I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories Emotion, Old Friends, Family, Difficult Decisions, Reflection, Spirit, Acceptance, Whole Again, Homecoming, Oh Father, Birthday Surprises, Misguided Feelings, New Year, Picture Perfect, Kinship, Big River, Sunday Morning Coming Down, To Beat The Devil, Best Of All Possible Worlds, Little Girl Lost, Wicked Games and Monster Bash.
It was a cool clear November evening in Trinity SC, the moon shone bright in the sky giving off an eerie glow and a soft breeze blew the leaves across the ground. Lucas Buck stood across from a dark alley leaning causally against the wall, taking in the night air. It was getting late and all of the sensible residents in town were settling in with their families; however, this one resident in particular was up to her old tricks and he could not resist tormenting her.
Lucas was whistling along to Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire', which could be faintly heard from the bar down the street. It was Sunday night and the bars should be empty; however, they were occupied by the regulars, who wanted to get in a few more beers before the coming work week. He found himself wondering about what could keep a man from his family on a nice clear night like this, then remembered who he was here to see and smiled when he sensed her walking towards him.
Selena sauntered out of the alley, pulling down her short black mini skirt and smoothing off her hair. She could have done better than the middle aged loser she had picked up earlier; however, he performed the required duties she craved and she would not be picky. Although his performance left plenty to be desired, he had filled the void within her even if only for a few moments.
When she saw Lucas leaning against the wall, she felt rage building within her and tried to remain calm. 'What are you doing here Lucas? Did the lovely Miss Emory let you out to play?' she asked cattily.
Lucas smiled and pushed off the wall. 'The lovely Miss Emory is indisposed at this present time, so I thought I'd come visit our resident Teacher. You appear to be falling back into old habits Darlin'...relationship problems?' he asked smugly.
'My relationship is none of your damn business Lucas, from what I hear you need to worry about your own and that little demon she's carrying' Selena spat out viciously and started to saunter down the street.
Lucas watched her walk past him and followed her closely. 'So you heard of my loves predicament then? I suppose it was inevitable'
'The whole town has heard about her predicament Lucas, that's what happens when you announce it at the biggest party of the year...I hope that devil rots...'
'Careful...' Lucas warned calmly and watched as Selena froze on the spot. '...We don't want a repeat of last time do we? I can assure you that I won't be so forgiving should you chose to conspire against me again'
Selena felt the ground underneath her begin to burn; however, she could not move. It was as though she was glued to the spot and someone had set her on fire, the pain was excruciating and she knew this was Lucas toying with her. 'I haven't done anything Lucas, so back off!' she shouted, but felt her skin start to boil.
Lucas smiled as he sensed Selena's pain, he was not going to take any chances this time around and wanted to ensure she remembered what he was capable of. It was inevitable that Selena would plan something to hurt Gail and he had no doubt that Gail herself would come up with some dark torture for Selena if she did; however, it was his duty to ensure Gail felt safe and she should not have to fall back on the dark side of herself, at least not while she was pregnant.
The sound of Selena's yell brought Lucas out of his thoughts and he closed his eyes for a moment, then willed the burning sensation away. 'As long as we're on the same page here Selena...you stay away from her and we won't have any problems' he ordered and waited for her acceptance.
Selena took a deep breath when she was provided with control over herself and a shiver ran down her spine. She had felt sick to her stomach when she had found out about Gail's pregnancy and she wanted to hurt the woman bad; however, this little display was to ensure she was aware that Lucas was watching her every move and she understood his threat loud and clear. 'We won't have a problem Lucas' she agreed, then watched as he just smiled and walked away from her.
Lucas chose not to engage in further conversation, he was late for his gathering with Billy and he knew leaving Selena to stew there alone would infuriate her; therefore, he just strolled away as if he did not have a care in the world.
Gail sat with Abraham on her front porch, enjoying the feel of the cool breeze on her skin. It had been a week since the Halloween party and although she was still staying with her Uncle Abe, she had been spending more time with Caleb and Merlyn since they were now both aware of her condition.
After Lucas announced to the guests at the party that he was going to be a father and the Mayor's wife Mary gave away that she was the one who was carrying his child, she had hidden herself away from the townspeople. Gossip spread like wild fire in Trinity and knowing people were whispering behind her back was infuriating; therefore, she had chosen to remain out of the public eye, to avoid the stares and whispers she would inevitably get.
The silver lining of her situation was that she outed Lucas to his townspeople and it was amusing to her that they were now all as curious about him as she was. Lucas had been inundated with birthday cards and presents for days following the party, he was also visited by several people wanting to pass on good wishes. She knew having his personal business publicised had caused him bother and she was proud of herself for releasing that information, even if she had to pry into her Uncle Abe's mind to get it.
Gail vowed that she would not come between Abe and Lucas, they were old friends and it was not fair for her to use Abe's closeness to her to dig up dirt on him; however, his announcement to the town about their baby had thrown her off her game and she had read his mind before she even knew what she had done. She would not allow herself to lose control like that again, especially after Abe had taken her in when she was in need.
49 years old, that's how old Lucas was. Usually she would have scoured the local records for information about the year he was born, it would not be hard now that she knew his year of birth and that could open up his family tree to her; however, she was not feeling her usual self and all she could think about was the age gap.
He was 19 when she was born and 27 when her parents died. He had become Sheriff in that same year so he had accomplished a lot by the age of 27, much like her she supposed. 19 years was a big age difference in a relationship, she had suspected he was in his early 40's as she remembered seeing him as a child; however, he did not look it and finding out he would be 50 next year had been a shock.
'You look deep in thought Rosie...you doin' OK?' Abe asked and took a sip of his beer.
Gail gave herself a mental shake and focused on her present company. 'I'm fine, just thinking about all you've done for me...I really do appreciate your help you know?'
Abe smiled, then reached over and gave her knee an affectionate squeeze. 'You know you're no bother...besides, it's nice having a woman around the house again'
Gail leaned her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes and sighed. She knew she could not stay in his home forever and would have to face her life sooner or later; however, she knew Abe enjoyed her company and she did not have the heart to leave him just yet. 'Maybe you should come stay here for a while, when I have to move back. The children would love having you' she suggested.
'Maybe you should invite the children to stay at my place, then you'd all be away from the gossipin' biddies in this town' Abe countered and looked down at her.
'Maybe you should all just move in with me, that way I could keep an eye on you all' Lucas said as he walked up the porch steps, with Billy trailing slowly behind.
Both Abe and Gail turned towards him with raised eyebrows. 'Since when do I need you lookin' after me boy?' Abe asked annoyed.
Lucas laughed and shot Gail a proud smile. Her bump had grown significantly and could no longer be hidden, which indicated his boy was doing just fine. 'You showed how vulnerable you've become when you became weak minded ol' man...but don't you worry, there's plenty of room in my place for your Rosie to take care of you whilst still having space for herself. What do you say Gail? Are you gonna finally do what's right here? You can't take care of 3 children and an ol' man all by yourself' he smirked.
Gail inhaled deeply and attempted to push down her irritation. She hated these interruptions and begrudged him thinking she required help. She had not even begun to consider what was going to happen when the baby was born and she was not ready to give up her independence. 'I can take care of all my responsibilities Lucas. I can also cook and clean, work to pay the bills and do pretty much whatever the hell I want, before you suggest otherwise...so why don't you take your lap dog and get out of here?' Gail ordered and stood up carefully from her seated position.
Lucas disregarded Billy's presence, reached into his pocket to pull out a pen then smiled as he dropped it on the floor. 'Alright Darlin', I'm so clumsy...could one of you two fetch that for me?' he asked, knowing full well neither Gail or Abe could bend down as easily as they once could.
Before either had a chance to comment, Matt Crower stepped out of the house and leaned down to pick up the pen. 'I suppose this is yours?' He asked unimpressed.
'Are you still here Doc? I thought you would've gone back to that pretty tall glass of chocolate over there at the boardin' house by now' Lucas smiled.
Matt glanced at Billy who was stood silently out of the way and shook his head disappointedly. When he had realised the condition Gail had gotten herself into, he had been furious and the old whispers in his mind that he had worked so hard to push down had come flooding back; however, he was trying to remain smart and knew it would cause all sorts of problems for Gail if he gave in to his urges.
Instead of causing a scene, he held up the pen to Lucas and waited for the man to take it from his hand. 'Why would I need a tall glass of chocolate when I have a cool glass of milk right here?' Matt smiled and glanced suggestively at Gail.
Gail watched both men carefully, then came to Matt's side. 'Come to think about it, why would I need a strong Southern Comfort when I have a chilled, smooth glass of Prosecco right here?' Gail interjected.
Lucas inhaled deeply to hide his irritation at his loves choice to side with Harvard. He had hoped that her bond with the thorn in his side would diminish now that she was carrying his child; however, it appeared to have strengthened and he was not impressed with her lack of loyalty. 'Well maybe you should stick to your stiff glass of Prosecco, while I go try myself a pretty little southern bell' he said with a hint of venom in his tone and spotted Poppy Bowen walking down the path.
Gail sensed Lucas' manner change and rolled her eyes, one minute he was joking and the next minute he was acting like a child who's favourite toy had been taken away. She spotted Poppy walking towards them and shook her head. 'If you would've found yourself a pretty little southern bell rather than bothering me, my life would be a lot less complicated right now...It's late Poppy, go home' Gail snapped, as the girl approached them.
Poppy saw the group of people and blushed when she saw Lucas, she had heard the rumours about Gail being pregnant with his child and come to see how her old friend M was doing; however, she started to regret that decision when she heard the irritation in Gail's tone.
'Leave the young girl be Darlin', she only wants to see her friend...ain't that right Poppy?' Lucas asked and shot her a charming smile.
Matt shook his head and stroked Gail's back. 'M's in bed Poppy, where you should be...Gail's right, it's too late so go home and you can see her tomorrow' he said and gave Gail's shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
'I bet you know all about that young girl being in bed Doc. Did you ensure she was tucked in tight yourself, or did you leave the covers loose to allow a little somethin' to slip in later? A girl never forgets her first time' Lucas goaded.
Gail shrugged Matt's hand off her, walked towards Lucas and slapped him hard across the face. 'You leave me and my family alone, that includes Matt' Gail warned, then turned her attention to Abe and led him back inside her house. She was done with this childish exchange.
A car pulled up in front of the garden path and beeped, Matt gave Gail a wave and turned towards Lucas. 'Keep pushing with your smarmy comments Sheriff, with any look you'll push her away completely...' Matt smiled smugly and turned towards Poppy, '...Come on, Loris will drop you off home after she takes me to the Hospital. M will still be here tomorrow'
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Matt and forced his twin to stay down. 'Enjoy the night shift Harvard' he said, then turned towards Gail's house and saw Abe stood at the door.
'Careful boy, she ain't fully sold on you yet' Abe warned.
'Meanin' what?' Lucas asked, approaching his old friend.
'Meanin' her moods are crazy enough as they are, without you pushin' her over the edge. The more you push, the more she'll bite back and that ain't good in her condition'
'Abe's right, Gail is stubborn and will pull away the more you test her' Billy finally chimed in.
Abe did not bother regarding Billy, he had no time for that man after what he had done. The only reason he was still talking to Lucas was due to the length of time they had known each other; however, his actions of late were making it hard to defend his old friend. 'You know what? You go take your lackey somewhere else...we're done here' Abe sighed and started to turn away.
Lucas was becoming sick of Abe's disloyalty and had to keep a tight leash on his twin, to prevent him from causing the man a fatal health related accident. The man had been his best friend throughout the years and his apparent disregard for him now was starting to bother him, which was making it hard to keep his rage in line.
Abe had expected a comeback from his old friend and turned to face him when it did not come. When he spotted the malevolent look on Lucas' face he smiled and shook his head. 'Listen here boy, let's not pretend I can't see your rage comin' from a mile away and talk man to man'
Lucas was taken aback by Abe's candidness and it made him smile. 'I thought that's how we were takin' friend'
Abe hobbled towards Lucas and completely disregarded Billy. 'I can see right through you boy, always have and I get why you'd think I'm not on your side, but be smart...That girl in there is the only family I got, bar you and I'm protectin' our family. If your head wasn't so clouded with mischief and god knows what right now, you'd see what's happenin''
Lucas' smile grew wider and he felt his rage flow through his veins. 'I appreciate your honesty, but now it's your turn to listen...That girl in there is mine, what she's carryin' is mine and everythin' else doesn't matter...I get what you're doin' and I appreciate you takin' her in when she needed it, but now she belongs with me and you need to step aside'
Abe took a step back when he saw the familiar turn in his old friend, it had never been aimed at him and he knew better than to challenge him when he was like this. 'I'm goin' inside Lucas, you'd do well to get outta here before Rosie comes back out' he warned and slowly backed up to the safety of the house.
Lucas took a step forward, feeling his rage take hold; however, the familiar growl from behind him caught his attention and he turned around to face Gideon. 'Well, well, if it ain't the trusted sidekick' Lucas proclaimed with anger in his tone.
Gideon walked forward with teeth bared, then moved towards the front door and stood guard.
Lucas shook his head then smiled. 'I guess we better go and leave the protector of this house alone' he said to Billy, then started to walk down the path.
Lucas did not know what had come over him and decided the best thing to do was to create some distance, before he lashed out. He looked forward to going to Jimmy's bar and releasing his rage on someone more deserving than the people closest to him.
-To be continued-