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**Just another little foray into the Kaylaverse.**
An off handed remark from a waitress has Caleb thinking about what could have been.
AND THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE!
Caleb had been on five consecutive hunts with four different hunters and he was ready to go home. He was proud of the fact that Bobby considered him responsible enough to send out to teach the new and inexperienced hunters, to keep them alive and out of trouble, he was after all forty now and that was usually a pretty good innings for a life long hunter, even hunters who come into the game later often didn't make it more than a decade past this age. Bobby had called to send him to another hunt but it was almost the last Sunday of the month and in four years Caleb had never missed a date with his girl.
He had finished up his meal at a small cafe in a, now ghost free, picturesque mountain town and with a sigh stood from the table. He approached the cash register to pay his check.
"That'll be $22.79 with tax." The pretty young thing behind the counter announced with a smile.
A small photo fluttered from Caleb's wallet as he pulled some cash out to pay. The young girl picked it up and looked at it.
He didn't even have to look at the picture to visualise the scene.
He knew it perfectly.
Sam had taken the picture just days before the ritual. They had taken Kayla out for a picnic and he had snapped the child sitting on Caleb's shoulders. Dana...Dean, was standing beside them, looking up at the girl laughing. She was wearing an old baseball cap and holding a blade of grass with pinched between the thumb and forefinger of both hands. He doesn't know why he remembers that insignificant piece of information, but he does. Caleb's own face was tilted up as well, his hands gripping Kayla's ankles tightly. Kayla herself had just pulled his hat off and was waving it in the air.
"Oh, wow, your wife is really pretty. You have an adorable family." She said as she handed it back.
It was on the tip of his tongue to use the pre-approved cover story, 'that's my sister and niece', when Caleb realised he was in a town where no one knew him. He didn't need to lie, so instead he smiled brightly at the girl, taking the picture.
"Yes, Yes I do."
…
a/n: I received a message the other day asking if I had abandoned this collection and it reminded that this story had been sitting in my files since February, so I guess its time to share it! If anyone has any suggestions for little one shots about Kayla and her family, please let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Much love
S
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