Second Chances

Penna and I are firm believers in second chances.

In the first story of the series, Caffrey Conversation, Peter gives the Neal the opportunity to turn his life around when he offers him a job with the FBI. In subsequent stories, Penna allows Neal to experience the love of a family after an isolated and difficult childhood. Neal dropped out of high school before graduating, but in our AU, he succeeded in being admitted to the graduate program at Columbia University.

(Warning: Mild spoilers for the Caffrey Conversation AU and The Mirror)

Neal's not the only beneficiary. His aunt Noelle is given a second chance at happiness when she marries Peter's brother Joe. Peter trusts that Noelle's son Henry can be a team player after some questionable lone wolf activities.

In my current story, The Mirror, Interpol selects Neal along with Peter to be on an international art crimes task force. The head of the task force, John Hobhouse, is willing to believe Neal has turned over a new leaf and will use his skills as an art forger and thief to assist Interpol.

In Chapter 11 of The Mirror, I also give a piece of music a second chance. "La Mer" by Charles Trenet is featured prominently at the end of the final episode of White Collar, "Au Revoir." That song happens to be one of my favorites, but after watching the finale, I was left with a bittersweet feeling about it. The song was now associated in my mind with the end of the series and the conclusion of a remarkable partnership for Neal and Peter.

But fanfiction is all about second chances too. Thanks to the tolerant creators of White Collar, we are permitted to tinker with their ideas in our stories. So I decided to include "La Mer" in Chapter 11 not to mark an end, but a beginning. As Neal and Peter prepare for expanded roles on the global stage, their White Collar team remains intact. It's a time for rejoicing, not regrets, and vive la difference!



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