A/N: I probably sound like a broken record all the time, but I do want to thank everybody for reading and reviewing every chapter. I just want to make sure you all know how appreciated you all are. Here is the next chapter; hope you all enjoy it. :)

~ Chapter Seven ~

~~ Uncharted Waters ~~

"The lunch today is macaroni and beet salad, the alternative is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Due to weather conditions, the student council meeting will be held today in the cafeteria, instead of the meeting room, at 3:00p.m." Olivia's voice filtered through the intercom. As a student adviser, it was part of her job to read the morning announcements every morning. "In sports news, the girls' soccer team defeated the Calgary Cougars 8-1. Go Phantoms! The boys' tennis match has been canceled, and the boys' and girls' soccer teams, boy's baseball team, and the girls' lacrosse team will be practicing today. The Equestrian club will not be meeting today. Lastly, the time to send in your money for your school sweatshirts/jackets is nearly closed. Return your envelopes to your homeroom teachers by Friday. That is the end of the morning announcements, everybody have a fantastic day!"

Georgie only half listened to the announcements, as she sat in her homeroom classroom. She rolled her eyes at Olivia's exaggerated enthusiasm. She was bored as she leaned her cheek against her fist and she doodled in the corner of her open notebook. It had started off as just a scribble, until it started to morph into a horse's head. She had thought she was automatically drawing Phoenix, but as she continued to stare at it, it began to look like another horse. Not quite Spartan, but...more wild. Her pencil stilled from shading it in, her heart doing a little pitter-patter in her chest.

Stephen turned around in his desk in front of her in the row. "So, um, you don't have equestrian club today, what are you going to do with the free time?" he asked her, in that shy way of his.

Georgie snapped herself back to reality, closing her notebook on a horse she can't save. She looked up and focused on her friend, folding her arms over her desk. She bit her lip, guiltily. "Actually, I haven't really been going to equestrian club," Georgie admitted. "My parents don't know that I haven't been going, and I don't want them to know."

"Why haven't you been going?" Stephen asked her.

"Well, first, I've been really, really busy," Georgie explained, "and, second, Olivia has turned it into some cutesy, competition. Whose horse is better? Who looks better riding? Who has more ribbons?" She shook her head, sighing. "That's not why I joined the club."

Stephen nodded faintly. Georgie shrugged, looking toward the front of the classroom. Stephen remained facing her, wetting his lips and his mind rehearsing a speech. He opened his mouth to say something, but it took a couple seconds before he actually found the words. "So, um, a bunch of kids are planning a trip to the movies on Friday to see Inside Out," Stephen finally said. "I was-"

"Oh, really," Georgie unintentionally cut in, returning her gaze back to her friend. Her face changed into that easy-going smile of hers. "Sounds like fun."

"Yeah," Stephen agreed, smiling a little. "Um,...I was going to go, too, and I wondered if you wanted to go, too?" He couldn't hold her gaze and he looked down as he finished the question.

Georgie wasn't expecting this, so she was quiet for a couple minutes. "Well, it does sound like a funny movie, but I have a lot of chores every day," she started to decline. "and I'd have to ask my parents for permission to go."

"C'mon, Georgie, I'm sure they'll let you go," Stephen told her. "You work really hard, and you hardly have any fun."

Georgie's mouth dropped open, as she laughed. "Hey, riding is fun," she admonished, in good way.

Stephen laughed, too. "I know. You know what I mean," he replied.

"Yeah, I know," Georgie relented, biting her lip, laying her hands on top of one another on her desk, loosely. "Ok, I'll ask them when I get home today." She grinned at him and he grinned back at her, sealing the deal.

The bell rang dismissing them to their first period class. Stephen turned back around and picked up his backpack. Then, he stood up, beginning to walk to the door of the classroom. Georgie picked up her notebook and her book bag, putting the strap onto her shoulder. She stood up as Stephen was walking out of the classroom. It was then that she wondered if she had just accepted to her first date, or not.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What animal is this?"

"...cow!"

"Good job! What sound does a cow make?"

"MOOOOOOO!"

Lou followed the sound of the voices, leading her to her daughter's bedroom. She was quiet as she approached, no one knew she was there. She smiled upon the scene she encountered inside the room. She leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms, content to just stay and watch. Peter sat on the floor with Katie, helping her do a farm animal puzzle. The sixteen pieces were spread out over the floor, the only connected pieces were the separate animals. Apparently, kids puzzles weren't easy for everyone.

"What's this?" Katie asked, holding up another piece of the puzzle.

Peter took it, looking at it closely. "I think it's part of the fence," he said, and tried to fit it into the puzzle on the floor.

"No, daddy," Katie told him, taking the piece back. "That goes here, that's the barn."

Lou couldn't help herself from joining in. She laughed, "Yeah, daddy, don't you know what a barn looks like."

"Okay," Peter laughed at himself, watching his daughter put the piece in the correct spot, smacking it in.

Right after that was when Katie got bored, like most kids her age. She climbed to her feet. "All done," the little girl announced. "Time for dress-up!"

"And that's where daddy stops," Peter said, picking up the abandoned puzzle and dumping it back inside the box. He stood back up with the puzzle box in his hands.

"Ohhh, you're not going to dress up like a pretty fairy or a princess, with your daughter," Lou joked, smirking, as she took a couple steps into the room. Peter shook his head at her, laughing. She glanced over his shoulder. "I think she was really looking forward to it."

Peter turned around to see Katie standing next to her dress-up box, holding a pink fuzzy boa stretched between both hands. She stood there with a rejected look on her face. "Pleeeease!" Katie begged.

Peter looked over at Lou, helplessly, who shrugged in return. He sighed quietly, and walked closer to Katie, kneeling back down to the floor. "Ok, but just the boa," he agreed. Katie smiled gleefully and stepped closer to wrap the boa twice around his neck. A couple of the feathers got stuck in his mouth, but it was the price to be paid for making his daughter happy. He stood back up when Katie turned back to the bin. When Peter turned back to Lou, she was cupping her hand over her mouth, trying to hide her laughter.

Before he could say anything, Katie pulled out another frilly item. "And this!" she exclaimed, holding a pair of yellow fairy wings up in the air.

"Uh, no, Katie-cat, I don't think they are going to fit," he told her, instead of telling her that he didn't want to wear the wings.

However, Lou stepped forward and took the wings from her daughter, holding them out to her husband. "Oh, but I think they would look so cute on you," she giggled.

Peter shook his head at her smilingly, putting his hands on hers and lowering the wings. Her laugh turned into a smile as their bodies moved closer to one another. Faintly, the sound of the front door opening and closing could be heard, and then there was movement in the kitchen. They were too wrapped up in each other to take notice of it, though.

"Have I told you lately how happy I am that you took that job closer to home?" Lou murmured, her eyes half closed. Their noses brushed against each other in feather light kisses.

"Thank you for making it an easy choice," Peter whispered back. Lou smiled as the kiss descended. It was soft and light, hot and sultry.

"Help!" Katie yelped. She had taken the fairy wings back and had tried to put them on herself. Instead, she got herself and the wings all twisted up.

"Uh oh, what happened?" Lou cooed, kneeling down to help her daughter.

Right around then, there were footsteps in the hall and then Georgie appeared in the doorway. Her book bag was slung over her shoulder, and she carried a glass of milk in her hand. "Oh, here you are," Georgie said, stopping abruptly, especially when she saw Peter. She hid a smile by biting her lip."Never mind. Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Georgie, what do you need?" Peter told her, moving closer to the thirteen year old with his hands on his hips. He took the boa off from around his neck, self-consciously.

"Is everything okay?" Lou added. With the wings now untangled, she held the wings out for Katie to easily slip her arms into. She glanced over at Georgie.

Georgie licked her lips, suddenly appearing nervous. She placed her other hand on the glass, too. "Well, a bunch of kids are going to the movies on Friday, and...Stephen asked I wanted to go, too."

Lou stood back up, her hand on her belly and her mouth open in joyful surprise. "He asked you out on a date?!" she repeated, sweetly. She shot Peter a secretive, triumphant look.

"...I guess...," Georgie answered, slowly. "So, can I go?" She looked back and forth between her parents.

"Of course-" Lou started to say, her eyes growing misty. It was most likely from the pregnancy hormones, but this was also the next big step in Georgie's life.

"-of course, we'll talk about it, and talk to you later about it," Peter interrupted, stepping forward and putting his hand out before Lou could finish. Lou shot him a curious glance.

"Ok," Georgie shrugged. "I'm going to go to my room and get a start on my homework." She added a glance to Peter when she spoke the latter. Lou caught the silent exchange curiously, but didn't comment on it. Georgie left, and a minute later, heard her going up the stairs.

Lou turned to husband with a excited gasp. "Did you hear that? Georgie has her first date," she gossiped, nearly squealing with joy. "I wonder what she's going to wear..." She flinched as she walked out to the hall. "...I should probably help her with that."

Peter quickly followed after her. "Whoa, whoa, we're not actually going to let her go, are we?" he questioned, catching up to her and taking her arm. "She's way too young."

"What? She's thirteen, that's the age of group dating," Lou told him. "Georgie was going to start dating sooner or later. Frankly, I'm surprised it's now."

"Really? You're okay with this?" Peter responded back. "I thought we had a couple more years before this, like college." He ran his hand through his hair.

"Peter, don't be ridiculous, and don't be one of those overprotective, controlling dads, who locks their daughter up and throws away the key," Lou said, tilting her head and trying not to laugh at him. "She's growing up. Here, I'll tell you that the most of what's probably going to happen is that he might try to hold her hand." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh, that's all that's going to happen in a dark movie theater. I feel much better now," Peter sighed. He ran his hands down his face, giving in. "I guess she can go on this one date."

Lou smiled, stepping closer and putting her hands on both sides of his face. "I love you," she told him, and he smiled back at her. Then, she turned his face so that he was looking in the open bedroom they had just left. Katie was twirling around in a fairy princess gown. "And you still have plenty time before this one grows up."

Reassured, he smiled back at her one more time, and planted a kiss on her lips. "C'mon, let's go tell Georgie that she can go on the...date.. and that I'll be driving her," Peter replied. As they turned toward the stairs, their arms slipped around each other automatically and lovingly.

Lou grinned and shook her head at him, but, internally, she reveled in his protectiveness for their daughters.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Amy turned onto a street and slowed down her speed, keeping an eye on both sides of the road. She glanced down at the papers on the seat beside her, checking the directions. She had researched for the address she was looking for, and, luckily, there was one address close enough that it had to be it. Amy wasn't really sure what she doing. All she knew was that she woke up this morning with a need to quell this feeling of unrest inside of her.

Suddenly, up ahead on the right side of the street, there was a faded green mailbox with big, black numbers on it. 708, the house she was looking for. The truck crept closer, and then she pulled the truck off to the side of the road, turning off the engine. She leaned back against the seat, studying the property. Amy knew that she had promised Ty that she wouldn't do anything dangerous, but she felt deep in her soul that she just could not do anything. She needed to see for herself.

She looked out at the property, seeing the long curving driveway and the tall yellow grass on either side of it. The one story ranch house was visible from the street and it was a bit of an eyesore. Amy couldn't see anything else beyond that, but she knew somewhere on this ranch was Spiridon. She just didn't know how she was going to reach him.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Amy jumped at the tapping sound on the driver's side window. An old man, bundled up for colder weather, stood at her door with an auburn Chow Chow on a leash. Amy breathed a short sigh of relief and rolled down her window. The old man didn't wait for any pleasantries.

"You're not from this neighborhood, are you, young lady?" the old man questioned, raspy.

Amy smiled, reassuringly. "No, I'm not. I was just-"

"Because if you were, you'd know better than sit out front of this here ranch," the old man warned.

"Why?" Amy asked, narrowing her eyes out of curiosity. She wanted to know more.

"Hank Caldwell is a bad man, very dangerous," he warned her again. "No talking to that man, you just get threats. A pretty face like yours won't stop him."

A cold spike of fear wrapped around her heart and she was sure it showed on her face, but it wasn't for her own well being. "Well, uh, thank you," Amy stammered. "I'll get moving right away."

The old man nodded at her, and then finished crossing the street with his dog. Amy swallowed, and turned back to Hank Caldwell's ranch. She paused for a second, before she turned the key in the ignition and the truck rumbled to life. Right before she pulled away, though, Amy heard the distinct sound of a whip and then a horse's terrible whinny. And the sound of it tore through her worse than any fear could.

A/N: So, did you guys like it? Georgie is starting to date, and Amy went to the ranch against Ty's wishes. What did you all think? Now, this was the last fluffy chapter. Everything will be getting bumpy from here on out. Get ready for the ride, and don't forget to review. :)