"Hello, Mrs. Stokes. I'm Dan Jenkins, the principal here at Las Vegas High. Please take a seat." He shook her hand and motioned for Sara to sit down next to her daughter. Mally looked at Sara with worried and argumentative eyes. She looked really frustrated, but Sara didn't think she looked ashamed.

"Will your husband be joining us?"

"I had to leave a voice mail for him. He's a criminalist, so he might not be able to get away. But I know he'll come in as soon as he can."

Mally looked a little more worried at the mention of Nick, as Sara suspected. She knew that she didn't pack that much punch with the teenager. Mally never really viewed Sara as an authority figure. She respected her now, but Sara had never established herself as someone to answer to when she did something wrong. It was Nick she answered to, and that was something Mally never enjoyed.

"Alright. I needed to call you in today, Mrs. Stokes, because we've recently had some concerns with Mally." He started, keeping his eyes on Sara. "It was brought to my attention that Mally may have used Natalie Grissom's papers to complete her own homework. As you know, Mally was failing chemistry up until a few days ago. I spoke to her teacher, and she informed me Mally's grade has skyrocketed to a 'C' after correcting papers and doing extra credit."

Sara nodded, taking in all this information, occasionally glancing at Mally. She looked upset still, but still the frustration shone through more than anything else. Sara had a feeling she was trying to explain something, and the principal wasn't listening.

"Now, when questioned, Mally…"

"Can I interrupt for a second please, Mr. Jenkins?" Sara stopped him politely as he rambled on. She knew he was trying to do his job, but after having lived with Mally for six years, Sara could tell the teen needed to say something.

"Mally, do you need to say something?"

Mally looked at her stepmother, not sure if she meant she needed to apologize, or if she was actually coming to her defense. When Mally saw Sara's face, she could tell Sara would listen to her. She felt a small pang of relief, or at least hope. Mally had tried to explain this to her principal, but he didn't believe her.

"Yes, I do." Mally said quietly, but with hope in her voice. "I was trying to explain things to Mr. Jenkins, but…anyway. I was telling him that I did take Natalie's papers without her permission, but I didn't use them to copy. I'd already turned in all the papers I looked at, but I was using them to help this other girl in my class. I would've used my own, but I wanted to make sure I was helping her with the right answers. I know I shouldn't have taken Natalie's papers, but I didn't cheat! Honestly! Sara, please believe me. You know I wouldn't do this!"

Sara studied Mally's face carefully. Though she didn't know Mally as well as Nick did, it looked to her like she was telling the truth. There were no signs on the girl's face of lying. When questioned, she didn't look to the right, a telling sign that someone wasn't telling the truth. Her investigative skills sometimes came in handy.

"Okay, Mally." Sara started. "Why were you trying to hide what you were doing? I didn't know anything about you helping another student."

"She was really embarrassed and didn't want anyone to know. Plus, I didn't think you'd believe me if I said I was using Natalie's papers to help someone else. You'd think I was cheating!"

"Well, can you not blame us for being suspicious when you tried to hide it? It made it seem like you were being dishonest, Mally. Why didn't you just tell us?"

"You mean you thought I was cheating too?" Mally asked defensively, suddenly feeling betrayed once again.

"Raising your grade by almost twenty percent in a week, Mally? It looks a little suspicious." Sara admitted, seeing why the principal was wary. He dealt with dishonest kids all the time, so he probably classified Mally in the same category instinctively. Plus, Mally's story seemed a little farfetched. Sara wished Nick was here too to hear Mally's story.

"I can't believe this! All of you are crazy! How can you not believe me, Sara!" Mally was crying now as she looked at her stepmother like she'd been stabbed in the back.

"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but this is a serious matter…"

"Who cares? You're not my real mother anyways! You shouldn't even be here!" Mally stood up, yelling at Sara. "Dad and I were just fine without you!"

Nick had been listening outside for the last thirty seconds or so. He came to school immediately after listening to his wife's voice mail. Especially since Mally had bee having so much trouble lately, he was in his Denali in a flash. He'd heard enough now outside, so he opened the door.

"Mally, sit back in that chair right now." Nick ordered his daughter firmly, but not yelling. All three pairs of eyes shot over to Nick's form standing in the doorway. He looked angry, but overall concerned. Mally could tell he wasn't there to yell at her and accuse her of things by the form his face took and his stance. His arms weren't crossed, and besides looking authoritative anyway, he didn't look intimidating.

Mally immediately did what her father said. Before, she was fearful of what her father would do, but right now she felt relief. Mally felt like he had come to save the day. Granted, she'd still be in a certain amount of trouble with him, but Nick knew Mally better than anyone. He knew she wouldn't cheat.

Nick closed the door gently and Mr. Jenkins introduced himself, motioning to a chair on the other side of Mally. He picked up the chair to sit next to his daughter, and all eyes stayed on him.

"Thank you for calling us, Mr. Jenkins." He told the principal, and then immediately turned back to his daughter. "Mally, first of all you need to apologize to your mother for the way you just spoke to her." His head nodded seriously in his wife's direction, who smiled meekly, glad that they were now a team again.

"I'm sorry, Sara. I was just really upset." Mally said softly, giving a heartfelt apology, her eyes communicating her sincerity.

"Did you speak to Mr. Jenkins that way too?" Nick leaned on his legs with his forearms, glancing over at Mally once more.

Mally knew what to do again.

"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't mean to be disrespectful."

"Thank you, Miss Stokes."

Despite jumping to conclusions in this case, Mr. Jenkins was a very good principal, well respected by students, teachers, and parents.

"Thank you Mally." Nick told his daughter, though still not happy with her behavior. "I only heard vaguely outside the door. Is Mally being accused of something?"

The principal re-explained the situation and allowed Mally to retell her story to her father. Nick didn't say anything, just tried to hear both sides of the story. The principal also revealed that it was Natalie who had turned her friend in, and she was known to be a very honest and trustworthy student throughout the school. No wonder the principal had been reluctant to believe Mally's story.

"Okay, Mally." Nick said when she'd finished. "I've been your father all your life and have never known you to lie to me about things of this magnitude. Are you telling us the entire truth right now?"

"Yes." Mally answered immediately, looking her father straight in the eye. Nick held her gaze for a few moments, taking in the sincerity and honesty on her young face. She'd fibbed to him over the years and been caught every time to his knowledge. But he could tell Mally wasn't lying in this instance. She was dead serious, and pleading with him to believe her. When faced with two 'sides', he had to choose Mally's. He'd known the principal for fifteen minutes, and Mally for seventeen years.

"Okay, then. I believe you, Mally." Nick said, in all honesty having faith in her. His daughter's word meant everything to him. Mally had never given him a reason to doubt her integrity. She'd slipped up a few times, but when caught red-handed she would break down in apologies. This time, she stood her ground.

Nick turned back to the principal.

"Sir, with all due respect, my daughter did not cheat."

"Mr. Stokes, I realize you trust your daughter, but the school has to pursue any accusation of plagiarism. We'll have to compare samples and question both girls more."

Though it killed him, Nick didn't refuse to allow the principal to complete his fiasco of investigation. He was a firm believer of instilling a sense of respect for school, work, and all adults in his children. If the principal wanted to investigate, he would make sure Mally fully complied.

"I don't feel that's necessary, but if you feel that way, I'll see to it that Mally cooperates with your investigation."

Mally looked at her father with a twinge of hurt in her eyes, but then her expression softened. She knew that her father expected her to respect all adults, but it still hurt that he was going along with this. But he believed her, and that was all that mattered in her mind. It mattered above all else, even what Natalie thought of her.

"Thank you, Mr. Stokes." He glanced up at the clock. "There's only about twenty minutes of school left, so you're free to take Mally home now. She can make up all the work she missed the last two periods of the day."

"I appreciate that, Mr. Jenkins." Nick stood up and shook his hand. Mr. Jenkins was a good man, and Nick understood that he had to do this for various reasons. Other kids couldn't see that he just let Mally off the hook without investigating fully. Nick was positive everything would come back ship shape, but if it didn't, Mally would not be a happy camper.

Nick turned to his wife and daughter, who had since gotten up and walked to the door.

"Let's go." He told them. Nick sounded relieved, but Mally knew they'd be doing some major talking when they got home. She knew she'd still be in trouble for taking Natalie's folder and being dishonest about the situation.

Luckily, Bailey and Aidan were still playing happily on the floor. Nick was able to sneak by the twins when he came in, because he knew they'd never stay put if they knew he was here too. Their eyes lit up when they saw their daddy come out of the office with their mom and Mally.

"Daddy!" They both squealed and rushed for him. Nick smiled and bent down, allowing them both to crash into him. He picked both up in either arm and kissed them.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted them. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes, daddy." Aidan said.

"First, they need to pick up their toys." Sara told them.

Nick looked at the toys, not realizing Sara had brought them. He put the twins down on the floor once again to pick up after themselves. Bailey whined, but Aidan got right to it.

"Bailey, if you bring toys with you, you have to pick them up or they'll just belong to Mally's school. Do you want that?"

"Nooooo." She admitted reluctantly.

"I didn't think so." Nick remarked as he picked up a couple of books. "I'll help you, come on."

It took only about thirty seconds to clean up between the family and they were on their way out the door. During the ride home, Bailey and Aidan happily told Nick about their preschool day, and then what they had for lunch, then that Aidan had to go to the bathroom really bad, and then that mommy made them leave in the van with her. Mally just sat quietly in the passenger seat (Sara drove Nick's Denali back so the twins could talk to their dad), thinking about all that had gone on that day. She'd found out her best friend didn't trust her and turned her in, that Sara had suspected her of cheating, and that her dad really did fully trust her. So many bad things had gone on, but at least she'd already earned her parents' trust back.

Grissom had been supervising at the scene Nick had to leave, and had told Nick to take as much time as he needed. He'd done the same for him when Natalie and Lindsey had a huge falling out/cat fight. Nick told him he'd be back as soon as possible, but Mally was his top priority right now.

When they arrived home, Mally and Nick helped the twins out of their car seats, and they ran to the backyard to play. They'd been cooped up all day, and the three year olds wanted to run around a bit. Sitting still just hurt their little bodies!

"Be careful, and stay in the back yard!" Nick yelled after them as they ran to the fence gate. Since the yard was gated, they didn't have to worry about them wandering out or someone else wandering in. He turned back to his oldest daughter as Sara pulled in the driveway.

"Let's go talk for a few minutes. Living room." Nick told her simply. Mally looked at him curiously, wondering what he was thinking as Sara joined him next to the van. He gave his wife a quick kiss before starting, and Mally wandered inside.

"What a day, huh?" Nick remarked, running his hands down her hips and snuggling closely to Sara.

"Yeah. You really think she didn't do it?" Sara questioned from his shoulder. Nick adjusted his wife so he was looking in her eyes.

"Of course I don't. She gave me her word."

"Okay, then. If you believe her, that's enough for me."

"What, you don't?" His eyebrows squirmed a little in question.

"Well, I haven't known her as long as you. I'd get her to explain a little more."

"We will be, but I'll take her word over a principal I've known for fifteen minutes."

"Okay." Sara smiled, and kissed her husband once more on the lips. "Let's go talk."

Hand in hand, the married couple walked in the front door. They found Mally waiting patiently on the couch, her legs curled up underneath in a pretzel position. Their daughter wasn't nervous, based on her position, and she smiled up at her parents as they joined her on the couch. She turned to face them, Sara sitting closest to her. Sara leaned back and Nick forward, resting his arms on his legs again, so they could both see and talk to Mally.

"Do you want to say anything else before we start?" Nick asked his daughter.

"I know I shouldn't have taken Natalie's notes, but I was using them for a good reason. I was trying to help my friend. I wasn't cheating." Mally rattled off immediately. Her parents listened intently to her explanation and then Nick started again.

"Okay. You're right," He agreed, "You shouldn't have taken Natalie's folder without asking. It put her in a very difficult position, and she felt she had to turn you in for cheating. We know now that you didn't, but Natalie was really worried there for a while, I'm sure."

"But she should have come to me first." Mally interjected.

"Mal," Sara took over. "If you were in the same position, what would you have done?"

"I would've asked her first."

"Okay, maybe you would. But would you really have felt comfortable doing that?"
"Yes, I would've." She answered immediately, still disgusted with Natalie. "She should've trusted me enough to know I wouldn't cheat. She didn't even ask for an explanation, she just assumed. That's not what a friend does. She betrayed me when she told my teacher behind my back!" Mally was getting upset again at the recall of events.

"I agree that she should've trusted you. But you have to admit it looked really suspicious from an outsider's point of view." Sara pointed out.

Mally thought for a moment, and it was true. She had been really sneaky without needing to be. Maybe she wanted to see what people would do - who would react and how.

"I guess it kinda did." Mally finally admitted.

"At first glance it did." Nick told his daughter. "My heart dropped when I heard what was going on, but then I listened to your side. But Mal, what I don't understand is why you tried to hide it. If you were just helping someone, why couldn't you just ask Natalie for her notes?"

"I don't know." Mally shrugged uncomfortably. It was silent for a few moments.

"Was it to get our attention?" Nick threw the possibility out.

Mally looked over at her dad. She hated to admit she was upset about her cut in her parents' time, but she did miss the attention. Maybe something deep down inside caused her to act out in response. It sounded so childish, but it made sense in a way.

"I…I don't know." She muttered. "I guess I miss the attention sometimes with the twins and all." Mally maturely admitted. She looked outside to see her little brother and sister chasing each other in the yard, laughing and carrying on. They were the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. Besides Sara and, of course, her dad.

"Well, it's okay to come to us. We can arrange for a little alone time." Nick told her, touched that he still meant so much to her. Many parents he knew wouldn't shut up about how rebellious, rude, and awful their teens were, so Nick was thankful to have Mally. She was such a good kid.

"Okay." She smiled a little shyly. "Thanks."

"But you still shouldn't have taken Natalie's notes without asking." Sara jumped back in, giving her daughter a serious look. Nick looked at Sara proudly, glad that she'd taken a step in her parenting of Mally. He was planning on still punishing her for taking the notes and being dishonest, but he was glad Sara had jumped back in.

"I know." Mally admitted. "I'm still in trouble for that, aren't I?" She winced between her two parents, hoping the punishment would be light. Since she'd taken such a positive attitude, they'd go easy on her.

"We'll just ground you for today and tomorrow." Nick decided, looking at Sara, who nodded in approval. "And you need to make a phone call to Natalie. Then that's it. Up to your room for the night."

"Okay." Mally was surprised. That wasn't bad at all. "Thanks, guys, for understanding." She hugged and kissed both her parents and then headed upstairs to her room to call Natalie. Well, she'd wait a little while because she was still angry at her. She didn't want to snap at her friend.

Sara turned her head to look at Nick, who smiled back at her.

"That was good." He admitted to Sara. "You're a pro now, you know that?" Nick gave her a slow kiss, loving her for being a great wife, great mother, and just a great person. He couldn't believe she'd married him.

"Thanks. You weren't too bad yourself." She smiled.

Nick laughed, causing Sara to join in, and they kissed sensually and tenderly for the next few minutes there on the couch. Sara pulled back from the kiss after a while, and looked back adoringly at her husband. Now was the right time.

"Nick, there's something I need to tell you."

A/N: haha! The cliffhanger. I hope you liked the fact that I didn't make Mally cheat after all. I was debating whether to do it or not. I was planning on making her cheat, but then had this idea over the weekend. LEt me know if you think the change is totally lame. I already have the next chapter half written, so I'll post it once a get a few reviews. Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!