Caleb walked out of school casually, he had managed to have an eventful day and was happy with himself for the number of deals he had secured. By his count he was up to four bargains and had not even had to get into trouble acquiring the things his friends wanted.

'Soon you'll be givin' me a run for my money' Lucas said from the open window of his car.

Caleb had been so busy thinking about what he had accomplished that he had completed missed the navy blue Crown Victoria and smiled as he approached the open drivers side window. 'I dunno what you're talkin' about' he feigned innocence.

Lucas smiled proudly, this must be what Selena had wanted to talk to Gail about. It appeared his son wanted to follow in his footsteps and Lucas could not be prouder for how quick the boy had learned from him. 'Well this is gonna be a conversation for another day, but liar liar...'

Caleb laughed at the insinuation and rushed around to the passenger side of the car then got in without being invited. 'Are we goin' somewhere?'

'I suppose we are now...' Lucas laughed and turned on the engine, '...I'm tryin' to locate that ol' cousin of yours and thought you could help'

'Merly spends more time with her than I do these days, so she'd know more than me' Caleb said and fastened his seat belt.

'Well it appears that ol' sister of yours has done a disappearing act too, I guess it's our job to locate our girls and get them back home safely...You up for the challenge son?'

Caleb smiled and nodded, it did not take much convincing for him to want to spend more time with his father these days. 'Yes sir, lead the way'

Lucas laughed and shook his head, Gail would not be impressed with the boys activities of late and how close they were getting; however, this is what happens when her focus is elsewhere.

Merlyn walked up and down the rows of graves shaking her head, she had not had any idea that this graveyard was here and she could now understand her cousins curiosity. 'Why aren't there any names on the headstones?' she asked curiously and bent down to examine one to her right.

Gail stared in awe at the amount of graves in front of her. After the initial horror at finding this place and debating whether she could actually accept the possibility that her lover could be a serial killer with the bodies of his victims hidden on his property, she had come to her senses and figured out what this was.

She knew Lucas was too smart to have anything which could link him to a crime out in the open and although this place was well hidden, someone could stumble across it at any time. No, this was personal and as Lucas had previously pointed out that he did not come out this far in his property, she suspected this place had been handed down through the generations which meant she may have found the Buck family tree.

Merlyn regarded her cousin carefully, she had not answered her question and she could see she was lost in her own thoughts. Before Gail had allowed her to set foot in this eerie place she had given her a talisman to hold, this indicated that her cousin was starting to accept the strangeness which surrounded their family and this town. Merlyn sensed a darkness here which made her skin crawl and she was gripping the talisman tight, she knew better than to believe they were alone here and just because she could not see anybody that did not mean they were not there. 'Gail?' she called nervously.

Gail shot an irritated glance at Merlyn for the interruption, then her features softened and she acted as if no time had past at all. 'I'm guessing anonymity has always been key in the Buck ancestry...You can learn a lot from a persons history, I suppose whoever started this place had a need to keep secrets'

Merlyn suddenly felt sick to her stomach at the realization of where she was. 'So this is all of his family?' she asked in disbelief.

Gail glanced towards the blonde woman standing by one of the graves who was nodding slowly, she had seen this woman before in her dreams and somehow knew Merlyn could not see her. 'It appears so' she said watching the woman suspiciously.

'Gail, we shouldn't be here...we need to go' Merlyn said grabbing her cousins arm and attempted to lead her away; however, when Gail shot her a warning look she let go instantly.

Gail turned her attention back towards the blonde woman and began walking around the gravestones, there was something dark in this place; however, it did not scare or worry her, it made her feel at ease. She felt a sudden change within herself and Rosemary pulled herself to the surface. 'She's off limits' she said sternly to the woman at the opposite end of the row, referring to Merlyn, and disregarded the woman's devilish smile.

Merlyn took a step back and glanced in the direction Gail was looking, she did not see anything but she felt a presence around them. 'Gail...'

'Shush' Gail ordered, regaining control of herself. She had been trying to control whatever was inside of her for months now and had decided she would not turn away any longer. She initially had no recollection of visiting this place, it was as though her mind was trying to shield her from something; however, this place felt familiar and she would not be scared away. She focused on the woman who was closer now, then took a deep breath and walked forward standing her ground. She would not let herself show fear and the real reason she wanted Merlyn with her was to get help if it was required.

The blonde woman stopped when Gail approached, then stared at one of the graves with disdain. She remained still for a few moments, then disappeared.

Merlyn watched as Gail stopped at a gravestone, then bend down to examine it. She wanted to go to her cousin but she did not dare move, suddenly she heard the sound of a twig breaking behind her and spun around to look in the direction of the sound. Her unease started to become more intense and she wanted to get out of this evil place.

When she turned back towards Gail there was a blonde woman directly in front of her blocking her view and smiling malevolently. Merlyn fell back screaming and held out her hands in front of her face to shield her from whatever this was. A bright white light came out of her hands and pierced through the woman, causing her to make an unearthly screech.

'No!' Gail called and watched in horror as the blonde woman disappeared. She felt a surge of pain rush through her when the white light connected with the apparition and fell to the ground. She did not know what had just happened or what she had witnessed; however, she felt rage rising within her and it was directed at her cousin.

Merlyn looked at her hands in confusion, then watched Gail stand up and dust the dirt off her long skirt. She could see the anger on her cousins face and stood up. 'Gail I...'

Gail held her hand up to silence Merlyn and bent down to examine the gravestone again, she had spotted a small mark on the side of the stone when she had been on the ground and brushed her fingers over it. Suddenly her mind was taken over by images of the man she had seen in the picture she had acquired from Abe, a jolt of pain surged through her brain which caused her to let go of the gravestone and she stood up.

Gail let out a small laugh and shook her head, this was the mysterious mans grave and she had no doubt about it. She looked around at all the other graves with intrigue, she had examined them all before and each headstone was blank. It appeared there were other ways to find out who was buried beneath them; however, that was for consideration at another time, she had been led to the grave before her and she would keep her focus on that.

Merlyn heard low growls come from behind her, then turned around to see Gail's wild dog Gideon. She had been monitoring her cousin discreetly in her ghostly state when this dog first appeared and she did not trust it at all. The dog seemed to sense her thoughts as it bared it's teeth and approached her in an attack position. 'Um Gail?'

Gail let out a long exasperated sigh and turned towards Merlyn, just in time to see Gideon ready to pounce. 'Hey!' she called and rushed towards her cousin, then gave the dog a disapproving look. Gideon whined quietly and nipped at Gail's ankle, then ran back towards the clearing. When Gail just stared at it in confusion, the dog began to bark. 'I think that's our cue to leave' she said grabbing Merlyn's hand and following Gideon.

'Are you mad at me?' Merlyn asked, she had not meant to interfere.

Gail laughed and quickly pulled her through the woods. 'I'm curious about you'

'You and me both...' Merlyn said and allowed herself to be led by her cousin, '...Now that you're done here, are you gonna go help Matt?'

Gail stopped as they came out of the trees and were once again in Lucas' garden. 'What do you mean help Matt?'

'I knew you wouldn't have left him there if you had known...'

'Left him where?...' Gail interrupted abruptly, '...and known what?'

Merlyn turned towards her cousin nervously. 'Gail, he's been locked up since yesterday. I didn't know where you were so I couldn't tell you, but I sent Abe to try and convince Lucas to let him out'

Gail could not believe she had been so distracted with her own selfish matters that she was totally unaware of her friends predicament. She was disappointed in herself and needed to start getting a grip on what has happening around her.

Gail sighed and shook her head. 'Unfortunately Abe doesn't have what Lucas wants, I suppose that falls to me'

Merlyn rolled her eyes and laughed. 'Don't you ever think that he does what he does to Matt just to get a rise out of you?'

Gail let out a small laugh and linked her arm around her cousins, then started to walk out of the garden. 'I try not to think about why Lucas Buck does any of what he does...I get to keep my sanity longer that way'

Merlyn laughed and shook her head, she still did not understand why Gail was with the man when she clearly knew what he was capable of; however, she had her own craziness to be concerned about and would trust her cousins judgement. 'So where are we goin' now?'

'Well I'm not letting you out of my sight while that boy is hovering around, so you'll just have to accompany me to the Sheriff's Station.

Merlyn did not want to go anywhere near where Lucas Buck could be, especially with what had just happened on his property and what she had witnessed.

'Oh don't you worry little girl...' Gail said reading her mind, '...that ol' dogs senses ain't as good as they used to be'

Merlyn laughed at Gail's attempt at a country accent and followed her off the property.

Lucas had driven to all the places he thought Gail could be and then to all the places Caleb believed his sister would go; however, they were unable to locate the pair. His senses were stronger with his boy by his side and he caught a glimpse of Gail in a wooded area in his minds eye, but there were no distinguishing markers to indicate where she was and he was starting to become frustrated.

After stopping off to grab a chili dog for his boy, he decided to head back to his office to regroup. Torturing Harvard some more would no doubt cheer him up after this failed attempt to locate the two thorns in his paw. Caleb had chosen to stay with him, stating he should be around when the girls were found. Lucas was beginning to think the boy had really started enjoying their time together and this may be the time to re-evaluate his living arrangements.

Lucas pulled up in front of the Sheriff's Station and got out of the car, when they entered the building he saw Floyd hiding behind the counter with Merlyn staring at him disapprovingly and he got a bad feeling. 'Well here's one of our missing girls...' he said sarcastically and watched Caleb rush up to his sister to give her a hug, '...Now all I need to do is find the other'

'Where's Gail Merly?' Caleb asked concerned.

Merlyn laughed and shook her head, 'Why don't you ask the good Deputy here?'

Lucas leaned over the counter and gave Floyd a questionable look. 'You wanna get up and enlighten me on what's goin' on here?' he ordered.

Floyd stood up and stared at his hands nervously, he knew the reporter was a friend of Lucas' and he had instantly regretted his decision after he had done made it. 'I didn't have a choice Lucas...she pushed me to it!'

'Who pushed you into what Floyd?' Lucas asked angrily.

'Well it appears your Deputy here thought it was appropriate to lock up my cousin in one of your cells...I'm sure being the type of person she is, she'll be very understanding after you locked up her friend' Merlyn said sarcastically and winked at Caleb.

Lucas let out a large sigh and headed straight to the cells, ignoring Floyd's apologies. He was annoyed at himself for not sensing she was here and was furious that she had been allowed to get close to Harvard while he was not around. When he opened the door he saw them both leaning against the cell bars laughing together, their closeness was sickening and Floyd would be punished for interfering with his plans.

Gail heard the door open and ignored it, after she insulted Floyd enough to get him to arrest her she expected they would get company sooner rather than later. She knew who it was and sensed his irritation so she put her arm through the gap in the cell bar and pulled Matt closer to her, in an attempt to make him more angry.

Gail had decided she was not going to beg for Matt's release, she came up with a different plan on the drive down and had been happy with how it had worked out. Matt had filled her in on all that had happened and she cursed herself for not realizing what Lucas had done last night before she lay with him. She would not a mistake she would make again and she would find a way to be more in tune with her senses going forward.

'Am I interrupting somethin'?' Lucas asked agitated and watched in annoyance as Gail continued to be close to her friend.

'So...I could get used to this peace and quiet' Gail said while stroking Matt's arm affectionately.

Matt instantly caught on to what his friend was doing and would happily play along. 'Me too, just the two of us in here with no outside influences...imagine what we could get up to'

Gail smiled mischievously and gave her friend a playful wink. 'Hmmm, imagine us all alone with just each other to keep us warm...The gab in these bars aren't that restrictive, I'm sure we could find certain ways to keep ourselves entertained'

'Enough' Lucas ordered and slammed Gail's cell door open.

Gail gave Matt a reassuring smile, then turned her attention towards Lucas. 'Can we help you Sheriff?' she asked sweetly.

Lucas shook his head and instantly knew he was in for a fight. 'Well Miss Emory, it appears there's been a mistake and you somehow found your way into one of my cells...Why don't you come out here and we can have some fun with my handcuffs?' he said playfully.

Gail laughed and stroked Matt's arm. 'You know, I think I'm quite happy where I am...and I can have just as much fun with my present company'

Lucas entered the cell and grabbed her by the arm, then roughly pulled her up and pushed her against the cell bars. 'You sure about that? You weren't complainin' when we were goin' at it last night Miss Emory'

'That was before I had this cozy set up Sheriff...I mean, what more could I ask for than this discreet little room and my good friend over there?'

'Maybe I should leave you locked up in here with him if you like it so much' Lucas suggested in a venous tone, leaning his face closer to hers.

'Maybe you should' Gail said defiantly, leaning closer so she could feel his breath on her lips.

'Knock it off...' Matt said standing up, '...Get her out of here Sheriff, there's no point in us both wasting our time here'

'You heard the man Darlin', lets go' Lucas said signaling for her to leave the cell.

Gail laughed and shook her head. 'Since when have I ever allowed a man tell me what to do? I'm not going anywhere without him' she said moving back to her previous spot by Matt.

Both men sighed and looked at each other in exasperation. Matt had not wanted Gail to end up in here with him, it was amusing teasing Lucas at first; however, there was no point to this. 'I'll be fine Gail, just go' he reassured her.

'Again, what part of me gives off the impression that I need you to tell me what to do Doctor? You will let him out now Lucas...I won't say it again'

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her and regarded her with irritation. Usually she would have offered to convince him by now; however, there was something different about her today and she was being more assertive than usual. 'Alright Darlin', don't get your panties in a twist' he said sarcastically and opened Matt's cell.

Gail signaled for Matt to leave then proceeded to exit her cell. As she past Lucas he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to him. 'Something I can help you with Sheriff?' she asked feigning innocence.

'I know you've been up to somethin' and I will find out what it is' he whispered.

Gail smiled devilishly and moved her lips close to his ear. 'Oh sweetheart, I think you've got a problem with your all seeing eye...Maybe you should get that checked out' she whispered and gently pulled her arm free.

Lucas watched curiously as she walked out the cells with Matt, he was used to her challenging him; however, she was never so bold as to bring up his highly tuned senses and he began to wonder what exactly she had been doing with her time.

Matt let out a sigh of relief when he entered his office and sat down on his chair. Gail had dropped him off at the hospital at his request after a quiet drive away from the Sheriff's Station and he was glad to be back in familiar surroundings. He was not proud of himself for losing control and playing into Lucas' trap, there was no excuse for what he had done and he imagined Gail would have to deal with the consequences of the actions she took to help him.

Matt sat on behind his desk and ran his hand through his hair, then rummaged in his bottom desk drawer and pulled out a small picture frame. He stared lovingly at the picture of his daughter and felt an emptiness inside which he knew could never be replaced. He longed to see her innocent smile again and smell her sweet scent; however, that would never be possible and it was something he had to live with.

After one last glance at his daughter, he put the picture away and focused his attention on the file he had on Lucas Buck which was still in his top drawer. The man was a menace and needed to be stopped; however, all the file showed was his recent run in with Yancy, when the man almost succeeded in killing him. Matt wished he could have been around for that but unfortunately he was locked up in Juniper, where Lucas had initially intended to let him rot.

Matt closed the file and tapped his fingers on his desk, something Lucas had said to him when the previous day would not leave his mind and he began to wonder about his friend. Lucas had stated he shared the loss of losing a child and indicated that Gail did also. He was sure Gail would have opened up to him about something like that had she suffered the loss before coming to Trinity, as it would be something they both shared; however, she had not mentioned anything before, which indicated there may have been an incident when he was in Juniper.

Matt knew he would regret digging into his friends medical records, it was wrong both on a moral and professional level but he could not get Lucas' comments out of his mind and needed to know why the man was being so smug with him. Matt turned on his computer and logged in to the hospital patient records, he just had to know so he typed in Gail Emory and waited for the file to be located.

Lucas pulled into his driveway, then got out of the car and slammed the door in frustration. He was still irritated over the earlier exchange with Gail and he had decided he now needed a drink. As he took his keys out of his pocket and located the front door key, he felt a strange sensation which got his attention and began to walk to the side of the house.

The dim lights in the garden guided him through the darkness as he followed the familiar feeling, which he had not experienced in a very long time. He turned the corner of the house and continued on into his back garden, he allowed the fountain a quick glance and smiled as he recalled what he had gotten up to there with Gail then continued on his way to the far end of the garden.

Lucas halted and regarded the gravestone labeled R.B curiously, he had always wondered about it as a child; however, after his parents were gone and he was in control he never gave it a second thought, not until Gail started snooping at this end of his property. Something whispered in his ear and he shook his head in annoyance. 'Enough of your parlor tricks, I've had a long day so let's get on with this' he snapped.

Lucas spotted a figure leaning against a tree at the opening to the wooded area at the end of the garden and sighed, he followed the figure as it moved deeper into the woods and kept his twin on standby in case anything decided to ambush him. He had only visited this area a few times in his life and it had been at least 20 years since the last got called here, he did not trust the place then and he certainly did now so he kept his guard up.

When he heard a mans laughter in the clearing he stopped, had he previously had any desire to visit this part of his property he would have done so sooner and he was not impressed with being called here in such a manner. Lucas shook his head and continued walking towards the clearing then exhaled deeply in exasperation when he finally reached the family plot.

'Alright, I'm here...you better make this quick' Lucas warned.

'You've become sloppy my boy' came his fathers voice from all around him, but no figure appeared.

Lucas laughed, 'Says you...I'm not the one that was fatally blind sided by his son. At least I caught mine before that happened'

The wind picked up around Lucas and he could sense the anger in his father, which made him smile. 'That's all in the past and you should be thankful I allowed you to rest here. If I had my way you wouldn't have it so cushy and would still be suffering now...although it's not too late for that'

'Get your affairs in order boy! Before we do that for you' His fathers irritated voice echoed, then the presence was gone.

Lucas considered the words for a moment, then shook his head in annoyance. 'I don't take well to threats' he warned turning around to leave, then spotted a small object on the ground not far from his position. He walked to the object, bent down and picked it up. He knew exactly what it was upon examination and he cursed out loud.

Lucas stood up and carefully put the talisman in his back pocket, it appeared Gail was more resourceful than he had given her credit for. He inhaled deeply in an attempt to push down his rage and headed back towards his house. He was not too concerned about what she had uncovered, as the graves were not marked so he did not believe she would not be able to get enough information to dig up his past; however, something must have helped her this far and he would not allow himself to be caught out like this, not with how powerful he was.

-To be continued-