AN: Hey guys! Sorry I've been out lately. I have a lot of school work, clubs, sports, and I just had an audition for the musical so I'm quite a busy person. I hope you don't mind that I do take my time when I write to make it is of the best quality possible of my ability for you. Enjoy!

Chapter 35: title

Oscar's POV

Carlotta and her goons shoved us all in a small sack, so we were forced to be together in a small space. We could breathe, but we couldn't see. I guess it was to keep us from seeing where we were going so if we were to somehow escape we wouldn't know how to get home.

Also, we couldn't talk about certain things because they obviously could hear us.

I tried to break the tension, " Guys, we'll be okay. Lenny and Ronnie will save us. We'll be fine. Lenny has saved Ang twice and he saved you once, so he can do it all again and we'll be just -"

" Oscar just stop! Okay, if-if I hadn't been with you, if you hadn't started this whole mess with your big lie, we wouldn't be here right now okay. So just stop trying to fix it. There are some things you can fix. Like a broken bone. You can fix that. But this isn't some broken bone you can just mend. This is a clean cut. Straight off. You lost your limb and you can't attach it back, even if you try. It just doesn't work that way." Reuben interrupted.

I just sat there. I knew he was right. This wasn't something I could just fix, it was already too broken.

Angie put her fin on my shoulder and rubbed it in comfort. Then she turned to Reuben. "That was a little harsh. Don't you think?"

Reuben looked up. " Don't you think that lying and expecting you and Lenny to keep that secret for him was harsh? And you know what? I have a feeling they've got a plan in those minds of theirs. They aren't stupid. And if he has to choose between saving us or Ronnie, who do you think he'll choose?"

We all looked at each other. I knew who he would choose: Ronnie. It didn't matter how much we meant to him. She was pregnant and his wife, she would always win those battles. We just had to hope that somehow, Lenny would figure it out and save us both if it ever came to that because I knew Lenny. He wouldn't let us go that easily. Right?

I heard sharks talking outside the bag and then I felt like I was flying and we landed with a thud. Then a door was locked and slammed shut. That kinda hurt. Okay, it hurt a lot. "Ouch! Are you guys okay?" I whispered. It hurt to talk normally. I think I broke a rib, Oscar thought. It was hard to breathe. I tried to sit up and I did but very slowly. If I moved too quickly it would be too painful.

"Well my back hurts pretty bad, but other than that I'm okay," Reuben replied.

" I might have some bruising on my arm and I've got a small cut on my tail, but I'll be fine." Angie tried to sound optimistic.

Okay. Everyone was okay. We knew this was only the beginning of what might happen to us. It would only get worse. I hoped Lenny and Ronnie wouldn't be gone long.

Wait. Did Angie say she got cut?

I grabbed Angie's tail fin. "Ah." Angie flinched. It was only a small cut, but there was blood. The sharks have got to have smelled it by now.

" Guys, do you smell something?" We heard someone say.

" Yeah. It smells pretty good. I think it's coming from this room."

We all jumped when we heard someone try to get inside the room. Very aggressively. " Damn it! It's locked!"

"Well, did you not realize that this is Carlotta's office, you idiot? Of course, it's locked. Just go hunting for goodness sake!"

" Well, excuse me CJ, but this blood is oddly different than others I've smelled before… Sweet. I just want a taste. C'mon, please."

CJ sighed. " Alright, alright. Fine, I'll help you, but you are going to owe me so much for this."

Suddenly something clicked in my brain. CJ,CJ,CJ. I knew that name from somewhere and his voice did sound familiar…

"CJ! Oh my God! Guys, it's one of Lenny's friends!" I quietly shouted.

"He can help us! We have to get his attention! But there is another shark though… I don't think he really wants to help us much…" Angie replied.

"Well, maybe we can just hope that the other shark leaves or something. Then maybe we can get CJ's attention. Or maybe a distraction… Someone needs to get out of this bag…" Reuben began forming a plan.

Angie and I stared at him. "Well, Angie's tailfin is cut and I have a broken rib, so as far as I'm concerned you are the best candidate for this." Oscar smiled sheepishly at Reuben, trying to earn his approval.

Reuben sighed. " Of course, I have to. Alright. Now we just need to find a way to get out of the bag…"

"Well, something must've cut the bag if it was able to have cut me, so there must be a hole… There!" Angie pointed just near Oscar's head.

It was small, but it was there. Now how to make it bigger for Reuben to squeeze through. " Reuben you grab one side and I'll grab the other and we'll pull on it. Maybe we can stretch it out." Oscar suggested.

We both pulled as hard as we could and it stretched out more. Just enough so that Reuben could fit through. Once he was out, he told us the plan. " Okay, there's a vent. I'll go in there and say something and hopefully, the other guy will go to check it out while CJ does whatever he's doing."

Suddenly, we heard the door's lock begin to be messed with.

"Go!" We both whispered to Reuben. We watched as Reuben swam through the vent and disappeared inside. Now, all we had to do was wait a few seconds.

It was silent all except for CJ tinkering with the lock.

Suddenly we heard something. " Hey, I just heard someone talking. Let me go check it out while you're doing that. And don't eat anything without me!" And with that, his voice disappeared. Then we saw Reuben come swimming back to us. " Okay, he's gone. Now we just have to wait until CJ gets in here. Maybe he could hide us somewhere and direct us to home."

We all knew CJ could help us, but it would be hard getting through a carnivorous city without a shark's help. It could take us weeks or even months to get back, and with the fact that we're all injured from the fall. This wasn't going to be easy, but we had to try.

Suddenly, we heard a pop and we knew CJ had gotten the door unlocked. The door opened and I saw Reuben move away from the hole in the bag, so I swam over to see what was going on.

CJ was looking around until he was staring directly at us. I guess he thought it looked suspicious.

"What is this? It must be where the smell is coming from," CJ said to himself. Suddenly, we heard a scream. Like a high-pitched girl scream. Yo! My ears!

"Wait, Reuben? What are you doing here? You'll get killed!" CJ whispered.

"Well, you see… I sorta got kidnapped and Oscar and Angie are here too. But they're both injured which is why I'm out of the bag and they're not. We need your help to get out of here or at least hide us somewhere safe for a while."

Suddenly, it was very bright. CJ opened the bag and picked us both up gently. "Are you guys alright?" CJ asked.

" Yeah, we're okay. But we do need your help. Do you think you can?" Angie replied with another question.

" Yeah. Sure. I'll try my best to get you all back home safely. But first, how am I gonna sneak all three of you into my room?" CJ thought for a moment. " Okay, I have two ideas. Now, I'm really hoping the first will work because the second one won't exactly be pleasant for you. Ummm, so we could try to fit you all inside my bandana."

We went one at a time. Reuben and I helped Angie into the bandana first, and I tried to fit inside, but the bandana couldn't hold us both, much less three. We all climbed out interested in CJ's second idea.

" Oh boy. Okay, the second one is uh, you could hide in my mouth and I could quickly get to my room."

Angie and I were like eh whatever because you know we've both been in this situation before. Not that it was a good experience but it didn't really matter it we were going to be safe. Reuben on the other hand was terrified. "What? Are you serious? What if you eat us?"

"Buddy, trust me if I wanted to eat you, I would've eaten you at the wedding." CJ chuckled. He could see that Reuben was still hesitant. "Okay, then you can stay in the bandana."

Reuben immediately climbed into the bandana. Angie and I laughed. CJ helped us into his mouth trying to be very careful especially when we were both injured.

Once we were inside it was dark and let me say it didn't smell all that great either. I tried not to think about that. It didn't take long for CJ to get to a safe spot for us.

I heard a door close and we were immediately taken out, gently.

"That wasn't fun," CJ explained.

Reuben was also already out of the bandana. " Now where can we hide?"

There were two beds. One on each side of the room… " Which one of these is yours?" I asked CJ.

" The one on the left, why?" CJ replied.

I swam slowly, carefully to the bed on the other side. This was Lenny's bed. " Does anyone else sleep here?"

" No, and there probably won't be any time soon," CJ answered.

" Can I stay here? I can hide in the pillowcase or under the blanket. It's a good hiding place." I said trying to convince him.

"Sure. You can all pick, but just be careful okay. I'll be back to check on you and let you know when I have a free day, so I can get you back home. Be safe." And with that CJ was gone.

I saw Reuben swim over to a closet and go to the top shelf to sleep in the corner. Angie came with me and we went inside the pillowcase and I held her until she fell asleep.

Lenny's POV

Ronnie and I were riding a Whale shark to our honeymoon spot. Ronnie had her head in my lap and she was fast asleep. I gently rubbed her head and gave her a kiss. Then I sat up. It was nice to have these moments where you could just be. My life had been so go, go, go, that I forgot what it was like to stop. I chuckled at my thought.

I mean, first of all, I was married! And happily. On the way to our own private boat, I knew there was going to be a lot of love-making involved. Practice. I'd have to learn what she likes. Master it. We also need to discuss the baby's name. I have a few ideas for her or whatever this child wanted to be. I didn't mind, it was their choice, but it'd have to be a decision made when they are older.

I looked at Ronnie as she slept. She was so peaceful, and also beautiful. She did look very happy. I saw her belly move and I could the baby was now awake. I put my fin on her belly to feel my daughter. That felt so weird to think about. I have a daughter. It was also a happy feeling. I know that when you think about it, a 20-year-old and a 23-year-old as parents doesn't sound great, but we'll be the best parents.

I've always loved kids. They're all so cute and fun. I always knew that I would have kids. I've always been the youngest, so I haven't had much experience with it, but I know I'll sure as hell try. And Ronnie is going to be a great mom. Just the way she influences people is… crazy.

I know that with Carlotta out to get me it won't be easy, but I'll protect my girls no matter what.

I yawned; it was starting to get late. I should probably get some sleep because I won't be getting any where I'm going.

I lied down and closed my eyes. It hopefully will be smooth sailing from here. I know taking care of a baby is a lot of work, but maybe I need this. Maybe I need someone to take care of 24/7 to keep my mind off the pain that I've been through in the past year.

I mean, my brother died, I got kicked out of the house, my best friend lied and almost got me killed, I've murdered two sharks, I took drugs, I got beat up, Ronnie had a miscarriage, and so on. I'm sure I'm missing plenty but those are the main ones. It's crazy how much one shark can really take. I quietly laughed. I was damaged, but I was still a good shark. At least I think I am.

Anyway, let's not think about bad things before falling asleep. I yawned again and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Ronnie's POV

"Hey beautiful, wake up. We're almost there." I heard Lenny's voice. He had his fins wrapped around my waist and began kissing my neck. I turned my head and kissed fully on the lips.

"Good morning, honey." I smiled. I opened my eyes and saw a gorgeous sunrise. "Well, that is certainly something to wake up to." We both watched the sunrise.

I gasped as I felt the baby start to kick.

"Ronnie? Is something wrong?" Lenny asked frantically. I felt bad for him. He had been through so much that one small thing could set him off into a panic attack.

"I'm good. The baby's just kicking. Wanna feel?" I grabbed his fin and placed it directly on the spot where she was kicking and stretching.

"You are amazing." Lenny kissed me.

When he removed I saw something that wasn't there yesterday. It was a mark. A stretch mark. Oh no…. I was hoping I wouldn't get those. I hope Lenny doesn't mind.

"What's wrong?" Lenny asked. I must've shown the embarrassment on my face. He looked towards my belly again and saw the mark. " What? Are you upset about a little mark? It's beautiful. You don't have to worry about that."

I smiled at him. " What did I do to deserve you?"

" I don't know, maybe you were just born to love awesomeness." He chuckled. I laughed too.

The baby must be doing somersaults or something because she was doing so much moving around. I didn't get much sleep last night, but it is plenty to get up and move around.

" I can't believe I'm going to be a mom."

" Oh, you don't need to worry about that. You're going to be a great mom and not only that. A beautiful, smart, loving mom. You'll be perfect." Lenny gave me a kiss on the cheek.

The whale shark suddenly stopped. We were here. It was beautiful. No, it was gorgeous. It was so magical. All the colors were so pretty. Lenny took my fin and helped me off. A shark came out of the hotel we were staying in. He took our bags and brought us to our room.

I had to say, this room was perfect. The bed was big, not to mention the soft silky sheets and pillows. We had a terrace looking out over the reef. There was mini-fridge, and a Huge flat screen tv. The bathroom was twice the size of the one back home. There is a shower/bath combination. With jets. I couldn't stop imagining all the fun we were going to have here.

As soon as the shark left, I grabbed Lenny and began to kiss him. It appeared I wasn't the only one in the mood. We were still kissing as we fell onto the bed with him on top of me. Suddenly, a noise interrupted our make-out session. My stomach rumbled, loudly.

Lenny laughed. " Hungry?"

" Well, maybe for more than one thing. Eating can wait." I kissed him again forcefully.

He kissed me and then pulled away. " C'mon you have to eat. What do you want?" He rubbed his nose on mine.

" Okay fine. How about eggs with some carp?" I suggested.

" All right. I'll order it now." He gave me one small kiss and then grabbed the phone to order breakfast. I had to admit, now that we were talking about food I was hungry. Then I thought about something.

" You need to eat too. Order something. Please." I begged.

" Alright. I'll have something to eat, you don't have to beg." He laughed.

I listened as he ordered my food and then French toast with caviar. Once he was done he came back to me. I put my fins around his neck. " Kinda early for something as fancy as caviar isn't it?" I inquired.

" Well, I figured I should go all out. It is our honeymoon after all." He replied.

I gave him a kiss on the cheek. " I love you so much."

He gave this one some thought. " I love you for infinity." Then he smiled. He got me stumped on that one. How was I supposed to beat that? I laughed and we just cuddled together until the food arrived.

Once we got it, we swam out to the terrace to share our breakfast with the world.

I watched as Lenny slowly ate his breakfast while I snarfed down mine. It was hot, but it was so good that I just kept eating.

My tongue burnt and my stomach full, I look towards the busy city. All the fish were swimming around going this way and that way. The sun coming up over all the buildings was a sight to see. All the plants were so bright and green. I wasn't used to being colorful. Where I lived was dark and where Lenny's home is, is even darker. It was still a nice place, but I definitely want a newer home for the baby. Speaking of….

" Hey, shouldn't we start discussing this little nugget's name?" I asked.

Lenny had just finished his plate. " Hmmm. How about Audree?" He suggested.

I thought about it. Audree. No, it didn't seem to suit her. I shook my head. " I want something unique you know? Something one of a kind. Because this baby is definitely one of a kind. A miracle actually. So maybe… Olive? No that's too bland. Lily? No, too popular…" I kept thinking trying to find a good name.

" Hey. It doesn't have to be right this minute. We still have plenty of time. What about Kathleen? Katie for short?"

" That name is beautiful, but I'm not sure it suits her."

" It's my mother's name."

" Oh! Well I mean if you really want that can be her middle name. I really like it. It's so… pretty. I just picture beauty when I hear that name. And your mother was a spitting image of beauty wasn't she?" I asked him. He didn't seem to mind the subject. In fact, he seemed quite cheerful.

" Yes, she was." He smiled. " Why don't we take a break from that and go back to bed. Maybe we could burn off some calories?"

We both got up and he took my fin and we swam to the bed. We began to kiss before we actually got on the bed and I pushed him down onto the bed and climbed on him as he sat up. We were still kissing as his fins moved up and down my body feeling all the edges. I began kissing down his neck. It brings me great satisfaction when he took pleasure in something. Sometimes being in control was fun.

I began touching him everywhere as he kissed down my neck. Suddenly we were twisted together, stuck to each other. It was so intense that I had to grab the sheets instead of him so I didn't hurt him. As he kissed his way down my body I felt this feeling of euphoria. Nothing big had even happened yet and I felt like I was in paradise. Suddenly he looked up and wiped his fin across my lips. We gazed at each other. I touched his face as we lied there looking at each other as if frozen in time. Then we continued kissing as the sun rose higher and higher…

I was swimming through the hallways of what looked like a school. I seemed to be swimming forever in this hallway until I finally stopped at a room. Room 13. I knocked on the door and a teacher came to open it. I swam inside and looked at the chalkboard. April 23, 2016. I then turned to look at a child right in the middle of the classroom.

It was a girl. She had Lenny's eyes and his skin tone. She was the spitting image of him actually. I was quite shocked at how alike she looked to him. It was like Lenny, but as a child and a girl.

The girl then proceeded to ask me a question, " Mommy? What are you doing here?"

Mommy? Was this my daughter? What was going on?

I started talking, but I didn't mean to. It was like my mouth had a mind of its own. " I'm taking you home, sweetie. Mrs. Deosk I hope you don't mind."

" No, of course not." She replied.

I watched as my daughter went to the back of the room to get her things and then she came up to me and grabbed my fin.

It was a silent swim to the front of the school. I had no idea where we were going and yet I knew exactly where I was. It looked like we were about a few minutes away from home when she broke the silence.

"Mommy, why are we going home? We couldn't I stay at school?"

" I will answer your question when we get home, so we are in the comfort of our own house. I'd rather not say in public."

Once we were finally home, I opened the door, took her backpack, and sat her down on the couch.

" Mom, why are you crying?"

I hadn't realized I was crying until she asked. I was so confused. Why was I crying?

" Lonnie, something has happened. I just want you to understand it's okay to talk and it's okay to cry."

" Okay. Mommy where is Daddy? Is the home too?" Lonnie seemed to have this really scared look on her face.

First, what was going on? Second, her name was Lonnie? That certainly was unique. I never heard it before. Also, where was Lenny?

Suddenly I began talking again interrupting my thoughts. And this seemed to answer all my questions in one sentence and at the same time manage to horrify me. " Lonnie, your daddy has passed away. He got into an accident."

I awoke was sweat dripping down my face. I was hyperventilating. I immediately turned to look to my left. Terrified to see something I didn't hope to see.

Luckily, he was there and I was instantly relieved. It was just a nightmare. It was part of being pregnant. Vivid dreams. It would be worth it when she was here though. I got up to go to the bathroom. Since she had gotten bigger I've had to pee more. It comes with getting a child I guess.

Once I was finished I waddled ( I don't know. Can sharks waddle? Just imagine her swimming slower because she's pregnant) back to the bed. I checked the clock and it was three in the morning. How convenient for me to have a nightmare at this hour.

I climbed into bed next to Lenny and grabbed his fin and wrapped it around me. I just wanted to be cuddled by him. To know he was there.

He snuggled in closer and whispered in my ear, " Your back. I missed you."

I laughed. " I was only gone for a few minutes."

" Yeah, but I can only be away from you for so long."

Suddenly, the name popped into my head again. Lonnie. Then I realized something. It was a combination of our names put together. Just add on L to onnie and that's Lonnie. It was perfect. " Lenny, I think I have a name for our baby." I turned to face him.

" What are you thinking?" He put his fin on my stomach to feel for the baby, but she must be asleep because she wasn't kicking.

" Lonnie. It's a combination of our names and it's unique don't you think?" I smiled.

" Yes, I think it's very unique. I think it's perfect actually. It's a very beautiful name. I love it. Lonnie."

Suddenly, Lonnie started kicking, very hard might I add.

" Woah. I guess she likes it too. Are you alright?" he asked.

" Yeah, I'm okay, she's just a strong one." I gasped out. When she finally stopped kicking I could breathe normally again.

" Okay, she stopped. You know, I think I should get the sleep while I can cause she's been kicking a lot more now." I suggested.

"Alright," he kissed me on the forehead, " get some sleep."

I smiled and drifted off to a , thankfully, dreamless sleep.

The next morning

I woke up earlier than Lenny because Lonnie began to kick again. It was around seven when I got up to pee. After I finished my business, I climbed back into bed, waiting for Lenny to wake up.

I watched him as he sleep and he looked peaceful. I closed my eyes and listened to his even, stress-free breathing. I began counting his breaths. I had gotten to over 3,000 when I just stopped counting because i'd gotten bored of counting. And now I don't know why, but I just leaned over and smelled him. He smelled sweet. It was weird, but it happened so….

I reached out and caressed his face. So soft and gentle, he was going to be a … fantastic father. I was just staring at him and then his eyes slowly opened. "Hey sexy." I said in a very foxy voice.

" Hey. So, what do you wanna do today?" he asked.

" Well, actually I was hoping we could go shopping for the baby? You know toys,equipment, etc. It'll be fun." I tried to convince him.

" Okay, that sounds great, but lets get some food in you first." he replied.

Once we both finished our yummy breakfasts, we headed out to a store called " Nescesities for Babies". Once we were inside it was a very claustrophobic experience. I was fine when the first shark came over and started asking questions and touching my belly, but then it was just one after the other and I was starting to get tired of it. We had barely had a chance to actually look at things.

" I swear if one more shark comes toward me, I'm gonna kill them."

I could tell he was smiling, maybe even trying to hide a laugh. I then saw a young shark staring and I glared until they went somewhere else. Then I spotted something. It was a whale baby bottle. It was literally the cutest thing I had ever seen. I swam so quickly to it that Lenny hadn't even seen me leave his side until I was already there.

" Woah, slow down. What are you all excited about?" He chuckled. Then he must've seen the bottle. " It's adorable. Let's get it."

It was ridiculous. I thought I would swim out of that store with bags full of stuff, but I swam out of the store with one thing: a baby bottle. And I was completely okay with that.

We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city. It was an amazing experience. There was this museum with historical artifacts that Lenny seemed really interested in so we explored the place and it was actually quite interesting. There were skeletons of 200-year-old sea turtles and old paintings and statues from long ago. Like I said it was interesting.

We ate out for lunch and tried something we'd never had before. Delicious! Then we went to their library because I absolutely love books and I wanted to buy one. I ended up with a book about a shark who loved being her own self without a man/woman (bisexual). She had a good job that she liked, a nice apartment, and her family lived close by. She had never needed someone before but she starts catching feelings for her best friend. Then a few weeks later a new guy comes in at work. What will she do?

Yeah, yeah. I know it sounds stupid and very dramatic and cliche, but I like those books. It makes for good entertainment.

Anyways, we also stopped at a few corners of the city. There were sharks selling accessories, and a few bands playing, and I donated a bit of money to each of them. ( Just saying this doesn't all happen in one day this is about a week-long worth of stuff.)

We also went to the movies and saw some good things. There was this one movie about a girl who was dating a guy and then she slept with some random girl and she didn't know what to do about it. Her boyfriend and herself got through and got married in the end. It was actually sweet.

Let's see what else? Oh! We also talked to Ricky. We ate some samples of sea salt taffy. Yum! And that's about it… I think you know what we did in between so I don't have to say any details.

A few weeks after the honeymoon started…

(three weeks have passed, that's their honeymoon)

Immediately after we got home, which was in the evening there seemed to be some trouble waiting for us. We were about to, you know, when Lenny's phone started buzzing. He ignored it, but it kept ringing, over and over. Eventually, he got annoyed enough and answered the phone.

"Who is this?" he sounded very annoyed with the person on the other end of the phone.

"CJ, whatever it is can it wait until the morning? I'm kinda in the middle of something here." He said, frustratedly.

Then I watched as his face went from annoyance to horrified. " SHE WHAT?!"

I got up and began caressing him. " Hey, hey. Calm down what's going on?" I inquired, hoping to get something out of him.

" Okay, okay. I'll come to get them just give me a few hours." He hung up and started pacing.

" Are you gonna tell me what's going on?" I asked a little annoyed that he just ignored me. Whatever was bugging him this much, I should know. Especially since I'm now his wife, we are bonded. His problems are my problems. His life is my life.

" Oscar, Angie, and Reuben were kidnapped by Carlotta. CJ got to them, thank god, before anything happened to them, but Oscar's got a broken rib, and Angie got cut, Reuben was complaining of back pain, but I'm sure they'll be fine." He said trying to convince me that he wasn't worried.

I blew out a long breath, " Umm. Okay. Well, we can just leave now and go get them and get out of there as quick as possible." I suggested.

Lenny sighed. " Not we, me. There is no way I'm letting you go out there, never mind you being with child."

" Well, there is no way in hell I'm letting you go by yourself. So, I am going with you. You'll get yourself in trouble like you always do when I'm not there." I said in a frustrated tone.

He crossed his fins. " What's that supposed to mean?"

" Oh, don't play stupid with me. You know exactly what I mean."

" So, you think I can't go anywhere without you because I'll kill somebody if you're not there?" He asked.

I sighed. " Well, Lenny how could I think otherwise? Yes, that terrifies me, but I'd be really worried if you got hurt or worse, get yourself killed. We have a child, things are different. You can't go getting yourself into trouble anymore. We are both going, end of discussion." I gave him an and-that's-final look.

He sighed, " Alright, fine. But If someone so much as looks at you there's gonna be a problem. I'll protect you no matter what. And if anything happens," he held my face in his fins, " I love you." He then proceeded to kiss me.

We immediately left after that. While waiting for a whale shark I was worrying about Lenny's friends. God forbid if something happens where he has to choose, I know he'll choose me. But I couldn't do that to his friends. We had to find a way to save them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It took a while for us to get there, but we did eventually. I just knew that this wasn't going to end well. Our luck has not been the best in the least. And it wasn't exactly in Lenny's best interest to be here. After all, they are after us. Well, mostly him anyway. And we both know the best way to torture him is to hurt the ones closest to him and that would be me, the baby, and his fish friends…

Swimming through the eerie city, was a very traumatic experience. Remembering all the terrible things that happened to us and others just makes me squeamish.

The thing that scared me most was how quiet it was. It wasn't the least bit quiet from what I remember. There were sharks fighting all over. Police trying to break up brawls. Sharks dooing drugs, getting high, or drunk. Just a whole lot of bad all over the place.

When the ship started to come into view, we called CJ. It was late, around 2 in the morning. He mentioned that Carlotta slept from 9-6. So she wouldn't be here for a while. The others were either sleeping, out doing requests, or in the bar. Quite frankly, I didn't care. I just wanted to grab our friends and get the hell out of there.

We hid behind a ship while waiting for CJ. We had to stay hidden.

" How are you feeling?" I asked.

" Well, it's exactly my favorite place, but you're here and you're safe so I guess I'm alright. I'm still a little worried about Oscar, and Ang, but I'm sure I'm overreacting and they're fine." he sighed.

" Hey, I know this isn't the best place in the ocean, but I know our friends will be okay." I smiled.

He smiled back at me and he kept it there.

"What?"

" You said "our" friends. That means you think of them as your friends too."

" Of course. Any friend of my Lenny-Wenny is a friend of mine."

He raised an eyebrow at the nickname.

" Also, I'm sorry about earlier when I said you weren't safe I didn't mean that I was just stressed and a little frustrated." I laughed quietly.

" It's okay. Actually -" but before Lenny could finish his sentence we heard someone call out, " Lenny!", in whispers.

"CJ?" Lenny asked just to be sure.

"Yes!"

We swam out of our hiding place and CJ was there out in the open with no fishes about…

We swam closer. " CJ, where are they?" Lenny asked, panicked.

"Oh! Sorry, they're right here." I guess we hadn't noticed his fins were behind his back. He pulled his fins forward and showed them.

I become overcome with relief like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. They were okay. Thank goodness.

Lenny took them all and gently hugged them. " Your okay!" he said happily.

" Of course! We couldn't just wait and let them get you guys too so we escaped and got CJ to help us." Oscar replied.

" Good. By the way, why is it so quiet?" Lenny asked with curiosity.

" Well, actually this was your doing. After Lamont's death, things seemed to cool down. Not as many people have been forced here. Not as many missions to go on. They're aren't any druggies or anything either. Carlotta lets go places! It's kinda nice, besides the fact that I'm still a hitshark. Also, guess what?"

" What?" Lenny was a little shocked considering the bomb CJ just dropped on him.

" I'm not single!"

Now this really caught Lenny and I by surprise. " Really?" I asked confused.

" Yep! Rhea and I are together. Finally, she confessed feelings for me a few weeks ago. It's nice."

" Awww. Cute. Don't hurt her. She might hurt you worse. Like literally." I chuckled.

" Oh yeah I know. She mentioned that maybe once or twice." He laughed too.

" Well, we should get going, get these guys to a hospital. Thanks CJ." Lenny gave him a smile and I gave him a hug.

On our way back to wait for yet again another whale shark, I was concerned about Lenny. " Do you want me to take one of them?" It looked like a handful. Not weigh wise, but they were three (sleeping) fish. They'd tired themselves out I guess.

" No, I'm good." he responded.

I could tell he didn't want to let them go. They were his first friends. They'd be alright. They just had to be.

XXXXXXXXXX

When we got back home we got them all checked out. Angie was fine. Just a small cut, she wouldn't even need stitches. Oscar and Rueben however were another story.

Oscar had in fact broken a rib. It would take a couple months. He'd have to stay in the hospital for a few days, and just be careful, but other than that he was okay.

Rueben was a completely different situation. He had back pain. You'd think that was normal, right? But then he also had blurry vision. Reuben seemed to be confused on why he was in the hospital and had a hard time concentrating on answering the doctors questions.

The doctors told us that he had a TBI or traumatic brain injury. He would need surgery , but even after that, this could still kill him, only years later. We all decided that the surgery was best for him because if he didn't get it, he'd die in a few months, maybe even weeks. At least, he'd have a few years. The doctor said at least five. He would take 3 months to recover.

It was silent as we waited for Rueben to get out of surgery. No one knew what to say, so we all just sat there and prayed he'd make it through. Lenny and I hadn't known Rueben long enough, but Oscar and Angie knew Rueben since high school. I mean they were best buds. I even begin to imagine how they must feel.

I must've fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is waking up to a crying sound. Mind you, I had just waken up so I was confused. (Pregnancy brain remember?) I turned to Lenny who just had a sad look on his face. Angie was bawling her eyes out. " What's going on?" I said as I yawned.

" Reuben had some complications with his surgery and he didn't make it." Lenny whispered.

I could tell we both felt horrible for Angie. She was so upset. She never got to make it up to him. Rueben was so young too. Maybe mid-twenties.

" I-I'm gonna go see if Oscar's awake." Angie said and she swam away towards Oscar's room.

" I feel bad for them, mostly for her though. They just lost their best friend. And to think Oscar doesn't even know." I frowned.

" I know." I could tell by the tone in his voice that he was close to tears. I was too. It was terrible because we had all lost a very good friend.

I began to cry and I watched as tears fell down Lenny's cheek. He held me and we both cried together. He cried more silently. I more loudly due to hormones. It took me a while to stop crying. Eventually I got myself together, and we went to go check on Oscar and Angie.

We swam inside and Oscar and Angie were sleeping, cuddled in the covers of the hospital bed together. I could the sadness on their faces even in their sleep.

I suddenly felt the urge to pee. I got up from our seats and headed to the bathroom.

When I came back, Lenny was on a bed on the floor next to Oscar's. It was adorable. I swam over and lied down next to him. I slowly fell asleep, into a quite indescribable dream.

I awoke with a start. Stupid dreams. Only this wasn't a bad dream, a really good dream. I was just mad it had ended. Lonnie had started kicking, which is what woke me in the first place.

Then I realized, Lenny wasn't next to me. He wasn't even in the room.