Title: These are the words I never said (this is the fear) - Part I
Author: lj user=elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Neal Caffrey/Peter Burke; Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Elizabeth Burke
Spoilers: Minor references to many episodes, including the end of S1.16
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Very brief allusion to dub-con and to prison non-con (part 2)
Word Count: ~ 20,000 (2 parts)
Summary: The anklet goes, Neal stays. The first six months after are an emotional roller coaster for both Neal and for Peter. Thank goodness for Elizabeth’s common sense and emotional integrity.

Author’s Notes: Written for the lovely and generous lj user=Sonia6349 for her bid for the Queensland Flood Relief auction. She wanted virgin!Peter’s first time with Neal, and bonus points for a healthy serving of frotting. I loved the idea and got a little carried away. Also, the story takes place in the Vinegar Hill Continuum.
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(  “Want to join us for lunch?” Diana and Jones, with two of the newer probies arrayed behind them, are looking at him kind of strangely. Neal supposes that spacing out in the middle of the day is odd behavior, even for him. )

I was dreading my birthday this year. It's the first without either of my parents - and while it's been a while since we've made a big deal out of them - there's still a hole in my heart (and there will always be one, I am sure).

But my friends are wonderful, they made this one to really remember.

The whole weekend was actually filled with too much awesome for words.

Saturday, I just lingered in bed, reading fic...when the phone rang. Wasn't expecting anyone, but I answered it anyway. It was the collection agency that's been calling for someone who has a very similar first name and the same last name. I get polite messages every few days for her, and frankly, I am not going to spend my evenings on hold trying to call back and get it corrected. But this wasn't a robocall and I very politely explained to the caller who I was, and who I wasn't and she promised I wouldn't be getting any more of these annoyances. (Score One).

In the afternoon, I took a bag of scrap gold I'd been collecting over the years (a long number of years), and sold it. Nice bit of change there. And more importantly, it was forward progress. (Score Two).

Got the "good" table at Starbucks for the evening - the one closest to the power, and with the direct lighting (and the table top that doesn't rock). (Score Three).


Didn't stay 'til closing time, but went home and FINISHED MY FIC!!!!! Did you hear that? It's finished! 20K of lovely, lovely UST and frotting and domestic bliss. (Score Four).

Sometime around midnight, the presents started rolling in!

First was a podfic of my superdirty (and I didn't realize how dirty it was until I listened to it) fic, Bang Bang, Baby, Bang Bang from my dear, dear friend afiawri. I hope she'll let me upload it to Sendspace or Megaupload so other peoples can hear it too.

Next was a White Collar domestic futurefic from my dearest gyzym - Certain Things in the Real World. Neal's gone legit, but he still has what it takes...to piss Peter off.

When I woke up, I had fic from my oldest and dearest LJ friend, photoash -Truth Doesn't Always Set You Free. It's lovely and sad and angsty, and it's also the first time she's written anything from Peter's POV and it's MAGNIFICENT.

Then I was brunchnapped. RL friends too me to brunch at the Garden City Hotel, a wonderful establishment where the champagne flows freely and the food is incredible (cold lobster and champers is just a WONDERFUL combination - the Peter/Neal of gustatory delights). There was also bread pudding on the dessert buffet. I can't explain how much I love bread pudding. It is a miracle like Peter/Neal/Elizabeth OT3, especially when drizzled with raspberry sauce. And now I need OT3 foodie goodness. With raspberry sauce.

Also, I got lots of lovely prezzies - a silk shawl, a leather wallet, books, beads - in other words, LOOT! And my sister gave me an Amazon GC (we exchange the same monies for our birfdays every year).

I got home just in time for Slashchat, and while I was a little too buzzed for real coherency, the lovely ladies fed me cake and many Neal clones. And got me to write more tentacle porn (hugs you byrons_brain). And a magic tattoo wingfic thing that is going to become something for jrosemary's birfday.

As the evening came to a close, I got more fic.

About a week ago, coffeethyme4me a/k/a the high goddess of WC porn asked if I'd like a 500 word ficlet (she had a day or so before classes started), and I said how about underage Neal / older Peter. And she took off like Secretariat at the Belmont Stakes, and wrote the most gorgeous, awesome and achingly beautiful story - it takes no prisoners and makes no apologies. If You Are Going To Do It, Do It Right (Do It With Me)

But the day didn't end there. I got three more stories - three incredible historic A/Us from the A/U Queen, daria234

I've gotten birfday wishes from all of the world this year, RL and LJ friends have taken the time to give me their love. One of the best came from damietta who wished me a year as beautiful as Neal Caffrey.

Thank you everyone! You've made what I thought was going to be a difficult day into something utterly wonderful.

HUGS AND SMISHES TO YOU ALL!!!!!!

ETA: More birfday fic has rolled in:

surreal_44 wrote me some lovely Peter & El UST for Neal - Running Up That Hill. It's the first of THREE parts.

deepbluemermaid was kind enough to start a small comment fic for me when I was feeling down, and she made it long and gorgeous. Peter gets a back and neck massage from Neal after a stressful week. Neal gets .... well, I don't want to spoil the surprise: Magic Hands

jrosemary wrote a short sequel to her Ace-Neal story, Like Air, for me. This one's called Exit Strategy.

THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!!!!!!