Title: Home Again
Chapter 21: The Lies and secrets
Author: FallenAngel
Rating: PG
Warnings: AU, English is not my native language so there might be spelling and grammar mistakes!
Disclaimer: Here it is!! So sorry that it took me such a long time to write it but it's been crazy at home.. first it was last school day. then last riding lesson day, then my birthday, and now midsummer too.. ( Swedish celebration thing) and I'm not even at home.. I'm in our summer place sort of..

I'm going to try to update faster from now on!! Once again, sorry!!

Luke stood there speechless for a moment. He had no idea what so ever what was going on. One minute Bella had been nice and friendly and the next minute she had become defensive.

But one thing that was crystal clear to Luke that this was out of his hands there was nothing he could do since he didn't really know Bella. However the person who could help Bella was the one she was mad at not to mention the one who knew her, so he picked up his phone and send a messenger to Noah.

"Need you to come over to farm as soon as possible, it's about Bella."

It didn't take Noah long and he arrived there a couple of minutes later. The message had freaked him out, every horrible scenario that he could think of had started to play inside his head. When it came to Bella he never stopped worrying and it didn't really help that he didn't live nearby at the moment, especially with Casey nearby and not to mentions Bella's condition.

Noah got out of his truck and ran to the stables. He thought that is was most likely that Luke would be there since it was time to feed the horses and it was he who did the chores. Thankfully it didn't take long to find him.

"Luke, what happened!?" Noah asked as he ran up to him.

"Relax, everything is fine" Luke replied, hoping that his words would soothe Noah. He should have guessed that the text would have freaked him out, "Not fine exactly but Bella isn't hurt or anything, not physically anyway"

"So I assume that you talked to Bella?" Noah asked as he took a step closer to Luke.

"Yes I did and I think this is bigger than we thought that it was and I think that it involves us."

"What do you mean us?"

"Us as in me you and Casey" Luke replied in a nonchalant voice, trying to sound like it wasn't a big deal or that they didn't need blow it up more.

"What? What did she say to you Luke? Noah asked worried now. This didn't sound so good.

"It wasn't what she said that this is about, it more what she didn't say. It was the way she acted when I tried to ask her why she was mad at you…" Luke trailed of not really sure how he was supposed to explain this to Noah without him getting the wrong idea.

"I think that this as something to do with us being together"

"What?" Noah yelled a little more loudly then he intended to do. "What made you come to that conclusion if you don't mind me asking?" He couldn't really believe what Luke was saying. From his point of view it sounded like Bella was against them being together but she was the one to bring them together in the first place. "No you're wrong Luke; you had to misunderstood her or something." Noah shook his head not wanting to believe what Luke was saying about Bella, it didn't sound like her at all.

"Noah, I'm only telling you what I saw and she was acting very defensive about this."

"And that means what exactly?" Noah asked angry.

"She was acting like Faith used to when my dad was having an affair, all defensive towards the person he was dating and towards him to" Luke defended.

"I don't believe you Luke"

"Fine, believe what you want to believe but I'm only telling you what I saw. " Luke took a hesitated step forwards so that he was only a couple of centimeters from Noah. "But you have no right at all to take this out on me Noah. Not until we know what the problem is! Got that?"

"We?" Noah asked a little puzzled.

"Yes, we, I'm Bella's father to, remember?" Luke said in a lighter tone, trying to easy Noah up a bit.

"Okay… We" Noah said and a smile started to form on his lips and he couldn't help it back. Slowly he inched forward capturing Luke's lips. The kiss was short but still sweet. Noah knew that they couldn't do anything that they wanted to; in case someone would come walking. Once again they had to hide their relationship but this time it was Luke who requested it.

He wanted to make sure that they could get rid of Casey without harming anyone in anyway. It bugged Noah to death but having Luke a little was better than having non Luke at all. He just had to cope with the situation.

"Hum hum..."

Both Luke and Noah jumped apart before turning around to see who it was that had walking in. To both their relief it was only Bella who stood there with Misty but she didn't look happy at all.

"Hi Bella" Noah greeted her but Bella didn't reply back. Instead she just glared at with an angry look before walking to Misty's stall and starting to dismount her.

She tried to do is as calmly as possible to not scare the horse but seeing her dad and Luke jumping apart at the sound of her just made her furious. Bella could hear her dad and Luke whisper behind her and she tried her best to hear what they said.

"Should we go and talk to her?"

"I think its best if I go and talk to her alone first until I know what the problem is.

"But Noah, we agreed that we would to this together, since this concerns me to… she is a part of me too"

What did Luke just say? What did he meant by that? Is my dad going to let him talk like that? He has no damn right to say that. Luke might be a part of my dad's heart but he has no place in mine. He not a part of me in any kind of way, my dad's yes, mine, no bloody way.

"I just think that it's best if I do this since you aren't ready to tell her why you care so much about her in the first place. Yes she knows that we are together and if it's the reason is what you think it is we have a serious problem here…

Tell me what dad? What is it that Luke isn't telling me?

After that she couldn't hear what they were saying to each other since they both walked out from the stable and the door closed and she was left along with her thought.

10 minutes later she heard the door opened again and it didn't take long before her dad's figure appeared in front of her.

"Bella we need to talk" Noah said as he took another step forward.

"No" She replied as she turned her back to Noah and started to brush Misty.

"You're mad at me" Noah stated

"Yes"

"Are you mad at Luke?"

"Yes"

Noah could feel a string of frustration hitting him. This was absurd, his daughter had never acted like this before and honestly he didn't know what to do. But if this was the only way that he was going to get answers out of Bella, so be it.

"Is it about something we did?"

"Yes. More like something you do"

"You mean being together?"

"No" more like not being together…

"What did you say Bella?" Noah asked as he heard Bella whisper something silently.

"I said that it more about you not being together" She said and raised her voice for each word that she spoke. She just couldn't hold back anymore and she knew that when she was done talking she would have hurt her dad in more than way.

"Dad do you know how long time it took for me to get you and Luke back together?"

"No" Noah whispered as he saw he anger, hurt and betrayal in his daughter eyes. He had never seen her like this, not even once.

"I know that you don't know that, how could you? I putted to much effort on getting you guys back together and what do you do? You hide it… You hide you love for whatever reason there is and that's the worst part dad. You always told me to be honest, that we should be honest but what do you do that, the minutes you two got home? You hide…" Bella said in a hurt voice.

"It's like you two are walking back in the closet or something, it what it's looking like. And I can't even understand why you are doing that. You told me how hurt Luke was when you had to pretend to be married to someone else. You told me how much it hurt both off you and now you're doing the exact same thing that you did 18 years ago!"

"But Bella, why do you care so much if Luke and I are together? I know you hate to see me becoming someone else in front of you but why do you are so much, why did you try so damn hard to get us back together?"

"Because I need you to be happy dad…"

"I am happy Bella, what gave you that impression? I'm happy with you honey!"

"I needed to reassure myself that when I leave you wouldn't be alone. When I leave that you will have someone by your side… that there is someone else that can make you happy when I'm not here anymore…" Bella said in a silent voice as she tried to stop the tears that were starting to fall down her face.

Noah was shocked by what Bella just said and he couldn't find the words to reply back. He hated when she talked like that, like everything she did was so final.

"It's the truth dad" Bella said, like she knew what he was going to say. "You may not like but it's true. One day I won't be here anymore and I don't know if it's going to be in a couple of months or years but I know that I won't live a full life like everyone else. I also know that once am gone you'll be left alone with no one in your life expect maybe your dad"

"And you're mad because we're hiding it?" He still didn't know what to say or how to react.

"Yes I am and I don't understand why! If Luke loves you like he claims that he do and you love him, why haven't he left Casey? Why haven't he kicked him out yet uh? If Casey left then he was no reason to try to get custody over me because he has nothing left to fight with or for. I know that you know the reason that or else you wouldn't stand watching Luke with Casey for no reason… No matter how much you love him "

"Bella…" Noah pleaded. This was the only question he couldn't answer, not without breaking Luke's trust, and it was Luke's choice when he wanted to tell Bella the truth. She needed to hear it from Luke, not him.

"Let me guess, you can't tell me?" Bella said as she walked pass him. "How about that dad, you're back how you used to be when you were a teenager and so is Luke, not to mention Casey." She opened the door and took a step out but looked back at her dad for a moment. "Only this time it's not only Luke that you'll lose, this time you'll lose your daughter to and in a way I think that you already did dad which all you're lies and secrets that you are caring in your heart" and with that she closed the door.

****

"Lucinda, you're telling me that there is nothing I can do to get the court on my side?" Noah asked as he sat down again for the hundredth of time.

"Doesn't look so good Darling, on paper Casey is her biological father and in court that means a lot…"

"But he isn't any good for her at all!" Noah protested in anger and despair, he couldn't lose Bella. "Isn't there something we can do? There as to be something."

"I'm afraid there is not Noah unless you can't find the adoption papers for Bella or we can find something that could show the court that Casey is not right for Bella, in time to. And the trial is tomorrow Noah. We have done everything we can Noah, but it seems that it isn't enough…" Lucinda said as she took his hand.

"You're telling me that I'm going to lose Bella?" Noah said in a broken voice, he couldn't even finish Bella's name. He couldn't even stop the tears from falling down as the truth hit him. Bella had been right all along...The lies and the secrets were going to make sure that the lost Bella… But he couldn't betray Luke or his family… It was either one way or the other…

"I'm sorry honey, but yes… Tomorrow you're going to lose Bella" Lucinda replied…