A Wish on a Full Moon
I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 39: Lovesick (Part 2)
[Cleo grabs the ice chests with her gloves on and walks back up to the storage room, having just finished feeding Ronnie when she passes by Zane in the doorway. He had his head in the papers as he read more on the ocean wildlife.]
Cleo: smiles at him as she sees him reading. Climbs up the steps and stands in front of him. "More research?"
"How long was you going with this charade?" Neil frowned, thinking of how it could affect Emma. "Not for long," Zane sighed.
Zane: turns to her, flipping the pages. "Yeah, it's been great. I totally underestimated the intelligence of sea creatures."
"A lot of people do," Max nodded. "Sea creatures are some of the most intelligent beings around," Mrs. Chatham beamed. "Does that include mermaids? Cause I'm not too sure this one is quite bright," Kim joked, earning a glare from Cleo. "For how they're going, I think they're doing quite well intelligence-wise," Will shrugged.
Cleo: puts the ice chests down on a nearby table. "Yeah, well, some sea mammals can be a little too intelligent, if you ask me." Goes back down the steps to grab some lifejackets hanging on the railing.
*cough, cough,* Ronnie," *cough, cough* Cleo said, holding a hand up to her mouth.
Zane: "Whatever. The thing that saved me must have been really smart."
"Ah, and the act is over," Terry sighed. "Lasted longer than I thought it would," Harrison admitted. Lisa patted Neil on the shoulder, trying to stop him from continuing to glare at the younger Bennett.
Cleo: looks at him in surprise. "What?" She drops her shoulders and sighs, walking over to the lifejacket rack on the side of the building and placing them. "Is this about that stupid sea monster thing again, Zane?"
"It took you that long to figure out?" Rikki chuckled. "It surprised me too, Rikki. I should have known better," Cleo remarked.
"You said it like it didn't offend you," Bella commented. Would've hurt her feelings. "He kept talking about it so much, it didn't affect me as bad. Besides, I couldn't give it away that I knew something about it," Cleo explained.
Zane: lowers the papers as Cleo takes her gloves off. "It's not stupid."
Cleo: tosses her gloves aside. "The only reason I got you access to the library was because I thought you wanted to save undiscovered and endangered sea animals."
Zane: taps the papers. "This thing is undiscovered." Cleo grabs her bag and they walk down the sidewalk. "See? Don't you get it?"
"Technically, he's not wrong. It was undiscovered," Denman tilted her head in thought. "And in danger," Lewis muttered, glancing at the doctor. "It might have been undiscovered, but it was still wrong of him to lie," Cleo countered.
Cleo: "You are so devious, Zane."
Zane: "You say that like it's a negative."
"It's been like that for sixteen years now, Cleo. You should know that by now," Zane joked.
"But it was negative," Elliot said. "I was being sarcastic, Elliot," Zane told him.
Cleo: an idea pops in her head. "Hey. What with all your new-found fishing knowledge, what do you know about dolphins?" Crosses her arms.
Zane: "Enough to know they're not fish, they're mammals."
"Since you were looking for undiscovered sea creatures, wouldn't that have included mammals as well?" Will assumed. "Yeah, it did. She referred to them as fish, I was just correcting her," Zane replied.
Cleo: "Oh yeah. Anyway, do dolphins ever get crushes?"
Zane: pauses in his steps and looks at her unexpectedly. "Crushes?" Cleo nods. "Not exactly. They are instinctive carers, though."
Cleo: shakes her head in confusion. "Meaning?"
Zane: shakes his head. "According to this stuff, they have complex social networks and hierarchies. Basically what matters to them is families and finding food for each other." Cleo looks out over the water where Ronnie was swimming around as Zane continues. "They, I don't know, bond over that sort of stuff. Here, read it yourself. I can't be bothered." He hands the stacks of papers in the folder to Cleo and walks off. Cleo bites her lip and follows after him.
"So, they care about others around them?" Ash figured. Kind of like horses. "Specific ones, yeah," Cleo answered.
"Is that what he was doing then? Caring for another dolphin?" Elliot asked. "Yup." "Which one?" Bella asked, a little too eager to see more dolphins. "You'll see it soon," Cleo smiled.
"She's giving you access to the library, the least you could do was give her some more information," Sam said.
[The two walk out the front entrance of the park, where the tickets are usually sold, as Cleo tries to catch up to him with the papers in her hand.]
Cleo: "Hey, look at this. The marine park rescued a pregnant dolphin the other day. How cool is that?"
Zane: sighs and shoves the folder shut in her hands. "Get a life, Cleo."
"Says the one doing research on a sea monster," Kim scoffed.
"A pregnant dolphin?" Denman muttered, a small smirk beginning to form, as she realizes what Ronnie has been doing. He's taking care of the pregnant dolphin instead of himself, of course! How did I not realize that? And it seems like Denman wasn't the only one to come up with that conclusion as Max smiled and Bella tried not to jump up and down in her seat at the realization.
Cleo: shoves the folder into his hands. "I'm not the one hunting sea monsters." She walks ahead of him, and he looks at her, jaw open, then runs to catch up with her.
"Oooh, burn," Ash laughed, as the others snickered in amusement. "Yeah, I had that one coming," Zane said with a small smile.
"Wasn't expecting that from the quiet one, were you?" Lewis smirked.
[Not too far from them, but far enough that they wouldn't notice, Emma, Lewis, and Rikki watch them from the sidewalk. They see the two walking away from the marine park together and chatting away.]
Emma: "Well, I guess it's true."
"You were spying on us?" Zane questioned. "And you believed it by just that one instance?" Cleo sighed, mentally slapping herself. "Yeah," the three of them reply, wincing at their actions.
"Maybe we should've gathered more evidence rather than basing it off of a phone call," Bev grimaced. "Thank you!" Cleo nearly shouted. "To be fair, that was evidence to us. They never hang out together, not alone and especially not at the marine park," Emma explained.
Lewis: frowns. "This isn't right. She must be delusional or sick. Very sick." He taps his head as if he meant mentally.
"If I ever did date Zane, then assume the worst," Cleo laughed. "And vice versa," Zane shuttered, just thinking about it. He and Cleo together? No way!
Rikki: "Come on. Let's get out of here before she sees us." The two girls walk off as Rikki talks to Emma. Lewis was still frozen in place as they kept going. "Tell her to meet us at Mako Island." Lewis eventually follows the two girls after losing sight of Cleo and Zane, walking away in a huff.
"Ooh, sounds like someone's getting in trouble," Zane chuckled. "And you didn't?" Cleo asked him skeptically. "Probably more than you did," he sighed, looking over at his father. I highly doubt that, Cleo thought.
[Zane walks down the stairs of his house that leads to the pool in the backyard. Zane had the papers in his hand that he brought back from the marine park. By the pool, Harrison sat in a lounge chair on his laptop. He closes his laptop and holds it in his hand, then stands up and walks up to Zane who had just got to the bottom of the stairs.]
Harrison: "Where have you been?"
Zane: looks up at him. "Since when do you care?"
"Shouldn't a father always care?" Bella said as if there were no wrong answer to it. Zane and Harrison looked at each other, both with regretful looks, then let out a breath and turn back to the screen. Bella gave them a strange look before also turning back to the screen, wondering why they never answered.
"Does this have to do with the phone call?" Annette asked. "Yeah," Harrison sighed, knowing this won't look good for him.
Harrison: "Oh, I care alright. I won't have you throwing away your future running around with you-know-who."
"I beg your pardon?" Don said, raising his voice. "How dare you talk about my daughter like that! She's a whole lot better than that leech you've been letting hang around him!"
"I called you to inform you of what was going on. Not to shame her! Now if they dated it would've been fine with me, but that is their choice, not yours. I just wanted her to be careful," Bev said furiously. Harrison gulped, the regret of his past beginning to rise as the guilt grew. "My apologies, Don, Bev. My past actions are not something I can change and can be very cruel and selfish. There's a lot I regret and that is one of them. Cleo is a far better person than Miriam or anyone else for that matter … including me. I shouldn't have talked awfully about Cleo like that if Zane wanted to date her or not."
"Don't talk as if we are dating! That's horrendous," Cleo shuttered; Zane felt the same way, trying not to gag. "Yeah, don't put those images in my head."
Zane: "Who?" Harrison looks at him and straightens up. "What are you going on about? I've been doing research." He holds the folder up and begins to walk off.
Harrison: "Is that what you're calling it these days?"
"I was telling the truth!" Zane exclaimed. "I didn't know that," Harrison sighed, rubbing his forehead.
Harrison: walks up to him as Zane turns to him. "I'll spell it out for you, Zane. Focus less on girls and more on your schoolwork. Got it?" Harrison walks off, leaving Zane with a questioning look.
"I mean, yes that is true. That's what every student needs to do, to focus on their studies. But they also need a social life as well," Sam mentioned. "Just what every kid loves to hear," Kim sighed as the other teenagers in the room groaned at the reminder.
"I did say I was doing research. That counts as schoolwork, right?" Zane chuckled. "If it were on a school project, then yes. But since it's on a sea monster. No."
[While Zane was getting interrogated by his father, Emma and Rikki met up with Cleo at the moonpool. The two blondes were on the other side of the moonpool than Cleo. The three of them were relaxing in the water, their tails keeping them afloat, their backs leaning against the rocky ledge, when Rikki decides to bring the certain topic up.]
Rikki: "Cleo, we know about you and Zane."
"A great way of telling her slowly," Ash chuckled. "I prefer to get it fast and over with. Easy peasy," Rikki shrugged.
Cleo: "Have you been spying on me?"
Emma: "No." She and Rikki look around hesitantly. "Well, yes, but we had to." Looks back at Rikki, who had her hand on the ledge, then at Cleo with an upset look. "How could you keep such a big secret from us?"
"One, no you didn't have to spy on me. Two, it's not a secret. And three. We're, not, dating!" Cleo exclaimed, clapping those last three words. "We had to in order for us to figure out what was going on," Rikki defended their actions. "Yeah, and you still got the information wrong," Lewis scoffed. Rikki gives him a pointed look. "You did too!"
Cleo: shakes her head. "It's not a secret. Why would it be a secret?"
Rikki: and Emma frown, looking at each other. "Then why didn't you tell us?"
Cleo: "What's the big deal? It's not like he's going to find anything on sea monsters, is it?"
Emma: shakes her head in confusion. "What?"
"One conversation, two completely different topics. Gotta say, by far, this is the funniest episode," Will laughed.
"I was so confused when you brought sea monsters up. I thought you were going to expose our secret to him," Emma blushed. I mean, you guys did eventually, but you didn't have a choice, Zane thought.
Cleo: rolls her eyes. "I didn't realize he was still trying to track down that creature that supposedly saved his life. Otherwise I wouldn't have let him do his research there."
Rikki and Emma: give her bewildered looks, shaking their heads. "What?"
"I'm guessing you two are just now realizing that she's talking about something else," Ash grinned. "Yeah, we did," Rikki sighed.
"And you two still didn't question her about it?" Lisa asked. "We did, and she explained the whole thing to us. But then Kim and the rest of them got us wrapped up into it again, making us even more confused and creating a whole mess of things," she huffed. "At least this makes it a whole lot easier to understand what the heck happened," Emma shrugged.
[That night at the Sertori house, Don waits impatiently in the living room for Cleo to get home. Lying down on the recliner, he taps his fingers against the armrest and looks at his watch. Bev sat on the couch while she braided Kim's hair as they watched the tv. Suddenly they hear the door open, and they turn their heads to see Cleo walking inside and shutting the door behind her. She was about to head upstairs when Don stands up and calls for her.]
Don: "Oh, hey, Cleo." He walks over to her where she stood on the bottom of the staircase. The rest of the family watches the two carefully. "I've been patient with you, but this is it. We know about Zane Bennett."
"What's so bad about dating him? The two have known each other for so long," Bella suggested. "You have seen the way he's acted throughout this whole thing, right?" Emma said, pointing toward the screen. "Yeah?" Bella said warily, who doesn't love a bad boy though. "My point exactly."
"We knew he wasn't, mature I guess is the right word. We just didn't want Cleo getting mixed in with the wrong crowd. With her keeping it a secret, it seemed like a whole lot worse," Don explained. "How many times do I have to say that we're not," Cleo said exhaustedly. "Until it gets in their thick skulls," Zane said, agreeing with her for once.
Cleo: raises an eyebrow. "You too?"
"Oh, now that just makes it sound a whole lot worse," Zane complained.
Don: hands on his hips, giving her a stern look. "Exactly where have you been all this time?"
Cleo: shrugs, looking around. "Out and about."
"Which is the truth," Cleo reminded. "I've been at work, school, the Juicenet café, Mako, though I couldn't tell you that last part."
Don: "I am tired of the secrets, Cleo. Unless you can tell us exactly where you've been, exactly what you've been doing, and how far you've gone, then you're grounded."
"Isn't that a bit too much?" Max asked. "You'll go to any lengths to protect your children," Don said, arms crossed the sighed. "But in this case, yes since it was all a big misunderstanding. Now if she were actually lying to me, then no."
Cleo: grins and tries not to laugh. "This is silly. You're being ridiculous."
Don: yells. "That's it. Grounded." Cleo looks at him in shock then runs upstairs. Don turns back to them then throws his arms out and goes to sit back down. Bev continues braiding Kim's hair as the latter has a smug smile on her face.
"You were being ridiculous," Bev muttered. "You could've stopped me. Besides, you agreed to it beforehand," Don shot back. That's because you wouldn't have it any other way, Bev thought, biting her tongue.
"I had no clue what was going on," Cleo chuckled. "First Emma and Rikki interrogate me, then you two? It was so weird."
[The next morning Cleo's phone rings. She picks it up in the living room and answers it.]
Cleo: "Hello? Oh, hi." She sits down on the couch as Kim sneaks some glances at her from the kitchen. She rummages around in the cabinets, eavesdropping on the conversation. "Yeah look, I know you really want me to be there and I really want to come, but-."
"But I was in an awkward situation and couldn't go anywhere because no one believes a word I say. Well actually I never got a word in by that point," Cleo finished.
"It did sound like you were talking to your boyfriend," Kim grimaced, yet hid a smirk as she saw Cleo scowl once again at Zane being referred to as her boyfriend.
Mitch: at the end of the training pool where Ronnie was next to him, swimming in the shallow water. Mitch turns around and begins walking up the path as he spoke to Cleo on the phone. "Ronnie's temperature is up. It could be an infection and I'm not sure he's got the strength to fight it." Mitch looks back down at Ronnie where he cries in pain.
"Oh, that poor thing," Sam said sadly, wishing there was a way she could help it.
"Is there any way to help it?" Elliot asked worriedly. "All our answers lie on the other side of the gate," Cleo said. "Come on, Cleo. Enough with the metaphors," Lewis scoffed. "That doesn't answer my question," Elliot argued, the two not realizing that Cleo literally gave them the answer.
Max sighed. He went through all that pain and trouble for the love of his life, yet he still didn't give in. He's much stronger than I was.
Charlotte felt a chill run up her spine. She doesn't like dolphins and will probably never be as close to one such as Cleo. But just like Cleo, this one seemed to be growing on her. He acted a whole lot more different than that dolphin that tried to bite her when she was younger. And she hated having to see it in so much pain. She didn't want to see it hurting and hoped that he would get to feeling better soon.
Cleo: hears Ronnie's cries on the other end and gives in. "Alright. That's important. I'll be there as soon as I can." Cleo hangs up the phone as Kim walks around the bar with a glass of water and sits down in the chair with a smug look on her face.
Kim: "Aren't you grounded?"
"Aren't you the one who caused this whole mess?" Cleo shot back. "No, pretty much we all did," Kim shrugged, smiling. "And also a pain in the tail, remind me to add that to the list," Cleo sighed, realizing Kim was right.
Cleo: grabs her bag lying next to her then turns to Kim. "Aren't you a waste of space?" Cleo stands up and heads for the door.
"Ooh, I like that one. Write that one down too," Rikki said as she put down her drink.
Kim: stands up and follows Cleo, her drink still in her hand. Begins shouting for Don. "Dad, Cleo's going out!" Cleo gives her a look to zip it, then turns around to see Don blocking her path to the door.
"Tattletale," Cleo muttered; Kim stuck her tongue out.
Don: "What's going on?" Cleo and Kim walk over to him.
Cleo: "Um, I'm just going to the marine park to feed a sick dolphin."
Don: narrows his eyes at her in disappointment. "How blind do you think I am?"
"Very blind if you didn't believe that," Terry chuckled. "Unfortunately, I was," Don sighed. "I'm sorry, Cleo. I should've believed you the first time." "It's alright dad, you had no idea what was going on. It did sound a bit odd anyway," Cleo replied. "Me too, Cleo. I was being a real pain during that whole thing, wasn't I?" Kim winced. "You were, but it's okay. You're forgiven. That's what sisters do," Cleo smiled. "And brothers," Emma joked, looking over at Elliot.
Cleo: "What?"
Don: "Please, Cleo. No more. Lying is worse than keeping things from us. You are forbidden to leave this house." Cleo glares at Kim, who shoots one back, then storms upstairs fuming. Cleo enters her room and slams the door shut behind her. She tosses her bag on the bed then flops over onto it, her arms crossed as she stared at the floor angrily.
"But she wasn't lying. There really is a sick dolphin!" Elliot exclaimed. "I know, and I should've known better than to believe those rumors." And if Cleo did listen to me and stayed at home instead of escaping, then who knows what might've happened to Ronnie.
"Yup. Definitely going too far," Will said. "Parents always try to do what's best for their children. Even if it might seem ridiculous, you'll understand why eventually later on," Sam informed. My dad was the same way when I was growing up. Groundings became a common thing in my house.
"You shouldn't take others' words over hers," Max shook his head.
[The doorbell rings downstairs and Don opens it to find Lewis standing on their porch. He steps back as he lets the boy come inside.]
Lewis: "Hi, uh, is-is Cleo in?"
Don: holds his hands up. "She sees no one until this Zane thing blows over."
"Oh, come on, dad. Lewis is a friend," Cleo complained. "Part of the terms for being grounded," Don shrugged. "But I was grounded for no reason!" Cleo argued. "A reason that is true," she said as she saw Kim open her mouth.
Lewis: "That's a good idea. I'll go and keep an eye on her." Tries to go past Don and up the stairs but Don stops him.
"Jealous that she would be talking to other boys, Lewis," Rikki teased as she whispered to him. "No," Lewis said quickly. "I just, I just wanted to check in on her."
Don: turns to Lewis, pointing at him. "That includes you, Lewis."
Lewis: sighs and looks upstairs before turning back to Don, who had his hands on his hips. "Why can't Zane just stay away from her?"
"I was. The only time we were around each other was when I was researching at the marine park," Zane groaned.
Don: scoffs. "He can't keep his hands off her."
"Gross! I never had my hands on her!" Zane shouted. "Normally I would argue with him, but this time I actually agree with him. That is disgusting," Cleo shook her head in disgust. Not with him, not now, not ever.
Lewis: "I mean, what is it with these rich kids? They just think that they can do whatever they want." Don nods in agreement, crossing his arms as Lewis lets out a breath of frustration, then points to Don. "Don't you worry about it, Mr. S., because I am going to put a stop to it. Zane Bennett is going down." Lewis marches out the door and slams it shut, Don watches him as he does so and shakes his head in disbelief then walks off.
"I had absolutely no faith in him that he could," Don said plainly as Rikki and Zane laugh at his antics. Lewis blushed in embarrassment, crossing his arms. "I could take him down." "Yeah, right. Me and Nate have a black belt in karate, I can take you down in one hit," Zane scoffed. You're probably right about that, Lewis thought. Nate proved that to me.
[Upstairs in her room, Cleo's phone begins to ring. She sits up and answers it when she realizes that it was her boss. In the hallway, Kim comes up to her closed door with a glass cup in her hand. She leans in trying to hear what Cleo was saying when she heard her speaking and the phone ringing.]
Cleo: on the other side of the door. "I'll be there as soon as I can. Truly." Kim puts the cup up to the door and puts her ear against it, listening in further. "No. Nothing could keep me away." Cleo hangs up the phone and Kim hears a shuffling noise inside the room.
"Well, I'm certainly glad that we didn't take her phone. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made it in time to the sick dolphin," Bev said, Don nodding in agreement surprisingly.
"You little rat. First my diary and now your eavesdropping, again. Can you stop listening in to my conversations?" Cleo shouted. "Nope. That's the perks of being a little sister. You got to deal with me for the rest of your life," Kim smirked.
"That is also probably the worst timing, it kind of sounded like you were madly in love with him," Will amused. "Maybe with a dolphin, which I cared for, but certainly not Zane," Cleo chuckled. "Though I do realize where it did sound out of context." "And that's exactly what I thought," Kim giggled, slightly embarrassed.
[Kim gives a sly grin and puts the cup down and opens the door, only to find the room empty of anyone and the window wide open to the outside world. Kim drops her shoulders, and her grin.]
"You ran away? All because they grounded you?" Sam asked in surprise as several gasps rang through the room. "What? No! I didn't run away, and I didn't run off because of that. I was just trying to get to the marine park so we could save Ronnie. I was going to come back! But I couldn't let Ronnie suffer for any longer, not when I knew I could try and help," Cleo exclaimed. "No but you could've at least left a note or something, you scared us half to death when you did that," Bev sighed. "And it made me think there was something far worse going on," Kim commented. "Does it have to do with what she said?" Will theorized. "Yes it does."
[Kim runs downstairs and into the living room in a panic with her cup. She finds her parents in the kitchen.]
Kim: has a worried look on her face. "Dad! It's not my fault."
"In a way, it kind of is," Ash said. "You did snitch on her," Will said. "It wasn't mine entirely," Kim muttered, annoyed.
Don and Bev: in the kitchen. Bev pours some tea as Don turns around from the fridge and walks over next to Bev. They both look up at Kim who just yelled for them. "What?"
Kim: "She's run away. Cleo's run away."
Don and Bev: shocked, eyes widen. "What?"
"You just freaked them out even more," Rikki chuckled. "I was telling the truth. She did run away," Kim admitted. "But for a different reason," Cleo said. "We know sweetheart, we know," Don sighed.
Kim: lets out a breath. "She was on the phone and she said nothing could keep her away. She's eloped. Cleo's run away to get married." Bev looks back at Don, where he was now puffing out his cheeks in complete shock, both of them completely stunned.
"That is not what was going on!" Cleo yelled, turning to her sister. "Even if it was out of context, there is no way it would've sounded anywhere near that!" "That's what it sounded like to me," Kim admitted sheepishly, her voice going quiet. "I'm sorry, Cleo. I should have thought it through more." Cleo nodded slightly, but stayed quiet, glaring at the screen. "Ya know, I have to agree with Cleo on this one, it sounded nowhere near it," Rikki pointed out.
"So that's where the whole wedding thing came from," Emma thought aloud.
"Is that what you meant by wedding fiasco earlier?" Max asked. Kim nodded, her face reddening just like Cleo's and Zane's.
"That was a lie," Elliot said. "It's the way it sounded," Kim tried to excuse. "It was still a lie, and you know it," Emma said, shaking her head.
"And just when things couldn't get inexplicably worse," Lewis nodded.
[Another knock comes from the door and the rest of the Sertori family, excluding Cleo, runs up to it to see who it was, in hopes that it was Cleo returning. Don opens the door with the other two women in the house behind him. He steps aside as he realizes it's just Harrison, who walks inside holding his phone up.]
Harrison: "I still can't get ahold of Zane. I can't believe this is happening." Puts his hands on his hips and looks at Don. "Do you think it's time to go to the police?"
"I'm surprised you went to their house," Zane said, raising his eyebrow. "I didn't know what else to do since you weren't answering your phone," Harrison said. "The library has a metal top. I couldn't get any signal," Zane explained.
"If you got the police involved, I'm sure I would have absolutely run away then," Cleo joked. "I don't think the police can get involved in a situation like this anyways," Sam mentioned. "If they are underage, they probably can," Max remarked.
Don: "No, no. I don't think that'll be necessary. But, I like your thinking, though." He ushers the rest of the family out the door as Harrison walks back out. Bev grabs her purse off the recliner and runs out the door. "Come on, Kim. Come on. Let's go." Don follows them out the door and closes it behind him.
"Thank you, dad," Cleo breathed out in relief. If the police were to get involved, it would have made the whole matter worse. And it would have risked her losing her job since it involved her work as well.
[Emma and Rikki were walking down the side of the road when Harrison's car speeds past them. The two girls glance at each other and stop in their tracks once Harrison slams on breaks and puts it in reverse. They look at the car to find that Harrison wasn't alone. In his car were the rest of the Sertori family.]
"What were you girls doing?" Lisa asked curiously. "We were going to stop by Cleo's and talk with her," Emma answered. "If we were allowed to," Rikki interrupted. "I might have let it slide if you girls were going to talk some sense into her," Don shrugged. "The only one who needed some sense talked into them was you three," Cleo retorted as she looked at the rest of her family with a small smile.
Kim: to Emma and Rikki. "Cleo has run off with Zane. They've eloped."
Rikki: the two look at them in shock. "She told us it was research."
Kim: "She told me she was crazy about him." Don and Harrison look at each other.
"I did not you liar! When have I ever said that?" Cleo shouted in shock. "Yeah, I may have overexaggerated just a bit," Kim winced. "A bit?" Emma raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, Cleo. I didn't know it was going to be broadcasted for all of us to see," Kim said with a small smile. "We've all lied or overexaggerated over something. And I didn't know it would be either. Otherwise, you guys probably would have never known about us," Cleo said with a small laugh. That is if I ever would have told you in the future. Something I kind of hope we will get to see.
Emma: frowns. "Why would she lie to us?"
Don: "Calm down! We've got to sort this out, girls. Where would they go?" They all look at them.
Emma: shrugs. "Maybe, the marine park?"
"I've been talking about dolphins and work all week, where else would you guys think I would go?" Cleo exclaimed. "I would say Zane's house, but Mr. Bennett was with them," Emma said. "And I already checked our entire house," he sighed.
Harrison: "We'll try there first." He shifts the car into gear and speeds off, leaving the other two behind as they watch them go. Emma looks at Rikki and nods, then the two walk across the street and head toward the water.
"Where were you two going?" Ash asked. "We figured we should go too. We knew of a way to get there quick," Emma grinned as she motioned towards the water on the screen. "We decided on another route since Mr. Bennett decided to lease us in the dust," Rikki added. "There was no room in my car, where would you two sit?" Harrison questioned. "The trunk was an option," Rikki joked. "Not gonna happen," Harrison quickly said, shaking his head as Zane chuckled.
[Zane walks up to the entrance of the marine park with his bag and the folders of research papers, then takes off into a run, not noticing the group of people spotting him. Harrison stops the car by the road as they see Zane take off in a run through the entrance gates.]
Don: "There." Points at Zane heading for the entrance. "There he is."
Kim: leans forward in her seat to talk to Harrison who glances back at her. "That'll be his wedding suit in the bag." Harrison hits the gas again and they storm off for the parking lot.
"Why were you running?" Harrison asked him. "Cleo had texted me and said that they needed the research papers as soon as possible. So, I was trying to hurry," Zane simply explained. "I was thinking we might figure something out in the articles," Cleo informed.
"Okay, forget about your mom starting all this, you're the one who made this whole thing way much worse than it should be," Zane shook his head and groaned. "It wasn't a wedding suit, it had my notes in it from what I've copied down from the research papers." "I'm just going to blame it on the fact that I was caught up in the moment, a little over-enthusiastic, and was a preteen. I made a lot of mistakes back then. All kids do," Kim grimaced.
"Everyone makes mistakes, it's a part of being who we are. It's whether we choose to learn from it that makes it important," Mrs. Chatham said smoothly. "It doesn't matter if you're a preteen or not, Elliot's a kid and he never did that," Emma added. "To be fair, I never thought my sister was supposedly dating a bad boy," Elliot grinned. "No, but she would date a beach bum, isn't that right Emma?" Rikki teased as Emma felt a blush forming.
[Inside the marine park, Cleo and Mitch watch helplessly from the steps as Ronnie swims slowly in the shallow water next to them. Cleo stays a few steps back in case she were to get splashed.]
Mitch: bent down next to the water. "We've been feeding him, but he's losing more weight. It makes no sense." He stands up and moves closer to Cleo.
Denman looks at the poor dolphin worriedly, having figured it out a bit ago. Understanding why he was doing this but couldn't understand why he wouldn't take care of himself either. He was so desperate to be with his partner that if he doesn't start taking care of himself, then at this rate he will probably never be able to be there for his little special friend. Even the trainer was unsure of what to do. This wasn't a good sign for Ronnie; he won't be able to get the help he needs if they don't act soon.
"Poor Ronnie, please tell me this gets fixed soon," Elliot said sadly. "It will, don't worry Elliot," Cleo assured him. "But why wasn't he eating? Was he not able to?" Charlotte asked, surprising Annette that she sounded like she cared. "He was, but he chose not to," Cleo said with a small sad smile, having hate to see Ronnie go through this all over again.
Cleo: looks around and sees Zane coming up the sidewalk with his research. She walks up to him with Mitch right behind her. "Zane, have you read anything about dolphins fasting?"
Zane: looks at her like she was joking. "What? Like the forty-hour famine? Yeah, right."
"This isn't a joke Zane, he's in serious trouble!" Elliot yelled. Zane looked at him in surprise, along with everyone else, not expecting the young boy to get frustrated about this. "Uh, sorry Elliot, I wasn't aware," Zane said, unsure of what to say, still shocked by the boy's outburst.
Cleo: looks out to where Ronnie was and notices him peaking his head up and swimming around the pool gate. She points to the water suspiciously, talking to Mitch who was standing behind her. "Who's in the other pond? And what's Ronnie doing over there? Is that the pregnant dolphin they rescued the other day?" Zane and Mitch look out towards the water.
Mitch: nods. "Yeah, that's Jemima." They watch as the two dolphins swim together side by side, the only thing preventing them from being able to swim together was the pool gate.
"No way," Will grinned. "So I guess there were some love birds after all," Kim smiled as everyone began to realize what was going on, smiling to themselves. "Well, I guess you were right about one thing, for once," Cleo smirked. "Hey, I was right about you guys being mermaids," Kim shot back.
"He was in love with Jemima," Bella practically squealed. "That's so sweet," Annette smiled genuinely. Charlotte nodded her head along, a small smile gracing her face. "Yeah, it is," she nearly whispered.
"Ah, so that's the lucky girl," Max chuckled.
"I knew it. He was taking care of her, making sure she had everything she needed so she would be okay. An instinctive carer," Denman theorized with a smile. "Pretty much, yeah. He was willing to do anything for her," Lewis mentioned, sneaking a glance over at Cleo.
Cleo: smirks. "Wait a minute." She grabs the folder from Zane's hands and begins flipping through the pages. Talking to Zane. "That thing you were saying the other day, about dolphins being instinctive carers?" She stops at the page she was looking for. "Here it is. 'During gestation, the connectivity of satations is at its peak, leading to cumulative sensory awareness and secorrent behavior.'" She looks up to Zane after finishing reading it.
"What does any of that mean?" Rikki frowned. "It basically means that when a dolphin is attached to something, such as Jemima, then Ronnie will do everything in his willpower to do everything he can for her. Even if that meant starving himself to death. I guess he was trying to win over her heart, and it seemed to work by the looks of it," Lewis smiled, sighing as he thought of everything he tried to do to win over Cleo's heart. But nothing seems to work. Was it time for him to give up and move on? I don't think I could ever do that.
Zane: looks at her astounded and raises an eyebrow. "Does anyone understand that long-winded tripe?" Cleo walks off with the folder as Mitch steps up to him, giving him a look.
Mitch: "I, uh, I wrote that article, mate." He walks off, following Cleo as Zane looks at him a little shocked, his mouth slightly jaw-dropped, then walks off after them keeping his mouth shut.
"Wow, I've never seen you so quiet," Rikki smirked. "I wasn't so sure what else to say to be honest with ya," Zane chuckled.
"It took him a long time to work on that," Cleo sighed. "You know how to get on people's good side, Zane," Emma shook her head.
"You insulted an author. Do you have any idea how hard he probably worked on that?" Denman scoffed, looking at the brunette boy with a death glare. "Then again, I guess you never appreciated the hard work of scientists." "It depends on the situation, and what is being worked on," Zane glared back as the other people around them looked at them strangely, giving them weird looks. Everyone except for the ones in the knowing.
"I understood," Lewis raised a hand. "I'm pretty sure you're the only one Lewis," Zane retorted. "I did too," Max nodded, along with Denman.
[The search party walks along the boardwalk, having just entered the marine park in a hurry to find the two missing teenagers. Harrison was leading the group as the rest followed with Emma and Rikki running up alongside them.]
"You guys got there quick," Sam said, slightly impressed. "Some of the gates to the marine park pools are actually connected to the ocean, so we could get there pretty quickly, and dry off. Luckily the park had just opened so there weren't many people there yet," Emma explained.
[Cleo, Mitch, and Zane walk down the dock as Cleo puts on her gloves while she carries a bucket in her arms. Cleo leads them to the end of the dock where Ronnie was.]
Cleo: "Check this out." She walks down the steps onto the lower dock and walks to the edge. Mitch and Zane watch from a few feet away. "Ronnie." Ronnie swims over and pops his head up, opening his mouth wide, knowing what she's going to do. Cleo picks a fish up out of the bucket and tosses it in the water. Ronnie picks it up and hastily swims over to the gate with it still in his mouth. Cleo smiles knowingly, nodding her head. Once Ronnie got to the gate, he tosses it over to the other side where the pregnant dolphin was. Jemima grabs it and eats the tasty gift.
"Aw, that is so sweet! I've never seen a dolphin do this before," Bella gushed.
"So let me get this straight. This whole time, he wasn't actually sick, he was just giving his food to Jemima?" Ash asked, just to be clear. "Yup. He was head over tails for her," Cleo smiled sweetly.
Mitch: walks up to her, completely stunned by what he was seeing. "Get out of here. You cheeky fella." He runs off of the deck to go deal with the newly discovered situation.
"That definitely blew his mind," Will laughed. "It did mine," Ash said, still stunned by the whole thing.
"No, I will not get out of there," Cleo laughed. "I love that job too much." "I think he was speaking to the dolphin, Cleo," Rikki whispered to her.
Cleo: "That's all he wanted to do. He was giving his food to Jemima. All he wanted was a girlfriend." Zane watches in shock.
"Well, at least he didn't have a crush on you," Emma chuckled. "No, all he did was trust me. We're friends, and that's it. So don't worry, dad," Cleo teased. "I don't have to worry about anything seems like. Looks like you were the real cupid that day," Don laughed along.
"All he needed was a little help," Cleo mentioned.
[Mitch walks over the pool gate, on the walkway, and bends down to pull the chains upon the gate. As he pulled the chains, the gate lowered down in the water, releasing Jemima from her pool and connecting hers to Ronnie's. As she saw that the gate was open, Jemima immediately dived down and quickly swam over, cackling as she went. The two swam around in excitement then went over to the dock where Cleo and Zane still were and pop their heads up, squealing in excitement.]
"That is so adorable," Charlotte said sweetly. "I thought you didn't like dolphins," Annette whispered to her, grinning at her. Charlotte stared at the screen for a moment before looking back at her mother, whispering back to her. "These two are different. They definitely don't seem like they want to harm me or others. And they're good friends with Cleo. If, if a dolphin is friendly to anyone, and is willing to do anything for the one they love, then can they really be so bad? These two are okay in my book," Charlotte said, giving her a smile, which Annette gladly returned.
Good. I hope this means she will be getting over her fear soon. Maybe I can ask Cleo to help her out. She seems like she would be a really good help with it.
Cleo: "Aren't they gorgeous together?" She turns to see Zane still staring at the dolphins, trying to figure out how to feel about it. Mitch walks back up the dock standing behind them. Cleo gives Zane a look. "Don't be such a boy, Zane. This is cool. Admit it." Cleo pulls him over. Zane begins to smile as he watches the two dolphins. They bend down and sit on the dock and Cleo sets the bucket down. Mitch walks over and stands in front of them, fixing to give a little lesson when he gets interrupted.
"Okay, this, yeah this definitely looks like a wedding scene," Ash grimaced. "How so?" Cleo said, shaking her head. "Well for starters your boss looks like he's wearing a marriage officiant's outfit, even looks like he's dressed for a wedding. And with you two kneeling in front of him, sitting side by side," Ash said, looking over at them. "Do I need to continue on?" "… Yeah, I see your point. But that was just a coincidence," Cleo sighed. "It does look bad," Zane winced.
"You should've seen our surprise when we saw you guys in that position. Your dads' looked like they were going to explode," Rikki laughed, Emma trying to get her to hush.
[Right then, Kim, Don, and the rest of the group rushes to the dock, spotting them in their unfortunate position.]
Kim: shouts as she leads the group over to the dock, narrowing her eyes at them. "I knew it!" The three at the end of the dock look over at the two families, their smiles slowly fading. "Stop the wedding!" They walk up under the balcony where several employees were decorating the patio with white tablecloths, blue netting hanging from the railing with some lights, and a few flowers placed to the side. The employees stop their task and look up to see what all the fuss was about.
Cleo: the three of them look at them in shock. "What?"
"I can't believe you guys actually thought they were getting married," Bella laughed, shaking her head. "Looking back at it now, I can't believe we did either," Bev chuckled, as soft laughter filled the room.
"Ok, so if there wasn't a wedding, then what were all those decorations for?" Kim questioned, crossing her arms. "They weren't for us. They were for another couple that was actually having a wedding that day. Mitch was supposed to be officiating, that's why he was dressed so formally. We're not the only people in the world, Kim. There are others that fall in love as well," Cleo bickered, rolling her eyes.
"You weren't expecting that comment from them," Lewis laughed. "I thought they were coming to argue about me running off while being grounded. Not that," Cleo scoffed. "You thought she was surprised? I was utterly confused about what was going on," Zane laughed.
Don: shouts to Mitch as he walks onto the dock, now leading the pack. "They're, they're just kids."
Harrison: behind Don. "This is unbelievable. I can't believe any son of mine would be so foolish."
"I did a lot of foolish things all the time back then. But I'm also your only son," Zane chuckled before it falters. "Or at least I think I am." "Trust me Zane, one of you was enough," Harrison shook his head. Zane smiled. "Thanks. Wait, what do you mean by that?"
Kim: "How can you marry them? It's so obvious that they're underage." Zane and Cleo look at them completely bewildered.
Mitch: decides to access the situation, trying to remain calm, but even he felt confused about it. "Uh, who are you people?"
Bev: "We're their parents."
Mitch: "I'm the dolphin trainer."
"This must have made things really weird at work for a while, didn't it?" Bella assumed, giggling. "Oh, you have no idea. Every time I walked by someone, one of the employees was singing here comes the bride or asking where the groom was or when's the honeymoon. It was always something. Lasted for almost two weeks," Cleo complained. "Mitch couldn't stop laughing every time he saw me."
"I'm surprised he didn't ban you all from the park," Annette laughed. "I wish he did. Would've saved me a whole lot of trouble," Cleo muttered.
Emma: and Rikki walk past the group on the dock and get in front of them, passing a furious Don. They look at the two in shock. "Excuse me, what's going on here?"
Cleo: answers for them since the other two seemed mind blown. Mitch had his hands on his hips, looking amused at the strange group who trampled in. "We were helping a sick dolphin, like I said." Don's face falters as he begins to realize that Cleo was telling the truth, and silently regretting not letting her come to help. "Why? What did you think was going on?" All eyes slowly turn to Kim, who bites her cheeks, hoping this wouldn't get her in trouble.
"A lot. They thought a lot was going on," Elliot laughed, as the crowd erupted into laughter once again, this time Kim was on the end of the stick though as she began to blush with embarrassment. Cleo covered her mouth, trying not to laugh too loudly at her sister's reaction. She honestly felt the same way once she and Zane were told about the whole situation.
"That must have been a long conversation on the way back," Terry shook his head, laughing. "It could've gone on for hours. But thanks to Lewis, it didn't," Cleo grinned as she looked at the now pale blonde. Oh gosh, I really hope it doesn't show that scene, Lewis thought.
[Back at the Sertori house, the two families plus Emma and Rikki were gathered in the living room, having relived what they thought was going on and what was really going on in the past week. Zane walks out of the kitchen with his father and Don, after having just discovered the other side of the story, looking at him baffled. Kim sits at the bar, as the rest of the Sertori's were in the living room.]
Zane: "I can't believe you thought Cleo and me were-." He looks at Cleo, trying not to laugh as he points to himself, passing by her. She herself tries not to laugh. "Cleo and me?"
"And that's the sort of reaction I would've expected out of anyone. Not the whole eloping mix-up," Ash pointed out. Kim groaned as it once again got brought up. Cleo chuckled and looked over at her. "You're the one who caused it." "Remind me to never again listen in to your conversations," Kim said as she leaned her head back. "You'll still do it," Cleo sighed in defeat. "You're right about that."
Harrison: walks into the living room and turns to Don, shaking his hand. "Nice to see you again, Don."
Don: "Likewise." Harrison nods to Bev and she returns it, then he and Zane head for the door when Emma calls out to them.
Emma: sitting on the couch with Rikki standing next to her. "But wait. What about all the calls to Zane's house?" The two Bennett's turn back to the family, curious as to who it was as well.
Don: "Uh, that-that was me."
"But if it was, then why didn't you bring it up earlier?" Cleo asked him. "I forgot about it back then. I genuinely thought it was you. And once I remembered it, it was too late. Plus, it was kind of embarrassing," Don said, rubbing the back of his neck.
Bev: and Cleo look at him, confused. "Hm?"
Don: gestures to the doctor. "I was talking to Dr. Bennett about rhinoplasty to get rid of this bump on my nose." He rubs a spot on top of his nose, then Bev and Cleo take a closer look.
"There's nothing wrong with that. It's nothing to be ashamed about," Terry said.
"There's nothing wrong with your nose," Kim said. "Don't change something that doesn't need changing. It looks fine just the way it is," Sam informed, making Don smile.
Cleo: rubs the spot that he had touched. "There's no bump. I like your nose just the way it is." Emma and Rikki glance at each other.
Bev: "So do I. No surgery." Don smiles at them.
"See? Nothing wrong with it," Sam smiled. "I told you, dad," Cleo grinned. "Thanks sweetheart. And you too Sam," Don nodded.
[Lewis barges into the house and pushes Zane, surprising the brunette as Lewis gives him a crazy look and begins speaking. Everyone watches him in curiosity.]
Lewis: in a strange accent. "Ooh. A last we meet." He begins swaying back and forth, clenching his fist as he inhales deeply.
The room once again bursts into laughter. Although some of them knew what would happen, it was even funnier a second time. "Seriously, dude. Where did the accent come from?" Ash coughed through his laughter. "I was in the heat of the moment," Lewis blushed, speaking quickly as he looked at the floor.
Cleo: steps forward and winces. "Um, Lewis."
Lewis: shouts at her, no longer having an accent, interrupting whatever she was going to say, and waves his arms wildly. "No, Cleo. No. This is about, it's about honor and integrity." He hits his chest as Cleo tries not to laugh, her parents behind her, giving him an odd look along with everyone else. "You and me, Zane. Outside. Right now." He inhales and exhales deeply, then notices all the strange looks he was getting. Zane just stared at him. Harrison gave Zane a questioning look. The three girls gave each other an amusing smile. And the rest of the Sertori's just stared at him as if they had no clue who he was. He continues holding his fist up, then finally decides to talk to the rest of the room. "What?" Cleo looks down at the floor, wondering what else was she going to get involved in this crazy life.
"It's official. You have gone insane," Will chuckled.
Charlotte smiled, her laughter dying down as she saw the sweet blonde trying to act tough. Oh, Lewis. It is just so not you.
"This is probably the weirdest, yet funniest one we have seen so far," Terry said as he wiped a tear out of his eye from laughing so hard. "I'm just glad it's over with," Cleo said. "Me too," everyone who took part in that day said simultaneously.
"Well, what's next," Neil said, quietly hoping that it wasn't another episode of Zane hunting his daughter down. He wasn't too sure how much longer he could stay silent for that. "I don't know, but there's only one way to find out," Rikki answered.
Lisa grabbed the remote from Zane and pressed play, having a feeling that this one would be important to her. And she was for sure going to find out.