No copyright infringement intended. I don't own White Collar, or profit off of it, I'm just a fan sharing the fun. Reviewers welcome but please be gentle! I'm new to this! Thanks to all the other wonderful fanfic writers here for inspiring me.
Elizabeth thought there was something familiar about the woman. She didn't think they'd met, it was more the name and the place. Had she heard about it somewhere?
"Now we're expecting how many people for the charity benefit?" she asked, sitting at the woman's table. "I did look the place over but they are busy with other events so it's hard to get a good look."
"A lot I hope!" her contact with the charity committee laughed.
A door slammed. Someone breezed through. She'd barely registered the presence before it appeared back in the door. "Elizabeth? What are you doing here?"
Startled she looked up into the bright blue eyes of Neal Caffery. He looked bemused.
"I'm working an event..."
"So you two know each other?"
"Elizabeth is Peter's wife."
"Oh. And you're THE June right? My husband was in shock when he told me how Neal went from cockroach hotel to mansion in hours."
They all laughed. Neal smirked.
"Aren't you supposed to be with him?"
Neal jerked. "Oh right, just came back to get something I forgot....see you." He dashed up to his room with a jaunty wave.
Elizabeth shook her head smiling. June too, looked after the young man with a glint in her eye.
"Getting back to business here, what do you have in mind for entertainment besides the charity auction?"
"Oh, a band, maybe some magic tricks-this is a children's charity after all..." June looked at Elizabeth with a serious look. "As a matter of fact, I know someone who might do them and he's brilliant at it. But there is this little detail of distance. It's out of his radius."
Elizabeth blinked. It took a moment to register. Her eyes narrowed pondering. "We might give Peter a heart attack even suggesting it..." nonetheless a smile was forming. "But what a great opportunity. I'd get to see Peter while I was working, he'd have to come to keep an eye on him...Have you talked to Neal about it?"
"Not yet. But if I know him at all, he'll agree. Can't pass up a party unless there are clowns involved."
"Let's do it together. I think I know how to do this. And aside from the party he'll do it just to drive Peter nuts...in a good way of course."
Peter came home after a tiring, dull day at the office. Satchmo wagged his tail and welcomed him at the door. Dinner smelled wonderful and he was glad he was on time for a change. That was one good thing about dull days. The bad thing was-and he'd never admit it to Caffery-he agreed with him that staring at paperwork sorting out insurance scams and the like was tedious and boring.
El came out, bringing dinner. Peter moved to help her.
"Wow. You're on time. How was your day?"
The casual talk about their separate jobs brought up Elizabeth's new charity event.
"It's for a children's charity. They'll be entertainment. I'd really love it if you could come?"
"What body part would I have to sell to even get in the door?"
"None. You'd come as a guest."
Peter fidgeted. These events weren't really his gig. "I don't know El, I may have to work."
"How often do we get to be together when we're working? I saw you work once, when I planned that event with the models. How about you agree to go if no earth shattering case lead interferes?"
The phone rang then, to Peter's relief.
The next morning he was half out the door when El said "I'm taking no answer as a yes, Peter. After all, it's for charity."
"What exactly am I supposed to be contributing to this charity if I don't..." his phone rang, interrupting and Elizabeth vanished back inside. The issue was driven from his mind.
Neal was leaning on the stone railing, casually sipping coffee in increasingly chilly morning air. Peter admired the view of the city. Annoyed as he'd been when his consultant had managed to turn a coal size allowance into a diamond allowance view, he was glad he had. He got to enjoy it too.
"June asked me to do her a favor." Neal offered him some coffee.
"What kind of favor?" Peter took it doubtfully. He could sense the catch. And Neal's and June's expensive taste in coffee was something a man with his salary shouldn't get hooked on.
"She wants me to do magic tricks for a charity at a club. She's a member."
"Uh uh." Peter cringed a bit. "You? Magic tricks? NO."
"Oh come on Peter, she's been good to me."
"I know. I also know every time you do a magic trick a disappearing wallet is involved. I'm not encouraging it."
"Peter! I wouldn't do that to June!"
Peter paused at this. He had to allow that Caffery probably wouldn't plan to, but his own personal convict was rather impulsive.
"Let's get to work." Half out the door-with Neal proclaiming the virtue of helping charity-June met them.
"Oh, Agent Burke. So nice to meet you. Are you coming to the event? It's only just outside that two miles and I know he'd be a big draw. He's entertained us plenty of time with his magic tricks. The kid's will love him."
Burke blinked at her. "Kids?"
"Oh there will be some there to represent the charity. And kids of the patrons and all. And your wife said she'd love for you to attend."
Peter's stomach sank. It made sense really. June's granddaughter, the whole needing a kidney thing. Of course she'd be into charities that helped sick kids. He refrained from looking at Neal, who had gone silent. Too silent.
"Ah, that event. Well if work doesn't interfere..."
"Oh that's all we could ask for. Do try, it'll be fun."
They walked out to the car. Peter casting glances at his partner, who sat looking innocently out the window.
"You...you..."
"What? They asked me. I didn't know anything about it."
"THEY asked you? Not just June?"
"Well, Elizabeth didn't want me to tell you yet."
Peter shook his head. Short of a terrorist or hostage situation that wasn't likely to involve the white collar division, there was no way he was going to escape the event. He could've put Neal off perhaps, but June, his landlady was tricky. Add Elizabeth and it was impossible.
To Be Continued:
