White Collar owns Neal! -meh :(-

"Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?"

-Glinda, Wicked

Neal began, "My parents were good people, they went to church, and did everything they could to give back and raise a good kid. Everything was normal in my life, I was a normal kid who lived in a normal suburban town. Nothing special, until the year I turned fourteen. One morning, my mom found a lump in her breast. I guess after getting lucky for most of your life, you have to have bad luck sometime, right?"

Neal laughed bitterly and continued, "My mom went from one horrible doctor to another. We spent so much money, none of it went anywhere productive. When we finally found a good doctor, he said it was too late. My mother died the night before my eighteenth birthday, and by then, my father was already an intense alcoholic. That's how I started out you know, stealing wine for him. I guess even then I was lucky, he never abused me, only made crude comments when he was really drunk. As long as I got him wine, he and I were okay. The day after my mom's funeral, I ran away. I left my dad a long letter, telling him how I needed to be on my own and all that jazz. I never finished high school. No one from that town ever heard from me again. Every once in a while, though, I get a little update from my dad, I know that he's cleaned up, remarried and is happy. I'm happy for him but...sometimes I wonder if he acts like my mom and I never existed, like I'm just his troubled nephew or something...Or maybe he's back to being the guy he was before my mom got sick, and maybe, deep down he's ironically proud of me." Neal paused, trying to control the tears that threatened to spill out.

Jamie rubbed Neal's arm soothingly, "If you want to stop here for tonight..."

He shook his head, "No, I started now, I need to get it all out."

Neal closed his eyes for a second before he began, "I honestly don't know how I survived in the city during my first year on my own, I got through it though and I scouted a job, my first big one. I slipped into the gallery and grabbed the painting, in and out, I don't remember the specifics. I remember I was rolling up the painting when I got stopped by who I thought was a guard. He asked me how I got that painting so quickly, and what I was going to do with it. I was a kid, I didn't know what else to do, so I answered his questions. That guard turned out to be Mozzie."

Neal laughed at the memory, "Moz saw potential in me, he took me in, let me stay in one of his safe houses, and taught me how to be a good thief. He introduced me to Alex, my first girlfriend as a world class thief. You'll meet Alex eventually, she always shows up when you least expect it...Anyway, Alex and I moved on to international heists, and we could've done greater, but I missed New York, I missed Mozzie, and the home I had made here. Plus by then I was twenty-one and I couldn't pass for a lost teen anymore. Alex didn't agree, and we had an explosive fight. I met Kate on the plane home. We had an inexplicable relationship, she wasn't a thief, just a normal girl who was out on her own, but I taught her the basics. She knew how to pick locks, write in almost every kind of code, and she became my assistant, my friend, my...lover." Neal looked at Jamie, not wanted to say too much about his previous relationships in front of his current one.

Jamie noticed Neal's look and chuckled, "Go on, I'm fine."

Neal held the wine bottle as he continued, "When I met Kate, I was still a poor kid, Alex and I had done high profile jobs but when I left, I let her keep most of the money, I couldn't bring myself to take my share. I only took enough for a plane ticket, a year's rent for the crappy apartment I had, and enough to get by. Then I met Kate. I wanted to provide for her, to let her live the life of luxury she deserved. It was that first year I knew her that I became 'the world's greatest con artist.' We were happy, the year I turned twenty-two was a really great year. My schemes became more elaborate, and thats when I started to get cocky. By the end of the year, the FBI was on to me. Of course, I was skilled enough to not get caught and I spent most of that year in New York. Then, somehow, I slipped up just enough for Peter to get a picture of me, of the real me and it became that much harder. On my twenty-fourth birthday I went on the run and Peter chased me all over the world. I still cannot believe Kate stuck with me, but she did. After a year of running I got cocky again, I thought Peter would give up eventually, and I got sloppy. I forged a couple bonds, and slipped up, I don't remember what Peter found exactly, but he found it and I was arrested. My trial was over in a couple of days, and before I knew it I was staring at a cell for four years. Kate didn't falter though, she didn't end it, she just kissed me goodbye. She visited me every week, until four months before I got out she came early, to tell me it was over, that she wanted to start a new life, without me. I didn't know what else to do, so I broke out. I missed her by two days. I went back to her apartment, our apartment, but all I found was a wine bottle. Peter found me there, I wasn't running at that point. I knew I had to get out, I had to find Kate, so I proposed a deal, and suddenly I was out, for real this time, with a tracking anklet on, living here, and helping Peter solve cases. Kate left me clues, someone was holding her, keeping her from me. Really I think she might've been working with him, instead of against him, but I don't know. I made a lot of mistakes last year, I crossed some lines when it came to Kate, but Peter never gave up on me. I almost ran though, an agent gave me the chance to have a new life with Kate, and I almost took it, but I didn't want to run. After working with Peter I realized running isn't all what its worked up to be, and staying in New York, with people who like me and don't see me for a criminal, is the climate I like. I was about to tell Peter that, when the plane, the plane I was supposed to be on, exploded with Kate on it, and all I could do was watch it happen. On top of it all, I had to go back to jail. Peter was under investigation, and the FBI didn't know what to do with me, so they threw me back into a cell. Peter was cleared, and was able to give me my old offer again though, and here we are, a year later."

Neal closed his eyes, trying to stop the storm of images that were flying through his head.

Jamie saw Neal's panic, "Neal? Hey, Neal look at me, okay?"

Neal opened his eyes, and saw the beautiful girl sitting next to him, the beautiful girl who knew his past, and didn't care. At that moment, the only thing Neal knew was that he wanted to kiss this beautiful girl really badly.

AN: Phew! Wow, that was easier than I thought...I had to take a lot of liberty on this, but I think it came out pretty well...I hope ;) Well, just letting you guys know, this is the only chapter that's information could change. As the show continues and we find out more about Neal's past, I will change it accordingly, but right now, this is all I got. Will update soon! Please Review! Thanks!

P.S. the quote at the beginning might be a new thing, probably not. I was thinking about this chapter and the quote popped into my mind, it fits Neal, slightly, I think, but maybe if it was "Are people born thieves? Or do they have thievery thrust upon them?" it would fit Neal more. Oh and I good song for this chapter(well i think so) is "Need You Now" By Lady Antebellum