I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from Undivided.
It was a overcast early evening in Trinity South Carolina. The Town had been hit by several strong storms over the past week and there was a rare break in the torrential rain, which had soaked everything in it's path.
Lucas Buck was sat comfortably in his office behind his large desk, glancing over the weeks crime reports. It was a mundane task; however, the reports confirmed that his townspeople were behaving as they should and they were mostly adhering to his rules.
He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms out behind his head, allowing himself a moment of peace to clear his mind before he finished up for the day and returned to his family. His home had become a battleground over the past week and throwing himself into work was the only way that he could avoid the firing line.
Gail had been relentless after Stuarts disappearance, accusing them all of working against her. Usually Lucas was able to find ways to redirect her anger; however, she had brushed off all of his attempts and had completely closed herself off to him, choosing to stay in one of the spare bedrooms deeper within their property to avoid being close to any of them.
What did not help the situation was Caleb had become bold, he refused to tell Gail what he knew about the disappearance and the other children would not betray his confidence, choosing to remain undivided. Gail saw this as an open act of betrayal and was refusing to do more than the bare minimum to ensure that their family was cared for.
Lucas knew Gail was aware that he would have some knowledge about the whereabouts of Stuart; however, she would never stoop to begging him for information and Lucas had committed to allowing Caleb to take point with this being his ballgame, which meant that he would not give up the details voluntarily. It was now a battle of who could hold out the longest between his children and his Wife and the tension in his household was not easing up.
'Lucas?' Ben asked concerned from the open office door, when his boss did not respond to his question.
Lucas gave himself a mental shake but did not look up from the reports. 'What?' he asked more abruptly than intended.
Ben shifted uncomfortably on the spot under his intense stare, then forced a smile. 'I was just checkin' if you'd mind me headin' off? It's past tea time and Rita will have my hide if I'm late again tonight' he asked nervously, knowing something was going on with how late he had been required to stay in the Sheriff's Station with Lucas this week.
Lucas pulled out the antique pocket watch that Gail had gotten him for his 50th birthday and ran his fingers over the craftmanship fondly. 'I guess it is time that we headed home' he said flatly as he stood up, then turned his attention fully to Ben. 'Does Rita ever defy all logical sense and turn into an irrational wreck?' he asked curiously.
Ben could not contain his laughter at the question and shook his head. 'Man, I've left her to take care of my teenage Son from a different marriage who was forced into livin' with us permanently only a few months ago, against his wishes and this is after the 9 hour shift that she pulls in Juniper daily with the crazies...You really think you're the only one who has it bad?' he asked in disbelief of the question.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Ben for a moment, then let out a small laugh and rolled his eyes. 'Alright Deputy, let's suit up and face the wonderful volatile women in our lives' he sighed, then headed out of the office towards his car.
Gail sat quietly on the porch swing with her feet up on the small table in front of her and her laptop resting comfortably on her legs. The soothing sound of Brett Eldredge was playing loudly through her wireless headphones and if she closed her eyes, she could block out the world if only for a few minutes.
She opened her eyes and stared at the article on her computer screen, then took in a deep intake of breath in an attempt to control her darkness. Her emotions had been out of control recently and it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep her darkness at bay, causing Gideon to stalk her wherever she went to ensure that she was alright. Right now Gideon was laying protectively at the top of the porch steps with her other dog Rocky mirroring his pose, as if either dog could really do anything if she completely lost control.
An intruding presence came out of the house and Gail let out a loud sigh, not believing that she could not be left alone for even an hour.
'Rosie?' Abe asked cautiously, as he carefully approached her with a hot cup of coffee in his hand.
'Yes Uncle?' Gail asked calmly, not wanting to lash out at the one loyal person to her on this property.
Abe continued to move forward when it was evident that she was not going to lose her temper with him and stopped in front of her, passing her the cup of coffee as a peace gesture.
Gail laughed at the gesture and signalled for him to join her on the porch swing. 'Are you alright?' she asked sweetly, then took a sip of the drink and let out a small satisfied moan as the hot liquid trailed down her throat.
'Oh I'm fine, ain't nothin' that can hold me down' he laughed, then his features turned serious. 'It's just...well the children-'
'The children what?' Gail asked bluntly, feeling her darkness stir at the mere mention of them.
Abe gulped at her sudden change and cautiously placed a hand on her knee. 'They're hungry...it's gettin' mighty late' he advised, knowing that she would not want to neglect her children.
'Oh there's no neglect here Uncle. In fact, I do believe that the man of the house is home and he can pick up that particular chore' Gail smiled, sensing Lucas' approach as soon as he left the Sheriff's Station and deciding that he could see to the children tonight.
Abe was about to inform her that Lucas was not home yet when his friend pulled up into the driveway and he shot her a curious glance.
'If you want me to take you and Stacie somewhere for a bite to eat I really don't mind' Gail offered, as her darkness became restless at the return of her Husband and she wanted to create some distance between them.
'Erm, no thanks Rosie. Stacie's settled for the evenin' and that ol' boy couldn't boil a kettle without burnin' down the place, so I best give him a hand' Abe responded warmly, then stroked her hand affectionately and placed a soft kiss on her forehead before getting up and returning indoors.
Gail felt herself becoming upset at the rejection and bit her bottom lip hard in an attempt to control her emotions, then felt Gideon rest his head on her lap and stared down at him affectionately. 'At least I always have you' she smiled, stroking him tenderly and let out a small laugh when the heavens opened and the torrential rain crashed down outside the porch again.
Caleb sat at the small Kitchen dining table with his siblings and stared down at his plate in disbelief. 'Beans on toast, that's what we've waited all evenin' for?' he asked disappointed and glanced at his Sister, who also did not appear impressed with their dinner and was just prodding the beans curiously with her finger.
Lucas shot Caleb a look of warning and picked up his glass of red wine. 'I've been at work all day-' he started defensively.
'Daddy don't cook' Luke interrupted, amused at the attempt to feed them.
'Alright, I don't cook and this ol' man has done his best' Lucas advised bluntly as he nodded towards Abe who had cooked the food, unimpressed by the ungratefulness of all of his children.
'Welcome to my world' Gail said flatly, as she entered the Kitchen with Gideon and Rocky, then headed to the refrigerator.
Caleb's eyes grew wide at her unexpected entrance and he looked to his Father for instruction; however, he just smiled at him smugly. He sensed that his Father was not going to step in if his Mothers attention turned to him, due to him challenging their dinner disrespectfully so he decided to remain quiet and hoped not to be noticed.
'If only you challenged him more, maybe you'd all have enough common sense to behave appropriately in the world' Gail said in a calm tone, as she threw two large steaks to the dogs and brought the rest of the steaks to the cooker.
Lucas inhaled deeply at the insult and shook his head in warning at his children, ordering them all to remain quiet. He did not need to face her to know that she could not stand the thought of her family having a poor meal and he smiled when he heard her light the hob, confirming his presumption. 'How was your day Mrs Buck? Any interestin' articles comin' our way in the mornin' paper?' he asked, seeing the children visibly relax at the smell of proper food.
Gail let out a small laugh and placed the steaks into two large frying pans, opting out of adding vegetables knowing how predominantly carnivorous her family were. 'Well there's been an article that I've been pushing to one side for a few days now, regarding a so called missing person in our sleepy little Town, but I'm considering just authorising it unchecked as I can't imagine there being anything untoward about the piece' she responded sweetly, resenting having to cover up for her loved ones.
'There ain't anythin' untoward, you can count on that' Caleb spoke up confidently, ignoring the look of warning from his Sister.
'Oh is that so? I hear some children were seen with that particular missing person earlier in the day, not to mention how much he had been spotted with the Sheriff recently' Gail countered, not caring that Abe was still sat at the table.
Caleb was about to respond defensively when both of his sibling threw their cutlery at him and he saw his Father stand up.
Lucas smiled reassuringly at Abe and Stacie, who were cleverly remaining silent, then approached his Wife and placed his hands sternly on her hips. He pulled her back to him and placed a soft kiss on her cheek, then tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned in close. 'You won't allow that article to be submitted without the facts bein' checked Love...I know you' he whispered in her ear, smiling when she tensed at their closeness and sensed the desire that she was attempting to push down.
'What's the point in checking anything anymore? There's only going to be another article in a month or two when you all go against me again and I'm tired of this' Gail responded quietly, feeling mentally exhausted. She truly did not know what was best in the long run for Caleb when he had yet again acted rashly and was keeping things from her. She did not used to see herself as a bad person; however, now she felt ashamed of what she had become and her children were the cause of her shame.
'Momma?' Luke asked upset, sensing her thoughts.
Gail closed her eyes when she heard his voice and Lucas took a step back, clearly also reading her thoughts. 'You all need to get out and let me cook, unless you're happy eating what's on your plate?' she sighed, sensing how offended Lucas was at her unguarded thoughts.
Lucas regarded his Wife coldly, then turned towards the children and picked up Luke, who seemed to be more in tune with his Mothers feelings than the rest of them at this time. 'Come on, lets settle in the Study and leave your Momma to do her thing' he forced a reassuring smile, then shot her a look of disappointment as he led them out of the Kitchen.
When they were all gone and she was alone with the dogs, she shook her head in disbelief. 'They somehow disappear a person and keep the details from me, but I'm the disappointing one in this family' she laughed, then closed her eyes in frustration and tried to focus on cooking.
It was 2am when Luke became too frustrated to continue lying awake in bed and decided to get up. It was dark with only the full moon to illuminate his room; however, he could not stand his inability to sleep any longer.
Luke quietly opened his bedroom door, peered his head around it then exited the room fully when he confirmed that everyone was still asleep. He crept to his parents bedroom and carefully peered around the door, then let out a confused moan when he did not see his Mother in bed with his Father. His Sister pulled herself up in her crib and reached for him, instantly sensing his presence; however, he shot her a look of warning to remain silent and just closed the door, willing her to go back to sleep.
Luke let out a long sigh and surveyed his surroundings, his Mother would not be in Caleb's room and that was the last bedroom in this area; therefore, she had to be downstairs. He crept down the stairs quietly, careful to hold onto the bannister tight with him being unaccompanied by an adult and started heading for the Study, until he heard the familiar growls behind him. Luke smiled happily when he spotted Gideon watching him in the shadows and rushed towards the dog, hugging him tight when he completely showed himself.
Gideon had sensed the movement instantly when Luke had left his bed and knew that his Master would not be happy for the boy to roam alone; therefore, he had chosen to guide the boy, sensing his strong desire to be with his Mother.
Luke let Gideon lead the way and followed him obediently into the forbidden part of their home. It felt strange to be here, walking down the long corridor which seemed to stretch for miles; however, he sensed his Mother somewhere in this area and he needed to find her, unable to shake her feeling of shame which he picked up on earlier.
Gideon tapped his nose gently on the wall to his left and Luke let out a surprised laugh when it opened like a door when he pushed it. The hidden door led to a dark passage with stairs at the end and Gideon started walking towards the stairs. Luke was about to follow Gideon when he felt something tug him from behind and he stared further down the corridor. He automatically turned and left Gideon at the foot of the stairs, feeling an overwhelming urge to continue down the corridor.
One of the doors opened suddenly to his right and Luke jumped, then gave himself a mental shake at his cowardice and popped his head through the open door. He smiled when he recognised the large Dining Room which his parents had entertained people in on a rare occasion, then entered the room fully and looked around curiously.
The Dining Room was illuminated by lit candles on the walls and Luke wondered how that was possible when there was no one in here. He suddenly felt a strange presence and realised that he was not alone. He willed himself to stand tall; however, his small feet backed up until his back hit the far wall and he instinctively climbed up on a cabinet, grabbing a thick dark green blanket that was draped over the wall and pulling it down to hide himself.
'Luke!' Lucas exclaimed, as he rushed into the room at the same time as his Wife, who had clearly sensing the same thing that he had.
The thick blanket fell from large painting that it was hiding and smothered Luke beneath it, prompting Luke to scream confused and thrash out wildly. Lucas rushed towards his Son and instinctively began to untangle him, trying to calm him down.
Gail stared up at the picture of her and Lucas from a different time, shaking her head in irritation at the reminder that she did not stand any chance of denouncing her responsibilities in this family, based on the strong connection that was drawing them together.
'Momma!' Luke called worried, when he spotted her stood at the door with her arms folded tightly around her chest and looking above him.
Lucas approached Gail with Luke securely in his arms and stared at her seriously. 'Anythin' else you wanna pointlessly deny Love? Or are you ready to come back to our bed where you belong and stop endangerin' our children?' he asked flatly, unimpressed at Luke being able to get this far into their property without his permission and all just to locate his Mother.
Gail inhaled deeply at the questions and stared at him defiantly, then her demeanour softened when Luke reached out to stroke her arm and she forced a reassuring smile. 'I'm coming, but I'm still not happy' she advised Lucas, hating that she had to concede.
'That's fine Love, I'm sure I can find a way to work off your frustration with the situation' Lucas smiled teasingly, then placed a soft kiss on her lips and led his family back to bed.
-To be continued-