Disclaimer: I didn't create these characters or show, in short I don't own them. That said, please don't sue or I'll be forced (okay maybe not so forced) to hand all my debt over to ya.

Notes: This was my first ever AI fic so please be kind in your reviews. Also I just spent like an hour fixing whatever the comp did to it. For some reason it put in a bunch of symbols instead of "" and '. But I hope that I got it all fixed this time, 'cause I'm not doing it again!

Rating: PG-13 for violence and some language.

Hunter

"We're taking on a passenger," Judson Cross said as he began to help the youngest member of his crew to load a new load of supplies onto the Vast Explorer.

"Who is it?" A female voice asked from aboard the ship.

Looking up from his work, Judson squinted against the midmorning sun and smiled to see Mackenzie Previn standing at the white rail of the ship in a black bikini top and a pair of denim cut off shorts. "Callum Addison."

"Something wrong, Gabe?" Mac and Judson asked when Gabriel dropped the box he'd been holding at the sound of Addison's name.

"Huh?" He looked at them blankly for a couple of heart beats. "Sorry," he muttered turning his attention back to the creates of supplies.

"Gabe, are you okay?" Cross asked running a hand through his buzz cut blond hair.

"Fine." A smile eased across his face.

"Don't drop any more creates." He gave the kid a small tap in his shoulder.

*****

Finding Gabriel Patterson was almost too easy, he thought as he neared the slip the Vast Explorer was docked at. It was all almost too easy. Finding him, and planning the meeting was all easier than he's originally thought it would be. He began to smirk as he neared the dull red ship. Many times he'd imagined the things he would say and do to Gabriel. But now he was here and there was no time for imagining; just action. As he approached the ship, he could see a tall thin figure with a mass of dark locks swirling about his head. He knew before the face on the figure was in his clear path of vision who the figure was, Gabriel Patterson. He could still recall almost vividly the first time he'd met the boy, though Patterson had been quite a bit shorter at the time. If luck is still on my side, he'll remember me; he thought rearranging his smirk into a pleasant smile.

"Hello." He winced inside as he noticed Gabriel flinching at the sound of his voice. "I'm sorry for frightening you," the apology slithered from his tongue with much less effort than the moment before. That was much better, he thought to himself as he saw Gabriel's body relax slightly.

"You just surprised me," his tone was sharper than he intended it to be. "Can I help you with something?" He stared hard at the man standing before him. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something familiar about the man's narrow set pale green eyes. Horror struck deep in Gabe as the realization of who the man standing before him was began to creep through him. Callum Addison. His heart stopped; he stopped.

"Are you all right?" Callum asked gingerly waving his hand in front of the young man now standing very rigid with fear. Inwardly Callum smiled at the effect he was having on the youth before him. The kid did remember him; he was impressed. "Hey, Kid," he waved his hand in front of Gabe's face again, snapping his fingers trying to pretend that he didn't know why Gabriel was acting the way he was.

"Hey, Gabe," a dark haired woman asked coming up next to the frozen young man. "What's going on?" her voice soft and full of concern for the young man. The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end telling her that she and Gabe were not alone. She knew that someone was standing in front of them before she even saw who was there. "Can I help you?" she asked snapping her head in the direction of Gabe's stare; her voice was steady and steely, as though she were accusing the stranger standing before her and Gabe of doing something to her young friend.

For weeks he'd watched them, took pictures of them and noted every bit he could about their character, but all that preparation left him the moment Mackenzie Previn stood before him. Not one of her pictures he'd taken did her any justice. She was beautiful beyond his wildest imagination and the edge she held in her voice and blue eyes was more than he ever could've hoped for in an adversary. Oh, how he wished that being with her were a part of his plan; a plan he couldn't wait to put into action.

"Can I help you?" Her hard edged voice cut through his reverie, jarring him back to the beautiful Mackenzie and the terrified Gabriel standing before him.

"Yes, I'm Callum Addison." He offered his hand to Mackenzie, who just stared at it and him as though she were calculating on how to separate it from his arm.

"Mackenzie Previn." She took his hand in a crushing grasp. Her strength surprised him at first. "This is Gabriel Patterson." She pointed her thumb at the still silent young man.

"I am terribly sorry if I frightened Mr. Patterson," Callum apologized, hoping that he sounded as sincere as possible.

"It's almost impossible to scare him." Her blue eyes bore through him as though she were looking for something inside him. Something's not right here. Gabe hasn't said a word in more than three minutes and he seems transfixed on something. There's something about Callum Addison that I don't quite trust, she thought as she continued to stare holes into Addison. "He's just playing shy."

"Is Mr. Cross on board?" He changed the subject, sensing that she knew that something was wrong. After all young Mr. Patterson had gone stone silent since his approach and he knew that Gabriel and Mackenzie were probably close enough to know when something was wrong with the other.

"No. He had some business to take care of. He should be with us shortly." There was just something about him that didn't sit right with her where Callum Addison was concerned. "Until then I'll show you to your cabin." Moving past the slack jawed Gabriel, Mac led Addison onto the ship and to his room.

****

Smiling Judson Cross walked down the slip the Vast Explorer was docked at. He was in a very good mood; that was partially brought on by the beautiful sailing weather of the day and the fact that a quarter of a million dollars had been deposited into the company account. It was the prefect day.

His mood would've lasted all day long had it not been for the figure standing statue still in front of his ship. His chipper mood was suddenly drowned by the horrified look in his young friend's hazel/green eyes. "Gabe?" he questioned the brown haired young man, waving his hand slowly in front of Gabe's face. The pause was longer than any he'd ever had, even when the other person was lying to him. What happened to him? Cross wondered as he reached a hand out to touch Gabe's shoulder. "Gabe?" A gentle shake ought to bring him around. "What's the matter, Kid?"

"Nothing," Gabe choked out in a soft voice, shaking his head.

"Maybe you should go lay down for a while. Mac and I can handle shoving off."

Nodding Gabriel walked numbly toward his cabin, passing their main living quarters that housed their kitchen, dining room, living room. He agreed with Judson; he needed to get some rest. He'd just do his job and stay the hell away from Addison while he did. There was something in Addison's eyes that Gabe had never liked. It was as if the devil lived just behind the pale green surface of Callum's eyes. That man had given him the creeps when he was younger and he still did. The cool gray walls poured over Gabe and calmed him in a way that he never thought they would. This was his safe place from Addison.

All grown up and still so small and helpless. He wanted to say something and he wanted to remain still all at once. His pale green eyes watched eagerly as Gabe stood with back to the door, his thin frame wavering between falling onto the single bed it stood in front of and leaning into the wall. Smiling he stepped into the doorway of the room. "If it isn't Gabriel Patterson," he said leaning in the doorjamb. "I see that you're still afraid of me."

"The devil," he spat as he turned to face Addison, "has that affect on people."

"Ah, found your tongue, have you?" Callum stepped into the room closing the door behind him "You have no idea how much like your mother you look." He smiled as horror moved in waves across Gabe's face. "Tell me, Gabe, how well does Ms. Previn take grief?"

"Leave her alone." His jaw was nearly locked from the pressure he was putting through it.

"I wouldn't worry about her," he said turning to face the door. "It's a long trip, Gabe, perhaps you should worry about other things."

"Why are you here?"

"Why to see the son of an old friend." He opened the door and left.

A sigh of relief swept through Gabe as his legs lowered him to his bed. The numbness already living in his body took over more as his encounter with Addison sank in. He'd never liked or trusted Addison. There was just always something distant about the man, almost as if he thought, no believed, that he were superior to everyone. Addison was up to something and somehow Mac, Judson and himself played into Callum's plan, now if only Gabe knew what that plan was. Closing his eyes Gabe leaned his head against the cool metal of the gray wall and let the calm of the room take him over.

*****

"Mr. Cross, we meet at last." Callum Addison said as he made his way to the bridge.

"Mr. Addison." Judson's eyes were locked on the path that he was guiding the ship. Pleasantries would just have to wait until they were out to sea.

"I'll leave you until you're not so busy." Callum smiled as he withdrew from the wheel house and made his way along the deck. This will be fun, he thought spying Mac checking gear that had been left on the deck. "Ms. Previn."

"Mr. Addison," her voice was as level as it had been earlier and nearly as cold.

"Does young Mr. Patterson ever get used to strangers aboard?"

"Normally there isn't a problem. Why do you ask?"

"I just passed the young man as he went into his cabin and he seemed to be afraid of me again."

"If Gabe doesn't like someone, he usually has a reason. Is there any reason he may have to dislike you?"

"I've never met Mr. Patterson before." He knew that something was wrong, Mac could sense that there was bad blood between him and Gabriel. It'd been a while since he'd met someone who'd been able to sense a hidden agenda. Callum could tell that Mac thought he was lying to her. While his statement wasn't a lie, it just didn't apply to Gabe. "You don't like me very much, do you, Ms. Previn?" He moved closer to her, the soft black of his cotton pants brushing against the exposed skin just below her shorts.

"No, I don't," she said with a smile, carefully taking a step away from Addison. "What gave me away?"

"Body language." He gabbed her arm pulling her back to him. "It says a lot about people. I know how you feel about me, for example. But how do you feel about Mr. Cross and the boy." Shock slid across her face in waves of anger.

"If you . . ."

"What?" he questioned shooting her a look of mock horror at her attempted threat. His face suddenly dropping to a business look Addison said, "Don't worry, Ms. Previn, I won't harm one little hair on Mr. Cross' head."

****

What in the hell is going on down there? Judson thought when he heard hushed voices and saw Mac having some sort of conversation with Addison. If it weren't for Addison's death grip on Mac's arm, Judson would've let the hushed conversation alone. But there was a look of cold anger in her eyes and on her face, he needed to do something to save Callum from being thrown overboard. Quickly he went to the rail. "Mac."

"Be right there." Glancing at Addison's hand locked onto her upper arm and then back at Addison.

"His cabin is next to mine, isn't it?" He smiled at the look of pure burning hatred in her blue eyes.

"Touch either of them and I'll kill you." Addison's grip was gone from her arm instantaneously.

"Care to tell me what that was all about?" Cross asked his green eyes scanning the water for other vesicles.

"What do you know about him?" She changed the subject, opting to keep the threat he'd made about Gabe to herself for a little while.

"He doesn't give much information about himself." He studied her for a moment. She was more than just upset with Addison; she was down right pissed off at the man. There had to more than the fact that Addison had grabbed her arm, but Judson just couldn't put his finger on it. It made no sense to him that Callum Addison would threaten any member of his crew. Despite not having any answers to the multitude of questions that were beginning to form in his mind about what had transpired between Callum and Mac, he had to laugh at the fact that Mac didn't through Addison over the rail for grabbing her arm the way he did. After all Judson had seen her do more to men for less. "What aren't you sure of?"

"I can't really explain it, but he's up to something."

"What makes you say that?"

"Gabe clams up when Addison comes anywhere in sight," she said looking Judson in the eye like she did when she was serious about something. "He just stops whatever he's doing. I'm not sure but I think Gabe's afraid of Addison."

"She's right," Gabe said from the door. Mac and Judson, both nearly fell over when he spoke. They weren't expecting him to be around and he hadn't made any noise when he approached them at the helm.

"You shouldn't sneak up on people," Mac said coolly, regaining her composure quicker than Judson.

"Sorry," he murmured hanging his head.

"She's right how?" Judson asked curious about what Mac was right about.

"Addison. He scares me. He always has. I knew him when I was little, and I hated him then. When I was ten years old he kidnapped me. He wanted my mom to run away with him. He didn't care that she was content with my dad. When he didn't get his own way he tried to make me disappear, but mom made some kind of deal with him and he let me go. No one ever knew what he did. After that he disappeared." He couldn't look at them. There was no reason why he couldn't he just couldn't. He wanted to tell them more but he'd worked so hard at blocking it all out that he'd forgotten whatever Addison had done to him all those years ago. Suddenly he felt very naked and wounded, making it all the more difficult to look at his friends.

"Mac thinks that he's up to something. What do you think he wants?" Judson studied the weary looking young man standing before as if he were finally understanding some part of the reason why Gabe would want to run as far and as fast as he could from his family.

"I don't know," his voice just above a whisper. With as low as Addison had already made him feel, not knowing what Callum was up to made him feel even lower. Maybe it would be easier to deal with Addison if he could just disappear and reappear at will; of course that'll happen. Gabriel scolded himself as he watched the wheels turning in the heads of his friends as they watched him trying to figure him out and their situation.

"Mac, I want you to help me keep an eye on our guest. Gabe I want you to stay away from him," Judson said just as the silence had built to an unbearable pitch for Gabe.

Stay away from the man whose cabin is next to mine? Gabe tried not laughing at what Judson had just told him. Is staying away from Addison anything like keeping your feet up off the edge of the bed at night so that the thing under the bed didn't get you?! Staying away from Addison on the ship would be a difficult task.

"Don't worry, Gabe. I'll lay down the ground rules for him."