[Fic[ Notes and Murder - Chapter 11: TGIF (whitecollar_bb, White Collar/Castle)
Title: Notes and Murder
Chapter Title: TGIF
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 17,397
Chapter Word Count: 984
Summary: When Peter's card shows up in a dead woman's pocket, two amazing forces come together to find the murderer.
Author's Note: I do not own White Collar, Castle, or any of the characters from the various fandoms that appear. Emmanuel Gray is of my own creation.
Thank Yous: A big thank you to sirwynai for being my beta, cheerleader, and listening to all of my insanity. A big special thank you to slysionnachnano for cheerleading in the final hours of getting this done!
Kate walked out of the Twelfth Precinct just as the sun was coming up. She breathed in the spring air and smiled at the lawyer. "Well, thank you for all your help. I didn't think it would take that long," she said.
"Neither did I," the lawyer said as a limo came to a stop. He opened the door for her. "Have a pleasant morning."
"Thank you," Kate said and slid into the limo. "Good morning," she said as she saw that Gray was also in the limo.
"I doubt that this morning could be called good," Gray said. "What were your orders?"
"Don't get caught," Kate said with a sigh as the smile slipped off her face.
"And you didn't obey those orders," Gray said as he looked up at her. "What's more is that you gave too much away." He watched her look away and attempt not to squirm. "Just the other day, you were explaining to me that you could do this. That you had no more love to give to Neal Caffrey. Were you mistaken in telling me that, Kate?"
"No," Kate said after a long moment. "What's going to happen now?"
"You are going to move over as we have one last person to pick up," Gray said. "Then we are going to find a way to end this cat and mouse with Burke and Caffrey once and for all."
"Who is the last person?" Kate asked as the limo stopped again. She looked as the door opened and smiled. "Hello Keller."
"Kate - good to see you aren't dead," Keller said as he slid in. "Sir," he said with a nod to Gray.
"How did you get out?" Kate asked.
"It doesn't matter now," Gray said. "We're going underground until we can fully figure out what we're doing. Or until either of them slips up first."
"It'll be Caffrey," Keller said. "And it would be easy to have others throw him a bone to make it worth his while."
"We don't have Alex anymore," Gray said.
"There's more than one way to skin a cat," Keller said with a grin.
"Too true," Gray said as the limo took them to his apartment space to plan.
*~*~*~*
Neal's cell phone rang just as he was getting ready to leave to go to the office. "Yeah Moz?" He asked after seeing who it was.
"Keller escaped this morning," Mozzie said.
"…You're joking," Neal said.
"Nope," Mozzie replied. "What do you want to do?"
"How ready are we to go?" Neal asked.
"A hour, give or take," Mozzie said. "I'm surprised that you're jumping to that right away."
"It's not safe to stay here," Neal said. "Not with this on top of everything else."
"You think Gray is going to take a shot?" Mozzie asked.
"Technically, he already did," Neal said. "He won't go after Peter if I'm not here. He'll search for me because I'm not under Peter's influence."
"I think he'll use the Suit to get to you," Mozzie said. "We both know it worked before."
"He was willing to kill everyone before," Neal said and sighed. "You're talking me out of it."
"More of seeing the big picture. And it might take more than a hour," Mozzie said. "How free are you for lunch?"
"Very," Neal said. "See you then."
"Yep," Mozzie said and hung up.
*~*~*~*
Around lunchtime, Neal was looking up at the clock. He was a bit more jumpy today, but nobody questioned him on it. At five minutes to noon, he got up and went to Peter's office. "Do you mind if I leave for lunch? Moz wants to see me about something."
Peter looked up from the paperwork and to the clock. "Sure," he said. "You don't have to come back after lunch if you don't want to."
"I just didn't think it was going to be so much paperwork," Neal said and shrugged.
"That's life," Peter said. "Give my best to Moz."
"Give El a hug for me," Neal said as he turned and walked out of the office, picking up his hat as he went. He tried to walk casually to the park bench where Mozzie was waiting and chuckled as he got there "This is a surprise," he said as he gave a hug to Sophie. "Hello Aunt Sophie."
"I was in the area," Sophie said as she hugged Neal back. "I'm glad I was - you're leaving?"
"I was thinking about it," Neal said and looked at Mozzie. "You could have told me."
"Your phone could have been bugged," Mozzie said with a shrug.
"So, why are you here?" Neal asked.
"We're keeping eyes on a mark," Sophie said. "And it means that I need to ask you to stay here. You're safe here, even if you think you're not. Eliot has friends who are keeping eyes on the house - both of them - and we have different people about."
"Yes, but - " Neal started to protest when Parker took the air out of him with a glomp. "You need a bell or something," he said to the blonde thief.
"Hardison says the same thing," Parker said with a grin.
Neal sighed. "I won't forgive myself if he kills them to get to me."
"He won't," Sophie said. "He's collecting his pieces for one last game. We're doing the same."
"Okay," Neal said. "But I want in."
Sophie grinned. "Nate was hoping that you'd say that. Me, I already knew that you would. Do you have time now?"
"Yes," Neal said as he followed Sophie and Mozzie out of the park. As he listened to Parker talk about the team's most recent work, he felt lighter than he had when the week started. He couldn't help but look over his shoulder.. and see Peter there, who only held a finger to his mouth to keep the secret.
Chapter Title: TGIF
Rating: PG-13
Overall Word Count: 17,397
Chapter Word Count: 984
Summary: When Peter's card shows up in a dead woman's pocket, two amazing forces come together to find the murderer.
Author's Note: I do not own White Collar, Castle, or any of the characters from the various fandoms that appear. Emmanuel Gray is of my own creation.
Thank Yous: A big thank you to sirwynai for being my beta, cheerleader, and listening to all of my insanity. A big special thank you to slysionnachnano for cheerleading in the final hours of getting this done!
Kate walked out of the Twelfth Precinct just as the sun was coming up. She breathed in the spring air and smiled at the lawyer. "Well, thank you for all your help. I didn't think it would take that long," she said.
"Neither did I," the lawyer said as a limo came to a stop. He opened the door for her. "Have a pleasant morning."
"Thank you," Kate said and slid into the limo. "Good morning," she said as she saw that Gray was also in the limo.
"I doubt that this morning could be called good," Gray said. "What were your orders?"
"Don't get caught," Kate said with a sigh as the smile slipped off her face.
"And you didn't obey those orders," Gray said as he looked up at her. "What's more is that you gave too much away." He watched her look away and attempt not to squirm. "Just the other day, you were explaining to me that you could do this. That you had no more love to give to Neal Caffrey. Were you mistaken in telling me that, Kate?"
"No," Kate said after a long moment. "What's going to happen now?"
"You are going to move over as we have one last person to pick up," Gray said. "Then we are going to find a way to end this cat and mouse with Burke and Caffrey once and for all."
"Who is the last person?" Kate asked as the limo stopped again. She looked as the door opened and smiled. "Hello Keller."
"Kate - good to see you aren't dead," Keller said as he slid in. "Sir," he said with a nod to Gray.
"How did you get out?" Kate asked.
"It doesn't matter now," Gray said. "We're going underground until we can fully figure out what we're doing. Or until either of them slips up first."
"It'll be Caffrey," Keller said. "And it would be easy to have others throw him a bone to make it worth his while."
"We don't have Alex anymore," Gray said.
"There's more than one way to skin a cat," Keller said with a grin.
"Too true," Gray said as the limo took them to his apartment space to plan.
*~*~*~*
Neal's cell phone rang just as he was getting ready to leave to go to the office. "Yeah Moz?" He asked after seeing who it was.
"Keller escaped this morning," Mozzie said.
"…You're joking," Neal said.
"Nope," Mozzie replied. "What do you want to do?"
"How ready are we to go?" Neal asked.
"A hour, give or take," Mozzie said. "I'm surprised that you're jumping to that right away."
"It's not safe to stay here," Neal said. "Not with this on top of everything else."
"You think Gray is going to take a shot?" Mozzie asked.
"Technically, he already did," Neal said. "He won't go after Peter if I'm not here. He'll search for me because I'm not under Peter's influence."
"I think he'll use the Suit to get to you," Mozzie said. "We both know it worked before."
"He was willing to kill everyone before," Neal said and sighed. "You're talking me out of it."
"More of seeing the big picture. And it might take more than a hour," Mozzie said. "How free are you for lunch?"
"Very," Neal said. "See you then."
"Yep," Mozzie said and hung up.
*~*~*~*
Around lunchtime, Neal was looking up at the clock. He was a bit more jumpy today, but nobody questioned him on it. At five minutes to noon, he got up and went to Peter's office. "Do you mind if I leave for lunch? Moz wants to see me about something."
Peter looked up from the paperwork and to the clock. "Sure," he said. "You don't have to come back after lunch if you don't want to."
"I just didn't think it was going to be so much paperwork," Neal said and shrugged.
"That's life," Peter said. "Give my best to Moz."
"Give El a hug for me," Neal said as he turned and walked out of the office, picking up his hat as he went. He tried to walk casually to the park bench where Mozzie was waiting and chuckled as he got there "This is a surprise," he said as he gave a hug to Sophie. "Hello Aunt Sophie."
"I was in the area," Sophie said as she hugged Neal back. "I'm glad I was - you're leaving?"
"I was thinking about it," Neal said and looked at Mozzie. "You could have told me."
"Your phone could have been bugged," Mozzie said with a shrug.
"So, why are you here?" Neal asked.
"We're keeping eyes on a mark," Sophie said. "And it means that I need to ask you to stay here. You're safe here, even if you think you're not. Eliot has friends who are keeping eyes on the house - both of them - and we have different people about."
"Yes, but - " Neal started to protest when Parker took the air out of him with a glomp. "You need a bell or something," he said to the blonde thief.
"Hardison says the same thing," Parker said with a grin.
Neal sighed. "I won't forgive myself if he kills them to get to me."
"He won't," Sophie said. "He's collecting his pieces for one last game. We're doing the same."
"Okay," Neal said. "But I want in."
Sophie grinned. "Nate was hoping that you'd say that. Me, I already knew that you would. Do you have time now?"
"Yes," Neal said as he followed Sophie and Mozzie out of the park. As he listened to Parker talk about the team's most recent work, he felt lighter than he had when the week started. He couldn't help but look over his shoulder.. and see Peter there, who only held a finger to his mouth to keep the secret.