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 and Birthday Surprises.

It was a bitter cold December evening in Trinity South Carolina due to the cold spell that had hit the town a week earlier. Ice was beginning to form across the wooden floor of the pier and Billy Peele could feel his fingers starting to get numb with the cold as he sat behind Jimmy's bar.

Billy had been drinking by himself for the past few weeks since the incident with Gail, trying to figure out what he wanted. Ever since she kissed him and they came close to becoming intimate, it had caused doubts within his relationship with Selena and he was no longer sure that she was the right person for him.

Billy was trying to way up his options to best handle the situation. He was not foolish enough to attempt to take Gail from Lucas, the man was a sociopath and would not hesitate to unleash some awful punishment if he even suspected he was considering anything like that.

'I don't know, part of me kinda wants to see how that would play out...I mean I would kill you without hesitation, but it would be interestin' to see how my other half would react to that type of proposition' Lucas said as he approached Billy with a drink in his hand.

Billy sighed and downed his glass of whiskey. 'I want to be alone Lucas'

'It's strange to wanna be alone at this time of year, especially when you have a lonely girlfriend waitin' for you at home...Actually you don't really have a home here in Trinity do you Doc?'

'Leave me alone' Billy said through gritted teeth, trying to push down his irritation.

Lucas just laughed and sat next to him. 'Wow, my love really has well and truly screwed with your head hasn't she?...Although I'm not surprised having experienced her sensuality up close and personal, she does leave a lasting impression' Lucas said, enjoying winding the man up.

Billy could feel the resentment for this man rise within him, not only was his girlfriend crazy because of Lucas but the woman he actually wanted to be with was in a screwed up relationship with him.

'You truly are delusional if you believe my relationship is screwed up friend. Gail and I have an acceptance of each other that you couldn't understand and that makes our relationship flourish, it's a shame you don't get to experience that with your girlfriend...although, if you got mine outta your head for a few minutes you might find Selena more appealing' Lucas said handing Billy the glass of whiskey he had brought out with him.

Billy shook his head and took the drink, it seemed like Lucas was trying to bait him; however, he did not understand why. 'Gail came on to me Buck, make sure you remember that...This perfect connection you believe you two have can't be that strong if she was lookin' to me for comfort' he said with a hint of venom in his voice, then stood up and walked towards the pier rail.

Lucas laughed and got up to follow him. 'Firstly Billy-boy, whatever she did was to get back at me and nothing more. She has no feelings for you and she sure as hell doesn't desire anythin' you have to offer...Secondly, her misguided action with you was a direct result of her catching your girlfriend propositioning me. Had Selena behaved correctly within the confines of a relationship and respected ours, Gail wouldn't have felt the need to attempt to hurt me. You were just in the right place at the right time Doc...had it have been Ben in her house that day I have no doubt that he would've been the lucky one instead of you'

Billy downed his drink and threw the glass into the river angrily. 'What are you talking about Lucas? If Selena did something Gail would've told me'

Lucas smiled devilishly, 'Maybe your friendship isn't as tight as it once was. If I recall Gail is still avoiding you as much as she can and I'm sure if you cast your mind back you'll notice a change within Selena, which started just before the unfortunate death of her father'

Billy began to wonder about the circumstances surrounding Gail's actions and started to doubt that he was fully aware of everything that had happened in the lead up to their encounter. Selena had been acting strange; however, he had put that down to the death of her father and he was too busy with his thoughts about Gail to pay much attention to what was bothering his girlfriend.

'See that's your problem Doc, you actually think you matter to more than just one person here in Trinity...Gail may have tolerated you for a while, Ben did as well but the only person who actually truly gives a damn about you is Selena and it appears your feelings for her are dwindlin'' Lucas said cruelly.

'Why are you trying to torture me Buck?' Billy asked irritated.

Lucas was very proud of his possessions and the fact that Gail had even entertained doing anything with the man in front of him sickened him; however, he was partly to blame for that mistake of hers. Now that everything seemed to be settling down with Gail he was more aware of Billy's feelings for her and he would not stand for the mans disrespectful thoughts.

Billy had dug Lucas up when he had been buried alive so he was extending the man a bit of leniency, which is why they were just talking and Billy was not being introduced to his twin; however, if he did not heed his warning Lucas would not hesitate to come up with a more permanent solution to this matter. 'Torturin'? Man we haven't even started...This is just a gentle word of reminder about who's boss around here, go sort out your relationship with Selena and keep outta mine Doc' he said and started to walk away.

Billy regarded Lucas suspiciously, he did not trust the man; however, as far as he knew Lucas had no reason to lie to him. Billy inhaled deeply in an attempt to regain some soberness, he would replay the incident with Gail and the lead up to it again in his mind and try to figure out if there was any truth to Lucas's words.

Gail sat cross-legged on the large vintage rug in front of the fireplace in Lucas's study, reading one of his forbidden books. Her hair was clipped loosely up on top of her head and she was wearing one of Lucas's dark green shirts with just her underwear, trying to take in the warmth of the fire.

Caleb was at the Library completing his homework with M's assistance and Miss Holt had agreed to pick them up so they could stay the night in the boarding house with Matt. She had gone to the Sheriff's Station after dropping the children off at the Library and Lucas was nowhere to be found; therefore, she had taken the opportunity to spend a few hours alone in the Buck mansion.

It was easy to enter this mysterious place for her these days and although Lucas had given her a key, she never had to use it as the front door always appeared open for her. With her lovers location being unknown she had started to explore the mansion to see what she could uncover, as her curiosity could not be tamed for long in this place. She had expected Lucas to show up out of nowhere to thwart her fact finding attempt; however, when she had roamed a few corridors unchallenged she decided he was too busy somewhere else to care what she was getting up to. After a while of roaming she decided to stop making extra work for herself and relax, after all if she proved she could be trusted Lucas might give her more freedom here.

The lack of warmth in this extravagant place had not gone unnoticed to Gail and when she had felt tingling in her fingers due to the coldness, she had chosen to settle down in Lucas's study where she knew the large fire would provide the warmth she needed. It had not taken long for Gideon to appear in the study and he was currently curled up in front of the fire next to her, she had given up trying to figure out how her strange companion gained entry to this place and just enjoyed his company.

Gail gave Gideon an affectionate stroke and turned the page over in the large book that lay in front of her on the floor. She had been drawn to this large thick book with the title worn down and when she started reading it, she was instantly intrigued with it's contents. The book was written in an old text and was difficult to understand even for her with her higher education; however, she was not beaten so easily and had managed to get used to the complexity of the writing. The book appeared to be primarily about demons and from the table of contents she could establish that it detailed the believed origins and history of possession, in addition to folklore surrounding demons and possible ways to overcome possession.

Gail used to be fascinated by the supernatural as a teenager; however, she had grown out of the subject when she started learning the importance of facts and evidence. Her return to this town over a year ago had opened her mind up to different possibilities and brought her previous work ethic under scrutiny, it now did not seem so implausible for her to potentially accept the validity of the book in front of her after the things she had witnessed in this town.

Gideon let out a low growl and Gail shushed him then gave him another gentle stroke, she had barely made a dent in this book and wanted to get as far through it as she could before Lucas returned to his home.

'Too late Darlin', the master has returned' Lucas said walking casually into the study and throwing his jacket over the couch.

Gail let out a long sigh, she had hoped she would have had at least another hour before she had to return the book back to it's rightful place; however, that was clearly not the case and she had been busted. 'Oh and here I was thinking I had your place to myself for the night...how rude of you to disturb me' she said sarcastically as she stood up and smiled when Gideon moved strategically in front of the book to hide it from Lucas's view.

Lucas had not expected Gail to visit him tonight and had been suspicious when he saw her red Mustang parked down the street. He had expected to catch her in some private room rifling through his things; however, here she was appearing to be getting warm by his fire wearing one of his shirts. He approached her slowly and removed a stray strand of hair from her face. 'This is a surprise...what am I disturbin' Miss Emory?' he asked and inhaled her scent.

Gail could sense his desire for her instantly and licked her lips suggestively. 'Not much Sheriff, I just have a rare free night so I thought I'd come in here out of the cold...would you like me leave?' she asked sweetly.

Lucas shook his head then bit his lip seductively and smiled. 'When you're just wearin' that? Not a chance Darlin'' he said and pulled her towards the couch gently by her hips.

Gail looked down at his pants disapprovingly and smiled when he removed them then she pushed him down on the couch. 'What this old thing?' she asked sarcastically tugging at the collar of the shirt and allowed Lucas to remove her panties slowly, then straddled him.

Lucas ran his hands up her body then began to unbutton the shirt she was wearing. 'Not that I'm complainin' about this visit of yours, but should I be suspicious?' he asked as he unhooked her bra.

'I've not been snooping for information about you if that's what you're referring to' she said and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Lucas gave her a suspicious glance and leaned back to allow her more access to his shirt. 'It wouldn't be the first time you tried to go where you don't belong here Darlin''

Gail feigned a hurt look, then clawed her nails gently down his chest and smiled when she saw the desire in her eyes. 'Well I've been a good girl today Sheriff, so there's no spanking due'

Lucas grabbed hold of her and maneuvered himself on top of her. 'I'll be the judge of that' he said then kissed her passionately.

Gail clawed at his back in anticipation of what was to come and moaned loudly against his lips when he entered her. She was passed denying her desire for this Adonis and was content with letting him take her however he wanted.

Lucas nipped at her neck playfully then gently pulled her leg over his shoulder to enable him to push deeper within her, he sensed her climax building already so he quickened his movements to allow her release then slowed down to prolong this act. He had found himself enjoying their gentler encounters more often these days and was happy to push his orgasm down so he could remain inside her for longer. The intense pleasure that came with each deep thrust was almost unbearable; however, Lucas enjoyed testing his limits of control and would not rush this act.

Gail called out when her climax hit and pulled him down to her when his movements became slow and steady. She kissed him passionately and nipped at his bottom lip playfully, 'I know you like to torture me...' she whispered, '...but this slowness you're so fond of recently has to stop'

Lucas kissed her lips softly then pushed deeper inside then stopped. 'You don't enjoy me right here Darlin'?' he asked teasingly.

Gail shook her head and exhaled deeply. 'I enjoy you everywhere Sheriff; however, I'm likely to explode if you don't get on with it'

Lucas laughed then began to thrust in and out of her more forcefully, he could feel his climax building inside and sensed her second release was on par with him. Lucas released her leg to allow him to concentrate on his finish and she wrapped it around his waist, he pounded in and out of her as she clawed her nails down his chest and called out her name when his climax hit.

Gail pulled Lucas close after her release came and allowed him to remain inside of her while he rested on top of her. She inhaled deeply in an attempt to slow her heart rate and smiled as he ran his lips teasingly over her neck.

'I could get used to you bein' here when I get home Miss Emory' he whispered playfully in her ear.

'I could get used to this being all I have to do each night Sheriff...it's a shame I'm a mother of 2 these days' she said sarcastically and let out a low moan as he pulled his manhood out of her.

Lucas stood up, stretched and held out his hand to help her up. 'There's nothin' stoppin' you staying here on a more permanent basis with one of those two, this house is so big you probably wouldn't even know he was here'

Gail located the shirt she had been wearing and pulled it back on. 'I'm not so heartless that I'd split those two up, you know that...Besides, I like being able to escape here when I need some peace and quiet'

Lucas smiled and pulled her close to him. 'You won't get any of that while I'm around Darlin'...now, do you take me for a fool?'

Gail ran her hands up his bare chest and dug her nails in gently. 'I don't recall that thought crossing my mind, but it's still early' she said sweetly.

Lucas shook his head, turned her around and spanked her playfully, then pulled her back to him. 'You think I don't know that mutt of yours is hiding somethin'? You wanna tell me what you've been up to or do I have to get up and find out for myself?'

Gail leaned back into him and sighed. 'It's Nnthing that you need to be concerned about, I'm just doing some light reading...You're constantly lecturing me about accepting my true self, well that's not going to happen without some research'

Lucas nuzzled his head into her neck and nipped at her skin, he did not want her meddling into things she did not understand; however, he could not shield her if she truly wanted to learn and there was no denying the forces he had grown to live with here were interested in her. 'Alright Darlin', I'm not even gonna ask what you're readin' and I'll give you free reign with my books for now, but you need to promise me you'll come to me and only me for guidance on this...Do we have a deal?'

'So I'm supposed to come to you so you can spin everything your way? but if I agree you'll allow me full access to your Library? OK, I suppose I can accept that compromise'

'I need you to say the words Gail...certain things are dangerous and I want your assurance that you'll heed my guidance' Lucas said in a serious tone.

Gail sighed and shook her head, she only wanted to read some books and did not understand why he was being so serious; however, she trusted him against her better judgement and supposed there was no harm in giving into his wishes this once. 'Fine...it's a deal Lucas'

Lucas smiled and lifted her up into his arms. 'That's all I needed to hear...now that that's settled I think it's about time we got you to bed Miss Emory' he said with a devilish grin and started to carry her to his bedroom.

Billy sat in Selena's kitchen in the dark, lighting matches just to watch them burn. He had continued to drink after Lucas had left him at Jimmy's bar and could not get the mans words out of his head; therefore, he had decided to confront his girlfriend. It was after 2:00am when Billy arrived at Selena's and he had sat down to light a candle, but got distracted by the flame on the match.

Selena had been awoken by the sound of a door closing and suspected her boyfriend had finally returned, when he did not come to her she chose to check on him to establish what was going on. Billy had been distant over the past few weeks; however, he had not ended the relationship so she just assumed he was going through some things like she had previously and after a discussion with Gail she chose to just give him some space.

When she entered the kitchen she watched Billy carefully as he let the flame of a match burn his skin, he did not flinch when the flame touched him which caused her concern. 'Billy honey, are you alright?' she asked.

Billy allowed the flame to singe his skin for a moment longer, then turned towards her. Seeing Selena caused anger to flare up inside him and he stormed over to her then grabbed her roughly by the neck. The alcohol was clearly clouding his judgement and all he was concerned about was her propositioning Lucas. 'What the hell did you do Selena?' he asked pinning her against the wall by her neck.

Selena clawed at his hand but he just tightened his grip. 'What are you talking about honey? You're hurting me!'

Billy shook his head distrustfully, 'You did something with Lucas Buck and I want to know what!' he yelled.

Selena's heart sank, Gail had said she had not told him about what had happened the previous month; therefore, Selena had not expected a reaction like this. She had been taken completely off guard. 'Billy honey you need to calm down...' she said trying to sound reassuring, '...I don't know what Gail has said but...'

'Lucas Selena, not Gail...' Billy said interrupting, '...Is there something Gail should've told be?'

Selena was furious, she had not even considered Lucas would inform Billy of what she had attempted. After all the years she had spent pleasing him and doing whatever he required of her, it appeared Gail Emory was more loyal to her at this moment in time and that was laughable.

Selena could not help but laugh at the situation and saw an opening when Billy's grip on her neck loosened due to confusion over her reaction. 'Oh come on honey, you don't seriously believe what Lucas Buck tells you? What's happened to you?...If there was anything to discuss I'm sure the lovely Miss Emory would have filled you in by now' she said, hoping to speak to Gail later before he could.

Billy let go of Selena's neck, he was tired and confused at this moment in time which caused him doubt. He knew Lucas was deceitful; however, Gail had been mentioned by both Lucas and Selena so he did not know what to believe. He was still angry so he grabbed Selena roughly by the arm and dragged her into the bedroom, he did not know what was going on; however, he was pent up and still plagued with thoughts of Gail so he decided he would take his frustrations out on Selena.

Selena allowed him to manhandle her and drag her into the bedroom, from the look on his face she could tell this was going to hurt; however, she was happy to hash this out in the environment where she thrives the most and she would try to sort the matter out properly at another time.

Merlyn Ann Temple shot up in her bed at the boarding house when she felt something brush against her cheek, she had been having strange dreams all night and the sudden brush of something against her cheek almost made her scream.

Rocky quickly jumped onto the bed protectively and Merlyn let out a deep sigh of relief when she remembered she was not alone. She had a feeling of unease within her and glanced around the room not knowing what she expected to find. She jumped out of bed when she saw a faint glimmer of light in the corner; however, the light disappeared when she approached it.

Merlyn could feel herself getting upset and could not understand why. She had finally started to fully accept her state of being with her cousin and brother; however, something deep within her was calling out to her and she had a terrible feeling about what it could mean. She got back in bed and pulled Rocky close to her, for some reason the dogs presence eased her mind and she did not want to let go of him.

Rocky licked Merlyn's face affectionately and lay against her chest, which forced Merlyn to lay back down in her bed. She did not know what was happening to her; however, curiosity ran in their family and she was determined to find out.

-To be continued-