Gail stood outside of her home holding Luke in his car seat, as she stared up at the large Mansion before her. She had overcome her fear of this place a long time ago, it had taken a lot of her willpower and she had become accustomed to the protection it appeared to offer her; however, now she felt her old reservations flowing through her and she was not sure that she wanted to enter.
As if sensing her thoughts, the large black front door opened and appeared to beckon her in. Gail inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, reaching down to her darkness for strength to aid her and to provide her with a sign of what she should do next. When she opened her eyes, she saw her past self Rosemary stood just inside the threshold and nodded to indicate her acceptance of the protection offered. She sensed that if she acted like a victim, this place would swallow her whole; therefore, she stood tall and entered her home, safe in the knowledge that it was hers and not Malcolm's.
Gail did not jump when the door closed by itself behind her, she kept her composure and made her way to the Study with Luke. She smiled when she saw both Gideon and Rocky laying in front of the lit fireplace, then placed the car seat down gently beside them with Luke in it and began to take off her jacket.
'My little Princess is home, praise the lord!' Peter exclaimed sarcastically, then sat down on the floor beside Luke.
'If you touch him...' she started.
'I know, you'll send me into a state of damnation and hell fire. I'm not stupid Gail' Peter mocked, then took hold of Luke's favourite bunny teddy and began playing with it.
Gail did not know how she felt about this apparent change in her Father and the overall intrusion. She had initially been angry at him for uprooting her home life; however, she felt herself softening the more time she spent around him and she was not sure whether she liked herself for it.
'I wasn't a bad man sweetie, I was a drunk who knew his wife was cheating on him' Peter shrugged, as he continued to play with Luke in his car seat 'I didn't know what to do to control my anger and sometimes it got away from me...I never really meant to hurt you or your Mother'
Gail closed her eyes at the statement and shook her head. She did not want to hear this right now and if Lucas knew that she was actually allowing an open dialogue with her Father, it would cause more problems than they already had. She wanted to hate her Father, she truly did and his apparent confession only confused matters for her.
'You aren't really fallin' for that are you?' Malcolm asked amused, as he came out of the shadows and joined the group.
Gail let out a long sigh and pulled the clip out of her hair, allowing her long brown hair to flow over her shoulders. 'I'm not falling for anything and you both need to get out before Lucas returns home, or there'll be hell to pay' she warned, glancing around the room in search of a book to read while she waited for her husband.
Malcolm narrowed his eyes at her confused and turned his attention to the kitchen. He was about to say something, then chose to remain silent and just laughed at her comment instead.
'You wouldn't really let him hurt me, would you Princess?' Peter stated, ignoring Malcolms laughter. 'All I want is to be with my family and surely, if the man is your soulmate, he would respect that'
'And all I want is the rightful order to be restored' Malcolm advised feigning sincerity and taking a few steps closer to Luke.
Gail sensed his play immediately and stepped between them. She was not stupid enough to take her attention off of her son and she had suspected Malcolm's move would be made sooner rather than later. 'The rightful order can go fuck itself' she snapped defensively, disregarding her Fathers laughter at the language she had used.
'Now, now Petal, a good girl should mind her language unless she wants her mouth washed out' Malcolm mocked and took a step closer to her.
Gail signalled for Gideon to come to her and stood tall when her faithful companion growled angrily at Malcolm; however, her resolve wavered when Gideon reluctantly moved next to Malcolm and sat at his feet.
'You really thought you could control somethin' here? This is a Buck residence, I'm of the bloodline and you're not, whatever loyalty this creature showed you was due to some miscommunication. You see, he thought you were important in the order of things but it turns out you're just another weak woman who opened her legs for a Buck. Now, I can't blame you for doin' what you thought was right, this second son is down to my boy's unnatural obsession with you and he couldn't help himself. I'm hear now to get him back on the correct path and I certainly won't allow you to cloud his judgement, making him think this heathen child of yours is acceptable' Malcolm advised, then turned his attention to Gideon and signalled for him to attack her.
Gail watched for a moment as Gideon shook his head in turmoil. Before Gail had a chance to summon her darkness and remind him of his loyalty, Gideon barred his teeth at her and she took a shaky step back. She stared at him in disbelief as Gideon skulked towards her, then let out a reassuring breath when when Rocky came beside her and barked at Gideon, making him pause on the spot. 'This is no creature and he doesn't serve you, Gideon is my partner and he will come back to where he belongs' she stated calmly, standing tall and willing her companion to return to her.
Malcolm let out a venomous laugh and focused all of his energy on the dog, plaguing it's mind with orders to kill. Suddenly he felt his control falter and the dog shook his head violently to break the hold Malcolm had on him, then rushed to his Master and lay at her feet obediently.
'Emory's 2, Buck's 0' Peter mocked, still playing with Luke who was oblivious to what was happening around him.
Gail let go of the control she had become accustomed to and let her darkness flow through her veins. She savoured the strength that surged through her body and smiled devilishly when she saw Rosemary stood behind Malcolm. It did not take him long to realise Rosemary's presence and both dogs blocked his exit to either side. He was completely surrounded and she felt his resolve waiver when he realised the power she held.
'You think you can beat me?' Malcolm asked, feigning confidence. 'You're not a Buck and never will be. This is my home!'
Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head. 'You're banished from this house and the garden surrounding it. If you ever come near me or my son again, you'll be begging for the torture Lucas made you endure before he killed when I'm through with you' she whispered wickedly and smiled as his face turned gaunt.
Peter watched as Malcolm disappeared from the house and the mysterious woman who stood opposite his daughter vanished. 'See, the winning team strikes again' he smiled, then stood up and placed his hand around her shoulder.
Before she had a chance the protest his touch, Peter squeezed her tight and placed a kiss on her forehead. Gail was so confused and pushed her darkness back down, to enable her to be able to think clearly. She had gotten rid of Malcolm for now; however, she really did not know if she had the strength to push her Father away.
Suddenly she felt herself being pulled away from her Father and something sharp pressed against her neck. She saw her Father's eyes grow wide and sensed the knife Lucas was holding against her neck. She tried to break free of his hold, confused at what was happening; however, he gripped her tighter and she felt the cold sharp blade harder against her skin, causing her to remain still.
'Looks like the winning team has hit a snag in the game' Lucas advised, staring angrily at Peter and his play.
Lucas had entered the house not long after Gail and had situated himself quietly in the kitchen, wanting to monitor how much of a hold Peter had managed to obtain before deciding the best course of action. When Malcolm glanced in his direction, he thought his old man would betray him and point him out; however, it appeared his Father remained loyal for once in his life and it allowed Lucas to witness what was truly going on.
He had wanted to applaud Gail's play in getting rid of his Father. She had used her power and her connection with her past self wisely, to show him that she was not to be messed with. It also gave him an idea of what he would be up against if he ever tried to take her on properly in the future and hoped it would never come to that.
Lucas had been about to reveal himself when Peter embraced his daughter, indicating they were working together. He had not seen that coming and he could not control his rage at the sight of that man touching his wife, or the thought of all the work he had put in with her being unravelled. Before he realised what was happening, Lucas had grabbed a knife and approached the pair quickly. He instinctively secured Gail to him and placed the knife against her neck, relishing in the panic it caused in his old adversary.
'Drop the knife Buck, you don't really wanna hurt her' Peter tried to reason and attempted to control his panic.
'Emory's 2, was that referrin' to the so called accident my boy had?' Lucas asked, disregarding Gail's past self who had reappeared and was approaching him from behind.
Gail sensed Rosemary and willed her to leave, this situation had gotten complicated enough without her past self doing something terrible in an attempt to protect her. 'You know I wouldn't hurt Caleb' Gail whispered, trying not to move and feeling the knife dig into her skin.
'Shush love, this ain't about you it's about him. You think you can come into my house and hurt my boy, then try to take my wife? I thought you'd be smarter than that Peter' he advised, watching the man closely.
'Let her go Lucas, or I swear...'
'You'll what? Don't you see, I'll always have the upper hand?' Lucas laughed, 'You touch my boy and I kill your girl, it's that simple'
Gail closed her eyes as she felt the knife pierce her skin, when Lucas laughed and lost control of his hand slightly. She bit her lip in an attempt to hide her pain and ignored the lone tear rolling down her cheek, as she waited patiently for Lucas' attention to return back to her. She heard Luke begin to cry, sensing the distress of his Mother and willed Lucas to focus on his family, not some twisted form of revenge.
Peter regarded Lucas concerned for a moment, then his features changed and he began to laugh. 'See Princess, what did I tell you? He'll always choose his first born over you and our little boy there' he smiled and laughed louder when Luke's cries became deafening.
Lucas narrowed his eyes at Peter and shook his head. 'This ain't got nothin' to do with her, it's about you and me' he advised.
'There is no you and me Buck, I'm here because of her and I'll be here until she tells me leave' Peter said smugly.
'Leave' Gail said calmly, finally understanding her place in everything.
Lucas smiled smugly and released the knife from her neck. 'Bye now Peter, don't forget to write' he laughed triumphantly.
Peter glanced at his defeated daughter and smiled. This had never been about the children for him or Christine, it had always been about Gail. 'Remember what happened here Princess' he advised, sensing her pain.
'And remember what I'll do if you touch my son again' Lucas warned, then let out a long sigh when Peter finally disappeared.
Gail stood still for a moment, then began to tremble when Lucas placed his hands on her hips and pulled her to him. She allowed him to kiss the back of her neck softly, in shock at what had just happened. She reached up her hand an gently touched the front of her neck where the blade had been, then let out a small startle when she saw a tiny spot of blood on her fingertip.
'Alone at last' Lucas whispered as he turned her around and leaned in for a kiss, unaware of her trauma.
Gail became aware of Luke's screams once again and pulled away from Lucas' grasp, then went to her son and held him to her chest protectively. Her Father was right, Lucas would always turn on her when it came to Caleb and she could not shake the feeling of betrayal that swept through her.
Luke saw the stray tear roll down his Mothers cheek and wiped it with his hand, before resting his head on her chest and sobbing as he sensed her sadness.
Lucas watched confused as his love and his son clung together, then went to them and placed his arms around them both. Suddenly he felt a strong force push him back and he went flying into the wall.
'You've always wanted your son, that's all that was ever really important to you' Gail stated calmly, as she picked up Luke's favourite bunny teddy and handed it to him.
Lucas attempted to stand up; however, he felt a force pushing him down and sat still for a moment on the floor. 'What are you talkin' about, we both want our son's and we have a family'
Gail laughed and shook her head in disbelief. She finally had the clarity she needed and she would not be blinded by his lies anymore. 'There can be only one Buck, isn't that right? Well you have your wish and he's all yours now, to do with as you please. We're leaving, enjoy your life with Caleb like you always wanted and leave us the hell alone...Happy New Year husband' she said hurt, then picked up Luke's car seat and headed out of the house.
Lucas struggled to get up for a few moments then released his twin to destroy the force that was holding him down and rushed outside, just in time to see the red Mustang driving down the street. He was at a loss as to what had just happened and although he wanted nothing more than to chase after her, something was telling him to leave her be or their would be dire consequences for one of them.
Lucas let out a long sigh when the Mustang disappeared into the night and walked back to his open front door. 'Happy New Year' he sighed angrily, then re-entered his property and slammed the front door behind him.
-The End-