Fic: At His Beck and Call - WhiCo

[katikat]

Title: At His Beck and Call
Author: katikat
Rating: G
Genre and/or Pairing: Peter/El
Spoilers: None, set during S1
Warnings: None
Word Count: 780
Summary: Neal experiences a 'light-bulb moment'...
Notes: A big thanks to yami_tai for her fast beta job!


There was a boom of laughter in the living room and Neal turned to the door separating the kitchen from the dining room and glared at it.

"Sometimes I think your husband's enjoying the fact that he has me at his beck and call way too much," Neal said, disgust tingeing his voice.

Elizabeth grinned and smeared a small cracker with a pink, sweet smelling pate. "Oh, you love it, admit it." Then she reached out, offering the cracker to Neal. "Open up!"

Taking a bite from her fingers, Neal chewed slowly, then licked his lips and smacked them. "Six," he said. "Too much sugar."

Elizabeth took a pen and wrote down the number next to the caterer. "I'm happy that he's there," she pointed in the direction of the living room with the pen, "with Jones watching a game, rather than here with me helping me choose a caterer. I love my husband dearly but he really does not appreciate fine cuisine."

Neal nodded. "It's the cheap beer, it’s destroyed his taste-buds." He took a sip of water from his glass to wash away the aftertaste. "But still, making me fulfill his marital duties? That's not exactly professional."

"Marital duties, huh?" Elizabeth said, her eyes flashing mischievously. "Well, well, well, I didn't know that Peter had it in him!"

Neal's eyes widened. "That's not what I meant!"

Elizabeth grinned. "Relax," she said, patting his hand, and offered him another cracker, this one smeared with something yellow.

Neal chewed slowly, considering the taste carefully. "Eight. Slightly on the fishy side but good enough to pass around after everybody gets properly drunk."

Making another note, Elizabeth continued. "And I thought you left the professional stage of your relationship behind a long time ago."

Neal raised his eyebrows, taking another sip of water. "A long time? Elizabeth, we've been working together less than a year," he reminded her.

"Oh, I'm not talking about your working relationship," she said, waving her hand. "I meant before that."

This time Neal frowned. "Before what?"

Elizabeth looked up from the tiny cups of pate on the table in front of her with a surprised look on her face. "Neal, he had been chasing you for three years. Someone just had to mention your name in connection with something and he dropped everything and raced across the country. And when he finally caught you? He went and put in a good word for you! If that's not personal, then I don't know what is."

"Good word?" Neal asked in confusion.

"Oh, Neal," Elizabeth said patiently. "Why do you think they tried you just for forgery and dropped everything else from breaking and entering to theft and I don't know what else?"

Neal blinked a couple of times. "Peter talked to the prosecutor?" he asked softly.

Elizabeth smiled. "And to the judge and to everybody who was willing to listen."

"But... why?"

Elizabeth gave him a fond, but exasperated look. "Because, believe it or not, he does not actually want to see you rot in jail."

Neal was frowning. "But he arrested me," he objected.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and leaned forward. "Because you were breaking the law. You were a criminal and it's his job to catch criminals. But that doesn't mean he took any pleasure in sending you to jail."

"I... don't get it."

Elizabeth hung her head for a moment, then looked up. "Okay, I will spell it out for you - he likes you. He's so fond of you it's ridiculous. And until I met you, I didn't really understand it. But now..." She shook her head and looked at him with the same fond expression that sometimes appeared on Peter's face when he watched Neal.

At that moment, Peter pushed in through the swinging door from the dining room, two empty beer bottles in hands, his goal obvious. But taking one step into the kitchen, he froze. Both Elizabeth and Neal were watching him - El with an affectionate amusement, Neal with a certain puzzled curiosity that he reserved for riddles waiting to be cracked - it made Peter feel highly uncomfortable.

"What?" Peter asked slowly.

Elizabeth waved her hand. "Oh, nothing, honey. Neal just experienced a 'light-bulb moment'." She grinned cheekily while Neal looked at Peter as if he was seeing him for the first time.

Peter still had no idea what was going on and he decided he really didn't want to know - it was better for his sanity. Taking on one of them was bad enough; but both El and Neal was downright dangerous. Grabbing two fresh beers from the fridge, he beat a strategic retreat.

The End

Comments

[china_shop]

Hee! That's just lovely! :-)

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I just love to write about these three *happy sigh*

[tearful-eye.livejournal.com]

aww, that was just adorable!
i really like it a lot, ♥

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I think that those three are simply too cute for words. They basically write themselves!

[elainasaunt.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely. And very well written. And totally in character.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I usually have troubles writing witty remarks but with these characters it's so easy. Baffling...

[hoosierbitch.livejournal.com]

So cute. :-) I love taste-tester Neal! And the looks they all give each other when Peter walks in the room are great. :-)

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I loved the food tasting on the show. Peter's look when he realized that El invited him for lunch only because she wanted him to bring Neal. Ha!

[adina-atl.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Neal, he likes you. *grin*

I love seeing Elizabeth, both on screen and in stories. Thank you!

[katikat.livejournal.com]

I thank you :) El rocks so much. I hope that we'll see her and Neal together in S2 again :)

Leave it to El

[ursula4x.livejournal.com]

I liked Neal being fed by El. You probably didn't mean to make that sexy, but my mind went there.

El has it all figured out. She probably even had prior warning when the dolphins left earth.

Re: Leave it to El

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Hehe. It's funny but El feeding Neal, I bet that it could actually happen on the show itself. And that they wouldn't see anything unusual in that. Ha! The writers love us like that.

[alone-dreaming.livejournal.com]

Silly Neal. Of course he adores you. We all do. :) Very well written. I like the contrast between the food and the conversation. :) And Peter drinking beer out in the living room.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much. You know, I still can't believe that there's a show where two guys like each other that much and are actually willing to admit it ~and~ it's written by a guy! Love it!

[mrs-sweetpeach.livejournal.com]

Oh my, that was just adorable. The three of them are just so darn wonderful together, although I can totally relate to Peter's strategic retreat!

[katikat.livejournal.com]

These three have such an amazingly balanced relationship. The writers really do seem to be setting them up for the perfect threesome XP But even in a perfectly gen way, they are just so adorable together.

[noctaval.livejournal.com]

Cute! Run away, Peter, you are outnumbered. D:
I love that you have Jones and Peter watching the game. Peter needs his man!friends too, and Jones is awesome.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Hehe, thank you! I don't think that Peter would be all that successful trying to introduce Neal to a game. Of any kind. It would be like Neal taking Peter to a museum. Ha!

[noctaval.livejournal.com]

Maybe if it involved like, illegal betting on sports XD

I wonder what kind of art Peter would actually like. :o I mean, we know a lot of stuff he DOESN'T like, but considering what he does for a living, you'd think he had some interest D: Or maybe that's why he needs Neal XD

[seraphina_snape]

Wonderful fic. Just leave it to El to clue Neal in. *g*

~ sera

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! That's what El's there for, to smack Neal with a clue. She's awesome like that.

[asimaiyat.livejournal.com]

He's so fond of you it's ridiculous.

CANON. :D

This is so much fun.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

It so is canon! I mean, the finale? The last scene? OMG! I couldn't believe that it was actually written by a guy! Jeff Eastin loves those two together.

[amycat1959.livejournal.com]

"...the finale? The last scene? OMG! I couldn't believe that it was actually written by a guy! Jeff Eastin loves those two together..."

I'm beginning to think that "Jeff Eastin" is a pseudonym/front for a bunch of slash-loving FanGrrls somewhere. There's just SO much in this show that's unabashed "fangrrl catnip".

[luvspnl.livejournal.com]

Adorably cute! Oh Neal! I can practically see him pouting as Elizabeth feeds him and just tells it like it is. Which, yeah, Love your Elizabeth, she just gets it!

And Peter, oh Peter! Hehe.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! El's the best female character I've come across in a long while.

[misura.livejournal.com]

Oh, I really love this interpretation of Peter as having caught Neal because he had committed a crime but also as not wanting to see Neal behind bars because he likes him.

And it's even more lovely that Elizabeth's the one to tell Neal. *g*

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I mean, even in the first scene where we see Peter and Neal together in the pilot, Peter seems really sad/disturbed that Neal just bought himself four more years. And even more surprised that Neal didn't care.

[photoash.livejournal.com]

Awww :) that was a sweet moment between them! And I love Neal's rating system for the food heheh...

[katikat.livejournal.com]

The characters are just so sweet together in general that I want to squish them silly! *hugs them tight*

[whitecollarfan.livejournal.com]

Just realized I hadn't commented on this one - sorry! Very nice story! :)

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Hehe, no problem. I'm just glad that you liked the fic! *hugs*

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

awwww! I liked the image of El feeding Neal little crackers....

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's funny that I could actually see something like that happen on the show. In a perfectly gen way. Yes, the writers ruined me *head/desk*

[schweinsty.livejournal.com]

Oh, I enjoyed this :D. You really got the characters spot on :).

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It's so cute when the characters have to clue each other in on what the 3rd one thinks.

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

*grins* I think Peter's retreat was well advised indeed.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Hehe, I agree. El and Neal together are SCARY!

[midgetnazgul.livejournal.com]

I have been reading WC fic all afternoon, much of it yours. Finally, I just clicked your name on the author roster.

You truly are fantastic. Every fic of yours I read, I can picture each of the actors perfectly in your scenarios as if it's canon and on TV. I don't think I've seen anyone write so perfectly in-character in all the fandoms I enjoy.

Example:
At that moment, Peter pushed in through the swinging door from the dining room, two empty beer bottles in hands, his goal obvious. But taking one step into the kitchen, he froze. Both Elizabeth and Neal were watching him - El with an affectionate amusement, Neal with a certain puzzled curiosity that he reserved for riddles waiting to be cracked - it made Peter feel highly uncomfortable.

"What?" Peter asked slowly.

ROFL. This was gold. Absolutely perfect.

Please, keep writing for WC! I will read it all. Thanks for giving me a great afternoon. <3

[katikat.livejournal.com]

*blushes furiously* Thank you so much. I'm so glad my fics work for you. It was so easy to write their banter, the words just came to me on their own. That has never happened to me before.

Right now, my poor muses deserted me again :( I hope to kick start them when the show starts airing again next month *crosses fingers tight*

[midgetnazgul.livejournal.com]

You are very, very welcome. /high fives

I don't mean to put you on the spot and make you blush, but I felt a forward show of appreciation was necessary.

Muses do that. I have much the same problem with another fandom's fic right now. /sighs

With new material, I'm sure you'll find something to write about. ^_^