The original plan was that Luke would fly down on Friday night and he and Reid would fly to Oakdale together on Saturday. However, plans rarely seemed to work well for them and Luke was almost shaking when he called Reid to let him know that he wouldn't be able to fly down. At first Reid had nearly panicked, listening as Luke tried to calmly explain that there were some family issues, something about his father leaving town.
"Bad dad?" Reid asked simply. Luke laughed, glad to hear that Reid still had his humor.
"Damian, but yes. I don't even know what happened but my dad, Holden," he clarified, "is basically on the rampage so he's leaving town and going back to Malta. I have to go with him to Chicago tomorrow to figure out some legal stuff about taking over the Oakdale docks while he's gone," said Luke.
"Sounds like a party," said Reid, and Luke could hear the annoyance in his voice.
"I'm really sorry…" Luke trailed off. On the other end, Reid forced a smile.
"It's okay, Luke," he said soothingly. "What does that mean for this weekend, though?"
"Well, I'm sending the jet down and it'll be ready to go whenever you are tomorrow night. I won't be back til late so I might not be able to meet you. My cousin-in-law, Katie, will be there to get you, though."
"Ah-ha," said Reid. Luke laughed.
"You'll like Katie, she's really great, I promise," said Luke happily.
"I better get to bend the house rules after this," Reid practically pouted. Luke laughed. Emma had made it quite clear that since Luke was still living at the farm house, that he and Reid would have to stay in separate rooms for the night.
"I was already planning to bend them anyway," said Luke teasingly. Reid grinned.
"Good answer."
As promised Reid arrived at the small airport just outside of town where his car was parked for him and he was awkwardly escorted to a small but pristine jet. He was greeted by the pilot with a firm handshake and the promise of a good flight. Reid flashed a fake smile before boarding, sighing with relief to find that there weren't any servants or something that would be sitting with him and asking if he wanted more champagne. He grinned at the thought and texted Luke.
'I'm about five minutes from trusting this hunk of metal to deliver me safely to Oakhell. If we crash and die, I've left a note at the house informing my family that they should sue you.'
'I've traveled on that jet more times than I can count, don't be such a baby. I'll see you in a few hours. Have a good flight. xo.'
Two hours later, after a beer and a sandwich and failed attempts at sleeping, they were landing. Reid felt his chest tighten as he got off the plane, clutching his bag tightly to the point that his knuckles were visibly whiter than the rest of this hand. He wasn't sure why he was so nervous, he told himself. Reid didn't have a lot of time to wallow in that fear, though, before a smiling blond woman practically came skipping toward him.
"Reid Oliver?" she asked, still smiling and making him nervous again.
"Uh, yes?" he answered, looking around awkwardly. The woman held out her hand.
"I'm Katie, Katie Snyder," she smiled. Reid shook it cautiously, comforted by the last name but that was about it. Katie laughed.
"Luke told you I was picking you up, right?" she asked. Reid nodded. "Good! The car is just out front, this way."
Reid was glad that Katie seemed to be fairly sane. He hadn't heard much about her from Luke, though she was sure to explain her story to him on the ride into town. By the time they arrived at a little shopping area called Olde Town, Reid knew her maiden name, the first and middle name, as well as the birth date, weight, and length of her son, as well as the fact that she had been married to Luke's father's cousin before he died a few months back. Reid did his best not to poke too much fun, though he couldn't help but let a few snide remarks get through. Much to his surprise, Katie took the near insults like a champ, even laughing and agreeing with him. She took him to a coffee shop called Java and they enjoyed a cup or two while talking at one of the back tables. Amazingly Reid found himself smiling and laughing, enjoying the conversation with Katie. He was quickly becoming quite fond of her and his earlier worries about having to spend time with someone other than Luke for a few hours had worn away entirely.
Around nine thirty Luke finally wandered in. Reid stood and they hugged each other tightly before sharing a chaste kiss. They sat down and Luke smiled at his cousin.
"Thanks, Katie," he said happily, holding Reid's hand.
"Pleasure's all mine. We've been having a good time," she smiled. Luke looked to Reid, who was smiling back at Katie. No words could describe how happy that moment made him.
Katie had to get home to Jacob, whom Henry was currently babysitting, and so the two men decided to head over to the Snyder farm. When they arrived, both nervous as can be, Luke looked over the cars to prepare himself for who Reid would be facing. It was late and so when he didn't see his mother's car he wasn't surprised, figuring she had taken the other kids home. However, as they walked into the kitchen, he was caught off guard by the party-like gathering before them.
Emma, Holden, Lily and Faith were all sitting at the table talking. Jack was by the sink and Carly was leaning on the counter nearby. He could hear Meg singing a lullaby in the other room and knew that she was there with Eliza, a common sound in a world where Meg had never had a breakdown. Luke stopped in the doorway, eyes wide. Reid stood behind him, also quite shocked, and did his best to keep a straight face. He felt Luke's fingers tighten around his own, and realized he wasn't breathing.
"There you are!" Lily exclaimed happily, standing up and moving toward them. She hugged Luke eagerly. "We were wondering what was taking you guys so long," she smiled.
"Um, we were with Katie?" Luke said uncertainly. Lily didn't seem to hear him. She was already moving around him and wrapping her arms awkwardly around Reid. Luke stepped back and watched, trying not to laugh as Reid's eyes widened with terror, not hugging her back.
"It's so good to finally meet you," she said, holding Reid by the shoulders now before looking around the room. "I'm Lily, Luke's mother."
"Hi? Er, it's nice to meet you," said Reid, staring at Luke for help and glaring when he saw the blond just standing there, fist to his mouth and trying not to crack up.
Emma shooed everyone away long enough for them to get in the door before the introductions continued. The group forced the two men to sit and talk for a while, asking Reid about his work and about Dallas and Luke his flight and what he thought of Oakdale so far. He did his best to answer, though he never tried to be more personable than he really was. Luke sat with him, holding his hand and smiling. Even though Luke winced a few times at the dry and sometimes sarcastic answers, he knew that Reid's unique social skills were part of what he adored about him. Occasionally Reid's words would cause the others to stare uncertainly, but they quickly got use to his ways. It started with a few awkward laughs from Jack, who seemed to pick up on Reid's mannerisms the quickest, but eventually everyone was just brushing off Reid's cold exterior. They weren't necessarily amused, but they realized that this was just how Reid was, and Luke had after all warned them about this, so it wasn't their place to criticize.
Around midnight the two were finally allowed to get some sleep. Emma discreetly made sure to remind them that they were in separate rooms, showing Reid to his and pointing out where the extra blankets and towels were. They sat in their rooms, texting as they changed and settled in for the night, listening each time the door opened and more guests would leave. Finally all was silent. Luke heard the floorboards distinctly creek at the end of the hall, signaling that Holden was in bed. Emma's room was downstairs, as was Meg and Eliza's.
'So am I allowed to sneak over yet?' Luke texted Reid, laying on his back on the bed. Reid never texted back, but instead, Luke heard the door handle to his room wobble a few minutes later and quietly, Reid slipped in.
They held each other in Luke's bed for quite some time, finally having a chance to talk alone. Reid gushed about Emma and how she was everything he imagined she would be, including how her kitchen smelled like cookies. Reid seemed to think that the rest of his family was a little over the top, at least the women were, and this made Luke laugh. Around two o'clock they curled up and decided to get some sleep. Reid breathed in the smell of Luke in his own room, unable to fully believe he was here.
