A/N: I don't write much White Collar fic, but when I do, you can bet I'm trying to find some way to give Neal & Sara a happy ending :) This story is part of a multi-fandom series I started years ago, which I just love to bring back whenever I have new pairings to throw at it. If you read this, I hope you enjoy it :)

Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to Jeff Eastin and other folks who aren't me.

The Secret Santa Series X: Neal & Sara

It didn't feel much like Christmas. Most people would probably assume that a man like Neal Caffrey cared nothing for the festive season. Somebody who stole everything they could ever want most likely didn't need to write a list for Santa, but the truth was, he had been looking forward to this Christmas at one point.

Settling into his new life amongst FBI agents had not been easy, but he had become close to the team now. Peter and Elizabeth were the most like family, but he cared for Diana, Jones, and others too, and then there was Mozzie and June as well. Neal had a family here, the like of which he had never known before, and he got to spend Christmas with them all, in some form or other. He should be happy, and yet.

"He's been moping around for weeks now," said Peter, sighing heavily. "What on earth is his problem?"

"Are you kidding?" asked Diana, unable to keep from smiling. "You're not kidding," she realised then. "Wow."

Peter frowned as he watched her gather up papers from the conference room table. Clearly, he was missing something here. He looked back down at Neal sitting at his desk, bouncing a rubber-band ball from one hand to the other. Something was making him listless and moody. Peter had wondered if he was missing the life of crime, but Neal had been out of the game a while now, he ought to be used to it. Besides, he got to flex his con artist muscles quite enough when they cracked cases together.

"I don't understand," he said, more to himself than to Diana, though she replied anyway.

"I know you don't, boss, but give it a minute, it'll come to you," she urged him with a smile he didn't entirely appreciate.

"You're not amusing me," he told her.

"There's amusement going on?" asked Jones, stepping in through the door. "What did I miss?"

"It's not what you've missed, it's what Peter's missing," said Diana, shaking her head. "The boss can't figure out what has Caffrey in such a deep funk this holiday season."

"Seriously?" said Jones, eyes widening just a little. "That expression on a man's face is only ever caused by one thing," he said knowingly, glancing at Neal then back to Peter. "Woman trouble"

"Mm-hm," Diana agreed, nodding her head as she left the room with Jones right behind her.

"Huh," said Peter to himself, rubbing his chin as he peered down at Neal one more time. "A woman. Sara?" he considered, recalling the supposed breakup that his friend had mentioned.

They had been dating, in a way, and it was over. Peter hadn't really thought things were so serious between them, and even if they were, he had no idea why they broke up. If he asked Neal, he would be evasive, and asking Sara seemed like crossing a line. Of course, there was more than one way to skin a cat.

Reaching for his cell, Peter speed-dialled and barely had to wait one ring for an answer.

"Hey, hon. I need to ask you a favour. No, it's not for me, it's for Neal."

"C'mon, pick a name already," said Diana, shaking the box in Neal's face.

"Secret Santa? Really?" he checked, peering up at her with a suspicious look.

"Sure, why not?" she said, shrugging her shoulders, trying to be nonchalant about it.

Neal was just about the only person around here that could both see through her and be brave enough to call her on it. She really hoped he wouldn't in the circumstances.

"Don't get me wrong," he said carefully, "but you haven't exactly been in the holly, jolly spirit, and now suddenly you're running the office Secret Santa?"

"I got smacked by the Christmas spirit wand, what's it to you?" she told him snippily. "Now, pick a name!"

"Alright, alright!" he relented, hands raised in mock-surrender a moment before he drew a small slip of paper from the box. "Thank you."

"You're welcome" she replied flatly, hurrying away to thrust the box in a few more faces until finally it was empty. "Thanks for the great task you assigned me, boss. It's right up my alley," she said, passing by Peter on the stairs, well out of Neal's hearing.

"I knew it would be," he replied, smirking a little too much, "but seriously, thank you, Diana."

"No problem," she acquiesced. "You got everything set?"

"More or less. You didn't get too many complaints, did you?"

"It's a low budget and they have almost a week to get it done. Nobody minds all that much," Diana assured him. "Some people even like that we're doing something so Christmassy."

"Good, that's good." Peter nodded, glancing at his friend's desk a moment. "Now I just have to get Neal's gift in place, and I have a feeling that might not be quite so easy."

"It was your idea, Peter," she reminded him, patting his arm.

"I know," he agreed, smiling again by now, "which is why, despite the odds, I'm sure it'll work out."

Most people standing around the FBI office were eager to get home for the Holidays, but nobody was allowed to leave until the Secret Santa gifts had been handed out. Neal was kicking his heels by the pillar with his back to the door. He thought he was there because he wanted to be, but the truth was, Peter had orchestrated the guy to be exactly where he needed him to be. 'So much for the con artist,' Peter thought to himself, 'I'm pretty good at this myself."

Neal glanced around at his friends and colleagues receiving their gifts, a pair of socks here, a bottle of wine there, nothing exciting. He was sure that whoever pulled his name would be equally as thoughtful with his gift. A tie, maybe, or a cheap bottle of something. Potentially, a gag gift like hand cuffs, he considered. It didn't really matter, he was just waiting to get out, much like everybody else.

"Mr Neal Caffrey!" said Jones, handing over a small box from the big Santa sack of gifts. "Merry Christmas."

"Gee, thanks," said Neal, completely dead-pan, shaking the box near his ear. "Ten bucks says it's a tie or cufflinks."

"I'll take that bet." Jones nodded, shaking Neal's hand before moving on to hand out the rest of the gifts.

"You got something good?" asked Peter as he wondered over.

Neal found him to be a little less than subtle. If he didn't know better he would say his friend was the one who bought his gift, and yet, that would be a heck of a coincidence.

"A key?" he said, prising the lid from the box and staring into it. "Somebody bought me a car?" he said with a smirk.

"It's not a car key, idiot." Peter rolled his eyes.

"An apartment?" Neal tried, picking the key out of its box and turning it over in his hand. "Room 904?" he read from the tag on the back and frowned hard. "That's one of the storage rooms upstairs."

"Huh, you know, I think you're right."

Neal watched Peter a moment and his frown only got more severe. Something was going on here. This whole Secret Santa thing had kind of come out of nowhere and now Peter was being really shifty. Neal had a sense he was being set up, but that didn't necessarily mean a bad surprise would follow.

"Somebody's Christmas gift to me is access to a storage room?" he checked, staring down at the key one more time.

"Maybe somebody left your gift inside the room," said Peter, as if he didn't know.

"Somebody," Neal echoed, nodding his head.

"Couldn't say who." Peter shook his head. "Maybe you should go look."

Neal rolled his eyes at how obvious his friend was being, but he didn't say a word. Whatever he was going to find on the other side of the door to Room 904, he may as well go and take a look.

Riding the elevator up to the next floor, he then counted doors down the hallway, checking nobody was around, before unlocking the store room. Somehow, Neal half-expected people to jump out and yell 'surprise' or be there to laugh at him when something exploded foam in his face or poured water on his head. He doubted Peter would go to all the trouble of setting up such an elaborate scheme just to prank him, especially not at Christmas. He just wasn't that guy. Still, Neal checked his surroundings one more time before he considered opening the door. Just as he was about to pull on the handle, he heard movement from inside the room.

"Hello?" he called warily, pulling on the door just a little.

"Hello, Caffrey," said a voice he knew, causing him to swing open the door to better see her.

"Sara," he breathed, amazed by the sight of her, but not at all disappointed, especially since she looked particularly amazing in a figure-hugging red dress.

"Merry Christmas," she told him, stepping further into the light.

"This is... This was a plan?" Neal checked.

She nodded her head, smiling widely. Neal was floored.

"Wow. So, Peter?"

"He and Elizabeth invited me to dinner," Sara explained. "They were so nice, it was the most polite grilling I ever had about a breakup. I didn't tell them exactly what happened between us, but by the end of the evening, when he told me his plan... Well, he pleaded your case so well, I couldn't refuse," she admitted, not flinching as he wandered further into the room towards her. "Apparently, you're much more trustworthy than you used to be," she teased. "Of course, he doesn't know what I know."

"No, he doesn't, but Sara-"

"No," she cut him off the moment he looked set to apologise some more. "Neal, I don't... I don't want to hear it right now," she admitted, her hands going to his shoulders. "The fact is my life has been, well, kind of boring without you in it," she admitted with a smile she simply couldn't help.

"Really?" he checked, almost as pleased to hear that as he was to see her again.

"Really," she confirmed, "but it's not just that. I missed you. You know I really like you and... and it's Christmas," she said, shrugging her shoulders, moving in just a little bit closer. "If now isn't the perfect time for a second chance, I don't know when would be, but you have to be honest with me. No more secrets, okay?" she urged him. "I can't... I can't deal with that."

The smile was gone, she was as serious as he had ever seen her, but that was okay. For all the silliness that came with the way this surprise was set up, this ought to be a serious moment.

"No more secrets," he swore, hands finding her waist now, "I promise."

"Then, no matter how big of a fool it makes me," said Sara, the smile creeping back onto her lips, "I believe you."

At that moment, it was too much effort not to be kissing each other anymore. They were caught up in each other to such a degree, Neal was pretty sure someone could have walked past with the Crown Jewels, the Mona Lisa, and the Gem of Gibraltar in tow, and he wouldn't have noticed. Sara was here, and that was all he needed to know right now.

"Well, I have no idea how I'm going to make this up to Peter," he admitted as they broke from their kiss, arms still wrapped around each other. "Getting you here was the best Christmas gift he could ever have gotten for me."

"Better than a sub full of treasure?" she said softly, one eyebrow raised.

"Yes," Neal said too seriously. "Much better than that. You're worth a million subs full of treasure," he said, before realising how that sounded, "or maybe something a little more eloquent," he considered.

"I know what you mean." Sara laughed lightly, planting another brief kiss on his lips. "Merry Christmas, Caffrey," she said, smiling still.

"Merry Christmas, Sara," he replied, sure this really was the best Christmas he had had in a very long time.

The End