A.N.: Hi Dolls ! I've read in reviews you like this fanfiction very much and I am SO HAPPY to hear that ! I mean... I'm not the kind of person who would actually support incest in real life, but with these two I just can't help, but write about them, because they are so lovely, and I thank you for all of your support ! That is why I decided to slightly develop their relationship even further in the following chapters, so I hope you will like it. Once again, thank you so so much, and without any other delay, here you go with the Third Day Of Christmas Treat !
Enjoy sweetheart :333 with love and kisses, your ZiZi xoxoxo
After Joan's short and very satisfying nap, when she woke up in Luke's arms, to find his beautiful smile shining down at her, they slowly headed back on their way to make it to Montgomery till the evening.
They stopped again only at the gas station two times because of the toilet and snack instead of a big lunch, and then later on their way for a lovely, delicious dinner in a cozy restaurant in some small town.
In the radio were playing the lingering tunes of Angel from Montgomery, and the sun which was already gone for some time started replacing the orange glow on the sky, and fluently the darkness, just at the time the two of them reached the town.
,,We have two more days of traveling ahead until we reach our destination," Joan slowly folded the map, and hid it in her purse, before yawing softly, covering her mouth with the back of her palm.
,,How do you think Darlington will be like ?" Luke asked while he kept driving towards the hotel they picked via phone map when they were sitting in a restaurant and waiting for their meals.
,,I hope better than New Orleans," Joan smirked lightly, looking out of the window, her eyes slowly closing due to great exhaustion after the whole day, even though she tried and fought them open.
,,Me too, and we even made sure that our house is situated in a Christian neighborhood, but… do you think we will become a part of a good community ? Make some new friends who might be actually good friends, and maybe in time… even partners ?" Luke tried to not sound so worried because it's been on his mind ever since he watched his mother sleeping in his lap on the backseat after their little encounter earlier today.
Sure he was enjoying being with her, and he knew that she enjoyed it herself, and neither one of them wanted to stop, but Luke was afraid.
That people might start talking about them soon. Might have a suspicion about their relationship if neither one of them will want to find a partner. Maybe Joan wouldn't be that suspicious, since she will be presented to the public as a fresh widow, but he might become a target for girls, and he wasn't sure he wanted to have a girlfriend, but he didn't want to put his mother in rumors that they have so close relationship either... of course only if people start noticing, and they probably will…
Maybe they won't, but he doesn't want anyone to judge him and his family in their new home.
After all, it's been their chance. Their second chance to a do-over in fact, and he doesn't want to screw this chance up. Doesn't want his mother, neither his new brother nor sister to fall into rumors as such he was imagining right now, and make his sibling have a hard time in school growing up with those kinds of rumors.
It's been haunting him for most of the day, and he stayed silent about it, but the worry was there, at the forefront of his mind.
,,Ho-how do you mean… partners ?" Joan carefully asked a sudden worry washed over her.
Did he probably realize today how I might grow bigger, and he got scared of our relationship ? Maybe he asks because he might not find me attractive anymore in the following months of my pregnancy. Or he doesn't want to be with me anymore because it is weird. He kept telling me, he wants to be with me, just because he knows I need him, but he will start drawing away as soon as I will turn into a whale and after labor, it will all be over.
,,Well I meant that, when we settle, and after you shall stop grieving which will last for some time, and also after you will give birth to the baby, people might start showing their interest in you. After all… you are very, and I mean a very attractive woman," Luke sighed, swallowing the lump in his throat at the thought he might prepare for the possibility of welcoming 'new Patrick' into their family. ,,Then again, I will find a job and girls might start having interest even in me and to be honest," he silenced in worry again, looking in front of himself as his eyes slightly widened, before he briefly looked at his mother and admitted out loud ,,It slightly even scares me…"
Joan breathed out her slight tension with a smile on her face and while bringing her palm to gently caress her son's cheek she comforted him ,,Baby it's okay. As long as we both feel alright, then why bother about this yet ? I mean, this is exactly why we decided to escape. To not feel constantly judged. Of course, there will be girls coming after you to get you, you're a handsome boy-" she smiled at him widely, receiving a warm smile back ,,-and there will be men trying to attract me, but… it's only our decision if we will want to be with them or not, and we don't need to care about what they think, as long as we keep our affection just between us. Hmm ? What do you say ?"
She is right… there's no need to worry about this henceforth. And we've been having this relationship even before my father died, and nobody was in the slightest suspicion in public… Of course, we can handle it. Everything is going to be just great. These worries were probably the only reverberation of the witches' neighbors' effect on my conscience. It's silly…
,,You're right," Luke nodded smiling. ,,We can take our time and it's our business and nobody else's, and we shall take one step at a time together in our new home," he smiled at his mom, who relaxed into her seat in ease again with a content smile at his words, her eyes slowly starting to close as before, just at the time Luke fluently stopped the car in front of their chosen hotel.
Joan didn't even notice they stopped because she was really sleepy even though her eyes were slightly closed just for three seconds.
,,Ma… we're here," Luke turned to face her incredibly sleepy form, hearing her groan. He so much didn't want to wake her, but he forced himself to reach her cheek and gently stroked her with his fingers he uttered ,,We need to check-in."
But when he got another light groan in response, he softly chuckled for himself and nodded, whispering back.
,,Alright, I will check us in, and then I will come back for you and for our luggage…"
And as Joan sighed from her light sleep, he carefully, quietly left the car with his wallet, and went to the reception to book a room for two.
,,Good evening," Luke greeted the man in the reception, who smiled at him back, greeting as well. ,,I would like to stay overnight with my mother. She's quite exhausted after our road trip today, so she is sleeping in the car, but we decided to spend a night in a hotel, even though we don't have a booked room. Is there any chance for a free room for us ?" Luke was quite polite and smiley, explaining the situation.
,,Yes, there are a couple of rooms free," the man announced after brief checking the computer at his desk. ,,One non-smoking room with two separate single beds is okay ?" he asked kindly, and Luke nodded.
,,Absolutely perfect, thank you," he's been given a paper to fill with info, he took it and started doing so, when the man yet added.
,,The breakfast is at the buffet from 7:30 till 11 o'clock. If you would like to have breakfast here, just tick the option, okay ?"
,,Yes, thank you," Luke observed the paper, found the breakfast option and ticked it.
,,It's done, mom… I can't go on like this. I'm leaving with Ashlin," Luke was standing on the doorstep of the main door of an indistinct house, holding a suitcase in his hand.
Joan's eyes were filled with tears, when she shook her head, holding a little baby boy in her arms. He was looking scared and sad.
,,You can't leave me… Us… I thought… I thought you would never leave us alone," she cried out, reaching to grab Luke's hand in which he was gripping the suitcase.
,,This won't work, and I want my own life, I can't stay in this relationship. It's suffocating and I'm leaving now !" Luke explained relentlessly, pulling his hand out of his mother's grasp.
,,Wuke," the little boy suddenly cried for him too, stretching his tiny arms for his brother, tears running down his cheeks.
,,Take care of mom for me, will you ?" Luke smiled at the boy, caressing his cheek and wiping off his tears when the little boy nodded harshly.
Then he walked out of the door, Joan screaming behind him, but all she could see was only light coming from the outside through the door, illuminating her body, holding still the little boy.
,,How could he leave me ?" she cried, collapsing on the floor, looking at the baby boy how he stood on his own feet between her knees, holding onto her shoulders and reaching her cheek with his tiny palm.
,,Don't wowy mom… I'm hewe," he lisped, smiling at her.
Joan tried to swallow the lump in her throat as her tears kept washing her face.
,,You're right… you're the only one left… you won't leave me, will you ?" the brunette smiled through her tears at the baby boy who wildly shook his head and cupped her both cheeks with his small hands.
But she turned back towards the door and the light that was coming from outside.
,,Why did he leave me ?" she asked softly, turning her head back to the baby boy, but he was no longer there. He was gone.
Joan panicked and stood up, looking all around her, but couldn't see him anywhere. She rushed across the house, but not in a single room she could find the baby boy. Only when she rushed back to the main door, she saw a tall young man, standing with a suitcase in his hand.
,,You can't keep us stay forever mom…" the boy said, and Joan shook her head wanting to say anything, wanting to reach for his hand, but as she stretched out her arm for him, he disappeared and she was left alone in sudden darkness… The light no longer comes from any corner of the room…
The loneliness was overwhelming. How did this happen ? How could this still be happening ?
She collapsed to the ground and started crying. She was having a fit.
,,Luke !" she cried harder and harder, her head was bursting and her heart too. ,,Luke !"
,,LUKE !"
,,Luke !" Joan suddenly yelped, waking up with tears covered face, in an empty car.
She looked at the seat behind the steering wheel, but Luke wasn't there. She looked at her small bump which thankfully was still there.
She turned around, wiping her tears off, calling out again if he might be in the backseat ,,Luke ?"
She felt so incredibly disoriented by the dream, she didn't remember they were about to stop by the hotel before she fell asleep, and the nightmare only added to it, by the loneliness playing with her consciousness, she was starting to panic.
,,L-Luke ?" she asked into the empty car again, this time her voice was only a low whisper until she screamed at the top of her lungs when somebody all of a sudden knocked on the window just beside her head.
,,Dear Lord Almighty," she breathed out, when she recognized Luke and watched him open the door.
She quickly unbuckled herself and faced him.
His smile almost instantly faded, when he saw her shocked expression.
,,Something happened mom ?" his blue eyes were so innocent at the moment, she nearly whimpered.
,,You startled me, that's all," Joan nodded before she offered a very weak smile.
,,I'm sorry, I have seen you looking around, I thought you were up," Luke caressed her shoulder gently, trying to figure out why she looked so puzzled and shocked and even about to start crying.
,,I was, I-" she looked at him, and quickly changed her mind, shaking with her head lightly ,,-Never mind. Why did you leave me- I mean, where did you go ?"
,,To check us in the hotel, come, I have keys from our room. Let's take our luggage and head to the shower and then to bed, to have some proper sleep. Today was a busy day," his smile was ever so curing, and soothing, she had to smile back at him.
Luke nodded and helped her out of the front seat, giving her the keys, and going to the truck for the suitcase, giving her a chance to get her bearings.
She took a couple of deep breaths, assuring herself it was just a bad dream, after all, running her palm gently, soothingly over her small bump.
,,Alright, shall we ?" Luke asked slowly, putting his hand on Joan's back.
,,Yes, which way ?" his mother smiled, looking around before her son led the way.
The door from their room opened, and they entered while switching the lights on.
Joan looked across the not that spacious room, there was one wardrobe, but they shall not bother with unpacking their stuff completely, in fact, they could just pull out of the suitcase fresh clothes the next morning, and the pajamas and hygiene set, for now, so they might shower properly after the whole day spends in a heated car.
,,These are separate beds," Joan noted when Luke closed the door behind them and locked it right away.
,,Yes, the receptionist asked me if it was okay, and I said yes. It would be sort of suspicious if I asked for one double bed since I mentioned at the beginning of the conversation that I'm with my mother," Luke explained, watching Joan's reaction, how she nodded and looked from the bed to the luggage.
,,It's alright, we can survive it for tonight, right ?" she smiled up at her son, who nodded in relief that she was okay with it, before reaching for the suitcase and pulling out his nightshirt and night pants, handing them to Joan her nightgown, and their toilet set.
,,You can go, have a shower first, I will look into a laptop for hotels in Charleston, to see if I can book some hotel henceforth for tomorrow, hmm ?" Luke leaned down and pressed a kiss to Joan's cheek, making her eyes flutter in endearment, and also at his scent.
,,Okay, thank you, darling," she caressed his cheek in repay, and let him pull out the laptop from their suitcase and sit with it on one of the beds, while she made her way to the bathroom and right away into the shower.
She kept convincing herself it was just a bad dream, even though it was awfully vivid, and tried to not think why would he do that, or why would she dream about this. What was it supposed to warn her about, or why it was taunting her mind in this horrible sort of way.
When she came out of the shower and dressed in her nightgown, she stepped back inside the room, spotting Luke already closing the laptop and lifting his eyes to her.
,,Well don't you look beautiful," he smiled at her widely, while stretching his arms above his head, his eyes trailing his mom up and down. She looked lovely even though she's been wearing a long nightdress which was covering almost every part of her body.
,,Thank you baby, so did you find and book the hotel for us for tomorrow ?" she slowly sat beside him on the single bed, only slightly leaning closer.
,,Well, that's a surprise for you to find out tomorrow," he pressed a quick kiss on her other cheek when he instantly stood up, not giving her any chance to snuggle into him, since she was already fresh and he was still sweaty.
,,Oh-okay," she nodded with the slight disappointment of his fast escape to the bathroom, being in slight shock when she all so suddenly heard a shower. He was fast.
She took a breath, and tugged the sheets aside, slipping beneath them, and started to stroke her little bump, listening to the pleasantly soporific sound of the shower. Her eyes swiftly flew open. Because she didn't want to fall asleep alone this time, she wanted to wait for him, and to snuggle into his arms in the single bed, at least they would be closer, and she could feel safe unlike in the bad dream.
Luke although, as soon as he was done, and freshly dressed in his nightclothes, switched the light in the bathroom off, and walked casually to the other bed.
,,I-w-Lu- …" Joan stuttered lightly, before letting out quickly, when he turned to her and she had his full attention ,,I thought we might actually squeeze in one of the single beds."
,,I don't want to crop your space, let alone if I was about to accidentally shove you off the bed during the night. You're expecting a baby, you have to have some space. Besides I thought you're alright with it, since you said we can survive it for tonight," Luke explained, while laying down on his bed and covering himself with sheets too now.
Joan nodded with quite a ragged sigh, trying to keep her voice intact so he wouldn't have any suspicion she was at the edge of starting to cry ,,Yes, you're right." She slowly turned to her side with her back towards him, so he wouldn't hear her, when she let out lowly ,,Goodnight."
I can't believe this is happening. I thought it was just a bad dream, not a serious prediction… and he's already starting to draw away from me. At first, the talks about partners, now he doesn't want to sleep next to me, and tomorrow he won't even kiss me, and why ? Because it's becoming weird between us and he probably realized it, and I'm suffocating him !
Joan tried so hard to not sniff out loud, but she couldn't help it as much as her body gave her natural sounds away. Her breathing ragged, her chest heaving with sort of pain, and her nose sniffing her tears away.
,,Mom ?" Luke asked, his eyes were closed until now since he was also quite exhausted after today, but as soon as he heard his mother sniffing, he knew something was off. If not directly effed, but he couldn't figure out why or what exactly.
Shit… he heard me…
,,Mom are you crying ?" he asked ever so curiously, withal carefully, knowing how fragile she was when she was about to have a crying fit, and especially fragile with her pregnancy hormones, not wanting to upset her any more than she was. Any more than she seemed to be.
,,No.." she sniffed again, her voice so soft and vulnerable as she tried to bury her face into a pillow to drown her cries.
,,Are you crying because I said I want you to have space ? To not squeeze your bump, or shove you accidentally from bed at night ?" he asked, narrowing to his elbow and listening in anticipation.
,,No," she let out slightly louder than before, shaking her head against the pillow, he heard.
Now that made him smile, it was quite odd how cutely vulnerable she seemed to be only after he tried to give her some space. Luke sat up, and stood from the bed, while Joan protested into the pillow.
,,It's nothing, I'm okay, you go back to sleep darling," she nodded, choking on her own words before she suddenly heard his loud huff when he lifted something heavy, and with another loud groan of his he transported it to the other side of the room. Then she heard quiet for a second or few, and then she heard a loud shifting of furniture behind her.
She was confused but was too afraid to move an inch of her body because how everything was covered in darkness reminded her of the darkness in the dream when everybody left her.
She froze on the spot, and even held her breath, listening further to the quiet, before she felt an unexpected shift of another sheet over hers and a warm, strong body scooting underneath hers and that second layer of sheet right behind her, and arm sneaking around her little bump with shoulder hugging her petit form, literally hiding her in the embrace.
,,Is it better like this ?" she heard Luke's voice in the shell of her ear and felt his hot breath hitting the side of her exposed neck before his lips lowered to her skin and kissed her nape lovingly.
Her eyes fluttered close and tears ran down to the pillow, but this time it were tears from emotion.
,,It is," she nodded, feeling a rush of guilt wash over her, she let out feebly ,,I'm so sorry, baby."
Luke's brows furrowed, he did not understand at all right now.
,,What for ?" he asked, kissing the side of her neck again.
,,I didn't mean to force you to come closer. I don't want you to do something you don't want," Joan refused to turn to him and face him like this, she would take it if he changed his mind and turned to his other side, but he surprised her and only caressed her bump with his palm.
,,What are you talking about ? If I didn't want to be closer to you, I would have stayed where I was, but I want to be this close to you, and I can move the furniture back in the morning. It's no problem for me," he smiled against her neck, not stopping pressing soft kisses along her nape.
Joan sniffed nodding, and caressing his palm on her small bump, biting her lip and hesitating if she shall ask or not.
,,Am I suffocating you ?" she let out, her eyes closed in near embarrassment.
Luke furrowed his brows, never easing his hug, still embracing her, but asking curiously now ,,What forces you to think that ? You're most certainly not. Mom where is this coming from ?"
Joan sighed and let out agreeing noise in surrender ,,I fell asleep in the car when you left to check us in, right ?"
,,Yeah, and ever since then you're somehow off. What happened ?" her son asked her, still caressing her little bump, and pressed another soothing kiss at the crook of her neck.
,,Well-" Joan gulped and then started explaining in a weak voice ,,-I had a bad dream in which you were leaving me in our new house. I was already with a baby boy holding him to my chest, when you said …you said our relationship is suffocating and you can't go on like this, and then you told to the little boy to take care of me instead, and then you were gone… the little boy grew up so quickly I didn't even blink and suddenly it was him standing in the door, telling me I can't keep you stay forever, and then I was left alone in the darkness…"
,,Wow..." Luke widened his eyes, now finally understanding her sudden change of mood and odd behavior.
,,And then I woke up in the car and you weren't there, and then you knocked on the window and I got frightened, and now I'm scared, that you actually do feel that way, and that I'm making you do things you don't want, and I don't want that, because I love you, and if you feel that we shouldn't do this anymore then I need you to tell me because I want you to live your life according to you and not me-" her fast and furious speech full of worries and raw emotions and raging hormones was cut right before she might explode and burst in tears, by Luke's lips on hers.
She breathed through her nose when his palm gently held her face towards him so he could kiss her deeper, only making her relax, ease all of that tension and lightly whimper to his mouth when his tongue caressed her own.
Only when he broke the kiss she gasped for air lightly, and in the darkness found his blue forget-me-nots looking straight into her own wide chocolate orbs.
He didn't give her any chance to speak when he started right away ,,Now listen… It was just a bad dream, okay ? We are heading to our new home to be together. I maybe had some worries about other people, but it was the only reverberation of our previous home and its tension, after all, we just left this morning. We need some time to throw that tension into the trash and leave it behind us, okay ? You were right when you said that our relationship is only our business and nobody else's. Besides, we used to keep our relationship a secret even when my father was still alive, and we didn't care about anybody else, nobody had the slightest suspicion until we moved next door to witches who could read freaking minds... It's all past now, and I want you to know, I have no intentions of leaving you nor the baby brother or sister. I love you too, probably more than you think I do, and most certainly I am living according to me. And maybe one day we might find ourselves somebody else, but until then all I can see by my side is you with my sibling. And I want you to know that I mean every. Single. Word. I. Say."
He ended his long and honest proclamation with five kisses, one at her forehead, one at her left cheek, one at her right cheek, one at her chin, and the last one on her lips, gently flicking his tongue across her slightly parted lips, swallowing the moan of affection and emotion she let out in response.
,,Okay ?" he smiled while stroking her cheek lightly with his fingers, looking into her eyes which sparkled with tears.
,,Mhmm," she nodded with a whimper and sniffed again before cupping his cheek and bringing him down to make him kiss her again.
She felt by every fiber in her body that he meant what he said, and he was right… It was their first day of freedom on the escape. Their minds were still somehow wrapped around their previous home, and the purpose of this move is to finally be together, so from now on, no more worries.
,,I love you, my baby," Joan muttered to their kiss, and Luke chuckled softly after breaking the kiss.
,,I love you too mom. You know it's hilarious, how the hormones can change your mood as if on a swing," he swept the trickle of her long brown hair off her cheek.
,,Why is it hilarious ?" Joan shook with her head, she found it rather annoying in this case, but as long as his body was wrapped around her and his arm was keeping her in a close, protective embrace to his own chest, she was content.
Luke chuckled again and explained what he meant while his palm stroked back to her little bump to pet her through her nightgown ,,Because earlier today you were able to straddle me in the back of the car in the middle of nowhere and blew my mind, and the very same evening you can completely forget about the fact I told you right after that said encounter, that I'd like you to surprise me like that more often… Does that sound to you, like you were suffocating me ?"
,,No… I completely forgot that you actually said that," Joan chuckled loud too now, covering her face from Luke due to the embarrassment.
,,Then keep that in mind from now on, because I still hope that you will," he waved with his brows when Joan slipped her fingers apart for one eye to see her son's shiny smile above her still covered face.
Joan smiled naughtily and nodded with a low giggle ,,Okay… but now I'm so exhausted."
Her fingers finally slipped off her face when Luke nodded in agreement ,,Yeah me too, today was truly busy."
,,Ah-aaa-alright," she let out a sudden yawn, making Luke smile at her sweetly.
,,Tomorrow is another day too," he kissed the tip of her nose, before she nodded, snuggled up to his chest with her back, and let his arm gently rest on her tiny bump.
,,Good night, baby," she murmured, slowly and mainly peacefully falling asleep.
,,Good night, mom," he smiled against her soft brown hair, his eyes also closing due to the tiredness, and so they both fell asleep in their warm embrace after quite a long day.