River was his only constant; always there to soothe away the worries. None of it would matter, and Ezekiel eased into the sure arms of the only person he understood. His parents had loved him once upon a time, but it was too long ago. Ezekiel had closed off his heart, and he didn't want to open it back up again. There wasn't a need to. Now that Watson had made it clear he'd called the woman who gave birth to him, he felt like he wasn't being given a choice.<br/><br/>River proved to be more vocal with Ezekiel in obvious duress, and it was all very disheartening. Watson couldn't sit there and allow the two to think that they weren't wanted.<br/><br/>“That's not true, River. Your parents wanted you, and I can show you two,” Watson told them, pulling up all the info he had on both cases and showing them the lengths that both families went to bring their boys home. He didn't think either were willing to listen, but he tried anyway.<br/><br/>“Ezekiel, your father sold his business to hire his own private investigators,” he informed, then looked meaningfully to the other boy. “And River, your mother rallied your entire home town to your cause.” Both families had gone above and beyond, and it had taken them over a decade to come to terms with the idea that they likely wouldn't ever see their children again. He doubted they ever really found closure. The two boys obviously needed help, and time, and there was no better person to give that than their families, only he was reluctant to call River's mother just yet.<br/><br/>Ezekiel had looked back to Watson, wondering if he was lying. He had to be, that, or Father Lamont was. Still, it planted the seed in his head, and some part of Ezekiel needed to be wanted by his family, even if it was on his own terms. The idea that his mother was on her way was nauseating, but a small part of himself wanted to see her face again. River was whispering sweet promises in his ear, all things he knew, but it helped to hear it.<br/><br/>“It will be a few hours before she arrives. I'm going to go see if I can't find you two something else to eat besides snacks. Just hang tight. It's going to be alright,” Watson told them, deciding it would be a bad idea to try and move them again. Change seemed frightening to them, and he hoped they'd be able to adjust. He sent someone to grab sandwiches and milkshakes from the cafe across the street, and brought it in to the two boys.<br/><br/>“I'm sure you two are hungry. Please, go ahead and eat. It's not a bride for information,” Watson told them, Ezekiel eyeing the food skeptically. He was hungry though. He knew they both were, and finally he gave out, reaching for the sandwich that was wrapped in deli paper. He eyed the shake, and then reached for it as well, if only because Father Lamont would have told them 'no' and he wasn't there to punish them for it. He settled the shake between them, handing River the sandwich after the first bite instead of opening the second one for them to eat separately. Watson wondered if they did anything at all separate, and he turned his computer back around to start a case file and document any notes that may prove useful later on. He wasn't intrusive, and Ezekiel eased somewhat as he got used to their situation on his own. Watson hadn't lied. He hadn't reached out to hit them for taking the sweet before finishing their meal, either. Watson saw fit to let them do whatever it was they wanted, which was to continue to cling to each other as he clicked away on his computer.<br/><br/>Watson was informed when Cassandra Benett arrived, and he left to speak with her first, to try and explain at least what he could gather from the situation. He tried to advise her to take things slow, reminding her that a lot of time had passed and Ezekiel was not longer the same little boy. All that went unheeded the moment she walked into the room. A mother knew their own child. It didn't matter how much time had passed.<br/><br/>Cassandra Benett stood there frozen for a second, starting at her child. She had age to her otherwise pretty face. Her eyes were the same blue, her hair nearly the same blonde. Almost the same color as her son. Watson heard her utter an '<i>oh my god</i>' before she rushed the young man, reaching for Ezekiel.<br/><br/>Ezekiel couldn't process all of it so quickly, and he violently flung himself away, kicking off the desk and toppling both he and and River over. The chair hit the floor hard, but Ezekiel was shuffling away, pulling River with him. He wasn't as adverse to touch as the other young man was, but it was still too much. He didn't know her. She didn't inspire warmth and comfort within him like the arms of a mother reaching for him should. This was a bad idea.<br/><br/>Cassandra's face crumpled in anguish, and she looked to the Officer, all of what he'd said, what he'd tried to prepare her for, started to sink in. She picked up her phone, and called her husband, wiping tears from her face. She was hysterical when Randal picked up the phone, but he was handling everything in a more pragmatic way than she was. Already he'd contacted his legal team, and the private investigator that still had their file tucked away.<br/><br/>“I don't know what to do, Randal. Someone hurt him. Someone took him away from me. He's terrified of me. I'm his mother, and he's scared to death!” Cassandra lamented. She was nodding, and with her husband being the sensible sort, he was trying to snap her out of her hysteria. It was normal, he'd told her. It was nothing against her as a mother. She was wonderful, kind, and nurturing.<br/><br/>Ezekiel watched her blankly, uncaring that he was causing his mother such turmoil. He looked back to Watson. He was holding a hand out to them in surrender, close to Cassandra, trying to convey to them that it would be okay.<br/><br/>“Everybody needs just a second to calm down,” Watson said, Cassandra included. Her emotional state wasn't going to get them anywhere. “You need to give them time to adjust. I have no idea what they've been through.”<br/><br/>"Them?" Cassandra questioned, looking skeptical, putting the phone to her chest. "You need to call the other boys mother!" she snapped.<br/><div class="bbCodeSpoiler">
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