Masterson Music, Manhattan. Friday morning. July 23, 2004.

Three singers, an FBI agent, a conspiracy theorist and a lawyer walk into an office... Neal looked at these members of his crew and reminded himself this wasn't a joke. After years of talking with Henry about how someone should do something about Masterson, after weeks of planning and hours of fine tuning the plan this morning, they were finally walking into the Masterson Music New York office to sign a contract. This was real.

Peter introduced them to the Masterson rep he'd met with on Wednesday, Charlie Vensen. "Come in, come in," Charlie said as he led them to a conference room. "Everyone's been buzzing about you. It's electric in here, am I right?"

"He reminds me of a cheerleader," Angela said in an undertone.

"Carnival barker," Henry muttered.

"Step right up to see how we trick you," Neal added.

"Hush," said Peter. Then he stepped ahead to meet Charlie's long strides. "We couldn't be more excited. Urban Legend and Masterson Music. It's a match made in heaven."

"We see eye to eye on that. Making these kids' incredible voices heard around the world through our sales and marketing, while we all get filthy rich – it's fame and fortune from here on. Right this way," he opened a door and they walked into a room with navy blue walls and shiny white furniture. "Take a seat. I'll grab our team and be right back."

It had been raining, and they hung their raincoats on the backs of their chairs. Peter had a folded up umbrella, a compact one in a coordinating black sleeve, and he placed it on the table beside him. It matched his black suit. He was going for the vibe of a precise accountant who was out of his depth in the music world.

"These seats aren't very comfortable," Yvette Garza said as she settled into the molded white plastic chair. She also wore a suit, but hers was bright red and too sexy to be approved by the average law firm. She was playing up her youth and inexperience, but had spent most of yesterday being coached by Ilsa Hughes on what to look for in the contracts today.

"It's part of the game," Mozzie told her. "They don't want us to linger." In his pale suit and bowtie, he looked the perfect mix of conservative businessman and nonconformist member of the music industry. "Bowties are cool," he'd informed them when he'd arrived for the final planning session three hours ago.

Angela and Henry looked like toned-down versions of their Urban Legend personas. Angela wore the dark clothing she preferred, and her makeup was light but played up her pale complexion. She was tired, coming into this meeting after performances in Texas and the redeye flight back to New York, and she looked it. Henry went for a casual vibe, but his clothes were obviously expensive. He was playing a bored, spoiled rich kid today. Of course he was tired, too, and Mozzie had speculated that Masterson timed the meeting to happen when they'd be worn out from touring and therefore not as sharp as they could be.

Neal had gone for a studious look, with glasses, since in the radio interview he'd mentioned being in New York to go to college. He nodded in approval at his crew. They were all in character.

A perky secretary stopped by with menus from a local deli. "We wanted to order lunch, since it's nearly noon. What would you like?"

"Impressive," said Neal. "This place was rated the best deli in Manhattan."

"Nothing but the best for our clients," the secretary promised. She took their orders and swept out of the room as Charlie returned with two more people.

"Amos will walk you through the contract," Charlie said, introducing someone who looked like a TV lawyer – too flashy for the exclusive Manhattan law firms, but a good fit for Masterson. "And Theresa's from our marketing department. She'll get to know you and then plan how to make you famous. Anything from album cover artwork to press releases – she's a genius at it. She'll be your best friend around here, other than me, of course." Charlie laughed a little too long at his own joke.

For the first time today, Neal felt a twinge of panic. Theresa looked very much like the art student he'd had a crush on in St. Louis, the girl who'd helped him get a job at the restaurant where she worked. She had the same classic beauty and gliding walk. In fact, he suddenly realized she looked a lot like Kate, which might have been why he'd reacted so strongly when he'd first encountered Kate. If this was the same Theresa, he'd be in trouble if she recognized him as Danny Brooks. She wouldn't though, would she? He'd been a kid back then, barely sixteen. He'd changed a lot more than she had.

"You're Henry and Angela, obviously. I saw your interview with Tom Brokaw." Theresa shook their hands. "And Neal... But that's your stage name. What do I call you?"

Neal had a freshly made ID in his wallet in case they asked for it when he signed the contract. He stuck with what it said. "I'm George, but that was my father's name, too. Everyone called me by my middle name: Neal."

"Neal Caffrey?" she asked.

"Right. And this is Yvette Garza," he rushed into the introduction before Theresa had time to shake his hand. "She's our lawyer."

"You brought a lawyer?" Charlie asked.

"I recommended it," Peter said. He turned his back, but Neal knew he was giving Charlie a pained expression. "Turns out Neal's dating a law student."

"Welcome, Yvette," Charlie said, reaching out to shake her hand and barely hiding a leer.

"I met Yvette back home in Austin," Neal said with a hint of a Texas accent. "Now she's going to Cornell in Ithaca, so it's not too much of a long-distance relationship."

Yvette leaned into Neal and he put an arm around her shoulders. "My law professors are going to totally freak when I tell them about this. I might decide to specialize in contract law."

"Oh, and what have you been specializing in?" Charlie asked.

"I hadn't picked a specialty yet, but I was thinking prenups. It would be so romantic you know, working with newlyweds." She looked adoringly up at Neal and sighed while patting his chest. A small diamond caught the light in the ring on her left hand. She'd gotten engaged last week, and Mozzie had suggested using that fact in their con.

"Umm, right," said Theresa. Her expression said it all: if she ever needed a prenuptial agreement, Yvette wouldn't be her first choice to write it.

Peter stood and reached across the table to shake Theresa's hand. "Peter Blaine. I'm their business manager. I can't tell you how great it is to work with a pro. I have a lot of experience, but not in the music world. I hope you don't mind if I ask questions along the way."

"Not at all. There's nothing I like talking about more." Theresa turned to Mozzie. "And you must be their agent."

"Louis Renault." Mozz stood and bowed slightly. "At your service, madam."

"What a gentleman! You are unique." She turned back to Neal. "I have to say, you remind me of someone. Have we met before?"

Grateful he'd chosen the glasses today, Neal said, "I get that a lot. Wondered what it was about, and then some kids cleared it up at a New Year's Eve party. They said I looked like a character from The School for Wizards movies."

"Hmm. That could be an interesting angle..." Theresa wrote a note on the pad of paper in front of her.

"Those same kids thought I was a character, too," Henry added. "I know some sleight of hand and impressed them with a few magic tricks."

Theresa nodded and then studied Angela.

"What?" the youngest cousin asked.

"I was thinking if we curled your hair, we might have the other lead character. I should talk to the movie producers. I don't think we can use School for Wizards in our marketing, not without paying a hefty licensing fee. But maybe they could use a pop song in one of their upcoming soundtracks?"

Mozzie nodded gravely. "That's an excellent idea."

###

When Amos pulled out an intimidatingly large stack of papers and started rushing through the highlights of each page, it reminded Peter of when he and El bought their townhouse. They'd spent an hour at a title company with a woman who ran through forms at that same blistering speed.

Yvette had been given a copy which she read through at a slower pace, taking in the details. Peter had the scanning device Travis had provided for this op disguised as an umbrella, but given the length of the contract they were going to need significant time to scan all the pages.

"Any questions?" Amos asked in a deep, authoritative voice.

"We'll be able to take this with us to review in more detail, right?" Peter asked, although he already knew the answer.

"We really need to get this signed today," Charlie said. "And we don't let the contract leave the building. There's too much chance of pages being lost or modified. You'll keep a copy of the final page, with the date and signatures and the contract ID so we can always look it up and walk you through the details as needed."

"Let's set up Yvette in a quiet room, then, where she can finish reading it. She can come back with her questions after we're done talking to Theresa."

Charlie reluctantly agreed, and left to arrange a space. Peter slipped the umbrella into Yvette's coat pocket. She'd been trained on how to use the scanner, and she took the raincoat with her when she followed Charlie to another room. Lunch arrived and Neal took her sandwich to her, both to appear as a doted fiancé, and to make sure he knew where she was.

He returned a moment later and nodded at Peter. Yvette was in a space where she could scan copies without being observed. Now they just needed to draw out this lunch with the Masterson team long enough for her to finish. "Play for time," Peter said in an undertone to Mozzie while unwrapping his deviled ham sandwich.

"You said you'll expect the group to be available for events planned by Masterson 304 days of each year," the little guy said. "For 'concerts, performances, interviews, and publicity events of the company's choosing,'" he quoted.

Peter raised a brow. Neal had said Mozzie had perfect recall, but this was the first Peter had seen of it. He'd been worried that Mozzie hadn't taken any notes during this morning's planning session or during the contract review by Amos. Clearly there'd been no need for concern.

"Right," said Charlie. "That's sixty days off each year. Much more vacation time than you or I get, am I right?"

"Well, no," Mozzie said. "The average American office worker gets weekends off, which totals 104 days per year, plus vacation days, holidays and sick time. You're offering only sixty days, and during that time they also need to record one album per annum."

"We don't actually use all three hundred days," Theresa said. "And we'll check with you at least twice per year to see if there are days you need to reserve. Family commitments, weddings..." She glanced at Neal. "From what I've seen, we'll be marketing Urban Legend as a family-friendly group, safe for teens and tweens, while interesting enough to bring in the college crowd and slightly older. We'll definitely want to make sure you get quality time with your families. And if we can sometimes have a camera or reporter there for say half an hour, even downtime with the family counts toward your three-hundred-day commitment. It's so important to stay in the limelight in this business."

She sounded perfectly sincere, and if Peter had to guess he'd say she wasn't aware of how Masterson was taking advantage of its clients. He was a little worried about that, actually. Neal hid it well, but he'd had a reaction to Theresa. She did resemble Kate, Peter supposed, and that might make some kind of protective instinct kick in. Neal wouldn't back out of this op out of worry that bringing down Stan Masterson would hurt innocent employees, would he?

"Speaking of family friendly," said Henry, pointing at Angela, "can we get Morticia here to lay off the whole Goth thing? It was one thing when you needed all the makeup to hide your identity, but that's over."

"I like it now," Angela whined. "Anyway, your clean-cut look is so boring."

"I'm sure we can come to a compromise," Theresa said. "I agree that Urban Legend could stand to be a little edgier, but Angela, you're a beautiful young woman and it's a shame to hide that."

They drew out the meal with occasional sniping. Neal was quiet, and Peter worried about him.

"You've been very quiet, Neal," said Charlie as Theresa gathered the lunch leftovers with help from Peter.

Neal shrugged. "This is mostly about Henry and Angela. We haven't seen my contract yet."

"What?" asked at least four different people.

Neal looked around the room in surprise. "Listen, I'm happy to work on the album and join the occasional performance, but like I said in that interview, I'm in New York to go to college. I can't spend three hundred days a year in Urban Legend."

"Are you kidding me?" asked Henry. "We finally hit the big time and you're backing out?"

"C'mon. You two have rich families to fall back on if you fail. I'm from the poor branch of the Caffreys. I need an education. I put off college first to start Urban Legend with you, and then because I was too sick. Now I've got a scholarship to Columbia, and I can't pass that up."

"Whoa," said Charlie. "This is a game changer. Our offer was to Urban Legend. All three of you."

"Urban Legend has never been all three of us," Neal disagreed. "I haven't been in the group for years."

"Have you told Yvette about this? Because this morning when you introduced us she was all 'I'm going to be Mrs. Legend.' She thinks she's marrying a rock star, not an unemployed college student," Henry argued.

"Okay, let's give them some space," Peter said. "Let's clear out and gather back in thirty minutes. Louis, can you stay with them to negotiate an agreement? I'll check on Yvette."

Amos and Theresa cleared out, and Charlie led the way to Yvette. "Musicians are nothing if not volatile," Charlie said. "Not much surprises me these days, but I gotta say I didn't see that coming. When does a twenty-something pick school over being a rock god, am I right? What do you think? Is he angling for more money?"

"I'll see what Yvette thinks. She knows him better than any of us."

"Oh, that's why you said you were checking on her. Smart thinking. This is it. Good luck." Charlie saluted Peter and walked away.

Peter knocked on the door and then entered. "How's it going?"

Yvette looked stressed. "It stopped working. I called Agent Miller to troubleshoot and he said the scanner's out of memory. He didn't expect the contract to be so long."

"Are you up for a repeat performance? I think Neal's given us the perfect excuse to come back tomorrow." Peter pulled out his cell phone to call Neal.

###

Masterson Music relented when Peter pointed out that they could still publish their press release that afternoon. They had a contract with the two current members of Urban Legend. The legal department had a day to draft an addendum for Neal's more limited role in the group. Everyone would return Saturday morning to sign the new document, which would also include a few changes Yvette requested. Ilsa Hughes had suggested some items that would act as an escape clause when the FBI arrested Stan Masterson. After all, Masterson Music would still exist, and the cousins didn't actually want a commitment to become full-time musicians for the company.

"The office will be nearly empty on Saturday," Mozzie commented when they left on Friday. "Now that I know my way around, I'll look for an opportunity to explore."

Saturday morning Amos ran them through another legal document, and Yvette took the full contract and addendum to another room to read. Amos returned to his desk and said he'd check in later to see if they had questions. In the conference room with everyone else Theresa said, "Henry, I've been doing some research for our marketing campaign. You work for a company called Winston-Winslow?"

Henry shrugged. He was pretending to be hungover after a night of celebrating a contract with Masterson Music.

"The description I found called it an investigation and security firm. Are you a PI?" Theresa looked intrigued at the thought. "I could do a lot with that in our marketing."

Charlie sat up straight. "You're a detective?" He sounded alarmed. That, more than anything, convinced Neal that Charlie knew what Masterson Music was up to.

"Glorified receptionist is more like it." Henry yawned. "It's a family business. My dad insisted I join, but as the kidnapping might indicate, I'm not on the best terms with him. I have a desk at the office – at least I think I still do – but I haven't been there in months. Urban Legend going pro finally gives me the chance to escape corporate life."

"You need to actually give your resignation, doofus," said Angela. "In writing."

"Yeah, whatever. I'll do that next time I'm in Baltimore. Not like they're going to try changing my mind. After this long, they won't even notice."

"Most people there probably think you quit ages ago," said Neal.

Mozzie stood up and said, "I've been sitting too long. I'd like to take a tour of the office if you don't mind."

Charlie looked dubious.

"There's a sign at the entry that said the building is LEED certified," Mozz continued. "Is that true?"

Theresa nodded. "Yes, it's a green building. We also have an extensive recycling program and try to minimize our impact on the environment. I'd be happy to show you around."

Mozzie turned a desperate look toward Neal. He couldn't do the exploration he wanted with a witness. Neal nodded toward Henry, who shook his head. Angela rolled her eyes and turned to Theresa. "Would you mind showing me to the ladies' room?"

With Angela and Theresa gone, Peter seemed to catch on. "Charlie, where can I get another cup of that coffee?"

"Breakroom's just down the hall. Probably need to put on a fresh pot. No one around to do that for us on a Saturday, am I right? I'll be back in a few minutes."

With Charlie gone, Peter looked at Mozz, Neal and Henry. "What's going on?"

Mozzie started. "When we walked over here, we passed the executive suites. They keep an office for when Stan Masterson visits. I need to see if he keeps anything incriminating in his files."

"You said we already have a warrant to be here, Peter," Neal said. "It's okay for Mozz to poke around, right?"

"Of course it is," Mozzie said. "But I need to avoid witnesses. Neal, you have to flirt with her."

"I can't," Neal insisted. "I'm pretty sure I met Theresa when I was a kid in St. Louis. The last thing I want is for her to recognize me. The less attention I get from her, the better."

"That's why you've been so quiet!" Peter said.

"Yeah. So obviously Henry has to flirt with her."

Yvette cleared her throat. They hadn't seen her walk in, and Neal realized he needed to keep an eye on the door. "I wanted to let you know I'm done with the contract," she said. "Who's Henry flirting with?"

"No one," Henry said.

"Theresa," said Neal. "We need to distract her. C'mon, man. You used to flirt with fans all the time."

"That's different. A smile passing through the crowd isn't the same as intensive one-on-one time. Anyway, she reminds me too much of Kate."

"Who?" asked Yvette.

"Neal's old girlfriend. She came on to me after she learned the Winslows are wealthy."

"She what?" Neal asked.

"Sent you out on an errand and slapped a big old kiss on me. Said later she was testing my loyalty to you. I never really trusted her and that sealed the deal for me. I was happy to see her go."

"And you never bothered to tell me?"

"Are you kidding? You were besotted. I knew there'd be no convincing you, not after she told me she'd claim it was just a joke if I mentioned it. All I could do was keep watch to make sure she didn't hurt you too badly. Snap out of it, Neal. Kate's long gone. We have to deal with Theresa. If she hasn't recognized you by now, you should be safe."

Neal gestured toward Yvette. "I'm engaged."

Henry snorted. "Yeah, right. Flirting for you is like breathing. You won't stop just because you're engaged."

"Will you shut up already and just do it? Flirting with Theresa won't exactly be a hardship. She's gorgeous."

"She's not my type," Henry insisted.

"What exactly is your type?" Yvette asked. "You say it's not Theresa. I know it's not me."

"Hold on," Peter said. "You are engaged."

Yvette blushed. "Umm. Not really." She met their looks of shock. "Listen, I didn't want Henry to think I was still chasing him, so I thought if I said was engaged... Well, you know, you wouldn't be wary around me. Neal either, of course."

"Wait," Henry said. "You and Neal?"

She kept blushing.

"That's in the past," Neal said. "Anyway, can we get back to...?" He looked up to see Angela and Theresa walking down the corridor toward them. They'd wasted their time and still didn't have a solution.

Then he realized Mozzie was missing.

"Where's Louis?" Theresa asked.

"He needed a cigarette," Peter said.

"He's not the only one," Henry said.

Theresa looked distressed. "Don't tell me you smoke. You realize the damage that could do to your vocal chords?"

"Just kidding," said Henry. He smiled lazily at Theresa. "Things got a little heated in here with Neal and Yvette. A few too many pheromones rushing around. What do you say we take the tour you promised Louis, and give the lovebirds some privacy to make up after their first fight as an engaged couple?"

"Of course." Theresa took Henry's arm and Neal watched him lead her away from the executive suites where Mozzie was searching for evidence.

"He never smiled at me like that," Yvette complained.

"Wait, you and Henry?" Angela asked.

"I wish." Yvette sat down, dejected.

"Hey, I'm right here, you know," Neal complained. "Rebound guy has feelings, too."

"You and Neal?" Angela asked.

"Long story," said Peter.

"Yeah, well if Henry's supposed to be romancing Theresa, he's in for a shock. I think she was trying to flirt with me on our way back here."

Peter laughed. "He was right, then. She's not his type."

An agitated Mozzie rushed in. "Suit, this is big!"

"What is it?" Peter asked.

"I saw a travel itinerary. Stan Masterson is flying into New York tomorrow. He's staying through Wednesday, and he has meetings with those companies you mentioned."

Neal could feel his eyes widening. A meeting between Stan Masterson and his accomplices in piracy – this was an opportunity too good to miss. "Peter, I have an idea."

"Yeah, I'll bet you do. I have a few ideas, myself. Amos should be back soon. Let's sign that contract and plan our next move."

###

The planning Peter mentioned was done on the drive to Theo's studio. Neal and Mozzie tossed ideas at him that he fielded like the baseball player he used to be, and then the cousins had to change gears and rehearse for their appearance in the Local Devastation concert.

Mozzie said he would update the Urban Legend website to announce they'd signed with Masterson. Theresa had mentioned promotions she had in mind, and her comment that Neal and Yvette made a cute couple got Neal worried. What if Masterson announced that Neal was engaged? The last thing he wanted was for Sara Ellis to get the wrong idea.

Neal would have preferred to talk to her about this in person, but that wasn't possible. From what she'd said on the Fourth of July, she'd still be in Boston, getting specialized training for her new job at Sterling-Bosch. He tried calling and went to voicemail, so he sent a text instead: If U hear Neal Legend is engaged, don't worry. It's a sham.

Next time he had a break, he saw a return text from Sara: Who's Neal Legend?

He had to laugh. She'd told him she wasn't into pop music. This was a good reminder not to let Urban Legend's recent success go to his head. Plenty of people still hadn't heard of them.

He texted back: Never mind. When RU back in NYC?

This time she responded immediately: IDK. Training going so well they signed me up for more.

He slouched in his chair, disappointed. If he'd kissed her goodbye would she be as excited about coming home as she was about her job? He almost sent a message that he missed her, but instead he sent: Call when you're home. We'll catch up.

Found Henry?

Safe and sound. We're going undercover as rock stars.

LOL. Srsly?

Taking down corrupt music executive. White Collar rocks.

Not bad, hotshot.

Better than training.

IDK. Hot instructors.

Now he really wished he'd kissed her. When she got home he'd make sure she knew how he felt.

###

Madison Square Garden. Peter liked to think he wasn't easily impressed, but at the moment he was in awe. He stood in the roped off area for security in Madison Square Garden, watching Urban Legend join rock icons Local Devastation on stage for a song. And then Local Devastation left the stage for a few minutes to take a break and Urban Legend performed one of Miranda Garza's songs to keep the crowd entertained.

It was a sold out crowd. Tens of thousands of people.

White Collar solved crimes that were massive in scale, often involving millions of dollars. And they usually were barely a blip in the news. But this... This was massive. It was being broadcast live on a major network, so El was watching and recording it at home.

Normally friends and family had no idea what cases Peter worked on. This time, his parents, brother and nieces were all watching. His dad was curious to get a glimpse of Neal – after all, Peter had called for advice months ago about the young man who had started to view him as a father figure. He was certain that the cousins' families were watching eagerly, too. He could almost hear the Caffrey grandparents debating who the kids took after the most.

And those kids – they looked absolutely ecstatic. After everything they'd been through, it was a joy to see them so happy.

After the concert, Neal looked a little dazed. He made a few comments to the mass of reporters, nothing very significant, and then security pushed the press away. They let Peter through, knowing he was with the performers, and he followed to the area where they had gone.

"I've never been so wiped out after a concert," Henry said.

"Did you see Michael Darling on the keyboards?" Angela asked. "I've never seen anyone play like that. I mean, I'd seen videos of him, but I thought they were doctored. That was amazing."

Peter sat down beside Neal. "Dream come true?"

Neal nodded. "I keep thinking back to Chicago. I was in the hospital with pneumonia, and this guy who called himself Henry and seemed vaguely familiar was promising adventure if I stuck with him. And he was right. Then when Robert blackmailed me into going away, I left for Europe looking for a different kind of adventure."

Peter saw Henry focus on the conversation.

Neal seemed to notice, too. He never said much about his time in Europe. His confession to the FBI had focused primarily on crimes in their jurisdiction, and he was still frustratingly closed-mouthed about his international exploits. "Nothing I did came close to this. Everything Henry kicked off seven years ago with that promise of adventure, it all led to tonight. I don't think either of us could have dreamed what we experienced on that stage."

Henry nodded. "My imagination didn't extend this far. Like Angela said, it was amazing. But now that we've done it –"

"Once was enough –" Neal interrupted.

"To last a lifetime," Henry finished.

"Thank heavens you said that," said Angela. "I was just thinking I couldn't possibly do this all year round."

"I'd rather have this as a memory of something extraordinary," Neal said.

"And not try to repeat it over and over," Henry agreed.

"Then Monday we go back to bringing bad guys to justice?" Peter asked.

Angela nodded.

"Let's nail them," Henry said.

"That's my kind of adventure," Neal agreed.

A/N: If you're a Doctor Who fan, you probably recognized Mozzie's comment about bowties. This story is set before the show's reboot, so I can't have the characters acknowledge the quote.