A/N: I would like to thank everyone who has reviewed, and especially those who have stuck with story chapter after chapter. I'm so grateful and I can't tell you enough how wonderful I feel when I get reviews.

Don't be overwhelmed by the amount of narrative in this chapter. I know that dialogue is usually what people like, but the narrative in this chapter is extremely important. I felt that Kyle's character was not developed enough to have him doing the things that he will be doing in future chapters. So this chapter really focuses on who he is and what's going on in his life right now.

Just a head's up—Horatio does not appear in the chapter, but he is mentioned several times. Also, I really love this chapter and so reviews would be really great.

Disclaimer: I don't own it, quite obviously.

*****************************************************************************

Kyle attempted to fasten his blue and gray tie for the tenth time. He could never get the hang of the thing. As he flipped the piece of fabric this way and that in front of his mirror, he glanced at his face.

Kyle was not one to bother with mirrors often. He might glance in one here and there to make sure his hair wasn't sticking up in the back, but other than that he rarely looked at himself. But now he paused and looked himself over. He had grown a lot in the past years. He was nearly six feet tall, and his face had become sharp and more masculine.

Kyle might have been happy that he had finally lost his childish looks, but he couldn't help but notice his bloodshot eyes and the dark circles beginning to form under his eyes. This year had been the most stressful of his life. Even after getting out of jail and moving in with his mother, he had been faced with an almost overwhelming amount of school work – and of course the usual drama that goes with high school.

Lately the drama had been rather pleasant, though. Leslie had broken up with Carson, naturally, and had been spending more and more time with Kyle. More time than usual, that is. Before the Carson days, Kyle and Leslie had spent most of their time together, anyway. But Kyle thought that something had changed. The atmosphere was different. He knew he should make a move, but each time an opportunity arose, his courage failed him.

Kyle focused back on his face. He studied his hair, his eyes, and his mouth. There was no denying that he looked like his father. Try as he might, he found very little trace of his mother in his physical appearance. Although he had her blonde hair, the texture still resembled his father's.

Kyle felt sadness envelop him. It had been two weeks since his conversation with his father. Kyle had returned home angry and refused to answer any of his father's calls. Some anger still lingered, but it was beginning to wear off. Instead he felt another emotion that he couldn't quite place. It was almost like he…missed…his dad.

The teen shrugged off the feeling. He couldn't forgive his actions. He knew that Horatio still intended to do the custody battle. He didn't want to think about separating from his mother. Sure, there were times when things weren't going so great, but lately it had been wonderful. Right after his fight with Carson (and subsequent conversation with his dad), Kyle had confided in his mother about what Carson had done to Leslie. She had listened carefully and been sympathetic towards his anger. She agreed that his little "fistfight" with Carson had been justified and necessary. Kyle went on to tell her how Leslie had, at Kyle's insistence, pressed charges. However, Carson's father had gotten the charges reduced to a small fine, which he subsequently paid off. Julia had shaken her head and concurred that it was atrocious.

Kyle felt a pang of affection for his mother. She understood what he felt. Not like his father. Horatio was always telling him off for something.

There was a knock on his door. After calling for the person to come in, Julia entered with a smile on her face. "You almost ready?" She asked.

The boy smiled at his mother. "Ya, just trying to get this thing tied."

Julia walked towards him. "Let me do that," she said with a small laugh. She tied it perfectly within a few seconds. Then she pulled the tie gently so that Kyle was looking straight at her. "I promise that this will be a short party. We just have to go in, say a few hellos, mingle, and then we can leave. Okay?"

Kyle nodded. Julia smiled and left the room. The minute the door closed, the grin left Kyle's face. He hated attending his mother's parties. They were just an excuse for wealthy, upper social class, business people to get together and appreciate themselves. But his mother seemed to think they were essential to "good business" in the high end real estate world, so Kyle put up with them. But really, he would rather his mother and him just stay home and watch old movies.

Twenty minutes later, Kyle and Julia entered the home of a socialite who was well known in Miami for his high end fashion stores. The building was huge—bigger even than the Winston home. Inside were more than a hundred people all dressed up in formal wear.

Kyle stuck to his mother's side, as he had been instructed to do. She introduced him to couple after couple, some of which he supposedly already knew. After an hour he had grown immensely bored. He excused himself, saying that he was going to the bathroom.

He wondered around the empty side halls of the large mansion. He took out his cell phone and texted Leslie. He waited a while, but no response came. Knowing he would be missed soon, he hurried out into the main hall.

His mother was talking to a vaguely familiar middle aged couple near the refreshment table. When he approached, she held out her arm to him. "This is my son, Kyle," she said to the couple. Kyle joined them.

The woman smiled kindly at him. The man held out his hand. "Patrick Gordon," he bellowed. Kyle's stomach dropped. Now he knew why their faces seemed to be familiar. This couple was none other than the parents of Carson Gordon. The man was the corporate lawyer that Carson always bragged about.

Julia looked nervously at Kyle. The boy had not shaken Patrick's hand. Patrick Gordon lowered his hand in confusion. "We're uh…we're actually doing some business with your mother. We're looking to buy some property down in the West Keys."

In that moment, the whole world seemed to go still. Kyle whipped around to face his mother. The accusation was pouring out of his eyes. Sensing a confrontation, Julia hurried Kyle away from the couple and into an empty hall.

"Kyle…"she began, but the boy wouldn't let her say a word.

"How could you do this?" His tone was half angry, half shocked. "You knew. You knew what his son did to Leslie. You knew how he helped him get away with it. I told you, and you agreed with me. You said it was atrocious! And now you're…you're…you're voluntarily working with him!?" He was so angry that he could barely say any words at all.

There was a pause as Kyle paced the floor and Julia looked quietly at him. Kyle stopped and stared pointedly at her, wanting a response.

"It's just business, Kyle."

It was in that moment that everything changed. Every moment that Kyle had experienced since that fateful day that he had seen both his mother and his father in the same room for the first time came crashing down on him. It was as if the curtains had suddenly been thrown open and the sunlight was pouring into his mind.

There his mother was. She was in a brand new dress which had no doubt cost her hundreds of dollars, despite the fact that her former husband had left her massive debt. She was standing in a house full of greedy stuck up people. And she wanted to be there. She wanted the money, and the social status, and the attention. She didn't care who these people were. She didn't care about their character or their practices—she only cared about their bank accounts and their VIP invitations.

And the full reality of his situation sunk in. Who had been there when he had been kidnapped in jail? Who had been there when he was about to go on trial? Who had been there when he was sick or in trouble? Not his mother. She was there when it looked good for her—now, for example. When having a nice, smart, teenage son meant "good business."

One thing was for sure. His father would never, ever, do business with a man who helped his son get away with assault. But apparently his mother would. Kyle was beginning to see his life in a whole new light.

"I can't believe this," Kyle said to his mother. "I can't believe you would work with him. In fact, I can't believe you even come to these damn parties. Is money all you care about? Or is there actually a reason for us being here?"

Julia looked dumbfounded. She regained her composure in a moment though. "We're here to see friends, Kyle, and to meet new people. This is no different from you going to a party with your friends."

Kyle wasn't going to buy Julia's excuses anymore. "This is nothing like that. These people aren't your friends and they're certainly not mine. You're here to feel important and hopefully score some business deals."

Julia looked insulted. "What makes you think you can talk to me like that?"

"Oh now you're going to get all "parental" on me? No, you know what? I'm out of here. Take the car, I'll walk home."

Kyle heard his mother calling his name as he walked away, but he ignored her. He had a lot to think about.

*****************************************************************************

A/N: As usual, reviews are strongly STRONGLY appreciated and needed.

Coming Up: Horatio's got a plan, Kyle's forming a plan, and Julia needs a plan. And, oh, you know how they say "things never go according to plan?" Well, that applies here.