The tragedy about the conflict of s3…
… Is that neither of them wanted it.
Okay, Neal kinda wanted it, I’m sure. Temptation. But he didn’t act on it, and he didn’t want it like this. Neal’s fault in this is that he could have walked away or said something at any point after, but he didn’t want to be in this situation. Mozzie forced him into it.
Peter sure as hell didn’t want it either. You can tell by how he either freezes up or get uncharacteristically emotional whenever it’s brought up. Esp by this point he genuinely cares deeply about Neal and wants him to get clean. The three things Peter loves most in the world are literally El, the law, and Neal at this point. He’s full on adopted this kid. He wants to be wrong, but he can’t compromise his belief in the laws and the system and the truth to not pursue it. He hates it, it takes so much out of him, and I think seeing Neal be hurt by his suspicions makes it all the worse, but this is Peter, finding the truth is who he is. S1 and 2 were slowly building the trust and relationship between them, and from Peter’s perspective, Neal may have just completely destroyed that. Thrown away everything he thought they had, and Peter’s attempts to help him go straight. But as much as it hurts him, he keeps the painting scrap out of evidence bc he wants to know first. He doesn’t want it to go on record and to have the whole Bureau come down on Neal. Despite himself he still wants to give the kid a modicum of chance—he also shows awareness that it could have been Mozzie or Alex.
And like I said above, Neal hates it, too. And not just being under suspicion again. At first, having Peter, the one person he completely trusts, accusing him, from his perspective, out of the blue after he just nearly got shot, after Peter just killed a man to protect him… Like that clearly just breaks his heart. Even during the opening interrogation, when he’s calmed down some, he’s still got that wounded look in his eyes—although I think he’s also clocking Peter’s unhappiness by that point bc it’s less offended and just sad. By that point he knows the treasure survived, but he does know he didn’t do it. He’s hurt by Peter’s suspicion of him but now he knows there’s a reason to be suspicious and he is hiding something. But even after he finds out that Mozzie did it… Even from the onset, he’s not quite truly happy. And even though he knows it’s now justified, that there’s very possibly evidence connecting it to him/them… Even though he goes along at first… You can tell there’s something off. Old Neal would be much more excited, not hesitating and looking vaguely shell shocked. And I think when he finds out it was Mozzie and that Mozzie took it ‘for them,’ he feels like he has betrayed Peter. He gets visibly more awkward about deflecting, which I think is actually honest as opposed to a deception. He’s letting his real emotions dictate his behaviour—he’s genuinely hurt by Peter’s suspicion, he genuinely cares what Peter thinks, he’s genuinely uncomfortable with his new position. But even after all of it, Neal instantly realises that Peter is still protecting him by w/holding the painting scrap—and I think that realisation is the stepping stone for his character development the rest of the season, bc in that moment, he realises he hasn’t wholly lost Peter, and not in a ‘I can still play him way.’ In a ‘thank god he doesn’t hate me now’ way, bc Neal doesn’t want Peter to hate him, he never did, and he esp doesn’t now. As early as s1 he didn’t want to let him down, and now he feels like Peter’s completely cut him off—only to be given that one bit of hope for making things better. Which is what makes him believe in everything else.
Neither of them wanted to be put at odds like this.
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Give me your hands, show me the door
"Marlene! What have you done to your hands?"
Her mother grabbed them and stared at the clipped short nails covered in a matte black nail polish.
"I like them like this", Marlene huffed, "They're cool!"
I cannot stand to wait anymore
Her mother scowled and left the room to grab nail polish remover and a light blue colour that matched her own.
Somebody said be what you be
Marlene, who was never one for controlling her emotions, screamed "fuck you!" before storming out the house and making her way to the Potter's.
She didn't return until the middle of the night, sneaking up into her bedroom and falling asleep.
We could be old and cold and dead on the sea
"I just want you have a good life", her mother muttered in her ear the next morning.
Marlene grunted, "What? Mum it's early, what do you want?"
Her mother stroked her hair, "Breakfast is ready. Come help me clean up."
Marlene huffed and got up, "You could get someone else to help for once."
But I love you more than words can say
"Everyone else is doing important things, unlike you. Come on, I have to do everything here, huh?"
"Fine. I'll help you, okay?"
Her mother smiled and kissed her head, "Thank you, love."
I can't count the reasons I should stay
The next few hours were spent cleaning the house, and doing the washing. Marlene’s dad and some of her brothers were at work while the others were outside playing football after fixing up the family car.
When her mum finally left to go to her friend's for tea and left Marlene with just a few plates and mugs to clean, Marlene ran outside to join her brothers.
◇
Give me some rope, tie me to dream
"Are you going to be working?" her father asked; she had just told them of her plans to move in with all of her friends.
Marlene shook her head, "I told you, I'm joining the war. Dumbledore isn't paying us, we're volunteering."
Her brother reached over the table to grab a box of cornflakes, "He's screwing you over then. You're a soldier. You're meant to get payed."
Give me the hope to run out of steam
"You're becoming a soldier?" her mother gaped, "That doesn't seem right for you, it's dangerous."
Marlene huffed, "Oh come on. I'm a fucking gryffindor, mum!"
"No swearing!" her father yelled.
Her mother shook her head, "Still- it's not the sort of life I imagined for you. I mean your father and I have done so much for you an you throw it away to become a soldier?"
Somebody said it could be here
"What the fuck have you done for me, huh?"
"You'd be out on the streets without us!" Her father retorted.
"I spent most nights out on the streets growing up!"
"That's why you're acting this way, love. Those people have messed with your head, with all their extreme ideas and barbaric notions."
We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year
"I'm just doing what you never had the guts to do, mum; be my own fucking person!"
Her brother leaned back in his chair, "You're gonna get yourself killed", he half-sung.
"You're going to get all of us killed, Marlene. Putting this mark on our family's back with your rebellious behaviour."
"You want us to die? Is that it?" Her mother almost sobbed.
I can't count the reasons I should stay
"Oh fuck this shit", Marlene growled, "Merlin, you'd be perfectly happy living with the death eaters ruling over everything, huh? You don't care about anything!"
Her father shook his head and tutted, "I don't see why they just can't get along."
Her mother nodded in agreement, "Politics, these days. I'll never understand it all."
One by one they all just fade away
◇
I'm tired of the wait and sees
"You sure you want to go?" Dorcas asked her.
Marlene nodded, "Yeah. I have too- they're my family. I need to just do it and get it over with."
Dorcas kissed her, "Hopefully it goes well."
Marlene laughed into the kiss, "It definitely won't."
I'm tired of that part of me
As she entered her old home, everything was exactly the same. Like stepping into the past.
Photos of the whole family with stupidly fake grins stared at her from the hallway. The too bright lights dazed her head, and illuminated the house in a harsh but familiar glow.
That makes up a perfect lie, to keep us between
Her family, she realised after an hour, were acting strange. As if the last time they her wasn't three years ago with her storming out the house with all her belongings spelled to fit in a small bag and an infinite string of curse words and rage flying from her lips. As if she hadn't smashed an antique bowl and screamed that she never wanted to see them again.
But hours turn into days, so watch what you throw away
They were acting like they did in church; a perfectly normal family. Marlene had worn her nicest outfit for it, what she usually wore on sundays when she had time for church. A black suit with a white shirt and handkerchief stuffed in the jacket pocket with a cloud pattern stitched on.
She assumed someone, at least her mother, would snidely comment on her 'male clothing' and short hair, but instead they didn't comment on it. Some people even complimenting her outfit.
And be here to recognize, there's another way
It was strange. But nice, in a way. The entire night was void of any arguments (that included her, at least). It was surprising, but she enjoyed herself.
She had missed her family quite a bit and happily caught up with them all. And she felt ready.
Give me some rope, tie me to dream
She was actually going to do it. She was going to come out to them. She was going to do it. She'll do it.
Do it.
Give me the hope to run out of steam
Marlene stood up.
"I've sort of got something to tell you. About me, and my life now."
She went into her pocket and took out the engagement ring Dorcas had given her a few months ago. They couldn't get legally married, but they were still going to have a wedding, a party.
And she wanted her family to come.
She slid it onto her ring finger, and the entire room jumped into noises of excitement.
Her mother ran up to hug her with a look of relief.
Somebody said it could be here
And then, the front door burst open and as her father went too see who it was; a green light echoed from the hallway followed by a familiar voice.
Peter Pettigrew wearing a death eater mask rounded the corner with more masked death eaters behind him.
And the family screamed.
We could be roped up, tied up, dead in a year
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