Chapter Description: Peter starts working at Winston-Winslow.

Winston-Winslow New York office. January 2, 2007 - Tuesday morning.

"Got a minute?"

Peter looked up from his computer to see Sal at the entrance to his office.

"Sure, come in," Peter invited. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah." Sal slid one of the guest chairs out of his way to pull up to the desk in his wheelchair. "So, I'm your mentor for your first few weeks here at Win-Win."

Peter nodded. He'd been surprised to learn that Sal had been assigned the role instead of someone at Peter's level. Sal was a member of the technical team, not a manager. Henry explained that he wanted to reinforce that the company leaders should recognize the expertise of their team members.

"Any questions so far about the onboarding process?" Sal asked.

Peter shook his head. "It's very clear and well-organized."

"Yeah, Radha and his team have streamlined it, and then we automated as much as we could. Most people breeze through the process. Anyway, there's a reason I asked to be your mentor. I ran it by Henry and Anna, so they know what's up."

"This sounds intriguing."

"The thing is, I've worked in IT my entire career, and I'd like to try something a little different. My first job was at a company that developed accounting software."

"I like where this is going," Peter said. His role was to build a team to conduct financial investigations.

Sal grinned. "I'm glad to hear that. So, my next move might be to join your team. Part of my mentorship role is to help you build your plan in a way that will get the green light from Henry and Sofia here, and from the CEO in Baltimore. I can give you advice on what they like to see and what questions they'll have."

"And at the same time, you'll have insight into my plans to see if you want to join the team."

###

"How was the first day at Win-Win?" Elizabeth asked when Peter got home. She held a cup of hot tea, which she handed to him after he greeted Satchmo and hung up his coat.

Peter took the tea to the living room, where he settled onto the sofa. El was going for decaffeinated drinks now that she was pregnant, and he was trying to support her by giving up coffee at home. He wasn't sure if he could resist the coffee bar at Win-Win.

"It was even better than I expected," he told her. "Everyone was welcoming and helpful. They were eager to hear my ideas, and I already have someone interested in transferring to my team. There's so much potential, it feels like the sky is the limit."

El snuggled next to him. "No second thoughts about leaving the FBI?"

He shook his head. "It really feels like I'm where I need to be."

January 11, 2007 - Thursday morning.

Peter held onto their secret until he felt like he was bursting with it. Finally, on his birthday, he posed a question at the end of the weekly Win-Win leadership meeting. "Radha, do you have time to chat about our leave policy? Later this year I plan to take paternity leave, and I'd like to know more about how it works."

After a round of congratulations, Radha said, "I'm very familiar with how it works, since my wife and I welcomed a daughter into our family a few months ago. Come to my office, and I will get you the information you need."

That afternoon, Henry's husband Eric stopped by. An architect, Eric had agreed to consult on the children's room Henry had in mind. Peter, Radha, and Sara followed them to the proposed space, listening as Henry explained his vision. Eric added a few ideas, such as having a kid-friendly mini-fridge and microwave for snacks, and a sink for easy clean-up. "The plumbing adds to the cost, but since this room shares a wall with a restroom, it's not too much work. While you're at it, you should consider adding a lactation room."

"My wife's office has that," Radha said. "It's been very popular."

"Okay, lactation room," Henry agreed.

"You've said there will be movies," Sara said.

"Yes," Henry said. "I'm thinking a big-screen TV on the wall, and beanbag chairs."

"What about building a cabinet for clothes and accessories, so the kids can play dress up?" she suggested.

"Like their own version of our transformation room! I love it," Henry said.

Peter listened to their conversation, but he was looking into the future. He could see El bringing Baby Burke here. He envisioned a preschool-aged version of Baby Burke playing with other children, like Radha's daughter and Angela's little one. Maybe Neal and Sara would add a kid to the mix. Henry and Eric were considering using a surrogate or adopting a child one day.

He was truly seeing himself working here for years, as a long-term career, happy in the work and with the work-life balance he could achieve.

"What do you think, Peter?" Sara asked.

"I think the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades."

"Music reference!" Henry said. "I knew we made the right choice hiring you. C'mon," he added, striding toward the conference rooms. "We need to find that song and play it."

Sara chuckled at Peter's surprised expression. "It can be a blessing or curse, but it's good to keep in mind that whenever you mention a song title or lyric, he's going to lose track of the conversation and head to the music room."

Eric smiled. "I've found it an effective way to end arguments at home."

They followed Henry toward the music-themed conference room with its impressive sound system and soundproofing so people in other conference rooms wouldn't be distracted.

It had been almost exactly three years since Peter had first met Henry. He never would have imagined how much would change in their lives to bring them here, working together at Win-Win.

He remembered what Henry said about the movie he'd nominated — Back to the Future. How he wouldn't change the past, because he was so happy in the present. "Have you invited Angela over yet to watch The Blues Brothers with you?" Peter asked Eric.

"Not yet. She and Michael have been busy, but we plan to try it later this month."

"If you want to make it a double feature, I would love to see Back to the Future again."

"Just you? What about El?" Henry asked.

"She's never seen it before, so it would be her first time watching it."

Henry seemed frozen in place. "She's never...? I mean..."

Eric intervened. "What my husband is trying to say is that we would be thrilled to host a movie night."

"Maybe we can make it a recurring event," Sara suggested. "El might want to show us Bride and Prejudice and the 1940s Pride and Prejudice. Neal and I could showcase the two movies we nominated."

"And then there are all of those kids' movies Henry plans to buy for the children's room," Eric added. "We may want to screen those."

Peter nodded, thinking of the movies Ellen Parker-Chan had mentioned when Neal had asked about her favorites. These people were more than colleagues at Win-Win. Peter had friends here. And apparently, he was going to spend quality time with them at a series of movie nights. "Count me in," he said.

A/N: Thanks for reading! The next story in the series is Skating on Thin Ice, which Silbrith will post in March.