Merlyn sat behind the counter of Abe's antique store reading a book on witchcraft. She had enjoyed spending the night in the boarding house with Matt even though Caleb kept trying to steal his attention from her and although it was Saturday, she had told Abe she would help him out at the store. So here she was trying to read something that would take her mind of the lovely Matt Crower, she was fascinated by the contents of the book and was happy that the subject matter was distracting her from her crush.

Caleb turned towards Merlyn who was smiling to herself, he had offered to come help out at the store and was brushing the floor to ensure it was tidy; however, he had just realized he was doing his sisters job willingly and felt like he had been played. 'Hey! Why am I brushin' up while you're happy readin'?' he asked.

Merlyn looked up from the book and smiled cunningly. 'Well you said you wanted to help out, I didn't exactly say I was busy here'

Caleb put the brush to one side and pulled his tongue at her in mock defiance.

Merlyn laughed and pulled her tongue back at him, then they both turned towards the sound of the bell above the door. Merlyn's smile faded when she saw Earl enter, then she closed the book she was reading and placed it under the counter. 'What do you want?' she asked unimpressed by the intrusion.

Caleb watched Earl walk around the store slowly and noted his sisters change in demeanor. He had not seen her with Earl much recently and he could sense her irritation, which indicated she had become bored with their present company or that he had done something to hurt her. He regarded Earl suspiciously and felt something dark stir within him at the thought of his sister being hurt.

Merlyn sensed a dark change in her brother and focused all her attention on him, he looked as though he was ready to pounce and she was very aware that he had never been a fan of Earl. 'Just go' she aimed at Earl, but did not take her eyes off her brother.

Earl turned towards his girl and shook his head, she could not even be bothered looking at him when she barked the order at him. He approached the desk while her attention was elsewhere and grabbed her arm roughly. 'You don't get to just disregard me like this, you need to come with me so we can talk'

Merlyn was taken by shock at the unexpected hand on her arm and instinctively tried to pull her arm free; however, his grip was too tight. 'What are you doin'? Get off Earl!' she snapped and glanced at Caleb, sensing the darkness within him stronger now.

Caleb took a few steps closer to the pair and focused all of his attention on Earl. It appeared to be only him and Earl in the room now and he concentrated hard on what he wanted to see, like Lucas had previously shown him when a man was trying to take Gail away from him. Caleb envisioned Earl's hand burning up, like it had been dipped in scolding hot water that had been boiling in a pan for an hour. When the older boy began to scream and released his sisters arm, Caleb smiled and continued to walk closer to him.

Merlyn's eyes opened wide in horror, she knew Caleb had done something and cursed herself for allowing him to use her as a reason to tap into his Buck side. She watched as Earl jumped back holding his hand then smacked his back on a bookcase and fell on the floor rolling around in agony.

Caleb was closer now and had envisioned molten lava being poured all over the older boys body, how dare he think he could come in here and do something to his sister. Caleb smiled maliciously as the boys screams became louder and watched curiously as he rolled about the floor undignified. He could hear his sister in the distance trying to get his attention; however, he felt as though he was under water watching this all in a haze and he enjoyed the feeling of power that was flowing through his veins.

'What the hell is all this racket about?' Abe snapped as he came down the corridor and entered the main part of his store. He had been napping when he heard screams and when they did not stop he decided that he should investigate, even though he knew they were not coming from the children watching his store.

Caleb felt as though he had been pulled back to the surface at the sound of Abe's voice and his hold on Earl was released instantly. The older boy lay on the floor for a moment staring at his hands in disbelief, then jumped up and ran out of the store.

Merlyn stared at Caleb cautiously and realized he had returned back to his usual state, then turned towards Abe and took his arm reassuringly. 'Can you believe that boy thought re-enacting a scene from a movie would make me reconsider spendin' time with him?' she lied and hoped Abe would not see through her act.

Abe regarded both of the children suspiciously, then shook his head. He knew they were hiding something; however, he was tired and wanted to return to his nap. 'I told you that boy was a waste of space...keep it down now' he said and glanced at Caleb who remained quiet.

Caleb forced an innocent smile and nodded in acceptance of Abe's request, which indicated that the man could return to his back room. When Abe was out of earshot he picked up the brush and continued sweeping the floor, as though nothing had happened.

Merlyn watched Caleb closely not believing what she had just witnessed, she had not needed his help and she was now worried over the power he had just displayed so effortlessly. She would have to keep a close eye on her brother until she fully understood what was going on with him.

Gail rolled over onto her stomach in the large kingsize bed and held her head in pain. She had been awoken abruptly by a strange sensation of burning and now that she was awake she became aware of the throbbing pain in her head.

'That's what happens when you decide to drink the cheap stuff unsupervised Darlin'' Lucas scolded her sarcastically and stroked her bare back with his free hand.

'What time is it?' she asked and opened her eyes slightly to glance at Lucas, who was sat up in the bed beside her reading the Trinity Guardian.

Lucas sighed and did not take his eyes off the article he was reading. 'It's after 11:00am love, it appears we overslept'

Gail pushed herself up quickly, then winced at the sharp bolt of pain that surged through her head. Lucas shook his head then put the paper on his bedside table and pulled her back down to a laying position. Gail allowed herself to be controlled and closed her eyes as the light in the room caused the pain to become more intense.

'What am I gonna do with you?' Lucas asked as he caressed her forehead tenderly and tried to locate the source of her pain with his minds eye. He felt something block his attempts and when he tried to open her mind to him all he could sense was a thick fog.

'Get out of my head Lucas' Gail ordered and took a deep breath to calm herself, her mind was flooded with visions of what had happened the previous night and she was disgusted with herself for what she had allowed.

'I'm just tryin' to help you Gail, all you need to do is let go so I can take away all of your pain and suffering' he whispered and stroked her cheek gently.

Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head. 'Then what? You own my soul and we become one big happy family?' she asked in disbelief.

Lucas shrugged, 'Would that be so bad? You're clearly in the need of some guidance when it comes to these new found abilities that you're trying so hard to hide from me...so what if you give yourself to me and enable me to help you'

Gail sat up slower this time and opened her eyes carefully, to ensure the brightness of the day did not cause another reaction. 'Whatever do you mean sweetheart?...' she asked sarcastically, '...I'm just a small town Reporter who has adopted a child in need, what abilities could I possibly have?'

Lucas grinned devilishly, then sat up and pushed his hand under the bed sheet to stroke her sweet spot. 'The type that makes me wanna throw you down and pound into you unceremoniously until you admit to what you know'

Gail stared deep into his eyes and smiled defiantly. 'As much fun as that sounds, I imagine you would spill first considering I have no idea what you're talking about Master Buck'

Lucas inhaled deeply in an attempt to push down his urges; however, he could feel how moist her sweet spot was for his hard manhood and he did not know how long he could keep this up.

Gail sensed his arousal and bit her lip to stifle a low moan, she had trying her best to focus on the pain in her head rather than her unwavering desire for the man before her. 'I need to check on my dependents' she panted, as he pushed two fingers inside of her.

'Your dependents are happy with Abe love, it's time your focus remained only on us' he whispered and pushed her down gently with his free hand, while he continued to play with her.

Gail inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, Billy's official admission of guilt had stripped away the grudge she was holding against Lucas and she could find no solid reason to stand against him at this moment in time; therefore, she lay back and allowed him to pleasure her. He was her Adonis and all he was asking from her was acceptance, it was becoming tiresome even to herself that she kept attempting to repel him.

Lucas sensed her soften and knew he had found a way back in with her, Billy had turned out to be key to making this whole situation work for him and he would make a mental note to thank the man later for helping to rekindle his loves affection. He was aware that Gail was still in pain and stroked her forehead once more, when he opened his minds eye to locate the source this time he was met with no resistance.

Gail let out a loud moan as the pain in her head subsided and all she could feel was the small bursts of pleasure from his fingers. She pulled out Lucas' fingers gently, then rolled him over to straddle him. She smiled at his look of shock and reached down for his hard manhood, then placed it inside of her and began to ride him slowly. 'This is what you wanted last night wasn't it?' she asked teasingly.

Lucas let out a loud moan and gripped her hips tight, he had not expected her to allow him to enter her so soon after their questionable behavior at Selena's place and this was a surprise. He pushed his hips up higher to force his manhood deeper inside her, then lay back and watched in awe as she continued to ride him slowly.

Gail ran her fingers down his bare chest and gripped his stomach for support, it was taking all of her concentration to continue the gentle movements; however, she wanted to pay him back for the previous night and would not allow this act to be rushed, no matter how much she sensed that they were both ready to burst.

Lucas moved his hands from her hips and placed them over her hands, which were gripping the sides of his stomach. He continued to watch her and let out moans of pleasure then smiled when she dug her nails into his skin, which indicated this pace was becoming too much for her to maintain. He pulled her hands free of his stomach, then turned his palms up to allow her fingers to become entangled with his. He called out her name as she moved up and down with his manhood inside her and felt his intense orgasm rising within him.

Gail resisted the urge to speed up her movements when her orgasm began to form. She held on to his hands tight and called out his name as they came together with a prolonged burst of pleasure, then collapsed onto his chest panting and allowed him to hold her close.

'And you scold me when I attempt to make our experiences tender' he panted, then stroked her head and placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Gail remained still for a few minutes with him inside of her, then pushed him out of her and got off the bed to get dressed. 'I need you to leave me alone today, I have some things I need to do'

Lucas rolled over and watched her naked body appreciatively as she searched for her clothes to enable her to get dressed. 'A request like that makes me suspicious of what your intended activities are Darlin''

Gail smiled mischievously, being with him this way had made her realize that it would take a lot for him to turn on her and she was past hiding her intentions. 'You should be suspicious Sheriff; however, I expect you to honor my wishes all the same, if you truly want me to let go'

Lucas inhaled deeply in exasperation and watched as she stood naked in front of him waiting for his answer. 'Alright, I'll give space this once considerin' your stunt last night and this mornin'...but don't take me for a fool Gail'

'Oh I'd expect that would be a grave mistake Sheriff' she said feigning innocence and began to dress.

-To be continued-