Lucas drove casually through the calm streets, smiling pleasantly at his townspeople as he past them. His navy blue Crown Victoria was well known throughout Trinity and if people spotted it, they would always force themselves to appear well behaved so not to disrupt the order of things. This was how Lucas liked it, he had worked hard to ensure that Trinity was a close knit community with strong family values and it was good to see that his people were adhering to the rules, at least outwardly anyway.
The streets were slightly more populated than usual, due to the summer break and the previous storm easing up. Lucas drove around intently, knowing exactly who he was looking for. A mischievous grin crossed over his lips when Lucas spotted his eldest Son with his arm around his girlfriend at the head of his group of friends, then he pulled over before he reached the group to observe his Son discreetly.
'So you're tellin' me that Casey Turner has been runnin' around with Naomi all month? That ain't true, ain't no way Naomi's stoopin' down to Casey's level' Caleb shot down Boone's gossip casually, not believing it for a second.
'It's what everyone's sayin', people don't have no reason to lie!' Boone snapped defensively, not liking being spoken down to so openly.
Caleb rolled his eyes at his oldest friends naivety and winked at Rose when he spotted her watching him amused. 'Ah hell, of course you're right. Who would ever tell a lie to increase their popularity? That never happens' he mocked, squeezing Rose's shoulder tighter when she giggled under her breath.
Boone looked from Josh to Rose, neither willing to take his side, then stood tall and took a step closer to Caleb. 'You don't know nothin' about anythin', you just think you do 'cause of who you've latched on to livin' with' he said hurtfully, not liking the air of authority that his friend was portraying.
'Well that ain't exactly true, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to shoot you down so easily' Lucas advised casually as he approached the children, sensing Caleb's darkness begin to rise at Boone's attempt to hurt him. 'Go on Son, show him how perceptive you really are'
Caleb felt himself relax at the sound of his Fathers voice and smiled cunningly. 'Naomi ain't just a bog standard pawn, she's the only Daughter of a very high rankin' Reporter who has her hand in not only the Trinity Guardian, but a TV Network that shows outside of Trinity' he answered coolly, sensing all eyes on him but only caring about his Fathers attention.
'That's right, Danielle who works closely with your Momma...What else?' Lucas asked, wanting to see how much Caleb truly understood.
'Danielle's intelligent, competent and has a very strong will to succeed. She wouldn't allow Naomi anywhere near a simple Farmer's boy, her reputation is too important for that' Caleb responded, not taking his eyes off of his Father.
Lucas nodded his agreement with the theory and signalled for him to continue, sensing the awe in the other children at how confident Caleb was.
Caleb smiled at his Father and released Rose's shoulder so he could move closer to his other friends. 'Naomi tries hard, she always had to be the top of the class and makes a point of keepin' in with the popular girls. She ain't blind to her Momma's rankin' and would be lookin' for someone to match her level, possibly the ex Mayor's Son' he suggested, smiling at Josh when the realisation of where he was going with the conversation hit and his face began to sweat as the attention turned towards him.
'You're full of it' Boone accused moodily, the jealousy of his friend beginning to show.
'Oh he ain't and I'm sure Josh will find out first hand at dinner tonight when our families meet up' Lucas responded for Caleb, happy to help his boy prove his theory.
'Momma didn't say anythin' about eaten out tonight' Josh said confused.
'That's cause my Momma ain't aware of it yet' Caleb smiled, sensing that this was going to be his Fathers doing and intrigued at how it might play out. 'Can I bring Rose along? I'd love to take her for a nice dinner' he asked hopefully, thoroughly enjoying the time that he spent with Rose recently.
'Of course, we wouldn't leave this little fire cracker out' Lucas said charmingly and signalled for Caleb to follow him to his car.
Caleb smiled at the excitement in Rose's eyes at the thought of joining them later, then turned to his Father and walked him back towards his car after spotting the look of disdain on Boone's face.
'You need to remember who's boss Son, it certainly ain't that scrawny little boy and there's other way's of putting people in their place that don't involve using the colourful thing inside of you' Lucas explained, sensing Caleb's concern over Boone's hostility towards him.
'I just don't know why he's gettin' at me is all, he does it a lot recently' Caleb advised and sat on the bonnet of the car when they reached it.
Lucas let out a small laugh and shook his head at the comment. 'You're an alpha Son...Let's say Boone is your Deputy, you give him too much rope and he can stretch his opinions all over the shop, thinkin' he has some real authority. That ain't what you want, you need to keep remindin' him of who's boss and him bein' the only one left out of our impromptu gatherin' is gonna be the wake up call that he requires' he explained, smiling as Caleb nodded his understanding.
Caleb felt bad for Boone, he was his oldest friend and he did care about his opinion; however, Boone had been trying to sway his other friends to his side and Caleb would not allow that. This was his group and nothing would stand in the way of that.
'Atta boy, now you're really learnin'-' Lucas said proudly, happy with how his Son was coming along. '-I was gonna steal you for a few hours but that can wait, you keep at it and don't let anybody believe that they know better than you do'
'What are you gonna do now?' Caleb asked curiously, sensing his Father had other plans that he was delaying due to wanting him to continue to show his authority around his friends.
'Oh I'll find somethin' entertainin' enough, I've still gotta break to your Momma that she won't be havin' a relaxin' night in after all' Lucas smirked, then winked playfully at Caleb before signalling for him to re-join his friends and got back into his car.
Gail pulled into the Restaurant parking lot letting out an exasperated sigh when she parked her Mustang and turned off the engine. To say that Gail was pissed was an understatement, her Husband had instructed Ben to interrupt her at work and give her the news that she was required to perform in a public setting tonight. She had wanted to lash out after hearing the news; however, she could not blame the messenger and she had been left to stew for a few hours before picking up her children.
Strategically, Lucas and Caleb were nowhere to be found. As if to add to her annoyance, Gail had been expected to make herself and her children presentable for whatever public display her Husband had organised without her permission. Gail Jr and Luke were sat quietly all dressed up in the back seat of her car, clearly sensing her fury and not wanting to cause a reaction from her.
'I'm not mad at you two so just breathe' Gail reassured the children, then smiled as they relaxed and stared excitedly at the brightly lit Restaurant. She could not remember the last time that she allowed them to be put on display in this place and she did not want to spoil their excitement just because she was not in the mood for this.
Lucas opened the drivers side door and held out his hand to Gail expectantly, ignoring the fury he sensed radiating off of her. When she took his hand obediently and allowed him to help her out of the car, he smiled appreciatively at the small red dress that she had opted for and felt his animal urges begin to stir.
'Oh if you think there's any chance of that tonight, you're sorely mistaken Sheriff' Gail advised forcing a calm tone, then stepped around him and took her Daughter out of her car seat before Lucas had a chance to choose which child he wanted to display.
Luke watched confused when his Mother walked towards the Restaurant with his Sister and left him with his Father. 'Momma?' he asked when his Father knelt down to unbuckle him.
'She's just tryin' to bother me, don't pay her no attention' Lucas reassured him, helping his youngest Son out of the car and holding his hand as he caught up to his Wife at the entrance.
Gail sensed that Gail Jr wanted to be with her Father; however, thankfully she was behaving and clung to her affectionately. 'I appreciate the loyalty, it won't go unrewarded' she whispered in her Daughters ear, then smiled when she snuggled closer to her chest when the boys joined them.
Luke stared up at his Sister with disdain, then held out his hands expectantly to his Father to pick him up, not wanting to be left out.
Lucas sighed at the display from the girls and picked up Luke, resting him comfortably on his hip and opened the door gentlemanly. 'After you two beautiful ladies' he said charmingly, his eyes trailing down his Wife's body admiringly when she obediently stepped in front of him.
Gail put on her best smile for the occupants of the Restaurant and allowed Lucas to place his hand on the small of her back to lead her. She enjoyed the feel of his hand stroking her back and she began to relax. Maybe this was just a family affair, a way to remind the people of this Town of their united front especially with how Ben questioned her Husbands decision earlier and maybe she had overreacted by not trusting her Husbands motives.
When she saw Danielle sat with her Daughter on the large table in the centre of the room, Mary next to her with Josh and Caleb with Rose, Gail knew she was naïve to consider that Lucas was not up to something and let out a long sigh at her own stupidity.
'Oh come now Love, this is still us showin' a united front, it's just that we've decided to allow a few more people to join our circle' Lucas advised smugly, revelling in her irritation.
Gail ran her hand through her hair in exasperation and felt her control begin to waiver; however, her Daughter stroked her cheek tenderly and shook her head to indicate that this was not the time for her Mother to lose control. 'It's alright sweetheart, I know better than to make a scene' she said bitterly, then forced a smile when she spotted Mary waving at her and braced herself for an uncomfortably boring evening.
Lucas watched the group intently as they all talked amongst themselves. Being the only man at the table, he had taken a backseat and allowed the women to steer the conversation. His Wife was not engaging as much as she normally would; however, Caleb was a natural and was keeping the conversations going.
The children had moved to the edge of the table, allowing the adults to sit together and talk more freely. Danielle was currently discussing Mary's position in the Mayor's Office and was clearly intrigued about how things were working with their Mayor. Mary had no idea that she was being subtly interrogated and after a few glasses of Wine, the woman was becoming very open with her compliments about Adam.
'Penny for your thoughts' Lucas whispered in Gail's ear, as he leaned in and pulled her closer to him.
Gail was watching the table suspiciously, attempting to figure out what game her Husband was playing and had spotted Danielle becoming very chatty with Mary. 'If you think I'm going to allow any scandal to be published about her, you're wrong' she responded bluntly, presuming that Lucas was trying to discredit Adam.
Lucas laughed at her incorrect presumption and nuzzled his nose into her neck playfully. 'You couldn't be further away from the mark Love...You've been behind a desk for too long, maybe you're losin' your touch' he goaded, enjoying the control that he had over her in public.
Gail bit her bottom lip in agitation and shook her head at the comment. 'So you think you've grounded me and believe that you've won?' she asked, resenting the insinuation that she was not as good as she used to be at finding the truth.
'Would that be so bad? You don't need a job, our little ones are more than enough work to keep you busy so why not just leave it to the professionals who are used to the grind?' he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her lips when he sensed the other two women were now watching them.
Gail felt her rage fly to the surface and her darkness clawing to be released; however, she allowed him to kiss her as she also sensed the attention had turned to them and she would not allow anyone but him to know how truly angry she was.
Danielle watched closely at the affection the couple showed for each other and felt a pang of jealousy, not remembering the last time anyone looked at her how the Sheriff was looking at her boss. 'I meant to tell you, I've picked up that missing person's case and I'll have something worth while for you in a few days' she advised, smiling smugly when the couple stopped kissing.
Gail sensed Danielle's jealously and stroked her Husbands cheek, then pulled him to her for a passionate kiss, happy to remind any onlooker of who he truly belonged to. When she broke free from their embrace, she allowed Lucas to pull her onto his lap and kiss her shoulder tenderly, then she turned her attention towards Danielle. 'Don't bother, focus on that pile of trash you put on my desk this morning, I'm sure there's something salvageable in it if you actually make an effort' she responded sweetly, smiling when Lucas' kisses turned into a bite. She was not about to let Danielle dictate to her about what she would take when the woman's recent work had a lot to be desired for.
'Gail!' Mary snapped, unimpressed by the rude remark.
'It's alright, I'm the one that brought up shop talk' Danielle said forcing a calm tone and smiled at her Daughter reassuringly when she spotted her listening to their conversation.
'Yes you did...I'm only reiterating what I sent to you earlier, which you clearly didn't get to as you were too busy making these plans with my Husband' Gail smiled pleasantly, winking at her children when she noticed that they were watching her curiously.
'Now, now, Love. Danielle's been busy-' Lucas started.
'Bringing me unsuitable articles' Gail interrupted, happy to shoot her Husband down if he chose to get involved in her work.
'You know, it's strange how little attention is being given to the missing person case. Some might think that you don't want to report on it for some reason' Danielle stated suspiciously, unable to hide the dislike of her boss any longer.
'Why would people think that?' Caleb asked defensively, not liking the way the conversation was turning.
'Because they're dim Sweetie and they have nothing better to do than to listen to idle gossip. Next she'll be calling out a conspiracy, it's a classic unoriginal move' Gail responded with a laugh, revelling in Danielle's dislike and irritation of her.
Lucas smiled at how riled up his Wife was getting, even though she was hiding it well from the others. This meal was going exactly as planned and he sensed that she only needed one last push to fall in line with what he wanted.
Danielle sat up tall in her chair and leaned forward on the table. 'That's what the man's Wife thinks, she believes there's some big cover up and she's willing to tell the world-' she started, not ready to drop the conversation.
'That's why I'm investigating this one myself, to make sure that the actual facts don't get buried by the opinions of some dim witted people who appear happy to crap on the integrity of our profession and accept the ramblings of a unhinged woman, just for a little front page coverage' Gail interrupted sternly, stopping Danielle mid sentence.
'And who's gonna edit the Editor?' Danielle asked cattily, unimpressed that she had been outranked and her story had been taken away from her so easily.
'Oh I'll happily let you do it, it'll remind you of what a real article should look like these days' Gail retorted, then refilled both of their glasses and downed her Wine.
Caleb leaned in close to his Father while his Mother's attention was still on Danielle and regarded him concerned. 'I didn't think she wanted to cover this?' he whispered, confused as to why his Father had sat back and let the conversation play out this way.
'Prides a bitch Son and your Momma ain't one to back down when hers is challenged...This is the result we wanted, so just sit back and focus on your own group, ain't nothin' happenin' with these ladies that you need to concern yourself with' Lucas advised quietly, then signalled for the Waiter to bring them another round of drinks.
-To be continued-