Lucas strolled casually out of Juniper House with a smile on his face, he had visited a few patients and was confident that Billy's trials would not be as successful as the man had hoped. The ease in which his people obeyed him always put him in a good mood, he just wished the people closest to him would follow suit.
As he strolled towards his car he began to plan his next move. He needed to visit his mothers sacred place and his home to gain some clarity about certain things, as he began to suspect an outside influence was guiding Gail and he wanted to know more; however, he had something more important to do while her attention was elsewhere. He would deal with her in good time, but for now he would take advantage of the situation at hand.
Gail stood staring at the old cabin not far from the Trinity river, it was well hidden and would have been difficult to find; however, she had been drawn to this area as soon as she had left her car at the side of the road. She recognized the cabin instantly from her dreams and the picture she had found in the Wicca store. She sensed something dark surrounding the cabin and was not ready to enter this place just yet; therefore, she cautiously walked around the side of the building and headed for the river.
Gail had began to doubt her decision to embrace whatever this was and to dig deeper, she did not scare easily; however, there was something about the air here that was different, almost haunting and the closer she got to the river the more she felt her inner presence Rosemary fade. She had been aware of Rosemary since she had awoken from her coma and she had done some terrible things under her influence, it was concerning that the dark guardian she had come to think of Rosemary as being was disappearing with the more she found out.
When she reached the clearing and surveyed her surroundings, she instantly recognized the spot she had been standing across the river on a few nights earlier with Billy and Merlyn. This is where the mysterious dark haired woman had been standing when her presence was first revealed, she sensed a darkness here that she did not care for and felt drawn closer towards the river.
Gail exited the clearing and approached to water cautiously, her feet felt like lead with each step she took and she began to feel something strange stir within her. When she reached the edge of the riverbank she inhaled deeply and stared at the vast river in awe, she could not deny that she loved it here and the water always made her feel at ease. Without thinking she placed her foot carefully into the water and began to walk forward slowly, the water was cold around her ankles; however, this did not bother her as she continued moving forward. She felt the current gently move her as she delved deeper into the river, all control of her body was lost and she could not stop herself from continuing on this path.
Gail caught a glimpse of something to her right and froze, she saw two woman standing face to face and began to cautiously move in that direction. When she got closer she recognized the mysterious dark haired woman in a tattered, torn cream dress. The woman in front of her was dressed in a pristine deep green dress, with her immaculate blonde hair in a tight bun. Both woman looked like something out of a period drama. Gail shook her head and began to doubt her vision, assuming her mind was playing tricks on her; however, when the blonde woman struck the other woman hard across the cheek and she saw the vicious smile come across the dark haired woman's face, she somehow knew this was not a trick.
Suddenly the women began fighting and pulling at each others hair, the blonde woman took out a knife that was hidden in her dress and stabbed the dark haired woman in the side. The screech that came out of her mouth was like nothing Gail had ever heard before and the blonde woman jumped on her, then pushed her head beneath the water.
Gail shouted in an attempt to intervene; however, her calls fell on deaf ears. The dark haired woman struggled for a few moments, then her arms dropped and her body floated face down in the water. Gail watched as the blonde woman spat on the corpse and walked back towards the riverbank, leaving the floating corpse in the water. Gail approached the body feeling sick to her stomach and without a second thought turned the body over to confirm what she already knew.
A single tear ran down her cheek as she stared into her own face and she touched the bluing dead lips of the corpse tenderly. She felt a surge of anger flow through her body and closed her eyes, when she opened them again she was alone in the freezing cold water and the body had disappeared. Gail raised her head to the sky, closed her eyes again and yelled out in frustration, she could not disregard what she had just witnessed as she sensed it was true; however, she did not know what to make of it all.
When she opened her eyes again and stared across the water at the other side of the river, she saw Merlyn stood on the opposite riverbank watching her with a worried look on her face and her new friend Earl was close by her. This girl seemed to show up at the strangest of times these days, it appeared they were connected in more ways than just being family; however, she would not be tempted away from her current path and decided to let that go for now.
Gail knew what she had to do and no amount of judgement from the girl was going to change that. She shot Merlyn a warning glance knowing the girl would sense it no matter how far away from each other they where, then turned around and started to walk back to the riverbank she had come from. She would return to her car then find the answers she needed once and for all.
Billy walked down the overly bright corridor of Juniper House, reading through his next patients chart. He was in a good mood today and had finally started to feel like he was making some progress here, regardless of the disapproving attitude that he got from his staff. The patients here had all been abandoned and the townspeople appeared happy to allow them to rot, as a Doctor he had sworn an oath to help people in need and he would continue to do everything in his power to help these poor souls.
Billy approached Emit McGraws room and smiled, this was his most prominent patient who had the highest level of success with the new treatments he had introduced. Emit had been a very angry man and had just been waiting die in this place; however, he had taken well to their one to one counseling sessions and had actually started to integrate back into the group counseling sessions.
No matter what his staff thought about his methods, Billy was proud of Emit and he remained his greatest success; therefore, he had decided to reward him with extra outdoor privileges, knowing Emit was fond of being outside in the garden. He believed this would make Emit happy and he would continue to progress with the treatment, which would ultimately allow him to be reintegrated back into society.
Billy knocked on the door of Emits living quarters and waited patiently for him to answer. He had decided to provide his patients with some space to allow them to feel like they were more in control; therefore, with certain patients the staff were not allowed to barge in uninvited. When Emit did not answer Billy pulled out a set of key's and opened the door. 'Rise and shine Emi...' he started, then the smile on his face disappeared.
Emit was hanging from the ceiling with his bed sheets wrapped around his neck in noose. To the right of Emit were two other patients who had also been undergoing Billy's trial treatments, their wrists appeared to be slit and they lay in a pool of their own blood on the floor in front of the bed.
Billy looked into Emits lifeless eyes and felt his heart sink, his whole body froze and he could not breathe. How could this have happened on his watch? The treatment had been working and these turn of events were completely unexpected.
'What did you do?' Lucas asked smugly from behind him.
Billy ignored him and continued to stare at Emit with confusion. 'It was working' he whispered then put his head in his hands.
Lucas took hold of Billy's arm and gently pulled him out of the room, he pushed him towards Caleb who was waiting a small distance away in the corridor and winked at his boy. 'The good Doctor here is havin' an episode, go take him to his office while I deal with this situation'
Caleb nodded obeditenly and took Billy's hand, Billy allowed himself to be led by the boy then turned back towards Lucas for a moment.
'You're gonna owe me Billy-boy' Lucas said with a devilish grin, then entered the room.
Billy watched the man disappear into Emit's room and felt a wave of despair flow through him.
Matt stood outside the gates of the Buck mansion, staring at the vast property in disgust. A man like Lucas Buck did not deserve to be rewarded for his evil ways and it was becoming hard for him to accept that the man was winning in life. He gave himself a mental shake to regain his focus, he had not come here to dwell on his resentment for the man and he did not want to get distracted.
Matt opened the gate slowly and a shiver ran up his spine when it made a loud creaking sound. It was not his intention to have a run in with Lucas here and he was glad to see the mans car was nowhere to be seen. All he wanted was some clarity of what had happened yesterday and being here was the last thing he remembered.
'Be careful what you wish for...' Gail said approaching from behind, '...you might not like what you find here'
Matt froze at the sound of Gail's voice, she had completely discarded him after he had gone through her medical records and he was not prepared for a run in with her. He took a deep breath and turned towards his old friend, now was as good a time as any to deal with his discomfort with their situation. 'You sound like you're speaking from experience, have you found something here you don't like?' he asked, curious as to why she was here when Lucas was not.
Gail let out a small laugh and walked past him, she was trying to keep to her initial decision to renounce her friend; however, seeing him the previous night and now made her remember how much she cared for him. 'What I've found is no-ones business but my own...What are you doing here Matt? You're not exactly welcome on this property'
Matt sensed her exterior soften and smiled, 'Oh I just wanted to stroll around this monstrosity to get my extra steps in for the day'
Gail stopped in her tracks, then turned around and looked at him suspiciously. 'I can think of safer places for you to step your exercise...if Lucas finds you snooping around here he won't be impressed' she warned.
'Well it's a good job I have you here to protect me Miss Emory' Matt smiled and let out a small laugh when she rolled her eyes in mock frustration at him.
Gail sighed and shook her head, deep down she knew she could not hold a grudge against her friend and trying to keep it up was a waste of both their time. 'Spit it out Matt, what is it that you want?'
Matt shrugged and glanced around the garden. 'I'm having a little trouble remembering what I got up to yesterday and the last thing I remember was being here'
'You're not havin' another black out are you Harvard?...' Lucas said approaching the pair with Caleb by his side, '...I'd hate to think you started up drinkin' again'
Gail let out a long sigh and cursed herself for getting distracted by Matt, if she would have left him be she could have been at the back of the property unnoticed by now.
Matt went to answer the accusation; however, Gail took hold of his shoulder and gently pulled him beside her. 'Did school let out early today?' she asked in an annoyed tone, steering the subject away from her friend.
Caleb hid behind Lucas so not to draw attention to himself, but Lucas put his hand protectively on his shoulder and pulled him to his side. 'I took the boy out for an educational field trip, unfortunately we got way laid with the incident at Juniper House and we've had to come home to clean up'
'What incident?' Matt asked worried.
Gail glanced at Caleb disapprovingly, then spotted blood on the cuff of Lucas' sleeve which was resting on her cousins shoulder. She felt something pulling her attention towards the back of the property; however, she knew about Billy's trials and could not ignore her concern for her friend. 'Where's Billy?' she asked Caleb.
'Billy-boy is...' Lucas started but Gail shot him a warning glance.
'Was I talking to you?...' she interjected sternly then turned her attention back to her cousin, '...So help me Caleb, you will answer me now'
Caleb could sense the anger in his cousin so he shrugged Lucas' hand off his shoulder and went to her. 'He's fine Gail, he's just shook up I guess' he said reassuringly.
Gail calmed slightly with his words and ruffled his hair playfully. 'We will discuss your school habits of late at some point'
Caleb looked down at his hands in an attempt to avoid eye contact with his cousin, she had not brought up him missing class previously and he had been dreading when she finally decided to focus on the matter.
Lucas placed a reassuring hand on his sons shoulder again and stepped between them. 'The boy's out with his father learning some real lessons Darlin', no further discussion is needed'
Gail let out an irritated laugh and shook her head in disbelief. 'Unless the boy's father is qualified enough to home school him, a discussion is most certainly required...unless he's to end up like some Deputies in this town who have a brain as big as a fly'
Matt inhaled sharply in horror and took a few steps back, clearly they had both disregarded his presence and he could not believe what he had just heard. 'His father?' he asked bewildered.
Gail's heart sank and judging by Caleb's reaction of hiding behind Lucas, she gathered he was experiencing the same emotion. She cursed herself for being stupid and getting so distracted by Lucas that she forgot Matt was present, it was bad enough that he had found out she had previously been pregnant with Lucas' child; however, this revelation would be much harder for him to accept. 'Matt I...'
'No!...' he snapped, pulling away from her hand which was clearly trying to console him. '...What the hell happened when I was gone? How long have you known?'
Lucas sensed the anger in the man and instinctively stepped in front of Gail. 'You better calm down now Harvard...this is my property and we are having a family discussion that you have no part of'
Caleb saw the change in Matt instantly when Lucas mentioned family and before anyone could do anything Matt punched Lucas square in the jaw, causing him to fall back and then grabbed the cuff of his shirt aggressively. Lucas brushed Matt's hands away effortlessly and punched him hard in the nose making it bust wide open, then both men began to fight.
Gail froze for a second not knowing whether to shield Caleb from this craziness or attempt to break the fight up. She could feel something dark rising within her and sensed something watching them all, she turned for a moment to survey her surroundings and saw the mysterious dark haired woman standing in front of a tree at the far end of the garden.
Everything suddenly turned to slow motion, she saw the woman grin at her with sharp teeth and closed her eyes then turned away in horror. When she opened her eyes she was facing the men and witnessing Lucas kneeing Matt hard in the chest, before she could stop it the darkness inside her shot out of her body violently and screamed for them to stop. Both men were suddenly thrown in opposite directions and she watched in horror as Matt hit his head on a tree as he fell to the ground, then passed out.
Lucas stared at Gail in anger and confusion, the only person that had been able to take that sort of action against him was Merlyn when she was at her most powerful and this had been completely unexpected. This action coming from his love was concerning and he could not think straight.
Caleb looked from Lucas to Matt and then to his shaking cousin, he could not believe what he had just witnessed and he did not know what he was supposed to do. His instincts kicked in and he ran to his cousin without further hesitation, then gave her a long hug. Her skin had gone cold and he could feel her shivering in his arms, he did not understand what had just happened; however, he knew where his loyalties lay and his instincts were telling him to get his cousin away from this situation right away.
Lucas stood up and shot a warning glance at Caleb, he sensed the boy was trying to shield Gail and felt his twin clawing to be released to deal with this situation; however, with how angry Lucas was he could not trust his dark half around any of them at this present time. He needed to talk to Gail to figure out what was going on, he could hear the faint laughter of his father on the wind and that was making his rage every stronger. 'Get away from her son' he said calmly.
Caleb sensed something change in Lucas and went to challenge him; however, he felt Gail's arms finally tighten around him and turned his attention to his cousin. 'Are you alright?' he asked.
Gail inhaled deeply to regain control of herself and forced a smile. 'I'm fine...can you take Matt home for me? It not far and some fresh air might do him some good'
'But he knows...' Caleb started then stopped when Gail placed her finger gently on his lips.
'Don't ever be ashamed of who you are Caleb...' she said then glanced towards Matt who had awoken and raised her voice so he could hear, '...The adults will talk later, but for now I need you both to leave'
Matt pulled himself up then approached the group, he shook his head disapprovingly and forced a reassuring smile for Caleb. 'Come on, I haven't spent much time with you for a while...Miss Holt would also love to see you'
Caleb smiled then looked towards Lucas apologetically, Gail and Matt had been there for him to get him through when Merlyn had died so he shared a close bond with them both. He was happy to spend time with his father; however, he was not ready to choose him over his first true family.
Lucas nodded, sensing his boys inner conflict and signaled for him to leave with Harvard. All his attention was on Gail at this moment in time and the boy would only get in his way. When he was sure Caleb was far enough away, he stepped closer to his love. 'Either you're a quicker study that I thought you were, or you're hidin' somethin' from me...which is it?'
Gail resisted the urge to look towards the woman she knew was still watching them and smiled when she realized Lucas could not sense her. 'You of all people are accusing me of hiding something?...' she laughed, '...I don't know what you're talking about Sheriff'
Lucas narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head at her blatant lie. He sensed she was not alone and opened his minds eye to observe their surroundings, there was a void on his property and he was becoming agitated that he could not pierce through it's barrier.
'What's wrong Lucas, is that all seeing eye of your's on the blinker?' Gail mocked.
Lucas did not like knowing something was going on in his town without him being aware of it, especially when it appeared to be resonating from his property. Before he could stop himself, he released his twin to hunt down the cause of the void and turned his full attention towards Gail. 'You better be careful Darlin', the only reason you've been able to wander so freely is 'cause I've respected your privacy...it appears you've not been respectin' mine, which means I need to keep a closer eye on you'
Gail shook her head and rolled her eyes, of course he thought this was all about him. 'You're so vain, I stopped digging into your history when I located Malcolm...I will pick that up again at some point and believe me when I say you can't hide your past forever sweetheart'
Lucas grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her towards him. 'If you're not diggin' into me then what are you up to Gail?'
Suddenly Gail sensed an intrusion in her mind, it pierced through her brain and she was taken back to the river. She watched in horror as the dark haired woman was drowned again right in front of her, then with a flash she was back in Lucas' garden.
Lucas let go of Gail's arm and stared at her suspiciously, he had never shared a vision with someone before so this was very concerning. 'Where was that Gail?' he demanded to know.
Gail pulled her arm free of his grasp and watched as his features started to change, she had always known he did not like being kept in the dark and this appeared to be bothering him more than he wanted to show. She saw his usual playful manner had turned cold and took a step back. 'I don't know what you're talking about' she lied and backed away from him slowly.
Lucas smiled and shook his head, his power was always increased on his property and he felt it flow through him now. He did not know what to make of their shared vision and he certainly did not appreciate her denial.
Gail could sense the malice behind his smile and felt her instincts take over, without warning she ran to the tree she had seen the dark haired woman stood by earlier then suddenly felt something stir within her. It felt as though her dark passenger Rosemary had finally fully awoken; however, rather than just taking control of her like the presence had done previously, it appeared to be merging with her subconscious and she felt a wave of power flow through her.
Lucas had laughed when Gail ran away from him and reached out with his mind for his twin to rejoin him. He walked slowly towards his love feeling his rage grow stronger with every step, he did not know what he intended to do; however, he would get the answers he wanted once and for all. As he neared his destination he sensed an invisible barrier surrounding the tree, he tried to step through it but something appeared to have stopped him. 'Oh come on Darlin', you're using my own tricks against me now?' he laughed.
Gail watched curiously as Lucas appeared to be blocked from coming any closer to her, then the color of his eyes changed and she could sense something moving beneath his skin. 'I don't need your parlor tricks heathen' she spat out in a voice unlike her own.
Lucas' smile disappeared and he felt his twin rejoin him, something had changed in his love and he could sense her darkness close to the surface. This had been what he had wanted, to see her true self completely; however, something in his property appeared to be helping her and he needed to regain control of this situation if he was to turn it in his favor. 'If you're so much purer and better than I am, why are you hiding? Is it because you're scared of me?...Being a fragile woman, I suppose I can't blame you for being afraid' he goaded.
Gail took a step forward to challenge his comments, then stopped. She spotted Gideon out of the corner of her eye and caught sight of a silhouette towards the back of the property. She felt something dark within her itching to be released to challenge Lucas' ego; however, she was still fully in control of herself and she was smarter than to fall for his bait. Gail stood tall and focused her mind, after a moment she shot him a cunning smile then turned and ran towards the back of the property.
Lucas watched as she retreated to the place he had warned her to keep out of on numerous occasions, the barrier was still preventing him from following her; therefore, he walked towards his house calmly and entered his domain. He smiled to himself as he walked down the long hallways towards the back of the house, he felt like he was stalking his prey and it brought out an excitement that he had not felt in a long time.
Suddenly his subconscious made him stop and turn to his right, it was the corridor he had seen in his dream and he felt drawn to the room at the end. He now had a choice, did he allow Gail more time to get the upper hand in this little game or did he did he follow his instincts and go to the room? 'Aww hell' he sighed in frustration and started walking towards the room, his love would just have to wait a little longer for his arrival.
-To be continued-