A/N: Hello, everyone! It's been a little while since I've updated this story – I have also been working on "Single Daddy", which is a companion piece to this fic. Please give it a try if you haven't already! gives pleading look. Please please please review! If just a few of you that have this story on alert would review, I would be eternally grateful. Thanks again for reading! I hope you like!

Natalie heard a knock on her bedroom door after she'd been sitting alone in her room on Sunday afternoon. She really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone anymore but knew she'd just get into more trouble if she started with her attitude again.

"Come in." She said, without her usual pep. Her father poked his head in the door and he actually looked to be in a good mood.

"Natalie, come downstairs. Lindsey's home from school. She surprised us." Natalie could tell her father was really happy to see her – ah, the prodigal daughter returns.

"I can't. I'm grounded." Natalie said simply. She was going to use it against them as much as possible

Gil sighed and stepped into the room fully.

"Natalie, don't be ridiculous." He walked over to her, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I can't go anywhere, remember?"

"Seeing your big sister doesn't count. You can come downstairs if you promise to be civil and halfway cheerful."

"Cheerful!" She almost shrieked. "I've been grounded for a month and you want me to be cheerful? What have you been taking, dad?"

Gil grabbed his daughter's hand and started to pull her up and Natalie reluctantly let him. She really wasn't that excited to see her sister. Natalie and Lindsey just weren't really that close. Perhaps it was due to all the crap Lindsey used to pull in high school and the fact Natalie's life was hell now because of it. Or perhaps it was because no matter what Lindsey did, her parents always seemed to favor her.

"Come on." He coaxed her. When she started walking by herself, Gil let go of her hand and they both walked downstairs where Lindsey and Catherine were busy talking about all sorts of wonderful, boring things.

"I love my forensics classes at school." Lindsey was saying. "It is so fascinating and the professor is by far the best I've ever had."

"Lindsey, you've only been there for two semesters."

"I know." She smiled. "But I absolutely love it." Lindsey turned her head to see her little sister standing next to the kitchen counter looking less than enthralled to see her.

"Natalie!" Lindsey unenthusiastically called her sister. She got up to give her a hug and Natalie reluctantly accepted, giving her mother a frown over the 19-year-old's shoulder. "How ARE you?" She said a little too enthusiastically, making the fact that she didn't really care for her sister either readily apparent.

"I'm a fourteen year old trapped in hell. How are you?" Natalie could feel her parents both giving her the death glare but she chose to ignore them.

"Awesome. I LOVE UNLV! It's so much better than….well, it's really great." She stopped herself before it was too late. Natalie had to admit that she'd give anything to be in Lindsey's shoes right now – to be away from her parents and away from her sister's shadow.

"We're so proud of you, sweetheart." Gil wrapped his arm around Lindsey and she put her hand on his arm, bathing herself in his praise. The sight made Natalie want to vomit. Now Lindsey acted like Gil was her best friend, but she had acted to awfully towards him while in high school. Lindsey wasn't actually Gil's real daughter, but he had adopted her when she was about ten years old after he'd been married to Catherine for a few years. Lindsey was ecstatic at the time, but as she reached her teen years, she started to pull the 'you're not my real dad' card. The two were at each other's throats most of the time she was a teenager, and it was sickening to Natalie to watch. Lindsey was so selfish and ungrateful! Natalie rolled her eyes at the sight of the two.

"Do you have something wrong with your eyes, Natalie?" Lindsey called her sister on the gesture.

Natalie just glared back at her sister with her arms crossed and then went to the cabinet to get a snack. Lindsey sighed and let herself out of her father's embrace.

"You know, Natalie, you can be pretty immature for someone who claims to know it all." Lindsey started.

"Oh, stick your thumb up your ass! At least I don't try to pretend I'm something I'm not!"

"Natalie Marie!" Both parents chimed at the same time, shocked at their youngest daughter's language. Natalie really didn't care what her parents said at this point – she was already grounded for a month anyway.

"That's okay, guys. She knows she's just a pretender."

"Bitch." Natalie muttered under her breath as she walked out of the kitchen. This was just the weekend from hell, Natalie thought to herself. She marched back up to her room where she would be spending most of her time that weekend.

Nick and Sara sat close together on the couch that afternoon, lazily exchanging a series of mind-numbing kisses. The pair rarely got the chance to make out on the couch, but today Mally was up in her room sulking after being handed her punishment for her night of fun. Nick delighted in the tiny gasps and whimpers coming from Sara as they slowly but sensually worked their tongues against each other's, properly exploring each other's mouths like it seemed they rarely got to nowadays. Her hand snaked up the front of his shirt, grazing her nails over his perfectly sculpted chest and stomach. Nick gently began to push Sara back onto the couch and she giggled when she realized what he was doing. He began placing open mouthed kisses on her neck and was slowly working his way down when the telephone rang. Nick's headed jolted up at the sound and Sara smiled up at him.

"Whoever that is, I'm going to put a hit man out on 'em." Nick claimed, giving Sara a lusty kiss as he rose from the couch. Mally came bolting down the stairs at the sound of the phone, praying it was for her. "Mally, get back up to your room, now." Nick told her sternly as he reached for the phone.

"But, dad!"

"Upstairs, now, young lady." Mally gave a huff and slowly started her ascent back up the stairs. "Hello?"

"Uncle Nick?" A familiar voice came on the phone, and he could tell she'd been crying. Nick looked up at the stairs to see if Mally was gone. She was out of sight, at least, so he decided it was safe.

"Natalie, are you alright, sweetheart?" Nick cared for Natalie like a daughter also. Their girls had grown up together and they'd all helped raised both of them.

"I…I don't….I need to talk to Mally." She spat out.

Nick sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. Sara heard who it was and had gotten up off the couch and started walking towards the kitchen.

"Natalie, she can't come to the phone right now. And I doubt you're allowed on the phone either. Am I right?"

"I know, Uncle Nick, but I wouldn't be asking if it wasn't really important."

"What is it, Nat?" Nick probed. Natalie paused on the other end of the line, sniffling a little bit.

"It's just…Lindsey's home. And I…I need Mally to talk me back into sanity before I murder her."

"Lindsey's home, huh?" Nick smiled a little. He knew the two girls didn't get along at all. Over the years, he'd gotten used to the constant drama and he knew Mally had been a key player in keeping Natalie from jumping her older sister. "And why should I trust you, Natalie? Last time we trusted you, you girls ended up sneaking out and going to a party."

Natalie rolled her head back in annoyance. It was like having two fathers – Uncle Nick was just as hard on her as her real one.

"Uncle Nick, I'm sorry, but we…"

"I hope you are, Natalie, because you scared the crap out of all of us. No, Mally cannot come to the phone and I need to speak to your mom or dad."

"God! Is everyone out to ruin my life?" Natalie yelled as she threw the cordless phone on her bed. Nick sighed when he heard what she said over the phone. Sara had come over and wrapped her arms around Nick from behind, seeing that he was getting upset. He rubbed the arm that was covering his stomach.

A minute or so later, Nick heard someone pick up the phone.

"Hello? Nick?"

"Catherine, hey. So, I hear Lindsey's home for the weekend."

"Yeah, but Natalie kind of ruined the party."

"She's not too happy about it, I hear."

"That's an understatement. I didn't hear the phone ring. Did Natalie call you?"

"Yeah, she was asking for Mally but I grounded her from the phone, among other things."

"Super. Just great." Catherine muttered, rubbing her eyes in frustration. "Nick, she has been back talking like you wouldn't believe. It's like she's changed overnight. She's so angry. And Lindsey coming home isn't making it any better. I mean, Gil and I were thrilled to see her, but not the best timing."

"I'm sorry, Catherine. Look, I know this is really not like them, but I really haven't been dealing with this lightly, have you? I mean, I can't have Mally trying to pull this kind of crap all throughout high school, so I'm trying to come down hard on her now."

"Oh, I agree one hundred percent. And Natalie's not taking it well at all. But she's like a caged animal right now."

"I hate to do it, but I think we need to keep them away from each other as much as possible." Nick suggested. Normally, they were perfectly behaved, but Nick was the type of dad who still came down hard when Mally misbehaved, though rare.

"Nick, I don't think we can." Catherine admitted. "I mean, they're both on the softball team and in dance together, and they see each other at school."

Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration again. "Yeah. Well, as much as possible. I've taken away Mally's phone and laptop. That should cut down on most of their communication."

"We've done the same." Catherine told him. "That's about all we can do."

"Alright. Well, good luck with the girls. See you at work."

"Bye Nick."

Nick clicked the phone off and turned around in Sara's arms, kissing her on the head.

"Day one, and they're already trying to pull crap." Nick sighed, continuing to hold her.

"Nick, call me crazy, but do you really need to keep them away from each other?"

Nick pulled back a little bit to look at her. "She's grounded, Sara, that's the point. They got each other into this mess."

Sara laughed at herself. Obviously, she had never been a parent. "I guess that's true.

"Now where were we?" Nick asked in a low, husky voice. He dipped his head and captured her lips in his again. They were enjoying their alone time and planned to take advantage of it. Sara felt Nick begin to walk her backwards, and soon she felt the cool door of the refrigerator at her back. Nick had one hand on her hip, tracing circles on the small patch of exposed skin, while the other rested on the fridge just by her head, effectively trapping her. They were so into the kiss that they didn't hear Mally come down the stairs again.

"Get a room!" She told them as she walked past them to get a snack from the cabinet. The couple immediately broke the kiss, embarrassed and a little annoyed.

"Mally, what are you doing out of your room again?" Nick demanded, backing away from Sara, as she adjusted her clothing and hair.

"I was hungry." She said innocently as she retrieved a granola bar and hopped up on the counter. "Are you trying to run a prison here, dad?"

"If I were you, I'd be watching my mouth." He told her sternly, leaning back on the kitchen island. Yesterday, Nick thought they made some progress and that Mally understood what she did was wrong and even bonded with Sara. But today was a different story. Many of her answers had been smart and his patience was wearing thin with her.

Mally took a bite from her granola bar and looked at her dad curiously. It was gross, but kind of funny to walk in on her dad making out with someone. She wasn't stupid – she was fourteen years old. They lived together and she knew what they were doing. So much for setting a good example.

"Who was on the phone?"

"Grandma." Nick lied.

Mally watched him curiously once more while she chewed. "Yeah, right! It was Natalie, wasn't it?" Her tone argumentative.

"Did you have a bowl of attitude for breakfast this morning or something?" Nick asked, half joking, half serious as he crossed his arms on his chest. "Even if it was, you're not allowed on the phone."

Mally decided to change the subject.

"Dad, I need more clothes for school."

"No, you don't."

"Dad, I'm a growing girl. Do I need to remind you that my body is changing and every once in a while…"

"Mally! That's enough! I've about had it with your attitude today!"

Sara finally decided to jump in.

"Nick," She tried to calm him by placing a hand on his upper chest. "Listen, why don't I go take Mally shopping for a while. Get her out of the house. She'll be with me the whole time."

Mally looked at Sara like she was her hero. Rock on, Sara, she thought to herself.

Nick pondered the idea for a moment. It would be good to get the girl out of the house for a while – she was driving him up the wall. Plus, it would give the two women time to talk, something he'd been trying to get Mally to do.

"Alright." He gave in. Mally squealed and ran over to give her father a hug. "But you stay with Sara the entire time and I'm giving you a budget." Nick decided wisely.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She told her dad excitedly. She then turned to Sara and gave her a tight hug. "Sara, you're the best!" With that, the teenager ran up the stairs to get ready.

After she'd left, Nick turned back to Sara.

"Do you have some screws loose in your head or something?" He asked her, smiling. "You do realize you're taking a fourteen year old girl to the mall. She'll want to take you into all the teeny stores! I'm talking Claire's, Hollister, Abercrombie. Are you sure you want to do this?" Most of the time, Nick chose to send Mally off with friends at the mall. He couldn't stand to go into the stores Mally wanted to go in. Hollister was like a damn cave it was so dark and he could never hear the sound of his own voice. And Claire's – he didn't even want to get started on that bright pink hell.

"Nick, it'll be fine." Sara reassured him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Besides, it'll give us time to bond. Shopping does wonders for that."

"You really have lost your marbles." He teased her, leaning in for a kiss. Sara giggled into it and moved her hands towards his butt.

"You'll have to help me find them later." She said enticingly, raising her eyebrows and giving him a swat.

"I look forward to it." He reached for his back pocket. "But seriously, she does need a budget, or….yeah. Scary stuff."

Nick handed her a wad of cash and also gave her a few more friendly reminders at what clothes he considered appropriate for Mally to wear. Ten minutes later, Sara and an overly giddy Mally were in the Denali heading to the Las Vegas Mall. Nick sighed a breath of relief when he heard the door close.

Natalie Grissom was staring at her ceiling once again in her bedroom. She hadn't come out all afternoon, trying to avoid her older sister. Her two-faced personality really got on her nerves and she just wasn't in the mood to deal with it. Another knock on the door.

"Come in."

Catherine walked into the room with a sympathetic look on her face.

"Hey." She greeted her daughter.

"Hey." Natalie glanced over at her and then stared back up at the ceiling. Catherine joined her daughter on the bed, stealing a pillow and hugging it to her chest.

"Natalie, I know you're not thrilled about your sister being home…"

"No, I'm not. I can't stand her mom."

The comment made Catherine's heart fall a little. It really broke her heart that they didn't get along.

"Sweetheart, I would really mean a lot to your dad and I if you would just try to…"

"Save it, mom." Natalie cut her off, shooting her a look. "We just don't get along and I don't think we ever will. Would you rather have us down each other's throats or have a peaceful house with me up here?"

Catherine sighed and put her hand on Natalie's knee in support.

"I really wish you would just try, Natalie. I hate to see you up here all by yourself. Come be with the family."

Natalie looked at her mom. She really hated that this upset her mom so much, but she really couldn't stand Lindsey, no matter how much her mom and dad wanted them to get along. It was no use.

"No thanks." She whispered simply. Catherine's shoulders slumped a little bit, disappointed, but she decided not to push it any farther. They just needed a little time. The teen years were rough, especially with an older sister.

"Alright, suit yourself." Catherine got up and threw the pillow back onto her daughter's bed. "Dinner will be ready soon." She exited the room coldly, disappointed that Natalie wouldn't even give it a try.

After her mother had left, Natalie felt a tear trickle down her face. She quickly wiped it away, unsure of why she was crying. If Lindsey didn't care, why should she? Natalie loved her family. She really did. But was love and family always supposed to feel this bad? Natalie pondered this thought and cried a little more, slowly falling to sleep.

Sorry it ended on a depressing note – more happiness later!