MOTIVATION: I was never comfortable with the way the kidnapping storyline unfolded. Both the guys were dis-empowered and insulted and were never given a chance to reclaim any of their dignity. This grated on me so I decided I'd give it a whirl and, to be honest, I do feel better. Hope some of you might enjoy it too.

IMPORTANT NOTES: Changes from the show are...

1) Noah hasn't been shot. I think that was just a plot device so that Noah's life could be used as leverage to control Luke. Otherwise, it didn't seem to make sense, and was completely unprovoked. If Noah had rushed Zac, that would've been one thing, but...

2) No Damian saving the day. I really do like Damian, but I feel that the show never quite delivered on this aspect of father-son bonding as a direct result of the rescue.

NOAH STRIKES BACK

Cue: Noah (not wounded) with his legs around Zoe's neck. Aaaaand ACTION!!!

"Zack! Zack!" Zoë cried.

"You let her go!" Zac shouted, pointing the gun at Noah.

"I could." Noah tightened his hold on Zoë's neck, forcing a strangled croak from her throat. "But do you think you could kill me before I snap her neck?"

In a panic, Zac shifted the gun onto Luke. "You think I'm joking? Let her go or your wife's a dead man!"

Luke said over his shoulder. "Noah, don't! They'd just kill us anyway"

Zac scowled. "You SHUT UP!"

Noah tightened his chokehold, causing Zoë to gag. "What's it gonna be, Zac?"

Zac's hand shook more and more severely as the realization that he no longer had the upper hand became increasingly obvious. "I'm serious! I'll kill him!"

"Noah..."

Zac was poised to backhand Luke's face. "I said SHUT UP!!!"

"HEY!" Noah fired back, causing Zac to flinch. "You watch how you talk to him."

Talking. But in that moment, Zac had no words. He just continued to hold the trembling gun as he looked down at his girlfriend, choking to death between Noah's thighs.

"Like Luke said, if I let her go, you're just gonna kill us both anyway, right? So what have we got to lose?"

Zoë's breath grew unbearably strained, and a gurgling sound, like a death rattle, began emanating from her throat.

"Look," Zac pleaded, "just let her go and we can talk.."

As for Noah, his composure was unshakable, and a dark, almost menacing quality was growing in his voice, a quality that Luke had never heard before, but found to be a powerful turn-on.

"You think I'm an idiot Zac? I just said, if we do things your way, Luke and I are dead. But if we do things my way, everyone makes it out in one piece. Hell, I might even be the bigger man and let you both go." Noah looked down at his victim. "Better hurry though, it doesn't sound like your little fish twin's got much time left."

Knowing he'd been beaten, Zac let the gun fall to his side with a sigh. "Okay!" He said. "Okay, whatever, just please... stop hurting her!

Noah gave Zoe just enough slack to get some air into her lungs, and though she coughed violently, he kept her fixed in place. "Now here's what we're gonna do," he said. "You're gonna set the gun down on the floor, hilt first, nice and slow, and slide it over to the wall."

Zac shook his head, panic in his eyes. "No, no way. If I do that..."

Noah squeezed Zoë's neck until she whimpered. "Zac, I thought you were smarter than this," he said. "This is not a discussion. You do what you're told."

Broken and humiliated, Zac obeyed.

The sound of authority continued to rise in Noah's voice, inspiring something else entirely of Luke's to rise.

"Now untie me." Noah kept his grip on Zoë's throat noticeably snug while Zac worked at his ropes, reminding him of what was at stake.

Zac, in a juvenile huff, finished untying him. "Fine. Now what?"

"Now then," Noah began, enjoying the feeling of his freedom returning, one breath at a time. "Walk back over to the gun and, using your foot, I want you to slide the gun over to me. Gently."

When Zac hesitated, Noah nodded towards Zoë. "I'm sure that's what Zoë would want you to do, huh Zo?"

With another sigh, Zac obeyed.

Once Noah had grabbed the gun, he kicked Zoe aside as if she were trash. She scraped and scrambled to escape his reach. Halting in a corner of the room, she clasped both of her hands to her throat as she choked and coughed.

Noah stood up, aimed the pistol squarely between Zac's eyes. "Now move next to your little dominatrix over there."

Once Zac had made his way to Zoe, he dropped to one knee and anxiously examined her. As for Noah, his eyes naturally found their way to his boyfriend. "Luke, you okay?"

Luke's face held a small, vulnerable, yet proud smile. A smile, of all things. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Just sit tight."

Luke chuckled at the irony. "As if I have a choice?"

"Oh right!" It felt so good to Noah to grin again, no matter the circumstances. "My bad."

Then it was back to business. Noah wagged the gun at Zac and nodded towards Luke. "Untie him," he ordered, "and be gentle."

Though hesitant to leave Zoë's side, Zac had no choice but to obey, and within seconds, Luke was a free man.

"Luke, Baby, take my cell phone and get behind me. Call the police and your parents, let 'em know where we are and that we're okay."

Enticed by Noah's commanding presence, Luke was all too happy to do as he was told. "Uh... sure." He grabbed the cell phone off of the rotting desk and stepped behind his hero to safety.

Zoë, having recovered her voice, made one last ditch effort to save her pride. Glaring at Noah, she said, "You don't actually expect us to believe that you'd shoot somebody, do you?" She scoffed. "Everyone here know you don't have it in you."

Noah's eyes narrowed with determination. "You know, any other day... you'd probably be right," he said, "but looking at my boyfriend, I can see more than a few hairs out of place on his head, and something tells me that you two are the freaks who moved 'em. And since I'm the jealous type, I tend to get more than a little pissed off when I find out people have been putting their slutty little wannabe goth girl hands somewhere they shouldn't."

"Whatever." Trying to borrow his girlfriend's strength, Zac forced a chuckle. "You know what, Z? I bet he's never fired a gun in his life."

Noah looked at the burning candle on Zoë's shrine. "See that candle?" He shot the wick, dousing the flame, and put the gun back on the twins. "What do you think? Beginners luck?"

By reflex, the "twins" had thrown their hands up in surrender, then realizing how ridiculous they looked, made worse by Noah's satisfied grin, they lowered them.

Then, to the shock of all present, Noah announced with a shrug, "Oh what the hell. Zac, you can go."

"What?"

"It's like you said, this was all Zoë's plan, right? So get lost before I change my mind."

Zac's face contorted. "You think I'm just gonna leave without her?"

Noah cocked his head toward the exit. "I think you've got to the count of three to make up your mind if you wanna spend the rest of your life behind bars in the name of fish love."

"What?"

"One."

"Man, you're crazy!"

"Two."

"Zac, you can't leave me with him!"

"Sorry Zee," Zac said, looking trapped, "but I... I can't go to prison."

"What?" Zoë shrieked.

Zac turned to go. "I'm... I'm so sorry."

Noah fired in Zac's path, cutting him off. "HOLD IT!" he shouted.

Zac stumbled back. "What that hell?"

Noah gave a coy shrug. "Changed my mind."

Zac frowned. "You what? Why the hell did you...?"

"Oh, I just wanted to make sure that you and little miss one-and-only here lived out the rest of your days knowing that you never were quite as in love as you thought you were." Noah glanced back at Luke, and a feeling - something like home - settled inside him. "But the two people whose love you tried to test…" He winked, then looked back at the so-called twins. "We passed your little test. More than passed." He shook his head, feigning disappointment. "Looks like the Z-twins lose this round. What do you think?"

For the rest of their time in that storage locker, Zoë's eyes held only daggers for Zac, the man who told her he loved her, while Zac's eyes held a pitiful apology, one that Zoë didn't care to hear.

Noah's eyes tightened; having seen the faint smile in his love's eyes, he felt his purpose renewed. "Now as I was saying, here's what's gonna happen." He took a step toward his captives. "Zac, you and I are gonna play a little game called 'Monster Says'." Noah chuckled at the admittedly silly sounding title, but he was determined to bring Zac down with the same taunts that he had used on Noah. "It's just like 'Simon Says' but with a personal twist. Every time I say 'Monster Says' and you obey my command..." He made a point to emphasize the words that displayed his dominance over his captives. "...nothing happens to you. But if I give you a command and I don't say 'Monster Says', then…"

"What?" Zac asked him. "What? What are you gonna do."

Noah pretended to ponder. "Well, I guess we'll just have to see then, won't we." He stooped to grab some rope and tossed it at Zac, who caught it. "Now then... Monster says take that rope and tie your little girlfriend's hands behind her back."

Zoë's face broke in panic. "What?"

Noah strengthened his grip on the gun, making sure that his captives noticed. "Zoë, you're just a prop in this game. You speak when I tell you to. Otherwise, keep your mouth shut," he said condescendingly. Still, he let her get away with a few sassy comments spoken under her breath as she turned around and crossed her wrists behind her back. "Oh and Zac," Noah added, "a former boy scout knows his knots, so if you're thinking of trying anything clever? Don't."

(Figures) Luke said to himself (He has Boy Scout written all over him… except for that whole 'gay' thing)

Zac finished his work on Zoe's wrists, but Noah wasn't satisfied. "Monster says, tie her tighter.

Zac frowned. "What?"

"I said… Monster says tie her tighter."

"I can't! It'll cut the circulation off!"

"Life's tough. Now do as you're told." Noah sealed the insult with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "Monster says so."

Zoë made no effort to disguise her weeping as Zac tightened the ropes around her wrists, partly from the pain of the ropes digging into her skin, and partly from knowing now that she was unloved.

"Zoë, you get on the floor." Noah ordered. With a roll of her eyes, she complied. "And Zac, as for you... Monster Says cross her ankles and tie 'em together."

Noah continued this game of master and servant until Zoë was covered in ropes, all the while moving closer to his two captives, one determined step after the other. He even took one of his own socks, which hadn't been washed in days, and ordered Zac to stuff it in Zoë's mouth. As Zac did so, Noah said to her "I've wanted to do that since the day we met." He also had Zac rip his own shirt into several lengths of cloth, with which he could tie around her head, keeping the filthy, sweat-soaked sock lodged in her mouth.

"Now Monster says tie her to the pole." Zac did so as she sobbed. "Now lower your head." When Zac did so, Noah slammed the pistol against the skull, knocking him out cold. "Uhn-uhn!" he chanted. "Didn't say 'Monster says'."

Noah holstered the gun in the back of his jeans and turned around to find Luke rushing into his arms. They squeezed each too tightly, but not tightly enough. Their kisses were hungry, sloppy, and wet. After a few seconds of bliss, Noah reluctantly put a pause on their reunion. "Baby, baby, just a second. I need to take care of Zac before he wakes up."

Luke gestured in Zac's direction. "Hey, by all means..."

Noah wasted no time in trussing Zac up and then securing him to the pole, back to back with Zoë. His job well done, he returned to hold his boyfriend. "About how long until the police get here?"

Luke offered an effortlessly seductive glance. "Oh, at least ten minutes or more."

Noah rested his forehead against his lover's. "Mmm... Well we shouldn't waste 'em then, should we?" he said. "We've got a whole week to make up for."

"Mmmm. Sounds like a plan." After a few tender kisses, Luke summoned the nerve to say, "Wanna hear something kind of... well... perverted?"

"Oooh. Intrigue."

Luke chuckled as he began, "Sometimes when I'm in my bed at night and I'm..." His eyes darted briefly down to his crotch and then back "ya know..."

"Oh yeah," Noah affirmed. "I definitely, definitely know."

Luke snickered as he rolled his eyes. "Anyway," he continued. "Sometimes I like to fantasize that you... well..."

Noah grinned at his lover's unusual timidity. "That I what?"

"That you kinda..." Then finally, Luke spit it out. "...you know... kidnap me..."

Luke was surprised to find Noah so very, very, very interested in this new discovery. "Is that so...?" he lovingly taunted. "Well then..." Noah grabbed a loose strand of rope. Then, slowly, carefully, he crosses Luke's wrists behind his back and started to skillfully tie them together.

"Uh... Babe. What are you doing?" Of course Luke knew the answer, he just wanted to hear Noah say it in that deep, sexy voice of his.

Noah didn't disappoint. In a low, seductive growl, he said, "What kind of kidnapper would I be if I didn't..." – with a sharp tug, he secured the knot – "...tie up my captive?"

Luke shivered at the warm breath on his neck, closed his eyes, and sighed blissfully. "Oh God..." he moaned. "I knew it'd turn me on but I had no idea it would... mmmph!"

"Shhhh..." Noah whispered into his captive's ear, silencing Luke's mouth with his hand, the other arm wrapped around his chest and shoulders to keep him in place. He purred into his lover's ear "I have you now."

And at the sound of Noah's villainous laugh, Luke melted, feeling both helpless and completely safe in his captor's loving arms.

A

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Thanks for reading! Hope y'all had fun!

Sincerely,
Alwyn