It took over a month but I'm back! Hope you enjoy this newest chapter!

Summary: A long standing mystery is finally cleared up and a hard choice is made

Waking up this morning had been a good feeling. For all of two minutes. Once Lyla woke up and muttered something to Sirena about going to see Zac - it was ruined. So Nixie did her best to go back to sleep and wake up in a good mood once again.

Once again, that did not work. So she said goodbye to Sirena and made her way over to Rita's to see just what today had in store. Something better than it had been if last night was anything to go by.

She surfaced in the centre of the pool, aware of another Mermaid in the water. The water parted and her eyes cleared enough to see that it was Rita in the pool, sitting on the ledge trying to work the tangles from her hair. A week with no brushing and swimming really didn't do much for a Mermaid's hair. Especially on land.

"Morning," Rita smiled, "you're up early."

Nixie glared and then broke out into a smile. Last week, every time she came here it was very likely there would be something horrible to walk into, and often was. She could still feel that cold, creeping fear that spread from her stomach that day she'd found Rita collapsed on the bathroom floor. It seemed now that time was finally gone.

"Just came to get some food, didn't feel up to catching it fresh," Nixie shrugged and awkwardly paddled over to the raised ledge to get out. If this was her house she would have made it at least a little bit easier to get out. She knew Rita could do that thing where she turned water into this jelly stuff or hard glass like stuff, why not use that to make smaller ledges to get out? Or a nice little slope?

"You'll know better than me what's in it," Rita said, "but I think Veridia went up to get some for us."

"There was still prawns left last I checked. If there's not I'm blaming her," Nixie heaved herself out of the water onto the stone floor. There hadn't been overly many prawns left, her and Rita had shared a few … whenever it was. Was it yesterday? Everyday had felt like a week right now; especially in the first few days when Rita had been unconscious and it was just waiting for her to wake up.

"Go for it."

Nixie hid a laugh as she dried herself off. Her hand stung as she shifted forms.

It had stung for about five minutes after she cut it but now it was for the most part painless and already healing. Mermaids tend to heal fast. Especially Mermaids like her; who just so happened to have Healer's Blood. Except for when she shifted.

"You look better today," Nixie said as she stood up. Rita looked healthy again, even better than she had last night when Nixie saw her at Mako.

"I feel a lot better," Rita set her brush down on the ledge beside her, "ready to start getting everything back to normal."

"What even is normal nowadays?" Nixie asked. She wasn't all that serious but if Rita had any ideas, she'd take them.

"I have no idea."

Nixie laughed before making her way up to the grotto and down into the lower level to steal a seat on one of the benches. Or maybe the beanbag. Her plan was to wait for Veridia to go back to the pool and then go upstairs. She studied her hand under the light of the grotto. There was a faint pink line where her skin had healed, the edges slightly red.

"What happened to your hand?"

Nixie jumped and fixed her face into a scowl before turning to face Veridia. She was fed up with that Mermaid giving her a fright. Really, really fed up.

"Fell and hit it on a stone," Nixie shrugged. "It's Sirena's fault."

"Let me see," Veridia asked. Her tone gave the impression that it was optional but Nixie knew Veridia. She doesn't ask. She demands. Anyone stupid enough not to obey deserves the consquences.

Anyone in the Pod that is.

And Nixie wasn't in the Pod.

She thought about protesting but what good would it be? She was done being annoyed at Veridia for now. Anyways Veridia was a more skilled healer than she was. Apparently. Nixie weighed her options, then held out her hand and let Veridia have a look at it.

Was it her imagination or was that a hint of caring on Veridia's face? Rita really had softened her.

"It's nothing serious," Veridia said, "I'll put something on it just in case there's some infection and then it'll be fine to just leave."

"Thanks."

Veridia dropped her hand and Nixie flopped down onto the cushioned bench and waited for the Mermaid to come back. The beanbag would have been comfier.

Last time she'd injured herself she'd cut her finger after breaking a mug. Rita had helped her stop the bleeding and then put this sticky purple stuff on it, before then putting on something that was like a bandage but small and sticky at the ends. It had covered her cut and made people ask what had happened whenever they caught a glimpse of it.

That had annoyed her. It wasn't anything to do with them. Sirena had tried to paint her perspective a bit brighter, something about how it was nice they cared. Nixie had gone straight home and taken it off after that.

"Hold out your hand," Veridia instructed. Nixie held out her hand, wound upwards and Veridia applied the same purple stuff Rita had. The old suspicion from the last few days rose up. Veridia seemed to know exactly where Rita kept everything and knew how to make a lot of different potions and they still hadn't figured out just how Irukandji ended up in Moon Jelly…

"Thanks," Nixie lightly shook her hand.

"Don't," Veridia caught her wrist, "you need to let it settle."

Nixie stilled her hand for just a second.

"Better?" Nixie asked mockingly.

"Only slightly," Veridia let go of her wrist. Nixie pulled her arm into her side and shifted away from Veridia.

"So," Nixie began, "have you told Rita about the salve yet?"

Veridia froze. So that was a no. She was unbelievable. Rita had to know what happened and the fact that Veridia kept putting it off was suspicious. Any longer and she would just give up and tell Rita herself as much as she was done with being the bearer of bad news.

"She has to know," Nixie reminded. "You have to tell her."

"I will."

"Before you leave."

Veridia would be leaving soon, off back to the Pod, leaving them to deal with Zac and the Trident and everything else.

"I will," Veridia repeated. That was it. No more emotion or anything.

Some little part of her almost expected Veridia to turn around and say she wasn't leaving but then why would she? It's not like she cared. Nixie had said that Veridia before. She'd said it to Rita once too. Back when they first met her. Never once did she think they'd end up here, as close as family.

Rita took her chance as soon as Nixie left and slipped under the water, the dark rock at the bottom of the pool looming menacingly under her. She forced away the thoughts that swarmed her mind and hastily made her exit out through the tunnel and into the open sea.

She meant to leave once Veridia had gone but then Nixie appeared cutting the narrow window of time she had to do this by a fair bit.

Rita surfaced just beyond the cliffs, close enough not to be seen by anyone who happened to be out here, but far enough out that waves wouldn't be doing their best to shove her into the rocks. Normally it wouldn't be a problem for her, but now...

The morning sun was warm against her skin. It had been so long since she'd been in the sun, it was nice, just taking that moment to herself.

Rita slipped back under the water and headed back into the pool under her house, hopefully to arrive before Veridia noticed she was gone.

She surfaced and settled on the ledge again only a second before Veridia returned.

"There is no food in this house," Veridia sat on the edge of the pool and lowered herself into the water, shifting instantly.

"I'll get something sorted later. I think Nixie was heading up to get something to eat too."

"I passed her." Veridia offered nothing more. It worried her when Veridia went quiet like that, it wasn't her. "Did Nixie say anything to you?"

"About what?" Nixie hadn't really said all that much, nothing that was outside normal Nixie conversation.

"Nothing," Veridia said, not quite meeting her eyes. "I just got the feeling she's not doing all that well. It's been a … tough week."

"I'll talk to her later."

She had her own worries about Nixie. There had been a few nights Rita had come down to the grotto for whatever reason, she couldn't remember now, to find Nixie already there. Her only reasoning had been she wasn't the mood for the others. Which was fair enough, she didn't always want company and understood that feeling but she always got worried when Nixie was like that. Mermaids don't generally sleep on land. It took her years to acclimatise to it and even now she often opted to spend the night in the pool instead of her bed.

Veridia just nodded.

"What's wrong?" Rita asked. She could hazard a guess but it felt too self-centered to say aloud.

"It's nothing."

"Something's wrong," Rita placed her hand over Veridia's, slipping her fingers between her's. "You don't have to tell me but don't just say it's nothing."

You can't rebuild an entire relationship in a day but she felt she owed it to herself to try. She was the one who left Veridia in the first place. It was her fault this is what they had come to.

"I think I need to leave, sooner than planned."

There it was.

"You asked me to come with you," Rita began, "is it really too much for me to ask you to stay?"

"I thought about it," Veridia said. Rita's heart jumped. "but I'm responsible for the situation the Pod is in, it was on my word we left Mako. I can't leave them."

Rita bit her lip. That.. that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She knew it would be but she had to try.

"I don't want you to leave."

"I don't know what to do," Veridia admitted, her voice just a whisper. Rita pulled Veridia into and let her collapse against her, holding Veridia against her chest and resting her cheek on the top of Veridia's head.

The Pod needed Veridia. She needed Veridia. She was never one to depend on anyone else. For anything. She'd lived on her own for so long ever since Harry died, she didn't have the luxury of anyone behind her for support, anyone to trust. She was always too suspicious of people's intentions and struggled to trust anyone. She'd tried but any relationship where you have to lie and hide a huge part of yourself isn't one she wanted. Dishonesty is a poor foundation for a strong relationship.

Her relationship with Veridia had been the strongest, most honest she'd had. Maybe it was just a rose-tinted-nostalgic memory trip but this morning and last night - she couldn't remember the last time she had felt that pure happiness right through to her heart.

"What is it like, living on land?"

It hurt, hearing Veridia like that, quiet and uncertain.

"It's not that bad," Rita said. She wasn't lying, it really wasn't. Most of the time. "You get used to the land people and there are some good parts."

"There's good parts to land?"

Rita laughed, "there is. I survived it, didn't I?"

"Show me."

Rita lightly traced her fingertips along the exposed skin of Veridia's back. The other Mermaid was sleeping beside her, pressed in against her, forehead against her shoulder, and an arm draped across her. It was the closest she'd truly been to another person in a long time

She tried not to read too much into this. It didn't mean anything… It couldn't mean anything. And yet it did. It meant everything. It meant a commitment and made her heart flutter with hope that this meant Veridia was really serious. Her head said otherwise.

She let Veridia sleep but carefully eased herself out of the bed, doing her very best not to wake Veridia. Rita dressed quickly, and quietly slipped out of the room before the comfort became crushing. Veridia's Moon Ring sitting on the cabinet glinted in the creeping light as the door opened and closed.

She wanted nothing more than this to be the new normal. Everything with Veridia had moved so fast, all those years about and then living an entire relationship in a day? Her head was spinning with it.

Walking through the house Rita felt like she was finally alone for the first time, aside from that brief reprieve in the sun earlier on. Her memory was … spotty, from the last week, but from what she could recall there had always been someone else around. If yesterday was any indication it was probably Nixie. Or Veridia.

The only truly, clear memory she had was that dark water, a void of just Dead. She saw it last night when she slept. The heavy weight of still water all around. Never ending and inescapable.

Rita found herself down in the grotto, walking down there on instinct. Immediately she noticed it. Things were out of place. It was hard not to bolt down and sort it. Everything had its place and everything should be in its place. In particular…

The chests of her potion and healing supplies were out.

They should not be out.

Every one of them was sitting up on the table, lids shut, apart from one. The one that really should not be open.

Veridia hadn't realised she'd fallen asleep until she was rudely awoken by that horrible cat jumping on top of her, claws digging into her shoulder. She called him a few choice words and swatted him away.

How Rita could even tolerate that animal was beyond her. She went to say as much to Rita but when she turned over she found the space beside her empty.

It was disappointing to say the least.

Is this what it would really be like every morning? Waking up on land, on a not very uncomfortable bed with Rita gone, away to work or doing tides knows what? It brought her back to the Pod, the amount of times she'd wake up, go to say something to Rita only for the Mermaid to be gone - off chatting to dolphins or collecting more potion components.

It was a far cry from what she last remembered before falling asleep. Lying with Rita, the other Mermaid's hand in her own, head against her shoulder, warm and happy. She even managed to not think about leaving just for a second.

The cat stared at her from where he'd taken refuge on the floor, eyes unblinking.

She really did not like cats. This one in particular. He'd done nothing but hiss and growl at everyone over the last week unless he was eating and kept getting in the way.

Veridia forced herself up and dressed, picking her dress from the floor and trying to smooth out her hair even a little. She picked her Moon Ring up from the small table beside the bed and slipped it back on then headed off to find Rita.

She found Rita in the grotto, her collection of supplies out on the table, looking through one chest in particular. The one Veridia had broken the enchantment of. Veridia's stomach dropped.

"What are you doing?" Veridia asked.

"Checking something." Rita seemed to hardly noticed her, more focused on the task at hand. Veridia had admired that before, Rita's ability to focus down on anything and ignore everything else. Until Veridia became part of the 'everything else.'

"Checking what?" Veridia asked. It took a lot to keep her voice steady and calm. There's no way Rita would not have noticed exactly what was moved and missing. She was going to find out what had happened and whatever her reaction would be, Veridia was not prepared to deal with it. She was too strung out and exhausted from the fight going on inside her own head.

"Nothing in particular."

"Checking what Rita?" Veridia repeated. Rita clearly had some motive by the way she was checking each vial, tilting each one slightly to check the contents.

"Things have been moved," Rita finally looked up and met her eyes. "It's ordered for a reason."

"We needed healing supplies. I can replace anything that's been used." Not a lie. Veridia had used a lot of healing supplies before those cuts had healed. They seemed well healed now, the Moon had done a better job than she first thought. Still there, still visible, but they had the tone of an old wound rather than a new cut and for now didn't seem to be hurting anymore.

"You know there's no healing supplies in here."

She did. She did know that. She was the one who gave Rita that little chest in the first place specifically to keep those dangerous supplies that needed to be locked away.

"And the lock is broken," Rita added on, never looking away.

Veridia finally broke.

"There was Irukandji mixed into the Moon Jelly. I - "

"I know," Rita cut her off. "I was working on something."

Veridia's blood ran cold in her veins. For every response she'd considered - this was not one of them. She was speechless. She was never speechless.

"I only had a bit left of both Moon Jelly and Irukandji. I mixed into the same jar so I could refill it.

"Irukandji is dangerous," Veridia managed to get out. "It should be locked away."

"It was."

"No it wasn't!" Veridia snapped. "You had an empty vial locked away."

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be going through my stuff. I found the original recipe to prevent transformations, I was in the middle of trying it out."

"That Moon Jelly went into a healing salve! It," Veridia stopped herself and lowered her voice, "It almost killed you."

Rita went silent. The grotto air hung heavily and the light flickered.

"When you were going to tell me?" Rita's voice was quiet, almost a whisper.

"You were at a delicate stage of recovery," Veridia said, "I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize that - "

"No you weren't. You wouldn't have said anything."

Maybe that was the truth. No, it was the truth. No maybe about it. If she had her way Rita never would have found out.

"I thought it was my fault," her voice cracked and there was nothing she could do about it. "I thought I'd hurt you."

She never cried. Now here she was twice in one day crying into Rita while the other Mermaid held her.

"It wasn't you. It wasn't your fault."

"Did it work?" Veridia asked, pulling herself together. "The potion to stop transformation."

"It did actually. For all of two minutes. But it's a start."

"If anyone can figure it out you can."

She had been top of the class for a reason, except for potions. Veridia herself had topped that one for a while.

"Maybe you could help?" Rita suggested with a slight shrug. "You were the only one ahead of me in potions after all."

There was nothing more Veridia wanted to cave in and stay, she'd cope with it somehow. Cordelia would most likely take over the Pod and some over Mermaid from the Council would move up and take Cordelia's place on the Higher Council. They'd work it out and she could stay here with Rita and that horrible cat.

"I - I can't," Veridia said. Each word felt like lead in her mouth. "I can't stay. I'm sorry."

Tears burned in her eyes again and a hard lump pressed in her throat.

"Please don't leave me."

She'd said that. When Rita left her. She'd begged her not to leave. All these years later the roles were reversed.

"I have to."

"Don't."

"Don't make this harder, I don't want to go."

"Then don't. Stay here. With me." Rita made it sound so easy.

"You know I can't. I can't leave the Pod. I have a duty to them."

Love and duty. She remembered back to that time; proclaiming once she'd always choose love over duty back when they were teenagers in some big gesture. In her defense this was a situation she'd never imagined they'd be in.

"I think you need to go," Rita whispered. "It's just going to be worse if we draw this out."

Rita was right but that's not to say it didn't feel like a stab to the heart. She was the one who was leaving. Is this how Rita felt when she left the Pod?

Veridia could only nod. Leaving before had been hard but leaving now…

Rita took Veridia into a hug, her hands warm against her even through her dress. Veridia pulled Rita into her even closer. She was going to miss this, miss Rita, miss the company. It wasn't even just the relationship aspect, it was everything. She'd been so scared she would lose Rita this week; everytime things were looking out something went wrong

"We'll see each other again," Rita whispered, "I know it."

Veridia met Rita's lip in a deep kiss, cupping the Mermaid's cheek before resting her forehead against Rita's once they broke away. Rita slipped her fingers through Veridia's and took her hand into her own.

"You kept doing that this morning," Veridia said softly. She didn't trust her voice too much at this point.

"Sorry," Rita ducked her head slightly as a blush crept up her cheeks.

"It was… sweet."

"I try."

She kissed Rita again, the other Mermaid slipping a hand up her neck, lighting tangling her fingers into her curls. She dreaded to think what state her hair was in between a week without any maintenance and sleeping on land. The land part especially.

"I'll miss you," Rita whispered against her lips.

"I'll miss you too."

The sheer effort it took to force herself to step away and leave was insurmountable. Veridia walked quickly out of the grotto and down the water, tears blurring her vision with every step.

Nixie trudged back down to the grotto unsuccessful.

The fridge had been as empty as a jellyfish's brain so she took herself out to the Ocean Cafe only for Carly to refuse to serve her anything. Something to do with already having a large 'tab', whatever that was, and would not be getting any more food or juice until it was dealt with. Didn't seem to apply to Sirena who sat with David, sharing a salad between them and a large pitcher of pink juice on the table.

She'd ask Rita just what a 'tab' was when she saw the Mermaid. If she saw the Mermaid. The house was empty, from the kitchen to the bedrooms to the library. A few days ago that would have set her senses off. Today though Nixie held a more hopeful outlook. Besides both Rita and Veridia had been downstairs when she left.

She checked the pool first and backtracked up to the grotto. At a first glance it appeared empty but there wasn't the same empty atmosphere as the rest of the house. She made her way across the upper level under the guise of seeing whether or not Veridia had tidied up the mess Nixie left. It didn't look like she had but it did look like everything had moved…

Nixie turned her head slightly and saw Rita sitting in the little alcove that Nixie herself often chose as her escape place.

"You...okay?" Nixie asked tentatively.

"I will be," Rita said quietly. The Mermaid looked pretty downcast.

Nixie bit her lip and sat down next to Rita. Guess she wasn't the only who used this as a 'sad place'

"You don't have to stay positive you know," Nixie said, "I'm not Sirena. I don't need things sugar coated."

That said Sirena was stronger than many people gave her credit for even if she was a little bit of a pushover.

"Neither does Sirena," Rita said, catching Nixie's eye before turning away. "I'm staying positive for me because I don't want to go back to that dark place you're in. I want to focus on moving past this. I've been where you are and it's not a nice place to be."

Nixie swallowed and interlocked her fingers.

"I don't like it either."

"I'll help you," Rita said.

Nixie shifted closer to Rita and leaned against her shoulder, hiding her smile. She liked how that smile felt, it was genuine for a change. Rita's arm wrapped around her.

"So…" Nixie began, "Veridia?"

The house was empty and Rita was quiet in the way she was before, after Veridia left that first time. It was a safe assumption that Veridia had once again left and for good this time.

"She's gone," Rita confirmed. The Mermaid's voice came out a little more than a whisper.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Did she say anything before she left? About anything?"

She'd been on at Veridia ever since the day it happened to tell Rita about the salve. If she'd slipped away without telling her, Nixie would swim after her, drag her back and make her confess what happened.

"She said a few things."

"About a healing salve." Nixie waited for Rita's answer with held breath. Veridia better have told her.

"Irukandji in the Moon Jelly? She did."

"And?" That question had been running through her mind for days. Her main suspicion had been Veridia.

"It was my fault. I had them mixed and left it sitting out."

"Oh."

Not what she expected. Suppose it did make sense. After all the chest with a lock that no one knew how to open yet held empty vials? She'd even said Rita probably just used the Irukandji. She didn't think it would be in with the Moon Jelly but still, she was kind of right. More right than Veridia had been anyways.

Nixie sat back up and Rita's arm slipped from around her.

"How are you… doing? As much as I do not like Veridia I know you ... do."

"You really want to know?"

Nixie nodded.

"I let myself think she was going to stay. I thought she was going to stay, it seemed like she was, and now she's just gone and I have no idea what to do."

"What did she say?"

"It doesn't matter now but -" Rita stopped herself from saying whatever it was she was going to say.

"But what?" Nixie pressed. Rita was very 'say no more than needed and not until she had no choice' in a lot of matters. She always put it down the inane amount of secrecy they had to keep on land. Keep answers short and give no more detail that necessary. It was annoying. The secrecy and Rita's habit and -

"I think I still love her."

Oh.

Lyla came in through the front door and made her way downstairs from there. Usually when she saw Rita, the Mermaid was either in the kitchen or in the grotto. With the kitchen empty, both people wise and food wise. She checked the fridge and it was still bare.

She'd put this off long enough, any longer and she wouldn't do it. Lyla fished the little box Zac gave her out of her pocket and opened it up again. The silver seahorse was still there. Just like it was the last five times.

Lyla pulled on the Mermaid Myths book and opened the sliding doors to the grotto. She stepped through and rounded the corner, almost colliding with Rita.

"I, um, here," Lyla handed Rita the box before the Mermaid could say anything.

Rita gave her a look but opened the box anyways.

"Where'd you get this?" Rita lightly traced her finger over the pendant, like she didn't think it was really there.

"Zac found it," Lyla said. "It broke but his mum fixed it."

"I thought I'd lost it."

"We never meant for anyone, for you, to get hurt. I'm sorry." It was an overdue apology but surely better late than never?

"Thank you."

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, chapter 20 is in the works, I moved about 500 words from this chapter into the next one so it's started at least. I'll try not to be as long with it. A year ago yesterday I posted chapter 8, we're now on chapter 19. Never thought this would last this long...

Until next time!