A Wish on a Full Moon

One Case Closed, Another One Opened

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

Chapter 51: One Case Closed, Another One Opened

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Some people enjoy the silence. The quiet and peacefulness was relaxing to most. Others would find the atmosphere as the complete opposite. Rikki was one of those people.

The silence of the theater room was already a bit awkward to the young mermaid. Add in the fact that she was about to talk to her father about her boyfriend, and it upgrades to unbearably awkward. They both stood there, staring at each other with their arms crossed, as the tension only grew. Rikki bit her lip in thought, wondering who was going to address the elephant in the room first. She would so much love to get this done and over with, but with her stubborn streak, there was no way she was going to break it now. Luckily, she didn't have to wait for long, as Terry let out a sigh.

"So ... Zane, huh?" Terry finally spoke. Rikki looks down, hoping that a blush wasn't showing right now. Whether from embarrassment or the mention of him, it didn't matter. "Yup. Me and Zane," she replied in an uneasy tone. "So, you two did date?" Terry asked as if he were making sure it was clear. Rikki jabs a thumb at the screen and nods. "You saw the same thing we did, dad. Yeah, we dated." "Even during the whole mermaid hunt?" "Yes, dad. Even during that," Rikki nods in confirmation.

"Rikki, that's too much of a risk to be dating him. For both you and your friends," Terry said. "I know that. I know of the risk, and I've been taking risks for months now. Emma and Cleo were okay with it eventually and we always kept him from getting any closer," Rikki mentions. For a time at least. "And besides, it was good for the secret too. To be able to keep tabs on him, and who would suspect a mermaid hunter dating a mermaid? No clues would have led to me. It's a win-win for everyone. I get to date him, and the secret stayed within our little circle," she adds.

Terry sighs. "But what about the secret, didn't he find that out?" He did recall that Zane had raised his hand at the beginning of this whole adventure. Rikki looks away for a moment. No point in lying, he knows the answer already. "Yeah, he knows."

"But what if he blurts it out again, just like he did a few minutes ago onscreen? What if he goes and tells the whole world?" Terry asks in a worried tone as he takes a step closer to her. "He didn't when he found out. And he won't," Rikki said in a reassuring matter. Terry shakes his head in disbelief and sits down in a seat on the bottom row of the theater room and puts his head in his hands. "I'm not so sure about this."

Rikki goes and sits down next to him. She knew this wasn't going to be easy, it was a challenge to ever get her dad to change his mind. "Dad, you've seen it for yourself. He is good." Terry chuckles lightly and looks at her. "Yeah, when he wants to be. But he's also trying to hunt you three down." "Hmm, technically it's only Emma he's hunting down. And even then, he doesn't know it's her due to her Ariel wanna-be phase," Rikki grinned. "You're not helping," Terry said, giving her a stern look.

Rikki sighs. "It was a mistake, okay? A big misunderstanding –." "A misunderstanding that can cost you your life if you're not careful," Terry cuts in. "He just wanted answers," Rikki countered before smiling. "He's actually really sweet and caring. And he likes me for me. When he found out our secret, all he wanted to do was help us. He kept the secret."

And that's what Rikki loved about him. Deep down, hidden inside that spoiled rich kid was a sweet and caring young man that cared for her. Because he likes her for her and nothing else.

"Are you two still together?" Terry asks, pulling the mermaid out of her thoughts. Rikki sighs and leans forward in her seat. Truth be told, she didn't want to tell him due to the risk of it getting back to Cleo and Emma. They were not ready to find out yet. But she also doesn't want to lie to her dad anymore. Not after their big reveal. Plus, with how things were going, she had a feeling everyone would be finding out soon enough.