Charlie Bennett blinked his brown eyes several times, taking in his surroundings through a sleepy haze. He clumsily reached for his blaring alarm clock, fumbling around until he found the button to silence it. He exhaled, sinking back into his pillow as he stifled a yawn.

"Charlie!" His father, Zane, shouted up the stairs to him. "C'mon, you're going to be late for work!"

Charlie groaned audibly as he stretched in the bed, his toes hanging several inches off of the mattress. He was tall and lanky, like his father, but he had his mother, Rikki's, curly blonde hair.

"Charlie Bennett…" This time his father's voice was drawing closer. A moment later, Charlie heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Charlie called sleepily, pulling himself up to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'll be ready in five minutes, Dad." He sighed as he stood, working out the kinks for a moment before looking around the room.

Charlie pulled on a pair of khaki pants and his blue uniform shirt for his job at the local marine park. He'd been lucky to get a position there, (as his parents were constantly reminding him.) The park had been open for forever, it seemed. His parents had even worked there off and on when they were his age.

Charlie quickly ran a comb through his hair, brushed his teeth, and tied on his tennis shoes, checking the time. He'd make it, but it'd be a close one.

Zane was adding milk to his freshly poured cup of coffee as Charlie stumbled down the steps. "Morning," He called. "Hurry up, you're going to be late."

"I heard you the first time. And the second." Charlie grabbed a mug from the cupboard closest to him. "Where's mom?"

Zane sighed, his eyes dropping down to his spoon as he slowly stirred his coffee. "She left for work a while ago."

"Ah." Charlie swallowed, keeping his tone light. "She, uh, left before you woke up again?"

"No." Zane answered tersely before clearing his throat. He rolled his newspaper tightly before shoving it under his left arm. "Get to work." He stalked away to his home office, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Charlie gritted his teeth, shaking his head as he tossed his full cup of coffee back into the sink. He just wanted to get out the door. His parents seemed to think that they could fight like cats and dogs and somehow he was never supposed to notice.

No, Charlie mentally corrected himself as he scooped up his car keys. They didn't fight like cats and dogs. They didn't seem to speak to each other at all these days. They seemed to be bickering constantly, but they would never talk to him about it at all. They just pretended everything was fine, and that things were always perfect in the household. It had been this way for the last five or so years, but Charlie couldn't come up with a reason for it. They'd been so in love when he'd been younger. Then, one day, they'd started having long talks alone in their bedroom. Every night, for hours, the pair would make an excuse to leave Charlie in the living room while they 'chatted' in their room. After a few weeks of that, they'd begun leaving the house together for long periods of time without him. They'd told him they were just spending time with his Aunts and Uncles, but Charlie knew there had to be more to it than that. It was shortly after that that his parents had just stopped talking. Not any more than they absolutely had to, anyway.

Charlie felt a familiar feeling wash over him as he started his car. It was a blend of guilt, failure, and glumness. He was twenty years old and his parents still treated him like a child. His father had knocked on his bedroom door to wake him up for work, for god's sake.

"I've got to get my own place." Charlie turned up the radio as he muttered to himself. He was the only 20 year old he knew who still lived with his parents. It wasn't that he hadn't tried to move out before, in fact, he'd tried many times with little luck. His parents had gone all uber-protective on him, and refused to let him move out of the house. Well, his father had, anyway. His mother had seemed like she might come around sooner or later, but not Dad. His answer remained always the same, never changing.

"Absolutely not. He is just fine right here. He's not moving out. Not yet."

Those same words had been uttered every time Charlie had brought up the subject. His parents were beyond over protective and always had been. He loved them very much, but he didn't know any other 20 year olds whose parents still wouldn't let them move out of the house.

Then again, Charlie reminded himself, ALL of his parents' friends had been over protective with their kids too, his cousins. Well, not blood-relative cousins, but they'd all grown up together and certainly felt like family.

There were his Aunts, Cleo and Bella, and his uncles, Will and Lewis. Cleo and Lewis had been married forever, and their three daughters, Ellie, Lucy, and Callie, had been playmates of Charlie's until Lucy had gone off to college five years ago. Cleo and Lewis had done everything they could think of to keep her at home, but Lucy had worked hard, saved up money, and gotten a scholarship to school. She was going whether they liked it or not, and they'd eventually given in, reluctantly. Ellie had moved out 2 years earlier, though Cleo and Lewis hadn't seemed as concerned about her as they had her younger sister.

Charlie remembered how hard Cleo and Lewis had fought to keep her at home. After Lucy had moved out, Cleo and Lewis had become even more watchful of Callie. Charlie didn't see her much anymore, and they rarely spoke.

It was a shame, Charlie thought. He missed hanging out with the Sertori's. There was a time when they knew him better than anyone else did. They'd spent countless summers together, and he and Callie had been the best of friends. Those were the days…

Charlie made it to the marine park with less than three minutes to spare until his shift started.

"You're cutting it close, Charlie." Laurie, the manager of the park, said dryly as Charlie punched in.

"Sorry Laurie." Charlie hastily tied on his apron as he threw a feeding a bucket onto his arm. He grabbed another feeding bucket, heavy with fish, before pushing his way out of the employee room and out onto the floor. He was caught off guard by a great smell in the air. He raised his face to the sky, breathing in the aroma. The kitchen must be fixing something new, he decided. It would be a nice change from the lukewarm mush they usually got, at least.

"Hey you." A tap on his shoulder made him jump.

"You snuck up on me…" Charlie grinned as he turned to his girlfriend, Kelli, who was standing right behind him. He reached for her waist, but she took a quick step backwards.

"Here, hold this." The bleach-blonde shoved her pocketbook into Charlie's already-full arms. "I just need to touch up my makeup before my shift starts."

"Seriously? Before you start work?" Charlie juggled the seafood buckets, trying to keep the expensive bag from getting splashed with fishy slime. Again, he got a whiff of whatever was cooking. "Do you smell that?"

"I just smell that disgusting slop bucket." Kelly wrinkled her nose as she applied a fresh coat of lipstick. "Are you seriously on chum duty again?"

"Feeding duty." Charlie said defensively. "And I requested it. I like it."

"You'll have to shower before we go out tonight." Kelli rolled her eyes as she snapped the compact shut. "You always stink of fish after you work the feeding shift. It's like the stench soaks right into your pores."

"You love it." Charlie smirked playfully, leaning forward with his lips pursed.

"Yeah, not so much." Kelli waved Charlie away, shaking her head. "Call me before you pick me up, ok?" She snagged her bag out of Charlie's hands as she spun on her heel.

"You got it." Charlie felt a familiar feeling of disappointment as he watched her head towards the gift shop, where she worked as a cashier.

When he'd been younger he'd imagined what it would be like to date the perfect girl. To him, Kelli Reynolds had always been the absolute definition of the word. He'd admired Kelli from afar all through school, though she didn't spare so much as a breath for him. She had been way out of his league all through school, and she knew it.

Then, he'd joined the swim team. It was the most successful team at their school, and spots on the team were hugely competitive. Making the team had been an instant boost to his popularity. Suddenly, he had more friends than he'd ever had. Everyone seemed to know his name. It was different, new, and from then on it had only been a matter of time.

They'd gotten together at the end of his senior year. At that point it had seemed inevitable. She was the head cheerleader, he the captain of the swim team. She was voted Homecoming Queen, he King. Add to that the fact that they were two of the only kids in their class not going away to college, and it had just made sense.

They'd been together just over a year now. At least, Charlie supposed it had been that long. He'd never really asked Kelli out, he remembered as he tossed fish into the dolphin pen.

It had been just before graduation. Kelli had marched through the sea of people crowding the cafeteria. "You and I, we're dating now, k?" She'd said simply before heading back to her table of girlfriends. He'd given a confused sort of nod as she walked away. They'd been together ever since.

When Charlie had pictured his future, he'd always pictured himself being married to a girl he could call his best friend, someone he could talk to about anything. Kelli was beautiful, but there wasn't much beneath the surface. She was cold, and more than a little needy, but Charlie had accepted that the perfect relationship he'd imagined was nothing but a story from a children's book. After all, most of his friends were insanely jealous of him, what did he really have to complain about?

Another wave of that strangely amazing smell hit him square in the face. "What is that?" He asked aloud, toying with the last fish in the bucket. He held it up in the air. "Alright, guys, I've got one more…" He called out to the hungry dolphins, leaning out over the water.

Another blast of aroma hit his nostrils.

"Wha…?" He took a step towards the door, lowering the last fish to examine it closely. "No way…" Suddenly, he realized just what he'd been smelling all morning.

It was the fish. The fish in his hand.

"Ugh." He chucked the slimy thing into the water, wiping his hand on his jeans to get the gunk off. Shaking his head, he made his way for the exit, still trying to figure out what Laurie had done to the feed fish to make it smell so very good.


Charlie pulled his car into Kelli's driveway after their date that night, checking the time. It was only 9:30, early to be getting home.

"Tonight was fun." Charlie swung his car door shut as he walked her to her apartment. "Want to put in a movie?" He reached for the doorknob.

"Nah, not tonight." Kelli said dismissively. "I have that big interview tomorrow, I want to get to sleep."

Charlie nodded, remembering that Kelli was being interviewed for a possible college scholarship the next day. "Y'know…" He raised an eyebrow. "I could… relax you…" He took a step towards her, reaching one hand around Kelli's waist to pull her in to him, his hand hot on the small of her back.

Kelli sighed, closing her eyes as he used his free hand to gently brush the hair from her neck before leaning in to kiss her neck, just below her jaw line.

"Relax me, huh?" Kelli smirked as she reached a mischievous hand down to Charlie's belt buckle, making his pulse pick up. Slowly, her hand travelled down, reaching until it just brushed over the growing outline in Charlie's pants. He gasped as he felt her fingers tighten around him, beginning to lose himself in the sensation.

"Sorry, hun. I need to get to sleep."

The warm touch was gone. By the time Charlie had pulled his eyes back open, Kelli had already unlocked her front door and was turning back around to face him. "See you tomorrow, sweetie." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before slamming the door shut in his face.

Charlie groaned, adjusting the waistline of his pants with a wince. It had been weeks since they'd had sex, though it felt much longer. He hadn't actually expected Kelli to go for it tonight, but he'd figured it couldn't hurt to try. He'd been wrong.

Taking in a long, deep breath, he dropped his head back to look at the night sky as he walked back to his car. He was ready to get home and hit the sack.

His phone lit up from where it rested on his passenger seat. Praying it wasn't Kelli needing a favor, Charlie flipped it around so he could ready the caller ID.

'Callie'

Charlie frowned as he held the phone to his ear. "Callie, hey…" He didn't know quite what to say next. It's been months since they'd had a one-on-one conversation, they hardly even made eye contact when they'd been in the same room lately. He hadn't realized just how much he'd missed her until now, he thought.

"Hey, Charlie." Callie's familiar voice came through the earpiece. "How've ya been?"

Charlie chuckled lightly. She sounded just the same as she always had, and it brought back some of the best memories from his childhood. "Just fine. How about you? What's up?" He hoped his curiosity was evident enough to be picked up on.

"What, can't a girl call her not-related cousin at exactly 9:41 PM on a Thursday night just to see how he's doing?" She was never at a lack of self-assuredness, his cousin Callie.

She was two years younger than him, but at one point they'd been the closest of friends. She was always quick with a joke and was more-than-fluent in sarcasm. Charlie had always felt like he could trust her with anything, and he'd told her many a secret when they'd been kids.

"It's good to hear your voice." Charlie heard himself say. "I mean, it's good to hear from you."

"Y'know, your voice isn't exactly making my ears bleed either." Callie was obviously grinning as she spoke, though, of course, Charlie couldn't see her. "You, uh, you been doing alright?"

"Sure." Charlie nodded. "So, was anything going on, or…"

"I was just calling to say hello, aloha, all that good stuff." Callie answered quickly. "But it's late. I'll let you get going."

"Oh, ok then." Charlie masked his disappointment. He wouldn't have minded spending a little bit more time catching up with Callie, they'd only been speaking for a few seconds He sighed.. "Later, crocodile."

Callie laughed. "In a while, alligator."

Charlie chuckled as he dropped his phone into his lap. The pair had exchanged the same silly goodbye since before he could remember.

Charlie's smile turned into a frown as he turned into his driveway. Tonight there were three cars in the drive instead of the usual one. They were familiar, one belonging to Cleo and Lewis and the other to Aunt Bella, but what were they all doing over so late at night? On a work night?

"Charlie!" Rikki jumped to her feet as he walked inside. "You're home! Everyone was, um, just leaving. We were just… catching up."

"No sweat." Charlie waved in greeting to Cleo, Lewis, and Bella, who all appeared to have just been in the middle of a serious discussion. Lewis managed a weak smile at him before dropping his eyes back to the carpet.

Charlie shifted his weight awkwardly. "Sorry, did I… interrupt something?"

"No." Zane spoke from the side of the room, where he stood leaning against the door frame. "We were just spending a little time."

"Well, fell free to keep spending." Charlie waved again as he headed for the steps. "I'm headed to bed."

He paused when he reached the banister, turning back to shoot a look at the oddly quiet room. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it. They were all just staring at the floor, tension clear on each of their faces. Charlie hurried up the steps to his bedroom, hoping that the drama would be resolved by the next morning. This wasn't the first time his parents and their friends had had a 'secret' meeting. Charlie shook his head. They all led normal, regular lives. What did they have to be so secretive about?

The room was totally silent as Charlie walked up the stairs, no one moving a muscle until his bedroom door swung closed behind him.

"I still think we should tell him." Lewis spoke quietly, his eyes serious and downcast.

"And I think we shouldn't." Zane shot back, his eyes piercing each of his friends' in turn. "And I'm done discussing it. Not when we have so much to deal with."

"I can't believe she's back in our lives." Rikki wrapped her arms tightly around herself.

Several seconds of silence passed. This time it was Cleo who broke it.

"We'll call Lucy. She needs to be aware of the situation." She looked to Lewis. "Do we tell Callie?"

"No." Zane spoke up. "Need to know basis. She doesn't need to know yet. Did you forget our agreement?"

"How could we?" Bella rolled her eyes as she stood. "Goodnight, guys. Everyone be careful in the water."

"Mermaid club meeting adjourned." Lewis said sarcastically.