Crossing Lines

The worlds of White Collar and Supernatural are a universe apart. With rare exceptions, Neal and Peter's work for the FBI is centered around the five boroughs of New York City. Their investigations seldom deal with violent crimes. Neal may chafe at the restrictions but he's well aware that he must abide by the rules and regulations imposed by a massive bureaucracy. In contrast, violence and bloodshed are routine for Dean and Sam Winchester. They're road warriors in the literal sense of the word and cruise the country in their '67 Impala as they hunt supernatural foes. Dean and Sam act outside the law, adhering to their own sense of justice. They're suspected felons and generally have hostile relations with law enforcement agencies. Is there a way to mash these two worlds together?

That was the challenge I gave myself when I decided to write the Crossed Lines series. Penna had turned me onto Supernatural, a series that I initially worried would be too gory for my taste. What I discovered was that along with the blood, the writers manage to inject humor into the most stressful of situations. Overriding everything else is the deep bond between Dean and Sam. The strength of their relationship holds the series together, and that reminded me of Neal and Peter. Fortified with Penna's reassurance that she would act as chief muse, I sat down in the writers' studio with Neal, Peter, Sam, and Dean, and asked them for their thoughts.

As we began thrashing out ideas, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that, yes, we did have a chance. Neal was eager to work with the Winchesters. Their poker and pool hustling was something he could relate to. They con locals into believing they work for the FBI—yeah, he was fine with that. As the series begins, Neal doesn't know anything about their backstory, but as bits and pieces are revealed, there are many other points of similarity. Neal is someone who's always acted according to his own standards of fairness and what is right. He senses kindred souls in Dean and Sam.

Sam, like Neal, was open to giving the new dynamic a try. He discovered that Neal had also made a seismic shift in the direction of his life. They've both experienced heartaches in the past. Sam turned away from a career in law to help his brother. Neal relinquished a life of crime because of his trust in Peter.

So far so good. I had two of the characters talking to each other, but I knew convincing Dean and Peter would be a harder sell.

Dean is more cynical than his brother. He has a low opinion of law enforcement officials and didn't think it was likely this temporary partnership would last more than a few days. But he reluctantly conceded that Peter and Neal could prove useful. Sam got him to admit he'd put up with worse. Dean is also cocky enough to feel that at the slightest hint of trouble, he can shove Sam in the Impala and pull up stakes.

Peter presented the greatest challenge. The FBI files paint a bleak picture of Dean and Sam. But the ace up my sleeve was Peter's open-mindedness and sense of decency. He didn't immediately dismiss the idea of working together as many would have in his situation. As he learned about their way of life, he was curious to understand what motivates them. Clearly it's not personal greed. He took a chance with Neal, and it paid off. Now he's willing to give Dean and Sam that same break. He recognizes in their determination to help people a similarity with his pursuit to uphold the law. He's aware that Dean's smart-ass comments will be fully as annoying as Neal's, but he admires the brothers' loyalty to each other and the seriousness with which they approach their jobs.

Now that I had the characters on board, the most difficult hurdle still remained. How could I weave demon-hunter storylines with white collar crimes? In Supernatural, the enemies Dean and Sam face make up a rich mythology. The beliefs of various religions and legends are drawn upon to explain the supernatural phenomena which occur. I've enlarged that mythology for Crossed Lines. My goal is to combine art, music, and financial fraud—all fundamental elements in the Caffrey Conversation AU—with the world of the Winchesters. It begins today with the posting of the first chapter of Whispers in the Night.

Whispers in the Night on Archive of Our Own
Whispers in the Night on FanFiction