{"id":942,"date":"2024-08-23T00:35:13","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T00:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=942"},"modified":"2024-08-23T00:43:37","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T00:43:37","slug":"chapter-02","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/meekobuggy.com\/?page_id=942","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 02"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Chapter 02 <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

She hadn\u2019t been able to sleep that night. Her arm was hurting and the stitches were pulling. Whatever she tried, Bella couldn\u2019t get her mind to settle, so instead, she spent the night running her shooter\u2019s face through the FBI database. Disconnecting every 10 minutes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of the night, she saw the sun come up from her window and she hadn\u2019t gotten anywhere. Even switching to her more powerful computer didn\u2019t work as the connections were so slow. Bella got dressed into something comfortable, knowing that two men were still in her home with her, and headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMornin\u2019!\u201d Neal greeted her happily. \u201cCoffee?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, please,\u201d she sat down at the table and looked at him. \u201cYou\u2019re looking fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, yeah, the beds here are just fantastic,\u201d he said cheerfully. \u201cWhat about you? Did you get some sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, and I didn\u2019t get anywhere with the facial recognition either. The servers were sluggish and it was just tiresome. I\u2019ll try again in a bit while most of the world is still asleep, I dunno.\u201d Bella gratefully took the mug of coffee and was surprised when her milk and sugar were already added. \u201cWhat\u2019s this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on,\u201d Neal smirked. \u201cWe\u2019ve worked together for a nearly two months, we may change who we are for our jobs, but our coffee order will always be the same.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou remembered my coffee order?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course! Why wouldn\u2019t I? Was all part of the job and after I saw you that night wanting that Picasso, I decided to remember stuff about you for the next time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCreep,\u201d Bella muttered as she took a sip of her coffee. \u201cWhere\u2019s Liam?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, I gave him a list of groceries to get seeing as you don\u2019t have a lot in your home and he won\u2019t let either of us leave until we\u2019re certain what happened,\u201d Neal replied as he started to cook breakfast. \u201cAnd he\u2019s going by my place to pick up some clothes for me. You have some cute clothes, but I don\u2019t fit them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella cocked her head as she looked at his behind. \u201cI don\u2019t know\u2026 you\u2019d look great in a dress, some high heels\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFunny,\u201d Neal flipped the eggs. \u201cGood to know you have your sense of humor back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh, but I have coffee, it\u2019s the nectar of the Gods!\u201d She took a sip of her coffee again and relaxed in her chair. \u201cI can get used to this, someone else who cooks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAh! I don\u2019t mind doing it, it\u2019s more fun to cook for more people,\u201d Neal replied as he slid the eggs onto some toast and set the plate down in front of Bella. \u201cSo, did you google me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy would I?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAren\u2019t you at least curious about me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella looked at him for a moment and shook her head. \u201cI trust Liam. Liam says you\u2019re alright, why would I bother looking you up online when I was doing other stuff? Besides, it\u2019s a lot more fun to get to know someone in person than to read things on the internet about them and half of it might not even be true.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal let out a snort. \u201cYou\u2019re so unlike other con artists I\u2019ve met,\u201d he replied as he sat down in front of her. \u201cNot self-absorbed, not working an angle at all times\u2026 you\u2019re actually quite normal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks? I guess?\u201d Oh, she knew what he was talking about. Bella had disliked him from the very start because he was always \u2018on\u2019 and couldn\u2019t switch off. It was a safety mechanism, but she was glad to see that he was also capable of being somewhat \u2018normal\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her siblings had always hated her for her \u2018normal\u2019 behaviour. They were all competitive with each other, who got the best scores, the best gigs\u2026 the bigger amount of bodies, and Bella wasn\u2019t like that at all. Sometimes it felt as if she didn\u2019t even belong in the family, but then again, there were plenty of families out there who didn\u2019t like each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her brothers and sisters also didn\u2019t like it that she wasn\u2019t allowed to go on normal jobs, and that she was the one who needed to fix things when things would go sideways. Bella was the wildcard, the fixer and the cleaner, but after years and years of fights, distrust and being bullied had made her escape to Uncle Garrett permanently. Not even her father knew where his brother lived, and Garrett liked to keep it that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uncle Garrett allowed her to be who she wanted to be, helped her to refine her skills and Bella had been truly happy, and was now wondering if maybe it had been a bad idea to leave the vineyard for Paris. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But she was an adult, mid twenties, she had no one but Uncle Garrett and his people to talk to. Paris had been such a big lure, and now\u2026 Now she got shot. Paris sucked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd still, you\u2019re good at what you do, and that means you found a healthy balance that I\u2019m still looking for,\u201d Neal said as he took a bite off of his toast. \u201cIt\u2019s why I\u2019m here and not still in the States being Neal Caffrey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow\u2019s it working out for you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo soon to tell. It\u2019s hard to switch off,\u201d he laughed. A genuine laugh. Not faked, not played. \u201cI was a CI for the FBI for six years and even then I couldn\u2019t stop scheming, thinking about my next score or how I could do something behind Peter\u2019s back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFBI Agent Peter Burke. Great man, great wife, and a great dog. Out of all the people I came in contact with\u2026 only he and my best friend knew who I truly was and what made me tick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou miss him, don\u2019t you? The both of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal nodded. \u201cYeah. But Neal Caffrey had to die and I had to start over. Too much baggage, too many waves.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave you been checking in on your friends since you left?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNah, they\u2019re okay without me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you okay without them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal barked out a laugh. \u201cWhat are you? A psychiatrist?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Bella smiled at him as she took a sip of her coffee. \u201cLike you, I had to leave people behind when I moved on from my old life, but unlike you, I didn\u2019t have people I care about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOld life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella nodded as she finished her breakfast. \u201cHow about we check in on your friends? I\u2019m pretty good with the computer, you see. I could take a break from running someone\u2019s mug through facial recognition, and do something fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella shrugged. \u201cAnyway you think is fun to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the US is asleep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHold that thought,\u201d she replied as she retrieved her laptop from her bedroom, cleared the table and set up her laptop. \u201cDoes one of them have an alarm system?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeter has,\u201d Neal said, a little bit suspicious of her question. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlarm systems are connected to the alarm company through the internet, I\u2019ve hacked alarm systems before, it\u2019s fun,\u201d she pointed to her now empty cup of coffee. \u201cIf you pour me another, I\u2019ll have you in contact with your Peter in 30 minutes,\u201d Bella said as she started to open a few programs. \u201cHe\u2019ll likely be grumpy though, nobody likes to be woken up in the middle of the night, but it\u2019s fun.\u201d Bella asked for Peter\u2019s address, the name of his security company and after some digging around the security firm\u2019s database, she found Peter\u2019s alarm system. \u201cOh, it\u2019s going to be loud, and I\u2019ve routed the company\u2019s emergency phone number he\u2019ll likely call to this program, it\u2019s safe and secure, nobody can trace us, and you can get to talk to Peter, even invite him for a video chat, but he\u2019d have to install a piece of software on his pc that he might not be happy with. So audio only, okay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pointed at her screen. \u201cI\u2019m inside the alarm system now, what melody do you want to wake Peter with? Anything is possible, all I need to look for is the melody online, load it up\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBaby Shark.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella eyed him, brows raised. \u201cI ask you for anything and you come up with Baby Shark?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, come on!\u201d Neal whined. \u201cIsn\u2019t that song stuck in everyone\u2019s heads these days? It\u2019ll be fun. He and his wife will wake up annoyed anyway, so why not make it super annoying?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laughing, Bella shrugged and went looking for the melody and installed it on the server. It was always fun to fuck with an FBI agent. \u201cHere we go, you ready to talk to your friend?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh yeah, definitely. Thank you,\u201d his gratitude was truly sincere, Bella could tell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With one push of the button, the alarm in Peter\u2019s house went off. She swapped between the two programs and she was surprised by the response time, Peter was almost immediately on the phone to them. She picked up the call and disengaged the alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is Peter Burke, 4232 DeKalb Avenue, my alarm just went off for no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you sure there\u2019s no intruder in your home, sir?\u201d Bella replied. \u201cNothing out of the ordinary?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was quiet for a moment before Peter realized that his alarm wasn\u2019t the right tone. \u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey Peter,\u201d Neal said, a relieved smile on his face as he heard his friend\u2019s voice, and Bella decided to leave him and Peter alone for a bit while she took her coffee elsewhere. \u201cHey, where are you going?\u201d Neal grabbed her wrist. \u201cDon\u2019t go away, it\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal?\u201d Peter sounded surprised. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, come on, Peter, we all know that you have already figured it out that I\u2019m still here. Don\u2019t worry, the line is safe and secure,\u201d Neal watched as Bella sat down again. \u201cHow are you? How\u2019s Elizabeth? Moz?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal? Is that Neal on the phone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, hon, he\u2019s the one who set off the alarm too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, technically, it wasn\u2019t me. Just a friend giving me the opportunity to talk to you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal,\u201d Peter\u2019s voice sounded stern. \u201cDo you have any idea how many laws you\u2019re breaking right now?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd isn\u2019t the purpose of you faking your death to start anew?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d he nodded. \u201cHow\u2019s the baby?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, I\u2019m asking about the baby, I know I\u2019m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe named the baby after you, Neal. That was before I found out you were still alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal\u2019s face lit up. \u201cYou didn\u2019t! Oh, wow, Peter! What an honor! See, I knew you couldn\u2019t live without me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, well, your stunt has woken him up too,\u201d Peter said grumpily. \u201cAre you in trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, why would I be? I missed hearing your voice!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause you\u2019re smart enough to make clean breaks, that\u2019s why, Neal. I don\u2019t care if your friend gave you a chance to seek contact safely, but this is the first we hear from you in a long time, so something must be up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, actually\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t,\u201d Bella said as she looked at Neal. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare! We can figure this out together and if not\u2026 No. Don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBella, you were shot at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to have the FBI involved in this! I\u2019m off their radar and I\u2019m happy to stay that way!\u201d She had her hand on the disconnect button. \u201cChange subject with your friend or I will sever the connection right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal narrowed his eyes on her. \u201cSo you\u2019re really going to keep hacking the FBI to use their facial recog—-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to pretend I didn\u2019t hear that,\u201d Peter\u2019s voice sounded. \u201cBut if you do need help\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo cops, Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd no FBI involvement,\u201d Bella scowled as she took another sip of her coffee. \u201cYou have one more chance. Change subject.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMozzie and June are alright. Mozzie is a bit lonely so he hangs out with El a lot and baby Neal. Get this, we even allow Mozzie to babysit these days, and he loves hanging out with Teddy too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWow, Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know, but I felt bad for the guy, and El adores him, so does Diana. So, how have you been, Neal?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, you know, keeping busy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat Picasso, was that you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich one?\u201d Neal grinned as he looked at Bella, who rolled her eyes at the question. \u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat? I got bored!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd now your new friend got shot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd you have no idea who did it, seeing as you\u2019re breaking laws to use facial recognition software.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlright, that\u2019s enough Neal. Say goodbye to your friend, this conversation is over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBye Peter, give my love to everyone else. Stay in touch!\u201d He laughed as Bella disconnected the call and pushed him with her injured arm, causing her to yelp in pain. \u201cHappy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAbsolutely not!\u201d she shot at him. \u201cThis is the last time I\u2019ll do something out of the kindness of my heart for you,\u201d she said as she took her laptop and got off the chair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUse a different database as you told a Fed I was using his database,\u201d she narrowed her eyes on him as she suddenly realized something. \u201cUnless telling him was your plan all along, seeing as some systems are caching the searches, so he knows what to look for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cyber intrusion, and they do keep logs of every intrusion. I figured he could have someone look for it, connect it to something to his current case and give us the information we need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeter is really good at finding me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d she shook her head as she took a few steps back, creating some distance between herself and Neal. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you did that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t believe you didn\u2019t think of this scenario.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet out,\u201d she pointed at the door. \u201cGet the fuck out of my house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy? Because I\u2019m trying to help you? Peter can be trusted with this, he won\u2019t do anything to jeopardize our location or—-\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re involving the FBI now. I wanted to stay clear of having the FBI involved because they aren\u2019t aware of me. If I\u2019m in the system, people can find me and while I was sure that we did things safely just now, this place is now burned, because you choose to involve your friend. Get the fuck out,\u201d she spat as she walked to her bedroom to start packing. Knowing that Neal followed her, she chose to ignore him for a bit, trying to calm herself down, but it didn\u2019t work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re afraid,\u201d he eventually said as he leaned against the doorpost, watching her pack her bag with care but fast enough to be out the door in minutes. \u201cAnd it\u2019s not because of me involving the FBI, is it? That was just the last drop. Who are you hiding from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not hiding,\u201d she replied as she closed her suitcase and decided to take the laptop and tablet with her too. Booting up the pc, she put in the command to erase everything and overheat. \u201cIt was a stupid idea to go to Paris. I should have stayed where I was before.\u201d She took out her phone, removed the battery and destroyed the sim card with a pair of scissors that were in her desk drawers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBella, you\u2019re running on zero sleep and you look like you\u2019re about to burst into tears, how about you calm down, take a nap and then you can tell me more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, no,\u201d she said as she pushed by him with her bags. \u201cBest if you stay out of this,\u201d she replied as she dropped her bags, got down on the floor and lifted one of the floorboards that held her go-bag. \u201cYou can tell Liam thank you when he returns, I won\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nearly had a heart attack when the front door opened, revealing her Uncle Garrett. She dropped everything she had and ran into his arms like a small child would do, her fear finally taking over after everything that had happened in the past 12 hours, because now she was safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s alright, I\u2019m here now,\u201d Garrett said calmly as he lifted her up to move them out of the doorway so that Liam could come through as well. \u201cLet it all out. We\u2019re not running today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett wasn\u2019t too happy with Neal Caffrey being inside his home, but as Liam had explained it to him, he was there when Bella got shot. If it were under any other circumstances, he would have hoped that the bullet had been for Neal, and not for Bella, but there had been something he\u2019d been neglecting to tell his niece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett knew what was going on, and he was going to tell Bella all about it, as soon as she had calmed down and had some sleep, he was going to tell her. But while she was asleep, he was going to have a chat with Neal Caffrey. Who was supposed to be dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow did you meet my girl?\u201d Garrett asked as he took a sip of his bourbon, looking at the man sitting on the couch, a confident smile on his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPicasso. As it turns out, we both were pulling a con on the museum, for different reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett nodded. \u201cCan\u2019t say I\u2019m too happy about you and Bella running into each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan\u2019t say I\u2019m too happy about getting almost shot yesterday.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t. It was meant for Bella.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know who did it,\u201d Neal said knowingly, a hint of fascination in his voice. \u201cAnd you want to go after them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett scrunched his nose. \u201cNot particularly. There\u2019s nothing we can do apart from going into hiding, these guys can\u2019t be stopped without force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat aren\u2019t you telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He took another sip of his bourbon and sighed as he looked over his shoulder to the closed bedroom doors before looking back at Neal fucking Caffrey. \u201cI just told you that Bella was the intended target, you don\u2019t have to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I might not know her as well as I\u2019d like, but I want to help. It keeps me off the streets and aren\u2019t us thieves supposed to help each other?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd usually be in each other\u2019s way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, like that Picasso thing. But Bella and I managed to agree quickly after she found me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Caffrey, you\u2019re not known for having honor amongst thieves. Because there usually is none. However, I\u2019ve been teaching my girl that whatever you decide to use your talents is to be kind and with a purpose. I don\u2019t want her to get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe got shot and that wasn\u2019t my fault. I made sure she got patched up and didn\u2019t end up in the hospital. If I wanted her to get caught or get into the system, I would have done just that,\u201d Neal countered, slightly angry. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t. That would be a waste because she\u2019s talented and there aren\u2019t many con artists like her who steal with a purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, she would keep some of the money if she stole money, but that\u2019s an honest fee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would keep it all to myself, I\u2019m selfish like that,\u201d Neal agreed. \u201cHowever, I am trying to turn over a new leaf. That\u2019s why Neal Caffrey is dead, and maybe, if she\u2019s willing, Bella can teach me her ways. It\u2019s not like all the time working with an FBI agent hasn\u2019t changed me.\u201d Neal shrugged then as he relaxed onto the couch, one leg over the other, arm on the back of the couch. \u201cI mean, even if it weren\u2019t for her being shot, I would still have sought her out, which I did prior to the shooting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not like you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know. She seems to be able to do things that I can\u2019t. Like with that Picasso museum. I was waiting for a job opening, I wasn\u2019t in a hurry to pull a con, but all of a sudden people went on holidays or got fired. Then, at the night of the heist, I was careful not to trip any alarms, avoid the cameras and she just waltzed in, alarm and cameras shut off. Hackers usually don\u2019t do the physical cons.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett nodded, taking another sip of his bourbon, wondering how much he was going to tell him. \u201cSo you\u2019re planning on seeing this through, and once it\u2019s all done, you won\u2019t tell anyone about her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d Neal huffed. \u201cThat\u2019s the one thing about being free, I don\u2019t have to share stuff anymore with the FBI.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood, because you may want to reconsider staying once I\u2019ve told you something about Bella.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou make it sound like her family is part of the mafia or something,\u201d Neal joked but when he saw the grim look on Garrett\u2019s face, he was surprised. \u201cBella\u2019s part of the mafia?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett remained quiet before he moved to a chair opposite of Neal. \u201cHave you ever heard of the Cullens?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal let out a breath. \u201cWho hasn\u2019t? They\u2019re ruthless. Five siblings working together and doing a lot of damage, even killing, but no one has ever been able to pin stuff on them due to the fact that they don\u2019t leave a trace. The FBI has been after them for years, and they still can\u2019t figure out how they do what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheories?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOther than they having some very good friends who are willing to help them even when they screw up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd what if I tell you that they have indeed someone who\u2019s good at cleaning up, good at running a con on their own and making sure that nobody gets caught because they can get into most of the systems?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal was surprised as he added up everything that Garrett had said and what he had seen so far. \u201cHow did Bella get involved with them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t five siblings, there are six. She\u2019s the last one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan\u2019t be,\u201d Neal replied after giving it some thought. The idea of Bella being one of the Cullens was foreign to him. She wasn\u2019t anything like them, at all. \u201cI remember one of my friend\u2019s stories about them, he has encountered them several times and warned me about them. After the birth of her youngest, a boy, the mother had to get a hysterectomy. If Bella is a Cullen, she\u2019s either half or adopted. From what I understand is that the Cullens are blonde.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garret leaned forward in a menacing way, his voice lower. \u201cAre you saying that my niece isn\u2019t my niece by blood, Caffrey?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a Cullen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett shrugged as he relaxed in his chair again. \u201cIf I would be, I would know that the hysterectomy story is true, but I don\u2019t. No, I ran across the Cullens at some point and I was stupid enough to feel sorry for their youngest kid. She seemed to be a mis-match with her siblings so I started to invite her over for the summer after she turned 18. Under the guise of \u2018euro tripping\u2019 she came to visit me without her family knowing. She never had the balls to fully break away from them until almost two years ago. I think something may have happened, but she\u2019s not talking about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut nobody knows she\u2019s a Cullen?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, they wouldn\u2019t allow her to do anything like them, get on the radar of agencies, she moved in the shadows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat explains why she was saying she was a nobody yesterday,\u201d Neal said surprised. \u201cBecause she is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not, she\u2019s Bella. And if I\u2019m right, she\u2019s in a whole lot of trouble,\u201d he finished his drink and rose to his feet. \u201cBut I\u2019ll tell her first when she wakes up again. If you tell anyone about her, I will find a way to make you permanently deceased, got that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, sir.\u201d What the hell had he gotten himself into?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~o.O.o~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time Bella was back in the land of the living it was late in the evening. After a quick shower and getting dressed, she walked to the reception area where, surprisingly, people were still hanging around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liam was near the alcohol table, seemingly lost in his own thoughts but she knew better, he was in sentry mode even though the apartment was safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett looked pretty smug with himself as he was scrolling on his phone and the look on Neal\u2019s face told her that Garrett had told him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She headed to the kitchen and turned on the oven before getting stuff out to get to bake. Bella was still pissed off at Neal, although she basically set herself up for him to inform the FBI agent, but she was still pissed. However, if he was still here after Garrett telling him about her, then that was a good thing, too. Liam seemed to trust him, and Garrett had eased up as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But still, she needed to get her mind in order. \u201cCookies, Cake or Pie?\u201d she called out. \u201cCan\u2019t make muffins as I don\u2019t have a muffin tin!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat kind of pie?\u201d Garrett asked as he walked into the kitchen with an empty glass. \u201cLiam did groceries but he didn\u2019t get anything for pies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella ducked into one of the cupboards and retrieved her basket. \u201cI don\u2019t have fresh fruit, though, but that\u2019s okay. Cherry or peach,\u201d she said after grabbing the cans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCherry,\u201d Garrett replied as he went into the fridge to get himself something to drink. \u201cHow did you sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFine,\u201d Bella replied as she started to work on her pie. \u201cNo too happy you told someone about me, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe could use him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to use people, Garrett. You taught me better than that. Did you even ask him if he wants to stick around and help us or did you give him the run or stay speech?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo you know who took a shot at you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course I do!\u201d Bella blurted out. \u201cThe FBI servers weren\u2019t sluggish, I just kept running the face over and over again to see if the outcome was any different because the truth is a bitch and not something we can forever run from. They will keep coming. And I really don\u2019t understand why,\u201d she said as she hit the countertop with her rolling pin. \u201cBut I will find out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow? Call daddy dearest who likely signed off on this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would never, ever, rat out my family, no matter how much I think they\u2019re idiots or how much I have been hurt by them. This is stupid! I\u2019m not hurting anyone!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd what if Carlisle says something you don\u2019t like to hear, huh?\u201d Garrett leaned against the countertop as he watched Bella throw things in a bowl. \u201cYou left, didn\u2019t keep in touch with them\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m my own person and I am happier without being around my siblings all the time. That should be enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe,\u201d he let out a sigh. \u201cI just think you\u2019ll make matters worse by calling him. He\u2019ll tell you that was a warning shot and if you don\u2019t want to be dead you return to the family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe might,\u201d Garrett pointed out. \u201cLook what happened to Peter and Charlotte, Jasper\u2019s best friends. One step out of line and Jasper killed them both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut they weren\u2019t family.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClose enough, from the stories you\u2019ve told me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella was quiet as she kept assembling her pie, thinking things over. After putting it into the oven she looked at Garrett again. \u201cI\u2019ll come back to the vineyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Garrett let put a breath he didn\u2019t know he was holding. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, we can\u2019t. They found the vineyard last week and burned it all to the ground. Some of our friends got killed along the way, I could barely escape myself,\u201d he replied, pain washed over his face. \u201cWe can\u2019t stay here, either. They know you\u2019re in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho did they kill?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlmost everyone. Others were badly wounded and some weren\u2019t around. They came with an army, really. Wasn\u2019t anything we could do. I did kill three of them before I escaped.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked at her uncle and nodded. He hated to kill people, he hated guns, but he had to do what he had to do. Too bad he couldn\u2019t save the vineyard. \u201cThe Volturi are bloodhounds. They won\u2019t stop. That\u2019s what makes them so good, and so thorough. I\u2019m not sure we can outrun them. They will keep coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Garrett sighed. \u201cAnd you\u2019re not going back, either. You\u2019ll only make it easier for them to kill you. If they want you dead this bad by having the Volturi come after you, they will not hesitate to kill you as soon as you walk in the door of your family home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen what the fuck do we do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGo to the authorities?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked at him with a blank look on her face. \u201cI\u2019m desperate, but not that desperate. Are you willing to give up all the freedom that you have?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor your safety? Yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I\u2019m not. And we both did some shit that could land us in prison because the statute of limitations hasn\u2019t passed yet on certain things that we did,\u201d Bella replied after setting the timer for her pie. \u201cI have an idea though,\u201d she added. \u201cI could just hack whatever law enforcement agency we want after them – or all – and leave them a tip with a file attached to who they will be going after. With them being busy with the agencies, we can disappear again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on, I can do a lot of damage with just a laptop. I\u2019m going to rally the troops, it\u2019s time for 5h1tF4c3 to collect the debts she owes from everyone,\u201d Bella grinned as she quickly went to retrieve her laptop and settled in the kitchen while her pie was cooking. \u201cTime to take this global.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella went to her online backup that had her dig deeper into the real backup, where she had started to build files against the Volturi for years, all filled with evidence and backing up her claims. Anything that she couldn\u2019t prove wasn\u2019t in there. She had files on her rival hackers too, but it was kept safe for a rainy day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to upload this to the dark web and telling everyone to spread it around. With others looking for the Volturi and hopefully the authorities, they\u2019ll leave us alone and they\u2019ll be too busy covering their ass,\u201d Bella said as she pointed at her laptop before getting the pie out of the oven to cool. \u201cThis requires no hacking of any kind on my part, this is everything I\u2019ve collected over the years without ties to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOr the Cullens?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded. \u201cOnly if you look deep enough, which I doubt they will,\u201d she replied. \u201cFeel free to look through it and see if it\u2019s enough.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, I trust it\u2019s enough, you\u2019re always thorough, no matter what you do,\u201d Garrett poured himself another drink before he rejoined Neal and Liam back in the reception area. \u201cShe\u2019s fine. We\u2019ll be having cherry pie for dessert later, and I\u2019m not sure what she\u2019s going to cook for us but it will be delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s fine?\u201d Liam questioned, his brow raised as he took a sip of his beer. \u201cShe got shot at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd she\u2019s doing something about it in her own way. You know as much as we do how the Volturi operate. We can\u2019t go to the authorities, so she\u2019s taken matters into her own hands. She\u2019ll be chatting with some of her friends today while she cooks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShitface?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYep,\u201d Garrett nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, don\u2019t want to run into her!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s her handle?\u201d Neal piped up. \u201cSounds\u2026 unlike her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShitface does a lot of things,\u201d Garrett replied. \u201cShitface is for the hit and run kind of attacks, she has another nick for shit that\u2019s a bit more delicate and long lasting. In the early days of pencoin, Shitface stole them, hoarded them until they were worth something and cashed them out, slowly. Donating most of it to charities. That was before they put extra security on the coins, of course. She was one of the hackers who also gave an idea on how to fix the security flaws.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe designed and programmed her own tools, her own toolkit on the tablet to access security systems and what not,\u201d Liam added. \u201cShe\u2019s unwilling to share that, but it works like a charm, every single time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t have to impress me, I\u2019m already impressed by her,\u201d Neal replied as he took a sip of his drink. \u201cI\u2019m going to see if I can help her with something,\u201d he got to his feet and headed to the kitchen, finding a maniacal laughing Bella keeping an eye on her laptop while she was cooking. \u201cEverything alright?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything is alright now,\u201d she smiled at him. \u201cWe\u2019re all working together to make sure the Volturi are being dealt with. Safer for all of us. Breathing space. I just unleashed virtual hell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal sat at the table and just watched her for a moment. She looked so happy and unburdened at the moment, completely ignoring the fact that she had been shot only the day before. She had gone through a lot to be able to bounce back like this. Or, maybe she was simply putting up a brave face, like he used to do, and it would bite her in the ass later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feeling his phone vibrate, he took it out of his pocket and smiled upon seeing the name. \u201cHey, Moz.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey Neal.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh, hi, Peter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It made sense that Neal\u2019s friend had his phone number and that Peter had found Neal\u2019s friend, however, this was still the FBI calling. \u201cHang up,\u201d Bella said as she minimized her browser and software on her laptop and booted up the dialling programme. \u201cHang up, Neal, we\u2019ll call them back the safe way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReally?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy house, my rules. Hang up,\u201d she said as she took the phone from his hands and disconnected the call before dialing the number on her laptop. \u201cI don\u2019t want them to trace you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re more paranoid than my friend Mozzie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She shrugged as she released the microphone and went back to her cooking. Neal sighed. \u201cSorry about that, my friend is really careful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny reason why Mozzie has your phone number when you should be dead?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal let out a snort. \u201cMoz came to visit me last month. He knows where I am and, I\u2019m sorry, Peter, but you\u2019re still FBI and I am not sure how big the target on my back is.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNon-existent, you\u2019re dead.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what if I\u2019d turn up alive?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou might be in big trouble.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot really,\u201d Bella muttered as she stirred the sauce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing that Bella really didn\u2019t like phone calls, especially one from the FBI, Neal decided to cut to the chase before she\u2019d disconnect them again. \u201cWhy are you calling, Peter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour friend has been lying to you, she knows who the man who shot at her is. We did a full check up on the system and she simply kept running his face. It\u2019s… \u201c<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFelix Volturi,\u201d Bella piped up. \u201cYeah, I know. We\u2019re dealing with it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNone of your concern, Agent Burke, but it will be handled without any violence on our part.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEver heard of going to the authorities?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo thanks,\u201d Bella replied as she switched on the oven to preheat and retrieved chicken from the fridge. She remained alert while Neal and Peter talked, occasionally nudging Neal away from her laptop to see what was going on in the IRC chat on the dark web after her information bomb dropped and was pleased to see that it was going to spread well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t mean, of course, that the immediate threat was going away, but at least it would put pressure on the Volturi to hide or fight back and hopefully withdraw their men in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the background of Neal\u2019s conversation with Peter she could hear Neal\u2019s friend ask if \u2018the suit\u2019 was done and \u2018if he could have his phone back\u2019. The man sounded quite impatient before eventually giving up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conversation Neal was having with the agent was something along the lines of a father\/son conversation, it made her feel uncomfortable, especially as Neal was divulging way too much personal information about himself. What he\u2019d been up to, how Paris was, and whatnot. Peter, in return, did the same and spoke about his family and co-workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Bella, it sounded as if Neal had had everything before he chose to fake his own death. Why would anyone sacrifice a good life? Sure, he may have been the FBI\u2019s bitch, but that was his own fault. It seemed like he had a lot of people who loved him. And to go over a year without talking to them, the sheer joy on his face was beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019d never felt jealousy much, she\u2019d always been mostly on her own and after leaving her family, her uncle Garrett had been all that she had, and Liam. Her friends were in her computer, but even then, only when they needed her. Jealousy was a bitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella pushed the food in the oven and leaned against the kitchen counter to watch Neal. He looked like a small child happy to be talking to his best friend again, but she wanted her laptop back. It was a good thing that Neal wasn\u2019t touching her laptop though, otherwise she\u2019d have to break his fingers. No one touched her kit but her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan I have my laptop back?\u201d Bella asked eventually after becoming curious as to why she was getting so many IRC private messages. \u201cYou could just go back to New York, you know,\u201d she smiled at Neal. \u201cI\u2019m pretty sure no one will give a shit and your FBI friend will protect you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut Neal Caffrey died, and as talented as my friends are, I can\u2019t just go back and assume someone else\u2019s identity,\u201d Neal replied, a knowing smile on his face. \u201cBesides, Peter knows this was the only option after the biggest con we\u2019ve pulled.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEl and I were actually thinking of moving to Paris. I have been offered a job at the Embassy.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s great! Congrats! Elizabeth would love Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suspecting Neal wasn\u2019t going to stop talking to Peter anytime soon, she decided to keep the connection going while she checked her messages. Pings were coming in from people all over the world saying that they sent the package to authorities in their country, others had already found bank accounts connected to the Volturi, but there was one message that stood out to her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

VitaPedrillo: I\u2019m looking for a 5\u201911 brunette with blue eyes and a dazzling smile. Is he with you?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5h1tF4c3: Who is this?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VitaPedrillo: Currently on the phone to a Suit?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5h1tF4c3: Your puppy is about to be neutered.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see that,\u201d Neal said playfully, leaning into her to look at the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did I tell you about personal space?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to know what you\u2019re doing, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuit, Neal is in safe hands,\u201d <\/em>another voice sounded in the background from the call. \u201cI\u2019m completely and utterly in awe of his new friend, who\u2019s a legend.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope not,\u201d Bella muttered as she looked at Neal. \u201cCan you end the call now? Dinner is almost ready and I want my laptop back, there are more important things to do than to chat with an old friend. Or you know, continue this call in a different district on your own phone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

~o.O.o~<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the information bomb about the Volturi still spreading around on the dark web and to law enforcement agencies in countries all over, she needed to go to step two; gathering a small fortune so that she and Garrett could continue their life somewhere else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was going to continue down her list of the bad and wealthy, but this time route the money so often that it was going to become untraceable and then into her own account with pencoin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, she needed to adapt her worm to spread as much as possible, targeting specific bank accounts that she had collected over the years with various banks. Her worm was good, but not for the size she had in mind for it to do. Ignoring everyone else, she poured herself a glass of wine. It would have been better if she hadn\u2019t killed the computer, but her laptop was going to have to make do. Settling into one of the big comfy chairs, she started to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been looking at the art work, for fun,\u201d Neal said as he sat down in the other chair, crossing his legs and looked at her. \u201cThere are some great forgeries between the real deal. Yours?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYup,\u201d she said, not looking up from her laptop. \u201cThe easel and paints are in the room at the back if you\u2019re bored.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not bored, I merely wanted a change of scenery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe balcony is nice at this time of night.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to thank you for the two conversations I had with Peter, I haven\u2019t spoken to him in a really long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s okay,\u201d Bella replied as she took a sip of her wine, not looking up from her laptop. \u201cSeeing as we\u2019ve revised our plan because of the Volturi, you don\u2019t have to be here. You can just go and live your life. Rob the Louvre.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He barked out a laugh. \u201cAlready done. To be honest, Paris had started to feel a little bit stale until you came along. More fun to be had when you have other people you can have fun with,\u201d Neal took a sip of his own drink. \u201cDon\u2019t you ever relax?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked up from her laptop then, her eyes meeting his. \u201cI am relaxing. I\u2019m upgrading one of my old codes at the moment to do what I want when I send it into the world. This is fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat will it do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She smiled and shrugged before looking back on her screen. \u201cWhat would you do if you needed to run?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet as much capital as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded. \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to infiltrate banks?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNah,\u201d she kept scrolling through her code and occasionally added something. \u201cI have a list of questionable rich people and I\u2019m going to make it appear that the money went to a charity. I\u2019m not taking all, just a small percentage so they won\u2019t alert the authorities. It\u2019s very easy, no fuss, and fun to do, and also very relaxing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat about painting or reading a book or television?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, sure, but I don\u2019t need any of those right now. Safety first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think you made sure of your safety,\u201d Neal said with half a shrug. \u201cYou\u2019re inside a very secure building, there\u2019s more security in here. You have Liam in the room next to the door, there\u2019s Garrett\u2026 You can take a breather and do something else after all you did today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what if I don\u2019t want to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\u201d he said as he got to his feet. \u201cThen I\u2019ll just have to watch Dirty Dancing by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella narrowed her eyes on him. \u201cGarrett put you up to this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, he did. He knows I can\u2019t resist that movie,\u201d she said as she closed her laptop. \u201cAnd you\u2019re stupid for saying yes to this,\u201d Bella pointed out. \u201cUnless you love a classic romantic movie with a lot of awesome dancing in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal\u2019s eyes lit up and a wide smile appeared on his face, giving Bella the feeling as if he could melt everything away. \u201cJust because I\u2019m a guy doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t love me some Swayze!\u201d He reached out his hand for her to take and pulled her up. \u201cCome on, let\u2019s have some fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the time the final dance came on in the movie, Bella was sufficiently drunk and she had discovered that Neal had a great singing voice as they both sang along to all the songs in the movie, gradually getting worse as the alcohol kept flowing. Even while sober she always cried happy tears with this part of the movie and now was going to be even worse. She felt like shit. Not happy, but like shit, and she wasn\u2019t going to break down in front of their guest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fucking Garrett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d Neal asked as he paused the movie. \u201cThis is the best part!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI fucking hate this movie,\u201d she sniffled as she got to her feet, ready to bolt to her room. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou said you loved this movie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do!\u201d Bella blurted before pointing at the paused TV screen. \u201cBut I hate it! It gives you these warm and fuzzy feelings and shit! But I\u2019m drunk and feeling like shit so it\u2019ll make me feel even worse!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal laughed as he reached out to grab her hand to stop her from running. \u201cAnd? So? What\u2019s your problem?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m this close to not to cry happy tears,\u201d she said as her eyes welled up. \u201cBecause there\u2019s no use of being happy, or to celebrate when your own fucking family wants you dead. A-and the realisation that if I die, I\u2019d die alone. Garrett loves me, he\u2019s my uncle. Liam likes me because he\u2019s loyal to Garrett\u2026 but there\u2019s nobody else. I wouldn\u2019t even be fucking missed and that\u2019s such a strange realisation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what about your hacker buddies? I mean, the way that Garrett and Liam spoke about your capabilities and my friend\u2019s reaction to realizing who you were\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal. Nobody knows who I am. That means that I\u2019ve done my job well. The hacker community is all about anonymity. Whenever I had to fix the mess of my siblings, I did that from the shadows. Nobody will miss me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat means you\u2019ve done your job well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t get it!\u201d she shot at him as the tears rolled down her cheek. \u201cFirst of all, I don\u2019t want to fucking die, I\u2019m far too young and haven\u2019t lived properly. Secondly, no one will miss me. You, for example, will be missed by your Suit friend and your Moz, and likely a lot more people when you die for real and you will be spoken about because of the stuff you did. You made a name for yourself, you have friends, people who care for you. I don\u2019t.\u201d She rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. \u201cAnd yes, it does sound perfect not to have anyone with our line of work, with what I do, and you can\u2019t really have it both ways, but I haven\u2019t even begun living my life because of my family and now they want me dead!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, I get it,\u201d Neal said as he pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back. \u201cYou feel robbed, but what does this have to do with the movie?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause it\u2019s a perfect fucking ending that I\u2019ll never get as long as my family still walks around!\u201d She couldn\u2019t help but feel safe in his arms, for some reason. \u201cDisrupting the Volturi works, sure, but my siblings aren\u2019t shy of killing people themselves, and they\u2019re good at what they do. There is no doubt that they\u2019ll find me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s not! I-I\u2019m not supposed to break down like this, it\u2019s not what I was taught. Do not let your emotions control you, if you want to be your best, you will not let your emotions control you.<\/em> I\u2019m letting them win right now, and that\u2019s not good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you are your own person, Bella.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having his arms around her felt really really good. \u201cI wasn\u2019t when I was still with my family. Things were a lot easier and sure, they didn\u2019t like me and things like that but I wasn\u2019t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo\u2026 you\u2019d rather be a mindless drone?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo\u2026 but in this case\u2026 yes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry they\u2019ve ruined you, Bella,\u201d he said as he rubbed her back gently. \u201cBut it\u2019s okay to be scared, it\u2019s your life that\u2019s on the line here. It\u2019s okay to feel, to be angry, to cry, it\u2019s what makes us feel alive and present. You could tell Peter about all the crimes you\u2019re aware of that your family did and—\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNeal, I\u2019m not going to talk to a Suit and I\u2019m not going to rat out my family even though they\u2019re trying to kill me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal laughed. \u201cYou\u2019re infuriatingly stubborn, you know that?\u201d He then grabbed the remote from his pocket, put the volume up and pressed play to continue playing the most epic dance scene of the movie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are so evil!\u201d Bella whined as she tried to reach for the remote. \u201cNeal! I don\u2019t want to hear this song! Stop it!\u201d She was clawing at his shirt trying to get the remote that he kept in the air. She was trying really hard not to fall over or trip over her own feet as the alcohol was definitely still present in her system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neal paused the movie again. \u201cSo even to save your own skin, you\u2019re not ratting out on your family?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWould you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. I actually did, too, but my dad is a corrupt cop and he made me believe otherwise. He killed a senator and framed Peter. So yeah, I falsified my dad\u2019s testimony and Peter went free. No one knows where my dad is now. Don\u2019t want to know, don\u2019t care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked at him as she was holding herself up against the couch. \u201cWait\u2026 so\u2026 you falsified your dad\u2019s testimony for Peter to get out of jail?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes? Peter didn\u2019t do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a Suit!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah well, I\u2019d rather have Peter out of jail because it\u2019s not a nice experience, and he can actually do a lot of good as an FBI Agent. My dad was corrupt to begin with and for a while I believed he wasn\u2019t, that he was a hero,\u201d Neal replied. \u201cI hate Suits, I do. But Peter is the one Suit who was smart enough to catch me and he was nice enough to help me get a deal even if it meant I was his responsibility for a few years. He\u2019s a great friend, sort of like a big brother to me, and most importantly; he\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never been in contact with law enforcement and I like to keep it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeter can help, Bella. He\u2019ll likely give you immunity for—\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook, you had a shitty dad, I have a shitty family. Doesn\u2019t mean we\u2019re the same,\u201d she said as she pushed herself away from the couch and headed to the door. \u201cThanks for the movie and drinks, I\u2019m going to bed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBella, wait,\u201d Neal gently grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away from him. \u201cYou\u2019re not alone,\u201d he said as he lifted her chin to look in those beautiful, but sad, eyes of hers. \u201cIf you don\u2019t want to get your revenge on your family by going to the authorities, then we\u2019ll find another way. You and I.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was surprised to hear that. \u201cYou have the Suit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to involve the Suit, but I would like to involve Mozzie. With your permission, of course. I think that with the three of us, we can come up with a plan with a lot of damage and you don\u2019t even have to involve the authorities,\u201d he smiled at her as he dried her tears with his sleeve. \u201cAnd your family is going to know that it was you in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou really want to do this with me?\u201d She asked in a little voice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, although I think we have to work out of Canada because in the US Neal Caffrey is dead and all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLegally it\u2019s not a problem, to be honest. Loads of people fake their deaths all the time. However, I could try to erase every digital trail of Neal Caffrey, and get you a new identity, like\u2026 the good stuff, that goes really deep with layers and trails and stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can do that?\u201d Neal asked surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella nodded. \u201cIt\u2019ll take a few days and I might have to compartmentalize stuff, but yeah, I can do that. We can turn Neal Flanigan into a real boy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hate the name Flanigan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen pick something else,\u201d Bella smiled and kissed his cheek. \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chapter 02 She hadn\u2019t been able to sleep that night. Her arm was hurting and the stitches were pulling. Whatever she tried, Bella couldn\u2019t get her mind to settle, so instead, she spent the night running her shooter\u2019s face through the FBI database. Disconnecting every 10 minutes.  By the end…<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":933,"parent":935,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-942","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nChapter 02 - MeekoBuggy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chapter 02 - MeekoBuggy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Chapter 02 She hadn\u2019t been able to sleep that night. Her arm was hurting and the stitches were pulling. Whatever she tried, Bella couldn\u2019t get her mind to settle, so instead, she spent the night running her shooter\u2019s face through the FBI database. 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