It was a warm third of July morning, the day before the election for Sheriff. All seemed quiet throughout the town and Lucas sat in his favourite breakfast place waiting for his son to join him, he had ordered them both pancakes and syrup knowing his boy had a big appetite like he had.

Lucas found himself pondering over the weeks events while waiting for the breakfast to come. Between Caleb spying on his competition to Gail pulling away from him completely and becoming more friendly with Selena, it had certainly been a strange week.

Caleb rushed through the diner doors and heading quickly for Lucas, 'Sorry I'm late, Miss Holt gave me the third degree when she caught me trying to head out early.

Lucas smiled, 'It's not a problem son, you should consider a more suitable living arrangement in the future though. So, what did you find?' he said flashing the waitress a charming smile as she lay the plates of pancakes in front of them.

Caleb placed his school bag to one side then started to eat the pancakes that were waiting for him. 'Carter couldn't tell me much, but I heard Mrs Jackson yelling at Mr Jackson over coming home late yesterday night. She was crying, which made Carter cry...I don't think I wanna do this no more Lucas' he said, looking down at his plate.

Lucas nodded, it appeared there was trouble with the good god fearing family man. 'You don't have to do anything else son, I've got what I need. You did good though...has that cousin of yours managed to dig up anything worth printing?' he asked, knowing that Gail had tried to find out information regarding him as well as Calvin.

Caleb shrugged, 'She doesn't tell me nothin' about what she's found, she was askin' about you though'

Lucas smiled, 'Oh, in what way?'

Caleb started to eat his pancakes again, he would need to hurry if he was to be in time for school. 'Just askin' what you've been up to and what we talk about'

'What did you tell her?' Lucas asked, while cutting into his pancakes.

Caleb smiled mischievously, 'I told her that she would need to give up some of her information if she wanted some of mine'

Lucas laughed, 'That's my boy'

Gail reluctantly opened her eyes at the sound of her alarm and tried to stretch; however, the puppy which lay on her chest prevented her from doing so. Considering the puppy was so small, it had no problem finding a way up onto her bed.

Gail picked the puppy up gently in both hands, raised it above her head, kissed it's nose and then placed it on her pillow so she could get out of the bed. She laughed when the puppy stretched it's legs and gave out a small yawn. She had initially been worried about having a pet; however, her new companion had proven to be just what she needed to get through this past week. It appeared that Lucas had done good after all.

The smell of bacon brought her out of her thoughts and she exited her bedroom, to head for her kitchen. To her surprise Selena was cooking her breakfast, wearing one of her long faded Bon Jovi T-Shirts. 'Have you been going through my things' Gail asked, walking towards her coffee machine.

Selena laughed, 'Would you rather me cook us breakfast just in my bra and panties?' she asked, and put some bread in the toaster.

Gail shook her head, she had not shown the best judgement recently and had allowed Selena to stay the night after they had drank 3 bottles of wine between them. She had no desire to befriend Selena; however, the woman had been taking her mind off the upcoming fourth of July celebrations, which had made the past week bearable and she had unknowingly given her some information about Lucas's past.

The puppy came wandering into the kitchen and tried to jump on Selena's leg to reach the food that was cooking. 'You should have named this thing by now, I can't tell something off that doesn't have a name'

Gail had not thought that much about her new companion, she was not used to pets and did not know where to begin in trying to name such a thing. Caleb had wanted to name the pup Merlyn; however, she would not allow it. It seemed selfish but this animal was hers and she wanted to keep it that way. She would name him when an appropriate name presented itself and it would be a happy name, not one that would cause sadness. 'Leave him alone, he's not a thing. I'll name him when I want and I don't need anyone else's input on the matter'

Selena smiled, 'Wow, someone's woken up on the wrong side of the bed...how do you like your eggs?'

'Slightly runny in the middle' Gail said, shaking her head and ran her fingers through her hair.

Reality was beginning seep through and she was not looking forward to the days ahead. Not only was she pent up from not allowing Lucas to come near her, but she also had Calvin trying to seduce her on a daily basis. He was yet to realise that she was a reporter and would have a big shock if she decided to publish his indiscretions in her article. Gail had no desire to break up a family and so far her article was just a general take on the election and candidates; therefore, she did not feel he need to publish all of this mans dirty secrets.

What she had noticed was how strong his little boy was for coping with his illness. Carter was a timid child who came across as weak, but he just seemed to get on with his life without a complaint and she disapproved of Caleb using him for Lucas's gain. She had to use people on a daily basis when she was in Charleston, to get the inside scoop; therefore, she could not judge her cousin too much, but she hoped he was not hurting Carter with whatever he was doing.

The puppy began pawing at her bare feet in an attempt to get her attention, Gail picked him up and let him snuggle into her neck. Lucas would not be impressed with the good things she was going to mention about Carter in her story, it would be the type of things that voters paid attention to. She had vowed to be non-biased with this story and she would keep her word, no matter how it would impact Lucas's campaign. This was one of the reasons why she had made Lucas stay away, she did not want to be swayed by his charms.

No, she had a job to do and she would report fairly on the election no matter what.

The morning of the fourth of July came and passed without incident. Caleb woke up later than usual and rushed to his cousins house on his bike, wanting to make sure she was OK; however, her car was not in the driveway, which indicated she had left early.

Gail had not spent much time with him recently, she was always busy with her story or had made plans to go out at night. Caleb did not like how distant his cousin had become; however, Merlyn had told him to give her some space so she could work through her issues.

As Gail clearly did not want to be around him this morning, he decided he would see if Lucas was home.

Gail sat patiently on her car bonnet wearing a small pair of denim shorts, a thin strapped maroon vest and a pair of trainers. She had chosen to head to Juniper House as soon as she had woken up and brought her puppy with her.

When she had approached the front desk in her casual attire, the receptionist had glared at her disapprovingly but did not argue when Gail told her she was taking Matt Crower out early. The receptionist signalled for her to wait outside and an orderly would bring him out when he was ready, Gail had been waiting for 15 minutes and would be marching straight back in there if her friend was not brought to her soon.

As if reading her mind, an orderly pushed Matt out of the front entrance and she could see the concern on his face. 'What's going on Gail? Is everything OK?' he asked when he walked up to her.

Gail jumped off the bonnet of her car and gave her friend a hug, 'What, I can't come and get you early? Don't look so worried, I decided we're going for a long walk and wanted to start before it got too hot'

Matt relaxed and smiled at Gail's casual clothes. It was not often she wore this type of attire, unless she was going to do some demanding activity with Caleb. He knew what day it was and assumed this was his friend trying to keep herself occupied so she did not have to face the anniversary. Matt had no choice but to play along and headed towards the front passenger seat.

'Jesus!' he yelled, when he opened the door to a puppy growling and jumping up at him.

Gail laughed, got into the drivers seat and reached for her puppy. 'Sorry, I should've warned you. This is my new companion, we're going to see how well he does out in the open'

Matt shook his head then laughed at how silly he must have looked. He reached for the puppy and smiled when it was reluctant to leave Gail, he knew what that felt like. 'Since when do you own a pet?' he asked, knowing she had no desire to take on anymore responsibilities.

'He was a gift and it's as not as though I could return him' she said, turning on the engine and driving out of Juniper car park.

Matt smiled, the puppy seemed wary of him and stood tall as if protecting his friend. The tiny thing appeared to have no idea that he could just pick him up and throw him to the back seat, if he wanted to do anything to his master. 'What's his name?'

'Not sure yet, I'm waiting to see what best suits him. If you've not eaten yet, I've done us a little picnic which should get us through most of the day. Are you ready to go exploring?'

Matt laughed, 'Why not'

Lucas sat in his dark office drumming his fingers on the desk in front of him impatiently. It was nearly time for him to do the rounds and greet his townspeople, to ensure the votes would go his way; however, all he could think about was Gail.

Caleb had turned up at his house earlier this morning, just as he had sat down to read Gail's article. She had painted Calvin's son as some sort of hero, but had not mentioned much about Calvin himself except that he was pleasant to his customers and his wife worked in the local pet store.

Lucas had thrown the newspaper down in anger before finishing the article, believing his love was working against him to get Calvin elected in his place; however, Caleb had picked up the paper and continued reading.

It turned out that Gail had spoken to a number of Trinity residents about the good things that Lucas had done. She featured a story by Bertie, a blind member of the community who he had helped keep his home, in addition to other Trinity residents he had helped throughout the years. When Caleb had read the remainder of the article to him he realised that his love had not forsaken him, she had given a fair report with the information she had and clearly chose not to publish any bad information about him.

Caleb had been worried about his cousin, as she was nowhere to be found on the anniversary of her parents death and Lucas had sent Caleb to Selena to find out what his cousin had been up to, as they had been spending a lot of time together recently. He should not let the boys ramblings concern him on election day; however, this election would be a bittersweet victory if he knew his love was in pain. Although he had vowed not to, Lucas opened his minds eye in an attempt to locate Gail. As long as he knew she was working through her pain, he could relax and continue on with his tasks.

Lucas felt the wind on his face and was aware of the open fields all around. He spotted his love with her new puppy companion and what appeared to be a man, in a secluded spot not far from the south end of the river. Lucas sat upright ready to jump out of his seat, when he realised it was Harvard's day leave and that was who was accompanying Gail. He let out a relieved sigh and sat back in his chair, he still did not approve of Gail spending time alone with the man who attempted to kill him; however, she had taken the puppy he had gotten her and she would be reminded of him every time she looked at it.

Lucas smiled and stood up, now that he was content with his love's whereabouts it was time to tackle the rest of the election tasks.

Gail was drenched in sweat by the time they had finished their exploration of the south side of the river. Her puppy would not walk a long distance; however, he was drawn to large rocks and would scramble out of her grasp to jump all over them. This amused Gail and she decided she would name him Rocky, a tough little pup who was obsessed with high things.

After sitting down and eating their lunch, Gail and Matt had a long overdue heart felt conversation. She had opened up to her friend about the pain she was going through dealing with the anniversary of her parents deaths, it was not a new thing for her; however, this town did not present enough of a distraction to enable her to push her feelings aside, like she used to do in Charleston.

Matt had finally told Gail about how he felt in Juniper House, he was going stir crazy and beginning to see things. It was evident to her that these little day trips were the only thing keeping her friend sane and it broke her heart knowing she would have to return him to that horrible place later today.

When they had finished talking Matt got up and walked towards the river, admiring the calmness of the water. It occurred to him that he could just run right now and be free of Juniper House once and for all.

As if sensing his thoughts, Gail came behind him and rested her head on his shoulder. 'I wish it could be like it was last year' she said with a sadness in her voice.

Matt smiled, 'You mean before I took a shot at the Sheriff?' he said lifting his arm up and placing it tenderly around her shoulders. He could not leave her no matter how much he wanted to run, part of him loved his friend and she felt like family to him. He had no one else but Caleb and Gail; therefore, he had to try and be strong for them.

Gail leaned silently into her friend and stared out into the water. It felt nice being here, just like old times when they did not care about anything but their friendship. She inhaled deeply, then pushed away from Matt gently. 'You know what, I'm sick of hiding you. I'm not taking you back to Juniper anytime soon, you're going to be my date for the Sheriff's election tonight'

Matt took a step back and shook his head. 'I don't want to be with anyone else Gail, just you and Caleb'

'Shush...' she said sternly, '...if I'm going to try and get you freed from that horrible place, you have to prove that you can play well with others'

'Gail, Lucas will not like this intrusion on his election'

'Leave Lucas to me' she said confidently. 'Now come on, we need to get you some new clothes'

Lucas stood pacing in his office, he had done his duty and feigned interest in his townspeople today; however, now he just wanted to get the results over with so his town could get back to normality. He had no doubt that he would win and Gail's article had strengthened his campaign, which was lucky for Calvin as it meant he did not have to let his twin out to play.

Lucas had changed into a navy blue shirt and black pants, he was debating whether to wear his black waist coat to complete the outfit when he sensed himself being watched. Turning around, he inhaled deeply when he saw Gail stood by his office door wearing a short floral dress, with her hair in loose curls over her shoulders.

'I like that shirt without the waistcoat' she said as though she had read his mind and walked towards him, then gently ran her hands down his chest. 'Is this a bad time?' she asked.

Lucas stepped out of her reach, walked behind her and closed the office door to give them more privacy. 'It's never a bad time for you Darlin'. To what do I owe the pleasure?' he asked, trying to remain cool.

Gail turned towards him and smiled, 'I just thought I'd come to see how you're doing, are you nervous for the results?'

'Me?' he laughed, 'Not even a little bit, I think your article may have sealed the final votes in my favour. I should thank you for the kind words you published'

Gail shook her head, 'That wasn't my intention, some people stepped up and I reported on what they said. Your townspeople are very tight lipped about any negative things you've done, it's them that you should be thanking'

Lucas walked towards his love, he was amused that she still tried to believe she was objective over the election. 'OK, so you didn't answer my question Darlin'. Is there something I can do for you?'

Gail bit her bottom lip, she could feel her body yearning for him but she did not want to give in to him fully. She had chosen to come here, this was not his doing. She had left Matt with Caleb at her place and decided this would be the best time to address Lucas. 'I actually came here to thank you' she said softly.

Lucas was taken aback, this was not like his love. 'Oh, what for?'

Gail smiled, 'My little companion, he's done me the world of good this past week. I initially thought I wouldn't have time for a pet, but he's been great and I wanted to thank you for bringing him to me'

Lucas took a step forward so their bodies were almost touching. her scent was driving him crazy and it was taking all of his self control not to bend her over his desk. 'I hadn't intended the little thing to replace me, but I'm glad he's keeping you warm at night'

Gail stared directly into Lucas's eyes and tried to ignore their closeness. 'Him...he's not a thing and I never said he had replaced you Sheriff' she said sweetly.

Lucas smiled, there she went using his title, that was all the authorisation he needed. Lucas placed his hands tenderly on her hips and pulled her close so their bodies were touching. Gail let out a long exhale and moved her head to the side to allow him access to her neck. Lucas nipped playfully at her neck, then began to suck it seductively.

Gail pulled away from his grasp and placed her hands on his chest, to create some space. She shook her head in a mock disapproving motion and let her hands trail down to the bottom of his stomach. 'I'm not here for that' she said softly.

Lucas was confused and agitated, he had waited long enough for her and this was killing him. 'Then what are you here for?' he asked more frustrated than he intended.

Gail smiled and leaned her head towards his ear, 'I told you...' she whispered, '...I'm here to thank you' and with that she maneuvered them both so he could lean on his desk, then slowly knelt down and unbuttoned his pants.

Lucas inhaled deeply at this surprising action and let out a low moan when she freed his manhood. Gail looked up at him innocently, then let her tongue slowly lick him from the bottom all the way up to the tip of his manhood. Lucas ran his fingers through her hair, then called out her name in pleasure when she took him carefully in her mouth and began to suck.

Gail was gentle at first; however, she began to go faster and more vigorously when she heard his moans of pleasure. She enjoyed this act, it was the one time she was fully in control of him. The sounds of his moans were making her body go crazy and she had to squeeze her legs together tight, to drown out the yearning feeling between her legs.

When he came she swallowed the evidence, then pulled him gently out of her mouth. Standing up, she straightened her dress and reached for a tissue from the box on his desk; however, Lucas grabbed her and kissed her passionately, not caring about the taste in her mouth. He let his hands travel down under her dress and tried to pull at her thong.

Gail pulled away from the embrace and shook her head. 'No...not now'

Lucas laughed and tried to straighten himself up, 'Let me get this straight, you waltz into my office and do what you just did, then expect me not to retaliate?'

Gail smiled and cupped his chin in her hand. 'I'm asking you not to retaliate yet, you have an election to get to and it's just about to start' she said and kissed his lips softly.

Lucas shook his head and glanced at the clock above his door, which confirmed the election would begin in 15 minutes. 'Alright...' he resigned, '...but I will get you back for this'

Gail pushed him playfully against his desk and turned towards the door. 'Oh I'm counting on it...Sheriff' she said and walked out of the office.

Caleb sat at a table with Billy and Matt, trying to ignore the stares people were giving them. To be fair, it was not often that a mental patient was allowed to roam free in the town centre. Gail had dropped him and Matt off at her place to get ready, then arranged for Billy to pick them up on his way to the town centre. Caleb thought his cousin was avoiding him; however, she had proved him wrong and was walking towards them holding four ice creams.

Caleb jumped up to help Gail and let her sit between him and Matt. 'Where did you go?' he asked curiously.

'I had a debt to pay' she said and ruffled his hair. 'How are we?' she asked Matt.

Matt laughed, 'Well between the awkward stares and the horrified looks off people, I think we're just fine'

Gail playfully slapped his arm, 'Don't mind them, you're here with us and you might as well enjoy the freedom'

Matt was about the reply; however, a tap on the microphone got everyone's attention and they all turned towards the Mayor. Mayor John was dressed in a smart suit with his wife Mary by his side, they waved at the townspeople and welcomed both candidates to the stage.

Selena approached the table with a bottle of wine and two glasses in her hands. 'Am I not invited to this little gathering?' she said to Gail and Matt looked at his friend confused.

Gail smiled, 'It was a last minute thing, the more the merrier though' she said, taking the glass of wine Selena had poured for her. She had ordered Billy to watch Matt if she had to disappear for a while and her friend had assured her that he would not let her down; however, the more people around the table meant less of a chance for Lucas somehow getting Matt alone.

Matt was beginning to get concerned with Gail's casual manner towards Selena and glancing at Caleb, he confirmed the boy felt the same way. 'Since when are you two ladies friends?' he asked and heard a shush from the table next to them.

Gail leaned in close to Matt and squeezed his arm gently. 'Don't be worried' she whispered, 'Miss Coomb's was just helping me with a few things for my article'

They all turned their attention back to the podium just in time to catch Lucas being named as the winner by a landslide of votes and still Sheriff of Trinity. The crowd cheered and the table gave a soft clap. There was never any doubt who would win, it was all just a game and Lucas had proven that his townspeople would not vote against him.

Gail watched the townspeople around her and smiled as they celebrated. Mary placed a hand on her shoulder and she invited her new friend to join the table. Glancing at her watch she noticed it was 7:30pm, only half an hour until the anniversary of her parents deaths. Making her excuses, she hugged Matt and told him she would return shortly. Caleb wanted to follow her; however, she had told him that he had to take care of Matt and it was an important task.

When she managed to break away from the crowd she started to walk towards the old Trinity Guardian building, the spot was deserted as everyone was taking part in the celebrations; therefore, she had the street to herself. Gail crossed the empty road and walked towards the burnt out building, she stroked the Trinity Guardian sign on the wall and a single tear rolled down her cheek as she was plagued with flash backs of her mother screaming, being burned alive.

'You're torturing yourself here Darlin'' Lucas called out from across the street.

Gail wiped the tear from her face as she would not let him perceive her as weak and turned towards him. 'You must have known what was going to happen, you know everything in this town. Why didn't you stop him?' she asked accusingly, stepping to the edge of the pavement but not crossing the road.

Lucas sighed, he would have to tread carefully here. Of course he knew what Gage was planning, the man had no common sense and needed a few hints along the way to ensure the task was completed. Getting Peter Emory out of the way was paramount to enable Lucas to remain unchallenged as Sheriff. He had not meant for Christine to be caught in the crossfire, he had never minded the woman and she had never gotten involved in Peter's smear campaign against him.

Lucas had no conscience and Christine being caught in the fire was just an unfortunate part of an event that needed to happen; however, he could see the pain and anger in Gail's eyes, which indicated that he should feel bad for what happened. 'I don't know everything' he lied, 'What's done is done Darlin'. I don't understand why you would torture yourself by dwelling on the past, when you have a loving little boy waiting for you at the celebration'

Gail shook her head, she was beginning to be able to read Lucas and could tell he was hiding something from her. He had no reason to try to turn this on her and bring up Caleb in an attempt to distract her if she was not getting close to something. She cursed herself for caring for someone so devious and mysterious, a small part of her still wondered whether he had contributed to her parents deaths; however, any evidence of his wrong doing would have disappeared with Gage Temple's suicide.

The faint sound of the carnival caught Gail's ears and Lucas raised his hand out to her, beckoning for her to come to him. She glanced back at the building then crossed the road and took Lucas's hand, he stroked the scar of the cigarette burn on her arm and shook his head. 'You've been through a lot Gail, it's time you let it go'

Gail nodded, 'I'll let it go, just like you're going to let it go that Matt Crower is staying at my place tonight' she said defiantly and stepped away from his grasp.

'Over my dead body Darlin'' Lucas said sternly.

Gail smiled, 'I'm sure that can be arranged, Sheriff' she said sweetly and started to head towards the direction of the celebration.

Caleb shifted about in his seat impatiently, Gail had been gone for a while and he was sick of babysitting Doctor Matt. The Mayors wife Mary was talking to Matt at this present time; therefore, he decided this was as good a time as any to escape to go and look for his cousin.

Caleb weaved through the celebrating crowd calling Gail's name, when he could not see her he started to look for Lucas thinking his cousin might be trying to get information for a story. It appeared that Lucas was also nowhere to be found either and Caleb was beginning to become frustrated with the situation, all he wanted to do was be there for his cousin and she just kept disappearing on him.

When Caleb had fought his way through the crowd, he spotted Merlyn stood under a dark tree away from everybody. He smiled and ran over to his sister, he had not had much of a chance to talk to her recently. 'What are you doing here Merly?' he asked.

'Just watching' she said, staring out into the crowd of people celebrating. 'It's strange, they say they want change but they vote for him anyway. I don't understand people'

Caleb shrugged, 'I guess they want to stick with what they know'

Merlyn nodded, 'Better the devil you know...' she said and sighed, '...why are you rushing about, shouldn't you be with Matt?'

Caleb stood tall, he could hear the scolding tone his sister was giving off. 'I'm worried about Gail Merly, she keeps disappearin' and I don't like it'

Merlyn smiled, 'It was only a short while ago that you were acting distant because of your birthday Caleb. Everybody has demons, you have to let Gail deal with hers. Besides, the man you've left over there with a bunch of people he doesn't know needs your help more than Gail right now'

Caleb looked past the crowd and saw Matt just staring at his hands. Mary was talking to him; however, it was evident that Matt was uncomfortable. Caleb looked down at his feet embarrassed, he had been told to look after Matt but he had been too concerned with Gail to notice the man was struggling being around the people here.

Merlyn raised her hand to caress Caleb's cheek, he could not feel her touch but he knew her love was there. 'Go to him Caleb'

'OK Merly, I'll see you soon' he said, then rushed back to Matt.

Gail slowly strolled back towards the faint sound of the crowd, trying to regain her composure. Dark clouds had begun to appear in the sky which indicated she had been gone for far too long. She had not intended on leaving anyone responsible for Matt for this amount of time and glancing at her watch to confirm it was after 9:30pm, she cursed herself for being so selfishly drawn into her own drama.

'Where do you think you're going?' came a voice from behind her.

Gail spun around and sighed in exasperation when she saw Calvin leaning against a shop door, she could do without a confrontation right now. 'To be with my family and you should do the same' she said, turning back towards the faint noise of the celebration.

Calvin pounced forward, grabbed Gail's arm and pulled her into the dark alley at the side of the shop. 'You're gonna brush me off just like that? I suppose you got your story so you don't care about me anymore'

Gail tried to fight free of his grip but felt herself being pinned against the wall, which made her laugh. 'You think I care about any of you stupid people in this town? Oh please, you're a small town loser who cheats on his wife to make yourself feel better. Your indiscretions aren't even interesting enough to go in an article, you're a nobody!' she spat at him.

In hindsight Gail should have taken a softer approach to this situation; however, she was angry and she could feel all of her pent up rage trying to burst out. She did know whether it was her parent's anniversary or the audacity of this average man trying to control her that caused this reaction, but she was pissed.

Calvin was infuriated with her words. He had found out exactly who she was when her article had shown up in the Trinity Guardian and it did not bother him that she was the Gail Emory who had a reputation of being relentless with her stories, as he liked her and had believed she had a genuine interest in him. He had risked a lot breaking away from his family to find her after the results had been read and this rejection was too much.

Calvin tightened his grip on Gail's arm, then tried to force her legs apart with his own. Gail kneed him in the groin, which caused his grip to loosen slightly with the surprising blow and then she laughed at him. 'Is that all you've got' she asked, goading him. 'What a simple man you are, no wonder your own wife doesn't want to satisfy you'

This provocation was the last straw for Calvin, how dare she bring his wife into this. He turned her around forcefully, pushed her against the wall and started to unbuckle his belt with his free hand. 'I'll show you what I've got' he said angrily and unzipped his pants.

Just as she was about to push off the wall and attempt to free herself from the forceful encounter, she felt Calvin's weight being pulled off her and heard a choking sound. Gail turned around quickly to see Lucas choking the man with his bare hand. 'Lucas!' she yelled at him.

'Just a moment Darlin', I've got a bit of business to attend to here' he said in his most charming southern drawl.

Gail froze, she could see Lucas's hand tighten around Calvin's neck and knew she should stop this now; however, part of her felt excited watching the man struggle for air and the ease in which Lucas controlled him. She stood in place for a few moments, watching Calvin claw at the hand clamped around his neck and Lucas effortlessly shrugging away his attempts to save himself.

Gail had never witnessed Lucas committing an illegal act, he was always so careful at covering up any actions that she could use against him. He did not appear to be hiding anything from her now, he just continued squeezing. Gail inhaled deeply and watched curiously as the light slowly began to fade from Calvin's eyes, then a jolt of pain in her head made her move forward.

Lucas stared into Calvin's eyes as the light began to burn out, his twin was in full swing and had taken control as soon as he saw Gail in danger. Once his twin was fully let out, it was hard to pull him back and it did not occur to him that Gail could report on what she was witnessing. Lucas felt his grip tighten and was ready to give one last squeeze to end Calvin right here out in the open, until he felt a soft hand gently move up his wrist and rest on top of the hand situated around Calvin's neck.

Lucas loosened his grip slightly and turned his head to peer at Gail, she was staring into Calvin's eyes curiously and he could feel her hand grip tighten around his own, as though she wanted to experience this moment with him. Lucas smiled devilishly and squeezed hard, whilst watching Gail intently to see how she would react. Gail inhaled deeply then bit her lip and Lucas realised she was turned on. He felt his twin stir at the thought of this action making her excited, Lucas could never have predicted this reaction and went in for one last squeeze to end Calvin Jackson for good with his loves authorisation.

Gail felt as though she was in a haze, this horrific act should have her running; however, here she was holding Lucas's hand as his grip tightened around a mans neck. She could hear Calvin's breath getting more strained and a part of her was intrigued as to what it would be like to feel the man's life drain out of him.

A large jolt of light pierced through her brain and made her come to her senses, she peeled Lucas's hand off Calvin's neck and let Calvin fall to the floor gasping for air.

Lucas stared at Gail confused and she saw a darkness in his eyes that made her take a few steps back. He did not say a word to her, he just stood staring at her like an animal ready to pounce. Gail moved a step closer to Calvin and addressed him carefully, not taking her eyes off Lucas. 'Go to your wife, as far as I'm concerned nothing happened here and if I hear otherwise, reports of all your indiscretions will be on the front page of the Guardian'

Calvin rolled away from the pair, stood up and ran in the direction of his family.

Lucas took a step towards Gail and she slowly circled away, not letting him close the gap between them. 'I need to go and check on Caleb. Matt is staying with us tonight' she said, as a warning that she would not be alone if he attempted to visit her.

Lucas stood tall and addressed her cautiously. 'You run along now Darlin', I'll give Harvard a pass this time' he said, wanting time to consider what had just happened. He watched Gail back away carefully, then rush towards the noise of the crowd.

Lucas glanced around, knowing that something had stopped Gail from letting his twin complete his desired task and spotted a fading white light behind a tree. 'Stay out of my business Merlyn Ann, or there'll be hell to pay' he said to the retreating figure and started to causally walk towards his celebration.

-To be continued-