The beach was deserted; but even this early in the morning it rippled with Hell's infernal heat. Summer was officially in full swing.

Vaggie was last out of the limo, Charlie's limo, which had over the months, become more like the Hotel's tour bus. The leather seats had become well worn, crumbs and mud and stains repeatedly beaten into the carpet no matter how many times Niffty cleaned it.

Charlie and the others had already taken off down the sandy shoreline bearing towels and bags and parasols. Yes, there were others now. Cherri had finally joined the hotel, and a few newcomers had wormed their way into the core group too – Sir Pentious, of all demons, after one defeat too many; Baxter, a fishily obsessive scientist who had to be literally dragged from his laboratory for day trips like these; Crymini, a plucky young hyena who Angel and Husk had both taken under their wing to everyone's mild concern; and Mimzy, one of Alastor's longtime acquaintances (and didn't they get along so disconcertingly well) who'd taken up residence at the Hotel after her club was demolished in a turf war.

They were, dare she say, a family. A dysfunctional little family, one that clashed and tousled and bickered… but one that also supported each other, looked out for each other, were there for each other. Vaggie was honestly glad to be spending her afterlife with them.

She shielded her eyes against the rising pentagram sun, picked up her tote bag, made sure her sunhat was angled correctly, and followed them down the beach.

By the time she caught up, they'd already started unrolling towels, untangling umbrellas, stripping off outer layers, and emptying sand from shoes and sandals (or between toes and claws). Husk was grumping at Angel and Alastor for not helping him fold out the beach chairs. Cherri and Sir Pentious appeared to be having a passive-aggressive war over the best spot to sit. And Charlie, of course, conducted the whole chaotic orchestra of activity with unruffled optimism.

"'Bout time ya joined us, slowpoke!" Angel called out in jest, as Cherri kicked sand over Sir Pentious's beach towel.

"Not all of us have freakishly long legs like you do, Angel" she fired right back, grinning the exasperated grin she'd come to reserve for the spider.

"My long legs are fabulous , thank you very much!" Angel mock gasped, before turning his attention back to nuzzling and cooing over Fat Nuggets. Husk threw his paws up, gave up on the notion of getting any help, and unfolded the next beach chair with a tad more force than was strictly necessary.

Vaggie turned her attention to Charlie, giving her a smooch. "How're you doing, hun?"

"Really good! We're right on schedule, for once!" Charlie consulted her watch, then her clipboard, and breathed a satisfied sigh. "Now we've got the whole day ahead for fun and relaxation!"

"A leisurely day out ain't planned out like an army bootcamp, doll," Mimzy huffed pointedly from where she'd already laid down on her beach towel. "This gal needed her beauty sleep." With that, the chubby diva flicked her sunglasses on, leaned back, and hid her face behind a tanning reflector.

"Why, Mimzy, dear," Alastor chuckled. "Don't you know that the early bird catches the worm? Mornings are ripe with opportunity for those bold enough to take it!"

"Oh, shush, you." Mimzy flapped a dismissive hand at the Radio Demon, who turned to the next source of amusement: a now buried-in-sand Sir Pentious.

Vaggie rolled her eyes, and shrugged off the chemise she'd flung over her grey one-piece swimsuit. It was easier to bare her arms, these days. She still wore her gloves most of the time - especially out in public - but more and more in the company of her friends she'd find herself wearing short-sleeved t-shirts or sleeveless dresses, leaving her forearms uncovered. Sometimes taking off gloves or a sweater or a long-sleeved shirt still gave her pause, but far less often than it used to.

The seabreeze prickled at Vaggie's skin, but that was it. No paranoid sensation of being scrutinized or judged. That nobody was paying mind to her arms really did help. Conversation carried on. Sir Pent's indignant shrieks mingled with Alastor and Cherri's laughter, Angel's baby-voice and Fat Nugget's happy squeals sounded over Husk's gravelly grumbles.

Charlie, bless her, was very much enamoured with how her girlfriend looked as a whole. "Awww, Vaggie, you look gorgeous!" she gushed.

Vaggie flushed happily. "You think?" she asked, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"Absolutely!" Charlie flitted forward to press a kiss, brief but intoxicating, to Vaggie's lips. She twirled away in a swirl of golden hair, and Vaggie watched in a smitten, happy daze. "Right! Now, who wants to go swimming?!"

"Sunscreen first!" clamored Niffty, zipping about with a bottle and depositing just the right amount of lotion in each demon's hands. The little cyclops gave Vaggie a little thumbs up and a big smile when the moth bent down with cupped hands, so Niffty didn't have to leap up to reach.

"Must we?" Baxter griped.

"You're a deep sea dweller and you lock yourself away in a dark laboratory," Crymini pointed out. "Nerd," she tacked on, unnecessarily.

Baxter shot the young hound a withering glare, but proceeded to begrudgingly massage sunscreen into his arms and face.

Mere seconds later, Angel, Cherri, and Crymini were already making a beeline for the water, with Fat Nuggs in the lead - and Sir Pentious screeching vows of revenge from his sandy prison.

Charlie finished applying her sunscreen (though you could hardly tell, her skin was the same shade as the lotion) and picked up a beach ball. "You coming, Vaggie?"

Vaggie looked around. "I think I might stay and sunbathe for a bit - wait for it to get intolerably hot before I take a dip."

Charlie nodded sagely. This being Hell, the ocean waters still managed to be annoyingly chilly, and was only really pleasant or refreshing when the outside temperature was literally burning.

"You guys have fun out there!" Vaggie blew a kiss to her girlfriend.

"I'll miss you!" Charlie caught the kiss, and blew one right back.

Vaggie laughed. "I'll miss you too!"

"Spare me," Alastor muttered with a spike of radio static. Vaggie tuned him out, her eyes following Charlie jogging down towards the surf.

She seated herself on a rug, adjusted her sunhat again, and picked up a thick little paperback. Playful shouts sounded from the waters edge as she started to read.

Vaggie relaxed. She felt comfortable. She felt secure. That was something that had seemed out of reach for much of her life, much of her afterlife. Yearning for something she'd once thought she didn't deserve.

And yet here she was.

A contented smile crossed Vaggie's face.