After - The Society Fanfic.

8.

Luke woke up to Helena placing a cup of tea and toast on the coffee table. For the past few nights, he'd been sleeping on the sofa. He holds out his hand, stopping her from leaving. They hadn't spoken properly in a while. It is killing him, this silent treatment she's resorted too. Guilt had already weighed heavy on his shoulders from his false accusation against Allie and Will but having Helena treat him this way, it's torture. He deserved it though. He knew that but she doesn't understand, it's for the best. He's been told it's for the best.

"Wait. Please." She doesn't look at him but as he takes his arm away, she doesn't leave either. He sits up, rubbing his hands together nervously. He can sense her watching him from the sides of her eyes. "Helena," his voice cracks, she turns. "I don't know what to do." Every emotion from the last seven days bubbles to the surface. Tears roll down his face, he doesn't make an effort to hide it. He doesn't want to hide it, not from Helena. She drops to her knees, holding his hands kissing them. "I don't know what to do without you." The stony expression he'd grown accustomed to the past few days cracks. She's angry, not inhumane.

"Luke..." She trails off kissing his hands. She doesn't quite know what to say either. There is too much to say. She's angry, furious, at the accusations he's thrown towards Allie and Will. She cannot understand his reasoning; she cannot believe it's true. She'd insisted that he must have misunderstood but he stuck to his guns. The worst thing is that he's sided with Campbell and The Guard. She knew The Guard had given him purpose, given him strength in this trying time but she never thought... Helena and Luke stand on opposite sides.

Luke cradles his head, rocking slightly, whilst Helena kissing the top of his head, moving one hand from his hands to stroke the back of his head. She's trying to soothe him. Seeing him like this wrecks her. She loves him with all of her heart, she's just hurt. "Luke. You still have me." He raises his head, tears still streaming. God, he looks pathetic, but it still melts her heart. She cups his face. "I am angry, but just because I am angry does not mean I have stopped loving you." He sniffs, she smiles. "I love you but..." The anguish on his face intensifies. "You and I are on different sides right now, so I am finding it incredibly difficult to understand you. I feel like we're on opposite sides of the world when we used to be right next to each other. You're allowed to have your own opinion, but this goes beyond that. I am defending Allie and Will. I am on their side. This world is so complicated, and you've made it worse." Luke hangs his head in shame. He wishes to tell Helena the truth, but he can't. He knows he can't. She's already struggling to hold onto her love for him, if she knew he lied, he'd lose her completely. Not to mention everyone else. He'd be alone.

Helena lifts his head up and slips onto his knee, he wraps his arms around her. Her arms loop around him, she brings his head to her chest as she continues to stroke his hair. They stay like this for a bit, every now and then Helena whispering her love for him. Eventually Luke pulls away, staring up at her.

"I'm sorry."

"I know." She wipes away his tears. "I know."

*

Will kisses Allie as she starts to crawl out the bed. He tries to pull her back in, but she gives him a look. He knows the look. He knows every look. She shoves a top on and pyjama bottoms before disappearing out the door. He flops onto his back, arms outstretched. Ask him a year ago if he'd be sleeping in the same bed as Allie Pressman, he'd have laughed and been grossed out. It'd have been a defence mechanism. There had always been love there, just taken him a while to find it. He reaches out for his phone. They'd been returned to them when they had been released back into the house. Sam and Becca had sent him and Allie a picture of Eden. She didn't seem real. It didn't seem real that there was a baby in this world. Crazier things have happened though.