Collared- A Trouble in Paradise Verse Fic featuring Neal Caffrey (classicratpack)
But he knows better to try to con her. she'd break both his pretty arms; besides, since he stopped running- since he gave something up- they've had an understanding that they don't need to talk about. She trusts him implicitly because he stopped trying to be two Caffrey's. and he didn't give up on Peter; when a lot of other people did (but not everyone, thank god; in the end there was still her and El and Jones and Caffrey. In the end, Peter still had his team and his wife and his friends), Caffrey was passing her coffee at 11 pm and going over possible leads on James. They worked through every angle, they did everything in their power while Jones kept the unit- Peter's unit- running.
Being in the trenches like that bred trust. and she trusted Neal. So she let her smile through and shrugged at him.
"Stalking's illegal, you know." she threw at him as she reached the main doors of the FBI building. He gave his own slight shrug and a half smile.
"Who says I'm stalking?" He slipped his hands in his pockets and stood straighter; goddamn him, he knew how that looked. How cool and striking he was. well, no need to stroke that over active ego, anyway.
"The lady with the badge says."
"Diana, I'm hurt. Hurt that you'd think me wanting to buy you lunch is stalking. A friendly sandwich, and all of a sudden it's 'inappropriate boundaries'," He said, pouting slightly, his eyes flashing. She laughed and pushed the door, tilting her head in his direction. He followed her immediately, grinning.
"you know flirting with me doesn't work, Caffrey." She said. he pressed his hand to the small of her back and leaned in to her so she could a tantalizing whiff of that spicy-citrus cologne he wore. He turned his shoulder slightly in her direction and his eyes deepened, his voice lowering and octave or two. Low enough to be intimate and titillating.
"I would never demean you by flirting with you." He purred at her. Two could play this game, and she was better at it than he was.
She put three fingers lightly on his shoulder, dropping her eyes from his and arching her back before lifting her eyes slowly to his. His smile deepened, appreciating the show.
"back off, Neal, or I'll arrest so fast you'll leave your vintage tie in the dust." She murmured, smiling at him. He paused, searching her face, and then laughed, stepping away from her.
"alright." He said, raising an eyebrow. she chuckled at him and then nudged him with her shoulder as they fell into step, walking in companionable silence for a block or so. She caught him glancing around a couple place, like he was expecting to be followed.
Or maybe he was looking for a good place to slip his FBI leash. He'd one it before. more to the point, she'd let him. the stakes were high; the stakes were Peter life, and anything was worth it. But maybe he thinks he can get away with it with her again.
She doesn't honestly know if she'll allow it or not.
"So. you going to tell me what's on your mind, Caffrey, or you want to banter some more?" she glanced at him and was surprised to see a naked expression on his face; she can't quite decipher it and it's gone before she can begin to analyze it. But it was a caught look.
It was a look like he'd been running in two directions at once again, and wanted to stop but didn't know how.
and if that's the case, he's probably doing something illegal. She doesn't even blink at how she weighs the advantage of plausible deniablilty and finding out the truth. It's not even a question anymore; it should bother her, but after Peter- the best agent, the best boss, the best man she knows- ended up in prison, her moral standards area little skewed.
"look. don't tell me, if it's..." She can't say illegal; he should tell her if it is. "Too personal. but.. I'm here, Neal." He gives her another of those naked, pained looks and she turns to him. She should ask' she should.
But being able to deny what he was up to mighthelp save her career. more importantly, it could keep Peter out of the outseat. She sighs.
"I know, Di, I-" he takes her hand and presses herfingers in his, not looking at her. "I know."
"Oh Di." he said, and she frowned at him, searching his face. But he wasn't looking at her; he was looking beyond her. Behind her. She's just a moment too late reacting; by the time she's moving, the thug has her in a head lock and what feels like a gun pressed to her back.
"Nice and easy, Barrigan, there'sagood girl," a voice croons in her ear, and her blood freezes and she forgets to breathe. She throws one desperate look at neal, oh god oh god say it's not him say it's not oh god.
"Keller, you fuck-" Neal's voice is hateful, intense, his eyes smoldering at Matthew Keller, thief and murderer and con artist. He relaxes his hold on Diana slightly; people will start looking if they look out of place, so his arm around her throat sfotens a little, though the gun digs more viciously into her back, his arm is like an iron around her waist.
"Come on, you both know how this goes. Alert the fed, she dies. Make a run for it, she dies. and you, honey," Keller purred,turning to her. He's kissing distance and she's repulsed, horrified. "try any of the Fed training on me, you fight me in anyway, you die and Caffrey goes down for it. Or better yet, you kill Caffrey. How does that sound, huh?"
"You son of a bitch." Neal growled, and Diana started breathing again.
"Aw. You know I love it when you talk dirty to me, baby." He winked at Neal and started moving. "Come on. ain't got time for foreplay, sweetheart. too crowded." Neal's jaw was tight but he followed Keller to a nondescript town car. They piled into the backseat, where another thug was waiting.
"this time, Caffrey, you get the pleasure of watching me torture your girl." Neal didn't reply and Diana tried to move, but Keller settled his arm more firmly around her. "Where you going, love?" He leered. She closed her eyes, trying not to remember the state they'd found Kono in when Keller was done with her. Trying not to remember telling Kono she'd rather it had been her and not the Hawaiian cop. she tried not to think of the look on Peter's face when he realized. She tried not to think about Jones pacing, angry, focused.
She tried not to think of her last words to her parents. Angry, sarcastic. They'd have to live with that for the rest of her life. She closed her eyes.
"Here. drink up." Keller said, pressing a glass to her hand. "all of it. you too, Neal."
"How original." Neal said, lifting the glass to his lips and glaring at Keller.
"I work with what I got." Keller shrugged. Diana thought that should mean something to her; it sounded cryptic enough to mean something, but she couldn't think. She lifted the glass to her lips and swallowed, closing her eyes again.
"There you go. night night, kittens." Keller said. She turned to him, leaning in to whisper to him.
"I'm going to be the one who kills you. Even if it means my career." the edges of the world were starting to go black but she concentrated on his face, her breath coming faster.
"That a promise, sweetcheeks?" He taunted, his grotesque smile twisting his lips.
"I-" but that was it. The world went black.
