Both Rikki and Zane stayed home from work the next day, each of them anxious to hear from Lewis, who promised to phone immediately following the meeting.

Charlie looked up from his phone, surprised, as he reached the bottom of the stairs. "No work today?" He asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"We're waiting to hear from Lewis." Zane's eyes never left his paper as he spoke.

"His meeting with Denman started ten minutes ago." Rikki's smile was half-hearted. "So we're just waiting it out. Cleo should be here before too much longer."

"Gotcha." Charlie's eyes darted towards the window, where the sun streamed inside. "So… I was thinking I'd just hop in the pool for a quick-"

Absolutely not." Zane snapped his paper onto the table. "I mean, honestly, Char. With all that's going on you think it's a good idea to go swimming? Why not just call up Linda Denman and hand her a camera while you're at it-"

"Zane!" Rikki's voice cut him off sharply before she turned to face Charlie, apologetic. "Maybe another day, alright?"

Charlie visibly deflated, his eyes still searching outside. "But we have the walls, and the cover…"

"I know." Rikki nodded gently. "But people may be trying… harder… to catch us. We'll figure things out after Lewis calls, once we know what we're dealing with." She took a step closer to her son. "I get it. You know that, right? I've been right there with you so many times. It'll get easier."

"Sure, whatever." Charlie couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice. It was the strangest feeling, like he could feel the water pulling him outside. He needed to swim.

Rikki watched her son closely, knowing exactly what was going through his head. She hated that his first few days as a merman would be in captivity. She sighed. "Why don't you call Callie?" She suggested. "Maybe she'll come over with her mother?"

"Yeah." Charlie said, distracted as he looked out the back window at the shimmering pool water. "Maybe I'll do that." He headed sullenly back up the stairs to get his phone.

Rikki watched him go, waiting until his door had closed behind him before turning to her husband. "Be a little less understanding, Zane." She said bitterly as she grabbed her coffee cup from the table and tossed its contents angrily into the sink. She turned to slam both hands on the table, leaning forward so that her face was inches from his. "Your son is a merman. I'm a mermaid. You're just going to have to accept it, no matter how much you hate it." She shot him one more icy look before storming out of the room and down the hall.

Zane let his head drop, jumping slightly as Rikki slammed the office door. "I accept it." He said to himself quietly. "I just hope the rest of the world will."

Charlie paced his bedroom floor, trying to convince himself that he didn't want, no… need to swim. He restlessly grabbed at his phone, checking to see if Callie had replied to the message he'd sent a few minutes ago.

'On my way in a few, have to turn in a paper first.'

Charlie exhaled audibly. Mako Island and the ocean were definitely no-zones, his parents wouldn't even let him get in their own, enclosed, pool

But…

He opened his bedroom door, casting a quick look down the hall. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.

Charlie closed the bathroom door behind him, grabbing several towels from the hall closet. If he wasn't allowed to leave the house, the very least his parents could do was let him take a bath.

He pushed the lock on the door before turning on the water. He twisted the knob quickly, watching as water rushed into the porcelain tub. Without waiting to think anymore, he jumped inside with a splash, sitting flat on the cool tile. He gasped as the cold water hit his warm skin.

It wasn't cool for long. In fact, barely a moment later the water felt warm and comfortable. Charlie kept his eyes open, watching as the transformation began. Just as before, his clothing seemed to vanish into thin air as his legs elongated. The golden scales reflected off the white tile, creating an almost glow around his now-connected legs.

Charlie tried to pull himself up a bit with his arms as his tail extended further than he'd expected it to, hanging over the tub's edge. He craned his neck, looking himself over.

"Not bad." He couldn't help but smirk to himself.

He closed his eyes, stretching his chest until his back hand arched almost out of the water. He exhaled, letting his head submerge as he relished in the quiet of the warm water. He could feel the stress of his day float away as he allowed himself to drift off underwater.

BREAK

Zane jumped as someone knocked sharply on the front door.

"Lewis?" Zane rolled his eyes, nodding his friend inside. "I thought you were going to call?"

"Was talking to Cleo, came straight here." Lewis said as he pushed his way inside. He was visibly disheveled, and more than a little out of breath. "She's on her way here too." He stumbled over to the fridge.

"And?" Zane followed closely. "Did you have your meeting with Denman?"

Lewis snorted into the mouth of the beer bottle he'd just opened before taking a long swig. "Did I meet with Denman…" He muttered, shaking his head. "She's a bitch, man." He clenched his jaw, locking eyes with Zane. "I knew she was evil but…" He sighed, taking another lengthy pull from the bottle.

"What did she say?" Zane crossed his arms tightly over his chest, frustration clear in his tone.

"We need to wait for Rik-" Lewis began.

"I'm here, Lewis." Rikki breezed into the kitchen, joining the pair. "Tell us what she said."

"I'm going, I'm going." Lewis ran a stressed hand through his hand, his eyes darting around the room. "Should we wait for Will and Bell-"

"Lewis!" Zane and Rikki wore matching expressions of exasperation as they spoke at the same time.

"Ok, ok." Lewis swallowed. "So I had the meeting with Denman. And guys," He shook his head. "I'm not sure she knows as much as she thinks she does."

"Yeah?" Zane crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yeah." Lewis nodded.

Rikki raised her eyebrows. "And this is bad news because…."

"She wants information." Lewis said seriously, looking at each of them in turn. "Actively. And she's willing to pay for it." He paused, taking in a breath. "Denman has been offering people thousands of dollars looking for any information she can get. She called me in for the meeting to offer me, get this," He shook his head. "She offered me $15,000 to work with her and tell her everything I've known. And she's willing to offer any of you the same deal. And…" He clenched his jaw. "She'll give $25,000 to any mermaid willing to cooperate with her research."

Zane cleared his throat. "Just the research?"

"She'd want them to help provide proof as well." Lewis nodded.

"So… she'd want us to go public." Rikki spoke slowly.

"Right." Lewis's eyes fell to the floor. "$25,000 to go public."

"Unbelievable." Zane muttered.

A silence fell over the trio as they processed the new information.

"Why don't you do it?"

The voice startled the adults, whose eyes immediately darted to the speaker.

Charlie stepped forward, shoving his hands in his pockets as he shrugged his shoulders. "Why don't you just work with her?"

"Excuse me?" Zane stepped forward angrily.

Charlie raised one shoulder. "It's a lot of money. And she's going to release her data anyway… Wouldn't it make everything easier to team up with her instead of fighting her?"

"I am not listening to this." Zane shook his head as he stalked out of the room, his eyes glaring at Charlie for just a moment before he made it through the door.

Rikki took a couple of steps towards her son. "You're not being serious…. Right?"

"Mom, she's going public with or without us." Charlie repeated, looking Rikki dead in the eye. "And she's offering a lot of money. Odds are good that people will find out about us eventually. Why not make it easier on ourselves?"

"I… think I'll… go talk to Zane." Lewis waved awkwardly before ducking out of the room, anxious to escape the conversation.

"Charlie…" Rikki spoke hesitantly. "You understand why we can never, ever go public, right?"

Charlie sighed, his fists fidgeting in his pockets. "I mean, I know it's not ideal, but-"

"Not ideal?" Rikki's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "You'd be losing all your freedom, Char. You'd never have privacy ever again, you'd lose any semblance of a personal life."

"But if we work with her we'll have some say in what happens." Charlie shrugged. "If we cooperate with her we can manage things, control it-"

"There's no controlling it." Rikki cut in, a little too loudly. She paused, trying to soften her tone. "Charlie, you would never be able to walk outside this house again without being swarmed with people. Once they find out how to make you change they'll throw water at you constantly." Rikki began pacing, her eyes glued to the ground in front of her. "You'd never be able to go anywhere or do anything without the whole world knowing about it. And that's assuming they even allow you to live outside a facility."

"I'm just saying…" Charlie held his hands up. "Aren't your, our chances better if we work alongside her? We could draw up a new contract, work out details-"

"There won't be a new contract." Rikki leaned on the counter tiredly. "We have no leverage, nothing to use to get Denman to negotiate with us-"

"You're joking, right?" Charlie laughed. "You have exactly what she wants. Information. All of it. And you can use it all to leverage a good deal."

"And if we admit we have that information we immediately lose that leverage." Rikki said seriously. "By telling Denman that we have the information she wants, we admit our involvement. We expose ourselves. She goes public with her data, follows us until one of us slips up, and we're done."

"Geez, Mom, you make it sound like she's going to kill us." Charlie rolled his eyes.

"Don't underestimate her." Rikki's voice pierced the quiet.

Callie came bursting into the kitchen a moment later, startling Rikki and Charlie.

"Sorry, my mom says she'll be here in ten." Callie stopped, gauging the tension in the room. "Is… everything ok?"

"Absolutely." Rikki said grimly, locking eyes with Charlie one last time before marching into the other room to talk to Zane and Lewis.

"So…" Callie's eyes were wide as they darted from Charlie to the door Rikki had just breezed through. "Um…" She seemed to be searching for an innocuous conversation starter. "So, you ready for the full moon tomorrow night?"

"Right, the full moon…" Charlie had forgotten all about it. "It's tomorrow?"

"You're going to want to start paying closer attention to the moon's schedule, man." Callie lectured, settling into the couch.

"And what is so different about a full moon night, exactly?" Charlie squinted, running one hand through his hair.

"Oh, it's wild." Callie tucked her legs underneath herself excitedly. "I only saw Lucy go through one. Basically, you have to lock yourself away in a room without any windows. Or block out the windows so the light can't get in. Either way, you can't let yourself look at the moon."

"Because it'll make me moon-drunk." Charlie sighed tiredly.

"There's no telling what it'll make you do, though." Callie continued jabbering. "My mom told me it's always a little different. But it's always really loopy."

"What, as if I were high?" Charlie shrugged. "Like, I'll just get giggly?"

"It's always different." Callie shook her head. "But it won't end up mattering because we're going to make sure you spend the night somewhere you won't be seeing the moon. In fact…" She said thoughtfully. "Let's work on it. It can be our project for the day? I've always found that mindlessly blocking out windows all afternoon is just the trick to distract me from my problems."

"Is that so?" Charlie raised a weary, though skeptical eyebrow.

"Hey, Mrs. B?" Callie took a few steps down the hall, calling.

"What is it, Callie?" It was Zane who opened the door, clearly irritated at the interruption.

"Oh, uh, hey. Charlie and I were thinking we'd go get supplies to clock out the windows in his room." Callie said hopefully.

Zane didn't respond, clearly waiting for her to make her point.

"You know…" Callie raised a shoulder awkwardly, trying to read Zane's blank expression. "For the moon?"

"That's unnecessary." Zane checked his watch, waving a hand dismissively. "He'll just use the room at your house."

"My house?" This was clearly news to Callie.

Zane sighed, clearly ready to end the conversation and get back into the room. "Yes, the storage room in your basement. We renovated it years ago to be a moon-proof safe room.

Callie frowned. "But my mom never goes down there during the full-"

"They've been immune for years." Zane said, growing visibly irritable. "We built if for your sister." He stepped back into the office, turning to face them. "You two just stay put." The door slammed shut behind him.

"Okaayyy…" Callie's eyes were wide as she dropped onto the couch next to Charlie, who hadn't moved. "Never mind, then. Apparently we have a moon proof room. Who knew?"

Charlie only shrugged, shaking his head.

The pair sat up as Lewis walked out of the office. "I've just gotten word." He said wearily, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Denman is going public tomorrow. I mean, she's presenting her data on mermaids tomorrow at 5:00 in a meeting at the conservatory."

"And then?" Callie tucked her ankles underneath herself, wrapping one arm tightly around her knees.

"Then we'll see." Lewis raised his shoulders. "Hopefully nothing at all."

"So…" Charlie perked up, glancing outside at the blue, sunny sky. "Since we know she's not going public until tomorrow… and it's morning now… Can I go swimming?"

Callie jabbed him fiercely with her elbow.

"I mean, a walk?" Charlie amended, gaining a nod of approval from Callie. "I would be totally careful-"

Lewis held both hands in the air. "Surry, dude. You're going to have to take that up with your parents." He leaned toward Charlie slightly. "But between you and me? You're probably fine. But no swimming.."

"Thanks." Charlie waved as Lewis slipped out the front door.

"Think they'll let you go out?" Callie raised her eyebrows.

"Nope." Charlie sighed, sinking down into the couch.

Neither bothered to look up as the door to the back room opened and closed. Rikki and Zane marched down the hall before Zane split off into the kitchen. Rikki walked into the living room, taking a seat in the chair across from Callie and Charlie. "Well this all sucks." She muttered.

"Tomorrow at five, huh?" Charlie rested his chin in a hand, letting his head roll to the side to look at Rikki.

"Tomorrow at five." Rikki closed her eyes.

Charlie slid his eyes over to Callie, who widened her eyes back at him, nodding encouragement. "So…" Charlie sat up. "Since she's not going public until tomorrow, could I go out for a bit? For a quick swim?" He couldn't help but ask, he was dying to get back in the water. "I'll be careful, I promise-"

"And I'll keep an eye out." Callie offered.

Rikki let out a long sigh, massaging her temple. "I don't think it's such a good idea…"

"Absolutely not." Zane's voice carried from the kitchen.

Rikki gritted her teeth in frustration. "Go out." She snapped. "But no swimming, ok Char?"

"Sure." Charlie deflated slightly, but he couldn't deny that he was just glad to be getting out of the house and away from the tension for a while. Callie followed him to the front door. They could hear Rikki and Zane arguing as the door swung shut behind them.

"I can not believe they're letting you out of that house." Callie swatted Charlie's arm as she jogged to catch up with him.

"Me either, but I'm not arguing." Charlie swung into the driver's seat before unlocking the door for Callie.

The pair had been driving for several minutes before Callie frowned. "And where are we going, exactly?"

"There's a great piece of beachfront a few miles away." Charlie said excitedly. "No one is ever there, no boats, no one will ever see-"

"You're joking, right?" Callie reared away from him. "You are not getting in that water, son."

"C'mon…" Charlie whined. "You sound just like my mom-"

"You're not taking this seriously yet, Charlie." Callie crossed her arms over her chest, glaring straight forward. "Denman is going public tomorrow. And she has sights on your family. You don't know what she sees and what she doesn't, or where she has cameras. Plus…" She sat a little taller in her chair. "I'm in charge of watching over you. So don't you dare put me in a position where there's even a remote chance something could go wrong, got it?"

Charlie raised his eyebrows, surprised but impressed by Callie's firm words. "Fair enough." He nodded, casting a glance at Callie out of the corner of his eyes. "We'll… just go for a walk on the beach?"

"The way-far-up beach, as far from the water as we can." Callie nodded.

"Good deal." Charlie couldn't help but grin as the pair flew down the road.

BREAK

The next morning, Charlie was surprised to walk into a completely quiet kitchen. After a few moments of searching, he found Rikki in the side room.

"Where is everyone?" He leaned against the door jamb. "It's the big day, I figured the whole gang would be over here all day for the big reveal."

"We're not doing anything out of the ordinary." Rikki shrugged as she made her way to the kitchen to start fixing something for breakfast. "Everyone will be checking in, and we'll meet up later, but other than that we're just treating this like an ordinary day."

"Where's Dad?" Charlie couldn't see his car in the driveway.

"He's at your grandfather's. They're trying to come up with a legal contingency plan in case Denman does reveal our identities tonight."

"So…" Charlie had forgotten about his grandfather Harrison's involvement in the whole ordeal. "I guess, grandpa, he… knows about all this?"

"He's known for years." Rikki paused briefly before deciding to continue. "He found out when your father did, during the first Denman debacle. Before we convinced all three that we'd become normal again."

"Not just Denman?" Charlie raised an eyebrow, surprised. "I thought that was when Dad found out."

"No, he found the whole deal out a few months later." Rikki shook her head, moving to the fridge.

"Did you tell him?" Charlie couldn't help his curiosity.

"No." Rikki paused, glancing at her son briefly before moving to the stove. "He found out. Caught me in a tight spot."

"Gotcha." Charlie pondered on the new information. For a moment, he felt like he could relate to his father. Out of the loop on a secret everyone else seemed to know about.

"Anyway," Rikki continued. "We told your grandfather Harrison a few months after we'd gotten married."

"So everyone really did know the family secret except me, huh?" Charlie let his chin drop to his chest, looking at the tile floor.

Rikki sighed. "We only told him because we knew he'd been the one to draft the original contract protecting us from Denman. He deserved to know the truth."

"I get that." Charlie shoved his hands in his pockets, thinking.

The doorbell rang a moment later.

"That'll be the repairman." Rikki rinsed her hands before moving towards the front door. "The sprinkler system has been malfunctioning lately." She spoke briefly with the man at the door before returning to the kitchen. "It went off in the front yard today while I was walking to the car. I only barely made it without getting wet, and the thing isn't set to go off at all during the day."

"Not a good time for malfunctioning sprinklers." Charlie shook his head.

"If he can't fix it I'm going to have him disable the system entirely." Rikki poured herself a cup of coffee. "Better to have brown grass, you know?"

"Damn it!" Zane blew through the front door, drying his hands and shaking droplets of water out of his hair. "That sprinkler caught me right as I stepped out of the car. "I thought you called the-"

"He's here. He's working on it, Zane. Calm down." Rikki didn't look up from the stove. "He's probably out back looking at the pipes."

Zane irritably grabbed a kitchen towel off the counter and patted it down his arms, noticing Charlie. "Morning, Char. You're sticking around today, yes?"

"Actually, I thought I'd go over to Callie's for a bit?" Charlie said hopefully, glancing to Rikki. "They're keeping inside today too, and I can drive over and back."

"That's fine." Rikki turned. "But use the back door if you go out, I don't trust that sprinkler system."

"And absolutely no swimming. Not even in the pool." Zane said firmly. "And be home at least two hours before the announcement. Lewis is attending, he'll be keeping us updated so we know how to handle it."

"You got it." Charlie grabbed his keys before jogging to the back door. He stepped aside to allow the tired looking repairman into the house, pointing him towards the kitchen before closing it tightly behind him and heading towards his car.

BREAK

"Just can't stay away, huh?" Callie rolled her eyes as she swung open her front door.

"I can't be in that house anymore." Charlie dropped onto the couch, propping his feet up on the table. "Mom and Dad can't hold a single conversation without arguing about something or other."

"They're just nervous, give them time." Callie said before dropping next to him on the couch.

"Still sucks." Charlie groaned, rubbing one of his eyes.

"No good." Callie leaned on him, dropping her head playfully on his shoulder.

"No swimming." Charlie followed her lead, letting his head rest on top of hers.

"No swimming." Callie echoed, raising an eyebrow. "But that doesn't mean we can't make some use of the time, and you do need to practice… get up."

"Why?" Charlie raised a shoulder as he stood. "We aren't even allowed in the pool…"

"Move to the center of the room." Callie directed, hurrying to the kitchen.

Charlie did as she asked, turning to see where she'd gone. "Now what?"

"Now dry off as fast as you can." Callie reappeared with a glass of water in her hand. She tossed it at him, most of the contents nailing him right in the face.

"Callie!" Charlie sputtered, pitching forward onto the carpet as his legs transformed. "What the hell?"

"We're practicing getting you back to human as quickly as possible. With this psycho doctor chick running around we can't have you getting caught in public just because you weren't able to get your legs back quickly enough. And let's face it, you are so going to mess up in public at least once or twice while you're still getting the hang of things." She crossed her arms. "It really is something worth practicing. Now practice. Dry off."

"Oh, shut up." Charlie pushed himself up on his hands. "Get me a towel or something."

"Nope." Callie sat back on the couch, nonchalantly looking at her phone. "Figure it out. You're not always going to have a towel handy."

Charlie sighed audibly, dropping his head to rest on his forearms for a moment before rolling to his back so that he could push himself into a sitting position with one arm. He wiped at the water on his chest with his other hand, to little success.

"Try using your powers." Callie urged him, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

Charlie glanced up at her before focusing his attention on his right hand as he held it out over his chest, where the water reflected off his skin. He swallowed hard before focusing all the energy he could muster on the water.

It was a strange feeling. Suddenly, Charlie could feel the water respond to him. He clenched his jaw, raising his hand up, away from his skin. As his hand moved farther away, the water droplets followed it. A moment later, the water was floating in mid air in front of him, inches over his extended hand.

"That's more like it!" Callie jumped to her feet, clapping her hands. "But… Charlie…"

"What?" Charlie was too mesmerized by the hovering orb of water in front of him to spare much attention for her.

"Uh… you're dry, dude." Callie raised her eyebrows. "Don't you think you might want to-"

Charlie transformed a moment later, his legs reappearing along with his clothes. The change caught him off-guard, making him lose his focus on the water, which crashed down on top of him a millisecond later.

"Mother fucker." Charlie groaned as his fin reappeared.

Callie dropped to sit cross-legged on the floor near him, careful to pick a dry spot to sit in. "Hey, we are here to practice." She waved in his general direction. "So get to it."

BREAK

Two hours later, Charlie was nursing several bruises, courtesy of Callie, who had been springing dry-off tests on him all day. And, although he'd never admit it to her, Charlie felt really good about the training. He was now fairly confident that he could dry himself pretty darn quickly, and it felt good to know he had that control.

"She could have waited for me to be sitting down at least once, though." He muttered to himself, massaging an elbow as he pulled into his driveway. He was just there to watch the announcement and pick up his overnight bag, then it was back to Callie's to camp out for the full moon.

He stepped out of the car just as the sprinklers hissed to life over the front walk, catching Charlie right across the face with a cool spray of water.

"Shit." Charlie froze, momentarily panicked. He'd forgotten that the sprinkler system was broken.

Instinct kicked into gear. This was exactly the situation they'd been preparing him for all afternoon.

Putting his head down, Charlie sprinted to his front door as drops of water pelted him from left and right. He just needed to get inside, that was all. He wrenched open the knob, jumped inside, and slammed his back against the door to close it, panting as he leaned back against the cool wood.

Seconds later, the increasingly familiar feeling began to sweep over him. He quickly dropped to his knees, saving himself from suffering from yet another fall just before the change overtook him.

Focusing on speed, Charlie pushed himself around so that he could prop his back around the door behind him. He held his hand out strongly, immediately drawing the water off his body. He maintained his focus, knowing that his legs would be returning any second. He was ready as the change back to his human form swept over him moments later, keeping the orb of water steady in front of him. He walked carefully to the kitchen, depositing the water in the sink with a lazy flick of his wrist.

"Charlie? Is that you?" Rikki hurried into the kitchen a moment later, worry on her face.

"Yes, just me." Charlie shrugged. "Home before the announcement, remember?"

"Right." Rikki nodded, distracted. "Zane is on the phone with Lewis now, he just called a second ago."

"Just wrapped up." Zane spoke tiredly as he appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Rikki crossed her arms over her chest, her brow furrowing.

"Denman's press conference has been moved to nine in the morning tomorrow." Zane said, distracted as he typed something into his phone. "And the location has been changed. He's trying to get to the new address now. He was on the phone with me when the announcement was made, it literally just happened."

"I wonder what could have happened?" Rikki fretted , pacing the floor.

"He said he'd let us know if he heard anything." Zane turned to Charlie. "Which means you will have to miss the announcement. You'll still be shut away at Lewis's.

"Shut away?" Charlie's eyebrows flew into his hairline. "Geez, Dad, sound more cryptic…"

"It's your first full moon on the same damn night Denman is going public." Zane shot back sharply. "You will spend the entirety of the moon's exposure completely shut away or, so help me-"

"Dad, Dad, calm down." Charlie held up his hands in surrender. "I was just joking. I'm taking it seriously. I won't leave that room."

"Good." Zane's eyes flashed in Charlie's direction. "You should probably go ahead and get set up over there, since the announcement isn't happening now."

"But I literally just got home-" Charlie protested. "I've got hours before-"

"It won't kill you to get there early." Rikki ruffled his hair. "You won't get to see the announcement anyway, no reason to wait."

Wordlessly, Charlie swung his backpack over his shoulders. He paused at the door, grabbing his keys off the side table. "So… just keep me updated, I guess."

Neither Rikki nor Zane seemed to notice as he shut the door behind him, checking to make sure the sprinkler had stopped running before hurrying out to his car. Charlie shook his head as he started his car, butterflies kicking up in his stomach as he thought about Denman's announcement and the impending full moon. It was hard to believe any of this was actually happening.

BREAK

Cleo opened the front door. "Charlie, come in." Her mouth smiled, but her eyes were worried. She stepped aside as Charlie entered the familiar house.

"So, I, uh, hear you have a moon-proof room." Charlie broke the awkward silence as he walked across their threshold.

"You bet." Cleo leaned her head toward the stairs. "Callie!" She called. "Charlie's back!" She turned back to face Charlie, wiping her hands on her jeans. "Downstairs. Side room, off the basement. Make yourself at home."

Charlie walked down the steps, quickly locating the door to the only other room in the basement. He'd seen it before, but hadn't paid any attention to it, figuring it was a boiler room or something.

"Hey!" Callie bounced down behind him.

"Hey. This is it right," Charlie paused, a hand on the knob.

"Right." Callie's hands flew to her hips. "It's not a bad setup." She followed Charlie inside.

"Not bad at all." Charlie shrugged, setting his bag down as he took stock of the room they'd be spending the full moon in. They had a big couch, a tv, a fridge, and a tiny restroom off the back.

"We don't get cable down here, you won't get a shred of phone reception, and the wifi signal is nonexistent because of all the concrete, but you could do a lot worse. And not a single window."

"And…" Charlie said with a flourish, reaching into the side pocket of his bag. He pulled out a bottle of whiskey, swinging it back and forth. "We've got entertainment."

Callie placed a hand on her chest, closing her arms as she smiled. "My hero."

BREAK

"He just got here, Rikki, don't worry." Cleo spoke into the phone calmly. "I'll make sure they stay down there until I leave, and after that Callie will be with him the whole time. We'll keep him safe."

"Thanks, Cleo. Keep us updated if you hear anything from Lewis." Rikki's voice crackled through the phone.

"Of course." Cleo promised before disconnecting the call.

"He's there?" Zane asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He's there." Rikki dropped her phone onto the counter, rubbing her temple with one hand. She sighed. "Now what?"

Zane walked over to her slowly, wrapping one arm tightly around her shoulders. "Now we wait." His grip tightened. Rikki allowed her head to drop onto his shoulder for just a moment before moving back to the stove.

BREAK

These are seriously the only movies you brought down here?" Charlie laughed. "Are you kidding me? Can we still get out?"

"Mean Girls is a classic." Callie shoved a handful of potato chips into her mouth.

"And Bring it On?" Charlie tossed it to her. "Gee, thanks, my favorites." He rolled his eyes.

"Hey, you put me in charge of movie selection." Callie held up both hands. "Maybe pick them out yourself from now on, Flipper."

"Yeah, done." Charlie held his phone up to the ceiling. "You weren't joking about there not being any signal down here."

"I know, it sucks." Callie shook her head.

"I wanted to call my mom after Denman's announcement tomorrow morning." Charlie reached higher, trying to get even a hint of cell signal. "Check in, you know? See how it went? The moon goes down hours after she makes it."

"Good luck with that." Callie shrugged as she pulled two shot glasses out of a drawer. "Ok, shots every time Kirsten Dunst says something whiney."

BREAK

One and a half bottles of whiskey, two chick flicks, and a few hours later, and the pair were sleepily draped across the couch. Callie was dosing here and there, and Charlie's head was in her lap, though he couldn't seem to make himself relax.

"What time is it?" Callie asked for the third time in as many minutes.

"I do not know, Cal, I'll check." Charlie forced himself to his feet, only staggering a little on his way to check the screen on his phone. "It's ten o'clock." He waved his phone in Callie's general direction before falling back on the couch next to her. "I wonder how the announcement will go over?" He rubbed at his temple, feeling inexplicably nervous.

"I don't think it's going to end up being that big of a deal." Callie yawned, stretching her arms up over her head.

"You're yawning? At ten?" Charlie crossed his arms, shooting a disapproving look at Callie out of the corner of his eye. He tapped his hand on the arm of the couch, drumming out a semblance of a rhythm before jumping to his feet and facing to the far side of the room. He examined the wall closely, reaching out a hand to touch it.

The moon was just on the other side of these bricks. He knew because he could feel it. It called to him, beckoning for him to get in the water. His skin almost tingled with desire and his heartbeat sped up at the thought of diving out into the sea.

"Earth to Charlie?"

Charlie started, realizing Callie was standing right behind him and that she'd been speaking.

"Sorry." He shook his head, trying to shake the thoughts of the sea from his head. "What did you say?"

"I said that sometimes normal people yawn after… what are we on? Seven shots?" She dissolved into giggles as she swung the nearly-empty bottle back and forth. "We're going to feel like shit tomorrow."

"Make it eight." Charlie grabbed the bottle from her, pouring one out for each of them.

"Eight? Are you trying to kill me or what?" Call dramatically tossed an arm over her head, almost knocking herself off balance.

"I've got to calm myself down, Cal." Charlie tossed back the first of the two shots. "I can… I can feel it out there."

Charlie frowned. "Feel what, the moon?"

"Duh, the moon." Charlie breathed heavily, but he couldn't get his breathing to even out. His hands shook lightly as he pictured the moon-lit sky just on the other side of the wall. He looked to Callie, willing her to understand what he was describing. "It's like it's pulling me. It's been happening all night, but it's gotten really strong all of a sudden. It's strong." He swallowed, sweat breaking out on his forehead as he felt a wave of desire wash over him. He wanted out, needed to get out. "I've never felt anything like this before. It's really weird."

"It'll all be over soon enough." Callie patted his shoulder, a look of mock-sympathy on her face. "Then you won't have to face the big bad moon for another month."

An idea struck Charlie. He turned to face Callie, hope clear on his face as he spoke very quickly. "I mean, wouldn't it be better to train me how to handle the moon by letting me learn from experience? Yeah, we can pop outside, quick look, come back in, no problem. Immersion therapy." He knew she wasn't going to go for it, but he had to try. The strength of the pull was increasing; he could almost feel it tugging at his elbow, encouraging him to get out of the confines of this house.

"You can really feel the moon from in here?" Callie raised her eyebrows, checking to make sure that the key to the door was still safely tucked in her pocket as Charlie twisted the locked knob. "Wow, I knew the first few moon nights were real doozies, but I've never heard of anyone-"

"Please, Callie." Charlie knew he sounded desperate and he hated it, but he needed to get out more than he'd ever needed anything before. "Just for one minute…"

"No way, Jose." Callie squeezed Charlie's upper arm, placing her other hand on his back. "Not happening." She frowned as she felt a tangible shiver run down his spine. "Charlie…" She stepped back, looking at him with concerned eyes for several seconds before speaking. "You're really not alright, are you?"

"I just can't calm down." Charlie swallowed hard, almost panting as he tried to calm his pounding heart. Another pull from the ocean washed over him, even more powerful now than the last time. "Callie, I-" He hung his head.

"Shhh." Called took a step closer to him, taking his hands in hers. She examined him carefully, worried. She'd never seen Charlie so out of sorts, so pained. He was always so confident, so goofy… watching him now felt like she was watching someone who had instantly aged ten years. She tightened her hold on his hands, leaning her forehead forward to rest against his. His skin felt fiery hot under hers. "It's just one night." She spoke gently. "You'll get through this."

"I can't even take a deep breath." Charlie closed his eyes, willing himself to regain control. Another tremor hit, this time shaking him to his core. He grimaced, trying to fight off the pull of the ocean, but failing.

Callie moved without thinking. Maybe she just wanted to do something to make Charlie feel a little bit better, maybe she wasn't thinking clear thoughts at all, but she reached for Charlie's face in both hands, looking deeply into his surprised eyes for a long moment before pressing her lips to his. She wrapped one hand around the back of his head, weaving her fingers in his hair as she pressed his face to hers.

Charlie felt momentarily paralyzed with shock at Callie's sudden outburst of affection, but after only a few quick seconds of hesitation, he returned the kiss. And he returned it hard.

Charlie felt a pang of almost painful release as he deepened their kiss. Suddenly, he could almost see clearly. And he could see Callie.

Charlie realized that this was just what he'd needed. All of his un-channelled energy had found a place it could flow freely. He felt as if a weight had been lifted; his stomach gave a flip, as if he were momentarily upside-down. Closing his eyes, Charlie gave into the desire that suddenly overwhelmed him, allowing his hands to reach out and grab Callie's hips tightly. In one swift yank, he pulled her hips to his, grinding into her.

Callie gasped at the unexpected motion, letting out a shaky exhale. An involuntary moan escaped her lips as Charlie pulled her in even closer, his breath hot on her face.

A million thoughts flew through Callie's mind at once as her eyes locked with Charlie's for just a moment. Seeing him that close to her, looking him in the eyes… it made all of this so real. What was she doing? This was Charlie. The same Charlie she'd known her whole life. Was this a good idea? Could their friendship handle this? Though she tried to focus, she could feel the questions evaporating from her mind as Charlie shifted his hips, pressing his growing erection against her desperately.

Callie couldn't make herself think any longer, she was too overwhelmed by the sensations that were flowing over her body. She didn't know what she'd expected him to do when she'd kissed him, but it had never been… this. Her head swam, making her feel slightly dizzy, but not in an uncomfortable way.

Was moon fever contagious?

The pair panted hard as their hands began feverishly exploring each other's bodies. Charlie's breath caught in his throat as Callie's hand brushed over his belt buckle. He was still trembling slightly as he clumsily grasped for her hand, pulling it down until she palmed his erection. He couldn't contain a low groan of pleasure from escaping his throat as her hand rubbed his growing cock through his pants.

Charlie hooked his thumbs into the waistband of her cotton shorts, giving them an experimental tug. Callie didn't stop him, only tightening her hold on him as she moved against him. It felt amazing. She couldn't remember the last time she'd wanted another person this badly. Still…

Callie couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. This all came out of nowhere, and on a full moon…

As much as she desperately didn't want to, Callie forced herself to remove her hand from the bulge in the front of Charlie's pants. "We have to stop, Charlie. You're not in your right mind."

"Or maybe I'm seeing things clearly for the first time." Charlie spoke lowly, his voice dripping with lust as he lowered his head to kiss her neck just below her left ear. Callie shivered involuntarily, letting her head drop to one side.

"And if that's the case…" Callie struggled to think clearly, though his kisses made it almost impossible to breathe, much less think. Her speech was stammered, but she managed to finish her sentence. "Then we can pick this back up tomorrow. But we really need to take a pause tonight."

"But I want you." Charlie cupped her cheek in one hand, stroking her skin with his thumb. "Touch me."

Something inside Callie burst at that moment. She couldn't wait any longer. Her hands flew to Charlie's belt, fumbling with the clasp in her haste to remove it.

The pair moved as if they were on fire, hands feeling, squeezing, stroking each other. Charlie couldn't get enough as he plunged his tongue into Callie's waiting mouth. It was as if every moment of sexual tension he'd ever felt in his entire life was exploding through him at once as he yanked at Callie's shorts, sliding them down her long legs. He dropped to his knees in front of her, reaching for her face so that he could pull her down with him without breaking their kiss.

He ripped his own shirt over his head before reaching for hers. He slowed briefly as he took his time pulling the shirt over Callie's head. Her hair cascaded over her naked shoulders as he threw the shirt aside and reached for her.

The were furiously grasping at each other when Charlie's right hand, (or more specifically, his fingers,) traced her belly button before plunging into her panties. He tested her slickness, driving her momentarily wild as he slipped one finger inside her, then another. His movements were slow, calculated, and in perfect rhythm with his still-rolling hips.

"Oh my god…" Callie whispered, feeling like she might actually catch on fire at any moment. It was all so surreal, the things Charlie was saying. The things Charlie was doing. She'd never seen this side of him before. This Charlie was so dominant, so insistent. A thrill of pleasure shot through her as he moved his thumb against her center. She responded by slipping a hand into the front of his boxers and rubbing her thumb over the velvety head of Charlie's penis, eliciting a grunted curse from Charlie.

Charlie opened his eyes, watching Callie with wonder in his eyes. He'd had no idea Callie could be so spontaneous, so… sexy. Sure, he'd always thought she was pretty, but never anything more serious than a passing thought. All of a sudden, he couldn't imagine why they hadn't gotten together sooner. She moved against him in such a maddening way, he felt suddenly like an amateur. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this turned on.

"Callie, I need you." Charlie gasped the words.

Callie couldn't speak, but she responded by roughly pushing his jeans down his legs. His erection stood proudly against the front of his boxers, straining to rip right through. She didn't waste another moment, grasping him with her right hand and giving him a slow, pressured pump.

Charlie didn't know if he was reacting to the bottle of liquor he'd ingested or if the moon really was working some kind of magic on him, but he didn't care. Thoughts of Callie consumed him.

Callie shyly tightened her grip on him, increasing her speed as she breathed heavily.

Charlie's hips hitched involuntarily, encouraging her. "Holy shit, Cal." Me muttered, pushing himself into her hand with a moan as his hips' rhythm grew quicker.

Cal. Right. She was Cal, and this was Charlie. Hearing him call her by her nickname almost snapped her back into reality. She felt strange, almost as if she couldn't help but be drawn to Charlie. Charlie…

She pulled back slightly to look at him closely. This was Charlie, but she'd never seen this look on his face before.

Charlie paused for just a moment, puzzled at the expression on Callie's face, suddenly so serious. The flash of clarity only lasted a few seconds before lust for her reclaimed his body.

"I need to be inside you." He managed to grunt, his eyes downcast as his breathed hard.

Callie blinked, stunned at his bluntness. Charlie wrapped one arm around her waist, rolling over hard so that Callie landed roughly on her back. He dove down to kiss her neck, nibbling on her collarbone as his fingers slid in and out of her. "Let's fuck." He almost groaned the words, his voice nearly inaudible. "You and me. Now."

"Charlie…" Callie couldn't seem to form any word other than his name. She squeezed her eyes closed, swallowing hard as she tried to think. "I don't think…"

"C'mon. We'll go outside." Charlie said huskily, his voice thick as his eyes locked deeply into hers. "Callie…" His eyes fluttered closed as he dragged his teeth along her neck and bit down lightly on her shoulder. He buried his face in her warm skin, holding her to him tightly so he could murmur in her ear. "I want to do you in the ocean." He hooked one arm under Callie's right knee, pulling it aside so that he could settle between her legs. He leaned down to whisper in her ear, his face inches from hers. "I'll slide into you as the waves carry us." He gave another thrust with his hand, making Callie's breath hitch as he took in a breath.

"I want to do you while I'm transformed. I want to feel what it's like as a merman. Callie, please…" Charlie anchored each of his hands on the floor above Callie's shoulders so he could push himself up to look at her. His eyes had a familiar, hopeful look glinting behind them.

Suddenly, Callie knew what this was. All of it. "This is the moon…"

"The moon…" Charlie moaned the word as he dropped to his elbows, plunging his hips down to Callie's. With renewed vigor, he ground himself into her, his rock hard length sliding outside her center, almost entering her.

"Charlie, this has to stop." Callie tried to push his shoulders up and off of her, but he didn't seem to notice. Her thoughts raced, mixed with confusion as she tried to puzzle through what was happening, in spite of Charlie's best efforts to distract her.

Ok. Charlie was worked up because of the moon, and she knew it. She didn't know why, exactly, or how the moon could be affecting him from the inside, but this wasn't Charlie. This was not the Charlie she'd grown up with. This man was… rough. Insistent.

His eyes met hers. They were dark with lust for a long moment before his mouth dropped to her right breast. Callie bit her lip, trying again to push him away from her, but unable to make her muscles obey her.

As much as she hated it, Callie couldn't deny that loved the way Charlie's eyes burned against hers. She'd never felt this desired by anyone before. She couldn't pretend that she hadn't imagined what it would be like to kiss Charlie, to have him slide into her gently after hours of buildup. Was it really such a bad thing to keep going? He clearly wanted it as much as she did. They were both adults, who cared if they hooked up on the full moon or not?

Callie wavered as Charlie adjusted his hips, positioning himself at her entrance.

"No."

Callie tried to sound sure of herself, but knew she hadn't succeeded. Suddenly, a thought hit her like a train.

What if she'd been the one to transform a week ago? What if tonight had been her first full moon as a mermaid? She would have been beyond furious if Charlie had violated their friendship by taking advantage of her when she was enchanted. She couldn't do that to him either. She wouldn't.

Summoning every ounce of self control she could muster, she reached down, her hand catching Charlie's length just as he was about to plunge into her. She panted, momentarily frozen as the tip of his erection just barely pressed inside her, becoming slick with her juices.

Their panting echoed off the walls as their eyes met.

"This is wrong." Callie breathed heavily, her forehead pressed against Charlie's. "We have to stop. Now."

Sweat dripped from Charlie's temple as he also attempted to catch his breath. "Why is this wrong?" He frowned, genuinely confused.

"It shouldn't be like this." Callie shook her head. "Not because of the moon." Callie spoke quickly, before she could change her mind.

"Shouldn't be like…" Charlie frowned. "C'mon, Callie, I'm… not under the spell of the moon…"

"Plus, you have a girlfriend, Charlie." Callie spoke gently, but with a slight bite to her words. She shoved him up, off of her, this time succeeding. "Forgive me if I'm not interested in fucking a dude who's cheating. Even on dumb ol' Kelli."

Charlie felt a shock rock his core as he listened to her words. He wanted to open his mouth and defend himself, but he felt slightly sick.

Callie was right. With all of the excitement from the last couple days, he'd forgotten all about Kelli. In his mind he'd already left her and moved on with his life, although things that only happened in his mind were of little use to him now.

Callie walked quickly to the other side of the room, scooping up articles of clothing.

Suddenly, Charlie's whole body tingled violently as the pull of the moon hit him with its strongest punch yet.

"Callie…" He stammered. "The moon… it's so strong…" He swallowed hard. "It's pulling me again." He reached an unsteady hand for her shoulder, but she twisted immediately away from his grasp.

"I… think you need some alone time." Callie's face flushed as she darted for the door. "I'll just be on the other side, k? Let me know if you need anything." She pulled the door shut behind her, turning the key in the lock with a solid 'click.'

"Wha-? Callie?" Charlie ran to the door, almost tripping as he pulled up his pants. "Callie!" He shouted, pounding on the door with his fist. "Don't leave me alone in here, c'mon!" He hit the door a few more times before giving up with an exasperated sigh. "You suck, Cal!" He shoved himself away from the door, moving to the far brick wall, where the pull of the moon was the strongest. It was almost pleasurable, the way he felt drawn to the light. He sat cross-legged, leaning back against the cool brick as he closed his eyes. He allowed the tingly humming of the moon to lull him into a dream-filled sleep, flashes of the ocean seeming to cradle him as he drifted away.

BREAK

Every minute felt like ten as the hands on the clock crawled towards nine o'clock the next morning, and to say that tensions were high in the house would be more than an understatement. Rikki, Cleo, Bella, Zane, Will, and Lewis were all positioned around Cleo's living room. Lewis hadn't been able to gain access to Denman's announcement, or even find out where it would be held, but everyone at his lab was very excited about it.

Rikkiz and Zane sat perched on the edge of the couch, eyes glued, unseeing, to the television. Neither were actually watching the sitcom blaring in front of them, but at least they weren't expected to say anything.

Zane sat up sharply. Looking around for the others, who'd been talking quietly on the other side of the room. "Credits!" He waved to get their attention. It's nine, guys."

All five of them moved to the kitchen, each taking a seat at the table, patiently waiting for the phone to ring. They sat in silence, each casting a nervous glance at the cell phone in front of them. Zane's hand reached for Rikki's, squeezing her fingers tightly in his.

Will looked over at Bella, whose face had been frozen in an expression of disbelief since she'd arrived three hours ago. Hesitantly, unsure if this was the right thing to do, he wrapped one arm around her shoulder, letting his hand squeeze her forearm reassuringly. After a moment of indecision, Bella relaxed into him, closing her eyes as time crawled by.

"You guys…" Cleo stood, her eyes huge as she stared at the television. She whipped around to face Zane. "Did you know this was being televised?"

"What?" Zane stood as well, turning to face the same direction as Cleo.

"Oh my god." Bella joined him, followed by Rikki and Will.

The morning news was on. On the screen, in big red letters, flashed the headline: 'Mermaids are Real!

"She got the story on the news." Zane clenched his jaw. "I don't believe it."

"So much for nobody noticing." Will shook his head. "The story sure as hell won't fade away now."

"Sh!" Rikki clambered for the remote, turning the volume up.

"Going to Dr. Linda Denman now, who has dedicated most of her life to researching the subject." The toothy male anchor read into the camera.

The picture switched to a stainless steel laboratory, and to Denman's smug face. She grinned broadly for the camera, clearly relishing the attention.

"Hello everyone. My name is Dr. Linda Denman." She spoke clearly. "And I have been researching the subject of mermaids for over twenty-five years." She paused to flash a disingenuous smile at the scientists and reporters watching her in rapt attention. "Today… I'll be supplying not only the extensive data I've collected over the years, but also… proof."

The group in the living room exchanged uneasy glances without one another before turning back anxiously to the tv.

Denman surveyed the room of reporters and scientists before turning to a projection screen to her right. "First I'll show my proof, then I'll provide my detailed research and findings on the subject. Questions may be asked throughout." She took in a long, deep breath, clearly savoring the moment before gesturing for the projectionist to begin the video.

There were a few moments of popcorn as the tv adjusted to the projector's frequency, but soon the picture was painfully crystal clear.

IT was Zane and Rikki's front door. The inside of their front door, in fact, the video clearly having been recorded from a low angle near the floor in their foyer. They all watched wordlessly, breathlessly anticipating what might happen next.

Seconds of silence passed before a figure burst through the on-screen door, slamming it closed behind him. He could be seen breathing heavily for a few seconds, though clearly trying to hurry.

"Charlie…" Rikki gasped, clasping a hand over her mouth.

In amazing detail, focusing in on the water dripping from his face, Charlie grimaced before he dropped to his knees.

"No." Zane breathed, his face suddenly pale.

They could only watch as, on camera, Charlie's legs extended, connecting to form an impressive fin covered in golden scales. He propped himself on his elbows, letting his head drop back as the changes completed.

The room watched in total silence as Charlie paused to catch his breath, then held his hand out over himself to lift the water off of him into a floating orb in the air in front of him.

"How did she?..." Cleo ran to the front hall. "Oh my god, Rikki…" She called. "There's a camera." She wrenched it from its hiding spot on the shelf and ran it in to her friends.

"She bugged our home." Rikki fumed. "That conniving bitch." She heaved angrily, whipping back around to face the television, which was now covering Denman's press conference, where she was being flooded with questions about the video she'd just shown.

"Doctor, how can you prove that what we saw was even real, and not a digital composite?" One wary looking reporter spoke up.

"Easily." Denman shrugged. "I have hundreds of pages of documents explaining the phenomenon, I have cell samples, recordings, pictures, data, and…" She paused, making sure she commanded the room's attention. "I will have this boy's," She gestured to the projector. "Full participation and cooperation."

"Like hell, she will." Zane fumed, pacing the floor angrily before facing the rest of the room. "She won't force Charlie into a damn thing." He took in a hot breath, balling his fists at his sides.

The kitchen phone rang shrilly at the same time that Rikki and Zane's cell phones began buzzing from their pockets. Zane gestured for Will to answer the kitchen phone as he pulled his own from his pocket. "Yes?" He answered.

"Mr. Bennett, is it true that your son, Charlie Bennett, is the merman in Linda Denman's video?"

Zane blinked in shock as the call waiting tone chirped in his ear. Without saying a word to the first caller he switched over the incoming call. "Hello?" He asked tiredly.

"Mr. Bennett, can we get a statement from you about the allegations that your son is a mermaid? Sorry, merman?"

Zane slammed the phone down, leaning heavily on the counter on both hands. He could hear Will and Rikki walk over towards him. "Reporters?" He turned to face them.

"Reporters." Will nodded.

"Someone must have recognized Char." Rikki shook her head. "Unless Denman leaked it herself. I can't believe she had a camera in this house." She spoke quietly.

"What do we do?" Will checked the time. "The moon will still be up for hours, do we just leave Charlie down in the bunker?"

"Yes." Rikki nodded, deciding. "Leave him right where he is for now, that's where he's safest. Plus, it'll give us time to figure out a plan."

"Fine, he stays where he is." Cleo agreed.

"I'll be back later." Zane punched numbers violently into his phone, his voice scarily steely. "I'm going to have a chat with Linda Denman."

"Zane, do you think that's a good idea?" Zane stepped forward. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"No." Zane paused to face her as he pulled on his jacket. "This is a meeting I need to have alone. Just me and her." He breezed out the door a moment later, slamming it behind him.

"Holy shit." Rikki realized she was shaking as the sheer enormity of the morning settled into her chest. She allowed herself to drop onto the couch. "Poor Charlie…"

"Everything is going to be ok, Rik." Bella sat next to her friend, wrapping her arms around her shaking shoulders. "We're going to figure something out." Bella looked to Will, whose face looked grim as he watched the news station's enthusiastic response to Denman's announcement.

"Alright." Rikki took in a long, deep breath, composing her thoughts. "We have little time to come up with a plan of action. That's when the moon goes down, that's when we get Charlie, that's when we do something."

The rest of the group nodded, each of them unable to keep from glancing nervously at the tv screen.

"At least Charlie's safe for the full moon." Cleo reassured Rikki.

"Thank god for that." Rikki managed a small smile, shaking her head as Denman's video of Charlie began replaying on the screen.