A Wish on a Full Moon

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

Chapter 9: Catch of the Day (part 2)

[Cleo walks onto the docks to her dad's boat, passing the other fishermen that are hanging around on the docks. Don climbs up from the bottom of the boat, into the cabin, when Cleo walks in with her arms crossed, glaring at him.]

Don: "Cleo. Haven't seen you down here for ages. Did you see me on TV? Did I look ok?" He looks at himself. "How about that shark, eh?"

"When was the last time you were down there?" Will asks curiously. "A long time ago. Probably since I was ten? Fear of water can do that to you," Cleo answers.

"You were more worried about how you looked than a shark?" asks Bev, annoyed about this. "Sharks don't scare me. And besides, I needed to look good on camera."

Cleo: shakes her head. "You don't really know what gets caught in your nets, do you?"

"Never got an answer," Don jokes.

Don: "Is this about that turtle thing again?"

Cleo: "Yes."

Don: "Cleo, we use the right nets and we fish in the right places. It's the law, and we don't break it."

"If only Eddie had followed that rule," Cleo sighs. "And only if someone didn't jump into action without thinking," Emma remarks quietly so others won't hear.

Cleo: "I'm really disappointed in you, dad." She turns around and leaves.

Don: watching her leave, he calls out to her. "Cleo!"

Hearing what she says, she immediately apologizes. "I'm so sorry dad. I shouldn't have just accused you without any proof," Cleo says, sounding upset, smacking her forehead. "It's alright, Cleo," Don smiles, leaning forward in his seat to pat her on the back.

[Back on the dock, Cleo passes Eddie, looking at him for a split second before continuing walking. From the doorway, Don shakes his head sadly. Eddie enters the boat from the other doorway, not expecting him.]

Eddie: walks to him. "Boss. Didn't know you were back."

Don: looking down. "It's starting to look like I shouldn't go away."

Eddie: "Sorry I lost half the catch."

Don: looks back up. "Well, no one can predict a shark attack, Eddie. Not even me."

Eddie: confused, he explains some more. "The net was shredded."

Don: nods suspiciously. "Where is that net, Eddie?"

Eddie: "I dumped it. What's the point of keeping a wrecked net?" Don hesitates before nodding and leaves, Eddie watching him.

"That liar!" Kim yells. "I just had to believe him. Wish I would've seen that net," Don sighs. "Well, it's a good thing you didn't," Emma says. "Why?" he asks. "Because you would've known that the tear wasn't from a shark," He nods, realizing that she was right.

[Back at the Juicenet, the girls walk in, heading for their booth, Cleo taking the lead.]

Cleo: "He denied everything. It's really awful." They sit down at the booth, Cleo sitting across from them. "I mean, what could I say? I know your lying, dad, because my mermaid friends saw you fishing close to the nesting beach."

"I mean you could've said that, but it probably wouldn't have ended well," Lewis jokes.

"He didn't deny anything," Kim mutters, still upset about the whole accusation.

Rikki: "He's using illegal nets, too."

Emma: "It's true. And they didn't have those grid things in them."

Cleo: tenses up. "This just gets worse and worse. My dad." Drops her hands onto the table.

"Didn't do it," Don says once again.

Rikki: "Well, to be honest, we didn't actually see your dad."

Cleo: "But it was his boat, right?" They nod, Cleo leans back into the booth.

"Just because you see his boat doesn't mean that he was the one who did it," Annette says. "Yeah, but it does make him a suspect," Harrison explains.

[At the docks, tons of people are scrambling around, preparing to catch the shark. Emma and Rikki walk down the dock next to Eddie who is sharpening a giant fishhook.]

Rikki: "Great. Every fishermen on this side of the planet is getting psyched to catch that stupid shark."

Eddie: overhearing their conversation perks up and turns around, catching the girl's attention with the giant hook in his hand. "Shark? Don't you girls worry, if it's still out there, it's sushi." He holds the hook to his face, smiling creepily.

"That's not creepy at all," Charlotte sarcastically says, shivering from the giant hook shown. "Yeah, dad why would you ever hire him?" Cleo asks. "I don't know anymore," Don shrugs.

"Was that supposed to be some sort of threat?" Bella asks, trying to get over her little quiet spell. "I don't think so, especially since everyone thought it was the shark," Rikki shrugs.

[The girls walk away while Eddie returns to sharpening the hook.]

Emma: "What a circus."

"You're not wrong about that," Sam chuckles.

Emma: "They'll be searching everywhere."

Rikki: "Ready for a swim?"

"Too dangerous, Rikki," Terry warns. "I know that. But Cleo didn't apparently," Rikki smiles, mumbling that last part. Cleo glares at her as if she were warning her to stay quiet.

Emma: "No way. Too dangerous with these guys out there. Let's face it, until this cools down, we're grounded."

"Thank you, Emma," Terry sighs. "Nice wordplay," Will chuckles.

[Outside of the Juicenet, Cleo is leaning against a pole, watching the scenery when Lewis walks up.]

Lewis: "I know what you are thinking." She looks over at him. "Rikki and Emma told me about your dad."

Cleo: scoffs. "Great. So now the whole world knows my dad's a criminal."

"No, he's not," Kim says, sounding annoyed. Cleo rolls her eyes, however, not at her sister's comment, but at her own exaggeration.

Cleo: "What would you do, Lewis?"

Lewis: "I'd change my name and move to the country. That's just me."

"Well, that doesn't help at all," Bella says. "It wasn't even that bad of a crime!" Zane points out. "Yes, but his skipper still broke the law," Harrison explains, "Just like when you left Cleo stranded on your zodiac." Zane sighs. "Are you ever going to get over that?" "Might take a while," he smiles.

Cleo: leans her head back against the pole. "You're no help."

Lewis: "Oh, come on, well at least it takes your mind off the whole, you know, mermaid thing."

Cleo: sighs. "Ok. I'm scared of it." Lewis looks at her seriously. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The theater is completely silent as they hear what she just admitted. Her parents turn from impatient to serious similar to Lewis's on-screen self upon hearing this. "Cleo," Bev starts, but Cleo interrupts her. "It's okay mom, I'm fine now. Like I said before, I eventually got over it." "Yes, but Cleo." She continues, worried about her. Cleo sighs, knowing her mom really wants to talk about it. "Mom, it's okay. But, if you want, we can talk about this afterwards, okay?" Bev hesitates before nodding, then turns back to the screen.

I will admit it was scary at first, but eventually you get used to it, Bella thinks, trying to remember her emotions from the beginning. Gosh, has it been that long? Time sure has flown by.

Lewis: "Cleo, everybody's scared of something." Cleo shakes her head. "But you, you're amazing. You can do anything."

Cleo smiles. "Thanks, Lewis. But I can't do everything. I can't even go to the marine park hardly without sprouting a tail." Lewis looks over to her, smiling because he knows exactly what is coming up next. "I didn't mean the powers," causing Cleo to be confused.

Cleo: "Just because I've got these powers doesn't mean I'm amazing." She stands up straight and walks away.

It kind of does, Will thinks, admiring their lifestyle.

Lewis: looks forward. "I didn't mean the powers." He looks down, spins around, and walks off, not too far behind her.

Cleo blushes, now knowing what Lewis meant from earlier. Charlotte feels crushed, now realizing that Lewis has liked Cleo from the very beginning. Before her.

"Aww!" Sam says, smiling at the sweetness, making Lewis blush a little as well. They're perfect for one another, Max smiles.

[In Cleo's bathroom, she is laying down sideways in the tub, head laying in her arms on the edge, gazing out the window sadly. Glancing over at her tail, which is hanging out of the tub, she turns around laying on her back, and splashes her arms in the water in a huff.]

After hearing her statement of how terrified she was of it a second ago, they begin to realize just how upset she really was about these new changes, causing them to feel even worse about the poor girl; this urges Bev to want to talk to her daughter even more.

[Later that night, the Sertori's get ready for dinner at the dining table. All of them are sitting down except for Don, who is preparing the fish.]

Kim: "Are you going to catch that shark tomorrow, dad?"

Don: Grabbing the fish platter, he brings it to the table. "Maybe. Council's put out a bounty. Everyone's going to be looking for it. We run into it, we'll pick it up." Laying the fish and veggies platter down on the table, Bev picks up the tongs and begins preparing the plates. Don puts down the towel and sits down. Cleo looks down and huffs.

"You make it sound so easy," Ash comments. "I have years of experience with fishing, catching a shark shouldn't be so bad. Although, I don't have any experience in catching mermaids," Don jokes. "Ask Denman," Rikki mutters to the others; they nod, glaring at the marine biologist.

Bev: looks at Cleo, noticing there was something wrong. "What's the matter, Cleo?"

Cleo: "I'm not hungry."

Don: waves his hands at it. "It's fish. Come on, eat."

Cleo: clearly getting annoyed. "Like I said, I'm not hungry." Bev raises her eyebrows, seeing her change of mood.

I should've talked to her sooner. Maybe then she would've told me about this whole mermaid ordeal, Bev wonders.

"Sorry dad, again. I shouldn't keep putting my anger out on you, even if I did think you did it," Cleo apologizes. "It's alright, darling," Don replies.

Don: "I caught it this morning. Fresh from the Esmeralda."

Cleo: looks over at him confused. "The Esmeralda? I thought you were on your own boat this morning."

Don: "When you own three boats, you've got to be flexible. Gus is in the hospital. I'm skippering the Esmeralda until he's back on deck."

Cleo: leans in closer. "So you weren't on your own boat this morning?"

"He just told you so," Charlotte says, huffing, clearly still hurt. "I just needed it clarified," she explains.

Don: "I just explained."

Cleo: "So you don't really know what it's been catching or where it's been fishing."

Don: looks at all of them, before turning back to her. "Eddie's skippering for me. I trust his judgement. He wouldn't do anything wrong." Cleo thinks about this while Don nods, then hands his plate over to Bev for food. "Maybe one."

"I was so wrong about him," Don guiltily says, Kim pats his shoulder.

[The next morning at the docks, Eddie barks orders from the cabin at the fishermen to prepare the boat quickly. Johno runs around, readying the boat.]

Eddie: "Hurry up! I don't want to be the last to leave again. Gotta make up for the catch we lost yesterday, so we've got a big day ahead of us." Climbing out of the cabin, he orders Johno around some more. "Cast off! We're headed for Patterson's beach."

Johno: looks up from his task. "Hey, Patterson's beach is a no-go zone."

"He always seemed like a good person. Watching him do this is worse than hearing it in person," Don exclaims, looking on sadly.

Eddie: "I'm using the old nets, too, Johno. You got an opinion on that?"

Johno: "Yeah. The boss might want that."

Eddie: "There's only one boss on this boat, Johno, and that's me. Just be quiet and do your job."

"He should've just told you in the first place," Neil says, "would've saved so much trouble." "I don't blame him. Johno was just trying to keep his job," Don shrugs. "Dad's right though, it would've saved us so much trouble," Emma admits, confusing the others. "Wait, what do you mean?" Lisa asks. "You should know by now that you'll be seeing it soon," Rikki sighs, getting tired of having to repeat that sentence.

[From afar, Cleo spies on them behind some pallets. She gets up from her position on the dock and runs to the end of it, watching the boat leave the docking area. Lewis walks up to her, fishing gear in hand.]

"Cleo? What are you planning?" Kim squints, trying to figure it out, seeing the idea forming on her sister's face. "I, uh, may have attempted to stop them," she sheepishly says. "Cleo!" her family yells. "I know. It was stupid of me. Believe me, I've heard this speech plenty of times before," she huffs, looking at the two blondes who are smirking. "But I'm okay now." "Now?! You mean as in you weren't before?" Don asks, looking worried. "Uh, no?" she lies terribly, her family sighs aggravated,

Lewis: "Cleo. What are you doing here?" He stops next to her as she points angrily at the boat. "What's wrong?"

Cleo: "They're using the wrong nets and going to the wrong place."

Lewis: "You ok?"

Cleo: "Yes. I'm going to stop them. Go and tell the others."

"Oh, well this ought to be great," Don sarcastically says, swinging his arms up in surrender.

Lewis: "What?"

Cleo: turns to him and snaps. "Just go!"

Lewis: turns around and walks away but stops after he hears a splash. Turning around, he realizes that Cleo ran off the dock and jumped into the water as he sees the bubble rising ferociously. "Cleo? Oh, great." He sighs and runs off.

"Cleo, the next time you do something idiotic like that, why don't you ask for a little help?" Rikki scoffs. "Yeah, Cleo, we might not know what it is like, but we do know you had no experience on how to swim. Especially with a tail! And that time at Mako doesn't count." Bella remarks, adding a little bit of a fib in there. "Think about this stuff before you take action!" The others around her nod in agreement as Cleo sighs.

"I should have tried to stop you," Lewis admits shamefully. "No, it's okay. If you did, then I never would have enjoyed the water," she smiles at him.

[Cleo is shown under water, struggling to move her tail around, trying her best to swim back up to the surface. She panics, clawing at the water, trying to return to the top, losing air.]

"See what I mean? No experience," Bella points out impatiently. Cleo looks bewildered at her. What's her problem?

"It's like a baby trying to take its first steps," Annette says, comparing the two scenarios. "Yes. Except this baby eventually learns how to," Cleo defends herself.

[Almost reaching the top, she stops for a second and checks her surroundings, realizing that the water isn't so bad. Finally getting a hang of her tail, she smiles and brings her hands upwards in a V-shape and swims away.]

"A baby that learned how to walk quickly apparently," Denman says, impressed with her quick process.

"See? I told you I eventually began to like it," she says, smiling to her parents, who return the smile, glad that she was learning to get over her fear.

So, if she can learn to get over her fear of water, could I learn how to get over mine? Charlotte looks over to the mermaid, hope filling her mind.

[Out at sea, the boat heads for its destination.]

Eddie: yells orders from the doorway. "Right. No one slacks off today. Keep your eyes open for that shark."

Johno: takes the nets out. "Yeah, the shark's the last of your problems."

Eddie: "Anymore lip from you, Johno, you won't have a job. Got it?" Johno quiets down, continuing his work.

"You didn't get rid of him, did you dad?" Kim points to the screen. "Johno? No, he's a good one. In fact, I gave him a new position filling in Eddie's place," Don smiles.

[Under water, Cleo follows the boat at a steady pace, enjoying the view while she goes.]

"Like I said before, don't go alone. You're stronger together," Max reminds. "Well, at least you finally like it," Kim sighs.

[Lowering the nets, Eddie steers the boat around when he looks out the window and notices a turtle pop its head up above the water. Looking back inside, he turns the wheel towards the turtle.]

"He did it on purpose?! That monster!" Elliot yells, worried about what will happen to it, surprising his parents. Don looks at Eddie, shocked.

[Johno runs to the edge, spotting the turtle, then runs inside, warning Eddie about it.]

Johno: "Hey, there are turtles out there."

Eddie: "Yeah, so?"

Johno: "So you can't fish here. It's illegal." Eddie looks over at Johno. "Don'll have your guts."

Eddie: "Only if he finds out."

"Oh, I most certainly will!" Don says angrily. "To what?" Neil asks. "Both."

Johno: "You're playing a dangerous game, Eddie." The fish finder goes off, showing one on the radar.

Eddie: nods at it. "Look at that. That's not a turtle. I'm going about." He turns the wheel rapidly to where it shows on the scanner.

"But there's hardly any big fish out there. The only thing that it could be is –," Zane says, but gets cut off as Bev gasps and loudly yells, her heart racing a mile a minute. "Cleo!" "Bingo," Emma sighs.

[The boat turns in Cleo's direction, who happens to be swimming directly at it, on the middle of the scanner.]

Eddie: turns to Johno. "Looks more like that shark. Get ready! We don't want to lose it again." He looks back to the scanner.

"You never got it in the first place," Cleo remarks.

[Cleo continues swimming when she sees a turtle. Turning around, she sees the fishing net coming directly at her. Panicking, she swims up, trying to dodge it, but her tail gets caught in the net. Struggling to break free, she ends up getting herself even more tangled in it.]

"No, Cleo!" Don yells, Kim trying to calm him down, who is also worried.

"Struggling only makes it worse," Max says. "Yeah, I kind of figured that one out already," Cleo winces.

"How did you get out?" Will asks. "With a little help from friends," Cleo says, smiling at the two.

[At Emma's house, Lewis barges into the door sliding to a halt. Frantically searching for the other two mermaids, he sees them coming down the stairs, looking at him.]

Lewis: "Guys! Guys! Cleo!" heading towards them, he holds onto his hat, gasping for air.

Emma: "Well, where is she?"

Lewis: "She's – She's in the water." Still struggling to breathe, he gulps.

Rikki: "At last!"

Lewis: shakes head quickly. "No. No."

Rikki: "Lewis! Speak, like a normal person."

"Thank you," both Denman and Charlotte say, confusing the blonde teenager.

[He points to the door, signaling for them to follow, and runs back outside. Emma and Rikki run after him, the former going first.]

Bev smiles, glad that there is someone like them that cares so much about their friend.

[Cleo, still struggling, shakes the entire net. Johno runs up, noticing the movement of the net, and looks into the water. He runs off to find Eddie in the cabin. Cleo quits struggling and continues holding her breath.]

"Don't give up!" Ash says. "I didn't. I was just focusing on holding my breath," she explains, "moving made holding it worse."

Johno: speaks to Eddie in the doorway. "Yep, you got it, skip. The shark's in the net."

Eddie: "Get it up before it rips that net to pieces. It's not getting away this time." Johno nods. He turns around and pushes a lever, causing the net to be pulled up, Cleo going up with it.

"I guess you could say you were their 'catch of the day?'" Zane attempts at making a joke, but only causes people to glare at him for the horrible timing, and shrinks back in his seat.

[Rikki and Emma speed to a stop and sees Cleo stuck in the net. Rikki nods and they swim to her and try to get the net off. Emma swims away, getting closer to the boat while Rikki stays behind, picking at the net.]

"Em? What are you doing?" Lisa asks, deeply confused about what her daughter's idea is. "Just saving the day," Emma grins.

[Johno and Eddie watch the net move upwards while Emma gets closer.]

Eddie: "It must be a big one. It's fighting hard."

[Emma holds her palm out, still under water, as she freezes the net's engine. They notice the net stop moving and go to figure out what happened when they see the engine covered in ice, completely frozen solid. They look at it and all around it, very confused, as Eddie picks a piece of ice off it.]

They laugh at her unique way of stopping the net from moving. "Very clever," Neil smiles. "They must've had a hard time explaining that," Terry says in-between laughter. "Oh yeah, I was wondering how that happened," Don chuckles, glad that Emma was able to stall it for some time to save Cleo.

[Emma swims back to where Cleo and Rikki are as they get the net off her. She pulls her up and out of the net. Cleo stays completely still as they get the last of the net off and away from her. They both pull her up by her arms and towards the surface where she gasps for air.]

Bev lets out a breath of air that she did not realize she was holding. Kim lets a small smile slip onto her face, relieved that her sister is okay. "You girls are a lifesaver," Bev admits. "Like Max said, we need to work together," Emma smiles.

Don puts a hand over his heart like he is going to faint. "Whew. Cleo, please tell me that the rest of this 'adventure' of you three isn't about you all getting in some sort of trouble." "Sorry, dad, but there's always something happening," Cleo remarks, glancing over at Denman, who returns the look.

Emma: "You ok?"

Cleo: "Yeah. I panicked. I didn't know you could hold your breath for so long. But then I remembered what you guys said. And you know what? I lost count after six and a half minutes."

"Not bad for your first time," Will says. "I probably would've done better if I hadn't panicked."

"Yes, totally a great idea for you to be doing this right next to the boat!" Kim hollers.

Rikki: "Later, guys." They dive back under water and speed off.

"Thank you!" Kim huffs, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"A baby that went from walking to running in just a few minutes apparently," Annette says surprised. "You're a fast learner," Sam says, impressed. "How did you know what to do?" asks Zane. "They told me at the Juicenet earlier," she explains.

[Back at the docks, Don is on the Esmeralda working when he sees Cleo standing on the dock watching him. He walks over to her.]

Don: "Cleo! Something wrong?"

Cleo: "Dad, I have to tell you something, and you're not going to like it."

"Sure didn't," Don mutters.

[On Don's main boat, Eddie orders demands from the doorway of the cabin, making sure they get rid of any evidence. Johno walks around, cleaning up.]

Eddie: "You got rid of the net?" Johno nods. Eddie doesn't notice that Johno is not looking at him, but at Don who shows up in the doorway next to Eddie as he sat down.

Don: "What net, Eddie? Didn't you hear me, Eddie? I said, what net?"

"You sounded really angry," Cleo comments. "That's because I was," Don replies.

Eddie: "The um – the net that –."

Don: "Johno?"

Johno: "Yep." Johno comes back over, Eddie looks away.

Don: "Why don't you tell me what's been happening here?" They look at Eddie.

Johno: "Happy to, boss." Eddie fakes a smile and looks down.

"Busted," Kim smirks. "Never break the law," Elliot says, his parents nodding.

[Later that night, the Sertori's fix dinner once again. Don's sitting at the table while the girls set it up this time.]

Don: "I fired him. I trusted Eddie, and he broke every rule in the book. I couldn't keep him on after that."

Kim: walks to the table, setting a bowl down. "You're so tough, dad." Don looks at them.

"He deserved to be fired," Lewis claims, "Every fisherman should know to follow the rules."

Cleo: sets the shakers on the other side of Don. "The turtles will thank you for it." He watches her walk away.

Don: "How did you know he was using the wrong nets and fishing in the wrong areas?"

Cleo: sets a bowl down at the table. "I heard a whisper. Full of mystery, the sea. Right, dad?"

Don: nods. "Yeah, sure."

"Should've questioned you more," Don laughs. "I'm sure you would've loved to hear the real answer," Rikki jokes.

Cleo: "I'm sorry for doubting you, dad." She kisses his forehead, and they smile, giving each other a side hug.

"Apology accepted," Don smiles.

[Cleo's phone rings. She grabs it out of her pocket and answers it, walking into the kitchen.]

Cleo: "Lewis?" Looking back, she walks further into the kitchen, making sure they do not hear. "Yeah. Look, tomorrow morning. There's something I want to show you." She smiles, looking back at her family.

"Thanks, by the way," Lewis speaks up. "For what?" Cleo asks. "For showing me," he reminds her, causing her to smile even bigger.

[The next day at the beach, Lewis is kneeled down in the sand, digging up some turtle eggs hidden in the sand when the girls walk up in their beachwear and bags.]

Lewis: points at the eggs. "Guys! Look, turtle eggs."

Charlotte can't help but smile a little at Lewis's discovery, forgetting about her heartbreak once again.

Cleo: bends down, awestruck. "Ooh. Little turtles are so cute. I hope they all make it." Lewis puts sand back over them and wipes his hands on his shorts. They stand back up and look at the others.

Lewis: "So, you want to show me something."

Cleo: looks at each of them, pride showing on her face. "Yes I do. Ready?" They smile ecstatically and runoff. Lewis walks on the rocks, sitting down as he watches them run into the waves, Cleo taking the lead. In the waves, their tails splash over.

Lewis: nods. "Cool." The girls swim under water, smiling together as a trio, as the way it should be.

"Very cool," Ash remarks. "Agreed," Will says, raising his hand. "Good job, Cleo. You finally got over your fears," Kim says, smiling at her, glad that she finally accepts her new life. "And thank you girls for saving her life, again," Don smiles at them. "You're welcome," Emma returns the smile.

"Yes, while we are all very proud of your accomplishments, I think this would be a good time for us to take a break," Harrison states. "Totally," Charlotte murmurs, others agreeing with him.

They all stand up, heading for the door that has the words 'BUFFET' written on them, curious to find out what food is on the other side of the door that they have been magically given. The girls stand up, fixing to walk that way when Neil places his hand on Emma's shoulder, causing her to turn around, stopping the other two.

"Actually, we were wondering if we could talk." Neil waving his hand to his family, the Sertori's, and Terry. "All of us." The girls look at one another, wondering if they should get it over with before Rikki breaks the silence. "Well, it was going to happen sooner or later. Might as well get it over with now." She shrugs. "Sure, I guess we can," Emma agrees, Cleo nodding along. They separate from the buffet group and walk to the other door labeled 'DORMS'. They open the door, and walk-in, while Max and Mrs. Chatham watch them leave the room. "This ought to be interesting," Max says, smiling, the two of them still at the seating area as they begin walking to the other door. Mrs. Chatham nods, before looking over at Bella, who follows the group into the buffet room and disappears from view, knowing that she is hiding something. "Yes. Very interesting."