Whoo! It's pouring out of me!! Another chapter! Hope I don't disappoint!

I have to admit...I teared up a bit in this chapter!

Hope you guys like it!

Enjoy!

Chapter Two

The Gift

Luke didn't want to do what he was thinking, but he needed to. He had picked Noah up from his therapy session and they were on the way back to the house. Well, he told Noah that he was at World Wide going over foundation work when in reality he had been waiting in the parking lot for Noah. Ever since the accident Luke had this uncontrollable need to be near Noah. As if the distance on that day, that awful day, contributed to Noah losing his eye sight. Luke knew that if he was close enough to Noah, nothing bad would happen to him again. So, he sat in his car for 94 minutes while Noah had a check-up and his therapy session.

Luke was driving, but not really; his mind was not on what he was doing. He was taking side glances at Noah from the corner of his eye. He had his iPod headphones in and had created a barrier around himself; blocking Luke out completely. Is it possible to hate an inanimate object? Because Luke was really starting to hate those little white ear buds. Since having Noah around lately was like being alone, Luke let his mind wander. He was thinking back to what they use to be and how they got here.

Two Months Ago…

Thanksgiving did not go as Luke may have wanted, but they had a nice afternoon. At least that memory got Luke through the next few weeks as they got closer to Christmas. Noah had opened up to him for those three lovely hours, but not since. As the days went on and Noah could still not see, his anger got heavier and heavier for Luke to carry. He would make little biting remarks and was a bit acidic when it came to what Luke was feeling.

But Luke never complained.

He bore the weight that was being placed on him and carried it as well as he could. On some level he hoped that Noah would go tired of trying to push him away and let Luke help him. It seemed that the only person that Noah would let near him was his mom Lily. Being raised to respect women like a good soldier, Noah never did speak harshly to her. She even convinced him to go Christmas shopping. She was Noah's eyes so to speak. Lily later told Luke that they had a lovely afternoon and he really seemed to be handling things all right, considering. She also told Luke that Noah wanted her to keep careful track of all the money she spent. He was going to pay her back.

Here they were. At Snyder Farm about to celebrate Christmas. Emma had decided to make Christmas Eve much more low key than normal. The usual festivities included nearly thirty relatives and tons of commotion. She knew that Noah's new situation was the reason he was absent from Thanksgiving and it just killed her to not have him there. In a short amount of time, he had become deeply ingrained in the family. It was all so unnatural now not to have Noah at the dinner table.

Her plan to keep Christmas Eve much smaller was quickly approved by all the other members of the Snyder family. Their usual ruckus and mayhem was going to be reserved for Christmas Day. Lily, Holden, Faith, Natalie, Ethan, Luke and Noah were the only guests for dinner this night. Luke had mentioned that Noah was very self-conscious about his new condition. Emma hoped to give Noah a bit of old normal to go with his new normal or however Luke described it.

They arrived just after four and dinner was almost ready. Holden brought the kids from their mother's and they tore through the kitchen door and into the parlor straight to the tree for present shaking. Lily arrived with Luke and Noah; she came in just after the kids. When Luke got out of his car and helped Noah get to the porch, Emma breathed a large sigh of relief. She suddenly felt like a mother welcoming her son back from war. As soon as he set foot on her doorstep, she pulled him into a hug.

"There is my boy," she said in a soft voice in Noah's ear. Those loving words caused Noah to tighten his hold on the older woman that he had come to love very much. It was a heartwarming sight to all in attendance.

She pulled back a bit and took a long look at him as she took his face in her hands. His scars from the explosion had healed so that nearly nothing was left. His signature blue eyes were still there, thank God. That was one feature that the women at her church went on and on about. That lovely young man with the Paul Newman eyes, was how one friend described him. It made Emma a bit sad to see them though, that sparkle was gone. The one that Luke had put there was nearly out. She gave her grandson a quick look over Noah's shoulder. She and Luke shared an understanding in that look. Her hands settled in Noah's and he gripped them tightly.

"Well, let's go inside now before we all catch our death out here," she said and then quickly ushered them inside. She winked at her grandson as he brought in the rear. He could not help but smile at her. Luke was amazed how she always was able to make things look better. A trait she shared with Noah.

Noah was sitting down at the table listening to the noises around him and taking in the atmosphere. He could hear Ethan telling Holden about the yucky girl that kissed him at pre-school. Natalie and Faith were rattling on about the Jonas Brothers Christmas Concert that they were going to watch after dinner. Lily and Emma were behind him at the island getting food together. The one voice he didn't hear was Luke's. He strained his hearing to see if he could find him.

Luke was standing at the island looking at Noah's back and wishing so many things about their relationship. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear his grandma step next to him. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a hug.

"Luke, are you feeling all right? You look a bit pale not to mention much too thin,"

"I'm fine grandma," he answered quickly. He was hoping that was the end of the conversation; at least tonight. Noah heard the exchange between them and his interest was piqued. He made a note to ask Luke about it later.

"All right everyone. Let's all sit down. Dinner's ready," Emma called out and everyone made for their chairs. Noah sat back in his seat and listened to all of the chairs around the table screech against the floor, away from table and then back again. He was still amazed how his other senses had managed to pick up for his lack of sight. "Well, it is so nice to have the family here to celebrate this special night. I am very glad to have Noah well and at my table again. I missed you so much at Thanksgiving and I am so happy that you decided to come tonight," Emma said as she saw Noah smile.

"Thanks for having me," Noah replied back. His smile grew even bigger. He felt a loving pat on his back and leaned into it.

"Holden, would you please say grace?"

"Sure mama,"

Noah felt a hand slip under right hand. The fingers were long and slender and wearing a very large ring. That hand belonged to Lily, so that meant that Luke was to his left. Part of him dreaded holding hands with him. Would he notice that Noah's hands were sweaty? He swallowed twice before he felt a hand slip into his left. The hand was much smaller and he felt a beaded bracelet against his wrist. Faith was sitting to his left. Luke was not near him. Noah felt his heart clench just a bit, but pushed it away as Holden begun his prayer. This was first time; the first Snyder family meal that Luke was not sitting next to him. Even when they were broken up last Thanksgiving, they sat right beside each other, but not tonight. He was thinking about this so intently that he didn't even hear everyone say amen. He knew the prayer was over when his partners pulled their respective hands away, bringing him back to earth.

Dinner went well. Lily and Faith both took great care of Noah as he ate. They made sure that he knew what was on his plate and that his drinking glass was full. Luke watched from across the table and smiled at his mom and sister. He was so lucky to be in a family that cared so much. He could have been Casey with a strained family or even Maddie whose older sister tried to kill her. He was indeed lucky and every time he looked at Noah he felt that more and more. He finally found a way to get back into Noah's good graces. His gift was wrapped and tucked away in his coat that hung in the closet.

Everyone made their way into the parlor for presents. Now, Emma was always a "Presents on Christmas Day" woman. She once told a whining Holden and Seth that, "Jesus didn't get his gifts until Christmas Day. And if Jesus could wait, so could they," But considering the circumstances of the evening, she decided to break her rule for one night.

Ethan, Faith, and Natalie were all excited by the gifts that they got from Noah. Natalie loved the friendship bracelet braiding kit she got and promised Noah that he would get the first one. Ethan cheered and jumped around when he got his new play set for that squid show he loved so much. Faith was harder to shop for. He bought her a silver charm on a long silver chain. He could hear how excited she was when she opened it, but tried to play the unimpressed teen. He decided to throw in a iTunes giftcard to make his gift a bit "cooler".

Luke didn't open his gifts. He was too excited to give Noah his. He just couldn't wait anymore. He sat down across from Noah and lightly brushed his knee to get his attention.

"Can I borrow you for a minute? I want to give you your present,"

"I, ah, Ethan wanted to explain why his gift was better than Faith and Natalie's," it was a lame excuse and he knew it.

"It will be quick. I wanted to give it to you in private," Luke's knee was bouncing in response. He just could not contain his excitement. He bit his lip to keep his smile from extending too brightly.

"All right. But just for a minute," he said as Luke helped him to his feet and into the kitchen. They could hear the kids carrying on as they left them. Luke helped Noah into a chair and went to get his gift. He finally found his coat and pulled the small square package out. Luke came back into the room and pulled a chair to face Noah; their knees just barely touching.

"Ok. It took me a while before I was able to get this. So here it is," he placed the package in Noah's hands and waited for him to pull the blue paper off.

"You didn't need to wrap it. It's not like I can see what it is," Noah remarked plainly. Luke couldn't help but laugh very lightly.

"I know. But the fun comes from pulling the paper off,"

Noah smiled one of his half smiles; one his uses when he doesn't want anyone to see him smile. He then pulled the paper off and held the flat plastic square in his hands.

"Ok, Luke you're gonna have to help me now. A cd?"

"Well, I thought and thought about what to get you and then it hit me," Luke said as he lightly placed his hands on top of Noah's. He could feel Noah tense up before he relaxed.

"I finished your movie,"

"YOU DID WHAT?!?!"

Well...that didn't go well. Don't forget to review! It helps me write better and faster!

Stay Tuned!