Caleb headed towards his last class of the day with Boone and Josh by his side, still taking in the vastness of this place compared to the Elementary School. The lessons were definitely a step up from what he was used to and the whole atmosphere here was different, it was evident that he would not get away with the things he had done with Miss Coombs over the years.
'PE next then we're done' Boone said relieved after checking his schedule, excited for this day to be over.
'And we're all together for this one thank God!' Josh exclaimed, finding it hard to be split up from his friends for certain classes.
'I don't know, I thought you enjoyed bein' with your new friend' Caleb teased sarcastically, spotting the way Josh had been regarding the girl he had met at the earlier incident.
Josh felt his cheeks become flush and attempted to remain cool. 'Millie ain't my style, besides she's older than us' he responded trying to sound casual.
'Millie's nice and clearly had no issue hangin' out with us at lunch' Boone advised, feeling himself begin to blush as he was also fond of the girl.
'That's cause she ain't got no friends, just like you plebs' Bobby said from behind them, then shoved Boone hard and laughed as he sprawled on the ground.
Caleb felt his darkness rise to the surface, then took a deep breath and forced himself to relax, trying his best to keep his promise to his Mother. 'She's got real friends now, not like you and your dumb jocks. Where are those losers anyway? Stuck tryin' to figure out how to read the door numbers to get to their next class? I guess 1-10 can be somewhat difficult' he smirked, standing tall to take the bully's attention off of Boone.
'I weren't talkin' to you pube' Bobby snapped.
'But you are now and you better watch your mouth, who knows what trouble it'll get you into later' Caleb advised, staring deep into Bobby's eyes and not backing down.
Bobby held his stare for a moment, then let out an amused laugh and rolled his eyes. 'You lot ain't worth my time, but if I come across you outta here you better run' he warned, then headed down to corridor towards his next lesson.
'Why's he so mean? What did we do?' Josh asked, helping Boone up from his undignified position on the floor.
'Don't worry I'm sure he'll learn some manners soon, for the sake of his own health' Caleb responded through gritted teeth, then took in another long breath to calm himself and headed towards the gymnasium.
Lucas pulled up his navy blue Crown Victoria outside of the old garage located on Jackson and Main, then let out a long sigh. He had hoped that his Wife would have taken their children after he had lured her away from Harvard, to free him up to work how he wanted; however, she had left them in his car while she focussed her attention on the stray who had latched onto her.
The children were not oblivious to the fact that she appeared to have chosen Kyle over them and he sensed their resentment for the boy growing, hence him allowing Ben to man the phones in the Station while he patrolled alone with his little devils. He suspected that Gail's subconscious decision to take Kyle under her wing was due to her suspicion of their children's involvement in Karen's disappearance; however, he had sensed her attempts to push down her suspicions and he was happy that she was finally trying to accept their children for who they were.
Gail Jr sensed her Fathers unguarded thoughts and could not contain her laughter at his misjudgement. The boy's in her family did not realise how strong her connection was with her Mother, or how much she actually understood. She knew that her Mother accepted them all wholeheartedly, flaws included; however, she was concerned about their souls and she could not just switch that off.
Gail Jr knew of her Mothers struggle with her morals and her darkness, she herself did not have that conflict but she sometimes sensed it within her youngest Brother Luke when he tried to push down his desires to appease their Mother. It was a burden, especially for her Mother who wanted so much protect them all from damnation and her Father did not understand that struggle, being unburdened by fear and trusting in his own way of being. The sometimes selfish ways of her Father and Caleb, although highly amusing and entertaining to her, did not help ease her Mother and she could see why she fought back against their decisions.
Luke sensed his Sisters thoughts and spotted their Father monitoring her closely, after she had openly laughed at him for no reason. He reached out and took her hand in his, discreetly jolting her out of her reverie and smiled when she quickly focussed her mind on the cute dog who was being walked down the street by it's owner. Luke understood enough to know that it was not their place to judge their parents and it was especially important to remain loyal to their Father.
'Good boy' Lucas said proudly, continuing to stare suspiciously at his Daughter, then got out of the car and casually strolled towards the garage, leaving the children alone in the car.
Luke shot his Sister and irritated look, not believing that she had formed such an opinion and shook his head in exasperation when she just stared back at him wide eyed, feigning innocence. 'Creep' he advised knowingly, then unbuckled himself out of his car seat like he had watched his parents do on countless occasions and crawled closer to his Sister.
'Out!' Gail Jr exclaimed, banging the palm of her hand on the window and pointing frantically at her retreating Father.
'Hang on!' Luke snapped, pushing down his common sense which warned him of how his Mother would react if she ever witnessed him in this position without her authorisation, then freed his Sister and crawled over her to reach for the inside door handle.
Gail Jr cheered happily when the door popped open before Luke reached the handle and stared at the strange figure who was looking down at them, suddenly concerned as Luke placed himself in front of her in a protective manner.
'Calm yourself young Buck, I imagine your Momma would react even worse had you opened this door at the awkward angle you were about to and cracked your head open on that curb' Joshua advised coolly, signalling for the children to exit the vehicle carefully.
Luke narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the man who visited his Mother on occasion, then glanced down at the curb and realised that he was right.
'Thankyou' Gail Jr said pleasantly, sensing this being was looking out for them on this occasion, but not wanting to be around him for longer than they had to.
Joshua had not been this close to the first girl in the Buck line on his own previously and he could sense the strong darkness flowing through her veins. He heard the whispers of his ancestors, calling for action while the girl was unattended by her parents, then sensed Luke's untrusting eyes on him and let out a small laugh. 'I know where my loyalty lies these days, be gone' he sighed and signalled towards the garage, then disappeared and left the children to their own devices.
Luke waited for a moment, then carefully climbed out when he was sure that the strange man had left and helped his Sister out. 'Shhhh' he said quietly, placing his index finger on his Sisters lips when she went to speak and took her hand in his gently.
Gail Jr held her Brothers hand tight and allowed him to lead her towards the large building that her Father had headed to, sensing her Brother's curiosity was as strong as her own. She did not know what her Father was planning; however, she suspected that it was an important visit and she ensured that she remained quiet, not wanting to disturb him.
Lucas sensed his children's approach and smiled to himself at their curiosity, as he paced the raised car in front of him. He had no desire to shield them from how things truly worked, Caleb had been shielded for far too long and it was a wonder that his eldest had managed to find the right path without the proper upbringing in his first 10 years of his life. Lucas continued to pace the car, not allowing his intended target to be aware of the presence of his children and waited patiently to be acknowledged.
'Who's out there? I'm workin'' came a hoarse voice from underneath the car.
'Oh I doubt you know what real work is friend' Lucas smirked and casually leaned against a pile of wheels when Barry slid out from under the car, his torn overalls covered in oil.
'Sheriff?' Barry asked confused, then his features hardened. 'I ain't done nothin' and you can't prove nothin'
Lucas laughed and shook his head, there were a number of things that he could get Barry on; however, that was for another day. 'This ain't official business Barry, at least not yet...this is about family' he advised, continuing to regard the man calmly.
Barry narrowed his eyes at Lucas, then let out a small laugh and wheeled back under the car. 'My boy's in school, ain't nothin' more to say' he said dismissively and reached for his wrench.
'It appears your boy ain't taken to mine, meanin' there's plenty more to say. Unless you want me to take matters into my own hands to protect my own that is' Lucas warned casually, not impressed with Barry's dismissive attitude.
When Barry just laughed at the warning and began to slowly slide out from under the car, Lucas glanced up at the chains holding up the vehicle and smiled when they buckled, causing the car to drop and crush Barry's hand.
Barry screamed out in agony and pulled his disfigured hand out from underneath the car, nursing it close to his chest and staring around the garage frantically when he heard the faint sound of children's giggles.
'Mighty tragic accident there friend, you should be more careful...You have a good day now and remember that my boy is off limits' Lucas smiled smugly, then headed out of the garage and picked up his children as he passed.
'Bad man' Gail Jr said knowingly when her Father took her in his arms, sensing the man's cruelness as soon as she got close to the garage.
Luke just shrugged at the statement and held onto his Father tight, not caring much at all about the stranger. 'More Daddy More!' he exclaimed happily, feeling something stir excitedly inside of him and not wanting the fun to stop.
Lucas laughed at the genuine acceptance of his behaviour from his children and smiled mischievously. 'I suppose I have been neglectin' certain people in this town that are deservin' of my attention, I guess it's about time I remind them who's boss...No tellin' your Momma now, this is all between us' he warned his excited children, then placed them carefully into his car so they could have some more fun.
Gail sat on the hard leather couch in Judy Redman's extravagant living room, wondering whether she had made a mistake in coming here. She had wanted to get Matt out of her mind after she realised how he had fallen for Selena like all the other weak men in this Town; therefore, after she had made sure her family were alright without her being present, she had decided to just drive and see where her instincts took her. It was a surprise that they had taken her to Jack Jr's Mother.
'That young boy is such a Darlin', shame about his parents' Judy said casually, as she watched Kyle watering her plants outside through the large window she was sat beside.
Gail shifted on the couch in an attempt to get into a comfortable position, then reached for the cup of tea that Judy had made her. 'What do you know about his parents?' she asked curiously, not fully clued up herself on the whereabouts of Karen at the moment in time.
Judy smiled and shook her head, the women of Trinity loved to talk and she was friends with the majority of them. 'Oh the horror of it all, that poor fella's car bein' found in the River by Johnson's Bridge and that pretty young thing shoutin' her mouth off all over Town about conspiracies and such...It's such a shame' she shrugged, choosing to keep her own opinion to herself.
Gail sensed Judy was holding back and smiled sweetly. This woman was far from stupid, contrary to what her late Husband and Son clearly believed and she suspected that a lot of people mistook her for vulnerable in her current position; however, Gail was far more perceptive than most and she could see the cunning in Judy's eyes, not dissimilar to her own way of being. 'It's tragic really, the sins of the parents leaving such a lovely young boy to fend for himself. It's always the children who suffer' she sighed, playing along.
Judy's smile grew wider and she regarded Gail carefully. 'You know about that all too well don't you Mrs Buck? You were so young when your parents were taken by that devastatin' incident, then just over a decade later poor Caleb was left in a similar situation. It's a good job the Sheriff is so kind with comin' to the rescue an all' she advised pleasantly, enjoying this game and wondering how far she could push the reserved woman before her.
Gail let out a small laugh and nodded appreciatively at Judy's tactics, the woman was more daring than she had anticipated and it was a change being around someone who had the balls to converse in such a manner with her. 'Neither Caleb nor I required the Sheriff to come to our rescue Mrs Redman, a fact which I'm sure you're well aware of given your multitude of friends. Speaking of which, I don't suppose your many friends have spotted Kyle's Mother hanging around recently? The Boarding House is no proper home for a growing child' she responded coolly, amused at the disappointment she sensed in Judy when it was evident that she had not struck a nerve.
Judy sighed and shook her head. 'They ain't seen that pretty little blonde since she was ridin' all over Town with your BFF Mrs Buck-' she started.
'Gail' Gail interrupted calmly, cutting down the formalities.
'OK Gail-' Judy smiled pleasantly, then regarded her seriously '-Your BFF was goin' from place to place, apparently lookin' for leads on that poor boy's Father's disappearance. Strange considerin' that the blonde was shoutin' all sorts of distasteful things about your family'
Gail smiled, sensing Judy was monitoring her reactions very closely and just took a sip of her tea. 'Who doesn't spout distasteful things about my family once in a while?' she asked sarcastically.
'I don't...I have no issues with you and the Sheriff' Judy advised honestly.
'Good, I can't speak for my Husband but I'd hate to think that I've done something to offend you in any way' Gail said pleasantly, standing up from the uncomfortable couch and moving towards the window to check on Kyle.
Judy watched her closely, waiting for the right opportunity to test the waters. She had been speaking to the Mayor's Wife Janet who Gail had managed to assist back into the working world and she was also aware of what Gail had done for that pretty redheaded Nurse at the Hospital, somehow fast tracking her career and setting her up in Juniper. It brought her back to the conversation they had after Jack Jr's disappearance, where Gail offered her assistance should it be required and this was the first opportunity since then that she had to consider her options.
Judy knew all the pitfalls to avoid in this Town, she had witnessed the downfall of so many others after they had gone to the Sheriff for help and she had vowed never to get caught in any of his dealings.
'Smart woman' Gail said casually, reading her mind as she continued to stare out of the window. Her curiosity had spiked; however, her demeanour did not change and she would wait patiently, regardless of how intrigued by the sudden change in Judy that she was.
Judy took in a sharp intake of breath, wondering if she had spoken out loud. She relaxed slightly when Gail did not show any offence and stood up, choosing to stand beside her at the window. She knew all about the Sheriff, he was bad news; however, nothing bad appeared to have come from Gail's assistance to Janet and Rita. 'It get's lonely without my boys. I know they were flawed, cruel even, but they were mine for so long' she said quietly, feeling her eyes begin to well up and fighting back the tears as she decided to take a chance.
Gail closed her eyes at the comment and shook her head, knowing full how you could love evil unconditionally. Her Husband and her children, no matter what they did she could not disown them as they were hers.
'You said I could come to you-' Judy started.
'And here am' Gail sighed, spotting Joshua looking smug as he lurked discreetly at the back of the garden behind a large tree and suddenly realised why her instincts had brought her here.
'I thought I could do it alone, but it's just so hard' Judy said, her strong exterior starting to falter.
Gail could not contain her laughter at what she had stumbled into and instinctively placed her arm around Judy's shoulder reassuringly. She was not her Husband, this willingness to take on someone else's burden did not come natural to her; however, she would be lying to herself if she claimed not to have gotten a taste for the power which came with making a deal and she had not forgotten what she had agreed to when she first met Joshua, damning herself in protection of her family.
'Come on, I could use another drink and it seems that we have a lot yet to talk about' she forced a sweet smile, not wanting this strong woman to break in front of her and led her into the kitchen, ignoring Joshua's knowing smirk.
-To be continued-
