Gail felt something soft brush against the inside of her thigh and stirred slightly, the warm sun tried to penetrate her eyelids but she closed them tight to keep it out, not ready wake up just yet as she was having the most wonderful dream. A sudden sense of deja vu hit her and she dodged to her left, narrowly missing the mischievous teeth coming for her neck, then let out a loud laugh when her Husband face planted her pillow.
Lucas lay head down on the pillow for a moment, dazed by the quick motion, then pushed himself up slowly and stared at his laughing Wife unamused.
'Well, you will repeat previous offenses so carelessly Soulmate. How very lazy of the prestigious Lucas Buck' Gail scolded sarcastically, tutting mockingly when he shot her a wounded look.
'Well I'm truly hurt...to hear you attack my reputation so harshly when all I've ever done is love you' Lucas feigned offensive, turning from her to drill the point in further.
'Love? You're kidding right? All you've ever done is strand me here in this blackhole of damnation and ruin my life beyond repair' Gail laughed in disbelief of his ability to say those words with a straight face.
Lucas contemplated her comment for a moment, then just shrugged. 'What can I say, at least it's never borin' in our little blackhole of damnation' he smirked, then grabbed her hips before she realised he had changed tactics and dragged her down, allowing himself to climb on top of her and pin her securely.
'Hey...no! We had a little too much excitement here before the kids came back, my body won't take anymore of your antics!' Gail exclaimed, trying to muster up all of her strength to push him off and failing miserably.
'Oh don't be so dramatic, you make it sound like I'm the only one who benefitted from those antics. If I recall correctly, you pleaded very convincingly more than once for me not to stop Love' Lucas whispered into her ear, amused at her failed attempt to break free of his grasp and parted her knees effortlessly with his legs.
Gail opened her mouth to protest his recollection of events, then remembered what transpired in her drunken state yesterday and stared moodily at him for pointing out her weakness.
Lucas laughed as her expression shifted to one of irritation, then leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her pouty lips, smiling when she couldn't help but open her mouth and tease his tongue with hers.
Gail couldn't continue her façade and kissed him passionately when his lips met hers. She could never resist him, although she needed to check on her children after their prolonged departure yesterday she couldn't push down her urge to be taken by him.
'Just like your continuous attempt to withhold your climax, you know you'll always give in eventually' Lucas whispered smugly, running his nose over hers before releasing her arms and moving down between her legs.
'If I was so easily unravelled, you'd grow bored of me Master Buck' Gail responded, knowing there were still some aspects of her that he saw as a challenge and how much he enjoyed trying to break her.
Lucas let out a small laugh and nodded in agreement, then stroked her sweet spot teasingly for a moment before leaning fully in and devouring her.
Gail jammed her fist in her mouth to stifle her loud moan, sensing the children were starting to stir in the cabin beside there's and braced herself for whatever Lucas had planned before he allowed her to go to them.
Emily sat up straight on the hard mattress and wiped away the sweat pouring down her forehead. She glanced at the other children in the large living room the adults had turned into a sleeping area for all of the kids, and shook her head at how soundly everyone else was sleeping.
When they returned and found their parents giddily dancing around the camp fire, they had quickly said their goodnights and headed to their cabin to avoid any unwelcome questions. That had been Caleb's idea and they'd all followed his lead like a herd of sheep; however, Emily couldn't shake the uneasy feeling she had that something was very wrong.
'There's only somethin' wrong if you make it wrong...Just close your eyes and get some sleep like the rest of us' Caleb said quietly from his bed, not bothering to open his eyes to address her.
Emily shook her head defiantly, unable to sleep at all last night and knowing her unease wouldn't let her rest. She got out of bed quickly, grabbed her bag and rushed to the front door before Caleb had a chance to reach for her. Something wasn't right, she had no reason not to trust her instincts and the look in Caleb's eyes when he realised she was too far ahead of him to catch made her rush out the door more urgently.
'Woah there Missy, where's the fire?' Lucas asked sarcastically, grabbing Emily's arms subconsciously as she barged into him and amused by the shock on her face. He glanced over her shoulder curiously to see Caleb rushing towards them in his pyjama's, and tightened his grip when the girl tried to pull free.
'The fire will be in your car with you in it if you don't unhand that poor girl promptly' Gail said dryly, leaving her cabin before she was fully dressed when she sensed fear out of nowhere and unimpressed at the position her Husband was currently in.
Caleb sneaked up behind Lucas and whispered in his ear discreetly. 'You don't want them two talkin' alone right now' he warned, sensing Emily's conflicted feelings about keeping yesterday secret from their parent's.
Lucas exhaled deeply in irritation at his Son's inability to control his people, then put on a charming smile for his Wife. 'This here frenzied damsel in distress ran out into my arms Love, should I have just let her bounce off me and fall?' he asked, feigning innocence and ensuring her attention remained firmly on him.
Gail's mouth dropped open in disbelief of his stance, then she sensed Caleb crouching behind Lucas and realised something had happened. 'Oh, well if the poor dear was in such a unstable state that she couldn't stand up on her own, of course you were right to hold her in place so strongly. How valiant of you to come to the rescue of such an incapable girl Sheriff' she responded sweetly, feigning naivety and not letting on that she knew Caleb was present.
A small smile crossed over Lucas' lips and he tightened his grip on the girls shoulders again. He knew his children had done something yesterday, and he applauded Caleb's intelligence for taking advantage of the other adults intoxicated circumstances to enable them to brush off their clearly productive outing; however, his boy appeared to lack the skills to keep his people in line and this situation would cause Gail to dig into their children's activities if not handled appropriately.
Gail held his gaze and tried desperately to read his thoughts; however, Lucas' guard was firmly up. When his smug smile grew wider, clearly knowing she was unsuccessfully trying to penetrate his defensives, she let out a frustrated laugh and looked up at the sky, resigning herself to being the one to break the stare off. 'Soulmate, I know you're aware how much I hate these little excursions and I know you realise how much enjoyment I actually managed to have yesterday, surprising myself in fact. So, I'm sure you're not seriously about to allow some childish shenanigans to dampen this outing when it's actually been a success so far' she advised, then held her hand out to Emily and waited for her Husband to use his brain.
Lucas remained unmoved while he considered his options, weighing up the pros and cons of siding solely with Caleb on this one. He knew Gail sensed the boy's presence, Caleb couldn't hide from her in this close vicinity and he had to decide whether this one incident was worth ruining their vacation.
Gail continued to hold out her hand expectantly, not taking her eyes off of Lucas. Clearly there was something big he was trying to protect Caleb from and she cursed herself for being so drunk last night to notice anything untoward with the children.
'Remember this vacation ain't just about the both of us Love' Lucas said finally, regarding her closely.
Gail shook her head in disbelief, then let out a long sigh. 'If I hadn't remembered that Soulmate I'd have ripped your hands clean off that girl well before now' she smiled sweetly, her look becoming more intense the longer he left her waiting. 'Do you trust me?' she asked calmly.
'Depends' Lucas responded flatly, continuing to consider the options, then inhaled deeply and released Emily's shoulders so she could run to the safety of Gail.
'Dang it!' Caleb cursed annoyed, then realised he had openly given away his position and skulked back behind his Father.
Emily threw her arms around Gail and held on tight, relief surging through her at being away from the Sheriff. She had sensed something dark when he held her and she didn't know what would've happened if Gail hadn't come out.
'Oh dearie me, you really are frenzied aren't you?' Gail said in her most disarming tone, putting her finger on Emily's lips to silence her protests and stroked her head tenderly. 'Sweetie he told you, he was so worried about you being unsteady on your feet that he didn't want to let go and risk you hurting yourself'
'But I was steady, I was! Gail, at the boat-' Emily started quickly.
'Poor thing-' Gail interrupted in a stern but sweet tone, shooting Lucas a look of irritation. '-I bet being in such a secluded place has given you a nightmare or two which has caused you to see demon's were there's none. It's a good job we have the Sheriff here to keep us safe, he'll dispel all those nasty demons and make sure you're a good calm girl for your Father and Mary...we wouldn't want to bother them with a silly nightmare now would we?' she whispered soothingly, then placed a soft kiss on Emily's forehead and took her into their cabin to reassure her.
Lucas stared at his Wife curiously, intrigued at her choice to play down the girls fear without hesitation even though she clearly sensed something had happened. He had expected some push back knowing how her pursuit of the truth usually clouded her judgement; however, it seemed she really could be trusted in this instance.
'What's goin' on? Why's she talkin' like that?' Caleb asked confused, expecting Gail to interrogate Emily straight away then come for him.
'Sheer unwavering loyalty Son, when you have it there ain't nothin' more desirable' Lucas smiled, his craving for his Wife increasing as he sensed her continuing to talk the girl down in privacy, so not to impact their family vacation.
Caleb stared at his parent's cabin moodily, he could've convinced Emily to his side if he had reached her first.
Lucas could not contain his laughter at the boy's incorrect assumption, Caleb usually hid his inexperience better than this. When he saw his Son's hurt look, Lucas put a strong arm around his shoulders and started to lead him back to the children's cabin. 'I'm proud of you Son, even if you did underestimate that girls ability to trust you' he advised, making a mental note to instil some wisdom into the boy to help him control his people more effectively in the future.
Caleb sensed his thought and shook his head in disbelief. 'You ain't the one that's controllin' my person right now are you?' he challenged, not appreciating his Fathers lack of belief in him.
'Son, part of bein' successful is trustin' in the skills of others to bend situations in your favour...You see me havin' to waste my mornin' motherin' that confused girl?' Lucas asked.
'Well. no-'
'Of course not, why would I stoop to such tedious level when my person is much more convincin' in her performance? You may not agree with some of her behaviours of late, as shown by your continued judgement of her actions last month, but she's taken one for the team without bein' asked and sacrificed her morals for you' Lucas advised, knowing Gail wouldn't be happy that she was stuck coaching a child that wasn't hers over something she wasn't involved in.
Caleb thought for a moment, then nodded his understanding. He supposed he had judged Gail unfairly for her previous actions; however, that was just because he held her to a higher moral standard than his Father.
'Be thankful that she has your back even when her morals call otherwise Son, life could be much more taxin' if she wasn't as committed to our family as she is' Lucas said, remembering how incessant her digging was when she first returned to Trinity.
'You're right, I'll ease up on her some' Caleb sighed, then closed his eyes when he heard the familiar screams of his siblings who had finally awoken.
Lucas pushed Caleb towards the cabin and turned around, amused by Caleb's irritation at his siblings excitement.
Caleb stared at his Father in confusion as he began walking in the opposite direction, and went to follow him.
'Woah there cowboy, I've got the unfortunate job of dealin' with your Mother when she manages to break away from your problem in there. That means you get the job of dealin' with your siblings while I come up with a suitable reason for why we've put her in that position' Lucas advised sternly.
Caleb's mouth dropped open to protest, then he spotted the look of warning in his Fathers eyes and let out a loud frustrated sigh.
'You enjoy the rabble now Son, I'm sure they'll be very calm after your apparent uneventful outin' yesterday' Lucas smirked knowingly, then laughed at Caleb's moodiness and left him to find Billy so he could have some fun before having to deal with his Wife's inevitable bad mood.
-The End-