"I still don't understand why this Eric guy had a grudge against you Jeremy." Bill Stokes said, stopping to face his oldest son.
Jeremy shrugged. "I don't know why either. I guess he just didn't like me because I wouldn't work for him or was jealous that you're a judge...who the hell knows. That doesn't matter though because we're both okay."
Brass and Grissom looked at each other. They had left out a lot of details as to what had happened because they didn't want to upset Jeremy and Nick's parents too much. They had already dealt with so much when Nick had been kidnapped. They didn't tell them that both of their sons had worked for Eric, or the extent of what had happened at Eric's house not too long ago. They also didn't mention the fact that Nick had killed two people, even though he did it to save himself and his friends. All they said was the bare details of what had happened, and that seemed like it was taking it's toll enough.
"Now you're okay...but what about next time?" Jill Stokes asked.
"There's not gonna be a next time mom. Don't worry, everything's fine. We uh...handled it perfectly and waited this long to tell you because we knew you'd freak out." Nick said.
Jill threw her hands up in the air. "Well of course I would! My sons' lives were in danger yet again, but they think everything is perfectly okay. You two better be more careful from now on, or I'll have to keep you separate."
"We're not little kids anymore. You can't ground us." Jeremy protested. The look the two men received from their mother undoubtedly scared both of them. Even Brass, Grissom and Warrick were imtimidated.
"She'll still try." Nick said to Jeremy under his breath.
"Pancho, " Bill said, referring to Nick by his nickname, "Why didn't you just tell Eric where you hid whatever it is he wanted? Or turn him into the police? Wouldn't that have been much simpler and smarter?"
Nick shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. But I didn't have time and..." He trailed off because he knew he wouldn't get anywhere. "Look, I know you guys are upset because we got into trouble again...but it's over with now and we're both okay. We won't do it again and promise to stay outta trouble." Nick elbowed his brother. "Right Jere?"
Jeremy nodded. "Yeah, we promise. I'll keep Nicky out of trouble." Nick glared at Jeremy, who just smiled at him.
Jill still seemed uneasy. "Why can't you two just be normal adults and not get into trouble in every way possible? Are you trying to break my heart?"
Before Jeremy could reply with a sarcastic remark, Nick said, "Of course not. It's just in our nature I guess. But we won't do it anymore. From now on, we'll be the most boring sons ever."
Jill sighed. "That's all I ask." She turned to Grissom, Brass and Warrick. "Please keep an eye on both of them. If they do anything stupid, feel free to take necessary action. I trust you more than I trust those two."
Nick and Jeremy finally gave in to the smiles that had been tugging at their lips. They looked at each other and sighed sarcastically, earning themselves a hit on their arms from their mother. They flinched back, but not in time. Bill was unable to surpress a laugh, and was in turn also hit on the arm.
"Girls are so much easier than boys." Jill said exasperated.
All of the men in the room looked around at each other for a minute. Then they all shrugged and nodded in agreement.
A few hours had passed, leaving Jeremy and Nick sitting in Nick's living room by themselves. Their parents had returned home after a short visit. Warrick, Brass and Grissom had left shortly after because they all had work that needed to be done. So that left the two brothers sitting on the couch watching TV in silence. Neither one of them really wanted to speak because they weren't sure of what they were supposed to say. Nick still thought that Jeremy was mad at him for the incident on the roof. Jeremy still felt like he had let Nick down for his entire life and didn't know how to change that. But he figured he had to start somewhere.
"Mom really would have had a heart attack if she knew everything that had happened." Jeremy said.
Nick nodded. "Yeah...that wouldn't have been good at all. She would have been really pissed." He looked over at Jeremy. "At me, not you."
"Would you blame her?" Jeremy asked.
Nick shook his head. "No. I know it's hard to uderstand...but I swear I'm not trying to hurt anyone. I just can't help but think it would be for the best if I was gone."
Jeremy turned so he was directly facing Nick. "Do you remember when you were in seventh grade and it was your first day after the junior high had been built again so it was connected to the high school?"
Nick frowned in confusion. "Yeah, what's your point?"
"I remember getting into a fight with Jason Rahyre. I got suspended on the first day of school and mom grounded me for like a month. I didn't tell her the real reason I got into a fight with him."
"It was because of me." Nick thought out loud.
Jeremy nodded. "He was being a jackass to you and thought it was funny to beat you up because you were smaller and weaker than he was. He didn't listen when I told him to back off, so I beat the hell out of him."
Nick didn't say anything back. He just stared at Jeremy and waited for him to go on. "You didn't know that was the reason I got into a fight with him either. But I did because your my little brother and that's what I'm supposed to do. I know I haven't done a very good job as of late, but I'm here to protect you. If you weren't here, who would be my little brother?"
Nick shook his head slowly. "It's not your fault that I want to-"
Jeremy cut him off. "Don't say that. Don't." He said firmly. "I know you've been through so much, and I swear I would kill anyone who has ever hurt you if I could. But I can't do that because I'd get arrested and then wouldn't be there for you at all anymore." Nick laughed lightly. Jeremy continued. "I understand that I'm not the ideal choice for a brother, but that doesn't mean that you get to quit on me. Don't give up on me now Nicky."
Nick nodded. "I won't. I'm sorry I keep causing you and every one else so much pain...I don't mean to. All I ever wanted to do was hurt myself."
"You getting hurt causes me more pain than anything ever could."
Nick knew Jeremy was telling the truth. He always believed everything his older brother told him. It was a habit Nick had picked up growing up, and he didn't quite know if it was a good or bad habit. Nick was like any other little brother who wanted their older brother to like them and be proud of them at all times. Nick hated causing Jeremy pain and wanted to prevent that from every happening again. It never occured to him that to do that and end his own life would hurt more than anything else Nick could have put Jeremy through.
Nick didn't know what to say, so he didn't say anything at all. He just pulled Jeremy into a brief hug before sitting back and smiling. Jeremy felt that he had made his point, so he too sat back and turned his attention back to the baseball game on TV. Nick began to watch again as well, but wasn't thinking about the game. He was thinking about how lucky he was to have the friends and family that he did. He didn't want to think about where he would be without them. So he didn't think about it. Instead, he fell into the usual banter with Jeremy while they watched sports and argued back and forth over anything they could think of.
Both brothers knew that despite what happened or how bad things seemed, they'd always be there no matter what.
THE END
I hope you enjoyed this story. Thanks to everyone who read and a special thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it.