It didn't take long to get to the beach; it was finding a place to park the helix that was a problem. They ended up parking on top of an abandoned building and walking to the beach. Once there Shalimar and Emma set out the beach towels while Kailey and Ben got out the food incase anyone wanted to eat. Brennan and Jesse looked about for the best spot to build their sand castles and Adam set up his Beach chair and watched out for everyone. Once everything was set up, the girls took a seat on their beach towels.

"Wow, I can't believe how warm it is and it's not even noon yet." Kailey said leaning back and shielding her eyes with her hand.

"Yeah, it's nice." Shalimar said. "I love this kind of weather."

"Me too," Kailey replied. She looked down the beach at all the people who had already gathered trying to escape the sun's heat by taking a dip in the cool ocean. There were lots of parents here with their kids playing in the shallows; a few groups of teenagers were showing off deeper in the water. There were a ton of jet skis and speed boats buzzing around further out. Just then Brennan and Jess came back from scouting out the beach and interrupted Kailey's daydreaming.

"So Ben you ready to start on our bet?" Brennan asked looking down at Ben.

"Sure. Hey want to help me?" he asked turning to Kailey.

"Actually I think I might stay here and try for a tan."

"Sounds like a good idea, mind if I join you?" Emma said as she stood up to take off her shorts.

"I think I'd like to tan too." Shalimar joined in, unwrapping her sarong to reveal the low cut red bikini bottom that tied on the side.

"Hey Brennan check out the view?" Jesse nudged Brennan to look as two beautiful women in bikinis walked by. But all Brennan was looking at was Shalimar. "This place has great scenery" Jesse smiled not taking his eyes of the ladies.

"It sure does, maybe I'll just stay here." Brennan stated as Shalimar lay down on her beach towel next to Emma's. Jesse turned back around and rolled his eyes.

"Hey, a bet's a bet. If you back out now you lose buddy." Jesse declared. Brennan looked back at Shalimar, let out an angry humph sound and started down the beach.

"Fine, you win but I better win this bet." Jesse and Ben both laughed as Brennan stomped down the beach in search of supplies. Ben was still laughing when he turned around to make sure Kailey didn't want to come but his laughter stopped dead when he say her stepping out if her sundress wearing a twp piece baby blue bathing suit with white flowers on it. The two pieces consisted of boy-shorts and a sports top, not the most revealing as bathing suits go but to Ben she might as well have been wearing nothing.

"Where did you get that?" He asked a little more angrily than he had intended.

"I got it when Shal and Emma took me shopping."

"Doesn't it look great!" Shalimar grinned.

"She didn't want to buy it but we made her try it on and it looked so good that she just had to get it." Emma explained excitedly.

"What's the matter? Do you not like it?" Kailey asked sounding self-conscious.

"No it looks fine." Ben said non-chalantly. He was trying hard not to sound angry because he new Kailey liked the suit. It wasn't even the suit that was making him angry; it did look good, really, really good. What was making him angry was that he wasn't the only one to notice, a group of guys their age who were playing beach volleyball a few yards away had also noticed and stopped to admire the site. He didn't like the thought of Kailey being ogled by a bunch of guys with overactive hormones. She on the other hand didn't even notice, it was one of the things he liked about her, that she wasn't aware of how pretty she was but right now he wished she were a little more modest.

"Are you sure you're okay, you keep staring at me."

"Oh, yeah, I ah, well I was just wondering if, won't you get cold?" Kailey gave him a queer look and then smiled, it's 97 degrees!

"Right, okay then I guess I am going to go build my sand castle." And with that he turned and walked away, not too far away though because he wanted to keep an eye on her. As she went to lie back down on her towel he silently kicked himself for liking that bathing suit so much.

Everyone was enjoying the relaxing day. Adam was watching his team like a caring father. He passed the time with a new book he was reading about pinpointing traits and linking them to a specific gene; Brennan, Jesse and Ben were busy adding sea shells and bottle cap decorations to their sand castles which were almost finished. Brennan had been happy that he found the perfect spot for his castle but he hadn't considered the fact that the tide was on its way in so he only had a bout an hour before his masterpiece would be washed out to sea. Shalimar, Kailey and Emma were still tanning however they had turned over. After about twenty minutes the girls were disturbed by a stray volleyball bouncing of Shalimar's back and landing in the sand beside Kailey's head. Kailey jumped up with a start as did Shalimar and Emma.

"Hey sorry about that." Said a boy about Ben's age as he came jogging over. "I hope it didn't hit you." He stopped a few feet from the girls and ran his hands through his sun bleached hair.

"No we're fine." Kailey smiled as she stood up to hand the ball back to the stranger. He didn't attempt to move closer so Kailey had to walk a couple of steps toward him so she could hand it back.

"Thanks." He replied taking the ball and tucking it under his arm. "I spend a lot of time at this beach and don't remember ever seeing you here before."

"Is it possible you just forgot? Lots of people come to this beach." Kailey smiled playfully.

"No, I think I'd remember you."

"Well actually I am new in town; this is my first visit to the beach."

"Well let me be the first to welcome you. My name is Chris." The boy said extending his free hand."

"Kailey." Kailey introduced herself and accepted his hand. Ben was working on the finishing touches of his sand castle when he spotted the exchange between Kailey and the stranger. He was trying hard to ignore it but he was fast losing his patience.

"What is your problem?" He silently scolded himself. "She's just taking!" But when this new guy reached over to brush sand off of Kailey's arm that was the last straw, Ben decided it was time he go introduce himself to Kailey's new friend. Mean while Shalimar and Emma were getting a kick out of watching Ben watch Kailey.

"Look at his face." Shalimar whispered to Emma.

"Yeah, he couldn't be more jealous if he tried." Emma giggled as she watched Ben become more and more frustrated, finally he got up and headed toward the duo that were busy talking.

"You know I don't think she has any idea that that kid is seriously flirting with her." Shalimar whispered.

"But it's obvious that Ben's aware."

Ben walked over to where Kailey was talking to Chris.

"So Kailey, who's your friend?" Ben tried to say as pleasantly as possible.

"Oh hey Ben, this is Chris he was telling me about how he is the captain of his school's volley ball team and about how they won state championships last year." Kailey replied gesturing towards Chris, who suddenly didn't look too happy to have potential competition around.

"Oh I see, he was trying to impress you with is athleticism is that it?" Ben said snidely.

"Excuse me?" Chris replied slightly offended.

"Is that your MO? Brag about how good a volleyball player you are, offer to take a girl on the tour of the beach and then you and your little buddies over there can take advantage of her." Ben was being accusatory now and he sounded very angry.

"Hey pal why don't you chill we were just taking."

"Don't give me that, I saw how you deliberately hit that ball over here so you could conveniently come get it and strike up a conversation. I know how your kind works."

"Look I don't need this." Chris stated angrily then turned to Kailey. "Maybe we can talk again sometime when your psycho body guard isn't around." Then he turned and left.

"Don't count on it, I'll always be around!" Ben yelled at his back as he walked away then he turned to face Kailey. "What a creep, don't worry you can thank me later for getting rid of him for you." Kailey was so shocked by Ben's outburst that she had remained speechless but now that she had a chance to talk she was furious.

"What is the matter with you!" She yelled. "First you can't stop doing things to annoy me around sanctuary and then to top it all off you won't even let me make any friends! What did I ever do to you to make to you act so hateful? I mean that was completely uncalled for, I never thought you could be that rude!"

"I was trying to protect you, that guy was a creep!"

"You never even meet him! Besides it's not up to you to protect me, I can take care of my self, I don't need a big brother any more!" and with that Kailey stomped off towards her towel leaving Ben looking genuinely hurt.

"I am going for a walk." Kailey told Shalimar, Adam and Emma who had witnessed the whole encounter, and she slipped on her sundress and sandals and headed off towards the wooded park area that surrounded the beach. Ben walked over to the others (Jesse and Brennan had come over when they heard the commotion) looking thoroughly depressed.

"What was that all about?" Jesse whispered to Emma in a confused tone.

"Ben got rid of a guy who was talking to Kailey and she didn't like it."

"Oh."

"Are you okay Ben?" Shalimar asked concerned as Ben flopped down on Kailey's recently vacant beach towel.

"Yeah I guess. I deserved what she said; I don't know what made me act like such a jerk to that guy it's just that the way he was talking to her made me so angry. I didn't expect her to get so mad."

"In all fairness I agree with you that that guy was a player and as for Kailey, she'll calm down eventually and then you guys can work it out." Shalimar reassured him.

"I don't know. I've never seen her like that before. I am tired of us fighting and then having to work it out, we never use to fight before and I wish we could go back to that."

"I think maybe you should go after her and get this resolved." Brennan jumped in.

"No way, I am the last person she wants to talk to right now."

"I agree with Brennan, you should go after her and talk this out before it gets any worse." Adam said.

Ben sighed. "Okay," he said and got up and headed in the direction Kailey had moments ago.

Once Ben was out of ear shoot Shalimar turned to Adam with a smirk.

"I so saw that coming."

"It's not funny Shal, Kailey was really mad at him." Emma said.

"Nah, Emma; fighting is what people who like each other do." Brennan shrugged and sat down by Shalimar. He was thinking back to all the little quarrels he and Shalimar have had.

"I don't know; that was pretty intense." Jesse said. Everyone just sat quietly for a moment.

"So who won the sand castle building contest anyway?" Shalimar asked looking over at the two remaining boys.

"Oh crap, my sand castle!" Brennan exclaimed. With all the commotion around him Brennan had completely forgotten about the impending tide and his nearly finished sand castle. He rushed off sown the beach followed by the others. When they got to where Brennan's castle was suppose to be, they came upon a blob of sand with a stick sticking out of the top with what looked like a leaf flag attached to it. The blob was getting smaller and smaller as wave after wave washed over it. Brennan was looking at his masterpiece as if he had just lost his puppy.

"Oh well, better luck next time." Shalimar smiled and patted Brennan's arm sympathetically. Jesse however was grinning widely.

"Well my sandcastle, which I ingeniously built above the tide line, is the only one that got finished so I guess that means I win. Don't worry though Brennan, I don't expect you to do my chores for me."

"Thanks man, that's nice of you."

"You and Ben can do them together being that he lost too." Everyone laughed, except Brennan who just shook his head at Jess.