Chapter 4
Reid woke and looked at the clock radio, surprised to see it was almost one in the afternoon. The only time he'd ever slept this late was after pulling an all-nighter at the hospital. He shouldn't have been surprised; him and Luke were up all night and into the early part of the morning. They'd ate a late candlelight steak dinner and talked for hours about everything; their childhoods, their families, their likes and dislikes. He'd learned more about Luciano Eduardo Grimaldi-Snyder in one day than he'd learned during their entire brief relationship. They'd ended it all, making love once more and the sex was damn fucking hot.
Reid rolled onto his side and silently watched Luke, who was laying on his stomach next to him. Luke was sound asleep and Reid knew it'd been a while since Luke had slept properly. Luke had confessed to him how difficult the past few months had been. He over-worked to keep his mind occupied. His weight-loss was due to his loss of appetite. The few nights he'd been home completely by himself were the nights he had drank.
Reid gently stroked Luke's soft blonde hair. He couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing he was the cause of all this. He was now glad he had made the decision to return. Maybe Luke would be able to move on, knowing he was alive and okay.
Luke stirred and opened his eyes.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to wake you." Reid said.
"It's okay," Luke moved closer to Reid, "I love waking up next to you. You want me to make you breakfast?"
"No," Reid continued to stroke Luke's hair, "I want you to go back to sleep. I'm going to take a shower then I'll make you breakfast. Or brunch actually."
"That's cool." Luke drowsily murmured, having already closed his eyes.
Reid climbed out of bed, pulled the covers up around Luke and went into the bathroom. He stepped into the standing shower and turned on the water as hot as he could take it. He turned and let the powerful spray beat on his back for several minutes, easing away the soreness. He felt like he'd been through a major workout, but he wasn't complaining. He closed his eyes, unable to remember another time in his life where he'd felt more content. Everything was perfect. But perfection was only an illusion. Soon he would have to return to his new, alternate world. And the thought of having to leave Luke…
"Want some company?" Luke opened the shower door.
Reid opened his eyes. "You're suppose to be sleeping."
"I've got my whole life to sleep," Luke stepped inside the shower and into Reid's arms. "I'm not going to waste a single minute with you."
Reid held Luke; he didn't want to waste a single second. They let the water wash over their bodies, and lathered themselves and each other.
At one point, Luke made Reid turn so he could wash his back and cringed. "Oh shit. No wonder your back's sore. You've got a few bruises."
"I do?" Reid twisted around, trying to look at himself. "How the hell did that happen?"
"I think it was me." Luke ruefully admitted. "Sorry, I guess I got a little carried away."
"If that's the case, don't you dare apologize."
"I'll take care of you," Luke carefully smoothed lather over Reid's back. "I'm your doctor now."
"And what do you plan to do?"
"I prescribe the jacuzzi."
Reid looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Whatever you say, Doctor."
They exited the shower and a few minutes later were in the hot, bubble-filled jacuzzi. Luke sat behind Reid, massaging his shoulders. "Feel better?"
Reid closed his eyes and sighed. "Much."
Luke began to kiss the back of Reid's neck.
"Careful," Reid warned, "this is what led to my injuries."
"I promise, you'll feel no pain." Luke moved around Reid's body, gently pushing Reid to the wall of the jacuzzi then stretched out beside him. He lay his head on Reid's chest and just listened. "I love the sound of your heart, beating in your own chest."
"I kind of like it there too." Reid replied.
"I still can't believe you were going to give it to Chris."
"Yeah, must have been the drugs talking."
"Whatever," Luke smiled, "you knew what you were doing. It was so incredibly selfless."
"Just don't let it get around."
"Too late," Luke said, "everybody knows how heroic you are."
"You mean how heroic I was," Reid corrected, "that part of my life is over. You know that."
"I know," Luke said, "but I'm still going to make sure nobody ever forgets." He raised his head and kissed Reid.
Reid wrapped his arms around Luke's small waist, returning his soft kiss. Beneath the hot water, Luke's hands sensually glided over his chest, massaging him more.
"I know you haven't had breakfast yet, but you're not out of fuel are you?" Luke's hand slip between Reid's legs, squeezing the Doctor's already hard member.
Reid smiled. "I think I'm good."
"I know you're good." Luke sat up and straddled the Doctor. He reached between them, guiding Reid's cock to his entrance.
Reid held Luke's hips, letting Luke lower himself and control the positioning, until Luke was sitting over him. He kissed Luke's collarbone and licked his nipples, giving Luke time to adjust.
Luke let his head fall back, loving the feel of the Doctor's mouth on him. He loved the feel of the Doctor's hands on his body as Reid stroked his back, squeezed his backside and rubbed his leg muscles… Reid couldn't touch him enough. He slowly rode the Doctor, taking in the feel of Reid inside him. This is what he loved the most.
Reid watched as Luke rode him, the younger man's body soaked with water and sweat. His dripping hair hung around his face and Luke tossed his head, trying to get it out of his eyes. He was so fucking beautiful. He took Luke's cock in his hands and slowly stroked him.
Luke closed his eyes, unconsciously moving faster. He was somewhat aware that he was sloshing water all over the floor, but didn't care. All that mattered was Reid and how incredible Reid made him feel. How Reid took him to a higher plain of existence.
Reid stroked Luke, hard and fast, making Luke vocally reach orgasm first, before Luke's muscles clamped around him, milking out his own orgasm. They sank into the water, kissing heatedly as the bubbles and steam rose all around them. Life was perfect.
"Did I hurt you?" Luke asked a minute later.
"No," Reid chuckled, "you're one hell of a physician, Dr. Snyder. I might have to make another appointment."
"For you, I'm available anytime."
Reid looked at the floor and raised his eyebrows. "Good grief, look at the mess you made."
Luke laughed. "I don't care. The floor hasn't been mopped in a while anyway."
"Maybe we should get out of this bathroom before we destroy it." Reid said. "Besides, I'm ready to eat."
Luke rolled his eyes. "When are you not ready to eat? I can't even imagine what our grocery bill would be like if we ever lived together…" He trailed off, realizing what he was saying.
They both sat silent for a few seconds, suddenly remembering they had lives outside of the cottage. And their lives would no longer include each other.
Luke cleared his throat. "Why don't you start brunch. I'll clean up in here." He forced a smile. He wasn't going to think about anything else. They still had one more day and that's all that mattered.
Fifteen minutes later, Luke entered the kitchen to find Reid taking eggs and sausage out of the refrigerator.
"I don't even know why we bothered getting dressed." Luke joked.
Reid looked him over. "I'm glad you did. That shirt you're wearing is my favorite."
Luke looked down at his blue long-sleeve shirt. "You pay attention to my cloths and actually have a favorite? I never knew that."
Reid shrugged. "I've always liked you in that shirt. I remember the first time I saw you in it. It was the day you kicked me out of your house. You're pretty hot when you're trying to be all tough."
Luke thought to himself. "Oh yeah, that was the day Mr. Judd beat you up."
"So glad you remember that." Reid dryly replied.
Luke chuckled. "I remember that day, very well. I even had a dream about it."
"What?"
Luke scratched below his ear, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "I never told you, but in my dream, you came back. You knocked on my door and when I opened it, you kissed me. I mean full-on kissed me. I was shocked, but still, I kissed you back."
"Really? Then what happened?" Reid asked, interested.
"Nothing, I woke up."
Reid smiled, amused. "So what you're basically saying is, you were so hot for me, you dreamed about me? I'm not surprised."
"Shut up." Luke rolled his eyes, wishing he hadn't said anything. The dream had been unexpected and completely out of the blue. Back then was such a confusing time in his life. Despite how heart-broken he was over Noah, he couldn't deny his attraction to the Doctor. An attraction that over time had grown into something much deeper. It was strange to think, he used to believe there was no one in the world for him except Noah. And all the times him and Noah had broken up, he would always be the one, begging for Noah to come back. Then he met Reid...
Reid took some eggs out of the carton and tried to crack them into a bowl; however half the shells ended up inside. "Uh, I hope you like your eggs crunchy."
"Move over." Luke pushed Reid aside and dumped the crunchy eggs into the garbage disposal. He took some new eggs out of the carton and neatly cracked them into the bowl.
"I said I would make you brunch." Reid said.
"It's cool." Luke began whipping the eggs with a fork. "You can make dinner again. The dinner you make last night was awesome."
"Yes it was." Reid leaned against the counter and quietly watched Luke, imagining this was the life he could have had. Him and Luke together in their own place one day. They would work during the day, saving lives and helping others, then at the end of the day they would come home and just be together. Like Luke had told him yesterday; it didn't matter what they did: relaxed on the sofa, gone out to dinner, caught a movie… just as long as they were together. Hell, he could even endure spending the Holidays with Luke's enormous family or being at other family events if it made Luke happy…
"Is something wrong?" Luke asked, concerned.
"Uh, no." Reid quickly pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He had to stop getting caught up in this unrealistic fantasy. A fantasy that would never go any further than this weekend.
"You sure?" Luke left the bowl of eggs and went to Reid. "You almost looked sad." He brought his hand to Reid's face. It was rare for Reid to visibly express such an emotion.
"I'm not. I'm anything but sad when I'm with you." Reid gave Luke a kiss. "You're the only person who genuinely makes me happy. I know I've never said it or probably even shown it, but it's always been true."
Luke smiled. He never doubted Reid's feelings for him, but it was something Reid didn't openly express. The stoic Doctor was more than happy to let people assume he didn't have feelings.
There was a sudden knock on the door, causing both men to jump, startled.
"I thought you said nobody comes here?" Reid said.
"Nobody does." Luke headed for the living room.
"Wait!" Reid grabbed Luke's arm, halting him. "You don't know who it is."
"It's okay," Luke pulled away, "it's probably someone who knows my Grandmother. Just stay in here." He went into the living room and peered out the window next to the front door. A black man, dressed casually in jeans and a jacket stood, waiting. In the driveway was the same blue car with the black tinted windows, he'd seen yesterday. Cautiously Luke opened the door, keeping the chain attached. "Can I help you?"
"Hello," The man held up a badge, "my name is Agent Anthony Michaels. I'm with the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
Luke's brows came together. "Agent Michaels?"
"What?" Reid came out of the kitchen. "It's okay, he's the one I told you about."
Luke unclasped the chain and opened the door. "Come in."
"Thank you." The Agent walked into the cottage and looked around. "Nice little hideout."
"What are you doing here?" Reid asked, surprised.
"That's my question." Michaels replied.
"I'm taking a little vacation."
"In Oakdale, of all places," Michaels shook his head, "you know you're not suppose to be here, Ryan."
"Don't call me that." Reid said.
"That's your name, no matter where you are." Michaels firmly stated. "Reid Oliver no longer exist. You are Dr. Ryan Strickland."
Luke cleared his throat. "Can I ask why you're here? Have any laws been broken, because I'm the one who made him stay. If anyone is going to get in trouble, it should be me."
Michaels looked from Luke to Reid.
"It's okay, he knows." Reid said.
"Oh that's nice." Agent Michaels snorted. "Do you realize how much trouble you could get me into? If anyone ever finds out what I did, I could go to prison. Everything was done off the record. I've literally committed social security fraud, department of revunue… the list goes on."
"Is that why you're here?" Reid asked, irritated. "You worried I'm going to spill our little secret."
"Obviously you did." Michaels jerked a thumb at Luke.
"It will never go past him." Reid assured. "I literally trust him with my life."
Michaels glanced at Luke. "I hope so, because your life is what I'm worried about. You need to get the hell out of Oakdale, right now."
"Why?"
"You know I've got an informant within the family," Michaels said, "and word is, they're sure you're alive and they're still seeking retribution. Someone is going to make sure it happens. I tried to get in contact with you in St. Louis, but you didn't answer my calls. So I ran a check on your credit card and saw you rented a car. Incase you didn't know, rental cars can be tracked. And I tracked you to Oakdale. Hell, you might as well have left a trail of bread crumbs."
"But he left his rental car at a truck stop outside of town," Luke interjected, "I can see how you'd find him in Oakdale, but how did you know he was here at this cottage?"
"Because I followed you." Michaels explained. "I came to town yesterday morning and went to your place. I was scoping you out. I saw you leave home and I followed you to the hotel. You checked in then about an hour later, you left with your bag and came here. And it's obvious from the outside that nobody's been here in a while, yet you stayed all night. After that I had no doubt, Ryan was with you."
Luke sighed. "I tried to be careful."
"Your little plan actually wasn't that bad," Michaels said. "But here's a tip; you should have left out a back exit and then taken a taxi instead of your own car. If you had, I probably wouldn't have noticed."
"Point taken." Luke muttered.
"Forget all that," Reid said, "are you here to tell me the Thorne family has figured out I'm in St. Louis and they've tracked me to Oakdale?"
"According to my informant, they don't know anything about St. Louis." Michaels said. "They think you've been hiding out in Oakdale this entire time. And here you are, ready and waiting. Can I speak to you privately?"
"Whatever you need to say, you might as well say it in front of Luke." Reid said. "You think I'm not going to tell him later?"
Agent Michaels hesitated, uncomfortable.
"It's okay," Luke said, "I'll be in the other room." He went into the bedroom and closed the doors.
"Exactly how much does he know?" Michaels quietly asked.
"Everything." Reid answered.
"Why?"
"He's not some random guy I met at the truck stop parking lot and decided to shack up with for the weekend." Reid defensively answered. "I wasn't go to let him go on thinking I was dead. He deserved to know the truth."
"Fine," Michaels resigned, "look, I didn't want to scare him, but I was serious when I said you needed to get back to St. Louis and you need to go now. Before you put his life in danger, if it's not already."
Reid frowned. "What else have you heard? Is somebody going after him?"
"I honestly don't know." Michaels answered. "But Luke Snyder is an easy internet search. Not just because of his Foundation, but also because if his involvement with the Reid Oliver wing at Memorial Hospital. It's public knowledge that the two of you were an item. You think the Thornes won't figure that out? You think, they won't try to use him to get to you?"
"Then I need to stay here and make sure he's safe." Reid said.
"No, you need to leave to make sure he's safe." Agent Michael's said firmly. "He needs to get back to his normal routine and not do anything out of the ordinary. Hell, I don't know what his normal routine is, but I found his actions strange enough that I was able to figure things out and find you. I wouldn't have come all this way, if I didn't feel something was up. You can't stay here, Ryan."
"I wasn't going to stay permanently," Reid said. "I planned on leaving tomorrow."
"If you choose to stay another night, there's nothing I can do to stop you," Michaels said, "but if you care anything about his well-being, you'll leave now."
Reid stood silent for several long seconds and finally nodded.
"I'll take you to your car." Michael's said. "I'll give you a few minutes to say good-bye." He walked outside.
Reid looked at the closed bedroom doors. It wasn't suppose to end like this. But he couldn't take any chances when it came to Luke. He opened the doors and stepped inside.
Luke was sitting on the bed and stood when Reid entered. "Is everything okay?"
"Not really." Reid answered. "I have to go back to St. Louis."
"I know you do." Luke placed his hands on Reid's shoulders. "At least we still have tonight."
"No, I have to go now."
"What do you mean now?
"I mean, Michaels is waiting for me outside."
Luke's hands slipped from Reid's shoulders. "You mean… just like that?"
Reid nodded. "Michaels feels I'm making you a target and he's right."
"What the hell does he know?" Luke snapped.
"Look how easy it was for him to find us." Reid said.
"Reid, if I honestly thought you were in danger, I would take you to your car right now," Luke said, "but even Michaels doesn't know. Nothing has happened to indicate anyone knows you're here, except Michaels showing up. And that's because he's got this link to you that I don't even have."
"It's not me I'm worried about, Luke," Reid said, "I'm not going to put you at risk."
"I don't care, Reid, don't you get that?" Luke brought a hand to Reid's face. "I would risk anything to be with you. Even if it's just one more night."
Reid lowered his head and swallowed. "I wish… I wish I could give you that, but I can't."
"Then I'm going with you."
"Absolutely not!"
"We don't have to go to St. Louis," Luke tried, "we can disappear and go anywhere in the world. Hell, I can fake my death."
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Reid looked at Luke, astonished. "Do you hear what you're saying?"
"I know it sounds crazy, but think about it, Reid," Luke pleaded, "it would work. I've got plenty of money, we'll be okay."
"You've also got plenty of family." Reid reminded. "Could you really just disappear and let them think you're dead? Could you honestly make Lily and Holden suffer through the lose of a son? They'll never get over that kind of pain."
Lowering his head, Luke closed his eyes. He knew Reid was right; he wouldn't be able to do it. "God, I wish you'd never come back." He choked.
"I'm sorry," Reid said quietly, "I didn't think it would be like this. I didn't want to cause you anymore pain."
Luke slowly shook his head. "No, I'm the one who's sorry. I forced you to stay when you didn't want to. Seems to be a pattern."
Reid placed his fingers under Luke's chin, raising his head. "You didn't make me do anything I didn't want to do. I wanted to be with you. More than anything."
"Me too." Luke drew in a shuddering breath. "So I guess this is it."
Reid cleared his throat, finding it difficult to speak. "I guess so."
Luke nodded then turned away. He pulled his bag from under the bed, sat it on top and began to needlessly sort through the contents. He didn't know what else to do. He couldn't watch as Reid picked up his own small bag and slung it over his shoulder. He couldn't watch Reid leave him. Reid approached him from behind and reached around him, slipping something into his bag. Luke couldn't see what it was, his vision blurry with tears.
Reid turned Luke around and cupped his face in his hands. "I love you." The Doctor whispered.
Luke held Reid's wrists and closed his eyes, tears slipping out before he could stop them. "I love you."
Reid brushed the tears away with his thumbs and kissed him. Luke leaned his forehead against Reid's, still holding onto him. But he knew he had to let go and he finally did. Reid moved away and a few seconds later, he heard the front door of the cottage open then close. Luke sat on the bed, listening as the FBI agent's car started then drove away. Reid was gone.
(Later)
Luke opened the door and stepped inside his home. The house was as dark and empty as his entire being felt. He was grateful to be alone. It would have been impossible to smile and fake that everything was okay when nothing was.
He sat his bag on the sofa then remembered, Reid had slipped something inside. He searched the contents and discovered the black Knight chess piece.
Luke held the Knight, staring at it for a while. He didn't need another reminder that Reid was gone. He wanted to throw it away, but couldn't. Instead he took it to the dark Christmas tree and sat it on a branch. For some masochistic reason, he'd keep it forever.
He took the remaining groceries into the kitchen and began to put them away. Inside the refrigerator, he saw a bottle of bourbon his Mom usually kept around for social occasions.
He took the bottle, grabbed a small glass out of the dish drainer and poured the strong liquor inside. He brought the glass to his lips and hesitated. He'd promised Reid, he'd take better care of himself. Then again, Reid had promised him the weekend.
Luke drank the glass and poured himself another. For the moment, he couldn't think of a better way to take care of himself. "Cheers." Luke muttered, before drinking the second glass. The cold expensive bourbon went down smooth and easy. Setting the glass aside, he drank straight from the bottle.
A few minutes later, he was interrupted when someone started knocking on the door. Irritated, Luke took one last drink then quickly returned the bottle to the refrigerator. He stepped out of the kitchen and saw two men in suits, standing at the door. Luke went to the door and opened it. "Can I help you?"
"Are you Luke Snyder?" One of the men asked.
"Who wants to know?" Luke didn't care if he sounded rude. Right now, he wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody.
"We're with the FBI." One of the men answered. "We came here to talk to you about Reid Oliver."
"Can I see some ID?"
"Sure." Both men pulled badges out of their jacket and held them up. "I'm Agent Carter and this is Agent Grant."
"What do you want?" Luke asked. "I'm sure you know he's deceased."
"It's okay, you don't have to pretend with us." Carter said. "Agent Michaels sent us."
Luke frowned. He thought Michaels had worked alone, but maybe he'd misunderstood.
"He wanted us to speak to you about Dr. Oliver." Carter continued. "Just to check up on things."
Luke realized Carter was calling Reid, Dr. Oliver. Something Agent Michaels had been adamant against doing. Something wasn't right. "Look, this really isn't a good time. I don't know what you guys are talking about anyway."
"We need to get in contact with Dr. Oliver, ASAP." Carter said. "We know he's alive, we just need to know where he is. You can trust us."
Luke gave them a cynical smile. "Then you won't mind if I see your badges again and call your bureau for confirmation."
"No we don't mind." Carter replied. "As a matter of fact, I've got your confirmation right here." He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a gun, pointing it at Luke.
"Here's my confirmation." Grant snickered, pulling out his own gun.
"Wow, this day keeps getting better and better." Luke muttered. "What the fuck do you want?"
Carter and Grant exchanged glances. This certainly wasn't the response they'd expected.
"We told you what we want." Carter shoved Luke back and stepped inside the house.
Grant followed, closing and locking the door behind him. "Don't worry about tripping the alarm. We've already cut it for you."
Carter held up his gun. "Now we're going to ask you again and you're going to answer us nicely. Where is Reid Oliver?"
"Try the huge pond about 5 minutes from here," Luke said. "Or the Reid Oliver wing at Memorial hospital, because that's where his ashes are. He's dead."
"We know that's not true." Grant said.
"Do you fucking see him anywhere?" Luke snapped.
Carter backhanded Luke so hard, he spun around and fell to his knees. Carter was on him in an instant, grabbing a handful of Luke's hair and jerking his head up. He pressed his gun to Luke's skull. "I'd watch my tone if I were you. Otherwise you're going to get a bullet in the brain and your boyfriend won't be around to dig it out. You got me?"
Luke nodded, knowing if he said anything else, he would get shot. He knew he should be scared, but for some reason, he was furious.
Satisfied, Carter shoved him forward, sending him sprawling on the floor. "Search the house," Carter ordered his partner, "I'll deal with his little smart ass."
Grant left through the interior green door that led upstairs into the bedrooms.
Luke pushed himself to his knees, his head spinning. He crawled over to the sofa and pulled himself up to sit on the arm.
Carter curiously watched him. "What's the matter with you, kid?" He grabbed Luke's chin, forcing Luke's head up then snorted. "Hell, you're drunk, ain't you? I can smell the booze."
Luke jerked his head away without saying anything. Carter just chuckled. "This should be interesting."
Grant returned to the living room. "There's no one else here."
"Where are your folks?" Carter asked. "Because I know this is their house."
"Out of town." Luke brought his hand to his mouth. When he pulled it back, there was blood on his fingers.
Carter grabbed a chair from the table and sat it in the center of the room. "Lock this kid up."
Grant grabbed Luke's arm and jerked him to the chair, forcing him to sit. He then pulled some handcuffs out of his pocket and locked Luke's wrists behind his back. "All you need to do is tell us what we want to know." Grant sneered. "Hate to mangle that pretty face of yours."
"Fuck you," Luke spat, without thinking. This time, Grant back-handed him, making sparks explode behind his eyes.
"Easy." Carter pulled Grant away. "He's not going to tell us anything if he's unconscious. Besides look at him, he's drunk. This shouldn't be too hard." Carter knelt beside Luke. "Unless you make it hard, kid. This can turn really unpleasant and I don't think you'd want that."
Luke felt his blood run cold, his anger slowly dissolving into fear. "I don't know what makes you think Reid is alive. I have his death certificate. I can show it to you."
"How do I know it's not fake?"
"If he were alive, don't you think he'd be here with me?" Luke tried.
"Not if he were hiding out." Carter stood and pulled off his coat, a slow sinister smile spreading across his face. "But that's okay, we'll do it your way. Let see just how far you're willing to go to protect him."
TBC…