Gail Emory tossed and turned in the bed, still half asleep and trying to get comfortable. The mattress felt unfamiliar to her and she was developing a dull ache in her back and shoulders. A soft hand brushed against her bare stomach making her smile contently to herself, she lay for a moment with her eyes still closed trying to decide whether to get up or lay a while longer with Lucas.

Something was not quite right here, but Gail pushed the feeling away and reached her hand down to caress the soft hand which rested on her stomach. Her eyes shot open when she realised it was not Lucas's hand that was touching her and she jumped out of the bed in shock. Her vision had not fully adjusted to the morning light; however, she could make out that she was in an unfamiliar bedroom and her heart sank in her chest.

'Calm down' a tired voice said from the bed and Gail sighed with relief when she recognised Selena's voice.

Selena sat up, rubbed her eyes and gave out a big yawn. She looked at Gail with surprise when she saw she was only wearing a navy blue vest and a thong, then lifted her covers up to see that she herself was only wearing a bra and a thong.

'Well, this is interesting' Billy said peering at both women. He had just dropped Caleb off at school after spending all night on Gail's coach, waiting for her to return home. He had been concerned when he saw Selena's car was still in the driveway; therefore, decided to come inside and investigate, as that was not like Selena to sleep in on a school day.

To his surprise he had stumbled across his girlfriend in her underwear and his friend wearing very little to cover her tanned figure. He could feel his excitement growing and tried to push away any suggestive thoughts, knowing both woman would have his hide if he said the wrong thing.

Gail looked from Billy to Selena, this could only get worse if Lucas decided to show up. 'Avert your eyes Doctor' she said sternly, recognising the suggestive look he was portraying. She did not have time for this and would deal with what happened later, right now she needed to find the rest of her clothes.

Selena smiled at the situation, it had been a while since she had woken up with a woman in her bed and she supposed this was one way to find out what the lovely Miss Emory could do. Sensing Gail was not in the mood for any playful banter, she glanced to the side of her bed and located Gail's clothes. Rolling over and reaching down, she grabbed the skirt and bra then passed it to her new companion. Gail nodded in gratitude and started to dress.

Billy stood still at the bedroom door staring at them both and Selena laughed, 'You'd think you'd never seen two women together, close your jaw honey' she said stretching and got out of the bed.

'Not a word of this to anyone' Gail said to Billy and shot him a warning glance.'This was intriguing...' she said turning her attention to Selena, '...we'll catch up over it soon'

Selena nodded, 'Anytime Miss Emory'

Gail regarded the woman suspiciously, then walked past Billy and left Selena's house. When she was outside and away from the pair, she put a hand over her mouth in shock. What the hell had happened after she left Lucas at the bar? She laughed to herself trying to brush off her discomfort and started walking towards her house, the fresh air would clear her mind and help her figure out what events had resulted in her spending the night with her lover's ex girlfriend.

Lucas stood at the head of the class, impatiently staring at his watch. Selena was never late and made a point of scolding any child or parent who dared to wander in after 9:00am. He wondered whether his love had a hand in this, he had chosen to leave the pair alone last night expecting Gail would get bored of Selena; however, judging by the lateness of his ex, he was beginning to think the pair had hit it off.

Lucas laughed out loud at the thought of the pair together and the children in the class looked a him expectantly, as though he was going to share the joke. He could do without Gail getting close to Selena and should step in before it was too late; however, he had an election to think about and less than a week to prepare for the results, which were set to be unveiled just before the fourth of July celebrations.

Caleb got up from his desk and walked to the front of the class. 'What's going on?...' he whispered, concerned, 'Gail didn't come home last night and now Miss Coombs is late.'

Lucas admired his boy and the fact that he was not content with just sitting silently like the rest of the children. Caleb had the confidence to ask questions, no matter what the consequences would be; this was a good trait to have and meant his boy stood out above the rest of the children. Lucas envisioned him becoming a good leader when he grew up and realised his full potential. 'There's nothing to worry about son...' he said leaning down to address Caleb privately, '...that cousin of your's is fine and Miss Coombs is just having a rare lie in'

Caleb regarded Lucas suspiciously for a moment, then returned to his desk. Lucas turned his full attention to the children in front of him and put on his best friendly voice. 'Right, you're all my honorary Deputies for the day' he said.

All the kids cheered in excitement apart from Caleb and Lucas smiled, he knew his boy would not be fooled by this charade. 'Now, first order of business for my new Deputies is to design posters for my campaign. Miss Coombs has given me authority here today, so I need you all to work together with the tools available to you and we'll impress her with all your hard work when she comes in'

Everyone around Caleb jumped up to find materials to complete Lucas's task; however, he knew Miss Coombs would not like them wasting a day colouring and decorating. He disregarded Lucas's orders, got up from his desk and wandered over to the window. He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Merlyn stood under a tree and he waved at her.

'Who are you waving at son' Lucas asked, appearing behind him.

Caleb turned towards Lucas, then back towards Merlyn but she had disappeared. 'No one...' he lied, '...so, I don't wanna colour and make signs'

Lucas smiled, he had other plans for Caleb. 'I don't want you to do that either son. Ben's waitin' outside in the car, why don't you get out of here and go scout out my competition?'

Caleb looked around the class, the other children seemed oblivious to their conversation. 'I best not do that, Miss Coombs wouldn't be happy if I left'

'Look around you son, your teacher isn't here so it appears I'm in charge. Besides, I know you're worried about that cousin of yours, Ben will help you find her' Lucas said, pulling Caleb away from the window.

Caleb considered his options, it was either stay here and colour or do what he wants around town. It could be interesting going undercover to spy on Lucas's competition, he would be able to experience things like Gail does when she has a story to investigate. 'OK, I'm in. Just tell me what you need me to do'

Gail was led out of the Trinity Guardian newspaper building by a reporter named Danielle, who she had met previously when she first came to town. Danielle had always seemed nice; however, Gail had suspected she was too easily swayed by Lucas's charm when it came to reporting on certain things, therefore, she chose to steer clear of the woman as much as possible in their past encounters.

Danielle had contacted Gail a few days earlier offering her a meeting with the Editor of the newspaper, as it had come to their attention she was no longer in employment with the Charleston Post. Gail had warned Lucas about interfering with her professional life; however, this meeting had his name written all over it.

Although she would not usually accept any outside help when it came to her career, she had always dreamed of working for the Guardian since she was a little girl and she did need some form of steady employment if she was going to meet up with a Judge over Caleb; therefore, she had chosen to accept the meeting and see what came from it.

She had recognised the Editor Mark instantly from when her parents worked at the Guardian, he had been a junior reporter at the time and had apparently worked his way up to the top. Mark had offered her a position straight away as a head reporter based on her experience with the Charleston Post, he explained he had always been a fan of her work and was hoping he would get an opportunity to snap her up.

Gail was not naive or so desperate that she would jump at the first offer that came her way, she had told him she would ponder over what they had discussed; however, she had some terms of her own that she wanted to be considered. Gail had told him that he needed to match her salary at the Post and she wanted a guarantee that the content of any stories she brought to him would be untouched, as she would not deal with favouritism or corruption.

It appeared that Mark was not naive either and wanted something in return before agreeing to her terms. Had Gail not been still distracted from waking up in Selena's bed, she would have spotted his request from a mile away. Mark wanted her to cover the Sheriff's election, stating he knew from her past stories that her morals were as pure as her mothers were and he wanted a non-biased take on the election, which he did not believe he could get from his other reporters.

Considering Gail was in bed with one of the candidates, she would not have thought she was the best person for the job; however, in usual fashion she would keep her personal and professional life separate, therefore, she had accepted his request.

After being escorted out of the building, Gail took a moment to gather her thoughts. She usually liked to have a sufficient amount of time to be able to dig into the lives of candidates when she was covering an election; however, in this instance she had less than a week to prove to her potential new boss that she was as good as her reputation indicated.

Gail ran her hands through her hair and looked up at the sky in frustration. It looked like she was going to be busier than she had initially anticipated.

Ben was driving around the streets of Trinity, with Caleb in the front seat with him. He felt uncomfortable knowing the boy should be in school; however, Lucas was his boss and he had been ordered to take him wherever her wanted to go. Caleb was a good kid and told Ben to do whatever he needed to do first before worrying about taking him anywhere; therefore, Ben had decided to get his patrol of the town out of the way before taking Caleb to his desired destination.

There was a lot of small talk throughout the patrol and he had noted that Caleb was concerned about his cousin. Ben saw Gail first thing each morning for their scheduled daily coffee before his shift at the Sheriff's Station started and did not think she was acting any stranger than usual. If anything she had gotten more comfortable with Ben, which made her more funny and playful in the morning. They both had a running motto of man up and laugh through the drama they had to deal with on a daily basis, for him it was Barbara Joy and for Gail it was being stranded in Trinity with an 11 year old boy.

It was not Ben's place to get involved, but he knew Gail was fine and he had tried to reassure Caleb of this. Regardless of what Ben said to the boy he still wanted to find his cousin to see for himself, Ben did not want Caleb disturbing Gail especially when she had told him she had a job interview today; however, the boy was relentless just like his cousin, so he drove into town hoping they would stumble across her and he would not get the blame.

To his surprise, Ben turned the corner onto main street and there was Gail with an ice cream in her hand casually walking down the street. Caleb opened the window and shouted her name in excitement, then Ben pulled up next to her trying to ignore the disapproving stare she was giving him.

Caleb jumped out of the car, ran up to his cousin and threw his arms around her. Gail was taken aback by this sign of affection but hugged him back. 'What on earth are you doing here? Why aren't you in school?' she asked.

Caleb let go of his cousin and licked his lips when he saw the ice cream she was holding, 'Can I have one of those?' he asked ignoring her question.

Gail sighed, she knew better than attempting to get answers from Caleb when he was distracted; therefore, she gave him her purse and signalled for him to get an ice cream, then turned her attention towards Ben when Caleb had gone. 'What is this Ben?' she asked in a serious tone.

Ben got out of the car and stretched, 'Don't blame me, this was Lucas's doing. All I know is I got ordered to take him wherever he wanted to go'

Gail shook her head in frustration and took a lick of her ice cream before it began to melt. Of course this was Lucas, why would she think it was down to anyone else. 'Did Caleb say where he was going?'

Ben shrugged 'Nope, he wanted to find you first to make sure you were OK and this is as far as we got'

Gail glanced down the street and saw Caleb reappear from the ice cream shop, then moved a few steps closer to Ben. 'Was there any indication of what Lucas was up to with him?' she whispered, as if Lucas or Caleb would somehow hear her.

Ben shook his head, 'No and I didn't really wanna ask, you know I'd rather keep out of these things' he said, knowing Gail would not tell Lucas how he felt.

Gail nodded, she felt for Ben due to him always seeming to be thrust into Lucas's plans; however, not this time if she could help it. 'That's fine Ben, you run along...I got this' she said smiling at Caleb as he approached.

Ben looked at Gail suspiciously, 'Are you sure? Lucas said I had to take him...'

'I'm sure...' she said, cutting Ben off mid sentence, '...I'm going to take my only living relative wherever he wants to go' and with that she placed her arm around Caleb and started to lead him away from Ben.

Ben would not argue with Gail. Besides, at least this way he managed to stay out of whatever Lucas was planning.

Caleb tapped impatiently on his knee while sat in the front of Gail's car. He was glad he had come across her and confirmed she was OK; however, he wanted to get on with the task he told Lucas he would complete.

Gail was watching her cousin carefully, she was fully aware that he did not want her to get in the way of the task he was doing for Lucas; however, she would not let him go that easily. She started to quietly hum to The Rolling Stones's 'Brown Sugar' which had come on the radio station, before realising the song was not appropriate for a young boy. She switched the station over and turned the volume up when she she came across Faith Hill's song 'Breathe', when she started singing along softly she spotted Caleb watching her curiously out of the corner of her eye.

Caleb regarded Gail carefully, she had not asked much about his task and now she was humming along to a catchy tune on the radio acting as though she did not care. His cousin was a mystery, one minute she would be intent on doing something then the next she would be relaxed and humming along to a song. Caleb did not know what to make of her behaviour, but he liked the sweet sound of her voice.

He turned his attention to the buildings they were passing and started to hum along to the song. Gail had such a diverse taste in music and he had not come across anything she listened to that he did not like the sound of. Caleb was taken out of his thoughts by the sign for Jackson's Pharmaceuticals, he could not believe it when Gail parked next to the building and turned off the car engine.

Gail unbuckled her seat belt and reached for her bag behind the seat, she might as well check out the opposing candidate for Sheriff while she considered what to do with her cousin. 'You wait here, I need to get something from the drug store' she said squeezing Caleb's knee, then got out of the car.

Caleb watched his cousin enter the store, then slowly got out of the car. It was strange that Gail had driven him to the exact place he wanted to be and he started to walk to the alley at the side of the building. When he approached, he heard a faint voice talking and decided to investigate the source of the sound. He turned around the corner at the back of the building and stared suspiciously at the young boy talking to his action figures. The boy appeared quite fragile, with a tube leading into his nose and an oxygen tank on his back. Caleb was taken aback by how weak this boy looked and felt bad for what he was about to do. 'Hey there' he called.

The boy jumped up in shock and just stared for a moment at the unexpected intrusion. No one ever talked to him, other kids chose to keep their distance due to his breathing condition; therefore, he did not know what to do when the boy in front of him was addressing him so casually. 'Hey...w..what do you want?' he stuttered.

Caleb smiled, the boy was harmless and seemed wary of him. 'I just wanted to say hey...' he lied, 'Whatcha' doin'?'

The boy looked down at the action figures in his hands and shrugged, 'I'm just playin'' he said and continued to regard Caleb cautiously.

This was going to be harder than he thought, Caleb had told Lucas he would come here and befriend his competitions son; however, the boy seemed very suspicious of him. Gail had told him stories of the adventures she had experienced as a reporter previously and had explained that you needed to find a common ground with a person to gain their trust. Caleb glanced at the figures in the boys hand and instantly recognised Iron Man. 'Is Iron Man your favourite Avenger? I can't chose between Thor or the Hulk myself' he said, taking a few steps closer.

The boys eyes lit up at the mention of his favourite superhero, 'Iron Man is amazing! He can shoot things and fly...I'm Carter Jackson, what's your name?' he asked.

Caleb smiled, he could tell he had found his way in as the boy visibly relaxed. 'I'm Caleb Temple and Thor can fly too, he also has a cool hammer that no one can use but him!'

Carter laughed, it was nice to be able to have a normal conversation with another boy. The name sounded familiar to him, but he could not put his finger on it. 'Have we met before? I recognise your name' he asked.

Caleb looked down at his feet. Of course he knew his name, everyone knew about the boy who's father had murdered his own daughter then killed himself. 'We've not met before, I just heard a noise and came around back to investigate' Caleb said, pushing down his feelings of sadness. He had been trusted to do a job and he would do it.

Carter had not realised he had been so loud when he was playing, he would have to remember to be quieter in the future to make sure he did not disturb his fathers customers. Regardless of whether he knew the boy in front of him, he liked having some company. 'Do you wanna play?' he asked, reaching for his Thor figure and holding it out.

Caleb smiled, he had found his opening.

Gail walked up and down the aisles of the drug store slowly, secretly observing the owner behind the counter. He was an attractive man for his age and the short sleeved shirt he was wearing showed off his toned arms. On the surface he seemed friendly and was pleasant to the elderly woman who was waiting for her prescription; however, Gail had been doing her job long enough to know that things were not always as they appeared.

When the man behind the counter handed the women her prescription she left smiling, leaving Gail to be the only customer left in the store. She slowly wandered to the toiletries section and picked up some shampoo and toothpaste for Caleb, then casually walked to the medication aisle pondering over how she would achieve her goal.

After she had left the Trinity Guardian building, she had visited Rita in the hospital. Rita somehow knew all the gossip in this town and she had no problem telling Gail the stories she had heard about the new candidate for Sheriff. It was apparent that although Calvin Jackson liked to portray himself as a good god fearing family man, he may have a soft spot for a pretty woman.

Gail could feel his eyes on her and smiled, it appeared she would not have to try too hard to be noticed. She picked up some antiseptic cream and walked up to the counter, placing the items down she glanced towards the small items by the till and picked up some lip balm.

The man behind the counter smiled and began scanning the items through the till. 'I don't think I've seen you around here before ma'am. My name is Calvin and I own this place' he said in a welcoming tone.

'I'm Gail...' she said returning his smile, '...and I haven't been up this side of town much'

Calvin tried not to stare at the beautiful woman in front of him, she was softly spoken but had an air of confidence about her. 'Nice to meet you Gail, what brings you to my end of town on a lovely day like this'

Gail could sense Calvin was being different with her than he had been with the elderly woman before. She had been a chubby child growing up, but when she lost all of her excess weight she had began to notice the subtle differences in how men and boys would behave around her. Gail did not perceive herself as attractive, she was a firm believer that beauty was on the inside and she had several flaws like every other woman out there; however, she always could tell when a mans manner changed around her and she did not like the thought of being undressed by their eyes.

Gail sometimes hated the levels she had to stoop to for her job; however, this was her chosen profession and it was not in her nature to fail. Gail hoped Calvin was just making friendly small talk, but her gut was telling her it was something else. She reached up to the clip holding her hair up off her shoulders and removed it, allowing her to run her fingers freely through her hair. She then placed her arms behind her head and stretched, trying to portray a relaxed demeanour. 'I was just wandering around in the sun, it's so hot outside I thought I'd take solace in your shop and pick up a few bits while I was here'

Calving tried to be discreet with his small intake of breath, when he saw her thick brown her fall loosely over her shoulders and around her beautiful face. He felt the urge to reach up and move a strand of hair from her cheek, but he would have to resist. 'Well, seen as your a new customer these are on the house. You can feel free to wander into my little shop any time you like. How old is your child if you don't mind me asking?' he said, noticing the child's shampoo. He had spotted that Gail was not wearing a wedding ring, which peaked his interest even more.

Gail was taken aback by the question, 'Child?' she asked confused, then spotted the shampoo that was being placed into a bag. 'Oh he's not mine...' she laughed, 'It's for my 11 year old cousin, I'm taking care of him for a while. Have you got any children?' she asked, trying to keep him engaged in conversation.

Calvin reached for the lip balm in Gail's hand to scan it through the till and let his thumb stroke her finger tips gently, she did not pull away which was a good sign and he could feel himself getting excited with the little shot of electricity that the touch produced. 'I have a 10 year old of my own and he can be a hand full. That's very nice of you to look after your cousin, how long have you got him for?' he said, trying to keep this causal until he could find a way in. Usually he waited until he knew a woman better; however, there was something about Gail which was drawing him to her.

Gail would not volunteer the identity of her cousin, in case he had heard gossip about her relationship with Lucas so she kept everything on a first name basis. 'Caleb can be demanding too, I wouldn't change him for the world though. I'm not sure how long I have with him yet, but it's best to be prepared' she said smiling and nodding towards the toiletries in the bag.

Calvin handed Gail the bag and let his eyes travel down her body then back up again, she did not seem to back away; therefore, he was considering making his move. Calvin was just about to ask her to join him for a drink, but was interrupted by his son running through the back door with another boy in tow. 'Speaking of my little terror' he said and looked disapprovingly at Carter, who just stared at his feet when he realised he had interrupted something.

'Yours and mine both' Gail said stepping to the side and looking at Caleb suspiciously, what could he be doing?

Caleb glanced at Gail, who looked different from when she had left him in her car. He was playing with Carter and they had gotten carried away with their superhero battle and burst through the back door of the shop. 'Hey cous'' he said, hoping she would not be mad when she saw he had not waited in the car.

'Hey yourself' she said and turned her attention towards Calvin, who was clearly glancing at her legs and breasts. 'Boys huh?'

Calvin smiled, it seemed his boy had done something right for a change. He did not have any friends, yet somehow he had stumbled across Gail's cousin which could give him an excuse to spend some time with her. 'It looks like they've hit it off, maybe we should let them play a while and go for a drink?' he said, hoping she wanted to spend more time with him too.

Gail glanced towards Caleb then back at Calvin. The boy looked fragile with an oxygen tank strapped to his back, which made her feel bad about what she was about to do. 'I'd love to, but I've got to get him back to school. I'll tell you what though, I'm taking Caleb to see the 7 o' clock showing of the Avengers tonight and wouldn't mind if your little boy wants to come along' she said, wanting an end to this so she could talk to Caleb.

Calvin smiled, this was perfect and he could tell his wife it was just a play date for Carter. 'We'd love to join you, should we meet here about 6:30pm?'

Gail laughed, this was way to easy. '6:30pm it is, we'll see you then' she said and turned towards her cousin, 'Come on Caleb, lets get you back to school'

The drive back to the school had been uncomfortable, Gail had not been impressed that Caleb had not waited in the car like she had ordered and he did not want to incriminate himself so chose to stay silent.

When they arrived in the school car park, Gail switched off the engine and grabbed Caleb's arm before he could jump out of the car. 'What was that?' she asked in a serious tone.

Caleb did not want to get into trouble so he acted dumb, 'What? I got bored and just found a kid to play with' he said innocently.

Gail laughed, 'Oh, so we're lying to each other now?'

Caleb looked at his cousin in the eyes, he did not want to lie to her. 'I was there for Lucas, what did you want to go there for?' he asked, he knew it was no coincidence that his cousin had stopped there.

Gail shook her head, she could not scold him for lying then do the same, especially when he had told her the truth quickly. 'I'm covering the election and have to check out the candidates...' she sighed, '..now what did Lucas want you to do?'

'He didn't tell me to do nothin', just check out his competition'

Gail brought her hand up to her head in exasperation and laughed. This was interesting, it appeared they were both after the same thing. 'Why would you want to do that?' she asked.

Caleb shrugged, 'You always tell me I would make a good reporter, I wanted to see what it was like working as you would'

Gail shook her head, clearly she had not been the best role model for her cousin if he wanted to run around poking his nose into other peoples business. 'And what did you find?'

Caleb smiled, 'What did you find?' he asked.

Gail bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smile, she knew she should not be amused by this display but she was. It was impressive that he was smart enough to keep his findings to himself, he did not know to talk to her 'off the record' so she could use anything he gave her. 'OK...you want to be like that then it's fine, but if you find out anything that could hurt someone you're to tell me straight away. You promise me, or I'll make you sit this little play date out'

Caleb looked down at his hands, he was enjoying himself and really wanted to go tonight. 'OK, I promise cous''

Gail smiled, this little game may be fun for him; however, she did not want him involved in anything serious. 'Thank you, now run along to class' she said and leaned over to give him a hug.

Caleb embraced his cousin affectionately, then got out of the car and ran towards the school entrance.

It was early evening when Lucas Buck strolled casually into the pet store where Sandra Jackson worked, he knew he should not be so bold; however, he was bored and was in a mischievous mood. The bell above the door rang to confirm his entry and he smiled at the tired looking woman behind the counter, who he knew to be Sandra.

Lucas walked slowly around the store looking from hamsters to turtles, then his eyes settled on a German Shepherd puppy. The pup stood up in the cage and let out a low growl when he came close, he could sense the defiance in the animal as it stood it's ground staring at him. Lucas laughed and turned towards Sandra, 'Stubborn little thing ain't it?'

Sandra came from behind the counter and approached Lucas, 'He was abandoned here a month ago when the previous owners gave up on him after only 2 weeks, it's a shame really. Are you looking for a little companion Sheriff?'

Lucas smiled, he would not have to pretend if Sandra knew who he was. 'Me? No ma'am, I've got no problem with companionship. How about you? You're here late tonight, no plans with that husband of yours?' he asked, knowing about the play date due to Caleb.

Sandra had wanted to leave work at her usual time and spend the night with her family; however, Calvin had called her earlier to inform her he had decided to take Carter on a play date and she should not wait up for them. She wanted to be home, but there was no point in being alone in that house wondering what her husband was getting up to so she had decided to stay late. 'Whatever plans I have are none of your business Sheriff' she said defensively.

Lucas turned towards the pup, 'Looks like someone is more cranky than you here boy' he said and smiled when the puppy tried to climb the cage to inspect him closer. 'I'm not trying to offend ma'am but when I see a pretty woman all on her lonesome it just makes me wonder why, that's all'

Sandra smiled, it had been a long time since anyone had given her a compliment. She was not stupid, she suspected her husband was not always entirely honest with her when he was late coming home; however, they had a good life and providing he came home to her at the end of the night, she could forgive his indiscretions. 'No need to worry about me Sheriff, I'd be more concerned with your own companionship'

Lucas laughed, he liked it when they fought back. Sandra seemed to have more of a spark in her than her husband did. He decided he would not push her as her voluntary ignorance reminded her a little of Gail, besides it was Calvin that had chosen to run against him and he would deal with him shortly.

Gail left the Cinema with Caleb, Ben, Ben Jr, Calvin and Carter. After she had returned Caleb to school, she had done some digging on Calvin and found that he was very hands-on when it came to his indiscretions; therefore, she convinced Ben to meet her at the Cinema, as she had previously invited Ben Jr and thought it was best to have another adult present.

Calvin had sat next to her and was constantly stroking her arm or knee in an attempt to try to seduce her. It was as though he had no respect for his wife or his son, who was sitting next to Caleb a few seats down. She had managed to get him to open up to her about the election and why he had chosen to run against Lucas, apparently him and a few other Trinity residents believed it was time for a change. Gail was happy that this little play date had gotten her some information for her story and hoped Caleb had managed to get what he wanted, although she disapproved of him using an ill young child for it.

On the way out of the Cinema, Calvin had pulled her to one side and requested that she meet him somewhere private tomorrow. Gail had no desire to get to know this man on a personal level and had instructed him to go home to his wife. After she had said her goodbyes to Ben and dropped Caleb off at the boarding house, despite his objections, she drove straight to her place with the intention of having a long hot shower to wash away the dirtiness she felt due to her actions of the day.

Gail got out of her car and let out a loud sigh when she spotted Lucas on her porch with a glass of red wine in his hand. When she approached him, she noticed he seemed to have a smug look about him and became suspicious. 'Evening Sheriff, to what do I owe the pleasure?'

Lucas moved slightly from his position on the porch to hand her a glass of wine, then moved back to where he was initially stood. 'I thought a celebration may be in order after your successful job interview, congratulations on your new position Miss Emory' he said and raised his glass up for her to toast.

Gail smiled, she did not buy this act for a second; however, she would play along in the hopes it would distract her from the unclean feeling she had. 'This is a little premature as I've not accepted the position yet, but thank you' she said giving his glass a small tap with hers and taking a large sip of her wine.

Lucas watched her carefully, he was trying his best not to pry into her activities of the day; however, her deflated mood was bothering him. Lucas raised his free hand to her cheek and stroked it tenderly, then turned away from her and walked behind her porch swing. 'Well, if this celebration is premature you wont be wanting this' he said picking up a large box.

Gail glanced from the box to Lucas's face, there was that smug look again. She was not one for surprises; however, she was intrigued as to what the contents of the box was and why he was so impressed with himself. Gail took a few steps forward and reached for the lid, then let out a small scream when the lid jolted up. She was not impressed with this display, but could not stop the nervous laugh that was coming out of her mouth.

Lucas pushed the box closer to her, 'It's OK Darlin', it won't bite' he said.

Gail looked at him suspiciously, 'It?' she asked then reached for the lid again. Before she had a chance to lift the lid up and inspect the contents, a small black nose popped out and sniffed her fingers. Gail jumped back in shock, shot Lucas an unimpressed look and then just pulled the lid off quickly to get this over with. To her surprise, there was a small German Shepherd puppy staring curiously at her.

Lucas smiled at her apprehensive reaction, she looked genuinely gobsmacked. 'Go ahead and pick it up Darlin', he's yours'

Gail shook her head, she was barely managing to look after herself and Caleb let alone a puppy. 'What is this Lucas? Whatever possessed you to get me a dog?' she asked.

Lucas shrugged and glanced into the box, 'Well, seen as you won't let me near you Darlin', I thought you could use a different form of companionship at night'

Gail exhaled deeply in exasperation, his actions were infuriatingly sweet; however, she did not need this gesture or to be responsible for something else.

The puppy had ventured closer to her and pulled itself up by the top edges of the box, in an attempt to give her a sniff. When it started to whine softly, she could not resist any longer and had to pick it up. Gail could not help but smile when it started to lick her hand and she brought it to rest on her chest. 'You're unbelievable' she said, while stroking the puppy.

Lucas placed the box down and walked towards his love, who was tenderly stroking the puppy as it rested comfortably on her chest. Lucas envied the puppy's position and wanted to drag her to bed right there and then; however, he would prove that he could respect her wishes and give her some space. Lucas picked up his glass of wine and downed it in one gulp then cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her lips softly, ignoring the small growl from the puppy. 'Sweet dreams love' he said and walked off the porch and towards his car that was parked further down the street.

-To be continued-