Title: Removal and Recovery
Author: serialchick
Rating: PG
Pairing: Neal/Sara
Spoilers: None
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: White Collar and all characters associated with it are the property of Jeff Eastin and the usanetwork.
Summary: It started with the Raphael.
It started with the Raphael.
Neal gave it to Sara on their anniversary, after the statute of limitations had expired. She laughed when she unwrapped it before she kissed him and took him out to dinner to celebrate her commission.
They didn't need much in life. After the anklet came off Neal started working as a freelance security consultant and was soon in great demand. The art world discovered what Peter Burke had learnt years earlier, life was easier when Neal Caffrey was with you, rather than against you.
This meant Neal was earning a ridiculous salary doing for others what he had done for the FBI. Along with Sara's high retrieval rate and lofty commissions they were doing pretty well for themselves.
Then one day they met James Dodgerson, a client of Sterling Booch with a missing Monet and serious attitude problems.
Sara didn't like him, which was fine. She was a professional and her not liking someone was not exactly an issue. Except Neal didn't like him either, and when Neal didn't like a person, a lot of unfortunate accidents had a habit of happening to them.
Sara found the Monet, but not until after Dodgerson called her an inadequate wrench who looked like she'd eat her own young.
Neal took offense. He also took the Monet.
The FBI decided the media coverage of the painting's return had brought undo attention and a talented thief had taken the opportunity to relieve him of his priceless possession. Unfortunately there was an unsurprising lack of evidence and with no leads the case soon went cold.
Neal fenced the Monet to a rich CEO who was suspected of money laundering. Unfortunately, the CEO never met the fence face-to-face and so was unable to help the police when they turned up with an insurance investigator, accusing him of receiving stolen property.
Once Sara's commission for retrieving the painting was added to the cash Neal made fencing it in the first place they ended up with quite a large sum of money. And that would most likely have been the end of it if Sara hadn't bet Neal he couldn't do it again.
It became a game after that. Sara would keep her eyes open for clients with interesting inventory or challenging security and Neal would steal whatever item she proposed (and only that item). They would hide the item until the heat died down and then sell it on to an unsuspecting mark chosen for his willingness to buy from questionable sources and suspect illegal activities.
There were rules of course. They never stole from someone who had a sentimental attachment to the piece. The heist was deliberately planned so no one would get hurt and they never went after one of Neal's clients.
Neal was pretty sure that Peter had figured it out. But with no proof, and no real desire to see his friend end up back in prison, nothing ever came from it. Besides, the art was always returned eventually and the receiving stolen property charges was usually enough to open an investigation to find evidence of other suspected dealings.
When Peter asked Sara why she encouraged Neal, she answered that it was a part of who he was. She could ask him to never steal anything ever again and he would probably try just to make her happy, but it would make him miserable and he'd end up doing something stupid. It was better to control the urgers and channel the energy into something slightly constructive.
But mostly, she added, it was fun.