Lucas spotted Ben sitting peacefully with his family on a picnic blanket and laughing like they had no care in the world, as he walked through the park with his youngest children. He had taken little Gail and Luke to provide his wife with some much needed peace and he had hoped that he would run into his Deputy, after his conversation with his wife about his Deputies suspicions.
As Lucas steered the double buggy onto the grass carefully, Luke shot him a curious look and a devilish smile came over his lips when he sensed that his Father was up to something. Lucas shot Luke a playful wink before turning his attention back to the peaceful family picnic that he was about to intrude on and put on his best southern gentleman drawl. 'Good afternoon my good people, enjoyin' the recent calm weather?' he asked pleasantly and freed Luke from his restraints when the boy started to reach for Izzy.
Ben watched as Rita froze in terror at the sound of Lucas' voice and Izzy jumped up excitedly at the sight of her best friend Luke. His feelings for the family before him were somewhere between suspicion and affection; however, he stood up instinctively and shook Lucas' hand gentlemanly, then shot Rita a look which instructed her to remain quiet as he did not want to set off his Boss. 'We were just chillin' while Rita had a spare hour' he offered casually, always feeling the need to explain himself to Lucas.
'That's good, a family should spend time together. You get over that bother at Juniper?' Lucas asked Rita, knowing she had not told Ben about the incident and sensing her worry at his appearance.
'Bother?' Ben asked confused and turned towards his wife.
'It's nothin', it was just a issue with a patients medication is all' Rita explained timidly and shot Ben an apologetic look.
'It's alright Benji, I smoothed all of that over with Billy and convinced him to let her play Doctor with Selena to gain some experience, rather than let her fail with her first real attempt to succeed' Lucas smiled mischievously.
Not only had Ben had no idea about the incident they were referring to, he had also been unaware that Rita had gotten entangled in the Selena situation and he shot her a disapproving glance, not liking being blind sided by Lucas.
'I ain't spoken outta turn have I? You know like you did when you indicated that Caleb may have had somethin' to do with what happened to Miss Coombs?' Lucas asked feigning innocence, then sensed Ben tense instantly.
'You accused Caleb of somethin'?' Rita asked sharply, in disbelief that Ben would put himself on the Sheriff's radar like this.
'I wouldn't say accused-' Ben started to explain nervously.
'But you did insinuate a possible link to him being present around Miss Coombs' unfortunate accidents, to my wife no less' Lucas interrupted casually, ensuring to keep his rage in check so not to give Gail any reason to punish him.
Ben gulped hard at the realisation of what he had done and let out a long sigh at his own stupidity. 'Ah hell Lucas, I got him in trouble didn't I?' he asked apologetically, not meaning to cause the family any problems.
Lucas looked at Ben irritated for a moment, then his demeanour softened and he patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. Lucas always found it hard to stay mad at Ben, there was something about him which reminded him of a dopey hound and he had been cleaning up his that old hounds messes since High School. 'It's alright, she did go off on me a little about it but I smoothed it over advisin' her that you couldn't really believe Caleb did anythin' untoward...Luckily for you, I know how to disarm my wife easily' he advised, then winked at Rita playfully and smiled satisfied when she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.
'I really didn't mean to insinuate anythin' Lucas, I was just talkin'' Ben apologised again, knowing this conversation could have gone an entirely different way if Lucas had been in a worse mood.
Lucas nodded his acceptance of the apology, then gripped Ben's shoulder sternly and pulled him close. 'Next time you feel the need to vent your suspicions, run your mouth to me. Do you understand?' he whispered sternly.
Ben nodded frantically, sensing Lucas' anger beneath his surface and let out a relieved breath when he finally released his shoulder.
'Well good, I'm glad we're all on the same page. You enjoy the rest of your evenin' now' Lucas smiled amused, then placed Luke back in the buggy and started walking back towards the footpath. His smile grew wider when he heard the raised voices of Ben and Rita, as they began snapping at each other over his intrusion.
Caleb stood transfixed outside of the large peach Bungalow that he frequented of late, ignoring Rose's disapproving comments about his presence here. His darkness was dormant for the moment; however, he knew if he took a few steps closer it would begin to stir. He had thought about what Gail had asked of him, but he was not ready to give up his play thing just yet and the thought of his Teacher defenceless in her home made him smile.
'Come on Caleb, I'm bored!' Rose whispered moodily, unable to hide her concern and jealousy over his obsession with this property and it's inhabitant.
Caleb disregarded the comment and continued to stare fixedly on the bedroom window. He knew she was in there, he could smell her and he wanted nothing more than to make his presence known to her.
Rose did not appreciate being ignored and started walking away from the property, pulling her bicycle slowly beside her. She was a smart beautiful young girl and if Caleb could not give her the attention she required, she would find someone else that would.
Caleb sensed Rose sulking as she decided to leave him and shrugged off her departure, then heard a car door slam and a loud yell coming from further up the Street. He tried to tune out the voices and focus on his Teacher; however, the man's raised voice pierced through his brain and he let out a long frustrated sigh at the interruption.
Rose stopped when she heard Caleb behind her, then she watched him confused as he walked past her and stopped further up the Street. 'What are you doin'?' she whispered nervously, as she noticed that he was watching a couple fighting.
Caleb ignored the question and stared at the large man curiously. The couple were not fighting, the woman was laying on the pavement amongst the groceries that she had dropped when the man had thrown her down. The man stood dominantly over her calling her names, then gripped her wrist tight and pulled her up towards him roughly. 'Mom never looks that frightened' Caleb said quietly, his mind going back to the few times he had witnessed his Father losing control and grabbing Gail's wrist in a similar fashion. He remembered how she just smiled devilishly at him when he tried to insert his dominance and thought it was more of a game that they were playing.
'The Sheriff wouldn't treat Gail like that, she'd never let him' Rose whispered knowingly, disgusted at the public display not far from them.
'My Daddy can be rough, I suppose Gail can to' Caleb shrugged and shifted on his feet when he felt his darkness suddenly awaken as the man lifted up his hand to strike the woman. 'Hey!' he called in a strong voice unlike his own, alerting the couple to their presence.
Rose froze on the spot when she realised that they had been spotted and placed her hand on Caleb's shoulder, not liking the way the man was looking at them. 'We need to go now' she warned and started backing away when the man took a few steps towards them.
Caleb stood tall and smiled as the man began crossing the road, he felt a surge of power flow through him and he had no desire to run from it. 'You go, I'll meet you at our spot' he ordered her and felt his darkness flood through his veins when she obediently rode away.
'I know you, you're that orphan boy the Sheriff took in so he could tap that sexy Reporter Cousin of yours...The Sheriff ain't here to protect now though is he boy?' the man stated smugly and ignored the pleading from his wife.
Caleb smiled and a look of malice came over him when the cocky man fully closed the distance between them. He had intended on being home before curfew in an attempt to show his Step Mom that he really did want to be good for her; however, all prior intentions exited his subconscious and his darkness took full hold of him.
Gail wandered into the main Study of her home holding a mug of lemon and ginger tea, watching her Son play carefully with her Daughter not far from the warm fireplace. Caleb was still out with Rose, past his curfew as usual and Lucas was yet to grace her with his presence after he had dropped the children back off home earlier.
As Luke took hold of his Sisters small hands carefully and kissed them gently, she wondered whether he would grow up with the same conflict as Caleb. Luke had been displaying disturbing signs recently, which she was not ready to fully acknowledge; however, watching him now with his Sister made her doubt what signs she thought she had picked up on and she wondered whether it was Caleb's influence that was causing certain bad behaviours in Luke.
A small tap on the window to her left caused her attention to waiver from the children and she glanced over her shoulder to see Joshua's hand pressed against the glass. Gail let out a small sigh and walked towards the window, signalling Gideon to guard the children while her attention was elsewhere and prepared herself for yet another cryptic conversation.
Joshua stared at her through the thick glass for a moment, unsure whether she would entertain him at this late hour and smiled when she unlocked the window, then pulled it up slowly and knelt down so she was eye level with him. 'Good Evenin' Mrs Buck, calm night isn't is?' he asked pleasantly, instantly enjoying her closeness to him.
Gail stared at him with mock disapproval for a moment, then smiled warmly before taking a sip of her tea and watching him silently.
Joshua narrowed his eyes at her, not used to her remaining quiet when he decided to reveal his presence and shifted a little on the spot. 'You're mad at me?' he asked finally, unsure how to take her calm demeanour.
Gail let out a small laugh and placed her mug on the window ledge, then leaned closer to her intruder. 'You sound like Caleb, is there something about me that I should be aware of that gives off a hostile vibe?' she asked sweetly, enjoying his clear uncertainty of her.
Joshua narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously for a moment, then laughed and shook his head. 'Not at all, I'm just used to 20 questions from the illustrious Gail Emory when decide I show my face' he smiled.
'Gail Buck...' she scolded him mockingly and inhaled the cool night air deeply. '...But I see your point. To what do I owe this uncharacteristic visit so close to my humble abode? Usually you're lurking in the shadows keeping your distance at this time of night'
'I decided to test the waters, see how far I can get before Master Buck senses another man in your presence' he shrugged and glanced around the area to ensure that they were not being watched.
'Man?' Gail questioned amused, 'Who are you kidding?'
'Make any good deals recently?' Joshua asked casually, ignoring her sarcastic questions and sensing her concern for her Step Son hidden beneath her calm exterior.
'I don't deal' Gail stated flatly, confused at the question. 'And my husband will be home shortly so you better make this quick'
Joshua glanced at the children, then leaned closer to her. 'You think you've fixed the original heir?' he asked curiously, knowing other parties were not impressed with her involvement in Caleb's upbringing.
'I'm hoping I've at least given Selena some time, so I can figure out the best way forward. Why do you care? You've told me before that you don't appreciate how much I interfere' Gail advised and watched Joshua closely, not trusting this visit.
Joshua laughed and shook his head. 'Maybe you're growin' on me' he smiled, amused that her guard was still up around him.
'Maybe you should just stick to watching me from afar, that seems to be what you do best' Gail responded knowingly, then closed the window abruptly and turned towards the entrance to the room when she sensed her husbands sudden presence.
Lucas entered the Study and stared around the room suspiciously, before his eyes rested on his wife and he approached her slowly.
'I didn't hear you car pull into the drive' Gail said sweetly, sensing that he had tried to catch her out and failed.
'I didn't know I was required to alert you to my presence in my own home Love, is there somethin' I need to be aware of?' Lucas asked curiously, glancing over her shoulder at the window that she was stood in front of.
'Just that you eldest is past his curfew again. Is there something I need to be aware of about his whereabouts?' she asked flatly, not allowing his suspicion to affect her.
Lucas sensed her concern and shook his head slowly. 'The boy told me of your conversation earlier and I've heard no reports about your little bird bein' hurt, I'm assumin' that's what you're referrin' to?' he asked, not impressed with her interference; however, not wanting her to be on edge either.
Gail let out a relieved breath, then took Lucas' hands instinctively and pulled them to her hips. 'So he's just out playing?' she asked and ran her lips over his fingers.
'He is' Lucas advised, smiling when she visibly relaxed and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, knowing the change in Caleb was hard on her and appreciating her commitment to their family. It was almost a shame that his Son had been honest with him about their previous conversation, it would have been nice to be able to come home with no suspicion of his wife; however, some things would never change.
Gail let out a low moan as Lucas ran his hands up her back tenderly, then took in a sharp intake of breath when he gripped her hair and pulled her head back.
'Caleb mentioned a man on my property, care to enlighten me on who's been visitin' when I'm not around?' Lucas asked forcing a calm tone, not allowing his rage to fully take hold.
Gail let out a small laugh, then gripped his throat tight and began to squeeze. 'Are we really going to show our youngest children our true colours so early in their childhood, or are we going to act like civilised parents?' she whispered through gritted teeth, not wanting Luke to be privy to their damaged personalities.
Lucas spotted Luke watching them curiously from beside his Sister out of the corner of his eye, then released Gail and began pacing the Study frustrated. 'Who is he?' he asked outright, not in the mood for any more games.
'I don't know, but he's my problem and not yours' Gail answered honestly, sensing her husband would not react well to her usual deflection tactics right now.
Lucas laughed and shook his head, of course he knew something or someone had her attention after she gave birth, he was Lucas Buck. He had chosen to allow her space to deal with it on our own, curious of whether she could really handle herself; however, he now wondered whether he had allowed her too much freedom and felt a strong urge to insert his dominance.
'I dare you to try and pull rank on me right now' she warned, sensing his thoughts and feeling her blood boiling. 'Don't you dare think it's acceptable to treat me like all of your puppets in this Town, I wouldn't be dealing with half of the things I am right now if I'd never met you!'
Lucas did not appreciate her raising her voice in front of Luke, who now looked concerned and was shielded his Sisters ears from the hostile tone. He shot Luke a reassuring glance, then dragged Gail out of the room to the large Foyer and threw her down on the stairs roughly. 'Don't act as if you're the only one who's made sacrifices Gail, you think I wanna allow you to confuse my Son about how he should be?' he asked angrily.
Gail got back up on her feet at the accusation and closed the distance between them, then stared deep into Lucas' eyes. 'If you wanted an obedient life partner, you should've stuck with your whore' she responded coldly. 'You think I want all of this darkness around my children?' she asked in disbelief of his stance.
'Says the girl who instructs her dead past self to slaughter people when they look at her the wrong way' Lucas laughed, amused at her judgement.
'You mean the dead person who showed up after I gave myself to you? The one who I had no idea about and could've happily took a pass on had I not been plagued with some dark presence within me, which is linked to you? I was fine before I was stupid enough to accept you!' Gail shouted, unable to control her anger any longer.
Caleb came through the door just in time to hear his Step Mom's angry remark and looked at his Father cautiously. When Lucas gripped the top of her arm and dragged her upstairs to the privacy of their bedroom, Caleb let out a long sigh and went to find his siblings to ensure that they were shielded from whatever was going on. He decided that he would save the details of his activities tonight until his Step Mom was in a better mood and smiled to himself, proud with how well his time had been spent.
Lucas threw Gail down angrily on the bed, then removed his waistcoat and began unbuttoning his shirt.
'Oh here we go, your answer to every problem in our relationship' Gail advised sarcastically, removing her panties then lifting up her nightdress ready for him to take her hard and punish her as usual.
Lucas let out an exasperated laugh and did not respond to the comment. He removed his pants casually, watched her instinctively get on all fours and pushed her down on her back, then parted her legs gently with his knees. 'You're infuriatin'' he advised calmly, ignoring his dark twin who was clawing to be released.
'And you're exhausting' Gail sighed and tried to move from underneath him; however, he was too strong and she was unable to prevent him from entering her.
Lucas pushed his hard manhood inside her gently, then waited a moment to allow her to get used to his length. His recent endeavours with her had been rough, due to their pure animal desire for each other; however, he believed a much softer touch was required right now, so began moving in and out of her slowly.
Gail sensed what he was going to do and attempted to push him off of her; however, he pinned her down effortlessly and kissed her passionately. She could not hold in her low moans as he took her tenderly and cursed herself for being so weak and easy to control.
'Of all the things you are Love, weak and easy to control are not one of them' he panted, reading her thoughts.
Gail tried to hold on to her anger, wanting desperately to punish him for attacking her and scraped her nails down his back hard, attempting to provoke a reaction. When Lucas just shook his head amused and began kissing her neck softly, she resigned herself to being stuck in this tender embrace and let out a long exasperated sigh.
Lucas laughed at her utter disgust at being taken so tenderly and nipped at her ear playfully. 'I'm such a devil making love to you like this' he whispered in her ear sarcastically.
'You don't know what love is' she responded coldly, then instantly regretted the bitter statement when she saw the hurt look in his eyes.
Lucas felt his rage flare up inside of him, then saw her apologetic look and let the comment go. She was just mad that she was unable to control this situation and he knew that she was aware of how important she was to him.
Gail stroked his chest lovingly, then let out a loud moan and pulled him down to her for a passionate kiss when a strong bolt of pleasure surged through her. She relaxed her body and gave her whole self to him, embracing the tenderness that he was providing her.
Lucas continued to kiss her passionately and quickened his pace slightly when he sensed her orgasm building. He was careful not to provide her release too soon and wanted to savour this feeling for as long as possible. When he was unable to control himself any longer, he let go and called out as he erupted inside of her. He smiled proudly when she yelled out his name as her climax hit and lay down on her chest as they both tried to catch their breath.
'I don't want to confuse your Son you know? I just miss my Cousin' Gail said quietly, after a few minutes of silence with him still inside of her.
Lucas inhaled deeply as he pondered her words, then lifted his head slightly to look her into her eyes. 'Your perfect sweet Cousin wasn't real, but your Son is' he advised calmly, understanding her concern but needing her to realise that she was holding on to a fantasy.
Gail thought for a moment, remembering how easily Caleb had turned on her when she was first pregnant. Now that he had accepted the darkness within him, he was more protective of her and their family than he had been when he was that innocent boy three years ago. She hated what he was becoming; however, she could not be mad at him or Lucas anymore than she can be made at herself for accepting who she truly was.
Lucas sensed her thoughts and smiled, relieved that she was finally seeing sense. Regardless of the cold words that they threw at each other at times, they were meant to be together and understood each other more than anyone else ever could. She just needed time to accept that the little boy she had first came back to Trinity for was gone and he was starting to realise his true potential.
'I don't want him going after Selena, our deal isn't done' Gail said finally, her mind travelling back to Joshua's earlier question and remembering that she had made a deal with Selena long ago to protect her from Lucas' mischief. She did not want to have to step in fully with Caleb, if she had to she would not hold back.
Lucas let out a long sigh, then pulled out of her gently and placed a soft kiss on her lips before standing up. 'A deals a deal, whether it's mine or not...that's all you had to say Love' he advised casually, then reached for his pants and left the bedroom to go check on the children.
Gail watched him leave and rolled her eyes in exasperation. Of course he would ensure the terms of her deal would be honoured, he could not have the powers that be question his conduct and she suspected that he was accustomed to adhering to certain rules, obviously tailoring them to suit his own agenda.
Gail stood up and stretched, then wrapped her dressing gown around her and peered out of the window into the large garden. She spotted Joshua instantly and shook her head, not believing her own inability to realise what she needed to get Lucas' permission to stop the assault on Selena. She smiled when Joshua bowed jokingly and then disappeared into the night, his presence was becoming more curious with each passing minute and she was determined to find out what he really wanted.
-The End-