Disclaimer. I don't own Monsters, Inc or any of the characters in the movie.

Yep, they are still on vacation. :D And though not as soon as I had planned…still a lot sooner then the months lapse between chapter 6 and 7.…

Chapter 8

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Randall stretched from where he was on top of the roof. The night before there had been a bad storm and a limb had fallen from a tree and had knocked the small dish that was on the roof off. Randall had offered to go and see if he could put it back, hoping that that it wasn't too damaged.

Thankfully it had just been knocked from the brackets and with a few new nails and screws and a readjusting it was back on the roof. Randall smirked as he stood up on the roofing and put his hands on his hips. He then moved to a higher point on the roof to gaze off toward the lake. It was heating up to be a very warm day and Danielle and Liss both were planning on spending the day down by the lake. There was a very small hidden strip of beach down a path. This house and two others shared it. However the houses were empty, the families not yet there, so it was all theirs. They knew that this was sheer luck for Randall and they knew they couldn't always hope for such ease of access to such luxuries.

Slinking then down along side of the house to the open glass sliding doors Randall slinked into the house. The cabin reminded him so much of the of the ROR house, a feeling of tradition and entitlement, a rich sort of "Don't touch anything." However, this particular cabin was more homey, more welcoming. Plus the company helped too. He grinned as he hung on the ceiling watching Liss and Danielle pack a basket. Funny, he hadn't thought about collage, much less his old half a semester Frat ROR. Last he heard of the president of the frat, Johnny 'The Jaw' Worthington lll was that the monster was working at Fear Co. Randall then shook his head. Why was he thinking of them now when he hasn't in years.

He then turned his eyes back down at Danielle and Liss. He moved to twist down to surprise her.

"Don't even think it Randall…." Danielle said as she turned to look at him.

"How'd ya know?" He dropped down to the tiled floor.

Liss giggled as she placed some water bottles and some sodas into a cooler. "Saw you in the window."

Danielle smiled as she carried the basket over to the table. "And I'm getting very good at knowing your habits. So the dished fixed?"

"Should be. We should check the TV before we go though." He pressed his forehead against Danielle's "You having a good time?" he asked.

She smiled. His skin was warm from the hot sun. "Yeah, a blast. It's great here. Are you coming swimming?"

Randall kissed her forehead "Of course!"

"I'll go put my suit on," Danielle said, hurrying out of the room. Back in their bedroom, she sat down heavily on the big bed and sighed as she stared at her suit. Liss was already wearing hers, not at all afraid of walking around in a bikini. Liss had bullied her until Danielle had just thrown her old suit away and got a new one. She pulled off her shirt and bra and put the top on, double knotting the strings side strings so they wouldn't accidentally come undone and pulled her shorts back on. When she was dressed in the green suit, she grabbed a towel and went into the living room. Liss was leaning over the back of the couch, watching the screen fuzz in and out as Randall fiddled with some wires behind the TV that was pulled down from the wall. "That's better, but we're still getting those horizontal lines," Liss said, as the picture suddenly became clearer.

"Right, hang on," Randall said, his voice slightly muffled. "There, How's that?"

"Whoa!"

"Whoa good, or whoa bad?"

"Whoa, pull your head out from the TV and look at your girlfriend."

Randall's head twisted around and saw Danielle beside Liss. She was wearing an emerald green one-piece bathing suit that matched his eyes. Randall's eyes scanned over her legs, smooth belly, and up to her collarbone. The suit made her eyes seem greener then her brown green hazel eyes.

"Wow, Danielle," he said, awestruck.

"Well…that makes me feel a lot better…" Danielle said relived as she walked over to him.

"Told you that suit was a good one." Liss put in as she blew a pink bubble from the gum she was chewing.

Randall tore his eyes away from Danielle and got back to work on the TV. Even after three months of being intimate, she could still surprise and leave him dry mouthed. It pleasantly confused him sometimes and in a way he hoped he never figured it out.

"Hey! You got it Randall!" Liss said.

"Good. I don't know who wired this…but it was not because of a downed dish…." Randall looked over at Danielle. "Can you grab the other end….Liss don't want to break a nail."

Danielle giggled as Liss stuck her tongue out at Randall. "Sure." She moved to the other side and at the count of three the large flat screen was lifted and placed back on its wall mount.

"Hey…I had just got these done!" She held out her manicured nails as both Randall and Danielle rolled their eyes.

They made their way down to the tiny strip and Danielle and Liss set the basket up on the picnic table and Randall sat the cooler down beside it. He then looked out at the sparkling water and sighed. It was indeed very beautiful and the warm afternoon breeze coming from the lake was refreshing.

A slightly tanned arm went around him and he looked over at Danielle. She smiled at him. "Well…. go on. Me and Liss will be in a minute."

Randall nudged her a little and moved on from the grass to the soft white sand. He 'played' around on the beach a little, enjoying the feel of the sand between his toes. As he made his way to the water, he heard Liss turn on the small radio.

His toes hit the cool water and he hesitated. He wasn't sure why, but he did for some reason. His head turned to look back at Danielle as she and Liss joined him on the strip of sand, spreading a large blanket out on the ground.

"Go on Randall…. you told me you could swim…. the water's not gonna bite." She said as she placed rocks on each end so that it wouldn't fly away in the breeze.

He laughed a bit sarcastically but walked on until the water came up to his belly and then over his back. The water was cool, but not uncomfortably cold. He walked on until the water was up to his chest and the sand under his feet was giving way to mud. He turned and looked back at the girls. Liss had taken her shorts off and was in her hot pink bikini and was pushing Danielle who had taken her own shorts off, toward the water. She got to the edge and dipped her feet in, testing the temperature before she moved through the water and toward Randall.

"So…how is it?" She asked as she walked up to Randall, Liss swimming on her back past them.

"It's great…. and alligator and leech free…" Liss said as she swam past.

"I really wasn't talking to you…." Danielle and Randall shook their heads, she looking back at him.

"It's very relaxing…" Randall began to sink deeper into the water before he disappeared under the water.

Danielle giggled softly and dunked down and under the water. The lake water was cool and clean and she could see easily under the water. She swam down deeper and drew up short when her eyes met a spectacular sight. Randall was swimming lazily under the water. His long 12-foot long body was 'snaking' around. The sun was over the lake and the rays filtered through the water and the light hit his smoky purple scales and the multi colors of blue, green and light purple. He would turn over to his back and the rays of light would glint off his lilac scales.

She smiled as she watching him underwater until her lungs felt like they was going to burst and she shot to the surface. Sucking in lungful of air, she looked around and then gasped as something tugged her legs. She giggled when she felt the three fingers of Randall and allowed him to tug her under water and together they got into a game of underwater tag, Liss soon joining in. It seemed that Randall weren't made for smooth swimming, he using all eight of his limbs in a slight exaggerated dog paddle, but he did swim a lot better then a lot of people from the bayou.

She was splashing Liss after the woman had dunked Danielle when she began to get tired and have to gasp for air. After she called a time out she felt an arm go around her waist and a scaly chest press against her back.

"Need a rest?" he asked.

She nodded as they swam back to the shore. "Yeah…forgot how much swimming can take it out on ya."

Randall nodded and they came to the shore and Danielle trudged up to the blanket and winging her long wet red hair out, she flopped down on the blue blanket.

Liss had come out of the water. "Tired already?"

"Danielle is." Randall said as he sank down beside her.

"Asthma sucks huh?" Liss asked as she spread out a gold beach towel and laid down and pulled a pair of sunglass on.

Danielle nodded as she leaned back against Randall as the warm sun dried his scales and her skin. "You have no idea…." she said. She put on her own sunglasses. "How do I look?"

Randall only smirked as her looked at her. Fucking hot, he thought. Though he kept it to himself, though he let her know when he trailed a hand down her damp thigh.

She giggled softly, "Down boy."

Randall chuckled as he turned some and looked over at Liss as she rolled over to her side to look at them.

"So…Randall…you ever think about meeting other humans?" She asked.

"I do actually…but we are going to take it very slow…still not sure how to incorporate any other meetings. Danielle said that the best bet would start meeting some of the older Cajun Humans…. offer on engine repair and building." Randall said as he drew into the sand with his tail.

"That really is a good idea!" Liss looked up. "Boggs' Boat and Motor repair! If it leaks….I'll plug it!" She snorted in laughter. "Wait…that was so wrong!"

Danielle snorted in laugher, as they all laid comfortably out soaking up the warmth of the sun while Danielle leaned back against Randall...her knees drawn close enough to her chest to allow her to prop a thick book she was reading on them. "That better not be a medical book, Danielle," Liss said with gentle admonishment.

Behind her large sunglasses, Danielle rolled her eyes. "It's not," she said as she kept a finger on her place and closed the book enough for Liss to see the cover...The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. "We've been here for three days without me once cracking open a medical book, what makes you think that I would fall off the wagon now?" the red head said with a smile as she went back to her reading. "I may not look it, but I'm listening to every word you're saying."

"It's true," Randall, said his large head rested on his arms so he could look at the two. "It's freaky how she does that...being completely absorbed in something yet still being able to accurately hear and listen to conversations going on around her."

Danielle grinned and turned the page of her book. "Say what you want about it…I use it to my advantage."

Liss sniggered "I still don't understand what the sperm whale had do to with anything."

"That's kind of the point, Liss." Danielle said absently.

"Heh. I always loved that part. 'I wonder if it will be friends with me.' SPLAT!" Randall chuckled manically

"Only you would appreciate something like that," Danielle muttered.

"I'm going for a hike - anyone else coming?" Randall asked, the next morning at breakfast, striding into the kitchen with a water flask in his hand. He went to the sink to fill it up. He had been eyeballing the dry dirt trails that led out into the woods, and he was getting to a point that he hated to be cooped up all day inside.

"Can't, Ran," Liss said. "Hikes not my thing and I need to run into town." She passed Danielle a cup of coffee.

"I'd love to go with you, Randall," Danielle said. "Just let me grab a few inhalers. It's a nice trail," She said. "Liss said that there's a well-worn path for the first half, but that second part gets pretty rough."

"But it's worth it. If you like nature…."Liss said as she picked up her plate.

"So you coming?" Randall sighed, plopping down into a chair. He sounded cranky, but when Danielle looked at him, she could see the amusement in his eyes.

"Yeah," she said, "Let me go grab my sneakers and inhalers from the room." Danielle hopped up from the table. She hurried to her and Randall's room and pulled her shoes on and slipped some inhalers into her short pockets. Pulling her long red hair up into a ponytail she hurried back. "Ready Randall?"

Danielle wheezed and flopped on the grass at the end of the trial. She couldn't believe that she'd made it up the whole way all by herself. Well, Randall had pulled her and given her the odd boost. He'd even suggested going back about five times, but she insisted that they keep going. She pulled her inhaler out and took a few hard hits off of the bitter tasting medication.

Randall sat down next to her and passed her the canteen. "Have a big drink," he said, "you'll feel better."

"Thanks," she said, swigging some back. The cool water soothed her throat and suddenly it didn't hurt to breathe so much anymore. "I don't know why I forced myself to go all the way, Randall," she said. "I should have probably turned back when you first suggested it. My lungs are going to be so sore later…I might have to do a breathing treatment."

"Why do you push yourself so hard?" he asked after a minute.

Danielle looked up and thought. "I think it's because other then my damn lungs…I'm built to do so great things. I'd love to just take off running in humid weather, not worry a lot about pollen, getting too excited, laughing too hard…it's little things like that that a lot of people take for granted and I want to do these thing without worrying about them…and sometimes…I think I take the unnecessary risks when I know I have to realize…. that I can't do what I want."

"You know Danielle…. you remind me a bit of Wazowski-"

"What?!"

"Hear me out." Randall leaded back against a tree. "When he was in collage. He wanted to be a Scarer…but really…he wasn't scary but I really admired his confidence…he didn't let ANYONE hold him back…if they said that he couldn't do it…. then he'd do it and try to prove them wrong. In that sense you remind me of him."

"Huh…still not that flattering though Randall." She stared at him for a long while, he doing the same until she stood up. "Well…still…I can't be sitting and twiddlin' my thumbs…. I have places to go and things to see…" She then began to walk away, Randall getting up and following. She however stopped and looked back at him. "One day Randall…you have to tell me about collage…."

Randall paused and looked down and then back at her. Slowly he nodded. "I just may."

Danielle ran her fingers under his jaw and being the more dominant of the two, and more "in tune" with nature than Randall, Danielle quickly took over the expedition.

"Look! Puzzle trees!" Danielle rushed forward to examine the trunk of a particular tree.

"What do you mean by puzzle trees?" Randall asked, jogging up behind her.

"My mom and I used to do this when I was a kid. See, you can remove bits of the bark and then try to fit them back in place like a puzzle. Try it!" She nudged him with her elbow. Randall felt rather foolish participating in a child's game, but he indulged her. They were at it for a few minutes. Before long it was Randall that drug her away to examine other things along the path, every patch of grass, and scrutinizing every plant in the forest.

They stumbled upon a chattering brook, hidden by thick walls of frothy-plumaged ferns. The water rushed on, unnoticing in its urge to reach the sea, spilling over rocks slick with red moss. They trudged upstream for a while: climbing over rotting, fallen logs and rough-edged boulders until they found a place where the stream seemed to tire. Amongst feathery blooms of azalea bushes, the water calmly collected its senses in a shallow pool, teaming with brightly colored trout. Here Danielle paused to fix her eyes on an unidentified point on the other side of the pool. "There's a blackberry patch across the stream!" She yanked off her shoes and her socks; she waded into the pool, squealing at the water's icy caress. Randall made his way gracefully over the rocks; however, he froze when an especially slimy slab of stone found its way into Danielle's path and she kerplopped bum first with a spectacular splash. Growling with fury and indignation, sliding all over the place, she tried to stand again only to fall again.

Randall made his way back to her. "Are you all right?" He grasped her shoulders and helped to haul her to the opposite shore, beside the blackberry brambles. Dripping all over, her hair in damp tangles, she looked like a half-drowned cat. Randall was not very successful in his efforts to hide his amusement.

Danielle huffed, "You think this is funny?"

He snorted into his hand then pulled as serious a face as he could muster. "No, not at all."

She glowered at him from beneath her dripping hair. Turning to the berry-laden vines, she began to harvest the plumpest of summer blackberries

"Here, have some berries." Danielle forgave him for laughing as she handed him some. They munched on the cool, tangy fruit for a while, inevitable little blotches of pink juice appearing on her shirt and his scales.

"Mmm…." Randall hummed after popping another berry into his mouth.

"Randall, you're supposed to pick them, not eat them." Danielle chided after noticing this.

"You're eating them too…" Randall said, licking the berry juice from his lips and picking some and placing them in the then long sleeved shirt that Danielle had brought. They was using it as a make shift basket so that Danielle could take them back to the cabin and make a blackberry pie.

"I'm eating them here and there….not every other one," Danielle ambushed.

"Okay, okay…" Randall just shrugged before disappearing behind a berry bush. Shaking her head, Danielle went back to picking blackberries; being careful to avoid to sharp thorns surrounding the plant. As cautious as she was, she had still managed to prick herself several times on the camouflaged spikes. Suddenly, Randall gave a yelp from inside the bushes. "What is it?" Danielle asked her head looking around. With eyes as big as flying saucers, Randall backed away from the shrubbery looking like he'd seen a ghost. "Well?" Danielle watched as Randall slowly refocused his wide eyes to stare at Danielle. Danielle stared back, waiting for an explanation…

"What?" He then huffily moved to some other bushes.

Danielle watched with a puzzled expression then she turned to examine the bushes that Randall had been so eager to get away from. Peeking around inside leaves, she found nothing out of the ordinary. Shrugging to herself at his odd behavior, she reached into the bush for another ripe berry when something caught her eye. A large black and yellow spider was creeping its long legs protectively around the plump blackberry. Danielle looked at Randall and grinned giggling softly.

Red, pink, and orange hues painted the western sky as Danielle and Randall and Liss sat gazing at the sunset from the cabin's porch. A sort of peacefulness surrounded the landscape, broken only by the soothing sound of the outdoors. Lighting bugs blinked on and off in the distance and a sleepy Danielle could barely watch them as her eyes got heavier and heavier.

She was leaning back against Randall as Bread slept in her lap; Randall curled up behind her and around her. After the long walk and 'lunch' of blackberries and then picking then and heading back with a shirt full, Danielle and Randall had washed them back at the cabin and she had shown him how to make a pie, and more fussing at him for eating out of the bowl, the pie was in the oven and the two took a shower, that somehow led to a romp in the bathroom and then bedroom, making Liss having to rescue the pie and a blushing Danielle to make up for getting distracted and almost burning the pie by making dinner, but both Liss and Danielle got after Randall and made him wash the dishes.

But, it was after everything settled down and the pie was cut and as they ate the fresh pie out on the pouch they watched the evening show of the sunset. Liss smiled at Randall and waved to him as she picked up the dishes and headed inside leaving a now sleeping Danielle and a very relaxed Randall on the porch.

Randall waved back and hugged Danielle closer and nuzzled in her hair, breathing the scent in as he watched the sun sink lower.