crack_van | A Handful of Lightning by sholio (PG-13)

Fandom: WHITE COLLAR
Pairing: gen (with background canon pairings)
Length: 14,500 words
Author on LJ:

sholio
Author Website: AO3
Warnings: some graphic violence; mention of harm to children
Author's Summary: "He's some kind of secret government experiment?" Peter and his team have been trying to catch the elusive con artist Neal Caffrey for years. But Peter's search for Neal leads him to something else: a startling revelation about Neal's true nature.

Why this must be read:

A psychic Neal!AU. Sholio is the best at worldbuilding and once again she manages to pull us into a world with so many nuances that it all just feels real. Her character voices, like always, are absolutely spot on and you feel for all the characters. It will make your heart ache at times, but all will be made better because of Neal's and Peter's deep bond and now that Peter is in Neal's life, he will make sure, no one gets to hurt him any more.

"Neal."

"Agent Burke," Neal said cheerfully. Having rested while Peter and his team were running around the building, he looked obnoxiously cool and fresh. "No handcuffs this time? I'm disappointed."

Making a snap decision, Peter didn't call for backup quite yet. He wanted to be able to talk to Neal for a few minutes, just the two of them, without having to hedge it around with half-truths and omissions -- because he could guess that there was going to be a dramatic reaction when Neal realized that he couldn't influence Peter's mind anymore.

"What is your plan here?" Peter demanded, approaching him cautiously with his gun half-raised. Neal didn't look at all worried, which was in itself worrisome. "You're trapped at the top of a forty-story building. This is not going to end well for you. Oh, and you're under arrest, by the way."

A Handful of Lightning

There are also several sequels to this story, which you will find if you follow this tag