Please forgive the tardiness of this chapter. I wanted to be sure I had it where I wanted it before I uploaded. Really hope the few who are reading it will enjoy it. Please review, I love to hear what you think. I'd be more then happy to answer any questions, except the ending of course ;}.

A big thank you to Ditzbea who has been a great inspiration and not only a great beta but a good friend.

The Search – Chapter 14

INFILTRATION

Damian stood inside a dark room looking out a two way mirror at his son and the physical therapist working on his exercises. A door opens and a man in a white coat walks in. Damian doesn't need to turn around to know who it is. He stands silently watching his son working harder then he needs to and pushing himself to his body's limitations. Damian can't help but smile. His son was so much more like him then he would ever want to admit. Damian can feel the doctor's presence and knows by the way he is shifting his weight from one leg to the other that he is nervous. Dr. Janis was a brilliant doctor in Germany, that is until he was caught doing experiments on patients that resulted in a few deaths. Damian found the doctor and saved him from definite jail time. He knew he could control the doctor, just like he controlled everyone else around him; with money and the ability to follow through on his threats. The doctor knew that Damian could hand him over to Interpol and not even get his hands dirty.

Dr. Janis cleared his throat in an effort to get Damian's attention. Damian kept staring ahead, "Yes, Doctor, what can I do for you?" Dr. Janis was always nervous whenever he had to speak to Damian, but he knew that he had no choice in this matter. "Mr. Grimaldi, I've come to urge you again….we have to stop giving your son the shots, or the damage will be irreversible." He wrung his hands and looked down at the floor. In all his years of practicing medicine he always wanted what was best for his patients, despite the experiments.

The experiments that ended in those deaths, that he was going to jail for, were done to help his patients. His whole goal in life was to find a way to help people with spinal injuries to walk again. If that meant losing a few people, well the 'Needs of the Many' was his philosophy. If one or two people died so that a hundred can walk again, then it was worth the sacrifice. Unfortunately his colleagues didn't see it that way and they wanted to stop him; stop his life's work. But this, this plan of Damian Grimaldi's was counterproductive. He was purposely keeping his son from walking. The doctor knew that the shots into Luke's spine where blocking the nerves in his spine from sending messages to his brain that his legs actually work. He knew that if they keep giving Luke these shots they may cause permanent damage to his spine and result in permanent paralysis. This was something he was adamantly against. All his work would be for nothing.

"Mr. Grimaldi, please you must listen to me. If we continue with these injections, your son may never walk again." For the first time since the doctor walked into the room, Damian turned towards him, "all right, Doctor, we will stop the injections. How long before he begins to feel his legs again?" The Doctor was caught off guard by Damian's acceptance of his opinion. He was so stunned that it took him a while to answer. He stared at Damian for a short while, his mouth hanging open, when Damian prodded him to answer, "well?"

Dr. Janis shook his head and averted his gaze, something about Damian Grimaldi's eyes always made a cold shiver run down the doctor's spine. "The effects of the injections should start to wear off within 3 days. It has to work its' way out of his body in order for his brain to begin to receive information from his nerves." The Doctor slipped right back into physician mode as he spoke, "Giving your son this injections while he was drugged was risky and could have done more damage, had he not been as healthy as he is, but now we have to wait and hope that no damage has been done."

Damian turned back to the mirror and looked out at his son, "You better pray…Doctor, that no permanent damage has been done. You will not like what happens to you if my son is damaged in any way." With that he stopped talking and the Doctor knew he had been dismissed. Dr. Janis turned and left the room. When he had closed the door behind him he slumped against the wall and began to shake. The Doctor could only imagine the horrors that would be inflicted on him if he were to fail. He prayed to a God he once believed in that the young man would be all right. He pushed himself off the wall wiped the sweat from his brow and began to walk back to his office, only to feel a wave of nausea that had him running to the nearest bathroom to empty his stomach of its contents.

Physical Therapy Room

Luke was exerting as much strength as his body would allow him to. The therapist was lifting his legs and pushing them back towards his own body, as Luke tried his hardest to push against him. Yet no matter how hard Luke concentrated or pushed his legs would not cooperate. He was sweating and his body was trembling with the effort. His therapist tried his best to reassure him, "Luke, you have to give it time. You've only been awake for 3 weeks and your body needs time to recuperate from such a shock." Luke looked at the man with anger in his eyes; he didn't know if this man was part of Damian's plan or if he was just an innocent person who actually wanted to help Luke get better. He wanted so bad to find out, but had no way of knowing if he could trust him, so he just continued to push himself. Through gritted teeth he spoke to his therapist, trying hard to keep the anger out of his voice, "I know this, Marco, but I'm not giving up. I walked before, and I will walk again. Nothing and no one is going to stop me." Little did he know that his father was just a few feet away watching him and smiling proudly, "That's right, my son, you are a Grimaldi, and we don't give up."

Luke was so engrossed in his therapy that he did not notice the giant man that was lately constantly in his nightmares walk into the room. He couldn't help but shiver as he looked at the man he'd named 'Hulk' look at him with a sick desire in his eyes. He seemed to have come out of nowhere all of a sudden and was standing close to the exercise bed Luke was lying on.

Though the man had seemed to appear out of nowhere he had actually just walked out of the room Damian was currently watching his son from. He smiled as he recalled their conversation; "I have moved you from guarding my wife and placed you in a very trusted position of guarding my son. If you fail me you know the consequences. I do not need physical strength to hurt you." Hulk looked over at his employer who was still watching his son and answered with a curt "si, signor." In his head though, the Hulk was internally thinking of ways to have some fun with his new charge, without getting a bullet in the head. He had a feeling he would be worth it though. To have that body pinned underneath him would be worth the risk. Though he had to be smart about it, he couldn't let his desires override his self preservation. For now he could have his fun with the street hustlers he picks up on his days off, even if most of them had heard about his tendency to hurt them, and have been avoiding going anywhere with this man. It didn't matter to him though, he would get what he wanted whether or not they wanted to cooperate, it was more fun when they put up a fight anyway.

Luke could see the smirk on the giant's face and couldn't help but feel nauseous. He couldn't even imagine what the man was thinking to put that look of, what, pleasure, on his face. It made Luke's blood run cold. He didn't want this man anywhere near him, but knew that Maria would be in danger if he said anything. Luke could only hope that his father and Noah were coming soon, because he knew that this monster wouldn't be able to contain himself for long. As the Hulk walked over to Luke and placed his arms around his back and under his legs in order to lift him up and place him back in the chair, Luke could feel his hand slowly creeping down his back and onto Luke's ass. When Luke was placed back on the chair he knew that Hulk had purposely put his hand under him in order to touch Luke intimately. Luke looked up at the man, only to see him smiling.

He did the only thing he could think of, he pushed the man away from him and began to wheel himself out of the room, only to be stopped by the giant before he got too far, "Let go of my chair, NOW! I'm going to go see my mother." Luke tried in vain to wheel himself out of the man's grasp, but knew it was pointless. He began to tremble with rage and was about to throw himself out of the chair and crawl to his mother's room if he had to, when Damian was all of a sudden in front of him, "Luciano, you mustn't behave this way. All of my employees want nothing, but to help you. Now, unfortunately you will not be able to visit your mother today….and before you say anything the doctor is with her right now and I believe we will have good news soon." Luke looked up at Damian; he wanted so badly to yell at him, to tell him that he knew the truth. But he knew that he would have to bide his time. Luke let out a sigh and did his best to give Damian a look of understanding, "Okay, I understand, but I want to see her tomorrow. Do you understand me Damian? I will see my mother even if I have to crawl to her room." With that he took hold of the wheelchair hand rims and wheeled himself away towards his room. Damian looked at his henchman, "Well…follow him and make sure he is safely in his room and placed on his bed." Hulk looked at his boss and nodded, knowing what he wanted to do to Luke once he was in his bed, but knowing that know was not the time.

Midnight - Grimaldi Compound

Noah couldn't believe it. He was actually inside the place that held the man he loved. If all went according to plan, he would see Luke tonight. Antonio had devised a plan where Noah would be hidden in plain sight, as one of the many workers setting up for the party that Damian Grimaldi was having in a few days. It was to be a grand affair, with some very rich and influential guests attending. Noah had been given a spray on tan, a prosthetic nose, and he had gone without shaving for a few days. All in all he looked very different then the young man who had started this journey. He had been there since early that morning when all the other workers had come in to begin preparations. He kept his eyes downcast and tried his best not to draw any attention to himself, even when he saw Damian walking by informing Antonio as to what he needed done. The urge to strangle the man was so strong that he had to turn and pretend to be working on flower arrangements. The men were to work well into the late hours, so as he walked around, the guards ignored him.

He reached the east wing, where he knew Luke was being held. According to the map that Maria had given them Luke's room was close by. Now all he had to do was get to the room and get inside without anyone seeing him. Antonio was to be a major part of this plan. He was to distract the guards while Noah slipped past them. Exactly at midnight a loud crash came from downstairs. Noah waited around the corner of Luke's room for the guards to go investigate. As they left, Noah ran around the corner and to the door of the room. He was prepared to pick the lock if he had to but when he tested the handle he found it to be unlocked. Noah slipped into the dark room and quickly searched for Luke. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he was able to see a king sized bed to his right, and in the bed was the sleeping form of his lover.

Noah quickly rushed to Luke's bed. He reached out and tentatively brushed Luke's hair out of his eyes. Noah could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, but blinked hard trying to fight them back; this was no time to lose it. Luke began to stir and Noah couldn't help but smile as he heard Luke say his name in his sleep, "Noah." Noah brought his hand down and cupped Luke's cheek. God how he missed this man. He wanted so badly to grab him and take him out of there, but knew he couldn't.

Luke felt someone touching him, at first he thought he was dreaming, at least until he felt that touch move from his forehead to his cheek. In an instant Luke opened his eyes, expecting to see the man of his nightmares hovering over him. He was about to scream when a hand clamped down on his mouth. Luke reached up trying to fight off his visitor when a voice broke through his panic and Luke stopped fighting, "Luke….Luke, stop fighting me. Come on Luke listen to my voice, you know who I am." Luke closed his eyes and then opened them again, trying to adjust to the lack of light, when a sliver of moonbeam came through his window and illuminated the most beautiful pair of blue eyes Luke had ever seen.

He gasped behind the hand and muffled the name he thought he'd never say again, "Noah." Noah removed his hand from Luke's mouth and smiled down at him. The tears he so desperately wanted to hold back flowed freely down his face. In what seemed like hours but was only seconds, Luke had thrust himself onto Noah was clinging to him while he wept. "Noah, Noah, Noah, oh God Noah. If this is a dream, I never want to wake up again." He clung to his boyfriend and Noah rubbed circles on his back, tears wetting his shirt, "You're not dreaming Luke, I promise. I'm really here and we're really together."

Luke couldn't help himself; he started to kiss Noah anywhere he could. He turned his head and began with kissing Noah's neck and then moved onto his face, where he peppered it with quick kisses until he reached Noah's lips. When he reached Noah's mouth he stopped and looked into his boyfriend's eyes, seeing them full of love and tears. Luke stared at those beautiful eyes and watched as Noah lowered his head and captured Luke's lips with his own. The sensation that coursed through Luke was electric, it felt like every time they touched, that same charge was going through Luke's body. The kiss was deep and passionate. It was as if neither man wanted it to end, each grabbing at the other in need. Luke was the first to break the kiss, the fact that his lower half was beginning to react to Noah's kisses caught his attention.

Luke looked at Noah, noticing that he seemed to be having difficulty breathing. His lips were kiss swollen and his hair was mussed from where Luke had been running his hands through it. Luke couldn't help but smile, "Noah… please tell me you're really here, that you've come to take me away." Noah took Luke's face in his hands and looked directly into his eyes, he would hate the next words that he had to say, "Luke, I am really here, but I can't take you away, not yet." He watched as Luke's eyes widened and pain took the place of love that had just been there moments ago. "Luke, please listen to me. I want to pick you up and take you out of here so badly, but I can't just yet. We have a plan but in order for us to get you and your mom out of here we are going to have to wait a little longer."

Noah could see the tears flowing freely from Luke's eyes and wanted nothing but to take his pain away. Luke looked down; he couldn't look into those eyes. This just proved that what was happening wasn't real, that he was once again dreaming. His Noah would have come in and taken him away from Damian, from this nightmare. Luke laid back on his pillows and turned his head away, "I knew this couldn't be real, just another stupid dream." Noah watched as Luke turned his head and closed his eyes, what had Damian done to his Luke. Luke was a fighter and he wouldn't give up this easily.

Noah climbed onto Luke's bed and laid his body on top of his lover's. He grasped his chin and turned Luke's face towards him, "Luke, look at me…please, Luke just look at me." Luke opened his eyes and found himself lost in the ocean blue eyes, "Hey. Does this feel like a dream?" Noah lowered his head and sucked on Luke's bottom lip. He swiped his tongue across Luke's lip asking for permission, which Luke gave readily. Noah's tongue slipped into Luke's mouth and tangled with his tongue. The kiss was so searing that Luke was sure he would catch on fire if it went on any longer. Just as Noah began to pull away Luke felt a sharp pain on his arm, "Ouch! Hey that hurt." Noah had just pinched Luke's arm and was smiling down at him, "Do you still think you're dreaming?" Luke's eyes widened in realization, he felt the pinch, he was awake and Noah was currently in his room lying on top of him. And best part of this was that Luke's body was reacting to Noah's in ways he hadn't felt in a long time. He could actually begin to feel his penis twitch.

"Noah, I can feel you." Noah looked at his boyfriend and smiled, "I told you this wasn't a dream and of course you felt the pinch." Luke shook his head, "No. I mean I can feel you lying on top of my legs. I can feel your cock against mine, and it feels so good." Noah looked into his boyfriend's eyes and saw the passion that was there before the accident and it only made him harder. He couldn't help but swoop down and claim Luke's mouth again. As the lovers kissed a beeping sound went off in the room. Noah groaned and pulled away from Luke, "I'm sorry Luke I was given a ten minute window. God knows I don't want to leave you." Noah once again took possession of Luke's mouth, then raised himself up and looked down at Luke. He wanted so badly to take his pain away, but all he could do was kiss away the tears that were flowing down his face. He climbed off the bed but could not leave without grabbing Luke once more and holding him against his body. They both held each other, neither wanting to be the one to let go. Unfortunately Noah's watch decided at that moment to go off again. He stepped away from Luke but placed his hand on Luke's cheek one more time, feeling Luke turn his head and rest it against Noah's hand, "I'll be around, we're here for a few days. Damian is having some big party in a few days and I'm on the staff. Luke, if you see me you must not show that you know me. Max and Antonio have a plan, and we need to set things up here in order to get you both out safely."

Luke did not want to let go of Noah, but he knew that he wouldn't leave without his mother, so he did the hardest thing he ever had to do, he let go, and watched as the love of his life walk away from him, again.