The Long and Winding Road 23/?
Title: The Long and Winding Road
Pairing: Reid and Luke
Other characters: Emma, Lily, Holden, Natalie, Ethan, Faith and Noah
Summary: This is a story about the courtship of Luke and Reid. This is AU, there will be a train in this story but it’s not coming for Reid.
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. All mistakes are mine!
Rating G
A/N I wanted to thank Acadian Proud for suggesting the filet mignon main course that they will be eating tonight at dinner.
A/N I have attached the dessert recipes for those who want them If you would like a recipe for anything else menitioned please let me know! Thanks
Emma's Dessert Recipes
Just Desserts
As soon as Reid and Luke stepped through the front door, Reid felt his knees go weak as he inhaled the delicious smells of food. He looked over and smiled at Luke.
“It’s so nice of you to grace us with your presence,” Lily said sarcastically, while she glared at Reid.
Reid felt suddenly awkward. “Sorry we’re late, it was my fault, it took me longer to get ready than I had planned.”
Luke squeezed Reid’s hand, amazed that the other man was willing to accept the blame.
“Hi Mom, thanks for having us, everything smells great!”
“Thanks Baby,” Lily replied coming over to hug Luke hello. “I’m so glad that you could make it.” Lily noticed that Luke didn’t let go of Reid’s hand while she was hugging him. This earned Reid another dirty look.
“Oh Reid you made it. It’s so good to see you,” Emma cried as she walked over to give Reid a hug. “It’s great to see you too, Luke,” she said giving Luke a hug as well.
“Thanks Grandma, it’s wonderful to see you too.”
Reid noted that Emma was wearing an apron and looked a bit harried and correctly surmised that she had done all of the cooking.
“The food smells delicious, Emma. You’ve outdone yourself,” Reid praised her.
Emma blushed shyly at the young man, smiling her appreciation at his compliment.
“I helped,” Lily grumbled behind Emma’s back.
“Of course you did dear,” Emma replied patting Lily’s hand condescendingly.
“You’ve done a wonderful job, Mom. The house looks beautiful,” Luke beamed at his mother and squeezed Reid’s hand hard, to encourage him to say something, complimentary.
“Yes, Lily the house looks great,” Reid echoed with a weak smile.
Lily looked like she was going to say something nasty to Reid, so Emma stepped in. “Reid can you come with me to the kitchen? I would really appreciate it if you could taste test some of the appetizers for me.”
“You had me at kitchen,” Reid grinned. “Please lead the way.” Reid reluctantly let go of Luke’s hand and followed Emma toward the food.
“Mom, you promised that you would welcome Reid into our home?” Luke admonished his mother.
“Come on, Baby give me a break, I went out of my way to host this lovely dinner for him and he can’t even be bothered to show up on time. Noah would never have pulled something like that.”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Mom, Noah and I are over; you have got to give up on that dream. We were only ten minutes late, so what’s the big deal? I know that Reid said it was his fault, but the truth is, it was mine. In fact, if it was up to me, we would still be at Reid’s, so please don’t punish him.”
Lily merely smiled at he son who was too nice for his own good. “Holden, can you please tell Luke that he needn’t defend Reid to me.”
“Hi Dad,” Luke said noticing his father was sitting quietly in the corner of the living room.
“Hi Luke, it’s nice to see you,” he said getting up to hug Luke. “You’ll have to introduce me to Reid if you can pry him away from Mama. She’s quite taken with him, you know.”
Luke beamed at his dad, happy that he seemed to be on his side.
Lily smiled at Luke. “Can you go upstairs and get your brother and sisters and have them wash up before they sit down at the table, it’s just about time to eat.”
“Sure Mom,” he sighed and then went to recruit his younger siblings.
Meanwhile Reid was in heaven taste testing all of Emma’s delights.
“I think that we should bring the food to the table as it seems that everyone is starting to assemble,” Emma suggested.
“I guess so,” Reid replied with great reluctance. “This food is amazing Emma, I can’t believe that you made all of this.”
“Thank you Reid,” she replied with enormous affection. “It’s nice to be appreciated.”
She then led Reid to the dining room, both of them carrying platters of food.
Emma had decided that the appetizers should all be seafood. She knew that Reid hailed from Boston and had correctly guessed that he would be a fan. She had made a warm crab dip that was served with homemade French baguette, smoked salmon spread that was served with gourmet crackers, sautéed prawns that had been cooked in lemon juice instead of wine out of deference to Luke. Aside from the seafood she had also made a large platter of crudités served with a creamy garlicky dressing. Reid’s eyes were as big as saucers as he gazed lovingly at the vast array of food on the table. This is only the first course; I can hardly believe that there is more food coming my way. God I love Emma!
“Reid, why don’t you come and sit with me,” Lily invited, sweetly.
“Um…”Reid began
“No Mom, I want Reid to sit beside me,” Luke stated firmly at the same time.
“You were supposed to sit beside Ethan,” Lily pouted.
“That’s okay Mom, I want to sit beside Reid,” Ethan offered. “Do you really get to cut into other people’s brains?” he asked with big, round brown eyes.
“Yes,” Reid nodded, taking his seat between the two youngest Snyder men.
“Cool, I want to know all about it,” Ethan enthused.
“Ethan, please don’t bother Reid. I’m sure that he doesn’t want to talk about his work with you,” Lily stated making it clear that she did not want to hear about brains.
“That’s okay, I’m happy to talk about brains. They’re all different and yet they are all fascinating.”
“Well you know there are much more pleasant things to talk about at dinner, like movies,” suggested Lily. “I mean directors must live such fascinating lives, don’t you agree?”
“I think that it would depend on the director,” Reid answered diplomatically while Luke glared at his mother.
“I hate talking about movies, especially the boring ones. Remember when Noah would drone on and on about lighting and stuff? I mean who cares about that? All I care about are cartoons and they hardly ever have lights in those movies,” Ethan volunteered.
Reid smiled at Ethan deciding that he was Reid’s third favourite Snyder.
“Ethan please don’t be rude. Noah was just very passionate about his film projects,” Lily chided. “Being a director is a very demanding job.”
“Not as demanding as a brain surgeon, I bet,” Ethan quickly pointed out.
Lily sighed heavily. “Ethan those are very different jobs, it’s hard to say which one has more value.”
Reid snorted.
Ethan turned to Reid with a look of awe on his face. Nobody ever snorted at the dinner table, ever!
“Didn’t you operate on Noah and give him back his eyesight?” Ethan asked.
“Yes,” Reid replied.
Ethan nodded. “Well I bet Noah thinks that being a brain surgeon is way more important than being a dumb old movie director.”
“Ethan, Noah is a movie director. I’m sure that he thinks that his job is important,” Lily barked.
“Maybe, but not nearly as important as a brain surgeon,” Ethan reiterated.
“What makes you say that?” Holden inquired.
“Well, when he lost his sight ne needed Reid to fix him, but I bet you’ve never needed a director for anything, have you?” Ethan looked at Reid waiting expectantly for an answer.
“Nope, I can honestly say that I’ve ever had much use for a director,” Reid answered smiling at Ethan.
“See, that proves it.”
“You must have been really good at science when you were at school,” Natalie stated trying to diffuse the tension at the table.
“Yes, I took all of the science classes I could when I was in high school.”
“I’m surprised you can remember what you took in high school, as it must have been a long time ago,” Lily commented dryly. This is not going the way that I had planned at all.
“Well not as long ago as it was for you, but I was blessed with an excellent memory, so I remember it quite well,” Reid answered as sweetly as he could. “Do you like science, Natalie?”
“Yes, and I was wondering if maybe you could look at my science project after dinner. I’m having a little bit of trouble with it and no one else really understands chemistry.”
“Sure, I’d be happy to take a look at it.”
Lily turned to Faith in attempt to take control of the conversation and to steer away from all things science.
“So Faith, who are you going to the Winter Formal with? When do you want to go shopping for a new dress with me?” Lily asked brightly.
“God Mom, I’m not going shopping with you. I’m not ten, you know. I’m not sure who I’m going with yet and what business is it of yours? God Mom!” Faith glared at her mother. Why are parents so clueless???
“Faith, honey, you know I love you and I just want to make sure that you’re happy. I’m sure that we would have fun shopping for a dress together. We could even go in to Chicago to get one,” Lily tried valiantly to win Faith over.
“Yeah, no I don’t think so. Chicago is a good idea though; do you think that Aunt Carly might take me? Ooooh maybe she could design a dress for me. That would be so cool.”
Lily looked crestfallen, Faith looked hopeful, Reid fought the urge to laugh and everyone else just looked uncomfortable.
“You’ll have to talk to Carly about this yourself. I don’t have any idea what her availability is,” Holden stated as diplomatically as he could.
“Well it looks like everyone is finished with the first course,” Emma announced. “Reid would you mind helping me clear the table?”
“Not at all,” Reid replied, happy to be able to escape. The fact that he was going to the place where the food happened to be was a bonus.
Reid had just brought several plates into the kitchen and placed them carefully on the counter next to the sink when the doorbell rang.
Oh my God, who can that be??? Who knew there could be so much drama at one dinner party?
“I’ll get it,” cried Emma putting down a serving platter.
Emma rushed over to the front door, cringing inwardly when she recognized the visitor.
“Hello Noah, what can I do for you?” Emma asked crossing her arms over her chest.
“Hi Emma,” Noah responded warmly and opened his arms so that Emma could hug him she just stood there with arms crossed in front of her chest..
Noah squinted at Emma, trying to figure out what her problem was.
“Is Luke here,” Noah finally ventured when he saw that Emma was not going to invite him in.
“Yes, he’s here, but this is not a good time, as we are in the middle of a family dinner,” Emma stated firmly.
“No problem, I’m starving,” Noah announced with a smile on his face.
“I’m sorry Noah, but this is a family dinner, you’ll have to arrange to see Luke another time.”
“Wha, what?” Noah gasped out. “Are you asking me to leave?” Noah queried, gaping at Emma.
“Yes,” Emma replied with a firm nod. “Good night Noah. Oh and please don’t phone Luke tonight, I’ll tell him that you stopped by and I’m sure that he’ll call you when he gets a chance.” With that she closed the door firmly leaving Noah on the front stoop squinting at the house. What the hell was that? Since when am I not family, I hope that Emma isn’t sick or anything. I’ll have to mention this to Luke when he calls me. Noah took one last look through the window and thought that he spotted a head of reddish blonde hair. Hair that looked very much like it belonged to one Reid Oliver. What the hell is he doing at a family dinner? Is he the reason that I wasn’t allowed in to the house? I can’t believe that he has wormed his way into a family dinner. I have got to save Luke!!!
Noah trudged back to his car and got in shaking his head. I have got to fix this!
“Who was at the door?” Lily asked as Emma stepped back into the dining room.
“Nobody important,” she replied with a shrug.
Reid smiled to himself, knowing that it was Noah, having caught a glimpse of the brunette as he walked away from the house.
Reid brought out a platter of fillet mignon that had been glazed with a balsamic vinegar reduction and finished with goat cheese that had been melted under the broiler to perfection by Emma. Reid had had to force himself not to nibble at them before bringing them out.
He placed them in front of Luke ensuring that Luke would serve him first. Reid knew that Luke would choose the best piece for him.
He then returned to the kitchen to help Emma bring out the rest of the side dishes. The amount of food that Emma had created was enormous. She had made buttermilk biscuits, Macaroni and cheese, asparagus, roast potatoes, corn, peas, sauteed mushrooms and of course gravy.
“Your grandmother has outdone herself. This is amazing,” Reid stated reverently.
Luke smiled at Reid and shook his head. “I hate to say it, but this is a typical dinner for Grandma. She loves to cook, and we love to eat!”
“Now that’s a perfect relationship,” Reid nodded with satisfaction.
“The food is amazing, Emma. I can’t believe you prepared all of it yourself.”
“I helped,” Lily said, through gritted teeth.
“Uh huh, well it’s all fantastic,” Reid replied diplomatically.
I wonder what Lily made, and if I should avoid it. Just then Reid felt a tug at his shirt.
He looked down to see Ethan looking up at him expectantly.
“My mom, set the menu and told Grandma exactly what to prepare,” Ethan whispered to Reid.
Reid rolled his eyes. “Now that makes sense,” he whispered back.
Ethan giggled. “My dad rolls his eyes at my mom too. She can be really silly.”
Reid laughed out loud.
Lily immediately turned and glared at Reid. “What’s so funny? Care to share with the rest of us?”
Reid looked at Ethan and winked. “Ethan was just telling me that I am just like his father.”
“What?” Lily gasped. “You are nothing like Holden. Why would Ethan say that?”
“Well,” Reid began looking directly at Lily. “We both love Luke,” he said and turned and kissed Luke soundly on the lips. “I guess that Ethan thinks that’s a pretty important quality to share,” he paused to gaze at Luke, “and so do I.”
Luke beamed at Reid feeling more loved than he ever had before.
It was at that moment that something inside of Lily shifted. She had never seen that look on Luke’s face before and she had to admit that it was Reid Oliver who had put it there. Perhaps Reid isn’t so bad. Anyone who could make Luke beam like that had to be pretty special. Noah never made Luke look that happy. That relationship really is over and it looks like Reid is here to stay.
“Yes,” Lily smiled genuinely at Reid for the first time. “That is a very important quality to share.”
When everyone began chatting comfortably again, Ethan once again pulled on Reid’s shirt.
“Thanks,” he whispered quietly. “My mom would kill me and my dad if she knew that he rolled his eyes at her.”
“No problem,” Reid replied with a smile.
After that the evening flowed easily. Luke was beaming and that made Reid happy.
Soon it was time to clear the table. Emma recruited Luke and Holden for that particular job.
“Reid will you please help me with the blow torch now?”
Everyone turned to stare at Emma and then Reid. Emma never let anyone near her food. This was a very special honour.
“Gee Mama; I can’t believe that you’re letting Reid use the blow torch. What’s so special about him?” Holden teased, good naturedly.
“He’s a neurosurgeon, I trust that he has steady hands,” Emma replied.
“That I do!” Reid confirmed.
Reid and Emma returned to the kitchen once more where she quickly removed the crème brulee from the fridge and set them up on the counter.
“Have you used a blow torch before?” she asked carefully, suddenly feeling just a wee bit nervous.
“Yes,” he nodded. “I’ve never used one on a dessert before, but I am confident that I can handle this.”
“Okay,” she replied, and quickly sprinkled the icing sugar over each of the custards.
“They are ready to be torched. Be careful not to burn the sugar, you just want to caramelize it.”
Reid nodded and expertly manoeuvred the torch to finish the desserts.
“Perfect,” Emma enthused when he was finished. “They need to sit for awhile. I’m just going to put the coffee on and then I’ll set up the rest of the desserts. Can you ask everyone to retire to the living room for dessert and coffee?”
“Sure Emma,” he leaned over and kissed her on her cheek. “Thanks for going to all of this trouble.”
Emma blushed at his appreciation. “You’re welcome,” she replied with a warm smile.
Reid told everyone to settle in the living room.
Lily frowned at his bossiness, but nevertheless did as she was told.
Luke was thrilled to sit beside Reid on the couch.
“Are you okay?” Luke asked, his voice laced with concern.
“Yeah, I am,” Reid replied leaning over and gently kissing Luke.
“Get a room,” Faith suggested, her voice tinged with equal parts scorn and envy.
“Faith,” Luke snapped at her.
“Um… do you think that you could come and look at my science project before Grandma brings out the dessert?” Natalie asked Reid shyly.
“You really don’t have to help her if you don’t want to,” Luke whispered in Reid’s ear.
Reid shook his head at Luke. “Let’s go, Natalie,” he said as he reluctantly got up from the couch.
Lily saw Reid’s empty seat and came over to sit with Luke. “You really care about Reid, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Luke sighed heavily.
“He’s really not like Noah at all,” she mused aloud.
“I know, thank God! Reid is much better for me. I know that this is difficult for you, but you are going to have to accept my relationship with him.”
“Yes, I can see that,” she smiled at Luke. “I will make an effort with him, I promise. He’s not really my cup of tea, but I can see that he makes you happy and that’s what is most important to me.”
“Really?” Luke asked cautiously.
“Yes really,” Lily answered firmly. “I’m your mother and all I really want is for you to be happy. He seems to have won over everyone else, Emma really is quite besotted by him, you know.”
“I know,” Luke smiled. “I think that it goes both ways. If Grandma was a gay male, I’d be worried.”
Just then Natalie and Reid returned. “Luke he really is a genius!! He solved my problem instantly,” she beamed.
Lily shook her head and got up from the sofa so that Reid could sit beside Luke.
Shortly after that, Emma asked Lily and Holden to help her serve the dessert. She made a special plate for Reid that had a sampling of all three.
Luke laughed as Reid smiled gratefully at Emma.
Soon dessert and coffee were finished, Faith put her younger siblings to bed, and Luke and Reid were able to make their escape.
Just as Emma was hugging Luke good bye she mentioned that it had been Noah that had come to the door. “I told him that I would have you call him, when you had time. I’m sure that it wasn’t anything important,” she stated pointedly.
“Why didn’t you let him in?” Luke inquired curiously.
Emma shrugged, “this dinner was for family, and Noah isn’t a part of that anymore.”
“Thanks Grandma,” he said and hugged her tightly one last time.
As Luke and Reid headed towards the car, Luke told Reid that it had been Noah who had come to the door.
“I know,” Reid said with a smile.
“You know? How did you know?”
“I saw him through the window as he was leaving.”
“Did he see you?”
“I don’t know, he might have, he looked pretty pissed off as he stomped away from the house,” Reid said smiling. “Does it matter if he saw me?”
“No,” Luke shook his head. “I’m just surprised that my Grandma didn’t let him in. I always thought that she liked him.”
“I’m sure that she did, Luke, but she’s always going to put you first, as she should.”
“Well I’m sure that she likes you,” Luke said nodding at the leftovers they were both carrying to the car. “In fact, I think that you won everyone over, including my mom. She finally seems to understand that I’m not going back to Noah. Thank God!”
“Who knew that I could be so charming?” Reid added, only half joking.
“I did,” Luke said seriously.
Reid leaned over and kissed Luke lovingly. Luke moaned into the kiss and nearly dropped the food he was carrying.
Reid smiled as he broke the kiss. “Are you staying over?” he asked hopefully.
“Yes, I have my overnight bag in the trunk,” Luke replied.
“Excellent!”