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 and Misguided Feelings.

It was 1:30am in Trinity South Carolina and Matt Crower sat on the front porch swing of the boarding house with his friend Gail. As the year came to a close he had reflected on all that had happened to him since he had first set foot in Trinity and vowed not to make the same mistakes again. He was a good, incorruptible man and although this may not be the best town for a person like him, he was determined to do right by himself and the people he cared for.

Matt had been trying to keep to himself and avoid direct contact with Lucas Buck since he was lucky enough to return to his old role at the hospital; however, recently this made him feel like he was turning his back on everything he believed in and it was not like him to turn a blind eye. 'Did you go to him earlier?' Matt asked as he took a sip of his glass of juice.

Gail inhaled deeply and sighed, ever since she had accepted her dead cousin into her life the previous week she had a constant feeling of unease and something did not sit right with her. Gail had gone through the time between Christmas and New Year in a haze, she had performed like everyone had expected and smiled in all the right places but inside she wanted to scream.

This mood she was in had resulted in feelings of doubt manifesting in her relationship with Lucas; however, she had tried to shield her true feelings from him to avoid some poor soul having to take on punishment for his frustrations. Gail had made excuses about having to spend time with Caleb all week to avoid their usual rendezvous's, but she could not avoid him forever. 'Of course I did...' she said taking a large sip of her wine, '...I went and performed my girlfriend duty like a good girl should, it was the only way to get him to leave us alone tonight'

Matt forced a laugh, he could tell his friends attitude towards the man he despised so much had changed; however, he could not understand why she appeared to be forcing herself to be with him.

'You don't need to concern yourself with my relationship Matt, just be happy that he's off our backs for the time being' Gail said standing up and walking down the porch steps.

Matt had gotten used to her seemingly able to read his thoughts and shrugged it off, he followed her down the porch steps and watched as she knelt down to check on the plants in the garden. 'What are you doing here Gail? You have plenty of people who would happily be out drinking with you to celebrate the new year'

Gail laughed and shook her head. 'Yep, I'm quite the popular one these days...Do you really think I want to celebrate another year trapped in this town?'

Matt smiled, this was the Gail he had grown to know when she arrived Trinity. The friend he knew had never intended to settle in this town and would do anything to uncover it's demons, she would never have seriously entertained making friends with the elite people in this town or have gotten this mixed up with Lucas Buck. It appeared his friend may be returning to her roots and he would do whatever he could to assist her with the transition. 'I don't know Gail, you seem quite cozy playing the role of first lady in Trinity' he said sarcastically and laughed when she narrowed her eyes at him.

'Oh please, as if I'd allow my relationship to be common knowledge with his townspeople. Besides, can you imagine me having to pretend I care about this place?' Gail laughed.

Matt approached his friend and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 'I don't know what's happened to change your attitude, but I guarantee you he will notice if I have Gail...What's the plan here?'

Gail shook her head, 'I don't know what you're talking about Doctor...' she said feigning ignorance and finished off her glass of wine, '...As far as anyone is concerned, everything is running as normal and it will stay that way...Anyway I suppose I ought to get home to my dependents, this was nice'

Matt sighed and took the glass from her, he did not want her to go; however, they had stayed up longer than intended and he was on shift tomorrow. 'This has been lovely Miss Emory, would you like me to walk you home?'

Gail shook her head at his concern for her safety and placed a soft kiss on his lips. 'I'm a big girl, I don't need an escort...Happy new year Matt' she said giving him an affectionate hug then turned to walk home.


Lucas sat in his study drinking a glass of whiskey and reading a Stephen King novel that Gail had previously left behind. He was restless after his visit from her earlier and had chosen to check out The Stand to see what all the fuss was about. So far he was enjoying the morbid beginning of the story; however, his mind kept drifting towards his love and her state of mind earlier.

Lucas had expected to see the new year in with Gail, after all she had been part of his accomplishments of the previous year; however, she had made other plans unbeknownst to him and had left him after they had satisfied their craving for each other. She had made him promise that he would respect her prior organised engagement and stayed with him until 11:00pm before heading off to see Harvard.

Usually Lucas would not doubt his importance; however, he had sensed a change in his love ever since she had allowed herself to fully accept that Merlyn Ann Temple was alive and part of him was jealous that she had clearly chosen to spend time with another man over him. Things had just started to settle with Gail as she had appeared to accept his true nature and he did not want to give her any reason to pull away from him, so he had let her go without argument and given her the privacy she requested even though inside was seething inside.

Lucas tried to concentrate on the book and ignore the rage that was building up inside of him; however, that was becoming a hard task as it was calling out for a release. He made the effort to push down his rage previously as he was trying to be better for Caleb and Gail, knowing there was still a goodness within them both which would prevent them from condoning his usual ways of release. The problem was that the frustration he felt at this moment in time made him about ready to burst.

Lucas inhaled deeply and finished off his whiskey, then got up to head to his bed. It was nearly 2:00am and he supposed some rest might help and take his mind off his anger at the situation.


Gail wrapped her cardigan tight around her chest in an attempt to ward off the cold, she had chosen to walk a non direct route home to enable the fresh night air to sober her up and clear her head. It had occurred to her that she was only a few blocks away from the Buck mansion and she could just take the next right rather than heading home, as part of her felt bad for leaving him the way she did earlier; however, she shook off the thought and allowed her common sense to return, which warned her to keep her distance for now.

Lucas had not done anything wrong, in fact it was the opposite. He appeared to want to support her recently and make sure that she was alright with the weirdness that surrounded her, if she allowed herself to she could get lost in him completely and just throw away all her troubles; however, the old doubts that used to plague her about his character had resurfaced and she now had a dilemma on her hands. She had decided that the best course of action was to keep it strictly physical, that way she did not have to care about anything else for the time being.

A dark figure stood lurking behind a tree across the road watching Gail closely, it considered moving towards her then thought better as it sensed a couple on a back porch a few houses down. The figure stalked it's way through the gardens, being careful not to give away it's position to the woman over the road and then headed towards the back garden which was occupied by the young couple.

A strong gust of wind blew against Gail as she went to turn left down her road and made her halt in her tracks, an eerie feeling came over her which caused goosebumps to form all over her skin and she began to survey her surroundings. She suddenly felt drawn to a house over the road, it was as though something was pulling her towards it; however, she tried to disregard the feeling and turned back towards her road.

A loud scream got her attention and she ran quickly towards the back of the house. When she could see no-one on the lit up porch, she surveyed the backyard behind her and stared in horror when she spotted the mangled bodies that lay motionless on the ground in front of her.


Ben sat behind the Sheriff's Station counter staring disapprovingly at the machine bought cup of coffee in front of him, he had expected a quiet day in work after the new year celebrations; however, when he heard the news of the two bodies that were discovered last night, he knew his expectations had been premature.

'Morning Deputy...' Gail said with a smile and handed him a freshly ground cup of coffee from their favorite coffee shop, '...rough night?'

Ben gave his friend an appreciative look and stood up to take the coffee. 'Rough mornin', we didn't stop drinkin' until about 3:00am. How did you fare with Lucas?'

'I stayed up with Matt for a while and with him not drinking I got off at a semi reasonable time' she said and glanced around the Station curiously.

Ben glanced towards Lucas's office and back at Gail, there had been no sign of Lucas all morning and he was not even sure he had turned in. Ben had assumed they had been together last night as Gail did not want to spend it with him and Billy and he hoped he would not get drawn into whatever was going on with these two. 'I just assumed you were spending new year with Lucas...'

'Well you assumed wrong...' Gail interrupted, '...So did you hear about the murder last night?'

Ben sighed, he should have known there would be a reason for her coming here so early. 'Of course I've heard Gail, but I don't know the details and just cause we're friends don't mean I would give you a comment if I did'

Gail laughed, she would never use her friendship to get details for a story and would let him off with thinking that due to the rough night he had. 'I don't need details Ben, I'm the one that found the bodies...What I need is to talk to the Sheriff, I just thought I'd stop off and get a coffee for my friend first'

'You found the bodies?' Ben asked in shock, he had not had chance to look through Floyd's report on the matter and had not realized Gail had called it in.

'It appears our resident Reporter was in the right place at the right time' Lucas said leaning against the wall.

Gail sighed and rolled her eyes, she hated this appearing act that he so often did. 'Two people are dead Sheriff, I doubt their families believe it was the right place and the right time'

Lucas let out a small laugh and walked towards the counter. 'Oh come on, no-one's buying this caring act of yours. It's been months since you had a real story, I can imagine covering the deterioration of Goat Town can become tiresome...Are you really gonna pretend that seeing those bodies last night didn't make you the least bit excited Miss Emory?'

Gail shifted on the spot and tried to hide her discomfort. What happened to those people was horrific and she would never wish a thing like that on anyone; however, if she was honest she had been getting bored and discovering a real story had gotten her blood flowing.

Lucas smiled knowingly, her morbid fascination with the darker side of life always intrigued him. For someone who had experienced death so young, he would have expected her to run away from it; however, she appeared to be drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

Ben glanced from Lucas to Gail and began to get uncomfortable, he hated when the atmosphere changed around them and never knew what to do to avoid being drawn in. Gail initially came here to talk to Lucas so he decided the best option for him would be to get out of their way, he trusted his friend knew what she was doing and could take care of herself. 'Well I don't know about you all but I'm starvin' so I'm gonna pop out for some food, anyone want anything?' he asked and when both of them just stared intently at each other he just left.

'You think you know so well don't you?' Gail asked bluntly.

Lucas shrugged, 'You've been in this town long enough for me to get a sense of what you really feel Darlin''

Gail laughed, she did not truly understand how she felt these days so she doubted that he did. She did not have the patience to get drawn into his games today; therefore, she chose to get back to business and raised her press pass. 'Approximately 2:00am this morning two bodies were found mutilated in one of the victims backyards. It appears that wasn't enough to get your attention last night as you were nowhere to be found on the scene...care to comment?'

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her and took a step closer. 'It grieves me that such a terrible animal attack happened in my town Miss Emory, unfortunately I was dead to the world until 8:00am after a visit from my girlfriend tired me out' he said sarcastically.

Gail shook her head and forced a smile. 'Oh I see, maybe you're losing your touch if some light activity with your girlfriend interferes with your job Sheriff'

Lucas did not appreciate her insinuation that he could not do his job and pulled her to him roughly. 'I understand what you saw this morinin' may have been traumatic love, but I'd appreciate it if you watched your mouth' he warned.

Gail felt her body soften at his touch and willed it not to betray her, she needed to remain focused and in control. 'What makes you think it was an animal attack? I saw the bodies Lucas and the bite marks looked human to me' she said placing her hands on his chest and pushing away from his grasp.

Lucas sighed, he had also checked out the bodies in the morgue and had come to the same conclusion. It was easy getting the coroner Curtis to agree the cause of death was an animal attack, to avoid panic brewing among the townspeople; however, Gail would not be so easy to convince. 'It was dark Gail, you can't know what you saw...you need to take a step back and let me do my job here' he said reaching out and stroking her arm.

Gail laughed and pulled away from his touch. 'You seriously think that I didn't examine the bodies before I called it in? I'm a professional Lucas, don't take me for a fool like the small town Reporters you have here...I know what I saw and I will report on it factually, the only question is how factual will your report be?'

Lucas inhaled deeply in irritation, he had never gotten used to his findings being questioned and when someone did they would conveniently be discarded. He was unable to make Gail disappear and there would be no convincing her to report the way he wanted her to, so he had a dilemma. 'With you being a professional and all, I'm sure you appreciate the importance of evidence remaining confidential in an ongoing investigation?...I'll do my job and investigate the matter fully, I'll also ensure the only witness in this potential crime is interviewed thoroughly. I expect you won't be publicizing your theories until you've allowed me to fully investigate the matter, or is it your practice to report on a situation with incomplete evidence Darlin'?'

Gail could sense his irritation and it amused her, it had been a long time since she was able to openly challenge a higher official and she missed the thrill of it all. 'I told you Sheriff, I'm a professional. I wouldn't publish anything that could cause detriment to an ongoing case and I will ensure I investigate the matter myself fully before writing my article...I'll await your official request for interview, good day Sheriff' she said and walked out of the Sheriff's Station confidently.

Lucas watched in exasperation as she left, then turned his attention towards Ben when he entered with his breakfast. 'There's no time for that Deputy...Come on, we have a crime scene to examine'

Ben looked at Lucas with confusion as he disappeared into his office to get his jacket and cursed under his breath at his friend, who had clearly set his boss off for the day.


Merlyn sat on Gail's front porch with the laptop on her knees, reviewing her online English literature course. Her cousin had been acting strange recently and she wanted to ensure she did everything like she was supposed to, as part of her knew Gail's behavior was due to the revelation of her true identity. Merlyn still felt lost and was struggling to find her purpose; however, her cousins acceptance of her had taken off a lot of the pressure she had been feeling.

Merlyn has chosen to focus on her online schoolwork, in an attempt to better herself so she could be of more use. Some of the courses were tedious but she was enjoying the normality of it all and would not complain. Gail had chosen to make Lucas stay away from the house, which indicated there was a problem in their relationship. She did not care really, she was just happy that it had been much easier for her to concentrate over the last week without his incessant pestering.

'Oh come on Merlyn Ann, I hardly think I'm that bad...some woman in this town would fall all over themselves for my attention' Lucas said walking casually up the porch steps.

Merlyn sighed, saved her work then placed the laptop down and stood up. 'Gail wouldn't be happy with you being here Lucas'

'What that ol' cousin of yours doesn't know won't hurt her...How have you been Missy?' he asked, ignoring her warning.

Merlyn shook her head and signaled for Rocky to stop growling at their visitor. 'Not that you actually care but I'm peachy, how's your relationship Sheriff?' she asked sarcastically.

Lucas smiled, considering she had no power these days he was impressed with her confidence. 'My relationship is just fine Merlyn-Ann, in fact your lovely cousin paid me a visit last night and she made it mighty hard for me to get up this mornin''

Merlyn hated the thought of them together, the man was a snake and had caused her family too much suffering for her to accept their relationship.

'It's lucky for me that your cousin doesn't value you opinion on our relationship then isn't it?'

'What do you want Lucas?' she asked, growing tired of whatever game he was playing.

Lucas laughed and moved closer to her. 'What I want is you gone, your meddling is becoming tiresome...I'm beginnin' to wonder whether I should just end your misery right now and be done with it.

Merlyn sensed something dark within him and she had witnessed this behavior from him before, when he had disposed of certain people after he got rid of her. She was fully aware that she had no power, she was just a girl now and if he chose to end her life there was nothing she could do to stop him. 'If you did that what excuse would you tell yourself this time Lucas?...' she said choosing not to show fear, '...The last time you convinced yourself it was a mercy killing, this time you have no excuse'

Lucas considered her words carefully, he had justified the act to his Deputy as a mercy killing and no doubt Ben would turn against him fully if he did anything to her now, not to mention how Gail would react. 'I'm not gonna hurt you here Merlyn-Ann, just pointing out the facts...Your cousin is actin' mighty strange since she found out about you, you should look into that before I have to step in and remove the unease from her life'

Merlyn laughed and shook her head at the audacity of the man. 'What...are you gonna kill me twice Lucas? I doubt that'd go over well with your girlfriend...If anythin' did happen to me, I swear I'd come back even worse than before'

Lucas smiled at the empty threat, if he did decide to dispose of the girl before him he would make sure it was permanent this time. 'Careful with your threats Missy, you of all people should know you don't want me for an enemy'

'What exactly is it that you want from me Lucas?' Merlyn asked.

'I told you...' he shrugged, '...Gail is acting off and I don't like it. Considerin' you're the one who felt the need to make your unearthly presence known, I'd say it's down to you to fix this'

Merlyn rolled her eyes and sighed, she had obviously noticed the change in Gail's behavior; however, she had not wanted to antagonize the situation even more than she already had. 'I'm not blind Lucas, I don't need you to tell me when my family ain't behavin' right. I'll keep an eye on her, but not for you...she's my family and my responsibility'

Lucas nodded, that's what he came here to hear. 'Good Merly-Ann, you take care of your family and make sure everythin' get's back to normal' he said and began strolling back to his car.

Merlyn shook her head as she watched him leave, she was relieved when he started the car up and drove away. She turned her attention towards Rocky and signaled for the dog to follow her inside, she needed to think about the best way to approach the situation with her cousin.


Matt Crower sat in his office with a cup of coffee, glancing through the file Gail had previously given him. His friend appeared to be drawn to Goat Town recently and she was convinced it was something to do with Lucas Buck, so Matt had agreed to assist her in any way he could even if it would only ease her obsession.

Gail had put together a file of newspaper clippings and property information, he was unsure what he was supposed to find; however, she had been reviewing the information for over a week and thought a fresh set of eyes might help.

Matt closed the file, placed it on his desk and lay back in his chair. His friend had seemed more determined than she had been in a long time and it reaffirmed his belief that she was returning back to the woman he first got to know when she came to Trinity. He was happy that Gail was starting to get back to her roots; however, he wondered how she would react when the realization of what she had turned a blind eye to finally hit her. She knew Lucas was evil and corrupt, if she was truly returning to her old self she would be disgusted with some of the choices she had made this past year.

'What choices would they be Doc?...' Lucas asked casually leaning against the door to the office, '...I'd say aligning herself with a man who tried to kill a law official would be the worst choice of all'

Matt laughed and shook his head, he had been expecting a visit from Lucas sooner or later since he had started helping Gail. 'Her choices are her own Sheriff, but I'm sure it won't be long until she comes to her senses' he said getting up from his seated position.

Lucas smiled, part of him applauded Matt Crower for somehow landing on his feet. Although he would get great pleasure in removing this man from his town permanently, part of him had grown to enjoy their little games and tormenting him was always a highlight of his day. 'I don't think you appreciate the seriousness of what we have Harvard, Gail's a smart woman and knows where she belongs'

Matt approached Lucas confidently and smiled. 'It appeared she belonged with me last night, bringing the year to a close and all...What did you get up to on your own last night Sheriff?'

Lucas was still annoyed over being abandoned last night and it was a sore subject for him, he could feel the rage within him start to rise and took a deep breath in an attempt to control it. 'Careful Doc...I heard you nearly had an episode with the amount of accident prone residents that flooded through the hospital doors a few weeks ago, it'd be a shame if that happened again now wouldn't it?'

Matt narrowed his eyes at Lucas in irritation, he would not be threatened; however, he did not want to provoke the man before him just yet. 'What do you want Lucas?'

Lucas laughed then shrugged, the truth is he just wanted to see what Harvard was up to these days as Gail was going out of her way to spend more time with him. Matt had no real power here anymore and Lucas did not deem him to be a threat, so he would leave him be for now. 'Oh I'm just checkin' up on you Doc, with Billy-boy having an incident a week ago I wanted to make sure that all of our Doctors hadn't snapped'

Matt had chosen not to get involved in the drama that appeared to be surrounding Billy recently, he had noticed that Gail was keeping her distance and decided that was the best course of action for the moment. 'I can assure you there's no lapse in concentration or judgement here Sheriff' he said walking towards the large window in his office and peering out of it.

'That's good to hear Doc, I suppose I best leave you to your work...that file on your desk looks mighty interestin' and I wouldn't want to interrupt your readin'' Lucas said sarcastically and left the office, leaving Matt to let out a long sigh of relief.

-To be continued-