Gail drummed her finger on the dashboard of her car, as she waited patiently for the Bowling Alley to empty. She had attempted to convince her Husband again to release Matt for the sake of her sanity earlier and when that did not work, she decided to move all of her focus to the Grocery Store incident. She had used her powers of persuasion to interrogate Rose enough, without the girl becoming wise to her tactics, and she had already spoken with Boone earlier. Now she had decided to change her tactics to ensure that she had covered all bases before returning home to her boys.

'Momma don't' Gail Jr pleaded, not wanting to go against the boy's no matter how irritating they could be at times.

'We're not going against the boys, we're getting to the bottom of a crime and ensuring that your Momma isn't a complete liar when her article is published' Gail responded to her Daughters unspoken thought bluntly, growing tired of the effort her family appeared to put in to keep her in the dark.

'Do you wanna know?' Gail Jr asked quietly, wondering if her Mothers need to dig into Caleb's activities last night was in fact worth the time she was wasting.

Gail inhaled deeply to control her anger at the question and shot her Daughter a look of warning in the rearview mirror. 'Careful' she responded seriously, not liking her Daughters intelligence turned towards her.

Gail Jr shrank back in her car seat and began sucking her thumb, hoping that her Mother's attention would shift from her quickly.

Gail sensed the person she was here for exit the Bowling Alley and leaned over to open her front passenger side door.

Bobby walked across the large parking lot with a group of his friends, wondering why he bothered hanging around with such dim people, then spotted the blood red Mustang parked at the back on it's own and froze. He had dreamed about that car on so many nights and of the owner; however, he had convinced himself that he was not worth her time. When the front passenger seat opened invitingly, he took in a deep breath and mustered up all of his courage, then forced himself to walk casually up to it and got in without saying a word.

Gail laughed at how cool Bobby was attempting to be in her presence and shook her head. 'Your not even going to say bye to your friends?' she asked amused, spotting how curious the group was by Bobby getting into her car.

'Nah, ain't no real friends there anyhow' Bobby shrugged, then turned towards the young girl in the back and squeezed her knee playfully before putting on his seatbelt to indicate he was ready to go wherever Mrs Buck wanted to take him.

Gail should not be enjoying the company of such a young boy; however, he certainly did amuse her. Without saying a word she turned on the engine and roared out of the parking lot, smiling when Bobby yelled excitedly and put his middle finger up to the group of teenagers as they passed. 'Do I look like the kind of person who would condone that type of unruly behaviour?' she asked, feigning innocence.

'You're with the Sheriff ain't ya?' Bobby retorted, then smiled when Gail laughed and nodded to show she was not offended by the comment.

Gail continued to drive, sensing how relaxed Bobby was now that he was away from the dim boys he chose to hand around with and allowed him to just enjoy the ride for a moment. She glanced at her Daughter in the rearview mirror, who was watching her like a hawk and winked at her playfully. 'So, you grow bored of your usual group, is that it?' she asked finally.

'Is that what?' Bobby responded confused.

'Is that why you decided to gate crash Caleb's group last night?' Gail clarified, not bothering to handle this boy as carefully as she had the other children, knowing how hard his upbringing had made him.

'Caleb's group was bored-' Bobby started.

'No, Caleb's group are always content with whatever he's doing no matter what they say. They don't have the capacity to really think for themselves and they certainly wouldn't decide something without his say so' Gail interrupted, understanding Caleb's group of friends very well, including the new girl Millie.

Bobby felt his heart racing and wondered if she knew what they had done last night; however, Caleb was not the type of boy to tell. If Caleb was a grass, he would have gone to his parents over all the times Bobby used to harass him and his friends. He never did otherwise Bobby had no illusion that the Sheriff would have stepped in and made an example of him, so Mrs Buck could not know what they did.

'Or could she?' Gail asked sarcastically, amused at how easy it was to read this boy's mind and feeling a slight pity for him about how easily she could just extract the information if she wanted to.

'Why not?' Gail Jr asked curiously and leaned forward, disregarding the older boy's clear confusion at what he didn't understand and wondering why her Mother did not just take the information she wanted.

Gail smiled proudly at how intuitive her Daughter was and regarded her openly. 'Me and your Daddy love a challenge. Why take the easy route when the harder one is usually much more fun' she advised, also disregarding Bobby's baffled expression.

'Chal..challe' Gail Jr tried to repeat.

'Challenge Sweetheart and you'll learn it quick enough' Gail laughed, torn as to whether she was looking forward to her Daughters full growth or dreading it.

Gail Jr smiled mischievously at her Mother and sat back in her seat to allow her to work, enjoying watching her.

'So, you were saying that you decided to have some fun in Mr Jenkin's Store when he locked up' Gail prompted, turning her attention back to Bobby.

'Wait, no. We decided to-' Bobby started defensively, then slapped his hand over his mouth to silence himself.

Gail let out a long sigh and rolled her eyes in exasperation, slowing down for the red light ahead. 'For once I'd just like a menial incident to report on' she said in agitation, knowing that Caleb's mark was all over that Store.

'No you don't' Caleb said confidently, as he opened the front passenger side and signalled for Bobby to get out.

Gail stared at Caleb wide eyed, cursing herself for dropping her guard and not being aware of her surroundings. She should well have sensed his presence as she was pulling up to the junction and she could not believe he had gotten the drop on her. 'Hey! Not so fast...You get in the backseat' she ordered Bobby when he tried to take the opportunity to retreat, then shook her head when Caleb jumped in the front seat beside her.

'Miss me Mom?' Caleb asked amused, sensing her irritation and leaned over to place an affectionate kiss on her cheek.

'I swear you're just as infuriating as your Father' Gail said flatly, as she put the car in gear and drove down the street.

'And you have his back just as much as you have mine' Caleb responded smugly, knowing that she would never want to hurt him.

Gail ran her hand though her hair in frustration, trying to rethink her plan now that Caleb had interjected himself into her investigation. He was bold, she would give him that. By putting himself at the forefront, it meant that Gail would not allow him to admit anything to her openly in front of Bobby, so not to damage her show of integrity. This was not a move that she had expected and part of her would have preferred for him to allow her to feign oblivion.

'That ain't your style, you couldn't drop your suspcisions even if you wanted to' Caleb answered her unspoken thought, surprised that her guard was still down.

'This is my fault...I did it all-' Bobby started, not liking the uncomfortable atmosphere in the car and knowing from what his Father had told him of the Sheriff that you did not want to be on Lucas Buck's radar.

'Hush!' Gail ordered, trying to regain her composure and took in a deep breath. 'Why do you always do this? I'm a Reporter Caleb' she asked in agitation, feeling her mind becoming dishevelled.

'Actually you're an Editor and I guess it's mostly down to my parent's' Caleb shrugged, forcing his demeanour to remain cool knowing that she would sense weakness and pounce if he faltered from his plan.

Gail could not contain her laughter at the accusing comment and shot him look of disbelief. 'Oh come on, we're playing that card are we? We both know who your real parent's are' she responded coldly, not requiring a reminder of who his real Mother was.

Caleb saw the upset that she was attempting to hide and cursed himself for not coming across clearer. He could not speak openly due to Bobby being in the car, but he knew what he needed to do to take the spotlight off of them and give Gail a plausible way out which would not make her feel guilty about dropping the Grocery Store article. 'That's right, we do...Hearin' his name from that law man was just too much to take I reckon, it brought up a lot of old memories' he said, hoping she would bite properly this time.

Gail glanced towards Caleb and narrowed his eyes at him. 'What law man? You don't mean Gage?' she asked confused, her heart beginning to sink when she remembered what she had been working on the night of the Grocery Store break in.

Caleb held her eyes for a moment and nodded, sensing she knew exactly who was interested in the man who raised him before he found out who his real Father was.

Gail let out a small laugh, then slammed her foot on the breaks and made a u-turn. 'That son of a bitch' she whispered through gritted teeth, annoyed that she had allowed herself to become distracted with something so unimportant.

'Where are we goin'?' Caleb asked confused, feeling the speed increase as Gail's foot pushed further down on the accelerator and suddenly doubted his decision to get involved.

'You know what? I'm starting to think this story is beneath me. Why would I even care about a childish game that went wrong? It's not as though anyone actually got hurt and I'm sure someone will use their pocket money to get poor old Mr Jenkins another fish' Gail said to herself as she continued to speed down the deserted road, choosing to openly read Bobby's mind now that her focus had changed to ensure nothing fatal happened. 'I'm just making a quick stop at the office to get Steve to pick this up, then I'll drop you two off at the Pool Hall...you can both wait there patiently until your Father decides to show his face to collect you'

Caleb looked at Bobby through the rearview mirror when the boy visibly relaxed, then winked at him playfully. 'What will you be doin'?' he asked her curiously, not wanting to be benched but understanding that this was better than dealing with her wrath over his misguided decision of the previous night.

'Oh, I'll be visiting my good friend Miss Coombs. It seems that I'm overdue a girls night' Gail smiled mischievously, suspecting that she had left Selena to her own devices for too long and deciding it was about time that she checked in.


Lucas sat on grass in his closed off property, watching his youngest Son run happily around the garden. Considering how the day had started, he did not believe that they had done so bad and he was happy that Caleb was not yet too stubborn to accept a helping hand.

'Did I do good?' Luke asked, as he jumped towards his Father like a frog and giggled when he caught him before his head hit the ground.

'You did good Son, you took direction and had fun with it...The others may think that they have everythin' under control, but you're the back bone to it all and Caleb wouldn't have realised there was a better way if you hadn't have distracted the Mayor like you did' Lucas advised, knowing how bored Luke was getting and how much he wanted to be trusted out in the world like his older Brother was.

'Oh my little man doesn't need to ever go out into the world, he's going to stay right here with me forever' Gail said giddily, as she crept into the garden holding their Daughter against her hip and her small heels in her other hand.

'Well that's a disturbin' thought' Lucas responded sarcastically and narrowed his eyes at her clear drunken state.

'What, wouldn't you want to stay here with alone Sheriff?' Gail asked feigning hurt, placing her Daughter carefully down on the ground then moving closer to the centre of the garden.

'Just the two of us?' Lucas shot back coolly, moving Luke from his lap and gently pushing him towards his Sister, without taking his eyes off of his Wife.

'Just the two of us, no distractions, no incessant responsibility from outside parties...just you and me right here forever' Gail whispered in his ear, as she knelt down and straddled, smiling when his strong hands gripped her behind.

'Hmmm, I guess that could be very temptin'. What about our ghostly family intrusions?' Lucas asked, running his fingers down her toned thighs and unable to resist her when she was in this kind of playful mood.

'Fuck them Master Buck' she whispered quietly against his mouth as she ran her lips over his, then smiled as his mouth engulfed hers forcefully.

'Really?' Caleb asked from the side porch, not impressed at Bobby's inability to take his eyes off of his parents and how his mouth had dropped open.

Lucas sensed the attention on them and smiled mischievously. 'What do you say Love? Shall we give 'em a show? I for one have been waitin' for you to let your hair down all day' he advised teasingly as he ran his lips over her neck and began sucking it seductively.

Gail allowed herself to get lost in his touch for a moment, then forced herself to regain some semblance of dignity and begrudgingly pushed herself off of him. 'You boys play nice in the Pool Hall? Or did you decide to target some poor helpless soul again?' she asked sarcastically, attempting to walk in a straight line towards the porch whilst straightening up her dress.

'They were as good as gold, just what I'd expect two responsible teenagers to be in my Town' Lucas advised before Caleb could answer, coming up behind Gail and placing his arm around her waist to steady her.

Gail could not believe she had allowed herself to drink so much with Selena and appreciated the support from her Husband. She was usually better than this, there was something knocking her off of her game and she could not put her finger on it.

As if to answer her question, Gail spotted Caleb glance discreetly at the back of the garden and she instinctively stroked her Husbands cheek, pulling him to her for a kiss before he noticed where Caleb's attention was. 'I need a minute to breath, do you mind watching the rabble while I gather my composure' she whispered in his ear, nipping it playfully to show that she would make it up to him later.

Lucas sensed people were hiding something from him; however, his family had managed to stay intact after the days activities, much to his pleasant surprise and he was willing to loosen the strings if it meant that the trains continued to run smoothly.

'Don't loosen them too much Soulmate, who knows who could come and steal me away' Gail said sarcastically, choosing not to take offence at his unguarded thought.

'Be good Love...remember I'm always watchin'' Lucas responded, glancing up a one of his crows perched silently on a branch at the far end of the garden.

Gail stood up straight and saluted to show her obedience, then laughed and squeezed his behind playfully when he shot her a look of warning. Gail turned from her family and began walking deeper into the garden, not remembering the last time she had branched off for a stroll around the property. There had been something off here for months, most likely due to Malcolm and his scheming; however, she had not wanted to tempt fate by waltzing unguarded into a trap.

'You really think I'd allow myself to be used as such a thing?' Joshua asked as she came around the side of the property and out of Lucas' watchful sight.

'You really think he can't see me here?' Gail responded bluntly, not sure how she felt about willingly coming this close to the thing she was once fond of.

As if to remind her of his presence, Gideon jumped from the branch of the tree beside her and dove on Lucas' crow, tearing it's wing from it's body as they both fell roughly to the ground.

Gail jumped and slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her concerned scream, not even able to comprehend how the dog could have gotten up that high.

'We all find ways when we hedge our bets, he still remains completely loyal to you' Joshua advised, watching the dog devour the crow viciously for a moment, then turned away and began walking towards the back of the property.

'Wait...I'm not going back there' Gail said shaking her head, not so naïve to believe she was fully protected with how devious Malcolm was.

Joshua let out a long sigh and turned back towards her. 'What do you want Gail?' he asked, not having the patience for her games.

'My games?' she asked in disbelief and moved closer to him. 'What are you doing with Caleb? Is this another power play like Malcolm tried?'

'Or just a little guidance to make sure the boy doesn't take all of your focus away from the real threats' Joshua countered, his demeanour remaining unchanged.

'What, Bob? I know he's dredging up Gage Temple but that wouldn't interest you' Gail advised, knowing Joshua's tastes were much more unusual than Gage's poison.

Joshua could not contain his laughter and shook his head, then leaned in close to her ear. 'I'm not your servant, your informant, or your lap dog and I'm certainly not a toy which you can just discard whenever you please. Now, I'm only gonna say this once...Open your eyes Gail' he whispered in a grim tone, causing a shiver to travel down her spine and disappeared abruptly.

'Care to let me in on the secret?' Lucas asked unimpressed, coming around the side of the property to inspect his bird just in time to see Joshua lean in close to his Wife, then disappear.

Gail gave off a small jump at her Husbands sudden appearance, then inhaled deeply in an attempt to shake off the sudden unease that she felt. 'Oh I'll spill when I'm let in on it myself Soulmate' she advised, then went to her Husband and kissed him forcefully, trying to obtain some warmth to dispel the cold ache which had suddenly engulfed her.

-The End-