Luke sat in the large chair opposite his Father's desk with a box of chicken nuggets on his lap. He glanced around the vast office curiously for a moment, then returned his attention to his Father as he busied himself reading a report and stared at him intently.
Lucas focussed on the incident reports more closely than was required. The crime rate was down and there had been no disappearances reported lately; however, he needed something to look at rather than the small judgemental eyes that he felt boring into him, otherwise he would likely snap and take out half of the Town with him.
Luke laughed at his Father's first instinct to take his mood out on people who had not bothered him and shook his head slowly. He wanted his Mother, he sensed that his Father did too so he did not understand what they were both doing here right now.
'It's not that easy' Lucas advised sternly, reading his boy's thoughts effortlessly.
'Yes it is' Luke responded calmly, not fazed by his Fathers tone.
Lucas looked up from the report and shot Luke a look of warning.
'What? It is, she's just in that house' Luke advised and pointed behind him to emphasise the point.
Lucas could not contain his laughter at how simple his Son believed that life was. He did not choose to separate his family, Gail had made that decision knowing full well that they were stronger together. He was not going to leave Caleb with Malcolm no matter how confident his eldest was and he was not going to allow Gail to take both of their children to the place which swallowed up a man and spit him out into the River.
'Who's Malcolm?' Luke asked curiously, hearing the name a few times now, especially in his parent's minds and wanting to know who was causing their current situation.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at his Son, more annoyed at himself for not guarding his thoughts better and shook his head at the confident stance of his youngest Son, who refused to crumble under the pressure of his gaze. 'He's a nobody who can't hurt you-' he started to reassure him.
'He was at Momma's...he made her angry' Luke interrupted, the name being the last thing he sensed when he left earlier with Merlyn.
'Your Momma had you?' Lucas asked angrily and stood up, not believing that Gail was forcing him to be without his Daughter and not adhering to her side of the bargain.
Luke rolled his eyes at his Fathers quick temper and let out a long sigh. 'Stop it, you both need to stop!' he said moodily, placing a nugget into his mouth and chewing on it slowly in an attempt to distract himself from his sadness.
Lucas instantly calmed when he sensed his Son close to tears and moved around the desk, perching on the edge in front of Luke. 'Look, this situation is far from ideal but it's complicated. It ain't my fault that you're not with her but if you truly wanted to leave me to go to her, I wouldn't stop you' he advised, realising that shielding Luke from what had happened only appeared to confuse the boy and he did not want to cause him sadness.
Luke stared down at his nuggets for a moment, then lifted his head to meet his Fathers and realised how tired he looked. 'Who'd look after you if I left?' he asked concerned.
Lucas laughed at the question and lifted him up onto his knee. 'I'm Lucas Buck Son, I don't need anybody to take care of me' he smiled, not remembering the last time that he was actually amused.
Luke glanced over his shoulder at the partially eaten cheeseburger on his Father's desk and at his nuggets, then stared up at his Father knowingly.
Lucas regarded Luke with irritation for a moment, for once wishing his boy was not as observant as he was, then gently moved a strand of hair out of his piercing blue eyes. 'Alright, there are certain things that I won't do like cookin', but they're out of choice' he advised, leaning his head on Luke's when he snuggled in close to his chest.
'I won't leave you Daddy, but we need to do somethin'' he lifted up his box of nuggets and frowned unimpressed at the questionable meat.
Lucas laughed at the look on Luke's face and nodded in agreement. 'You know what? I think I'm overdue a visit to my favourite restaurant...How about we get dressed up all fancy and show the girls what they can't have?' he asked sarcastically, craving some real meat.
Luke threw his nuggets in the bin and clapped his hands happily, it had been a long time since just him and his Father had gotten to go out together.
'Perfect, let's show everyone how it's done' Lucas smiled as he picked Luke up and headed out of the Station without a word to his Deputies. It was about time he focussed on the one who had always been loyal to him no matter what and this outing would help distract them both from what they truly craved.
Caleb dragged his bicycle down the long street leading to his home and cursed at the thick rain clouds above his head. He could swear that they were following him and resented the fact that he was unable to control the weather to give him a much needed reprise from the storm.
'You know who's doin' this don't ya? You're gettin' the blame for nothin' and your Daddy ain't even liftin' a finger to put it right' Malcolm advised, appearing at the other side of the bicycle and helping him push it towards the house.
Caleb let out a long sigh, of course he knew who was doing this and he did not understand why his Mother was suddenly against him.
'She ain't your Momma, that honour goes to the weak fool who chose to throw herself out of a window rather than seein' to the needs of her boy...Women are more bother than their worth' Malcolm said feigning interest, hoping the boy would come to his senses soon and realise where his true support lay.
Caleb nodded at the comment, beginning to see why his Grandfather spoke ill of women so much and wishing he had more control.
'To do what?' Joshua asked curiously, as he leaned casually against the front gate to the property and restricted their access.
Caleb let out a small laugh at the strange man before him and waited for his Grandfather to step in; however, Malcolm was suddenly nowhere to be found.
'You really ain't the sharpest apple in the tree are you?' Joshua asked, opening the gate for Caleb and smiling at the resentment in the boys eyes.
'You'd do well to watch how you speak to me-' Caleb started, ready to release his dark half to have some fun.
Joshua burst into laughter at the young boys misguided confidence, then stared at him smugly when the rain cloud missed his position and continued to drench Caleb.
'Don't you laugh at me' Caleb warned seriously, feeling his rage flooding through his veins due to the prolonged rain and how uneventful his day had been.
Joshua made an effort to stifle his laughter, then let out a long sigh at the boys lack of humour. 'You know, my Momma liked to lock me in our Dining Room and force me to stare at my Fathers previous girlfriend for hours on end each day' he advised casually, taking the bicycle off Caleb and lifting it effortlessly to the top of the steps.
Caleb gave a sigh of relief when the rain ceased while the man was close to him and regarded his curiously. 'Why would your Momma do that?' he asked, intrigued by the strange presence.
Joshua just shrugged and leaned against the front door, regarding Caleb coolly. 'She also liked to dig her nails into my arm to draw blood and send me off to my Father to see if she could get a reaction from him'
'And did she?' Caleb asked, leaning against the front door with Joshua.
'Nah, my ol' man wasn't one for acknowlegin' anythin' but his lost opportunity. It drove my Momma crazy' Joshua laughed bitterly, trying to push out the nagging sound of his Mother from his brain.
Caleb caught the slight echo of a woman's voice on the wind, then it disappeared when thunder crashed overhead. 'My Daddy used to grab Merly a lot and make her bruise, not to get anyone's attention though...Gage I mean, not my Daddy' he corrected himself, thinking back to his childhood.
'And Peter Emory liked to put his cigarettes out on his Daughters arm when he was bored, not to mention hittin' her on the back of her legs with his pool cue on occasion so high up that no one could see the bruises, but we ain't keepin' score' Lucas added and stared at Joshua angrily as he walked up the front steps with Luke in his arms. 'What are you doin' with my boy?' he asked bluntly, forcing down his rage for the sake of his children.
'Keepin' other more dim witted influences away until the Master returns home' Joshua responded sarcastically, not indicating which Master he was referring to.
Lucas inhaled deeply and felt his twin clawing to be released, not liking Joshua's mocking tone.
'The actions of parent's aren't always wise Son, but don't assume everythin' is solely because of you' Joshua advised Caleb, not taking his eyes off of Lucas, then smiled smugly at his Father's mirror image before disappearing abruptly.
Caleb thought on the comment for a moment, then closed his eyes in frustration when the rain started again and they all began to get soaked. 'Any time soon would be nice' he snapped at his Father, waiting for him to open the door so he could get out of his drenched clothes.
Lucas threw Caleb the keys and shook his head in irritation at the boy's attitude, then turned around and walked into their vast garden, unable to ignore Luke's excited screams to dance in the rain like his Mother liked to do.
'You ain't seriously entertainin' that' Caleb called after him in disbelief, not believing that his Father was willing to get soaked for some stupid request.
'No request from my children is stupid Son...I wish you'd all have the courage to come to me when you want somethin' like Luke, maybe that way we'd still be together as a family' Lucas sighed quietly, knowing Caleb still heard his comment above the thunder and smiled at his boy's irritation.
Gail rocked her Daughter gently as they watched the rain crash down over the immaculate lawn, and let out a content sigh. She had been trying to control her mood, not oblivious to the storm clouds which circled the Town since she left her home; however, even when she felt at ease, deep down she was still in turmoil and the weather confirmed this.
'I'm hungry' Gail Jr said quietly, snuggling closer into her Mothers chest when she sensed the strange presence all around them.
'You're not the only one' Gail laughed, also sensing the presence and it's desire to have some fun.
When the large gate to the property opened on it's own, Gail paid it no attention and did not care what the resident of this place did to entertain itself. She was here out of necessity and it was about time that she figured out a way to retake control of her life once and for all. She had sent Mary and Selena away after the fleeting visit from Malcolm, his appearance had reminded her of her duty and had lit a fire inside of her.
'Momma' Gail Jr said calmly, watching the familiar figure walking down the long path towards them.
Gail shut out all distractions and focussed her mind on Malcolm, trying to figure out his hiding place. Lucas' fallen kin had shielded the evil ass well, but she would find him in the end, even if she had to go trawling all of through the whole property on her hands and knees to check every crevice. Gail was ready for the hunt, she had his scent now and the dark thing deep inside of her would not rest until she got her hands on him.
'Gail' Joshua whispered in her ear to coax her out of her thoughts, smiling pleasantly at Gail Jr when she stared at him suspiciously and stepped back when Gail gave off a slight jump.
'What the-?' Gail started, confused by his sudden closeness to her.
'Momma!' Gail Jr snapped and pointed towards the figure half way down the path that was still walking towards them.
Gail sensed the malicious presence all around them shift focus and speed towards the man. 'Stop!' she yelled sternly and stood up abruptly, just before the presence reached it's oblivious target.
Billy held up one hand in a surrendering motion, then laughed amused and continued to approach their position.
Joshua brushed his hand over Gail's shoulder softly, then disappeared before Billy caught sight of him and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, wondering what he was up to.
'Don't shoot, I come bearin' gifts' Billy advised as he walked up the large porch steps, then pulled out a bottle of wine and small teddy bear from behind his back.
Gail Jr clapped happily and reached for the bear, instantly smelling her Fathers cologne on it and pulling it to her chest affectionately.
Gail was also not oblivious to the scent of her Husband and regarded the bottle of wine closely. 'Bit expensive for your taste isn't it?' she asked knowingly, signalling for him to take a seat beside them.
'He wouldn't let me insult you with a cheaper brand. He threw mine out as soon as he saw it and gave me one from his personal collection' Billy responded, placing the bottle down on the small table in front of Gail and sat down beside her.
'And the bear?' she asked.
'Not from me' Billy smiled at Gail Jr and stroked her cheek tenderly, seeing that she had already sussed out who it was from.
Gail inhaled deeply and ran her fingers through her hair tiredly. Even when Lucas was mad at her he still made sure that she was well taken care of, it was infuriatingly sweet. 'What do you want Billy? You've not come to plead his case I hope' she sighed, not having the energy to deal with him right now.
Billy saw how tired she was and embraced her, unable to hide his concern for her.
Gail was shocked when his arms closed in around her; however, her body ached for her Husband and she could smell him on Billy. She allowed the embrace for a moment longer than she should, then gently pushed him off of her and leaned back in her chair. 'I don't need your concern-' she started defensively.
'But you need to eat and you're clearly not followin' your usual routine, given how much weight you've lost' Billy interrupted her sternly, not liking how gaunt she looked.
'Oh come on, any woman would love to drop the pounds as quickly as I have these last few weeks...Are you speaking as my Doctor here?' Gail asked sarcastically.
'I'm speakin' as your friend, no matter how hard you've tried to push me away over the years' Billy responded seriously, not willing to accept her withdrawal.
Gail let out a long sigh and shook her head, wondering why he was always willing to be there for her when she treated him like dirt so many times. Billy was truly a good person and she hated that he was entangled with her family. 'Your best friend needs you more than I do Billy, but I appreciate the visit' she said pleasantly, signalling towards the gate which remained open and waited impatiently for him to leave the property.
'Momma' Gail Jr pleaded, wanting her Mother to get off this property and get back out into the real world.
Billy stroked Gail Jr's cheek reassuringly, then got up and shook his head at Gail's refusal to accept his help. 'It's not good for either of you shuttin' yourselves away like this, I know that you understand that Gail' he said sharply, then turned to leave.
'Wait...take her, she's hungry and could do with a proper meal rather than the nuggets and fries she's become used to here' Gail advised, standing up and handing him her Daughter, knowing it was not healthy for her Daughter to remain shut away with her like this.
Gail Jr stared wide eyed at her Mother, not wanting to leave her protection.
Gail leaned in close, placed a loving kiss on her lips and gently turned her head to Billy's truck which was parked just outside of the gate. 'See that Angel, Gideon's all prepped and waiting to escort you wherever you go' she reassured her, smiling at Gideon who had hopped onto the bonnet and was waiting for them to approach.
Gail Jr shot her Mother one last concerned glance, then held onto Billy as he took her away from the strange property and back to normality for a few hours.
-To be continued-
