Mermaids In Haven
Chapter 1
AN: Hello! I'm super excited to share this with you guys. This is my first attempt at H2O AND Haven fan fiction! This is mostly an H2O story but if you're not familiar with Haven, don't worry. Some things will be explained later on. But you should definitely watch the show if you haven't! It's so good!
Hope you enjoy. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thanks so much!
"Are you sure this is the only way to get there?"
"Well we can't exactly drive through an ocean, can we?"
"I think she means why can't we just…swim there."
"Because that's not what normal people do."
"We are nowhere near normal and haven't been for almost six years."
"I remember, Rikki, thank you, but what about our stuff? We can't be in New York for nearly two weeks without clothes and toiletries."
"We can always buy new stuff."
"Not all of us have a thriving business where we can throw around a much money as we please."
"Hey, I gave you a chance to be a partner but you turned me down for Ash and your projects."
"Planning, Rikki, how many times have I told you that? I'm a professional party planner and organizer."
"Oh my God, can we please not do this? I'd really like to come off this flight as a sane person and not a murderer because I've killed you two."
Emma and I glared at each other and threw our backpacks onto the conveyor belt. We took off our shoes and one by one, the three of us walked through the security line. Cleo brought up the rear and was the last to fetch her bag. The other blonde one and I were muttering under our breaths as we made our way through the airport. We passed many shops and fast food places until Cleo finally spotted our gate.
"Over there, 15C. We've got about," Cleo checked her wristwatch, "thirty minutes until we board. Try and be civil to each other. You're friends, remember? Friends that are going to see another friend get married next weekend."
"Yeah, yeah I know. Sorry, Em," I said.
"It's okay, I'm sorry too. We shouldn't let our stubborn sides get in the way. We're going for Bella," Emma smiled at me and the three of us set our bags down by a row of large windows. I immediately went down on the floor, Emma and Cleo followed suit and they pulled out their cell phones.
"Guess I missed a text from Ash," Emma said. "They landed okay in the city and are at Bella and Will's place. At least they were a few hours ago."
"Lewis said the same thing," Cleo said, thumbs at the ready to text back a reply. "I still can't believe their bachelor party will be in Las Vegas. How cliche is that?"
"I know, but it's what Will wants," Emma said as she set down her phone to take out a book.
"What, there aren't enough strip clubs in New York?" I deadpanned.
"Oh come on, give them a little more credit than that," Cleo laughed. "They're going to see a concert, too. And drink and gamble and basically have way too much fun without us."
"So you're not worried about a drunk Lewis around half naked girls?" Emma raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, please he can barely handle himself when he's sober and I'm half naked. He's volunteered to be the designated driver the entire time. So no, I'm not worried."
I saw a bit of skepticism pass over Emma's face but chose not to say anything. I let them continue to talk while I stared out the window, thinking about the upcoming vacation. There were a few dark clouds in the sky and it looked like it was going to rain. Currently it's seven forty-five on a Sunday morning at the Brisbane Airport. Now normally I don't care to be up this early. Even to open the cafe. I enjoy my sleep, unlike these other two girls beside me that have always been the morning type. Even though I had to be up before the crack of dawn it's for a good reason.
"Gosh, Will and Bella are getting married! I'm so excited!" Cleo squeaked in delight, glancing up from her phone.
"Yeah, I always figured you and Lewis would be first," I said. Cleo sighed.
"If only. We've talked about it a few times but we're both at a good place in our careers right now and we want to save some money," she said. "Trust me, when we have our wedding, it's going to be perfect. And expensive."
"I've never seen the point in lavish weddings," Emma piped up. "It's such a waste. Why not spend the extra cash on the honeymoon? Besides, the only thing that matters is you and the groom."
"You know how much I love shiny things, Emma."
I smiled and shook my head. "I'm going to find something small to eat. Do you guys want anything?" I asked as I stood up.
"A blueberry muffin, please," Emma said politely.
"Orange juice and a croissant?" Cleo asked.
"Coming right up." I fished out my wallet and cell phone from my backpack and walked out of the terminal. The airport had a steady flow of people, some searching for their gates, others just getting off their planes and staring at the TV monitors or on their cell phones and heading to baggage claim. I wandered around until I found a shop with books and magazines and souvenirs. There was also a small food counter with a refrigerator next to it. I took my time browsing the literature and carelessly searching through the bizarre t-shirts, even though I immediately spotted the things that Emma and Cleo asked for. In truth, talking about wedding stuff made me uncomfortable so I was glad to get away. Oh sure I had to endure hours of scouring for the perfect bridesmaid dress. The four of us debated repeatedly about how we should wear our hair and makeup. I even made it through that Skype chat the day Bella showed us her dress. But I'm only a bridesmaid so the happily ever after bit didn't concern me. Actually sitting down to think about marriage and the future, that's what weirds me out. Zane and I never discussed it, even when we weren't fighting. My parents divorced when I was very young so that's a possibility of why I was never one of those girls sitting around planning her dream wedding.
Add to the fact that Zane and I broke up six months ago. Everyone was so sure that he and I would be married one day. But he ended it this time. I gave him another chance the year after I graduated and it was really good for a while. I learned to trust him again but as the months passed we started fighting a lot more than we had before and he was getting to be controlling. He worried about me and my mermaid self and never hesitated to tell me how I should dress to avoid any accidents. We touched on the subject of children very briefly, but then he jokingly blurted out that the baby would probably come out with a tail. I've never thought about kids of my own someday. I tend to stay far away from them as much as I can. It's always been me and my dad so the whole big family thing never crossed my mind. Pretty sure that was what sealed the deal in our breakup. He claimed he wanted a "break" to think about things but he never tried to get in contact with me and Cleo said she saw him at the water park a few times with another girl.
And now I get to spend a whole three days with him before he goes to Las Vegas. Not to mention the additional days of the rehearsal dinner and the wedding day itself.
Perfect.
I made a passing glance at my phone. We had ten minutes left until boarding time. I went to the counter to grab the food requests, picked out a banana and a juice for myself, and made it back to the terminal just in time. Luckily, Emma and Cleo had moved away from the wedding talk.
"So Cleo thinks that we should ask Bella if she knows of any good private swimming areas," Emma said after I handed them their things. She was wearing her typical Emma face when she thought something was not a good idea.
"Sure, what's wrong with that?" I asked.
"Well I don't want her to have to think about anything mermaid related before her big day. I checked the moon cycles and there's a full moon two days before the wedding," Emma responded quietly. The three of us sat closer together so our voices wouldn't carry to the people around us.
"We have eleven days to do whatever we want before the ceremony. And Bella said it's hot as hell right now so why shouldn't we swim?" Cleo said as she opened her orange juice.
"She's been there for a year, I'm sure she's found a secluded enough area. Will still dives so I bet they go out all the time," I reassured Emma. "You're forgetting that she's been a mermaid since she was nine. She can handle it. Besides, the full moon doesn't effect us like it used to."
Emma was looking down and picking at her muffin. "I know. I guess I'm over thinking it. I'd just hate for something to happen at the bachelorette party or, God forbid, the reception."
"Accidents happen. And if it does we know four very great guys that will be there to help us out." Cleo smiled.
I didn't have time to dwell on that fact because before I knew it we were being called to line up. So what if I had to see Zane? I could handle it. I'm twenty-three years old for God's sake, I think I know how to behave.
And if nothing else I can always drink my problems away.
The flight over was predictably boring. Twenty-two hours with nothing to do. I mostly slept or listened to music so I didn't have to talk to anyone else. I tried to read a few times. Attempted to watch the in flight movie (which I'd never even heard of). They brought us lunch and dinner, both of which were subpar but that's airplane food. Cleo and Emma sat next to each other and when they began to talk about wedding stuff again I immediately tuned them out. I stared out the tiny window at puffy, white clouds as they floated by. There was an occasional break and I saw the ocean, vast and blue. Many times I caught myself in a daydream thinking about swimming in that ocean. Instead of sitting in the awful seat.
Finally, finally, we landed in New York around six-thirty on Monday morning. My clothes were wrinkled and my hair was mussed up from the amount of times I tried to get comfortable in my seat, but I didn't care. I practically skipped off the plane.
"Next time we are definitely traveling my way," I informed my friends. After we found out what carousel number our bags were going to be on, we made our way to the baggage claim area. Cleo spotted Bella behind the designated security area, the tan blonde girl waving her arms above her head and wearing an enormous smile.
"You're here! You're really here!" Bella exclaimed as she rushed at us. We dropped our backpacks and embraced in a great, big group hug.
"We've missed you so much!" Emma said.
"It's only been a year," I laughed.
"Hey, a lot can happen in a year," Bella giggled. We hugged tightly once more before we each let go and picked up our bags. "How was the flight?"
"Ugh, long," I supplied, rolling my eyes. The four of us lazily made our way to baggage claim. "So what's new?"
"Will and I finally finished moving into the new apartment last week," Bella tossed her hair over her shoulder. "It's right outside the city but close enough to the Hudson River. You guys will love it. It's a studio and it's huge. There's enough space for everyone. Oh and the view in the morning is gorgeous."
"Awesome! I can't wait to see it," Cleo said with a smile.
"How much is that costing you?" I asked.
"That is nothing you need to worry about. Will and I make enough. Besides," Bella stopped us just as we neared the carousels. I looked back to see a grin spreading over her face. "I can't keep quiet anymore, now that you're here I have to tell you. I signed with a record company!"
"Oh my God, Bella!" Emma exclaimed.
"That's amazing!" Cleo squealed. I felt my own eyes widen and I started laughing.
"Bella, that's incredible!" I grabbed her shoulders. "Why did you tell us sooner you silly girl?" I couldn't resist it, I hugged her.
"It only just happened on Friday! I didn't want to tell you on the phone because I wanted to see your faces! And it was totally worth the wait."
We celebrated by jumping up and down together, something we haven't done since we were teenagers. As expected we drew a few stares but I didn't care. This is monumental! It's only right that we freak out with her.
"This calls for a drink!" I said.
"Um, not at seven in the morning. At least wait until ten. That seems to be an acceptable time to start drinking here." Bella laughed.
"Of course it is! It's called brunch. Mimosas and bloody mary's all around!" I cheered. The girls just laughed at me but I was kind of, sort of, not kidding. I wanted a touch of liquid courage before seeing Zane but didn't want to overdo it. I knew I should have taken the mini bottle of Jack Daniels. The carousel with our luggage began to move so we made it over in time to snatch up our suitcases.
"I have a car parked in the garage. Let's go."
Cleo was right, it was hot here, even though it was so early. There showed no signs of rain clouds like in Brisbane. Instead the sun was steadily rising while a breeze did its best to keep us cool but it still felt clammy and humid. Despite that we chatted happily while making our way to Bella's car. When she moved here last year she made sure to get her driver's license right away. Will insisted not to waste the time or the money, since a lot of people took public transportation or walked everywhere, but Bella wanted to be practical for just in case situations. I recognized her small, powder blue Prius right away from several pictures she had posted online when she picked it out. We threw our things in the back and climbed in. Emma was in the passenger seat, I was behind Bella, and Cleo was behind Emma.
"Rikki," Bella said a few short minutes later once we were finally out of airport traffic. We came to a stoplight when she caught my gaze in the rear view mirror and held it. Oh no. I knew that look. I suddenly dreaded what she was going to say next. "I've avoided asking you about it but now I need to know. Will you be okay with Zane?"
Cleo and Emma looked away from us pretending like we weren't there. Obviously they had been avoiding that conversation with me, too.
"Yes," I sighed. "I'll be fine. As long as we're cordial to each other, the next two weeks should be easy."
"I can always tell him to leave-"
"No, don't do that. Will asked him to be a groomsman before we split and they're still good friends whether Zane and I are together or not. I don't want to ruin that for Will."
"Okay. If you're sure."
"Positive," I gave her my best smile. "If he does start to be Captain Douchebag, do I have your permission to at least give him a few burn marks?"
"Yes! Please!" Bella laughed loudly. Emma turned around in her seat to face me now that the danger had passed.
"If there's any cute guys at the wedding, you should pick him up and get laid," Emma said matter-of-factly. Wait…what?! I turned a bright shade of pink and the girls burst out laughing. "I'm serious!"
"Wow, Emma, coming from you that was unexpected!" I was more than a little surprised by her blunt statement. I'm usually the raunchier one of the group, especially as we've gotten older. Never in a million years would I expect Emma to tell me to have sex with a complete stranger.
"You laugh now but you will thank me later." Now she just looked smug.
"I do have a cousin from England who recently broke up with his girlfriend," Bella mused. "His name is Henry and he's twenty-nine."
"Ooohh an older man," Cleo teased, nudging me lightly with her elbow.
"No way. I will not be one of those people that feels lonely and vulnerable at a wedding and bang the first guy I see."
"But he's cute!" Bella said.
"And available!" Cleo threw in.
"No!" I half yelled, half laughed.
"Rikki and Henry sittin' in a tree-" Emma started in a sing-song voice. Oh God, is this my life?
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Cleo played along.
"Don't you dare finish that, Bella!" I yelled as I playfully shoved Cleo and Emma away. They continued to torment me all the way to the apartment. I didn't even get to see any of the cool landmarks!
In the back of my mind I knew I was getting closer and closer to Zane. I wonder what would happen if I just flung myself out of the car right now…No! Stop it, Rikki. You're better than that.
The teasing subsided once we pulled into a building, parked, and proceeded to follow Bella with our bags. While in the elevator, Cleo got a text from Lewis saying that everyone was awake and breakfast was waiting for us. Was I ready for this? Wait, what am I even saying? It's Zane and it's only been six months, not six years. I had to keep my cool. I couldn't let him know how nervous I was. He might have the upper hand because he broke up with me but he needed to see that I was fine without him.
I blinked and suddenly we had arrived at the front door. My stomach twisted into a giant knot. I took a deep breath and stepped inside after Bella.
AN: Stick around for chapter 2? Thanks loves!