"Stories of Progress" by BlackEyedGirl (Teen and Up)
Fandom Category: White Collar
Pairing: Elizabeth Burke / Peter Burke, Kate Moreau / Neal Caffery
Fic Title: Stories of Progress
Author: BlackEyedGirl
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/70939
Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up
WIP?: No.
Why This Must Be Read: Okay, so it's not explicitly het--the author even categorizes it as gen. But I disagree--the unique and deep interpersonal relationships are what make White Collar stand out from many other police-y procedural shows. This fic follows Neal, mourning Kate post-Season 1, and the people in his life (Peter, El, June, Mozzie, Diana and Jones) helping him through the grief in their own ways. As on television, the Burkes' relationship is smartly rendered as a partnership between equals and as something Neal might realize he wants for himself. June's missives about her husband make me want to learn more about who the author thinks he was. And Neal's relationship with Kate feels as cut-off and mysterious as it does on the show (even with what more we learned about her in Season 2, which admittedly came after this was written). In all, even if "Stories of Progress" lacks the conventional trappings of a het fic, it's worth a read through that lens.
Special Rec: 27/35
Pairing: Elizabeth Burke / Peter Burke, Kate Moreau / Neal Caffery
Fic Title: Stories of Progress
Author: BlackEyedGirl
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/70939
Rating/Warning(s): Teen and Up
WIP?: No.
Why This Must Be Read: Okay, so it's not explicitly het--the author even categorizes it as gen. But I disagree--the unique and deep interpersonal relationships are what make White Collar stand out from many other police-y procedural shows. This fic follows Neal, mourning Kate post-Season 1, and the people in his life (Peter, El, June, Mozzie, Diana and Jones) helping him through the grief in their own ways. As on television, the Burkes' relationship is smartly rendered as a partnership between equals and as something Neal might realize he wants for himself. June's missives about her husband make me want to learn more about who the author thinks he was. And Neal's relationship with Kate feels as cut-off and mysterious as it does on the show (even with what more we learned about her in Season 2, which admittedly came after this was written). In all, even if "Stories of Progress" lacks the conventional trappings of a het fic, it's worth a read through that lens.
Special Rec: 27/35