SPOILERS for seasons 3+4

Sunshine Part 2

The idoot also helped with this one, DJ_Tatortot . And I got the last quote from hungergames36 from their Avengers Preferences and Imagines (Book 2) because I am unoriginal when it comes to being romantic in any way.

Summary: Neal's sentence could get a commutation, and you have to testify. Then, something goes wrong...

QOTP: What's your favorite episode?

Word Count: 2786

Previously...

"Then can we watch Pocahontas?"

"Yes, as long as you promise not to fall asleep... And don't worry; I won't look when you put in your Netflix password."

"And the two loves birds have finally arrived!" Jones exclaims when you and Neal walk into work next Monday morning.

Diana laughs. "How was the date?"

"It was fine," you reply, unable to fight the blush creeping onto your face. You glance behind you, see Neal getting teased by Jones and Peter, and deem it safe to gush to Diana about the date.

Once you've told her the whole thing, which gave her some insight on Neal she'd use against him later, she asks, "Is the Bureau okay with this? You and him?"

"Well, the official rule is that you can't date your CI, and, last I checked, he's Peter's, not mine. So, we're basically getting by on a technicality."

She smiles. "Well, as long as you're getting by, I'm happy; you're the only one that can keep him out of trouble."

////

Later that day, you see Neal talking to Peter and Diana in Peter's office and make your way up there; you're ready to leave and you're his ride home.

As soon as Peter sees you, he grins and pulls you inside. "The Probation office wants to have a hearing to discuss the commutation of Neal's sentence because he caught Keller."

"Wait, they want to what?" you ask, confused but anticipating good news considering the expressions on everyone's faces.

Peter grabs a paper from Neal and hands it to you. "Y/N, they could basically drop his sentence; no anklet, nothing. He'd be free."

"We have to round up people to testify to my glorious reformation," Neal says, smiling. "What do you say, Sunshine?"

You grin. "What do you think, idiot?"

////

A week of solving cases later, and you're in the hot seat. Three people sit in front of you taking notes, but the woman in the middle does the talking. "Can you state your name and relationship to Neal Caffrey for the record?"

"My name is Y/F/N and Neal Caffrey is my boyfriend," you reply, the word 'boyfriend' making your heart flutter. While you tell yourself to be professional, the woman continues.

"Will your personal relationship with Caffrey be influencing your testimony today?" she asks.

You smile a little. "Of course. That's where the majority of the real, bettered Neal Caffrey shines through - at least to me."

"Could you elaborate?"

"When I first met Neal, I didn't know what to think; I'd studied his crimes before going to work with him. He was a file to me, and I had a preconceived notion that he was dangerous and not to be trusted."

"And that changed?" the woman asks, brows slightly raised.

"It did," you reply, nodding a little. "And it changed quickly. I realized that he was one of the most caring people I had ever met. We started talking about books, I started driving him to work, we marathoned a plethora of movies on a number of Friday nights. I got to know him. I... fell in love with him."

"Because of how he's changed?" the woman inquires, leaning forward a little.

You shrug slightly. "He's always been a sentimental person, and he's always been caring, at least from what I've heard. But he's more... trusting than he used to be. And he's more trustworthy. I'd trust him with my life, and I have."

"Do you think Neal Caffrey's sentence should be commutated?" the woman finally asks.

You don't hesitate. "Yes."

////

The next day, the day of Peter's testimony, Kramer, Peter's old mentor, closes in. He's got a grudge against Neal, and he wants to arrest him and take him to D.C.

You're sitting with Diana out on the balcony while Peter is testifying, oblivious. Suddenly, she gets a call, and you're immediately concerned by the expression on her face. She hangs up quickly and barges into the room, interrupting Peter's testimony. "I'm sorry; this couldn't wait. Peter, Caffrey's cut his anklet. Neal's gone."

////

When you, Peter, and Diana reach June's, FBI agents are already on the scene, looking for anything that could hint as to where Neal's gone. An agent walks up to Peter and hands him an evidence bag with a piece of notebook paper inside. "He left a note - it's coded."

Peter hands it to you, and all you see is a bunch of numbers and letters. You simply shake your head and hand it back to him. Once the agent leaves, Peter whispers. "I told him to run, Y/N; Kramer was going to arrest him and take him to D.C. He didn't plan on leaving, and I know he didn't want to."

You nod numbly and walk over to Neal's book shelf, searching for the copy of [your favorite book] he bought after reading the one you lent him. You find it quickly and pull it out, flipping through the pages. He didn't leave anything.

"Is that book significant?" a random agent asks.

You turn to her and shake your head. "Honestly, I'm not sure..." You hand her the book and walk out, asking Diana to drive you home; Peter wants to stay for a while.

////

You, Peter, Jones, and Diana have been trying to find Neal for over a month. The agent they brought in to find him - Collins - is ruthless, and you're worried about what will happen if he finds Neal first. You and Peter aren't even allowed to look into Neal; you can only give Collins info, and that's it.

One night, much like most others, you can't sleep. You have no idea where he is, what that note he left said, anything. In a spur of the moment decision, you grab your keys and drive to Peter and El's, hoping El will be able to talk to you.

Peter answers the door and his tired expression immediately leaves his face when he sees that it's you. "Did you find a lead on Neal?" he asks, letting you in. Then, he sees that you're crying.

You look at El, whose standing at the top of the stairs. "I... I need to talk to you." She immediately comes down, then tells to Peter go back upstairs. In a few minutes, she's sitting with you on the couch, having wrapped you in a blanket. You lean back and look up at the ceiling. "I'm so worried about him, I can hardly stand it."

"I know," she says softly, letting you continue.

"He could be anywhere in the world right now. I mean, I know he's done something like this before, but... it's different this time." You hesitate before continuing, then sigh. "El, this is going to sound stupid, but... do you think he'll... find someone else wherever he is?"

To your surprise, El laughs. "You're right; it is stupid. Y/N, he's in love with you. When he had an easy way out of the country with Kate, what made him stay?"

"I don't know."

"You. When he had a chance to flee the country with billions of dollars worth of art, what made him stay?"

"I'm guessing the answer is me?"

She smiles. "You're always the answer for him. Every time."

You sit for a second, silent, then you chuckle. "You know what this reminds me of?" El hums in response, imploring you to continue. "Two years ago, when we were looking for Kate, he showed up at my house at 3am and asked me if I thought that Kate really loved him."

"What did you tell him?"

"No."

////

Two days after your talk with Elizabeth, Collins calls you into Hughes's office. Diana, who's leaving said office, gives you a sympathetic smile.

"Is there a problem?" you ask, taking a seat. Collins, the only other person in the room, doesn't sit at Hughes's desk, but stands in front of you and hands you an evidence bag. The note Neal left is inside, but somebody's marked all over it in pen.

Collins tries to be intimating. "Recognize that?"

"It's the note Neal left when he ran," you answer simply. "What did you do to it?"

"We cracked the code," Collins replies smugly. Your heart skips a beat as he continues. "Agent Berrigan said that we should ask you about what it means."

"Well, what does the note say?" you ask, trying to act nonchalant.

Collins picks up a piece of paper from the desk and reads from it. "'If I never knew you.' Care to tell me what that means?"

Your stomach drops. "It means... It means goodbye."

"Oh, does it?" He says it so sarcastically you want to punch him the face, but then he asks you an actual question. "What do you mean by that?"

You take a moment to word your answer in your head. "It's a quote from a song in Pocahontas. It's a long story, but, in short, that was his way of telling me goodbye."

Collins looks at you for a second, then at a spot on the ceiling, then back at you with a sigh. "I know you were close with Caffrey. And I know you'd lie to protect him-"

"Why would I lie about this?" you half-shout. "I'm telling you, that means goodbye, and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Alright," Collins says. "The code corresponded to a book you handed to an agent at Caffrey's place - [your favorite book]. Can you explain that?"

"That's my favorite book."

"Well, then, Caffrey was quite the sentimentalist."

"Yes, he is. Can I go now?"

////

When Peter eventually gets a pager number from a woman Neal knows, you're with him. You stand in the kitchen and anxiously wait for the call, your heart leaping in your throat when the phone rings. Peter looks at you, picks it up, and puts it on speaker. Then, you hear his voice.

"Ellen?" Neal asks.

"Hi, Neal," Peter says. You go to say something, but don't; you don't know what to say.

Neal laughs. "Ellen gave you the pager number?"

"Yeah. She sends her best." After a second, the smile leaves Peter's face. "Listen, Neal. The D.O.J. has got someone looking for you. He means business, and it's not me. His name is Collins, and he's with the Office of International Affairs. He won't stop until he finds you."

"If it's not you, then I'm not worried," Neal says simply. "You're the only one who could catch me - well, you and Y/N." You smile as he continues. "How bad did I leave things for you and her?"

"Not too bad," Peter shrugs, glancing at you. "The Bureau's beating us up at little, but it's nothing we can't handle."

"And El?" he adds.

"She's great."

There's a pause on Neal's end, then he asks, "Have you decoded my note yet?"

"Collins's team did, yeah," Peter replies.

"Does Y/N know what it says?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

There's another pause, then a faint, "Y/N?"

"'If I never knew you,'" you quote, "'I'd be safe, but half as real.'" You hear him laugh and you smile, your eyes welling up with tears. "Come home," you plead, though you know he can't do that. Not yet.

He sighs. "Sunshine, I wish I could, but I can never go back. I want to more than anything in the world, but it's impossible. I'm a con man, Y/N. It was always gonna end like this or with me behind bars."

"Neal-"

"This is the last time we can ever speak again. I-I love you. And I am never, ever going to forget you. But it might be best if you forgot me."

"You know I can't do that."

"At least try," he pleads. You shake your head, though he can't see you. He sighs. "It's good to hear your voice - both of your voices."

"Yours, too," Peter says. "Goodbye, Neal."

"Goodbye, Peter." You can hear the tears in his voice. "Goodbye, Sunshine. If I never knew you, I'd have lived my whole life through... lost forever."

You smile a little, but can't bring yourself to say goodbye. "... Find your way back."

////

The next day, Peter tracked down Neal's location; he recorded the call and Diana had someone at Quantico isolate the background noises, allowing you to pinpoint where he is - Cape Verde. Peter went alone, leaving you, Jones, and Diana at home. Collins raided Peter's house and found the map Peter used to find Neal, then followed soon after.

The next day, Hughes gets a call from Peter. You, Jones, and Diana sit in the conference room with him, the phone on speaker. Peter is telling Hughes that the guy Neal and Mozzie paid to keep the local authorizes off their back is Robert MacLeish, one of the FBI's most wanted.

"Peter, you spot a few boat names and you expect me to believe-" Hughes starts.

Peter interrupts him. "I know it sounds crazy, but MacLeish has been at the top of the most wanted for 20 years, and in all that time, no one's seen him because he's been here, on an island off the radar with no extradition."

Hughes sighs. "I'm looking at Caffrey's sketch, and it looks as much like MacLeish as my cousin Phyllis."

"Because he's had major reconstructive surgery."

"Peter, you're grasping at straws, and you know it." Peter starts to speak, but Hughes cuts him off. "If it's really him, you're gonna have to give me more to go on than a few women's names."

Diana leans forward, getting an idea. "Hey, Peter, if you can get us a photo, we can run it through biometrics."

"We're working on that," Peter replies. "And, if it's him, Hughes, what is he worth to the Bureau?"

Hughes hesitates. "Why?

"If Caffrey catches him-"

"Caffrey?!"

"If Caffrey catches him and delivers him to you, would justice agree to let him return to New York and reinstate his old deal? Working for me?"

You look at Hughes, hopeful. He looks at you, then down at the phone. "That's a tall order, Peter... But if you can prove it's MacLeish, I'll run it by justice, but no promises. "

"Yes!" Peter exclaims. "Thanks, Reese."

Hughes looks at you and speaks quickly, in such a tone that Peter knows not to hang up. "Agent Y/L/N, if you could say anything to Neal right now, what would it be?"

You can't blatantly talk to Neal considering the circumstances, and Hughes knows that, as well as that fact that Neal is there and Peter has his phone on speaker. You smile. "I'd say that I miss him and that... I love him and want him to come home."

There's pause in which you can hear mumbling and Peter whispering, "Do I have to say that?" Finally, he says, "And I think Neal would say, 'I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you, Sunshine.'"

Your smile widens and you jokingly scoff. "And I would say he needs to stop turning to Pocahontas to tell me he loves me."

////

They caught MacLeish and gave Collins the credit in exchange for a statement that he secretly recruited Neal in order to do it. Neal's back home the next day, and he goes straight to work, knowing you'll be there.

You see him from the conference room when he walks in with Peter, his eyes automatically searching for you. He smiles as soon as he sees you running down the stairs and meets you half way, pressing his lips to yours, causing some teasing hoots and hollers from Jones and Diana. After a few seconds you hear Peter sigh, "This is cute and all, but you're at work."

You finally pull away, Neal hugging you as tight as humanly possible. "Hey, Sunshine."

You pull away from the hug, but Neal immediately grabs your hands, causing you to laugh. "Did you think of anything original on the way home, Dopey?"

"Dopey? Well, that's definitely a better nickname than 'idiot'."

"You're stalling."

"Alright, alright." He thinks for a second. "I fell in love with you because of the million things you didn't know you were doing."

"I feel like I've heard that before-"

"No, you haven't."