Virtual American Gothic - Second Season Episode Ten Err Apparent by Rosebuck ********************************************* NOT TO BE ARCHIVED TO A WEB PAGE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PRIOR CONSENT. Special Guest Stars: Lily Samson..................Claire Danes Francine Kravitz...........Ellen Wheeler Joe................................Michael Dorn Coach Bellomo.............Mitch Peleggi Jim, the Bailiff..............Ron Canada Nurse............................Aida Torturo ********************************************* Teaser Caleb Temple is sitting on the porch steps of the boarding house, moping. Voices can be heard from inside, but the words are indistinguishable. His friend, Boone, joins Caleb. "What's up?" Boone asks. "Lily had to go," Caleb answers. "Mrs. Kravitz from Child Welfare showed up. She's inside, asking Ms. Holt all sorts of questions. It ain't fair." Boone nods. "Sheriff Buck sent the Kravitz lady, I just know it. How else did she know about Lily?" Caleb adds with bitter suspicion. Boone frowns, puzzled, "Well, that's his job, ain't it?" Caleb ignores the irrelevant. "You liked her a lot, didn't you?" Boone observes. "She didn't seem so special to me." "You only met her that one time. And she is special. She's funny, and smart, and...and...special," Caleb insists. Boone shrugs, "If you say so." Caleb turns to his friend, earnestly, "She made me laugh. And I forgot I was the Temple freak when I was with her." "You ain't no freak!" offended. Caleb lowers his head, "I'm the kid who's cursed." He pulls at a string on the cuff of his jeans. "Lily didn't care who my daddy was, or what happened to my folks. She just cared about me. She treated me like I was as normal as everybody else. And I felt, I don't know, safe, when I was with her. Even though she said she couldn't protect me, I had to protect myself." A thought occurs to Caleb and he misses what Boone says next. "I guess she was pretty funny," Boone admits. "She was awful silly, but that was cool somehow." To himself, Caleb says aloud, "I guess I do have to protect myself." Dwarfed by the tall brick wall, Lily Samson stands in front of Juniper House Sanitarium. She mutters, "I must be crazy." Pulling her backpack more securely on her shoulder, she jogs along the side of the wall. She turns the corner and spots an ancient live oak. Its broad limbs are inviting to anyone young and spirited. Without a second's thought, Lily is up its trunk, and moving along a wide limb that hangs over the wall. It starts to bend under her weight, but being optimistic, she ignores the obvious and continues. A sharp cracking sound precedes an even sharper fall. She tries to stand, but she has twisted her ankle. Limping, she finds a clump of bushes to hide in. Scene I Deputy Ben Healy is home getting ready for work. He straps on his gun, and reaches for his badge, when there is a knock at the door. He answers it. Selena Coombs stands on the other side, prim and proper, ready for another day at school. Ben suspiciously asks, "What do you want?" "I came to thank you," Selena sweetly replies. "And to give you something." Ben looks her over before shaking his head, "That wasn't why I helped you." Selena slinks forward, pressing her body against his. "I want to give you a chance. A chance to be more than Lucas will ever let you be, a chance to be alive next week. Lucas doesn't forgive. I know. The only way to protect yourself is to join Kane and myself. Together we can bring Lucas down," she whispers in his ear. Ben backs away, appalled. "No way, Selena, no how. I won't go against Lucas. He knows why I couldn't let you go to prison for Billy's murder. He'll understand." "Loyal to the end, Ben? I was loyal to Lucas. I did EVERYTHING he asked of me. That didn't stop him from having Gail, and getting her pregnant. I never would have looked at Billy, if Lucas hadn't already betrayed me. And you know it." Ben looks away. "Keep in mind how Lucas rewarded my loyalty." She turns to go, but stops at the door to add, "You know where to find me." Ben shuts the door after her. He leans against it, his breath ragged. Scene II Caleb and Boone are walking home from school. "It was nice having Miss Coombs back," notes Boone. "That sub just wasn't the same." "No one's the same as Miss Coombs," remarks Caleb. Boone solemnly nods agreement. Caleb blinks, and Lucas Buck is leaning against a tree trunk. "Afternoon boys," cheerily, "it's a mighty fine day." Caleb scowls. "It would be a better day if Lily was here." "Did she skip out on you? I guess that makes sense, she was a drifter. A vagabond. Miss Coombs teach you that word, yet?" Fiercely, Caleb retorts, "You took Lily away from me. There ain't no use denyin' it, 'cause I know." He does something no one else would dare; he turns his back on Lucas Buck. Lucas watches the two boys stalk away, a sour expression on his face. "Seems the little vagabond vamoosed none too soon," he observes under his breath. Scene III Ben sits at his desk, filling out paperwork. As Lucas Buck enters, Ben breaks his pencil. Giving Lucas a sidelong glance, he pulls out a fresh one from his drawer. Lucas crosses the room without taking his eyes off Ben. "Floyd, you check on that sighting we had reported this morning?" Ben shifts in his chair. "Aw, Lucas, everybody knows Elvis ain't here in Trinity." Lucas pours himself a cup of coffee, still watching Ben. "You sure about that, Floyd? Miss Priscilla seemed awfully positive about those blue suede shoes." Floyd scratches his head, not sure if he should take Lucas seriously. He decides that discretion is the better part of valor, and whatever else is true, Lucas likes his orders followed. He retreats. Ben breaks another pencil. Abruptly, Lucas is at Ben's side. He puts another paper on Ben's stack, without saying a word. Ben breaks his third pencil. Lucas is on Ben's other side, drinking his coffee. He passes behind Ben. Ben tries to shake his nervousness, but fails. His fourth pencil follows the fate of the others. Ben goes into his drawer, but it's empty. Sighing, he pulls out his penknife and begins sharpening the longest pencil end. Lucas is suddenly there, silently pushing over a wastebasket with his foot to catch the shavings. Ben jumps; the knife slides under his skin. Blood spurts out, staining his shirt right over his heart. His hands tremble as he tries to stop the bleeding. Lucas hands him a handkerchief. "Go get yourself looked at," Lucas commands. Scene IV At the hospital, Rita rushes over to Ben's side when she spots the blood. "I just cut my hand, that's all, nothing serious." "How'd this happen?" Rita leads him over to a room where she can examine him. "Just a dumb mistake." Selena's voice whispers in his ear, KEEP IN MIND HOW LUCAS REWARDED MY LOYALTY. He shifts, uncomfortably. "Hold still," Rita commands. She prepares her sutures . "I'm sorry about canceling out on you last night. Ouch!" She smiles, but her attention is on her work, so her voice is distracted. "That's all right, I understand. You had a big day, yesterday." "I DID everything HE ASKED OF ME. Ben sighs, "Lucas doesn't see it that way. That's a big needle, Rita." Rita looks up. "Why is it you men are always such babies? There, I'm finished." "Could we take a rain check?" "I certainly hope so. I'm off work early tomorrow night." Ben nods and smiles. "Tomorrow night. Sounds good. I'll pick you up." Rita straightens his shirt collar for him. "Just be there, OK?" Scene V LOYAL TO THE END, BEN? I WAS LOYAL TO LUCAS, Selena's sultry voice taunts Ben as he pulls out the keys to his apartment. He gives himself a little shake, as if that will somehow release her hold, and opens his door. Selena reclines on his sofa, her shapely ankles wrapped around the lone throw pillow, her curvaceous figure barely covered by a red silk slipdress. Ben swallows visibly. Scene VI Dr. Matt Crower looks up at the blue sky, and feels the rays of the sun for the first time in months. His attendant, Joe, takes him by the arm and leads him onto the grounds of Juniper House. "This is a red-letter day for you, isn't it? Coming outside for the first time. Now, you be a good boy today, Dr. Crower. Then you can do this again, sometime soon," Joe says. Matt blinks. The months inside, his mind besieged, have left him thin and tired, his ordeal etched on his face. He needs a minute to look around. Other patients wander the lawn and paths, or make use of the cast iron chairs and benches. Not too far from Matt, a plain young woman sits on the grass, a ring of plucked flowers surrounding her. She knits a sky blue sweater. It takes a moment for Matt to register that the clashing black design across the sweater's chest is a resting crow. "That's a very sick woman," he tells Joe. Joe chuckles. "You pegged that one, Doc." Joe leads him down a path. At its end, near the wall, he gently presses Matt down onto a chair placed near a picturesque clump of bushes. "You need to rest, Doc. Can't take this too fast." Matt acquiesces without complaint. Joe spots an attractive nurse and casually ambles over to her side. Matt leans back, this little jaunt taking more out of him then he had ever expected. His eyes fall to the ground. By his foot, he catches sight of a hand peeping out of the bushes. Not sure it is real, he grabs it and pulls. To his great surprise, it is followed by the upper half of a teenage girl. She stares at him with anger and frustration. Matt freezes. Her face is so like his own daughter's, that he momentarily forgets the discrepancy in age, and he believes his Claire is there in front of him. Time resumes and Claire's loss is renewed. He stumbles back in horror. "Begone foul spirit!" he cries. "Lucas!" he screams to the heavens, "this is your doing! Thou shalt not tempt! Thou shalt not tempt." Lily gasps and pulls away, crawling as far into the bushes as she can. Joe, and others, rush to Matt's side, as Lily uses whatever cover she can to get away. Her whole body is trembling in reaction. Joe gets an orderly to help him restrain Matt, and drag him back to the Sanitarium. It is slow going, between the violent fit Matt has succumb to, and the crowd of patients that have gathered to watch the show. Lily takes the opportunity to sneak inside the building. She limps badly, the pain increasing. All the doors she tries are locked. Voices approach, and at that moment, she finally locates an unlocked door. She scoots in. It is a plain room, with almost no furniture. The walls are a dull green, the paint stained in numerous places. There is a small, high, barred window. What interests Lily most is the simple unadorned bed. With a sigh of relief, she slides under it. Her relief is short-lived. Matt is brought in, struggling with all his indifferent might, still ranting. A nurse rushes in. Joe grabs a hypodermic from her, jabbing it into Matt's arm. A moment later, Matt collapses onto the bed. The room echoes with the firm closing of the door. Scene VII "Hard day at the office?" Selena murmurs. She stretches, catlike. Ben looks away. "Selena, I want you to leave," it comes out slightly higher-pitched than normal. "No you don't," she responds with confidence. His eyes stray back to her. "We've been through this already. Please go." She removes herself from the sofa, and Ben finds himself with an armful. "After this morning, I decided that this was what you really wanted. I pay my debts," she breathes in his ear, "with interest." Ben lets out a little laugh that has nothing to do with amusement, and replies, "I'm sure you do. But, as memorable as the last time was, I'm not going there this time. It'll only get me into even more trouble." "Trouble can be fun. With me." "I know that." He disengages her arms. "Listen, Selena, another time, it would be a different story, but I've done enough to upset Lucas." She reaches down and brings up a drink, ready and waiting. "Shush," she commands. "There's no turning back, so you might as well enjoy the ride." Absentmindedly, Ben gulps down the drink, looking at the empty glass with surprise afterwards. He wets his lips, only to find hers millimeters from his. With a breath, he is kissing her. He moans. She releases his mouth, a smile gracing hers. "My hero. You're good at what you do, Ben. You would make a much better sheriff than Lucas." He half-smiles in response, "I wouldn't mind being called 'Sheriff Healy'," he admits. Selena slides up to his ear, her tongue briefly tracing it. Pure silk, "Sheriff Healy." Scene VII Caleb and Boone are walking near the school. Boone tags Caleb's arm. "Race ya to the shed," he offers, referring to the place that Coach Bellomo stores the school's sports equipment. Caleb grins. "Last one's there a rotten egg." Caleb takes the lead early, and stops just short of the shed's brick exterior. Boone trips and falls, lagging behind by several seconds. "As far as anyone will think, I'm just talking to you about one of the students," Mrs. Kravitz's voice says. Caleb peers around the corner, and sees his coach standing with the social worker interested in Lily. "It isn't safe," Coach Bellomo replies. Boone catches up, but Caleb puts his finger to his mouth to signal silence. Once again, Caleb peeks around the corner. Mrs. Kravitz hands Bellomo a note, smiles, and leaves. Bellomo quickly reads it, then tosses it into the dumpster on the far side of the shed. He picks up some rackets lying on the ground, and carries them back towards the school. He passes the boys. "Hey, what's up?" "Just cuttin' through." Caleb smiles easily. "Coach, are you having tryouts soon?" "Softball? Sorry Caleb, that was last Saturday. Boone should have told you, he made the team." "Softball's not my game, anyway. See ya." Coach Bellomo shrugs. "See you tomorrow for practice, Boone." "Yes, sir," Boone replies. As soon as he is gone, Boone turns to Caleb. "I told you about tryouts, besides, I didn't think you liked softball." Caleb shrugs. "It's OK. It's not what's important. I was just playing a little shell game." "Huh?" Caleb shakes his head and walks over to the dumpster. "Never mind, just help me get up here." "Why'd you want to get into the garbage for?" Boone clasps his hands for Caleb to step into, and gives him a lift. Caleb roots through the trash until he triumphantly holds up the crumpled note. "This is nuts," Boone observes, as Caleb hops down. Caleb smoothes out the note. It reads, "Tonight. 10:00. The gazebo by the river." He grins. Scene VIII Darkness descends on Trinity. A crow flies across the shadowed gardens at Juniper House, settling on the sill of Matt's window. Moonlight brightens the crow's wing as it peers through the bars. A weak bulb in an overhead lends the only other light to the room. Matt is immobile on the bed. His dinner lays untouched on the table beside him. A small pale hand rises from beneath the bed and cautiously steals a roll. In very little time, the hand reappears, groping for... "Gotcha!" Matt cries, holding Lily's wrist in a fearsome grip. "I've seen this hand before," hysterically. This time, when he pulls Lily out, he is prepared for her resemblance to his daughter. Lily yanks herself out of his grasp and backs into the corner. "Keep away from me!" Matt spots her limp and frowns. "You're hurt?" For a moment, a more familiar Doctor Matt returns, concern for another overriding his suspicions. He takes a step forward. "Stay away!" Lily commands. "I can protect myself, and it won't be pretty." His attention diverted, he demands, "Why are you here? Who are you?" "I just needed a place to hang. I wasn't going to bother anybody. You didn't need to freak out." "Lucas sent you?" his pitch rises. "Get a life." She speaks roughly, fear shaping her response. "Sorry. I guess that's a little hard in a place like this. Just for the record, Lucas Buck can go..." she stops herself, takes a deep breath, and tilts up her chin with her signature gesture. "I needed someplace safe, and this is one of the worst places I have EVER picked." Matt notices Lily favor her foot again. He rubs his eyes, lifting both hands up and back through his hair, causing it to stand on end, and lending him an even more unstable look. "You're some sort of trick," he accuses. "You're a trick with a hurt foot; but that's part of the trick, isn't it, to gain my sympathy. I'll fulfill my oath, but it doesn't mean I fall for it." Lily lets out a short laugh. "You really have those Spacecase Frequent Flyer Miles racked up, don't you?" "It may be hard to believe, but I'm a medical doctor. My name is Matt Crower." "Caleb's Doctor Matt?" she is truly perplexed. "How long you've been in here?" "You know Caleb Temple?" he looks a little wild-eyed again. "Whoa. Calm down." She watches him warily, but her body has begun to relax. "I just met him, but I consider him a friend. I don't make those easily. He seems to think the world of you. He didn't tell me what happened to you, though. Guess I know why now." She bites her lip. "I know you helped him when he needed it, when Buck was after him. I fell and twisted my ankle. It hurts like hell." Matt nods. He slowly approaches her, kneels beside her, and examines her foot. "It needs to be wrapped. I've got a couple towels I can use to do that. Or we can call an orderly." "No! Nobody can know I'm here." Cunningly, "Lucas Buck can't know I'm here." "You're hiding from Lucas?" All of Matt's doubts melt away. He suppresses the urge to reach out and hug her. "We'll save you from Lucas. We won't let Lucas get your soul." Lily blinks, unsure how to assess this. "Let's start with wrapping my ankle," she says calmly. Scene IX The same moon that lights the garden at Juniper House lies reflected in the waters of the river. The shadow of the gazebo's rails cut across the reflection. Within the gazebo's protection, Francine Kravitz and Coach Bellomo are locked in an embrace. Caleb watches, lying on his belly in the shadow of a tree. He is scowling. He lifts a camera to his eye. "Step into the light," he mutters. As if on cue, the couple breaks apart and starts to leave. Caleb bites his lip in disappointment. He hears Francine giggle. Her lover stops her and pulls her back into his arms, right under the glare of a park lamp. Caleb manages to get several clear shots. "Now that's more like it." Scene X Caleb rounds the corner of the street, the boarding house in sight. Lucas pushes himself away from his parked Crown Vic. "Awful late to be out on a school night, Caleb?" "I wanted some fresh air," Caleb replies, keeping the camera low and partially blocked by his leg. "But you're right, I'd best be getting inside." "Ms. Holt know you're out?" Caleb's mouth thins, he sighs, "No, sir." Lucas winks. "Then this will be our little secret. I sure don't want to see you getting into trouble with Ms. Holt." Caleb frowns. He waits a beat, and then asks, "Is it ever OK to do something you know is wrong, if the outcome will be something you know is really good?" Lucas smiles broadly. "Well, son, that's what's known as the ends justifying the means, and you can be sure as my name's Lucas Buck, that living by that principle will take you far in this world. The end is always more important then the means." Caleb's frown deepens. "I expect you'd say that." He scratches his head. "Which leaves me right back where I started from. 'Night, sheriff." "Good night, Caleb." Lucas watches, with a pleased smile, as Caleb disappears into the house. Scene XI Caleb sits on his bed, staring at his camera. "I know Merlyn wouldn't approve of what's inside you, no matter why I took those photos. The thing is, this is for Lily, and I'm just not sure what she'd think." He looks up, his eyes deliberately avoiding the mirror hanging on the wall. "It's just another shell game, Lily, that's all." Scene XII Matt kneels beside the bed, the early morning sun blazing his hair like a divine halo. He watches Lily sleep peacefully, but it is his wife and daughter that he sees. Hesitantly, he reaches out, but stops before touching Lily's fresh young face. "Are you a new way for Lucas to torture me?" he whispers. His voice awakens Lily, and she lifts her head, blinking. "Oh, it's you. Is it morning?" "A little before seven. Joe will be coming with breakfast soon." He watches her carefully. "Your name wouldn't be Claire, would it?" "No," she shakes her head. "It's Lily." He stares at her, and then laughs, unsteadily. She sits up, moving a little farther away from him. "Is that a problem?" "No." He smiles sadly. "I had a daughter named Claire. The resemblance is remarkable, except you're older. My wife's name was Lily. The coincidence is a little unnerving, to say the least." "OK. I can buy that. You used the past tense, are they both dead?" "Yes." She looks him squarely in the eye. "I'm not a ghost. So you don't have to freak again." He smiles. "I'll do my best not to, I promise." "Thanks for the help with my foot last night." "You're welcome. Why is Lucas after you, Lily?" "Why are you in here?" she deflects. He stands and begins to pace. "I tried to shoot Lucas Buck." "Don't people usually go to jail for things like that?" "That's not what Lucas wanted, Lucas wanted me to suffer in here. Lucas has his own form of justice." "So do you, if you tried to plug him," she notes. He turns back to her, his gaze intense. "I tried to stop the evil. Lucas is a demon. The devil's spawn." She matches his look with equal intensity, but calmly states, "He's a bully with a sense of style." He grasps her hands, squeezing hard. "You don't know. He murdered Caleb's sister, his mother, and God knows how many others. How can an innocent like you understand an evil like Lucas Buck?" "Innocent?" she snorts, pulling her hands away. "You've got the wrong girl. I've seen worse than Lucas Buck. Oh, he's a real number, all right, but the world is an ugly place. You either give in to the ugliness, or you create a little beauty of your own." She rubs her hands. "Like healing people." He looks down at her fingers turning pink. "I'm sorry." He frowns. "I never...here, let me." He reaches for her. She edges off the bed. "No thanks." Gingerly, she tests her foot, taking a few steps. She looks over at him, tilting her head to the side. "It feels a lot better this morning. You know, from where I stand, I'd say you do the doctor thing better than the avenging angel gig. I mean, look where it got you," she gestures at the room, "unless you LIKE basket-weaving." He stares at her for a moment. "They don't have basket-weaving." "That's good. I always figured it would send someone further over the edge." She walks around some more. "So you thought Lucas engineered my being here, because I look like your daughter? No offense, but are you really that important, stuck in here, for Lucas to go to all that trouble?" Matt laughs, not a gentle laugh or an average laugh, but a real full-blown belly-laugh; like the kind he shared with Claire and Lilly, before things got bad. "No, I guess not. Actually, Lucas ignored my existence for nearly a year, before I got in his way. If I hadn't interfered with his son, Lucas probably would never have noticed me." "So you see, I'm not the evil instrument of the Sheriff. Isn't there a bad song I should start singing?" She starts humming "I Shot the Sheriff, but I didn't..." Matt winces in play. He looks back, and finds himself caught by the brightness of Lily's smile. It warms his very soul. "So, it's just a coincidence that you're here?" "Or maybe, it's meant to be. Fate. Kismet," she suggests, soberly, "Bunk." Matt shakes his head, smiling. "You are a handful, Lily." "That's what my Dad always said." They are startled by the sound of a key in the lock. Lily is too far from the bed to scoot under it. She backs against the wall next to the door. Her eyes lock with Matt's, silently pleading with him. The door swings open, trapping her behind it. "Good to see you up, Doc. You look like hell, which is what you deserve," Joe says with a grin, as he pushes a loaded cart into the room. He hands Matt a tray. "Most of your privileges have been revoked. Major backstep, Doc, I'm sorry to say. But I think if you work hard, we can change somebody's mind. I told him that you had just a little too much excitement; we went a little too fast. You show him that I'm right, you and me are buds." Joe winks and backs the cart out again. He closes and locks the door. Lily breathes a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Somehow, you're gonna need to distract him, while I slip past him." Matt shakes his head, "Too risky." "I'm not staying here," she says firmly. "You're not my type." Matt's sad eyes watch her face. "I'm old enough to be your father." "Don't mean nothin'. Certainly hasn't stopped others before you." She looks at the tray he is still holding. He offers it to her. "I don't like to think about what that signifies." She shrugs. "Come on, we'll share." "What about your father, Lily?" He sits beside her on the bed, consuming little, intent on studying his new companion. Her hand strays to her dogtags. "A SCUD during the Persian Gulf War," she relates, pain surfacing. "As for my mom, she kicked me out of the house when the boyfriend that was hitting her, hit on me," Lily explains with a bitter smile. "I will never forgive her picking him over me. But I won't let it stop me from making a life for myself. A life worth living, you know?" "Maybe your mom regrets what she did?" "Doesn't matter, and it doesn't do me any good until she straightens out her own life. Meanwhile, I've got to live mine. I'm my own salvation. She's her own salvation." Lily looks deeply into his eyes. "Matt Crower is your salvation. That's how it works." "Once upon a time, I knew that," he whispers. Scene XIII Francine Kravitz walks up the steps of the boarding house porch. Caleb is on the watch for her, and comes out the front door. "Ms. Holt called, and said you wanted to talk to me about Lily." "Yes, ma'am." They sit on the porch swing. "I wanted to show you something." He gives her an envelope. Francine looks at pictures of herself and her lover. Her air of concern vanishes. "Where did you get these?" she asks angrily. "I took them. I haven't shown them to anyone, but I was thinking Sheriff Buck would know what to do with them." Francine pales, "No, you don't understand..." "I miss my friend, Lily. If Lily can come back for good, Lucas Buck will never see these." "I can't arrange that. She's a minor. You mustn't... Please. It would be worse than showing them to my husband." She sees the hard look on Caleb's face, and gives in. "I'll work something out." Caleb grins. "I knew it." Scene XIV Bright light surrounds Ben, picking out the gold highlights in his curly mane and long tail. Beside him, Floyd scratches at the straw sticking out of every opening of his uniform. Gail Emory stands silently on Floyd's other side, wrapped in a silver shroud, her skin and hair a glossy match. She clutches a pistol-shaped oil can. Selena approaches Ben, the sexiest wicked witch imaginable, her tight black dress revealing more cleavage than it covers. A black cat follows in her wake. She looks Ben in the eye, and breathes, "I'll get you, and your little..." her eyes stray down to his crutch, "too." Over her shoulder, Ben spots Lucas stepping out of the mist. Dressed in blue, Lucas wears glittery red boots. A crow perches on his shoulder. The bird caws as it spots the cat. "Pipe down, Toto." A gleeful gleam enters Lucas' eyes. "Ben, there ain't no place like Trinity." Ben wakes with a start. He rolls over to find Selena putting on her stockings on the other side of the bed. He blinks. She stretches her leg and smoothes the stocking. "You were wonderful, as usual." He rolls back and checks his clock. "Damn, I'm late." He rushes out of bed and realizes he is naked. He grabs a pillow to cover himself. Selena watches with amusement. He pulls on underwear, and searches frantically. "Where's my uniform?" Selena picks up a black vest and hands it to him. He stares at her for a moment, she gazes back innocently. He grabs the clothes she gives him and puts them on. There is another frantic search, this time for his gun. He finds a sheriff's star and pins it on, not noticing the difference from his own. "Where's my gun?" Selena shrugs. The doorbell rings. "Jesus." He scrambles to open the door, his eyes silently warning Selena to stay out of sight. "I just wanted to say thank you so much for the loan. And anything you need from me, anytime, you just ask," the strange man says with a mixture of respect and fear. "I think there's been some..." Ben stops himself as he pushes past the man. He is not at his apartment, but looks back up at a grand house. The lawn stretches out in front of him in manicured perfection. Sitting in the driveway is a brand spanking new Lincoln Continental. Selena comes up behind him and hands him the keys. "What the hell?" he says in shock. She kisses him on the cheek. "Shouldn't you be heading for the Sheriff's Department?" Reminded, he responds, "God, yes." He gets in the car. "It's in the same spot, isn't it?" he sarcastically inquires. He doesn't wait for an answer, peeling out of the drive. Selena looks around with pleasure. "Selena, honey, you have out-done yourself." Scene XV "Mornin', Sheriff," Floyd says with a smile. "Floyd?" Ben stops in front of the office door. In pretty gold letters he reads, "Ben Healy, Sheriff." He turns back to Floyd in confusion. Jim, the Bailiff, comes out of lock-up and spots Ben. "Brought that paperwork, Sheriff, everything's covered." Ben's mouth drops open. Jim leaves. "The prisoner wants to talk to you, Sheriff," Floyd tells him. Ben looks at the door again, and he smiles in disbelief. He traces his name with his finger. "My lord." Something changes, and he stands up straighter, an air of confidence attaches itself to him. He strides back into lock up and stops in front of a cell containing a teenager. "All right, Sheriff," grovels the kid, "I'm ready to deal." With a wide smile, Ben replies, "Then let's DO that." He swaggers back to the central office. "Floyd, get me an eclair." Floyd hustles to comply. Ben takes the pastry from his underling and enters his office. The office looks masculine and powerful, and yet there is something distinctly Ben about it. Without turning around, Ben stands in the middle of the room and closes his eyes. The door behind him shuts with a loud slam. Ben opens his eyes. "I'll have to work on that." Possessively, he trails his hand across his desk. He takes a deep breath, his eyes gleam with pleasure. He sits, props up his feet on the desk, and proceeds to enjoy his eclair with zest. He is licking the last of it off his fingers when Rita enters. She is obviously upset. "You win. I can't take any more." She slams a hospital file onto his desk. Slowly, he rises. He looks her over with the appreciation of a connoisseur. "I have been waiting for a moment like this," he admits, his voice a low purr. He brushes aside the hair on her shoulder, and she flinches. But her eyes follow him, trapped by his gaze. He hears her breath quicken, watches the slow flush enter her cheeks. He welcomes this power; delights in her fear that enhances it, her attraction that feeds it. "Maybe I want something more," he suggests. Drawn by his eyes, her mouth moves closer to his. She blinks, pulls away. "I hate you. If it weren't for you, my husband would be alive," she claims. But it is said without conviction. Within a heartbeat, her mouth has found his, her arms enfold him. Ben disengages himself with a triumphant smile. "That didn't feel like hate to me." He places his hand to her throat and squeezes, whispering, "Even with your dying breath, you wouldn't hate me." He releases her. Rita gasps and runs out. He follows, beaming satisfaction. Stopping at Floyd's desk, he leans over and asks, "Who am I, Floyd?" "Sheriff Healy, Sheriff." "Don't you forget that." He walks outside and surveys his sheriffdom. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. A woman with a stroller smiles and nods. The postman wishes him a cheery, "Good morning, Sheriff." Respect from all flows into him, a river of strength. All is right in the world. He has never felt better. ...A flash of light... Lucas walks by. "Shouldn't you be in uniform?" He gives Ben the once over. "Vests just aren't your style." Ben looks around to find everyone ignoring him. He goes inside and sees "Lucas Buck" on the office door. "Aw, hell." He stumbles back outside. Selena is across the street, leaning against her corvette. She smiles and blows him a kiss. The bile rises in his throat, and he just makes it to the side of the building to retch. Lucas leans against the door jamb, watching Ben vomit. The corner of his mouth quirks upward slightly. "You know what they say, be careful what you wish for." Lucas ambles over to Selena. "Thank you, darlin'. I can always count on you." Her smile vanishes, replaced by a venomous look. He catches her hand before it hits him, holding it up for her to see it trembling. She pulls away, tears in her eyes. Scene XVI Lucas is eating an eclair when Francine Kravitz shows up. "Sheriff, I'm afraid you were mistaken about Lily Samson. I've looked into her records, and the girl recently turned eighteen. She's no longer a minor, and therefore, not my problem." Lucas is unamused. "YOU are the one who's made some mistake, Francine." "I'm sorry Lucas, it's right here in black and white," she explains, handing him a document. "I don't care about this. You have a job to do, Francine, do it." "My supervisor saw the birthdate. He told me to drop it. My hands are tied." She licks her lips. Lucas' eyes narrow. For a moment, Francine sweats it out. "I'm sure you have other, more pressing, cases." Francine's breath comes out in a rush. "Goodbye, Sheriff." Caleb waits for Francine in her car. All the mirrors are turned away from him. "Well, how'd it go?" he asks, as she gets in. "Fine. He bought it." Caleb hands her the envelope. She quickly looks through it. "The negatives, where are the negatives?" "I thought I'd keep them, in case I need them later." "You can't do that!" she protests. He smiles as he gets out of the car. "I just did." Scene XVII Ben is sitting morosely at his desk, the vest conspicuously absent. He has never looked or felt worse. His eyes are haunted with self-hatred. His son approaches. "I made this for you, in art class." Ben Jr. hesitantly offers a misshapen clay pot. Ben stares at his son. The son that had no place in the last few hours of his life. Ben Jr. had not existed. With a surge of gratitude, he clasps his son in a bear hug. "Thank you," Ben says, forgetting all about the pot. He releases his boy and looks deep into his son's eyes, seeing the source of his own strength and hope. "Uh, sure, Dad." Ben Jr. starts to walk away, but turns at the door. "Wanna go to the movies, tomorrow?" he asks cautiously. "I'd love to." Ben smiles in return. Scene XVIII "I still think we should come up with a better plan," Matt insists to Lily. "It'll work. Besides, you must be getting pretty tired of me by now." "No, not at all." Matt cups her cheek with his palm. "So like my itty bitty pretty one. But not so itty bitty." "You ARE on medication, right?" "More than enough." He smiles sadly. "Will you be seeing Caleb, again?" "I promised him." "Tell him I'm coming back to him. I'm not giving up on either one of us." Lily smiles. "Good. There's something worthwhile in there, I can see it in your eyes. Caleb knows it's there." The door handle rattles. Lily positions herself behind the door. Matt climbs on the bed and huddles, bent over and moaning. Joe rushes to his patient's side. He never sees the young girl cross behind him and enter the corridor. Lily turns down another hallway and bumps into a nurse. "Are visiting hours over already?" "No, dear. Not 'til five o'clock. Who are you here to visit?" "I've been here a long time as it is. I think I'll just go now. Bye. I go out this way, right?" "That's right, dear." Barely limping, Lily leaves through the front door. Tag Caleb strolls down the street, whistling. The setting sun lends him a golden glow. He slows when he sees an ambulance in front of a house. Lucas leans against a tree, watching the attendants role a stretcher out. Caleb stops. Lucas ambles over to the stretcher, he nudges aside the EMT so Caleb can get a clear view. Francine Kravitz's dead body is exposed. Dark bruises stain her neck. Keeping his eye on Caleb, Lucas ceremoniously covers Francine's face with the sheet. Floyd hauls a cuffed man out of the house. "Move it, Kravitz." Francine's body is loaded into the ambulance. Lucas shuts the doors with a bang, before ambling over to Caleb. "Poor woman decided to confess she was having an affair to her husband. Seems she thought it was the lesser of two evils. It was her last mistake." Caleb looks at his father in distress. "He killed her?" Lucas reaches into his duster's inside pocket and pulls out the infamous envelope. He slaps it against Caleb's chest, holding it there a moment. "Pretty good for a first try. Could use some fine-tuning. But I have confidence you'll get the hang of it." He walks on past. Caleb turns, watching Lucas in shock. The golden glow has left him. He drops the envelope and runs in the opposite direction. Caleb approaches the Temple ruins, sobbing for Merlyn. He spins around, searching, crying, collapsing to the ground. Lily steps out from a hiding place. She gently pulls Caleb to his feet. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way," he keeps repeating as she tenderly rocks him. She brushes at his hair, and he looks up into her face. His cheeks are wet with his tears. "You've got to go, Lily. Get out of Trinity while you can." "I'm worried about you, Caleb," she admits. "I'm supposed to take care of myself, remember?" he angrily declares. "Please," he pleads, "you shouldn't be here." "I have to go," she agrees, unhappily. "You should know. I met your Dr. Matt, long story, but he wanted me to tell you that he's going to find a way back to you. That's what he says, but he's needs some more happy time there at Juniper House, if you ask me. If he gets out, I think you'll need to do a little taking care of him, Caleb. That would probably be good for the both of you. You need someone to care about. I wish I could stay." She hikes her backpack up to her shoulder, kisses Caleb's forehead, and adds, "I'll miss you, Caleb Temple. You sure did grow on me." She walks away. The sun goes down. At the Sheriff's Department, Floyd is booking Kravitz, while Ben stares at his son's clay pot. Lucas comes up from behind him. "Caleb Temple ran off. Maybe seeing all that brought back too many memories. It's getting dark, you'd best go after him." Ben looks at Lucas long and hard. "You know, some day, I might not be your lackey anymore." "I know that, Ben," Lucas replies, pulling out a train schedule and flipping through it. "But in the meantime..." "In the meantime," Ben admits, "I caught the loyalty ball." Lucas looks up. "You and I, BOTH, know that I have no EQUAL." "Thank heaven for that," Ben mutters. Lucas leans over and flicks Ben's deputy's star. "You're thankin' the wrong folks." Roll Credits Disclaimer: Any Story/episode that is a part of Virtual AG - SeasonTwo is based upon the television Show, "American Gothic", which is the property of Shaun Cassidy, Renaissance Productions, and CBS... any characters/storyline added to support this concept is the property of the author acknowledged as such...Please, Don't Sue Us!**