Work Text:
The plans are in place, ready to go at a moment's notice. Well, more like an hour, but close enough. And it's a decent enough plan that they didn't have a set window of opportunity. They can sit back and wait for the next case that allows Neal to legally ditch the anklet, and Peter's let up enough in recent weeks that he probably won't set Jones to tail him again. Well, Neal hopes that he won't, but it doesn't matter because Neal's pretty good about slinking out of sight anyway.
It should be a perfect plan, but something about it feels wrong, beyond the immediate feeling of Peter's going to catch me anyway so why bother?. He's being pulled in two these days, between Peter and Mozzie, and he can't say no to either of them.
They're working an art forgery case when the opportunity comes. Neal's been given the watch and had Diana remove the anklet. When he leaves the office he's a free man, so long as he sticks to the agenda. He knows that Peter's eyes are on him as he walks out, that as soon as he clears the building Peter will pull up the surveillance equipment and listen, even if all he hears are the sounds of the city, of Neal going home and staying there until it's time to meet with the contact.
This is when he should call Mozzie, make his escape. He dials Mozzie's number but doesn't push send. He'd once told Peter that he was tired of running, but here he is about to start again. It could last years, but it probably won't because Peter knows him too well, and Peter knows Mozzie too. Even with new passports, new names, new accounts it won't take long before Peter is knocking down his door while he instructs Jones or Diana or someone else, anyone else, to put the cuffs on him.
Instead, he hits the red button and goes home, like he's supposed to, and waits for the call from their smuggler. The plan is in place, but he can't do it yet.
Soon, he tells himself, and pretends that he's not lying.