White Collar - "Steady Income"

[tj_teejay]

Title: Steady Income
Author: TeeJay
Genre: Gen
Characters/Pairings: Neal, Peter
Word Count: 150
Rating: PG
Summary: Neal can't live on bread and water alone. So where's he get the money, now that his secret resources have been depleted?
Author's Note: Not sure where this came from, but don't you sometimes wonder how Neal makes a living if (according to Mozzie) he doesn't have any fallback treasure left to draw back on?
Disclaimer: White Collar, its characters and its settings belong to Jeff Eastin and USA Network. And, guys? Your characters are not only welcome, they're wonderful. I'm just borrowing, I promise.

 

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"What's this?"

Peter pointed to an item on the paperwork on the desk in front of them.

Neal pulled the papers closer, examining what Peter indicated. "What do you mean?"

Peter pointed at it again. "This. $1,075. And here it was $981. And again, here it was $1,037. Every two weeks about the same amount. Comes into your account like clockwork, the first and third week of the month."

Neal grinned rather cockily. "Why, Peter, you have very sharp deductive skills."

"Yeah. So... your account?"

"You remember when I jumped out of the judge's chambers?"

"Yeah, how could I forget?"

"And do you remember how I managed to make that plan work?"

Peter finally realized where Neal was going with this. "The bakery."

"And who owns it?"

"You're saying it's actually making a profit? This is where the money comes from?"

Neal smiled a winning smile. "Greatest cake in town."

Comments

[lionessvalenti.livejournal.com]

I LOVE fics that involve the bakery. Fabulous! :D

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Haha, thanks! :o)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

LOL! It does, doesn't it? What always makes me smile is thinking of the scene from the blooper reel, where Matt goes, "Hot and fresh. Just the way momma made 'em." :-D

[deepbluemermaid.livejournal.com]

Oh, very nice. I think the writers have forgotten about the bakery, so it's great that fanfic writers haven't :)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Thanks. And I know what you mean. The bakery definitely deserves to be mentioned again.

[aelfgyfu_mead]

Hurray for the bakery! "The Greatest Cake" still cracks me up (probably because I was so slow to get it the first time). I love the idea that Neal's making money on it!

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the bakery is just one of those things that people keep forgetting about, isn't it? And I'm not sure I got the "Greatest Cake" joke either. Was that mentioned in the episode? I must have missed it...

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Hehe, that's indeed a fun wordplay. Don't think I would have gotten it by myself, though. Might also have to do with that fact that I'm not a native speaker. :o)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Btw, I slightly changed the last line because I totally didn't remember the bakery was called "The Greatest Cake". I need to do better research. *sigh* And thanks for mentioning this!

[aelfgyfu_mead]

I think it just appears on the awning of the bakery and Peter mutters it under his breath--right before Neal's jump. I got it because I'd actually read a fic referring to it as a pun, but I hadn't seen that episode yet, so I'd just filed it away as "watch for a pun involving The Greatest Cake." I only got it when Neal dropped into the awning. The Greatest Cake! The Great Escape! Ha!

[damietta.livejournal.com]

Hot and fresh just like momma makes them. I love when Neal gets one on Peter (and this is actually legit!)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Peter or the FBI can't touch this one. Or at least I'd like think so.

Love that line from the blooper reel. Makes me smile every time!

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

\o/ Win!

yay for Neal's Mad Business Skillz!

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

LOL. Yep, Neal surely knows how to make a living. Thanks for your comment.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

That was awesome :D Plus it makes perfect sense. Ever since that ep, it became canon for me that Neal gets any extra cash he needs from his ownership in the bakery.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Any, yeah, somehow Neal must have an extra income to afford his lifestyle, and the bakery indeed makes perfect sense.

[nefhiriel.livejournal.com]

Hee! I love it. Totally makes sense. ^^

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Thank you. :o)

[poorfenny.livejournal.com]

I've always wondered what happened to that bakery. What a lovely and perfectly sensible explanation. Great job! :)

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Especially since they recently established that Neal doesn't seem to have any money stashed away anymore.

[meridian_rose]

Incredibly plausible :D Great idea.

[tj-teejay.livejournal.com]

Thanks! :o)