Disclaimer: I do not own ATWT or its characters.

Summary: The heat is on Noah once again, and Reid's killer is finally revealed.

Note: This chapter concludes the story. Thank you to all who've been reading!

Naturally, Luke had hopped in his car and followed Noah to the police station. Storming inside, he immediately zeroed in on Noah, standing with Margo in preparation to be booked. Luke didn't waste any time in giving Casey's mom a piece of his mind.

"You can't do this to him!"

"I'm sorry Luke; he left me with no choice."

"But, but he's innocent! This is all wrong! Just tell them!"

Still not knowing for sure what happened that day, Noah replied defeatedly, "I can't."

Groaning, Luke pleaded with him, "Losing your memory doesn't make you guilty of murder!"

Margo intervened. "Both of you - interrogation room. Now.

Standing across the table from both boys, she laid the situation out for them. Acting on a tip, authorities searched Noah's car, and found incriminating documents. Specifically, a shift schedule stolen from the hospital that detailed Reid's hours for the week. There was also a photocopy of the appointment book Reid's receptionist kept. Noah would've known exactly where Reid would be, and when.

"This is a very serious situation, and unless you can give me a logical explanation at all..."

Noah's existing headache worsened, and he flinched at the physical pain attempting to remember brought on. "I just... I don't think I can remember anything."

Margo says, "I have to be honest with you, Noah. It looks bad. You could be facing some serious time."

Frantic, Luke grabbed for the last card in his deck. "Noah had nothing to gain by killing Reid! The only person who did was your brother-in-law!"

Incensed, Margo struggled to keep an even tone. "Luke, I understand that you're upset, but you need to go. If Noah makes bail, you can see him then. I've got to send him to lockup for now."

"Like hell you are," the words flew from Luke's mouth, sans censor or sense. "I won't let you scapegoat my boyfriend to save your sorry good-for-nothing-"

"If you continue to impede my work," Margo cut in hotly, "I will arrest you for obstruction of justice."

"Luke, let it go. Wait for Mr. Barrow," Noah implored him.

Luke would not be dissuaded. "Why don't you ask your sister why she's keeping information about Reid's murder from the police? Huh? Or ask your precious brother-in-law why the hell he broke into Reid's office after the fire."

Margo was caught between curiosity and rage. Luke was accusing her own family of involvement in Reid's death; was there any possibility? No; of course not. He was merely grasping for straws, trying to save his boyfriend.

"For the last time, leave now, or you'll be joining Noah in our deluxe accommodations tonight."

Well, duh. She might as well have told Luke to rob a bank. He took a breath, and let it rip.

"Fuck you and your motherfucking department! I don't know one fucking person in this fucking town you haven't wrongly arrested. Where the fuck did you get your police training, anyway? Carousel Beauty College? Are you the fucking best this fucking town could get? How fucking sad is that?"

There. That should do it.

It did.

"Luke Snyder, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice..."

Noah had been shocked by the swear vomit that had spewed from Luke's mouth. In the worst of their worst fights, he'd never heard his farm-raised boyfriend curse remotely like that. It did the trick, though, and now, Luke was bunking right alongside Noah in an Oakdale PD cell.

They were both trying to get some sleep while hoping Mr. Barrow was as good as Lucinda claimed, and got them the hell out of here soon. Noah turned his head to look at Luke on the bunk across from him. His boyfriend's eyes were closed, but Noah could tell he wasn't asleep, either. Just trying to be.

Noah had half a mind to walk over and see if Luke's bunk could fit them both, when he was suddenly assaulted by another excruciating flash of memory.

Noah had gone to Reid's before the fire. He'd tried to reason with the man yet again. Reid wouldn't hear of it, and demanded he leave.

Instead, Noah pushed his way inside. Things quickly got heated, with Noah becoming angrier, and Reid seeming more agitated the longer Noah was there. Finally, sick of Reid's utter lack of response or explanation, Noah purposely baited him.

"If I stay in Oakdale, it would only take once. You get that, right? I get him in bed once, and he's mine again."

Though Reid's only answer was to stare him down, Noah could see something flash across his face. They hadn't slept together. Holy shit - in a million years, Noah hadn't expected that.

Sensing a weakness, in his fury, Noah was cruel. He went in for the kill. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know, would you? Well, trust me. When he wants to be with you, Luke makes you feel like you're flying - like you can take on the world without breaking a sweat. Although, actually, we always break a sweat-"

Being on the receiving end of a punch he didn't see coming but should've was a new experience. And damn. Apparently Reid wasn't as averse as expected to risking his prized surgeon's hands, because Noah was sure he'd punched someone out before.

Noah's head was throbbing before his body had even hit the floor. But it was good. It was perfect, maybe. Because Noah had wanted to hit the guy (again) for so long, and now, he could.

As he lay on the cell bunk, Noah watched the scene play out in his mind. He had picked himself up from the ground, ready to retaliate. Once again, Noah saw himself hitting Reid, but this time, he could also see that Reid fell backwards, hitting his head against a desk.

The flashback ended before Noah could see what happened next. His stomach turned, hard, and tears rushed into his eyes. He couldn't have. He couldn't have.

Without thinking, Noah shot up from the bed. This attracted Luke's attention, and he regarded Noah with concern. Returning Luke's trusting gaze, it gutted him to know he was going to break Luke's heart with what he had to tell him.

Agent Hawkes relayed news of the arrests to the man seated across from him. "Do you want us to intervene?"

His companion considered it. "They're both under arrest?"

The agent nodded in confirmation.

The other man responded, "Leave it."

Their lawyer had arrived, and Margo had allowed them to meet in the interrogation room for privacy. Barrow was confident he could get both men bail, and assured Noah the evidence against him was circumstantial. The lawyer then stepped out to make calls, leaving Luke and Noah alone.

Luke detected the guilt and horror in Noah's expression, and correctly determined he must have remembered something; something bad. His stomach sank, and finally, unbelievably, he asked the question aloud, his voice breaking with emotion. "Noah, whatever it is, I need to know. So please, be honest with me; did you kill Reid?"

Noah was visibly scared now, his eyes tearing up. His reply stunned both Luke and himself. "Yes...," he answered, in disbelief at his own words.

Luke backed away, grappling to physically handle the weight of Noah's revelation. He couldn't, and fell back against the interrogation table. His tears spilling over, Noah admitted he not only went to Reid's and argued with him, but when the fight turned physical, Reid hit his head after Noah punched him.

Both men were shaken to the core. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry," Noah pleaded, without knowing what he was begging for. He didn't expect Luke to forgive him; he didn't even want something so undeserved.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and Margo appeared, surprised to find both boys crying. Her look of aggravation quickly turned to one of confusion. She knew she'd missed something integral to the case, and it burned her that she couldn't do a damn thing about it now.

"You're free to go." Offering no explanation, she walked out.

Noah followed, and Luke could tell he meant to confess. Luke quickly grabbed Noah's arm, and leaned in to make his point. "Not a word. Do you hear me?"

Noah looked down at him, confused, but he saw Luke was serious. He couldn't fathom why. Didn't Luke want Reid's killer put away?

Still, he did as Luke commanded, and said nothing. Lucinda and Mr. Barrow appeared, explaining that they'd gotten a judge out of bed in the middle of the night to set their bail. Lucinda was distressed by the traumatized looks on both boys' faces.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Not now, Grandmother. But thank you - I mean it. I'll call you tomorrow."

Grabbing Noah's hand, Luke pulled him out of the station. His car hadn't been towed yet, so he was able to drive them both home. Neither of them spoke during the drive, each of them still in shock.

Arriving home, Luke wasted no time once they'd come through the front door.

"All right. Sit down, and tell me again exactly what you think you saw."

Noah joined Luke on the couch as requested, but had no wish to relive it again. "I already told you! We were fighting. When I hit Reid back, he fell... his head hit the desk!"

"Noah, if that happened, what about the fire? Why would you do that?"

Noah speculated, "I must've gotten scared, and tried to cover up what I did. I just can't remember..."

"No."

"Luke, I know you don't wanna believe it-"

"NO. Not just that I don't wanna believe it. I don't believe it. Even if I made the huge leap and accepted that you accidentally killed Reid - and I don't - there's no way you'd lie about it. If you thought you'd hurt someone that badly, you'd have called for help. I know you. I know you," Luke finished emphatically.

"Even after the evidence they found? After everything I've told you? You still don't think it's possible-"

"No. More than that, I know it's impossible. I believe in you, Noah. No matter what's gone wrong between us in the past, I have never doubted who you are. And who you are is a good person; the best I've ever known. Now listen to me, and hear what I'm telling you. You. Didn't. Do. This. End of story."

Noah marveled at Luke's faith in him. Once upon a time, he resented it when he felt Luke didn't trust him. Now, he realized Luke trusted him even beyond the threshold that anyone could reasonably expect.

"I hope you're right," Noah finally said. "I hope to God you are. I would give anything to know I didn't hurt the man you love."

"You have hurt the man I love, sometimes," Luke answered honestly. "Sometimes, you're so hard on him. You don't trust in him like you should. You don't see his kindness, his compassion; how he puts everyone he loves ahead of himself."

Tears were rolling down Luke's cheeks as he gazed at Noah, with the most intense, adoring expression Noah had ever seen. "Luke?" He was afraid to ask; afraid to hope.

"I loved Reid - that was real. But not just him. And there is only one man who could ever be the love of my life; that's you, Noah. Always you."

This time, they didn't make it upstairs. Their need to be as close as possible outweighed all other considerations. Protestations of love mixed with exclamations of passion as they came together, quick, hard, and desperate.

"I love you, Luke," Noah whispered, holding his boyfriend in his arms, both of them wrapped in a blanket while lying on the sofa.

"I love you too, bubby," Luke answered softly, reverently. He felt safe and right within Noah's arms, knowing he was exactly where he belonged. He knew Noah felt the same peace cocooned within their love.

Until Noah suddenly froze. Neither of them had heard the door open. Luke looked up at Noah's face, finding a mixture of stark confusion and severe shock in his expression. He followed Noah's line of vision to the door, fearing what could have spooked his boyfriend so badly. As Luke's own eyes rested on the cause, Noah's upset suddenly paled in comparison to his own.

"Reid?"

The four men sat in the Snyder living room, each in various states of shock. Luke and Noah, dressed now, took the couch. Understandably, Reid had no desire to sit there. He'd opted for one of the armchairs, instead, and sat in a convoluted stance, half-doubled over in a physical attempt to restrain his nausea.

Agent Hawkes sat in the opposite chair, on the other side of the couch. His own shock had been limited to walking in on two strangers in an intimate moment. Still, he felt for the witness he'd been protecting these last few weeks.

Sure, the doctor was kind of an ass at first glance. Yet, he'd gone to great lengths to do the right thing. It was too bad that this was what the poor schmuck had come home to.

Without a doubt, the most traumatized men in the room were sitting on the couch. Noah could barely wrap his mind around what he was seeing. An hour ago, he'd been fairly sure he killed Reid Oliver, and now the guy was sitting in the same room with him, staring alternately at Luke and Noah with a look that seemed equal parts rage and agony.

Noah couldn't even meet his gaze. It was ridiculous now, but he still felt guilty. Even knowing he hadn't killed Reid, and he hadn't coerced Luke to cheat (because, how the hell can you cheat on a dead guy?).

Noah was torn between wanting to comfort Luke, and being petrified to touch him. What if Luke pulled away? Now that Reid was back, what if Luke went back...

Worst off was Luke, who kept wavering between relief, confusion, happiness, guilt, and above all, fury. How could Reid do this to him? How could he let Luke think he was dead?

It was in this most excruciatingly uncomfortable environment that Agent Hawkes filled them in. When the heart meant for Chris Hughes had been reassigned to someone else, and Reid had to rush to Bay City to correct the mistake, his suspicions were aroused. He managed to find an ally in the Bay City hospital, Dr. Harris, who like himself felt procedures weren't being followed in the prioritizing of patients for organ donation.

What Reid and the other doctor uncovered were not just mistakes, but outright fraud. Doctors were taking kickbacks to move richer patients up the list, denying patients with greater need the organs they were due. Realizing the information they'd uncovered could get them killed, Reid reported to the HHS, who sent a federal agent to investigate.

Reid worked to obtain more proof, reporting to Agent Hawkes with every discovery. Though he'd been careful, eventually, someone in on the scam caught on. Reid began to receive hang-up calls, and he recognized them as warnings to stop digging.

Still, he needed to make one final visit to Bay City to acquire information from his contact there. Unbeknownst to him, Dr. Harris had come to Reid's house with the documents, worrying that someone in Bay City knew what they were up to. He must've been concerned their communications were being tapped, because he hadn't let Reid know about his visit ahead of time.

Agent Hawkes explained that Harris had probably broken in to wait for Reid's return, and when a hit man arrived to kill Reid, murdered Harris instead, not realizing the mistake. Once he'd heard about the explosion, Hawkes intercepted Reid on his way home from the hospital, convincing him it was best to stay dead until they could apprehend all those responsible. Reid argued that Luke should be brought into custody with him, but Hawkes pointed out that if Luke disappeared, the criminals would likely realize their mistake, and hide the evidence of the organ scam to avoid prosecution.

Reid grudgingly agreed to stay dead for a short period of time, telling Hawkes he'd better work fast. The agent had been true to his word. With Reid dead, Hawkes made sure the DNA confirmation on the body gave the 'right' result, and quickly fashioned a cover story for Harris' absence. The man wasn't a workaholic like Reid, so it was easy to devise an impromptu vacation for him without attracting much notice.

All that remained was to find the Oakdale contact for this criminal network. Reid had his suspicions, based upon an incident with a doctor who'd moved one of his patients up the donor list without Reid's approval. Following that lead, Hawkes watched the man, and sure enough, gathered enough evidence to confirm Reid's suspicions: It was Chris Hughes.

Luke couldn't comprehend it. "Wait. That doesn't make sense! The heart meant for Chris was almost reassigned!"

Hawkes nodded. "Exactly. Turns out, Chris had gotten in league with them to get a heart in the first place. But when people started asking questions about how he'd gotten so high up the list, the Bay City doctors tried to claim it was a clerical error, and bumped him back down. Of course, that only attracted more notice, and a personal visit from Dr. Oliver to retrieve the heart. They gave it to him rather than face further scrutiny, but it was too late. Reid knew something was up."

Listening to this incredible tale - even by Oakdale standards - Noah finally started to get a grip on things. He gathered the courage to look Reid in the eye.

"That's why you were blackmailing me," he said. It wasn't a question.

Reid nodded once. That was all the answer he planned to give the little punk. Noah continued his train of thought.

"These people who were after you - you thought they might go after Luke?"

While Luke gasped, Reid refused to elaborate. Agent Hawkes stepped in.

"The risk was even greater after the attack. There was always the chance they'd figure out it wasn't Dr. Oliver they'd killed. They could've gone after Mr. Snyder trying to find Reid's whereabouts, or any information he might have hidden."

Noah addressed Reid again. "You wanted me around, so Luke wouldn't be alone if something happened to you. And after the explosion - you knew if we thought you died, I'd stay close...," Noah trailed off, seeing the obvious thought in Reid's eyes: not THAT close.

Luke's eyes closed. Oh, shit. Opening them, he looked to Reid, apologetically at first. Seeing the revulsion that greeted him, though, Luke became angry.

"How was I supposed to know? Your house exploded! I nearly died trying to save you. So did Noah! I saw them wheel your body from the house - what was I supposed to think?"

Reid had heard enough, and shot up from the chair. "NOTHING, Luke! You weren't supposed to think anything! You know what else you weren't supposed to do? Fall into bed with your ex!"

None of the other three men had seen this Reid Oliver. He was pissed, he was disgusted, but most of all, he was hurt. And really, Luke couldn't argue the point. Reid hadn't been "dead" a week before he was right back in Noah's bed.

Reid ran a hand over his face, as if he could somehow wipe away the trauma of the past two weeks. Finally, he made a decision. He couldn't begin to determine if he and Luke could salvage their relationship with an audience on the sidelines. They needed to be alone to talk this out.

"If you want any chance for us, you'll leave with me right now."

Luke didn't even register what he was saying, until Reid held his hand out, expecting Luke to take it. Wanting them to leave together. To his left, Luke could hear the small intake of breath.

It was Noah. Noah, striving to hold his tongue. Noah, trying not to influence Luke's decision. Noah, wanting Luke's happiness more than his own. In that smallest of sighs, Luke understood. The only hand he would be holding, the only man he wanted taking him from this house to find their life together, was the same one he'd always want forever with. It was Noah.

Seconds that seemed too long passed as Reid stood, hand outstretched and empty. Luke didn't want to look him in the eye; he didn't want to see the pain he knew would be there. But he owed Reid that much, so he did.

When their eyes met, Luke watched the comprehension dawn. Slowly, Reid lowered his hand. Noah turned to look at Luke, unsure he was interpreting things right. Just so there could be no doubt, Luke offered his own hand - to Noah, who didn't need even seconds to consider, grasping it immediately.

Watching the exchange, Reid felt the air of inevitability surrounding it. This time, when he spoke, the fire was gone. "It was always going to end like this, wasn't it?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Luke said nothing. That was answer enough. "Somehow," Reid went on, "even knowing that doesn't make it suck any less."

"I'm sorry," Luke said, finding his voice. And he truly was. Luke had been the victim of Reid's fake death, but Reid had been the victim of Luke's real denial; that lie he'd told them both that said he could move on from Noah.

With a nod, Reid acknowledged Luke's words, though Luke doubted he forgave him. Then, more quietly than Reid had done anything in all the time Luke had known him, Reid left. No recriminations, no parting shots; he simply walked out the door like a mere mortal, not the invincible neurosurgeon who'd even cheated death.

Hawkes rose quickly from his chair. "Chris Hughes has been arrested for his part in the transplant fraud, as well as for planting those documents in your truck, Mr. Mayer. We suspect he also had something to do with trashing your apartment, trying to make you appear out-of-control to the police force investigating you. Dr. Hughes will be transferred to a federal detention center in the morning. I'll keep you both updated on the case as developments unfold."

Hurriedly, he took off in an effort to catch up to Reid. Luke and Noah simultaneously suspected the agent had feelings for the doctor. Hawkes seemed like a good man. Luke hoped he could console Reid, provided Reid let him.

Now, Luke turned his full attention to Noah. They were alone.

Noah didn't know what to say. So he said that. Incredibly, Luke laughed.

At Noah's confused look, Luke explained. "I'll bet you don't. That's why they don't make cards for this occasion. 'Sorry your boyfriend came back from the dead and caught us in bed together' was a surprisingly poor seller."

Noah couldn't help it. He snorted in laughter. Leave it to Luke to sum up the most ridiculous situation in the history of the world so succinctly.

Noah quipped back, "We weren't in bed."

"Well, this is true," Luke agreed. They shared one of their dork-smiles; the one where each of them knows they're being idiotic, but are just happy they're doing it together. More seriously, Luke went on, "I just... wow. I don't have words for what just happened here. This is crazy."

After a moment, they simultaneously added, "even for Oakdale!"

Smiling at the shared thought, they clenched their still-joined hands firmly.

"Through everything that happened, you never stopped believing in me," Noah began, swallowing down the lump in his throat. "When you had every reason in the world to suspect me, to hate me, you pulled me that much closer. You stood up for me; you protected me. That feeling is what I can't put into words - what that means to me is indescribable, Luke."

Luke smirked, "You did a pretty good job, anyway. But it goes two ways. You planned a memorial for a man you hated so I wouldn't have to do it. You listened to me cry over his death. You ran into a burning building trying to save us both. You stuck by my side at every turn, even when I screamed and shouted and took everything out on you. What that means to me is indescribable; what you mean to me is everything, Noah."

Beginning to choke up, Noah knew further words would be difficult to form, so he efficiently settled for just two.

"Same here."

-End-

Apologies for what probably feels like an abrupt end to this fic. I lost the last third or so of the story, and had to scramble to re-write it in time for Nuke Big Bang. Originally, there was more interaction between Reid and Agent Hawkes (though we didn't know it was Reid he was interacting with), and Reid and Luke had an official break-up talk of sorts. But I ran out of time to recreate it. Hope this is still okay.

Most importantly, if you made it this far, you deserve to watch solostrightnow's *amazing* trailer for this story, which is SO MUCH BETTER than the actual fic. Seriously, this looks like an actual movie. Ridic! To get the URL, combine youtube dot com (as you would actually type it into the address bar) with /watch?v=x_s70wJ3Zvc - Enjoy!

And finally... Reid, my poor bb - I'm gonna make this up to you. Ima write you a schmoopy LuRefic, k?