How to build a family.

A/N: Welcome to my second NCIS: New Orleans story, which will be a multi-chapter, Cherri-centric one, including all the usual suspects and some characters which are all my own. I hope you'll enjoy. Also, for the flow of the story, I've let go of my signature style of writing in the second person.

A/N II: This story will be rated M at some point, so it will move into another category by then.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Characters of NCIS: New Orleans and I will hand them back to CBS when I'm done with them.

Spoilers: There aren't any, really. Set somewhere during season two though.

Christopher LaSalle was not a happy camper this Monday morning after Valentine's Day, which was contrary to his normal, upbeat nature. Meredith Brody however, was positively beaming, which was completely contrary for her as well. It made the other members of their little team wonder if, during Mardi Gras, something occult had happened that had made the two agents switch character.

The reason Merri Brody was sporting a grin wider than the Grand Canyon was probably directly linked to the sparkling rock on her ring finger. One that clearly said she was taken. Spoken for. Betrothed. Or whatever the kids called it these days.

The reason Chris LaSalle's frown was as deep as his partner's smile was wide was equally linked to said rock. Not that he begrudged his partner her happiness, but he didn't care much for the man who put the rock on there.

James Lathom. Reporter. A man who had already broken off one engagement to this particular woman and even if he hadn't known her at the time and therefor never witnessed the downfall of the relationship from up close, he knew enough about both Brody and the way she handled relationships in general to know she would not be happy with this guy in the long run. No matter how hard she lied to herself; she couldn't lie to him. He saw right through her.

And since it was his duty, both on and off the job, to protect her from scumbags who were out to hurt her, he was feeling totally off kilter by the knowledge that in this case, she wouldn't appreciate his protection, even when he knew in his gut that she would get hurt again.

And if he was bad at hiding his feelings, well, that was too bad. Not that Brody would notice anyway. She was too busy squealing over her upcoming nuptials with Sonja (another thing he didn't understand and silently resented; she never did like the newest addition to their team much before, let alone confide in her) to notice that, after a stilted and forced "congrats", her normally talkative counterpart had retreated behind his cluttered desk, not saying much of anything to anyone.

He just couldn't help himself. Couldn't force himself to feign happiness when a friend, a member of their own little NCIS family was walking straight toward her destruction.

Ad there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.

888

Indeed, Meredith Brody hadn't noticed her partner's morose mood, hadn't paid any attention to his less than enthusiastic well-wishes. Why would she? She had gotten engaged, finally and unexpectedly. And she was happy with it! Why the hell shouldn't she?

She was a woman who was only a few months shy of stepping over the threshold of the big 4-0. Who was, admittedly, a little skeptical when it came to matters of the heart, but who was also sick and tired of resigning herself to buying her own chocolates and wine on Valentine's Day every single year, watching sappy movies and wondering when her life had become all work and no play.

She had been planning to do exactly that when her doorbell had rung. The only one she could think of stopping over because he too was sadly alone on a day like this, was her partner, but she had been pleasantly surprised when she opened the door to reveal her ex-fiancé, James.

He'd brought the wine, the flowers and the chocolates. The promises she had always wanted to hear coming from him. How he was ready to settle down, start a family and how she was the only one he'd wanted to do this with. How he had always loved her. After drinking the bottle of (heady) wine and opening another one from her own collection, she was more than willing to hear it, to believe it and by the time they made it to her bed, clothes strewn carelessly every which way, his proposal was met with eager enthusiasm.

Admittedly, this morning, as she was getting dressed, her still sleeping fiancé not stirring as she tiptoed around her home, the ring on her finger looked strangely out of sorts. First of all; it was way too big for her rather delicate finger and it wasn't very practical for her chosen profession either. Plus, she dreaded telling her team, her surrogate family. They would be happy for her, at least she hoped they would be, but they were also highly trained officers of the law and if she even showed as much as a hint of doubt over her decision, they would detect it. Perhaps not call her out on it, but yeah…

But what was there to doubt anyway? She was a grown woman and she didn't need anyone's permission to accept a proposal, especially since she didn't have a whole harem to choose from now that her best (child-bearing) days were over. So what if said reason was not the most romantic one? So what if James had walked out on her before? He too wasn't getting any younger and if he said he wanted to settle down and stay put at one place for longer than a few weeks at a time, she wanted to believe him.

She really, really wanted to believe him.

She didn't want to see the skeptical look in her partner's eyes, didn't want to hear the hesitation in Pride's voice when he pulled her into a hug as he congratulated her. Didn't want to hear him suggest she wear the ring on a chain around her neck or better yet, keep it in her locker during office hours.

Heck, the only thing she wanted from them was their support for her decision, to see and recognize that this made her happy, damn it!

Because it did. She was as happy as she ever was. Regardless of the sting she felt every time the blue gaze from her partner landed on her, only to be averted quickly before she could catch him and call him out on it.

If he couldn't be happy for her, that was his problem. She didn't need it or him. Not anymore. She had James now.

888

The day had gone by pretty normal; considering the bombshell that was dropped on them that morning. At least Brody (he couldn't think of her as Merri anymore; the nickname suddenly too private to use on a woman who was engaged to another man) had taken Pride's advice and had taken off the ring, stuffing it in her jeans pocket instead. Not seeing the offensive (why he thought of it that way was something he refused to dwell on) piece of jewelry sparkling in the sunlight as they sat in the car staking out a suspect, had helped him keep up with the most minimal conversation between them possible. The silence was deafening, but he couldn't come up with anything to break it, other than begging her to reconsider. Which he wouldn't do. He had some damn self-esteem left.

Why had she done it? What had made her jump into this ill-conceived plan when she knew how it had ended before? Had the obscene rock thrown her brain off kilter? Did she suffer from the now-or-never syndrome, thinking she would die an old spinster if she didn't snag the first guy who showed an interest in her? God, if that were true, he could have proposed to her, just to save face.

But he never did. True, she was his friend and partner and he liked her a lot. She was, despite her somewhat critical and cynical disposition, a great gal to hang around with. He liked cooking with her, watching movies or a sports game with her and going out for a few (sometimes more than a few) drinks after a particularly tough case. But he also appreciated her calm presence whenever he felt like his life was spinning out of control, like it had ever since Cade had come back into his life. God knows he loved his brother dearly, but his disorder made it very difficult to do so without the constant threat of resentment burning at the edges of his heart.

Not to mention the burning guilt he had felt where his heart was supposed to be, ever since finding Savannah's body lifeless and cold on the floor.

Merri understood. Understood the guilt of wanting to be set free from feeling the responsibility for a sibling, from suffering the guilt of being healthy and alive. To have some peace of mind, if only for a little while. She knew how much you could miss someone, even though Cade was officially still there.

Yeah, she was always there for him. So understanding. He really cared for her and wanted her to be happy.

And yet…Chris didn't believe she would be. He just couldn't picture it. Merri being all domestic, having another guy's arms around her, cooking for him, watching movies with him, perhaps even getting pregnant pretty soon, talking china patters and curtains and nurseries, trading her gun for a milk bottle...

Suddenly his heart stopped and bile rose in his throat as the true implications hit him. She would be gone soon. She might not give up her job the first few months, but there was the honeymoon first, then maybe a child on the way, assigning her to a desk job instead. Maternity leave. And even if that didn't happen (a baby), then she still would go straight home to her husband after a busy day. No more meals shared between them, no more movie nights (more often than not with her ending up asleep draped half on top of him) or watching a game together. No more automatically turning toward each other after a hard case.

He had basically lost his very best friend. And she hadn't even acknowledged it. So yeah, he was angry. He had every right to be!

With an angry gesture, he stuffed the remainder of the donut she got him this morning back in the box it had come from, having lost his apatite entirely, which was even more out of character for him than this stifling silence.

If Brody looked shocked (and even a little sad); he pretended not to see it.

888

Merri wanted to scream! She had hoped that, after the initial surprise and awkwardness had worn off, things would settle down and she could just go back to doing her job. She'd had no idea that her partner would make it so difficult for her. She had made concessions, hadn't she? Had taken the ring off after Pride pointed out it could be a hindrance in her work? She hadn't even gushed (much) and she hadn't gone all crazy over bridal magazines and venues. She probably didn't want a big wedding do anyway. A simple ceremony in a pretty dress she could reuse would suit her a lot better. After all, it should be about the commitment you made to one another, right? And it wasn't like an almost 40-year old, hardly pristine bride dressed in an immaculate white monstrosity wasn't the least bit pathetic.

So already going without the seemingly required bridezilla behavior, how much more (or less) could she do to stop this man-child next to her from sulking all day? He hadn't even eaten the donut she got him, knowing that he would get crabby and unfocussed without a sugar break (or several) during the day.

His silence started to irk her. Normally, his inane yapping and his constant happy-go-lucky attitude grated on her nerves, but this…this disregard for her? It irked. No, scratch that. It didn't irk, it freakin' hurt! What had she done to deserve this attitude? As far as she knew, she'd always been there for him. Whenever Cade was acting up and he needed a back-up, she was there. Whenever a case was hitting them hard for some reason (more often than not when young children were involved), they would gravitate towards each other for support. So why was this different? Was he really this selfish?

Unable to stand the pressure in the car any longer, she turned to him.

"I'm happy you know."

Why that was the first thing coming out of her mouth, she had no idea. Why it came out as a defense, she didn't know either.

Chris dutifully nodded.

"That's wonderful, Brody. I'm happy for you."

Brody. Not Merri. He was creating as much distance as he could, if not physically, than at least mentally. Professionally. Even his posture had closed off, the warmth he normally radiated all but gone. She was sure the temperature inside the vehicle had just dropped another five degrees. Suppressing a shiver, Meredith looked outside the window, pretending to try and locate their suspect, but not seeing much of anything as angry tears obscured her vision.

She tried again, against better judgement. Anything was better than this stalemate.

"It doesn't sound like you mean it."

"Well, that makes two of us."

The sharpness in his voice made her turn toward him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, LaSalle?"

Last names. Two could play that game.

His eyes were a stormy dark grey and his relaxed smile had morphed into something ugly when he answered.

"I'm happy you know? Didn't come out very convincing, Brody."

"Well I AM! I'm just very disappointed that my friends, my surrogate family can't seem to be happy for me too!"

"I would be if I didn't think you were making one hell of a mistake! And doing it knowingly and willingly too!"

"Who says I'm making a mistake? If I want to get married, which I do, than I damn well can, LaSalle, and I don't need either your permission or your blessing."

"Then stop asking for it. Stop mentioning it. Go ahead and get hitched. I…"

With a tired gesture, he swiped his hand over his face and scraped his throat.

"Never mind. You're right. I should be happy for you. I'll try. I just….I'll try."

She wanted to snap at him again, tell him that if it was that much trouble, he should just forget it, but something in the way he said it made her change her mind and clamp her mouth shut.

He had sounded so…forlorn. Resigned. Like…

Oh God. He was feeling left out.

How stupid of her. How incredibly inconsiderate. No wonder he was angry. She hadn't even stopped for one second to take into account how she had singlehandedly changed the dynamic of their duo. She had thrown him a curveball and had expected him to catch it and simply go on without a backwards glance. Like nothing would change between them.

While everything would.

The guilt hit her like a ton of bricks and the confinements of the car weren't big enough to hold it all in. She needed to say something, do something, but her words got stuck in her throat, their implications burning a painful hole in her esophagus, making it hard to swallow. She tried a weak apology, knowing it wasn't enough.

"Chris, I…"

And somehow, the reassuring hand on her knee did little to calm her. Neither did his soft, infinitely sad voice.

"We'll work it out, Brody. No need to feel upset."

Too late for that now.

888

What a day. He had no idea how he got through it, but by God, he did. And he was happy to have the house to himself, since Cade was still with their momma.

Yet, being alone in the house made him fidgety. He had long since redecorated the place after Savannah's death, but sometimes the mere idea of him relaxing on the couch a few steps from where he had found her was too much for him to take. His first instinct was to go out; but he didn't have the energy for it. Besides, he had promised Kind he would tone down the hunt for female company and would not let him down.

The next idea was to text Merri and ask her to come over. It had always been the ideal solution; having the female company he enjoyed, even with the added tension of a sexual spark, without the compulsion to drag her off to bed with him (okay, okay, the compulsion was there, of course there was, he was neither blind nor stupid, but Merri was no one-night-stand material and he had always respected the boundaries of their partnership). But not even a second after he instinctively started typing the message, today's reality came crashing down on him and he quickly deleted his invitation, heading for the fridge to find himself a cold beer instead.

There would never be any more if these impromptu sessions between them. She had another man to go home to now at the end of the day. If the guy had actually learned how to stay put this time. He wasn't too keen on picking up the pieces after James was done with his path of destruction, no matter how appealing it seemed to his more masochistic side to hold a crying Meredith Brody in his arms.

And damn it he hadn't meant to scream at her in the car. She'd been close to tears and really, he could have kept his cool a little better. A lot better.

This was her choice and he had better learn to be supportive if he didn't want to lose all of her. If he was about to lose her as a working partner, that would be bad enough (though he supposed Sonja would do just fine when she had a little more training behind her belt), but he was loathe to lose her as a friend too, even if they would have to redefine their relationship.

Would it hurt? Like hell, probably, but if anyone was worth the pain, it was her.

Cold beer in one hand, a hastily thrown together sandwich in the other, he sat down on the couch, zapping through the channels of his TV until he found a basketball game, turning the sound up so he wouldn't have to hear his own mulling thoughts.

It helped nada. His mind remained stubbornly focused on one subject.

He had no idea how or when she had become the most important person in his life, when his own world had started to orbit around her, when she had become his center.

But it had happened. She had happened and now he was feeling like a lost little puppy. And a resentful one at that. While part of it was directed at her, another, bigger part blamed life in general. Hadn't he had enough shit happen to him lately? Hadn't losing Savannah been enough? Or trying to guide Cade from one episode to another without time to breathe? Or trying to track down all the bad people in the city before they could hurt someone serving their country?

Was he never to have a lucky break? Find someone to love? For real, not counting the willing women he had lured into his lair these past few months? He had once thought he would always have an endless source of love and happiness to give and that someday, as long as he gave it to the right people, it would pay off, one way or another. But lately he felt like he would run out very soon. Between the murder of his girlfriend and his brother's illness, he was completely depleted of his once so overflowing cup of generous goodness.

He had needed Merri, had counted on her, more than he realized and perhaps more than he should have, to replenish it, even though friendship was all they ever shared. It had been enough, but now that that source was dwindling down (no matter what they both would do, Chris wasn't fooled into believing it would be even remotely the same), he wasn't sure he wouldn't fall into depression himself.

And then who would take care of both brothers LaSalle? King? Loretta? NCIS?

God help him, he was doomed.

Without Merri, he was worthless.

Thanks for reading. I have fourteen more chapters to go. Hope you'll stick with me.