And a new chapter. Guys, I do wanna say thank you for reviews and the like. And to DF95 for betaing. Glad to hear u feel better. Thanks a lot!

Disclaimer: No, I don't own CSI, or Ryan, or Lady in Black, or Ferrari.


Chapter 7


But when you need me be assured

I won't be faraway (Uriah Heep – Lady in Black)


The next day in school was hellish. Ryan felt every single muscle, hell, every single thing in his body. At one point, he was so desperate he asked Daniel to do a quick check-up on him. While Daniel wasn't a doctor, he had confirmed Ryan's suspicion. A few badly bruised ribs, but no broken bones. Although it didn't lessen the pain, it did calm Ryan down.

When he arrived home later that day, he noticed the bright red Ferrari in front of the house. A very dubious figure sat at the wheel. Well, sitting… the seat was leaned backwards. The figure apparently was having a nap. Ryan couldn't see his face; it was covered by a hat. The man's feet were resting on the dashboard. He was wearing jeans that had seen better days, heavy army boots, and a black button down shirt. Ryan frowned; what was this man doing there, in front of their home? He didn't look like any of his father's friends. And if that guy was here for his father, why would he sleep in a car? His father and mother were both at work, and his father would never forget an appointment at home.

Now, the figure yawned and started moving. Without taking the hat off his face, he moved a hand towards the radio and switched it on. Ryan recognized the song immediately. When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be… (1) The man in the car now yawned again, stretched himself and took the hat off. He wiped the sleep out of his eyes and looked around. His eyes met Ryan's.

Ryan had never seen anyone move so swiftly. The guy got out of the car, leaving the door wide open, and raced towards him. As he reached him, he put both his hands on Ryan's shoulders and hissed, "Who did this to you? Was that him? I swear, I'm gonna break every fucking bone in his body!"

Ryan, despite all the pain, smiled, "Uncle Ron… No, that was not him, don't worry."

"Who did this to you?"

Ryan hesitated, but then told Ron the whole story, omitting only the work out his father had forced him through. "And to convince me to do what they want, they trashed me."

But Ron saw through it, "And then your father thrashed you some more?"

"No Ron, really, that wasn't him… What are you doing here, anyways?"

Ron gave him a very reproachful look, "You haven't called lately. You know how I worry about you if you don't call."

Ryan sighed; he had totally forgotten to call his uncle, which he normally did on a weekly basis, "Sorry, I completely forgot to. It's been a rough week."

"Has he treated you badly?"

Ryan shrugged, "No more or less than before. It's just… I have to work for a friend of his during the summer holidays. Which means, next week. For a whole month. I even have to sleep on the base. And to be honest, I'm scared shitless." He knew he could talk about his fears with Ron. He was so different from his brother, sometimes Ryan wondered if they were even remotely related.

Ron shook his head, "I can imagine. But, don't worry. I actually took a month of from… business. So I'll be here if anything happens." Now he smiled, "Good Lord, you've become so tall! What's it been, a year? You're becoming a real man, Ryan. How old are you again? Nah, don't answer, I know it."

Ryan grinned; of course Ron didn't know. He knew what day to send his wishes; everything else was unimportant to him. "You look good too, Ron. So, you're gonna stay a whole month? That is so cool!" He took his keys out of his pocket. "Let's go inside. You look like you could use a coffee…"

"Yeah. And a brandy, if your dad has any of that."


The next of the Wolfe family that arrived home was Ryan's sister. Deborah threw herself at Ron when she saw him. Ron hugged his niece and offered her a candy bar. He loved Deborah, of course, she was his niece, but Ryan was much closer to him.

And then, Duke got home from work. When he entered the kitchen where Ron, Ryan and Deborah were sitting at the table, his jaw almost dropped, "Ron?"

Ron turned around and smiled, "Duke. My beloved brother. How's life treating you these days? You look old. Army business still hard?"

Duke had regained his composure, "I cannot remember having invited you."

"Since when do I need an invitation?" Ron smirked. "We're family, right?"

"As far as I remember, you're not family anymore…"

Ryan knew what his father meant. The whole of the Wolfe family had officially broken all ties to Ron. But it needed more than that to get rid of Ron Wolfe. And besides, Ryan's mother actually loved her brother-in-law to bits, so she had encouraged contact between Ron and her children. Duke, who couldn't say no to his wife, had accepted.

Ron leaned back on his chair, "Not to you, no. But to your wonderful wife. Where is my lovely Doreen by the way?"

"At work. And it's my lovely Doreen. What are you doing here?"

Ron yawned, "I'm visiting family, my brother. I haven't heard from my nephew in a while, so I thought I'd come and check on how he's doing." At the last words, his tone had become noticeably menacing. "And I don't think he's doing good."

Duke gave Ryan a sombre look, "I don't know what he's told you…"

"Don't look at him like that or I'll gouge your eyes out." Ron said, slowly, but with enough hardness that it gave the chills to Ryan.

But Duke wasn't impressed in the least, "You know I could break your hand before you even got close enough. And what would you do on your job without a fine working hand?"

"I still have another one, Duke."

Now Duke had enough, "Office. Now."

Ron remained where he was. "I'm not a recruit. Be polite."

Duke's hand made a fist; it normally took a lot to provoke him, but his own brother knew exactly which buttons to push, "Would you kindly, if it's not too much of a hassle, join me in my office now, please?"

Ron's grin couldn't have been any wider, "That's better, brother." He got up from the chair and followed Duke.

Deborah frowned, "They're worse than us…"

"Really. But then again, we're still young."


Duke slammed the door shut, "I repeat, what are you doing here?"

Ron sat down on Duke's wing chair, "Okay, I can see you're not in the mood for coffee and cake. I came here because I haven't heard from Ryan in two weeks. I was worried you might have done something to him, so I came here to check."

"There's no need for you to be here, so go."

Ron tilted his head, "No need for me to be here… Have you seen your son? I had trouble recognizing him earlier. If it hadn't been for his clothing, I probably wouldn't have noticed it was him!"

"That was not me!"

"I know. Still, I also know that you're not gonna cut him some slack now. I'm not blind, Duke. He's pale, he's tired, he's hurting with every move." Ron placed his feet on Duke's desk. "I think you might have hurt him too."

"I didn't. And take your feet off my desk." Duke was furious. "I don't want you here. Go home. You're a disgrace to the family."

Ron got up from the chair. "I won't. Ryan told me that he has to work for a friend of yours during the summer holidays." He came closer to Duke until they were eye to eye. "I swear to God, Duke. If I hear or see that the kid is mistreated at work, I will take him with me. You won't do to him what our father did to us."

Duke didn't move an inch, "You can't do anything, Ron. I'm his father. You're nothing but an uncle. And if Ryan doesn't say he wants to live with you, you are powerless. And he won't say it." He grinned when he saw anger rise in Ron's eyes. "Besides, you know I could call the police in Miami any time. If you try to take Ryan from me, you'll be in jail faster than you think."

"And I could call child services and tell them what you do to him."

"And where's your proof? You won't find anything. No scars, no bruises. And Ryan won't talk. He was at the police two days ago. He could have talked there. He didn't. He won't talk to child services either."

Ron opened his mouth, but then he turned away from Duke. He knew his brother was right. Ryan would never talk. He would never risk losing his family. And Ron understood. He himself had thought about his decision for a long time, until he had finally taken the necessary steps to run away from home. He sat back in the chair, "Then you might wanna make sure you don't change your ways. If I notice a single bruise you have given him, you're done. Because I will talk."

"If I tell them what you do for a living, they won't believe a single word you're saying. Who would believe a safecracker anyways? And even if they do believe you, they will never let you have the kid."

"I'd rather see him growing up in a foster home than with you."

Duke rammed his fist against the nearest wardrobe, "This conversation is over. I'm done talking to you. You will leave. Today."

Ron got up again and walked to the door. "I'm sure your wife will be thrilled to see me, and offer me your guest bedroom while I'm here. And I will be here until I see that Ryan's work is over and he's alright. That, my brother, I swear. And you might wanna think twice about calling police. I do have… friends that would pay you back." He closed the door behind him, leaving his fuming brother alone.

But he devastated. Duke was right. There was no way he could take Ryan away from Duke. Not only because Duke made sure nobody would notice the abuse, but because it would kill Ryan to not be with his family anymore. After all, Ryan loved his dad. Ron could see that. And he couldn't hurt his nephew by taking him away from his family.

As he entered the kitchen Ryan was just about to clean the dishes. He raised his head, "Everything okay?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah, your father and I were just having a little family conversation. Nothing to worry about. Hey, what do you say: shall we have a ride in my fancy car? Have you got your license already?" As Ryan shook his head, Ron said, "Okay, then we're gonna need an empty parking lot. Because your youth is completely wasted if you haven't tried a Ferrari at least once."

"Isn't that kinda illegal?"

"Not if nobody notices. Come on, young man. Let's have some fun."

"I should ask my father first…"

"Nah, he would only say no. Come on. I'll take the heat later on."


(1) The Beatles – Let it be


Ah, Uncle Ron. Isn't he a delight? All bad ass. Btw, I have a story planned with Ron in it again, major part, so you can look forward to that. But first things first.