Same trigger warnings apply l I hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for your support.
Kelly anxiously chewed on his lip as he gently knocked on the door of Jay's house, he felt a small twinge of pain as his bruised knuckles collided with the door. Over the past week Kelly had become a regular guest at the Halstead house, he was by no means best friends with Jay but right now the boy was the only person who understood how he was feeling. They were united in their guilt for what had happened to their best friend, both boys had been overwhelmed with regret ever since Matt had been arrested over a week ago.
A few moments passed by before Kelly heard footsteps approaching, the door opened and Kelly came face to face with Pat Halstead. The older man took one look at him before wandering off leaving the door wide open. Kelly followed the man inside, he had learnt over the last few days that leaving the door open was the older man's ways of saying come in. Kelly watched the man with a small smile. Despite having a similar gruff demeanour to his own father, Pat was nothing like Benny. His father always liked to play up to a crowd, he liked being centre of attention, where as Pat Halstead didn't seem to care at all about what other people thought, not even his own sons. The man rarely engaged in conversation and if he did it was always purposeful. Pat Halstead preferred to be left alone, he was happiest in solitude.
"Hurry up Jay, your friend is here again" yelled Pat as he stumbled towards the kitchen where Will was sat at the counter happily spooning cereal into his mouth.
"Hi Kelly" mumbled the young boy excitedly between mouthfuls.
"Morning Will" greeted Kelly as he lingered by the doorway, even though he'd been around the Halstead house a lot the past few days he still felt like an intruder.
"Jay's just getting ready, sit down " instructed Pat in a voice that left no room for negotiation. When Kelly obediently sat down next to Will Pat pushed an empty bowl in front of him. Wordlessly Will passed him over the box of cereal before returning his focus to his own food. Kelly mumbled his thanks before reluctantly filling the bowl, he'd already eaten but he didn't want to appear rude. As he picked up a spoon he wondered if they used to do this for Matt, he knew when Matt's father was in a bad mood the young boy often went without meals. Kelly also knew Matt was too proud to admit when he was hungry and despised asking for help, he guessed that was the reason Pat had automatically given him breakfast without addressing what he was doing and why.
A few moments later Will stood up and headed upstairs, as one halstead disappeared another appeared, Jay shuffled into the kitchen and took Will's seat without muttering so much as a hello. But Kelly didn't mind, his dislike for Jay was slowly slipping away and he found himself enjoying the other boy's company. They ate in a comfortable silence and only once breakfast was finished did Jay finally speak.
"My dad said he'd drop us off, he doesn't start work till later, but we'll have to get the bus back" explained Jay earning a small nod from Kelly. It was a normal school day but a few days ago the boys had landed themselves in hot water and as a result they were both on suspension until the following week.
The news of Matt's current predicament had spread around the school like wild fire, everyone knew quiet Matt Casey star of the baseball team had been arrested for killing his own father. However they didn't know about the abuse Matt had endured, they didn't know that Gregory Casey had gotten everything he deserved. Therefore everyone who didn't know what sort of person Matt really was had branded him a heartless killer ; only a few people were stupid enough to voice their opinions in front of Kelly and Jay. When foul mouthed Ted Griffin asked Jay how he felt about living next door to a murderer he snapped, Jay had immediately punched Ted sparking a fight between them and Ted's slimy friends. Kelly had seen the fight and immediately leapt to Jay's defence, the boys gave as good as they got but the brawl ended in a trip to the principles office. Ted and his friends got off lightly with a week of detention each but both Jay and Kelly had been involved in a few fights already that year, despite understanding the boys motives the principle had no other choice than to suspend the boys for the rest of the week.
Pat Halstead would never tell his son but if he had been in Jay's position he would have done exactly the same, from what he had heard that Ted Griffin deserved to get his ass handed to him.
Fortunately Kelly's legal guardian Rachel had also shared Pat's understanding. The last few days the boys had spent their free time searching for relatives and friends of Nancy Casey, they were hoping to find someone who could take in Matt or even point them in the direction of Nancy Casey. Jay believed if they talked to her they could convince her to come back but Kelly wasn't so sure. Personally he'd always hated her as much as he hated Matt's father, he knew she wasn't to blame for the physical abuse Matt suffered but she was far from a loving mother. She was extremely manipulative, always telling Matt that they'd been happy before he was born, she made the blonde believe his fathers violent actions were all his fault. If it wasn't for the fact Matt needed her to rescue him from prison Kelly would be celebrating the fact that the rotten woman was finally gone.
As the boys waited outside Pat Halstead's car they watched in amusement as Will trudged down the path.
"Can't I come with you two" whined the younger boy,
"Nope you've got school" Jay responded smirking.
"Well what if I get suspended like you?" Asked Will with a mischievous grin, Kelly tried to stifle a chuckle as he watched the younger boy's antics.
"Don't even think about it" broke in Pat in a firm voice as he appeared on the porch, Will huffed in defeat before dragging his feet towards the bus stop.
After a relatively short journey the unlikely duo hopped out of the car, Jay wished his father goodbye while Kelly examined the house in front of them. After their search to find someone to take in Matt failed they decided to take a trip to Nancy's place of work, a small diner not far from when Matt lived. Nancy's sleazy boss had refused to hand over any information, when the two boys headed for the exit a waitress bumped into Jay, after recovering from the collision he realised she'd slipped something into his jacket pocket, it was a torn piece of paper with an address messily scribbled across it.
Now as the two boys stared at the building in front of them confusion melded with surprise washed over them,
"Are you sure this is the right place?" inquired Kelly sceptically.
"Yes, dad was positive" said Jay looking down at the crumpled paper in his hand before looking back at the grand house in front of them. It was triple the size of Jay's house and it was surrounded by a large luscious green garden. The building only increased the boys curiosity, neither of them had a clue who they would find inside the house.
"Maybe the waitress gave you a fake address" suggested Kelly scrunching his eyebrows together.
"I guess there's only one way to find out" Jay replied before starting up the brick path leading to a large wooden door. Kelly lingered behind Jay as the other boy rang the door bell, they waited patiently but there was no answer. They tried ringing the bell a few more times but each time they were met with silence.
"What now?" Questioned Jay glumly.
"I don't know, we've run out of family and friends to talk to" Kelly sighed pressing his hand against his forehead.
"But we need to get Matt out of that dreadful place" stated Kelly in a more lively determined tone.
"I know" sighed Jay. They'd spoken to the detective on Matt's case a few days ago; when they asked if they could see Matt the older man had told them that Matt was refusing visitors. Also their questions about Matt's current state of mind had been met with a grim expression followed by the sergeant promising that he was trying his best to get Matt out.
"Excuse me" called a feminine voice, the boys looked up to see a smartly dressed woman standing in front of them, she looked a similar age to Nancy. The two boys had been too deep in thought earlier to notice the fancy car pulling up and the woman stepping out. The lady looked slightly intimidated by the two teenagers stood on her porch.
"I- uh sorry" mumbled Kelly as they turned around and faced the annoyed woman.
"What do you want?" Asked the woman confused as she eyed the two boys.
"We were hoping you knew a Nancy Casey?" At Jays question the woman's expression instantly turned cold.
"I think you better leave" she stated as she moved past the boys and began fiddling with the front door.
"Please we really need to talk to her" pleaded Jay before the woman could disappear inside the posh house.
"I'm sorry I can't help you" the woman insisted in a clipped tone.
"We just need to talk to her" Kelly explained growing agitated, he understood that the woman was trying to protect her friend but in his opinion Nancy Casey wasn't someone who deserved protecting. The only person who deserved help was the son she had abandoned.
"Please get off my yard" snapped the woman.
"No, we're not leaving until you tell us where Nancy Casey is" yelled Kelly as he sat down on the steps of her porch.
"Kelly I think we better go" urged Jay as he observed the woman in front of them, she was clutching her phone ready to call someone, the last thing they needed was for the cops to turn up. Jay grabbed Kelly's sleeve and tried tugging the other boy up into a standing position but the dark haired teen refused to move.
"No, what's the worst that can happen I end up in prison with Matt, maybe we'll even get to be cell mates" responded Kelly snidely with a fake smile plastered on his face.
"Look we mean no harm but if you know anything at all that could help us we'd be really grateful" explained Jay turning towards the lady with his hands raised in mock surrender.
"What did you mean by ending up in prison like Matt, I thought he'd ran away" she inquired in a weak voice, she was beginning to fill up with doubt.
"No, they charged him with his fathers death, he's in juvie awaiting trial" informed Jay with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"He wouldn't be in juvie if it wasn't for his useless mother taking off" Kelly spat with a look of disgust, Benny may have abandoned him but at least he didn't leave him locked up.
"Shit" cursed the woman scrubbing a hand across her face.
"What have I done" she mumbled before sitting down next to Kelly and holding her head in her hands.
"I'm sorry, I should've known she was lying" sighed the woman. She knew how manipulative Nancy Casey could be but she still let the other woman fool her into helping.
"God I was such an idiot" the woman rambled before looking up at Jay who was watching her with a passive expression.
"She's gone, I just dropped her off at the airport" sighed the woman, Suddenly Kelly felt bile rise in his throat as his heart threatened to explode.
"Where did she go?" asked Kelly fighting the panic spreading over him.
"Don't know, I didn't ask" the woman admitted flushing with embarrassment.
"You didn't ask?" Kelly questioned incredulously, if he paid for a friend's plane ticket he'd want to know where they were going.
"I didn't want to overwhelm her, she seemed really shaken up, her husband had just died" the woman reasoned in a voice weighed down with regret.
"Oh she was shaken up, imagine how Matt feels, his father tried to kill him, his mother abandoned him and then he was locked up for trying to keep himself alive" yelled Kelly jumping up off the steps, he began angrily pacing around kicking at a few stray pebbles littering the path. Matt was like his little brother and he'd abandoned him, he was just as bad as Nancy Casey. If Kelly hadn't been busy blaming Matt for Andy's death he would have noticed how bad things had gotten in the Casey residence.
"Hey I know you're mad, I am too but we'll find another way to help Matt" said Jay standing up and placing a hand on Kelly's shoulder supportively. He looked over at the crestfallen woman sat on the steps before continuing,
"Besides it's not her fault, you know how conniving Nancy is". Kelly nodded minutely before muttering an apology to the woman watching them carefully. Her sympathy for the two boys only increased the guilt whirring around her stomach.
"Have you got any idea where she may have gone or if she's ever coming back?" questioned Kelly desperately.
"No I'm sorry" sighed the woman, she had met Nancy at college, they had been good friends but over the years they had drifted apart. She'd only seen Nancy a handful of times over the last ten years, she'd seen Matt even less. But from what she saw she could tell Matt was a good kid, Nancy had told her that after Matt killed Gregory Casey in self defence he took off before the police arrived, she thought it was odd that Nancy wasn't out searching for a her son; however she had assumed that Nancy was just reeling from grief and shock. She couldn't believe how naive she had been.
"I'm really sorry about Matt but there's nothing I can do to help you" admitted the woman dejectedly.
The two boys trudged away from the bus stop feeling completely useless, the ride home had been shrouded in silence as neither of the boys knew what to say. That had been their last shot at helping Matt, they felt like the entire universe was against them helping their friend. As they neared Jay's house they spotted a familiar car parked outside. Maybe their day was about to brighten up after all . The two boys sped up their pace until they could see Hank Voight sat in the drivers seat, curiosity filled the boy's as the window was slowly rolled down, they were eager to discover why the Sergeant had been waiting for them . Voight carefully studied the two exhausted looking boys in front of him.
"Heard you two got suspended" revealed Voight with amusement seeping into his voice, Donna had informed of the incident in the cafeteria, it had instantly increased his fondness for the two boys. He admired their loyalty towards Matt, the blonde boy definitely needed friends like them watching his back.
"Yeah" mumbled Jay shifting from side to side as he felt the man silently analysing them.
"How do you feel about taking a little trip to see Matt? Don't worry I cleared it with your guardians" asked Voight with a smile, since he'd met the boys they'd been pestering him to see Matt. The blonde had been refusing visitors ever since the incident with Christie but after a tough week he'd calmed down and all the anger he had been harbouring had morphed into self loathing and distress, the boy desperately needed comfort from a friend or two. Both boys gawped at the man before eagerly nodding and jumping inside the car. They'd wanted nothing more than to see their friend. They both missed their little brother.
