Fic: Perception 7/?
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/ 5/ 6/
Chapter 7
“Reid, stop fidgeting.” Katie fixed his tie again.
“You people do this every month? Seriously?”
Yes.” Katie said brightly.
“And you look forward to it?”
“Reid.”
“I’m serious. You actually look forward to spending the evening with…each other…the same people you see every day in town. The only difference is you’re dressed up, eating some - I’ll admit, delicious smelling casseroles - and listening to probably some eighty-five year old piano player plunk out some out-of-tune songs while you all shuffle around and smile at each other.”
“Are you always this pessimistic?”
“What? This is me being cheerful.” And he smiled a toothy grin. She gave him a playful shove. “You look very pretty, by the way.”
She smiled back at him. “Thank you.”
“Ah, here comes Dr. Hughes and Mrs. Hughes, with…someone…” he said, and Katie turned to watch the Hughes arrive.
“Oh, that’s their grandson.”
“Reid, what a pleasant surprise,” Bob said. “You’re doing something that isn’t work for a change.” And Dr. Hughes and Katie exchanged looks.
“You people make it sound like a crime to work hard, Dr. Hughes.”
“Ah, not so, not so. But there is a time and a place for everything, yes? And please, call me Bob tonight.”
Reid nodded. “Fine, as you wish. And how are you this evening, Mrs. Hughes?”
“Very good, thank you, Dr. Oliver. I always do enjoy these suppers. It does my heart good to see the young folk enjoying themselves, and I love a good waltz with Bob.” She turned to the young man beside her. “Have you met our grandson, Casey?”
“No, I haven’t.” They shook hands. “It’s good to meet you.”
“And yourself, Doctor.” Casey seemed nice enough, and another quite handsome specimen in this small town. Suddenly Casey’s face brightened. “Will you excuse me?” he said, walking across the room towards a large group entering the hall. Reid’s eyes followed him, and he immediately recognized Holden Snyder with a woman he had spoken with briefly in town.
“Is that Mrs. Snyder, Mrs. Holden Snyder I mean?” he asked Katie quietly.
“Yes, that’s Lily.” She said cheerfully.
“She crafts some very beautiful items,” Reid said. “I saw them earlier this week in the store - the items, I mean. They’re quite good. I didn’t know that she was Holden’s wife.”
“Yes, the wool is from the Snyder’s sheep. You should see the lovely things she creates come the fall - sweaters and scarves and so many beautiful things.”
“Is that their little boy - holding her hand?”
“Yes, that’s Ethan, their youngest. Natalie, his sister, is beside him with Emma, Holden’s mother; Faith is the older girl; and that’s their son Luke with Maddie Coleman, Henry’s sister; they’ve been seeing each other for a few months now. You probably didn’t know Henry had a sister.”
But Reid wasn’t listening. His eyes were taking in the older son of Holden and Lily Snyder; from his soft blond locks and beautiful eyes, to his broad shoulders and his obviously strong farmer’s build; he saw him laugh and smile at something Casey had said, and Reid smiled too.
Dr. Hughes’ grandson then said something else, gesturing in Reid and Katie’s direction and Luke’s eyes landed on Katie and then him. It was Reid’s turn to be checked out, but somehow Reid didn’t think the young man even knew he was doing so. When Luke’s eyes returned to Reid’s, his look turned from wide-eyed wonder to worry and he dropped his gaze to the floor.
“Come. Let me introduce you, Reid.” Katie said, pulling him out of his thoughts, and across the room.
She approached the Snyders with a bright smile, and she introduced them one by one. Holden and Reid had, of course, already met, and Reid and Lily commented on their earlier conversation. He shook Holden’s hand and gently took Lily’s; then he glanced with a polite nod at each of the children, saying “It’s nice to meet you.” Lastly his eyes landed on Luke, whom he found staring at him. Luke quickly looked away.
Thirty minutes later, Reid was savoring a piece of pie. “This is probably the best strawberry-rhubarb pie I’ve ever eaten,” he said to Katie beside him.
“Oh, that’s nothing. Wait until you come to the next supper.”
He looked horrified at the thought. “The next one?”
“Yes, next month the strawberries will be ripe. This one Emma made from her canned strawberries - at least she had fresh rhubarb to work with; but wait until you see what she can do once more fresh produce comes in. Oh, her pies, her casseroles, anything she makes really.”
“Who is this Emma? I think I might need to make her acquaintance.”
“I told you…Holden’s mother. She’s right over there at that far table, talking with Bob and Kim.”
They were quiet for a while then, simply watching the couples on the dance floor. Henry was dancing with a young blonde girl, who looked far too young for him, and far too girl for him, Reid thought with a wry smile. Holden and Lily looked good together - happy. Then his eyes found Luke and Maddie; they were talking quietly to each other while dancing, and enjoying themselves; they appeared fond of each other - Reid imagines that they’ve known each other for many years. He studied Luke - the slope of his arm which fell around Maddie’s waist; the movement of his hips as he moved across the floor with her; the graceful curve of his neck, which Reid could see thanks to the warmth in the room which caused almost all the men to shed their sweaters and ties. His eyes wandered over the young man’s jaw line to his lips - Luke licked his lips, listening to Maddie talk, and then broke out into a beautiful smile.
Reid smiled as he watched him. “She’s very pretty, isn’t she?” Katie said quietly.
Reid - surprised - turned to her. “Um, yes. She is.”
“A little young for you, though, don’t you think?”
“Yes, definitely.” Reid said, realizing that Luke was probably her same age. “No harm in looking though, is there?”
The music stopped and people applauded and thanked their partner, and began milling about, some in search of a new one. Casey approached Maddie and Luke and in a moment Maddie and Casey took to the floor. Reid saw Katie looking around the room, obviously wanting to dance, and Reid groaned silently; he hated dancing, but he could do this for her. He stood up and offered her his hand. “Would you like to dance, Mrs. Snyder?”
“Katie,” she said, taking his hand.
“Katie.” He responded, and they took their place out there with the other couples.
They spoke quietly to each other for a few moments and then fell to silently moving to the music; Reid noticed that Casey wasn’t nearly as graceful on the dance floor as Luke had been. Maddie seemed to notice as well, as he almost stepped on her toes several times. There was a lot of giggling going on before they settled into a pattern. Reid’s eyes found Luke sitting in a chair along the wall, watching the dance floor; following Luke’s gaze, it landed on Maddie and Casey dancing and laughing together. Luke seemed to study his two friends, and Reid felt like he could almost feel what Luke was feeling, just by watching his face; the boy seemed to be experiencing a firestorm of emotions.
“Oh, it must be serious,” Katie’s voice broke in.
“Hmm?” Reid looked at her, confused.
“Luke and Maddie,” she explained. “Luke looks pretty jealous, watching her dance with his best friend like that.”
“Oh, right.” Reid responded.
“Can I cut in, Dr. Oliver?” Reid recognized Henry’s voice over his shoulder. Katie looked disappointed, but Reid was more than ready to stop dancing, and so he gave Henry her hand.
He found his feet making their way over to Luke. As he approached, the young man’s eyes left the dance floor and landed on him, and Luke seemed to stop breathing for a moment; and then Luke’s eyes traveled down and back up his body, and his lips parted.
Reid stopped a few feet away. “Do you mind if I join you?”
The young man shook his head, swallowed and then managed to say, “No, please sit.” And indicated the chair beside him.
Reid sat and they reintroduced themselves again, and then Luke commented on how beautiful the band sounded tonight and Reid on how wonderful the pies were. Silence followed while Luke fidgeted, his focus seemingly shifting between the dance floor and the man beside him. Reid was terrible at small talk - absolutely hated it - but he knew that he was the more mature here, so he would have to be the one to break the awkward silence.
“So, Luke.” He began and Luke turned towards him briefly. “What do you do?”
“Um, well…I farm, obviously. When I’m not at school, of course.”
“School?” Reid asked. “Oh, of course. What year are you in?”
“I’m a senior, Dr. Oliver. I’ll be receiving my diploma in a few weeks.”
“Good for you.” Luke turned to face him again and Reid smiled at him. “Congratulations.” Luke’s smile in return nearly took his breath away.
“Thank you.” Luke said. “I’ll be the first in my family to finish secondary school.”
Reid held his gaze. “That’s quite an occasion, and quite an accomplishment. You should be proud, and I’m sure your family is.”
Luke blushed then. “They are.”
They spoke for a little while more, about how Reid’s first weeks in Oakdale had been, and he told Luke a little bit about the research he was beginning. He couldn’t help but notice that the boy’s eyes seemed to light up when Reid spoke a bit about his days at University. Luke didn’t seem all that interested in research or science even, but study. Most young men his age couldn’t wait to get away from their books, but Luke’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he told Reid about his favorite authors and his school subjects.
When the evening got late, everyone began to filter out of the hall, all happy-tired.
As Reid and Katie were saying good night to the Snyders and to Henry and Maddie, he spoke to Lily. “Luke told me he will be receiving his diploma. You must be very proud.”
“We are, we are,” Lily said, taking Reid’s hand with a warm smile. “And we’ll be having quite the celebration. You must come.”
“I’d be happy to.” He said returning her smile. Then he turned his head and again found Luke’s eyes on him, but this time Luke didn’t look away. And he nodded his head just slightly at the young man, their eyes holding each other’s gaze for just a few seconds. “Well, good night.” He said to those gathered, and he offered Katie his arm and they began to head out.
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/ 5/ 6/
Chapter 7
“Reid, stop fidgeting.” Katie fixed his tie again.
“You people do this every month? Seriously?”
Yes.” Katie said brightly.
“And you look forward to it?”
“Reid.”
“I’m serious. You actually look forward to spending the evening with…each other…the same people you see every day in town. The only difference is you’re dressed up, eating some - I’ll admit, delicious smelling casseroles - and listening to probably some eighty-five year old piano player plunk out some out-of-tune songs while you all shuffle around and smile at each other.”
“Are you always this pessimistic?”
“What? This is me being cheerful.” And he smiled a toothy grin. She gave him a playful shove. “You look very pretty, by the way.”
She smiled back at him. “Thank you.”
“Ah, here comes Dr. Hughes and Mrs. Hughes, with…someone…” he said, and Katie turned to watch the Hughes arrive.
“Oh, that’s their grandson.”
“Reid, what a pleasant surprise,” Bob said. “You’re doing something that isn’t work for a change.” And Dr. Hughes and Katie exchanged looks.
“You people make it sound like a crime to work hard, Dr. Hughes.”
“Ah, not so, not so. But there is a time and a place for everything, yes? And please, call me Bob tonight.”
Reid nodded. “Fine, as you wish. And how are you this evening, Mrs. Hughes?”
“Very good, thank you, Dr. Oliver. I always do enjoy these suppers. It does my heart good to see the young folk enjoying themselves, and I love a good waltz with Bob.” She turned to the young man beside her. “Have you met our grandson, Casey?”
“No, I haven’t.” They shook hands. “It’s good to meet you.”
“And yourself, Doctor.” Casey seemed nice enough, and another quite handsome specimen in this small town. Suddenly Casey’s face brightened. “Will you excuse me?” he said, walking across the room towards a large group entering the hall. Reid’s eyes followed him, and he immediately recognized Holden Snyder with a woman he had spoken with briefly in town.
“Is that Mrs. Snyder, Mrs. Holden Snyder I mean?” he asked Katie quietly.
“Yes, that’s Lily.” She said cheerfully.
“She crafts some very beautiful items,” Reid said. “I saw them earlier this week in the store - the items, I mean. They’re quite good. I didn’t know that she was Holden’s wife.”
“Yes, the wool is from the Snyder’s sheep. You should see the lovely things she creates come the fall - sweaters and scarves and so many beautiful things.”
“Is that their little boy - holding her hand?”
“Yes, that’s Ethan, their youngest. Natalie, his sister, is beside him with Emma, Holden’s mother; Faith is the older girl; and that’s their son Luke with Maddie Coleman, Henry’s sister; they’ve been seeing each other for a few months now. You probably didn’t know Henry had a sister.”
But Reid wasn’t listening. His eyes were taking in the older son of Holden and Lily Snyder; from his soft blond locks and beautiful eyes, to his broad shoulders and his obviously strong farmer’s build; he saw him laugh and smile at something Casey had said, and Reid smiled too.
Dr. Hughes’ grandson then said something else, gesturing in Reid and Katie’s direction and Luke’s eyes landed on Katie and then him. It was Reid’s turn to be checked out, but somehow Reid didn’t think the young man even knew he was doing so. When Luke’s eyes returned to Reid’s, his look turned from wide-eyed wonder to worry and he dropped his gaze to the floor.
“Come. Let me introduce you, Reid.” Katie said, pulling him out of his thoughts, and across the room.
She approached the Snyders with a bright smile, and she introduced them one by one. Holden and Reid had, of course, already met, and Reid and Lily commented on their earlier conversation. He shook Holden’s hand and gently took Lily’s; then he glanced with a polite nod at each of the children, saying “It’s nice to meet you.” Lastly his eyes landed on Luke, whom he found staring at him. Luke quickly looked away.
Thirty minutes later, Reid was savoring a piece of pie. “This is probably the best strawberry-rhubarb pie I’ve ever eaten,” he said to Katie beside him.
“Oh, that’s nothing. Wait until you come to the next supper.”
He looked horrified at the thought. “The next one?”
“Yes, next month the strawberries will be ripe. This one Emma made from her canned strawberries - at least she had fresh rhubarb to work with; but wait until you see what she can do once more fresh produce comes in. Oh, her pies, her casseroles, anything she makes really.”
“Who is this Emma? I think I might need to make her acquaintance.”
“I told you…Holden’s mother. She’s right over there at that far table, talking with Bob and Kim.”
They were quiet for a while then, simply watching the couples on the dance floor. Henry was dancing with a young blonde girl, who looked far too young for him, and far too girl for him, Reid thought with a wry smile. Holden and Lily looked good together - happy. Then his eyes found Luke and Maddie; they were talking quietly to each other while dancing, and enjoying themselves; they appeared fond of each other - Reid imagines that they’ve known each other for many years. He studied Luke - the slope of his arm which fell around Maddie’s waist; the movement of his hips as he moved across the floor with her; the graceful curve of his neck, which Reid could see thanks to the warmth in the room which caused almost all the men to shed their sweaters and ties. His eyes wandered over the young man’s jaw line to his lips - Luke licked his lips, listening to Maddie talk, and then broke out into a beautiful smile.
Reid smiled as he watched him. “She’s very pretty, isn’t she?” Katie said quietly.
Reid - surprised - turned to her. “Um, yes. She is.”
“A little young for you, though, don’t you think?”
“Yes, definitely.” Reid said, realizing that Luke was probably her same age. “No harm in looking though, is there?”
The music stopped and people applauded and thanked their partner, and began milling about, some in search of a new one. Casey approached Maddie and Luke and in a moment Maddie and Casey took to the floor. Reid saw Katie looking around the room, obviously wanting to dance, and Reid groaned silently; he hated dancing, but he could do this for her. He stood up and offered her his hand. “Would you like to dance, Mrs. Snyder?”
“Katie,” she said, taking his hand.
“Katie.” He responded, and they took their place out there with the other couples.
They spoke quietly to each other for a few moments and then fell to silently moving to the music; Reid noticed that Casey wasn’t nearly as graceful on the dance floor as Luke had been. Maddie seemed to notice as well, as he almost stepped on her toes several times. There was a lot of giggling going on before they settled into a pattern. Reid’s eyes found Luke sitting in a chair along the wall, watching the dance floor; following Luke’s gaze, it landed on Maddie and Casey dancing and laughing together. Luke seemed to study his two friends, and Reid felt like he could almost feel what Luke was feeling, just by watching his face; the boy seemed to be experiencing a firestorm of emotions.
“Oh, it must be serious,” Katie’s voice broke in.
“Hmm?” Reid looked at her, confused.
“Luke and Maddie,” she explained. “Luke looks pretty jealous, watching her dance with his best friend like that.”
“Oh, right.” Reid responded.
“Can I cut in, Dr. Oliver?” Reid recognized Henry’s voice over his shoulder. Katie looked disappointed, but Reid was more than ready to stop dancing, and so he gave Henry her hand.
He found his feet making their way over to Luke. As he approached, the young man’s eyes left the dance floor and landed on him, and Luke seemed to stop breathing for a moment; and then Luke’s eyes traveled down and back up his body, and his lips parted.
Reid stopped a few feet away. “Do you mind if I join you?”
The young man shook his head, swallowed and then managed to say, “No, please sit.” And indicated the chair beside him.
Reid sat and they reintroduced themselves again, and then Luke commented on how beautiful the band sounded tonight and Reid on how wonderful the pies were. Silence followed while Luke fidgeted, his focus seemingly shifting between the dance floor and the man beside him. Reid was terrible at small talk - absolutely hated it - but he knew that he was the more mature here, so he would have to be the one to break the awkward silence.
“So, Luke.” He began and Luke turned towards him briefly. “What do you do?”
“Um, well…I farm, obviously. When I’m not at school, of course.”
“School?” Reid asked. “Oh, of course. What year are you in?”
“I’m a senior, Dr. Oliver. I’ll be receiving my diploma in a few weeks.”
“Good for you.” Luke turned to face him again and Reid smiled at him. “Congratulations.” Luke’s smile in return nearly took his breath away.
“Thank you.” Luke said. “I’ll be the first in my family to finish secondary school.”
Reid held his gaze. “That’s quite an occasion, and quite an accomplishment. You should be proud, and I’m sure your family is.”
Luke blushed then. “They are.”
They spoke for a little while more, about how Reid’s first weeks in Oakdale had been, and he told Luke a little bit about the research he was beginning. He couldn’t help but notice that the boy’s eyes seemed to light up when Reid spoke a bit about his days at University. Luke didn’t seem all that interested in research or science even, but study. Most young men his age couldn’t wait to get away from their books, but Luke’s eyes seemed to sparkle as he told Reid about his favorite authors and his school subjects.
When the evening got late, everyone began to filter out of the hall, all happy-tired.
As Reid and Katie were saying good night to the Snyders and to Henry and Maddie, he spoke to Lily. “Luke told me he will be receiving his diploma. You must be very proud.”
“We are, we are,” Lily said, taking Reid’s hand with a warm smile. “And we’ll be having quite the celebration. You must come.”
“I’d be happy to.” He said returning her smile. Then he turned his head and again found Luke’s eyes on him, but this time Luke didn’t look away. And he nodded his head just slightly at the young man, their eyes holding each other’s gaze for just a few seconds. “Well, good night.” He said to those gathered, and he offered Katie his arm and they began to head out.
next part/