Charlie was still deep in thought about the Callie situation when he walked into the testing facility the next morning. Why wouldn't she talk to him anymore? What else about the night of the full moon didn't he know? There must be more to it, it was too strange for her to go from such a good friend to such a distant one. What could have changed between them?

"Charlie? Hello?"

Charlie zoned in on the waving hand in front of him, which belonged to Hannah.

"Earth to Charlie?" Hannah waved a piece of paper under Charlie's nose. "Here's your itinerary for today." Her brow furrowed as she tilted her head to catch Charlie's eye as he took it. "Are you alright? You look like you're somewhere else."

"Just thinking." Charlie shook himself out of it, focusing his eyes on Hannah's. "Thanks." He skimmed down the schedule in front of him.

"A couple interviews..." Hannah ticked the items off on her fingers. "Testing and documentation with Linda, speech with the Australian Marine Association, they'll want you to talk about-"

"What it's like to be a merman." Charlie rolled his eyes as he finished the sentence. "The same thing I talked about yesterday and the day before..."

"And get used to it, because you're not going to stop chatting about it anytime soon." Hannah followed him into his office. "Sound like a day?"

"What are..." Charlie frowned, seeing an unfamiliar name on his schedule. "What are Rebuttal Interviews?"

"Oh, about the psycho ex-girlfriend situation." Hannah shook her head in disapproval. "She's making herself look ridiculous."

"People don't seem to think so, though." Charlie used the remote to flick on the television in the corner. Kelli's face appeared on the screen, her mouth moving as she spoke to the interviewer.

"I mean, he was in love with me, so I guess I'm a pretty special girl." She was gabbing to a sorority-house aged reporter who listened intently to every word.

"And you think that's why he targeted you." The interviewer leaned in, enraptured as she twisted a lock of hair around her pointer finger.

"Yes." Kelli was now choking back crocodile tears as she fanned her face. "Manipulated me. Messed with my head. Who knows what else he-"

Charlie flicked the television off and threw the remote onto the couch across the room. "She's getting a lot of coverage with her story. She's making me look like some kind of monster."

"Precisely the reason you're attending the rebuttals today." Hannah rested her hands on Charlie's desk, leaning forward. "Look, Charlie, the press loves you. They want to keep loving you. Kelli is insane. Just talk to them like you usually do, be nice like you always are, and they'll have forgotten Kelli by the end of the week."

"Right." Charlie nodded as he took his chair, rolling up to the desk to open his laptop. "Thanks." He paused long enough to soften his expression. "Thank you, Hannah."

"I'll tell her you'll be down in ten, yeah?" Hannah grinned as she walked back to the door, pausing to glance back at a once again distracted Charlie before disappearing down the hall.


"Did you see this?" Rikki's voice cut through the silence of the house as she dropped the mail she'd just picked up. She stalked back down the hall and into Zane's office, shedding pages of newspaper on the floor as she walked. "We're on the front page this time." She dropped the paper on Zane's desk. "I told you, it's getting worse."

Zane sighed as he leaned back to read a story on the right edge of the bottom half of the front page. "Are Charlie Bennett's Parents Merpeople Too?" He read aloud, eyes skimming over the article before looking up at Rikki. "It isn't anything new, Rik. They don't know anything."

"Then why are they still asking?" Rikki paced, arms crossed tightly across her chest. "It started off as a back-of-the-tabloid gossip column, now it's right on the first page of the paper."

"The bottom of the first page." Zane corrected, immediately wincing away from Rikki's laser-like glare. "I'm just saying."

"The café is overrun with reporters." Rikki said tersely. "They didn't seem interested in us at all until that one reporter asked Charlie if it was hereditary. We've got to get Denman to make a statement or something."

"I don't think you're wrong." Zane rubbed his temples with tired fingers. "I'll talk to Lewis and Will, we'll take care of it." He leaned back in his chair, examining Rikki as he debated on saying what he as thinking.

"What?" Rikki could read Zane like a book and he knew it. "Go on." She pushed. "Say whatever it is you want to say."

"It's just..." Zane reached out for Rikki's hand, taking it in his warm one. "Given that there are stories about us popping up from time to time, do you really think it was a good idea to let Charlie out into the ocean yesterday?"

Rikki sighed, looking down at her feet for a moment before meeting Zane's gaze. "You just don't understand, Zane. Yes, I think it was a fine idea to let Charlie go swimming. He needs it. He got back just fine."

"I think you need it." Zane reached for her other hand. "Maybe we can arrange a boat trip out towards Mako for you girls. I can talk to Lewis about it."

"Not if there are reporters around." Rikki shook her head firmly. "I'm not taking any risks."

"I know." Zane exhaled. "I know." He stood, reaching to pull Rikki in to him. "Don't sweat the article, ok?"

"They want to know how it happened." Rikki murmured into Zane's shoulder. "How Charlie changed."

"But they're not going to." Zane said firmly, hoping he was telling the truth.


"Good job, Charlie!" Linda Denman crouched at the side of the pool to give Charlie a high five. "That was nearly perfect."

"Great." Charlie pulled himself tiredly onto the top step of the pool, letting his fin float out in front of him in the water. "So I don't have to do it again, right?"

"I said nearly perfect." Linda smirked as she reset her recorder. "Once more, then I'll let you free."

"Fine, but only because I'm nice." Charlie pretended to grumble, but he really didn't mind. The tests they'd been running had only helped him learn more about himself, about what had happened to him, and in spite of all their misgivings and fear, Linda wasn't that bad to work with. Plus, she had no problem with Lewis attending their sessions and taking data of his own, as long as she had access to it. Even though Lewis would never admit it, Charlie suspected that he enjoyed the sessions just as much as he did.

Charlie took a deep breath, more out of habit than necessity, then pushed himself back out into the water. From the bottom of the twelve-foot pool he raised his hands and focused on moving the water up and away from him. He managed to create a sort of bubble with himself as he sort of sat in the middle. Underwater cameras recorded his every move.

"Six... seven...eight...nine...ten." Lewis counted, watching his stopwatch. "Any second... and there it is."

Inside his underwater bubble, Charlie concentrated as his fin changed back into a pair of legs. He stood, admiring the way the water cast light onto the pool sides around him. Using every bit of focus he had left, he moved his hands slightly to the left, taking a step with the bubble as it moved slightly to the side. He repeated the motion a half dozen times before accidentally brushing the side of the water and transforming back into a merman as the water crashed in around him. He surfaced moments later, beaming. "Ok, that one was definitely the best yet."

"You're not wrong, kid." Linda shut off the above-water camera. "Good work. Lewis, do you need anything else?"

"No, I'm good." Lewis was writing so quickly Charlie was surprised smoke wasn't coming out of his pencil. "Thanks, Denman."

"I keep telling you, Lewis. Call me Linda." She walked over to the edge of the pool to give Charlie a hand getting out. "Nice job today. We got a lot done."

"You must be in a hurry." Lewis watched as Denman quickly gathered her things. "Usually you want to run tests until the building closes."

"What can I say?" Denman paused just long enough to give them a rare smile. "Charlie is doing a fantastic job. The amount of research we've collected in the last two days... it's groundbreaking."

"As if you haven't already hit groundbreaking and flown past it." Hannah spoke up from her place behind the camera.

"Tomorrow we need to start talking about the full moon." Lewis checked his watch. "We still have a couple weeks, but any discoveries we make will only put us ahead of the game."

"I agree completely." Denman slid off her white lab coat, reaching for her own blue cardigan. "Don't worry, Charlie. We'll make sure you're ready. Although.." Her eyes slid slightly towards Lewis. "It would be a better idea just to hold him here in the facility during the full moon, Lewis. We could observe him and learn so much-" She paused as Lewis held up a hand to stop her. "I know, I know. But a girl's gotta try."

"I want him prepared, but Rikki and Zane will keep him safe during the full moon." Lewis had been on the fence about telling Denman about it in the first place, but it just wasn't practical to try to hide it from her. Not when they were spending so much time with her. Plus, anything she could find out would only help them.

"Fine, then." Denman shrugged, gathering her bag. "I'm off to the scientific symposium, I'll see you all tomorrow."

"I'll walk you out." Lewis held the door open for her. "I want to discuss something with you on the way."

The door swung closed behind them, leaving Charlie and Hannah alone in the test room.

Hannah gave Charlie a sideways look as she packed up the camera equipment. "Sounds like Lewis had something on his mind."

"Yeah, he wants to talk to Dr. D about part of our deal." Charlie held one hand out to pull the water off and send it back into the pool. He stood a moment later, stretching his arms over his head. "I am exhausted. I'm glad she let us go early. Gives me some time to get ready for my Kelli interview.

"What part of your deal?" Hannah held the door for Charlie before the pair started down the hall. "You know she didn't let me read the contract you two signed.

"Just something about my parents." Charlie flicked on his office light. "It's not a big deal or anything."

"Right." Hannah followed him inside. "So... are you doing anything fun tonight? I thought maybe we could go out for a drink?"

"Everywhere I go gets mobbed instantly." Charlie raised a shoulder. "The café is mobbed 24/7; the bar I used to go to has a picture of me on the door. I can't really go anywhere nowadays without it turning into a madhouse. Just part of the gig, I guess."

"Ah, gotcha." Hannah nodded. "You could always come back to my-"

"I'll see you later, Hannah." Charlie didn't seem to have heard her as he locked the office door behind him. "Will is here, gotta run."

"I'll... see you later then." Hannah said wistfully as she watched Charlie disappear down the hall.


"So you'll make a statement or something?" Lewis followed Denman up to her car. The reporters had quickly grown tired of following them after a day at work; they were far more interested in waiting for Charlie to exit the building. "We're a little tired of the media attention being so focused on Rikki and Zane."

"You know," Denman said, turning to face Lewis. "It seems to me that Rikki and Zane could handle this themselves just by standing outside in the rain."

Lewis crossed his arms, directing a stern look at Denman. "In the contract you signed with Charlie, you swore to-"

"I know, I know." She rolled her eyes, leaning with one arm on the car. "I swore to actively protect the privacy of your whole clan. But Lewis..." She tilted her head to one side. "Don't you think things would be a whole lot more simple if they all just went public too?"

"Now Denman, I never said they were-"

"Right." Denman inhaled deeply. "They're just normal people who happen to have a merman for a son and never touch water in public. There's no connection at all."

"And don't you forget it." Lewis said firmly. He knew that Denman knew, but there was no way in hell he'd be the one to confirm it. "Just make a statement, ok? Tell them that Charlie manifested his changes out of the blue or something."

"Sure." Denman unlocked her car door. "But think about it, Lewis. And tell Charlie to consider my suggestion."

"He doesn't want a full time bodyguard." Lewis shrugged. "He has us."

"Right, and you're qualified to handle his fame." The sarcasm was evident, but Lewis ignored it.

"Have a good night, Denman." He said tiredly. He held her car door for her while she climbed in, watching as she pulled out of the lot and down the road.


"Hurry, Char, we're running behind." Will gestured for Charlie to keep up as they pushed their way through the hoards of screaming fans on their way into the news station.

Charlie's 'rebuttal interviews' included him sitting behind a fancy desk to be interviewed by the lead reporter from the biggest news channel in the area. It was similar to the regular television interviews he did, but this time the vibe in the studio felt electric, as if he was being put on trial.

"Hey Charlie, welcome back." Brett Bayer, the head reporter on Channel 5 greeted him as everyone bustled around them doing their final checks.

"Thanks, man." Charlie glanced around the room. There were far more people milling around the studio than there usually were. He would have thought they'd all be used to seeing him by now; he'd done half a dozen interviews with this station alone.

"You ready Charlie?" A girl Charlie thought was named Clara was clipping a microphone to the collar of his shirt as he settled into a seat across the table from Brett.

"I sure am." Charlie tried to keep his voice light and easy, though deep down he was trying to quell butterflies.

"Alright!" Clara raised her voice, holding one hand up to the room as she backed up to stand by the camera. "And we're live in 5...4...3...2..." She pointed at Brett, who immediately perked up for his introduction before turning to face Charlie.

"And we're here with the first and only confirmed merman in the world here on channel 5 news..." Brett began, his voice now deep and announcer-like. "Thank you so much for being with us today, Charlie."

"Of course." Charlie nodded, fighting the urge to shield his eyes from the blinding studio lights. They seemed even brighter than usual.

"The last few weeks have changed the world as we all know it." Brett was continuing. "The existence of mermaids has been nothing but myth and legend until you came forward."

Charlie bit his tongue to keep from correcting him. He had made no decision to tell the world what he was, Denman had done that for him. In spite of him.

"Tell us about how life has changed for you since then."

Charlie sighed slightly before launching into the rehearsed explanation he knew by heart. Yes, he was glad the secret was out, (at least, that's what he said.) Yes, of course he was excited about the prospect of educating the world about what it was like to be a merman. And, of course he was enjoying the fame. He didn't know how much he really believed his own words, but everyone else seemed to.

It wasn't much longer before Brett got to the real reason Charlie was there that day. "So Charlie, let's talk about Kelli Parker." He read the name off the notecard in front of him, though he didn't need to. Kelli's name had been plastered all over the news for days now, along with countless pictures of her with Charlie. Brett cleared his throat. "Tell me, is there any truth to her claims that you used your powers on her? Powers to control her mind?"

Charlie took a deep breath, trying to keep himself calm as his heard thundered in his chest with anger. "No." He managed to answer calmly. "No, I never manipulated Kelli in any way."

"You two did have a relationship, yes?" Brett gestured to the screen behind them, which now featured a picture of Charlie with his arms wrapped around Kelli on the beach.

"Yes, for a while." Charlie nodded.

"And would you call it a serious relationship?" Brett leaned forward slightly, as if he were reporting on something groundbreaking.

"I'm... not sure it was what you'd call serious..." Charlie tried to avoid saying that it had been a mostly unpleasant experience. "But we had some good times together."

"You are aware of the claims she's alleging? That you used powers on her to control her mind? That you forced the relationship against her will?"

"Oh yes." Charlie nodded.

"And what would you like to say regarding them?"

Charlie forced an easy smile to his face. "What can I say, Brett? I would certainly never use my abilities as a merman to manipulate anyone. I wouldn't even know how; I don't have power over anyone. That's not how it works."

"And were you a merman during the entirety of your relationship? Since you were born, maybe?" Brett tapped his pen on the notepad in front of him, though he had yet to take any notes. Charlie never knew why the newsmen kept notebooks at all for television interviews; they never wrote a word.

"I'd rather not talk about my timeline as a merman." He said calmly. "But come on." He gestured to himself, flashing what he hoped was a winning smile. "Do I look like a master manipulator to you?" He forced a laugh, hearing titters from the production staff as well. "Look, Kelli is a..." He clenched his jaw slightly. "Great girl. Our relationship ended because we outgrew it." Charlie fought to keep a fair amount of tact in his voice. "I've never used any kind of power to control her in any way. I'm not that kind of person."

"Oh, I think that's something we can all agree on." Brett grinned widely, reaching to give Charlie a light punch on the arm. "Why do you think she's making these outrageous claims?"

"I'm not sure." Charlie lied. He knew the answer; because she was a fame-hungry bitch. Instead, he said, "Kelli has never exactly been one to shy away from attention, you know?"

"I see." Brett nodded. "Well then, let's bring out Kelli to hear her side of the story!"

"What?" Charlie couldn't keep the shock from his face.

Kelli stepped around the corner, a dazzling, though fake, smile on her face. "Hey everyone!" She beamed, waving to the camera. "Brett, thank you so much for having me today. I think I'll sit here if you don't mind." She pointedly took a seat on the other side of the reporter, far from Charlie.

Charlie sat up in his seat, his eyes searching for Will, who looked just as surprised as he was. Will held his hands up, raising his shoulders in surprise. Charlie forced himself to zone in on Brett, who was introducing Kelli and recapping her story.

"…And we're so lucky to have her with us today." He finished. "Kelli, Charlie claims that he would never use his powers to manipulate them. What would you like to say in response to that?"

"Well Brett I'm so glad you asked." Kelli took a long, shuddering breath, looking up at the lights with glistening eyes. "I would never expect Charlie to be honest about what he did to me. He has a reputation to protect, you know?"

Charlie could feel a fire begin to burn in his chest, but he fought to keep his face neutral.

"It's just..." Kelli sniffled, milking the moment for all it's worth. "No one really knows what he's capable of, do they? We only know what he wants us to know."

Charlie looked over to Brett, expecting to see his normal 'professional reporter' face. He was more than dismayed to see Brett leaning forward on his elbows, his face eager to hear more. "Listen." Charlie spoke up. "Kelli, you have known me a long time. You know I've never done anything to you."

"Do I?" Kelli's voice cracked dramatically. "Do I really Charlie?"

"Yes!" Charlie couldn't keep his voice from rising. "You do! You flipped out when you found out what I was, I-"

"I just can't talk about it anymore." Kelli held up one hand, glancing dramatically at the camera. "I'm sorry. We just need to end the interview." With an over-the-top sob, she stood and stormed off into the wings, taking off her microphone as she went.

Brett watched her go before turning to the camera with a solemn face. "We're sorry, ladies and gentlemen. Kelli Parker has become overwhelmed and is unable to continue." He turned to glance at Charlie. "Charlie, what would you like to say about what just happened?"

A million thoughts raced through Charlie's head as he tried to process what had just happened. "I..." He swallowed, trying to buy himself some time to say something clever. "I think she's having a hard time coping with the fact that she didn't know I was a merman." He managed to choke out. "She doesn't really know what she's saying."

"And that's all we have time for, folks!" Brett turned to the camera brightly. "We'll see you tomorrow for our channel five sports recap. Thanks for being with us, Charlie."

"You're wel-"

"And we're out!" Clara marched to the desk, unclipping Charlie's mic as she patted him on the back. "Great job as usual, Chuck!"

"I prefer Charlie." He said as he stood up stiffly. "Is... that all?" For whatever reason, he hoped he'd be asked back, if for nothing else than to defend himself against what Kelli had said.

"That's it for now, we'll be in touch." Clara smiled widely as she gestured for Charlie to leave the studio. "Frank! Let's see if we can schedule Kelli for sometime next week..." Her voice trailed off as she disappeared down the hall.

Charlie remained silent until he'd exited the soundstage. He made his way over to Will, who had been standing in stunned silence the whole interview. "What the fuck." He muttered under his breath.

"She's got issues, man." Will shook his head, directing Charlie toward the exit. "And she really wants to be famous."

"Tell me about it." Charlie was still in shock over what had just happened. "I can't believe her."

"Don't let her get to you." Will advised firmly. "She'll be yesterday's news any day now."

"Yeah, I can only hope." Charlie didn't think he'd get over what had just happened for a while. He'd never been tempted to hit a girl before, but something about Kelli's smug face made him want to ball his fist.