I'm so sorry this is like insanely late, it's kinda taken a back seat to my post ep fic. That and I'm suffering from writers block. So I apologize for being late. Thanks to Just Thinking and thegreatbluespoon for their beta work, and another may be added shortly. She keeps pestering me about it.

Teens & Tribulations

Chapter 22

Grissom picked up the items that Sara had asked him to before they got home. Dirk and Jason remained somewhat quiet the entire trip home.

He steered into the driveway and Jason leaned forward. "Dad, I want to tell Mom, so don't say anything to her, please."

Grissom nodded, respecting the teen'swishes. The boys climbed out and headed inside. Grissom opened the back door and being as careful as possible lifted Kassie's sleeping body out of the back seat.

"Hey, how did it go?" Sara asked, but as she looked at Jason's depressed form, she knew that he didn't make it. "Oh, I'm sorry." She moved to embrace him.

"I made it!" he exclaimed jumping in the air startling Sara.

"What? I thought by that look on your face..."

Jason and Dirk laughed and celebrated as Grissom made his way to her. Kassie had welded herself to his body, and there was no way she was letting go.

"Yeah, he pulled that on me too. Here." he handed her the small brown paper bag. "Did I get everything?"

Sara looked into the bag. "Yes, you did excellent. Well, I see she's forgiven you."

"I bought her ice cream before we went to the park. She played in the sand the entire time with another little girl."

She gave him a quick kiss before turning back to the boys. "Ok, since I guess we're celebrating..."

"Pizzaaaaaa!" They both drew out.

"We've done this too many times." Grissom stated simply at the boys ability to read into the future.

Sara picked up the phone to order the pizzas and watched Grissom head for the stairs.

After dinner Jason escorted Dirk home.

Grissom was getting ready for work when he felt Sara's hands on his back."Do you have to go?"

He smiled at her through the mirror. "You know I do. I'll try to be home at a decent time."

The next morning Sara was up and at 'emlike she usually was. What ever the doctor had recommended, was working wonders. Jason was helping her fix breakfast when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Jason said running out of the kitchen.

Sara had a feeling it was either Dirk or Lindsey. It was both.

"Morning." both teens said in unison as they all joined Sara in the kitchen.

She smiled and watched as they sat patiently waiting for her to ask that all important question. Sara didn't mind them coming over all the time, it was the fact that they were also feeding them all the time as well. With a sigh she asked, "Have you guys had breakfast yet?"

"Nope."

"No."

She served the three of them some scrambled eggs and toast, and watched them devour it. Once the three were done they headed out the front door allowing for some peace.

Jason and Dirk began tossing a baseball back and forth as Jason elaborated to Lindsey on the little league team.

"It has nothing to do with school. This is just open to any one from 14 to 16, and we both made it."

Lindsey sat on the porch and watched Jason, until she heard a voice call her name.

"Hey, Lindsey." the boy said as he stopped his bicycle in the drive way.

She sighed. "What Tommy?"

He went over and sat down next to her. Jason and Dirk stopped and approached the intruder.

"Would you like to go and see a movie tonight?"

"Yeah, but not with you." Lindsey fired back.

Tommy was taken back. "What is it about that freak? I mean he's all 'Mr. Straight A', and he doesn't even have real parents."

"Why don't you go home Tommy?" Jason approached, his chest was out as his adrenaline began pumping.

"Bite me."

"Hey, it's his house, his girl, so why don't you make like a banana and split." Dirk insulted.

"Yeah." Jason celebrated the slam with Dirk. "Beat it, Tommy boy."

Tommy narrowed his eyes.

Grissom was coming up the street followed by Brass. Unfortunately he was only going to get to change and some breakfast, as they were heading to another scene. He noticed the pile of kids in his front yard when he stopped in the drive. Brass stopped on the street and climbed out of his car.

Both he and Grissom ran to the pile and each grabbed what they could get a hold of and pulled.

"Hey, break it up!" Brass yelled at them.

"Get off of me you freak!" Tommy yelled from the bottom of the pile.

Brass successfully pried Dirk off as Jason was being pulled back by Grissom.

"Come on jackass!"Jason shot back.

"Hey, HEY!!" Grissom pulled Jason back nearly throwing him into the side of the Denali. "Stop, right now!"

Tommy sat up in the grass and wiped the blood from his face. Brass pulled Dirk over to join Jason standing next to the side of the truck before attending to Tommy.

"Why were you guys fighting?" Grissom asked the two boys.

Jason stepped up. "He was hitting on Lindsey, called me a freak, her a whore, then said I didn't have any real parents."

"So we kicked his ass!" Dirk yelled to Tommy over Grissom.

"Knock it off! In the house now."

Lindsey followed them inside as Grissom went to see about the loser of the fight.

"How is he?"

"He'll live, just going to have a split lip and a black eye. Think you can make it home?"

Tommy nodded and gathered up his bike and tore off down the street.

Brass chuckled. "I don't think he'll try that again."

"I hope not. Those two can really get after it." Grissom put his hand on Brass' shoulder. "Come on let's get some food so we can get back to work."

Jason, Dirk, and Lindsey were sitting in the living room when Grissom and Brass walked by. Lindsey was blotting the small blood smear from Jason's face.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Brass pondered.

"What good would it do? We were them once. Didit help to get a talking to or a punishment for being young?"

"It made me worse."

Grissom smiled. "Exactly. Morning." he greeted Sara with a quick kiss.

Brass sat down. "You didn't hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Oh, just boys being boys." Grissom responded quickly hoping Brass would not push the subject further.

"Why, what did they do now?" She knew all to well that Grissom was trying to hide something.

"Jason and Dirk were just wailing on this other boy when we pulled up." Grissom gave Brass a dirty look for spilling the beans.

"WHAT!? They were doing what?"

"Now Sara..."

"Don't now Sara me Grissom, they were beating up another kid?"

"But the other boy started it."

"What did you tell them?"

Grissom looked to Brass and silently thanked him for getting him into this situation. Brass smiled back as he took a bite.

"I told them to stop. Let it be Sara."

"No..."

He grabbed her arm as she proceeded to walk by him. "Let... it... be." His tone was very low and demanding.

She only shot him a dirty look before heading into the other room.

After working until noon, Grissom showered and retreated to his basement. He spent the entire day, and even half the night down there before heading off to the lab. Though the thought crossed his mind about calling Sara and telling her that he would be pulling another double, but something always grabbed his attention before he could make the call.

Grissom didn't return home until just before dinner. Jason had gone over to Dirk's, and Sara was just fine with that, she was still thinking about killing her husband. Kassie was watching her fish when he returned.

"Good evening." he said after placing a soft kiss to her hair. "Did you feed them yet?"

"No. Will you help?"

"Of course." Grissom put the proper amount of flakes into her hand and watched her throw them in.

She stared in awe every time the fish went to eat a flake of food. He stood and went into the kitchen to try and soothe things over with Sara. She had her back to him when he walked in, and he could tell by her pronounced baby talk, that Sydney was in her bouncy while Sara was busy making herself ice cream.

He walked up behind her. "Good evening." She didn't even recognize his existence. So he ignored her. "How's my girl tonight?" His hand moved to caress Sydney's cheek.

"She's fine." Sara said coldly as she swatted it away.

"Sara."

"Drop it Gil."

"I'm not going to drop this. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She said as she cut up some bananas.

He sucked in a breath and held it. He knew immediately that this wasn't going to be pretty. "Honey." Grissom placed his hands on her arms.

"Don't touch me!" She spun around to face him. "Just don't."

"Tell me what's bothering you."

"You. You're bothering me."

By the confused look he gave her, Sara knew that while he had been here with his eyes open, they were wide shut.

"Grissom, you're always doing something with work, whether it's here or there. I understand there, I've been there, I know what out there consists of."

Again he looked at her slightly confused. As her anger rose, her words started to not make sense, at least to him.

"But here, when you're here, all you do is hide out in the damn basement, doing God knows what. You have a family now, and whether you like it or not, we all need you." She spun around to continue her task.

Her elevated voice had upset Sydney and she began to fuss. Grissom moved over to pick her up.

"Don't touch her either!" Sara shot out.

Grissom stopped. "She's my daughter too."

"Yeah, well, other than two days ago, when was the last time you actually held her, fed her, changed her." She only paused briefly before answering for him. "Never!"

"Sara..."

"No Gil. Admit it, unless it has something to do directly with you, you've hardly been around since she was born. Every morning I wake up and you're not home. You've gone to work early every chance you get, and I've been doing this all by myself. So tell me what do I need you around for? Huh, tell me Gil, because other than a headache and a paycheck, what good have you been?"

She spoke with blazing speed and as his mind was trying to decipher the message, Sara began again, only he read it loud and clear.

"Just, go away."

"No Sara."

"Yes, Gil! I don't know what to do with you right now. Just...get out!"

Sydney had gone from fussing to all out crying as Sara yelled. Grissom didn't move as she picked up the screaming baby and turned.

"Why are you still here?"

"I'm not leaving." He said sternly, wondering how he had not completely blown up himself.

"Grissom I can't deal with all of this and you at the same time!"

"Do you really want me to go?"

"Yes!" Her answer was out the instant his question was done.

Grissom narrowed his eyes at her, making sure it's what she wanted. He didn't want to upset her anymore as he saw the tears streak down her face. She was crying from the frustration, and the fear that he would actually leave.

"Fine." Grissom reached out to place a gentle hand on his daughter's soft hair, before turning to leave.

He just made it into the living room before Kassie enveloped his legs. "NO!" She cried.

Grissom reached down and picked her up. She gripped him with all of her might as he walked to the bedroom. She continued to cry and sob 'no' into his shoulder as he pulled a duffle bag from the closet.

"Sweetie I'm sorry." he set her down on the bed as he gathered a few things. "It's nothing. I'll be back."

"Don't go if you're just going to come back. I'm sorry, I'll do better." She chocked out.

Grissom kneeled in front of her, and reached out to brush her hair back from her red face. "This has nothing to do with you, or Jason,or Sydney."

"Then why?"

He let out a small sigh. "I don't know why. But everything will be okay."

After he had what he needed, Grissom headed for the door leaving Kassie crying on his bed. He stopped briefly to take in Sara as she curled herself up around Sydney and cried herself.

"I love you."

She heard him and began to cry a little harder as the heavy wood door shut, indicating her world had collapsed.

After all that wait I leave you hanging like this? What on earth is wrong with me? Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, I'm insane. Thanks for reading, and to all of those who have left great reviews, keep 'em coming. Have a great day.

TDCSI