White Collar/Heartwarming

• Peter's entire conversation with Kate about Neal.
• All of Peter's coworkers coming in to help him investigate, even though Peter himself is under investigation. Awwwww!
• Peter referring to Neal as his friend, which is a pretty big deal in the first season.
• In Vital Signs, "You're the only person I trust."
  • Even more heartwarming when you realize he trusts Peter more than Kate.
• In the first season finale, when Neal explains why he said goodbye to all his friends except Peter.

Neal: Because you're the only one who can change my mind!
Peter: Did I?

• In the first few episodes of season two: everyone trying, in their own ways, to help Neal cope with Kate's death. From Peter and Mozzie's willingness to work together to help Neal through it, to Diana telling Neal about her bodyguard, Charlie, who died saving her life. It's just so sweet to see these characters that don't always get along with each other banding together because they all care about Neal.
• From In the Red when Ollie is reunited with his adoptive mother. C'mon, everyone who watched that episode went "aawwwwww" at that moment.
  • For this troper, it's the scene at the beginning where Neal holds up the toy truck and shouts "No guns!" I have no idea why I find that heartwarming, I just do.
• Neal seems to have a soft spot for children. And animals--especially dogs. If either are in his vicinity, it's bound to be a heartwarming moment.
• Peter calmly talking Neal down when Neal is about to shoot Fowler in Point Blank.

Peter: Neal, do not do this.
Neal: I know he killed her. He killed Kate.
Peter: Listen to me. If you pull that trigger, you will regret it for the rest of your life, Neal. You're not a killer.
Neal: I want him to know how it felt. How she felt.
Peter: Look at me. Look at me, Neal. Neal, look at me, Neal. Come on. (Neal looks at him) This isn't who you are.
(Neal lowers the gun.)

• • Peter's firm, gentle, fatherly tone combined with a believable amount of fear over what Neal is about to do is what makes this scene so powerful.
• At the start of Burke's Seven, in a blink and you miss it moment, just before talking to Neal, Peter lightly touches Mozzie's leg and gives the comatose crook a small smile and nod. A huge difference from the start of the series where Peter barely even trusted Mozzie.
• Similarly, in the same episode, Neal's gotten basically the entire fake-I.D. crowd together to help with investigating Mozzie's shooting. Seeing as how, well, it's Neal, they are all quite cold and suspicious of him, until he tells them it's for Mozzie. There's this moment of silence...then they all heartily go along with the plan.
  • It gets better. A few episodes earlier, in By the Book, Mozzie says Devlin doesn't like him. And then Devlin sells him out to Jones, who's posing as a mobster. Who's the first person to step forward and agree to help in Burke's Seven? Yep, Devlin. Awwww.
• In What Happens in Burma, Neal reveals that his father was a dirty cop, and says that criminal behavior runs in his blood. Peter insists that it's not true and encourages Neal to be his own man.
  • The heartwarming part comes when you realize that this is after Neal has served time as a convicted bond forger, and that Peter was the one who caught him, twice! Even after all that, Peter still believes in him and still wants Neal to realize that his choices are his own, and that it's not too late to get his act together.
• In Payback, Neal tells Mozzie that he's going to pay Peter's ransom with a very valuable ring--a ring he was going to use to propose to Kate. He says he had been holding onto it in the hope that she might somehow still be alive. Mozzie asks if he's really willing to give that up for Peter's sake.

Neal: Keeping Peter alive is more important than holding a candle for someone who isn't.

• In On Guard, Neal burns his and Mozzie's perfect getaway to save Jones's life, without any hesitation.
• Is this a conversation between Peter and Elizabeth? Then it's a moment.
  • Especially every time they call each other 'hon'. It's their code word for 'I love you'.
• The Dentist of Detroit delves into Mozzie's past, and now we know why he calls himself that. And he still has his teddy bear.
• Four in Veiled Threat.
  • 1) Peter finds out that he has to go undercover as a single gentleman at a bachelor's auction... and tells Elizabeth as soon as they get home.
  • 2) Elizabeth not only being involved in the dating stuff, she actually teaches Peter to tango in case it comes up.
  • 3) During the investigation, Peter finds out that Elizabeth would have preferred a MUCH smaller wedding then she got. At the end of the episode they renew their vows in a wedding that is only them, a priest (Mozzie), and a witness (Neal).
  • 4) At said bachelor's auction, Neal deliberately makes himself really unpopular, so nobody bids for him. To save him from embarassment, Diana (also undercover) quickly "buys" him. Out of gratitude, he makes her a fancy dinner. The fact that their Incompatible Orientation means it's totally platonic actually makes it sweeter.
    • Just.....D'awww....
    • Doubles as a Crowning Moment of Funny. Their platonic date happens to be in the van, while they're listening in on Peter's "date" with Selina. Their reactions to realizing that Peter can tango are just priceless. Also, Diana refers to Sara as "Insurance Investigator Barbie." The whole scene is just hilarious and adorable.
• Three at the end of As You Were:
  • While Neal sneaks into Peter & Elizabeth's house to get the Manifest, the screen pans on a framed photo of everyone at the bureau.
  • Peter calls Neal and tells him that if he wants to talk about his breakup with Sara, he's willing to listen.
  • Mozzie calls to ask if Neal found the Manifest, Neal tells him he hadn't.
• In Countdown, when Peter admits to being friends with Neal in front of his mentor, smiling when he says it.
• Checkmate has several.
  • After Elizabeth is kidnapped, Neal has to get ahold of Mozzie, who's gone completely to ground after he and Neal had a falling out. The only way to contact him is through Mozzie's carrier pigeon, Estelle. The pigeon handler initially refuses to let Neal use Estelle, because Mozzie had told him that Neal might show up, and had said to send him away. Neal convinces the handler otherwise by recounting the story of Cher Ami, the carrier pigeon who flew through heavy enemy fire in World War I and successfully delivered his message, saving two hundred lives.

Neal: 'Cher Ami' means 'Dear friend'. Now Mozzie's dear friend needs him. He doesn't know it, but another life needs to be saved.

• • Mozzie gets quite a few, not least of which was all but outright stating he cares about Peter.
  • When Peter, Neal and Mozzie first meet with Keller, it's Mozzie who puts a hand on Peter's shoulder to hold him back.
  • Also in Checkmate - Neal deciding to confess to everything, knowing it means going back to prison, and probably for a lot longer than four years, because that's what it will take to keep Keller off the street and away from his friends.
  • For this troper, it's Tim DeKay's amazing acting job that makes Checkmate so powerful. He delivers the sheer anger and raw emotion of a man who's wife is in danger to absolute perfection. The way his voice shakes when he talks to El on the phone, the hatred in his eyes and barely contained self-restraint when he meets up with Keller...all of it is so beautifully done.
    • Just.....gaahhh!
• In Upper West Side Story, Peter is posing as a man enrolling his son in a prep school as part of an undercover assignment. Someone at the school asks Peter about his son. Peter describes Neal.

"He's very intelligent, but impulsive. His moves tend to land him in trouble...Well, I wanna give him the best shot at life. I know it's gonna cost me."

• • The whole episode is full of moments like that. It takes place very soon (as in weeks) after Checkmate, and it's obvious that Neal and Peter both want to get things back to normal, but Peter is still shaken up over everything that happened. We're not seeing the FBI agent keeping his criminal on a tight leash, we're seeing Peter acting very much like a father who's proud of his son for finally doing the right thing, but at the same time, he's having to practice tough love, trying to make Neal understand that there are consequences for his actions.
• Near the end of Pulling Strings: There's just something sweet about Diana telling Neal that he's earned the right to handcuff a bad guy. Must've been a great feeling for Neal, to be on the other side of a pair of cuffs.
• Stealing Home ends with Neal and Peter throwing a baseball back and forth in an empty Yankee Stadium. It's heartwarming for both of them, for different reasons. For Peter, it's because he's getting to play ball in the one place he's always dreamed of playing. And Neal...well, he's playing baseball with the one person in his life who could be considered a father figure, something he missed out on as a kid.
  • The music that plays as the camera zooms out for a wide overhead shot just makes the whole scene.
• Kramer tries some weird blackmail/bribery on Diana, implying that she could be giving up a great career in Washington to help Neal. She immediately reports this to Peter.

Peter: I thought Christie hated DC?
Diana: (smiles) She does, and I work for you.

• In the Season 3 finale, Judgment Day, Peter speaks in favor of Neal's commutation, giving a very heartfelt and convincing argument for why Neal should be set free. Too bad Neal had to ruin it by running. The heartbreaking part is that while he's making the speech, Peter knows Neal is running.
  • Ruin it? You say it like he had a choice. Peter all but told Neal to run.