AN: White Collar is not mine. Just thought I'd clarify that.

But I hope you enjoy this. It's probably different from what you'd usually read, but I believe it'll be interesting.

Enjoy. :)

Neal Caffrey frowned as he looked at himself in the mirror. The midnight black hat atop his head was stylish, yes, but it blended with his hair and made it appear as if he bore a large, smooth lump on his head. With a sigh, he discarded it with a flick of his wrist, and picked up a grey one instead.

Much better.

He smiled at his reflection, and turned away from the mirror.

He was always sad, I thought as I watched him. Even as he smiled at his reflection, the happiness didn't touch his brilliant eyes. It was all because of one person: Kate.

Well, maybe it was more than Kate. The fact that his life was filled with lies - that he couldn't take one step into the world without being fully trusted. The ankle bracelet said it all.

I'd come to learn this as he sat with me, staring glumly out his window at the cloudless sky. It was filled with smog and barely any birds flew within eyesight - apart from pigeons.

Vermin.

Much like the rogue FBI agent that he often mused about - no doubt attempting to make some sense of his whirling thoughts.

Where was Kate?

How long would it take until she was by his side again?

Should he trust her?

What to eat for lunch?

Well, the last one he only really acknowledged when his stomach rumbled loudly at him. Hence the reason for dressing and leaving his apartment.

When the door shut with a soft clunk, he locked it from the other side with the rattling of a key, and then he was gone.

If I could sigh, I would have. He didn't deserve this.

No one did.

It wasn't his fault - okay, it wasn't his fault that Peter was an excellent detective and CAUGHT him. Twice.

But what was life without a risk? He'd taken it, and thus had been caught. And then he'd been flipped over to Peter's side and was helping solve cases.

He even had that little chunky guy over occasionally to help him out.

Greasy, creepy little man. He breathed all over me and gave me no regard whatsoever.

Although, Neal was probably worse. He got so frustrated once that he sent me sailing across the room - but who can blame him?

I'm only an inanimate object. And he was angry.

I would be too if the person I loved was always dangling just out of my reach.

But Neal wasn't like me - I was a knight. I did everything I could to weave in and out and dodge what would be potential danger.

He was my opposite. Which was a shame. If he was like me, he would be able to see sense.

But a problem was always easier to solve if you were on the outside looking in. And that was exactly what Neal needed.

That's why I was here.

Chess.

It solved his problems - helped him think things through rationally.

That was my job. To keep him rational - logical. To illustrate what would happen if he took an advance in the wrong direction.

I was his white knight, and when it came down to me, he didn't go into positive or negative.

Not one step back, nor two steps forward.

But several to the side, stepping around the problem. Helping to convey it from a different angle.

I gave him the opportunity to step out a problem.

Then it was up to him to solve it.

And so far, he always had.

AN: Please review, guys. :) I love this show, and felt that I absolutely HAD to do a oneshot for it. Tell me if you liked it, or were confused by it, and why. ;) xo thank you.