I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 37: The Big Chill (part 2)
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[A few minutes later, Cleo is deep down in the middle of the sea, on her way to Mako Island to find her friend. She speeds through the water as fast as she can to the underwater cave, since it depended on someone's life.]
"Ah, I know it's something we should be used to by now, but I still think it's pretty cool that you guys can do that. To be able to swim underwater like that and all. It's something we haven't seen in a while," Will said, practically starstruck.
"And you didn't listen to a single word Emma said," Zane chuckled. "Oh I did. I just chose to ignore it," Cleo smiled smugly as Emma rolled her eyes playfully.
[Cleo enters through the underwater cave and pops up into the moonpool. She turns her head and finds Rikki leaning against the edge of the pool playing with tiny rocks that were scattered around the rocky ledge. Rikki turns to her at the sound of her entrance.]
Cleo: paddles towards her. "I knew you'd be here. You always come here when you want to be alone."
"Don't you think she wants to be alone now?" Kim asked, stating the obvious. "Yes, but we needed her help, no matter what Emma says," Cleo admitted.
"You know me so well," Rikki joked.
Rikki: continues playing with the rocks again as Cleo grabs onto the ledge and pulls herself up, her elbows leaning over the side. "Right. So that would be why you're ruining the moment."
"I think that's a hint," Terry chuckled, knowing when his daughter felt like talking and when she doesn't. He did feel a little bad that Rikki had been upset, but Rikki was always tough. She hid her emotions well most of the time. But he could always read her like a book; unless she was hiding a huge secret like if she were a mermaid with powers or something. "And I chose to ignore that just like Emma's pleads," Cleo smiled.
Cleo: "Rikki, we really need your help."
Rikki: looking at the rocks, speaks quietly. "For what?"
Cleo: "Emma's in trouble."
Rikki: "Emma's a big girl. She can get herself out of trouble."
"But you didn't even know what it was about," Charlotte claimed. "Doesn't matter. One, I was mad. And two, Emma usually knows how to handle herself. She knows how to keep out of trouble, unless, you know, she gets moon-spelled. She's the responsible one," Rikki explained.
"You should help each other out, no matter the situation. Even if she could manage it herself, she would always need her friend's support," Mrs. Chatham added.
"But she really does need your help this time," Bella pointed out. "As much as I hate to say it, they're right," Emma reluctantly admitted. "Wow, that makes what, three now?" Rikki gently teased, earning a nudge to the arm.
Cleo: "Rikki, this is serious. Come on." Nods her head towards the exit.
Rikki: looks up and sighs. "What kind of trouble could Miss Organized Emma possibly have gotten herself into?" Cleo gives her a slanted look.
"Oh you have no idea," Elliot laughed. Lisa covers his mouth with her hand, shushing him.
"A whole loads of trouble," Emma muttered.
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[Back at the café, Rikki stares down at Miriam's frozen body in the freezer room. She let a small smirk creep up on her face, her eyes slightly widen, finding it ironic about the mess that Emma has somehow gotten herself in. The other three in the group were behind her, discussing the plan to revive her with the freezer door wide open.]
Lewis: "Rikki's ability to heat water is essential. Er, but you all have amazing powers. And we need all three of you working together, to save Miriam."
"I understand how Rikki's power is important for this, but what about Cleo's? How is hers important?" Bella asked, beginning to understand the plan. "Once we got her warmed up some, we needed her to get the blood flowing again," Lewis said plainly. "Ew," Kim said, slightly disgusted as well as the others in the room. "It was gross," Cleo shuttered. "I know it sounds bad, but that's what needed to be done," Lewis told them.
Cleo: Emma looks down while Rikki continues staring at Miriam. Cleo looks a little worried about the plan. "Couldn't we just, leave her in the sun?"
Emma: they stare at her. "For everyone to see?"
"Yeah, that be a sight for sore eyes," Neil joked, the others in the room laughing a little, despite the situation.
"No, because that would be too much heat for her body to take on at once, it would just end up killing her," Denman informed. "Not like she isn't dead already, she's frozen," Rikki muttered.
Emma: turns to Lewis, throwing her hands up in frustration. "Forget it. This is not going to work. I'm going to call an ambulance." She begins to walk out the freezer door when Lewis calls out to her as he walks closer to the body and she stops.
"Oh, Emma. Ye have so little faith," Rikki chuckled. "After seeing your work efforts, I have my reasons why," Emma shot back.
"And tell them what exactly? That you found a bully frozen in the cooler room when you were the one left in charge?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lewis: claps his hands together. "Emma! Do you really think that's a good idea under the circumstances?"
Emma: nods reluctantly. "Right." Looks at Miriam worriedly. "She'll be alright, won't she?"
"He's not wrong. There's no way you could possibly explain that without an investigation going on," Don said.
"I surely hope so," Lisa sighed. From what she has seen throughout this whole thing, it was clear to her that Miriam was not who she thought she was. But she would never wish her dead.
Lewis: looks at all three of them. "Guys, are we going to do this or not?"
Rikki: "Yes." All three of them look at her in surprise. "But we can't do it in here."
"Why not?" Elliot asked, unfazed by the unfortunate circumstances. "Because with it being so cold in there, nothing would've changed. She needed to be in a warmer environment, but not too warm like the sun, Cleo, or else it would harm her from the quick effects," Lewis explained while giving Cleo a pointed look. Cleo rolled her eyes, biting her cheek.
Terry smiles proudly at Rikki, glad that she was willing to help someone out, even if they got on their nerves quite a bit. Though she did the same with Zane, it seemed that Miriam was worse.
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[They gently lay her down on some tables in the middle of the café, lowering her head slowly. Emma closes her eyes then covers her face.]
"Ah, yes. Because doing it out in the open where anybody could see when they walk in is a great idea," Kim sighed, shaking her head. "We didn't have any other options, and we were limited on time," Cleo told her sister.
Emma: "Can we cover her up? I can't bear to see her like this." Lewis picks up a pen and notepad that was lying next to Miriam as Emma continues looking down at her.
"You say that as you continue looking at her," Will said. "I couldn't stop worrying about her, knowing that it was my fault," Emma sighed worriedly. It's understandable that you're worried but it wasn't your fault, it was her own for doing such a foolish prank, Neil thought.
Rikki: walks over to Cleo who was at the end of the tables. "Go and get Emma something. Try ginger, celery, and carrot." Cleo went around the bar to do what Rikki ordered. Rikki walks around the table next to Lewis as he jots down some notes.
"A calming ingredients. Clever," Mrs. Chatham noted.
Lewis: "Alright. Now Rikki's going to use her power to gently warm the body."
Emma: behind the bar with Cleo, glares at him and snaps. "Don't call her that!"
Lewis: winces. "Sorry."
"But that's what she is. I mean technically she's not alive," Will said, shivering as it sounded a little creepy. "I didn't want to think of it like that," Emma winced.
Lewis: "Um, once she's defrosted, Cleo, you're going to use your power, and you're going to get the bodily fluids circulating again." Cleo and Emma nod behind the counter. "If we find a problem, Emma, you're here to cool things down." Starts writing again on his notepad.
"Again," Zane said, earning a glare from the trio.
Rikki: "Alright. Let's get this party started."
"Ooh. Bad choice of words," Sam hissed. "It's just a saying!" Rikki huffed. "I was stressed and freaking out. That was not the time to tell one of your 'sayings'!" Emma nearly shouted.
Emma: glares at her, leaning over the bar. "We're tempering with nature here."
"True, but you three have been 'tempering with nature' since you first jumped in the moon pool," Max pointed out.
Rikki: and Lewis turn to her. "Emma, we have no choice. We have to do this."
"It was either that or let her die," Rikki muttered, but not loud enough for Emma to hear.
Lewis: "Well, maybe we should try an experiment, to make sure it's going to work. We need something frozen and something a bit like, um, like human flesh. Like, um, like um-."
Cleo: ducks under the counter and grabs a pack of tofu, then straightens up for all of them to see. "Tofu."
Lewis: and Rikki nods. "Yeah. Close enough."
"Last time there were any experiments, it didn't go so well," Don scowled, narrowing his eyes at Denman. "Yes, but just like last time as well, we were able to fix it," Cleo reminded him, trying to get him to stop burning holes in the back of Denman's head.
[Rikki holds her hand over a small tray of tofu that they had laying on a table. The other three were watching it right beside her as Lewis looks at both it and the notes. Emma stands in-between them, holding a juice cup, looking impatiently at it while Cleo stands behind them. Rikki very slowly begins curling her fingers, not into a fist, as to keep it the temperature she wants it to be.]
Lewis: "We'll go another five seconds." She continues slowly curling her fingers, using her powers, millimeter by millimeter.
"Now that's some good control," Max says. "Yeah. Until she ruins it," Rikki said in a deadpanned tone.
"Looks like you guys have been practicing," Will said. "All it takes is some focus," Rikki said, giving Emma a look.
Emma: looks between the two before settling her glare on Rikki and yelling in her ear. "This is hopeless. We're wasting time." Unfortunately, in her small rant, she distracts Rikki from the task at hand. Rikki looks away from the tofu and accidentally turns it into a fist, causing her to lose control of her power and burning and melting the tofu as it sizzles out. Rikki threw her hand down and glares back at Emma, who gave her a know-it-all look. Cleo looks at the two in surprise.
Lewis: winces. "Heated too fast."
"Em, you yelled in her ear. You distracted her," Lisa sighed. "She was doing fine until you butted in," Terry frowned. "That's what happens when you're impatient," Bev said, sneaking a glance towards Don. "I know, I know. It was my fault. The whole thing is," Emma sighed, feeling guilty. They were right, she was the one who caused her to be distracted, yet she blamed the whole thing on Rikki and yelled at her. Rikki was right, she did have such little faith in her.
Emma: "That could have been Miriam."
Rikki: "It was working until you distracted me."
Emma: waves to herself, yelling out loud as Cleo tenses up and Lewis goes back to writing some more notes. "Oh, it's my fault. Everything in the whole world's my fault!" Gestures around the room, holding out her empty juice.
"Yes. Yes, it is your fault," Kim said.
"At least you admit it," Rikki teased, Emma rolled her eyes playfully, but grins from ear to ear. "Ok now you're just being a little dramatic," Annette chuckled.
Cleo: grabs Emma's shoulder. "Emma, why don't I get you another juice." She pulls Emma away from the two, back to the bar.
"Thank you," Rikki let out a breath. "Finally, can get some real work done."
Lewis: to Rikki. "Alright." Him and Rikki walk over to the tables where Miriam lay. "Here's a timeline to prevent the, um, the tofu effect, say." Cleo pulls a stool out for Emma to sit on and goes behind the counter. Emma watches the two from her stool as he talks about the plan. "Now we're going to heat the body one degree every three minutes until she wakes up."
"Sounds like a solid plan. As long as there are no interruptions this time there shouldn't be any hiccups," Denman said as she thought over any possibilities in her head.
"Will you have enough time?" Charlotte asked. "Barely," Emma huffed, thinking about Wilfred.
Rikki: "Well, doesn't-."
Lewis: talks softly to her as Emma listens in. "Rikki, once you start you cannot stop. You can't break concentration. Or-." He looks at Miriam, unable to finish his sentence.
Everyone took a deep breath and gulped, feeling nervous about how this will go. This was something that's never been done before; and that's saying something considering they were in a room with mermaids. They leaned forward in their seats as they watch them begin the process of trying to save another life, putting in all their hope that Rikki can do this.
Rikki: nods. "Ok. I'm ready." Exhales out a shaky breath and holds out one hand above Miriam's heart, bending her fingers slightly. Silent sizzling could be heard coming from the body.
Lewis: holds a hand up. "Slowly, slowly." Crackling of the ice could be heard coming from Miriam's hand as the ice begins to slowly melt from the slight increase in temperature and droplets of water could be seen running down Miriam's hand. Rikki puts up her other hand near Miriam's legs. "Okay, that's good. It's good."
And just like Rikki did, the rest all let out a shaky breath, settling back down in their seats as they watch the plan work. The ice was melting, that's a good sign so far. Next up was to get the body flowing again. Would Cleo be able to manage that?
Terry smiled proudly at his daughter, having so much control, yet so much power to be able to try and save this girl's life. Yet he couldn't help but be worried as this probably did make Rikki feel exhausted.
Zane nods in approval, supporting his girlfriend for doing the right thing. Miriam didn't deserve it. Though he had to admit he found it kind of ironic that his girlfriend was saving his ex.
Emma: stands up, going in-between them. "One minute. What about the temperature? How are we going to keep track of it?"
"A thermometer?" Don asked. "We didn't have one," Emma sighed, worrying the others once again.
Lewis: "Uh, well, there must be a thermometer somew-."
Emma: "There isn't."
Lewis: "Well, have you checked in the-?"
Emma: shouts louder. "There isn't!"
"You didn't even check!" Kim exclaimed. "I know the whole place up and down. There isn't a single one anywhere," Emma said, arms crossed. "What about the cooler room?" Bella suggested. Emma opened her mouth, then slapped her forehead as she didn't think that there might have been one hanging in there.
"Emma, quit yelling. You'll distract her," Lisa scolded. "Yeah, and it's more serious than tofu this time," Elliot mentioned.
Lewis: "Ok. Ok. Uh, mum's got one at home. I'll run, I'll grab it, and I'll be back." He runs towards the door when he hears Rikki call out for him.
Rikki: still in the same position and temperature on Miriam. "Lewis?"
Lewis: sighs and points at her. "Don't stop! I'll be back."
"Be quick, Lewis," Don said. Just like you were quick when I kept running you off from my daughter that one night on the full moon.
Cleo: comes around on the other side of Rikki, holding a drink and patting Rikki lightly on the back. "You're doing really well." Cleo hands Emma her drink over Rikki's outstretched arms and Emma takes it, keeping all her focus on Miriam.
"I'm not sure you guys are helping," Will said. "It's like Mrs. Chatham said, we needed to be there for her, even if this was something we couldn't help with, not yet at least. Moral support," Cleo smiled.
[Several minutes pass by and Rikki continues the process of defrosting Miriam. As more time goes by Cleo walks circles around the table as Emma watches from a distance, biting her lip in worry. As Rikki increases the temperature more, Miriam no longer looked icy pale, and more ice began to melt. Water was pouring onto the floor, dripping off of the tables.]
Rikki: sighs, a little tired. "How long did Lewis say?"
"Woah, how long were you doing that for?" Kim asked in shock. "I'm not sure, it took a long time. Probably over 30 minutes?" Rikki shrugged. "You must have been exhausted afterwards for using your powers for that long," Bella said in surprise. "Oh, you have no idea," Rikki chuckled, though figured she might know the feeling. "That explains why you came back home that day and went straight to bed," Terry laughed.
[A knock was heard at the door and Emma begins to freak out even more as she stands next to Rikki.]
Emma: eyes widen. "It's the police!"
"What?" Lisa asked, nearly jumping up in her seat. "Who would've called?" Neil asked, his voice only sounding a little panicky. "It wasn't the police, she was just overreacting," Rikki said, rolling her eyes. "Her parents would've called. They were the only ones who noticed she was gone all night," Zane reminded.
"Are you trying to distract her again?" Charlotte asked. "No!" "Then why are you standing so close to her and talking like that?" she questioned. "I was panicking!" Emma answered.
Rikki: not breaking her concentration. "Emma, go and answer the door like nothing is wrong."
Emma: trembles. "But-."
Rikki: "Go."
"Oh, so now you listen to me," Rikki teased. "Only when it's urgent," Emma remarked with a grin. "It's always urgent."
Rikki: "Cleo, cover Miriam." Cleo grabs a towel from the bar and quickly covers Miriam up as another knock comes from the door.
"Wouldn't that make her warm up quicker, which is what you were trying to avoid?" Sam asked. "Yeah, but it was only for a moment. We took it off as soon as he left," Rikki said. "As soon as who left?" Harrison asked. The three girls turn their heads to Zane, and he just shrugs. "I didn't know anything about it, so don't blame me on this."
[Emma pulls back the shades some and Zane pushes through the beaded curtains and stops in the doorway to find Emma and Cleo there.]
Zane: a worried look on his face. "Hi, guys."
"So that's what y'all were doing," Zane chuckled. "I thought it was odd."
Emma: glances back at them. "Um, sorry. We're not open." Cleo looks down, a smile plastered on her face.
"Not yet, we aren't," Emma sighed.
Zane: "Hang on. I'm looking for Miriam. Apparently she didn't come home last night. Her parents are blaming me."
"Why would they blame you?" Terry asked. "Because the world hates me," Zane rolled his eyes jokingly before shaking his head. "No, it's because I was the last person with her and she for some reason always hanged out with me and Nate." "I think we both know the reason why she hung out with you," Rikki said, giving him a look.
Emma: "Sorry, she's not here. Bye." She smiles and quickly tries to push the shades back, but he stops her.
Zane: "Hang on! Maybe somebody else saw her?" Cleo shakes her head as Emma looks back at them. Zane finally notices the other two in there and sees Rikki behind them for some reason hovering her hands over a table. "What's going on?"
"Definitely not trying to unfreeze somebody with our super-secret powers," Rikki said sarcastically, the others chuckling around them. "I didn't know the truth yet," he said.
Cleo: shrugs, tilting her head. "We're just hanging out."
Zane: frowns. "In a close café before 7:00 am?"
Emma: "What's so weird about that?"
"Well, it's a weekend. Most people would be sleeping in during this time and especially not in a locked-up place." "We've done been over this, Kim. A lot of people wake up early for work, even if they would love to sleep in for once," Don sighed. "Emma had to work, but the other two didn't," Kim pointed out.
Rikki: whispers to Cleo. "Ask him for help, he won't like that."
"Ooh, clever," Max chuckled. "She's right, you won't," Harrison grinned.
"I'm an idiot," Zane groaned, realizing he got outplayed once again.
Cleo: looks back at her then back to Zane. "What? Oh." She walks up to the two. "Zane, we're just helping Emma get the shop open on time. You're welcome to stay, as long as you pitch in."
Zane: "I've got better things to do. Later." He leaves, the sound of the beads hitting one another being left behind him. Emma and Cleo close the shades and sigh in relief.
The crowd laughs, finding his quick response amusing. "Technically I did. Do you know how hard it was to try and get Miriam's parents off my back?" Zane scoffed. "I do," Lewis said, arms crossed. "Oh, yeah."
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[At the boardwalk, Zane is on the phone arguing with Miriam's mom when he and Lewis begin to walk past each other.]
Zane: "Hey. Just listen! Yes, I know your concerned, Mrs. Kent. But listen. I-hang on."
"Why weren't you running? Did you not realize we were on a serious time limit?" Emma complained. "We would've had time if I didn't get caught up in some things," Lewis told her.
Zane: grabs Lewis by the shoulder, yanking him around as he covers the phone's speaker to his chest. "Lewis, I've got Miriam's mother on the phone here. Tell her I wasn't with her last night."
Lewis: holds up the thermometer trying to stop him when Zane shoves the phone in his hand, and he reluctantly holds it up to his ear. "Hello."
"So that's what took you so long?" Cleo asked. "Yup. I could've been there five minutes earlier if it weren't for that. And I got to say, if you thought Miriam was insane, just wait till you meet her mother," Lewis said, letting out an exhausted breath. "Yeah, she's not exactly known for her nice personality," Zane furrowed his eyebrows. "Like mother, like daughter."
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[Rikki is still in the same position, her hands still hovering over her, warming her up as Cleo and Emma stand around the table anxiously. Emma looks at her watch, noticing they were running low on time when they hear another knock come from the door. Cleo looks over at it as Emma sighs in relief, assuming that Lewis had returned.]
Emma: to the others. "Lewis." Emma jogs over to the shades and pulls them up when she notices that it wasn't Lewis at the door. Instead, it was their usual morning delivery person, bringing in their fruits for inventory.
"I really should have looked before opening those blinds," Emma sighed.
"That is definitely not Lewis," Charlotte said, hiding a blush. What? He didn't look half bad. Even Rikki could agree.
"Why did you think it was him?" Elliot asked. "Because he should've been back by then. And as we saw, he apparently got caught up in the middle of some things."
Delivery Guy: "Good morning. Fruit delivery." He pulls back the beaded curtains with one hand while the other was occupied with the boxes of fruit. He tries to enter but Emma shoves him back outside, preventing him from seeing what they were doing.
Emma: "Outside, now." Cleo runs up after they walk out and pulls the blinds back down.
"Aren't those supposed to be in the freezer?" Annette asked, already knowing the answer to that. "Yes, but we couldn't let him inside. He would've saw Miriam!" Emma exclaimed.
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[Outside of the Juicenet, Emma takes the boxes from him as he walks back to his truckload of deliveries and gets back inside the truck.]
Emma: "See you tomorrow!" He buckles up and starts the truck. As soon as his truck drives off, Emma turns around and rushes for the door, boxes in hand, when she sees another delivery person walking up to the door with crates.
Delivery Guy #2: "Bready Delivery. Should I take it inside?"
"Nope," Rikki said. "Not today," Cleo shook her head.
Emma: "No! Absolutely not. Outside." They head around the building, following her orders.
Delivery Guy #2: frowns but listens anyways. "Outside? Is that a good idea?"
"I thought the rolls always stayed outside," Rikki questioned. "Some goes in, some goes out. You would know if you would've paid attention during presentation," Emma remarked. "No, no I wouldn't," Rikki added.
Emma: snaps. "Can't anyone follow simple instructions?"
"No need to snap at him. He didn't do anything to you," Lisa scolded. "Sorry, mom. I was just tense," Emma apologized. "Yeah, extremely," Rikki muttered.
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[Back at the marina, Lewis is still on the phone with Mrs. Kent, with Zane standing next to him listening in.]
Lewis: "Yes. Lewis. L-E-Wis, Lewis." He clenches his teeth, getting tired of having to be on the phone with that woman interrogating him. He just couldn't seem to get off with her.
"Man, she would not give up," Lewis huffed, being reminded of all the questions she had asked. "If my child were missing, I would too," Don informed, crossing his arms. Bev nodded in agreement. "Don't worry dad, that won't ever happen," Cleo said as she and Kim give him a smile.
Zane: whispers. "Make something up."
Lewis: turns around. "Um, no. No, I can guarantee that Zane wasn't with Miriam last night, categorically." He smiles and gestures around until she asks how. "How do I know?" Zane taps him on the shoulder and Lewis sees him gesturing between the two of them and Lewis understands at once. "Because he was with me."
"Doing what exactly?" Rikki scoffed. "Doing homework, hanging out, playing video games," Zane listed off. "The day you two hang out together as best buds is the day that the zombie apocalypse starts. As in, never going to happen," Rikki remarked. "There's a small chance of possibilities nowadays, considering we got humans growing fish tails, a zombie outbreak could happen," Will quipped.
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[Half an hour ticks by and Lewis still hasn't shown up and Miriam is still unconscious, worrying the others that something might've gone wrong. Cleo rubs Rikki's shoulders, trying to keep her from breaking focus from using her powers for so long, as Emma watches the door.]
Emma: "It's after 8:00 and she still isn't moving."
The crowd looks at her worriedly, hoping that the girl will wake up. They didn't want to watch her die, she was far too young for that. Especially in such a tragic incident like this. Emma would blame herself for the rest of her life if so.
Rikki: "We must be nearly there."
"I sure hope so," Zane spoke quietly. Although they were ex's, she was still a good friend of his. One that he didn't want to get hurt.
Rikki: "Cleo, can you start getting her, um, bodily fluids moving, please?"
Cleo: looks hesitant but steps forward next to Rikki willingly. "Ok. I'll try." Cleo begins twisting her hand slowly, beginning at her head all the way down to her shoulders. She scrunches her face in disgust. "Ew, it feels a bit weird."
"You can feel that?" Harrison asked, a bit surprised yet slightly disgusted by these actions. Like everyone else in the room, they found it a bit creepy that they could control the movements from within. They weren't going to tell them that though. They did trust them but seeing this on the screen made them feel uncomfortable.
"But you can't see it, nor are you touching it," Sam mentioned. "It's a part of the whole power thing. We can feel whatever we use our powers on basically, like another sense. Just because we can't see it, or touch it, doesn't mean we couldn't sense it," Cleo explained. "Huh, interesting," Denman nodded in understanding.
Rikki: "Concentrate, Cleo. Stay focused."
"I mainly just didn't want to think about that," Rikki scrunched up her nose as the others chuckled.
Emma: looks at them worriedly, still keeping watch on the door as she glances at them. "The Juicenet café is meant to be open by now. There'll be customers waiting outside. What do I tell them?"
Rikki: "Tell them you'll be opening late."
"Only thing you could do," Don said.
"You could have closed for the day but pretty sure you would've gotten fired for that," Ash pointed out. "Pretty sure I could've gotten fired either way. But I didn't have a choice."
[Emma walks over to the door and opens up the blinds. As soon as she does, Wilfred walks up and pushes aside the beaded curtains, surprised that she didn't have the place open yet.]
Wilfred: "Emma? What's going on? Why aren't you open?"
Emma: gives him a small smile as she tries to hide her surprise. "Wilfred."
"Uh-oh," Elliot winced, as his parents' faces went pale. "Busted," Kim said.
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[Outside, the two of them walk around the building as she tries to give him a good explanation of why she didn't open the doors yet.]
Emma: "So anyway, the door got stuck. No idea how, and that took time. And we're kind of running a bit behind schedule."
"Well at least there's some truth to that," Neil said, tilting his head. "You are running behind."
"I thought he had a convention to go to," Ash mentioned. "It got cancelled. Just our luck," Emma sighed.
Wilfred: walks up to the outside counter with his briefcase as Emma stands on the other side and looks at the boxes of food with a frown, checking each one of them. "Why is all this food sitting outside?"
"Why didn't you put that inside?" Annette asked, knowing the food could get ruined at such hot temperatures for sitting outside that long. "My mind was overrun by everything that was going on. I didn't even think about it," Emma admitted sheepishly.
Emma: "Um-." She tried to come up with a reasonable excuse but couldn't think of any. But luckily Lewis had ran up just in time to see the situation going on, and pointed to the boxes with a shout.
Lewis: "Fruit fly! It's contaminated with fruit fly. It's very dangerous. And you should check that out." Emma nods along with him in agreement. Lewis heads back inside as Wilfred checks inside the boxes while Emma watches him.
"Very good. That ought to buy you a few minutes," Ash smiled. "We needed as much time as we could get," Lewis said.
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[Lewis goes through the curtains and blinds and runs over to Rikki and Cleo, who were hard at work trying to revive Miriam, who was completely unfrozen now but still unconscious.]
Rikki: "About time. Check her temperature."
"Do you know how hard it was to get off the phone with her?" Lewis whined, the others laughing. "I do," Zane smirked, raising his hand.
Lewis: puts the thermometer to her ear and lets it read her. He pulls it out once he hears the beep and looks at it. "It's normal. Why isn't she waking up?"
Just like Miriam's was before, the audience's blood ran cold as they feared that she might not open her eyes. Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up, they all were thinking, sucking in a breath.
"We did all that we could do," Rikki said, looking down. "The only thing we could do left was wait."
[The sound of the beaded curtains could be heard, and they see Emma coming through the shades, looking over at them and sending warning looks to stop it. They then heard Wilfred entering in after her with the boxes of fruit in his hands.]
Wilfred: "This fruit looks fine to me." Rikki and Cleo finally stop using their powers and help Lewis quickly cover up Miriam as he grabs a tablecloth off of another table. Together they hide her as best as they can, leaving only her shoes to be seen. Once they were done they all quickly look up at him and give him a bright smile.
"Of course it is, it was only out there for a few minutes," Emma sighed. "Y'all should have taken her to the back then since you guys were done," Sam pointed out. "It's colder in the back, the cold air might not have helped," Rikki explained.
Emma: stands in front of him, trying to cover his view of Miriam. "So, Wilfred. Um, how was your conference?"
Wilfred: frowns, looking around. "Cancelled. Worst president in living memory."
"He wasted a trip for nothing," Neil shook his head.
"If he didn't go, maybe Miriam would have never tried to pull that prank," Emma said sadly.
Wilfred: "Emma, what is happening here?"
Emma: "Uh, nothing." She looks back at them then back at Wilfred and begins to panic, pure terror showing on her face. "It wasn't my fault. I'm s-I'm sorry. I can't take this anymore." She looks frantically between them as Lewis, Cleo, and Rikki gives her a look to zip it.
"That's it? You're cracking that easily? After everything you just went through?" Kim asked, a bit surprised that that was all it took. Lisa and Neil gasped, worried that Emma was going to get in big trouble. "It was too much pressure," Emma pouted. "Eh, we've had worse," Rikki shrugged.
Wilfred: "What's going on? Tell me the truth."
Emma: the other three let out a breath, not believing that Emma was giving up. "Alright." Cleo lowers her head and Lewis pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. "It all started in the cool room. Things were thawing out. And I just stupidly-."
"Wait, were you seriously just about to tell your secret?!" Kim asked shocked. "To your boss out of all people?" Lewis said, smacking his forehead. "Kind of," Emma said guiltily. The complaints came rolling in as soon as she said those words.
"If you were going to tell then why not your parents?" Bella sighed. "Why didn't you talk with your friends about it first?" Will argued. "Why not give him a better excuse than just telling the truth? He wouldn't have believed the truth anyway!" Ash mentioned. "You are a terrible liar," Kim shook her head. "Worst secret keeper than Cleo."
"I was under immense pressure alright?!" Emma snapped. "I've never had to go through such a thing like that before. I felt guilty, responsible, terrified, worried, and I felt stressed! I didn't know what to do, I wasn't thinking straight. So cut me some slack!" The room quieted down afterwards, feeling a little bad for throwing accusations at her just like that, without even thinking about how she felt during that moment. Her parents looked at her proudly for standing up for herself. It wasn't something they saw much of anymore. And during a time like this, she really needed it.
"She's right. If we were in her shoes, we probably would've done the same thing," Harrison surprisingly admitted. "Thank you," Emma breathed out, glad that the tension was being released.
[A loud gasp of breath was heard and then a sudden shout. They all turn to see Miriam fumbling around trying to get the tablecloth off. Lewis and Rikki quickly pull the tablecloth off of her and Miriam quit her screaming as she took deep breaths sitting up. She looked around as Lewis held the tablecloth in his hands, hiding a smile with Cleo. Rikki smiled at her smugly, arms on her hips.]
Everyone let out a breath of relief, relieved that the girl turned out okay. "Oh, thank goodness," Bev said, holding her chest. "I'm glad that she's okay," Zane said with a small smile. "I'm glad that our effort didn't go to waste," Rikki grinned, getting a slap to the arm from Emma. "Just be thankful that she woke up."
Miriam: looks at all of them, realizing she was sitting on the table. "Is this some kind of weird party?"
Chuckles erupted from the room, not expecting that response from her. "She didn't know what happened?!" Kim barked out through her laughter. "As I said before, Emma's power can freeze anything in milliseconds. She wouldn't have been able to see what happened. Even if she did, her mind wouldn't have been able to process it quick enough," Lewis smiled smugly.
Emma: quickly runs over and gives Miriam a tight hug. "Miriam! It is so good to see you."
Miriam: shoves her away. "Since when? Emma, get off!"
"Yup. She's back to normal," Rikki grumbled.
"I liked her better when she was frozen," Kim pouted, earning a hush from Bev. When she wasn't looking though Don gave her a thumbs up, which she returned.
The Gilbert's smiled, happy that Emma was so worried about her. It meant that despite everything, she still cared about her. Though she'll probably regret that hug later.
Wilfred: walks up to them, deeply confused. "Will someone tell me what is going on?"
"Now that is going to take some explaining," Ash said, pointing to the screen, the others nodding in the room. "Easier said than done," Emma muttered.
Emma: "Well, uh-."
Rikki: "Emma found Miriam unconscious in the, in the cool room." She walks in front of Miriam, who was checking out her arms, and points to the back room as she faces Wilfred. "She must've slipped on some ice and hit her head. We were just helping her." She taps Miriam on the foot and gives Wilfred a smile. Miriam looks at all of them as if it sounded off, knowing that she didn't fall. Rikki turns around and walks closer to Miriam. "In fact, we should probably take her to the hospital. In fact, we were-."
"Making it seem like an accident. Brilliant!" Ash beamed. "Oh, you're good," Kim nodded in approval. "We've had plenty of practice," Rikki grinned. "And making a fool out of her," Lewis chuckled. "Not only that, but she was getting rid of the culprit at the same time," Sam smiled.
Miriam: "Wait, no." She looks at each one of them before settling her eyes on Emma in confusion and worry as she tries to think of an excuse to keep her from getting in trouble. As she knows she was in an area she wasn't supposed to be in. "But wait. You-." She tries to get out, but Rikki stops her, and she turns around to face the hot-headed mermaid.
Rikki: whispers, nodding. "Miriam, you're busted. We know what you were up to. So if I were you, I would just leave quietly."
"Ooh, blackmail. Even better," Kim smiled giddily. "That ought to show her who not to mess with." "I'm beginning to like you," Rikki commented.
Miriam: "No-." Rikki shakes her head no, not taking any more excuses from her. And Miriam looks around in defeat and scoots closer to the edge of the table.
"Finally! The Queen Bee has been defeated!" Will shouted, causing laughter to erupt. "She needed to be taken down a step or two," Zane chuckled. "It's about time," Cleo smirked.
🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
[Later on in the day, Wilfred is back at work behind the counter, with Rikki and Emma working with him for the day. Rikki goes up to Emma who was cleaning a table and shows off the change she had gotten from one of the tables.]
Rikki: holds out her hand and Emma looks at it. Rikki smiles. "Look. Someone left me a tip. Must have forgotten to be rude." Emma sighs and the two walk off in opposite directions.
"Great job, Rikki! Proud of you," Terry smiled. "Thanks," Rikki said with a small smile, knowing he won't be proud for too long.
"I can't believe you actually listened to me for once," Emma smiled widely. "What are you talking about?" Rikki said with a look of confusion. "That's how you got the tip. Because you finally took my advice," Emma smiled. "No, I didn't," Rikki shook her head. "Yes, you did!" Emma said, her smile faltering. "It never showed so I guess we'll never know," Rikki shrugged. As the others laughed at their antics, Rikki winked at Emma before turning back to the screen, the other girl looking at her in disbelief.
Wilfred: calls her over from the other side of the counter. They walk a ways away from the customers before Wilfred leans over the counter to talk to her quietly. "Emma, after today, I'm really disappointed in you." Emma looks down in shame.
"For what? She saved someone's life!" Lisa yelled, upset that Wilfred was talking to her daughter like that. "And she worked her tail off too," Neil frowned. "He didn't know, mom. But, it's okay. Everything got fixed eventually," Emma said, giving Rikki a small grateful smile, the other girl returning it.
Wilfred: "In fact, I'm far more impressed by Rikki." Rikki, who's taking some customer's orders down the counter, overhears their conversation and looks at them in surprise. "I'm seriously thinking about offering her your job."
Emma: looks shocked, angry. "You're kidding!" Wilfred shakes his head no.
"He better be!" Neil shouted. "He wasn't. But thanks to Rikki it all worked out," Emma said. "She saved my job twice that day." "How?" Terry asked, confused. "Just keep watching."
"You must've done some serious hard work in order for him to consider hiring you in Emma's place," Will said, slightly impressed. "Not really. I think he was more impressed by my improvement than anything else. And besides, it wouldn't have lasted long. He would've realized he made a big mistake by replacing Miss Organizer over here," Rikki said as she nodded her head towards Emma.
Rikki: in shock as Emma, gets over it quickly as she turns to a customer and begins yelling at them, gaining Wilfred and Emma's attention as they watch the scene go down, along with the other customers. "Hey! Are you going to hurry up and drink that, or what? We haven't got all day, you know. There are other customers. Go on! Drink it!" Wilfred puts his hands on his hips and frowns. "Drink up!" She hits her hand on the table and the girl immediately picks her drink up and starts chugging it down in fear. Rikki then picked up a rag and threw it down on the ground, before storming out of the café.
Everyone looked at the screen in shock, completely amazed as they watch her walk off like a boss with their jaws dropped. And then it started off with one, and then another until the whole crowd was clapping for her for sacrificing her job for her friend. Proud once again, that she did the right thing. "Way to go, Rikki!" Kim and Elliot yell.
Terry smiled at her, a little disappointed that she didn't have a job anymore but knows that she did it for the right cause. "Although this is something no one hears often, you did the right thing for losing your job," Terry said as Rikki giggled.
"Thank you, Rikki. That was really sweet of you," Lisa said, giving her a thankful nod. "You're a good friend," Neil grinned, nodding also, and not noticing Rikki flinch slightly at the small pain in her chest. Because good friends don't hide relationships from them.
"You didn't have to do that," Emma told her. "You deserved that job more than I did. You worked harder, you earned it," Rikki replied.
"That girl must've thought you were out of your mind, doing that," Zane laughed, but ultimately happy that Rikki did that. Even he thought Emma deserved to keep her job. It wasn't her fault Miriam screwed up.
"Hm, I guess friends working together do have benefits sometimes," Annette said, grinning.
[Wilfred looks back at Emma, his mouth slightly open, as Emma half-shrugs, unsure of it herself.]
"I bet he regrets saying all that now," Ash smirked. "His exact words were, 'Never mind then. I take it all back,'" Emma laughed, shaking her head.
🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊
[Down at the beach, the three girls walk side by side along the sand as the waves collide with the beach nearby.]
Emma: to Rikki. "You shouldn't have done that, Rikki. I was the one who should have been fired, not you."
"But you didn't deserve it. Neither of you did," Bev said. "But he didn't know the truth. And if he ever found out, it would have been a disaster," Emma shuttered, rubbing her arms as she thought about what would have happened if someone did find out about what happened to Miriam. It wouldn't have been pretty, that's for sure.
Rikki: "Forget about it. that's what friends are for. You deserve that job, not me." Winces. "Oh, I sound like Cleo. If I do that again, slap me?" They giggle as Rikki nudges Cleo.
Several laugh at her little joke, finding it humorous that they were fine with the overall situation. "Well, at least you guys are friends," Mrs. Chatham whispered, leaning against her hand. Max patted her shoulder, knowing what she was thinking about.
"You've gone soft," Cleo teased. Rikki looked at her and squinted. "Can I slap you instead?"
Emma: "I promise never to be a perfectionist control freak megalomaniac ever again."
"That promise won't last long," Elliot snickered, Emma shakes her head in amusement.
Rikki and Cleo: "Yes, you will."
Rikki: sighs. "But the thing is, I still kind of want those concert tickets."
Emma: pulls something out of her pocket and reveals three tickets in her hand. "You mean these?" She hands one to both Rikki and Cleo as Rikki looks at it excitedly. "Had to do something with my manager's pay."
"Well, it looks like you're going to the Feral Robots concert after all. Congratulations," Sam smiled.
"You could have saved it for something else," Bella shrugged. "I felt like I owed her. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have the job I have now still," Emma remarked.
"What about me? You didn't get me a ticket? And I helped you out with Miriam too," Lewis pointed to himself, looking offended. "Sorry, Lewis. It was a girl's night. You weren't invited," Emma grinned. "How rude," Lewis pouted.
Cleo: holds it up. "But you got three. I thought you hated the Feral Robots."
Emma: nods. "I do. But friends should stick together. Plus I've got some high-quality earplugs." Emma walks off as Rikki and Cleo watch her go, then they giggle as they follow after her.
"Ah, so you did learn from it. Good," Mrs. Chatham smiled.
"Did you like them, Cleo?" Lewis asked. "They were good. A little loud, but pretty good," Cleo nodded, then held her ear at the reminder of how loud the speakers were.
"Well at least you went together. You girls deserved to do something fun together after the adventure you all had," Neil mentioned. "'Fun' is such a strong word," Emma commented, the others laughing.
"Alright, let's move on," Zane said as he grabbed the remote and pressed play. "I got a good feeling about this next one," Rikki smirked. Emma tried to hide a laugh as Cleo and Kim groan in embarrassment.