A Wish on a Full Moon Chapter 71-Fire and Ice (part 2), a h2o: just add water fanfic

A Wish on a Full Moon

I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.

Chapter 71: Fire and Ice (part 2)

[Rikki was getting her hair ready to go to the Juicenet café with Elliot, pulling it up into a ponytail. She was in the middle of fixing it when Emma walks into her room, her arms crossed with not a care-in-the-world attitude.]

Rikki: notices her. "You gonna tag along with us?"

Emma: "Mm. Don't know if I can be bothered." Slumps back against her bedpost and falls flat on her back on the bed.

"Oh great, back to me," Emma whined. "Back to you," Rikki teased.

"You're still going with this?" Kim asked. "It's getting better I must say, but a little less acting and a little more real," Ash suggested.

"Emma, you should go. It'd be some good quality time with Rikki and your brother," Lisa mentioned. "I wished I did," Emma mumbled to herself. "It would've been nice. Cleo and Kim came," Rikki told her. "We can still go again. I like the Juicenet café," Elliot beamed. "Maybe when we get back, Squirt," Rikki and Emma grinned.

"At least I was being nice," Rikki reminded. "For once," Emma joked.

Rikki: looks at herself in the mirror and smirks. "It's not gonna work, you know."

Emma: lifts her head up, confused. "What?"

Rikki: nods at Emma's reflection. "This. Admit it. You're trying to be something you're not." Fluffs her ponytail out then stands up.

"She's right, it's just not you," Cleo said. "It was your idea," Emma argued. "And I done told you, it was a suggestion. I didn't mean for you to get obsessed and make it a competition," Cleo countered. "You're always so stressed, I just wanted you to try and relax a little." "I know," Emma sighed, glancing away.

"You're good," Ash grinned at the feisty blonde. "It was so obvious," Rikki said.

"You shouldn't be anyone else. You're perfect just the way you are," Lisa said. "We like you for you, Em. You shouldn't change yourself for others," Neil told her. "I know that dad," Emma gave her parents a small smile.

Emma: sits up and crosses her legs. Smirks. "You don't know me at all, do you?"

"Considering she's in on the secret, I say she knows you better than most of us do," Zane chuckled. "Including us," Neil grinned. "Again, sorry about that," Emma winced. "It's alright, dear. You were just trying to protect each other," Lisa said with a small forgiving smile.

Rikki: walks over to her desk. "You think so?"

Emma: "I know so." Narrows her eyes. "What? You're the only one who can be a rebel?"

"That's not a rebel. That's just being lazy," Ash snorted, some of the other teens snickered. "There's a difference," Zane grinned. "Yeah, and you somehow make it both," Harrison joked to his son. "I was trying," Emma huffed.

Rikki: grabs Emma's lipstick. Turns around and grins. "Oh, I get it." Opens up the lipstick and points it at her. "You think sitting around eating pizza makes you a rebel." Emma stays silent. Puts the lipstick on. "Well, it doesn't."

"Tell it to her straight," Ash nodded. "Rebels aren't lazy and eat junk food all day … most of the time. They just enjoy having a little fun more than others and don't really do what their parents say," Bella mentioned. Her time of moving so much with her parents, she's had quite a few classmates who were rebels.

"I thought you already knew what she was up to," Charlotte frowned. "I thought she was just trying to be lazy. I didn't think she wouldn't know what a rebel was," Rikki smiled.

"How many bags of chips have you eaten?" Ash asked. "Just the one," Emma replied. "She was only eating it when she heard us come around," Rikki smirked. "How'd you know?" Emma asked in shock. "Cause I'm not stupid. You never eat chips around us," Rikki said.

Rikki: closes the lipstick. "A real rebel would throw the biggest, baddest party as soon as her parents were out of the house."

"Don't encourage her!" Terry yelled in shock. "Oh, so that's where she got the idea from," Cleo whispered to herself. "Huh, makes sense," Lewis mumbled. "I think I know where this is going," Will grinned. "Oh dear," Mrs. Chatham sighed. "Of course," Lisa sighed. Emma couldn't have come up with the idea on her own. "Well, it technically was her idea," Neil muttered. "I didn't think she would do it!" Rikki whispered, having heard the mutter.

"Didn't you go to a party last weekend?" Annette turned to her daughter. Charlotte nodded. Annette sighed. "How bad does it get?" "Not bad bad, but I say pretty rough," Charlotte winced as she remembered some of the damage that came from it.

Emma: glances to the side, annoyed. "Whatever."

"You knew I was right," Rikki whispered with a grin. Emma rolled her eyes and just like onscreen she repeated the same words. "Whatever." Rikki shook her head in amusement. "I'll take that as a yes."

Rikki laughs quietly to herself, knowing she was right. She walks over to the desk and grabs the towel from off the desk chair and tosses it into Emma's lap. "Go on, make a mess. Toss it on the floor." Gestures to the floor. Emma glances at the floor but doesn't make any movement to do so.

"A sign of a rebel," Bella mumbled. "This feels like the beginner's class for Rebel 101," Ash humored. "She might have eaten junk food and lied on the couch unproperly, but she wouldn't dare make a mess," Elliot shook his head.

[Rikki grins at her, shakes her head in amusement to prove her point then leaves to go get Elliot. As she watches her go, Emma scowls in frustration, and with her newfound determination, she tosses the towel onto the floor and crosses her arms. She goes back to narrowing her eyes at the door, where Rikki once was.]

"Aw man I wish I could've seen that in person," Rikki complained. "At least she did it now," Will pointed out. "She did it. I can't believe she did it," Cleo gaped. Even Elliot was in shock. He never seen his sister make a mess before. This was completely new to him, more so than her turning into a mermaid. "Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"Well, it's a start," Ash shrugged. "You just won't give up, will you?" Bella asked. "Not a chance," Emma stated. Though I wished I had, otherwise mom's new figurine wouldn't have been destroyed.

[Rikki and Elliot meet up with Cleo and Kim at the Juicenet. Elliot and Kim were already sat at a table with food and sipping their juices. Cleo and Rikki walk away from the counter with their own drinks.]

Cleo: "So, what's up with Emma?"

"Lots of things," Elliot giggled. "A lot more than usual that's for sure," Rikki grinned.

"Oh, that's nice of you to invite them," Lisa smiled. She knew how much Elliot liked to hang out with the youngest Sertori. "Well since we were both on babysitting duty, it gave us something to do since she was watching her little sister whilst I was watching Emma's sibling," Rikki gave her a pointed look, to which Emma rolled her eyes. "And it gave me a break," Don mumbled to himself, a small grin on his face.

Rikki: the two go over to the miniature counter next to the two younger kids to keep a close eye on them. "She's trying to prove she's a rebel. The house is a total wreck."

"The house being a wreck part is yours and Elliot's fault. Not mine. I was the one who kept cleaning your mess up," Emma narrowed her eyes. "What about your pizza, chips, and the towel you threw on the floor," Rikki raised an eyebrow. "That too! I cleaned it up!" Emma huffed, arms crossed. "She's got a point. You were the one to cause most of the wreckage," Terry gave his daughter a stern glare.

Cleo: grimaces, on the other side of the counter. They both place their drinks on the counter. "Really? I think that might be my fault. I kind of encouraged her to let her hair down."

"But her hair was already down," Elliot frowned in confusion. "It's another metaphor, dear," Lisa patted him on the back. "Kids," Rikki mumbled.

"Well in a way it was both of your faults," Will shook his hand back and forth. "We're all the blame here I guess," Emma gestured to the four of them. "Me? What did I do?" Lewis pointed at himself. "It's your fault that Nate kept bugging me," Cleo scowled. "Ok, fair point," Lewis winced.

Rikki: takes a sip then sets it down. "Yeah, well, she's trying way too hard."

"Maybe just a smidge," Annette pinched her fingers together. "That's an understatement," Lewis chuckled. "Oh, go back to getting your butt kicked," Emma snapped at him.

Wilfred: comes up to them and gives the brunette a smile. "Hey, Cleo, someone left this for you." Holds up a box of chocolates with another note taped to it and a pink bow. Sets it on the counter.

"There's more?" Bev asked in surprise. "He sent you chocolates? I didn't see any when you got home," Don frowned. "That's because I shared it with the others. We were at the café, might as well enjoy it while we're there," Cleo shrugged with a smug grin. "And boy were they yummy," Kim rubbed her tummy. "Bet Nate didn't expect that," Bella laughed. "Awe, I didn't get any," Emma pouted. "You'll live," Rikki smiled smugly. Cleo rolled her eyes. "Next time Nate tries to get all lovey-dovey you can have some too." "There better not be a next time from him," Don declared.

Cleo: "For me? Who?" Rikki looks at it funny.

Wilfred: grins. "Sorry, didn't see. Must be keen on you, though." Gives her a thumbs up then walks back to the counter.

"He knew," Zane said. "Yeah, he had to have known," Charlotte agreed. "Wilfred's no snitch. He's not going to out who it is," Elliot mentioned, reminded of his own time of buying chocolates from him for Rikki. "Yeah, they have to buy it directly from him. Unless Nate was smart enough for someone else to buy it for him – which he isn't – he would have had to see his face," Lewis scowled the more he explained it. I really was a fool to not see through this.

Cleo: opens up the note and reads it. Grimaces from the cheesiness. "'Sweets for the sweetest girl.'"

"You're kidding?" Bella nearly gagged. "Are you sure it isn't cheese? Because that was so cheesy," Charlotte asked. "No, it was chocolates alright. And Nate's terrible lines," Cleo shuttered from having to hear it again. "Better than the first one," Neil sighed.

Rikki: "Well, if the chocolates don't make you sick, the card will."

"No dad we did not get sick from the chocolates," Cleo said when she saw her dad grow worried. "They were pretty good," Rikki added, she too saw her dad's concerned expression.

Cleo: hears the beaded curtains of the café and sees Lewis walk in, now in a change of fresher clothes. "Lewis."

"Wait. You thought it was from me?" Lewis pointed at himself. "It was the only reasonable explanation. You were wanting to get back together and you kept talking all about that manly stuff before," Cleo shrugged. "She does make a good point," Will tilted his head. "Although that is true, I knew you wanted your space to work things out. I wasn't going to keep pushing with flowers and chocolates," Lewis reasoned. "Thanks, Lewis," she gave him a grateful smile which he gladly returned.

Rikki: looks behind her and sees him rub his back and slowly walk toward them. "Are you sure?" Turns back to her. "It's a little thoughtful for Lewis."

"While I might not be all lovey-dovey all the time, I know what Cleo likes," Lewis deadpanned at Rikki. "Lewis, it took her to confess her feelings for you to finally figure it out," Rikki countered. "Okay, point taken," he sighed.

"That's not the kind of stuff Lewis would write. His would probably be more scientific than, well, stupid," Emma reasoned. "Thanks, Emma. See?" Lewis gestured from Rikki to Emma, the former rolling her eyes.

Cleo: talks quietly. "He's been acting really weird, asking me questions whether I think he's manly enough."

Rikki: frowns. "Manly?"

Cleo: "That's what I thought."

"You two are on the same wavelength," Will laughed.

"What does asking if I'm manly enough have to do with romance?" Lewis scoffed. "I don't know, it just made sense to me," Cleo shrugged. "You've never done it before." "That's because I've never had to question my manliness before!" "I think we both know the answer to that," Rikki grinned.

[Lewis walks over to their counter and stands next to Rikki; he gives them a slight nod and winces, obviously in pain.]

Rikki: turns to him. "Everything alright?"

"After seeing what he's been through today, no I don't think he's alright," Ash winced. "Every bone and muscle in my body was screaming for help," Lewis stated. "And Nate's stomach probably ached from all the laughter," Harrison mentioned. "I know mine was," Zane snickered.

"Dude, you're walking like you have back problems," Will pointed out. "At the time I was. Didn't heal up until just the other day," Lewis mentioned. "You shouldn't be walking like that until you're our age," Max chuckled along with Mrs. Chatham.

Lewis: "Mm, I had my first karate lesson this afternoon."

Rikki: grins and nods. "And you got taken out."

"Big time," Bella said.

"By a little girl," Rikki laughed as she finished her sentence. A few others joined her at the reminder. "Thanks, Rikki," Lewis sarcastically said. "Anytime!"

"And quite possibly your last. Because I'm pretty sure they'll kill you at the next one," Sam warned. "Yeah, it's fine. I wasn't doing it anymore after I learned the truth. That and the GI cost way too much," Lewis informed.

Lewis: "What do you mean? It was great. I was great."

"Were you? Were you really?" Kim sarcastically asked.

"And I was such a fool to believe it," Lewis sighed. "I can't believe I fell for Nate's trap." "You weren't the only one," Cleo admitted, ashamed of accepting the chocolates and bouquet. "Nate might be stupid, but he can be clever at times," Zane nodded. Unfortunately, as he thought of the boat incident with Rikki.

Cleo: rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Lewis, this whole macho thing doesn't suit you." Gestures to him. "You're just not a physical kind of guy."

"I know I'm not. And I might not be all macho-macho, but I still am manly, 'in my own way'," he smiled at his friends. "It's about time you learned," Cleo grinned.

"Sometimes it's better to stick to things you're good at instead of getting run-overed," Don said, thinking of his fishing boat.

Lewis: "Cleo, I'm making some serious changes. From now on, my body, it is my temple."

"Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts," Zane grinned. "Wait for it," Rikki smiled smugly.

"Right now, it's a broken pile of bones," Bella said.

"If you want to be fit, you can try my health kick, Lewis," Emma suggested again. "I said I'm making some serious changes. I wanna be happy about it, not miserable," Lewis scoffed. "Emma's been on her diet for as long as I can remember. When I saw her eating the chips, I couldn't believe it. It was like finding out I had a long-lost sibling," Elliot explained.

Rikki: touches the box. "Chocolate?"

Lewis: glances at her then at the box. "Love one." Opens the box and looks at them in awe. "Ooh!" Picks one up and eats it. Rikki grins. Nods while chewing. "Mmm, expensive."

"That didn't last long," Will chuckled. "It was barely a second," Neil frowned.

"Why tempt me?" Lewis whined. "I dunno, why do you get on my nerves," Rikki teased.

"I think it's pretty obvious Lewis wasn't the one who bought those," Denman mentioned. "He wouldn't eat anything he bought for you unless you wanted to share," Max added. "Hey after everything I went through, I at least deserved one," Lewis crossed his arms.

"You can tell by the taste?" Terry asked. "No, I can tell by the brand. It wasn't cheap," Lewis answered.

Cleo: slightly annoyed. "And by the way, thanks for the flowers."

"That's no way to thank someone," Bev frowned. "I didn't want things to end up like before, before the breakup. We were finally on talking terms again, I didn't want to make it worse," Cleo remarked.

"You're welcome, even though it wasn't from me," Lewis mocked.

Lewis: stops chewing and looks up. "Flowers?" Continues chewing, looks at her in surprise. "Someone sent you flowers?"

"Call me crazy, but I don't think it was from him," Charlotte grinned. "If I were going to send her flowers, it'd be directly from me. Not some delivery guy," Lewis stated.

Cleo: rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Come on, Lewis, I know it was you."

Lewis: says it louder. "Someone sent you flowers?" Looks down at the romantic box of chocolates. "What, and chocolates?" Turns it around so he can read the note. Rikki's grin grew wider as she knew she was right. "You know, they are a little bitter, and I wouldn't have any more if I were you." Cleo frowns. Lewis nods and walks off, frustrated at whoever was sending her gifts.

"Where were you off to?" Charlotte asked curiously. "Oddly enough, I had another training session with Nate. If I had realized soon enough that it was him, I would've kicked him to Mako," Lewis glared at the screen, then jumped in fright when he heard Rikki, Kim, and Zane bark out in laughter. Even Emma, Cleo, and Charlotte were giggling at him. "Oh, Lewis, don't flatter yourself. We all know you can't do that," Rikki wiped her eyes. "If you can't lift a barbell, you for sure can't kick him," Don shook his head.

"You just said they were yummy," Terry mentioned. "I said they were expensive, I never said they were yummy," Lewis corrected. "Well, you were scarfing them down like they were," Cleo remarked.

"You gave plenty of hints to Nate, how did you not realize it?" Will asked. "My body was screaming for help and my mind was screaming for food. I can't think right when I'm hungry," Lewis said.

"It ought to be pretty obvious by now that it wasn't him," Bella said.

"Actually, they were pretty good," Cleo told him; Kim, Elliot, and Rikki agreed with her.

Rikki: turns to Cleo. "Call it a hunch, but I don't think he's your secret admirer." Shakes her head and furrows her brows. Cleo watches Lewis walk out through the beaded curtains then looks down at the counter and sighs.

"Back to square one," Neil sighed. "Nothing can be more obvious than that," Sam said. "And nothing can be more clueless than that," Kim pointed at Cleo's onscreen face.

[After hanging out and eating their dinner at the café, Elliot and Rikki walk back to his residence where they find loud music blasting from inside. It could be heard from their front yard.]

"I don't think I'll be the one needing hearing aids soon. Why would anyone listen to it that loud?" Max said.

"Can't even see it yet and I know how it's already going to be," Lisa sniffed, trying not to cry, fearing the disaster inside. "Because we already have seen it," Neil reminded. They had just gotten the house cleaned up earlier this week.

"Wait a second … I know that noise. That's the sound of a party," Ash held up a finger, eyes wide. "Wait, you actually threw a party?!" Bella gaped. Emma seemed so organized, and a big rule-follower according to all of these episodes; it was such a shock to them all – who weren't aware – to find out that she actually did throw a party while her parents were gone. "Wow, you really were trying to prove a point," Will said.

"You threw a party while your parents were gone?!" Bev exclaimed. "Uh, yeah, I thought we went over this earlier," Emma said as if it were obvious. "We didn't think you were serious," Harrison said, eyes wide. "Emma, the ruthless cold-blooded, organizing, rule-maker, throwing a party. Why would we take you seriously," Zane chuckled. "You threw a party? You seriously threw a party?" Annette blinked. "Oh, she threw one alright," Neil frowned, getting angry just by hearing the loud noise coming from his own house. Even though he knew about the party and had experienced every aspect of it, it still made him mad to see it happening again.

Elliot: "What's that noise?"

Rikki: hesitates as she realizes what Emma has done. Points at the house. "That, Elliot, is the sound of someone trying too hard." They walk up the walkway to the house.

"It's the sound of desperation if you ask me," Lewis mumbled. "Nah that was coming from Nate," Rikki shook her head. "I could tell you what it was the sound of if I could hear anything over the music," Ash rubbed his ears.

[Rikki opens the door and finds a bunch of random people running around the house. Not their usual classmates. Elliot comes in quickly after, the two trying to avoid running into anyone. Elliot closes the door behind him, confused just as Rikki was as to who these people were. They glance around then walk to the edge of the living room. They spot Emma putting food on the living room table, now changed into a black dress, Rikki crosses her arms.]

Emma: turns upon hearing the noise of the door shut and finds Rikki and Elliot there. Smiles at them. "Hey, just in time for the party!"

"You're not setting a very good example for your brother," Neil frowned. Emma glanced down, slightly hurt by his words. He was right though, she wasn't. "I already knew it was wrong, but it was also wrong for me to say that stuff about Emma, and yet I still did it. Don't blame her, it's also my fault that all of this happened," Elliot protected his sister. Emma gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, El."

"Who are all these people? I don't recognize any from your class or the swim team," Lisa frowned. "Did you just invite random people off the street?" Neil asked in slight surprise. "No, no! I would never," Emma said with the same surprise. "Well, we didn't expect you to ever throw a party but here we are," Neil gestured to the screen. Emma sighed. "They're seniors. They're a grade ahead of us. As to how I know them … well, perks of the student council." "Sounds like the student council is more troublesome than anything else," Sam mused.

Rikki: raises her eyebrows. Elliot stands in front of her. "Party?"

"Yes, Rikki, a party. You do know what a party is, don't you?" Emma teased. "Considering I've been to more than you, I do," Rikki teased back. "What was that?" Terry perked up. "Nothing!"

Elliot: "Mom's not gonna like this."

"You're right about that," Lisa huffed. "Neither does your father," Neil scowled. "Why do I feel like there's another grounding coming?" Emma dreaded.

Emma: walks over to them and bends down to his height. "Mom's not gonna know about it, right?" Elliot bites his lip.

"Emma? Was that a threat?" Cleo frowned. "Emma!" Lisa gasped. "Not entirely," Emma admitted sheepishly. "It was more of blackmail," Elliot scowled. "It was more about our sibling relationship," Emma corrected. "Siblings protect siblings, right?" Kim looked at her sister in confusion. "That exists?" Cleo laughed. "Considering you saved my butt from getting in trouble about that concert, yeah it does." "Not much considering the viewing ratted you all out," Ash said as he nodded at both the Gilbert siblings and the Sertori siblings. "Viewing to learn the truth. More like a story of tattletales," Kim grumbled.

Rikki: looks around the room at all the unfamiliar faces. "Who are these people?"

"How did you even get it set up so fast? From the looks of it, it's only been a couple of hours," Annette asked. "Actually, only one hour," Emma said. "She's the most organized person in the whole of the Gold Coast. I'm pretty sure she can set one up in ten minutes," Rikki nodded.

"How did everyone there so fast?" Elliot asked, still clueless as to how she did that. "Same way mom invited all the girls to my slumber party. Plus, I'm on the student council, I have almost everyone's numbers," Emma informed. "Used your own skills against you," Neil chuckled at his wife's shocked reaction.

Emma: "Friends." Her face falters when a strange girl walks in between them, neither one saying hi to the other. "… and friends of friends."

"Of who?" Bella asked. "The senior class mostly," Emma answered.

"Don't friends usually greet each other at parties, say hi or something?" Ash raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, they're not my friends," Emma sighed. After all, the only ones who were, were Rikki, Cleo, Lewis, and Charlotte. Well, sort of, but she likes the redhead better than Nate. "That part was obvious," Charlotte said.

[Right then, Cleo and Kim walk in, their juices from the café in hand.]

Cleo: looks around, confused. "What's going on? Who are all these people?" Kim steps in front of Cleo and looks around.

"What are you girls doing there?" Don asked. "Remember when I told you we were going to hang out at Emma's after the café?" Don nodded. "That was before we found out there was a party. We didn't know till we got there," Cleo answered.

"What took you so long?" Emma asked curiously. "We stopped by my place to let dad know we were heading to your house to hang out, not to party," Cleo gave her a pointed look. "We still hung out," Kim grinned mischievously. "No one likes a smarty pants, Kim," Cleo sighed in annoyance.

"That's getting asked around a lot," Will grinned. "Because none of us knew them," Rikki exclaimed in frustration.

Emma: sighs in annoyance. "Not you, too." Smirks. "Don't ask questions, just get into it." Smiles at them then at the random girl that came up.

"I can't 'get into it' which a bunch of people I don't know. That's just too weird," Cleo shifted uncomfortably. "You know, parties are generally for people you like and know, not total strangers," Ash pointed out. "You seem to know a lot about parties," Emma hummed in annoyance. "That I do," Ash grinned.

"This couldn't get worse," Lisa sighed.

Random Girl: squeezes in between Cleo and Rikki. Cleo looks at the girl in surprise for interrupting their conversation. Looks excited at Emma and holds up her phone. "Hey, you know what this party needs? Boys!" Giggles then joins the other guest.

Girl #1: "Boys!"

Girl #2: "Yes!"

Girl #3: "Good idea." Emma smiles at the other guests as they all take out their phones and start texting every guy on the Gold Coast. Cleo and Rikki look at one another in concern.

"No, bad idea. Very bad idea," Terry shook his head.

"It just did," Neil told his wife.

"Something tells me I'm not gonna like who shows up at this party," Don narrowed his eyes. "Good, keep trusting your gut, dad," Kim nodded. "I don't like who does either," Cleo grumbled.

[After the end of the more advanced class for karate, Nate was in his GI, going through his bag when his phone beeps. He pulls it out and reads a text from one of the random girls.]

Nate: smirks as he reads the text. "A party! Cool." Behind him, Lewis walks up and swats at the speedbag as he heads toward Nate.

"Ugh, who invited him?" Will scoffed. "Probably one of those poor souls that were at the beach," Rikki sighed. "If I'd known, I would've stopped them as soon as I could," Emma said. "If you knew better, you would've stopped this party as soon as you could," Lisa scolded.

"Oh, please tell me you washed those," Emma said a bit disgruntled, noticing he was wearing the same clothes from before. "Yeah, of course. It smelled like sweat and grass. I wasn't going back until it was done," Lewis nodded.

Lewis: stops behind Nate. "Nate."

Nate: glances back at him as he packs his back. "Oh, Lewis, you've come back for more. Well, the next class is a little more advanced, but I think you can handle it."

"Lies, lies. All lies," Lewis said. "He just doesn't know when to stop, does he?" Harrison shook his head.

"Are you kidding? Lewis, don't! I'm not joking when I say they will probably kill you," Cleo gasped in concern, something that Charlotte had done as well. "Yeah, as much as I enjoy picking on you, I rather not see you dead," Rikki said. "That's probably the kindest words you ever said to me," Lewis put a hand on his heart.

Lewis: looks skeptical. "Really?"

Nate: "Yeah. You're a natural. You'll have them running scared."

"From what? Because it certainly won't be from him," Zane chuckled. "Maybe two-year-olds. But this next group is his age and a lot stronger than him," Cleo was still concerned for his safety.

Lewis: shakes his head in relief. "That's great, man, because I just found out some guy has been sending Cleo presents, and I just wanna …" Nate pauses in his packing as he realizes Lewis was catching on. "I wanna find him and straighten him out."

"If you only knew," Sam chuckled. "If I had known then. Well … I would have certainly tried," Lewis didn't know what to say. "You wouldn't have straightened him out. He would've done more of that," Zane said. Nate might not have been very good at karate, but he was far better than Lewis would ever be. And he knew for sure that Nate could kick his butt.

"You're blonde is showing again," Rikki tapped her hair, grinning.

"You were that angry about Nate sending me gifts?" Cleo felt touched. "Yeah. I knew how much you didn't want to be with anyone at the moment. You had other priorities you were worried about," Lewis told her. You stressed it to me that much. "That's sweet of you, Lewis," she gave him a genuine, caring smile. He smiled back.

Nate: "Really?" Puts his bag on his shoulder and claps his hands together. The two of them walk at a slow pace. "Are you sure she's not doing it herself to make you jealous?"

"And he just got stupider," Rikki's grin dropped. "Where does he pull his excuses from? Out of thin air?" Bella asked. "I can tell you where he pulls them from," Kim commented. "Kim!" Bev said, wide-eyed.

"Why in the world would I do that? I'm the one that broke up with him," Cleo frowned, pointing at herself. "He still doesn't get that concept. He doesn't understand that a girl can break up with someone," Zane sighed. "Like how he also doesn't get the concept of a girl turning him down?" Rikki raised an eyebrow. "Exactly."

Lewis: laughs to himself, shakes his head. "Why would she do that?"

Nate: "Oh, Lewis, think about it. You're a whole new guy. She's worried other girls are gonna notice it."

"I liked the old Lewis, not this one. I like Lewis for him, not his 'manliness'," Cleo looked at him. "Thanks," he had a small grin on his face. I didn't notice the new Lewis either, Charlotte thought a bit sad, glancing at the two ex-couples staring at one another lovingly, even though they didn't know it

"They might notice the smell," Rikki scrunched up her nose.

Lewis: thinks it over. "You think so?"

Nate: "Yeah." Turns to him. "And you know what you should do?"

"Run for the hills?" Sam said. "Make him scream like a girl?" Will suggested. "Fight back," Ash said as if it were obvious.

"At what point does logic kick in?" Bella said, frustrated. "Soon," Lewis responded.

"How about start using that head of yours and realize it's him," Don said. "Hm, might be a little bit," Rikki bit her cheek.

Nate: makes an 'x' with his arms and swipes them to the sides. "Cut her off. Ignore her." Lewis looks to the side, not liking that advice. "That will only make her want you more."

"His advice is about as great as his dating life. Non-existence," Emma narrowed her eyes at him.

"He's totally wrong," Bella said. "That's not how you get a girl back," Charlotte shook her head. Cleo frowned. If Lewis were to ignore me, it might would.

Lewis: "Ignore her?"

Nate: "Trust me."

"You've got to be the most absolute idiot there is to trust him," Rikki said. "Hey!" Zane shouted. "That's the only thing I won't do is trust you, or ignore her," Lewis stated, not realizing how relieved Cleo was.

"You don't have to take his advice, you know," Sam told him gently. "I know. And I didn't. I don't think I ever could once he suggested that," Lewis replied. Because I knew I couldn't do it.

Nate: pats him on the arm. "Oh, and uh …" Points a finger at him. "Enjoy the class." Does an open-palm hand gesture, which Lewis doesn't understand as he does fists.

Lewis: grins and holds his fists up playfully. "I will. Okay." Nods as he watches Nate join his other karate buddies and they walk away, unknown to Lewis, that it was to go to the party. Lewis turns around and walks toward the class.

"One thing I did learn was that class was not very enjoyable. Much more painful than the beginner's class," Lewis rubbed his ribs that were still bruised from last week's class.

"How gullible can you be?" Kim shook her head in disbelief. "We're trying to figure that out ourselves," Rikki joked. "I don't know. I'm putting an experiment together on it, though," Lewis sarcastically said.

[That night, the party continues in full swing with the music still blasting so the neighbors could hear, and random people and food were everywhere. Rikki wanders the party in search of Emma when she finally sees someone she recognizes. Charlotte was on the dance machine laughing as she dances around to the moves on the television. Kim and Elliot stood on each side of her watching her score.]

Elliot: to Charlotte. "Let me try." Charlotte steps to the side and gives Elliot a turn.

"Thanks for watching out for them, Charlotte," Cleo said with a small smile, relieved she didn't lose her sister at the party. "No problem. I used to babysit all the time before the move," Charlotte smiled back. "Does it really count as babysitting when you're at a party?" Ash tilted his head. "If you're watching after them then I suppose so," Charlotte shrugged.

"And we lost him," Neil said, amused. "Sorry, dad, but it looked so much fun," Elliot smiled sheepishly. "It's alright. As long as you two are safe," Neil replied.

Charlotte: turns to Rikki. "Hey! Great party." Rikki nods.

"Well, it wasn't mine, but thanks," Rikki grinned. "Hey don't take credit for my party!" Emma claimed. "Don't do something stupid then," Rikki smirked.

"How come I wasn't invited?" Zane asked. "Because I thought Rikki was trying to stay away from you, not date you," Emma glanced at Rikki.

"Who invited you, Charlotte?" Cleo asked. "I did. It would've been rude not to," Emma admitted. "What's wrong with that?" Charlotte asked. "Nothing, just curious. You were new; didn't know she had your number," Cleo shrugged. "I'm a part of the student council. I have everyone's number," Emma said as if it were obvious. "Yeah, did you not see how the slumber party invite went viral, and now this?" Will chuckled.

[Nate and his karate mates walk into the party, dancing to the beat.]

Nate: dances up to a girl and snaps his fingers at her and yells with a smirk, startling her. "Booyah!" Walks into the living room.

"That's how he makes an entrance? I expected it to be a little more dramatic, not lame," Bella scoffed. "No but that is how he gets turned down by girls," Rikki grinned. "And how he scares them," Zane chuckled.

"Don't know who she is, but she's smart," Emma nodded.

Rikki: walks up and points a finger at him. "What are you doing here?" Emma sees them and walks over.

"Some idiot invited him. That's why," Cleo spat.

"Kick him out!" Bella exclaimed. "I tried, but his dumb karate buddies kept backing him up. And this one wouldn't let me," Rikki jabbed a thumb at Emma.

Nate: leans against the wall, looks around. "I got the text message and figured this party would need a bit of life."

"The only thing he brought was death and despair. And he reeked of it," Rikki waved a hand in front of her nose. "Anywhere he goes, it follows," Zane said. "And yet you're still friends with him," Harrison shook his head.

Emma: "Hey, Nate! Come in. Enjoy the party!"

"The party wouldn't have been as bad if he hadn't shown up," Rikki crossed her arms. "I'm guessing it gets worse," Sam assumed. "You guess right," Cleo nodded, eyes wide.

Nate: doesn't even look at her. "Hey, Emma. I hope you don't mind I brought along some mates." Gestures to the door and some more of his karate friends come in.

Emma: "Oh, no, that's …" Trails off as he walks off, and a bunch of others come in and follow after. Emma's smile falters. "a lot of people." Follows after them to do crowd control. Rikki walks off toward the entryway.

"How many of those are his actual friends?" Harrison frowned. "Probably half are from karate. I think some he must've grabbed off the street," Zane frowned as he too didn't recognize some of Nate's buddies. "Sounds about right," Emma nodded.

"And yet he made sure I didn't get word of it," Lewis bit his cheek.

[As the party went on, a group of teens sat at the table playing cards and tossing food at each other. One slams into a guy in a chair and knocks them both over. Food and crumbs everywhere.]

"Kids," Terry sighed, shaking his head. "They've gone crazy," Denman said. "The party's gone crazy. It's out of control," Cleo stated. "Well when parents go away, and if you aren't careful, things can get out of control," Max mentioned.

"That's teenagers for ya," Harrison glanced at his own son. "What are you looking at me for?" Zane pointed at himself. "I better not ever find out about you throwing a party at my house," Harrison warned his son. "Please, I wasn't that bad. Miriam tried to get me to, but I refused. Besides, there are too many security cameras around and Candy would have called you in an instant," Zane said, causing Harrison to look at him in surprise. Did he try before?

"At least they didn't break the furniture," Lisa sighed. Just my dolphin.

[Emma rushes into the kitchen and grabs a couple of empty boxes left on the counter. Then she sees some empty drink cans to the side and quickly picks them up and walks over to the garbage can to toss them in.]

"I knew you couldn't resist," Rikki grinned. "The old Emma is coming back. Yet the stubbornness still stays," Cleo smiled.

"Well at least you're trying to control it," Sam encouraged. "Wasn't enough," Emma sighed. "It reminded me too much of that morning. Of course, I couldn't let it get that way again." "Too late for that. Now it's much, much worse than breakfast was," Elliot said.

Rikki: climbs down the stairs past a pile of crushed chips on the ramp. Stops midway with Elliot right behind her and holds her hands up when a bunch of guests try to go upstairs. "Sorry. Restricted area. No access." Bummed out, they turn around. Gestures back to the rest of the party. "Go on!"

"Oh, thank you, Rikki," Lisa said, greatly relieved that none of them was allowed upstairs. She didn't want to know if the party got that bad. "We don't need them stealing our belongings from upstairs," Neil nodded. And he'd rather not find teens sleeping in his bed or floor. "Smart girl," Terry said. He knew what a bunch of wild teens would do at a party, especially with no adults around.

"How did chips get there?" Lisa shook her head in disbelief. "You don't want to know," Elliot said.

"What if they need to go to the bathroom?" Annette asked. "Then they can use the downstairs toilet," Emma said.

"They didn't seem to like that," Bella said. "They can get over it," Rikki waved it off. "And if not, they can take it up with me," Emma grinned.

Rikki: hears the sound of glass shatter somewhere in the house. Signals to Elliot behind her. "Take over." Elliot remains on the stairs where he was told as Rikki goes to investigate to find out where that noise came from. As she wonders into the living room, she passes Cleo being cornered by Nate.

"What was that?" Lisa gasped, worried that it was another one of her figurines. "Don't worry. It was just a glass cup. Nothing to worry about," Rikki told her. "Broken glass isn't something to worry about? Someone could get hurt," Sam said, concerned. "Actually, I cleaned it up as soon as Rikki told me. I didn't want anyone to get hurt and it be my fault," Emma admitted. "That's good of you," Neil sighed, slightly relieved. He didn't want anyone to get hurt in his house either. After all, he only had two kids, neither are replaceable. But the cups are.

Nate: has a hand against the wall. "Yeah, I guess I'm pretty hot … at karate too." Leans closer to her, Cleo leans further against the wall, trying to distance herself from him. She fiddles with her necklace to distract herself.

"He stunk like he bathed in sweat," Cleo scrunched up her nose.

"He backed you into a corner?" Don frowned, Cleo nodded. "You could've helped me, you know," Cleo told Rikki sarcastically. "You're a mermaid, you got it handled," Rikki waved it off like it was nothing. "Says the one who nearly got exposed by him," Cleo shot back. "Like how Emma handled the party?" Charlotte grinned.

"There's the lies," Ash said.

Nate: "I'm not officially a teacher yet, but uh, I'm one of the leaders because I'm so good." Nods. Cleo bites her lips and looks anywhere but at him. One of Nate's buddies pass by and pats him on the arm. Nate glances at him then back at Cleo with an idea. Grins. "Wanna see?"

"He's been teaching Lewis, though," Sam mentioned. "Yeah, how to be a dufus," Rikki taunted the blonde boy. "She's not wrong," Lewis shrugged. Felt like one.

"One of the leaders? Hah! Pathetic," Emma scoffed. "Emma, enough name-calling," Neil scolded. "No, no. He did break my dolphin. I say he deserves it," Lisa sniffed.

"He's a lot better than you guys claim. Just because you've seen him train doesn't mean you've seen him in action," Zane defended his friend.

"I'll pass," Cleo said. "You were so done with that conversation," Bella laughed. "He was talking nonstop about himself for literally five minutes," Cleo groaned in complaint.

Cleo: looks at the living room. "Uh, I don't think there's enough room."

"That's code for, not interested," Rikki scowled. "It's also code for, it's not a good idea and I really don't want to see Emma's house as a wreck," Cleo corrected. "Too late for that," Neil grumbled.

"He is so self-centered, it's disgusting," Bella scoffed.

Nate: backs up and down the stairs – Cleo enjoying the free space – as he looks around for room to make. "No, it's fine." Looks at the dance station and walks over to it, where Kim was currently playing the game as Charlotte supervises on the couch. Nate shoves Kim off the mat.

Kim: "Hey! What are you doing?" Her and a few other girls nearby look down at him as he picks up the dance mat and tosses it in the air to the side. Cleo glances to the side uncomfortably. Kim watches to the side, annoyed.

"That was rude," Bev frowned. Kim rolled her eyes. Oh, so now you want to step up for your daughters.

"If I had known he was going to do that, I would've stopped him," Charlotte narrowed her eyes. Charlotte liked the youngest Sertori; she reminded her of the little sister she never had. "Cleo, why didn't you help your sister?" Don frowned, thinking they might have been fighting again. "I wanted to, but I couldn't. There were way too many drinks around and reckless people like Nate. One wrong move and the secret would've been exposed. I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Kim," Cleo apologized. "It's okay. I get it. But you so owe me a dance game," Kim grinned. Cleo laughed and nodded.

"For someone that's flirting with her sister, you would think he'd be nicer to her younger sibling," Will frowned. "Apparently not," Ash too had a similar frown.

"And I almost beat your high score," Kim whined to Charlotte. "We can play another round later if you want," Charlotte giggled. "Deal!"

[Nate and one of his karate buddies move the small table to the side, forcing some of the party guests to move out of the way. Once there was enough room in the small living room, Nate and two of his mates stand across from one another. The whole crowd around them goes silent as they watch with curiosity – some with boredom, like Cleo. The two younger ones copy his exact movements by bumping their fists together then bow their heads. They do some basic moves with their fists, Nate looking over at Cleo with a big cocky smile as he shows off. Cleo fiddles with her necklace again, a small tight lip smile of frustration on her face. The boys yell as they show off their katas.]

"I'm starting to see why he's not a master. He makes it look so boring when teaching," Will resisted the urge to yawn. "Anyone else getting tired of watching this?" Bella asked. "I already had to watch this once, I don't want to see it again," Kim complained. "I rather do dance again. It was at least fun to watch," Charlotte said. "Oh, the real fun begins soon," Lewis scowled.

[In the kitchen, Rikki and Emma were on opposite sides of the kitchen. Rikki had her back facing Emma as the feisty blonde was cleaning up empty pizza boxes from off the stove. Emma was cleaning the crumbs and empty drinks off the counter when one of Nate's buddies got flung into the side of the counter, causing him to accidentally swipe the entire mess she was cleaning into even more of a mess, scattering the empty cans all over the counter and knocking over plates and more crumbs. Emma catches some of them, but unfortunately, not all of them were saved. Emma sighs, getting stressed from her own mess she created.]

"Boys can be so annoying," Kim rolled her eyes. "What about me?" Elliot pouted. "I rest my case," she smirked. "Hey!" "Just kidding, El," she giggled.

"They're making it worse," Lisa fiddled nervously with her fingers, seeing her kitchen get messed up even more was stressful. And from the look of her daughter's face onscreen, she knew so as well. "I kept cleaning it up, but it kept doubling over," Emma huffed. "The cons of throwing a party," Annette sighed. It was the same way whenever she hosted events at her restaurant. Sometimes she didn't even bother trying to clean up until the entire thing was over with.

"They really didn't care if there was any damage, did they?" Harrison said in slight shock. "No, they didn't," Neil narrowed his eyes.

Rikki: walks over to Emma, arms crossed. "Worried yet?"

Emma: eyes widen, startled yet still tries to clean up, clearly stressed out. "What? No, of course not. What have I got to be worried about?"

"Oh, I don't know, the secret," Bella listed. "Your house," Ash added. "Fragile property," Charlotte grimaced when she seen Lisa's expression. "Your brother and friends," Mrs. Chatham reminded. "Getting caught," Sam suggested. Your parents that will be arriving any minute now, Neil thought. "Any damage that Nate could create," Cleo held a hand up. "Okay, I get it. There's a lot to worry about," Emma cut them off with a huff. I would know. I was thinking about every single one of them. "That I could read you like a book," Rikki smiled smugly.

Rikki: "It's just not you, you know?"

Emma: glances at her, stacking plates. "What?"

Rikki: gestures to the party. "This. Being rebellious. You're just trying to act like me."

"And every single bit of it is true," Ash said. "Oh, zip it already," Emma hissed. She was getting sick and tired of hearing it. Even though it mostly was her fault since she wouldn't listen.

Emma: pauses in her cleaning and turns to her, eyes narrowed. "You know what your problem is? You think you're the only one who can do what you like." Turns back to the mess and picks it up. "Well, you're not." Grabs the trash and storms off. Rikki looks straight ahead in disbelief.

"And still stubborn as ever," Lisa shook her head with a sigh. "Wonder where she gets it from," Neil chuckled. "Well certainly not from me," Lisa looked at him. "Sure, sweetheart. Sure."

"Did you not hear the glass break earlier? It's getting out of hand," Lewis said.

"Then why are you cleaning?" Rikki grinned. "You obviously care. Otherwise, you wouldn't be cleaning. A rebel doesn't clean at a party," Bella pointed out. So, she heard at least.

[The boys continue their katas as a few girls on the couch watch with big smiles. Nate and the boys do a few more kicks while Nate lets out a loud monstrous yell and holds his fists up.]

Nate: straightens up and flicks his wrist. "Wicked." Has a wide grin on his face then grabs a soda can off the TV stand. Tosses it in the air and catches it then heads back to Cleo.

"Glad it's over," Sam said, not liking the boys doing that indoors. "For now," Neil grumbled. "That's what you think," Cleo muttered.

"I will never understand teenage slang," Max shook his head. "You and I both," Mrs. Chatham chuckled.

"What was with that yell?" Annette scrunched up her face. "Who knows what goes on in that head of his," Lewis shook his head.

"At least nothing broke … besides the cans," Bev said a bit optimistic. "Not yet," Lisa said quietly.

"Bet you were happy it was over," Terry said. "Not really," Cleo grimaced. "Wha – why?" Lewis whipped his head around to her. "Because it meant I had to talk to him again."

Nate: "Pretty cool, huh?"

Cleo: takes a step back the closer he got to her, an arm propped against her neck. "Yeah, it's very, um, sweaty."

"You didn't like it one bit, did you?" Don chuckled. "Why would I? It was gross, they smelled like sweat, and all they did was yell and punch the air," Cleo bickered. "You're a girly girl alright," Rikki laughed.

Nate: "Yeah. Well, all that tough macho stuff is fun, but it's only one side of me." Cleo glances around and nods, not interested in the conversation. Nods back and grins. "There's also the sensitive, romantic side that sends flowers and chocolates." Tilts his head after his 'little' hint.

"To which that side I still say doesn't exist," Rikki declared.

"Well besides the manly one, there is a cocky and rude one," Sam mentioned. "Not to mention impatient," Harrison added.

"If you can't figure it out from those hints then you need help," Kim said. "Lewis might need it too," Elliot giggled.

Cleo: furrows her eyebrows and points a finger at him. "That was you?"

"It was so obvious. How could you not tell?" Bella asked. "I hadn't even seen Nate until that night. Of course, I wouldn't think it was him," Cleo rolled her eyes.

"If the awful cards weren't a dead giveaway, then this ought to be," Zane said.

Nate: nods with a laugh. Cleo glances to the side, even more annoyed than ever before, now knowing who her cheesy gift-giver was. "And I've got something else for you." Cleo looks back at him as Nate hands her a picture. "It's for your wallet." Cleo unfolds it and finds a picture of Nate kicking and yelling at the camera in his GI outfit. "So I'm with you …" Taps her on the nose. "always." Behind them, Elliot still guards the stairs.

"Okay, keep the bouquet and chocolates. It's so much better than that dumb photo," Kim gagged. "I was wrong. It can get worse," Sam shook her head in disappointment. "That was the worst pick-up line ever," Charlotte shuttered. "Does that even count as a pickup line? It was so cheesy," Ash too felt nauseous from it. "The chocolate doesn't seem so bad now," Lewis commented.

"That photo needs to be burned into ashes, asap," Rikki held her hand up. "Oh, I'v done the job already," Cleo said. "How?" Rikki frowned. "I know how to use a lighter. We can't rely on our powers all the time," Cleo said in a duh tone.

"That's your friend," Harrison reminded. "Not at the moment he's not. Not with that photo on the loose," Zane grimaced. It had to be one of his karate buddies that took it. He wouldn't dare take that photo.

Cleo: puts a wide false smile on her face, but her eyes were screaming for help. Holds the photo up. "I'm speechless."

"It's okay if you need to throw up. We get it," Rikki patted her on the back. "I probably will in a minute," Cleo swallowed a lump in her throat. "I might join you," Bella said a bit disgruntled.

"There are no words for how insane that is," Sam shook her head. "And I thought it couldn't get worse than the cheesy notes," Lewis winced. "The obnoxiousness just got ten times worse," Emma sighed.

"That's the nicest thing you could've said," Bev chuckled.

"I could think of a few words to say," Harrison mentioned. "As long as it doesn't get relayed back to me," Zane told him.

Nate: grins. "Well, maybe that's because the time for speaking is over." Puts a hand on her shoulder and gets excited. Leans in closer, perks his lips up for a kiss. Cleo's eyes widen and backs up.

"I don't think so!" Don shouted as the crowd gasped in shock, jumping up in his seat. "Don't you dare!" Bev gasped, glaring at the screen. "Gross!" Kim covered her eyes. "Relax, dad. It never happened, thank goodness," Cleo told him; the older Sertori breathed a sigh of relief, but he was still furious that the teenage pest tried to pull a move on her.

"So, what stunk worse, his breath or the sweat?" Rikki asked curiously, having known about it after Cleo explained what happened to them at the moonpool the next day. "Gross!" Emma and Cleo said in disgust. "But to answer your question, both," Cleo reluctantly answered.

Gotta admit, after all that cheesiness, that line isn't so bad, Charlotte shrugged but still disgusted that Nate did that to Cleo, especially when it was so obvious that she didn't want it. "In what right mind did he think that was okay?" Sam frowned. "That's the problem. He doesn't have a right mind," Rikki crossed her arms.

"Why didn't you help her?" Annette turned to her daughter. "I'm guessing that's when the dance mat started back up again. I was busy watching that. I didn't know he was trying to kiss her," Charlotte defended. If she had seen, she would've pulled Cleo away from the situation with some sort of excuse. Hey, girls help other girls when in trouble, even if they aren't exactly friends. "Why didn't one of you two help?" Lisa asked. "Well, I was busy trying to clean the mess up," Emma winced. "And I was busy fixing her mess," Rikki pointed to Emma.

"You know what, it can get worse than the gifts," Kim said, feeling bad for her sister.

"I really hope I meet him one day. I'd like to teach him a lesson or two on how to treat a lady," Ash narrowed his eyes.

"Elliot, why didn't you get me?" Emma turned to her little brother, seeing that he was still on the stairs. "I didn't know what was going on. I thought they were dating," Elliot shrugged. "Ew! Never!" Cleo squealed in disgust.

[Just then Lewis walks in through the open door with a change of clothes and sees Cleo and Nate.]

Lewis: "Hey." Pauses as he sees Nate trying to make a move on Cleo and scowls, his brows deepening in anger as he realizes what's going on. Nate stops once he was caught and makes eye contact with an angry Lewis. Cleo turns to see Lewis standing there and breathes a sigh of relief at him rescuing her from that horrendous moment.

"Busted!" Kim and Elliot fist-bumped the air. "Lewis to the rescue!" Terry grinned.

"My hero," Cleo smiled at him in a teasing matter yet genuine at the same time. She put a hand on his arm and he smiled back with a blush rising in his cheeks. "Good save, Romeo," Rikki grinned. "And great timing," Ash gave him a thumbs up. Charlotte smiled, glad to see that Lewis had saved her from a disaster. It was a good start to them making amends.

"Lewis, I knew you were my favorite," Don breathed in relief and pointed at him for saving his daughter. "Thank you, Lewis," Bev put a hand to her heart, relieved.

"How did you know to come anyway? I didn't send you an invite," Emma asked curiously. "First of all, thanks for that," Lewis said flatly. "And I happened to be passing by on my way home when I heard the loud music and decided to see what's going on." "Good thing you did too," Will nodded. "Good," Max nodded. He hated seeing Lewis walk in on them like that but was happy to see things didn't go any further for the two. Because Lewis is a much better person than Nate is. Cleo shouldn't be with someone she doesn't like.

Lewis: cocks his jaw and walks closer. "Oh, very clever, Nate." Stands next to Cleo.

Nate: turns to him with a smirk, acts like he was innocent. "Lewis, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, don't act all innocent. You know exactly what he's talking about," Bella scoffed.

"It's about time!" Kim said. "You didn't know who it was either," Lewis remarked.

"Oh, scared now, are we?" Denman grinned at Nate's defensive statement. "Get him, Lewis!" Don encouraged, seeing how angry he was; he felt the exact same way.

Lewis: glares at him, murderous. "You set me up." Points at Cleo while talking to Nate. "You distract me with this karate junk. You pretend to help me while you move in on Cleo?" Cleo bites her lip, confused as she stands there awkwardly, still holding the photo. Elliot notices the commotion and comes down the stairs, heads toward them.

"Why didn't you mention the gifts?" Charlotte asked. "It didn't come to mind at the time. I was just too angry to even think straight," Lewis admitted. "You aren't the only one," Don huffed, eyes narrowed. "Now you're catching on," Will said.

"Elliot don't get involved. I don't want you getting hurt," Neil warned. "Don't worry, dad. I didn't."

Nate: gestures to himself. "Hey, you came to me, buddy." Claps the drink in his hand.

"He does make a point," Zane winced. "He's the one who instigated it," Lewis nodded at the screen. "Whose side are you on?" Cleo frowned. "Neither, I'm just saying, he was right," Zane shrugged. "He deceived me," Lewis fumed.

Cleo: holds a finger up with the folded picture. "What are you guys talking about?" Looks to Lewis for answers.

"You don't wanna know," Bella shook her head. "Just a bunch of nonsense thanks to Nate," Rikki scowled. "It would sound confusing from your perspective," Charlotte thought. "But the flowers, chocolates, and the whole 'manly conversations' should've been enough to fill in the blanks," Kim air-quoted.

"Now I understand," Cleo laughed to herself.

Lewis: snaps and holds up a finger at her. "Stay out of this, Cleo. This does not concern you." Looks back to Nate and takes a breath. "It's just about you." Behind him, Emma and Rikki sneak up, wondering what all the fuss was about.

"Actually, it is," Bev frowned, not liking the way he spoke to her. "Watch it, Lewis. I'm supposed to be on your side," Don scowled. "You said her name in your little rant. Of course, this involves her," Kim mentioned. "Girls, be careful," Lisa said in concern. She didn't know why, but she had a very bad feeling about this. "Well …" Rikki drawled out. "We tried," Emma glanced at the other girls.

Nate: tilts his head and frowns. Glances at the drink can, shakes it. "Oh, Lewis, you need to cool off." Opens the soda can and immediately it begins to spray everywhere. Aims the can at Lewis and it gets all over him. Lewis tries to block it and jumps back. Several screams and laughs were heard around the room in shock. Unfortunately, Lewis wasn't the only one that was hit by the blast. To the side, Emma holds her hands up, where the spray of soda got all over her, her dress, and the floor. Lewis looks on in shock, including Emma, and Rikki who was luckily safe from the blast.

"Oh no," Annette gasped. "Emma!" Lisa covered her mouth. "Not the floor!" Neil whined. Lisa and several others turned to him quickly; his wife slapped his arm. "Sorry, wrong thing to worry about."

"Well, I didn't get cooled off, just sticky," Lewis crossed his arms. "Sorry, Emma. I should've been more careful." "It's not your fault. Nate is unpredictable at times. If I hadn't thrown the party, this wouldn't have happened," Emma said.

"Are you girls okay?" Sam questioned. "Oh yeah, we're fine. Except Emma's covered in soda!" Rikki sarcastically said. "We are so lucky that it didn't happen to us," Cleo told Rikki. "At least you were unharmed," Terry sighed slightly, but still worried about her friend. "Yeah, but Emma wasn't, aka the secret isn't," Rikki told him.

"It's always something," Max tisked. "Always is in the life of a mermaid," Mrs. Chatham chuckled.

"The host gets splashed at her own party," Ash laughed to himself. "And now the host is going to have to make a quick exit," Bella reminded him, worried for her. But she knew they had to have a plan, they always do. After all, the upstairs was blocked off from everyone else. And Elliot wouldn't let anyone else up there besides them.

"Second time. This is the second time that he's caused one of us to change," Rikki glared.

Rikki: grabs Emma's arm. "Come on!" Lewis glances at the two girls making a run for the stairs, the rest of the party people laugh at the scene. Nate continues to splash Lewis with the soda, smirking as he does so. Cleo jumps back and covers her mouth in shock. Lewis began to kick the soda back at him in an attempt to splash him with it.

"Thanks for tagging along," Rikki glanced at Cleo. "Well, someone had to keep an eye on the party. Besides, I'm not the one with the heating power. What help would I be?" Cleo countered. "A distraction," Rikki mentioned. "I was the distraction!" Cleo gestured to the screen.

"What good was that?" Zane laughed, seeing Lewis kick the soda back at him. "Not much," Lewis shrugged.

"Hurry!" Kim exclaimed. "What do you think we are doing?" Rikki sarcastically asked. "Kim, you were there. You know they got away," Elliot told her. "Yeah, but we don't know all the details," she said.

[Upstairs, Emma and Rikki rush to the now clean bathroom. Emma makes it just in time. Well, almost. As soon as she steps into the doorway, she begins to wobble, her arms swing around to keep her balance, the change incoming.]

Rikki: pushes her forward, not realizing it was too late. "Quick, get in the tub."

Emma: falls forward from the shove and onto the floor, fully transformed. "Ooph."

"Ooh, that had to hurt," Ash hissed. "Oh, it did. Still got a bruise from it on my elbow," Emma held her elbow up to show. "That's where that came from? I thought it was from the party," Lisa squinted. "I mean, technically it was," Rikki said.

"I don't think that helped," Sam said. "Was the shove necessary?" Cleo asked. "I didn't know the ten seconds were up," Rikki winced. "Too late," Bella grimaced.

[Rikki whips around – not noticing her friend's new look – and closes the door behind her. She turns around to find the blonde on the floor and winces. Emma looks up, her tail in full view.]

"Sorry." "It's fine. I would've fell anyways from the change. It was inevitable," Emma sighed.

"Huh, that explains why we didn't see you," Neil said. "I kept wondering what that thud noise was," Elliot realized. "I'm surprised you heard it from all the loud music," Max said, impressed.

[Downstairs, Nate continues to shove soda foam in Lewis's face, the male brunette laughing about it too. Lewis holds his hands up to keep it from getting on him, but it only gets worse. Nate tosses the last of it at him as Lewis jumps back. Nate mockingly waves a hand at him. Cleo and Elliot remain to the side in surprise from the two. He slams the can down onto the side table.]

"I don't want that boy around my house ever again. Understood?" Harrison said in a stern tone. "Fine with me," Zane said, as he began to wonder why he was still friends with him when he caused so much trouble.

"Well at least we get to see what happened while we were gone," Rikki told Emma, looking at the bright side. "I already told you what happened," Cleo reminded. "Yeah, but we need the details," Rikki said in a taunting tone as she glanced at Kim.

"What a jerk," Bella frowned. "He's the real party-pooper," Will added. "He has been since he took the dance mat away," Charlotte said. "Since he arrived," Emma muttered.

Lewis: on the opposite end of the living room, glares at Nate. Hands ball up into fists at his sides. "Okay, Karate Boy, let's see who the real man is." Points at the living room space.

"Ooh, good comeback," Rikki grinned. "Karate Boy, not bad," Ash hummed. "Knowing him, that had to hurt, to not be called a man," Zane chuckled. Especially by someone such as Lewis.

"Lewis, no offense, and even though you both might be terrible, Nate is still a lot stronger than you," Emma said in concern. "Yeah, mate, you're no match for him," Will shook his head.

"They're fighting over you," Kim teased. "So I noticed," Cleo rolled her eyes. "That's not a good idea. Especially in someone else's house," Annette warned.

Nate: bends over laughing, puts a hand to his mouth and slaps his knee. "Are you serious?"

Lewis: "Deadly." Nods his head over to the living room.

"Lewis you might be the one that ends up dead in a minute," Ash said. "Don't do this, dude," Will told him. "I have to. He humiliated me, deceived me, manipulated me –," Lewis wanted to say more but was cut off. "Lewis, if you keep going, we'll never get to finish this," Rikki said.

[The two boys stand in the middle of the living room preparing to fight. Nate rolls his shoulders and sighs.]

Cleo: worried. "Guys, this is silly. I don't wanna be fought over." Holds her hands up. Nate holds his hands up in the air and tilts his head to the side, while Lewis claps his arms together. Nate opens his eyes and then punches his fist out at Lewis, yelling as he does so.

"What girl wants to be fought over?" Sam asked. Surprising to her, Rikki and Kim both raised their hands. "I wouldn't mind," the teenager shrugged. "It looks cool," the preteen smiled.

"You're right, this is silly," Bella agreed. "This is getting ridiculous," Annette nodded in agreement. "Yeah, in my house!" Lisa cried.

[Back upstairs, Rikki adjusts Emma's tail in the tub, the mermaid now fully inside.]

Rikki: shakes her head in disbelief. "Alright, this is over. I'm kicking these losers out." Rushes to the door.

"Finally!" Bella said. "It's about time," Sam sounded relieved. "But that's not what happened," Neil frowned. "Why didn't you do it sooner?" Lisa asked as she hadn't seen her dolphin figurine get broken yet. "I wanted to, I tried. But someone kept stopping me," Rikki glanced over at a sheepish Emma.

Emma: stops her, eyes wide. Grips the edges of the tub. "No. This is my house and my party, and I'll say when it's over."

"Oh, come on!" Bella whined. "But they're making such a huge mess, which you hate by the way," Cleo reminded her. "You won't have a house if you keep it going at this rate," Denman said. "Why not? You've seen the damage and what it did to you," Will gestured to the tail.

"Amazing that the only one responsible here is you, Rikki," Terry humored. "Must be last resort then," Zane snorted.

Rikki: steps forward. "Emma, give it up. What are you trying to prove?"

Emma: "That I'm not boring, okay? I can have fun, too." Rikki stays silent.

"And what's it going to cost you to prove that?" Sam sighed.

"I thought this was about being a rebel," Cleo said. "It was, then it turned into a little fun fest," Emma shrugged in admittance. "Emma, you are fun. You're an organized, obsessive competitor. And that's what makes it so great for you to be my sister. It's you," Elliot told her with a smile. Emma smiled back. "Thanks again, El." "What are siblings for?" he said jokingly. "To be a pain," Kim shot at Cleo in a teasing matter. "Right back at you," she grinned.

[Meanwhile, downstairs, the scene returns to the fight between Nate and Lewis. There was no actual physical interaction, mainly punches thrown in the air by Nate and blocks by Lewis. People around them began to giggle, some even cover their mouths with their hands to stifle yawns and laughs.]

"This is too funny," Bella laughed. "It's much better in person," Kim giggled along with her and the other teens. "Too bad we missed this," Rikki sighed.

"So, is there going to be any actual fighting going on?" Ash asked. "Nah, there was more action going on with the soda can than this," Cleo grinned at an embarrassed-looking Lewis. "Man, I was awful, wasn't I?" Lewis chuckled, his cheeks red. "Nate was no better," Cleo reassured … somewhat.

Cleo: tries to stop them, yells at them from the side. "Guys, this is ridiculous. Stop it!" Elliot looks between them and Cleo, concern for his sister's friend and coach.

"And yet again, no one listens to me," Cleo sighed, rolling her eyes. "You tried your best, dear. That's all that matters," Lisa said in a comforting tone.

"It was getting ridiculous," Charlotte agreed. "Where were you?" Annette turned to her daughter. "To the side with Kim. I didn't want her accidentally getting hurt," Charlotte said. "Thanks again for that, Char. I was a bit busy arguing with two karate babies," Cleo smiled at her. "It's no problem. And you're right, they were," Charlotte giggled, shaking her head.

"Don't get involved, Elliot. I don't want to find out you got hurt either," Neil told him. He was just a kid, he shouldn't be breaking up teenage fights. "I'm fine, dad," Elliot replied.

[Nate does more yelling as he kicks at Lewis but never hits his target, the blonde teen flinches back just enough to keep from getting hit. Lewis holds up his fists as Nate holds up his hands flat with a smirk; the two begin to circle one another. Nate yells and punches the air some more, the people behind him laughing while Charlotte has her arms crossed next to Kim. He punches at Lewis, but he dodges.]

"Seriously, is this going to go anywhere? Because this is looking more like a dance-off than a fight," Rikki groaned in complaint. "Are you complaining about a fight?" Terry asked her. "No, because that's not fighting," Rikki waved to the screen. "It's a disappointment," Will mumbled. He gets more action diving than he does this.

"Wouldn't it have been better to take this outside?" Bev asked in concern. "It would have been better if they weren't fighting at all," Neil crossed his arms. He glanced at Rikki who opened her mouth. "Which they weren't." Rikki remained quiet with a smug grin, satisfied.

Lewis: spins around, his fists up ready to fight as Nate does some pyramid moves. He jumps forward at Lewis, his arm raised ready to strike. Jumps back as a reaction to avoid the strike, and instead stumbles into the couch. "Wo-woah." He swings his arms around for balance as he falls. Doing so, he accidentally knocks Mrs. Gilbert's dolphin figurine off the table.

Elliot: gasps. "The dolphin!" He tries to catch it, but it was too late. The figurine hits the steps of the entrance of the living room and breaks in half. Lewis falls to the ground and gasps quietly as he sees the broken figurine on the floor next to him. He looks to Nate, regret filling both of their features, the latter rubbing his neck sheepishly. Around them, the crowd gasps in shock, evidence of the party now existent with no way of fixing it.

The crowd gasped in shock. "Oh no," Sam gasped. "Poor dolphin," Bella pouted, feeling bad for Lisa.

"Huh, so that's how it happened," Rikki mumbled. "Lewis!" Emma scolded. "I didn't mean to!" Lewis turned to Lisa who had her eyes squeezed shut from the clip of her favorite figurine's dismemberment. "I'm sorry for the dolphin, Mrs. Gilbert. I swear I'll get you a new one," Lewis apologized. "It's alright, dear. I just hope you learned your lesson, and that all of you are okay," Lisa sighed in understanding. "Besides, I don't want another one. That's the one the kids gifted me with for my birthday. It's special to me because they gave it to me."

"Well maybe we can fix it," Elliot said hopeful. "Maybe. I've been speaking with a person at the shop that specializes in crystals. They said they may be able to do something about it," Neil informed. "Good," Emma nodded. She already felt bad enough about the party and the house being a mess, but it was much worse to see the heartbreak of her mother to find out her dolphin figurine had broken, all because of her.

"Why was it even sitting on the table?" Ash asked. It can easily get broken there if one's not careful. "That's where mom wanted it," Emma said. "I thought it would be safe. Didn't expect for a party to happen behind our backs," Lisa stated. "I was going to get her a shelf fixed for it once we got back," Neil sighed. "Change of plans then, huh," Harrison winced.

"The only thing Nate obviously knows how to defeat is a party," Rikki scoffed, arms crossed. "Rikki," Terry warned. It was not a good time to be making jokes, especially about damaged property, something that meant a lot to Mrs. Gilbert. "And a good time," Charlotte mumbled to herself.

"I think Nate realized he screwed up this time," Zane mentioned. "Good," Emma scowled. "For once," Cleo huffed. She was just glad Lewis realized his mistake too by starting a fight.

[Upstairs in the tub still, Emma winces as the sound of the broken glass echoes.]

Emma: "That didn't sound good." Looks to Rikki who turns around and marches out of the bathroom. Emma leans her head against the back of the tub, she too begins to feel regret.

"Regretting the party now, aren't ya?" Ash grimaced. "Very," Emma winced similar to her onscreen self. "On the bright side you're fixing your mistakes," Lisa said. "Actually, Rikki was since I was still stuck in the tub. Couldn't exactly go flopping down the stairs with everyone there," Emma replied, giving Rikki a small grateful look, to which she returned.

[Rikki rushes down the stairs shoving people out of the way.]

Rikki: "Out of my way. Move!" Walks through the entryway to get to where the crowd is mostly surrounding something. "Come on, guys, get out of the way." She reaches the front line where she stops to find Cleo, Elliot, Nate, and Lewis there, with Lewis holding up the broken dolphin.

"That's a nasty sight," Terry grimaced. "It was awkward, for sure," Cleo shifted.

"Bad timing," Ash winced. "Oh, no. That's not even the worst part," Rikki's chuckle turned into a scowl.

"What could you do?" Bella questioned. "This," Rikki smirked and pointed to the screen. "Knowing Rikki, she'll find a way," Terry chuckled.

"I doubt they know what that word means," Sam shook her head.

Rikki: takes the pieces of the dolphin out of Lewis's hands and looks at them, tilts them side to side. Lowers her hands and looks at everyone with a glare. "Alright, everyone, party's over. Clear out! Get out!" Lewis glances at Nate who glares back and purposefully bumps into his shoulder as he heads for the door. Lewis bumps into the wall and winces, regret still on his face. The guests slowly begin to head for the door. "Move it!"

"Finally!" Elliot sounded exhausted. "Elliot, you were there," Emma frowned. "Yeah, but I was so tired of seeing this again. This just happened last week!" Elliot said.

"It felt like it was all my fault," Lewis still regretted everything. "But it wasn't. It was all Nate's fault. He's the one who pushed you passed your limit," Cleo told him comfortingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "None of this was your fault. You didn't know that would happen." "At least Nate felt guilty about it too," Zane sighed. It showed there was still a little bit of humanity left in him.

Good. They needed to get out of there," Sam agreed. "They should've been gone the moment the party started," Don glanced over at Cleo and Kim. "Sorry, dad," the Sertori sisters winced. "Yeah, someone else should be heading home too," Annette gave her daughter a pointed look. "I did. You saw me walk in," Charlotte frowned. "Yeah, and it was pretty late. You're lucky it wasn't a school night." "Mom!" "Couldn't agree more, Mrs. Watsford!" Don too gave his daughters a pointed look. "Dad!"

"And from that tone of voice, she is not to be messed with," Will said, a little frightened himself. "Better be. She got that from me," Terry chuckled, glad to see his daughter taking responsibility and command. "I always did enjoy yelling at people," Rikki said with a satisfied sigh.

[As the partygoers were herding out the door, in walks two very recognizable people, as well as the only adults around: the owners of the house, aka Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert.]

Neil: "Emma?" Yells for his daughter. Rikki looks to the door and her eyes widen. What were they doing home early? Neil sets his suitcases down as the guests walk around him and out the door. Straightens up and walks over to the small group of friends plus Elliot and Kim, excluding Emma. Looks at the dolphin then at Rikki, upset. "Rikki?" Rikki looks taken aback.

"What were you doing back so early?" Rikki asked. "Yeah, wasn't your trip supposed to be until Sunday?" Cleo questioned. "It was. But there was a change of plans," Lisa glanced at Emma. "The neighbors called while we were at the convention and alerted us that there was loud music blasting from our house. So of course, we decided to leave early and find out what was going on," Neil said with a stern expression. "Whoops," Emma winced. "Only to find out that our responsible daughter decided to throw a party while we were gone," Lisa crossed her arms.

"Did you at least have fun?" Charlotte asked. "We did. It was short-lived, but still one of the best trips we've ever taken," Lisa smiled.

"Bet that was a surprise, wasn't it?" Max chuckled. "Oh, it sure was," Neil agreed. "So surprising that they didn't believe it was me," Emma announced. "Wait, what?" Terry frowned and turned to them. "Then who did they think it was?" Zane asked. Emma gave him a look as if it were obvious. "Oh. Oh no," Zane's grin faded. The Bennett turned back to the screen to see the small fear that his girlfriend showed on her face, the same thought crossing her father's face. "Rikki," he breathed, eyes wide.

Lisa: walks up next to Neil and looks around at the mess scattered around the living room, then at the kids in front of her. Her gaze reaches Rikki's eyes, then down at the broken dolphin in her hands. Her eyes widen, and Rikki looks down at it. "What is going on here?" Rikki looks back up at them and sighs.

"I'm guessing 'it's not what it looks like' would work here, will it?" Will grimaced. "Well, it did look like a party, but it didn't look like what we thought when we saw the dolphin figurine," Neil sighed. "And who happened to be holding it," Lisa gave Rikki an apologetic smile. "To be fair, it did look like it," Rikki winced.

"This was the worst part," Rikki told Ash. "I can see why," Ash winced, feeling bad for Rikki. It was obvious she was going to get blamed for this – since she did have a record for being a rebel – she was there at the time when Emma wasn't, and she was the one holding the dolphin statue. All in all, things looked really bad for the Chadwick.

"This looks really, really bad," Bella said in concern. "It was unfortunate timing," Mrs. Chatham sighed. "Went from a good trip to a bad one in twenty-four hours," Denman said.

"Out of curiosity, what was worse to see? The house a mess, strangers leaving your house, or the broken dolphin figurine?" Zane asked curiously. "Zip it," Harrison hushed. "It's fine. Although it was a shock for all of it, I got to say the dolphin figurine. Mainly because it really hurt to think that Rikki was the one who broke it after showing her the statue just the day before," Lisa answered. "I thought it'd be D: all of the above," Don mumbled.

"But it was just a misunderstanding!" Terry frowned, not liking his daughter getting the blame for it when she was the one trying to stop it. "One that we didn't know about, unfortunately," Neil sighed.

[The next morning, Rikki was in the back hallway in a new change of clothes tying up the last of the garbage bags surrounding her, full of trash from the party last night. She stands up straight and walks into the kitchen where most of the Gilbert bunch are cleaning the last of the mess up. Lisa stood around the counter with Rikki's packed bag in front of her. Emma was on the other side of the counter wiping it down. Elliot was on the other end trying to piece the dolphin figurine back together.]

Emma: "I'm sorry, mom. We owe you a new one."

"Wait, it's morning already? What happened the rest of the night? I need details!" Kim asked, curious. They went home not long after everyone else had left. Cleo and Lewis wanted to stay and help clean, but Neil was in no mood for any other company. "Well, after the three of you left, we had a very stern conversation with Rikki, Elliot, and later on Emma; and by then it was already pretty late, so we decided to pick up on it first thing in the morning and clean up," Neil stated. "Not that we got much sleep anyway," Lisa sighed. She couldn't sleep thinking of her house becoming a pig pen overnight.

"I didn't want another one. That one was the one you two gave me. I couldn't ask for a better gift," Lisa told them. "That's why as soon as the crystal guy is able to fix it, we'll pay for it," Emma glanced at Elliot and grinned, the latter nodding in agreement. Lisa smiled at her kids. "Thanks, sweeties."

"Wow that's a lot of trash," Will said, eyes wide. "There were a lot of people," Neil reminded. "Again, sorry about that," a sheepish Emma said.

Lisa: "You owe me an explanation." Rikki sidles up next to Emma. Lisa turns to her. "Rikki, I just don't understand this." Emma tries to speak but her mother keeps going, the older Gilbert with a scolding tone. "You were a guest in this house. Why did you do this?" Looks at her statue.

"Rikki didn't do anything! She was the one trying to stop it," Kim frowned. "We know that now," Lisa sighed. "But it wasn't her!" Bella frowned. "Of course," Zane sighed. They always blame the ones who look guilty. Never the 'innocent' ones. "Uh, she didn't. It was Emma," Charlotte said. She liked Rikki; she at least didn't treat her like a new kid. "I think they know, dear," Annette gave her a look.

"The one you should be scolding is your daughter, not her," Don huffed. He didn't like it when the wrong person was accused. It was just like when Cleo accused Kim instead of Angela about the birdnapping among other things; or when they accidentally accused Cleo of dating Zane when in reality, she was just helping a sick dolphin, but they weren't going to bring that up again. Cleo and Zane weren't the only ones embarrassed by it.

"Why are you accusing her? I know it looked bad but if you got your facts straight, you would find out it was actually your daughter," Terry snapped, fuming. "Dad, dad, relax. It's cool. I was the one who took the blame," Rikki admitted with a sigh. "What? Rikki, why would you do that?" Terry frowned, calming down just a little but his anger was still there. "I couldn't let Emma get in trouble with this. She just wanted to prove herself, and it was my fault for pushing her over the edge. I kept putting her down when I should've been helping her – not with the party but talking some sense into her," Rikki turned to Sam when she saw her open her mouth.

"That's nice of you, but you can't let people get away with everything. People need to be taught a lesson, like with you and your temper," Terry told her with a small grin. "It is pretty famous for getting me in trouble," Rikki chuckled. "So is the mer-life," Cleo smiled.

Emma: "Mom –."

Rikki: cuts her off. "Em. It's alright." Emma looks back at her. Turns to Lisa. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about the consequences. I guess I'm just irresponsible." Emma turns back to her mom and looks guilty. She tries to speak up again but once more, her mom interrupts.

"Don't take the blame for it, it wasn't your fault," Zane said. "Well, I didn't want Emma to get in trouble either," Rikki countered. "I deserved it," Emma told her. "You tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen." "Yeah, well, I've been on the other end of the stick before. I know what it's like," Rikki said with a small smile.

"Sounds like a speech you should be saying," Cleo gave her a pointed look. "I'll get to it … in a minute," Emma mumbled. "It shouldn't be you saying this," Bella shook her head. But she did feel like it was nice to know that Emma had friends she could rely on, even with her life. She hoped they could become good friends like that one day.

"She's a good friend … like Julia," Max gave Mrs. Chatham a reassuring smile, to which the elder woman nodded. Julia might have been stubborn with a bad temper, but she was always there for her friends, no matter what.

Lisa: "Oh, well," Tosses her hands to her sides and walks around the counter, disappointed. "these things happen," Walks past the girls. "and there's not much that we can do about it now." She turns around and looks at Rikki. Rikki and Emma turn around to look at her. "Hopefully, you have learned something from Emma over the past couple of days."

"A lot more than you think," Lewis snorted. "Yeah, we learned of a new side of Emma," Cleo grinned. "And come to find out there is a little spark of a rebel hidden deep, deep inside," Rikki teased, Emma rolled her eyes playfully.

"What? Rebellious teenagers or disappointing guests?" Terry narrowed his eyes. "Rebellious teenagers apparently, we just thought we never had to deal with it with Emma here," Lisa gave her daughter an amusing grin. "Hey, what about me?" Elliot pouted. "You'll get there," Emma rubbed his head, laughing. "Let's hope not," Neil mumbled. They already dealt with one and it was a disaster to come home to. They didn't want to deal with another.

Rikki: nods, a small sad smile on her face. "Oh, I have. Thanks for having me." She grabs her bag, getting ready to leave. Lisa looks down, sadness replacing her disappointment, arms crossed.

"Why so sad?" Sam asked. "Well, after that. I knew I wouldn't be welcomed back. Not for a while at least," Rikki sighed. "Really? You would ban her for a misunderstanding? For protecting your daughter?" Terry huffed. Rikki had such a hard time making friends at her other schools. For her to finally make some very close ones – sisters almost – was a miracle in itself, all because of the magic they happened to have come upon. It brought them together. He didn't want to see it get torn apart because of this, because of a mistake. "Well, the truth is … I don't know," Lisa glanced down.

"It really broke our trust to find out someone we welcomed as a good friend of Emma's. To find out she broke our rules and trust and went behind our backs and done this, it really hurt," Neil admitted. "But it hurt even more finding out Emma was the one who did it," Lisa added, then as something occurred to her, she turned to her son. "Elliot why didn't you tell us what really happened?" "Rikki told me not to. She said she didn't want Emma to get in trouble," Elliot admitted. "Elliot, that's sweet of you. But you should've told us the truth," Lisa sighed. Would've saved us a lot of time and trouble. "Yes, mom."

Emma: "Wait." Steps forward. "It was all my fault, not Rikki's. She's lying to protect me." Behind her back, Rikki looks at her in surprise. Emma glances down. "She told me the party was a bad idea. I'm the irresponsible one." Shakes her head. "I let things get out of hand. It was all me."

"Told you," Emma grinned at Cleo in victory, the brunette rolling her eyes with a smile.

"Why did you look so surprised?" Lewis asked. "She was denying everything the whole weekend. I thought she was still going to go on her stubborn streak and be the 'good daughter' she is," Rikki shrugged. "I was not being stubborn," Emma denied. "See? Stubborn," Rikki told Lewis, as Emma rolled her eyes.

"Well, at least you owned up to it. A lot of people wouldn't," Harrison smiled. "Will you quit looking at me?" Zane asked him.

"That's the Emma we know and love. Good ole honest, Emma," Lewis grinned. "Enough already."

"That's sweet of you, Emma," Sam smiled. "What about me? I was the one trying to save her tail," Rikki pointed at herself. "You too, I suppose," Sam laughed.

Lisa: looks at her daughter skeptical, finds it unbelievable. Raises an eyebrow. "Is this true?" Emma nods slightly. Sees that she's not lying. "But, Emma, that's not like you."

Emma: nods, glances to the side. "Yeah, that was the point." Turns to look at Rikki then at her mother, a disappointed smile of her own on her face, this time at herself.

"You did the right thing, Emma," Lisa said, Emma smiled. "But you're still grounded," Neil declared. Emma sighed, defeated. "Understood."

"Even your mom couldn't believe it," Ash chuckled. "Well, we did raise her. Not once was she ever a troubled child," Lisa said. "There was that one time at my birthday party, but now that we know the truth and it was because of the full moon, I don't think that counts anymore," Neil shrugged. "Only because I had no control of what I was doing," Emma said. "Did you want us to count that?" Neil asked. "No," she shook her head. "Okay then."

"And that point almost costed you a friend," Mrs. Chatham warned. "Yeah, I know," Emma said, still feeling guilty about it. She had never seen Rikki do something like that before. To see her do that now and protect her, she knew it would've weakened their friendship, just because she couldn't own up to her mistakes. And they couldn't let it be broken over a small – okay big – mistake. They were mermaids, sisters by magic. They couldn't let that end now!

[Later on, at the café, Lewis grabs a lunch from the café, consisting of a hamburger meal with fries and a milkshake. Lewis nods at the employee behind the counter and he nods back. Lewis takes the plate and drink and walks over to a table and sits down, prepared to eat as much as he can.]

"Woah, that's a big meal," Kim said eyes wide. "They come that big?" Elliot asked, gobsmacked. He's been going to the café since he was little, and never has he seen anything like that; even the food they ordered the day before wasn't that big. "Elliot, if you can't eat it all, then don't order it," Lisa told him. "Awe man," Elliot slacked his shoulders, defeated. One day, one day. "Why order something so big?" Charlotte asked. "And delicious," Ash grinned, almost drooling from the looks of it. "Nate really messed me up from the day before. My body was exhausted. I was determined to get my strength back up," Lewis explained.

"Their burgers are so good. Grilled by Wilfred himself. He's a legend at cooking," Zane nodded. "He wouldn't be a restaurant owner otherwise," Emma agreed, having worked with him for a while now.

'My body my temple huh," Will joked. He knew if Sophie even caught him thinking of a meal that big, she would murder him before the water could. "Let's call it a cheat day," Lewis smiled. "Must be every day then," Cleo joked with him.

[Right then, Cleo walks in through the beaded curtains to find Lewis sat at a table with a tray of food in front of him.]

Cleo: pauses in her mission toward the counter and turns to walk over to Lewis. She grins as she sees the burger on the plate. "Still on the health kick, I see?" Sits down next to him.

Lewis: glances to the side, puts his arms down to his sides. "Um, let's just say I wasn't getting the results I was looking for." Glances down.

"It's not your fault Nate tricked you," Cleo told him. "No but it is my fault for believing him," Lewis sighed.

"You still didn't tell her the truth?" Rikki asked. She thought he would have after that. "Well, guess I don't have to anymore," Lewis winced. "No, but I still would've liked a full explanation in person, not because of a viewing," Cleo said. "Tch, you're one to talk," Lewis snickered, thinking of the past few times when Cleo refused to tell him the truth. Cleo grinned and laughed quietly with him. "Touche."

"It's better to tell the truth than for her to find out the hard way," Mrs. Chatham said in a forewarning tone. "Too late for that," Lewis mumbled as he gestured to the screen. "It wasn't that hard to figure out after that night. Still not a lot of details but it was mostly there," Cleo glanced at her sister with her appointed word being used.

"It shouldn't mean you should just give up," Ash encouraged. "I wasn't giving up. Just needed some time to think for myself," Lewis glanced at Cleo.

Cleo: rolls her eyes and looks back at him. "Lewis, you know, when we were together, it wasn't because you were tough." Shakes her head. Lewis crosses his arms on the table and looks away, not feeling any better from it.

"You're really nailing the encouragement speech here," Rikki sarcastically said. Cleo rolled her eyes. "Let me finish."

Cleo: "It was because you were a great guy." Lewis looks at her and she smiles. "I mean, are a great guy."

"And still are," Cleo smiled, he smiled back. He really is, Charlotte thought with a small sigh. "Meh," Rikki shrugged. "Don't listen to her, you're a great friend to us. To everyone you run into actually," Emma smiled at Charlotte.

Lewis: perks up, smiles a little. "Really?"

Cleo: shakes her head, looks at him with sincerity. "Yeah." Lewis smiles at her. They stay silent for a moment before Cleo breaks it. "I should go. See you around." She stands up and walks away. Lewis nods, not watching her go. Stares where she once was and nods, in deep thought. "See you around."

"At least you two are making up," Emma grinned. "Yeah, I guess we finally got back to best friend levels, I think," Cleo agreed. I hope, Lewis thought. "Just don't make it awkward again," Kim complained. "Kim," Don hushed her. He wanted Lewis to stay around. He was good for Cleo. And though he didn't like to see his daughter grow up, he did like to see his daughter happy. The only thing that was holding her back from that was her mother's absence. Bev sighed. They were so good together. She just wished Cleo could see that. Hopefully, they'll get back together soon, she thought.

"That was sweet," Sam smiled, tears at the edge of her eyes from joy. The ship is beginning to set sail again! Bella thought excitedly.

[After her talk with Lewis, she meets up with Emma and Rikki at the moonpool, as Emma explains her punishment to the girls.]

Cleo: in the moonpool with the other two, rests against the underwater ledge of the pool, their tails floating behind them. "Grounded for two weeks. That's harsh." Rikki nods.

"Two weeks? Wow, that's a lot," Kim said, jawdropped. Even she hadn't reached that much before … well, until now at least. "Well deserved for throwing a party while we were away," Neil nodded. "And for my dolphin," Lisa grinned at her daughter. "So, no parties then for a while, huh?" Ash chuckled. "Not for a long, long while," Emma agreed, laughing with him. "Not without our permission, of course," Neil told her in a stern tone. "Of course," she happily accepted.

"Harsh isn't what Emma found it to be," Rikki teased.

"Two weeks? That's not too bad," Zane scoffed. He's been grounded for a lot longer. "I'm pretty sure I would've been grounded until the end of the school year if my parents ever found out I threw a party," Bella thought. "Don't even think about it," Annette warned. Charlotte laughed. "I wasn't planning on it. But I do know I would probably be grounded the same," she agreed with Bella.

"At our times, groundings were the easiest way out," Mrs. Chatham reminisced. "It was also a lot easier to get away with parties too," Max laughed as he shook his head.

"And yet you still snuck away to Mako with them," Sam said in amusement. "You told us you were meeting them at the café," Neil frowned. They took her phone, but she was allowed to meet them on weekends still, as long as they knew where she was and what she was doing. Since it was a Sunday, it was okay. "Well, I couldn't tell you the truth. Otherwise, you'd know the secret," Emma said, Neil hummed, accepting the matter.

Emma: smiles. "Actually, I'm rapt." Smiles ecstatic at them.

"Wait, you wanted to get grounded?" Will paused, confused. "Getting grounded is exciting to you?" Kim asked, a bit surprised. "I've rarely been grounded before. It was a sign that meant my parents were finally starting to see me as a normal teen," Emma smiled. "Emma, we grow tails. We're not normal," Rikki reminded her. "And liking being grounded isn't normal either," Cleo added.

"You and I have two different definitions of exciting," Zane shook his head. "You'd be the first," Ash snorted. "Excited about grounding. She is the exact opposite of you," Terry laughed at his daughter. She always knew when she was going to get grounded, but she always dreaded it too.

Cleo: looks to Rikki, slightly confused. "Why?" They look back to Emma.

Emma: says it like it's obvious. "Because in my parents eyes, I'm a rebel." She smiles at them. "Isn't that great?" Cleo and Rikki burst into laughter, surprised that she was still on about this. Looks at them confused. "What? What's so funny?" They continue to laugh at her. Eventually, Emma joins in.

"Ugh, this again?" Bella whined. "You still saw this as a competition?" Ash asked, laughing as well. "You're still going on about this?" Denman asked in disbelief. "Wow, you are really stubborn," Charlotte said in slight surprise. "Well, the grounding wasn't so bad. At least it's halfway over," Emma shrugged, now that it had been over a week at least. "I should've expected this from you," Rikki said in amusement.

"And yet you saved your friend's reputation with your family while at it. I think that's much bigger than being a rebel," Charlotte smiled. She hoped she could have a friendship like that one day. And with the way things were going, it felt like it was slowly heading that way with them.

"Alright, that's the end of it. Who's next?" Emma spoke up. "Here, let me," Cleo volunteered, taking the remote from Emma. She had a feeling that she knew what was going to be next. It was the only thing left for there to be, it had to be it. The last episode. And if they wanted to get home, they had to watch it. Even if it means her mom finds out how she really feels about her absence. So, with that, Cleo pressed play.