I do not own EUReKA.
No Women Allowed
Chapter 2: Into the Wild
Jack woke early that morning; four am to be exact. The jeep had already been packed the night before and he had just finished pulling on his hiking boots when Allison stirred. Not wanting to wake her, he tiptoed across the room and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. Jack had told her that he and Kevin would be leaving just before dawn to get a jump start on the weekend. The only person he failed to inform of the early start was Kevin.
Jack headed down the hall to Kevin's room and instead of knocking on the door as he usually did, he burst in and at the top of his lungs yelled rise and shine to the very much zonked out teen. The resulting crash was as satisfying as Jack had expected as Kevin tumbled to the floor, still tangled in his bed sheets.
The look on the teens face was a mixture of confusion and contempt.
Kevin peered up at the clock on his nightstand, "Jack, it's four twenty in the morning."
"Uh, yeah I know." And before Kevin could batter him with a line a questioning, Jack ordered him up and told him to get ready to go.
"Go? Go where?"
"You and I, my friend, are going on a little adventure. Remember?"
"What?" Kevin managed to ask through the haze of sleep.
"We are heading up to the cabin for the weekend. Isn't that exciting?" he said sarcastically.
"You're kidding right?" When Jack didn't answer, the realization of the statement at last settled in. "Well, I think I'll pass."
Kevin climbed off the floor and plopped back onto the bed, turned his back to Jack, and pulled the covers over his head.
But Jack would not be ignored; not on this day. With one quick movement, he grabbed hold of the blanket and sheets, then whipped them from over top of him.
"Kevin, this is not a request. I expect you to be downstairs and ready to go in fifteen minutes."
And with that, Jack left out of the room, the sound of a groaning teen left in his wake.
Fifteen minutes later, as ordered, Kevin appeared from upstairs, backpack in hand. He looked positively perturbed by the fact he was going to be spending the entire weekend in the woods. No t.v., no video games, and to his horror, Jack had confiscated his cell phone. Storming past Jack with a pasted on smile, he appeared annoyed; he was not getting out of this weekend so he might as well get it over with.
Driving down the bypass road, Jack tried his best to draw Kevin into conversation but was met with staunch silence. Sunglasses covering his eyes, arms crossed in defiance, Jack decided he would give up momentarily. What would be the point of pushing the issue anyway? By the time they reached the cabin, he'd have so many more reasons to hate him.
Unbeknownst to Kevin, this weekend was not just about having the long overdue man to man talk. Unlike their last camping experience, Jack intended on teaching him how to pitch a tent, forage from the land, fish, and basically survive when placed in extreme situations. If Kevin thought they were spending the entire time inside the newly renovated, supply stocked cabin by the fireplace, he was throughly mistaken.
At last reaching their destination, Jack pulled the jeep in front of the cabin door and at once began giving Kevin directions.
Unload this. Carry this. Place this there. Put that here.
Kevin, to his credit did each task without complaint; that didn't mean he liked it though. The entire time, he'd done what Jack requested, he'd done so without uttering a word. And not until all his assignments were done did he finally speak up.
"So, what are we going do all weekend?"
"Well, it just so happens that I have a long list of chores here for us to complete."
"Chores? I thought you were going bring me up here to talk about the birds and bees."
"Yes, that's on our agenda, but I also thought this would be a good time to take care of a few other things."
"Like what?" Kevin asked, exasperated.
"First, we're going to spend tonight out in the woods."
"What! Why? We have a perfectly good cabin here."
Jack ignored him. "Then we're going to prep the cabin for the winter. And finally, we'll have that long overdue talk I know you're just dying to have."
Crestfallen, Kevin just lowered his head; a sure sign of defeat. Jack of course had the urge to give him a hug and tell him everything was going to be all right, but he pushed the feeling down. As much as he loved and cared for Kevin, this is what he needed right now. He didn't want to have to go through what he went through with Zöe. If only he had been more attentive to her, their relationship could have gone very differently as she was growing up. Then again, if things had gone differently, they may not have come to Eureka.
Out of his peripheral Jack watched his stepson as he went through the motions, a small smile on his own face. As much as he loved and adored his girls, he'd always wanted to have a boy to do things with. But he had to remember that he had a specific mission ahead. This weekend was not all about fun and games. And that night, they left off to the business of getting Kevin back on the strait and narrow path.
But before they left out, Jack had Kevin pack some required items. Maps and a compass in case they got lost along the way. Towel, washcloth and toiletries for their morning bath in a nearby creek. Flashlights just in case the moon decided to hide that night. A camping stove to include matches for cooking their freshly caught dinner. Tin dishes, cups and utensils which had been handed down to Jack from his own father. A gallon of clean water and some rations in case the fishing was a bust. And two items of which Jack refused to leave the cabin without; a first aid kit and toilet paper; two-ply.
Two miles into the woods, they stopped on an acre of land which was still within the boundaries of Eureka, but allowed them all the requirements of a prime camping ground. The first step in Jack's plan was to have Kevin perform some manual labor. Sure Kevin liked to skateboard and ride his bike, but the most exercise he ever engaged in was of the mental variety.
Jack's lesson number one was protection from the elements. So he had Kevin lay down a tarp to create a barrier from any pebbles, sticks and mud. Then with mallet and stakes in hand, he had Kevin pitch his very first tent. Next came the sleeping bags. Two all weather versions which could transition from the heat of the summer, to the cold of the winter; courtesy of GD.
Finally, Jack had him set up the rest of the campground with the necessary essentials. These included setting up a ring of rocks to contain the fire, gathering firewood, kindle, leaves and pine straw to help balance the surface area. Then the last step, creating a fire control plan. Above all, Jack wanted to make sure they did things safely.
Because Jack wanted to make this event fun as well as a learning experience, he brought, without Kevin's knowledge paintball supplies. Jack wasn't a hunter, per se, but he did enjoy games of elimination. He figured it all related back to his Marshall training. And when he presented Kevin with the brilliant idea, he spoke a complete sentence for the first time in hours.
"Jack, why are we even doing this? C'mon, I'll admit I was wrong for what I did, okay. Can we just go back to the cabin and spend the rest of the weekend there? Or better yet, you can tell mom we did everything you promised we'd do, hang for the night and go home in the morning."
Kevin flashed a hopeful grin, but Jack would have none of it.
"See Kevin, just your suggesting that we lie to your mother is part of the problem. What you did was not only wrong, it was disrespectful to your sister, to us and to our home. It was foolish of you to think that you were ready for a sexual relationship. And to top it off, the way you spoke to your mother was unacceptable. Even the way you're behaving now proves to us just how immature you still are."
Kevin began to refute his statement, but wisely thought better of it. He figured he'd just have to suffer through this Saturday and Sunday. He'd pretend to listen, say the obligatory yeses, I understand's, and I'm sorries. Anything to get his parents off his back. Hell, he knew exactly what he was doing and in the end, he'd prove to them that the teenager who stood in front of them was ready to be treated like a man.