Caleb smiled charmingly at Emily as he casually rowed the boat, catching her admiring looks which she failed to keep discreet. It wasn't Emily's fault, any other boy wouldn't have caught the subtle way her eyes trailed towards his tanned arms and the way she kept licking her lips subconsciously each time his eyes met hers; however, Caleb had been around his Father long enough to spot a women's affection, lord knows the women of Trinity found all sorts of ways to show theirs to Lucas!

Caleb was far beyond being naïve when it came to the opposite sex, he had figured out a long time ago what his Father saw in Gail and had witnessed her return his desires both subtly and brazenly. In a way he was happy that his parents didn't hide their true affections from him, it showed they didn't perceive him as a child and they trusted him enough to understand that those types of affections were not for him just yet.

Although he had no desire to throw away his teenage years for some adult fun, he was no stranger to female attention even at his age and he'd be lying to himself if he said that he didn't like it. Caleb was content with his girlfriend Rose; however, she had started to demand more open feelings from him and much like his Father, he wasn't a slave to love and all that absurdity. Still, the female touch was something he enjoyed immensely and he wondered how Emily would differ from Rose in that regard.

'Yuk' Gail Jr said dryly, reading her Brothers thoughts while he was distracted and pulled her tongue at him defiantly when he shot her a look of warning.

'Your great with her, my Brothers would be like monkeys without my parent's around and wouldn't do a thing I said' Emily said softly, impressed with how well behaved the children were.

Luke glanced up momentarily from his position at the back with Izzy, checking to ensure the older girl wasn't paying them too much attention, then spotted a look of mischief in his Sisters eyes and reached for her before she could interfere with Caleb. 'Now' he ordered when his Sister shook her head at him, then smiled when she resigned and crawled towards him.

'Someone's great with her, not always me' Caleb responded to Emily, shooting Luke an appreciative wink for reigning in their Sister before she started.

Emily shifted closer to Caleb carefully, trying to push down her unease at the unsteady boat they were in, then smiled when Caleb gripped her wrist strongly to steady her. 'Why do this? It's not as though you have a borin' life with a Sheriff and Reporter as your parent's' she asked, curious as to what Caleb hoped to accomplish from this activity.

Caleb glanced at his siblings as he continued rowing, sensing their excitement at sneaking away from their parents, then gave off a mischievous smile. 'Whatever type of life I get to lead, those lot are more heavily restricted...I guess I like makin' them smile without the threat of consequence'

'You don't think there'll be any consequences when your parent's find out how far we've gotten without their authority?' Emily asked in disbelief, knowing her own Father would likely want to kill her.

'Nah-' he shook his head confidently, and turned his attention fully towards her. '-My Daddy's a big fan of lessons, you kill someone there ain't nothin' left to teach them'

'And Gail?' Emily asked.

'She's more volatile, but my Daddy knows how to handle her...hell, I'm sure he actually enjoys bein' punished on our behalf' Caleb smiled devilishly, amused by Emily's confusion over the comment.

'Cal, look!' Luke exclaimed, spotting a small child further down the stream.

Caleb turned his attention back to the direction they were heading and narrowed his eyes at the small speck of a child up ahead.

Emily felt the boat slowing as Caleb eased up his pace and she placed her hand on his wrist gently. 'Keep goin', that ain't anythin' to do with us and nothin' good can come of stoppin'' she warned, suddenly feeling a knot in her stomach.

Caleb sensed her unease and suspected she was right; however, something was causing his darkness to stir and he didn't usually ignore it.

Luke saw a devilish grin cross over his Sisters lips and sensed Caleb's darkness stir. He himself felt a strong sensation inside of him begin to rise, he recognised the feeling from when his Mother had her strange turn a few years earlier and wanted to see where it lead. 'Could be hurt' he offered, knowing Caleb was trying to think of a way not to brush off his friends suggestion so blatantly.

'Yes!' Caleb exclaimed, not believing he hadn't thought of that and stroked Emily's arm tenderly. 'Look, they're all alone. We can't just leave a child out in the middle of nowhere to fend for themselves, surely your Daddy would agree we have to look out for each other'

Gail Jr rolled her eyes at her Brothers false sincerity and shook her head when she sensed the older girl resigning to his charm. There was obviously something off about this situation and alarm bells should be ringing for anyone with an ounce of sense. Still, Gail Jr was as eager as her Brothers to find out what fun could be had here and it appeared the other two girls in the boat wouldn't be putting up any resistance.

Emily felt a surge of electricity flow through her when Caleb's soft fingers trailed down her skin and she was instantly lost in his eyes. 'Alright, whatever you want' she agreed quietly, all intelligent thought leaving her and feeling the urge to follow him anywhere.

Caleb smiled proudly, happy that he had put one of his Fathers teachings to the test successfully and steered the boat in the direction of the child. When they reached land, he noticed the child had backed up away from them and his darkness was instantly on guard. 'No need to be scared, we're gonna come out and help you' he advised in a soothing tone as he excited the boat.

Luke climbed out of the boat and helped his Sister down, the other two girls had chosen to stay where they were as though the boat was some sort of safe haven; however, Gail Jr was no damsel in distress and she was just as excited as he was to see what was going on.

When the child ran further back towards the tall grass, Caleb stepped in front of his siblings sensing they were ready to give chase. 'Calm now, we ain't that dumb. You think Dad or Mom would rush into the unknown without surveyin' their surroundin's first?' he asked them, remembering how his Father had taught him to master a territory before making any progressions into the potential unknown.

Luke looked up at his Brother in awe, it wasn't often he got to be a part of a hunt with him and he was eager to be of assistance rather than a hindrance.

Gail Jr wanted to leave the cautious boy's behind and go have her own fun; however, when she had her alone time with her Mother she had drilled into her the strength they had in numbers. Her Brothers were smart and if they were both choosing to be cautious it must be the right thing to do, that didn't make it any less disappointing though.

'You think I'd have us out here if I thought it'd be disappointin'?' Caleb knelt down and whispered quietly to his Sister, then shot Luke a wink.

'You're a smart boy to wanna get the lay of the land before hurryin' in. Where are those parent's you mentioned?' A skinny man in faded denim dungaree's asked, stepping out from the tall grass with a stern hand on the young child's shoulders and smiling eagerly, not believing the catch they had stumbled across.

Gail stirred against Lucas's chest then sat up abruptly, nearly knocking his glass of whiskey out of his hand. A shadow of threat had engulfed her and she felt a sudden need to locate her children.

'Lay back now Love, you're gonna give the other parent's a heart attack' Lucas advised quietly and pulled her back down, wanting her to settle before the other drunken members of their group spotted how tense she was.

Gail was buzzed by the alcohol so she lay back obediently without argument; however, her senses were sharp and she took in a deep breath before releasing her darkness to find her children.

'You will stop' Lucas ordered discreetly, the alcohol stripping away his usual patience with her defiance and his hand tightened around her body to keep her still.

Gail felt his control of her strengthen and she looked up at him confused. 'Lucas, the childre-' she started, unable to shake off her concern.

'-Are more than capable of takin' care of themselves' Lucas injected dominantly, then he softened slightly as he sensed her worry and stroked her cheek tenderly. 'Trust me Love, they need to blow off some steam as much as we do' he whispered, placing a soft kiss on her forehead and releasing his grip on her slightly.

Gail stared at him in disbelief for a moment, then realised Lucas would be the first one gone if there was a real threat to their children and gave herself a mental shake.

'Atta girl, let's release the reins for a little while and who knows what lesson's will be learned' Lucas advised amused, taking a long sip of his whiskey before handing it to Gail, knowing she'd need it to enable her to ignore her instincts.

-To be continued-