Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to Jeff Eastin, USA Network et al. This is for fun, no copyright infringement is intended.
Pilot
To ask Burke for a meeting is on the spur of the moment. Neal does not have a plan, has not even an idea of a plan but seeing the security fiber of the new Canadian 100-dollar bill offers him an opportunity. And if he is good at anything it is taking opportunities.
Although this time it turns out somewhat harder than other times – his escape has lost him a lot of privileges of earlier good behavior; his cell is stripped of most personal belongings, no internet time, no access to the library. Still, his easy-going nature has collected him enough points with the guards that they do not put him in solitary and he is liked enough among the other prisoners that he can wheedle several into doing research for him. Most of all it helps that he broke out (and got caught again) not for personal gain but for love … honestly, who would have guessed so many bad-ass criminals were suckers for sappy love stories.
It takes four days to come up with the consulting gig, including precedents and all, thanks to some guys who got a law degree in the time they spent behind bars. It is also enough to learn who Burke is after. Two more days and the anklet thing is worked out with manuals and pictures just to dot the i's and cross the t's. That leaves Neal an entire day fine-tuning how to sell it to Burke.
Actually he considers that the easy part. He knows Peter Burke is driven. Obsessive even when he is on a chase since that's the way he caught NEAL, after all. He just knows what he has to offer will appeal to the man, all angles – or in this case ankles – covered, the benefits tantalizingly obvious… In fact, by the time the week is up and a guard actually informs him of a visitor Neal has played through the coming conversation so many times in his head, has worked out any argument and counter-argument so thoroughly there is not the slightest doubt in his mind that he will be out of here within a month. He will be out, he will contact Mozzie, he will search and find Kate and all will be explained and forgiven and forgotten and this time they WILL make living happily ever after happen … he so not expects the talk to go the way it does.
He so not expects Burke to walk out with a light-hearted "Nice try" and a pat on his shoulder.
Even after he is back in his cell he can't really believe it. Surely this is just Burke jerking his chain, making him sweat while rubbing his hands at the opportunity of catching the Dutchman with Neal's help. Days go by, weeks become first a month then two and still Neal tells himself that paperwork takes time, that any day now he will get a phone call or a guard will inform him that Burke has come to see him.
It isn't until he marks the day that should have been the last of his original four-year sentence on the wall of his cell that it finally hits home.
There would be no phone calls. No announcement of a visit. No position as consultant, no anklet, no getting out of here and no search for Kate. Only four more years of marking down day after day. The con of his life, the one all depended on and he botched it.
Rage takes him by surprise. White-hot rage, at this wall, at this cell, at this prison, at Burke and most of all at himself, his own stupidity and helplessness and he slashes with the marker across the evidence of wasted time and pain. He slashes and slashes, the light bulb caught up and shattered in his furious swings, rams his hand against the wall in frustration, ignoring the angry yelling from the other side.
But the rage leaves as quickly as it has come.
Taking deep breaths to steady himself Neal runs his hands over his head before turning around and facing the opposite wall. Clean and smooth, a slate as blank and bleak as his future. Bracing against it he lifts the marker with deliberate control and draws a short little line on it. Then just stands there for a moment, looking at it, finally dropping his head.
One line. One day. The first of four years.
Four long years until he can go find Kate.