A/N: Hey guys! It's Angel! :) I'm finally writing again! This story is slight AU! I hope you love it! :)
Chapter One.
It was that time of year again. Everyone from the Xavier mansion was about to embark on a journey that would take them places completely unimaginable. It was the first week of the summer, and everyone was packing for their annual camping trip. Well, they were at least trying to. Not everything was going according to plan, but what more could be said for such a dysfunctional family? It wasn't out of the ordinary for a little chaos to be intertwined with their plans. It was the usual.
The sun was set to rise any minute now, and the kids were hurriedly getting ready to leave. Logan had demanded that each kid arrive outside at exactly 7:00 AM or else they would be left behind. More than a few of them thought that it was a pretty great offer, but Wolverine promised to punish anyone who stayed home. That's right, Danger Room sessions every day for the month of July if someone came outside at 7:01. He didn't play.
It was 6:55 and the kids were throwing their stuff into the back of 15 passenger van while Logan was counting heads. He saw most of them. Kitty, Kurt, Evan, Sam, Ray, Amara, Bobby, Scott, Rogue, Rahne, Roberto, and Jubilee. That made twelve and there were supposed to be fourteen. Jean was on a mission with Professor Xavier and that was a viable excuse to not make it, but where was Jamie?
Wolverine glanced down at his watch, two minutes till. "He's not gonna make it," Logan thought to himself, heading toward the back of the van to make sure everyone had efficiently placed their things in the trunk. Once he checked, he slammed the door shut, walking toward the driver's side door of their vehicle, looking down at his watch again. 30 seconds. 29, 28…
"Wait!" Jamie exclaimed from the doorstep of the mansion, racing toward the older man. "I'm coming! I'm coming! Don't leave me, please!" Multiple ran toward the other side of the van, not even bothering to put his things in the trunk. He jumped into the back seat, tossing his backpack on the floorboard, and informing the entire team that he'd made it in time.
Logan smirked to himself as he got behind the wheel, relieved that no one had kept him waiting. He put the vehicle into reverse and pulled out of the driveway, unaware that he was heading for the adventure of a lifetime.
Three hours later.
It was then that they found themselves in the middle of an abandoned campground. Apparently the site had been unused for a couple of decades, but how was Wolverine supposed to know that? The kids had been complaining about going to the "same old place every single year," so Logan had decided to revisit a place from his past. He used to spend weeks at this campground back in the early nineties and he never imagined it closing down.
"Well, I guess we're going to have more of a nature experience than I thought," Ray commented, as they pulled into the vacant lot where people would formerly park.
"Aren't campsites supposed to have, like, other campers?" Kitty added, noticing the lack of human activity.
"I have to pee," Sam informed them, unbuckling his seatbelt.
"Not until I do, man," Bobby said, already heading for the door.
"Are we at the right place?" Jamie asked, staring out his window.
"Everyone wait," Logan said, scanning the area as he put the car in park. He wasn't sure if this place would be considered safe. There were trees where people used to pitch their tents and the area that used to have picnic tables left no trace of what used to be. Nothing was recognizable.
"Stay here," Wolverine said, as he opened his door slowly. He wanted to investigate. As long as everything looked to be safe, there would be no reason why they couldn't stay. It seemed to be public property and the kids could use the adventure. They needed to really rough it for a while, it would toughen them up. No more porta-potties and water spouts, they'd have to create their own bathrooms and purify their own water. These survival skills were necessary.
Logan motioned for Scott to lock the van doors as he walked away from the group, taking a look around. If he were to guess, Wolverine would assume that this place hadn't been used in at least twenty years, and it had likely not been visited much since.
Bits of broken glass were scattered in the grass. They wouldn't be noticeable to a human, but Logan's eyesight was always working to his advantage. Upon sniffing the air, he didn't sense anything out of the ordinary. Trees, birds, plants, wildlife in general. Everything was as it should be.
Wolverine then returned to the van, motioning for everyone to exit. This would be the perfect place for them to camp. In years passed they would visit a popular NY campground, which would be filled with other campers and outdoor enthusiasts. Not this time. They were free to use their powers and be themselves, with the added bonus of learning basic survival skills. What could be better than that?
The kids collected their things and Logan briefed them on the new plan. He intended to lead them on a hike into the wilderness, aiding them in their search for a level, open space to put their tents. He instructed them on how to locate water sources and what to do in case of an animal attack. To his surprise, more of the children were concerned over not having bathrooms than they were over wild animal attacks. Go figure.
It took nearly 45 minutes to find the perfect spot for their tents. It was a small, open space between the trees, overlooking the edge of a cliff. A mixture of dirt and grass occupied the ground where the mutants laid their things, but they no longer cared. Both exhaustion and mosquitoes had overtaken them.
The sound of cascading water could be heard in the distance, though it was no distraction from the resonance of the birds chirping overhead. The trees provided spaces of shade throughout the forest, though the sun still found its way through, beams of light reaching the ground. That same light reflected off of each plant, causing them to glow radiantly in the most eye-catching display. It was beautiful.
Once everyone had set up their tents, Logan decided that it was time to get down to business. They had a lot to do before they could get to their usual camping-trip festivities.
"Well," Wolverine said, beginning to pace back and forth in front of his comrades. "I know this isn't what we had in mind for our usual 'vacation,' but I don't wanna hear any complaints. We're here now and we're staying. So here's the deal: I'm sending Scott along with Evan, Sam, Kurt, Jamie, and Roberto to go find some water. Meanwhile, I want Ray, Kitty, Rahne, and Bobby to go find firewood. Rogue, Amara, and Jubilee can stay here and help me set up our defenses against animals."
Logan reached into a back pack, pulling out a few communication devices. "Scott, you're the leader of team Alpha." Wolverine tossed him a communicator.
"I thought we were supposed to leave these at home," Scott argued. Every year, this camping trip was a break from all of the X-Men stuff. It was intended to be a way to have fun. Professor Xavier had always requested that they leave their uniforms and communicators at home so that they could just enjoy being kids. If there was an emergency, Professor X would find a way to reach them. In all honesty, Scott appreciated the time off, and he didn't really want to turn this into anything more than a vacation.
"We are," Wolverine said, his tone low, sounding slightly annoyed as it coincided with more of a growl. "But I had a feeling we would be needing them and we do. The last thing I need is for one of you kids to get lost somewhere in the woods, where I'd have to come lookin' for ya. At least this way we have assurance. Everyone will be safe and if you need me, I'm just one call away."
"Isn't that, like, exactly the solution to our problems though? We don't need communication devices. We have cell phones," Kitty chimed in.
"You would think so Half Pint, but you're sadly mistaken. In case you haven't noticed, we don't get cell reception here. It's better this way." Logan tossed a communicator to Ray. "Berzerker, I'm putting you in charge of team Beta."
"I think I should be in charge of team Beta," Bobby insisted, stepping away from the tree he'd been leaning against. "I'm more of a leader and I've had more experience finding firewood."
"No," Wolverine replied plainly, before turning his attention to Rogue, Amara, and Jubilee. "Lastly, I'll be the leader of team Gamma." He held up his communicator. "We're going to set up camp and be on call in case any of the other teams need us."
"But our tents are already up." Jubilee gestured to the few tents that they'd put together only moments ago.
"Yeah, but we have to secure our food and stuff from bears, right?" Sam reminded her.
"Exactly," Wolverine responded, proud that Cannonball already knew a bit about this form of survival. "Now, remember where we are. This is where animal's live; respect their territory. When you walk, make lots of noise so that they'll know you're here. Stay away from snakes and look out for bear tracks. If you see an animal, don't run. Use your powers if you have to and be safe."
"Fine," the kids replied in unison, sounding less than enthusiastic about their change of plans. Everyone would've preferred an actual campsite.
A couple of minutes later they dispersed, two of the teams heading in opposite directions while the other one stayed put. Logan could already tell that this was going to be the most difficult camping trip yet; he had no idea how much harder it was about to get.
