Fic: Perception 5/?
Author: PABWECG (aka Patricia)
Title: Perception
Genre/Type: Romance, Period fic
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid, Lily/Holden, Casey, Katie, Maddie, and Henry, amongst others
Warnings: Nope
Summary: The year is 1898; Luke lives on Snyder farm, and Reid is a doctor in Chicago; you’ll figure the rest out.
Big thanks, again, to Slayerkitty, for being my beta!!!
Previous Chapters: 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/
Chapter 5
“Do you think I should ask Maddie to marry me, Father?”
Holden looked up at his son. “Well, that’s not really my decision, is it?” Holden asked back. They were in the barn, mucking out the stalls together. “Do you love her?”
Luke thought about all the people he loved - his siblings, his parents, his grandmothers - and also his two closest friends, Maddie and Casey. “Yes, I do.”
Holden noticed the hesitation on his son’s part. “Tell me more about her - how you feel about her.”
“I think she’s very kind.” Holden nodded. “We have a lot in common and she’s very pretty.”
“That she is.”
“She will make a wonderful mother.”
“I think so too. I’ve noticed her with Ethan.” But Holden wasn’t convinced. “You’re young, Luke. There’s no hurry, you know.”
Luke nodded and eventually met his father’s eyes. “When you met Mom, you were pretty young, right?”
“Actually, I was twenty-two, but your mother was only fifteen, yes.” And he studied his son’s expression. “When I was your age, I cared for a girl - Molly was her name. We were close friends; she was very kind…pretty…I knew she would be a good mother. She is actually, she did become a mother. Many of the people here in town thought we would be married someday, we courted for a while; even I thought perhaps we would marry.”
“Really?” Luke couldn’t imagine his father with another girl.
“And then you mother moved to town, and when we met, and after we fell in love, I knew. There was no thinking about whether or not she was the one; there was just a knowing.”
“Really?” Luke said again. “You knew?” Luke met his father’s eyes and saw a glow of certainty there.
“Luke, when you find the right one, you’ll know. You’ll feel the kind of love I felt for Molly, like you do for your family, but you’ll feel something else as well. A tug on your heart.” And he tapped lightly on Luke’s chest. “You’ll feel her tug on your heart.”
Luke smiled. “That’s what Mom said.”
“Did she?”
“Yes. She said I would know - in my heart - when I had found the right girl.”
“Trust your heart, Son. When it’s right, you’ll know. There’ll be no maybe about it.”
Reid fell back flat on the bed with an exhale, his now limp cock hanging out of his open trousers. He glanced over at the man beside him. “Well well, you’re just full of surprises aren’t you?”
“Were you really surprised? I wasn’t being that subtle at dinner, I don’t think.”
“No, that wasn’t a surprise, but what you just did…well, let’s just say…you’ve had some practice.”
Henry nodded his head, not sure whether that was a compliment or not. “I take it you liked it.”
“I’ve had worse, that’s for sure.” He glanced at Katie’s best friend once again. “No, I liked it…trust me.”
“So, we could do this again sometime?”
“I don’t see why not.” Reid half-laughed. “And at first I thought you were jealous because you had your sights set on Katie.”
“Oh no. I love Kitty, like a sister. But not like that, I couldn’t.” He shuddered somewhat. “Have you ever…been with a woman?”
Reid looked at him, eyebrows raised, then shook his head. “No, by the time I was socially competent enough to make a move, I knew. You?”
He nodded. “Twice. It was okay, but an awful lot of work.” Henry said, making Reid laugh.
“Maybe my stint here in the back of beyond won’t be a total waste of time.” He inhaled, looking at the ceiling of Henry’s room, above the pub. “Does she know?”
“No.” he answered quietly, shaking his head. “Please don’t tell her.”
“Why would I? I hardly know her.” When Henry seemed to believe him, he went on. “She’s your best friend, don’t you think she’d understand?”
“I don’t know. Her late husband, Bradley, was quite conservative.”
“Isn’t everybody in this town?”
“Maybe.” He sighed. “I’m just scared. I don’t think I could live without her.”
“Really?” Reid was genuinely perplexed. “I’ve never…I don’t believe I’ve ever felt like that about anyone, except maybe my mother.”
“You’re close to your mother?”
“I was.” He said without a hint of emotion. “She died. It was a long time ago and I don’t want to talk about it.”
Henry took the hint.
“I did have a best friend once, though…it was a long time ago.” Reid said. “I suppose I felt that way about him.” He seemed to drift back towards a long ago memory.
Reid opened the front door to Katie’s boarding house as quietly as he could; it was rather late.
“How is she?” Katie’s voice suddenly whispered. Reid jumped just a bit.
He looked at her with confusion. “Who?”
“Mrs. Jameson.” She said, as if he was dense. “You went to see her because of that cough. You were gone for quite a while, I hope it’s not serious.”
Reid thought long and hard about his fib; he hated lying to people, especially nice people like Katie. This was the only area of his life where he did lie, and it was only because he couldn’t imagine a life where he didn’t practice medicine. Besides, his sex life was nobody’s business but his own. “You know what, I was tired, and I’d forgotten that I had already stopped in to see her before dinner, but I did stop in to see a few others and then went for a drink…with Henry.” He realized he was babbling.
“It’s okay, Dr. Oliver. I’m just your landlady; you don’t owe me an explanation. I was just curious about Mrs. Jameson.” She looked away uncomfortably, and somehow Reid knew that she knew he wasn’t being completely honest. And that bothered him; she wasn’t his friend, he didn’t do friends, so why did her feelings bother him?
“She’s fine.” He said kindly, meeting her eyes. “Sorry if I worried you.” And something happened that rarely happened to Reid Oliver - he wished he could be honest with Katie. But he knew he couldn’t - he couldn’t afford to. “Good night, Mrs. Snyder.” And he turned and went up to his room.
next part/
Title: Perception
Genre/Type: Romance, Period fic
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Characters/Pairings: Luke/Reid, Lily/Holden, Casey, Katie, Maddie, and Henry, amongst others
Warnings: Nope
Summary: The year is 1898; Luke lives on Snyder farm, and Reid is a doctor in Chicago; you’ll figure the rest out.
Big thanks, again, to Slayerkitty, for being my beta!!!
Previous Chapters: 1/ 2/ 3/ 4/
Chapter 5
“Do you think I should ask Maddie to marry me, Father?”
Holden looked up at his son. “Well, that’s not really my decision, is it?” Holden asked back. They were in the barn, mucking out the stalls together. “Do you love her?”
Luke thought about all the people he loved - his siblings, his parents, his grandmothers - and also his two closest friends, Maddie and Casey. “Yes, I do.”
Holden noticed the hesitation on his son’s part. “Tell me more about her - how you feel about her.”
“I think she’s very kind.” Holden nodded. “We have a lot in common and she’s very pretty.”
“That she is.”
“She will make a wonderful mother.”
“I think so too. I’ve noticed her with Ethan.” But Holden wasn’t convinced. “You’re young, Luke. There’s no hurry, you know.”
Luke nodded and eventually met his father’s eyes. “When you met Mom, you were pretty young, right?”
“Actually, I was twenty-two, but your mother was only fifteen, yes.” And he studied his son’s expression. “When I was your age, I cared for a girl - Molly was her name. We were close friends; she was very kind…pretty…I knew she would be a good mother. She is actually, she did become a mother. Many of the people here in town thought we would be married someday, we courted for a while; even I thought perhaps we would marry.”
“Really?” Luke couldn’t imagine his father with another girl.
“And then you mother moved to town, and when we met, and after we fell in love, I knew. There was no thinking about whether or not she was the one; there was just a knowing.”
“Really?” Luke said again. “You knew?” Luke met his father’s eyes and saw a glow of certainty there.
“Luke, when you find the right one, you’ll know. You’ll feel the kind of love I felt for Molly, like you do for your family, but you’ll feel something else as well. A tug on your heart.” And he tapped lightly on Luke’s chest. “You’ll feel her tug on your heart.”
Luke smiled. “That’s what Mom said.”
“Did she?”
“Yes. She said I would know - in my heart - when I had found the right girl.”
“Trust your heart, Son. When it’s right, you’ll know. There’ll be no maybe about it.”
Reid fell back flat on the bed with an exhale, his now limp cock hanging out of his open trousers. He glanced over at the man beside him. “Well well, you’re just full of surprises aren’t you?”
“Were you really surprised? I wasn’t being that subtle at dinner, I don’t think.”
“No, that wasn’t a surprise, but what you just did…well, let’s just say…you’ve had some practice.”
Henry nodded his head, not sure whether that was a compliment or not. “I take it you liked it.”
“I’ve had worse, that’s for sure.” He glanced at Katie’s best friend once again. “No, I liked it…trust me.”
“So, we could do this again sometime?”
“I don’t see why not.” Reid half-laughed. “And at first I thought you were jealous because you had your sights set on Katie.”
“Oh no. I love Kitty, like a sister. But not like that, I couldn’t.” He shuddered somewhat. “Have you ever…been with a woman?”
Reid looked at him, eyebrows raised, then shook his head. “No, by the time I was socially competent enough to make a move, I knew. You?”
He nodded. “Twice. It was okay, but an awful lot of work.” Henry said, making Reid laugh.
“Maybe my stint here in the back of beyond won’t be a total waste of time.” He inhaled, looking at the ceiling of Henry’s room, above the pub. “Does she know?”
“No.” he answered quietly, shaking his head. “Please don’t tell her.”
“Why would I? I hardly know her.” When Henry seemed to believe him, he went on. “She’s your best friend, don’t you think she’d understand?”
“I don’t know. Her late husband, Bradley, was quite conservative.”
“Isn’t everybody in this town?”
“Maybe.” He sighed. “I’m just scared. I don’t think I could live without her.”
“Really?” Reid was genuinely perplexed. “I’ve never…I don’t believe I’ve ever felt like that about anyone, except maybe my mother.”
“You’re close to your mother?”
“I was.” He said without a hint of emotion. “She died. It was a long time ago and I don’t want to talk about it.”
Henry took the hint.
“I did have a best friend once, though…it was a long time ago.” Reid said. “I suppose I felt that way about him.” He seemed to drift back towards a long ago memory.
Reid opened the front door to Katie’s boarding house as quietly as he could; it was rather late.
“How is she?” Katie’s voice suddenly whispered. Reid jumped just a bit.
He looked at her with confusion. “Who?”
“Mrs. Jameson.” She said, as if he was dense. “You went to see her because of that cough. You were gone for quite a while, I hope it’s not serious.”
Reid thought long and hard about his fib; he hated lying to people, especially nice people like Katie. This was the only area of his life where he did lie, and it was only because he couldn’t imagine a life where he didn’t practice medicine. Besides, his sex life was nobody’s business but his own. “You know what, I was tired, and I’d forgotten that I had already stopped in to see her before dinner, but I did stop in to see a few others and then went for a drink…with Henry.” He realized he was babbling.
“It’s okay, Dr. Oliver. I’m just your landlady; you don’t owe me an explanation. I was just curious about Mrs. Jameson.” She looked away uncomfortably, and somehow Reid knew that she knew he wasn’t being completely honest. And that bothered him; she wasn’t his friend, he didn’t do friends, so why did her feelings bother him?
“She’s fine.” He said kindly, meeting her eyes. “Sorry if I worried you.” And something happened that rarely happened to Reid Oliver - he wished he could be honest with Katie. But he knew he couldn’t - he couldn’t afford to. “Good night, Mrs. Snyder.” And he turned and went up to his room.
next part/