[atwt] 1943 words of Luke and Noah
As the World Turns / Luke-Noah / Blown Cover / ~1943 words
A/N: Ameera gets careless and all the plans get ruined. Written after a recent discussion in comments with nouveau_monday.
Natalie snatched another cookie off the plate on the counter and bit into it. The house was empty, or so she thought. She heard a voice, just one, in the living room. When Natalie realized it was Ameera and that she was crying, she stood and listened, even though she knew that she shouldn't. What she heard chilled her through. Without a word, she grabbed her backpack and headed up to her room as she tried to figure out what to do.
*****
Luke didn't know what was in the air that day but everyone seemed to be in a bad mood. Noah had had trouble on a quiz in one of his classes, and Natalie had been hiding all afternoon. Luke quickly said hi to Noah, and then went to find his sister. It was cold, so he figured he’d look through the house first. He found her in her room and was glad he hadn’t started outside.
She was on her bed, knees pulled up in front of her with a notebook balanced on them. She gripped her pen tightly and pressed down hard as she drew circle after circle.
"Natalie?" Luke asked as he sat next to her. "What's going on?"
The eyes she turned up to him were full of sadness. "Ameera," she began quietly. "I heard her on the phone earlier."
Luke nodded. "And-" he prompted.
"She had a cell phone, and she was crying."
Luke pushed some of Natalie's hair out of the way. "Crying?" he asked, then gave her a chance to nod. "Do you know who she was talking to?"
Natalie sniffled, and then nodded. "Noah's dad."
Luke froze. "Colonel Mayer? You're sure?"
"Yes, she said his name."
Luke's mind raced. What could Ameera possibly need to talk to the colonel for? "I think you better tell me everything," he said. For the next few minutes, he listened as Natalie told him, then suppressed a chill when she was done. "I need to go find Noah," he said after she finished. He patted her knee and stood, wondering if Noah was in his room.
He found Noah in his room across the hall, his lap top open in front of him. He was completely engrossed in what he was working on.
"Busy?" Luke asked from the doorway. This was the part he hated - telling Noah that once again his father had tried to rip them apart and had betrayed him. How many more times would that man try to stab his own son in the back?
Noah looked up from his work and his face lit up when he saw Luke. "For you? No way. What's up?" he asked as he pushed his lap top to the side, making room for Luke to sit.
Luke sat in the space and resisted the urge to take Noah’s hand in his. He didn't want to do this. He really, really didn't. "Noah, I - " He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, and then began again. "Noah, Natalie heard Ameera on the phone before you got home. Your dad sent her. He's at it again, Noah."
Luke expected anger. Outrage. What he got was steely calm as Noah's eyes hardened in a way Luke never wanted to see again. And he'd put it there.
"I was starting to wonder," Noah finally answered.
"And yet you would have married her anyway."
"No. We need to stop this, Luke."
"No. Not yet. The ceremony is tomorrow. Wait as long as you can."
Noah worked his mouth, and it looked to Luke as though he wanted to say something. For Noah to be struggling this much, Luke knew it was important and he waited patiently.
"Luke, I never meant to hurt you," Noah said. "I trusted her, thought I was doing the right thing by helping her. She lied, used me. That was a mistake, one I won't make again." He met Luke's gaze evenly. "I'm sorry. I know I can't make it up to -"
At that, Luke pressed a finger to Noah's lips and smiled. "Shut up, you talk too much. Let's get this sorted and then we'll figure out the rest, ok?"
"Ok," Noah agreed.
Luke stood. "Good. I'm going to go help Gram. We have a wedding to stop tomorrow," he joked.
That night, Luke decided he put on a good show. He'd seemed confident while he was talking to Noah, but what if this didn't work? What if Ameera denied everything? It was a risk, he knew that, but as he drifted off to sleep he knew that no matter what happened, Noah wouldn't go through with it.
The next morning, Luke was up bright and early and doing his best to avoid his family. Only Natalie knew what was going on and she'd been sworn to secrecy. Everyone kept casting sympathetic glances they thought he didn't see at him and he just didn't want to deal with it. He didn't want their pity, didn't need it. He just wanted to shout at them that it was wasted, but knew everything would be ruined if he did that, so he bit his tongue. Hard.
When it was nearly time to start, he ducked into Noah's room and found him struggling with his tie with shaking hands. Luke chuckled and locked the door.
"You and your ties," he teased affectionately. He took the ends in his hands and tried to tie it, but found he didn't do much better. Not today. In the end, between the two of them, they managed something that resembled a knot.
Luke smoothed Noah's suit jacket into place, then left his hands on Noah's chest as he looked up. Poor Noah, he looked terrified. Luke smiled and hoped he hid his own nervousness. "We're nearly there," he began quietly.
Noah nodded. "And then nothing will ever come between us again," he promised.
Luke kissed Noah gently, wishing there was time for more. "Damn right." He took a deep breath and held out a hand to Noah. "Let's get this over with."
It was to be a simple ceremony, a quick exchange of vows and they were done. Noah took his place in the living room and waited. He hid it well, but Luke knew he was nervous, couldn't help but see the tight pinch around his eyes.
The first part of the ceremony passed with Noah on autopilot and Luke squared his shoulders against the looks from his family. Finally, it was up to Noah.
"And do you, Noah Mayer, take this woman to be your wife?" Noah was asked.
Luke braced himself as he saw the shift in Noah, the steely glint that slid into his eyes.
"No, I don't," he answered coldly. He smirked a little as Ameera snapped her head up in shock.
Luke was barely aware of the shock that rippled through the room, so focused was he on Noah and Ameera. He stood up.
The justice of the peace glanced sharply at Noah. "Young man, are you sure?"
"Yes."
Luke stood next to Noah and did nothing to hide his contempt. He was normally very forgiving, too forgiving, he could see now, but he'd had it. He'd had enough of this shit. "We know, Ameera," he said as he slid his hand into Noah's.
He had to give her credit. She at least had the grace to look surprised. "I - I don't know what you mean."
"We know that my father put you up to this," Noah clarified.
Her eyes widened briefly, and then narrowed. "I suppose you wouldn't tell me if I asked how."
Luke deliberately didn't look at his sister. "No," he answered coldly.
"Your bags are packed. I'm sure my father has paid you enough that you can find your way out of here. I don't want to see you ever again."
Luke waited, watching as one emotion after another crossed her face. "Don't you even want to know why?"
Noah scoffed. "You are kidding, right? I already know. Just go Ameera. And never come back."
They waited, no one really saying anything as she called a taxi and waited to be picked up. It wasn't until the taxi's headlights had faded in the distance that Luke allowed himself to relax. He exhaled loudly and turned to face Noah. It took only a second before Noah's arms wrapped around him and he held on tight. Luke sobbed once as he breathed in Noah's scent, all too aware of what he'd nearly lost. He held on just a little longer and pulled himself together, mentally preparing himself for the barrage of questions he knew would come.
*****
They stood together, staring at the large bed that dominated the room. It was the room Noah had originally intended to share with Ameera that night. His wedding night. Luke chuckled as he thought about how quickly things had changed.
Next to the large bed was a cart with an ice bucket and two wine glasses. Luke gingerly pulled the bottle out of the ice. "Sparkling cider?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
Noah chuckled and came over. He took the bottle from Luke and opened it easily, then poured two glasses. He held one out to Luke. "It's not like we could have wine tonight. I called before we left the farm," he explained. He took a shuddering breath. "Luke, I swear...I never meant for any of this to happen."
When he stopped to take a breath, Luke stepped in and kissed him, putting everything he had into it. When he pulled back, Noah's eyes were nearly black, but they were filled with something Luke couldn't quite his finger on. "I swear, I'm never going to hurt you again," Noah finished. He wrapped his arms around Luke and held on tight, burying his face against Luke's neck as he said so softly that Luke almost didn't hear, "I love you, Luke."
*****
Sometime between making love and falling asleep, they'd decided to make a drive up to Statesville. Now, as they sat in the cold room waiting for Noah's father to be brought in, Luke wondered if they'd made the right decision in coming here. He glanced quickly at Noah, back stiff and straight, feet flat on the floor in front of him, eyes focused straight ahead. No emotion crossed his face, but he held Luke's hand tightly in his lap and Luke knew he was nervous too.
A few long minutes later, the colonel was brought in. He quickly hid his surprise as he sat in the chair opposite Noah and Luke.
"Son, I'm surprised to see you. Shouldn’t you be on your honeymoon?" he asked.
There was the slightest flinch in Noah's grip on Luke's hand as he answered, "There will be no honeymoon."
"Oh?" the colonel asked as he settled back in his chair and tried to cross his arms across his chest. It didn’t work very well because his hands were cuffed.
Luke sensed Noah's hesitation and squeezed his hand. "No. No wedding, no grandchildren unless we adopt them. Your plan didn't work, Dad. You slipped, we figured things out. You lost." Noah stood and Luke stood with him. "Don't ever contact me again. I never want to see you or hear from you again. May you rot in Hell."
He let go of Luke's hand and crossed the small visitor's room to the door and banged it with his fist. Luke couldn't help but smile a little at the dumbstruck expression on the disgraced colonel's face as Noah said to the guard, "We're done here," then left the room without a backward glance.
A/N: Ameera gets careless and all the plans get ruined. Written after a recent discussion in comments with nouveau_monday.
Natalie snatched another cookie off the plate on the counter and bit into it. The house was empty, or so she thought. She heard a voice, just one, in the living room. When Natalie realized it was Ameera and that she was crying, she stood and listened, even though she knew that she shouldn't. What she heard chilled her through. Without a word, she grabbed her backpack and headed up to her room as she tried to figure out what to do.
*****
Luke didn't know what was in the air that day but everyone seemed to be in a bad mood. Noah had had trouble on a quiz in one of his classes, and Natalie had been hiding all afternoon. Luke quickly said hi to Noah, and then went to find his sister. It was cold, so he figured he’d look through the house first. He found her in her room and was glad he hadn’t started outside.
She was on her bed, knees pulled up in front of her with a notebook balanced on them. She gripped her pen tightly and pressed down hard as she drew circle after circle.
"Natalie?" Luke asked as he sat next to her. "What's going on?"
The eyes she turned up to him were full of sadness. "Ameera," she began quietly. "I heard her on the phone earlier."
Luke nodded. "And-" he prompted.
"She had a cell phone, and she was crying."
Luke pushed some of Natalie's hair out of the way. "Crying?" he asked, then gave her a chance to nod. "Do you know who she was talking to?"
Natalie sniffled, and then nodded. "Noah's dad."
Luke froze. "Colonel Mayer? You're sure?"
"Yes, she said his name."
Luke's mind raced. What could Ameera possibly need to talk to the colonel for? "I think you better tell me everything," he said. For the next few minutes, he listened as Natalie told him, then suppressed a chill when she was done. "I need to go find Noah," he said after she finished. He patted her knee and stood, wondering if Noah was in his room.
He found Noah in his room across the hall, his lap top open in front of him. He was completely engrossed in what he was working on.
"Busy?" Luke asked from the doorway. This was the part he hated - telling Noah that once again his father had tried to rip them apart and had betrayed him. How many more times would that man try to stab his own son in the back?
Noah looked up from his work and his face lit up when he saw Luke. "For you? No way. What's up?" he asked as he pushed his lap top to the side, making room for Luke to sit.
Luke sat in the space and resisted the urge to take Noah’s hand in his. He didn't want to do this. He really, really didn't. "Noah, I - " He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, and then began again. "Noah, Natalie heard Ameera on the phone before you got home. Your dad sent her. He's at it again, Noah."
Luke expected anger. Outrage. What he got was steely calm as Noah's eyes hardened in a way Luke never wanted to see again. And he'd put it there.
"I was starting to wonder," Noah finally answered.
"And yet you would have married her anyway."
"No. We need to stop this, Luke."
"No. Not yet. The ceremony is tomorrow. Wait as long as you can."
Noah worked his mouth, and it looked to Luke as though he wanted to say something. For Noah to be struggling this much, Luke knew it was important and he waited patiently.
"Luke, I never meant to hurt you," Noah said. "I trusted her, thought I was doing the right thing by helping her. She lied, used me. That was a mistake, one I won't make again." He met Luke's gaze evenly. "I'm sorry. I know I can't make it up to -"
At that, Luke pressed a finger to Noah's lips and smiled. "Shut up, you talk too much. Let's get this sorted and then we'll figure out the rest, ok?"
"Ok," Noah agreed.
Luke stood. "Good. I'm going to go help Gram. We have a wedding to stop tomorrow," he joked.
That night, Luke decided he put on a good show. He'd seemed confident while he was talking to Noah, but what if this didn't work? What if Ameera denied everything? It was a risk, he knew that, but as he drifted off to sleep he knew that no matter what happened, Noah wouldn't go through with it.
The next morning, Luke was up bright and early and doing his best to avoid his family. Only Natalie knew what was going on and she'd been sworn to secrecy. Everyone kept casting sympathetic glances they thought he didn't see at him and he just didn't want to deal with it. He didn't want their pity, didn't need it. He just wanted to shout at them that it was wasted, but knew everything would be ruined if he did that, so he bit his tongue. Hard.
When it was nearly time to start, he ducked into Noah's room and found him struggling with his tie with shaking hands. Luke chuckled and locked the door.
"You and your ties," he teased affectionately. He took the ends in his hands and tried to tie it, but found he didn't do much better. Not today. In the end, between the two of them, they managed something that resembled a knot.
Luke smoothed Noah's suit jacket into place, then left his hands on Noah's chest as he looked up. Poor Noah, he looked terrified. Luke smiled and hoped he hid his own nervousness. "We're nearly there," he began quietly.
Noah nodded. "And then nothing will ever come between us again," he promised.
Luke kissed Noah gently, wishing there was time for more. "Damn right." He took a deep breath and held out a hand to Noah. "Let's get this over with."
It was to be a simple ceremony, a quick exchange of vows and they were done. Noah took his place in the living room and waited. He hid it well, but Luke knew he was nervous, couldn't help but see the tight pinch around his eyes.
The first part of the ceremony passed with Noah on autopilot and Luke squared his shoulders against the looks from his family. Finally, it was up to Noah.
"And do you, Noah Mayer, take this woman to be your wife?" Noah was asked.
Luke braced himself as he saw the shift in Noah, the steely glint that slid into his eyes.
"No, I don't," he answered coldly. He smirked a little as Ameera snapped her head up in shock.
Luke was barely aware of the shock that rippled through the room, so focused was he on Noah and Ameera. He stood up.
The justice of the peace glanced sharply at Noah. "Young man, are you sure?"
"Yes."
Luke stood next to Noah and did nothing to hide his contempt. He was normally very forgiving, too forgiving, he could see now, but he'd had it. He'd had enough of this shit. "We know, Ameera," he said as he slid his hand into Noah's.
He had to give her credit. She at least had the grace to look surprised. "I - I don't know what you mean."
"We know that my father put you up to this," Noah clarified.
Her eyes widened briefly, and then narrowed. "I suppose you wouldn't tell me if I asked how."
Luke deliberately didn't look at his sister. "No," he answered coldly.
"Your bags are packed. I'm sure my father has paid you enough that you can find your way out of here. I don't want to see you ever again."
Luke waited, watching as one emotion after another crossed her face. "Don't you even want to know why?"
Noah scoffed. "You are kidding, right? I already know. Just go Ameera. And never come back."
They waited, no one really saying anything as she called a taxi and waited to be picked up. It wasn't until the taxi's headlights had faded in the distance that Luke allowed himself to relax. He exhaled loudly and turned to face Noah. It took only a second before Noah's arms wrapped around him and he held on tight. Luke sobbed once as he breathed in Noah's scent, all too aware of what he'd nearly lost. He held on just a little longer and pulled himself together, mentally preparing himself for the barrage of questions he knew would come.
*****
They stood together, staring at the large bed that dominated the room. It was the room Noah had originally intended to share with Ameera that night. His wedding night. Luke chuckled as he thought about how quickly things had changed.
Next to the large bed was a cart with an ice bucket and two wine glasses. Luke gingerly pulled the bottle out of the ice. "Sparkling cider?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.
Noah chuckled and came over. He took the bottle from Luke and opened it easily, then poured two glasses. He held one out to Luke. "It's not like we could have wine tonight. I called before we left the farm," he explained. He took a shuddering breath. "Luke, I swear...I never meant for any of this to happen."
When he stopped to take a breath, Luke stepped in and kissed him, putting everything he had into it. When he pulled back, Noah's eyes were nearly black, but they were filled with something Luke couldn't quite his finger on. "I swear, I'm never going to hurt you again," Noah finished. He wrapped his arms around Luke and held on tight, burying his face against Luke's neck as he said so softly that Luke almost didn't hear, "I love you, Luke."
*****
Sometime between making love and falling asleep, they'd decided to make a drive up to Statesville. Now, as they sat in the cold room waiting for Noah's father to be brought in, Luke wondered if they'd made the right decision in coming here. He glanced quickly at Noah, back stiff and straight, feet flat on the floor in front of him, eyes focused straight ahead. No emotion crossed his face, but he held Luke's hand tightly in his lap and Luke knew he was nervous too.
A few long minutes later, the colonel was brought in. He quickly hid his surprise as he sat in the chair opposite Noah and Luke.
"Son, I'm surprised to see you. Shouldn’t you be on your honeymoon?" he asked.
There was the slightest flinch in Noah's grip on Luke's hand as he answered, "There will be no honeymoon."
"Oh?" the colonel asked as he settled back in his chair and tried to cross his arms across his chest. It didn’t work very well because his hands were cuffed.
Luke sensed Noah's hesitation and squeezed his hand. "No. No wedding, no grandchildren unless we adopt them. Your plan didn't work, Dad. You slipped, we figured things out. You lost." Noah stood and Luke stood with him. "Don't ever contact me again. I never want to see you or hear from you again. May you rot in Hell."
He let go of Luke's hand and crossed the small visitor's room to the door and banged it with his fist. Luke couldn't help but smile a little at the dumbstruck expression on the disgraced colonel's face as Noah said to the guard, "We're done here," then left the room without a backward glance.