AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Many thanks to my loyal supporters:

Fanfiction.79 and Bella Lilac – Thank you for the wonderful compliments on my writing; it means a lot!

Gillian Kearney Fan – thanks for your ongoing support.

BluePeacocke – Thank you for loving my story and again for the camping idea.

Fanficforyou and SammyFranks – Glad you're both enjoying and thank you!

Thank you wonderful readers also!

Anon:Thank you for the compliment and I will keep your idea in mind and see if I can think up a story, but I can't make any guarantee.


Chapter 29 – Dinner and stories

Heath shifted from the ground to toss another stick on the fire, resulting in a sizzling crack as the wood burned in the hot flames. Casey let out a giggle as he watched the sparks flick into the air from the fire.

"What?" Brax asked softly, letting his warm breath pass through Casey's ear.

Casey shook his head not saying anything to his brother as his soft hair rubbed against Brax's chin. Brax squeezed his brother tight and smiled, just feeling happy with the comfort of his brothers.

Casey shifted on Brax's knees so he was slightly turned to be able to look at his big brother.

"I love you," Casey whispered, showing his beaming smile to his big brother while resting his head on Brax's shoulder.

"I love you too, Champ."

Casey smiled, feeling a sense of warmth inside him. Casey shifted to turn towards Heath who was again mezmerized by the flames in from of him.

"Heath," Casey called; trying to get his brother's attention.

"What Case; you ain't putting that mushy stuff on me; no way," Heath replied proudly.

After a moments silence and after feeling Casey still had his eye on him, Heath turned around and in the split second in doing so, Casey leaned down from Brax's lap and kissed his brother on the cheek.

"Blech: why'd you do that for?" Heath exclaimed, rubbing his cheek.

Casey smiled cheekily at his brother and Brax snickered at Heath's reaction.

"It's just a kiss mate; it ain't gonna kill ya, besides Case is just telling you he loves ya," Brax said with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah alright fine," Heath grumbled, pushing himself up from the ground into a squatting position.

"You know I love ya too," Brax teased.

Heath frowned at his older brother, faultering under the pressure of his two brother's expressions of emotion.

"Alright fine; I love you both too, now can we stop with the mushy stuff it's ruining the mood," Heath stated, trying to keep to his pride.

Brax shook his head and gave his brother a gentle shove, causing Heath to topple into the dirt.

"Oi, what's the big idea?" Heath exclaimed, pushing himself back up, only this time sitting back down to steady himself against his brother's attacks.

Casey was left giggling on his brother's lap but all the while never letting go of his grip on his big brother.

The three brothers went back to admiring the nature around them and quietly laughing and passing jokes until the sun had just about set, leaving the three boys with a faint skyline and the burning orange flame of the fire.

Brax shifted on the log, becoming restless and stretched his legs out.

"I think it's about time we had us some dinner, ay boys?" Brax asked.

Casey and Heath perked up to the mention of food and sat to attention from their once slouched bodies.

"Who's up for some snags then?" Brax suggested.

"Me!" Casey shouted, jumping off Brax's lap and raising his hand excitedly in the air.

Brax gave a laugh and stood up walking over to the esky of food; his legs feeling stiff from sitting in the same position with Casey on his lap for so long.

"What no baked beans? I thought that was classic camping food?" Heath joked, standing beside Brax as Brax pulled the sausages out of the esky.

Brax raised his eyebrow at Heath. "I can cook proper food thank you, besides I'm not being out here, no matter how open it may be, with you eatin' beans," Brax replied with a smirk.

Heath shrugged with a massive grin on his face. "Why?"

Brax shook his head.

"It's not that bad," Heath defended.

"That's what you think. I swear sometimes you don't need a blanket to make like a dutch oven," Brax replied.

Casey let out a laugh as he listened to his brothers.

"Hey, you pack quite a punch too sometimes," Heath joked to Casey, giving his brother a poke in the abdomen.

Casey shook his head with a laugh. "No I don't!" he defended.

Heath just nodded silently.

Brax scoffed, "Let's just get off the topic of gastric habits shall we. How many sausages did you want Heath?"

"He only says that cause he don't want us talking about if he lets one off; that'll get the fire roaring," Heath leaned down and whispered in Casey's ear.

Casey giggled, and Brax gave Heath an unimpressed look.

"Heath: how many?" Brax asked again, slightly irritated.

"You started it by talking about..."

"Heath!" Brax snapped.

Heath laughed at his brother's irritation.

"Alright, alright!" Heath surrendered.

"We'd like dinner tonight, Heath," Brax joked.

"How many you got? I'm starved!" Heath exclaimed. Brax shook his head.

"Eleven: so four for you and me, and three for Casey; you okay with three, Case?"

Casey nodded. "Yes thank you."

Brax cooked the sausages over the fire then handed them to his brothers on a paper plate, with some dry bread. The three brothers sat around the fire eating their sausage sandwiches. Casey was smiling happily and Heath was shoveling his down.

"Ey easy Heath, we don't want you to eat us all out," Brax laughed with a mouth full of food.

"What? I said I was starving," Heath said casually in his defense, at the same time giving Casey a bump and a wink.

"So what do we do tonight?" Heath asked, swallowing some of his food.

"Can we tell stories?" Casey asked eagerly spitting out some crumbs of bread.

"Sure, after we finish our dinner we can all sit around the fire and tell stories, so eat up boys," Brax replied, dusting his hands on his pants.

Heath shoved the last of his sandwich in his mouth and Casey chewed on his last bit.

Brax packed away the cooking pot and plates.

"Go and brush your teeth before we sit down, you too Heath. Here Case, here's a cup of water to use," Brax told, and handed Casey a small plastic cup.

"Just go behind those trees to spit," Brax pointed.

Although the trees weren't too far away, Casey wasn't so certain about going towards the dark alone. Casey slowly walked towards the trees and Heath followed.

"Not afraid of the dark are ya?" Heath joked.

"No!" Casey immediately tried to defend.

"I was waiting for you, in case you didn't want to go in the dark," Casey said.

Heath gave a laugh. "Good one Case. Let's get this done huh?"

Heath and Casey quickly brushed their teeth, sharing the cup of water to rinse their mouth and headed back to the campsite.

"You boys ready?" Brax asked.

"Yep!" Casey yelled excited.

"Okay, just let me do my teeth and we can start our stories."

Brax wandered away from the fire to clean his teeth and in the meantime Heath stood behind Casey with a wide smirk, as the young boy was daydreaming into the fire.

Heath stepped away and picked up a small stick that had a small lip on it. Chuckling to himself, Heath crept up to Casey and gently slipped the stick inside the back of Casey's shirt.

Heath stepped away quickly as he saw Casey give a reaction with a slight squirm. Heath watched as Casey reached his hands back to alleviate the itch on his back, but the stick was well positioned out of Casey's reach.

"Something wrong, Case?" Heath asked, trying his hardest to hold in his laugh.

Casey turned around with a worried frown. "I feel something on my back," Casey mumbled.

"Okay turn around and I'll have a look," Heath instructed.

Casey did so and Heath rested his hands on Casey's shoulders, pretending to inspect his brother's back all the while baring himself for his grand finale of his joke.

Heath gasped.

"What?" Casey shrieked in panic.

"Don't move Case, you have this huge bug on your shirt; it's this big," Heath explained and moved his hand in front of his brother, indicating with his open fingers; two inches appart, how large the bug was.

Casey's eyes widened and he let out a loud scream; running around, jumping, and screaming; attempting to get the 'bug' out.

"Casey I said don't move; wait he's going inside your shirt now!" Heath dramaticized.

Casey screamed louder and furiously jumped around trying to grab at his back. Brax by now had returned and looked at his brothers wondering what he'd missed.

"Get it out!" Casey whined.

Brax ran towards Casey and held him still.

"What's going on?" Brax asked while Casey fidgetted; wiggling his back.

"Get the bug out; get it out!" Casey screamed.

Brax looked around and down Casey's shirt but saw no bug, but in flapping Casey's shirt the stick fell out and dropped to the ground.

Brax looked confused and glanced over at Heath who was now bent over laughing hard to the extent of almost being in tears. Brax patted Casey's shoulder and gave Heath a glare.

"Heath!"

Casey turned to now see Heath laughing and he frowned. Brax picked up the stick and showed Casey.

"Here's you bug, otherwise known as Heath," Brax said.

Casey growled in frustration.

"You should have seen your face! You were shrieking over a little stick!" Heath laughed.

Casey raced up to Heath and grabbed onto him, letting his frustrations out but Heath could not stop laughing and Casey wrestling him had no affect what so ever.

"You weakling," Heath continued to laugh.

Casey grabbed some twigs and leaves off the ground and hurled them at Heath.

"Temper, temper; it was just a bit of fun Case," Heath laughed, now wiping a stray tear.

"Alright; joke's over. Let's all go sit down shall we?" Brax implied.

The three brothers sat together in front of the fire; their backs against a log. Casey was situated in the middle, resting his head on Brax's chest.

"You go first," Casey said, pointing to Brax.

"Okay." Brax wrapped his arm around Casey and squeezed Heath's shoulder.

Brax told an adventurous story of a young boy who found a valued piece of treasure and went in search for the missing piece and along the way he encountered some interesting creatures and people, to learn the missing piece was something the young boy already had; the feeling to believe in the unordinary and what was inside him.

Casey smiled up attentively at Brax's every word. When Brax finished Casey gave a yawn and stared up at Heath, "Your turn."

"What you got for us, mate? And don't make it anything with violence, horror or something scary, or I swear I'll give ya an ear full," Brax assured; giving a head nod to Heath.

Heath smirked; it was like Brax could read his mind.

"What does that leave me with?" Heath replied.

"Why not?" Casey asked.

Brax shook his head. "I do not want Casey waking up with nightmares."

"No I won't. I promise," Casey pleaded, looking up at Brax.

"Please Heath," Casey begged.

Heath shook his head and ran his hand over Casey's hair. "Nah, Brax is right Case."

Heath sighed and began, "Once upon a time someone went out one sunny day and lived a happy ending."

"Heath, that's not a story!" Casey complained.

"Geez Case, I'm no good at this imagining stuff like Brax," Heath explained.

"Please try Heath," Casey begged; giving Heath's arm a hug.

"When's it gonna be your turn to tell a story huh?" Heath laughed, tickling Casey's abdomen.

Casey squealed and moved away from Heath, closer to Brax and gave a shrug.

"After you tell one," Casey chimed.

"Humph, fine; it all started one late September night..." Heath started.

"Why September?" Casey was quick to interrupt, and Heath gave him a playful glare while Brax snickered.

"Because it did and it's my story. It was a late September night..." Heath went off on his story, not noticing Casey give a deep yawn and snuggling further against Brax's chest.

It didn't take long into Heath's story for Casey to drift off to sleep, flopping his head down on Brax's lap.

"And that's how the lions and buffalos came about as friends at the water hole," Heath finished.

Brax shook his head and snickered at Heath's made up story: he'd gone from unknown alien creatures, to forests and people then to lions and buffalo; nothing in the story made any sense it was just random things that came off the top of his head.

Heath turned and saw Casey fast asleep. "Aw what gives? He didn't fall asleep in your story."

Brax snickered, "That's 'cause I tell the best," Brax announced proudly, puffing his chest out slightly.

Heath scoffed, "I took all that effort in my brain to think that up," Heath said, pretending to be insulted.

"Got any left?" Brax joked with a laugh.

Heath thought for a moment then caught onto Brax's joke and his mouth went wide.

"Oi, tickets huh?" Heath replied.

Brax and Heath laughed and Casey stirred.

"Poor kid; he must have been so scared out in the river today," Heath said quieter.

Brax nodded, "He definitely is tired."

There was a brief pause before Heath spoke up again, "Is this what you had in mind for our brotherly bonding trip?" Heath said with a smirk.

It seemed the whole camping trip was one disastrous adventure after another. Brax shook his head, "'eh shut up."

Brax lightly shoved his younger brother on the arm, being mindful of Casey resting against him. Heath laughed loudly but quieted when he looked at his sleeping brother.

"Get to bed with ya," Brax said.

Heath stood up still laughing and hopped into his sleeping bag. Brax gently picked up Casey and placed him in his sleeping bag.

Casey stirred. "Go back to sleep Case," Brax whispered and covered his brother up before leaning over to put out the fire and proceeding to his own sleeping bag right next to Casey's.

Brax laid his hands behind his head, staring at the stars.

"Night Brax," Heath called softly.

Brax turned and smiled. "Night mate; glad you came along?" Brax questioned.

Heath smiled. "Yeah; it's been great. Thanks for bringing us Brax, even if I didn't want to," Heath acknowledged.

In the faint moonlight, Heath could see Brax respond with a small nod.

"Go to sleep mate. We'll be up early," Brax told Heath; knowing that they would be waking as soon as the sun rose; much to Heath's displeasure.

Brax turned over in his sleeping bag, facing his two younger brothers who were fast asleep. Brax took a quick reflection over the day's events; thankful that he had shared these moments with his brothers.

Brax smiled and closed his eyes to get some sleep before the next day came, in which they would be facing a new adventure of heading home.