A Wish on a Full Moon

Fire and Ice (Part 1)

I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.

Chapter 70: Fire and Ice (part 1)

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[The three mermaids were at it again, speeding through the water on their way to Mako. They pause for a moment to enjoy the view of the never-ending blue and its magnificent underwater world. Emma drifts away from the group and speeds off through the water, doing underwater flips through the reefs and schools of fish. Cleo and Rikki smile at each other as they watch their friend do her tricks and then follow her.]

"Woah!" Kim and Elliot gasped in awe. "That was amazing," Ash said in astonishment. "That's impressive," Will complimented.

"When did you learn to do that?" Neil said in bewilderment. "Just recently. I've been practicing," Emma smiled wide. "Well, it really shows," Don mentioned. "That was spectacular, sweetie!" Lisa beamed with pride. "Way to go, Emma!" Elliot cheered.

Bella smiled, glad to know she had something in common with Emma that came with the whole mermaid ordeal. They both liked doing tricks. Though she was sure the others could do it as well, it's a little more difficult to do while speed-swimming. Something that takes a little while to control how fast you go and maneuver.

"Showoff," Rikki scoffed. "You're just jealous that I learned it before you," Emma smirked. "Hey, we did learn it," Cleo defended. "Yeah, after," Emma reminded.

"Another race?" Charlotte asked. "Yup," Rikki nodded. "It wasn't supposed to be," Cleo said. "So, if it is, then why is she swimming off-course and doing flips?" she asked. "I was distracting them," Emma remarked. "No, you just wanted to show off your new trick," Cleo corrected. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?!"

"I'm guessing since you two stopped swimming while Emma was still going she won anyway, didn't she?" Sam guessed. "You'd be correct," Rikki sighed as Emma continued to have a smug look on her face.

[In the moonpool, Emma swims up first – per usual – goes to the rocky ledge and turns around to find Cleo and Rikki right behind her, just now surfacing.]

Rikki: swims to the ledge next to Emma. "Show off."

"Hope your jealousy isn't like Cleo's," Kim snickered causing Cleo to glare at her. "Please, I'll need a diary for that," Rikki joined her teasing. "You're not denying it though," Emma grinned at Rikki who rolled her eyes.

Cleo: to Emma. "I thought we were coming out here to relax."

"With you three? It never is," Lewis scoffed. "It always seems you're either racing or doing something to prevent the secret from being exposed. When have you ever relaxed?" Bella chuckled. "The occasional swims don't count," Lewis held a hand up as Emma opened her mouth. "I relax at work," Cleo shrugged. "And you are probably the only person who will ever say that. Ever," Rikki told her. "It's my happy place," Cleo pouted. "She's not the only one. I find my work quite relaxing," Don pointed out.

Emma: "You can relax at my place, for the whole weekend. My parents are going away."

"Ah, another sleepover?" Annette smiled. "This one's not going to involve more black current juice, is it?" Zane asked with a smug grin. "For the sake of my kitchen, I hope not," Lisa gulped. Although I wouldn't be surprised with the mess of a party we came home to, Neil thought with a frown. "No Miriam this time, no explosive juices," Cleo grinned. "No, but there was much worse than alfalfa and black current juice everywhere," Emma shuttered at both the memory of Rikki's disastrous mess and her mother's soon-to-be reaction to her ruined kitchen.

"The three of you all alone for a whole weekend? That'll lead to no good," Max chuckled. "Never does," Mrs. Chatham joined him.

Cleo: "Where to?"

Emma: "A crystal-ware convention." Looks at Rikki and finds her returning a strange expression, her eyebrows raised, needing more of an explanation. To Rikki, as if it were obvious. "My mom collects figurines."

"You trusted her home alone the whole weekend?" Denman asked. "Well, she wasn't alone. Plus, Elliot was there. But ... we probably shouldn't have," Lisa sighed, thinking of her lost dolphin statue. "Ooh, now I really can't wait to see what happens," Zane grinned, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

"You like figurines?" Charlotte perked up. "Indeed. Do you make those too?" Lisa asked, a bit more interested. "Not out of crystals, but I do have a few made out of ceramics," Charlotte replied. "Well, I would love to see them sometime," Lisa smiled. "Gladly." Bella tilted her head to the side in thought. Perhaps I could help make one with Cleo for one of her birthdays someday.

Rikki: "You know, the worst part about that is that I'm not even surprised." Shakes her head.

"Rikki!" Terry shushed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Lisa frowned. "I didn't mean anything about it. I just meant you seem like someone who does; you have a ton of crystal statues in your home," Rikki grimaced. "I suppose," Lisa said, still finding that comment odd. Although that would explain her remark when I showed her one of my prized possessions.

Emma: rolls her eyes then goes back to Cleo. "Well, how about it?"

Cleo: "I can't stay over." Frowns, feels bad. "Dad's working and I have to look after Kim."

"I could've stayed home alone, you know," Kim stated. "Absolutely not, especially after the concert incident," Don shook his head. "Out of the question. It's too dangerous at night for your age," Cleo agreed. "Oh, look who's taking responsibility for their sibling for once," Emma teased. "But I had a cell phone! You could've called any time," Kim argued. "Out of the question," Bev denied. Kim glared at her. You left us home alone for months! How is it any different?

"Extra shift?" Harrison asked, knowing it had to be hard for him to stay away from his kids so much. "Had to pay the bills somehow," Don sighed.

"Since you had to watch me anyway, why not just take me with you," Kim asked. "You and Elliot with three secret mermaids for the whole weekend?" Emma raised a skeptical eyebrow. "It'd be the diary incident all over again," Rikki muttered. "Which one?" Charlotte joked.

Cleo: nods her head at Rikki. "What about you, Rikki?" Smiles.

Rikki: frowns. "A sleepover in my jim-jams? You're kidding, right?"

"It's not the first time. You'll manage," Cleo grinned. "It wouldn't be the first time you stayed over," Terry mentioned. "No, but it's the first time we get to actually stay over without having to worry about a full moon and no parents around," Rikki replied. Or it was supposed to be. "So, a chance to finally relax as Emma had mentioned earlier," Sam said. "Exactly."

Emma: scrunches her face up. "Yeah, it's not really Rikki's scene." Nods.

"I feel like this is a repeat of the sleepover all over again, is it not?" Will asked. "Yeah. Similar reactions, similar problems. All we need is screaming girls and a messy kitchen and it'll be good to go," Ash joked, unaware of the stern expressions Neil and Lisa sent a sheepish Emma, who pretty much had repeated the sleepover episode, but much, much worse.

"That's what you said last time, and she still enjoyed it," Elliot commented. "Yeah, I'll admit. It was a bit different than I thought," Rikki admitted. "See it wasn't so bad, right?" Terry encouraged. "I didn't say that."

Rikki: "Then again, you've got cable, widescreen TV, hot and cold running snacks. Why not? I'll be there." Nods at Emma and lowers herself into the water.

"You don't?" Elliot asked curiously. "Elliot. What did I say about asking personal questions?" Lisa quietly scolded him. "Don't," Elliot pouted. "It's okay," Terry sighed as Rikki glanced down. "Like we said before, not everyone can afford the luxuries you all have."

Emma frowned. She remembered Rikki saying that before, but she never took her seriously. Did she really not have cable, a TV, or even temperature-based food? Of course, she could heat up food just as easily thanks to her heat powers, but still. She never considered what Rikki's home life was like, nor why Rikki never mentioned it much, but now she was beginning to understand why. Rikki missed out on a lot that they had. No wonder she enjoyed the tails whenever they first got them. Because she finally had something most people didn't; meanwhile her and Cleo complained as if it meant nothing to them. To Rikki, it meant the whole world.

Cleo: "Excellent. All fixed." Emma sends Rikki a smile as the girl ducks underwater and exits the cave. As soon as Rikki leaves, she sends Cleo a stern glare. Cleo's smile falters. "What?" Emma looks back to the underwater entrance a bit skeptical.

"You didn't want Rikki to be there?" Neil asked. "What's wrong with Rikki?" Terry frowned. "There's nothing wrong and I did want her there. I just ... I preferred for Cleo to have been there with us as well," Emma grimaced. "In other terms, she didn't want to be left with me by herself," Rikki stated bluntly. "Why not?" Sam asked. "We don't exactly get along very well by ourselves," Emma said carefully. "You get along better than you think. You're just the complete opposite of each other," Cleo giggled. "Well, opposites do attract," Denman joked. "Like fire and ice," Lewis deadpanned. It definitely shows in this episode, Elliot laughed to himself, as he realized this was when Emma attempted to be rebellious.

"Leaving so soon?" Bella asked. "You just got there," Will frowned. "Not the first time," Ash chuckled. "Well, I had to go pack. It was almost lunch and a bit of a late notice," Rikki remarked. "Sorry, me and Elliot just found out," Emma winced. "Yeah, and lucky for you my teammates couldn't come," Elliot said.

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[Later that day, Rikki was at Emma's place with a packed bag. She was currently going through the Gilbert's fridge while Emma organizes Rikki's stuff she brought over. Rikki finds a juice box and closes the fridge.]

Emma: "Listen, my parents like order. This house runs like a well-oiled machine. They don't like people who mess around." Glances back at her then turns back to what she was doing at the counter.

"We do like organization, but that doesn't mean it will hurt you girls to have a little fun. It's okay to relax and make a little mess occasionally," Lisa explained.

"A well-oiled machine?" Kim squinted. "It means like a tight ship. Always tidy, a constant schedule and rules," Emma grinned. "Lots and lots of rules," Elliot sighed. "And extremely boring," Rikki mumbled to herself. "Sounds tough," Zane sarcastically said.

"It sure looked like a well-oiled machine when we got back," Neil and Lisa laughed to themselves. "Considering there was oil we found in corners that shouldn't have been there, it sure was," Lisa joined him.

"We don't like people who break our trust. But Rikki never once broken ours," Neil stated. "We've trusted her since you two first became friends," Lisa added. "And even more when she saved my life," Elliot beamed.

"Are you organizing Rikki's things?" Terry frowned. "It was in disarray," Emma blushed from embarrassment. "Maybe you're overdoing it just a wee bit much," Sam pinched her fingers together.

Rikki: walks over to the sink and takes a sip from the straw. Turns around to her and waves her arms. "Who's messing around?" Looks at the sink and tosses the juice box into the sink. Emma marches over and takes it out.

"Apparently you are," Zane laughed along with the rest of the audience. "Rikki," Terry warned. However, on the inside, he was smiling at her humor.

Lisa flinched slightly at Rikki's action but quickly laughed with everyone else as she realized she was just messing with Emma.

"Oh, relax, Em. I'm just messing around," Rikki teased. "And I told you they're not very fond of immature pranks," Emma sighed. "It's just a little bit of fun, dear. It's okay. No real damage," Lisa waved it off. Yet.

Rikki: hears someone come down the stairs and sees Emma's mom walk into the kitchen with a white box in hand and a pink bow on top. Steps toward her with a smile. "Hey, Lis. Thanks for having me stay."

"Oh, now you decide to have manners," Emma said. "You know I'll behave," Rikki rolled her eyes. "When?" "When I want to," she shrugged.

"Lis?" Neil questioned. "That's the nickname I have for her," Rikki answered. Lisa had a small smile on her face, figuring that Rikki nicknamed the people she liked, as a way of showing it to them. Which, in a way, it was.

Lisa: gently puts the box down on the counter. "Well, it's my pleasure, Rikki. You're always welcomed."

"Thank you for that. And Emma and the others are always welcomed at our home too," Terry nodded toward the Gilbert's in appreciation. Rikki's eyes widened slightly. She's never shown her friends or Zane her home. What will they think when they see how she really lives? Will they still want to be friends/boyfriend?

Rikki: "Thanks! So, what's in the box?" Gestures to it. Emma steps up next to her.

"Yeah, what's in it?" Kim asked a bit eager. Something you probably won't like, Rikki thought. "Did you think she was giving you a present?" Zane snorted. "No, but I was curious as to what she had," Rikki answered. "It's not a surprise," Lisa remarked. "Then what is it?" Bev asked. "You'll see," she grinned, enjoying the slight suspense. The others, except for the Gilbert's and Rikki, groan in complaint.

"Don't be so nosey," Emma scolded. "You were curious too," Rikki scoffed. "I already knew what was in it," Emma smiled. "Only because we gave it to her for her birthday," Elliot said. "That was your birthday present?" Annette asked. "Yes, the kids gave it to me as an early one since we were heading to the convention for my birthday," Lisa nodded.

Lisa: inhales in excitement. "My latest acquisition from Casa Cristal." Rikki's eyes widen in surprise as if she knew what that was.

"And that is?" Bella asked, Rikki silently relieved that someone else was asking the question for her, as she had no clue what Mrs. Gilbert was talking about. "Only the best place to get crystal figurines," Charlotte said as if it were obvious. "That's where I got mom's figurine from," Emma mentioned. "Ahem," Elliot coughed. "We got it from," Emma corrected. "Thank you."

Lisa: lifts the lid from the box, revealing a crystal dolphin figurine. The dolphin was connected to the side of a water-shaped orb, almost like it was jumping into the air. "I'm sure Emma's told you I'm a very keen collector." Puts the lid down and takes it out of the box. Emma smiles.

Rikki: gives it a funny look. "She has, but I'm not gonna hold it against you." Emma's smile drops and stares at Rikki.

"I didn't understand it the first time, but after hearing it for a second time ..." Lisa frowned. "I just didn't see the ... joy of collecting statues," Rikki grimaced. "Everyone has a hobby, Rikki," Cleo sighed. "I know. And yours is clearly with your little fishies," Rikki remarked. "And Emma's is organizing." "Organizing is not a hobby," Emma argued. "Yeah, but you make it one, Em," Elliot giggled.

Lisa: holds it up with an ecstatic smile. "What do you think? It's the jewel in the crown of my collection."

"Because my kids were the ones to get it for me," Lisa beamed at them with pride, they returned the smile. "It's beautiful," Bella gasped. "That's amazing," Charlotte awed. "It certainly is outstanding," Mrs. Chatham grinned. "Absolutely marvelous," Sam complimented. "I can see why you like it so much. It looks great!" Don mentioned. "Yeah, it was," Lisa sighed. Until the party.

"You think you could make one like that?" Annette asked. "I don't know. But I will certainly try," Charlotte shrugged, intrigued by the new figurine.

"Looks expensive," Harrison commented. "It was. But mom's happiness is worth every penny," Elliot smiled. "We might have had a little help," Emma admitted and smiled at her dad.

Emma: "Mum, it's –."

Rikki: grimaces, cuts Emma off. "Absolutely hideous." Shakes her head and Lisa's smile falters. "But I guess that's what makes it art, right?" Gestures to it then walks off. Lisa looks at it and then starts laughing as Emma steps up. Rikki grabs her bags then heads upstairs. Lisa calms down and places it carefully back into the box. Emma winces slightly, worried for what the weekend will bring.

"Rikki!" Terry scolded, seeing it as being taken too far rather than a laughing matter. "It's alright. I found it quite humorous myself," Lisa chuckled. "We can tell," Kim said as Bev shushed her.

And the worst part is she thought I was joking, Rikki thought, feeling a bit guilty about her behavior.

"Art is not hideous. Every artwork is gorgeous in its own way," Charlotte huffed, a bit angry about her statement. Obviously, she doesn't have an artistic mind.

Emma glared at Rikki. She couldn't do it in front of her mom, knowing her mom would have gotten on to her for being rude to a houseguest, but she can do it now.

"It's going to be a long weekend," Ash grinned. "Oh, you have no idea," Emma and Rikki both said in an exhausted tone. "Too bad I missed it," Cleo sighed.

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[Meanwhile, Lewis sat in his boat at the marina reading through his boat manual with a screwdriver in hand. Behind him, he could hear footsteps approaching. He glances back for a second to find Nate behind him.]

Nate: "Ah. Packed up on you, eh?" Has a surfboard and other diving equipment with him.

"What is he doing there?" Cleo frowned. "He was going to go water skiing when he decided to stop by and get on my nerves," Lewis muttered the last part.

"Didn't want to hang out with your old pal Nate?" Max assumed. "Actually, he was going to meet me at my zodiac. We were going together," Zane answered. "After what he did last time? I'm surprised you're allowing him in your boat at all," Will said. "Nah, if I did that, he would've gotten suspicious about getting that mad over a little prank," he remarked. "A little prank? That 'little prank' nearly exposed my daughter's huge secret to the world. It would've ruined her life!" Terry exclaimed, getting worked up over it. "Dad, calm down. It's done with," Rikki sighed.

Lewis: "No. No, I'm just making improvements to make it more efficient."

"Was it needed?" Don asked. It didn't look it from the last time he saw it. "Nah, but I did want to see if I could make it go faster," Lewis shrugged. "And?" Denman asked expectantly. "... still working on it," Lewis hesitated.

Nate: nods. "Had a bit of spare time on your hands since you broke up with Cleo?"

"Now that's nosey," Rikki pointed out to Emma. "How is that any of his business?" Cleo scoffed. Nate's not as dumb as people think. He can read people, on certain emotions at least, Zane thought.

"Didn't Cleo break up with you?" Bella asked. "Yeah, but Nate for some reason thinks that a 'chick' can't break up with a guy, so he just assumed that I did it instead," Lewis sighed. I take that back, Zane thought.

Lewis: lowers his manual and looks at Nate a bit down. Nods. "Yeah, a bit."

Cleo frowned in concern. Did Lewis really not have much better to do without her and him together? Or was he just trying to get Nate off his back?

Nate: "Well, it's probably a good thing you guys split." Lewis goes back to reading his manual. "People were starting to talk."

"They were?" Kim frowned. Normally she would hear something coming from the enormous grapevine of gossip. "About what?" Cleo frowned, crossing her arms. "Please, the only one who was talking was him. He was nonstop telling me about you guys' breakup, and that he finally has a chance with Cleo," Zane snorted. "Me? A chance with him? Not happening," Cleo shuttered in disgust. "Only he would think so," Emma narrowed her eyes. "After his last comment about her. I refuse for you to be near him," Don huffed, thinking of the last school dance.

Lewis: looks up at him with a frown. "What about?"

Nate: nods at him. "Oh, about you."

"You?!" Cleo exclaimed, starting to get upset about these so-called people before she was reminded that once again it was just Nate. "Again, just him," Zane reminded.

"Gah, I can't believe I fell for it," Lewis groaned. "He's so manipulative. But in a much more annoying way. He and Miriam would make a good pair," Rikki commented. "Don't make me throw up," Kim said.

Nate: begins to walk away. "You've been hanging around girls so long, you were beginning to act like one." Laughs.

"That is so not true," Cleo and Charlotte argued. "Maybe a little," Rikki had to try very hard to bite back a laugh. As much as she was still angry at Nate for what he did before, she had to admit that was a good quip from him.

"If that's the case, then it's sad for him with his only friend being Zane and the other guy. Never seen any girls around him besides Miriam," Ash said. "That's because all the other girls have a brain. Miriam's just a spoiled brat, desperate to get her hands on money," Emma narrowed her eyes. "And it's the sad truth, unfortunately," Neil sighed.

Lewis: shakes his head in denial. "Yeah, well that's – that's ridiculous." Grins then winces as he holds his finger up from the manual. "Ah! Papercut."

"Seriously? A papercut?" Kim raised an eyebrow in amusement, several others laughing at him. What a baby, she thought. "Elliot, stop laughing. It's not nice to laugh when someone's injured," Lisa frowned as she noticed Elliot silently giggling in his seat. "You're whining over a papercut?" Emma frowned. "People get hurt from papercuts all the time. They hurt," Lewis pouted. "It's a papercut. Get over it!" Kim said.

Maybe he does need to man up a little, Charlotte thought with a tilt of her head. "Maybe he's not wrong about it," Sam grimaced.

"Well at least he's not sucking his thumb or crying ... yet," Will teased. "Eh give it a minute," Rikki added with a grin.

"You're not helping to prove your point," Ash said.

Nate: mocks him. "Oh, papercut. Toughen up, Lewis."

Lewis: looks down at his finger and frowns. "Oh, come on. It stings." Nate continues to laugh and walks off. He glances back and catches Lewis sucking on his finger.

"You know, Nate might be onto something," Zane chuckled. "Maybe. He does have a bad taste in friends," Lewis glared at him. Zane glared back. "So does Zane," Rikki mentioned. "Hey!" "Nate's your friend. Very bad taste," Rikki spelled it out for him.

"Ah, there it is," Will laughed. "Wait, is this where you got all that manly stuff from?" Cleo exclaimed. Lewis nodded his head, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "You should've never listened to him. You know what he's like. He's not a man; he barely passes as a teenager. Kim's more mature than he is!" she said. "Eh, I'll take that as a compliment. Mainly because it's true," Kim shrugged. "I wouldn't consider Nate a man. He's more like a child that refuses to grow up," Harrison mentioned. "Gee, no wonder you and Nate get along so well," Rikki joked. "Oh, haha. Just keep adding to it will ya," Zane said in a deadpanned tone.

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[After his encounter with his annoying classmate, Lewis goes to Cleo's house to question her about his manliness. The two were in the living room discussing his earlier conversation as Cleo attempts to fold towels on the living room floor, the laundry basket sitting next to her. Lewis sat on the couch as he listens to her response.]

Cleo: "Lewis, you know why we broke up. My life's too complicated for a boyfriend right now."

"You've already gone through the whole power upgrade ordeal and you're handling the mermaid life pretty well. What else could there be?" Annette asked. Cleo snuck a glance at the cause of most of her stress, the woman having the nerve to glance down to avoid her gaze and even looking a bit guilty, then turned back to the elder Watsford. "Just some ... personal things." Something that the viewing hasn't shown much of. Annette, confused at first, saw how Bev was avoiding eye contact with almost everyone and soon came to the realization. Oh, oh my. With everything that was going on between her and Charlotte, I completely forgot about what Cleo was still going through.

Charlotte glanced at Cleo, feeling a bit bad herself from Cleo's obvious stress for her family. Though Cleo was much older than she was when her dad left, she did know what it was like to suffer from a parent's absence. Maybe after all this, she could help her out; give a few pointers; especially since Cleo had to fill in a parenting role for her family. Now that she thought about it, that was something her and Rikki had in common too; they both had a parent leave when they were younger and now Cleo was joining the club.

"You knew why she broke up with you. Why are you questioning this?" Ash asked, deciding to change the subject. "More important, why are you listening to Nate?" Rikki added. "Just, got a little self-conscious, that's all," Lewis shifted uncomfortably. And now it seems like it was his turn to be embarrassed by an episode, as he knew of all the things it would show.

Cleo: groans in frustration as she couldn't figure out how to fold the towel properly. "I can never get this."

"They can be very frustrating," Neil chuckled, having gone through a few struggles with towels himself.

"Oh, so you can do chores!" Kim teased. "Quick, grab the camera! A chore Cleo can actually do!" "Kim, enough," Don said, but even he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Why do towels need to be 'properly folded'? They're just going to be used the next day," Rikki complained. "Because it keeps everything neat and tidy. You don't want the place to look like a nightmare," Emma informed her. "You might not want to look at my room then," Rikki mumbled.

Lewis: stands up and takes the towel from her. "Here." Sits on the table and begins folding it for her. "So there's no other reason?"

"Are you – are you folding a towel, mate?" Zane said in shock. "Nate might be right." "Maybe you should learn from him. There's nothing wrong with folding towels. I've done it a time or two," Harrison remarked. "Yeah, and now our housekeeper does it," he scoffed. "I fold towels all the time," Neil gave him a stern look. "Well, they don't get folded, but they do get washed," Terry shrugged, and Rikki nodded in agreement.

"You make it look so easy," Bella said.

Cleo: grabs another towel and looks up at him. "What other reason?"

Lewis: gets frustrated. "To do with me. Like whether I'm –."

Cleo: starts trying to fold again. "Whether you're what?" Looks back up at him.

"Just let him finish his sentence!" Will said. "He was taking forever to get to the point," Cleo said.

Lewis: bites his cheek. "Manly enough for you. There, you happy?"

"Lewis, you don't need to prove that you're manly, you are. You're tough in your own way. And you don't need to be 'tough' like Nate. We don't need another one of him. One's already enough," Emma said. "We don't even need the one," Rikki muttered.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. I'd rather have you around than a Nate myself," Don patted him on the back. "Thanks, I think," Lewis rubbed his back, a little sore from Don hitting him so hard.

Cleo: laughs quietly and drops the towel. "Manly? Lewis, are you feeling alright?"

Lewis: "Yes, I'm fine." Finishes folding the towel and carefully hands it to her.

"What, did you think that I was sick?" Lewis raised an eyebrow. "You never brought it up before. I just assumed that you were joking," Cleo shrugged.

"Seriously, how do you do that?" Bella asked. As many towels as she goes through, she never really bothered folding them the proper way. Just the way she wants it done. Saves more time her way.

Cleo: drops her own towel and stares at the perfect towel fold in her hands in disbelief. "Look at that." Looks up at him and frowns as Lewis takes another towel to fold. "Mine are a complete mess." Looks back at the towel, tosses her hand up in the air. "Where did you learn to fold so neatly?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know as well," Zane chuckled, teasing his friend. "Someone spent a little too much time in mommy and me," Rikki teased, ignoring the empty feeling her mother had left behind. "I'm the youngest out of five boys. My mom practically babied me. Of course, she taught me how to fold a towel correctly," Lewis spat in annoyance.

"Remember that comment you made about maybe joining a gym? Yeah, I would consider it," Ash winced. "How about reconsidering? I've tried. It gets worse from here. There's a reason why I had my own weights at home," Lewis replied a bit sheepish.

"There's nothing wrong with doing chores right. Everyone has to fold them eventually," Neil told him. "Eh, not everyone," Rikki shrugged.

"Maybe you could give a few lessons," Will joked, not realizing some took his comment seriously. "Yeah, can you? Mom always complains about my folding, while Emma receives nothing but compliments," Elliot whined. "It's not my fault I do it better than you," Emma grinned.

Lewis: pauses in his folding and looks down at her, begins to realize how 'manly' this seems. Not very. "Me?" Cleo nods. "It's from constantly folding sails down at the docks." Crumbles the towel up in his hands. Gets spiteful. "And other things that men tend to fold." Cleo bites her lip and frowns at him skeptical. Drops his towel with an expression of defeat. "I've gotta go." Stands up and walks to the door. Cleo glances at him and back at the towel. Behind her back, Lewis lets out his frustration with crazy hand gestures.

"Sure, Lewis, sure," Cleo giggled. "Ah, excuses, excuses," Rikki smiled smugly. "Yeah, yeah," Lewis waved it off, his cheeks blushed pink with embarrassment. "You didn't believe him, did you?" Charlotte asked with a smile. "Of course not. I've known Lewis almost my whole life, and I've never seen him fold sails once. He doesn't even have a sail," Cleo held up a finger.

"Not many men fold their sails," Don chuckled. "I hardly do myself." "Not many men fold anything," Zane corrected. "Actually, some men do. It helps to do some chores from time to time," Neil gave him a stern glare. Something you need to learn. "Keep talking about it and you might become one of them, Zane," Harrison warned.

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[Back at the beach, Nate stood in the sand closer to the ramp. Far enough from the water to keep from getting wet and in people's way, but close enough to hear the peaceful sound of the waves crashing against the shore. He stood straight, his posture still as he slowly moves his hands around, taking deep breaths.]

"Uh, what is he doing?" Rikki frowned in confusion. "Breathing techniques," Lewis said. "Okay. Second question, why?" Terry asked. "He likes to do karate. He said breathing techniques help 'clear the mind'," Lewis answered. "Are you sure that's karate? It looks like yoga to me," Bella tilted her head. "I'm surprised he would want to do something so relaxing. I guess it's good for him if he enjoys it. And good idea of him to do it on the beach, that's the most relaxing place there is," Sam hummed. "Until he's there," Emma mumbled. "Actually, does it to get chicks. He thinks it's the manliest thing you can do. And for the beach part, well there's a lot of chicks on the beach. He thought it could get a good view of himself," Zane remarked. "And there it is," Lewis nodded with a sigh. "Never mind," Sam said in a defeated tone.

"I'm amazed that someone with so little patience can do something that actually takes time," Harrison said in amusement.

[Nate gets in a fighting pose, his hands out in front of him, then starts punching the air and gets in a few more ridiculous poses.]

"That doesn't look like karate either," Bella squinted. "Oh, it gets worse. Much, much worse," Lewis said. "How would you know?" Charlotte asked. Lewis stayed silent, and a grin grew on Rikki's face as she came to the realization. "You were wanting to join him, weren't you?" Lewis's face grew redder, as her, Zane, and the other teenagers began to bark with laughter. "Shut up," he said a little too quickly, making them laugh more.

[Behind him, a few girls sat on beach towels watching him, whispering and giggling as they stare at him with adoring smiles. Lewis walks past them to Nate in a hurry, the latter still doing his poses and grunts.]

"And there it is," Sam sighed as she saw the giggling girls.

"How can those bimbettes stand to watch that? It's disgusting," Rikki complained. "Well not everyone's a genius," Terry shook his head. "And not everyone has met Nate either," Emma shook her head in disappointment.

Lewis: stops behind him and watches for a moment. "Hey, Nate." Nate does one last yell and punch then puts his fist together and takes a deep 'calming' breath in. He drops to his knees and lets the breath out. "Bad time?"

"Any time with him is bad," Charlotte scoffed. "And this is a very bad idea," Cleo pointed out. "Yeah, I learned that the first time," Lewis sighed.

"You really shouldn't let him get to your head," Sam shook her head. "Too late for that."

Nate: eyes closed, still in his latest pose. "Yes, Lewis?"

Lewis: crosses his arms. Nods toward where he knelt and steps forward. "What was that you were doing?"

"Whatever he says, it wasn't that," Will shook his head. "All I saw was a clown dancing," Rikki quipped.

Nate: grins, his hands still held out from him. "Naihanchi." Looks up at him. "It's a kata."

"A whata?" Elliot asked. "It's a form of karate from what I learned," Lewis answered. "And he does it every chance he gets when there are girls around," Zane sighed. "Literally, he'll do it when one of us is around."

Lewis: "It's cool."

"It's not," Emma denied. "It's so lame," Rikki scoffed. "If anyone else had done it besides him you'd say otherwise," Lewis laughed. "... maybe," they muttered.

Nate: "Yeah, well the girls like it." Tilts his head to the side to look at the girls behind Lewis. Lewis turns around and sees the girls staring at the former and giggle. "That's not why I do it."

"Yeah right," Bella said. "And like we said, those girls are morons," Rikki stated.

"I do wonder if they might be making fun of him rather than think it's cute," Sam tilted her head. "Hope so," Annette said in slight disgust. "That'd be the smart thing for them to do," Rikki grumbled.

Lewis: "No, of course not."

"I hear the sarcasm," Denman grinned.

"And yet you still did it," Cleo shook her head. "I was trying to be manly enough," Lewis pouted. "You are, in your own way."

Nate: stands up. "No. I do it for discipline, focus," Turns to Lewis. "and to attain a oneness between mind, body and spirit." Lewis grins.

"Everything you don't have," Harrison said looking at Nate.

"He's more idiotic than the girls if he thinks he has learned that," Kim laughed.

"He heard his master teach it multiple times. Mainly to him because he refuses to listen," Zane announced. "Sounds about right," Terry said.

Nate: "You wanna learn?"

"Can I?" Elliot asked his parents. "Not from him," Neil remarked. "Let's get you a real master to learn from first sweetheart," Lisa patted him on the back.

Lewis: "Uh, no, I don't wanna bother you. I might find an online course." Jabs a thumb behind him.

"Good answer," Ash said. "That'd be best," Bev nodded. "Honestly, you'd probably learn more online than from him," Zane admitted.

Nate: holds a hand up. "Silence."

Lewis: flinches, looks down at his hand. "Okay."

"Why are you listening to him?" Emma frowned. "Well when you have a guy that just did some awesome karate moves tell you to be quiet, wouldn't you listen to him?" Lewis exclaimed. "Anyone else, maybe. A guy like him? Absolutely not," she remarked. "Please, we got awesome powers for a reason. Why not use them on idiots like him anyway?" Rikki said in a teasing matter when Emma gave her a stern look.

Nate: points two fingers at Lewis's eyes then moves his hand towards his own. Lewis's gaze follows his. "Attention." Nate nods then jumps back, crosses his arms then tosses them down. Lewis frowns in confusion. Begins doing some low punches and other moves, calling them out as he goes. "Lower strike, lower strike, off hand, front kick!" Kicks at Lewis's face and Lewis flinches back. Nate holds a hand out and gestures forward. "Hyaaaaah!" Stands up straight then waves his hands out in peace, lowers his head. Lewis, still confused, gestures to himself and Nate.

"Ugh, please tell me when it's over," Bella covered her eyes. "Elliot, you might want to do the same," Lisa said a bit disgruntled as she tried to cover her son's eyes. "Aw, mom," Elliot whined, gently swiping his mother's hands away.

"Are you serious? He almost just kicked you in the face!" Cleo shouted, eyes wide. "He was just showing off. He wasn't going to actually hurt me," Lewis waved it off. "Are you sure about that? I've only known Nate for a short time, but from what I've seen so far, he's a menace," Charlotte remarked. "I wouldn't be so trusting of him as to let him put a foot to my face," Max winced. "That's gross. Why would you want his disgusting feet anywhere near your face? Who knows where they've been?" Emma said in disgust. "I could think of a few places," Zane mumbled. "I don't wanna know," Emma interrupted.

"Can I please strike him with lightning?" Rikki begged. "No, Rikki," Lewis sighed. Rikki pouted.

Nate: nods at him. "It's your turn."

"Oh, this is going to be good," Rikki rubbed her hands together laughing. "This is going to be awful," Lewis covered his head with his hands. "Exactly. Can't wait!" "Oh, I can't watch this," Cleo scrunches up her face. "I can!" Kim said eagerly.

Lewis: takes a breath then with an actual – yet way worse – attempt, 'repeats' after Nate, calling out the wrong moves and punches as well. "Left strike, right punch, pizza slice, kick!" Kicks sand in Nate's face, the boy winces and closes his eyes and mouth to keep sand from getting in his mouth. With a finishing move, he does a fatal yell.

The whole room erupted into laughter, except of course a beet-red Lewis and a grimacing Cleo, who was trying extremely hard not to laugh at him, as she would feel very bad if she did. However, her two mermaid friends, three including Bella, were not afraid to bellow out their obnoxious laughs. "That was so much better than I thought," Rikki wiped a tear from her eye, Emma held her stomach from the aches of laughing too much. "Oh, wow," Will laughed. "I'm sorry, Lewis. But that was too funny," Charlotte too began wiping her tears.

"What was with the yell?" Bella giggled. "I was trying to copy him," Lewis huffed, his reddish skin not going away any time soon.

"Well, you're clearly second best," Sam said somewhat encouraging. "How about second worst?" Kim snickered.

"Did you just say pizza slice?" Ash grinned with a raised eyebrow. "I couldn't remember what he said," Lewis exclaimed. "It was nowhere near," Zane continued to bark with laughter.

"Well, it's a good thing you're an upcoming scientist," Denman grimaced.

[Lewis turns to the girls behind him and watches them stand up, their giggling moods now gone as they begin to pack up their stuff and leave. Turns back to Nate in a defeated mood, his head hung low.]

"I think it's clear as to what they thought of your 'karate moves'," Rikki teased, the laughter in the room continuing once more.

"How is it they thought that was bad and still thought Nate was good?" Emma asked. "Because they have eyes," Kim said as if it were obvious. "Because they have bad taste in men," Cleo mumbled to herself. "You gotta admit, Nate was better. Sorry mate, but Nate's been doing it longer," Zane patted him on the back. "So, I've noticed," Lewis mumbled.

Nate: wipes the sand off his clothes, looks back up at Lewis with slight surprise. "You could be really good at this stuff."

"Really?" Elliot said in surprise. "Not really. I sucked," Lewis answered. "You could be if you tried," Charlotte said in an attempt at encouragement. "I did!"

"There's no way you actually believe this stuff. Not after that!" Ash gestured to the fleeing fangirls.

Nate: steps forward and places a hand on Lewis's shoulder. Points to himself. "You can practice with me." Points at the ground. "Be here at 6 A.M. tomorrow morning. We'll make a man of you yet, Lewis." Lewis grins and nods. Nate puts his fists together while Lewis tries to shake his hand. Nate bows, and Lewis does slightly, putting a hand to his forehead in a small salute. Nate runs off, but as he does, he slaps him on the back in a form of goodbye and goes off. Lewis nods to himself, a small smile forming on his face, then runs off in the opposite direction.

"You actually believed him?" Rikki raised an eyebrow. "What can I say? He's really convincing," Lewis shrugged. "He's manipulative," Cleo corrected. "A little bit, yeah. Was I that bad?" Lewis winced in question. "Definitely," Emma nodded. "Absolutely," Rikki stated bluntly, most of the audience agreeing with them. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but worse than Nate," Harrison admitted. "Nate's got talent, admit it," Zane grinned. "He might be tough, but he's still an idiot," Harrison mentioned.

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[That night at the Gilbert household, as everyone gathers around in the living area before bed and bidding goodbyes for the weekend, Emma brought two mugs of tea to her parents sat on the couch having a conversation with Rikki sitting in the chair across from them in the living room, reading a magazine. Elliot sat at the counter doing homework that was due on Monday.]

Lisa: next to her husband on the couch, the latter with his arm over her shoulder. "I'm so glad you're here to keep Emma company for the weekend, Rikki."

"Felt more like babysitting," Emma snorted. "Uh, for who? As I recall, everything was your fault, not mine," Rikki raised an eyebrow. "Still want to know what happened," Bella raised her hand. "You will eventually," Rikki smirked as Emma rolled her eyes. "Gotta agree with Rikki on this one," Elliot mentioned.

"Why are you doing homework on a Friday night?" Kim scrunched up her face. "To free up my weekend so I won't have to do it Sunday night," Elliot answered. "Oh, fair enough," she shrugged in thought.

Emma: sets the mugs down on the costars on the living room table. "You know what they say, mom, 'two responsible heads are better than one.'" Glances at Rikki with a knowing look then sits down next to them.

"So, where's the second one?" Terry joked. "Hah, hah, very funny. I can be responsible," Rikki defended. "No, you're not," all of her friends said including Zane. "Name one time," Rikki prodded. "How about when my brother ran away?" Emma narrowed her eyes. "That has nothing to do with responsibility. I'm not responsible for his actions," Rikki remarked. "He's eleven. You were sixteen! You were older; thus, you were in charge of him. He was your responsibility," Emma exclaimed. "And he's your brother. You should've been keeping up with him," Rikki bickered. "Enough! Geez, do we really have to go through this again?" Cleo huffed, ending it there once and for all. Hopefully. With a huff, the two blondes turn back to the screen avoiding their parent's stern glares.

Rikki: lets out a breath and closes the magazine. Turns to them. "So, when are you leaving?"

Lisa: smiles in excitement. "In the morning." Neil takes a sip from his mug.

"Why not that night?" Annette asked out of curiosity. "It was dark by the time I got off work. We still would've had to pack, put our bags in the truck, and the ride to the convention takes several hours," Neil explained. "We thought it best to wait until the morning, so that way Neil here could be rested up and not risk us driving with sleep deprivation," Lisa added.

Rikki: "Great. That gives us two days." Grins and looks down. "What can we squeeze into that, Em?" Emma narrows her eyes in confusion. "Three wild parties? Maybe four?" Emma's eyes widen in shock and shakes her head.

"Did you really think I was serious? How dumb do you think I am?" Rikki laughed with a smirk. "I never know what to expect from you," Emma shook her head.

Just the one, Cleo thought with a giggle.

"Emma, we told you to lighten up. "We know when she's kidding," Lisa laughed, similar to how she was onscreen.

"It depends. How long are these parties going to last," Zane hummed in thought. "There won't be any parties; none that you are going to," Harrison warned him. "It's already happened, dad," he sighed.

Lisa: and Neil laugh out loud. "Oh, Rikki." Waves it off, their laughter dies down. Shakes her head in amusement and pats Neil on the knee. Emma looks at Rikki in disbelief. "Come on, darling."

Neil: "Alright."

Lisa: "Let's go and pack." The two stand from their spots on the couch, Lisa grabs her tea mug in the process, and they head for the stairs to prepare for their weekend adventure. As they head up, Emma stares at Rikki in shock and disbelief.

Rikki: notices her stare. "What's up?" Emma glances away with a sigh then back to her.

"Did you think I would throw a party at your house, while your parents are gone?" Rikki raised an eyebrow. "Maybe a little," Emma mumbled in admittance. "Please, if I'm going to throw a party, I'd do it at my own place," Rikki scoffed. "Which you won't," Terry cut in with a stern expression. "Which I won't," Rikki added as she glanced at her dad. "But I definitely wouldn't say it in front of your parents either." "Yeah, no teenager is going to tell their parents of a wild party," Ash chuckled. "You of all people would know, Em," Rikki teased the 'rebel'.

Lisa and Neil glanced at one another. They noticed the panicked look Emma had. What was she really planning? What were their kids really up to? They had to admit, even though they knew of the party, they were curious as to what else their kids and Rikki were up to while they were gone.

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[The next morning, Emma walks into the bathroom with her robe on, only to find it a complete mess thanks to Rikki. The blow-dryer was unplugged in the sink, toothbrush, and toothpaste scattered all over the counter, and makeup and other facial products were spread out all over the place with soap and towels in the other sink.]

"Ew," Charlotte shuttered, as most of the audience members looked at it in shock. "Woah," Ash frowned, eyes wide. "Is your um, bathroom always like that?" Sam said a bit disgruntled. "You've seen my bathroom plenty of times from this. It's never been like that before until a week ago," Emma glared at Rikki. "How did it get like that?" Max said in surprise. "How do you think?" Emma snapped. Mrs. Chatham chuckled. "Best friends at other houses do tend to act like they live there."

"How did you fit all of that in your sleeping bag?" Terry asked in confusion. He remembered this was just over a week ago, and he knew it wasn't that big. "That's because I didn't. It was Emma's stuff," Rikki rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Rikki!" Terry scolded. "Sorry, Em," she said, still sheepish. "It's fine. But next time, can you please clean it up instead of letting me deal with it?" Emma sighed. "It depends, will there be a next time?" "Not until her grounding is complete," Neil stated. Emma shut her eyes. "Might be a while."

Emma: picks up a toothbrush covered in toothpaste. Whispers. "Yuck." Looks at it in disgust. "Rikki." Drops it back down and storms out of the bathroom.

"Ew!" Most of the audience began to gag. "Oh, come on. Don't act like your bathrooms don't get dirty either," Rikki argued.

"I'm beginning to feel bad for our housekeeper," Zane winced. "Does this mean you'll clean up more?" Harrison asked. "Keep dreaming, dad."

"Why is your toothbrush covered in toothpaste?" Will frowned. "... it, wasn't mine," Rikki muttered, still heard loud and clear. "Gross!" Kim gagged. "You used Emma's toothbrush?" Cleo's eyes widened when she realized who the pink toothbrush belonged to. "No, of course not! I quickly realized who it belonged to after I woke up a little more, and before I could use it," Rikki explained, a blush rising in her cheeks. "Then why didn't you clean it up?" Emma scowled. "Your toothbrush, your responsibility," Rikki said. "Your mess, your responsibility," Emma countered. "Do we really need to go through this again?" Cleo rolled her eyes.

"Maybe it's not such a good idea for you to watch this," Neil said in concern, watching his wife carefully. Lisa nearly fainted from the state of the children's bathroom. Emma winced, noticing her mother's horrified look. If she thought that was bad, it'd kill her mother to see what her kitchen looked like.

"You were awake?" Terry asked in surprise. "I was," Rikki nodded. "What time was it?" Bev asked. "8 A.M. I think," Emma guessed. "You're never awake at that time on a weekend," Terry said. "What can I say, I'm full of surprises," Rikki shrugged. "I woke her up," Elliot answered. "That too." "I just wanna know how Rikki woke up before Emma," Bella said. "Because I was up most of the night from someone's snoring," Emma turned to Rikki. "I was in the guest bedroom," Rikki remarked. "You were loud." "Don't call me out like that," Rikki said through her teeth, blushing slightly. "Seriously? You're embarrassed by that, but not by that?" Emma gestured to the disastrous bathroom.

[Downstairs, Rikki could be heard talking as Emma went down to the first floor, still in her robe.]

Rikki: "This is gonna be so tasty."

"Uh oh, are you in the kitchen?" Lewis gasped. "Maybe," Rikki grimaced. "Oh, dear gosh," Lisa breathed in, her heart beating rapidly. "Oh, yeah. She is," Emma said. And if you thought the bathroom was bad, were her unfinished words. Honestly, Emma felt bad for her mother. The house's cleanliness was her mother's pride and joy. She worked hard on it to make everything look perfect. To see it in such a disarray was not only embarrassing to Mrs. Gilbert, but her worst nightmare. In Emma's 16 years, the only time it was ever in such a similar way was when her parents were moving in. And she wasn't even born yet!

Elliot: "A mess everywhere."

Rikki: "It's alright. It's meant to do that."

"Rikki, what have you done?" Terry asked, a bit suspicious. "Elliot was hungry. I was just cooking for him," Rikki said in defense. "You cook?" Zane asked in surprise. "If that is what you call cooking," Emma gritted her teeth. "Yeah, and she was teaching me too," Elliot smiled. Just hope you don't do it her way, Emma thought.

"She cooks and she's awake? I must be dreaming," Lewis shook his head. "Ow!" Lewis rubbed his elbow from where Rikki pinched him. "You're not," she smirked.

Emma: rushes into the kitchen, on the other side of the counter, glares at Rikki, furious. "What are you doing?" Rikki glances back at Elliot and smiles. Rikki was using the electric pan to cook eggs and bacon while Elliot was at the stovetop cooking pancakes. However, the rest of the kitchen ... used bowls, plates, cups, and nearly every other dish in the kitchen was scattered around on the counters covered in pancake batter and eggs. An open egg carton was on the other side of Rikki. Toast sat on one plate, while flour was poured on nearly every spot on the counter around it. Not a spot left untouched.

The entire crowd gasped, but it was a mix of different reasons. "Oh my gosh," Bella's jaw nearly dropped. "What is that? Because that is not a kitchen," Ash pointed at it. "Did you guys remodel or something?" Lewis's eyes were wide in shock. "I've been cooking and making messes plenty of times, but never this big," Annette was shocked just like everyone else was. "I don't know what's more shocking. Rikki awake or the state of the kitchen," Don said in shock. As many times as she stayed at their house, she has never done such a thing that he was aware of. Then again, he was unaware of a lot of things it seems since he didn't know his own daughter was a mermaid. "Rikki!" Terry shouted, eyes wide in shock and anger. "My kitchen!" Lisa shrieked; her hands covered her mouth. Neil had to put his hands on her shoulders to prevent her from jumping out of her seat.

"Why all the unused dishes?" Will asked. "Uh, correction. Used dishes. We separated the ingredients in them," Rikki corrected. "Maybe it's a good thing you don't work at the café anymore," Cleo grimaced.

"Rikki, what is that?" Cleo asked. She knew Emma told her it was a disaster, but she never knew it was this bad. "It's just a little mess. Nothing too bad," Rikki shrugged it off. "Nothing too bad? Rikki, it looks like a bomb went off!" she exclaimed, then winced once she heard Lisa gasp at the description. "Whoops. Sorry, Mrs. Gilbert."

Elliot: turns to his sister. "Morning, Emma. We're making breakfast."

"Usually when she's in the kitchen she's eating, never making. This is unbelievable," Lewis said in disbelief. "So does everyone," Rikki frowned.

"Rikki is up at sunrise. Please, teach me your ways," Terry pleaded.

"That's something I've never seen before," Zane said, eyes wide. "What, a messed-up kitchen?" Harrison asked confused. "No, Rikki awake before 10 A.M.," he replied. "I'm sorry, can we go back to the Rikki and cooking part?" Will backtracked.

"It reminds me of when your grandmother was teaching you how to cook when you were five. You said the same thing when I woke up," Annette chuckled at the memory. "Mom!" Charlotte hissed in embarrassment.

"She – she can cook? Quick, someone get the camera!" Lewis mocked. "I've been cooking since I was a kid. And don't try to get the attention away from you, Mr. Sand-Kicker," Rikki retorted. "Who do you think taught her?" Terry hummed. "Elliot you ought to no better than that to not leave a mess," Neil huffed as his wife tried to take calming deep breaths. It wasn't working. She couldn't stop staring at her ruined kitchen.

Emma: walks over to him. "Where's mom and dad?"

Elliot: lowers the spoon that he was using to stir the soupy mix with. "They left first thing this morning." Walks over to Rikki. Emma picks up the spoon and the mix pours off it. She looks at it in disgust.

"It's a good thing we did," Neil mumbled to himself, afraid his wife would hear. If she saw that in person ... they may have to buy a new house.

"You could've woken me up to say goodbye," Emma mentioned. "We left you a note on the fridge. We didn't want to disturb you. You needed your rest," Lisa said quietly, still distraught. "I saw," Emma said with a thin smile. While I was cleaning up! It too somehow had pancake mix all over it.

"That's some ... interesting pancake mix," Will said, trying to be nice. "I may have put a little too much water in it," Elliot admitted. "Maybe just a little," Annette pinched her fingers together; she too was trying to be nice.

Rikki: "Yep, we are officially on our own." Turns to Emma. "So do you want one piece of French toast or two?"

"How can you ignore that?" Charlotte asked. "Pretty simple actually," she shrugged like it was easy.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave them alone. Should've called my sister Thea," Neil sighed. "A little late for that," Lisa muttered under her breath, still shaken up.

"At least she was asking," Cleo told Emma, being optimistic.

Emma: lifts a spatula covered in egg yolk, annoyed. "What I want is for you to clean the egg off the bench." Behind her, Rikki grabs toast from the plate and places it on the electric pan. Drops the spatula. Takes a step and feels something mushy. She looks down and finds eggs on the floor as well. "And the floor."

"Seriously?" Lewis asked. "Seriously," Emma said in disgust. "Please tell me you weren't barefoot," Bella gagged. "No, luckily I had my slippers on," Emma said, slightly relieved. It still, however, nearly ruined her slippers. "It took forever for me to get the gunk off."

"Oh, not my floor," Lisa wept. "I'm kind of glad that we can't see the state of the floor right now," Neil said a little relieved. His wife wouldn't be able to handle it. "How did it even get on the floor?" Sam asked in confusion. "We may have been playing catch the egg while cooking," Rikki said sheepishly. "Rikki!" both Terry and Emma yelled, Lisa's face grew paler.

"Remind me to never let her step foot in the restaurant's kitchen. Or ours for that matter," Annette mumbled to Charlotte who nodded.

Rikki: "Yeah, yeah, we'll get to that after breakfast." Picks up the syrup bottle and squeezes a pile of it onto the toast.

"When's the actual breakfast part?" Zane asked. "It'll get there," Rikki said. "Not in that house," Emma mumbled.

Emma: points at it. "You can't possibly eat that. It's total junk."

Rikki: "Em, lighten up."

"She's right though. That's a total sugar crash," Will said. "But it's so good," Rikki remarked.

Elliot: grins. "Yeah, lighten up." Emma walks out of the kitchen in a huff.

"Oh no, she's infecting the kid," Lewis gasped dramatically. "I am not," Rikki rolled her eyes. "Rikki, you do have a bit of an influence on him. I mean, look at him. He looks up to you," Cleo nodded at the screen. And not me, Emma thought a bit sadly.

"Hope this isn't something we see more often out of him then," Neil shook his head. "I'm right here you know," Elliot waved his hand in front of his dad's face.

Elliot: not realizing she could hear, whisks the batter. "I wish my sister could be more like you." Emma stops and turns around, looking hurt. She lets out a breath and walks back up the stairs.

"Ouch, hurtful," Will winced. "Is this why you tried to be a rebel? Because of what Elliot said?" Rikki whispered. Emma bit her lip and nodded her head.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Em. I didn't know you were still there," Elliot flinched. "She just stepped away," Ash raised an eyebrow, seeing how hurt Emma looked. "Elliot," Lisa gasped and scolded him. "It's okay. It only hurt a little," Emma sighed. "I didn't mean it, Em. Though you can be annoying sometimes, you're the best sister I ever had," Elliot told her. Emma smiled. "I'm your only sister." "Case in point," he grinned. Emma giggled. "Thanks, El."

"I don't get it. The house wasn't like that when we got back," Neil frowned in confusion having never seen it like that before. It was a completely different mess. "That's because I had to clean everything up," Emma spat venom. "Rikki, are you kidding me?!" Terry yelled, rubbing his forehead from the oncoming headache. "I was cooking. What kind of person doesn't make a mess when they're cooking?" Rikki argued. "Everyone does. But it's always cleaned up during or after. You don't make a mess at someone else's house and not expect to clean it up, and you certainly don't expect others to clean it up for you!" he shouted. "I wasn't expecting her to. I was going to clean it up," Rikki shot back. "When?" Emma tilted her head. "Eventually. Not at the time, but I was," she shrugged, her head down.

Terry sighed; his eyes squeezed shut. "Grounded." "Wha – for what?" Rikki said jaw dropped. "For Emma having to clean it up," Terry said as if it were obvious. "Great," she rolled her eyes. "Join the club," Cleo smirked. "Sorry," Rikki winced at the Gilbert's. "It's alright. At least there wasn't a fire," Neil sighed, his wife still unable to reply. "Not yet," Emma mumbled.

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[Meanwhile on the beach, same as the Gilbert household, an out-of-shape Lewis was a mess too. He ran across the sandy beach trailing behind a fit Nate. Lewis stumbles in the sand as he tries to keep up with his trainer, the two head for the ramp that leads back to the regular trail. They run up the stairs; Nate pauses – runs in place – for Lewis to catch up.]

"Ah, fantastic," Lewis groaned in complaint. "Uh, are you okay?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "No, I'm perfectly fine. Of course something's wrong! I was out of breath and covered in layers of sweat. Man, I really should have joined that gym," Lewis mumbled the last part. "Well look on the bright side, at least it's manly," Will said optimistic.

"How is Nate still lasting? He eats like a pig," Rikki frowned. "Nate is quite surprisingly in good shape," Lewis said, slightly jealous of him. "To be fair, he did play soccer and was also a coach, not to mention all the swimming and stuff," Zane reminded. "It reminds me of my old training routine," Emma shuttered at the thought of having the same routine as him.

"Hang on. If you've been running since 6 and it's almost 8 now –," Max began to summarize. "You've been running for two hours?!" Cleo gasped. "Yes, exactly that," Max sighed at being cut off. "Actually, we did a prewarm up and stretches for an hour before he decided to run down the beach and expect me to follow," Lewis corrected. "I swear he's trying to kill you," Zane chuckled. "He could at least went easy on you," Emma said. "Like how you went easy on Byron?" Lewis raised an eyebrow. "That's different. Byron is athletic ... while you're - well," Emma stuttered out. "A nerd," Rikki stated bluntly. "I was trying to find a nicer term," Emma whispered harshly. "That was a nicer term," she whispered back.

[Lewis makes it up the stairs, turns around to Nate, and runs in place like him.]

Nate: stops running in place, steps forward to him. Neither out of breath nor as sweaty as Lewis. "You wanna take a break?"

Lewis: gasps for air, leans against the railing still kicking his legs back and forth. "No! No way. I'm – I'm fine."

"For once, I think you might want to listen to him," Emma said, slightly concerned. "Lewis, seriously. Take a break. You look like you're dying," Charlotte too was concerned. "I think he is dying," Kim mumbled.

Nate: leans against the railing next to him. Smirks. "You're out of shape, man. Take a breath."

Lewis: takes a deep breath, trying to calm down his breathing. "Oh. Oh, goodness."

"So, he can speak the truth," Lewis huffed. "That's rich," Rikki said.

"Breathe, Lewis, breathe," Bella said.

Nate: raises his voice. "So, what do those girls get up to?"

Cleo and Emma's eyes widened in shock. Was Nate catching on to the secret? Did Zane blab to Nate? "Zane," Emma hissed in an icy, warning. "Relax. I didn't say anything. But I think I know where he's going with this. And you're not going to like it," Zane replied. "Told you we could trust him," Rikki grinned. "It's Nate. Whatever he does we won't like," Cleo crossed her arms.

Lewis: caught off guard, turns to him. Still trying to catch his breath. "Huh?"

Nate: "Emma, Cleo and Rikki. They all look really fit."

"Did Nate not know you and Rikki were dating again?" Harrison asked. "Rikki didn't want her friends to know. I wasn't going to risk it by Nate letting it slip," Zane shrugged. He actually listened! Rikki beamed.

"Was that a compliment from him?" Bella asked. "I think. But I prefer to pretend it never existed," Cleo said a bit uncomfortable. "Agreed," her mermaid sisters said.

"Why is he asking this all of a sudden?" Sam asked. "Because Nate was secretly trying to get Cleo to go out with him behind my back," Lewis spat. "You're kidding, right? He really thought that would work?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow. Lewis nodded. "So, when's the part where you figure that out?" Denman asked curiously. "Not for a while, unfortunately," Lewis sighed. "Did it work?" Will asked. "You don't see Nate here holding my hand, do you? No of course not. Why would I go out with that idiot?" Cleo frowned. "Well, you did go to the dance with him," Lewis pointed out. "Don't get me started on that," Cleo glared. Lewis zipped his mouth shut.

Lewis: nods his head. "Yeah, well, I guess they get plenty of exercise." Gestures to the beach.

"Don't feed him any information!" Rikki yelled. "Was that a hint?" Emma narrowed her eyes, noticing him point at the waves. "Maybe a little. Come on, he would never figure it out just by that," Lewis snickered.

Nate: "Right. So, Cleo's the sporty type?"

"Wow, for someone who pays so much attention to girls, he knows so little," Rikki shook her head.

"If anyone's the sporty type, it's Rikki and Emma. I suck at sports. Dad and Kim are the one who likes sports, I hate them," Cleo mentioned. "Luckily I'm the one with that talent," Kim teased.

Lewis: shakes his head, tired. "Definitely not, no. No, Cleo's a real girly girl. She likes flowers and chocolates, all that stuff." Nate grins and nods. They stay quiet for a moment as Lewis continues to take deep breaths and Nate forms a few ideas in his thick skull.

Cleo smiles upon hearing Lewis describe the real her. Through their relationship and after the breakup he still knew every little detail about her, because unlike most such as Nate, he actually listened. And that's what she loved about him most, his attention to detail – one of them at least. Wait, flowers and chocolates? ... "You're the one who gave Nate those ideas?" Cleo whispered. "Well, it's not like I meant to," Lewis whispered back, gesturing to the screen. "I thought he was just making polite conversation." "Wow. Smarter than all of us and still you show your blondeness," Rikki shook her head.

Nate: turns to him. "Hey, um, there's a beginner's class this afternoon. You wanna come?"

"Oh, more fun to see," Rikki was thrilled with excitement.

"Nate's in the beginner's class?" Harrison asked skeptical. "No, but his little brother Billy is. He doesn't stop talking about it every time I'm over there. Why I still go, I don't know," Zane answered.

"Lewis, you don't have to put yourself through this," Cleo shook her head. "A little late for that, aren't we?" he chuckled quietly.

Lewis: nods. "Sure."

Nate: nods back. "Excellent. See you later." Pats him on the back and runs up the ramp.

Lewis: points at him and shouts. "See you then!" Remains so he can try to catch his breath back.

"Was he even there or did he ditch you?" Cleo asked. "He was but I think it was more for Billy than me," Lewis said. "And entertainment," Rikki grinned. Lewis pointed at her. "That – that too." "I hope we get to see that," Kim whined.

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[Later on, at Mako Island, Emma sat in her human form on the rocky ledge of the moonpool, facing the wall with a scowl on her face. Behind her, in swims Cleo. Emma turns to see the brunette surface.]

Cleo: swims to the ledge. "Emma, I've been looking for you everywhere. What's up?"

"You know where we go when we need to think and cool off," Emma said with a small smile.

"Wow, I ticked you off so bad that you're glaring at a rock wall?" Rikki chuckled. "Well, I had to be mad at something, can't just yell at you with Elliot around," Emma huffed. "You could," Elliot shrugged. Wouldn't be the first time. "Even best friends get mad at each other. Julia was a prime example," Mrs. Chatham informed.

"I would've preferred to have been alone," she sighed. "With us two around? Not gonna happen," Cleo grinned.

"Rikki stayed the night at my house. What do you think happened?" Emma rolled her eyes. "It wasn't that bad," Rikki shrugged it off. "Did you not see the same kitchen and bathroom as we did?" Emma gestured to the others.

Emma: goes back to scowling at the wall. "Nothing's up. Why would something be up?" Cleo raises her eyebrow at the snappy attitude. Emma turns to her and inhales. "It's Rikki. she's turned my house into a pigsty and my brother against me."

"Again, sorry about the house, but your brother has his own opinion," Rikki said. "Yeah, and it was clear that he liked you better than me," Emma muttered. "Em, he's eleven. He'll get over it," Rikki shook her head. "I wasn't against you. It's just you two are very different," Elliot remarked. "I'm sorry if it seemed that way." "Elliot, I told you, it's fine," Emma sighed. "Clearly it wasn't." "It is now."

"Ah, so you're the jealous one now," Will grinned. "Am not," Emma protested. "You so are," Zane chuckled. Emma rolled her eyes.

"You did tell me to relax at your place for the weekend," Rikki shrugged. "I didn't mean for you to take over my house," Emma exclaimed.

[Cleo has a wide grin on her face as she understands what this is about.]

Emma: notices her smug grin. "What?" Jumps up. Walks around the cave, waves her arms in the air, frustrated. "Don't you think I'd like to slack off and lay around the house once in a while?"

"No," Rikki and Lewis both said. "Not really," Ash answered. "You don't really seem like the slacker type," Lisa admitted, finally calming down from her horror streak. "She didn't seem like the rebel type either, but we thought otherwise last week," Neil muttered. "And now we know why. She was trying to prove a point obviously," Lisa replied.

"I could if I wanted to," Emma argued. "You couldn't even if you tried. You're not very good at being laid back," Rikki teased.

"That's not why I was smiling. It was so obvious that you were jealous of Rikki," Cleo laughed. "I was not!" Emma yelled. "Yes, you were. The Emma Gilbert was jealous of me. Can someone record this?" Rikki acted excitedly in a teasing matter. "Don't you dare!" "So, you admit it?" Will grinned. "There's nothing to admit. I wasn't jealous. Why would I be jealous of my best friend?" Emma scoffed. "Because Elliot liked her better than you," Charlotte pointed out, Annette whacked her lightly on the arm to get her to hush. Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose, crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the screen, avoiding everyone else's gaze. Oh yeah. Definitely jealous, Rikki thought giddy in her seat.

Emma: faces her. "I can't because it would ..." Falters.

"What? Ruin your organizational skills?" Ash asked in amusement. Because it would mean I would be exactly like Rikki. And that just isn't me, Emma thought.

"There's nothing wrong with laying back every once in a while. But with your parents gone and your little brother around to take care of, I wouldn't suggest too much of it," Sam suggested.

"Gotta admit, I am curious as to what a laidback version of Emma would be like," Zane humored. "It was interesting to see," Rikki smirked.

Cleo: "Would what?" Emma glances to the side, not sure of what to say. She just couldn't do it.

"I just couldn't. I've never done it before," Emma shrugged uncomfortably. "It wouldn't hurt to try," Ash told her. "Oh, it did, it definitely did," Rikki mentioned. She remembered the fall Emma had last week after turning into a mermaid on the bathroom floor. Emma nodded with a wince; she still had a small bruise on her elbow from it.

Cleo: shrugs. "Look, maybe you should just ..." Shrugs. "relax and go with the flow."

"Can she even do that?" Lewis asked. "She tried," Cleo winced. "She's not very good at it, as you can tell," Rikki whispered. "I can hear you know," Emma rolled her eyes.

Emma: chuckles and rolls her eyes in disbelief, tosses her hands up in the air. "You think I can't go with the flow." Cleo keeps her mouth shut. "You think I'm too tense, too rigid."

"You are taking this way out of proportion. That's not what I said at all," Cleo shook her head. "Emma dear, that's not what she meant," Lisa said in concern. "It might have been some of my own personal thoughts added to it," Emma bashfully admitted. "Too right," Rikki said. "Rikki," Cleo hushed her. "What, am I wrong?" Like onscreen, Cleo remained quiet. That's what I thought.

"I think someone needs a vacation," Ash mumbled.

Cleo: grins from the misunderstanding. "That's not what I –."

Emma: cuts her off. "You wait. You'll see." Mischievous grin. "I'll show you who can relax. I'll show everyone." Dives into the moonpool and leaves. Cleo shakes her head and sighs, a small smile on her face.

"What's with that look?" Rikki grinned. "I knew it wasn't going to go well," Cleo giggled. "What do you mean?" Emma frowned. "Em, come on. You're just not the relaxing type. The only time you ever do relax is when you're swimming. And even then, you make it into a competition," Cleo remarked.

"You make it sound like a competition," Will commented. It reminded him too much of his sister. "That's because she was," Rikki grinned smugly. And guess who won this time. "How do you make relaxing a competition? That's not relaxing at all," Ash frowned. "Emma makes a competition out of everything," Elliot said. "That may be overdoing it," Sam winced.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

[After the incident at the moonpool, Cleo returns to her home to help prepare for lunch. Cleo was in the kitchen making a salad for the others while Don sat at the dining table doing paperwork. Kim walks into the kitchen with a bouquet of pink flowers, smiles at Cleo.]

Kim: to Cleo. "Hey, look what someone just dropped off for you."

"That sleazy little rat," Lewis narrowed his eyes. "Are those from Nate?" Bella asked. Cleo nodded in disgust. "Not bad from someone who treats women like their dolls," Anette huffed.

"Throw them away. They're tainted," Rikki gagged. "You would've told me to throw them away either way," Cleo laughed. "Depends on who they're from," Rikki side-glanced Lewis.

"If you knew she liked flowers, why didn't you get her any?" Denman asked. "I did while we were dating. But the reason we broke up was because Cleo needed her space and time to think, so I was going to do just that. I didn't want to come on too strong," Lewis responded. Cleo smiled at him. "Thanks, Lewis." "If I had known Nate was going to do that, I would've warned her," Lewis said. "A warning would have been great," Cleo shuttered from the memory of Nate hitting on her. Which was normal, but still creepy.

"You didn't know who it was?" Bev asked her, finding it sweet that someone bought her daughter flowers, even though they were from Nate. "It was just a flower delivery guy. He didn't leave a name or who it was from," Kim answered, not looking in her direction.

"Salad for lunch?" Rikki said. "What's wrong with salads?" Don asked. "Nothing. I just thought it'd be something more filling," Rikki shrugged. "It's lunch, it doesn't have to be filling. Besides, someone had to make lunch for them," Cleo snuck a glare at her mom. It wasn't that hidden though as she noticed and glanced down.

Cleo: takes the flowers, confused. "For me?" Don looks over at the bouquet.

"Who else would it be for?" Kim said as if it were obvious. "For dad; it was just the three of us," Cleo said, making the latter part a little louder for her mom to hear. "It said for Cleo Sertori. So, unless dad had a name change all of a sudden, I think it's for you," Kim reminded. "Yeah, that's a dead giveaway," Don laughed with them.

Kim: walks around the counter. "Who'd send someone like you flowers?" Don gave her a stern look then went back to looking at Cleo. Sits down at the table.

"Seriously, Kim?" Bev sighed. "Why didn't you get on to her?" "I was more concerned over who sent my daughter flowers. And I knew she was just joking," Don answered. Unlike you.

"Relax, Cleo, I was just kidding," Kim grinned upon seeing her sister's playful pout. "I know." The two sisters laughed it off, Bev frowned in confusion at their strange behavior. Were they finally getting along better because of the secret being out or was it because she was no longer in the picture?

I would, Lewis thought a little sad.

"Do you like flowers, Kim?" Elliot asked. "Sometimes. I like those colors there," Kim nodded at the screen, clueless as to the answer she gave. Elliot grinned.

Cleo: picks up the card from the bouquet and reads it. "'For the hottest chick around.'"

"And there goes any romantic sense he had left," Annette sighed. "Did he ever have any in the first place?" Sam asked. "I don't think so," Harrison chuckled.

"Yeah, that spells Nate alright," Emma shook her head. "He calls every girl that," Cleo rolled her eyes.

"I told him not to send that," Zane sighed. "You helped him with this?" Cleo raised an eyebrow. "I helped him get the bouquet, but I didn't know it was for you. I thought he was sending it to Miriam at boarding school," Zane said.

Don: frowns. Even Kim looks at her in surprise from the card. "'Hottest chick'? Who'd write something like that?" They look at one another in confusion.

"It makes sense now," Don shook his head, laughing. "I can't believe we couldn't figure it out. It was so stupid," Kim laughed with him. "Unique yet incredibly dumb at the same time," Bella giggled.

"To the guys in here. Don't ever send a card with the 'hottest chick' on it," Charlotte announced. "We know. We got common sense," Will shook his head. "Something Nate doesn't have," Emma mumbled.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

[At the Gilbert household, Rikki and Elliot walk back inside the front door after playing a round of soccer in the yard.]

Elliot: with the ball in his hand. "You've got to admit, that was the greatest save you've ever seen."

"Oh, were you two playing soccer?" Lisa asked in interest. "Yeah. Well, I was," Elliot grinned at a playful scowling Rikki. "I didn't know you could play, Rikki," Terry frowned in confusion. "She tried," Elliot giggled. "It's not that hard to kick a ball around a field," Rikki rolled her eyes. "Your skills say otherwise," Elliot said.

Rikki: closes the door. "Absolutely ... for a shrimp." They grin at each other as they walk into the living room.

"Rikki," Terry sighed. "Can no one take a joke anymore? He knew I was just messing with him," Rikki exclaimed. "Yeah it was all in good fun," Elliot nodded. "So, who won?" Neil asked with a small smile. "I did," they both said simultaneously. They look at one another in surprise.

Elliot: and her pause on the steps as they look in surprise at what was in the living room. "Woah." In the living room, Emma lays back on the couch with her feet propped up, reading a magazine and a bag of chips in her lap. On the living room table was a small mess of used dishes. On a couch next to her, an open box of pizza with leftovers in it.

"What is that?" Ash squinted. "I don't know, but it's not Emma," Elliot shook his head.

"I didn't know you were having others over, Emma," Lisa tilted her head. "Mom, it's me. I'm relaxing!" Emma waved to the screen. "You're eating chips?" Neil asked in shock. "Who is this person?" he teased.

Rikki: steps into the living room and crosses her arms. Behind her, Elliot looks around, the both of them very confused. "Hi." Emma goes back to her magazine and hums, trying to 'relax'.

"You're not going to reply back?" Cleo frowned. "That's rude," Bella commented. "I didn't want to waste my breath. I was trying to relax," Emma said. "That's what you call relaxing? You still look tense," Ash said. "It's because she was doing something she's never done before," Rikki said. "Trying to be something she's not."

Elliot: "Uh, Emma, what's for dinner tonight?" Rikki glances back at him and then at her.

Emma: "I'm having it. You guys do what you like."

"Chips for dinner?" Ash asked. "That's not a meal, that's a snack," Will said. "A tasty one," Zane added.

"That sounds nothing like you," Lewis shook his head. Emma turned to her parents, both of them reminded of the same conversation they had had a week ago. "That's the point."

Rikki: walks toward her, arms still crossed. "You call that dinner?"

Emma: annoyed, doesn't look at her. "You don't like it? Grab something else." Elliot walks into the kitchen, the ball still in hand.

"Although I do love chips and pizza, you made me lose my appetite," Rikki said. "I'm just surprised she's eating something else other than her health kick. Didn't think it was possible," Cleo commented. "It was your idea," Emma pointed out. "I told you to relax, not go nuts," Cleo reminded.

Rikki: tosses the pizza box to the side and sits down as Elliot rummages through the fridge. "Okay, we will." Grins and turns to Elliot. "Wanna go to the juicebar?" Emma scowls, getting outdone once again.

Elliot: "Yeah, alright! Wicked." Elliot walks to the door. Rikki takes a chip from the table and eats it. She stands up and follows him out. Emma tosses her magazine down in frustration.

"It's just eating you up, isn't it?" Rikki laughed. "That I can finally do something better than you can." "It is not," Emma shook her head. "It looks like it is," Cleo teased.

"The juicebar for dinner?" Lisa asked. "The juices are healthy. And they got a lunch and dinner menu," Rikki gave them a thumbs up. "Rikki paid for me," Elliot said with glee. "Where'd you get the money?" Lewis asked suspiciously. "From your wallet." "What!" Lewis looked through his wallet, frantic. "Kidding!" she and Elliot high-five.

🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊

[That afternoon in the park, Lewis joins Nate at the beginner's class with the younger kids. Nate and the younger group wore their GIs, with some having black, yellow, and green belts. The master faces them all at the very front giving commands and for them to copy his exact movements, quickly and perfectly. Nate was on the back of the rubber mat helping the younger teens with their movements, while Lewis stood in the front still wearing his sweaty clothes next to the younger kids.]

Master: yells out moves and shows it to them. "Down left!" They follow his moves with a yell of their own. Most of the kids get it down pat. Lewis on the other hand ... at least he's trying. "Right kick!" Does a kick and the rest follows. Lewis does several kicks with the wrong foot.

"Lewis, what are you doing?" Cleo asked. "Karate," Lewis said as if it were obvious. "No, you're not," Kim shook her head. "At least it's the first class," Bev winced. "You're trying your best ... I hope," Sam muttered the last part. "Come on, Lewis. The younger kids are doing better than you," Rikki complained. "Hey, they've been in there longer than me. Look at their belts!" Lewis gestured to the screen. "Maybe beginner's class is a little too advanced for you," Ash winced.

"Maybe you'll get a white belt for your effort," Bella tried to encourage. "Yeah, I don't think I'll be going back," Lewis grimaced. "Why not?" Harrison asked. "No reason," Lewis shook his head, avoiding gazes. Rikki smirked. "You got your butt kicked by a kid, didn't you?" "No! No, no!" Lewis shook his head rapidly. "You did," her grin grew. "You totally did," Kim laughed. "Man, why didn't Nate invite me to see this?" Zane whined.

Nate: grabs Lewis by the shoulders, grinning. "Hey, mate, are you alright?"

Lewis: nods, a little excited to be learning. "Yeah." Nate nods and walks off. The master bows and the students follow, with Lewis doing it a bit more dramatically by lifting a hand in the air and bowing royally.

"Well at least it seems you're enjoying yourself," Cleo gave him a small smile. "Yeah, it was fun. A lot more than training with Nate," Lewis returned the smile.

"If this is the beginner's class, then what is Nate doing there?" Annette asked. "He was keeping an eye on me since it was my first time, and also the master had asked him if he could help with it since Billy was there," Lewis answered. "Makes sense," she nodded.

"You look like you were about to fall," Emma said. "I was. Thankfully Nate kept me balanced. And that's the only time I'll ever thank him so please don't make me say it again," Lewis shuttered. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Rikki acted like she didn't hear a thing.

"The kids are doing better than Nate," Rikki pointed out. "At the moment I say they're doing better than Lewis," Zane responded. "First! Class!" Lewis exclaimed.

[After the basics, Lewis walks over to the weights section and looks at the heavyweights. He starts going down the weighted plate sizes, the amount of weight increasing the lower he goes, touching each one of them. First the 5, then the 10, 15, then finally at the 25-pound plate that he spins around on the rack with a grin.]

"You're kidding yourself if you think you can lift that," Zane laughed.

"There is no way you're going to be able to lift that. It's practically your own weight," Rikki shook her head. "I'm heavier than I look," Lewis pouted.

"You're a nerd and be proud of it. Don't kill yourself to prove otherwise," Zane said. "Lewis, that will kill you. I'm proud of you for trying something new, but it's not worth it," Cleo said deeply concerned. "Don't overdo it. You'll just wreck yourself," Ash warned. "Don't worry, I found something that was more 'my size'," Lewis rolled his eyes, blushing slightly.

[Lewis lay on the bench lifting the barbell up and down, struggling to do so as he took deep breaths. Around him, the rest of the students continue their forms. Lewis lets the barbell rest back on the rack and lifts himself up, out of breath. He looks at both ends of the barbell, which has absolutely no weights on it, and claps his hands together in success.]

"I was going to say good job but, never mind," Ash sighed. "No weights? Seriously? How did you have weights at your home and not be able to lift weights here?" Zane asked. "I was working my way up to them," Lewis shrugged. "With what, a broom?"

"Forget that. How can you lift us whenever we're in trouble? You know how heavy our tails can be," Emma frowned. "Let's just call it adrenaline," Lewis waved it off. "Adrenaline can do many things, but it's not a miracle worker," Max chuckled.

"And you're proud of that?" Don asked. "It was an improvement," Lewis pouted. "I need to take you out on the boat more. That'll build you up then," Don said. "Oh, great," Lewis hesitantly said.

"Are you sure there's not a pre-beginner's class? Like pre-k?" Ash asked.

[Minutes later, Lewis was on the mat with another student testing his skills, which he unfortunately didn't have much of, so he was mostly being used as a test dummy. The little girl flips Lewis over and flat onto the mat, leaving the blonde boy in shock. She kicks a foot at him without hitting him and yells. The master comes over and pats her on the back and takes her to the side for a few more pointers. Meanwhile the younger boys around him snicker at his humiliating defeat.]

The room bursts into laughter, especially louder from the younger ones. "You just got beat up by a little girl!" Zane barked with laughter, holding his stomach. "I knew someone my size could take you," Kim smiled smugly. "She's tougher than she looks!" Lewis crossed his arms and scowled. "That was so funny," Bella wiped her eyes. "And humiliating. You must've been so embarrassed," Rikki taunted. "I've been through worse," Lewis sighed.

"I wish Nate could have recorded this. Oh, why couldn't he have recorded it?" Zane whined through his laughter.

"Wow, you were right. He really doesn't weigh much," Denman giggled. "She flipped him like he was nothing."

"No wonder Cleo was able to lift you so easily," Will laughed. The laughter quickly died down and everyone stared at him. "Still too soon?"

[Afterwards, Lewis tries out the speedbags, hitting them rapidly.]

"See you didn't do so bad there," Cleo encouraged. "Hmm, beginner's luck," Zane said.

[Then he does the kicks with the master, only for him to miss the mat the latter was holding and fall flat on his back. The master looks down at him. Lewis then tries his hand at jump-rope, only to get himself caught in it.]

"How do you fail at kicking? It's not that hard," Rikki said. "Neither is jump-rope," Kim grinned. "Maybe it's the same way with your soccer skills," Elliot teased. "Alright buddy," Rikki gave him a playful glare.

[Lewis returns to the master's mat. Only this time, he takes away the red padding from him and tosses it to the ground and body slams it.]

"Wow you got really frustrated with it, didn't you?" Charlotte laughed with a few others. "It's a lot tougher than it looks," Lewis said defensively. "Do you want to give it a try?" Annette joked. "No way. Martial arts is completely different than my art," Charlotte turned it down.

If he's like this at karate, maybe it's not such a good idea for him to be at my ranch, Ash thought.

Lewis: after trying out nearly everything in the beginner's class, Lewis lies down on an unused mat for a breather. He groans from the soreness of his aching muscles as he finally gets to take a break. He closes his eyes for a moment, only for Nate to pull him back up a second later. Nate pats him on the back. "Thanks, man." Looks exhausted.

"What was he doing throughout all of this?" Harrison asked. "Watching and probably – most likely – laughing like everyone else," Lewis mentioned. "Sounds about right," Rikki said.

"Tired, Lewis?" Cleo asked, still concerned for his well-being. "Very. That's the most exercise I've done in ages. Felt like I was in boot camp," Lewis admitted. "Don't you have P.E. at school?" Don asked. "Yeah, but I do some of my homework during it. The coach pretty much gave up on me. She just said for me to show up, change clothes and she'll pass me," Lewis said. "Lucky, I still have trouble with trying to get out of it," Cleo sighed. "And having been on the swim team before doesn't help," Emma added. "Why would you want to get out of P.E.? It's the best part of school," Kim frowned. "Because P.E. half the time involves a lot of water. Something we can't risk in front of others," Cleo explained to her. "I'm sure we'll figure something out for you girls when we return," Lisa nodded with the other parent in agreement.

Nate: "Nah, you did really well. See what you've been missing out on hanging out with a bunch of girls?"

"And the lies have returned," Bella said. "They never left," Zane said.

"If he missed out on sweat, exercise, and pure torture then it's not much," Rikki tilted her head.

"Lewis, you should've just come to me. I could've trained you," Emma shook her head. "No offense, Em, but I was trying to do it the manly way. As you can tell, it didn't work out so well," Lewis replied.

Lewis: winces. "Yeah."

Nate: "How you feeling?"

Lewis: shakes his head, still out of breath. "Great. Great. I feel very, um, very Bruce Lee." They both laugh.

"Lewis, no offense, but you look like you're about to cry," Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "Mm-hmm," Lewis bit his lip. I was.

"Was this Bruce Lee in his training stages or when he was a toddler?" Ash asked. "I was just joking; trying to relieve the tension," Lewis said. "The tension in the air or in your back?" Emma grinned. "... both."

Nate: laughs. "Alright." Pats him on the back and leaves. Lewis winces from the impact then lets out a deep breath and falls forward.

"A great mentor he is," Max sarcastically said. "Does he not see the pain you're obviously in?" Cleo frowned. "I'm sure he did," Lewis nodded. "He just didn't care," Zane added.

"'No pain, no gain'," Don quoted.