White Collar Fic - Baggage Claim

[elrhiarhodan]

Title: Baggage Claim
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Neal Burke, Peter/Elizabeth
Spoilers: S6.06 - Au Revoir
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~1000
Beta Credit: None
Summary: Neal's coming home, finally.

A/N: Written for Promptfest IX, for aragarna's prompt, "Peter – Love".

__________________



It had been a long, strange journey. One filled with anger and mistrust, with wild (and no-so-wild) accusations. With bravery and sacrifice and cowardly selfishness, too.

But along the way, there had always been one constant.

Love.

Peter couldn't pin down the exact moment when he first realized he loved Neal Caffrey. Maybe when he'd stolen the security tapes from the Hauser Clinic to keep him out of jail. Maybe when he watched him do a swan dive out of a four-floor window onto an orange awning and drop gracefully to the street with a smile and a shrug, and then show up at his home a few hours later, begging for understanding.

Or maybe it happened long before that, when he'd finally captured Neal and Neal held out his hand, acknowledging his - Peter's – intelligence, and their equality.

Peter knew he loved Neal when he held him back, held him from rushing into the flames, to save the woman he'd loved for so long. He knew he loved Neal when Neal offered him a bright smile and made jaunty comments about ties and bad coffee while he was sitting in a prison cell, wearing an orange jumpsuit and looking like death warmed over.

There were many such moments over their years together. Moments of heart stopping anxiety and an overwhelming need to protect Neal from harm. They'd once played a father and son role, but Peter loved Neal like the brother he never had and always wanted. He was as much a part of his family as his wife and his son. He loved Neal Caffrey and his absence was a continued hole in his heart.

Which was why he was waiting at the baggage claim area at Terminal 4 at JFK Airport on a Saturday morning in July, with sweat pooling at the base of his spine and knots of tension in his neck and shoulders. He hadn't felt quite this wound up in nearly a decade.

"Hon?" Elizabeth took his hand and squeezed it. "It'll be fine."

Peter took a deep breath, smiled and pretended to believe his wife's words. "Yeah, I know."

"Dad?" Neal grasped his other hand. "What's the matter?"

Peter looked down at his son, who gazed back up at him with such earnest concern. "Nothing."

"You always tell me not to lie, dad."

Peter had to laugh, he was so nervous even his child could see through him. "And you're right. I'm a little worried, that's all."

"Why?"

He sighed. There was no way he could tell his nine year old son why he was so on edge.

But of course, Neal Burke wasn't the son of an FBI agent for nothing and he didn't let it go. "Dad?" Neal just had to look at him with those big brown eyes and Peter felt himself crumbling.

"I'm a little worried about your Uncle Neal."

"Why?"

"Because."

And of course Neal gave him that look, one that said just because you're my dad doesn't mean you can be an idiot. "Because why?"

Questions like these made Peter feel so ill-equipped at parenthood. "Because Neal – your Uncle Neal – has a way of making even the most simple things difficult."

"Oh." Thank goodness Neal seemed to accept that answer. "I can't wait to meet him."

Elizabeth told him, "You've met him before, sweetie."

"But I was just a baby. I don't remember. I remember Uncle Mozzie, though. Is Uncle Mozzie going to be coming, too?"

"No, not today." Peter hoped he wasn't in for another round of interrogation when a new group of passengers started coming down the stairs. This should be the arrivals from Paris.

It was, based on the number of people carrying bags from the duty-free shops at Charles De Gaulle airport. His heart in his mouth, Peter scanned the crowd, looking for a man in a hat and a good suit.

And there he was, sauntering down the steps like he had that day so many years ago. His heart skipped a beat at the moment of déjà vu, and skipped another beat when he lost sight of Neal in a boisterous gang of teenagers pushing past everyone, obviously anxious to go wait at baggage claim.

Neal continued his descent and Peter could see him looking through the mass of limo drivers and family members waiting for their loved ones. Elizabeth let go of his hand and waved, and the joy that lit Neal's face only matched the incandescence that bloomed in Peter's own heart.

Neal abandoned his dignity and ran for them and they met him halfway. Elizabeth reached out and wrapped her arms around Neal, but Peter held back. He held his son's hand and could feel the boy vibrating – with excitement, with nerves. Like father, like son.

Neal let go of Elizabeth and turned to Peter. They shared a smile and Neal dropped to one knee, pushed his hat back, and held out his hand.

"My name is Neal Caffrey and I believe you were named after me."

His son took Neal's hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you. After all these years."

Peter bit his lip and tried not to laugh. El clapped her hand over her mouth, trying to do the same. Neal – Caffrey, not his son – grinned like he'd just won the lottery. Neal – his son, not Caffrey – looked at everyone, a little put out that he wasn't in on the joke.

As the crowd of people flowed around them like waves at the beach, Peter realized once again that there were a few truly life-changing moments in his life: the moment he set eyes on Elizabeth, the moment she asked him to marry her. The day he captured Neal, and the day he waited to pick him up at the gates of Sing-Sing. The moment he held his wet and squirming son in his hands.

He realized that all of those moments helped shape the man he was now, the man who had an infinite capacity for love. And he wouldn't want to be any different.

FIN

Comments

[sahiya]

Awww. I loved this. Of course Peter and El's son would be smart and slightly too serious. But that's why he needs grown-up!Neal.

[sherylyn]

This is beautiful. I can just imagine the looks on all their faces! :-)

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you! It was a fun piece to write and then add to.

Poor little Neal B, not getting the joke.

"Nice to meet you. After all these years." was what El said to Neal as he's leaving the house for the first time.

[sherylyn]

LOL Yes, he might've missed a few things in the past ;-) That was a wonderful way to use that line again!!

[lov-pb.livejournal.com]

Sweet! Enjoyed the insight into Peter's thoughts. It's always been evident how much he loves Neal.

[elrhiarhodan]

Yes, even when there was deep anger and mistrust, there was always love.

Thank you so much.

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

Nice to read a "fluffy" piece. No angst, H/C, etc. Just a nice demo of friendship and love. Then of course why has Neal C been away for nearly 9 years.

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you! It was nice to write something fluffy.

[maiac.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I needed this!

I love how you portray Peter in this story. For all his faults, I see him as that man of infinite capacity for love.

And Young Neal -- he's grown up so quickly! :-)

I'm imagining Peter watching the two Neals together and realizing with mingled affection and dismay that his son is a lot like the older Neal. The mischief those two could get up to...

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you!

It was a fun piece to write, then re-write.

And yeah, Peter's going to be rethinking the whole Uncle Neal thing very shortly. Especially after Uncle Neal teaches the young lad how to do a farmer's pass.

Whatever that may be.

[pipilj.livejournal.com]

Adorable story loved the bit . Neal – Caffrey, not his son – grinned like he'd just won the lottery. Neal – his son, not Caffrey – looked at everyone, a little put out that he wasn't in on the joke.
. A lovely character study

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you so very much! It was a treat to write something so angst-free.

[riverotter1951.livejournal.com]

A wonderful meeting as Peter remembers all his feelings about Neal Caffrey and realizing that Neal is the brother he always wanted.

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you! It was such a pleasure to write this.

[hurinhouse.livejournal.com]

Love love love. Though everyone knows I ship Peter & Neal, sometimes when they're just friends it's even more beautiful. Can't explain it, but this is one of those times.

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you so much - and yes, there are times when the story plays out better as friends. This was one of those times.

[fatale.livejournal.com]

Ah, short, sweet and satisfying!

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you so very much! It was a fun story to write.

[pfyre.livejournal.com]

Oh, this is beautiful. I love Peter's nerves. I adore Neal Burke's excitement and insatiable curiosity. How could anyone not smile over Neal Caffrey's happiness and enthusiasm as he ran to meet the up with the Burke's. Thank you for this precious gem. Thank you.

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you so very much. I'm going to have fun writing Neal B and Neal C stories, I can tell.

[leesa_perrie]

Oh lovely!! I love little Neal - and that line about meeting Uncle Neal, lol! Perfect! :D

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you so very much! Little Neal B and Big Neal C are going to get into SOOOOOO much trouble. Esp when Uncle Mozzie shows up!

[leesa_perrie]

LOL! Oh yes, those three together would be so much fun!! Though not, perhaps, so good for the health of the parents!! I foresee many worry lines! :D

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I really enjoyed this scene. Thank you for writing it.

[elrhiarhodan]

Thank you, it was a pleasure.

[kanarek13]

So beautiful ♥ Little Neal is already a gem :D But awww, OMG, it's so true that there's so much love all of them shared over the course of years ♥ And now they have still so many years of love to share and memories to make :D \o/

This fic just makes me feel all fuzzy inside :D