Author's Note from Mat49324: Oh, look... I just got inspired on yet another one-shot pretty quickly! Last time, I dealt with a rainstorm in that project titled Somewhere in the Rain, and I can honestly say that The Blue Time Ranger and I had quite a bit of fun with it. Well, let's just say that I thought back to S2's Nature Nightmare where the spies had to set up camp in the woods in Saskatchewan, Canada, and it did not go particularly well for them. What if a camping trip for them DID go well? Anyway, for now, here's The Blue Time Ranger if he's got something he'd like to say.
Author's Note from The Blue Time Ranger:I've never really gone camping in my life (and no, I don't count my childhood summer camp, that's completely different), so I hope I can help Mat carry this little trip that thankfully doesn't have a mad scientist creating living trees. Okay, enough blabbing, let's get to it! ROLL IT!
Title: Campfire Stories
Summary: Blaine suggests a camping trip with the spies; will it go great after the last time?
Rating: T
Story Created: 10/23/24
2:07 P.M. – The Spies' Beach House
It was another normal day that the spies were enjoying at their beach house.
"Weekend's coming up," Alex told the others. "Someone have something in mind?"
"Well, we could try a camping trip," Blaine suggested. "I know of a good place in the woods that could be up our alley."
"On the contrary, Blaine, our last camping trip was a complete disaster, if you know what I mean..." Clover stated, acting like she wasn't on board.
"Yeah, but there's no crazy bloodthirsty trees this time," Sam pointed out.
"You camped out in the woods before?" Blaine wondered.
"In Canada," Sam answered with a nod.
"Oh... I was thinking the woods wouldn't be a bad idea then," Blaine sighed.
"I think when I camped, it was always on the beach," Mat commented.
"Well, camping on beaches in L.A. is out of the question," Clover stated.
"Well, I remember this one camping trip my family and I went on when we were younger," Nick stated. "Tachikawa had a really good camping spot just outside the city. I had fun there. Melissa and Dawn... not so much."
"So, you think you want to... try again?" Blaine asked.
"I say we go for it," Nick remarked. "What are the chances that happens again?"
"I suppose so," Alex replied, seeing Nick's point.
"Brit, you in?" Sam wondered.
"I think it might be fun," Britney commented.
"We'll be away from the hustle and bustle of the city," Blaine told them.
Mat gave a hum at hearing that.
"What's with you, dude?" Nick wondered.
"Well, just hearing 'away from the city' got me thinking of some people who might decide on... camping in a risky dress code," Mat admitted.
"Say what?" Nick wondered, but after he put two and two together... "Oh, I get it..."
"You mean the whole, 'Everybody has a body' kind of thing?" Alex wondered.
"In a nutshell... yeah," Mat answered with a quizzical look. "I'm not saying we should do that, FYI... just want to make that clear."
"I wouldn't put that past you, Clover," Sam commented.
"Should we... take a vote?" Alex wondered. "Personally, I could live with wearing a bathing suit from start to finish..."
"I MIGHT have thought about Mat's proposition if it was just girls only," Clover admitted. "Or me and Blaine-y, maybe?"
"...why does it sound like a good idea only when you say it?" Blaine teased.
Everyone agreed and took a vote on the attire choice.
Ultimately, they agreed to be at least a little bit daring if they felt like they could get away with it, but anything past a certain point would be off limits.
As the seven spies all started packing all their essential camping equipment, Bridget walked by and noticed what they were up to.
"You all going somewhere?" Bridget wondered.
"Oh, hey, Bridget, we're just gonna go camping for the weekend," Sam quipped.
"Yeah, we kinda deserve a camping trip that isn't ruined by living trees that wanted to eat you," Alex chuckled.
"...I'm just gonna assume that has something to do with your rogues' gallery and leave it at that," Bridget chuckled. "Would it be okay if I joined you guys this time? I've really got nothing better to do right now, and the track team isn't coming back for another two weeks, so I'm bored out of my skull."
"Ah, boredom, humanity's worst enemy," Nick quipped.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Britney stated. "The more, the merrier!"
After a quick return to her own house to pick up her own camping equipment, Bridget joined the spies as they drove off to search for the perfect camping spot.
"So, Bridget, how's the track team been treating you?" Nick wondered.
"More or less the same as always," Bridget answered. "I'm kinda worried about Zoey getting too overconfident, though. These guys from Jacksonville are no joke, after all."
"Ah, a track team that even the great Bridget, track star extraordinaire, finds a challenge?" Alex teased.
"Hey, I could probably still beat those peeps," Bridget responded. "It'd probably just take more effort than usual."
"Hey, how does this spot sound to all of you?" Blaine wondered.
The spies observed their surroundings and saw it was just outside the woods with a big cliff lake to swim in.
"Wow, this is pretty nice," Clover commented.
"I'll say," Mat added.
"It's a good thing we got stuff to swim in," Nick quipped.
"I think I'm glad I chose to come with you," Britney giggled.
"Same," Bridget remarked.
That was when she remembered something.
"By the way, were you discussing something else for this camping trip?" Bridget asked Nick and the others.
"I think my inquiring mind started kicking in," Mat admitted.
"The whole 'Everybody has a body' schtick," Alex clarified.
"Wait, what do you mean by..." Bridget started, only to blush slightly when she made the connection. "...never mind, I get it now."
"I'll give Mat one thing..." Clover admitted. "On paper, that doesn't sound like a bad idea; if it were girls only, I think it'd be a little more appropriate."
"So, we decided on a compromise of sorts," Sam added.
While Nick and Blaine set up the tent, Bridget was informed of the dress code for the camping.
"That actually sounds interesting," Bridget admitted. "When it's just your friend circle, you kinda do get a little daring. Oh, the stories I could tell about Renee and Corina..."
"I think it's worth trying since you wear a swimsuit to the beach," Britney told Bridget.
Sam, Clover, and Alex had their X-Powders ready for when it was time to change.
"One thing's for sure," Nick commented. "If anybody goes for camping fully naked, you better have good eye contact..."
"Ain't that the truth," Mat sighed with a cringe at the consequences.
"Anyway, the tent's all ready," Blaine told the others.
"Well, I say it's time," Nick remarked as he got his own X-Powder out and Mat got his Nintendo DS.
All but Bridget ducked into their tent and changed.
Sam, Alex and Clover came out in their classic swimsuits, with extra shorts on (just to be safe), Britney came out in a blue bikini and swim trunks, and Nick, Mat and Blaine all came out in light t-shirts and swim shorts.
"You around, Bridget?" Nick asked.
"Just a second!" Bridget called out. "Remember, I don't have a 'quick change button' like you guys do."
After a little bit, Bridget came out, now sporting a dark green two-piece swimsuit with diamond mesh patterns.
"The quick change button is probably one of the best functions Jerry ever installed in our X-Powders," Alex chuckled.
"All right, then, how about we get swimming, everybody?" Britney quipped.
With that, everyone ran for the lake, only to see Bridget easily outpace them to be the first one to jump into the water.
"...you did that on purpose," Blaine teased.
"Maybe," Bridget chuckled.
Blaine ducked under the water and then came right back up to attempt to splash Bridget, but she moved away too quickly and the wave ended up getting Alex instead.
"...um... oops?" Blaine stuttered as he tried to slip away.
"You ain't getting away from that, Blaine!" Alex laughed as she began to chase Blaine through the water.
"H-Hey, it's not my fault that Bridget dodged it!" Blaine sputtered.
"Don't rope me into that, you traitor!" Bridget responded.
Sam and Mat were staying out of that, instead happily splashing each other. However, Mat caught something out of the corner of his eye.
Mat had turned around just in time to see Nick bending backwards, his right hand glowing.
"You all reap what you sow, right?!" Nick laughed as he swept his glowing hand across himself, unleashing a massive wave that drenched everyone else at once.
When the wave finally receded and Nick saw the spies all grinning mischievously at him, he suddenly realized he might have bitten off a little more than he could chew.
"What was that you were saying, Nick?" Sam chuckled as the spies began to chase Nick.
"Yeah, I'm staying out of this one entirely," Bridget quipped as she hung back and watched the madness ensue.
"Hey, can't I get a break?!" Nick chastised.
"There's no way you're getting out of this without a punishment," Clover declared.
With that, Nick tried to swim away, but Alex and Clover grabbed him by the ankles.
"HEY, STOP!" Nick demanded, but nobody listened.
That was when Alex dipped him underneath and held his ankles solo.
"You know what they say, Nick," Clover stated from the surface.
Alex took that honor and tapped her fingers on Nick's feet. This caused Nick to instinctively unleash a short psychic pulse around him that forced Alex to relinquish her grip on him.
"Don't act like you didn't deserve that," Sam reasonably retorted.
"I'm with them, Nick," Bridget giggled.
"My moment of triumph was fleeting," Nick chuckled.
When the day got to sunset, everyone was taking a break and relaxing before dinner.
"So, day zero will be in the books soon," Blaine replied.
All three of the boys had yet to put their shirts back on after being in the lake for quite a while.
"I'd say this was a good starter day," Mat told the others. "I'm guessing we're staying the whole weekend or just tomorrow?"
"Probably just tonight and tomorrow," Sam answered.
Just after the agreement was finalized, all the spies could feel the rain start to fall.
"Oh, great..." Mat chastised.
"Hey, it's not all bad," Nick responded. "I honestly expected rain at least once during this trip, and I don't think we'll have to worry about that tomorrow, according to the weather reports."
"I'd still be on guard regardless," Bridget quipped. "You, of all people, Nick, should know that you can't always trust the weather reports."
Thankfully, the rain only lasted for another hour and a half, so that by the time night fell, the spies were able to get a campfire going (Nick had made sure to bring enough chocolate and marshmallows so that everybody could have s'mores; he was glad they'd made a stop at The Groove and that the chocolate was on sale).
So, naturally, they had decided to tell campfire stories, some of the haunted variety, but Bridget decided to start them easy with tales of her travels with the track team.
"So, I'm just barely trailing behind this lanky guy, and then all of a sudden, freakin' Zoey just zooms by him and tags me out so I can keep going," Bridget chuckled. "That had to be the most exciting race I've been a part of in a while."
"And Zoey thinks you're the only speedy one on that team?" Britney quipped.
"Okay, Nick, you wanna try your hand at a scary story?" Blaine offered.
"I think I've got a real humdinger of one," Nick answered. "I think, at least. I'll let you all be the judges of that."
And so, Nick began telling his story, hoping that it actually would be scary, or at least suspenseful. Thankfully, it seemed like his tale was keeping the spies enthralled on what would happen.
"As he descended into the basement, he could feel every nerve in his body telling him to get the hell out of there," Nick narrated. "But still, he felt compelled to keep going, concerned about what might befall him if he turned back. His father was behind that door, he was in trouble. No matter what, he was going to help him."
Nick shined the flashlight on his face, giving it an eerie quality to match the story he was telling.
"But the instant he reached out to open that door, he looked behind him... but nobody was there," Nick stated, and the spies breathed a sigh of relief. Right into his trap. "The instant he turned around, something burst through the door and grabbed him before..."
A loud and piercing shriek from Alex cut the story off as she lunged forward to hug Nick tightly.
"...you okay, Alex?" Nick wondered.
"S-Sorry, just... my overactive imagination betrayed me," Alex sighed once she'd calmed down a bit.
"Trust me, I've been there," Nick replied, patting Alex on the head.
"Wow, that was gripping," Mat admitted. "You're actually pretty good at the whole 'spooky story' thing, Nick."
"Thanks, bro, but I think we'd better stop there for now, for Alex's sake if nothing else," Nick quipped, and Alex breathed a big sigh of relief.
"So, anybody else got an interesting story to tell?" Bridget wondered.
Everyone looked at each other, but nobody volunteered to tell anything.
"So, I guess the night's over then?" Nick asked.
"I can't think of anything to tell myself," Mat replied. "So, yeah, I guess."
With that, everybody turned in for the night.
When the next morning came around, everyone had a light breakfast with what food they brought along.
"Not sure about you guys, but I think a jump in the lake would be a good wake-me-up," Nick suggested.
"Sure, why not," Bridget giggled.
Alex went along with Nick, and they did a group jump into the lake.
"Ah, that's much better!" Bridget laughed.
"No kidding!" Alex giggled.
"The power of a good splash never fails," Nick chuckled.
Before long, they could see the remaining spies coming into the lake after them.
"Who got intrigued?" Alex giggled.
"Guilty," Clover replied and raised her hand.
With that, the spies turned it into a good swim to build up appetites.
As soon as it got to about 10 A.M., the spies decided now was a good time to pack up and leave.
"Not sure about you guys, but I'm really down for a big breakfast or brunch before we go back to the beach house," Alex told the others.
Nobody disagreed.
"Looks like breakfast it is, then," Bridget chuckled. "I'll treat you guys this time. I know this place that has probably the best scrambled eggs you'll eat in your life."
"I'm all in," Nick immediately responded. The other spies chuckled, knowing how much Nick loved eggs.
"Why am I not surprised there?" Sam quipped.
12:02 P.M. – The Spies' Beach House
"Well, I'd say that was an excellent camping trip Blainey suggested," Clover quipped.
"Totally," Alex giggled.
"I think it felt appropriate the rain fell on us in our swimwear though," Bridget chuckled.
"I'd say I liked that we were with our men myself," Sam giggled. "Well, some of us, anyway."
"Sometimes, and I repeat sometimes, the weather will cooperate with us," Nick chuckled. "Usually, mother nature does whatever the heck it wants."
Clover and Blaine shared a giggle over Mat's presumption of camping naked.
"Don't tell us you're thinking about that, Clover..." Bridget groaned.
"Sometimes you gotta be daring," Clover proclaimed. "Life is boring without that bit of pizzazz, and you gotta be willing to take risks!"
"...yeah, I think that might have been a risk too far, Clover," Alex quipped.
"Yeah, like that one guy May mentioned was in the news back in Tachikawa for getting arrested in a very weird way," Nick stated.
"...dare I ask?" Britney wondered.
"Basically, he 'messed up' with his girlfriend, and he wanted to think of a suitable way to apologize that would mean something," Nick stated. "So, he decided to, and I wish I was kidding on this, literally streak naked up the Skywhirl Tower and proclaim his 'eternal love' to her. All that really did was get him arrested."
"And what got into his head that made him think that was a good idea?" Bridget gasped.
"People will do crazy things when they're in love," Nick stated. "Even if it's something they probably shouldn't."
And everyone here agreed with that.
Totally Spies: Campfire Stories
~The End~
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Final Author's Note from Mat49324: Well, that's all for Campfire Stories! We hope you enjoyed this one-shot of something that has been done for generations... camping. Did you ever think about prior camping trips regardless of dress code? Hopefully you did. For now, who knows what my next one-shot will be, but here's The Blue Time Ranger for his final thoughts.
Final Author's Note from The Blue Time Ranger: And that's the end of this campfire tale! We had all kinds of weather to deal with, a little possibility of daring, and even some funny stuff near the end. But I think we can end it here.
I don't have much to say other than the customary, so until next time, have a fantastic day, don't listen to the screeching morons, and we'll see you next mission!