Fanfic Short Stories

White Collar & Leverage: The Dentist of Detroit Job

Story description: What if the Leverage team arrived in New York during the White Collar Dentist of Detroit episode? Suppose both groups were trying to bring down the same mobster. It would help if con artists Neal and Sophie knew each other, and could coordinate their efforts.

A/N: AO3 Chocolate Box exchange gift, inspired by a prompt for a White Collar and Leverage crossover featuring Neal and Sophie. I loved the part in the prompt about all of the cons Sophie and Neal know, and I enjoyed making up names for a few of those cons.

** a little hand waving over the timeline **

FYI, because the names Neal and Nate look so similar, I chose to use Nathan throughout this story to reduce confusion.

The Dentist of Detroit Job

Sophie Devereaux loved New York. The fashion, the jewels, the theater – she'd been thrilled when she heard it was the destination for their next job.

They'd arrived yesterday, and a minor flaw in their original plan pushed back their timetable. While Nathan and Eliot invented a Plan B, Hardison announced he'd heard about an amazing sale and insisted he and Parker needed to check it out first thing in the morning. Feeling at loose ends, Sophie decided to accompany them.

At first she'd been disappointed. The items being sold by a quirky little man named Mozzie were odd at best. Hardison seemed impressed by the electronics, and Parker listened intently to his descriptions of what the devices could do. Sophie amused herself by watching the customers.

One woman looked particularly out of place. She was more than a decade older than most of the people in the room, and infinitely more elegant, yet she appeared entirely at home among the rabble. Sophie walked toward the exit to get a better view of the woman as she left with her purchase. "Excuse me," Sophie said. "Are you June Ellington?"

The woman nodded. "That's right. Do I know you?"

June and her husband had been legends. They'd hit the jackpot, with a score so big and so untraceable that they'd purchased a mansion in Manhattan and retired. Sophie shook her head. "We haven't met, but I've aspired to be like you." She introduced herself and they chatted until a man's voice interrupted them.

"Sophie?"

She turned around. "Neal!"

Neal Caffrey. He'd made a splash in Europe as a grifter and thief several years ago, and they'd crossed paths a few times. He wore a stylish and expensive suit. It would seem he'd done well for himself, but appearances could be deceiving. He took her hand and said, "Good to see you again."

"I heard you were..." She glanced at June, not wanting to embarrass Neal in front of a legend.

"Incarcerated?" He smiled. "It's okay. June's my landlady. She knows all about my misadventures. Will you be in New York long? I need to get going now, but I'd love to catch up this evening if you're free."

Sophie had recently decided Nathan was taking her for granted, and wanted to remind him she was a woman of mystery. Disappearing for dinner this evening with a suave, handsome man would serve her goals nicely. She agreed to meet Neal at his loft at 7:00.

#

Neal barely made it back home before Sophie arrived. It had been a packed day. He might have cancelled, but he'd heard Sophie had joined a crew. She'd always been a loner, so that seemed strange, but was it any stranger than his own arrangement with the FBI? Sophie and her contacts could be useful, both now and in the future. The wiser course of action was to meet her as promised and to learn all he could about what she was doing these days.