AN: This is just a random story for my CSI:NY AU that I thought up and thought I would share. It has a tangential relation to the Memorial Day holiday but isn't really about that. Like the title implies, it's really all about family. :)
Thanks as always to my awesome betas Kerry Blue and printandpolish. No matter how much I throw at them, they are always good about throwing it back better than it was before. :)
Disclaimer: While they are referenced, none of the actual CSI:NY characters appear in this story, but I'll tell you anyway that they don't belong to me. I also do not own the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Riverside Park which is an actual location in New York City that has existed long before my grandparents were even born.
"I'm wearing red, you should be able to spot me," Shayna Hawkes said exasperatedly. She had been on the phone with her best friend from high school for the past ten minutes trying to get them to the same place. Not wanting to miss each other while walking in circles, Shayna had planted herself in one spot under a tree and tried to direct Jasmine, but they should have done it the other way around. Jaz had absolutely no sense of direction.
"A third of the people here are wearing red, Shay, it is Memorial Day," her friend replied, totally unperturbed. Being lost was nothing new to her. "Maybe we should have picked an easier place to hook up than at the monument. I wouldn't be able to spot your Uncle Don in this crowd and he's huge!"
Calling Uncle Don huge was a bit of an overstatement, but Jaz was pretty tiny so she thought even Shayna was tall. However, she did have a point about the crowds. They probably should have met at one of their houses or something rather than waiting to meet right before the festivities began at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in Riverside Park. Oh well, it was a little late to think about that now.
"Oh, shit," Shayna heard her friend mutter.
"What?" she asked, not yet alarmed. Her friend tended to swear at the drop of a hat.
"Richie is here, and damn, I think he just spotted me."
That was not good news. When Shayna left for college last fall, Jaz had kind of struggled to find what she wanted to do and unfortunately during that time Richie Burke showed up. Shayna hadn't liked anything she heard about the guy, but she couldn't exactly judge him having never met him. That is, until Jaz called late one night to say he had beaten her up. Shayna hadn't been able to convince her to file charges, but she had at least gotten Jaz to stop dating the prick. Apparently he had moved on and didn't give Jaz any more trouble, but it still wasn't good that he had suddenly appeared and Jaz really didn't need to be alone with him.
"Okay, you need to find me right now, Jaz. Don't worry, he's not going to do anything with this many people around." At least she hoped he wouldn't.
"Oh, thank God, there you are," Jasmine exclaimed and seconds later Shayna was trying to hold her ground as her old friend practically tackled her. "I thought I'd never find you, Shay."
"It's good to see you too, Jaz. Let's go find everybody else now."
"What's your hurry, ladies?" The girls separated and turned to face the infamous Richie and what was apparently his posse consisting of three other guys. "Hey Jazzy, why don't you introduce me to your friend?" Shayna resisted the urge to shudder as he raked his eyes up and down her body as if he owned her.
"Excuse us, we're meeting people," Shayna said, trying to extricate them quickly but knowing it probably wasn't going to be that easy. And she was right.
"Where you going, babe?" Richie asked as he stepped in front of Shayna and the other guys spread out a bit to surround the two girls. She stepped back slightly as he tried to touch her face. "I'm sure we're much more interesting than anyone else you were planning on meeting."
"Leave us alone, Richie. Don't you have a girlfriend? Or did she finally wise up and leave you like I did?" Shayna was happy to see her friend stand up for herself, but attacking the guy's ego was not going to help their cause. She hated to do this because it felt too much like being a damsel in distress, but she really wanted to put this guy in his place, so Shayna stuck a couple of her fingers in her mouth and let out a short whistle followed by a longer one and then another short blast.
"What the hell?" Richie asked. He looked around at his buddies and twirled his index finger around his ear. "You are one crazy broad."
She might be crazy, but he was stupid. Her whistles had already caused a lot of heads to turn their way, especially the people in uniform there for the Memorial Day activities, but Richie and his gang were oblivious. They also didn't hear the three answering whistles. Sticking her fingers in her mouth again, Shayna repeated the whistling pattern.
Richie's eyes narrowed. Apparently he still had a couple of brain cells left to rub together. "Why you whistling, bitch? Trying to get us in trouble?"
"I'd say it's a little late for that," came a voice from behind Richie. Shayna smiled. The cavalry had arrived.
Richie turned to face a man in a stark white sailor's uniform. "Oh? And who are you, G.I. Joe?" The goons laughed as if their leader had made a funny joke rather than making an idiot out of himself.
Devon rolled his eyes and leaned slightly to the right to look at Shayna. "You called me over to help you with this clown? You could take him down while blindfolded."
The clown in question took offense at that. "Step off man, you don't know who you're dealing with," Richie said, attempting to be menacing, but failing miserably.
"And who am I dealing with?" Devon inquired mildly.
"Jaz's ex," Shayna interjected. "The one I told you about."
"Is that so?" Devon's eyes took on a predatory glint and his whole body tensed up. Devon had been in the same high school class as Jaz and Shayna. Since he knew Jasmine, when Shayna hadn't know what to do about her friend's abusive boyfriend, she had called her best friend and cousin, so he knew all about the situation.
"What's it to you?" Once again, Richie tried for intimidating and fell way short. And that was before he tried to shove Devon and found himself suddenly spun around and on his knees with his right arm up and behind him. "OW! Shit! Somebody call the cops and arrest this guy!"
"No need." Everyone now turned to face Kaile who was standing behind one of Richie's goons and holding up her NYPD badge. "The way I see it, he was just defending himself from attack. Though we could always ask the FBI what they think."
"Oh, I totally agree." Shayna almost laughed out loud as the goons turned now to face Ella with her FBI shades and badge. "What about the ATF, Ana?"
"Totally self-defense," Ana replied, holding up her own official ID.
"This is police brutality!" Richie shouted now, obviously trying to retain his dignity, but that was a lost cause by this point.
Shayna was surprised to see Dominic come forward, but then remembered he was in town to play the Mets and probably had the morning available to make the family's yearly gathering on Memorial Day at the monument. Her oldest cousin squatted down to face Richie eye to eye. "Do you really want to try that, prick?" he asked conversationally. "Because the worst these nice women will do would be to put you in handcuffs, but me?" Dominic pulled off his sunglasses and spoke even more quietly as Richie's eyes widened in recognition of who was talking to him. "I'd rather just let the SEAL holding your arm break it off at the shoulder. I've got the money to keep him from getting arrested let alone get one day in jail and you'll be left with trying to learn how to write left handed. So maybe you and your little friends would rather walk out of this park right now and we'll forget this ever happened."
Richie nodded and Devon, after giving one last little turn to the punk's arm, released him and let him get up. The now cowed group of guys started leaving when Devon called out. "Hey, Richie?" The leader turned. "If you ever think about bothering these women again, remember this: you've only met about half the family." Richie took the hint and moved off.
"Oh, that was awesome!" Jaz crowed. "If he had a tail, it would be between his legs right now."
"Thanks for coming to the rescue everybody," Shayna said to her cousins. "And you!" she greeted Devon. "You're looking good in that uniform."
Devon winked. "Aw, you're going to make me blush, Shay."
Shayna snorted. "You, blush? Somehow I doubt that."
"We better get going," Kaile broke in. "The ceremony should be starting soon and you know our parents will be ticked if we're late."
Everybody groaned and turned to head towards the traditional family meeting spot. Jaz fell into conversation with Shayna's brother Will who hadn't joined in the wordplay with Richie but had been hanging around nearby. Shayna gripped Devon's arm as he put it around her shoulders.
"I'm so glad you were able to make it, Devon." He had gotten leave at the last minute and even then hadn't been sure he'd be able to make it to the monument on time.
"So am I. Dominic and Kaile were bickering so I was the only one who heard your whistles at first."
Shayna grinned. "It's a good thing Uncle Mac taught us all how to whistle S.O.S. at a young age I guess, though it's been awhile since I've used it."
"The last time was when you got lost in that corn maze, wasn't it?" He grunted as his cousin elbowed him in the side.
"You would remember that. I love your mom dearly for getting me interested in being a vet, but I am never again going in a stupid corn maze."
Devon squeezed his cousin's shoulders. "Don't worry, I don't think you were the only one to express that sentiment."
Shayna grinned before turning serious and stopping to face the man who had been her best friend since before she could talk. Unlike Dominic and Kaile who everyone in the family knew had something going on romantically, Devon and Shayna had never been anything more than cousins and friends. But they were the closest of friends, practically since birth, and she was really, really happy to see him again. "I really am glad to see you, Dev, and thanks for backing me up with that whole mess."
Devon smiled and hugged his cousin who he had missed hanging out with in the past year. "It was nothing. It's what we do for each other. We're family."