Laurel Jane ShawFBI Special Agent - White-Collar Crime29History and Personality: The middle child in a family of five, Laurel was a military brat growing up. The family was constantly moving around when Laurel was growing up due to her father's position in the Navy, and she lived on various bases all over the country. She even spend nearly two years living on a base in Japan, during which time she became proficient in reading and speaking Japanese. Despite the constant moving Laurel maintained a 4.0 grade point average and developed friendships easily, even if they were brief. She was also very close to her two siblings since they were the only constants in each others' lives throughout all of the moving. When she was thirteen her father retired and her family finally settled in the Southern California suburbs, where she was able to make lasting friendships and make a real home with her family. After high school she was accepted to USC, where she majored in Sociology and got a minor in art history, and spent a year studying abroad in Spain where she become fluent in Spanish. Inspired by her father's military career she entered law enforcement, spending five years in the LAPD (three years as a uniformed officer, two were as a detective). Laurel was then accepted into the FBI's White-Collar unit due to her art history minor, where she's been working for the last two years. She's currently living in Los Angeles and dating Ben Wilson, a chef at a high class restaurant. They met in college and were friends for years before Ben finally asked her out when she was still in the uniform. They've been in a relationship for over six years now and it's pretty serious.
Family: Laurel is very close to her family. They all live within an hour's driving distance from each other and get together frequently.
Father - Nick Shaw - Former Navy SEAL, he's retired and helps run his wife's store, as well as teaching physical education on and off. He enjoys his retirement and being able to spend time with his family and grandchild, but lives vicariously through his daughter's stories and offers her advice.
Mother - Kelsey Shaw - Owns a book store and still living happily with her husband in the suburban home they settled in.
Older Sister - Emily Rose Porter (31) - Part time nurse in a pediatrics office, full time mother and housewife, she's married to her high school sweetheart Danny, a high school history teacher, and they have a five year old daughter named Matilda (Matty). Currently pregnant with her second child and lives in the suburbs not far from her parents.
Younger Brother - Peter Grant Shaw (26) - Army vet who did two tours overseas before an injury forced him to be honorably discharged earlier than he anticipated. He currently making a living as an artist, and is living with his fiancee Kim Fujiwara, an art gallery manager, in downtown LA, close to Laurel.
