(A/N:

Hey guys, just wanted to warn you. First of all, it's my first White Collar story and second, I'm from Germany and only studied English at school, so please don't be to harsh with you comments. Nevertheless I would appreciate your reviews.

After all I really admire White Collar and therefore just needed to write my own sequel to the season final, because I couldn't wait until January.

So here it is, enjoy.

I do not own White Collar or any character appearing in this story.)

If you want a happy ending…

Prologue

Neal hit the floor again, pieces of broken glass cutting into his hands. It didn't matter to him. He picked himself up, but at the sight of Elizabeth, his knees almost gave way again.

She was just hold upright by her handcuffs. Her Blue dotted blouse now stained in red. The shot must have hit her and he didn't even notice it.

He heard loud noises, sounding like people running up the stairs. He was about to run over to El, but his legs wouldn't move. Just in the same moment the door busted open.

"FBI! Freeze!"

Neal turned, to see at least a dozen agents enter the room. The First of them was Peter.

"Drop your weapon!" Neal furrowed his brow in confusion.

Looking down his side, he noticed the gun, he still held in his hands. Everything felt so unreal. He could hear his heartbeat pounding slowly in his chest. His blood rushing in his ears. His breathing. Like someone had pressed cotton to his ears the voices got more and more quiet, until he could only see their mouths moving.

He could see Peter staring at him in disbelief. Could see Peter's face drop, as he noticed El, unconscious in the other corner.

"Peter, I didn't…" he managed to get out finally, but Peter was gone by then. Neal could see him rushing to his wife, kneeling beside her.

Neal relaxed his muscles and felt the gun fall from his hands.

"You have the right to remain silent…" he heard the voice of a stranger in the distance. Without struggling Neal let them cuff his hands again.

All he could see was El. And Peter. And the tears shining in Peter's eyes.

He screwed it. It was his fault Elizabeth was dead now.

"Neal?" He heard a familiar voice calling his name, but he didn't react. His eyes still locked on Peter and El, he felt the sudden dizziness coming over his body.

He didn't fight it anymore. He felt no urge to do it. In fact he felt nothing. Not even pain. Just emptiness.

The last thing he noticed, were his knees giving way.

Before he hit the floor, he was unconscious again.

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16 hours earlier…

The whole room was spinning. Closing in around him. He could barely make out some voices. Jones. Diana. It doesn't really matter to him what they were saying.

Those agents in his house. The chaos. The sauce lying on the kitchen floor, resembling a blood stain.

It all felt so unreal. So wrong.

He closed his eyes, desperately trying to calm himself. Bracing himself for what was coming. He felt his heartbeat. The blood pulsing through his veins.

"Peter?" Neal's voice suddenly broke through the fog in his head. He opened his eyes, looking up to his CI. Neal just stood there. His head tilted a little. Grief and guilt shining in his eyes.

"He took…my wife." Peter managed to get out through gritted teeth.

His eyes were still locked on Neal's. The latter still didn't dare to move. Tucking his lip between his teethes, Neal looked to the ground.

Suddenly Peter felt his fear and helplessness changing into rage. Rage, which started shaking his whole body, making his hands trembling and his heartbeat racing.

With a sudden movement, he threw himself against Neal, sending them both crashing against the wall. The fog again started to spread in his head, making his vision blurry. With his right hand he pinned Neal against the wall. The other arm pressed to his throat.

There was no escape.

He couldn't really interpret the expression on Neal's face. Something between puzzlement and fear.

"You did this." His voice wasn't more than a threatening growl.

"Peter, I…" Neal somehow managed to get out, struggling with both hands to release Peter's grip.

From the corner of his eye, Peter could see Jones and Diana slowly walking towards them. The other agents had stopped moving. It was quiet. A death silence. All eyes on them.

He didn't care.

"Stay out of this!" he shouted at Diana and Jones, without looking at them. His eyes still pinned at Neal.

"I know you have the treasure! Damn it Neal! Even Keller knows it!" Peter tightened his grip to stress his words.

"Peter…I told you…I don't…have it." Neal's voice wasn't more than a quiet whisper.

"Don't lie to me!"

Peter griped Neal tight at his jacked and threw him to the opposite side of the room, where his head collided with the book shelf. Neal grimaced with pain as the gash at his hairline became visible, sending a thin line of blood running down his forehead.

"It's not one of your silly games! It's the life of my wife!"

Peter felt a firm hand gripping his shoulder but he ignored it. Again he tightened his grip around Neal's throat. Damn, he wanted to choke him! To shake him until he told him where the treasure was. He wanted to get his wife back. Hell, he wanted to never have met Caffrey. The con, who sneaked into his life, who lied to him. Betrayed him. Who got his wife captured.

"Moz…Mozzie has it…" Neal has stopped struggling. The air had left his lungs, making it difficult for him to speak.

Peter furrowed his brow in confusion. Mozzie? Of course, he had thought of that, but still… Neal still had to have something to do with it.

"And where is he now?" A sudden curiosity swung in Peter's voice, but he still didn't let go.

"'s gone…Peter…can't breathe…" Neal's eyes fluttered close, his vision blurry.

"Peter!"

It was Diana's shrill, frightened scream that brought him back to reality. He felt the hand on his shoulder and two others pull him away from Neal with all their strength.

He didn't fight them anymore. He stumbled back a few steps, watching in disbelief both of his hands and then Neal, who was now just a slumped figure on the floor. Diana knelt beside him. Talked to him and slapped his cheek gently a few times until he opened his eyes again.

Peter just stood there, breathing heavily, trying to calm down again.

He watched as Diana helped Neal back to his feet. The cons face was pale. Paler than it should be and he was trembling. Damn, he really was trembling.

With a deep sight, Peter bit his lip and started to slowly move towards them, as he felt the firm hand on his shoulder holding him back again. He turned around, only to see Jones' startled face. As he thought about it, he had never seen this face before. Neither than hearing Diana's shrill scream. It must have shocked his agents to see their boss acting like this. Peter had always been a very calm person. He nearly never lost control. He knew what he was doing.

Obviously until this moment.

Guess, that made this an exceptional situation.

"It's ok." Peter assured Jones and gently removed the hand from his shoulder.

"It's ok…" he repeated on Jones' questioning look. His voice was still shaking, but calmer than it had been before.

Nothing was ok. With a few steps he was at Diana's side. Neal was still fighting to catch his breath. His curly hair a mess. At the right side of his head an ugly gash became visible, which was still bleeding a little. His eyes focused on Peter in horror.

Peter had to close his eyes for a brief moment. He couldn't take it anymore. Just as he thought the case was closed, all those old wounds were torn open again. He opened his eyes. Unsure of what to do next. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

Peter opened his mouth. Then he closed it again. In an attempt to run his hand trough his hair he raised his arm. Something in him broke, as he saw Neal flinch a little, his eyes wide with fear.

Diana gazed from Neal to Peter and back again. Then she took one step between them and turned to Peter.

"I guess, it would be the best if I brought Caffrey home now." Her voice was dry and distant. There was no accusation in it and Peter silently thanked her for that. He just nodded. Unable to speak.

"I'm staying."

Diana and Peter both turned in surprise at the scratchy voice.

Neal took a deep breath, running his hands trough his hair to straiten it again.

"I'm staying." He said once again, his voice sounding much stronger now. "Just don't hit me again."

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