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elrhiarhodanTitle: Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places – Chapter Sixteen
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Mozzie, Reese Hughes, Clinton Jones, Diana Berrigan, Olivia Benson (L&O: SVU), Section Chief Bruce (McKinsey), Landon Shepherd, Original Characters
Spoilers: White Collar, all of Season 5; no specific spoilers for L&O: SVU, but set in Season 15
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Kidnapping, torture (off-camera), rape (off-camera),
Word Count: This chapter – ~2100
Beta Credit:coffeethyme4me, miri_thompson, sinfulslasher, theatregirl7299
Story Summary: Six months after Neal disappears, Peter still has no answers and his decision not to go to Washington has had significant repercussions for both his career and his marriage.
Chapter Summary: Peter meets with Landon Shepherd. She’s a professional fixer and he’s desperately hoping she has the right connections to fix Neal’s situation. He doesn’t care about the price she’ll extract from him. Neal’s safety is the only thing that matters.
__________________
Previous Chapters: Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen
A/N: Title from Alan Hovhaness’ wind concerto, which takes it from the Old Testament. New chapters will be posted to my LJ every Thursday and to the relevant communities on Fridays.
Art bykanarek13
Sometime in Late January – Wednesday Afternoon
Telling Diana should have been a relief, a release of the terrible pain and pressure that had been riding him since Friday night. But if anything, he felt worse after making the connection to Cape Verde and everything that followed. Sick and angry and sad.
What had happened to Neal was his fault and he needed to make it right. Regardless of the cost.
Peter checked his watch; it was 1:30, just enough time to get to his appointment at the Four Seasons. He could only imagine what this was going to cost him, but he didn’t care.
Landon Shepherd was waiting for him at a table for two by the windows facing Fifty-Seventh Street. She looked much the same as she had the last time they’d met, like a shark in a very good suit and a pair of heels that probably cost more than his monthly take-home pay. She smiled, a tight curve that suited her austere features. Landon was not a beautiful woman, but she was striking and intelligent, and she knew just how formidable she was.
Good, because Neal was going to need every micron of that formidableness.
She stood as he approached and held out her hand. Peter shook it, unsurprised at the strength in her grip.
She didn’t wait for him to work his awkward way through the niceties. “I have to confess, I’m intrigued by your request to see me, Peter. Especially now.”
Peter wasn’t ready to go begging, metaphorical hat in hand. “Why is that?”
“I would have thought that you’d have come to me a year ago, back when you had that little legal problem.”
He had to laugh. “Some little legal problem. You’re a master of understatement, but no – I didn’t need your help then.”
“But you did. Had you called me, I could have told you that Andrew Dawson was for sale to the highest bidder.”
Despite the urgency riding him, Peter was intrigued. “And did you know who bought him?”
“I might have, but that information is no longer relevant. Or is it?” She raised one carefully groomed eyebrow at him.
“No, not at all. Just curious. Besides, I probably couldn’t have afforded him anyway.” Not that he would have dreamed of bribing the prosecutor.
A waiter came by to take their drink order, interrupting the thrust and parry of their conversation. Without even looking at the man, Landon asked for another dry martini, her second. Peter wanted nothing more than some ice water.
The man left and Landon commented, “No, you couldn’t have afforded Dawson, and you’re certainly not the type to offer a bribe of any sorts, but had you known that the playing field was so tilted, you could have done something about it. Like not spending six weeks in the Metropolitan Correctional Center.”
“That’s water under the bridge.” Peter wasn’t going to tell this woman that nothing could have stopped the events that had transpired. He’d been set up, Neal had been set up. Curtis Hagen and Rachel Turner had had them neatly boxed in and pulled their strings like master puppeteers. But that didn’t matter anymore.
“You still haven’t told me why you need my help, Peter.”
He hated the way she said his name, throaty and satisfied, like he was someone she’d been paying for by the hour. He deliberately ignored his reaction. He needed her, her skills, her contacts, and he couldn’t allow himself to be insulted, especially when the insult was so very intentional. He took a deep breath and plunged into the deep end. “I have a friend who’s in trouble, this time, through no fault of his own. I’ve tried to help him, but my influence is … limited.”
Landon cocked her head and looked at him and Peter could see the wheels turning. Her smile was chilling. “So, like a bad penny, Neal Caffrey’s finally turned up.”
He didn’t bother asking her how she knew about his relationship with Neal or how she’d known that he’d disappeared. Neal had testified at her former client’s trial, he’d set her up, and of course, she was friends with Sara Ellis. Sara had, like El, been convinced that Neal ran. At some point, he’d need to tell her the truth.
Peter was glad, though, that Landon didn’t know the details. “Neal was kidnapped and tortured for six months. A little less than a week ago, he was found. His kidnappers had stabbed him in the chest and dumped him out of a van on the West Side like a sack of garbage.” Peter took pleasure in watching the color drain from Landon’s face.
She swallowed and said, “I’m sorry.”
He nodded, accepting her apology. “Can you help?”
Landon didn’t look so smug and satisfied now, but there was still an air of calculation in her expression. “What do you need?”
“The Justice Department is being unreasonable.”
“They want to put him back in prison?”
“Yes.” He didn’t see the need to elaborate.
“They think he’s conning everyone?”
“They do, despite all of the evidence. The attorney from the Parole Commission even seems to believe he had repeatedly Tasered his own testicles.”
Landon visibly winced and got down to business. “How much longer does Caffrey have on his sentence?”
“If you include the time when he was held hostage, five months, two weeks, three days. Add six months, one week, four days to that if you don’t.”
“What’s the best outcome?”
“Neal’s sentence is commuted and he gets to recover and live the rest of his life undisturbed by the FBI, the Justice Department, or the police.”
“Until he goes back to a life of crime.”
“He won’t.”
“No?” Skepticism was rich in that single syllable.
“He gave me his word. He’s done with that life.” Peter knew that he sounded ridiculous, but he’d believed Neal then and he knew that Neal wouldn’t go back to the life now, not after everything that had happened.
Landon nodded. Not so much in agreement, but in acceptance of Peter’s belief in his own words. “Okay, what’s the less-than-optimal situation?”
“Neal’s put back on the tracking anklet and remains a CI for the rest of his sentence.”
“And the worst case scenario, of course, is that Neal’s put back into prison for the rest of his sentence.”
“No, that’s not the worst.”
“Oh?”
Peter hated giving voice to this fear, but he couldn’t pretend it wasn’t a possibility. “If the people who did this to him aren’t caught, there’s a possibility that the Justice Department will consider his ‘disappearance’ initially a voluntary act and deem him in terminal violation of his work-release.”
“And?”
“He goes back to prison for life.” His words were clipped, rushed, the even the sounds tasted foul in his mouth.
“But you won’t let that happen, will you?”
“No I won’t.” Why was she even asking that?
“No – I mean you won’t let that happen, right? You’ll do everything humanly possible to keep Neal Caffrey from a life sentence. Yes? No?”
Peter knew this was a test. “Yes, I will.”
“No equivocations, no conditions?”
“No, none.” Peter said the words, knowing full well that this was going to be the price he’d have to pay.
“You’d even kill someone?”
It was easy to keep the shock from his face, he’d been expecting something this. “Who do you want dead?” At least he was smart enough not to ask, Who do you want me to kill?
Landon looked at him, much like a hawk might look at a particularly plump and tasty hare. “No one.”
“Not yet, you mean.”
“No, never. I don’t need to resort to violence. But I wanted to see how strong your commitment is.”
“It’s unbreakable.” He’d killed to protect Neal before, thinking of Vincent Adler. He’d do it again, and in cold blood if that was the price of Neal’s freedom.
Her expression softened. “Yes, it is. I wish I had a friend like you. Someone who’d stop at nothing to protect me, to keep me safe. Neal Caffrey’s a lucky man.”
“He’s done no less for me.”
The waiter came back with Landon’s martini and an elegant bottle of water for Peter, and after carefully decanting the martini into the glass and pouring the water for Peter, he asked if they wanted to hear the specials. Peter had no appetite, but was prepared to go through the ritual of ordering and eating, if forto please Landon. But she seemed to have some sensitivity and sent the waiter off with a casual statement that they’d prefer not to be disturbed until she signaled him again. The man left and Landon peered at him over the rim of her glass. “I’m a regular here and they know not to bother me if I ask. The boy will get a good tip and I’ll be back with a dozen guests and a five-figure bill next week.”
Peter couldn’t care less about her relationship with the management here and brought the conversation back to what was important. “Can you help?”
Landon sipped her martini, letting the question hang in the air before answering. “Of course.”
“What will it cost me?”
She said with a light laugh, “Well, not murder.”
“What will it cost me?” Peter repeated. He was prepared to pay, regardless of the price.
“You’re not very good at bargaining, Agent Burke.”
Peter blinked at her use of his title. It was an unexpected gesture of respect. Or maybe it was a threat. He couldn’t tell. “I can’t afford to play games. The stakes are too high.”
“You’d sell your soul to keep Neal Caffrey safe, we’ve already established that.”
“Is that what you want? My soul?”
“I’m not Mephistopheles, I’m a businesswoman who understands the value of a favor.”
“I see.”
“I think you do. I think you see very clearly. But I’m going to surprise you.”
“In other words, someday, you’ll come calling to cash in that favor.”
“Now you make me sound like the sword of Damocles. You’re really prepared to go through the rest of your life, waiting for the other shoe to drop? Tell me, what are you expecting me to ask of you?”
Peter idly wondered if she was recording this conversation, if it was going to come back and bite him in the ass someday. Even though he all but told her he’d kill someone if she asked, he had a little sense of self-preservation left and just shrugged.
That shark-like smile came back and she nodded, conceding the round. “I’ll make this easy for you, because I like you. I like your commitment, your sense of honor. Your belief in the system is quaint and charming and really quite rare. I’ll make a few phone calls, talk to the right people and get Mr. Caffrey out of the clutches of the Justice Department, the FBI and all of the government agencies that want a piece of him.”
“And in exchange?” He was compromised, his soul was already stained. What was a little more dirt?
“You donate ten thousand dollars to RAINN. It’s a charity dedicated to providing support for survivors of sexual abuse. It’s something important to me and they could use the money.”
Peter blinked. “That’s it?”
“That’s it. That’s all I want.”
Peter felt sick with relief. He’d been expecting that she’d ask him to destroy evidence, to throw a case, to look the other way when one of her clients crossed the line. He would have done whatever she’d asked; no objections, no hesitation. “Thank you.”
“Of course, nothing’s guaranteed and it may take a little while, but I can promise you that your worst case scenario won’t happen, nor will your next-to-worse case scenario.”
“Okay, I think we can live with that. A few more months on the anklet.” Peter was already working on how that would be handled, how he could ease Neal’s remaining time on his sentence. There was a germ of an idea, something so outrageous …
Landon interrupted his train of thought. “You can go now.”
Peter looked at her, startled. “What?”
“We’re done here.” She dropped a Franklin on the table and got up. Peter followed suit.
He held out his hand. “Thank you.”
Landon shook his hand. “You’re welcome. And get some sleep, Agent Burke, you look like shit.”
TO BE CONTINUED
Go to Chapter Seventeen
Author:
elrhiarhodan Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Mozzie, Reese Hughes, Clinton Jones, Diana Berrigan, Olivia Benson (L&O: SVU), Section Chief Bruce (McKinsey), Landon Shepherd, Original Characters
Spoilers: White Collar, all of Season 5; no specific spoilers for L&O: SVU, but set in Season 15
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Kidnapping, torture (off-camera), rape (off-camera),
Word Count: This chapter – ~2100
Beta Credit:
coffeethyme4me, miri_thompson, sinfulslasher, theatregirl7299 Story Summary: Six months after Neal disappears, Peter still has no answers and his decision not to go to Washington has had significant repercussions for both his career and his marriage.
Chapter Summary: Peter meets with Landon Shepherd. She’s a professional fixer and he’s desperately hoping she has the right connections to fix Neal’s situation. He doesn’t care about the price she’ll extract from him. Neal’s safety is the only thing that matters.
Previous Chapters: Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen
A/N: Title from Alan Hovhaness’ wind concerto, which takes it from the Old Testament. New chapters will be posted to my LJ every Thursday and to the relevant communities on Fridays.
Art by
kanarek13Sometime in Late January – Wednesday Afternoon
Telling Diana should have been a relief, a release of the terrible pain and pressure that had been riding him since Friday night. But if anything, he felt worse after making the connection to Cape Verde and everything that followed. Sick and angry and sad.
What had happened to Neal was his fault and he needed to make it right. Regardless of the cost.
Peter checked his watch; it was 1:30, just enough time to get to his appointment at the Four Seasons. He could only imagine what this was going to cost him, but he didn’t care.
Landon Shepherd was waiting for him at a table for two by the windows facing Fifty-Seventh Street. She looked much the same as she had the last time they’d met, like a shark in a very good suit and a pair of heels that probably cost more than his monthly take-home pay. She smiled, a tight curve that suited her austere features. Landon was not a beautiful woman, but she was striking and intelligent, and she knew just how formidable she was.
Good, because Neal was going to need every micron of that formidableness.
She stood as he approached and held out her hand. Peter shook it, unsurprised at the strength in her grip.
She didn’t wait for him to work his awkward way through the niceties. “I have to confess, I’m intrigued by your request to see me, Peter. Especially now.”
Peter wasn’t ready to go begging, metaphorical hat in hand. “Why is that?”
“I would have thought that you’d have come to me a year ago, back when you had that little legal problem.”
He had to laugh. “Some little legal problem. You’re a master of understatement, but no – I didn’t need your help then.”
“But you did. Had you called me, I could have told you that Andrew Dawson was for sale to the highest bidder.”
Despite the urgency riding him, Peter was intrigued. “And did you know who bought him?”
“I might have, but that information is no longer relevant. Or is it?” She raised one carefully groomed eyebrow at him.
“No, not at all. Just curious. Besides, I probably couldn’t have afforded him anyway.” Not that he would have dreamed of bribing the prosecutor.
A waiter came by to take their drink order, interrupting the thrust and parry of their conversation. Without even looking at the man, Landon asked for another dry martini, her second. Peter wanted nothing more than some ice water.
The man left and Landon commented, “No, you couldn’t have afforded Dawson, and you’re certainly not the type to offer a bribe of any sorts, but had you known that the playing field was so tilted, you could have done something about it. Like not spending six weeks in the Metropolitan Correctional Center.”
“That’s water under the bridge.” Peter wasn’t going to tell this woman that nothing could have stopped the events that had transpired. He’d been set up, Neal had been set up. Curtis Hagen and Rachel Turner had had them neatly boxed in and pulled their strings like master puppeteers. But that didn’t matter anymore.
“You still haven’t told me why you need my help, Peter.”
He hated the way she said his name, throaty and satisfied, like he was someone she’d been paying for by the hour. He deliberately ignored his reaction. He needed her, her skills, her contacts, and he couldn’t allow himself to be insulted, especially when the insult was so very intentional. He took a deep breath and plunged into the deep end. “I have a friend who’s in trouble, this time, through no fault of his own. I’ve tried to help him, but my influence is … limited.”
Landon cocked her head and looked at him and Peter could see the wheels turning. Her smile was chilling. “So, like a bad penny, Neal Caffrey’s finally turned up.”
He didn’t bother asking her how she knew about his relationship with Neal or how she’d known that he’d disappeared. Neal had testified at her former client’s trial, he’d set her up, and of course, she was friends with Sara Ellis. Sara had, like El, been convinced that Neal ran. At some point, he’d need to tell her the truth.
Peter was glad, though, that Landon didn’t know the details. “Neal was kidnapped and tortured for six months. A little less than a week ago, he was found. His kidnappers had stabbed him in the chest and dumped him out of a van on the West Side like a sack of garbage.” Peter took pleasure in watching the color drain from Landon’s face.
She swallowed and said, “I’m sorry.”
He nodded, accepting her apology. “Can you help?”
Landon didn’t look so smug and satisfied now, but there was still an air of calculation in her expression. “What do you need?”
“The Justice Department is being unreasonable.”
“They want to put him back in prison?”
“Yes.” He didn’t see the need to elaborate.
“They think he’s conning everyone?”
“They do, despite all of the evidence. The attorney from the Parole Commission even seems to believe he had repeatedly Tasered his own testicles.”
Landon visibly winced and got down to business. “How much longer does Caffrey have on his sentence?”
“If you include the time when he was held hostage, five months, two weeks, three days. Add six months, one week, four days to that if you don’t.”
“What’s the best outcome?”
“Neal’s sentence is commuted and he gets to recover and live the rest of his life undisturbed by the FBI, the Justice Department, or the police.”
“Until he goes back to a life of crime.”
“He won’t.”
“No?” Skepticism was rich in that single syllable.
“He gave me his word. He’s done with that life.” Peter knew that he sounded ridiculous, but he’d believed Neal then and he knew that Neal wouldn’t go back to the life now, not after everything that had happened.
Landon nodded. Not so much in agreement, but in acceptance of Peter’s belief in his own words. “Okay, what’s the less-than-optimal situation?”
“Neal’s put back on the tracking anklet and remains a CI for the rest of his sentence.”
“And the worst case scenario, of course, is that Neal’s put back into prison for the rest of his sentence.”
“No, that’s not the worst.”
“Oh?”
Peter hated giving voice to this fear, but he couldn’t pretend it wasn’t a possibility. “If the people who did this to him aren’t caught, there’s a possibility that the Justice Department will consider his ‘disappearance’ initially a voluntary act and deem him in terminal violation of his work-release.”
“And?”
“He goes back to prison for life.” His words were clipped, rushed, the even the sounds tasted foul in his mouth.
“But you won’t let that happen, will you?”
“No I won’t.” Why was she even asking that?
“No – I mean you won’t let that happen, right? You’ll do everything humanly possible to keep Neal Caffrey from a life sentence. Yes? No?”
Peter knew this was a test. “Yes, I will.”
“No equivocations, no conditions?”
“No, none.” Peter said the words, knowing full well that this was going to be the price he’d have to pay.
“You’d even kill someone?”
It was easy to keep the shock from his face, he’d been expecting something this. “Who do you want dead?” At least he was smart enough not to ask, Who do you want me to kill?
Landon looked at him, much like a hawk might look at a particularly plump and tasty hare. “No one.”
“Not yet, you mean.”
“No, never. I don’t need to resort to violence. But I wanted to see how strong your commitment is.”
“It’s unbreakable.” He’d killed to protect Neal before, thinking of Vincent Adler. He’d do it again, and in cold blood if that was the price of Neal’s freedom.
Her expression softened. “Yes, it is. I wish I had a friend like you. Someone who’d stop at nothing to protect me, to keep me safe. Neal Caffrey’s a lucky man.”
“He’s done no less for me.”
The waiter came back with Landon’s martini and an elegant bottle of water for Peter, and after carefully decanting the martini into the glass and pouring the water for Peter, he asked if they wanted to hear the specials. Peter had no appetite, but was prepared to go through the ritual of ordering and eating, if forto please Landon. But she seemed to have some sensitivity and sent the waiter off with a casual statement that they’d prefer not to be disturbed until she signaled him again. The man left and Landon peered at him over the rim of her glass. “I’m a regular here and they know not to bother me if I ask. The boy will get a good tip and I’ll be back with a dozen guests and a five-figure bill next week.”
Peter couldn’t care less about her relationship with the management here and brought the conversation back to what was important. “Can you help?”
Landon sipped her martini, letting the question hang in the air before answering. “Of course.”
“What will it cost me?”
She said with a light laugh, “Well, not murder.”
“What will it cost me?” Peter repeated. He was prepared to pay, regardless of the price.
“You’re not very good at bargaining, Agent Burke.”
Peter blinked at her use of his title. It was an unexpected gesture of respect. Or maybe it was a threat. He couldn’t tell. “I can’t afford to play games. The stakes are too high.”
“You’d sell your soul to keep Neal Caffrey safe, we’ve already established that.”
“Is that what you want? My soul?”
“I’m not Mephistopheles, I’m a businesswoman who understands the value of a favor.”
“I see.”
“I think you do. I think you see very clearly. But I’m going to surprise you.”
“In other words, someday, you’ll come calling to cash in that favor.”
“Now you make me sound like the sword of Damocles. You’re really prepared to go through the rest of your life, waiting for the other shoe to drop? Tell me, what are you expecting me to ask of you?”
Peter idly wondered if she was recording this conversation, if it was going to come back and bite him in the ass someday. Even though he all but told her he’d kill someone if she asked, he had a little sense of self-preservation left and just shrugged.
That shark-like smile came back and she nodded, conceding the round. “I’ll make this easy for you, because I like you. I like your commitment, your sense of honor. Your belief in the system is quaint and charming and really quite rare. I’ll make a few phone calls, talk to the right people and get Mr. Caffrey out of the clutches of the Justice Department, the FBI and all of the government agencies that want a piece of him.”
“And in exchange?” He was compromised, his soul was already stained. What was a little more dirt?
“You donate ten thousand dollars to RAINN. It’s a charity dedicated to providing support for survivors of sexual abuse. It’s something important to me and they could use the money.”
Peter blinked. “That’s it?”
“That’s it. That’s all I want.”
Peter felt sick with relief. He’d been expecting that she’d ask him to destroy evidence, to throw a case, to look the other way when one of her clients crossed the line. He would have done whatever she’d asked; no objections, no hesitation. “Thank you.”
“Of course, nothing’s guaranteed and it may take a little while, but I can promise you that your worst case scenario won’t happen, nor will your next-to-worse case scenario.”
“Okay, I think we can live with that. A few more months on the anklet.” Peter was already working on how that would be handled, how he could ease Neal’s remaining time on his sentence. There was a germ of an idea, something so outrageous …
Landon interrupted his train of thought. “You can go now.”
Peter looked at her, startled. “What?”
“We’re done here.” She dropped a Franklin on the table and got up. Peter followed suit.
He held out his hand. “Thank you.”
Landon shook his hand. “You’re welcome. And get some sleep, Agent Burke, you look like shit.”
Go to Chapter Seventeen
Tags:
- character: clinton jones,
- character: diana berrigan,
- character: elizabeth burke,
- character: june ellington,
- character: landon shepherd,
- character: mozzie,
- character: neal caffrey,
- character: ofc,
- character: olivia benson,
- character: omc,
- character: peter burke,
- character: theo berrigan,
- crossover: law and order: svu,
- genre: abuse,
- genre: angst,
- genre: emotional trauma,
- genre: friendship,
- genre: future fic,
- genre: hurt/comfort,
- genre: violence,
- pairing: peter/elizabeth,
- type: fan fiction,
- type: longfic,
- wc verse: return and rebuild,
- white collar,
- year: 2014
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Date: 2014-07-18 05:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-07-19 01:13 pm (UTC)