Title: Optimism
Author: serialchick
Rating: PG
Pairing: Neal/Sara, Peter/El
Spoilers: DENTIST OF DETROIT
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: White Collar and all characters associated with it are the property of Jeff Eastin and the usanetwork.
Summary: Elizabeth Burke was a very optimistic person.

Elizabeth Burke was a very optimistic person.

She had a lot of practise believing that everything would be okay. It came from being married to an FBI agent. Every morning, she chose to believe her husband would have a good day at work and return home safely. It was the only way to keep her sanity and her marriage.

So when Peter came home one day and told her he believed his partner had stolen billions of dollars in Nazi plunder and could run at any time, she chose to believe he might be wrong.

That didn't stop her from making a plan of attack. After all, her husband was smart, and there's a difference between optimism and stupidity. And so began "Operation: Domestication".

It was a three-point plan. First, she started inviting Neal over for dinner more often, to show him the life he could lead. Then she helped him gang up on Peter to convince him to take Neal to more art exhibits and festivals, to build a stronger connection to the city. And finally, she did a little matchmaking to find Neal a girl he'd be willing to stay for.

And true to her nature El chose to believe Operation: Domestication was working.

It wasn't until she was standing in an FBI safe house, staring at a sketch of Neal and Mozzie sitting on a beach that it occurred to her that Neal might not be the one who needed convincing.

Once the thought had occurred it took very little time to make a new plan. She set her shoulders, challenged Moz to a game of gin, and told him that it was time to stop running.

When she left, El didn't know whether her message had gotten through or not, but she chose to believe Moz would do the right thing.

Elizabeth Burke was a very optimistic person.