Lucas sat in the back of car with his wife, staring suspiciously out of the window as Ben drove them through the busy town centre. He had expected the last task he was required to endure to be dragged into Mary's house for a short while to at least show his face to the high standing members of their community before being allowed to return home; however, it appeared that his wife had been serious when she arranged for Billy and Merlyn to take on their roles and the children had just been dropped off after Gail had a quiet word with Caleb.
Gail had not spoken much when the children left, she had made pleasantries to Ben and Rita who were sat up front; however, she had not indicated where they were going. Lucas was not complaining, although this day had been a tedious test of his patience he was quietly intrigued as to what his wife had planned now that it was just going to be the two of them.
'Here's fine' Gail told Ben, then nodded their thanks to him when Lucas exited the car without saying a word and opened her door gentlemanly for her.
'Mrs Buck' Lucas said smoothly, holding out his hand courteously to help her out of the car then placed her hand securely around his arm, smiling appreciatively as he admired her costume again.
'Who would've thought you'd have a thing for Morticia Adams' Gail laughed when she spotted the desire in his eyes as he took in the long tight dress which was clinging flatteringly to her curves.
Lucas reached over and tangled a strand of her long straight hair in is fingers, then licked his lips seductively when he heard her let out a discreet moan when he tugged on her hair gently. 'Had you have given me a heads up I would've made more of an effort and got Abe to muster up a Gomez costume, that way there'd be no question of who you're best suited to right now'
Gail bit her bottom lip teasingly when she looked him up and down, taking in how well he pulled off his usual phantom costume. 'Oh I don't think there's any doubt who I belong to Soulmate, in fact I think it's very clear to any onlookers what I wanna do to you right now' she advised, grabbing his deep red shirt with her free hand and pulling him to her forcefully.
'Now now Mrs Buck, I do believe we have one last task before I have you all to myself, or is this little stroll down the pier just to show my townspeople what they can't have' Lucas whispered in her ear, gently pushing her back to his side and continuing on down the populated pier, suspecting there was a reason for this detour.
Gail let out a moody huff, then regained her composure and remembered why she had requested Ben to bring them here. She had planned something completely different for the end of the celebration; however, she could not shake the smell of the cheap perfume which had invaded her senses last night and she suspected part of her husbands rage today had been having to be tied up with their children, rather than focussing on his own plans.
'What did you do?' Lucas asked curiously, sensing her darkness stirring.
'Oh I haven't done anything, it's you I suspect who needs to do something' Gail responded mischievously, then nodded up the pier and smiled when Lucas finally became fully aware of their surroundings.
Mandy walked casually down the pier with her husband, taking in the beautiful decorations which lit every stall. She never bought into it the festivities, and the only reason she was here with her husband now was because they had been able to leave their children in one of the costume parties to enjoy some free drinks, courtesy of the Buck family.
Mandy found herself starting to resent that family, sure the Sheriff had assisted her when she had partied a little too hard in college and got caught with a lethal amount of drugs; however, he helped her out of choice and he could have easily said no. It was not fair that she had been expected to go against everything she believed in to sabotage Andy, he had never done anything to hurt her and she resented the fact that she was made to feel scared about doing the right thing for saying no. It was not right that Hectors place of work had been targeted, or that the Sheriff's wife refused to hear her out when she had genuinely asked for help. She was treated as though she was not good enough to even be in the presence of the prestigious woman, and being forced to feel that way made her angry.
'Prestigious, is that really how I'm perceived?' Gail asked Lucas in disbelief, reaching for the shot of whiskey being offered to her by server in the stall behind Mandy and nodding her appreciation before downing it without hesitation.
'Ravenous is more accurate, but I do believe you give off a certain kind of distinguished persona Love' Lucas responded, shooting her a disapproving look when she downed her drink without waiting for him to get his.
Mandy froze when she heard the voices, and forced a smile for Hector when he glanced down at her confused. Hector gave his wife a gentle pull, then turned towards the Sheriff knowing better than to ignore his presence. 'Evenin' Sheriff, I didn't expect you to be around us rabble tonight. Happy birthday' he congratulated, and offered his hand courteously for a shake.
Lucas sensed Mandy's discomfort instantly and took Hectors hand, smiling at the well wishes. 'Well friend, truth be told I'd rather be down here with the rabble enjoyin' life than performin' for the higher ups...How are you doin' after that unfortunate incident last night? You're lucky you got outta there before the whole place went up' he said in his most sincere voice.
Gail forced her laughter down at how easily Hector was falling for Lucas' charm, the man's face lit up at the sheer indication of her husband actually caring about his existence. Mandy on the other hand had not moved since they interjected themselves into her space. Good, it would make her think twice the next time she decided to force her way into someone's path again.
'Awww hell Sheriff, it was awful but I managed to get out just in time. It's a shame Molly was so stupid, I don't know whether Jake will keep her on after the stunt she pulled. I mean who drops a lit cigarette around a gas pump?' Hector asked in disbelief.
'Molly? She ain't that stupid' Mandy spoke up finally, not believing the girl who had worked at the gas station for over 5 years was naïve enough to do such a foolish action.
'Oh don't you worry about Molly, she understands the error of her ways and I had a little word with Jake on her behalf so there's no harm done' Gail interjected before Lucas had a chance to respond, smiling when she spotted the look of anger on Mandy's face.
'You helped Molly just like that?' Mandy asked furiously.
'Of course, why wouldn't I help out a woman in need? We girls have to stick together. You know, kind of like when you do a little experimenting in college with your best girl friend and things go too far. You don't just pin it on your friend, especially when said friend isn't strong enough to take the sentence and hangs herself to get away from the pain, you go down together' Gail smiled sweetly, ignoring Lucas' tight grip on her hip when she let slip that she had figured out the reason for their deal.
Mandy's eyes grew wide and she stared at the Sheriff accusingly, not believing he had told his Reporter wife about what she had done.
'Oh come on, why do people always assume I need you to get a scoop?' Gail asked Lucas in disbelief of Mandy's thought, resenting the insinuation that she required her husband to betray people's trust just to get some information about fools who don't concern her.
'Now Love, I don't think poor Hector needs to be bothered with any of this right now. The man survived a traumatic incident and deserves all the alcohol we're offerin' tonight to wash it away' Lucas took control of the situation and gently pushed Gail past the couple, also not impressed that she had found out about what he had agreed to help Mandy with.
'You enjoy your night Sheriff!' Hector called happily as the server offered him two shots of whiskey, oblivious to what had just transpired with his wife and the couple.
Lucas smiled and waved his thanks at Hector, then turned his attention back to his wife as they continued to walk down the pier. 'Although I appreciate your attempt to assist me in markin' a task off my list, I've told you before that I don't want you involved in this type of business' he scolded, placing a soft kiss on Gail's cheek to show that he wasn't completely mad at her.
Gail glanced up at Lucas and let out an amused laugh. 'Firstly, that woman undressing in front of you then interrupting me at my place of work could make it my business. Secondly, you're not the only one with a task that had to be pushed aside due to your big day, and I'm sure you'd prefer we merge our respective tasks rather than causing delays which keep you from being able to rip this dress off of me with your teeth' she responded teasingly, spotting her target walking up the pier and smiling mischievously.
Lucas was not impressed with his wife's attention being taken from him and followed her eyeline to the guilty party. When he spotted a man with a bandage covering half of his face, he realised what she had pulled Caleb to one side for and could not contain his laughter. Lucas recognised Harvey Thomas from the last Sheriff's election and remembered how Harvey had voted against him, due to the liberties Lucas took with the man's now wife when she got bored of Harvey's company on their prom night over a decade ago. He sensed Harvey was the science teacher who had provoked Luke yesterday not expecting any retaliation and the man who had also unwisely given Caleb the cigarette. This was not going to be Harvey's lucky day now that he was on his wife's radar.
'Who could be stupid enough to torment our youngest boy, then give a cigarette to our eldest? I mean, you've got to be a certain kind of special to believe you'll get away with that' Gail pondered to herself curiously, truly wondering what would possess someone to be so unwise.
'A joint venture huh? You really do know how to surprise me' he smiled happily, then pulled her to him and began kissing her passionately.
Gail allowed Lucas to control her for a moment then dragged him into the shadows at the side of an empty stall, ignoring his anger at being interrupted. 'As much as I love your taste, we could do without all eyes being on us right now' she explained, wanting nothing more than to allow him to take her right now; however, knowing their window of opportunity for both targets was diminishing.
Lucas admired her ability to control him and bring him back to the task at hand.
'Oh there's no controlling from me Master Buck, I expect you to drive that lesson home when we can finally get away from these reprobates to have our real fun' Gail smiled mischievously and lay back into his chest when he wrapped his arms around her.
Lucas considered for a moment, sensing her willingness to allow him to take point and a devilish grin formed on his lips when he thought back to what she had made him endure a week ago. He closed his eyes slowly and pictured the image clearly in his mind, then allowed his twin to be released to help it take form.
Gail smiled fondly as she sensed his twin circling them, then closed her eyes and released her darkness to allow them to play together when the opportunity inevitably arose for her to be of assistance. Lucas kept his mind shielded so she had no idea what he was up to, and she was curious as to how this situation was going to play out.
Mandy glanced over her shoulder to make sure the Sheriff and his wife were not following them, unable to shake her unease at the meeting. She knew the stories of Lucas Buck and had expected a full retaliation by now; however, they were nowhere to be found and she appeared to be left with Hector while the pier slowly began emptying of people.
'God damn it girl, will you shake off those jitters and enjoy the free booze, you're really killin' my buzz here' Hector ordered, not understanding why she was so on edge.
Mandy took in a deep breath and forced herself to relax. He was right, they were child free and it was not often they got to drink the good stuff which was being offered tonight. She gave off a small laugh at her own paranoia, of course the Sheriff would not really bother them tonight, it was his birthday after all and he had much more important things to be doing.
The sound of a small trumpet caught her ear suddenly. She glanced to her left and found no one close beside her, so she kept strolling casually with her husband. When the sound of the trumpet became louder, she could not help but turn around fully and her eyes grew wide at the sight of the clown standing not far from her position behind her, staring at her hungrily and baring his sharp fangs at her.
'Come on girl, it's only a silly clown...it is Halloween after all' came Hectors voice from her right; however, when Mandy turned to address her husband he was replaced with a small girl in a clown dress with black eyes, holding a knife at her side and smiling devilishly at her.
Mandy let out a loud scream and ran back down the pier, desperately trying to reach other people. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw the girl sprinting towards her waving the knife maliciously. Mandy screamed again as she ran straight into the original clown and shoved him hard over the pier rail.
Gail smiled appreciatively at the villain her husband chose to use, as Bunsen burner man returned to his true form when Lucas's darkness pulled back and he toppled over the side, splashing awkwardly into the Trinity river for Rosemary to claim.
Mandy watched as the original clown disappeared from her eyes and she saw the man with a bandaged face frantically trying to stay afloat in the river due to her actions. When she turned around, she saw Hector closing in on her position panting and she let out a relieved sigh.
'What did you do girl!' Hector exclaimed as he grabbed her, then a small face popped up over his shoulder and morphed into the little devilish clown girl. Before Mandy could think, she pushed her husband hard to keep the little clown girl away from her and her mouth dropped open when Hector went tumbling over the rail. She rushed to look down in the river and saw Hectors screaming body with the other man, then they were both dragged down to the depths of the river and Hectors screams stopped.
Mandy stood still for a moment trying to make sense of what she had just witnessed, then she collapsed onto the floor and began laughing hysterically when she realised that she had just murdered her husband and a stranger.
'And you said you didn't like it when I dragged you to see the Terrifier trilogy last week!' Gail exclaimed when the tasks were finally completed, truly surprised at the direction he had chosen to go.
'It's not that I didn't like it Love, I said it was a bit heavy handed even for my lineage...That devilish girl of yours was a treat, just the extra amount of sugar needed to really crack that little bird' Lucas commended, taking his hand in hers and kissing it tenderly before he led her around the back of the stall and out of the area discreetly.
'I knew you'd appreciated her, after all the only thing worth than one murderous clown is a murderous child one' Gail advised amused, then she heard Mandy howling in the distance and her mind went to her family. 'Will their children be ok Lucas?' she asked, suddenly concerned over what she had allowed to transpire.
'Assisted Darlin', not allowed and yes, you know I don't abandon my townspeople in need' Lucas reassured her, not wanting her conscience to take hold and decided to take her mind off that subject. 'If you had to make a choice between you or me, what way would you go?' he asked curiously, wondering about the choice Mandy had made when confronted with the horror in the end.
Gail contemplated the question for a moment and linked her arm in his affectionately, playing out the scenario in her mind. 'Hmmm, I think I'd choose the third option if I'm honest' she responded finally.
'Either both or none? That's where I settle too Darlin'' Lucas nodded proudly, knowing that he would either choose to save them both or take her and the clowns down with him.
'Great minds Soulmate. You can be assured that I wouldn't damn you alone in the river with the clown no matter how much you piss me off with your leniency of our boy's questionable behaviour' Gail laughed, then began routing in her purse for her mobile telephone to call for a ride home.
Lucas took the phone from her hand before she could dial and placed it in his pocket, continuing on down the dark path with her arm linked in his.
Gail narrowed her eyes at him confused, knowing that he had been dying to get her home to work off his annoyance of how much she had brought attention to his birthday today.
'Oh there's plenty of ways to work off my annoyance Love and I do believe the night has only just begun' Lucas smiled devilishly feeling energised at what they had just done together, then kissed her passionately before dragging her down to Jimmy's Bar at the end of the pier to carry on the celebration and take advantage of a night without their children.
-The End-