Lucas sat in Billy's office, leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk. He had been here for close to an hour after he had dropped Abe off at work, when they had finished breakfast at his favourite diner. He had decided to come here, expecting his love's arrival and wanted to ensure that Billy did not slip up by subconsciously providing her with some information that would assist her investigation against him.

Billy was harmless and Lucas had long since convinced him to his side. He did not doubt the mans loyalty; however, Gail had ways of getting a person to give up things they were guarding closely and Lucas knew she had Billy sussed. He was not stupid, he sensed how Billy really felt about her no matter how hard he tried to hide it and although Gail would never reciprocate those feelings, she would use them to her advantage and Lucas had no intention of giving her the opportunity to be alone with the man.

Billy entered his office with two cups of coffee and gritted his teeth in irritation when he saw Lucas' feet on his desk. The man had no respect for another persons position and usually this would prompt him to insert his own dominance; however, he had come to realise that Lucas did not act this way on purpose with him these days, it was just who he was.

Lucas sensed Billy's irritation and lay back comfortably in the chair. 'Am I oversteppin'? he asked amused.

'You're so far past overstepping I don't even know where to begin' Billy laughed and set the drinks down.

Lucas smiled, took his feet off the desk and picked up the coffee. He had grown to like Billy after the man stopped resisting his authority and he actually did not mind that he was with Selena, as could be fully aware of what she was up to. 'So, all quiet on the Reporter front?' he asked, as he took a sip of his drink.

Billy perched himself on the edge of his desk and shrugged. 'So far, so good...I don't trust her lack of presence though, she's clearly up to something'

'You're preachin' to the choir friend' Lucas laughed and shook his head, then turned towards the door when there came a quiet knock.

'I'm sorry to interrupt...' the pretty young Receptionist blushed under Lucas' gaze, '...but there's a Reporter here to see you and she won't take no for an answer'

'Speak of the Devil' Billy said, rolling his eyes at Lucas and signaled for his Receptionist to let their visitor in.

'If that young girl was my Receptionist, I'd find it hard to keep my concentration on work' Lucas joked.

'Don't you start, if Selena found out about her she'd have my hide' Billy sighed and waited for Gail to enter. When Christie entered the room with M, Billy turned towards Lucas in shock.

'Well what do we have here?' Lucas asked curiously and shot Merlyn a wicked grin.

Merlyn shook her head and stood tall, not allowing Lucas to provoke her. She was here to learn from Christie and she would not be distracted by his presence.

Christie looked at Lucas with disdain, then turned her attention to Billy. She did not trust the Sheriff and found it curious that he would be here in the middle of the day. 'Doctor Peele, how nice of you to agree to meet with me...I thought your Receptionist was going to have a fit there for a moment' she smiled sweetly, despite the pressure she had put on the poor young Receptionist.

Billy forced a smile and signaled for Christie to take a seat in front of his desk. 'How could I turn down the opportunity to converse with you, it seems a shame that we didn't have much chance to talk last night'

Christie laughed and reached into her bag for her tape recorder, then placed it on the desk. 'I believe my friend and your girlfriend got in the way of that, how is Selena feeling today?' she asked, genuinely concerned with the woman's state after supplying her with drinks all night.

'She's a little worse for wear, but it's nothing she can't handle...I expected to see your friend here today, not you' Billy said, trying to establish whether Christie knew anything about Gail's whereabouts.

Christie shook her head knowingly and put on her best smile. 'Gail has a mind of her own, her current activities are anyone's guess. I'm glad I've caught you before she has, I was hoping you'd answer some questions for me'

Lucas watched the exchange carefully, on the surface Christie appeared to be ignoring him; however, he sensed her distrust of him and her efforts to hide her discomfort amused him. 'The good Doctor here is too busy for an inquisition, why don't you direct your attention this way...I have no issues answering your questions, in fact it would be a pleasure'

Merlyn inhaled deeply and rolled her eyes, as the charm radiated off of him. She knew Christie had been avoiding Lucas for this precise reason, she did not trust him or his charming facade; however, Merlyn was not convinced Christie could withstand it, as he had ran her out of town previously. 'Your efforts aren't required Sheriff...' Merlyn said sweetly, '...What we require is a statement from the Head Doctor of Juniper House, confirmin' why a murderer was moved to this facility'

Christie glanced at M and let out a relieved breath, she was glad to have the girl with her as she appeared to be immune to the Sheriff's charm. 'She's right, Walter Maine was moved from a secure jail to this establishment without any statement to indicate why...As far as I can tell, there's been no trial so I'm curious as to why a psychiatric treatment has been agreed' Christie added and smiled at Billy's obvious discomfort.

'Look Walter Maine...' Billy started, then leaned back in his chair when Lucas began laughing.

'You over entitled Reporters have it in your head that you deserve some type of explanation into the happenings in my town and that couldn't be farther from the truth. This is a Fulton County affair Darlin'..' Lucas said sternly and took a few steps towards Christie. '...If you want answers, I dare you to come to me...Billy-boy ain't got nothin' to do with this'

Christie felt his intense gaze on her and moved back in her seat. She could feel the unease rise within her and felt the urge to run far away from this man.

'Is that what you tell Gail?...' Merlyn interjected confidently, '...From what I can tell, she doesn't adhere to your rules'

Lucas turned his attention towards Merlyn and smiled devilishly. 'Gail is a whole different ball game Missy...' he mocked, '...We're currently engaged in a challenge of our own and you'd do well to keep out of it'

Merlyn felt a wave of clarity come over her and laughed. 'Well it appears her horse is progressing faster than your's...' she smiled knowingly, '...You might wanna pay your Deputy a visit before it's too late'

Lucas narrowed his eyes suspiciously for a moment, then felt a shadow of threat flow through him. He stood for a moment longer, wanting to strike Merlyn down; however, he took a deep breath, pushed down his urges and abruptly left the office. He needed to reserve all his strength to deal with Gail.


Gail sat on the couch in Ben's small living room rocking Luke gently in her arms, as Rita breastfed Izzy. She had ran into Ben at their favourite Coffee Shop and he advised her that Lucas was busy out of the office today. She guessed Lucas was expecting her to go guns blazing to Juniper House; therefore, she had chosen a different path.

Gail was happy to allow Lucas to waste his time in Juniper House, she knew Walter was not going anywhere and Billy would not allow anyone else to see him; therefore, her exclusive was still protected. She had chosen to take advantage of her lover being distracted and revisit an old interest of hers.

'So let me get this straight, you're lookin' into your family history and you think I'll be able to help you with that?' Rita asked confused.

Gail put on her best smile and regarded her friend warmly. 'I feel like I've been neglecting my duty with Caleb, since Luke came along. To ensure I give him the best care I can offer, I need to understand a little more about his past and our family history' Gail explained slowly, as if talking to a child.

Rita nodded and continued to feed her child, she was happy that Gail had stopped by to see her and she did not want to give her any reason to leave suddenly. 'I really don't know what assistance I can offer you Gail, but I'll do what I can'

Gail smiled appreciatively and went straight in, deciding not to beat around the bush. 'You were a nurse in the Hospital when Caleb's Mother died. Do you remember how she was at that time?' she asked and watched Rita's pleasant features turn to concern.

'Oh wow, that was such a long time ago Gail. I wouldn't even know where to start...'

'Start at the beginning...' Gail interrupted, not allowing Rita to pull away. '...You were just starting out when Judith was pregnant. Weren't you shadowing Doctor Nerome at her checkups?'

Rita stared at Gail nervously, she did not know how Gail had found that information out and she did not want to get involved in whatever Gail was up to.

'All I'm trying to do is gain an insight into my family. If I can understand what Caleb went through as baby and with Gage, I can help him move on with his life...You want to help me do that don't you?' Gail asked sweetly.

Rita let out a long sigh and shook her head. 'Of course I do...Yes I was shadowing Doctor Nerome, but there's not much I can tell you Gail'

'How was Judith? Did she go on her own or was there anyone else with her, like Gage or Merlyn Ann?'

'Gage was never there' Rita answered bluntly, not wanting think back to that time.

'So it was just Merlyn? Interesting' Gail pondered to herself.

Rita felt a wave of unease come over her and she stroked her baby girl for comfort. 'I don't know what good this is gonna do you Gail' she tried to reason.

'What was Merlyn like?' Gail asked curiously, ignoring Rita's comment.

'The girl was a lot of work alright!...' Rita snapped, '...She'd cling to her Momma somethin' terrible and if Judith ordered her away, she'd throw a fit. One time we had to drag the child out the room kickin' and screamin', while the Doctor examined Judith'

The stories Gail had heard from people indicated Merlyn had been too stupid to learn how to speak like a normal child and she had behavioural issues; however, Gail knew the signs of a traumatized child better than most. What Rita was describing was not just normal behavioural issues of a spoilt child and it amazed her that trained medical professionals had not picked up on the clear signs of trauma, unless someone had gone out of their way to cover it up.

Rita waited a moment for Gail to respond, then covered herself up and began winding Lucy. 'Ain't it best to leave the past in the past?' she asked, willing her friend to see sense. It was obvious that there was a reason no-one ever talked about the goings on with that child and Rita did not want to get in the middle of something like this.

Gail shook her head, then let out a loud sigh. 'If it was Lucy in Merlyn's place, would you just leave the past in the past?'

Rita bit her lip then took a deep breath, if it was her child she would do whatever it took to help her. It had always struck her as strange that Judith just closed the child off to the world and allowed Doctors to wash their hands of the matter. That poor child never stood a chance. 'What do you want from me Gail? The girl is dead and whatever wrongs that had been done to her back then can't be fixed'

Gail could tell she had hit a nerve and smiled. 'It's not about correcting the past Rita, it's about ensuring it doesn't repeat itself...How many Merlyn's are out there? Children with no place to turn to get help and parent's who turn a blind eye, just because they're scared of upsetting someone. This town is full of secrets and abuse of power, but no one speaks up. It's a vicious cycle and while everyone buries their heads in the sand, this town is damned to repeat the past over and over again'

'Open your eyes Gail. You can't talk about stoppin' the abuse of power, when you're layin' with it' Rita laughed in disbelief of her friends apparent naivety.

Gail sensed Rita's doubt of her awareness and felt her darkness flow through her. She stood up carefully with Luke and approached the woman, staring deep into her eyes. 'You have no idea what I know, or what I'm doing...I'm not naive and I don't walk around with rose tinted glasses like the rest of you. Hell, why do you think I'm coming to you rather than a Doctor at the Hospital? I know how far that reach stretches and I know you do too...You're slightly different than the rest of the lemmings around here, I'll give you that but you're just as guilty of failing that child like the rest of them'

'What was I supposed to do? I was just one Nurse' Rita asked defensively.

Gail sighed and shook her head. 'And I'm just one Reporter. When I first returned to Trinity, did you see me letting up? If I'd have been around back then, I wouldn't have let it stand regardless of what happened to me...She was a child and something clearly happened, whether it be down to Gage or someone else. As a medical professional, I would've expected some kind of attempt to figure out why she was that way. Instead you all left that girl to be abused for years, before it finally came to a head'

Rita had always tried to keep to herself and stay far away from the dealings of her superiors. She had never thought about the consequences of looking the other way; however, now that it was so blatantly pointed out to her, she felt tears well up in her eyes at the thought of that poor girl and what she must have gone through.

Gail sensed that she may have pushed her friend too far and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. 'You're just one person, I get that but everyone is accountable for what happened to that child, including me'

Rita attempted to fight back the tears; however, one got away from her and slowly trailed down her cheek. 'Why are you accountable? You weren't even here' she asked confused.

'I should've been...' Gail sighed, '...I was too consumed with my career and investigating my own parents deaths, that I didn't consider my family who were still alive'

Rita took a deep breath and attempted to pull herself together. 'What can I do?' she asked, wanting to help in any way she could.

'Yeah, what can she do love?' Lucas asked, leaning against the living room door with his arms folded over his chest. He had found out from Ben that Gail was paying Rita a visit and this change in tactic intrigued him.

Gail smiled at Rita reassuringly and signalled towards the kitchen. 'You can get me that recipe for your famous trifle that Ben keeps telling me about'

Rita tried to remain cool, then nodded and rushed to the kitchen. She had no desire to get dragged into whatever game these two were playing and she trusted Gail would keep her out of it.

Lucas watched as Rita rushed off, then approached Gail and took his son away from her. 'I think your Momma has been a bad girl, am I right?' he asked Luke sarcastically and smiled when his boy rested his head on his chest.

Gail watched Lucas carefully and considered her next move. 'I think your Daddy is paranoid due to a guilty conscience...I wonder if he has something to hide' Gail mocked, as she placed a soft kiss on Luke's head then started to gather up his things from the couch.

'I'm not the one tryin' to hide somethin' right now Darlin'' Lucas shook his head knowingly.

'No? How's Billy getting on with hiding Walter away from the world?' she asked sarcastically.

Lucas laughed and placed Luke gently down in his car seat, then grabbed Gail's arm and pushed her roughly against the wall. 'You don't think I'm used to your diversion tactics by now? Come on love, I know you're smarter than that'

Gail stared at him defiantly for a moment, then her eyes trailed to his lips and she ran her hands down his chest, then cupped his manhood gently. 'You don't think I know your diversion tactics by now Sheriff?' she asked teasingly.

Lucas inhaled deeply and attempted to push down the strong urge to take her. 'What could you want that pretty little red head to do for you Gail? She ain't got anythin' to do with Walter, which indicates you're followin' a different story'

'I have my hands in several different pots at any given moment Master Buck, maybe your old age is finally preventing you from keeping up' she mocked.

'Don't think I won't bend you over right here and give you a spankin' Miss Emory' he warned.

Gail smiled mischievously and cupped his manhood harder. 'I dare you Sheriff' she goaded.

Lucas stared deep into her eyes and sensed the mischief radiating off of her. Just as he was about to make good of his warning, he heard the front door slam shut and he placed a soft kiss on her lips. 'Next time Miss Emory' he smiled, then took a step away from her when Ben burst into the room.

Rita rushed out of the kitchen with Izzy and went to Ben's side. She had not known what to do, so she had called Ben hoping he was close.

Gail rolled her eyes at Rita's actions and went to Luke, then put his toys into her bag. 'I'm fine, the dramatics can stop now' she said, then winked at Lucas when she picked up Luke in his car seat and headed out of the house.

Ben watched her leave, then turned towards Rita. 'What did I miss?' he asked confused.

Rita stared at Lucas distrustfully, then shook her head and stormed up the stairs with Izzy.

Lucas laughed and approached his friend. 'It appears my innocent interaction with my other half was misconstrued...It might be worth you explainin' the concept of an overreaction to your partner friend' Lucas suggested and left Ben alone to figure out what had just happened.

-To be continued-