Author's Note: Good news is, I started writing the next chapter to Afterlife. Bad news, I lost motivation. Good news, I used the lack of motivation to come up with this. Everything should be explained in the summery, but just in case, this is going to be a series of oneshots focusing on the families you rarely see, such as the Bradleys, the Brooks, the James and the Watanabe family.

I've got a my hands full with Afterlife and The Story Never Told, but this story will be my lack of motivation story. When I've got no ideas but I want to write, I'll focus on this.

Let me know what you think!

The beach was always the perfect place for the Bradley family, even though days at the beach would never be like they were before Venjix took over. The sun was artificial, the "ocean" was a lake with made-made waves for the surfers (Kaylee's idea) and the beach was always crowded on hot days.

Very, very crowded.

This was why the Bradleys always chose to go in the evening. The air was cooler, which made the water feel warmer and it wasn't as bright out, but it was definitely much easier for all four Bradleys.

Blake and Jason would bring their dirt bikes and ride around on the sand for a few hours to get some practice. The tracks were fun, but every once in a while it felt good for the father and son to mix it up a little and try something different. They also had the freedom to ride around anywhere, instead of around, and around.

Elena would lie in the wet sand, listening to the waves. Every once in a while she would feel the water reaching her butt, cooling her off and causing her to shiver slightly. But even though it was cold, it felt nice.

Tori was always in the water, keeping an eye on her daughter while she enjoyed being surrounded by her own element.

Up on the beach, the boys stopped their bikes and pulled off their helmets. They walked to the towels, dropping their equipment down. As Blake helped Jason get the last of his stuff off, her turned to the water.

"Tori, Elena, it's getting late!" he called to them. "We might wanna start heading home before the couples show up."

Elena jumped to her feet, "I don't care about them!" she cried. "I wanna stay here! Please!"

"You don't have to watch them make out!" Jason frowned. "Sometimes, I wish Mike dropped me in the puddle of goop."

Blake shook his head as he slapped Jason on the back of the head. In the water, Tori began swimming over, using her powers to push herself towards the shore. As she ran up, joining the rest of her family, she looked at Blake.

"I don't know, I think I agree with Elena this time," she said, looking back at the water as she dried her hair. "It's a nice night, the water's still pretty good. I think I can look past teenage hormones just this once."

"Mom…" Jason groaned, falling down on the towels. Elena was excited when she heard her mother agreeing with her. She grabbed her mother's hand and began pulling. Jason turned to his father, "Please, say no!"

Blake smiled at his son before turning back to his wife and daughter, about to say no, when he noticed they were both pulling off the look. Jason smacked his head with his hand, groaning once again.

"Jase," Blake said, "I can't say no! It's the double puppy face!"

"Just, turn your eyes away and think of dead puppies!" Jason said. Blake closed his eyes, trying to do as his son instructed, but it wasn't working. Not with Tori's fingers slowly making their way up his arm.

"C'mon, Blake," Tori whispered, "We can find that little spot no one knows about. The kids can make sandcastles and you and I can…"

Tori leaned in to whisper something in Blake's ear, but Jason stopped it. He put himself between his parents.

"Ew! None of that! Now I really want to go home!"

"None of what?" Elena asked. Tori wrapped her arm around her daughter as she looked down at Jason.

"I wasn't going to suggest that," she laughed.

"Then why were you going to whisper it?" Jason frowned.

"So you kids wouldn't know where we were."

"That's not very safe," Elena pointed out. "What if something happened to us… or to you? Or… what if Jason tried to shove sand in my bathing suit again?"

"We won't be far," Blake laughed. He turned to Tori, "Maybe we can stay a little while longer. What can it hurt?"

"My eyes!" Jason screamed, covering his eyes as he spotting the first couple arriving on the beach, hand in hand.

Blake placed his hand on his son's back, pushing him along as Tori gathered up the towels. The boys took their bikes, rolling them along in the sand, and Elena took care of the beach toys.

Blake and Tori led the way to a part of the beach that was isolated from the rest thanks to a large cave. This section of the beach was rather dangerous for people to visit, because when the tide was high the water would flood into the cave and anyone on the beach would get washed up into the ocean, but Tori's knowledge of the tide meant she knew exactly when the cave was safe to relax in, and when to clear out.

She laid the towels down and Elena dropped the toys.

"You two stick here, got it?" Tori said. She led her daughter deeper into the cave, where the sand was better for building castles. "If you need anything just shout. Your father and I will be able to hear you."

"We'll also be able to hear you if you try to shove sand down bathing suits," Blake said, pointing an accusing look at Jason. "Take care of your sister. We'll be back in an hour."

"A full hour?" Jason groaned, dropping onto the sand. "NO! I told Charlie I would be online for Deathkill 3! I'm already late!"

"Missing one hour won't kill you," Tori laughed. "No matter what the video game title might say."

"On the way home we can get ice cream," Blake promised. "Just, trust us, Jase. You're going to like the beach during the sunset."

Tori grabbed Blake's hand, pulling him away. "C'mon. We're going to be late for the sunset if we keep talking."

"One hour!" Jason yelled after his parents as they ran off. "And not a minute later!"

"Jason! Can you help me?" Elena called, holding up a bucket full of sand. Jason grumbled as he walked into the cave. He grabbed the bucket from his sister and flipped it in the sand, slowly pulling it out to make a castle for his sister.

"There, brat, a castle, happy?"

Elena reached out, gingerly touching the castle so it wouldn't break. She smiled as she turned in her brother's direction.

"It's perfect."

"Of course," He smirked, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "I'm a professional sandcastle builder, remember? I made you a fort with Uncle Ziggy last year."

"Oh yeah! It had stairs!"

"That's all you remember?"

"I couldn't see it, remember?"

"Right," Jason chuckled. "So, you've built your little castle. Now what do we do?"

Elena shrugged as he began pouring sand in her bucket again. "We could build another."

"We're not doing this for an hour," Jason frowned. He looked over his shoulder, where his mother and father disappeared. A smirk appeared on his face. "I've got a better idea."

"I don't like your tone…"

"What do you mean?"

"Every time you use that tone we get grounded for a week."

"I'm not using a tone…"

"Yes, you are! I can hear it!"

Jason grabbed his sister, pulling her in closer so he could whisper in her ear.

"Look, it's obvious mom and dad are hogging all the fun. I don't know what they're doing, but it's gotta be better than sitting here and dumping sand in a bucket."

"Parents don't have fun," Elena frowned. "They just sit around and talk."

"If parents don't have fun, why does Mike chose to hang out with them all the time and not us?" Jason asked. "There's got to be something going on that we don't know about."

"Didn't you already have that talk with dad?"

"NO! That's not what I'm talking about! ... Wait, I thought you didn't know about that yet."

"Aunt Kaylee and I talked."

"Oh."

"Are you saying we should follow them?" Elena asked her brother. Jason smiled and nodded.

"We're going to figure out what they're hiding from us."

"It's nothing, Jason."

"It's a spy mission! And it's better than me building a castle for you, and you getting all the credit."

Elena crossed her arms over her chest as she followed the sound of her brother's footsteps.

"Fine. It's not like I can see anything that's going to scar me for life. But if I hear one moan, I'm turning back."

"Don't worry, so am I."

-The-Other-Families-

Blake and Tori found their perfect spot on the beach, close to the kids just in case something happened, but far enough away so they were alone. Tori let go of Blake's hand and started running towards the water. Blake rolled his eyes.

"We're not doing this again, are we?" he asked her, walking towards the water. "You know I always catch you."

Tori turned around, jogging backwards in the water with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"This time, we're in the water," she grinned, turning around and diving under. Blake stepped in, so the water was up to his ankles, and scanned the water to see if he could spot Tori. Suddenly, he was soaked to the bone.

"Oh, you did not just…" Blake growled, wiping the water from his eyes as Tori popped out from the water, laughing. Once he could see again, Blake jumped for Tori, trying to grab her and take her down. Tori yelped, jumping out of the way just in time to avoid Blake, letting him land in the water with a splash. Tori laughed louder as Blake surfaces, struggling to get the water out of his nose. He suddenly turned on his wife, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her down. Tori screamed as she was pulled up the water.

She tried to come up for air, but Blake pushed her down as he surfaced. With her water powers, he didn't have to worry much about drowning her. If she was really struggling, she would just manipulate the water away. When he was satisfied with his revenge, he pulled her up. Tori glared at her husband. Blake noticed her cheeks were puffed.

"Oh, no!" he shouted as Tori spit water (and a bit of her own spit) in his face. For a moment, Blake wasn't sure if he should let her go to wipe his face off, or if he should just drag her under again. He decided to push her away, wiping his face quickly with one hand while the other struck the water, splashing Tori.

"Hey! Stop it!" Tori screamed as she was attacked by a shower of water coming at her non-stop. She was giggling so much, she could barely muster up the concentration required to fight back.

Suddenly, she heard a little voice shouting in her defence.

"Daddy! Stop splashing mommy!"

Tori turned away from Blake, letting the water hit her back. She looked at the beach and saw Elena was running for the water to help out.

"Elena, no, it's okay! Daddy and I are just playing!"

Elena stopped when she was in the water and frowned. She crossed her arms over her chest. Jason quickly joined her.

"See, Elle. I told you. Parents do hog all the fun! They're having a water fight without us!"

"You left us to make sand castles while you guys have a water fight!" Elena shouted, showing her parents how disappointed she was with the Hanson glare. The waters around her started to stir as her powers began acting up. Blake quickly took care of it, though, as he scooped his daughter up in his arms, then dumped her for a few seconds.

"Boys against girls!" Jason shouted, clinging to his mother, trying to take her down. Tori laughed as she tried to get her son to let go of her waist, but tripped over her own feet. She and Jason both crashed in the water as Elena and Blake surfaced.

"Jason, I got the little one! You take the big one!"

"The big one?" Tori screamed, turning to her husband. Jason and Elena both giggled as Blake's expression dropped. Tori picked up her son and tossed him in the water, before attacking her husband and sending him in the water.

"Daddy's in trouble now!" Elena laughed as the water from the splash hit both her and Jason in the face. Jason turned to his sister. Right now, he realised he could get his revenge for everything Elena and her blindness put him through. He had put his life on hold more times than he could remember for his little sister, and she had yet to thank him, or apologize for all the trouble she caused.

"You're going down, brat!"