CSI: New York – Family Ties

Summary: (Sequel to 'A Second Chance') What obstacles will Mac and Reed face next when Reed's adoptive father shows up and wants to be a part of Reed's new life? He claims he's a 'changed man' but Mac's not convinced. Can Mac protect Reed without pushing him away? Reed/OC, SMacked.

Chapter 1: Reflections of the past, Outlook of the future.

A/N: Ok, finally the sequel to "A Second Chance at a Family". Hopefully you read that story so you'll be up to speed where this story begins ;) Thanks for all the great reviews on the last story, and for requesting a sequel, hope you enjoy it just as much! For those who didn't read the prequel, basically what you need to know before you read this one is that Reed Garrett was still put up for adoption by Claire when he was born, but when he was very young his father left him and his mother, then 2 years later his mother died in an accident and he was left to grow up in the foster care system. By the time he found Mac he was 17 years old, and not looking for any 'hand outs' or anything to do with Mac at all really; however he found himself in some trouble and Mac was there to rescue him, eventually taking him into his home as part of his family.

A/N 2: A HUGE thank-you shout out to my fellow SMacked enthusiast, Andorian Ice Princess-AIP for all her support for this story, and being my sounding board while I started putting it all together. You rock! Now on with the story...

...

[Mac's POV]

It was shortly after 2:00p.m. when I finally look up from my desk and to the clock on my office wall; normally my day would only be half over by now, but not today. Today I had somewhere important to be, somewhere that was much more important to me than the monotonous case files that I was currently consumed with. 'They'll have to wait' I tell myself as I push myself up from my desk and grab for my suit jacket that was hanging on the coat rack, quickly pulling it on then stepping out of my office and into the busy hallway. I bite my lower lip in an effort to sustain myself from grinning like an idiot as I walk alone down the long hallway. As far as I can tell I don't think it's working because the various lab technicians I've passed all seem to be offering me the same odd look. 'What do I care?' I finally remind myself as I pass them by; I've been looking forward to this day for quite some time. With that thought, I shake my head and continue on down the hall, finally reaching my last stop before heading home.

"So, see you in about an hour?" I ask Stella as I stop outside her office and poke my head inside.

"Yep, just finishing up one last case report, then I'll be heading home to change" She replies with a warm smile and I offer a firm nod in return.

"See you in an hour" A call out as I head toward the elevator.

I make my way outside into the blazing summer heat then climb into the truck and head for home; my mind wandering the whole ride there. I can't believe how fast the last 10 months has flown by me, it almost seems unreal. My life has been altered completely; and for the better I might add. It's hard to believe how far we've come. How did I get to be so lucky? I still haven't figured it out, but I'm grateful nonetheless.

I reach home and make my way into my apartment, a smile lingering on my lips as I step inside and can feel the warmth these walls now offer me, it wasn't so long ago that they were empty and cold, not unlike my life.

Now normally you would never catch me with any type of camera unless I was photographing evidence or a corpse, but as I mentioned, today was an important day, so I head into the kitchen and on the counter is the new camera I had bought; still in its packaging as I hadn't had a reason to open it yet. I get it put together, put the new batteries in it, then pull open a drawer where I keep spare batteries and grab a couple, just in case. 'Oh if Stella could see me now' I laugh to myself as I shove enough batteries into the camera pouch to probably last for a month. She'd be wondering what happened to the old Mac Taylor. 'Not that that would be a complaint', I remind myself.

I wander out of the kitchen, heading down the hallway and I can't help but think to myself of the long road that got us here, and how today will always be remembered as one of my proudest memories. Reed is so consumed by his current task that he doesn't even hear me approach his room. I lean on the doorframe to his bedroom and can't help but smirk as I watch his fingers get tangled in the knot of his tie, and notice the obvious look of frustration in his eyes as he concentrates deeply while staring into the mirror in front of him. I take the moment to just stop and reflect on everything we've been through, and what's come out of it from when we first met last summer. We've lived, we've laughed, we've learned. I taught him how to play the bass guitar, and how to drive, and he's taught me possibly the most valuable lesson; whether he realizes it or not; he's taught me the importance of family. Scratch that; we've taught each other that lesson. We had both just been going through life, pretending to be content with what fate had offered us, not realizing how much we were really missing out on since our loved ones had left us. Denial can be very powerful, and I know now how thankful we both are to have found each other. Reed is my family, I remind myself and my smile grows bigger. I focus back on watching him as he finally lets out a loud sigh of defeat and drops his hands to his sides.

"Stupid tie..." I hear him grumbling under his breath.

"Need a hand?" I finally ask and he turns towards me offering a small frown.

"No. I can do it..." he mumbles as he looks back into the mirror and begins fidgeting with the knot again. He's persistent and stubborn in just about everything he does; and I flash a quick smile, thinking about how Stella never misses an opportunity to point out how oddly alike he and I are.

"Yeah, I can see that" I counter, letting out a small chuckle as I walk up behind him and turn him to face me.

"Let me see..." I begin as I start to untie the mangled mess of fabric hanging around his neck.

"You'd make one hell of a boy scout; unfortunately the tie is supposed to be for fashion, not function." I tell him with a slight smirk and he rolls his eyes sarcastically before grinning back at me.

"very funny"

As I finally free the tie from the mess of a knot he somehow managed to create, I start over from the beginning, tying it slowly and carefully explaining each step as I go and he watches with intense concentration, trying to commit it all to memory.

"...and there you go, that's all there is to it" I finish my demonstration and he looks up at me with a slight smile.

"I was getting to that part..." he jokingly mutters.

"Of course you were" I counter with a sarcastic wink. "Are you just about ready?"

"Yep, all set, just gotta grab my jacket"

Reed grabbed for his suit jacket, threw it on, then looked at me for approval to which I smiled and nodded.

"You look great" I rewarded him as I went to tousle his hair and he quickly pulled his head back on contact.

"Dad!" he groaned. "Watch the hair!"

"Ewww? What is this stuff?" I asked with a slightly disgusted expression on my face as I looked at my goo covered hand.

"It's wax"

"wax?"

"Yeah, like bees wax, but it's for your hair" he explained and I raised an eyebrow in response.

"Whatever happened to plain ol' pomade?" I asked, somewhat jokingly, and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Um, the 21st century happened?"

"Funny kid, now get in the truck"

He laughs and we head out of the apartment, stopping at the kitchen first so I can wash my hands.

...

"So... can I drive?" Reed asks as we reach the parking lot.

"Well, I guess it is your big day..." I reply with a smile and toss him the keys to the Avalanche and he instantly grins with gratitude.

"Can I turn on the siren?" he chuckles as we climb inside and I quickly roll my eyes.

"Don't push your luck pal"

"Ah, no worries; one day I'll have my own siren" he replies with a confident grin, causing me to smirk in return. He had told me a few months ago that forensic science was definitely the field he wanted to pursue, and to be honest, I've never felt prouder. Everything about Reed fascinates me; my only regret now is that we hadn't met sooner. To this day it still irks me to think of what he had to go through growing up and how he had nobody there for him. He shrugs it off and tells me it's how he got to become the person he is today, unfortunately I guess I'm not as forgiving as he is.

"Have I told you how proud of you I am?" I ask in sincerity as I pull myself from my thoughts, turning to face him while I fasten my seat belt.

"Only about ten times since this morning"

"Oh... right. Well, once more couldn't hurt" I respond with grin. "Now let's get out of here before we're late"

We ease into the steady afternoon traffic and make our way a few blocks north to our first stop where Cassie awaits us on the front steps to her building, immediately smiling as she sees Reed pull the truck up to the entrance. He quickly hops out and opens the back door for her to get in.

"You look great!" she rewards him with a smile as she tugs on his tie, pulling his head down closer to her, giving her the chance to catch his lips with hers. They quickly pull apart, for my benefit I'm sure, and Cassie hops into the back seat.

"Cassie" I greet her with a smile and she quickly offers one back.

"Hey Mac. Thanks for picking me up"

"It's no trouble at all. I told Stella we'd pick her up as well so it was on the way"

The moment the sentence left my lips Reed and Cassie instantly turn to face each other and offer curious grins. Reed being convinced from day one that there was more going on between Stella and I then I had let on; or at the very least, that I had wanted there to be more going on.

"Alright you two, that's enough" I lightly scold them which only turns their smirks into full fledged laughter.

"We didn't say anything..." Reed quickly defends their actions. "Geez, someone's got a complex...." he laughs again and I roll my eyes.

"Come on, let's go or we're going to be late"

"Alright, alright. You win" he finally complies as he puts the truck in gear and we're back on the road. "So, does your friend know we're on our way?"

I can't help but let out a small chuckle before reminding him to keep his eyes on the road. I send a quick text to Stella, letting her know we're on our way and within a few minutes we're at her place and she's already waiting for us.

Once she settles into the back seat next to Cassie she looks to Reed with an endearing smile.

"You look great Reed"

"Thanks. And thanks for coming Stella"

"Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss it for the world" She offered back, and Reed rewarded her with a warm smile before heading us back out into traffic.

"So Cass, how was your first year at N.Y.U.? Exciting?" Stella asked as we head across town.

"Um yeah, exciting... scary, challenging, fun, exhausting, informative, expensive... It's a lot of things" she laughed lightly.

"Oh yes, I remember it being all of those things, and then some" Stella added.

"So," Stella continued; "you must be happy that Reed will be joining you this fall huh?"

"Oh yeah, gonna bag me a freshman" Cassie teased and the colour in Reeds face instantly reddened.

I smirked at Reeds obvious embarrassment, and although he pretended not to notice me I'm sure he did and knows I'm one up on him again; our silly game still continuing after all this time.

Several minutes later we had finally arrived at Reed's high school where the graduation ceremony was taking place. He parks the truck and we all step out, and head inside; making our way toward the auditorium.

"You guys go ahead" I tell Stella and Cassie as we linger outside the auditorium doors. "I'll be there in a few"

"Okay" Stella nodded and her and Cassie disappear into the heavily crowded room.

"I want to talk to you about something Reed" I began as we shuffled our way over against a wall and away from the busy doorway.

"What's up?"

"Well, I know that you got accepted for that job at the lab as part of the clean-up crew..." I began but he quickly cut me off.

"Sanitation engineer" he corrected me with a smirk.

"What?"

"I prefer 'sanitation engineer'. Sure, it's a self-proclaimed title, but makes it sound a little more dignified than say janitor"

I can't help but let out a small laugh before continuing. "Okay, sure, well call it whatever you want but the point I was getting to was that first of all, I'm proud of you that you want to earn your own money for school, and I respect it, but Reed I don't think you realize how expensive it all really is and..."

"How many times are we going to talk about this?" he quickly interrupted, and I can't say I'm surprised.

"Saving up for college takes years," he began again. "And seeing as you haven't even known me a year I can't expect you to have that kind of money to just hand over, and I wouldn't take it from you even if you did. In the mean time, there's student loans I can take out, and scholarships, grants, and whatever money I can make in the lab this summer; every little bit helps, right?"

"True, but at your age, and getting your first job you should be using your money to buy a car, or more gunk to put in your hair, or whatever you kids do with money these days" I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood but his frown remains.

"Look, for the last time I'm not taking your money. Like I said, you haven't saved for this and..."

"It's true I haven't" I quickly interrupt and he looks up at me with one eyebrow raised.

"What does that mean, you haven't?"

"Here, call it a graduation gift" I tell him as I reach into my breast pocket and hand him a piece of paper.

"Is this my bank statement?"

"Yeah... And that would be your gift" I tell him as I point to a specific line on the paper.

"Woah!" he exclaimed immediately, his eyes widening. "Where did this...." His voice trailed off as he looked at me in confusion.

"Your mother. Claire" I answer him and he just goes from slightly confused to completely baffled.

"What?"

I let out a soft sigh before diving into my explanation. "Well, you see when Claire and I first got married, she started putting money away into this savings account of hers, just a little bit here and there to start, but when we got more financially stable she started putting more and more money into the account and I always asked her why she did it, what it was for, and she always answered with the same response 'just in case' she'd say. Why anyone would need that amount of money 'just in case' was beyond me, but like I said we were living comfortably enough that if she wanted to do that with her money than it was fine by me. Anyway she..." I stopped for a brief moment to clear my throat. "she died, and we never used it. Never had our 'just in case', and when she died all of her assets went to me including that savings account and I never touched it. Nothing ever seemed deserving enough for me to use it, so it sat there, and sat there, collecting interest all this time"

"Dad..." Reed tried interrupting, his voice breaking and his eyes beginning to glisten.

"Let me finish. You're that 'just in case' Reed. You're the special something that would come along and warrant that money being spent. Don't argue with me because I'm not taking no for an answer, and if Claire was here with us today; I know in my heart, as I think you know in yours; she wouldn't take it either. She'd want you to have this Reed, I know she would. Trust me on this, alright?"

[Reed's POV]

My brain can't even begin to come up with word of gratitude to offer; 'thanks' just doesn't seem to be enough. With my heart wrenching in my chest and my eyes beginning to feel that familiar sting, I can do nothing but throw my arms around him and nod my head in agreement against his shoulder. As he mentioned, I'd be fighting a losing battle if I even tried to convince him otherwise. Besides, he tells me it's what my mother would've wanted and I absolutely believe him.

I finally pull away from him and as he lets me go my sleeve instantly goes to my face, trying to wipe away the few tears that had escaped me.

"Thanks for sending the girls in to find their seats" I tell him with a slight chuckle as I'm finally able to find my voice again.

"Well it looks like I better catch up to them I think you're about to start" he reminds me as he looks at his watch.

"Alright, well, I guess I'll see you after then" I mentioned in haste as I notice the auditorium has now gone quiet, and they're clearly getting ready to begin.

Mac nods his head and goes into the auditorium, in search of Stella and Cassie as I make my way around to the stage entrance where I join the rest of my peers as we get ready to head inside to take our seats in the front rows.

Within a few minutes we're led inside the auditorium and make our way to our seats, the large crowd clapping and snapping pictures as we do. I reach my seat and slink down into my chair, starting to feel some light nervous anxiety as the ceremony begins and I know it won't be long before I have to get up in front of all these people and walk across the stage to accept my diploma. I think back to the conversation Mac and I just had and feel my anxiety easing, and a smile starts tugging at my lips. He never ceases to amaze me. We've had our share of ups and downs, mostly from when we first met, but in the end it only made us stronger. 'I don't think there's anything that could come between us now...' my mind utters fatefully as I finally go back to concentrating on the ceremony.

...

A couple hours later the ceremony finally comes to a close and the crowd bustles out of the auditorium and into the busy front foyer. I follow the others backstage and quickly pull off my grad gown, ready to head back out front.

"Hey, Reed!" I turn to see my friend Dom sprinting up to me.

"Dom, what's up?"

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Oh, not much, my dad made a dinner reservation and..." I began but he cuts me off.

"Well, we've got two extra spots in the limo, why don't you get your girl and hang with us tonight? Come on man, you said your dad's cool, he's not gonna mind is he?"

"Probably not" I tell him in truth. "Let me go find them and I'll get back to you"

"Alright man, I'll see ya in a bit"

I take my leave and go in search of Mac, Cassie and Stella; finally spotting them lingering by the front doors. They notice me and Cassie comes running towards me; throwing her arms around my neck I grab onto her waist and swing her around.

"Congratulations baby!" she whispers into my ear, then I set her down, my arms still wrapped around her.

"Thanks"

"We are so proud of you Reed" Stella mentions as her and Mac reach us. I let go of Cassie and Mac puts a hand on my shoulder, pulling me against him for a quick hug.

"So are we all ready to go?" Stella asks and I look up at the three of them with a hesitant gaze.

"Ummm... well, Dad, if you and Stella don't mind, I was kind of thinking of a change of plan..." I begin and he looks at me in curiosity. I explain the invitation from Dom, and not surprisingly he offers me a smile.

"Reed, whatever you want to do. It's your day. You should go and have fun with your friends"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Now go, before they leave without you"

"Alright, don't wait up!"

"Just have fun"

"We will!"

I offer one last smile back at them, hug Stella and thank her for coming, then grab Cassie by the hand and lead us outside to find Dom. We spot the limo out front and Dom's head sticking out of the sunroof.

"Garrett! You comin' or what? Let's go!"

We head over to the limo, climb inside and quickly pull away from the school. We head through various parts of town, talking and laughing amongst each other, and the night seems to fly by faster than any of us had realized. Before we knew it, it was almost 1am and time to call it a night. One by one, they dropped us off. I had considered just spending the night at Cassie's, but seeing how late it was I didn't want to call Mac at this hour to let him know I wouldn't be coming home. He wouldn't have minded me staying out, but we agreed that I'd always let him know when I wouldn't be coming home. I respected our agreement, so regrettably said goodnight to Cassie as the limo stopped outside her building. I get back inside the car and we head over to my place.

"Thanks Dom, we had a blast" I offer as I step out of the limo.

"Yeah man, glad you could come. I'll see you around alright?"

"Alright, take it easy"

"Peace" he called out as the limo rolled away and I headed inside.

Once inside the quiet and darkened apartment, I tiptoe to my bedroom, trying not to disturb Mac, as I know he's got to work in the morning. I shed myself of my suit, change into my pyjama pants and a t-shirt and crawl into bed, my eyes more than willing to close once my head hits the pillow.

...

The faint sound of Mac's alarm clock pulls me out of my slumber and I groan as I rollover to read my bedside clock. '6a.m.'I mumble as I slide the covers off. Usually I'd stay in bed and just go back to sleep but I need to use the washroom, so regrettably push myself out of my warm bed and stumble sleepily into the hallway, stopping dead in my tracks as I notice a dark figure heading out of Mac's bedroom.

"Stella?!?" I finally manage to blurt out and she looks at me with equal shock.

"Reed! Um..."

...

**Sorry folks, I know I'm evil but I've got to stop it here. Stay tuned for much, much more to come! And please review! Thanks everyone!**

P.S. – If you're wondering why Reed calls Mac 'Dad', but then refers to him as 'Mac' in his thoughts, it's because he knows that Mac isn't really his father, but calls him Dad anyway because he wants to, and because he feels that close to him. So hopefully that didn't come off as confusing or anything :)

P.S.S. – I haven't forgotten about "College Years", it will be updated soon ;)