A/N: Greeting ladies and germs, I am back with another summer themed one shot. This one follows the gang as they relax on Fara's very own private stretch of beach, and I remembered Slippy! A slight note on Fay and Miyu, they are married, however both have elected to keep their maiden names to prevent species confusion, since, you know: Spaniel and Lynx. I've also done my best to include more body language for the characters, hopefully this will make reading the dialogue a bit less of a chore.

Real quick before we get going I just want to make an announcement concerning Pink and Blue and it's future, don't worry it isn't bad. Basically I'm toying with a couple of different endings for the story, they all have things in common but, in the details they do differ a bit. So, the story will be completed, no doubts there, but the catch is that I probably won't be updating it until it's completely finished. I'm not one hundred percent certain how long it will take me to finish it, but rest assured it will be completed and subsequently posted.

Now, with that announcement out of the way I invite you to enjoy another one of these summer themed, no real plot, hopefully at least somewhat humorous, one shots that I am in love with writing.

-general whitefur

Star Fox

Summer Beach

Corneria Medical was an intimidating building. Forty stories tall, with glass that seemed almost as opaque as concrete, the building was the center of medical research in Lylat. Virtually every major advance in genetics, mental health treatments, surgeries, physical therapies, and every other field of work and study even vaguely related to medicine came from within the confines of the building that stood towering, like everything else, over the petite figure of Fay Spaniel as she walked resolutely through the front doors.

Fay Spaniel did not have a face as recognizable as, say, Fox McCloud, even if she had done her fair share of flying during the Lylat War and subsequent period of system wide instability. Sometimes it irked her that Fox and Falco were the ones being chased around by rabid fan mobs and not her, she could only imagine the collection of teenagers, celebrity chasers, freaks, and geeks she would have gotten to meet. But then as a police woman she already met a wide variety of teenagers, celebrity stalkers, freaks, and off their rocker geeks, so maybe things weren't so bad the way they were.

Fay took a moment while she adjusted her red hair bow to observe the room and the people it contained. The lights were comfortably dim, making it far more relaxing than the harshly lit waiting rooms of most other medical facilities. Couches and chairs were arranged around coffee tables strewn with magazines, and potted plants stood in every corner. As for the people, Fay noted that most of them looked decidedly un-sick. The reason being that Corneria Medical was first and foremost a research and development hub, and treatment facilities, though top notch, were reserved only for the worst cases, or the most influential ones. Fay did note however that some of the people actually did look ill, and for the most part they were all being attended to by a nurse or shepherded towards banks of elevators marked 'Treatment'.

None of this concerned the white furred spaniel however as she made a beeline for the front desk. After waiting in line for a few minutes she walked up to the nurse behind it and said, "Fay Spaniel, here to see Dr. Miyu Lynx."

The nurse, a female bandicoot with orange fur and blonde hair looked at her curiously. "She isn't seeing patients today. Do you have an appointment that I could look up?"

Fay just smiled. "No. No appointment. I'm her wife and she's late for a little get together we had planned with friends, I'm here to pick her up."
Smiling back the nurse said, "I'll buzz her." Clicking the intercom the bandicoot, Fay noticed her name tag read 'Coco', said, "Dr. Lynx. Your wife is here to see you."

"Tell her I'm busy. Or better yet tell her I'm not here."

Fay leaned over the desk, her smile never waving, and responded, "I can hear you Miyu."

"Shit. I'll be right down."

Coco released the intercom button and looked up at Fay. "Feel free to have a seat, and if she's not down in a few minutes I'll buzz her again for you."

"Thanks Coco." Fay said before sauntering off, tail swishing behind her, to relax and wait for Miyu. Bending over the coffee table she sorted through the reading material until she found something interesting, grabbing the magazine she sat down on the couch behind her to enjoy page after page of women's underwear models.

Her perusal was interrupted a moment later by a whistle and a "Nice ass," from behind her.

Fay turned around in her seat and giggled at Miyu, the lynx standing with her arms folded and head tilted to see over the little dog's shoulders. "She does have a nice bum doesn't she?" She said, glancing back at the picture of the poodle on the page before turning back to Miyu. "Did you forget we had a thing today?"

"Uhhh." Miyu shifted uncomfortably on her feet, scratching at the fur on the back of her neck. "Yes?"

Good mood shattered Fay huffed and tossed the magazine back onto the coffee table as she got up. "Right. Come on, we're already late."

Miyu, still wearing her lab coat, beneath which she wore a band t-shirt and a pair of surprisingly intact jeans, jogged to catch up with her wife. "Oh come on Fay, you're always late anyways."

Walking out into the sunlight Fay smirked when Miyu gave a sound of mild discomfort. "Afraid of the sun?"

"I've been looking through microscopes in the dark all day, forgive me." The lynx replied, stopping for a moment and blinking to let her eyes adjust. "But seriously, please don't be mad at me."

Making her way back the few paces that Miyu had fallen behind upon making contact with day light Fay kissed the lynx on the nose. "All right. You know I can't stay mad at anyone."

Wrapping an arm around the spaniel's tiny waist Miyu breathed a small sigh of relief. "That's what I love about you, I can get away with almost anything." Leaning her head back for a moment Miyu smiled, "These shorts make your butt look cute by the way."

"Thanks." Fay replied with a smile, leaning slightly into the lynx as the two of them made their way over to the spaniel's car. "I know how much you love it when I wear tiny little booty shorts."

"I more like slipping them off of you." Miyu corrected, letting her hand drift down to the spaniel's rear.

Tail wagging Fay looked up at her. "Haven't you been playing doctor all day?"

"You just make me want to play doctor all over again." The lynx replied smoothly.

Fay snickered and said, "I'll bet you drive the whole staff wild. But more seriously, what we're you doing that was more interesting than seeing all of your friends?"

Having reached Fay's car, a compact model known affectionately by its owners as a 'bug', Miyu walked around to get in on the passenger side. "Pathogens."

Fay took her seat behind the wheel and buckled her seat belt. "So a potentially lethal disease is more entertaining than seeing me in a bikini?"

That got Miyu's attention. "Wait! Is this the beach thing?" Fay nodded before keying the ignition. "Oh. Well then screw the plague let's go."

Pulling out of the reserved parking spot that she had appropriated for her car, a car as tiny as her, Fay stuck her tongue out. "Ick, the plague? Like The Plague."

"Yeah." Miyu replied, trying to get comfortable in her seat. "How do you fit in this thing? I'm not even particularly large and it feels tight in here. I'd pity Krystal if she had to ride in this thing."

Glancing side long at her passenger Fay quirked an eyebrow. "Miyu, I'm five feet tall and weigh roughly ninety pounds, I literally fit in your suitcase when we travel. And Krystal isn't exactly fat."

"Yeah but that chest, I don't know how she stands it." Miyu smirked, pulling at her shirt to illustrate the size difference between her and the blue vixen. "She's a C, right?"

Fay put a hand over her mouth to try and stifle a giggle before replying, "C? Oh gosh no, she's a 24D."

"Really?" Miyu asked, looking a bit shocked.

"Since having Marcus. She filled out even more in that region after she got pregnant." Fay explained with a nod. "We're just small, especially compared to Krystal or Katt."

"I'm a B. That isn't that small." Miyu insisted, finally having found a comfortable position.

"And I'm an A." Fay replied, stopping for a light at an intersection. "Face it honey we've got nothing on those two when it comes to the chest department. I don't even have anything on Fara."

"Fara's always been bigger in the back anyways." Miyu responded before getting a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. "Though always in a very attractive way."

Fay rolled her eyes and moved the car forward as soon as the light changed. "Thanks Miyu, you make me feel so confident in my body when you sit right next to me and fantasize about Fara's ass."

"Sorry." Miyu apologized, blushing and shrinking back in her seat a little.

"It's fine, we all have." Fay reassured her with a wave of her hand. "Back to the point though, I've never met a car that I could get inside of without feeling like it was a bloody cathedral."

"Until this one?" Miyu asked, relieved that Fay didn't really have a problem with her short lived fantasy.

"Mmhmm. I love this car." Fay answered, smiling happily and patting the vehicle's dashboard. "So, how was the plague then?"

"Cute little fella. Hard to believe it killed forty percent of Corneria's population way back when. It's amazing what something so small and adorable can accomplish when it has the opportunity." Miyu mentioned the last while looking at the petite spaniel next to her

"Us tiny cuties can be pretty dangerous." Fay said with a wink as she pulled out onto the highway.

"Very true. Uh Fay?"

"Yes dear?"

Miyu started to look uncomfortable again. "Did you forget I needed to stop by the house and get my swim suit?"

Fay's eyes widened. How could she have forgotten that? "Damn it. I forgot that you forgot. It's all right, we're going to the beach, there has to be a store there that sells them."

"Just make sure we find a one piece." Miyu pleaded, looking stricken at the idea of wearing anything else.

"You will wear whatever we find in your size and you will like it." Fay growled. "I'm the one with the memory of a gold fish, so you forgetting about this is really bad, and you deserve to be punished."
"You could just punish me when we get home." Miyu suggested, a sly look in her eye.

"Oh I will." Fay responded, flicking on her turn signal and turning onto an exit ramp after a short drive in brisk traffic. "You won't walk right for a month when I'm through with you."

Miyu bit her lip to restrain a smile. "I can't wait. By the way, where are you hiding your suit?"

"Underneath what I'm wearing. Why?"

Miyu shrugged. "Just wondering. What beach are we going to?"

"The one Fara owns." Fay replied, slowing down a bit so she could enter the upcoming residential zones. "Where else?"

"True. It's nice having a rich friend." Miyu said, digging her perso-com out of her jeans.

Fay pulled onto the street leading towards the row of beach front properties where Fara kept her summer home. "You know we aren't exactly poor. You alone make more than enough to support us, and I make decent money being a cop."

"Yeah but I mean...Fara is like...rich. Literally richer than half of Corneria City combined." Miyu countered, looking through her text messages. "Sorry I didn't text you back."

"Don't worry, I know you don't respond to texts while you're working." Fay said, unbothered. "Oh look, there's a store with swim suits in the front window. Two Piece Galore." The spaniel pointed to a building out their front window.

Miyu looked up from her perso-com and blanched as Fay pointed to the store she had found. "Please let's find another one."

Pulling into the shop's parking lot Fay grinned evilly. "Nope, we're already late so we're going to the first one we can find. And that's this one." Turning off the car and pulling the key from the ignition Fay jerked her head towards the outside. "Come on. Or do I have to drag you in there?"

Head hanging in defeat Miyu just mumbled, "Coming." Before undoing her seatbelt and stepping out into the parking lot, looking profoundly dissatisfied with her luck today.

The sound of good old fashioned rock and roll, along with crashing waves, laughter, and conversation permeated the air on Fara's private stretch of beach. And what a stretch it was, she had literally half a mile between her and the nearest neighbors on both sides. I paid a pretty penny for it, but it's worth it seeing everyone enjoying it. Fara thought to herself as she watched her friends on the beach from the deck of her summer home. She was still waiting on Miyu and Fay to arrive, the fact that they were late came as no surprise to the fennec though, so it didn't bother her as she waved to Bill, the brown furred canine out surfing the waves.

Fara's ears perked at the sound of the front doorbell ringing. Pushing off from the railing she had been leaning on she quickly made her way across the deck, passed the gargantuan hot tub that had, so far, remained covered, and back inside the house. The interior of the two story home was tastefully furnished, with plush carpeting in the living room area, and hardwood floors everywhere else. The couches and chairs were all comfortable, large, and leather made, Fara always liked her furniture to be convenient for more than just sitting.

Reaching the front door she looked through the peep hole to confirm that it was someone she expected before throwing open the door. "Fay! Miyu! So glad you could make it!" She smiled widely at the white furred spaniel, one of the few people in the world that could make a fennec feel tall. Fay was dressed in her customary red bikini, and Miyu was...not in her usual black one piece. "Miyu, are you wearing a...pink bikini?"

Miyu's ears tipped back in embarrassment. "I forgot about the get together today so..."

"I decided to punish her creatively." Fay finished.

Fara just laughed. "Fay you're wicked. Miyu I'm sure I have a one piece if you really can't stand it. I know you don't like wearing two pieces."

Miyu shook her head. "Nah, Fay seems to like it on me so...I'll suffer."

Fara smiled again and stepped aside, motioning for them to come inside. "Well now that you're here we should head down to the beach, everyone's waiting for us."

Miyu twitched her eyebrows. "Great. No pressure then."

"Be strong Miyu." Fay said, wrapping her arms around the lynx's.

"Don't worry about me." Miyu responded as the three ladies headed through the living room with its adjoining kitchen and out onto the deck. "You know this is a great piece of property Fara. If geologically unstable."

Fara wagged her tail a bit. "I had stabilizers put in three weeks ago. Mass wasting shouldn't be a problem now."

Fay looked between the two girls in mild confusion. "Mass wasting?"

"Never mind." Miyu said. "I'll drop that explanation in the gold fish bowl some other time."

"Whatever." Fay said before squealing in delight upon hitting the sand and seeing Slippy making his way across the beach. "Slippy!"

The toad, wearing a bathing suit and flip flops, turned around and smiled as only he could before hugging the tiny little spaniel. "Fay, what's up?"

"Nothing much." Fay said, grinning. "I haven't seen you in forever. Where have you been?"

"Zoness, Aquas, Fortuna, pretty much everywhere." Slippy replied.

"Doing what?" Fay asked curiously.

"Not much." Slippy shrugged. "Mainly just picking out properties. Amanda and I found one we like on Zoness that we're thinking of putting a down payment on."

"That's great." Fay said, tail wagging enthusiastically. "You'll have to show me before you leave. Is Amanda still back there?"

"Yeah she is. Someone needed to stay with the kids. She says hi to everyone though."

"MIYUUUUU!"

A loud feline yowl pierced the air and Fara and the rest turned to see a what looked like a hissing pink furred missile flying towards Miyu. Fara grimaced as the two felines went down in the sand, holding up an arm to shield herself from the little spray of sand that flew upwards from the impact. "Ow." Miyu said.

"Why are you wearing my color girl?" Katt asked, tail lashing back and forth. Fara noticed that the two feline's were wearing almost identical pink bikinis.

"Punishment for forgetting my actual suit." Miyu said. "Will you get off me now?"

Fara just shook her head in wonderment as Katt leapt up and then held out a hand to Miyu. "Pink really does draw you doesn't it Katt?"

Dusting off Miyu's back before patting the lynx's rear Katt grinned. "Like gravity."

"You knew this would happen." Miyu looked accusingly at Fay, the spaniel quite literally rolling in the sand, convulsing with laughter. "You know this could be grounds for spousal abuse." Fay stopped momentarily and looked concerned. "Oh I'm just kidding, don't get your bow in a knot." Miyu reassured her, letting Fay go back to her laughing fit.

"Well, I'll let all of you get reacquainted, but there's someone I've been meaning to spend some time with." Fara said, heading off down the beach.

"Tell your pet stud I said hi!" Katt called after her.

Fara just threw back a grin and wagged her tail, she knew Katt was talking about Bill, though that wasn't who Fara intended on seeing. Making her way towards an umbrella that had been planted in the sand Fara called out, "Krystal!"

The blue vixen propped herself up on her elbows and looked over towards the sandy furred fennec, her muzzle cracking into a smile beneath the sunglasses she had on. "Miyu and Fay finally get here?" The blue vixen asked.

Fara nodded as she stepped under the shade of the umbrella. "Yeah."

Krystal let out a frightened yelp and cried out, "Watch the martini glasses!"

Looking down Fara's eyes widened in horror, her feet were literally centimeters from kicking over the two glasses of distilled heaven sitting in the sand. "Woops. Sorry." She apologized, making her way carefully around the glasses to lay down on the towel next to Krystal. "That would have been a disaster."

"Yes it would have. That's Fox's towel by the way." Krystal mentioned, handing over one of the chilled glasses.

Fara flicked her tail, her nose twitching at the subtle scent of the tod on the blanket. "Thought the scent was familiar. Where's Marcus?"

"Over there making a sand castle with Fox." Krystal pointed, a look of contentment on her face. "He really does look adorable, especially from a distance." Fara tried not to spit out her drink. "Something wrong with the martini?"

Fara shook her head emphatically and, as soon as she could speak, said, "No no. This is actually really good gin."

"What then?" Krystal asked, head cocked inquisitively.

For a moment Fara wondered if that had been the look to steal Fox McCloud's heart. For all she had been through Krystal could still pull off the most innocent of expressions. "Nothing. It's just...I rarely here a mother describe their kit as adorable but from a distance."

Krystal sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "It does sound horrible doesn't it?"

"It's all right, I know you didn't mean anything unkind by it." Fara reassured her. "I realize that being a mother wasn't exactly on your to do list when it happened."
Krystal took a sip of her own drink before replying, "No it wasn't. I mean I always intended to give Fox a child, especially since he wanted one so much but...I really had been hoping we'd have more than a year together before I ended up pregnant."

"Should have been more careful." Fara said.

"Don't I know it." Krystal agreed, setting her martini back down in the sand. "How do you manage it though? All these years and all the heats and boyfriends that come with them and never once..." Krystal trailed off at the end.

Fara smirked. "Benefits of dating only genetically incompatible men. You might have had better luck with Panther."

Krystal shrugged, laying back down on her towel. "Maybe. But Fox was the one."

"Were you ever tempted?" Fara asked the other vixen curiously.

Krystal smiled wistfully as she remembered the time she had spent with Star Wolf. "On more than one occasion. After all who wouldn't be? Handsome, suave, confident, manly." Krystal let a sigh escape her lips. "He did have things Fox didn't have."

"Confidence with women being top of the list." Fara agreed, taking another sip of her martini, it really was good gin. "What made you choose Fox though, ultimately? And besides him being 'the one'."

Tailing twitching Krystal explained, "Fox loved me, Panther didn't. Though I think he could have. But the fact remained that Fox loved me, and I always loved him. Despite him being a self centered ass and kicking me off the team that one time."

"He's self centered?" Fara inquired curiously.

"When he was kicking me off the team." Krystal clarified. "Otherwise he's actually quite selfless, especially for a mercenary."

"I can see that then." Looking at Krystal's outfit she asked, "Do you always where that when you go to the beach?"

Krystal lifted her head up and looked down at herself. "What? My traditional Cerinian clothing?"

"Yeah."

"Well," Krystal said, "Not always. But sometimes it's nice to wear a bit of home. And it drives Foxie wild." Krystal elaborated with a wink. "He'll probably rip this off me the moment he gets the chance."

Fara quirked an eyebrow. "Fox, rip a girl's clothes off? That doesn't sound like the Fox I knew."

"Six years of marriage and a child will do wonders for a man's desperation Fara. Trust me, Fox is a wild animal now whenever we get the chance." Krystal's tail beat against the sand and her whole body seemed to curl at the thought of Fox's unrestrained conduct with her. "Oh I love it."

Fara laughed, wagging her own tail in response. "I'm glad you two are happy."

"Thanks Fara." Sitting up Krystal waved over at Fox. "It means a lot whenever you say that." She turned to look at the fennec. "Really it does."

Fara smiled as her tail continued wagging. "Don't worry Krystal, Bill is more than enough for me to have no problems staying away from Fox. Even if he has gotten as wild as you claim he has."

Picking her martini back up Krystal took a sip and grinned. "Want to hear a story?"

"Is it juicy?" Fara asked, looking at the vixen hopefully.

"Very." Krystal confirmed.

"Then absolutely." Fara said, leaning towards her friend.

"All right. So, it was about a month ago when Fox and I were driving back from a show, we'd managed to go out without bringing Marcus, when we spotted one of those cheap motels..."

Fox waved back at Krystal, smiling at the sight of Fara sitting next to her before turning back to the matter at hand, the sand castle. "All right Marcus, what now?"

Marcus placed his hands on his hips and looked down at the castle. Fox actually felt rather proud of it. Using one of Marcus's buckets they had managed to make sturdy and rather convincing turrets for the walls. The walls themselves looked good as well, Katt had helped them by using her more precision built claws to carve little designs into them, she had even smiled whilst getting sand embedded in them. But the interior was what Fox knew Marcus liked the most, what with it being filled with several of the new miniature legionaries Fox had bought him. "Flags."

"Flags." Fox repeated, bumping a fist against his knee in realization. "Maybe we could find some leaves?"

The little blue and orange foxling considered it, adopting a thoughtful look before shaking his head. "No. This is an Imperial fort, not an Elven hideout. We need something red."

Fox pursed his lips. "Red? Where can we find something red?" Looking around the beach Fox observed a profound lack of red. Then he noticed Falco walking across the beach, holding a beer in each wing and heading towards where Slippy had set up a pair of beach chairs. "Hmmm. Hold on a minute Marcus, I have an idea."

Marcus nodded and proceeded to begin rearranging the figures inside the castle. Getting up out of the sand Fox headed for Falco. Coming alongside him he smiled, "Hey Falco. What's up?"

Falco stopped and looked at him. "What?"

"What?" Fox asked, trying to look innocent. He had a feeling he had one of those sneaky vulpine looks that, try as they might, no member of his species could ever really control.

"You got one of those crazy fox looks. What do you want?" Falco asked, looking more and more suspicious.

"It's nothing really. Just a couple of little things." Fox explained, still trying to look as innocent as possible.

"Come on Fox spit it out, Slippy and I got catching up to do." Falco stated gruffly.

"Fine." Fox conceded. "I need some of your feathers. At least two ideally four."

Falco's eyes widened and he looked at him like he was crazy. "My feathers? Forget it."

"Please Falco?" Fox put on his best begging vulpine face. Former mercenary he might be, but canid he still was, begging and the requisite expressions came easily to him. "We need flags for the sand castle, and Marcus says they have to be red."

"Uh uh." Falco shook his head. "I am not pulling feathers for any damn...Aahaaah." Falco's stubborn look vanished as his face twisted into a much more pained expression.

Katt's stuck her head out from behind the taller avian and winked at Fox. Fox smiled and said, "About those feathers."

"Right." Falco answered, squeaking a bit. "I'm agreeing Katt, please unclaw me. Please?"

Katt extracted her claws from Falco's back and came around to stand next to Fox. "Pay up Falco."

"You have been extorting me since middle school." Falco muttered under his breath. "Why'd I marry you?"

"Because you love me." Katt answered, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "Now come on, Fox doesn't have all day to finish that thing."

"Yeah yeah. Red ones right?" Falco asked. Fox nodded. Still muttering under his breath he handed the bottles he was holding to Katt before reaching up and plucking four of the tiny red feathers from around his eyes. "Ow. Ow. Ow. And ow." Holding out the feathers he did his best to smile with his beak before saying, "Give my regards to the little monster."

Fox wagged his tail. "Thanks Falco."

"Yeah whatever." Falco waved one of his wings dismissively. "I gotta molt eventually anyways, might as well get a head start."

Fox just shook his head and headed back over to where Marcus and Aaron stood waiting, Aaron having joined his friend in Fox's absence. "I got you some red flags Marcus." Fox handed the feathers over to his son.

Marcus grinned and wagged his tail. "These are even better. They look like banners."

"Whatever they need to be." Fox smiled, sitting back down on the sand. "What's up Aaron?"

The avian, who looked more and more like a miniature Falco every day, did his best impression of a smile and said, "Not much. I just thought I'd check out the castle."

"She's a beauty isn't she?" Fox looked over to the water. "Shame she'll get wiped out when the tide comes in."

"There we go. A banner on every turret." Marcus announced proudly.

Fox checked each banner in turn, straightening one of the feathers that Marcus had embedded gently in the sand at the front of each turret. "Hey, not bad Marcus."

"I got it!"

Those three words would spell sudden and undeserved tragedy for the denizens of the sand castle and its makers as, without warning, a small white spaniel came running backwards after a beach ball.

"Fay watch out!" Fox yelled too late.

The beach ball impacted directly on the spaniel's nose, the slight impact being enough to throw her off of the already precarious balance she had assumed in trying to catch it. "Whoa!"

"Noooo!" Aaron screamed. Marcus looked away. Fox just put a palm over his face.

"I'm ok." Fay called out, giving a thumbs up towards Miyu in the distance. The other girl had both hands covering her mouth, despite this the look of horror on the lynx's face failed to register with Fay."I landed on something soft."

"You landed on our sand castle!" Fox practically yelled.

"What? What sand castle?" Fay looked at Fox in confusion. "You didn't build it here did you?"

Fox just groaned and ran his hands down his cheeks. "Yes we did. Now would you kindly get your tiny ninety pound butt off of what little of it remains?"

Heaving her small body out of the sandy cushion it had landed on Fay looked dejected. "Sorry guys."

Shaking his head Fox just muttered, "The only person in the world who can get knocked over by a fucking beach ball."

"Daddy? What does that word mean?" Marcus asked, looking strangely unperturbed by the destruction of the castle.

"Oops." Fox managed to catch himself before he let anymore obscenities slip from his muzzle. "Nothing Marcus. It's just a word people my age say when they have their sand castle leveled by spaniel butt."

"I'm sorry." Fay lamented, obviously embarrassed and practically heartbroken over what she had accidentally demolished. "Really."

"It's ok." Marcus broke in, probably sensing that Fox was still angry and wanting to defuse the situation. "It would have gotten broken anyways."

Fox watched as the kit bent over to begin digging out the figurines that had been buried. Hopefully Fay hadn't ruined them as well, though he doubted it. Looking up he saw Fay regarding him with the worst case of sad puppy eyes he had ever seen on her. Marcus actually looked happier with life than she did at the moment. "It's all right Fay, you didn't mean to. Though it might be better to play with beach balls on the other side of the beach from us from now on."

Fay frowned but nodded. "Probably a good idea. All right, well, I better get back to Miyu. See ya!"

Fox watched in wonderment as the spaniel quite literally skipped away, heart completely mended. She was the only woman in her thirties that Fox had ever seen skipping. "Fay, you amaze me sometimes." Turning back to Marcus, Fox said, "We still have a few hours before the tide comes in, want to try and rebuild it?"

Marcus looked up from his digging and smiled. "Yes."

Fox ruffled the fur on his son's head. "Great. And with Aaron here to help it'll go twice as fast. Right Aaron?"

The tiny blue bird nodded enthusiastically and immediately set to work helping Marcus dig out the figurines from their premature graves. Fox leaned back on his hands for a moment and smiled, there really was no better place to spend a summer day than at the beach.

Night had fallen on Fara's beachfront property and, just as the sun had retreated to a new location, so had the former members of Star Fox and their friends. Sucking in a sharp breath at the heat Bill lowered himself into the hot tub, glad for the chance to relax after a day spent surfing. Putting an arm around the fennec next to him the brown furred canine kissed Fara on the cheek and said, "How are things hon?"

"Oh just fine." The fennec replied, kissing him back. "Just relaxing. Krystal is on her third martini since she got here."

"Hmmm?" The blue vixen hummed, turning to regard the other vixen at the sound of her name. "What am I on?"

"Your third martini Krystal." Fara repeated, pointing at the drink in the other girl's hand.

"Fourth now." Krystal corrected, sipping from the martini glass in her hand. "It's really good gin."

Fox, who was occupying the space next to his wife, rolled his eyes. "Do you always have to get drunk whenever I take you places?"

"I am not drunk, not one bit." Krystal insisted, though the sound of a randomly occurring hiccup set out to prove her wrong. "Ok, maybe a little." The vixen admitted with a blush. "You haven't been drinking have you Fox?"

"No dear." Fox assured her. "I know the drill when there are martinis of any sort within a five mile radius of wherever we're going."

Krystal smiled and nuzzled into his neck. "Good boy."

Bill smiled as Fox eyed the martini glass in his wife's hand, obviously trying to decide how to remove it. "Does she really get drunk whenever there are martinis around?" He asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Fox replied, making his move to get the glass from Krystal's hand while she wasn't looking.

Krystal wasn't having any of it however, she quickly jerked her hand away, miraculously managing not to spill any of the contents. "Hey, I'm not done with this one yet. If you want one make it yourself, don't just try and steal mine." The vixen looked accusingly at her husband.

Fox sighed a bit in frustration. "Do I have to remind you we agreed on a two martini maximum when out with Marcus? And that apparently you've had almost double that now?"

"Oh. Grant an exception?" Krystal asked, doing an admirable job of trying to look cute while also pushing her breasts together with her arms. "Just this once?" She pressed, using her best begging tone.

Bill bit his tongue and tried not to smile at the mental battle he knew had to be raging inside of Fox's head. On the one hand Fox rarely bowed to pressure under any circumstances, but on the other it could be very hard to resist Krystal when she was looking cute and sexy all at the same time. The vixen really knew how to pour it on if she wanted something badly enough.

"No Krystal." Fox said resolutely, his better judgment having won the day. "Hand it over."

Krystal let out a defeated huff before peacefully surrendering the still half full martini glass. She cringed a bit as Fox poured the contents out into the ice bucket being used to chill several other glasses, just to make sure his wife didn't try and sneak away and retrieve the drink. Looking back towards Fara and Bill she said, "I promise this isn't a usual thing. Fox exaggerates how much I drink."

Fara laughed good naturedly before saying, "Don't worry Krystal, with all you have to put up with I don't blame you for being bad whenever you get the chance."

"Thank you Fara." Krystal smiled at the fennec, clearly happy that someone in the hot tub understood what she meant.

Fox groaned and tipped his head back to look at the stars. "Please don't encourage her Fara. We end up spending a fortune every time we go somewhere with a decent bar."

"At least I only do it when we're out." Krystal replied, looking a bit miffed and embarrassed at the same time. "It's not like I drink myself into a drunken stupor every day."

"No I guess not." Fox admitted, squeezing Krystal's shoulder and bringing his head back up. "Still though, it always means I have to be the designated driver whenever we go places."

"You want me to be the designated driver?" Krystal asked, giving Fox a look that illustrated just how unhappy she was with the turn this conversation had taken. "That's fine. I won't ever drink again and I can be a good, boring little housewife for you."

"You? Be a boring little housewife for me?" Fox looked at her, a grin forming on his face. "Now that would be no fun at all. After all, boring housewives don't..."

Fox whispered something in Krystal's ear that made the vixen blush and giggle as she pushed him away. "Fox! I thought you agreed never to talk about that." She half whispered to him, trying not to smile.

"Sorry love. I had to do something though didn't I?" Fox wrapped his arms around her and the vixen melted contentedly into his embrace, letting her back rest against his chest and putting her head on his shoulder.

Bill looked over at Fara and said, "Please tell me you caught that."

Fara smirked and wiggled her ears triumphantly. "I did actually. But I'm not sure I should repeat it in mixed company. Especially when there might be children about."

"Fine." Bill sighed, looking disappointed. "I take it you two are still pretty active with each other."

Fox blushed a bit and tipped his ears back, though he smiled at the same time."Yeah. Whenever we have the chance."

"Or a cheap motel room." Fara looked over at Fox, still smirking. Krystal snickered and bumped her butt against him from underwater.

Continuing to blush around his smile the tod tried, and failed, not to appear bashful. "Uh...yeah."

Krystal nestled herself a bit more securely in Fox's arms before saying, "We're much more active during the school year when Marcus is out of the house most of the day. Then we're like savages." The blue vixen tipped her head back and clearly began giving her husband the eye.

"Calm down Krystal." Fox said, putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her away just slightly. "Maybe we should talk about something else. Where are Miyu and Fay?"

Fara pointed over towards the far corner of the deck where the two girls were cuddling on a single lounge chair. "They haven't moved for about half an hour. I think Fay might actually be asleep."

Fox turned to look just as one of Fay's tiny feet kicked and the dog nuzzled a bit more firmly into Miyu's tummy. "Yeah she's asleep."

"Is it just me," Bill began, "or is Fay one of the only people we've ever known who can be over thirty and still act like a little girl whenever she wants to?"

"You mean is she still adorable, sweet, young at heart, and completely unjaded by the world?" Fara asked. Bill nodded. "Pretty much. She's more innocent than Krystal ever was."
The blue vixen let out a bark of laughter at that. "Ha! Me? Innocent? I was just a good actress."

"Oh come on Krystal, don't sell yourself short." Fox said, nuzzling her hair. "You can't tell me you weren't innocent when you first got here. Remember how you used to stare at the microwave?"

"Well...Maybe a bit. I mean I had to be a little innocent if I pulled it off that well." Krystal admitted, bumping her hair into Fox's nose as she chased after the nuzzling sensation.

"Hey, there still room left in that thing?" Falco called out as he, Katt, and Slippy made their way towards the hot tub.

Fara waved them over and called back, "Are you kidding? I could sail a cruise ship in here, come on in."

Reaching the hot tub Katt looked over the side before recoiling in shock. "Uh guys, the bubbles aren't on. What's with that?"

The four current occupants looked down at the water, noticing for the first time that the jets were indeed turned off. "Guess we kinda forgot." Bill answered, looking confused by the fact that someone could have forgotten such an essential part of the hot tub experience.

"Obviously." Katt looked over at Slippy and pointed towards the controls, left hand resting on her hip. "Do you mind?"

"On it." The toad replied as he manipulated the controls, seconds later the jets activated and the water began to fill with bubbles. "That do it?"

"Yep." Katt cautiously dabbed her toe in the water to test the temperature before stepping in with typical feline grace. Falco and Slippy chose to simply hop in, elegance and caution be damned. "Where's Krystal's martini?" Katt asked, looking curiously at the her friend's drink free hands. The vixen had reached her arms up over her head to caress Fox's neck, the tod humming softly at the sensation.

"Fox took mine away." Krystal explained, looking a bit sullen. "I was over my limit again."

"You'll probably be paying for it in the morning." Katt thought to mention.

"Ah well. Life is brief, and the easiest way to make sure you had fun is to pay for it in the mornings." Krystal opined, a look of mischief in her eyes.

"Here here." Falco agreed.

"I never really knew you were that much of a good time girl Krystal." Slippy commented, looking profoundly satisfied with life now that he was surrounded by hot, fresh water.

Katt stretched her arms over her head and thrust her chest out towards Falco. The avian gawked happily at the sight. "She learned from the best."

"I did." Krystal agreed, looking affectionately at Katt. "What do you think of my wild ways Fox?"

"I approve so long as you keep doing what you're doing to my neck." Fox stated, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Does that mean you would approve of me having another martini?" Krystal asked, tipping her head back to look up at her husband.

"Let's not go that far." Fox replied, opening his eyes and looking down at her chidingly.

"Spoil sport." Krystal pouted. Something occurred to her suddenly and she sat up to look around the deck. "Where's Marcus?"

"Inside." Katt said, looking much more comfortable now that she had finished stretching. "He and Aaron fell asleep. Does Marcus usually snuggle something when he goes to bed?"

"Yeah. Why?" Fox asked, glancing back towards the house.

"It's nothing really. It's just before we came out here he rolled over on the couch and snuggled right up to Aaron." Katt told him, smiling at the image in her head. "The two of them look adorable."

Fox and Krystal shared a smile, easily able to envision their son snuggling up to his best friend in lieu of his usual fox doll.

"Hey Slippy." Falco said, elbowing the toad lightly. "Show 'em what you showed me back on the beach. You guys have got to see this."

"What? The place me and Amanda are thinking of buying?" Slippy asked, looking at the falcon. Falco nodded. "All right, but where's Fay? She wanted to see this too."

Pointing towards the lounge chairs Bill opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when Falco yelled, "Ayyyy! Miyu! Fay! Come over here and take a look at Slippy's soon to be new place."

Fay, who had been fast asleep, sat bolt upright and nearly fell from where she had been cuddling with Miyu. The lynx managed to catch her in time and the two women, looking slightly miffed at Falco's rude interruption, made their way over to the hot tub. "What do you want?" Miyu asked, giving Falco a look that could have frozen the hot tub.

Completely unfazed Falco just motioned for them to get into the water, saying, "Slippy's going to show us his new place. You guys have got to see it, it's freaking awesome."

"Oh I did want to see that!" Fay exclaimed, her previous expression transitioning from miffed to excited in the blink of an eye.

Shoving over to give the two ladies room Slippy pulled his perso-com from his swim suit pocket. Submerging herself next to the amphibian Miyu eyed her friend's perso-com. "I didn't know they had water proof ones."

"Depends." Slippy explained with a shrug. "I built this one myself though."

"Ah." Miyu said, wrapping an arm around Fay, pulling the spaniel close.

"So what's the deal with this place Slippy?" Fay inquired, turning her head to look at the toad.

"We found it on Zoness." Slippy began, flipping through a few settings on his perso-com. "Nice locale, not too far from one of the main cities, but far away enough that it's private. And it's got just about everything we could want." Pressing a button on the touch screen the toad projected an image of the house over the water of the hot tub.

"You built a holo-projector into your com unit?" Miyu asked, looking enviously at the toad.

"Oh, yeah. Like I said, custom built. But what do you guys think of the house?" Slippy looked around at the various expressions being worn by the denizens of the hot tub. Each and every one of them consisting of a shocked and slightly jealous face, except Falco, who was looking smug.

"Holy crap." Krystal breathed, taking her hands from Fox's neck and leaning forward. "You must be joking."

The house being projected above the hot, bubbly water, consisted of not one, not two, but three stories. Positioned on a hill top it overlooked several acres of tamed and manicured jungle, as well as a large grass field. A massive pool sat on the roof, surrounded by a wooden deck, with lounge chairs protected by overhanging umbrellas.

Katt leaned forward and pointed to a strip of concrete with a large building next to it. "Is that a hangar?"

"Yep." Slippy confirmed with pride. "I've been working on a few new designs and I wanted some place to keep the prototypes once they're done."

"Dang Slip." Fox intoned, head shaking in wonderment. "That's one heck of a house. If you don't mind my asking..."

"How can I afford it?" Slippy finished, giving Fox a shrewd look. "I may not be a very good pilot, but people pay through the nose for my designs. The last contract I did for Space Dynamics will pay for this house and then some."

As soon as Slippy mentioned Space Dynamics all eyes turned to Fara. "What do you want from me?" The fennec asked, pointing to herself. "I don't sign his pay checks."

Everyone shared a laugh at that before Fox turned back to Slippy. "I hate to ruin the mood but do you have the time Slippy?"

"Sure." The toad killed the projection and checked the clock on his home screen. "It's almost eleven."

Fox looked down at Krystal just as the blue vixen looked up at him, the two bumping noses. Krystal giggled a bit as the two of them recoiled in surprise. "You think we should get going?"

"Probably." Fox answered, ears drooping a bit. "You know how Marcus gets."

"Right." Krystal agreed with her husband, though she looked reluctant to leave the confines of the hot tub.

"You two have to go?" Fara asked.

"We should yes. Marcus gets grumpy if we stay out all night, even when we bring him with us." Krystal explained, looking apologetic.

"We should probably get going too." Katt spoke up. Falco looked as if he wanted to protest, but one look from the pink feline cut him off before he could so much as open his beak.

Fara nodded and gave Krystal a reassuring look. "No worries. I guess we should all call it a night. It looks like Fay already has." The fennec smiled a bit at the sight of the spaniel, asleep again, head resting on Miyu's shoulder.

Miyu glanced at her shoulder and smiled softly. Nuzzling her wife she said, "Fay wake up." Fay responded by snuggling closer to the lynx. "Fay, we need to do something very important."

"Mmm. What?" Fay mumbled against Miyu's shoulder.

"We need to go home so we can get in bed." Miyu answered, giving the little dog a gentle shake.

"Only if you carry me." Fay replied, her eyes remaining closed.

Miyu gave a short sigh but continued smiling. "Fine. But we need to dry off after we get out. Then I'll carry you."

"Ok." Fay opened her eyes a bit and stretched.

Fox meanwhile had managed to make it out of the hot tub, Krystal following. Just as she stepped onto the deck Krystal's knees buckled and she gave a, "Whoa!" Fox caught her, a self-satisfied look on his face. Growling a bit Krystal said, "It was the hot water. I'm not that drunk."

Chuckling Fox kissed her on the cheek, letting her out of his grip as soon as he felt certain she wouldn't tumble to the ground. "Whatever you say dear. Now come on, we should get Marcus and head home."

"Your driving." Krystal reminded him, moving to grab towels for Fox and herself from the stack next to the hot tub, Slippy made it over to them first and tossed her a pair. She smiled and thanked the toad.

"Obviously." Fox replied, looking at his wife and trying to hold back a smile as she gave him an irritated look. Taking the towel she handed him he began drying off.

Miyu tried not to snicker when she overheard the blue vixen and her husband talking, did foxes ever stop digging at each other? Running a towel over Fay's back she kissed the spaniel's long white hair, still with its bow in it, and said, "There you go, all dry. Still sleepy?"

By way of answering Miyu's question Fay fell backwards into the lynx's waiting arms and, upon landing, promptly began making wildly exaggerated snoring noises.

"You two." Katt said as she sauntered by, towel slung across one shoulder. "Do you ever stop being cute?"

Fay cracked one eye open and answered, "Never." Before going back to making snoring noises. Looking up at Miyu she asked between snores, "Are you going to pick me up or what?"

Sweeping the spaniel off her feet and into her arms Miyu kissed her on the nose. "I was getting to it. Come on, let's go home."

A smile on her face Fay put her arms around Miyu's neck and let out a happy yawn, nothing beat being carried by someone who loved you.

Fara, a towel around her waist and Bill's arm on her shoulder just shook her head. "Katt's right, do you two ever stop being cute?"

Miyu did her best to shrug while holding ninety pounds of tiny spaniel in her arms. "It's all Fay."

Fara and the rest made their way back into the house, the fennec cringing a bit as the artificial light hit her eyes. Her cringe disappeared though as soon as she spotted Marcus and Aaron. Just like Katt had said the two of them were fast asleep on the couch, and Marcus had cuddled right up to his friend. "D'awww."

Krystal, a soft smile on her face, looked to Fox as she asked, "Which of us is going to disturb them?"

"I say Falco." Fox opined, looking over at the avian.

Falco tore his eyes away from the two bundles of cuteness on the couch and, looking somewhat offended, replied, "Why me?"
"Because," Slippy answered. "You already woke up one pair of cuddlers tonight."

Bowing, for once, to the logic of Slippy's argument, Falco sat down on the couch and shook Aaron and Marcus gently by their shoulders. "Come on guys, time to wake up and go to bed."

Marcus opened his eyes first, rolling over to look towards his parents. "Wha..."

Krystal walked over and picked him up. "Come on dear, we're heading home so you can get to bed."

"Ok." Marcus said, eyelids drooping and tail hanging limply. His nose twitched suddenly. "Momma, your breath smells gross."

Fox lost it, bending over with laughter as his tail wagged uncontrollably. Krystal blushed and look embarrassed. "Sorry Marcus." Walking over to Fox she grabbed one of his ears and yanked him upright. Fox yelped in pain and managed to get a handle on his laughter. "You better hold him."

"Right." Fox took Marcus from his mother and rubbed noses with him. "Don't you worry Marcus, we have mints in the car for your mother's martini breath."

Marcus nodded tiredly, apparently unaware that his innocent observation had embarrassed his mother whilst making his father's day.

Fara smiled a bit and, as soon as Falco had managed to get a hold of Aaron, the smaller falcon rolling into his arms, led everyone to the front door. "You know," she said, her smile widening, "I think this is the first party we've had in awhile where three people have had to be carried out."

Fox grinned and adjusted Marcus in his arms. "You know you're right. Though last time it was Katt and Krystal who had to be carried out along with Fay."

"Shut up." The blue vixen and pink feline both snapped. Each of them glancing at the other and blushing. Fay's tail wagged a bit, the only one not embarrassed by the memory, or lack thereof, when it came to the night in question.

"Careful Fox, I think Krystal has been embarrassed enough for one night." Fara advised with a shake of her head.

Krystal flicked her tail at her husband and, giving Fara a kiss on each cheek, replied, "Oh don't worry, I'm glad he's gotten to the point where he can be comfortable poking fun at me. Thanks for a lovely day Fara."

Fara returned the blue vixen's kisses. "No problem. We should do this again soon."

"Can't argue with that." Slippy agreed with smile.

Fara wagged her tail and gave Slippy a hug. And, for the next few minutes, hugs, a few kisses, and goodbyes were exchanged between everyone present until, at last, the door clicked shut behind the last of the group to leave.

Sighing heavily Fara said, "Why is it that relaxing with friends can be so tiring?"

"Beats me babe." Bill replied, itching the back of his neck. "You want to get some sleep?"

"I'm not that tired yet." Fara responded, a wicked smile on her muzzle as she pressed her rump into the front of her boyfriend's swim shorts.

"Oh, well in that case," Bill wrapped his arms around the fennec's waist, "neither am I."

Reaching a hand up to cup his cheek Fara kissed Bill's chin. "Good. Come on stud, let's see if we can wake up the neighbors."