I've never before written a fanfic. I just finished and English Comp class and am out for the summer trying to keep my skills up. Since I have an active imaginationa and love the Lure storyline I thought I'd write something up. Critique away it will help to hone my skills. If I skip around to much or things are inconsistent please point it out in your review and I'll try to get it fixed. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 1 – Reid Nurses a Hurt
Reid played that day over in his head many times. It seemed to have started so well. He'd discharged Noah, and Noah hadn't even considered calling on Luke for a ride. Reid had met his friend Richard whom he had seen Noah having dinner with the evening that Luke had taken him to Dallas on the private jet. He'd run into Luke at the Lakeview and spent a whole afternoon with the object of his affection. It had just seemed so promising.
Later when they'd gone back to Luke's to wait for Gabriel they'd spent time playing chess and talking. Yeah it was not the easiest thing for Reid to do. He just wasn't a chatty person, especially when he was the subject of the conversation. His defense mechanism said that sharing anything about himself was dangerous. Still, when he looked at Luke, he just seemed to glaze over and forget the need to barricade himself behind the gruff exterior. He told Luke a bit about his childhood and awkward teen years and then it happened.
Luke had put his hand against his against Reid's face, touching his cheek and his hair and Reid's heart lurched. He's about to kiss me, Reid thought. Isn't that what he'd been fantasizing about all day? It seemed as if it were happening in slow motion. Luke leaned towards him, lips parted and Reid was eager for his kiss. This boy always tasted so good.
Reid ran a hand over his face, Stop daydreaming would you? Get over the kid; think about the way the day ended. He wants nothing to do with you, he treated you like shit!
It was true, Luke had treated him badly. Reid knew better than to open himself up to people, but ever since he'd set foot in this godforsaken town someone was trying to expose vulnerabilities in him. Bob was always prodding him to cut the sarcasm and believed that it wasn't what Reid truly felt. He'd even hinted around that Reid needed a house and family. Katie was convinced that he had a heart. The baby, well, with the baby who cared, he couldn't talk and expose Reid's vulnerabilities, it was easy with him. But Luke, well Luke had been peeling back the layers on Reid for months now.
Reid had hated Luke at first, but not long after meeting him it seemed that maybe his life wasn't the easy life that Reid had imagined it to be. He seemed to have the weight of the world on his shoulders and Reid could see that the kid had a genuinely big heart. When Luke started to uncover Reid's tender side, Reid let him even though it scared him to death. What Reid thought was interest and caring on Luke's side had proven to only be curiosity. Luke had done nothing but treat Reid like a science project. He'd peeled back the layers and exposed a vulnerable side of Reid and then he'd ground at it with the heel of his boot.
Ghaw! How could Reid have been so stupid? How could he have let Luke do that? He'd actually started letting these hick idiot get to him. He liked Bob, hell, he loved Katie, but this is the end of it. "I don't care how much I like them", he thought, "I'm not letting anyone get close again, who knows if they can be trusted."
Reid trusted one person in life and one person only. And even now he could feel his blackberry vibrate with what was probably another text from her. She seemed to have some kind of telepathy that knew when he was in pain. He found that a bit irritating but in a way comforting as well. He felt that too, he always knew instinctively when something wasn't right. He'd pulled her out of more scrapes than he could count and been her knight in shining armor. She's the one person he'd do anything, give anything for.
Reid looked at his phone and pushed the button to read the message. I know something's up, call me. Well that is the one thing he knew he couldn't do. He couldn't call Brianna. She'd know in an instant how much he was hurting. No matter how monotone he could keep his voice she always heard it in him.
He hit the reply and texted back, I'm fine you mother hen, geeze, concentrate on that baby you just had would ya?
No one would ever know that he had a picture of that baby on his phone. He popped it up to look at it every hour the last few days. He'd almost got caught once but he was quick with his fingers and got rid of it before anyone saw. Right now he couldn't help looking at it again. He smiled a bit; the kid looked just like him. Same coloring and same reddish blonde curls on his head, he looked like all of Reid's baby pictures. If it weren't for the constant meetings on the neurology wing and the waiting list of patients needing consults he be there with them in a heartbeat. He'd never tell a soul how much he longed to meet the little tyke that had entered the world only 3 weeks ago.
"Earth to Dr. Oliver."
Reid looked up to see one of the nurses standing in front of him with a quizzical look on her face.
"Your 2:30 consult is here waiting in your office," the woman walked away shaking her head, "and he calls us idiots!"
Reid snapped himself out of it. He had to get back to being his callous, all business, all genius self.
Brianna was on the plane with her new infant. If Reid couldn't get the time off to see the baby then she was darn well going to bring the baby to him. This was monumental in her life and she just had to share it with him. She knew too that he wanted to share it with her too, and it had already been almost a month.
The red light came on and it chimed, telling her to fasten her seat belt.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we will are approaching Oakdale and beginning our decent."
Not long now, she couldn't wait to see Reid. He touched her heart in a way that no would else ever would. It had been almost a year since she'd seen him. She talked to him regularly on the phone and by email. But the last week he'd been so distant. He'd been busy each time she'd called and she'd only received text messages from him. She shook her head. Why did he think he could cloak his feelings with that? Didn't he know by now that she felt everything that he felt?
She could feel that he'd retreated farther into himself. She sensed that lonely feeling. It was always with him and she feared it always would be but it was so much worse right now than it had been in a while. She'd almost stopped worrying about him lately. She could sense that he was experiencing something new although she wasn't sure quite what. Romance she hoped. But if that was it then it must have gone terribly wrong. She'd sensed him being more relaxed and less driven lately, and it relaxed her. She wondered if this odd supernatural connection would go on forever. It seemed such a responsibility yet not one that she resented in the least. But knowing you were a person's only lifeline was huge.
She remembered last week. She'd smiled to herself as she sensed the optimism that enveloped her. She wondered what that was all about, and then it was replaced by anxiety and then depression. She couldn't stand for him to hurt, never could, not when it caused her pain as well. She was stronger than he was, but then she hadn't had his disappointments. He'd closed himself off and she was a people person. It hurt her that he was so introverted and barricaded but she understood it completely. Her heart ached for him on a regular basis but he was who he was and he may never change. She just resolved to let him be how he needed to be and love him as she always had.
Reid was tired. And feeling a little abandoned. Brianna had been so concerned for him this last week. And although he'd sent every message he could to reassure her that he was fine she'd kept up. He guessed he'd finally convinced her because he hadn't had a message since last night. He was glad, he didn't want to worry her. Still, it was nice to have someone caring about him. He knew that Katie cared, it showed on her face when he got home from work and she happened to be there but he just couldn't bring himself to talk to her about any of it.
It hadn't helped that she'd had Doogie unconscious in the bedroom why Luke had burst in the door to tell him that Noah was the man he wanted and couldn't get. Who wants Doogie in the next room when the person you've come to care about with such incredible intensity, comes in to tell you that he loves someone else and can't get them. He wasn't sure what was wrong with Bob's protégé but he was lying unconscious on Katie's bed with a prescription bottle next to him. He seemed so far gone that Reid was fairly sure he didn't hear any of the exchange. And Reid didn't raise his voice at all when he'd asked the handsome, heartbreaking Luke Snyder to leave his home.
He'd actually had hope of an actual relationship with Luke when he'd come through the door. For all of five seconds he'd thought that Luke had been honest with Noah and made a choice to have an healthy, adult relationship. My god it was deflating to have him say the complete opposite. He'd had such faith in Luke. He'd believed Luke the one person that he would actually be able to drop his guard with and really love.
Love? Holy shit, he didn't just think that did he? Love? Get a grip Reid, you don't love anyone! Not anyone! Well except Bree. But no other exceptions. Anyway it wasn't love. It's just lust. He rolled his eyes, the kid is gorgeous. He dresses a bit weird but Luke was beautiful. He'd noticed that right away; even when he was mad as hell at him. He didn't know what to expect when he came to town at the demand of the little blackmailer, but it certainly wasn't that. The blonde hair, the huge deep brown eyes, and innocent look had startled him. Actually it had added fuel to Reid's anger at first. Reid thought that he probably used that innocent gorgeous look to get whatever he wanted and persuade people to things they shouldn't be persuaded to. But as time passed he'd changed his opinion of the kid. He seemed not to know how attractive he was.
Reid had to smirk, the kid seemed to have issues with his hair though. Sometimes it was long and in his eyes, another time slicked back, next time he saw him it was shorter all brushed into bangs on his forehead and then other times standing straight up like a rooster. Sometimes even in a single day you'd see more than one hair do. Well however he happened to be wearing it, it was beautiful and golden. It shown in the sun like wheat and could cause him to look like an angel with a halo. Angel, he'd thought him angel like at one point. Well maybe with bent wings he grinned. But he'd lost that image now for Reid. He was reckless and hurtful and a hundred other things that Reid despised. Never let anyone get close, he reminded himself, never.
Reid moved over to the sofa in his small office and sat. He let his head fall back and closed his eyes. His chest felt so heavy. Come on Reid, he thought. This isn't so different. You've never let people close. You have more friends now than you've ever had in your life. How can you feel so damn lonely all of a sudden? It's this hell hole of a town he thought! He hit the back of the sofa next to where he was sitting. Why had he ever agreed to stay in this stupid, stupid place? There's got to be something in the water here he thought. My intelligence is flying out the window, pretty soon I'll be just like the rest of these hicks. Ugh! And then the pain again, he squinted his eyes and a single tear rolled down the side of his face.
