" Did you know this guy?" she asked evenly.
Sebastian stared at it for a moment then shook his head. " Never seen him before."
She watched him intently. Probably to trying decipher if he was lying or not. She nodded slowly. " Okay then, you can go. We'll lock the house up when we're finished and have a patrol car sit outside for a couple days. Once we get the body out of here, I'll call a clean up crew that can take care of the mess. Just don't leave the state Sebastian. I'll probably have more questions for you once this investigation gets moving."
" Okay. Thanks for your help," he said quietly and turned to leave.
" Oh and Sebastian?" she called.
Sebastian turned his head, giving her his profile. He waited for her to continue.
" You might want to seek counseling. You shot and killed someone tonight. Whether it be in self defense or not, you need to talk to someone." she said gently.
" I'll think about it," he mumbled then left.
Chapter 2
Sebastian was completely exhausted by the time he got to his parent's house. It was now 4am and his adrenaline had worn off a couple of hours ago and he was ready to crash. He was just about to slide his key in the lock when the door flew open. His mother stood there in her robe, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed Sebastian and pulled him into her arms.
" Oh my baby. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Henry told me everything," she cried, stroking the back of his head.
Sebastian hugged her back, actually glad for the comfort and love. " I'm fine," he murmured.
His father's arms wrapped around both him and his mother. " Jesus son. I'm so glad you're okay," he croaked.
Sebastian took a deep breath and let his parents hold him for a minute. When he pulled back, they let him go. " I'm okay. I was only thinking about protecting Henry and Ethan."
" And you did. You're a hero," his mother whispered, cupping his face. " You're my hero."
Sebastian frowned. " I killed someone," he said roughly.
" You had to. You had to do it to make sure they couldn't go near the kids," his mother insisted.
Sebastian nodded. He knew he had to do it. And he'd do it again in a heartbeat. It was nice to hear someone else say it though. His mother took his hand and pulled him into the house. His parents house was a three bedroom rancher. It wasn't the house he grew up in though. That house had been much bigger and once him and his brothers had moved out, his parents downsized.
" Can I get you anything sweetheart? Something to drink? We have beer," his mother said, running her hand up and down his arm.
It was weird. If this had happened before the fall out with his mother, all her attention and questions would have grated on his nerves. But now...he welcomed it. He didn't feel smothered like he used to. She was genuinely concerned and wanted to make sure that he was okay. It felt really good. Maybe he should give her a chance.
" A beer would be great mom. Thanks," he said quietly.
She gave him a gentle smile then hurried into the kitchen. His father wrapped an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze and a kiss on the temple. He was in pajama pants and a t-shirt. His white hair sticking out in all directions. Obviously they had been asleep when Henry had called them. Speaking of Henry...he appeared from the hallway that lead to the bathroom and bedrooms. He had gotten changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt and had put his glasses on.
" Hey," Sebastian said wearily. Shit. He was tired.
" Hey," Henry said. Giving him a hug.
His mom returned with two open bottles of beer. She handed one to both him and Henry. " Why don't you two sit for a minute and relax?" she suggested.
Henry and Sebastian did as she suggested and went and sat on the couch together. They both took long swigs of their beer.
" How are the kids?" Sebastian asked.
" Fine. They fell asleep in the car," Henry replied, laying his head back on the couch.
" And Claire?"
" She's shaken. But she's okay. She's sleeping too," Henry said, sending him a reassuring smile.
Sebastian sighed heavily and took another sip of his beer. His parents were sitting on the love seat together. His father's arm wrapped around his mother's shoulders.
" You did good tonight Sebastian. I'm glad you were there. I don't think anyone else could have done what you did as well as you did," Henry said, giving Sebastian's thigh a squeeze.
Sebastian smiled slightly at the praise. " Thank you, Henry. I'm glad I was there too."