A/N: ...Omg. I have not posted ANYTHING in a-ages. Sorry. Writer's block. Piano lessons. Badgering my mum for Muse tickets. Homework. Options choices. Anyway, this is gonna be a Flack/OC and Flack/Angell fic. The latter will be taking place before the former (though they will blur into each other (love triangle GALORE)). Dantana is obviously gonna be in here. Maybe Mac/Stella or Mac/Peyton. There will be references to NCIS and maybe even an odd chapter with the team in it but not enough for it to clarify as a crossover fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own CSI:NY. Never have, never will. But I DO own my ideas and my OC's. Thanks for respecting that. I will also not be putting this disclaimer at the start of each chapter for the simple reason: it wastes time and space... sort of...

She tossed her hair behind her back, applying the lipstick perfectly. Pressing her lips together, she took the mascara wand out of the tube and coated her eyelashes. Her green eyes were wide as she stared at the mirror, determined not to blink and smudge the mascara. However, she failed. Her cell began to buzz and vibrate across her bedside table and the sudden sound startled her. She muttered darkly under her breath as she saw the dark lines beneath her eyes.
'Dammit!' She crossed her room, reaching her phone just in time to catch as it fell off her table. She sighed as she read the caller I.D. 'Hello, Dad. What do you want?' she asked wearily, entering her bathroom and opening the medicine cabinet, searching for her makeup remover. When she found it, she poured it onto some cotton, balancing her phone between her ear and shoulder.

'I'm just ringing to make sure that you are actually coming tonight,' her father replied. 'I know you aren't the biggest fan of these charity balls but -

'You have an image to uphold and my presence will help that. Plus, I'm about to meet someone who thinks I've been dead for the past ten years. So, he won't be the biggest fan of me. At all. And, by the way, you are a very high ranking politician, so my boss did ask me to come.' Her boss. The American Secret Service. She'd officially been working for them for at least three years.

'I do not like the thought of my daughter carrying a gun with her as she attends a charity ball.' Her father tutted disapprovingly on the other end of the line.

Moving on to her right eye, she exhaled wearily, shaking her head.
'Listen, it is part of my job description,' she reminded him. 'I've always been a sucker for justice since I was fifteen. Or so Ruby tells me.'

'Why can't you just say what happened? I'm sure you do remember.'

Nicki instantly became angry as her father said this, snapping,
'You know I don't remember: why do you insist that I do? We'll talk about this at this party -'

'Charity ball,' her father corrected her, irritated.

'Whatever. Listen, the short and short of this little matter: I am taking a gun. Sure, you might not be able to see it but I will be carrying one. I'll talk to you later at the party.'

'Charity ball!' her father shouted down the phone.

Smiling, she hung up and walked over to her bed, where her dress lay.

The dress was floor length satin. It was blue and glittered when the light caught it in a certain way. It wasn't strapless.

Nicki grunted quietly as she attempted to button up the back, exhaling in a gust of pure relief when she managed to do so.
'Finally,' she muttered under her breath, scanning the room for her shoes. 'Perfect. Just perfe-' She cut herself off as she spotted her shoes lying next to her bed. 'Well, that kind of steals my thunder, doesn't it? Don't start yelling at your shoes, Nicki - They will turn up and embarrass you when you do that,' she added, stepping into them. Walking to her kitchen table, she picked up her gun and placed her gun inside her bag. She picked up her jacket and slung it on, walking towards her cell as it rang yet again. Nicki smiled as she read the caller I.D. - Mac.

'Hey, Mac - what you ringing for?' she asked her godfather amiably, her smile planted firmly on her face.

'Hey, Nicki. Your father just rang me - he wants me to pick you up.' Mac snorted on his end of the line. 'I think he wants to make sure that you actually come tonight. Plus, he thinks I'll be able to talk you out of carrying a gun.'

Nicki rolled her eyes, exhaling in an angry gust. Her father had always used Mac to get Nicki to do things whenever she said "no" to her father. Nicki thought it was unfair of her father to do that to her godfather and Mac hated it being asked of him, though he had stopped asking Nicki to do things when she was ten for two simple reasons.

One: she had found out that Max (Nicki's father) had been asking Mac to do things - and had immediately stopped following the orders she was given (Nicki was of the strong opinion that if someone couldn't tell her something to her face then why should she do it?)

Two: at ten years old, Nicki had gone to live with her mother in Israel.

'And did you tell him -'

'That there was absolutely no possibility that you would be dissuaded?' Mac finished wryly. 'Yep. He didn't believe me. Y'know what, Nicki?'

'What?' Nicki asked warily, taking her jacket off. There really was no point in wearing it right now.

'How did you end up being an agent for the Secret Service?' There was laughter in Mac's voice. 'You've always been so... headstrong.'

Nicki smirked.
'You learn to take orders. I learnt from an early age,' she murmured dryly. 'Listen, are you almost here yet?' she asked, pacing her front room.

'A little impatient, aren't we, Nix? But, yeah, I'm just driving up to your apartment block now. Get yourself outside,' Mac ordered her.

Nicki arched a well-shaped eyebrow.
'Look who's impatient now,' she replied dryly, hearing Mac snort on the other end of the line. 'I'll be down in a few. See ya!' With that she hung up and left her apartment, locking it behind her.

Mac grinned at Nicki as she climbed into the car.
'You look great. I'm sure the papers will be all over you tonight.' He laughed as Nicki groaned, accelerating towards the venue. 'Why are you going anyway?'

'Because you asked me to?' Nicki asked hopefully, sighing as Mac's eyes demanded an answer. 'Because I wouldn't have heard the end of it from Dad if I'd refused to go; even if I had refused my father, I have been ordered there and...' Nicki's voice trailed off - Mac glanced over at her. She seemed reluctant to finish the sentence. Only after extensive prompting from her godfather did she carry on. 'Fine. I want to attempt to make up with my father.'

Mac almost crashed the car, only just managing to slam down the brakes as the lights turned red.
'You want to make up with Max? That's a new one!' he exclaimed, shaking his head.

Nicki glared at Mac.
'What's so wrong with that? I never explained. He... well, strictly speaking Max doesn't deserve much of anything after the childhood I had -'

'Hey! What happened was not always Max's fault – your stepmothers were usually quite vicious!' Mac was almost reprimanding his goddaughter. 'But I do have to agree with you - your childhood wasn't exactly the best. However, you do have quite a few siblings.'

Nicki nodded her head, agreeing to the last two points. To be exact, Nicki had six siblings - five older and one younger. Her older siblings consisted of four girls: Kaitlin - she was the oldest of the girls; Sophie - the second eldest girl; Jasmine - the third eldest and Adelah, the fourth eldest. She also had an older brother, who was older than all the other girls, called William. Her youngest sibling was called Ruby. Nicki smirked - how well that name suited her red-headed, fiery sister.
'Yes - I suppose it would have been quite difficult to handle seven children whilst we were all growing up. Though it doesn't excuse him from the fact that he sent Ruby and I to Israel.'

'How can you be mad at your Dad for something you don't even remember? It can't have been that bad - you and Ruby stayed in Israel for five years,' Mac commented, pulling into a parking spot in front of the City Hall. 'Anyway, we're here? What were you saying before we got into this discussion about your family? Something you never explained?'

Nicki smiled, knowing that her godfather was changing the subject. She let it pass and answered his question.
'I was saying that Dad deserves an explanation... I owe it to him.'

Mac left the car, shutting the driver side door behind him, before walking around to the passenger side and opening Nicki's door. He helped her down and threw the keys to a valet.

'You really are enjoying this, aren't you?' Nicki muttered darkly under her breath, painting a false smile on her face for the hoards of the press that surrounded the City Hall. As she walked up the carpeted stairs, she whispered, 'He's really pulled out all of the stops for this one, hasn't he? I wonder what he's planning.' However, Nicki never got to finish her sentence because as soon as she entered the City Hall, she and her godfather were speared into a fierce bear hug by Ruby.

'Nicki! I can't believe you actually came!' Ruby squealed, bouncing up and down. 'Mac! It's so good to see you again!'

'You too,' Mac managed to choke out. For someone so small, Ruby managed to cut off air supplies incredibly well.

'What's up?' Ruby asked in her cheery voice, still hanging on.

'Air,' Nicki gasped. 'Running... out.'

Ruby swiftly let go, apologising.
'Sorry - I didn't mean to. I've just not seen you two in ages.'

'Yeah, well, the business you work for isn't entirely legal.' Mac rubbed his throat.

'What I do is legal - some of my boss' other departments are the illegal parts.' Ruby's hands were swiftly upon her hips. 'Now, if you came here to lecture me -'

'You'd never believe she was twenty-three, would you, Mac?' Nicki commented, cutting across her little sister's rant. 'She acts like a forty-year old sometimes, what with her lectures and speeches.' She smiled as her younger sister pulled a face at her, saying, 'Now, now. There's no need to be rude.' Her voice was teasing.

Ruby glared at Nicki momentarily before sighing,
'I can never stay angry with you. It's annoying.' She turned to Mac. 'Now, why don't I ever get a visit off you? After all, you know where I live. And when I get off work. So, why no visits?'

Mac was almost squirming underneath Ruby's glare as he answered slowly, choosing his words carefully.
'My work keeps me really busy, Ruby. I can't just push my work to the side - the safety of the citizens of New York depends on it. So, I'd visit you more often -'

'You haven't visited once,' Ruby growled. She could be quite intimidating when she wanted to be.

Nicki was laughing silently as she watched Mac try to answer her sister before cutting in,
'I don't mean to interrupt - well, actually, I do,' she corrected herself, 'but I really need to ask you both something.'

'What?' Mac asked, still eyeing Ruby warily.

'Where is everyone else? Where's Will? Apart from us three, the press outside and the people Dad has hired to set up, no one is here.'

Ruby rolled her eyes, laughing.

Nicki's eyes questioned her sanity.

'Trust you to get all worked up about that, Nicki.' Ruby batted Nicki's questions away dismissively. 'The girls are getting ready in the rooms upstairs and Will is planning to...' Ruby struggled to find the right word to describe what their brother was planning to do. Finally, she settled on just saying, 'Will is planning to make an entrance.'

Nicki groaned, placing her face in her hands.
'Ugh... that's going to be in the papers for a few months then. What's it going to be this time, then? A "Captain America" suit? High-speed car chase? Something that belongs in a "Die Hard" movie? Will's supposed to be the oldest, most mature, wisest, most sensible... I could go on. Ruby - do me a favour?'

Ruby, who had a small smirk upon her face from imagining that it looked like her sister was having a nervous breakdown, pulled a face before answering,
'Depends on what it entails.'

Mac snorted, laughing quietly, as he shook his head. Of all the years he had known Ruby, she had always been the reluctant one as a little girl. Always lurking in the background, hoping not to be picked for something. Always hiding away, blushing furiously if she was spoken to. But now, Ruby was quite the extrovert, always making new friends, going out, hooking up with someone (though her relationships didn't usually last too long) and loved to give interviews to the press. However, Mac was slightly reassured to see that Ruby had not lost her reluctant streak, even if it was buried down deep inside of her.

Nicki looked up now, glaring at her sister.
'Y'know you said before that you can't stay angry with me? Well, I can get angry with you and, for me, it's quite easy to stay that way. I'd do anything you asked me to do. Why the reluctance?'

'She's always been that way,' Mac quietly reminded her. 'By the way, I've got to go and make a call to Stella - if I have to be here, I don't see why she shouldn't be here. Max is good friends with her as well.'

The sisters' eyebrows shot up as Ruby asked incredulously,
'He is? Dad has good friends? Wow, that's a shocker.'

Mac just grinned, walking away.

Ruby stared her sister in the eye as soon as Mac was out of hearing range, stating,
'You wouldn't.'

'"I wouldn't" what?' Nicki scanned the large hall, taking in all the decorations.

'Do anything I asked you to,' Ruby replied coolly.

'Well, I would. You know that, don't you?' Nicki raised an eyebrow as she saw a piano at the far end of the hall.

Ruby snorted.
'Anything? You'd seriously do anything I asked you to?' she asked, her tone cynical.

Nicki turned her green eyes to her sister, looking down at her, slightly annoyed. Forever questioning other people's actions but never thinking before she leaped into the deep end. Never thinking before she spoke. Nicki took a deep breath, keeping it in until her lungs began to scream for air. In a short gust, she exhaled, sighing. She did not say anything to Ruby, just continued to stare down at her.

'Nicki? A question needs an answer,' Ruby prompted her sister.

Very slowly, emphasising each word, Nicki answered her sister's question.
'You know I would do anything to keep you safe.'

'Anything legal,' Ruby replied, her eyes almost daring Nicki to say any different.

Nicki let out an exasperated sigh, her tone irritated.
'Obviously - I work for the Secret Service, Ruby. Do you remember that little snippet of information?' With every word, she became more annoyed. 'Honestly, if you're too… scared to do this favour, I'll get someone else to do it.' Before she could walk away, Ruby was holding onto her arm, pulling her back. Nicki slowly turned her head to look down at Ruby. 'Is there a reason as to why you are trying pull my arm off?'

'I'll do the favour.' Ruby stated, eyes wide. 'What is it?'

With a fleeting smile, Nicki answered swiftly,
'Mediate things tonight before – if – they get out of hand. That's all I need you to do - can you do that for me?' She gave another small smile as Ruby nodded, her red locks bouncing up and down. 'Thanks. You'll need to keep close tonight - with what I did, it could kick off at any moment.' Nicki stared at her sister, raising an eyebrow. Then, very deliberately, she moved her eyes towards her arm, onto which Ruby was still holding. 'You can let go now.'

Ruby swiftly dropped her hand, watching her sister walk upstairs to find her sisters. The room was so quiet that Ruby's quiet words found their way to her older sister.
'It wasn't your fault. He'll understand.'

Nicki stopped, her feet resting on two different steps, gave a short laugh and asked in a cool voice voice,
'Ask yourself this: did you understand at first? Were you all ready to forgive me?'

Ruby opened her mouth to say something but snapped it shut again as she found that her words had become stuck in her throat. She just hoped her sister knew her well enough to read the answer from her face.

A/N: Well that took longer than expected! Blame school.. Sorry if this chapter was too long. If you don't understand Nicki and this whole first chapter so far, do not worry. A thought has just occurred to me ) but I shall ignore it for now. By the way, if Nicki's huge family of mostly girls is taking the biscuit with you - do not worry! I will sort that out. Reviews most welcome.
Muchos adoras (my Spanish is very rusty even though I'm studying it... I must pay more attention to verb endings in class),
Gracefullygothic

Note: 01/09/2012 - this has been edited slightly. I may have had a heart attack when I saw how bad it was and then decided to edit it, cut things out and attempt to make it better.