SPOILERS for seasons 1-3

Also, partial credit to DJ_Tatortot for the help. There you go, you idoot.

Summary: You and Neal become close when you join the FBI's white collar division. And then he makes a big mistake...

QOTP: Kate or Sarah?

Word Count: 3475

"Neal Caffrey, criminal consultant," the man in question says, holding out his hand.

You nervously smile and shake his hand, your words coming out stuttered; it's your first day, and you're nervous. "I-I'm Y/N Y/L/N."

Peter Burke, whom you've already met, shakes your hand in greeting, then cuts to the chase. "Let's get to the conference room; we have a case to take care of."

You see the conference room and start to make your way there. Peter and Neal hang back, Neal leaning towards Peter. "This is the 'Fed version of Mozzie' you were talking about?"

"Minus the paranoia," Peter replies. "Perfect recall, knows a lot about fraud and forgeries. Could be a better replacement for you..." With that, he heads to the conference room, Neal intrigued and trailing behind him.

////

Once in the conference room, Peter briefs everybody on the case you're working: A Botticelli painting stolen from a local museum.

"The three of us are working on this together, so let's head to the museum," Peter says, all business. Neal follows behind him and you hasten to keep up. He turns, slows his steps, and offers you a smile.

////

A day later, you're looking over a supposed Botticelli with Neal - it was left at the museum, and it looks like the one that was stolen. Neal leans over the painting, bumping your shoulders together. He leans back a little. "Sorry."

"It's fine..." You've been sort of stepping around him the whole case; you're not sure what to make of him. After a few more moments of studying the painting, you stand up straight. "This is definitely a forgery."

"What makes you say that?" Neal asks, already knowing it's a forgery and exactly why.

"Everything is perfect," you say. "The oils used, the strokes. But the lines through the 't's in the signature aren't connected."

Peter pulls Neal slightly aside. "Remind me again why you haven't even made an attempt at flirting."

Neal shrugs lightly. "There are some people you just don't flirt with."

////

It's not long before you end up at Neal's house with Peter, discussing an undercover mission. A short, balding man is sitting at the dining table with Neal when you enter. The man rolls his eyes. "How many more suits can there be?"

Neal laughs and stands next to you, gesturing to you and the man when appropriate. "Mozzie, this is Y/N, Y/N, this is Mozzie. Peter's actually compared you two before."

The man - Mozzie - looks at Peter, incredulous. "You compared me to a suit?!"

Neal leans towards you and whispers, "Mozzie has a problem with authority." You chuckle and look around Neal's room, which is surprisingly nice for a con serving a sentence. When you see bookshelves, you can't help but read the spines, slowly walking closer to get a better look. Suddenly, you feel Neal standing next to you, amused. "Like what you see?"

"Would you believe me if I said I have a copy of all of these at home?"

////

"Hey, can you pick up Neal? I overslept and you're closer," Peter says, his voice tired but noticeably stressed through the phone. It's been months now, and you've warmed up to Neal.

"Yeah, I'll get him. Don't worry about it," you reply, halfway into your car. It's barely a detour on your normal route to work.

When you make your way up to Neal's portion of the mansion, you find him on the balcony outside, eating breakfast, and wearing a robe with a surprised look on his face. "Where's Peter?"

"Hello to you, too," you say, sitting down across from him. "He's running late, and I live closer, so I'm taking you to work today."

"If you live closer, why is Peter still taking me to work everyday?"

"We'll have to ask him. It's probably because you're his CI, not mine. Oh, and by the way, when you ride in my car, you deal with the music I play with no complaints."

Neal chuckles. "As you wish."

Once in the car, you turn on the Moana soundtrack.

////

After starting a stressful case in which Neal has to go undercover, you find yourself driving him home once again; Peter was fine with you driving him from now on. You buckle your seatbelt and start the car. "Good work back there."

"Thanks," he says. After a few moments of silent driving, he continues. "It's oddly silent in here. You know, a car ride isn't a car ride without Disney soundtracks."

You laugh. "Based on your amused silence this morning I figured to wait until after I dropped you off."

Neal hastens to correct you. "No, no, I enjoyed it. I was amused because it's one of the last things I imagined you listening to... Also I could hear you singing over the music."

"You liar!"

"I swear I did!"

"Why should I believe anything you say?"

He doesn't respond, so you glance over at him. He's smiling, and he's already looking at you. "You have a nice voice by the way, Sunshine."

You laugh, slightly confused. "Sunshine? Where did that come from?"

"It's a nickname I'm trying out," he replies. "And, yes, it's heavily influenced by your adorable soundtrack choices. And your daily uplifting attitude at work."

You snort. "That makes no sense, and you're an idiot."

Neal chuckles, then, after a pause, asks, "What's that movie about anyway?"

"Do you have Netflix?"

"No."

"Do you wanna come to my house and watch it? Because I'm not giving you my password."

Neal starts to say something, then stops. "Is your house in my range?"

"Should be," you reply. "I'll still have to ask Peter in case he checks your history, though."

////

"Hey, Tamatoa," Jones greets Neal Monday morning. Neal stops, then looks at Peter, who's standing next to him.

"Did you have to tell him?" he asks.

You look at Jones. "Why is he Tamatoa?"

"They both like shiny things," Jones replies simply.

Neal smirks. "Why do you know so much about it?"

"I have a five-year-old niece, Caffrey. I was forced."

"I was, too."

You pat him on the shoulder and start to walk to your desk. "You liked it; I distinctly remember you singing along to You're Welcome under your breath."

////

"Neal?" Your voice is tired as you rub your eyes; he just knocked on your door at 3am.

"Can I come in?" he asks. He sounds sad and a little worried. You nod and move aside.

"Yeah, of course."

He sits down on your couch, propping his elbows on his knees and his chin on his hands. You sit down next to him and he finally speaks. "Do you think Kate really loves me?"

You're shocked by the question. You've known about Kate for forever and have been helping Neal try to find her alongside Peter. "Honestly, Neal... I don't know her. But from what I've heard..."

After you pause, he looks over at you. "Be honest, Sunshine. Please."

You sigh. "I don't think she does, Neal. I think she's working for Fowler."

"Are you sure?"

You turn to face him and he sits up. After a moment, you ask, "Did Peter tell you what he asked Kate when he met with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"He asked her if she ever loved you, and she didn't reply. She just looked at him, Neal."

After a long pause, Neal closes his eyes, his voice a whisper. "That doesn't mean anything..."

////

"What is it with you two and movies?" Peter asks. You've just told Peter you want to take Neal to see a movie in the theater, which is just out of his range.

Since Moana, you've watched To Kill a Mockingbird, Metropolis, Doctor Strange, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit trilogy, and had a Disney marathon, amassing to five Friday nights in total.

"We can't not see this movie," Neal says. You nod in agreement, looking hopefully at Peter.

He looks back at you. "Fine. But only because I trust you." He turns to Neal. "I'll temporarily relinquish the range limit, but I'm still making you wear it."

////

"Neal, you don't have to go. You can stay here," you plead, tears in your eyes. You can see Kate through the window of the plane behind him. He's going to take off with her, and he's never coming back.

"You know I have to, Sunshine," he says, but he doesn't turn around. Not for a few moments.

When he finally does, without thinking, you start to walk towards him. "Neal." He turns back, though he doesn't want to, and is immediately met by your arms around him. Wordlessly, he hugs back. You're off-key, desperate, and in tears when you quietly sing, "There comes a day when you're g-gonna look around, and realize happiness is where you are." You finally let go and start to walk back to Peter.

Neal stands there, indecisive, when the plane explodes.

////

"Neal, I can't do this," you argue. You're standing outside the conference room, in which Neal's just volunteered you to go undercover. You cross your arms. "You know what happened last time."

"Yeah, we arrested the guy. You may have almost slipped, but it all worked out," he reasons. After you give him a look, he continues. "I'll be there the whole time, Sunshine. I promise."

"... Fine."

////

"I hate this dress and I'm mad at you," you whisper into your ear piece.

You hear Neal chuckle on the other end. "You look great, and I'll make it up to you. Harper is on your left, at the end of the bar."

You make your way over to the man with a large rap sheet and pretend to be interested in him, using the flirting skills you picked up from watching Neal flirt with every woman in sight excluding Diana. After a while, you make it up to his hotel room, where a stolen painting is hidden.

"Now," Harper says, his voice in sync with a gun cocking, "I want to know who you're working for."

You put your hands up, your back to him. You hear Neal saying something into your ear piece in a panic. You turn slowly. "I don't work for anyone."

Harper steps closer to you. "Don't lie to me!"

"I'm not! I don't work for anyone!" you shout back, your hands shaking. You look out of the corner of your eye and spot the painting in an unzipped duffle bag, rolled up. You scramble to find a way to say the code word to tell Peter to move in, even though he already has. "You have very expensive tastes."

Someone from outside kicks the door in, then Peter, Jones, and Diana enter brandishing guns. "FBI! Drop your weapon!" Harper drops the weapon and holds up his hands. Peter moves to cuff him as Neal runs in the room.

You run right to him and he pulls you into a hug. He sounds relieved. "You okay, Sunshine?"

"I'm fine, I'm okay."

After a few minutes, Neal suggests another Disney marathon, this one containing the movies you didn't get to last time.

////

"Hey, Neal, I had time, so-," you stop, speechless; you've just walked in on him and Sarah Ellis kissing. "I am so sorry."

"It's okay," Sarah says, noticeably embarrassed. "I was just leaving."

"No, no, you don't have to go," you insist. "I just came to drop off a book."

"Is it (your favorite book)?" Neal asks, detangling himself from Sarah and completely forgetting the unfortunate meeting from before.

You hand it to him. "If you damage it in any way, I will kill you." Neal nods and gently sets it on the table. You continue. "I had some time, so I decided to bring it to you so you can start it over the weekend."

Neal smiles. "I'll get started on this as soon as possible, Sunshine."

You smile back. "Great. I wanna talk about it on Monday. I'll, uh, head out now. Nice to see you, Sarah."

Sarah gives you a close-lipped but friendly smile. "Nice to see you, too."

////

You always suspected it was him or Mozzie, but there was always hope. Now you have confirmation.

"What were you thinking?!" you whisper-shout. FBI agents are working inside Peter's house while the man himself stands next to you on the back patio with Neal. Elizabeth's been kidnapped.

Neal looks desperate. "I didn't know he would-"

"It's a bit too late for that!" you reply, frustrated that you can't actually yell at him without the agents inside hearing.

You yelled at Mozzie as soon as you saw him, too, and he actually looked ashamed. You worked with them in order to steal the art back to give to Keller, but as soon as Elizabeth was safe and the dust settled, it was all over.

////

"Where's Y/N?" Neal asks, confused as to why Peter has shown up to take him to work instead of you. Peter sits down across from Neal and pours himself some coffee.

"She told me that it'd be best if I took you instead," he says.

Neal's brows furrow. "Why?"

"Said it was so I could keep a tighter leash on you..."

"But you don't think that's why?"

"No, Neal. No, I don't."

////

"Hey, Sunshine," Neal greets, seeing you immediately as he walks into work. You don't answer him and wordlessly drop a file on Diana's desk. Neal, thinking you didn't hear him, walks up to you and repeats himself. You brush past him.

////

"Caffrey, it has been a week. Fix it," Jones says, watching you walk away, Neal next to him. You've been practically silent and almost snappy ever since the whole art fiasco. Especially when you're forced to be around Mozzie as well as Neal for one reason or another.

"I don't know how," Neal admits, searching for an answer. You won't even talk to him.

Diana, having been close enough to overhear the two, chimes in, "Figure it out."

////

As you're about to head home, you feel a hand on your shoulder and turn to see Neal smiling at you. You step away from him and continue walking.

"What do you want me to do?" Neal asks desperately, making you stop. "It's been a week, Y/N. I'm sorry. I truly am. What can I do to fix it?"

"What can you do?" you repeat angrily, the first words you've spoken to him since stealing the art back. "You can build yourself a time machine, go back, and try not to be a complete idiot the second time around. That's what you can do."

He sounds defeated. "But... I can't. I can't do that."

"Then you're just out of luck, aren't you?! I trusted you, and you lied to me! You lied to everybody! You..." You stop, your next words coming out softer, the hurt evident in your voice. "You were gonna leave, Neal. Without so much as a goodbye." With that, you storm out.

////

"I know how much you care about Nice Suit, but it's been a week and a half," Mozzie says to a sulking Neal. "It's too late. We screwed up big this time."

"Mozz, I just don't know what to do," Neal says. "I mean, everyday I come into work, I say, 'Good morning. I'm sorry,' and I just get a glare in response."

"Neal, you weren't even close to being this hurt when Sarah broke up with you over this," Mozzie replies. Neal looks up at him, then back down at the table.

He shrugs. "I always knew Sarah and I weren't gonna last. It was fun, but it was temporary."

Mozzie sighs. "I'm pretty sure Sarah knew that, too; I saw the way she looked at Nice Suit whenever she was around."

"What do you mean?"

"Neal, Nice Suit is the main reason you decided to stay. Not just this time, but the last one, too."

"It wasn't just her-" Neal starts.

"But it mostly was, and you know it."

There's a long pause before Neal speaks again. "I think I might have an idea. But we're gonna need a piano. And Peter."

////

One Friday night, you had to go undercover at party with Neal and Diana. You and Diana were there to help Neal if he needed it, but it went perfectly.

As soon as you get home, Peter calls you. "I need you to go to Neal's. Right now. Don't ask questions." Then, he hangs up. Confused and concerned, you rush out to your car, still in your party dress.

////

"You came," Neal says when he opens the door, surprised and still wearing his suit.

You just sigh and push past him. "Peter made it sound like an emergency; I was scared to death."

"Wait, you don't wanna leave?" he asks, his face hopeful.

You shrug and sit down at the table. "I smell food."

He smiles, then picks up a bouquet of [your favorite flower] from the counter and holds it out to you. "I, uh, I got these for you."

You paused for a few seconds, not taking the flowers. "I off-handedly told you I liked these forever ago and you remembered?"

"You and Mozz aren't the only ones with perfect recall..."

"I distinctly remember Mozzie being present when I told you that."

"... Maybe."

You think for a moment, then take the flowers. "Because you went through so much trouble and you have food, I'll give you a chance to persuade me to forgive you."

"Well, then, your table is just outside - and I remembered everything else myself." After you put the flowers on the table, he leads you to the balcony where two plates of [your favorite food] sit on the table and Mozzie sits behind a grand piano. He pulls your chair out for you and Mozzie begins playing. After sitting down, Neal says, "Recognize this song?"

You listen. "Is this [a song from your favorite artist]?"

"Well, I don't have the sheet music in front of me, but I'd bet money it is."

"Are you that desperate?"

"Yes."

////

After eating - the main course and [your favorite dessert] - and listening to Mozzie play piano, Neal stands and holds his hand out to you. "May I have this dance?"

You grab his hand. "You are an idiot." You assume the standard slow dance position as Mozzie begins playing a familiar tune and Neal starts quietly singing.

"If I never knew you, if I never felt this love, I would have no inkling of how precious life can be."

You look up at him, surprised, but he only smiles a little and keeps singing.

"And I'm so grateful to you; I'd have lived my whole life through lost forever. If I never knew you, I'd be safe but half as real, never knowing I could feel a love so strong and true."

You lay your head on his chest and see Mozzie smile out of the corner of your eye as he plays on and Neal continues.

"I thought our love would be so beautiful. Somehow we'd make the whole world bright. I thought our love would be so beautiful. We'd turn the darkness into light."

His voice would have lulled you to sleep had you not been so focused on the lyrics.

"If I never knew you, I'd have lived my whole life through empty as the sky, never knowing why, lost forever."

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

You keep your head on his chest even after the song is over, still swaying a little.

"Does this mean you forgive me?" he asks.

"Yeah," you reply simply. You finally raise your head and look at him, then at Mozzie. "I forgive you - both of you. But I still don't fully trust you; you have to earn that."

"Fair enough," Mozzie says, going to leave. "I bid you goodbye. You're welcome for my piano services."

After the door is shut and Mozzie's gone, Neal looks at you. "I'm gonna make you a promise. No more secrets."

"Okay."

"Unless absolutely necessary."

"Neal!" He gives you a, 'what-can-you-do' look and you sigh. "Fine. But I determine what's absolutely necessary." He nods and you hold out your pinky. "Pinky promise?"

He chuckles. "Pinky promise." You walk back inside and he grabs a bowl of [your favorite candy] off the counter. "Wanna watch Moana?"

"Then can we watch Pocahontas?"

"Yes, as long as you promise not to fall asleep... And don't worry; I won't look when you put in your Netflix password."