White Collar Fic - Nothing Stays The Same
Nov. 26th, 2013 08:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elrhiarhodanTitle: Nothing Stays The Same
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey (Friendship)
Spoilers: S5.03 – One Last Stakeout
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~1000
Beta Credit: None
Summary: Tag to S5.03 – One Last Stakeout, how Neal and Peter deal, or don’t deal, with ending of their partnership.
A/N: Written for Round One of the Brackets Challenge held during the D.C. Meetup in early November. The category was “Tropes” and the prompt was “A Character in Distress.”
__________________
“We’re not partners anymore.”
It almost killed him to say that. But it was the truth.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
“We’re not partners anymore.”
Hearing those words out of Neal’s mouth made the truth all too real.
He knew that they were moving apart, that that special connection between them had been fraying for weeks. Maybe it was the promotion, or maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was his time in prison - those six weeks had left their mark. Stained him. Getting his badge back didn’t wipe those marks clean. He told Neal that he needed perspective, but he didn’t have to tell him that you couldn’t gain perspective without distance.
So the threads began to unravel, the rip was small at first, barely perceptible. Then it grew and no matter how much he tried to pretend it was fixable, there was no way they could mend the tear.
Peter tried to make himself believe was inevitable. After all, he was an FBI agent and Neal Caffrey was a conman, a criminal, a liar and a thief. Nothing common or petty or ordinary, but still a criminal. Yes, he was also an invaluable member of his team, but he wasn’t really one of them. He was unredeemed and unrepentant and it was only a matter of time until he returned to the life. Because no matter how hard he pushed or how gently he nudged, Caffrey was never going to be anything else.
And it hurt. Not like ripping away a bandage. That was a quick sting and the pain went away. Forgotten. No - this was like gunshot wound, a brutal beating, a car wreck. It ached and nothing seemed to ease the pain.
Maybe it was the finality of it all. Knowing that he once had something rare. He could rely on any of the agent on his team, under his command, implicitly - but it wasn’t the same as having Neal Caffrey at his side. Neal was committed only to the idea of Peter Burke, not to justice or the law.
He had to let go, and yet he couldn’t.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
It was a terrible irony. One worthy of an O’Henry story.
He sacrificed James and the possibility that he could ever redeem his father, to save Peter. And Peter didn’t hesitate to cut the cords, to turn his back on him. There were big things waiting for Special Agent Peter Burke, who brought down a corrupt senator, who exposed an equally corrupt FBI agent, who had an unparalleled record. The higher-ups had their eye on Peter Burke, they were going to take him all the way to the hallowed halls of power. They were going to take him away, all because Neal saved him.
Neal sat in front of his easel, not able to summon even the slightest desire to paint.
He just felt sick and sad and lonely. Moz might be a good drinking companion, and he could never ask for a truer friend, but Moz wasn’t Peter. He didn’t challenge him to be better, to be more than a conman, a criminal, a thief. Moz never made him dream about being a hero, being a man his father could be proud of.
That’s what Peter did for him, did to him and he missed that.
Siegel was a good guy, he was smart and he’d certainly keep Neal on his toes. But he was too easy to manipulate, too predictable. Too much of a boy scout. Siegel would never steal security tapes to keep Neal from going back to prison. Siegel would never fly halfway around the world to keep him alive and fight to bring him back as a free man.
No, David Siegel would put him back in prison without hesitation and that didn’t worry Neal. It was simple, Neal would never hesitate, he’d never turn back, he’d never stop and look at what he what he was leaving behind.
David Siegel wasn’t his friend. He was just a guy who was holding his leash for a little while. Another four hundred twenty three days and he’d be gone. And this time, Neal wouldn’t stop, he wouldn’t hesitate, he wouldn’t turn back.
There would be no reason to.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
The irony of his pain didn’t escape Peter. He and Neal had forged their partnership chasing the Dutchman, and that partnership came to an end when just when those forged bonds disintegrated. Ironic and metaphorical.
So, he tried to enjoy his new life, the perks of the job - a shiny new car, box seats at Yankee Stadium, hobnobbing with the famous and the powerful. But he couldn’t.
He wished El understood just what he left behind. He could leave the office at five, be home before six and they’d joke about the best part of his new job - no more nights in the van. And late at night, after El fell asleep in his arms, when his body was tired, but his mind couldn’t turn off, he could still feel the pain.
You’d trade everything for just one more stakeout, one more chance to slap Neal’s hand away from the radio, one more chance to dine on stinky deviled ham and listen to Neal complain.
But he and Neal were no longer partners and things couldn’t stay the same forever. No matter how much he wanted them too.
FIN
Author:
elrhiarhodanFandom: White Collar
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey (Friendship)
Spoilers: S5.03 – One Last Stakeout
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~1000
Beta Credit: None
Summary: Tag to S5.03 – One Last Stakeout, how Neal and Peter deal, or don’t deal, with ending of their partnership.
A/N: Written for Round One of the Brackets Challenge held during the D.C. Meetup in early November. The category was “Tropes” and the prompt was “A Character in Distress.”
“We’re not partners anymore.”
It almost killed him to say that. But it was the truth.
“We’re not partners anymore.”
Hearing those words out of Neal’s mouth made the truth all too real.
He knew that they were moving apart, that that special connection between them had been fraying for weeks. Maybe it was the promotion, or maybe it was more than that. Maybe it was his time in prison - those six weeks had left their mark. Stained him. Getting his badge back didn’t wipe those marks clean. He told Neal that he needed perspective, but he didn’t have to tell him that you couldn’t gain perspective without distance.
So the threads began to unravel, the rip was small at first, barely perceptible. Then it grew and no matter how much he tried to pretend it was fixable, there was no way they could mend the tear.
Peter tried to make himself believe was inevitable. After all, he was an FBI agent and Neal Caffrey was a conman, a criminal, a liar and a thief. Nothing common or petty or ordinary, but still a criminal. Yes, he was also an invaluable member of his team, but he wasn’t really one of them. He was unredeemed and unrepentant and it was only a matter of time until he returned to the life. Because no matter how hard he pushed or how gently he nudged, Caffrey was never going to be anything else.
And it hurt. Not like ripping away a bandage. That was a quick sting and the pain went away. Forgotten. No - this was like gunshot wound, a brutal beating, a car wreck. It ached and nothing seemed to ease the pain.
Maybe it was the finality of it all. Knowing that he once had something rare. He could rely on any of the agent on his team, under his command, implicitly - but it wasn’t the same as having Neal Caffrey at his side. Neal was committed only to the idea of Peter Burke, not to justice or the law.
He had to let go, and yet he couldn’t.
It was a terrible irony. One worthy of an O’Henry story.
He sacrificed James and the possibility that he could ever redeem his father, to save Peter. And Peter didn’t hesitate to cut the cords, to turn his back on him. There were big things waiting for Special Agent Peter Burke, who brought down a corrupt senator, who exposed an equally corrupt FBI agent, who had an unparalleled record. The higher-ups had their eye on Peter Burke, they were going to take him all the way to the hallowed halls of power. They were going to take him away, all because Neal saved him.
Neal sat in front of his easel, not able to summon even the slightest desire to paint.
He just felt sick and sad and lonely. Moz might be a good drinking companion, and he could never ask for a truer friend, but Moz wasn’t Peter. He didn’t challenge him to be better, to be more than a conman, a criminal, a thief. Moz never made him dream about being a hero, being a man his father could be proud of.
That’s what Peter did for him, did to him and he missed that.
Siegel was a good guy, he was smart and he’d certainly keep Neal on his toes. But he was too easy to manipulate, too predictable. Too much of a boy scout. Siegel would never steal security tapes to keep Neal from going back to prison. Siegel would never fly halfway around the world to keep him alive and fight to bring him back as a free man.
No, David Siegel would put him back in prison without hesitation and that didn’t worry Neal. It was simple, Neal would never hesitate, he’d never turn back, he’d never stop and look at what he what he was leaving behind.
David Siegel wasn’t his friend. He was just a guy who was holding his leash for a little while. Another four hundred twenty three days and he’d be gone. And this time, Neal wouldn’t stop, he wouldn’t hesitate, he wouldn’t turn back.
There would be no reason to.
The irony of his pain didn’t escape Peter. He and Neal had forged their partnership chasing the Dutchman, and that partnership came to an end when just when those forged bonds disintegrated. Ironic and metaphorical.
So, he tried to enjoy his new life, the perks of the job - a shiny new car, box seats at Yankee Stadium, hobnobbing with the famous and the powerful. But he couldn’t.
He wished El understood just what he left behind. He could leave the office at five, be home before six and they’d joke about the best part of his new job - no more nights in the van. And late at night, after El fell asleep in his arms, when his body was tired, but his mind couldn’t turn off, he could still feel the pain.
You’d trade everything for just one more stakeout, one more chance to slap Neal’s hand away from the radio, one more chance to dine on stinky deviled ham and listen to Neal complain.
But he and Neal were no longer partners and things couldn’t stay the same forever. No matter how much he wanted them too.
