Once they got some much needed rest, the refreshed group donned their swimwear and sunscreen, and headed for the beach. At least the motel, as gross as it was, was closer to the beach than their previous hotel.

It only took them three minutes to reach the sandy shores and were not surprised to find how busy it was.

"It's beautiful!" Lucy exclaimed, pushing her sunglasses onto her head to get a better view for the coast. She refused to let the large crowds deter her mood; they had made it to the beach, at last.

Erza nodded in agreement, looking out from under the brim of her sunhat. "Let's find a spot to set up the blankets."

It took some searching but they found a spot some ways off that was free and they quickly claimed it. Erza instructed the boys to set up the umbrella while Levy, Lucy and Juvia spread out the blankets and beach chairs.

Levy took a glance at her watch once they were all set up. "It's almost noon. Someone should go get some lunch." She said.

"I think we can wait for a bit." Lucy disagreed, sitting down on her star—patterned blanket. "Besides, if we go right now it would be pretty busy."

"True. It might not be best to eat right away, anyway." Levy said, looking out over the water. She wasn't sure if Gajeel or Natsu would get motion sick from the waves but she didn't like the idea of risking them throwing up again.

"Hey, wanna play frisbee?"

Lucy and Levy looked up at Natsu who was waving a red frisbee in his hand and grinning. He leaned in and added in a whisper, "To make it fair, we'll have it be all of us against Erza."

His grin grew wider and Lucy felt tempted to laugh but saw Erza out of the corner of her eye and opted for a safer option. "Does it have to be a competition, can't we just toss it around without any teams?"

Natsu leaned back up again and shrugged. "Fine."

Lucy got up as he asked the others if they wanted to play. Erza, Levy, and Juvia decided to opt out of the game whereas Gajeel and Gray said yes. The boys were already in a full on war with each other before the game even began, despite Lucy's wish for it not to be a competition. They tossed insults and boasts of their impending victories as they made there way out to a clearing where they could play.

Gray tossed the frisbee to Lucy who then tossed it in Natsu's direction who sent it flying back to Lucy. It went to Gajeel next and then the cycle went all over from there. Juvia cheered for Gray from the sidelines, Erza already working on her tan. Levy had pulled out a book and didn't seem to be paying attention to anything outside of it.

The game continued in the tame manner for awhile until Gray said something to work up Natsu and, of course, Gajeel got into it as well. Soon, Lucy found herself having to dodge the lightning fast throws instead of attempting to catch them. Eventually it got so wild that Lucy called out and began to back away. The boys could duke it out by themselves without taking her head off in the process.

Lucy had only taken a few steps away from them when Levy walked up beside her. "Hey guys, Erza thinks some of us should go get some lunch. I'm going to go so who wants to join me?" She asked and her distraction proved fatal. Gray had launched a powerful toss and Gajeel hadn't been paying attention to it. So instead of catching it, the frisbee went flying past him and in Lucy and Levy's direction.

"Oh, my nose!"

"Levy!"

"How are you feeling?" Lucy asked, hunching beside her friend. Levy turned to look at her, a baggy of ice gingerly pressed against her nose. Thankfully for Levy—and Gajeel's conscious—it hadn't broken but it was still looking pretty swollen.

"It hurts some but I'm fine." Levy said, putting up a brave face. Lucy wasn't all that convinced but knew that Gajeel still felt bad so she didn't press the subject any further.

She gave her friend an understanding smile instead and stood up to talk with Erza. "I guess someone else should go to get lunch then."

"Juvia will do it." The woman offered as she came to stand beside them.

Erza nodded. "I don't like the idea of you going alone though."

"I'll go." Gray said from his beach chair. Juvia looked delighted despite his next words. "I'm hungry and this way I can eat faster."

"Where are you going to get food from?" Natsu asked. He had just come from the water, still dripping wet and took a seat on the beach towels, soaking them too. Lucy tried not to let that bug her. They were bound to get wet anyway.

"Juvia thinks she saw a Subway a few blocks down."

"That seems easy enough." Lucy agreed.

After taking everyone's orders—which was nothing short of a fiasco in and of its own—Juvia and Gray headed off to Subway. Erza said she wanted to continue tanning so she stayed with Levy by the beach blankets. Gajeel hung back as well so it was just Lucy and Natsu who headed for the water.

"I told you not to make it a competition." Lucy reprimanded once the others were out of earshot.

Natsu shrugged. "She'll be alright." Then he added. "It was Gray's fault anyway."

Lucy sighed but dropped the subject as her toes hit the water. It was cool but not cold, and it lapped around her ankles. She squinted as she looked from the water towards the horizon, a smile playing on her lips. This is what made all their travel troubles worth it.

Natsu grinned at her reaction, grabbing onto her hand after a moment and pulled her into the water with him. It felt colder than before as she went in deeper but it was still nice. She grinned back at him.

"I can't believe we still have three whole days to spend here." Lucy said, splashing the water lightly with her hands.

"Maybe we can find a different hotel before we head back." Natsu commented, lowering himself into the water so it was up to his mid-chest. "There really was something growing in the shower."

Lucy laughed. "I don't doubt it." She tilted her head then, crinkling her nose. "I'm pretty sure that there is some growing in our shower too, judging by Levy's reaction. If we can't find a different place to stay, we're buying some bleach."

Natsu nodded and splashed some water at her. "Hey, Natsu!" Lucy scolded, though there was no real anger behind her words. "You'll spot up my glasses."

"Pff, Lucy it's going to happen anyway when you're at the beach." Natsu snorted. Lucy scowled, then smirked, splashed him with her own wave of water. From there a splash war broke out. He splashed her and she splashed right back.

It was when Lucy was trying to keep Natsu dunked underwater—not all that possible with her strength against his—that she noticed something in the water, not too far out.

She let Natsu bob up to the surface and he was about to retaliate when she pointed a finger in the direction of what she saw. "Natsu, what is that?"

Natsu turned his head, a look of curiosity on his face as he squinted at the object. "It's a...Shark fin?" He mumbled then his eyes grew wide.

Lucy shared a panicked look with him. "It can't be, can it?!"

Natsu opened his mouth to reply when others in the water had taken notice of the fin as well. From the water to the shore and up to the boardwalk terrified screams of "Shark!" "There is a shark in the water!" "Everyone out of the water!" irrupted.

From her spot on the shore, Levy had dropped her ice pack. She gaped as she watched Natsu throw Lucy over his shoulder and head for the shore, while other panicked swimmers did the same. The beach was in chaos and Levy turned to Erza just in time to see the redhead sit up. Levy's mouth gaped wider but could only stutter as Erza ran towards coastline to Natsu and Lucy.

Many others, despite their panic, stared at the woman as she went by.

Levy was speechless as she turned to Gajeel, who was in a similar state of shock as she was, then back at the beach blanket Erza had been laying on. Their friend, in the sudden chaos, had forgotten she had taken her bikini top off while tanning and had run off without it.

Erza was in the nude.

Gray and Juvia exited the busy sub shop and into the midday sun, their hands full of sandwiches. Since Gray was hungry, they had ended up eating their subs in the store first and then ordered for the others when they had had their fill.

"Juvia hopes the others aren't upset we took so long." She commented as they made their way back to the beach. She nervously played with the strap of her bathing suit top. Gray chose to direct his eyes elsewhere.

"They can deal with it." Gray replied, pulling his sunglasses on.

"Juvia supposes..." She trailed off.

They walked in silence for awhile before Juvia spoke up again. "Gray, isn't it a bit quiet?"

Gray lifted his head from his phone, noticing the odd silence as they approached the beach. All he could hear were sea gulls and the waves. "Did something happen?" He wondered out loud.

Juvia and Gray sped up the pace. When they reached the beach again, they nearly dropped the sandwiches.

The beach that was so booming before was empty. Or, almost empty. Where they had set up their blankets, their friends were still there. Along with some police officers.

Who were arresting Erza.

"What the hell did we miss?" Gray demanded as they ran up to the group.

It was Lucy who addressed the question. "There was a shark in the water and Erza got up without realizing her top was off and—" She ran a hand through her hair and looked distressed as Levy tried to talk the officers out of making an arrest for indecent exposure.

Juvia joined in on Levy's efforts. She had become something of an expert at keep Gray from getting thrown in jail for his stripping habit. And whatever she said seemed to work, as the officers complied to their pleas and let Erza off with a warning.

When they left, everyone slumped onto the sand, feeling more exhausted than they had before their naps.

"This is turning out to be one hell of a spring break." Lucy sighed, running a hand through her hair again.

Levy nodded halfheartedly. "It'll make for some interesting stories to tell when we get back."

"I don't even want to think of the horrors the trip back will bring through." Gray muttered. Everyone nodded glumly at that.

"Hey, did you guys get those subs? I'm starved." Natsu spoke up and Juvia tossed him the bag. He quickly dug through it searching for his. He felt tempted to punch Gray for the fact that he had it labeled "flaming moron" but was too hungry to care for now. He could punch Gray later.

Natsu then passed the bag to Lucy who took out hers and Levy's, then gave the bag to Erza. Gajeel got the bag last and as he unwrapped his sub he stared quietly at it for a moment.

"I didn't order this."

"Yeah, you did." Gray countered.

Juvia backed him up. "Meatball sub. That's what Gajeel ordered, Juvia is sure."

"I asked for a Philly."

"Well that's too bad. Eat the meatball sub, you damn butterfinger."

"What'd you call me?"

"Butterfinger. Can't even catch a frisbee."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed and Lucy shrunk back towards Natsu, who was too busy eating—though he did look rather entertained by Gray's nickname—to get involved in the escalating fight between the two.

"Juvia thinks too that Gajeel should have caught that." Juvia said around her bottle of water after Gajeel slung a couple insults back at Gray.

"Perhaps we should sing some fun beach songs." Erza broke in and Lucy stared at her in disbelief. Just minutes before she had been in a state of depression about almost getting arrested; now she had an excited glimmer in her eye. "I heard they can be just as fun as car songs!"

Gajeel ignored the redhead, choosing to instead to continue his insults and Gray retaliated. Levy tried to intervene only to get elbowed in the face.

"Oh, my nose!"

"Levy!"

So that wraps up the beach adventure I guess (unless you guys want more...). Nothing seems to be going right on this vacation, huh? It was difficult not to make this too similar to the two beach omakes (there is the anime ova one and then the one where Lucy is practicing for a photo shoot from eons ago) but I think I like how it played out. I pray you catch that Brady Bunch reference in there.