A/N: Just posting all of my fics for csi50 as I write them.
Prompt: First Sight
The Louisiana sun was sinking fast into the ground as seven year-old Calleigh Duquesne leapt out of her tree house and took off for the kitchen.
"Calleigh Jo Duquesne!"
"Mama, I'm comin'!" Calleigh yelled back, running as fast as she could. Already this week she'd gone to bed without supper for not making it home in time—couldn't risk that happening again.
She pulled open the back door and kicked off her tennis shoes, resting her hands on her knees and taking a few deep breaths. Her mother appeared in the doorway of the mud room and smiled. "See you've learned your lesson, little miss."
"Yes, ma'am," Calleigh lifted her head and wiped at her face. "What are we havin'?"
"How does stuffed cabbage sound?"
"Sounds like Heaven!" the little girl exclaimed, bringing a smile to her mother's tired face. "Did you make cornbread too?"
"I made cornbread too…just promise you'll save some for your brothers this time." The older woman laughed as her daughter threw her arms around her waist and hugged tightly. Children were so easy to please sometimes. "Go on now, go wash up. We'll be eatin' in just a few minutes."
Dinner was every bit as good as she'd hoped it would be. Calleigh helped herself to two servings and was just about to go for a third when her mother reminded her not to make a pig of herself.
"That reminds me," her father said, setting down his knife and fork, "I've gotta get things ready for tomorrow."
"What's tomorrow?" Calleigh asked around a mouthful of cornbread.
"Daddy's takin' us huntin' for feral hogs," twelve year-old Jackson said as he motioned to his ten year-old brother Owen.
"Why can't I go?" Calleigh asked, her brow furrowing.
"Because you're a girl," Owen said as if that explained everything.
Calleigh ignored him and turned her attention to her father. "Daddy can't I come with you?"
Duke smiled patiently. "Now, Lamb chop, I don't think your mama would like that very much."
"Mama, can't I please?"
"Absolutely not, Calleigh. I've only got one daughter—I intend to make sure you're raised a lady."
Calleigh gave a very unladylike huff and excused herself from the table.
"Come on, Carlene, she could come with us," she heard her father say quietly as she left the room.
"No, she couldn't. I have to take her into town tomorrow and start looking at Communion dresses."
Calleigh's heart sank. Not only was she not allowed to go with her father, but her mother was taking her dress shopping too? What had she done wrong? With a heavy sigh, she pushed open the front door and dropped onto the porch swing.
She swung there for awhile, head in hands, deciding that it was pretty stupid being a girl after all. Girls didn't get to have any fun without getting in trouble. The door swung open and Duke poked his head out. "There she is," he came out and sat down next to her. "I thought you might be out here." They swung in silence for a moment. "Somethin' on your mind?"
"No," she muttered defensively.
"You sure about that?"
Calleigh didn't move her chin from her hand. "Yes."
"All right, you can sit there and stew if you want." He watched as her feet kicked back and forth aimlessly a foot above the ground. "You know what I do when I feel like stewin'?" Duke asked, breaking the silence.
"What?"
"Target practice."
Calleigh turned her eyes from the weather-beaten wooden planks of the porch to the mischievous glint in her father's eye. "Target practice?" she asked dubiously.
Duke nodded. "That's right. Wanna give it a try?"
The little girl looked around. "But Mama says it's not ladylike," she whispered, trying to fight her excitement.
Her father put a finger to his lips. "Our little secret—what do you say?"
He led her behind the garage and pulled out the sand-filled barrels she'd seen her brothers practice with so many times. "Now, the rifle might be a little big for you, but you just do your best, all right?" Duke instructed over his shoulder as he turned on the garage lights and unlocked the gun safe. "Maybe when you're a little older we'll convince your mama to let you have a little fun with the boys—get you one of your own, huh?"
They shared a smile before he opened the safe. He returned holding the most beautiful thing the seven year-old had ever seen. The rifle had a long, smooth polished wooden stock and a glossy stainless-steel barrel. The site was open just like in the movies, the trigger made her heart beat—it looked anxious to be pulled. "Wow," she breathed, reaching out a tentative hand to touch it.
Duke smiled. "It's a thing of beauty, ain't it Lamb chop? Now it's not loaded, so why don't you try holding it."
It was heavy for a child but she managed to position it like she'd seen her brothers, against her shoulder, one eye closed to set her target, finger twitching near the trigger. "Can I try shooting it?"
"Sure can if you think you can handle it." He took the rifle from her and loaded it. He waited until it was safely back in her arms before removing the safety lock. "Now just aim toward the barrel and squeeze the trigger," he said, directing her hands with his. "It's going to jump back at you a little bit, so prepare yourself. It's okay if you don't hit your target this time…we're just practicing."
After a moment of preparation, Calleigh took a deep breath and gently squeezed the trigger. She felt a surge of energy rip through the instrument in her hands and recoil as her father had warned her. The butt of the gun slammed against her shoulder, creating a swift bruise but Calleigh didn't care. Her heart was racing too quickly to notice the pain. She looked up at her father with glowing eyes. "Daddy, did you see me?"
He beamed back at her. "I saw you darlin'."
"Think I hit anything?"
"Well, I'm not sure. But we can check and see." He took the gun from her and led her out to the barrel at which she'd been aiming. Peering into the sand, Duke couldn't believe what he saw. "Well I'll be…"
"What is it? Did I hit it?" Calleigh asked, nearly bouncing with excitement.
Her father reached down and scooped up the remnants. "I never thought I'd say it, but my little girl is a natural!"
Calleigh looked down at the bullet casings in her father's open palm. A deep feeling of happiness and pride swelled in her chest. She looked toward the rifle and smiled.
Love at first sight.
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R/R please!!