Chapter: 18 Stop the Insanity Special Thanks: Special thanks to Vernie for her help with this story. Rating: PG 13 Characters: Noah, Luke, Damian Jack Disclaimer: This site is no way associated with "As the World Turns", CBS, P&G, or Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann. This is not for profit. No copyright infringement is intended. Authors submit and write their own work.

Damian approached the two men. Luke stepped in front of Noah. "I told him that he has to go."

Noah tried to get around Luke. "I'm not going anywhere."

Damian was angry that the man that he had spared only to gain favor in his son's eyes was standing before him. "How did you find me?"

Noah pointed his finger at Damian. "That doesn't matter. Snakes like you always come crawling out sooner or later."

Damian nodded towards the house. "Those men that were here. You know them don't you? I thought something about them didn't feel right. That's why I threw them out."

Luke turned and looked at Noah. "Who else is here?"

Noah looked down at Luke. He put his hands on Luke's arms to reassure him. "Just some friends. They wanted to help."

Damian had had enough. He took a gun from behind his back. "Take your hands off my son."

Luke looked at Damian in horror. "Damian what are you doing?"

Damian continued to point the gun at Noah. "Something that I should have done in the first place."

Luke stood in front of Noah. "I won't let you shoot him, besides people will hear."

Damian smiled. "No one will pay attention. They will just think that someone is hunting. Besides, I'm not going to shoot him. I've got something special planned for him. Now come over here."

Luke walked towards Damian. Making sure that he stayed between Noah and the gun. "You promise that you aren't going to kill him. Just let him go."

Damian motioned for Noah to move into the house. "I'll let him go, but I need to do something first. Get inside."

Luke looked at Noah. Pleading for him not to do anything rash. "It's okay Noah. I won't let him hurt you."

Noah went into the house. Damian turned a chair around. "Have a seat."
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Noah went to the chair and sat down. Damian opened a draw and took out some handcuffs. "Put these on him."

Luke walked over and took the handcuffs from Damian. He looked at Noah as he walked over to him and handcuffed him. He rubbed his hand to try and reassure him before he walked back over to Damian. "What are you going to do to me?"

Damian opened another drawer. "If I just let you go you will just come back. I'm going to give you something else to worry about besides my son."

Noah and Luke watched as Damian took out a needle. "What's that?"

Damian looked at Luke. "It's my special blend. It makes you forget everything and it's very addictive."

Luke shook his head. "No, no you are not going to give that to Noah."

Damian walked over to Noah and stood behind him. "It's the only way to guarantee that he won't be back. Unless you want me to kill him."

Luke picked up one of the bottles on the bar. He smashed it against the side. He held the cut glass to his wrist. "You will not hurt Noah. You said that your blood runs through my veins. Well I don't want it. I will let it run out on to the floor right here and now. If Noah is hurt because of me I wont have any reason to live."

Damian looked at Luke. "Luke put down the glass."

Luke shook his head. "Not until you put down the needle. You have gone on and on about me accepting you as my father. Why should I do that, when you don't accept me. Maybe your right. We are the same. You are a drug dealer, that does everything he can to try and get what he wants. I'm a gay man, trying to do everything I can to save the man I love. I don't expect you to change. because I know you can't and you shouldn't expect me to. Let Noah go. Let us go. You said that you want a relationship with me. If you do this I can promise you that you will never have one. If I don't kill myself now. I will eventually. You can't watch me all the time."

Damian walked towards Luke. "Luke I love you."

Luke had tears in his eyes. "If you love me, you will accept me. You have done some terrible things, but if here and now you stop this insanity, I will promise that I will spend time with you. I won't be able to forget what has happened between us, but maybe in time we can at least have a relationship."

Damian put down his gun and the needle. He could tell by the look in Luke's eyes that he was serious. He hadn't realized how far he would go to be with this man. "That's all I really wanted son."

Luke continued to hold the cut glass to his wrist. "Okay. Then let's start with you letting Noah go."

Damian looked at Noah. He reached into the drawer and pulled out a key. He then unlocked the handcuffs. Noah stood up. Luke put down the glass and ran over to him. The two men hugged. Damian watched. "It's not what I wanted for my son."

Luke turned to Damian. "Did you want your son to be happy?"

Damian nodded. "Yes."

Luke looked up at Noah. "Well, then you got what you wanted."

Damian turned and leaned on the desk. "Please just go."

Luke and Noah put their arms around each other and walked towards the door. Luke stopped and looked at Damian. "If you decide that you can accept me, I promise, if you call, I will talk to you."

Luke and Noah were coming out of the house. Jack was just pulling into the driveway. Jack got out of the car. "What's going on?"

Noah started to speak. Luke put his hand on Noah's chest and stopped him. He shook his head. "Nothing."

Jack pointed towards the house. "What happened in there?"

Luke looked over his shoulder. "There's nothing here, but who knows maybe in time."

Coming Soon: The Epilogue
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Epilogue