Title: He Loves the Chase
Fandom: White Collar
Rating: PG
Length: 412
Content notes: None
Author notes: For the "Lost and Found" Challenge at fan_flashworks.
Summary: Peter's a wanted fugitive trying to lay low. Naturally, that thief and con artist Neal Caffrey finds him. Peter/Neal pre-slash


Agent Peter Burke had to put his cases on hold – including his chase for the notorious Neal Caffrey – when he found a corrupt politician who shouldn’t be in office. Peter knew what was right, and he wouldn’t drop the case, and so things went like these things usually go.

Now Peter was on the lam. Laying low in Europe. For a while, things were calm.

Then....

It started with flowers. Then bottles of wine.

When a possibly-forged, possibly-real Klimt showed up in his hotel bed, Peter had had enough.

He went to the best hotel in town and showed Neal’s picture. He found Neal lounging by the pool.

“What are doing?” Peter said, voice steeled, looking down at Neal lying on a beach chair.

“I missed this,” Neal said, looking up at him with a smile.

“Is this revenge? Are you going to tell the authorities where I am?”

“Of course not. It’s just that it was always such fun when you were chasing me.”

Peter’s lips thinned. “I can’t do that any more.”

“I heard,” Neal said, voice amused. “That’s why I decided to chase you.”

“Well, you’ve found me,” Peter said, challenge in his voice.

“No, you’ve found me.”

“And?”

Neal reached out his hand, and Peter instinctively shook it. Neal grinned and stood up, and Peter didn’t want to back down so he stood where he was.

“I’m very excited to meet you, Agent Burke. Your work was quite brilliant. Nobody’s come as close as you have to catching me.”

“I wish you had told me before that all I had to do was become a wanted fugitive. A lot of good knowing this does me now,” Burke muttered, remembering his once stellar record.

“It might. If you’re willing to take a job from me,” Neal said, his lips widening as he leaned in, and for a moment Peter understood how all those people could have been conned by Neal Caffrey.

“I’m not interested in stealing anything,” Peter said, crossing his arms.

“Good, because I’m interested in finding someone. And I can’t think of anyone better than you to help.”

Peter frowned, but then said, “Okay. I’ll hear you out. But I won't do anything illegal.”

Neal smiled that poisonous smile again, and Peter felt a stir of desire against his will. “Great,” Neal said, “Let’s discuss this in my hotel room.”

He turned, and Peter, after a brief hesitation, decided to follow. Fugitive or not, Peter could stop whatever Neal had planned.

That’s what he told himself. At first.