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 and It Takes Two To Tango.
It was a cold cloudy December morning in Trinity South Carolina, a fine rain fell and covered the gardens with a wet sheen. The wind blew strong against the leafless trees,, causing the long branches to scratch against nearby windows. The strong wind had founds it's way into the mansion through an open window and curtains in the upstairs bedroom blew away from the open window, while Gail Emory lay uncomfortably on her back in the large oak bed.
Gail had been waking up on and off all night, it was difficult to find a comfortable position due to her large stomach and the pressure she felt whilst laying on her back was painful to say the least. As if sensing her discomfort, Lucas gently pushed her onto her side and wrapped his arm around her. Gail smiled at his subconscious effort to ease her pain and closed her eyes, in an attempt to fall back asleep.
Lucas sensed his companion was awake and began to stroke her large stomach tenderly, he had not had the chance to experience this type of closeness to his unborn child when Judith was pregnant with Caleb and he was thankful that Gail had put aside her ill feelings towards him, to allow him to experience this pregnancy with her. They had their ups and downs at the beginning, which caused no end of disruption in his usually controlled day to day life; however, unlike Judith, Gail had embraced everything that she had felt coming from their child and found a way to accept it all, including the bad.
Gail was in the last trimester of her pregnancy and judging by the size of her, his boy was fully grown and nearly ready to break free. The thought of her carrying his boy safely caused a stir within him and he felt his manhood harden. He trailed his hands from her stomach to her hips and lifted her short nightdress, before pressing himself gently against her.
'Good morning to you too' Gail smiled and allowed him to lift her leg over his, in an attempt to open her up for him. She had previously thought she would not want to be touched in her current state; however, her sexual appetite had increased significantly and she could not get enough of Lucas these days, no matter how much she tried to resist.
Lucas nuzzled his head into her neck and inhaled her scent, he loved how ready she always was for him these days and pushed his hard manhood inside of her effortlessly. He let out a loud moan when he felt her close in around him and pushed himself in deeper. 'I could get used to this' he whispered playfully and nipped at her neck.
Gail embraced the pleasure that was flowing threw her with each gentle thrust, the slower he went the deeper he pushed inside her and all she wanted to do was to plead for him not to stop. Something within her stirred and she bit her lip to stop from pleading, she would not show herself as weak even if she wanted nothing more than to be with him and she tried hard to regain control of her senses.
Lucas sensed her desire so ensured his movements remained slow and steady, he had noticed a change in her the past few weeks and she had softened around him. He knew she was enjoying this act as much as he was; therefore, he would not rush and would endure the nearly unbearable pleasure he was feeling with each deep thrust. The deeper he pushed, the more he wanted to bite down hard on her neck and taste her sweet blood on his lips. It had been a while since he felt this unwavering, dark craving to taste her and it was taking all of his strength to withstand the urge.
Gail sensed his conflict and dug her nails in the hand he had placed on her hip, she could not resist calling out when the pleasure got too much and smiled when he quickened the pace. It did not take long for her climax to build within her and she forced her head in the pillow to stifle her yell, then felt him explode within her and bite down hard on her shoulder. She lay silent for a few moments while Lucas rested his head on her shoulder and softly kissed her broken skin, then let out a sharp breath when she heard a scratching sound on the bedroom door.
Lucas let out a small laugh, when he sensed her disappointment and gently stroked his fingers down her bare arm. 'I think we may have forgotten about my other house guest' he smiled.
'Seen as he's your house guest, you can see to him' she sighed and pulled the covers up over her head, so she could blank out the intrusion.
Lucas laughed and shook his head, then got out of the bed and reached for his robe. Before he had chance to inspect the sound, the bedroom door swung open and Rocky came bouncing in. The dog ran straight past him and jumped on the bed to be with his master.
Caleb popped his head around the door and looked towards the bed, where Rocky was trying frantically to get under the covers to be with Gail. He glanced towards Lucas with an apologetic look and let out a small laugh when Lucas appeared to find this intrusion amusing.
'Fine!' Gail snapped and pulled the cover down far enough that Rocky could lick her cheek, this was not how she had anticipated her morning wake up to be; however, she could not help but laugh at the situation.
'Sorry' Caleb apologised.
Gail pulled herself to a seated position and stared at Lucas disapprovingly. 'It's not you who should be sorry...Go get ready for school, I'll drop you in on the way to my office. We don't want you being late for Miss Coombs' first day back'
Caleb glanced at Lucas, who signaled for him not to try arguing and left the room to start getting ready.
'You're good at this parentin' gig' he smiled.
'It's a good job one of us is' she scolded and attempted to push Rocky off, to allow her to head for a shower.
Lucas shook his head and held out a hand, to assist her in getting up. 'We all have our strengths Darlin'. Now, I'd much rather you not go into work in your condition but seen as I know you well enough to know that's not gonna be an option, why don't I accompany you to the bathroom and I'll show you my strengths?' he asked seductively.
Gail accepted his assistance and rolled her eyes at his comment. 'I doubt you'd accept no for an answer either way' she sighed and signaled for him to follow her to the bathroom, while Rocky lay comfortably on the bed.
Merlyn sat at the small dining room table drinking a herbal tea, while waiting for Abe to get ready for work. Gail had previously resided here with Abe for several months; however, she had decided it was time she withdrew her company and was starting to stay elsewhere twice a week. Both Merlyn and Gail were worried that Abe had become dependent on her presence in his home every night, so Merlyn had chosen to make an excuse to stay with him once a week to ensure he was alright.
Merlyn liked it at Abe's residence, it had a quaint southern charm and there was no darkness here which was unusual for this town. Although Abe appeared good, she had always suspected it was some sort of cover as he was so close with Lucas; however, the more time she spent here, the more she realised that Lucas allowed the man to keep a certain purity that he managed to drain out of most of the residents in this town.
It appeared to her that Lucas had calmed his nuisance ways, as the end of Gail's pregnancy drew near. If he had been tormenting innocent souls, then he kept it well hidden; however, she was not stupid enough to believe he had changed and suspected this was all an act for Gail. A Zebra cannot change it's stripes and any goodness Lucas tried to portray was clearly to ensure Gail remained in line.
'That's a little judgmental Missy...what did I ever do to hurt you?' Lucas asked sarcastically, as he leaned against the kitchen door.
'You raped and killed my mother Lucas' she snapped, then stood up and took her mug to the sink.
Lucas smiled devilishly as he approached Merlyn, when she turned around he pinned her gently to the sink with his body and inhaled her scent. 'Now, now Merlyn Ann, you don't what you witnessed at that sweet and tender young age. What you thought was an act of evil seen through misguided eyes, could have easily been an act of love and as for me killing your momma...hell Missy, good luck in findin' any evidence to support that accusation'
Merlyn could see the malice in his eyes and was fully aware her usual guardian was nowhere in sight.
'What's wrong Merlyn Ann...ain't got Gail around to protect you?' Lucas whispered.
'If you touch me...' Merlyn started.
'I'm not convinced she'll care either way, givin' that she's got her hands full with my boys...You should've stayed dead Merlyn Ann' Lucas stated and raised his hand to her neck.
Merlyn felt some invisible force take over her and was frozen, she could not even scream. As his hand closed around her neck, she felt panic begin to set in and was powerless to stop him. Suddenly, a loud growl came from the corner of the kitchen and she felt a wave of hope flow through her. Gideon stalked towards them with his teeth bared, focusing all of his attention on Lucas.
Lucas smiled and tightened his grip slightly, 'You think I'd really be stupid enough to hurt you? or that Gail would completely abandon her watch of you?...You need to learn to smile and trust in the man with the star' he laughed and released his hold on her.
Merlyn rushed to the other side of the kitchen and stared at Lucas suspiciously, trying to figure out whether this was some sort of sick joke or if his attempt to hurt her had been foiled.
'If this had been serious Darlin', that mutt would've taken my hand off by now...' Lucas said reading her mind, then leaned down to Gideon and risked a stroke to prove his point. '...Now where's my old friend?'
Merlyn took a deep breath and shook her head, she truly hated this man and the grip he had on her family.
'Who you callin' old boy?' Abe scolded, as he strained to walk into the kitchen and shot Merlyn a curious glance.
Merlyn forced a reassuring smile, knowing she should not dare accuse Lucas of something with the sadistic mood he was in and went to make Abe a coffee.
Lucas watched triumphantly as Merlyn proved that she could behave, then placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. 'I don't know who you think you're kiddin' but you ain't gettin' any younger ol' man. Now, if you're about done powderin' your nose, go grab your jacket...I'm treatin' you two fine people to some breakfast'
Merlyn tried to push his arm off her; however, ceased the struggle when it was evident his grip was too tight. 'We gotta go the Store, we're late' she said to Abe, hoping he would see sense.
Abe laughed and shook his head, he knew she did not like Lucas; however, if the girl was now part of the family, she would have to get used to his intrusive ways. 'The Store'll still be there when we get back...Come on friend, I ain't spend any quality time with you in what seems like an age'
Lucas smiled and pulled Merlyn gently out of the kitchen. 'It'll be just like old times' he said and shot her a mischievous wink.
Selena Coombs stepped out of her yellow sports car and took a deep breath, then started walking towards the entrance of the Elementary School. She had been suspended for over a month, due to the accusations set out against her and was surprisingly nervous about returning to her role.
The gossiping biddies had been in full force over the past month and she knew who she had to blame for that. This situation had resulted in her having to hide away in her home, until she absolutely had to leave and face them.
'Well you served as a welcome distraction to my condition, I suppose I should thank you for that' Gail said smugly, as she met Selena at the entrance.
Selena regarded the heavily pregnant woman with utter resentment and shook her head. Not only had she managed to get her suspended, she had somehow managed to convince her to beat Billy's sexual partner to death and pinned two murders on her. Selena still did not remember what had happened that night and was completely unaware of the relations Billy had with the female Bartender; however, what she did remember was waking up next to the two dead bodies and Lucas having to begrudgingly help cover it up.
'I'd have thought you'd be happy to be back Miss Coombs, but you appear angry...Is there something you want to say to me?' Gail asked sweetly, willing Selena to challenge her.
Selena caught a glimpse of mischief in Gail's eyes and thought better of challenging her. 'What do you need Gail?' she asked bitterly.
'Nothing from you' she laughed.
'Oh, so this is just a welcome back visit' Selena asked sarcastically.
Gails face turned serious and she took a few steps towards Selena. 'What this is, is a piece of advice...Stay away from my family, leave my cousin alone and everything will run smoothly'
Selena resented the fact that this woman believed she could threaten her. 'And if I don't?' she challenged defiantly.
'Truthfully, it's more fun for me if you don't...Bring it on Teacher' Gail laughed, then walked towards her car.
Selena watched Gail leave and felt unease begin to rise within her. She did not understand how Gail had done what she had; however, she knew she should be careful and would not give her an excuse to target her for now.
-To be continued-