I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from Fade to black.
It had been a pleasantly hot Sunday afternoon in Trinity SC, a cool light breeze gave a much needed break from the sweltering sun and there had been no clouds in sight in the deep blue sky, until now.
Gail Emory knelt motionless on the riverbank with her head lowered, trying to get a sane thought to stick in her mind. She stared dazed at the small red marks that stained the expensive white gown she had spent so much time choosing and attempted to drown out her Fathers laughter coming from all around her.
A soft wet sensation on her hand caught her attention and she glanced to her right, to see Gideon licking the thick residue off her fingers. Gail blinked the tears out of her eyes and lifted her shaking hands slightly to examine her sticky fingers, she stared confused at the red liquid that Gideon was attempting to clear and let off an involuntary shudder.
She tried to remember what had happened to bring her to this moment; however, her mind was blank. Her state of confusion intensified when she reached deep for her darkness to provide some clarity and was left abandoned by Rosemary, who she had become so accustomed to.
Gail felt large hands stroke her shoulders gently, then she was suddenly lifted up and carried over to the River. She knelt back down obediently, as all the fight had left her and felt her hands being placed into the water.
She watched through blurred vision as the red liquid was washed away by the current and felt a sudden wave of despair, before she passed out.
3 days earlier...
Merlyn sat on a picnic table in the secluded area of the park, where she usually met Matt. It had been a few weeks since Christie's unexpected exit from Trinity and with Gail being pressured to step up her wedding plans, it was hard to remember what her focus was on a day to day basis.
Right now, her attention was on her maid of honour duties and her cousins inability to relinquish control on matters that should not concern her. She understood Gail was a control freak and she was trying stay one step ahead; however, she had made her the maid of honour for her wedding and from what Merlyn had researched, there were things only the maid of honour should be in charge of.
'You're 17, hardly an age that screams out responsible decision making' Gail laughed, reading her mind as she approached the table and sat a picnic basket down.
Merlyn watched as Gail placed some sandwiches and two bottles of juice on the table, then she sat down and ran her hand through her hair. Merlyn noted how tired her cousin looked and let out a long sigh, she knew Gail had hoped to find a way out of this; however, Lucas had applied so much pressure since Christie left town that Gail had been backed into a corner and had no other choice but to proceed full steam ahead with the wedding.
She truly did not know why Gail was going along with all of this. She sensed something strange was going on and would have expected Gail to put her foot down, or just leave town; however, her cousin remained committed to her decision to marry Lucas Buck and it appeared she had yielded to the pressure he had put on her.
'Is that seriously what you believe?' Gail asked, as she opened her bottle of juice and took a long sip.
Merlyn knew Gail could read her mind, at times she felt so close to her cousin that she could do the same; however, her feelings or beliefs never seemed to stop Gail from doing anything, so she thought freely regardless of knowing her thoughts were not private. 'It's just what I've observed is all, you can't deny that you've allowed him to force your hand' Merlyn shrugged and opened her juice.
Gail inhaled deeply, then looked up at the sky and closed her eyes. This past few weeks had been hell for her and the blazing heat felt like her mood of late. She had received a note from Christie, stating she had left down to investigate a lead on a big story. The note had been very convenient, considering that was the lie she had told Matt to keep him sane and it tied in nicely with how her friend used to be back in the day; however, Gail was not stupid or naive and did not believe it for a second.
On the day the note arrived, which did appear to be in Christie's handwriting, Lucas had set a date for the wedding. He had gone above her head and ensured it was front page news in the Trinity Guardian, before she had a chance to protest. After that, it had been full steam ahead and Lucas made sure she was fully aware of what she had agreed, in addition to the consequences of backing out of a very public wedding.
Lucas did not threaten her, he would not dare; however, she was fully aware that all the players in town were looking forward to this event. If she backed out, all respect for her would be gone and she would not allow her family name to be tarnished.
Gail had banned Merlyn from planning a hen night, opting to get this over with as soon as possible. The wedding plans had well and truly tied her up, ensuring she had little or no spare time to look for her friend and she was forced to make a choice between being a good Mother to her baby, or searching for Christie. It was just easier to accept the inevitable and stop stalling the wedding, to enable her to get back to the search for Christie as soon as she could. She did not like it; however, Lucas had played this game well and she knew any more resistance from her would just tie up her time even more.
It was hard and she felt deflated at times; however, Gail knew she needed to chose her battles and this was a losing fight. She could not blame Merlyn for calling it how she saw it, but it did not mean it offended her any less. 'All I've ever done since you showed up in my house is protect you. I've allowed you to find your own wings and rejoin society, shielding you from all the drama and pain that our cursed family seems destined to face...but I'm a pushover right?' she asked irritated.
Merlyn had not intended to offend her cousin, she just did not want her to be tied to Lucas in this official capacity. It was hard enough knowing what he had done in the past and seeing him make a family with her kin; however, making it official was the nail in the coffin and Merlyn did not want to accept that.
'You had a chance to give me something...' Gail sighed, reading her mind. '...I suspected something and you chose not to comment, like a good little foot soldier would. So much has happened since then and still no comment from you'
Merlyn knew she was referring to her death and stared deep into Gail's eyes. 'Ask me now' she said seriously, not wanting to go down this route; however, not seeing any other way.
Gail sensed Merlyn wanted to help her, she knew she could ask her anything at this moment and would get an honest answer. She stared deep into the girls honest eyes for a moment and saw the purity there, it was something Gail herself once had; however, she had allowed it to be stripped away by the person who claimed to truly want to be with her.
She considered her options for a moment, then let out a small exasperated laugh and shook her head. 'There's no point in revisiting the past right at this moment in time, it'll only make things more complicated for the both of us. Let's just focus on the tasks at hand...I've got to review the final changes with the dress and you need to check who's responded to the invitations sent last week, anything else?' she asked, pulling her diary from her backpack and checking if there were any appointments she had missed.
'Mary wants a hen party at the Mayor's place, she's really pushin' for it Gail' Merlyn advised, not wanting to keep mentioning this subject due to her cousins current mood, but having no choice.
'That woman is persistent, I'll give her that...' Gail laughed, '...I'll deal with Mary, Mayor's wife or not I will not be pushed around by her. Anything else?'
'Well, there's one small thing' Merlyn said nervously, staring at her hands.
Gail narrowed her eyes at her, then let out a long sigh. 'We haven't got all day, just spit it out' she ordered, agitated.
Merlyn took a deep breath, then regarded her cousin cautiously. 'Do we leave a spare seat for Christie? I can't see her missin' her best friends weddin''
Gail bit her lip, in an attempt to hide her anger and inhaled deeply. Merlyn had done well to avoid the subject of Christie recently and she was not in the mood for it to be brought up now. Without thinking, she leaned in close to Merlyn and took hold of her wrist tight. 'I'm only going to say this once, there is to be no mention of that name to me now or ever again...Whatever has gone on, it's none of your concern. Do I make myself clear?' she asked calmly.
Merlyn caught the underlying anger in her tone and swallowed hard. 'I didn't mean nothin', I just...'
'Do you understand Merlyn?' Gail asked, more sternly.
Merlyn nod, then let out a sigh of relief when Gail let go of her wrist and stroked her arm apologetically.
Gail took a deep breath, picked up a sandwich and her bottle of juice, then got up. 'Focus on the invitations and I'll sort Mary. We'll meet back up about 6:00pm at my old place' she advised, then headed towards her car.
Merlyn watched Gail leave and shook her head, she knew Christie was a sore subject; however, she assumed she had been in contact with Gail frequently and did not understand her cousins reaction.
Suddenly she felt a wave of concern flow through her and pushed it deep down. She sensed Gail did not want her getting involved in anything; therefore, she continued to think about her tasks for the day and hoped her cousin would come to her if she required help.
Lucas sat on the bench outside of the Sheriff's Station, taking in the sun. It had been a strange few weeks, even for his standards and he had expected some push back from Gail, due to his forcing her hand with the wedding; however, everything appeared to be going as planned. As there had been no unexpected set backs, he had allowed himself an hour to just sit back and reflect on what was coming next.
Lucas enjoyed this time of day, parents were busy picking up their children from school and the work folk were not yet ready to leave for the day. This meant there was a lull in the amount of people on the streets and it enabled him to enjoy the sun in peace, with only a few residents to give pleasantries to.
The sun was scorching and he found himself hoping the weather remained this good on Sunday, not that it was something he could not change if needs must. Gail had put a lot of effort into the planning of their wedding, to his surprise and he would not allow all her hard work to be ruined by rain. He knew part of her did not want this and she felt backed into a corner; however, deep down he suspected she was looking forward to their union as much as he was, given their mysterious past and who would not want to be married to him.
'That's wishful thinking if you ask me' Gail said, as she sat down beside him on the bench and let out a long breath.
Lucas liked her ability to read his thoughts when his guard was down, it was refreshing at times not to have to hide everything. Luckily, certain things were buried deep where she could not find them, otherwise their conversations would not be so lighthearted. 'I think this hard exterior of yours is a front, if we peel off the layers we may just find your softer side' he smiled, then leaned over and pulled the straps of her vest down.
Gail grabbed his hands in hers and pulled them to her lap. 'Now, now, we don't want your constituents bearing witness to their elected official acting inappropriately towards a young woman' she scolded teasingly.
Lucas bit his bottom lip and trailed his eyes over her glistening body. 'I doubt they'd mind, knowin' it was the woman he's goin' to be committed to for life' he smiled, then leaned in and kissed her passionately.
Gail savoured the taste of his tongue in her mouth for a moment, then remembered where they were and pulled away from the embrace. 'And if she doesn't want to be tied down for life?' she asked seriously.
'She shouldn't have accepted the bind' Lucas said and lifted her left hand up, then kissed the finger with her engagement ring on.
Gail let out a long sigh, then pulled her hand away and clipped her hair up with a hair claw she found in her bag. 'It's your Stag party tonight, I'm assuming I've got the place to myself until tomorrow?' she asked, hoping for some time alone with her thoughts.
Lucas leaned back on the bench and waved at an old couple walking a dog over the road. 'I've tasked Billy with helpin' Ben arrange somethin' appropriate, but I doubt I'll be out all night. Besides, you've got somewhere to be tonight Darlin', so there'll be no time alone with your thoughts for the forseeable' he smiled smugly, reading her mind.
Gail looked at him confused, then heard her mobile telephone vibrate. When she caught the smug look on his face, she reached into her bag for her phone and shook her head at what she read. 'I'm not doing this and you don't get to control me' she stated, attempting to remain calm.
Lucas laughed and shook his head. 'You're a bride to be, you deserve a good send off...' he said, then leaned forward and gripped her arm tight. '...People are tryin' to do somethin' nice for you, you will be there and you will enjoy it'
Gail sensed the order in his tone and bit her lip in frustration, to stop from saying something she should not in public. She counted to 10 in her head, then forced a smile and placed her hand on his hand that was gripping her arm. 'I'm not yours yet, you aren't the boss of me...Besides, I'm not going anywhere without my best friend, so unless you can supply Christie, you can tell Mary to call it off' she said sternly, then pulled her arm free and started to walk away.
'It ain't my fault your friend left you Gail' Lucas called hurtfully.
Gail stopped for a moment, then turned back towards him. 'See you at the Church at 5 Sheriff, don't be late' she ordered, being careful to hide her anger at his comment and then continued on her way.
Lucas smiled smugly as he watched her leave, then shook his head and stood up. He had no doubt she would follow his orders regarding Mary and decided to go back to his office, where he could contemplate things in peace.
Caleb stood his bike up on the old wooden house and took a deep breath, before entering the property. He stood for a moment silently, watching Christie as she lay deflated on the mattress in the middle of the floor and considered how it had come to this. Part of him felt sorry for her, aware that she knew too much and it was too late for Lucas to let her go; however, his dark half found great pleasure in how they had beaten her down mentally and craved the next torture they could inflict.
Lucas had ordered him not to do anything when he was not here to supervise, he allowed Caleb to come here and check on her; however, no actions were to be done unless he was present. Caleb's dark half did not appreciate these orders and he was finding it hard to control his urges. Even now, he had felt an unwavering urge to cycle here straight from school and he could not push the urge away.
Christie moaned out in pain as she tried to stretch her stiff legs, then rolled on her back and stared up at the ceiling with blank eyes. The woman's complete lack of strength when she had prided herself on being strong previously fascinated him and the dark part of him began to wonder what they could do to test her strength.
'Nothin' when I'm not present' Lucas stated sternly, appearing behind Caleb.
Caleb turned quickly to his Father, then looked down at his hands guiltily. 'I weren't doin' nothin'' he lied.
Lucas laughed and shook his head. 'I had that same curiosity when I was younger, so don't lie to me son...There's too much at stake now, we either finish this or leave it alone until things have died down' he advised, then walked towards Christie slowly and smiled smugly.
Caleb watched Lucas carefully, unsure of what the best course of action was. Although his dark half really wanted to hurt her, this was Gail's friend and he had liked Christie previously, until she started trying to interfere with his family. 'What do you think's best?' he asked, guessing Lucas had dealt with this type of thing before.
Lucas smiled at his boys good sense to allow him to take point and walked around Christie's almost lifeless body. 'I don't like leavin' loose ends son, this has gone on so long it's leavin' a bad taste in my mouth...You could make it quick, put her out of her misery and allow her family to move on' he suggested.
'Me?' Caleb asked with wide eyes.
'This is your ball game son. You trapped her and allowed her to remain here for this long, it's only fittin' that you finish this' Lucas smirked devilishly, then knelt down and stroked Christie's cheek gently.
Caleb watched as Lucas was being tender with Christie and shook his head. He did not know why Lucas would show her affection with what they were discussing.
'Cause it's only right to care for a little bird, until the end...We're not animals' he advised, reading Caleb's mind and reached into the bag he had brought, to provide Christie with some food and water. Keeping pet's was Selena's usual trick and he did not like having to do this.
'I don't think I can do this...' Caleb started nervously.
'Of course you can, you just let go and it'll all be taken care of, but not now...Let's get outta here, I have somewhere to be' he said, as he stood up and signalled for Caleb to follow him.
Caleb shot one last look at Christie before he left, then followed Lucas to his car. 'What's got you in such a hurry all of a sudden?' he asked curiously.
'It appears my presence is needed at Church to discuss weddin' vows...me of all people' he laughed irritated, then put Caleb's bicycle in the boot of his car and got in the drivers side.
-To be continued-
