'So, guess who rung me up yesterday?' Katie asked Reid as they were having breakfast the next day. Reid flipped over the page in the newspaper.
'Who?' He asked distractedly.
'Lily Snyder.' Katie observed Reid's reaction.
'And what did Mrs Snyder want?'
'She wanted to know where her son was.'
'Ah.' Reid tried to not let his expression tell Katie what she was dying to ask.
'Reid! You have to be more careful! Two nights in a row looks suspicious.'
'It wasn't planned, Katie!'
'It never is.'
Reid sighed and folded up the newspaper.
'Katie, Luke told me something yesterday which was very troubling and I think you need to know.'
'Oh, god.'
'Yeah. That's how bad. Luke isn't eighteen.'
'What? I went to his birthday party!'
'Apparently bad dad brought his real birth certificate when he popped in and now Luke is seventeen again, like some sadistic time machine.'
'Oh, god.'
'Yes. Oh, god indeed.' Katie hit him with the newspaper.
'And you slept with him anyway? Reid! You could go to prison.'
'I know, I know. I tried to break up with him and stop it but he used his puppy eyes.'
'Still! Have. Some. Self. Control.' She hit him with each word.
'I feel awful, Katie. How am I going to face his mother now? At least when he was legal, or pseudo-legal, I could look her in the eye. Now, I'll just be thinking about Luke writhing beneath me the entire time.'
'Ok, that was too much information for a morning discussion.' Reid shot her a look.
'How many times have you had sex since he found out?'
'Twice.'
'Twice?'
'When he found out, he didn't tell me until I'd fucked him into my office wall first.'
'Wow. And the second time was last night, right?'
'Yeah. I was telling him how we had to stop and I was all ready to go back to Dallas, suitcase and passport with the airline on hold, but he slid his hand into mine and…'
'You were lost?'
'Yeah.' He said sadly.
-
'Luke! Come and have some breakfast!' Lily knocked on Luke's door and opened it to find Luke packing his school bag, already showered and dressed.
'Thanks, mom, but I'll just stop by Java on the way to school.' Lily eyed her son warily.
Since last night and her talk with Damian she had agreed to not mention it with Luke. She still couldn't imagine Dr Oliver with his hands all over her son; touching him in a way no one else had. Luke smiled at her and swung his back pack on.
'Why are you so happy honey?' She asked.
'Oh. It's nothing, I've just got Biology today and we're doing a really cool experiment today.'
'That's nice. Damian is coming over later and I'd really love it if you could forgive…'
'Stop it, mom. I'm not going to forgive him. Ever. I don't know why you've forgiven him so quickly.' He walked down the steps and left the house.
'I think I need to have a little chat with Dr Oliver.'
-
Reid was sitting in his office eating Chinese with chopsticks. He was failing miserably so he picked up a fork and began again with improved success. Lily had decided that Damian was right. She would have to persuade Dr Oliver to leave her son alone and get out of Oakdale. He was a brilliant teacher with an incredible brain but if he wanted satisfaction, he could look elsewhere than her seventeen year old son. How stupid did he think she was?
'Dr Oliver? Could we speak please?' She asked after opening the door to see Reid negotiating with noodles. He dropped the fork into the box and indicated for her to come and sit down. She shook her head and took a deep breath.
'I know.'
'You know, Mrs Snyder? You may have to go into more detail.'
'I know you've been sleeping with my son.' Time froze and Reid's stomach dropped.
The heavy iron feeling he'd had when Luke told him he was seventeen was worse and he recognised it now as dread. He stood up and moved around his desk to stand in front of Lily.
'He told you.' He stated.
'No, I saw you.'
'Saw us do what exactly, Mrs Snyder?'
'Last night I saw you…' She grimaced, 'with each other. He was leaving your apartment and you were half dressed.' Reid looked down and sighed. He was an idiot.
'Right. So are you going to turn me in or what? I'm not sure what the protocol is for when a professor has regular sex with his boss' son.'
Lily shivered. Regular sex? How long had this been going on?
'How long have you been seeing each other?' She asked, her shoulder's held back straight.
'A couple of months.' Reid was being clinical.
If she was going to send him to prison he could at least watch this obviously uncomfortable woman discuss her gay son's sex life with his lover. He was going to enjoy this moment before he was sent away for years.
'I'm not going to turn you in.' Lily said through gritted teeth. Reid's heart lifted and he squinted his eyes. There was something else going on beneath the storm brewing in Lily's eyes.
'What?' He laughed in disbelief.
'I'm not going to turn you in. I don't want Luke to go through that. He'd never talk to me again and I can't lose him. But you can.'
'I'm sorry, what?'
'You're going to break up with my son and leave this town as quickly as you can. I never want to see your face cross the Illinois border ever again.'
'Then I'll be the one breaking his heart.' Reid said with realisation.
'Exactly. I'll have my son back and you can leave without handcuffs and a criminal record.'
Reid had no choice. He would have to break up with Luke. Beautiful, funny, smart Luke. The man who had his heart and could control Reid's emotions with a click of his fingers. It would almost kill him to see the hurt expression Luke would pull but he knew this was the only way for Luke to continue with his current education and live happily with his family. He couldn't break up the Snyders, but he could break up with a Snyder. Even if it killed him.
'You've got a deal.'
-
Lily Snyder strode away from Reid's office with a smile covering her face. She knew that Reid was only in it for the sex. He hadn't shown any sign of emotion during the entire conversation. That was pure evidence that he never loved her son. She got into her car certain that she had done the right thing. Now all she had to do was make sure that Dr Oliver broke up with Luke and then leave town.
Easy peasy.