Happy Caffrey-Burke Day, everyone!
Unexpected
cheride
A week had passed since the burner phone arrived in New York, but Peter hadn't called or answered. Neal hadn't expected that.
He'd expected Peter to be mad, of course, and hurt over the whole fake death thing. But though Neal hadn't been sure of the response—a hug or handcuffs seemed equally possible—he'd never imagined there'd be no response at all.
But maybe he should've learned to expect the unexpected.
Neal had certainly never expected to become captivated by the man who chased then arrested him.
Later, he hadn't expected Peter to come walking into that empty apartment to arrest him again—though, in retrospect, that was a sloppy miscalculation.
He hadn't truly expected Peter to accept his deal, and enjoying life shackled to his captor had definitely been a surprise.
When it was time to tell Peter goodbye, Neal prepared for the sadness in those brown eyes, but he hadn't foreseen the loneliness of the past year, much less the silent rejection of the past week.
Then the unexpected knock came, and Neal's hope flared as he opened the door.
Peter's smile was vaguely smug, but still hesitant, small.
Neal's smile was bigger. "I've been expecting you."
Wow. Thirteen years ago-almost down to the minute-I was sitting in front of my television, hoping that new White Collar show was going to be as good as the commercials promised. Roughly fifteen minutes later, I was hooked. Meeting Neal was exciting; meeting Peter was intriguing. But seeing them together? To this day, I think that apartment scene should be required study for anyone wanting to write a television pilot. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. And that's why I'm still here, more than a decade later, wildly in love with these guys (both of them, even if Peter barely gets any screen time here!), their relationship, and this show. And, it is so much fun to play in their world!
Thank you all for coming along and reading my ramblings; I appreciate you all. Don't forget to check out the rest of the #CaffreyBurkeDay2022 collection, and maybe check out the hashtag on your socials in case anyone's posting stuff elsewhere!