A/N: I changed POV in this, I know, kinda abrupt, but when I sat down, it just came out, and it didn't quite work when I tried to change it. Hope it doesn't throw you off that much.

Thank you to my amazing reviewers. I love you all. I know this chapter is rather short, but I'll have the end up by tomorrow, and I also have a few more little stories to add as well.

Disclaimer: Want 'em, don't own 'em.

Oh yeah, this is NOT slash. Purely, friendship and later on, more of a brotherly relationship. That's all. Enjoy!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caleb couldn't sleep that night. For some reason his mind couldn't calm. It kept replaying scenes from the past school year in his head and he tried to pick out any details that might have clued him into the fact that Reid had gone almost a whole half-year without his mother in one stint.

As far as he could tell, Reid hadn't given anything away. There was an occasional mention of being in need of a ride to a swim meet because his mother was gone, but it was said so nonchalantly, so casually, that it was as if his mother was merely out for a coffee or a meeting of a book club.

Caleb knew that Reid couldn't lie to save his life. He also couldn't hide things; he was simply too reactive, too unrestrained. So then, for Reid to act as if there was nothing wrong when his mother hadn't been home for months, it must be that Reid honestly didn't see his mother running out for that long as a big deal. He wondered if Reid's mom had always been like that and Reid had just grown accustomed to living alone in a huge castle.

It would explain a few things about the younger Ipswich though. Reid was the only one of the four that hadn't looked forward to being a senior when they could apply for off-campus housing. Caleb enjoyed not having to live in the dorms, as did Pogue and Tyler, but Reid had looked positively unhappy when he had packed his things in Tyler's Hummer. He had said something about leaving all the pretty girls behind. Now, Caleb knew that he hadn't looking forward to the self-imposed exile in the Garwin Estate. And Reid, of course, couldn't stay at the Academy or else all sorts of questions would be raised. Reid knew he was a terrible liar, so he merely avoided situations where questions would be asked.

There were soft footsteps on the stairs and Caleb heard Reid walked further down the hall, to the guest room that was kept in the far wing of the house. He suddenly frowned, wishing that Reid was closer so he could be sure that the boy went to bed.

Caleb rolled over on his side and tried to fall asleep, but his thoughts wouldn't let him. He tried vainly to relax his mind, using the same meditation techniques he used when resisting the urge to use, the ones that helped to center him, but to no avail. It was only when the clock read two-thirty did he decide to cave in. He sighed and rolled out of bed, telling himself that he wasn't checking on Reid to see if the boy was alright, but rather out of concern that Reid might do something to his house.

On those empty assurances to his own mind, he walked down the hall and quietly opened the guest bedroom door.

Reid was lying sprawled on the comforter, not even having bothered to pull down the blankets. He was fast asleep. Caleb knew because he was perfectly still, something that awake Reid never did. He sighed again and stepped forward, moving Reid gently to the side and pulling the blankets and sheets down. He then lifted the smaller, slighter boy in between the sheets and pulled the covers over him.

Reid muttered in his sleep, something that sounded distinctly like profanities, and then he curled up on his side, his hands tucked under his cheek like a child would sleep. Reid looked like a child then, his hair practically glowing in the moonlight, spread over the sheets and ruffled in front of his relaxed features.

Caleb shook his head and went back to his own bed, not liking the fact that now, after he checked on Reid, he felt calm enough to sleep. How could he be so concerned about a boy he told himself was nothing more than a pain in the neck?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caleb was up at eight-thirty, showering and then dressing quickly. He had to check on his mother before he took Reid to the police station.

Evelyn Danvers was, as usual, hung over from the night before, her long, dark hair tangled in a mess of snarls and curls and an empty wineglass in her hand. Caleb felt the urge to hit something. Honestly, he had been so careful to put her to bed safely. How had she managed to get the wine? She could have seriously hurt herself.

He pried the glass from her fingers but didn't try to get her up. There wasn't a point to waking her when he wouldn't be there to supervise her at home. He walked back downstairs where he began to make breakfast. He glanced at the clock. If Reid wasn't down by quarter after nine, he was waking the boy with a bucket of water.

Reid stumbled into the kitchen at nine-thirteen, running a gloved hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in a bad impression of Billy Idol. Caleb smirked.

"What?" asked Reid, hiding a yawn and then slumping into a chair at the table.

"Nothing," said Caleb, folding the omelet over.

Reid gave him a look but said nothing because he had spotted the coffee that Caleb had just recently brewed.

Reid was immediately helping himself to a mug from the cabinet and then pouring coffee. He had inhaled the first mug and was pouring the second before Caleb stopped him.

"Hey, I want some too," he said.

"Make more," said Reid shrugging.

Caleb rolled his eyes heavenward, wondering what he had done to deserve such a house guest.

"You're not one to usually drink coffee, Danvers," said Reid, setting the empty coffee pot back on the machine. "You were up later than me, weren't you?"

Caleb glanced into the sky-blue eyes and realized that Reid knew that the older Ipswich had tucked him in last night. However, instead of making a snide, biting comment, Reid emptied out the used grinds of coffee and stuck some more in to brew. Caleb wondered if that was Reid's way of thanking him.

Caleb finished the eggs and then divided them onto two plates, then put a piece of toast along side and handed a plate to Reid.

They ate in relative silence, well, relative silence for Reid that is, which meant that he actually chewed with his mouth shut, but made comments between every other bite. Caleb found that the mindless prattle was actually a pleasant change from his silent meals with his mother.

Reid actually helped stack the dishes by the counter. The maid came in during the day to clean up and so Caleb never bothered to do the dishes. It was the one chore he couldn't stand.

"We should head over to the station now," Caleb told Reid.

Reid glanced at the clock and nodded, a slight bit of apprehension in the blue eyes.

"Nervous?" asked Caleb, surprised to find that he suddenly was.

Reid snorted. "As if."

He was lying; Caleb didn't call him on it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, so that was short, and the end is as well, which I will put up tomorrow, if everything goes well, and I have additional material for a sequel, or a series, if you're all interested. Let me know!