Moonlight in the Everglades
By: maninblue88
Copyright Notice: This story features elements from the Nickelodeon sitcom "Nicky, Ricky, Dicky, and Dawn". Therefore, unless otherwise indicated via other copyright notices in other chapters, most of the characters and certain locations are the official property of Nickelodeon and other associated entities. No infringement is intended by my use of these elements for my story.
This story in its entirety is Rated "M" for some language and mature content, including 2 scenes of non-sexual nudity, frank discussions of sexuality among siblings, and implied sexuality in other scenes.
Author's Note: If you've read my other stories before, obviously I'm switching up my approach with this one by doing a more lighthearted and comedic story this time. I'm in no way knocking my crime and mystery stories that I've done up to now, but I just want to play around with different themes and genres for a bit. Please be kind in your reviews and feedback. As always, thank you all so much for taking the time to read this story!
Chapter 1: Ricky and His Riches
Get Sporty
Denver, Colorado
June 21
18-year-old Dawn Harper was busy unboxing and organizing pieces of newly arrived merchandise in the back room of her parents' popular Denver-based sporting goods store, Get Sporty. The pretty, blonde, and athletically built Dawn was dressed in a blue vest emblazoned with the store logo on the back with a plain white cotton T-shirt underneath along with a pair of well-worn faded blue jeans and her favorite pair of white Adidas running shoes. Her flowing blonde hair was kept in check by a hastily fashioned ponytail.
Dawn was the first-born and only girl in a set of coed quadruplets, and as such, she worked here with her fraternal quad brothers Nicky, Ricky, and Dicky. The Harper quads had just graduated from high school a week and a half earlier, with the studious Ricky and athletic Dawn both receiving high honors and scholarships.
Dawn had planned to study sports medicine at the University of Colorado in Boulder, while Ricky planned to attend the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia to study business. For now, though, all 4 siblings were working at Get Sporty with their parents, Tom and Anne Harper, though none of them minded, and their loving, supportive parents always appreciated the extra help.
Her thoughts and work were both very abruptly interrupted when she found herself startled as the back room's door essentially flew open. The short, blonde, and blue-eyed Ricky Harper hurried into the room clad in a Get Sporty work vest that looked nearly identical to Dawn's. He was clearly anxious and excited about something.
"Jesus, Ricky!" Dawn exclaimed before gesturing to the small tower of cardboard boxes just beside her, "I almost knocked over all this stuff! Do you know how much all this cost Mom and Dad?"
Catching his breath, Ricky held up his hands in regret. "I'm sorry," he replied, "But I have some great news! You know that stock I set up for the Get Sporty brand a few months ago?"
"Yeah," Dawn said as she removed a few bags of ping pong supplies from one of the boxes and set them on the shelf nearby, "You said it was doing pretty well."
"Well, my dear sister" Ricky replied, "That's an understatement. I just got a return check for Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand dollars!"
Dawn nearly dropped the last ping pong bag when she heard this and went over to Ricky, and looked over the certified check he held in his hand. "Whoa, Ricky" she said, "This is real!"
The two siblings embraced in a mutually excited hug. "I know!" Ricky said as the two began playfully jumping up and down while still locked in the embrace.
"Wait a minute," Dawn said as they broke the embrace a minute or so later, "What are Mom and Dad going to say about this?"
"Even more so," Ricky added, "What about Nicky and Dicky?"
Get Sporty closed for the day an hour and a half later. The short, brown-haired Dicky Harper and his dark-haired brother Nicky were busy cleaning the floors when their father, Tom Harper, came out from the office. Tom was a tall balding man in his early 50's who was dressed in a khaki button-down work shirt with blue jeans and light brown steel-toed work boots.
"Hey boys?" Tom said to his sons.
"Yes, Father?" the always clownish Dicky playfully replied.
Tom chuckled at that before replying. "Come on into the office," he said, "Dawn and Ricky have something that they want to tell all of us."
The brothers put away the broom and mop they had been using before following their dad into the office, where their siblings and mother, Anne, were all waiting. Anne was a short, blonde woman in her late 40's.
"What's up, guys?" Nicky asked as he and Dicky sat down on the brown leather couch just opposite Tom's desk.
Ricky then took the floor, standing up in front of the desk as if he were some sort of college professor about to begin lecturing a class. "As you guys know," he began, "Our stock for Get Sporty just had its first big return of Four-Hundred-Fifty-Thousand dollars. Since I'm the one who created and have been managing the stock, Dad and I have come to an agreement that I will give approximately Three-Hundred Thousand to support the store."
Nicky nodded. "That sounds good," he replied, "What were you thinking of doing with the rest?"
Dawn then took her opportunity to speak up. "We're getting to that," she said, "Ricky and I have come up with an interesting idea that could benefit a lot of people."
"I spent the weekend online," Ricky added, "and I think I've found a property down in the Florida Everglades that, if we fix it up well enough, would make a nice summer camp for kids."
"The Florida Everglades?" Anne interjected with a tone of understandable motherly concern, "There are alligators down there, you know!"
"I know, Mom" Ricky replied, "But this place is off the beaten path enough away from the water that I think it'll be just fine."
Anne sighed deeply before nodding. "Alright," she said, "but what exactly is this place?"
"It's an old fishing camp near Alligator Alley," Ricky explained, "It's right near the Miccosukee tribal reservation."
"Wait a minute," Dicky cut in, "You're going to a place called Alligator Alley and you say you're not worried about alligators? I know I'm not always the sharpest tool in our shed, but even I know that seems a little sketchy."
Dawn shot her brother a disapproving look. "Dicky," she said in a rigid tone.
"Okay," Tom cut in to try and quell everyone's apprehensions, "Ricky, Dawn, and I talked about this before you all came in, and I think it's a really good idea." He then looked at Ricky. "You said that this old camp cost about Fifty Thousand, right?" he inquired.
"Yes," Ricky replied, "And that was the lowest that the gentleman selling the place was willing to go."
"So," Tom said, "That leaves you with roughly Two Hundred Fifty Thousand leftover. My suggestion would be for you to take out at least Three Thousand and put it in your checking and debit account. That leaves Two Hundred Forty-Seven Thousand for you to put into our business account if you choose to do that."
"I actually was thinking of doing just that," Ricky said, "And that three grand is going to come in handy."
"What do you mean?" Nicky asked.
Dawn got up out of her seat and stood next to Ricky. "Ricky and I are leaving tomorrow to drive down to Alligator Alley and see the camp for ourselves."
With that, Nicky sighed with frustration and briefly hung his head. "Great," he said, "You guys are leaving two days before our annual Sporty Summer Blowout Sale."
"Relax, Nicky" Tom interjected, "I've already called some of the kids from the high school that were looking for summer job placements. I have two young men and a young lady who are all starting tomorrow and have agreed to help us out with everything until Dawn and Ricky get back."
"How long are you guys planning to be gone for?" Dicky asked his two siblings.
"A week," Dawn replied, "Week and a half at the most."
With that, Nicky, Dicky, Anne and Tom left the office. Dawn and Ricky, meanwhile, stayed behind to talk amongst each other for a minute.
"I really hope that we're able to make this camp idea work," Ricky said.
Dawn put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I hope so, too" she said, "But no matter what happens, I'll be right there with you."