Zoe really did only have bruises, so after a quick check-up from the doctors she was let go. Since Fly needed stitches he was going to be there for a while, so Anna decided to pass the time buying Zoe some decent clothing. Of course Chuck knew nothing about buying female clothing, so he elected to stay behind both for Fly's sake and so that Anna and Zoe could get to know each other more before Anna officially adopted her.
After the shopping spree, which Zoe had a lot of fun doing (Anna did too for that matter), they came back in time to see Fly leave.
"Normally we prefer our patients to stay for a few days, but the cut wasn't as bad as it looked and your son seems perfectly fine otherwise so if you prefer we'll let him go now." The doctor said to Bill and Lisa.
"We would prefer Fly coming home with us, thank you." Bill nodded.
"I think resting at home would be best for Fly after that accident." Lisa agreed.
They all started to leave.
"So...how do humans get adopted?" Zoe asked.
"We simply take up matters with the court. Since you don't have a human past that might make things tricky, but hopefully we can at least get permission for you to live with us as a foster child if nothing else." Anna explained.
"Foster?"
"That's what you call a minor, or someone younger than an adult, who is being cared for without living in an orphanage." Chuck explained. "Orphanages used to be a more common way to care for orphans, but they recently fell out of favor when the foster care system was invented. And of course an orphan is simply a minor without a family."
"Ah."
"You know, before you really start to enter society it may not be a bad idea to teach you other human facts and behaviors. We don't want to risk attracting unwanted attention, especially if it leads to your identity as a fish being exposed." Chuck reasoned.
"That is a good idea." Fly agreed. "You and Aunt Anna can start off with in-home behaviors, especially as you get a room ready for her, and Stella, Morgan, and I can help with other details later on."
"Okay. Call you tomorrow to see how you're doing?"
"You bet. I'd like to hear how Zoe handled her first night on land anyway."
"Got it, talk to you tomorrow then."
"By Chuck."
Everyone else said their goodbyes, Bill promised to call Hubert tomorrow to let him know how Fly was doing, and they left. Anna, Chuck, and Zoe first went to drop Hubert and Morgan off at home before going to court to work on adopting Zoe.
"Lessons on acting like a human sound good to me, I don't want to attract unwanted attention either." Zoe said. "Just one thing...I suppose you both know that I love Fly?"
"The kiss did make it obvious." Anna smiled.
"Right...well...you think Fly will ever love me back? He didn't seem to like the kiss." Zoe said nervously.
"Oh don't worry about his reaction, he was just caught off-guard." Chuck smiled. "He never considered dating at all before, since we recently had become teenagers which is usually when humans first really start worrying about dating. So...I wouldn't be too optimistic, but otherwise there is a chance he may return your feelings."
"Okay." Zoe felt a bit better. "Wait...what's dating?"
Chuck explained.
They then took care of the adoption process. Sure enough it was hard and took a long time, but Zoe confirming that from what she remembered she had no relatives and admitting that she wanted Anna to adopt her actually convinced the government to let the adoption go through instead of settling for foster care. The only condition was that if a 'long lost' relative came forward with a claim for Zoe and was proven to be related to her, Anna would let them take custody of her. Anna, Zoe, and Chuck agreed since they knew that would never happen anyway.
Once they returned home, she looked around curiously. Not only due to never having seen a human home before, but also due to slowly realizing that something was missing.
"Say...where's 'our' dad?" She asked.
"Oh..." Chuck became really sad. "He, uh, died a few years ago."
"Oh...I'm sorry." Zoe said sympathetically, deciding to drop the subject.
"It's okay." Chuck shrugged, sounding the opposite.
The next day Bill of course called Hubert first thing that morning to tell him that Fly was doing okay. The stitches would take a few weeks to heal, but otherwise there was nothing to worry about. Chuck then called Fly, and was relieved to hear the same thing. Fly was also glad that Zoe adapted quickly, since he didn't want their new friend to risk making anyone suspicious of her (especially the government).
Later that day Chuck and Zoe decided to visit Fly. Since Bill and Lisa didn't want to risk the stitches coming loose Chuck and Zoe decided to make it a peaceful visit rather than do something that required a lot of activity.
Chuck went to the backyard to play with Stella and Sasha, while Zoe asked Fly hang out with her on the porch for a moment.
"I just wanted to, well, apologize for the kiss I guess." Zoe said. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or anything."
"Nah it's okay. Actually the kiss was really nice." Fly admitted. "It's just...I figured I wouldn't really start to focus on dating until my junior year of high school, since I want to wait for the right girl instead of giving all the girls a try like some guys might. Don't want to give up my adventures you know?"
"Yeah, I understand." Zoe smiled.
"Because of that...well, frankly I'm not sure what to do." Fly shrugged. "I mean, I don't want to hurt you but...well, I'm not exactly sure whether I love you back or not. I do really like you as a friend though."
"That's good enough for now." Zoe smiled. "And I should explain: fishes automatically become mates when they're attracted to each other. That's why I kissed you like that without warning... Fishes don't actually kiss though, but it was probably a side effect from the potion."
"Probably." Fly blushed a little. "Um, since you're not a fish anymore I should warn you ahead of time: human relationships aren't that simple. Couples rarely stay as couples, whether dating or married, becoming mates as you put it. Even those who get married may realize that they can't stay together and separate; we call that getting a divorce."
"Oh...geez, humans really are complicated." Zoe remarked.
"Yeah, we are." Fly chuckled. "So...as I said before it was a nice kiss, but I'd prefer us getting to know each other more before we attempt dating. Especially since I don't want to risk harming our friendship."
"Me either, so I can wait." Zoe smiled...before looking sad. "Um, yesterday I asked Chuck about his dad and he suddenly looked sad. I didn't want to hurt my brother."
"Ah don't blame yourself, Chuck's sadness wasn't your fault." Fly reassured her. "See, when Uncle Albert died in a car accident Chuck took it really hard and he still hasn't entirely recovered. He's better than he used to be though, before we first became fish he was so obsessed with studying and science and such that I became worried for him. I knew that since his dad was a biology teacher in college Chuck wanted to become one as well, sort of take his place in a way, but staying cooped up with science books and a laptop all day every day isn't healthy for anyone. I was especially worried that he wouldn't be able to live a full life, so I started trying to get Chuck to do other things like going down to the beach with me. Er...looking back I guess my methods might've been a little too harsh..."
"It's okay Fly."
Startled, Fly and Zoe turned to the front door to see Chuck standing there smiling, obviously having overheard.
"I mean yeah you did go a little too far sometimes...but at least your heart was in the right place." Chuck continued. "And I have to admit, you were right about me needing to get out more. So...thank you."
"Hey, what are cousins for?" Fly chuckled.
After going home Chuck told Anna why Fly had been forcing him on adventures and such in the past. Realizing that she had been too harsh on Fly, she called him to apologize. Fly accepted her apology but otherwise shrugged the matter off. He knew that Anna only took his actions the wrong way because she didn't know the reason behind them, so he never held a grudge on her for her having viewed him as a troublemaker. Truthfully he had considered telling her what he was up to when he first came up with the idea to make Chuck get out more, but didn't want to risk her telling Chuck the truth. Fly had a feeling that if Chuck had known the real reason why he was making him go on adventures, he would have rebelled the idea even more.
Days passed as Zoe got more used to her new human life. To help make her more comfortable her new family and friends considered not eating fish around her, only for her to explain that her species often ate the young and eggs of other fish anyway. Because of this she was capable of eating fish even now, though she only really liked the taste of shellfish and sometimes tuna. She also was interested in trying caviar, but it was expensive so Anna decided to save buying it for special occasions such as Zoe's birthday (the day she adopted her) and Christmas. And thanks to her new human form, Zoe actually became capable of eating human foods; even chocolate and dairy products. Apart from seafood she liked eggs the most though.
Then one day Fly decided that Zoe deserved to know one fact about him, especially because of her crush on him, and invited her over.
"What did you want to show me?" She asked after he took her to his room.
"Well...okay this sight may scare you, and if it does I apologize in advance for that, but there is something you should know about me." Fly rubbed the back of his head.
He then opened his closet to reveal his tackle box and fishing rods. Zoe did flinch upon seeing them, but otherwise wasn't scared. Mostly because she knew they weren't a danger to her anymore.
"Oh. You're a fisherman." She got it, sounding hesitant about how to react.
"Yeah. As a hobby really, dunno if I'll make it a career." Fly said. "Sorry if this offends you or anything...I mean if you want me to I guess I could give up fishing."
"No...it's fine. You're not the only human who catches and eats fish and I don't want you to give up who you are for anything." Zoe smiled.
"Ah, good, as long as you're not hurt." Fly smiled back.
"Nah...I am surprised though, I mean you did turn into a fish yet you never considered giving up fishing earlier?"
"Well Chuck, Stella, and I never encountered fishing hooks while we were down there." Fly shrugged. "Plus I figured that the fish who were affected by the antidote wouldn't be dumb enough to get caught on a hook anyway."
"That is true, we aren't." Zoe grinned.
Fly smiled back.
More days passed as Fly's wound continued healing. Zoe grew to love her new human life a lot, and never developed an urge to return to the sea as a fish. However she often had a desire to go swimming again, the only thing she missed from her fish life. Since Fly couldn't go swimming due to his stitches Anna and Chuck took Zoe swimming by themselves, so that she could get used to swimming with a human body.
