"Finn!" Laura screams so loud the sound vibrates in my ear drums. My own heart stops beating the second I see his body flailing through the air.

Before Laura, Talia, or I can take a single step, Luke's body is a blur of motion. Away from us, through the sliding glass door, across the deck and past Mr. Henson who is now, albeit more slowly because of his age, also rushing to the pool, and across the stone patio.

My chest clenches even tighter as Luke's feet, moving faster than lightning to reach his nephew, slip across the wet surface, his body twisting as he regains his balance, refusing to hit the ground.

The slip barely slows him down and within seconds, Luke dives into the pool, towards the splashes from Finn's untrained thrashing.

We're all outside now, every adult at the cookout suddenly lining the pool. Laura kneels along the side, arms outstretched for Finn before Luke's fully got ahold of him.

Not even a full two seconds later, he lifts the boy from the water and Finn chokes and cries, clinging to Luke's neck for dear life.

He sputters and sobs and it's the best sound I think I've ever heard.

"I got you, buddy, I got you." Luke murmurs, kissing the side of Finn's head before holding him out to Laura over the edge.

"Finn," Laura gasps, her hands, a mothers' hands, simultaneously soothing and prodding, palpitating Finn's skull, the knobby bones of his spine, his arms and legs, making sure he didn't break anything important on the edge of the pool as he slipped in.

Her voice is a symphony of comfort, soft "Sh, you're okay"s mixed with "You're alright, you're alright" and "Are you okay?"s, like her mind can't decide what's exactly right.

Feeling again like I'm intruding on something private, I look to Luke as his muscled body glides from the water, his expression a wince as he fully straightens and glares down at Laura.

"Maybe," he grunts, slicking his dark hair back with his hand, "It's time to say screw Dev and teach the kid how to fucking swim."

Laura's head snaps back just as their mother utters Luke's name like a warning.

Laura's eyes, still full of tears from Finn's accident or Luke's attitude I'm not sure, narrow at him meanly. "Fuck you."

Now Talia hushes her daughter instead, "Laura!"

"Yeah, whatever. You're welcome, by the way." Luke scoffs, but I know he doesn't mean it.

He'd never let Finn drown. He'd never let Finn anything. His job as Finn's protector isn't one he takes lightly.

Before his sister can respond, Luke briskly takes my hand and pulls me away, towards his apartment above the garage.

Away from the other useless parents who merely looked on from the sidelines, away from his sister and her drama with Finn's dad, away from Finn's cries.

Wordlessly, we ascend the stairs and at the top, Luke slams the door shut. Inside, he throws open one of his dresser drawers, haphazardly tossing clothing aside. My cheeks flush as he strips naked, replacing his soaked tee and shorts with another t-shirt and a bathing suit, this time.

I don't speak until he's dressed again, having settled himself down on the edge of his mattress with an exasperated sigh. A moment later, his eyes are still closed.

"You okay?" I ask softly, watching him let out a deep breath as I stand between his knees, running my fingers down his cheek, catching a water droplet that's fallen from his hair.

Jumping at my proximity, Luke's eyes open, his expression smoothing into a convincing grin. "Fine, why?"

Recalling the unnatural way his back twisted to regain his balance when he almost fell saving Finn, I try to sound nonchalant, off-hand, not like a worried mother.

"You almost fell," I mutter, feeling suddenly unsure. His injury from the accident isn't something he seems to like discussing. Luke stiffens and I keep going. "I didn't know... with your back, I mean... are you... okay?"

I know Luke. I know he'll never say that he isn't. But I still need to ask, need to watch carefully to be sure. It's what he'd do for me, I think.

"It was a little slip, Dyl. I'm fine." But his smile is just a little too cheery for me to believe him.

I watch him, chewing my bottom lip. "And with Laura and everything?"

"That's nothing new." He shrugs easily. Pressing his fingers to the worried line between my brows, Luke's smile widens. "I'm fine, Dyl. It's just a little drama at the cookout. Nothing to ruin our whole day over. So why don't we have a good day, okay?"

Not sure that I'm satisfied, but knowing it's all I'll get, I let out a sigh and lean my forehead against his.

"Fine," I concede, "Let's have a good day."

"Good." Luke's kiss is gentle before it splits into a smug smirk. "But your concern for me is adorable."

"Stop," I groan, kissing him harder, hoping my lips will distract him.

And they do, for a minute. But then he pulls away again, pulling my bottom lip with his teeth before he raises a brow, his words like breath over my lips.

"It's very unlike you, Dylan Grace, to let me know that you care."

Satisfied with himself, he grabs my hips and pulls me forward, presses me against his chest, as his lips find my neck, reaching next for my lips.

But this time, it's me who holds back, who puts space between us with my hands against his chest. Because suddenly, my next words feel very important to say, and maybe even more important for him to hear. Really hear.

"I've always cared, Luke." My eyes find his and hold them. "Even when I tried not to, when I should've hated you. Even when I did hate you... I still cared. I'll always care."

And that's always been my problem, hasn't it? Still loving him even when I hated him? Even when he broke me, when he cheated on me, when he drove into the tree that took my brother? Even when I found out that he didn't cheat, but lied instead?

Even when, even when, even when...

For some reason, whether it's because he reminds me of Casey in a way that doesn't suffocate me, or because he knew me before I lost myself, or because his body can make me see stars like no one else ever has, or maybe just because he was my first love as a stupid, young girl...

I care about Luke in a way that, as infuriating and confusing as it may be, I have never cared about anyone else.

Admitting it, even just this once, takes some of the weight off my chest.

"Me, too, Dyl." Luke gulps softly. "I never stopped."

And despite it all, I believe him.

He pulls me forward again and this time I don't resist, letting him grip my legs and wrap them around his waist so I'm straddling his lap. My fingers knot in his hair and his hands palm my dress, hiking the fabric up around my hips.

As we kiss, intense and breathless like we know we didn't lock the door and we could both get caught, I roll my hips forward, feeling him harden, the thin fabric of my underwear and his swim trunks the only thing between us.

A small groan escapes the back of his throat and I know that in a minute, Luke won't be able to control himself. He'll lower his trunks and thrust deep inside me, filling me up with dizzying heat, the only thing that gets rid of the perpetual numbness inside.

I'll let him and I'll love it, doing everything in my power to draw it out of him. To make him go harder, faster, longer, anything to intensify the feeling, to prolong the escape from my regular not feeling anything at all.

We're about to start, his trunks undone, his length positioned perfectly beneath me, ready for me to take, when a shout at the door freezes us in place.

"Dylan? Luke!" It's Brynn's voice. Then it's her footsteps coming up the stairs. "Dyl? Mrs. Henson said you guys came up here,"

And in a flash, Luke is standing and I am, too, no longer in his lap but still holding his hand, because we didn't lock the door and neither of us wants to be caught.

Luke laces up his trunks just in time for Brynn to knock as she is already opening the door.

"Hey, you two!" Brynn's smile is bright and unaware of what she almost interrupted. "Why are you guys hiding out here? Food's about to be ready downstairs!"

And so, tightly wound and desperate for the relief only Luke seems to be able to give me, I reluctantly offer a casual smile and follow her back down the stairs and towards the cookout.

Luke trails closely behind me, whispering, deep and husky, in my hair as we go.

"Just wait till we're alone and I can get my hands on you, Dylan Grace."

"Actually," I purr back, sure that Brynn can't hear us, "I prefer it when I can't get them off."

thank god - nothing negative is ever able to befall out baby Finn!
had to throw in some spice for you guys... what do you think!?