Across the Divide and Through Valhalla

To the Beach

Chapter 23

Once Sherry was changed, she slipped a pair of shorts and a t-shirt on over her suit and grabbed several towels out of her hall closet before she headed back to the living room. She was surprised to see everyone that planned to go, in the living room already. She froze at the sight of all the men in shorts. She wasn't sure which was more shocking, Sephiroth, or Genesis. She didn't stare for long. They were both bad for her heart, even if they did have on t-shirts too.

When Kaylan caught sight of her, she grinned and stood. "Alright, we can take my car too, so it won't be so crowded. Jerry had to work, but I can drive. Who's with me?"

The men all looked to Sherry with questioning looks. She shrugged. "I suppose it might be best for Cloud to drive my SUV again, and I'll be up front to point the way, but other than that, it's up to you. Just know that with those arrangements, it leaves room for two more of you to sit comfortably in my vehicle."

Zack piped up at that point. "I can ride with Kaylan. That should give everyone plenty of room, right?"

Sherry grinned at him and nodded. "Thanks. That should work. Besides, it isn't too far. Maybe fifteen minutes from here."

Once that was decided, they all headed to the cars. Sherry assigned each of them a towel and warned them not to lose it as she didn't want wet seats later. That was all that was needed before they were on the way.

Their destination was down a short dirt road that ended near a shallow pebble beach. Across from that, the walls of the abandoned quarry rose several yards, with a small waterfall in the far corner that helped provide the water that kept the place from draining. It wasn't used often since the water was deep, but Sherry had been swimming there since she was still in high school.

She got out and smiled back at Kaylan before she walked down to the beach and laid her towel down. She didn't plan on laying out, though. She didn't bother waiting for any of the men to join her before she shucked off her shorts and t-shirt and headed to the water. Kaylan wasn't far behind her. She got to the point that the water was thigh high before she grinned at her friend and dove forward. She swam underwater for about twenty feet before she came up with a laugh. She gulped down a few quick breaths while she treaded water before she turned back to see the men still hadn't moved. She laughed again. She had no intention of trying to persuade them to join her. If they wanted to get in the water, that was all on them.

She turned at that point and swam over to the cliff near the waterfall before flipping over and floating there for a few minutes. The sight of the water pouring down and the sound of it hitting the pool next to her had her relaxing quickly. She laid there like that, soaking up the sun and letting the water lull her. It wasn't long until her gaze landed on a small outcropping above her head, and she grinned.

She moved from her relaxed position just in time to see Zack toss Kaylan deeper into the water. Sherry froze for a moment, but when Kaylan came up laughing, she relaxed and smiled. She also noticed that both Genesis and Sephiroth had made their way to the water's edge, but they still looked dry. She gave a mental shrug. They could sit and be bored if they wanted. She had decided that today was not a day to care about it. She also noticed that Cloud had made himself comfortable further up the beach. He had not removed his shirt, and when she remembered why she almost wanted to kick herself. She hoped that Zack wouldn't try and push the blonde into the water, as that could end badly. If it looked like he might try, then she would do what she could to stop it. For the moment, she had other things on her mind.

She quickly swam back towards the shore and grabbed Kaylan when she was close enough. Her friend gave her a curious look at the face she was giving her. Sherry pointed back over her shoulder. "I'm going to go for a dive. Do you want to come with me?"