A/N Just a random fic. It's my first White Collar Fanfic so sorry if the characters are a bit OOC. I hope you enjoy, please read and review. Thanks!
2 weeks after El's kidnapping Peter had finally giving into the voice nagging him. The voice telling him to check on Neal; the voice reasoning to check but not forgive, no he wouldn't forgive Neal after what he did. He wouldn't give credit to helping find El or to working so hard. Nothing, he wouldn't give anything for Neal to hold onto. Nothing. But the second he walked into Neal's apartment, those thoughts changed. Neal had been on house arrest for 2 weeks, he hadn't had any social interaction, just cold cases being shipped to him. No Jones or June or Diana, no Peter or Mozzie or El. And Peter could see that it was killing Neal, killing him emotionally. Peter had called ahead but even with the extra time Neal couldn't hide the fact that he was okay. He was pale and tired, dark bags filled the space under his blue eyes, and he was thinner. He hadn't been eating or sleeping, too haunted by the fact that he had disappointed Peter and had harmed El. That he had no friends, no companions, that he would always be a criminal to Peter.
"Neal, what the hell happened to you? Why aren't you taking care of yourself, you are no good to us dead!" Peter yelled, choosing to hide his concern with anger, by allowing his frustration to go up to the surface.
That sentence, the harsh cruel words stringed together, was enough to break Neal. To break what was left of him anyway. He dropped what little control he had over hiding his emotions, leaving his blue eyes blank-haunted and pale, pained- his face contorted into a tired, and pained expression. Peter winced, suddenly regretting his choice of words.
"Oh right you own me, you can't own me when I'm dead. I'm sorry I'll try to take care of myself, try not to suffer anymore. Try not to remember the fact that people hate me and that I am worthless. What do you want?" Neal asked, sounding bitter and broken, and even sadder that even Peter thought of him as property.
"Neal, we are mad at you but don't you realize you had something with us. You can still have something with us. You just have to try; you have to earn our trust back. Don't you see that?" Peter stated, throwing his plan not to forgive out the window
"Don't you see… Once I believe that I have something. That I have a life…. I don't have a life and I never will. I believed that I had you, Peter. I thought that I had Mozzie and you and El but after what happened. After El… Mozzie wasn't there, you were beyond furious and I can't bear to look at El after what I caused. I realize I deserve all of it Peter and I don't need you to pint that out. Now will you just leave me alone? I've had enough pain and torture to last me a lifetime and you don't care. So why can't you just leave me be?" The pain in Neal's voice was palpable, tangible and it broke Peter's heart.
Neal turned to leave, to go back to his house arrest, to go back to the place that was slowly killing him. To the place where he wasn't eating, where he wouldn't sleep, and where his guilt was haunting him. He hadn't stolen the treasure yet Peter didn't believe him, didn't want to. Refused to. At the last moment something in Peter snapped and he reached out, gripping Neal's wrist and bringing him back. Back from his own drowning, back to the friendships and love that he deserved, back to Peter back to having a family.
As Peter made contact, Neal whipped around eyes bluer than ever, frightened and windows to the anguish and depression raging and plaguing what was left of him. What was left after Kate and after El and after his messed up childhood. Neal may be a criminal, but he was a good person, one of the few that still cared. And that caring man did no deserve to not have a family, to be alone forever and not feel what love was, what a family was.
"Neal." Peter said, softly. More of a statement than a name; a statement that demanded to be interpreted as you're my little brother and you are part of my family.
"Peter, I can't. I can't live like this. I can't live knowing that people hate me that Mozzie and you and El aren't there anymore. There is nothing left for me."
"Neal, you do have me and El. Come over to our house, we will work this out. We will make up and you I will get you off of house arrest. You will stop being haunted and you will be working with me in no time. You have a purpose, a purpose to make a room brighter just by walking into it, to make friends, to be friends with us. To rely on us and let us rely on you.
Neal nodded, understanding and with that they set off to a day at the Burke's. A day full of tears, full of forgiveness and full of a family that is finally whole again.