FIC: WHEN OUR FRAMES COLLIDE 13/16

[carolinablu85]

Title: When Our Frames Collide
Chapter: 13/16 - You And I, We Will Remain
Author: carolinablu85. or you can call me Ella! (or you can call me Al, if you like the song...)
Characters: Luke/Noah, Jade, Casey, Hunter, Jack, Margo, Maddie, Holden, Emma, Justin (OC) 
Rating: PG-13 
Spoilers: sequel to my fic "Sins of the Father," refers to lots of things that happened in that story, takes place a few months later!
Summary: Two people share an intimate moment.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? Nope, not that.
Author's Note: This chapter's title is brought to you by the song "Sweet Rose" by Matt Costa.
Chapter 1  /  Chapter 2  /  Chapter 3  /  Chapter 4  /  Chapter 5  /  Chapter 6  /  Chapter 7  /  Chapter 8  /  Chapter 9  /  Chapter 10a  /  Chapter 10b  /  Chapter 11a  /  Chapter 11b  /  Chapter 12a  /  Chapter 12b  /


The car door opening startled Luke out of his thoughts. He looked up as Jade groaned in frustration, climbing back into her seat. “No go, guys. It’s like they have spies everywhere.”

Luke, Casey, and Hunter all deflated. Casey dejectedly pulled the SUV away from the curb and parked in the nearby lot. Turning off the car, he twisted around to look at the group. “So, now what do we do?”

Luke looked back at the hospital. Noah’s hospital. He was so damn close, but it was like this last hurdle was the largest of them all. Three hundred billion feet high. He stared at the building, picking a window to concentrate on. Of course he had no way of knowing, but pretending that it was Noah’s window made him feel a little bit better. I’m not leaving without you, he said silently.

Fake-Noah rolled his eyes from the other side of the window. I know that. You’re never going to give up on me, just like I’d never give up on you.

“Luke?” Casey prompted lightly, studying him.

Luke shook his head, coming back to the present. Casey, Jade, and Hunter were all looking at him expectantly. Like they had been for the last twenty-four hours since agreeing to his plan.

They had planted a cover story, telling everyone in town that Casey, Jade, and Hunter were taking Luke away for the weekend to Lake Michigan (with Ali and Lucy staying behind to cover for them). And instead they were able to reroute Lucinda’s jet to Atlanta, where a rented SUV was waiting for them (also thanks to Lucinda).

Hunter, Ali, and Lucy had come up with the perfect way to get Noah out of the hospital, but the only problem now was… none of them could get in to see him.

Jade groaned again. She had been the one to volunteer to sneak in and do a little recon of the ICU where Noah’s room was. “The Miller parents were hanging around the hallway outside his room,” she reported. “And there was some official looking woman with them, maybe the social worker Noah mentioned? I don’t know. But lots of obstacles. Too many for us to do this quick and easy.”

“And they know what we look like!” Casey banged his hand against the steering wheel. “They’ve seen all of us. Like, I wouldn’t be surprised if they have our pictures hanging up by the nurse’s station like we’re wanted criminals. So they can be ‘on the lookout’ for us.”

Hunter had pulled out his laptop, booted it up, and started typing. “Well, we have to find some way of getting to him. It has to be his signature on these papers or basically we’re all breaking the law.”

“We’re kinda dangerously close to doing that anyway, aren’t we?” Luke pointed out absentmindedly, tapping his fingers against his leg, thinking hard. It was his plan, sure, but even he could admit how crazy it was. Just as long as it worked, he didn’t care.

Hunter conceded that point with a nod. “But we won’t really be, if he can sign these.” He typed for a few more seconds.

“There’s got to be a way we can, like, sneak in,” Casey mused. “Or maybe we can find someone, pay them to get in there and get the papers to Noah?”

Jade rolled her eyes. “So either we get trench coats and disguises, or we grab a homeless man and bribe him with drugs and liquor?”

“Hey, I’m just thinking out loud!” Casey protested. “We have to get past the Millers somehow, right?”

“But it can’t be just anyone, some random guy, Case,” she reminded him. “Think of Noah. He’s not going to react to a stranger coming into his room. Not in a good way, at least.” They all grimaced at that. Luke was still staring out the window. Decidedly not thinking about what Noah’s reaction would be.

Hunter looked up. “Well, the AMA papers are all set and ready to go. If we were to go in the hospital, they should be printed out and waiting for us at the front reception desk.” He sat forward, fiddling awkwardly with the power cord of his laptop. “So, um, how are we going to do this?”

Unconsciously, the three of them looked to Luke again. “Luke?” Jade was quiet, almost gentle. “Any idea what we should do?”

Luke looked back and forth between the three of them and the window he was pretending was Noah’s. “We have to get past the family,” he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. He racked his brain, there had to be something he hadn’t thought of yet. There had to be. “Someone the family doesn’t know…” he said quietly.

“What?” Casey frowned, maybe a little wary. Definitely confused.

And then suddenly, there it was. Luke sat up straight, startling the others who had been leaning in close. They all jumped back even as Luke yanked his cell phone out of his pocket, his energy renewed. “Someone Noah trusts, that the family has never met? Give me five minutes for a phone call, and a few hours to get her here. This isn’t over yet.”

************

“Hey,” Margo perched herself at the edge of Jack’s desk. “Dallas said you wanted to see me?”

Jack half-grunted, sliding a folder over to her. “I guess I got some good news. We found the guy.”

“What guy?” she asked, even as she picked up the folder and looked through it.

“The hit-and-run. The guy who hit Jade. We found him.” He jerked his head back towards lockup. “Got him in a cell right now.”

Margo was about to smile, nod, give into the relief, when she noticed Jack’s still-sour look. “And what’s wrong with that?”

“Keep reading,” Jack pointed to the file.

Margo obeyed, scanned a little further down the forms. “They found his car, dented in the front, with paint flecks matching the color of Jade’s car. And a red light camera puts him nearby just after the collision happened. So what…?”

Jack reached out and turned to the next page in the file, pointing to one important fact. “Check out his bank statement. Two days before the hit-and-run happened, an extra ten thousand dollars appeared in his account.”

Margo frowned. “You think someone paid the guy to do it? Really?”

He shrugged. “That’s what my gut is saying.”

“Your gut isn’t enough,” she reminded him.

He smiled without smiling. “I know. So I did a little more digging. Found out that the ten thousand dollars? Came from a man named Daniel Thrace. He works for Port Authority.”

Margo scanned the papers again. “Why would someone from Port Authority hire a guy to hit a bunch of kids with his car? It doesn’t make…” she trailed off, eyeing Jack again.

He was glaring at the file in her hands. “Guess what company Thrace handles regulations for?”

“Please don’t say Grimaldi Shipping,” she groaned, dropping the file back on his desk with a loud smack.

“Hits just keep on coming, don’t they?” he replied grimly. “So to speak.”

“So what the hell do we think Damian did now?” she took the seat next to his desk, now speaking for his ears only.

Jack shook his head. “No clue. But it’s got to be something. It’s enough for a shady colleague to nearly kill his son over.” He pinched the bridge of his nose for a second. “Enough to nearly kill three kids and cause a mess too big for anyone to fix.”

“You’ve done everything you can,” she offered what she could. She knew that was true; Jack hadn’t had a day off since the Miller family left Oakdale. He was trying to solve this case and find a way to bring Noah back, and Margo was more than glad that at least one of those things got accomplished. “Noah won’t be gone forever.”

“Yeah well,” he shrugged one shoulder. “Short of calling my buddy in the FBI and pretending Noah needs to go into Witness Protection, I’ve been completely useless in that fight.” He seemed to hesitate for a second, just enough time for Margo to realize he probably knew what she knew. “There’s nothing to stop the Millers from-”

“So you haven’t heard anything else about Noah?” Margo asked softly.

Her tone had Jack looking up sharply. They exchanged a glance that went from wary to knowing in a matter of seconds. “Nothing new, no,” Jack spoke slowly.

“Luke must be a wreck right now, huh?” she prompted.

“Oh yeah. Luckily he’s with Casey, right? And Jade and Hunter,” Jack sat back in his chair a little more, taking a sip of room-temperature coffee.

“That’s right. I’m sure Casey will, uh, help him any way he can,” she wanted to roll her eyes.

“It was a good idea,” Jack agreed. “Taking him out of town for the weekend. Lake Michigan is supposed to be really nice this time of year.”

“I’ve heard that.” She caught his gaze and they shared a small smile. “They told you they were going to Lake Michigan too?”

“Yep,” he nodded. “And that’s what I’ll say if anyone asks.”

Margo smiled wider now. “Me too.” Even quieter, after a glance around, “Do you think it’ll work? What they’re not doing?”

“Probably not. Logically, I want to say it won’t. But I think if I were ever to make a list of people who could pull this off, my cousin and your son would be on the top of it,” Jack’s smile was more genuine now too.

She laughed. “Especially considering who it’s for.”

“Yeah,” he said softly. His gaze lingered briefly on a framed photo on his desk, the entire Snyder clan. Which, as anyone who lived in Oakdale knew, included Noah. As anyone who met a Snyder knew.

To an outsider at first glance, Margo knew Jack’s bond with Noah would seem a little random. There were only a few people in Oakdale who knew how and why that friendship had started, and she was one of them. And while she hated the circumstances, she was so glad these two had found each other, helped each other get past that shared trauma.

“I bet he misses you,” she said quietly, cautiously. She and Jack could talk about a lot of things, but they hardly ever strayed into the really sentimental.

Proving her point, Jack shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “He misses those damn ducks, that’s what it is,” he grumbled.

But he said it with a smile, one she returned a little confused. “Ducks?”

“Never mind.” Jack looked up at her then. “It’s a real nice thing, what Casey’s doing. You should be proud of him, looking after Luke and… and everyone like that.”

“I am,” she answered fondly. “I just wish that ‘everyone’ didn’t have to include Jade Taylor, but…”

He shrugged. “Hey, it’s not like he’s stealing money from registers or drinking himself into oblivion or-” he cut himself off with a grimace, rolling his eyes. “What I mean is, he’s a good kid. A good young man. At least he’s being honest with what he wants, not forcing a relationship that isn’t there.”

Margo knew he was speaking from experience there, so she refrained from arguing. “But Jade? Really?”

“Hey, I know her past is a little shady, but she’s been doing really well lately,” Jack argued. “Look at how she’s been there for her family.” He glanced at his family photo again, at where he stood next to Carly. “You can’t always choose who you want to be with.” Then a grin, “And at some point, you’re really going to have to stop assuming the worst when it comes to your son.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Could say the same to you.”

He kept grinning. “Eh, Parker’s still a teenager. I’m allowed to assume the worst.”

“Speaking of,” she glanced around before continuing. “How do you think that trip to, um, Lake Michigan is going?”

Jack checked his watch, face falling into weary caution again. “Well, by my calculations they probably got there a few hours ago. So if anything were to happen, it’d be happening right now.”

************

The next time Noah awoke it was to someone speaking quietly and urgently to him, holding his hand. “Come on, Noah, wake up! Wake up, hurry!”

Instinctively Noah pulled his hand free, frowning, not wanting whatever supposed comfort they were going to try to give him this time.

“Aw, careful,” the voice said. “That could really hurt a girl’s feelings.”

It wasn’t a voice he was expecting. Noah’s eyes popped open and though he groaned at the brightness of the room, he was able to focus on the figure standing next to his bed. “…Maddie?”

“Hey Too-Tall,” she grinned, grabbing his hand again. This time he let her, squeezing back tightly. “About time you opened those eyes.”

“How long have you…?” his voice was scratchy from disuse, and he struggled to sit up, a part of him desperately needing to be closer to someone that he knew actually cared about him. Finally, someone he could trust. The other part of him didn’t think this could be real, but he went along with it anyway. Because maybe… maybe living in this dream would be better than living in reality?

“I got here like a minute ago, but you know how impatient I can be,” she kept a hand on his shoulder as he finally made it upright, and then she threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad you’re okay. Now come on, it’s time to go.”

“What?” Noah couldn’t draw any comfort from the hug. He tried, but his brain was telling him he was going to wake up any minute and be alone again. “How are… how are you even-? They aren’t letting… what’s going on?”

Maddie smiled again, smoothing down his hair where it had been mussed up by the pillow and her hug. “I’m here with reinforcements. And we’re busting you out of here. But we have to go, now.”

“How?” he asked again dumbly, confused. It was too much for his brain to process.

Maddie somehow managed to pull him up so he was sitting on the side of the bed, legs dangling down over the edge. She set her purse on the blanket next to him. “Through a long, complicated story we’ll tell you later, we managed to find a way to legally get you out of the hospital. Just…” she pulled a paper out of her bag. “Sign this. I’ll drop it off at the nurse’s station while you…” She next pulled out a pair of sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt. “Change into this.”

Noah was still very confused, and he idly wondered if Maddie’s purse was like the magic bag in Mary Poppins as he signed the paper she gave him. Then he slowly, painfully, stood and changed into the clothes as she slipped out down the hall. The sweatpants took some work to get over his knee brace, but he managed.

It was as he was pulling the shirt on over his head that he realized it was one of his own shirts. His shirt, one that up until this point he had thought was in Oakdale, in his and Luke’s apartment.

Luke.

Even thinking the name was enough to make Noah literally weak in the knees, and he found himself sitting down heavily on the bed again. Luke. Had Luke sent Maddie here? Where was he? Why would he have a dream with Maddie in it and not Luke?

“Noah?” Maddie had re-entered the room, giant magical purse slung over one shoulder. She was pushing a wheelchair, eyeing him critically. “Come on hon, let’s blow this popsicle stand.”

“Maddie,” he stammered, managing to get back to his feet, too overwhelmed to make fun of her for saying ‘popsicle stand.’ “Is- is Luke…?”

She smiled gently, holding his elbow and helping him sit in the chair. “He’s waiting for us, don’t worry.”

The next few minutes were a blur as Maddie pushed him out to the elevator and then down a hallway past the waiting rooms and ambulance bay. The doors to the entrance of the hospital opened and Noah immediately closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air. He hated, absolutely hated, being kept inside. Probably always would now.

Then Maddie stopped, and Noah forced his eyes open again, looking up at her questioningly. She just grinned mischievously again and nodded off to the side. “Here comes the getaway car.”

Noah followed her gaze to the large black SUV that was pulling up to the curb. And thank God he was sitting down, because he was pretty sure he would have collapsed at the sight. Casey. Casey was driving the SUV, and Noah could see his big silly grin through the windshield. And Jade’s too, from where she sat in the passenger seat. Noah’s confused frown only deepened. How was this possible? It was a crazy, crazy dream.

The car came to a stop next to them, and Hunter appeared from around the other side, opening the side door. And then Noah stopped thinking and questioning. Because Luke was there. Climbing out of the SUV, smiling and perfect. More beautiful than Noah had actually ever remembered him being. Had his hair always been that blond? And Noah really wanted to say something, but he couldn’t remember how. Because this was a dream.

Hunter and Maddie helped him stand up out of the chair, and as they bustled around him, loading things into the car, Luke moved to right in front of Noah. “Hey,” was all he said, eyes glistening with relief. After a brief hesitation, his hands came up to touch either side of Noah’s face.

Noah was still struck dumb. He raised a shaky hand to cover one of Luke’s, feeling it, wondering if it was real. If this wasn’t, Noah was pretty sure he’d kill himself when he woke up.

“Noah?” Luke was somehow even closer, staring directly into Noah’s eyes worriedly. He leaned in and very very softly kissed Noah’s suddenly numb lips. And somehow that was enough to break the spell Noah was under. Just like a fairytale.

“Luke,” he breathed out, grabbing tightly to his boyfriend and pulling him to his body for something that was way too important, too everything to be called a ‘hug.’ Luke sighed happily, one arm wrapping around Noah’s waist, the other coming up to pull Noah’s head down to his shoulder, cradling him, touching his hair. Noah let out the breath he had unknowingly been holding for a month.

They stood there for not nearly long enough when Maddie came up and tugged on their arms. “Okay, the thing about a getaway is that we actually have to get away. Into the car, boys, pronto.”

Luke reluctantly pulled away from the embrace but kept an arm steady around Noah. He and Hunter carefully walked Noah to the SUV, and Hunter supported him while Luke crawled into the middle bench seat first. Then a combination of pushing and pulling got Noah in next to him with a minimal amount of pain.

Finally, after Hunter and Maddie jumped into the far back seats, Casey pulled away from the hospital and out onto the highway. They were free. There was a collective but unacknowledged sigh of relief throughout the car. Hunter and Maddie engaged in some quiet conversation in the back while Casey and Jade argued about radio stations up front.

Leaving Luke to concentrate solely on the person next to him. Paranoia and recent events had Luke making sure the seatbelts were tight around both of them, even as he welcomed the feeling of Noah leaning almost bonelessly into him.

“Luke?” Noah’s voice was hoarse, slowly drawn out. The excitement of everything combined with the most moving around he had done since the accident were already wearing him out. He forced one hand to come up and rest on Luke’s chest. The heartbeat he felt told him that maybe this might not be a dream after all.

“Yeah, love?” Luke pulled Noah in even closer, both arms wrapped around him.

Noah nestled his face into the crook of Luke’s neck, breathing in deeply. It smelled like the real Luke, that scent that was impossible to recreate- a combination of expensive cologne and striped shirts and probably too much hair product, and the farm. Luke always smelled like the farm somehow, even when he wasn’t there. Noah had to make sure… “This is real, right?”

“Yeah it is,” he heard the whisper. And Noah wanted to believe him.

“I missed you,” Noah’s voice was just as quiet. He was so tired…

“I know. I missed you too,” Luke’s reply was murmured into his hair.

Noah wasn’t finished. “I love you.”

“Same here, baby, I know.” Luke’s voice cracked a little on his reply.

There was more Noah wanted to say, needed to say. But all that came out was, “Maddie’s purse is really big.”

His body vibrated for a second when Luke laughed softly, arms tightening around him even more. “Yeah, it is.” A kiss on his forehead, and Noah turned his face towards it looking for more. Luke obliged, pressing a kiss to his mouth, slow and soft. Noah sighed into it, leaning up as much as he could. When Luke pulled away it was way too soon, and Noah’s lips tried to follow his boyfriend back. He didn’t want Luke’s mouth to leave his ever again.

This is what he’d been looking for the past month. No matter what that family tried to tell him, Luke was what he needed. Luke kissed him again, as though silently agreeing. “Go to sleep, Noah. I’ll be here when you wake up, I promise. We all will.” And that was something Noah could definitely believe was real.

************

Emma was just finishing up the lunchtime dishes when Holden walked in, hanging up his cell phone with a quick “Okay, keep me posted? And be careful. Bye.”

She prepared herself yet again for bad news. “Who was that?”

“Jade,” her son answered, turning to her. And she was shocked to see a smile starting to form on his face. “They just crossed state lines out of Georgia.”

“They- they did?” she stood stock still, just barely keeping from dropping her dishtowel on the floor. “All of them?”

The smile was a full-on grin now. “All of them.”

"Oh…” she dropped the towel now, tossing it somewhere behind her- she didn’t care where- and pulled Holden into a huge, relieved hug. “Oh, thank God.”

“Yeah,” he said quietly, holding her just as close. “It’s okay, Mama.”

She sighed quietly into his shoulder before pulling back again, needing to see his face for confirmation. “And they’re all okay?”

His grin was softer but still in place. “Yeah. Noah’s asleep right now, but Jade said he seems okay. He was talking when they got him into the car, and aware, and… He seems okay.”

Another sigh of relief. “Good. Good.” She hadn’t wanted to admit it, but she was terrified that Noah would be permanently… wounded, in some way, because of this. But if Jade said he was okay, then he probably was. Jade wasn’t one to sugarcoat.

She wasn’t sure what she would do if they couldn’t get Noah, their Noah, back. Not just for Luke, but for the whole family. She wanted the Noah who gave endless piggyback rides to Ethan, who listened attentively to Brad and Katie’s thousand-and-one stories about baby Jacob. She wanted the Noah who she knew had left flowers on Harvey’s grave on the anniversary of his death because she had been down with the flu and unable to get the cemetery. That Noah, she needed.

The Snyder gatherings never felt right when all of them weren’t there, and she had to deal with too many missing members as it was- Caleb and Seth, Ellie and Iva, Abby and Aaron, and all the others. Noah was one of them. It didn’t feel right cooking Sunday night dinners and not have to make extra sweet potatoes for him.

Holden was nodding in agreement, sinking into a chair at the table, almost shaky with his own relief. He pulled out another chair for Emma, which she gladly took. “I’m sure he’s going to be fine,” he offered up.

She studied him. “And Luke? How is he holding up?”

Holden lifted one side of his mouth up in a half-smile. “Jade said he seems to be dealing well. I think no matter how he feels, he’s going to make sure Noah’s taken care of first, keep himself busy. But with people like Casey and Jade around, he’ll get taken care of too.”

“And that other young man Hunter is there too, right?” Emma asked.

He nodded. “And Maddie, believe it or not. She apparently flew down and met them at the hospital. Helped them get Noah out.”

She rested a hand to her chest, hoping to slow her heartbeat. “I can’t believe it all worked out. Well, so far.”

“So far,” Holden echoed. “I don’t think I’ll be breathing easier until all those kids are back home, safe and sound. Where they belong.”

“When do you think that’ll be?” she asked cautiously, trying to clamp down on her eagerness.

He shrugged slightly. “I’m not sure. Knowing Luke as I do, I’m pretty sure their plan is to lie low for a little while, throw off anyone who may come here looking for them-”

“Oh, Lord,” Emma sighed. She hadn’t thought of that. Of course Oakdale is the first place the Millers and their lawyers or whatever will come looking for Noah and all of them. She better get herself prepared for that.

“And he’ll also want to give Noah a quiet place to… get his bearings and recuperate. And I’m sure he wants some time alone with Noah.” Holden smirked then. “I doubt they’d get that if they came back here right away.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s true. And I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s true.” She was completely unrepentant. It was within her rights as a grandmother to spoil and smother the children in her family. Speaking of family… “So you haven’t talked to Luke?”

Her son flinched a little. “No,” he answered quietly. “No, not yet.”

“But you will,” she insisted.

He nodded. “Yeah, I will. I have to. All of this, Mama, everything that’s happened? God, if it had happened to Luke, and Damian had somehow taken him away from us… I’d hate for Luke to think I would just let him go. That any fight between us would cause me to give up on him. Because I never would, Mama, never.”

She smiled wide. “I know that, sweetheart.” She cupped his cheek for a second, squeezing, waiting for him to smile back at her. “He knows that too, I’m sure of it.”

Holden’s smile was pained. “I hope so. I hope Damian knows it too.”

Emma studied her son. “You still think he’s up to something?”

He gave her a practiced oh-come-on!-look. “Is he ever not? If Jack finds some way to tie him to what happened to the kids with that hit-and run…” He shook his head, unable to finish.

She held his hand, trying to bolster him with a smile and ignore her own fear. If there really is someone out there who wanted Luke hurt that badly... “Then you’ll do what you do best, protect your family. No doubt in my mind.” She smiled a little wider when he ducked his head, but she then sobered up a little, thinking about what he said of Noah having to recuperate. “They’re going to need help.”

“What? Who?” Holden looked up at her, confused.

“Luke, Noah, all of them. Staying by themselves somewhere? They’re going to need help. They’re all going to need proper rest, and proper meals, and… good Lord, what if they just live off of fast food? No, we should do something, Holden. We have to.”

Holden was grinning again. “I’m glad you think that. Because Jack and I have been talking about this little trip to Lake Michigan that the kids have gone on, and we have an idea.”

************

“You sure this is cool?” Casey called back from the driver’s seat, eyeing the house as he pulled into the driveway.

“Yes, it’s fine,” Hunter insisted for the thirteenth time. “The house belonged to my mother. Or, um, fake-mother. It’s still in her name, which means it’s still in my name. We can stay here for as long as we need.”

Luke looked out the window at the house. It was wonderful; not too big, just enough space for all of them, inviting and warm. Like a mini-Snyder farmhouse. And most importantly- it was out of the way. No one would think to look for them here. When Hunter had suggested it as a place to stop, spend a few days regrouping, Luke knew it was the perfect option.

He looked down at Noah as Casey parked the SUV. Noah was still asleep, leaning into him. He kept both arms around him securely, one hand on Noah’s side, the other gently in his hair.

Casey turned around in his seat, eyeing Luke and Noah worriedly. “How is he?”

Luke smiled, keeping his arms and hands where they were. “He’s fine,” he answered softly. “Just sleeping. I don’t think he really gets that this is real yet, but he’s… he’s Noah.”

The feeling of relief seemed to echo throughout the van, even though nobody moved or made a sound. Casey opened his door slowly. “I guess we should wake him up, get him inside.” He gave Jade a look, and she quickly got out too.

Hunter followed, leaving Maddie to crawl up into the middle seat on the other side of Noah. She smiled at Luke. “You want to wake him, or should I?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “What, are you going to give him a wet willy or something?” Not waiting for an answer, he turned his attention back to his boyfriend, tightening his hold momentarily and kissing the side of Noah’s face. “Noah? Wake up, love.”

Noah mumbled something, frowned, but didn’t wake up. Maddie grinned, picking up Noah’s hand and squeezing it gently. “Come on buddy, a nice comfy bed awaits if you wake up now.”

Luke mirrored the grin when Noah dragged his eyes open halfway. “Bed?” he asked groggily.

Luke helped him sit up, keeping an arm around him at all times. “Yep. You just have to help us get you out of the car first. Okay?”

Noah reached his free hand out to him. “You’re gonna stay with me, right?”

Luke bit the inside of his cheek for a second, willing his face to stay cheerful. “Of course I am. You, me, and a bed? Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

He made an effort to roll his eyes. “Horndog. You are real.”

“Told you I was,” Luke kept his voice light as he and Maddie helped Noah out of the car. Hunter and Casey had already gotten all their bags and everything out of the SUV and piled them just inside the doorway of the house.

Noah tried to open his eyes a little wider, take it all in. “Hey,” he said in everyone’s general direction, still leaning into Luke’s hold. “You’re all here.” They smiled, even as Noah ducked his head a little, eyes starting to close again. “Thanks for coming to get me.”

Luke’s grip on his emotions started to crack just a little more at that. He kept one arm around Noah, burying his other hand in his pocket to try and stop the shaking before anyone saw.

Too late. Casey frowned a little, exchanged a glance with Jade, and then turned back to Noah. “Dude, duh! What else would we do?” He stepped forward, putting his own arm around Noah’s shoulders. “Come on, since I’m obviously the muscle of this team, I’ll get you inside to your room. Wouldn’t want anyone to drop you on that freakish head of yours.”

Noah glanced at Luke for a second before allowing Casey to lead him inside. “Missed you too, Case,” he said quietly. “Missed you too.”

Casey cocked his head at Maddie and Hunter, getting them to go on in ahead of him. “Now just because I’m the muscle, don’t get any ideas. I’m not gonna, like, carry you over the threshold here or anything. I love ya, man, but not like that.”

The sight of Noah offering a little smile just as Casey got him inside the house was the last straw for Luke. He sank down to the ground next to the van, hugging himself, sucking in a watery breath. “Jesus.”

“Hey,” Jade crouched down next to him, throwing her arms around him. “It’s okay. He’s okay. It worked, and he’s safe and we’re all here.”

“I know,” Luke sniffed, wiping at the tears that ran unbidden down his face. “It’s just everything kinda hitting me now. If this hadn’t worked-”

“But it did,” she insisted, hugging him tighter. “You did it. You got him here safe. Everything’s going to be okay now. The worst is over!”

He chuckled, leaning into her embrace. “God, I hope so.” He took a few deep breaths until the tears subsided, smiling when Jade eased off of him. “Thanks.”

She shrugged. “It’s what I’m here for. Now get in there and take a nap with Boyfriend. You’ve both earned it.”

He laughed again, standing and helping Jade up too. “Best plan I’ve ever heard.”

They made it inside just as Casey was tip-toeing (almost literally, the dumbass) out of one of the side rooms. He grinned at Luke. “I’m pretty sure he’s waiting for you to be there to fall asleep.”

Luke thought he might’ve said something, put his hand on Casey’s shoulder, but he wasn’t sure. He also wasn’t caring. Before he knew it, he was in the bedroom, door shut firmly behind him. Noah was semi-curled up in the bed on one side, leaving the perfect amount of space next to him.

Luke kicked his shoes off, pulled off his sweatshirt and jeans, and then climbed into the bed. Somehow, it felt like the warmest, comfiest bed ever. He smiled when Noah’s very unfocused eyes tried to zero in on him. “Hey there, lover.”

One side of Noah’s mouth quirked up in a smile. He mumbled something that was probably a witty comeback, but neither of them had any idea what it was. So instead he reached out and pulled Luke closer, erasing any space between them.

Luke went in happily, throwing an arm and a leg gently over him. Out of habit, his head immediately went to rest on Noah’s chest- as always creating the perfect pillow for him. Warm and cool and soft and sturdy, all at the same time. Perfect.

Noah’s arms came around him lazily, holding him there, fingers trailing slowly up and down his back. “I’m not gonna wake up back in the hospital, am I?” he said with slow realization, almost more of a statement than a question.

Luke lifted his head just enough to press a kiss to Noah’s cheek before then laying back in his original, very comfortable position. “Nope. You’re really here with me. With us. I promise. I swear on the head of Orson Welles.”

He didn’t have to move his eyes at all to know that Noah was smiling a little again. “Good.” His own heart stuttered a little when he felt Noah kiss his forehead. He loved it when Noah kissed his forehead; it made him feel loved and protected, even now when he was the one who should be doing the protecting.

He laid there, staring at nothing, listening to Noah’s breathing deepen and slow. He could tell the minute he was fully asleep. Only then did Luke tilt his head, lay a soft kiss over Noah’s heart, and then allow himself to do the same.

It was the first real, restful sleep either of them had gotten in a month.

************

Justin inhaled deeply, letting the burn of nicotine works its way down his throat and through his body. He almost didn’t want to let it go, but exhaled anyway. His dad may be trying to quit, but Justin had no such intention. There were worse vices than cigarettes, Justin knew that for a fact.

Besides, smoking was more than a mental escape right now. It was also a physical one, since he couldn’t be inside the hospital with a cigarette in his hands. Thank God. He hated having to lie to his family, but he just absolutely knew it was necessary.

He felt bad for Noah, he really did. The kid didn’t deserve the crap they had unintentionally put him through. And the problem was, Krista and Justin were the only ones who saw it for what it was- a disaster. Well, the nurses seemed to too which, coupled with the fact that they had all been so completely charmed by Noah after he woke up, didn’t make things any easier. For anyone.

It was like being twelve years old all over again. The year that tip had come in through a call-in hotline; Andrew had been found. All of them had celebrated, been so excited, drove to Atlanta where the kid was. Was supposed to be. Instead, they had found out the whole thing had been a scam for the reward money. Justin had had to watch as his parents lost their baby boy all over again. It had hurt almost more than he could take.

And it was happening now. He could see it in Noah’s eyes whenever he had actually opened them and looked at the family. Noah was going to leave, it was only a matter of time. And Justin had to sit there and watch his parents get their hopes up and make plans, all the while backing Noah farther and farther into a corner he couldn’t escape.

Until he actually did.

To be honest, Justin was surprised it took this long. If it had been him, he would have lashed out and yelled by like the fourth day, and disappeared the fifth. It took Noah a month. Justin was semi-impressed, Noah had the patience of… well, of someone like Krista. It was Krista who had suggested that Noah was interesting mix of his two older siblings, but Justin wasn’t ready to think like that yet.

He took another drag of his cigarette, watching cars and ambulances pull out of the docking bay. Just like that black SUV had.

He had just been approaching Noah’s room earlier when he saw the kid being pushed away in a wheelchair by a tiny dark-haired girl. More curious than anything else, he had followed them. And, from a little ways away, had seen the look of pure relief on Noah’s face the second he was out in fresh air again. Justin could relate to that, he hated being kept inside for too long.

He was just about to make his presence known when the SUV had pulled up, and Luke Snyder had gotten out. Then Justin had understood- he was witnessing a rescue operation. He watched them, the looks on their faces, the way they held on to each other, the near-palpable electricity of something between them…

And he let them go. He let Noah go. It was the right thing to do.

Justin wasn’t as dumb as he looked. It was like he had told Krista- Noah didn’t belong to them. Noah wasn’t magically going to turn into Andrew. It was better for his parents to hurt now- because of this- than hurt later because they couldn’t accept the truth. It was better for Noah to be with the people he knew and trusted. It was better for all of them to go back to the way things were two months ago.

So when Noah’s empty bed had been discovered, Justin had played ignorant. Told everyone, including that doctor that had wigged him out since the beginning (it wasn’t just Justin’s paranoid nature, no matter what Krista said), that he hadn’t seen anything or anyone.

And now while his parents conferred with Doctor Weird and lawyers and whatnot, and while Krista kept making call after call on her cell phone… Justin smoked his cigarette almost down to the filter. Then he stood, looking out down the highway where he had seen the SUV drive away hours ago.

He smirked a little. “Good luck, little brother.” And with that, tossing the remnants of his cigarette into a nearby ashtray, he turned and went back inside.

************

Casey looked up when Jade dropped onto the couch next to him. “They okay?” he asked, looking past her towards the room Luke and Noah were in.

She smiled. “Yeah. They’re both asleep. Thank God.”

“Good,” Casey fidgeted in place a little bit. And it was good; both Noah and Luke desperately needed some time to breathe easy, if even only for a few days. More importantly, they needed to breathe easy together. He wiggled his fingers a little, studying his fingernails. Scuffing his shoes on the carpet.

“Huh,” Jade commented off-hand. “That’s rather ironic.”

“What?” he turned to her, but she wasn’t looking at him.

She nodded over his shoulder towards the kitchen. “Maddie and Hunter.”

He frowned, confused, but twisted around to see what she was looking at. Maddie and Hunter were hanging out in the kitchen, cooking up a dinner for all of them. They were talking quietly, joking around, laughing. Maddie teased Hunter about something, he shook his head and said something back that made her punch his arm playfully. Then they went back to cooking.

“What’s ironic? That Hunter can actually cook without setting the house on fire?” Casey asked, still way confused.

She shook her head, smiling sadly. “No. It’s ironic that the couple that just broke up is more comfortable around each other than the couple that’s together.”

“Hey, we’ve only been dating for like less than a month,” Casey protested, though he didn’t actually refute her statement.

“No, we’ve been having sex for like less than a month,” Jade corrected. “We’re not really dating, Case.”

“But…” Casey trailed off. Were they?

“Think about it,” she continued. “If something awesome were to happen to you, right now, who would be the first person you’d want to tell?”

“N-” he stopped himself at the last second from answering. Oh crap. He saw her point.

Jade smirked, nodding. “You can say it. You’d be calling up Noah. Me? I’d be calling Luke. I wouldn’t think to go tell my boyfriend.”

He winced at the word. He really wasn’t doing this right, was he? “Man, I suck at this boyfriend stuff,” he grumbled, head dropping into his hands. First Ali, then Jade…

He felt her hand on his shoulder. “You don’t suck at being a boyfriend, Casey. I’m sure you’ll be a great one at some point. It’s just you’re not really my boyfriend. And hey, is this really what we want, or what we think we should want?”

“What’s that mean?” Casey asked, still not looking up.

He could sense her shrug. “We’re acting like we have to be dating and couple-y and all that, but it’s not like it’s the law. We can do whatever we feel like doing. Trying to force it, that’s what caused problems with you and Alison. We shouldn’t be doomed to repeat the same mistakes.”

Now he was looking at her. “What we feel like doing,” he repeated slowly.

Jade rolled her eyes a little. “We like each other. We like hanging out. We don’t need to be in a relationship to do it. A lot of our bad choices in the past have been because of the relationships we’re in or want to be in or think we should be in.” Another shrug. “What if we just cut all that out?”

Casey sat still, contemplating this. “Just be ourselves, or figure out who ‘ourselves’ should be. But still, um, hang out.”

“Yeah,” she grinned at him. “And by the way, that means yes, I still want to have sex with you.”

“Oh thank God,” he breathed a sigh of relief. They smiled at each other for a moment before Casey continued. “I… I do like hanging out with you, you know. I like how you make me think and how you make me argue.”

“Well, I make you argue,” she corrected. “Make you think? I’m not a miracle worker, Hughes.”

“Shut up, Taylor,” he shot back. Then, after they were both smiling again, “I don’t want you to think I’m just, like, using you for sex or anything.”

“Hey, this was my idea,” Jade reminded him. “A damn good one. This way, we have each other without being… tied down to each other. Win-win for both of us.”

Casey shook his head with a deep chuckle. “Jesus. I never thought we’d end up in that whole ‘friends with benefits’ type-deal. But I guess it makes sense, for us.” He tilted his head. “Well, except for the friend part.”

“Hey,” Jade poked him in the side. “If all this drama has taught us anything, it’s that we can use all the friends we can get. You and me, we’re a part of something, like, special. With this group of people. I’ve never gotten to be a part of it before. I’m not going to ruin that, at least not on purpose.”

“Me either,” Casey smiled softer, understanding. “So this way, we can work on being, I don’t know, better people and better friends without that constricting label of a ‘couple,’ and still get awesome sex out of it. Sound good?”

Her smile matched his. “Sounds great.” And the kiss that followed was pretty great too.

************

Every time he woke up now, it was a struggle. To not break down, not give up. Noah seriously thought he would start going crazy at some point, and had to remind himself that he no longer had genetics to blame if that happened. (Well, they may be crazy, sure, but the Millers weren’t like Colonel-crazy or anything.)

But something was different this time. Noah could tell right away. The bed felt different- softer, bigger. It had a real smell, like wood and fresh air and scented candles. The blanket covering him was softer too, quilted and not smelling of antiseptic.

And, most importantly, someone was in the bed with him, a solid and warm weight against his side. An arm slung over his middle, the hand just barely resting under his t-shirt.

He opened his eyes cautiously. And at the sight of blond hair resting on his shoulder, Noah almost gasped. It hadn’t been another dream. It had been real this time. Luke. Luke was really here. They were really together again.

Without thinking, without hesitating, he grabbed Luke’s face and brought it to his, kissing him fiercely. Luke woke up with a start, inhaled sharply, and returned the kiss with just as much intensity. “Noah…” he panted between breaths of air.

Noah kissed him again. “You’re real,” he whispered after each one. “You’re real, you’re real.”

Gradually they both calmed down, the kisses slowing to something less about oh-my-god-dying-I-need-you and more reassuring-I’m-here-I-won’t-leave. Luke offered one more soft kiss before rolling them both onto their sides, facing each other. He touched Noah’s face gently. “How’s today going for you?”

Noah tilted his head into the touch. “Better than yesterday,” he gave the old traditional answer, loving how true it was. “Much, much, much better.”

“For me too,” Luke smiled. His hand drifted up, thumb brushing at the ends of Noah’s slightly unruly hair. “You’re feeling okay?”

“I think so,” he answered honestly. “Things are kinda… muddled, in my head. I can’t- how did you get the proxy dropped? How did you guys get me out of there?”

The smile turned a little mischievous. “We didn’t get the proxy dropped. But we found a loophole.” At Noah’s confused look, he continued. “Alison and Hunter came up with it- those papers Maddie had you sign? They’re AMA forms. ‘Against Medical Advice.’ You basically checked yourself out legally, saying you understood the doctor’s orders but were ignoring them and won’t hold them responsible if anything happens.”

“But the Millers weren’t even at my room. How did you know when they’d be gone?” Noah was still confused.

Luke leaned in quickly to kiss Noah’s frown away. “A certain someone- whose name rhymes with, I don’t know… Lacy Fuse?- called the hospital pretending to be a coworker of Eric’s, saying there was an emergency at work.” He shrugged. “Then Maddie had your doctor paged to another floor, and she waited until Autumn went to get lunch or whatever.”

He looked so proud of himself, Noah couldn’t help but smile. “And that AMA thing is okay? Even with the proxy?”

Luke shrugged one shoulder. “We’re not actually sure. It’s kind of a gray area. But it’s not illegal. They can’t say you just ran away or someone kidnapped you, you know? So it’s something.”

“It’s enough,” Noah responded immediately, kissing him again. “Ali’s not here though, is she? I don’t remember…”

“No, but don’t worry about it. There are a couple people back in Oakdale who are in on this whole thing. Let them handle the drama for right now. We’re here so you can get your strength back. Then we’ll go home, I promise,” Luke still wasn’t letting go of him. Not that Noah wanted him to.

He smiled involuntarily at the thought of ‘home.’ Then he frowned, confused again, looking around. “Where is ‘here?’ Are we in Illinois?”

Luke shook his head. “North Carolina. Hunter… the mom that wasn’t really his mom? She owned a house in the mountains in the middle of nowhere. We figured it’d be a nice, quiet, comfortable place to chill for awhile. And it’s out of the way, so if…” he trailed off, suddenly unsure.

“If the Millers go looking for me, they won’t come here,” Noah finished for him softly. He bit his lip. God, what if they did go looking for him? What if they found him? Would they make him go back? Would they get Luke and Casey and everyone in trouble? What if-

“Hey,” Luke’s voice brought him back, sure and steady. “Like I said, don’t think about it right now, okay? You just concentrate on getting better and… and feeling better; then we’ll deal with all of that.”

Noah stared hard at Luke, the emotions behind that statement slowly dawning on him. “Babe,” he put his hand flat on Luke’s chest, reassuring. “I’m okay. I’m… I’m not gone. Or going anywhere.” Softer, “I’m still me.” He wasn’t actually sure what he was, but he knew Luke needed to hear it.

Luke’s eyes glistened just a little, but no tears came. He took a deep breath, then let it out fast. “Okay,” he said in a rush, just before diving in for another hard kiss, as demanding as their first ones had been. Noah met him halfway, both of them needing to reassure the other of… of everything. Remind each other that bad things might happen, but the good things between them could make it worth it.

Noah was sure of that. Luke was always worth it, all of it. He smiled into one last kiss before rolling onto his back again, bringing Luke with him. Luke broke from the kiss with another deep breath, resting his forehead down against Noah’s. “It all seemed so unreal,” Noah found himself saying.

Luke lifted his head enough to look into his face. “What did?”

“Them,” he said simply, brow crinkling in confusion. “Like, all of a sudden they don’t like you? Or your parents or any of the family? Which doesn’t make sense, because every time I hung out with them in Oakdale, they were so happy about all of you, how nice and welcoming and wonderful you were. Are. I don’t get it.”

Luke shrugged sadly. “Sometimes people lie, baby.” His voice was cautious, gentle.

Noah fought back a flinch at that. He didn’t want them to have been lying. Why would they lie about that? Why would they lie to him, if they wanted him? “But then- they get this fancy lawyer who knows just what to do in this situation? And you know what else was weird?” He looked back up at Luke seriously. “All the doctors I had to meet with were all in agreement with it too. But the nurses all acted like I was fine, like I was normal and they felt bad I had to be there.”

Luke shook his head, running his fingers lightly through Noah’s hair over and over, scratching at his scalp comfortingly. “I don’t know, Noah, I really don’t. I’m sorry.”

Noah couldn’t stop the sadness from creeping in. His hands unconsciously fiddled with the hem of Luke’s shirt, twisting it between his fingers. “And why would they think you- all of you- never called to ask about me or check on me?”

“What?!” Luke pulled back a little bit further, eyes wide. “Noah, we called every day. More than once. A bunch of us did. No one would tell us anything, they said they couldn’t!”

“I knew you would,” Noah was quick to say, rubbing his hand along Luke’s side reassuringly. “I’m not doubting that. I just don’t get why they would say that to me. And they… they really seemed to believe it. Even Krista told me she was upset and surprised you guys never called.” He shook his head. “What the hell was going on in that hospital?”

Luke looked just as troubled by it all. He thought it over for a few minutes, looking at Noah without seeing him. Noah waited, hands still slowly moving, now just a little bit under Luke’s t-shirt, feeling at that stretch of skin over his hip bones. So beautiful. God, I missed you.

He was startled out of his thoughts by Luke’s nose rubbing against his teasingly. He looked up to see the same words he was thinking reflected in Luke’s face, and had to respond. “Yeah,” he said softly. “Me too.”

Luke’s expression melted sweetly, and he kissed Noah on his forehead, his cheek, his nose, and finally his lips. Noah moved his hands around to Luke’s back and pulled him down flush on top of him. “Yeah,” Luke echoed, kissed him again. “Yeah.” After another pause, “You know none of that matters right now, right? They’re not taking you away again. We won’t let them.”

Noah just smiled, not wanting to think about it anymore. He slid his hands up slowly, causing Luke’s shirt to ride up with them. Luke sat back a little bit, more out instinct than anything else, but at least it gave Noah room to pull his shirt all the way off.

“Noah?” Luke asked softly, trying to gauge everything.

Noah didn’t answer, letting his eyes and hands run down his boyfriend’s chest. He didn’t want to feel anything else, just this. He wanted to be consumed by it. He sat up enough to yank his own shirt off and then pulled Luke back down to him, chest to chest and skin to skin. “I’m here,” he said it under his breath. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” Luke smiled into their kisses now, one hand back in Noah’s hair, the other on his stomach, running along it gently. “Not that I’m complaining, but are you sure you’re-”

“Luke.” Noah held his face in both hands. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I swear to God if you don’t have sex with me right now, I’m breaking up with you. I haven’t seen you for a month. You can’t be in bed with me right now- after everything, you being here and you being you- and not expect me to want you.”

“Jesus,” Luke nearly groaned out. He dipped his head down, kissing Noah roughly, the rest of his brain (hopefully) fried out.

Noah opened his mouth wider, inviting Luke in, pressing both of his hands into Luke’s back and sides and anywhere else he could touch bare skin. And he let out an almost embarrassing whimper when Luke pulled back again. He opened his eyes to see Luke studying him thoughtfully, though a little out of breath.

“You want me to make you forget, don’t you?” Luke’s voice was surprisingly tender for being so deep and hoarse.

Noah nodded, tangling their legs together and ignoring the twinge in his sore knee as it bent along the side of Luke’s body. “Please?” He unconsciously bit his lower lip again. He hoped Luke didn’t think he was using him, because he wasn’t, but he just… he needed this.

Thank God, Luke smiled lovingly, understandingly. He worked Noah’s mouth open again, lightly biting down on that same lip. “Love you,” he murmured. Noah could feel his lips moving with the words as they brushed across his skin, his face and neck. “Love you. So much.” He repeated it over and over, kissing his way down Noah’s torso.

And if Noah had had enough brain power left to form words, he would have told Luke that he loved him back. That it was the one thing he’d never forget.

TO BE CONTINUED!  Coming Up: Noah recuperates, Luke and Holden try again, the Millers search for Noah, more secrets are revealed...