Caleb lay sulking on his bed listening to the Johnny Cash CD Gail had gotten him, he was not ready to face his cousin as she had stayed out all night and had only returned 30 minutes ago. He had remained in his bedroom since Merlyn had tried to take her side and he did not want to talk to either of them right now, so he continued to hum along to the soothing music.

Caleb knew he should be happy that Gail was allowing Merlyn to stay with them now that she had mysteriously become whole, as his sister did not appear to be reverting back to her ghostly state any time soon; however, part of him was jealous that he did not get to spend a lot of time alone with Gail anymore and he could not shake his feeling of being pushed out.

'Your cousin would be devastated if she knew you felt that way son' Lucas said sitting on the other side of his bed, inspecting a book on his bedside cabinet. Gail staying over at his place indicated that there was problems at home so he had came by to check it out.

Caleb rolled over off the bed and sighed. 'She'd be annoyed if she knew you were in here' he said while searching for a T Shirt to put on.

Lucas shook his head and laughed. 'Nah...that old cousin of yours is in a good mood this mornin' son and my visit wouldn't change that' he said knowingly, Gail had awoken in an irritable mood; however, he did not allow her out of his bed until they had worked off her frustration in the only way he knew how. It had been a good start to his morning.

'Well maybe I don't want company right now' Caleb said and continued searching for clothes to wear.

Lucas regarded his son carefully, it appeared that Gail was not the only one who had woken up in an irritable mood. 'So what, you just want to mope around all day listening to Johnny Cash? The man is a legend but that's no way to spend your Sunday son'

Caleb shrugged, 'What do you care? It's not as though you can do anything about it. The only time you can do anythin' with me is in secret and maybe I don't wanna sneak around like a criminal no more'

Lucas stood up and smiled, this little mood of Caleb's could finally get his plans back on track after being waylaid by Merlyn's appearance. 'Well hurry up getting dressed and come on then'

Caleb turned towards Lucas as he pulled on a T Shirt and found a pair of jeans to put on. 'Come on where?'

Lucas opened the bedroom door and signalled for Caleb lead the way. 'Why straight to your cousin silly, you said you didn't wanna hide no more'

Caleb regarded Lucas suspiciously, after the heated words he had with Gail last night he did not think this was a good idea; however, he trusted Lucas would not let him get into trouble so he led the way downstairs.

Merlyn sat at the kitchen table patiently waiting for her breakfast and stroking Rocky who had decided to rest his head on her knee. Gail had not long returned home after staying out all night, presumably with Lucas and although she did not approve of her cousins choice to leave them alone for the night, Gail had ensured she was back early enough to cook breakfast and had admitted to trusting her to look after Caleb.

It felt good to be trusted by her cousin and the responsibility of taking care of her brother shifted her focus from the terrifying situation she was in. Merlyn was trying to engross herself in normal mundane things to distract herself from the screams of uncertainty that were coming from within her. Not knowing how she had come to being whole again was worse than the act itself; however, she was comforted slightly by the fact that it was a member of her family that had done this somehow and not Lucas.

'So he stayed in his room all night after I left?' Gail asked as she scrambled some eggs in a pan.

Merlyn pushed down her thoughts and returned her attention to her cousin. 'Yep, you know he never used to be this sulky when he was younger...' she started, then stopped herself when she realised she was talking about a time before Gail had came to Trinity.

Gail looked over her shoulder slightly, then chose to disregard the comment. 'Everything has been so different recently, he's had to take a lot in. He needs more stability in his life, but between me working then dealing with Matt and Lucas I don't even know where to begin with making a normal life for him' she said thinking out loud.

Merlyn stood up and walked to the refrigerator to make all three of them a glass of pure orange juice to go with breakfast. 'You're doin' your best Gail, you dealin' with drama is more natural to you than bein' a mother and that's understandable. Caleb knows deep down that you sacrificed a lot to take care of him, it's just nothin' is straight forward when Lucas Buck is involved and it's unfortunate he owns a part of Caleb'

Gail put the scrambled eggs in a bowl next to a large plate of bacon, rinsed her hands then ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation. 'What do you know about Lucas's involvement with Caleb? You appear to be very clued up on his situation for a friend who I only heard about a few months ago'

Merlyn inhaled deeply and decided to try the honest approach again, hoping it would be more successful than the last time they had told Gail the truth. 'We've told you Gail, I'm family. I know it's hard to accept and if I was in your shoes I probably wouldn't believe it either, but that's the truth and that's how I know so much about Lucas' she said and waited for Gail's response. When her cousin did not say a word Merlyn turned around slowly and took a step back when she realised it was not her cousins eye's she was staring into.

The darkness smiled wickedly, she had taken control effortlessly as soon as the sickeningly sweet girl in front of her started to speak of being family. This vessel she had grown fond of was not ready for this truth and although Gail suspected some bond between them all, she was still in denial and the darkness would keep it that way for as long as her partner needed. 'Now, now Merly Ann, I do believe I've warned you before of this type of conversation' she said slowly stalking the girl around the kitchen.

Merlyn moved slowly watching the deviant thing in front of her that had taken over her cousin, if there was ever a time that she needed her ghostly assistance this was it. 'I'm just answering a question...' she said, not showing any weakness '...who are you?'

The darkness laughed then shook her head in a scolding manner. 'That's between me and Gail...for someone who was so sick of her saintly image, you're not doing much with your new found condition' she said, running her fingers over the kitchen counter as she continued to stalk her prey.

Merlyn gulped nervously, she was scared but this thing intrigued her. She started to wonder how long it had been occupying her cousin and whether this is what Lucas was so drawn to.

'For a little church mouse you sure do have a lot of questions' the darkness said reading her mind. 'Occupying is such a condemnatory term, me and Gail go way back to before you were born and I can assure you that we have a mutually beneficial relationship. Now you don't need to concern yourself with Lucas Buck and what he or Gail are drawn to, you need to take care of yourself and that little brother of yours'

Merlyn stopped circling at the mention of Caleb. 'What about my brother?' she asked boldly.

The darkness stopped, sighed and rolled her eyes. 'You know, Gail is much more forgiving than I am...I'm not that fond of the little twerp and had he pulled that stunt when I was in control, he would've been dealt with swiftly without remorse and she would've been mothering her baby by now'

Merlyn took a step forward to challenge the thing before her. 'That wasn't his fault, something had taken over him and...'

'Excuses, excuses...' sighed the darkness and took a sip of pure orange from one of the glasses Merlyn had filled earlier, '...regardless of why it happened, had Gail accepted me by that time the whole situation would have played out differently. It doesn't matter now anyway, thanks to me this has worked out well for you and I'm now the only thing in here...it's nice and peaceful again like it used to be before the 'accident''

'What do you mean?' Lucas asked entering the kitchen. He had sensed Gail's darkness had surfaced as Caleb led him down the stairs and had sent his son back to his bedroom to retrieve something, which would keep him out of the way. When he heard the conversation turn towards Caleb and his unborn child he decided to wait until the opportune moment to see what information he could gather.

The darkness turned towards Lucas and smiled devilishly, she had sensed him a while ago and wondered how long it would take him to show himself. 'You know I can't decide what I think of you...part of me is fond of you, while another part wants to rip you apart limb from limb'

Lucas smiled when he felt his twin just below his surface, the unexpected appearances of this part of his love entertained him and his twin was itching to come out and play. 'One day we'll have to see whether you can actually take me, I doubt you can but it would be fun to find out...now you listen to me, that boy up there is mine and he's protected'

The darkness laughed fiendishly, 'It's a shame you didn't feel that way about your other boy...At least he came in useful for someone when I finally found a way to dispel him out of Gail, now all I need to do is remove your appeal from her eyes and we're all set'

Lucas stared confused at the presence possessing his love for a moment, then when the realisation of what had been done to make Merlyn whole again came he flew over to Merlyn and grabbed her throat tight. 'You took his soul?' he asked angrily as Merlyn clawed at his hand and gasped for air.

The darkness smiled and shook her head, 'This is too easy' she said then retreated back down within Gail and gave her back control so she could witness what Lucas was doing. Gail felt a sudden feeling of nausea then shook it off when she saw Lucas seemingly strangling M. Gail rushed over to the pair and gripped Lucas' wrist tight. 'What are you doing? Get off her!' she yelled and pulled M to the far side of the kitchen away from him when he released her.

Lucas was panting with fury, how had he not realised the only way Merlyn could truly be alive is by taking the soul of another was beyond him. It never occurred to him that the spirit of their unborn child could still remain within Gail and now it had been used against him to make his nemesis whole.

Merlyn held her throat and inhaled deeply to get some air into her starved lungs. She felt sick with the revelation that it was Lucas' son that had made her whole again and wanted to run away from the situation; however, Gail's protective arms around her provided some comfort and made her want to stay.

Caleb entered the kitchen holding a baseball cap and walked over to the glasses of pure orange juice, oblivious to what had just happened. He took a large gulp then turned towards Gail and Merlyn, then towards Lucas. 'What did I miss?' he asked concerned, when he saw Gail was holding Merlyn.

Gail stroked Merlyn's hair reassuringly then walked towards Caleb. 'I have no idea but it looks like we both missed it' she said looking at Lucas disapprovingly, not remembering anything that happened after her darkness took control.

Lucas regained his composure and forced a laugh, her darkness had chosen the perfect moment to give her back control so she could see him appearing to hurt a child for no reason. He glanced at Merlyn who shot an apologetic look at him, clearly this revelation had been a shock to her too. 'Everything's fine son, why don't you grab some grub then we'll head straight out'

Gail looked at Caleb then Lucas confused. 'Out where?'

Lucas walked over to Gail when Caleb started filling a plate with food and stroked her back gently. 'Your cousin wants some family time so we're goin' fishin''

Gail laughed and shook her head, he was acting as if she had not just caught him with his hands around a young girls throat. 'Is that so? Who's we?' she asked playing along reluctantly when she saw M had sat down at the table and started to eat.

Lucas smiled, 'Why that would be me, you and the boy' he said and brushed his lips over her bare shoulder when the children were not watching.

Gail sighed with how normal everyone was acting all of a sudden and she was beginning to doubt what she had saw. 'No...' she said sternly, '...we'll do something with M'

Merlyn ate some eggs and ignored the pain as she swallowed. What Lucas did was a spontaneous reaction and although she knew what he was capable of, she did not believe he was a threat to her or her family and his reaction was more to do with the soul of his son being used in such a manner. She was more concerned with the information she had learned and she needed time alone to think. 'You all go, I think I'm gonna go to a church service today...it's been a while since I took in a sermon' she said, not caring at this moment in time about Caleb spending time with Lucas.

Lucas pinched Gail's behind playfully, 'It's settled then' he said and took a seat at the table ignoring Gail's disapproving look.

Ben Healy stumbled out of his house in a white vest and boxer shorts, he had continued drinking until the early hours of the morning with Billy and when he woke up to his unconscious friend on his couch surrounded by beer cans, he rushed around the place gathering all the cans before Rita turned up.

It was 13:30pm and the sun was high in the sky, Ben had to shield his eyes from the brightness as he took to bag of cans to the bin. As he walked down the path he caught sight of someone familiar and cursed to himself. 'Merlyn Ann Temple, what are you doin' botherin' me on a Sunday?' he asked not believing his luck. He had not seen Merlyn since just after Lucas was dug up and it never ended well when he was visited by her.

Merlyn had been walking aimlessly around the street when the church service had let out, she had been hoping to obtain some guidance; however, all she was left with was more questions. She had spotted Ben stumbling down the path and could not help but smile at the man who had opened his mind to her presence on so many occasions. He had not been to Gail's house while she was there, so as far as she was aware he was unaware of her situation. 'Relax Ben, I'm just passing by and thought I'd say Hi'

Ben shook his head, then held his hand up to it at the throbbing pain that seared through him due to his hangover. He squinted his eyes at Merlyn who was wearing a long pale blue dress and white shoes, she looked different somehow and he could not quite put his finger on why.

Billy came up behind Ben and took the bag of can's out of his hand, he was used to drinking so much and the hangover did not bother him. He threw the bag in the trash and turned towards the girl on the path. 'M...What are you doin' here petal?' he asked.

Ben stared at Billy shocked, 'You can see her?'

Billy laughed and patted Ben's back playfully. 'How much did you drink friend? Of course I can see her, I wasn't aware that you'd met Gail's new housemate'

Merlyn smiled at the playful bond the two men had, it was clear that they liked each others company and it was nice to see Ben with someone who could make him relax. 'We go way back...' she said to Billy, '...I'm just on my way back from church, Caleb and Gail are out with Lucas so I'm on my own today'

Billy shook his head, he hated the thought of Gail getting cosy with Lucas and now it appeared he had convinced her to allow Caleb to join in. It amazed him how the man appeared to make sensible people disregard their common sense and allow him into their lives. He was fun enough as a drinking buddy once in a while; however, Billy still despised the man when he was sober. 'It's not right for you to be alone on a Sunday, why don't you stay with us for a few hours?'

Ben did not understand what was going on or why Billy was talking to Merlyn as if she was not dead, but he wanted no part of it. 'I have to wait for my other half to come by, she might not take too well to a young girl being here'

'Your other half is with Selena and won't be here for a long while due to how much alcohol they consumed last night...would you rather leave this poor innocent girl to fend for herself? I didn't realise you were that heartless Deputy' he said sarcastically.

Ben sighed and looked at Merlyn who was giggling, then smiled himself. 'Fine, let me put some clothes on then we'll sort something out'

Caleb sat back in his chair next to Lucas at Johnsons bridge, holding his fishing rod. It was a quiet day and only a few other residents were out fishing, but they were situated a lot further down on the bridge so they were not a disturbance. Gail had made sandwiches to take with them and had reluctantly joined them after being persuaded by Lucas; however, she had brought her laptop along so she could work, as she was not interested in fishing.

Lucas glanced towards Gail who was sat at the other side of Caleb, then leaned in close to his boy. 'Is this what you had in mind son?' he whispered.

Caleb glanced at Gail to ensure she could not hear them and leaned closer to Lucas. 'I don't know how you do it, but I like it' he whispered laughing.

Gail looked up from her laptop and rolled her eyes at them both trying to laugh discreetly. 'What are you two whispering about?' she asked feigning a scolding manner, still typing up her story. The fresh air cleared her mind and gave her clarity, which enabled her to add to her Juniper article.

Lucas situated his rod securely in a gap in the bridge, then stood up and approached her. 'We're just talking about how nice this time together is, it's not often the boy gets to spend some quality time with his whole family' he whispered in her ear as he sat down next to her.

Gail closed her laptop and turned her full attention towards him. 'I don't know what game you're playing Lucas, but I'm not impressed'

Lucas put and arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, then inhaled her scent. 'There's no game Darlin', the boy was feeling left out and wanted to spend time with us both so here we are'

Gail closed her eyes and bit her lip with the sensation of him being so close, she could feel his breath on her neck as he leaned in closer to her. 'Why did he come to you and not me?' she asked quietly.

Lucas shrugged, 'Maybe he finds it easier to talk to his father' he whispered then kissed her neck softly.

Gail pulled away from his grasp and shook her head. 'Don't start this with me now'

Lucas glanced towards Caleb to make sure his attention was still on fishing, then wrapped one arm around her waist again and moved another to the top of her thigh. 'I'm statin' a fact Darlin', it's not my intention to offend you...now calm down and just enjoy this for what it is' he said and nipped at ear.

Gail closed her legs tight in an attempt to push away the aroused feeling that he stirred so effortlessly within her, she hated that he was forcing her to acknowledge the parentage of her cousin; however, she could not deny that it did feel nice spending some relaxing time together and this way she did not feel she was neglecting Caleb.

Lucas smiled as he sensed her guard dropping, even with the dark presence within her she could not resist him. It gave him a sense of pride knowing he could have her whenever he wanted and she was powerless to stop it, she was truly his and now he just needed to figure out how to combine their relationship with Caleb then he would finally have what he wanted.

He brushed her loose flowing brown hair off her shoulder then began to nuzzle her neck and kiss it softly. It was getting harder for him to control himself around her, especially when she made subtle gestures of acceptance like moving her head slightly to give him more access to her neck even though Caleb was around. Lucas should be concerned with his son being so close; however, his desire was getting the better of him and it would do the boy no harm witnessing their affection, providing they could keep it at a child friendly manner.

Gail inhaled deeply at the feeling of his lips on her bare skin, this was not the place or the time to be doing this and she knew they were acting like a pair of teenagers who could not keep their hands off each other; however, she could see Caleb's eyes were fixed firmly on the water and there was no one else close to catch them. 'Stop' she whispered, attempting to be responsible.

Lucas glanced at his boy again to confirm he was not interested in them, then tangled his hands in her hair and kissed her softly. 'I couldn't stop right now if I wanted to Darlin'...' he whispered in her ear, '...Besides, you can't tell me this isn't excitin''

He was not wrong and the threat of them getting caught was exhilarating to Gail. She allowed him to kiss her more passionately then moved her hand down to his thigh and squeezed tightly, she smiled at his intake of breath and was happy that he was suffering with their restrictions too. 'You planned this little family outing Sheriff, you need to behave yourself' she whispered sarcastically as she ran her hand further up his thigh.

Lucas licked his lips in arousal, he could sense her playfulness had surfaced and now cursed himself that they were out in the open with their present company. 'Careful Darlin'...' he whispered leaning in closer, '...I'm not above throwing you down right here and taking you'

Gail bit her lip suggestively and smiled sweetly, 'Oh but whatever would your boy think?'

Lucas moved his hand under Gail's vest and ran his fingers down her back, causing her to tense. 'Right now I couldn't give a damn what he thinks' he whispered leaning in for another kiss.

'Well fancy seeing you good people all the way out here' Abe called out as he approached the group from Caleb's side. He had been reluctant to accept Gail's unexpected invitation to join them fishing; however, now that he saw how close Lucas was to her he understood why she wanted a chaperone.

Gail pulled away from Lucas' grasp and smiled triumphantly, Abe's timing could not be any better. 'Uh oh, it looks like daddy's home...' she said playfully and got up from her seated position. '...Caleb, you remember my Uncle Abe don't you?'

Caleb glanced towards Lucas who looked irritated then towards Abe. 'Yes ma'am, I got my Halloween costume from his shop'

Abe smiled and set his fishing gear down between Gail's laptop and Caleb. 'You certainly did Champ and I seem to recall hearing you won a prize for being the best dressed'

'Yes sir I did' Caleb nodded proudly and returned his attention towards his rod, so far he had not caught a thing but he had high hopes that he would before the day was through.

Lucas stood up and forced a smile, trying to hide his irritation. 'Afternoon friend, to what do we owe the pleasure?' he asked.

Abe laughed and started to set up his gear, 'The pleasure isn't for you boy...how could I pass up the opportunity to spend some time with my Rosie?'

Gail smiled and patted Abe on the shoulder affectionately. 'Well this is family time and it wouldn't be right not to extend an invite to my unofficial Uncle'

Lucas sighed, she had clearly invited the man so she did not have to be alone with him and Caleb. He would give Gail her dues, it was well played and he had not expected them to be having company, besides it could be worse and she could have invited Billy-boy instead. At least Abe was an old friend who knew better than to get in his way intentionally, the man could not be blamed for wanting to spend time with Gail and he only came because she wanted him to.

Gail walked up to Lucas and stood in front of him, blocking Caleb's and Abe's view. 'Cheer up Sheriff...' she whispered as she ran her hands discreetly down his chest, '...you are getting time with Caleb out in the open and there's plenty of time for us to pick up where we left off later'

Lucas cupped her chin gently in his hand and kissed her, ignoring Abe's disapproving stare. 'You can count on that Darlin'' he said then returned to his seated position on the other side of Caleb.

Matt Crower stood pacing in his cell, ever since his visit from Lucas he had been contemplating a way to get out of here without Gail having to be involved. He did not want to make a deal with Lucas, he could not think of anything worse; however, the man had nearly convinced him to do so until a young nurse had rescued him from what could have been one of the worst decision of his life.

Matt had not seen the young nurse before, or since for that matter. She had a familiar feel to her but also gave of an aura of mischief, he was not sure what the young woman had been doing in the part of Juniper that was known for it's dangerous inmates; however, she had not appeared scared or even intimidated by the comments and yells of the inmates as she had led him down the corridor.

There was something that she said to him when they were alone in the courtyard and he could not get it out of his head, she had told him that sometimes people had to make sacrifices and step out of character to accomplish their desired goal. She also told him that he was required take a leap of faith and trust in his friends when the time came, he had no idea what this meant and had tried to question the young nurse further; however, she had left him in the yard and never returned after that.

Matt had been plagued by even stranger dreams than usual ever since that day, the dreams consisted of a ravenous dog ripping into raw flesh and he would awake covered in sweat early each morning in a dazed state. His lack of understanding of everything was beginning to bother him and the cell felt as though it was closing in on him. Matt walked over to the small window that had so often eased his distress in an attempt to calm himself; however, his safe spot no longer appeared to comfort him and it just reminded him that he was locked inside this cell like a common criminal.

Matt suddenly felt a presence inside the cell with him and he spun around trying to locate the cause of the disturbance. Surveying the room only confirmed that he was in fact alone but Matt knew he was being watched and his heart began to pound in his chest. Could this be Lucas toying with him or possibly the mans inevitable execution of him? He had expected Lucas to make his move sooner: however, it was more cruel to wait until Matt had began to connect with the outside world and that was more Lucas' style.

He took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come. When nothing came, he was thoroughly confused and began to move around the room cautiously. A sudden sharp flash suddenly travelled through Matt's brain and a vision of a dog ripping into raw flesh was seared into his mind. Without thought or hesitation Matt bared his teeth and bit down hard on his wrist, then started gnawing at his skin.

Gail sat peacefully on river bank, dangling her bare feet in the water. The men had decided fishing was not going their way so Abe returned home and the original group of Caleb, Gail and Lucas opted for a quiet stroll by the river before heading back to Gail's place. The weather was surprisingly mild so Gail had allowed Caleb to step into the river with a small net to see if he could see any fish and she had stayed on the river bank with Lucas.

'This is nice' Lucas said sitting down with his legs stretched out next to her and watching Caleb carefully wade deeper into the water.

Gail smiled, it actually was nice and relaxing here. She had not wanted to enjoy the time with her present company; however, he had made her feel at ease and had not tried to dominate the situation as much as she had initially thought. 'I suppose it's not the worst day I've had in this town' she joked and allowed him to stroke her back gently.

Just as Lucas leaned in for a kiss while Caleb's attention was elsewhere, Gail heard her mobile telephone ring and reached for her bag. She frowned when she saw Junipers number flash on her phone and sighed. 'Hello?' she said, not impressed by the interruption.

Lucas moved his head down to her shoulder and kissed it softly, then stared up in confusion when Gail pulled away from him sharply and stood up.

'He did what?...I'll be right there' Gail said concerned and hung up the phone, then began to search for her boots. 'Caleb get out of the water, we're leaving' she called as she pulled on her boots.

Lucas stood up and approached her, not happy that his seemingly perfect afternoon had been interrupted. 'What's goin' on Darlin'? Did Harvard slip and hurt himself?' he asked sarcastically.

Gail glared at Lucas, 'You bastard...he better be OK' she whispered accusingly, then threw Caleb his shoes and signalled for him to hurry.

Lucas laughed to hide his irritation, he did not appreciate her tone especially when he was unaware of what had suddenly prompted this hostile reaction. 'You seem upset so I'm gonna let that language slide this once, now what's caused this mood?'

Gail shook her head in disbelief, did he genuinely believe she would not know this was him? When Caleb looked at her confused she stroked his head reassuringly, gave him her car keys and signalled for him to go wait for her. She waited until he had said his goodbye to Lucas and then regarded Lucas angrily. 'I don't know what you thought this would achieve or how you pulled it off, but you better hope Matt pulls through' she said and stormed up to her car.

Lucas watched Gail walk away dumbfounded, he had no idea what he was supposed to have done or what Harvard had gotten himself into. When Gail reached her car and shot him a final resentful glance, Lucas could have sworn he saw a slight glint of malice in her eyes and a devilish grin come over her face.

-To be continued-