Fic; the bodyguard (chapter 1)
Title: The bodyguard- chapter one
Author: Swirlsofblue
Rating: PG
Genre and/or Pairing: Crossover, action/humour no pairing.
Spoilers: Up to and including out of the box 1.14
Warnings: Violence
Word Count: 1633
Summary: Someone is after Neal, he decides to hire his own body-guard. Peter is not amused.
Disclaimer: I don't own any TV shows or characters etc.
Author's note: This is my first White Collar fic so concrit would be much appreciated. May I please have an author tag? I hope you enjoy.
The people who blew up the plane went into hiding as soon as they found out that Neal was still alive. He and Neal had spent almost every spare moment over the last three months trying to pull them back out into the open. It finally felt like they were getting close. So of course that’s when it happened.
They were walking to the office with Neal carrying a mound of coffee cups. Peter was filling his customary weekly quota of threats to send Neal back to prison with a joke about elephants, famous Monet’s and toilet paper. Neal gave him a quizzical look ‘how do you know about that?’ went unsaid and the coffee mountain remained perfectly posed in his artist hands. Later people would say what happened next showed of how finely honed his FBI super-hero instincts were; really it was just dumb luck. The metallic paper -that the coffee brand danced on- threw the sunlight into Peter’s eyes causing him to avert his gaze which was why he saw it.
“Get down!” Peter shouted, yanking Neal behind a car just as the sniper started firing.
Neal was fine but the sniper disappeared, the only evidence that he was ever there being the murdered coffee cups.
----
“I’ve set up your security detail and here put this on.” Peter said handing Neal the bullet-proof vest. Unlike three months ago when Neal was too upset to do anything but scowl at the vest and body-guards, this time Neal let out one of his bright-enough-to-wake-the-dinosaurs smiles and started in on the convincer.
“Peter, I know a guy...”
“No Neal, we’re using trained professionals, I have full confidence in the guys I’m assigning to guard you.”
“...He’s in security and he’s got a lot of experience being a bodyguard besides anyone in the FBI could be working for the people trying to kill me...”
“Which is precisely why I hand-picked agents I know and trust.”
“The guy I know is the best.”
“I don’t care if he’s superman, I’m not trusting your safety to some stranger.” Peter says and he’s suddenly self-conscious of how it sounds so continues; “if anything happens to you it’s my ass on the line.”
“Best way to ensure that nothing happens is to go with my guy...”
“Because you’re going to keep slipping away from the bodyguards just like three months ago.” Peter sighs, finishing Neal’s sentence for him. He remembers having to call up the EMCU and ask for Neal’s location only to find that the location given was exactly where the guards were. Then he had to call back again asking for a more specific location much to the EMCU worker’s puzzlement because yes Neal was always in the same building as his assigned bodyguards and yes they still could never find him.
“We’ll have both.” Peter decides. Neal nods with a twinkle in his eye and Peter knows he might as well re-assign the agents to something more worthwhile than a wild-super-intelligent-goose-chase. He’ll guard Neal 24/7 himself if he has to. Neal calls the guy he knows while far away from Peter’s ears and then informs Peter that his new body-guard will be here by tomorrow morning. He says he’ll watch Neal until then and Neal nods as though he is magnanimously allowing Peter to do so. Peter just lets out a laugh.
The day goes by with no further incidents, although that may be partly due to Neal being kept on lock-down in the FBI offices. Peter drives Neal back to June’s in an armoured vehicle, Neal of course acts like it’s business as usual. He has a quick word with the agents parked outside before leaving. When Peter gets home he goes straight to bed and stares at the ceiling wondering, pondering and worrying. El gets up and makes coffee.
Peter explains all his fears in his own stilted way with El’s encouragement. She plucks the most perfect words stirs them with her wonderful warm tone to form responses that actually make him feel better. He once more basks in how extraordinary she is and feels an ounce of shame when he thinks she’s wasting her talents on event planning. The thought always feels like the worst betrayal but Peter can’t help but think she should be out saving the world- healing peoples king-fisher wounds with her delicate grace. Then again she’s using her talents to make the most important days of peoples’ lives magical and he knows in a world hard-stuck with grit creating days of magic to colour beige walls is just as special as anything else- if not more so.
Sleep comes quickly the second time around and within moments his dream involving nuns on acid is broken by his alarm clock. Peter rushes over to June’s suddenly desperate to find out that everything is fine. He resists the urge to call Neal as he drives slightly more haphazardly than usual. Jenny lets him in and he strides up the stairs towards Neal’s room. Peter opens the door and has to fight to keep his jaw from dropping to the floor; there are two Neal Caffrey’s.
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Peter stared at them trying to figure out which one was the real Neal and what he was up to, as the men eyed him with challenge. More troubling was that he had never had a clue that Neal had an identical twin brother; the decoy potential alone was worrying. Peter looked closely at their faces. Almost all twins had slight differences in their facial features even if they were often overlooked by the casual observer, but Peter found nothing. Still he refused to admit defeat he couldn’t let Neal win this one. Their facial expressions also revealed nothing but just as he was beginning to think he’d have to take a guess he saw a small quirk of lips- the beginnings of a typical Neal-esque smile.
Now all Peter had to do was figure out whether the smile was a bluff, double bluff or triple bluff because regardless of who was making the lip-quirk he was certain it wasn’t an accident. He was pondering the puzzle when he noticed their eyes. Neal hid it very well but Peter had always been able to find the darkness in those sparkling blues, behind the jovial twinkle- the look of someone who has seen too much. Neal’s brother’s eyes had much more darkness in them. Completely unnoticeable to most people, but Peter wasn’t most people.
“Come on Neal we’ve got a case to work.” Peter said gesturing towards Neal. Neal let out a grin.
“Impressive. I’m Bryce.” The other man said without inflection, holding out his hand for Peter to shake. Peter took the hand, eyeing Bryce cautiously.
“My new bodyguard.” Neal said, still grinning in a way that made Peter want to simultaneously punch the kid and ruffle his hair. Guarding family members falls under the same category as operating on a family member; it’s a bad idea. Lack of objectiveness leads to bad judgement calls and that’s not even mentioning that he already doesn’t trust ‘Bryce’. But it is likely to keep a person extra motivated. As they make their way to the car with Bryce scouting the surroundings he has to admit the guy seems to know the basics at least. Actually if he’s honest with himself he also has to admit Bryce seems to be able to watch for every potential risk all at the same time and Peter knows he is taking this seriously.
Peter comes out of a mid-morning meeting to find Neal and Bryce casually discussing who is the better captain Sisco or Janeway. Bryce at first glance looks completely lackadaisical and relaxed, as though no protection is needed whilst safely ensconced in the FBI building. He looks the same at second glance and third glance also but Peter can tell it’s a lie- to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. Bryce’s eyes are alert even though his posture isn’t and he’s positioned to see the exits.
He doesn’t know whether to be grateful or concerned about Neal’s brother’s ruse. The guy clearly has extensive body-guard experience and not guarding pop princesses or b-list movie stars. Bryce has been guarding people who actually have serious threats against them, serious risk of being killed. Peter knows he’s jumping to conclusions but can’t help picturing Bryce protecting drug-lords and mobsters- it leaves a coppery taste in his mouth. He has always suspected that Neal was raised into the world of crime- a couple of barely there leads when he was chasing Neal suggested it was the case.
Peters thought track is cut off by his computer beeping an alert in response to a BOLO concerning the people involved with their current case- a stolen Mondrian. Neal insists on going with him to investigate the possible lead. Peter knows if he refuses Neal will just find a way to follow him so he grudgingly agrees.
Bryce walks out first combing the surroundings with his gaze and ushering Neal forwards when he’s satisfied. Neal just rolls his eyes and walks to the car. Bryce climbs in after him and immediately mentions that the car is not secure. As if Peter doesn’t already know that, but they have a job to do and Neal isn’t going to let himself be cooped up in the office again. It will have to do for now. Peter has been driving for seven minutes when he spots the red blur heading towards them. He spins the wheel. Slams on the brakes. Time has slowed to a standstill. Yet there’s still no time. The red blur is a small truck. A small truck that is accelerating towards them. There is a horrific shudder of impact. Then blackness.