Neal came into work a little late the next morning, humming to himself. He'd woken that morning with BB in his bed, and he'd lingered just a little too long over coffee. He didn't particularly care; if Peter gave him any crap he had a great excuse. Going to a state dinner in Monaco did tend to wear a man out. And then BB had done the rest. He was still sort of struggling with what Penelope had said, but he'd done his best to just move past it. She was still the same person. Their relationship didn't have to change. Not yet.

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likessmart 2011-09-10 05:17 am UTC (link)

While Peter and El were reaping the benefits of not having as much to do, it was still boring. There were moments where he itched for a good case to sink his teeth into, something that would keep him up nights. But what they had were things that were handled efficiently and easily, and he realized that a lot of the frustration he'd had at his old job had been because of bureaucracy. He looked up when he saw Neal walk in, nodding at the cup of coffee he'd gotten him. "Morning - oh, hey. Late night?" (Reply to this)

classicratpack 2011-09-10 05:22 am UTC (link)

Neal nodded a thank you for the coffee and grinned, sitting down. "Very. Went to a state dinner with BB that the prince threw. In Monte Carlo." Despite the shock, it had been a really fun night, much better than he'd imagined it would be. "I swear, I didn't even take anything, though I kind of wanted to liberate the Star of Dun Pham from this woman who'd just brutalized the stone." He clutched a hand over his heart. "Awful stuff." (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 05:26 am UTC (link)
	Peter raised an eyebrow. "You know the prince of Monaco. Of course you do." He sighed and took a sip of his coffee, starting in on his paperwork, knowing that Neal would be bored out of his gourd again and start thunking his damn rubber band ball against the wall. "Hey. You know how you hate my suit?" It was either the best idea Peter had ever had, or the worst. (Reply to this)

	classicratpack 2011-09-10 05:32 am UTC (link)
	"You know I do. You've met him. You didn't make the greatest impression on him." Neal raised an eyebrow, but then Peter mentioned something about his suit and Neal's eyes lit up. "Yes. Yes, I do. We're so going to my guy." He'd call Mr. Epstein and see if he could see them. Oh, man, Peter getting a real suit that fit him? (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 05:33 am UTC (link)
	"I'd blocked that out." He mumbled to himself, seeing the gleam in Neal's eye and immediately regretting his suggestion. "Fine. Wherever your suit guru is, as long as he's close." El would get off his back, Neal would leave him alone - it was win win. (Reply to this)

classicratpack 2011-09-10 05:37 am UTC (link)

"A cab ride away." Neal promised, dialing the shop. He spoke briefly to the forever-harassed assistant, smiling when he heard that Epstein had no appointments that day. "Great. I'm bringing him someone new. He can start from scratch." The girl promised brusquely to tell her employer, and hung up. Whatever. Neal shrugged, turning back to his friend. "Do we have things to do, or can we go now?" The lack of work didn't bother him at all. He'd never looked at the FBI as a permanent thing; he frankly stayed now only out of loyalty to Peter. And at least the FBI agents here didn't treat him like a plague carrier. (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 05:13 pm UTC (link)
	"He'd better be," Peter groused. But his grousing turned to amusement when someone hung up on Neal - he could tell, he looked irritated for half a moment - and shook his head. "No, nothing for the moment. I just have some things to sign, but I can do that in the cab. If we get called back, we'll have to cut it short, though." (Reply to this)

	classicratpack 2011-09-10 05:44 pm UTC (link)
	"Of course." Even Neal could understand that. Maybe Epstein could just talk to Peter today, and do the measuring on an off day. "Come on, then, let's go. We can probably be back in time for lunch." He flipped his hat back on, grinning. (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 06:14 pm UTC (link)
	"You have plans?" Peter shrugged on his jacket, hoping that a tailor could take into account his need for a baggier jacket - holsters didn't exactly look good under the skinny suits that Caffrey favored. (Reply to this)

	classicratpack 2011-09-10 06:42 pm UTC (link)
	"BB will probably come up here for lunch. Nothing major." It did feel major, though. He hoped he could get it back to feeling not-major by the time she arrived. Neal held the door open for his partner as they headed out to Worth Street to catch a cab. They found one quickly enough, and Neal gave the driver an address in Queens. (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 07:02 pm UTC (link)
	"Then why does it look like you've got heartburn?" He went through the door, folding his arms as Neal hailed the cab (for some reason, even aging stinky cabbies found Neal an attractive man to pick up) and he hopped in. (Reply to this)

	classicratpack 2011-09-10 07:18 pm UTC (link)
	Neal shrugged. "I'm good." And for the most part, he was; he wasn't going to do anything out of the ordinary. Just try to forget what Penelope had said for now. He was at least self-aware enough to know he wasn't at a place where he could deal with that. He just watched the traffic on Riverside instead, smiling when they went past home, up toward the bridge to Queens. (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 07:26 pm UTC (link)
	It was around then that Peter finished his paperwork, sliding the manilla folders into his briefcase. "We're - where are we going, Caffrey?" The panic and last name were both indicators that Peter was a bit panicked. (Reply to this)

	classicratpack 2011-09-10 07:30 pm UTC (link)
	"Queens?" Neal raised an eyebrow. "My guy's just over the river, it's not like we're going upstate. I told you it was a cab ride." It amused him that Peter was the one complaining about leaving Manhattan. (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 07:42 pm UTC (link)
	"You didn't say it was a long cab ride," he grumbled. He folded his arms and looked out the window. In his head he could hear his wife telling him to enjoy the ride, to stop being such an Eeyore. "The river's sort of scenic, I guess." (Reply to this)

classicratpack 2011-09-10 08:39 pm UTC (link)

It was vaguely endearing, to see Peter make an effort. Neal chuckled. "Queens is ... It's a nice place with great food, but it's still Queens." Epstein's workroom wasn't far away from the bridge. He'd found it one day while looking for a little art gallery. They pulled up outside and Neal paid the cabbie. He buzzed the door. "It's Neal Caffrey and a friend; I called earlier?" Without a verbal reply, the door swung open, and Neal gestured for Peter to go up first. (Reply to this)

likessmart 2011-09-10 09:44 pm UTC (link)

"Food? Maybe we can have BB meet us out here and get something. I skipped breakfast." Well, that hadn't been entirely true; he and El had let their cereal go to mush in lieu for leisurely sex on the kitchen table. The memory made him smile, and he wondered if Neal had any idea how glad he was that El was his wife. She was the most perfect woman in the world. When they got out, Peter just raised his eyebrows at having to be buzzed in. "You didn't tell me was a tailor to the spies. Is Goldfinger around here?" (Reply to this)

classicratpack 2011-09-10 09:51 pm UTC (link)

"It's Queens." Neal rolled his eyes. People in Queens had buzzers on their doors. He walked past Peter up to the top floor, looking around. "Mr. Epstein? It's Neal Caffrey." A tall, bony man wearing a yarmulke was extracting himself from a pile of fabric bolts, but he turned around when Neal hailed him, laughing. "Mr. Caffrey! Bless the beneficent God that has sent you to me, for business is not so good. You brought someone." Once he was free of the fabric, the man strode across the floor, extending a hand. "Aron Epstein; I do most of Mr. Caffrey's suits. I'd be proud to do yours - no, I'll insist on doing yours. Ech." He turned back to Neal. "Where did you dig this one up? He looks like a shmuck, with that cut." (Reply to this)

likessmart 2011-09-10 09:58 pm UTC (link)

Peter walked behind Neal, hands in his pockets. He couldn't help but smile a little bit lopsidedly at how old school everything was in there. Peter was a fan of old school - he hated .pdfs, prefered stakeouts to satellite surveilance, and he absolutely loathed smartphones. (It had taken him a cool year to learn how to use his BlackBerry.) It wasn't that he was a luddite, or not smart enough to use the tech, it was that he just liked the class and style of the old school. Peter took the other man's hand. "Really? Why does everyone mock this suit? It's a good suit!" (Reply to this)

classicratpack 2011-09-10 10:04 pm UTC (link)

Neal couldn't help but chuckle. Still, Epstein shook it - a good, firm handshake. He knew when to be patient. "Look at Mr. Caffrey," he explained, gesturing toward Neal's trousers. "See the cut of the pants? I mean the way they hug the leg, not the schmeckel, look lower." He pointed. "Yours, by comparison, hang like a sack." He flapped the extra fabric in Peter's trouser legs to make a point. "Tailoring doesn't mean skintight, it means fitting. This, feh." He looked up. "And the jacket, oy. I can see you need a little room, that is not a prayer book you have under there, but still." (Reply to this)

likessmart 2011-09-10 10:14 pm UTC (link)

It was kind of like being in temple. Not that Peter had ever been to temple, but he could imagine; the guy reminded him of a minister that had been his coach in youth football. "Okay, just don't give me a cut like Caffrey here. He might be the dapper one, but I still need people to look me in the eye at work." His tone was teasing, but trusting somehow. It was easier to trust people who told it like it was. Caffrey could take a lesson from his tailor. (Reply to this)

classicratpack 2011-09-10 10:21 pm UTC (link)

Neal raised a sardonic eyebrow, but before he could comment, Epstein just snickered. "Maybe they would look you in the eye more if you dressed better." He looked at Neal. "Do you have time to wait? I can get started on something if I get my measurements today. You," he said, turning back to Peter, "burn those fershtunkener pants." Neal couldn't help but laugh. "We have an hour or two. It won't take that long, though." "Half hour for him," Epstein promised, looking through an avalanche of paper for his tape measure. "What's your name, anyway? I can't just say Gun-Toting Gentile in my records. You let him bring a shalom in here, Mr. Caffrey? You wound me." (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 10:22 pm UTC (link)
	"They don't look me in the eye because I'm their boss," Peter grumbled. He sighed at the comments about the gun, taking off his jacket and removing his holster. He figured he'd need to for accurate measurements. "I'm with the Bureau, I'm not going to hold you up, Mr. Epstein. I'm going to shoot the guys holding you up. If I didn't defend you, Neal really would would me." (Reply to this)

	classicratpack 2011-09-10 10:32 pm UTC (link)
	"I know, I know. I'm an old Jew with a crabby girl downstairs for protection, though. Still, could be Harlem." Epstein found his tape measure. "Your name, or I call you shmuck." "Burke," Neal supplied, amused. "Peter Burke. He's technically my boss." "Chief shmuck then." Epstein chuckled. "All right, Mr. Burke. Stand here, arms at the sides." (Reply to this)

	likessmart 2011-09-10 10:37 pm UTC (link)
	Peter couldn't help but laugh. "I imagine you've got a lot of shmucks in there, right?" It was kind of cute, the banter, and he moved to set his arms at his sides. He was good at following direction. "There's no technically about it, Neal. You're lucky I like you." (Reply to this)

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