Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:02:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Kirk Landers <ilj4ever44@yahoo.com> Subject: Luke- 29 Copyright and Disclaimer: 1. This is a fictional story with fictional characters. 2. No one is to steal this story under any circumstances. 3. This story deals with relationships and not sex, so if you're looking for a story with a lot of sex in it, this isn't the story for you. Well, we're down to the final two chapters and I want to thank everyone again for reading this story and following it from the beginning up until now. It means a lot to have people read my work and enjoy it. I hope you like these final two chapters. Here's part 29 titled, `Finding Me.' `FINDING ME' Benji finishes packing his bag and looks up at Ford who's sitting on the edge of the bed, "Well, I should be heading to the airport." "How long are you going to be in New York?" Ford asks as he walks with Benji to the door. "Just a week," Benji replies. "I'll be back in time to see you off to Denver." "Good," Ford says giving Benji a hug as they reach the front door. "So you'll luckily get out of helping me pack up my things here." Benji laughs and snaps his fingers as he plays along, "Yes, darn. I'm so sad I'll get to miss that." "It's weird that it was only two weeks ago that I decided to move and I'm already getting ready to pack up my life here," Ford says. "You're not packing up your entire life," Benji smiles. "We'll still be here." "Thank God," Ford replies. "I'm sure I'll need a break from Pacey every now and then." "Okay," Benji changes the subject, "We're not going to get sentimental yet. We'll do that when I get back. So I'll see you in a week." "Love you," Ford gives Benji another hug. "Love you too," Benji replies as they head to their cars. "I'll call you when I get there." "Have a good time," Ford waves before he gets into his car. Meanwhile, Shane gives Jackson a kiss goodbye as Vince picks him up to take him to the park for a change of scenery for his physical therapy today. After he leaves, Shane gets a call from Patty Kinsella, an artist that he met when he was the head of the Arts and Leisure section of the San Diego Bulletin. He had critiqued many of her collections in the past and was a big fan of her work. They became friends, but they lost touch when she moved to Italy five years ago, so he was very surprised to hear from her. "Are you still in Italy?" Shane asks. "No. I'm back in San Diego," Patty replies. "I was hoping you could maybe do me a favor." "Of course," Shane answers. "It's the least I could do after all those exclusive interviews you gave me years ago." "Well, so much has changed here since I've been gone," Patty explains, "Gallery owners aren't here that I once knew and I'm having trouble setting up an exhibit for my new collection." Shane is genuinely shocked to hear that, "How could you be having trouble? You're work is so amazing." "Try telling some of these new gallery owners that," Patty replies. "None of them are interested. They're all fresh out of college bitches who want more up-and-coming artists. When did we become old and outdated?" "I've asked myself that question a lot lately," Shane replies. "I've just been on five job interviews within the last week and they've all been with employers who are at least five years younger than me." "Job interviews?" Patty asks. "I quit my job at the newspaper," Shane explains. "I just didn't like it anymore. I needed to start something new." "And what is it you want to do?" Patty asks. Shane laughs, "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I've mostly been going on these job interviews to make contacts in case I need them one day." "I see," Patty replies. "Well, if you have too much going on then I don't want to burden you or anything." "No, you're not," Shane replies. "In fact, this sounds like a fun distraction. I would love to help you out." "Thank you Shane," Patty says sweetly. "I owe you one." "Do you want to meet for lunch?" Shane asks. "Sounds perfect," Patty says. "Meet you at Solare at noon?" "See you then," Shane confirms before hanging up. Shane got excited at the idea of helping Patty set up an exhibit. It's been a while since he got to do anything involved in the arts. "Explain to me why I'm the only one here to help you pack up boxes?" Luke asks Ford as he tapes up a box filled with sweaters. "Because Benji is on a business trip and Shane didn't answer when I called him," Ford replies. "He was probably screening your call because he knew this was what you had planned for him," Luke jokes. Ford goes through a drawer of socks, "Probably. Thanks for helping. I know this isn't how you wanted to spend your morning." "You're right, it's not, but fortunately for you I love you too much to say no," Luke smiles at Ford. "Lucky me," Ford laughs. "So how are you doing?" Luke begins packing up another box, "Good. I finished packing your sweaters and now I'm packing up your winter coats." "I'm not talking about that," Ford says. "How are YOU doing?" "Good." Luke casually continues to pack up the coats. "I messed things up with Derek. I understand that. He is a great guy and I ruined it by forcing my beliefs on him, but I've come to terms with it. I've had time to accept that Derek's gone. Right now, I am focusing on me and still trying to figure out what it is I want to be doing with my life." "No ideas yet, huh?" Ford asks. "None," Luke replies. "So until I figure out what I want to do I'm just going to continue what I'm doing. I have a meeting later with the new editor at the Bulletin to discuss being a temporary replacement for Derek's column until they can find a permanent advice columnist." "I thought Derek was going to continue e-mailing his column?" Ford asks. "After everything that happened he decided to leave his job there," Luke explains. "Will that be weird for you? Doing Derek's job?" Ford wonders. Luke nods his head, "Absolutely, but I have the time so I might as well just keep busy. Maybe reading about other people's problems will put things into perspective." Before Ford can respond his cell phone rings. "Hello?...Hey Mom...What's wrong?...He what?...Where?!...Scripps Mercy Hospital?...I'm leaving now!" Ford quickly hangs up his phone and is visibly shaken. "What's wrong?" Luke asks concerned. "It's my dad," Ford says as he puts on his jacket and looks for his wallet and keys. "He had a heart attack." "Oh my God. Do you want me to come with you?" "No, I'll be fine. Can you just lock up for me please? I'll finish packing later," Ford says as he heads for the door. "Is your mom at the hospital?" Luke asks. "No, she's in England with my aunt," Ford replies. "She won't be able to make it back until tomorrow at least." "Are you sure you want to be at the hospital by yourself?" Luke asks. "I'll be fine," Ford says giving Luke a hug. "Thanks for the offer. I'll call you later." He then quickly rushes out of the apartment. Luke goes back to Ford's bedroom to continue to pack some things up to help him out when the landline in Ford's apartment rings. "Hello?" Luke asks answering. "Who is this?" Pacey asks confused. "This is Luke, who's this?" "Oh hi," Pacey replies. "This is Pacey." "Hey Pacey," Luke replies. "You just missed Ford." "Damn," Pacey sighs. "I tried calling his cell phone, but I couldn't get through. Where is he at?" "He's on his way to the hospital," Luke replies. "His father had a heart attack." "He did?" Pacey asks gravely. "Yeah," Luke replies. "Scary, huh?" "Can you tell me what hospital?" Pacey asks. Shane arrives at Solare and spots Patty already sitting at a table waiting for him. He smiles warmly when he sees her because she hasn't changed a bit since he last saw her. She still had a short bob hair cut with red, yellow and blue streaks framing her face. She still wore bohemian-style clothing and jewelry that she made herself. He loves when artists are like this, they don't change even though they become to earn money from their work. Shane can't stand artist who become famous and suddenly start wearing only designers clothes and start getting a stuck-up attitude. He likes them when they stay true to whom they are. He believes that's what makes their artwork unique, their individuality. "Hey sweetie," Patty warmly says as she gives Shane a hug. "It's great see you." "You too," Shane replies. "How was Italy?" Patty's eyes light up when she thinks about Italy and her time there, "It was amazing. I loved it, but I knew it was time to come home." "Well it's great to have you back," Shane replies. "You won't believe who I ran into when I was there," Patty gushes. "Rich." "Rich?" Shane asks. "As in Rich Buckley, my ex-boyfriend?" "Yeah. Small world, huh?" "How is he?" Shane inquires. Rich was a great guy, but him and Shane were far too different from each other to ever have a successful relationship. "Great," Patty answers. "He was in Italy as part of a traveling theatre group. He's loving it." "That's good to hear," Shane smiles fondly. "He's a great guy." "Yeah, it was nice seeing him," Patty adds, she then hops to a different topic, "Anyway, thanks for agreeing to help me out. I didn't realize five years away would change my standing in the art community here." "A lot of changes," Shane replies. "The economy has forced a lot of great galleries to close down." "I know," Patty sighs sadly, "I called Anastasia the other day and she told me that she closed down her gallery a few months ago." "Yeah," Shane nods. "Her, Demitri, George and Shelley all closed down within the last year." "That's horrible," Patty shakes her head in disappointment. "So I tried getting in contact with the new gallery downtown, Buffy Oak, but the girl in charge wasn't interested." "Yeah, that gallery isn't right for you," Shane says. "Buffy only features artist whose work contain political statements." "So where do you think I should go?" Patty asks. "Well, there's this one gallery that did an exhibit of this new artist's work whose style is similar to yours," Shane replies. "Who's the artist?" Patty asks out of curiosity. "Dell Madison," Shane answers. "You ever heard of him?" "I don't think so," Patty shakes her head. "I figured. He didn't start showing his work until after you left for Italy," Shane replies. "He's pretty good though. I think he'll do really well. Anyway, he showed some of his work at Abstraction, it's a very small little gallery." "How small?" Patty wonders. "Tiny," Shane replies. "I only heard about it because the art critic at the Bulletin lives on the same block as it. I bet they would be more than happy to feature your work. Give them some name recognition." "Would I even get any traffic at that place?" Patty asks. "What kind of gallery openings do they have?" "I don't know," Shane shakes his head, "But it's a start." "I suppose you're right," Patty agrees. "I guess I'm no longer in a position to choose which galleries can show my work." "Well after lunch we'll stop by the gallery and talk to the owner, okay?" Shane asks. "All right," Patty nods. Later that day, it was six o'clock in the evening New York time when Benji arrived at his hotel in Manhattan. He looked out his hotel window and took in the beauty of the city. He forgot how much he missed the city. He loves everything about New York City, the energy, the lights, the buildings, it was a world of it's own. As he began to unpack his suitcase he couldn't help but think about Donovan. He begins to wonder if he should call him. He wonders if Donovan would get angry if he found out he was in New York and didn't bother to call. He takes out his phone and tries to call Ford, but it goes straight to his voicemail, so he calls Luke instead. "Hey," Luke answers. "How was your flight?" "Good," Benji replies. "I'm in my hotel now. I needed some advice." "About what?" Luke asks. "Do you think I should call Don?" Benji wonders. "No," Luke replies. "If you call him then it will just bring all those feelings back." "To be honest, I don't know if those feelings ever went away," Benji replies. "Benji, I don't mean to be blunt, but what's changed since you and him broke-up?" Luke asks. "He still wants to settle down, get married, start a family. You don't." Benji absorbs that reality, "Yeah...I guess you're right. It would be moot to call him." "Just do what you went there to do," Luke suggests. "Meet Donna Vanderbilt, thank her for her business, check on your stores over there and come home." "Right," Benji nods. "You're right. Thanks. I needed to hear that." "No problem," Luke replies. "Are you doing okay?" Benji asks. "I'm okay, but you should check in on Ford later," Luke replies. "His father had a heart attack." "What?! Oh my God!" Benji exclaims. "Why did you let me ramble about my stupid shit when Ford has real problems? Is he okay?" "He's fine," Luke replies. "I just got off the phone with him and his dad is in stable condition." "Thank God," Benji sighs in relief. "Will you tell him to call me, it doesn't matter what time it is." "I will," Luke replies. "Have a safe trip." "Thanks sweetie. Love you." "Love you too," Luke replies before hanging up. He looks over at his clock in the kitchen, he has twenty minutes to get to his meeting at the Bulletin with Terrence, the new editor at The San Diego Bulletin. When he arrives at the Bulletin, he walks into Terrence's office to find him frantic and trying his best to go through the piles of papers on his desk. "Hey Terrence," Luke says as he gently knocks on the open office door. "Hey Luke," Terrence replies exacerbated. "Come in." "How are things?" Luke asks. "How do you think?" Terrence asks. "I thought I could handle this, but I'm a mess!" "Take it easy," Luke replies. "You're still new to being editor, it takes time." "I'm starting to realize why Shane up and quit," Terrence sighs burying his face in his hands. Luke is surprised to see Terrence so frazzled, he's known Terrence for a while and he's always very calm and collected at work. He used to be a feature writer and was one of the best, the then moved on to being the managing editor. He wasn't surprised when he found out that Terrence would be the new editor, he figured he'd be a pro. Turns out he was wrong. "Just take some deep breaths," Luke says setting his briefcase down. "Let's organize all these papers on your desk." He gave Terrence a pat on the back and proceeded to help him organize his desk. After Shane and Patty met with the owner of Abstraction, they happily went to Patty's apartment to look at some of her work. "I'm so glad you knew of that gallery," Patty replies. "I wasn't too keen on the it before, but once we got there and got to see it, I see that it's perfect." "It is," Shane agrees. "I know it's not the upscale gallery you're used to, but it has charm." "Has more than charm, it was a beautiful little space," Patty replies. "Like a hidden treasure in the city." "I'm glad we were able to set up an opening," Shane smiles. "I was a bit nervous." "You were great," Patty says. "You took charge, you knew exactly what you were talking about." "Well, having written about the arts for ten years might have helped," Shane says as me modestly dismisses her praises. "I'm serious," Patty insists. "You were really great. I never would have been able to do this without you." Shane smiles, glad he was able to help Patty out. He also realizes how much fun he had setting up this exhibit for Patty. Later that evening, Ford is in his father's hospital room. He's sitting next to the bed talking with him. "Are you sure you're okay, Dad?" Ford asks. "Ford, you've been asking me that every hour," Doug replies. "I'm fine. You should go home and get some rest." "No, I'm not tired," Ford insists. "I'm going to go get you some more water." He takes his dad's empty water container and leaves the room. As he walks down the hospital corridor he stops in his tracks when he sees Pacey walking towards him. "Pacey?!" Ford asks in shock as he approaches his boyfriend. "What are you doing here?" "I called your place and Luke picked up. He told me what happened. Is your dad okay?" Pacey asks. "You came all the way out here because of my dad?" Ford asks surprised. "Yeah," Pacey replies. "Is he okay?" "He's fine," Ford replies with a smile. "I can't believe you came out here." He wraps his arms around Pacey tightly. "Thank you." "Of course," Pacey says. "You're number one in my life after all." Ford wasn't sure that Pacey would really be able to prove that he could make changes in their relationship. He wondered if he could really make him a top priority the way that he makes his job a priority. Him being here right now is proving that he really has changed and has only reinforced his belief that he made the right choice in moving to Denver. "I love you," Ford says tenderly as he gives him a kiss. Pacey smiles, "I love you too." "So you want to come and say hi to my dad?" Ford asks. "Yeah," Pacey replies. "I am having some food delivered here so he doesn't get stuck with the shitty hospital crap." "That's sweet of you," Ford says. "He'll be grateful." Pacey takes a deep breath, "I know I didn't make the best impression the last time he was here so I want to make sure I make a good one this time." "I'm sure you will," Ford says "Come with me to get him some more water first and then I can introduce you to him." Meanwhile, Luke is still helping Terrence organize all the articles and columns and photos that will be in the next day's issue of the paper. "Okay, since Tim oversold ad space then we can just shrink three of them so they all fit," Luke says as he looks over a page layout. Terrence shakes his head, "We can't. Advertisers pay for a certain size." "I know," Luke replies, "But there's nothing we can do. Just send the advertisers a gift and apologize for the mix up and tell them that you'll place a larger ad for them next week." "I guess that works," Terrence nods. "But what about this beat by Trisha? We need to cut it by thirty words for it to fit." "Then have her or the new copy editor fix it," Luke replies not seeing what the big deal is. "Terrence, you know all this stuff. Why are you so lost?" "It's just so overwhelming," Terrence complains. "I had no idea it'd be this hard." Luke pats him gently on the back, "Well you can do this. You wouldn't have gotten this promotion if you couldn't handle it." "I guess you're right," Terrence sighs. "I wish I could just go back to being the managing editor again." "You can do this," Luke encourages. "I'm going to work on the advice column so if you need anything else just stop by my cubicle." "Wait, don't leave," Terrence says grabbing Luke's arm in a panic. "I still need your help with the sports section." "Terrence, you need the advice column for tomorrow. I haven't even started on it yet and it's already six o'clock," Luke points out. "Work on it in here," Terrence pleads. "Please?" "Fine," Luke sighs rolling his eyes. He's never seen anyone so panicked before. He takes out his laptop and sits down on the opposite side of the desk from Terrence. When Shane gets home, Jackson is waiting for him in the living room. "How was therapy?" Shane asks giving Jackson a kiss. "Really good," Jackson replies. "Vince says my progress is unheard of." "That's great." Shane looks proudly at Jackson, he is so happy that Jackson is gaining feeling in his legs again. "I mean, it hurts like hell, but at least I can feel the pain, you know?" Jackson points out. Shane relishes the moment; it seems as if everything is finally starting to turn around for him and Jackson in all aspects of their lives. "I had a really great day." "How's your artist friend?" Jackson asks. "She's really good," Shane replies. "I actually helped her set up a show for next week." "Next week?" Jackson asks. "Isn't that a little soon?" "Yeah, but she has a big following in the art community here," Shane explains. "I made some phone calls and we already have over a hundred expected for the opening. I haven't even placed an ad yet." "Why are you doing all of the organizing?" Jackson asks. "Shouldn't the gallery be in charge of that?" "It's such a small gallery that they don't do much publicity so I told Patty I would help her with that," Shane replies. Jackson notices the glow in Shane's face as he talks about the gallery opening. He's never seen Shane this passionate about work. "It seems like you really enjoyed doing all that." "I did," Shane nods. "I had a lot of fun actually." "That's amazing babe," Jackson gives Shane a kiss. "Maybe you should think of working in a gallery." "I was thinking about that on my way home," Shane replies. "You think I can do it?" "You already proved that you can," Jackson replies. "Is it something you think you would enjoy?" "It is," Shane nods. "It really is. I've always loved art and this gives me a way to get back into it. I've always regretted leaving the arts and leisure section of the Bulletin." "Well this seems like the perfect way to get you back into the art world," Jackson replies. "It wouldn't pay as much as my old job," Shane points out, wondering if that would make a difference to Jackson. "Who cares?" Jackson asks. "All that matters is that you do something you love." "You'd be okay with me not making as much money as before?" Shane asks. "Of course," Jackson replies. "That stuff doesn't matter to me." Shane leans in and kisses Jackson again, "How did I get someone as great as you?" "Just lucky I guess," Jackson jokes. Back at the Bulletin, Luke is busy writing his column when Terrence interrupts him...again. "Can you look over this piece for me?" Terrence asks. "Something is wrong with it, but I can't point out what it is." "Who wrote it?" Luke asks taking the paper from Terrence. "Stan Rogen, he's new," Terrence replies. Luke looks over the paper and only has to read the first paragraph to pinpoint what's wrong with it. "Terrence, you can't put this in the paper." "What's wrong with it?" Terrence asks. "You seriously don't know?" Luke asks appalled. "Terrence, this article violates all journalistic code of ethics." "It does?" Terrence asks. "Where?" "The first sentence calls the politician an evil, racist man who wants to destroy our system of pluralistic democracy," Luke points out. "This is a completely sensationalized story. It's basically yellow journalism." Terrence takes the paper from Luke and reads over the article, "Oh I guess I missed that." "Terrence, how could you have missed that?" Luke asks. "It's so obvious." "I'm stressed!" Terrence defends himself. "Okay, well just try to keep a better eye on that," Luke says. "And I'll finish up my column." After another difficult hour and a half, they finished up the paper and sent it down to print. Terrence thanked Luke profusely before they parted ways and an exhausted Luke dragged himself home and into bed. Even though it was stressful and a lot of work, he had to admit that it was kind of fun. It was an adrenaline rush. The next day, Benji went to the Tavern on the Green to finally meet Mrs. Vanderbilt for brunch. Benji loves Tavern on the Green, it always brought back memories of... He was doing his best to try and forget Donovan and move on. He knows Luke is right, he has to just meet Mrs. Vanderbilt and check on his New York stores and go home. He's determined to stick to that plan. "May I help you sir?" the hostess asks as Benji walked into the restaurant. "I'm here to meet someone," Benji responds politely. He looks down at his crisp red button-up shirt to make sure he looks presentable. "There's a reservation under Donna Vanderbilt." "Ah yes," the hostess nodded knowingly. "We've been expecting you." She gives a little smirk as if she knows a secret that she's trying not to let on. "Follow me." Benji follows her into a private area of the restaurant and shows him in. "No one is here," Benji notes as he looks around him. "Yeah, you're party will be with you shortly," the hostess smiles before exiting. Benji takes a seat at the empty table and takes a sip of water that is sitting on the table. "Knock, knock," A deep voice says from behind him. Benji whips around and is dumbfounded when he sees... "Don?!" Benji asks. "Hi. What are you doing here?" "Business meeting," Donovan explains. "How are you?" "I'm good," Benji replies. "Wow, small world, huh?" Donovan shrugs, "I guess you can say that. How are you?" "I'm good," Benji replies. "How are you?" "Things are looking up," Donovan answers. "I was thinking of calling you," Benji confesses. "But I didn't know if that would be weird or not." "It wouldn't," Donovan insists. "It's always great hearing from you." Benji wants to run into his arms and kiss him, but he resists. "I guess I should let you get back to your meeting. I actually have a meeting myself." "Oh yeah?" Donovan asks. "Yeah, this millionaire socialite who spends a lot of money at my stores," Benji replies. He then notes Donovan's outfit, "You look nice today. I like your outfit, it looks like something I carry in my San Diego store." "Is that so?" Donovan smirks. "Yeah," Benji nods. He then looks at the shirt and pants closely, "Actually, they look a lot like the stuff I carry in my store. It's funny, I think I sent that exact outfit to..." Benji looks at Donovan questionably. It couldn't be...could it? "Looks like something you sent Mrs. Vanderbilt?" Donovan asks. "Okay. I need you to explain this," Benji is still confused on what's going on. "I'm the one you have the meeting with today," Donovan explains. Benji's eyes grow wide in shock, "What about Donna Vanderbilt?" "There is no Donna Vanderbilt," Donovan explains. "Well, rather, I'm Donna Vanderbilt." "Huh?" "Put it together Benji," Donovan laughs. "DONOVANderbilt." "But why?" Benji asks. "I had some sources tell me that the economy was hurting your company," Donovan answers as he takes a few steps closer to Benji so they were only inches away from each other. "I couldn't let that happen." "So you spent thousands upon thousands of dollars to buy things from my stores?" Benji asks. "Are you mad?" Donovan asks not able to read Benji's face. "No," Benji shakes his head, "Just confused. Why did you do this?" "Your business means the world to you and you would be devastated if you had to close them. I also knew that you wouldn't have accepted money from me, so I made up Donna Vanderbilt. I hired `her' an assistant and everything for you to deal with," Donovan says. "And...I still love you." Benji takes a few moments to absorb all this information. "Don, I still love you too, but that doesn't change anything," Benji begins, but Donovan cuts him off. "Wait," Donovan replies. "Because I've been thinking about this for a while and I realized that all the things I thought I wanted; marriage, a family. None of that means anything if I'm not with you." "So what are you saying?" Benji asks, his heart pounding. "I'm saying that all I need is you," Donovan says simply. "You're it for me. I don't need the marriage or any of that. I just need you." There are no words Benji needs to say, he simply closes the final inches between the two of them and kisses Donovan. He missed his kiss so much and savors every moment. Donovan smiles as he looks deep into Benji's eyes, "I love you Benji Bennett." "I love you too, Mrs. Vanderbilt," Benji quips. The two share another passionate kiss with one another, both of them so happy to be back together. Back in California, Luke stopped by the Bulletin to check in on Terrence. "Hey," Luke says as he walks into Terrence's office. "I saw the paper this morning. I think it turned out great." "Thanks to you," Terrence sighs. "I really appreciate it." "No problem," Luke smiles. "I enjoyed it." "Did you really?" Terrence asks. "Yeah," Luke replies. "It was kind of exciting." "Hmmm," Terrence says as he contemplates to himself. "Well, I'll let you get back to work," Luke turns and is about to leave before Terrence stops him. "I have a proposition for you," Terrence says. "What would you say if I asked you to take over as the editor?" "Are you quitting?" Luke asks. "Not exactly," Terrence replies. "Let me explain. I love working here, but I hate being the editor. It's too much for me." "So what are you suggesting?" Luke asks. "I'm a writer," Terrence answers. "I'm not a editor. I don't know why I even took this job. I want you to take over as editor and I'll take over your column. What do you say?" "Wow," Luke replies overwhelmed. "I wasn't expecting this. Can I think about it?" "Yeah," Terrence replies. "But please decide soon because if I have to last another week as the editor I might self-destruct." "Okay," Luke laughs. "I'll get back to you." He then leaves the office wondering if this is the right path for him. As Luke heads to his car he remembers his dream he had of Nick two weeks ago. He remembered something that Nick said in his dream. He told Luke that his passion is what brought him to San Diego in the first place. He was supposed to be the editor of the San Diego Bulletin, but took a job as a columnist instead because he didn't want the pressures of being an editor so soon after Nick's death. He realizes that Nick is right, his passion is being a part of a newspaper and being in charge of one. It's what he was supposed to do in the first place. He was always supposed to be an editor. It enables him to still be in journalism, but to also essentially be his own boss. Luke turns around and quickly runs back into the newsroom and into Terrence's office. "I'll do it," Luke smiles. "Seriously?" Terrence asks. "Positive," Luke replies. "I'd love to do it." "Thank God!" Terrence says happily as he jumps up from his desk in relief. "You saved my ass." "No," Luke smiles. "You saved mine." And he meant it, he's been looking for his calling and this opportunity helped him to realize what that was. Back at the hospital, Ford and Pacey were in the hospital room with Doug. Ford and Pacey returned to the hospital early that day and have been keeping him company. The day before, Pacey and Doug hit it off. Pacey's charmed made Doug forget about the first time he was supposed to meet him. "I'm going to go call Benji," Ford says getting up. "I'll be right back. Will you be okay?" "We'll be fine," Pacey replies giving Doug a smile. "Tell Benji `hi,'" Doug says. After Ford leaves the room, Doug turns to face Pacey. "I'm glad we finally got a chance to meet." "Me too," Pacey replies. "So Ford's moving to Denver with you, huh?" Doug asks. "Yup," Pacey nods. "Will he be able to make a life for himself there?" Doug asks. "He will," Pacey nods. "I've talked with some contacts I have with the Denver Post and they were very interested when I talked about Ford." "So you have thought about the big transition it will be for him?" Doug asks as a concerned parent. "Yes," Pacey assures him. "Doug, I've thought it all through. I am going to do everything I can to make this move a smooth transition for him." Doug clarifies himself, "I don't mean to be interrogating you. I just want to make sure that you are really taking him into account with all of this. It's a big life changing decision he's made to move with you." "I know that," Pacey nods. Doug gives a little shrug, "I guess having a heart attack has made me put things into perspective. It's given me a chance to see decisions I've made, decisions I maybe have regretted." "Do you think Ford's going to regret moving?" Pacey asks. "Not if there's a full life waiting for him in Denver," Doug says. "That's all I'm saying. He won't regret his decision if life there is just as good or better than it is here." "I understand," Pacey extends his hand to Doug. They shake agreeing. "I will do everything I can to make sure he doesn't regret this." "Thank you," Doug smiles. "That's all I can ask for." Ford walks back into the room holding his cell phone. "You won't believe what I just found out. Benji and Donovan are back together." "That's great," Pacey smiles holding Ford's hand lovingly. "What were you guys talking about?" Ford asks as he takes his seat next to Doug's bed. "We were just getting to know each other a little better," Doug smiles. "You have a great boyfriend." "I think so too," Ford beams as he rests his head on Pacey's shoulder. One week later, Shane has returned and now it's time to say bye to Ford. The day has finally come for Ford to leave and move to Denver. Shane, Luke and Benji have taken him to eat at The Broken Yolk for his last breakfast. "It weird that I won't be meeting you guys here for our weekly breakfasts," Ford says as he takes a sip of his orange juice. "Well, you'll be sure to at least come out here for a monthly breakfast with us, right?" Benji asks. "Yes," Ford nods. "I will be sure to come out at least one weekend a month." "Good," Benji smiles. He hates that he's saying goodbye to his best friend. "Are you going to be staying in San Diego?" Shane asks Benji. "Since you're back with Donovan, are you going to move back east or is he coming here?" "We haven't discussed that yet," Benji says. "But we'll figure something out." "You know something I can't figure out?" Luke asks Benji. "Wasn't Donovan married to a woman when you first got with him?" Benji laughs, "Um...yeah." "So what happened to her?" Luke asks. "You mentioned her once and we never heard about her again." "Complicated story," Benji shook his head. "To make a long story short, they divorced a while ago." "You sure lead a complicated life," Ford laughs. "I'm going to miss witnessing that." "You'll still hear all about it," Benji replies. He then turns the attention to Shane. "And what about you? You still set on working at a gallery?" "Yeah," Shane replies. "It's something that I think I will really enjoy." "I think so too," Luke nods. "You've always been good with art." "Thanks," Shane replies. "And congratulations are in order for you too. I saw this morning's newspaper with you as the new editor." Luke beams proudly, "Thank you. So it looked good?" "It looked great," Shane replies. "I should have recommended you for that job when I quit." "Well, it took me some time to realize that's what was right for me," Luke says. "I don't know why it didn't occur to me before." "You've had a lot on your plate lately," Ford says. "It's understandable." "Yeah," Luke nods. "I still think about him." "Maybe Derek will come around," Ford offers supportively. "I doubt it," Luke shrugs. "But thanks for that optimistic attitude. I'll miss having that to rely on a daily basis." "Whenever you need a pick me up, just give me a call," Ford says. "Look at us," Benji observes. "Could it be that everything is starting to finally come together for us?" "Well, not completely," Luke says. "But we are definitely getting there." "Pretty amazing, huh?" Shane asks. "It's been quite a journey getting here." "Yeah," Ford agrees. "Lots of ups and downs." "It was worth it," Benji finishes. "It was definitely all worth it." The four friends all take a moment to look lovingly at one another, knowing they couldn't get to where they were without each other. Luke especially takes into account how lucky he is to have Ford, Shane and Benji as his best friends. He's been through a lot in his life and knows that he never would have made it in San Diego without their friendship. They brought him back to life when he felt as if he lost everything. They gave him renewed interest in living. They gave him the strength to realize that even if he never finds true love again, he'll be okay as long as he has them. After breakfast, the guys all said their goodbyes to Ford before he headed off to the airport to start his new life in Denver. When Luke got home, he saw someone standing in front of his front door. His back was turned to him so he couldn't see who it was. "Can I help you?" Luke asks. The mystery man turns around. It's Derek. Luke's eyes grow wide, "What are you doing here?" "I need to talk to you," Derek says walking up to Luke. His facial expression is unreadable, as is the tone of his voice. Luke couldn't decipher if this was going to be a good or bad talk. "Um...do you want to come in?" Luke asks a little worried. "Sure," Derek nods. "Is everything okay?" Luke asks making polite conversation as he unlocks the door to his condo. "Not sure yet," Derek replies. Luke unlocks the door and they both walk in quietly. "Can I get you something to drink?" "No thanks," Derek shakes his head. Luke looks at Derek questionably. "So you're not in Nevada." "No," Derek shakes his head. "I left Nevada a week ago." "A week ago?" Luke asks. "Where did you go after that?" "I went up to LA," Derek replies. "I went to talk to Kurt and Leo." Luke gets taken aback, "You talked to my friends in LA?" "Yeah," Derek nods. "I had to talk to them about some things." "Why?" Luke asks confused. "While I was in Nevada talking with my sister I was asking her about certain memories I had that she couldn't explain," Derek replies. "What do you mean?" Luke asks. "What memories?" "I had this memory in my head of being out front of a building and being really worried about some friends of mine who were inside," Derek replies. "Something was wrong inside and I just remember feeling panicked. I asked my sister about it and she couldn't recall anything like that ever happening to me." "I see," Luke nodded. "Did your sister explain why her or any of your family or friends neglected to visit you after your accident?" "I guess I had a falling out with them right before the accident and they didn't hear about it until a few months ago," Derek says. "And I guess I was kind of a loner. I never had any good friends." Luke just nods, not sure what to say. "When she mentioned I didn't have any good friends, I began to wonder why I kept having this feeling of being worried about friends inside a building," Derek says. "And then I had another memory of driving by the Kodak theatre all the time, but I thought the first time I went to LA was with you." Luke's heart began to race, is Derek really gaining memories from Nick? "So what are you saying?" "I went to LA and looked up Kurt and Leo and got in touch with them," Derek says. "And I asked them about those things." "Were they able to help you out?" Luke asks. "When I mentioned the memory about being outside of a building worried about my friends inside they told me about a time when they were held hostage in a bank and Nick was outside waiting for them," Derek replies. "Yeah?" Luke asks. He remembers that story. He wasn't with Nick at the time, but Nick told him about it. "So what are you saying? Do you believe me now?" "I'm not saying that it's true," Derek replies. "I'm not saying that I'm Nick cause I don't know if I believe in that stuff. It could have been some coincidence or maybe the memory I have was some movie or tv show I'd seen before...but I don't know. It is weird that something like that would stick out in my head." "It is," Luke nods hopeful. "And apparently before my accident I was an auto-mechanic," Derek says. "And I don't remember anything about fixing cars." "Derek, I have to say something," Luke says taking a deep breath. "I screwed up. I dated you for reasons that weren't fair to you. I concentrated to hard on trying to find Nick in you that I failed to get to know who you are as Derek. I don't know if Nick is inside of you or if maybe it was all just me in my head trying to see something familiar in you. All I know is that I knew I lost someone great when you went away and I'm sorry." "So you would date me even if I'm not Nick?" Derek asks. "Yes," Luke nods. "Because when it comes down to it, I fell for you and you are this amazing guy who makes me feel good about myself. Nick or no Nick, you're what I want. I'm sorry I didn't see it earlier." "Are you sure?" Derek wants Luke, but doesn't want to date him if it's only under the circumstances that he thinks he's someone he may not be. He's not saying that he is or isn't Nick, because truth of the matter is that he really doesn't know. Maybe it is him, maybe it isn't. Derek just hopes that it doesn't matter to Luke anymore. Luke doesn't answer with words, instead he takes a few steps towards Derek and leans in and gently kisses him tenderly and lovingly. Derek holds onto Luke tightly as they kiss. Luke made a promise to himself from that moment on that he wouldn't bring up Nick ever again to Derek because it no longer matters. All that matters is that he's with someone he is truly happy with and loves. ************************************************************************** To Be Continued... With any comments, questions or feedback please e-mail me at ilj4ever44@yahoo.com. The next installment will be the FINAL chapter of `Luke' and I hope you all like it! For people interested in my next story, one of the characters was briefly mentioned in this chapter, so for all who want to read my next story, remember the name DELL MADISON, he's an artist and will be one of the main characters in my new story I'm writing.