Exposed

Chapter 1

My Fault

Author's notes: I don't own H20: Just Add Water, only my OCs Jessie Dove, Morgan Thompson, Wayson and Lorelei Chatham and David and Derek Smith.

This is a sequel to my other H20: Just Add Water fanfiction Replaced. If you haven't read that one you might want to read it first.

She kept reliving the experience all over again. It was like a nightmare she was hoping to wake up from. But it wasn't just a bad dream. It was reality and this was now her and her brothers' life. There was no way that they could find to get rid out of this predicament. They were fresh out of ideas. Their muses had completely vanished.

Their fear was getting to them, messing with their thoughts and mind. They were so paralyzed by it that they couldn't think of a way out. And it was driving her crazy. The were freaking mermaids and mermen for crying out loud. They should be able to find a way out of this mess that was now their life.

'It's all your fault.' Lorelei shook her head trying to dispel the thoughts. She couldn't help but feel that the voice in her head was right though. It was all her fault. She trusted Kris and told him everything. Now they were all paying the price. She and her friends were trapped in their own home, staying inside at all times with their Grandmother at Max's house.

"Hey how are you holding up?" The blonde haired mermaid looked up to see Charlotte looking at her in concern.

"Terrible." She admitted. "You?"

"Same." The redhead sighed and sat next to her. "It's not your fault you know."

She raised an eyebrow at Gracie's granddaughter. "Are you a mind reader now?"

"No, I just read the expression on your face. You look like you feel really guilty."

"I do. Why shouldn't I? It's my fault. If I hadn't told Kris then none of this would have happened." She wiped away the tears forming in her eyes.

"You really loved him didn't you?" the red-haired mermaid realized.

She nodded in response. "I thought maybe that he would be different than his grandfather. But I was wrong. He's just like him."

"Sometimes bad things happen and there's nothing you can do about it." She told her.

"Did you seriously just quote 'The Lion King?" Lorelei looked amused.

"Yep." The two girls laughed in unison. For a few moments. Lorelei forgot about all of their problems. Her and Wayson's secret being out and the paparazzi hounding them. She was happy for a few moments. But like everything it didn't last.

"What should I do Charlotte?" She looked to the other girls for answers. "What should we do?"

Charlotte felt flattered that the other girl, who had been a mermaid far longer than she had (since she was 13), was looking to her for answers. But she didn't know what to tell her. "Lorelei, I wish that I had all of the answers. I wish I could tell you that everything will be alright and that this will all blow over eventually." Charlotte gave her a pained look. "But I don't know what will happen now that they know about you two. But know this, if you ever need help with anything you can always come to me."

Lorelei broke into fresh sobs and Charlotte quickly enveloped her new friend in a hug. She wished that they could rewind time and change everything that had happened in the last few months. They couldn't though. They had to deal with what had happened.

"I've never had a real friend before." Lorelei told her. "I've only had my family. I was so afraid of anyone finding out about everything and now that they have..."

"Hey, it's okay." She assured her. "We're in this together right?"

Lorelei nodded, "Yeah, okay." She wiped the tears away. "I think I know what Wayson and I have to do."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Rikki demanded.

"Haven't you done enough already?" Emma added.

Lorelei and Wayson stood next to each other. "I think she's right, guys." Wayson backed up his sister. "It's the only way."

"You're just going to make everything worse." Cleo argued.

"What's worse than this?!" Lorelei asked, "What could possibly be worse than all that has happened in the last six months?"

Six months... In those six months everything had been turned upside down. Emma had returned along with Charlotte, the ex-mermaid regained her tail, Charlotte's boyfriend and his twin had become mermen, They all started college, The moonpool had repaired itself, Miss Chatham and Max reappeared, Denman had revealed her findings, They had met Wayson and Lorelei, and the two of them had been exposed... So many things had happened in the span of six months.

It had been a month since they had been exposed. They had all been hiding out, hoping that the paparazzi would give up on this and that everything would die down.

No such luck.

Even though four weeks had passed they were all still in the Mermaid and Mermen are real craze. It was annoying as hell. Lorelei and Wayson's parents couldn't go anywhere without the media hounding them. They all wanted to know where their two children the mermaid and merman were. It was so lucky that their parents weren't Merfolk, They had been drenched in water far to many times for their liking.

"We can't just keep hiding." Wayson argued. "We have to face the world sooner or later. We can't just keep hiding in our little protective bubbles forever."

"As much as I hate to admit it." Max spoke up. "You might be right."

The two siblings donned pairs of black sunglasses and pulled the hoods of their sweatshirts over their heads.

"Where are you guys going?" Bella asked.

"To the Marine Park. We're going to pay a visit to our old friends Laurie and Mitch." Wayson told them.

"Why would you do that?" Charlotte asked.

"We're going to ask them to be our manager(s)." Lorelei said. "That and to set up a press conference."

"Couldn't you just do that over the phone?" Jessie pointed out.

"I suppose that is the better solution of the two." Wayson mused. "But we really need to find a way to get out of the public's eye for good."

They called their parents and discussed it with them. They planned to meet them at Max's.

"Hey Wayson... Can I talk to you a minute?" Morgan asked a bit hesitant.

"Sure." He said immediately.

"In private." She added.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion but he nodded in confirmation. They went into the guest bedroom and sat down together on the bed.

"What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" He asked.

"I just...well... I wanted to say... to tell you I mean..." She fumbled over her words.

Wayson looked at the brunette mermaid in concern. Morgan was always overconfident. She was never shy and hesitant to voice her thoughts.

"What is it Morgan?"

"I just wanted to say..." She paused. "Be careful okay? I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you..."

Wayson's eyes lit up. "You care."

"Of course I do you idiot." She punched him on the arm. "I just don't show it that often."

He smiled brightly at her. Their eyes met and they started slowly leaning in. Just before their lips touched the door burst open and they jumped apart startled.

Morgan growled. It was her older brothers Aidan and Glenn. "You better have a good reason for interrupting us." She gave them a deadly glare.

"We just came to check on you." Aidan said. "You guys were gone for a while."

Wayson glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "We were gone for three minutes." He pointed out.

The two boys shuffled uncomfortably.

"Do you not trust me or something?" Morgan faced her brothers with her hands on her hips.

"What?" Glenn protested. "No it's not that at all. It's just that he's a boy-"

"And you're a girl." Aidan finished.

"Thanks Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum." She said sarcastically, "I hadn't noticed that at all."

"Really?" Glenn said in mock surprise. "You should really be more observant Morgan."

She growled at them. "Get out!"

"But we can't leave you alone with the male of the species." Aidan protested.

"He might take advantage of you, our poor innocent little sister!" Glenn added.

Her face burned at her brothers suggestions. "Leave now! Before I tie you up with plant vines."

Her brothers quickly left the room after that threat. They did not want to be on the receiving end of her anger.

She turned to face Wayson. "I'm so sorry about that." Her face still felt hot.

"I think it's nice that they care about you so much." He told her.

"Yeah, but it's still annoying." She huffed.

Wayson smiled a pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "Now..." he mused, "Where were we?" He leaned forward and captured her lips with his.

She felt as if electricity was running through her. It was amazing. It felt almost...magical.

"I really like you Wayson."

"And I really like you Morgan." He told her.

"No matter what happens with all of this." She said. "I still want to be with you."

"I feel exactly the same way."

David and Derek's father had seen the news and he was determined to get his sons home where they would be safe. At least he had hoped so.

Dr. Denman had revealed exactly what had happened at the Marine Park and now his sons and their friends were suspected as being merfolk as well. This couldn't get any worse; Or so he had thought before the Marine Biologist herself had appeared on their doorstep.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Dylan Smith asked with a poker face. Of course he already knew who she was but she didn't know that.

"I'm Dr. Linda Denman." She introduced herself. "World renowned Marine Biologist."

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" He asked gruffly.

She raised an eyebrow at his reaction. "About a month ago your sons David and Derek Smith broke into the Marine Park. They stole and burned many valuable files of my research on mermaids. Speaking of which, where are your sons?"

"They're out at the library studying. They have finals soon at the college they attend." He said simply. He had a lot experience lying over the years. He had gotten very good at it. Somehow though, Denman saw right through his lies.

"Really?" She looked skeptical.

"Yes, I'm sorry for the trouble my sons caused but they aren't here at the moment. I'll talk to them later about their behavior."

"I can't help but wonder why your sons were so interested in my research and why they destroyed it." She said watching the twins father for a reaction.

"Who knows?" He shrugged it off as if it was nothing to worry about.

"I think it's because it's relative to them."

"What exactly are you implying?" He looked furious.

"Just that the only conclusion that makes sense is that they are Mermen themselves. Therefore they wanted to destroy anything pertaining to their existence."

"Get out and stay away from my family." He growled. "If you come back I'll have you arrested for trespassing."

The elder merman slammed the door in her face and locked it. He checked all the windows and locked them as well. He turned to his wife who had been listening to the conversation in the background. "We need to call the boys and get them and the others out of her now."

She nodded in agreement. "We have to move again don't we?"

He sighed and nodded in agreement. "I think so love."

He called Derek and the others to let them know exactly what had transpired just before they called.

Wayson and Lorelei had called Laurie and Mitch both and asked them to set up an interview for that day. They figured it was best to get them over with now. Their parents had already decided to meet them there. Even their grandmother had come for support.

They arrived in a limo at the back entrance to the Marine park. They climbed out of the Limo and made their way to the Dolphin arena which was where they had decided to host the interview as it had the room for huge crowds.

Lorelei wore a light blue dress with yellow and red flowers that reached her ankles along with brown sandalsand a brown cardigan. Her brother wore nice blue jeans and a grey t-shirt with a brown jacket over it.

They both took a deep breath before entering out into the open. They had already told Laurie and Mitch that they would not let any experiments be done on them as of now. They said that they may change their minds later but it was unlikely.

The took deep breaths before they entered. The crowd went wild. They fired off questions rapidly.

"Were you born like this?"

"How long have you been Merfolk?"

"When did your parents find out?"

"Hold it!" Laurie shouted. "Wayson and Lorelei have agreed to answer a few questions; but they are not obligated to do so in anyway if they do not wish too."

"There are some things they wish to not be known and we are to respect that." Mitch added. "First, we have a few questions we will ask of our own." He turned to the two of them. Folding chairs had been brought out for both Laurie and Mitch. As well as Lorelei, Wayson and their parents.

"Okay, my first question is... How? How do you change from human to your mermaid and mermen forms?"

They looked at each other before Wayson took a deep breath and started to answer. "It's pretty simple really. Once water touches us we have roughly ten seconds before we transform."

"So does it have to be salt water?" Mitch continued.

"No any type of water will change us. Most drinks as they have water in them also change us." The Merman said. They had discussed what they could and could not discuss with the world before they had gone on.

"How much water does it take to change you?" Laurie butted in. Mitch gave him a somewhat irritated look as that was one of his questions. Laurie gave him an apologetic look before looking to the two merfolk.

"Only a drop." Wayson replied.

"So how do you get back to your human form?" Laurie asked.

"We have to dry off completely." Wayson replied.

"Well, as I'm sure we'll be staying in touch with the two of you." Mitch began, "I think that it's time that we let the audience ask a few questions. If that's okay with you guys." He added quickly.

"That's fine with me." Wayson told them trying to control his nerves. He looked to his sister who nodded in agreement. "We ask that you raise your hands and wait to be called on so we can hear and answer every question asked."

Almost everyone in the crowd raised their hands. Wayson picked a young girl in the front who looked to be about ten or eleven years old and was Asian looking.

"Do you live on Mako Island?" The girl asked innocently.

"No, we live on land just like any other person." Wayson replied. "Well most people anyways."

He then chose a boy towards the back of the arena. "Do you have any super powers?" The crowd was eating up everything that Wayson that said.

"We can swim very fast underwater." He replied. "We like to call it torpedoing. I can also talk to sea creatures." He admitted.

The crown looked excited at the prospect. "Can you give us a demonstration?!" The mother of the boy asked excitedly.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." He said. He turned to Laurie. "Would you mind letting Ronni out here?"

He nodded and left in a hurry to do as he asked. A few minutes later Ronni swam out and splashed the two merfolk. "You're a cheeky little fella aren't you?" He grinned. He dove into the water with his sister at his side. They swam to the top of the tank in mermaid and merman form.

Ronni said something in Dolphin and the tow of them smiled in unison. "Is that so Ronni?"

"What did he say?!" The boy asked enthusiastically.

"Ronni says that he wants us to play with him." Lorelei smiled happily. "So what would you like to play Ronni?" Ronni butted her with his nose and she laughed and grabbed onto his fin and he swam through the water with her holding on.

The Crowd went wild. The sister and brother then switched and Wayson swam with Ronni. After wards the pulled themselves up to the side of the tank and sat there.

Lorelei picked another woman to ask a question. "Why haven't you spoken that much throughout the interview Lorelei?" She asked. "I've noticed that your brother Wayson was the one doing all of the talking."

"Honestly I'm really nervous."

"So am I." Wayson added in.

She flicked her tail at him splashing him with water. He sputtered in indignation.

"That was for interrupting me brother." Wayson did the mature thing and stuck out his tongue at her.

The crown laughed in response. "And in addition to that." She continued when the crowd had calmed down. "The betrayal of my ex-boyfriend Kris is still really fresh. I trusted him with my secret and he did this. He exposed not only me but my brother as well. And now we're always going to be in the publics' eye. Now we're always going to be "The Mermaid" and "The Merman"." She used air quotes.

"We were happy with the way things were. We had been given an amazing gift that only the two of us shared together." Wayson took over. "It was another bond that the two of us as brother and sister shared together."

"So how did he find out?" A man questioned.

"I told him." She said. "I thought that I could trust him with this. Despite my brother warning me not to tell him I went ahead and did it. I told him and showed him. Then he kidnapped me." She whispered the last past; but since she had a microphone everybody heard. They all gasped in horror and shock. "He threw water on me which caused me to transform in front of him and he took pictures of me as a mermaid."

"She then managed to get to her phone which he took off of her and she called me." Wayson Varied from the original story some. "She told me what had happened and where she was and I busted her out of there." He smiled at his sister pulling her into a hug. "I carried her out of there and we went back home."

"Why didn't you ever report it?" Someone else called out.

"Because then they would have found out that she was a mermaid." Wayson replied. "She would have been put on display, tested on. I didn't want that to happen to her."

"May I ask something not related to your conditions?" A female reporter asked.

"I suppose." Lorelei said slowly.

"Are the two of you romantically involved with anyone?" They listened intently.

"As of right now. No I'm not involved with anyone romantically. I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust anyone after what Kris did to me."

The people in the crowd gave her looks of sorrow and pity. Wayson cleared his throat before continuing. "I am romantically involved with someone."

They turned their eyes on merman and the questions came rapidly.

"Male or female?"

"Female." He replied.

"Does she know your secret?"

"Yes."

"Did she know before the video?"

"Yes, I told her. She took it very well and was supportive of my and my sisters' ...condition. I guess that's what you would call it."

Unknown to them two hours had slipped by and they had to end the interview.

"They want to know if you'll be signing autographs before you leave?" Mitch asked the two of them.

"We weren't planning on it..." Wayson began

"But we could if you'd like us too." Lorelei finished for him.

"Excellent." Laurie said enthusiastically.