Virtual American Gothic - Third Season Episode Twelve To Ma'am, With Love By Jeff Gilson NOT TO BE ARCHIVED TO A WEB PAGE WITHOUT THE AUTHOR'S PRIOR CONSENT. ********************************************** PART 1 "We're very pleased to have you aboard at Trinity Public, Ms. Muir. I only wish it were under better circumstances. You've heard, I assume, about our recent excitement? Well, that's really the reason you've been hired, it's left a number of the children extremely troubled, and naturally we feel they need someone to talk to. Normally, we'd let their teacher handle it, but it was their teacher that was responsible for it, and, well, it's a bit of a mess." Principal Harlan Elliott led the young woman through the halls of the school. He couldn't believe the luck that had landed her in their collective lap, someone with her credentials. The Board of Ed loved her, and she wanted to work in Trinity. It was a miracle, and not one that reeked of Buck. "Where is my office?" the young woman asked, eagerly. "Down the hall this way," Elliott said and headed down a hallway. There was a sound of argument in one room as they approached it; a woman was trying her best to be persuasive about something. "What's going on in this room?" she asked. "The Board needs to decide on a replacement for Miss Madison, and our options are rather limited." "How limited?" "If you ask Dora Bentley, we've got only one choice. Ms. Muir--" "Please, call me Lyn." "Lyn, this is a great town, once you get used to it. That could take a while, though. God knows it took me forever to get the hang of it. There are some people you don't cross, and Dora Bentley is one of 'em." They could just make out the conversation as they passed. "She's popular with the kids, they know her. She knows the kids. I don't care what your personal feelings for her are--" "We don't need a slut running our classrooms." "You didn't seem to think so poorly of her when we hired her ten years ago. There's really no alternative. I don't care if she's pregnant. We must hire back Selena Coombs." ****** The phone rang, waking Selena and forcing her to move. Her seven and a half month paunch was in the way, as usual. "Hello," she managed sweetly. "Miss Coombs?" came the female voice on the other end. "Speaking." "This is Dora Bentley, on the Board of Education. We'd like to make you an offer." "One I can't refuse?" Selena asked, thinking more of Buck than Brando. "We want to hire you back." "Mrs. Bentley, I'm pregnant. No, I'm very pregnant. Why should I go back? Why would you want me back?" "To be completely honest, Miss Coombs, we need you." A smile crept across Selena's face. "Well, if you're really that desperate, how can I refuse?" ****** The whole town was ablaze with news of Selena's hiring. When she showed up at Carlson's Clothier, the eyes that weren't on her belonged to Kimmy Carlson in the back stock room. "May I help you, Miss Coombs?" asked a very young man, Tommy, according to his name tag. "Yes, I'm looking for some professional looking maternity clothes. Do you think you can help me?" "Uh, I'd better get Kim--Mrs. Carlson out here to help you." The boy went into the back room, and a minute later, Kimmy approached the teacher. "Good morning, Miss Coombs. Tommy tells me you're looking for professional clothes." "Yes. Funny thing, none of my old work clothes fit anymore." They shared a laugh and walked off toward the appropriate section. ****** Merly was enjoying her new freedom-through-limitation. She enjoyed touching things and knowing that her touch wouldn't make it die. She enjoyed being able to change her clothes. Heck, she was even enjoying lighter colors again, though white was still too hard to wear. She would be starting her new job tomorrow, and needed a place to live. She thought of the Boarding House, but decided that there were already enough Temples living there. Even if she wasn't going by Temple anymore, there would be at least one person who knew who she was. She couldn't avoid Caleb forever, didn't even want to, but they needed a cooling off period. She wasn't happy with her new hairstyle, bangs that would cover the scar over her eye, and short in back, but she did have to hide that scar and look professional at the same time. The glasses bothered her eyes, but they were luckily only the mildest of prescriptions. She knew she'd have to get an optometrist to look at her eyes and give her real glasses; her eyesight wasn't as good as it had been when she was a ghost. As Lucas might appreciate, there's more than one way to skin a cat, or a demon. She had no ghostly powers anymore, but that didn't mean that she couldn't work against him. Her new job would allow her influence against Buck. But she had to be careful. Her soul was already damaged; if she wasn't careful, she could be just as damned as the Sheriff. ****** Selena walked into the classroom at 6am on Tuesday morning. It was so familiar, but at the same time, not. There had been too many other people in it. She was favoring her right hand, not only because she was right handed, but because of the still mending wound in her left palm. She hoped Mama Lucy's spell had really helped Caleb; it seemed more like Lucas and that damn ring had done it. At 7:30, her students started to file in. She'd already been told of an interruption to her first day back, introducing the new school counselor. She thought it was about time for a counselor, actually. Knowing Trinity, the whole town could use a shrink. Boone MacKenzie and Rose Russell came in together, and Selena hoped that Caleb would follow close behind, but he was nowhere to be seen. She could understand if he wanted to stay away for a little while, but he would need to come back soon. Some of the children were shocked by the appearance of Miss Coombs back behind the desk. Others were more amazed at her physical appearance. This was not the same Miss Coombs that had left them at the hands of substitutes and Miss Madison. This Miss Coombs was about twice the size of that one. "Boys and girls, time to start class," Selena said, standing up. "Your previous teacher left nothing for me to go by, so could one of you tell me where you've gotten to in your reading?" ****** Principal Elliott rapped on the door to Miss Coombs' classroom. Lyn Muir was standing behind him. This class was her first introduction, and he wanted to make sure things went absolutely correct here. This was, afterall, the class that was affected greatest by the incident. "Boys and girls," Selena said, "you can put down your reading for right now, we've got someone very special to introduce you to. Principal Elliott?" "Thank you, Miss Coombs. Class, this is Miss Muir, the school's counselor. I know that a lot has happened here, recently, and if you need someone to talk to, we want you to know who that someone should be. Miss Muir?" "If you want to come talk to me, no one ever has to know about it. It's not a shameful thing to ask for help. That's a hard lesson to learn; some of us are still learning it. If you have any questions about what I'm here for, you can ask me." ****** 2:30 came around much faster than it used to, Selena thought. She must have been having a good time. The children were still a little wary of her, probably because of the baby more than any rumors they might have heard from their parents. They would come around, she was sure of it. She just needed to connect with them again. Selena made her way down toward the new counselor's office. She thought, if nothing else, she could talk to the new kid, the one without any preconceptions. Anyway, she was almost familiar, and Selena wanted to know why. She got to the office marked "COUNSELOR" in black magic marker on a white piece of cardboard. They obviously hadn't gone to great lengths to make it look inviting. She knocked on the door, and Miss Muir opened it. "Miss Coombs. How may I help you?" "Miss Muir, I need advice. I seem to have bought the wrong type of shoe, and my feet are killing me." "Hmm, well, I've got a comfortable chair in here, why don't you sit down and we'll talk about it?" Selena sat down and pulled off her shoes, which really were killing her, and draped her feet on the small coffeetable in front of the chair. "So they threw you in the closet. Awfully nice of them." "Well, I don't complain much. Afterall, it is my first job." "Really? Where did you go to school?" "Bishop's State, Child Psychology." "You know," Selena said, getting comfortable, "if I wasn't with child, I'd suggest we go for a drink. However, Dr. Crower would get awfully upset with me, since it has a chance of causing damage. Anyway, I don't want my little girl getting hurt." "That's very noble of you. Who's the father?" "Wouldn't you like to know," she said, wistfully, without a trace of resentment. "There are three choices, according to the rumor. The most interesting of those would be Lucas Buck." Selena turned to Miss Muir, languorously. "You probably haven't met Sheriff Buck yet, but you will." "Should I look forward to it?" she asked, feigning innocence. "You should look out for it, actually. He's a dangerous man, no matter how incredibly sexy he is. Miss Muir--" "Lyn. We're going to be working in the same building, please call me Lyn." "And you can call me Selena. Lyn, what's your story? You involved with anyone right now?" "Yes, but he's got a son and I haven't been introduced to him yet." ***** Ben Healy typed up another in the endless stream of forms involved in allocating funding for a new coffeemaker. Their current Mr. Coffee had bit the dust this morning, and Ben was already sick of walking down the street to buy styrofoam cups of styrofoam coffee. It would make more sense just to buy it himself, but Lucas insisted that he go through this rigmarole. It didn't matter, though, because Ben was happy. He was as happy as any man would be whose ghost lover had gained a new body. Not that he knew of many in that position, but still, he figured he was right up in their ranks. It was 2:30, Merly should have been getting out of work, then. Of course, she had to go look for a place to stay until he could introduce her to Ben, jr. Although he was ready to have her move in with him, it would be good for her, he figured. Her first time as an independent living woman. Naturally, she wouldn't be stopping by the station any time soon. "Ben, what's a twelve letter word for--oh, nevermind." "Floyd, sometimes I wonder where you came from. How can any one man do so many crossword puzzles and not learn anything?" "I think it's genetic, Ben. At least, that's what Jerry Springer said yesterday." Ben rolled his eyes and set about getting a new Mr. Coffee. ****** "So, where are you living?" Selena asked, trying to get an idea of her late afternoon meal companion. The late afternoon meal had become something of a tradition for her, a meal between lunch and dinner that didn't officially have a name. She'd managed to drag Lyn along, though it didn't seem to take much. "Oh, I don't have a steady place, yet. I'm at the hotel for the time being, but I can't afford that for long." "Why don't you stay with me for a few days? Until you get someplace more permanent." "Really?" Lyn looked at Selena somewhat suspiciously. "What, is there something in your past you don't want me to know about?" Lyn seemed to recoil at that remark, so Selena backed off. "As long as you don't mind living with cats, you're welcome to my extra bedroom," she said before sticking a fishstick into her mouth. "How many cats?" ****** The darkness surrounded him, and he couldn't move. He couldn't feel anything. He had no control, and he couldn't stand it. He felt like he didn't exist. Caleb sat straight up in bed, sweating, and touching himself to make sure he was real. It was daylight, and it took him a few minutes to remember that he had stayed home from school to rest after the ordeal. If he was going to keep dreaming like that, he didn't need the rest, afterall. He got dressed and climbed downstairs to the kitchen of the boarding house. His boarding house, he had to remember. That was a strange concept for him, that he could own anything, let alone a house. But it was through his father, and anything that happened through his father was bound to be a little bit strange. "Good afternoon, sleepyhead," Miss Holt said as he found his way to the refrigerator. "Mor--Afternoon?" Caleb was even more confused. "You slept right through the mornin', Caleb. I think you'll be ready for school tomorrow, don't you?" "I guess so." He looked a little disappointed, but more disinterested. "Miss Coombs is teaching your class again, did you know that?" "Selena's teachin'? But she's about ready to have her baby, or at least that's what it looks like." "She's still got a month and a half, technically. I think it's great that she's out doing something again. I always get worried when women just stay flat on their backs during a pregnancy. Of course, I used to midwife some, before I bought this house." "Miz Holt, why do they call them midwives?" Caleb asked from inside the fridge. "You know, I never thought to ask. If you're looking for some food, there's some of the soup we had last night that I could heat up for you." ********************* PART TWO Merly pulled her bags out of the hatchback on her car, an old Volkswagen Rabbit with more Bondo than original color. She'd gotten it cheap and a good loan deal, which she could only hope wasn't through some manipulation by Buck. She had no idea how it would have helped him, though making her life easier might make her view on him change. At least, that's one thing he could have been thinking. If he even knew about her. The clothes she'd picked up at the Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Ascension. She decided not to do her shopping in town so that people wouldn't know that she had no history. No earthly history, anyway, outside of Gage Temple's house. She would be getting her first pay check in a few days, and then she could buy some new clothes and hopefully put a downpayment on an apartment lease. Right now, she was walking up to the house her first friend in the world had let her stay in. She passed the yellow car that put her little Rabbit to shame on the way to the door. Staying with a coworker, especially this coworker, might not be the best idea, but she certainly couldn't afford the hotel. ****** Selena woke up on Wednesday and was startled to hear sounds from the kitchen. She went out, and found Lyn making coffee and toast. "You think I'd know how to make more," she said, as Selena ambled into the kitchen. "I did, after all, live on my own. I just never really ate breakfast." "Coffee and toast sound fine to me," Selena said, smiling at her new roommate. "Make it dry, though. I'm not feeling nauseous yet, but it'll come soon enough." ****** Selena's classroom was bustling with the sound of a small project she'd put them to. Next year, they'd be far too old for this sort of thing, but right now they were all set. She wouldn't have them next year, anyway. The door opened, and Caleb Temple walked in with Principal Elliott behind him. Selena walked over to the door as the sounds of the class stopped. "Caleb, welcome back." "Welcome back, yourself, Miss Coombs," he said, completely honest. He had a lopsided grin that said he was doing better than a lot of people thought he would be. Selena smiled back at him, almost motherly, she thought. Perhaps this mother thing won't be all that tough, she thought, if I'm a natural at being motherly. Well, maybe. Caleb went over to Boone and Rose to see what they were doing, and Selena sat down behind her desk and secretly slipped off her shoes. The class returned to activity. ****** During lunch, Selena went to the school's office. "What can I do ya for, Miss Coombs?" asked Chuck, the secretary. If she hadn't known he was gay as Cary Grant, she'd have been attracted to him at one point. He was also a great source of gossip, which is why she was there. "The new counselor, Lyn Muir. What do you know about her?" "Not much. She was born in Trinity, but her parents were gypsies and moved around a lot. Got her degree at Bishop's State College in Charleston, and this is her first job. Why, looking for a baby-sitter?" "No, she's living with me for the time being, and I could swear I've seen her before. Oh, well. Maybe I'm just delirious. Wouldn't be impossible, being with child and all." "You look radiant, Miss Coombs. How are the kids treating you?" "Oh, they're fine, though they're still a little distant." "Why don't you close the distance?" ****** Lyn Muir was filling out forms when Selena arrived at her office. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything." "No, not at all." She indicated the chair with her pen. "State makes me fill out a form for every child that comes to see me. I think it's terrible, but it's the law." "Your eyes look like they're about to bulge out. Are those glasses really working?" "No, I've got to get a new prescription. I've been so worried about getting a job that getting glasses wasn't a top priority." "I'm going to be late coming home today, so you'll have to let yourself in. There's a key on top of the doorframe in a little hollowed out spot. If you move the chair onto the step, you should be able to reach it." "Thanks. I'll probably be late, myself. So damn much paperwork." "Listen, there's a boy in my class, Caleb Temple, he's really good at putting on a brave face, but I know he needs to talk to you. He'll never seek you out on his own, and he won't come if I tell him to, either. Do you think you could look in on him at some point?" "Of course," she said. "It's on my list of things to do." ****** Ben sat down with a fresh cup of coffee, the first to be tasted from the station's new coffee machine. Ben went all out in buying this one. It was a Braun 12-cup with a gold filter. Ben had grown sick of his bachelor way of eating instant out of the jar, and over the past year had been buying gourmet coffee. He actually enjoyed it, much to his surprise, so he'd been reading up on better coffee brewing. Perhaps he could even teach Floyd how to care for the machine. "Ben, why ain'tcha usin' a filter?" Perhaps not. He was back to being a bachelor, though, since Merly couldn't stay with him unbeknownst to his son. He and Merly would have to "meet" so that things would seem kosher for Benjie. They thought they might get together tonight at the bar and dance a bit, meet that way. He checked his watch. It was only one o'clock. ****** Merly was sitting at her desk, wrapped up in paperwork. So much paperwork, and she'd only counseled ten kids. Mostly, she'd heard all about the mythical figure Lucas Buck. Now that it was public that Caleb was his son, the stories were changing. He had an heir, and was going to raise him inhis image, they said. Some of them said they wanted to be Caleb, son of the most powerful man in Trinity, maybe the world. Others resented Caleb because he got all the special attention. There was even a rumor that he got to drive the Sheriff's car. She felt hands at her shoulders and tensed up for a moment, before relaxing as they started to massage. She rolled her neck around and closed her eyes. Her glasses were already off, and so were her shoes. The waves of relaxation rippled down her back. "Mmm, that feels good." "Anythin' to help, Miss Muir." Merly immediately jumped up from her desk and whirled around to see Lucas standing behind her. "How're you doin', Merly Ann? Life's good, even if you have to steal it. It seems less, shall we say, damning this way." Merly was stunned. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Oh, I think you do. Still, it's not going to be easy to get on your former boss's good graces. White's not your best color, is it?" "Lucas, what do you want from me?" "Just do the job, that's all I want. Hell, this town could use a school counselor." "How'd you know where I was hiding?" Merly asked. "You forget what I have," he said, showing off his ring. "I know everything again." ****** Selena was in the hall of records looking at birth certificates. "Mohller, Monroe, Mudd, Mulligan. Hmm, no Muir. How strange." She called information in Charleston for the number for Bishop's State College. "I'm sorry, there's no listing for that name." "Curiouser and curiouser." ****** Ben racked up another round of pool, playing with himself again. Merly hadn't shown up, and he was getting a little antsy. He'd played three rounds, and drank four. He wasn't worried about Ben, jr, he was old enough to take care of himself. He just wanted to make sure she was safe. The door to the bar opened, and Merly walked in, though somewhat more distracted than he'd anticipated. She looked straight at him with a "I've got something really important to tell you" look on her face. Ben set down the cue and walked over to her. "He knows who I am, Ben." "Who?" he asked, then as it dawned, "Him? Well, of course, he knows, he knows everything, haven't you heard? Did you think he wouldn't?" "Well, I'd hoped so." "Listen, Lucas isn't who you need to hide it from. If anyone who had no idea about all this..." Ben floundered for a minute, looking for a word. "...stuff found out about it...?" "Well, I guess I can't try to hide it anymore, really. Not from him, at any rate. I think I'm going to have to tell Selena, too." "Why Selena?" "I've been living with her since yesterday." Ben's expression changed from concern to surprise. "Well, we couldn't afford the hotel, and it gives me some time to find an apartment. Anyway, she seems to like me. I should get going to her place, anyway, I didn't tell her I'd be out, and I haven't been since I left work." ****** Selena waited in the kitchen. She was trying to figure out what she would do with her information. She liked Lyn, didn't want anything to happen to her, but she wasn't qualified to be a counselor. Of course, the fact that she didn't seem to exist was a further complication. Lyn Muir. It even sounded fake. She sounded it out again. "Lyn Muir. Lyn Muir. Lyn--oh, my God." The door opened and she entered. "You're Merlyn Temple, aren't you?" "I was going to tell you, I really was." Merlyn was almost abject in her apology. "Did Lucas get you your job?" "I don't know. That never even...I didn't even..." "Those fake credentials will only get you so far." "I'm getting a birth certificate and social security number next week. I just needed a job quickly." "What about school?" Selena wasn't being accusatory, she realized she cared about what happened to this girl. Another girl screwed over by Lucas Buck. "Honey, I can help you get a GED, but you're on your own for the college degree." "Why do you want to help me?" Merly asked. "A few reasons. Lucas Buck, for one. Caleb Temple, for another. And I like you. You're one of the few people at that school who gives a damn about someone like me. I saw it in your eyes when we talked, you were really listening. You weren't so certain of my morality that you instantly hated me." "I'm not so sure of my morality, anymore," Merly said. She sat down at the kitchen table across from Selena. "Lucas knows about me, you know." "I didn't, for certain, but he's his old self again, apparently. Damn him, but I like him better this way." Selena couldn't stop a short laugh. It was the first time she'd admitted that, not only to anyone else, but to herself. Of course, she couldn't admit it to Lucas, she'd be dead. "Selena, thank you." "Hey," Selena said, picking up the mood. "We girls gotta stick together." The moon, full as usual, shone through their window, and a lone raven launched from a nearby tree. ****** It was two o'clock on Thursday, and Selena was feeling the distance between herself and the children more acutely. Only Caleb had been anything more than cordial toward her all day. She thought about what Chuck had said the day before, about bringing the children in closer. An idea came to her, almost out of the blue. "Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention?" All the faces looked up to the front of the classroom. "Thank you. Now, has anyone in here ever heard a baby before she's born?" One hand went up toward the back of the room. "Well, I think it's time for y'all to hear one. My daughter's been kicking all afternoon, if you put your head up to my stomach, you can probably hear her." The children slowly filed to the front of the class. Caleb was the first to put his head on Selena's belly. He smiled and pulled away. "I heard her!" he said, happily. Two more children put their ears to her baby's resting place, and came away with smiles. Soon, the whole class had heard, and some were coming through for a second time. Selena smiled and, for the first time since she'd come back, relaxed in the classroom. FADE TO BLACK DISCLAIMER: Any story/episode appearing that states it is part of Virtual AG-Season Three is based upon the Television show, "American Gothic", which is the property of Shaun Cassidy, Renaissance Productions, and CBS (apparently). The characters added to support this concept, and the storylines, are the property of the writers acknowledged as such. PLEASE, DON'T SUE US!!