Caleb opened the door of his bedroom and peaked out into the apparent deserted corridor slowly, confused by the lack of acknowledgement to his lateness the previous night. Caleb had managed to sneak in after 11pm without so much as a peep from his parents, which was unexpected. Usually his Mother would be waiting up, ready to scold him for not adhering to his curfew when he came in that late; however, there was no sign of her last night or this morning, which caused him suspicion.
Caleb crept out of his bedroom and cautiously walked down the corridor, careful not to make a sound. When he past his Brothers bedroom, he glanced in quietly and spotted both Luke and Gail Jr seemingly waiting patiently.
'Whatcha waitin' for?' Caleb whispered, staring into the bedroom curiously.
'You silly' Luke whispered back, following his Brothers lead and choosing to remain quiet.
Caleb narrowed his eyes at his sibling, who beamed at him with innocent eyes and let out a small laugh. 'As if butter wouldn't melt' he said sarcastically, not fooled by their act and crept into the bedroom to retrieve the children.
'Where's Mom?' Caleb asked as he exited Luke's bedroom holding his Sister securely to his chest and Luke's small hand in his, then quietly moved towards the stairs.
Both Gail Jr and Luke pointed at the Master bedroom, glancing at the closed door curiously wondering why it was so quiet.
Caleb was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth and rushed down the stairs in the hopes that he had managed to avoid his Mother's scolding.
Gail Jr could not contain her laughter at her older Brothers wishful thinking and sensed that her Mother was fully aware of their presence. She had expected some loud exchange over her Brothers poor decision to stay out late; however, she was not naïve enough to believe that he was in the clear just because all had remained quiet last night.
Lucas nipped at the back of Gail's shoulder roughly, pushing his hard manhood as far as he could get and let out a low frustrated moan. 'Is this really necessary?' he panted, struggling to keep to her volume stipulation with how good it felt to be inside of her.
Gail smiled devilishly, sensing how hard it was for her Husband to remain quiet when he wanted to release his pent up animal urges; however, this punishment was well deserved after he his lack of care over Caleb breaking curfew yet again. 'I told you Husband, one loud sound and I'm out of this bed like a rocket. You will control yourself like a responsible adult' she said in mock scorn, then dug her nails into his hand gripping her hip and laughed when she felt him bury his head into her neck to stifle his pleasurable moan.
Lucas was in an adventurous mood and willed her to physically hurt him more; therefore, when she withdrew her claws he let out a long sigh, attempted to push down his animal desires.
Gail smiled triumphantly at his efforts to adhere to her wishes and placed her leg over his, opening herself up more and allowing him to push deeper inside of her. 'See, this isn't so bad is it?' she asked sweetly, having to pull her pillow over her mouth to stifle her own loud moan as he thrust inside of her harder.
Lucas sensed her strong enjoyment and began pounding in and out of her, making her suffer as much as he was. 'This ain't exactly what I was hopin' for, but it'll do the trick' he whispered and nipped at her ear as he continued his relentless pace, not giving her chance to respond.
Gail tried desperately to regain her composure while he pounded in and out of her; however, his powerful thrusts caused her climax to build inside of her quickly and she buried her head in her pillow to stifle her call, as she felt him erupt inside of her.
Lucas bit the back of her neck hard to control his volume, then let out an amused laugh at how quiet they had managed to be despite their rough behaviour. Gail had awoken in a strange mood after she had chosen to go to bed before Caleb had returned home and he suspect that this was some sort of punishment, preventing him from having her the way he wanted.
'A punishment is only warranted if a person does something that they shouldn't, but you wouldn't do anything like that would you Soulmate?' she asked reminding him that she could read him, knowing full well that he had come to her in the bath last night to distract her from sensing something.
Lucas leaned down and licked the teeth marks on her neck, not allowing himself to react to her question. 'I'm just a good 'ol boy makin' sure everything runs smoothly, what could I possible do to warrant a punishment Love?' he asked sarcastically, not bothering to hide his smugness.
Gail laughed in disbelief of his attitude, then carefully rolled over onto her back and allowed him to rest on top of her. 'Just a good 'ol boy huh?' she asked sweetly, feigning ignorance.
'The best' Lucas smiled mischievously, then kissed her passionately and decided to take advantage of her change in mood, pushing her legs open with his knees and entering her once again.
Caleb stood in front of the coffee pot and willed it to boil quicker, as he rubbed his tired eyes and let out a long yawn. It had been over half an hour since he came downstairs with his siblings and he had expected his parents to be up by now. He would be late for school if his Mother did not get up soon and make his breakfast.
'Now why would I need to do such a thing for you? Clearly you're old enough to take care of yourself and don't require our assistance or protection' Gail responded to his unspoken thought sweetly, leaning casually on the door to the Kitchen in her long red silk robe.
Caleb's eyes grew wide at the comment and he cursed himself for not sensing her approach.
'Uh oh, seems like the young Buck hasn't perfected his craft as much as he believed' Gail said sarcastically, then exited the Kitchen and placed a soft kiss on Lucas' lips as he entered.
Both Caleb and Lucas watched Gail leave, then Lucas signalled for Caleb to follow him to the Study. Lucas opened his mouth to counsel his eldest, then stopped in his tracks when he glanced towards the fireplace and spotted his youngest children wrapping an unimpressed Gideon in bows and tinsel. 'Wait, what day is it?' he asked suspiciously, a sinking feeling coming over his stomach.
'The 13th' Caleb advised, watching his Father confused.
Lucas rolled his eyes and shook his head unimpressed. 'So, the day our beautiful home gets defiled then' he sighed, being brought back to what time of year it was.
'Oh don't be so damn dramatic. It's more like a festive makeover and I'll be sure to put in some extra effort this year, just to reward you for having your eldest's back above all others' Gail advised amused as she re-entered the Study with a treat for Gideon, thankful that her trusted companion had not mauled her children for their disrespectful behaviour.
Lucas shot an irritated glance at Caleb, then signalled for him to follow him. 'Come on Son, it appears your Momma is hell bent on pushin' our buttons today' he advised, choosing to take them both out of the equation to avoid his Wife's inevitable punishment.
'That's a good idea, give us room to work' Gail smiled playfully and winked at her youngest children, sensing their excitement to embrace the festive spirit. 'Oh and I'll be sure to get us tickets to How The Grinch Stole Christmas for tonight, I suspect there's a certain character who you might relate to' she advised sarcastically, her smile growing wider when her children giggled at the insult.
Lucas shot them all a look of disdain and left them alone, not dignifying their behaviour with a response.
Matt Crower walked intently down the overly bright corridor, reviewing his next patients chart. He had been finding it hard to concentrate after his best friends apparent choice to faze him out of her life and it was taking more effort than usual to focus on his required tasks.
Matt had come to depend on Gail's support, she was his life line when he had been locked up in Juniper House and she had sacrificed her integrity to persuade Lucas to allow him to be released. Her decision to bind herself to such an evil man did not sit right with him; however, he appreciated her sacrifice and wished he had made that clear to her before she chose to disregard him, maybe she would have found it in her heart to forgive his past discretions if he had showed her how much he truly valued her.
'Wow, you really are pinin' like a sad puppy who's bone has been taken away. How very attractive' Lucas said sarcastically, as he leaned casually against the wall when Matt had not initially acknowledged him.
Gail had been on edge after she had discovered that her perfect friend was not so pure and Lucas suspected that this should concern him; however, he was impressed at her ability to cut Harvard out of her life so effortlessly, regardless of the impact to her mental health and it amused him to watch the noble Matt Crower begin to spiral like he once had.
Matt stopped in his tracks when he heard the familiar voice and closed his eyes in agitation, when he turned towards his once adversary he realised that he had walked right past his next patients room and cursed himself for being so distracted.
'Ah hell, my Love can have that affect on people so don't beat yourself up too hard. It's good to see you down here with us mortal folk, although it was a mighty high fall from that pedestal you sat so comfortably on' Lucas smirked, disregarding the look of disapproval that he sensed from Caleb beside him and revelled in Matt's suffering.
Matt felt a strong anger rise within him and went to challenge the disrespectful man before him; however, he spotted Caleb shake his head in warning and decided that it was not a smart move. 'Good morning Sheriff, it's a little early for your usual torture. Problems at home?' he asked forcing a calm tone and approached the pair.
Lucas continued to smile at Matt, sensing the effort it was taking for him to remain civil and took a step towards him. 'No problem's here friend. In fact, my Wife was very eager to work off some of her pent up frustrations over some people she used to hold dear earlier...she was very thorough in ensurin' that we were both duly satisfied before we took on the day' he responded, his smile growing wider when he sensed the fire rising in Matt.
Caleb let out a loud sigh and rolled his eyes, bored of both mens dislike for each other and not wanting to hear remarks about his Mother. 'What are we doin' here anyway?' he asked abruptly before Matt could respond to his Fathers comment.
Lucas shot Caleb an unimpressed look at him interfering with his fun, then turned his attention towards him. 'Your friend was in an accident last night and you're here to ensure he's alright, remember?' he said flatly, expecting some gratitude from his Son at bringing him to check on his new playmate.
Caleb narrowed his eyes at his Father for a moment, sensing that he had missed something, then realised that Bobby was in the room they were standing outside of and put on his best innocent smile. 'Oh yeah, that's right...Poor guy fell outta the window, how clumsy' he responded, trying to hide his smile.
Matt spotted the amusement in Caleb and regarded his curiously, not oblivious to the change in the young boy that he once believed he knew. 'I'm not convinced he fell, but I'm sure he'll appreciate your concern' he advised, not allowing his suspicion to show and pushed past Lucas to enter the room.
'Smooth' Lucas said sarcastically, not believing Caleb had not realised why he would bring him here.
'I didn't get much sleep and I ain't awake fully yet' Caleb responded in his defence, sensing his Fathers thought.
'Maybe you should try gettin' home for curfew, that way you'll be able to get your required beauty sleep' Lucas mock scolded, then ruffled Caleb's hair playfully when he narrowed his eyes unimpressed by the comment.
Caleb laughed at his Father and followed him into the Hospital room, disregarding Doctor Matt's stern look when they interrupted his questioning, then stopped when he spotted Danielle who worked with his Mother stood in the corner of the room.
Lucas rolled his eyes at Caleb's instinct to freeze guiltily and put on his most charming smile for the Reporter. 'Good mornin' Danielle, mighty fine surprise seein' you here' he advised and winked at Matt when he shot him a look of disgust.
'Hey Sheriff' Danielle beamed happily, unable to take her eyes off of the hot specimen before her. 'I'm just gettin' a head start before your slave driver Wife gets on my tail for not bringin' her anythin' new. What are you doin' here so early?' she asked.
'A boy found injured after bein' left outside all night, seems to me like that's somethin' I need to be interested in' Lucas responded smoothly, instantly causing Danielle's mind to focus on the lack of supervision from Bobby's Father.
Caleb smiled at how quick his Father was at diverting suspicion and relaxed, knowing that he would never allow anything to come back on him. It appeared effortless for his Father to manipulate his people and Caleb wished that he was as skilled as he was.
'We should be interested in how he got injured, everything else is secondary' Matt interjected bluntly, not liking how accepting Danielle was of the unexpected intrusion.
'I heard he was drinkin' and tumbled out the window' Caleb offered as an explanation, feigning innocence.
'I was not!' Bobby snapped when he heard the younger boys voice and turned towards him angrily.
'So there weren't any empty beer cans found in your bedroom?' Lucas asked coolly, ensuring that the attention did not remain on Caleb.
Bobby stared at the Sheriff defiantly, then let out a loud huff when he realised that no one would believe the beer cans were his Fathers and turned back to look out of the window.
Danielle shook her head disapprovingly, not being aware of the empty beer cans and previously believing that this may have been an attack. She should have known better than to trust the word of the town drunks Son and cursed herself for falling for yet another baseless story. What a complete waste of her time. 'Well, I guess that sums it up for me. You have a lovely day Sheriff' she sighed and headed out of the Hospital room, not bothering to address the injured boy as she exited.
Matt let out a small laugh and shook his head at how quickly she had thrown away her suspicions, then turned around and regarded Lucas and Caleb seriously. 'This boy needs his rest and I need to ensure he's taken care off. If you're really concerned about him, you can come back when it's visiting hours' he advised and signalled for them to leave.
Caleb stared at Bobby as he lay broken in the bed and felt his smile grow wider. 'Oh I'll be back after school Doc, we wouldn't want Bobby to feel neglected' he said smugly, then allowed his Father to lead him out of the room and let Matt do what he had to do.
-To be continued-