Caleb sat in the front passenger seat of the navy blue Crown Victoria, watching his Father curiously. 'Tell me again why we want Mom taking lead on this?' he asked, wanting to understand his Father's logic when he could see all sorts of bad things coming from his Mothers involvement.
'She's thorough Son, if anythin' has been missed she'll pick up on it and then you can fix it' Lucas explained, not getting why this was so hard for Caleb to understand.
'I'll fix it? Not you?' Caleb asked, confused as to why his Father appeared to be taking a backseat with something so important.
'You're out of kiddy school Son and you ain't a child no more, it's about time you started takin' control of your own things. Believe me, I have enough on my plate with your Momma and the moaning Wife to our missin' person. You're in charge of this one' Lucas responded, knowing Karen had been back to the Station again earlier this morning in an attempt to locate him.
'Karen wants you?' Caleb asked intrigued, feeling a slight excitement surge through him at the thought of her sorrow.
'All women want me Son, but this one ain't followin' the usual rules' Lucas responded coolly, smiling at the excitement he suddenly sensed within his Son.
Caleb thought for a moment, then began wondering what his next move should be. 'Can I come into the office with you? I might be able to help' he advised, not wanting to be away from the action.
Lucas let out a small laugh and shook his head. 'You think that you have better skills to handle a woman than I do?' he asked in disbelief, amused at his boy's confidence.
'Behave' Caleb laughed, not oblivious to the inappropriate insinuation. 'I engaged her before any of y'all and I've been a constant in her time here. I don't know what that means, but I know you don't believe in coincidences'
Smart boy, Lucas thought and nodded respectfully at his play. 'Alright, it may be an uneventful day in the office but you're welcome to join me anytime Son' Lucas advised and ruffled Caleb's hair affectionately, proud of how much Caleb was finally beginning to come into his own.
Gail paced outside of the property and ran her hand through her hair in exasperation, unable to hide her fury over what she had learned. How dare her family be here without her permission, both Caleb and Lucas knew it was dangerous; however, they somehow deemed it acceptable to let the youngest members of their family out here.
'I didn't come!' Luke called defensively, not liking being lumped in with his other siblings.
'Oh but you knew about it and kept it hidden from me, that's just as bad!' Gail snapped and waved off the moody look that Luke gave his Sister for getting him involved.
'Regardless of what happened previously, we need to focus on the here and now' Merlyn interjected calmly, attempting to get her Cousin to push away her anger and see some sense. 'Why is this important? Luke said Gabby didn't go in and Lucas took her away. Surely whatever weirdness is in there wouldn't come out here to the children'
Gail could not contain her laughter at Merlyn's inability to see the whole picture and turned towards her. 'Luke kindly enlightened us of both Gabby's and Lucas' part here. He painted a lovely clear picture of how his Father valiantly took his Sister away from the big bad wolf inside of that property like a good Father should, but who are we missing? Who so conveniently has been left out of any depiction of this event?' she asked, willing Merlyn to use her brain.
Merlyn was about to challenge her Cousin for talking down to her like she was a child, then she let out a long sigh and shook her head when it came to her. 'Where was Caleb Luke? I had you while we went crab fishin' and Caleb had Gabby, so where was he?' she turned towards the boy and regarded him seriously, putting on her most stern demeanour.
Luke stared wide eyed at Merlyn, then turned towards his Sister who shook her head in warning at giving up any information.
'Come on Luke, are you really gonna outright lie to me after how much time we spend together? I thought you were better than that, but maybe we aren't as close as I believed' Merlyn advised, feigning sadness as she turned away from the stubborn children.
'Don't make me!' Luke snapped, feeling the pressure from the adults and his Sister.
Gail sensed her Son's resolve falter at the pressure he was feeling from all angles and took him in her arms, then walked closer to the gate and created some space away from his Sister. 'Merlyn loves you nearly as much as I do, but she's worried about her Brother and covering for him isn't helping the situation...You remember our little incident from a few months ago, the one with your new friend? she asked, stroking his cheek tenderly.
'Chuck' Luke responded, remembering how strong that name came to him when his Mother had refused to allow him out of her sight after he had nearly jumped from his open bedroom window.
Gail smiled at his recollection and took a step back, getting out of the way just in time when the large gate opened suddenly. 'You two are staying out here with Merlyn, but I'm going in there regardless. I could do with not going into the lions den blind Sweetheart' she advised seriously, sensing his concern at the clear invitation she had just received to enter the property.
'I wasn't here Momma' Luke responded quietly and hugged her tight, then pulled his face up to her ear and forced his connection with his Sister to sever. 'Caleb went in and came out runnin'' he whispered, unable to recall anything else from the strong connection he held with his Brother and hoped that he would not get him into too much trouble.
Gail inhaled deeply and rested her head appreciatively on Luke's, happy that he had confirmed what she had suspected. 'Thank you little man. Now this is just between us, no mention of it to Merlyn you understand?' Gail asked, knowing that Merlyn was not yet ready to see her Brother how he truly was.
Luke nodded his understanding, then smiled when his Mother placed an affectionate kiss on his lips and passed him to Merlyn.
'Leave him be, he's had enough interrogating for one day' Gail advised Merlyn, then turned around and faced her Grandfathers old property.
'What about Caleb?' Merlyn asked concerned, unable to hide her worry about her Brother.
'Well, there's only one way to find out the truth and I don't intend any more of you to be drawn into this...I'll let you know if there's anything to truly be concerned about, I promise' Gail reassured her, then started walking into the property alone and closed her eyes as the large gates closed behind her.
Karen regarded the boy behind the large desk cautiously and did not take her eyes off of him. She had come here to see the Sheriff, to demand that he take the investigation into Stuart's disappearance seriously, or else.
'Or else what?' Caleb asked casually, smiling pleasantly at Karen's discomfort, clearly thrown off by his presence here and at how easily he could read her.
'I want to talk to you alone Sheriff, this conversation is inappropriate for a child' Karen advised the Sheriff behind her; however, she continued to watch Caleb suspiciously.
Lucas smiled at how easily Caleb affected Karen, he had not really put any stock into what the boy had said previously; however, now that he saw how uncomfortable she was around him, he knew that Caleb had a way of taking her off guard. 'Ain't no child here Miss Evans, my teenage Son is on work experience today and he has total control here. You'd do well to remember that when you put your request forward for consideration' he answered coolly, feigning interest in the books on his bookshelf so not to allow her to think that she had his attention.
'As actin' Sheriff, I'd like to convey our sadness for your recent predicament. The disappearance of a loved one can be mighty hard to deal with, but I can assure you that Floyd is the best man for the job and will inform you of any updates to his investigation' Caleb said calmly, putting on his best professional tone.
'Do you really think I'm going to sit by and let this fly? You screwed my Mother-' Karen accused angrily.
'-In more ways than one' Caleb smirked, not fully understanding the meaning but allowing his darkness to speak out whenever it wanted.
Karen's eyes grew wide at the comment and she turned towards the Sheriff, who still stood casually monitoring his books. 'You seriously allow your Son to know such things? You're disgusting!' she snapped viciously, then turned back towards Caleb and gave off a small shriek when he had appeared in front of her, perched on the edge of the desk.
'You should be careful, threatenin' my Momma earlier and now insultin' my Daddy? Do you even know who's office you're in?' Caleb asked in disbelief.
'I didn't threaten Gail' Karen responded forcing a calm tone, refusing to acknowledge the woman as this boys Mother when she knew his family history.
'You have no idea of his history Darlin', if you did you'd heed his advice' Lucas advised casually, still not giving her his full attention.
'You're all damned, I'm going to end it now...that sounds like a threat to me' Caleb stated before Karen had a chance to answer his Fathers interjection.
'Is that any way to speak to the only person truly concerned with Stuarts disappearin' act? I mean, my Love was only in Trinity for less than a day when she cracked the Rafael Santo case...that fella was missin' for over 4 months and she was straight on him like Lassie is to a little boy stuck in a well' Lucas mocked, sensing Karen's anger rising.
'She is relentless and she never drops an investigation until she finds what she needs, unless her family is threatened that is' Caleb added, following his Father's lead.
Karen looked from Father to Son in disdain, then let out a moody sigh and stormed out of the office after realising that she was getting nowhere with them. She had no idea that Gail had picked up Stuarts case, she thought that the dull Reporter Danielle who had visited her previously was on it and Karen had planned on outing the Sheriff's relationship with her Mother to her, growing tired of man's unquestioned authority in Trinity; however, now she would have to wait to see if Gail could find something concrete, ensuring that the woman was not distracted from the most important thing, which was finding Stuart.
Lucas turned towards Caleb when Karen left the room and smiled proudly. 'I take it back, you do have some skills in handlin' unstable women' he advised, placing his hand on Caleb's shoulder appreciatively.
'Told ya, I'm King' Caleb replied sarcastically and smiled, happy that his Father had trusted him and he had made Karen think before unwisely publicising what she thought she knew about his Father.
'You keep that confidence up around your Mother Son, we'll see who's really King then' Lucas laughed and signalled for Caleb to follow him to his car, bored of being cooped up in his office.
Gail walked slowly through the meticulous grounds and approached the dark grey Ford Explorer, ignoring the strange tugging that she felt from all around her. This car was not well hidden, Caleb could not drive and Lucas sure as hell would not come fully into these grounds without her permission; therefore, the fact that it was in here at all was intriguing.
'This whole place is a mystery, but when isn't somethin' a mystery when you're linked to it' Joshua said sarcastically, appearing suddenly and leaning against the trunk of the car.
'You think this is funny? I have no idea what's going on, but a missing persons car is here out in the open for all to see on a property that's owned by me. If Floyd had an ounce of intelligence and had spotted this he wouldn't have gone for your bloodline, this is solely linked to me while the deed to this land is in my name' Gail responded flatly, not impressed by his relaxed attitude. 'This is not good Joshua' she snapped, feeling her anxiety beginning to rise.
'Oh I don't know, the sight of you in handcuffs might get a rise out of some people' Joshua responded suggestively, taking a moment to look her up and down appreciatively, admiring her toned tanned legs in the small cotton shorts she had taken to wearing.
Gail shot him a look of warning, then leaned on the trunk beside him and let out a long sigh. 'Why do your people insist on damning me so? Haven't I put up with enough of your shit?' she asked, unable to hold in her anger.
'You damned yourself Gail, that decision was made freely by Rosemary a long time ago so why question your fate now? You've seen the evidence and you still insist on trying to break the mould. Your children are who they are and there's no changing that, so just accept it and your life will be much easier' Joshua advised and stroked his finger down her arm softly, smiling as she winced when he brushed over the bruise that Lucas had given her.
'If I was to accept the fate of all Buck women, I'd be dead by now and my sociopath Husband would be raising our children alone. God knows what horror that would turn out to be' Gail laughed, trying to regain control of her composure.
Joshua smiled at the comment, he could not imagine her giving up like the previous wives of his kin, not to mention his own Wife and his existence was all the more entertaining with her around. 'What is it you hope to find here Gail?' he asked curiously, changing the subject so not to let any personal details slip.
'You tell me, your the one that outed the children by bringing this to my attention while I was driving' Gail responded, knowing that she had not imagined Joshua's voice earlier.
'Maybe I just like to cause you turmoil' Joshua suggested sarcastically.
'Or maybe you're more loyal to me than you ever imagined you would be' Gail retorted, sensing his obsession with her was still strong.
Joshua brushed off the comment and stood up, holding his hand out to hers gentlemanly. 'So, where does the Reporter want to go next?' he asked, smiling when she took his hand and accepted his assistance up.
Gail allowed her instincts to guide her and walked casually with Joshua, still holding his hand. Her acceptance of him was strange, she was not blind to that fact; however, there was something about him that called to her. She supposed his link to Lucas played a big part in her willingness to allow him close and she could not deny her obsession with her Husband these days. Although Joshua was the direct descendant of his past self and not a current heir, he held a strong resemblance to Lucas and she had come to the realisation that she was bound to anything even remotely connected to him.
Joshua sensed her relax in his company and let out a small laugh. 'You know, there was a time when I couldn't go a day without seeing that over indulgent painting of you both in our Dining Room-' he started, unable to stay quiet in his relaxed state.
'Rosemary, not me' Gail interjected, still seeing herself as a separate entity to her past self.
'My Mother would swear blind that she was gonna rip it down one day and burn it, eliminate all traces of that Witch, but she wouldn't dare go against him and you just continued to plague me for most of my life' Joshua continued, disregarding her statement and remembering his cursed childhood.
'You should be thankful, Lucas had to grind me down to see me properly on a daily basis, you just had to go down to the Dining Room' Gail joked, sensing his underlying agitation and attempting to lighten the mood.
'Oh you're not the only one to be ground down by him' Joshua laughed bitterly and tightened his grip on her hand.
'What was your Father like?' Gail asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
'Vicious, vindictive, manipulating...but he was besotted with you' Joshua answered flatly, then turned towards her. 'Do you think Rosemary would have been as acceptin' of me as you are?' he asked, remembering his fantasies about her when he was alive.
'You wouldn't have seen the light of day if she hadn't have been somehow trapped in the depths of the river' Gail said without hesitation, a slight resentment coming over her at the thought of Rosemary's untimely death.
'She was a Witch-' Joshua started in defence of his Mother.
'-She was a woman in love who aligned herself with the wrong man. Who knows if she would've been so willing to bind herself to such a disloyal soul had she have realised that he allowed your Mother to get rid of her and her baby'
'Would you have bound yourself to him?' Joshua asked curiously.
Gail turned towards him and a wicked smile crossed over her lips. 'I'd take him down with me and trap us both in that cold wet hell' she answered and stared deep into his eyes, the past and present merging into one in her mind.
Joshua held her gaze for a moment, sensing the truth in her response, then felt her attention being pulled from him abruptly and stared around the area unimpressed.
'Uh oh, Grampa's pissed' Gail said sarcastically in a voice unlike her own and allowed her darkness to flow freely through her veins, feeling the familiar presence close by and suspecting that this is what the presence had been waiting on all along.
'You're gonna give yourself over to it just like that?' Joshua asked in disbelief, not liking her attention being taken from him so easily.
'You're going to pretend that deep down you don't want to see this place rip me apart?' Gail retorted, sensing a part of him resented her still.
Joshua regarded her cautiously for a moment, then followed her when she began walking towards the wooded area still holding his hand. Part of him did want to see her suffer, it had been drilled into him by his Mother for so many years and it was hard to overcome such a thing completely; however, he could not deny how fond of her that he was and he would not allow her to go into the lions den unsupervised.
'Haven't you been paying attention? I'm never unsupervised here' Gail smirked and allowed her feet to guide her through the woods. When she came up on a clear area in the middle of the trees where two rocks lay side by side, she stopped and stared at the rocks curiously.
'Well this is new' Joshua advised as he spotted the second rock with a piece of striped ripped fabric underneath it and the small cast iron train that he had delivered to the property on Gail's instructions a few months earlier on top of it, also curious as to what the dark presence here was capable of.
'The animals went in two by two, hurrah hurrah' Gail sang to herself, remembering the nursery rhyme that her Grandmother used to sing to her.
Joshua sensed the air begin to thin in the area and watched as Gail's breathing became strained. The sudden lack of air did not appear to faze her and he watched curiously as she knelt down beside the rocks, continuing to sing to herself.
'You know, I thought your family was bad for their treatment of women, at least you have the balls to openly own your actions' she advised, touching the oldest stone and shaking her head in disbelief of her own naivety as she finally sensed who was buried here, especially when she had uncovered what her Father had done to his Sister before Gail had been born.
The air emptied from the area completely and Gail held her breath, sensing the defensive reaction of the presence surrounding them when it realised that she was not ready to condone it's actions. She touched the second stone, then picked it up and threw it as far as she could. 'You're all utterly deluded if you think I'm just going to accept this crap!' she snapped, pushing down her darkness and not ready to take on any more truth from her cursed family.
Joshua watched as she stood tall and tried to hold her breath, clearly not wanting to be perceived as weak. He sensed the dark presence become angry at her reaction to it's willingness to reveal some of it's secrets and he gripped the top of his arm protectively. 'As deluded as I am, I don't think you wanna join that mass grave there and I bet the Master of our property is wonderin' where you are right now' he whispered in her ear, his eyes alert to any threat which may come at him.
Gail wanted to stand her ground, allow the presence to suffocate her and see what it really wanted from her; however, she knew that Lucas would sense instantly if she was in real danger and he would not be impressed if he happened upon her here with Joshua as her protector rather than him. Before her lungs completely emptied, Gail rushed out of the woods and inhaled deeply as the fresh air hit her.
'I take it you know who's keepin' Stuart company down there?' Joshua asked, curious as to what she had sensed.
Gail stared up at the sky in exasperation and stormed towards the large gate at the entrance to the grounds, disregarding his question. 'I swear, if that car isn't gone by the time I pass here next, I'll burn this goddamn place to the ground and let you rot with your secrets!' she shouted to ensure that her intent was clear and felt a sudden need to keep her children close to her.
-To be continued-