CSI: New York – Family Ties

Chapter 13 – Burned Bridges

A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long since I've updated! Life has been a little hectic the last couple weeks.

Here's a little recap from the last chapter:

:.Reed lent Kevin $2500 from his college fund that Mac had given him after Kevin showed up with his arm in a sling and told Reed that it was an old gambling debt that had yet to be repaid. Reed refuses to stay at home while the animosity between him and Mac continues to grow, so he has been staying at Cassie's. Stella is bound determined to settle things between the two of them before they get any worse.:

And now on with the story...

[Mac's POV]

I head into the lobby of my apartment building; stopping first to check the mail before I make my way upstairs. I open up the locked box and grab the few items from inside and start shuffling through them when suddenly a small voice coming from behind me instantly attracts my attention.

"Dad!" the voice calls and my head quickly shoots up to the source but my gaze is met with young boy that is pulling on his father's shirt with one hand and holding up a broken toy in the other as they make their way inside the building a few moments after me.

'Get a grip Mac' I quickly scold myself as I slam my mailbox shut and retrieve my key.

"Yes, Jonathan I'm going to fix it when we get inside I told you" the father groans and I offer a polite nod as they pass by me.

"Kids huh?" he quips with a small laugh and I offer a slight chuckle in return; pretending to be amused by his comment instead of showing how much comments like that actually sting me to hear.

"Yeah... kids..." I grumble under my breath as we both head down opposite ends of the hallway; me towards the elevator and him towards what I'm assuming is his first floor apartment.

I let myself into the quiet elevator and offer an exasperated sigh as I run my hands over my face. I know Stella told me to just go home and try to relax but I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I should have just stayed at work instead to at least try and keep my mind occupied.

As the elevator deposits me on my desired floor I slowly make my way to my apartment at the end of the hallway. Once I push myself inside I let my suit jacket fall off my shoulders and throw it over my arm as my other hand works on undoing a couple of the top buttons of my dress shirt. I wander towards the living room but stop in my tracks as I let another heavy sigh escape my lips.

It's tidy. Spotless, actually; and completely silent too. Suddenly the little things that used to drive me crazy; such as Reed leaving his x-box controllers out in the middle of the floor and the loud rumbling of his stereo playing in the other room, even if he wasn't in that room at the time are now just reminders to me that he's not here.

'For the last time Reed; will you pick up this PlayBox stuff when you're not using it? I'm sick of practically tripping over it every time I walk in the door'

'Xbox Dad...'

'Right, well, whatever it's called it doesn't belong in the middle of the floor please'

'Fine...'

My mind drifts back to what used to be my usual home-coming and I can't help but let out a small laugh as I shake my head.

"I miss him" I mumble as I force myself back to my harsh reality before heading to my bedroom to change out of my work clothes and take a shower.

[Reed's POV]

Thankfully I had brought my work clothes with me in my backpack the last time I went to Cassie's place so tonight when I had to get ready for work I didn't have to go home to do it. I still don't think I'm ready to see Mac just yet; I need some time to figure this all out on my own. I want to get to know Kevin, and I genuinely think he wants that too and the last thing I need is for Mac to keep trying to convince me that I'm better off without him. I never thought Mac would react this way though; so childish and selfish it seems. I don't understand why he just wouldn't want me to be happy. I guess he probably feels threatened by Kevin's sudden presence and the impact it's had on me since I found out he came back for me but I just thought that if he really cares about as much as he says he does he should just be supportive of my choices; not try and dictate them.

I think that maybe if Mac at least took the chance to get to know Kevin a little better he might actually see what I have seen in him over the last little while. The fact that Mac offered him money in exchange for pushing me out of his life again and that Kevin refused regardless of how badly he needed the money only cements in my head and heart further that he really is here for me and that he feels genuine remorse for abandoning me before. It was Mac after all that made me come to the realization that everyone does in fact deserve a second chance, and that if you stick with it, they might just surprise you. Mac didn't give up on me after I had turned my back on him so don't I owe the same to Kevin?

My mind continues to ponder these rhetorical questions as I absently push the mop around the lab room floor. I'm so consumed in my own thoughts that I don't even notice the glass beaker sitting close to the edge of a table top and accidentally knock it with the handle of the mop; sending it to the floor and it smashes into several tiny shards.

"Ah damn it" I quickly curse my clumsy actions as I toss the mop back into the bucket in a huff and then bend down to pick up my mess.

I reach for the nearby garbage can and start picking up the larger pieces of glass first before getting the broom to sweep up the smaller shards when I suddenly feel a presence behind me.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't see it there and... It was an accident" I ramble off as I try to pick the glass up faster; not even aware yet as to who it is that's standing beside me.

I feel a warm hand place itself on my shoulder and look to my right to see Stella crouching down beside me with a soft smile on her face.

"Ah geez Stella, I'm really sorry" I quickly shake my head and go back to picking up the pieces until her hands cover mine and she forces me to stop.

"Reed, it's alright" she tells me softly. "Come on, let's get a broom. I don't want you to cut yourself" she tells me as she stands up and brings me with her.

"I don't know what happened, I guess I wasn't paying attention and I hit it with the mop and..."

"Reed!" she calls out firmly and I stop my mindless ranting. "It's fine. There are about nine thousand more of these throughout the lab. You don't have to apologize"

"Oh... Sorry" I shrug.

"There you go again" she says with a small laugh and shake of her head.

"Oh, right. I'm... um, right" I give my head a shake and she wraps an arm around my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.

"Everything alright?" she wonders as she grabs for the broom and passes me the dustpan.

"Yeah, yeah everything's fine. Like I said, I just didn't see it there" I explain as I bend down and hold the dustpan for her to sweep the remaining glass into.

"You know you can talk to me about anything Reed" she assures me and part of me wants to believe that, but the cynical side of my brain once again takes over.

"I appreciate it Stella, but I'm fine" I tell her in untruth and I can tell by the frown she offers me that she's not at all convinced with my answer.

"Whatever you tell me, I wouldn't tell Mac if you didn't want me to you know. Unless your safety was somehow in danger, I would never tell Mac anything that you told me in confidence Reed" she tries again and I quickly cast my glance away from her and towards the floor.

"Thanks Stella, but you wouldn't..."

"Understand?" she quickly cuts me off; folding her arms across her chest.

"Yeah"

"Come here" she lightly demands as she takes the dustpan from my hand and sets it on the table before leading me out of the lab room.

"Stella, I can't... I have to..."

"Relax, the mess will still be there when you get back" she tells me with a small chuckle and I just look at her in wonder as she continues leading me down the hallway until we come to her office and she gestures for me to go inside.

Once inside she points towards the couch and I just offer a shrug and saunter over; slumping myself down, not really sure why exactly she's brought me here.

[Stella's POV]

"Look Stella, if Mac sent you to..." he begins, but I'm quick to cut him off.

"Mac didn't send me to do anything" I tell him as I take a seat next to him on the sofa. "Mac doesn't even know we're having this conversation, in fact"

"And what conversation are we having? What is this about?" he asks as he looks up at me with both uncertainty and curiosity clouding his eyes.

"Well first off, I think it's important for you to know that what you're doing with Kevin is..." I start but he quickly raises a hand in the air to silence me.

"I know, stupid, and misguided, and a bad judgement call. Trust me, I've already gotten the lecture from Mac" he groans as he rolls his eyes and goes to push himself up from the sofa.

"Actually;" I begin again as I hold my arm out in front of him to stop him from getting up. "I was going to say I think it's really great" I finish with a small shrug of my shoulders and he looks at me with wide eyes as if I just told him the sky isn't really blue.

"You... what? What did you say?"

"I think that you making time for Kevin is a good thing" I tell him once more as he finally allows himself to settle back in his seat; his look changing from one of shock to one of an enquiring mind.

"A good thing? You're serious?" he asks in disbelief.

"Reed, you may not believe this, but I get the whole 'in order to know where you're going, you need to know where you came from' philosophy. It's important; especially to a foster child. You spend your whole life wondering the why's behind everything, and you are one of the fortunate few who's been given that chance to be able to shed some light on your past. I mean if I... Well, never mind, that's not important" I quickly push aside my own issues as I give my head a shake.

"What I mean is;" I continue as I rest a hand on his shoulder and he listens intently. "To you, Kevin will always be a part of who you are, and will always be the key to your past that you always searched for but never thought you'd find. I also understand the want and the need to reconnect with that. Do you believe me?" I ask and he offers a slow nod.

"Yes" his voice is low and quiet as he responds. "But um... Not that I'm complaining but why..."

"Am I so understanding?" I answer his unasked question and he replies with a small nod.

"Because" I begin; pausing to let out a heavy sigh. "I too am a product of the foster system Reed. And I know as well as anybody that it's beyond flawed and nobody can begin to understand what you or I have both had to face growing up. Nor can they understand how important the need is to understand your past and where you came from"

"You were?..." He asks in shock and I offer a simple nod in response. "Yeah but how come... I mean I didn't... Why haven't I ever heard of this until now?"

"Well it's not exactly something you go posting on your Facebook profile" I offer with a slight shrug; trying to ease the tension in the room at least a little and apparently it worked as I see the corner of his mouth starting to tug upwards as he nods his head.

"Yeah, I get it. So did you ever..."

"No" I quickly answer, shaking my head. "Never had any information about my mother and I'm not even sure who my father is. Or, was... I guess"

"I'm uh... I'm sorry Stella" he tells me with true remorse in his tone and I quickly take a deep breath as I remember that I'm here for him, not the other way around.

"It's fine" I tell him with a small smile. "You know Reed, you are fortunate to have two father figures in your life that care about you, and as you know a lot of people don't have any. So I guess what I'm saying is to embrace it, and not take either for granted. You know Mac would never do anything to intentionally hurt you right? He just... well, he tends to think with his head before his heart; I think we can all attest to that" I smirk and he silently agrees with another nod.

"I appreciate your honesty in all of this Stella, I really do, but the bottom line is that you and Mac clearly aren't seeing eye to eye on this and I'm sorry but I can't allow him to dictate my actions and have it be the cause of me losing something that is this important to me. Can't you understand that?"

"Yes, but Reed Mac really is trying and I think that if you just..."

"Just what?" he immediately cuts me off in a sharp tone and I'm afraid this conversation has just taken a turn for the worse. "What do you want me to do here Stella? Take Mac by the hand and try to make him understand because this might be 'hard on him'? Give me a break" he huffs as he swiftly stands up from the sofa and begins to walk away before turning back to face me one last time.

"You know Mac is up in arms about this whole thing as if it's all happening to him. Like I'm supposed to be the one to take the understanding and patient approach with him? You know not once has he asked me how I'm dealing with all this and how I'm feeling about it Stella. Not once!" He fairly shouts and I can only offer a small frown in return; knowing in my heart that there is partial truth to that statement.

"Hell, he can't even tell me the truth when I ask him about something point blank. This is my role model? This is the guy I'm supposed to look up to? You know, he can call Kevin all the names in the book but right now it's Mac who's the coward, not Kevin. And you can tell him that for me. I have nothing against you Stella, and I appreciate your trying to help but I just can't... I can't deal with Mac right now. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to work" He finishes with a slight sneer as he turns his back to me once more and storms out of my office; slamming the door shut behind him.

"Reed hold on! Ah damn it" I curse as he turns a corner and has vanished from my line of sight.

"Well Mac, what's plan B?" I mutter under my breath after letting a heavy sigh escape my lungs.

[Reed's POV]

I quickly retreat from Stella's office, not knowing how much longer I can sit there with her while she pleads Mac's case for him. I know she's a good person and is just trying to help, and I do believe now that she is seeing it from both sides of view but I don't need a referee right now, I need a friend.

I scrub vigorously on one particular spot on a countertop with my rag in hand; trying in vain to get out a stain that I'm sure no cleaning product known to man could get rid of, but with my temper flared up as it is right now it's all I can do to keep my mind occupied so continue in my useless attempt at cleaning it.

"Trying to get through to the other side?" A vaguely familiar voice is heard behind me and I jump slightly where I stand before turning around.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to startle you. How's it goin man?" I'm greeted by Adam; one of Mac's lab techs.

"It's fine" I shrug; turning back to my task at hand.

"That would be the aftermath of one of Lindsay's famous experiments you're trying to scrub clean there. You're never going to get that out" he tells me but I just shake my head and continue scrubbing with my back to him.

"Hey uh..." he begins again in a slightly nervous tone that I quickly pick up on. "Have you been watching the series? Your dad tells me you're a pretty big Mets fan and..."

"He's not my dad" I grumble under my breath; still furiously scrubbing away.

"Oh, right... well, uh, Mac" he clears his throat and I can see out of my peripherals him shifting from foot to foot. "Hey man, do you maybe wants some help with that cause..." he starts as he makes his way beside me but I quickly turn myself around and he immediately takes a step back.

"No, I don't need your help! I don't need Stella's help, and I certainly don't need Mac's help and I really wish everyone would just leave me the hell alone!" I huff at the unsuspecting young man before me and he looks at me with wide eyes.

"Alright, alright" he concedes defeat as he holds both hands up in surrender. "I was just trying to..."

"Help, yeah, I got it" I throw back at him with a roll of my eyes. "Everybody's just trying to help. Poor Reed can't handle his own life right?"

"No, that's not what I..."

"Whatever man, I'm out of here" I groan as I toss the rag onto the counter and storm out of the trace lab; needing to get away from all these people.

I head down the stairs; opting not to take the elevator as I'm currently too worked up to just sit still even for thirty seconds. I reach the main floor and head in to the maintenance employee's only room; quickly ridding myself of my uniform and getting into my jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing my back pack and slamming my locker door shut.

I get outside to the bustling street outside the precinct; the sun has set and daylight long gone and here I stand with nowhere in particular to go with literally nothing but the clothes on my back. I allow myself a minute to just catch my breath and get my heart rate back to normal before I finally reach for my phone; an overwhelming need to just feel wanted and appreciated quickly overcoming me. I dial Kevin's number without even hesitating and wait impatiently as I'm continually rewarded with empty rings.

"Come on, pick up, pick up..." I mumble as I shift back and forth from one foot to the other; the cold air starting to seep through my skin as I inwardly curse myself for not bringing any sweaters or jackets with my when I left Mac's place the other day.

"Hi this is Kevin Garrett..." the voicemail box begins to kick in and I quickly flip my phone shut; not wanting to leave a message. I need to talk to somebody; not an answering machine.

Maybe I should just stop by? Would that be alright? I wonder to myself; and not being able to come up with a good enough reason not to I just simply shrug my shoulders. I'm family. I assure myself as I head towards the subway; Kevin's place my next destination and having no idea of course the rude awakening I'm in for once I get there.

**Well folks? What do you think will happen when Reed shows up out of the blue at Kevin's? How will Mac react when he finds out Stella did more harm than good? And how will all of them cope with the aftermath when the dust begins to settle once and for all? Please be kind and leave a review before you go and I'll be sure to thank you :)**