While Emma was distracted by various family members in the parlour, Luke and Noah snuck into the kitchen.
"Okay…" Noah said reaching into the store cupboard, "What do you need?"
"Grab one onion, a red one, um mixed spice, cabbage… oh and cinnamon, the powder form, and red wine vinegar…" He listed the ingredients he needed while grabbing the bowls, spoons, pans etc from various places around the kitchen.
Noah placed all the essentials onto the island, "Done?"
"Yip, I think that's it for now…!"
Just then Emma decided to make her appearance and she stood stunned for a moment, hands on hips, before asking, "And just what do you boys think you are up to?"
Noah walked over and gently steered her back into the parlour, "You are going to relax this lunchtime and Luke is going to do the cooking…"
"Luke!" She protested, "No, Noah darling, I don't think so! Luke doesn't know a knife from a spoon!"
"He does now…" And then stopping to look at her he said, "He really wants to do this for you. Just trust me… he's wonderful at it! He's been making all our meals in LA." And he gave her the biggest puppy dog look he could muster.
"Oooh you! How am I supposed to say no to a face like that? Alright then!"
"Great!" And Noah kissed her cheek before retuning to the kitchen.
"Charmer!" she laughed to herself before wondering off to find Janet so that she could share this interesting new titbit of information.
...
While Luke kept himself busy in the kitchen, Noah decided to take another walk down to the pond. He had really missed this place and he wanted to drink it all in, savour it and maybe take back some essence of it when he returned to LA. He sniffed in the farm smells and stood with his eyes closed, immersing himself in Oakdale air.
Just then a loud scream pierced the quiet.
...
Noah had completely distracted Luke from his task. He had been chopping an onion when his attention was utterly stolen by the sight of Noah's statuesque figure standing still, head back, by the edge of the ice-covered pond. "Is he real?" A voice inside him asked and he felt butterflies travel from his toes to gather in his stomach. He was so beautiful… so breathtakingly beautiful…
Just then he was ripped from his thoughts by the faint sound of a cry and he watched as Noah sprinted off behind the trees on his right.
"What the hell?"
Like a flash he was running out the door, hurrying quickly after him.
...
His aeroplane is green. It has green circles on it. It's an army plane. He knows because his soldiers are also green and so is his tank. He wishes he had his soldiers at the farm today, but they are at home in his elephant trunk. His elephant trunk is funny!
His tank has a big gun! His plane has guns too but they are smaller ones. His plane is really cool and it actually FLIES! When he throws it, it can fly very far! Farther than anything else can go! Definitely! And when it flies it shoots at the bad gays, "Da, da, da, da, da! Da, da, da, da, da!" And then he has to run for ages to fetch it!
His aeroplane is the best present EVER! Noah came yesterday and gave it to him! He likes Noah! Sometimes if he says "please" first, then Noah will swing him round and round! And it makes him laugh and laugh and then his tummy hurts. And Noah hugs and kisses him a lot too! So he knows Noah loves him like Luke does! He likes that Noah loves him… Noah is so cool!
Luke has been gone for a long time. And Noah has been gone for a long, long, long, long time! He doesn't know where Noah went but Luke said it was a place where they make movies! And that is the COOLEST! But he is glad that Noah has come with Luke today. Luke said they could play a game later! Cool!
His plane has gone VERY far this time! WOW! But now Faith has started screaming! Why is she screaming like that? And then Natalie shouts, "Ethan!"
He can see Noah running down the hill and then Noah takes Faith by her shoulders. Why is Faith unhappy? Then Faith points at him and Noah looks very scared. When he looks around there are no bears or monsters anywhere! That's the only reason you should be scared like that. Right? Anyway he needs to fetch his aeroplane, but before he can...
"Ethan stop!" and when he turns Noah is bent over slightly and has his arms out to him. "Ethan buddy? Do you want play a game?"
Well, yes. He always wants to play games but he has to get his plane first, "My aeroplane…" he says and points at it.
"Ethan! Look at me buddy, okay? Don't move!" He feels very strange. He's not sure what this feeling is called but he just wants to fetch his plane and Noah is telling him not to move. So now he doesn't know what to do. He doesn't think Noah is mad at him. Noah doesn't look like his daddy does when he is mad. He just looks scared about something and he looks like he wants to cry. Is Noah sad about something?
"Ethan? If you keep very still and stay there? Then… then… I'll buy you a hundred aeroplanes kid! Okay?"
Then Noah is being very funny and making him laugh. Noah is pretending to be a snake! Like they do at school sometimes. He is wriggling closer and closer to him along the ground and he wants to play too so he laughs and he bounces down hard…
But then suddenly it's very cold! Very, very, very, very cold! And he doesn't like this. He doesn't want to play this game anymore. Also he can't move so he's dropping and he's drinking a lot of water. It's dark and he can't stop drinking the water.
His head really hurts now and he feels like he's going to blow up! Like when Miss Barker at the pool tells him to blow bubbles for as longs as he can under the water… Then eventually he can't anymore so he goes back up to the top. But this time he can't get back up because his arms won't work anymore. Why won't his arms work?
Suddenly his head is out of the water and he can hear people screaming, "Ethan! Ethan! Noah!"
But he's cold… so cold! And he wants Mommy!
...
Luke arrived at the pond just in time to see Noah reach the hole in the ice. "Noah!"
"He fell in Luke! Ethan fell in!" Faith was hysterical.
Just then Natalie arrived from the direction of the barn carrying a large bundle of rope that Luke assumed Noah must have instructed her to fetch. Hastily Luke snatched it from her and tied one end around his waist, "Faith, run up to the house and get Dad and Uncle Jack… Now!" He handed the other end of the rope to Natalie and said, "Hold onto this and give it to Dad when he gets here…"
During this time he watched terrified as Noah dropped into the water, came up for air and then disappeared under the ice once more. He tried to keep the fear from rising up. He had to remain calm no matter what.
As he reached the edge of the hole, Ethan's head emerged from under the water as Noah gripped the boy tightly under his armpits and lifted him up. Luke grabbed Ethan in the same place, and as he pulled his baby brother out of the freezing water, he felt as Noah's hands slipped away and back under the ice. He laid Ethan down gently next to him and desperately plunged his face and arms into the hole, searching the blackness for Noah. He spotted him and managed to grab him by his jacket, just before he floated away. He pulled hard and Noah gasped and spluttered as has his head reached the surface. Luke pulled him up through the hole as much as he could, but eventually Noah panted, "I'm okay, I'm okay… take Ethan!"
It went against all of Luke's natural instincts to leave Noah there in the icy water but he knew Noah was right. "I'll be right back, Okay? Hold on… just hold on!" And he pressed a kiss to Noah's panting and shaking head.
Rolling over, he lifted Ethan onto his stomach and held him there as Holden and Jack used the rope to pull them both safely over the ice. Jack grabbed Ethan from him and immediately started CPR while Lilly screamed in fear and panic, "Ethan! My baby, oh my god!"
But Luke didn't hesitate and was quickly but cautiously making his way back over the ice towards Noah. He could tell that Noah was on his last reserve of energy and every now and then he would slip a little further back into the water, causing Luke's heart to contract in panic. "Hold on, hold on…" he repeated over and over inside his head.
"Hey…" He said as he reached him.
"Hey, yourself…" Noah replied with a weak smile, his quivering lips an unhealthy purple colour. "You look warm…" And even in the desperateness of the situation Luke couldn't help but laugh out loud at that.
"Want to join me?" He asked; trying to keep up the good humour in the hopes it would distract Noah from the immediate danger they were both in.
"Definitely!" He stuttered as his teeth chattered together.
"Okay, then… Just keep talking to me, alright bubby?" And Luke reached out to grab Noah tightly under his arms and pull him around, so that his back was against the side of the hole. He immediately sensed Noah's relief at not having to hold on anymore and his entire body relaxed against the ice.
"Noah?" But there was no response and he suffered a major panic attack when he realised Noah must have passed out… "Please hold on… not much longer now, Okay?"
And using more strength then he ever knew he possessed he pulled Noah up and out of the ice. Using the same tactic he had with Ethan, he rolled onto his back and pulled Noah on top of him, so that his father and Jack could pull them both over the ice. As they slid slowly towards the edge of the pond, Luke hugged Noah tightly into him and pressed their cheeks firmly together, whispering to him, "Stay with me… Stay with me…"
...
Noah opened his eyes to realise he was tucked in bed on the farm. The best place in the world to wake up in! And then he corrected himself, maybe the second best place… just behind waking up anywhere with Luke.
He felt Luke's hand on his and when he looked down all he saw was the back of Luke's blonde head, as he slept, slumped over the bed, while seated in a chair.
Noah reached over with his free hand and ran his fingers through the blond locks. Luke shot up, and seeing Noah awake, leapt from the chair to sit on the bed and lean over so that he could kiss Noah all over his face in relief. "Oh my god! Oh my god!"
"Luke?" And then he remembered. Ethan and the ice… "Ethan! Is he…"
"He's fine! He's fine baby! Thanks to you! I was so worried!"
"How long have I been out for?"
"All day! It's 10pm."
Just then the bedroom door opened and Lilly entered carrying a tray with two cups of coffee. "Noah! You're awake at last! We were starting to worry about you. The doctor said you would be fine, but he didn't say you would sleep for so long." And after placing the tray on the bedside table, she leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. "How can I ever thank you?"
"Anybody would have done it!" Noah smiled. "I'm just glad he's okay…"
Luke laughed then.
"What?"
"He's more than okay! He's ecstatic! He says you promised to buy him a hundred aeroplanes!"
...
Luke held Noah's hand right up until it was his turn to walk through the airport security gate. Both of them had tears in their eyes, but they had made a promise not to break down. They were going to make this as easy on each other as possible.
"A few weeks and it will be Christmas…" Luke reminded him.
"Yes! Thank goodness for that!" And then, "What are you getting me?"
"Is that all you care about at a moment like this?" Luke chastised, "I never took you for the materialistic type Mayor!"
"Well! Obviously there is yet a lot for us to learn about each other!" He smiled, "And I for one can't wait to get started."
Luke smiled at him and they kissed. "Same here…"