By The Way

Chapter 1

I was wandering around Central Park when I got a call.

"Nat, come over to my house. We need to talk," came my brother's voice from my cell phone.

"Neal," I nearly shrieked, "where are you?"

"I just got out, I'll text you the address."

I checked my phone before running through the streets of New York City to see my brother.

I knocked on the door of the apartment. Neal opened it with a tired look on his face. A look that disappeared in an instant when he realized who was at his door.

"Hey, Neal," I gave him a small wave.

"Natalie Elaine Caffrey, you are so grown up!" He exclaimed as he spun me around the room.

When he set me down he studied me with those artistic eyes of his. He always made me nervous when he did that, but I could understand why he did it. We hadn't been able to talk freely to each other in almost four years.

I leaned against Neal's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"So how does this thing work?" I asked as I indicated to the tracker around his ankle.

"I have been released into the custody of the FBI. In other words, I have to help the FBI solve cases with this thing on my leg giving me a two mile radius," he explained to me.

I rolled my eyes and flopped onto the couch. Just then there was a knock on the door and in walked a man with a very official looking suit and broad shoulders.

"Neal, we have a case to be working on. Any idea on how to catch the Dutchman?" He directed as he strode across the room.

I was immediately on edge, so I made myself as small as possible. Neal obliterated my plan, however, by calling me over to the table and introducing me to his new friend.

"Natalie this is my FBI handler, Peter Burke. Peter this is Natalie, my..."

"Sister," I finished for him.

Peter looked shocked even as he shook my hand. I knew that I wasn't in Neal's file. I may or may not have had something to do with that.

I wouldn't normally advertise that. I didn't need everyone to know who I was. It's not that I was embarrassed to be Neal Caffrey's sister, I just didn't want people to make assumptions about who I was based on who he was. But sometimes it was worth it to see people's reactions. Plus, it annoyed Neal, which was sweet revenge.

"Nat," Neal hissed at me.

All he ever wants to do is protect me, but I am capable of protecting myself. I've had to since he left, anyway.

I took a seat next to Neal and across from Peter, who studied me and made me more nervous than when Neal did it.

"So there's another Caffrey?" Peter inquired.

I nodded.

"Are you a criminal, too?" He continued, and I got the feeling that I was being interrogated.

Neal shook his head vigorously because he didn't know how I spent my free time.

All my life, Neal tried to be a good older brother and hide what he was doing. I knew he was a con. I started copying him as that's what little sisters do. I would watch him paint and I would replicate it exactly. Sometimes, I would even switch the paintings to see if he noticed. He usually did, but not always.

Back to the task at hand, I realized that Peter had asked me another question.

"Why haven't I heard about you?" he repeated.