The Truth
Luke stumbled to the ground when someone pulled the monster off him. He could hear the sounds of a scuffle going on nearby. The dark setting was making it impossible for him to see. He fumbled about for his flashlight. A few minutes later he realized that it had become unusually quiet. He could hear a faint sound of footsteps approaching. Luke held his breath and crouched behind a bush.
"Luke?" a familiar voice called from a distance. Luke jumped at the mention of his name. He did not know whether to respond to it or stay quiet. Maybe it was another trap, he thought. He sat there silently for another few minutes to make sure that he was no longer being hunted.
He slowly got up and tried to find his way back as silently as possible. But the forest was dense and he did not know which direction to move in. Screaming for help was not a good idea either, because that would only attract the dangerous creatures of the forest.
A sudden flash of light hit his face. Luke felt his lungs getting constricted with emotions and fear as he stood facing his dead boyfriend.
"Reid?" Luke almost choked with tears.
Reid stared blankly. He tried not to notice the bright red cut on Luke's lower lip. He could smell it though, the sweet scent of the blonde's blood.
"R-Reid" Luke called again. He could not believe what he was seeing.
"It's a dream," he muttered to himself when Reid did not respond.
"It's not." Reid's voice was firm and cold. Luke's heart skipped a beat. There was no mistaking the voice of his late boyfriend."
"Are you a ghost?" Luke's voice was almost a whisper now. He moved closer to Reid. "But you look so real."
"I am real." Reid looked intently at Luke. He wondered if he should tell the truth about himself. But he was also worried about how Luke would react.
Luke moved closer to Reid and held the doctor's face between his hands. "I love you. And I've missed you." He said looking right into those blue eyes he thought he would never see again.
"Aren't you dating Noah?" Reid could hear the jealously in his own voice.
"I thought you were dead!" Luke retorted.
"I'm sorry. My jealous self got the best of me." At that moment he wanted to kiss Luke hard but he dared not. He was scared of losing control. The mere sight of Luke's bloody lip was making his senses go wild. They only looked at each other as if in a trance.
Luke could not hold himself back any longer. Without warning he crashed his lips to his lover's. Reid felt the strong taste of the blonde's blood spread across his tongue. The transition was quick and he felt his resolve of restraint wear thin. His inner monster was clawing at him from the inside to be let free. He struggled hard against himself and his growls and gasps did not go unnoticed by Luke.
Luke quickly broke the kiss and looked at Reid with concern. He was shocked to see the sudden changes that had appeared in his ex-boyfriend's facial appearance. Reid's deep blue eyes had streaks of red which made him look like a hungry predator. And he had grown long and sharp fangs that made Luke recoil with fear. But Reid held him firmly.
"Let me go!" Luke shouted.
"It's me," Reid hissed sharply, "It's what I have become." He felt the unnatural hunger in him retreat.
Luke saw Reid's eyes turn blue again. "Y- You are," he swallowed hard, "not quite like you used to be."
"And I'll never be," Reid sounded pained, "I can't be human again."
Luke was silent. He did not want to think about the likely reason why Reid wanted to keep a distance from him.
"I wish I could, though," Reid sighed, "Just to be with you."
"I don't care," Luke whispered. He felt the warm tears flow down his cheeks. He knew that the inevitability of their separation was hurting Reid as much as it was hurting him. "Take me with you." He held tightly onto Reid's arm, not wanting to let go.
Reid looked at the blond and wished that he could say something else, "I am about as dangerous to you as that man who attacked you. And I'll be damned if I ever hurt you."
"I know you won't."
"It's not something I can control."
"But you're not hurting me now," Luke tried to convince Reid, "And you never would."
"Luke, we both know this can't happen," Reid replied, "I can't return to the mortal world and neither can you flee from it." He paused and then continued, "I'm sorry."
"I can't live without you, Reid!" Luke cried.
"Yes you can." Reid brushed away a few tears from Luke's face. "You need to move on with Noah."
Luke sighed and sat down on the grassy path. He knew that there was no way he could avoid the inevitable but that did not mean he wanted to face it right now. Reid sat beside him and took him in his arms. They sat huddled in the dark for a long time.
"You have to go." Reid finally broke the silence between them. "Your family will get worried."
"Okay," Luke answered reluctantly but did not make any efforts to move away from Reid. He locked eyes with the vampire before he asked him, "Will I get to see you again?"
"Every Halloween," Reid answered with a smile, "Find me near the pond." He whispered in Luke's ear and then kissed him. He sucked at Luke's lower lip and tasted the sweet blood once more. This time he kept a steely hold on his human form and did not transition. He could not let anything overcome his love for Luke.
Alex stood in the shadows and watched the star-crossed lovers. She was glad that she did not have to make her presence known. Reid had conducted himself with an honor seldom seen among the new transitions and she was proud of that.
