A/N: Warning for an OC death.

White Collar Division, Federal Building, Manhattan. Tuesday afternoon. July 27, 2004.

"Maybe he's playing Tuesday Tails?" Tricia suggested when Neal asked if she'd seen Henry. After lunch everyone had gathered into vehicles, carpooling back to the Federal Building. All the drivers had returned, and Henry was nowhere to be found.

Actually, there was one driver who'd had another destination, Neal remembered. Angela's mother – Paige Caffrey – had taken Angela back to June's mansion. They were going to pick up Angela's luggage and then return the rental car at the airport. It was possible Henry caught a ride with them. He might want to hole up in his room at June's and prepare mentally and emotionally for the upcoming confrontation with Robert.

Or... Neal texted Angela, and a moment later she called him. "Yes, Henry's with us," she said in a hushed voice. "He's in the entryway here at June's place, helping Mom with the luggage, including his. He sweet-talked Mom into taking him to Seattle with us. I was a little worried about that. Uncle Robert's due back in Seattle soon, right? Do you want me to find an excuse to leave Henry behind?"

"No," Neal decided. "He'd just find another flight. I like that you'll be able to keep an eye on him this way. But can you delay things a bit?"

"Sure. Mom said we could wait to top off the fuel tanks here, or land in Chicago to refuel. I'll tell her to go with the second option. That'll add to our travel time."

"Thanks," Neal said. "The longer you can make him to stay with you, the better. I'll try to get to Seattle as soon as I can."

Angela promised she'd do her best, and then Neal walked up to Peter's office. Graham Winslow was there, and it looked like they were having an intense conversation.

"Sorry to interrupt," Neal said as he opened the door, "but I thought you'd want to know Henry's on his way to Seattle."

"That settles it," said Graham to Peter. "It's too late to keep the whippersnapper away, and I'm a private citizen. You can't prevent me from going to Seattle."

"Do you have a flight booked?" Neal asked.

"Friend of mine has a plane up here, and offered it and his pilot when I called him an hour ago. He's filing the flight plan, and I'm leaving in a moment to check out of my hotel."

"Can you take another passenger? I've got a bag packed and ready to go, if we swing by June's." Neal caught Peter's surprised glance and shrugged. "Flight instinct and old habits. I always keep a bag packed."

"I'd rather you stay here," Peter said.

"Yeah, and you could force the issue, threaten to fire me. But Henry needs help. Obviously he isn't thinking clearly. Why hitch a ride with Paige and Angela, when his grandfather is here? Graham obviously would have a plan to get to Seattle and would have been willing to take Henry."

Graham nodded. "I'd feel better if you went along to help me keep him under control." He stood up. "You got a bag packed, Peter? There's space for you, if you don't slow us down."

"I keep a duffel bag in the locker room here for emergencies, and I've already told Hughes what's going on. He'll let the Seattle office know I'm on my way. Let's go."

On the drive Peter called El to tell her he'd be out of town for a day or two. Neal pulled out his cell phone and dialed as he walked into June's mansion. "Noelle?" he said when his aunt answered. "It's Neal." He jogged up the stairs to his loft. "We've learned that Robert's supposed to arrive in Seattle tonight. I'm flying out there with Peter and Graham for the arrest."

"And Henry?"

"He beat us to the punch. Paige is taking Angela back to the University of Washington, and he's gonna be on their plane."

"Why not go with you and Graham?" Noelle wondered.

Neal opened the door to his apartment. "No idea. I'm kind of worried about him, actually. I'm afraid he's gonna rush into something without thinking it through."

"Yes. Robert does push his buttons. You know, when we went to Seattle for Angela's birthday, I skipped the trip to Mount Rainier, and I've regretted not spending more time with my niece."

"Maybe you should go back?" Neal asked as he picked up a small suitcase.

"Exactly what I was thinking. I won't get in your way, but if any of you need help, I'll be nearby."

"That's what I hoped you'd say," Neal said. "I've got a feeling you should be there."

###

Thanks to the delays Angela and her mother had arranged, Graham, Peter and Neal arrived in Seattle first. Peter rented a car and went directly to the Seattle offices of the FBI, while Neal and Graham waited for Henry to catch up with them.

Henry didn't seem surprised to see them, and on the drive to the hotel Graham had selected, Neal asked, "What were you thinking, rushing off with Angela instead of waiting for us?"

"We'd talked about how you wanted to be here, and that Peter would try to make you stay in New York. I'd pondered that issue the last week or so. I realized if I did something like this – something that made everyone think I wasn't using all my brain cells – Peter would be more open to bringing you along. He'd want all the help he could get to keep me from doing something I'd regret."

Neal was glad to hear his cousin was thinking rationally, but he realized that didn't preclude regrettable behavior. "Are you hoping that I'll stop you, or that I'll enable you?"

"Not sure yet," Henry admitted.

###

Peter went to the FBI to confer with Agent Yoshida. Neal, Henry, Graham, Angela and her mother went to Angela's favorite restaurant – Flying Saucer Pizza.

"How did Robert get away?" Paige asked. She topped off her beer from the pitcher they'd ordered for the table.

Henry grabbed a slice of the pepperoni pizza known as the Red Planet. "While Robert and the pilot were on the island, waiting to be rescued, they did a lot of talking. Robert had a bundle of cash on him, and promised the pilot even more if he'd agree to swap places when the Coast Guard arrived. All this time, they were holding the pilot prisoner and letting Robert roam around free. Robert told them he was nervous about the handoff to the FBI because he thought the prisoner might be dangerous. The Coast Guard felt sorry for him, I guess. Or maybe they were eager to get rid of him because he'd been seasick for days. It sounds like he made a point of being sick around them so they were tired of cleaning up after him. Anyway, they agreed to make a stop before they reached Seattle to let him off. Last they saw him was in Everett."

"He won't be able to get a flight," Graham said. "The Feds froze his secret bank account and they know the ID he was using to travel under."

Neal finished off a slice of the Thai Fighter and decided to try the Spud'nik. "Right now Peter and the other agents are talking to Robert's accomplice, Jason Ford. The marshals brought him out here yesterday so the Seattle branch of the Bureau could question him. They think he knows where Robert was hiding out last month when he was here. Chances are Robert will go someplace familiar while he regroups."

Fifteen minutes later when Neal's phone rang, he looked at the caller ID and announced, "It's Peter," and the table went silent. Neal listened a couple of minutes and then asked Graham if there was a Washington map in the rental car. Henry ran out to get it. "I'll call you back," Neal told Peter as Henry returned.

They pushed plates out of the way, clearing space on the table to spread out the map. Neal put a finger on Interstate 5 and followed it south from Seattle, going slightly beyond Tacoma. "Here. There's an empty warehouse down here. Jason said there's an office space inside that was comfortably furnished, with a fridge and a futon. He said that's where Robert stayed last time."

"I remember it," Graham said. "We had a case, maybe two years ago, where someone who used to work at the warehouse knew about that office and hid there. That's how Robert knows about it."

"That's near McChord Air Force Base," Paige said. "You remember, Angela? We stopped there a few times when you were in grade school."

Angela nodded.

"It's changed a lot since then," Paige mused. "David went there for a training mission, a few months before..." She looked lost in memories.

"Mom?" Angela prompted.

Paige blinked. "Yes... Sorry. I remember he said that area wasn't doing too well. Lots of businesses had closed. The Air Force took over a couple of blocks of empty buildings and used them for training their search-and-rescue teams." A ghost of a smile crossed her face. "And then they had a paintball fight out there. David's team won and he was so proud of them, so happy to be leading the next generation of pilots."

Angela looked ready to cry, and Graham patted her arm. "It's getting late. We should let you get home."

Insisting that they were fine walking the few blocks to her apartment, Angela hugged everyone goodbye and whispered, "Take care of them," to Neal before leaving with Paige.

Graham stood by the car and folded the map. "Your Uncle David was right about that area. The warehouse in our case was right in the middle of the zone the Air Force took over. Made it complicated as hell to get in and extract the guy, because we wanted to get the owner's approval and didn't realize we'd be dealing with the U.S. Government. Took a couple of days to cut through the red tape. Robert would have remembered that, and he knows when you pit a government agency like the FBI against the military, the paperwork's going to triple. He's counting on that to give him ample time to get whatever supplies he had stashed there and plan his next move."

"Maybe there's another way," Neal suggested, thinking back to the visit from retired U.S. Marshal Mike Chan. Mike had advised using all the resources at Neal's disposal when they faced Robert. "It just so happens my godfather is in the Air Force. He told me to call him if I ever needed help."

"Trent Lombard," Henry said. "Yeah. He doesn't like to brag about it, but he's got a lot of pull in that organization. He knows how to make things happen."

###

That call to Trent had worked magic. He put a senior officer from McChord in touch with Agent Yoshida, and their teams collaborated through the night to bring an op together.

By dawn, the Air Force was patrolling the streets around the warehouse to make sure no one got in or out. They'd used thermal imaging to confirm there was someone inside the warehouse office, and they'd reviewed surveillance footage to see that the person who'd entered the warehouse that night matched Robert's description.

On the drive down from their hotel, Peter drilled them on what to expect. Jason Ford had placed a condition on telling the FBI where Robert was probably hiding: he wanted to go along when they took Robert into custody. Because Jason was there, Marshal Annina Brandel would be too, responsible for making sure Jason didn't escape.

Yoshida, Annina and Jason would go inside the warehouse first, taking cover and calling out to Robert to surrender peacefully. Peter, Graham, Neal and Henry would be outside the warehouse, standing at the entrance. Yoshida might call them in if he thought they could help convince Robert to give up.

An Air Force officer stood with them. He had a monitor showing the feed from a camera inside the warehouse, and they were able to see and hear what was going on inside.

"Mr. Winslow?" Jason called out. He was standing with Annina behind a shelf about twelve feet from the office door. The warehouse was still filled with shelving units, which held wooden crates. The Air Force officer had explained that the space was used for storage, and by filling the shelves they also had a more challenging space for training exercises. Yoshida was behind a similar shelf, on the opposite side of the aisle leading to the office, his gun drawn.

"We just want to talk," Jason said. "I know things don't look good, but we can turn this around. There's always a solution, just like you told me when I started working for you. Let me help you."

They couldn't make out Robert's response on the monitor, muffled as it was by the office door.

Jason stepped out into the open, hands raised. "No weapons," he said. "We can talk." Annina stood behind him, gun in her hand but pointing at the floor.

The office door opened. Robert stepped forward, hands empty. "Damn, it's good to see you again."

Jason ran toward him. Annina lunged forward to grab Jason and missed, stumbling to her knees. Robert met his protégé with a hug. Then suddenly he reached behind him and also twisted Jason around. Now Jason was facing away from Robert, who was pointing a gun at his head.

Jason looked shocked and scared. Annina was pointing her gun at them but didn't have a clear shot while Robert used Jason as a human shield. Yoshida had stepped into another aisle, also pointing a gun at Robert but unable to fire without hitting Jason. "Winslow, let him go!" Yoshida ordered.

Robert's next words were drowned out by Graham shouting, "No!" He was looking at the door to the warehouse, which was swinging closed behind Henry.

Graham followed, and Neal took a step in the same direction. Peter grabbed his sleeve to hold him back. Before Neal could argue, Peter said, "Here, take this."

Neal looked down at the revolver. "What?" He looked up at Peter and shook his head. "I can't take your gun."

"It's my backup piece. We don't have time to argue about this, Neal. Robert is armed, and we know he wants you dead. When he realizes he's surrounded, he's going to be mad and desperate. He might decide to take you down with him." Peter put the gun in Neal's hands. "I know you're a crack shot. If it comes down to you or him, shoot him. That's an order."

Neal glanced toward the monitor to see Henry approaching Robert, then he nodded and took the gun.

Inside the warehouse, Henry slowly placed his gun on the ground and kicked it away. "I know you're mad at Jason," he said, "but I gotta think you'd rather have me as your hostage. How about you let him go and we make a swap?"

It seemed to take only seconds to swap out the hostages. Jason ran toward Annina, who led him outside.

###

Peter and Neal slipped inside the warehouse, took note of the position of Yoshida, Annina and Graham, and took positions in other parts of the warehouse. If they got enough coverage, maybe one of them could find an angle to make a shot. Robert pointed his gun at Henry's head, and his son briefly closed his eyes.

Scuffing his shoes on the floor, hoping the noise would rattle Robert, Peter stepped momentarily into the aisle and got a good look at the situation. Henry met his eyes, calm and resigned.

Robert said something they couldn't hear, but Henry nodded.

Peter just didn't get it. The irrational hatred toward Neal was bad enough, but wanting to kill his own son? How could Robert not be proud of Henry, who had the courage and character to take the place of someone he had every reason to hate? He'd been afraid of Jason, and jealous of his place in Robert's heart, but he'd still put his life on the line to save the man.

A glance toward Neal showed he was holding Peter's backup revolver and looking for a shot. Graham was in a similar stance, looking for the shot that would bring down his son and spare his grandson.

Peter did the same, aware of the odds against any kind of happy ending here. Either Neal or Graham would be traumatized if they made the shot. If they missed the shot, and Henry died, they'd be equally traumatized.

Henry closed his eyes again, and slumped forward. Was this a ploy to make Robert think he was unconscious?

"That you, Agent Burke?" Robert called out.

"I'm here," Peter said. Then he moved a few feet away, in case Robert decided to shoot in the direction of his voice.

"I learned a few things reading about how you impersonated me at that airstrip. Mix of chemicals in the coat sleeve to knock out a hostage. I liked that move. Put my own spin on it, though. Don't want the kid waking up and struggling."

Peter ground his teeth in frustration. Sure enough, Robert was holding his arm much higher than he had with Jason. Henry had been breathing the fumes from that coat sleeve. If Henry'd had some kind of plan to pacify Robert, he wouldn't be able to enact it now.

Annina Brandel returned, and crouched beside Peter. Neal made his way over.

"Ford?" Peter asked.

"With the officers. A medic is checking him out, but he's fine." She met Peter's questioning gaze. They both knew she should be with her prisoner. "We've got a suspect in here who's threatened protected witnesses, and a former protected witness. I'm staying." She moved away, and Peter turned his attention back to Graham and Yoshida, who were trying to convince Robert to let Henry go.

Neal went in the opposite direction from Annina.

Peter looked up and wondered if he could climb the shelving without tipping it over. Maybe getting above Robert would give him the angle he needed to make the shot. He was reaching up to try the climb when he heard Neal's voice and stopped.

"Uncle Robert!"

"What the hell?" Robert asked. "They let you in here?"

"Yeah." Neal stepped away from the cover of the shelves.

"You'll be in prison before me. They'll never take me alive. And I'm gonna clean up my biggest mistake before I go," Robert said, waving his gun at Henry.

"Well, before you go, I wanted to thank you. It's because of you that I'm going to college this fall."

"What's that have to do with me?" Robert asked.

Peter crept as quietly as he could in Neal's direction. He needed to reach the kid before Robert blew his top.

"Oh, didn't you hear? They divested you of your shares in Win-Win. They're using the money for my tuition. I'm gonna study art."

Robert was shaking in anger. "You're lying." He turned the gun toward Neal.

Peter saw Annina lining up her shot. As she pulled the trigger, Peter tackled Neal, sending them both crashing down behind the shelves before Robert could fire.

Neal tried to scramble to his feet, but Peter held him in place.

"Suspect down," Yoshida said into a radio. "Hostage is safe but unconscious. Send in the medic."

Peter let Neal stand and together they walked toward a bloody scene. Robert was clearly dead. Henry lay unconscious beside him. Neal took a handkerchief from his pocket and started wiping the blood off of Henry's face.

"Hey," said Peter, putting a restraining hand on Neal's arm. "Let them process the scene first."

"No," Neal insisted. "He's not going to wake up covered in Robert's blood."

Yoshida nodded, and held up his camera. "It's okay. I've got the scene recorded and we have plenty of witnesses."

Neal's concern was for naught. Henry didn't wake up. Not in the warehouse, and not in the ambulance.

A/N: My apologies to the Coast Guard for letting Robert escape them; I'm sure in real life they wouldn't be tricked so easily. I don't know if the Air Force ever took over abandoned warehouses near McChord for training exercises. Flying Saucer Pizza was an actual restaurant in the Seattle suburbs and the pizzas I named were really on their menu; Silbrith and I relocated it to the U-District because it was so fun to use it as Angela's favorite.