A/n: Thanks to: puellascribit5, gibbsbabygirl93, leaned, and whoaaitsmichele for the reviews and to all who have alerted! They make my day! I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! I think there is only like, 38 more days until all new White Collar! Woohoo the wait is almost over!

I don't own White Collar just the little mistakes here and there

Eleanor stood nervously in the airport lobby, biting her lip. Neal stood next to her, looking dashing as always, holding her close. Her mother and father would be here any minute now, bringing with them her mother's judging sneers and haughty comments.

"Just breathe Ellie, everything's going to be fine." Neal said trying to calm her down.

"Yeah everything, fine, yeah." She said not making much sense.

"Hey come on, talk to Me." he said grabbing onto her shoulders, making her face him. "Ask me anything, anything at all."

"H-how was work?" she asked her eyes darting over to the terminal every few seconds.

"Work? Out of all the questions you could ask me, you ask about work?" Neal said with a chuckle.

"Well you know what Neal, that's the first thing that popped in my head ok? I'm not like Peter, I don't want to know about your past crimes!" she snapped.

"Alright work it is. We're still trying to crack a string of art heist."

"The ones when the guys break in with guns, shoot the place up and get away with whatever they can get their hands on?" Eleanor asked, starting to feel a little better.

"Yeah that one."

"How come you haven't caught them yet?"

"Well the thieves seem to disappear, whatever their exit strategy is it's almost perfect."

"Oh damn, they're here." Eleanor said her face going pale. Two older people were walking toward them caring their luggage behind them. One of them, the woman, was short, her mousy brown hair fading grey. The other, the man, was tall and rather large, his bald head gleaming in the light.

"Oh look at my little Eleanor Elizabeth!" the woman cried embracing Eleanor in a tight hug once she reached them.

"Hi mom." Eleanor said stiffly.

"It's good to see you Ellie." The man said pulling his daughter close kissing her on the head. "You look good."

"Thanks dad. It's good to see you too."

"And who is this strapping young man?" her mother asked eyeing Neal up and down.

"Uh mom, this is G-George, George Devore, my boyfriend." Eleanor said stuttering at Neal's new name.

"Your boyfriend?" her mother squealed.

"Yes mom my boyfriend. George this is Alice, my mother, and Leroy my father."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both, truly it is." He said shaking her parents' hands.

"Handsome and a gentleman!" her mother squealed again. "Quite the catch you have here Eleanor."

"What is it that you do for a living George?" her father asked, puffing out his chest. Eleanor rolled her eyes. He looked like he was trying to scare her prom date. If only he had a shot gun to clean, it would be perfect.

"I'm an art collector. I run a small gallery in town." Neal said confidently without batting an eye.

"How long have you known my Ellie?" her father asked still skeptical of Neal.

"Hush now Leroy, you're being silly." Alice interjected.

"No, it's alright," Neal said flashing his most charming smile. "I've know your wonderful daughter for a year now."

"A year? And you haven't told me about him before?"

"Well mom we haven't been on the best of terms lately." Eleanor said rather harshly.

"Why don't we get moving?" Leroy said before Alice could retaliate.

"Let me help you with that Ma'am." Neal said taking Alice's bag.

"Well thank you." she said batting her eyelashes at Neal in a very flirtatious way.

"Mom!" Eleanor snapped. She was not hitting on her boyfriend.

"What?" Alice said innocently. Neal lead the party out to the curb and began loading Eleanor's' parents' bags. Eleanor held open the door of her car to let her parents in before quickly walking back to Neal a pleading look on her face.

"Kill me now, please." She begged.

"Relax," Neal said with a smile rubbing her shoulders. "I think everything is going fine."

"Yeah, it's all peachy." She grumbled. Neal just smiled and shut the trunk. Taking the keys for Eleanor he ducked into the driver's seat and took off toward Eleanor's place.

She was in hell. She had only been around her mother for just a few hours and her mother had already pointed out thin she was, how tired she looked, how small her apartment was, and how overworked she was. It was her mother's gift, picking out all of your faults and letting the whole world know about them. Eleanor had to stop herself several times from screaming. Her mother drove her over the edge.

Neal on the other hand, was having a grand old time, chatting up her parents like they were old friends. He had them charmed with his award winning smile and his devil may care attitude, telling them fabricated stories of his time abroad searching for the rarest pieces of art. Granted, the stories were probably from his early con days but he made them fit with his new line of work as an art collector. To him, this was all a piece of cake.

"Ellie you seem awfully quiet, is everything ok?" her mother asked as they sat at her kitchen table eating dinner.

"Yeah mom everything's great." She said with a small smile.

"So how have you been? How's work?"

"Work's fine mom, everything has been pretty normal."

"Oh dear, it's like talking to a teenager." Alice said to Neal rolling her eyes. "Always the short answers, 'fine', 'normal', 'great'. You know she was like this as a kid too, stubborn to the core, just like her father."

"Well if I had more to say mom then I would have said it." Eleanor said peevishly.

"Yes well I'm sure working in a hospital is a very boring job." Her mother replied giving her a cold stare.

"Would you like to know how many children I saw die today mom? Is that what you want me to talk about?"

"Oh now we're mad!" Alice said throwing her hands up in the air. "She goes from one extreme to the other! Honestly George I don't know how you can put up with her mood swings!"

"My mood swings?" Eleanor hissed her face turning bright red. "What about your mood swings? You would burn this city to the ground if someone disagreed with you!"

"Come now Eleanor you're being a drama queen." Alice snapped. Eleanor bit her tongue before reaching for her wine glass and draining it. "Well it's late; Leroy and I should be getting off to bed."

"Fine by me." Eleanor said getting up from the table and clearing away the dishes. Neal helped her father pull out the futon as her mother meandered around Eleanor's apartment getting ready for bed. Once her parents were settled in and absorbed in their game show Neal entered the kitchen to help Eleanor with the dishes.

"I can't do this Neal." She whispered scrubbing the plate in her hand vigorously. "I can't put up with her."

"Relax Ellie, I think dinner went fine." Neal said taking the plate from her and rinsing it. "Just take deep breaths, she'll be gone before you know it."

"Easier said than done Mr. Devore. Where the hell did you come up with those stories by the way?"

"They may or may not have been from my time on the run." He said simply.

"Uh huh, and I'm guessing that George Devore is one of your aliases too?"

"He's a friend."

"Right." She said with a smile. Just then Neal's phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached down and looked at it, a confused look spreading across his face.

"Who is it? Is something wrong?" Eleanor asked washing the suds off of her hands.

"No, it's an old friend." He said still looking at the phone his brows furrowed. "She's in town and says she might have some information on the art heists."

"She?"

"Is just an old friend Ellie I swear." Neal said looking up at her, his blue eyes sincere.

"I know, I believe you." Eleanor said drying her hands. "So does this mean you have to go?"

"I'm sorry, I'll be back as soon as this is over with I promise."

"No don't worry about it. I'm not so sure how well my dad will take it if he sees you sneaking in, in the middle of the night." Eleanor said looking over at her parents, her mother already passed out with her mouth hanging slightly open.

"I'll pick you up for lunch tomorrow?"

"It's a date." She smiled.

"I love you Ellie."

"I love you too George." Neal stopped and gave her a hard look as if he didn't appreciate the name change. "Don't tell me Neal Caffrey is jealous of one of his aliases?"

"hmmm." he said, still giving her the look.

"I love you too Neal. See you tomorrow." She said kissing him on the lips. He kissed her back wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Just remember to breathe and everything will be fine." He whispered in her ear. "And if that doesn't work I left you a bottle of Chateau Latour."

"Oh you know me so well." she said hugging him close. Eleanor wished he didn't have to leave. She wanted to stay right here in his arms, his body close to hers, taking in his sent with every breath. Reluctantly she let go and watched him close the front door leaving her alone with her parents. Sighing she turned off the kitchen light and walked into the living room. Quietly as she could she closed the draped and turned off all the lights. She was about to turn the TV off when her father spoke up from the futon.

"It's good to see you happy again Ellie." Eleanor smile and walked over to him kissing him on the forehead.

"Goodnight dad."

Things are about to pick up in the next chapter I promise! Tell me what you think!