Title: Origami as a Language of Love.

Summary: Neal gets more than he bargained for when he's invited to spend Christmas Eve with Peter and Elizabeth.

Characters: Neal Caffrey, Peter Brurke, and Elizabeth Burke.

Warnings: None.

Notes: Happy Holidays everyone! I wish you all the best for the New Year! I bring you some White Collar family fluff to enjoy, with a bit of angst added for good measure, of course. 😉

...

Neal shivered once again as he waited, looking up at the simple yet tasteful decorations placed outside. Maybe wearing a suit tonight hadn't been the best idea, even if he added a nice thick coat, gloves, and the warm scarf June had gifted him before leaving town to spend the holidays with her family on the West Coast.

June had been reluctant to leave him alone in the big empty house and even entertained the idea of inviting the Ellington family to New York this year. In the end, Neal convinced her otherwise, and she left a week ago. Of course, the Burkes' invitation for Neal to spend Christmas Eve with them had helped as well.

Honestly, Neal wasn't sure what to expect for tonight.

The last time he celebrated the holidays in a mostly traditional way was back when he was still living in St. Louis. Ellen always tried to make up for his vacant mother and absent father and did her best to give him as normal and happy a childhood as she possibly could. Years later, he celebrated the holidays a couple of times with Kate, but even that had been nothing like the movie-like celebration the Burkes probably held every year.

It was ironic, really, that for all the richness they shared, he and Kate were never able to celebrate a proper Christmas time together.

The first year was something simple and small. Kate was barely managing to keep herself afloat after Adler left her with nothing, and all the while was still struggling to accept Neal Caffrey in place of Nick Halden. The second year they were too busy trying to stay ahead of the French police for a real celebration, and by the third year, he had been pulling daring and flashy heists to get her attention. Then, came the years of being kept apart by prison, and after that nothing. It was all over in a storm of fire and smoke.

Neal forced the thought away hastily. He was about to enter Peter's house on Christmas Eve. This was not the time to be thinking about that.

He shifted the bag he was carrying- it wasn't exactly heavy, but it was big enough to be uncomfortable to hold. He was about to knock again when the door finally opened, revealing Peter standing there. He was wearing a forest green sweater and jeans, and there was a pleased smile on his face. Neal was hit with the almost palpable sense of coziness and warmth coming from the Burke household as he caught a glimpse of the soft lights behind Peter.

"Hey, Neal. You're right on time."

"Just like any good guest should be," He replied with a bright smile. "Merry Christmas Eve, Peter."

"Yeah, you too. Come inside already. You're letting in the cold." Once Neal was inside, Peter made a show of sticking his head out and looking left and right before turning back to Neal. "No Mozzie tonight?"

"Moz doesn't celebrate corporate-sponsored festivities." It wasn't exactly a lie, even if Neal was leaving out the fact there was a professional reason for Mozzie to be away from New York right now. After all, Moz's idiosyncrasies never stopped him from enjoying good food and a few drinks on past holidays.

"Of course he doesn't," Peter muttered as he closed the door.

Neal hadn't taken more than a couple of steps inside when Satchmo appeared in front of him, pink tongue hanging out of his mouth and tail wagging. He put his bag down and got rid of his gloves so he could give the dog the greeting he deserved. It wasn't long before he had Satch on his back as he rubbed his soft belly with a smile on his face, murmuring nonsensical endearments.

The sound of a throat being cleared made Neal look up to meet Peter's amused but slightly exasperated expression.

"Are you quite done with my dog?"

"I suppose I can be. For now," Neal added, flashing him a grin before turning his attention back to the dog for one more rub or two. As soon as Satchmo realized there would be no more petting, he trotted back to his dog bed.

"Alright. Take off your coat and stuff so you can get comfortable."

Neal finished hanging his coat and scarf in the coat rack by the door when Elizabeth emerged from the kitchen. She was wearing a black dress just fancy enough not to be confused with everyday wear, sensible red heels, and a well-worn pink apron. Her smile made her blue eyes sparkle as she walked toward him.

"Hey, Neal. I'm glad you could make it."

He was taken by surprise when she kissed his cheek and hugged him, but he was hugging her back with a pleased smile of his own just a second later. "Hi, Elizabeth. Thank you for having me."

"Of course, sweetie. We're glad you're here." She gave a light squeeze to his hand before letting it go.

Neal couldn't tell if Elizabeth was just being polite or if she meant it, but he decided not to dwell on that right now. What would be the point in that? He was already here. Instead, he busied himself reaching for his bag with a quiet 'ah' as if he had just remembered something.

"Peter refused to tell me what you were going to cook, so I hope this pairs well with tonight's feast." From the delicious smells he perceived as soon as he entered the house Neal was pretty sure he was on the clear, even if he could have picked a better wine.

Elizabeth took the bottle and examined the label with a thoughtful hum. "This is very good, and I think it will go just fine with dinner. Thanks, Neal."

"My pleasure," He replied with a small playful bow. Elizabeth smiled warmly in response.

"What else have you got in there?" Peter asked, drawing Neal's attention back to him as he nodded to the bag still on the floor.

"I brought a couple of presents to thank you for inviting me tonight- and don't worry, Peter, everything was paid for." He hoped Peter wouldn't ask where the money came from. It was nothing too expensive because Neal knew he would never accept it otherwise, but with his meager pay as an ex-con FBI consultant, there was no way he could have afforded any of it. Except maybe Satchmo's present.

"Well, that's good," Peter replied awkwardly.

"Honey," Elizabeth chastised before turning to Neal, her frown gone. "You didn't have to, sweetie."

"I know. I wanted to."

For a second or two, it looked like Elizabeth was going to hug him yet again, but in the end, she only offered him a warm smile. "Alright. Why don't you put them with the rest of the presents under the tree, and then you can come to enjoy some eggnog."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good boy," Elizabeth teased back before walking to the kitchen, taking the bottle of wine with her.

"Well, you heard my wife," Peter said, arms crossed across his chest as he watched Neal expectantly. He rolled his eyes in response but dutifully picked up the bag and moved to do just that. Something caught his eyes as soon as he stood in front of the brightly lit tree in the corner. Several somethings.

A blue crane, a pink lotus flower, a purple butterfly, a green jumping frog. And there were other very familiar figures adorning the tree.

"Wait. Is that-"

"Ah. I see you've discovered Peter's collection," Elizabeth called, her voice ringing with amusement.

"It's not a collection, and it's definitely not mine," Peter pointed out, giving his wife a look.

"Alright," Neal agreed easily. He was more interested in an explanation than in debating that point. He could always come back to that once he had all the facts.

Peter looked at him, then at Elizabeth as she stood by his side, her arm linked with his as she met his gaze. He sighed in defeat.

"You kept leaving little origami figures all around the office," Peter explained, his tone almost accusing. As if this was all Neal's fault. "Just as I was leaving the office one day, I caught sight of one of the flowers you made and decided to bring it home with me to show it to El. She liked it, of course, so I kept bringing more whenever I found them around.

"I had no idea El was keeping them until she pulled them out when we were decorating the tree."

This didn't have to mean anything. It didn't.

"They looked too beautiful to be thrown away," Elizabeth explained with a small shrug of her shoulder. "And it turned out we only had to add a little silver thread to turn them into perfect ornaments."

"If I had known you were going to keep them and even put them on your tree I would have used better paper," Neal commented with a twitch of his lips when it became apparent they were waiting for him to say something.

Elizabeth shook her head. "They're perfect."

Neal turned back to the tree. It looked nothing like the imposing yet impersonal trees people liked to copy out of magazines. It was beautiful and elegant, like anything Elizabeth Burke had a hand on creating, and it was obvious that every piece that was put in it -however mismatched it may seem to a critical eye- was there for a reason, and not only for aesthetic purposes. Some ornaments were old but well-cared for, while others clearly had been purchased not too long ago. And somehow, amidst them and the colorful lights were a handful of carefully folded pieces of paper in a vast array of colors. As if they belonged there.

It didn't mean anything, Neal told himself one more time. Just Elizabeth putting to good use what was at her disposal.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I'm glad you found a good use for them."

"That we did."

Neal busied himself finally pulling out the presents and putting them among the rest under the tree. By the time he looked back to the Burkes, there was a smile on his face.

"I believe I was promised some eggnog."

"You were," Elizabeth confirmed, motioning for him to follow her. "I made a few changes to the old Mitchell recipe, so I want to hear what you think."

"I already gave you my opinion," Peter called as he walked behind Neal.

Elizabeth stopped and turned to give him a look. "Honey, you told me it tasted good."

"And it does!"

"I know, but I need a more detailed opinion before I can present it to the rest of the Mitchell clan. Just in case I need to make some adjustments first."

Neal shot Peter a grin that was only a little bit smug. He ignored the glare he received and instead looked back at Elizabeth. "You know I'm always happy to act as your taste tester."

"Good," She said with a smile. "Sit down while I pour you a glass."

Neal did what he was told, and a second later, watched as Peter sat in the stool by his side.

"Do I get some eggnog too, or is it just for the 'taste tester'?"

"Of course you do, Hon." El put three glasses down and then leaned over the counter to kiss her husband.

Neal couldn't suppress a smile as he watched them. He wasn't even surprised to see the Burkes' celebration was just as idyllic as he had imagined, and despite that, he didn't feel like an outsider.

He wondered what it said about him that he was happy to spend Christmas Eve with the man that put him in prison for four years and who would be holding his leash for four more. No wonder Moz kept talking about Stockholm Syndrome and brainwashing. This night should be awkward and wrong, but somehow it wasn't. Instead, it almost felt like he was where he belonged, right alongside Peter, his wife, and his dog-

And that was yet another unwelcome thought that needed to be brushed aside. What was it with him tonight? He needed to stop overthinking everything and just enjoy the moment. That shouldn't be hard at all.

Neal reached for one of the glasses on the counter and raised it in a toast. "Cheers."

The three glasses clinked together a second later in the warm and cozy kitchen.

...

a/n: You know how parents always like to put their kids' art crafts in the tree or around the house on Christmas time? Yeah, I couldn't resist adding that bit here, even if most of the time I see Peter and Neal's relationship as more of an older brother/younger brother thing. I hope I wasn't the only one who enjoyed that detail.

Fair warning: I'm not happy with the ending, so I most likely will be back to fix it later. Sorry about that.

As you can probably tell by now, this is another of my old drafts, except it had been far from finished and it was until a few days ago that I got the inspiration to work on it, so I had to rush a bit to have it posted today. I hope you enjoyed it, and thank you comments and favs in the past weeks! They inspired me to get this finished and posted.