"Okay...Pull!" Batista called over the yellow canvas. He felt a tug from the other side, and the dome fell upright. He planted the two stakes firmly into the ground, then stepped back and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm.

Victoria came around the tent and stood next to Dave. "Looks good," she said, setting her hand on her hip.

Batista looked over at her. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and the end was slung through the back of a baseball cap. She wore khaki knee-length shorts, a white T-shirt, and a short-sleeve flannel jacket. She was equipped with the knee-high golden hiking boots. Dave smiled. She truly looked beautiful.

"Yupp," he replied, placing his hand around her. She settled into his side, but soon pulled away and stepped inside of the tent. "Uhhhh, Dave?" she questioned.

"Uhhhh, what?" Dave returned.

"How are you going to fit in here with me and the kids?" she asked.

Dave poked his head inside of the flap door and looked around. "I'll manage," he said, then knelt close to her ear and whispered, "but my plan was to have me lay on top of you."

Victoria smacked him hard in the chest as he smirked. "You are disgusting!" she retorted playfully. "Especially with the kids sleeping in the same tent!"

"I was only kidding, babe," he replied, "We'll do it in the woods!"

Another slap was her reply. She stepped out and checked on the kids, who were playing in the dirt. Jamie now looked like a little brown mud monster, and Jessie looked like a hillbilly child who didn't ever know what a bath was. "Look at you two!" Victoria said, laughing, then turning back, she called, "Dave! Where's the showers?"

"The showers aren't here," he replied, "We have to bathe in the lake."

Victoria shook her head. "And what about the bathrooms?"

"There's outhouses," Dave returned, "or you can go behind the tent at night."

"When you said you were taking us camping, you really meant it," Victoria mused.

"You betcha," Batista said, emerging from the tent, "I thought the kids would thank me for not having to take a bath for a whole week."

Victoria was unamused. "That's alright," she said, retrieving the air mattress and the pump from the car, "as long as the're having fun."

"Exactly," Batista agreed, walking over to help Victoria with the mattress. They were almost done blowing it up when Jessie started screaming.

Victoria immediately dropped the pump and ran over to her screaming daughter. "Jessie, what's the matter?" she asked, bending downand putting her arm aroundthe two-year-old.

"Snake!" she wailed, crawiling onto her mother.

Jamie emerged from the bushes, carrying a green snake. He quickly brought it over to his mother. "Can we keep him, Ma?" he asked, holding his snake-entwined hands out.

Victoria gazed down at the little snake. His big eyes looked up at her, and his little tongue darted out then back in quickly. He was so cute! "We can'tkeep him, Jamie," she said, "but you can play with him and name him if you want."

By this time, Batista was walking over to them, and asked, "What's up, guys?"

Jamie responded by holding the snake out in front of him, and Batista fell back, yelling. Victoria, Jamie, and Jessie started laughing hysterically. "Dad's afraid of snakes!"Jamie cried.

"Am not!" Dave replied, brushing the dirt off of his clothes, "I just didn't know what you had in your hands, that's all."

Jamie laughed and held the snake back out toward Batista. He yelped and turned stepped backa few feet. Jamie howled with laughter, fallin over on his side. Victoria took the snake in her hands and held them out for Jessie. "He won't hurt you, honey," she said softly, "why don't you pet him?"

Jessie reached her chubby hands out and lightly stroked the top of the snake's head. His tongue came out quickly, and he held his head up to see who was petting him. He nestled back into Victoria's soft hands and he seemed to be smiling at the attention. She giggled and asked, "Can I hold him now, Mommy?"

Vicki passed the snake to her daughter, who held him like a precious set of porcelain. He began to slither up the length of her little arm, and he wrapped himself around the back of her neck. She squealed when he lifted his head and tickled her ear with his flitting tongue. He nuzzled on her shoulder, and remained there.

Jessie turned to her mother. "I want to keep him too!" she said, petting his tiny head.

Victoria shook her head. "We can't keep him, honey," she said, "because he lives out here in the woods. Would you like it if someone came and took you out of your house?"

Jessie shook her head. "Nu-uh," she replied, still petting his head.

"Why don't you name the ugly thing?"Dave chimed in.

"Yeah!" Jamie cried. "Let's name him Green Lantern!"

"No!" Jessie said. "Let's name him Snakey!"

They continued to argue until Dave said, "How about you name him Sprite?"

They turned their heads at him and smiled. Dave took that as an agreement. "'Sprite' it is!" he called. He looked up at the sky and announced, "It's going to get dark soon. We should give these two a bath in the lake."

Victoria looked up and stared at the position of the sun, then stood up. "You're right. Let'sgo," she said, going into the tent to get the soap and change of clothes. They walked down to the lake and Dave and Vicki put Jamie and Jessie in the water. They rinsed the dirt off of their skin, and lathered them with the shampoo. Soon, the children were all finished, and they dried them off and took them back to the tent. There, they changed them into their pajamas just as the sun went down.

With the kids asleep, Dave and Victoria sat around the small fire that they had built. They sat in silence, just watching the flames dance in the darkness of the night. "Lisa?"Dave asked, extremely quiet.

"Hm?" she returned.

"Are you happier without Steven...and happier with me?" he questioned.

Lisalooked at him like he was crazy. "What kind of a bone-headquestion was that?" she retorted, thacking the side of his head.

Dave shook it off. "Seriously," hecontinued.

"Of course I am, Dave," she replied, "You're the perfect man for me."

She leaned in and kissed him, and he kissedher back.Then, in each others' arms, they sat, watching the moon take over her realm, the stars dancingabout the sky.

I don't really know what to say...but, anyways, review if you read! Thanks!