Movie Night

Chapter 1 - Home Alone

Chapter Description: One week before Christmas, the Caffreys decide to plan a movie night. It will not be as simple and straightforward as that sounds.

Winston-Winslow NYC offices. December 18, 2006 - Monday morning.

When Angela arrived at the Winston-Winslow offices right before the lunch hour, Neal glanced longingly at the exit. If he'd just wrapped up his conference call a few minutes earlier, he might have escaped the latest round of his cousin's increasingly frequent visits to coordinate their upcoming Christmas vacation.

"She's back," he warned Henry, who was sitting across the conference room table from him.

"We could close the door and pretend we're not here," Henry suggested, but it was too late. Nirmala had already greeted their frequent visitor at the reception desk and pointed her in their direction.

Angela meant well, of course. This was the last time their Caffrey grandparents would host Christmas before selling their home and downsizing, and therefore the whole family wanted this celebration to be perfect.

Neal had read about middle children being the peacemakers, but he hadn't really grasped it until he started spending time with the cousins. Henry, by virtue of being the oldest, always assumed he should be in charge. Angela, as the baby of the family, was used to being indulged and getting her way. Having grown up in WITSEC, Neal was new to the dynamic and simply tried to end the arguments so they could move on.

Today, Angela was fretting about the entertainment. What would they do to keep such a large group happy? No matter what she mentioned, Henry could think of one person who wouldn't like it.

Finally Neal said, "We're going to be in a food coma after the feast you've described. Why don't we just watch movies?"

Angela and Henry stopped bickering and looked intrigued. Their grandmother was a former actress, and she would absolutely love a movie night.

"How do we pick the movies?" Angela asked.

"Have everyone nominate a favorite," Neal suggested.

"Ask them to describe why it's a favorite and why we should watch it," Henry added.

"Bonus points if it's a holiday movie," Angela said, getting into the spirit.

"Bonus points?" Henry asked. "How are we scoring the entries?"

A few minutes of arguing later, Neal spoke up. "Neither of you can set the scoring rules. It's obvious you'd game the system to win. We should leave it up to our hosts. They'll decide what has the most weight. Then the movies selected can be a surprise to all of us."

"One of us needs to buy the DVDs," Henry pointed out.

"We'll each chip in, but we'll select someone who can't be bribed to tally the scores and make the purchases," Neal countered.

Henry nodded. "Do you want to ask him, or should I do it?"

"Who?" Angela asked.

"Peter," Neal said.

###

The morning had been filled with visitors to Peter's office. The news was spreading that he'd officially resigned from the FBI, and several people wanted to hear about his new job and wish him luck.

It was almost enough to make him change his mind. Between the people he used to work with in White Collar, and a handful of well-wishers from his current team in Organized Crime, he could convince himself things weren't so bad.