Thanks for all the reviews - a few of you have been speculating as to Evan's situation. Well all is about to be revealed! Just to respond to mcgirl6541's comment about Lena - similar to Callie I've only really got her in support roles in this one but I am trying hard to put them both in as much as possible even though they don't have a main story. I will make a conscious effort to focus some more on them as much as I can but other than that I can promise a big part for both of them in a couple of later chapters of a Porter/Jesus subplot. I love to hear feedback like that so please do share if you would like to see more of a character - I will always try and think of a way to work it in (though I warn you - it means the story is getting longer and longer! :P)
The light cracked through Evan's eyes. He could hear voices and clattering around him. There was a strong smell of alcohol and sweat and an old man passed out next to him on the bench.
His first instinct as he came to his senses was to check his pockets. He had nothing in them. He then checked his clothing. He had a vague recollection of being sick but luckily his clothes seemed in tact from any signs of soiling. He did have a rip in the leg of his pants and he was sure he'd had a second shirt on when he set out the night before. All he remembered was a long heart to heart with his friend Stuart consisting of too many shots. He remembered a disagreement and wandering to his old neighbourhood but then everything had gone fuzzy.
"Well look who's woken up. Seems you had quite a night, kid." A chubby officer stood on the other side of the bars looking in.
"My phone..." Evan asked. He realised as the words escaped that his mouth was lacking in any kind of moisture, his tongue fluffy and big.
"Don't worry, we took it with your wallet when we brought you in. You'll get it back when you leave. You're the Romeo of one of the Foster kids, right?" He said chewing on a piece of gum.
Evan rubbed his eyes immediately realising where he was and the fear suddenly hit that there was no way Stef wouldn't find out.
"You know them...? I mean...Stef and Mike...neither are working are they?" He asked in a panic while trying to muster the strength to stand. He quickly returned down after realising it was an ambitious aim.
The officer grinned. "Either of the Fosters? No they're not working this morning."
Evan heaved a sigh of relief rubbing his forehead.
The officer sniffed and looked down the hall at an approaching voice.
"But don't worry, we called Stef to come get you when we realised who you were." He was busted.
He snapped to attention and looked up, the light still sore on his eyes. Stef was going to kill him.
"We look out for each other here I'm afraid, kid. Plus we had no contact for you and figured you'd rather get out than sit out the minimum time." Evan wasn't so sure - he was probably safer in a cage than outside one with Stef or Kasey.
Evan put his head in his hands again pushing his eyes into his sockets until small lights twinkled around.
"Hey Foster!" The guard smiled looking to the left as Stef emerged.
"Ramirez." She nodded in acknowledgement as he passed her the keys.
Evan leaned his head back against the wall as she glared at him through the bars.
"I'll leave you to it." The guard said quietly wandering off.
Stef sighed waiting for Evan to make eye contact.
"So, you want me to come in or would you rather we have a wall between us?" She quipped.
"Will I need a wall?" He croaked as she let out a single laugh and opened the door to enter. The other drunk in the cell still lay snoring away.
Evan shuffled towards the end of the bench he sat on as Stef approached.
She stood over him as he cowered.
"Am I in trouble?" He said sheepishly as she folded her arms. He barely noticed that her eyes seemed more full of pity than anger and she was quite happy to keep up the illusion.
"Well...if you mean with the cops...no. It seems the person's yard you broke in to isn't going to press charges."
Evan looked up at her confused.
"I broke in to someone's yard?"
"Ha, wow. You're in a worse state than I thought." She unfolded her arms and moved closer to him.
"As far as if you're in trouble with Kasey, well I haven't told her yet. I thought I would let you do that." She nudged him with her foot before heading over to him and sitting down. He shuffled slightly further away again crippled with shame that she was seeing him in such a position. "I'd ask if you were worried about being in trouble with your parents but I have a feeling you wouldn't care if you were..." He cleared his throat nervously showing his vulnerability, a reaction Stef had been angling for to answer the many questions she had in her head.
"And if you're worried about being in trouble with me..." She knocked him, this time with her knee, trying to prompt some form of eye contact again. "Well, that depends on the next few questions."
He looked up as wide eyed as his hangover would let him.
"Evan, what's going on?"
He looked into her face looking for a sign of anger but all he could see was worry. It wasn't something he was used to. He'd faced anger many times in his life. Somehow this was almost harder. Unfamiliar.
"Look Mrs F, I appreciate you coming here to get me...but really. Nothing is going on. I just had a few too many drinks with an old school friend and got into some trouble. It's not the first time and it probably won't be the last. It's really nothing you need to worry about"
"Ha!" She knocked his knee again. "Then you underestimate me, young man." She pushed a lock of his hair behind his ear.
He smirked but remained silent
She put her hand on his knee as he jerked it slightly but finally relaxed.
"Now here's what's going to happen. I'm going to ask you a question and you have two choices. First option - You can tell me the truth. Then I'll kick your ass for not coming to me sooner but I'll help you sort it out and everything will work out fine…"
"Is option 2 the non ass kicking option?" He asked hopefully. She smiled before continuing, a clear indication it wasn't.
"Or…you can lie to me again and I'll sit here flicking your ear until you tell me the truth anyway."
He let out a defeated smile.
"So, Evan. Here's the question: Do you have a place to live at the moment?"
The words cut through him like a knife. How did she know? He had tried so hard to not let on - he hadn't even told Kasey.
He bit his lip unable to face any kind of consistent eye contact.
"I've got places to stay." He partially lied.
Stef laughed to herself. "I see. Option two. Very well." She took her hand off his knee and began to gently flick the back of his left ear as he flinched away. She followed him as he moved, unyielding to his protests.
"Got all day buddy." She said as he grabbed his ear away. "OK, OK. No, no. I don't. I mean, not really."
She sighed and put her hand on her lap shifting her head to lock eye contact again.
"Why didn't you tell us?" She gently chastised slapping him slightly on the knee.
"I didn't want to worry you." He said sorrowfully. "It's not a big deal, it's just until I have enough money to get a place of my own. Till then I was just gonna keep couch surfing or staying at the hostel…"
"Or on old neighbour's lawns?" Stef scolded gently again.
Evan looked down guiltily once more.
"OK, that aside. Wanna tell me why you are no longer at your parents house? How long has this been going on, love?"
"Does it really matter?" He grumbled, his tone still very passive but slightly strained from the aftermath of the night before. "I'm fine."
Stef let out a laugh. "OK, let's recap shall we? You're in a jail cell after drowning your sorrows now with barely any recollection of the night before. Now as I have the keys to this jail cell and all the time in the world. It's really up to you, but just so we're clear, you're not getting out until I have the full story. In the position you're in I would strongly suggest cooperation, my friend."
He sighed again, realising his back was against the wall.
"I don't want you to feel guilty." He said as she folded her arms up again. Seeing she was undaunted he continued. "It seems that Porter saw my parents at church after the dinner party."
"Hm." Stef snarked. "How did I know that name was going to come up." She groaned. "Continue."
"Well…I haven't been completely honest." He admitted once again hesitant to look her in the eye. "About Kasey and me, I mean. With my parents. Kasey knows I hadn't really told them…but well…needless to say now they know."
Stef looked slightly confused. "Okaay. But, you're 21 – do they have a problem with her being at school or…?" She lingered on the end of the sentence having a slight fear about what she knew deep down the issue would be.
Evan paused before answering. "My step-mom is super religious…" he began. Stef held in an audible sigh and clasped her hands on her knee. Her voice dropped to a level of discomfort she rarely used these days.
"Your parents threw you out because your girlfriend has two Moms?" She asked.
Evan looked at her and back to the floor with a small flicker of an embarrassed smile.
"No." He began. "My parents threw me out because I threw a jug of water at my step-mom for having a problem with it."
It was Stef who averted eye contact this time as she tried to suppress a proud smile.
Unable to think of anything else his eyes still remained glued to the floor.
"Are you mad at me?" He whimpered.
Stef let out a more audible laugh rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. He turned his head as she put her arm around his shoulders
"Oh Evan. Do I think you could have behaved better? Probably. Would I kick you out of my house if you threw water over me? Well, I'd probably keep you closer so I could make you regret it…" she smirked. "But am I mad at you for standing up for me and my family?" she massaged the back of his head softly. "Of course not." She then gripped the back of his neck and shook him slightly as he bit his bottom lip with a smile.
"But…" She started as his smiled dropped. "I do think you should probably make it up with your parents…I don't really like the idea of my daughter's boyfriend being homeless. And you're certainly not gonna sleep here every night, in fact if I catch you here again I'll tell them not to let you out for a month!" She threatened.
"I can't go back there." He said ignoring her latter comments. "I don't like the person I am when I'm there. Too many memories of well... different times."
She looked at him with genuine sympathy. The only other time she had seen this level of vulnerability was at the dinner.
"Well…if that is the case. I don't know what else to suggest…" She began before he interrupted her.
"It's really not something I want you to worry about. Really it's my prob…"
"Hey, hold up there. I've not finished." His brow dropped with slight confusion.
"I don't know what else to suggest other than temporarily…temporarily maybe you should…stay with us for a little while." Evan's eyes lit up, partially surprised and partially with excitement. Sensing he was maybe getting ahead of her she raised her hand to slow down his thought process.
"That is…with some ground rules. And by some I mean a lot. I mean you'll be under our roof which means certain things will apply which will be a lot different from the carefree life you've been living. And I have to check with Lena before you get your hopes up!"
He smiled in disbelief not caring about any conditions that may be attached.
"You'd do that? I mean can you do that, is there room?" He gawped.
"Well, as I hardly think you'll be fussy I'm sure we can squeeze you in in the basement. As it is a temporary solution. And I mean that. You need to get back on your feet as fast as you can, whether that's making amends with your parents or getting enough money together to get a place of your own."
"I'll contribute to food and the house and stuff…I promise." He added bouncing slighly in his seat.
"OK, OK, we'll figure something out of it comes to it. Right now however we need to get you to the house. And to the shower! You smell like you've been in a fire at a brewery." She patted his leg and stood up to go. He managed to pick himself off the bench for the first time that morning. He began to follow her out before pausing.
"Mrs F…" she turned to stare him down scratching her top lip with her thumb.
Without saying a word he pulled her into a hug.
She sighed before returning it. Once again she thought about what Kasey had said and the conversation she had had with him just now. She couldn't believe that regardless of anything he may or may not have done that anyone could have ever tossed him out onto the street. He was always such a sweet boy. Frustratingly stupid sometimes, but never bad intentioned. Sensing she was becoming emotional she patted him on the back and broke off from the embrace.
"OK now, let's get home. And by the way, if you're officially in my care now let's start off with rule number one. If I pick you up from jail you're not going anywhere today till you've performed a fair amount of manual labour. I don't care if you're 21, 16 or 45, no deed unpunished my friend. Come on, hop to it."
His body was dreading the thought of being anywhere other than in a bed with an ice-mask over his head but right now he'd have walked through fire if Stef had asked him to.
Hope you enjoyed this exchange. Stef/Evan is probably my favourite relationship in this story (so there'll be more of it I'm afraid...).
As with yesterday - if there is sufficient demand I'll post the next tonight on same timescale. May slow it down next week though as I'm having no time to write at the moment and don't want to ever leave you with a gap! Thank you all again for the feedback in your PMs and reviews!