gone ✧*｡ luke a.u.

35: september 21 2011

LUKE

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2011

After the fight and her tears had left her completely, Ellie fell asleep, curled up with her legs to her chest in the passenger seat. Dried tear tracks stained her cheeks, tinted black with her makeup.

Even though he was more than halfway to her house already, Luke turned back and started down the route to his. He knew she wouldn't want to be anywhere near her family, not now, not after everything that had happened. And no matter how hard she tried to stay held-together, he knew she wouldn't want to fall asleep alone.

Only when he turned into the driveway of his house and parked the car did she wake up. Her eyes blinked slowly open, scanning the car, the house through the windows, then finally landing on him. The black smudged all around her eyes, from tears and sleep and alcohol, only made the grey of her eyes seem stronger, more blue than normal. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hi," he said gently. "We're at my house. You . . . fell asleep." He inwardly cringed at himself. No shit, Sherlock.

She rubbed her eyes. "What happened?"

"You went to Calum's party with Ashton . . ."

"Oh." She let her head fall back against the headrest. "I remember now. Some of it. I don't know."

He played with his lip ring for a second, thinking, then unbuckled his seat belt and said, "C'mon. You can go back to sleep once we're inside if you want."

The house was completely dark, just as it had been before he left to go to Calum's. Ben was staying the night at Emma's, Liz and Andy were still asleep, and miles and miles away from them all Jack was still in Melbourne. Everything was silent.

"Shh," Luke said, pressing a finger to his lips as he let Ellie in through the front door. She just nodded, eyes still half-closed with sleep, and walked towards where she knew his bedroom was without waiting for him to follow.

When he entered after her, after making sure the front door was locked and secured, she was already collapsed on his bed, fully clothed on top of the sheets. She must have been exhausted; despite the ice lingering in his heart, the the sight of it softened him. He sighed and came closer, gingerly so his footsteps wouldn't make any noise. She looked so peaceful, asleep; it was a calm she didn't get often enough.

He stood there for a moment, looking at her, then walked over and took off each of her shoes. There was no way to lift her and move the sheets on top of her without waking her up, so he folded them over from the other side of the bed instead, so that they encased her on both sides. It meant that he would go cold, but that was okay. He had enough warm clothing to keep him from freezing to death.

But when he lay down and closed his eyes they wouldn't stay closed. Sleep was a beast that wouldn't come. And it really was freezing, with no heater or covers or Ellie to keep him warm; shivers wracked his body so hard his teeth chattered. Maybe it was his mind that kept him awake, and the thoughts he couldn't switch off. His mind was whirring, constantly, like a machine sent into overdrive, and he wished he could just . . . turn off.

Even now, even after all that had happened, he could hardly tear his thoughts from Ellie. There was some kind of magic she didn't know that compelled him to her in a way he couldn't control, no matter how hard he tried to. There was more to it than just love, lust, blind infatuation, and it ached within him like an injury.

And Jack. He had been in Melbourne, recovering, for two or three weeks now, but so much had happened that his absence felt like years. One of the psychologists at AMD rehab centre, Dr Sylvie, had called a couple of days before to tell Luke's mum that Jack was doing well, that everything was going smoothly, that he was making good progress. In another two weeks or so they would probably let him out, if he wanted to go, and even though it was good tidings Luke couldn't help but be a little bit scared. He couldn't imagine Jack being the same as he used to be, but the thought that Jack could be unchanged and relapse was terrifying. Even more terrifying: if Jack was changed. What if Jack wasn't the same person when he returned? What if he was, in all ways but appearance, someone completely different to who he used to be? Luke wanted his brother better, but he didn't want a stranger.