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Chapter Text

The school itself seemed to be antsy. 

It's been building up for a while now and everyone including teachers wants to be done with the school year. The end of the second to last week before break being only one period away makes the air charged with restless energy despite the absolute bore of a movie Mrs. Benson put on rather than actually teaching. Honestly Rikki couldn’t wait to be done. School wasn’t her scene. Not because she hated learning, she just hated the system. She was a very hands on learner and well public school didn't really permit that. Her desk shook as she bounced her leg up and down one of the only ways to keep her pent up energy in check. She could probably convince the girls to go on a quick swim to Mako before the Full Moon.  

The ringing of the bell was a welcomed distraction from her overwhelming thoughts. Emma has been in a funk ever since her parents sat her down last night telling her about… the move. She wasn’t quite sure how to think of it yet. The aspect of traveling the world with her family was thrilling to say the least. Though that would mean leaving Cleo and Rikki, leaving Mako, and leaving Ash. She was still trying to figure out how to tell them she had to and soon. 

“It's quite the opportunity for our little family isn’t it?” Mom leaned further into Dad’s side kissing him on the cheek.

“It is Neil, we are very proud of you.”

“When do we leave?” Elliot was practically buzzing with excitement, leaning on the edge of his chair to be closer to Mom and Dad as if he somehow could hear them faster that way. 

“I was wondering that too?” It seems kinda surreal when she thinks of it. Probably meant switching to homeschool tutors rather than public school. Though it may possibly be a welcomed diversity that she could have on college applications when the time came… ah but it’d be harder to devote herself to extracurriculars moving around every month.

Her mother straightened a bit, looking a little sheepish.

“Well the thing would be that we would be leaving about a week and a half after break starts-”

“But that would mean I’d miss Soccer Camp!”

“Elliot! Don’t interrupt, it's rude.” Dad sent Elliot a look before nodding at Mom to continue.

“Now I know that means that you will probably have to cut some of your summer plans short. But. This is a huge opportunity for not only your father, but our family. We would travel to places that people dream of going to and we can always come back to visit every now and then.”

Elliot's frustration at missing out was quickly overshadowed by excitement again. Emma wished she could relate but her mother's words only reminded her of what she had momentarily forgotten in her initial excitement. Cleo and Rikki. Mako. What was she going to tell them… Was she going to be fine handling being a mermaid with none of the support that she has grown to rely on? Was she going to have to break up with Ash? Would Cleo and Rikki be fine without her? The original mermaids were a threesome. As stupid as it sounded when Rikki used that argument it made sense. Especially after Charlotte… She’d figure it out, she always did. 

She needed to bring it up tonight. It was a full moon tonight and it was Cleo’s turn to host them all as they attempted to avoid becoming moonstruck. But she got permission from her parents to have them over at her’s instead and she managed to scrape together a surprise for tonight. They were supposed to meet Louis at the Juicenet cafe but she just wanted it to be her Cleo, and Rikki tonight. She’d figure out how to tell Louis, Zane and Ash tomorrow tonight would be theirs. 

She turned the corner and there stood Cleo with Rikki, who was leaning dangerously on the stairs banister. Cleo had a fond glint in her eyes and a disbelieving smile on her lips as she listened to Rikki who was making drastic hand movements as she talked about who knows what. Sometimes Emma wondered if Rikki would even be able to talk if she couldn’t move her hands. Emma only caught a snippet of their conversation as she walked up. 

“No seriously, We should skip next week and start to break early.” Rikki had that shine in her eyes that let you know she was only half joking. She joined them on the stairs as they all started to walk out of school. It's now or never.

“Well instead of skipping the entirety of school next week, how about we just skip the cafe with Louis?” Cleo faced pinched at the motion of purposefully ditching her boyfriend. “I got the house to myself and while I know it's Cleo’s turn I’ve got a surprise planned and I kinda want it to be just us Mermaids.”

“Ooh fun, vague, Louis-free? I’m in.” Rikki leaned bumping shoulders, “but I’ve got to ask what's the occasion?” 

“That's a secret.”

“Hrm, ok”

Cleo still looked as though she was debating her answer, before she pulled out her phone.

“Hmm well ok just let me text Lewis real quick so he doesn’t wait on us forever.”

“Noooo it's funnier if you don't. The thought of him sitting alone at our booth brings joy to my soul.” Rikki slowed bringing a hand to her chest as she laughed at herself.

“Go ahead and text him Cleo but don’t tell him that we’re going to my house.” Cleo quirked a brow at that. “I really just want it to be just us tonight. If we need his help then we’ll text him like we normally do.” 

She must have had some look on her face because they both stopped at that, glancing at each other before they got back into pace. Cleo sent the text and then stuffed her phone back into her pocket. She grabbed Emma’s arm and slowed to stop; they both moved to stand in front of her concern, painting their faces. 

“Are you ok Emma?”

“Yeah, you're acting weird and the moon isn't even up yet.”

Emma could feel the pressure behind her eyes build. She didn’t want to do this here. She wanted to do this at her house alone. That way Rikki would be more inclined to be honest about how she felt about this if it was just them. That way she could answer all of Cleo’s questions, mermaid related or otherwise without worrying about who may be listening. She was still excited about the move but the more she thought about it the more bittersweet it became. If it was this hard to leave them how harder would it be whenever her family visits and has to leave them all over again.

“Yeah I’m good,” Her voice cracked a bit. Luckily Rikki didn’t feel like pointing it out at the moment and Cleo didn’t feel like prying. “I’ll tell you all about it whenever we get to my place, yeah?”

The rest of the walk to her house was normal. Despite it feeling ten times longer than it should, awkward pauses littering the bit of small talk they managed to have. When she opened the door she noticed a few boxes scattered around. Her mom told her that they’d start packing with decor first and eventually move to sorting through all of their other things to figure out what must come with them, what can go into storage, and what they could donate. Most of her mothers figurines weren’t out anymore. Sitting in their original box only to be put in the much larger moving box. 

Cleo and Rikki’s faces grew confused when they entered, and that only worsened each time they spotted a new box. No one has said a word since they got here and the silence was getting loud.

“If we want to cover the windows now we can talk more about this,” she gestured to the few boxes around, most of them empty for now. “And then I can show you the surprise in my room.” 

Rikki and Cleo just stood there for a moment, brows furrowed as verifying levels of concern, confusion and shock filled their expressions. Cleo looked as if she was about to cry and Emma couldn’t blame her cause while eyes remained dry she could feel a tightness in her throat that threatened to keep her quiet.

“You’re moving?” Rikki asked but refused to look at her, she was glaring at a random spot on the wall. 

“I found out last night.”

Cleo let out a small cry, giving herself a hug. She wouldn’t stop looking at Emma in between scans of the room, pausing on each box she saw.

Rikki moved across to the counter grabbing one of the trash bags on it, prepping it to be taped on the window. “Just for the record,” Rikki paused, finally looking at Emma’s eyes and they looked a bit red as they normally do when Rikki refused to cry. “This is a shit surprise.”

Once they finished Emma finally brought them up to her room, revealing the surprise she’s been talking about. String lights were draped across the ceiling Rikki recognized them from when she and Emma spent a good half hour putting them up for her Dad’s birthday which ended up being their first full moon after becoming mermaids. Much to Rikki’s relief they weren’t flashing dramatically as they did during the party. 

Looking around the room Rikki also noticed a Tv and stacks of DVDs in the corner that weren't normally there. Emma turned it on to reveal the slideshow that Cleo made for their anniversary of becoming mermaids and friends. A mountain of snacks sat on the bed alongside Emma’s stash of nail polish. Emma’s wall also held some photos she must have kept from Max’s research as photos of Miss Chatham, Julia, and Gracie lined her walls alongside photos of them in similar positions. Some of the old decor from the juicenet cafe that she kept after Ash took over and took them down also littered the room.

Despite what little time Emma must’ve had she did manage to pull together a rather kickin surprise in true Emma fashion. Emma sat on her bed watching as Cleo wandered the room looking at each individual decoration. Rikki sat down next to Emma grabbing the closest snack, a bag of chips.

“So… I stand corrected,” Emma looked at her amusement dancing in her eyes. “This is actually a pretty great surprise.”

“It is! You did a really good job Emma,” Cleo also came and sat next to them on the bed pulling Emma into a side hug. “We are going to miss you and you're going to have to message us every day. But, I’m very excited for you.”

“Me too.” She leaned over bumping shoulders with Emma, “Send postcards telling me about all the fancy foods you’ll get to try.”

“Thanks guys, I'm glad you’re here. I need to figure out how to tell the boys but I’m glad it's just us tonight.”

“Speaking of the boys,” Cleo pulled her phone back out, making a show of turning it off before putting it back in her pocket. “We’ll message them if we need them but now it's sure they won’t bother us.” 

Emma smiled at that before she started looking through the nail polish debating with Cleo on what color she should do. Looking at the covered window Rikki could feel the full moon's temptation just under her skin, but it's always easier to ignore when she is with the others. Tossing the chip bag she moved over to the stack of DVDs looking through them. There are too many foreign movies for her taste but there’s still some good options here. She ended up just picking a random one before putting it in and moving back to the bed. Emma chose a deep blue color and Cleo a dark orange. She looked through the options for a moment before grabbing a red color and moving to rest against the headboard. She glanced up at the movie and let the smell of nail polish settle as she started on her nails as well. Things are going to be very different starting now, but they will handle this like they have with everything else. 

Cleo woke up slowly stretching her arms and back before opening her eyes. She sat there for a moment just blinking her eyes in the darkness. Nothing happened last night, no one was affected by the Moon. It took them a while but it seems like they are finally getting a hang at this. They stayed up late into the night just talking and reminiscing stories. Watching movies poking fun when Rikki burnt the popcorn after she used her powers to pop it. 

After a bit she grabbed her phone from where she plugged it in. I took her a moment but she turned it back on… Then the messages started to flood in. She was expecting a few messages from Lewis but this was absurd. All leftover drowsiness left her in an instant as she shook Rikki and Emma awake. Something happened and something has gone very wrong.

Chapter Text

Lewis tried not to be disappointed as he read Cleo’s message. They were ditching him, and on the Full Moon too. Sometimes he’s not sure what's going on in the girls' heads. He debated moving to the counter with his drink rather than take the entire booth to himself… He’ll just finish quickly and then head over to Cleo’s to check in on them before the Moon rises. He needs to be there for them now more than ever. He let them down far too often when Charlotte was around and he needs them to know that they can depend on him. 

Cleo forgave him with no hesitation; she's always been quick to forgive his shortcomings. Emma and Rikki were another story though. Emma waites for him to fix what he's done before she forgives. While Rikki and him are friends it doesn’t feel like she’s ever trusted him the same way after he screws up. He can’t blame her either cause while he isn’t the only one who knows anymore he still is the guy who is most knowledgeable on the situation and is in the best position to help. Therefore it's his responsibility. He can’t exactly expect Ash or even Zane to help the girls on a full moon. Neither has fully experienced one. Sure they’ve both seen and felt the aftermath, but neither know the full scope on how it works and the best ways to help. He knew though, he knew lots of things especially when it came to this, and he is willing to do what's necessary to help the girls. 

“Lewis, just the man I was looking for.” His thoughts had a rare moment of silence as Dr. Denman slid into the seat across from him. She raised her hands in surrender, “I’m sorry for the circumstances of our last meeting. I've realized how unethical that was for me and I apologize for that. But, I have some questions for you about Mako. If you're willing to hear me out.” 

He didn’t trust Denman. She’s lied to him before, she’s even held him hostage. He still has dreams of that small room and locked door, but he needs to figure out what she knows. If she knew about the girls or not. And why she’s decided to come back after all this time. 

“Well if it's got to do with my friends you know better than anyone else that they're back to normal. Not a scale in sight. “ He made sure to lean closer and lower his voice, not wanting other people to overhear. “Checked them out myself.”

“Oh no Lewis, that's not why I’m here. I’m not going to bother them.” Dr. Denman scooted closer to the table, and Lewis. “I was wondering if you had any research about the pool on Mako. I can’t stop thinking about when your friends came back and removed their… gift. The pool itself changed to Lewis, when the moon passed over.” Denman maintained uncomfortable levels of eye contact as she talked. 

“No, I've tested the pool, it's just normal water there is absolutely nothing special about it. Normal H2O, some good old DyHydrogen MonOxide.” 

“But have you ever tested it during the full moon?” She leaned in even closer, and he tried to scoot back without bringing attention to it. Being around her made him extremely uncomfortable.

“I’m not sure. I’m not all that interested in astrology. I don't even know what phase the moon is tonight.” 

“It’s a full moon, Lewis.” Dr. Denman leaned back to sit normally in her seat. “Well it's fine that you don't. I just figured I’d ask scientist to scientist before I went.”

“Went where?” A sinking feeling settled in his gut as she spoke.

“To Mako, I’m not sure but I think the full moon has something to do with what happened to your friends and I’m just going to do a couple of tests.” She stood up as she finished patting Lewis’s shoulder before leaving the cafe. Leaving an insistent itch where she touched him. 

This… is bad. This is really bad, really, really, really bad. He had to warn the girls. He stood up and pulled out his phone. Would it be faster if he just ran to Cleo’s house or to just call one of them now. Cleo’s message said they were going to do things ‘just them Mermaids.’ If they went swimming they might already be in trouble if Denman has set up more of those underwater cameras. God they were fu–

“Lewis!” Zane’s hand waved in front of his face and an odd mixture of concern and annoyance on his face. “Was that Dr. Denman? What happened?” Zane sat him back into his seat sitting on the other side himself. Right where Denman just was.

“Yes, that was Dr. Denman she. She. She is going to. Zane, we need to find the girls now.” He sent Cleo a quick message asking where they were and to call him as soon as they could. “She’s planning on running test on the Moon Pool tonight we need to get the girls and we need to–”

“No no no we shouldn’t tell the girls anything.”

“Excuse me? Zane, have you lost your mind.”

“Denman thinks that they're normal again right? Well that means if we involve the girls she’s  only going to be more suspicious of them. We can handle it just us, right? Keeping her out of the pool shouldn’t be too hard.”

“But Zane, I have no idea where the girls are. They could be out swimming right now and that is the worst thing they could be doing while Denmans is around.”

“Rikki messaged me that they were at Emma’s and not to bother them.”

“Ok but then what are just the two of us supposed to do about Denman?”

“We just have to keep her out of the water right? So we should stake out the moon pool and keep her out of it when she shows till the moons gone. Easiest thing in the world.”

Lewis thought about it, and it could work. Not telling the girls till after would mean that they won’t stress out unnecessarily, and it would help to keep them away from Denman. They shouldn’t be leaving for the Moon Pool during the full moon anyway. 

“Ok, let's do it.”

Zane threw another pebble he picked off the wall into the water, watching it sink slowly to the bottom. Lewis and him went to Mako as soon as they could, letting Ash know he should keep his phone on in case the girls needed any help tonight. Zane knows this is important, he’s seen first hand how far Denman is willing to go to get the recognition and money she believes she deserves. That being said, Zane was very quickly becoming dangerously bored. Lewis the maniac decided to bring along work,and was sat in the other corner mumbling about whatever genre of science had his current interest. 

Zane’s been to the moon pool plenty of times before, but he’s never really looked at the room before. Most times he was far too preoccupied by who was in the pool to care. But now he finds himself virtually alone in the room and with seemingly all the time in the world. He has counted all the stones lining the pool three times already and has taken to wandering the room picking at the cave walls. Throwing any loose stones that fall off into the pool and watching it splash. Though after his second walk around he ran out of loose spots and he found himself sitting down next to Lewis glancing over and trying to read whatever textbook he had… it's better than nothing. 

“Yes Zane?” Lewis didn’t even look up from his book.

“How did you find out the girls were Mermaids?” At that Lewis did look up from his book looking over at Zane.

“Are you sure this is something we should be talking about while waiting for Denman?”

Zane huffed before scooching over so he had a clear view of the cave entrance to the pool.

“There now I’ll see if she shows up over there and you can see if she comes in through the water. Now are you going to answer my question?”

Lewis rolled his eyes before shutting the textbook and moving it to the side.

“Ah well they were acting weird before I found out so I had my suspicions about something going on. I could never have guessed this though but I think it was… Oh yeah it was at Meriam’s party when you and Nate threw Cleo into the pool.”

Zane could feel a kinda wriggling itch behind his sternum that happened when people brought up shit things he’s done.

“I suppose that's just another thing I need to apologize to them for. But hey I’ve gotten better haven’t I character growth and all that.” 

“... Yeah, I guess.”

“What's that supposed to mean? I know that you, Emma, and Cleo don’t exactly like me, but I’ve proven that I’m trustworthy right?” Lewis wouldn’t look him in the eyes, seeming to a liking to take Zane’s previous past time of counting the rocks surrounding the pool.

“You guys trust me right?”

“Ah well, We know you're not going to blab their secret and all that fun stuff. But, you haven't exactly proven yourself to be the best go to option when needing help with the mermaid stuff that's all.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve helped them out plenty of times.”

“Well don’t forget that you are the reason the whole Ambergris situation happened with Nate, and when you ‘helping’ Emma that consisted of just insulting her to her boyfriend till she dried herself off.” Now Zane was the one who wouldn’t make eye contact. Glaring at the entrance to the cave itself.

“Yeah the Ambergris was my fault I’ll admit that, but how was I supposed to know it would have such a strong reaction? You also didn’t know exactly what it did either. And with Emma, that was the only way I could think of to keep Ash from finding her… I was trying to help.”

“Making excuses isn’t going to change how they feel. You’re going to need to show them that they can trust you with more than just keeping your mouth shut.”

At that Zane stood moving back to the other side sitting back down by the cave’s entrance glaring at the moon pool. He was a good person… well he was good enough… He tried. Though it seems as though every single time he was doing well with Rikki and the others something happened. And nine times out of ten it was his fault. He had a bad habit of not really thinking things through and it had a habit of biting him in the ass. Rikki helped with that forcing him to consider the bigger picture whether he wanted to or not. He didn’t deserve her, not really.

Lewis was right he wasn’t helpful. He knows that for certain because everyone tells him, and if everyone is noticing that means it has to be true. He did try though… but he could be better. After tonight he’d have to meet with Lewis again and have him walk him through everything he knew about the girl's powers and all of the mermaid business. He’s going to put in more of an effort because they could use his help, and Rikki deserved it. 

He was snapped from his thoughts as he noticed the Moon Pool light up and begin the bubble furiously. Looking up he could see the smallest sliver of the moon peeking into the cavern. 

“I’ve never seen it when it’s like this.” Lewis looked up from his textbook once again glancing at the pool then looking back at Zane.

“Yeah it's beautiful isn’t it? I’m not here often during this time, too busy trying to help the girls.” Zane only nodded at that before he looked back to the pool. He wondered what the girls were thinking about when this first happened. If they were scared or too awestruck to be so.

“Lewis, I wasn’t expecting to see you so soon,” Denman strolled into the room her two colleagues that could be described as bodyguards followed closely behind her. “Don’t tell me you're also looking to run some tests?” 

Lewis’s head snapped up from his book to look at Denman. She was holding a large gray box and her coworkers seemed to be carrying even more equipment. None of them have noticed Zane yet as she slowly stood up behind them.

“Yeah no I was wondering what it was you talking about so I decided to come see it for myself.” Gesturing towards the still bubbling pool the moon only about three fourths over the opening. “ And it is very pretty, but I don’t see what was worth the trip all the way out to Mako.”

“Well Lewis, while it is very pretty something happened to those girls here and I believe it might be the key to what and why.” She turned to look more closely at the pool and finally noticed Zane. “Ah Zane, I wasn't expecting to see you here?” 

Denman sat down her box, opened it grabbing out some latex gloves and a sample case. She slid the gloves on as she went to approach the Moon Pool Zane stepped in between her and the pool standing on the rocks that lined the pool. Lewis quickly stood, letting his book fall to the ground but one of Denmans ‘colleagues’ blocked him from getting closer. 

“Well I saw you talking to Lewis and wanted to see what all the fuss is about.”

“Zane, please move. I need to run some tests on the water.”

“Honestly Denman you’re obsessed and pathetic, some stupid cave water isn't a revolutionary discovery. You’re wasting your time.”

“Move Zane.” 

Denman went to move around Zane but each time he moved back in front of her blocking her access to the pool. Eventually she motioned to her coworker and as he moved to grab Zane. Zane stepped back except he was on the edge of the pool and there was nothing to step on. The splash of water as Zane fell in did nothing to muffle the sickening Crack that his head made hitting the pool's edge as he fell in. 

Lewis knows all three fear response’s he’s read about it a time or two. There was Fight, Flight, and Freeze. Right now it is a dictionary definition of freeze. No one moved at all, just stood and stared at Zane floating in the bubbling water. Lewis could only make himself move as the water stopped and stood still, pushing past Denman before jumping into the water. Zane was unconscious that much was obvious but if the small patch of blood spreading on his shirt where his head was sitting indicated that he also cut his head on that rock. 

Denman helped Lewis pull Zane from the water. It seemed as though his action jumpstarted everyone else. One of her workers was nowhere to be seen and the other was rummaging through Denmans box for something. As Lewis and Denman settled Zane on the ground, Denman told Lewis how guy number one, Paul, was going to her boat to grab some things that may help. Then guy two, Robert, found what he was looking for: a small first aid kit. Denman and Robert both got to work on checking Zane’s head and patching up. 

“His pupils won’t dilate as they should. He may have a concussion.” Dr. Denman was doing her best to check on him despite not being that kind of Doctor.

“What is wrong with you?” Lewis was aware he was staring at Denman, glaring probably, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about the nuances of eye contact at the moment this was her fault. 

“Excuse me?!”

“What's wrong with you! Why did you come back?! Were you hoping to find another mermaid to experiment on?! Were you just here to test your off the wall theory?! Why are you here?!”

“Lewis I understand you're stressed, but you saw the water you can’t tell you don’t think there is something going on here.”

“That what! is going on here? That this pool of water can turn someone into a mermaid? What about Zane? He was in there and you don’t see him sprouting scales do you? Denman learn to let it go.” 

Denman grew quiet that she didn’t look at Lewis anymore, going back to checking Zane. Paul returned with equipment that helped them move Zane to Denman’s boat. She offered to help take Zane to a hospital and give Lewis a ride as well after he refused to leave him alone. Lewis hasn’t heard back from Cleo; he's sent more messages. He’s also tried Rikki and Emma with no response from any of them. He tried to not let his anxiety get too high, already beating himself up from letting Zane talk him into this stupid plan that got him hurt. 

He also was trying to figure out if Zane was still fully human. He knew from the girls that they didn’t start growing tails till the day after, but he also knew they were in the water for the full time the moon was over Mako. Charlotte's transformation he wasn’t quite as knowledgeable on. Zane was only in the water for half the time that the girls were but did that make a difference on the effects? He wouldn’t be able to find out till after Zane gets discharged from the hospital, but while Zane was here he needed to make sure he stayed dry just in case. He made one last attempt to call any of the girls before he sat himself down in the flimsy hospital chair and attempted to get some sleep. The Doctor’s said that Zane should be fine, but he hasn’t woken up yet and they should just keep a close eye on him.

Chapter Text

Cleo woke up slowly stretching her arms and back before opening her eyes. She sat there for a moment just blinking her eyes in the darkness. Nothing happened last night, no one was affected by the Moon. It took them a while but it seems like they are finally getting a hang at this. They stayed up late into the night just talking and reminiscing stories. Watching movies poking fun when Rikki burnt the popcorn after she used her powers to pop it. 

After a bit she grabbed her phone from where she plugged it in. I took her a moment but she turned it back on… Then the messages started to flood in. She was expecting a few messages from Lewis but this was absurd. She tried to go back to the top to read through all of them but her eyes caught a glimpse of the name Denman. And she felt her blood go cold and all leftover drowsiness left her in an instant. Denman was back and she went to the moon pool last night. Zane and Lewis handled it but Zane was injured and hospitalized. 

She nearly fell as she tripped over her sleeping bag moving over to Rikki shaking her harshly. One of the very early established rules of Full Moon nights and sleepovers in general was don’t mess with Rikki’s sleep. Not if you wanted to have any pleasant exchange with her in the days after. This was an exception though, Lewis’s messages say that Zane hasn’t been able to retain consciousness and that they are still in the hospital. That message was from 2 am and it was almost 7 now. Rikki stirred for a moment hitting Cleo in the arm before she retreated back underneath her pillow. Cleo was trying to explain what was going on but Rikki kept groaning over her, telling her to leave her to sleep. 

Emma must’ve woken up while she was trying to wake Rikki. Because she was now sitting next to her, stopping her from shaking Rikki harder. 

“Cleo, what's going on? Are you ok?” Emma wiped tears away from her cheek. She didn’t realize she was crying.

“It’s Lewis he messaged me Dr. Denman is back. She went to Mako last night, he and Zane stopped her from getting to the pool but Zane’s hurt.” At that Rikki sat straight up looking at them.

“Zane’s what? What happened?”

“Zane’s hurt, Lewis sent me the address to which hospital they’re at but apparently he hit his head and was knocked unconscious and Lewis wants us there as soon as possible.” 

Rikki was out of her sleeping bag before she could finish her sentence. Grabbing her things from her bag and walking towards the door. Cleo couldn’t blame her if she found out Lewis got hurt she’d want to see him right away. Lewis didn’t even get hurt but he was there and she’s already itching to go see him and ensure that he’s ok and safe. Rikki stood at the door swaying slightly, likely still drowsy from waking up so suddenly, she looked at them impatiently. 

“Are we going or am I leaving you here?”

“Rikki, let's think about this Cleo said that Dr. Denman is back so we have to be careful.” Even as Emma talked she started gathering her things getting ready to leave.

“How does this stop us from visiting Zane? As far as she knows we are totally normal and just visiting our friend she apparently hospitalized.” Rikki cocked her head to the side, glaring at Emma a bit for suggesting that they wait. Cleo could feel the subtle temperature difference, the room warming up as Rikki got more agitated.

“She has a point, Emma even though Denman is back, Lewis can’t explain what's going on very well over the phone. We need to go see him and find out what exactly happened. We also need to make sure Zane’s alright.” Cleo also grabbed her things, meeting them by the door. 

“Great. Wonderful. Fantastic. Can we go now?” Rikki said as she started pulling them through the house and out the door. 

Cleo pulled out her phone checking the address as they went. Lewis’s last message contained the address of the hospital and also the room number that they were in. It also told them to hurry. She really hoped the two of them were alright.

Rikki hated hospitals. She’s only ever been admitted a couple of times but the starch white walls and the off-putting smell of cleaner always unsettled her. Being forced up at a time far too early for a Saturday morning to hear her boyfriend was in the hospital didn’t help her quickly souring mood. Cleo explained exactly what Lewis messages said on their brisk walk to the hospital. She should have known better than to fully shut off her phone, she forgets that at times Lewis and Zane may need her and the girls just as much as they may need theirs. Despite spending the evening just them mermaids emergencies happen and they should’ve been prepared. 

The wait room was scarce, not many people wanting to go to the hospital at 7 on a nice Saturday morning. There was a water cooler in the corner and the whole room was filled to the brim with uncomfortable looking plastic chairs, and small coffee tables littered with gossip magazines. The receptionist was a guy who was probably only a couple of years older than her Dad. He gave them a skeptical look as the three of them walked up to his desk. Emma was the first to speak.

“We’re looking for Zane Bennet?” He glanced between the three of them before typing into the computer.

“Visiting hours doesn’t start for another half hour. You are more than welcome to take a seat and wait.”

“I’m his girlfriend and I really just want to make sure that he is ok.” Rikki leaned on the desk making eye contact with him hoping she looked every bit like the concerned girlfriend she was. 

“While that’s very sweet of you outside of visiting hours we only permit people who patients have oked to visit.” He typed more into his computer eyes quickly scanning the screen before he continued. “Seeing as Mr. Bennet hasn’t oked anyone to come see him I can’t let you go in.”

“That’s because he’s unconscious! I need to see him.”

The man looked at her for a moment. His pity was obvious, and it made her blood boil. She didn’t need pity. 

“Miss I’m sorry I really am, but you’re not listed anywhere on file if you were his emergency contact then I might be able to help. But seeing as you aren’t I can’t let you go in. You and your friends are going to have to sit down and wait like everyone else. Visiting hours open up in about twenty minutes but if you keep causing a scene I will have to call security.”

Cleo gently grabbed her by the arm pulling her away from the desk as Emma continued to try and talk to the receptionist. Eventually Emma came and sat down next to them admitting defeat. She and Cleo checked their phones every few moments to see if Lewis had responded to any of their messages. Rikki wouldn’t, if she pulled out her phone now she’d probably throw it and she couldn’t afford to replace it. 

As Cleo and Emma talk quietly between themselves Rikki got an idea. She moved the hand that was resting on her thigh so it was pointed towards the water cooler. She felt minor relief as she finally was able to let off some steam, slowly she balled her hand into a fist watching as the water started to boil. Emma and Cleo caught on quickly, unable to stop glancing between Rikki and the water cooler that’s slowly expanding as the boiling water turned to hot steam. Eventually the pressure became too much for the cooler to take as it, for the lack of a better term, blew up. 

That caused quite the ruckus through the wait room. An older woman let out a scream at the loud sound and that mixed with everything else caused the receptionist to leave his desk and check on things. Rikki took this opportunity to slip around the desk and into the main halls of the hospital, the girls right behind her. 

“Rikki, that was too risky, we have to be more careful.” Emma worriedly scanned the area around them as if Denman would pop out from any corner and accuse them of being mermaids.

“I don’t really care at the moment. Cleo, what’s the room number?”

“Room 207”

“Great, let's go.”

Hospitals all look the same. Sure some may have a different accent shade on their wall or a different outdated pattern on the floor tiles. At the base of it though they all look the same. White walls and odd equipment lining the hallways alongside doors with varied levels of being cracked open. 

Eventually they made it into room 207 finding Lewis passed out in an uncomfortable looking position in a chair by the door. Further in the room sat a bed that had Zane on it. If it weren’t for the heart monitor and various other machines hooked up to him Rikki might have assumed he was just taking a normal nap. Rikki lightly smacked Lewis’s shoulder which caused him to startle awake, he stared at them dazed for a moment before he scrambled out of his chair. He started rambling nonstop, seemingly attempting to explain three things at once allowing for his words to be jumbled and hard to hear. 

“Lewis, calm down. One thing at a time alright. “ Cleo was very good at calming Lewis, Rikki thinks it comes from them knowing each other for so long. After Charlotte, Lewis got very good at comforting Cleo far from the smothering boyfriend he once was. Lewis took a deep breath before looking at the three of them.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault Zane got hurt.” And that was news to Rikki. 

“Your fault?” 

“Ah no. it… partially? Look if I didn’t let him talk me into taking Denman on our own this wouldn’t have happened.” Lewis looked at Zane before back at them. “He thought it would be best if we told you about Denman after the Full Moon.”

“A stupid plan.”

“She was planning on testing the Moon Pool water during the full Moon. So we staked out the pool to stop her if she got too close at the wrong time… and well.”

“So what, Denman attacked you?”

“That doesn’t seem like her. She’s manipulative and stubborn, but I don’t think she’s one for outright violence.” Emma pointed out

“No she's only technically responsible she–”

“Spit it out Lewis.”

“Well Zane was physically blocking her from the Moon Pool and he tripped… And fell in… He hit his head on the edge when he fell.”

They stood in silence for a moment. 

“He fell in? During the Full Moon?” Emma’s head snapped to Zane as if she could stare hard enough for the answers to appear. 

“Yep.” Lewis awkwardly nodded.

“Is he?” Cleo was stuck between looking at Lewis then at Zane and for a split second she glanced at Rikki. 

“I don’t know. Hospitals aren’t exactly the best place to test that.” 

Another minute of silence elapsed while everyone not so subtly stared at Zane.

“... Well what did the Doctor’s say?” 

“Ah, Well Zane has a severe concussion and he had to get stitches on the back of his head. Normally he would have been pumped full of pain killers and discharged but seeing as Dr. Bennett is away on business and no one is staying with him, it would be dangerous to send him home on his own.”

“Well he can stay with me, my dad practically loves him. He would probably try and get him to fix the garbage disposal.” There was no argument, Rikki was Zane’s girlfriend, it made sense. The only issue Rikki could think of was where they put him. Sleeping on her couch probably wouldn’t be good while he was healing, and there was no way her dad would let him stay in either of their rooms. 

“Rikki you don’t have the space for Zane, and there is no way my dad would let him stay with us. He won’t even let Lewis stay over.” Cleo had to point out the obvious. Rikki would’ve figured out a way.

“Girls girls, there is no reason to argue he can stay with me.” … No. Lewis taking care of Zane… No. No way.

Before Rikki could properly object to that Emma’s parents walked in. 

“Emma, what are you doing here?” Mr. Gilbert's eyes darted between the four of them before landing and staying on Emma.

“Lewis messaged me… What are you doing here?” 

“We are Zane’s emergency contact, Emma. The hospital and Zane’s father left us a message so we came as soon as we could.” Sometimes Rikki forgot that the Gilberts and Bennetts are family friends. It was too weird to think about considering Emma was the one who would always unapologetically voice her opinions about Zane.  

“We have already talked to the hospital staff and he is good to come home with us. He can stay in the guest room.”

“This will delay our trip a bit of course.”

A groan from the corner got everyone's attention. Zane was partially sat up in the bed with a hand to his head. He sat there squinting at all of them. He didn’t say anything, just sat there slowly blinking at them. Mrs. Gilbert rushed over to the side of his bed putting her hand on his head checking his temperature. Then she examined his head, gently turning it from side to side. Mr. Gilbert also made his way over to the side of the bed checking his watch.

“How are you feeling, Zane?” It took Zane a moment before he responded.

“‘M dizzy.”

“That’s ok hang in there. It's 8 now and they are going to discharge you at noon. We'll be back a bit before then to get you. Nod if you understood that.”

It took him a bit but eventually he nodded before scrunching his face up further. Mr. Gilbert turned back to the rest of them taking a step away from the bed.

“We are going to head over to the Bennett's to pick up a few of Zane’s things. Emma if you would head home and help Elliot set up the guest room.” 

Emma looked at the three of them before smiling at her Dad and agreeing. She led the way out of the room, and so began the long walk back to her house.

Lewis kept looking at his watch. It was 12:10 already. They should be back with Zane already. All four of them plus Elliot were sat in the guest room. Apparently the Gilberts were supposed to be moving in about three weeks. Elliot wouldn’t stop talking about what he was planning on doing in all of the famous tourist spots. Such as, he was going to find a way to take a stone off the wall of the colosseum and he was very bummed that their trip was going to be postponed momentarily. The kid seemed genuinely excited to see all of these places and it was something he could admire. At times it seemed like he wouldn’t ever be able to leave the Gold Coast and Mako. 

The guest bedroom was on the bottom floor of the Gilbert's house. Which was a good thing because while the stairs the house contained weren’t strenuous by any means, it probably wasn’t a good idea to have a concussed Zane need to go up and down them frequently. The sound of the front door put everyone into action. Rikki, Emma, and Elliot heading out of the room with the pre given job of bringing Zane’s things in from the car. Lewis and Cleo however ended up just awkwardly standing alone in the guest room. Mrs. Gilbert entered with Zane right next to her. He was looking much better, probably feeling better now that he was on painkillers. He wore sunglasses that looked like they probably belonged to Mrs. Gilbert, and Mrs. Gilbert turned the room's light off as they entered.

She sat him down on the bed and then explained what Zane shouldn’t be doing while he was recovering. Rikki, Emma, and Elliot returned with armfuls of things, probably a lot more than what was strictly necessary. Then Mrs. Gilbert ushered Elliot out of the room and told them to speak quietly and left. Now that it was only them in the room no one knew where to begin. Emma was the first to break the silence.

“Zane, do you remember what happened?” 

“I do, and I know what you’re thinking, but no.”

“No?”

“Yeah there’s no way I’m a Mermaid.”

“Actually you’d be a Merman.” Lewis had to correct him. 

“... I’m not a Merman”

“And how do you know?”

“I just do… it seems like one of those things where you can just tell.” Lewis had a water bottle in his bag.

“Well if you let us just check then we can get this out of the wa-” Before Emma could finish her sentence Lewis had dumped half of his water bottle on Zane.

One.

Two.

“Lewis! What the hell!”

Five. 

Six.

Seven. 

Eight.

“See? I'm fine.”

Ten.

Zane flopped rather ungracefully on the bed, and that was rather interesting. Where the girls have an orange bronzish tale, Zane's was a very gray blue. There might be more differences, but that was the only one that stuck out to him at the moment. Emma, Cleo and Rikki stared at Zane unaware of what they should do, or say. Zane himself was off... he quickly covered himself with the bed's sheets, and than began to franticly attempt to dry himself with the sheets. Rikki was the first to snap herself out of the funk excitement blooming on her face as she went to sit next to Zane.

“This is awesome!” 

“Rikki could you help–”

“Nice tail.”

“Help me dry o–

“Just think about it Zane we could go on swims together to Mako and we ca-”

“Rikki!” Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click. Lewis could just barely make out a tremble in Zane’s hand as he fumbled with the sheets. “Could you help me dry off please!”

“... Yeah, of course.”

Cleo and Emma exchange a look before they both excused themselves and left the room. Soon enough Zane was dry, back in his normal attire and Mrs. Gilbert’s sunglasses Lewis could no longer tell  where he was looking. For some reason that made Lewis feel on edge, as they just stood there for a minute in silence. 

“Look Zane I’m sorry for splashing you. I just–” Lewis has done this to the girls countless times. Most times if he asked to test something they wouldn’t let him, and then they would have never learned anything about this. This seemed different from how it does when he does it to the girls. It felt a lot worse.
“Could you just leave.” Halfway on his way to the door Lewis heard Zane say to Rikki, “both of you.”

Lewis had a feeling that he may have really screwed this up.

Chapter Text

It's been about a week since Zane has started staying with her family, and it has been surprisingly uneventful. Zane spends most of his time sleeping; he doesn't have many other options with the concussion stopping him from participating most past times. Not to mention anytime Emma tried to talk to him about Mako, the moon pool, or Merpeople in general he complained about a migraine and went to take a nap. It reminded Emma a bit of Cleo whenever this all began. Dismissing it anytime it was brought up and avoiding them whenever she could. 

Emma also couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit guilty. She’s always been the roughest on Zane, they have known each other since diapers. She knows better than anyone else how quickly he can switch from being your friend, to a prick who laughs at your shortcomings. He has been trying, and she could tell that. She must have underestimated just how much he liked Rikki, that’s when he started to change for the better she thinks. Yeah he was still a prick who got on her nerves, but it was a lot more like whenever Rikki got on her nerves. Where she knew they were getting on her nerves but it wasn’t something they actually meant. Not to mention he got injured protecting their secret from Denman. It just seemed like she misjudged him.

Zane was oked to go to his own home today and her dad was planning to help him bring his things back to his house after he got back from work. Which meant that they were going to go back to sorting through and packing their things. Their move was only postponed a week and she was feeling more skeptical of it then ever. Not to mention she has been avoiding telling Ash, but not any longer she was going to tell him today no matter what. The longer she puts this off the harder it will be.

Ash wasn’t at the counter as she went to clock in at the Juicenet, which is odd considering she knew he was scheduled to work today. Before she could think about it too hard about it Wilfred called her for a meeting in the cool room. It solved her problem of where Ash was, as he was already standing in the cool room. It was just Wilfred, Ash and her.

Wilfred looked equal parts guilty and exasperated as he spoke. “Ash, you're my supervisor and Emma your my oldest employee so I’m telling you first… I’m retiring and closing the Juicenet.”

“What! You can’t do that.” Ash looked between her and Wilfred as he spoke. While Emma knew Ash liked the Juicenet Cafe she didn’t think he was very passionate about it. His reaction was pleasantly surprising.

“I’m not getting any younger Ash, I have been doing this for a long time and I have got quite a bit of money set aside. It seemed like a good time for me to step back and let it go.”

“I get that Wilfred but–”

“Do you have to close the Cafe?” Emma may not be sticking around for much longer, but this cafe meant a lot to her. It’s where they meet to discuss mermaid business and even just knowing it's closing after she left feels like another thing she's losing by moving away.

“Emma, Ash, it is heartwarming to know that you care so much, but what do you suggest I do? I don’t want to hire someone I’m not familiar with. The Juicenet means a lot to me and I don’t want to see someone change it till it's no longer the Juicenet or run it to bankruptcy.”

Ash glanced at her one more time before he said, “I’ll do it.”

“You’ll do what?”

“I’ll run the cafe. I’ve worked here for a while. I'm familiar with how it works, and it's just like you said Emma’s your oldest employee so she can make sure that I don’t do anything you wouldn’t approve of. So I could do it.”

“That’s an awful big responsibility Ash, are you sure this is something you’d want to do?”

“Wilfred I’m an adult and I’m going to school for business anyway this would be a great opportunity for me. To get experience and keep the cafe open.”

Wilfred sat there for a moment looking between the two of them before he let out a long sigh rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“I’ll think about it,” He started to leave the cool room, stopping for a moment to say. “Don’t stay here too long, we have juice to sell.” Then he left, leaving Ash and Emma alone in the cool room.

“I suppose I should have asked you before I signed you up like that. Sorry Em, you can say no if you want too of course.” 

Ash looked sheepish as he waited for Emma’s response, and… she didn’t know what to do. She was going, she was leaving with her family. She wasn’t going to be here. Though the more time that passed the more it felt wrong to leave. With Denman floating around and Zane’s… new predicament, leaving Cleo and Rikki on their own to handle it felt wrong. Now this…

“I– it's just that– Of course I’d want to run the cafe with you.” 

She could feel the smile build itself on her face and she could see it mirrored on Ash’s. She felt giddy with a disbelieving laugh bubbling out of her. She leaned and gave Ash a quick kiss before heading out of the cool room and getting started on her shift. Emma couldn’t leave, not now at least. There was too much for her here for her to go. She was just weeks away from her birthday then she’d be an adult, her parents couldn’t force her to go. She also wouldn’t force them to stay; she'd find someplace for her to go. She had plenty of savings from working at the Juicenet for so long she could get Lewis to help her find an apartment or something. She could surprise the girls. She felt a bit silly grinning like an idiot for the majority of her shift, but she couldn’t help it. The idea of staying here with Ash excited her way more than traveling the world with her family ever did.

Rikki showed up at the Cafe near the end of her shift asking about Zane. She’s been trying to see him everyday this week, sometimes accompanied by Lewis or Cleo, sometimes with both and sometimes on her own. Only to have her Mom send her on her way, talking about how Zane is recovering and doesn’t need visitors at the moment. After the last doctor check up yesterday Zane’s been cleared to go back home today meaning that her mom would finally allow all of them to visit him. Rikki seemed determined to get Zane to accept being a Merman. And according to her that meant finding out what his power was. That's how Emma found herself locked in her room with Lewis, Cleo, Rikki and Zane after she got off work. 

“When the girls became mermaids they all got a power.” Lewis sat a glass of water on her desk. “So we just need to check and figure out what yours is.” 

As if rehearsed Cleo manipulated the water into a tower before Emma froze it and then Rikki melted it all down back into the glass. Zane seemed unimpressed by this display most likely because he has seen the girls use their powers on countless occasions. 

“I know this Lewis I’ve seen it all before.”

“Well then ah go ahead and give it a shot.” Lewis took a couple steps away from the desk, staying out of what could very well become a splash zone. “Ah also don’t feel bad if it doesn’t workout at first, it takes time.”

Zane stepped up wiping his hands off on his pants before he tried… by flipping off the glass of water. Unsurprisingly the water gave no reaction to this. Zane clicked his tongue before turning around to the rest of the group.

“Ah well shoot, I guess I’m not really cut out for this.” Zane looked very much pleased with himself as if he has successfully gotten away with not really trying. “I’ll try again later I promise… So can I go?”

“Uh well maybe we shou–” Lewis was cut off by Rikki.

“No Zane! You can’t go!” Rikki got closer to Zane, her frustration evident on her face. The room began to heat up to an uncomfortable degree. “What’s been with you lately? You’re not even trying!”

“What do you want me to do Rikki?! Wave my arms around like some kind of lunatic? Wait till something just happens.”

One of the reasons Emma thinks Zane and Rikki work so well is because they are so similar, meaning they understand each other very well. But that's also what makes them so volatile both having nasty tempers that can and will flare up at a moment's notice. Another thing that is similar between the two of them that she has noticed, is the fact that they both talk with their hands. Their sentences being punctuated by grand gestures. So as Zane yelled back at Rikki, his hands moving wildly, his last sentence punctuated by a flourish of his hand to the rest of Emma’s room, something happened. Not to the glass behind them that was meant to be the target practice but to Emma’s insulated metal water bottle she got for swim meets. It was fine one moment, the next it’s exploding with steam and scalding hot water was sent flying across the room. The top of the bottle where the lid was screwed on now twisted, warped and torn still exuding steam. 

Rikki looked at the bottle then back at Zane who had yet to look away from the destroyed water bottle. 

“Ah well there you go,” She glared at him for a moment before she turned heel and began to march out of the room, “Whenever you get over whatever is going on, come find me, otherwise don't bother. Cleo, Lewis, let’s go.”

Emma watched as Cleo and Lewis exchanged a look before following Rikki out of the room. Leaving Emma alone with Zane. 

“I’m sorry about that Emma, I– I’ll get you a new bottle.” Emma used her power on the bottle making sure it was cool before she attempted to move it. 

“Don’t worry about it, it was getting old anyway.” Emma grabbed the bottle then threw it into the trash bin. “What was that?”

“Well if I had to make a guess I would say my power,” the sarcasm in his tone was obvious, she glanced over at him to see him make the same flourishing hand motion at the glass of water that was meant for the practice. In seconds the water began to bubble and steam. “I hope Rikki doesn’t mind sharing.”

“That’s not what I meant. Why are you being so weird about this?”

Emma had a theory on why but she wasn’t sure. She and Zane have known each other for a long time, and Emma remembers having to visit him in the hospital after the surgery he had when they were really young and only just met. Zane's mom hadn’t left yet and Zane hadn’t met Nate yet, and they were still close. She remembers when Zane would tell her about how he hated his scars and how they made people treat him differently. That's why he never took off his shirts even whenever he was on the swim team he still wore a swim shirt. 

“Why do you care? You’re moving, soon enough it's not your problem.”

“Actually… I uh was planning on staying.” Zane’s eyebrows shot up his forehead looking at Emma like she was crazy.

“Without your parents?”

“Uh huh.”

“Do you have a place to stay?”

“No, not yet.”

“Have you told your parents yet?”

“Well no, not exactly.”

“... Good luck with that.”

They sat in the quiet for a moment. Time to test her theory.

“Remember when you first saw a mermaid? With bright red hair?”

“... Yeah? I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that that was you.”

“Well whenever we dyed my hair we had to wet it but that meant I was a mermaid whenever we dyed it. So it only showed when I was a mermaid.” Zane gave her a side eye and started to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. “So say you put on a swim shirt whenever you turned into a merman it would probably stay on every time you turned into a merman.”

“Why do you care, Emma? I thought you didn’t like me?”

“I don’t but we have to stick together in this… and I might have judged you too quickly, because I can tell you’re trying to change, and there is a little three year old Emma in my head that was convinced we would always be friends, and she is telling me to give you a second chance.”

Zane sat there quiet for a minute refusing to look Emma in the eye, but eventually he turned away looking at the door.

“If I go on a swim with you guys after Denman leaves would you drop it?”

“Absolutely. Rikki would appreciate the effort.”

“Mmm Ok… Don’t start being all mushy on me though, I don’t care if we become friends again or not, you are one of my favorite people to argue with.”

“Ok I'll try but I make no promises.”

Emma could hear the front door open and her dad call through the house announcing that he was home.

“That would be my cue to leave. Tell your parents you want to stay sooner rather than later. They might be able to help you find a place to stay.” 

“I’ll talk to them tonight.”

He gave her a small salute before he left her room. As he left Emma had an idea of a place where she would almost be guaranteed to be able to stay. At least till she got her feet under her and found a more permanent solution.

Chapter Text

The ride back to Zane’s house didn’t take long and moving his things inside didn’t take long either, with Mr. Gilbert's help. It felt a bit off, returning to his empty house after a week at the Gilbert’s, Mrs. and Mr. Gilbert were like second parents to him when he was younger. It was weird seeing them so much again, the Gilberts have always liked him well enough with the exclusion of Emma in recent years. The Gilberts also treated him better than his own dad did, he had almost forgotten how normal families acted... He didn’t end up using most of the stuff Mrs. Gilbert brought for him, though he appreciated the sentiment. On the dining room table sat a vase with some wilting flowers and a card next to it. 

Mr. Gilbert noticed what he was looking at and explained. “It was on your porch when we came to grab your things so we brought it in. Looks like the flowers didn’t make it, unfortunately.” He sat the last of Zane’s things on a chair before turning back to him. “Now are you sure you’ll be fine on your own.”

“I’m sure Mr. Gilbert, I wouldn’t want to postpone your move any more than I already have.”

“Nonsense, It’s always a pleasure to have you over Zane.” As Mr. Gilbert left he paused for a moment and turned back, “I mean it Zane, call if you need something.” With that Mr. Gilbert left, leaving Zane alone in the house.

Zane looked over the flowers for a moment. There were two different yellow flowers he didn’t recognize alongside yellow roses. He tossed them out since they were already dead and then looked through the fridge throwing out any food that may have gone bad while he was gone, and took the trash out knowing if he didn’t do it now he’d forget. He didn’t want to deal with the bugs rotting food would have attracted. After that he sat down and opened the card. The outside was some cartoon drawing of an injured dog, but instead of a cheesy pun telling him to feel better the inside of the card was a message from Dr. Denman

Zane,

I wanted to apologize for inadvertently causing your injury. I realize now that you and Lewis were right. I have become obsessed with a fairytale. Wasting time, resources, and my own abilities chasing mermaids. I was so convinced that I would be able to determine the cause of how your friends became mermaids that I might even be able to recreate it and make a volunteer who would be willing to help make the discovery of a lifetime. Though my last visit to Mako and the pool made me realize I have no clue how it works and where to even begin in trying to understand. I am deeply sorry it took you being injured to make me realize that. I would love to apologize to you in person, though I would understand if you wouldn’t want to. I am staying in the gold coast till the sixth. I hope you come so I can properly apologize. 

Dr. Linda Denman

Zane wasn’t  going to see Denman. Even if she was apologizing and seeing her have to swallow her pride to say sorry to him would be nice. She wasn’t worth his time. Grabbing his bag, Zane made his way up the stairs to his room. While it was odd being home alone in his quiet house after staying with Emma’s family it was nice seeing his room again. He halfheartedly shoved everything where it went before flopping down on his own bed. Even though the doctors said he could go home, no longer needing consistent check-ins to make sure he was ok, didn’t mean he felt fine. The persistent headache that he’s had since he woke up, still flared up every now and then. The best solution he had to combat it was to sleep till he couldn’t anymore. 

He cursed at himself for a moment as he forgot to turn the lights off before he got into bed… but he couldn’t find the energy to leave his bed to turn it off. Leaning out of his bed he grabbed the shoes he just kicked off just before and proceeded to throw them at the light switch. He missed the first one but after his second attempt his room was plunged into the dark. He got under the covers, being sure to lay on his side to avoid irritating his stitches. He laid there in the dark for sometime letting the recent events play through his head, and trying to fall asleep.

It seemed as though as soon as sleep was about to overcome him he snapped awake to the sound of his window opening. His head whipped to look at the window but only managed to make himself dizzy and his room spin at the sudden movement. The room was too dark to see much more than the silhouette of a figure halfway through his window.

“Who’s there?”

“Zane stop being an ass and help me in.” 

Rikki? He quickly made his way over to the window and helped her in. whether they were arguing or not he didn’t want his girlfriend to hurt herself falling out of the second story window.

“Rikki? What are you doing here? How did you– This is a second story window.”

He looked out the window seeing no ladder, or anything that looked like a way that would have let her climb up. He closed his window then made sure it was locked.

“I have my ways.” Rikki was sitting on his bed. She wouldn’t look at him, rather looking at her hands as she fiddled with stitching on his comforter. “Emma said you agreed to go on a swim? After Denman leaves.”

Rikki scooched over as he sat down on the bed even though it was big enough to comfortably fit both of them.

“Yeah I did… so?”

“So… what's going on with you? Why are you so against this? You know you can talk to me about anything.”

“... I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want this.”

“Why not? Is there something wrong with being a Mermaid?! Or a Merman for that matter.”

“Wha– No! It’s not that, it's–” Zane buried his head in his hands. He didn’t like talking about this… Scratch that he doesn’t talk about this. He never had and he could go to the grave happily if he never did. “You’d think it's stupid.”

“Probably…” He heard the sheets rustle as Rikki sat next to him leaning her head on his shoulder. “Tell me anyway?”

 He could feel his resolve crumble. Letting out a sigh he moved his hands and turned so he could properly look at her. He would do anything for her.

“Well it's– I– I ruin everything... Everything I’ve ever been a part of. My parents' marriage didn’t fall apart till I was born. Emma and I were like siblings till I mucked that up. I helped Dr. Denman catch you all in the first place. It’s why I don’t do anything that actually matters like my relationship with Miriam because I don’t want to ruin anything that I actually care about… I’m selfish when it comes to you. I can’t stay away even though I know I’ll eventually ruin this too, and I’ll hate myself when I do. I love you Rikki. I know how much being a mermaid means to you. It’s such a huge part of who you are, and I know I’m going to fuck it up somehow. When I do I won’t just be ruining it for you I’ll ruin it for Emma, and Cleo. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I was the one to ruin this for you… again.”

The squirming feeling beneath his sternum was back and he could feel it expand further into his chest as Rikki remained silent. Her head tucked into his shoulder he couldn’t see her face and he had no clue what she was thinking. She sat up abruptly wiping at her eyes as she moved to sit across from him.

“Sorry, give me a second…” 

She sniffed a bit before she grabbed both his hand and looked him in the eyes. Her gaze was so focused he didn't think he could look away even if he wanted to. 

“First off. If you keep insulting my boyfriend I am going to have to kick your ass.” He chuckled at that not realizing how tight his throat had gotten. “Secondly, you dad is a dick he ruined his marriage himself, and while I can’t talk about whatever happened between you and Emma. The way she has been talking about you makes me think that you are starting to turn things around with her. And Denman caught us all on her own. You just happened to be there as a witness, not to mention we wouldn’t have been able to get out of there without your help. I am also a big girl, Zane. I can handle myself. You won’t ruin me just by standing too close. The same goes with being a merman Charlotte couldn’t ruin us despite her best efforts, I doubt you will by accident.”

At that she kissed his hands before she moved back to her previous spot next to him tucking herself into his arms. Just as he didn’t think he could love her anymore. He told her the worst about him and she proceeded to tell him he was being stupid. He didn’t think she was right, but he didn’t think he was right either. He couldn’t shake the anxiety that this would end horribly but he no longer thought it would be his fault. He doesn’t know when he started crying, but for some reason he couldn't stop now. He couldn’t even tell why he was crying. He could feel himself tremble as sobs racked through his frame. He wasn’t sad. He could faintly hear Rikki talking; he could hear the concern in her voice. He was relieved… and he was happy. He was so fucking happy. He finally managed to stop crying and kissed Rikki. He could see the confusion and concern on her face. His throat felt tight but he managed to squeeze out a few words.

“Thank you.” She no longer looked confused, only concerned.

“If you ever feel like that again… talk to me? I’ll set your head straight... Now go to sleep, you're brain damaged.”

He could only manage a nod and a quiet strangled ok, as she forced both of them under the covers holding Zane firmly. It was grounding and she was warm, where he struggled to fall asleep before, he fell asleep in mere moments of being in her arms.

Rikki woke up with a stretch. Looking around Zane’s room only to see he wasn’t there. She wandered a bit looking for Zane before she made her way downstairs only to see him in the kitchen on the phone. As she drew closer she noticed an empty vase on the dining table alongside what looked to be a get well soon card and an envelope. She could pick up on Zane’s half of the conversation as she looked at the envelope. 

“Yes Dad I understand…”

The envelope was addressed to Zane but it didn’t say who it was from.

“There won’t be any problems, I can handle myself.”

She picked up the envelope. It had a poorly drawn picture of a dog in a hospital bed with a bad pun.

“Ok, Bye.” She could hear him hang up the phone before making his way over and hugging her from behind, pressing a kiss to her temple as she flicked open the card. “Sleep well?”

“As if I could with your snoring. What's this?”

“Oh that? It’s an apology from Dr. Denman.” That couldn’t be right. She quickly skimmed through the note and sure enough it was.

“An apology? I didn’t get one of those… You should frame this. Hang it up on the wall.” Zane laughed a bit, pressing another kiss to her temple before he headed off to the kitchen and from the sound of it started making coffee. She read the note again more thoroughly. “It says she's leaving on the sixth?”

“Mm Yeah?” She rounded the corner seeing Zane grabbing down two mugs.

“Does that mean we can go swimming on the seventh?”

“I suppose it does.” 

Zane looked like he was feeling better, he no longer looked as uncomfortable at the aspect of facing being a merman. Rikki knew from Cleo that after his first real swim he’d probably fall in love with it just as they have. 

“Do you want to stay for breakfast?” Zane opened his fridge and then the pantry, “I have oatmeal packets?”

“Sounds enticing,” she grabbed out two bowls as Zane put water on to boil. “What did your dad want?”

“Oh he just had a delivery scheduled and wanted to make sure I could handle accepting it.”

As Zane turned to finish making their coffee’s Rikki noticed his stitches. With all the Merpeople business Rikki had almost forgotten he actually got hurt… The scar was hard to see through his hair,  but it looked painful. 

“Did it hurt?”

“Did what hurt?”

“Did it hurt when you fell?”

“When I fell for you? Yeah, but it was worth it.” He laughed a bit at his own joke then touched the back of his head close to where the cut was. “Ah it didn’t hurt a lot when it actually happened but it hurt like a bitch when I woke up.” 

He turned, handing Rikki her cup of coffee. Taking a sip of his own. She slowly sipped at her own cup, quietly noting that Zane had made it exactly the way she liked it. She thought back to last night, the image of him curled in on himself sobbing and unable to catch his breath making her heart hurt. She never understood someone quite like she did Zane. The thought that he didn’t realize she understood him just as much as he understood her made her realize they don’t talk like they should. They leave too many things left unspoken which left room for misunderstandings. She didn’t like talking about things and being open, but how big of a hypocrite would she be if she never talked while expecting him to be open with her. 

“I love you.” 

Zane nearly dropped the bowl of oatmeal he was sitting next to her. 

“Yeah? What brought this about?”

“Nothing!” She downed the rest of her coffee before grabbing the bowl of oatmeal and a spoon. “I better go tell the girls and Lewis that Denman will be leaving soon.” She quickly ran for the door. “I’ll bring the dishes back later!”

She didn’t catch his response before she was shutting the front door and walking down the street eating oatmeal on the way to Cleo’s. Denman was going to be out of town in three days and she couldn’t wait.

Emma hung the last streamer before taking a step back to look at her and Ash’s work. The cafe looked great, there weren’t as many decorations as she would’ve liked but Ash was right, if they added anymore the cafe would have felt crowded. The guests would be arriving soon giving everyone time to mingle and order some juice before Wilfred showed up. It was Ash’s idea to throw him a retirement party, and everyone couldn’t help but agree. Wilfred and his cafe have been a meeting place of theirs for years. Wilfred was also always a safe option when looking for advice, his cool demeanor and level head doing wonders when helping someone battle teenage impulse. It was only fair that they give back to him even if it is just a party. 

It was a nightmare to plan though, Wilfred was in charge of writing the schedule and he often didn’t list himself on it. Ash had to triple check he was coming in today, making up a story about having questions about how Wilfred handled time off requests. Ash has been training with Wilfred for the past three days on how to run the cafe. Having Ash deal with all the vendors and look over the bills and explaining to him what the numbers meant. Wilfred wouldn’t be leaving for another week but having the party coincide with Dr. Denman leaving felt right. 

“I’m proud of you Emma,” Rikki walked in looking around at all of the decorations Zane, Lewis and Cleo trailing close behind, “It looks like you managed to throw a party that didn’t involve everyone in their jimjams. It must have been a huge step up from slumber parties to surprise retirement parties.”

“Ah no remember Rikki she threw that surprise for her dad’s birthday.” Cleo smiled at Emma quietly complementing the decor.

“But then she got moonstruck and none of us were able to see how it went.” Lewis sat the cake she put him in charge of on the counter.

“Ehh it was ok.” Zane made his way over to the counter spinning the barstools that sat there.

Ash came over holding her shoulders as he said. “Don’t worry, check the calendar there's going to be no full moons before 1 so we should be safe.” He gave her a kiss on the cheek before grabbing the cake and moving it to the backroom. 

She planned on telling everyone she was staying in the gold coast during the party. She was unable to keep the smile off her face even as everyone poked fun at her first run in with the full moon. She was too excited to tell them. It went over well with her parents. There were a lot of tears but they didn’t fight her too hard. They even made a few calls and made arrangements for her to have a place to stay. Elliot took it the hardest protesting for a minute that he was going to stay as well. Eventually they got him to agree to go with them after their parents agreed that they would visit a lot more often then they had originally planned. She was going to finish packing her things up this week and move them this weekend. Hopefully Ash, Lewis and the girls would help otherwise it would take awhile just the two of them. 

People began to file in, most of which were classmates, and people who have been longtime customers of the cafe. She and Ash went ahead and started making juices Rikki helped to, having a good understanding on the menu after her small bout as an employee. Amber also came in on her day off to help. Soon enough the party was in full swing and the drink orders slowed down allowing her to dismiss Rikki to join back with their friends. 

Looking at her watch she saw that it was almost 1:30 meaning Wilfred would be in soon. She quickly finished the juice she was making before heading into the cool room and grabbing the cake and stood by the double doors to the back waiting for the signal. She could hear Ash shush the cafe having everyone act natural. She could also hear Wilfred come in. 

“Ash what is this?”

“Hi Wilfred, This is your Retirement party !”

Emma quickly pushed past the double door with the cake to say in unison with everyone in the cafe. 

“ Surprise! ”

Sitting the cake down on the counter in front of him. He looked surprised enough and amused as everyone in the cafe took turns coming up to him to congratulate him on retirement. She and Ash worked another half hour till the clock hit two and they could clock out and sit with their friends. Having to pull up chairs as the booths were no longer big enough to fit all of them. 

“You did a good job on this you guys, I’d have you plan my retirement party if I could.” Cleo smiled at her as she spoke. 

“Yeah we should have a toast,” Rikki raised her glass looking at everyone with a smirk on her face. “To Emma, finally throwing a successful party.”

Everyone chuckled, raising their juices slightly before going back to talking and sipping their drinks. 

“Actually I have something that deserves a proper toast.”

“Oh yeah? Do tell.”

“I’ve talked to my parents… And I’m going to be staying in Gold Coast for the foreseeable future!”

Cleo, Rikki, and Lewis all said, “You’re staying!” At the same time Ash said, “You were leaving?”

Lewis started next, “Do you have a place to stay? Or is your whole family staying?”

“No they're still going, but I do have a place to stay.”

“You were going to move?” Ash looked at her as if she said she was moving and not that she was staying. 

“Ah, yes… but then you asked me to run the cafe with you and I realized that I didn’t want to leave.” She pressed a kiss to Ash’s lips. “I’m not going anywhere so don’t worry about it.”

“Enough with the lovey dovey! Where are you staying?”

“I’m actually going to be staying with The Bennets.”

“You’re staying with Zane?” Cleo looked at her with disbelieving eyes before looking back at Zane who smiled at her. 

“Yeah our families are old friends, and Dad was ok with it especially after I stayed with them for a week while healing from the concussion.”

“Wait, when did you get a concussion?” She realized that they had to get better on keeping Ash in the loop. 

“Remember when Lewis and I told you to keep your phone on just in case the girls called needing help with the full moon?” Ash nodded. “Then.”

“That reminds me Ash they want to go on a swim after this do you want to tag along?”

“Uh sure just the three of us hanging out on the beach I can do that.” … They really had to get better on keeping Ash in the loop. She was just so used to hiding this side of herself from him she forgot and avoided bringing up anything that was even remotely related. “What is it?”

“So… When Zane got his concussion it was actually because he fell into the Moon Pool… During the full moon.”

“So that means…”

“Yep.”

Ash sat there for a moment just staring at a spot on the table brows furrowed. He let out a sigh rubbing at the bridge of his nose. “Yeah I’ll come.”

Zane’s been to this beach plenty of times. Most of the time he sat on the rocks talking with Lewis till the girls came back, more recently Ash started joining them. It was nice Lewis and Ash weren’t people he would've become friends with on his own but they were interesting guys. It was odd being here knowing he wasn’t going to be staying on the beach with them, rather he’d be swimming in the water.  He felt his heartbeat picked up a bit as they got closer to the water. He wasn’t sure what to expect, he's been diving with Nate before sure, but he had a feeling it wasn’t going to be anything like that. He sat his stuff down next to Lewis before Rikki grabbed his hand and started to drag him towards the water. 

The water was cold causing him to gasp. Then ten seconds later he and Rikki were falling over landing in the small waves that lapped at the beach sand. Rikki wouldn’t stop smiling at him.

“A shirt?”

“I like shirts.” 

“I wasn’t complaining.” 

Cleo and Emma joined them diving into the water rather than slowly walking in like him and Rikki. He could see why it was difficult pushing himself further into the point where he could swim rather than having to drag himself. The water didn’t seem as cold anymore and the salt water didn’t sting his eyes like he expected it too. Cleo and Rikki were next to him in the water but Emma was nowhere to be seen. Rikki smiled at him before speeding off in a trail of air bubbles. Cleo however stayed next to him swimming just as slowly as he was speeding up to keep pace as he got more confident and picked up his pace. 

This wasn’t like anything he has ever experienced before. He could feel the water tousle his hair and the currents brush past him. He felt weightless and he could feel the ever present squirming in his chest ease the water soothing his nerves. He could see why the girls loved this, he couldn’t see this ever getting old.