elrhiarhodan

Challenge #6

In your own space, share a favourite piece of original canon (a show, a specific TV episode, a storyline, a book or series, a scene from a movie, etc) and explain why you love it so much.

Skipping Day 5 for the moment...

And goining all the way back to White Collar, the very first fandom I ever participated in, to the moment that really gave me the hard buzz (there were a lot of soft tingles along the way). Back in the Day, before streamers, when you actually had to wait a week for each ep, USA used to do short seasons and divide them in half, 16 eps, 8 eps with a month break. Hard Sell was the Season 1 mid-season cliffhanger ep and it was pretty fucking spectacular in all respects, but there's always one scene that gets me - when Neal, famously "not a gun guy" picks up a rifle and blows away some skeet "pigeons" to make his point to Peter:

"Just because I don't like guns doesn't mean I can't use them."

Up until now, Matt Bomer had been quite justifibly a lovely man. He's pretty, can do a bit of angst, but anger? That does not seem to be in his repertoire. But in this scene, he brings it and brings it hard. He's so furious, but it's not in an obvious way. I think I watched that episode a dozen times on Hulu the week it aired. More than a dozen years later, it's still an all-time favorite.

Challenge Six

In your own space, make a list of things that you wish existed in fandom or elsewhere, or that you'd like someone to make for you.

I would love a fanvid set to the song "A Mighty Good Man". (FWIW, I think I've made this request every time it comes up in Fandom Stocking, in some form or another.)

I used to want it to feature Peter Burke from White Collar (and still do), but I would also give my eyeteeth for one with either Eggsy, Harry, or Merlin in it, for the Kingsman fandom. Or, perhaps Morse, Thursday and/or DeBryn, or Robbie Lewis, if there are any Endeavour/Morse'verse fans out there who vid.

I don't vid. I don't know how and I've never found someone willing to teach me. which is why I haven't made one myself.

But this is all that I want, and if someone would create it for me, I would be happy to write a fic for you to go along with it.

Title: What's Past is Present
Author: elrhiarhodan / elrhiarhodan / elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar, Kingsman (Movies)
Rating: Mature
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, June Ellington, Mozzie, Elizabeth Burke, Sachmo, Bugsy; Harry Hart, Eggsy Unwin, Merlin
Pairings: Neal Caffrey/Peter Burke, Peter Burke/Elizabeth Burke, Harry Hart/Eggsy Unwin, Harry Hart/Neal Caffrey (past)
Word Count: ~18,500
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Canon Levels of Violence
Summary: Set in a universe where Season 6 of White Collar didn't happen, Peter asks Neal - now a year or so off of the anklet - for some help with a art theft case. Ironically, it's antiquities from the Mosul Museum, which had been sacked by ISIL in 2015, that are being sold by a gallery on Park Avenue. Neal's eager to assist, at least until he sees the buyer's name. It's one he's unfortunately familiar with - Henry DeVere.

Harry Hart and his new husband, Eggsy, had their honeymoon in Italy rather rudely disrupted when an old target resurfaces in New York City.

It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt, or, don't blackmail spies. They really don't like that sort of thing.

Author’s Note: I started writing this in 2018, as a Chocolate Box treat, but set it aside when I got stuck (when my characters started behaving badly). I found it last week and realized that they were behaving badly and going all out of character because I wasn't being very nice to them. They just needed a little kindness to get them back on track.

Like many of my White Collar stories, it's based upon something I read in the New York Times. In this case, it's about the New York District Attorney's aggressive prosecution of the sale and possession of looted and stolen art. You can read the article here.


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What's Past Is Present - Read on AO3

Title: A Seat At the Table - The Secret History of Neal Caffrey (2587 words) by elrhiarhodan
Chapters: 1/3
Fandom: Kingsman (Movies), White Collar
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Mention of non-canon death of White Collar character, canon death of canon Kingsman character
Relationships: Neal Caffrey/Harry Hart | Galahad, Merlin & Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, Roxy Morton | Lancelot & Gary "Eggsy" Unwin
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Merlin (Kingsman), Gary "Eggsy" Unwin, Roxy Morton | Lancelot, Other Kingsman Characters - Character
Additional Tags: Non-Canon Compliant to The Golden Circle, Angst, Grief, Longing, Harry Hart is Dead (still), Implied Relationships, Crossover, Mention of Peter Burke, Spoilers for White Collar Season 6, Future Fic, This explains Neal Caffrey and his extraordinary and amazing skills, alternative universe, Eggsy-Merlin friendship, Merlin as Arthur, Eggsy Unwin Needs a Hug, Neal Caffrey Needs His Head Examined, Merlin is a BAMF, Merlin takes care of everyone
Series: Part 7 of The Secret History of Neal Caffrey
Summary: Picking up right from the end of Calling in the Favor, Merlin listens to Neal's request for another shot at becoming a Kingsman and he likes the idea quite a bit. But there are still rules that need to be followed. And Merlin still has games to play.

Merlin finishes his drink and sets down his glass. He leans forward and gets down to business. "What do you want, Neal?"

"I want another shot. I bet you're recruiting right and left these days and I want to be a Kingsman. That's my favor and I'm calling it in."

Author's Notes: Although Neal is present in the first part of the story, this is mostly a Kingsman story, told initially from Merlin's point of view, and then Eggsy's. I wanted to explore their reactions – particularly Eggsy's – to Neal Caffrey, before he actually meets him. There's quite a bit of White Collar canon buried in the second part of the story and a little bit of my own personal fanon about Neal and Peter.

Also, the first time writing anything from Merlin's point of view.

And frankly, how the hell did this story balloon to nearly 8K and three chapters? These stories are supposed to be short bits that I bang out in a couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon? Well, I hope you enjoy. Thank you theatregirl7299 for the beta! Un-Brit-Picked, though.

Remaining chapters will go up on Wednesday and Saturday

Title: All the Secrets Revealed (The Secret History of Neal Caffrey, Part Five)
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar, Kingsman: The Secret Service
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Harry Hart (Kingsman) Neal Caffrey (White Collar), Merlin (Kingsman), Mozzie (White Collar); Harry/Neal
Word Count: ~2600
Spoilers: White Collar - None - Pre-Series, Spoilers for Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) - None - Pre-Movie
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Beta Credit: None
Summary: Neal enjoys spending time with Harry Devere, a man who probably has more secrets that Neal, himself, does.

What he doesn't know is that Harry, with the help of Kingman's resident wizard, has uncovered all of Neal's secrets. All of them.


Author's Notes: A belated birthday present for my dearest friend, buefo.

Unbeta'd and un-Britpicked (but London geography is based on personal experience)


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( Neal relaxes against the soft sheets and gives his cock a lazy stroke. It's not that he isn't in the mood for a wank, it's just that the wank feels a little … much.  )

Title: When Harry Met Neal (or rather, Nick Halden) - The Secret History of Neal Caffrey, Part Three
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar, Kingsman: The Secret Service
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Harry Hart (Kingsman) Neal Caffrey (White Collar); Harry/Neal
Word Count: ~2000
Spoilers: White Collar - None - Pre-Series, Spoilers for Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015) - None - Pre-Movie
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Mention of Death of Canon Character (Kingsman)
Beta Credit: None
Summary: As it says on the tin. Or once upon a time, Harry Hart met Neal Caffrey. They both were excellent liars. It was a match made in heaven.

Author's Notes: Written for one of my oldest fandom friends, dariaw, on the occasion of her upcoming birthday.

Also, my first time writing Harry Hart, so be gentle. While not beta'd or Britpicked, it is based on personal knowledge of the markets on the Portobello Road and the Notting Hill environs.

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( Over tea, toast and the Times, Harry contemplates his options.  )

Title: I'm Not Shooting the Dog - The Secret History of Neal Caffrey, Part One
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar, Kingsman: The Secret Service
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Neal Caffrey, Merlin (Kingsman), brief appearance by Arthur | Chester King
Word Count: ~1000
Spoilers: None for White Collar (set pre-series), Spoilers for Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Beta Credit: None
Summary: Neal Caffrey has some incredibly amazing and diverse skills, skills that not even the most dedicated autodidact could master. He's poly-lingual (nine or more languages), an Olympic-class fencer, his marksmanship is exceptional - especially for a man who hates guns. He's a world-class chef, a master distiller, an architect, a gambler, a connoisseur of fine wines and clothing and music. There is literally nothing he can't do, no situation he can't master, no risk he won't take.

Mozzie might have given him the basics on how to be the frontman for the cons he'd wanted to pull, but Neal's skills had been polished and his talents nurtured on an estate outside of London. For six months, Neal Caffrey had been a knight-candidate at Kingsman, an independent intelligence agency founded after World War I.

Author’s Note: Okay, so about three weeks ago, I finally watched Kingsman: The Secret Service, and fell headlong into the trashpit. It's stirred up so many feeeeelllsss and it seems that all I'm doing is reading Kingsman fic and thinking about Kingsman, and watching the trailer over and over an over again. Because, well Colin Firth and Mark Strong (guh).

And I started doing what I always do when I encounter a new fandom, I start thinking about how I can cross it over with my old fandoms (yes, I have at least three White Collar/Flash crossovers in my WIPs folder). First was an idea for a crossover with a Flash AU I've been writing for the last nine months, but that's not able to really go anywhere right now, since the main story is still far from finished.

Then I got to thinking about White Collar, and all of the pieces fell into place.

I usually have a rule about not publishing unfinished stories, but since I'm actually not certain where this is going, or how long it'll take me to write (even my shortest stories seem to go epic lately), I'll be publishing these as short(ish), stand-alone fics as the mood strikes. If you have ideas for where this should go, please leave me something in the comments.

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( Despite six months of extensive training, despite a never-quite-forgotten desire to follow in his father's footsteps, despite near-perfect marksmanship scores, Neal Caffrey still doesn't like guns. )

Title: The Bennett Family Legacy In: Family Traditions (GFSP XI)
Author: elrhiarhodan
Written For: Round Five of runthecon
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: G
Characters: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke
Spoilers: Caps from 3.15 – Stealing Home
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Seriously, you’re worried about warnings? It’s the Giant Floating Stone Penis!
Type: Comic/Picspam - 8 pages/15 panels
Summary: Peter and Neal discuss - what else - family traditions.

Many, many thanks to the generous kanarek13 for the exquisite screen caps.

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( The Bennett Family Legacy In: Family Traditions )

Title: Don't Let It Bring You Down
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, OMCs, Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~5100
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Beta Credit: miri_thompson
Summary: Set early in the Wonder(ful) Years verse, Neal's just graduated law school and is stressing out over the bar exam, while Peter's getting ready to head off to Quantico and the FBI Academy. Peter's worried that Neal's getting burned out and wants them to take a nice, relaxing vacation. But life has a way of interfering with the best of plans.

Author’s Note: Written for Fic-Can-Ukah Day 5, for my wonderful and talented friend, kanarek13, who asked for Peter/Neal - Watching someone sleep. And yes, this one is LATE, officially LATE, unless we can pretend that it's still the fifth day of Chanukah somewhere (someplace where the sun hasn't yet set on December 29th).

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( Peter thought that Neal deserved a vacation. Hell, he thought they both deserved one, but Neal certainly did. The three years of non-stop classes and work deserved a reward. )

Title: We Followed an Unlikely Star
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: PG-13
Characters/Pairings: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Original Characters, Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~4000
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Mention of death of non-canon characters, non-canon death of canon characters, reference to attempted sexual assault of a minor
Beta Credit: sinfulslasher
Summary: Peter and Neal, after nearly thirty years together, finally tie the knot. But they could not have gotten to this moment without remembering the ones who gave them the strength to love.

Author’s Note: Written for pooh_collector, for the first night of Fic-Can-Ukah 2016, for the prompt "On the Eve of the Wedding". Please keep a full box of tissues handy.

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(  “And now, by the power vested in me by the State of New York, I now pronounce you married. Go ahead, kiss each other already.” Mozzie, naturally, couldn't help but conclude the ceremony with the tiniest bit of snark. )

I need to get back into the White Collar mindset, and I can't think of a better way to do it than with a drabble-type meme. Rather than ask for prompts for ficlets, I'm want to resurrect one of my all-time favorites – the Three-Sentence A/U Meme.

This is how it works: You give me an A/U or crossover premise, a character and/or pairing, and I write a complete ficlet in three sentences. That's it.

For example:

Peter, the BMW, Locking Lug Nuts (courtesy of my darling, dearest and ever so slightly crazy sinfulslasher)




A whole story told in just three sentences, that's it.

You can prompt me up to three times in a row and each prompt in a separate comment. After I've filled your prompts (or passed), come back and prompt me again. For this challenge, White Collar is the fandom, but the A/U can be anything.

And please remember, this is not a "stump me" exercise, so don't think of prompts that would be impossible to fill. And I may reject a prompt if I can't fill it or if it's not an A/U.

NOW GO!

Title: The Best Laid Plans – Part One of Two
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, June Ellington, Clinton Jones, Reese Hughes, reference to Mozzie, reference to Diana Berrigan, reference to Lauren Cruz; Peter Burke/Neal Caffrey
Word Count: ~11,000
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: BDSM, Consensual Impact Play
Beta Credit: sinfulslasher
Summary: Neal Caffrey, newly minted FBI agent, has been assigned to the New York field office and the White Collar division, but before he starts work, he needs a night for himself. A night to break out the leather and go hunting for the man he'd met six months earlier, the man who'd given him the best sex of his life.

Author’s Note: Written for cookielaura for Round Four of the wcpairings fic exchange. My recipient wanted Peter/Neal and likes BDSM. I hope this fits her bill! The scenes in the early part of this story were inspired by the short film, Interior: Leather Bar, which reimagines the filming of the mythical "lost" X-rated scenes from the 1980 Al Pacino film, Cruising.

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( Despite the prestige in the assignment, Neal wasn’t all that pleased to be posted to the field office in New York. He’d wanted to be back in D.C., where he could keep focused on his mission – to climb the ladder at the FBI. New York City, the capital of the world, the Big Apple, was filled with all sorts of distractions. )

Title: First Time, Forever
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Ellen Parker (as Neal's aunt), Joe Burke (OMC), Cathy Burke (OFC), Satchmo; Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~3500
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Teenage Peter (17) and teenage Neal (16) in the Wonder(ful) Years 'verse, so technically, underage.
Beta Credit: theatregirl7299
Summary: Set very early in the Wonder(ful) Years 'verse, when Peter and Neal are freshmen at Harvard (circa 1984). Neal feels like he's been waiting for half his life to have sex with Peter, if just because Peter won't go all the way with him until he's actually seventeen.

Author’s Note: A long over-due continuation of Love is a Danger (of a different kind), and like that story, this is written for my very dearest friend, kanarek13, on the occasion of her birthday.

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( Neal tucked the package inside his jacket and really wished he'd thought to bring a backpack or something. It was bad enough getting dirty looks from the cashier at the bookstore, but it would be ten times worse if anyone saw what he'd bought. )

Title: The Bennett Family Legacy Brings Some Holiday Cheer - GFSP IX
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Type: Picspam/Comic
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Donovan (AHS: Hotel), Implied Peter/Neal
Spoilers: Images from AHS: Hotel - Mommy
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Suggestion of Dub-Con, Suggestion of Murder, Drug Use.
Summary: In this AHS: Hotel Crossover, Donovan meets the Bennett Family Legacy. Neal has some words of advice. Do I have to say this is pure crack?

A/N: Many thanks to my dearest kanarek13 for the lovely collared Donovan screen caps.

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( Donovan's in a bit of a situation... )

Title: The Sound of Secrets
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Neal Caffrey, Peter Burke, Mozzie; Peter/Neal, Neal/Keller (past)
Spoilers: S6.06 – Au Revoir
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~2200
Beta Credit: sinfulslasher
Summary: In Paris, Neal waits for Peter to find him.

A/N: Written for Day 8 of Fic-Can-Ukah, for daria234 who requested "The sound of a thousand secrets" – Peter/Neal.

As with the last two stories, this one technically isn't late, because it's not quite sundown (in the next timezone over).

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(  Neal often thought that the sound of secrets was like that of rain splashing against a window.  )

Title: A Message Never Sent
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Burke, Elizabeth Burke, Neal Caffrey, Peter/Elizabeth
Spoilers: S6.6 – Au Revoir
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~2400
Beta Credit: sinfulslasher
Summary: Peter loves being a father, even when his curious son finds things that he shouldn't have. When seven year old Neal brings him an old photograph, Peter wonders if it's time to tell his child about the man he was named after.

A/N: Written for the fifth night of Fic-Can-Ukah, for aragarna, who picked the prompt "A black and white photograph" and asked for "Peter/El, or Peter, in canon." The black and white quality of the photo is questionable, but I hope she enjoys this none-the-less.

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( “Dad, who is this?”  )

Title: Salva Me - Part Two of Three
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Diana Berrigan, James Bennett, Lydia Bennett (OFC), Kyle Collins, Clinton Jones, Matthew Keller; Neal/Keller (past), Peter/Neal
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Kidnapping, physical assault, very brief reference to self-harm (OC), brief reference to clerical sexual abuse of a minor (OC), pre-story non-described death of canon character.
Word Count: ~22,000
Beta Credit: sinfulslasher who was heroic in her work on this story, despite having her own fic to write. Her advice was invaluable, even when I didn't take it.
Summary: Colonel Peter Burke, retired, runs a private kidnap and hostage recovery operation. He's hired by James and Lydia Bennett to rescue their kidnapped son, Neal. Neal is a priest who's been assigned to work in central Honduras, one of the most dangerous places in the world.

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( Neal shivered in the dark.  )

Title: The Binding
Author: elrhiarhodan
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Reese Hughes, Rachel Turner, Yvonne; Peter/Neal, Reese/Rachel
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: None
Word Count: ~3500
Beta Credit: sinfulslasher
Summary: Set in the Dragon'verse A/U, a direct sequel to Consequences of the Storm , Peter and Neal's new relationship causes problems for everyone.

A/N: For the third night of Fic-Can-Ukah, for riverotter1951, who asked for a story for the prompt "Lost in the Shadows of Time Past". She'd wanted Gloriana'verse, but was happy to accept a story in Dragon'Verse.

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( Reese woke as the storm started to crest over Manhattan, the powerful waves of electricity pulling at his skin. )

Title: It Must Be Now - Master Post
Author: elrhiarhodan
Artist: treonb / Art Post
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, David Siegel, Diana Berrigan, Theodore "Mozzie" Winters, Theo Berrigan, Sara Ellis, Clinton Jones, Matthew Keller; Peter/Elizabeth (Past), Peter/Neal (Past), Neal/Keller (Past), Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~60,000
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Major Character Illness
Beta Credit: pooh_collector, sinfulslasher
Summary: In this alternate universe, the story opens as Peter and Elizabeth's marriage ends. Peter tries to move into a new life, but finds himself haunted by his past - a relationship with Neal Caffrey when they were both students at Harvard - and a future that might come to an end far too soon.

Author’s Note: Many, many thanks to my alpha readers theatregirl7299 and miri_thompson, who provided an endless bounty of encouragement.

Even more thanks to my wonderful and talented artist, treonb, who created the beautiful and evocative promo video.

Title from the Annie Lennox Song "Oh God (Prayer)", which TreonB used in the vid.

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"" (Watch on YouTube)

( It Must Be Now - Part One )
( It Must Be Now - Part Two )
( It Must Be Now - Part Three )
( It Must Be Now - Part Four )
( It Must Be Now - Part Five )
( It Must Be Now - Part Six )
( It Must Be Now - Part Seven )

Title: It Must Be Now - Part Seven-A of Seven
Author: elrhiarhodan
Artist: treonb / Art Post
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, David Siegel, Diana Berrigan, Theodore "Mozzie" Winters, Theo Berrigan, Sara Ellis, Clinton Jones, Matthew Keller; Peter/Elizabeth (Past), Peter/Neal (Past), Neal/Keller (Past), Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~60,000
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Major Character Illness
Beta Credit: pooh_collector, sinfulslasher
Summary: In this alternate universe, the story opens as Peter and Elizabeth's marriage ends. Peter tries to move into a new life, but finds himself haunted by his past - a relationship with Neal Caffrey when they were both students at Harvard - and a future that might come to an end far too soon.

Author’s Note: Many, many thanks to my alpha readers theatregirl7299 and miri_thompson, who provided an endless bounty of encouragement.

Even more thanks to my wonderful and talented artist, treonb, who created the beautiful and evocative promo video.

Title from the Annie Lennox Song "Oh God (Prayer)", which TreonB used in the vid.

__________________



( It Must Be Now - Part Seven-A )

Title: It Must Be Now - Part Five of Seven
Author: elrhiarhodan
Artist: treonb / Art Post
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, David Siegel, Diana Berrigan, Theodore "Mozzie" Winters, Theo Berrigan, Sara Ellis, Clinton Jones, Matthew Keller; Peter/Elizabeth (Past), Peter/Neal (Past), Neal/Keller (Past), Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~60,000
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Major Character Illness
Beta Credit: pooh_collector, sinfulslasher
Summary: In this alternate universe, the story opens as Peter and Elizabeth's marriage ends. Peter tries to move into a new life, but finds himself haunted by his past - a relationship with Neal Caffrey when they were both students at Harvard - and a future that might come to an end far too soon.

Author’s Note: Many, many thanks to my alpha readers theatregirl7299 and miri_thompson, who provided an endless bounty of encouragement.

Even more thanks to my wonderful and talented artist, treonb, who created the beautiful and evocative promo video.

Title from the Annie Lennox Song "Oh God (Prayer)", which TreonB used in the vid.

__________________



( It Must Be Now - Part Five )

Title: It Must Be Now - Part Three of Seven
Author: elrhiarhodan
Artist: treonb / Art Post
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, David Siegel, Diana Berrigan, Theodore "Mozzie" Winters, Theo Berrigan, Sara Ellis, Clinton Jones, Matthew Keller; Peter/Elizabeth (Past), Peter/Neal (Past), Neal/Keller (Past), Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~60,000
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Major Character Illness
Beta Credit: pooh_collector, sinfulslasher
Summary: In this alternate universe, the story opens as Peter and Elizabeth's marriage ends. Peter tries to move into a new life, but finds himself haunted by his past - a relationship with Neal Caffrey when they were both students at Harvard - and a future that might come to an end far too soon.

Author’s Note: Many, many thanks to my alpha readers theatregirl7299 and miri_thompson, who provided an endless bounty of encouragement.

Even more thanks to my wonderful and talented artist, treonb, who created the beautiful and evocative promo video.

Title from the Annie Lennox Song "Oh God (Prayer)", which TreonB used in the vid.

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( It Must Be Now - Part Three )

Title: It Must Be Now - Part Two-A of Seven
Author: elrhiarhodan
Artist: treonb / Art Post
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: R (Chapter Two - NC-17)
Characters/Pairings: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, David Siegel, Diana Berrigan, Theodore "Mozzie" Winters, Theo Berrigan, Sara Ellis, Clinton Jones, Matthew Keller; Peter/Elizabeth (Past), Peter/Neal (Past), Neal/Keller (Past), Peter/Neal
Word Count: ~60,000 Total
Spoilers: None
Warnings/Enticements/Triggers: Major Character Illness
Beta Credit: pooh_collector, sinfulslasher
Summary: In this alternate universe, the story opens as Peter and Elizabeth's marriage ends. Peter tries to move into a new life, but finds himself haunted by his past - a relationship with Neal Caffrey when they were both students at Harvard - and a future that might come to an end far too soon.

Author’s Note: Many, many thanks to my alpha readers theatregirl7299 and miri_thompson, who provided an endless bounty of encouragement.

Even more thanks to my wonderful and talented artist, treonb, who created the beautiful and evocative promo video.

Title from the Annie Lennox Song "Oh God (Prayer)", which TreonB used in the vid.

Note for Part Two – Because of LJ's entry size limitations, Part Two is in two parts. The link at the end of this entry will take you to the conclusion of this chapter.

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( It Must Be Now - Part Two-A )

One of the very earliest stories I wrote for the White Collar fandom was Wash the Sins Away (warning: graphic allusions to rape), for a rather innocent prompt from daria234, “Peter and Neal having sex in the shower”. It turned into a very dark story, one which formed the core of the Paladin'verse.

Last night, kanarek13 shared with me a preview of her image that would give her a blackout on her H/C bingo card and after I caught my breath, my first thought was - that's the perfect illustration for "Wash the Sins Away". When I mentioned it to Kanarek, she told me that she'd been thinking of that very story when she was working on this. Then she asked me if it was okay to turn this into cover art. Of course my answer was, yes!

I'm honored by this gift. This is a difficult story and one that has resonated with me for all my years in the fandom.

Please go check out the original image and the cover artwork at her journal.

A few of my friend write the Twelve Days of Ficmas and many others on my flist participate in Yuletide and have fun filling Fandom Stockings. My gift to you, my awesome flist, comes on the eight days of Fic-can-ukah, which coincidentally occur on the eight nights of Hanukkah.

But you say, "Elr, it’s only the end of October, what’s this with Hanukkah?" Between work and the November posting of the WC Big Bang, and the WC H/C Advent, I've got a lot on my plate. Also, this year, the Festival of Lights begins in early December. With any luck, I’ll have all of the stories finished and ready to go before we light the first candle (although I suspect that I might be writing the last few at the wire).

Fic-can-ukah works like this:

I will write a short fic(let) for each of the eight days. And by short, I mean 300-500 words (yeah, sinfulslasher stop laughing, please – I know that last year’s average was >5k). To make this easy on me (because I know my limitations), I'm giving you the prompts, and you get to pick which prompt you want me to write and the character(s) and/or pairing(s), and/or an existing ‘verse, or if it's simply writer's choice.

The prompts:

The light of lamps and candles - Day 12 - sandy79
Memory as thick as time
The antidote to pain
You don’t know where you are
These are the stories of my father
I am writing you from a far-off country - Day 6 - tjs_whatnot
Taking the long way around
A black-and-white photograph - Day 5 - aragarna
He called you by your real name - Day 14 - angelita26
Even the lightning spoke well of them - Day 1 - theatregirl7299
This is the geography of his body - Day 4 - kanarek13
Houses have their secrets - Day 13 - pipilj
Beyond the confines of ordinary language - Day 10 - joy2190
Soaking in a tub - Day 7 - sheryln
The way sunlight feels on skin - Day 11 - doctor_fangeek
After the last guest left
Every night we save ourselves
Walking at night through solitary streets - Day 2 - sinfulslasher
The map of a daydream
The sound of a thousand secrets - Day 8 - daria234
In the garden after dark
The passing of hours
The idea inside the morning
Lost in the shadows of time past - Day 3 - riverotter1951
You don’t know where you are
There is always more than one silence - Day 9 - pooh_collector
The secret history of anger
Something moves in the distance


Verses I really want to write in this year:

Wonder(ful) Years
Dragon'Verse
Paladin'Verse
The Vinegar Hill Continuum
Unusual Relations (Hughes and Mozzie)
Orchestration
Gloriana 'Verse
An Ordinary Life 'Verse (Veterinarian Neal)
Nothing Will Remain 'Verse

I'm also not averse to timestamping these longer fics, with the right prompt:

Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places
A Forever Kind of Family
Fortune's Just a One Night Stand
Love Is As Rich As the Sea

First come, first served and one prompt per person. And yes, I am aware that none of these prompts are particularly fluffy or holiday oriented. In fact, they’re all kind of angsty. Just the way I like ‘em.

So, if you want a timestamp from a current 'verse or an older story, let me know, and I will try to honor your request (but I may chose otherwise, too). The only story I won’t/can’t timestamp is Rubbing Elbows With the Moon. Also this year, I’m not writing WC RPS – just don’t have the feel for it at the moment.

Of course, if more than eight people sign up, I will try to fill everyone's request, but I will only guarantee the first eight. Fills will be posted starting Sunday, December 6th.

Participation is ecumenical - there is nothing inherently Jewish about Fic-can-ukah, and you don't have to be Jewish to sign up. The stories won't necessarily be holiday oriented, either. Just think of this as my masochistic version of Fandom Stocking.