Caleb walked through the deserted streets as the light began to fade and darkness started to engulf the Town. He had wanted to be alone; therefore, he had made his excuses to leave Josh and Millie, then decided to walk home from Johnson's bridge on his own and take the time to contemplate what had happened.
'Bobby helped me' Caleb said out loud, unsure of how the words tasted in his mouth. 'The bully helped me, even when I've been a bully to him' he whispered, trying to get the matter clear in his mind.
'You didn't help me, you're mean' Luke advised bluntly from up ahead, as he sat on the sign signalling the entrance to the park with his arms folded moodily across his chest and watched his Brother disapprovingly.
Caleb's eyes grew wide when he remembered his Brother and he ran towards him, picking him up and hugging him tightly to his chest. 'Why are you still here?' he asked in disbelief, believing his Father would have sensed Luke alone instantly and came to get him.
'Didn't wanna tell and get you in trouble' Luke pouted irritated, annoyed at his overwhelming need to protect his siblings when all it ever caused was discomfort for him.
Caleb could not help but smile at the response and hugged Luke again, angry at himself for abandoning him. 'I'm so sorry, I should never have left you' he advised apologetically, feeling bad that Luke had waited here all this time.
'But you finally came back' Luke smiled happily, unable to stay mad at his Brother for long and squeezed him affectionately.
Caleb was taken aback by the unwavering love that his Brother had for him, even after he had knowingly left him to fend for himself, not to mention his loyalty for shielding his anger from his Father so not to get Caleb into trouble. That coupled with Bobby's turn in defending him had caused Caleb's mind to spiral and he did not know what he wanted anymore.
'Momma' Luke said frankly, reading his mind. He was sick of the divide in his family and he wanted everyone to start behaving better. Someone had to make the first move and he suspected that it had to be Caleb.
'It's not that easy, I ain't done nothin' wrong so why should I grovel?' Caleb asked defensively, as he walked down the street carrying his Brother securely.
'That's right, you're just tryin' to grow and she's makin' it her goal to hold you back' Malcolm said as he appeared beside them, not caring if the younger boy saw him this time.
''Cause of him' Luke advised, disregarding the strange man's input and refusing to acknowledge him properly.
Caleb glanced at Malcolm, suddenly noticing that virtually every other sentence was a dig at his Mother and wondering how he had missed that previously.
'She ain't your Mother' Malcolm said flatly, reminding Caleb of where he really stood.
'No, she's our Momma' Luke advised happily, reaching for Caleb's cheeks and placing a wet kiss on his lips.
Caleb could not help but laugh at his Brother, he could see each comment from Luke grating on Malcolm and although he should be mindful of his elders, Luke's behaviour was amusing him to no end.
'She's your Cousi-'
'-Momma' Luke interrupted the strange man before he could finish, not afraid of him in the slightest.
'Cous-' Malcom tried again.
'Momma' Luke sang loudly, wrapping his arms around Caleb's neck tight. 'Momma, Momma, Momma, Momma, Momma!' he yelled happily, sensing the strange man's irritation growing.
'Why you little-' Malcolm turned viciously towards Luke and made a grab for him; however, a strong hand gripped his neck and pulled him back roughly.
'Now, now youngster, know your place and get thee behind me' Joshua ordered calmly and stared at Malcolm dominantly.
Both Caleb's and Luke's mouths dropped open, noticing that Joshua's air of dominance was not dissimilar to their Fathers. They watched as Malcolm struggled for a moment, then he dropped his head and disappeared when Joshua nodded his permission to do so. 'I swear, they always believe they know better' Joshua sighed, dusting off his hands and regarding the boy's pleasantly.
'Youngster? You're half his age' Caleb asked confused, putting Joshua's handsome disposition in his early 30's and Malcolm in his early 50's.
Joshua laughed heartily and shook his head. 'You have a lot to learn of your lineage young Buck...Now, I'd appreciate both of your support when this thing goes sour for me' he advised knowingly, waiting patiently for both boys senses to catch up to his.
Caleb was about to respond when a loud screech shook his senses and the blood red Mustang came to a halt abruptly beside them.
'Jesus, there you both are!' Gail exclaimed loudly, as she jumped out of the car and bound towards them.
Caleb let out a long sigh and waiting to be scolded, then her arms were flung around him suddenly and she squeezed him tight. Caleb froze, unable to comprehend what was happening and it took him a moment to realise that his Sister had also climbed out of the car and was clinging to his calf, mirroring their Mother.
'See, ours' Luke whispered into Caleb's ear, leaning back into the embrace and happy that the strange man had been removed from his Brother space.
Gail held on to her boys for a moment, overwhelmed when she had actually found them after the disturbances she had felt for the past few hours, then let go of them and turned her attention towards Joshua. 'You? I've been worried shitless about Malcolm and you're the one orchestrating all of this?!' she yelled in disbelief, feeling a sharp pain in her chest at the thought of Joshua betraying her.
Joshua saw the devastation in her eyes and part of him was proud of the affect that he was having on her; however, another part of him was breaking at the thought of her believing that he could torture her after the bond which had grown between them. 'Gail-' he started, unsure of how to explain his recent interest in Caleb.
'Don't! I can't deal with this right now...I can protect against Malcolm, but you?' Gail asked hurt, unable to hide the sinking feeling that she suddenly felt.
'Momma-' Luke started in Joshua's defence.
'Stop!' Gail snapped, trying so hard to regain control of her emotions and stared intensely at Joshua. 'Go, before I do something that I may regret' she warned, not wanting to look at him right now.
Joshua let out a long sigh and shook his head, then disappeared and left her to her children without saying another word.
'It wasn't him' Caleb said when Joshua left, finally regaining control of his spiralling mind and finding his voice.
'Quiet' Gail ordered, clenching her fists in an attempt to centre herself and push her darkness back down after the mixture of emotions that had been flooding through her for the past hour.
'Malcolm overstepped and he stopped him' Caleb continued, disregarding her order and feeling a responsibility to ensure that her anger was not directed at the man who appeared to want to help him.
Gail turned towards Caleb confused, then heard Malcolm's laughter in her head and knew that she had stepped into his trap by flying off the handle at the one fallen Buck who had grown loyal to her. First he had caused her to doubt Caleb and push her boys away, now he had confused her into pushing Joshua away. Malcolm was becoming a real problem and he seemed to know exactly how to push her buttons.
Gail ran her hands through her hair in exasperation at herself, then spotted her children frozen in the hopes that her anger would not turn towards them. 'You know what? I want ice cream...Do you guys want ice cream?' she asked suddenly, her mind snapping and causing an unhealthy detachment from the situation to flow through her.
Caleb glanced at his siblings confused, then they all nodded in unison as they were unsure what else to do.
'Perfect, I suspect the weathers about to take a bad turn so let's get in car before we all get soaked' Gail advised, sensing the clouds forming above and mirroring her current mood.
Caleb rushed his siblings and himself into the car just before the rain began to crash down, then watched his Mother cautiously as she did not move and allowed the rain to drench her. Caleb did not like her sudden detachment; however, he smiled reassuringly at his siblings and waited patiently for Gail to decide she was ready to join them.
Lucas drove down the long road towards his home and shook his head at the never-ending rain which was drowning his Town. He could not bring himself to open his minds eye to see what was bothering his Wife now; therefore, he had just continued on throughout the day with his menial tasks and left her in her fort, where she insisted that she was better taken care of at this moment in time.
When Lucas turned into his driveway and turned off the engine, he sat in the silence for a few minutes and contemplated the state of his life at present. His boys would be waiting for him with Abe monitoring them before his arrival and he would no doubt have to take them out for dinner, yet another day without a home cooked meal. The visit from his Wife earlier had allowed him a temporary distraction from this tedious situation; however, now that he was back home, he felt his twin stirring and wondered why everyone could not just get along to enable him to have an easy life.
As if to answer his unspoken question, the rain crashed down harder on his windscreen and Lucas let out a loud sigh. 'No reprieve then Love...not even a short one to allow me into our home dry?' he asked irritated and shook his head when the wind picked up in answer to his question, causing the rain to slam into the side of his car.
'Well, that's one less cleanin' bill I suppose' Lucas laughed in agitation, then got out of the car and walked casually towards the front door to his home, not allowing Gail the pleasure of sensing him rush. When the door remained closed and his home did not welcome him automatically as it usually did, Lucas glared at the door and reached for the handle. When the handle just turned and the door remained locked, Lucas let out another sigh and made his way to the side of his property.
As he walked across the wet path to his side porch, Lucas shook his head at the sight of Gideon lay coolly in the grass as the rain soaked him. 'You ain't foolin' anyone, you're in the dog house as much as I am' he laughed, then narrowed his eyes when he saw the porch lit with candles and felt the heat from the fire as he climbed the porch steps.
Gail lay back comfortably on their large porch chair with her feet up on the coffee table and a glass of Wine in her hand, she smiled smugly as she looked her Husband up and down and could not hide her amusement at how wet he was. 'With all the fortune you own, you'd think you'd invest in an umbrella' she advised sarcastically, her smile growing wider at the shocked look on his face.
Lucas was taken aback by her presence and it took a moment for him to regain his composure. 'No amount of umbrella's would shield against your moods Love, why waste as investment?' he responded, then took off his drenched jacket and threw it on the floor before he moved closer to the fire.
'You know, if someone really required a reprieve all they had to was say please' Gail said sweetly and stood up, moving closure to him and running her hands up his wet shirt.
Lucas cupped her chin gently in his hand and raised her head slightly, staring deep into her eyes. There was something off about her and he did not know whether he could trust her unexpected appearance.
'You know how poorly I react to losing, that doesn't mean you can't trust me Soulmate' Gail responded to his suspicion, holding his intense gaze and dropping her guard so he knew that she was playing nice.
Lucas sensed her welcoming him and smiled, then stroked her cheek tenderly and placed a soft kiss on her lips. 'I suspected as much, this weather doesn't hide your disappointment well' he advised, pushing her to one side gently and sitting down close to the fire. 'How long are you here for? I'm gatherin' our recent activities have caused the need for another rendezvous?'
Gail could sense his longing for her and hated herself for what she had made him endure. Without saying a word, she disappeared into the house and came out with a large hot bowl of chunky beef stew. 'Can you believe I'm gone for just a month and our children are begging for something with proper vegetables and meat to sink their teeth into' she said casually, holding up a spoon for him as she sat beside him and stroking her hands through his wet hair, in an attempt to remove the tangles.
Lucas took the bowl without complaint and began eating, trying to figure out what she was up to. It appeared that she had cooked for their children and he sensed Caleb inside, making it evident that she had not killed him in a fit of rage and buried him somewhere with Rosemary, which was a bonus. Still, he did not trust her sudden willingness to be here. 'What's changed?' he asked finally, too agitated from his wetness to entertain dancing around the real matter at hand.
'I told you, I don't react well to losing so it's just not going to happen. This is our home and if a certain someone has the balls to show his face to me head on rather than hiding in the shadows, then we'll deal with the matter at that point. I'm sick of being toyed with and I'm staying right here...Besides, I'm confident that all the players will ensure the little girl inside who has done nothing to upset the order of things is kept out of this and if they don't, then I'm going to raise hell and they'll wish that they never made themselves known to me' Gail advised seriously, speaking clearly so not to be misunderstood in any way.
Lucas could not hide his smile and was impressed at how she always managed to garner all the attention that she required. 'And Caleb?' he asked curiously, taking another large spoonful of stew and licking his lips appreciatively as the hot food trailed down his throat.
'Showed restraint today and proved that he isn't always guided by the wrong thing...I'm proud of him' Gail smiled, placing her hand on the inside of Lucas' thigh and squeezing it affectionately.
Lucas turned towards her and took her chin in his hand, then kissed her passionately. He knew that she would realise her place was by his side regardless of the threat and he had no intention of ever allowing her or his Daughter to get hurt.
'That may be out of your control Papa Bear, but I'm willing to trust you even if you won't allow me to rip off the threats head and feed him to Gideon' Gail sighed disappointedly, then licked her lips teasingly as he ran his hand up her thigh and stood up to lead her into their home, welcoming her back openly to where she belonged without gloating.
Malcolm watched the pair from a secluded corner behind a tree, with hatred in his eyes. He cursed his Son for not putting the Heathen in her place and allowing her to waltz back in once again without challenge. Now that he had put cracks in her relationship with Joshua, her circle of friends would start to diminish and he would have his chance soon enough, he just had to be patient.
'Patience is a virtue my friend, that's far above your standards' Peter Emory laughed from behind Malcolm, shooting a venomous glance at the man who was fondling his Daughter as he dragged her into Mansion before him.
'Says you, I'm surprised you had the courage to leave your prison...I bet she has no idea what you've been doin' behind her back' Malcolm smirked, regarding his unlikely friend amused.
Peter shot him a look of warning at the comment and continued to stare at the Mansion with disdain, disappointed at his Daughter for backing down and being tempted back by the curse she had allowed herself to get entangled with. 'Don't you worry about my courage friend, I'd be more concerned with the wellbeing of your kin now that I'm in the mood to play' he smirked, then sensed his Daughters protector skulking towards them with his teeth barred and disappeared before his presence could be known.
-The End-
