I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 47: Hook, Line and Sinker (part 1)
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[It was a quiet peaceful morning for once at the Sertori house, with no yelling or arguing coming from the siblings. Until Lewis barges through the front door with his fishing gear, excited for the upcoming fishing competition, that is. He yells in excitement once he sees Cleo getting her things together on the couch in the living room.]
Lewis: "Alright. I am psyched. I am pumped. I am ready." Points a finger at Cleo, who was still gathering her things, while holding his gearbox then walks towards her. "You're not. I mean, why aren't you ready?"
"What are you so hyped up about?" Charlotte laughed at his excited expression. "My guess is that it has something to do with fishing. Why else would he have his gear?" Annette implied, noticing the fishing pole and gearbox. "You are correct," Lewis said, pointing towards Mrs. Watsford. "It was our annual fishing tournament at the docks. I look forward to it every year," he sighed happily in remembrance. "Though this year was a bit different."
Cleo: "Sorry."
Lewis: "Cleo, it's the fishing competition. I mean, you and me, we enter every year." Leans his pole against the wall.
"Except this year things have changed. Can't exactly fish without getting wet if I'm a mermaid," Cleo reminded. "Fishhooks give me the creeps anyway," Rikki shuttered slightly. You're not the only one, Bella thought, rubbing her arms. "What are you talking about? We went fishing all the time back then," Terry told her. "And has it ever occurred to you why I suddenly stopped?" Rikki turned to him. "... Okay I see your point," Terry nodded after a moment of thinking.
"I used to enter all the time myself when I was younger. I don't do it for the competition anymore though. It takes all the fun out of it," Max smiled.
Cleo: "I know. I – I'm sorry." Tosses her bag back onto the couch. "I can't."
Lewis: follows her to the kitchen. "Why not? Oh, because your dad's judging this year."
Cleo: goes around the counter and makes herself a sandwich. "No, because fishing equals water, equals the possibility of getting splashed, equals growing a tail, in front of all the contestants."
"Ya see?" Cleo and Rikki said simultaneously. "I heard ya earlier sweetheart," Terry chuckled.
"At least she thought it through this time," Emma joked.
"Congratulations by the way, Don," Neil nodded in acknowledgment. "Thanks. It wasn't easy I tell ya. Especially with that one there," Don pointed to Lewis. "In my defense, I had nothing to do with it," Lewis held his hands up. "Yeah, well we'll see about that because now I'll finally get to find out what happened."
Lewis: shakes his head in disappointment. "The year I finally win, and you're not going to be there."
"What makes you think you're going to win?" Zane scoffed. "Because I did," Lewis said as if it were obvious.
Cleo: "I can still watch. And weren't you going to win last year too?"
"Just from a distance," Cleo said, finishing her sentence.
"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Cleo," Lewis said sarcastically.
"And the year before, and the one after that too," Cleo grinned.
Lewis: laughs to himself then starts digging into his shirt pocket. "Yes. But last year, I didn't have, this." Pulls out an oddly shaped fish hook and holds it out for Cleo to see. Cleo observes it with a wary look, noticing that he added a few strange details to the small hook: it had a long curled yellow wire attached to the top of the hook.
"What is that?" Will said in an amused shock. "That is a specially made hook that I designed myself," Lewis said proudly. "Oh really, what's it called? The Disaster 2000?" Kim mocked while laughing with Elliot.
"There's no way that monstrosity actually worked," Neil laughed. "But it did," Lewis said, feeling a little sheepish. Though he had believed himself it did work, he knew the actual truth was that it was complete garbage and only won because of the help of his friends. "Yeah, only because of us," Emma gestured to herself and Cleo, gaining the attention of Don as he was curious as to how it involved the two of them.
Cleo: forces on a smile. "Wow! That's great! What is it?" Smile falters as she couldn't figure it out.
Lewis: "It's the ultimate lure, designed by myself."
"You're the one who designed that? I've heard about it through the other fishermen. They said it was complete rubbish. A one-time use only," Max laughed aloud. "They may be right," Lewis grimaced. "I really need to figure up another design." Cleo shook her head and patted his shoulder. "Please, don't. Save yourself the embarrassment."
Cleo: "Well, it's certainly unusual."
"It seems you doubted it as well," Will smiled to himself. "I grew up learning all about fishing from my dad. I knew what would and wouldn't work," Cleo shrugged.
"That's one way to put it nicely," Sam said.
[Don walks into the kitchen and sees the two of them.]
Lewis: "Hi, Mr. Sertori."
Don: notices Lewis still holding up the fish hook then grabs the newspaper off the table. "Did you break something?" Cleo walks over to the other end of the kitchen, grabbing more ingredients for her breakfast.
"I might as well have," Lewis said, feeling slightly embarrassed after hearing all the laughter.
"Sorry, Lewis. Didn't mean to insult you like that," Don apologized. "It's fine. Wouldn't be the first time," Lewis said, mumbling the last part.
Lewis: "No, no, this is my new lure."
Don: pauses and looks at it more closely. "Someone sold you that?" Cleo tries not to laugh.
Lewis: "No, no I designed it myself. What do you think?"
"I think his previous comment speaks for himself," Kim giggled.
"Well, it does catch your eyes," Charlotte said, trying to sound optimistic. "I think it's the only thing it'll catch," Ash laughed.
Don: blows out a breath and glances at Cleo, trying to decide on what to say. "Uh, as a judge, I – I really shouldn't give an opinion." Walks away, hoping to get away from the awkwardness.
Lewis: "That is totally understood. That'd be unfair. Besides, I've already got the advantage." Looks closer at his hook.
"Well, that is a good point. It wouldn't be fair to others if he were to get a few tips from the judge on what a good lure would be to use. It's already bad enough that he's close to him," Harrison mentioned. "We're not close, we just know each other through Cleo. And I knew everyone at that competition. All fishermen know one another," Don explained.
"The only advantage you had was us," Emma whispered to him. "Zip it," Lewis said, slicing his hand to his neck.
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[Cleo meets up with Emma and Rikki at the Juicenet. They sip on drinks at their table as she explains to them the competition that Lewis was entering in.]
Cleo: "Come on. It'll be fun. Plus, I think Lewis would really appreciate our support. Emma?"
"Support from you two but sarcastic remarks from the other," Lewis said as he looked over at Rikki. "It's nice sarcasm. Learn to appreciate it," Rikki replied.
"Plus, it would make me feel better than to be alone surrounded by water," Cleo added.
Emma: squints. "Um –."
Cleo: "Come on. Rikki, how about it?"
Rikki: winces. "Fishhooks make me nervous, especially lately. Anyway, I've got something more important to do." Stands up and was about to head out the door when she runs into Zane, who barged in through the beaded curtains. Rikki looks up at him then avoids his gaze as she walks around him and out the door. Zane looks around before heading for the counter.
"You weren't kidding about the hooks," Denman said. "It would make me nervous too," Charlotte commented.
"Did you actually have something to do or were you just trying to avoid the fish hooks?" Emma asked her. "I guess you'll find out," Rikki sighed, hiding a blush.
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[Outside the café gathered a group of fishermen with their gear around a table as Don explains the rules for the fishing tournament. On the table was a large fishing trophy and the applications to enter. Nate stands to the side with his gear along with the rest of the fishermen, waiting patiently to take an application.]
Don: to everyone. "Ok, guys. Look, get your entry forms in. We can't start until you got your entry forms in. Ok?" Nate and the rest of the fishermen line up beside the table and begin to sign the entry forms. Cleo walks out of the café after finishing her talk with Emma and Rikki and stands next to Lewis on the edge of the patio, where he too was signing a form.
"Wow, that is a lot of competitors," Will said, a bit surprised.
"Why is Nate there?" Rikki asked. "The guy likes to fish just like his dad. He talks about it all the time, aside from girls," Zane commented, earning a look from Rikki.
"Who doesn't like to fish?" Lewis scoffed before looking over at the girls who glared at him. "Oh ... right."
Cleo: "Looks like you've got some serious competition this year, Lewis."
Lewis: "I say bring it on. It's not a victory, unless I beat the best." He picks up his fishing gear and walks back over to the application table to submit his form. Cleo smiles at him as he goes.
"Nate might be a little cocky but he's pretty good," Zane chuckled. "It's possible for him to win." "Oh, you'd be surprised. I'm sure he would've won if that swarm of tuna hadn't had showed up," Don said, not noticing Emma and Cleo hiding their snickers behind their hands.
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[After everyone had turned their forms in, the group of fishermen walk down the wooded, open wide dock to take their spots for the competition. Above the dock swayed a banner that said 'Annual Fishing Competition' on some poles for the fishermen to walk under. Lewis walks down the dock with his gear, excited to get started with his new lure when Nate 'accidentally' bumps into Lewis.]
Nate: turns to him. "Oh, sorry, Lewis. Didn't see you there." Walks back to his pole and Lewis glares at him for a moment before getting disrupted by Don.
"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't," Lewis said in a low voice.
"Well, that was rude," Charlotte frowned. "He apologized dear, I'm sure everything is fine," Annette tried to reassure her.
Don: standing in the middle of the dock, gathering everyone's attention. Holding a clipboard of the rules as he directs the crowd. "Alright, listen up. This is a two-day competition. Heaviest fish wins. Land it, weigh it, throw it back in." While Don was giving the rules, Nate kneels down and begins pulling on a reel that he had planted on the ground, as the other end was connected to a pole on the other side, near where Lewis was. "Cast off, and good fishing."
"He seems up to no good," Annette said in disapproval, changing her mind about her previous comment rather quickly. "He's never up to any good. He's worse than Zane was, and that's saying something!" Emma scowled. Zane frowned in confusion. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or not."
[Behind Don, Cleo gives Lewis a thumbs up, smiling encouragingly. Lewis nods in response then picks up his gearbox and sets his lure, preparing to cast his rod. Lewis reels his arm back, ready to swing his rod forward, and takes a step. Unknowingly he walks over Nate's line, right as the mischievous boy purposely pulls the line back, causing Lewis to trip forward right into the water.]
Lewis: "Woah!" He loses his grip on his fishing rod, as both he and the pole go flying into the water with a big splash. Nate lets go of the line as everyone turns around and sees Lewis come back up out of the water with seaweed stuck to his hat. Laughter echoes from the dock as they look down at him in his state, Don joins in. Cleo frowns at their laughter, knowing this had to be Nate's doing as he tips his hat at Lewis, who glares back at the boy.
No one dared to laugh, finding the incident cruel and unfair. Though it seems like not everyone found it particularly awful, Zane's snorts could be heard as he tried his best to keep from laughing, knowing very well that it would not look good for him. "That's so mean," Bella frowned. "That's just awful. There was no need to do such a thing," Sam shook her head in disapproval.
"Whoever thinks it was an accident is a moron. He clearly did it on purpose!" Charlotte said, nearly fuming as she watched Nate mess with Lewis. How she wished she could've stopped him, or helped Lewis, however, with this being in the past, no act of revenge could be done. "Cleo, please tell me you did something to get some payback for him!" Cleo smirked. "In a way, I did."
"If I had known he was the cause of it, he would've been disqualified for interfering with a fellow fishermen," Don frowned, not having realized it. "What? Why didn't you say anything, Lewis?" Emma asked. "I wanted to win the right way and kick Nate's butt in fishing. I couldn't exactly do that by getting rid of my nemesis," Lewis explained.
"The fact that you're at the pier surrounded by a bunch of fishing hooks and fishermen that could potentially splash you is a surprise to me," Emma warned her. "Emma ... you were there too," Cleo reminded her.
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[Cleo walks back into the Juicenet café, with Lewis right behind her. She tried to cheer the dripping wet boy up, as he had a towel draped over his shoulder.]
Cleo: "It could happen to anybody. I trip over all the time. Everyone has accidents."
"Yeah, to anybody that gets in Nate's way," Zane sighed, shaking his head. This was him once, he had to admit he would do the same stupid things. But those were the old days, that was the old Zane. He needed to change, not just for Rikki, but for himself.
Charlotte continued fuming over the incident, blaming Nate for humiliating Lewis, hating the fact that she knew Lewis was embarrassed to walk into a public place like that. It's no different than the walk of shame.
"It is true, I'm all the time hearing her fall. Though now that I think about it, most of those times are probably from her falling with a tail," Kim mentioned. "That is usually the case," Cleo winced.
[Lewis sighs and looks over, where he sees Nate enter and go over to the counter and grabs a menu.]
Lewis: "That was no accident." Puts his towel down and marches over to the prankster. Cleo's eyes widen as she realizes what he means and runs after him. "That was you." He shoves Nate who has a sly grin.
Nate: "Yeah? So what are you going to do about it?" Lewis continues glaring at him, rage building up inside. Before he could even think of doing anything, Cleo grabs his arm and tries to lead him away.
"Lewis, please don't get yourself hurt," Charlotte said worriedly. While she was all for Lewis enacting revenge on Nate, she knew that Nate would be a lot stronger than the scientist. Lewis would lose in a heartbeat. "I'll be fine. He got his comeuppance later," Lewis said, grinning at Emma and Cleo.
"Doesn't even deny it," Ash shook his head.
Cleo: "Come on, Lewis. He's not worth it."
Nate: taunts him some more. "Ho, ho ah. Oh, you got your girlfriend looking out for you, aye?"
He's not my boyfriend! Cleo thought. Not in this time, at least.
Charlotte normally would've been upset about the thought of Cleo being his girlfriend, but she was still riled up about Nate humiliating Lewis. She felt someone patting her shoulder and she looked over to see her mother. "Cleo's right, honey. He's not worth anyone's time. Don't let him get to you. I know Lewis is your friend, but this was a while ago, I'm sure Lewis figured out a way to deal with him," she whispered to her daughter.
Charlotte thought about it for a moment then took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right, mom. But it doesn't mean I have to like him." Annette chuckled. "That's fine, dear. There's going to be people like that out there that try to get under your skin."
Lewis: "I don't need any help."
Nate: "Yeah, sure. You can't even fish." Nate moves forward quickly, causing Cleo and Lewis to flinch back. Nate laughs at their fear. "Amateur." Walks away.
"You never even gave him a chance!" Bella yelled, not liking this Nate guy at all.
"You needed a little help," Emma whispered to him, grinning. "Okay, okay," Lewis mumbled, rolling his eyes playfully.
Cleo: grabs Lewis's arm again. "Forget about him, Lewis. He's all talk."
Lewis: "Yeah, well, I don't care. Nate can have his opinion of me." Cleo turns around to him at the sound of him sighing. Lewis grabs the towel back off the table and faces his friend, with a defeated look. "I'm going home." Cleo watches him go with a sad look.
"Don't give up! That'll make him think he won!" Denman said, surprising the others. "He already won. That round," Lewis answered with a small smirk.
"I wouldn't say Nate is all talk. He has a lot more bite than bark than you think," Zane told them. "But his bite is limited. He can only go so far," Cleo grinned.
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[Meanwhile at a hotel resort, a conference goes on about how to make money, a 'brilliant' idea thought of by Harrison Bennett and his buddies. Zane walks around the hotel lobby in a suit, clearly bored out of his mind, when he spots a familiar blonde in the crowd. He sees Rikki in a fancier outfit than she would normally wear, reading a pamphlet that came with the program, and walks over to her.]
Zane: "Rikki?" Rikki looks up at him, a little shocked to see him there. "What are you doing here?"
"Where are you?" Terry asked, completely confused. "Um, I really didn't want to go to the fishing competition, so I was just trying to find something else to do," Rikki rushed out quickly. Terry looked at her strangely, knowing that she was lying. There was no way she would know an event was being held there unless she did some research, much less go anywhere dressed formally. "Really?" Lewis asked, looking over at Rikki, but she seemed to ignore him. Emma and Cleo also looked over at her, wondering what was going on with her? And what she was doing at a place like that.
Rikki: "What are you doing here?"
Zane: "I asked you first."
Rikki: "Asked you first? How old are you, ten?"
"Personality-wise, yeah," Emma muttered, thinking of all the pranks he had pulled. Although he hasn't done any recently, which is an improvement, sometimes it still felt like he refused to grow up.
Zane: looks around. "I'm helping my dad with his investment seminar. He's one of the speakers."
"An investment seminar? Seriously Rikki, what were you doing there? And don't lie to me this time," Terry said, giving her a stern look. Rikki sighed and began fumbling with her fingers. "Okay, I was trying to figure out a better way to earn some money. I thought going there would help. I just wanted to help you out, do my part in taking care of the house. And the bills," she said so quietly, that he was the only one that could hear.
"Oh, Rikki. You shouldn't have to worry about that. You're my daughter, I'm the one who needs to handle that," Terry responded. "But I know we're struggling. I was afraid we might have to move or something. The least I could do was to figure out another way, or try to earn some cash or something," Rikki whispered to him in a sad tone. "Rikki, you're a teenager. You should be having fun with your friends, and go to school, or do whatever teenagers do. Not taking responsibilities that aren't yours. You do what makes you happy, let me handle the rest," Terry said with a small smile.
Rikki returned the smile, tears shining in her eyes as she hugged her dad. "Me being here with you and my friends is what makes me happy." Terry happily returned the hug as her friends smiled at her, having heard that last part.
Rikki: "I noticed."
Zane: "He begged me to come along and play the dutiful son. It's totally boring."
"I didn't beg you for that reason, I figured you could learn a thing or two from it. But clearly not," Harrison said. "Even though it was a big scam?" Rikki mumbled to herself, glancing over at the older Bennett.
"Yes, every kid's dream, to listen to a boring speech for hours and hours," Kim said sarcastically. Harrison frowned. "It was 45 minutes." "That's still too long."
Rikki: "You're right there." An awkward silence falls over them until Rikki finds a way to get out of there. "Well, it's been riveting." She walks past him, while Zane watches her go.
"Awkward," Lewis sang to himself. Rikki glared at him. "Tell me about it," Zane chuckled.
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[Cleo stood in her living room with a fishing rod in her hands, while she played with a feathered lure. A knock comes from the front door. Cleo glances at it then sets the rod down and quickly goes to open the door and greets Lewis.]
Lewis: walks in. "Hi, um, what did you want to see me about?"
"What? I can't see my best friend?" Cleo teased. "On some occasions, yes. But I know when you want to try and cheer me up," Lewis answered, pointing a finger at her. "Did it work?" Cleo raised an eyebrow. "Yes," Lewis hesitantly said, trying to force a smile down.
[Cleo grabs his shoulders and pushes him into the living room. Cleo grabs the fishing rod off the table and holds it out to Lewis.]
Cleo: smiles giddily. "This. At least use my rod. It's top of the line."
"Only the best for my daughters," Don smiled.
"You have a fishing rod?" Will asked. "What? Didn't think girls could fish?" Cleo crossed her arms. "No, it's not that. It's just, well, you don't seem like the kind of girl that would. And not to mention you're a mermaid," Will sputtered out. Cleo rolled her eyes. "I might not fish anymore, but I did use to fish. I'm a fisher's daughter, it's in my blood. My first birthday gift was a fishing rod." "It's true. She used to love it so much. It was a pink toy one with a magnet on the end of it. Her name was even initialed on it," Don laughed at the memory.
"She wasn't the only one. Mine was the exact same but it said 'Kim' on it," Kim added. "He tried to convince me to let them have a real one, but I refused to let my kids play with a real hook. A toy one was the only thing we could agree on," Bev smiled.
"That is an impressive rod. Very nice," Max gave a thumbs up.
"Were you able to get your rod back?" Elliot asked. "Later. Cleo luckily went and got it for me, after all the fishermen had left," Lewis smiled. "Well, I did owe you after all," Cleo sighed. "For what?" Bev asked. "You'll see," Cleo grimaced.
Lewis: gently takes the rod in his hands. "You really want me to reenter this competition, don't you?"
"You deserve to. You need to show them that you're the best around. And that no one messes with you," Charlotte said, determined. "Yeah, now go kick Nate's butt!" Elliot shouted, causing Lewis and the others to laugh.
Cleo: "Yeah, you've gotta get back on that bike."
Lewis: adjusts the lure. "Horse."
"Don't correct me when I'm trying to encourage you. You knew what I meant," Cleo looked at him.
Cleo: "Whatever. You know, you've just gotta run to the end of the pier and scream, 'Hey, I'm back.'"
Lewis: nods, then looks back up at her. "Why do you care so much?"
"Because you like him," Kim teased her sister, who slaps a hand over her mouth as Cleo blushed. "She's right and you know it," Rikki smirked. "Well, it doesn't need to be said out loud!" Cleo whispered harshly.
Cleo: hesitates. "Well, because I just do."
"And it was the only other option other than for me to hurt Nate," Cleo scowled. Though the laughter coming from Rikki caused her to turn and give a questioning glare.
"Why didn't you just tell your dad and get Nate kicked out of the competition?" Ash asked. "Because there wasn't enough proof that he did it, even though he did, and that would've been cheating," Cleo explained. "But you already did cheat," Emma whispered to her. "But we fixed that," Cleo whispered back.
Lewis: "Well, I'm glad. Ok. You know, I'm back. I'm gonna do it."
Cleo: "Great!"
"That's the spirit!" Max cheered on.
"You can do it, Lewis!" Elliot clapped along with the others.
"Why aren't you clapping, Cleo?" Bella asked, noticing the girl wincing slightly. "Just wait for it," Cleo nodded towards the screen, still wincing.
Lewis: digs into his pockets. "I just need to make a few adjustments." He pulls out the curled-up yellow lure and begins to put it on the rod, causing Cleo's eyes to widen and try her best to show her support by forcing a smile, which had simmered down a little.
"Oh, come on! Now you ruined it," Will whined. "It's not going to work!"
"Putting that thing on my rod felt like a disgrace," Cleo frowned, shaking her head. "The rod was perfectly fine before you put that on," Don argued. "Yeah, believe me, I know now," Lewis winced as he looked over at Cleo. "Again, I'm a fisherman's daughter, not to mention a mermaid! I know what I'm doing."
"No fish is going to be stupid enough to go near that lure. And they're pretty stupid," Rikki said. "Hey! My fish are very smart I'll have you know," Cleo remarked.
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[Lewis returns to the pier, and while all the other fishermen were getting bites and reeling them in, Lewis's rod remains still, not getting a single bite. Don checks on the fishermen, making sure everything was going well. Suddenly a commotion from the other end of the pier causes him to look over to find Nate struggling to pull in the strong fish.]
Nate: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, check this out. Check this out." Everyone turns towards Nate where he pulls in a large fish, showing it off to all of the fishermen. "Look and learn, boys. Look and learn."
"Woah, that's a nice one," Max said, a bit impressed.
"I've seen bigger. If you really want to see something impressive, you should head out to the deep," Will informed.
"I told ya, Nate knows how to fish," Zane mentioned.
Charlotte frowned, feeling bad for the blonde fisher. Poor Lewis, I know you'll get one soon. Nate better not rub it in his face.
Don: "Good work, Nate." Don takes the fish off the rod and weighs it. "1.7 kilos, you are in the lead."
"Must not be very big fish biting then if it's only that big," Neil said. "I think because we were fishing off of the pier. The bigger fish are always further out. But he still would've won if that school of tuna hadn't had showed up the next day," Don mentioned before pausing as heard the girls giggle once more. Why do they keep giggling?
"Tuna? They don't normally go that close to the shore," Annette commented to herself. A smile crept up on Charlotte's face as she overheard her mother. Cleo, is that your doing? Very clever.
Nate: fist bumps the air then turns to Lewis and begins to taunt him. "Cool. Hey, Lewis, you may as well just pack up that pretty little rod of yours now, mate." Lewis narrows his eyes at him then looks back at his line.
Don: "Get a picture of it and then throw it back."
"It is a pretty rod but there is no reason to bully him," Sam said, shaking her head.
Charlotte shakes her head and scowls. "How did I see that coming?"
"So, what if someone catches the same fish? What happens then?" Lisa asked curiously. "Well, if they so happened to have caught the same fish, then their points won't count towards the lead. Mostly it matters by the weight," Don told her.
[Suddenly Lewis feels a tug on his line and shouts in surprise, keeping his grip on the rod this time.]
Lewis: gets excited, and starts reeling it in. Everyone looks his way. "Whoa. Whoa! I've got one. I've got a bite."
"Go, Lewis!" Elliot shouted for him. In fact, several others in the audience were rooting along with Elliot. But Lewis, instead of showing his excitement, only lowered himself in shame.
[Cleo smiles, happy for him behind his back. Lewis reels it in and holds it up, only to find it to be tiny. He pouts as the other fishermen begin to laugh at him.]
"I'd like to reclaim my statement from earlier. That fish is probably the dumbest of all," Rikki said, holding a finger up. The rest of the group joins Lewis in his pouty mood.
Fisherman #1: "Boy, it's huge. Careful, it might take your hand off."
Nate: "Hey, if you're not going to weigh that in, can I use it for bait?" The others continue laughing. Cleo looks at the other fishermen then back at Lewis, who was still holding his 'catch' up. A small smile forms before she walks off the pier.
"Okay so pretty much all fishermen are jerks," Bella assumed. "Hey not all of them. A bunch of them got a good sense of humor," Max said, defending his fellow fishermen.
"Thanks for the support, Mr. S," Lewis said with a hint of sarcasm. "I was a judge, and you were friends with my daughter. I can't show favoritism. I had to help all of them equally," Don replied.
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[Cleo walks down to the secret part of the beach. As she looks around to make sure no one was watching, she walks straight into the water. Cleo swims outward, speeding through the deep.]
"What are you planning?" Kim squinted. "Why do you always assume I'm planning something? I could just be going for a swim you know," Cleo scoffed. "Normally you probably would, but is that really the case?" "... no," Cleo said, eventually giving in.
"So, what was your brilliant idea this time?" Sam asked curiously. "Just a way to cheer Lewis up, and to guarantee him a win," Cleo said, mumbling the last part. Don frowned, getting a little more suspicious of what she could have done.
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[Emma walks down the pier with a small blue lunchbox in her hands as she walks toward Lewis, who was baiting his lure.]
Emma: "How's it going?"
Lewis: "Oh, good, good. Great. Of course, it'd uh – it'd be better if I could actually catch a decent fish."
"Isn't the point of fishing to have fun? That competition is taking all the fun out of it." Annette said, trying to make him feel better. "It would have been more fun if I had caught a decent fish," Lewis rephrased his onscreen self. "That's because those mean fishermen and Nate took all the fun out of it," Charlotte scowled.
"It was a decent fish. It'd still seem edible if you didn't have to throw it back," Max chuckled.
Emma: "So where's Cleo?"
Lewis: looks around, just now noticing that his friend was gone as he sets his reel back out into the deep. "I guess she went home."
"You just realized I wasn't there? Some friend you are," Cleo scoffed, playfully hitting his shoulder. "In my defense, you didn't tell me you left," Lewis said, rubbing his shoulder.
Emma: opens up the lunch box and holds it out for him, revealing it to be a sandwich. "Tuna sandwich?"
Lewis: looks back over to her and grabs the sandwich from the box. "Hm? Oh, closest thing I've had to a proper fish all morning. Perfect." Emma closes the box back and sighs as he takes the halved sandwich.
"That's sweet of you, Em," Lisa smiled proudly at her daughter. "Well, I knew he wouldn't have eaten all day. He usually never takes anything to eat with him when he fishes," Emma commented. "You should take a small cooler with you on your boat next time. You could put sandwiches and drinks in it whenever you're hungry or thirsty," Will told him.
"Oh. You could take some of my mom's sandwiches next time. Her sandwiches are the best," Charlotte blurted out in excitement. "They're just sandwiches, nothing special," Annette blushed. "Well, your sandwiches are the king of sandwiches," Charlotte remarked causing her mother to laugh.
"I still think it was a decent fish," Max shrugged. "What would be a proper fish to you?" Denman asked Lewis. "One that could beat Nate's obviously."
"Hmph, well isn't that some foreshadowing," Don laughed.
[Suddenly Lewis feels a strong tug on his rod as his line begins to spin wildly.]
Lewis: "Whoa!" The sudden yell gathers everyone's attention. They stop what they're doing and turn towards the last place fisher. Lewis tosses the sandwich back into Emma's lunchbox and holds the rod with two hands, trying with all his might to keep from losing it. The strength of the fish was powerful, and Lewis struggled to hold on as his face scrunched up. "Whoa!"
"Don't tell me it's another small one," Elliot groaned. "Oh, no. This one was humongous. In fact, I think it's the biggest fish I've ever seen," Lewis said, hiding a smirk. "Really?" Elliot said with a hopeful smile. "Really," Lewis smiled as he saw Cleo glared at him.
[Lewis continues pulling back the rod. Though what was on the other end, he had no clue. Cleo swam near the fish hooks, yet far enough to know she wouldn't get hooked as she held Lewis's funky lure in her hand while she pulled it along.]
"Cleo!" Bev gasped as Don and the others were left jaw dropped in shock. "You were there?!" "Yup," Cleo said, popping the p. "What if you would have gotten hooked?" she asked worriedly. "I was far enough away to not get hooked. And I was being careful." "That and no one really wanted to fish by me. They thought I was bad luck," Lewis said, unknowingly adding to the Nate hate list that Charlotte was making in her head.
"I should've known you were involved somehow," Don sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "And I'm guessing you were the one who brought the tuna? Along with everyone else's?" "Got it in one," Cleo grinned sheepishly. "So, the whole fishing competition was a lie then. Everyone cheated," Don threw his hands up in frustration. "Actually, they didn't. They knew nothing about it, and it was our doing, not theirs," Cleo shrugged.
"What do you mean 'our?'" Max frowned. "She involved me in it later on," Emma sighed seeing her parent's looks. "But the competition was still real. Everyone got a fish, everyone competed by weight, and we didn't know how heavy they were, we brought them. That's it," Cleo said. For once Don was agreeing with her bad decisions, considering it did sound reasonable. "Fine. I guess you can keep your trophy, Lewis."
"Thanks. Hey, wait. You were going to take it?" Lewis asked in surprise. "Well, if the competition really was a cheat, then yeah I would have. You're lucky Cleo saved your tail, literally," Don warned, pointing a finger at him. "Gee, thanks Cleo," Lewis gulped, Cleo giggled.
"You brought tuna to the pier?" Ash asked for everyone, as the rest of the audience was quite confused about the conversation they just had. "Yeah. Long story short: I brought fish, and Lewis won. You'll see the rest," Cleo shrugged and pointed to the screen. "But why a deep water fish?" Sam asked. "I didn't think my plan through thoroughly," Cleo grimaced.
Nate: to everyone, pointing to Lewis. "Oh, it looks like Lewis has caught something big this time, maybe an old boot."
"Oh, enough already!" Bella spat.
"The taunting is getting old," Harrison sighed. "That's not the only thing getting old," Mrs. Chatham whispered, and Max laughed.
"No but that boot can be shoved somewhere," Charlotte grumbled. "Char!" Annette scolded as Lewis burst out laughing.
Lewis: gets excited as his grip on the rod tightens from the raw strength of the seemingly large fish. "Woo hoo hoo! Come on, nearly there." Lewis finally pulls the fish out of the water to reveal a large tuna dangling from the end of the lure. He hauls it over the edge and drops it onto the pier for everyone to see. Everyone stares at it in astonishment, even Emma, who probably knew that shouldn't be possible.
"Woah! That's huge!" Elliot shouted in excitement. He was happy for Lewis, even if he knew he had help.
"Now that's what you call a decent fish," Will said, smiling and nodding. "Alright yeah, that is a big fish. But I still prefer the ones near the shore," Max admitted.
"How were you able to lug that thing over? You can barely pull us out of the water. You're not that strong," Rikki scoffed. "Must've been an adrenaline rush," Denman assumed, surprisingly agreeing with Rikki. "And the moment's ruined," Lewis sighed.
Don: "Would you look at that."
Fisherman #1: "It's huge." Lewis looks at Emma then back at the fish, ecstatic written all over his face. Emma continues to look at the fish in confusion, knowing something wasn't adding up.
"You knew something was wrong, didn't you?" Cleo asked. "From the moment his rod began to pull. It was mostly because of what you told us earlier about his lure. And with that large of a fish, it just didn't make any sense," Emma shrugged. "You should've told me. It could've been dealt with earlier than the ruckus it turned into later on," Don mentioned. "I didn't know she did it until she wrapped me into the whole mess," Emma sighed.
"That was actually the biggest fish we've ever recorded in a fishing competition. It amazed everybody that it actually was near the pier since, as we said before, tuna doesn't come near the shore," Don explained for everybody's reaction.
"How were you able to capture that?" Ash asked. "A mermaid has her ways," Cleo smiled innocently.
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[Rikki exits the seminar room, where she runs into Zane once again in the lobby.]
Zane: points down the end of the hall. "Lunch is that way."
Rikki: "Uh, yeah. I'm here with my dad. He dragged me along and he forgot to book. So now, the restaurant's filled up."
"Considering I had no clue about this, of course I would forget," Terry chuckled. "Sorry, dad. And sorry, Zane. I shouldn't have lied," Rikki said, feeling slightly guilty. "It was rather believable. I didn't even question it," Zane shrugged.
"Say, Harrison if you ever do another intervention, give me a call. My restaurant does catering as well for events," Annette offered. "Thanks, but uh, I think my days with those are over. I'll let someone else handle planning them. But I'll be sure to let them know," Harrison mentioned as he smiled at his son.
Zane: "Classy."
Harrison: walks up behind Zane and stands next to him, giving him a disappointed look. "Didn't see you inside, Zane. You missed an opportunity. You could have learned something."
Zane: "Yeah, I'm sure." Rikki looks away.
"What was the seminar about anyway?" Terry asked. "Just a bunch of doctors telling you ways on how to make money and to become rich just like them. Right, Dr. Bennett?" Rikki answered, raising an eyebrow at the man. "Uh, right," Harrison said, a little quiet. He coughed a little before turning to Zane. "So why didn't you go in there?" "I heard you go over your speech like twenty times. You made me listen at home so you could have an audience to practice on," Zane chuckled. "I didn't need to hear it one more time. And besides, you had another one to do later that day I could've gone to."
Harrison: "Why don't you make yourself useful and go up to the suite? I need my notes."
Zane: gestures to Rikki. "I'm talking to someone."
Harrison: never spares Rikki a glance and ignores him. "They're on the table, as you go in." Harrison walks past Rikki in a rush.
The other parents in the room stare at the doctor in a bit of surprise that he would treat his son like that. Even Sam and Max were looking at him in annoyance. They've seen it a couple of times already, but to ignore him and basically call him useless?
"Harrison really needs to take a step down," Neil mumbled to Lisa, sneaking glances at said person. "Honey, maybe he has. They seem to be getting along better now." "Yes, but what caused him to be this way?" "Well, running a business can be very stressful. And it takes quite a bit of your time. Sometimes when you're so wrapped up in that, it can go to your head," she said back, having seen this happen before with several of their old colleagues. "But if he was so bad likes this, then what caused him to change?" "I don't know," Lisa said reluctantly, unsure of the answer herself.
Zane: to Rikki once his father was out of earshot. "He's a stress head."
"Well, I don't blame him. Running a business can be a stressful thing. Even I can get like that sometimes on my boat, especially if things don't go as planned," Don admitted.
"That is basically what I was," Harrison chuckled slightly in embarrassment.
Rikki: "Why can't your dad go up and get his own notes?"
Zane: "Uh, because he's important. And, I'm not."
"No, it's not. You're important to me too," Harrison defended as everyone gasped in shock. "It was because I had some last-second errands to do before we started. I didn't have time to go up and get them myself." "Alright, dad. Alright. I get it," Zane chuckled and holding his hands up. "I wasn't exactly being fair to you either. I should've realized you had a lot on your mind."
Rikki: feeling awkward. "Fair enough. Ok. Well, I'll catch you later. I need to eat." Rikki begins to walk away when Zane stops her again.
"But I thought the restaurant was booked up," Bella asked. "There are other restaurants on the Gold Coast," Rikki shrugged.
Zane: glances back upstairs then calls back to Rikki, causing her to turn around. "Hey, I know where there's some food, heaps of it, upstairs in the suite. The hotel lays it on, for my old man."
"'Old man?'" Harrison chuckled. "Well, you are," Zane joked.
"That's a nice offer but shouldn't it be for him and not for guests?" Sam asked. "They always give too much every year anyway. I'd hate to see it go to waste," Zane shrugged.
Terry smiled upon the boy being nice to Rikki. It was nice to see him offer her some free food, especially after everything he's put her and her friends through before. It was the beginning of making amends, hopefully.
Rikki: smiles and shakes her head. "No, that's ok." Turns back around and begins to walk away once more until Zane stops her again.
"You're turning down free food? Who does that?" Kim said in slight shock. "Rikki, if there's one thing I've taught you, is that you never ever turn down free food," Terry said, shaking a finger at her. Rikki laughs.
Zane: "The fridge is full." Begins walking towards her with a small grin as she turns towards him once more. "And if he misses anything, hey it's good to tick him off." Rikki straightens up and smirks, finally agreeing to his offer.
"Any chance to mess with you I was willing to take," Zane grinned. "Of course, that's what got her to go," Terry sighed, laughing as he did.
"You really wanted her to stay, didn't you?" Harrison chuckled, talking quietly to his son. "I was bored out of my mind. I was the youngest there and had no one to talk to besides her," Zane shot back, ignoring the small blush that was rising.
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[Don and the other fishermen gather around the camera, looking at the tuna they had just weighed.]
Don: looks at a picture of the tuna while holding the camera. "7.3 kilos, shame to throw it back." Stands next to Lewis, smiling at the excited boy then shows the picture to the other fishermen. Emma gives Lewis an unsure look. Nate stood by the other fishermen sulking.
"Then don't. It'd be a waste not to. Who knows when you'll catch something like that again," Ash crossed his arms. "Yes, but sadly rules are rules. If the other fishermen didn't get to keep their fish, then why should he get to? And trust me, they get their chance later," Don responded.
"That is a pretty remarkable fish. Though that kind is usually in the deeper part of the ocean. Especially near Mako," Denman added, glancing at Cleo. "Where do you think I got it from?" Cleo smirked.
"It sucks feeling like a sore loser, doesn't it?" Charlotte taunted, laughing as she saw Nate sulking in the background. Annette chuckled next to her, shaking her head. "Alright, Char."
Imagine swimming with them, Bella thought, smiling.
"That explains what the fishermen meant about a sea monster of a fish. I thought they were exaggerating. That is massive," Max laughed.
Fisherman #1: to Don. "I've never seen anything that big caught off a pier." Turns to Lewis and points. "What's your secret?"
"Oh, just you know, a fish hook that doesn't work and also a friend who happens to be a mermaid that can get me any fish I ask for," Lewis sarcastically said. "You didn't ask for it," Cleo crossed her arms. "And she might get you any fish you wanted, but me? I'm gonna require some cash," Rikki smiled smugly. "Yeah, how well did that work for you last time?" Lewis raised an eyebrow at Rikki as her smile fades into a glare.
Lewis: "Oh, uh, skill and patience are important." The others chuckle lightly around him. "Ya know, but the – the main reason is science. I give you the pinnacle of lure development." Lewis holds his lure up. The rest of the fishermen grin like it's some sort of joke. Even Emma gave it a skeptical look. "This is the baby that lands the big ones. And it's my own design."
"I can't believe you thought that thing worked," Rikki shook her head. "How was I supposed to know Cleo was down there?" Lewis shrugged. "Fair enough. But how did you not notice her? She was right next to the pier!" Zane exclaimed. "I stayed low enough and in the shadows. Everybody else was focused mainly on their own hooks anyway," Cleo explained.
"I wouldn't call it science. It's more of basic knowledge and skill as you say. And luck, lots of luck," Max chuckled.
"Emma, you looked like you didn't believe it either. Why didn't you say anything?" Lewis asked, turning to the girl. "Well, it would've been rude. I was there to support you, not to undermine you. And that was my first time seeing it. It was exactly like Cleo had described it –," Emma said before getting cut off by Cleo. "Ludicrous, an eyesore, an embarrassment to fishing rods, a laughing stock for fish?" "... besides, I don't really know that much about fishing," Emma said slowly after staring at Cleo. "Says the one who's basically half fish," he scoffed.
Lewis: "As of today, I'm putting them on the market. Advanced orders will be taken, at any time. So come." Most of the fishermen begin to gather around him, some even wanting to examine it. "Hold it, hold it." However, a couple of the fishermen, including Nate, drag Don to the side and start complaining about this so-called lure, claiming it to be a bluff.
Lady: "How many can I get?"
Lewis: "How many do you want? Three? Fine, fine, they'll be coming in a range of colors." Emma walks around the crowd and leaves the pier.
"People can be so gullible," Kim shook her head. "Hey, I wasn't that gullible," Lewis said, somewhat offended. "Oh, not just you. I'm also talking about those fishermen," she added.
"Not all the fishermen believed it. Some claimed it was a scam," Don said. "Which in the end, now that we know who the real culprits are, it kind of is." He threw a look at Cleo's way, who was beginning to look a bit sheepish as she laughed nervously.
"You made your mind up to sell them that quickly?" Harrison asked, a bit impressed. "It just happened, and you already thought about selling and the varieties," Max chuckled. "Maybe you should've waited after you caught more than one 'decent' fish," Sam winced. "In my defense, the excitement got to my head," Lewis sighed.
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[On the top floor of the hotel, Zane and Rikki snack on some of the food that was laid out on the counter for his father.]
Zane: "The hotel gives a room to my dad to stay in, whenever he gives a seminar. It's kind of impressive. If you go for that kind of stuff." Zane grabs Harrison's folder of notes off of the table.
"She doesn't," Terry answered.
"Lectures bore me anyway," Rikki said in a bored tone. "Hey, it was your choice," Terry said.
Rikki: "Hm, I don't." Rikki walks over to the balcony windows and slides the door open, Zane follows her. She walks out onto the empty balcony. Outside, you could see everything. The parks, all the buildings, the river, even the mountains in the distance. "You can see the mountains from here. Have you seen this?"
"Well considering I have to go to that stupid convention every year I see it on occasions," Zane humored. But they looked even more beautiful that year.
"That is a gorgeous sight," Cleo sighed in awe, some of the others agreeing with her.
"Figured you wouldn't," Terry chuckled. Whether in school or out, lectures were always at the bottom of her list.
Zane: looking down at his dad's folder. "Yeah, nice."
Rikki: turns to him and frowns. "Are you even looking?"
[Zane looks up a little nervous. Rikki shakes her head then turns around, facing the magnificent view. Zane walks over to join her, but as soon as he does the balcony door slides shut and locks automatically with a beep. The two turn around, having heard the beep and Zane rushes over and tries to pull the door back, but it wouldn't budge.]
Zane: "No way." Turns to Rikki. "It's locked."
"Really? How'd you figure that out?" Kim rolled her eyes.
"Way to go, Zane," Lewis snickered. "She's the one that went out there," Zane exclaimed. "Yeah, and who followed me?" Rikki raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that explains why I didn't get my notes," Harrison mumbled.
"Wait, is this why we couldn't get ahold of you? You got trapped on a balcony?" Emma questioned. "That, and I didn't really want people to know where I was," Rikki shrugged. "But Zane kind of ruined the surprise and now this," she added, motioning to the screen.
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[Emma meets up with Cleo at the Juicenet, knowing that her friend was up to something. After loads of questioning, Cleo finally opened up about her scheme. They walk to the bar.]
Emma: "I knew it."
"There were no clues that lead to Cleo," Neil frowned, wondering how his daughter figured it out. "Yeah, but Cleo had told us about the awful lure Lewis had made, and she knew that it wouldn't work. I knew then once he got a tuna out of all things it had to involve her somehow," Emma answered. "But science," Lewis tried to say but Emma cut him off. "Lewis, I'm going to take the word of a fisherman's daughter than a scientist about fishing any day."
Cleo: sighs. "I had to do something. No fish in its right mind would even touch that lure, without a little persuasion."
"That one fish thought it was mighty nice," Lewis grinned. "I said no fish in its right mind," Cleo repeated.
Emma: whispers. "Did you have to get such a big fish?"
Cleo: "Lewis is always doing nice things for me. It was a chance I could do something nice for him, a favor for a friend." Cleo looks down as Emma gives her a look.
"A friend?" Kim teased. Cleo blushed and whacked her on the arm.
"Although that was really nice of you, Cleo. And again, I do thank you for it, but I have to agree with Emma. Why such a big fish?" Lewis asked. "You really wanted to win. You've been saying you would for the past few years now," Cleo explained. "I would've been fine getting last. There's always next year. But thanks anyway, Cleo," Lewis reasoned with a laugh. Cleo smiled.
Emma: steps closer and gets Cleo to look back up at her. "It's ok, Cleo. I understand. We all know you like Lewis."
"And now everyone knows, thanks Em," Cleo huffed, hiding her face in her hands. "Cleo, everyone knew since the first episode," Rikki said, patting her shoulder to comfort her friend from the embarrassment.
"Oooh. You're not denying it," Kim teased even more. "Zip it!" Cleo shouted.
Lewis couldn't help the smile and the small blush that rose up. He already knew before that Cleo liked him, when she admitted it the night of the dance, but to hear it from even before then, kind of gave him hope again that one day they could get back together. That hope quickly fell though as he remembered this was way before the breakup.
Emma: "But you really need to tell him that he didn't catch that fish."
Cleo: shakes her head. "I can't. He'll be crushed. He'll be furious. And it'll ruin his self-esteem. Besides, what's the harm?" Emma gives her another look.
"All three were correct," Cleo sighed, answering herself. "But it did eventually cheer me up," Lewis tried to reason.
"There's a lot more harm to it than you think. It'll make him think that you didn't believe in his abilities to fish. He'll lose his trust in you," Sam said in a worried tone. "And it'll infuriate a bunch of fishermen," Don sighed.
"Technically he did catch that fish, all I did was bring it to him," Cleo shrugged. "That's still cheating," Don reminded her.