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 and Whole Again.

It was cold, windy afternoon in Trinity SC and a light rain had just begun to fall when the funeral service let out. There had been a good turnout of residents for Doctor Monroe's funeral and Reverend Coombs' soothing words helped console the immediate family, who were still in shock over the sudden heart attack that he had suffered.

Lucas Buck had sat at the front of the church performing like a good pillar of the community would, taking pleasure in the loathing Reverend Coombs was projecting towards him. It always made him smile when he crossed paths with the Reverend, the mans god could not protect his daughter Selena from Lucas's influence and he could see the hatred in the Reverends eyes every time they were in the same vicinity.

It amazed Lucas how people could still worship such invisible forces when it was clear no help was coming. He did not judge the religious people in his town, he was more fascinated with their rituals and their need for confession to absolve their sins. He himself had no guilt about anything, he was who he was and he would not apologise or explain himself to anyone. Even sat at the front of the mans funeral Lucas felt no guilt over what he had done to Doctor Monroe, in fact he believed he had done the family a favour by getting rid of the irritating man with his incessant whining and ramblings.

Gail had not reacted well to the mans death however, she partly blamed herself for her constant disregard for his authority and her threats to expose him as corrupt. Lucas had attempted to reassure her that this was not her fault; however, she had snapped then reminded him their relationship was not about comforting each other and if that's what he wanted he could trundle off Selena who required constant reassurance of her worth. This had amused Lucas as their relationship had clearly past the strictly physical stage, but her guard was firmly up after she heard of Doctor Monroe's death and she had reverted back to denying her need for him.

Lucas spotted Gail sat with Caleb, Merlyn, Billy and Selena as he was walking out of the church and resisted the urge to interrupt the little party, instead he met up with the head of Fulton County General Hospital Doctor Charlton and decided it was time to discuss a replacement at Juniper House.

Gail watched discreetly as Lucas performed for his townspeople, shaking hands as he began to exit the church. When he walked past her and up to Doctor Charlton, she rushed Caleb and Merlyn up as she was curious as to what they would be discussing at a time like this. She had chosen to withdraw slightly from her relationship with Lucas and focus on other aspects of her life like her family, work, Matt and the presence within her.

Doctor Monroe's heart attack had made Gail re-evaluate what she was doing here, it was not like her to air her frustrations outwardly and she had aimed a lot of her anger at the man just before his heart gave in. There had wanted to believe that there must have been some underlining issue and she could not be solely to blame; however, Billy had told that the man was healthy and he would have to rule the cause of his death to recent stress. Gail had threatened the man on numerous occasions, against her usual character, and maybe that coupled with Matt's suicide attempt pushed him over the edge.

One thing that she was certain of was being around Lucas clouded her judgement and it was about time she focused on the important things, one of which was the elite men's club she had been welcomed into. Gail signalled for Merlyn to leave them for a moment and put her arm tightly around Caleb as she led him towards Lucas. 'I need your help...' she whispered to him as they neared her desired targets, '...do you fancy being my apprentice for a little bit?'

Caleb smiled, his cousin had forced him to come to the funeral of a man he did not know and he was bored; therefore, he was happy to play along with whatever his cousin wanted him for and it had been a while since she had needed his help. 'Of course, whatever you need cous''

Gail laughed, 'Great, so we've done this before...I need you to be my distraction. Do whatever you want and just have fun with it, but I need that man alone'

Caleb glanced at Lucas stood with a man he recognised from the Halloween party he had attended, he did not know why Gail wanted him alone but he was happy to help and put on his best innocent smile as they reached the pair. 'Hey Lucas' he said happily.

Lucas turned towards the interruption and smiled when he saw his son and his love. This was unexpected seen as Gail had been keeping her distance and he was busy; however, he would never turn his son away, no matter who he was talking to. 'Hey yourself son, how are you doin' after the service?' he asked, taking his attention away from Doctor Charlton.

Caleb smiled, it did not take much to get Lucas' attention and now he just needed to figure out how to get him away from the man so Gail could be alone with him. 'I'm alright, I didn't know the guy but I feel bad for his family'

Lucas nodded, 'Well death is a sorrowful thing son...I'm sure the family will be just fine though'

Caleb glanced up at Gail who just winked at him discreetly and kept quiet, she really was leaving it up to him. 'Can I talk to you for a minute? If you're too busy for me it's alright, I'll just go to Doctor Peele instead'

Gail had to bit her lip to hide a smile, she had chosen to stay quiet as Lucas would know instantly she was involved if she assisted Caleb. She had doubted her cousin could pull this off for a second; however, here he was putting his parentage and Lucas's need to be involved with him to good use, it would be the last thing she would have expected her cousin to use.

Lucas laughed, he was not going to give up the chance to have an intimate conversation with his son especially if the boy was thinking of talking to Billy Peel instead. 'Give me a minute Larry, I'll be right back' he said leading Caleb to one side and looking Gail up and down suggestively as he past her.

Gail watched the pair leave and smiled at the man next to her. 'Well it appears it's just the two of us Doctor Charlton' she said sweetly.

'Call me Larry and believe me I could be in worse company' he said sarcastically.

'You and me both..' Gail said laughing whilst looking at the people leaving the church, '...I'm sorry if my cousin interrupted anything important'

Larry shrugged, she was a part of their group now so he could continue their conversation with her while he waited for Lucas. 'No need to be sorry, we were only pondering over candidates to take over Juniper is all. It appears we have a shortfall of capable medical professionals that may be suitable for the job'

Gail nodded, she knew the position had not been filled yet and wondered how long it would take for Lucas to find someone he could control to take over. It was poor taste to discuss this at Doctor Monroe's funeral; however, if she could suggest a suitable replacement before Lucas could, Juniper might actually have a chance of becoming a good solid institution. She had told Matt she would continue to try to expose Juniper if it remained corrupt, but there could be another way around this. 'You know who is more than capable of stepping up to that role?...' she said without thinking. '...Billy Peele'

Larry considered her suggestion and glanced at the man as he walked out of the church with Selena Coombs. 'You think? He's a good Doctor and all, but I find him to be a little overconfident. We need someone who is good at taking direction'

'Do we though?...' she asked feigning ignorance, '...I mean look at Doctor Monroe for instance, not to speak ill of the dead but the amount of things I managed to uncover under his nose and all because he didn't have the ability to think for himself. With someone like Billy Peele, even though his overconfidence could be seen as a flaw he makes up for it with sheer skill and determination. He is also loyal to his employers and can withstand any amount of scrutiny...and coming from a Reporter that means alot'

'They are good points Miss Emory...' Larry started.

'Call me Gail' she interrupted sweetly.

'OK Gail, I think you may be on to something. I'll get the group together tonight and we'll discuss it over drinks, I'm assuming you'll be joining us?'

Gail smiled, 'Of course...just let me know when'

Larry smiled at the woman in front of him, he could sense she had an ulterior motive for putting forward this suggestion and she reminded him of her grandfather who he held in high regard. It was good to have her in their group, he also thought she would provide Lucas with some much needed resistance which would be interesting. 'Glad to hear it, we'll meet at 9:00pm at John's house. You enjoy the rest of your day Gail, I better get back to my wife before she scolds me for talkin' to such a beautiful young lady'

Gail laughed, 'Take care Larry...I'll see you tonight I guess' she said and looked around for Caleb. When she spotted him she gave him a little wave to indicate she was done.

'Let me get this straight son, you're taken with Poppy who is 5 years your senior and you want advice on how to deal with your feelings? You've come in leaps and bounds son, I didn't expect this talk from you just yet' Lucas said proud of his boy.

Caleb could not think of anything else that he would not be able to speak to Gail about except girl things, he had chosen Poppy as Lucas had commented on her before. 'Well, she's pretty and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that but I like her. You seem to know a lot so I thought you could help me figure...' Caleb started, then realised Gail was signalling him and cut off his sentence, '...you know what, I'll be alright. Thanks for listenin' Lucas' he said and ran towards Gail.

Lucas watched Caleb run off confused, then looked at Gail who was displaying a smug look on her face. Larry was nowhere to be found and Lucas was beginning to realise he had been played.

Caleb ran to Gail and put his arms around her. 'Did I do good?' he asked, eager for approval.

Gail hugged him back and kissed his forehead. 'You did great, now go find M' she said smiling, then spotted Lucas walking towards her. 'Afternoon Sheriff, did you have a good chat with my cousin?' she asked smugly.

Lucas shook his head, he did not know what she was up to and he was furious that Caleb had gotten involved. 'As a matter of fact I did. Can I have a word with you in private Miss Emory?' he asked taking hold of her arm and leading her back into the now empty church, not waiting for her response.

Gail allowed herself to be lead and smiled reassuringly at Caleb as they past him. When they entered the church Lucas dragged her to the confession booth and roughly threw her in, then closed the door behind them. 'Now Sheriff, is this any way to treat a young woman when children are present' she asked innocently.

Lucas laughed, 'That's why we're in here where there are no witnesses Miss Emory' he said and pushed her against the wall, then lifted up her black dress.

Gail shook her head disapprovingly, 'and what is it you think we're going to do in here Sheriff?'

Lucas turned her around so she was facing the wall of the cramped booth and unzipped his pants. 'Well seen as you crashed my discussion with the good Doctor, we're doin' whatever I want...' he said as he ripped off her thong effortlessly. '...you've been a bad girl Miss Emory' he smiled and spanked her bare behind teasingly.

Gail took a deep intake of breath, she was not prepared for this and did not want it at this moment in time. 'No' she said, turning back around to face him.

'No?' Lucas asked bemused. With her mood of late he could not tell whether she was being serious or playful, so choice to got with the latter. He pulled her close to him and moved his hand to her sweet spot, upon stroking her he found that she was ready for him if he chose to take her.

Gail gripped his wrist and shook her head. 'I said no Lucas!' she said sternly, but it was as though her words were falling on deaf ears.

Lucas disregarded her words as part of the usual games they played and lifted her up, wrapped her legs around him then slammed her against the wall, pushing his manhood inside her. He bit down on her neck at the intense pleasure he felt as he entered her uninvited and started thrusting in and out of her.

Gail could not stifle her aroused moan as he forced himself into her, she tried to protest and clawed at his back but this only resulted in him pounding even harder. Her body completely betrayed her and she felt her climax rising from deep within her, she could not deny that she was excited with doing this forbidden act in a church and knew she would regret it later.

Lucas smiled as her resistance began to waiver and he felt her tighten her legs around his waist, the fact that she was allowing him to take her in this sacred place aroused him even more as he could not even get Selena to commit this sacrilege with him. He sucked on her neck then tangled his hand in her hair and pulled her to him for a passionate kiss, his climax was building inside him and a sharp burst of pleasure surged through him with each thrust.

Gail allowed him to kiss her, then bit his lip angrily. He had taken her when she had meant no, it was just unfortunate that her body enjoyed this treatment so she could not openly be mad at him as she was giving off conflicting signals. Her orgasm was close and she nuzzled her face into his neck to stifle her moans. When she felt him bite down hard on her neck to stifle his yell as he filled her with his fluids, she bit down hard and pierced his skin at the intensity of her climax.

Lucas held her firmly against the wall for a few minutes while they both caught their breath, then released his manhood and cleaned her off with a handkerchief that was stuffed in his pocket. He watched as she pulled her dress down appearing to be angry, then took her face in his hands and kissed her softly.

Gail pulled away from the embrace after a minute and shook her head. 'Next time listen to what I'm saying Lucas' she said, then stormed past him to find her cousin.

Lucas smiled, no matter how much she wanted to resist him her attempts were futile and this proved he could have her whenever he wanted.

Matt Crower stood outside of Juniper House holding a small suitcase with all of his belongings, waiting to be picked up. He was being supervised by a male orderly who appeared to be annoyed at Matt's constant questioning about the time, Gail was supposed to pick him up at approximately 3:00pm after Doctor Monroe's funeral; however, it had past that time which meant something unexpected had caused her delay.

Part of Matt felt like this was all too good to be true and had wondered whether his supposed release was some sort of cruel joke orchestrated by Lucas Buck, but so far he had been met with no resistance from the orderlies or any of the staff in Juniper; therefore, he was starting to allow himself to believe what was happening. When he heard the familiar load sound of the mustang heading his way, he could not hide his excitement any longer and relief flooded through his whole body.

Gail exited the car and signalled for Caleb to jump in the back with Merlyn, she was still in her funeral attire and felt dirty after her encounter with Lucas; however, she could not bring herself to make Matt wait any longer than he had to, so had come straight for him when she could. She could not help but smile when she caught sight of his child like grin, it was as though he had been grounded for a prolonged amount of time and was being allowed out for the first time. 'Sorry I'm late, throw your bag in the boot and hop in the front with me' she said and took his file from the male orderly before heading back to the drivers side of the car.

Matt sat comfortably in the front passenger seat and regarded the children warmly when they both stroked his shoulders. It had been a long time since he had been truly happy and although the girl in the back seat still reminded him of Merlyn Temple, which had caused him unease, he felt happy to be with all of his present company. 'How was the funeral?' he asked.

'Boring' Caleb said without thinking, then shimmied down in his seat in an attempt to get away from Gail's unimpressed glare in the rear view mirror.

'It was a nice service and a lot of people were there' Merlyn said trying to take the attention off her brother, sometimes he appeared to have no common sense.

Matt smiled at Merlyn then turned his attention towards Gail, she was being very quiet and did not appear to be acting her usual self. 'What are you thinking about Gail?'

Gail was thinking about Lucas, what they did and how excited she was to see him again tonight at the meeting. She enjoyed watching him work a room and she would have to get her urges in check to ensure he did not provoke any inappropriate behaviour. She could not discuss this with her present company or anyone else for that matter, so she tried to put it out of her mind. 'I'm thinking about where's best to put you until we figure out a permanent living arrangement. I have no room at my place but I promised I'd keep you supervised so we might just have to make do for now'

'I could stay with Caleb and he could have my room' Merlyn said, trying to assist with the dilemma.

'I don't mind sleeping on the couch if there's no room' Matt suggested.

'I could just stay at Lucas's and that would free up a lot of space' Caleb said thinking out loud and had to grip the seat when Gail slammed her foot on the breaks, then exited the car.

Both Merlyn and Matt turned towards Caleb as though he had said the worst thing in the world, but Caleb just shrugged. 'It was only a thought!' he snapped, then jumped out of the car in a huff.

Gail sat on the bonnet of the car while Caleb opted to sit on the boot. Matt looked between them both and went to exit the car, when Merlyn shook her head. 'I'd just leave them too it if I were you, they only get annoyed if you try to help'

'What's happening with them?' Matt asked concerned.

Merlyn smiled sadly, 'Lucas Buck is what's happenin''

Gail sat looking up at the sky, trying to push down her anger. For a moment she felt the presence within her take control upon hearing Caleb's comment, she had to stop the car to get some air and concentrate on pushing it back down inside her. She was beginning to feel there was some ill feeling towards her cousin and it worried her; therefore, she needed to figure out a way to gain full control for good.

She was so deep in her thoughts that she had not noticed Caleb had come around to her from his place on the boot of the car and sighed when he sat next to her. 'You really want to stay at Lucas's house?' she asked, 'I want the truth...I won't be offended'

Caleb looked down at his hands, it was a subconscious thought and he had not meant to make her angry. 'I guess I do, I don't know why...it just might be fun' he said honestly.

Gail smiled, it was certainly fun when she stayed at Lucas's house. She bit her lip and pushed down the naughty thought, this was serious. 'You know I wouldn't let you stay there alone right? How would you feel about that?'

Caleb looked up at his cousin and smiled. 'Just me and you stayin' at Lucas's? I think I'd like that'

Gail inhaled deeply and shook her head. 'He's gonna be so smug with you instigating this...' she laughed, trying to hide her doubts about it. '...keep this between me and you for now, Matt doesn't need to be involved. I'll sort it all out OK?'

'Yes ma'am' he said giving her a hug and jumping of the bonnet.

'Well now that that's settled, let's get our passengers home' she said smiling and they both got back into the car.

Gail arrived at the Mayor's house an hour early, so she could catch up with Mary. She was glad to hear that the Mayor was keeping is hands to himself these days and Mary confirmed that her home life did not involve being used as a punching bag anymore. Mary was sent upstairs when John's guests began to arrive and Gail was left alone with a few men she was not familiar with; therefore, she chose to excuse herself for some fresh air and took a casual stroll around the premises.

As Gail wandered around the well kept garden she began to think about the gravestone that was hidden away at the far side of Lucas's back garden, she had not had much chance to be fully alone with her thoughts since the incident with Matt and she found herself curious as to what else was hidden in plain sight. 'Rosemary' she whispered to herself as she circled back to the house, the name had a familiar feel to it; however, she did not know why.

'Well,well...look who has her first meeting with the big boys' Lucas said sarcastically standing right in front of her, then frowned when it took her a few seconds to notice him which indicated something was bothering her. 'Are you OK Darlin'?'

Gail continued walking to the front of the house, only acknowledging him for a moment when she side stepped around him. She had been deep in thought and felt agitated as she had been interrupted. 'I'm fine Sheriff, shall we go in?' she sighed and continued on to the front door.

Lucas grabbed her arm roughly and dragged her close to a bush, the members of the group were arriving not far from where they stood; however, they knew better than to try and pry into his business. 'If I've done something to offend you, it wasn't intentional' he whispered, cupping her chin gently and raising her face to look into her eyes.

Gail let out a small laugh, 'Is that your way of apologising for something? I mean it I'm fine, just a little preoccupied is all. Now I believe people are waiting for us Sheriff' she said and pulled free from his grip then walked towards the front door. When she entered the house she headed for the sound of men laughing, she was nervous; however, she would never allow that to show so she walked into the large study confidently, then forced a smile when all conversation stopped and eyes focused on her.

The room was filled with the highest professionals of this town, there was Judge Tregar, Doctor Larry Charlton, Doctor Pike, Principle Sadler, Mr Ramsey the owner of the Trinity Guardian, hell there was even Reverend Carson of the Baptist Church and that was just naming a few. Gail started to doubt her decision to join this group and she may be slightly in over her head; however, Lucas's warm hand that gently stroked her back provided her with reassurance and she let Lucas lead her further in.

'Evenin' all...I heard Larry called this meeting as he felt the need to explore our options for Juniper, so let's get this over with' Lucas said as he gently pushed Gail towards a large grandfather chair and perched himself on the arm of it.

Gail remained detached and used her journalist skills to survey the room to give her a better understanding of what she was dealing with. She was interested to discover who would step forth first, as this would be the person who was most eager to gain Lucas's favour. There was a moment of silence then Reverend Carson spoke up, Gail would not have bet he would be the one to come forth first; however, she now had an unexpected place to start with her investigations.

'I for one trust whoever you feel is up to the job Lucas...' Reverend Carson said, '...I'm not sure why there was a need to gather over this'

Gail watched curiously as most of the room murmured their agreement, it appeared that there truly was no one with a back bone to challenge Lucas here.

'The reason for this meeting is to ensure the next head of Juniper isn't a babbling idiot like Monroe was, god rest his soul' Larry spoke up, then walked slowly around the room.

Gail was intrigued by this man, he had an air of importance about him and he did not appear to care about the shocked faces all around him. Doctor Pike, who she remembered from an auction she attended with Caleb and Matt not long after she came to Trinity, tried to grab Larry's arm but he shrugged him off easily and approached Lucas.

'I heard an interesting suggestion earlier today Lucas, unless you counter it with someone just as capable I believe we should offer the position to Billy Peele'

Lucas forced a laugh, then glanced at Gail disapprovingly. 'Peele? and who came up with that bright idea? The man has as much personality as a piece of cardboard'

Larry shrugged, 'Our newest member brought him to my attention and I decided to look him up. He's done wonders for the CDC and I believe he might be just what we need to make Juniper a credible facility, especially after the whispers I've heard about Doctor Monroe's private experiments'

Gail watched Lucas closely, she sensed he was seething at being challenged so publicly; however, he remained outwardly calm and part of her wanted to see how much he could tolerate. 'Billy is very smart and you're lucky to have him in this town. He's overqualified to say the least and an opportunity like this could keep him grounded here, which could benefit the town' she added to assist Larry.

Lucas smiled and shook his head, he was not used to being challenged at these meetings. He was so distracted with Gail's presence and contribution to the discussion that his mind went blank, which prevented him from coming up with a counter suggestion. This was frustrating, he did not like the feeling of not being in control. 'Billy Peele is an outsider Darlin', you haven't been here long enough to understand the way we work. When we promote we do it to our own, not outsiders' he stated dominantly.

Gail laughed, 'How very old fashioned of you...I've been away from this town most of my life and I'm still the best most qualified journalist you have to offer. Technically I'm an outsider, but I appear to have been welcomed here with open arms'

'She's right Lucas...' spoke up Doctor Pike, '...we all look forward to her stories, the Guardian is starting to get great again because of her edge. Billy Peele is more than capable of watching over Juniper, it might be good to have a fresh take on things there'

Lucas stood up and addressed the room fully. 'Is this what you all want?...come on now, don't all speak up at once' he said trying to hide his agitation with the situation.

The room remained quiet, no one wanted to challenge Lucas; however, no one stood up and challenged the notion put forward by Doctor Charlton. Larry winked at Gail and smiled, he did not know why but there was something about this woman that made him want to please her. 'Well it's settled then, there's no one voting against this suggestion so someone can offer the position to Doctor Peele'

Lucas shook his head in exasperation, he would not offer any position to that ass. It was bad enough that he was screwing his ex, now he was to hold a position of power within his town? Lucas was beyond annoyed at the way this meeting was turning out.

'I'll talk to him...' Gail said standing up, '...I'll be meeting up with him tomorrow anyway'

Lucas laughed, 'Well it appears democracy prevails...let's call an end to this so I can get back to doin' something useful with my time' he said and walked out of the room.

Gail nodded towards Doctor Charlton triumphantly then followed Lucas to the front door and placed a hand on his wrist. 'Don't be such a spoil sport Sheriff...' she said playfully, '...I may have won this round, but you're winning something you're not even aware of'

Lucas opened the door and led Gail down the drive. 'Is that so? and what would that be Miss Emory'

Gail bit her lip in frustration, 'Your son's affections it would seem' she said. She had not wanted to broach this subject here; however, she did not want him taking his bad mood out on some poor soul so she chose to distract him.

'What do you mean?' he asked curiously.

Gail laughed and shook her head, 'This is a subject for another day...I'm tired and I'm going home' she said and left him with his thoughts.

-To be continued-