should be fine with some physical therapy.”
“That´s good.”
Peter studies Neal, he is fit, and slim, In full battle gear, Peter only saw his blue eyes, but now that he is wearing fitting denims, a blue button-up, he looks like a male model.
“So, HRT? What possessed you to sign up for that division?”
Neal gives another one of his brilliant smiles.
“It was either HRT or becoming an assassin.”
When Peter gives him a questioning look, Neal, explains himself.
“I´m a very good marksman. I finished Quantico top of my class, but the instructors noticed my abilities as a sniper. So I enlisted for HRT.”
“Well, I am happy that you did. You saved my live.”
“You’re welcome. All in a day´s work.”
Peter has to admit, he likes Neal, he looks like a likeable guy and he seems so relaxed, not at all what he expects for someone who needs to work under tremendous pressure. He realizes that he is almost drooling and he clears his throat.
Neal smiles shyly.
“You visit all your rescues?”
“I try, I like to see how they are doing. We always meet in the worst of circumstances, so that is not always a good reference.”
Peter´s disappointment must show, because Neal steps closer.
“But I really wanted to see you.”
“You did?” Peter feels a blush creep up his neck.
“This sounds stupid, I don´t even know what your situation is, but I would like to get to know you.”
Peter starts coughing.
“Oh, I´m sorry. I didn´t want to embarrass you.”
“No, no, you are right in your assumptions.”
Is that relief he sees in Neal´s eyes?
“Maybe we can go out for drinks or diner when you are able to.”
“I would like that.”
Suddenly someone bursts into the room, addressing Neal.
“Are you done ogling the suit, we have a call. Let´s go.”
“Peter… Mozzie, Mozzie… Peter. Sorry Peter, duty calls, I will call you.”
Neal waves and they are gone, leaving Peter a bit dazzled.
Did this just happen? Has the head of the HRT team just asked him out on a date?
* * *
Mozzie has his gear in the car and Neal changes clothes during the ride over. By the time they arrive at the convenient store, he is geared up. He walks over to the agents that are assembled behind one of the FBI-vehicles.
“Special agent Caffrey. Who is in charge?”
“Special agent Carrier. We have a hostage situation. One of the store clerks is being held by our suspects.”
“One guy?”
“Yes.”
The team prepares the raid while Neal tries to negotiate with the hostage taker over the phone. It is obviously a scared kid who got in way over his head. In the end they are able to arrest him and rescue the victim without bloodshed.
Mozzie takes care of the gear and Neal drives back to the office to take care of the paper work.
When he uploads his reports into the system, he realizes it is already late, so he grabs his stuff and drives to the gym he knows is still open to have a swim. It is his way to get rid of the stress of the day and he needs to stay fit anyway. It is also a way to get rid of some of the sexual tension he felt after visiting Peter.
* * *
Days pass and Neal´s team is not operational deployed. They fill their days with physical training, mostly combat training, gear maintenance and sniper training. On Wednesday evening, Neal has a drink with the guys when he is called.
“Hi Neal, it´s Peter.”
“Oh hi, wait a second, I´m going outside so I can hear you better.”
Neal leaves the bar and paces the sidewalk while he talks.
“How are you doing? I was planning on calling you.”
“I left the hospital yesterday.”
“That´s good to hear.”
“I was wondering…”
“Sure, I want to go out for a drink.”
“Oh, I was hoping to invite you to dinner, I am not allowed alcohol yet.”
“Sorry, I didn´t think of that. Sure, but tell you what. Are you mobile? Why don´t you come over to my place? I will cook and you can leave when you are tired.”
“A date it is.”
“How about Friday night. I´m off around six, so seven?”
“Great.”
“I will text you my address.”
“OK, see you on Friday.”
“Bye.”
* * *
Friday arrives faster than expected. Neal has made sure he finished his groceries on Thursday night. He prepared the meal that night so he would just have to heat it up as he knew he wouldn´t have enough time on Friday.
He leaves the office early and hurries home to prepare everything. Exact at seven, the door chimes and Neal hurries to open it.
“Hi Peter, welcome, come in.”
Peter hobbles with the crutches he is still not used to.
“So, how are you doing?”
“Good, physio is going great. Glad to be out of the apartment”
“That is good to hear. Do you like lasagna?”
“Sure, I love Italian.”
“Sit down. You can sit at the table. Diner is almost ready.”
“So, how was your day?”
“Had therapy today, hydrotherapy.”
“Swimming? Maybe I can join you?”
“You swim?”
“Yeah, I like swimming, it gives a great workout.”
“Maybe you should join me, I am not much of a swimmer.”
“Wouldn´t mind swimming with you in the mornings or evenings. For therapeutic reasons of course.” Neal waggles his eyebrows suggestively.”
Peter starts laughing. “If you put it that way. I would like that.”
Neal opens the stove and out comes a delicious looking lasagna. The food even taste better than it looks.
“You are a great cook.”
“Maybe you are just hungry after your workout today.”
“No, I could get used to this.”
He stops talking before he says more nonsense. They finish their meal and Neal clears off the dishes telling Peter to stay seated and rest his leg.
“You want a pousse-café?”
“What is that?”
“Coffee with something extra, amaretto, or…”
“Surprise me.”
Neal serves a fantastic espresso with a shot of amaretto, remembering too late Peter isn’t supposed to have any alcohol. He apologizes while drinking it.
“Why don´t we go to the living room. I guess you would like to sit more comfortable.”
“That would be nice.”
Peter takes his crutches and slowly makes his way to the couch. He sits down with a sigh. Neal positions himself next to Peter and it feels so good and natural.
“Penny for your thoughts, a buck if they are dirty.”
Neal gives him that bright smile again.
“This is nice, it feels good.”
“How was your day?”
“We didn´t have a case, so we did mostly close combat training.”
“All day?”
“Pretty much.”
“Wow, you don´t seem to be tired.”
* * *
“You have an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon today, right?”
“Yeah, at ten.”
“Call me when you‘re done, OK?”
“Sure.”
Neal is not happy on leaving Peter alone for this meeting. They have grown closer over the weeks and Neal has a bad feeling about the way Peter´s leg is healing. But he has to go to work, they have aan assignment today. The Violent Crimes team are planning an arrest and they asked back-up from SWAT and HRT. Mozzie took care of their gear and Neal sits in on the briefing. When they are finished he informs his team and they are on their way.
Neal gears up on location feeling the adrenaline taking over, but he focuses on his breathing and the job that needs to be done.
When the signal is given and the take down starts, all hell breaks loose. Two hours later, everything is over. The arrests are made, no agents got hurt and the bust was a success. Mozzie drives the team back to base and Neal showers and changes into his regular clothes when he sees that he has a missed call. Peter. Peter called him but didn´t leave a message. Something´s wrong, Neal can feel it in his gut.
“Hey Moz, I´m going home early.”
“Sure Neal, see you tomorrow.”
“Neal drives home but Peter is not home. He drives to Peter´s apartment and let´s himself in with the key Peter gave him.
He finds Peter curled up on the couch.
“What´s wrong?”
Peter startles on hearing Neal’s voice. It is like he didn´t hear Neal enter the apartment.
“Peter, you are worrying me. What happened at the doctor´s appointment?”
Peter pulls himself together.
“The doctor told me I will never regain full mobility in my leg.”
Neal doesn´t say anything but pulls Peter into a hug.
“I am sorry to hear that, but you will be fine.”
“I will never get approved for field duty, Neal.”
“I know, but that doesn´t mean that your life stops.”
“The life I know does.”
Neal swallows. Peter is right, life as he knew it will never be the same. They hug each other until Neal´s stomach growls.
“Stupid of me, you had an op today, you must be starved.” Peter looks up at Neal.
“Yeah, I am sort of starved, but don´t bother, I will fix us something.”
Neal untangles himself and checks the kitchen. There isn´t much, which was to be suspected, as Peter mostly stayed at his place the last couple of weeks. He takes his phone and orders some tomato soup. While he waits on the delivery, he makes grilled cheese sandwiches. Comfort food, just what they need.
Neal needs to encourage Peter to eat and when they are ready, he takes Peter to bed and spoons Peter until finally Peter succumbs to his grieve. Tomorrow will be better, Neal thinks before dozing off.
* * *
But it doesn´t get better and over the next days, Peter slips into a depression. He refuges to go to physical therapy, he is losing his appetite and he is a foul mood most of the time. He snaps at Neal and tells him to go on with his own life and to leave him alone. But Neal refuses, he loves Peter and he isn´t giving up that easy.
After another day of silent avoidance, Neal calls Mozzie to go out for drinks. He needs to go out for just a short while, just to recharge.
He makes sure Peter has everything to be comfortable before he leaves.
When he arrives at the wine bar Mozzie is waiting for him.
“Mon frère, glass of Merlot?”
“Yes please.”
“So, how is the suit?”
“His name is Peter, Moz.”
“Touchy, touchy… but seriously.”
“Depressed, and I don´t know how to help him. He refuses to o to therapy sessions. He needs to use the leg if he wants to be able to use it in the future. I should have seen this coming, it wasn´t healing as it was supposed to.”
“And how are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“It must be tough taking care of someone you love that is struggling and doesn´t want to be helped.”
Neal stays silent.
“Well, it is good you called me. I´m glad to see you. Another glass?”
“Yeah, I might as well.”
They chat some more until Neal says he needs to check up on Peter. After Neal leaves, Mozzie is still thinking about Neal´s predicament. Peter is a fellow LEO and they should stick together. Maybe he can help, he needs to make some calls.
* * *
“Peter, let´s go out for a walk.” Neal tries. He is smiling and enthusiastic.
“My leg hurts, I´m not in the mood.”
“Still, I want you to come, you need the exercise, we will have some gelato on the way.”
Peter sighs and moodily dresses. If Neal is one of his cheerful moods, it is easier to give in then to resist. Maybe it will cheer him up and he must admit that gelato sounds tempting.
They walk out and towards a small park where Peter´s favorite ice cream pallor can be found. He has to admit, he is in a better mood already. They sit down, place their order and before it is brought out, Neal is staring at some point in the distance and smiles. Peter follows his gaze and can see Mozzie approaching. He stops every now and then, but finally they can see why he is going so slow. He has a German shepherd puppy with him. It is gorgeous and full of life. She japs and whines and jumps against Peter.
“Aren´t you a cutie.” He ruffles her coat.
“Excuse me miss, do you have a bowl of water for this little lady?”
“Of course sir.”
“Is this your new K9 officer?” Peter looks up at Neal and Mozzie.
“Not exactly. She was mend to, but she washed out, she was diagnosed with possible hip displacement, a common problem with these bigger breeds.” Mozzie explains. “We are looking for someone that is willing to adopt her.”
Peter returns his attention back to Mozzie, picking her up and placing her in his lap.
“Does she have a name?”
“Ella.”
Peter pets her and her eyes are closing for a puppy nap. The men eat their gelato and have some coffee afterwards. Neal sees the fondness in Peter´s eyes.
“Neal, what…”
“Yeah?”
“Never mind, just a crazy idea.”
“I don´t mind, that is why I asked Mozzie to bring Ella over. She needs a good home and I know you like dogs, so I thought…”
“I would like to give her a home.” Emotion creeps in Peter´s voice.
Mozzie retreats and leaves the two men alone.
“Take a picture of her, she looks so cute in her K9 harness.” Peter asks Neal. Neal smiles, it was a good decision after all.
Peter is proud as a new dad when they walk back to his apartment.
“We need to stop by a pet store to buy her kibble and some toys.”
“No need, Mozzie dropped everything off already. Her own blanket and dog bed, her bench, toys, food and bowls. I never imagined a puppy needs that much stuff.” Neal chuckles.
“I need to take obedience classes. She will grow into a big dog and I want to be able to trust her completely.”
“Sure, knock yourself out.”
When they arrive back home, Ella starts to sniff and explore the apartment.
“Neal, what is the cat litter box doing in the laundry room?”
“She is trained to relief herself in one. When our dogs are waiting in the van, they can´t be walked, so they are trained to use a litter box.”
That makes sense, Peter doesn´t want to think about the smell in the van, but hey, totally understandable. And it is a good thing, as he isn´t that quick on his feet nowadays.
* * *
A couple of weeks later, Peter gets the verdict. He is not longer approved for field duty. The FBI suggests to promote him to a desk job, and Peter tells them he will think about it. The cane he has to use bothers him but it also enables Mozzie to assign Ella a support dog status, so she can come with Peter to the office.
All the agents love her and nobody makes a fuss about her being in the office. Her intelligence is noticeable and she is very well behaved. They place the litter box in the men´s room and there is always someone to let her out of the office into the toilets. Peter also never has trouble to find someone during office hours to walk her.
Once the official paperwork comes through that she is a support and therapy dog, Peter accepts the desk job.
He finally is able to settle in his new life, accepting his limitations and disability. He enjoys his new life with Neal and Ella and soon they decide that they are moving in Neal´s apartment. It is bigger and has a better access to a large park and stores.
* * *
Peter gets up and picks up his cane so Ella gets up as well, it is her cue that Peter needs her. They slowly make their way out of the office, Peter´s leg stiffens when he sits all day and today is a bad day. He is glad it is Friday night. It has been a hell of a week and he is worn out. He just wants to go home, take a long soak in the tub and lay on the couch with Neal. He can only hope Neal isn´t on call tonight. He sighs in relief when he reaches the building. Jerry, the doorman gives Ella a treat and asks if he should take Ella for a walk. Peter thanks him but explains that Neal will probably want to take her for a run tonight.
A smile creeps on his face when he opens the door and a delicious aroma floats towards him. His heart makes a little flutter realizing his love is already home.
“Hi Hon.”
“Oh hi hon, how was your day?”
“More paperwork that I would have ever imagined possible.”
“Poor baby, here, take a beer and sit down. Dinner is almost done. Afterwards you can take a bath while I take Ella for a run, how does that sound?”
“Like you are God sent, you do realize that, don´t you?”
Neal just smiles and retunes his attention to dinner. A couple of minutes later, he calls in Ella and gives her her food before he calls Peter.
After a simple but delicious meal, Peter insists he cleans up the table, so Neal prepares Peter´s bath before he changes in sweats and running shoes.
“Your bath is ready, enjoy. I´m going for a quick run with Ella.”
Peter gives Neal a quick kiss and Neal is off with an excited Ella. He enters the bathroom and relaxes already. Candles are lit, his favorite scent of bubbles are used and a beer and newspaper are next to the bath on a side table. It would be a shame not to take advantage of it, so he quickly undresses and slides into the tub.
He wills himself to relax and puts a washcloth over his eyes. Perfect.
He stays in the tub until the water starts to cool, has a quick shower and puts on the PJ´s Neal likes so much.
When he walks into the living room, he stops death in his tracks.
There are dozens of candles and Neal is kneeling in the middle of the room on one knee. Ella sits next to him with a little basket in her muzzle. Neal gentle pushes Ella towards him and Peter sees there is a ring in the basket.
“Peter Burke, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
Peter picks up the ring, it is a plane white gold wedding band with a finger print on it, presumably Neal´s.
He can feel the motion built in his throat when he croaks out.
“Yes, I will.
The (Happy) End