Threads of Trust || Neal Caffrey

Pilot - Part 2

White Collar Fanfic | Threads of Trust | Pilot – Part 2

"How did you know?" Was the first question that spouted out of Peter's mouth the moment he went to visit his sister in jail. He was standing over to the side of the visiting room, his hands in his pockets while he waited for his answer. Avery, on the other hand, was sitting at one of the benches with her arms crossed on top of the table, looking at him calmly but there was a small smile on her lips. This was the first time he's really visited her in jail – it felt ... nice.

The guard over to the side, standing by the door was passive – he was only there if Ava was supposedly going to be out of control. That would never happen of course but it was simply a precaution, one that every prison had to make in order to keep the visitors safe.

"Oh, come on, Pete ... I have my ways." Ava starting smiling just a little bit more, but this time, it was more amused than anything. "So, how upset were the Canadians?" Curious but already she could guess the answer, especially when Peter laughed at the question.

"Oh, very." He replied, grinning himself. "Well, as upset as Canadians can get." For a moment, the room just stayed silent, but then the real questions started to begin. After thinking about it – he was sure there was some ulterior motive for her wanting him to actually visit – she's never requested that he come before, even if he should have by himself. "Alright," He sighed, the smile slipping just a little as he walked over to the bench, perching himself into the opposite seat. "So, I agreed to come and visit but I'm sure there's something you wanted to talk about."

Ava nodded just a little, confirming what he had figured out back at the office, during the morning he found out about the real identity to the strand. "I know why you call him the Dutchman." She said, a knowing tone to her voice. She watched as her brother's brows creased, both interested and unsure of where this conversation might be heading. "Like the ghost ship." Her eyes never looked away from his face but she was completely serious in everything she was saying to him. "He disappears whenever you get close."

Peter was silent for a moment before asking, "How do you know anything about him?"

"You know everything in my life – to a degree – and you really didn't think I wouldn't check up on yours?" Of course she checked up on her brother; every day since she left at age 18. Even in prison she still had her ways of finding out information. "You get the birthday cards, don't you?"

"Nice touch."

"You've been after the Dutchman for almost as long as you were after me – as soon as my file was put on your desk." Ava continued, getting to the point of the conversation. "I'll help you catch him." All week she's been thinking about this plan, and the more she thought about it, the more she loved the idea of it.

As soon as she declared that he could help him, Peter quirked an eyebrow, not really convinced on a few concepts, "Really?" Wondering what was truly going through his sister's mind right now. "How does that work? You wanna be prison pen-siblings?" He couldn't seem to work out a viable conclusion that she might be heading for other than getting released. And that is something he cannot do. He honestly wouldn't either – Ava committed her crimes and now she had to pay for them, just like any other criminal has to.

It was only then that Peter noticed the folder in front of his sister, there were a few sheets of paper in a brown file folder. Ava pushed it forwards in front of him, opening up the file. Curiously, Peter glanced down at them, his eyes digging into the sheets a little further. "You can get me out of here." She told him with a little detectable hope in her voice, tapping the folder in front of him to prove her thesis. She watched briefly as he began flicking through the sheets, "There's case law ... precedent ... and I can be released into your custody."