White Collar AU ideas
This was for a challenge on tvholics to create up to three new timelines for up to three episodes from various TV shows, or as I have done, create three new timelines based on one episode of White Collar!
White Collar, Season 1, Out of the Box
Peter doesn't make it to the airfield in time and Neal leaves with Kate.
What happens? Well, there's lots of possibilities here's three of them!
One
Kate tells Neal about the explosives on the plane and her plan to bail out and blow the plane up. However, it's clear that the pilot and co-pilot are not in on the plan and Neal refuses to go along with it. They land in Mexico and an 'anonymous tip' deals with the explosives. Neal is shaken by what Kate was willing to do. He realises that Adler has her scared, more scared than anyone else, but still finds it hard to believe she would have killed the pilots like that. She's not the Kate he remembers, and realises that Elizabeth's words about loving the person, not loving the image of them, is so very true. He tries for a few weeks to make their relationship work, because of how much he has given up for it, but it doesn't work out. Contacting Mozzie, he discovers that Operation Mentor is not being honoured, that OPR says it didn't exist and say that Neal ran. He can't go back. Though, of course, later on, something happens to change this (ala S4's Most Wanted episode), so that Neal can return.
Two
There are no explosives on the plane and Neal and Kate fly off to a new life. But Neal finds that he's not as happy as he thought he would be and eventually contacts Mozzie, who tells him that Operation Mentor is being honoured and Neal can return to New York a free man. Neal persuades Kate to come back to New York with him. Once returned, he asks Peter if there is any chance of working for the White Collar division as a consultant. Although Neal is not reformed, he knows that Peter knows him too well - and yes, he knows Peter better too - but he's sure Peter would catch him if he returned to his old life. So he tries to walk a thin line between small cons for amusement and working for the FBI. Kate and Neal get married, settle down, have a couple of kids (a boy and a girl). Mozzie steals a treasure without anyone knowing or even suspecting and spends his life travelling, returning to New York often. Neal eventually stops pulling small cons for amusement, using his skills solely for FBI work - and yes, often he steps outside the lines to get the job done, but never enough to end up back in jail.
Three
There are no explosives on the plane, but Kate has been working for Adler in the mistaken belief that he will share the treasure with them. They go to Argentina, despite Neal's reservations, and work with Adler to find the U-Boat and the treasure. During this time, Neal finds proof that Adler will kill them once he gets what he wants and shows it to Kate. Neal then contacts Peter to tell him what is going on. Adler, Neal, Kate and Larsen return to New York, and Neal contacts Peter again, this time with the location of the warehouse the recovered U-Boat is in. Neal disarms the booby trap on the U-Boat just before the FBI storm the warehouse. Adler and Larsen are captured, but not before Adler kills Kate. Neal is, of course, distraught. When the dust settles, Neal is given immunity for anything he did whilst working for Adler - after all, he's helped to recover the Nazi loot as well as capture Adler, both of which are big scores for the FBI - and the original deal with Peter is restored. Neal's friends all work together to help Neal through his grief, without crowding Neal or pushing him.
If anyone wanted to write fic based on any of the above ideas (or ideas sparked by the above ideas), that's fine with me! If it's gen, let me know, as I'd love to read it! :)
White Collar, Season 1, Out of the Box
Peter doesn't make it to the airfield in time and Neal leaves with Kate.
What happens? Well, there's lots of possibilities here's three of them!
One
Kate tells Neal about the explosives on the plane and her plan to bail out and blow the plane up. However, it's clear that the pilot and co-pilot are not in on the plan and Neal refuses to go along with it. They land in Mexico and an 'anonymous tip' deals with the explosives. Neal is shaken by what Kate was willing to do. He realises that Adler has her scared, more scared than anyone else, but still finds it hard to believe she would have killed the pilots like that. She's not the Kate he remembers, and realises that Elizabeth's words about loving the person, not loving the image of them, is so very true. He tries for a few weeks to make their relationship work, because of how much he has given up for it, but it doesn't work out. Contacting Mozzie, he discovers that Operation Mentor is not being honoured, that OPR says it didn't exist and say that Neal ran. He can't go back. Though, of course, later on, something happens to change this (ala S4's Most Wanted episode), so that Neal can return.
Two
There are no explosives on the plane and Neal and Kate fly off to a new life. But Neal finds that he's not as happy as he thought he would be and eventually contacts Mozzie, who tells him that Operation Mentor is being honoured and Neal can return to New York a free man. Neal persuades Kate to come back to New York with him. Once returned, he asks Peter if there is any chance of working for the White Collar division as a consultant. Although Neal is not reformed, he knows that Peter knows him too well - and yes, he knows Peter better too - but he's sure Peter would catch him if he returned to his old life. So he tries to walk a thin line between small cons for amusement and working for the FBI. Kate and Neal get married, settle down, have a couple of kids (a boy and a girl). Mozzie steals a treasure without anyone knowing or even suspecting and spends his life travelling, returning to New York often. Neal eventually stops pulling small cons for amusement, using his skills solely for FBI work - and yes, often he steps outside the lines to get the job done, but never enough to end up back in jail.
Three
There are no explosives on the plane, but Kate has been working for Adler in the mistaken belief that he will share the treasure with them. They go to Argentina, despite Neal's reservations, and work with Adler to find the U-Boat and the treasure. During this time, Neal finds proof that Adler will kill them once he gets what he wants and shows it to Kate. Neal then contacts Peter to tell him what is going on. Adler, Neal, Kate and Larsen return to New York, and Neal contacts Peter again, this time with the location of the warehouse the recovered U-Boat is in. Neal disarms the booby trap on the U-Boat just before the FBI storm the warehouse. Adler and Larsen are captured, but not before Adler kills Kate. Neal is, of course, distraught. When the dust settles, Neal is given immunity for anything he did whilst working for Adler - after all, he's helped to recover the Nazi loot as well as capture Adler, both of which are big scores for the FBI - and the original deal with Peter is restored. Neal's friends all work together to help Neal through his grief, without crowding Neal or pushing him.
If anyone wanted to write fic based on any of the above ideas (or ideas sparked by the above ideas), that's fine with me! If it's gen, let me know, as I'd love to read it! :)