Title: Completion
Author: Jenn (email )
Rating: M to be safe
Category: Romance/Drama/Crossover .... Crossover with CSI: NY and both Stargate series' (Don't knock it till ya read it)
Couples: Danny/Liz, Don/Ava, Lindsay/Brae, Mac/Nateri, Stella/Ashley, Sam/Zan.....possibly others to follow.....
Disclaimer: Me no own....all characters and shows belong to their respective owners.....I am merely borrowing them and promise to put them back when I'm done.....Carissa, Jeff, Braeden, Ashley, Mariella, Jaime, Nathan, Nateri, Aurora, and C.J. Valenti are all my creations.....
Summary: Will the Big Apple be what the Valenti family needs to heal their wounds and start anew? Can the NY Crime Lab handle the brood? Or will the secrets that they hold threaten to destroy their new lives?
Author's Note: I honestly have no freggin clue where I got the idea for this one from...I'm still working on Surprise!!! and Changes but the muses demanded that I write this one as well. First off let me say that I am not following almost any of the events that transpired on Roswell. I have to clue you in to a few things before we begin.
-Like my fic Surprise!!!!, Liz's father was Jacob Carter therefor making her Samantha Carter's little sister.
-Just as with the last one, the Antarians only have two eye colors in varying shades: blue and green...it'll be explained as to why later on in the fic.
-I've twisted things to suit my needs and how I would've like to see things on Stargate: SG-1. That being said, Samantha Carter, in my vision of SGC land, is (and has been for a long time) married to Cameron Mitchell. Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c's relationships will be elaborated on so don't worry your pretty little heads off about it ;)
-Unlike Surprise!!!!, Liz's mother and step-father died when she was only five. She was raised by Jim and Amy Valenti.
-In this fic, just as in Surprise!!!!, Liz is John Sheppard's younger cousin. Liz's mother and John's father were brother and sister. But again, unlike that fic, they're related to another 'famous' Shepherd (notice it's spelled differently - all will be explained at some point). So look out for some cameos later on.
-As much as I am a huge shipper of Danny & Lindsay on CSI: NY, the muses just begged that this fic be written. So for the purposes of this fic, Danny and Lindsay never repaired things after the whole Rikki fiasco.
-I am a big Polarist but I must warn you that I am not kind to Michael in this fic. I promise that it is solely for the purposes of this story. No actual harm came to Michael Guerin while I was writing it...
-Notes in italics are the character's personal thoughts; notes in italics surrounded by ' and ' are thoughts shared from one character to another....this story is written in first person omniscient and point of view will bounce back and forth between characters...
-Just so that you have a better picture of the OCs: Ashley Valenti closely resembles Tahmoh Penniket (Battlestar Galactica), Braeden Valenti is based off of Robert Buckley (Lipstick Jungle), Jeffrey Parker-Valenti looks like Matt Dallas (Kyle XY), Carissa Lorne is a tweaked version of Shiri Appleby, Nateri Valenti looks like Isla Fisher (Confessions of a Shopaholic), Aurora O'Neill looks like Amy Adams (Enchanted), Giavanna Valenti is based off of Kaley Kuoco (Charmed).
On with the show.....
--------
Chapter One: Meet the Valentis (Well some of them at least..)
New York City: Present Day
Elizabeth Carter-Valenti laughed hysterically at her daughter's antics. For only three years old, little Mariella Genevieve Valenti was well spoken, out going, and extremely open minded. She was also quite the little scene stealer. Every minute spent with her was nothing but a complete joy since the day she'd been brought into this world. There was not one person that had met her, that didn't instantly fall in love.
She was silently thanking her brother Ashley for having the idea to put a playground up here. The kids loved it. Hell, she loved it. The view from up here was breathtaking. Her big brother was so smart at times...
Mariella clamored up onto the swing and screeched happily. "Mama, push me fast."
She smiled widely and complied with her daughter's wishes. "Is that good baby?"
The little brunette imp shook her head. "No Mama! Higher!," she commanded. "Higher and super fast!" She batted her baby blues in her mother's direction.
"Okay baby." She pushed Ella a few more times before she felt a tap on her shoulder. Behind her stood her son, James Kyle Valenti III, named after his grandfather and great grandfather. He grinned ear to ear as he indicated that he wanted to push Ella.
Jaime stood next to his mother with a smirk that rivaled his father's on his face. He wanted to surprise Mariella. Baseball practice had been canceled so he came home from school early. The disappointment on her little face this morning almost broke his heart. She wanted to play with him when he got home but he couldn't. He wasn't supposed to be home until after seven that night. He'd made the JV team at school. A fact that had made his mother, aunts and uncles insanely proud. But, it also meant that time spent with his baby sister was severely limited these days. It was the only downside to the whole thing. He adored Mariella in all of her crazy little glory. Truth be told, he'd loved her since the day he'd figured out his Mom was having her. In spite of their age gap, his sister was his partner in crime.
Liz stepped aside knowing full well that once her son made his presence known to his little sister, Ella wouldn't want her Mama to push her. No, Ella would want her Jaime to do it.
As soon as she came back towards him, Jaime stuck out his hands to tickle his little sister through her jacket. Realizing who was behind her, Ella squealed happily. "My Jaime! My Jaime!"
Liz sat back and lit up a cigarette. One of these days I will quit this shit. As she took a drag, she was more than content to sit back and observe her children. Despite an eight year age difference, Jaime and Mariella were as attached as could be. They were each other's sidekicks. From the moment Liz learned she was pregnant, Jaime had been protective of his baby sister. When she'd had her, Jaime was instantly enamored. He never resisted the urge to help with her when she was a baby. Jaime and Mariella loved each other with every fiber of their being.
Liz had really lucked out when it came to them. She'd been fearful of how their relationship would play out. Which, in all reality was stupid like Ashley had said. She worried because they were only half siblings and there was an eight year gap between them, that they'd never get along properly.
To which, Ashley called her a kook and pointed out the difference in ages of the kids in their own family. They got along just fine. At thirty-eight, Ashley Valenti was the oldest kid in the Valenti brood. He was followed by Braeden who was thirty-four. Then came Kyle who was twenty-nine. Herself, Tess, Ava, and Maria fell in the middle at twenty-six. They were followed by Carissa at twenty-three. Then came Jeff at twenty-two. Gia came in next at almost nineteen. Jaden rounded the brood out at ten years old. But he wasn't the last Valenti by a long shot. Nope, little McKenna would join the world in another two months.
Besides the huge age span of their siblings, Brae brought up the fact that shared DNA meant nothing to the Valentis. They were the very definition of a blended family. There were three sets of kids really. Ashley, Braeden, Ava and Tess were biological brothers and sisters. As were Liz, Carissa and Jeff. Kyle, Maria, Gia, Jaden and McKenna shared the same parentage as well.
None of that had ever made a difference in their family either. Regardless of blood or heritage, the Valentis were the epitome of a tight knit family. To their credit, Jim and Amy Valenti had managed to raise well adjusted and intelligent children.
Michael was the exception....but he was a whole other story. One that wouldn't be gone into again. With a pang, she shoved thoughts of her children's father aside as she watched them play together.
Thinking about it, Liz really had it all. Great job. Loving family. Beautiful children. Gorgeous home in the greatest city in the world.
Yeah, life was pretty good these days.
She was just missing one thing: love.
Sure, she had her parents, brothers, sisters, friends, and children; but sometimes, that just wasn't enough. Or maybe it just wasn't what she needed. There was no one to hold her in the middle of the night; no one to take her out for a night on the town; and no one to complete her soul. Even being surrounded by her obnoxiously huge family, she still felt pretty lonely. Her lips whispered a silent prayer to the Gods to take the pain away...
--
Danny Messer was in his own little world as he climbed the stairs to the roof. His head was elsewhere as he pondered a lot of stuff. Mostly, it was what had been going on lately in the news. Yes, despite what most thought, he Daniel Messer did pay attention to the goings on in the world outside the Crime Lab. And not just when he was working a case.
The media was buzzing about the fact that NYC had become home to the fastest rising Fortune 500 company: Valenti Industries. Not much was known about the young corporation beyond the fact that it was run by a family. Or at least that's what the rumor was.
Out of nowhere, six months ago, the company had announced that they were relocating their World Headquarters from Colorado to New York City. From there, it had become nothing short of a media circus. Information on the young, billion dollar company was hard to find. And fact was, not one negative thing could be said about the company or its practices.
It was just the opposite. From the beginning, Valenti Industries made it clear that they were different from everyone else by taking some surprising (and what were almost considered risky) steps. But the gamble was slowly paying off. It seemed, that they were hell bent on doing their part to help dig the economy out of recession.
V.I. had purchased many apartment buildings throughout the five boroughs, most half empty or extremely run down. Anyone who happened to occupy one of those buildings had feared being forced to leave their homes; or worse: already absurd rents skyrocketing further. Boy were they wrong. The buildings in question soon received much needed renovations much to the surprise and at no expense of their tenants. But, what really shocked everyone, was the fact that their rents were actually lowered not raised. A press release from the company claimed that with the state of the economy, they hoped that lowering the rents of their tenants would ease their 'financial strains' even if only a little bit.
Danny, luckily, had been one of those people. Along with his entire building, his rent went down two hundred and seventy five bucks a month. While it was nice, it wasn't really a big thing for him personally. He'd been smart with his money over the years and did his best not to live beyond his means. But to people like his neighbor Emma Banes in 11G, it made a world of difference. The struggling single mother of two was now able to actually afford more than just a few groceries here or there. That made whoever was behind Valenti Industries pretty okay in his book.
The next order of business for the company, was to purchase literally a block of run-down factories on the outskirts of the city. They were subsequently demolished only to be replaced by a huge, eco-friendly plant as well as adjoining business offices. In mere months, Valenti Industries had created nearly twelve thousand jobs.
Not only that, but the newly hired employees were also offered discounted rent, if they wanted to move into any one of the dozens of high rise apartment buildings that the company now owned.
What more could the city need than a company with billions and very important government contracts to set up shop in its midst, to help with the economy? It seemed, that they were single handedly trying to save the city. To some, it looked like it might just work.
Suddenly, everyone wanted to know that story of the Valenti family. Little was known about the clan behind one of America's most lucrative companies. It was rumored that not one of the Valentis were older than forty. No one in the company would speak to any media outlet concerning their bosses. Apparently, the family had chosen wisely when it came to forming their inner circle.
But Danny knew that at least some of the clan had taken up residence on the top floor of his building. Lots of hush, hush construction went on up there for the last four months. And if what Mrs. Connolly in 11B said was right, they had moved in already. She claimed to have seen three adults and three kids up on the roof the other day, that, in all her years in the building, she hadn't seen before. And she couldn't stop gushing about the way the roof had been transformed. She advised him to go check it out. Said something about the renovations up there being nothing short of spectacular.
So here he was, on his way to the roof to see what the melee was about. When he opened the door, what he found was a park thirteen stories about the ground. There was a brand spanking new, industrial playground to the left. On the right were a series of trees, park benches, picnic tables, a basketball court and many other things you might find in park. It was very clear that massive renovations had taken place in order for this to happen. It was amazing. This was a hell of a lot better than the run down garden Mrs. Fuzie had maintained up here. If he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, Danny would have never believed it.
His musings were cut off by the sound of giggles. There was a little girl, about three he guessed, on a swing being pushed by who he guessed was her mother. The two of them were a striking pair. Identical, right down to their eyes. Eyes so blue, he could see them from fifty feet away. Both had matching smiles on their faces.
The mother was beyond any woman he'd ever seen before. Her beautiful smile nearly knocked all the air from his lings. He was hypnotized. She had long dark hair that was streaked with blond and crimson highlights. She was beautiful as all hell. The kind of beautiful that turned his brain to mush.
Out of nowhere, he noticed a boy, about ten or eleven, standing next to the woman. She kissed his cheek and let him take over pushing the little girl.
He didn't recognize any of them. But that didn't mean much of anything. Working in the Crime Lab meant that he didn't always keep sociable hours.
But damn if he didn't wanna know who they were now. Especially the mother. He contemplated taking a seat beside her an striking up a conversation.
That idea was blown out the window as a guy around his age came from the basketball court across the yard and sat next to her on the bench. She leaned into him as he kissed her forehead. He must have been playing basketball with two other guys and a girl. He watched as the three joined the pair.
Now Danny Messer had a mouth and guts but he wasn't about to approach the now laughing group. He didn't know why, but for the first time in his life, he was intimidated. There was something about them that kept him from walking over there. He didn't know exactly what it was. But, his feet felt like lead at the moment. And the one guy still had his arm around Miss Beautiful. A fact which led him to believe that she was taken.
He'd learn the following day, that his observational skills weren't as astute as he once thought.
----
Later that night:
Beginning of the graveyard shift:
Don Flack was sitting at his desk when the Captain came strolling up with a short blond.
"Flack, meet your new partner, Flannery. Flannery meet Flack." Once he finished the curt introduction, he promptly walked away.
Don smirked at the woman who had taken a seat across from. She had blonde hair that had crimson and copper streaked through it. And the biggest blue eyes he had ever seen. Bluer than the oceans you see in those travel commercials. Good God, was he in trouble. She was beautiful, but not in a conventional way. Especially considering the tattoos that could clearly be seen. He noted the retainer that she had in her nose and her tongue. The Colorado Springs P.D. allowed that? She was a contrast, tattoos, piercings wrapped in designer clothes. Clothes which seem to fit her like a second skin. His warm smile betrayed the dangerous thoughts floating around his head at the sight of his new partner. I'm gonna die. God, if this' a test, I can tell ya right now that I'm gonna fail miserably. "He really is a nice guy once you get to know him." He stuck his hand out. "Don Flack."
Ava smiled in return as she shook his hand. By coincidence, her thoughts were a mirror of his. She knew she was in trouble. Big, huge, colossal trouble. The man in front of her was gorgeous with a capital G. One of the most beautiful men she had ever laid eyes on really. His smile and to die for baby blues did nothing but stir up butterflies in her stomach. Keep it professional Aves. "Nice ta meet ya, Ava Flannery. So how's it ya got stuck wit me?"
The bluntness of her question threw him off for a brief moment. None the less, he simply smirked at her and replied. "My partna got pregnant." An tha Powers That Be thought'd be funny ta mess with my head.
Ava nodded. So tha Gods thought it'd be funny ta pair me up with this man. Don't I have enough on my plate already? But Goddess Bless he's damn beautiful.
Don caught the wistful look that had shone in her cerulean eyes for a brief second and went with it. "Got kids?"
She nodded again. "One," she said as she pulled out her Sidekick and flipped through the pictures. Finding the one she was looking for, she handed him the phone.
Smiling back at him was a cute as hell, little curly red haired, blue eyed toddler. Except for her hair, she was a spitting image of her mother. Gorgeous, just like her mother. Don't go there Don.
"That's Isla," she told him. "She just turned two last week."
"She's beautiful," he told her.
Ava smirked. "Thanks. I'll tell ya though, she's a handful fa all that beauty. From day one, that little girl figured out real quick how ta wrap everyone round her fingers," she said as she closed her phone and put it back in her jacket. "So since ya asked, ya got any kids?"
He shook his head. "Not yet. Not even seein anyone," he replied with a laugh. Why did ya have ta tell her that? What was tha need? It was then he noticed the ring she was twirling on her finger. Figures, she's taken. "Married?"
Don almost instantly regretted the question as her eyes clouded over.
She smiled sadly. "Widowed. My husband was a Lieutenant Colonel in tha Air Force. Connor died in a training accident before Isla was born." It's not a lie, right? Conner had in fact died in a training exercise.
But said training exercise had actually taken place in another galaxy. Just above Atlantis to be exact. They were testing X-305s. A newer hybrid version of the 302s. The maneuvering systems shut down on Conner's and subsequently caused a collision. Both Conner and Captain Rente had lost their lives that day. It was later discovered that they were victims of faulty wiring. She knew as soon as she saw Jack and Colonel Flynn at her door. To have her husband's CO and his CO come to the house could only mean one thing.
"I'm sorry." Don felt like a heel now Good job jackass..
She observed him as she replied. He looks like he kicked my puppy. "Don't be. 'S what it is. 'S much as I miss Conner, I'ma firm believer in things happenin for a reason. I made peace with his death a long time ago."
That wasn't a lie either. Conner died doing one of the things that he loved the most: serving his country. Yes, there were days that she missed him like hell and wished that he could see their baby girl growing up. But, on the whole, she'd made her peace the day that a little squirming bundle of pink was placed into her arms. The way she saw it, she had his child; the best part of him. Through Isla, a piece of Conner would always exist.
Like her mother and grandmother, Ava was very religious and held a firm belief that everyone was brought into or taken out of a person's life for a reason. Events that took place in one's life, happened for a reason. And while the reason might not always be clear, the people upstairs knew what they were doing. Losing her husband had been no exception. That wasn't to say that the pain of losing him didn't still burn at times. Before Isla, Conner Daniel Flannery had been her world.
One of the greatest lessons he taught her was to always appreciate the little things. Some days, it wasn't that the glass was half empty or half full. It was more like being thankful for the fact that the glass was there to begin with. Every single new day was a blessing. One that should never be taken for granted because tomorrow was never guaranteed.
The thing about him that had really made her fall in love was his accepting nature. He had always been extremely open minded. Unlike some of the staff of the SGC, he had never treated her any different because of her background. The only reason he had ever treated her different was because he'd had a thing for her.
They'd met at the annual SGC Christmas Bash at Jack and Aurora's house, only days after her eighteenth birthday. At the time, he was thirty-five. Her parents and family were a bit worried at first but in the end, were very supportive. After all, her father was fifteen years older than her mother. Jack was twenty two years Aurora's senior. Daniel was eleven years older than Lonnie. The list could go on. Fact of the matter was that love knows no age.
He had no family. No siblings. Both of his parents had been killed in a car accident nearly twenty years prior. So her family took to him very quickly, much to his shock and awe. Connor was accepted into the fold as one of their own, no questions asked.
Their whirlwind romance culminated in marriage just six months to the day after they'd met. She couldn't have been happier. She had the love of an amazing man.
Her revelry was cut short as Don's phone rang. He said maybe three words before snapping it shut.
"We got three DBs a few blocks away. Ya ready for ya first taste a New York?"
Oh apparently the good Detective Flack wasn't payin much attention. She smirked as she threw on her jacket. "Hate ta break it to ya Donnie boy, but it ain' mah first taste. I lived in Staten Island when I was a kid."
He laughed in response. Until she said anything, he failed to recognize that she, like him possessed a distinctly New York accent.
Score was Ava one, Don zip.
--
So it turned out that the boyfriend had gone psycho and killed not only his girlfriend, but her sister and brother-in-law. All because the girlfriend had wanted to move out to Long Island to start a family.
They put out an APB for the suspect. Ava spotted him down the block from the building where the murders took place.
It took Don a second to figure out where the hell she was running to. But as soon as he'd heard her yell "c'mere ya stupid son of a bitch," he knew she'd spotted him. He was about to get a firsthand demonstration of just how good Detective Ava Flannery really was.
She chased the guy for nearly four city blocks before knocking him clear on his ass and cuffing him. And not one hair on her beautiful head was out of place. She nearly had Don rolling when she smacked Casale upside the head for almost breaking one of her nails. The woman had a lot of fire in her, that was for sure.
As if catching him wasn't enough, she'd made him talk.
Back at the station, he didn't know what the hell it was that she had whispered in Casale's ear. But it had him singing like a choir boy at Sunday Mass. Whatever it was, caused Damon Casale's eyes to cross briefly and then he began spitting his story out like nobody's business. Case closed.
Ava was impressing him. And he wasn't easily impressed. At twenty-six, he had her pegged as a fresh faced rookie. Sure, he knew she'd been on the force for eight years. But he wasn't sure how much experience she could have had under her belt coming from the Colorado Springs P.D.
But the Captain had said that she came with glowing recommendations from her superiors back in Colorado. He had also casually mentioned that she already had three commendations under her belt. That and her close rate was nearly ninety percent. On top of it all, she had two Master's: Psychology and Criminal Justice. Her resume was damn impressive.
So she was skilled, hot and smart.
Yeah, he was beyond screwed.
He was firmly convinced that Ava Flannery was gonna send him to an early grave.
And she didn't even know it yet.
--
Three Hours Later:
Being that everything was wrapped up and they only had two hours left of their shifts, they decided to grab breakfast. Well Don had complained about starving and Ava, with a smile, told him she had just the thing: breakfast at her house. She told him that by now, her friend was up and making breakfast. One more at the table wouldn't be any big thing.
As Ava pulled her Tahoe into the parking garage for her building, she noted the shock on her partner's face. "What," she asked as she quirked her eyebrow.
He smirked at her. "You live in my best friend's buildin. I wasn' expectin' that."
She laughed. "'S a small world. What can I say?"
They got out of the car and headed towards the elevators.
Don was flabbergasted when she hit the button for the 12th floor. "You live on tha top floor?"
Even though he was behind her, Ava could feel his penetrating stare and his shock. "Go on an' say it Don. I know ya want ta." She took a deep breath to prepare herself. It was inevitable.
"Ya a Valenti." It was more of a statement than a question. Don never would have guessed. She gave no indication that she was in any way connected to one of America's richest families; the new it family of New York.
Ava nodded as she glanced at him briefly. "Yeah. I'm one of tha golden children," she said as she made quotation fingers in the air. "My oldest brotha Ashley started Valenti Industries six years ago. The company's run by him an his best friend Zan." She hung her head down. It wasn't hard to figure out what was coming next.
"What?" He noted that her stance seemed as if she was sad.
She turned to face him, hurt in her eyes. "I know what ya thinkin Flack."
His look was almost challenging. "How would ya know what I'm thinkin?" Ya might've hit me already if ya knew what I was really thinkin.
"Cause everyone always thinks tha same thing. I got where I'm at cause I'm connected. Cause I'ma Valenti. When I first started at the CSPD, everyone thought that my Dad had somethin ta do with it. That bein tha daughter of Commissioner Valenti, opened doors that wouldn't normally open. Then when tha company took off tha ground, it was because I'm Ashley Valenti's lil sista."
"I might a believed that if I had known before I met ya, " he told her sincerely. "But after watchin ya today with Casale, it's pretty obvious that ya got here on your own accord."
She turned to face him with a wide smile that made his stomach flutter.
His blue eyes held such an honesty in their depths. They were dangerous. She could easily get lost in them. Working with him was most certainly going to be an exercise in willpower. "Thanks. Most people don't look at it that way. That's why we asked the Chief an tha Captain to keep my family hush, hush. I don't need that shit an neitha do they."
"I can understand that. For the first few years I was on the force, I was always in my Pop's shadow. 'S like they expected me to be jus like him. So if it makes ya feel any better, I feel ya pain in a way."
"Try bein tha kid of tha Sheriff. Wait no I got one betta. Try bein tha kid of tha Police Commissioner. 'S like people always expected us ta be perfect. Then when my brotha Kyle became tha Sheriff of Roswell, it only got worse. So now that we hea, only my brotha was brave enough ta use our last name. My sista is goin by her birth name. Both Lizzie an Brae start work at tha Crime Lab later this mornin."
Suddenly, the pieces all fell into place. Danny had mentioned that Mac had said both his and Lindsay's new partners were starting some time this week. His best friend had been griping about it for the last week or so.
Danny and Lindsay had agreed to stay friends after their break-up; but agreed it might be best if they didn't stay partners. They didn't want that awkwardness there. So, as a result, they had asked Mac to do some thing about it. Mac, at that point, said he'd look into it. In all reality, he felt that given a few weeks, they'd get over things. But last week, he told them that their new partners were transfers from the Colorado Springs Crime Lab. Danny's partner was young. He knew that much. So Messer had been muttering since then about having to break in another country rookie. He wasn't happy at all. Lindsay, on the other hand, was looking forward to a fresh face.
"Your sista an brotha are both of my best friends' new partners," he said with a chuckle.
"Well ain't that a coinky-dink. World just keeps gettin smalla an smalla." she declared with a smirk. "Ya said one of em lives hea right?"
Don nodded, still smirking. "Yeah Danny Messer."
She clicked her tongue with a sly smile. Lizzie wasn't gonna like it, she knew that. Zan, Brae, Ash and the kids wouldn't mind. Lizzie might freak. But being sociable wasn't gonna kill her. "If he's home, why don't ya get his ass up hea. I'm sure Lizzie girl would like ta meet him." I know I would. If nothin else for shits an giggles.
Don quickly sent Danny a text. Yo D. Wake up & get ur ass upstairs.
Danny replied within seconds. Apparently he was up. Wat the hell?
Seems my new partner & urs r sisters. Ava n Liz live upstairs frm u. Ava said get ur ass up here.
They live on the 12th floor? That means....
Yea D. Don't get ur panties in a twist jus get ur ass up here.
K gimme 5.
Don turned to Ava. "He'll be up in five. Which in Messer land is more like ten."
"Sounds like Zan." She chuckled as she placed her hand on the palm scanner next to the door.
After her hand was scanned, a voice said, "Access granted. Welcome home Avaria."
"Thanks Jai," she said as the door clicked open, admitting them to the apartment.
Don looked puzzled.
Her eyes flashed amusement in return. "Biometric locks. Easier than keys. An more secure."
He nodded, knowing he should expect stuff like that in the home of one of the richest families in the nation.
"Least I know I'll neva get locked out."
Don smirked. She was interesting to say the least. Don't forget cute. Wait a minute, cute? What tha fuck's wrong with me?
"Tha company manufactures em. Ash went top a tha line fa everythin in this place."
No sooner was Ava in the door, then was she pummeled her daughter screeching, "Mama, Mama!"
Don laughed out loud as his partner fell on her butt. The little girl was clearly excited to see her mother. He watched in awe as Ava stood up with her pajama clad daughter and faced him.
She smoothed her daughter's hair out of her little face as she spoke. "La, this' Mama's new partna, Don. Don, this' my baby girl Isla."
Isla laid her head on her mother's shoulder as she waved shyly and mumbled, "Hi."
Don smiled widely. "Hi Isla." He noted mentally how mother and daughter made a striking pair when together. Beautiful. The kind of beautiful that could steal someone's breath away. Don't go there Don. Isla was just as gorgeous as her mother. The only difference between the pair was their hair color.
His musings were cut off as he noticed two guys stand up from the couches in the middle of the apartment. He guessed they were two of Ava's brothers. She had said she had quite a few siblings.
It's funny how some genes don't carry throughout a family.
Whereas Ava was maybe 5'2, Her brothers were taller than him. Don figured them to be about 6'3 and 6'4 maybe even 6'5.
"Bout time you got home Sprite," the blue eyed brother told her as he kissed her forehead. Her other brother did the same as he mumbled something in her ear. She giggled and slapped his chest. "Mind ya manners boys. This' mah new partna Don Flack. Don, these two knuckleheads are mah olda brothers Ashley an Braeden Valenti."
"Nice ta meet ya," Don said as he shook hands with both of them.
Both brothers had similar features: dirty blonde hair and light eyes. Like Ava, Ashley's were blue but his were a deeper shade than that of his sister. Unlike his siblings, Braeden's were a pale jade. Both men had hair that was spiked up like Danny's. And they were both very well built, no doubt the result of many hours spent in the gym. Intimidating to say the least. Well at least to civilians they might be.
And Don noticed that also like Ava, the Valenti boys seemed to have an affinity for the tattoos and the piercings. It suddenly made sense to him as to why they hadn't been pegged as belonging to the oh so secretive Valenti clan. They didn't look like the type that ran a Fortune 500 company. They looked more like the type that owned a gym or a tattoo parlor. If Ava, Ashley, and Braeden were any indication, the Valenti family was definitely an interesting bunch.
"Ay yo," a voice called from the kitchen. "Any of yous want breakfast?" Another man stepped into Don's line of site.
He was strikingly different from the Valenti brood. Well not the whole height, tattoos and piercings thing. This guy had a darker complexion and dark, almost black hair with the tips frosted a crimson color. Laughter danced in his stormy blue eyes like he knew something that the rest of the world didn't.
Zan stood in the doorway with a cocky smile. He had called it when he bet Ash and Brae that Ava would end up bringing her partner home after working the graveyard shift. In the time that Ava, Kyle, Brae, and Liz had been on the force, their partners were always like family. He knew that this new round of partners wouldn't be any different. And it wasn't like they didn't have room for company.
The entire top floor of their building had been turned into one giant penthouse apartment for the lot of em: Liz, Jaime, Mariella, Ava, Isla, Ashley, Braeden, Nathaniel, Nateri, C.J. and himself. Eleven people living in a space that was meant to house twenty five to thirty apartments. As a result, there were bedrooms for everyone - with each bedroom having its own bathroom, ten guestrooms, a gym, a game room, a playroom, a massive kitchen, not to mention the huge living room and the dining room.
It had everything they could need. Ashley had spared no expense when it came to their not so humble abode. He said he wanted his family taken care of.
Zan walked over to the group and stuck his hand out to Don. "Sup man, I'm Zan Evans."
Don shook his hand. "Don Flack."
"So yous tha poor guy who got saddled wit Aves eh?"
He chuckled as Ava promptly smacked him in the back of the head. "Excuse Zan, he must a left his brains in Colorado Springs." She loved her best friend dearly but wanted to kill him at times.
"So breakfast?" Zan asked as he chose to ignore Sprite's comments.
Everyone nodded including Don. Ava had invited him knowing that Zan would be making breakfast just like he did every Friday morning.
Suddenly, the phone in the apartment rang. Ashley promptly swiped the phone out of it's cradle. He scowled. Who the hell was calling at 7 in the AM? Were they nuts? "Ello?"
"Hi baby."
His face softened. "Oh hey Ma."
"How's my boy? You doing good baby? Things going okay?"
Ashley blushed. That clued his siblings as to who was on the phone. Only Amy Valenti could make Ashley blush like that. She worried about all her kids. Especially Ashley. He was running a billion dollar corporation and had a tendency not to take time out for himself. Even more so after Vala had died. The only time he seemed to slow down was when he was with his son.
"Yeah Ma, things goin real well. Place's all set. Plant opens up on Monday."
"That's good. I'm so proud of you Baby. Me and your father both. I hope you know that."
"Thanks Ma. I love ya guys too. What ya doin up so early in the mornin?"
"I was up with your sister."
"Why, what's wrong with Gia?"
"She caught that stomach flu that's been going around. Your Dad and Jaden had it last week. I think Gia caught it from them."
"She okay Ma?"
Amy smiled at her son's concern. He was always worried about all of his family. "She's okay Baby. She'll be back to no good in a few days. Is everyone up?"
"Yeah. Ya wanna talk to em?"
"Yes Baby. Listen, I love you and I'll talk to you again in a few days."
"Love ya too Ma. Hol' on a sec. I'll give ya Lizzie first."
While Ashley had been talking to their mother, Danny had shown up. Ava promptly let him in and began introducing him to everyone. They all sat around the table in the dining room as Zan took requests for breakfast.
Ashley knocked on Liz's door. He knew she was awake cause he could hear her singing. "Ay Fuego, Ma's on tha phone."
He laughed as Liz's door flew open and she swiped the phone from him. In less than a second, the door was shut again. He knocked on the door again. "Lizzie, when ya done, Z's makin breakfast an we got company. So make ya self presentable, K?"
Liz's answer was to throw the door open with the phone to her ear. "Mom, hold on a sec," she told their mother. "Who's here Ash?"
Ashley smirked. "Ya's an Aves new partnas."
"Mine?" She shrieked.
"Yep, he apparently lives downstairs an's good friends with Ava's partner. So say Hi ta Ma an hurry ya ass up." He had a satisfied smirk on his face. Sometimes, he enjoyed it when his sister's world was thrown off kilter. She's too much of a perfectionist.
She huffed and stomped back into her room as she went back to her conversation with their mother. So much for lounging around in her pajamas for a while. Eh screw it.
The doors on each side of Liz's room flew open at nearly the same time. Jaime was already showered and dressed, ready for school. Mariella was still in her Tinker Bell pajamas.
When Ashley walked into the dining room, he realized he walked into a conversation about just how many kids were apart of the Valenti clan.
"Thirteen kids!" Danny exclaimed as he sat back in his chair. "Damn, an I thought my house was crowded with me, Louie, my Ma an Pops."
They all laughed. That was usually the reaction they got out of people. "Let me explain a lil furtha," Ava said at the bewildered looks on both Danny and Don's faces. "Ma had Ria when she was a teenager. Dad by then had Kyle an was married ta his first wife. Kyle's Mom stepped out an left em. Dad knew Ma cause he was best friends with her olda brotha, my Uncle Frankie. Sufficive ta say, they got married two years lata. Then they adopted Tess two years afta that. They also ended up adoptin their God children Lizzie, Carissa, an Jeffy when their parents were killed in a car accident. After that, Dad had become Sheriff a Roswell, followin in Grandpa James' footsteps. Dad did some diggin an he found out that Tess had three otha brothas an anotha sista who were in tha foster care system in New York. Ma made Dad pull whatever strings he could an next thing ya know, me, Brae, Michael an Ash suddenly have parents an a bigger family then we could have ever imagined. Dad got a sick job offer an we ended movin up ta Colorado Springs, but not before Ma had two more kids: our sista Giovanna an our baby brotha Jaden. She's gonna pop any day now with child number thirteen, our baby sista McKenna."
Don only caught a little bit of what Ava said. He was too busy watching her face light up as she talked about her siblings. She was so beautiful. He knew he was in trouble for sure. Having to work day in and day out with this woman was going to send him to an early grave. But what a way to go Donnie.
Danny then piped up. This was the quietest Don could ever say he had seen his best friend. Danny almost seemed intimidated by this entire situation. Or maybe it was the Valenti brothers he found intimidating. "So ya all live here?"
Ashley started laughing hysterically. "Oh hell no. I love mah brothas an sistas but all of us unda one roof is too much. 'S me, my son Nathan, Lizzie, her kids Jaime an Mariella, Ava, Isla, Zan, our cousin Nateri, her son C.J. an Braeden."
"Where's everyone else?"
"Ma an Pop are still in Colorado. Dad's tha Police Commissioner of Colorado Springs. Gia an Jay live with em. Kyle's tha Sheriff a Roswell, New Mexico. He lives there wit his wife Isabel an my nephews. Tess an Rissa live in Colorado wit their husbands Ronan and Evan an their kids. Jeff's there too. Actually they all's stationed at Cheyenne Mountain."
"Military?"
"Air Force. Lizzie's half sista an her brotha-in-law are their COs."
"What bout ya other brotha an sista?" Danny had been mentally keeping track and he noticed that Ashley had left Maria and Michael out.
Don realized that they must have been the family that Ava had told him that passed away. She didn't say much. But she mentioned that she had lost a brother and a sister a few years ago.
Ashley's eyes darkened a little bit. A storm could be seen raging in their blue depths. "Mikey an Ria were killed, along wit my wife Vala an Ria's husband Max."
They were actually killed during the Exodus from Antar. The planet and its colonies were decimated by Ori and Wraith forces. Roughly seven thousand Antarians managed to escape. That was the real reason that Valenti Industries moved to New York. Nearly six thousand of those refugees had decided to settle in Manhattan and the surrounding boroughs. It made sense for all them to be near their people. Jack had been instrumental in making sure that every one of them got new identities and all the necessary paperwork for citizenship. As far as the US government was concerned, they all had either been born here or emigrated from other countries. It was also an opportunity for them to get away from all the memories. It the wake of losing Michael, Maria, Max, and Vala, life was tough to say the least.
Danny felt like an ass, but he couldn't of known. "Sorry," he mumbled apologetically.
"Don't be," Ashley told him sincerely. "Ya had no idea. It was four years ago. We've all come ta terms with it for tha most part 'cept for Lizzie. That day, she lost her husband an two best friends. Ria, Liz, an Vala were like tha three musketeers. An losing Michael nearly killed her. It broke her heart to have to tell Jaime that Daddy wasn't comin home."
Truth was Michael had never really been good to Liz or Jaime. He was selectively attentive. And yet, Liz had stepped up and taken her place as Jaime's mother without question. Michael barely spared a glance at that boy. It was him, his father and his brothers that were the male influences in Jaime's life. Jaime's birth mother Renee had killed herself only days after having her son. Michael had merely walked into the house with the baby and handed him to Amy Valenti. "Here's ya grandson," he told her gruffly as he went to his room. Michael was nineteen at the time and Liz was only fifteen. It was no secret that they were involved and while Jim and Amy didn't like it much (which is putting it mildly - as much as Jim loved Michael, he was tempted to haul his ass off to jail for deflowering his baby girl), they couldn't tell Liz no. They'd always had a soft spot for her. Ashley swore that it had to do with the fact that she survived the "car crash" that had killed her mother and step-father. And while she claimed to have no recollection of that day, she had been plagued by nightmares ever since.
And while Michael and Liz were living under the same roof, they weren't technically brother and sister. Michael, for some reason, had never allowed Jim and Amy Valenti to formally adopt him. He'd always been the rebel. Never content to let sleeping dogs lie. He was the one who would fight just for the sake of fighting.
So for reasons unknown, Liz had swiped him from Amy's arms. She looked up at the woman who had been her mother for the last ten years and told her that she'd take care of him. They all knew from that day forward that Liz was Jaime's mother regardless of what genetics said. In a way, it was just like Amy. The Valenti matriarch was their mother, even if their DNA didn't match.
It was then that the child in question, as well as his little sister strolled into the dining room. Danny immediately recognized them from the roof the day before. That meant that the gorgeous angel he had seen was their mother. He had to bite back a laugh. The group from the rooftop yesterday was the Valenti family. Ashley was the one who had his arm around Miss Beautiful. Oh he was gonna die. He knew it. There was no way he'd survive working with someone like her. He nearly choked as he was about to take a sip of his coffee but coughed to cover up his surprise. Thankfully no one had noticed.
"James Kyle Valenti the Third!" A commanding voice bellowed from outside the dining room.
"What Ma?" The boy yelled only to be slapped on the back of the head by his uncle.
"Don't ya dare talk to ya Ma like that J. When she calls, ya go," Braeden admonished his nephew.
Jaime hung his head down as he slunk out of the room. The adults all had to laugh. They had all been there as kids.
Liz could be heard berating her son about leaving his TV, his Nintendo Wii and his computer all on. He apologized as he went into his room and shut them off.
Two minutes later, Liz breezed into the room with her arm around her son's shoulders and the phone in her hand. "Morning kids." She turned to Ava, handing her the phone. "Mom wants to say hi."
With a giddy smile, she took the phone. Don watched as she wandered the room, chatting up her mother. His breathing nearly ceased when she locked eyes with him and winked.
Liz found herself glancing between the two new guys. Both were very attractive in their own ways. "So which one of you got stuck with me?" She was so hoping it was the cute Italian with the glasses.
Her prayers were answered when he replied with the three words that Liz so desperately wanted to hear. "That'd be me."
She stuck out her hand, "Liz Carter-Valenti." When she touched his hand, a connection instantly formed. Oh she was in trouble...
As he took her hand, a jolt of something he couldn't quite place ran up his spine. "Danny Messer." Holy shit. Mac's a funny, funny man. Liz was even more beautiful up close. Her long auburn hair had streaks of copper, red and blonde running throughout. He found himself wanting to get lost in the depths of her cerulean eyes. Her smile was infectious. His eyes almost crossed when he noticed that she had her tongue pierced. And the ink. For some reason, he'd always found tattoos on a woman sexy. She had more than one.
On the inside of her left wrist, were the words Beautiful Disaster in a script writing. On her right wrist was a small rose with Mama above it and Papa below it. On her left bicep were four silver stars and the word Daddy underneath them. On her right were two rows of writing that looked like it could've been Latin. He guessed that she probably had more in other places. Don't even think about it Danny boy, you'll never get anything done today if you do.
Liz, oblivious to Danny's train of thought, then turned to Don. "You must be Aves' new partner."
He nodded at her. "Don Flack. Nice ta meet ya."
It was apparent from Liz's clothing that she was just as much of a spitfire as her sister. She was wearing a skin tight black tank top emblazoned with the words 'I'm the girl your parents warned you about.' And the back pockets of her black stretch pants were adorned with 'Kiss This.'.
Her smile was friendly as she took a seat across from the pair. "You too. So how was my sister's first shift?" She knew a little bit because Ava had spoken to her and sent her a few texts throughout the night. Mostly about how hot her new partner was. Looking at him now, Liz couldn't deny that Aves' was right. He was hot as hell. Not that her new partner was anything to scoff at.
Don laughed oblivious to Liz's examination. "Ya sista's nuts. But she's good."
Liz smiled widely. "She's a Valenti so that's a given. We're all a little nuts. Some of us more than others. And yes, Aves is damn good at her job. We're all ridiculously proud of her. So, what'd she do that made ya say she's nuts?"
Don grinned as he began reciting the night's events. "She chased a perp for two city blocks an tackled his ass. I was impressed. Jumped a fence an shit. I can't say that I've eva seen a girl run in heels like that before. She even smacked him cause she almost broke a nail."
Liz giggled, as she smiled brightly.
To which Danny had to keep himself from drooling. Liz Carter-Valenti's smile did funny things to his stomach.
"That's Aves, our resident bad ass girly girl."
"I wouldn't talk," Ashley retorted. "Ya tha exact same way, Fuego."
Liz rolled her eyes and glanced in her brother's direction. "Let's not go there Blue. Gods forbid anyone touches your hair Mister Manly Man." She ruffled his hair, knowing damn well it would irk him, and prove her point all in one. So what if she was showing off for the company? It was solely for entertainment purposes. And she was in a frisky mood. She almost fell out of her chair laughing as he stalked off to the bathroom, muttering about annoying little sisters and such.
Don chuckled as he elbowed Danny. "That's somethin ya would do Mess."
"Shove it Flack," Danny replied.
Liz smirked. Oh they'd get along just fine. "Enjoying the show, Boys? I know our family dynamic is extremely amusing. I could make a killing selling tickets."
Both guys nodded. They were entertaining to say the least. Reminded Don of him and his sister Sam when they were younger. He felt a pang as he thought of how mixed up his baby sister had become. She was twenty-four and there were days he feared that she wouldn't make it to see her twenty-fifth.
Danny couldn't deny that in the fifteen minutes he'd been in the Valenti home, they'd made him a laugh more than a few times. Their mix of sarcasm, brutal honesty, and love was refreshing. Not many families had that kind of rhetoric, especially such a blended family. He'd always had it with his mother. But not with Louie or his father.
Liz again smirked knowingly at Don and Danny. "Just wait it'll get better I promise."
As if on cue, Braeden began chasing Ava around the dining room as she began telling their mother of her plans to find some hot New York chick to get Braeden laid 'cause it might make him stop PMSing.'
"C'mere Sprite," he told his sister. "I only wanna hug ya an talk ta Ma."
"Yeah," she yelled as she clutched the phone, "if by hug ya mean strangle! Not a chance in hell Spanky!"
It was hysterical to watch the thirty-four year old man chase his twenty-six year old sister around the apartment screaming at the top of his lungs. They all laughed hardest when Ava jumped over the couch and Brae kinda fell into it. He looked dazed for a moment before he scrambled around the couch, resuming his chase. Liz and Ashley had tears in their eyes at their siblings antics. But for them, this was the norm. This was the kind of relationship they all had with each other: playful, crazy, but most importantly: loving.
Ashley noticed how Don and Danny looked somewhere between amused and shocked. "Don' worry guys, ya get used ta it. This' a normal occurrence. I really don' know how mah Ma and Pops have any hair left on their heads. 'Specially with Sprite an Spanky runnin around."
Ava was still running away from her brother as she yelled "Jaime, Grandma wants ta talk ta ya." She tossed him the phone with ease as she slipped away from Braeden once again.
With a chuckle, the boy caught the phone easily. Jaime sat at the table, next to his sister as he spoke with his Grandmother. "Hey Nana, I'm good. Oh that noise? That's just Uncle Brae chasing Aunt Ava around the room. I know Nana. This family is crazy. Yep. Ma's taking me to school before work. Ella's staying here with Aunt Ava."
Ella then began trying to get the phone from her brother's hands. "Nana, Ella wants to say hi. Okay I love you too. Tell Papa I said hi. Bye Nana."
The little imp grinned as her brother plucked her from her seat and planted her in his lap. She took the phone and began chatting away. "Hi Nana. I good. Mama take me to tha pawk upstairs. It big. It sooo much fun." She nodded animatedly with wide eyes. "I wike New Yawk Nana. Tha buildings is big. All of dem. But it loud. Louda den Colowado."
Everyone could help but smile at the three year old's observations. Liz smiled as she brushed some of her daughter's curls out of her little cherubic face. She then brushed some of Jaime's hair out of his face. Neither kid flinched. Obviously they were used to their mother doing such things.
Danny watched Liz careful as she touched her children. It was very clearly written across her features how much she loved them. He didn't know why, but he found the fact that she loved her children so much very appealing. Maybe it was because he could remember his own mother being that tender with him as a kid. Especially since he was the baby of the Messer clan.
The serenity was interrupted as Isla started crying when she saw her Uncle chasing her Mommy. She jumped out of her chair and yelled at the top of her lungs while pointing her little finger. "Unca Bae Bad!"
Braeden skidded to a halt as the diminutive version of Ava chastised him. He bent down in front of her. "Hey, hey La. I'm not bad, ya Mommy an I was jus playin Baby girl."
"No payin," she huffed as stared him down. "No tase Mama."
It took everything in him not to laugh at the two year old doing her best to be authoritative. "Okay La. Ya win. I won' chase Mama." He scooped his niece up and took a seat at the table across from Ava. She had sat next to Don as if nothing had happened. Brae glared at her as he told his niece, "Jus tell ya Mama ta stop tellin Nana silly stuff bout Uncle Brae."
She nodded as if she was thinking about it and placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek.
Don grinned at Ava. She had started the whole thing and here was her toddler to finish it. "Good kid ya got there Flannery. I can see ya got her trained."
"What can I say. It's me an mah baby girl 'gainst the world."
Zan interrupted as he walked into the dining room with a massive amount of food on a huge tray. "Aight kids, time fa breakfast. Help ya selves."
Mariella then piped up. "Unca Z. Nana wanna talk ta you."
Zan smiled at his niece as she handed him the phone. "Ay Aunt A. We's good." He strolled back into the kitchen to get the juice and coffee.
Danny and Don got up to serve themselves but were quickly shooed back to their seats by Liz and Ava, much to their surprise.
"You's guests," Ava told them with a wink. "In this house, we serve tha guests."
"S okay Av," Don told her "I don' mind. Ya don' have ta serve me."
Ashley, Braeden and Zan shook their heads as Danny looked like he was about to protest as well.
Jaime, in true Valenti fashion, told the pair, "if you guys knew Nana Valenti, you'd understand."
Liz turned to her son. "Jaime hush. There's nothing wrong with good manners. Can you get your sister all set?"
He nodded, kissed his mother's cheek, and set about making a plate for Ella.
The group watched with smiles as the boy set the food down in front of the little girl who motioned with a finger for her brother to bend down. She wrapped her little arms around him and kissed his cheek. He blushed, knowing the adults were watching but ruffled his sister's hair affectionately none the less. There was no doubt that Jaime Valenti loved his baby sister with all his heart. And it was quite clear that Mariella Valenti absolutely adored her big brother.
Liz couldn't help the swelling of pride in her chest at the picture her children made. She had really lucked out. Her kids were so good to each other. There had been a time that she feared Jaime's reaction to having a sibling. But the boy had surprised her. He'd merely touched her stomach and told her that he couldn't wait to see Ella, and that she was going to be very pretty just like her.
It was predominately obvious to both Don and Danny that the Valenti clan was tight knit and loved each other very much. As Liz watched her kids, Ashley kissed her forehead. "Ya done good with tha runts Fuego."
She smiled back at her big brother, love shining in her eyes. There were days that she doubted it all. Being a CSI sometimes meant working obnoxiously long hours. But with the love and encouragement of her family, she never doubted herself for long.
Jaime received a kiss on the cheek from his aunt as he placed a plate in front of Isla. The toddler gave her cousin a toothy grin and said "sanks 'aime."
And everyone sat down to eat a peaceful breakfast.
Zan noticed that like him, Ashley was eyeing the exchanges between Liz and Danny as well as Ava and Don. 'Apparently, our girls have found themselves some new toys.' He loved to ruffle his best friend's feathers.
Ashley's eyebrow shot up. But not enough that it was noticeable. They didn't need a pair of Detectives asking unnecessary questions. Clearly his best friend was trying to make him choke on his breakfast. 'Don't say that shit Z. That's jus what they need.'
Zan's eyes danced with laughter as he watched Ashley visibly twitch. 'Maybe it is. Ya never know.'
'Nah 's not. Lizzie's jus puttin herself back togetha. She can't handle her heart bein broken gain.'
Knowing that an argument would ensue if they continued on the subject of Liz, he focused on other things. 'An Aves?'
'Doesn' deserve that knock at tha door gain.'
'Ash, ya need ta chill. It ain' like they marryin these guys tomorra. Jus chill.' He smiled cause he knew that if his instincts were correct, and they usually were, that there would be marriages not tomorrow, but sometime in the future.
But what even he didn't know, was that the Big Apple had a present of it's own for him as well.
----
Mac knew that his two new investigators and their homicide detective sister were going to be a bit unique from the get go. He'd read their files extensively. Their reputations preceded them.
At 26, both Elizabeth and Avaria were among the youngest detectives in Colorado history. And now, they were the youngest second grade detectives that the NYPD had. More impressively, the girls had tied as first in their class from the Colorado Police Academy. Each girl had Master's Degrees by the time they were eighteen; Liz in chemistry, biology, and psychology, and Ava in forensic psychology and criminal justice. Braeden, a first grade detective, at 34, had nearly fifteen years on the force under his belt. Like his sisters, he'd been top in his class at the Academy. He held Master's in criminal justice and chemistry. And somewhere along the way, he'd become quite the expert in ballistics. He'd also done stints in narcotics and special victims.
All three had impressive service records as well. Only seven years ago, they'd been apart of a task force that was responsible for one of the largest drug busts in history. The trio had spent nearly a year undercover. They'd earned numerous commendations and service medals since then.
And just yesterday, he'd received a phone that only reasserted the fact that the Valentis were something special. It was a call from Lieutenant Giovanni Palermo, the head of the Colorado Springs Crime Lab.
--
'Taylor, you should consider yourself very lucky to have them. Liz and Brae were two of the best CSIs I've ever had. And no one works Homicide like Ava does. Take care of the three of them.'
"I will," he responded with a grin. It was very clear from his tone of voice that Lieutenant Palermo had quite the soft spot for the trio.
'While I'm at it, there's a few things I think you should be aware of,' he said with a chuckle.
"Such as?"
'They speak their own language, the Valentis. It may take a little while but eventually, you'll learn to understand them. When they're together, the speak in half sentences and such. It's scary, almost to the point that you'd think they can read each others minds.'
"They're family, that's not surprising."
'When they get a hunch, let them go with it. Nine and half times out of ten, they're right. It may not always make sense at the time, but there are methods to their madness. Like I said before, they're the best.'
"Okay."
'Ava has a bit of a temper. She mutters under her breath a lot. When she's in a mood, just give her space. Actually, the same holds true for Liz. Trust me, the Valenti girls are not ones to be messed with. Both of them have black belts in MMA and are the younger sisters of two Air Force Lieutenant Colonels and cousins of a General that are all Level 5 in hand to hand. Don't let the fact that they're small fool you. They'd never take it out on a perp but when they get like that, send them to the nearest gym.'
"Good to know."
'Those kids are fiercely loyal and extremely good at what they do. I mean it, Taylor, take good care of them cause we'll always be willing to take them back.'
"I will. You have my word."
--
They were certainly not what he expected. But this job had long ago taught him to expect the unexpected.
--
Danny casually strolled into Mac's office with Liz and Brae behind him. "Ay Mac, I got ya newbies."
Everything about the pair was in stark contradiction.
Braeden was about 6'4 with jade eyes and dirty blonde hair. He was built like a linebacker and stood behind his sister in an almost protective stance. He stood tall and proud though, at attention. Mac would bet anything that, that was a habit because they had family in the Air Force. And yet, laughter danced in Braeden's eyes almost as if he knew something that the rest of the world wasn't privy to. He was sharply dressed. The rolled up sleeves of his dress shirt revealed tattooed forearms. Further examination told Mac that Braeden had more piercings than just the two pairs of silver earrings he wore in his ears. He could swear that he had his labret and maybe even his tongue pierced. But it was very hard to tell. If he had retainers in, they must have been custom. Allowing piercings was not the custom of the NYPD, but Sinclair had told him that exceptions had been made when it came to the Valenti three. Knowing the impressive records they possessed, he understood. He didn't necessarily agree, but he understood.
Elizabeth was well over a foot shorter than her brother. And her looks seemed to be a bit more exotic as well. Her cerulean eyes seemed to contradict her tan skin and chestnut hair. Her hair was streaked with hints of blonde and an almost cherry red. She had three pairs of small hoops in each of her ears. But he could see that there were at least five more holes in each of her ears. He guessed that like her brother, there were more piercings. Why would such a beautiful woman want to do that? He never understood the whole concept of piercings other than the ears.
'We're being studied.' Liz told her brother, not looking in his direction. She wasn't about to give away their secret. It took years of practice, but they'd learned to communicate without outwardly acknowledging each other. They had no choice really. The outside world could not know their secrets, no ifs, ands, or buts.
'He's sizin us up. I bet ya anythin that Gio called him. Ya know that no one knows what ta expect when it comes ta us.' Brae replied, resisting the urge to smirk. There was no doubt that Boss Man was sizing them up.
'Don't I know it. I'll bet he's very confused as to why we don't look anything alike.'
Their musings were interrupted as Mac spoke. "Braeden Valenti and Elizabeth Carter-Valenti, welcome to the New York Crime Lab." He slid their badges and their service pistols across the desk to the pair.
As Liz slid her badge onto her pants and her gun into it's holster she replied. "Please it's just Liz and Brae. We're only Elizabeth and Braeden if we're in trouble with our mother."
Brae chuckled and Mac smirked. Danny had since gone to find everyone so that introductions could be made. "You'll be partnered up with Danny Messer and Lindsay Monroe. Liz, you're with Danny. Brae, you're with Lindsay. I'll show you around and introduce you to them."
"We already met Danny. He lives in our building," Brae said as he nudged Liz. He saw the sparks between Lizzie and Danny, and even between Aves and Don. And while Ashley wasn't too happy about it, like Zan, he wasn't opposed to the idea. He liked the possibility of Lizzie and Aves moving on with their lives. He knew that they'd find a new start here in New York. Before leaving Colorado, Aurora had pulled him aside and informed him that all of their lives were about to change drastically for the better. With a knowing grin, she'd happily told him that the Gods would be very kind to them with this move. She'd spoken with such confidence.
Aurora confessed that she'd had the same vision over and over again. She felt that the Gods were telling her that Liz, Ava, Ashley, Zan and her sister would find the other halves of their hearts in New York City. And she had a feeling that they'd be a lot closer than anyone realized. So that morning, when he'd seen the sparks that Don and Ava and Danny and Liz gave off, he just knew.
But one thing still troubled him about Aurora's visions. She'd taken his hand, looked him square in the eyes, and told him that he would meet the woman who would cause him to change his ways permanently. He humored her and listened to the story. But honestly, he didn't hold stock in the belief that there was truly a socius cor out there for him. He was perfectly content with the bar and club scene. In all his years on this Earth, he hadn't once had the urge to settle down. There was something in him that didn't believe he'd ever find that one. So he'd always had the reputation as the playboy in their. He made no apologies for it either. It wasn't like he lied to any of the woman he'd been with. He was always truthful and up front about the fact that he wasn't looking for more than just a body to keep the other side of his bed warm.
"Yeah," Danny chimed from the doorway cutting Brae's wandering thoughts short. "Imagine my surprise when I get a text from Flack tellin me ta go upstairs fa breakfast. 'S a funny lil thing. Their sista Ava is Flack's new partna. So I had breakfast with em this mornin."
Mac arched an eyebrow. Danny seemed very happy about that fact. Not again. He'd have to keep an eye on that. As far as he was concerned, what happened in the personal lives of his team was their own business. But, with Danny and Lindsay, their relationship had affected their work relationship. He couldn't have that again.
Even though he'd seen the sparks between Danny and Lindsay that first day, a part of him had always known it just wasn't gonna work out. The loud mouthed wise ass from Staten Island and the tough as nails country girl were oddly matched from the get go. There seemed to be no happy medium with them. It was either they were really happy or they couldn't stand the sight of each other. Be it because Lindsay pulled away during the whole trial thing in Montana or Danny cheating on Lindsay in the wake of Rubin Sandoval's death. It seemed that they were hell bent on hurting each other. So when they came to him and informed him that they'd chosen to end their relationship, he'd breathed a sigh of relief.
But now, Danny stood in front of him clearly captivated by Liz. He was weary of history repeating itself.
Yeah, he'd have to keep an eye on that.
And thus began Day One at the NY Crime Lab for Liz and Brae.
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