Do-overs and Keepers

One of the goals of the Caffrey Conversation AU is to give Peter and Neal a do-over. I wanted to set up their working relationship of canon White Collar at a point earlier in their lives. If they became colleagues and friends before Neal was arrested – so that the arrest never happens – then they would be closer to being on even ground. Without the threat of sending Neal back to prison, with the pressure on Peter somewhat reduced as a result, I thought their friendship and working relationship would have a better shot at success.

The response to the first story in the AU included multiple requests to write more about Neal and Peter having a partnership that started in 2003 instead of 2009, and that made me realize that many fans had a similar goal.

That concept of a do-over is a tantalizing one. How many times have I pondered what-ifs in my own life? What if I had gone to a different college, taken a different career path, bought a red car instead of a green one, ordered a pizza instead of a burger? There are so many decisions we make in life, and often so little ability to perceive the potential repercussions.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for canon Neal in prison. How many times did he question his choices and wonder what he might have changed? I hope that he’d approve of the changes Silbrith and I have made in his story.

At work we’ve been discussing the concept of do-overs. Every two weeks we hold a retrospective to reflect on how things have gone recently, and what we wish we’d done differently. Then we agree on adjustments to try, to see if those improve our experiences in the next two weeks.

One thing I’m certain of: if I could do over any part of my Caffrey Conversation experience, the part I’d want to remain constant is bringing Silbrith on board. I can’t imagine a better writing partner, sounding board, and friend. She’s a keeper.

I think Neal and Peter would say the same thing about their relationship in our AU. There might be some aspects of our plots they’d tweak, but their underlying friendship is the foundation that must stay in place.