Obligatory Precursory Author's Notations:

Hello, wonderful readers!

I'd like to make a point of saying that I started writing this before production for Mako Mermaids was announced, and all plot twists and details are inspired purely from the original H2O: Just Add Water series. I wanted to get this out there before the new show comes out and may or may not mirror ideas I had on my own. Just a bit of author's pride, is all. :)

I am not Australian, do not live in Australia, nor do I have close friends or family there to reference, so I'm drawing on what knowledge the show and Google have to offer in cultural quirks. For native Australians who may be reading this, I do apologise for any lingo that may be clumsy and misplaced. I set my Word language to Australian English, so at least the spelling is a bit more consistent.

My fic's timeline starts from Season 2, Episode 2: Control and goes on from there.

Thematic/Pairing Spoilers...
Personally, I enjoy H2O for three reasons: magic, mermaids, and cute couples. If you're not fond of happy endings, this one isn't for you. My pairings are Lewis/Cleo, Zane/Rikki, and Emma/Ash.

Now that you have been duly warned, you may commence! Thanks so much for reading!

i

Cleo sat on her bed, bemoaning the state of things to Lewis. Her back was turned to him as he tried his hardest to reassure her.

"Hey, you still have me," he said.

"I know." His attempts to make her smile did nothing. If anything she looked like she was ready to cry. "And if things were halfway normal that would be great. But you can't help me right now, Lewis."

"Yes, I can! I can fix it!" he gestured to the easel where the mess of Cleo's failed attempts to learn how to tame her powers through painting showed colourfully on the page.

"Why are you always having to fix everyone?" Lewis's face fell. He had never seen her so angry before. Cleo was always the glaring optimist; often to a fault. Now she looked determined to make him as unhappy as she was. "You can't 'fix' us this time! This is up to Emma, and Rikki, and me."

She shook her head at him. "You're not one of us, Lewis."

He shrugged, thinking this must be one of those female tempers that would blow over in a day or two. "I almost am."

"No. You're not." She said it with decision.

"I don't know how to say this, Lewis. But…" she took a great gulp. "I think it would be better if I were alone for a while."

Lewis nodded. She could use a break from the others. Maybe if she had less distractions she could focus on her powers and get them under control quicker. "That's a good idea."

He was confused when she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I mean, really alone. As in by myself."

He blinked sadly at her, dreading what might come next. She couldn't possibly mean…

"Without a boyfriend."

With those three words, Lewis felt his world crumble. It shouldn't have come as such a surprise. Things were going too well to last. He should have known a guy like him couldn't hold on to a girl like… well, a girl who was secretly a mermaid. And although Cleo sometimes thought he liked her purely for the scientific possibilities of the change she'd gone through, she meant so much more to him than that. But he didn't make a fuss. Not like he had for the past few weeks.

He'd been constantly by her side, like algae on a rock; overwhelmed, and he admitted, a little crazy over the sheer excitement of being Cleo's boyfriend. They'd been friends for so long, always dodging the subject of dance partners and date nights and unsure of each other's feelings. They hadn't time to focus on their developing relationship before Denman showed up a second time, completely blowing any chance of a breather by the drama she caused. Being suddenly free to show just how much Cleo meant to him made Lewis overzealous.

He could hear Rikki's voice in his head with her biting sarcasm towards that understatement.

And now Cleo was rejecting him flat out because she needed space. He'd pushed his luck with her, but he wouldn't anymore. If there was the slightest chance of getting her back he knew he had to give her the space she asked for and show her he could respect her wishes.

Even though it killed him to do it.

He glumly inquired if there was anything he could do differently to reverse her decision, but he didn't make much of an effort. He felt too defeated. A small voice in his head was telling him it was over and there was nothing to be done. He was struggling with all his might to silence it.

"No, Lewis. I really need to concentrate on my powers."

He rose slowly from the bed and stopped just short of the door. He wanted to tell her it was no good; that he'd be there for her anyway, no matter how much distance she put between them. His hand wavered at the doorknob. That cruel voice inside told him she was right. Who was he to argue about something he barely understood? He could look at a mermaid's biological makeup under a microscope as much as he liked. It would never explain what she really went through living a secret life with a giant tail.

He hated giving up so easily, but he convinced himself it was what Cleo wanted.

He didn't know how wrong he was.

-x-

Cleo continued to sit on her bed after he left. She didn't actually want to work on controlling her powers like she told him—like she would tell Emma and Rikki when she announced she'd split up with Lewis. She didn't want to use her powers ever again. Not with the image of Lewis shivering and scared witless on Mako because of her, or her accidental knocking him into the moon pool after the last time she was unable to gain control. She didn't want space from Lewis. Not really. She was just too frightened to be around him anymore.

She couldn't imagine how awful it would be if she ever did anything worse than tossing him around in a storm, and she was sure she never wanted to find out. What if they got in a fight and he ended up injured because her powers got the best of her? How could she live with herself knowing she'd been the cause of his pain? She knew it hurt him now to be away from her, but she told herself that in the long run this was best for him. And somehow she would have to get on without his constant attention.

She fell back onto her bedspread and stared at her ceiling for several long seconds before curling up into a sad little ball. She missed him already.

-x-

Lewis gave her a week. A week of only speaking to her after she initiated conversation. A week of stilted waves and passing so close he could have reached out and tugged her hair, but refrained for fear of breaking their agreement that she be given "space."

He didn't ask about how her powers were coming along, but from what Emma and Rikki said, and the glimpses he caught of her, she wasn't trying to use them any more than he was trying to beat Byron's surfing record. Emma dodged his questions, repeating how much Cleo needed to be let alone. Rikki said Cleo was in denial about so many things that it would be a miracle if she could be persuaded into getting off the couch.

While waiting for Cleo to give him a sign of acceptance, Lewis also used his time trying to avoid Charlotte.

The girl was relentless. She was pushy and overly attentive, and nothing like Cleo in looks or personality. He supposed there was nothing largely unappealing in her features, though secretly agreed with Rikki that her clothes didn't help her larger figure, and he was flattered by her obvious interest in him. He had always been so absorbed in his scientific ventures that figuring out how much he cared for Cleo was a bit of a surprise even for him. No girls had ever shown a keen interest in Lewis McCartney unless they wanted help on a biology quiz. Except for Cleo, of course. But Charlotte was not Cleo, and Lewis wanted Cleo back.

After the week was up and Lewis had all he could handle of being nothing more than an invisible friend, he made his way to the Sertori's house.

Cleo greeted him cheerfully as if nothing had happened. As if their relationship had never changed to begin with. Lewis was tired of playing this game.

She let him follow her up to her room where she was cleaning her fish tank. All the aquatic creatures were being kept in a separate container. There was no floating water blob in the air, nor did Cleo create one while she went back to scrubbing the sides of the aquarium with her pink rubber gloves and sponge. It seemed quite normal except for the fact that Cleo never cleaned her fish tank normally. Not since the incident on Mako Island had given her a better way.

"You're not even working on your powers!" he exclaimed, as soon as the door was shut.

"Lewis…"

"What? Am I wrong?"

"You don't understand how hard it is to be a mermaid," she said, pursing her lips between phrases. "It's not like we chase dolphins all day and swim carefree in the ocean. It's hard work sometimes."

"I know that. Why else do you think I've been trying to help you?" He handed her the scummy toothbrush she used for detailing the tank ornaments.

"I thought we'd been over this. There are some things you just can't help with."

"So as long as you're a mermaid, we can't be together?" He pleaded wordlessly for her to say no.

Her toothbrush paused mid-scrape. "That's not what I mean."

Lewis went on since he had not heard a no. "Because if that's the problem—our being different in molecular structure, I can do more research! I can find out how to get you back to normal. Maybe the moon pool on a different night…"

"Lewis, no. I like being a mermaid. I wouldn't want to change back now. It's just that… there are things I have to work out on my own. You can't always fix our problems with a set of test tubes." She pushed a ticklish spiral of hair out of her eyes. "Look, it's not just about…physically learning how to control my powers. I have to sort out how I feel as well."

"Do your powers change how you feel about me?"

Cleo sighed as she stripped off her rubber gloves and put away her cleaning supplies. Why was it all so complicated? Essentially, the answer was no. But her powers did pose a threat she wasn't willing to put him under.

"Sometimes a girl just needs space."

"And I've thought of that! You can have space! Just because we don't spend every minute together or hold hands each time we meet or go to every party as a couple doesn't mean we have to break up, does it? I can give you the space you want. Just don't…" he sighed and looked straight into her worried brown eyes, "don't do this."

She fiddled with the locket on her neck. "Why are you so persistent about it?"

Lewis reached and took her hand. "You know why. It's because you're really important to me, Cleo. And I'm afraid that if I let you go, I'll never get you back. I don't want to lose you. Not to some other guy, or your powers, or anything."

"And you're important to me." The relief on his face was visible. Cleo leaned towards him and he titled his head downward to kiss. An image of his horrified face on Mako flashed before her eyes, stopping her cold. It would be selfish to allow him to do this. She wouldn't let him. Not until she knew what she was capable of and how to keep her powers at bay. She pulled back, making that dreadfully forlorn expression reappear on Lewis's face.

"I'm sorry. We can't be together, Lewis. At least… not for right now."

"And who knows?" she said with a light heartedness she didn't feel, "Maybe you'll discover something amazing while you don't have me around to distract you from your projects."

He didn't so much as nod in response. Cleo wanted to throw her arms around him and promise it would be okay, but she knew she wouldn't have the courage to let him go if she did.

"Rikki was going to meet me here in a little bit so we can go over some homework."

"Alright," he said bitterly. "I can take a hint. I'll go."

"I'll see you later?"

He tried to smile back at her, but all he could manage was a slight tweak in his downcast eyes. Cleo felt she had no choice but to let him walk away frustrated and bewildered.

Life could be so unfair sometimes.

Update Days will be Sundays and Wednesdays, PDT. I'm not great at hitting it right on the dot (like at midnight) but I'll do my best to be punctual!