Matt sat comfortably with Billy and Caleb on Lucas' side porch, while Rocky ran free around the large garden. You could say what you would about the man; however, his property was definitely an achievement. He had decided to stay awhile and wait for Caleb after Gail had left him, the boy did not take long to return home and had been so happy to see he was here for him that Matt did not want to disappoint him by leaving so soon.
Caleb was exhausted after a long day of busying himself to stop him from thinking about Poppy. He had been happy to see Matt, as everything had been so complicated lately and Matt had not been the same with him after he found out that he was Lucas' son. The mans company always reassured him that everything would be alright and him staying here despite his dislike of Lucas meant a lot to him.
'You sure I can't tempt you with a Beer?' Billy asked Matt, as he handed one to Caleb.
'Not a chance' Matt advised, then shot him a disapproving look for giving Caleb alcohol.
'Lucas gives it him all the time' Billy explained, sensing Matt's judgement.
'You're not Lucas' Matt stated frankly.
'No he's not, you're both Doctors so one of you needs to get down here and help us right now!' Gail snapped from the bottom of the porch steps and shook her head disapprovingly at the Beer in Caleb's hand.
Both Billy and Matt got up instantly, Matt rushed after Gail as she returned to her car while Billy trailed slowly behind due to his previous injuries. Billy looked on with concern as they rushed passed him and went deeper into the garden with a bloody figure, it took him a moment to realise it was Gail's dog and he tried to catch up as fast as he could.
'What the hell is going on?' Matt asked staring at the amount of blood seeping out of the dogs chest, as they lay Gideon carefully down on the ground.
'He's been shot by some stupid hunting guy' Merlyn lied, not wanting to drag Matt further into the disaster that was her family.
'Shouldn't we get him to a vet?' Billy asked when he reached them.
'No ve's, no shots, just someone fix him up now' Gail ordered, attempting to keep a handle on her rage.
Caleb rushed over to the group and stared down at Gideon confused, he could see the dogs breaths were faint and he felt a strong concern come over him.
'Run to the house and get me some clean towels, water and some tweezers...Do it now Caleb!' Matt snapped, not giving the boy time to react to this strange situation.
'And grab a bottle of vodka from Lucas' Study' Billy called after him, when the clear intensity of the situation had caused Matt to forget about a disinfectant.
Gail inhaled deeply, closed her eyes and covered her eyes with her hand. 'If he dies...' she started to dispair.
'He won't' Merlyn reassured her, placing her hand gently on her shoulder.
'He better not' Gail warned as she felt her rage clawing to be released, then knelt down beside Gideon and stroked his nose reassuringly.
Lucas knocked on the old wooden door for the third time, before cursing out loud. Today had not gone quite to plan and now the only truly dependable person in his life was nowhere to be found, this did not bode well for his current mood.
'Quit your bangin' fool and come round back' came a grumpy voice from behind the house and Lucas laughed to himself, before following the old mans instructions.
When Lucas entered the backyard, he let out a frustrated sigh as he saw Abe on his knee's tending to his roses. 'If Gail see's you over exertin' yourself, she'll have your hide' he warned.
'It's a good job no-ones gonna tell my Rosie then isn't it?' Abe asked, then slowly got to his feet and gave a long stretch. 'I guess somethin's goin' on if you're here with the youngin''
'Nothin's goin' on that I can't handle ol' man, I just need you to watch him tonight if you're well enough'
'I'll out live you all boy, you wait and see' Abe laughed, then took Luke in his arms and held him close.
Lucas watched as Luke relaxed into his oldest friend, he did not think it was really necessary to hand him off like this; however, he did not want him around when the inevitable confrontation occurred with the boy's Mother.
'You've done somethin' bad to piss her off ain't you? You wouldn't be here otherwise' Abe said knowingly.
'You just take it easy and if he gets too much give us a call' Lucas ordered, then headed back towards his car so he could get this over with.
Lucas pulled up in his driveway and stared at his house confused, as all the lights on the property were off. Even when there was no-one home the place was illuminated to ensure his townspeople could see his Mansion. The place looked eerier than usual in complete darkness and he found that he actually liked it, so much so that he made a mental note to have it like this more often to remind his people who was boss.
As he got out of the car he opened his minds eye and released his twin, Lucas was not stupid and this setting reeked of a trap. It was amusing to think that she actually believed she could play him here in his domain and part of him was excited to see what tricks she had up her sleeve.
A strong gust of wind pushed him against the car and he let out an amused laugh. 'Is that all you've got love?'
'She's got more than you could ever know Buck' Peter Emory spat out venemously, as he stood with his arms folded over his chest leaning against the wall.
Lucas instantly tensed at the sight of his old enemy and felt his rage begin to rise. His twin had already been released to locate his love; however, he did not need his assistance to deal with the likes of Peter Emory.
'Whoa there partner, is that any way to think about your Father in law? We're all family now' Peter mocked, then disappeared when Lucas reached for his neck.
Lucas glanced around to ensure no-one was watching him from the street. He had not expected her to call on her family and this stunt had taken him by surprise.
'She ain't callin' on me Buck, no woman controls me... Besides, why wouldn't you expect me? I've been hauntin' her for months. It goes to show how little she actually confides in you, but who can blame her when you're a self absorbed ass on a power trip' Peter continued to mock him and laughed when his unease started to show.
'See what happen's when you bring outsiders into our home son? You get stuck with wife beaters as part of the family like this degenerate' Malcolm said, deciding to come to his boys aid.
'Who are you to talk? What you did to your wife was harsh even by my standards. At least I gave her a fightin' chance, it's just a shame she was too weak to fight back' Peter laughed.
Lucas shook his head in disbelief at their Fathers actually having a conversation about who hurt their women worse and just walked past Peter into his garden. He could still hear the debate when he got to the back of the property and had to concentrate hard to drown it out.
'Welcome to my world' Gail's voice came from around him; however, he still could not see her.
A trail of candles led past the large fountain and into the woods at the back of the property. When his twin returned to him and indicated where she was currently located, he decided to play along and followed the trail obediently. He knew she mad, he could smell her fury from all the way back here and it excited him. All that was left was to go to her and see how far she wanted to take this.
When Lucas entered the woods, a crash of thunder exploded overhead and a sudden flash of lightening hit a tree only a few yards from him. As the tree exploded, it took all of his strength not to react to such a close call and he shook his head knowingly. 'Theatrics don't suit you love, you're too real for that. Why don't you show yourself and we'll get this over with? Then we can head inside and have some real fun' he mocked calmly.
'Oh but you know exactly where I am sweetheart' Gail's voice came to him, 'Why don't you come closer and we'll discuss this in a more intimate setting?'
Lucas continued to follow the trail carefully, his crows were circling in an attempt to warn him of something; however, he disregarded them and continued on his path. When he saw the familiar clearing up ahead he smiled, it had been a long time since they had been out here together and he wondered what surprise she had waiting for him.
As he exited the clearing and finally saw her stood at the far end of his families graves, he heard a loud bark and was pushed down to the ground abruptly. When the sharp teeth clamped down around his wrist, he shook his arm violently in an attempt to break free. 'If you don't call off your hell hound, I'll rip out his heart with my teeth Darlin'' he warned angrily, failing to remain in control of his emotions.
Gail watched silently for a moment as Gideon tightened his grip on Lucas' wrist, then waved her companion off to ensure he did not over exert himself in his wounded condition.
Lucas stood up and dusted off his shirt, ignoring the blood that was coming from the broken skin around his wrist. 'I see the mutt survived' he said in irritation, as he walked cautiously towards her.
'If he hadn't I would've killed us all and we'd be free to rot here with your ancestors' Gail shrugged and backed away from him slowly.
They paced around the graves silently for a few minutes, each one trying to figure out what the others next play would be and then Gail stopped at the single grave at the head of the plot, bored with the whole situation. She knew this grave well, her past self would not have taken an attack on something she loved so lightly and part of her wanted to call upon Rosemary to exact her revenge.
'You threw the first stone love' Lucas said from a few feet away, reading her thoughts.
'You didn't love her like I do him' Gail stated honestly, hurt at his betrayal. 'Besides, I can't control myself, what's your excuse?'
Lucas stopped a small distance away from her and watched her closely, he sensed how betrayed and on edge she felt; therefore, was careful not to push her too far now that she had shown some restraint. 'Do you love me?' he asked curiously, 'Clearly not enough to keep your mutt on his leash'
'Oh don't you dare act the victim, love has nothing to do with what you or I did. You're Lucas Buck and I know you...You're pissed as this is your town and nothing happens here without your say so. Isn't that about right?' she asked sarcastically.
Lucas forced a devilish smile to hide his anger and took a few steps forward. 'So you do know how it works around her? Does that mean that the ill executed actions you took were just to disrespect my authority? They clearly weren't due to any naive confusion over who's boss in my town'
'Which actions? Christie, Poppy or Tony?' she asked feigning innocence.
Lucas closed the distance between them fully and stared down at her dominantly. 'All of the above' he advised and watched her carefully.
Gail could sense his rage just beneath the surface, it amused her that they were both having to keep their rage in check to prevent a fatal error on both fronts. 'Maybe something else is going on here, you are starting to get old' she shrugged, playing to his suspicious side of feeling betrayed by whatever it was he believed should serve him.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at her and let out a long breath. 'If anythin' else was goin' on around here, I'd kill us all without hesitation Gail'
Gail could not help but laugh at the statement, no matter how serious it sounded. Considering she had threatened to do the same, it appeared their instincts matched up perfectly. 'We're a right pair aren't we?' she laughed, then reached down and stroked his manhood while staring deep into his eyes.
Lucas caught the mischief in her eyes and was confused at her change of mood. He gripped her arms tight and threw her roughly against a nearby tree. 'You think all of this is funny? People I cared for are dead'
'I think I want to rip out your heart and feed it to you for what you just put me through, but I have a newborn boy to think about so I choose to laugh it off' she said angrily, then his full sentence sank in and she could not control her laughter again. 'You didn't care about any of them, you barely stretch that privilege to us'
'I could have cared' he tried to sound convincing, then laughed at how out of character the statement was.
'Did you save him?' Gail asked flatly, curious as to whether he had gone against her.
Lucas shook his head and lessened his grip on her arms. 'A punishment was required love and that dog deserved death, but I figured you'd want justice for whoever attacked your mutt and better him than me' he shrugged, then glanced at Gideon who was skulking quietly in the shadows. 'How did he survive?' he asked curiously
'The power of love I suspect' Gail answered sarcastically, 'Or two highly trained Doctors who just happened to be on our property when I got here...If that dog deserves death, what do I deserve?'
'An eternity with me...' he smiled devilishly, then lost his train of thought. 'Wait, our property?' he asked suspiciously. She had made it clear previously that she would not accept this place as her home and the comment had thrown him.
Gail ran her hands up his chest and began unbuttoning his shirt. She really wanted to hurt him; however, she sensed that was not possible here so she would settle for the only other way she knew how. 'Our's for now, I'll kill you viciously and take it for my own eventually though' she shrugged and resigned herself to the inevitable act of her body betraying her, then sank her teeth into his chest hard and smiled at loud moan as her teeth pierced his skin.
'Maybe one day Mrs Buck, but until then...' he started, then dragged her down to the dirt where they could work off both of their frustrations and began kissing her passionately.
-The End-