First chapter of my second story. (I actually started writing this before the other one, but this is still a WIP for now.)
This is a crossover between Glee and White Collar. If you don't know one of these (or neither of them) you should definitely check them out, they're amazing.
Little bit of warning for those Glee fans who don't watch White Collar: this crossover is mostly written from a White Collar perspective, but with characters from Glee in it. It could be useful to know a bit of the White Collar background, since I have tried to follow canon as much as possible. Also: this is somewhat AU since it takes place in season 3 (of Glee) but Nationals takes place in New York (because it fit better in my story). Also: episode 15 (Big Brother) didn't happen. The character Cooper Anderson didn't show up at McKinley and isn't a famous actor, but he does exist and still is Blaine's brother just like in Glee.
For those who watch White Collar but not Glee: this story takes place in season 2 (after Ford appears, but before the whole mess with the U-boat). Neal Caffrey has a brother named Blaine Anderson. The same goes here: check out the background of Glee. You don't need to know the whole story, but it might be useful to at least know something about the characters from Glee (most important ones in this story are Blaine Anderson and maybe Kurt Hummel).
Spoiler alert: there might be spoilers from Glee up to season 3 and also spoilers from White Collar (the whole series since season 4 started when I began writing this). In both cases it's AU, but I tried to stick as close to canon as possible.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or any of its characters and neither do I own White Collar or any of its characters.
Enjoy!
Long-due Reunion – Chapter 1.
"I need a favour," Neal approached Peter hesitantly. Peter looked up from the file he was reading and sighed.
"What?" When Neal asked for a favour, it usually meant he was up to something which wasn't entirely legal – either in that grey zone or completely illegal.
"There's something I would like to go to this Saturday, but–"
"Let me guess: it's outside your radius?" Peter raised an eyebrow as he saw Neal's charming smile appear on his face. "And you need me to extend your radius so you can go to this thing, whatever it is? Forget it." Neal's smile dropped a bit, but apparently he wasn't ready to give it up just yet.
"Could you please listen to me before jumping to conclusions? I promise you it isn't anything illegal." He glared as Peter looked at him disbelievingly. "Really, Peter? Is it so hard to believe I would do something which isn't illegal in my free time? Besides, I knew you wouldn't extend my radius. Before you so rudely interrupted me, I was going to ask you to come with me. You and Elizabeth. I already bought tickets for the two of you. If you went with me, you wouldn't have to extend my radius." He turned on his smile full-force while he looked expectantly at Peter. Peter leaned back in his chair, wondering what Neal's angle was.
"You already bought the tickets? Maybe El and I already have plans for the weekend."
"Oh please, watching a game while drinking beer and overlooking case files isn't exactly what I'd call exciting."
"It's good enough for me," Peter retorted. "What is it you want to go to anyway? Another museum? Haven't you seen them all already?"
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that. It's not 'another museum'," Neal said, making quotation marks in the air. From his pocket he extracted three tickets. "It's a show choir competition."
"Show choir?" Peter had to try very hard to keep his jaw from dropping to the floor. "What on earth makes you think I would go to a choir competition? Why are you so interested in it anyway?"
"Not choir, show choir. It's not the same. You know, Peter, once in a while, it's good to extend your cultural horizon a bit instead of watching yet another game. This is a unique opportunity, Peter!" Peter saw Neal was getting really worked up. "Nationals – that's the final round of the competition – is here in New York this year and we have tickets! You can't pass this up just because of some game you can watch at any time. Besides, I think Elizabeth might like it. I told her about it the other day and she sure seemed interested."
Peter sighed deeply. Of course Neal would use Elizabeth to get what he wanted. He should have known. Being the conman he was, Neal always had an ace up his sleeve. But Peter couldn't help but be sceptic. Why was Neal suddenly so interested in this competition?
"Show choir?" Neal nodded. His smile had faded while he waited for Peter's answer. He knew he risked exposing himself to Peter, but he was willing to take the risk, just like he had been when he was arrested the first time.
"Please, Peter. It would mean a lot to me."
This made Peter's interest flare. Neal was actually begging him for this.
"Why?"
Neal hesitated. "It just … brings back memories." He said, hoping he hadn't given away too much. Peter wanted to ask more questions, force Neal to tell him why he was so desperate to go watch this competition, but he knew Neal wouldn't tell him. He would just deflect his questions. So Peter decided he would just have to be patient. Maybe he could find out on his own.
"I'll make you a deal. Finish these cases on mortgage fraud and I'll talk about it with Elizabeth." When he saw Neal's smile grow with hope, he added quickly: "I'm not promising anything!"
But for Neal that seemed to be enough. He thanked Peter and left the office with the promise that he would have the cases finished by the end of the day.
Peter could only look at the stack of finished case files with astonishment. This show choir thing seemed to mean more to his young partner than he had initially thought. Even though he had told Neal he wouldn't make any promises, he secretly planned to try and convince Elizabeth to go to the show on Saturday, although his gut told him she wouldn't need much convincing. And once again, his gut turned out to be right. The moment he started to talk about it, she said enthusiastically she would love to go and immediately went to call Neal to tell him the good news.
The next Saturday, Neal, Peter, Elizabeth and Mozzie were sitting in their seats halfway in the auditorium. Neal and Elizabeth were looking in their programs at the names of the various show choirs and their members, while Mozzie was telling Peter about his theory about the brain washing of school children through show choir competitions. Peter rolled his eyes and started looking at the names as well, ignoring Mozzie. None of the names seemed familiar, but maybe Neal had been connected to one of the groups before he became one of the world's best forgers and most wanted felons. Maybe he had been in a show choir himself. Peter knew Neal could sing, he had seen him with June when Ford had come to visit. Maybe that was why he had said it brought back memories. From the corner of his eye, he looked at Neal, who was sitting next to him with a faraway look and the ghost of a smile on his face. He was staring intently at the names of a group called New Directions. Peter leafed through the program and quickly found the right page. It was a group from Lima, Ohio. According to the introductory text, they had made it to the finals once before. Underneath the text was a list of the sixteen members and their director. Peter scanned the list of names again, but none of them stood out. On his other side, Elizabeth leaned over and looked intently at the list.
"Do you think he knows one of them?" she whispered in his ear. "That that's why he wanted to come here so badly?"
Peter shrugged. He knew Elizabeth was just as curious as he was about Neal's motivation, but she seemed to be considering something he hadn't even thought about. On the other hand, these were all children, except for their director. And Neal was young, but not that young. Before he could tell her this, the lights in the auditorium went off and the presenter introduced the first group. After several groups had performed, the presenter announced the New Directions were up next. Neal suddenly sat up straighter in his chair. Peter noticed Mozzie looking at their young friend with what seemed to be a sad expression on his face. As he tried to watch both Neal and the group on the stage, he saw Neal's face go from hopeful to disappointed when a group of girls got up on the stage and started singing a song he vaguely recognized. While he thought they were doing great, he was also confused since almost half the people on the list were missing. His confusion was lifted when the song ended and the rest of the group appeared and joined the girls. They all stood in silence with their heads bowed until the music started and one of the girls started talking. She was immediately followed by a boy with dark hair that seemed to be glued to his head with gel. The moment the boy stepped to the front, movement in the corner of his eye caught Peter's attention. When he turned his head, he saw Neal was sitting at the edge of his chair with a smile he could hardly contain on his face. The FBI agent realized his wife may have been right. Maybe Neal did know one of these kids. The song ended and was quickly followed by Paradise By The Dashboard Light, a song he actually knew. After the group had left the stage, Neal slowly sat back in his chair. He seemed to pay less attention to the other groups, although he tried his best not to show it. Peter decided his wife's gut feeling was probably more accurate than his own. In this case.
Neal could hardly believe what he had just seen. Blaine had grown so much since the last time he had seen him. Of course he hadn't thought Blaine would have stayed the cute but way too energetic six-year-old, but seeing him again, even from afar, had still been a shock. And in that last number, Blaine had clearly been singing and dancing with another boy, which was something Neal had never really thought about. Sure, Blaine's choice of clothing had always been a bit weird, with his never ending bow ties and suspenders, but at the time, Neal – or Cooper, as his name had been back then – had never considered the possibility Blaine could be gay.
The rest of the competition went by in a blur as he wondered how Blaine would react if he saw him here. Maybe he didn't want to see Neal. After all, he had never answered any of the letters Neal had sent him during the years he had been gone. Of course, he couldn't have answered the first ones because Neal had never given an address, but in his first letter after his arrest, he had included the address of the prison and had asked for Blaine's cell phone number so he could call him. But even though Blaine had been ignoring him, that didn't mean Neal cared any less. Which was why he had asked Mozzie to keep an eye on his brother for him. Over the years, Mozzie had done his best to keep him posted, but the series of pictures he had received hadn't prepared him for the man he had seen on the stage earlier.
When the last group had finally performed, Neal shot out of his chair, hoping the singers would go to the lobby while they waited for the decision of the judges. He remembered just in time that he wasn't alone and turned to his friends.
"Shall we go to the lobby and have something to drink? It can take a while before the judges come back."
The others nodded and followed him out. While leaving the room, he deliberately hung back to discuss the performances with Elizabeth, anxious to keep up his act. He knew Mozzie saw right through him and Peter probably did too, but he tried anyway, partly to keep himself in control. In the lobby, he saw several show choir groups spread out in between the people of the audience, but he didn't see the group he was looking for. He noticed Mozzie was looking around as well, but with his height, he didn't have much chance of finding the New Directions. Nearby, the sound of a girl who was talking very loudly and very fast caught his attention. He turned around towards the noise. His eyes were immediately drawn to a very tall boy who stood looking somewhat sheepishly next to the girl who was the source of the noise. She was analysing their own performance and that of the other groups. Behind the two, a group of teenagers were talking animatedly among each other. As Neal scanned the group, he didn't notice the two boys walking hand in hand towards the group, one slightly taller than the other. The shorter boy looked at Neal and suddenly stopped in his tracks, startling his companion.
"Blaine? What's wrong?"
Neal turned his head to see Blaine staring at him with a shocked expression on his face, while the boy next to him – the one who had spoken in a shockingly high voice – looked between the two with a concerned frown. Neal swallowed nervously before addressing the boy before him.
"Hey Blaine. Long time no see."
He watched Blaine struggle to find his voice again. When he finally did, his voice shook so hard Neal was somewhat surprised Blaine could speak at all.
"Coop?"
Neal smiled softly when he heard his old nickname. He stepped closer to Blaine, but the boy with the high voice, who was still holding Blaine's hand, went to stand protectively in front of Blaine.
"Who are you?" he asked, almost accusingly. Before Neal could give an answer, Blaine gently pushed the other boy aside and took one step forward. He squeezed his friend's – boyfriend's? – hand before letting it go and taking another step. He looked shocked and confused and almost a bit scared, but he came closer anyway. After a long moment of hesitation, he asked: "What are you doing here?"
It wasn't what Neal had expected to be asked, but he couldn't blame Blaine for not knowing what to say or which question to ask first. After all, they hadn't seen each other for ten years. In fact, it was a small miracle Blaine recognized him at all, considering he had only been six when Neal – Cooper – had left. And adding pictures in the letters had been too risky when he was on the run and too depressing when he was in prison. The orange jump suit just wasn't that photogenic.
"I came to watch you perform." Neal noticed that most of the other teenagers had turned to watch the interaction and he knew Peter, Mozzie and Elizabeth were probably listening as well. But he couldn't care less, because Blaine was finally here. Blaine was taken aback by Neal's answer.
"How did you know I'd be here?"
"I have my sources." Neal hesitated. This was it, the moment that would define their relationship. Even though he was afraid of how this might end, he continued. "Listen Blaine, I know you might not want to have anything to do with me. You ignoring my letters all these years surely points in that direction," he said with a pained smile. "But I hope you know... I want you to know that I still care about you. I want... No, I would like for us to get to know each other again. But I'll understand if you don't want me in your life anymore." He stopped, unable to go on when he thought of that possibility. He looked up at Blaine again, whose jaw had dropped slightly during Neal's speech.
"Coop...," he whispered, then stopped, seemingly as speechless as Neal was. Suddenly he closed the small distance between them with two large steps and unexpectedly threw his arms around his older brother. Neal tensed instinctively, but reciprocated the hug almost immediately. They stood there holding each other for a while, but eventually broke off their hug, both aware of the many curious gazes upon them. Neal glanced back at Peter, who was looking at the two of them with a surprised smile on his face. Elizabeth stood next to him, looking moved and triumphant at the same time, a look mirrored on Mozzie's face. The consultant turned his gaze back at Blaine and saw him sharing a meaningful look with the boy he had been holding hands with earlier. When Blaine noticed his staring, he grabbed the other boy's hand again and pulled him forwards.
"Kurt, this is Cooper, my brother. Coop, this is Kurt. He's my boyfriend," he said without hesitation. Blaine looked at Neal sternly, as if daring him to make a remark. But Neal didn't care about his little brother's sexuality, as long as he was happy. He extended his hand towards Kurt.
"Actually, it's Neal these days. Neal Caffrey. Nice to meet you."
Neal didn't miss how surprised Blaine seemed to be to hear that, but didn't understand why. He had told Blaine about changing his name in one of his letters – even though Mozzie hadn't approved – and had explained his motivations for doing so. Even though Neal had stopped expecting an answer after a while, he had always hoped Blaine would at least read his letters.
"Likewise. I'd be lying if I said I've heard a lot about you. Up until now I didn't even know Blaine had a brother," he said, looking somewhat disapproving at Blaine.
"I can't blame him," Neal answered. "It's been quite a while." Neal let go of Kurt's hand and smiled at his (grown-up) little brother. "You were great up there," Neal said, then added, "you all were." The teenagers surrounding him all beamed with pride.
At that moment the annoyingly loud girl that had caught Neal's attention earlier reappeared and started scolding the others for standing around doing nothing instead of following her. Kurt and several of the other teenagers rolled their eyes.
"Just ignore her," he told Neal. "That's just Rachel. Being annoying is in her nature."
Without saying a word, Blaine suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Neal's forearm and pulled him away from the crowd towards an empty room nearby. He closed the door behind them and turned around slowly.
"Coop...," he said, once again. Then, after a pause, "...how can you be here? Where have you been all these years? Couldn't you have contacted me? You could have at least called me or written me a letter or something. To let me know you were alright, or not dead, at least. I reckoned something must've happened. Otherwise you wouldn't have just disappeared like that." Blaine stopped to take a deep breath. He had tears in his eyes, but he was trying hard to blink them away. Neal felt a lump in his throat growing bigger at the sight of his little brother's anguish.
"Blaine...," he whispered, then stopped to swallow the lump. "I did write. Didn't you get my letters? I've been writing to you since the day I left." Blaine shook his head dumbstruck.
"I never received any of them."
"No wonder you never answered," Neal said with a relieved smile. "I thought it was because you hated me for leaving."
"Of course not. You're my brother. I could never hate you. I just wanted you to let me know you were alright." Blaine laughed in disbelief. "And now you are here! Very Nicholas Sparks, I might add. But how? How did you find me here? And your name is Neal now?"
"That's a really long story, one we don't have time for right now. As to your question how I found you: I had a friend keep an eye on you when I couldn't do it myself. He found out about the competitions and that you'd be coming to New York for Nationals."
"I'm glad you came."
"So am I."
"Maybe we should be heading back. Kurt will be wondering where we are."
"He's cute. How long have you two been together?"
Blaine smiled. "A bit over a year." Blaine's smile dropped slightly. "You don't mind me being gay?"
Neal stared at him, confused.
"What? Of course not! I have a colleague who's gay. Why?"
Blaine looked at the floor, trying to hide his expression. Suddenly it dawned on Neal.
"Does mum know?" Blaine nodded.
"Did she mind?" Blaine hesitated, then nodded again. Neal cursed silently.
"Well, don't listen to her. What does she know about it? As long as you have someone who makes you happy, it doesn't matter what that person's gender is."
As he was speaking, Neal saw Blaine's smile returning and inwardly congratulated himself for placing that smile there.
"Come on, let's go back. People might start thinking I have kidnapped you. And that would bring me in a lot of trouble." Blaine looked confused. "Don't worry, I'll tell you later."
With that, the two brothers left the room and rejoined the New Directions and Neal's companions.
"So, you have a brother." With these words Peter broke the silence while they were walking to the car. Neal sighed. He knew he would have to have this conversation with Peter at some point, better to just get it over with. After watching the New Directions win and agreeing with Blaine that they would get together the day after (exchanging phone numbers in the process), both parties had decided to call it a day and go home (or to the hotel in the case of the show choir from Ohio).
"Yes, in fact I do."
"Care to explain why you never told me this?"
"I guess saying 'no' isn't an option?" he asked without much hope. Peter gave him a stern look, indicating he would get his answers whether Neal liked it or not. "Fine. To be fair, no one in my life knows about Blaine," Neal said, then added after a meaningful look from his fellow conman, "except for Mozzie, of course."
"Of course," Peter muttered. "Why not?"
"To protect him." Peter raised an eyebrow. "I have made a lot of enemies over the years, Peter. I didn't want anyone to be able to link the two of us and go after him to get to me, so I legally changed my name when I left Ohio."
"So your real name is..."
"Neal Caffrey. But it used to be Cooper Anderson." Neal knew Peter would check that name the moment he arrived at the office the following day. He wasn't sure how much his partner would find, though. After all, they had grown up in Witness Protection and he didn't know exactly how long he had been Cooper Anderson.
"Go on."
"There isn't much to say, really. I left home when I was eighteen, Blaine was only six back then. I legally changed my name and left Ohio right after that. And you know most of the rest."
At this point, they had almost reached the car. For a while, Peter didn't say anything.
"Why did you leave?"
"I had my reasons." Peter nodded, he knew what Neal had said about his father being a dirty cop and thought that might have had something to do with it.
"Did you ever go back?"
"A few times, just to see if he was alright." Neal hesitated. "I never made contact, though. I thought it might be easier for him and I didn't want anyone to know we're related."
"To protect him?"
"Yes."
"When was the last time you saw him?"
Neal swallowed in discomfort. "A year before you arrested me. But only from a distance." Elizabeth looked at him sympathetically.
"Peter, maybe you can leave the third degree for what it is tonight," she said softly. "Tomorrow you can check out everything you can find about the two of them and if you have more questions, you can ask him then."
Neal smirked. Elizabeth knew Peter just as well as he did. But apparently, Peter wasn't entirely done yet. He turned to Mozzie.
"So you knew about this?"
"It's not against the law to keep a friend's secret."
Neal smiled gratefully. He turned back to Peter. "You done? I'd like to go home now. Unless you really want to interrogate me, but then I'd have to contact my lawyer."
"No, I'm done," He opened the door of the car and before he got in, he added, "for now."
Neal rolled his eyes and got in in the back with Mozzie. None of them noticed the man staring after them from the shadow of the building as their car drove away.
I enjoy reading reviews ;)