93 Locked up in fear
Word Soap: As The World Keeps Turning
Author: SYLnl
Title: #93 Locked up in fear
Rating: PG
Summary: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” - Mark Twain
Big Thanks To: ltklo, for brushing up my grammar
Previously on As The World Keeps Turning:
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15 #16 #17 #18 #19 #20
#21 #22 #23 #24 #25 #26 #27 #28 #29 #30 #31 #32 #33 #34 #35 #36 #37 #38 #39 #40 #41 #42 #43 #44 #45 #46 #47 #48 #49 #50 #51 #52 #53 #54 #55 #56 #57 #58 #59 #60 #61 #62 #63 #64 #65 #66 #67 #68 #69 #70 #71 #72 #73 #74 #75 #76 #77 #78 #79 #80 #81 #82 #83 #84 #85 #86 #87 #88 #89 #90 #91 #92
The minute Margo knocked on the kitchen door, they all knew. This wasn’t good. Everybody stopped eating - including Reid - and all eyes were on the Chief of Police. She took a deep breath, taking in the view. A nice family breakfast, with a dark cloud hanging above the kitchen table. Tired faces focused on her and she nodded when Holden offered her a chair.
“Good morning,” her voice was calm, “Although I’m pretty sure we’ve all had better ones. I have some more news and it isn’t good,” she smiled at Emma who gave her a mug of coffee and nodded at the younger children. When the adults motioned they could stay, she continued: “The blood we found in the car is Lily’s. The amount isn’t large enough to worry us, though. What does worry us is the ransom note that was delivered.”
“Ransom note?” Holden frowned, while Reid called in every ounce of will power not to roll his eyes. Kidnapping. Of course. All part of a normal Oakhell day.
“Yeah, Lucinda found it. She and John are staying with Damian at the house and the note was stuck on the door. Quite a undertaking, because we have the house under surveillance.”
Again Reid bit his tongue. This was not a good moment to question the capabilities of Oakhell’s finest, but he did remember a guard at his house and Damian hiding in Reid’s car. So personally he wasn’t very surprised. He put a piece of Emma’s bread - still warm! - in his mouth to make sure he wouldn’t vent his contempt. At least his initial ‘medical diagnosis’ had been right on the money. Those cops were dumber than rocks.
“How much do they want?” Luke asked and as stoic as possible Margo answered “One million.”
Emma’s delicious baking almost went the wrong way and Reid swallowed expressively. One million? A fairly logical question came to mind. Again he kept his mouth shut, but Emma seemingly had read his mind. Her smile was a little wicked and her shrug telling. His eyes wandered to Molly and she was obviously in on their game. She shrugged too and her facial expression made it very clear. No deal.
“That’s a lot,” Holden started and Margo smiled.
“Lucinda immediately made clear she was willing to pay, but as you all know by now… we try to avoid any actual exchange of money.”
As you all know by now. If it wasn’t so serious, it could have been funny.
After explaining the procedures and finishing her coffee Margo left them dumbfounded and tense. Kidnapped. Blood. It was a lot to handle and Reid noticed the family found comfort by just sitting in each others presence. Molly had pulled out some coloring books and pencils and the three young kids focused on that. Faith had put her earplugs in and had zoned out, while the adults silently watched the children.
Slowly but surely the kitchen began to feel peaceful and Reid found himself on the edge of dozing off. Not so strange, considering the strenuous night they’d had. For some reason he had ended up on the couch, while Luke and Danny had been on a mattress close to him.
It had taken him a while to relax enough to fall asleep, but an unfamiliar sound had woken him up. After a few seconds he had realized it was Danny. Softly crying and moaning.
“Noooo… don’t…”
The boy’s soft whisper had hit him hard and Luke’s voice had been soothing to both Danny and Reid.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s a dream.”
After Danny had found some peace, Reid had noticed another sound and he recognized that one too. He had stretched his arm and had touched Luke’s hair and had even managed to wipe some of Luke’s tears. His lover had grabbed his hand and had squeezed it three times. I love you. He had returned the code and with their fingers entwined they had fallen asleep.
Reid looked at Luke across the kitchen table and, as if his blond felt it, he looked up and smiled.
Are you okay? The brown eyes wondered.
Yeah. You?
Luke gave a quick nod and then yawned. Making all the adults laugh.
“Yeah, I guess you boys didn’t get much sleep down here,” Emma sent them a loving smile.
“I’ve had better nights,” Reid admitted calmly.
“Did you take the day off, Reid?” Abigail’s interest was real.
Before Reid could reply, the knock on the door and the stranger on the porch demanded their attention.
“Hey,” the man gave Holden a nod, “We’re here to install Christmas lights…”
“What?” Holden looked over to his mother, who was looking at Reid and when he gave her a big grin, she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek.
“This is exactly the kind of surprise we could use today,” she sniffed, making Reid a little uncomfortable.
“Yeah…well… the timing is a coincidence, but you were such a great help yesterday, staying at our house when the lighting was put up… and you were so enthusiastic about it… I was hoping you would like it.”
“Love it,” Emma assured him. “Great Christmas present.”
“I’m glad.” Reid smiled when Emma ruffled his hair. She made him feel like a twelve year old. In a good way.
He turned to Abigail. “To return to your question, no… I have a few appointments this afternoon, so I’ll have to leave soon.” Reid looked at Luke and their eyes started their own signaling system, exchanging words like office, red light, bed, shower, sex, sex, sex. Luke cleared his throat.
“Is it okay if I join him? Leave Danny here for a while?”
His innocent question triggered an enormous panic attack next to him. Danny’s lower lip started to tremble like crazy and big tears started rolling over the small cheeks. Fear all over his face.
“Hey, what’s up?” The moment Reid leaned in to him, Danny threw himself around the man’s neck and looking startled, Reid lifted the boy on his lap.
The cries in his ears were heartbreaking. “Don’t leave me behind. Please, don’t leave me behind. Don’t lock me up. I’ll be better. I swear. Just don’t leave me… pleeeease…”
Luke had one hand on Danny’s leg and one hand against his own mouth. Probably so he wouldn’t scream.
“And here is yet another little piece of the jigsaw called Danny’s Horror Past,” Reid sighed, kissing his boy on the temple.
“Danny…look at me…” Reid softly took the little arms from his neck and set the boy down on the table in front of him. Forcing Danny to look him in the eye. “Lóók at me, sweetie.”
When the young boy finally had the courage to look up, Reid could cry. The brown eyes were filled with sadness, pain and fear. He put his hands on the little legs and softly caressed them.
“Listen to me. Nobody is gonna lock you up.”
The brown eyes flashed. Somebody did.
“Not any more,” Reid’s voice was loving but firm. He lifted Danny on his lap again and pointed at the people at the table. They were all watching him. Most of them with tears in their eyes.
“These people will never lock you up, Danny. Never ever. This is our family.”
Danny started crying again. “I don’t know what that means.”
Damn. Reid wanted to kick something. This came too close for comfort. But for Danny’s sake he showed his true colors in public.
“I didn’t know either, Danny. But I’m learning. And nobody can teach you better than this group of people.”
Danny had calmed down, but Reid could feel the tension in the small body still clinging to his and he shook his head at Luke, as he wiped out the words on his wish list. Office. Red light. Bed. Shower. Sex. Sex. He smiled at himself. He left one Sex on the list. Just to be safe. And he put shower back on there too. He was pretty sure Luke wouldn’t ‘put out’ in his grandmother’s house, but stranger things had happened and it was still Oakhell. You just never knew.
Luke gave Reid a nod. “I’ll stay here. We need to take this one step at the time.”
Reid agreed, gently putting Danny back in his chair. His smile was reassuring. “Did you hear that? Luke is staying here with you and I’ll be back this evening.”
“In time for dinner?” Emma asked and Reid pouted.
“I’m afraid not. Unless it’s a very late dinner…”
“I’ll save you some,” she promised and Reid blew her a kiss.
“Already looking forward to it,” he grinned and she gave him a telling wink.
“I’d like to take a shower…” he stood up, looking a little uncomfortable. He’d never been upstairs and all of a sudden he felt like a stranger. An intruder, even.
Did Luke understand? His blond stood up too. “I’ll show you…”
Reid crouched down near Danny’s seat and ruffled the boys hair.
“Is that okay? We’ll be upstairs and you can stay here working on that piece of art.”
Danny scanned the room, bit his lip and shrugged.
“Okay…”
Ethan jumped off this chair. “Grandma, can Danny and I watch Nemo?”
“If Danny wants to…” Emma smiled and explained to Danny, “It’s a movie about a fish. A cartoon.”
She saw something light up in the sad brown eyes. Obviously ‘cartoon’ was a magic word. Good to know.
Ethan looked at Danny and when the boy nodded, the youngest Snyder won the hearts of everyone present by extending his hand to his peer.
“Come Danny, it is very funny movie…”
In passing Reid gave Ethan the thumbs up and the young boy grew three inches.