This is my entry for the 500 word challenge. I'm also counting it as one of my twelve in twelve works.

Title: Ring in the New
Author/Artist: veleda_k
Female Character(s) Emphasis on: Alex
Pairing(s): None (very brief mention of Kate/Neal)
Rating: PG
Spoilers: "Forging Bonds"
Disclaimer: White Collar belongs to USA Network and Jeff Eastin.



No one could call Alex a creature of habit. Being smart means being unpredictable, and Alex is one of the smartest. But whenever she can, she likes to be at Times Square on News Year's Eve. It's not because she likes to watch the ball drop, or any sort of “new beginning” sentimentalism. Times Square on December 31st is a thief's dream. Normally, Alex considers herself above a common pickpocket, but how can she resist when they make it so easy? The square is filled with wide eyed tourists, and even the seasoned New Yorkers have let their guard down in the excitement. Alex makes a game of it: how much can she get by the end of night?

She played the game with Neal, Mozzie, and Kate one year. She had been determined to show up Neal and Mozzie, and Neal and Mozzie had been equally determined not to let her beat them. Imagine their surprise when at the end of the night, it was Kate with the highest take. She remembers it clearly--Mozzie's disgruntled huffing, Kate, still slightly unsure but smiling triumphantly, the sheer joy Neal had taken in his lover's victory. (“You're all right, new girl,” Alex had said, once Neal had finally released Kate from a sweeping dip-kiss. If she had questioned Kate's place among them before, she didn't after that night.)

Alex feels a twinge. They were happy then. But Alex has never been one for regrets, so she pushes the feeling down. She prefers to look to the future. There's always the next heist, the next chance.

Alex dances through the crowd, an artist at work. For all that she prefers the well planned burglary or carefully orchestrated business deal, there's something thrilling about this, something that feels right. Her fingers are quick and lithe, dipping and out of pockets and purses before anyone has a chance to notice. In this moment, she owns this town, these people.

Alex loves New York. Not a big deal. She also loves Athens, London, and Tel Aviv. But maybe there's a little thrill here that she doesn't get anywhere else. These old, big cities develop personalities, even no-nonsense Alex knows that. And New York is her kind of town. It has the right kind life.

Tomorrow, she'll be gone, on her way to the next adventure. Tomorrow, there will be no proof she was ever here. Even now, she's like a spectre, invisible to the unknowing crowd. There's a power in this. She is no one, and she could be anyone. Imagine the possibilities.

She has plans for next year. Big plans. But then, she always does. Dream big and work hard, that's what Alex believes in. Set your sights on something and don't let go. Never let anything hold you back.

Maybe Alex is just a little sentimental, because right now, anything feels possible. In a few seconds, it will be a new year. Who knows what it will hold?

Five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

One...