Fic: Fate (32/?)
Title: Fate
Author: slayerkitty
Genre: Romance, Angst, AU
Rating: R
Characters: Luke/Reid
Disclaimer: As the World Turns and it's characters are not mine, no matter how much I enjoy playing with them. :)
Summary: Luke is in car accident on the way home from a business trip. Reid saves him in more ways than one.
Author's Notes: So, this was sort of inspired by sripley's "It's the What If Factor." I was re-reading it, reveling in her ability to change up the story so awesomely and still keep it true to the characters, and thought to myself, I can do that. So this is me trying another take on the the Luke/Reid relationship with a different beginning, and we'll see where we end up. Story starts in January 2010. If it isn't said enough, the medical stuff I am making up as I go.
You guys....I just love you guys. All right you guys. There will be one more chapter and an epilogue (unless something changes while I'm writing). *sniffles* I can't believe this is almost over.
Previous Chapters: Prologue/ 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 8/ 9/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15/ 16/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 21/ 22/ 23/ 24/ 25/ 26/ 27/ 28/ 29/ 30/ 31
Luke pulled up in front of his mother’s house, seeing the other cars in the driveway. Good. They were all here.
“You ready?” Luke asked, glancing at Reid.
“Only if you’re sure you want to do this, Luke.” He said, squeezing Luke’s hand. “I don’t want to be the catalyst that destroys your relationship with your mother.”
“She’s done that all on her own,” Luke pointed out. “And I think she had help.”
“What?”
“You’ll see.”
They got out of the car, and walked up to the front porch. Luke glanced in the blinds, seeing his mom, dad and grandma inside.
“Show time.” Luke looked at Reid, and then opened the front door. His family immediately stopped talking.
“Luke!” Lily exclaimed, moving towards the door. And then Reid walked in behind him, halting her in her tracks. “Dr. Oliver?” Reid just acknowledged her words with a grim expression, shifting uncomfortably while Luke shut the door.
“We need to talk.” Luke looked at his family.
“What’s this about, Luke?” Holden asked.
“You want to tell him, Mom, or should I?” Luke looked at Lily, and so did everyone else after a second. Lily wore a deer in the headlights expression.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Luke.” She finally said.
“I’ll make it really simple, Mom.” Luke’s voice was low. Anger was radiating off of him. “Reid told me everything.”
“Everything about what?” Holden interrupted.
“Sure you don’t want to tell him?” Luke asked her. “I mean, he’s already marrying Molly, but why not drive the wedge between you even further.”
“Luke, I don’t know…” Lily protested.
“Oh, stop it.” He interrupted. “Mom threatened to take Reid to court on charges if he didn’t end our relationship. In order to do that, she was willing to have me declared mentally incompetent.” Luke watched as emotions played out on his dad’s face. Holden looked livid now, grabbing Lily’s arm.
“Tell me you didn’t do this.” Holden demanded.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about, Holden.” Lily insisted. “I’m sure it’s another manipulation of Dr. Oliver’s to come between us and our son.”
“I can prove it.” Luke pulled a crumpled looking legal document out of his jacket pocket and handed it to his father, who studied it with shaking fingers. Lily looked horrified.
“How could you?” Holden gasped to Lily, betrayal in his eyes. “How could you do this to our son?”
“That’s a really good question.” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d love to know the answer.”
“I…” Lily looked from Luke to Holden, a stricken expression on her face.
“Oh, come off it, dear.” Lucinda finally spoke up. “The game has been had.”
“I knew it.” Luke nearly growled, his expression dark. “This wasn’t Mom’s style. You put her up to this, didn’t you Grandma?”
“Your mother was concerned about you.” Lucinda explained, not sounding at all sorry. “I simply helped her out.”
“What is so wrong about wanting to be with Reid?” Luke asked, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Nothing.” Holden said quietly. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Mom?” Lily looked at her son, tears in her eyes. “Explain this to me.”
“Oh, Luke, I…” She started. “When you had your accident, I was so scared. How many times have we almost lost you?” Lily was crying now. “All I want to do is protect you.”
“And this is protecting me?”
“Yes, of course.” Lily answered. “It would have only been until you were better. Until your memories came back.”
“Did it ever occur to you that this might be as good as it gets?” Luke asked, and Lily inhaled sharply.
“I had to hope.” She told him. “I love you so much, Luke. I only want what’s was best for you.” Luke laughed bitterly.
“Love.” He sneered. “You don’t know anything about love.”
“Luke…” She was sobbing now.
“No, Mom.” Luke said. “You listen to me.” He grabbed the power of attorney petition from Holden’s hands and held it up in front of her. “This is not going to happen.” He ripped the paper in half. “If you try it, I’ll make it so Dad gets my power of attorney instead. You and I…we’re done.”
“Luke!” She cried. “I was just doing what I thought was best for you.”
“Reid is what’s best for me.” Luke told her, backing up and lacing Reid’s fingers with his. He looked into Reid’s eyes for a second as if deciding something, and then back at his family. “I love him.”
Lily looked like she’d been slapped.
“Just accept it.” Luke whispered. “This is how it’s going to be.” He tugged on Reid’s hand, leading him to the door. “I’ll send for my stuff.” Luke opened the door and Reid followed him out.
*
Luke shifted restlessly on the bed. He could hear Reid and Katie talking quietly in the other room. By the time they'd gotten back to Katie's, Luke had been on the verge of another panic attack, and Reid had ordered him to lie down. He just couldn’t turn his brain off.
How could his mother really think he couldn’t make his own decisions? Just because he didn’t remember things didn’t mean his ability to think was in question. He sighed.
The look on her face when she admitted it, guilty and worried, and full of motherly concern would be forever burned into his skull.
Luke knew he had problems, and his health wasn’t the best. He knew he wasn’t handling his memories returning very well. His doctor had actually recommended that he see a therapist after his last panic attack, which he’d adamantly refused at the time. He was wondering now if it wasn’t a good idea.
“Hey.” Luke said, looking up as Reid entered the room.
“Hey.” Reid replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Calmer.” Luke answered. “I took one of my pills.”
“Good.” He sat down on the bed, sliding up so he was next to Luke. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” Luke agreed, suddenly nervous. He had a feeling he knew what Reid wanted to talk about.
“Earlier, at your mom’s…” Reid trailed off. “When you said…” He tried again.
“When I said I loved you?” Luke finished for him. Reid nodded.
“Did you mean it?”
Author: slayerkitty
Genre: Romance, Angst, AU
Rating: R
Characters: Luke/Reid
Disclaimer: As the World Turns and it's characters are not mine, no matter how much I enjoy playing with them. :)
Summary: Luke is in car accident on the way home from a business trip. Reid saves him in more ways than one.
Author's Notes: So, this was sort of inspired by sripley's "It's the What If Factor." I was re-reading it, reveling in her ability to change up the story so awesomely and still keep it true to the characters, and thought to myself, I can do that. So this is me trying another take on the the Luke/Reid relationship with a different beginning, and we'll see where we end up. Story starts in January 2010. If it isn't said enough, the medical stuff I am making up as I go.
You guys....I just love you guys. All right you guys. There will be one more chapter and an epilogue (unless something changes while I'm writing). *sniffles* I can't believe this is almost over.
Previous Chapters: Prologue/ 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/ 5/ 6/ 7/ 8/ 9/ 10/ 11/ 12/ 13/ 14/ 15/ 16/ 17/ 18/ 19/ 20/ 21/ 22/ 23/ 24/ 25/ 26/ 27/ 28/ 29/ 30/ 31
Luke pulled up in front of his mother’s house, seeing the other cars in the driveway. Good. They were all here.
“You ready?” Luke asked, glancing at Reid.
“Only if you’re sure you want to do this, Luke.” He said, squeezing Luke’s hand. “I don’t want to be the catalyst that destroys your relationship with your mother.”
“She’s done that all on her own,” Luke pointed out. “And I think she had help.”
“What?”
“You’ll see.”
They got out of the car, and walked up to the front porch. Luke glanced in the blinds, seeing his mom, dad and grandma inside.
“Show time.” Luke looked at Reid, and then opened the front door. His family immediately stopped talking.
“Luke!” Lily exclaimed, moving towards the door. And then Reid walked in behind him, halting her in her tracks. “Dr. Oliver?” Reid just acknowledged her words with a grim expression, shifting uncomfortably while Luke shut the door.
“We need to talk.” Luke looked at his family.
“What’s this about, Luke?” Holden asked.
“You want to tell him, Mom, or should I?” Luke looked at Lily, and so did everyone else after a second. Lily wore a deer in the headlights expression.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Luke.” She finally said.
“I’ll make it really simple, Mom.” Luke’s voice was low. Anger was radiating off of him. “Reid told me everything.”
“Everything about what?” Holden interrupted.
“Sure you don’t want to tell him?” Luke asked her. “I mean, he’s already marrying Molly, but why not drive the wedge between you even further.”
“Luke, I don’t know…” Lily protested.
“Oh, stop it.” He interrupted. “Mom threatened to take Reid to court on charges if he didn’t end our relationship. In order to do that, she was willing to have me declared mentally incompetent.” Luke watched as emotions played out on his dad’s face. Holden looked livid now, grabbing Lily’s arm.
“Tell me you didn’t do this.” Holden demanded.
“I don’t know what he’s talking about, Holden.” Lily insisted. “I’m sure it’s another manipulation of Dr. Oliver’s to come between us and our son.”
“I can prove it.” Luke pulled a crumpled looking legal document out of his jacket pocket and handed it to his father, who studied it with shaking fingers. Lily looked horrified.
“How could you?” Holden gasped to Lily, betrayal in his eyes. “How could you do this to our son?”
“That’s a really good question.” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d love to know the answer.”
“I…” Lily looked from Luke to Holden, a stricken expression on her face.
“Oh, come off it, dear.” Lucinda finally spoke up. “The game has been had.”
“I knew it.” Luke nearly growled, his expression dark. “This wasn’t Mom’s style. You put her up to this, didn’t you Grandma?”
“Your mother was concerned about you.” Lucinda explained, not sounding at all sorry. “I simply helped her out.”
“What is so wrong about wanting to be with Reid?” Luke asked, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Nothing.” Holden said quietly. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Mom?” Lily looked at her son, tears in her eyes. “Explain this to me.”
“Oh, Luke, I…” She started. “When you had your accident, I was so scared. How many times have we almost lost you?” Lily was crying now. “All I want to do is protect you.”
“And this is protecting me?”
“Yes, of course.” Lily answered. “It would have only been until you were better. Until your memories came back.”
“Did it ever occur to you that this might be as good as it gets?” Luke asked, and Lily inhaled sharply.
“I had to hope.” She told him. “I love you so much, Luke. I only want what’s was best for you.” Luke laughed bitterly.
“Love.” He sneered. “You don’t know anything about love.”
“Luke…” She was sobbing now.
“No, Mom.” Luke said. “You listen to me.” He grabbed the power of attorney petition from Holden’s hands and held it up in front of her. “This is not going to happen.” He ripped the paper in half. “If you try it, I’ll make it so Dad gets my power of attorney instead. You and I…we’re done.”
“Luke!” She cried. “I was just doing what I thought was best for you.”
“Reid is what’s best for me.” Luke told her, backing up and lacing Reid’s fingers with his. He looked into Reid’s eyes for a second as if deciding something, and then back at his family. “I love him.”
Lily looked like she’d been slapped.
“Just accept it.” Luke whispered. “This is how it’s going to be.” He tugged on Reid’s hand, leading him to the door. “I’ll send for my stuff.” Luke opened the door and Reid followed him out.
*
Luke shifted restlessly on the bed. He could hear Reid and Katie talking quietly in the other room. By the time they'd gotten back to Katie's, Luke had been on the verge of another panic attack, and Reid had ordered him to lie down. He just couldn’t turn his brain off.
How could his mother really think he couldn’t make his own decisions? Just because he didn’t remember things didn’t mean his ability to think was in question. He sighed.
The look on her face when she admitted it, guilty and worried, and full of motherly concern would be forever burned into his skull.
Luke knew he had problems, and his health wasn’t the best. He knew he wasn’t handling his memories returning very well. His doctor had actually recommended that he see a therapist after his last panic attack, which he’d adamantly refused at the time. He was wondering now if it wasn’t a good idea.
“Hey.” Luke said, looking up as Reid entered the room.
“Hey.” Reid replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Calmer.” Luke answered. “I took one of my pills.”
“Good.” He sat down on the bed, sliding up so he was next to Luke. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” Luke agreed, suddenly nervous. He had a feeling he knew what Reid wanted to talk about.
“Earlier, at your mom’s…” Reid trailed off. “When you said…” He tried again.
“When I said I loved you?” Luke finished for him. Reid nodded.
“Did you mean it?”