The Family Business

Shotgun!

AN/:: One line in here I don't own.

Numb.

There wasn't any other way to describe how he felt. He sat oblivious to the circus around him; on the stairs with his elbows resting on his knees, head in his hands, staring at the ground as his mother's blood drips off his side onto the hard stones below.

While he had laid on the living room floor clutching her cold corpse, images of Lisa laying on a warehouse floor, blood seeping from her stomach, had flashed behind his eyelids. Learning this wasn't the first time he lost her had been a shock to his system. He didn't remember hearing Josh call 9-1-1, the sirens, Ben barely recalled the EMT's gently coaxing him to where he sat now, but he could tell you exactly how to fire a sawed-off shotgun so the kickback didn't kill your shoulder.

"Son," an officer gripped his shoulder to get his attention. "We're gonna need your clothes, and we need you to make sure all the valuables in the house are accounted for."

Ben nodded his head and finally looked up, the whole neighborhood stood around his house. 'Don't these people have lives,' he thought. A slow-moving SUV caught his attention 'Jesus people move along, just my life falling apa... what the hell,' Ben furrowed his eyebrows as he watched the SUV come to a complete stop and Krissy jump out the back seat with a determined look ok her face. When she reached the Police tape, she changed her demeanor, looking frantic bordering tears.

The patrol officer waved her through, and she made a beeline for him, dropping to her knees with a dry sob she grabbed his arms and yanked him into a hug.

"Play along," she whispered in his ear.

He officially had nothing to lose, so he nuzzled his face in the crook of her neck and pulled her tight against him. Ben's heart clenched, the hold was a lot more comforting than he thought it would be. This is what he needed right now, too bad it was fake. Krissy leaned back in his arms she lifted a hand to his cheek and gently wiped away a tear he didn't realize had slipped out.

"Oh baby," she said softly. "Are you okay?"

The softness and concern in her eyes even had him fooled, Ben couldn't do anything more then lick his lips and swallow hard at the question 'am I?' he thought to himself. He sniffled and shook his head, his eyes glossed over with unshed tears.

She said his name softly then embraced him once more. He was holding on to her as if she were a lifeline, taking what he could get.

"Son," the officer standing next to them (that she had almost completely forgotten was there) began again.

Ben made a move to lift his head up from it's resting place but Krissy stopped him with a light shush.

"Is there a problem officer?" she asked kindly.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss any of..." He began.

"You're kidding right?" Krissy snapped. "My Boyfriend comes home to this, he found his mom! And now  he is practically in shock, and you expect him to cooperate freely."

Ben whimpered and tightened his hold on her.

"Look," she sighed. "I'm serious what do you need, it's going to be easier for me to do it than him to."

"His clothes," groaned the officer. "And we need him to check to make sure no valuables are missing."

"Do you have the evidence bags on you?"

"I'll be right back."

Krissy ran a hand through Bens hair slowly "how are you?"

"Terrible," he mumbled as he slowly released his grip."I know this isn't, ya know, but thanks. It helps."