My Stardust Melody, Chapter 23 Part Two

[petuniagirl]

              Luke said, "Look, I’m just going to put this out there.  Nathan came in the bedroom this morning and told me I should get to know you.  I don’t really know how I even feel about it."

"He got to you, too?" Reid asked.

Luke chuckled, getting the feeling that Nathan might give Maddie a run for her money in the meddling department.  "Yes!  He said the same thing to you?  Is he always this nosy?"

"You haven’t even begun to see nosy from him," Reid said ominously.

"I wouldn’t count on that," Luke replied, thinking of all the information Nathan had dumped on him last night and this morning.  He had a feeling Reid would crawl under a rock if he knew all the things Nathan had said.

"Why not?" Reid asked with suspicion.

Luke rushed out, "Nothing.  Just an idle comment."

Reid seemed to chew on the inside of his cheek and contemplate Luke. "What would getting to know each other even look like?" he finally asked.

"I have no clue."

Reid clapped his hands together and shrugged.  "Well then, we tried."

"Reid!  Your friend seemed to think it was so important that he told us both to do it.  Maybe we should think a little harder about it."

"I don’t know.  You…sharing stories…."  Reid visibly cringed.  "Bleh."

"Thank you.  You really know how to make a guy feel good about himself."

"You’re welcome," Reid said with a big grin.

Luke wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from rolling his eyes if he tried.  Determined, he pressed on.  "We don’t have to share stories, you know.  We could talk about other things."  Luke certainly wasn’t too excited about telling Reid his life’s story anytime soon.  Avoiding stories might be a good thing where Reid was involved.  Giving Reid a chance was one thing, but giving Reid possible fodder to use against him was another.

"Like what?" Reid asked.

"Like…" Luke drew out the word as he thought frantically for an answer.  He really wished he’d given this some thought beforehand.  "Like what are you top ten favorite movies?"

"That’s how you propose to get to know me?"

"That’s one way.  We could share lots of ‘Top Tens.’  It could be fun."

"That sounds terrible."

Luke sighed.  "What else are we going to do for the next few hours?  Read that book you had last night?"

"Counting the cracks in the ceiling seems about as interesting."

Fed up and understanding why Nathan seemed to frequently boss Reid around, Luke snapped, "Reid, just do it.  If you hate it, then we can stare at the walls as much as your heart desires."

Reid huffed.  "Fine, but if we’re doing this, we’re doing this right.  I’ll find some paper.  You stay here and keep your foot elevated."

Reid returned with a small notebook, the two books that were in the bedroom to write on, and a couple of pens.  He distributed the items to Luke and sat down on the chair next to the sofa.

"Top Ten Favorite Movies?" Reid asked and started scribbling at Luke’s assent.

They spent the next ten minutes thinking and writing.  Reid finished first and made a lot of impatient noises trying to speed the blond up.  Luke shot him a few dirty glances, but generally ignored the man who was acting like a ten-year-old.

When Luke finally put his pen down, Reid asked, "Okay, what’s your top choice?"

"No, we need to do this in reverse order.  It’s more fun that way," Luke said.

"Fun."  Reid seemed to chew on the word like it was a foreign concept. "Fine, if it will get this moving.  What’s in tenth place?"

"Babe." Luke watched it a lot with his siblings when he was younger.  Anytime it snowed or one of them was sick, they’d curl up on the couch and enjoy it.

"Babe?  Never heard of it," Reid said with a shrug.  "Is it about baseball?"

"No, it’s about a pig that learns to herd sheep after being raised by sheepdogs."

"Is it a documentary?" Reid asked with a frown.

"The pig talks."

Reid threw himself back into his chair and looked up at the ceiling.  "Oh my god, this is a waste of time.  You have a talking-pig-movie on your top ten list?  What’s number nine, Alvin and the Chipmunks?  Are we working our way up to talking dogs?  Or are horses considered better than dogs in your world?  Or is this an evolutionary theme and we’re headed for talking apes?"

Luke counted to three, a habit he’d developed dealing with Faith when she was younger.  Now, he used it mainly with Henry, but he had a feeling he’d need it more with the doctor.  "Reid, it got nominated for a bunch of Oscars, including Best Picture."

"I would need proof to believe that."

Still hopeful that he might sway Reid, Luke replied, "I promise!  There’s this amazing scene where Babe gets depressed after finding out what happens to most pigs and the farmer sings and does a jig to lift his spirits.  It’s fantastic, I swear!"

"Sounds it."

Luke threw his hands up in disgust at Reid’s bulging eyes.  "Ugh, so what’s your tenth favorite movie since you seem to think you know better?"

"Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan."

Ha, that’s perfect.  "I didn’t think that was out yet," Luke said with the perfect amount of confusion.  Luke knew a thing or two about payback.

"Not out yet?  It’s thirty-years-old!" Reid replied with hostility.

Luke shrugged.  "I guess I haven’t seen it.  I was thinking of the reboot.  I like that version."

"Never seen it!  It’s only the most awesome Star Trek movie ever!"

Trying not to laugh at Reid’s unexpected use of the word, "awesome," Luke said with a straight face, "Yeah, I don’t usually use the words ‘awesome’ and ‘Star Trek’ together in the same sentence.  Does it star William Shatner or Stewart Patrick?"  Okay, Luke thought, reversing Patrick Stewart’s name might have been a bit much.

Reid stared at Luke with disdain, and Luke almost couldn’t maintain his straight face.  The doctor said, "Let’s move on.  Number nine?"

"The Maltese Falcon."

Reid seemed to take exception to this choice as well.  "How can you possibly have The Maltese Falcon sitting next to a pig movie on your list?  It’s a disgrace."­­­­­

"I like the pig movie, and I did put The Maltese Falcon higher on my list," Luke said defensively.  "Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade is wonderful.  He’s intelligent and can take charge, and even though he seems a bit shady, he does things for the right reasons.  He’s honorable without flaunting it."

"I happen to like that movie, too.  Who wouldn’t find someone as levelheaded in those circumstances as Sam sexy?  But, I still object to it being placed next to some damn anthropomorphic film about a farmer who is clearly too involved with his pet pig."

"One has nothing to do with the other."

"It’s a matter of taste, so let’s hear your number eight." Reid ordered with impatience.

"We haven’t heard your number nine," Luke complained.

"Well, I want to see what you have on the other side of The Maltese Falcon before I decide if we can continue.  For all I know, you picked that movie because it was based on something that happened with your crazy Maltese family."

"Arrogant jerk," Luke muttered to himself before saying loudly, "Brokeback Mountain.  Is that good enough for you?"

"I guess.  But I still object to the inclusion of a movie where the best line is ‘That’ll do, pig.  That’ll do.’"

Luke’s mouth fell open.  "I never told you that line, you ass!  You’ve seen it."

Reid smirked.  "Under protest.  I was on a date in high school."

"Well, you remembered the line, so you must have liked it a bit."

"Photographic memory," Reid said, tapping his temple with his index finger.

"That’s a long time to carry that memory," Luke replied distrustfully.  Luke knew enough about photographic memories to realize that things like that rarely were committed to memory permanently.

"It haunts my dreams," Reid said in mock horror.

"What about the guy?  Does he still haunt your dreams?" Luke asked curiously.

"Actually, I can’t even remember his name.  Nathan’s mom fixed me up with him-I think she thought we’d hit it off because we were both gay."

"I hate that!  The number of times people have wanted to fix me up with a guy just because he’s gay drives me crazy."

"I’m pretty sure Nathan’s mom would have set me up with a serial killer if the guy had said he was gay."

"The high school guy didn’t turn out to be a mass murderer, did he?"

"No, but he liked animated movies.  That’s almost as bad."  Reid shivered in disgust.

"Reid, there’s nothing wrong with liking animated movies."

"There is when you quote them all the time and mimic the voices constantly.  I draw the line at dating the lobster from The Little Mermaid."

"Fair enough," Luke admitted with a laugh.  "So, what are your next two movies?"

"Dirty Harry and Blade Runner."

Luke smiled.  "Oh, I like those."

"Glad you approve, Mr. Snyder," Reid said in return, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Luke decided he liked Reid’s smile.  It was somehow conspiratorial and warm at the same time.  "What’s your next one?"

"The Goonies."

There was a short silence before Luke gathered his thoughts.  "What?  You can have The Goonies at number seven but I can’t have Babe at all?"  If it had been a more serious subject, Luke might have been outraged by Reid’s ridiculous hypocrisy. In fact, he was a bit outraged now that he thought about it.

Reid folded his arms over his chest and looked at Luke with annoyance.  "The Goonies is about a bunch of down-on-their-luck kids who outsmart a pack of murdering bandits and find ancient pirate treasure.  What’s not to like?"

"Nothing, but I don’t see how your kids’ movie is better than mine."

"No talking pigs, for one," Reid replied.

"Mine had Academy Award nominations," Luke said.  Surely that put his choice on stronger footing than the freaking Goonies.

"Do you always let other people do your thinking for you?" Reid asked.

"No, as a matter of fact, I don’t."  Luke wondered how long he and Reid were going to survive in this cabin together.  One more derogatory comment about Babe, and Luke thought he might hit Reid with a frying pan.

"What’s next on your list?" Reid asked, motioning his hand in an impatient manner.

"Once, It’s a Wonderful Life, and The Princess Bride."  The latter two were among his other favorite movies to watch with his siblings.

"I’ll admit that Once has some pretty good music, but It’s a Wonderful Life?  That’s way too schmaltzy with forced sentimentality, and I’ve never seen The Princess Bride, but it sounds like one of those air-headed chick flicks."

"Well, if you think Capra is too saccharine then you need to watch that movie again.  It’s about a man contemplating suicide who has to confront some long-building regrets that he’s carried for years.  Jimmy Stewart is genius.  And as for The Princess Bride, it’s definitely not a chick flick.  There’s so much wit and humor in it."

"There’s still a princess."

"Don’t knock it ‘til you try it."

"Fine, but It’s a Wonderful Life, I still insist it is so predictable.  There’s no way that that one-dimensional villain, Mr. Potts or whatever-his-name-is, is going to triumph against Jimmy Stewart."

"Gee, Reid, I guess not every villain can be as multi-dimensional as that Moby-Dick-quoting superhuman with the weirdly-muscular chest."

"You ass!  You’ve seen The Wrath of Khan!"

Luke smirked.  "What tipped you off?"

"Remind me not to fall again for that blond angelic thing you’ve got going for yourself."

"Awww, Reid, you think I look sweet."  Luke grinned as broadly as possible just to irritate the other man.

"That’s not what I meant," Reid grumbled.

"Okay, okay.  So what’s next on your list?" Luke inquired, deciding to give Reid a break.

"Apocalypse Now, Chinatown, and Pulp Fiction."

Luke perked up at the last movie.  "I forgot about Pulp Fiction!"  He frowned down at the paper in his hand and said, "I want to change my list."

"You can’t change your list," Reid said. "What would Babe say?" he added mockingly.

"Screw you."

"Potty language from that sweet pig?  Seems unlikely," Reid mused.

Luke tried not to laugh at that.  He refused to let Reid win, so instead he just narrowed his eyes and pretended to glare.

Not flummoxed, Reid said, "This list should be sacrosanct.  You shouldn’t be able to change it for any movies you’ve already seen.  If you forgot them, then they aren’t really your favorites."

"I didn’t know you were taking this so seriously. Fine, Babe stays because you say so."

"Good.  So what’s next on your list?"

"Number four is Shelter.  Third is The Godfather, Part II."

"That’s number two on my list," Reid said with surprise.

Luke was taken aback.  "It is?"

"Well, it seems we finally agree on something."

"We may want to duck because I think a flying pig is about to come through here."

"Babe didn’t fly, Luke.  I thought you said you’d seen that movie."

Luke groaned.  "I so walked into that."  After a pause, he found himself smiling along with Reid in amusement, however. It was pretty funny, Luke had to admit.  "So what else is on your list?"

Reid glanced down and read aloud, "Number three is The Empire Strikes Back, then The Godfather Part II, and then The Godfather I."

"I like Star Wars, too.  My dad used to like to watch the originals with me when I was growing up."

"I try to block out the existence of the new ones."

"They’re awful, right?  Even watching Ewan MacGregor run around doesn’t make it all that tolerable."

"Yeah, and I don’t get the people who go bananas over the graphics.  For the love of Pete, that doesn’t make up for a terrible script.  Who on earth believes that Darth Vader became bad because he was an angst-ridden and spoiled teenager who constantly whined that life wasn’t fair?  And that romance was a joke."

"I agree completely.  If I’d been that princess, I would have run far, far away from that kid," Luke replied, catching sight of the amused glint in Reid’s eyes before the doctor looked back down at his list.

"So what are your top two?" Reid asked.

"Good Will Hunting and Knocked Up."

Reid nodded.  "I like Good Will Hunting, assuming we forget the unlikelihood of a hot janitor waltzing around Harvard doing random physics problems.  But Knocked Up?  You’ve got that above everything else?"

"Yep.  Maddie and I saw it twice in the theater, and I’ve got in on DVD.  What can I say?  I think it’s hysterical.  Plus, it really is a great story.  I like how Ben makes the choice to grow up, get a real job, and be a dad."

Shaking his head, Reid said, "I’m starting to think you’re insane.  You’ve got one of the most foul-mouthed characters imaginable on the same list with Jimmy Stewart and a pig with a golden heart."

"That’s just how that character talks.  And Seth Rogen is funny!"

"I just don’t get it," Reid said.

"I guess something about a one-night-stand gone wrong speaks to me," Luke replied with a smirk.

"Ha ha." Reid paused for a moment, then said, "Wait a minute!  Where’s The Godfather I?"

Sensing danger, Luke hesitated before saying, "Um, not on there?"

"How can you have the sequel but not the original?  It doesn’t make sense.  Everyone knows the first one is better.  Did you somehow just forget about it?  That seems pretty idiotic even for you."

"No, I didn’t forget it.  I just don’t like it as much as the second one.  Pacino and De Niro are fantastic in the second one, and we see how father and son are similar and yet so different.  One is motivated by family and the other by greed."

"But all the action happens in the first one: the horse’s head in the bed, the restaurant assassination…  For God’s sake, Marlon Brando!"

Luke raised his hands defensively.  "I know.  I do like it, but it’s just not as good as the second one.  I like the parallel storyline in Part II."

"Not as good as the second one," Reid mimicked.  "Yeah, ‘cause it’s certainly no Babe or Knocked Up."

"Babe is a good movie!"

"Like a pig who finds out that all its kind get eaten is going to feel better because some old geezer sings a song and does a jig for him," Reid said sarcastically.

"That scene was heartwarming," Luke said.

"Only if you’re cloyingly naïve," Reid returned.

"It’s a children’s movie.  What do you want to have happen?  A butcher to come in and slaughter Babe at the end?"

"It might teach a few kids some hard lessons early."

"Maybe that should be in the sequel, Babe II: Kill the Pig Because Reid Needs More Realism."

"Now that’s a talking pig movie I’d go see," Reid said with enthusiasm.

Luke rolled his eyes.  "Probably because it has your name in the title."

"Probably," Reid admitted and then rubbed his stomach.  "God, I’m famished.  All this talk of pork…"

Not sure if he was shaking his head at the sudden change of subject or at how discussing Babe could make Reid think of food, Luke said, "We just ate a little while ago.  How can you possibly be hungry?"

"I’m always hungry.  I’m going to go forage through those cabinets again and see if I can come up with something other than soup or cereal."

"Happy hunting," Luke said and then waited as Reid went into the kitchen.  He watched as Reid searched all the cabinets thoroughly.  Just when he thought the doctor would give up, Reid pulled a chair next to the refrigerator, stood on top of it, and looked into a cabinet above.

"Aha!" Reid crowed.  "Nathan’s not the only guy with survival skills around here."

Luke snorted as Reid made his way toward the sofa.  The doctor threw a granola bar toward Luke as he sauntered triumphantly to the chair.

"So, finding a chocolate chip granola bar with little marshmallows qualifies as survival skills?" Luke asked as he looked down at the wrapper.

"Yep.  I’ve provided food.  That’s as manly as it gets, Mr. Snyder," Reid bragged.

Luke laughed.  "Okay, what do you want to do now?"

Reid surprised him by saying, "How ‘bout you prove your manliness?  Top Ten Favorite Sports.  Start writing."

Amused, Luke picked up his pen and paper and began forming a list.  It was a little more difficult coming up with ten sports he liked than he would have thought.  When he finished, Reid wanted to exchange sheets rather than read everything aloud.  That was fine with Luke, and he quickly had Reid’s list in his hand.

"Your handwriting is atrocious," Luke observed.  He could barely read number ten.  "Does that say ‘curling’?"

"It does.  I was having a hard time coming up with stuff at the end," Reid admitted.

Luke grinned and said, "Same here."

"Ah, that explains the inclusion of hacky sack."

They both laughed, and Luke replied, "Yeah, I was a little desperate.  I notice you don’t have golf on your list.  Did you forget it?"

"It’s not a sport."

Nonplussed, Luke said, "Seriously?  You’re one of those people?"

"If you can play it while drinking, it’s not a sport.  Sorry if I offend your country club sensibilities."

"It doesn’t offend my…You know what?  Never mind.  I have golf at number 5, and I’m sticking with it."  He was not going to engage Reid in another pointless argument.

Reid looked at the list in his hand.  "You’ve got soccer as number four.  Doesn’t liking that violate the Patriot Act?"

Luke snorted.  "Don’t tell anyone. I’d hate to get arrested."

"Yeah, getting arrested sucks," Reid said through narrowed eyes directed at the blond.

Luke huffed.  "I bailed you out.  You were barely in jail at all."

"Clearly, you’ve never been trapped in a cage with Henry or you wouldn’t make light of it."

"Funny, I think Henry said something similar about you," Luke replied with a smirk.  He could still hear in his head Henry’s histrionics over being trapped with Reid.  Luke thought it had served Henry right for trying to spook Reid out of Oakdale.

Reid frowned.  "I’m just another misunderstood genius."

"Is this where you compare yourself to Van Gogh or Edgar Allan Poe?"  Reid’s arrogance really was impressive.

"Pfft.  They were idiots."

"You know, a character in The Princess Bride says something remarkably like that about Plato and Socrates."

"You’re never going to convince me to watch that romantic drivel."

"Fine, fine," Luke said with a sigh, giving up.  "So, baseball is your favorite sport?" Luke asked.

"Yeah."

"Did you play?" Luke asked, hoping to get more than a one-word answer this time.

"No, I just enjoy watching the game."

"I suppose you like it because of all the statistics."

"It’s more the beer and hotdogs that appeals to me," Reid replied frankly.  "Did you play basketball?" he asked, looking at Luke’s number one sport.

Luke nodded.  "I did in high school.  I was actually pretty good.  We were the district champions my junior year.  We lost at Regionals though."

"I can’t imagine that there’s a lot of competition in the cornfields of Illinois," Reid remarked.

"There isn’t.  A team from Chicago destroyed us by thirty points.  But, at least we got a free trip to Chicago."

"That couldn’t have been much of a treat for you.  I bet your family took you there all the time."

"No, not really.  My parents were too busy to do much family vacationing.  Dad did take me to a couple Cubs games, though.  Who did you grow up rooting for?  The Red Sox?"

"Yeah, it's kind of impossible to grow up in Boston and not love the Sox.  Nathan’s family would take me to Fenway a few times each summer.  We’d sit in the cheap seats of the upper bleachers and eat hot dogs until we were stuffed."

"You didn’t go with your family?"

"They weren’t really baseball people.  Or family outing people for that matter," Reid said grimly.

Luke felt a pang of sympathy for Reid.  "Yeah, my mom’s side of the family wasn’t really into sports or family gatherings.  The Snyders, however, loved that kind of stuff.  My grandma hosted more Snyder family dinners than I can count."

Reid sounded repulsed as he replied, "That sounds…oppressive."

Luke snorted.  "It wasn’t.  The farm has a lot of land, so if you wanted space, there was plenty of it.  Nobody ever forced anyone to participate in what the family was doing.  I ended up at the pond a lot.  Sometimes Maddie and I would go out on the dock and talk until past midnight."

"I guess Maddie was trying to escape her deranged brother," Reid commented.

Luke didn’t take offense to the jab at Henry.  "No, actually Henry was a decent brother-well, despite the fact that his blood-alcohol level usually cruises just under the legal limit at all times of the day.  The rest of their family is actually pretty insane."

"Insane compared to Henry?  It boggles the mind."

"Well, Henry is definitely eccentric, but I’m talking about truly crazy here."

"Oakdale crazy?"  Reid obviously had an idea of what that meant.

"Yeah.  Kidnapping, murdering, scheming-the usual hallmarks of Oakdale lunacy."  It really was a miracle that Henry had survived childhood with the wolves he had raising him.

"Ah.  What is with this town?  You’ve got a population of 20 people and half of them have committed felonies."

"That’s probably a low estimate.  Half of them have gotten caught.  I’d say there’s another third that have gotten away with crimes."

Reid tossed an evil smirk toward Luke.  "What about you?  Should I be worried?"

Luke frowned and asked, "Ever seen the movie, Misery?"

"Yes," Reid said uncertainly.

"Well, you’ve got nothing to worry about," Luke said with cheerful falsity.

"Very funny Mr. Snyder.  I don’t get the impression you’re my ‘biggest fan,’ so I doubt I have much to worry about."

"Keep asking if I have a criminal past and you might."

"Noted," Reid said with a laugh.

Luke suddenly realized he was having fun spending time with Reid.  It was unexpected and probably the least likely thing Luke would have imagined two days ago.  But, he liked the fact that he and Reid could tease each other and laugh.  There was a sense of ease with Reid that caught Luke by surprise, though he now realized it shouldn’t have.  Hadn’t he felt immediately comfortable with Reid two years ago?

A tapping sound at the window distracted Luke. "Is that ice?"

Reid walked over and looked outside.  "Yeah, it’s coming down pretty hard."

"God, I hope Nathan has made it to town.  It would be dangerous to be out in that."

"Do you always point out the obvious?" Reid asked with irritation in his voice.

Luke immediately realized why the doctor seemed abruptly hostile.  "Reid, I’m sure he’s fine."

"Who said I was worried?  Nathan was a freaking Eagle Scout."

"Reid, I can see your face.  You’re worried.  It’s okay to be worried-it’s natural," Luke soothed.  He was worried, too.  Not only was he concerned about Nathan, but he couldn’t help thinking about his siblings freaking out when there was no word from Luke.  After losing their parents so suddenly, his disappearance was sure to upset and overwhelm them.

"Why does everyone around me feel the need to be my therapist?" Reid asked with exasperation.

Luke folded his arms over his chest.  "Why do you feel the need to pretend nothing matters to you?  Even when I met you at the party, you made a joke of everything."

"Not quite everything," Reid replied.

"You’re very good at deflecting, you know?"

Reid smiled.  "Thank you.  It took years of training."

"Why can’t you just admit you’re worried?" Luke asked, shaking his head.

"What good would that do? If I say I’m worried he’ll get stuck somewhere and freeze or that a car is going to come along and plow into him, what good does that do either one of us?"

"Sometimes talking about things can make you feel better.  It makes you feel not so alone," Luke said kindly.

Reid rolled his eyes.  "Look, Luke, I’ve done fine enough on my own my entire life."

"But you’ve always had Nathan," Luke pointed out.

"Yes, and he isn’t here, and you’re very much not him."

Luke sighed.  "Well, what would he do in this situation?"

"Probably talk about something ridiculous because that’s what he always does."

Luke tried to interpret that statement in his head.  "You mean, he’d distract you."

"Maybe," Reid allowed.

"Well, I could use a distraction, too.  Want to do another Top Ten list?"

"If it’s a good one."

Trying not to take offense at the obviously distraught man, Luke focused on thinking of a diverting topic.  "Well, how about-" Luke stopped speaking as the lights suddenly went out.  Dim light filtered through the windows, and the only sound that could be heard was the two men’s breaths in the imminently cold room.

A/N  Sorry for the delay--I've had scant access to a computer this week.

A special thanks to lemondrop34 who helped with so many of the ideas in this chapter.