Title: Stranded
Written By: _alicesprings
Rating: NC-17
Summary: Luke and Reid are on their way to their honeymoon when their plane hits some turbulence...
Author's Notes: I wrote the first draft of this for NaNoWriMo, which was a great challenge and lots of fun! I didn’t reach the 50k word count goal, but the fic is now complete and I'll be posting a chapter a day for the next few days. A big thank you to rhiannonhero and cindergal for the beta!



“Cheers,” Luke says, tapping his glass against Reid’s in a toast.

“Cheers,” Reid says, a small smile playing on his lips before he sips his sparkling cider.

“Can you believe we’re on our honeymoon!”

Reid rolls his eyes. “I believe it,” he says. “I believed it the first time you said it, and the second time you said it, and the third-”

“Okay, okay,” Luke says, shutting him up. “Don’t ruin it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Mr. Snyder,” he says, putting his glass down and threading his fingers through Luke’s.

Luke grins and brings Reid’s hands up to his mouth, pressing a kiss against Reid’s knuckles. “I can’t believe we’re on our honeymoon!”

Reid snorts, but says nothing, just grabs a medical journal and starts flicking through it with one hand. Luke shifts in his seat and faces Reid. He can’t keep the smile off his face. He’s never been so happy. He and Reid got married yesterday, by Snyder Pond, with their friends and family watching, and today they’re in his grandmother’s private jet, flying to an exclusive island resort in the South Pacific, where they’ll stay for ten days, with nothing to do but eat, laze on the beach, and each other. Luke grins again.

Reid snorts again, and looks over. “You’re starting to look demented, you know,” he says.

“Oh, Reid!” Luke mocks. “You say the sweetest things!”

Reid smiles, leaning forward to smack a kiss against Luke’s lips. “I’m happy, too,” he says.

Luke’s smile widens. “I know you are,” he says. Luke shakes his head. “I just can’t believe… I didn’t know it was possible….”

Reid kisses him again. “I know,” he murmurs. “Me too.”

Luke sighs happily and leans back in his chair, closing his eyes. He and Reid made love half the night, and then were up early this morning for their flight. He’s finally starting to feel tired, the endorphins wearing off, and he decides a nap is in order. He falls asleep with a smile on his face.

*

Luke’s jolted out of his seat by a fierce shaking. He blinks awake, confused, and looks around the cabin. Reid’s clutching the armrests with both hands, his knuckles white.

“Hey,” Luke says. “You okay?”

Reid nods. “The pilot said we were gonna hit some turbulence,” he says. “I guess it’s started.”

Luke nods, tightening his seatbelt before laying a hand on Reid’s thigh. “It’s okay,” he says, rubbing his hand soothingly. “It’s a normal part of flying.”

“I know that,” Reid says through gritted teeth. “I just don’t like it.”

Luke smiles reassuringly. “I’m sure we’ll be out of it in no time.”

Luke looks out the window. It started raining some time during Luke’s nap, and all he can see is grey. This is the longest flight Reid’s ever taken, and Luke knows he only agreed to it because Luke had his heart set on the island ever since he saw it on the internet, but planes always aggravate Reid’s claustrophobia, and Luke feels guilty.

The turbulence continues for several minutes, and Reid starts to sweat. Luke keeps rubbing his thigh gently, and talking in a low voice, keeping up a reassuring monologue for Reid to concentrate on. Reid popped a Xanax before the flight, and Luke hopes it’s enough to keep him relatively calm, but as Reid tugs at his collar, undoing a couple shirt buttons and loosening it, he looks like he’s about to have a full-blown panic attack. Luke moves his hand up higher on Reid’s leg, his fingers brushing against Reid’s groin.

Reid turns, both eyebrows arching. “Mr, Snyder,” he says. “I’ll have you know I’m a married man.”

Luke grins. “I don’t think your husband would mind,” he says.

Reid’s eyes take on that predatory gleam Luke knows so well, and he shivers.

“Are you suggesting we join the mile high club?”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Luke says, happy he seems to have distracted Reid, at least, temporarily.

Reid smirks, no doubt remembering the last time they’d taken the jet – to a medical conference in Las Vegas. Reid’s claustrophobia had kicked in then too, and he was on the verge of panicking when, instead, he’d dragged Luke into the bathroom and pressed up close behind him, the outline of his hard cock digging into Luke’s ass. Luke had been shy, protesting that it was his grandmother’s jet, that he’d known the pilot since he was a little boy, that it wasn’t the right time, and everything else he could think of to put him off, but Reid had been persuasive, and ten minutes later, his palms flat against the mirror, and his cheek pressed to the cold glass as Reid pounded into his ass, he decided that it had been one of Reid’s best ideas ever. Reid had been a lot more relaxed afterwards.

Reid puts his hand over Luke’s and presses it closer to his groin. Luke smirks, leaning forward to kiss Reid as he rubs Reid’s hardening cock through his pants. Suddenly, the plane hits a particularly rough spot, and Luke is sent lurching against Reid, their foreheads knocking together.

“Ow,” Luke says wryly, rubbing his head.

“You all right?” Reid asks, rubbing his own head.

“Yeah, I think so,” Luke says. “I guess we should wait until we’re out of this storm.”

Reid nods, his lips pressed into a line. “It’s okay,” Luke reassures him, just as a flash of lightning lights up the window.

Reid’s Adam’s apple bobs nervously, and Luke squeezes Reid’s leg. “Close your eyes,” he says. Reid dutifully does what he’s told – a sure sign he’s even more freaked out than Luke thinks. A rumble of thunder makes Luke wince, and he notices Reid’s grip of terror on the armrests has returned.

“I’ll get your iPod,” Luke says, fishing it out of Reid’s carry-on bag and popping a bud in each of Reid’s ears. He cranks up the volume and hopes it will drown out the increasingly loud sounds of thunder and the lightening which keeps flashing.

The plane drops dangerously, and Luke lets go of Reid’s leg to grab his own armrests. Reid yanks the earbuds from his ears and swallows hard, his eyes blinking rapidly.

John, the pilot, comes through the intercom. “Sorry Luke, Dr. Oliver,” he says. “I tried to go around the storm but it seems to be following us.”

“Great,” Reid mutters under his breath, just as the plane lurches and drops again.

“I’m afraid we’ve gotten a little off-course,” John continues. “I’m doing my best but the radio’s not working at present.”

“What?” Reid practically shouts. “The radio’s dead?”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Luke says, reaching over to lay his hand on top of Reid’s. “It’s probably just temporary, until we get past the electrical storm.”

“What do you know about flying? Or radios?”

“I know a little,” Luke says. “I took a few lessons, with John actually, a few years ago.”

“You did?”

Luke nods. “When I was in hospital, waiting for the kidney transplant. I was really out of it. I was having hallucinations about being on a plane that was crashing.”

“Christ,” Reid mumbles.

“It freaked me out, too,” Luke says. “When I got better I hopped some flights with John and learned a few things.”

“You know how to fly?”

“Well, no, not really,” Luke says. “I know basically how the controls work, and I could land in case of an emergency. I think. It’s been a while.”

“You never cease to surprise me, Mr. Snyder,” Reid says.

Luke smiles, glad he’s distracted Reid temporarily, but the smile falls from his face a second later as the plane begins to drop again, rocking from side-to-side roughly as the plane shakes.

“Oh God,” Reid says, his voice high pitched.

“John!” Luke calls out. “John?” Luke’s voice is lost in the noise from the storm, and he unbuckles his seatbelt.

“What are you doing?” Reid says, gripping Luke’s arm tightly. “Keep your seat belt on!”

“I’m just going to check on John,” Luke says. “It’s okay, I’ll be right back.”

Reid swallows hard, then gives a jerky nod, and Luke makes his way to the cockpit, holding on to the seats as the plane lurches and shakes.

“John?” Luke knocks on the door of the cockpit. “Are you all right?”

There’s no reply, and Luke opens the door to see John slumped over in his chair.

“John!”

“What’s wrong?” Reid shouts.

“John’s sick,” Luke calls back. “Come here!”

Luke falls into the seat next to John’s and puts a hand on his shoulder. “John, what’s wrong?”

John moans and clutches his chest. “My chest... tight,” he gasps.

“Reid!” Luke shouts.

“I’m here,” Reid says, swaying dangerously in the door. “What’s wrong?”

“I think he’s having a heart attack!”

Reid is tossed into the cockpit by another rough patch of turbulence, almost falling on top of Luke as the plane starts to shake even harder.

“Luke, who’s flying the plane?” Reid asks, panic evident in his voice.

“Uh,” Luke looks down at the controls. “John, have you got this?”

John’s face is deathly pale, and his eyes slip closed.

“Do something, Reid!”

Reid gestures wildly at the controls. "You do something!"

Luke takes over control by activating the co-pilot yoke while Reid takes John’s pulse and undoes the top two buttons of his shirt. “John!” Reid calls loudly, slapping his cheek lightly. “John, are you with me?”

Reid maneuvers John out of the chair and onto the floor and starts performing CPR.

Luke’s on the verge of panic himself, and he picks up the radio. “Mayday, mayday,” he says. “Come in, someone, please. Mayday!”

The radio is silent, and another flash of lightening illuminates the cockpit. “Reid?”

Reid shakes his head. “He needs to be in a hospital. I need a defibrillator. I can’t do much for him like this.”

The plane lurches and Reid is knocked over.

"Reid!" Luke says. "You have to sit down and buckle up."

Reid swears under his breath, and starts compressions again. John's not responding, and the plane jerks, sending Reid flying again.

"Reid, sit down!" Luke shouts.

“Are you handling the plane?”

“I don't know!" Luke says, clearly out of his element.

"You just told me you could!”

“I said maybe! It’s been years! And I don’t even know where we are!”

“Well you better remember fast,” Reid says. “We can’t keep flying blind like this!”

“I know that!” Luke shouts.

The plane nosedives and Reid is knocked all the way to the floor. Luke wrestles with the controls, trying to get a handle on the plane.

“Oh God,” Reid says, crawling toward John again. “We’re going to die.”

“Leave him! Sit.” Luke points at the seat next to him.

Reid curses softly, abandoning John, and managing to climb into the chair. He starts hyperventilating, and babbling about crashing and burning and dying and how burning is a terrible way to die, though drowning isn’t any better, and burning while drowning is the worst of all.

“Shut up!” Luke says. “We are not going to die! Buckle up,” Luke says, and then takes a deep breath, struggling with the controls from the still lurching plane.

He begins a steady descent, and as they finally emerge from the worst of the storm, Luke looks around for land, and attempts to get his bearings, but it’s difficult to see through the rain. He tries the radio again but it’s still dead, and he swears in frustration.

“What?” Reid asks shrilly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Reid,” he says. “It’s fine. Try and relax.”

“Relax?” Reid says hysterically. “How can I relax when we're hurtling toward death?”

“Okay don’t relax,” Luke snaps. “I love you, Reid, but shut the hell up so I can try and fly the damn plane!”

Reid is blessedly quiet after that, and Luke continues to guide the plane through the bad weather. “I have no idea where we are,” Luke says in frustration. “John said we’d gotten off-course but I’m starting to think we’re more than just a little off. I think we’re way off.”

“Christ,” Reid mutters.

“Reid!”

Luke hears Reid take a deep breath. “Sorry,” he says. “It’s okay. You’re doing a great job, Luke. You can do this; you can.”

Luke nods firmly. He can do this.

A second later, the engine goes out and the plane drops rapidly, leaning dangerously to the left. Luke struggles to regain control. "I have to land!"

"Where?" Reid shouts. "In the water?"

Suddenly, Luke spots a dark mass down below, and he guides the plane toward it. “I see land, Reid!”

“That’s great,” Reid says, but he sounds all high-pitched and panicked, and then seems to try to make up for it by adding, “You can do this."

Luke squeezes his eyes closed for a second, trying to remember what John had taught him all those years ago, and then he opens his eyes, exhales, and begins preparations for landing.

The plane descends lower and lower, and as they approach the land mass, Luke sees that it’s an island. A relatively small island, with no man-made features as far as he can tell, but with a fairly long stretch of beach which will do as a runway in a pinch.

He tries the radio one last time but is met with only silence. He begins his approach. He senses Reid’s stillness beside him, and a quick glances shows Reid still struggling to stay calm.

“Reid, I’m going to try and land on the beach.”

“Okay,” Reid says. “You've got this. I have faith in you.”

“I love you, Reid.”

“Luke?” Reid’s voice is strangled. “We’re going to be fine, right?”

“I’ll do my best, Reid, but I- I love you so much.”

The wheels have been lowered and Luke reduces speed, the plane prepping for landing, but he’s still going way too fast and he knows it. Still, he can’t do much else but slow down as much as he can from this angle, and hope for the best.

The wheels hit the sand hard and they start to spin out of control. Luke pulls hard on the controls and tries to slow down, but the plane groans and shakes, and the sound of screeching metal fills the air. They’re going way too fast, and the entire plane is shaking from the force of hitting the ground. The plane veers off to the side and into the jungle, the wings crashing through the trees. Luke is pushed up and out of his seat and the last thing he hears before he’s lost to blackness is Reid saying I love you too.

*

Reid blinks his eyes open and looks around. The cockpit. An emergency landing. Right. Luke.

“Luke!” Reid scrambles out of his seat and lurches forward. The force of the crash has propelled Luke forward and he is slumped across the controls, unconscious.

“Luke,” Reid says, brushing the hair away from his forehead. He feels a huge lump on the top of Luke’s head, and he swallows nervously.

Reid turns to John, still lying on the floor of the cockpit, and holds two fingers to the pulse point in his neck, but there’s nothing. Reid’s almost certain he was dead before they even hit the ground. He turns back to Luke.

“Luke,” he says gently, checking for other signs of injury and feeling for broken bones. “Luke,” he calls again, more firmly this time. Luke groans.

“Luke!” Reid says, relief rushing through his veins. “Don’t move just yet.”

Luke’s eyes blink open and he groans and closes them again, bringing his hand up to his head. “My head hurts.”

“I know it does,” Reid says gently. “You must have hit it pretty hard, you’ve got quite a lump.”

“What happened?”

“We crashed,” Reid says, swallowing thickly. “The pilot had a heart attack. You landed the plane.”

Luke groans again and starts to sit up.

“Wait,” Reid says. “You could have a neck or spinal injury.”

Luke stills, then pauses for a few seconds. “I don’t think so,” he says. “It just feels like a really bad headache.”

Luke cautiously sits up and rotates his neck gently a couple times. “I think it’s fine,” he says, and given their present situation, Reid’s not sure what else he could do anyway. He doesn’t have a neck brace, or a spine board, and Luke’s range of movement seems okay.

Reid grabs the radio and holds his thumb against the button, bringing it up to his mouth. There’s no crackle of static, there’s nothing. He throws it back down and the plane creaks in protest.

Reid curses under his breath and turns to Luke. “Let’s get out of here,” he says. “I don’t know if it’s safe.”

Luke clutches his head with one hand and follows Reid out of the cockpit. The force of the crash split the plane in two, and Reid blinks in astonishment at the sight. The back half of the plane is slammed against a bank of trees in the distance.

“Oh my God!” Luke gasps from behind him.

“Come on,” Reid says grimly, fighting his way through the mangled and twisted metal. He pauses at the threshold of the broken plane, looking down into the jungle. He sits down, then hoists his body over, holding on with his hands before he drops. The fall is just a couple of feet from that angle, and he lands on his feet, looking back up at Luke who is looking dubiously over the edge.

“It’s okay,” he says. “It’s not that far. Swing your legs over the side and let yourself fall. I’ll catch you.”

Luke hesitates a second, then takes a breath and does what he’s told.

“How’s your neck?”

“It’s okay,” Luke says. “No pain.”

“Okay,” Reid nods. “You should be all right then.”

Luke visibly swallows, then swings his body over the side the same way Reid had done. Reid grabs him around the waist and helps him down the last couple of feet.

“You okay?” Reid asks again.

“Yeah,” Luke says, wincing a little as he rubs his head. “Just a nasty headache.”

Reid exhales in a rush. “Thank God,” he murmurs. “Thank God you’re okay.” He cups Luke’s cheeks between the palms of his hands and leans forward, pressing his forehead against Luke’s. “Thank God you’re okay,” he repeats. “I love you.” Reid presses his lips against Luke’s and closes his eyes, reassuring himself that Luke is safe and alive and warm beneath his hands, just before he’s unceremoniously shoved away.

“Dr. Oliver!” Luke gasps. “What do you think you’re doing?”

Reid blinks, confused. “Uh, kissing you?"

"But why?" Luke splutters.

“Luke?” Reid slowly shakes his head.

“It’s Luke now? What happened to Mr. Snyder?” Luke looks around at the battered remains of the plane. “Oh God,” he says. “The hearing. You’re going to miss your hearing!”

“What?”

“Your hearing,” Luke says. “To get your medical license back. The Annie Judd case! What's wrong with you? Did you forget?”

No. No no no no. Reid shakes his head. This can’t be happening.

“Dr. Oliver?” Luke says cautiously. “Are you all right?”

No. No. No. No.

“Dr. Oliver?” Luke says gently. “What’s wrong? You look white as a sheet. I think- I think there’s something wrong with you. You- you kissed me before.”

No.

“Dr. Oliver?” Luke says, his eyes round with concern.

Luke has amnesia.

*

“Come on,” Reid says, turning away. “Let’s head for the beach, see if we can figure out where we are.”

“Beach? What beach?” Luke asks from behind him. “We were flying to Dallas, we wouldn’t have passed over any water.”

Reid pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers and powers ahead, ignoring Luke’s questions for now. Reid emerges from the trees and finds himself on the beach where they first touched down. Long, deep skid marks stretch out in the sand and the vegetation where the plane barreled into the jungle is broken, including several trees which have been ripped out of the ground by their roots.

Clear, sparkling blue water stretches as far as the eye can see, and the white sand is pristine and clean. This would be paradise, under different circumstances, but right now it’s hell. Reid needs to find help.

The beach is deserted, and Reid looks around helplessly, hoping for signs of life, but there’s nothing, just the warm sun, and a slight breeze in the trees. Luke emerges from the jungle and winces at the bright sunshine. “Woah. Beach. You were right. Where the heck did we land?”

Reid takes a deep breath. “Come on,” he says, guiding Luke to a shady spot. “Sit down and let me examine you.”

“I’m fine,” Luke says, but dutifully sits anyway. "It's just a headache."

Reid snorts, and pinches the bridge of his nose again. “What’s the date?” Reid asks.

“April 22.”

“What year?”

Luke gives him a ‘duh’ look, then replies. “Twenty-ten.”

Reid exhales. “Who’s the President?”

“Obama, of course.”

“What’s your name?”

“Dr. Oliver, this isn’t necessary-”

“What’s your name?” Reid repeats tersely.

“Luke Snyder.”

“Where do you live?”

“Oakdale, Illinois.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Your parents’ names?”

“Holden and Lily,” Luke says. “And Damian,” he adds quietly.

Reid nods. Retrograde amnesia. Textbook case.

“I’m going to say three words now, and I want you to remember them, okay? I’ll ask you what they are later.”

“Dr. Oliver, what’s this about?”

“It’s a simple neurological exam. Just listen, okay?”

Luke nods.

“Okay, these are the words. Remember them. Truck. Ball. Rainbow.”

“Truck, ball, rainbow,” Luke repeats.

“Good,” Reid says. “Don’t forget.”

“I’m not an idiot, Dr. Oliver, despite what you call me.”

Reid takes a deep breath. “You suffered a severe blow to the head. You might have a concussion,” he says. “Possibly even a brain bleed. You need to be in a hospital for tests. I can’t tell just by looking at your noggin, even if I am the best neurosurgeon in the world.”

“Full of yourself much?” Luke snorts. “And what makes you think it’s that serious? I told you, it’s just a headache. And I just answered all your questions correctly. There’s nothing wrong with me." Luke pauses. "I did have a brain bleed when I was a baby though.”

“I know.”

“You do?” Luke’s surprised. “How did you know that? Did you pull my medical files, Dr. Oliver? Cause I gotta tell you, that’s a serious breach of ethics, and I don’t care how much you dislike me, that’s-”

“Shut up,” Reid says. Luke looks outraged, and no doubt about to start up again when Reid cuts him off. “Please,” he says gently. “Shut up. I didn’t pull your medical files. You told me.”

Luke scrunches his face up. “No, I didn’t. Why would I tell you that? When did I tell you that? I don’t remember that at all.”

“Luke…” Reid trails off. How can he do this? How can he tell Luke?

“Dr. Oliver?” Luke says quietly. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m just a little confused. How did we end up on a beach? What’s going on? Please tell me. I’m starting to get a little, uh, scared.”

Reid swallows hard. “Luke, you hit your head pretty hard when we crashed.”

Luke nods.

“Luke, you have amnesia.”

Luke blinks, then a moment later breaks into laughter. “Dr. Oliver! Be serious please!”

Reid swallows again, and rubs his hand across his hair nervously.

“Luke, I wish I was kidding, but I’m not. It’s not 2010, it’s 2014, and we weren’t flying to Dallas, we were flying to the Cook Islands, that’s why we’re on a beach.”

“No,” Luke shakes his head. “It can’t be.”

“I’m sorry, Luke. But that’s the truth.”

“I don’t believe you!” Luke says sharply. “You’re lying! I don’t know what game you’re playing but I want you to tell me the truth!"

"I am telling you the truth, Luke! We were flying to the Cook Islands, we hit a storm, the plane went off course -"

Luke interrupts. "And why on earth would we be flying there?"

“We’re on our honeymoon, Luke.”

“Ha! That’s a good one,” Luke says, agitated now. “As if!”

Reid winces, and drops his face into his hands, rubbing his eyes and attempting to fight off his own monster headache, which is descending rapidly.

Luke makes a strangled sort of noise and Reid looks up sharply. “What’s wrong?”

Luke’s eyes are wide and they’re darting from Reid’s hand down to his own, and back again. He’s spotted the wedding rings.

“I know this is a shock,” Reid says. “But I need you to try and stay as calm as you can.”

Luke licks his lips and swallows hard, twisting the ring nervously around his finger before slowly pulling it off. He swallows again, then looks at Reid, his eyes wide and terrified.

Reid takes off his matching ring and places it on his open palm, holding it out to Luke.

Luke’s trembling fingers take the ring, and he holds it next to his own, which looks exactly the same, just a little wider than Reid’s, who has slimmer fingers.

“Look inside,” Reid says quietly.

Luke rotates the rings a little, and it’s obvious when he finds the inscriptions, because he freezes completely. Reid watches Luke’s face as he reads the simple words they chose to commemorate their wedding day. Forever yours. 11-10-14

"We're married, Luke," he says quietly.

“No,” Luke shakes his head. “This is... a trick! Who put you up to this? And why? Was it Damian?"

"It's not a trick, Luke."

"Some sort of sick joke then. Noah…”

“Noah’s in L.A,” Reid says. “He moved there four years ago.”

“His sight…”

“I fixed it,” Reid says. “We went to Dallas for the hearing, I was reinstated, and I operated the day after we got back.”

“Noah can see?” Luke’s grin is breathtaking, and inexplicably, Reid feels a twinge of jealousy. Luke is his husband, jealousy over Noah Mayer at this point would be just ridiculous.

“Yeah,” Reid says curtly. “He can see, he’s been pursuing a film career in L.A.”

“That’s incredible!” Luke beams. “Thank you, Dr. Oliver!”

Reid frowns.

“So, he’s in L.A, huh?” Luke’s brow furrows. “We never got back together? After he got his sight back?”

At least Luke seems like he believes Reid now. Or at least, is willing to consider it might possibly be true. Reid shakes his head. “Not really.”

“Not really? What does that mean?”

“It means not really,” Reid says gruffly, standing up and brushing the sand from the back of his pants. “I’m going back to the plane, see if I can scrounge up some water. It’s hot out here. You stay put.”

“Wait, we haven’t finished talking about this yet!”

“Later,” Reid says. “How are you feeling? Sleepy?”

“Not at all,” Luke says.

Reid nods. “Good. Stay awake, I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“I want to come with you.”

“You should rest,” Reid says. “You’ve had a severe injury.”

“I’m not staying here by myself!”

Reid sighs. He really doesn’t want to deal with Luke’s mile-wide stubborn streak right now. “Fine, whatever.”

Reid heads back into the jungle towards the plane, and he hears Luke following along a few steps behind. Reid sees a flash through the trees in the distance, and realizes it’s the sun glinting off the wreckage from the back of the plane, and he heads in that direction.

The back of the plane is a shocking sight, with its twisted metal and fuselage scattered through the jungle. One of the wheels is lodged among a tree’s branches, and the groaning sounds coming from the plane aren’t particularly reassuring. Still, he needs to gather as many supplies as he can. He wonders where their luggage ended up, and a second later is gripped with fear as he realizes he needs to find Luke’s carry-on. It has his anti-rejection medication in it, and given no one knows exactly where they landed, and the radio’s dead, it might be a few days before they’re rescued. The last thing Luke needs is to catch some jungle virus and compromise his health. He needs to find those meds. He peers into the plane’s cavity, hesitating just a moment before pulling himself inside.

“Wait up,” Luke calls out. “Wait for me!”

“Stay outside,” Reid calls back. “It’s not safe.”

“You should get out too, then.”

Reid rolls his eyes and ignores him, stepping gingerly through the mess inside the plane. The plane split just outside the cockpit, and he sees the seats where he and Luke had been sitting during the flight, so he heads that way. Luke’s carry-on had been tucked under his seat and he sends up a silent prayer to any deity that might possibly be listening that it’s still there. He breathes out a sigh of relief when he finds it, miraculously still wedged in under the seat. His own carry-on is a few feet away, and looks undamaged, and he makes his way over to the wall where the bar fridge and snacks were. He grabs all the water, and the juice, hesitating over the soda. Caffeine’s a diuretic and they really don’t need to court dehydration - that’s already a threat, but he finally just grabs everything and tosses it into his bag. He grabs the sandwiches and chips, nuts and candy, and shoves what won’t fit in his bag into his pockets, then makes his way back out.

Luke’s standing at the entrance, peering into the plane, and brightens up when Reid approaches.

“Here,” Reid hands over Luke’s carry-on, then his own. “I’m gonna go back and see if I can find our luggage.”

Luke nods.

“There’s water in my bag, drink some,” Reid says. “But not too much.”

Luke nods again and Reid turns and heads back into the plane. He has no idea where their luggage was stored. It’s usually under the plane, at least, on commercial flights. He looks around the plane but doesn’t see any sort of storage area, so he heads back to where Luke’s waiting. There’s no way to get under the plane – not when it’s sitting on the jungle floor and wedged in between trees.

“Do we- do we need this stuff right now?” Luke asks hesitantly. “We’ll be rescued soon, right?”

Reid has his doubts about that, but the last thing he wants to do is freak Luke out even more. “We were a little off-course,” Reid says carefully. “It might be a day or two before they find us, so I figured we’d just get this stuff now.”

Luke seems satisfied with that answer and Reid picks up both carry-ons. “Let’s go back to the beach. I’ll take these.”

“We should share the weight,” Luke says. “Carry one each.”

“You’re injured,” Reid dismisses the idea. “I’ve got this, just follow me.”

Reid starts walking away and after a few feet realizes Luke’s not following him.

“You coming?”

“Uh, sure, Dr. Oliver,” Luke says, and Reid winces. He likes it when Luke calls him that teasingly, as he still does sometimes, but Luke’s not teasing. Reid’s nothing to Luke right now except his recent ex’s surly doctor, and it upsets him more than he’d admit to hear Luke addressing him so formally.

“I would,” Luke continues, “but the beach is back that way.” Luke points over his shoulder.

Reid frowns. “You sure?”

Luke huffs. “I’m sure,” he says. “Have you ever been camping?”

“No,” Reid snorts disdainfully.

“Well, I have,” Luke says. “And I’m thinking my sense of direction out here is probably better than yours.”

Reid sizes Luke up. True, Reid’s kind of useless without the GPS in his car, and Luke is a country boy, underneath it all. “You sure?” Reid asks again.

Luke rolls his eyes in annoyance and spins on his heel, heading back to the beach. Supposedly.

Reid sighs and trudges behind. He hadn’t really been paying attention to where he was going when he walked in, too preoccupied with Luke’s head injury. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that he would have gone the wrong way.

Several yards later they emerge from the jungle, and find themselves back on the beach. Luke’s raised eyebrows and smirk say told you so, but thankfully he keeps quiet.

Reid dumps the bags on the sand and sits down.

“So, what now?” Luke asks.

I wish I knew. Reid pulls out a bottle of water and downs half of it, stripping off his button-up and leaving himself in just his white undershirt. He’s sweaty, and tired, and his head throbs. And his husband doesn’t remember they’re married. Luke drops down next to him on the sand.

“Remember those three words I told you earlier?” Reid asks.

Luke nods.

“What were they?”

“Truck. Ball. Rainbow,” Luke says dutifully.

Reid exhales in relief. At least he doesn’t have Anterograde Amnesia too.

“Did I pass the test?”

Reid rolls his eyes. “Yes, Mr. Snyder,” he says, using his own term of endearment.

Luke’s eyebrows lift in surprise, and Reid realizes he’s only called Luke by his first name so far. Reid rubs his forehead, and tries to think. They need to get out of here. Priority one: Get help. Reid unzips his carry-on and pulls out his cell phone. It’s working, and the time display reads 6:14pm. Reid has no idea what time it is here where they are, but he suspects nightfall is coming, because the sun has already dipped low in the sky. The reception bars are non-existent, but he tries anyway, dialing the hospital. He figures someone’s bound to pick up there. The line’s silent, and Reid curses.

He fishes Luke’s cell out of his bag and tries that one, too. Again, there’s no signal and no connection.

Reid tosses it back in the bag and groans in frustration, pulling at his hair a little.

“No signal, huh?”

“Ya think?” Reid snaps. Luke holds his hands up in the surrender pose, and Reid sighs. “Sorry,” he mumbles. “I’m just frustrated.”

“Wow,” Luke says. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you apologize before.”

Reid’s lips twist in a grimace. “I’ve apologized plenty of times, Luke. You just don’t remember any of them.”

Luke tilts his head, his eyes softening a little. Reid can’t deal with that right now, and he stands up, slapping his hands against his thighs. “Okay, we need to make a fire,” he says. “A big one.”

“A signal fire?” Luke asks.

“Yes,” Reid says. “And maybe a smaller one for tonight. I’m assuming the temperature drops at night, given that it feels like it’s been cooling down during the last few minutes. Let’s find some wood and then- oh, God,” Reid stops. “Matches. We need matches, or a lighter or something. Unless you know how to rub two sticks together to make friction?”

The words hang in the air a moment, and Luke looks down, a slight blush on his cheeks. Reid smirks when he thinks about the innuendo. It’s like his Victorian romance heroine is back.

“John was a smoker,” Luke says instead. “He’s probably got a lighter in his pocket.”

Reid nods. “I’ll go,” he says, wanting to spare Luke from the grim task of picking through a dead man’s pockets. “You start gathering wood.”

Luke nods and they both head into the jungle. At the plane, Reid hoists himself inside and heads for the cockpit. The pilot’s where they left him earlier, his skin already turning yellow, and his body starting to decay. Flies are already beginning to buzz in the tropical heat, and Reid shoos them away.

Thankfully, Reid finds a cigarette lighter in his pocket. There’s also a Swiss army knife, and Reid pockets it, thinking it might come in handy, and then fishes out his wallet, too. A picture of three similar-looking girls with brown hair and happy smiles, who look to be in their late 20’s is inside, and Reid can only assume they’re John’s daughters. Reid shakes his head, then stands, looking for anything else that might come in handy. He finds a couple of thin blankets in a cupboard behind the cockpit, and he lays one over John’s body, taking the other one with him.

Back at the edge of the jungle, Luke’s got an armful of small branches he’s dumping in a pile on the beach.

“Guess crashing through the jungle was good for one thing, huh?” Reid says, noticing that most of the firewood was created by the plane cutting through the trees.

“Yeah, it’s fantastic,” Luke says dryly, and Reid snorts in amusement.

“I found a lighter,” he says. “And a blanket. I took John’s wallet, too. These his kids?” Reid asks, holding it open so Luke can see the picture.

“Yeah,” Luke grimaces. “I went to school with Lacey and Sarah. Jane’s a little older. I just saw them the other day but they look…different there.”

Reid looks at the picture. “Older?” Reid asks gently.

Luke bites his lip. “Yeah, that’s it,” he says. “I guess I really do have amnesia.” He laughs, a bitter sounding chuckle, and shakes his head.

“You didn’t believe me before?”

Luke looks at him, his brown eyes clear and appraising. He shrugs. “I guess,” he says. “I mean, the matching rings… the fact we’re on some tropical island… it’s just, crazy. I mean, it is crazy, right?”

Reid snorts. “Crazier stuff has happened in Oakdale. Hell, crazier stuff has happened to you!”

“Like what?”

“Like when you were kidnapped to Malta,” Reid says. “Or when those twin freaks kidnapped you.”

Luke’s eyebrows shoot up. “Wow,” he says. “You know about that?”

“You told me,” Reid says. “Years ago, after we’d been together a little while.”

Luke shakes his head. “I can’t get my head around this,” he says. “You and I dating? We can’t stand each other!”

Reid flinches. “Yeah, well,” he says. “Things change.” He bends down and picks up some wood. “Let’s get this signal fire started,” he says. “Down there looks like a good spot.” Reid nods a little further down the beach and Luke hesitates a second before following with his own arm load of wood.

*

They get a pretty big signal fire going just as the sun goes down. The temperature drops and Luke wishes he had something warmer to wear. As it is, he’s in a t-shirt and jeans, while Dr. Oliver – Reid – his husband, and how weird is that? – isn’t doing a whole lot better in his jeans and undershirt, with a thin, long sleeved shirt over the top.

They build a smaller fire and settle in around it, having a dinner of sandwiches and water, with some candy for dessert.

“So,” Luke says, trying to break the awkward silence. “Where were we flying to exactly?”

“Raratonga,” Reid says. “It’s a resort in the Cook Islands. We reserved a villa right on the beach.”

“Sounds nice.”

“You picked it,” Reid says.

“I did?” Luke’s surprised. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“Yeah, well, me neither,” Reid says. “But when we decided to get married you wanted to be in charge of the honeymoon. You were researching places on the internet for months. This place is nice. Fancy and private.” Reid shrugs. “I wonder how long until they realize something’s wrong and start asking questions.”

“Surely someone knows we’re missing by now.”

“I guess,” Reid says slowly. “I wasn’t in the cockpit when the pilot lost radio contact. I’m not sure if he managed to get a mayday through, or alert anyone to our position. We were way off-course though. I know that much.”

“What happened to John?”

“He had a heart attack,” Reid says. “We were going through a pretty bad storm and you went to check on him. You called me into the cockpit and he was having chest pains. No one was flying the plane.”

Luke frowns. “I don’t remember any of that,” he says. “Who flew the plane?”

“You did,” Reid says. “You said you’d taken flying lessons a few years ago.”

“I did,” Luke says. “I remember that.”

“Just not anything from the last four years,” Reid says, a note of bitterness in his voice.

“I’m sorry.”

Reid sighs, and then pinches the bridge of his nose between two fingers, as if trying to stave off a headache. “Don’t apologize,” he says. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

Luke shrugs, staring into the fire. He knows it’s not his fault, mostly. But Reid looks so forlorn, and not at all like the abrasive guy he knows, that he can’t help but be sorry he’s… disappointing him somehow. It’s still almost impossible to believe he’s married to the guy. He just broke up with Noah a week ago. Well, not really. Still, he strangely doesn’t miss Noah, or feel that pull he always felt about him in the past, and he wonders if it has something to do with the amnesia. Does his heart know more than his head right now?

“You should take your meds,” Reid says, breaking the silence and startling Luke. He’s looking at his watch in the dim light by the fire, his forehead wrinkled in concentration. “You’re about due, with the time conversion.”

“My meds?”

“Your anti-rejection meds, Luke,” Reid says impatiently. “They’re in your carry-on.”

“You- you know about my kidney transplant?”

Reid gives him a look which projects his contempt for the stupidity of the question, and Luke swallows. He doesn’t need to know Reid well to understand that look. Of course he would know about the transplant, he’s Luke’s husband. Yeah, he’s not getting used to that word any time soon.

Luke fishes through his carry-on, and finds an unopened bottle of his meds.

"You packed a new bottle," Reid says, nodding approvingly. "One-month supply."

"That's good, I guess." Luke shrugs. "But we'll be rescued in a day or two anyway, right?"

“Of course,” Reid says. “We’ll be rescued long before you run out. It’s just good, that’s all. Better to have too many than not enough.”

Luke nods. He realizes that Reid is taking care of him, he's acting like a husband, and it's kind of weirding Luke out, but underneath that he's... impressed?

"So... you love me?"

"I married you, didn't I?"

"Well, some people marry people they don't love," Luke says, thinking of Noah and Ameera.

Reid gives Luke a withering look.

"But I guess I wouldn't do that," Luke says.

"No, you wouldn't," Reid agrees. "And neither would I."

Reid's right. Luke would never marry someone he didn't love. So... it must be true. Reid loves him. And he must have loved Reid. He's surprised he hadn't realized it earlier, but now that he has, it's kind of blowing his mind.

"Uh," Luke tries to think of something to say. “Thanks for getting my bag from the plane.”

Reid nods. “How’s your head?”

“It’s okay, actually. I feel better now that I’ve had some food and water.”

Reid nods again. “I think you’re okay to go to sleep,” he says. “I don’t think you have a concussion but I might wake you up a couple times.”

“Aren’t you going to get some sleep too?”

“It’s okay,” he says. “Doctor, sleep deprivation. I’m used to it. Besides, I know how you sound when you’re sleeping. I’ll be able to monitor your breathing, I’ll know if somethings wrong.”

Luke swallows. Reid knows how Luke sounds when he’s sleeping? It’s kind of… creepy? No, that’s not right. If Luke knew Reid, remembered marrying him, it’d be kind of sweet. As it is, he can’t get his head around this, so he says nothing.

“I wish we had our luggage,” Reid mutters, rubbing his hands against his forearms, trying to warm them up. “I’m going to go back tomorrow, see if I can get to it somehow.”

Luke nods, and scoots closer to the fire, putting his carry-on bag under his head for a pillow.

“Here,” Reid says, shaking out the blanket he got from the plane and covering Luke with it.

“What about you?”

“I’m okay,” he says, poking at the fire with a stick. “I’ll keep the fire stoked.”

“Are you sure?” Luke asks, his face splitting into a yawn on the last word.

Reid nods. “Get some rest,” he says.

Luke nods and closes his eyes, too tired to stay awake even if he wanted to. As his breathing steadies out, and he succumbs to sleep, he faintly feels the brush of fingers through his hair and a feather-light touch of lips to his forehead, and then everything is dark.

*

A/N 2: Yes, it’s desert island amnesia!fic, because two cliches are better than one! And apparently I hadn’t written enough dumb cliché fic yet. Or something. Heh. Suspension of disbelief is required in some parts, and although I tried to make the medical stuff accurate enough, I won't be winning any awards for realism. :D