Disclaimer – If you recognize it, then I don't own it. Don't sue, please.
*Notes – Thank you so much to everyone who's been reviewing! It really helps to know that people are enjoying this story.
"Hmm, Noah?" Luke asked, "not so eager to talk now that I'm here, are you?" Lucinda, the room; it all seemed to melt away until it was just him and Noah, sparks flying between them.
"Luke..." Noah began, stuffing his hands into his pockets awkwardly.
"Oh, don't even." Luke spat, all thoughts of a reconciliation gone. "I know that you were working with my grandmother. And I know that you lied to me about that, again. God, Noah! Why can't you just be honest with me? Is it really that hard?"
Noah's jaw hung open before he snapped it shut and yelled, "No, Luke! It's not that; I just didn't want you to push your family away. That's why I didn't say anything. Can't you understand that?"
"No, Noah, I can't!" Luke cried. "I can't understand why you're lying to me, over and over again! I can't understand why you treat me like I'm too young, too stupid to make my own decisions. I can't understand any of it!"
Noah was saved from answering as Lucinda, in her usual way, butt into the conversation. "Luke, I've said it before and I'm going to say it again - grow up."
Luke wheeled around, ready to snap at his grandmother, but found himself shrinking back as he saw the look in her eyes. It was the same look that had him cowering in fear as a child when he'd done something wrong, and apparently, it could still affect him all of these years later.
A triumphant look flashed across Lucinda's face, amusing Noah and enraging Luke, before it disappeared and seriousness replaced it. "Luke, I don't care, I don't care if you feel like Noah deserves to be fed to lions right now!"
"That's apparent." Luke muttered bitterly, crossing his arms and staring over Lucinda's shoulder.
"Because," she continued, ignoring Luke's outburst, "because right now... right now, we need to be worrying about Ethan. Nothing more and nothing less, do you understand me?"
Luke was silent, Lucinda's rant slowly catching up with him. I don't have to forgive Noah, I can't... not right now. But I need to put this aside, for Ethan's sake. God, Ethan... Raising his head, Luke nodded shortly at his grandmother. Noah practically sagged in relief, but Luke found himself quick to correct his assumptions.
"Noah, I'm willing to put this aside, for now. but I'm still pissed as hell at you. Got it?" Luke snapped, feeling almost guilty when Noah's entire body tensed. Words from their last fight floated through his mind - "you treated me the same way your father always treated you." A small, rational part of himself realized that he'd hurt Noah more with those eleven words than noah had with all of his lies, all of his secrets. And yet he insisted on staying mad, on making Noah suffer. Why?
"Got it." Noah responded, his face despondent and solemn. An awkward silence fell between the two men, neither one knowing how to steer the topic back to the investigation.
Eventually, an exasperated Lucinda threw her hands in the air and yelled, "Good heavens! Do I have to do everything around here?" Turning to look at a startled Noah, she asked, "What did you have to tell us?"
A sharp retort rose to Luke's lips, but died as he saw Lucinda flash him that look again. Instead, he crossed his arms like a sullen child and waited for Noah's response.
"He..." Noah took a deep breath before continuing, "he said that Kevin's toxicology report came back. Apparently, he tested clean for drugs." Noah watched as Lucinda literally gaped at him, a sight that almost caused a giggle to escape his lips. He'd seen Lucinda battle a wide variety of emotions, but flabbergasted shock had never been one of them. Noah was so amused that he almost forgot to wonder what he'd said to shock Lucinda so badly. Oh.
"Dear boy, are you sure?" She eventually stuttered out, one jewelry encrusted hand running through her hair. "Are you positive, positive that you didn't mishear him?"
"I'm pretty sure, ma'am," Noah replied, Lucinda's doubt causing him to fall back on old habits, "but that's not all." Noah meant to continue, but Lucinda started talking over him, a trait that was both out of character and too much like her, all at the same time.
Noah was about to hold his tongue when Luke called, "Grandmother! Noah wasn't finished, yet. Give him a chance to speak." Lucinda hastily shut her mouth and mumbled an apology, something that nearly caused yet another giggle to escape from Noah's lips. Glancing over at Luke, he saw that his boyfriend's eyes had the slightest sparkle in them, a small half-smile on his lips. Noah raised an eyebrow, and Luke's expression softened further. Noah was about to step towards him when Luke stiffened, as if remembering he was mad at Noah, and folded his arms tighter across his chest, any hint of amusement gone.
"Well, Noah?" Lucinda asked, unaware of the exchange going on between Noah and her grandson. "What else do you have to tell me?"
Noah tore his gaze from Luke and glanced around the kitchen, realizing that it wasn't exactly his ideal place for recounting the past few hours. "Can we sit down?" Noah asked instead, feeling oddly hesitant. "I just would rather not talk about all of this while standing in Emma's kitchen."
Lucinda glanced at Luke and saw him reluctantly nod in agreement. With Lucinda leading the way, the three headed to the living room and sat down on the stuffed couches; Luke and Lucinda on one, Noah on the other. "Continue, darling." Lucinda commanded, absentmindedly flicking one hand in the air.
Noah shifted his weight on the couch, letting his fingers brush against the worn leather as he organized his thoughts. Feeling ready, he let his gaze travel around the room, resting briefly on Luke and Lucinda as he recounted everything from the past couple hours - his meeting with Dallas, his run in with Eric Harrington, and the information he'd learned as a result. He mentioned how Eric had attacked Dallas and that Noah believed Dallas had been strangled, but he found himself downplaying it, not mentioning his own niggling suspicion that Eric wasn't the shining knight he appeared to be.
When he finished his rather lengthy explanation, Noah found himself heading to the kitchen fridge to grab a bottle of water. His throat was oddly dry, and he found himself chugging half of the water before the nagging thirst was gone. When he re-entered the living room, he realized that he hadn't excused himself; a soft, embarrassed flush worked its way up his neck and touched his cheeks. Glancing at Luke out of the corner of his eye, Noah saw that Luke's brown eyes were brimming with reluctant curiosity, probably wondering why Noah was blushing.
Luke seemed to feel Noah's gaze on him, because his eyes shifted to the right and the expression in them dulled. Noah found himself shaking his head, wondering why Luke was being so damn stubborn. Lucinda didn't give him much time to ponder it, though, as she was practically vibrating in her seat, desperate to get back on topic.
Noah sat back down on the couch, turning to face Lucinda. "Yes, Lucinda?" He asked.
"I never said anything, darling." Lucinda replied, her eyes casting between him and Luke. With a flash of insight, Noah realized that Lucinda was putting off talking about the investigation in hopes that he and Luke would sort things out. The restraint it was taking to do so was obvious in her eyes, which were practically burning with the desire to speak.
"Lucinda, I can tell." Noah teased, clasping his hands in his lap. "So, spill."
"Well okay, darling, only because you insisted." Lucinda jabbed back, before twisting a large ruby ring on her finger as she seemed to fall into thought. Noah patiently waited it out, wondering what was on her mind.
He was about to break the silence when Lucinda brought her gaze from the ring to Noah and said bluntly, "Eric lied about the drug test."
"Wh- what?" Noah stuttered, completely shell-shocked. That had been the last thing he'd expected her to say. "How do you know?"
"Remember the urine sample I - we sent off to that private lab for testing?" Lucinda asked briskly. "I just talked to the man who works at the lab. He said that the tests came back positive for drugs, ketamine in particular, and that Kevin's blood alcohol content was practically non-existent."
Noah struggled for words, gaping the same way that Lucinda had before. When he regained the use of his vocabulary, he asked, "Are you sure? There's no chance there was a mess up, a mistake?"
"Noah, these people, this lab, they're one of the best in the country." Lucinda stated shortly. "There's no way they made a mistake. Which leaves me with the only option that this Eric Harrington lied to you. Besides, I thought it was impossible to get testing back that quickly?"
"He said he got a rush put on it." Noah said numbly, his mind swirling with questions. Cutting Lucinda off, he asked, "What was the drug again? Ket- ketamine?" The name was familiar, like the lyrics to a song he'd heard long ago but only remember in patches.
"Yes, it's ketamine." Lucinda reached out and patted Luke's knee; he'd been oddly silent. He gave her a tight, fake smile before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, hair hanging in his face.
"Well... do you know anything about it?" Noah asked curiously.
"I managed to convince the nice man on the phone to give me a background on it." Lucinda chortled, too sweetly, causing Noah to subconsciously wince in sympathy for the poor man who'd probably had his arms twisted behind his back. "It's a horse sedative, used in a similar way to how people use anesthetic."
"Why the hell would Kevin inject that into him?" Noah asked, appalled.
"First of all darling, ketamine doesn't have to be injected; it's tasteless, and can be mixed in with food or drink," Lucinda recited, as if reading off of a sheet, "and it's a hallucinogen. Remember your hunch? You were right."
Noah couldn't even find it in him to be happy that he'd been right; instead, he found himself sifting through the information, wondering what it meant for the investigation, the Snyder's, Kevin... Luke. "What else do you know?" Noah asked, stalling for time so he could wrap his head around this.
Lucinda cited off a list of facts, a few such as the length of time it took for the drug to take effect (half an hour), and the effects of it (hallucinations, paranoia, short-term amnesia) catching Noah's attention. He stored the information into the recesses of his brain, vowing to research the drug further when he had time. That vow triggered the memory of another, and he found himself remembering his subconscious worry and fear about Luke. Slowly lifting his gaze, he strained to see Luke's bare forearm. A sense of relief swirled through him when he saw the smooth skin, unmarred by marks, only to be tempered as he realized that so much of Luke's skin was covered with cloth.
"Noah? Am I talking to myself here?" Lucinda asked, breaking Noah's train of thought. He looked up and smiled sheepishly, only to realize that Lucinda's tone was light, her voice teasing. He watched as she stood up, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles from her clothes before walking over to Noah, causing him to stand up instinctively.
"I've got to head to a business meeting at World Wide, and then I'm going to get a detailed report of the toxicology results faxed out to me as well as doing some background checking on this Harrington figure. We need to know why he's lying to us. Okay?" Lucinda asked, not waiting for confirmation as she arched up and kissed Noah's cheek. Noah kissed her back, her soft skin smooth against his lips, before watching her grab her purse off the couch and walk out the front door.
The moment she was gone, what felt like the thousandth awkward silence fell over the room. It lasted for a brief second, until Luke stood up and walked out of the room without a word. Noah cursed softly before standing up and following Luke out of the house. When he stepped out of the house, he saw Luke sitting on a chair on the patio, acting as if he hadn't heard Noah arrive. Bracing himself for the argument he knew was ahead, Noah sat down in the chair opposite of Luke's, sitting silently until the blonde reluctantly met his eyes.
"What?" Luke asked, his tone bitter. "Or wait, can I even ask you that? How do I know you'll tell me the truth?" The insult was weak, but the sharpness of the words made up for that. Noah kept his face blank, not allowing Luke to see that the dig affected him.
"Luke, I've apologized, and you know I mean it! What else do you want me to do?" Noah asked exasperatedly, his plan of playing it cool shot to hell.
"You could get lost," Luke snapped, "and not come back." His gaze met Noah's challengingly, showing hurt and frustration. Noah almost stood up - almost. Mid-rise, he realized that he was doing what Luke wanted him to; he was running away. Instead, he plopped back down in his chair and scooted forwards until his knees were only a hairs breadth away from Luke's.
"Is that what you really want, Luke?" Noah asked, the words reminding him of a long-ago argument about Reg and Ameera. "Do you want me to go away? Do you want me to leave here, and not come back? Or do you want me to fight for you, for us?" A silence was Noah's only answer, but Noah forged on anyway. "You once told me that you felt like you always had to fight to stand by my side. Well now, I'm going to fight for you. I screwed up Luke - big time. I lied to you, and I know that wasn't right. But I learned from my mistakes, and I promise I will never, ever leave you out like that again. Don't you think that I - we - deserve another chance?"
Noah reached out and slowly, cautiously, placed his hand over Luke's. Luke didn't move, didn't grab Noah's hand in return, but he didn't pull away, either. Noah took that as a good sign and stayed still, allowing Luke to process his thoughts. The silence stretched on, comfortable at first, but slowly becoming suffocating. Noah was about to stand up and apologize when Luke turned his hand over, palm up, an invitation for Noah to link their fingers together.
Noah's words were like a cool rush of water over Luke, chipping at the insecurities and fear that bred his stubborn attitude. Luke knew he was being wooed, but couldn't find it within him to care; Noah was right. His head still ducked, he opened his mouth to make an apology before shutting it. To Noah, actions would always speak louder than words, and he knew that his action conveyed what Noah needed to know.
"Am I forgiven?" Noah asked softly, the words like rubber on his tongue. He needed verbal proof, concrete proof, that he and Luke were okay. Luke looked up, those doe eyes clear of the bitter tinge that had been in them since reading Noah's phone that morning. He nodded his head before whispering "Yes", that one word sending Noah's heart into palpations. He leaned forward to kiss those soft lips, but was met with air. When he opened his eyes, Noah found that Luke had leaned his head back, out of Noah's reach.
Ducking his head, Noah stuttered apologizes, cursing at himself all the while.You idiot! What if you just blew everything?
"Noah, Noah stop." Luke said, pressing a finger from his free hand against Noah's lips. "I have to say something, first. And don't look so worried!" The teasing tone was faint, but it was there, and Noah found himself relaxing ever-so-slightly.
Luke took a deep breath, the sound abnormally loud against Noah's soft breaths, before continuing. "I... I have to apologize, too."
"That's not necessary," Noah rushed out, "you didn't do anything wrong, Luke."
"Yes I did!" Luke cried, ripping his hand away from Noah and standing up. "I compared you to your father, Noah! I told you that you were like that son of a bitch, when nothing's further from the truth!" Luke rested on his knees, placing both of his hands in Noah's lap and craning his neck up to look into the brunette's face. "And for that, Noah, I'm so, so incredibly sorry. And when you were just trying to help me, I got mad at you for doing what you thought was right!" Luke's apology was slowly turning into a revelation, a fact Noah caught onto as his boyfriend continued to ramble. "I don't know, I don't know why I was so angry, but I was. And then I took it out on you, and that wasn't right. And Noah, I'm sorry." Luke gasped a breath as his rant trailed off, and was about to continue if not for Noah's lips pressed against his own.
Luke's eyes fluttered shut, but the kiss was over all too soon as Noah pulled back. "Luke, it's okay." He said softly, letting a hand drift down to stroke Luke's cheek. Noah leaned forward to kiss Luke again when a shrill ring echoed throughout the room. Noah jumped back in surprise, as did Luke, before realizing that it was the ringer of a cell phone.
The ring was unfamiliar, but Noah quickly realized it was emanating from his pocket. He pulled out the mobile, only to quickly realize that the phone wasn't his, and that the number on the caller ID was unfamiliar. "How did I get this?" He asked himself, before the memory of colliding with Eric in the station's hallway filled his mind. I must've picked up his phone instead of mine.
"Are you going to answer it?" Luke asked, before looking closer at the phone. "Hey, when did you get a new phone?"
"I didn't." Noah replied absently, staring at the ringing phone. "I must've grabbed Eric's by accident when I bumped into him in the hallway. Both of our phones fell on the ground." Luke nodded once, and they fell silent as the phone finally stopped ringing. Just as Noah vowed to take the phone to the station and give it to Anna, it rang again, the same number calling it.
"I'll let them know that the Constable's not here right now." Noah muttered before flipping open the phone and answering. "Hello?"
"Is it done?" A raspy tone asked, oddly familiar. Noah paused for a brief second before responding.
"I'm sorry, Eric's not here right now, and..." He was cut off as the man on the other line began talking; harsh, clipped words that rang a bell in Noah's memory. The voice was becoming more and more familiar, and Noah strained to place a face to it. Suddenly, everything clicked together painfully fast - the tone, the person,everything - and Noah found the hand holding the phone to his ear shaking.
"Are we understood?" The gruff voice asked. "I don't give a damn if you're Harrington's lackey, or covering up for him. He has twenty-four hours. Tell him that." There was a click, then a dial tone, and Noah numbly shut the phone before letting it drop onto his lap.
"Noah, Noah? Are you okay? What happened?" Noah vaguely heard Luke asking about him, felt Luke touching him, but couldn't bring himself to speak. Two hands grabbed his face and pulled it upwards, so that his nose was touching Luke's. Warm breath puffed onto his face, concerned brown eyes staring into him, and Noah leaned his forehead into Luke's instinctively.
"Noah... who was that?" Luke asked, a part of him knowing that he should dread the answer.
A whispered word escaped Noah's lips, so soft Luke imagined he'd dreamed it. He would've scoffed, accused Noah of playing a cruel joke, if not for the absolute fear in that one syllable, the complete terror that surrounded Noah's entire body like a stifling blanket. "Dad."
I'd apologize for the cliffhanger, but you all probably realize how much I love to use them by now! All feedback is greatly, greatly appreciated.