A/N: The unofficial official summer challenge! I blame wjobsessed for starting this one up and ab89us for keeping it going. I also recommend reading their fics, as well as HeartandImagination and SamSpades amazing shots at this challenge. You won't regret it! So the rules of the game in case mine is the first response you've read or you just want a refresher. Use the following eight quotes from the main characters mouths. Hope you enjoy! Also reviews will be greatly appreciated : D
"You can't kill the dead"
"Walter can't be trusted with animals"
"Life isn't all sunshine and daisies"
"I want your body, not your mind"
"And where's the fun in that?"
"Makes me shudder just thinking about it"
"It takes a licking and it keeps on ticking"
"Everything is bigger in Texas"
"Camping?" Peter asked for the hundredth time.
"Yes, son," Walter said, trying to keep his excitement to a minimum. "Camping."
"I think it's a great idea!" Astrid beamed happily, dropping her rather large duffle bag on the lab floor. "You'd better head home and pack, Peter. We leave in an hour."
"But it's a hundred degrees outside!" Peter objected. "And where are we going exactly?"
"The Adirondacks of course," Walter smiled. "And none of that cabin or trailer nonsense. We're going to do the real camping from my day with cooking over a fire and bathing in the river!"
"And how long will we be 'camping'?" Peter groaned.
"A week," Astrid grinned at the look of horror on Peter's face. "Aw come on Peter, it'll be fun! Lincoln and Olivia are coming too."
Peter looked thoughtful over this new information before half nodding and turning to leave. Once he was out the door Astrid gave Walter a conspirator look that said everything.
"I told you all we had to do was tell him Olivia was coming and he'd go quietly," Astrid grinned.
"Yes, yes," Walter grumbled. "You were right."
"I am a lot you know," Astrid chuckled. "Now why don't we go grocery shopping for all our food supplies."
"A brilliant idea," Walter said, instantly cheering up.
OPOPOPOPOPOP
Carpooling probably wasn't the greatest of ideas, but Olivia was just happy she was the one doing the driving. They'd all agreed that the SUV would do better pulling a small hitched trailer that held all their camping gear and food and then Walter could have the furthest back row all to himself while Astrid and Lincoln had the middle row and Peter and herself sat up front. Walter spent most of the time whipping his head back and forth while staring out the windows, while Astrid kept up a steady chatter to Lincoln who looked just a little overwhelmed. As for her and Peter… well they weren't talking much, but in her defense, there just wasn't much to talk about.
"Olivia! Olivia!" Walter shouted from the far back. "Pull over! There's a dead raccoon!"
"Walter!" Peter whined from the front. "We're not pulling over for an animal for you to experiment on."
"Bu Peter!" Walter whined, dancing in his seat as they drove further away from his sighting.
"We could pullover," Olivia said. "Not like it'll make us an hour or two late or anything. I mean, you can't kill the dead."
"Yes, but do you really want to smell that the entire trip there and back?" Peter countered. "Besides,Walter can't be trusted with animals – dead or alive…"
"You make a valid point," Olivia said flatly, fighting a smirk. "Sorry Walter, we're driving on!"
"Awwww, you're no fun!" Walter whined, crossing his arms over his chest in a child like stance of pouting.
"He'll get over it once it's time to cook dinner over the fire pit," Peter chuckled to Olivia.
"I'm sure," Olivia returned the smile and felt her heart lighten. It felt good to go back to the way they were before alternate universes and shapeshifting monsters.
OPOPOPOP
"We should see who can put up their tent first!" Astrid said in a challenging tone more to Peter and Lincoln then Walter who had insisted he got his own tent, which Peter and Lincoln didn't fuss over too much.
"You're on," Peter grinned. "Come on Lincoln, a couple of geniuses like us shouldn't have a problem beating them."
They each ran for their equipment and began setting up their respective tents. Olivia and Astrid had a constant dialogue going about what they were doing and how while the men worked on in silence. After about fifteen minutes Astrid stepped on the last stake holding down the over tarp and high fived Olivia.
"Yes!" Olivia laughed as they turned to see Peter and Lincoln still struggling with their tent. Laughing, Astrid and Olivia pulled up a couple lawn chairs and grabbed some crackers to munch on. After watching them for another ten minutes Peter growled in frustration.
"You know you could help or something," Peter pouted looking more than a little irritated.
"And where's the fun in that?" Astrid giggled.
In the mean time, Lincoln was struggling with connecting two poles and kept getting thwacked in the side of the head.
Olivia burst out laughing at the sight and couldn't hold back her comments, "It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!"
Astrid joined in on the laughter until after a few minutes they caved and helped them finish their tent in the effort that dinner would happen sometime before midnight. Once the tent was finished and they were able to ensure Walter's was sturdy and finished they each took a task for getting dinner ready. Peter worked on getting the fire started while Walter and Lincoln found timber to burn, and Astrid and Olivia worked on chopping vegetables for a stew that they would cook over the fire.
Olivia was working on cutting the potatoes into smaller pieces when the knife slipped and cut into her finger making her gasp before cursing and sticking the offending digit into her mouth.
"Ooo, shoot!" Astrid said, switching into mother mode. "Peter can you grab a band aid from the first aid kit?"
Olivia frowned and removed her finger from her mouth only to realize it was a little worse than what a band aid could fix.
"Actually… make that some gauze and tape," Astrid called back to Peter who was already in motion.
"What happened?" Peter asked, jogging to stand beside Astrid and then saw Olivia's bloodied finger and hand. "Ouch!"
Peter stepped closer to live before taking her free hand and pulling her away from their makeshift food prep station and toward a bucket of water.
"We're going to have to wash this first," Peter said as he guided her injured hand into the water. Olivia hissed at the freezing water and her face screwed up in pain. "Sorry."
"It's okay, it's just a little cold is all," Olivia murmured, trying to avoid making eye contact while their hands were still touching.
Peter worked to gently wash her injure hand until it was clear of blood before pulling it out and drying it off.
"It seems to have slowed down quite a bit," Peter remarked. "Should be safe to bandage it up now."
Olivia nodded numbly, still reveling in the feeling of his hands on hers as he carefully bandaged her finger. When he was finished he gently pulled her hand up before placing a soft kiss on the bandaged finger, staring into her eyes as he did it. An involuntary shiver ran down Olivia's spine at the look of lust and affection pooled in his blue gaze.
"Better?" Peter asked, his voice soft and low.
"Yeah," Olivia answered, almost choking on the single word. She was beginning to remember the sexual tension they used to have very well again.
"If you two are done flirting, there's dinner to put on," Astrid chuckled, passing them while trying to balance a large pot of water.
Peter jumped to his feet and away from Olivia to grab the large pot from Astrid and finished carrying it to the fire to hand it from their tripod. Astrid and Olivia went back to gather all the veggies and stew beef to throw in while the water began to warm and eventually boil. Lincoln and Walter had made it back, forfeiting their arm fulls of branches they found beside the fire but not too close to it.
After they set up some chairs around the fire they all took turns laughing at jokes and telling funny stories until they'd finished dinner and had started making fruit pies using bread and pre-made mix that Astrid had brought with her.
"So where are you from, Lincoln?" Astrid asked, licking pie remnants from her fingers.
"Ummm, Dallas, Texas," he replied, clearly distracted by Astrid's mouth as she cleaned her fingers.
"Well you know what they say about Texas?" Walter giggled and Peter groaned. "Everything is always bigger in Texas!"
"Oh I'm sure," Astrid grinned, biting her lower lip as she stared at Lincoln.
Olivia couldn't help but laugh as Lincoln blushed and stared pointedly at the half eaten blueberry pie before him. After a few more stories Olivia finally pulled out a large bottle of vodka with a wicked grin on her face.
"Noooow the party is starting," Astrid laughed as she grabbed four plastic cups. Olivia filled each one halfway before Astrid handed them out to everyone.
"On three?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.
Lincoln gave a nervous laugh while both Olivia an Astrid looked rather eager.
"One," Peter started the count off.
"Two," Astrid continued and they all looked at Lincoln.
"Ugh… three," Lincoln groaned before they all tossed back their glasses. There was silence before Lincoln began sputtering and Astrid nearly choked before laughing. Olivia only grimaced and Peter seemed to take it quite easily. They did a few more rounds of this until Astrid was sitting on Lincoln's lap and they were both laughing themselves stupid over a Walter joke. Olivia could feel a nice buzz going through her system as she sat pleasantly warm and happy across the fire from Peter who looked just as at ease as her. Once the bottle was empty they all agreed it would be a good idea to head to bed and the girls stumbled to their tent while the boys went to theirs after Astrid whispered something into Lincoln's ear, giving him a sound kiss on the cheek.
Peter and Lincoln had finished getting into their pajamas when Lincoln turned to leave the tent. Assuming he was just out to relieve his bladder, Peter kept their battery lantern lit and laid back on his sleeping back. It was a warm night and he probably wouldn't need to be in the sleeping bag, at least not yet. He was just beginning to doze off when he heard the tent zipper peel open.
"I was beginning to wonder if you'd be back or not – " Peter stopped when it was Olivia who was slipping into the tent. "Olivia?"
"Hey," Olivia said, pausing in the entrance. "Can I stay in your tent tonight? Lincoln snuck over to our tent and him and Astrid are ummmm, yeah."
Peter stammered for a second before finally nodding, "sure."
"Thanks, Peter," Olivia smiled and stepped further into the tent and that was when Peter realized it mightn't be a good idea at all for her to stay in the same tent as him. She was dressed only in a large t-shirt that went halfway to her knees and seemingly nothing else.
"Ummmmm," Peter's eyes were wide as he stared at the lengthy expanse of her creamy legs. "Good night, Livia."
"G'night Peter," Olivia answered, curling up into Lincoln's sleeping bag.
Peter couldn't sleep knowing just how close Olivia was to him and what little she was wearing. Scenarios kept racing through his brain; scenarios he knew would never happen but he couldn't help himself. Just when he thought he was close to sleep, voices drew him from almost slumber.
"My brain is telling me this isn't such a great idea," a soft male voice came from the next tent over.
"That's okay, I want your body, not your mind," a soft female voice purred and Peter paled at the realization that they might have to listen to their coworkers have sex.
"Oh God…" Olivia voice came from a foot over and he had to agree.
"Well life isn't all sunshine and daisies, I suppose," Peter quipped dryly.
"Maybe, but this is going to be torture!"
"No, torture is going to be accidently catching Walter bathing in the river naked," Peter chuckled.
"Oh God, that makes me shudder just thinking about it," Olivia whined.
"You and me both," Peter laughed. "You and me both."