Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever own Outlaw Star or anything affiliated with said show.

The next few days went by quickly, what with all the practices and hanging out with the rest of the team, and before Jim knew it, it was already Saturday morning.

It turned out that Greg, Trey and Tony all had rooms a few doors down from him and they'd taken to walking to and from practices together in the morning. Since the Crain brothers headed home for lunch to spend time with their family and Greg went to his mother's bakery for the afternoon shift, they always headed straight to the pool when they arrived so Jim would make the evening trip by himself.

One time he'd wound up in the elevator with Julia and found out that her parents were diplomats out on some business trip. Her family was very wealthy and she had the option of training at the exclusive Heifong Country Club, but she'd turned it down to train with her cousin, who as it turned out just so happened to be their instructor Sarah. She also informed him that the girls were all located on the fourth floor with the instructors, in case he ever needed to find Lisa or the others.

He hadn't really learned anything about Sasha, she was very quiet and only seemed to talk with Julia and Lisa, but he did know, courtesy of Trey, that she was an orphan, but had recently been adopted by a nice elderly couple that lived in the rural district of Heifong.

As for Sarah and Amy, well he'd been drug off to eat by them several times and been forced to sit between them while they talked about their favorite foods, shows, exotic places, and anything else they happened to ramble on about. It's not that Jim didn't like them, he did, they were just a little too…well, to be honest, they kind of reminded him a little of Aisha, and he was more than grateful every time he managed to sneak away from them.

He'd run into Lisa a few times, but when she wasn't running the team she had a side job helping out the resort doing whatever odd jobs they sent her way so she was usually too busy to do anything with the team. She did go out to dinner with them one night, but was called away when one of the night lifeguards called in sick.

Sitting up with a yawn, Jim glanced over at the clock and quickly did a double take. "Holy crap, I'm late!" He cried, jumping out of bed and throwing on his suit as fast as he could. Dashing out of the room, he pulled the towel around his waist as he raced to the elevator at the end of the hall. He stopped after three feet and turned towards the stairs instead.

Usually he didn't take them since he was pretty tired after practice, but they'd get him to the pool a lot faster. Pushing open the door, he took the stairs two at a time and in less than two minutes he was standing outside the doors to the pool area.

Leaning over, he took several gasping breaths and tried to catch his breath before going inside. As soon as he could breathe again Jim stepped through the door and made his way over to the pool with an apology on his lips. "I'm so sorry I'm la-…" Trailing off, he raised an eyebrow at the scene before him.

Greg was wearing a pair of red swim trunks that had little black skulls all over them and was currently trying to pull Tony under the water. Trey and Tony were wearing matching black board shorts, Tony's had a red dragon on the side while Trey's had a blue dragon, and Trey was laughing as Tony's head came back above the surface and he spit out a mouthful of water.

Sasha was sitting on the edge of the pool talking with Julia, dressed in green suit with slices of watermelon on it. Julia, who'd just shook her head at something Sasha had said, was wearing a bright blue suit with flower petals dancing around it.

As usual Sarah and Amy were in colorful bikini's, Amy's was yellow and Sarah's silver and blue, but what surprised Jim the most was that Lisa was wearing one as well. She'd chosen a plain black one, and though it was fairly conservative, it was still a bikini.

The shock must have shown on his face because Lisa came over and smiled down at him. "Now I know you didn't think that was the only suit I ever wore. Even I like to play sometimes." She said, ruffling his hair gently.

"…but I thought today was practice." Jim finally managed to say.

"It is, but on the last practice before a meet I always allow a free day where we all just relax and play around together. You can also wear whatever you want. I find it helps everyone focus better if they're allowed a day off." Lisa said. "I guess I forgot to mention that though huh, sorry about that."

Shrugging, Jim tossed his towel next to several others on one of the nearby chairs and kicked off his flops. "Don't worry about it. While it would've been nice not to have to wear this thing, I've kind of gotten used to it these past few days." He replied with a smile.

"Glad to hear it, now get yourself into the pool and have some fun." Lisa said with a playful shove.

Jim didn't need to be told twice, within seconds he was diving into the water and joining in on a game of Marco Polo that had everyone laughing and joking around before the game even really had a chance to begin.

o o o o o

When practice was over, Lisa called everyone to the edge of the pool. "Okay, you've had your fun, now it's time for us to get serious." She said. "Last time we went up against the Dragons we put up a good fight, but they managed to beat us in the end because Jack broke his leg and had to back out. This time though I know we'll beat them. So go spend the rest of the day with your family or friends, but be back here and in bed no later than ten. I want you all well rested for the tournament tomorrow, got it?"

"Yes maam." The team replied in unison and Lisa nodded her head with a smile.

"That's what I like to hear. Now, off you go." Shooing them away with her hand, she stood up and pulled a towel around her waist. Looking up, she raised an eyebrow when she noticed Jim was still floating around in the pool. "Hey, what are you up to?" She asked curiously.

"I figured I'd get in a little practice before I headed back up to my room, if that's okay that is." Jim said, spinning around to face her.

"Suit yourself." Lisa said with a shrug. "Just don't wear yourself out before you have a chance to show us what you've really got."

"I won't."

Giving the boy a wave, Lisa turned on her heel and headed towards the showers to get changed.

Once Lisa was gone, Jim dunked his head back under the water to get his hair out of his face, pulled on his pair of goggles that were sitting by the side of the pool, and got into a starting position. Taking a deep breath he pushed himself off the side and sped off towards the other end of the pool.

Coming up for a breath, he pushed himself even harder and managed to make it to the opposite end a little faster than normal. Spinning around, he pushed off again and headed back to the starting point. He did that several more times before calling it quits and finally getting out of the pool.

Drying off his hair, Jim wrapped himself in the towel and headed back to his room to change. On his way there he figured he should probably head back to the flat and check on the mail and whatnot since he had the rest of the day free. He promised Gene he'd stay on top of all the bills, and he had, but he'd forgotten about the mail since they never really got many packages. Besides, he hadn't had his favorite coffee in a while, and since he was going that way anyway he may as well get himself a little treat.

With thoughts of a hot, tasty drink and warm muffin in his head, he made the trip to his room quickly. Changing took even less time since he wasn't exactly wearing much, and in less than fifteen minutes Jim found himself walking through the lobby doors and out into the warm afternoon sun in a pair of tan board shorts and a red t-shirt.

Checking his watch, he was pleased to note that it was only about one o'clock which left him with basically half the day to do whatever he wished. "Maybe I'll get some shopping done." He thought out loud, turning off the main street that lead to the resort and choosing to take some of the alleyways instead so he could avoid all the weekend shoppers downtown.

"I've been meaning to get some new parts for my computer so I can reconfigure Gilliam's programs faster, and Mel mentioned that we were almost out of cleaning supplies so I should probably grab those as well." He continued to mumble. "Oh, and Aisha's been complaining about Suzuka stealing her shampoo so I'd better grab two more bottles of that while I'm out."

As he continued to make a mental list of everything that he'd need to pick up when he went out later, Jim turned a corner and stumbled into a kid that looked a few years older than himself. "Sorry about…" Trailing off, his eyes narrowed as he processed the scene before him.

There were two guys, including the one he'd just run into, hassling a little blonde girl. They both had short black hair and mean looks on their faces, most likely brothers as far as he could tell, and were dressed in some kind of maroon colored workout gear. Glancing back over at the girl, Jim was surprised to see that it was actually Sasha backed up against the alley wall.

He wasn't much of a hero, but there was no way Jim was going to let a friend of his be bullied so he narrowed his eyes and glared for all he was worth. "What do you think you're doing, picking on an innocent young girl like that?" He asked, trying to talk like Gene does when he's in his protective mood.

"What's it to you shrimp?" The one next to Sasha asked.

"Yeah, why don't you just run along and maybe we'll let you live." The other said as he cracked his knuckles threateningly.

Gulping, Jim began to take a step back but stopped himself before his foot moved more than an inch. Taking a deep breath, he began again. "I'm not leaving without her. So how about you let her go and we can forget this ever happened."

The two guys shared a laugh before turning to move in on Jim. "You sure talk tough for such a puny little thing. Maybe we should shut you up…permanently." The one on the left said.

When the one on the right raised his fist, Jim cringed and waited for the first blow. It never came. Instead the guy suddenly collapsed to the ground with a groan of pain. Blinking, Jim stared at the space he'd previously occupied and his eyes widened when he saw Sasha standing there with a very determined look on her face.

"Leave him alone." She said softly, but her tone was fierce and sounded a bit out of place coming from the small girl's mouth.

Looking down at his fallen sibling, the remaining teen raised an eyebrow and snorted. "And why should I do that. So you got lucky with Carl here, big deal, there's no way you'll be able to take me on."

Sasha dropped into a fighting stance, one which Jim vaguely recognized as some kind of Karate position, and narrowed her eyes. "You leave me no choice then."

With a laugh, the guy ran a hand over his hair and then shook his head. "Well, I don't usually fight girls, but for you I'll make an exception." Grinning cockily, he leapt forward and threw a fast punch with his right fist. What he hadn't counted on was Sasha blocking it easily and he found himself pushed into the wall hard. Feeling some blood form on his lip from where he'd bitten it, he spit it off before turning back around to face the young girl.

Jim watched as the two faced each other once again and was torn between stepping in, and likely getting injured, or letting Sasha deal with the punk. When her fist collided with the other guy's nose, the decision was made for him and he remained standing where he was.

"I think you broke my nose." The guy wheezed out as he took several steps back and nudged Carl, who'd just begun to stir, in the side.

"Five more minutes Joe." Carl mumbled from the ground.

Giving him another harsh kick, Joe was pleased to see Carl sit up quickly. Helping him to his feet, Joe glared at Sasha harshly. "Don't think this is over you little brat. Tomorrow I'll destroy you and the rest of your pathetic little team." And with that the two took off and disappeared out of the alley.

With a sigh, Sasha brushed off her light blue sundress and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before turning to face Jim. "Sorry about all that, I didn't mean to drag you into anything."

An apology was not what he'd been expecting and Jim stood there dumbfounded for several seconds. Finally he spoke up. "…um, what was that all about?"

"Oh that was just the Dragons way of trying to intimidate us before a match." Sasha said, waving her hand dismissively.

"But they can't do that!" Jim said astonished. "Aren't there rules against that kind of behavior?"

Sasha nodded. "Sure there are, but the Heifong Dragons have never been ones to follow the rules." When Jim looked ready to freak out, she shook her head. "It's not a big deal; usually they just corner one of us and make some lame threat. The only reason Joe got hurt today was because he took things too far by going after you. It's one thing to talk all big, but I can't condone violence in anyway."

Thoroughly confused, Jim ran both hands through his hair as he tried to wrap his head around things. It didn't work very well. "I still don't get it."

"It's team rivalry, that's all." Sasha said, taking him by the hand and leading him out onto the main street. "The Dragons threaten us because they think we're losers, and we pull pranks on them in retaliation. It's been that way for as long as I've been on the team. For the most part it's all in good fun, but occasionally someone gets a little out of hand and has to be dealt with. That's why they were so mad at me today; I bleached a load of their uniforms last night, so now some of them will have to compete tomorrow with spots on their suits."

Jim couldn't help but laugh as he imagined what they'd all look like.

When they reached the light, Sasha released his hand and smiled. "Thank you for trying to help me today. That was very brave of you."

"It was nothing." Jim said, rubbing the back of his head embarrassed.

"Whatever you say." Leaning up, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Well I've got to be getting home now. I've got Karate in an hour and I still have chores I need to finish." Waving, she took off down the street and vanished amongst the crowd.

With a brief shake of his head, Jim turned in the opposite direction and continued on his way. Four long lights and ten minutes later he unlocked the door to the flat and let himself inside. Closing the door with his foot, he made his way to the side door where packages are delivered and found two small boxes sitting there. One was for Aisha so he set that outside her room, and the other was for Melfina and labeled perishable.

Opening the box, he spotted several different types of meat and quickly moved them into the freezer so they'd last until she got back. From there he moved to the couch and pulled up the inventory and work logs for all the work that was being done on the Outlaw Star. The work had already been completed, and the ship was ready for space travel at any time, but Jim liked to read through all the notes the workers made so he'd have a heads up on anything that may need more work in the near future.

After that he ran through their financials, and nearly had a heart attack when he saw a charge made by Gene and Mel. There were so many zeros. He was about to call them up and scream at the incompetent captain, certain that it was his fault, when a deposit of the same amount appeared right above it. Breathing a sigh of relief, they were no longer bordering on bankrupt, he closed his computer, got up and walked to the door. It was time for some much needed coffee.

The trip to Fei Sei's was uneventful and soon he found himself sitting outside the small shop at the same table he'd shared with Lisa less than a week ago. Taking a sip of his coffee, Jim reached for the bag that held his muffin and pulled out the tasty treat. Leaning back in his chair, cup in one hand and muffin in the other, he absently watched people passing by as he ate leisurely.

There was a little girl crying because her balloon had floated away as her mother tried desperately to console her, an elderly couple that was out for an afternoon stroll, and a group of teen girls who'd obviously just finished a shopping spree if the dozens of stuffed bags were anything to go by.

Shaking his head, Jim finished his drink and shoved the cup into the empty bag before tossing it into a nearby trashcan. Now that his craving had been dealt with, it was time to get the rest of his list done. Pushing himself out of the chair, he began walking down the street towards the shopping mall.

o o o o o

Jim walked into the flat a little after six that evening with several heavy bags on his arms and dropped them next to the door. He'd managed to get everything on his list, including some of the fancy soap Melfina loved so much and a new set of teacups since they'd already managed to break most of the last set.

Kicking off his shoes, he rifled through the bags and began to put things away. The cleaning supplies went in the closet, the cups and utensils he'd found on clearance went on the kitchen counter, Mel's soap and the flower shampoo Aisha always claimed was 'hers', but in reality was for everyone to use, were put on the shelf in the bathroom, and his electronic equipment was tossed onto his bed.

Glancing at the clock, Jim wrinkled his nose when he realized he wouldn't have time to install everything tonight. Not if he planned on being back at the resort in time for the team dinner. He contemplated skipping it, but he'd already told Trey and Tony he'd be there and didn't want to go back on his word. With a longing look at his new toys, he left his room and made his way back to the front door.

Making sure the door was locked, he headed out onto the street and began the ten minute walk back to the resort. Which actually took closer to twenty minutes when he decided to stop and help an old man pull down his fruit stand, so it was nearing seven when Jim finally arrived.

He was cutting it close, but figured he'd have just enough time to make it to dinner if he took the stairs so he made a beeline for the door that led to them. Running up them as fast as he could, Jim slid out into the open outdoor dining area situated right out front of the restaurant just as the clock struck seven. Completely out of breath, yes, but on time none the less.

"You really need to exercise more." Trey said, popping out from behind a nearby bush and slapping Jim on the back playfully.

Tony put an arm around Jim's shoulder and smiled as well. "He has a point. It seems like you're always out of breath." Before Jim could reply, he continued. "But who cares about that right now. We've got a couple of hotties waiting for us inside so let's get going."

"Woohoo!" Trey called out excitedly. "Awesome food and good looking girls; could this night get any better!"

Rolling his eyes at their behavior, Jim found himself smiling anyway. Despite how the brothers acted, they were actually very loyal friends who cared a lot for those around them…you just had to look past all their obnoxiousness to find out. Ignoring the newly started argument about which waitress was cuter, Jim allowed himself to be drug off into the restaurant for what was certain to be a lively meal.