Hi! Please don't hate me for taking so long to update. School has been murderous this first week. Ugh. But anyway, enjoy! And also for those reading my TenToo and Rose series, new story is on the way! Do not fear! I love you all who've been supporting me and following, reviewing, and definitely favoriting. Thank you all so much.
The mermaids sat silently, listening intently while the Doctor tried to explain how they got to the island and everything that'd happened since.
"So you're saying you're an alien and you two got here in a flying box?" Rikki asked, unimpressed.
The Doctor looked at her in offence. "It is not just a flying box! It's my TARDIS. The finest spaceship around, mind you."
"Right," she replied. "But if it's a phone booth-"
"Police box!" the Doctor corrected.
Rikki sighed. "Same difference. But yeah, if it's a police box, how do you fit inside? That must be a pretty tight fit."
"It's bigger on the inside," Rose explained.
The girls still looked a bit unconvinced. Rose sighed. "Well for heavens sake, we're sitting here with tails! How much more ridiculous could it be than us?"
The girls shrugged. "Touché," Cleo muttered.
"So how can we help you?" Emma asked.
"I just want to know how I got this way. I remember getting into the pool and the moon was right above the opening and the water was all bubbly and weird," Rose told her.
Emma nodded. "That's what happened the night we fell into the moon pool. The next day we all transformed. We know that it's the full moon that causes the transformation."
"But do you know if it can be reversed?" the Doctor asked.
The girls glanced at each other again, with uneasy faces. "Well," Cleo started, "We've only seen it happen once. There was another mermaid who wasn't supposed to be transformed, and she started abusing her powers-"
"We have powers?" Rose interrupted.
Cleo smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty cool. I can control water, Rikki heats water, and Emma can freeze it."
To demonstrate, Cleo raised her hand and twisted it around in the air as if she were molding the water. A bubble of water rose from the pool and a moment later Emma raised her hand, turning it into an ice chunk, and then Rikki raised hers, melting the ice and turning it into vapour.
Rose watched dumbfounded. "That is so cool!" she exclaimed.
The Doctor stared open-mouthed "You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"
"So does that mean have powers too?" Rose asked.
Cleo shrugged. "I dunno. It took us a few days to figure out we had powers, and even then, it took a while to figure out how to use them and master them." She giggled. "It took Rikki forever!"
Rikki scowled. "Oh, shut up. I'm probably the most powerful one, now!"
Emma rolled her eyes. "Hey, you two, knock it off!"
The two girls ceased their argument.
"Thank you," Emma said. "So anyway, this mermaid who'd abused her powers had to be taken care of. So we consulted a friend of ours, who's an older and more experienced mermaid, and she told us how to make a mermaid human again."
"And how exactly does that work?" the Doctor asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It happens the way you become one, but it has to be on a night when the earth, moon, and sun are in perfect alignment."
"When exactly will the next alignment thingy happen?" Rose questioned.
Cleo winced and said, "That's the catch. The next alignment will be in about three or four years."
"Hmm, if only we had a time machine," Rose said sarcastically. "Oh yes, we do have one. But it happens to be cowering off somewhere nice and safe while I'm stuck here with a tail!"
The Doctor frowned. "It worrying me that the TARDIS hasn't shown up yet. She normally never abandons me for more than a day."
"Doctor, what if the TARDIS never comes back?" Rose asked him. "I'll be stuck like this for four years!"
"Not to mention I'd be kind of homeless," he muttered.
"And we'd be stuck on Earth. No more travelling," Rose sighed sadly.
Cleo interrupted. "Well Emma and Rikki and I have been like this for about a year now and you sorta get used to it. It's not that bad, really. You just can't go swimming in public."
"Or even get a drop of water on you in public," Rikki added under her breath.
The Doctor smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "Oh, come on. I'm sure the TARDIS will show up sooner or later. We always get out of sticky situations like this."
The Doctor took her hand and she smiled back. "Yeah, I think you're right. The TARDIS wouldn't just leave us here."
The cave had started to get a little bit darker and Rose glanced up at the patch of sky peeping through the hole at the top of the vaulted cave ceiling. The sun was starting to seet and the sky was tinted with orange.
"I guess that's our cue," Rose said. "It was nice meeting you, girls," she said with a bright smile at all the mermaids.
They grinned back. "It was nice meeting you, too," Emma answered. "And you also, Doctor."
The Doctor smiled at the girls. "Will we be seeing you again?" he asked.
"I hope so," Rikki answered while resting her chin on her hand, propped up by her elbow.
Cleo rolled her eyes at Rikki and said, "Yeah, you can normally find us here at the moon pool around midday. We meet here almost every day."
"Wonderful!" he exclaimed. "There's still some things I'd like to discuss. I'm honestly still quite perplexed by the whole 'mermaid' thing. Well, I guess we'll be off then."
As Rose was still completely wet, the mermaids told her they could show her a way out to the beach through the underwater tunnel. Before the Doctor could turn around and head towards the beach, Rikki turned and winked at him. Then with a flick of her tail she was underwater and going through the tunnel. Rose was the last to go under, and she smiled at the Doctor before diving under too.
"See ya in a few," she said. "I'll meet you at the boat."
The Doctor grinned at her and retreated through the entryway to hike the long way back to the boat, alone.