When Reid woke up he came downstairs to find Luke already dressed, rummaging through the cabinets with a list in his hand. It still amazed him that Luke was waking up before him, something that never happened before. He didn't question it, though, deciding it was better not to open that can of worms first thing in the morning.

Luke heard the creak of the bottom step and looked up only for a moment before jotting something else down.

"Good morning," he said quickly. Reid said nothing. "I'm going grocery shopping in a little bit. Is there anything I should pick up?"

Reid hesitated. "Not that I can think of?"

Luke looked up. "Are you sure? I'm already grabbing some French bread in case you want to make toast, but if there is anything else you want for the week, I can pick it up while I'm out."

Again with that matter-of-fact tone, so impersonal and empty. Reid felt sick again.

"I can't think of anything," he began, rubbing the back of his head. "I could come with you, though. Give you some company as you venture through the endless aisles of junk food and frozen pizza."

Luke smiled at the slight humor.

"Alright," he agreed.

Reid nodded. "I'll get dressed."

Later they were walking through the store, Luke pushing a cart and randomly grabbing things that Reid didn't want to know what they were. Most of it was junk food, as predicted, and snacks or drinks in brightly decorated colors and cartoons. Reid found it strangely amusing that Luke was doing the family grocery shopping, but at the same time he was impressed, especially since Luke only rarely glanced at his list. It was obvious to Reid that Luke did this a lot, reminding him just how much of a caretaker Luke was. He could picture Luke doing this with Ethan and the other kids, trying to keep the small boy under control in the seat of the cart while telling Natalie she could have the Teddy Grahams or the Hershey bar, but she couldn't have both. It was so domestic. Reid rarely saw this side of Luke, the side that had other people to worry about and take care of. He found himself smiling as they loaded the bags into Luke's car.

"Want to grab some coffee?" Luke asked. Reid looked up and realized they were in Olde Town. He nodded and Luke parked the car, the two of them wandering over to Java. They ordered their drinks and took a seat, adding very little to the sounds already filling the coffee shop.

Reid was the first to see him this time. He and Luke were leaving when he caught sight of the familiar brunette, smiling at the redhead walking beside him. Luke noticed Reid's hesitation and looked up as well, seeing Noah and a man he didn't know walking close together. He watched as they entered the movie theater, suddenly realizing that Noah was probably on a date.

The only good thing was that neither Noah nor his date seemed to notice the other two men staring at them. Luke shook it off as best he could and Reid followed him quietly back to the car. At the farm Reid just watched as Luke put everything away, moving expertly through the kitchen without missing a beat. Once everything was in its proper place Luke began to pull out ingredients that Reid instantly recognized. He stood up, smiling a little beside himself as Luke pulled four slices of bread from the loaf.

"You're making sandwiches?" he asked, unable to hid his amusement. Luke looked up with a smile.

"I thought maybe we could take these down to the pond for lunch," he suggested. Reid loved the idea, but more than that, he loved hearing the enthusiasm in Luke's voice.

"Sounds good to me," he said, walking around the counter and helping Luke. Luke finished his sandwich pretty quickly but Reid of course took quite a while longer on his 'masterpiece'. Luke just laughed at the crazy creation as he moved around to the fridge, pulling the potato salad and two cans of soda out and putting them into the cloth bag. Once Reid's sandwich was complete, Luke wrapped them both and placed them in the bad. He dropped some forks and napkins on top, nodding to indicate that they were good to go.

What started around 2pm as lunch lingered on through the evening and became more of an early dinner. By six they still had some potato salad left and Reid had a few more bites of his sandwich left. They'd spent most of that time talking. For once they didn't talk about their situation, instead catching up on each other's lives. Reid told Luke how his neighbor's cat had clawed up another beam on his patio and Luke talked about why he was never chaperoning another field trip for Ethan's class. It was simple, light conversation, and while such talk did nothing to resolve their problems, it did leave them both with smiles and laughter ringing in their ears as they gathered up the plates back into the bag. As the began walking back to the house, they reached for each other's hand almost simultaneously. They said nothing even as they broke apart and began to put the dishes away before moving into the living room and sitting together on the couch to watch some TV. The night continued in silence, but this time it was almost okay. Glancing down at Luke, curled up against his shoulder, Reid knew that things were far from perfect, but he could feel that they were making improvements. When they finally decided it was time for bed, Luke waited for Reid, walking with him up the stairs.

They said goodnight without kissing or hugging or showing any physical affection. They simply slipped into their rooms and shut their doors, still afraid of what tomorrow would bring, but also feeling optimistic for the first time in weeks.

Around 3am, Luke gave up on trying to fall asleep.

He knew where to step to avoid making the floor creak and he snuck down the hall to Reid's room. He pried the door open quietly, shutting it just as carefully behind him, and using his cell phone as a makeshift flash light as he crept toward Reid's bed. Once his knees touched the edge of the bed he sat his phone face down on the nightstand, crawling in beside Reid.

Reid was sleeping lightly, as always, and so he was already beginning to wake before Luke even touched the bed, his footsteps making enough noise. He turned over, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. He couldn't see Luke, but of course he knew it was him. Luke sat close, cupping Reid's face in his hand and tenderly running his fingers behind Reid's ear as if to tuck back his hair. It was soothing and normally it would cause Reid to close his eyes, but as Luke's face began to appear clearer and clearer, he could barely bring himself to blink.

Luke said nothing, just sitting there as if he were waiting. Reid turned even further, sitting up a little. He foolishly wanted to ask why Luke as there, but before he could, he was receiving an answer.

It was like one of their earliest kisses, careful and experimental. Luke leaned in, still cupping Reid's face with sturdy hands, lips barely brushing over Reid's. Normally it didn't take long for things to escalate, but as his mouth slowly moved over Luke's, Reid realized that for once he didn't want to rush. He reached for Luke, carefully pulling him on top of him, hands desperately gripping his waist. Luke obliged, straddling Reid and still holding his face, kissing him slowly and passionately.

Reid's strong hands pulled Luke close, wandering over his back before dragging lower, trailing over his ass and his thighs before slipping back up, pushing his shirt out of the way and finding his bare skin. Luke made no audible sound but Reid could feel his shutter beneath his touch. Using only his fingertips, he gently traced the line of Luke's spine, exploring every muscle and curve of his back. Luke's hands wandered from Reid's face to his shoulders and his chest, which were already bare, outlining each groove and dip of his muscles.

They spent the early hours of the morning making love. The sun was already beginning to peak through the blinds when they finally curled up together and fell asleep.