Cordelia stepped out onto the steps of her Manhattan Brownstone, as she loved to do when the New York weather wasn’t too temperamental. Today it was beautiful, with the warm, crisp air flowing through the city streets, blowing the fragments of uncollected red and brown leaves all around the streets, and carrying the remaining garbage from one location to another. Cordelia breathed deeply. She loved days like today, and they were more rare than one might have thought. New York weather could be very much like the city itself—erratic, extreme, and unpredictable—but that day it was Goldilocks-esq, a perfect combination of the best qualities that autumn had to offer. 

Riley saw her from the car, and waved at her as it pulled up to the curb. He’d never met Cordelia before, but he’d seen pictures on Calem’s phone, and had certainly heard a lot about her. “Riley?” she asked as he got out.

“Yeah. Cordelia?”

“The one and only,” she joked.

“This is a really beautiful place you have.”

“Thank you. It’s a family inheritance. Let me give you a tour, the other guys are already inside.”

“I’d love that.”

He walked up her stairs and could heard the sounds from inside before he’d even walked through the front door. The guys were all inside, but so were the girls. Haddie, Jen, Eliza, and Samantha were all gathered in the kitchen, while the guys were spread out around the living room. Samantha caught Riley’s eye and met him at the door. “Hey there,” she said, walking over and kissing him. 

“I see the whole gang’s here, huh?”

“A few more than we should probably fit in our humble abode, but it’s kind of rare to have everyone together like this. It’s really nice, actually.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Riley looked around and the first word that came into his mind was family. That’s what they were—a strange, extended, messed up little family. Some of them had been strangers to one another before Cordelia had extended an invitation for them to all meet for lunch at their place, but the sight of everyone talking, drinking, and laughing together made him feel like he’d walked into his own home. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”

“One person at a time,” Cordelia said, smiling and putting her hand on Riley’s shoulders. “I believe you know my husband.” Calem walked out from the bathroom, dressed to the nines and looking like the elder statesman of the group. 

“I believe we’ve met, once or twice.” Riley smiled as he hugged Calem. “How are you?”

“The better question is how you are. How’s the leg?”

“Good, good,” Riley answered. “But we all have our scars, don’t we?”

“I know I do. Jesse got his right here where we’re standing.”

“He’s telling the truth.” Jesse came over and hugged Riley. “What’s your poison? They have everything here.”

“I’m good for now. But what happened to you here?”

“Oh, nothing much,” Jesse said, waving his hand dismissively. “This serial rapist came here to murder a bunch of people and shot me in the stomach. I’m alright. We got him.”

“Jesus,” Riley said, wide-eyed at Jesse’s nonchalant comments. 

“We?” Cordelia looked at Jesse and raised an eyebrow.

“All right, fine,” Jesse said. “You and Calem got him. But I think we can all agree that the bullet that flew into my stomach slowed him down some. My near death experience was an integral part of his capture.”

“Agreed,” Cordelia said. “But enough death and cop talk, let’s all get a drink.”

After a few minutes of meeting all of the girlfriends and wives in the group, Riley decided to do something that wasn’t really like him at all. For all the recognition that he’d gotten throughout the years, the last thing he ever wanted was attention. It wasn’t in his nature to seek the spotlight or to have everyone in a room look at him, but at that moment he felt comfortable enough to call attention to himself. He picked up his wine glass and held it high in the air. “Excuse me, everyone, can I have your attention, please?” All the talking in the room stopped, and everyone turned to look at Riley, who looked very uncomfortable with all the eyes in the room on him, but he just kept talking anyhow. “Oh, Jesus, this is weird.”

“You’re doing fine,” Samantha whispered in his ear. “Just keep talking.”

“Well, I’m not one for giving speeches, and this really isn’t a speech, but I know it’s a special thing for all of us to be here together, so I wanted to take a moment to say a few words. First, thank you to Cordelia for making this happen.”

“Hear! Hear!” everyone in the room shouted as Cordelia smiled and raised her glass in recognition.

“And let me say it’s a pleasure to finally meet all of the women in the group. You all are undoubtedly the backbone of all these knuckleheads I’ve gotten to work with.”

“You got that right!” Haddie yelled. 

"All jokes aside, I know that I haven't been around as long as some of you, but even in a short time we've gone through some crazy experiences together. I'm honored to have been a part of these cases with you all, and hopefully there will be more to come in the future. But for now let's toast and laugh some more, because we deserve it. I'm proud to call you all my brothers."

Everyone raised their glasses and cheered. And, as Riley said, they ate, drank, and did a hell of a lot of laughing. They were New York City’s Finest—the ones for whom their sense of self came a distant second to the safety and general well-being of the citizens of New York. Calem, Jesse, Quinn, Noah, and Riley: five very different men, but men who nonetheless were bound by an inalterable sense of duty and commitment to others. They worked in different boroughs, in different positions, and had personalities that varied from the strong quiet type to the brash, cocky type. Regardless, they were truly brothers, and, like brothers, they shared common traits that transcended their individuality. They were heroes, one and all, but had you bothered to call any of them that, they would be the first to correct you. That’s what made them heroes, and that’s what made them New York City’s finest.