Disclaimer: I do not own As The World Turns

Note: So after double-checking everywhere, I figured that Noah had not been granted a middle name, and I set out to rectify that situation. If he's got one already, forgive my ignorance. Fun story about choosing the name…I decided to look into his possible ethnic background based on his parents' names. "Wilson" is English, and "Mayer" is English, Scottish, German, and Jewish. Based on that, I searched for names meaning "warrior" and discovered the English name "Charles" has a disputed meaning; some believe it means "man" and others think it means "army; warrior". Either one is a meaning that Winston would want to foist onto his son, so I picked it.

Part I – Chapter I

"Did you know Colonel Winston Mayer?"

The immediate look of pain on Noah's face sent an invisible punch to Luke's gut. His hand immediately slid atop Noah's to squeeze a plea for forgiveness.

"Or maybe that's not the best thing to ask right now…"

"I am…aware of the man," Riley answered slowly, and the thunder that rolled into his voice was not lost on either Luke or Noah. "How, er, did you happen to make his acquaintance?"

"He's my father," Noah said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"You're looking at Noah Charles Mayer, his one and only son," Noah elaborated, bitterness flavoring his words like a spice on meat.

"My condolences."

"How did you know him?"

Riley glanced around the room. Casey and Alison were vacated from the indoors; Margo and Tom occupied the kitchen, busying themselves with hand-washing dishes and ignoring the completely practicable dishwasher. He frowned, trying to gauge how much they could eavesdrop on unintentionally.

"Is that classified too?" Luke asked, praying that his slight joking lilt would lighten the mood.

"Not really," Riley said, though his frown deepened, shooting down Luke's hope. "It just isn't a topic to brighten someone's day, especially when they've been bereaved."

Noah felt as though a black hole had replaced his intestines. "What…what did he do?"

"In the Middle East, there's something called al-Majjaanan. Have either of you heard of it?" Luke and Noah both shook their heads. "In English it means "the free of charge". They're slaves. Domestic terrorist cells kidnap anyone that the community won't be sad to see go…unmarried women, excess children, homosexuals, people who cooperate with the troops, Jews…and sell them off, all over the world."

"My father was a slave trader?"

"He still is. At least, he's certainly suspected of being one. Adam volunteered for, as do I, an organization dedicated to stopping the slave trade. Mayer's name was spoken more than once by those perpetrators whom we've managed to bring in."

"My father is dead," Noah said blankly. "He…I watched him drown. A year ago."

Riley's quizzical glance returned. "That's…not possible." Puzzlement changed to sympathy, and Riley's tone morphed into one of gentleness. "Unless there's another Colonel Winston Mayer trafficking humans around the Mediterranean, your father is very much alive."

"Pardon?" Margo appeared suddenly, hovering over Riley like a hawk hungry for something that wasn't thoughts of her dead son. Riley turned to look up at her, and as he did Luke's shock wore off enough to let him feel Noah's hand shaking underneath his.

"I'm sorry to bring this up at a time like this; if this upsets you—" Riley started.

"It does, but not because of Adam," Margo interrupted. "Winston Mayer is guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder, in my jurisdiction."

"Our latest intelligence indicates that he isn't in the US. From what we can gather, he's somewhere between Greece and Tunisia."

"He's at the bottom of the Hudson River," Noah said, his voice matching his hand and taking on an insistent edge. "They found his dog tags; he was declared deceased."

"They never found a body, Noah," Luke rasped quietly, throat dry.

"Reports of his activities haven't been floating around for very long," Riley continued. "It's possible, or more accurately, probable that he was in hiding for some time after faking his drowning."

"My father is dead!"

"Noah!" Luke grabbed Noah's shoulders and pulled him back, closer to Luke. His hands moved up to Noah's face and guided it back around; he was met with blue eyes dark and glittering. "Calm down."

"You're hearing this, this nonsense; this—"

"Noah!" Luke's fingers tightened around Noah's hair. "Calm. Down."

It felt to Luke like Noah ripped his hands away and threw them down. He watched Noah's eyes snap fire for an instant before they disappeared; Noah stood up and turned to again face Riley.

"I think you have the wrong person, Sergeant," Noah said, his voice low and controlled. Before Riley could reply Noah had transferred his gaze to Margo, and Tom who had appeared behind her. "I apologize; could you please give my condolences to Casey?"

"Of course, but…Noah?" Noah had already strode deliberately past her, nodding respectfully to Tom before yanking open the door and letting it slam shut behind him.

"Oh, jeez, Noah…" Luke stood, feeling his guts swelling. "Sergeant, I apologize. Margo and Tom, to you too—"

"No, no, it's fine," Tom said. He stepped back, gesturing towards the door. "We'll excuse you."

"Thank you. And, again, I'm so sorry about Adam." His hands reached out to gently squeeze Margo's. He remained still long enough to hear her soft "Thank you" before running out after Noah.

Casey and Alison had disappeared—probably to have sex, Luke noted briefly with a wry smile. Not that he blamed them; he'd rather be doing likewise, instead of chasing after his boyfriend's dark figure and seeing, against his will, the shadow of a man carrying a rifle lurking around every tree. 'Tunisia and Greece,' Luke reminded himself, hearing his inner voice's desperation. 'He's between Tunisia and Greece.'

In his distraction he nearly ran into who he was looking for. Noah stood as if frozen at the street corner, staring back at the direction he had come from. His expression was a combination of one slapped in the face and one about to throw up.

Silently Luke reached for Noah's hand. He was surprised when Noah snatched it out of the air and tugged it, pulling Luke towards him. His free arm slipped around Luke's shoulders and held him tightly against his body. Luke glanced up as Noah dragged him forward; anger was melting away into something Luke had never seen tattooed on blue eyes: a mess worse than when they had left Amira in New York.

"I'm an ass."

Luke looked back from where he was dispensing his shirt in the hamper to where Noah was sitting on the bed. Noah had towed them back to the house in complete silence, though once inside Luke had been the one to take them upstairs. He'd watched Noah change into pajamas like a hawk—an action he would have enjoyed were it not for the present circumstances—before allowing himself the same action.

"I can't believe I just walked out like that."

"Margo and Tom understand," Luke said, pulling on his own pajama bottoms and sitting down next to Noah. "I'm pretty sure Margo wanted to storm out, too."

"Still, I…and I went off on Sergeant Morgan, too. God, I'm such a jackass."

"All right. Lie down. Now."

"Luke—"

"No arguments," Luke said, seizing Noah by the shoulders and pulling him back before pressuring his torso closer to the mattress. "You just got the worst news anybody could give you. Cut yourself some slack."

Succeeding in getting Noah on his stomach, Luke positioned himself lightly atop his boyfriend and pushed his hands against Noah's shoulder blades. Holden had mentioned not long ago that his suspicions had started with the backrub he watched Luke give to Kevin; Luke remembered how intensely besotted he had felt back then and only thought it right to give that same kind of adoration to someone who actually cared about him. Massages were slowly becoming a ritual after stressful days.

"It wasn't news, it was misinformation."

"Noah…"

"Why are you so quick to believe that this isn't a case of mistaken identity?"

"Noah, doesn't this seem a bit suspicious to you? He was going to sell Amira to some people in Iraq, and now his name turns up after he disappears as part of a slave trade based out of the Middle East."

"He has to be dead, Luke. How could he possibly…?"

"He had a window of opportunity to escape. It's not like the Coast Guard was there when he went under. And…didn't you say the guy he was with was finding a different boat? There were other boats on the water; one of them could've been the one he was supposed to get on."

"Yeah, but he was using Amira as a bargaining chip. Would they have let him on without her?"

"I guess so, since he's still alive."

"If."

"Noah…"

"You sound like you want him to be alive," Noah spat, turning his head and glaring up at his boyfriend.

"You sound like you need him to be dead," Luke replied gently, hands moving on autopilot.

"When your father kills your mother, attempts to kill an innocent man and your boyfriend, and then kidnaps and tries to sell off a girl you've been destroying your life to protect, you kinda want him to not come back."

"Yeah, but Sergeant Morgan said that he's not even in the United States."

"And the Oakdale PD told me he was dead. I don't exactly trust authority when it comes to my dad anymore."

Luke's hands paused. "Is that why you were waiting at the corner?"

Noah buried his face in the pillow for a moment, letting the fabric muffle his sigh, before tucking in his head and letting his mouth surface. "About twenty feet from the house I realized that you were going to follow me…and there was no way I was going to let you walk home alone after hearing that."

Despite the events of the entire day, Luke smiled. "Well, if he does come back to Oakdale, he has about…fifty Snyders waiting to kick the crap out of him, so…"

"How can you be so glib about this?" Noah propped himself up on his elbows and turned his head.

"Because…" Luke bent down to plant a kiss on Noah's lips "…I'm the openly gay heir of multibillionaires who've done their best to piss off everyone they possibly can; my life's in danger whenever I step out the front door. I refuse to live in fear, Noah. Besides which, he's been alive all this time and I'm still here, perfectly fine. When the psycho's actually in town, holding my little sisters hostage and waving a gun in my face…then I'll be scared. Until then, the only thing I'm afraid of is how the fact that your dad survived is going to hurt you."

Luke pushed Noah back down and resumed kneading Noah's back. "But with that in mind," he continued, and Noah noticed a reluctant worried edge in Luke's voice, "we need to tell my family about this, just in case. I'm sure this'll totally make Dad's day."

"Damian should know, too," Noah said listlessly.

"You think so? He wasn't here back then…"

"My father thought the planets revolved around Maddie and he still did a background check on her. He's probably got your dental records by now."

"Very true. And hey…now there's even less reason for us to worry. I've got the Maltese Mafia on my side."

Again the attempt to lighten the mood failed. Luke bit his lip and finally took his hands away. He managed to scoot backward slightly and then lean forward slowly until finally he was lying on top of Noah.

"You're heavy."

"Am I now." Luke failed to hold back a grin. "You don't often complain about that."

"Luke, please—"

"I don't want you to get caught up with this, Noah." Luke managed to push an arm in between Noah's chest and the mattress, and rested his free hand on the back of Noah's head. "I just want us to go on living as normally as possible. You spent eighteen years under his thumb, and not even two full years of just being yourself. I am not going to let him take your freedom away from you."

"You're just…you're way too damn strong, Luke."

"Nah. Too stupid." Luke leaned over to give Noah another kiss, this time on the forehead. "And way too in love with you."

"Sergeant Morgan, I really want to thank you for speaking at Adam's funeral today."

"Please, just "Riley"." Riley smiled up from the couch at Margo as she handed him a cup of coffee. "And it wasn't a problem. He was a good man. I never knew what Adam had done that made him go to Afghanistan, but I think his work with our organization made up for anything that he could've done. There are some real horror stories out there. Especially when it comes to women."

"Adam rescued women?"

"Almost exclusively. I…figured there had to have been something personal behind it, but I never asked about it."

Margo smiled tightly, feeling a stinging sensation in her eyes. "Then…yes. I think he made up for it." She cleared her throat, blinking rapidly to hold back tears. "So…where are you headed now that you're back in the United States?"

"Omaha. My aunt and uncle live there." He allowed himself an affectionate chuckle. "Last time I checked, anyway. They're fairly nomadic; they were living in Los Angeles just last year."

"You live with your aunt and uncle?"

"My parents passed away when I was young. They took me in."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine; don't worry. Actually, though, could I possibly use your phone? They don't know I'm in Oakdale; I don't have a cell phone and didn't get a chance to use a pay phone before the memorial…"

"Oh, of course." Margo picked up the cordless telephone from the coffee table and handed it to him, before turning away to clear the placemats off the table as Riley dialed.

"Hello?…Hi, Uncle Owen, it's Riley. Is Aunt Ruth home?…Sure…oh hey, Aunt Ruth…Yeah, I'll be home soon…Oh yeah? That sounds good; I haven't had that since last year…well, if Amira's helping, it'll be ten times better. How is Amira, by the way?"

Margo stopped short. "Amira…" she whispered under her breath, trying to place the name. She'd been involved with Casey for a few weeks last year… 'Amira? Wasn't she Noah's…?'

Margo turned, placing a hand solidly on Riley's arm.

"One second, Aunt Ruth." Riley pressed the receiver against his shoulder. "Mrs. Hughes?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but that woman you just mentioned…could you tell me her full name, please?"

"You mean Ruth Mason or Amira Ali-Aziz?"

"…Both." Margo seemed to remember hearing Ruth's name in passing, and a sensation in her gut made her feel the name was important. "I'm really terribly sorry, but could I speak with your aunt for a moment?"

Riley looked puzzled, but handed the telephone to Margo.

"Hello?…Hi, my name is Margo Hughes; Riley attended my son's funeral…Thank you. I'm glad your nephew was able to come home safely. I have a question…did you ever send a package care of the Oakdale Police Department? To Noah Mayer?"

"Riley's in Oakdale?" Ruth said on the other end of line, making Amira look up, startled. "Has he spoken to Noah?"

"Yes, Noah was at my son's memorial."

"How were they together? After Noah didn't respond to my package I thought he wanted nothing to do with us."

"Noah…didn't seem to know who Riley was," Margo said, frowning. She glanced at Riley, who gave her a confused face. "Could you hold on one minute, Mrs. Mason, please?" Margo moved the receiver away from her mouth. "Was your mother named Charlene Wilson, Riley?"

"No."

"Riley's mother was Susanna Morgan," Ruth said, having heard Margo. "Susanna and Charlene were both my sisters."

"Then, yes, as far as I can fathom, this is news to Noah."

"What is?" Riley asked, frustration mixing into confoundedness.

"Riley," Margo offered the telephone back to him, "were you aware that you were speaking with your cousin?"

Notes:

According to my Teach Yourself Arabic book, "majjaanan" means "free; gratis", and according to my dictionary, "gratis" means "without charge". "al-" seems to serve the same function as "the", but I'm no expert. Hence I urge you to take the translation with a grain of salt. So too with "horiya"; I found that it meant "freedom" online.

The term "al-Majjaanan" is of my own making. However, despite freedom from slavery being declared a universal human right by the United Nations, around 27,000,000 people are illegally enslaved worldwide. Antarctica is the only continent on which slavery does not exist.

(Remove spaces to access links)

http://www .uk/collections/economicHistory/GEHN/GEHNPDF/Islam&SlaveryWGCS. pdf – Historical information on slavery in Islam

http://www /slavery_today/primer/index. html – Information on slavery as it exists today

http://www /mediterranean/mediterranean_property. jpg – General map of the area Winston Mayer is thought to be in…notice the little island nation in between Tunisia and Greece.

PS I know that if you watch the actual show, a lot of information given here doesn't add up. I've twisted myself into pretzels explaining all this away. Don't worry; you'll find out the whole story soon enough.