Caleb stood outside of the strange building, staring at the dark windows suspiciously. He had intended on dropping his siblings off with Abe; however, when he neared Abe's Antique Store his feet kept walking, until he reached this forbidden place.
'Momma?' Luke asked hopefully, glancing around the area for her car.
'Not that I can see, she's workin' today' Caleb answered, thankful that his Mother was not here to spot them, knowing she would not be impressed that he had brought the children here without her permission.
Baby Gail grew bored of the boys hesitation and began struggling in her Brother's arms, until he placed her down on the pavement. She knew this place well, there was something that called to her whenever she passed it with her Mother and she crawled instinctively to the locked door.
'Gabby no!' Caleb exclaimed and reached for the baby, knowing no one but their Mother was allowed here unattended, then took a small step back when the front door opened invitingly. He stared disapprovingly when his youngest Sister smiled smugly at him and began crawling into the Wicca Store, not waiting for his approval.
'No' Luke warned concerned, shaking his head knowingly.
'I know, but ain't you the slightest bit curious at all?' Caleb asked when the door remained open and followed his Sisters lead, ignoring Luke's warning.
The smell of old books hit Caleb instantly and he stared at the large room before him in awe. He had sneaked into here previously and had been punished for the act; however, the door had opened for them this time and that was all the authority he needed right now.
Baby Gail threw her dummy at Caleb, reminding him that it was her who truly had the authority to be here and the boys were just part of the package today. She smiled when her Brother nodded his understanding and continued in her previous exploration of the room.
Caleb had not seen his Sister so eager to engage in anything previously; therefore, this new side of her was curious and he was taken aback by how animated she had become.
Luke rolled his eyes at his Brothers naivety and let out a small laugh. He experienced his Sisters frequent mood changes regularly on a day to day basis, due to the amount of time that they spent together and he knew that she liked to portray herself as timid to the older people around them. If Caleb was not so focused on his own antics, Luke knew he would see their Sister for what she really was.
Baby Gail shot Luke a look of warning, daring him to give up details of their private time together and smiled when he winked at her discreetly. She continued crawling until she reached her intended target, then began banging her hand on the wooden barrier in front of her, making as much noise as she could.
Caleb watched his Sister curiously as she began banging on the bottom of the counter and went to pick her up, then stopped when the familiar spirit revealed itself. 'What are you doin' here?' he asked sternly, not making any sudden movements until he weighed up their options.
'Ensurin' that a certain interferin' ass doesn't come anywhere near you all' Joshua advised, signalling towards Peter Emory who was slowly creeping up behind the boys and smiled when Peter disappeared suddenly when he had been spotted.
'You shouldn't be here' Caleb stated, knowing his Mother would not take kindly to Joshua's intrusion.
'Neither should you, but here we all are' Joshua retorted, then came around to the front of the counter and leaned casually on it. 'You have a problem you can't handle young Master?' Joshua asked sarcastically, enjoying the discomfort he sensed within the boy.
Caleb had only been near this presence once without his parents and he was not stupid enough to trust that his intentions were pure. 'Ain't no problem here' he shrugged, choosing not to rise to the bait.
Joshua laughed and applauded Caleb's self control, the boy had good teachers in his parents and he was clearly attempting to channel their independent way of handling things. 'Alright, so there ain't nothin' or no-one who's got your attention enough to come seekin' more colourful assistance than your dead Sister?' he asked knowingly, watching the boy closely.
Caleb's eyes grew wide for a moment and he attempted to regain control of his thoughts. He had not thought this man could breach his barrier; however, he clearly knew of Caleb's intrigue and the fact that he could read him so easily was concerning.
'Whoa there partner, ain't no barriers bein' breached. I just like to keep an eye on the pawns in play, it makes it easier to prepare for an assault should the need arise' Joshua advised, seeing the panic begin to form in the boy. Joshua had initially believed that Gail was the best way to mess with the Master; however, seeing Caleb's guard waiver at being read so easily made him realise that this boy was not fully ready to deal with the powers at play, meaning he may still be able to be manipulated by the right party.
Luke did not like the way Joshua had made his Brother tense and grew bored of the man's belief that he had the upper hand here. Luke was sick of being ignored and did not appreciate the way Joshua was behaving, knowing the presence very well from all the time he spent with his Mother previously; therefore, he decided to remind the man of how much he knew. 'Chuck' he said casually, pulling out a small cast iron train that had appeared in his pocket and dropped it on the floor.
Joshua narrowed his eyes at the train and froze, sensing the unspoken warning and believing that his favour to Gail had been a secret. He looked at Luke suspiciously for a moment, attempting to gage how much he really knew, then saw a smug smile cross over Luke's lips and inhaled deeply in exasperation. 'You're really gonna have your hands full in the future young Master' he advised Caleb and decided to leave the family alone.
Caleb let out a sigh of relief when he realised that Joshua intended to leave, then tensed again when the presence turned back towards him.
'Word of advice young Buck, when a stranger shows up suddenly and starts sniffin' around, it's usually to settle a score...Judith Temple wasn't the only pretty little blonde that your Daddy sampled. Hell, she ain't even the only one who took a dive outta that big ol' window' he laughed, then disappeared and left the children alone to their own devices.
Lucas returned to his car whistling Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire coolly, then started the engine and drove away casually.
Gail stared at her Husband curiously, unsure of what she had just witnessed and waited for an explanation. When Lucas just continued to whistle to himself, she let out a small laugh and sat back in her seat. 'That's it? No gruesome punishment or dramatic showdown?' she asked, disappointed that he appeared to have held back on her account.
Suddenly, a loud bang came from behind them and caused Gail to jump. She turned around to see a large cloud of smoke coming from the house that they had just left and stared at it with wide confused eyes.
'Fire safety is a real thing' Lucas smirked, amused at his own punishment and picked up his radio to call it in.
Gail gripped his hand before he had a chance to call the station and regarded him suspiciously. 'You kept him talking-' she started.
'Until the gas from the stove filled the kitchen and the stupid fool lit up his cigarette without even smellin' a damn thing' Lucas laughed in disbelief of his own townspeople's stupidity, then gently pulled his hand free of his Wife's grasp and called Ben.
Gail waited patiently for him to finish, noting that they had not turned back towards the incident and was curious as to where they were going.
'I ain't a fireman and Ben's more than capable of handlin' this, we have more tasks to tick off before we clock out for the day' Lucas advised, reading her effortlessly and liking how unguarded her thoughts were at this present time.
'I don't know whether we should complete any more tasks' she responded honestly, not sure she liked how accepting she was of this act.
Lucas sensed her darkness stirring within her and ran his fingers up the inside of her thigh. 'You do like it Love, you just think that you shouldn't' he smiled devilishly, brushing his fingers over her sweet spot and biting his bottom lip appreciatively when he heard her small moan.
Gail had been attempting to push down her deep desire for him, knowing that she should not be condoning his behaviour; however, he was right, she liked how his demeanour changed when he dominated his pawns and she had experienced a strong need to have him when his twin rose to the surface.
Lucas pulled the car over and kissed her forcefully, not allowing her space to doubt her initial thoughts on the matter. He knew of her inner conflict, she had experienced it ever since she found out how her parents had died and he did not want her morals making her feel guilty about how she truly felt.
Gail savoured the taste of his tongue in her mouth and let out a loud moan when his fingers began to play more intently. They were on a public street and someone could walk past them at any moment; however, her desire for him was too strong to deny and she could not bring herself to make him stop.
Lucas sensed her acceptance and moved her thong to one side, then pushed his fingers inside of her, smiling when she bit his lip playfully. He continued to kiss her forcefully while he showed her how easily he could make her unravel and released her lips to watch her call out his name uncontrollably when her intense climax came. 'Happy or sad path' he asked after a few minutes of kissing her softly, ensuring that she was still with him in this.
Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head at the question, it appeared that he was serious about completing all of his tasks with her present. Part of her was screaming for her to see sense and stop this; however, her true self was giddy with excitement at the question. 'Sad path' she said without much thought, watching him closely.
Lucas could not contain his smile and kissed her passionately, before starting up the engine again and pushing off. 'Sad path it is...let's go visit the good Judge Harper. He used to love his poker night with your Daddy if I recall' he smirked and headed for Lexington Drive, as his Wife rested her head affectionately on his shoulder and her excitement increase at the prospect of visiting an old friend of her Father's.
Caleb stood with his hands in his pockets, staring fixedly at the window that Judith Temple had jumped out of a few days after his birth and felt a sadness come over him. Gage had not said much about the incident, just that she jumped and decided to leave them to fend for themselves.
Caleb used to think of his biological Mother a lot when he was a child, he had prayed to her when things had gotten intense with Gage and once he thought she had responded, although he had put that down to childish hope at the time. Knowing what he did now about things that transpired in Trinity, she may have actually attempted to communicate with him; however, the thought did not have the same comfort that it used to when he was younger and he was different now, with a new family that did not feel the need to leave him.
It was hard to think of his biological Mother as his thoughts always returned to Gail, who he had recently fully embraced as his Mother, and everything that she had given up for him. He suspected that his Father was a big part of the reason she stayed in a role which appeared hard for her to maintain; however, Caleb knew that he was the anchor, his circumstances brought her here and he believed her willingness to adapt to his Fathers ways was to ensure Caleb's life was the best that it could be.
It was hard to disregard the wishes of someone who had changed so much of herself to survive here. From the brief history that he knew of his Buck side, it was evident that women did not do well in this family and the fact that Gail could tame his Father when required, in addition to standing unscathed with spirits such as Joshua, was impressive.
Caleb had chosen to not call on his darkness out of respect for Gail's rules and he was using his instincts instead, understanding from her teachings that his darkness was only one part of the tools which he had at his disposal. His Mother would not fully trust Joshua, she was smarter than that; however, she had him on side, that was obvious and his instincts told him that there was no reason for the spirit to send him on a wrong path with this.
'Caleb?' Matt called concerned, when he exited the Hospital and spotted the boy standing alone on the sidewalk.
Caleb smiled, still fond of the man he initially trusted more than anyone and waited for him to approach. 'I'm alright, just thinkin'' he advised, sensing Matt's concern instantly and not wanting him to worry.
Matt regarded Caleb curiously for a moment, following his line of sight to the window where two woman linked to Lucas Buck had been thrown through and inhaled deeply in an attempt to hide his discomfort.
'Two?...Wait, thrown?' Caleb asked bluntly, confused by Matts thoughts.
Matt stared wide eyed at the boy and gave himself a mental shake, assuming that he had spoken out loud due to his tiredness after the long shift he had just finished. 'This doesn't concern you' he responded warmly, placing a reassuring hand on Caleb's shoulder and gently pulling him away.
Caleb shrugged off his hand abruptly, not appreciating being handled like a child and his demeanour turned cold. 'Judith Temple jumped outta that window, she killed herself and left her family with a drunk...Are you hearin' those voices again Doc? We wouldn't want that paranoia resurfacin' when you're doin' so well for yourself these days' he said in a voice not dissimilar to his Fathers and felt his darkness running through his veins.
Matt took a step back as though struck, then regarded Caleb concerned when he saw the dark look in his eyes. 'Your Mother was alone with him before she d-' he started to explain.
'My Momma's alone with him right now, no doubt they're takin' advantage of their time without us kids' Caleb interrupted with a smirk, sensing Matt's discomfort at the thought of his best friend with such a questionable man.
'Your real Mother is Judith T-' Matt started again in irritation.
'The only Mother he's ever known is right here and she doesn't appreciate your tone' Gail interjected sweetly, appearing beside the pair and forcing herself to remain calm at the exchange.
Matt gasped at Gail's sudden appearance and shot her an apologetic look. 'I'm sorry, it's been a long day and I didn't think' he sighed and ran his hand through his hair, unsure of what was actually going on.
Gail glanced at Caleb who was looking anywhere but at her and placed her arm affectionately around his shoulder, pulling him closer to her so he could not avoid her presence. 'I believe my Son has a question for you, or is there some other reason why you're torturing my best friend?' she asked Caleb, sensing that he was hiding something.
Caleb glanced over his shoulder and spotted his Father sitting impatiently in his car. Caleb shot Lucas a pleading look for assistance then turned back towards his Mother when she squeezed his shoulder, indicating that she would not entertain his silence for any longer. He knew he could not hide things from her when her full attention was on him and he let decided to just be honest.
'You know, I'd love to continue allowin' you to take my Wife and Son's attention like this but we have somewhere else to be' Lucas advised smoothly, appearing behind Gail and gripping her hips to pull her back into him.
Caleb let out a relieved sigh when his Father appeared beside them and could not contain his smile.
Gail inhaled in exasperation, sensing that he was pulling rank over Caleb and rolled her eyes when he began to kiss her neck, clearly baiting Matt. 'You need a ride?' she asked Matt, ignoring Lucas pawing at her.
Matt shook his head, then nodded to Loris who was waiting in the parking lot for him.
Gail tensed at the sight of the woman who had handled her youngest Son roughly a few months earlier, then pulled out of Lucas' grasp and stormed off towards his car, annoyed at Matt's continued affection for Loris against her wishes.
'The other woman?' Caleb asked quickly when Gail was out of earshot, disregarding his Fathers curious look.
Matt let out a small laugh and shook his head in irritation at his situation with his best friend. 'Angela...why don't you ask your Father, she claimed to be his Mother after all' he sighed, then turned around and headed towards Loris' car to get away from the Buck's.
'Why are you askin' about Angela?' Lucas asked suspiciously, not impressed that the name had resurfaced.
Before Caleb had a chance to answer, the loud horn of the Crown Victoria travelled through the area and they both spotted the look of agitation on Gail's face.
Lucas ran his hand through his hair in exasperation and forced a charming smile, as he placed a strong hand on Caleb's shoulder and led him back towards his car. 'Come on Son, we know better than to poke the bear' he whispered and smiled when Caleb relaxed.
-To be continued-