Launch Point

Like many, I got my start in writing fanfics by thinking of a missing scene I wanted to describe. Often writers pick a TV episode, movie, or novel for their launch point. For me, it was a scene in an AU—Choirboy Caffrey.

Warning for spoilers to Harlequin's Shadow and Choirboy Caffrey

In Penna's story, Peter and Neal flew to New York from St. Louis and Neal spent the day at the Bureau confessing to a series of crimes. At the end of the day, he was given immunity and signed his contract. Peter then told him to report to work in a week. Penna was coy, giving us no clue about what went on during the days Neal had off. It was as if she was challenging me to come up with my own scenario.

Where did Neal live when he was in New York? Did he have any friends other than Mozzie and Kate? What did he tell Mozzie about his time at the Bureau? There was plenty of drama that day they returned to New York. Peter had taken advantage of an opening Neal gave him to have him arrested at the airport for flying under an alias. There were heated exchanges and harsh words. Aggravating the rocky start, one of the agents injured Neal's wrist during his confession. I played with various options for how his week might have gone but didn't write anything down.

When Penna was in the midst of posting her next work, By the Book, I began helping her edit her stories. At one point, she asked me if I'd ever considered writing for the AU, and I thought of my Choirboy scene languishing on an upper shelf. I dusted it off and sketched some ideas but then put it back on the shelf.

Jump forward several months to when I began publishing Caffrey Conversation stories. That scene was still in the back of my mind and I started weaving a few of the concepts into my stories. One of them concerned Neal's bolt-hole. Penna had already mentioned that Mozzie didn't like others staying in his safe houses for very long. Initially I'd imagined Neal having become friends with the staff of an artsy boutique hotel on the Upper East Side. The hotel later evolved into La Palette, a French bistro near Manhattan's Museum Mile. Chef Jacques owns the brownstone and rents out apartments to artists on the upper floors. I introduced La Palette in my third story, The Woman in Blue. Jacques gives a boost to starving artists by displaying their works in his bistro. In exchange for the use of their paintings, he gives them a discount off their bills. In the case of a charmer like Neal who is a gourmet and excellent cook, I assumed Jacques would let him hang out in the kitchen where he might occasionally help the staff. Jacques might also let him stay in a vacant apartment or even in a back room of the kitchen for brief periods.

Now that Neal has put down roots in New York, La Palette has become his favorite restaurant for special occasions. He's grateful for the assistance Jacques provided during his years on the run. Neal has taken Peter and Elizabeth there (The Woman in Blue and An Evening with Genji), his Caffrey relatives (Raphael's Dragon)) and now Sara. The initial idea has developed to where now Jacques is a caterer for Burke Premiere Events.

As for my question about what additional friends Neal had in New York, I imagined that Jacques and Mozzie could have introduced him to their friends. Neal became acquainted with the cooking staff and the artists who live above La Palette. Mozzie introduced him to Billy Feng, the owner of the Aloha Emporium, and his daughter Maggie. Later I created the character of Sal Rognoni, owner of Sal's Billiards. Mozzie has a safe house in an apartment above Sal's where he keeps his pet rat, Percy. Neal's been known to hustle pool at Sal's. In Witches' Sabbath, he introduced Dean and Sam Winchester to the billiard hall.

Still left to explore was that conversation Neal had with Mozzie after his first day at the Bureau. I'd considered writing a one-shot but when Neal and Sara began exchanging secrets, they gave me the chance to fit the scenes within a story. The flashback toward the end of Harlequin's Shadow is the result. I was glad I'd waited so long as it's given time for Neal—and me—to reflect on the incident and place it within a larger context.

La Palette still has a few secrets. One of them is Neal's painting hanging on one of the walls. Peter has yet to figure out which one it is, but that time will come.

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