Title: Come back to me
Author; Groovy82
Fandom; White Collar
Warnings; Slash.
Characters/Pairings; Peter/Neal. Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Diana Burrgen.
Summery; Inspired by Come back to me, By David Cook. Neal leaves town after getting his tracker removed, leaving Peter behind.
Other Tags; Future fic.
Disclaimer; I don't own White collar or the song Come back to me. Lyrics at the end of story.
Neal's tracker was removed on a Friday afternoon. It was the end of his fore year sentence and that night after a small party with people from work, Peter had planned something special for just them. He booked a room at a hotel in a small town somewhere upstate. Peter knew it was a sappy thing to do and Neal would think so too, but he didn't care. After years of a friendship that bloomed into something more in the last eighteen months, he felt a little sappy.
Peter parked his car outside of June's and walked to the house. Just before he knocked Neal opened the door, and blocked him from coming in. The agent didn't like the look of his boyfriend's face and became worried. He had left right after the small gathering in the conference room but Peter had stayed to sign some papers that would offer Neal a full-time concealment job at the FBI. He now had his car packed and left Satchmo with Diana for the weekend.
Despite the sad expression on Neal's face Peter leaned in and kissed his lips, then smiled. "Hey baby, How does it feel to be a free man?"
"Good." Neal said without changing his expression.
"What's going on?" Peter asked.
"I've decided to leave New York."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm leaving. I'm going to travel a bit, see the world." The ex-con saw the anger flash in his lover's eyes. "It's what I need to do."
Peter's smile vanished and was replaced with a scowl. He was shocked and angry that his was happening. He loved Neal with everything he had and thought the conman returned those feelings. After El moved to Sam Fran Cisco for her job and ended their marriage, Neal had been there with him threw it all. Now his world was falling apart around him and there was nothing he could do.
"I can't believe you're doing this." He said angrily. "I love you, I thought that meant something to you."
"I feel trapped here and just need some room to breath."
"You have so much here." He reached his hand out and rested it on the younger man's shoulder, but Neal backed up and opened the door.
"I'm sorry Peter. I need to do this to see if staying in New York working for the FBI is what I really want." He noticed the questioning look on the older man's face. "I know I was offered a job."
"What about us and everything we've been threw together?"
"Good bye, Peter." He said before closing the door.
Peter got back into his car and drove to Diana's apartment first to get Satchmo and talk to her. She opened the door after he'd been knocking for a good thirty seconds. She was shocked to see him at her door instead of on his way to a romantic getaway with his lover.
"Hey boss, what's going on?"
"Neal broke up with me and has decided to leave town."
She opened the door further and let him in, then motioned for him to sit on the couch. He did and Dana went into the kitchen to get them both some beer. While she was gone Peter pet his dog and stared at nothing, until she walked back in and sat next to him.
"I'm sorry to here that." She said soothingly. "What did he say."
"He said he felt trapped and needed to travel a little, see if staying in New York was what he really wanted."
"Sounds like he was telling you he just needed to find himself." She rested a reassuring hand on his arm. "Maybe he'll come back someday."
He looked at her quizzically then said. "He told me once he was tired of running."
"There's running and there's finding who you are."
"I love him so much that I tried getting him to stay." He took a big gulp of beer.
"I know you do."
"Maybe it was for the best anyway." He stood and hooked up Satrch's leash. "Do you have any plans for the weekend?"
Diana looked taken aback by his question. Peter noticed and laughed despite his somber mood. He took a paper out of his pocket and handed it to her.
"That's where the hotel is along with the room number." He said. "You and Christy take it. I'll call and let them know your taking my room."
"Oh Peter, you don't have to." Diana protested but the older man stopped her.
"I just want to go home and sleep. See you Monday."
AS he drove home he went past June's. Neal was standing on the sidewalk hugging June while a yellow cab waited. He stopped the car and got out, running to the ex-con. He stood in front of the back door so when Neal turned he'd see him. While he waited he thought of what to say. All he really wanted to say was that he was sorry for not listening to him before. That if Neal ever decided to come back that he'd be waiting for him.
"Peter, what are you doing here?" Neal asked when he finally turned.
"I wanted to say something to you."
"What?"
"I don't want you to go. But if you have to then just know if you ever decide to come home, I'll be waiting."
Neal smiled as he walked up to his former lover. He placed his hand on Peter's shoulder and kissed him on the lips.
"Good bye." He said before getting into the cab.
"Oh crap I must've left it on my desk." Peter said as he looked for a file amongst the pile of papers on his coffee table.
It was a cold rainy Saturday afternoon and Peter was going through case files while watching a Basketball game on TV. It's been a year and no word from Neal. Peter had thrown himself into his work taking on more cases then he use to. He still thought about Neal and wondered what he was up to, wondered if he went back to his old ways. Though the agent had a feeling Neal had reformed before he tracker was removed, and he hadn't heard anything about any art being stolen within the last year.
He stopped going through the papers and leaned back on the couch, with his beer in hand. He took one long swig just as he heard a knock at the door. He put the bottle down and stood, stretching as he walked to the door. He looked through the window to see a man standing on his front steps. He wore black paints and a black coat, with a gray turtle-neck under it. His face was half covered by a black fedora but Peter still knew who it was.
A smile spread across his face as he opened the door. "Neal?"
Neal looked up at his old partner and smiled. "Hey."
His face looked tired though his deep blue eyes still sparkled. They stood in silence until Pete stood aside and let the conman in. Once Neal was inside and the door was closed, Peter pulled him into a hug. Neal returned the hug as they stood in the foyer. Then they walked into the living room and sat.
"When did you get back?"
"This morning." Neal said. "Still doing your multi-tasking."
"Yes." Peter turned off the TV then took Neal's hands in his like he was holding on for dear life. He couldn't get the smile off his face as he stared back at the man who made everything in his life complicated, and exciting all at once.
"I missed you, Neal."
"I met a lot of interesting people and saw a lot of interesting places while I was gone, it was so much fun. I also did a lot of thinking. I realized how lost I felt without you there in my life. I love and care for you so much that everything I did seemed meaningless because you weren't' there to share it with me. "
Peter leaned in and covered Neal's lips with his. The ex-con moved closer and wrapped his arms around Peter's neck. The kiss was filled with an amount of desire and passion neither of them have felt in such a long time.
They parted and Peter just smiled lovingly at Neal. "I'm glad you're home."
You say you gotta go and find yourself
You say that you're becoming someone else
Don't recognize the face in the mirror looking back at you
You say you're leaving as you look away
I know there's really nothing left to say
Just know i'm here whenever you need me i'll wait for you
So i'll let you go i'll set you free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you come back to me
Take your time i won't go anywhere
Picture you with the wind in your hair
I'll keep your things right where you left them
I'll be here for you
Oh and i'll let you go i'll set your free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you come back to me
And i hope you find everything that you need
I'll be right here waiting to see
You find you come back to me
I can't get close if you're not there
I can't get inside if there's no soul there
I can't face you i can't save you
It's something you'll have to do
So i'll let you go i'll set you free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you come back to me
Come back to me
So i'll let you go i'll set you free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you come back to me
And i hope you find everything that you need
I'll be right here waiting to see
You find you come back to me
You find you come back to me
When you find you come back to me
When you find you come back to me