Lucas paced the hospital room impatiently, while Matt explained the injury Caleb had sustained. It appeared his boy had fallen and hit his head in an awkward way, which is why Matt wanted to keep him in overnight. Lucas sensed something else was at play here and was not impressed that Gail's presence was nowhere to be found.
'I'm sorry Lucas' Caleb said quietly, as he stared at his hands nervously. He sensed his Father's anger and he did not like being the cause of it.
'You've nothin' to apologise for' Merlyn interjected, then shot Lucas a disapproving glance for making her brother feel bad when he was the injured party.
Lucas could not deal with niceties at this moment in time, his blood was boiling at the uncertainty of what had happened and he was frustrated that he could not release his twin in such a publicly crowded room.
'No one's blaming anyone for anything' Gail said calmly, as she entered the room with Luke.
Caleb's eyes lit up when he saw his brother and his cousin. The tension was becoming too much and now that Gail was here, the atmosphere changed.
Gail ensured her guard was firmly up after what her Father had confided, even though she knew this would make Lucas suspicious. She sensed Lucas' anger and stroked his arm reassuringly, in an attempt to soothe him.
'Where were you?' Lucas asked, forcing a calm tone.
'Out walking your son after the scare he got' Gail advised.
'I didn't mean to scare anyone' Caleb waved at Luke to show he was alright and smiled when his brother waved back.
'But you just fell right?' Lucas asked accusingly.
Gail forced herself to remain calm, then took Lucas' hand and led him out of the room, before Caleb could answer. She sensed he was ready to snap and wanted him away from the children in case he could not control his urges.
When they settled in an unoccupied room down the corridor, she stroked Lucas's cheek tenderly in an attempt to calm him down. 'It's not as bad as it looks, he said he fell and hit his head. He was riding for a while and skipped lunch, he was probably just light headed' she suggested.
'You automatically assume I don't believe he fell?' Lucas observed suspiciously and watched her reaction carefully.
'I assume you question everything like I do and I've already gone down that road' she advised, remaining calm.
Lucas inhaled deeply and nodded. 'Where were our guests when this happened?' he asked, pacing the room slowly.
Gail watched him carefully and smiled at his obvious attempt to trap her. 'I wasn't there when it happened, but when I got home and went to the kitchen, both of our Fathers were there' she shrugged, not allowing him to pressure her.
Lucas contemplated her statement for a moment, then turned towards her. 'What was Peter doin' when it happened?' he asked.
'I've just told you, I wasn't in the room at the time' Gail snapped, then took a deep breath to calm herself.
Lucas attempted to read her thoughts and when he sensed her wall was strong, he let out a small laugh. 'You're hidin' somethin' from me Gail' he accused calmly.
'And you're indicating I'm a liar Lucas' she replied sweetly, not liking where this was going.
'Well isn't that what hidin' somethin' is?' he asked sarcastically, as placed himself between her and the door.
Gail laughed in disbelief when he attempted to block her exit. She was not to blame for what had happened and Lucas' distrust of her was beginning to bother her. 'You're unbelievable' she said, then chose to remove herself from this situation and tried to walk past him.
Lucas allowed her to push past him, then pulled her back to him roughly. He was not finished yet and this play only made him even more suspicious.
Gail was sick of being the one who backed down, she was pissed at being pulled in all directions by the men in her life and was done pandering to their incessant needs. 'Let go of me now' she ordered, attempting to keep her cool.
Lucas' rage stirred within him when he sensed the fight that he had not intended to start and did the only thing he knew to fix it. He disregarded her order and bent her over the uncomfortable hospital bed, then lifted up her skirt and forced his hard manhood inside of her. He ignored her initial rejection of this action and held her down securely while he pushed deep inside of her.
Gail let out a pained moan at his surprise entry and placed her hands on the bed for support, knowing he would not stop no matter how much she resisted. This was her own fault, they had been rough throughout their sexual relationship and she knew Lucas was only doing what he thought would end their argument. She made a mental note to correct his way of thinking in the future and relaxed into the act, sensing that her body had already betrayed her and welcomed the intense pleasure of each thrust.
Lucas felt her acceptance and smiled, he would never want to truly hurt her and although she resisted at times, they were meant to be united and this is what they did best. He continued to stroke her back as he thrust in and out of her, then placed his hand securely on her stomach and pulled her back up to him as he felt their climax rising.
Gail leaned back into his chest and reached behind to his head to hers. She kissed him passionately when she felt him explode within her, then smiled when he rested his forehead on hers and stroked her cheek gently.
'You can't accuse me of lying and expect me to be OK with it' she whispered, closing her eyes as he ran his thumb slowly over her lips.
'Noted' Lucas sighed, as he kissed her nose softly and removed himself from her. 'We need to get our unwelcome guests out, before I lose all control'
Gail let out a long exasperated breath, cleaned herself up then ran her fingers through her hair and just left the room. Her head was riddled with questions about the whole situation and she did not believe she could be of help to her husband the way she felt right now.
Lucas watched confused as she left, then inhaled deeply in an attempt to control his twin. 'Only one' he repeated the thought he had sensed when her guard faltered during their embrace. Lucas did not fully understand what she was referring to; however, he it felt was important and he was determined to find out.
Abe sat on an uncomfortable seat outside of Caleb's hospital room with Billy, he never understood why Lucas loosely referred to this man as a friend and it bothered him.
Lucas' Deputy Ben was the closest thing he had to a friend apart from Abe himself and that was merely due to the amount of time they had to spend together, after Lucas took pity on him and gave him a job. This out of town Doctor was different, he was overly familiar and in his opinion an idiot. He went for the School Teacher that Lucas had shacked up with for many years, then wormed his way in with his Rosie before betraying her and siding with Lucas. The man was untrustworthy in his opinion and Abe did not understand why his people allowed the idiot to be in their company.
'Down boy' Lucas ordered amused, reading Abe's thoughts and sat down beside his oldest friend. 'How you ol' boys holdin' up? You don't have to stay you know'
'We wouldn't be anywhere else Lucas, not until we're sure Caleb is on the mend' Billy smiled, then spotted the look of disgust on Abe's face and stared at the man confused.
'You're my ride boy, you can drop me off when you feel your eldest's in good hands' Abe advised, choosing to ignore Billy's smarmy comment and confused look.
'Matt's decided to stay with him overnight, so that's good enough for me. You can hitch a ride with Luke and I if you like' Gail offered, slightly annoyed that no one had noticed she had joined them.
Lucas watched Gail intently as she smiled sweetly at Abe and helped him up. 'Somewhere to be love?' he asked curiously, not hiding his suspicion.
Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head. 'Clearly I'm overdue a dinner date with my Uncle soulmate' she stated sarcastically, then linked her arm in Abe's and started leading him away from the group.
'You abandon me just like that ol' man? What happened to camaraderie?' Lucas asked, feigning offence.
'She's prettier than you and you have all you need with your pet there' Abe laughed, then shook his head and continued to be lead by Gail.
'Pet?' Billy asked confused, not sure whether he should laugh or be angry at the comment.
Lucas let out a long sigh and shook his head, Gail had a way of getting all the boys to her side when she tried and his oldest friend was not immune to her charms at all. 'Don't mind him, he's just jealous he's cooped up all day and can't have any real fun' Lucas said, then stood up and signalled for Billy to follow him.
'Where are we goin'?' Billy asked curiously.
'To visit an ol' thorn in my paw' Lucas smiled devilishly, the headed towards his car.
Billy walked through the deserted graveyard, attempting to ignore the eeriness of the place. When Lucas pulled up outside of the graveyard, he could not believe his own bad luck. Not only had the sun set an hour earlier, the graveyard had nothing to illuminate their path and he began to doubt his loyalty to the man ahead of him.
'Don't be so dramatic, the dead don't roam free in my town unless I allow it' Lucas smirked at Billy's discomfort and kept on his desired path.
'What are we doing out here? It ain't Halloween and I've no desire to relive Night of the Living Dead' Billy said, attempting to make light of his current position.
Lucas located the grave he had come for and shook his head in irritation. He had hoped his love had forgotten about her past duties here; however, it appeared there was no chance of that and the graves of her parents were as well kept as ever.
Billy looked over Lucas' shoulder and let out an uncomfortable laugh. 'Why are we at Gail's parents graves Lucas?' he asked, not sure whether he actually wanted to know the answer.
'To ensure they're still buried' Lucas shrugged, then knelt down and inspected Peter's grave.
Billy watched him for a moment in disbelief, then shook his head 'This is crazy' he stated, then began to back away
'Why don't you head back to the car and wait for me there? I'm sure you could use the time alone to ponder over your desire for another woman we both know' Lucas advised knowingly, fed up of feeling the mans discomfort.
Billy knew exactly who Lucas was referring to and felt a pang of guilt for allowing his thoughts to stray from Selena; however, he wanted nothing more than to get out of the place and took Lucas up on his offer.
Lucas laughed when Billy rushed back towards his car and shook his head. 'You just can't find the staff' Lucas said to no one in-particular and continued reviewing Peter's grave. When there appeared to be no sign of disturbance, he turned his attention towards Christine's grave and ran his fingers across the engraving on the gravestone.
'It was a shame' Lucas stated, thinking back to the beautiful woman who brought his love into the world. Had things have been different, he would have had his way with her too before she had to be sacrificed to save her daughter from the miserable life she was leading; however, he supposed Gail would not have been able to turn a blind eye to that notch on his bedpost like she had done with Judith.
'You're disgusting' came the familiar voice from his past.
Lucas stood up, dusted off his pants and put on his most charming smile. 'Well it's nice to hear your voice Christine, how's the afterlife treatin' you?' he asked sarcastically.
Christine stepped from behind a large tree and stood with her arms crossed firmly over her chest, unimpressed by the visit. 'Sacrificed to save my daughter? Is that really what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?' she asked bitterly.
Lucas laughed and regarded her smugly. 'You really think I have problems sleepin' because of you? I've done worse things than you can imagine and I have your beautiful daughter ensuring I'm well and truly spent every night...I can assure you I have no trouble sleepin' peacefully Darlin', that's more than I can say for you'
Christine stared at him with hatred in her eyes. This man had tricked her love into killing her, then raped and killed her sister, now he was playing happy family with her daughter and her grandson. It was not fair and her only saving grace was that her own unborn child had been set free when her daughter found out most of the truth about what had happened to her.
'You can't blame me for Gage's incompetence, or Peter findin' that little music box of yours. You should be thankful I sent your love to be with you, otherwise you would've been stuck with Peter for eternity' Lucas advised, sensing Gage's presence close.
Christine smiled at the thought of Gage being with her now, he was not strong enough to make his presence known to his murderer; however, he was with her at all times. 'Speaking of my late husband, I suppose you're looking for him for some cruel reason?' Christine asked irritated.
Lucas let out an exasperated sigh at the thought of Peter Emory, then ran his fingers through his hair . 'On the contrary, that Bastard has found his way to my home and is disruptin' me and mine...I wanna know how he got outta here and you're gonna tell me' he stated in a threatening tone, whilst closing the distance between them.
Christine held his gaze for a moment, then began laughing loudly. Peter had found a way out and she had been enjoying the peace recently. Although she had managed to show herself to her daughter, her attempt to warn her from the dangerous path she was taking in marrying this murderer had failed. It pained h that Peter had managed to hold on to the present world; however, her afterlife was all the better for it.
'What's so funny?' Lucas asked, not liking either of his in-laws very much at this moment in time.
Christine let out a long sigh, then reached up and stroked Lucas' cheek softly. 'If my daughter wasn't so committed to you, I'd rip your eyes out for all the pain you made her endure as a child without her Mother. Luckily for you, she's made peace with her place in life and that place is by her family'
Lucas inhaled deeply, her tone resembled Gail's on so many levels and if he closed his eyes, he could in fact be talking to his love. 'What's this got to do with anythin''
'Peter was very interested in the new addition to your family. I don't suppose he'd talk to you about it but he was very pleased to have a boy in the family, regardless of who the Father is' she advised sweetly.
'How'd he get out?' Lucas repeated his earlier question.
Christine smiled smugly and shook her head. 'A child often craves the worst parent, did you know that? When ours discovered her potential, Peter may have found a way in to bind himself to her, that's my guess anyway' she shrugged, ignoring Gage's warning to sever her connection with Lucas.
Lucas sensed Gage close and shook his head in warning, he smiled when the unwanted presence froze and returned his attention to Christine. 'So he likes my boy and he's bound to my wife, how does that help me?' he asked in agitation.
'An heir and spare, isn't that what you called it?' Christine asked knowingly, not hiding the judgement in her tone. 'I can feel my daughters thoughts and I know Peter isn't alone. Caleb is my family too and you need to get a hold of the situation, before the scales are tipped to your old ways'
Lucas stared at her confused for a moment, then Merlyn words of the past floated through his brain. The heir isn't about to eliminate the competition this time; however, the grandfathers may attempt to even the score.
Lucas rushed out of the graveyard, leaving Christine laughing behind him. He knew what was happening now and he would not allow either Father to win.
-To be continued-