Selena strolled around the immaculate lawn curiously, staring at the immense grounds in awe. She had been to this place once before at Halloween, when Gail arranged for the annual party to be held here for Lucas' birthday; however, she had not fully taken in it's size or beauty and she wondered how she had missed such an extravagant place on a daily basis.
'It's odd isn't it? I'd driven down this street a thousand times and didn't give this property a second thought, then Doctor Charlton acquired it and suddenly it was on my radar' Gail advised, taking the open wine bottle from Selena after she had taken a drink and took a large swig herself.
'When I said let's have some fun I meant in a bar or club, you parading yet another amazing property that you own in front of me isn't quite doing it for me Gail' Selena responded cattily, but unable to stop admiring the place before her.
Gail sensed Selena's mixed feelings and smiled, it was hard not to get lost in the wonder of this property and she had sensed the strong familiar presence watching them as soon as she entered the grounds. 'Alright, let's finish that bottle and go see what that old ass Doctor Charlton hid inside, unless you're scared?...I bet there's more than just a vintage wine cellar and a bible buried deep in that basement' she goaded, smiling mischievously.
Although there was a strange aura radiating off of this place, Selena was not one to back down from a challenge and resented the insinuation that she was scared to explore this mammoth property; therefore, she took the bottle of wine out of Gail's hand and downed it, then headed towards the large house in the middle of the grounds.
'I don't think that's the smartest idea' Joshua advised, appearing beside Selena and shooting Gail a disappointed look.
'Uh oh, busted' Gail pouted sarcastically, welcoming the buzz that the alcohol was giving her and pulled a tongue at Joshua playfully.
Selena regarded the handsome man with surprise, then stroked his arm appreciatively and turned back towards Gail. 'I don't know where you hide these specimens Mrs Buck, but you need to stop being selfish and throw some over to the rest of us' she smiled and bit her bottom lip longingly, as she began circling this stranger and taking in his toned figure.
Gail sensed Selena's desire radiating off of her and moved closer to Joshua, linking her arm in his and pulling him closer to her. 'You said you wanted fun, well here he is' she advised sweetly, then laughed at Joshua's confused look.
'What game are you playin' Gail?' Joshua asked suspiciously, sensing her mischief.
Gail ran her hand up Joshua's chest affectionately and leaned her head on his shoulder. 'I knew you wouldn't let me get far in this place without a chaperone and Daddy would likely crash our party if I had went home to collect you' she smiled, amused by his clear confusion.
Selena watched the pair closely and tried to gage their relationship. If Lucas caught his beloved this close to another man and showing as much affection as she was right now, no one would get out of this vicinity unscathed.
'It's a good job he's not goin' to catch us then isn't it?' Joshua asked playfully, his own mischief beginning to stir and unable to resist Gail's apparent desire to want his company.
'It's not like that' Gail advised them both, ensuring that her friendliness was not mistaken for something more.
'Shame, I'd quite like to experience that action first hand to see whether the show you and your Soulmate put on is for real' Joshua smirked teasingly, then laughed when Selena realised that she had not been the only one privy to the Buck's intimate activities.
'Careful, my Husband isn't the only one who wouldn't take kindly to you smearing my good character' Gail advised sweetly, sensing the familiar presence becoming annoyed at their banter.
Joshua surveyed the property and cursed himself for being so easily distracted by her. 'Calm now friend, ain't no disrespectin' goin' on here...it's just a joke between two friends' he said loudly, forcing a calm done.
'Is that what we really are after all you've done to me?' Gail asked amused, challenging Joshua's simple opinion of their connection.
'Well I'm not a threat at this present time Mrs Buck and I think we need to make that clear to other parties involved right now, don't you?' Joshua responded in disbelief of her question when the dark presence was edging closer to their position.
Gail felt excitement surge through her and just shrugged, finally experiencing some entertainment in her dull life of late.
Selena glanced around the area, not understanding the comments, then shrugged off her unease and started heading towards the house again.
Gail sensed the presence charge and leaned forward instinctively, grabbing Selena's arm and pulling her back towards her. 'You know what? I have a more cosy setting where we can settle out of this rain' she advised, coming to her senses and realising that it was not smart to truly provoke the presence here right now. She had just wanting to test the waters with company should she require backup and the alcohol had clearly clouded her judgement.
Selena narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Gail, noting that there were no rain clouds in the sky and it was dry, then let out an exasperated laugh when the heavens suddenly opened and the rain came down strongly. 'Well, I guess a cosier setting with a bit of shelter would be more comfortable' she sighed and started walking towards the gate instinctively.
Gail spotted the suspicious look Joshua was giving her and just smiled at him sweetly. 'Don't look so worried, playing nice with the living will be a new experience for you' she winked playfully, then pulled out her mobile telephone from her bag to call a taxi.
Caleb rode through the deserted streets happily, enjoying the peacefulness of having the streets to himself. The rain had stopped for an hour and Caleb had been disappointed, suspecting the townspeople would start to populate the streets again; however, the rain had returned suddenly and it was relentless, making him happy that he had chosen to stay out.
Caleb spotted people watching him through their windows, clearly thinking him strange to disregard the current weather and allow it to soak him. He had come to realise that people were predictable, most adults would look for a reason to tear down his respectable image of late and judge him for his past; however, they would not dare openly speak out against him and this made him more willing to take risks, knowing they could not touch him now that he had denounced his old family name and embraced himself truly as a Buck.
As the rain soaked him, Caleb welcomed the cool sensation much like his Mother Gail always did. The rain did not faze him, he chose to regard it like his Mother did and came to see it as a way of being cleansed, enabling him to start afresh. He was happy to let all of his old cursed feelings wash away and began riding faster, enjoying the rush of being out in the torrential weather.
Caleb turned the corner onto Jackson and Main, then stopped abruptly and stared at the strange small white car he spotted pulling up in front of his Mother's old rented property. Gail no longer bothered much with the first home she had occupied when she came back to Trinity; however, he suspected it was a back up in case things did not go well with his Father and she allowed Doctor Matt Crower to reside there in her absence. Matt had not been there for a few months, opting to stay at the Boarding House with Loris Holt. It was odd that someone new may be interested in the property and Caleb began to wonder about who owned the car.
As if to answer his curiosity, a slim young woman exited the white Volkswagen Beetle and opened up a large umbrella to protect herself from the rain, before smoothing down her short dress and surveying to property before her. Caleb watched the woman discreetly, taken by her long blonde hair and petite frame, then spotted that he had been noticed and quickly rode down the street to avoid her watchful eyes.
When Caleb had put a few streets between him and the strange woman, he let out a sigh of relief and gave himself a mental shake, not knowing why he had retreated so hastily. He thought about going back to Gail's old rented property for a moment to see if the woman was still there, then shrugged off the idea and started riding towards Rose's house in the hopes of some familiar company.
Lucas pulled up outside of Abe's Antique Store after checking in on his youngest children in Merlyn's day care and leaving Ben with them, then exited his car with a large bag of food. Abe had been given strict instructions from Matt Crower to clean up his diet, to ensure that his health problems did not return and Gail had forced Abe onto a vitamin enriched eating plan to help boost his immune system; however, Lucas had known the old man longer than anyone and could not stand to see him suffer, therefore, he had decided to bring his oldest friend some real food to get his energy up.
As Lucas entered the Antique Store, he smiled pleasantly at a customer who was browsing casually and made his way to the counter, ignoring the strange girl Stacey who his friend insisted on caring for.
'To what do I owe this pleasure boy? You get bored torturin' your town folk?' Abe smirked, winking playfully at Stacey when she cowered in the corner away from his friend.
Lucas let out an amused laugh and placed the large bag of food on the counter. 'I got bored of your whinin' at breakfast, so thought I'd bring you somethin' to shut you up ol' timer' he smiled and signalled for Stacey to join them, ensuring that he had brought enough food to feed the stray.
Abe's eyes lit up when he saw the contents of the bag and he licked his lips subconsciously. 'You're better half ain't gonna take kindly to your gift' he advised knowingly, taking a large cheeseburger before handing Stacey the bag.
'How's she gonna know? She's too busy dealin' with the rabble in her office to care about what we're doin'' Lucas responded, then narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Abe when he quickly looked away from him.
Abe inhaled deeply and attempted to avoid Lucas' knowing eyes, then let out a long sigh and leaned close to his friend discreetly. 'She may not be as far away as you think boy and you know she has a way of sniffin' out anythin' you're not supposed to be doin'' he whispered quietly, not allowing Stacey hear him.
Lucas regarded Abe amused, surprised that his friend had spoken out against his precious Rosie and leaned in closer. 'That big ol' car of hers ain't nowhere near here friend-' he started.
'Since when has that stopped her from gettin' around with her unworthy companions?' Abe asked sarcastically, knowing his Rosie left that car of hers in all kinds of places previously to throw Lucas off of her scent.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Abe, then turned around and left the shop without saying anything further. There was only one place around here that his Wife would want to grace with her presence and Lucas had thought her obsession with his Mothers Wicca Store had began to subside. As he started walking towards the Wicca Store, he sensed her instantly and cursed himself for not being aware of her presence previously, or that she was not alone.
Lucas felt the warding around his Mothers old sanctuary and stood patiently staring at the locked door in front of him, unimpressed that it had not opened automatically for him. He was Lucas Buck, he would not beg for entry in a place that he had held so dear previously and he waited calmly, knowing that his Wife knew better than to ignore his presence.
Gail was laughing with Selena at the back of the main area of the Store, sitting causally on the counter and watching Joshua closely, amused at how intrigued he was with the inside of this place. She had learned a lot from Lucas' Mother's diary and had warded this place securely to ensure only people welcomed by her could gain entry, it was clear that Joshua was curious about what she could possibly be hiding in here and his child like wonder now made her laugh.
Suddenly a sharp pain surged through Gail's stomach and she sensed the familiar presence. 'Go' she ordered Joshua and signalled towards the back exit, forcing a calm tone for Selena, then instinctively walked towards the entrance and opened to door for her Husband, confused by his sudden appearance.
'You're confused by my appearance when you should be at the other end of town in work Love?' Lucas asked in disbelief of the way she was regarding him, then crossed over the threshold and began surveying the room suspiciously.
'Clearly I'm not the only one slacking on my professional duties, remind me what time are you due to clock off today Soulmate?' Gail asked sarcastically, not rising to his attempt to rile her.
Lucas spotted Selena casually drinking a glass of wine at the back of the room and turned towards Gail, then gripped her arm and pulled her towards him rougher than intended. 'This place was for you-' he started angrily.
'And it still is for me, she's not been anywhere that can't be seen by any member of the public through those big old windows' Gail laughed, then spotted Lucas was truly annoyed and stroked his cheek reassuringly. 'You really think I'd publicise any of the mysteries here?' she whispered in his ear, nipping at it playfully.
Lucas sensed her buzz from the alcohol she had been drinking and inhaled deeply in an attempt to push down his overwhelming desire for her, trying to keep his focus. 'What are you doin' here with her Gail?' he asked sternly, not allowing her to distract him.
Gail pouted in mock offence, then ran her soft lips over his and smiled at him mischievously. 'What I'm not doing is delivering something that can cause someone's cholesterol to go through the roof, resulting in another heart attack...What are you doing here Lucas?' she asked accusingly, disregarding his stern tone and his judgement when he was going against her Uncle Abe's Doctors orders.
Lucas felt his rage beginning to rise at her casual attitude towards his ex being present in his Mother's sanctuary and shook his head in frustration.
'My sanctuary-' Gail corrected sweetly, reading his thoughts and turned towards Selena. '-but I see your point...Out, now' she ordered and watched as Selena exited the building quickly, clearly sensing the underlying tension radiating off of her Husband.
Lucas let out a long sigh and ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation, trying to push down his irritation with her. 'You better be careful Love, you start allowin' the world in here and I might just find my openin' to deal with your meddlin' kin once and for all' he warned forcing a calm tone, unable to fully shake his anger.
'That's fine, as long as you remember that your meddling kin is fair game when you throw that gauntlet down Soulmate' Gail retorted, not willing to allow him to insert his dominance here.
Lucas laughed at her confidence when she was the one in the wrong, then dragged her out of the Wicca Store towards his car, removing her from her safe place.
'Wait, what are you doing?' Gail asked confused, attempting to protest and being unable to pull herself free of his grip.
Lucas opened the front passenger door and threw her in roughly, then slammed the door shut and went to the drivers side. 'You clearly have no desire to work and I'm not in the mood for my mundane tasks today, so you're gonna keep me company seen as you have nothin' more pressin' to do' he advised as though talking to a naughty child, then turned on the engine and drove away, ignoring Gail's annoyance at being controlled so easily.
-To be continued-