Merlyn stood on the front steps of her sanctuary, smiling pleasantly at the young children who rushed into her day care excitedly. The Mayor had been making a point of promoting her venture here and there had been more parent's willing to trust her to take care of their children, especially knowing that she was linked to the Buck family.
Merlyn was attempting not to think of the good fortune being linked to that name had brought her. Lucas was evil and she did not condone any of his actions, let alone want to be linked to him in any way. It was bad enough that her Brother and Cousin had allowed him in, she refused to be consumed by his darkness and was trying to think of a way to distance herself from that name.
'Here we go again, this judgemental act of yours is getting old' Gail sighed, irritated at her Cousin's unguarded thoughts and gently pushed Stacey into the building to pickup the bread Merlyn had gotten for Abe.
Merlyn narrowed her eyes at her Cousins comment, then saw the dark circles around her eyes and thought better of responding coldly. 'What happened to you?' she asked curiously, choosing to change the subject.
Gail let out a small laugh at Merlyn standing down so quickly like Caleb had and was disappointed in herself for projecting her bad mood onto her loved ones who had done nothing wrong.
'Who has done somethin' wrong?' Merlyn asked confused, sensing her thoughts and being concerned at how tired her Cousin looked.
Gail glanced over her shoulder unimpressed at Luke, who was sitting quietly beside his Sister and staring down at his hands. 'You don't want to know what I'm dealing with' she responded coolly, not wanting to get Merlyn involved and forced a smile for Stacey when she returned holding a large paper bag.
'You make sure you're careful with that, the ol' man's likely to have a fit if he thinks his bread is damaged' Merlyn warned sarcastically, smiling at how much Stacey was assisting Abe in her absence.
'I know, I know' Stacey sighed, then playfully pulled her tongue out at Merlyn before waving goodbye to Gail and running down the street towards Abe's Antique Store.
Gail could not contain her laughter at the young girl's attitude, she had really come out of her shell and was a breath of fresh air in her otherwise chaotic life.
'You want me to get the bin lid's so you can head to work? You look like you could do with a relaxing moment' Merlyn asked helpfully, trying to assist her Cousin who clearly was not in her usual pleasant mood.
Gail let out a long sigh when her attention was brought back to her children, then turned back towards her car and opened the back passenger door. 'Take Gabby, she shouldn't be much bother with the other kids in there to keep her entertained' she nodded her appreciation and stepped to one side to allow Merlyn to pick up her baby girl.
'What about Luke?' Merlyn asked confused, knowing that Gail had been trying to keep the children together more these days to ensure they were shielded from their parent's questionable behaviours.
Luke's eyes grew wide at the mention of his name and he stared at his hands more intently, hoping to be forgotten.
Gail leaned over her Daughter's car seat and unhooked Luke's seatbelt, picking up him and his booster seat carefully. 'This little devil is staying with me today while I figure out what to do with him' she sighed in frustration, then situated him in the front passenger seat comfortably and ran her hands through her hair in exasperation, signalling for Merlyn to keep out of the situation.
Merlyn sensed Luke's hopes of being anywhere else other than with his Mother right now and regarded Gail cautiously, then chose to adhere to her Cousin's wishes and took baby Gail into her day care facility to give her Cousin some space.
Ben Healy drove down the long deserted stretch of road leading to the Mckenzie farmhouse and allowed himself to take a moment to appreciate the calmness of the day. The weather was pleasant, he was in a good place with Rita and his Izzy, there had been no unexpected incidents in work and he was the least stressed that he had every been in a very long time. It was a good day and Ben was happy to be out of the office experiencing the pleasantness of it all.
Suddenly, a large deer ran into the middle of the road and Ben slammed his foot on the breaks when he clipped the deer, causing the car to skid out of control into a nearby ditch at the side of the road.
'Trouble in your perfect day friend?' Lucas asked smugly, unable to stand Ben's good mood any longer and revelled in his friends sudden discomfort.
'Aww hell, I'm sorry Lucas!' Ben snapped in irritation with himself. Lucas loved his car and he was lucky that the man had faith in him to allow him to drive it. As he got out of the drivers side of the Crown Victoria, he cursed himself when he saw a large dent where they had grazed the deer and he suspected it would take a while to fix.
Lucas could not contain his laughter at Ben's inability to see the whole picture, this was the chaos that he treasured and it always helped his mind focus. Ben was so busy concerning himself with the dent in the car that he had not considered what the deer had been running from and Lucas smiled as the large wild dog crept closer to his Deputy.
Ben lifted up the bonnet to ensure that the engine was undamaged at his abrupt stop, then turned his attention back to the dent in the car. He had just started to save some money for a rainy day and this was going to set him back big time, knowing he would offer to pay for the damage as he had been the one driving.
Lucas watched knowingly as the vicious dog skulked closer to Ben using the tall grass as cover, and sensed it's hunger. He waited a few more minutes, amused at Ben's oblivion to the current danger he was in, then finally rolled down the window and leaned out slowly. 'Get in the car Ben' he ordered casually, sensing how close the wild dog now was.
Ben opened his mouth the protest, then saw the look of warning in Lucas' eyes and thought better of it. When he got back in the drivers seat and closed the door, he saw the wild dog pounce and let out a loud bark in frustration when it's prey was back in the safety of the car. 'Jesus!' Ben exclaimed shocked, having no idea of the wild dog until now.
'You really need to be aware of the dangers of things around you Deputy' Lucas advised, unable to contain his amusement at Ben's shock.
'He's not the only one' Gail retorted coolly, as she pulled up beside Lucas' open window and shot him a disapproving look at his game.
The wild dog took a few steps back, ready to take a run up to charge at the drivers side door where Ben was situated; however, suddenly Gideon came charging out of the grass and chased after the wild dog dominantly, causing it to flee to safety away from the larger predator to protect itself.
'There's always a bigger fish' Lucas stated amused, staring deep into his Wife's eyes to gage her mood.
'Ain't that the truth' Gail laughed, then leaned out of her car and placed a soft kiss on her Husbands lips before pulling away, ignoring Luke's calls to go to his Father.
Lucas let out a long sigh and shook his head. 'I guess she ain't assistin' us in our time of need then' he sighed, watching as she casually left them in the ditch and shook his head at the situations he had allowed himself to get in.
Gail smiled when she sensed her Husbands irritation at being left with Ben, then laughed to herself at her own cruelty as his car faded into the distance. She had not intended on seeing him so soon after she had abruptly left with the children this morning; however, it was lucky for Ben that she had been so close when she sensed Lucas' mischief.
'Daddy's stuck' Luke advised quietly, unsure why she was laughing when his Father needed help.
'It's no less than he deserves little man' Gail responded sweetly, forgetting her worry for a moment and enjoying the peaceful time with her Son.
Luke smiled at her relaxed demeaner and placed his hand on hers, which was resting securely on the steering wheel. 'I drive too' he said excited, happy that she did not appear to be upset with him anymore.
Gail reviewed the deserted road ahead carefully, then unbuckled his seatbelt and allowed him to manoeuvre himself onto her lap, strapping him in close to her chest with her seatbelt. 'Careful now, if Daddy's employees catch us like this they'd have to lock me up' she warned sarcastically, allowing him to relax into her chest and hold the steering wheel with her while she decreased the speed to a more suitable level for this exercise.
'I'm a big boy Momma!' Luke exclaimed happily, as his gripped the steering wheel tight with his small hands and willed the car to go faster.
Gail felt her foot press hard on the accelerator for a moment then eased it off quickly, unsure of what had come over her. She sensed Luke's excitement when the car momentarily went faster and then cursed out loud when she heard the police sirens from behind them. 'Dammit!' she snapped, annoyed at herself for thinking her Husband would be off the road for long.
'Uh oh!' Luke called in shock, then placed his hand over his mouth and moved further back into his Mother.
Gail let out a long sigh and pulled over to the side of the road carefully, then put on her sweetest smile.
Luke reached behind him and gripped his Mothers neck protectively, experiencing a strange feeling at the thought of someone taking her away from him, then relaxed when he felt the familiar presence approach their car and smiled excitedly.
'Well, well, well...what do we have here?' Lucas asked in his most official charming tone, leaning against the drivers side door casually and staring down at his Wife in mock disapproval. 'Licence and registration please Ma'am' he requested, winking at his Son when he sensed his excitement.
Gail held in her laughter at his attempt at an official stop and decided to play along for Luke's sake, feeling guilty with how much she had caused him upset earlier due to her worry. She straightened up slightly in her seat, then reached for her glove compartment obediently to obtain the relevant documents that were required.
'Whoa there Darlin', you take it nice and slow...no sudden movements now' Lucas warned calmly, as though there may be something dangerous stashed away.
Gail feigned hurt at the insinuation and disregarded Luke's giggles, then carefully reached into the glove compartment and produced her licence. 'What are the charges Sheriff? I don't believe I did anything wrong' she asked innocently, smiling sweetly as he nodded appreciatively at her cleavage from his tall vantage point.
'We didn't do nuthin' Daddy' Luke interjected, playing along with the adults.
'Now Son, I do believe that this sensational lady put her foot a little too far down on that there gas pedal...speedin' is a serious crime Mrs Buck' Lucas advised in mock disapproval, forcing himself to keep his composure.
'Well then I suggest you take out your handcuffs Sheriff, as I've clearly been a very bad girl' Gail responded sweetly, licking her lips teasingly when she witnessed him taking in a sharp intake of breath.
'Aww hell, will you two cut it out!' Ben snapped disapprovingly, moving from behind Lucas to the front passenger side of the car and reaching for Luke to shield him from their inappropriate games.
Gail released her seatbelt and handed Luke to Ben carefully, before getting out and dragging Lucas to the front of the car to give them some privacy. 'Did a miraculous gust of wind on this very clear day push that heavy old car of your out of that ditch?' she asked sarcastically, expecting him to refrain from showing his good luck so openly to Ben.
'Somethin' like that' Lucas shrugged, then stepped closer to her and cupped his hand around her breast, squeezing it teasingly. 'Do I need to be concerned at you uprootin' my boy's daily routine Love?' he asked, trying to push down his desire for her after their game.
Gail bit her bottom lip to stifle her moan as he teased her in the open, then ran her hands up his chest and pulled his face closer to hers. 'Not if you want his nightly routine to remain undisturbed Soulmate' she whispered quietly, then ran her soft lips over his and kissed him passionately.
Lucas felt her desire was just as strong as his was and hated that they both had company with them at this moment in time, as he wanted nothing more than to bend her over the bonnet of this fine car and take her hard.
'Promises, promises' Gail smiled mischievously, sensing his thoughts and placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose before gently pushing him away from her, then returned to Ben to collect her Son.
Lucas watched as she held Luke protectively against her chest and knew that her initial anger with their boy had been redirected to the correct guilty party. He walked to her after she had secured Luke into the front passenger seat and turned her to face him, regarding her seriously. 'This is your domain, I'll give you that but you best be careful with my boy Gail' he advised protectively, unsure of how well she could really control her past self.
'Oh I have no intention of putting my boy at risk against something neither of us truly understands Lucas' Gail responded coldly, reminding him that it was his willingness to allow Luke to perform an unacceptable act which got him on Rosemary's radar in the first place.
Lucas inhaled deeply at the dig and shook his head in frustration, then stepped aside and allowed her to get back into her car.
'Until later Soulmate' Gail advised forcing a pleasant tone, then drove away and left him to his own devices, needing to focus on Luke and how they were going to deal with this situation.
-To be continued-