Fic (White Collar): Let It Snow

[cookiegirl]

Title: Let It Snow

Author: cookielaura

Characters/Pairings: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Elizabeth Burke, gen (background Peter/El)

Rating: G

Word Count: 2441

Spoilers & Warnings: None

Beta: ohcaptain

Summary: Neal spends his first night in Peter and El’s guest room. Just a fluffy little family fic. Takes place mid season 1.

Notes: For kanarek13, wishing you a very happy birthday! :) From her lovely prompt here, thanks for the inspiration! Fills my trope-bingo square ‘Snowed in’.

‘Hi hon!’ Elizabeth’s voice rang out as she came through the Burkes’ front door. Neal looked up, surprised, from his seat at the dining room table where he was studying a case file with Peter. Peter had said El wasn’t due home until eight pm; he hadn’t realized it was that late. They’d been talking about the case for a good two hours.

‘Hi Elizabeth!’ he called, at the same time as Peter said, ‘Hey hon, welcome home.’

‘Oh, hey Neal, I didn’t know you were coming for dinner,’ El said as she shrugged out of her coat, stepped out of her heels and headed over to the table. Her cheeks were pink from the cold evening and there were small flecks of snow in her dark hair; it must have started snowing since they’d arrived back from work. She bent down to kiss Peter on the lips, and then to Neal’s surprise, turned and gave him a peck on the cheek too.

‘Oh, I’m not staying,’ Neal reassured her. ‘We’re just finishing up here and then Peter’s giving me a ride home. I have a hot date with some reheated Chinese take-out.’ The truth was, he didn’t much feel like leaving the Burkes’ warm, cozy house and heading back out into the January chill, but he didn’t want Elizabeth to think she had to feed him every time he came back with Peter to work on a case.

‘Peter’s not driving you anywhere at the moment,’ El said firmly. ‘My journey home was awful and the weather’s getting worse. Haven’t you looked out the window?’

Neal shook his head no, and Peter frowned and got up to draw back the curtains. Neal saw him wince as he looked out on the expanse of white across the back yard. Flakes were falling heavily from the sky and it looked as though it had been settling on the ground for a while. It wasn’t a surprise really; it had been grey and freezing all day, and the weather report had been threatening snow for the past week.

‘That came down quick,’ Peter said. ‘El’s right Neal, I don’t want to drive in this.’

‘That’s probably wise, your driving’s terrifying enough in good weather,’ Neal said, grinning as Peter raised an unamused eyebrow at him. ‘I’ll just call a cab.’ He picked up his phone and stood up from the table.

Elizabeth gently but firmly lifted the phone out of Neal’s hand and set it back down. ‘Nobody should be traveling in this if they don’t have to. Why don’t you stay the night with us?’

‘Don’t worry, I’ve traveled in much worse conditions than this,’ Neal said truthfully. He was touched by the invitation, but he didn’t want to inconvenience Elizabeth and he was sure the last thing Peter wanted was Neal hanging around. Peter would probably insist on locking up the silverware before they went to bed.

‘Well, that was before you had me to worry about you,’ El said matter-of-factly. Neal wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that; people didn’t worry about him. He turned to Peter, expecting him to tell Elizabeth that Neal was perfectly capable of traveling home in a cab, but Peter looked like he was in agreement with his wife.

‘Yeah, I don’t really want you skidding off the road to your death. I’ve spent too much energy breaking you in as my C.I.’

‘Gee, thanks,’ Neal said sarcastically, though he recognized the genuine concern behind Peter’s words. ‘But I don’t want to put you to any trouble.’

‘It’s no trouble,’ El said, patting Neal on the arm. ‘The guest room’s already made up.’ She gave him a smile and then walked through to the kitchen as though the matter was settled.

‘Peter, are you sure –’ Neal started, feeling awkward.

‘It’s not a problem.’

‘But –’

‘Sit down.’

‘I –’

Peter cut him off by pointing a stern finger at him and then at the chair Neal had just vacated. He shut his mouth and sat down quickly; he knew better than to argue with the finger point.

He sat there silently for a moment while Peter turned back to the file, unsure quite what to do next; it had been years since he’d slept any place but prison or June’s, and despite making himself at home at the Burkes’ on several occasions, often without much welcome from Peter, he had never actually expected to be invited to stay.

‘Does this mean we have to share a toothbrush?’ he asked flippantly, mostly to break the tension he felt building inside him.

Peter snorted and looked up at him. ‘I think we’ve got spares. And if not, you can use your finger.’

‘I can use my finger? To brush my teeth?’

‘Yeah, Neal, people do that in emergencies, it’s a thing.’

‘That is definitely not a thing.’

Neal could tell Peter was biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing. ‘Why don’t you go and help El in the kitchen?’ he suggested, and Neal acquiesced gratefully.

The kitchen was bright and cheerful; the oven was already warming up and Elizabeth was humming along to the radio as she started roughly chopping lettuce and tomato for a salad.

‘May I?’ Neal asked, indicating the chopping, and El gladly handed over the knife.

‘Just frozen meatloaf tonight I’m afraid, though it was homemade. I keep trying to widen Peter’s culinary horizons, but he insists on asking for meatloaf. He says it reminds him of his mother’s cooking.’

‘Is that a compliment?’

Elizabeth grinned. ‘I’m not sure.’

Neal watched her pick out glasses from the cupboard and scan the wine rack, while he worked on the salad and wondered idly how long it had been since someone had paid enough attention to know his favorite meals. Kate could probably have hazarded a guess, he supposed. Maybe she still remembered. Maybe not.

‘There’s a caramel apple pie in the freezer too, somewhere, if you can find it,’ Elizabeth said, pulling out a bottle of red.

Neal glanced up, surprised, and El smiled at him. ‘You like that, right?’

‘I – yes. How did you know?’

‘You mentioned the other day how you hadn’t had it for years. I picked one up last time I went shopping.’

Neal found himself utterly ill equipped to deal with the casualness of that remark. Elizabeth said it as though it was normal, as though this was what people – friends – did for each other. Maybe it was.

He murmured his thanks, opened the freezer door and let the air cool his slightly flushed face as he hunted for the pie.

--

‘That was a really great meal El,’ Peter said, pushing his chair back a little from the table after his last bite of pie.

Neal raised his eyebrows. ‘Just El? Didn’t you enjoy my magnificent salad?’

Peter gave him a long-suffering look that didn’t quite hide his amusement and amended: ‘That was a really great meal, El and Neal.’

‘It was, thanks Elizabeth,’ Neal agreed.

‘You’re welcome,’ she said, smiling. ‘Peter, you’d better hurry with the washing up if you want to fit in a movie.’

‘A movie?’ Neal hadn’t heard anything about a movie.

‘Friday’s movie night. Well, whenever Peter and I are both at home, which isn’t all that often.’

‘And it’s my turn to pick,’ Peter said, ‘So prepare yourselves for Die Hard: With a Vengeance.’

Neal and El winced in unison.

‘Actually,’ El said, ‘I think it’s Neal’s turn to pick.’ Peter looked about to protest, but El continued. ‘I picked last time, you picked the time before that, so it’s definitely Neal’s turn.’

‘Hard to argue with that logic,’ Neal cut in, and Peter rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

‘Fine, I know when I’m beaten. I’ll make the popcorn.’ He disappeared into the kitchen.

‘Thank you,’ El said conspiratorially to Neal, ‘for saving me from more Bruce Willis. You’ll have to come to movie night more often.’

Neal did his best not to jump on that invitation. ‘Happy to be of service,’ he assured her.

El pointed out the DVD cabinet to him, and he sat down in front of it to rifle through their collection. It wasn’t hard to tell which DVDs had been chosen by whom. One side of the cabinet was stocked with musicals, indie films, a few romantic comedies and some thrillers; the other side consisted of an array of sport, action and buddy cop movies, some Westerns, and, Neal noted with amusement, Catch Me If You Can. In the middle were a selection of old and modern classics that he figured were probably joint purchases, and Neal swiftly decided to restrict himself to those – an obvious attempt to curry favor, perhaps, but he didn’t want to wear out his welcome. He pulled out Back to the Future and handed it to El.

‘Good choice. Though I have to warn you, Peter loves the soundtrack. He might sing along.’

‘Peter singing fifties pop-rock?’ Neal gave a faux shudder. ‘Maybe I should reconsider.’

‘Reconsider what?’ Peter asked as he re-entered the living room with a large bowl of popcorn.

‘Neal’s chosen Back to the Future. He’s very much looking forward to hearing your rendition of Johnny B. Goode.’ She slipped the DVD into the player and returned to the couch.

‘Hmm, he should be so lucky,’ Peter said, putting the bowl on the coffee table and sitting next to Elizabeth. They sat closely together, his arm around her, and Neal realized from his position on the floor that they’d left space at the other end of the couch for him.

‘I can sit on the chair if you guys want to stretch out,’ he said, getting up, but Peter waved away his suggestion.

‘Better view here,’ he said. ‘Can you turn the lights off?’

Neal did, then settled down next to Peter in the darkened room as the opening sequence of the movie began. El silently passed the popcorn over to him.

There was something special, Neal realized, about sitting in the warm while knowing the snow was piling up outside, feeling safe and cozy and very much not alone. He was suddenly fiercely glad that he was here, and he let himself truly relax for the first time that evening, sinking back into the couch cushions, breathing in the scent of freshly made popcorn and letting the warm butter melt on his tongue. Onscreen, Marty fired up the DeLorean.

After a half hour or so, Peter used the remote to lower the volume a little, and Neal looked over to find Elizabeth curled against Peter, her eyes closed and breathing slow.

‘Could have watched Die Hard after all,’ Peter said softly, and Neal returned his grin. He couldn’t blame El for falling asleep in such an atmosphere, and he slouched down a little himself, tipping his head back against the couch and lazily returning his gaze to the screen.

--

Neal felt himself gradually becoming aware of his surroundings. It was mostly dark, there was music playing and he was pleasantly sleepy, his head resting on something warm and solid. He struggled to open his eyes, but when he saw the end credits of a movie rolling up the TV screen, he remembered where he was with a jolt. He sat up abruptly, embarrassment flooding through him as he realized he’d been leaning his head against Peter’s shoulder.

‘Hey. Have a nice rest?’ Peter asked with a lopsided smile, keeping his voice low.

Neal blinked the sleep out of his eyes. ‘Uh, yeah. Sorry for leaning on you.’

‘It’s fine, I’m used to it,’ Peter said, nodding down at Elizabeth whose head was still on his chest. He didn’t seem annoyed at all that Neal had been using him as part of the furniture. Neal struggled to process the situation as El’s eyelids started to flicker.

‘Hey sleepyhead,’ Peter said, dropping a kiss onto her forehead. She smiled up at him slowly.

‘Movie over?’

‘Yeah, you enjoy it?’ Peter asked her teasingly.

‘It was great. Much better than Die Hard.’ She tilted her head up for a kiss. ‘Mmm. Bedtime?’

Neal and Peter both voiced their agreement, despite Neal’s slight reluctance to leave the peaceful refuge of the couch. He headed up the stairs after Peter and Elizabeth, and they directed him to the room next to theirs.

‘There are towels under the sink in the bathroom, and a couple of spare toothbrushes I think,’ El said, as they paused on the landing. ‘I put some of Peter’s pajamas on the bed for you earlier. And there are extra blankets on the top shelf of the wardrobe if you get cold. You need anything else sweetie?’

‘No, I’m good. Thanks Elizabeth,’ Neal said.

‘Well, just let me know if you do.’ She pressed a soft, chaste kiss to his cheek and headed into the bedroom.

‘Night Neal,’ Peter said, turning to follow her.

‘That’s it? No dire warnings about what will happen if I use your abode for criminal activities during the night? Or steal your pajamas?’

Peter shook his head almost fondly, opened the door to the guest bedroom and gently pushed Neal into it. ‘Go to sleep. And don’t miss breakfast tomorrow, El makes French toast on Saturdays.’

Neal smiled. ‘Okay. Goodnight Peter.’

Peter closed the door behind him, and Neal looked around. He had stuck his head around the bedroom door once before on his way to the bathroom, just out of curiosity, but this was the first time he’d been in it as an invited guest. It was a good size, tastefully decorated in soft blues, and Neal felt instantly at home. He paid a quick visit to the en suite bathroom, then put on Peter’s pajamas – actually a old T-shirt that had been washed so many times he could no longer work out the pattern on it, and a pair of checked cotton pants. They smelt of laundry detergent and Peter, and they were surprisingly more comfortable than Byron’s silk pajamas.

Neal stood for a moment at the window, drawing back the curtains to look out on the yard below. The snow had stopped falling, but the ground was still thickly carpeted in white, and the sounds of Brooklyn were muffled. Everything seemed calm.

He settled down into bed, letting himself acknowledge for just a moment how nice it was to know that Peter and Elizabeth were sleeping in the next room, that he would wake up to smiles and company and French toast. He drifted off to sleep, his last thought being a hope that it would snow more often.

Comments

[sinfulslasher]

This? Makes me insanely happy! :D

*draws hearts around all three of them*

(Though I wouldn't mind listening to Peter's rendition of Johnny B. Goode, to be honest. LOL)

[cookiegirl]

Aww, I'm so pleased, thank you :)

Haha me neither, Peter can sing to me any time he likes :D

[dennih23.livejournal.com]

Very sweet – I love Neal and El ganging up on Peter on his choice of movies. Then El and Neal both falling asleep.

I’m with Neal it should snow more often and we get lots more Snowed In stories.

Thanks for sharing.

[cookiegirl]

Aww, thank you for the lovely feedback :)

[sandy79.livejournal.com]

This is worth a full cargoload of cookies! I love it from the first word to the last. It's wonderful written, especially in regards of Neal's emotions, and the part with the movies is just so funny. Too bad that Neal didn't get a bit of Peter's "singing". Thanks for sharing!

[cookiegirl]

Thank you so much! ♥

[scarym1.livejournal.com]

This was a fun story. Great banter between Peter & Neal especially about sharing toothbrushes. I love how El stop Neal from calling a cab & decides that he is staying over night.

"Well, that was before you had me to worry about you,’ El said matter-of-factly. Neal wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that; people didn’t worry about him."

[cookiegirl]

Thank you for the kind feedback :)

[jerusha]

Aw, Neal. I loved this. It made my heart happy.

[cookiegirl]

Aww I'm so pleased, thank you ♥

[pipilj.livejournal.com]

Aww this is lovely story. Peter pajama better than Bryon's silk pajama I am sure Neal will never admit it to anyone

[cookiegirl]

Haha I'm sure you're right :D Thank you!

[lyryk.livejournal.com]

This is really lovely and happy-making. <3

[cookiegirl]

Thank you, so glad you enjoyed :)

[ficwriterjet.livejournal.com]

Aw, that was a really sweet. It felt true to the show too - if it was snowing out, I think the Burke's would insist that Neal stay the night instead of trying to get home. It made me warm and happy to think of Neal being part of the family for the night. :)

[cookiegirl]

Thank you so much! ♥

[aragarna.livejournal.com]

awwww this was lovely!! ♥
Love the fluffy stories and your characters were spot-on.

[cookiegirl]

Thanks so much! I can't resist fluff either :D

[hurinhouse.livejournal.com]

So cute. I can just see the fondness on Peter's face, telling Neal good night with trust in his eyes. I love that look on him.

[cookiegirl]

Thank you! I love fond Peter too :)

[doctor-fangeek.livejournal.com]

I'm still behind in my reading & my feedback, but I got a chance to read this yesterday and I loved it. So sweet, and of course they wouldn't send Neal off in a cab in a snowstorm. {{Hugs fic}} And Neal, all awkward at first once it's decided that of course he'll stay over. And then he's taken aback because there is a movie. {{Hugs Neal}}

Thanks for sharing.

[cookiegirl]

Aww, thanks so much! {{Fic and Neal hug you back}}

[pooh-collector.livejournal.com]

Awww!

Sweet, adorable S1 fic. I still love the uncomplicated relationship that they all had in S1, before seasons of plot arcs made things more complicated, for better and for worse.

Thank you for this lovely reminder of the good old days.

[cookiegirl]

Thank you :) The early seasons are still my favourites!

[morganslady.livejournal.com]

What a beautifully,sweet story.. Thank you..

[cookiegirl]

Thanks so much :)

[caseyf123.livejournal.com]

This was absolutely wonderful. Definitely gave me the warm fuzzies. Thanks so much!

[cookiegirl]

Aww I'm so pleased, thank you!

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I am surprised at just how happy this made me! Neal deserves people who know what he likes to eat.

[cookiegirl]

Aww that's lovely to hear, thank you! And yes, he definitely does :)

[leesa_perrie]

Aww, lots of fluffy cuteness with a side order of banter, lovely!

[cookiegirl]

Hee, thank you :D

[ladyrose42.livejournal.com]

Nice to read a simple sweet story without angst and all that jazz. Thanks!

[cookiegirl]

Thanks, it was fun to write something lighter! :)

[droodlebug.livejournal.com]

Warm and fuzzy--love it. Thanks!

[cookiegirl]

Thank you :)

[kanarek13]

OMG, thank so, soooooooo much for thinking of me and taking the time to write this beautiful fluffy fic that I was truly craving like air, heee :D

It's perfect in its warmth and love and that slight heartbreak because it is heartbreaking when you think how long it's been since anyone had shown Neal some unconditional kindness and made him feel like he belonged somewhere ♥

Also, Neal dozing off on Peter's shoulder - endless hearts ♥

I want to turn this fic into a silky soft blanket and just wrap myself in it, heee :D

Thank you so much ♥ {{{{HUGS}}}}

[cookiegirl]

Hiii, welcome back! :) Hope you're doing OK! ♥

Aww yay I'm so pleased you like it! {{Hugs back!}}

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

This was great! Comforting and fluffy and delightful.

[cookiegirl]

Aww thank you :)

[lov-pb.livejournal.com]

Perfect story to read while cuddled up next to the fire. I love the first season time period! Friendship blossuming and relationship growing. Thanks!

[cookiegirl]

Thanks so much :) I love that time period too ♥

[chicca01.livejournal.com]

So sweet and lovely!!! Perfect in everything

[cookiegirl]

Aww, thank you so much :)

[azertynin.livejournal.com]

♥ Cute ♥ Love it ♥ :D ♥

[cookiegirl]

Hee, thank you :D

[sherylyn]

**<3 X infinity** L.O.V.E. This!! Neal needs lots and lots of these warm, haooy moments, and who better to provide them than El and Peter?! Lovelovelovelovelove!!!!

[cookiegirl]

Thank you!! ♥ Aww yes I wish all the happy moments for Neal!, especially with Peter and El (though he is welcome to stay at mine when it's snowing instead haha :D)

[sherylyn]

LOL I just noticed my typos in the original comment. See why I don't review on my iPad? And the bad thing is, I'm generally *good* at typing on my iPad, b/c I used it so much for taking notes in grad school. But for whatever reason, lying in bed reading with it somehow means I can't type worth crap! LOL!!

And yes, anytime Neal's not being warmly snuggled by you or me (or probably a zillion other volunteers!), he should be being snuggled by Peter and El! LOL!!