H2O: A Summer's Tail
By Jeune Ecrivain
Rating: T

Summary: Ash and Emma return to save Rikki's from bankruptcy. The mermaid trio becomes a quartet as Emma and Bella finally meet, and college plans get underway. Meanwhile, Will quickly becomes a sort of big-brother figure to Elliot, and Zane renews his attempts to win Rikki back. To top it off, a mishap at Mako Island will have major ramifications.

A/N: The idea to write my own vision of season 4 has been festering in my mind ever since I discovered H2O on YouTube a few weeks ago and watched the entire series on my computer (just in time too, 'cause shortly after I finished, the infamous Copyright Gestapo nailed the uploader). Anyway, please feel free to offer constructive critique, especially since I'm a tad concerned about getting OOC.

"So, you said you had a surprise for me?"

Ash Dove chuckled at his girlfriend's characteristic impatience as he tossed the last of her and her younger brother Elliot's luggage into the trunk of his Sedan. "All in good time, Em."

Emma Gilbert scrutinized him over the hood of the car as they made the short trip to their respective seats and climbed in, with Ash claiming the steering wheel. "Fine," she said with a roll of her eyes. "It'd better be good, though."

Ash smirked and shook his head. The petite blonde was as stubborn as he was. That was one of the main reasons he was attracted to her, though he would never admit it to her face. Turning on the ignition, he opted to play the distraction game. He directed his voice at the 12-year-old behind him. "So, Elliot, why exactly did you want to tag along with your sister on the early flight home? When she called and told me she'd be flying in a week ahead of your parents to surprise her friends, I didn't think you were coming too until she told me in a quick follow-up call." He did not even have to look at Emma to know that she was giving him an impish look that made her awareness of his ploy all too clear.

"I just mentioned how I kind of miss the stables, and she offered to take me along," the younger boy. "I kind of think she was hoping to have someone there in case some stewardess spilled some water one her and she had a panic attack or something. Hydrophobia is so weird!"

As the airport receded behind him, Ash let his eyes meet Emma's, which silently confirmed her sibling's suspicions. Giving the slightest nod of understanding, he cleared his throat and turned his gaze back to the road. "Well, you know, your sister had quite a traumatic experience getting lost on Mako Island that one time. I guess something like that just leaves a mark, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Although the ever-loyal Elliot had accepted his sister's compulsive fear of water, his lingering disappointment at having his relationship with the former swimming champion irrevocably altered still made itself known occasionally. Ash recognized the fleeting tinge of guilt as he glanced at his girlfriend's face. For a prolonged instant, her gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, and he realized that the direction which his attempt at playful distraction had taken was not as fun as he had anticipated.

A year ago, the sense that Emma was hiding something important from him had built to the point that he could no longer contain it. With each date, he had grown more attached to her confidence, wit, and perfectionism. Yet strange shifts in behavior and secretive meetings with her friends had escalated into the downright bizarre: girls floating in mid-air and water defying gravity. When he gave her his reluctant ultimatum, he was already primed to believe in something supernatural simply due to the impossible events that he had witnessed. That is why, when a nervous and vulnerable Emma finally led him to the beach and revealed her fishy secret to him, he had reacted with far less shock than one might expect from a guy having discovered that his girlfriend was a mermaid.

He remembered with perfect clarity the worried, apologetic look she had ventured to give him as her lionfish-orange tailfins swished in the surf. That single expression spoke volumes about the leap of faith she had taken, and he was struck by the trust that such a move implied. Leaps of faith were not her style, after all. Among what he had quickly thereafter learned was actually a trio of mermaids composed of Emma and her two best friends, she had been the most insistent on secrecy at the onset of their transformation. This did not surprise him, but when subsequent conversation revealed that she had also been the only one to volunteer the information to her boyfriend (the other two male confidants had found out by accident), the irony did not escape him. He knew then that he would never betray her confidence.

He was brought out of his reminisces by a distinctive ring from Emma's cell phone, which she snatched from her hip and pressed to her ear. "Hey, Cleo," she greeted, smirking at the thought that her brunette friend was not expecting to see her again for another week.

"Emma!" cried Cleo Sertori gleefully. "Seriously, can't you turbo-swim across the Pacific or something! It feels like the closer we get to your homecoming, the more we miss you! We're starting to get restless and edgy! Well, except for Bella and Will, but they don't count, 'cause they don't know you yet. Even Rikki's starting to crack, in her own way."

Emma's laugh put a smile on Ash's face. "What'd she do?"

"She's actually moping a little! You and I both know Rikki does not mope! She broods like a pro, but she never mopes."

"It's sad, but it's true," confirmed the wry voice of Rikki Chadwick, signaling that speaker-phone was activated.

"You see! She admitted it! You've got to come home, Emma!"

"Yeah," interjected a male voice. "Maybe then, these guys will be too busy with you to tease me about my speech!"

Emma scrunched her face in confusion at the distinctly-accented intruder. "Who's the Steve Irwin wannabe?"

The response was a round of hysterical laughter. "Believe it or not, that was Lewis," Cleo managed to answer between giggles. "He's overcompensating again."

"Overcompensating for what?"

"You mean we didn't tell you?" marveled Rikki before turning her attention to Cleo. "He's been back for a whole week now! How could we not have mentioned it?"

"Mentioned what?" demanded an impatient Emma.

Cleo guffawed anew and explained. "Let's just say that Lewis spent a bit too much time in the States and brought a little something back. Lewis, drop that ridiculous Crocodile Dundee impression and talk like a normal person!"

"Fine," Lewis McCartney conceded, "but I don't see what the big deal is. I talked plenty at the graduation party, and only three people asked me how long I'd be visiting."

Emma snickered. "Only three? Is that all? Lewis, I hate to break it to you, but you sound like a total Yank!"

"Damn."

"Don't worry," teased the blonde in transit. "Some Aussie girls might find it sexy."

"Emma!" cried a betrayed Cleo. "Don't put ideas into his head!"

"Oh, please!" scoffed Rikki. "Lewis is so whipped he's only got eyes for you! If anyone's got anything to worry about, it's Lewis." She addressed the guy in question. "She's probably told you all about Ryan, but did she happen to mention how hot he is?"

"Rikki!"

Emma could practically see her ever-tactless friend shrug. "Hey, I'm bored. But hey, if it makes you feel any better, Will and Bella are pretty close to ousting you two as the King and Queen of Cheese. They just celebrated their friggin' month-iversary, for cryin' out loud!"

"I think it's sweet," Cleo countered. "Anyway, Em, I can't wait for you to meet Bella! And Will too! He looks so much like an older Elliot, its freaky sometimes!"

"I'm looking forward to it," Emma chuckled.

Ash half-smiled and half-smirked at the spark in her eyes as she indulged in further raillery that extended for a fair proportion of the trip to Gold Coast. For his part, Elliot passed the time launching infuriated birds at egg-stealing pigs on his iPhone.

Consequently, it did not seem long before their surroundings were beginning to look very familiar. Upon realizing their proximity to home, Ash cleared his throat. "So, what was globetrotting like?"

Emma smiled. "Tiring, actually. It's a long story. A fun one, but still lengthy, and right now, I just want to get home."

Ash smirked. "Fair enough. Look in the glove compartment."

She blinked. "What?"

"Don't tell me you forgot about your surprise already?"

She squeaked in realization and promptly did as she was told. She furrowed her brow as she withdrew a neatly bound folder.

"That, young lady, is the take-home final exam for my management class, and I don't mind telling you it fetched me my highest marks yet."

She scowled. "My big surprise is...your homework?"

He smirked. "Yep. I had to pull together a full-fledged investment proposal for a hypothetical business venture. It had to be good enough to present to actual bankers, and mine passed the test with flying colors!"

"Your modesty is inspiring. Really."

"It is, isn't it?" He bit back a chuckle at Emma's exasperated sigh. "As it turns out, though, I had a hidden agenda that I neglected to tell my professor about until after he'd graded it. Fortunately, he was actually rather pleased about it."

"You? Hidden agenda? Never!"

"I know. It's a shocker. You see, that 'hypothetical business venture' wasn't so hypothetical after all. I'm sure the girls have kept you up to speed about the café going belly-up, right?"

She narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"

Ash returned her suspicious gaze with a smug smile. "Oh, nothing. Just got myself a loan to buy out Rikki's fair and square."

Even as her jaw dropped, the hint of a smile remained at the corners of her mouth.

Ash dropped the charade now and spoke with sincerity. "I know how much that place means to both of us, and I knew if we let just any random guy take over, it just wouldn't be the same. You know? So I decided to see if I could stop that from happening. And it worked!" He indulged in a full-blown grin as he squeezed the steering wheel in triumph.

Emma shook her head in joyful awe. "Ash, this is amazing! But what about school? You still have a ways to go before you get your degree. Are you really going to have time to run a café?"

"That's the beauty of it. I won't be running it, at least not on a day-to-day basis. My first act as the new owner is to hire the prettiest girl I know as manager!"

Emma arched her eyebrows. "Me?"

Ash rolled his eyes. "No. The supermodel I've been seeing behind your back. Her name's Kahlan." He chuckled warmly at the shock etched on his partner's face. "Of course you!"

"But...I have college, too," she stammered despite her obvious elation.

Ash nodded. "Yes, you do, which is why we have the entire summer to find an assistant manager who can run the place during the school term."

She gave him a thoughtful look. "You've really thought this out, haven't you?"

"Yep. I kind if had to. There's a whole section in my proposal on where the old owner went wrong and what I'm planning to do differently."

Emma smirked. "So you basically got to write a dissertation on why Zane Bennett is a moron?"

"Yep. Not quite as fun as you'd think, 'cause I had to keep the personal stuff out, but still..." The devious glint in his eye said it all.

A moment passed before Emma let out a nervous chuckle and shook her head again in awe. "Thank you, Ash. Really. I don't know how to thank you enough right now."

"Well, I have a few ideas, but besides distracting me from driving, some of them might gross out Elliot."

"Ash!"

The whole Lewis'-American-accent thing was inspired by something that actually happened to me when I was a kid. I spent the better part of a day talking with a British family and found myself taking on hints of their accent towards the end. If one day does that, you can well imagine what an entire school term might do. I know Lewis didn't talk any differently in the season 3 finale, but he had so few lines that I figured I could get away with it.