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elrhiarhodanTitle: The Blood of Helios – Vampire World Chapter IV - Mischief Has Bluer Eyes
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters: Neal Caffrey, June, Elizabeth Burke, Peter Burke
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~ 1800
Summary: Vampire Peter, Shapeshifter El and Neal, who is something more than he ever expected to be. Chapter IV - Elizabeth Wants To Know More, A Lamborghini Diablo Is Hard To Park, A Fatal Attraction?
This story is dedicated togyzym who has held my hand and encouraged me when I felt this was all turning to shite. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. Beta’d by the awesome riazendira. All mistakes are mine. Feedback is adored.
Prologue | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III
______________________
Blood of Helios – Chapter IV - Mischief Has Bluer Eyes
Elizabeth Burke had always been intrigued by the man who had captured her husband’s attention. He was a thief and professional liar and quite possibly the most talented artist of his generation. Peter had taken an inordinate interest in Neal, following his criminal career at a discrete distance. She knew her husband had occasionally pulled strings to keep Neal out of the hands of the human authorities and once or twice actively abetted his escape, all without Caffrey’s knowledge. There was a lot more to Neal Caffrey than Peter had told her. Only when Caffrey made the mistake of forging bonds issued by a prominent Whryccrid vampire and inadvertently brought himself to the attention of the entire Vampire community, did Peter become actively involved in Neal’s life. A few words to the judge, some money to his lawyer, and Neal Caffrey was tucked safely away. Or as safe as a human would be in the endless near-dark of a vampire-controlled detention center.
Locking Caffrey up had bothered Peter, though he didn’t say anything to her. In fact, once Caffrey was sentenced, Peter never talked about Neal, but every once in a while, she’d see the edges of his eyes go black, a sign of emotional distress. Watching her husband worry over the fate of this mere human was just too much to bear and sometime after the third year of Neal’s incarceration, Elizabeth finally confronted Peter about his obsession. It wasn’t that Caffrey was smart (and she knew how much her husband was attracted to smart), or that he was an extraordinary artist (Peter had purchased a number of Caffrey’s paintings and sculptures for his private collection and they were among Elizabeth’s favorite pieces). All those smarts and talents did was make Neal Caffrey a very eligible candidate for joining the Whryccrid Kiss. Even his skill in criminal matters would be useful. When she finally asked Peter about why he didn’t just didn’t turn Neal into a vampire, he shut her down in a way that he never had before.
For three weeks, Elizabeth didn’t talk to her husband. The first week, Peter didn’t seem to notice. The second week, he acted very sweet and loving, and tried to shower her with expensive presents. The third week ... she wasn’t sure what Peter did, since she went to stay with her family. The night before the dark moon, Peter came to take her home. Her mother bit him in the ass. He apologized. Her father clawed his back to shreds. He apologized profusely. When she took his groin in her mouth and started to bite down, he finally agreed to explain the mystery of Neal Caffrey to her. Of course the whole thing was a charade on Peter’s part – he could have escaped in an instant. This was a way for both of them to save face.
The explanation that Peter gave her was far from complete, but she accepted it as truth. Neal was not human, not shifter, not sidhe, and while Peter refused to go into any more detail on exactly what Neal was, he did tell her that when other vampires discovered the truth - and they would, there would be war over Neal. The quick trial and lengthy incarceration was done to protect the entire vampire community. When Peter finished, Elizabeth asked him one question – did Peter entrap Neal in the bond forgery so that he would be in a position to put him away?
Peter’s eyes went completely black as he admitted that that was exactly what he had done, he couldn’t see any other way to avoid a war unless he killed Neal himself. In cold blood. That was unthinkable.
Elizabeth now knew that Peter kept close watch on Neal’s condition, but other than ensure that he was kept out of the general population in the detention center (mostly feral weres and rogue vampires who had fallen afoul of a Kiss) and that extra security was always in place (under the excuse that Neal’s criminal history was replete with successful escapes from inescapable situations), there was little else he could do without bringing unwelcome attention to Neal. One morning, about a month ago, she watched her husband sit on the couch, his head in his hands. She knew instantly that there was a problem with Neal.
“He’s dying, El. He won’t last through the winter.”
She didn’t ask him how he knew. “What will happen to you when he dies?”
Peter looked at his wife, shocked at her perception. “I don’t know, but it won’t be good.”
She caught her breath in anguish. “Will you die too?”
“Maybe. No. I don’t know.” Peter closed his eyes. “I feel him, in there – despite the cold iron. I feel him fading, and something is fading within me too.”
Elizabeth got up and wrapped her arms around Peter. “Then get him out.”
“It’s not that simple...he’s been sentenced, at my own direction. I’d have to petition the Council, and even if they gave me a hearing, it could take years.”
“What about using him as a replacement for Frank?”
“Frank?”
“Your Sunlight Agent. Didn’t you say he needed to be retired? Didn’t Hughes pluck Frank out of prison for the job, just before we got married?”
Peter looked at her, and she could see the wheels begin to turn and hope lighten his eyes. “I’d need to talk with Hughes.” He kissed her, hard. “He knows all about Neal, and I think he’ll go for it. If Hughes signs off, I won’t need to get Council approval.”
When she suggested that Neal stay at the Summer Queen’s palace, in the suite that June kept for the more peripatetic members of her court, Peter called her the smartest woman who ever walked the earth. She told him not to over-exaggerate.
A month later, Peter came home and told her that Neal was freed and safe at June’s. She looked at her husband very carefully. Other than being relieved that Caffrey was safe for the moment, he didn’t seem any different.
______________________
It was three days since Peter took Neal out of the detention center and based on the conversations he had with June (on which she shamelessly eavesdropped), Neal was doing very, very well. Well enough to meet with that pompous windbag, Frank, tomorrow. If Neal Caffrey was healthy enough to start work, then he was more than healthy enough for an introduction to Elizabeth Burke. She’d go gentle on him, the sad little human. Well, near-human.
Elizabeth drove around the block for the sixth time, cursing the alternate side of the street parking rules and the tight gearing ratios of the long, low black sports car that made it impossible to parallel park without fifty feet of clear curb space. This would be the last time she allowed Peter to pick out a car for her. It was all well and good for him – he didn’t need a vehicle to get from hither to yon. She asked for a Taurus and ended up with a Lamborghini. When Peter handed her the key, all he said was they both had bulls on the logo. When she started to argue that the Taurus didn’t have a bull on it, Peter just gave her that sexy smirk and she jumped his beloved undead bones, right on the hood of the Diablo.
Ah, finally! Someone finally pulled out on the corner of 79th Street block of Riverside Drive and she was able to zip into it.
As always, June’s little housekeeper was waiting for her, holding the door as she climbed the front stairs. Elizabeth greeted the brownie by name, and was told that June and her new guest was outside. She followed Mairead through the halls to the doors of the inner courtyard, where June greeted her with a hug.
“I suppose you’re here to meet Neal.” June whispered in her ear. “I think you’ll be very surprised.”
She walked into the courtyard, a friendly, nonthreatening smile plastered on her face. A young man was standing in the middle of a pool of sunlight, and he was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at him.
This is Neal Caffrey? This luminous creature? I’m going to kill Peter.
Then he smiled at her, and she was lost.
June made the introductions and Neal reached out to take her hand. As his warm fingers slid across her palm, Elizabeth felt something dangerous within her blossom. She wanted to run home to Peter, to bury herself in his bright darkness, and she never wanted to leave this spot. She heard June’s voice, but the words didn’t register. Neal finally let go of her hand and she trailed after him like she was some hungry cat and he was a saucer of milk. she kept staring at Neal until she realized that he was becoming uneasy. She licked her lips and saw him shiver.
“So, you’re Captain Burke’s wife.” There was a bit of a tremor in Neal’s voice. Good.
Elizabeth decided to mark her territory very clearly. “Peter and I have been married for nearly fifty years.”
“You’ll have to forgive me, I just find it hard to imagine someone as exquisitely beautiful as you marrying a vampire.” If Neal was trying to pour on the charm, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“Oh, I’ll forgive you...for insulting both me and my husband.”
She watched with great enjoyment as Neal’s eyes widened when he realized what he had just implied. Elizabeth bared her teeth in a full grin as Neal abruptly stood up and made to excuse himself. She felt the prickle of a change wash over her, her fingers curling into claws. The chase would be fun.
“Elizabeth!” She turned to June, who looked appalled, and she realized that perhaps she had gone too far.
She willed her beast back inside.
Go to Chapter V
Author:
elrhiarhodan Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters: Neal Caffrey, June, Elizabeth Burke, Peter Burke
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~ 1800
Summary: Vampire Peter, Shapeshifter El and Neal, who is something more than he ever expected to be. Chapter IV - Elizabeth Wants To Know More, A Lamborghini Diablo Is Hard To Park, A Fatal Attraction?
This story is dedicated to
gyzym who has held my hand and encouraged me when I felt this was all turning to shite. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. Beta’d by the awesome riazendira. All mistakes are mine. Feedback is adored.Prologue | Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III
Elizabeth Burke had always been intrigued by the man who had captured her husband’s attention. He was a thief and professional liar and quite possibly the most talented artist of his generation. Peter had taken an inordinate interest in Neal, following his criminal career at a discrete distance. She knew her husband had occasionally pulled strings to keep Neal out of the hands of the human authorities and once or twice actively abetted his escape, all without Caffrey’s knowledge. There was a lot more to Neal Caffrey than Peter had told her. Only when Caffrey made the mistake of forging bonds issued by a prominent Whryccrid vampire and inadvertently brought himself to the attention of the entire Vampire community, did Peter become actively involved in Neal’s life. A few words to the judge, some money to his lawyer, and Neal Caffrey was tucked safely away. Or as safe as a human would be in the endless near-dark of a vampire-controlled detention center.
Locking Caffrey up had bothered Peter, though he didn’t say anything to her. In fact, once Caffrey was sentenced, Peter never talked about Neal, but every once in a while, she’d see the edges of his eyes go black, a sign of emotional distress. Watching her husband worry over the fate of this mere human was just too much to bear and sometime after the third year of Neal’s incarceration, Elizabeth finally confronted Peter about his obsession. It wasn’t that Caffrey was smart (and she knew how much her husband was attracted to smart), or that he was an extraordinary artist (Peter had purchased a number of Caffrey’s paintings and sculptures for his private collection and they were among Elizabeth’s favorite pieces). All those smarts and talents did was make Neal Caffrey a very eligible candidate for joining the Whryccrid Kiss. Even his skill in criminal matters would be useful. When she finally asked Peter about why he didn’t just didn’t turn Neal into a vampire, he shut her down in a way that he never had before.
For three weeks, Elizabeth didn’t talk to her husband. The first week, Peter didn’t seem to notice. The second week, he acted very sweet and loving, and tried to shower her with expensive presents. The third week ... she wasn’t sure what Peter did, since she went to stay with her family. The night before the dark moon, Peter came to take her home. Her mother bit him in the ass. He apologized. Her father clawed his back to shreds. He apologized profusely. When she took his groin in her mouth and started to bite down, he finally agreed to explain the mystery of Neal Caffrey to her. Of course the whole thing was a charade on Peter’s part – he could have escaped in an instant. This was a way for both of them to save face.
The explanation that Peter gave her was far from complete, but she accepted it as truth. Neal was not human, not shifter, not sidhe, and while Peter refused to go into any more detail on exactly what Neal was, he did tell her that when other vampires discovered the truth - and they would, there would be war over Neal. The quick trial and lengthy incarceration was done to protect the entire vampire community. When Peter finished, Elizabeth asked him one question – did Peter entrap Neal in the bond forgery so that he would be in a position to put him away?
Peter’s eyes went completely black as he admitted that that was exactly what he had done, he couldn’t see any other way to avoid a war unless he killed Neal himself. In cold blood. That was unthinkable.
Elizabeth now knew that Peter kept close watch on Neal’s condition, but other than ensure that he was kept out of the general population in the detention center (mostly feral weres and rogue vampires who had fallen afoul of a Kiss) and that extra security was always in place (under the excuse that Neal’s criminal history was replete with successful escapes from inescapable situations), there was little else he could do without bringing unwelcome attention to Neal. One morning, about a month ago, she watched her husband sit on the couch, his head in his hands. She knew instantly that there was a problem with Neal.
“He’s dying, El. He won’t last through the winter.”
She didn’t ask him how he knew. “What will happen to you when he dies?”
Peter looked at his wife, shocked at her perception. “I don’t know, but it won’t be good.”
She caught her breath in anguish. “Will you die too?”
“Maybe. No. I don’t know.” Peter closed his eyes. “I feel him, in there – despite the cold iron. I feel him fading, and something is fading within me too.”
Elizabeth got up and wrapped her arms around Peter. “Then get him out.”
“It’s not that simple...he’s been sentenced, at my own direction. I’d have to petition the Council, and even if they gave me a hearing, it could take years.”
“What about using him as a replacement for Frank?”
“Frank?”
“Your Sunlight Agent. Didn’t you say he needed to be retired? Didn’t Hughes pluck Frank out of prison for the job, just before we got married?”
Peter looked at her, and she could see the wheels begin to turn and hope lighten his eyes. “I’d need to talk with Hughes.” He kissed her, hard. “He knows all about Neal, and I think he’ll go for it. If Hughes signs off, I won’t need to get Council approval.”
When she suggested that Neal stay at the Summer Queen’s palace, in the suite that June kept for the more peripatetic members of her court, Peter called her the smartest woman who ever walked the earth. She told him not to over-exaggerate.
A month later, Peter came home and told her that Neal was freed and safe at June’s. She looked at her husband very carefully. Other than being relieved that Caffrey was safe for the moment, he didn’t seem any different.
It was three days since Peter took Neal out of the detention center and based on the conversations he had with June (on which she shamelessly eavesdropped), Neal was doing very, very well. Well enough to meet with that pompous windbag, Frank, tomorrow. If Neal Caffrey was healthy enough to start work, then he was more than healthy enough for an introduction to Elizabeth Burke. She’d go gentle on him, the sad little human. Well, near-human.
Elizabeth drove around the block for the sixth time, cursing the alternate side of the street parking rules and the tight gearing ratios of the long, low black sports car that made it impossible to parallel park without fifty feet of clear curb space. This would be the last time she allowed Peter to pick out a car for her. It was all well and good for him – he didn’t need a vehicle to get from hither to yon. She asked for a Taurus and ended up with a Lamborghini. When Peter handed her the key, all he said was they both had bulls on the logo. When she started to argue that the Taurus didn’t have a bull on it, Peter just gave her that sexy smirk and she jumped his beloved undead bones, right on the hood of the Diablo.
Ah, finally! Someone finally pulled out on the corner of 79th Street block of Riverside Drive and she was able to zip into it.
As always, June’s little housekeeper was waiting for her, holding the door as she climbed the front stairs. Elizabeth greeted the brownie by name, and was told that June and her new guest was outside. She followed Mairead through the halls to the doors of the inner courtyard, where June greeted her with a hug.
“I suppose you’re here to meet Neal.” June whispered in her ear. “I think you’ll be very surprised.”
She walked into the courtyard, a friendly, nonthreatening smile plastered on her face. A young man was standing in the middle of a pool of sunlight, and he was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at him.
This is Neal Caffrey? This luminous creature? I’m going to kill Peter.
Then he smiled at her, and she was lost.
June made the introductions and Neal reached out to take her hand. As his warm fingers slid across her palm, Elizabeth felt something dangerous within her blossom. She wanted to run home to Peter, to bury herself in his bright darkness, and she never wanted to leave this spot. She heard June’s voice, but the words didn’t register. Neal finally let go of her hand and she trailed after him like she was some hungry cat and he was a saucer of milk. she kept staring at Neal until she realized that he was becoming uneasy. She licked her lips and saw him shiver.
“So, you’re Captain Burke’s wife.” There was a bit of a tremor in Neal’s voice. Good.
Elizabeth decided to mark her territory very clearly. “Peter and I have been married for nearly fifty years.”
“You’ll have to forgive me, I just find it hard to imagine someone as exquisitely beautiful as you marrying a vampire.” If Neal was trying to pour on the charm, he wasn’t doing a very good job of it.
“Oh, I’ll forgive you...for insulting both me and my husband.”
She watched with great enjoyment as Neal’s eyes widened when he realized what he had just implied. Elizabeth bared her teeth in a full grin as Neal abruptly stood up and made to excuse himself. She felt the prickle of a change wash over her, her fingers curling into claws. The chase would be fun.
“Elizabeth!” She turned to June, who looked appalled, and she realized that perhaps she had gone too far.
She willed her beast back inside.
Go to Chapter V
