So first up - very sorry about how long this took. It's been a busy few months with going to back to work, finishing up the second year of my degree and just general writer's block.

I'm back now so hopefully I'll keep this up and get more chapters out asap

Summary: The new normal begins

Love was weird.

Nixie decided that as she headed up into the house, taking her time to slowly wander. And wonder. Rita had already gone up before her to make some tea for them both - the normal yucky stuff for herself and the nice fruity stuff for Nixie.

Being willing to get your heart broken just for a few days? Why let yourself love when it's only going to get you hurt?

Nixie had never loved anyone romantically and she was fine with it. Love makes you do things like willingly be with someone, even though you know they will be leaving you in only a day or so. The last couple of days, and right now, had only hammered in the negatives and Nixie was pretty happy not having feelings for anyone. Well...

Nixie stopped at the window, looking down over the concrete below with the wilting plants. No one had watered them. No one had thought to water them. Rita always did that. The once vibrant green leafy things were now slowly collapsing into limp yellow fronds. The front door opened below and a boy with curly hair in a black polo shirt crossed the garden then out the gate. Then Sirena darted across the concrete and out the gate after him.

David.

Which also meant food. Something Nixie's stomach was very happy about. She was absolutely famished. She'd never admit it to Sirena but she and David were sort of sweet together. In the way a baby dolphin or a baby seal is sweet. Nixie left the window with renewed energy and lifted spirits and jogged up the stairs into the kitchen area.

Food was the highest motivator.

"Was that David that just left?" Nixie asked as she rounded the corner into the kitchen. A large white polystyrene box sat upon the counter, the fridge door wide open. She knew it was but it felt nicer to announce her presence first. If only Veridia knew about that idea. And Rita, but Rita wasn't the one who had given her a fright twice in the last few days.

Rita only nodded in answer, her mouth filled with whatever she was eating.

"You're as bad as me," Nixie laughed. There had been a few times Nixie had been told off for inappropriate manners while eating. Normally by Lyla. Queen of all things prim and proper. Not. Nixie wasn't the one eating prawn tails at that surprise party Evie threw for Zac. That was Lyla. Stuffing her mouth with prawn tails and storming off, attracting the attention of Cam.

"I'm starving," Rita defended. "I haven't eaten in a week apart from those few prawns yesterday."

Oh yeah...

"None of us knew how to sort out the fish order," Nixie said, peeking into the box for clues as to what treats Rita had ordered. She usually got a lot of really nice stuff and then said it was all for Poseidon. Nixie usually sneaked some her dismay the box was empty with no opportunity to pilfer some snacks without Rita seeing.

"It's all away," Rita pushed a plate with de-shelled crayfish towards Nixie which Nixie gladly accepted. She was starving. Not a week's worth of no food starving but still very, very hungry.

Nixie happily tucked into her crayfish until Rita set out another plate with a mix of prawns and lobster. She was also partially to a little bit of lobster

"For sharing," Rita warned as Nixie reached out her hand to pick out the best of it. Nixie withdrew her hand, taking a single prawn with her instead of the intended chunk of lobster tail. Nixie took a seat at the counter as Rita set two cups down.

"Is that the nice tea?" Nixie asked peering into the cup. The steaming liquid inside looked to be a red colour rather than the normal beige stuff she didn't like. It smelled like fruit too.

"It is," Rita pulled one cup closer to her, carefully so as to not spill any across the table or on herself.

Nixie took her cup into her hand, enjoying the soft warmth of the tea against her skin.

"Thank you." Nixie took a cautious sip, the fruity taste strong on her tongue. "What kind is this? It tastes different to the last stuff." It was still nice but much stronger than before. Nixie drank some more and set her cup down. She was still deciding if she liked it or not.

"I couldn't tell you. There's a few different ones in the jar. I just picked the first one."

"I thought you were an organised Mermaid."

"I try to be but I never drink the stuff so there's no sense in it taking up room."

"What if I ever go to make tea and I can't find the teabags? Are you really going to leave me without tea?" Nixie joked. In truth she only drank tea when Rita made it. She still didn't really know how to make it so she just waited until Rita offered. It was easier for everyone. Especially her.

"Yes."

"That's mean," Nixie pouted.

Rita laughed, "I'm sure you'll live."

"David!" Sirena crossed the last space of distance, cutting over the grass and caught up with David as he slowed down. David shifted the single white box he carried over to his other hip and took Sirena's hand into his.

"Hey Sirena."

"Hey, just missed you," Sirena fell into step beside David. Today was a good day. The sun was out, she was here with David, Rita was all better, and Veridia had left. Nixie was still in a bad mood and was still sulking with Lyla but apart from that - things were looking good again. For the first time the leaden weight of guilt was gone.

"I tried to stall but don't think your aunt was keen on having me stay. Figured it was safer to leave before I got a detention or something," David joked.

"Sounds about right," Sirena laughed

"I don't really blame her, can't say I'd like having people over when I was just recovering from an illness as bad as that."

"Don't think I would either." It was bad enough that time her and Lyla got snow rash and ended up almost being taken to hospital. David had been so concerned about her and he hardly even knew her at that point.

"I've got one more delivery to Evie's dad if you want to tag along?" David tilted up the last box and then returned it to it's place on his hip. "We could always rehearse afterwards once we're back at the cafe? If you're feeling up to it?"

"Okay," Sirena nodded. She loved singing. Especially with David. She missed singing with Aquata but performing with David helped. Lyla and Nixie wouldn't sing with her, Nixie couldn't really sing and only gave half hearted attempts while Lyla point blank refused. "I'll happily listen but don't ask me to join in" was what Lyla always said. She'd never thought about asking Rita…

"It's not too far to Evie's, she's along the canal from Zac's. Have you met her dad?"

"I don't think so?" Evie never really considered them friendly enough to meet her parents, but then why would she? She was always a look on the bright side type of person, but the way Lyla acted around Zac - she could see why Evie wasn't too keen on them, Lyla in particular. She was nice enough to Sirena, especially with everything happening with Rita.

Maybe now that Rita was okay Evie would go back to being cold to her. That made her sadder than she thought it would, Evie and David had been her only real company recently. Lyla was always off hanging around Zac and Nixie was always with Rita leaving Sirena on her own.

"You'll see where Evie gets it from once you do."

"Okay," Sirena laughed.

"So what do we do now?" Nixie asked, "to get everything back to normal."

There was a lot to sort out before things could really settle again. For one the Trident, then Lyla still had that other Moon Ring on her finger and Rita had been missing from work for a week without any evidence of her 'sickness' and Zac was still a Merman. So a few things…

Rita usually seemed to have some kind of solution to their problems and Nixie herself currently had nothing so she was putting her hope on Rita.

"First," Rita began, "you need to tell exactly how far from normal things have gotten. My memory is a little … hazy."

"Where do you want to start?" Nixie asked, picking a nice bit of lobster from the 'sharing bowl.' She'd eaten most of it. "There's a lot that's been happening."

"Exactly how much?" Rita asked. Nixie subtly avoided meeting her eyes but had no doubt Rita noticed. As long as she didn't question it...

"Umm, a lot a lot," Nixie focused in on getting another piece of lobster and popping it into her mouth.

Rita nodded slowly, "I think I might want to finish my food first."

Nixie nodded, "yeah me too."

There was a beat before Rita spoke again.

"Was it just me or was Lyla wearing a Moon Ring?"

Nixie's stomach plummeted. That was the main thing she had in her head to fix. Before Rita saw it.

"You saw Lyla?"

"I met her as I was coming back here, she gave me this," Rita's hand touched the pendant on her neck. The seahorse necklace she always wore. Nixie couldn't remember seeing it at all this week...

"She's got the Moon Ring that Zac found," Nixie said. "The one that caused all of this." No point trying to hide anything, there had been enough lying this week. Mostly from Veridia not telling Rita things she kind of needed to know.

"Can you get it off her?"

"Why?" Nixie asked. "I mean I don't really like that she's wearing it but short of literally cutting her finger off I don't think she'll give it to me."

"Moon Rings are dangerous, those old rings especially so.

"Yeah," Nixie agreed, "we really should have listened." Rita warned them about Moon Rings and look what happened.

"Not the first time you should have listened. I have to imagine it won't be the last either."

"You're probably right."

There were numerous occasions they probably should have taken Rita's advice but hadn't. This latest incident was just one more wave in the ocean. Just so happened it was the one that hit the shore the hardest and caused the most damage in the way of consequences.

Rita stood up as if to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"To find my phone and start to get things back to normal. Starting with going back to work."

"You are not going back to work already."

"The longer I leave it the worse it will be."

"You're signed off for medical reasons, I think Zac said. You can take another day yet. Just one more to make sure you're completely recovered."

"I'm fine Nixie."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Besides it's Monday, best to start with the new week and hope no one's moved anything in my office."

"I think your phone's in the grotto."

Sure enough, tucked under the edge of a cushion was her phone,well and truly dead. It only heightened her anxiety. She'd lost a week. A whole week. She just wanted to get things back to normal and find out just what was happening about her job.

You don't just get signed off for medical reasons without any kind of doctor's note, which needs a doctor's visit, usually more than one before you can even get the note and even then you usually only get a certain amount of time and there needs to be contact with employers.

She had just vanished. From a lunch with one of the board of directors. Then was suddenly too sick to come to work. She knew how that looked. And what did they even tell people? Nixie had just said 'medical reasons' which was too vague for her liking. There were a lot of questions beginning to bubble now that she had managed to process everything to the best of her ability.

Nixie had briefly filled her in before Rita was unable to sit anymore and had to find her phone and make that start on normality.

Not that things could ever truly go back to normal. Until very recently her normal had been working at the school in a job she knew she definitely still had, living comfortably on her own with Poseidon, and no one suspected anything about her. She lived a peaceful life, one that had taken a long time to build. Now though…

People knew about her, that she was a Mermaid, she had three young Mermaids suddenly crash into her life, this whole ordeal she still couldn't really remember and then wherever she was with Veridia. Still not sure where she left things with her. The last couple of days, last day, however long it had been - it really felt like nothing had changed. It had felt like they were still together and ready to face whatever came together. Then Veridia left.

Just like that.