Ezekiel nodded at River, but he didn't have any intention of actually sleeping. It was too stressful a situation, and with so many unknowns, he would keep a careful eye out. He was tired, yes, but he could sleep later, and River could keep watch. It wasn't normal for them. There was some amount of predictability with Lamont that generally allowed them to curl up and sleep fine together. At least they knew they couldn't stop him from doing whatever it was he was going to do, but in this, perhaps they had more power than that. Without fear, or perhaps driven<i>by</i>fear, Ezekiel was ready to fight for his love if need be.<br/><br/>Zeke listened, and buried his face against River's familiar form and he listened. He wanted to know what to expect. Cassandra was explaining that both of them would be staying, so maybe she wasn't being deceitful, or maybe she was trying to get him to lower his guard to that she might take River away more easily. What loyalty did she have to a boy that wasn't her own? No good reason to keep them both, as he saw it. The only loyalty Ezekiel had left was to River, and River to him, so they'd leave if they had to. River's words weighed heavy in his ears.<br/><br/><i>Everyone is a liar.</i><br/><br/>Cassandra seemed to be having a disagreement with Randall over the phone.<br/><br/>“No, I'm taking him<i>home</i>. Where he belongs. Not to the hospital. Not in for more questioning. So help me, Randall, if you don't handle this with the proper care, I will never forgive you. He's our<i>son</i>, and we can worry about prosecution after I get him home and comfortable.” A pause.<br/><br/>“Yes,<i>both</i>of them home and comfortable. They're sleeping. I'll call you back. Keep your private investigators and detectives out of my home, at least for today.” She was quiet the rest of the drive, knuckles pressed white on the steering wheel, steering peeks from the rear view mirror whenever she could. She didn't interrupt them, and Zeke pretended to sleep the entire ride, but lifted his head when she felt them pull up, and stop. She didn't say anything a moment, and then turned back to them.<br/><br/>“You're home,” she told him softly.<br/><br/>Ezekiel shook River awake before he even looked. For some reason, he wasn't expecting that they would have remained in the same house he'd grown up in for a short amount of time. He hardly remembered it, but there was something warmly familiar about it. It was a simple home, enough for a family, but not excessive.<br/><br/>“I remember this place,” he whispered to River. Zeke didn't realize it, but deep down, it made him feel safer. He was clutching his best friend's hand with both of his own, keeping him close as he approached the front door, led by Cassandra. He looked ready to bolt again. River, most likely was waiting for him to. They were incredibly in tuned to one another, as constant a thing as shadows. If Zeke ran, River would be right behind him, or vice versa. Lamont used to call them that, each other's shadow, but he meant it as an insult; a weakness. Ezekiel had turned it into a term of endearment for River, of course never letting Lamont hear him whisper it fondly to River. It was an act of defiance that he couldn't stop. '<i>My love, my shadow</i>,' Ezekiel would say.<br/><br/>“No one is home,” Cassandra said, so that neither would worry. Her younger son was out and about, either still at practice or with one of his friends. Randall's car wasn't in the driveway, and so most likely he was dealing with the formality side of things. Trying to determine how they should proceed legally. She unlocked the door, and left it open. Zeke went inside, flashes of his youth returning to him, but distant and vague.<br/><br/>Cassandra had so many questions, but she didn't let them spill out of her mouth right away. Instead she poured them both ice tea and cut up a fresh lemon which was sitting in a fruit bowl on the kitchen counter. Ezekiel didn't drink the tea. Sugar was allowed very rarely, but never caffeinated beverages like tea, soda, or coffee. A test him was assuming, one he wasn't willing to chance getting the wrong answer with.<br/><br/>“How long have you two been with each other?” she asked, wanting to know<br/><br/>“Always,” Zeke told her vaguely. It was close enough to have felt like always, and River knew he didn't like to talk about the time they didn't have one another. Those years were more painful than any punishment Lamont had ever administered.<br/><br/>“You two are welcome to any part of the home. This is your home, Ezekiel. Do you.. remember your room?” she chanced asking, and Zeke shrugged. He wasn't sure.<br/><br/>“It's a little different now, but you can go up to it. You can stay in there. We have another bedroom for River..” She didn't know how she was going to deal with her husband if the two wanted to share a room together, and she hoped they wouldn't press. Ezekiel only gave her a look that she didn't quite know how to read.<br/><br/>“The one bedroom will be fine,” Zeke said, if they'd be staying. He tugged the other boy along, to the stairs, leaving his mother in the kitchen. He stopped at them though, glancing to the front door, and tangled both hands in River's shirt. He didn't care if they wrinkled, though some part of him was anxious at disrupting the nice fabric.<br/><br/>“What do you want to do, River? Where do you want to go? Is this okay? Do you think<i>this</i>is going to be okay?” Ezekiel was torn between going upstairs, or going back outside to deliberate. He'd do neither without reassurance from River.<br/><br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
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