I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 35: Surprise! (part 2)
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[The two speed off from the marina and out into the open blue. They continue on for quite a while, until they are nowhere near land when Lewis suddenly orders Zane to stop the boat.]
Lewis: "Stop, stop." Zane listens to him and slows the boat down to a halt. "This is perfect."
"But you're in the middle of the ocean," Elliot said. "Yes, we are," Lewis said, chuckling quietly.
"Wouldn't someplace like Mako Island be better? It's a no-go zone, literally since no one hardly goes there," Harrison thought. "Yes. The whole point was for me to get him away from those areas," Lewis explained. "If he went to Mako, he could've found more evidence on them." The audience nods in understanding, finally understanding the whole point of his and the girls' plan.
Zane: turns the boat off and looks around. "Here? But this is nowhere near Mako, this is nowhere near, anything."
"It was near Mako when the boat sunk and I saw her tail, so it made more sense to me that we should've gone there," Zane said. "Yet you still listened to me," Lewis grinned smugly.
Lewis: "That's the point." Turns the 3D scanner on and looks at the map. "Solitary creature, it doesn't want to be found. Think-"
"You're right, she didn't want to be found," Max chuckled; Emma grinned, agreeing with him. She did not want to be caught, again.
Lewis: "When I think loch ness monster, this is isolated."
"Good point, but still sounds strange," Neil thought, but utterly relieved that Lewis was trying to help the girls. He didn't want to see his daughter getting hunted down, though he had a bad feeling about it with that scientist around. Emma did say they got into some trouble with her and were discovered.
"Did you just call me a loch ness monster?" Emma pouted, clearly offended. "I-in some ways you are. Not physically, I meant metaphorically. You don't want to be found, just like the legends itself," Lewis reasoned, but it didn't make Emma's scowl go away for being called such a hideous monster.
Zane: looks confused. "Right."
Lewis: "I'm, I'm telling you, there's monsters here." Nods and picks up the sonar, setting it up for their location.
"Not monsters, mermaids," Elliot corrected, making Emma smile.
"We weren't there anyway," Rikki told them. "Not yet at least," Cleo mumbled, a little embarrassed from her mishap with interfering with Lewis's mission. She didn't know about the plan, they never told her.
Zane: shakes his head, a little befuddled. "I don't know. I was way over at Mako."
"I should've listened to my gut," Zane sighed in defeat. "Yet you didn't," Rikki amused.
Lewis: cuts him off. "Hey. Who's the geek here?"
Zane: "You are."
Lewis: "You bet I am. And when it comes to, to monsters, the paranormal, or anything technological, who are you going to trust?"
"Well on the bright side you at least did call yourself a geek," Rikki grinned. "I never said I wasn't," Lewis told her. "But you admitted it."
"But that's not even in your field of study, or hobbies," Cleo said, tilting her head. "Probably not, but he is the only nerd I could get to agree to it," Zane replied. "Thanks... hey!"
[Zane nods slightly, beginning to see his reasoning. Lewis points down while furrowing his eyebrows at him.]
Lewis: "Go and drop the anchor." Zane went to drop the anchor like he was told. Behind his back, Lewis smiled widely, his plan working so far.
"Why was I taking orders from you? More importantly, why did I believe you?" Zane shook his head, dropping it into the palm of his hand. "Because you had no other choice. I was your only choice at that time to try and find the 'sea monster.' And you had no idea what to do or any knowledge about it. Which by the way, made the plan work even more perfectly," Lewis said, raising his fist in victory. Until Cleo ruined it, that is.
"I can't believe you paid a hundred bucks for that," Harrison stated.
"I can't believe you didn't try taking more," Kim thought aloud.
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[In the backyard of the Sertori property, Emma and Rikki walk into the birthday party with their gifts for Cleo's sweet sixteen and stand next to a colorful 'Happy Birthday' banner around some columns with party streamers and balloons and many more colorful decorations.]
Emma: looks at it oddly, along with Rikki. "This is just how I remember it from when we were kids."
Rikki: winces. "Unsettling, isn't it?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Will asked confused. Cleo buries her head in her knees, trying to hide her face from everyone as they discover exactly how her first sweet-sixteen birthday party went.
"So now you finally understand what I was telling you," Lewis chuckled, remembering that was the same look he had once he realized that Cleo's parties were never going to change. Literally.
Charlotte had a small smile on her face as she saw some of the party decorations, she had to admit they were actually quite nice and matched perfectly with Cleo's color scheme.
"At least someone understood that I've never been to one of her parties before," Rikki commented.
[They began descending further into the party, as the screaming of little kids get louder and louder, the decorations getting even more childish as they walk further. Kids ran past them with crowns and balloon swords. There was a ball pit next to the shed, full of colorful, plastic balls, a tube-man swaying up and down as if it were partying with them, clowns running around, chasing the younger ones, and hay bales and tables were scattered around. Rikki and Emma stand awkwardly to the side as they take it all in.]
If Cleo was embarrassed earlier, then she wasn't sure what she would call it now. Her face was pure red, her eyes widen, and her jaw dropped, groaning in absolute humiliation as she buried herself even further into her knees. She heard a few snorts, people who were trying very hard not to laugh right now, such as Zane, Will, and Ash. She heard them get cut off quickly; she assumed that they were taken care of by the people around them.
Everyone looked at the party in shock, their jaws dropped lightly like Cleo's and pity and regret began to feel their hearts. "Uh, tha-, erm, wel-," Bella stuttered awkwardly, trying to brighten the situation up, but failed miserably. "I-I don't know what to say."
"How about, wow," Kim grimaced, realizing how awful that party really was; age-wise at least, other than that it would've been a really awesome party for a kid. I can't believe I actually enjoyed that party. What was I thinking? It was so different now that she sees it from a different point of view, that and since she's grown up since then. No longer a twelve-year-old.
"I think it looks fun," Elliot said. "Of course you do, Elliot. You're still a kid," Cleo sighed.
Charlotte's smile faltered, as she saw what those nice decorations got turned into, seeing the major problem that Cleo kept getting upset over with birthday parties. "I think I'm beginning to understand why you degraded your birthday so much now," Charlotte mentioned, feeling very bad for the poor girl. She never had a real sweet-sixteen then? Maybe I should throw one for her.
"Uh, Cleo? Why is there a bunch of kids running around at your party? Where's the rest of your friends?" Will asked slowly. "That's what your biggest concern is? What about how the party is decorated? Or how about the clowns and the balloon swords, the animals? The whole party in general?!" Ash exclaimed, gesturing towards the screen.
"Don? What is this?" Harrison said, baffled. "Yeah, Don. Why is everything so, underage? This looks like the exact same birthday party from when she was six!" Neil frowned. He's been to her parties before, but that was a long time ago. Ever since her sixth birthday, he's been to every swim comp Emma had. He wouldn't have missed his daughter's achievements for the world. But now he sees what Don has done after all these years, and it wasn't good. No wonder Cleo acted like she hated her birthday.
"When she had her sixth birthday party, she told me it was the best birthday party she ever had, and that she never wanted it to change. Guess I shouldn't have taken her words so seriously," Don chuckled sadly, reminiscing of the past and finally admitting it after several silent moments. "But really, the thing is, I never wanted her to change as well, I wanted her to stay the same. I guess I wasn't ready for my little girl to grow up. Figured if I kept it the same like she wanted, it would've made her happy and stay as my little girl for a little while longer. But in doing so, I never realized what I was actually doing, nor what I was doing to Cleo."
Don sighed and looked over at Cleo, regret and disappointment taking over his emotions. "I screwed up big time, didn't I? I'm sorry Cleo."
Cleo gave him a sad smile in return, lifting her head up out of her knees. She knew he didn't want her growing up so fast, but he never mentioned it like this. Now she felt a little guilty for feeling so embarrassed from before. At least he was trying, in a way. It showed that he still cared for her, still loved her, and that was all that mattered. "It's okay, dad," Cleo said sweetly, lowering her knees back down.
"I understand why you did it. And I will always be your little girl, no matter how old I am. And we've done talked about this before, so we don't need to get overworked from this whole thing, right?" "Right," Don said, returning the small smile. "Just, promise me this won't happen again?" Cleo said with a hopeful smile, hoping with all her might that it won't. Don chuckled, crossing his arms. "Alright, fine. I promise. As long as you promise not to grow up so fast," I'll make sure of it.
"A little too late for that, don't you think?" Sam chuckled. Bev smiled at them, glad that they worked things out, even though they already did once before, it was nice to see it again.
No wonder she was so obsessed with parties earlier. It's because she's never had one herself. Not a real one, Bella thought.
"So, wait a second. For the past ten years, you've had the same birthday party, every single time?" Will asked in surprise. "Way to ruin the moment," Rikki muttered. Cleo nodded slowly, not as embarrassed as she was before. Some of it gone from her dad's confession, and some gone now that everyone has already seen it. The most embarrassing parts of it are gone now anyway.
"I'm surprised you didn't crack. That many birthday parties, being the exact same? I would've gone insane," Max commented. "Oh, she eventually did," Rikki chuckled, earning a small glare from Cleo.
Emma: looks at the pony. "I rode my first pony at Cleo's sixth birthday party."
"There's a pony too?!" Zane asked in shock, his laughter stopped due to his father's warnings. He didn't want to get himself even more grounded once they got back home. "Yup," Kim admitted.
Rikki: "Are we sure this isn't Cleo's sixth birthday?"
"Unless you somehow traveled back in time, I don't think so," Max chuckled. "Well, we are watching their past, at this point anything's possible," Mrs. Chatham told him. "I think that line was crossed when we discovered mermaids existed," Denman said.
[At that moment, a six-year-old boy ran by Rikki while holding a red balloon. In his quick haste, he accidentally hit Rikki in the head. She angrily snatched the balloon from the kid, causing him to stop in his tracks and look at her.]
Emma: grabs the balloon from Rikki and hands it back to the kid. "Rikki, this is supposed to be a party. Here you go." The kid takes it and runs back off again.
"It was supposed to be a party," Rikki muttered to herself.
"I see you still haven't gotten used to dealing with kids yet," Terry chuckled.
Rikki: they continue looking around. "I'm starting to see why Cleo didn't want to make such a big deal about this."
"Same," Bella said. "Definitely," Will breathed out, regretting all his comments from earlier. "Agreed," Charlotte remarked.
"It's about time you listened to me," Lewis grinned, arms crossed. "Who said I did?" Rikki replied, his grin falling.
"Yeah, no kidding," Ash chuckled. "It couldn't possibly get worse."
Emma: nods. "Yep. The only thing missing is Cleo's dad in a cowboy suit sweeping down and slapping a party hat on your head."
"Oh, I would pay to see that," Zane laughed quietly. Harrison sent him a look, but couldn't help but think the same thing, laughing along with him.
Don and Cleo switched places for once, this time him feeling the embarrassment as he realizes that everyone will see that. Including Sam. Wait, why does that matter?
"You remember her sixth birthday vividly," Bev said, a little surprised since she hasn't been to one in a while. "It was the last time I was at one. I wanted to remember every detail. Besides, back then, his parties were really amazing."
Don: comes up behind them in a cowboy suit and a red cowboy hat with a fake mustache and slaps some party hats on their head. "Girls, glad you could make it." Emma and Rikki wince, the former catching her hat as it falls off her head. Rikki takes hers off. Don speaks with a cowboy accent, standing next to Emma. "Is my little girl going to love this or what?"
"I spoke too soon," Ash grimaced.
Zane barks with laughter, unable to hold it in anymore. Several others in the audience, including Sam and Harrison, hold their hands to their mouths to muffle their laughter. Don's face reddens even more, but a smile forms on his face as he sees Cleo laughing as well, glad that she was enjoying this, happy that she was smiling again. Maybe them seeing this was worth it. Maybe.
Emma: "Are you sure that balloon animals and a pony are appropriate?"
"Oh, absolutely not," Ash shook his head. "Maybe seven years ago," Bella shrugged. "Hey, twelve-year-old's would've enjoyed that too," Kim pouted, defending her past self. But who was she kidding, even she thought it was immature of her now that she was watching this.
"I should've listened to you two then. Might've fixed things before then," Don said.
Don: "Yeah. Balloon animals are ageless. She'll love it."
"I've never been so wrong in my life," Don sighed. Actually, scratch that. That would've been the second time. The first was when I thought Bev still loved me. I was wrong about that too.
Don: points to the house. "You wait when she comes downstairs. She'll be ecstatic." Rikki and Emma plaster on a smile and nod. He walks away all giddily and watches some of the kids nearby, pointing his fingers at them like they were guns. "Pow pow. Put em up. Where's my horse?"
"I don't think ecstatic was the right word for when she came downstairs. More like, mortified," Rikki mentioned.
"You were really into the whole cowboy role," Sam giggled. "I used to watch western movies all the time when I was younger. They were my favorite," Don admitted sheepishly, a light blush on his cheeks.
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[Back in her room, Cleo was getting ready for the day. She was wearing a purple dress sitting on her bed as she was putting her shoes on. Once she was finished, she paused in her movements once she heard laughter and screaming coming from their yard. She stood up and walked over to her bedroom window to find a party going on outside. A party she never wanted. Everyone lined up side by side to get ready to sing her happy birthday. Including her two best friends, she noticed, who had their party hats back on.]
Don: directing everyone on what to do. "We're going to sing 'happy birthday.' She's going to be coming down in just a minute, ok. So everybody, if you can sing-."
Cleo: stares at them in shock and shakes her head. "Oh no." She turns around and runs out of her room, heading downstairs to deal with her newly discovered situation.
"Yeah, Don, I don't think she was happy," Harrison commented. "Thanks for letting me know, Bennett. I couldn't tell," Don replied sarcastically.
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[Cleo marches outside and stops in front of them. Don still had his back turned to her when she came outside. Immediately everyone began shouting happy birthday. Don turned around and joined in on the shouting and whistle-blowing. Cleo glares at them, mainly at her dad, while Emma and Rikki looked at her sheepishly.]
"I thought you were going to sing it, not shout it," Bella said.
Cleo: marches up to her two best friends, hurt that they didn't tell her. "You knew?" Don tries to gently grab her arm, but Cleo yanks it away from him. She steps back and finally explodes, her anger built up from the past several years finally being released. "You said you wouldn't! How could you?" Everyone begins mumbling to one another, wondering why she would react that way. Kim, Bev, Emma, Rikki, and Don's smiles falter from the backlash as she runs off. Emma and Rikki take their party hats off and chases after her. Don holds his hands up to the other partygoers, gesturing for them to wait as he follows the three girls.
"To be fair, if we knew it was going to be like that, we totally would have told you about it," Emma mentioned.
Ash felt bad for her. The birthday girl shouldn't feel the need to run away from her own party, especially when it was her sixteenth. But did that really count as her sixteenth? Although it wasn't what she wanted, it was still a birthday party. One that they threw for her.
"It probably would have been best to have told her," Lewis said. "Then why didn't you?" Rikki questioned. "Uh, hello. I was busy trying to cover your tracks," Lewis shot back. "Which by the way, didn't make much of a difference when others decide to get involved," he said through gritted teeth as he narrowed his eyes at Cleo. The brunette lowers herself in her seat, avoiding his gaze. "I didn't know about the plan."
"I should've just listened. Why did I have to be so stubborn?" Don shook his head, disappointed in himself.
[Emma and Rikki run out the front door, looking around for where Cleo went as they walk into the front yard.]
Rikki: "Cleo?"
Don: follows right behind them. "Where did she go?"
"Where did you go?" Kim asked her. "Oh she decided to go for a little joy ride, or swim for that matter," Lewis huffed, earning a small glare from Cleo. "I needed to calm down," she defended herself. Kim looked at them weirdly, confused as to what they were talking about.
Emma: the three of them walk into the street, looking around to see if they could find her. Emma looks left to right, trying to find her best friend. "Um, I think she just left something at my house yesterday. Probably. She'll be back." Rikki walks closer to them, still looking around.
Don: looks at them. "She better be."
"Terrible excuse. And even if she did, she could've gone back for it after the party," Bella commented. "Oh well," Emma sighed, trying not to roll her eyes. She was getting tired of the complaints about their excuses. They had to make it up out of the blue, it's not that simple!
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[Out in the ocean, Cleo speeds off angrily, trying to get to Mako as quick as she can. However, she was too close to the surface, causing some waves to form, and was heading straight for Lewis and Zane.]
"Oh gosh. I think I have an idea of where this is going," Kim thought, slapping her forehead. Don and Bev were thinking the same thing. Their eyes were widened as they realized where she might be heading and could be falling right into the trap.
Cleo grimaced, it probably wasn't the best idea to be so close to the surface. Zane frowned. That's weird. What was she doing out there?
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[Back at the zodiac, Lewis and Zane continue sitting in the middle of nowhere, waiting for the 'sea monster' to show up.]
Zane: has his feet propped up on the edge of the boat, leaned back. Lewis continues keeping an eye on the sonar. "Do you ever think about why, Lewis? Like, do you find destiny or does destiny find you?"
"What is this, a therapy session?" Kim scrunched up her nose.
Lewis: looks at him, not paying attention. "Hmm?"
Zane: "Like, things happen for a reason."
"I like to think that it does," Elliot said, then looked towards his sister. "Like with what happened with you three. It had to be for something." Emma smiled at that, glad that he had hopes for it. She had always wondered why they were chosen to be what they are; it could have been anyone else, or on any other day, or at any time. But no, it was all specifically during that one time under the full moon. It was either one big coincidence or they were destined to be mermaids. Most likely the first one, she couldn't think of any other reason.
Lewis: "Please stop."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was I making you uncomfortable?" Zane mocked. "Yes, you were," Lewis replied. "Good. You wasted a whole day distracting me. I needed some form of payback," Zane grinned.
Zane: "Something weird happened to me. And when I find out what it was-." He paused, thinking for a moment when a smile crept upon his face. "Well, maybe right now. Yeah, maybe, I'm on the brink of destiny."
"You're on the brink of something, but definitely not on the brink of destiny," Denman chuckled, shaking her head. Zane disagreed with her however, he believed that somewhat, he was meant to find out the secret, and help in any way he can. It even brought him and Rikki closer together. In a way, he believed he found his place.
[Right then, the sonar began beeping wildly. Lewis looked at it and frowned, as he saw a red circle began to come straight for them at an increasingly fast speed.]
Zane: sat up straight, hearing the beeping. "What? What was that?"
"Ah, Cleo!" Kim whined, worried for her sister. She was heading straight for them. What if he sees her?
"We really should have warned her about them," Rikki winced, talking to Emma. "Yeah, but we also should've told her about the birthday party too," she whispered back; Rikki nodded in agreement.
"You were the sea monster?" Zane questioned, a little surprised. "Surprise," Cleo sarcastically said, waving her hands. "I think we all were at this point," Rikki chuckled.
Lewis: shook his head. "Um."
Zane: jumps up and grabs Lewis's hand, looking at the sonar in his hand. "Give me a look. Give it to me." He looks at the sonar and sees the fast beeping red dot go across the screen before disappearing.
Lewis: "It's just a false reading. Look it's gone-."
"You see, now that would be a good excuse if it didn't go across the screen like that. Most false readings don't normally last that long," Max explained.
Zane: "That's it! I just saw the bleep."
"Yes, I think we all saw it," Bella rolled her eyes, hiding her nerves for her fellow mermaids.
[Cleo speeds by them, still close to the surface as she goes directly under their boat, knocking them around. Zane stumbles, having to catch himself on the side of the boat, while Lewis holds onto his hat as the boat rocks back and forth. The waves shove the boat a few feet. Lewis stands up and looks around.]
Zane: smirks at him. "False reading huh? Feel that?"
"That must've been a strong wave," Harrison said, a little surprised. "It nearly knocked me off the boat," Zane commented.
"I really shouldn't have been that close to the surface," Cleo winced. "You shouldn't have been out there at all," Lewis remarked.
Don tenses up, his worry intensifies as he watches as Zane catches on to the trail. He didn't want his daughter getting into any kind of trouble. Especially not on her birthday! Bev grabs ahold to the armchair, scared for her. This is all my fault, I should've talked to him about the party more. This shouldn't be happening. Not on her birthday. Not on any day!
"Why didn't you just go around it, Cleo?" Rikki whined. "I didn't know they were there. I wasn't paying attention," Cleo answered, a little annoyed with herself.
Lewis: looks around, a little worried about which one of his friends that might have been. "No."
"Liar," Ash said.
"How could you not? It was so strong," Zane scoffed.
Zane: stands up as well, looking at the direction it went. "That was big and strong and, and weird. It was headed towards Mako."
Lewis: gestures towards that direction. "How do you know that? You don't know that."
"It was kind of obvious since you could see which way she went," Will remarked.
"The big waves kind of gave it away," Zane said as if it were obvious.
Zane: turns around and smirks at him. "Destiny, Lewis. This could be it." He quickly bends over the edge of the boat and starts pulling up the anchor.
"Sadly, it wasn't," Cleo mocked, making a pouty face. Zane rolled his eyes and muttered to himself. "Not yet."
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[Near the Mako Island reefs, a blur of a quick-moving figure comes to a halt, revealing their self to be Cleo. She looks around before swimming upwards.]
"So why did you go there?" Ash asked. "I needed somewhere to cool off. And Mako to me is one of the most relaxing places. At least I knew I would be alone. Or so I thought," Cleo said, sending a glance towards Zane.
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[Zane slows the boat down near Mako Island. He turns the engine off then stands up and throws the anchor into the water with a splash. As it goes under, he turns around and sits back down, looking at Lewis.]
Zane: "Ok, Lewis. Turn the equipment on. Let's do this." Lewis looked towards him and was about to nod when he paused and stared wide-eyed. Just over Zane's shoulder, he could see a glimpse of Cleo swimming towards the rocky beach, just meters away from them.
"Oh my gosh," Charlotte gasped, along with everyone else.
Zane was jaw-dropped. She was meters from us, and I didn't see her?!
"I'm not sure who's more blind at this point. Me or you, Zane," Denman smirked, for once not getting upset that no one else saw them.
"Cleo! How did you not know they were there?! No, more importantly, why are you wading around in public view?" Rikki shouted. "I was thinking, Rikki," Cleo sighed. I really should have gone to the moon pool instead. But the girls would've found me there if they went searching for me.
"You never told us this detail," Emma yelled to Lewis. "Must've slipped my mind," Lewis shrugged, a small grin on his face. To be fair though, the only part of the story he told them was that she was near Mako when he was with Zane and later told her to go to the Juicenet.
"Hide, Cleo!" Don shouted. "It's okay, dad. He never saw me," Cleo said, mentally rolling her eyes. Bev held her hands up to her mouth, trying to prevent herself from trembling.
[Lewis gulped and slowly started looking around the boat, hoping that Zane wouldn't turn around. Cleo climbed onto the rocks and crossed her arms, laying on her stomach, pouting about her 'fantastic' birthday so far.]
Bev gave a small, sad smile; her hands by her side now even though she was still terribly nervous. She didn't want her daughter to be upset on her own birthday. Gosh, if only Don would've listened to them, but he was so stubborn. But she also didn't want her daughter moping around with a tail while there was a sea monster hunter not too far from her.
Lewis: "So, um, you going under then?"
Zane: "Not yet."
Lewis: nods. "Ok, uh, do you want me to pull up a reading?"
"Well, he did just say to turn the equipment on," Sam said.
Zane: looks at him weird, then gave him a sarcastic look. "No, I want you to do macrame." Lewis shook his head slightly. Zane stands up. "Look I'll do it myself. Here." He tries to snatch it away from Lewis, but he holds on tightly to it, refusing to let it go.
Lewis: "No, no. Zane. I've got it." He stands up, and they both start bickering, raising their voices as they yank it back and forth to one another, trying to get it. "Zane, I've got it."
"Just let him have it," Annette said. "No need for all that ruckus."
Zane: and Lewis accidentally let go and it gets tossed into the water. "Hey!" Zane raises his voice, and they both stare into the water where the sonar sunk to the bottom.
Lewis: "Oh." Luckily all the noise grabs Cleo's attention and she turns around and sees the two boys yelling at each other.
Zane: "You idiot!"
"Oh, so I guess it was necessary," Annette said.
"So, you did do that on purpose," Zane sighed, feeling like the real idiot there.
Lewis: yells back. "What?!"
Zane: gets louder, furious, and never notices the mermaid behind him as Lewis sneaks looks over his shoulder. "You! I can't believe you just did that. I thought you told me you knew how to use this thing."
Lewis: "I do!" Cleo quickly fumbles back into the water, trying to get away from the drastic scene. Lewis smiles as he sees her leave, knowing that his plan worked.
"You are a genius," Kim smiled, relieved that her sister was saved once again. "Your sister just complimented me. Pinch me, I must be dreaming," Lewis told Cleo. "Ow! Not you, Rikki!"
Don and Bev let out a breath of relief, glad that Lewis had her back, or tail, once again. "Thank you, Lewis."
"I can't believe you were there the whole time," Zane groaned.
"What does him tossing it into the water have anything to do with knowing how to use it?" Will asked; Zane shrugged. "I was just angry."
Zane: "Do you have any idea how expensive it is? I'm going to have to jump in there after it now." He steps on the edge of the boat and jumps in to search for his missing equipment.
"That was a close one," Max said.
"Where did you go after that?" Bev asked, still worried. "To the moon pool. I had some business to finish," Cleo said, sending a glance towards Lewis as well, who returned it.
Neil smiled, glad that Zane's plan had failed, all thanks to Lewis. He owes that boy one.
"Mermaids, one. Zane, zero," Emma said, high giving both girls, plus Lewis.
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[Back at Cleo's party, the rest of the party guests seem to be having a great time. Some of the kids were playing in the ball pit, and Kim was riding a rainbow-colored pony. Everyone was having a blast. Well mostly everyone at least. Rikki and Emma were sitting on one of the hay bales when a kid starts blasting a party blowout in her face. Rikki, who was sitting her head in the palm of her hands, tenses up and snatches the blowout from his hands and throws it away, and returns to her former stance. The kid runs off to play when Don comes up, still in his cowboy suit, with a plate.]
"I'm surprised that you didn't tell the kid to scram," Terry snickered. "Actions speak louder than words," Rikki reminded with a smile of her own.
Don: "Girls, more fairy bread, bread pudding."
Emma: and Rikki shake their head. "No thanks."
Don: "I don't understand what's keeping Cleo at your place."
"You still believed it?" Cleo asked, a little surprised. "Well, I wasn't going to believe you swam off into the ocean. Not at that time at least," Don replied.
Emma: "Well you know how my mom likes to talk."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Lisa asked, a little offended.
Don: gestures around. "But she knows this is all here."
"That's the point," Cleo muttered.
Don: "I mean, who can resist a pony." He looks over at the pony that Kim was currently riding with a party hat on.
"I can," Rikki said, raising her hand, along with every other teenager in the room.
Kim: complains to the owner of the pony. "Make it go faster. Whip it. Faster."
Kim blushes at her past self, a bit embarrassed as she hears Elliot laughing. "What can I say? Twelve-year-old's like them too."
Rikki: and Emma look at him oddly, before Rikki speaks up. "Uh, can I make a small point Mr. Sertori?" He sits down next to her as she continues talking. "Cleo's kind of grown up lately." Don nods. "She's not the same girl as, say Kim." She gestures over to Kim who was still riding the pony.
"Hey!" Kim narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms.
"Technically you aren't the same. One's a human the other's part fish," Lewis said, cutting of Cleo's laughing as she glared at him.
Don: nods. "Yep. True." Then he starts waving his finger at her. "But all girls love ponies."
"That's not true," Emma said.
"My sister would say otherwise," Will scoffed.
"I like dolphins, but not ponies," Bella stated. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I might prefer a dolphin than a pony," Charlotte whispered.
Rikki: she plasters a smile on her face before dropping it, still looking at him. "Do I look like the kind of girl that would be caught dead on a pony?"
"Not even close," Zane laughed. "Yep. That's my daughter," Terry laughed with him.
Don: thinks about it before shaking his head. "Not really."
Rikki: nods and pats his arm. "Figure it out." She stands up and walks off, leaving Emma and Don to themselves. They glance at each other awkwardly before looking away.
"I think what she meant was that Cleo doesn't want a pony," Bev said. "Yeah, I kinda figured that out the first time," Don huffed in annoyance.
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[Zane pulls the boat up to the sandy beach of Mako Island. He slows the boat down as Lewis stands up to get ready to pull the boat to shore. Lewis hops out and in the sand once Zane turns the boat off.]
Zane: stands up, still soaking wet from his underwater treasure hunt, and holds up the sonar. "This is rented Lewis. Rented." He begins to towel dry the side sonar as Lewis continues pulling on the front of the boat.
"Shouldn't technology like that be waterproof? Since they are normally near water?" Sam asked. "Most of them are, but not all of them are. Kinda like that one I'm guessing," Don said, pointing to the screen.
Lewis: "I'm sorry. How many times do I have to say that I am sorry."
Zane: "This better be covered by insurance."
"You weren't actually sorry, were you?" Zane assumed. "Sorry, but my friends come before some side sonar," Lewis defended, earning a smile from the girls. Zane shook his head, but understood his reasoning, he probably would've done the same thing in order to protect his friends.
[Zane goes back to drying the tiny machine, blowing on it to make the process quicker. While he was distracted, Lewis slowly let go of the boat and took a few steps back, glancing towards the woods of the island. After several steps, he turns around and quickly yet quietly made his way into the woods as Zane continued trying to get it fixed.]
"What can I say? Easily distracted," Lewis chuckled; Zane shakes his head in disappointment.
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[A few minutes later, Lewis goes deeper into the woods, trying to find his best friend while whispering her name.]
Lewis: "Cleo." He accidentally stumbles into a limb but keeps on going. "Cleo. Ow. Cleo. Cleo." He continues until he gets closer to her, where she was leaning against a tree just a few yards away from him.
"Ah, so you weren't actually interested in the nature, were you?" Zane realized, still feeling like an idiot. "Nope."
"How did you not see her? She was right in front of you," Elliot said. "It is a lot more foggier out there than it looks on the screen. It was so hard to see anything," Lewis explained.
Cleo: finally gives in and turns around, rolling her eyes. "Alright. Alright. Keep your voice down." She walks toward him, standing beside a rock as he jogs up to her.
Lewis: points behind him. "Don't worry, meathead's not with me."
"Dude!" Zane frowned. "Oh, you've heard worse," Lewis scoffed. The room snickers at the insult. They knew it was rude but still found it funny.
"You did act like it sometimes," Rikki laughed quietly.
"Is that a new nickname I smell?" Charlotte teased. "Please don't," Zane closed his eyes.
Cleo: "Then why are you whispering?" Lewis shrugs. "And what are you doing here with Zane?"
"Why didn't you tell her?" Lisa asked them. "She seemed distracted the whole time, so we decided to leave her alone. We didn't understand why until we had to, um, see it for ourselves," Emma explained.
Lewis: looks behind him. "It's a long story. Why aren't you at your birthday party?"
Cleo: gets angry, and a little louder. "Great. Did everyone know about my stupid party except me?"
"It wasn't that hard to hide. Just come home more often and you'll notice the planning process," Kim smiled.
"It was meant to be a surprise anyway," Don shrugged, a sad smile on his face.
Lewis: "Don't let it get you down."
Cleo: "Easy for you to say. You don't have a dad who still thinks you're six years old."
"I didn't think you were six. I just, didn't want you to grow up," Don sighed. "It's okay, dad. But there's no way to stop me from growing," Cleo smiled, which he returned. "If only."
Lewis: "No. Cleo, I want you to meet me at the Juicenet at 5:30. Hmm?" Cleo looks at him weirdly. She was about to reply when Zane's shouting interrupts them.
Zane: standing at a distance from them, looking in the opposite direction, searching for Lewis. "Hey geekaroid, where are you?"
"Touche," Lewis nodded; Zane smiled smugly.
"What's going on at the café?" Bella asked. "It's a surprise," Lewis smiled. "I think we had enough surprises in this episode," she replied.
"How did you not see them? Or hear them?" Will asked. "Like Lewis said, it was really foggy that day. And as for not being able to hear them, well I don't know. I guess water might've still been in my ear, blocking out some of the noise or something," Zane shrugged.
[Lewis sees him and quickly ducks them both down, hiding her behind the rock.]
Lewis: whispers. "Cleo, at the Juicenet at 5:30." He stands up and begins making his way towards Zane. Cleo leans against the rock to avoid being seen. "I'm here."
Zane: turns in his direction and walks towards him. "What are you doing?"
Lewis: "Call of nature."
"It seems like you were the one doing all the calling," Cleo teased.
"Not a bad excuse," Ash admitted.
"What else would I have been doing?" Lewis asked. "I could name a few," he smiled.
Zane: "Alright. Well let's get out of here before you do something even more stupid." They begin walking out of the woods and back to the boat. Cleo watches them go.
Lewis: "Oh you are a wonderful human being Zane."
"Why thank you," Zane sarcastically said.
You know I could've done worse. I could've just tampered with the boat instead." "While I was on there with you?" Zane asked raising an eyebrow. Lewis shrugged slightly, thinking about it. "Fair point."
Cleo: looks forward, a sad look in her eyes as she talks to herself. "Happy birthday, Cleo."
Lewis winced. "I'm sorry, Cleo. That should've been the first thing I said." "It's okay, Lewis. Your surprise made it all better," she smiled.
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[Cleo's party has now come to an end, as the Sertori family plus Rikki and Emma begin cleaning the place up. Kim takes up the balloons, while Don picks up the hay bales, without his cowboy hat and mustache. Rikki, Emma, and Bev pick up all the plastic balls off the ground when Emma's phone begins to ring.]
Emma: takes her phone out of her pocket and stands up straight, answering the phone. "Hello? Lewis." She lets out a breath of relief and turns to Rikki and Don. "You found her. And she'll definitely be there? You're sure?" Don drops the hay bale, looking a little upset that she didn't show up to the party. Emma smiles and looks at the two. Rikki looks at her confused.
"How come you told Emma about the plan but not me?" Rikki asked. "Because I could trust her with keeping it quiet," Lewis said, arms crossed. "You don't trust me? That's hurtful Lewis, you're killing me," she mocked. "Good."
"I'm guessing Lewis texted you about it not too long ago from that look on your face," Cleo said, looking at her dad. "Yeah, he did. But as long as it made you happy that's all that mattered," he sighed with a smile.
"What plans? And what text?" Bella asked, completely clueless. "You're about to find out."
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[Cleo slowly walks up to the Juicenet café, where she finds Lewis waiting outside for her by the railing.]
Lewis: "You ready?"
Cleo: looks anxious. "For what?"
"That's what I would like to know," Bella said.
Lewis: nods his head towards the inside of the café and turns around. He begins walking off, then pauses and turns back toward Cleo, waving her over. "Come on. Come on." Cleo hesitantly follows him towards the beaded curtains.
[When Cleo steps inside, she finds everyone there, including her two mermaid sisters, yelling surprise as they clap and cheer for her. The café was decorated to be her own birthday party. There were lanterns hanging everywhere, and music playing, and drinks. And there were no balloon swords or ponies or ball pits. It felt like a real birthday party to her as she looked at all of it in awe, happily, and very surprised.]
"Wow, that looks awesome!" Will said in amazement.
"That looks pretty good for last-second planning," Max agreed.
"You threw a party for her yourself? Aww, that's so sweet of you guys!" Annette beamed. "Thanks, but it was all Lewis's idea actually," Emma said. "He set everything up."
"So that's what you needed the money for," Zane smiled genuinely. "Yep. I couldn't do it for free unfortunately."
Don smiled. It might not have been the party he had thrown for her, but it still made her happy. And that was more important. At least now he knows what to do and what not to do next time.
"Now that looks like an actual party," Ash commented.
"Ah, so that's the plan you guys were talking about," Bella nodded in understanding.
[Lewis laughed next to her at her reaction, glad that she seemed so happy about it. She quickly walked up to her two friends and Lewis followed behind her.]
Rikki: "Happy birthday, Cleo."
Emma: "Happy birthday, Cleo."
Cleo: tears of joy in her eyes. "You did all this." Emma and Rikki shake their heads and look over at Lewis, who walks around the two holding a gift bag.
Lewis: "What do you think I needed the money for?" He holds the gift bag up to her and hands it to her. "Happy birthday, Cleo."
"That was really thoughtful of you, Lewis. Thank you for doing that for her," Bev smiled, holding a hand to her heart. "Thanks." He would've thanked her properly, but he didn't know what to call her by ever since the divorce.
[Cleo looks at him in amazement as she opens her gift. She pulls out an orange balloon animal. She holds it up with a playful smile.]
Lewis: "I couldn't resist." Rikki smiles widely behind him.
Cleo: laughs. "Thank you, Lewis." She leans in and gives him a kiss on the cheek. Rikki smiles giving them a knowing smirk. Lewis chuckles and smiles happily, watching her walk off before his smile widens.
Charlotte sighed, a small smile on her face. She thought it was really sweet of Lewis to throw a party for her. It must've been a nice party, and she kind of wished she could've been there, but she wouldn't have moved by then. At least she was able to have one that she could enjoy. Everyone looked like they were having a good time, including those two. And it seemed to get even more obvious that they were meant to be as much as she wanted to deny it.
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[That night after the party, Cleo walks back to her house and goes around the side gate holding the balloon animal Lewis had given her, looking at it with pure joy. She walks around the corner and pauses when she sees her dad sitting on one of the hay bales, staring at his cowboy hat with a ball pit right beside him. Cleo's smile fell slowly as she became conflicted on whether she should talk to him or not. Finally deciding to, she puts on a small smile and slowly walks over to him.]
Lewis smiled wide, similar to what he looked like on the screen a moment ago as he sees that she kept the present he gave her. Even if it was meant to be a joke, it still meant something to her. She really had a fun time at her birthday party. It's been so long since he seen her that way at one.
Cleo: stands next to him, still holding the balloon. "I'm sorry, dad. I had to get away." She sits next to him and puts the balloon animal down and turns back to him. "You know why."
"Yeah, I do. I should've listened to everyone. I should've listened to you. I promise you, Cleo, it'll be even better next time," he nodded towards her. Cleo smiled at that, glad that her dad was willing to try for her next time. But she couldn't help but feel nervous that he might do something to ruin it.
Don: lets out a breath. "Lewis called me. How was the party?"
Cleo: her smile brightens. "It was, really good. You didn't come."
"I did want you there, dad. I really did," Cleo said. "Maybe next time, pumpkin. Maybe next time," he grinned. "You know Mr. Sertori, I could help you plan the next one if you'd like," Lewis suggested. "Don't push your luck, boy," Don narrowed his eyes, pointing at him; Lewis gulped and backed away. Don sighed and gave in. "But if you'd like. I could use some help," he reluctantly admitted. Lewis smiled at that. "I'd love to."
Don: "No. You're not a little girl anymore. You're growing up, leaving me behind."
"That's like that with every child, Don. But sooner or later we have to accept it," Neil told him. "Trust me Don, it took me a while to realize that too," Harrison admitted, even if he was too selfish to care for him sometimes, he still wasn't ready for Zane to grow up either.
"All parents are like that," Annette said. "Just not as bad." The rest of the parents in the room nod in agreement, understanding what it's like to have to watch your kid grow up right in front of your eyes, knowing there was no way to stop time. The only thing they could do was to enjoy it while it lasted.
Cleo: wraps her arms around his shoulders. "Of course I'm your girl. I always will be."
Don: smiles a little. "Really?"
"Yes. Just don't continue to treat me like one," she chuckled.
Cleo: picks up a plastic ball off the ground. "But, maybe cardboard shouldn't feature so heavily in our relationship anymore." She throws the ball and nudges him in the shoulder with a smile as he laughs silently. "What do you say?"
Don: looks up at her and answers with a smile of his own. "Deal." Cleo stands up and offers her hand, which he gladly takes as he stands up and walks with her towards the house.
"Please don't be the same way you were with her for my birthday parties," Kim whined. "Alright, alright. Fine," Don sighed. I'm just getting hit by both my girls this time, aren't I?
Don: pauses and looks back at the ball pit, tempted to run for it as Cleo turns to him, wondering what could be on his mind. Eventually, he gives in to the temptation. "One last time."
Cleo: smirks. "Race you." Immediately the two run toward the ball pit. Don jumps over the hay bale and the two land into the pit, the balls flying everywhere.
"That must've been one heck of a mess to clean up," Mrs. Chatham laughed. "Oh, you have no idea," Bev groaned.
"I know I said I would fix your party, but can we at least get the ball pit again?" Don begged. Cleo rolled her eyes playfully and reluctantly agreed to it. "Fine." "Yes!" Don raised his fist in victory.
"Well, I'm glad that's over with. What's next?" Kim sighed in relief, looking at the girls. "Not sure. Guess we'll find out," Emma shrugged as she took the remote from Sam and pressed play.