The five phases of Charlotte

Five times things went differently.

OR

Five ways things could have gone after season one.

Atlantis

(A SG: Atlantis crossover. Set in a universe where the events of H2O happened roughly ten years earlier, but the fifty year full moon still happened in 2008(ish). I'm thinking of expanding this into a bigger fic…)

Charlotte took a deep breath as she stared at the vertical pool of not-water, on the ramp leading up to it the team leader, Dr. Elizabeth Weir, was giving a speech and offering everyone one last chance to back down and go home. The 26 year old marine scientist, who moonlighted as a mermaid, gritted her teeth, Charlotte could not back down.

"This world is not big enough for the five of us," Charlotte said, her eyes drifting over Cleo, Emma, Rikki and Bella as they watched her warily, "fortunately I have a solution. Don't get me wrong, this is not surrender, I have a chance to find an ocean all for myself where you will never go, where I'll never come back from… probably."

There had been a war between her and the other four mermaids for a long time now, they all knew it would end badly; this was the only solution. Charlotte took another breath, this one shaky; it drew the attention of the air force Major next to her.

"You Okay?" He seemed genuinely concerned so she nodded. "I'm John Shepherd," he held his hand out to her; with a trembling smile she shook it.

"I'm Dr. Watsford; you can call me Charlotte though."

"You know you don't have to go Charlotte." She bit back a hysterical giggle.

"Actually John, I do… this ocean only has room for four. I'll be fine"

"Course you will, with me watching your back how could you not." His grin was so charming and infectious, she had to grin back. Beside them a young lieutenant who had been half listening to their conversation seconded John's statement and led them up the ramp. Next stop: the city of Atlantis, Pegasus Galaxy.

Unworthy

(AU of 'And then there were four')

Charlotte knocked timidly on Cleo's door, fighting back tears as she waited. Cleo's father answered, ushering her in and pointing her in the direction of Cleo's room. A whirlpool of thoughts assaulted her as she climbed the stairs: why, she was the granddaughter of Gracie, why, the ocean was in her blood, why, it was her birthright, why, she deserved it more, why?!

The trio of mermaids eyed her suspiciously as she entered the room and shut the door; they glared as she stepped into Cleo's bathroom motioning for them to follow. The three magically inclined girls stood warily in the doorway as Charlotte turned on the basin's cold water tap and stuck her hand underneath the slow stream of water.

"I… I was in the moon pool last night, while the moon was over head, the water bubbled and lights floated upwards," she paused, her voice cracking slightly, "That's how… that's what's suppose to happen right? That means I should be one of you now… doesn't it?" She kept her hand under the tap as she stared at them, silently pleading with them; they stared back as the seconds ticked by. Ten seconds, twenty seconds, a minute, five minutes. It took ten before the trio realised what they were seeing, what Charlotte's words implied.

She had been in the moon pool, the moon had touched the water around her and yet, her hand was still under the tap, water still sliding over her bare hand and her legs still trembling as they held her up.

"Am I really unworthy?"

Four

(AU of Bubble, Bubble toil and trouble)

The trio watched Charlotte as she smiled excitedly; bouncing on the balls of her feet while hey digested her news.

"Okay," Rikki said finally, moving a vase with water and flowers from the mantle to the coffee table. "Let's see it."

Charlotte's smile widened as she held out her hand, palm up, and made a slight hand gesture. The water in the vase turned to mist before dissipating, leaving the inside of the vase totally dry.

"That's my power," Rikki said with a frown, not realizing exactly what she had seen. Charlotte merely shook her head and made another gesture with her hand. A sphere of water appeared above her, growing until it was the same volume as the missing vase water.

"And mine," Cleo added indignantly, again Charlotte shook her head. The red headed mermaid indicated for Emma to freeze the sphere of water, which she did. Charlotte made two more hand gestures and the ice sphere became mist and dissipated shortly before water reappeared in the vase.

"Condensation, evaporation and sublimation; I'm not heating the water or replicating it I'm gathering and dispersing it regardless of what state it's in."

"So there's a fourth power?" Emma asked; Charlotte nodded.

"Yep."

"Why didn't we know about this?" Rikki added.

"Or Miss Chatham?" Cleo piped up.

"Because there have only ever been three mermaids at a time. This power was never needed, never in use." The trio shared a look as realisation dawned, how little they really knew about the moon pool.

Victory

(Unfathomable, sketchy references to season three)

She faced off against the trio, locked in magical combat; this battle would decide their fate for at least the next fifty years. All Charlotte needed was an opening, one crack in there defences, and sure enough there it was.

Quickly she shoved at it with her power, the trio faltered, Charlotte pressed her advantage whipping the winds around the three girls and raising them into the air again, dangling them over the moon pool. She used both hands to keep them aloft, not that she really needed to, she was above mere hand gestures now; they weren't even required to banish the clouds that kept the moon at bay.

The moon light struck the water and it began to bubble, tiny lights drifting upwards into the night sky. With a mad laugh Charlotte dropped the trio into the churning water and watched as it drained their powers.

"Charlotte what have you done?" Lewis' scared voice came from, behind her; she'd completely forgotten he was there.

"Quiet human, I don't answer to the likes of you." Crazed laughter again bubbled up inside her as she turned Lewis into an ice sculpture. Completely inhibitionless she laughed, fully enthralled by her victory over the now human trio.

Deep within a cavern, hidden in the secret depths of Mako Island and evil darkness laughed with her, enamoured by its own victory over the insane mermaid, its new host who hadn't even realized she lost.

There but for the grace of Artemis

(Some time during episode 2 and 3 of season two, AU of the entire season 1 and 2)

The girl was evil, of that she was certain. Shamelessly the new girls flirted with Charlotte's boyfriend. Admittedly he and Charlotte were in the process of 'getting space' but that didn't mean things were over between them, how dare this new girl seduce the poor, girlfriend depraved boy.

"Charlotte what's wrong?" Rikki asked her friend from across the booth while they waited for their drinks.

"New girl's flirting with her boyfriend," Emma informed her blonde friend.

"I thought you to broke up," Rikki looked at Charlotte for confirmation.

"Not really, not permanently," Charlotte glared at the girl across the café, "at least I didn't think we broke up permanently."

"What does he see in her?" Rikki wondered out loud.

"Permanent legs?" Emma quipped.

"Well that's just stupid," Rikki responded, "Mermaids are way cooler then normal human girls like…"

"Cleo Sertori," Emma supplied when Rikki trailed off.

"Right you're way cooler than this Cleo chick, not only are you Lewis' first and favourite girlfriend you're also his favourite science experiment."

"Not helping Rikki."

So there we go my really crumby contribution to the "five things" craze… I really shouldn't have. But it's too late now. And yes as with all my one shot madness, if they inspire you they are adoptable; just tell me first so I can keep a look out for them.