Ficlet: Solitary - WhiCo

[katikat]

Title: Solitary
Author: katikat
Rating: R
Genre and/or Pairing: Missing Scene
Spoilers: Pilot
Warnings: Off-screen non-con
Word Count: ~320
Summary: What did Peter and the prison warden talk about on their way from Neal's cell to the monitoring room?
Notes: A big thanks to my beta, yami_tai!


"So, a one man cell," Peter remarked as he and the warden headed towards the monitoring room together.

"Yeah," answered the man. "We realized pretty quickly that with Caffrey, there was no other option.“

"Huh?" Peter said, leafing through the booklet he found in Neal’s room.

"Well, the man’s just too pretty for his own good, especially in a place like this, if you know what I mean."

Peter looked up sharply.

Seeing the frown on his face, the warden sighed. "Agent Burke, this is a maximum security prison, not a Sunday school. What did you think would happen to a man with Caffrey’s looks here?"

"What exactly are you saying?" Peter asked, an edge to his voice.

"There’ve been a couple of… incidents with his cell inmates. We took care of that by giving him a solitary one. And the other prisoners learned to leave him alone in the common areas after he stabbed one of them with a screwdriver."

Peter looked at him in disbelief. "Caffrey stabbed someone with a screwdriver?"

The warden looked increasingly uncomfortable under Peter’s intense stare. "Yes, it happened in the workshop and the man tried to…" The man fell silent when Peter’s eyes narrowed. "Well, it was ruled as self-defense," he said closing the matter.

"I bet it was!" Peter said softly but menacingly. "Caffrey is the least violent man I know."

They arrived at the door of the monitoring room, but before they could step inside, Peter stopped the warden and looked the man directly in the eyes to make sure he got his point across.

"I will find Caffrey and I will bring him back. But if I hear about something like… that happening to him again, then help me God, you will regret the day you met me. Is that understood?"

The warden swallowed and nodded. "Understood."

Peter glared at him a moment longer, then waved his hand. "Now show me the surveillance tape."

The End

Comments

[thefannishwaldo.livejournal.com]

*sigh* Yeah, you gotta figure Peter has some mixed up feelings about putting a guy like Neal in prison, where stuff like that isn't just possible, but probable with someone like Neal.

I love your protective!Peter even before they're partners.

Nice job.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Every time I see Neal in the orange jump suit, I remember what Justin Lin said in the audio commentary to Fast&Furious about what would happen to a man with Brian's looks in prison - and why they in the end chose NOT to send him to prison... I can see only one way Neal would stay safe there - if he was somehow useful to the other prisoners, like Jack Scalia's character in The Pointman.

And thank you for your kind words!

[whitecollarfan.livejournal.com]

Interesting fic. I can totally see Peter reacting like that.

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I mean, it must've at least crossed Peter's mind that something like that might have happened to Neal in there. Peter would have to be blind not to notice how handsome Neal is...

Love protective Peter

[ursula4x.livejournal.com]

Very restrained and well written. Peter probably left a chill in the warden's heart.

Re: Love protective Peter

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Peter can be very bad-ass when he wants to!

[evila-elf.livejournal.com]

Poor Neal. He would have to be desperate to nail someone with a screwdriver :(

Great ficlett! I could really sense Peter's shock at hearing about it!

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I tried to keep Peter in-character - at this point, he cares about Neal, about what happens to him but they aren't friends yet.