A/N: Well, here's chapter 34. two more chapters, then epilogue, then where ever it shall go...I've been writing this story for a year, oh my gosh...
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, I only own my OC's. Don't steal 'em.

Tessa rushed around getting ready for her first day of junior year with Lauren sitting there bouncing around and throwing her toys around as if like a tornado had ripped through her room. She was in a tight pair of Abercrombie jeans, her Gucci pumps she stole from her mother and the tight cami with her grey cardigan. Her car was at the shop, so she was using Derek's truck. Lauren's first birthday was next month, and stress was getting to her. she was just stressed. "Okay, phone, keys, bag, diaper bag, Lauren," she rattled off before she left her room. Lauren's arms were wrapped around her mother's neck moving in and out of conciseness because of the early hour. The little girl's ringlets hung over her shoulders and bounced as her mother moved down the stairs.

"Bye Mom! Bye Dad! I love you!" Tessa yelled before shutting the door violently and out to the truck; she set her purse, school tote, diaper bag in the front seat before buckling Lauren into her car seat.

"Okay baby girl, we're going to daycare, you'll get to see Matthew and everyone." Lauren clapped happily sleepily and Tessa got into the driver's seat and pulled off from the drive. before driving off to daycare. Her phone rang about halfway there and it was the people she had just interviewed for.

"Hello," she answered turning a corner.

"Hello, is this Tessa Gibbs?" the women on the other end asked. Lauren said something about wanting a cookie, so Tessa but the phone between her ear and her shoulder while digging around in the diaper bag for the box of animal crackers and handing them back to Lauren.

"Yes, this is she,"

"We'd like to tell you, you got the job. You'll be working four to eight during the week and on the weekends, twelve to four. It's four bucks an hour, plus the four percent commission, so you could be making anywhere from seven to eight bucks an hour with sales like we discussed. We're trying to be as flexible with your hours because you have a daughter, but sometimes it doesn't work that way." Tessa nodded before replying.

"Well, when do I start?"

"You can start on Thursday if you'd like. The Buckle Company is proud to have you, Tessa." the woman said.

"Thanks ma'am. I won't let you down." Tessa commented before hanging up her phone and squealing. She looked in the review mirror at Lauren and her smile widened.

"You hear that Lauren, momma's got a job at Buckle." Lauren kicked her legs and let her mom drive to daycare then to school...

Tessa entered the house at five o'clock with Lauren beside her and her phone to her ear. Jenny greeted her at the door and took Lauren into the living room to leave Tess with her phone.

"Yeah, no. No. I didn't hear that. What the heck? Seriously!" she commented walking towards the study; Jethro looked at Jenny curiously and she shrugged. They had something they had to tell her. She finished her conversation and came out into the entryway.
"Who died?" she asked, her eyes widen.

"Audra invited your dad, Rowan, Evan, Ethan, and I up to the lake house until Saturday."

"Not me?"

"Honey, you have Lauren and school, so we're gonna give you some time to be alone with her." Jethro said.

"Dad! I deserve to have fun!"

"Isn't that what you've been having since she was born?"

"What's that supposed to be mean?"

"Ever since she was born, you haven't taken an ounce of responsibility for her; yes you fed her, changed her, and burped her, all the essentials. But everytime she got sick, or something you couldn't deal with, she'd just be handed to your mother and I."

"Dad, you have no idea," Tessa said disbelieving.

"What? That you're not taking care of your own daughter?"

"No, that I'm not working my ass off for her. Hello! I'm a single mother for the time being, I'm going to school full time, and I have a part time job now. I can't take my own child to the doctor without someone eighteen years or older. That's why I need Mom and you. I'm anything but lazy about raising my daughter."

"Yeah, right,"

"Dad!" she screamed throwing her hands in the air. "I hate you! I fucking hate you! No, it's beyond hate; I have pure hatred towards you!"

"Tessa Marie," he warned when he grabbed her arm violently.

"Let. Me. Go."

"No. Not until you finally listen to me."

"I did listen to you. Go have fun. Live in a cabaret. Whatever." She ripped her arm from his grasp before grabbing Lauren and going upstairs. Jenny smacked Jethro after Tessa left.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"That's for pissing me off." She smacked him again.

"And that's for yelling in front of our children," Jethro glared at her and she glared back with equal force before Ethan walked out with a sad look on his face.

"Mommy, daddy, is Tessa gonna leave?"

"No, baby, she's just upset right now."

"Why is she sad?"

"Just something happened that she didn't like." Ethan shrugged and walked back into the living room to his siblings.

Next Morning...
Tessa awoke to the sound of her parents and siblings leaving for the lake house, she sighed and got up to go look to see if they even left her a note.

Tess-

Didn't want to wake you, going to the lake house, be gone until Saturday Morning. Baby sitter money for work is in the second drawer. You might need to go grocery shopping, and do laundry. I called Dillyn, she's getting your homework for you, for today, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. So, you're staying home to take care of Lauren. I have my cell, so does your father. We're trusting you to keep the house from burning down. Tony and McGee will be checking in on you periodically.
Your dad got your car out of the shop today; turpentine belt was going out on it. Fixed and paid for. Be good, and talk to you later.

Love,
Mom.
Tessa screamed silently before going to get Lauren.

"Okay, honey bunch, looks like you and I get to be home alone for four days and nights until Saturday Morning. So, you and I have to do everything around here." Lauren clapped her hands together and looked around. Tessa sighed and went down stairs to get breakfast. She got Lauren her Cheerios and peaches, while she made a small pot of coffee and made toast with peanut butter.

"So, Lauren, I think I'm gonna do laundry today, and then go get some groceries, and then play with you all day." She cooed after getting breakfast cleaned up and kissed ing her cheek. Lauren giggled and reached her hands up for her mom to pick her up. After picking her up, she walked out into the walkway and looked around the empty house.

"Promise to be good for Momma?" Lauren giggled and buried her head in her Mom's shoulder. Tessa groaned and went to get ready for the day.

Her hair was in a high ponytail, a pencil shoved between the ponytail, glasses, sweatpants, and blue hollister cami completed the teens look. It'd been two days since her mother, father, and siblings left for the lake house, Lauren had been throwing fits for hours and she had stuff to get done. She started work on Thursday and Dillyn was going to stay with Lauren until Tessa got home for the evening. It was hard being the mother of Lauren, she wanted all of the attention, when other things needed to be done. She had finally got her to settle down with Spongebob while she was switching laundry and getting dinner ready. Her blackberry sang I'm Not Okay (I promise) by My Chemical Romance.

"Hey, Mother," she said breathlessly folding her underwear.

"Tess, what were you doing?" Jenny asked curiously; Tessa could here Rowan screaming about some bug in the water and her father yelling at one of the boys for scaring her.

"I'm folding laundry, cooking dinner, and keeping my daughter from falling down the stairs. All in all...nothing." Tessa said rapidly; she finished folding the load, and switched the laundry.

"Ahh...Well, how's everything else?"

"Hmmmm...Let's see...I frigging hate grocery shopping with a passion. Lauren hates me. And oh, yeah, Joel came back to school,"

"Joel's back? I thought he was in Florida?"

"I know, Mom, I know. It's crazy to me, too. Carmen dropped out, she's now taking care of the child by herself, while Joel's at school."

"Tessa,"

"Mom, it's like, I can't control it, and hold on, I'm getting another call." Tessa clicked over and heard a voice she never thought she would hear again.

"Hey, Tessa," a deeper version of the one person she had wish to forget.

"Joel, how the hell did you get this number?" she asked walking up the stairs carrying a laundry basket.

"From a friend,"

"Joel, don't call me again. I'm busy and I don't need you right now," she hung up and clicked over to her mother.

"Who was that?" Jenny asked leaning back in the sun chair.

"The idiot," Tessa replied simply and stirring her tomato sauce.

"Ah, well, we're gonna have dinner. I love you. Make sure you don't burn down the house, and keep loving Lauren,"

"Love you too Momma, talk to you soon." Tessa clicked off the phone and went back to making spaghetti for her and Lauren.

Later that evening, Tessa tucked Lauren into bed and settled down with her laptop in her bathroom and Skype with Derek.

"Haven't talked to you in awhile stranger," she commented smiling. They both looked grubby and in a few short months, he would be home.

"I know! How are things at the home?" he asked.

"Chaotic. Missin' you. Oooh. Looks like Momma's on."

"You miss her don't ya?"

"Yeah, I do. I miss you too." Derek heard someone yell for him.

"I love you! Come home safe," Tessa clicked off and noticed her mother was online and clicked on her mother's name.

"Tessa Marie," her mother smiled. Jenny looked a bit tanner, and more smiley then before she left.

"Hi Momma!" she smiled widely. Jenny smiled at the teen's enthusiasm.

"So, you start work tomorrow. Are you scared?"

"No, I'm excited. Happy that Dill's staying with Lauren. I was texting Derek earlier and we started talking about baby names. No, we're not planning on having another baby. No, we're not pregnant. But, some girl thought it was weird I named my mixed daughter Lauren Autumn. Crazy, right? Anyways, so we've decided that if we ever have any more children, Madalyn Jethro and Declan Leroy is what we would like to name them. His mother's, father, was named Declan. And his mom died, so Declan would be awesome."

"Tessa, why would you be even be thinkin' about names?"

"Well," she started rubbing the back of her neck. "I've been thinking, Lauren's going to be one, I'm soon going to be leavin', I'd like another one. Just, really not anytime soon. I can barely take care of Lauren. Let alone another one, but maybe in the near future, there will be a baby Wilson-Gibbs that'll be planned."

"Well, planned babies always make life easier," Jenny laughed.

"What? Like you did. Katie, Evan, Ethan, and Rowan, weren't planned. I know I sure as hell wasn't. If I was, well Emma-Leigh wasn't the motherly type."

"Tessa," Tessa curled her knees up to her chest and looked at the laptop propped on her bathtub.

"I don't want Lauren to feel like she's a mistake, anymore. I don't want to feel like I made a mistake. Now that I realize I was turning into Emma-Leigh, I can't do that to her. So, I'm not taking my SAT prep class. And dropped one of my AP classes. Dual enrolment at American University is out of the question. I've started working on college applications. Mom, I...I...don't know what to do. I want the best life possible, but it's not going the way I ever planned."

"Honey, you were in labor for hours, she's here, I'll help out with the college courses. I'll help, but you have to take care of her. When you turn eighteen, and she's sick, you take her to the doctor. You do all of that, I'm not gonna be around forever." Tessa heard her father murmur something in the background, and her breath hitched. She had not spoken to him at all since she said she hated him. Jenny noticed her reaction and moved away from her laptop screen and forced Jethro to sit in front of it. For a few moments, neither of them said a word. Tessa's breathing finally evened out before starting the conversation.

"Dad," she started looking down at her chipped red finger nail polish. "I'm sorry for saying 'I fucking hate you'. I honestly don't. Just...I was so mad! Mad at myself...I was so responsible and actually gave a shit about my own child...and as she got older...I...let it slip...Dad, I didn't mean to...I was so upset about Derek leaving, I forgot who I was. I'm not making excuses, just...I needed this time with Lauren to figure out, Lauren's my first priority. If I have to, I'll take a night class and change my hours...But, I love her...and...I love you...A lot. Please don't be mad at me."

Jethro said nothing; her words rang in his ears. Having her apologize was tough, but her apologizing without asking was tougher. Ever since she was little, Tessa never ever wanted to apologize, that's how she got into the fights that got her SAS's and Suspensions during school that landed her in the PAC room.

"Tessa, I could never be mad at you...I can be disappointed, but never mad...I remember when you were in the fifth grade and got into that fight with Sarah Mitchell. I had to take you to the Emergency room for seven stitches right above your eyebrow...The scar is still there. I also remember the night you came home in seventh grade with the nose piercings you swore Kenzie didn't give you." Tessa laughed at the memories. When she her and Sarah got into the fight that broke up Tessa's group and Sarah's group forever, it left Tessa with four scars. The biggest one above her right eyebrow. Seven stitches later, her eyebrow looked horrible.

Now, that she's older, you can't really notice it. She smiled at her father before replying.

"Well, Sarah started it, that bitch." They heard a wail of a tiny human who wanted her mother. Tessa got up and Jethro noticed something different in her step; she walked back into the bathroom carrying almost eleven month old in pink princess pajamas with her caramel brown hair in a fluffy ponytail.

"Look who came to say hi," Tessa cooed as she sat back down on the cold tile floor, cross legged with Lauren in the gap; her tiny hand was wrapped around her mother's necklace looking at her grandfather.

"Well, she wanted to join the party," Jethro laughed; Lauren smiled.

"Gampa!" she squealed. Tessa looked at her with wide eyes before kissing the side of her daughters head rapidly.

"Lauren, who's that?"

"Gampa!" Lauren repeated. Jethro smiled and motioned for Jenny to come over to the computer screen.

"Gampa! Gampa!"

"Awww...She figured out how old you are Jethro," Jenny smirked.

"Nah, Mom, she figured that out after the old man held her."

"Very true." Tessa looked down at her beaten blackberry and noticed the time.

"Well, I'm gonna make her something so she can go to bed and go to bed myself. I love you guys and will talk to you very soon!" she shut the laptop and went down stairs to make Lauren a sippy cup of warmed milk. The almost toddler took it and slurped it on the way upstairs.

"Well, baby girl, we've made it through the good and the bad, let's keep kickin' ass." Tessa whispered kissing the child's full head of curls.

"I love you. More than then anyone can and will ever know." Lauren's eyes fluttered shut, and she fell asleep peacefully. Tessa smiled softly before climbing into bed herself. Soon, it'd be December, Derek would be back, and she would be heading into the second semester at Roosevelt as a Junior. It was different, it felt, good.

A/N: SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRYYYYYYYYYYYYYY GUYS!
I've been SO busy with school, and life, it's gotten in the way! I promise updates will be quicker, please review!