Fanart: Chasing Bonds (White Collar)
Aug. 8th, 2015 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sheenianniTitle: Chasing Bonds
Fandom: White Collar
Characters/Pairing: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Mozzie, Satchmo
Rating: PG
Summary: Their first meeting might have been in front of the bank, but their second took a rather different turn… AU.
A/N: This fills the prompt “Natural Disasters” on my H/C Bingo card.
CHASING BONDS
It was the end of July, 2002 when the FBI heard the elusive “James Bonds” was about to hit a gallery in Prague. Yet there was no evidence, only rumors and hearsay, nothing solid to be officially pursued. It was then that Peter introduced the idea to Elizabeth – to come to Prague, look into his lead and then spend a week seeing the sights and enjoying their time together.
Peter worried that El might have her reservations. After all, it had been a while since they had more than just a weekend to themselves, and this wasn’t going to be a conventional vacation, not by a long shot. Once again, Elizabeth surprised him by her understanding and her refreshing sense of humor and adventure. What could be more fun than spending the week in the beautiful city while visiting some museums and looking for a clever art thief on the side?
The first three days of their vacation were pure bliss…
… until the rains that changed everything.
* * *
In August 2002 a flood caused by over a week of continuous heavy rains ravaged Europe, killing dozens, dispossessing thousands, and causing damage of billions of euros in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Croatia. The flood was of a magnitude expected to occur roughly once a century.
* * *
The FBI had somehow gotten on his trail, then Kate had left for Chicago; finally, the con on Adler had ended up in a massive fiasco with both Neal and Mozzie pretty much broke. After the disaster of the past few months, it was time to regroup. They pulled off a few jobs in the States; a couple of them with Alex, most of them on their own; and then when the country got too hot for them, they left for Europe and finally for Prague.
Mozzie thought the score was a bit flashy, but Neal was eager to test if his Monet was good enough to fool the experts, and in the end his friend didn’t tell him no.
There was security to overcome and a getaway to plan; days filled with notes about security cameras, employees clothes, police response times and alarm systems. It was a surprise to learn that Agent Burke was in town, but that only made the challenge more exciting. It was all great fun…
…until the rains started and suddenly the Vltava river became a bigger problem than anything else.
* * *
Prague received significant damage from what were deemed to be the worst floods ever to hit the capital. The flow of Vltava culminated at 5300 m³/s, 20% more than during the flood of 1845. Among the regions of the capital city most severely affected were: Karlín, Kampa and Holešovice, where there was significant risk of building collapse. Most of Prague's art work was saved due to advance warning of high water levels, however there was significant damage to the Prague Metro subway system, much of which was completely flooded.
Prague's Jewish Quarter also received significant damage, a part of the estimated $30 million in damage to Czech cultural sites including: the Prague Municipal Library, Malá Strana, the National Theatre and Terezín.
* * *
The water was rising fast; evacuation was in full process, as was the task of rising water barriers. Instead of playing cat and mouse game, Peter and Neal found themselves working side to side, doing everything they could to help the people around them….
* * *
The evacuations before the worst of the flooding have been cited as one of the reasons for relatively little loss of life in the capital. An estimated 40,000 people were evacuated from Prague. One of the most visible victims of the summer's flood was Gaston, a sea lion from the Prague Zoo who swam to Germany following the flooding of his aquarium. For some time, it was believed he would survive, however he died following capture in Dresden.
In total, 17 people lost their lives in the Czech Republic due to the floods, and damage from the flood was estimated at between 70 and 73 billion CZK. [source: wikipedia]
* * *
…and in between the mud, the rubble, the bags of sand and chaos, a beautiful friendship was born.
FIN
A/N: The flood in 2002 was one of the most memorable experiences in my childhood; the sheer devastation of it affected the city for months, even years. At the time, I was in a different part of the country than my mom, whose workplace was very close to the river, and even though we knew that she was okay, it was still surreal to watch all those familiar places being destroyed. Once I saw the “Natural Disasters” square on my bingo card, I simply knew that I had to put Neal and Peter there.
Fandom: White Collar
Characters/Pairing: Peter Burke, Neal Caffrey, Elizabeth Burke, Mozzie, Satchmo
Rating: PG
Summary: Their first meeting might have been in front of the bank, but their second took a rather different turn… AU.
A/N: This fills the prompt “Natural Disasters” on my H/C Bingo card.
___________________________________
CHASING BONDS
It was the end of July, 2002 when the FBI heard the elusive “James Bonds” was about to hit a gallery in Prague. Yet there was no evidence, only rumors and hearsay, nothing solid to be officially pursued. It was then that Peter introduced the idea to Elizabeth – to come to Prague, look into his lead and then spend a week seeing the sights and enjoying their time together.
Peter worried that El might have her reservations. After all, it had been a while since they had more than just a weekend to themselves, and this wasn’t going to be a conventional vacation, not by a long shot. Once again, Elizabeth surprised him by her understanding and her refreshing sense of humor and adventure. What could be more fun than spending the week in the beautiful city while visiting some museums and looking for a clever art thief on the side?
The first three days of their vacation were pure bliss…
… until the rains that changed everything.
In August 2002 a flood caused by over a week of continuous heavy rains ravaged Europe, killing dozens, dispossessing thousands, and causing damage of billions of euros in the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Croatia. The flood was of a magnitude expected to occur roughly once a century.
The FBI had somehow gotten on his trail, then Kate had left for Chicago; finally, the con on Adler had ended up in a massive fiasco with both Neal and Mozzie pretty much broke. After the disaster of the past few months, it was time to regroup. They pulled off a few jobs in the States; a couple of them with Alex, most of them on their own; and then when the country got too hot for them, they left for Europe and finally for Prague.
Mozzie thought the score was a bit flashy, but Neal was eager to test if his Monet was good enough to fool the experts, and in the end his friend didn’t tell him no.
There was security to overcome and a getaway to plan; days filled with notes about security cameras, employees clothes, police response times and alarm systems. It was a surprise to learn that Agent Burke was in town, but that only made the challenge more exciting. It was all great fun…
…until the rains started and suddenly the Vltava river became a bigger problem than anything else.
Prague received significant damage from what were deemed to be the worst floods ever to hit the capital. The flow of Vltava culminated at 5300 m³/s, 20% more than during the flood of 1845. Among the regions of the capital city most severely affected were: Karlín, Kampa and Holešovice, where there was significant risk of building collapse. Most of Prague's art work was saved due to advance warning of high water levels, however there was significant damage to the Prague Metro subway system, much of which was completely flooded.
Prague's Jewish Quarter also received significant damage, a part of the estimated $30 million in damage to Czech cultural sites including: the Prague Municipal Library, Malá Strana, the National Theatre and Terezín.
The water was rising fast; evacuation was in full process, as was the task of rising water barriers. Instead of playing cat and mouse game, Peter and Neal found themselves working side to side, doing everything they could to help the people around them….
The evacuations before the worst of the flooding have been cited as one of the reasons for relatively little loss of life in the capital. An estimated 40,000 people were evacuated from Prague. One of the most visible victims of the summer's flood was Gaston, a sea lion from the Prague Zoo who swam to Germany following the flooding of his aquarium. For some time, it was believed he would survive, however he died following capture in Dresden.
In total, 17 people lost their lives in the Czech Republic due to the floods, and damage from the flood was estimated at between 70 and 73 billion CZK. [source: wikipedia]
…and in between the mud, the rubble, the bags of sand and chaos, a beautiful friendship was born.
___________________________________________________
A/N: The flood in 2002 was one of the most memorable experiences in my childhood; the sheer devastation of it affected the city for months, even years. At the time, I was in a different part of the country than my mom, whose workplace was very close to the river, and even though we knew that she was okay, it was still surreal to watch all those familiar places being destroyed. Once I saw the “Natural Disasters” square on my bingo card, I simply knew that I had to put Neal and Peter there.
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no subject
Date: 2015-08-08 09:26 pm (UTC)LOL at Mozzie with that hat ^^. Really cool art and idea.
Glad there was a limited number of casualty due to the flood. ***hugs***
no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:33 pm (UTC)The evacuation process was very well-organized, so most of the victims were people who refused to leave their homes or hazard-takers who went on a boat in the crazy weather, putting the rescue teams at risk.
We do get some small floods every five years or so, but this one went far beyond that - it was really bad. Lots of people lost their homes, and in Prague it took about a year before the whole Metro was working again. *Hugs back*
no subject
Date: 2015-08-08 09:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-08 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:36 pm (UTC)Thank you so much for your wonderful review!
no subject
Date: 2015-08-08 11:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 02:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:47 pm (UTC)It was really bad, but the army and the firemen did a really good job to minimize the damage. It was also great to see so many ordinary people working together and so willing to help, both during the flood and later in the following clean-up process.
Thank you for your review!
no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:15 pm (UTC)Lovely artwork and story! Mozzie's expression in the boat is priceless! Heee! But Poor Satchmo!
no subject
Date: 2015-08-09 05:49 pm (UTC)Satchmo definitely deserves a hug and a treat and then some. Poor boy!
no subject
Date: 2015-08-12 02:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-12 08:15 pm (UTC)Thank you very much for your comment :)
no subject
Date: 2015-08-13 05:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-13 10:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-18 09:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2015-08-18 09:38 am (UTC)