Until The Morning

A few evenings after Neal's return there was a knock at the door. He grabbed his cane and limped over to the door, expecting to Peter to be there checking on him. Instead he found his little brother, Blaine.

"What's with the cane, Coop?" Blaine was the only person who still called him Cooper, mainly because he was one of the only people in his life who knew that was his real name.

"What are you doing here?" Neal asked, wondering why his brother was so far from Ohio.

"I was visiting Kurt and I heard that you were back. But I asked first – what's with the cane?" Blaine pulled up a chair at the kitchen table and Neal did the same.

"I – uh – I may have got shot in the leg while I was on the run, no biggie," Neal tried to brush over the matter without causing too much stress for Blaine. "How did you know I was back?"

"I have my sources," Blaine said mysteriously.

Neal raised his eyebrow at his brother, "it was Mozzie wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Blaine laughed and Neal chuckled.

"You two are a bad combination… how's Kurt?" Neal tried to steer the direction of the conversation away from talk of where he'd been, glancing over to the door.

"He's great, he loves New York and he's not sick of living with Rachel yet. But seriously Coop, you tell me you got shot and then expect me to make small talk with you? I've been worried about you for months, just tell me something," Blaine pleaded. He had kept his eye on the Most Wanted websites and believed that no news was good news while he was on the run, but he'd still worried nonetheless.

Neal sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to tell you – Moz and I went to this nice little Island to lay low, it was great there. I guess it was too good to last though, they got some leads on us and things got very complicated and in that complication I took a bullet to the thigh. But I'm back now and Peter's trying to get my old deal back. I'll still be on the anklet but I won't go to back to jail."

"Good" Blaine nodded, taking in everything his brother was saying. "Why'd you run this time, if you knew it would end like this?"

Neal told his brother about Kramer, and how his only other choice was to run. "It's exhilarating being on the run, the thrill of the chase is my one true love." Neal smiled reminiscently. "Nothing good's going to come from my love, not until I've paid my dues."

"Why do you keep looking at the door?" Blaine asked as he noticed his brother's eyes glancing over again.

"Peter'll be coming over soon and he doesn't exactly know about you," Neal chuckled. "And after everything we just went through, he's going to be mad I kept something like this from him."

"But you are going to tell him?" Blaine had heard a lot about Peter, his brother's handler at the FBI, but never met him.

"How else am I going to explain the 17 year old kid in my apartment?"

"A stray protégée you picked up on the street?" Blaine joked.

"Oh he would love that," Neal laughed.

"You're still painting I see?" Blaine pointed at the easel by the window.

"Yeah, I've got to keep from getting rusty somehow."

Blaine stood up and walked over to inspect the paintings and sketches he could see. Some he recognised as forgeries and some looked like originals, but they were all amazing.

There was a knock at the door and Blaine froze in his inspection of an original sketch of a woman he didn't recognise.

Neal limped over to the door and opened it to reveal a man Blaine could only assume was Peter.

"I think I'll be able to get your old deal ba– Who's this, Neal?" Peter asked him then turned to Blaine and extended his hand to shake. "Peter Bourke, I'm Neal's handler at the FBI."

"I know," Blaine said in a small voice, unsure of what his brother's plan regarding him was. Blaine shook Peter's hand timidly and turned to Neal, "Cooper?"

"Who's Cooper?" Peter questioned, a confused frown forming on his face. "And who are you?"

"Peter–" Neal paused, one last internal debate on how much to tell Peter, "This is Blaine. He's my – he's my brother."

"You don't have a brother," Peter deadpanned.

"Neal Caffrey doesn't, but Cooper Anderson on the other hand…"

"So Neal's not your real name?" Peter sighed and sat down at the table. Neal half shrugged in reply. "You lied to the courts, to everyone?"

"I had to, I didn't want anyone tracing me back to my family," Neal tried to reason. "I became Neal Caffrey as soon as I left Ohio at 18, the less people who knew who I used to be the better."

"So if you changed your name, how did your brother find you?"

"We kept in contact after he left," Blaine spoke more confidently now that he knew somewhat where he stood with Peter. "Just a phone call every couple of weeks, a couple of letters when phone calls weren't an option – enough to know he was still alright."

"We monitored every letter in and out while Neal was in prison, I think we would have noticed some going to – Ohio was it?" Peter was slightly baffled.

Blaine grinned. "Coop's not the only one who knows codes and has contacts here."

"We had all that mail go through Mozzie or one of his safe houses, did you really think we'd be that careless?" Neal remembered the feeling of hopelessness when he found things out about his brother's life while he was stuck inside his tiny cell walls. The delay of the precautions they had to take only made things worse – as if finding out his baby brother was in hospital and had to move schools because of some assholes could get any worse.

"But why are you here now, what sparked your sudden visit to New York?" Peter was trying to get as much information as he could.

"I was visiting my boyfriend and heard Coop was back, so I thought I'd come visit," Blaine gave him the honest answer.

"Have you visited before?" Peter asked.

The brothers locked eyes, then Neal nodded and Blaine answered, "Just once, when I visited Kurt here for the first time."

"This stays in this room. No one else finds out. You're in enough trouble right now, and if they find out you've been lying to the FBI for nearly 10 years you'll be straight back in prison," Peter was blunt but honest, something Blaine appreciated about him.

"I know," Neal nodded.

"I wouldn't put it past them to have you under surveillance, so I'd keep things pretty quiet until all of this settles down. Don't give them any reason to start investigating you," Peter warned.

"I won't," Neal agreed.

"I better get going, El'll be wondering where I am," Peter stood up. "It was – er – nice to meet you Blaine."

"You too," Blaine said somewhat awkwardly, shaking Peter's hand.

"Don't do anything stupid Neal," Peter said sternly. Neal opened his mouth to speak but Peter shook his head and walked out the door.

"So you met Peter," Neal half-grinned, shutting the door.

"And there goes you meeting Kurt," Blaine sighed.

"Not necessarily–" Neal defended but Blaine cut him off.

"It's too risky if you're under surveillance Coop, don't worry about it."

"How long are you here for then?" Neal changed the subject.

"Just till tomorrow, then I'm back to Ohio."

"So you're staying here tonight then?" Neal didn't want his little brother walking around New York by himself at this time of evening.

"I was going to go back to Kurt's, but he'll understand if I stay here," Blaine explained.

"It would look too suspicious if you left just after Peter, they'd know he knows you're here – plus, I don't want my baby brother wandering around New York alone in the dark."

"I'm nearly 18, Coop, hardly a baby," Blaine pouted.

"You'll always be my baby brother, Blaine," Neal smiled. "You'll only have to put up with your big brother for one night, and then you can go back to being a big almost-adult."

"I'll go call Kurt and explain why the left side of his bed's going to be colder tonight," Blaine pulled his phone out, grinned at the cringe on his brother's face and walked out to the patio, leaving Neal to gather his thoughts.

Neal was glad to see his brother again, but the timing was horrible. He couldn't afford to have the FBI find out his real name and old life, but he still wanted to have Blaine around. It seemed he couldn't have both but he couldn't choose. Someday he'd make his mind up, but for now he'd enjoy having his brother around. Blaine made him feel free, like they were still children and he didn't have the FBI breathing down his neck or a two mile radius.

"It'll just be until the morning, then I'll come over before I go home," Neal caught the end of Blaine's conversation. "I love you too, see you tomorrow."

Blaine blushed slightly at the sight of his brother's grin as he re-entered the room.

"So," Neal began, "what do you want to do tonight, little brother?"

"I don't really care Coop, I just want to spend what time I can with you," Blaine replied.

Neal's grin broadened, "Duran Duran off?"