I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from Go Your Own Way.
It was a grey summer morning in Trinity South Carolina, the fine rain soaked everything that it touched; however, it did not break the intense heat which had befallen the Town.
Lucas Buck sat in his large office, feigning interest in the ramblings of the man before him. Things had began to settle down over the past month and he was enjoying the simplicity of how his life used to be. Although two strangers still roamed his Town and their intentions were not yet clear, they were keeping a low profile and that was how it should be. This meant that both his Wife and his eldest Son were adhering more to their usual routines, freeing Lucas up to focus more on his townspeople as he used to be able to do.
Now, Lucas was not against having some fun and he would be the first to accept a challenge should one come his way, unable to turn away from a good game now and again; however, he had neglected his townspeople for far too long, opting instead to get caught up in his family's mischief and it was about time he concentrated on the responsibilities that he took on before they were around.
'-So you see Sheriff, that's why I'm late payin' Johnny his share of the business this month. It was unavoidable...you understand don't you?' Clive asked nervously, playing with his cap in his hands in an attempt to calm his nerves, hating that the problems in his life had come to this.
Lucas nodded as though he had listened thoughtfully to everything that Clive had explained, then got up from his seated position and walked around his desk to be closer to the man. 'I gather Johnny isn't takin' well to his money not being paid on time? I know that ol' boy can be mighty bold when things don't go down his way-' he smirked as he perched on the edge of his desk, knowing how hot Johnny Paisley's temper could run when he felt like he was being played. '-And what joint business did you two enter into again?' Lucas asked sarcastically, not oblivious to the lack of detail Clive had provided.
'That don't matter Sheriff...He trashed my car and threatened to visit my Wife when I'm not at home!' Clive exclaimed, not believing the Sheriff understood the severity of his predicament.
'That's a serious accusation friend, should I call my Deputy in here to take your official statement?' Lucas asked coolly, his demeanour remaining calm.
Clive saw the dark glint in the Sheriff's eyes and shook his head frantically, knowing that Johnny was an old friend of Lucas' and not wanting to go on the record against him.
Lucas smiled at Clive's wise decision not to press charges against his old friend and inhaled deeply. 'I'll tell you what, speakin' as a devoted Husband myself, a man's Wife is sacred and it ain't right to bring such animosity into the home...I'll help you out with the next two months payments and I'll even drop by Johnny's to let him know how sorry you are for the delay' he advised and watched amused as Clive's face lit up.
'Oh thank you Sheriff, you don't know what this means. How can I ever repay you?' Clive asked happily, relieved that it had been so easy to enlist the Sheriff's help with this matter. He had heard stories of the man's generosity; however, he had expected it to be more complicated than this to receive his assistance.
'Well now, seen as you asked-' Lucas started casually, after waiting patiently for his opening. '-You remember how your Cousin robbed ol' lady Grey outside that convenient Store up on Maple Drive two weeks ago?' he asked coolly.
'What?' Clive responded dumbfounded, unsure of whether he had heard him right. 'Travis weren't nowhere near there Sheriff, he was up in Nashville tryin' to visit some ol' buddies of his until late last week'
A devilish smile crossed over Lucas' lips and he revelled in Clive's increasing discomfort. 'You sure about that friend?' he asked calmly, giving Clive a chance to help himself.
Clive shifted in his seat uncomfortably, desperately needing the Sheriff's help with Johnny and not wanting to offend him; however, he surely could not agree to something that did not happen, it was not right. 'Travis wouldn't do nothin' like that Sheriff, he wouldn't hurt a fly-' he started to plead, not wanting to turn on his Cousin.
Lucas began to shake his head slowly in mock disappointment and let out a long sigh, preparing himself for the inevitable babble before he made the choices clear for Clive; however, before the man could finish pleading, the door to Lucas' office swung open abruptly and Caleb waltzed in confidently, as though he had not interrupted a private meeting.
Clive saw the look of fury on the Sheriff's face and turned towards the interruption relieved, happy for any chance to change the subject. 'Why howdy there Son' he said, forcing a welcoming tone and trying to take the attention away from what they had previously been discussing.
'Hey yourself Sir' Caleb nodded pleasantly, then walked past his Father and sat down comfortably on the chair behind his desk, disregarding his look of anger.
Lucas inhaled deeply in an attempt to keep his composure and regarded Clive seriously. 'We'll pick this up another time, think on it for a spell and I'm sure the clarity will come' he advised, then signalled for Clive to leave them.
When Clive rushed out of the office without hesitation, Lucas stood up and turned to face his eldest Son dominantly. 'Either you're not as bright as I thought you were, or you have a death wish Son' he said forcing a calm tone, trying to keep a handle on his rage.
'Or he can't turn down a challenge like his old man and is trying his best to win a bet' Gail added sweetly as she leaned casually against the office door, amused by her Husbands irritation.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Caleb, who just stared at him triumphantly, then turned around to face his Wife. 'This was you?' he asked in disbelief of her intruding on his official business.
'Now you know how it feels' she advised frankly, then signalled behind her and smiled as the remainder of their children came bouncing into the office after their Father.
Lucas let out a long sigh as his youngest Son rushed towards him with his arms outstretched, while his Daughter walked unsteadily behind him. He picked up both of his children instinctively and could not hide his smile when they began smothering him with kisses. 'To what do I owe this inconvenient surprise?' he asked his Wife, hating her smugness at how his children had disarmed him so easily.
'Well, Merlyn's taken vacation time and I refuse to leave these little two evil geniuses in the care of her young assistant. Seen as you believe that your life has begun to settle down, you might as well watch our little devils while I go do some real work Sheriff' Gail responded sweetly, sensing his thoughts earlier this morning and refusing to allow him to get off so easily when she had also been neglecting her professional responsibilities recently.
Lucas shook his head in exasperation at how well she could read him and tried to place the children back on the floor; however, they both clung to his neck and would not let go.
Caleb laughed at his Father's predicament and got up from his seated position. It served his Father right for having so many children and expecting his Mother to have to drop everything for them, as if she would just fall in line like a Stepford wife. 'I told you I'd do it, now pay up' he boasted proudly and held his hand out expectantly when he went to his Mother.
'How much did interruptin' my day cost?' Lucas asked unimpressed.
'30 Bucks, I bartered her up from 20' Caleb responded and smiled as his Father nodded appreciatively.
'Seen as you entered the lions den so bravely without hesitation, here's an extra $20 for Hazard pay...Don't go spending it all on sweets' Gail warned, then placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek and ruffled his hair playfully, before he rushed out to meet his friends.
'If I wasn't so pissed with the interruption, I'd be proud of his courage' Lucas advised, sitting back on his desk and resigning himself to being smothered by his younger children.
'Now, now Papa Bear. Watch your tongue around our impressionable little devils' Gail mock scolded, then moved towards her Husband and kissed him passionately. 'You two be good for your Daddy, I need to go' she advised and kissed her children's foreheads tenderly, then rushed out of the office before Lucas had a chance to protest.
'You've gotta be kiddin' me with this' Lucas sighed in frustration and shook his head at what had just happened, then laughed at his Son and Daughter who were staring up at him mischievously.
Caleb rode happily through the quiet streets with his friends Boone, Josh and Rose. He had initially not been impressed when his Mother had intercepted him with his friends earlier, knowing that she would have a chore for him; however, she had definitely made it worth his while and he felt rich with the amount of money that he held securely in his pocket, not remembering ever having such a large amount that was solely his.
Rose rode moodily at the back of the group, chunnering away to herself. She had hoped that it would be just her and Caleb today, feeling neglected by his lack of attention in the last two months; however, he had invited their whole group and she was beginning to feel like he did not want to be alone with her.
Caleb sensed Rose's thoughts and rolled his eyes, then slowed slightly and allowed his other friends to speed past him, calling out playful insults at his slowness as they passed. He allowed Rose to catch up to him and matched her pace, waiting patiently for her to open up.
Rose felt Caleb's eyes on her and took in a sharp intake of breath. She was mad at him, really mad for how much he took her for granted and expected her to just wait around for him; however, now that he was close to her, her anger began to subside. 'You suck' she snapped finally, shooting him a moody a glance.
Caleb narrowed his eyes at her, taken aback at the insult for a moment, then could not contain his laughter at the unwarranted comment and wondered whether this was what his Father had to put up when his Mother got in a mood. 'I guess I do, but you still seem to like it' he shrugged, deciding to take a leap out of his Father's book and appease the girl in his life.
Rose shot him a confused look and thought hard for a witty comeback, then cursed herself when her mind went blank. 'You don't seem to like me anymore' she responded quietly, hating her deep rooted desire to please him.
Caleb stopped peddling and halted on the spot, allowing Boone and Josh to continue bounding forward without him. He watched as Rose stopped further ahead of him, then obediently came back to his position. 'You really believe that?' he asked curiously, not used to such a serious conversation without his parents present to interject on his behalf.
Rose just shrugged and stared down at her feet nervously, not knowing what he truly wanted from her.
'I just want you' Caleb advised as he read her thoughts, witnessing his Fathers honesty with his Mother about what he wanted on a number of occasions and suspecting that was the best approach here.
Rose blushed at the comment and could not hide her smile. 'Are you sure?' she asked, staring deep into his eyes innocently. 'You keep avoidin' me recently and I thought I did somethin' wrong'
Caleb let out a small laugh and shook his head, then took hold of her hand tenderly and kissed it softly to show that she could not do anything wrong, at least not to someone as different as him. 'My family comes first, always' he advised her and stroked his thumb over the top of her hand affectionately.
'I get that, of course I do, but there's no need to push me out' Rose responded, knowing how important family was after all that Caleb had been through and respecting his family more than she respected her own.
Caleb ran his hands through his hair uncomfortably and tried to push down the irritation that had started to come over him. He was not used to being so open with someone that was not in his family and he was growing frustrated with the conversation, knowing that if it continued for much longer he would end up offending Rose unintentionally. 'Can I trust you? I mean really trust you?' he asked finally, allowing his darkness to take control of the situation.
Rose nodded without hesitation, wanting nothing more than to be fully accepted by him.
'Alright, you think I've been pushin' you out but that's not right. I'll show you what I've been doin', but you can't tell anybody' Caleb said, regarding her seriously.
'I'm with you Caleb, I promise. I won't tell a soul' Rose advised, making a cross over her chest to emphasise her loyalty.
Caleb smiled, he really did like Rose and going by his Father, having a girl to assist him with certain things may not be such a bad thing.
-To be continued-