Title: The Chase Is On, Again
Characters: Peter, El
Rating: PG
Length: 650
Summary: Tag to 5x13. Peter gets a very expected phone call.

It was a quiet night by the Burkes.  They had ordered out for pizza. Even if they'd had energy to make food, after spending the entire day packing - their kitchen was now nicely stacked up all around them in labeled boxes.

Peter glanced at the boxes as he chewed down another slice. He had no idea when and where they'd be unpacked. For now, they had decided to just put everything off. El didn't need to be in D.C. till next week, and by then they'd hopefully have some idea of how they were going to manage to live as a couple in two different cities.

For now, they both enjoyed their togetherness.

Peter's phone rang, and he juggled his pizza in one hand as he reached for it. "Burke."

El watched as Peter's mouth turned into a thin line. "Are you sure?", "Where?", followed by a few moments of silence before he hung up with a "No need to call the Marshals, I'll take care of it." He glanced at El. "I told him not to do anything crazy."

"Neal?" Though it was phrased as one, it wasn't really a question,

Peter nodded, his fingers already dialing the next number. "He cut his anklet. I told him-" He cut off as the phone started ringing on the other end of the line. El munched silently on her slice as Peter shook his head at the phone. It had gone to voicemail. "He's not answering. I shouldn't have let him go off like that."

"How could you have stopped him?"  El didn't see why Peter felt the need to take responsibility for this.  She could feel a tinge of apprehension.  She'd been down this road before.

Peter opened his mouth to answer, but wasn't really sure what else he could have done. Tailed Neal back home? Thrown him in jail until he'd calm down? "I should have at least checked up on him.  Do you have Mozzie's number?"

"Not since you co-opted our lunch date," El shook her head.  "Are you sure he ran?"

Peter considered for a short moment. "Yeah. I am.  It could always be some malfunction, but knowing Neal.. " Peter trailed off. Knowing Neal, this was exactly what he had feared the young con-man would do. He got up, heading for the closet to get his jacket.

El put down her pizza. Peter was doing it again. He was sticking his neck out for a guy who didn't seem to appreciate it. "But you're not calling the Marshals."

"He thinks it's all a game. That he can just cash his chips whenever he feels like it and go play elsewhere." Not to mention, cheat as long as he wins out in the end. "But the FBI is going to use this to extend his sentence."  Peter hoped he could bring Neal in without it becoming too official.

"So maybe you should just let him go this time." El could understand Neal. She would have seriously considered making a run for it when Peter was in prison. Living life on the run seemed like a much more enticing option than spending your days in a jail cell.

Peter returned, shrugging into his jacket.  "I can't do that. If I catch him before he gets out of town, I can get him to stay."  He looked so determined, so disappointed, that El didn't have the heart to argue otherwise.

Peter pecked El a goodbye kiss and was already on the phone again by the time he reached the door.  This time talking to Jones, setting up to meet at the place where Neal had decided to disappear.

With a soft sigh, El returned to the remains of the pizza.  She picked up a slice, then dropped it back into the box.  For all the ways she had thought her life had been turned upside down recently, it seemed things hadn't changed one bit.