Adult Swim
Who: George, Chloe, Bill, Faith
When: Day 36, late night
Where: In the Ocean or at Bag End
Invited: Closed
Status: Complete
Rating: NC-17
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" George asked.
"Sure," Chloe said. She was walking a step ahead of George. This late night swim had been Chloe's idea. Of course she thought was a good one.
The surf ahead of them foamed white beneath a crescent moon, its light glittering faintly on the unquiet surface of the water. The white sand of the beach was cold beneath George's bare feet. The breeze blowing across her bare arms and legs was a bit chilly too. She was wearing the bright red one-piece swimsuit again. She didn't care for the color but it fit and wasn't as revealing as a lot of other choices. Speaking of which....
"You aren't really going to swim naked, are you?" George asked.
Chloe's smile was brilliant when she turned to answer. "Why not? It's not like you haven't seen everything already. Besides, that swimsuit is going to feel awfully clammy when you come out of the water."
"Yeah, but--what if somebody sees?"
Chloe shrugged. "What if they do?" George didn't have an answer for that.
They stopped walking where the loose sand ended and the damp, compacted sand ran smooth and flat out to the edge of the water. George dropped her towel in a heap. Chloe wriggled out of her clothes and laid her towel on top of them. George looked at the water and shivered. The breeze had already given her goosebumps; the water looked colder still.
Chloe must have noticed. She grinned at George. "Last one in has a crush on Gene!" she yelled and ran for the water. George gaped for a moment then chased after her. Chloe splashed into the surf about knee deep before slowing. George was right behind her.
They waded out to the waist deep water. Chloe dived into an oncoming breaker. George tried to swim up and over it, keeping her head above water. Instead she got dumped head over heels and pushed back toward the shore. When she came up spluttering Chloe's laughter drifted across the space between them.
George got up and waded back out. The water, she realized, was considerably warmer than the air. She shivered and as soon as the water was deep enough she crouched so that only her head and neck were exposed to the air. She followed Chloe farther out until they were beyond the breaking waves, rising and falling as the swells moved past them.
They were still pretty close to shore. It was a long way out to the really big breakers crashing over the coral reefs. George stared at them for a moment, thinking about Lucy swimming out to the reefs and drowning herself weeks ago. It had been a different reef, several days walk from here. She couldn't imagine doing that.
Chloe swam up behind her. "Hey," she said, "No morbid thoughts." She slipped her arms around George and nipped at her earlobe. George shivered--and not because she was cold.
"How did you--" George asked.
"I've seen that look in your eyes before," Chloe said. Chloe turned George around and gave her a kiss. She tasted of salt. "Come on," Chloe said, letting George go. "We came out her to swim, so let's swim," she added. She moved away to float on her back and started sculling lazily. After a moment George followed.
They swam for twenty minutes. Making just enough headway most of the time to counteract the current that pushed them southward along the shoreline. This far from the camp fire the stars were brilliant and the Milky Way was visible. George looked up at the night sky and thought about the fact--the fact--that there were countless inhabited worlds out there. The Doctor(s) were living proof, along with Isabel--to say nothing of all the humans in camp who had been out in space in the past or future.
"Hey," a man's voice called out, startling George. "You gals mind a little company?"
George turned to see Bill swimming toward them. She glanced at Chloe to see how she felt about it. She was the one who was naked, after all. "Don't mind at all," Chloe said.
(I guess that answers that question,) George thought. "Yeah, come on in--the water's fine. We were just talking about outer space."
When: Day 36, late night
Where: In the Ocean or at Bag End
Invited: Closed
Status: Complete
Rating: NC-17
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" George asked.
"Sure," Chloe said. She was walking a step ahead of George. This late night swim had been Chloe's idea. Of course she thought was a good one.
The surf ahead of them foamed white beneath a crescent moon, its light glittering faintly on the unquiet surface of the water. The white sand of the beach was cold beneath George's bare feet. The breeze blowing across her bare arms and legs was a bit chilly too. She was wearing the bright red one-piece swimsuit again. She didn't care for the color but it fit and wasn't as revealing as a lot of other choices. Speaking of which....
"You aren't really going to swim naked, are you?" George asked.
Chloe's smile was brilliant when she turned to answer. "Why not? It's not like you haven't seen everything already. Besides, that swimsuit is going to feel awfully clammy when you come out of the water."
"Yeah, but--what if somebody sees?"
Chloe shrugged. "What if they do?" George didn't have an answer for that.
They stopped walking where the loose sand ended and the damp, compacted sand ran smooth and flat out to the edge of the water. George dropped her towel in a heap. Chloe wriggled out of her clothes and laid her towel on top of them. George looked at the water and shivered. The breeze had already given her goosebumps; the water looked colder still.
Chloe must have noticed. She grinned at George. "Last one in has a crush on Gene!" she yelled and ran for the water. George gaped for a moment then chased after her. Chloe splashed into the surf about knee deep before slowing. George was right behind her.
They waded out to the waist deep water. Chloe dived into an oncoming breaker. George tried to swim up and over it, keeping her head above water. Instead she got dumped head over heels and pushed back toward the shore. When she came up spluttering Chloe's laughter drifted across the space between them.
George got up and waded back out. The water, she realized, was considerably warmer than the air. She shivered and as soon as the water was deep enough she crouched so that only her head and neck were exposed to the air. She followed Chloe farther out until they were beyond the breaking waves, rising and falling as the swells moved past them.
They were still pretty close to shore. It was a long way out to the really big breakers crashing over the coral reefs. George stared at them for a moment, thinking about Lucy swimming out to the reefs and drowning herself weeks ago. It had been a different reef, several days walk from here. She couldn't imagine doing that.
Chloe swam up behind her. "Hey," she said, "No morbid thoughts." She slipped her arms around George and nipped at her earlobe. George shivered--and not because she was cold.
"How did you--" George asked.
"I've seen that look in your eyes before," Chloe said. Chloe turned George around and gave her a kiss. She tasted of salt. "Come on," Chloe said, letting George go. "We came out her to swim, so let's swim," she added. She moved away to float on her back and started sculling lazily. After a moment George followed.
They swam for twenty minutes. Making just enough headway most of the time to counteract the current that pushed them southward along the shoreline. This far from the camp fire the stars were brilliant and the Milky Way was visible. George looked up at the night sky and thought about the fact--the fact--that there were countless inhabited worlds out there. The Doctor(s) were living proof, along with Isabel--to say nothing of all the humans in camp who had been out in space in the past or future.
"Hey," a man's voice called out, startling George. "You gals mind a little company?"
George turned to see Bill swimming toward them. She glanced at Chloe to see how she felt about it. She was the one who was naked, after all. "Don't mind at all," Chloe said.
(I guess that answers that question,) George thought. "Yeah, come on in--the water's fine. We were just talking about outer space."