You Saved Me…

Disclaimer. I own nothing, just an overly enthusiastic fan watching reruns and getting ideas.

Faster. Faster.

Will hastily runs through the jungle on the island. After so many events in his recent months occurring on or around Mako, Will knows this path like the back of his hand.

After the way that ungrateful boyfriend of Rikki's treated her in her hour of need. Will can't stand the idea of letting her down. He must protect her.

Reaching the cave in no time at all, he makes his way through to where he can hear the moon pool. It's active, and there is Rikki standing alone with the water tentacle. My sudden arrival startled her, and the water turns on me.

Terror runs through Will like an electric current, only before we can even act Rikki recalls the tentacle and to their joint amazement and shock the water submitted to her.

Just as soon as Rikki has the waters undivided attention, the moon passes and the water falls back to the pool with a flourish that startles Rikki, and she hardly notices the tears welling up in her eyes.

As Bella glided gracefully into the moon pool Rikki interrupts Will describing the amazing power Rikki had over the tentacle, giving undue credit to him for saving her life and Bella doesn't even blink, believing Rikki in an Instant.

Later on at the Cafe, Will cannot believe what he is hearing as Rikki seems to accept Zane's hollow apologies, following Rikki into the back office to get some answers about why she was acting so strange and lying to the others.

"You told Cleo and Bella that I saved you"

"What's the big deal?"

"It's not true! You saved me"

"You came out to Mako to look after me and now they think you did."

"I came after you because I care about you"

Rikki had so much running through her head leaving no room to process what she was hearing "I can't do this right now".

Will was adamant that the others should be told what they had learned in their brief, yet intense encounter with the water. However Rikki's head was filled with so much that contradicted months of knowledge they had gained and she hardly believed what she had felt and seen. It was too much, and she needed space to sort through her thoughts.

After Will promised to go along with her story to the others she left as fast as she could.

Later that night Will was in his boat shed reflecting on what had happened earlier that night. He recalled Rikki's eyes filled with so much emotion, having to resist the urge to reach out and touch her cheek. Seeing such raw emotion had rekindled a tenderness towards Rikki he had all but put behind him ever since she rescued him from his foolish attempt at rushing into a free dive he was not prepared for. She had saved his life then, and again tonight.

When Bella had first revealed her mermaid tail, Will was amazed and intrigued by such a beautiful creature unlike anything he had seen before. Bella was a great friend to him, all the more since no longer keeping secrets from him. But she really was just a friend, just like Cleo.

Rikki on the other hand, came across abrasive at first, upon knowing her mermaid secret he could completely understand why she kept him at bay, with how close he had been to the moon pool and all the secrets it unwitting revealed to him. But somehow the transition from cold and prickly to deeply tender was more pronounced because of the sheer magnitude of the change. The picture of her in his head, as she breathed life back into him deep beneath the surface of the waves, mixing with the delicate tears in her eyes as the tentacle fell back to the moon pool. It made Wills body flush warm.

His thoughts were interrupted as there was a sharp knock at his door. He shook his head and made his way to the door. With a graceless creak he swung the door open to reveal Rikki standing on his porch, with red eyes and her sleep over supplies from the cafe in her arms.

"Rikki" A surprised Will exclaimed, "is everything okay? Why are you here?"!

"I didn't mean to cause you to have to lie to the others about what happened tonight. I know there has been more than enough secrets between us all. I can't get my head around what we experienced, and I would really appreciate if we could talk it out and brainstorm"

Will glanced at all the supplies Rikki had brought along with a questioning look on his face, to which she answered "I didn't want to disturb my dad by going home. I didn't bring my house keys as was expecting me to be out for the night and I don't want to wake him up".

Will immediately stepped aside and gestured for Rikki to come inside. She blinked and nodded as she walked into the small space. "You are welcome here Rikki"

"It changes everything I thought we knew. It was never trying to hurt us, it just needed to get our attention." Rikki said. "I just want to keep it safe".

"I saw with my own eyes how connected the water was with you. It reminds me of my first experience in the moon pool cave. I reached out just the way you did. It was open to the connection until it backed away and attacked me." Will recalled.

"As if it sensed you were not a mermaid. But it knew me. It was kinship and I felt the loss of it so sharply as it fell back to the water." Her vision began to blur as her eyes became watery. "It had so much to share with me. I could feel it."

Will raised his hand to Rikki's face, catching a tear before it trailed another inch from here eyes. "It's a wonder that your tears don't trigger your tail, or other fluids your body makes" Rikki's eyebrows shot up at the odd remark. "Lucky for us mermaids, our bodies must feel as though we have enough going on when we tear up without erupting in scales." The pair laughed and the mood lightened and Will dropped his hand from her cheek, bringing it down to rest on her shoulder. "You don't let people in very easily, that much I have noticed since meeting you." Rikki nodded in agreement. "Seeing you express these emotions so openly feels more intimate than seeing you bare your tale".

Rikki thought over Wills observation of her. She does keep everyone at arms length, and her emotions to herself. Only this night Will had been an eye witness to her sudden emotional state at the moon pool, and her first instinct was to push him away, only she wanted his cooperation with the story they were sticking to, and so her walls were down. His touch on her cheek left a warm sensation, even as his hand moved to her shoulder, and gradually slipped down her arm. Rikki shivered as the cool night air touched the trail left by Wills hand. She looked up meeting Wills gaze and suddenly she felt the hand on her arm slip to her waist. She had only ever felt Zane so close to her in this way, a different man's hand on her sent a jolt of tension through her stomach. Not because she was doing the wrong thing, rather Will's touch was making her body come alive, and she knew she wanted him.

But this was all wrong, Bella has a crush on Will. And Zane is Rikki's partner, despite his acting so hurtful and petty towards Rikki earlier in the evening.

They were in their own little world in this moment, and upon seeing the tenderness in Wills eyes, before she could talk herself out of it, Rikki leaned in to Wills arm around her waste.

Will felt Rikki lean her body into his arm, he acted on instinct as he pulled her around towards him, placing his other hand on the leg farthest from him and guiding her to straddle him. Rikki gasped as she settled onto his lap, Wills large hands coming to rest on her hips, leaning back and looking up at her. She looked even more like an angel than she had beneath the water. Like a magnetic pull their lips met. Will had never experienced a kiss that he felt with his whole body.

Rikki's opened her mouth to take a deep breath and Will took the opportunity to taste her tongue on his. His hands sliding from her hips all the way to the nape of her neck and into her hair, turning her head slightly to get deeper access for his exploration. Energy flowed between them, charged by every little interaction they had shared, from Rikki turning her nose up at him and walking away into the cafe in a not so subtle way of telling him to leave Mako island alone, right up to the moment Rikki looked into his eyes and begged him to keep her power over the tentacle a secret from the other mermaids.

Rikki felt something firm against her where she straddled Will, as she felt it she pulled back in shock, only to feel a delicious sensation shoot through her at the movement. She began to rock her hips as she melted into Will.

"I want you" Will whispered in her ear. "I want to make your body feel amazing. But not like this. There are other people who can get hurt from this happening."

Rikki leaned back and put some space between their upper bodies. Breathing heavily she sighed, "I know you are right. Today has shown me who I can rely on, and who I can rely on to always let me down." Rikki finally admitting a hard truth to herself about Zane. To her heart it was over between them the moment he disregarded their plans to use the cafe as a full moon stronghold, and invited his buddies in right in from of her. He hurts the people closest to him to prove a point. In comparison the power of the moon pool offers a safe haven and a powerful ally.

And then there is Will. His compassion, sincerity and care practically pour out of him with every word he says to her. He is genuine. She just has not been in the right headspace or situation to let him be anything to her. Rikki knows both Zane and Will, and herself deserves more respect than an early hour grind on Wills makeshift sofa bed. She is not sorry for her actions as she got caught up in the emotional tangle between herself and Will. She wants him. She came to his door instead of Cleo's or Zane's because she knew he was the only one who could understand what she was feeling and why.

Will can barely hold on to his final shred of self control as he heeds Rikki's call and slowly pulls her towards himself and embraces her in a gentle hug, before shifting sideways and depositing Rikki beside him on the sofa bed. "This isn't finished. But we should get some rest. In the light of day tomorrow things will seem clearer. I will sleep over in the other chair so you can lay down." Will proceeded to hand Rikki her pillow and blanket she brought for comfort and familiarity, cupping her cheek as he kissed her forehead.

Rikki grasped his wrist before he could pull away. "No matter how everything looks when the rest of the world comes crashing into this bubble we are in, I don't want to lose you as a friend. Promise me that won't happens" Rikki said, looking up into Wills eyes with her wide blue gaze drowning out the rest of the world. All he could see are those eyes. Beautiful. "That will never happen. You can count on me."

Will and Rikki settled into the dark boat shed and let sleep take them.