Virtual American Gothic - Second Season Episode Thirteen Judgement Day by Kel ********************************************* NOT TO BE ARCHIVED TO A WEB PAGE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PRIOR CONSENT. Special guest stars: Teddi Siddall as Melinda Lewis ********************************************** "Bing-bong!" Ben was eating slice and bake cookie dough out of the tube, daydreaming once again about his glory days on the football field, when the doorbell startled him. No one ever came by the drab frame house but Lucas, and he knew Lucas was on a stakeout in Goattown tonight. He was pleasantly surprised to see his son as he opened the door, but became concerned when he saw the expression on the tall, slender boy's face. "What's the matter, son?" "Uh, can I come in?" Benji looked around the room curiously as he came into the house. He didn't visit often. "Something bothering you?" Ben asked. "Uh, want a spoon for some dough?" "Uh, no thanks...Dad. I...I wanna ask you something." "Sure, what is it?" "Things are...pretty bad at home. Waylon, he keeps after momma all the time, and after me too. Ever since the...accident, he just--he just ain't fit to live with." Ben was feeling his oats, since Waylon had backed down to him during their last confrontation. "You want me to go take care of him?" "No," Benji ducked his head down and mumbled. "What I was wondering...was, if I could--could come live with you?" Ben's stomach leaped--he hadn't thought he'd ever hear his son say that. The idea of Benji wanting to live with him was such a change-- before those incidents with Waylon and Artie last year it had seemed that Benji was embarrassed by him. "Well, Benji, I would love that. But your momma has custody, you know that. And I don't think she'd like the idea much." "Couldn't you try to get custody? You're a hero, Dad, they'd give it to you." Ben's heart sank at the thought of going through a custody battle. But if Benji wanted to be with him, and get away from Waylon, it was worth it. "Let me talk to your momma, son. I'll see what I can do. But for now, you go back there and...and just try to stay away from Waylon." "Thanks, Dad," Benji smiled at him, and slipped out the door. Ben sank back into his chair. "Oh lordy, what have I gotten myself into?" ****** Barbara Joy looked like a scared rabbit when Ben came to see her the next day. She was wearing a longsleeved turtleneck in spite of the warm weather, and Ben knew she was trying to cover something she didn't want seen. "Barbara Joy, we gotta talk," Ben started. "You and I both know why you're wearing that sweater. This ain't no way for you or Benji to live." Barbara Joy didn't answer. "Now, there ain't much I can do about you, since you won't fill out a complaint. But there is something I can do about Benji, and I wanna do it." Barbara Joy looked at him apprehensively. "You can't take my son away--I've got legal custody and you know it." "I know, and I don't want a custody fight any more than you do. But this isn't how either of us want Benji to live, is it?" "You think this is how I want to live??" The words exploded out of her before she could stop them. "But if I try to leave Waylon'll...." her words trailed off into a sob. Ben put his arm around her. "I'm sorry, BJ, I truly am. I wish I could help you. But I will tell you this: I'll be damned if I'm gonna let my boy stay with Waylon Flood any longer." ****** "I'm glad you came by my office on your way...home, son," Lucas narrowed his eyes at Caleb, and paused slightly before speaking again. "I've been thinkin'. Since that tornado, you and I understand each other a little better, don't we? We're a lot alike, ain't we, and we're all each other's got." Caleb nodded, not sure where this was going. "I was thinkin', you and me, we're two peas in a pod. So why don't you give some thought to stayin' with me fulltime? Ain't no need to mess with that custody business--just a father and son spendin' some time together." Caleb still had vague, unpleasant memories of the last time he stayed at the Buck house, but he didn't really want to bring that up. "I don't know, Lucas," Caleb said doubtfully. "I don't think Miz Holt would much cotton to that." Lucas laughed. "No, I don't expect she would." As he turned in his chair, he muttered "which is all the more reason to do it...." "Huh?" "Oh, nothin', son." ****** Outside the middle school, Ben sat in the squad car drumming his fingers, watching the throngs of kids for a sign of his son. Benji walked past the car with his buddies, not even noticing the man inside. His father rolled down the window and called to him. "Uh, guys, I'll see you later, I need to talk to my...dad," Benji told his friends. Ben stepped out and leaned against the car, perspiration stains marking his uniform. "I talked to your momma today." "And?" Benji asked hopefully. "And...nothin'. She wants you with her. She's gonna fight the idea of you movin' in with me." Anger flashed through the boy's face. "I wish I had just gone ahead and set that damned cat on fire! She was ready to get rid of me when she thought I had done it. Then I'd be out of there!" "Now hold on there, Benji! That ain't no way to talk!" Ben thought a moment. "I'll get us some help on this. Don't worry. You don't need to go settin' no cats on fire." ****** Ben stuck his head in the door of Lucas' office as Caleb left. "You got a minute, Lucas?" Lucas sighed in annoyance, but gestured him in. "What's the problem this time?" he asked, idly playing with his magic 8-ball paperweight. "It's--it's a personal matter." Lucas's chair squeaked as he leaned forward, "Well?" "It's my son, Lucas. Waylon's causin' trouble again, and Benji wants to come live with me, and...I talked to Barbara Joy, and of course she said no, and...and I got myself a lawyer, and I'm gonna be fighting for custody." "What do you want from me?" Lucas said, putting the ball down and running his hand through his hair. The irony of the situation amused him. "I was wonderin' if you'd put a good word in with the judge, Lucas. You know, if you told him who Benji ought to be with, he'd have to listen." Lucas's eyes narrowed in thought. After a pause, he smiled at Ben. "All right, Ben, I believe I'll do just that." Ben got to his feet. "Thanks, Lucas! I was hopin' you would help!" As Ben left the office, a frown flashed across Lucas's face. ****** Caleb sat on his bed, looking around his room at the boarding house. It wasn't much of a room--the one at the sheriff's house was bigger and had that train set in it. He felt a strange unease about going back there, but he was starting to feel kind of a-- what was the word?--bond, with Lucas. "Hell, he's the only person I ever knew whose parents were more screwed up than mine," he muttered to himself. "His daddy beat him up just like my da--like Gage beat me. Maybe he ain't such a bad sort after all. I can always just *try* stayin' there, I guess." There wasn't much to pack. He stuffed his meager belongings in a duffel bag and slipped down the stairs. "Caleb!" It was Rose. "Where're you goin' with that?" "It ain't your business, Rose, now leave me alone!" "I bet you're runnin' away, aren't you? I knew you were gonna do that. Ever since Miz Holt got onto you about that cat and Dr. Matt told you he don't want to be your daddy. I'm gonna tell Miz Holt!" Caleb gave her a true son-of-Buck stare. "No, you ain't. I'm just goin' for a sleepover at...a friend's house. And...I already told her about it." "You're lyin', Caleb Temple!" Rose always seemed to know when Caleb was lying--possibly because she was an old hand at it herself. "Well--don't you say nothin' about it anyway." Rose stuck her tongue out it him, and he knew Miss Holt would get an earful as soon as he was out of sight. ****** Lucas smiled as he reached for the frosted glass door of Judge Griffith's office. The judge had only been in Trinity for three months, but Lucas had already showed him his considerable powers of persuasion. It would be no problem to convince him that Benji staying with Barbara Joy was in the boy's best interest. "Got a minute, Ju--?" Lucas stopped short as he saw the woman behind the massive desk. He recovered quickly, and his jovial smile turned to a slightly embarrassed grin as he recognized her. "Well, if it isn't the sheriff of the year," Judge Melinda Lewis said drily. "Come to keep our date?" Lucas looked the judge up and down before answering. "I had to get back to Trinity--my deputy was havin' a little problem. I never did get to, uh, thank you properly for presentin' that award, though." "Mmm-hmm." The attractive blonde jurist eyed him skeptically. "You could have called." "Uh huh," said Lucas, quickly changing the subject as he sat down. "So, you the circuit-rider this quarter? I'm gonna have to have a talk about gettin' a permanent judge assigned to Fulton County." "Well, you've got me for now," she said. "What do you need?" "I'm here to help you out, give you a little information on a case you got comin' up. 'Bout my deputy, Ben Healy." "If you have information on a case, perhaps you should give it under oath in court." "Perhaps," Lucas said, leaning back with his arms behind his head and his legs casually askew, "I should give it over dinner tonight." Melinda laughed. "Yeah, I've heard that one before." "I'll make it up to you tonight," Lucas whispered conspiratorily. Melinda looked at the sheriff, resplendent in his black vest and jeans. He WAS a handsome man. "Oh, all right," she said, half-smiling. "What can it hurt?" ****** Melinda was holding a black dress in front of the mirror, contemplating the purchase. The light from the window behind her made the fabric shine. The young, brunette sales clerk spoke to her. "You don't want that dress for a night out with Lucas Buck." Melinda looked up, startled at the reflection beside her in the mirror. "How...?" "You want something more like this," said Merlyn, pointing to a tailored suit. "You want to show him who has the power in this situation." "B-but..." "And Judge Lewis? Remember, Ben Healy is a good man. He deserves a chance to be a good father. Don't let Sheriff Buck ruin the life of another little boy." Melinda stood open-mouthed, glancing down at the dress, then turned to face the clerk, but there was no one behind her. The only person in sight was a young, stripe-shirted boy outside with a dufflebag, smiling at himself in the reflection from the polished window. ****** "Lucas? I'm here!" Caleb called as he banged the door open into the Buck mansion. "Lucas?" There was no answer. Caleb set his duffle bag down and wandered into the gloom of the parlor. An artist's portfolio leaned against the wall. Caleb sat down on the floor, and began to page through it. Page after page of dark, abstract paintings greeted him. "What is this stuff?" he wondered out loud. Suddenly, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, like someone was watching him. Quickly he looked behind him, but the only eyes he saw were those of a stuffed crow. He looked back at the paintings, and the light began to dawn. One look back at the crow confirmed it. "Hell, I got in trouble with Miss Coombs for paintin' a flower that looked like this. I guess my artistic talent must come from my daddy." "Not from your daddy, son." Lucas's deep, resonant voice startled him. "From your grandma. My mother painted those." "You have a mother?" The thought hadn't crossed Caleb's mind before, even though Lucas had mentioned learning from her. Lucas suppressed a smile. "Where'd you think I came from? I ain't a clone like some sheep. But my mother has...passed away. Just like yours. But you got part of her in you, same as you got part of me. And it's just possible you might have inherited some of her special...talents." "Well, I can tell you, Miss Coombs don't think I got no talent. She hated my painting in class. Now I got to go to that dumb ol' summer school, and all we do is study civics, we don't even get to do no art projects." "Son, Miz Coombs don't always appreciate the fine quality us Bucks produce. That don't mean it ain't good." Lucas paused. "I bet your grandma would be right proud of you. It's time you learned more about your family anyway. Now, how about some lunch?" ****** "...and he SAID he told you, but I knew he didn't!" Rose finished smugly. "Rose, did you know that when you tattle on someone, you're just tattling on yourself, telling the world that you're a tattletale?" Loris said calmly. Rose looked totally confused by that bit of wisdom. "No, ma'am, I guess I hadn't thought of that." "Would you like to help me make some cookies, Rose? There is nothing that will bring that boy home faster than the smell of my special cookies baking." The overall-clad girl smiled happily. "Can I lick the spoon?" "Not if I get to it first!" Matt laughed as he walked in the kitchen and tousled Rose's hair affectionately. "Why, Matt, just the man I'm looking for," said Loris, measuring the flour. "How about putting a pinch of your wisdom in these cookies?" Matt smiled halfheartedly but went along with her. "Yeah, nothing like a year in Juniper House to give you plenty of time to think about life." He tossed an imaginary handful into the cookie dough and Rose stirred it in. ****** "What happened to your mama, Lucas?" Caleb asked, his mouth stuffed full of hot dog. "Well, she just...stopped breathin' one day, Caleb. Doctor said it must have been a heart attack. But she was always a sickly woman, far back as I can remember." "Were you a kid like me?" "In more ways than you know, son," Lucas said with a grin. "But no, I was grown up when she died. I lost my daddy when I was a teenager though. And that's the day I really became...Lucas Buck." "Could you pass the ketchup? What happened to him?" Lucas looked directly at Caleb and said calmly, "My mother killed him." Ketchup squirted past the hotdog and onto Caleb's face, looking eerily similar to the cadmium red on Daddy Buck's face when he died. "WHAT?!" "My daddy was a mean man, Caleb, I've told you that before. To me, to my mama...hell, to nearly everybody in Trinity. He kept my mama more or less locked up for years, while he did whatever he wanted. Mama finally had enough and slipped a little poison paint to him. Everyone in Trinity was glad he was dead--myself included--and the coroner didn't even bother to examine the body. Wipe your face." Caleb looked at him, speechless. "I told you I learned from my daddy AND my mama. Daddy may have taught me how to be a Buck, but mama taught me you got to have a balance--you can't just run roughshod over your people, you got to keep them happy or they'll turn on you like mama turned on daddy. A balance helps you get 'em to do what you want and think it's their own choice all along. And now you," Lucas said, leaning his chair back on its back legs, "you get the benefit of my experience in learning just what it means to be a Buck. To be my heir." Caleb's eyes narrowed. "I don't think I want to be your heir." "Son, you ain't got a choice. You know it's in you, you've felt it before. You just gotta learn how to control it. Now, why don't you go up and wash your face. I gotta get back to my office." Still stunned, Caleb slowly climbed the stairs, lost in thought as Lucas left. ****** Caleb leaned into the mirror, scrubbing the ketchup off his face. He brought the washcloth up and rubbed, but as he pulled it back down, it was Merlyn's face he saw in the mirror, and he smiled glowingly for a moment before the seriousness of his situation overtook him. Merly looked disapprovingly at him. "Merly, I'm glad you're here! I came over here to stay with Lucas for a while, 'cause I kind of felt like he was a lot like me, an' maybe it would work. I thought I understood him--you know?-- knowin' his daddy beat him up too. But now--" "Caleb, this isn't the place for you. You are giving into that evil man, and you'll become just like him," Merly said, "unless you think about what you are doing." "I don't have a choice! It ain't just Lucas that's evil, his daddy was and his mama too! He's my daddy, I got their blood. I'm gonna end up like him no matter what I do." Merlyn looked nearly tearful. "But Caleb, you have me in you too, and you have our mother--you don't have to be a Buck. Fight it--I know you can do it." "I don't know if I know how." ****** The wine glass reflected the dancing light from the fireplace at the Charthouse Restaurant. Lucas leaned toward Melinda, and smiled. "Now, about that little matter I wanted to discuss..." "You know I can't discuss an active case with you." "Oh, this case ain't active yet. It's about my deputy, Ben Healy--he'll be comin' to you tryin' to get custody of his boy. Now Ben's a good man--" Melinda interrupted him. "...And he needs a chance to be a good father, I know." Lucas's gaze narrowed. "Where'd you hear that?" The judge caught herself quickly. "Oh, that's what always follows 'he's a good man' in these conversations." Lucas looked at her for a moment, then went on. "Ben's a good man, and...he means well, but, you know, it just ain't the best thing for the boy. Ben works long hours, I gotta call him out in the night for emergencies, it's a dangerous job. That just ain't no way for a boy to live, bein' by himself all the time like that." "Mmm. And I hear you're always worried about the welfare of Trinity's boys." "Yes, ma'am. You heard that right. More wine, Judge? It's good for the blood. " ****** Loris was itchy. She thought sure Caleb would come back to the boarding house when she baked her special cookies the previous day, but he was nowhere to be found. She knew he was at the Buck house, in spite of Rose's ramblings to the contrary. "I wonder what kind of trash Sheriff Buck is filling that boy's head with," she said to herself. "I just hope he remembers that Lucas Buck isn't always what he appears to be. Think, Caleb, think..." she exhorted him from a distance. ****** "Lucas?" Ben stopped him as he came into the sheriff's office. "Can I talk to you about...that personal matter?" "What about it?" Ben threw a look at Floyd, who quickly made an excuse to check on the jail prisoners. "Did you talk to the judge about it?" "I did." "Do you think he's gonna listen to you?" Lucas cocked one eyebrow at Ben. "Uh, sorry Lucas. I--I was wonderin', just to make sure it goes all right, would you be a character witness for me--when we get to the hearing, I mean?" Lucas suppressed a grin, teasing Ben a little. "You sure you want me to do that?" "Well, yeah, Lucas. I mean, you wouldn't say anything bad about me.... Uh, would you?" Lucas smiled. "I'll tell the truth, don't worry." ****** Melinda looked around for Merlyn as she stepped into the dress shop. "May I help you?" A gray-haired saleslady approached. "I'm looking for the young lady who helped me yesterday, about 18, brunette, pretty...?" The saleslady looked confused. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but we don't have any one like that working here." "Oh, she helped me just yesterday--you must know who it was." "No, dear, there really isn't anyone here like that. My sister and I run this shop by ourselves--and have ever since our mother passed away three years ago. Perhaps you were in another store?" Melinda looked flustered. "That must be it. Yes, a different store." ****** Waylon Flood's hook was having trouble holding onto the wood for the drill press when Lucas appeared from behind him. "Need a hand?" Lucas asked, straightfaced. "I liked you better dead." "So did a lot of people. Waylon, it seems there is a problem here." "The only problem here is you, Buck." "No, I hear you been after your wife again. Now, what a man and a woman do is between them, but this is buggin' Benji, who is buggin' Ben--who is buggin' me. And I don't need that." "That damned kid!" Waylon swore, slamming his hook down into the wood. "I'll take care of him." "What is it with you, Waylon? You're like a man with an itch he can't scratch. Leave the kid alone, leave Barbara Joy alone, and I'll leave you alone." "It's my family, Buck. And I don't need you telling me how to deal with them." "Well, just remember what I said. Nasty welt there," Lucas said, eyeing Waylon's remaining arm. "Does it itch?" Waylon looked down, surprised, and scratched thoughtfully with his hook as Lucas ambled back to the Crown Vic and drove away. ****** Melinda met first with Ben in her chambers; Barbara Joy's appointment was the next day. "Mr. Healy, why do you want custody of your son now?" "Well, judge--ma'am--I always wanted my boy with me but, you know, he needed his mama when he was little." Ben pulled distractedly at his tie--he wasn't used to the tight collar of a dress shirt. "Just now, ma'am, uh, my boy--he wants to be with me, and he don't need to be around that Waylon Flood no more." He rubbed his hands together nervously--he could feel the tiny droplets of sweat beading on his upper lip. "Why is that, Mr. Healy?" "'Cause he beats up on Barbara Joy, that's why!" Ben blurted the words out. He had planned to be so cool about it. Oh well. "Is that so?" Melinda's eyes narrowed. She had heard accusations of abuse time and again in custody cases. Still, the accusation was serious enough to merit investigation. "Oh, yes, ma'am, it is." ****** Rose took Loris literally when she told her to run a bag of cookies over to Caleb at the Buck mansion. "Here, Caleb, Miz Holt sent these over for you," she panted, out of breath. "We made 'em yesterday." "How'd she know where I was?" Caleb asked, eyeing Rose suspiciously. "You know her Caleb, she just knows things. What're you doin' over here anyway? I thought you were runnin' away!" Caleb steered her out into the garden and they sat down on the bench. "I'm not really sure what I'm doin' here anymore," he said, munching on a cookie. "Want one?" "Uh, no thanks," she said, queasy at the very thought of another. She had eaten half the dough raw. "I'll tell you one thing I ain't been doin', though, and that's that civics project for summerschool, where we're supposed to make up a pretend trial. You done yours yet?" "No, I haven't done a thing on it." "Well," said Caleb, reaching for another cookie, "I'm gettin' an idea. Why don't we do it together, we'll work on it right now." "Okay, I was thinkin' of doin' one on a fairy tale, like trying the Big Bad Wolf for destroyin' those pig's houses." "No, I got a better idea. What if there was a really bad, man, an evil man--a murderin', rapin, lyin' thief? And then somebody killed him, say, like his wife--saved herself and everybody else in town? Would that be wrong, would it mean she was a bad person, too? Would a jury find her guilty? What do you think?" Rose frowned. "I don't know, Caleb. It'd take the wisdom of Solomon to figure that one out." "I aim to do just that--and I'm gonna go get Boone right now to help us out," Caleb said, shaking the bag to gather up the last crumbs. "Boy, Miz Holt sure DOES make good cookies." ****** "Allison...another, if you please." Ben waved his empty glass at the bartender, who nodded and promptly filled his request. "You look like you've been through the ringer, Ben." Allison wiped the bar in front of the deputy, concern in her eyes. "Yeah, I feel like it, too, Allison..." Ben's lament was interrupted by a loud cat call. Swivelling in the direction of the commotion, he saw Selena, evading the groping hands of her competitor in the pool game. Shifting forward again, Ben rolled his eyes at Allison and downed his drink. "Looks like I gotta go through the dry cycle before the day's over." He slid off his stool and strolled over to the pool table. "Evenin' Selena," he sighed. "Is there a problem?" ****** Lucas and Melinda were embracing on the Victorian loveseat in his parlor, their lips about to touch, when the front door banged open. "Lucas?" A young voice called. "You in there?" "Hold that thought a minute, darlin'," Lucas whispered as he went to the foyer to investigate. As Melinda shifted in her seat, she caught a glimpse of the foyer in the ornate mirror that hung above the antique desk. Lucas appeared to be talking with someone who looked suspiciously like the young saleslady she had seen earlier in the week. Melinda strained to listen, but could only hear bits and pieces. "Me and Boone...saw him hittin' on her....wanted to get away....Ben could help...." Ben may have been telling the truth, Melinda thought. It sounded like other people had seen Waylon abusing his wife. Caleb continued telling Lucas about how he and Boone had seen Ben rescue Selena from an aggressive suitor in the parking lot of the pool hall. Lucas listened to the recounting of his deputy's doings, puzzled by his son's apparently urgent need to fill him in. Caleb finished his tale, and ran back out the door as rapidly as he had arrived. Melinda quickly shifted back to where she had been as Lucas returned and put his arm around her. "Now, darlin', where were we?" Melinda looked up and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Right about there, I think." "Mmm, yeah, but we were also talkin' about this custody matter. Now, you ain't gonna give that boy to Ben, are you? He just can't handle that." "Actually," said Melinda, leaning her head back against his shoulder, "that may be exactly what I do." "Now why in the hell would you wanna do that? I told you Ben don't need custody, and I don't need him havin' it." "It's that stepfather, Lucas. I don't trust him--I think he is a violent man. I will not leave a child in a home like that." "Waylon Flood, huh? He ain't worth worryin' about." "He most certainly--" but her words were cut off as Lucas tilted her chin up and kissed her. ****** Melinda took note of Barbara Joy's unusual choice of clothing in the stuffy chambers. Women in South Carolina did not generally wear jackets and turtlenecks in the heat of summer. "Mrs. Flood, I asked you to come in without your husband because it's been brought to my attention that there may be a reason that Benji should live with his father from this point. Is that true?" "No, judge--Benji is just fine with me," Barbara Joy said, studying her fingernails as they dug into her crossed legs. "Let me get to the point, Mrs. Flood. It has been said that there is violence in your home--and we both know that it is not healthy for Benji to be exposed to that. Is that true?" Barbara Joy crossed her arms tightly against her chest. "N-no. I don't know where you would hear somethin' like that. It was Ben, wasn't it?" The words were coming faster how. "He's just sayin' that--just to get Benji!" "Mrs. Flood, look at me," Melinda said firmly. As Barbara Joy looked up, the judge's tone softened. "It's all right. You can tell me." A single tear slipped down Barbara Joy's cheek. Her eyes said all that needed to be said. ****** The next morning Ben walked into the hearing and looked around nervously. As he caught his reflection in the polished window, he thought he saw Merlyn behind him, smiling at him. He spun around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Only Caleb and his summer school class were present, on a field trip. Just my luck, Ben thought. My dirty laundry becomes the civics lesson of the day. Still, he smiled secretively to himself. If Merlyn really was around, things might be going his way. Waylon and Barbara Joy entered the small chamber and sat on the opposite side from Ben. Melinda listened patiently as each side presented its viewpoint. "The primary problem I see here with the Floods retaining custody is the issue of violence in the home," Melinda said. "With what I have heard from my interviews and what I have seen here, I believe this to be a real problem. Unless it can be resolved, changes will have to be made." Suddenly, the big walnut door to the chamber opened and Lucas strode in. "What the hell is he doin' here?" growled Waylon. "What's the matter, Waylon," Lucas said wrily. "Something buggin' you?" Waylon started to lunge towards him, but Barbara Joy held him back. "Just itchin' to get at me, ain't you, Waylon?" "Sheriff, you are interrupting our hearing," Melinda snapped impatiently. "I'll thank you to be on time in the future." "Just came to support my deputy, ma'am." "It may be a bit too late for that, sheriff. I'm about to render my decision." Waylon scratched his arm with his hook. "Can I say a word in favor of my deputy?" Lucas asked, then went on without waiting for a reply. "Ben is a fine man, and a good officer. He likes kids--in fact, just last year helped out a little homeless girl he found down in Goattown." Ben smiled sheepishly. Waylon dug deeper into his arm. "He is an indispensable part of my law-enforcement team, in fact, Judge." Waylon's shirt was in shreds as blood began to drip from his arm, unnoticed by all involved. "Fine, Sheriff," Melinda said dismissively. "I think we've got the picture now." "Okay, Judge, I just didn't want to have any, uh, rash decisions made." "I have come to a decision," Melinda said, looking at each of them in turn. "It's not easy in a case like this to find a clear answer as to which is the best place for the child to live. But I believe that Benji's interests would be best served by removing---" she stopped short as she looked at Waylon. All eyes followed her gaze toward Waylon, who was gouging his own face with his hook. Blood flowed freely from the deep gashes as Barbara Joy recoiled in horror. "Pesky itch, huh?" Lucas said calmly. "This hearing is recessed!" Melinda said sharply, hitting her gavel. "Now get that man an ambulance!" ****** "Rose an' Boone an' me did our report together," Caleb told the class that afternoon. "And we're gonna act it out--just like we seen at the courtroom this morning. Boone, get up here and help." Boone looked startled but came up as he was told. "Now, ladies and gentleman of the jury, Boone over there is an evil man, a bad man--he's the devil himself. He has hurt people, killed people, maybe even worse things than that. Everybody in our town is scared of him. Rose, here," he waved toward the slight, blonde girl, "is his wife, and he's been beatin' up on her and on their kid. He even locked her up in a room and didn't let her out at all. One day he banged into the room where he kept her, and he started beatin' on her again, and she thought he was gonna kill her dead. So she grabbed somethin' that was layin' around there, she grabbed some paint, that was really nasty stuff, and squirted it right in his mouth and she poisoned him--she kilt him!" Boone raised his hand as if to backhand Rose, and she pretended to squirt paint in his mouth. Boone fell back and slid down the wall, feigning death. "Now everybody is happy, the people in the town ain't livin' in fear no more, there ain't nobody beatin' on this fine woman or her little boy. The only person who ain't better off is Daddy Bu---Daddy Boone. So, I ask you--is this woman guilty of murder? Is she a bad person? Or did she do us a service? Is the blood runnin' through her veins that of a saint, rather than a sinner? It's up to you! A lyin' murderin' son of a...well, an evil man, is dead. Is this woman guilty?" He waited while the "jury" of his classmates conferred, and it was just moments before the foreman returned the verdict. "We have reached a verdict, your honor. We think that it was self- defense, and this woman did the town a service--she ain't no murderer--she's darn near a saint!" Caleb smiled a knowing smile. ****** Ben and Barbara Joy sat stiffly next to their attorneys on opposite sides of the courtroom; Waylon Flood was nowhere in sight. As Melinda called the hearing to order, she was surprised to see Lucas leaning against the back wall of the courtroom, arms crossed. He hadn't been there when she entered the courtroom. "Given the circumstances of the last several days, and the commitment of Mr. Flood to the state hospital, I have made my custody decision," Melinda said. Ben looked confidently at the judge. "Both parents love their son and want to make a home for him. Both are good people. But I am not Solomon--I cannot split Benji in half," Melinda said. "I've given this situation a great deal of thought. Mr. Healy is a fine man, an upholder of the law, a hero. For that reason..." she paused slightly, "I am awarding custody to Mrs. Flood." Ben slammed the table with his fist. "But why?!" "Your position, Mr. Healy. Sheriff Buck here has made it clear that you are a key player in Trinity's law enforcement, dedicated to your job and that you are on call 24 hours a day, leaving home with no notice in the middle of the night, and exposed to dangerous situations. For that reason, I feel Benji will be better off with his mother, now that Mr. Flood is out of the picture." Ben put his head in his hands. Out of the corner of her eye, Melinda saw a slight smile cross Lucas's face, and he winked at her conspiratorially. She turned to frown at him, but the back of the courtroom was empty. ****** Caleb had a mustard-covered biscuit in one hand and his dufflebag in the other when Lucas came into the kitchen. "Mornin', Lucas, I was just makin' breakfast 'fore I left," Caleb said with unusual confidence. "There's some coffee and some biscuits for you there." "Well ain't you self-reliant? That's the Buck in you," Lucas said, picking up the cup of coffee. "Where you goin' with your stuff?--I thought you were gonna be stayin' here a while." "I thought so too, Lucas, 'cause I didn't think I had a choice. I thought that blood runnin' through my veins was purely evil, but it ain't. My mama was a good woman, but I thought the Buck blood would overpower that," Caleb said, shoving the last of the biscuit in his mouth and reaching for the doorknob. "But now I know, hell, that even Buck blood ain't ALL evil. Your mama weren't no murderer. She just did what she had to do. And I can do that too. See, you was right. I DID inherit some of my grandma's special talents!" And with that, Caleb was out the door. Frowning slightly, Lucas started to take a sip of coffee, then suddenly thought the better of it, and looked up at Caleb's retreating back in surprise. . THE END Disclaimer: Any Story/episode that is a part of Virtual AG - Season Two 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!**