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

When Jim's alarm went off at half past six, he woke up feeling refreshed for the first time in several weeks. "Man, I really needed that." He said with a stretch. Grabbing a clean set of clothes from his dresser, a pair of brown pants and a blue t-shirt, he walked down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later he'd tossed his swimsuit into the washer and was pouring himself a bowl of cereal while he went through the unopened mail that was still sitting on the table. He'd made it through half the stack by the time he was finished and decided to leave the rest for later.

Tossing his dishes in the sink, he switched his suit to the dryer and went back upstairs to clean his room. He moved all his dirty clothes into the bin he used for hauling his laundry to the washing room and then made his bed. Hanging up the clean shirts he still had in his bag, he looked around the place and nodded in satisfaction.

There was a buzzing downstairs and he raced to the dryer. Grabbing his speedo, he thought about using the bathroom down there to change, but decided since he still had to grab his wallet he may as well do it in his bathroom.

By the time he was ready, he only had twenty minutes left before he needed to be at practice. Leaving a note on the table saying he'd be gone for a few hours he headed out the door. It was a beautiful sunny day and Jim smiled as he made his way to the resort.

Fifteen minutes later he was making his way through the large front doors. It appeared as though a group of tourists had arrived since the lobby was filled with people and luggage carts, but he paid the crowd no mind as he slipped around them and headed towards the left side doors that would lead him to the pool.

When he finally pulled open the door and stepped into the room that held the pools, Jim was literally right on time. "Hey guys." He called, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it on a lounge chair along with his pants and shoes as he made his way to the edge of the pool. Slipping into the water, he moved over to join the rest of his team.

Looking down at the kids, Lisa placed her hands on her hips. "Alright you guys, today you're going to get some dive practice in." Hearing the groans, she shook her head. "Now don't give me that." She said sternly. "With the exception of Julia, you're all pretty pathetic on the board. Greg, your starting form is atrocious. You two," She pointed at Trey and Tony when she said this. "Can't seem to manage your landings, and Sasha and Kyle won't do anything other than a straight dive."

"Does that mean we'll be diving all day?" Greg asked with a groan.

Tapping her chin in thought, Lisa shrugged. "No, that means you'll be diving until you can get it right."

"Come on, I hate diving." Trey whined, Tony nodding at his side. "Can't we just swim laps like usual?"

"No. Now get moving or I'll take away our little field trip on Friday."

Six pairs of eyes widened and then they all raced to the diving boards, tripping over each other in their haste. Watching them, Jim looked up at Lisa curiously. "How come you didn't include me in that little speech of yours?"

"To be honest, I haven't seen you really dive yet so I didn't think it was fair to go off on you just yet." She replied with a shrug. "However, that will change today. I want you up there with the rest of them running through dives. When practice is over I'll give you your own little speech, how does that sound?"

The smirk on her face made Jim pale slightly, but he nodded his head anyway.

"Good, now get in gear and join the others."

Practice seemed to drag on forever in Jim's opinion, but that could've just been because they simply repeated the same things over, and over, and over again. By his fifteenth dive, his arms were starting to burn and his stomach was red from several failed attempts he'd had. After his twentieth dive, he was quite certain he'd died and gone to hell…he was mistaken.

"Jim, enough of the basic dives, try some spins next time!" Lisa's voice yelled up at him. "And keep your arms straight!"

Groaning, he ignored the snickers coming from his teammates as they mimicked Lisa's orders. The others had already gone through each form to their instructor's specifications, but he was still having a hard time getting the proper formation during his fall. Shaking his head, he raised his arms and prepared to jump when he heard someone calling him.

"Hey, don't focus on the placement of your body so much when you dive." Julia said with a smile. "Just jump. When you get into the air simply twist your body into whatever position feels natural at that time. It's the best way to learn, trust me. Oh, and you really should relax a bit more. You look like you're heading to the gallows." She finished with jokingly.

"Thanks, I'll try that." Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and moved back into position. This time when he dove off the board, he followed Julia's advice and was surprised to find that it was much easier. On top of that, he slid into the water almost as smoothly as if he'd been a professional…or at least not such a novice.

When he came up for air, Greg was grinning like crazy. "That was awesome!" He exclaimed. "You totally nailed that dive!"

Kyle gave him a thumbs up. "Nice work."

"Yeah, and here I thought you'd never get it." Trey added, avoiding the slap Tony had aimed at his head for the remark. "Seriously though, that was pretty good."

Lisa waited for Jim to climb out of the water before congratulating him. "It took you awhile, but I think you're finally starting to get the hang of it." She said, giving him a pat on the back. "I was almost tempted to have you call it quits, your stomach wouldn't have been able to handle too many more flops, but you surprised me with that one."

"Julia gave me some great advice." Jim said, grabbing a towel and wiping off his face. "She told me to just relax and move however I wanted. Said it would be easier, and she was right."

"Well whatever the reason, keep up the good work."

A few dives later it was time to call it a day and Jim was glad it was finally over. Sure he'd gotten better, but diving was even more work than swimming laps…and after all his failed attempts he was incredibly sore. Drying himself off with one of the clean towels left out for guests, he pulled his clothes on over his suit and began tugging on his shoes.

"Sasha, are you coming over today?" Julia asked as the two girls headed towards the door together. "My mom said we could use the rec-room for practice."

"Absolutely." Giving her friend a smile, Sasha shoved her towel into the large pink bag she used for her swim gear and then tied her hair up in a loose ponytail. "I'm going to stop off at home first though and change, can't really do much in this dress." She finished, waving her hand over the light blue sundress she was wearing. "I really should've worn shorts and a tank top like you, but I was in the mood for something more girly."

"Hey, this outfit is very girly."

"If you say so."

Jim was fairly certain Julia had stuck her tongue out at Sasha after that last comment, but by then they'd already disappeared out of sight so he couldn't be sure. Stretching his arms to try and loosen some of his stiff muscles, he waved at Trey and Tony, who were arguing with Lisa about something, and then headed out as well.

"Wait up Jim, I'll walk with you." Greg called out, running over to his side. He hadn't even bothered with a shirt, choosing to simply throw a pair of grey board shorts on over his speedo. "So, are you busy right now?"

Shaking his head, Jim shoved his hands in his pockets. "Not particularly. Why?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to head to the arcade with me. And Kyle too, he'll join us there later."

"Sure, that's sounds like fun." Jim replied after a moment of thought. "I haven't been to one in ages."

Greg grinned. "Great, let's get going then. We don't want the place to get too crowded on us or we won't be able to play the best games." Grabbing Jim's hand he started pulling him down the hallway, talking animatedly the whole time about which game they were going to play first, and how many high scores he held.

Chuckling at his behavior, Jim followed after him with a smile.

o o o o o

The next few practices flew by quickly. They'd gone through another whole day of practice dives, it would've been more, but Lisa grudgingly admitted that they'd all improved enough so they moved back to normal practice routines, and then their last two practices had been more focused on lap speeds.

After Friday morning's practice, Lisa had reminded them all to meet back at the resort at six that evening for their beach trip. She hadn't said where exactly they were going, but Jim didn't really care. He was just looking forward to spending time playing in the water and relaxing.

He'd been so excited for the trip that he'd made it to the resort more than fifteen minutes before the scheduled meet time. So he decided to sit down on one of the stone benches right outside the resort's main entrance. Setting his bag at his feet, he leaned back and began humming softly to himself.

Ten minutes, and several songs later, Lisa came strolling towards him wearing a red halter top and white shorts. She had a bag thrown over her shoulder and she was laughing at something someone had said over the phone she held against her ear. "Alright, I guess I'll see you two sometime next week then… Yeah, it's not a problem… No, I've got tomorrow's match covered. You two enjoy your vacation… Okay, I'll see you later. Bye."

Seeing Jim waiting there, Lisa gave him a smile as she shoved her phone into her bag. "Hey Jim, you're early."

"Yeah, I guess I was a little excited."

"I can't blame you; I've been looking forward to checking out the new beach for a week now. It's just a shame Amy and Sarah won't be here." Seeing Jim's questioning look, she explained. "They managed to score some cheap tickets to visit the hot springs on Ten Rei, so they're taking a week off."

"I see."

Seconds ticked by in silence and Jim was about to ask where they were going when he spotted the rest of the team making their way down the walkway. Kyle was walking with Julia and Sasha and they appeared to be in a serious discussion about something, the Crain brothers were fighting over a red and black towel, and Greg was leading the way with a huge smile on his face.

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Trey cheered when the group came to a stop near the doors.

"Here, here!" Greg chimed in.

Looking at their excited faces, Lisa pulled open the main lobby door and motioned inside. "Well, lead the way you two."

Trey and Greg exchanged looks and then took off down a hallway to their right, whooping and hollering in glee. Tony shook his head before following after them; Sasha, Julia and Kyle hot on his heels. When they all disappeared from sight, Jim looked up at Lisa questioningly. "I thought we were going to the beach?"

"We are." She replied, heading down the hallway as well. When he made no move to follow, she elaborated. "Since you haven't been here for awhile you probably don't know this, but the resort recently finished a whole new addition. This place now has its very own beach."

Jim's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you serious?"

"You bet. Mr. Luo heard several people complaining that there weren't any beaches within walking distance of the resort so he had one built." Continuing on her way, she was pleased to note that this time Jim kept pace with her. "So anyway, when I heard that it would be opening up tomorrow, when we'll all be busy with our meet, I asked if we could have access to it for a few hours tonight. My boss agreed and here we are."

By the time she'd finished her explanation, they'd arrived outside the large double doors that lead to the indoor beach. Pushing them open, Lisa led the way inside and Jim was awed by what he saw. He'd remembered seeing the new building when he'd first come back, but he had no idea it was housing this. Eyeing the beautiful sandy beach, he spotted a lounging area off to the left side where there were table and chairs for people to relax. The right side housed a small play area for kids as well as what he assumed was some kind of café. Moving his gaze back towards the clear blue water, he noticed that the building's ceiling and walls had been painted to resemble a sky so the room appeared to go on forever.

Dropping his bag on the ground, he yanked his blue shirt over his head and slipped off his sandals. Since he'd known they were going to swim, he'd chosen to simply wear his red board shorts instead of dealing with changing later, which he was extremely grateful for since he was able to just head straight into the water.

The girls, Julia, Sasha, and Lisa, had all wandered over to the chairs and were talking about who knows what. The two brothers, Tony and Trey, had decided to check out the play area, despite the fact that they were a bit too old to be using it, and Kyle and Greg were already out swimming, well dunking each other would be more accurate.

As he raced into the water, Jim noticed that Sasha had pulled off the pink dress she'd been wearing and was heading towards the water in a green one-piece suit that had silly looking frogs all over it. Julia had chosen to remain in her seat, though she'd also removed the yellow shirt and khaki shorts she'd been wearing so she was now in her lavender colored bikini. Lisa was the only one who remained dressed as she was, and Jim would've asked if she planned on joining them if he wasn't so busy splashing Kyle.

Ducking under the water to avoid Kyle's next attack, Jim decided to swim around and dunk him instead. Unfortunately, Kyle was wearing blue board shorts and he more or less blended in with the water. Greg's bright red shorts, however, were very easy to spot so Jim changed targets.

Before he could get close enough to pull Greg under, two sets of hands pulled him back and he found himself back above water, though this time he couldn't move. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Get him you guys!" Tony said with a grin as he and Trey continued to hold Jim in place.

"Oh no you don't." Twisting his shoulders, Jim managed to slip into the water before Kyle and Greg could splash him. Brushing past Trey and Tony, who looked identical under the water since they were both wearing the same black shorts with red flames, he sped through the water until he was out of reach.

Popping back out of the water, he kicked his legs as hard as he could in their general direction, laughing when the four boys got a face full of water. "Hah, take that." Jim said triumphantly, moments before he was shoved under water from behind. Spluttering as he rose above the surface, he found himself face to face with a smiling Sasha. "Oh now it's on."

Sasha grinned cheekily. "Only if you can catch me."

A few minutes later Julia joined them all in the water, but refused to partake in the splashing, choosing to float around on an inflatable lounger instead. Jim was about to ask her where she'd gotten it from when several more came sailing into the water. Grabbing for the one closest to him, he was surprised to find Sasha already climbing on top of it. "Hey, I was going to use that."

"To slow Joe." She said, paddling off to join Julia with a grin.

He thought about trying to get a different one, but decided to float around on his back instead. Closing his eyes, he listened to the conversations going on around him with a smile. He'd really missed this while he'd been searching for the Leyline with his crewmates.

Over the next several hours they built sandcastles, played Marco/Polo, had a race, and even managed to convince Lisa to join in a game of tag. It was the most fun Jim had had in quite some time and he was sad when their trip finally came to an end.

Motioning for the kids to join her, Lisa waited for them to grab their stuff before speaking. "Alright you guys, it's time for you to head home and get some sleep. I want you all well rested for our meet tomorrow, so that means no staying up all night playing video games." She said, staring pointedly at Trey and Greg. "Also, don't forget to have your parents/guardians sign in at the front desk. I know you've heard this a hundred times before, but last time we had several guests that hadn't signed in and I had to track them down. So please make sure you get them signed in properly."

Seeing their nods, she smiled. "Well then, off you go. I'll see you all in the morning." Pulling her bag over her shoulder, she returned Sasha's wave and then followed her team out of the building so she could lock it up.

Jim walked with Trey and Tony out to Main Street where they went their separate ways. Shivering slightly, it had gotten a bit chilly since he'd last been outside, Jim picked up his pace and jogged the rest of the way back to the apartment.

By the time he got back, the others had already had dinner and were lounging around in the living room. Aisha was playing a game of cards and Gene and Mel were sitting together on the couch watching a movie. Kicking off his shoes by the door, he headed to the kitchen to grab something quick to eat. All he managed to find was a bowl of leftover soup and some nearly stale crackers so he changed his mind and headed upstairs instead.

"Hey Jim," Aisha called out when he was halfway up the stairs. "Your ticket for tomorrow is on your desk."

"Okay, thanks." Jim replied distractedly as he stepped into his room. Throwing his bag on the floor next to a pile of laundry he really needed to deal with, he grabbed a pair of pajamas and walked down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower.

Twenty minutes later he was clean and back in his room. Completely forgetting about Aisha's comment from earlier, he flopped down on his bed and closed his eyes. Warm and cozy, he was asleep in minutes.