Title: Relationship Advice
Fandom: White Collar
Spoilers: Deadlines
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: White Collar and all characters associated with it are the property of Jeff Eastin and the usanetwork.
When the party was over and the kids had gone home the agents and El were left to pack up. The decorations had to be returned, the food disposed of and the park clean before they could finally leave.
El was just finishing with the ride hire company when Neal approached her looking nervous.
"Well this can't be good," El smiled at Neal's uncomfortable stance.
"I have a hypothetical for you." Neal started a little gingerly.
"A hypothetical what?" El asked, intrigued.
"Hypothetical situation." Neal clarified looking even more uncomfortable.
"Okay," El replied with narrowed eyes, "what's the situation."
Neal took a fortifying breath before he began. "Say a woman - "
"Which woman?" El interrupted with a grin.
"Any woman, doesn't matter," Neal quickly answered. "Say this woman stays the night in a man's bed, they're friends and have been seeing each other for a while."
"Is this mystery woman a red head?" El smirked.
"Maybe." Neal hedged. "Anyway, she stays the night and then sneaks out early the next morning."
"Oh Neal," El sighed sadly.
"But then she comes back" Neal says quickly before adding, "with coffee."
"She came back." El repeated.
"With coffee." Neal emphasised. "I mean, is that important? Does it mean something or is it just… coffee?"
El frowned in thought as she translated the question into non-Caffrey before she said carefully, "I think it means she likes coffee." Neal slumped his shoulders and then El added, "and I think it means she likes drinking it with you. "
"But I have coffee." Neal told her. "Good coffee." He tried to convey his confusion by elaborating. "She could have just made some, or if she's stuck around I would have made it for her. It's just," Here Neal stalled, trying to explain, "generally in the past, when someone snuck out of bed, they weren't coming back." He looked at El searchingly, before asking, "How do I react to this"?
"Hasn't anyone ever brought back coffee for you before?" Neal looked so young, El thought, as he stood there and asked her what to do about a girl.
"Kate was always more a breakfast in bed type and no one else ever really came back before. Unless it was a con." Neal added quietly.
"Oh sweetie." El said with sympathy as she drew him into a hug.
"She said she had a meeting," Neal confided into her shoulder, "and that's why she left early."
El leaned back so she could look him in the eye, "So, she had to leave early to go to her meeting," she said, but the confusion was still there in his eyes. "She probably didn't want to wake you so she snuck out, and then she came back and brought coffee to make up for sneaking out."
"But she didn't have to come back." Neal replied, "I would have understood and made another date for us to meet."
"Neal, she didn't want to leave." El told him with conviction. "She had another appointment and then came back so she could spend more time with you. That's what coming back with coffee means."
"Really?" Neal asked, sounding like the young man she sometimes forgot he was.
"Really." El answered firmly. "Now scat."
He smiled in relief before turning and walking back across the grass.
Peter came up behind his wife and engulfed her in a hug before asking, "What did Neal want?"
"Relationship advice."
"The great Neal Caffrey needed relationship advice?" He clarified with surprise.
"Yeah." El sighed, then turned around so she could hug him back. "It's kind of sad," she whispered, "but I don't think Neal's ever been in a real relationship before."
"He was in a relationship with Kate for over 7 years." Peter reminded her.
"Maybe," El replied before she tightened the hug. "But she never snuck out of bed and bought him coffee."