Okay, I'm on a roll with this updating thing. Let's hope I don't screw it up. And for everyone who is reading and leaving reviews, thanks. They are what keep me writing and updating on a regular basis.

Many thanks to Amanda Hawthorn for betaing this. Once again, thespoon is incommunicado.

T&T: Youth and Reckoning

Chapter 21

Grissom was relaxing in his recliner and reading the morning paper, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed Sydney and AJ sneaking along the wall. He pretended not to see them as they snuck around the corner. Something told him that they were up to no good if they were collaborating together. He figured it had something to do with tormenting Kassie's boyfriend, so decided to let them have their fun.

They slipped into the den and Grissom let a smile cross his face. He turned his attention back to his paper. A few seconds later he noticed the two of them walking back towards the stairs with disappointed looks on their faces.

"What's wrong, didn't get the jump on Pepper?" Grissom smiled at Sydney and AJ.

AJ's face went from disappointed to frustrated. "He's not in there," and pointed down the hall.

Grissom narrowed his eyes, "he should be."

"Maybe he's an early riser or something," Sydney deducted and went into the kitchen followed by her brother.

After they left, Grissom stood and went to check the den himself. He opened the door and flipped the lights on. Just as AJ and Sydney had protested, Pepper was not in the den. Grissom thought briefly before drawing the conclusion that the possibility that the young man had stayed the night in his daughter's room was not out of the question. He glanced at his watch and noted it was still early. Without a second thought, Grissom headed upstairs.

He stopped in front of Kassie's door and debated on knocking or just busting in and pounding the man that was in bed with his little girl. Grissom put his ear against the door trying to judge if he could hear any noise coming from within. It was silent. With an uneasy breath, Grissom slowly opened the door. He tried to prepare himself for what he was expecting to see, and kept his eyes locked on the floor as he peeked in.

Grissom followed the trail of clothes; boots, socks, shirt, then to a pair of jeans hanging on the desk chair. He could feel his blood begin to boil as his eyes moved to the bed. He wasn't expecting to see what he saw. Kassie was under the covers and alone. He took several steps into the room and saw Pepper sleeping on the floor next to Kassie's bed.

A rush of relief settled his nerves knowing that they were not sleeping in the bed together. Grissom decided it was harmless for now, and slipped out of the room. After checking on Sydney and AJ to make sure they hadn't killed each other over breakfast, went to visit with his wife.

Sara was brushing her hair in the bathroom when Grissom entered and leaned against the door frame. "Question." He waited until Sara gave him her full attention. "Would you allow Kassie to have a boy in her room?"

"What?" She giggled at his unusual inquiry.

"Well, what I mean is…that if…um…Kassie…"

"Spit it out will you." Sara knew when he was flustered; he couldn't make sense of what he was trying to say.

Grissom pursed his lips at Sara and glared at her. "Fine, Pepper slept in Kassie's room last night." He blurted out.

"So."

"So! There's a possibility that our daughter had...sex in our house last night, and all you can say is SO!" Grissom ranted. "She's nineteen, he's twenty one!"

"And you're fifteen years older than me," Sara stated the obvious.

Grissom clenched his teeth in an attempt to control his anger. "Well if I remember correctly, and I'd like to think that I am, the first night I spent with you, there wasn't a lot of sleeping."

Sara smiled as she recalled the memory, "No there wasn't, but we were catching up."

"We were both mature adults," Grissom voiced his concern.

"Gil…" Sara approached him and framed his disgruntled face in her hands. "Kassie's a smart young woman. I'm sure she's not going to have sex with the first cowboy that comes waltzing into her life." She then leaned in and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

Grissom softened after Sara's kiss and sighed, "I guess you're right, but I still don't like the fact that he slept in her room."

Sara patted his face and walked around him. "She's fine, Gil." She left the bedroom leaving Grissom to his thoughts.

That afternoon, Pepper spent some time entertaining Sydney and AJ. He was showing AJ how to throw his lariat in the backyard while Sara visited with Kassie.

"So, this thing between you and Pepper, how serious is it?" Sara sipped on a glass of lemonade as she observed AJ making attempts to rope his sister as she ran from him.

Kassie was also aware of the outdoor activities. "I'd like to think it is." She turned to look back at her mother. "When did you know that you were in love with Dad?"

Sara was brining her glass back to her lips and froze the instant Kassie asked the question. "Ah…well…um…the story between your father and I is fairly complicated." She resituated herself on the couch. "I was working in San Francisco when your father gave a seminar, on bugs at crime scenes. I found it to be a fascinating topic so I went. I was unusually late, and the only seats left were in the front row. He had already begun speaking when I came in out of breath." Kassie snickered at the sight in her mind. "I tried to be quiet as I sat down and got out my notebook. Your father had stopped what he was saying as I tried to situate myself." Sara smiled and blushed at the memory. "I dropped my pen, then my notebook fell and scattered some loose papers I had."

Kassie tried to stifle a laugh. "Oh my God."

"That's what I thought. Anyway, now I'm on the floor trying to gather all of these papers. I didn't dare to look up at him as I caused such chaos in the lecture hall. But then I noticed someone was helping me to gather the loose papers." Sara smiled at the memory.

"Dad." Kassie guessed.

Sara nodded. "I looked up and his blue eyes hypnotized me. I felt like such a buffoon. Then…he glanced at my papers. You see, I did some research on the subject and wanted to be prepared to ask questions. And then he smiled." Sara was no longer sitting in her living room; in her mind she was kneeling on the floor before Grissom. "I'll never forget what he said." Kassie began bobbing her head as if to extract that little bit of information. "He said, 'You sure seemed to be prepared for today. I hope I can make it interesting for you.' I know it doesn't seem like much, but his voice just melted my insides."

Kassie started laughing. "You were infatuated by him, and all he thought about was making the seminar interesting for you."

"Hey, back then your father was the king at hiding his feelings."

"More than now?"

Sara nodded and told her daughter about the years she and Grissom played cat and mouse with each other. "Ever since that first day, I knew he was the one. It may have taken me many years to get him to see everything from my point of view, but when he finally came around, he's been nothing but devoted to a home life."

After Sara concluded the story, they began watching AJ and Sydney as they ran from Pepper. He would chase them swinging his rope, and then would throw it at their feet, setting a trap. When one of their legs would step into the loop, Pepper pulled the slack dropping them to the turf as he yanked their legs out from underneath them.

Kassie turned back to her mother. "Pepper's a good guy, a gentleman. I'm sure Dad already knows that he stayed in my room last night." Sara nodded. "Well nothing happened. He'll sleep on the floor, even if the bed is twenty feet across. He doesn't want to tempt fate just yet." Sara watched as Kassie shrugged. "I just didn't want the two heathens harassing him."

Sara laughed openly. "Speaking of, you were right. Your father said he caught them sneaking into the den early this morning."

Kassie stretched as on the couch, "So, who's all coming over for dinner tomorrow?"

"No one. We decided that it would just be the six of us. Speaking of, I need to run to the grocery store, want to tag along?" Kassie nodded and they headed off to the store.

XXXXXXX

The next day, Kassie helped her mother prepare several dishes for their feast, while Grissom grilled Cornish hens. With the few number of people eating meat, they decided it would be more practical for everyone to have their own bird. Pepper was standing out on the back deck watching Grissom as he dared to strike up a conversation with the father of his girlfriend. But each time he was about to say something, Sydney or AJ interrupted him.

Sara also came out to check the cooking process. "How are they coming?" She called from the door.

"About another five minutes." Grissom called back to her.

Kassie stepped onto the deck and handed her father a glass of red wine, "Daddy."

"Oh, thank you." He took the glass and sipped the sweet dark alcohol.

She then walked over to Pepper. "Here, mom picked something up for you yesterday." Kassie handed him a longneck.

Pepper took the bottle and pulled a long swig from it. "She didn't have to you know?"

"I know, but I told her that you enjoyed a beer once in a while." Kassie kissed his cheek before heading back inside.

Grissom watched the exchange between the two. His jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth.

After dinner, everyone relaxed in the comfort of the living room as they let their meal settle. Grissom had his chair reclined back and closed his eyes. AJ and Sydney were debating on a movie to watch with the input of Pepper and Kassie, while Sara sat back and watched her family interact with a smile on her face. Her smile disappeared when Grissom's cell phone chimed to life on the coffee table.

Everyone stopped and watched as he sat up and checked the caller ID. Grissom pursed his lips then glanced at Sara.

"Oh no. I don't think so," Sara objected. "It's Thanksgiving Gil."

Even as her words sank into his head, Grissom flipped open the phone and cleared his throat. "Grissom." Everyone watched as in silence as he spoke. "Happy Thanksgiving to you too Warrick." For a moment Sara relaxed. "Okay…" Grissom stood and stretched his legs. "When was the body discovered?"

Sara threw up her hands in protest and stormed off to the bedroom. The noise of her slamming the door told everyone she was not to be disturbed.

Grissom checked his watch, "Get someone to take photos at five minute intervals and I'll be there in thirty minutes." He hung up the phone and looked at the four sets of eyes that were staring at him, "Tell Mom I'll be back later."

"I think she already knows that," Sydney casually mentioned.

After Grissom left, AJ leapt from his sitting position on the carpet and sprinted upstairs. No one gave it a second thought when he didn't return as they became engulfed with the movie.

AJ made a quick phone call and climbed out of the bathroom window. He ran several blocks down and sat on the school's bus stop bench. Several minutes later a car pulled up and he climbed into the back seat.

"AJ, my man. What's shakin'?" Ty greeted him with a pat on the shoulder.

"Nothin' much." He glanced out the window watching the houses pass. "I got a question." AJ turned back to Ty. "What's 'E'?"

Ty scoffed. "Don't tell me you got folks after that too?" AJ shrugged his shoulders. "Damn, you're a gold mine. Okay, 'E' stands for ecstasy. It's a popular party mix."

AJ smiled, "Well I was invited to a party, it's this Saturday night. Just off the UNLV campus. One of the jocks I tutor invited me, and said I could really score if I brought 'E' to the party."

"And score you shall." Ty pulled a small duffle bag into his lap. He tossed a small baggie of off-white colored pills into AJ's lap. "Individually wrap them, and I'd bet you could get around fifty bucks a hit."

AJ's eyebrows went up, "Okay."

"Just remember, at parties like that, sometimes bad shit can go down, so watch your back." Ty offered his small piece of advice as the car pulled to a stop. "Have fun."

"I will." AJ hopped out of the car and ran back towards his home. He made his way back inside the same way he had come out. After making a stop in his room to hide the pills, he rejoined the group downstairs and watched the movie as if nothing had happened.

XXXXX

Grissom pulled up near a police cruiser and looked around the small wooded area of the golf course. He climbed out and began to take in the surrounding vegetation while trying to estimate what types of insects he was about to encounter.

"Hey Griss," Warrick held out his hand.

Grissom eagerly shook it. "Warrick, how are things?"

"Good. Now I know why we hardly ever saw you in the field," he joked.

"But you're not a supervisor anymore."

Warrick shrugged, "I wish I was. At least I wouldn't be playing politics with the sheriff and mayor."

Grissom patted his friend on the shoulder as they turned and walked into the crime scene. "So, how is it being able to run the lab?"

"Not as great as I thought it would be." He motioned over towards a CSI. "I took the liberty of having a kit brought for you. I'm sure you know that I wouldn't have asked for your help if I didn't need it." Warrick observed Grissom as he glanced through the silver field kit.

Grissom slipped on a pair of gloves and grabbed the small flashlight. "I know, and it may sound weird, but it's nice to get back to a scene again."

Warrick smiled and led him over to the body. "As I said, he was discovered two hours ago, but he's been out here for some time now." He watched Grissom transform back into the man he'd idealized. "No ID as of now."

"His face is gone."

"I was talking about a wallet." Warrick watched as Grissom pulled tweezers from the kit and pluck an insect from where the man's face once was.

Grissom held up the insect. "I have a feeling I'm going to be here a while."

XXXXXX

Kassie and Pepper outlasted Sydney and AJ when it came to watching movies. Sydney was the first one to cave in and go to bed. AJ fell asleep several times on the floor. Every time a snore escaped, Kassie would kick him, and AJ would wake up claiming he wasn't sleeping. After the fifth kick, AJ decided sleeping in his bed would cause less bodily harm.

Pepper watched as Kassie changed the movie. His eyes were locked on her every move, especially when she would bend over to put the pervious movie away. She smiled at him and he grinned back. Kassie sat down next to him and cuddled into his side. "Are you still leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I figured I should at least make an appearance at my grandparents'." Pepper turned his head so he could kiss Kassie's hair, "You're beautiful."

Kassie scoffed, "You're just saying that."

Pepper used his hand under Kassie's chin to turn her face towards his, "No, I'm only stating the obvious." He heard her breath catch and lowered his face toward hers. Slowly he brought his lips down and when they made contact Kassie shuddered.

They had kissed before, but there was something about this exact moment that brought her body to life. She turned and wrapped her arms around him and began to deepen the kiss. Pepper was convinced he should stop, but when Kassie began to instigate the motion, his hands reacted by pulling her into his lap. She carelessly straddled him as their mouths remained attached to each other.

Pepper's hand seductively ran up and down Kassie's sides and back. His fingers teased the edges of her shirt almost threatening to pull off the flimsy barrier between them.

Kassie whimpered as he continued to touch her in a manner in which every nerve ending in her body ignited with response. She pressed her body into his as her need for contact escalated.

"Ahem."

The deep sound of a clearing throat caused both of them to jump away from each other. Kassie looked around and didn't see anyone at first. It was Pepper that noticed the shadowy figure leaning against the wall just inside the hall.

He stood and stammered, "Um…I was…ah…just…um…" Pepper wiped his sweaty palms on his pants.

Kassie turned to see the person he was trying to explain the situation to, "Dad, it's not what it looks like."

"Oh really." Grissom stepped out into the room; the dim glow from the TV highlighted the anger that seeped into his expression, "I think I know what it was that I was seeing. But if you think otherwise, please by all means, explain it." Kassie was stunned into silence.

"It was my fault, sir." Pepper looked down at Kassie, and she was quick to shake her head against his confession. "I was telling Kassie how beautiful she is, and what a wonderful personality she has." Pepper swallowed a hard lump that had formed in his throat under the scrutiny of Grissom stare. "I love Kassie." Both Kassie and Grissom's jaws dropped open. Pepper turned to Kassie, "I love you. You are such an extraordinary person, that I don't know what I would ever do without you in my life."

"Whoa, whoa…slow down." Grissom moved to stand before the two lovebirds. "Let's not rush into things. You're both still young. There's no need to screw up the rest of your lives by doing something driven by lust now."

Pepper nodded, "I understand, but I just wanted you to know how much I care about your daughter."

Grissom took in a deep breath and held it. He was in shark infested waters and didn't know which direction to swim for safety. As he released the air from his lungs, Grissom said something he never thought he would say. "Pepper, you're a fine young man, and I'm sure what you have just said, you spoke from your heart. Just don't break hers."

Kassie was shocked at her father's reaction. She would have put money down that he was going to rant and rave, maybe even coming close to killing Pepper, but he thought through the situation and dealt with it.

Pepper was beside himself. He smiled and extended his hand in a peace offering to Grissom, "I won't."

Grissom took Pepper's hand and shook it, but he didn't let go as he intended to get his way, "You're not sleeping in her room tonight."

Kassie and Pepper watched as Grissom then retreated back towards his own bedroom. She shrugged her shoulders, "We could sleep here."

"Technically, it's not your room," he smiled back.

XXXXX

Grissom glanced at Sara on the way to the shower as she slept in their bed. He knew she was upset at his leaving, but hoped that she would understand.

After a quick shower, he slipped into bed with his wife. Sara was lying on her side not facing his side of the bed. Grissom softly kissed the back of her shoulders. "I'm sorry," he whispered between kisses. "I love you."

Sara turned and faced him, her eyes full with tears ready to fall, "Gil…"

Grissom silenced her with a kiss. "Sara, I know you're upset. I'm sorry that this happened on Thanksgiving. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Sara blinked and her tears streaked down her face, "Just hearing you say that you love me is enough."

She scooted to snuggle her body against his, and Grissom wrapped his arms protectively around her. He was thinking about what she had said as she drifted off to sleep. Once he was convinced she was sleeping, he whispered, "I've always loved you. I may not say it, but I know that you know how much I do love you."

He held onto her as his eyes grew heavy, and eventually he succumbed to throws of sleep.

Wow, a lot of stuff went down in this chapter. Kassie's getting more action than her parents, and AJ's dealing. I know, there's not as much stuff with the middle child. Patience.

Thanks a bunch to the reviewers, keep 'em coming.

TDCSI