Dad
"What if he slams the door in our faces?" Reid asked, nervously drumming his thumb against his left thigh.
"Well, then you'll know...c'mon, Reid, ring the bell," Luke encouraged Reid, reaching out and squeezing the back of his neck gently.
"Can I ring the bell?" came a voice from between them. Reid nodded and ran his hand through the mop of hair at his hip.
"Yeah, go ahead, buddy," he said, mentally bracing himself for the fallout.
A small hand reached forward and rang the brownstone's doorbell.
A minute later, the door opened. Luke nearly gasped as he looked at a man who was the spitting image of Reid, only older. He'd seen pictures of him, but they didn't do him justice. He was tall and lean with silver hair and sparkling swimming-pool blue eyes.
"Reid?" the older Oliver said in disbelief. "Oh my God. Reid..." He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his son, who looked over at Luke with a questioning expression on his face.
Reid tentatively brought his arms up and hugged his father back awkwardly. "Hi, Dad."
After a few moments, Reid's father stepped back and looked at him. "Reid..." he said again, cupping the side of his face and then slapping it gently. Luke smiled at the familiarity of the gesture. "My boy. You look good. It's been a long time."
"Eight years," Reid said, a hint of anger in his voice.
"Eight years? How old are you now?"
"I turned 40 this year."
"Christ." Luke saw sadness in his lover's father's eyes as he turned to him. "Hello," he said to Luke.
Reid sighed. "Uh...Luke Snyder...this is my father, Dr. John Oliver." His eyes moved back to his father "Dad, this is my...". He looked at Luke and smiled affectionately, in that moment not caring what his father thought. "....my Luke."
John reached his hand toward Luke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Snyder."
Luke smiled at the use of his surname. "You too, Dr. Oliver." He smiled brightly in the way that he always did, and it didn't even cause Reid to roll his eyes.
John looked down at the small boy who was clinging to Reid's leg with his left arm. "And who's this?" he asked.
"I'm Jack."
"Jack? That's what my father used to call me when I was a small boy."
Reid nodded. "Jack's our son. He's four."
"Four? Are you sure you're not fourteen?" John joked, his attempt to put the boy at ease causing Reid's brow to furrow. Jack giggled.
"Jack..." Reid said quietly. "Remember we talked about this earlier? This is your grandfather." Jack nodded, looking up at his newly found family member. John noticed that the boy's eyes were the same color as Reid's and his own.
"He's yours?" he asked, looking back to Reid.
"He's ours," Reid corrected him.
John nodded. "He looks like you."
"Yes," Reid admitted, smoothing his son's hair. "But he has Luke's disposition, thankfully," Reid said, smiling down at Jack.
John nodded and dropped to his knee in front of his grandson. "Jack...would it be okay if I hugged you?"
Jack looked up at Reid. "Daddy?"
Reid smiled and nodded. Jack turned back to John and flung himself enthusiastically into his arms. Luke watched Reid blink rapidly and turn away.
"Wow, Jack...you're strong," John laughed, picking Jack up with him as he stood. Jack wrapped his legs around his grandfather's waist. John watched as Luke stepped close to Reid and put his hand on his back.
Still holding his grandson, John smiled at Reid. "You're happy," he said. It wasn't a question.
Reid swallowed hard and looked between Luke and Jack. "Immeasurably..."
"Good. That's really good." John cleared his throat and looked at the smiling boy in his arms. "What are we doing standing around on the front porch? What do you say we go in so that you can meet your Grandmother? Wait until she gets a load of you...Reid, Luke...come in..." he said, gesturing inside with his head.
Reid stepped inside with Luke and closed the door, watching his father walk down the hall carrying their son. "Ella!" John called out. "Ella! Our son has come home...and wait until you see who he brought with him."
Reid heard a surprised yelp come from somewhere in the house and the sound of feet decending excitedly upon the stairs. The house smelled unbelievably familiar, and Reid blinked away the sudden emotion that pulled at him from every direction.
Luke squeezed the back of Reid's neck. "You okay?"
"Yup," Reid said leaning into Luke and kissing the side of his head. "I'm perfect."
"Well, then you'll know...c'mon, Reid, ring the bell," Luke encouraged Reid, reaching out and squeezing the back of his neck gently.
"Can I ring the bell?" came a voice from between them. Reid nodded and ran his hand through the mop of hair at his hip.
"Yeah, go ahead, buddy," he said, mentally bracing himself for the fallout.
A small hand reached forward and rang the brownstone's doorbell.
A minute later, the door opened. Luke nearly gasped as he looked at a man who was the spitting image of Reid, only older. He'd seen pictures of him, but they didn't do him justice. He was tall and lean with silver hair and sparkling swimming-pool blue eyes.
"Reid?" the older Oliver said in disbelief. "Oh my God. Reid..." He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his son, who looked over at Luke with a questioning expression on his face.
Reid tentatively brought his arms up and hugged his father back awkwardly. "Hi, Dad."
After a few moments, Reid's father stepped back and looked at him. "Reid..." he said again, cupping the side of his face and then slapping it gently. Luke smiled at the familiarity of the gesture. "My boy. You look good. It's been a long time."
"Eight years," Reid said, a hint of anger in his voice.
"Eight years? How old are you now?"
"I turned 40 this year."
"Christ." Luke saw sadness in his lover's father's eyes as he turned to him. "Hello," he said to Luke.
Reid sighed. "Uh...Luke Snyder...this is my father, Dr. John Oliver." His eyes moved back to his father "Dad, this is my...". He looked at Luke and smiled affectionately, in that moment not caring what his father thought. "....my Luke."
John reached his hand toward Luke. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Snyder."
Luke smiled at the use of his surname. "You too, Dr. Oliver." He smiled brightly in the way that he always did, and it didn't even cause Reid to roll his eyes.
John looked down at the small boy who was clinging to Reid's leg with his left arm. "And who's this?" he asked.
"I'm Jack."
"Jack? That's what my father used to call me when I was a small boy."
Reid nodded. "Jack's our son. He's four."
"Four? Are you sure you're not fourteen?" John joked, his attempt to put the boy at ease causing Reid's brow to furrow. Jack giggled.
"Jack..." Reid said quietly. "Remember we talked about this earlier? This is your grandfather." Jack nodded, looking up at his newly found family member. John noticed that the boy's eyes were the same color as Reid's and his own.
"He's yours?" he asked, looking back to Reid.
"He's ours," Reid corrected him.
John nodded. "He looks like you."
"Yes," Reid admitted, smoothing his son's hair. "But he has Luke's disposition, thankfully," Reid said, smiling down at Jack.
John nodded and dropped to his knee in front of his grandson. "Jack...would it be okay if I hugged you?"
Jack looked up at Reid. "Daddy?"
Reid smiled and nodded. Jack turned back to John and flung himself enthusiastically into his arms. Luke watched Reid blink rapidly and turn away.
"Wow, Jack...you're strong," John laughed, picking Jack up with him as he stood. Jack wrapped his legs around his grandfather's waist. John watched as Luke stepped close to Reid and put his hand on his back.
Still holding his grandson, John smiled at Reid. "You're happy," he said. It wasn't a question.
Reid swallowed hard and looked between Luke and Jack. "Immeasurably..."
"Good. That's really good." John cleared his throat and looked at the smiling boy in his arms. "What are we doing standing around on the front porch? What do you say we go in so that you can meet your Grandmother? Wait until she gets a load of you...Reid, Luke...come in..." he said, gesturing inside with his head.
Reid stepped inside with Luke and closed the door, watching his father walk down the hall carrying their son. "Ella!" John called out. "Ella! Our son has come home...and wait until you see who he brought with him."
Reid heard a surprised yelp come from somewhere in the house and the sound of feet decending excitedly upon the stairs. The house smelled unbelievably familiar, and Reid blinked away the sudden emotion that pulled at him from every direction.
Luke squeezed the back of Reid's neck. "You okay?"
"Yup," Reid said leaning into Luke and kissing the side of his head. "I'm perfect."