FIC: YOU CAN TALK TO ME 3/3

[carolinablu85]

Title: You Can Talk To Me
Chapter: 3/3
Author: carolinablu85, also known as CarolinaBlue on vh.net or CarolinaBlu on the wiki (I know, I'm a fountain of creative names)
Pairing: Luke/Noah
Rating: PG-ish
Spoilers: set during last summer's storyline, right after Holden's "death" and Noah's trip to LA
Summary: What if Faith had told Noah about seeing Lily and Damian kissing? Noah tries to navigate through his relationship with Luke and his place within the Snyder family. Luke tries to patch everything together.
Disclaimer: I disclaim. I own a pair of sneakers, a cellphone, and some other stuff. The show? Nope, not that.
Author's Note: So this is the end of the story! A little bit more of a fight, but then lots of cuteness!
Chapter 1  /  Chapter 2  /

It was late when Noah finally used his key to slip back into the apartment. How late, he wasn’t sure. He had no idea how long he’d been in the cemetery or how long he’d been with Lucinda. And then Lucinda hadn’t driven him straight home- they had stopped at her house so she could be sure that Noah took something for his headache. The pain had dulled down to a steady throb behind his right eye now, much more manageable than it had been.

He wasn’t sure what he expected to see when he shuffled into the living room. Maybe everything trashed. Maybe Luke passed out drunk on the couch. Maybe all his stuff gone, moved back into Lily’s house. But it certainly wasn’t this- Luke sitting on the couch, a giant photo album open on his lap, two mugs of tea on the coffee table in front of him. “Hey,” the blond said nervously, not getting up from the couch.

“Hey,” Noah replied, just as timid. He stood in the entrance to the room, afraid to come closer but even more terrified to move away. He fidgeted with his phone, sliding it open and shut over and over again. He couldn’t believe how different the mood was compared to how it had been when he stormed out earlier. He didn’t know what to do.

But Luke obviously had a plan. “Come here?” he motioned a little with one hand, patting the cushion next to him. When Noah hesitated a little, Luke tried again. “Please. I want to show you something.”

Noah deliberated for a few seconds while Luke held his breath, but ultimately walked over to the couch and sat down beside Luke. Beside him, but not as close as they would normally sit. Not close enough to touch. A flash of hurt crossed Luke’s face but was quickly shoved away. Noah did feel a little guilty, but not enough to do something about it. Right now he was tired and tense and maybe still a little upset with his boyfriend.

“What is it?” Noah finally asked, almost wary. He was afraid that Luke had just found some creative way to break up with him, and it put him on edge. That would be bad. Sure, Noah might be a little angry, but he wasn’t in any way ready to let go of Luke.

But Luke just smiled, plopping the photo album onto Noah’s lap. Noah looked at Luke questioningly. “Open it,” Luke said quietly. Noah obeyed, flipping through the first few pages of the album. It was filled with old pictures of Luke and his siblings as young children, Lily and Holden holding a baby Natalie, the family in the back of Lucinda’s limo, Emma and Meg together. Each page was almost a timeline of the last ten years of the Snyder family.

Noah looked up about halfway through. “Luke?” He was really confused, and starting to get upset again. He had been reminded about eighteen times in the last twenty-four hours that he was alone in this world. Why would Luke rub it in his face that he had a family and Noah didn’t? “Why are you-?”

But Luke’s smile, caring and reassuring, was still in place. “Keep going.” Unable to stop himself, Luke reached over, his arm brushing against Noah’s (maybe on purpose), and turned a few more pages.

Noah looked down and was startled to see his own face. A picture of him and Luke at the pond, followed by a picture of him and the girls playing the Wack-a-Mole game at an arcade. On the next page one of the pictures was of him, Jack, and Parker throwing football around out next to the barn. Another had a picture of him and Holden standing next to the old pickup truck, both of them leaning against the hood and laughing. And then a page included a shot of him and Emma cooking together in the kitchen, the two of them covered in flour up to their elbows. Another shot of him and Luke, this time attempting to play Rock Band. One from a big Sunday night dinner, and there he was sitting between Luke and Lily. Him and Ethan watching The Lion King.

“My mom gave this to me the day we moved in here,” Luke’s voice startled him. He looked up, straight into Luke’s eyes. His boyfriend had moved closer without Noah realizing it, and now their shoulders and sides were touching. There was almost a vibration between them, and Noah had to wonder which one of them was shaking. Maybe both. Luke continued, still smiling. “She had been making it for months, wanted me to have a piece of the family close by for when I started my own.”

Noah was unable to maintain eye contact, looking down at the photos again. His finger unconsciously traced the shot of him and Holden. “Luke…”

“She put those pictures of you in there, Noah. On purpose. And not just because you’re my boyfriend, but because she sees you as a part of her family,” Luke leaned in even closer, daring to rest his chin on Noah’s shoulder. His arms slowly wrapped around Noah’s middle, pulling him closer. “No matter how badly we may fight, no matter what really stupid thing I may say, I will never forget that you’re one of us. And we’re never, ever, letting you go.”

Noah was silent for a little while longer, looking down at the photos. He couldn’t get his brain to work. He swallowed hard, trying to get his throat to work too. He could feel Luke’s arms tighten around him slowly, like Luke was afraid Noah was going to run. Which was silly, really, because Noah couldn’t feel his legs. “Just so I know, how many more really stupid things are you planning on saying in the future?” he asked hoarsely.

There was a brief pause, and then Luke chuckled. Noah could feel it through his shirt. “I never plan the stupid. It just happens.”

Noah nodded, attempting a laugh. He leaned his head back and to the side until he felt it touch Luke’s. Closing his eyes, he rested there for a moment, letting the warmth surround him, allowing himself to pretend that there was absolutely nothing wrong in the world. Luke readjusted his hold and leaned back until they were both resting against the cushions comfortably. Noah pulled the photo album over so it covered both of their laps, flipping through it again.

“I’m so sorry, Noah,” Luke whispered then. “I didn’t mean what I said. I didn’t mean to hurt you. And I don’t mean to push you away. I don’t ever want you to think that I don’t want you around.”

“I just want to be involved,” Noah felt he had to explain, no matter what Luke said. “I don’t mean to make it about me, but I… I think you need me sometimes.”

“I need you all the time,” Luke said much quieter.

Noah shook his head. “I’m not looking for platitudes right now, Luke. I’m looking for straight-up honesty. I need to know what kind of boyfriend you expect me to be, because if I can’t be that-”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Luke sat up a little, pulling on Noah’s shoulders until they were facing each other. “I don’t want to hear this. I fell in love with you- I’m still in love with you- because of who you are. Not because you’re the kind of boyfriend I want. Because you’re you.”

Noah took a deep breath, steeling himself. “Then you have to treat me that way.” Luke looked simultaneously startled and confused, so Noah continued. “Sometimes, Luke, sometimes I feel like a toy. Like a toy you play with when the mood strikes you.”

“Noah!” Luke was shocked by the words coming out of his boyfriend’s mouth.

Now that he started, he couldn’t stop. “I mean, you didn’t tell me Faith was missing. You won’t talk to me about your dad, you didn’t tell me you were going to Kentucky when you first heard about the accident. I didn’t even know you weren’t going back to school until way late. Luke, you have to talk to me about this stuff. It’s not just a family thing, it’s an ‘us’ thing. We’re supposed to be… be partners, you know? And there are times when I don’t feel like a partner.” He sat back again, emotionally and physically spent. This had been a long friggin’ day. “I feel like a toy.”

Luke was silent for a long time. A very long time. He looked back up at Noah finally, his eyes immeasurably sad and tired. “I know I’ve used this excuse before, and I hate to use it again, but… but sometimes I don’t know what I’m doing in a relationship. I don’t always know what I’m supposed to do, okay? I don’t know the rules. I hate that I ended up hurting you, but you have to believe I didn’t mean to.”

“I know,” Noah replied simply. “But we keep doing this to each other. Maybe… I don’t know, maybe I’m doing something wrong that-”

“Okay, stop right there.” Luke stood suddenly, pacing a little around the coffee table.

Noah caught the photo album before it could fall, carefully closing it and placing it safely, almost reverently, on the cushion next to him. He watched Luke walk back and forth, frowning in confusion. “What?”

“That. That’s one of our problems, Noah. You have got to stop thinking the worst of yourself. You have to tell me when you’re upset. When you want something. When you’re feeling something that actually has to do with yourself. Because I know you feel like you shouldn’t, and that’s stupid.” He came to a stop right in front of Noah, and Noah unconsciously brought his legs up onto the couch, pulling them up to his chest, trying to feel protected. Luke’s face twitched for less than a second, out of annoyance or sadness or pity Noah didn’t know. “It’s frustrating sometimes. Like there are times I feel I have to be perfect or you’ll get upset with yourself. And when you turn that stuff inward, and you don’t talk to me, it just gets me more…”

“Bitchy?” Noah supplied semi-helpfully, unable to look up at his boyfriend.

Luke’s mouth fought against smiling. “Defensive,” he corrected. Growing serious again, “I know it’s not how you’re used to doing things, but you are allowed to think of yourself first sometimes. You are allowed to put yourself first.”

Noah’s head was already shaking. “I don’t want to be-”

“It’s not selfish to think of yourself. Sometimes it’s necessary. Sometimes it’s the right thing to do,” he cut in firmly. Off Noah’s dubious look, he tried again. “If he made you think differently, that’s just another thing he was wrong about.” No need to explain who ‘he’ was.

“Holden just died,” Noah spoke softly. “And your family’s trying to deal, and this thing with Faith, and I know Damian-”

“Let’s not talk about that right now, okay?” Luke said sharply, grimacing darkly.

Noah nodded. “Everything’s crazy right now. I don’t want to add to it, I just want to help carry it.”

“But I don’t want you to be burdened by this stuff-”

“You can’t tell me to put myself first and then take that right away from me!” Noah burst out, looking up at Luke with eyes flashing. Luke’s mouth snapped shut even as Noah kept talking. “You keep making these decisions without me- decisions that involve me! Why, Luke? Why don’t I get a say in my own life? My relationships? You shouldn’t always get to decide what’s best for me!”

* * *
Luke could see twenty years of helpless frustration play out on his boyfriend’s face, and he hated it. He didn’t want to be made to feel like he was treating Noah the same way the Colonel used to. “Then don’t let me!” he shot back. “Fight me on it! Tell me what you’re feeling then, don’t wait until it’s all bottled up like this!” He took a deep breath, knowing he had to calm down. “If you’re not happy, tell me. Because it does matter. To me, to us.”

“I am happy,” Noah suddenly looked panicked. “I am. I love you, I don’t-”

Luke had a sudden flash of memory- Noah’s face when Luke had told him about working for Damian. Unhappy… just with school…? God, how was it that two of the most insecure people in the world ended up in a relationship together? “Do you think I think you don’t love me?”

Noah was silenced for awhile by the question. “Sometimes I guess I feel like I have to remind you. Whether that’s all in my head or not, I don’t know.”

“I don’t know either,” Luke replied, frustration giving way to a weary sadness. He thought of that song Noah had been listening to this morning at breakfast. Everybody knows it sucks to grow up, but everybody does. Luke shook himself mentally. No. His life was a mess right now. He couldn’t fix most of it. But one thing he knew he’d always be sure of was him-and-Noah. They loved each other, and that wouldn’t change. He sat down heavily on the couch again, turning to face Noah, who still had his legs drawn up to his chest. “Are you still mad at me?” he asked.

Noah shook his head. “No. Are you still mad at me?”

“No,” Luke mirrored the gesture. He reached out slowly, carefully, pulling one of Noah’s hands away so he could hold it in his. He rubbed his thumb idly onto Noah’s fingers. “I have an idea. A proposition for you.”

One of Noah’s eyebrows raised at ‘proposition’ but he didn’t go for the obvious joke. “Okay.”

“I’ll treat you more like my partner, if- and only if- you start showing me you think of yourself as one. That you think of us as equals.” Because if Noah really thought he wasn’t good enough for Luke…

Noah was quiet for awhile, thinking about God only knew what, before nodding. “Deal.”

“Deal,” Luke echoed. He leaned in and kissed Noah softly, unbelievably happy when Noah responded in kind. When he pulled back he noticed Noah’s free hand come up to rub at his head next to his right eye. “You still have that headache?”

He nodded. “Little bit. Not as bad as it was, Lucinda made me take something for it.”

Luke couldn’t help but grin at the idea of his warhorse of a grandmother mothering Noah. That would be so awesome to see. And then another idea sprung to mind. “Hey, come here,” he suggested, patting his leg.

Noah looked confused for a second before his face softened in understanding. He scooted closer and then twisted, lying down on his side with his head resting in Luke’s lap. They both settled comfortably, Luke letting his fingers sift slowly and gently through Noah’s hair. “I love you,” he heard softly.

“I love you too,” Luke replied, putting as much feeling into it as he could.

“Do you want to talk about your mom and Damian?” Noah ventured.

“Do you want to talk about why you’re not sleeping and have this days-long headache?” Luke answered with a question of his own.

Neither of them could answer. It was a rare occasion when they were able to shut each other up like this. Especially considering that usually when it happened it was because their mouths were busy doing something else. But right now, they weren’t even really looking at each other. Luke glanced downward, but could only see a little of the side of Noah’s face, the rest of him pressed into Luke’s thigh.

“Faith yelled at me,” Luke said then, taking the first leap. “I called over after you left, just in case that’s where you were headed, and she answered the phone.” He didn’t know why he thought Noah would go there, when of course he would want to be alone. Casey had even said as much, calling Luke a dumbass in the process. Nearly every friend and family member he had called had said the same thing- Noah wants time to himself, give him some space, etc. Everyone but his grandmother. Luke actually had no idea how or where Lucinda found Noah. That would be something to ask later, when the both of them weren’t so fragile.

He continued. “When I told her you and I had had a fight, she kinda… well, I had no idea her impression of my grandmother was so good.” It had been mildly disturbing how good. He could feel Noah’s smile against his leg even though he said nothing, so he kept talking. “She told me some of the stuff you and her talked about today.” Not some. She had actually told him pretty much everything, in a very loud and shrill tone. Still no response from Noah. “What happened in LA?” he finally prompted.

Somehow, Noah managed a shrug even while lying on one shoulder. “I didn’t have a good time.”

Very simple words, but they hit Luke hard. “That’s not how it seemed when you got back,” he was able to say, hoping Noah wouldn’t take it as an accusation.

Another improbable shrug. “You wanted me to go. I thought you’d want to think I had fun and you made the right decision sending me away. I guess we both know now that it was stupid.”

He couldn’t help but wince at the bluntness of Noah’s explanation. But he was also surprisingly glad to be getting some real answers. “Why didn’t you have a good time?”

“I wanted to be here. Not just for you. For Faith and Nat and Ethan, and your mom and Emma,” a pause while Noah swallowed hard, “and for me.”

Luke’s hand stilled on top of Noah’s head for a moment. “You have a right to mourn my dad too, you know. I’m sorry I didn’t give you the chance.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask for one,” Noah replied. One of his hands had crept forward without Luke noticing and was now holding onto Luke’s leg just below the knee.

Luke chuckled then. “Well, when we suck as boyfriends, at least we’re really good at apologizing,” he commented wryly.

Noah nodded. “It makes us special.”

“Yep,” Luke kept up the playful tone. “The most openly neurotic gay couple in Oakdale.”

Noah laughed then, and it was that deep, rich chuckle he didn’t use very often that Luke really loved. “That’s a hell of a title, Snyder.”

Luke lifted his hand long enough to tap Noah on the nose teasingly and then went back to his hair. “We’ve earned it.”

Noah countered with a tap to Luke’s kneecap, just at the reflex spot, causing Luke’s leg to twitch unintentionally. Noah laughed quietly again, but said nothing. They were silent for awhile longer, both of them getting lost in the feeling of Luke’s hand in Noah’s hair. “What are you going to do about Damian?” Noah finally asked.

Luke sighed. “I don’t know. What can I do? Nothing, really. I can’t stop my mom from making a bad decision- again- and I can’t stop Damian from working his agenda. Again. So… I’m just going to try to keep my eyes open and my head clear and make sure nothing bad happens. Make sure the least number of people possible get hurt. I think I can do that much.”

“Luke.” Noah’s voice wobbled for a second. “You mean-”

Luke talked over him, realizing his mistake. “I mean we can do that much. We will do that much. You and I are going to be like the Dynamic Duo of the Snyder family. The righters of wrongs, helping the hopeless, defense against the dark arts, all that stuff. Superheroes, you and me. I’m finally going to get you into a cape and tights, if possible.”

Noah snorted, hiding the slight blush to his cheeks. “Defense against the dark arts? You’ve been reading Natalie’s Harry Potter books again?”

“Don’t you think Damian looks kinda like Voldemort?” Luke mused thoughtfully. He hoped the joking would keep his brain from spontaneously combusting at the image of Damian and his mother kissing. No wonder Faith had been acting so wild lately. God, he hoped kissing was all they had done. Lily swore it was, but Luke wasn’t sure how much he really trusted her right now…

No. No, Luke was done thinking about that drama for the night. He’d had enough of it. To distract himself, he let his other hand rub at Noah’s shoulder and run down his arm. When his fingers hit a raised patch of skin, Luke stopped to look. It was Noah’s scar from the gunshot wound. He traced it with a fingertip, leaning over to brush his lips against it, watching as goosebumps appeared on Noah’s skin.

Sometimes he forgot that whole ordeal had happened, and sometimes he wished he could go back to life right before it, before Damian came to Oakdale, before Noah was assigned to Mason and before Luke started shutting Noah out. Before Holden had… He shook his head again. “Did I ever tell you what happened that first night at the hospital after we got out of the storage locker?” he said quietly.

Noah shook his head, his own free hand reaching up blindly. Luke reluctantly let go of his arm so their hands were now linked together. Noah always got a little more physically clingy whenever the whole kidnapping thing was brought up. Luke suspected it was because Noah’s memories were so warped from being semi-conscious and feverish at the time, that he was still bothered by the ordeal in some ways. “What happened?”

Luke smiled at the memory. “I insisted on spending the night with you, do you remember?” As he spoke, he freed his hands long enough to grab a blanket off the back of the couch and drape it over Noah. “Mom and Dad wanted me to come home to get some sleep, but there was no way in hell I was going to leave you. Not while you were still sick.”

Noah pulled the blanket around himself a little tighter, but didn’t relax again until Luke’s hands were back on him. “That’s when I was all drugged up, right?”

“Right. Anyway, they were all freaked out and not wanting to let me out of their sight. Kinda like how I was with you. And we start arguing about it, and we’re standing around your bed and you’re out of it and not talking and that’s freaking me out even more, leading me to argue even more, and Mom doesn’t want me anywhere unprotected, even though we were at the friggin’ hospital and Zac and Zoe were in jail. And never mind I wasn’t going to leave your side until the doctors were positive you were going to be one hundred percent okay.”

Noah’s eyes were closed now, but he wasn’t asleep. “They had already told you I’d be fine,” he reminded.

Luke shook his head unnecessarily. “Fine isn’t one hundred percent. I wanted one hundred percent.” He settled down so his head was resting against the back of the couch. “Finally, Dad got so fed up with our arguing that he walked right out of the room. Mom and I both thought he was storming off or something, but like two minutes later he comes back with a pillow and a blanket that he stole from the supply closet. He sits down in the chair next to your bed, puts the pillow behind his head and the blanket on his lap and settles down to sleep. Mom and I were just standing there, staring at him.” He couldn’t help but smile, recalling the image. “He said if you weren’t going to leave, then I wasn’t. And if I wasn’t, then he wouldn’t either. And he sat in that chair all night with the pillow and the blanket. Wouldn’t even give it back when the nurses demanded he return it.”

“How does it feel?” Noah’s voice was quiet.

Luke frowned, confused. “How does what feel?”

“Talking about your dad,” Noah answered tentatively.

Luke took in a sharp, surprised breath. He was talking about Holden, probably the first time he’d talked about him with a smile on his face since everything started. “It feels okay.”

Noah’s grip tightened reassuringly around his leg. “That’s how it should be,” he said. Luke waited for him to continue, say something else, but Noah went quiet again.

Luke let his fingers run haphazardly through Noah’s hair, mussing it up a little just for fun, because Noah always thought it was ridiculous when he did that. “I love you,” he said again. Because he never could say it enough. Noah didn’t answer for a long time, causing Luke to frown. What…? But then he looked down again, and had to smile. Noah’s eyes were still closed, and now his chest was moving slowly and deeply. Finally, finally, he was sleeping.

Luke tried to keep as still as possible as he leaned down and kissed Noah’s forehead, right over the spot where his headache had been earlier. Noah shifted a little, his face turning a little more towards Luke even in his sleep and smiling. And even as he started to drift into sleep too, Luke counted that as a victory.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
What a difference a day makes, Noah hummed to himself as he helped Emma at the kitchen sink. It had been the first Snyder family Sunday dinner since the funeral, and while that in itself was horrible and sad, Noah himself was feeling lighter than he had in a long time. Since their fight two days ago, he and Luke seemed to be on this whole other level of understanding now. Noah couldn’t believe a relationship could actually be like this. That he could feel like this.

He took another dish from Emma to dry, wiping it off even as his eyes strayed out the window towards the barn, where Luke was sitting with Faith. The two of them were in the middle of a deep discussion of some sort, and Noah didn’t know whether or not to be worried. With those two, it could be about anything from Holden vs. Damian to Vampire Diaries vs. Twilight, and anything in between (though if they asked him, nothing would beat True Blood).

But at least they were talking. Noah couldn’t say the same for Luke and Damian. Luke had barely said two words to his biological father since finding out about him and Lily. Noah didn’t blame Luke at all, of course, but he also hoped Luke wasn’t going to let all this stuff with his family get to him in the long run.

He jumped, startled, when a dish towel swished out to smack him in the face. “Stop worrying so much, sweetie,” Emma said softly, a small smile on her face.

Noah smiled in turn, embarrassed at being caught. “It’s what I’m good at,” he replied, shrugging, turning back to the dishes.

He felt an arm sneak around his waist and hug him close. “Not the only thing,” Emma murmured. Instinctively, he put his arm around her too, hugging back. “Thank you for watching out for both of them. I’m so glad you chose us to be your family, sweetling.” She kissed his cheek before finishing up the rest of the dishes herself. Noah could only watch, eyes a little wide. She turned, saw his expression, and burst out laughing. “Oh, Noah,” she finally managed to say. “You don’t even have to try to make me love you, do you?” It was a rhetorical question, thank God, because Noah wouldn’t have been able to answer anyway. Emma finally caught her breath, shaking her head. “I haven’t laughed like that in awhile. Thank you,” she patted his face and moved off into the living room, still chuckling a little, leaving Noah behind completely stupefied.

He stood there, trying to process what had just happened. How was Emma always able to do that so effortlessly? Her and Lucinda- was that what it was meant to have a grandmother? Noah thought maybe he could get used to it. He looked out the window again, but Faith and Luke had disappeared, probably inside the barn with the horses. Noah went out and sat on the porch to wait for them, taking in the summer evening with a deep, peaceful breath. He noticed then that his headache was gone, and had to smile.

“Hello, Noah.” Damian stood nearby, leaning against the doorframe to the porch.

And then his headache was back. “Damian,” he said politely. And that was it. Polite, because he couldn’t not be polite. But he wasn’t about to invite Damian to sit down for a chat either.

Damian apparently didn’t get that memo. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, moving forward.

“Actually, yeah I do,” Noah answered honestly, looking up at the man. He felt like he was seeing him for the first time, and he didn’t like what he saw.

Damian was more than a little startled. “I’m sorry, Noah, I didn’t-”

“You didn’t what? You didn’t think I’d be upset with what you’ve done?” Noah shook his head, everything starting to boil over inside him. “I defended you. For weeks. When you first got here, no one wanted anything to do with you. I stood up for you with Luke, tried to get him to talk to you. I thought it would be good for him.” He shook his head, starting to glare at Damian. “How wrong was I?”

“You weren’t wrong,” Damian answered firmly.

He shook his head again. “Yes I was. You let me down, and you let Luke down by… by pursuing Lily like this. And you let Holden down too.”

“I’m just trying to be there for-” Damian tried to explain.

Noah wasn’t buying it. “For yourself. You’re messing with them. They’re not your family, okay? You’ve upset Faith, and you don’t even seem to care,” he said incredulously. He stood now, eye to eye with Damian. It was one of the few times he was actually glad to be so tall. Damian couldn’t look down on him. “I’m not going to tell you what to do, or give you any warnings or whatever. I know I don’t have any control over any of this. But I’m telling you now- be careful. I’m going to be here, and I won’t let you hurt them.” He moved in even closer. “You try anything, and I’ll stop you.”

Damian regarded him seriously, looking him up and down. A lifetime of being intimidated helped Noah now; he stood his ground firmly. “You have nothing to worry about, Noah.”

Noah nodded. “I better not.” He heard voices coming from the entrance to the barn, Luke and Faith were about to come back out. He moved passed Damian, going out to the yard.

“Noah,” Damian called him back, causing him to turn back to the porch. Damian was studying him again. “Why are you…?”

Noah didn’t have to know what Damian was asking. “Because I don’t know if I trust you. And I won’t let you hurt my family.” And with that, he left Damian behind, joining Faith and Luke over at the open corral. His family. Noah was just starting to realize what that meant, and he wasn’t going to let anything take that away from him now. He was going to take care of them. For Faith, for Emma and Lucinda, for Holden. For Luke. For himself.

THE END! thanks for reading!