Who: Jules and Gavin with cameo by Caden When: Early evening, Thursday, January 11th Where: The Back Porch Status: Complete
It had been a really strange week so far, and it wasn’t even over yet. Jules had been doing her best, but between Jasper’s stuff, and Bash and her mom and then her own crap, she kept feeling the insane urge to get into her car - now fixed and working again, yay - and just drive out of Point Pleasant forever and ever. But that was just fear talking. Honestly, sometimes when she allowed herself to daydream about leaving, and going to college, there was a part of her that knew it was never going to happen. It wasn’t something she wanted to think about now. She had other things to do.
After cheer practice Jules had tugged a long sweater on over her sports bra and her yoga pants, and she tied her hair up into a ponytail that looked a little neater than before. After tossing her duffel bag and backpack into her back seat, she got into her car and headed not for home, but for the bar that Jasper’s dad owned. She didn’t know if he would be there, but Jules figured she could check. It was possible he was home, but if that was the case, she would have to wait until another day to talk to him. It was also possible that Gavin Lucas was at Ms. Harris’s house, since they were dating, but no way did Jules wanted to interrupt whatever they might be doing there. So.. the bar. She wasn’t even sure she would be allowed inside, since she was seventeen, but it wasn’t like she was going to order a drink or anything.
Still, Jules spent the drive chewing on her lip and trying to ignore the ache in her palms beneath her gloves. She wasn’t going to open some parallel universe in Jasper’s dad’s bar. Nope. Not today. The image of that white, dancing creature thing rose unbidden in her mind, except this time the thing was carrying a Bud Light. Jules choked on a laugh. Yup, she was totally losing it.
Pulling into a parking spot, Jules was kind of relieved to see the parking was light. She didn’t need some noisy asshole in the bar recognizing her and telling her mom she had been inside. Sighing, Jules locked her car and hurried down the walk until she pushed open the door into the Back Porch. It was warm inside, and smelled like… cedar or something. And beer. There was a handful of people inside, and a pretty waitress helping a table near the back. Jules wasn’t scared, just nervous. And not nervous because she was in a bar, but nervous because she hadn’t really spoken much to Jasper’s dad before, and she knew there was a tiny possibility that Jasper would be pissed off that she came here at all.
The guy behind the bar wasn’t Gavin, but Jules recognized him as one of Jasper’s uncles. Not the nice one. They had never met, but Jules had seen him in town before, and in pictures. He looked over at her when she approached, and beyond a slight lift of one brow, didn’t react much to her being there.
“You gonna try and flash me a fake ID?” Caden asked her, setting down the glass he had been filling for another customer.
“No.” Jules shook her head and then cleared her throat when the word came out sounding croaky. “I was wondering if Jasper’s dad is here.”
Caden studied her face for a long, uncomfortable moment and she thought she saw some kind of recognition in his face before he slid the glass to the man sitting two seats down on Jules’s left. “Hang on a second,” he said, turning away to leave Jules on the other side of the bar. He pushed through the back and walked to Gavin’s office, rapping his knuckles on the open door as he looked inside to find his brother at the desk.
“Hey. You got a visitor out front. Looks like Jasper’s girl. She’s asking for you.”
Gavin was glaring at numbers on his computer screen when Caden knocked and he was honestly glad for the distraction - for about three seconds flat. "Jules Cooper?" he muttered, frowning in confusion, the pen he'd been twirling between his fingers coming to an abrupt stop. "Why the fuck-" he trailed off, knowing Caden wouldn't have a clue so he grunted instead of finishing that sentence, looking at the screen again. It'd look bad to bring her to the back and it didn't sound like it was too busy out there so he supposed he could come talk to her up front. "She look upset?" he asked as he got up from his chair, because why else would she be there? Was something wrong with Jasper? She wasn't there for advice, that much was clear.
Caden shrugged. How was he supposed to know if a teenage girl was upset? "I mean, she's not crying or anything," he said unhelpfully before leading Gavin to the front of the bar. He didn't want anything to be wrong with Jasper, but he wasn't going to hover. If it was serious, Gavin would tell him. For a brief moment he had the uncomfortable thought that maybe Jasper got her knocked up, but he would most definitely let Gavin deal with that. After pushing through the door to the front, he went to check on their customers, leaving Gavin to it.
Jules waited, feeling somewhat impatient, but unable to really do anything about it. She just didn't want to chicken out and make a run for it. More and more people were glancing her way, which made her uneasy, but then Jasper's dad was walking through that door and Jules released a soft sigh of relief. She walked toward him with a faint smile, not really sure where to start, and almost positive she didn't want to tell him what she needed to tell him with other people around. "Hi," she said, hoping she sounded more friendly than upset or anything like that. "Um... I wanted to talk to you about Jasper for a minute, if we can. Alone if that's okay."
Gavin had been meaning to sit her down at one of the tables in the corner but while there weren't a lot of people in there, he knew how gossip got going and how closely people could listen in if they wanted to. If she wanted to talk alone this was something private and while he was loathe to bring her back to the office, well, it was the only private place there. He grunted quietly as he looked around, wishing the place was completely empty and considering whether to talk to her out in her car or something instead but no, that was fucking dumb. "C'mon," he muttered with visible discomfort as he waved at her to follow. He gave Caden a somewhat pained look as they passed him to get to the back and already his brain was supplying him with things to possibly worry about. Like Caden he had to wonder if she'd gotten pregnant and this time he would let it run its natural course, no matter how much he hated it. There was no way he was repeating their mistake with Mila but god, he hoped that wasn't why Jules was here.
It never occurred to Jules that Gavin might be uncomfortable talking to her alone. All she was thinking about was having someplace private to talk to him about Jasper, without noisy people trying to listen in. She followed Gavin to the back of the bar, feeling uneasy. Not because she would be alone with a grown man, but because it was Jasper's dad, and the reason why she was there was weird and worrisome and she was afraid Jasper would get angry with her for telling his dad anything at all. She waited until they were in his office before she stood off to the side, feeling awkward. That was a rare feeling for her and she really didn't like it. Jules struggled to figure out where to start, but then she opted to just talk, because that would be better than standing there in uncomfortable silence. "I think something's wrong with Jasper. Something that's like, stemmed from when he got hurt in the fog."
Gavin turned off the monitor and took a seat because while he wasn't an imposing man when it came to height, he still felt like he towered over her a bit and he didn't want to seem intimidating. He quietly gestured at a chair near her in an offer, frowning at what she said. Jasper had been moody lately but he was a teenager and he was a Lucas so Gavin hadn't thought much of it. The argument he'd overheard snippets of before taking the dogs out for a walk came to mind and Amelia had been grumpy with him a few times now. "Wrong how?" he asked cautiously because maybe she just meant he was traumatized from everything that had happened - or maybe she meant something else, something like Mila and the tunnel and everything else messed up that was wrong with this damn town.
Jules hesitated again before she moved to sit down in the chair. She didn't think she would be there very long, but who really knew. "Wrong like..." Jules took a breath, looking around the office as she tried to think of the best way to phrase it. "His moods have been really unpredictable, but also really extreme. And he can be moody sometimes, but it's been worse since the fog. We had a bad fight last week, and it was like I wasn't talking to Jasper. He was violent." Her throat suddenly felt dry and full so Jules stopped to swallow. She didn't want to be telling Jasper's dad all of this, but it felt like he wouldn't really understand it if she didn't tell him the truth. Sugar coating things would just give Gavin a good excuse to dismiss her concerns and Jules didn't want that. "And then on Tuesday he was just... it was like he was on drugs, he was so hyper and happy, but happy in a way that wasn’t like him at all. He wasn't on drugs though," she added quickly. "And then all of a sudden, it was like he hit a wall and crashed. He was tired and groggy and..." Nope, she was not going to say he couldn't even get it up. That was not necessary information. Jules exhaled softly. "I think whatever hurt him infected him with something. I don't know what to do."
Gavin almost asked her if she was sure, not because he didn't believe her but because he needed it not to be true. He held back on it though because she wouldn't be there if she wasn't sure. This was obviously not easy for her and Gavin wasn't sure what all she expected him to do. It was worrying and it hit him inside right where the wound from losing Amelia was still raw and aching. When she said infected, Gavin knew she meant cursed. She might not realize it but this was not a blood work and antibiotics kind of a problem, Gavin could feel that in his bones. "Have you talked to Jasper about this?" he asked, his mind already racing, trying to find solutions. He was so done with witches but so far that was the only thing he could think of that might help - if Jules was right. Maybe she was wrong, maybe she was being dramatic, maybe Jasper was fine. Denial was getting harder by the year though, Gavin could barely get a grip on it before it slipped through his fingers so why bother trying?
Jules tugged absently at the gloves on her hands. "Yes. A couple of days after our fight he came to my house and talked to me about it. He knew something was wrong with him, he just didn't know what. And then seeing his moods shifting all over the place. It's like he's bi-polar, but worse. I just don't think he knows how to ask for help. Or... tell you about it." He was Jasper's dad. Even if Gavin didn't know what to do - yet - he should know. Maybe he would know someone who could help. He was an adult and there had to be some adults in this stupid town who knew what to do. Jules pressed her palms to her knees to try and quell the aching she felt in them. It was like the more her emotions and anxiety spiked, the worse her hands felt. "He needs help. I don't know what could happen if he doesn't get any. I don't want anything to happen to him." Jules would cry if she had to. Sob and snot all over the damn office if that's what it took to make Gavin do something.
Gavin clasped his hands together and stared at the floor for a moment as he gnawed on his lip and tried to make sense of all of this. He had no idea what to do and Jules might not have been crying when she first walked in but she looked like she might be on the verge of it. He kind of wished she was just pregnant, she looked like a smart girl, she'd probably have an abortion if that was the case and even if she didn't, a baby was something they could deal with. "We'll uh- we'll figure this out," Gavin muttered, feeling like he needed to reassure her somehow even as his own chest felt cold and tight with worry. He missed the church suddenly, a small sanctuary to go to and pray. He didn't really believe prayer did anything anymore but it was the closest thing a Lucas got to meditating. "I know some people who might be able to- who might help." His skin crawled at the thought of going back to Reagan Kelly but there had to be others, something else he could do.
He sounded like Jasper in a way and Jules wondered if he really believed they could figure it out. Jules was starting to realize the Lucas's were more "roll with the punches" than being pro-active. Jules couldn't do that. Not anymore, anyway. She wanted to help Jasper before things got worse. The possibility of someone being able to help struck a match of hope inside of her and it probably showed on her face as she straightened a bit in her chair. "Really?" She had no clue where else to go, or who to ask, but hopefully Gavin would know now, and he could help them. "He might like, not want it, or push back, but don't let him. Sometimes when he's in those moods I don't think he understands it's not exactly normal. It's usually after it's over that he gets something's wrong."
Gavin had been trying so hard not to rock the boat with Jasper. Their relationship was frayed and perilous and ever since Jasper moved in, Gavin had tried to keep things smooth sailing. The idea that he might have to be tough on him again was a little terrifying, Jasper was old enough to leave and never come back and while a part of Gavin knew that was something he'd wanted when his kids were younger, the idea gave him chills now. Not to mention how much it would break Amelia's heart - if Jasper didn't take her with him. "I'm sure he can uh... see reason," he mumbled before gnawing on his lip again. He found himself rubbing his finger a little too hard, as if there was still a wedding band there to twist so he forced himself to unclasp his hands and press them to his knees instead. "Thank you for telling me, I know it uh, it wasn't- couldn't have been easy."
No, it hadn't been easy. But it hadn't been super hard either, but once she decided it was the right thing to do. Jasper might never tell Gavin any of this, and then what would happen if he had one of those really bad moods again? What if he took it out on his dad, or his sister? Jules didn't want it to come to that, and she didn't want to just wait around until something else happened. "Thank you," Jules murmured. He wasn't an easy guy to talk to, but at least he hadn't dismissed her. Hopefully he would do something about it and not worry about Jasper getting pissy with him. Jules worried about that too, but she had still come here. "I'll do whatever I can to help too." Jules knew he may dismiss that because she was a teenager, blah, blah, blah. But she could do plenty. Especially now, even if she wasn't sure why she could do what she could do, or what it was for.
Gavin would have dismissed her just a few months ago. Just a teenage girl worried about her boyfriend, what could she do? But now? Now he wasn't sure about anything. Amelia had changed his mind some and how was he to know if Jules wasn't one of the many witches or something else in town? He nodded, cleared his throat and sat up straighter for a moment in some sad attempt at fortifying against his emotions. A sad, failed attempt as he just slumped back down again and sighed. "What do you think is wrong with him?" he asked quietly because if she knew anything at all, he needed to know too. Maybe she was just a teenage girl, a spoiled and sheltered Overlook brat who'd never had to deal with something like this before in her life. Maybe she was just as overwhelmed as Gavin, even if she looked calmer than he felt.
Jules frowned, her stomach churning uncomfortably at the question. She wanted to lie, but she also wanted to tell the truth. She had come there to ask Jasper's dad to help him, and if she told him what she knew, maybe that would help. Could she say she would do anything to help Jasper if she wasn't willing to be honest with his dad? Jules didn't know. It all felt really heavy all of the sudden and she had to swallow to keep her voice from shaking when she spoke again. "I don't know for sure, but I think it's that thing in the fog, the thing had cut him up. I've seen..." Jules curled her fingers into her palms tightly. "Whatever it was, it's dangerous. And I think it infected him with something. Not like... a disease. Or maybe a disease, I don't know. I don't know why it came here, or what it wanted, but I think Jasper's only going to get worse. He's going to turn into something." She blurted out the words without really thinking them through. She didn't know that for sure, and it was more of a deep seated fear, knowing whatever was wrong with him could be attributed to the creature in her dreams. All Jules could think was that it was going to end badly if they didn't stop it, whatever it was.
"Turn into something?" Gavin muttered and this was where she lost him, his expression turning skeptical. He firmly believed something was wrong, but that thing in the fog hadn't been a werewolf, the full moon had already come and gone, and the thought of Jasper physically changing was ludicrous. Maybe it shouldn't be, not with everything Gavin had seen, but it was and just maybe that was because he couldn't handle the thought of it. Not believing was easier. "What makes you say that? What do you think he could turn into?" That part of it made no sense to him and an extremely unpleasant image of having to put his son down came to his mind without permission.
Jules didn't necessarily mean physically. Monsters weren't always grotesque and scary on the outside. But she didn't want to think of him becoming a monster at all. It made her want to throw up. But all she could think of was that thing in her dreams, coming for her, and Carson and Nic and Neil. And then the creatures in the fog, and how Jane said they were the same as the one in their dreams. Jasper had been hurt pretty bad, and it healed so fast, and now he wasn't always acting like himself. She didn't think this was just the new normal. She felt like it was going to escalate. "I... don't know," Jules muttered. "I just think it's changing him, whatever it is. You saw how bad his shoulder was, right? And how quickly it healed? Did you see what was in the fog, Mr. Lucas?"
If Gavin wasn't all but used to his anxiety, he might have thought he was having a heart attack right then and there. The tightness in his chest was intense, the ache in his heart even more so and he drew a shuddered breath, trying to calm himself. "I did," he said quietly but it was ludicrous to think those things had ever been human or that a human could turn into one of them. At least he needed to think that because the alternative was too much. "Did you?" He knew her stepfather had gone missing but none of the details of it, just that he'd supposedly wandered outside like a typical Overlook moron. That didn't mean Jules had seen what was out there, it just meant she'd been affected by it.
Jules didn't think for a second that those things had ever been human. But she had no idea why they had shown up in Point Pleasant, or what it meant that they had hurt some people, instead of outright killing them. She didn't know what it meant that she had dreamed about one of them, with three other people. Or that things were happening now that felt out of her control. Jules nodded at his question, wondering if she might throw up in Jasper's dad's office. She felt nauseous again, like she had for the days leading up to what had happened after she crashed her car. "I've seen them before," she said finally, once she was sure she wouldn't vomit as soon as she opened her mouth. "I can't tell you how, or anything... I just... I don't think it was some random thing in the fog. And I don't know what's going to happen with Jasper. I just want someone to help him so we don't have to find out."
Gavin thought of Reagan again and what she and her husband had done to Caden. Could he ask her for help? He thought of Ollie, who knew some other witches and might be inclined to finally tell him their fucking names if she knew her son's life was on the line. Or maybe not. The mere thought of talking to either woman made him feel miserable enough but it was Jasper they were talking about and he supposed he'd eat gravel if it meant his kids could be safe. "You're good for him," he muttered and it felt weird, acknowledging that. Teenage girlfriends weren't really something Gavin had a positive experience with. "He's lucky to have you. Let me see if I can sort something out." Maybe he could find out if their neighbor girl was acting strangely too. If she was fine, then something else was wrong with Jasper and Gavin shuddered to think that it might be something like Mila had gone through.
Jules blinked in surprise but recovered quickly, managing a small smile in the process. There was relief too, because it sounded like Gavin would try to find someone to help, and that's all she really wanted. She couldn't handle it on her own, and she knew Jasper couldn't either. "Thank you. He's good for me too," Jules said before standing. She didn't want to stay too long and make things weirder than they already were. "I should go. But if anything else happens, I'll let you know." With any luck Jasper's dad would find someone to help soon and maybe all of this would go away and Jasper would be back to normal.
Gavin stood up as well, nodding at her words though he wasn't so sure he'd be trying to contact her. He was absolutely shit at reaching out to people and he was only just barely self aware enough to acknowledge that. "Do you know anyone else who got hurt?" he asked instead of making any such promises. He was definitely still clinging to the hope that there was no pattern here, that Jasper was just a moody Lucas who occasionally did drugs and was at a very volatile and temperamental age. Gavin hadn't seen Joseph in a while but he was hardly a good reference since he was always a complete shithead with temper issues.
"Umm... Elodie. She goes to school with us, but she lives next door to you," Jules said, although she was pretty sure he knew that already. She thought she remembered Jasper telling her that Amelia had helped, and Gavin had driven her to the hospital. But it had been a chaotic mess, so who knew what had really happened. "Uh, I think Sebastian's mom... oh, Mrs. McCarthy?" Because he wouldn't know who Sebastian was. "There were probably more, but I don't know any names. "They live near me in Overlook. I guess if this is happening because of whatever was in the fog, they'll be people who can like... confirm it." Or maybe it wasn't connected at all. But at least they had a way to find out.
"The real estate agent," Gavin muttered with a nod as he recalled the name. He doubted he'd be approaching her but he might talk to his mom, see what she had to say about Joseph. "Have you talked to Elodie?" he asked thinking it was probably better if Jules did that instead of him. Maybe he could ask Amelia to snoop, go check up on her since she'd been the one to save her life that night. The thought of dragging his daughter into this seemed like maybe not the best idea but they could use all the help they could get.
Jules wrinkled her nose. “No, we’re not friends. And Jasper doesn’t like her either so I doubt he’d ask her. I mean, maybe he would, but I don’t think he wants to. And honestly I don’t think Elodie would talk to me even if I tried.” Gavin lived next door, so hopefully he would do it. He didn’t even have to talk to Elodie. He could talk to her mom, or whoever it was she lived with. “She may not even know there’s something wrong. Jasper didn’t until after it was over. It may be normal feeling to her. I don’t know. But if I find out about anyone else who got hurt, I’ll ask them about their moods. Maybe I can ask Mrs. McCarthy. I’m friends with her son.”
Gavin hadn't paid much attention to whatever drama had gone down with Jasper and Elodie, he knew they weren't friends but that was as far as his knowledge of the situation stretched. He did know Amelia disliked the girl for some reason but he hoped she could overcome it to find out something about her. He doubted her mother would appreciate him coming around, asking questions. "Maybe you should talk to her son," he suggested, though if Jules didn't want to worry the boy that might not be the best idea. "If they don't notice their own patterns, someone else might." Someone like Jules - and not Gavin because apparently he was still a shitty dad who didn't pay enough attention to his kids. It stung a bit because he was honestly making an attempt to be better but there was no denying it, he always let his family down.
"I'll do what I can." Jules promised. Sebastian would be much easier to talk to than Elodie, although Sebastian had just gone through a possession and all that, so it was very possible he hadn't noticed anything off about his mom. Maybe Ophelia would have though. She chewed on her lip thoughtfully before refocusing on Gavin. "I mean, but you'll find someone to help, no matter what it might be, right?" She didn't want him waiting until Jules talked to someone about Mrs. McCarthy. Waiting felt like it would be a really bad thing, at least with this.
"Of course," Gavin replied though he hated it with every fiber of his being. Who could he talk to if not a witch? Who would know a damned thing about what Jasper was going through? Doctors were expensive and running scans was likely to be a waste of money, he knew as well as Jules that this wasn't a medical thing. So who remained other than Caius and Reagan? He thought about calling Ollie again but it felt like it would be easier to just go straight to Reagan, despite what had transpired between them. "So uhm, maybe uh... I'll give you my number and you can text me when you've talked to your friend?" Was this weird? He would have felt very weird about his high school girlfriend having his father's phone number but this was different and he certainly wasn't Joseph.
"Oh. Sure. Yeah." That made sense, because otherwise Jules would have to drive to the bar again, or to Jasper's house and Jasper would definitely find it weird if she showed up just to talk to Gavin. Weird and suspicious. Not that she was doing anything wrong, but Jules knew how Jasper felt about his dad, even if their relationship was getting better. Reaching into her purse she pulled out her phone, tugging one glove off to unlock the screen. She pulled up her contacts list and handed it to Gavin, not wanting him to hit the wrong button and pull up photos or anything. She really ought to ask Jasper how to lock certain pictures. "I'll try to talk to them tomorrow at school, and I'll call or text you if I find out anything that connects Mrs. McCarthy and Jasper."
The absolutely last thing Gavin wanted to do was to go through her phone so he hurriedly put his number in before handing her phone back. It was up to her how she wanted to save that contact information so he didn't add his name or anything, leaving that blank and the number unsaved for now. He didn't think she should keep this conversation a secret from Jasper but she might still feel weird about having his number. That did make him wonder if he should have the number for Jules's mom though, like a proper parent but he'd never been that and wasn't about to start pretending now. There was a part of him that wondered whether Jasper had hurt her. It came as no surprise that his son was violent, Gavin had known that for a long time, but Jasper had never turned that violence against girls before, not even his mother when she was at her worst. It didn't feel right to ask. If Jasper had hurt Jules, she at least wasn't pressing charges and that was about all Gavin needed to know right now. "I'll reach out to my contacts," he promised. "Does Jasper know you're... acting on this?"
Jules took her phone and quickly typed in Mr. Lucas. It was just instinctive, and that's who he was. It wasn't like Jasper got into her phone or anything, so she wasn't worried about him seeing it and freaking out. Slipping the phone back into her bag, Jules didn't think it was necessary to go into details beyond what Gavin really needed to know. Jasper might have gotten violent, but she knew it hadn't really been him. He might have a reputation and all, and he might have gotten in fights before, but Jules knew he would never lift a hand to her. The most physical they ever got with one another was when they were having sex, and that was something they both liked. Nobody would really understand that though, and she sure as hell didn't think to explain to them, especially Jasper's dad. All he needed to know was that something was wrong. And it needed fixed. "No, he doesn't know," Jules admitted sheepishly. "I don't think he'd like it, but I don't think he would have come to you on his own either. So... if he's mad, he's mad. I'll handle it. But... he might not be. He might want help and just not know how to ask you for it. So I am."
The only point of reference Gavin had to all of this was to imagine himself in Jasper's shoes and none of that really fit. He was a shitty dad, but next to Joseph he was dad of the year. Jules hadn't shown even one percent of Ollie's crazy - at least so far - and Jasper was a lot tougher at eighteen than Gavin had been. Gavin doubted Ollie would have even noticed if something had been wrong with him unless he flat out told her, although he had to be fair in that back then she had been helpful when he was in trouble. Back when she still thought she loved him. "He'll get over it," he muttered, a 'thank you' dying on his tongue because this conversation was already awkward without him getting emotional about it. He just wanted her to leave so he could process this and try to come up with a plan. Being around people made it hard to concentrate.
He'll get over it. Jules nearly laughed at how flippant Jasper's dad sounded about it, but the sound caught in her throat. If Jasper did find out she talked to Gavin, maybe he would be mad, but maybe not. Either way, she did think he would get over it, as Jasper's dad said. Especially if they were able to find out what was wrong and help. "Okay, well... I'll go." Jules moved away from the chair to head for the door. "I'll let you know about Mrs. McCarthy and everything." It felt weird saying goodbye, so she just gave him a quick, awkward feeling wave before she left the office, hurrying back toward the door that would lead to the front of the bar. It had been kind of weird, but at least she had done it. Now she just had to hope Jasper's dad cared enough to help too.
Gavin considered walking her out but then she just left and he was honestly glad. He knew Caden would have questions if he went out there and Gavin did have shit to think about. He sat down again, staring at his blank monitor as his thoughts did a chaotic whirlwind dance. This was bad, just another big bad thing on top of a pile of big bad things already there making his life harder. He could try to cling to the hope that Jules was wrong, that she was just paranoid and not used to dealing with temperamental Lucases but he knew that wasn't the case. He was sinking into that familiar dark spiral of anxiety when Caden appeared in the doorway because of course he did. Gavin honestly probably would have done the same, it was obviously not good news when his son's girlfriend showed up at his workplace.
Caden had watched the blonde girl reappear and hurry out of the bar before he immediately turned to head for the back. He knew Gavin wasn’t about to appear and explain what the hell that had been about, but his brother had to know Caden would he curious. When he paused in the doorway of the office, Caden folded his arms against his chest and cocked a brow. Gavin had a pinched expression on his face, the kind he got when he was silently stressing out. “Please, for the love of any God that might exist, don’t tell me Jasper knocked up his girlfriend.” He didn’t want to even consider that possibility but teenage boys were fucking stupid when it came to tits and pussy. Gavin was evidence of that.
"You know," Gavin said quietly. "I almost wish he had." He swiped the bottle of rum that sat next to his computer monitor and opened it with a sigh. "Something's wrong with him," he muttered. "Something to do with what happened in the fog. So now we have more fucking curses to deal with." He didn't know if it was a curse, he just didn't know what else to call it. Something was wrong with his son, something was wrong with his brother's girlfriend, his brother had gotten his fingers ripped off by a witch and his daughter... It was just a lot. "Think any of this shit will ever end?" he asked tiredly before drinking.
"Wait. What?" Caden's brows drew together in confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about? What did she say?" The fog had been insane and unnatural, yes, but the idea of it creating some kind of curse? That was confusing. And no, it really didn't feel like this shit would ever end, at least not for their family. But Caden didn't want to dive into doom and gloom until he knew what was going on. There was a chance Gavin was exaggerating, or being overly pessimistic.
"It's not just what she said," Gavin said, scrubbing his free hand over his face before leaning back in his seat. "He's been acting weird, his wound healed really fast, something's not right." He took another sip from his bottle before closing it and setting it down in its usual spot. "I'm gonna see if anyone else who got hurt is acting the same but I don't know, man. Maybe it's just..." He stopped before he could finish that sentence, knowing that no, it wasn't just a fluke. Something was wrong and ignoring it wouldn't make it go away. That didn't mean he wanted to tell Caden he was probably going to talk to Reagan Kelly again - after everything it was such a stupid idea but he just didn't know what else to do.
Caden tried to let that settle in his mind for a bit. He rubbed the side of his nose absently before sighing. Bullshit upon bullshit. "Do you want me to try and talk to Jasper, or do you think you can do it?" He wasn't trying to be a dick, but he knew Gavin and Jasper didn't have the best relationship. He was sure things were getting better, but it took more than a couple of months of being under the same roof didn't necessarily mend past hurts. And he and Jasper had always gotten on well enough. "You know the old man got fucked up. We could talk to mom, see if he's acting weirder than usual."
"I thought about that but really, what's the measurement for 'is dad acting weirder than usual'?" Gavin said with a sigh. "And no I'm... I'll talk to him, I just... I just need to look into it first. Jasper's girl knows some people who got hurt too so she's doing some sleuthing of her own." He might not be good at talking about shit to anyone but he was having a hard time imagining Caden talking to Jasper without everything blowing up. Gavin was clumsy, Caden was mean. Of course he had a better relationship with Jasper than Gavin did so maybe he had an edge. "I'll keep you in the loop," Gavin muttered. "If I need... I'll let you know."
"I'm going to talk to mom," Caden said, not caring if Gavin didn't think it would help. Their dad was a mean asshole, but their mom knew him better than anyone else. If there was anything strange going on, she would know. "You tell me if you need anything else." He would check in with Gavin again, just to make sure his brother was actually talking to Jasper. It would be easier to ignore it and hope it went away, but shit like that didn't happen here in Point Pleasant. It just made shit worse.
Caden talking to Bridget took some of the weight off Gavin's shoulders and maybe he shouldn't be surprised his brother was stepping up - but he was. "Okay," he said, his voice coming out a little rough. "Let me know what she says." He was almost ready to let Caden go when he thought to ask what he should really be asking everyone he knew. "Do you know anyone else who got hurt in the fog?" He could now name three people other than Jasper so maybe that was enough, he just wished he knew someone more approachable than those four happened to be.
If this had been about anyone else, Caden would have let Gavin handle it. But Jasper was his nephew, and he did give a shit about his most of his family, regardless of what people might think of him. He could talk to their mother and do what he could to find out what was going on. Caden began to shake his head in answer to Gavin's question, but then he paused as he remembered his talk with Max the other day. "Wait, yeah, actually. Max O'Reilly. He came by the bar the other day and told me about it. Kind of. I mean it was just said in passing before we talked about other shit. I'll call him and see if I can find out if he's been having problems too."
That was another name, another connection and Gavin wasn't sure what exactly he was hoping for. Was it better or worse if these other people were experiencing the same thing? It might give them better resources to handle it or it might mean it was something truly horrific, completely taking the chance that Jasper was just going through some personal shit off the table. That wouldn't explain how fast he healed and Gavin knew on some level that this was bigger than they could handle without outside help. "Thanks," he muttered. "He might not realize it himself but ask him... If his wounds healed fast." Max and Caden were friends so maybe Max would be willing to tell him shit he wouldn't tell Gavin. Who knew.
"Yeah, no problem." He couldn't imagine Max not telling him about his injury. And he may not realize anything was wrong. Hell, there may be nothing wrong at all and whatever was going on with Jasper was completely unrelated to the fog. That felt like too much to ask though. "I'm gonna get back out front, but I'll talk to him as soon as I can," Caden added before pushing away from the door frame. "I'll talk to mom too. We'll figure it out."
Gavin nodded though he wasn't all that positive they would. It made him want to finish off that bottle and slip into that place of oblivion where he didn't have to worry or think or be present. Now he was also torn between calling Reagan right away or waiting until they knew more. Was time of the essence? His anxiety was spiking and as soon as Caden left the room he grabbed the bottle. He wasn't going to get drunk, he just needed to calm down, smoke a few cigarettes and try to get his thoughts in order.