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, Monster Bash, It Takes Two To Tango, Nobody Wins, Down the rabbit hole, Come Together and Make a Memory.
It was a cold, clear late January evening in Trinity South Carolina. The cool breeze blew through the quiet town, rustling trees and bushes as it went. The streets of the town were deserted, apart from a few residents walking their dogs or on their way out for a quiet drink.
Matt Crower stood under a large tree in the deserted park, awaiting his companion. He tried to keep to the shadows, to stop any prying residents from spotting him and wondering what he was doing. It had been a long time since he had to sneak around and he could not help but feel a little excited at the prospect of getting caught.
Matt had attempted to keep to himself after Christmas, knowing he was in for a world of trouble if he gave in to his feelings; however, his companion had not allowed him to hide away for long and had forced her presence on in. Matt had tried to resist, but her pull was too strong and he could not help himself.
A quiet rustle of a nearby bush caught his attention, which caused Matt to back up further into the shadows. When Rocky pushed his way through the bush, followed by his beautiful young companion, Matt let out a sigh of relief and approached the pair.
Merlyn smiled as Matt knelt down and gave Rocky an affectionate stroke. She had been looking forward to this meeting all day and had managed to convince Gail that she was trying to help her by taking Rocky for a long walk. Merlyn did not like lying to her cousin; however, she did not want to have to deal with her judgement, or her attempts to control the situation.
'I see you roped an unsuspecting party into our deceit' Matt scorned sarcastically.
'Rocky has no problem being an accomplice, he's just happy to get out of that god awful mansion' Merlyn smiled, then bent down and let Rocky off his lead.
Matt watched as the dog ran happily through the deserted park, oblivious to what they were doing here. He envied the dogs innocence and wished his life could be as simple as Rocky's.
Merlyn watched Matt closely and felt something stir within her. It was a pleasant, warm sensation and she was experiencing it more often when she thought of her current companion. 'How was your day?' she asked, not taking her eyes off him.
'My day's been fine, work was interesting' he shrugged.
Merlyn smiled at his attempt to remain cool, these secret meetings had not been inappropriate and she was trying to prove that they could be trusted alone together. The truth was that she loved spending time with Matt, he treated her like a woman and not a child. If this led to something else, she was ready for that and excited at the thought; however, she knew he had a lot more to lose than she did and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him.
'You're not going to ask why work was interesting?' Matt asked when she had remained silent for a few minutes.
Merlyn moved closer to her companion and sighed. 'I'm guessin' it's somethin' to do with Lucas Buck? That man is always gunnin' for you'
Matt laughed and shook his head. 'Thankfully all's quiet on the Buck front. It was the opposite actually...Gail requested all my files on something. It's a subject she never wanted to get involved in previously, but it appears it's peaked her curiosity recently'
'What subject?' she asked curiously. As far as she was aware, her cousin was too busy looking after Luke and Caleb to be concerned with anything else.
Matt stroked Merlyn's arm gently then turned his attention to Rocky, who was making his way back towards them. 'It's nothing, I shouldn't have brought it up...It's got me a little worried is all'
Merlyn felt a wave of unease come over her. If Gail was looking into something, she was keeping it very quiet and that meant it could be dangerous for her. Just because Gail mothered Lucas' child did not give her a free pass and she was starting to get concerned. 'Matt, what subject?' she asked sternly, as she gripped his arm and turned him towards her.
Matt saw the concern in her eyes; however, it was not his place to rat out his friend. 'Look M, Gail is my best friend and we're very close. I would never betray her confidence and shouldn't have said anything in the first place...Let's just forget about it and enjoy the hour we've got together, before someone starts wondering where you are'
Merlyn sensed that Matt's mind was made up, he was as stubborn as her cousin and there was no point arguing when they had gone to such lengths to rendezvous like this. 'Alright, as long as there's nothin' to worry about' she said, trying to push away her concern.
'There's nothing to be concerned about, I'm handling it...Now come on, let's go find somewhere peaceful where we can sit' Matt smiled and led her deeper into the park.
Selena sauntered towards her yellow sports car, which had been parked on the Elementary School parking lot since before 8:30am. She was beginning to hate Monday's, class had let out 3 hours ago; however, she remained behind to grade the homework assignments from the weekend and planned her teaching schedule for the rest of the week. These dark evenings were making her lose track of time and before she knew it, most of the evening had gone.
Her life had gotten so mundane and all she did was work, eat and sleep. Her sexual partners had whittled down to one and although Billy was good, she missed Lucas' raw animal desire. Her life was good, she should not complain as she had gotten off lightly for some of the stunts she had pulled; however, she missed her partner in crime and he would not even acknowledge her when he dropped Caleb off at school these days. Clearly he was too caught up with his new family to care about what she was getting up to.
'But I'm not' Gail said as she came behind Selena when she reached her car.
Selena gave off a small jump, then turned to face her adversary. Gail had clearly been working out to lose her baby weight and Selena resented the fact that her toned figure was starting to return so quickly. 'Well if it isn't the lovely Miss Emory...I'm surprised you've been let out to play without that little demon of yours'
Gail placed her hands in her jacket pockets, to shield them from the cold and smiled. 'I can play out with whomever I choose, that's more than I can say about you...How's everyday life treating you Selena? I hear Billy's got you on a tight leash these days'
Selena inhaled deeply, in an attempt to hide her irritation. 'I'm on nobody's leash'
'No? That's not what I hear...Work, eat, sleep and repeat makes Selena a good girl' Gail laughed.
'You know nothing about my life' Selena snapped, then turned back towards her car and started opening the drivers side door.
Gail placed her hand on the door and closed it effortlessly. 'I know enough. For instance, after work you'll go to Jimmy's bar and drink alone, as everyone you've used has had enough of you...You'll return home, cooking and cleaning while you wait for your man, then head to bed for some mundane sex and lay awake waiting for the cycle to repeat itself. Am I wrong?' she asked knowingly.
Gail was not wrong and Selena hated that. 'You're telling me that your life is any different? Now that you have a family I imagine your day's run as clockwork, just like mine' she stated venomously.
Gail laughed and shook her head. 'Open your eyes Selena, I'm with Lucas Buck...You remember how that goes right?' she goaded.
Selena bit her lip in exasperation and leaned against her car door. 'Why are you bothering me Gail? Just leave me alone and go back to your perfect family'
'Is that what you really want?...' Gail asked with a hint of mischief in her eyes. '...I could just leave you to your mundane routine, all alone waiting on a man to gift you with some intimacy'
Selena thought for a moment, no-one had bothered with her for nearly 2 months and suddenly here was Gail Emory out of the blue. She did not know what the womans game was; however, it was a break from her usual routine and she would be lying if she denied being intrigued by this visit. 'Alright, I'll bite...This doesn't end with me in the Trinity River at the end of the night does it Gail?' she asked suspiciously.
Gail laughed and signaled for Selena to follow her. 'You know, you throw someone in the Trinity River one time and it keeps coming back to bite you in the ass' she said sarcastically.
Selena shook her head, then followed Gail to her car. She did not trust the woman before her; however, being with her could not be worse than her mundane existence at the moment.
Lucas sat on his side porch drinking a beer, with Caleb by his side and Luke wrapped up warm in his buggy. He had been making a conscious effort to return home at a reasonable hour, to show Gail that he was serious about being a real family and that involved him spending quality time with them all.
When he returned home at 6:00pm, he found his dinner in the oven and his boys playing in Study with Rita and Izzy. He had been surprised that Gail was nowhere to be found; however, Rita explained that something urgent had come up and Gail had to leave in a hurry. She reassured him that everything was alright and Gail would be back in a few hours, then left him alone with his family.
Lucas was curious as to what had gotten his love's attention; however, he could not just cart his boys all over town to confront her, therefore, he chose to remain calm and have a relaxing beer with his eldest. It may not be an appropriate activity for a young boy, but Lucas knew there was no harm if he was monitoring the boy carefully. 'You enjoying that son?' he asked casually.
'Yes sir' Caleb smiled and watched Luke play with his favorite stuffed toy.
'You know where that ol' cousin of yours went?'
Caleb shrugged and took another sip of his beer. 'Nah, she probably went after Merly as she's been gone a while now...I'm just happy I can have this drink while they ain't around'
'I bet you are' Lucas laughed and took a large sip of his beer.
Both women had been very well behaved for his liking recently and he had chosen to leave them to their own devices while he focused on his boys. Now that he cast his mind to them, it was obvious that they were both up to something and he supposed he should step in sooner or later.
'Can't you just leave them be? They ain't hurtin' nobody' Caleb asked, subconsciously reading his fathers mind.
Lucas glanced at his boy with pride, sensing the darkness within him. He supposed he would have to start guarding his thoughts more often, if Caleb chose to begin honing in on his instincts; however, for now the boy was doing no harm. 'You don't need to be concernin' yourself with my plans for those two son...' Lucas started.
'They're my family, so I reckon I do' Caleb interrupted, then got up from his seated position and walked to the porch rail.
Lucas sighed, then got up and followed his boy. 'You think I'd hurt them?' he asked casually.
'Merly says you're capable of it'
'You need to stop listenin' to your sister and start thinkin' for yourself son...Besides, Merly Ann ain't said nothin' like that in a long time' Lucas stated smugly.
Caleb had noticed that his sister appeared to have warmed to Lucas over the past few weeks, he supposed it was due to him covering for her when she slipped out of Abe's house in the evenings. 'Gail ain't gonna be impressed when she finds out you're coverin' for her you know?'
Lucas laughed and placed a reassuring hand on Caleb's shoulder. 'You leave the women to me and just enjoy the peace we've got without them. Believe me, I'm pretty sure your cousin is too wrapped up with whatever she's sneakin' around doin' to be concerned with your sister' he smiled.
There were no real secrets from him in Trinity; therefore, he chose to allow Gail to do whatever she needed to do and he would enjoy interrogating her when she got home.
Gail sat across from Selena in Jimmy's bar, drinking a tall glass of Prosecco. Both women sat in silence for the first few drinks, then Selena let out a long sigh and signaled a waitress to get them a fresh bottle.
Selena found herself happy with the different company, regardless of whether they were conversing or not. She suspected Gail was up to something and that it would involve Lucas; however, it was nice to have a change to her usual mundane routine and to know she had not been forgotten about.
Gail finished her third glass of Prosecco when their second bottle was brought to the table and smiled pleasantly at the waitress. She refilled both of their glasses and raised her glass for a silent cheers. Gail knew she had to play this smart and would be patient, to ensure Selena felt comfortable with her.
Selena smiled as the cool liquid trailed down her throat and waited for Gail to show her cards. When she just continued to sit in silence drinking her forth glass of Prosecco, Selena let out a small laugh and shook her head. 'If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to get me drunk Miss Emory'
Gail smiled sweetly and finished her drink. 'I'm just keeping up with you Miss Coombs, so I could say the same thing about you'
Selena thought for a moment and smiled, her mind was hazy and she could not think clearly; however, Gail had drank the same amount as her and must be in the same boat. 'Alright, so we're just getting drunk together?' she asked suspiciously.
Gail laughed and shrugged. Why not? 'Have you got a problem with that?'
Selena could not tell what Gail's game was and the woman appeared genuine. So far she had not tried fishing for information on Lucas, or attempted to manipulate her into doing something; therefore, she did not know what to make of this.
'There's nothing to make of it Selena...I'm bored, you're bored, so we might as well be bored together' Gail sighed, reading her mind.
Selena nodded and refilled their glasses. 'OK, well here's to forgetting about what's expected of us for a night' Selena smiled and raised her glass.
'I'll drink to that' Gail smiled mischievously and touched glasses, before taking a long sip of her drink.
Lucas sat in his Study, reading an Isaac Asimov novel titled Foundation. Gail had challenged his intellect recently and accused him of being stuck in old ways, with his music taste and his books. She was not wrong and Lucas had become accustomed to old texts throughout the years, as these had been passed down from generation to generation; however, he would not be labelled and had agreed to broaden his horizon by branching out into science fiction.
The book was short for his standards and he had nearly finished it after 2 days of reading, it had a certain draw to it and he found it hard to put down. He had seen the children to bed an hour earlier and was happy for this time alone, now that he was coming to the last few pages of the story. As he turned to the penultimate page, he cursed out loud when he heard a quiet knock on his window.
Lucas looked towards the sound in irritation and spotted Billy Peel stood outside the window, he let out a long sigh and signaled the man towards the unlocked front door. Lucas stared at the book in disbelief and carefully placed it on the small table beside his couch, vowing to get rid of Billy quickly. When he heard Billy enter through the front door and sensed his presence close to the Study, he stood up to meet him.
'I'm sorry to bother you at this time, I hope I'm not disturbing the kids' Billy apologised, glancing around the empty Study.
'Just me Billy-boy...to what do I owe this interruption?' Lucas asked irritated and signaled for Billy to sit down.
Billy sat on the couch and watched Lucas sit down comfortably on his large grandfather chair. 'Selena...she didn't come home after school' Billy said accusingly.
Lucas let out a small laugh and shook his head. 'If I had a dollar for every time that girl didn't return home, I'd be in Fiji by now'
'So you have no idea where she is, or why she decided to uproot her routine?' Billy asked in disbelief.
'Look friend...' Lucas said standing up, '...I couldn't care less about your girlfriend, I have enough to deal with here. What I will say is she's not built for a cage, so maybe you should consider what you've tried to make her into before pointin' the finger at me'
'Meaning what?' Billy asked angrily, standing up to meet Lucas.
'Meanin' that little birdie likes to roam free and if you've tried to tame her, you're stupider than you look' Lucas laughed.
Billy felt his blood begin to boil, he had not come here to fight; however, he sensed what Lucas was insinuating and he would not believe Selena had stepped out on him. The truth was that Lucas had left them alone for a while and Billy had suspected the man was due to mess with them. It appeared from Lucas' current state that he may have been mistaken and now he was left with suspicions that he did not want to comprehend.
'A leopard can't change it's spots Doc' Lucas said knowingly.
'Just like a sociopathic Sheriff can't truly settle into a normal family' Gail sighed, as she entered the Study and threw her bag down.
Billy turned from Lucas to Gail and smiled at how well his ex friend looked. 'I was just looking for Selena...I'll get out of your hair' he said and started to leave.
'I left her at her place before returning here...You might want to get her some water' Gail advised and walked to the kitchen to get herself a non alcoholic drink.
Lucas showed Billy out then returned to the Study to find Gail sat with her legs up on the couch, studying his book. 'You seem on edge Darlin'' he said and knelt down to brush a strand of hair out of her eyes.
'That'll happen when a person reminds you that they'll never change' she sighed and shrugged off his hand.
'Oh come on now, you can't be mad at me for playin' with a man you no longer see as a friend...Where have you been anyway?' he asked suspiciously.
'Why don't you open that all seeing eye of yours and tell me?' she said defiantly, then got up from the couch and approached the fireplace.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head, he sensed she was up to something; however, he could not place his finger on it. 'What's your plan Gail?' he asked curiously, as he got up and came up behind her.
Gail laughed and shook her head. 'My plan is to go to bed and sleep off the hangover I'm surely going to have...Finish your book Sheriff' she ordered sweetly, then headed out of the room and up the stairs.
-To be continued-