Whatever It Takes: Christmas

Author's note: This story takes place in my Whatever It Takes universe. It might not make any sense to you, if you haven't read that story.

December 12th was a gloomy day, matching Neal's mood perfectly. Elizabeth woke him up at six o'clock in the morning, wanting to make sure he ate a good breakfast before he had to face his Juvenile Court session. Neal was terrified to have to stand before a judge and explain why he thought it was a good idea to drink so much alcohol. He was pretty sure that he never wanted to drink again.

Elizabeth and Peter both went with him, making Neal realize again how truly lucky he was. He knew that he had disappointed them both, but knowing that they were there behind him as he faced the court gave him strength enough to handle whatever happened.

The judge presiding over Juvenile Court was a rather intimidating older man. Neal was sitting on a bench with several other young offenders, waiting nervously for his name to be called. When the bailiff called out for Neal Burke, it took several long seconds to realize that he was being called. He still wasn't used to being a Burke, it seemed.

Neal stood up and walked forward to a podium that was directly in front of the judge's bench. Digging deep within himself, he was able to pull forth a little bit of the confidence that had helped him through so many different things. He brought his eyes up to meet the stern eyes of Judge Adams and waited to be addressed. He tried to be as respectful and humble as he could, which worked well to convince the judge that he was truly sorry for what he had done.

Judge Adams was strict, but fair in his sentence. Neal would have to pay a fine of $350.00 and would have to attend an Alcohol Awareness program. Judge Adams told Neal that the fine could be waived, if he would serve twenty hours of community service. Neal chose to do that instead, not wanting to add to Peter and Elizabeth's financial burdens, if at all possible.

Leaving the courthouse, Peter put his arm around Neal's shoulder and pulled the boy into his side. "We're proud of you, Neal," he said. "You faced up to your mistake without making excuses, and you handled yourself well. Thank you for that."

Neal's heart soared at those words.

Neal was relieved to find out that his community service was to be done at a local community art center. He was to help out with a support group of some kind, by teaching an art class to kids. When he showed up, however, he was mortified to learn that this particular support group held young children who were affected, in some way or another, by drunk drivers.

After the first half hour, which dealt with an open discussion among the kids, he was relieved to get down to the art part of the group. The kids loved Neal, all vying for his attention, as he went around the room to help where he could. By the end of the first night, he had introduced them all to the fine art of painting with watercolors, and he had enjoyed every minute of it.

Once his community service commitment had been fulfilled, Neal asked his parents if he could continue on with the support group. Helping the kids in such a way had also worked to ease some of the guilt Neal had been feeling himself. It was definitely a win-win situation for all involved.

Christmas in the Burke house was a new experience for Neal. The three of them had gone to a Christmas tree farm outside of the city, another new experience for Neal. Elizabeth and Neal picked out the perfect tree, and Neal and Peter cut it down. After securing the tree to the top of Peter's Taurus, the three of them drove home, listening to Christmas carols all the way.

Once they were home, the men brought the tree into the house and set it up, while Elizabeth made dinner. Neal wanted to get started on decorating the tree, but Elizabeth told him he had to wait until after dinner. Then she promptly sent him up to take a shower.

After dinner was done and the dishes were taken care of, they finally started to decorate the tree. Elizabeth and Neal both had a good eye for the placement of the ornaments, but Peter was a completely different story. He would place two ornaments on the same branch, forcing Elizabeth to follow behind him and undo what he had done. Finally, she told him to sit down and watch as she and Neal finished the tree. Neal was pretty convinced that was Peter's plan all along.

After they were done with the box of ornaments, Elizabeth brought out the tree topper and another smaller box. She held onto the tree topper, but handed the box to Neal.

"What's this?" Neal asked, taking the box from her.

"Open it up and see, sweetie," she answered with a smile.

Neal opened the box to find another ornament. He felt his eyes fill with tears when he really looked at the ornament. "This is amazing, Beth," he said in a quiet voice, as he leaned over and gave her a hug. "I know just where to put it, too."

Walking back over to the tree, Neal found an empty branch right in the middle of the tree. It was the perfect branch to hold the perfect ornament and Neal took care to place it just right. Once the new ornament was placed on the tree, Elizabeth handed Neal the star tree topper, asking him to do the honors. Neal couldn't quite reach the top, so Peter lifted him up enough to allow him to place the star on top of the tree. The three of them then stood back and admired their handiwork.

"I think this is the prettiest tree we've ever had, don't you, Peter?"

"Yeah, El. Everything looks perfect," he answered. "Now, what do you say we find a ball game to watch?" When Elizabeth and Neal both gave him an angry look, he laughed. "I'm just joking. Let's find a Christmas movie."

Elizabeth quickly made some popcorn and the three of them settled down to watch "It's a Wonderful Life." Throughout the evening, Neal kept sneaking glances at the silver ornament that showed a young boy painting a picture. Underneath the picture, the name "Neal George Caffrey-Burke" was engraved, along with the date that he had officially become a part of the family.

The week before Christmas, Neal had grown unusually quiet, leading both of his parents to realize that something was wrong. Peter knew from experience that the boy wasn't likely to come to him with whatever was bothering him, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

"Neal, what do you say you and I go and do a little shopping for Elizabeth? I could use some help in figuring out what to get her."

Several hours later, they were done with their shopping, and Neal and Peter were both satisfied with the gift Peter bought for Elizabeth, much to their relief. Sitting in a small café, Peter finally asked Neal what was bothering him. Neal waited several minutes before answering, making Peter think that he wasn't going to, but finally he spoke.

"These last few weeks have been amazing, Peter. I don't really remember much of the Christmases we had when I was younger, but I definitely remember all the ones I had in foster care or on the streets. I wish I could forget those, actually. No kid should ever have Christmases like that."

"You're right, Neal. Every kid deserves to feel the magic and love of Christmas. I'm so sorry that you never did, but you will from now on. I promise you that, son."

"I wasn't really thinking of me, Peter. I was thinking of Mozzie. I don't know if you knew this, but he grew up in foster care and group homes. I don't think he's ever had a great Christmas. The Christmases I was with him were depressing, to say the least. He would reluctantly let me get a tree and decorate it, but then he would always get really quiet and spend most of his time staring into the lights on the tree. He would try to make it nice for me, but he never quite succeeded. By Christmas morning, he would barely talk, and when he did, it was to spout off about the commercialism of Christmas and how the government brainwashed American citizens into spending exorbitant amounts of money on cheaply made products and how the advent of Santa Clause is a doomsday prophecy." Neal looked apologetically at Peter. "You know how paranoid he can get."

"Okay, Neal….I get it that Mozzie doesn't have any good Christmas memories, but what does that have to do with how you've been acting lately?" Peter gave Neal a confused look.

"I don't know. I guess I just feel guilty that I finally got what Mozzie always wanted, but never had the chance to get. It bothered him way more than it bothered me to be an orphan, Peter. All Mozzie's ever wanted is a family and I'm the only family he has. I don't know if you understand this, but he's really the reason that I finally understood what a true gift you and Beth have given me. When he told me that he only wanted what was best for me and that what was best for me was to be with you, I truly understood how important family was to him. What did I ever do to deserve a family? Why doesn't he deserve one, too?"

Peter thought long and hard before he answered. "Everyone deserves a family, Neal. It's not about what you do or don't do. And Mozzie has a family. You said it yourself. You were the only family he had. And now, he has El and I, too. If Mozzie is your family, then he's our family, too, son. If you care for him, we care for him. It's as simple as that."

"Thank you, Peter," Neal said. "Although, I don't know how he'll react to the fact that his family includes a "suit."

"Well, why don't we find out. How about if we take a little drive over to Mozzie's and see how he's doing?"

Not for the first time, Neal couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Peter in his life. "Thanks, Peter."

Peter and Neal didn't have any luck in finding Mozzie. The apartment that Neal had shared with Mozzie was completely empty and according to the landlady, the lease had expired two weeks before. Neal and Peter checked out the few safe houses that Neal knew about, but still had no luck. It was almost nine o'clock at night when Peter finally insisted that they go home and Neal was too tired to argue.

When they walked through the front door, Neal went immediately up to his room, wanting to be left alone. Peter explained everything to his wife and then had to stop her from running to Neal's room. "I think he needs some time alone, El. Let's give him a little space."

By morning, Peter and Elizabeth were sad to see that Neal was still upset. He had tried to call several different numbers that might lead him to Mozzie, but didn't have any luck. By that evening, Neal was once again in his room, wishing to be left alone.

"Peter, we have to do something. He's miserable and it's breaking my heart."

"I know, hon. I've already got Diana and Jones looking for Mozzie, but they're not having any luck. The man knows how to hide, that's for sure." When Elizabeth didn't look satisfied with that answer, he continued. "I'm doing everything I can, I promise."

Christmas Eve finally arrived and, even though they still had no new on Mozzie's whereabouts, Neal seemed to be in a better mood. Tina and Robert were there, and although things were better between Neal and Elizabeth's dad, Neal still avoided his grandfather as much as he could. He helped his mother and grandmother bake cookies and pies, while Robert watched television. Peter spent an unusual amount of time on the phone, making Neal think that something must have happened at work.

Once the baking was done, they all went out to the living room to exchange presents. Neal was feeling nervous about this part of the night, not really ever having done this before. He had painted a picture of Elizabeth for his grandparents and was hoping that they would like it. The picture was of Elizabeth as a little girl, looking into a mirror at a grown up Elizabeth, both sharing the same smile. He had found a picture of Elizabeth as a child and felt like he had captured her childhood essence rather well.

He watched nervously, as Tina unwrapped the canvas, and wasn't sure what to think of the look on her face when she realized what she was looking at. Did she like it? Why wasn't she saying anything? Was she crying?

What felt like an eternity later, she finally looked at Neal, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Neal…..this is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever given us." Before he knew what was happening, Tina stood up and walked over to him, pulling him into a hug. "Thank you, so much, Neal!"

Neal didn't know what to say, so he just hugged her a little tighter. Once she let him go, he looked around the room, embarrassed to find that everyone was staring at him. To his surprise, Robert, who had been studying the picture for the last several minutes, stood up and walked over to him, as well. Without a word, he pulled Neal into a hug and then turned and walked into the kitchen. Neal really didn't know what to say to that.

Neal opened the presents his new grandparents had given him, surprised to find a new set of both oil paints and watercolors. There were also several top of the line paintbrushes and canvases, too. Neal immediately started planning what he was going to paint next.

After a few hours, Tina and Robert decided to head home. "We should get going, so Neal can get in bed. Santa won't come as long as he's awake, remember?" Tina gave Neal another hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, sweetie, and thank you again for the painting. It really is beautiful."

Robert shook Neal's hand before leaving. "Merry Christmas, Neal. Let us know when your next swim meet is, okay? Tina and I would like to watch our new grandson swim."

Neal smiled at that, and for the first time, he knew that things were going to be okay between him and his new grandfather.

Neal didn't want to go to bed, but Elizabeth insisted, reminding him that Santa wouldn't come while he was awake. "Come on, Beth….. Santa isn't real." Neal was a little scared by the look that came over her face.

"Don't ever say that again, young man. We believe in Santa in this house, so you'd better take that back, unless you don't want the presents he has for you. Remember, he sees and hears everything."

"Well, I'm screwed then, aren't I?" Neal teased. "After the last few months, I'm pretty sure I'm on the naughty list."

"You most definitely will be, if you continue to use that kind of language, young man." Elizabeth took the dish towel she was holding and snapped it against Neal's backside.

"Hey, that hurt," Neal laughed.

"There's more where that came from, Neal George Caffrey-Burke. Now, go in the kitchen and bring out the cookies and milk for Santa. And then, get your naughty little self up to bed!"

Neal returned with the cookies and milk and placed them on the table next to the tree. He made sure he stayed out of range of Elizabeth's dish towel, as he turned to Peter. "I hope you enjoy the cookies, Santa," he said, giving Peter a wink. Elizabeth made a move toward him, but Neal jumped safely out of the way, as he turned and ran up the stairs.

"Yep, he's definitely getting coal in his stocking," Peter said with a grin.

Neal had a hard time falling asleep that night. He could hear Peter and Elizabeth moving around downstairs and wondered what they were doing. He wanted desperately to peek, but he didn't want another run-in with his mother's nasty dish towel. Closing his eyes, he tried his best to fall asleep.

The next morning, Neal woke up to the sound of Elizabeth singing in the shower. He said a prayer of thanks that she was the one singing and not Peter. That man couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.

He stayed in bed a little longer, enjoying the anticipation of what was waiting for him downstairs. He really wasn't a person with a lot of material wants, but for once he allowed himself to get lost in the magic of Christmas. What kind of presents would he find under the tree? Did Santa like the cookies and milk? He couldn't help but laugh at how childish he was feeling.

When he couldn't stand it any longer, he jumped out of bed. Unfortunately, he didn't untangle himself from the bed sheet first, and he fell hard to the floor. Not wanting to scare Peter or Elizabeth, he quickly called out, "I'm okay. I just fell out of bed." Neal was pretty sure he heard Peter laugh rather loudly at that.

He quickly brushed his teeth and washed his face, but left his pajamas on. He didn't brush his hair, either, not really caring how ridiculous he looked with it sticking up all over the place. Finally making it downstairs, Neal was greeted by two very excited looking parents. "Merry Christmas, Neal," they both called out together. Satchmo jumped up on him, nearly knocking him over, as if he wanted to wish Neal a Merry Christmas, too.

"Merry Christmas, Peter. Merry Christmas, Beth." Neal finally looked at the Christmas tree and was shocked by the amount of presents he saw. They definitely weren't all there last night.

"Well, it looks like Santa came, Neal. You must not have made it onto the naughty list, after all." Elizabeth gave Neal a hug and a kiss. "What are you waiting for? Don't you want to open your presents?"

Neal suddenly looked a little overwhelmed at everything, so Elizabeth grabbed him by the arm and led him over to the sofa. "Peter, why don't you hand out the presents?"

Soon, Neal was surrounded by a mountain of presents. Peter and Elizabeth eagerly watched him open each one, taking delight in his happiness. Every present he opened was amazing, and Neal could tell that his parents had put a lot of thought into everything they had given him. Neal was surprised that there were presents from Peter's side of the family, too. All in all, he had made out like a bandit.

Once he was done, Neal stood up and retrieved the presents he had bought for Peter and Elizabeth. He had borrowed the money from Mozzie the last time he saw him and had even asked the man to get the gifts for him. He handed each of them a small box, hoping that they liked what he had gotten them. Peter opened his first to find two season tickets to the Yankees.

"Neal, these seats are right behind home plate," Peter said, his awe completely evident on his face. "How did you get these?"

"Mozzie got them for me. I thought I could go with you, if you wanted me to."

"That would be great, son. I would love it if you went with me." Peter pulled Neal into a hug. "Thank you, Neal."

Next, it was Elizabeth's turn. She opened the box and stared at what was inside for the longest time. Finally, she turned to Neal with tears in her eyes. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked. "Is this a Mother's Ring?"

"Yes, ma'am. It has my birthstone in it. Do you like it, Beth?"

Elizabeth was crying so hard that she couldn't answer at first. Finally, she was able to catch her breath and stop her tears. "I love it, Neal. It's the second best gift I've ever received." Neal looked closely at her, wondering what the best gift was. She could tell by the look on his face exactly what he was thinking. "You were the best gift I've ever received, sweetie, in case you were wondering."

Neal smiled at her, wondering what he had done to deserve her feeling that way about him. Before he could say anything, Peter spoke up. "We have one more gift for you, Neal, but it's not here yet. Diana should be bringing it any minute.

Neal wondered what in the world it could be. He had already gotten so much and was feeling a little guilty that there was more to come. "Peter, you've already given me so much. I really don't need anything else."

"Just wait, Neal. This gift will be worth it, trust me."

The three of them cleaned up all the boxes and wrapping paper, and then went into the kitchen to get some breakfast. Elizabeth and Neal quickly made pancakes and bacon. They had just finished eating when the doorbell rang. Peter and Elizabeth shared a smile, before telling Neal to go answer the door. Neal wondered what they were up to, but quickly walked to the door, not wanting Diana to have to wait out in the cold for too long.

Neal opened the door to find Diana standing there with a huge smile on her face. "Merry Christmas, Neal," she said, before stepping to the side to reveal the best gift Neal had received that day.

"Mozzie!"

"Merry Christmas, Neal!"

Author's second note: Well, there you have it, folks. We finally get to see a White Collar Christmas, lol. What did you think? Did you like it?

I plan on writing some more little one-shots in this universe. If you have something you'd like to see, let me know and I'll try to work it in.

Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.