Neal the Buccaneer

I've long believed that Neal was destined to star in a pirate adventure. The canon references make it undeniable. Neal's got the part of a daring swashbuckler nailed, as exhibited by his Errol Flynn maneuver in the season 2 episode "Point Blank." His skill as a fencer was demonstrated in the season 3 episode "On Guard." Pirates are often depicted as charming rogues. That's Neal, all right. And, as if I needed more hooks, Peter called Neal Peter Pan in the season 1 episode "Bad Judgment. So, for all pirate-loving readers, I present Harlequin's Shadow. The team may call their operation the U-boat con, but Neal and his fellow buccaneers know that it's really a pirate tale.

The story begins with the rumor of lost treasure waiting to be discovered somewhere on the ocean floor. Cape May, the supposed location of the U-boat wreck, has a long history with robbers of the sea. Captain Kidd and Blackbeard both plied the waters off New Jersey. Legends abound about pirate treasure buried in the sands around Cape May. Mozzie won't have any time to dig for treasure this round, but he's taken careful notes and hopes to make a return trip.

The pirate crew, consisting of Neal, Henry, Sara, and Mozzie set sail on the Black Diamond, for U-boat treasure. The Black Diamond is a play on Captain Jack Sparrow's ship, the Black Pearl, in Pirates of the Caribbean. Sara would gladly play Keira Knightley's role to Neal's Orlando Bloom character. That leaves Henry to play Captain Jack. Like Jack, Henry sometimes seems larger in life, and both of them have a healthy respect for ghosts.

Meanwhile, stuck back at port, El yearns for pirate adventure too. But her time is coming. Nor is Peter doomed to be a landlubber forever. The ship has barely left the dock. There's still plenty of time for additional swashbuckling.

Pirates can be very sneaky. They've been planting hints in my earlier stories. Neal's friend Richard believes he may be descended from the pirate Jean Lafitte. Jones's nephew Ethan is a mini-pirate. He and Neal have fought pirate duels in The Queen's Jewels and Fireflies at Midnight. In this tale, the pirates emerge from hiding to strut their derring-do in plain sight.

Will there be more pirate adventures in future stories? As Neal might say, it's in my blood.

Harlequin's Shadow on Archive of Our Own
Harlequin's Shadow on FanFiction