Subj: AG Round Robin Part 1 Date: 96-06-10 02:12:05 EDT From: ndandy@direct.ca (Alien) Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org Anna had driven for days, dodging the law where ever and whenever she found it necessary. As for a particular direction, she never intentionally had one. Her trip began when she learned that her life was all based on a lie. A lie she didn't understand, a lie that threatened her even now. After a close call the other day with the local law enforcement in Ascension, Anna decided it was time to ditch the stole car she'd picked up in New York. She ended up spending the night on the nearby beach of Jackson Lake. Camping out in the open air in South Carolina was nothing compared to some of the cold nights Anna had spent on the streets of New York City. For one thing, the nights here were much warmer and the danger Anna felt she might face didn't stand a change with the things she'd found on the streets. Or so she thought. * * * * * "Excuse me miss, but it's against the law in Trinity to camp out at the lake over night," said a voice in Anna's dream. "Ummmm," groaned Anna as she rolled over in the sand. Lucas moved closer and leaned over the young girl. "Miss, I'll have to ask you to come with me," said Lucas as he shuck Anna. "What...?" "You'll have to come with me." Anna finally woke up and rolled over to face the face the voice. Anna gasped at the sight, he was beautiful, like a fallen angel from heaven. Anna snapped out of it long enough to say, "who do you think you are?" No matter how appealing he was to look at, it still annoyed her that he'd woke her up. "I'm the law around here and I'm the one in the position to ask questions, not you." "It's Anna." Damn, thought Anna, it's a good thing I dumped the car. "Anna...?" inquired Lucas. "You must have another name, besides Anna." "It's just Anna." "That's funny, Just Anna, we had a Just Eddie in town a while back. Any relation?" "No," said Anna as she got up and turned away from the man's glare. "You still didn't answer my question." "The name's Lucas Buck, Sheriff Lucas Buck." "Lucas Buck...," said Anna as she swung around to meet Lucas eyes staring at her. He was inches away. "I see you've heard of me before." TO BE CONTINUED +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: AG Round Robin Part 2 Date: 96-06-11 11:53:44 EDT From: JUSTMULDER@aol.com Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org "Your reputation precedes you, Sheriff. All the way through South Carolina I've heard about you." Anna hoped her expression was neutral; the last thing she needed was for him to become too suspicious. Lucas stared at her carefully. "You look kinda familiar, missy. You been around here before?" "Not that I recall," she answered truthfully, with a disdainful shrug. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going on my way." "Where do you think you're goin'?" He grabbed her arm roughly when she started to walk past him. "Hey!" She glared at him balefully till he dropped her arm. He looked surprised for just a moment, then regained his composure. "You're gonna have to come with me down to the station. We don't take kindly to trespassers here," he warned her. "Okay, I got that already. Jeez! I'm going already." "No, you're not." Anna stopped in her tracks. The steel in his voice was more effective than his bruising grip of a moment before. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to take you into custody till I find out just what your story is. Now we can do this the easy way, or you can make it hard on yourself. While we're ridin' down to the station, why don't you think real carefully about which way you'd like to handle this?" Anna considered the possibility of outrunning him, but he looked like he was in pretty decent shape. It didn't seem prudent to piss him off any more than necessary. "Okay, fine. Whatever." Lucas estimated her age at somewhere in her early 20's perhaps, but the sullen look and attitude was clearly adolescent. "I hope for your sake you're not a runaway, ma'am. In this county we appreciate family values, and respect our elders. If you got folks back home that're waitin' on you, we can give them a call an' let em know you're all right, then ship you back to 'em right away." Anna followed him to the car and reluctantly got in the back seat. "I'm not gonna tell you anything, Sheriff. If I'm under arrest, then I want a lawyer. And you haven't read me my Miranda rights yet, you know?" Lucas shook his head as he slid in behind the wheel and started the car. "I think you been watchin' too much TV, Miss Just Anna." * * * * * It was noisy even in the middle of the night at Juniper House. Many of the patients had trouble sleeping, their rest disturbed by vivid nightmares. Unfortunately, Matt Crower was no exception. The only consolation he had was the knowledge that he did not truly belong there. He wasn't mentally disturbed, no matter what the admission report may have stated. He may have been temporarily insane in thinking a bullet would have rid the world of Lucas Buck; he was beginning to think a stake through the heart might have been more effective. On this night, as on every night since his incarceration, he woke himself with his own screaming. He could never recall the dream itself, though he had an impression of being surrounded by flames, and feeling trapped under a huge weight. He struggled each night, waking to find the covers tangled around his legs. He calculated it to be somewhere after midnight, and wondered if he'd be able to get back to sleep. Or if he even wanted to. Maybe he'd be better off to prepare himself for Lucas's weekly visit to taunt him and offer him another unacceptable option for his freedom. Matt wished fervently for a decent lawyer, but so far he hadn't been allowed to call one. * * * * * Anna didn't like the accommodations in the Fulton County jail, not one little bit. She'd refused to answer Lucas's questions, and he'd finally locked her in one of the cells, saying he hoped she'd adjust her attitude right quick, as she'd stay there till she did. Anna had never been one to take well to any sort of order. TO BE CONTINUED +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: AG FanFic RR: "Allies and Enemies" Pt.3 Date: 96-06-16 13:06:08 EDT From: gdawson@procom.procom.net (Gail Dawson) Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org Anna was sitting on the edge of the cot. She'd been incarcerated for about six hours now. Her stomach rumbled and her throat was feeling parched. She had stupidly refused her lunch from the young deputy (he said his name was Floyd), and now thought that she could have at least relented enough to accept the biscuit and a glass of water. Her stomach grumbled again as she began to psyche herself up for supper. The grumbles from her gut were reverberating around the darkening cell. The late afternoon sun was casting the shadows of the bars onto the floor, across her arms, her legs, her face... "AAACCKKK!!" thump, thud, silence. She tried to scream but the dryness in her throat prevented it. Anna clutched at her chest as she feared her pounding heart would pop right out. Glancing up and to her right, she saw a huge black bird ( crow or raven, she couldn't recall what it was called), perched on the exterior window ledge. The bird was staring right at her, almost felt like it was looking into her ...she noticed it held a squirming worm in it's beak. Anna was feeling very envious of this bird and his worm. The bird slowly and deliberately began to eat. Savouring ,it seemed, every bit. And then, as if to say "I couldn't eat another bite," the bird paused, still staring at her, watching her lick her lips, and then it splattered the remaining morsel against the barred window. Anna's gaze feasted upon the worm bit slithering down the window, when it plunked to rest out of sight on the ledge, she felt disappointed. Her stomach growled again. The black bird was gone. Anna shook her head slightly, wondering if she had imagined the entire scene, if she was becoming delirious from lack of food...she pushed up from the cot and moved to the cell bars. Linking her arms through, she leaned her head forward to see the entrance door. "Stubborn won't fill the belly, girl" she muttered to herself, anxiously awaiting Floyd's arrival. **************************** "Evenin' Carlene!" Lucas' casual wave indicated to the clerk that he was calling it a day. He was looking particularily smug she thought, as he pausedto listen to Ben and Floyd's shift review. "....she was like a junkyard dog when I pushed that tray to her!" Floyd was awed by the prisoner's change of heart. He carried on toward his desk tocomplete his own supper. Ben just shook his head and turned from the filing cabinet to look at Lucas. " Ben, I'll be taking a little drive out of town, I gotta call on a sick...Friend." Lucas grinned at the recrimination that was displayed on his deputy's face. And on that note, he headed toward the door, he paused just before the phone rang... "Sheriff's office, Carlene Speakin'" the clerk was noted to be worrying the phone cord in her hand as she listened to the call, she glanced at Lucas' back, and then back down to the phone, "...Hold on Miss Emory, I'll see if he's available..." Lucas was beside her before she could glance up again. "Thank you Carlene, I'll take that call," he placed the receiver to his ear, before he started to talk he inclined his head to indicate she could clear away now... "Miss Emory!! To what do I the pleasure?!" He noted her indrawn breath and a pause before she answered. He could see her facial expression squaring up for a sassy comment, she didn't disappoint. "Lucas, I called you, remember? You must be used to this by now, YOU have to dial 1-900 to achieve pleasure from a phone call." "Ahhh, Miss Emory...beg to differ on that, care for a demonstration.. "Lucas' voice dropped to a whisper," I'd gladly oblige, calling you up, later tonight, when your just settling in between the sheets of that big, empty..." "Stop it Lucas! I want to know why you arrested that girl today." *******TO BE CONTINUED-******** ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: AG Fanfic Round Robin Part 4 Date: 96-06-23 02:57:51 EDT From: verbal@mail.camtech.net.au (Peter Wels) Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org "Girl? What girl would you be talking about there, Miss Emory?" "A girl called Anna, I think... the girl you-" "My, my... news sure travels fast, don't it?" Lucas commented, thinking about whether some of his staff wouldn't be better off buried alive somewhere in the desert. * * * Meanwhile, back in her cell Anna was awoken from a strange dream to be confronted with an even stranger reality. There was a girl - no older than 18 - sitting on her bed. "Wh-who are you? How did you get here?" "I'm here to warn you... Lucas knows who you are... He knows why you're here. You've got to get out!" "What do you mean?" Before the girl could respond, she felt another presence - "Talking to ghosts, Anna?" Buck was right outside the cell? She was sure he wasn't there a few seconds ago... "Ghosts?" Buck pointed behind her as some sort of explanation... she looked, and the girl was gone. Something _very_ strange was happening here - crows, ghosts and a charming - but somehow threatening - sherrif. "Just talking to myself," she shrugged. Why bother even trying to explain, when she herself didn't even know what was going on? Buck unlocked and opened the cell. "You're free to go." "What?" "Your brother's come up and bailed you out, Miss Westlake." She didn't even bother asking - she knew that any family was miles away from here. But he knew her last name! Someone must've found out. Either that, or she was still inside her dream. Trying to convince herself that she was still dreaming - and that she would awake at any second to find herself out at the Lake on the outskirts of Trinity - she followed Buck out of the cell. * * * "Tom?" she exclaimed as she groggily walked out of the cell. "Jeez Anna, if you wanted somewhere to stay the night, you could've just given me a call," the friendly, 25 year old joked. The two hugged - in an embrace that seemed to last for years. It was the comfort and reassurance she'd been desperately looking for since she'd run away. "I thought you were still down in New York!" "Nah... that didn't last too long... decided I needed to move out somewhere nice and quiet. So what are you doing out in this neck of the woods, sis?" "Same as you... figured I needed a change of scenery, and the first place I saw on the map was Trinity." "Come on, I'll buy you some dinner... we've got a lot of catching up to do." * * * As soon as the two of them stepped outside of the station, their tone changed immediately. "How did you know I was here?" "Gail gave me a call today, saying that some outsider called Anna got picked up near the lake. She said it could have been you, but she wasn't too sure... Believe me, you're lucky she found out - Lucas Buck is one guy you definitely don't want to screw around with." * * * Lucas watched the two of them walk out of the station. He knew what was really going on. Even worse... he knew exactly what needed to be done. TO BE CONTINUED ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Allies & Enemies Part 5 Date: 96-06-25 03:33:42 EDT From: srgrimm@teleport.com (Sister Grimm) Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org "It's not that I'm not glad to see you," Tommy grabbed her by the arm and pulled her down the street, aware of Lucas Buck's eyes burning holes in their backs, "but what the hell are you doing here?" Annie's lower lip trembled slightly, and she took a deep breath before she tried to speak. "It was all a lie, Tommy." "What was?" Tommy glanced at the rapidly gathering thunderclouds overhead. Oddly, the wind was blowing from the opposite direction. "Everything." She hurried to keep up with him, slowing only to navigate around the numerous beetles in her path. "Where are we going?" "To Gail's apartment." "That is so weird. Gail's here, you're here, I'm here." "So, what's with this 'everything was a lie' stuff?" Her eyes began to fill, and she forced her fingernails into her palm to keep the tears from spilling onto her cheeks. She'd promised herself she wasn't going to do this, she'd cried too much already. "I was helping Sister Alberta with some of the filing in the chapel office. She stepped out for a moment, and I --I sneaked a look at my own file. You know how the nuns at the orphanage told me my parents both died in a plane crash and I didn't have any living relatives?" "They lied?" "Well, no. But I found out that the orphanage was receiving money on my behalf from an anonymous benefactor, twenty thousand dollars every year on my birthday. The only clue was that every envelope was postmarked Trinity, South Carolina." A violent burst of wind blew a small funnel of dried leaves toward them. Tommy urged her on. "Not much farther, but we gotta hurry before the lightning starts." A brilliant flash lit the countryside around them, the thunder clap racing in seconds later to drown out her words. "What?" "I said, the nuns held the money in trust for me. If I died, became a nun, or left the orphanage before I was 18, the orphanage could keep the money." "But you didn't." A large raven stood atop the fence post as they rounded the corner to the block where Gail's apartment house stood. Tommy ignored its raucous caws as they hurried past. "So what happens now?" "The money's mine," she said bitterly, "and it's ruined everything!" Tommy would have laughed out loud, but the rain began falling so heavily, he would have drowned like a turkey staring at the downpour. Breathless, they dashed up onto the front porch and shook the water from their hair and clothes like slightly deranged wheaten terriers. Gail answered the doorbell, an odd expression on her face. "Phew. Smells like a wet dog. Hi, Tommy. Annie, so it was you Lucas Buck hauled in." She looked at her sodden guests in surprise. "You two go swimming with your clothes on?" Annie squished uncomfortably on the doorstep in her soggy Doc Martins. "We got caught in the rain storm, Gail." "What rain storm?" Gail stepped out onto the porch and looked up at the cloudless sky, moon shining placidly on Trinity sleeping below. "Well, come on in. I can't wait to hear what you two have been up to." They chatted cheerfully, unmindful of the scowling stone gargoyle crouching inexplicably outside Gail's living room window. "Tommy, you seemed to have found a place in monastic life after having lived on the streets for so long. When I interviewed you in Charlotte for my 'Heroes of the Homeless' piece six months ago, you were on your way to becoming the Mother Theresa of Franciscan friars on the East Coast. What happened?" Gail asked. "He was set up," Annie announced. "Crooked politicians. They accused him of pocketing donations to his homeless mission, and stealing money from the church. They even got some sleaze to testify that Tommy propositioned some of the runaways." "I went from 'Hero of the Homeless' to 'Felonious Monk.' Rather than embarrass the Brotherhood any further, I left. I remember you talking about Goat Town. Big cities aren't the only ones with a homeless problem. I thought my help might be welcome here." "That's why you didn't want me to cover your efforts to start a shelter in Goat Town." Gail sipped her ice tea thoughtfully. "That's just one reason, Gail. I got some others. Hey, Annie's got some good news." Tommy took another cookie from the platter on the coffee table. "What's up, Little Orphan Annie?" "Jeez, Gail. Nobody calls me that anymore." Annie curled up in her armchair, pouting into her nearly full beer can. "Annie's got a secret benefactor in Trinity. She's rich, and she's not happy about it," Tommy made a face at her, and she stuck her tongue out at him. "You don't understand. All my life, I thought maybe it was fate, maybe some higher power that took me off the streets and gave me a home with the nuns. Now I feel like a marionette being jerked around by my strings. I gotta see who's been holding the other end." A porch board creaked loudly outside, and the room fell silent. "Somebody's outside," Gail whispered. Tommy rose and peeked through the front drapes. "It's Lucas Buck" he mouthed, tiptoeing away from the windows and pulling a resistant Annie out of her chair. The doorbell rang once as they crept through the apartment, quietly slipping through the kitchen door while Gail waited until they were clear before opening the front door. "Evenin', Miss Emory." Lucas looked past her into the room. "Did I take you away from your guests?" She was about to answer when a tremendous flash of light filled the room and thunder exploded behind her, rattling every window with its deafening crash. "Tommy," Annie screamed from the back yard. "Tommy, can you hear me?" TO BE CONTINUED . . . ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Allies & Enemies Part 6 Date: 96-06-30 12:27:43 EDT From: superula@oz.net Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org Anna looked around the yard, her eyes not yet adjusted after the flash of lightning. "Tommy! Tommy!!" Blind panic. "Okay, Buck. I quit, I give up. Whatever you want. Bring it on." She was soaked, half blind, tired and hungry. Tom had vanished along with whatever fight she had left. The small yard was at once filled with light. "It doesnt need to be like this" The girl from the cell! "You have so much to work for yet. If you just give up....well.... You'll have let us down. Everything you need is here, and it wont take much longer for you to realize it." Anna started, "Who in God's name-" "Well, you could say that", the girl replied, then faded dead away. Her eyes adjusted somewhat to the stormy half light, Anna squirmed along the grass to a place where she could see into Gail's apartment. There was Buck, chatting away smugly. Gail looked peeved at his intrusion, Buck didn't seem to mind. Or care. "pssssssssss! pssssssssssss!" Anna turned her head. "Come on with me now. I'll show you something!" TO BE CONTINUED +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Re: Allies and Enemies, Part 7 Date: 96-07-05 00:48:04 EDT From: wrussell@polarnet.com (Robyn Russell) Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org "Tommy, you scared me half to death!" "You're the one standing out in the middle of the yard talkin' to yourself. While Gail's keeping the sheriff busy, I'll take you over to meet my friend, Loris." "Doris?" "Loris!" Tommy sighed in exasperation. "Will you hurry up before we get rained on again?" Sheriff Buck liked to say that he was at home anywhere and the living room of Miss Gail Emory's house was no exception. "Let me see if I get this straight. Young Annie is gettin' twenty grand a year in a trust fund and she's unhappy 'cause she don't know who's givin' it to her?" Lucas gave Gail the skeptical look he reserved for drivers who failed the breathalizer test and folks who were trying to weasel out of a deal. "Kids today. Who can understand them?" "She needs to know about her past before she can move on with her life. I can understand that. What do you remember about the Westlakes' accident?" "That was a long time ago, Miz Emory. Must be goin' on what?--twenty some years now." "A plane crash," Gail prompted. "The Westlakes were both pilots, I remember." "That's so. They were racing in the South Carolina Air Derby. Took off from the Fulton County Airport, engine stalled, crashed at the end of the runway. Both died instantly. Damn shame. Nice young couple, everybody liked them." "Did the family have any money?" "You mean, rich relatives that might be financin' a trust fund? Could be, but I doubt it. Don't think either Dan or Cynthia Westlake ever had much. Their plane and every bit of flyin' gear they had came from sponsors." "Think you could help find Annie's secret benefactor?" "That depends, Miz Emory--what were you plannin' on givin' me if I do?" "I'll give you your coffee in a cup instead of in your lap," Gail said, hefting the coffee pot in a menacing manner. No matter how much she resolved not to let Lucas get to her, the man's smug insinuations always set her teeth on edge. "Well, when you put it that way . . . " Lucas got effortlessly to his feet. "Don't you worry, Miz Emory, I'll take care of young Annie. Widows and orphans are my specialty." "Tommy! What are you doin' here?" Loris said, opening the kitchen door for them. "Followed the smell of your cookin' all the way from Goat Town. This is my sister, Anna." "Come on in, Anna. You're both welcome to supper." Tommy and Anna took their places at the long table in the boarding house dining room. It was a small group tonight, just the two Westlakes, Loris, and the boy she was taking care of, Caleb. "When are we goin' up to see Doctor Matt?" Caleb asked, looking up from his plate of biscuits and gravy. "We'll try again tomorrow, Caleb. Doctor Matt's up at the Juniper House sanitarium," Loris explained for Tommy and Anna's benefit. "We tried to visit him today, but they're only letting family in." "Doctor Matt ain't got any family but us," Caleb said, still smarting at the injustice. "I know one of the pyschiatrists on staff. She does some volunteer work down at the Goat Town shelter. I'll give her a call and see if she can get you two in," Tommy replied. "You'd do that?" Caleb asked, getting excited. "Sure, I would. Doc Crower was a good doctor before his---breakdown." "Anna, honey, you gettin' enough to eat?" Loris asked, changing the subject. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you." "Loris, is it all right if Anna stays here overnight?" Tommy asked. "I've got to get back to the shelter and I've got some other errands to run." "I can take care of myself," Anna snapped, annoyed at being treated like excess baggage. "I want you to be some place safe. The sheriff already tracked us to Gail's house and I want you to stay out of his way," Tommy replied. "You're welcome to stay if you want to, Anna," Loris added. Anna considered the offer a moment before nodding her head. It had been a long day. Tomorrow, though, tomorrow she was definitely getting some answers--with or without Tommy's help. TO BE CONTINUED +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Round Robin pt. 8 Date: 96-07-15 22:02:07 EDT From: Kiwilerner@aol.com Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org Allies and Enemies: Part 8. By tigee@tribeca.ios.com (Kira) Section below Copyright c 1996 by Kira Lerner ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Section One...."Digging Without a Shovel" The radio was blaring some bluegrass tune, the static rendering the song incomprehensible. Lucas tolerated it for a few minutes, but as he continued to wait and Selena continued to be absent, he grew less patient, frowned, and smacked the radio with the side of his hand. Now it played "Devil with a Blue Dress." Sure enough, out stepped Selena Coombs, clad in an aqua suit more appropriate to a sex education demo than for the class of eleven-year-olds she'd just been teaching. He smiled in genuine pleasure, leaned out of the window, and said her name. She stopped on the way to her yellow sports car. She couldn't have heard him--she was way across the street. But she swiveled on one high heel and looked in his direction. Then, after a slight pause, she adjusted her purse and walked over to him. Naturally, this being Trinity, she didn't have to look both ways before crossing. "You want somethin', you're gonna have to ask me nicely," Selena said with her usual lazy drawl. There was no smile on her face, but her wicked eyes always mocked whomever she spoke with. Just the sound of her voice made Lucas's blood thicken and boil. "I'm in no mood for playin' your games today." "Well now, you *are* in one foul mood. What's the matter, S'lena? Aren't you gettin' your required daily injections from the doc?" She tried to hide her annoyance, but he could see the tightening of her full lips. Oh yeah, Peale was definitely behind her irritation. Lucas tried not to show too much pleasure at the discovery, and he continued. "I guess you're sensitive `bout that issue, darlin'. Wouldn't want to stick my fingers in a sensitive place where you're concerned, now would I?" "You can stick whatever you'd like wherever you'd like, Lucas, providing it's not on me. And if you're looking for suggestions, let me know." He grinned. "I surely will. But right now I've got my own ideas." Selena shifted her balance and crossed her slender arms across her chest. "I'm sure you do. Look, is this all you wanted from me? I'm late for my lunch appointment as it is. One of my kids' parents just cornered me, says I'm not giving little Junior the grades he deserves. Spent the better part of a half-hour gettin' my ear chewed off." "Well now, I thought chewin' things off was *your* job, sweetheart. But anyway, I do need your help. What do you remember about Dan Westlake? He was a friend of your daddy's, wasn't he?" Selena grew very still. "That was a long time ago. I was just a child." "You were never a child, hon. But that's besides the point. You do remember ol' Danny and his wife takin' a header in their plane, don't you? As I recollect, your daddy spoke at the service--a nice tender job he did, too. You should be proud." "I'm real glad you think so. Why are you interested in a couple that's dead for twenty years? Even for you, surely the statute of limitations wore out on that one." "Now, Selena, you know there's no statute of limitations in my town. Gettin' back to speakin' of your daddy...would you say he was close to Cyn? Oh, I don't mean s-i-n, of course--we all know what a good man Mr. Coombs was. I mean, Cynthia Westlake." Selena's usually fiery eyes were as dead as a day old bass. "I know what you meant, Lucas. As far as I know, he was good friends with both the Westlakes." "Uh huh," Lucas said with a satisfied nod. "That sounds about right. Seems as I remember Cyn spending lots of time with your daddy. On account of their mutual interest in the bible, of course." "Uh huh," Selena repeated, though whether it was conscious or unconscious mimicry Lucas couldn't tell. "Is this what you called me over here for? To bait me about my family? Must be a slow day, Lucas. You runnin' out of things to keep yourself occupied? I suppose Gail Emory's not as excitin' as you thought she might turn out to be, huh?" It was his turn to give her a flat stare. He said nothing until the discomfort made her gaze shift away from him. Seeing this, he inhaled and spoke. "She's as excitin' as I need her to be. Must say, darlin', I'm surprised to hear you gettin' feline on me. Shows me you still feel the ol' fire in your belly." He stretched his hand out until it just touched the soft skin underneath her jaw. Then he traced a line down her throat, down her tan chest to the soft swell of her bosom. His fingers started to slip beneath her creamy silk camisole, a fragile thing that he could have ripped apart with a whisper. And then Selena moved out of his reach...but not quickly. Not quickly at all. "That fire was burnt out a while ago," she said. He flipped his hand over in a sort of a shrug. "You want to believe that, go right ahead, darlin'. From the look of things, it's your furnace that ain't gettin' stoked, not mine." Retracting his arm, he turned the ignition key and started the engine. By the time he looked up again, she was halfway down the block. Chuckling, he decided it was time he paid a visit to Trinity Savings. But first, he thought he'd take a peek in at his favorite patient. Section the Second...."The Hinterlands" When he arrived at Juniper House, he was somewhat chagrined to see Caleb and Gail Emory at the fence. He left his car about a block away from the compound and, standing several feet away, watched unseen as they spoke with the security guard at the entrance. Even from here, though he couldn't hear their words, Lucas could tell that they were not pleased by whatever the guard was saying. *Atta boy,* he thought with a satisfied smile. *That's a man who knows where his duty lies.* But as he watched, a middle-aged woman in a white coat came up from the courtyard to the fence and spoke to the guard. And Lucas did not like the expression on her face. He didn't like it one bit. What *was* it about doctors that made them so damn troublesome? "Jim, you watch your language now," the doctor said with a gentle but steel-laden drawl. "That's a child there, in case you can't see." "Sorry, doctor," the guard muttered. "Now, what seems to be the trouble?" Gail read the tag on the woman's coat. "Dr. Gollen," she began calmly, "we're here to visit Matt Crower. He's been a patient here for over two months, now, and I don't see why we can't visit him." "Well, I don't see why you can't either. Crower, I don't recall that name. But I'm only here part time. Jim, why don't you let them in? I know visiting hours don't start till 1:00, but there's no need to be a stickler about a few minutes here and there. Not if a man's wife and child are here standing in the hot sun. Jim, go tell him his family's here to see--" "No!" Gail said hastily. She could only imagine what poor Matt would have thought if the guard had delivered such a message. "We're not his family. But--" "He ain't got no family livin'! That makes us his family, and you folks should let us in!" Caleb was obviously annoyed and ready to argue. Gail put a restraining hand on his shoulder and bent down. "Flies with honey, Caleb," she whispered in his ear, reminding him of the aphorism she'd told him should be their motto when dealing with the staff at Juniper House. "Flies with honey!" He nodded and, flashing a sudden angelic smile, looked up at Dr. Gollen. "Poor Doctor Matt ain't had a visitor since he's been inside, ma'am. An' I sure miss him a lot." "I'm sure you do, hon'," the doctor said with a genuine look of sympathy. To Gail she added: "He's a doctor?" "Used to be, before he tried to shoot up the sheriff's office," the guard interjected sullenly. "Dr. Gollen, he's one of the violent ones. He's not allowed any visitors except for family. Sheriff's--uh, Superintendent Willis's orders." "I see. Look, I've got to go down to Goat Town shelter, but why don't I first--" "Oh! You're Tommy's friend!" Gail felt renewed hope. "He said he'd call you and speak to you about getting us in to visit Matt." The older woman's eyes crinkled as she smiled. "You know Tom? Nice young man. Helps out down at the shelter every week. But no, I didn't get a call from him. In fact, now that you mention it, I didn't even see him down there this morning before I went to do my rounds up here. Strange, him not being there. But, well, a volunteer isn't forced to keep regular hours." Gail felt an odd, fleeting sense of dread. No real reason for it, of course...the promise to call must have just slipped Tommy's mind. And maybe he'd gotten tied up with Anna, and hadn't been able to make his usual shelter visit--quite understandable, really. But she couldn't help feeling that there was something wrong... She shook off the miasma of warning and returned her attention to the businesslike but warm woman in front of her. "So you were saying? About doing something before going down to the shelter?" "Oh yes, right. I'll just check in and see exactly what the patient's status is. I don't know who's in charge of his treatment, but maybe, if he's been showing signs of recovery, we can get his visitation rights upgraded." A sudden hot breeze blew Gail's hair in front of her face. And then-- "I wouldn't go doin' that, now, ma'am." She saw the doctor's gaze turn from her, and Gail closed her eyes, not needing to see the sudden arrival. "Lucas, for heaven's sake--" She heard his low laugh, and quickly went on. "Can't you stay out of this?" "No, can't do that, darlin'. This is my town, and I've got to keep watch over it." Dr. Gollen was watching them with intense interest. "Sheriff," she said with a slightly wary nod. "Haven't yet had the pleasure." "No we haven't, ma'am--Doc, I mean. Sheriff Lucas Buck, keeper of the peace here in Trinity. And the victim of Matt Crower's psycho behavior." Gail set her jaw as he spoke and looked down at the ground. His voice almost lulled her into a comatose state. And when he was through... ...Of course he was able to convince the doctor--a part-timer with little desire to make waves and a woman in a hurry to leave for the day--to keep the status of Patient M. Crower very much quo. And of course Gail and Caleb found themselves walking dejectedly back to Gail's car, frustrated yet again in their efforts to see how Matt was doing. "I thought Tommy was gonna make it okay," Caleb muttered, hitting the fence with a stick as he walked. "That doc woulda let us in if he'd saidsomethin'." "Maybe, maybe not." Gail opened her car door and slid inside. Caleb followed suit. "You know, I--I think we'd better check up and see what's up with Tommy. Wanna take a ride?" She said it casually, but inside her stomach a knot--one that had formed the moment she'd realized Tommy had not gotten in touch with the doctor--clenched her muscles and made it difficult to breathe. Strange images floated through her mind. Images of Tommy, strung up on a post like a scarecrow, a phone receiver in his hand, the ripped-out cord dangling down to the ground, blood running from his mouth. And in her mind, through that receiver was droning the monotone voice of a computerized telephone operator: "We're sorry....the party that called you has hung up...." TO BE CONTINUED +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subj: Round Robin Part 9 Date: 96-07-28 12:11:41 EDT From: denedkat@dash.com (Denise D. Pass) Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org Here's our New Disclaimer: Characters in this story are the property of Renaissance Pictures. By no means should this story be used to make any profit or distributed without the permission of the author. You are welcome to keep a copy for your personal entertainment. This is a piece of fan fiction that is meant to show an appreciation for the show "American Gothic". Please Don't Sue Us! <---------------------------------------------------------> "Gail? Gail? You all right?" Caleb said as he waited for Gail to start the car. "What? Oh, yes, Caleb. I'm sorry." "You've been starin' out the wind'er fer ages. I thought we was going for a drive." "Yes, I'm sorry. I was thinking about my friend Tom, that's all. Let's go!" Caleb asked again how they were going to get in to visit Dr. Matt, but Gail never seemed to hear him. He finally let the ride back to the boarding house pass in silence. Images of Tom swirled through her mind, as did the certainty that he was dead. Nearing the city limits, Gail urged the Mustang to move just a little bit faster through the neat residential streets. "Geez Cousin Gail, you'd better slow down if you don't want Sheriff Buck to give you a ticket." Caleb's playful remark just encouraged Gail to drive even faster. With a screech of brakes and a slight thump as the Mustang hit the curb, they arrived at Miss Holt's. Gail dashed from the car, leaving Caleb to struggle out of his seat belt. Shouting as she ran up the sidewalk, Gail called out, "Anna! Anna! Where are you? Where's Tom? Have you heard from Tom? Do you know where he is?" Anna met Gail as she stumbled up the stairs to the porch. "Gail? Are you all right? What's wrong?" "I was . . . I saw . . . Tom. Where's Tom?" The dark images assaulted Gail's mind again and she fell against Anna. She could see Tom hanging from a cross, a large black bird pecking out his eyes. The blood and gore streamed down Tom's disfigured face. Gail shook her head violently, as Anna led Gail over to the porch swing. "Are you looking for me?" Tom asked. A very much alive Tom stood before Anna and Gail on the porch. Gail managed to gasp out, "Tom! Thank god you're safe!" "What made you think I wasn't?" Tom asked as he settled onto the swing. "Caleb and I were trying to visit Matt. We met your friend, Dr. Gollen. She said you never showed up at the shelter this morning. I just knew something was wrong." Tom put his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Well, that's almost right. I was there, but Anna called this morning. *Very* early this morning, and I came back over here. I just missed seeing Dr. Gollen, that's all. And I missed you when you picked up Caleb for your trip to Juniper House." "But I saw you . . . I mean . . . you were hurt." Gail was starting to wonder if what she'd really seen was a warning. A deadly warning from Lucas Buck. "Well," said Anna impatiently, "Now that we all know Tom is safe and sound, let's get down to the bank. Tom and I figured that'd be the best place to solve the mystery of my anonymous benefactor. I need to thank the person who has made me a wealthy woman." Tom never ceased to be amazed at the singleminded determination of his dear sister. "Gail, if you're up to it, we'd love to have your help." Tom added diplomatically. "Of course I'll help. Caleb . . . will you tell Miss Holt you are back, and that I've gone into town with Tom and Anna? I'll be back later for supper." Gail gave Caleb one of those playful pats on the head that he hated and loved her for at the same time. Anna couldn't help thinking that their search at the bank would be brief and fruitless. Just as certainly, she knew the next stop would be the office of Sheriff Lucas Buck. He was involved in all this, and she wanted to know how. TO BE CONTINUED +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: chris wallace Subject: RR part 11 To: af-fanfic@stargame.org X-Mailer: MailBook 95.01.263 A young boy crouches in the shadows obsured by the darkness and the evil that surrounds him. A man advances on the boy his long dark coat swaying with each step. "You cannot hide forever, son." said the man. "There can be only one. No man can be my equal--our equal." he adds. He searches for the hiding boy. "I ask you one last time. Will you join me or no?" He surveys the darkness with a cat-like awareness. "Never!" cries the boy. "Than you will meet your maker." the man responds by reaising his arm. A long slender blade catches the light of an unseen source giving the illusion that the sword is lit from within. A powerful arm grips the man's arm holding him fast. "Do you forget this is holy ground?" the new man questions. "Strike him down if you will but not here and not today." "Who the bloody hell are you to tell me what to do?" the man asks in anger. "McCloud, Duncan McCloud." The new man replies. [click] Here's a story, a man named brady...[click]People let me tell you about my best friend [click] You take the good you take the bad...[click] He was brought across in 1228. Preyed on humans for their blood...[click] Caleb shut the TV off after several minutes of channel surfing. Ms. Holt didn't set a curfew per se but he was expected to be in the boarding house by dark. The digital clock read 7:30pm. There was still light outside. Caleb slipped past the other boarders and went out the backdoor. He'd half expected Merly to be standing there with her arms crossed and that look of disapproval he knew so well. But she wasn't there. Caleb peddled his bike to the spot by the lake. He had seen her kneel here when she removed the blood from the lake with her hands. He set the bike aside and pulled out the silver locket from his pocket and helt it between his thumb and forefinger. His mother. It was the only picture he had of her. He couldn't mourn her. He never knew her. But what did she know about his father? What had she known about him? * * * Anna barely avoided a confrontation with the Sheriff at the bank. Gail and Tommy waited across the street in the library. Anna told them she wanted to do this alone. To be honest she was apprehensive as to what she might learn about her benefactor of $20,000. Did her parents plane crash have something to do with this benefactor. Perhaps it was someone they knew and trusted. But why hadn't this person come forward to tell her who he or she was. It was the secrecy and the lies that bothered Anna Westlake. Ever since that night the Sheriff had found her asleep under the stars she had been uneasy. Then he had arrested her for trespassing. Fortunately, her brother Tommy had come to her rescue. It was Gail that had sent him. Gail had done that piece on him in the paper about the monk who was a hero to the homeless. No more a monk, Tommy was still a hero, an old fashioned boy at heart. Emerging from the bank, Anna was not surprised that the records were closed to her. But she gave it her best shot. Now what was she to do? All the family she had was Tommy. Yes, she had all that money. Her bank account may be full but her heart was empty. All that the bank officer had said was that her benefactor wished to remain annonymous. Of all the nerve! In her anger she droped her keys on the sidewalk outside the bank. She galanced up to see a shoe. A woman's shoe. "Pardon me, are you Anna Westlake?" the young woman asked. "Yes, I am. Who are you." Anna replied. "I'm Selena Coombs. I remember when your parents died in that awful plane crash. My father, Rev. Coombs did a nice little service for Dan and Cynthia nearly 20 years ago. I'm so sorry." Selena purred. At last, Anna thought she had a lead on her benefactor. "Perhaps you can help me, Selena." Anna said as they walked down the sidewalk together. TO BE CONTINUED... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 02:38:55 +0100 To: agothic@stargame.org From: Stephen Jesson Subject: AG- Round Robin Part 12 - "Dominion: Part 1 (of 2)" by Stephen Jesson. "Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne; nor by the earth; for it is his footstool; neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great king. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be yea, yea; nay nay; for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." ST. MATTHEW The alluring, sleek black car flowed onwards; like a bird's shadow it drifted and sank over the hills, rising and falling along the worn country roads. Dark clouds blanketed the sky above, rolling out across the town, seemingly following the path of the vehicle as they stretched out along it's path. The first droplets of rain began to slip into the sky, drifting lazily through the air and sweeping downwards towards the ground. The car continued to tow the brooding storm clouds behind it, sending the ebony rainbow unfurling across the land. "No! I don't want any part of it Lucas." Ben shouted angrily as he reached for the car's door handle. "I'm Leaving, now let me outta' here!" Lucas shook his head and gave a single, shallow, exasperated laugh as he clicked on the windscreen wipers. "You aint going *anywhere* deputy, now... sit... back... DOWN." Thunder rumbled and groaned around them. The rain began to cascade violently down from the sky, pattering noisily on the car's rooftop. Lucas took his hands off of the soft, thick steering wheel and dropped them down to Ben's seat, giving himself support as he leaned closer, narrowing his eyes as he began to study his deputy. Ben's startled expression amused Lucas as he swung around, leaving the wheel which seemed to turn and guide itself. "What are *doing* Luc..." Lucas cut off his words, ignoring the man's hysterical tone. "What you afraid of Ben? You afraid that old hag is gonna stick a q-tip in her 'ken' doll; cursing you with an earache?" He smiled quietly to himself as he watched Ben shift uncomfortably in his seat, a stormy yet frustrated expression looming over his face as he furrowed his eyebrows and clasped his teeth. He opened his mouth as if about to say something, then, giving Lucas a worried sideways glance; immediately shut it again, his perplexed expression intensifying. Lucas chuckled heartily as he slumped back into his seat, resting his hands lightly back onto the steering wheel. The rain began to thunder noisily around them as it dropped heavily through the sky. "You know, I hear she has to *plug in* her crystal ball, and whenever she places her hands on it; her hair stands on end. *That's* the reason for all that poor lighting in those places, and is what makes those old women seem so scary." "You know what I mean." Ben snapped. "Oh yeah," Lucas sighed, shaking his head. "You're right Ben; she *must* be powerful - believe me, it aint easy holding a seance with a generator thrumming noisily in the background." Ben turned slowly, regarding Lucas with a disgusted, disbelieving expression. "Oh, and when we get there? you betta watch out she don't strike you down with a 110 volt light'nin bolt now Benny boy, else *your* hair will go..." "Stop it Lucas! You know what I'm talking about. Jesus!" "Whoa! I think you're gettin me confused with the *other* one there Ben. I'm hurt. And there's *no* need to take the lord's name in vain like that," Lucas teased, "not that he aint vain enough already, mind." he added under his breath. "Or do you mean you're afraid of *me*? Afraid of what *I'm* going to do to them, is that what you're saying Ben?" Sheets of water lashed and wiped against the car, buffeting and jerking the vehicle as it lurched through the pools of water lining the road. "Let's just say I've seen your handiwork first hand, *remember* Lucas?" The sheriff rolled his eyes and shook his head playfully as he turned to regard his deputy with a disdainful gaze, "Are we going to have to go over this *again* Mr Healey?" Lucas questioned, nodding his head with each exaggerated, mocking word. "Oh we don't need to do that Lucas, I see it over and over again every night after I go to sleep." Lucas recoiled, pulling back and widening his eyes in a false expression of surprise. "You having trouble sleeping deputy? Well then perhaps you should take something for that. You know, there are differences of opinion around here as to which is the best remedy to help you through the night; *some* people take morphine, others take alcohol. *Personally*," he shrugged, "I prefer 'companionship' before I close *my* eyes." "Wha...," Ben began in a faltering, incredulous stutter. "Do you actually *care* about *anyone* Lucas? Just what the hell is your problem!" "Don't know," Lucas replied thoughtfully, "my psychiatrist died before he could tell me... you *remember* that psychiatrist don't you Ben? Of course you do, what am I thinking. You know, come to think of it; the entire medical profession in my fair town is having a hard time of late aint it? kind'a ironic really wouldn't you say; them 'suffering' an all," he declared with a shrug. "It'll probably be my *doctor* next... with any luck." He intoned quietly through an unnerving grin. "And as for not caring for anyone! well! I'm surprised at you Ben. You don't think I don't care about you? and Caleb?" Ben sneered and shook his head. The wipers flashed furiously back and forth across the windscreen. "Ben? Ben are *you* hearing me?" "Yes Lucas." Ben sighed, drawing out the words as if he were re-iterating them for the tenth time. "Good!" Lucas beamed, patting Ben's arm enthusiastically. Ben turned suddenly, shrugging off Lucas' arm. His chest heaved as his angry breaths rasped harshly in his throat, "You'll *never* admit to it will you Lucas? then again I don't suppose you'll ever have to. Just who the hell *do* you answer to anyway!" "I answer to *myself*, Ben." Lucas replied firmly. "But not *everyone* can be responsible for their own destiny, some people need a little guidance. It seems *you're* the one who can't admit to that truth Ben." "But I di..." "*Can't*," Lucas stressed, continuing before Ben could begin his protest, "admit that you need a little help. Have I not helped you? helped you when you were having all that unpleasantness with your son... and his *new* daddy?" A wry, wolfish smile touched Lucas' lips as he leaned back in his seat, watching the turmoil wash across Ben's face. "Go on Ben; admit I'm right and prove me wrong, or admit I'm wrong and prove me right. You see, either way - I win." Ben sniffed and began to shake his; a sad, desolate smile creeping slowly over his face, despairing at Lucas' logic. "As usual Lucas, as usual." Lucas stabbed the brake and span the car around as he pulled it off the road and onto the mud laden grass verge, the car sliding across the wet surface before turning into the turbulent mound, bumping to a halt with a dull thud. The car's sickly yellow headlights washed across the bank and onto the gravel path leading up Daniel Johnson's field, the rain fell like diamonds through their glow; twinkling and sparking as the tumbling water sank through the powerful beams. Lucas flung open the car door, squinting into the wall of rain that assaulted him, then he turned, bending down to address his deputy. "Wait here. This won't take long." "What are you gonna do?" Ben asked in a pleading voice, but Lucas had already stepped back, and the wind drowned out his words. Lucas threw the door shut, slamming it with a muffled thud which echoed and reverberated deeply around Ben, causing him to flinch as he cowered in his seat. Lucas stooped and brought his face up to the window: and Ben's question was answered. Lucas stared back at him with dead eyes, a cruel, manic smile staining his lips. He brought his hand slowly and deliberately up to the glass, drawing Ben's eyes away from his face and to the object he grasped in his hand. A harsh, scintillating light suddenly flared through the window as Lucas snapped on the torch; the bright, glaring shaft pierced Ben's eyes and drove through into the back of his head, sending bolts of pain forking and exploding through his skull. Ben cried out in pain as he twisted away from the blazing light, throwing his hands protectively up in front of his face. "Dammit Lucas!" he spat as he turned slowly back to face the window, cautiously beginning to open his eyes again. Ben blinked rapidly as his vision began to clear, but all he could see as he looked out into the dark night was the streaming rain flowing steadily down the windows. Suddenly a soft, blue, neon light rose across the driver's door compartment. Ben leaned over the driver's seat and reached down, pulling the curled object out of the pocket. He turned it over in his hands, and instantly recognised the object for what it was. It had once 'belonged' to his brother, Lucas had confiscated it, telling him he was going to take it back to the shop. So what was he still doing with it after all this time? and why hadn't he noticed it before? Ben read the face of the cheap Korean watch; it had stopped, dead. The time read exactly 12 o'clock midnight, and Lucas had gone. He had disappeared into the night. * * * The girl stood on the edge of the counter; silently, patiently, watching the small rivulet of water crawl and weave along the uneven, rotten surface a few inches above her head. The water meandered across the splintered ceiling to form a dark, rippling patch in the right hand corner of the room. She concentrated on the rushing water as the fading sun sent out it's sickly orange shadows slanting through the dirty windows, illuminating the collecting water as it streaked down the browned, peeling wallpaper; trickling faintly until it pattered and thumped monotonously on the ripped polythene lining stapled crudely to the floor boards. The rain had just begun to fall, and as she looked out; a beautiful, glowing rainbow began to slowly spread across the sky. She smiled at the sight, closing her eyes and holding her arms out towards it, feeling it's warmth, it's essence. There she remained, swaying gently as she followed the arc of it's trail as it blazed through the sky. A harsh, churning growl then ignited the air; the cry of a car's engine, carried on the swirling wind, drifted towards her in a wavering howl. The unnatural, trembling voice roared as it approached, ripping her senses away from her sacred link with a violent jolt. Her eyes flared open as a window blew inwards; a sudden, surging gust of wind thrusting and lunging toward her. The girl's white dress rippled and flapped across her body, her hair floated and weaved around her face as the car neared, it's engine droning through the oncoming night. The sound became loader, it's maddening scream rising in her head, she could feel it's presence as it approached, rumbling along the road at the side of the building. She could see it now, in her mind she could sense the black car sweeping across the countryside, flowing onwards, continuing on it's unearthly journey. As it passed she cried out, the presence in the vehicle reached out towards her as she did to it, but she caught herself, and closed her mind to him. The car passed and drove onwards, and as it left the dead town behind, it sent out it's polluting darkness to infect the world; and slowly a black filter began to slide across the wondrous rainbow, turning it a deathly black. The girl leapt off the splintered counter and slipped down to the floor. She raised her head and stared out into the dispatched night through cold, black eyes, an odium mask hugged her angry, hating features as she withdrew a dagger from beneath her garments. She brought the holy, magnificent weapon to her lips and kissed it gently, tenderly on it's point. As she carried the blade back out in front of her once more a spot of blood began to bead and well from the mark her lips burned into it's smouldering surface, and slowly a stream of blood began to drip down it's blade. "Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath." She spoke in a commanding, bitter voice. "Well, it's too late. The sun already went down, it plummeted though the darkness and you did *nothing* to stop it!" She cried out to some unseen force. "I've tried your way and he's still here. It's time to take action; time to fight fire with FIRE!" On the last word the girl drove the blade deep into the rotten wood, and began to carve. She began to carve the demonic, binding runes deep into the heart of the building. Runes that would trap and destroy a demon. * * * Lucas opened his eyes: and he was outside the gypsy caravan. He breathed deeply and focused on his surroundings. The old, scarred caravan lay silhouetted against the night, it's stark outline resting on the sky in front of him. It's surface was decorated with elaborate entwining roses; their black, twisted stems winding along the carved, wooden supports of the carriage. The white stallion tethered to the make-shift post whinnied only once before Lucas sent his will snaking out towards the creature, his tendriled thoughts wrapping around and smothering the beast, calling to it's own will, forcing, wrestling it down, subduing it's instincts. He turned back; a dark red curtain hung limply behind a window, sending out a burning light glowing through the glass to seep and plume on the wet grass below. Lucas saw the curtain and looked beyond it. His eyes swept and tore through the gypsy's home, scouring, searching for the old woman who defied him. He saw a narrow corridor, red carpet lined the floor, brass rails ran along each side of the walls. He carried his sight on. A small boy with long brown hair juggled four multi-coloured balls, his eyes fixed firmly on their path, his tongue hooked around his top lip as he concentrated intently on the act - though one flew too high and he caught the next ball too quickly, he desperately grabbed at the stray ball but the pattern was broken, and they fell around him, thudding on the wooden boards. Lucas wiped his eyes away and flowed onwards; heading for the polished, oak door at the end of the passage. His sight rushed through the portal and his ears roared as he sent his consciousness into the room. And there she sat; at a large circular table, her wild features shadowed in the flickering light of a candle. A blue cloth lay draped over her cupped hands which clutched, like a vulture's claws, around a translucent crystal orb. Lucas smiled and withdrew his sight, it crawled out of the room and through the side of the caravan, landing back on him, perching in his mind. Then he closed his eyes once more: and he was gone. The horse did not whiny as it watched him go. "Hello Maria. I've come to serve you your eviction notice." The old woman drew a sudden, sharp breath at Lucas' words; the air whining through her flagging lungs. She pursed her lips and steadied herself, not looking up from her trance-like gaze the crystal held over her. "Oh! Sorry... *graand-maar*, didn't mean to startle you like that, but it's the only way I could think of to attract your attention. Why does it have to come to this Maria? who has turned you against me?" The old woman slowly closed her eyes and drew a deep, calming breath. "Now farmer Johnson *asked* you to leave, to vacate *his* land and you wouldn't. So, then *I* asked you to leave - and you didn't. You really know how to make a nuisance of yourself don't you Maria? Well I'm afraid you chose the wrong person to make an enemy of this time." "You don't scare me... Lucas *Buck*." The gypsy crowed. "Perhaps not, but I *do* have the means to unearth what *does*. It's easier to destroy dreams than it is to grant them Maria, and *I* am in the enviable position of being able to fulfill both." Maria looked up at him, her sullen skin and sunken eyes appeared in the faint light. He stood, leaning against the back of the door, his arms folded and his right leg crossed over his left, the tip of his shoe touching the floor. "She's coming for you." Lucas' forehead creased in thought as he pulled back. "Who is?" "The angel." "Well now *that* seems a little dramatic doesn't it Maria? you been listening to your 'Meatloaf' CDs again? - you know what a bad influence he is on you." "Our kind are well known for being able to talk to the dead." "Your 'kind' are well known for talking to *yourselves*." The woman leapt up from her seat - shoving the chair with the backs of her legs as they snapped straight - and began to shriek in a maddening voice. "She knows you and is preparing her way! She's coming for you!" She slammed her hands down on the wooden table, causing the blue cloth to slip off the crystal ball. "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Lucas rolled his eyes. "What is this Maria? Church quiz? Ok, let's see: oh yea, I know; 'Matthew 26, 53'. I read that book too; a bit long winded in my opinion, though I prefer the issue I got, the *uncut* version, makes very entertaining reading. Though I don't suppose *your* library card would grant you access to that edition, you don't quite meet the... 'criteria', shall we say. And as far as *angels* go! Well, what with all the cut backs an' all, I don't think the 'Lord' can afford to spare that many anymore, *one* is all he could allocate round here, and *that* one had her wings clipped a long time ago." Lucas unfolded his arms and took a step towards her. "And now, I'm afraid it's time to clip *your* wings Maria." "No!" The old woman cried as she began to back away from him. Lucas bent his head and regarded her with unholy, upturned eyes. The room seemed to fade away from her, retreating from his fury until she stood in a terrible, black void. Strange, alien voices whispered to her; maddening, furious thoughts pervaded her mind. A wall of blue fire erupted behind Lucas, streaming lines of heat poured out towards her, creating a corridor of fire. Lucas held out his hands, in one sat the crystal ball, the other was empty and with it he beckoned to her, gesturing for her to accept it. Maniac thoughts raced through her head, screaming voices damned her from the depths of hell; she cried out in pain as she began to pound her clenched fists against her head, pleading, despairing against the horrifying words. "Take it." Came a strong, powerful voice from the end of the corridor, "Take my hand." Ahead she could see Lucas outlined in a halo of fire, his presence drove away the voices, kept the demons at bay. He nodded again towards his hand and she felt herself moving towards him, his form looming up in front of her as she neared. A warmth passed through her as she closed her hand around his, and gradually she began to lose all sense of awareness, all thoughts washed away as she let the comforting warmth spread across her soul. Lucas watched with satisfaction as, in his other hand, the woman's spirit began to slowly drain into the crystal ball. The boy stood, facing Lucas as he continued to juggle. He stared at him, boring into the man, he didn't even see the balls as they rose and fell in front of his face, he didn't notice his hands as they moved in a fluid, practised blur, maintaining the rhythm of the ball's path. Behind Lucas the old woman sat, her head bowed slightly, her eyes, glazed and distant, remained fixed on the empty table, not focusing but rather looking through and past whatever fell into their view. Lucas rolled the crystal ball through over his fingers as he watched the boy, then began to smile. "That's good son," he said, nodding his head, "but let's see if you can do it with *four*." With that Lucas rolled the crystal ball off of the tips of his fingers and flipped it towards him. The boy widened his eyes in surprise and fell back, stumbling as he tried frantically to keep in time with the new ball. As Lucas stepped out into the darkness, heading back towards his car, he could hear the dull thud of juggling balls falling on a hollow surface, followed by the clear, explosive ring of glass shattering and tinkling on the wooden boards. From inside the caravan a woman's scream pierced the night. -------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: "American Gothic" and all related characters are the property of 'Renaissance pictures'. This story is not meant to dispute or defame this series in any way, and is meant instead to honour it's inspiration and pay homage to the genius behind it's creation. This story may not be used or distributed without the author's expressed permission. ------------------------------------------------------------- Sebastian Brant once said; 'The world *wants* to be deceived'... and I guess, in a way, that's why I'm here. I think of myself as a kind soul, I mean I *want* to help people, I want to give something *real*, something they can hold, and touch, and feel, something they can *truly* believe in. I offer them proof that there really *is* a power working for them, and watching over them. It's funny, the only time 'The Lord' ever shows his power is through atrocities and disasters, I mean; when was the last time you ever heard of a miracle occurring, of God actually saving people instead of destroying them. An earthquake kills hundreds of innocent people and the remaining few throw their arms up in the air and worship him for it, praying with more passion and conviction then ever before... and why? because they love him? No. Because they fear him, and because they want to appease his wrath. God is a coward, unlike me he won't show himself to his people, he won't look them in the eyes because he's afraid of what they might find there. He showed himself to them once and look what happened; they hunted him down - and so he hides, killing a few people now and then just to remind them he's still around. 'God works in mysterious ways', that's certainly true; he's a deceiver, just like me. I think it was Plato who also said; 'Everything that deceives may be said to enchant'. Sometimes I wonder, out of the two of us; just who's better at playing that little game? * * * Caleb lay sprawled out over his bed. He was tired and drowsy, his head felt thick and heavy on the pillow; he rolled onto his back and flayed his arms out, the comic he had been reading crumpled under his right arm's stupid, flagging weight. He bent his wrist and tried to pull it out from beneath him, but his fingers were too weak, they brushed against the pages but could not get a grip. He didn't have the strength to lift up his arm, so he let his wrist fall back down onto the bed. He pushed his head back into the pillow and gazed hazily up at the ceiling, his mouth dropped open and his eyes closed, his tongue lolled back and forth in his mouth with every deep, husky breath, pushing a pool of saliva that had collected in his cheek over his bottom lip and down the side of his chin, creeping along his young, flushed skin like a forest stream. His legs were bent behind him so his feet touched the cool nylon of the backs of his shorts; with great effort he heaved one out from under his rear and stretched it out over the edge of the bed, letting it drag him over onto his side again. He touched his lips and the sides of his mouth with his tongue, tasting the cool river flowing down his face. He wiped his chin on the duvet, pushing into the covers like an affectionate cat. Since the thunderstorm yesterday the air had been filled with a billowing heat; a blanket of stifling, suffocating heat had risen through Fulton county, causing the entire town to become nauseous and lethargic. Caleb longed for relief, he had asked Miss Holt if he could go swimming with Rose and Boone, and she had begun packing his things to take down to the pool. Subj: AG- Round Robin Part 12 continued - "Dominion Part 2 (of 2)" by Stephen Jesson. Date: 96-09-29 21:51:07 EDT From: sjesson@zetnet.co.uk (Stephen Jesson) Sender: owner-agothic@stargame.org To: agothic@stargame.org "Come on Caleb, you ready to go?" Came Miss Holt's voice from downstairs. Caleb uttered a low groan and rolled off the bed. Blood rushed to his head and he staggered across the floor, the disorientating nausea ebbed and flowed through the head. He stood, waiting for it to clear, then, with a new found energy, he raced downstairs. Lucas emerged from the town hall, watching as Caleb - his small hand tucked into Miss Holt's - walked by; a bag lay slung over one shoulder and he carried a large, blue, furry towel tucked under his arm. "Going for a dip, Miss Holt?" Miss Holt turned at the voice, frowning as she saw Lucas, "Hello, Sheriff." She replied curtly. "Hello, Caleb," Lucas said turning to the boy, "you *really* need to hold her hand? it should be *you* that does the leading from now on, son." Caleb glared defiantly back at Lucas and then looked away, blushing. "I'm glad I ran into you folks, I was meaning to come over." "Oh that would have been nice sheriff, social visit?" Loris said, making no attempt to disguise the sarcasm in her voice. "In a way Miss Holt, in a way. I was just wondering; are those two nice young people still staying with you? what were their name's now? Ah, yes: 'Tom' and 'Anna', that's it. They still at your 'boredom' house?" Loris stared a Lucas for a second, taken aback by his words. She tried desperately to think of way of discrediting his notion, an idea began to formulate in her mind just as Lucas began speaking again, cutting off her thoughts. "I guess so then. Well, that's good. I was hoping they were because Daniel Johnson will be call'in round this afternoon to drop something off for me." "And why would he do that Sheriff? he owe you a 'favour'?" "Well as a matter of fact he does, Loris! but anyway; it's in relation to the girl's money. Should clear a few things up for her." "What? what have you discovered Lucas?" "I'd *love* to share that with you Loris, but I think the girl should hear it first, don't you?" "Of course Lucas, of course." "Well, OK then!" Lucas exclaimed, ruffling Caleb's hair as he started across the road, heading for his car where Ben sat waiting, "you be careful at the pool Miss Holt, after that near miss with that radio presenter's wife; we don't want any more scares now do we?" Lucas strode arrogantly across the road, whistling 'Onward Christian Soldiers' as he turned back, watching Loris walk away with Caleb towards the pool. Caleb shuffled beside her, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. Lucas walked around to the passenger's side of the car, Ben looking up at him from his seat as he opened the door. "Hey Ben, sorry I took so long." A surprised look crossed Ben's face, "Errrm, well... that's OK Lucas. What you find out?" "Some *very* interesting stuff my friend. It seems that miss Anna's father, Danny, was a coyote." "A what?" "A 'coyote', it's a nickname given to people who smuggle illegal aliens into the country." "Wow," Ben declared, nodding with admiration, "I'm impressed Lucas." "Not only that; but it seems that his 'Anna' was one of those 'aliens', he adopted her after the girl's *real* mother died on one of their midnight runs across the border." "Does she know?" "Does she know that she's dead? Well I would have thought so Ben." "No! I mean does Anna know she was adopted?" "Not yet Ben, but she soon will. It also seems that the good 'Danny' was flying without a valid pilot's licence when he crashed the plane. His pilot's licence ran out *way* before the flight; he applied to have it renewed but was justifiably refused," Lucas shook his head and groaned with an ominous, exaggerated tone, "*believe* me Ben, there was a mighty good reason for it being turned down - and *I'll* show you why." "OK Lucas, where we goin'?" "You know anything about 'Augury' Ben?" "That old ghost town? It grew around the old airstrip, before the traffic got too much and a new one was built." "That's right Ben, *I'm* impressed. It was given birth by that old airport, but as it got busier they couldn't cope with all the extra trade, so they moved it. The crash helped matters along, Danny and Cyn's plane was the last one to ever travel down that old runway before the governors wrapped the place up." "Well we *have* been busy today haven't we Lucas?" "The day's just began Ben, and it's a *long* time yet before sunset. Now scoot over, we're taking a trip to Augury. There's something left over from the crash that needs to find it's way to our young Anna." "You mean... you want *me* to drive your car Lucas?" "That's right, I trust you. *You're* drivin the car now, Ben." As Ben pulled out and began down the road a young mother warned her child to behave, for the 'Sheriff' was coming and he doesn't like naughty little girls. The child stopped crying and watched in wonder as Ben drove past. "*That's* Lucas Buck!?" the young girl exclaimed, pouting. "He don't look so mean to me." * * * The wind fell through Augury and continued on it's way, just as all those who ventured across this dead town did, and no doubt would in the seemingly eternal years that have been, and that are still to come. People would occasionally stop; stop to relieve themselves or to stretch their legs, even to take a picnic in the old barn, leaving the kids to run happily through the long grass of the empty houses, and kick broken sticks along the dirty, uneven streets. Dust blew along these roads, drifting up the sides of the old ranshackled houses, and across burnt out long abandoned cars lay strewn on the side of the town's wide main street, staining them all with a thin, dusky layer. Wooden shutters clapped against brittle, long broken window frames, echoing out across the sea of tawny, dry corn which swayed and rippled in the cool afternoon breeze. Murky pieces of shattered glass, sunken into the thick spongy moss, threw shafts of dim golden light against the front of the splintered shops, and into their bare, exposed hallways. Stale, musty shops, thick with dust and leaves lined the town's main street, like ancient guardians protecting against unknown enemies. Now however all life has left this place, moved on, but it's been here, it's left it's mark, cut it deep into the buildings and roads. Now though everything and everyone has deserted Augury, everything is run-down, everything forgotten, never to return... never until today that is. Once, the only enemy that faced this town was time, the enemy we must all eventually confront, the enemy that always prevails no matter how hard we fight, but today another ancient adversary will be returning, an adversary as old and as unforgiving as time itself. One shop still stands, a young girl has prepared it; for she knows a 'customer' is on the way. Their car hasn't reached the horizon yet, it'll be a good hour or so before the bellowing cloud of it's dirt trail weaves through the fading sky, but still she knows, knows their coming. One shop stands out. It's brightly painted purple canvas overhangs the long, freshly cleaned windows. All litter outside has been brushed away and the boards washed. The door sign has been turned around to show "OPEN" in dark, black velvet letters, stuck to the rigid, creamy cardboard. The three creaky dogleg steps leading up to the long wooden platform stretching the whole length of the street, providing passage to all the shops along this side have all been replaced. The silver bell has been cleaned and polished, producing a bright, welcoming shower of happy tones, and the newly painted seawater placard placed high above the door, in big, rounded letters, now simply reads: "Anything Goes", as it has always done. Meryln was putting the finishing touches to what once was the interior of a beautifully nostalgic second hand shop. A timeless place where you could go to find the most secret, most select pieces of a person's life, pieces which would no doubt become part of your own, all of which were perfectly placed around the dark, cloudy room, where sheets of sunlight - housing millions of tiny dust particles that spiralled up from disturbed dwellings - crept through the heavy beige blinds that were forever drawn, even in the depths of the cold snowy winters that seem to have eternally cut Augury off from all civilisation, drawn perhaps to keep your troubles out and your happy thoughts in. She took a step back to survey her day's work. When she arrived at the shop yesterday morning the dawn's warm light had just started to spread across the dark night sky; the light had seemed shrouded, haunting, as if from the aftermath of a huge explosion. She had sat in the open doorway of the shop for more than an hour, watching the world transform, watching it awaken. The steps were cracked, the windows lay in pieces around her feet. Dry, crispy leaves crunched therapeutically under her white moccasin shoes, the front door grated softly as it swayed from side to side, desperately hanging on to it's one remaining rusting hinge. The originally orange canvas lay speared on a rotten rail post, ripped in at least three places. Inside, the mirror lay resting on it's side against the dirty counter, a crack stretching from top to bottom cut through the yellowing glass. The walls were cracked and the wallpaper peeling, soggy leaves covered what was left of the broken goods. But the blinds - the blinds were in perfect order, their smoky colour had not faded, they hung perfectly straight, nothing appeared to have touched them, even the dust seemed to have avoided their foreboding presence. They had been seemingly unaffected by any aspect of time - neither wind nor rain, neither light nor dark could influence or wrestle control from these ever half closed, long beige blinds. The time was 13:47pm, it had taken her about a day to get everything back to the way it was, a job that would have taken anyone else at least a month to complete, but she had asked for help; ask and ye shall receive. She had a very special item to place in the window today, a piece which she *knew* someone wanted. This piece however was expensive; he would have to pay *dearly* if he wanted this particular one. * * * Ben took one hand off of the steering wheel and leaned over, reaching down into his pocket. He fumbled there for a second, never taking his eyes of the road, then, with a sudden expression of satisfaction he yanked the Korean watch out of his pocket and threw it casually at Lucas. Lucas looked down at the object as it landed in his lap, then back to Ben again, holding his hands out to him in a 'what the hell is *this*' gesture. He plucked the watch out of his coat and began to smile quietly to himself as he held it up to his face. "Why have you still got that?" Ben asked in an emotionless voice. "Why not?" Lucas shrugged. "Wha... but you said you were gonna take it back to the shop!, that *is* 'stolen goods' we're harbouring here." "Well I thought you might like it, kinda like a reminder of *your* bravery, and a reminder of your family. Family's important Ben, don't forget that; just how many times *have* you visited Arte since the accident anyway?" "Well, not *many,*" Ben replied awkwardly, "but I really haven't had time..." Lucas snorted. "Haven't had time? Just what do you *do* at night Ben? have a few drinks? go down and play pool? wait for Selena to show you a little tenderness?" "There's *nothing* between me and Selena, you know that, Lucas!" "Well," Lucas turned his head to the side and looked down to Ben's groin, widening his eyes in disbelief, "I heard that there's *a lot* to get in the way of you two, eh Ben?" Lucas chuckled, punching Ben's arm mischievously. Ben laughed nervously. "No, really Lucas; you should have returned the watch." "Ben, Ben, Ben." Lucas sighed. "*Who's* town is this?" "Well, it's nobod..." "That's right Ben, it's *my* town, and if *I* want to give you something from *my* town then I'll do so. OK Ben?" Ben pulled off the back road and onto the abandoned airfield, slowing the car down as they careered along the flat, dusty strip. Hundreds of weeds peeked through the many cracks that had appeared over the airstrip's surface; cracks which had appeared not from extensive use but rather from neglect. Lucas had closed his eyes, a look of concentration covering his face; Ben turned quietly to him now and then, awaiting a signal to stop. The sleek, black car rocked and bumped it's way slowly down the airfield, a misty heat haze rose from the tarmac ahead. Small bushes had begun to grow along the edge of the strip and Ben watched contentedly as scores of swallows darted and weaved back and forth through them. A cool, light wind blew through the open window, softly brushing against his face, pushing back the fringe of his hair. He could hear the chorus of a thousand birds singing sweetly all around, and Ben closed his eyes and let the tranquillity wash over him. "BEN! STOP!" Ben jerked out of his dreamy state and slammed on the brake, the car's red brake lights flared through the swirling dust cloud sent out by the car's screaming tyres. Ben's chest heaved, he gulped loudly as he tried to catch his breath. "What is it Lucas?!" "It's not HERE! Someone's *taken* it." "*What* isn't here Lucas. What the hell are we looking for?" Lucas turned towards him, his strong features set, his lip curled in a scowl. "Just get us back to *town*, Ben." "Ok, Ok Lucas," Ben conceded. "Jes..." "*Now*, Ben." Lucas stressed in a threatening tone. The black car drifted through the empty town, past the derelict buildings, past the desolation of the abandoned dominion. Ahead; a large courtyard, covered with empty, overturned drums revealed what once was a gas station, the large windows of the crumbling building were smashed, their shattered panes glinted in the afternoon sun across the sunken concrete surface. Weeds embraced the petrol pumps, braiding their limbs around the rusting metal. Faded advertising boards hung and creaked off of the lonely structure, now only whispering their forgotten messages. Lucas motioned to the site, "We're low on gas Ben, pull in here." "Are you serious Lucas? those pumps have been empty for years." "I'm *always* serious Ben. Now pull over, you'd be surprised how much you can squeeze out of things when you know how." Ben swung the car into the courtyard, driving carefully around the fragments of debris spread out across the area. Lucas stepped out of the vehicle and walked over to an 'unleaded' pump, ripping the dispenser away from the clinging plants. A sudden, thunderous blast of air bellowed through the station, pushing Lucas back against the car. The surging wind moaned around him and the brittle letters stuck thinly to the pump began to snap and peel off in front of his eyes. Lucas looked up through the stinging cloud of dust, a force drawing his mind to one particular building sat neatly across the street. A rich, purple canvas hung down over the freshly cleaned windows of a shop, and in their panes he could read it's simple name. "Anything goes huh? Well it *sure* does honey." He said, pushing himself off of the car. "So *you're* the one," Lucas yelled above the turbulent wind; a twisted, malevolent smile touched his lips as he surveyed the shop through damning eyes. "*You* took it away from me, hiding it in your new doll's house then Meryln-ann. Well *I'm* coming for it 'angel face', it's about closing time I think. It's time to shut up your little shop for good!" The tempest wound around Lucas, howling with a savage fury... and then it died, the wind dissipating out across the yard around him. Lucas raked his fingers back through his hair, regaining his composure as he looked down into his reflection thrown off by the smeared glass of the gas pump. He stopped suddenly as he looked into the cover, seeing the remaining letters hanging loosely inside the case. "What a *bitch*." He cried, throwing his arms up in the air in a comical manner. He passed the car, motioning for Ben to follow him as he began to stride purposely across the street and towards the shop. Ben squinted through the car window and into the pump which had enraged Lucas, he read the remaining letters and frowned, not understanding their significance. All that was left of the pump's fading sign were five, curled characters splayed out across it's surface: 'Un ded'. TO BE CONTINUED Subj: Allies and Enemies, Part 13 Date: 96-10-21 18:06:25 EDT From: dfortino@gate.net (Dolores Fortino) Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org Reply-to: dfortino@gate.net To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org "Allies and Enemies, Part 13: You Can Handle the Truth" Anna stood in front of his desk, hands on her hips, legs spread, eyes flashing defiance. "I want the truth, Lucas," she said. "I've been in this town for months now, and it's time for someone to start telling me the truth." "And you think that someone should be me?" Lucas smiled. "Now why do you think I'd know the truth?" "It's your job. You know everything." "Well, I'll tell you one thing I know. Most people who demand the truth only ask it from people they're sure ain't gonna give it to 'em. So you better be damn sure what you're askin' me for, darlin', 'cause you may not like what you hear. About your brother for example. Or your friend Gail. Even yourself." He stood up and strolled around the desk and stood before her. He touched her chin, tilted it up toward him. "You askin'?" he said softly. Anna shivered. Was she afraid of the truth? No, that wasn't it. She was afraid of him. Of his nearness and his hand touching her face. Of herself--the tension in her muscles whenever he came into sight. All of her muscles. The way she couldn't seem to control her hands around him. They were forever aching to reach up and touch that soft, silky hair. He read her mind. "What do you think, darlin'? Should I lose the sideburns?" "No, Lucas, don't do that. I couldn't live if you cut off those sideburns!" "Funny, that's what Selena said. She said if I cut 'em off, she was gonna cut off a more vital part of my anatomy." Lucas shook his head. "She'd do it, too. The woman's been known to amputate any part of the body she can put her mouth to." He pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and examined his hair, slicked a stray lock back in place. "You're right, darlin', I should keep the sideburns." "You're so damn vain, Lucas." Anna was annoyed. She had serious problems--she was worried about the deaths of her parents, her anonymous benefactor. Lucas was worried about his hair. "I got my faults, that's true. But then so does everyone else. Your friend Gail, for example..." "What about Gail?" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "She ain't been a reporter in ages. She got fired from that Charleston paper years ago. She kept makin' up stories. Which wouldn't have been too bad. But it's the damndest thing...the stories she made up, I mean. There was one about a warehouse full of rotten fish. The warehouse didn't exist. Then there was another one about pollution at the city dump. Turns out she just meant there was garbage at the dump. Another one she did was about a slaughterhouse--she claimed they was choppin' up bodies down there and selling 'em for fertilizer. You get my drift, darlin'?" Anna shook her head helplessly. "I don't have the vaguest idea what you're talking about, Lucas." "She just liked goin' places that smelled bad! That's the only reason she made up those crazy stories. So then she came to Trinity. She claims she wants to find out the truth about what happened to her parents, but that ain't the real reason she's here. She heard we had a stinkin' paper factory here in Trinity. She's been nosin' around since she got here, trying to sniff it out." Lucas shook his head. "See what I mean about people claiming to want the truth, Anna?" Anna nodded. She was beginning to think the sheriff had been sniffing around too much himself-- inhaling too much of his mousse. Still, she had to admit, Gail always did seem to be smelling things the rest of them couldn't. "You believe me about Gail, darlin'?" "I believe you, Lucas." "And then there's your brother..." Anna eyed him warily. "What about Tom?" "You sure you wanna know'? The truth, I mean." "Tell me," she whispered. "Tom ain't in Trinity for the reasons he claims, no more than Gail is. Them stories about him was true. He was skimmin' the funds. And molestin' the young'uns." "You're a liar." "See, that's the problem with the truth. When it ain't what you wanna hear, you pretend it's a lie. But you know I'm tellin' the truth about Tom. Cause you remember that time you came home from school. What'd you find, darlin', you remember?" Anna nodded. "My piggybank," she whispered. "Cracked open on the bedroom floor. All the money was gone and Miss Piggy was in a million tiny pieces." Lucas nodded. "And you asked your brother about it and what did he say?" "He said...he said Miss Piggy overate and stuffed herself and just busted at the seams. And I believed him!" "Well, you were only seven years old, darlin'. It's understandable. He was your brother...And then there was all them times he wanted to play doctor." Anna was sobbing now. "He said he was practicing for medical school. He kept wanting to give me mouth to mouth resuscitation!" "And he never went to medical school, now did he?" Lucas shook his head. "Your brother's no good, darlin', you always known that. You been searchin' all your life for a man you could trust, ain't that right'?" Anna nodded. Lucas stroked her cheek and she shivered again. "And you think that man might be me. That's what you're really doing in Trinity, ain't it, Anna? This search for your benefactor--that's just an excuse to keep you close by, ain't it?" She looked up at him. "Can I trust you, Lucas?" "You can trust me to break your heart. And you can trust me to make you the happiest woman in the world before I do. You want your heart broke, Anna?" "If that's the price I have to pay," Anna said softly. Anna got her clothes back on just as Ben opened the office door. "How many times I gotta tell you to knock, Benji?" "Sorry, Lucas, but there's someone out here lookin' for Miss...for Anna, there. Says she got all the answers to all her questions." "I don't have any questions, anymore, Ben," Anna said with a giggle. "Who gives a damn how my parents died, anyway? Rest in pease and all that. I'm too happy to care. And as for my benefactor, I figure you should never look a gift horse in the mouth. Isn't that right, Lucas, darling?" Ben rolled his eyes. "Damn, Lucas, I eat a donut on work time and you dock me for a coffee break. You roll around on the floor with Anna for an hour and they make you Sheriff of the Year!" "I can't help it if I got more potential than you, Ben," Lucas said. He turned to Anna. "Now, darlin', you said you wanted the truth. There's a woman out there claimin' to have it. You gotta hear her out." He turned back to Ben. "Send her in, Deputy." Ben looked nervous. "You sure, Lucas? I mean, well, you know her and all..." "Who the hell is it, Ben?" Lucas said. Ben took a deep breath. "Lucas, it's your mother..." TO BE CONTINUED Subj: AG FANFIC Part 14 Date: 96-10-29 14:30:39 EST From: SDELLIOT@neodata.com Sender: owner-ag-fanfic@stargame.org To: ag-fanfic@stargame.org (ag-fanfic(a)stargame.org) Disclaimer: The fictional characters that appear in this story are the creation/property of Shaun Cassidy, Renaissance Productions, and/or CBS. The story is fan fiction and does not constitute an attempt to defraud anyone in any way. American Gothic Fanfic Round Robin Part 14 Lucas stood for a moment letting that statement sink in. He then turned to Anna."The truth is gonna have to wait darlin', beat it." Anna gave him a look of confusion, hurt, and resentment as she gathered up her things and stormed out the door. "Lucas?" Ben asked. "Send her in," he paused, "and close the door." Lucas sat behind his desk and remembered the last time a woman claiming to be his mother came to Trinity. She did him a big favor by jumping out the window, Just the finishing touch he needed to get Matt Crower over the edge, out of his way, and into Juniper Hill. Ben ushered the woman in, gave a nervous glance to Lucas and closed the door. Lucas stared at the woman. Keeping his face neutral as he looked her up and down. His mother was 37 when she disappeared a little over twenty years before. The woman who walked into his office could not have been more than 45. She was a striking woman of average height with light brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. "I see where I get my good looks," Lucas said as she glared at him from the doorway. "Can I get you a cup of coffee, uh, mom? "You need me." was all she said. "I need nobody." was Buck's reply. "Who are you, really?" "You need me." she repeated. "Don't play games, I got a whole cemetery of people who think they can play games with me." The woman continued glaring, "You need me to find the truth. Not what you think is the truth, but what you need to know." "And what, may I ask is the truth?" "Caleb, Gail, Anna, Dr. Peale,... everybody.. " she paused, "They will all find the truth tonight, and they will use that truth to destroy you." "Who are you?" asked Lucas, gazing at her through narrow eyelids. "Are you going to destroy me too?" "Not tonight, you fit into MY plans." "Nice to be needed." said Lucas sarcastically, "but let me tell you, I am not part of anybody's agenda but my own." He got up and started moving around his desk toward the woman. "I can kill you and get it over with, nobody would care." "You killed me when I no longer fit into YOUR plans." she whispered hoarsely. Her face and body started to melt and reform "I found that hard to get over." She walked towards Buck, meeting him in the middle of the room. "Merly, Merly, Merly, You are one for surprises." Buck said, trying to hide his shock. "Tonight at 10 o'clock you need to be at Augury Airport. That's where it all started." she said. He moved to put a hand on the spirit when she sent a bolt of bright light square into his chest and sent him flying across the room and over his desk with a loud crash. Buck stood up from behind the desk. Merlyn was no longer there. "Bring your talisman." he heard her say. "Or you don't stand a chance." Ben Healy opened the door when he heard the commotion and rushed into the office. "Lucas? Are you all right?" Lucas was calmly hanging his 'Sheriff of the Year' Plaque back from where it had fallen. "Ben," he said, "Do you remember the good old days when dead people stayed dead?" ********* Dr. Peale was sitting in Matt Crowers old office at Trinity Hospital. He had been in Trinity almost a year, and he still thought of the office as "Dr. Crowers". He was going through his personal mail when, amid letters from Chile (where his old co-workers were working on curing a new strain of elephantiasis), and Ethiopia, (where his ex lover was still working with Ebola victims) he started to wonder why he was still in Trinity. The plague was over, as quick as it started, without a clue as to where or how. A replacement for him couldn't be that hard to find. He filtered through the letters one more time before putting them in a drawer, never to be glanced at again, when an unopened envelope fell into his lap. It was addressed to "Billy" and had a bright red lipstick kiss where the flap was sealed. He tore it open. ---- Dear Billy, I know I have been avoiding you. I am sorry, but I had my reasons. All your questions will be answered tonight if you want to meet me. I love you, I thought. I could only love Lucas, but that wasn't love. That was power. I realize it was a mistake. Meet me tonight at the Augury Airport. I will tell you everything you want to know. Then maybe, if you still want me, we can have a life together outside of Trinity. I'm sure a "local" will be able to tell you how to get to Augury. I will be there at 10 o'clock tonight. If you don't show, I will understand. Love, Selena --- Billy reread the letter four times. In the times they had been together, he had never her Selena say she loved him. It had to be one of her tricks, something that would end up castrating him emotionally and/or physically. He made a mental note to ask someone about the whereabouts of Augury. He knew it was an abandoned airstrip, but that was all. He threw the letters in the drawer, and was ready to close it when something caught his eye. A hypodermic needle. Nothing really special about it. but he liked to refer to it as his "Hypo of Doom". He remembered his first days in Trinity when he was a hair's breadth away from plunging it's contents into Sheriff Buck's neck. For reasons unknown, he capped the needle, and placed the hypo into the left-hand pocket of his leather jacket. He put on the coat, and walked out of the office. ****** Gail Emory was driving up and down the streets of Trinity in her red Mustang with Tom in her passenger seat.. They were looking for Anna, who had not been seen since going to the Sheriff's department many hours earlier. They called and asked for any information, but the only person at the office was Floyd. He was getting pastries for Lucas when Anna paid her visit and had no information. Gail was not suprised. With nothing to do but look, Gail and Tom cruised the streets of Trinity. "There she is!! " exclaimed Tom. Anna was walking, mumbling to herself, about one half mile north of Loris Holt's boarding house. "..Buck" was all Gail heard when she eased her car next to Anna. "Anna..?" Gail asked. "Are you all right?" Tom had jumped out of the car to be with his sister. "Get away from me!!" Anna screamed . "Lucas told me about you.!!" Gail raised one eyebrow and gave a quick look to Tom. A look that said "Been there, done that." "You!" Anna hissed at Gail, "A REPORTER?!" Gail was able to manage a "What.." before Anna started in again. "Lucas says you haven't published one story since coming to Trinity. Lots of sniffing around, but, no stories!!" Turning to her brother, she spit at him and said "It's all true? Why you came to Trinity, the drinking, the other ......" her voice trailed off before she broke down in tears. Gail knew what it was like to be under Lucas Buck's spell. She pulled the emergency brake on her car and got out to help Tom. "Anna, listen to me." she said. "Lucas is a master at telling "stories". He finds a weakness and exploits it. That is what he does." Gail stopped for a breath then continued, "Believe what you need about me, but you have been with your brother, under the same roof, for months now. Do you really think he's a drunk, and a pedophile?" Anna stared down at the ground for a full three minutes, then she looked up and stared at her brother. The only family she had left. After a few more moments, she looked down and felt the tears start up again. "No."was all she could manage. "Get into the car, Sis." Tom finally said. He looked at Gail, "I'm tired of this town. Let's find the truth so we can get the hell out of here," he said. Gail looked at her watch. It read 9:15 PM. "Well,"she shrugged. "The truth started for you two at Augury. May as well start there." She gunned her Mustang and spun around towards the old airstrip, her left hand reaching up and clasping the antique key hanging on a chain around neck. The key had once helped hide her mother's secrets. ******* He had been on a suicide watch since being admitted to Juniper Hill, so Matt Crower was used to bright lights coming through the opening in his door to see if he had done the unthinkable. But Matt had gotten used to the time the light glared into his room, and was able to ignore their intrusion. This light was a little softer, plus, it was at least an hour earlier than his body had been accustomed to. He rolled over in his cot expecting to see a pair of eyes staring from the opening down at him. What he saw was a beautiful brown haired girl. "I'm dreaming." he thought. As if reading his mind, the girl answered. "It's not a dream." Matt Crower sat up in his bed and blinked at the girl. "I..I've seen you.....Someplace." "You were with my brother on the night Lucas killed me." was Merly's response. Still humoring the dream state he thought he was in he smiled and said "Nice to meet you, Merlyn Ann Temple. To what do I have the honor?" "Caleb is going to need you, tonight." Matt blinked. He could feel the cold floor beneath his feet, and his hand was asleep from where he had been lying on it. Whatever this was, it was no dream. He got up and stared out the window on his door. There was an orderly walking his way, but he was stopped cold. Frozen in mid-step. Two things caught Matt's eye, One was the key ring suspended in mid-air. Frozen. The orderly's hand in position waiting for them to come down. It reminded him of the old "Twilight Zone" where some guy had a stopwatch, and if you pressed the right button, everything just stopped, until you pressed the button again. The other thing he noticed, were the orderly's eyes. They were not frozen . They were frantically moving, searching for a way to unlock his body, and everything around him. Matt turned. Surprisingly, he was not scared. "What do you want from me?" "You are the only one Caleb trusts anymore, he even has doubts about me," Merlyn continued. "I know you can help him, and you are the only one he will let help him." "But what can I do?" asked Matt. Merlyn smiled and held out her hand. "Take my hand ." Matt did as he was told, and felt the warmth of Merlyn's bright light envelop him. ******** "Are you with me, Ben?" asked Lucas. "Or against me?" Ben was in the driver seat, he looked over at his boss, fearing he was in for another "philosophy lesson". He was also wondering why tonight, Lucas got it in his mind to check for trespassers at the old Augury Airport. He thought for a minute before asking, "What do you mean, Lucas?" "It's a simple enough question Ben. Are you WITH me or AGAINST me?" "I don't know Lucas." Ben answered. "I told you once what was in the past stays in the past if that's what you mean. Anything comes up in our future, I'll deal with it then." "That's as good an answer as you've ever given me Ben." Lucas smiled. "Maybe there is hope for you yet." The police radio then came on. "Station to Sheriff Buck, Station to Sheriff Buck, are you there, Sheriff?" Lucas picked up the handset. "What is it, Floyd?" "A call just came in from Juniper Hill." Lucas blood started to run cold. "What?" "It's Dr. Crower, Lucas. He's escaped." Lucas threw the handset at the radio, causing a brief flurry of sparks to erupt from the transmitter. Ben stared at the road, not saying a thing. A few seconds of silence passed before Lucas spoke. "Ben?" he said. "You got your lucky pen?" TO BE COTINUED Subj: RR: Allies&Enemies - 15/15 -part one Date: 96-11-25 12:32:05 EST From: ndandy@direct.ca (Alien) To: RoxanneP@aol.com Allies and Enemies - disclaimer: American Gothic references are the property of one, some or all of the following: Shaun Cassidy, MCA-Universal, Renaissance Pictures and cbs. This is a work of fanfiction, please enjoy it...please don't sue us. thanks. by Gayle Augery, South Carolina - population, at the moment is pretty high. "Ghost town is appropriate", Gail muttered as she climbed out of her car and was bombarded with visions of caskets, funerals, graveuards, ghostly images..was that Merlyn.. she shook her head. "You cold, Gail?" Caleb peered up at his cousin as he strolled past her. "Mmmm...now I wouldn't say that son, seems like Miss Emory's got a cat walking across her grave.." Lucas appeared at Gail's side. She glanced sideways at him and couldn't refute his statement. "Speakin' of cats.." Ben muttered as Selena pulled in at the air strip, the corvette came to a screeching stop. "Psst...Caleb", Matt waited until Lucas was distracted by his growing harem to hail the boy. Selena, Gail, and Anna all eyed the sherriff like he was the last drink of water in the county. Caleb had the feeling this little town reunion was gonna get interesting. He swore he heard his name whispered on the wind, but it definitely wasn't Merlyn's voice calling it. Distracted, Caleb wnadered near the town centre, he was drawn to a freshly painted building, that appeared to be an Antique shop. As he got further away from the gathering crowd, he swore he heard footsteps to his right, echoing his own.... "Selena, you told me to meet yo..." Billy was talking, Gail and Anna were arguing, Ben and Tom were questioning the purpose of the meeting, and Lucas? Well he appeared to be surveying the scene before him. Turning from the yakking minions he scanned the direction his son was taking..."Merly Ann, I hope you know what yer doin'", he whispered. The finger pointing and accusations of who was here for what reason was getting out of control, Anna swung on Ben, grabbed his gun and fired three shots into the air. "THAT'S ENOUGH! I hate to sound self centred and all, but lets' talk about me for a minute, shall we?" She waved the gun in a convincing manner, that had the crowd's attention. Anna continued, "Selena, a few month's back I asked you for some help, knowing your relationship with the good sheriff here, I took a chance, not knowing if you'd be friend or foe...turns out you just told me nothing I didn't already know, and you've avoided me ever since." "She's great at avoiding people, Anna, don't take it personally." Billy stated and received a piercing glare from Miss Coombs. "Well now Darlin', what did you wanna hear? That my daddy and your momma were closer than most in that confessional?" Selena smirked at the shocked expression on Anna's face. Lucas added, "And there's more Selena, little Tommy here, who idolized men of the cloth, the power, the glory , the babble....well he didn't take the view from the pew that day too kindly...did ya boy?" Tommy had retreated to the shadows, he wasn't looking at anyone in particular, he was looking somewhat frantic actually.... Subj: RR:Allies&Enemies-15/15 - part two Date: 96-11-25 12:31:47 EST From: ndandy@direct.ca (Alien) To: RoxanneP@aol.com Allies and Enemies - disclaimer: American Gothic references are the property of one, some or all of the following: Shaun Cassidy, MCA-Universal, Renaissance Pictures and cbs. This is a work of fanfiction, please enjoy it...please don't sue us. thanks. by Gayle **************************** "Dr Matt? That you?" Matt smiled at Caleb, "Hi ya Caleb, it's good to see you." Matt had tackled the boy when the gun shots had rang out. They now were lying side by side at the foot of the stairs to the Antique shop. "Dr. Matt, I don't know what's going on here. Them people's actin' crazy as yo.."Caleb stopped himself and looked embarrassed. Matt reassurred him, "It's alright Caleb, I understand. You've had a hell of a year, haven't you?" "I just don't know who I can count on anymore, Doc. It's really frighten' me." "I understand, and I'm sorry Caleb. I really am. I can't stay here though, your sister helped me escape for a short time, ..." Caleb's wondering expression caused pause for Matt. "I've seen her too, Caleb". "She helped me so I could help you. If I don't return Lucas will see that innocent people pay for my escape...I can't let that happen. I'm here to reassure you that I care about you, so does Gail and of course, your sister. At times they've fallen under Lucas' spell, but you gotta believe in them Caleb, Their truth will keep you free." Matt squeezed Caleb's shoulder, then he slid backward toward the shadows, Caleb watched him retreat in the direction of Juniper house. Pulling himself to a standing position, Caleb prepared to enter the shop. A strong box in the display window caught his attention, it virtually glowed as if lit from behind... ********* "Tommy? You knew about momma's affair? What else are you keeping from me?" Anna had follwed her brother's retreat. He refused to look at her, she grabbed the lapels of his jacket and shook him with a strength born of anger and betrayal. Tommy was sobbing like a baby now, "It's all my fault, Anna. All your pain, all the pain, the orphanage, the crash,...it's my fault. If I'd never saw..saw them, if I'd never said anything, maybe he wouldn't have done it...but he was so mad, Anna. He said awful things about us,... awful, not true..." Anna pushed her brother away from her, he stumbled and fell ."Are you implying that our father crashed that plane on purpose?" Lucas stepped forward, hauled Tommy to his feet and indicated that Ben should help the guy to sit down somewhere. Facing Anna, he inclined his head toward the antique shop, " I think all the answers yer looking for, and more are over there...it's your choice Anna. How much more do you wanna know? There's no escaping the truth once it's set free." Subj: RR: Allies&Enemies - 15/15 -part three Date: 96-11-25 12:31:46 EST From: ndandy@direct.ca (Alien) To: RoxanneP@aol.com Allies and Enemies - disclaimer: American Gothic references are the property of one, some or all of the following: Shaun Cassidy, MCA-Universal, Renaissance Pictures and cbs. This is a work of fanfiction, please enjoy it...please don't sue us. thanks. by Gayle *********** Caleb pulled the strong box from the window sill, he sat down on the floor, trying to figure where the light had come from..."Musta been an illusion" he muttered. "No Illusion, Caleb...I wanted you to find that box... find it and hide it away before those people come in here" Merlyn appeared before him, a solemn expression on her face. "Merly! Thank you for sending Dr. Matt...it meant a lot....and I think I understand the message...my faith in you is the faith you have in me. I'm sorry you've been mixed up lately, it's a hard time for all of us. I forgive ya Merly. But I don't understand about this box...is it evil?" "No, it's the truth, the truth that could hurt that girl more than she is already. She needs her brother and he needs her, no more walls need to be built up...they've suffered enough. As we have." Caleb contemplated the sibling relationship. His curiousity about the box was strong, but his compassion was stronger. Standing, he prowled around the interior of the store, he found a back door that led out back. Merlyn appeared by the old well he spotted. Returning for the strong box, Caleb entered the store as the troops were moving up the stairs...he ran to the well ignoring the calls from Gail and Lucas, he glanced over his shoulder, making eye contact with him..."Don't do it son, it's not your truth your hiding from." "Yer Wrong Lucas, it's for the best." and he dropped the strong box down the well, it seemed an eternity before he heard a distant splash...then it was gone. ************ Anna sat inside the store. Utter dispair seemed to surround her. A light appeared behind her, " Anna, it's for the best, know that your father, no matter his wrongs, tried to provide for you...it had to be that way....if you question the source, the answers will sting deeper...let it go Anna...let it go." The voice was but a whisper, Anna thought about the girl in the cell, the girl in the yard, her appearance always seemed to bolster Anna's spirit. Maybe she had a guardian angel, a kindred spirit as it were...and maybe she shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth either. That money could help Tommy build his dreams, it could help restore his faith in himself, and in her. And it could get them away from this place of truth and treachery....Ally or Enemy, Anna didn't want to know anymore...She was taking her brother and they were leaving...for now. THE END