Lucas sat on the bonnet of his car, waiting for Walter Maine to finish up with his wood chopping. After he had caused mischief at the hospital with Gail and Merlyn, he was in the mood for some good old fashioned fun and Walter sprang to mind when he was driving aimlessly through the streets of his town.

Walter was a good God fearing man, like most here in Trinity. He had a young wife and 3 children, in addition to owning his own fertilizer business and was never a bother to anyone; however, Lucas was in the mood to test someone's boundaries and Walter had drawn the short straw.

Walter put down his ax when felt as though he was being watched and spotted Lucas sat on the car bonnet. His heart sank when he saw the man and he approached him slowly, hoping this was just a friendly visit. He knew one day Lucas would come to claim something from him, that's how the deals worked; however, it had been so long ago that he thought Lucas had forgotten about him.

'No such luck friend...How's the business? Lucas asked, as he stood up from his seated position.

Walter forced a smile and could not hide his nervousness. 'Business is good...I always appreciated your help with that' he stuttered.

Lucas nodded, 'And that pretty young wife and family of yours, how are they doin?'

Walter glanced at his small home, to ensure his wife was safe inside then turned back towards Lucas. 'They're good Sheriff...everythin's fine'

'Glad to hear it...' Lucas smiled and patted the man on the back, '...My girl just gave birth to my baby boy, have you heard?'

Walter watched Lucas carefully, of course he had heard the news of Lucas Bucks child being born, it was the talk of the town. All the gossiping housewives wanted to get a look at that child and the woman who had given birth to him, according to his wife it was a big shot professional type; however, that type of gossip did not interest him. 'I had heard, congratulations Sheriff...are Momma and baby well?' he asked, trying to make small talk.

Lucas laughed and his smile grew wider. 'Momma and baby are very well, in fact Momma is feistier than ever...Speakin' of which, your Betty works in the hospital doesn't she?'

'She does, she works part time as a Nurse' Walter answered.

Lucas inhaled deeply, then nodded. 'That's right, I've seen her around. Pretty little thing that one, especially in her Nurses uniform' he goaded, sensing Walters insecurities.

Walter turned away from Lucas nervously and took off his cap. He knew a lot of men in the town found Betty attractive and he was forever fighting over inappropriate comments that they made. This was different, this was Lucas Buck and he did not dare raise a hand towards this man. 'She's beautiful, she's my one and only...What can I do for you Sheriff?' he asked, wanted desperately for this visit to end.

Lucas watched as the man before him began to sweat, he could sense his anger at the comment he had made about his wife and it amused him watching this man fight his urges to defend her. 'Well I was hopin' that sexy little piece would keep an eye on my boy. You know, check on him and report back to me with anythin' unusual she might find with his Momma'

Walter stared at Lucas and tried to hide his anger. Why would he want his wife to get involved with his child? and why did he keep making inappropriate comments about her? He had no intention of allowing his wife to go near Lucas Buck and would certainly not allow her report to him. 'Betty's busy, she gotta look after the youngin's' he said and looked down at his hands when he saw something dark shift over Lucas's face.

'You're tellin' me no?' Lucas asked amused.

'Anythin' else you want I'll do Lucas...just leave my Betty out of it' he said nervously, trying to stop his body from shaking.

Lucas shook his head and smiled. 'Oh Walter, this is a shame' he sighed and headed for the driver side of his car. He did not bother wasting a final look at Walter, now came the fun part.


Caleb sat at his small desk, drumming his fingers on the text book Miss Coombs had handed out. Her tone had become monotonous and he was waiting for the end of school bell, so he could go to the park with Boone.

With all that had happened last week and the bitterness he was starting to feel, he had chosen to take a step back and reconnect with his friends. He had been too busy spending time with adults that he had forgotten about his friends and wanted to just be a child again. When the bell rang loudly in the classroom, he forced the text book into his backpack and started to rush out of the class with all the other children.

'Caleb Temple' Selena called as he ran past her desk and smiled when he stopped in his tracks, with Boone standing next to him.

'What?' Caleb asked, not able to hide his irritation at being held back.

Selena let out a small laugh, his Father had clearly rubbed off on him. 'You're in detention Caleb, now sit down' she ordered.

'What for?' Boone asked confused.

'Yeah, what for?' Gail asked sweetly, placing a protective hand on Caleb's shoulder.

Caleb looked up at Gail and smiled when she winked at him. He had not seen her much with Lucas guarding her and it was good to see her looking well.

'Miss Emory...I didn't think I'd see you around, considering you're on house arrest' Selena said cattily and stood up from her seated position behind the desk.

'Well, a girl has to keep things fresh...Maybe I just like my handcuffs' she smiled suggestively, then signaled for Caleb and Boone to leave the classroom.

Caleb sensed this was an adult only conversation and rushed out of the classroom with Boone.

'I know you have a superiority complex and all, but this is my classroom and you have no right to pull rank here' Selena snapped.

'Oh get off your high horse and back off of my cousin...' Gail warned, '...So Caleb hasn't completed his homework this week, he's had a lot going on and you know it...Besides, it not him that you truly want to punish'

Selena let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. She had been warned by the Principal to stop gunning for Caleb Temple and she knew his personal circumstances on this occasion should give him a pass on detention; however, she really wanted to hurt that family.

'So hurt me...come on Selena, I'm right here' Gail goaded, reading her mind.

Selena approached Gail and squared up to her, then shook her head. 'I've already been warned against doing anything against the lovely Miss Emory'

'Poor puppy...did Master tighten the leash?' Gail smiled smugly.

Selena felt her blood boiling and stared at the woman before her with contempt. 'What do you want Gail?' she asked, not backing down her stance.

Gail stared deeply into Selena's eyes, her resentment was radiating off of her and it amused her. 'I'm bored and require some company that isn't as pure and innocent as my current friend list'

Selena took a step back and regarded Gail suspiciously. 'You want to do something with me?' she asked in disbelief.

'Disregarding my partner, you're the most questionable person I know' Gail shrugged.

Selena thought for a moment, she did not trust Gail; however, there was something about the woman that excited her when she got in one of these moods. 'What do you have in mind?' Selena asked curiously.

'My body has been a temple for close to 9 months...what don't I have in mind?' Gail laughed.

Selena smiled and nodded, she liked this side of Gail and could not resist her when she got like this. Besides, she had nothing better to do with her evening. 'Alright, let's do this. When and where should we meet?'

Gail went to the large desk at the front of the classroom and picked up Selena's bag. 'There's no time like the present Teacher...what are we waiting for?'

Selena shook her head, then reached for her bag and signaled for Gail to follow her out of the classroom. She knew Lucas would not be impressed that the Mother of his new born baby was out on the town with his ex-girlfriend and that would make this outing all the more fun.


Lucas stood in the Pool Hall, watching Billy take his second shot and had a sip of his beer. The man was starting to get a hang of this game and he was happy for some real competition.

'So you think Gail is up to something?' Billy asked, after he'd taken his shot and missed the pocket.

Lucas shrugged and started walking around the table. 'I'm not sure, there's somethin' different about her and I can't tell whether it's just nerves, or whether she's not taken to the boy'

Billy took a large sip of his beer and leaned on his Pool cue. 'Speaking as someone who used to know her, I can tell you that she want's the child...she always did. The first loss took her hard and she hid her feelings well, maybe this is just the shock of being a new Mother'

'Well she has always been independent and on her own' Lucas sighed, as he leaned down to take his shot. He smiled when the ball traveled to the pocket effortlessly and Billy cursed.

'She does hate having to be responsible for so many people...' Billy pondered out loud, as he watched Lucas pot another ball easily. '...You pulling rank and forcing her to stay in that behemoth place of yours won't have helped her transition here'

Lucas thought on that for a moment and cursed when he missed the pocket, due to being distracted. 'What else was I supposed to do? If I allowed her to stay at her place, she'd insist on going back to work and doing god knows what instead of resting'

'You think she's resting now?' Billy smiled and signaled towards the bar.

Lucas glanced over his shoulder and spotted Gail in a short black dress, with Selena by her side. Both women were stood facing each other and downed a shot, before turning and ordering another. Lucas cursed himself for not being aware of his love's location and believing she had remained in the hospital with his boy. He went to go to the bar to confront her; however, he felt a hand on his arm.

'Leave her be...you'll only make things worse' Billy advised.

'You like them two bein' together?' Lucas asked, irritated.

'Hell no! Gail knows things that I'd never want Selena to know, but if we go over there hot headed, it won't end well...Now come on Sheriff, it's my shot' Billy smiled and turned back towards the Pool table.


Gail sensed Lucas' eyes on her and smiled. If he suspected something was wrong, she would give him something to occupy his thoughts. She disregarded her Fathers voice in her head praising her plan and ordered two more shots, when Selena noticed the pair by the Pool table she laughed and shook her head.

'Fancy seeing those two, in their favorite recreational spot' Selena said knowingly and downed her second shot.

Gail shrugged, 'Do they bother you?'

Selena glanced at Lucas, who was watching them like a hawk. 'No, but we clearly bother him' she signaled towards Lucas.

Gail picked up the bottle of wine she had ordered and signaled for Selena to grab the glasses. 'Good, now come on...I want some music' she smiled devilishly and they headed for the jukebox.


Lucas was so focused on Gail that he had not noticed Walters wife walk into the establishment. He had planted a little seed in her mind earlier and the woman had clearly taken to the suggestion, as here she was looking for a good time. It took Lucas a few moments before he felt her presence and turned towards the bar, Betty had not wasted any time and was sat on a bar stool with Tom Reyner's hand on her knee.

Lucas smiled to himself and turned his attention back to the game, Billy had started to pull some points back and he did not want to allow the man to win just because he was distracted.

'If I were you, I'd watch where my eyes traveled' Billy laughed, noticing Lucas' attention was caught by a beautiful woman.

'It ain't like that friend...besides, my other half is too busy with our ex to be concerned with where my attention lies' Lucas said, as he lined up his shot.

Billy shook his head and glanced at the women in the corner, they had selected eighties party tunes from the jukebox and it was getting hard to concentrate. 'How long should we wait before crashing their party?' he asked.

The loud laughter of Selena and Gail cut through Lucas' concentration, which caused him to miss his shot. 'Damn!' he snapped and ran his fingers through his hair.

Billy smiled and leaned down to take the last shot of the game. 'Well Buck, it looks like you truly are defeated' he laughed and potted the last ball of the match.

Lucas shook his head and stormed over to the bar, then ordered a bottle of wine and two glasses of Bourbon. He was done allowing the women to get to him; therefore, he picked up the bottle of wine and his glass of Bourbon, then headed to the booth.

Selena caught sight of Lucas approaching before Gail did and touched Gail's hand. 'We've got company' she whispered and finished her glass of wine.

Gail waited for the inevitable, then closed her eyes when she felt Lucas' hand stroke her shoulder and he leaned over her to place the bottle of wine on the table.

'To what do we owe the pleasure Sheriff?' Selena asked sweetly, noticing Gail's unease.

'It's a crime for such beautiful women to be over here all alone' Lucas said charmingly and let his hand gently stroke Gail's back.

Selena was intrigued as to why Gail was so quiet and why she was clearly attempting to withstand Lucas' charm. 'Well, us two beautiful women and more than happy with the company of each other' she smiled, then reached for Gail's hand and nipped at her fingers suggestively.

Lucas watched as Gail allowed Selena to play with her hand and did not pull away. This strange behaviour was becoming concerning and he placed both his hands on her shoulder dominantly.

'What's wrong Master Buck, are you too old for a little experimentation?' Gail teased seductively.

Selena loved when Gail took a turn like this, she could not help but like the woman when this side of her reared it's head. 'If our Sheriff is too old and tired for that short of thing, we've got a young handsome Doctor heading our way' Selena suggested and smiled when Billy finally joined them, with a glass of Bourbon in his hand.

Billy glanced at the booth intrigued. Selena had hold of Gail's hand and Gail was staring intently at Lucas, who would not take his eyes off of her. Billy started to wonder what he had walked in on and sat down next to Selena. 'Have I got an invite to this party?' he asked playfully.

Selena's smile grew wider and she reached under the table with her free hand, then cupped Billy's crotch. 'It appears we all have an invite honey' she whispered and licked her lips seductively.

Gail sensed the arousal of everyone at the booth and reached within herself for Rosemary. She allowed her darkness to be free and smiled when Lucas realised what she had done.

Suddenly a bottle smashed and there were screams coming from the bar. Lucas turned towards the sound, just in time to see Betty grab a broken bottle and stab Walter in the neck with it. This is not how it was supposed to happen, Betty was supposed to torture Walter with a number of one night stands before he became so angry that he killed her, then Walter would have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life.

'Oh sweetheart...Did I spoil your fun?' Gail asked amused.

Lucas gripped her shoulders tight, then released her when Billy jumped up from the booth to help the bleeding man.

'I guess this is going to remain a private party...duty calls Sheriff' Gail smiled, then took the new bottle of wine and filled both hers and Selena's glasses.

Lucas shook his head in disbelief. He did not know whether he was annoyed, or impressed that she had done such a thing to get his attention. Lucas stroked her cheek tenderly, then gripped her chin and turned her to him for a passionate kiss. 'I'll deal with you later Miss Emory' he smiled, then went towards the commotion at the bar.

-To be continued-