FIC: HEALING ALL WOUNDS 2/4
Title: Healing All Wounds
Chapter: 2/4
Author: carolinablu85. or you can call me Ella! (or you can call me Al, if you like the song...)
Characters: Luke/Noah, Margo, Holden, Lily, Zac and Zoe (in flashback)
Rating: PG
Spoilers: the evil "twin" kidnapping storyline!
Summary: Luke and Noah deal with the aftermath of the kidnapping when Noah is released from the hospital.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? Nope, not that.
Author's Note: This is the very FIRST Nuke story I ever wrote! And reading it back now, I can definitely tell ;) Either way, enjoy!
Chapter 1 /
“Okay, you two ready?” Margo asked, setting her tape recorder down on the coffee table. Both boys were sitting on the couch again, trying to appear casual, collected. They nodded stiffly, almost in unison. Margo sat in the chair next to them, while Holden and Lily stood as close as they could without being accused of hovering. Though neither boy would admit it, they felt better having Luke’s parents nearby. “Who wants to start?”
For a second, neither spoke. Luke glanced over at Noah, but Noah’s eyes were cast down, seemingly staring at the blanket that covered his legs. He had wrapped his right arm around himself, hand playing idly with his bandage on the opposite arm. Luke reached over and pulled the hand away, holding it lightly in his. “I will,” he said firmly. Noah’s face gave nothing away, but he did grip Luke’s hand tighter in relief.
“Okay Luke,” Margo smiled, trying to put him at ease. “Just give me a rundown of everything that happened after you left the police station the day of the ransom note.”
Luke took a deep breath, pushed away the tension gnawing at him, and began to speak. He told Margo (and the rest of his audience) about talking to Zoe in Old Town, about getting the text from Noah’s phone, about finding Noah tied up and gagged and about getting captured himself.
Noah chimed in a little to help talk about Zoe and her family (and he caught Noah’s slight smirk at the mention of the “freaky shrine to her dead mother”), and Zac taking a gun to the ransom drop. They explained getting free of the ropes, almost escaping before Zac and Zoe got back, and then Noah fell silent again as Luke described Noah getting shot, passing out and bleeding, convincing Zoe to go get medicine for him.
At one point Lily made a pained noise somewhere behind him as he told them about fighting to keep Noah awake, having to remind him where he was every time he woke up. Noah kept his head down, staring at the blanket again, even as his grip on Luke’s hand remained strong.
And then, Luke stopped. He really didn’t want to talk about this next part, didn’t want to relive it. Noah must have known, because he squeezed Luke’s hand reassuringly, subtly moving closer until their shoulders were resting comfortably against each other. Luke looked over and smiled at him, wished he could kiss him right then and there.
“Luke?” Margo prompted gently. She basically knew from Damian’s statement what had happened next. But she had to hear it from Luke, and she was positive Luke needed to talk about it, get it out of him.
The blond-haired boy cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly really wishing his parents weren’t around to hear this. “Um, when… when Zoe got back, and after they let me talk to Mom on the phone, she- she said she’d only give Noah the meds if I did something for her. She said she wanted justice. The Grimaldi money should go to her and her… children, real Grimaldi children.” Another breath. “She was going to let Noah die unless I got her pregnant.” Luke heard his mother make another sound behind him, but he didn’t dare turn to look. He kept his eyes fixed on his and Noah’s joined hands.
“She wanted you to sleep with her?” Margo asked as business-like as she could.
Luke nodded. He could feel his face burning red, embarrassment and anger warring for control in him. He was telling himself to shut up, but now that he had opened this door everything was falling out and he couldn’t stop it. “She said if I didn’t, she wouldn’t help Noah. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to save Noah, but I couldn’t- couldn’t…”
Noah’s thumb brushed gently back and forth across his knuckles, steady and comforting. Luke took a second to gather himself, and realized that Noah was finally looking at him. They locked eyes, carrying on a conversation that didn’t need words.
Luke drew some strength from those brilliant-blues and then continued. “She started kissing me. I was still tied up, I couldn’t do anything.” God, that had been the worst part of it- like being paralyzed all over again. “I told her to stop, but she wouldn’t. But then she leaned over to… to untie me, I think. And that’s when Noah stopped her.” He tapped lightly on Noah’s hand still held in his. “And then Damian came in with Zac, and they fought for the gun.”
That had been kind of terrifying too. He had been sitting there helpless while Noah fought off Zoe and Damian and Zac both held the gun. The barrel, which had last been used to shoot Noah, seemed to point at every person in the room at least once. Like some sick game of Duck-Duck-Goose. “Damian finally got control, ordered both of them away from us. The rest you know.”
There was a moment of silence. Finally done, Luke leaned back even further into the sofa cushions. He was exhausted, like he had just run a marathon, but also a little lighter. He had to admit, telling the story did make him feel better. It was out in the open, people knew it now, and he didn’t feel as ashamed as he thought he would.
It helped that his parents were standing close behind him, his dad’s hand finding its way to his shoulder. And Noah, his wonderful, still kind of high-on-meds Noah, had found a way to intertwine not only their fingers together, but also somehow their entire arms until he couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
In a way it reminded Luke of when they had been tied back-to-back in the storage locker, trying to hold hands even as their fingers went numb, just happy to touch each other. Luke reached over with his free hand to rub Noah’s shoulder, knowing it was about to be his turn to speak.
Sure enough, “Noah? Are you ready?” Margo turned her attention to the other, quieter boy on the couch. Noah looked at Luke again, received a nod of encouragement from his boyfriend, and then in turn nodded to Margo. Unconsciously, or maybe subconsciously, he adopted the same stance that Luke had- squared shoulders, head down, eyes fixed on their held hands. Margo smiled gently. “Start from after you left this house last week.”
“Here?” Noah questioned hesitantly. “Or the Lakeview?” If he hadn’t been avoiding Luke’s gaze earlier, he definitely was now. Luke couldn’t help but feel irritated that Noah had once again gone against his wishes and talked to Damian.
If it had been anyone else but Noah, Luke would be pissed. But this was the guy who’d spent the first seventeen years of his life being controlled and ordered around and repressed. In a way, Luke was kind of proud of him for going with his own instincts instead of what he was told to do. He just wished it hadn’t had to involve his biological father.
“Yes, sorry, after you talked to Damian,” Margo amended. She pointed the tape recorder in his direction.
Noah eyed the recorder for a moment like the enemy it was, before going back to studying Luke’s hand. After another beat of silence, Noah spoke of how he ran into Zac and Zoe in Old Town and saw their Pisces necklaces. “I shouldn’t have said anything to them,” Noah continued, “but I couldn’t help it. They always put me off-kilter. I think I just wanted to test them, see what would happen. But they laughed it off and walked away. That was it.”
“They didn’t attack you then?” Margo asked. Noah shook his head. Luke frowned; he didn’t know any of this story. They’d had more pressing issues to deal with when they’d been tied up, and once Noah was in the hospital both boys had purposefully avoided discussing the details of their experiences. “When did they grab you?” Margo pushed on.
“The next morning,” Noah answered slowly, the memories playing through his mind like a movie…
6am. Noah hated 6am. He wasn’t a morning person at all- he only took the opening shifts at Java when he had to, never scheduled classes for before 10am. And yet, here he was walking around before the sun was even fully rising. He had tossed and turned all night before finally deciding that sleep just wasn’t coming, thoughts of hackers and Pisces and the stupid twins running through his head.
Could they really be involved? And if they were, how would he convince Luke? Especially considering he’d have to tell Luke that he had gone to see Damian last night instead of studying. Luke wasn’t going to like that.
Noah groaned out loud. This whole situation sucked. And he was exhausted. He found himself in Old Town, staring down at the bench the twins had been sitting on the night before. They did show up in town the same time all this trouble started, didn’t they? But it just wasn’t enough evidence to accuse them of anything. At least not yet. Noah shook his head to try and clear it. His instincts were telling him that those two were-
“Hey there, Monster.”
Noah froze, slowly turning to see Zac standing next to him, staring at him in that way that always made Noah feel really uncomfortable. “Zac.” He cleared his throat, surreptitiously taking a couple steps back. “Where’s Zoe?”
“Oh,” Zac sighed airily. “She’s around.” He took a few steps closer, invading Noah’s personal space again. “What has you up so early?”
Noah found himself backing up again, wishing he had a real reason to just punch this guy. He hated it when people forced their way too close into his personal space (except Luke, of course); it made him think of his father. “Film lab opens at six.” It was the first excuse he could come up with. Truthfully? He was going to the library, to the public records section, to look up any information on Zac and Zoe Finn. Luke really should have done that when he hired them.
Zac leered at him, looking him up and down. “So the early bird going to catch the worm, huh?”
Noah suddenly wanted to turn, go back to the dorms, and take like eight showers. With bleach. “What do you want, Zac?” he snapped, feeling really jittery. Now more than ever, he knew something was wrong with these two.
“Gosh, Noah, why so touchy? If anything,” he was making his way closer once more, “I’m the one who should be snippy. You practically accused us of being anti-gay terrorists last night.” He leaned in, Noah having to back himself nearly to the brick wall behind him to avoid contact. Zac continued, lowering the pitch of his voice. “I think we both know that can’t be true.”
“I don’t know anything,” Noah cut in, “about you or your sister. What I do know is that I don’t want either of you anywhere near Luke. Or me.”
Zac just smiled. “But we’re friends, Monster. And everyone knows a solid friendship is built on a foundation of trust, so-”
"I don’t trust you,” Noah said immediately. “And we’re not friends.” He noticed Zac was moving to him slowly, so he moved away.
“We could be,” Zac smirked suggestively. “We could be more than friends.” His hand came up to slide across Noah’s chest. Noah shuddered, moving away yet again. He was about to throw a punch when, suddenly, he realized- Zac was corralling him this way on purpose. Into the alley. Oh hell no.
Noah tried to side-step around Zac, but Zac just got right back in his face, hands going to Noah’s shoulders, shoving him back into the alley with more than a little force. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done.”
“Yeah, Zac, we are.” Noah felt his hands begin clenching into fists. When Zac started to let his own hand trail down from Noah’s shoulder to his chest again, Noah knocked the hand away, pushing Zac back violently. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Zac just smiled, and Noah couldn’t take it anymore. He drew back his fist to finally bash Zac’s face in when someone grabbed it. Taken off guard, Noah let his arm fall, turning around. It was Zoe. “What-?”
He’d let his guard down, and that was what they had been waiting for. Now that he was facing Zoe, Zac was able to sneak up behind him, and all of a sudden his arms were grabbed and pinned behind his back. At the same time, Zoe produced a bottle and rag out of her purse, doused the rag, and pressed it tightly to Noah’s mouth and nose, trapping Noah’s body between the two of them.
He couldn’t breathe. Noah struggled, trying to pull free of Zac, pull free of Zoe, but he wasn’t able to. Slowly, his body started to go numb, and little black dots in his vision grew larger and larger until he could barely see what was in front of him. Just when he was sure he was about to pass out, he felt the rag be removed from his face. Noah fought to keep his eyes open even as his body began to sag to the ground.
But he didn’t fall. Two pairs of hands grabbed him, pulled his arms over their shoulders, and forced him down the alley. Noah stumbled along between them, trying to fight, run away, at least yell for help. But they had control over him, and he could barely stay awake.
Zac and Zoe dragged him to the van waiting out of sight at the end of the alley, opened the back door, and threw him in. He landed none-too-gently sprawled on the seat with a quiet groan. “What are you…?” he mumbled, wishing he could yell. Really wishing he’d had time to punch Zac in his face.
“Tsk tsk, Monster. It’s quiet time, now go to sleep,” he heard one of them- he honestly wasn’t sure which one- taunt from somewhere nearby. Ropes bit into the skin of his wrists as his hands were tied behind his back. It should hurt, Noah knew it should, and it worried him that he could barely feel it.
He managed another groan, turning onto his side on the backseat. His eyes were closed, when had he closed his eyes? God, he had to warn Luke. He had to… “No,” he mumbled, trying with everything he had to sit up. But his limbs were way too heavy, and his hands tied behind him made every movement too difficult. “No, Luke…”
“Sorry Lover Boy, but the BF’s not here.” Two sets of hands shoved him back down on the seat. “And I thought I told you to keep quiet.”
The sound of tape ripping, and then something heavy covering his mouth, gagging him. He choked for a second, trying to remind himself to breathe through his nose, trying to work oxygen back into his lungs. Stay awake, stay awake. Pay attention to your surroundings. (His father’s training.) Figure out where they’re taking you, remember how to get back.
The van started up, and someone sat down next to him, pulling his head into their lap. He was pretty sure it was Zoe. God, he hoped it was Zoe. Stay awake, stay awake. Fingers raked through his hair over and over. It was a gesture somewhere between soothing and absolutely batshit insane. “Sweet dreams, Noah.” It was Zoe. “Don’t fight it, just go to sleep. Everything will be better when you wake up.”
For some reason, Noah really doubted that. But there was nothing he could do. The exhaustion he had been feeling, the drugs, the air he was struggling to breathe in… add it all up, and Noah was slowly sliding into oblivion. His last thought was of Luke- he was going to be so pissed Noah was right about the twins…
“I woke up in the storage locker, tied up and gagged,” Noah concluded. “They left me alone for awhile- I don’t know how long, felt like a long time- and then Zac untied me and gave me my phone, said I had to call Luke and tell him I was in Lisbon. I told him I wouldn’t do it, but he pulled out a gun and said if I didn’t… he would go get Luke, bring him here and kill him in front of me, and then kill me.”
Luke bit back a gasp at that, starting to feel a strong rush of rage build up in his chest. That he would be used in that way, it angered Luke more than he thought possible.
“Zac told me what to say, said if I tried to tell the truth then he and Zoe would hurt Luke. So I had to… I had to,” he repeated, insisting, turning to look at Luke.
“I know, it’s okay,” Luke struggled to keep his voice even, skimmed his hand across the back of Noah’s head and kept it on the back of his neck, squeezing gently.
Noah’s head bowed under the weight, and he didn’t look up again. “Zac tied me back up. He and Zoe said something about having plans for Luke, then they left me alone for a few… hours, I think, I don’t know.” Time had moved very differently in that storage locker. Noah still had a hard time understanding that he’d been in there for four days. Sometimes it felt like he’d been there for months, other times like just one really long day. “It was probably overnight?” he guessed.
“And the next day was the day they sent the ransom note, right?” Margo clarified.
Noah nodded. The next day was the day he didn’t want to talk about, not in front of Luke. Luke was going to be mad at him, he was sure of it. In fact, he couldn’t figure out why no one seemed mad at him to begin with- he had been the one stupid enough to get kidnapped by the psycho Wonder Twins, to get Luke dragged into that hellhole of a storage locker. He hadn’t been able to escape when he had the chance.
God, he hadn’t even been able to stand a wound to his friggin’ arm. And now he was putting a burden on the Snyder family to take care of him. This whole thing sucked, and now Luke was going to hear about-
“Noah? What happened before Luke got to the storage locker?” Margo broke through the fog surrounding Noah’s brain. He wondered how long he’d been silent while the others were waiting. The drugs were really screwing with his head.
“Uh, Zoe went off to talk to Luke, Zac stayed behind with me.” His voice was getting quieter, more tentative, despite the fact that Noah just wanted to blurt everything out in one breath and be done with it. “I tried to talk Zac into letting me go, turning himself in. I said I would talk to you for him,” he directed that at Margo, who smiled a little (of course, Noah would do that) and motioned for him to continue.
Noah took a deep breath, gripping Luke’s hand tighter. Luke removed his hand from Noah’s neck so he could turn and look at him questioningly, a little worried, but Noah couldn’t face him. “Zac said he didn’t believe me, I- I would have to prove to him that he could trust me.” Now Noah’s face was starting to darken with color, and his hands shook a little.
Red flags. Alarms. Bells and whistles and giant flashing neon WARNING signs. Luke’s brain was full of them, and he really started to worry. What the hell?! And then a horrible, horrible thought popped into his head- this had to have been before Zac had been revealed to be Zoe’s lover. At this point, he was still crazy pansexual ‘Z,’ who called Noah “Monster” and kissed him without warning in Al’s. Tried to seduce him in Luke’s own goddamn bedroom. Luke opened his mouth to say… something, but no words could possibly form. The wave of rage in him was reaching epic and tsunami-like proportions.
Noah shrugged his good shoulder, looking for all the world like he wanted to throw himself off a cliff. “H-he said he’d let me go if I slept with him first.” He stopped, let that sink in. He wasn’t sure if it would for the others; it hadn’t really sunk in with him yet, and he was the one who had been there. And now for the other giant, miserable shoe to drop: “And I said okay.” Luke’s hand went still and limp in Noah’s.
Noah couldn’t bring himself to look at him, at any of them. He hurried on, upset, wanting to explain. “Not at first, but he kept taunting me about it. And I needed him to untie me. Zac had these hand weights out, I thought maybe I could grab one, use it as a weapon. I didn’t know where I was, I had to incapacitate him-” (his father’s training again) “-so I’d have a chance to get free without him going after me.” Luke still wasn’t holding his hand.
No one else in the room made a sound; it felt like no one else in the room was even breathing. “He untied me and told me to- to unbutton his shirt. And I tried to move back, but… I’d been tied up for a few days, and they hadn’t given me any food. I couldn’t move fast enough. Zac knew what I was doing, he grabbed one of the weights before I could, pinned me against the wall.”
Luke had now pulled his hand out of Noah’s grasp. He could feel Luke’s entire body shaking, barely controlled, through the contact at their shoulders. “He hit me in the back of the head. Not really hard, not enough to bleed or anything. But I guess I collapsed, ’cause the next thing I know he’s tying me back up against the post. And making fun of me.” He felt incredibly uncomfortable, could feel everyone except for Luke staring at him.
Without thinking, he went to wrap his arms around himself protectively, but the motion pulled at his wound. He groaned softly at the sharp and sudden pain, and that seemed to be the final straw for Luke. He jumped to his feet, Noah feeling the loss of contact instantly. “Luke?” he stammered out.
Luke didn’t seem to hear him. “I’m going outside,” he announced, not looking at Noah.
Noah felt his heart sink down to his feet. No. Luke was mad at him. But he had promised Noah he wouldn’t get upset! “Wait-” he reached up with his good arm, trying to grab hold of him. But Luke wrenched himself free, causing Noah to flinch involuntarily from shock or pain or fear, he really didn’t know.
“Luke!” Lily finally spoke up, calling out to him.
“Not now,” Luke said through gritted teeth, even as he made his way to the door. He yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind him without another word, without a backward glance.
The family room was silent for a moment. Noah was staring at the door, breathing hard, just this side of panic. Luke was mad at him. It didn’t matter if Luke had promised he wouldn’t. He was right; it was Noah’s fault that everything had gotten so out of control. He had let Zac think he’d sleep with him- he had basically betrayed Luke. He had-
A hand on his shoulder stopped Noah in his self recrimination. He looked up at Holden, devastated. Holden patted his arm gently, “I’ll talk to him, don’t worry.” And then he followed Luke out the door.
Luke hadn’t gone far, was actually pacing back and forth across the driveway, mouth set in a grim line. His hands clenched into fists over and over again, eyes casting around like he was looking for something to hit. Holden wisely stayed out of range, leaning up against the side of the house. It took Luke a few seconds to realize he was there and acknowledge him. He shook his head. “I’m going to kill him.”
Holden frowned, his brain still trying to process everything that had been revealed in the last thirty minutes. “Who? Noah?”
Luke stopped dead in his tracks, looking at his dad like he was crazy. “What?! Are you kidding? Zac, I meant Zac. I’m going to kill him.” He went back to his pacing.
“First of all, you’re not killing anyone. There’s been enough of that this past week. There’s been enough of everything. You need to calm down, alright?” Holden was half-tempted to stick his foot out in Luke’s path and trip him if it meant Luke would slow down.
“Calm down? Dad, that guy attacked Noah, drugged him, kidnapped him- and that was the stuff I already knew about! But… but this… he- what he did to Noah…” Luke was nearly vibrating, he was so tense.
“Luke, it sucks, but there’s nothing you can do about what happened,” Holden spoke softly, keeping perfectly still except for his eyes, which tracked his son stalking back and forth. “Only thing you can do now is put it behind you and try to heal from this. And help Noah try to heal from this.”
That brought Luke to a standstill once again. Oh no. “God, I just left him in there, didn’t I? I was so mad, I had to move. Do something. I didn’t mean to walk out on him!”
“I know you didn’t, Luke. It’s okay. You both went through something pretty damn horrible, you’re going to have moments where you freak out.” Holden put his hand on Luke’s shoulder. Luke started, he hadn’t realized Holden had walked up so close to him. “I’m going to say this now, and we don’t have to talk about it ever again. But here goes. I am so sorry for what happened to you with that girl. It was awful and no one should ever have to go through what you and Noah went through. But you’re okay now, and Noah’s going to be okay. I have no doubt in my mind that you both can get through this, with each other and with your mom and me to help. I promise you we will do everything we can, whatever you need. And you being there for Noah like you are, I am so proud of you. Okay?”
Luke felt his face turning red again, both ashamed and pleased. He didn’t really feel worthy of that kind of praise, but hearing it from his dad certainly made him feel a lot better. He gripped Holden’s shoulders tightly, pulling him in for a hug that Holden returned with the same amount of strength. “Thanks, Dad. Really.”
“I love you, kiddo. You have no idea how glad I am that you’re back home.” Holden squeezed him closer for a brief moment before letting go, drawing back to look at Luke’s face.
Luke sniffed, wiped away some moisture at his eyes. “Yeah?”
Holden gave a tentative grin. “So glad, I’m almost tempted to take Damian out for a steak dinner to thank him.”
Luke felt himself chuckle at that. “Wow, that is glad.”
Holden slung an arm around Luke’s shoulders, pulling him back towards the house. “Come on, let’s go make sure Noah’s okay.” Luke sobered a little, regretting how he had left. God, Noah was probably pissed at him for running off like that.
He and Holden were just stepping onto the terrace when Margo exited the house, nearly running into them. “Luke,” she stopped when she saw them. “You okay?”
He nodded, ducking his head a little. “Yeah. I’m sorry for running out like that, Margo. I just-”
She held up a hand, smiling gently. “It’s okay, kid, really. Believe me, I understand.”
Luke nodded, tried to smile. Holden looked past her shoulder into the house. “You done with the statements?” he asked.
She nodded. “Noah just finished giving his, I think Lily took him upstairs to get some rest. I’m on my way to the station now. With any luck, this whole mess will be over in a few days.” She focused on Luke. “I think I’ll be able to add a few more charges against those two thanks to yours and Noah’s statements. It’ll mean a harsher sentence and probably a speedier trial, if that helps at all.”
“It does,” Luke answered quietly. “Thanks Margo.” He would have said more, but his brain was already traveling up the stairs to Noah, wondering if he was okay. He wasn’t paying attention as Holden and Margo said their goodbyes, and Margo left.
Luke and Holden re-entered the now empty family room. Luke stood still for a moment, looking at nothing, drinking in the quiet after the craziness of this day. He tried to get his mind to process all that had happened in this room in the past few hours. It almost physically hurt to think about.
He was startled out of his thoughts when Holden gave him a playful shove towards the door to go upstairs. “Stop stalling and go take care of Noah,” his father ordered lightly. “And make sure your mom isn’t mothering him to death. Send her back down, we’ll be here if you need us for anything.”
Luke grinned a little. “Thanks, Dad.” They held each other’s gaze for a moment, Holden nodding back, before Luke finally turned to make his way upstairs to his bedroom and his boyfriend. Starting now, he was going to find a way to make all of this- this entire crappy ordeal- better. For the both of them.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
TO BE CONTINUED! Coming Up: Lily takes care of Noah, Luke and Noah finally talk...
Chapter: 2/4
Author: carolinablu85. or you can call me Ella! (or you can call me Al, if you like the song...)
Characters: Luke/Noah, Margo, Holden, Lily, Zac and Zoe (in flashback)
Rating: PG
Spoilers: the evil "twin" kidnapping storyline!
Summary: Luke and Noah deal with the aftermath of the kidnapping when Noah is released from the hospital.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? Nope, not that.
Author's Note: This is the very FIRST Nuke story I ever wrote! And reading it back now, I can definitely tell ;) Either way, enjoy!
Chapter 1 /
“Okay, you two ready?” Margo asked, setting her tape recorder down on the coffee table. Both boys were sitting on the couch again, trying to appear casual, collected. They nodded stiffly, almost in unison. Margo sat in the chair next to them, while Holden and Lily stood as close as they could without being accused of hovering. Though neither boy would admit it, they felt better having Luke’s parents nearby. “Who wants to start?”
For a second, neither spoke. Luke glanced over at Noah, but Noah’s eyes were cast down, seemingly staring at the blanket that covered his legs. He had wrapped his right arm around himself, hand playing idly with his bandage on the opposite arm. Luke reached over and pulled the hand away, holding it lightly in his. “I will,” he said firmly. Noah’s face gave nothing away, but he did grip Luke’s hand tighter in relief.
“Okay Luke,” Margo smiled, trying to put him at ease. “Just give me a rundown of everything that happened after you left the police station the day of the ransom note.”
Luke took a deep breath, pushed away the tension gnawing at him, and began to speak. He told Margo (and the rest of his audience) about talking to Zoe in Old Town, about getting the text from Noah’s phone, about finding Noah tied up and gagged and about getting captured himself.
Noah chimed in a little to help talk about Zoe and her family (and he caught Noah’s slight smirk at the mention of the “freaky shrine to her dead mother”), and Zac taking a gun to the ransom drop. They explained getting free of the ropes, almost escaping before Zac and Zoe got back, and then Noah fell silent again as Luke described Noah getting shot, passing out and bleeding, convincing Zoe to go get medicine for him.
At one point Lily made a pained noise somewhere behind him as he told them about fighting to keep Noah awake, having to remind him where he was every time he woke up. Noah kept his head down, staring at the blanket again, even as his grip on Luke’s hand remained strong.
And then, Luke stopped. He really didn’t want to talk about this next part, didn’t want to relive it. Noah must have known, because he squeezed Luke’s hand reassuringly, subtly moving closer until their shoulders were resting comfortably against each other. Luke looked over and smiled at him, wished he could kiss him right then and there.
“Luke?” Margo prompted gently. She basically knew from Damian’s statement what had happened next. But she had to hear it from Luke, and she was positive Luke needed to talk about it, get it out of him.
The blond-haired boy cleared his throat awkwardly, suddenly really wishing his parents weren’t around to hear this. “Um, when… when Zoe got back, and after they let me talk to Mom on the phone, she- she said she’d only give Noah the meds if I did something for her. She said she wanted justice. The Grimaldi money should go to her and her… children, real Grimaldi children.” Another breath. “She was going to let Noah die unless I got her pregnant.” Luke heard his mother make another sound behind him, but he didn’t dare turn to look. He kept his eyes fixed on his and Noah’s joined hands.
“She wanted you to sleep with her?” Margo asked as business-like as she could.
Luke nodded. He could feel his face burning red, embarrassment and anger warring for control in him. He was telling himself to shut up, but now that he had opened this door everything was falling out and he couldn’t stop it. “She said if I didn’t, she wouldn’t help Noah. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to save Noah, but I couldn’t- couldn’t…”
Noah’s thumb brushed gently back and forth across his knuckles, steady and comforting. Luke took a second to gather himself, and realized that Noah was finally looking at him. They locked eyes, carrying on a conversation that didn’t need words.
Luke drew some strength from those brilliant-blues and then continued. “She started kissing me. I was still tied up, I couldn’t do anything.” God, that had been the worst part of it- like being paralyzed all over again. “I told her to stop, but she wouldn’t. But then she leaned over to… to untie me, I think. And that’s when Noah stopped her.” He tapped lightly on Noah’s hand still held in his. “And then Damian came in with Zac, and they fought for the gun.”
That had been kind of terrifying too. He had been sitting there helpless while Noah fought off Zoe and Damian and Zac both held the gun. The barrel, which had last been used to shoot Noah, seemed to point at every person in the room at least once. Like some sick game of Duck-Duck-Goose. “Damian finally got control, ordered both of them away from us. The rest you know.”
There was a moment of silence. Finally done, Luke leaned back even further into the sofa cushions. He was exhausted, like he had just run a marathon, but also a little lighter. He had to admit, telling the story did make him feel better. It was out in the open, people knew it now, and he didn’t feel as ashamed as he thought he would.
It helped that his parents were standing close behind him, his dad’s hand finding its way to his shoulder. And Noah, his wonderful, still kind of high-on-meds Noah, had found a way to intertwine not only their fingers together, but also somehow their entire arms until he couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began.
In a way it reminded Luke of when they had been tied back-to-back in the storage locker, trying to hold hands even as their fingers went numb, just happy to touch each other. Luke reached over with his free hand to rub Noah’s shoulder, knowing it was about to be his turn to speak.
Sure enough, “Noah? Are you ready?” Margo turned her attention to the other, quieter boy on the couch. Noah looked at Luke again, received a nod of encouragement from his boyfriend, and then in turn nodded to Margo. Unconsciously, or maybe subconsciously, he adopted the same stance that Luke had- squared shoulders, head down, eyes fixed on their held hands. Margo smiled gently. “Start from after you left this house last week.”
“Here?” Noah questioned hesitantly. “Or the Lakeview?” If he hadn’t been avoiding Luke’s gaze earlier, he definitely was now. Luke couldn’t help but feel irritated that Noah had once again gone against his wishes and talked to Damian.
If it had been anyone else but Noah, Luke would be pissed. But this was the guy who’d spent the first seventeen years of his life being controlled and ordered around and repressed. In a way, Luke was kind of proud of him for going with his own instincts instead of what he was told to do. He just wished it hadn’t had to involve his biological father.
“Yes, sorry, after you talked to Damian,” Margo amended. She pointed the tape recorder in his direction.
Noah eyed the recorder for a moment like the enemy it was, before going back to studying Luke’s hand. After another beat of silence, Noah spoke of how he ran into Zac and Zoe in Old Town and saw their Pisces necklaces. “I shouldn’t have said anything to them,” Noah continued, “but I couldn’t help it. They always put me off-kilter. I think I just wanted to test them, see what would happen. But they laughed it off and walked away. That was it.”
“They didn’t attack you then?” Margo asked. Noah shook his head. Luke frowned; he didn’t know any of this story. They’d had more pressing issues to deal with when they’d been tied up, and once Noah was in the hospital both boys had purposefully avoided discussing the details of their experiences. “When did they grab you?” Margo pushed on.
“The next morning,” Noah answered slowly, the memories playing through his mind like a movie…
6am. Noah hated 6am. He wasn’t a morning person at all- he only took the opening shifts at Java when he had to, never scheduled classes for before 10am. And yet, here he was walking around before the sun was even fully rising. He had tossed and turned all night before finally deciding that sleep just wasn’t coming, thoughts of hackers and Pisces and the stupid twins running through his head.
Could they really be involved? And if they were, how would he convince Luke? Especially considering he’d have to tell Luke that he had gone to see Damian last night instead of studying. Luke wasn’t going to like that.
Noah groaned out loud. This whole situation sucked. And he was exhausted. He found himself in Old Town, staring down at the bench the twins had been sitting on the night before. They did show up in town the same time all this trouble started, didn’t they? But it just wasn’t enough evidence to accuse them of anything. At least not yet. Noah shook his head to try and clear it. His instincts were telling him that those two were-
“Hey there, Monster.”
Noah froze, slowly turning to see Zac standing next to him, staring at him in that way that always made Noah feel really uncomfortable. “Zac.” He cleared his throat, surreptitiously taking a couple steps back. “Where’s Zoe?”
“Oh,” Zac sighed airily. “She’s around.” He took a few steps closer, invading Noah’s personal space again. “What has you up so early?”
Noah found himself backing up again, wishing he had a real reason to just punch this guy. He hated it when people forced their way too close into his personal space (except Luke, of course); it made him think of his father. “Film lab opens at six.” It was the first excuse he could come up with. Truthfully? He was going to the library, to the public records section, to look up any information on Zac and Zoe Finn. Luke really should have done that when he hired them.
Zac leered at him, looking him up and down. “So the early bird going to catch the worm, huh?”
Noah suddenly wanted to turn, go back to the dorms, and take like eight showers. With bleach. “What do you want, Zac?” he snapped, feeling really jittery. Now more than ever, he knew something was wrong with these two.
“Gosh, Noah, why so touchy? If anything,” he was making his way closer once more, “I’m the one who should be snippy. You practically accused us of being anti-gay terrorists last night.” He leaned in, Noah having to back himself nearly to the brick wall behind him to avoid contact. Zac continued, lowering the pitch of his voice. “I think we both know that can’t be true.”
“I don’t know anything,” Noah cut in, “about you or your sister. What I do know is that I don’t want either of you anywhere near Luke. Or me.”
Zac just smiled. “But we’re friends, Monster. And everyone knows a solid friendship is built on a foundation of trust, so-”
"I don’t trust you,” Noah said immediately. “And we’re not friends.” He noticed Zac was moving to him slowly, so he moved away.
“We could be,” Zac smirked suggestively. “We could be more than friends.” His hand came up to slide across Noah’s chest. Noah shuddered, moving away yet again. He was about to throw a punch when, suddenly, he realized- Zac was corralling him this way on purpose. Into the alley. Oh hell no.
Noah tried to side-step around Zac, but Zac just got right back in his face, hands going to Noah’s shoulders, shoving him back into the alley with more than a little force. “Where do you think you’re going? We’re not done.”
“Yeah, Zac, we are.” Noah felt his hands begin clenching into fists. When Zac started to let his own hand trail down from Noah’s shoulder to his chest again, Noah knocked the hand away, pushing Zac back violently. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Zac just smiled, and Noah couldn’t take it anymore. He drew back his fist to finally bash Zac’s face in when someone grabbed it. Taken off guard, Noah let his arm fall, turning around. It was Zoe. “What-?”
He’d let his guard down, and that was what they had been waiting for. Now that he was facing Zoe, Zac was able to sneak up behind him, and all of a sudden his arms were grabbed and pinned behind his back. At the same time, Zoe produced a bottle and rag out of her purse, doused the rag, and pressed it tightly to Noah’s mouth and nose, trapping Noah’s body between the two of them.
He couldn’t breathe. Noah struggled, trying to pull free of Zac, pull free of Zoe, but he wasn’t able to. Slowly, his body started to go numb, and little black dots in his vision grew larger and larger until he could barely see what was in front of him. Just when he was sure he was about to pass out, he felt the rag be removed from his face. Noah fought to keep his eyes open even as his body began to sag to the ground.
But he didn’t fall. Two pairs of hands grabbed him, pulled his arms over their shoulders, and forced him down the alley. Noah stumbled along between them, trying to fight, run away, at least yell for help. But they had control over him, and he could barely stay awake.
Zac and Zoe dragged him to the van waiting out of sight at the end of the alley, opened the back door, and threw him in. He landed none-too-gently sprawled on the seat with a quiet groan. “What are you…?” he mumbled, wishing he could yell. Really wishing he’d had time to punch Zac in his face.
“Tsk tsk, Monster. It’s quiet time, now go to sleep,” he heard one of them- he honestly wasn’t sure which one- taunt from somewhere nearby. Ropes bit into the skin of his wrists as his hands were tied behind his back. It should hurt, Noah knew it should, and it worried him that he could barely feel it.
He managed another groan, turning onto his side on the backseat. His eyes were closed, when had he closed his eyes? God, he had to warn Luke. He had to… “No,” he mumbled, trying with everything he had to sit up. But his limbs were way too heavy, and his hands tied behind him made every movement too difficult. “No, Luke…”
“Sorry Lover Boy, but the BF’s not here.” Two sets of hands shoved him back down on the seat. “And I thought I told you to keep quiet.”
The sound of tape ripping, and then something heavy covering his mouth, gagging him. He choked for a second, trying to remind himself to breathe through his nose, trying to work oxygen back into his lungs. Stay awake, stay awake. Pay attention to your surroundings. (His father’s training.) Figure out where they’re taking you, remember how to get back.
The van started up, and someone sat down next to him, pulling his head into their lap. He was pretty sure it was Zoe. God, he hoped it was Zoe. Stay awake, stay awake. Fingers raked through his hair over and over. It was a gesture somewhere between soothing and absolutely batshit insane. “Sweet dreams, Noah.” It was Zoe. “Don’t fight it, just go to sleep. Everything will be better when you wake up.”
For some reason, Noah really doubted that. But there was nothing he could do. The exhaustion he had been feeling, the drugs, the air he was struggling to breathe in… add it all up, and Noah was slowly sliding into oblivion. His last thought was of Luke- he was going to be so pissed Noah was right about the twins…
“I woke up in the storage locker, tied up and gagged,” Noah concluded. “They left me alone for awhile- I don’t know how long, felt like a long time- and then Zac untied me and gave me my phone, said I had to call Luke and tell him I was in Lisbon. I told him I wouldn’t do it, but he pulled out a gun and said if I didn’t… he would go get Luke, bring him here and kill him in front of me, and then kill me.”
Luke bit back a gasp at that, starting to feel a strong rush of rage build up in his chest. That he would be used in that way, it angered Luke more than he thought possible.
“Zac told me what to say, said if I tried to tell the truth then he and Zoe would hurt Luke. So I had to… I had to,” he repeated, insisting, turning to look at Luke.
“I know, it’s okay,” Luke struggled to keep his voice even, skimmed his hand across the back of Noah’s head and kept it on the back of his neck, squeezing gently.
Noah’s head bowed under the weight, and he didn’t look up again. “Zac tied me back up. He and Zoe said something about having plans for Luke, then they left me alone for a few… hours, I think, I don’t know.” Time had moved very differently in that storage locker. Noah still had a hard time understanding that he’d been in there for four days. Sometimes it felt like he’d been there for months, other times like just one really long day. “It was probably overnight?” he guessed.
“And the next day was the day they sent the ransom note, right?” Margo clarified.
Noah nodded. The next day was the day he didn’t want to talk about, not in front of Luke. Luke was going to be mad at him, he was sure of it. In fact, he couldn’t figure out why no one seemed mad at him to begin with- he had been the one stupid enough to get kidnapped by the psycho Wonder Twins, to get Luke dragged into that hellhole of a storage locker. He hadn’t been able to escape when he had the chance.
God, he hadn’t even been able to stand a wound to his friggin’ arm. And now he was putting a burden on the Snyder family to take care of him. This whole thing sucked, and now Luke was going to hear about-
“Noah? What happened before Luke got to the storage locker?” Margo broke through the fog surrounding Noah’s brain. He wondered how long he’d been silent while the others were waiting. The drugs were really screwing with his head.
“Uh, Zoe went off to talk to Luke, Zac stayed behind with me.” His voice was getting quieter, more tentative, despite the fact that Noah just wanted to blurt everything out in one breath and be done with it. “I tried to talk Zac into letting me go, turning himself in. I said I would talk to you for him,” he directed that at Margo, who smiled a little (of course, Noah would do that) and motioned for him to continue.
Noah took a deep breath, gripping Luke’s hand tighter. Luke removed his hand from Noah’s neck so he could turn and look at him questioningly, a little worried, but Noah couldn’t face him. “Zac said he didn’t believe me, I- I would have to prove to him that he could trust me.” Now Noah’s face was starting to darken with color, and his hands shook a little.
Red flags. Alarms. Bells and whistles and giant flashing neon WARNING signs. Luke’s brain was full of them, and he really started to worry. What the hell?! And then a horrible, horrible thought popped into his head- this had to have been before Zac had been revealed to be Zoe’s lover. At this point, he was still crazy pansexual ‘Z,’ who called Noah “Monster” and kissed him without warning in Al’s. Tried to seduce him in Luke’s own goddamn bedroom. Luke opened his mouth to say… something, but no words could possibly form. The wave of rage in him was reaching epic and tsunami-like proportions.
Noah shrugged his good shoulder, looking for all the world like he wanted to throw himself off a cliff. “H-he said he’d let me go if I slept with him first.” He stopped, let that sink in. He wasn’t sure if it would for the others; it hadn’t really sunk in with him yet, and he was the one who had been there. And now for the other giant, miserable shoe to drop: “And I said okay.” Luke’s hand went still and limp in Noah’s.
Noah couldn’t bring himself to look at him, at any of them. He hurried on, upset, wanting to explain. “Not at first, but he kept taunting me about it. And I needed him to untie me. Zac had these hand weights out, I thought maybe I could grab one, use it as a weapon. I didn’t know where I was, I had to incapacitate him-” (his father’s training again) “-so I’d have a chance to get free without him going after me.” Luke still wasn’t holding his hand.
No one else in the room made a sound; it felt like no one else in the room was even breathing. “He untied me and told me to- to unbutton his shirt. And I tried to move back, but… I’d been tied up for a few days, and they hadn’t given me any food. I couldn’t move fast enough. Zac knew what I was doing, he grabbed one of the weights before I could, pinned me against the wall.”
Luke had now pulled his hand out of Noah’s grasp. He could feel Luke’s entire body shaking, barely controlled, through the contact at their shoulders. “He hit me in the back of the head. Not really hard, not enough to bleed or anything. But I guess I collapsed, ’cause the next thing I know he’s tying me back up against the post. And making fun of me.” He felt incredibly uncomfortable, could feel everyone except for Luke staring at him.
Without thinking, he went to wrap his arms around himself protectively, but the motion pulled at his wound. He groaned softly at the sharp and sudden pain, and that seemed to be the final straw for Luke. He jumped to his feet, Noah feeling the loss of contact instantly. “Luke?” he stammered out.
Luke didn’t seem to hear him. “I’m going outside,” he announced, not looking at Noah.
Noah felt his heart sink down to his feet. No. Luke was mad at him. But he had promised Noah he wouldn’t get upset! “Wait-” he reached up with his good arm, trying to grab hold of him. But Luke wrenched himself free, causing Noah to flinch involuntarily from shock or pain or fear, he really didn’t know.
“Luke!” Lily finally spoke up, calling out to him.
“Not now,” Luke said through gritted teeth, even as he made his way to the door. He yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind him without another word, without a backward glance.
The family room was silent for a moment. Noah was staring at the door, breathing hard, just this side of panic. Luke was mad at him. It didn’t matter if Luke had promised he wouldn’t. He was right; it was Noah’s fault that everything had gotten so out of control. He had let Zac think he’d sleep with him- he had basically betrayed Luke. He had-
A hand on his shoulder stopped Noah in his self recrimination. He looked up at Holden, devastated. Holden patted his arm gently, “I’ll talk to him, don’t worry.” And then he followed Luke out the door.
Luke hadn’t gone far, was actually pacing back and forth across the driveway, mouth set in a grim line. His hands clenched into fists over and over again, eyes casting around like he was looking for something to hit. Holden wisely stayed out of range, leaning up against the side of the house. It took Luke a few seconds to realize he was there and acknowledge him. He shook his head. “I’m going to kill him.”
Holden frowned, his brain still trying to process everything that had been revealed in the last thirty minutes. “Who? Noah?”
Luke stopped dead in his tracks, looking at his dad like he was crazy. “What?! Are you kidding? Zac, I meant Zac. I’m going to kill him.” He went back to his pacing.
“First of all, you’re not killing anyone. There’s been enough of that this past week. There’s been enough of everything. You need to calm down, alright?” Holden was half-tempted to stick his foot out in Luke’s path and trip him if it meant Luke would slow down.
“Calm down? Dad, that guy attacked Noah, drugged him, kidnapped him- and that was the stuff I already knew about! But… but this… he- what he did to Noah…” Luke was nearly vibrating, he was so tense.
“Luke, it sucks, but there’s nothing you can do about what happened,” Holden spoke softly, keeping perfectly still except for his eyes, which tracked his son stalking back and forth. “Only thing you can do now is put it behind you and try to heal from this. And help Noah try to heal from this.”
That brought Luke to a standstill once again. Oh no. “God, I just left him in there, didn’t I? I was so mad, I had to move. Do something. I didn’t mean to walk out on him!”
“I know you didn’t, Luke. It’s okay. You both went through something pretty damn horrible, you’re going to have moments where you freak out.” Holden put his hand on Luke’s shoulder. Luke started, he hadn’t realized Holden had walked up so close to him. “I’m going to say this now, and we don’t have to talk about it ever again. But here goes. I am so sorry for what happened to you with that girl. It was awful and no one should ever have to go through what you and Noah went through. But you’re okay now, and Noah’s going to be okay. I have no doubt in my mind that you both can get through this, with each other and with your mom and me to help. I promise you we will do everything we can, whatever you need. And you being there for Noah like you are, I am so proud of you. Okay?”
Luke felt his face turning red again, both ashamed and pleased. He didn’t really feel worthy of that kind of praise, but hearing it from his dad certainly made him feel a lot better. He gripped Holden’s shoulders tightly, pulling him in for a hug that Holden returned with the same amount of strength. “Thanks, Dad. Really.”
“I love you, kiddo. You have no idea how glad I am that you’re back home.” Holden squeezed him closer for a brief moment before letting go, drawing back to look at Luke’s face.
Luke sniffed, wiped away some moisture at his eyes. “Yeah?”
Holden gave a tentative grin. “So glad, I’m almost tempted to take Damian out for a steak dinner to thank him.”
Luke felt himself chuckle at that. “Wow, that is glad.”
Holden slung an arm around Luke’s shoulders, pulling him back towards the house. “Come on, let’s go make sure Noah’s okay.” Luke sobered a little, regretting how he had left. God, Noah was probably pissed at him for running off like that.
He and Holden were just stepping onto the terrace when Margo exited the house, nearly running into them. “Luke,” she stopped when she saw them. “You okay?”
He nodded, ducking his head a little. “Yeah. I’m sorry for running out like that, Margo. I just-”
She held up a hand, smiling gently. “It’s okay, kid, really. Believe me, I understand.”
Luke nodded, tried to smile. Holden looked past her shoulder into the house. “You done with the statements?” he asked.
She nodded. “Noah just finished giving his, I think Lily took him upstairs to get some rest. I’m on my way to the station now. With any luck, this whole mess will be over in a few days.” She focused on Luke. “I think I’ll be able to add a few more charges against those two thanks to yours and Noah’s statements. It’ll mean a harsher sentence and probably a speedier trial, if that helps at all.”
“It does,” Luke answered quietly. “Thanks Margo.” He would have said more, but his brain was already traveling up the stairs to Noah, wondering if he was okay. He wasn’t paying attention as Holden and Margo said their goodbyes, and Margo left.
Luke and Holden re-entered the now empty family room. Luke stood still for a moment, looking at nothing, drinking in the quiet after the craziness of this day. He tried to get his mind to process all that had happened in this room in the past few hours. It almost physically hurt to think about.
He was startled out of his thoughts when Holden gave him a playful shove towards the door to go upstairs. “Stop stalling and go take care of Noah,” his father ordered lightly. “And make sure your mom isn’t mothering him to death. Send her back down, we’ll be here if you need us for anything.”
Luke grinned a little. “Thanks, Dad.” They held each other’s gaze for a moment, Holden nodding back, before Luke finally turned to make his way upstairs to his bedroom and his boyfriend. Starting now, he was going to find a way to make all of this- this entire crappy ordeal- better. For the both of them.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
TO BE CONTINUED! Coming Up: Lily takes care of Noah, Luke and Noah finally talk...