Title : Treasure
Author's Notes : This is my way of linking the season 2 finale to the rest of my previous fics.
Disclaimer : I don't own any of the recognizable characters. That honor belongs to Jeff Eastin, White Collar writers and USA Network.
Summary : Alex ponders on everything she's lost, and what's really important in life. Spoiler-ish. AU/One shot/Ficlet
Warning : Some spoilers from White Collar season 2 finale, Under the Radar.
Budapest, Hungary
The plane had landed safely. Alex collected her bags and cleared out of customs. Her friend, Jakob, met her at the airport gate and helped her with her bags to the car. Once inside, Alex remained silent at the backseat. She rested her head back, and stared out the window. The trip had been exhausting, both physically, mentally and emotionally. She thought back on everything that had happened recently. Being kidnapped by Adler and rescued by Neal. Finding the treasure she sought after most of her life, only to lose it all again in a blink of an eye. The past week had been an emotional roller coaster ride, to say the least.
She recalled all the stories that her grandpa Michael told her as a child. The unbelievable tale of the greatest treasures in the world hidden in a sunken ship underneath the ocean. A tall tale which was later proven to be true. Up until his untimely demise, her father, Leopold, had tried to look for the treasure in the past. After that, it had been all up to Alex to continue the search. And she devoted most of her entire adult life trying to find that elusive treasure.
All that work, for nothing! she thought. She had heard through the grapevine that all of the treasures were blown up in an explosion at the warehouse. All those precious art work, wasted. She cringed at the thought. She wondered who in their right mind would do such a thing. An action like that benefited no one. Then, she thought of Neal and what he must have felt like after witnessing the warehouse blew up.
Neal. She remembered him. Her rescuer. She hadn't counted on that, but she was glad to see him. Neal Caffrey, a wonderful fantasy that was so out of her reach. It was just as painful as she remembered it, losing him this time around. She tried her best not to let her emotions get the best of her, but the exhaustion took a toll on her. And she began to cry.
Her muffled cries escalated to louder sobs. It was pointless to try and contain herself. It was only her and Jakob inside the car. So she let it all out. After all was said and done, after everything that has happened, Alex turned out to be the biggest loser of them all. No music box. No treasure. No Neal. She couldn't understand why, but out of all that was lost, she mourned Neal the most.
She started to chuckle at the thought, which grew louder as she now laughed hysterically. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been for all these years. In her head, she always had hoped that she and Neal would find their way back to each other. Her heart had always held a spot for him. It was something that prevented her from moving on with her life. Some fantasy that hindered her from giving herself completely to Jack, a man who obviously loved her. She was stupid, there was no other word for it.
She continued the alternating cycle of tears and laughter. There was a part of her that believed that once he was done mourning for Kate, she and Neal actually had a shot at being happy together. The kiss they shared back at the dry dock fueled that hope. As it turned out, Neal was done mourning and was now ready to move on with his life. Just not with her. Once again, he chose to be with someone else.
Their kiss meant nothing to Neal. It was just something he did out of impulse. Same as the kisses they had shared in the past. Something born out of an adrenaline rush and done in the heat of the moment. And as much as it pained her to admit, something Neal probably regretted doing afterwards. Just like old times.
She remembered meeting Sara. She was beautiful, smart and gutsy. She seemed nice. It was then that Alex realized that she might be getting in the way yet again. So she did what she thought was right, and said goodbye to Neal. Only this time, it was for real. She didn't want to be the other woman in a love triangle yet again. She had enough of that when Kate was alive, and that was painful enough. She didn't want to be the second best yet again.
She wiped the tears from her eyes and took deep breaths to compose herself. And she made herself a promise. This is the last time that I will ever cry over you, Neal Caffrey! she said to herself. Now that Neal was ready to move on with Sara, she can finally move on with her own life as well. She deserved it. A happy life of her own, one that did not involved or depended on Neal Caffrey. It was something she looked forward to.
"Is everything alright now, Alex?" she heard Jakob ask from the driver's seat.
"Yes, Jakob. Thank you for asking. This has been a long, and exhausting trip, that's all. I cant wait to go home." she replied.
"It won't be long now." Jakob told her.
Alex spent the rest of the drive staring out the window. Several minutes later, they arrived at Vadzel. It was now past midnight. Everyone else was already asleep. She decided that she would brief Aretha about her trip later in the morning. She had so many things to tell her friend. Alex then thanked Jakob and went upstairs.
She didn't go to her room though. Instead, she went to the room of the person she wanted to see the most. She opened the door to Nicholas' room as quietly as she could. She found her son, sound asleep in his bed. He looked like a little angel. She then realized that she had nothing to be sad about. She may have lost the treasure and she may have lost Neal, but she still had her son. To her, Nicholas was the most precious treasure she could ever have in her life. And she wouldn't trade him for anything nor anyone in the world.
She tried to fix his duvet to make sure he was warm enough. He woke up and smiled at her.
"Mama! You're back! Just like you promised!" he whispered excitedly.
"I will always come back to you, Moonbeam! You know that! You're my home!" she said as she sat down on his bed.
"I missed you, Mama! I'm glad you're home!" Nicholas said as he hugged her.
Alex hugged him back. After they pulled away, she held his face in her hands and looked at him straight in the eye. "I know that I'm away most of the time, and I'm sorry. But I want you to always remember this, Nicholas. Mama loves you! Nothing in this world would ever change that!" she said.
"I love you more, Mama!" he told her with a smile. A smile that very much looked like his father's.
She smiled back. "Now, go back to sleep. It's late and I'm sorry I woke you up." she apologized.
She kissed him in the forehead and watched him until he fell back asleep. She just looked at him in the same loving way she did since he was a baby. Her beloved son. Her Moonbeam. He was the reason, even after all the heartache, why Alex could never hate Neal. She would never regret meeting Neal, or falling in love with him. It was because of Neal that she has Nicholas in her life. She couldn't hate Neal for that. He had given her the most precious gift, her most prized asset. Nicholas was more valuable to her than any treasure in the world.
~FINI~
Footnotes :
*The character Michael Hunter was Gerhard Wagner's American name. (Power Play; Under the Radar)
*In a previous story, I've used the Leopold Hunter as the name of Alex's father. (Goodbye Girl)
*Also, in my previous stories, Jack Hartnell is the name of the British spy who fell in love with Alex.
*In case you haven't read my previous fics, Nicholas Hunter is Neal and Alex's child. Neal doesn't know about him . Alex continues to raise the boy in Hungary.