A/N: Shauna's episodes will continue in a series of one-shots as long as my addiction to White Collar lasts, which will probably be until the show ends, which will hopefully be never. Rated T just in case. Neal, Peter, and the rest of the gang (including a couple of quotes) do not belong to me, but to the brilliant writers of a brilliant show.

This episode has spoilers through Season 1 Episode 14. [SPOILERS BEGIN NOW] It takes place near the beginning of the show, when Neal meets with Fowler in the parking garage. If, of course, during the show Neal had a sixteen-year-old sister named Shauna Caffrey. :)

"Are you sure he'll show up here?"

"He's been watching my anklet. He'll figure it out." But Neal was on edge, frowning, reaching up every five seconds to readjust the hat that sat just fine on top of his hair.

"Are you sure we have to do this? I don't like Fowler." Shauna's whisper felt loud as they tiptoed through the empty hall.

"Nobody likes Fowler." Neal reached up and adjusted the hat again, turning the corner. "This is for Kate."

"Isn't it always?" But Shauna shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket – Prada, because Neal wouldn't let her wear anything less – and followed him into the parking garage. Two men waited.

"Fowler," said Neal, walking up as if he did this everyday. "You brought a friend."

"So did you."

Shauna approached them slowly, her eyes swinging to the parking garage, looking for stragglers, for escape routes. Old habits died hard. Neal's habits were older, but they were much more susceptible to mistakes when Kate was involved. Damn Kate. Shauna took in the few cars that were left in the garage at this hour, at the sickly light glinting off their roofs. Nothing moved.

Then Fowler's friend approached Neal, and Shauna swung back to the appointment at hand. "What are you doing?"

But the guy was patting him down, and Neal was cooperating. "I'm not wired."

"You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it," said Fowler dryly.

The guy moved away from Neal, toward Shauna. She scowled at Neal but lifted her arms and pushed her weight to one hip impatiently. "They're clean."

Fowler didn't seem impressed. "This better be good."

Neal said, "I'm close to the music box."

Shauna stared through the gap between her brother and the OPR agent, her arms crossed over her chest. Damn music box, damn Kate. Kate was ruining everything. Neal – and, thus Shauna – had a chance at life, a real life, working with the FBI. And it wasn't just the work. It was Peter and Elizabeth. They were...family. They were important. They were what kept Neal halfway stable, what kept Shauna feeling secure. They were life.

But no, Kate took priority. Kate always took priority.

"You're pushing it." Caffrey's voice was hard, threatening.

Shauna pulled herself back into the conversation. She could feel the tension. Neal was no longer jaunty, no longer smiling. Dead serious. "I'm gonna push it some more. I give you the box, Kate and Shauna and I never hear from you again. That's my price."

Shauna broke in, "By 'you,' do you mean Fowler? Or the FBI?"

"The FBI."

Which meant they'd never hear from Burke again.

Shauna looked away from both of them, back to the cars.

A normal life. Neal was bargaining for a normal life. Mozzie had mentioned something about joining the PTA. Was that what Neal wanted? It was what he thought he wanted. Shauna knew her brother. Prison had chafed, but that had been prison. It was supposed to chafe. But a normal life, a life where everyone expected you to be normal, to talk about normal things, to watch things like basketball and play games like chess without winning every single freaking time...a normal life would bore Neal.

Shauna didn't think her brother would last a for a week in the normal life. They'd been there, tried that, hadn't worked. Brilliance didn't mesh well with normal. Which meant that Neal found – and would always find – somewhere where his mind could work, could plan, could produce. Which usually meant doing something illegal...

There was someone in the closest car. A black one. A black Ford. How had she missed it?

Shauna's breath caught in her throat. Neal didn't notice. He was listening to Fowler, answering Fowler, pushing, pushing, pushing the limits and getting himself into more and more trouble. And there was someone in the car, someone watching.

Someone who looked remarkably like Peter Burke. And he was staring straight at her. Asking her with his gaze what she was going to do. What was she going to do?

Unlike Neal, Fowler had a gun. If she revealed Peter's presence right now, shots were going to be fired, and someone would probably die. The odds were in favor of the Caffrey siblings getting out alive, but that meant one of the suits was getting killed. And since Peter was much more apt to try talking it out first...he was probably going to be the dead one.

Or she could tell Neal later.

She decided to tell Neal later. Or that's what she told herself, as Fowler walked away with a parting shot. "You know I don't give a damn what you do, Caffrey. Just don't make it my problem."

Neal wheeled, turned to Shauna. "Come on."

She should tell him, tell him now. Tell him that Peter was there, that he knew.

And then what?

Then Neal would get in trouble right here, right now, instead of later. And later might be good, might be better, because there were so many unknowns in the equation, and maybe Burke was at this moment figuring out what they were. Besides, she didn't want a confrontation if she could help it.

That's what she told herself. But it wasn't the truth.

If Neal knew that Burke knew about the meeting with Fowler, Neal would change the plan. Which would mean that Neal wouldn't get caught. And Shauna wanted Neal to get caught. That was the truth.

Because getting caught meant staying in New York, with the FBI, who gave Neal something to do. With the Burkes, who gave him a conscience. With the closest thing to a normal life the Caffrey siblings would ever hope of having.