A/N

Okay, so here's the first chapter of Camping and Drama: The Perfect Combination. Most of the main characters decide to go camping to try and take a break from the stress of Tulsa and the House of Night. Meanwhile, Shaunee and Erin are still fighting, Thanatos and Kalona may or may not have feelings for each other, Aphrodite is blackmailed into letting Stevie Rae dress her, Stark is forced to stay away from Zoey at all times, Stevie Rae gets caught in the middle of father/son drama, and someone reveals a dark secret. Some backround: Lenobia is left in charge of the Tulsa House of Night while they take a mini vacaction, and Kramisha is left in charge of the red fledglings in the tunnels. Now! Onto the story! But first a disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not own HON, it's fantastical characters (*cough* Rephaim *cough*), or anything else HON related. That all belongs to P.C. and Kristen Cast.

~Smiley

Chapter 1

Rephaim

"C'mon, Rephaim!" Stevie Rae said, dragging Rephaim by the hand further into the woods. "We gotta find more firewood so we can make a campfire!"

"Why must we find more wood when you and Shaunee can simply use your affinities to make the fire?" he asked.

"Because that's like cheatin'! We have make the fire the old fashioned way; it's more fun!" she insisted, leading him off the path. He didn't really mind though; he couldn't complain about spending some time alone with her. Even if it meant carrying an unnecessarily large load of wood back to the campsite, which was probably around a mile away right now.

"I still do not understand why we have to create a campfire anyway. We can see perfectly fine at night, and you do not need it to keep warm; vampyres do not get cold," Rephaim said, following her until she stopped by a tree that had recently fallen down.

"Okay, I know it's your first time camping, so you don't know that it's absolutely necessary to have a campfire when you're camping. But that's no reason to whine," she said, trying hard to sound disapproving.

But she had to try even harder to hold back a laugh when he sputtered and coughed and just looked all around offended. "I do not whine," he said when he finally regained control of himself and crossed his arms.

"You just did," she insisted.

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"No!"

"Then what did you call that?"

He thought for a second. "I call that wanting an explanation."

She rolled her eyes at him, slowly to make sure he saw. "It's whining when you say it like that."

"But—" he was cut off by her finger pressing against his lips.

"No buts. You'll have your 'explanation' when we get back. It's really a lot of fun. Trust me, it'll be worth it," she promised, beaming her sweetest smile up at him. Rephaim couldn't help but smile back as she took her silencing hand away.

He grabbed her hand again and tugged gently so she was pulled closer to him. With the other hand he cupped her face, leaning down and murmuring against her lips before kissing her, "If you say so."

When they broke apart, he breathlessly picked up an armful of branches not far from the tree. Stevie Rae broke some more of the thicker branches off the tree easily.

"So what do you do around a campfire anyway?" Rephaim asked, coming up to stand next to her while she loaded her arms with the firewood.

"You tell stories, play games, and roast marshmallows!" she answered excitedly. It could have been her tone or simply their imprint, but her obvious enthusiasm made him feel happier too. "It'll be fun, you'll see."

Rephaim laughed a little bit, thinking she must be out of her mind. "I think it will be a little bit… awkward with my father there," he said.

"Nah, I'm sure it'll be fun, even with him and Thanatos. Especially if we play Truth or Dare. Speaking of them, do you think they have a thing going on?" she asked.

"A thing?" he questioned, confused.

"Yeah, a thing. Like more than a Warrior's Oath between them."

"Like an imprint?" he asked, trying to decipher the code she was speaking in.

"Well, maybe not an imprint, but—"

"Wait, do you think they're mates?" he asked, a little worried. Father would have told me if he had started to develop feelings for the High Priestess, wouldn't he? Rephaim thought. I mean, I didn't tell him about Stevie Rae, but that didn't mean anything, did it? What if—

"Hey, calm down. No, I don't think they're mates. I was just wonderin' if he had mentioned anything. Don't freak out." Stevie Rae's voice washed over his thoughts, like water flowing over an out-of-control fire.

"He has not said anything to me," he said, staring at the ground.

"Hey, I'm sorry I asked. He would've told you if something was goin' on. Don't get upset," Stevie Rae said soothingly. She didn't need an imprint to know he was distressed by the thought. His face said it all.

"Stevie Rae, why would you ask? Do you really think there is something going on between them?" he asked.

"I'm just nosy, I guess. They haven't really hinted at it, but they do spend a heck of a lot of time together. Of course, that's probably just the new job/oath situation. But I do think Thanatos could be real good for him."

"Why would you say that?"

"I don't know. Thanatos can handle herself, and I think Kalona could learn a thing or two from her. She would just be good for him, even as just friends. You don't think so?"

"I suppose so…" he said, his voice trailing off.

"Rephaim, does that bother you?" she asked suddenly.

"Does what bother me, Stevie Rae?"

"Me sayin' she'd be good for him. That they've been spendin' a lot of time together. That Kalona is the new sword master at the House of Night and sworn to Thanatos. That he's livin' at the House of Night, and we're livin' in the tunnels. Does that bother you?"

"No, of course not. I get to see him all the time, and I am happy about that. Living with him would be… complicated. And I'm glad and proud that he's sworn to Thanatos. Why would it bother me that he and Thanatos are getting to know each other? She's probably just helping him get adjusted to his new job. Right?"

"Yeah, that's probably it. Rephaim, would you have a problem if your daddy did start to date someone, even if it's not Thanatos?"

"No, of course not! I want him to be happy."

"But…" she sensed the word.

He took a deeo breath. "But… I'm not really sure."

"Can I try to help?" she asked.

"With one of your babbling sessions? Please do."

"First, I don't babble."

"Denial," Rephaim faked coughed.

Stevie Rae sighed and continued, "Second, this reminds me of this boy I grew up with, Bobby. His mom died when he was little, and his daddy started datin' another woman when he was 'round ten. He wanted his daddy to be happy, but he really wanted him to be happy with his mama."

"So what happened?"

"Actually, his daddy ended up marryin' the other woman and Bobby was okay with that, but that's beside the point." She sighed. "Rephaim, my point is that I think you want, deep down inside, your daddy to—"

"Do not bother to say it, Stevie Rae. My mother died centuries ago. It is impossible for him to end up with her anyway."

"But you want him to?"

He nodded once, just slightly, but it was enough. "But I am being foolish."

"No, you're not. It's a normal thing to want, Rephaim."

"Not when my mother was raped by my father. Not when she's dead," Rephaim said, using a matter-of-fact tone to mask what he was really feeling.

"Rephaim—"

"No, Stevie Rae. Can we speak of this later? We are almost back to the campsite," Rephaim interrupted.

"Okay, if ya want. I don't wanna pry," Stevie Rae said, backing off the subject.

"You're not prying, Stevie Rae."

"Nah, I'm pretty sure I am. But as your High Priestess and your girlfriend, I wanna know if you're upset about something. I care about you, Rephaim. A lot. So if you ever wanna talk to someone 'bout this, or anything else, I'm here."

"Thank you, Stevie Rae. I'll remember that," Rephaim said, and he meant it.

"Good." Stevie Rae bumped him with her hip. "So are ya ready for the camping experience?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "As I'll ever be."

"Oh, c'mon. It'll be fun. Let's put the firewood over here." Rephaim followed her to a dry spot on the ground, dropping the wood. Then, quite randomly, Stevie Rae went up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

It was slow and gentle at first, but filled with all the love she had inside her, which was an over-whelming amount. Rephaim eagerly returned the kiss with the same amount of passion, his arms going around her waist. He drew her closer to him, and her arms went around his neck, her fingers playing with his hair. He didn't want the moment to end, but it all shattered with the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them.

A/N

Thx for reading! Please let me know what I could do to make my writing better and/or your thoughts on the story so far. Basically, please, please, PLEASE review!

~Smiley