Authors Note:

Well here we are at the end. I want to thank everyone that has read this, my first, fanfic. I'm glad you've all enjoyed the story and I've very much enjoyed your replies and feedback.

As for why I didn't have them tell Kim last chapter it has nothing to do with not liking Kim as a character and more from having had two younger siblings myself growing up. They both at one point were at the age where they felt that any privilege I got or anything special that I got to do was unfair, and they were fast to whine to anyone that would listen about how unfair it was. If I do get an idea for a sequel and it progresses to the point where Kim is old enough to look back and say "I was a total brat how did you not strangle me growing up?" I might work in her being told. Hey my siblings got to that point so it's not impossible that Kim will too, she's just not there right now.

Chapter 14: New Home

I woke up late, my mind still going over the phone call to my parents I'd had the previous night and the decision I'd made. It has been a week since my new friends had told their families and I had made a decision of my own. Now I just had to tell everyone else.

The first thing I noticed was the rocking of the ship wasn't the same as it usually was. It was a more extreme and more gentle telling me without words we were anchored in the open water and not the marina. This didn't worry me too much and so I got dressed for the day and went up on deck.

The first thing I noticed upon arriving on deck was that we were very close to Mako but not right on it. A quick look to a few other reference points and I knew we were parked right near some of the best underwater scenery in the area. The fact that Denman's diving gear wasn't on the ship told me all I needed to know. She'd gone sightseeing.

Smiling I went to the galley in search of a really late breakfast while I waited for her to return. I only had to wait about twenty minutes before the sound of splashing at the aft of the ship informed me she had returned.

"Good afternoon Laura." She greeted me. "Mind giving me a hand up here?"

"Your soaking wet you know." I said holding out my hand.

She though about that for a second and then waved me back. I rolled my eyes and helped pull her out anyways. We were far from anyone that might see us and I had a towel close to hand anyways.

"Thanks for the hand."

"No worries. No one around for miles and we'd see anyone coming from a real long way off."

She chuckled pleasantly and began to get out of her gear.

"Sorry to drag you all the way out here. I was so eager to just see what was out here when I wasn't on business that I forgot to ask you if you had any plans on shore before leaving. I haven't gone diving just to see things for my own enjoyment in so long I never realized how much I actually miss it."

"For that you're forgiven." I laughed. "Really when was the last time you had what could be considered a real vacation?"

"Well before I met you. Years before actually." She looked a bit wistful.

"Long past time I'd say then." I sat up now dry. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure. Anything."

"I talked to my folks last night, and I asked their opinion of something." I hesitated unsure of how to continue.

"Let me guess, you want to stay here with the girls." She said with a smile.

"Yeah. That obvious?"

"Only to someone that knows you well." She sat down now free of her gear. "Listen, for a long time now you thought you were alone in all this. The sole remaining mermaid. You know now that is not true and I'm not surprised you want to stay close to them. I think it's a good idea, everyone need others around them that they don't have to hide who they really are from. No matter how much I study, or associate with mermaids I won't every truly understand what it really means to be one."

"Never thought of it like that." I admitted.

"So on that note what help do you need from me?"

"That sorta sums it up. I have no idea what I'd need to move here."

"Well first off it'll be easier to get you a student visa, you've learned enough under me to enter any local university and officially get a degree in a Marine Biology major. I can help you with the paper work for that easy enough." She offered.

"And our contract?" I asked.

"Fulfilled. So no worries there. I'll even give you a full recommendation. You earned it in my opinion." She said. "And I kept records of all the work you helped out with, slightly edited to avoid mention of you being a mermaid, as well as all the basic academic studies you completed with me as your acting professor. You should be well on your way with no need to redo most of the basic course work."

"Thank you. That's more then I'd hoped for, more then I was even going to ask for." I was feeling a bit choked up from gratitude. "I don't know how I'd ever repay you for this."

She started laughing, "oh you don't have to worry about that. You've earned all of this with your own hard work. So don't feel you need to repay me in anyway. If it helps consider this a form of non-monetary pay for all your work."

I just nodded. I felt a great swelling feeling inside. It was pride, but a good kind of pride. Pride for a job well done. Pride for a reward hard earned and honestly deserved. It felt good. "Thank you."

"Your welcome. Now shall we head back or did you wish to meet me there?"

"Let's head back. I need to meet the girls and tell them the good news. What time is it anyways."

"About 2 in the afternoon. You really like to sleep late." She said with a laugh as she headed up to the bridge to get us underway.

"On second thought, I'll race you back!" I called up.

"You wouldn't mind giving me a short head start to get up to speed first would you?" She called back down.

"Sure why not. I'll even stay on the ship until you get up to speed, and I'll even dive off the back so I have to turn around first."

We both laughed as she revved the engine and got the ship moving. I still won.

I met the girls at the cafe around 4. Emma was just finishing her shift and Rikki was meeting with Zane. She was going to resume helping at the cafe but only in the capacity of curbing his bad ideas and providing some of her own to help the business grow. I could see the writing on the wall. She was starting to forgive him and he was actually learning from his mistakes. Maybe in time they could get back together and have it work, but one step at a time this time around.

Once Cleo and Bella arrived we all took over one of the back booths and I told them my news.

"Well I had a long talk with my parents last night and I've decided that I'm going to stay here. They support me in this and while we will miss each other we can always visit, but I feel more at home here for some reason." I told them.

"And Denman?" Cleo asked.

"She's going to help me get enrolled in a local university and get a student visa so I can stay here too." I answered.

"But don't you work for her?" Bella asked.

"I asked her about that too. She said that I've fulfilled our contract and that what I've learned from all the work we've done will help me get my own degree and make my own name in the field. As a teacher she's quite proud of me." I said with a smile.

"Denman, huh." Emma said. "Who'd have though she'd have changed so much from when we first met her."

"I know right," Rikki agreed. "I might actually forgive her, someday. Maybe."

We all laughed a bit at that. "Only thing I have to do now is find a place to live. I could use some help on that."

"My lease is about to be up and I could always move up to a two bedroom and you could room with me." Bella offered."It would end up saving me money with the split rent and we won't have to run and hide from each other if there's an accident with water."

"As long as you're OK with it," she nodded. "Then I'll accept. I do have to admit having roommates I don't have to hide from is kinda what I've gotten used to on the ship."

They all laughed again. I just smiled.

"Well now that it's official we have something to welcome you to your new home." Cleo said as the girls put two small boxes on the table in front of me.

"What are these?" I asked.

"You're supposed to open them and find out. That's how it usually works." Emma told me.

I laughed at that and after removing the ribbons holding the boxes closed opened them to find two necklaces. The first was a simple leather cord with a blue stone at the end. It was a match for the ones they all wore. After that I probably guess what the other one would be and I would have been right. It was a silver locket on a silver chain. The only difference was the stone that like all the others was different. The stone on mine was a reddish yellow topaz that almost perfectly matched my hair.

"Thank you. I never expected you to welcome me quite like this." I said choked up from the unexpected sense of belonging. "Thank you."

"We had the pendant made by the same person that made all the others so it's truly part of the set and the other one is a moonstone from the moon pool at Mako." Rikki explained. "All we know is they tend to store moon light and have something to do with how we all became mermaids in the first place. So you can see how they are something special for us."

I held my hair out of the way as they helped me put them on. "Thank you, it means a lot to me knowing how important they are and what they mean. I'm glad to be part of this all."

"Well we are glad you came. I know we didn't start out on the best of terms but things worked out and now we don't have to worry as much if something major goes wrong for us down the road." Cleo said. "And it seams that we're all supposed to be together anyways, you know given how our powers work together and all."

We all shared a good natured laugh, and I held up my glass. "A toast to friends."

"To friends!" They replied and we carefully clinked our glasses together and took a sip through the straws.

"Now if you'll excuse me I need to get ready for our performance tonight," Bella said.

"I can't wait. You're an amazing singer." I replied.

She blushed a bit at the compliment and headed up towards the stage.

She sang late into the night, the large crowd constantly calling for more, and I cheered along with all the rest just as loud. The next day I joined them for their morning swim. The five of us racing through the water, exploring, and generally sharing something that no one else would ever truly be able to understand. For the first time I no longer felt alone in the water. Because now I had my sisters here with me, and we belonged together.