Forgiveness, White Collar, for day 11 of my holiday fic advent.
Forgiveness
lauridsen09, for day 11 of my holiday fic advent.
White Collar
Peter/Neal/Elizabeth, "Christmas is a time for forgiveness."
It hadn’t even been discussed. Neal was to spend Christmas Eve with Peter and Elizabeth. “Christmas is a time for family,” Elizabeth had said, hand on Neal’s shoulder. “And you’ve pretty much become part of that...”
“On par with Sachmo,” Peter had intoned, voice dripping with sarcasm but Neal saw the forest for the trees. Sachmo held a pretty lofty position in the Burke family, so he’d take it.
Neal had managed to demure a polite number of times before inevitably accepting, Elizabeth’s smile making it very difficult to withhold. There was something hovering around their little group for some time. Truth be told it could be traced back before Elizabeth’s kidnapping but after Neal had managed to barter with Keller for El’s safety, things had changed, noticeably.
Neal had won back Peter’s good graces; much of that had to do with Neal’s vigilance in keeping watch over Elizabeth in the weeks after her release. Neal hovered, Neal worried, Neal came when Elizabeth called him. When she felt frightened, when she felt alone, when Peter could not be around, he was there, ready to help.
Guilt is a powerful motivator, penance necessary.
On more than one occasion Peter had returned home to find El and Neal together on the couch, sitting far too close to one another, speaking in undertones that were far too familiar. A tableau that Peter should have balked at; he was surprised to find that he wasn’t upset, wasn’t jealous but that he was... relieved.
Since that evening, Neal had taken to sitting just a shade too close to Peter, to speaking in intimate undertones.It was new and not displeasing, just... new. And nice.
Now, Christmas Eve, had become much more intimate than any of them had surely intended. Muted, white lights sparkling on the Christmas tree, slow, jazzy holiday music filtering from the speaker system, full and content from too much Chinese food, too much scotch, too much wine.
And the snow. The white flakes had been falling heavily from the sky since the mid-afternoon; none of them had stepped foot outside to salt the walk or clear the steps though it probably wouldn’t matter. Both Peter and Elizabeth had Christmas Day off and if the lethargy that had settled over the proceedings was any indication, Neal would not be going back to the Upper East Side this evening.
Overall, several elements had conspired against them; the evening had taken on a dramatically romantic atmosphere. It was strange but rather than putting the events on pause and extricating himself, Neal felt... lovely. And included.
Neal settled back into the couch, a tumbler in hand, his shoulder brushing solidly against Peter’s. “I wanted to... say that...” he knows what he wants to say but he’s completely unsure how to proceed. “Keller...”
Elizabeth sat up, placed her wine glass on the table, placed a hand on Neal’s knee. “Neal... let’s not.”
Peter nodded, finishing off his scotch. “Yes, let’s... you know, Christmas is a time for forgiveness.” And with that he placed his own hand on Neal’s knee.
The young man closed his eyes and smiled serenely. Never, never had he envisioned that this is a place he would wind up. Never would he have believed it would be Peter’s hand that would begin to meander off of his knee and up his thigh.
Never.
He was overjoyed that the Burke’s have learned how to throw him for a loop. A time for forgiveness, indeed.
lauridsen09, for day 11 of my holiday fic advent.
White Collar
Peter/Neal/Elizabeth, "Christmas is a time for forgiveness."
It hadn’t even been discussed. Neal was to spend Christmas Eve with Peter and Elizabeth. “Christmas is a time for family,” Elizabeth had said, hand on Neal’s shoulder. “And you’ve pretty much become part of that...”
“On par with Sachmo,” Peter had intoned, voice dripping with sarcasm but Neal saw the forest for the trees. Sachmo held a pretty lofty position in the Burke family, so he’d take it.
Neal had managed to demure a polite number of times before inevitably accepting, Elizabeth’s smile making it very difficult to withhold. There was something hovering around their little group for some time. Truth be told it could be traced back before Elizabeth’s kidnapping but after Neal had managed to barter with Keller for El’s safety, things had changed, noticeably.
Neal had won back Peter’s good graces; much of that had to do with Neal’s vigilance in keeping watch over Elizabeth in the weeks after her release. Neal hovered, Neal worried, Neal came when Elizabeth called him. When she felt frightened, when she felt alone, when Peter could not be around, he was there, ready to help.
Guilt is a powerful motivator, penance necessary.
On more than one occasion Peter had returned home to find El and Neal together on the couch, sitting far too close to one another, speaking in undertones that were far too familiar. A tableau that Peter should have balked at; he was surprised to find that he wasn’t upset, wasn’t jealous but that he was... relieved.
Since that evening, Neal had taken to sitting just a shade too close to Peter, to speaking in intimate undertones.It was new and not displeasing, just... new. And nice.
Now, Christmas Eve, had become much more intimate than any of them had surely intended. Muted, white lights sparkling on the Christmas tree, slow, jazzy holiday music filtering from the speaker system, full and content from too much Chinese food, too much scotch, too much wine.
And the snow. The white flakes had been falling heavily from the sky since the mid-afternoon; none of them had stepped foot outside to salt the walk or clear the steps though it probably wouldn’t matter. Both Peter and Elizabeth had Christmas Day off and if the lethargy that had settled over the proceedings was any indication, Neal would not be going back to the Upper East Side this evening.
Overall, several elements had conspired against them; the evening had taken on a dramatically romantic atmosphere. It was strange but rather than putting the events on pause and extricating himself, Neal felt... lovely. And included.
Neal settled back into the couch, a tumbler in hand, his shoulder brushing solidly against Peter’s. “I wanted to... say that...” he knows what he wants to say but he’s completely unsure how to proceed. “Keller...”
Elizabeth sat up, placed her wine glass on the table, placed a hand on Neal’s knee. “Neal... let’s not.”
Peter nodded, finishing off his scotch. “Yes, let’s... you know, Christmas is a time for forgiveness.” And with that he placed his own hand on Neal’s knee.
The young man closed his eyes and smiled serenely. Never, never had he envisioned that this is a place he would wind up. Never would he have believed it would be Peter’s hand that would begin to meander off of his knee and up his thigh.
Never.
He was overjoyed that the Burke’s have learned how to throw him for a loop. A time for forgiveness, indeed.