Brothers and Sisters

Like their canon counterparts, Neal and Diana have formed a comfortable friendship in the Caffrey Conversation AU. They enjoy teasing each other. Diana's no-nonsense snarky comments make an effective counterweight to Neal's wit. But we've also taken a few liberties with the canon portrayal.

Warning for minor spoilers for the Caffrey Conversation series

In our series, the two are less confrontational since Neal is not a convicted felon. As the stories progressed, we let them become good friends. At times, Diana acts more like a bossy big sister than a colleague. That is partly due to Neal's younger age and also because we have placed him in vulnerable situations.

The process started in Caffrey Disclosure when Penna introduced Diana as a probie. Her first assignment was to protect Neal when Henry and Angela had been kidnapped by a man working for Henry's father. From the beginning, Neal and Diana took delight in sparring with each other. He also quickly appreciated that her con artist skills were nothing to be sniffed at.

In The Woman in Blue, she played Cleopatra to his Mark Antony and they had their first opportunity to pretend to be smitten with each other. It was a strategy that had been brilliantly realized in the Season 2 canon episode "Need to Know." They performed the flirtation game again in The Dreamer.

Once Diana began writing Arkham Files stories, she found their relationship became more complicated. As she wrote about Arkham Neal, she began to think of him as a younger brother to her New York colleague. She now has two Neals in her life, and at times she finds it difficult to keep her feelings for the two separated. As an author, Diana has bonded with her characters much more than she would have with her co-workers. Diana realizes she's become even more protective of New York Neal because of his connection to Arkham Neal.

Diana's not alone in those thoughts. New York Neal has also taken a personal interest in his fictional counterpart. Gradually he began to treat Neal Carter like a younger brother. The stories were intended to make Azathoth feel more sympathetic toward Neal, but they're having the same effect on Neal and Diana.

Just as Neal has a younger brother in Arkham, Diana also crafted a sibling for herself. But Detective Diana Briscoe is no younger sister. Instead, she's a twin with New York Diana's personality and tastes.

In Nocturne in Black and Gold, Azathoth plays a nasty trick. He tries to convince Neal that Diana is someone to avoid. He uses virtual reality to make Neal think Diana, Jones, and Hughes were shooting at him. If Arkham Diana is Diana Berrigan's twin, Azathoth's Diana is her evil doppelgänger, and Diana won't rest easy till that offensive creation is blasted to smithereens.

Nocturne in Black and Gold on Archive of Our Own
Nocturne in Black and Gold on FanFiction