Lucas strolled down the Pier pushing Luke's pram, with Caleb following alongside him eating an ice cream. Although the weather was cold, his family did not feel it and Lucas put that down to good genes. He was enjoying the peaceful walk, when he spotted Selena sauntering towards them and let out a long exasperated sigh at her presence.
Selena caught him rolling his eyes as she approached and smiled pleasantly. 'Is that any way to greet a friend?' she asked, feigning hurt.
'I got enough friends and ain't none of them named Selena' Lucas stated and continued to push Luke's pram.
Selena laughed at the comment and shook her head at his appearance. 'Since when do you go for the dishevelled look? Isn't the lovely Mrs Buck taking care of you like she should?' she asked sarcastically, then gently ran her fingers over his short beard.
Lucas stopped when she had the audacity to touch him uninvited and regarded her flatly. 'You don't like the look Miss Coombs? I gathered you'd go for anything these days, considering your love is nowhere to be found' he stated hurtfully, waiting for any excuse to punish her and vent his frustration.
'I was just wondering why your wife was showing off a different model, but seeing you now has answered my question' she smirked, not taking the bait and signalled further down the Pier then waited for his reaction.
Lucas regarded her confused for a moment, then glanced in the direction she was facing and spotted a familiar figure.
'Mmmu...mmu...' Luke started frantically, when he heard the familiar laugh and tried to get out of his buggy.
Caleb glanced at his brother, then turned towards Lucas who was frozen on the spot. He saw the look of rage in his fathers eyes and turned towards the direction he was staring, then spotted Gail strolling ahead of them with a man he had never seen before. He sensed how close to the edge his father was and placed a reassuring hand on his arm, before pulling him in Gail's direction. He did not know what this was; however, he suspected the best course of action was to confront his cousin.
Gail laughed with Dylan as they recalled their childhood together and felt completely at ease for the first time in months, she could not believe that she had forgotten about her childhood friend and was thankful she had run in to him last night. Suddenly a dark cloud engulfed her and her body tensed, she glanced around the area and her eyes rested on her family coming towards them, with Selena following close behind.
Dylan spotted her unease instantly, then looked in the direction she was focused on and inhaled deeply. This meeting had been inevitable and he took a deep breath as the group drew near. 'Afternoon Sheriff' he called openly, trying to appear nonthreatening.
Lucas felt his twin clawing to be released, then felt Caleb's hand tighten on his arm and kept himself under control.
'Afternoon' Caleb forced a smile, sensing Lucas needed a minute to calm down. 'Where have you been?' he asked his cousin accusingly.
Gail disregarded Caleb for a moment and examined her husband, only now realising the state he had gotten himself into without her. He always shaved and kept a well groomed appearance; however, his short beard and untrimmed hair gave him an older look that she was not sure she cared for. 'Oh here and there' she forced a warm smile then leaned in closer to Lucas and placed a soft kiss on his lips, when she sensed his rage just beneath the surface.
'Care to introduce your friend?' Lucas asked sharply, before pulling Gail to him and placing his arm around her possessively.
Dylan glanced at Gail ready to step him if required, then stood down when she shot him a look of warning. 'I was just leavin'' he advised and raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, then walked around the group and headed towards the shops at the top of the Pier.
'Why not just officially brand me as your possession? It'd stop any confusion' Gail said irritated and shrugged his arm off of her, then reached for Luke.
Lucas pulled the buggy away from her and handed it to Caleb, before signalling for his boy to continue on the way they were heading. 'Oh but you are my possession Gail, you better remember that' he stated dominantly and gripped her chin hard then kissed her forcefully, before leaving her and catching up to his boys.
Gail let out a long sigh as she watched them leave, then turned towards Selena. 'What are you looking at?' she snapped irritated.
'A broken family' Selena smirked.
Gail shook her head, then disregarded the comment and turned to leave.
Selena sauntered towards her and leaned in closer. 'I heard about what you said in Jimmy's Bar last night and I appreciate the support, so I'll give you a little advice woman to woman' she advised seriously.
Gail stared at her unimpressed and let out a small laugh. 'I don't need your advice from you Selena, you need to focus on your own life and not mine' she stated, then began to walk away.
Selena grabbed her arm and pulled her back abruptly, before leaning in close to her ear. 'I'd never begrudge a person for wanting to reconnect with their past, especially when they're clearly looking for a little comfort; however, if I were you I'd question why other women, such as your old friend Holly, broke away from that one' she warned, then turned around and walked back the way she had came.
Gail was about to follow and question the warning, when she when she heard her mobile telephone ringing and cursed out loud at the interruption.
Rita drove towards Johnson's Bridge, after she had picked up her friend and took a detour to Goat Town. Rita had been surprised to get a call from Gail this late in the afternoon on a Saturday; however, Ben had taken Izzy and Ben Jr fishing, so she was happy for something to take up her time other than wedding planning. She had not expected to bear witness to the horror they had found in Goat Town and now she felt sick.
'I don't know why you're intrigued by such dark things, it ain't right for a woman' Rita stated, trying to get the vision of what she had just witnessed out of her head.
Gail was typing on her laptop in the front passenger seat and smiled at Rita's comment. She had received a tip about a body being found in Goat Town and had required a ride, seen as she had left her car at her old place of residence and allowed Dylan to drive her into Town.
She had just left the scene where her Tattoo Artist was found dead. Although she was disturbed to learn of the brutal attack, she was trying to remain professional and wanted to ensure she got the scoop before the other Reporters swooped in. 'I've always been fascinated by death, it's so final and unlike a lot of people in this Town, I like to get to the bottom of what causes it. I don't particularly care how I'm supposed to behave as a woman...I guess my lifestyle column gets me forgiven by the masses, no matter how much gore I put into my other more relevant articles' she stated, then rolled her eyes when Rita pulled her tongue at her.
'You gonna tell me what's happenin' with you and Lucas now?' Rita asked, not accepting her friends distraction tactics.
'A man's dead and you're more concerned about my love life?' Gail asked in disbelief, not pausing from her typing.
'Oh so there is still love there?' Rita asked sarcastically, then smiled sweetly when Gail shot her an irritated look.
Gail saved her document and closed the laptop down, before turning her full attention towards Rita. 'What there is or isn't is none of your business' she stated bluntly.
'It sure is if you're gonna be my Maid of Honour with him as the Best Man' Rita snapped, attempting to keep her stress over the wedding from showing.
Gail had suspected these honours would fall to her and Lucas, it was obvious as they were who Ben and Rita were closest to; however, their wedding was the farthest thing from her mind right now and she finally had a real article to write. 'I'm sure it'll all work out at some point' she lied in a reassuring tone, then opened her laptop again and started typing.
Rita shook her head at how dismissive she was, then turned into the parking space next to Ben's police cruiser and turned off the engine. 'It may as well work itself out now, seen as we're expected at a family function' Rita smiled smugly, then got out of the car and left Gail by herself.
Gail watched as Rita started walking down the bridge and cursed out loud when she spotted her family in the distance. She was about to disregard them all and focus on what she was writing, when the sound of Luke's faint cries travelled to her ears and she slammed the laptop shut. She ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation and got out of the car, then began begrudgingly heading towards them all.
Gail forced a sweet smile as she passed the die hard fisherman who did not let the weather tear them away from their favourite past time, then continued towards her group. The air was colder here by the water and she wished she had grabbed her coat this morning, rather than wearing just a thin jumper and knee length skirt. She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to protect against the icy cold breeze, then set her backpack down on the bridge floor and reached for her son, who was struggling to get away from his father.
Lucas was taken aback by her appearance and did not appreciate her interference with his son; however, he did not fight her when she took hold of Luke and just watched her cautiously, sensing her suspicion of how he was handling their son.
'Here we are, one big happy family' Rita smiled, then leaned down and kissed Ben affectionately on the lips before picking up Izzy.
Gail rolled her eyes at the comment and hugged Luke to her chest, as he clung on to her neck tight. 'Miss me' she whispered in his ear, then kissed his cheek lovingly and cuddled him tighter.
'He's not the only one' Lucas advised, coming up behind her and stroking her back softly as he sensed how much she had missed their son.
Gail was about to pull away from his touch, when she felt eyes on her from all around them. She thought back to the comment Selena had made and realised that this was as good a place as any to squash the whispers about their family; therefore, she leaned back into his touch and allowed him to kiss her neck affectionately. 'Been to Goat Town recently?' she asked quietly, deciding she might as well get something out of this visit seen as she was still on the clock.
'Not that I recall, are you thinkin' of any time or location in particular?' he asked feigning ignorance, as he ran his lips over her neck and nipped at it playfully.
Gail felt his beard tickle her skin and bit her lip to stifle a giggle. 'Last night and to a Tattoo Parlour on Marple Road' she said, trying her best to keep a serious professional tone.
Lucas pondered her question for a moment, then smiled. He had thought that he would have longer before she discovered his loss of control; however, it appeared that news continued to travel fast around his Town. 'I was at home all night with our son's, maybe your new friend was there' he mocked then watched as she disregarded his comment, handed Luke to Ben and allowed her to lead him away from the group.
Gail dragged Lucas off the bridge and settled behind a large tree, which blocked them for prying eyes. 'You did it didn't you?' she asked seriously, searching his eyes for confirmation of her suspicions.
'Did what?' he asked feigning confusion. 'I told you, I've been with our boys for the better part of two days while you've been gallivantin' around Town tryin' to forget your family'
Before Gail could stop herself, her hand came up and slapped him hard across the face. 'You Lucas, I've been trying to forget you and I don't appreciate you accusing me of not wanting my family. I'd also have liked it if you didn't kill a man just for giving a me a tattoo' she snapped, unable to control her anger.
Lucas sensed his opening and smiled, he had not expected her to take this so personally and welcomed the opportunity to converse like they used to. 'Two tattoo's, one in a place only I now know of' he whispered, then knelt down and pushed his hand under her skirt whilst staring up at her seductively.
'Don't even think...' she started, then felt lips on the tattoo at the top of her thigh and his beard brushing against her panties. She let out a low moan, then willed herself to focus on the matter at hand and forced a stern tone. 'You can't just go around killing people because they touch me Lucas'
'Yes I can' he shrugged, then tangled his fingers in her panties and pulled them down slowly.
'I'm telling you to stop' she ordered unconvincingly, then let out a small moan and tangled her hand in his hair when he ran his beard over her sweet spot and licked her playfully.
Lucas could sense she was furious; however, she was finding it hard to concentrate due to his teasing and that meant she was still his. He continued licking and nipping at her sweet spot, sensing her start to unravel then pulled her panties back up and got up to meet her face to face. 'You want me to stop, so be it' he obeyed smugly, then kissed her nose softly and started heading back towards the group, leaving her to feel pent up and frustrated.
Gail stood still in shock for a moment, not knowing what had just happened, then turned towards him and grabbed his arm. 'You're not seriously stopping' she asked in disbelief, then took a step back when she saw his features turn cold.
'You wanted a normal life with a normal man?' he asked coldly, finally able to penetrate the barrier she had put in her mind and examining her relationship with the man he caught her with today.
Gail sensed the intrusion and shut him out quickly, knowing no good could come out of his digging. 'I'd like a normal life where my husband wasn't a murderer who tried to hurt me' she stated defensively, in an attempt to regain control, then crossed her hands over her chest and stood tall.
Lucas shook his head at the comment and let out a small laugh. 'Alright, let's do the normal life love. From now on, if you want something that I usually offer then you can reach for yourself' he advised, then started to walk away from her.
Gail let out a small laugh and held her hands up in disbelief. 'You're cutting me off? Seriously?!' she exclaimed, not believing his audacity.
'Oh and one last thing. If I catch you with that man again, I'll kill him slowly while makin' you watch' he warned, then went to rejoin his boys and left her confused at his unexpected turn.
Gail watched him bemused for a moment, then waved off his mood swing and stared out into the river to calm herself.
-To be continued-