Mel, Danric, Nee, Bran, Savona, Tamara, Trishe, Derric, Flauvic, Renna

AN: Hey, you guys! This is another one of my 3 AM creations, so expect a little weirdness. I got the inspiration from a LOTR fic I saw by the same name. Ok, so, everyone had been camping. I have even been on a Backpacking- Trip from Hell *Details available on request* But what would happen if we sent all of the CC/D characters on a camping trip? I can picture it now: Danric wanting the entire group to go on some 11 mile hike that afternoon *Implying it will only take them an afternoon at the pace he's going at* Tamara's complaining that her clothes were wrinkled in the car; Mel trying to climb her first pine tree; Bran trying and failing to cook over a camp fire... But now I've given it all away! Well, not All *Evil grin* Read and find out! Oh, and just because that's the only really good camping place I know of, it will be assumed for my sake that they are going to some random camping cite in Rocky Mountain National Park, with a Lake, Waaaaaaaay at the end of one of those evil windy roads with hundreds of feet drops on either side of you... I love Colorado. Oh, and this is AU, so it is not set in Remalna, but modern day Colorado. Plus, Flauvic never carried out his evil plot, so while they (Mel and Danric, Nee and Bran) are all married, Flauvic is not a tree. I thought that Dayna and Liz might riot if I didn't have "Flauvie," so he is just generally disliked. But not a tree.

Mel's POV, Day 1

Who's idea was it to go on this stupid vacation, anyway?? Oh, right, mine... well...anyway... Let's begin with the trip up. Have you ever been on the school bus, and one of those annoying, perky, Lets-Be-Friends, morning people with too much caffeine in their system come and sit next to you and talk for the entire trip? *AN: Okay, just a little self-insertion there, but I couldn't help it!*

Well, picture yourself in a 69 Volkswagen Bus surrounded with perky morning people, except it cant really be considered morning. Instead, it's three AM, so we can "Beat all the Traffic and Get a Good Camping Cite." Ha. Danric got us all up at one in the morning, just so he could see the sunrise with me over the lake we're staying at. He told me. He can be soooo cute and romantic when he wants to! *AN: ^sigh^* But alas, while his intentions were good, without my beloved Starbucks, I am a zombie in the morning *That is SO true!!*

I am also not a person who enjoys being stuck in an ancient car with eight other people you really love *No, REALLY* along with: enough luggage to supply a small army for months, courtesy of Tamara; fluffy blankets that, while really comfy, also take up lots of room from Nee; the sweet sweet *REALLY SARCASTIC* Perfume of Bran's feet wafting around the small vehicle, and Danric and Savona singing "The.... Wheels on the bus go ROUND AND ROUND" in the front seat. Doesn't it sound like fun? *Again with the sarcasm*

But, I have too admit, the sunrise was beautiful, and having Danric's arm around my waist made it all the better. Unfortunately, we did not have much time. After only five minuets spent together on the shore of the lake, I heard the unmistakable shawack that meant that Savona had, once again, tried to untie his canoe and my kayak from the top of the car alone. Last time he snapped one of my best paddles! For Christmas this year, I thought, I'm getting him an INFLATIBLE raft!! Let's see him break That! I had a sudden mental image of Savona attempting to use an electric inflator and getting someone's shoe stuck in it. Then, another vision of him sitting in the car the entire trip, red-faced, trying to blow it up by human lung- power. I regretfully untangled myself from Vidanric's fleece vest and went to assure myself I would be able to go kayaking this trip.

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When I got to the camp cite, it was a disaster. Savona had, indeed, tried to get the boats off the roof by himself, nearly squashing several fluffy woodland creatures in the process. I helped him right the boats, and set him on his way unpacking the car.

After not much looking, I found Bran about twenty feet from the car, trying viliantly to cook eggs on a rather poorly made campfire that was destined to go out any second, as well as blow smoke in to the tents. Ah, my brother. Always thinking of his stomach first, his wife later, for sitting next to him was Nee, scrubbing his used dishes like her life depended on it. I rolled my eyes, and helped my sister-in-law out. After the dishes were washed, (which took a good deal longer than I had anticipated, as Bran kept making more dishes for us to clean at an exponential rate), I did my sibling duty and helped him with the camp fire. I moved the fire about 10 feet closer to the car, ensuring that no sparks were about to get caught on fire on our tents, and that Bran was not about to torch the trees. I then set him on the right track with cooking breakfast.

After that little jaunt, went to see how Vidanric was doing with the tents, and found him coming along swimmingly. At least ONE person here besides my self knows what there doing! I thought. Highest on my list of worries was that we did not have enough room for everyone.

We had four person tent for Trishe, Renna, and Tamara; Tamara's bags themselves needing enough room for another person entirely. Being bored on the way up, Renna had apparently made a large, magic marker and construction paper sign that said "Girl's Tent" in big, bold letters with flowers and butterflies to put above the door of their tent. Then we had another four person tent for Savona, Derric, and Flauvic, complete with yet another construction paper creation with puppy dogs and footballs. It was a shock to all of us when Flauvic had decided to come on this our annual vacation, but as he had not said a word this entire trip, we had almost forgotten him. A quick scan of the camp cite showed he was nowhere nearby... What could he be up to? But, in addition to the two four-people tents, Danric and I had managed to score two two-people tents for the remaining four: Me and Danric, and Bran and Nee. We being the only two married couples, it was decided that we would be the ones to get our own tents.

After helping Vidanric finish setting up the last few poles in the tents, I noticed it was lunch time, so I headed over to see how Bran was doing.

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Only my brother could make a sandwich out of SPAM, eggs, and Tabasco sauce.

"I thought it was ketchup, I swear!!" Was Bran's only appeal. Looks like I would be hungry 'till dinner. Of course, Bran's insatiable stomach only took this with the "More Food for Me!" attitude Nee had not yet fixed him of. And, strangely, Savona also seemed to be enjoying the Spam-n-Eggs creation. Except... I don't think he was acting himself... After three sandwiches, he began asking Bran when his sister would be arriving from Tlanth, and whether or not he intended to ask Lady Nimiar to dance at the ball next week... No more Tabasco sauce for him!

Vidanric, though, seemed to be trying to tolerate it. Everyone else watched in amassment as he took courtly nibbles at the squished wonder bread soaked in Tabasco. Of course, I saw him discreetly toss his sandwich to the squirrels behind him when nobody was looking. Always the diplomat, my Danric. I watched further, only to see that the squirrels had abandoned the sandwich without taking a single bite. Smart squirrels.

Lunch, or rather the-break-in-our-packing-called-such-because-there-was- nothing-edible being over with, I returned to helping people at whatever it was. Now that the tents were set up, someone had to stop Tamara from unpacking. Her mother (Maid in Remalna, but mom seemed to fit best here) had done such a good job packing, her supply of clothes managed to fit in to only two duffel bags, a backpack, and a roller suitcase. She had had lots of practice. However, if it was taken out of the carefully arranged packing job, we ran the threat that we would never get them all in again, as we did last year. We had ended up going home with a pair of jeans, two t- shirts and a pair of shoes in everyone's lap. I wont do THAT again! So it had been agreed opon that Tamara would only unpack three outfits at once, but, of course, left it up to Me to tell her so. And so Off I went! However, she did not take it well. I left her storming at Derric, and went off to get bait for fishing tomorrow.

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Three hours later, I stormed in to a now-dark camp carrying half a bucket of worms and a container of Salmon Eggs. "I. Will. Never. Agree. To. Do. That. Again."

Then, I decided that the man at the bait shop had to die. "I'll show you...*Gr* charge me 10$ for half a bucket of worms...*Gr* Tell me that I don't know what I'm doing... *Gr*" And I continued on like that. I wonder if Flauvic will help me, I though. I'm sure he would have no aversion to it...

There is a healing power in friendship. When I walked in to the campsite, I found it deserted, so I walked toward a light on the beach...

It was a Kodak Moment. Danric, Savona, and Derric had all made an roaring bonfire, plus logs around it to sit on, and everyone was roasting marshmallows. My heart melted at the very scene. Vidanric looked up, and I saw that, in doing that, his perfectly toasty marshmallow had burst in to flame. Unfortunately, it took him a full forty-five seconds to notice it, after which the end of his nose had been smoked black. I laughed along with the rest of us, and sat on his lap to wipe off the blackening. Also alike the rest of us, I did not notice that Flauvic was absent from our s'more making... But I doubt I would have noticed, after a day like that... *AN: Sigh*

AN: I love group fluffy scenes. *Sigh again* They're just so much fun to wright. Ok, so I intend this to be a day-by-day dialogue, so as they are there for 10 days, there will be ten chapters. I like it, and it was also fun to wright. But it might take a while... My CastleTlanth emails are taking up all my time... Plus I have my Sherlock Holmes fic. But that's no reason to neglect YOU guys... =) So I'll update as soon as I can, I'm thinking around Friday... My algebra class will now be devoted to fanfic! Whoo! But anyway, you guys know the drill. So review, or I'll send you the Infamous Severed Turtle Heads in Bed! *I just couldn't hurt Danric's favorite animal...=)* Mwa ha ha ha ha! Oh, and why do they say "Read and Review?" I mean, It's at the end of the fic, so you would assume that they have already read it... Hmmm... Just review, and I will be happy. Ciao! *Or Tchao, as my evil French teacher says*