- - 1 - -

Everybody knows you don't go near the boats. Barbara more than others, after Miles, a goofy, bit larger than life Mer (who she had considered one of her closest friends) had vanished soon after going near one. She had searched and searched but there was no trace of him anywhere. Just the empty cavern he used to call home and a stain that spread slowly through the water (she wishes she was stronger still, had been firmer in her reprimanding.)

So it's perfectly acceptable for her to lose her balance on the rock at the sight of a human. A shrill cry escaped her as she fell and there was a laugh and a hand that wrapped around her wrist. She blinked, still able to see through her transparent eyelid.

Then she glared, directing her gaze harshly to what appeared to be a young human in front of her. With red hair and rounded cheeks and an incredibly cheeky grin.

She hated her already.

Barbara hissed at her, clicking in her language knowing fully well that the human couldn't understand her. It didn't deter the human, who still hadn't let go of her wrist.

"Oh my gosh, I thought Kerry was kidding!" She exclaimed and Barbara glared at her with all the passionate hatred in her heart. The human continued talking and Barbara didn't listen. Simply watched the over-exaggerated facial expressions and really, really nice looking lips.

In fact, minutes must have passed until the human said, "Wait, can you even understand me?"

Barbara groaned, took in a gulp of air and said, "Unfortunately." Sure, her voice was still a little lispy from disuse and her throat burned at the mere effort but...

"Oh my gosh, that is soo cool!" The human bounced further into Barbara's space and it felt as if the hand were going to burn a hole through her wrist now. "My name is Lindsay, do you understand that?!"

"Yes." Barbara humoured the human for a little while longer. Maybe she could just... tear the human open? That did seem a little cruel though. Tear the human open slightly. Hm.

"Oooo, do you have a name? Tell me your name!" Lindsay grinned at her wildly. Barbara was surprised to see the blunt teeth. She'd thought all humans had horrifically sharp teeth, tearing into flesh and not even leaving the bones. But no, these were blunt and kind of pathetic. Not even more than one set! Barbara could take this 'Lindsay' down in a fight, never mind Miles.

Which did incline her to think now just how Miles had gone missing. He could clearly fight off the humans. That wasn't what she was thinking of at the time, however.

She was thinking of how to answer the question and her solution was to screech. She threw a few clicks in for good measure. It killed her throat but the look on the human's face caused her to double over with shrill laughs.

"That's mean." Lindsay whined, sticking out the red bottom lip. Barbara raised her eyebrows with a smirk.

"So are you." She replied in a calm tone. Lindsay only pouted more.

"Oh come on, mermaids aren't meant to be mean!" Barbara recoiled at that. She frowned at Lindsay, trying to read her expression clearer.

"We aren't mermaids." She decided to reply with. Lindsay seemed shocked.

"What?!"

"We're called Mer. Mermaid is offensive. Half of us aren't gendered anyway." Barbara explained. To her surprise, she found Lindsay seemed interested. She was hanging onto her every word.

"Oh, what is your gender?" Lindsay asked and Barbara smiled.

"Female. I'm crossed with what you call a 'Queen Angelfish.'" She tilted her head up in pride. She was proud of that, her tail was yellowish green with neon blue streaks in her fin. Her fin itself was separated into three, two curved around and the third sat between them. The colour ran to her hair as well, blonde with streaks of the same blue. After all, humans could still see blue deep underwater. Mer didn't lose their colour vision but she knew that humans did.

"In that case, I'm Lindsay. I'm a girl." The redhead waved cheerfully.

"And you're still holding my wrist." Barbara pointed out. Lindsay's eyes darted to it and widened. She let go quickly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise!" She continued to apologise and Barbara let her do so. She had never heard this many words from one human's mouth ever before. Lindsay had probably doubled it in one minute. And she was still going.

Barbara did take the opportunity to look up the sky, pinks beginning to overtake the blues. They bounced off the water's waves and Barbara found herself relaxing at the sight. Lindsay had stilled too, staring out over the waves. She repositioned herself forward. Her hand hovered by Barbara's tail as if she were scared to touch it.

"You're done?" Barbara teased and Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"I'm surprised you didn't leave." She said and Barbara could hear a slightly sad tone to it.

"I am too." She replied, and Lindsay smiled. Her eyes didn't crease up though. It looked fake and Barbara found herself scowling at it. Lindsay seemed to notice but she just shook her head. Her face seemed sorry, sad.

"It's not your fault, don't worry. I know I scared you but I hope we can maybe just, talk? You know?" Lindsay rambled but managed to catch herself, putting her hands carefully in her lap. She kept her eyes away from Barbara's face.

"We're talking." Barbara pointed out and Lindsay's smile became genuine at that. "And you are monsters. Just not as bad as I thought." Barbara looked away from her at the confession. The sun was sinking into the ocean, taking its light with it. The air around that felt electric, a soft purple light around them. Lindsay followed her look, startling suddenly.

"I should be going." she said, quickly. Barbara frowned at her. "It isn't safe for people like me to be out this late." Lindsay slid off the rock, water lapping around her ankles with the tide. She realised now that she didn't wear shoes and took a moment to examine her feet. They were weird and looked incredibly inconvenient. Small little nubs at the end and really awkwardly shaped. She unconsciously lifted her tail up.

Lindsay laughed as she stood up straight again. She took a long look at Barbara.

"You'll have to ask me more about humans next time." She said, simply.

Barbara smirked, "Next time?"

"Of course. Same time next week?" Lindsay replied just as quickly.

"Damn." was all Barbara could respond. Lindsay gave her a mocking salute.

"See you then, I guess." She nodded, and turned to walk back up the beach. She paused to pick up her shoes and sling on a bag. The extra time was enough for Barbara to make her decision.

"My name's Barbara!" She called to her. Lindsay turned around and grinned.

"Awesome!" She yelled back. She waved enthusiastically. "Good night!"

"And to you!"

- - 2 - -

Barbara continued trying to plait her hair. It wasn't easy. It was frizzy and knotted and felt awful in her hand. The natural wax that covered her skin didn't help. It felt like it would cut her fingers from how gross it was. Also, if she rubbed more of her wax off Mica might kill her. Her and Meg had spent hours going to stores because her body wouldn't replenish it before her skin deteriorated. She had paid them back, as well as for the countless soft foods for her throat. Mer simply weren't meant to work above water, especially for long periods of time. As much as Barbara loved the warmth of the sun, she had to accept it.

The warmth of the sun was great, though. It was always present in the air, a glow in her body where it hit. It helped the water drip off her and she loved curling up at the edge of rock pools and sleeping in it. In the water it was warm, sure. But not like this. This was the kind of warmth Mer only got from their mates. And Barbara hadn't had a mate for a looong time. So this was the next best thing for sure.

In the sunlight, she started to sing. Long notes, in the language of the ocean. Curled up against the rocks, tail resting in the shimmering water and no life around for miles. Well, except for when two arms suddenly wrapped around her shoulders.

She spun around, wet plait hitting the assailant in the face as she did. Her long nails were held up defensively until she took in the person.

"Sup." Lindsay said, as she raised her hands with a grin. Barbara's shoulders dropped as she glared and Lindsay simply laughed. She sat next to Barbara, placing her shoes down on the rocks beside her. Her bare feet once again dangled in the water, kicking as she looked up to the sky.

It was about mid-day and the sky was a light blue. A seagull flew across, breaking the peaceful silence as it did.

"You know, I didn't expect you to come back." Lindsay spoke first, turning to Barbara with those soft eyes.

"Why wouldn't I?" She replied. Lindsay just shrugged. She turned away again, leaning back a bit further as if she were soaking in more of the sun.

"I just didn't." Lindsay answered. Barbara didn't push the obvious lie. Lindsay wiped her face of the water that dripped down and Barbara immediately laughed. "Hey!"

"I cannot believe I hit you with that." Barbara put her hand over her face, grinning. Lindsay stuck her tongue out, then recoiled as some of the liquid dripped on her tongue. She screeched and Barbara fell back onto the rocks in laughter.

"You're awful!" Lindsay cried out. She twisted to the side, spitting and fake coughing. Barbara pat her on the back as gently as she could. "Ugh, that's gross. Your hair is gross."

"I take offence to that." Barbara said and Lindsay just rolled her eyes.

"I take offence to your face."

"My face is wonderful, I'll have you know!"

"Not as good as mine." Lindsay motioned to her and faked batting her eyelids. Barbara copied the motion. Lindsay swatted her away with a giggle and Barbara held her plait up as a threat. Lindsay squealed as she leapt back.

"God, we're idiots." Barbara sat back. It was weird. It took her so long to open up to her friends like this and yet here she was, playing with one of the creatures that had killed Miles. Laughing and grinning like there was nothing wrong. No unknown war happening beneath the surface. Was this some kind of betrayal and treason? She didn't care. She felt happy, she felt safe.

"Yeah, but we're idiots together." Lindsay pointed out and Barbara nodded. Safe.

They talked for hours. At one point Lindsay lifted Barbara up, triumphantly holding her over her head and running down the beach with her. Barbara laughed and screamed as she did, holding her arms up in triumph.

"I'm flying!"

"Yeah you are!" And they only went back once Lindsay remembered her shoes. The sand stuck to her feet and Barbara poked at it curiously to only found Lindsay laughed. In response, she poked more until they ended up rolling across the rocks in a tickling match. There was one point when Lindsay left for half an hour and came back with a strange white thing in a cup. She had two and gave Barbara one.

"It's ice cream. It helps me when I have a sore throat." She'd explained as she ate with the small spoon they had. Barbara nervously licked the spoon before taking a huge bite. When she froze up a few seconds later Lindsay almost died laughing.

Now, the sun was setting once more over the horizon, its gentle oranges and pinks bleeding into the blue. Their empty tubs were left abandoned as they lay side by side on the warm rocks. The sounds of the ocean were gentle and familiar and Barbara relaxed into the feeling.

"I need to get going." Lindsay eventually said. Barbara turned to look at her sad face and sighed.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Next week?" Lindsay suggested. Barbara had the slightest hint of a smile after that.

"Yeah."

- - 3 - -

They met again next week. Lindsay was dressed in a wetsuit, it followed her figure finely and Barbara got joy out of her complaining every time she had to move. She would flop downwards onto the rocks (or Barbara) and then struggle to get up from the rocks (or Barbara.)

"I can't move!" Lindsay's arms were in the air. She was on her back on top of Barbara's stomach. Barbara's arms were thankfully free and she used them to wildly flail at Lindsay's sides. They were both hysterically laughing.

"You're crushing me!" Barbara exclaimed as her hands dropped above her head. She yelped as Lindsay rolled over and onto her stomach. "I will throw up on you!"

"You better not!" Lindsay cried back, slowly making her way down Barbara's tail until she could roll to her side. Barbara sat up quickly to help her back up to a sitting position. She noticed how the suit pulled at her back and unzipped the front a little. Lindsay rolled her shoulders with the freedom.

"Better?" Barbara asked and Lindsay nodded. "Why are you wearing that, anyway?"

"Oh, this leads to my idea!" Lindsay clapped her hands together. Barbara managed to keep her 'oh no' internal. She watched as Lindsay rearranged herself so she sat across from her. She had her hands in her lap and sat up straight, grinning.

"Will this idea be harmful to my health?" Barbara asked and Lindsay rolled her eyes. Her hand swatted the suggestion away.

"Of course not!" She said, then looked Barbara straight in the eyes and added, "Probably." Barbara in response pursed her lips and Lindsay took it as an opportunity to continue. "Twenty questions kinda thing. I ask you a question, you ask me one and so on." Barbara stared blankly at her.

"Couldn't I just ask you anyway?" She asked and Lindsay made an over exaggerated groan.

"That ruins the game!" She exclaimed and Barbara pointed her glare. "Oh come on it'll be fun!" Barbara continued to stare at her a little while before shrugging.

"Okay sure. Let's go." Lindsay cheered at her words.

"Right, first question." Lindsay sat tall again. "Do you ever goddamn blink?" Barbara opened her mouth, blinked and closed her mouth. Lindsay had no reaction.

"Yes." She said and Lindsay frowned.

"I never see it!" She exclaimed and Barbara suddenly remembered she didn't have transparent eyelids. Her eyelids actually stopped her seeing. It was a very unnerving thought to Barbara.

"They're transparent." She said as she gestured patiently, "Lots of Mer struggle to keep their eyes open above water and we like seeing whilst asleep. Some bigger mammals have another one that isn't." She watched Lindsay pull out a small pad and a pen, scribbling down notes in it. "Really?"

"Hey, it could be useful information." Lindsay shrugged as she continued to scribble stuff down.

Barbara waited for her to finish before she asked, "What do you eat?" Lindsay shrugged.

"Making me think back to Science class now." She joked (despite Barbara not getting it) "Humans are omnivores so a balance of meat and other stuff. Some humans don't eat meat, though. They're weird." Barbara nodded. She'd heard of the not-eating-meat thing. She was never sure if it was true or made up.

"So you're saying humans eat a lot, then?" She asked and Lindsay hummed her agreement. "Wow. Is there anything they don't eat?"

"Also a lot." Lindsay shrugged and Barbara faltered, squinting at Lindsay. "We eat what we consider edible and actually tastes decent. It's complicated."

"Right." Barbara nodded. "It's your turn to ask a question now, right?"

"Oh yeah." Lindsay sat back as she thought. "So, what's with the webbed hands?" She asked. Barbara held her hand up and Lindsay mirrored her movement. The skin on her hands did indeed rise higher than Lindsay's.

"I don't know." Barbara admitted. Lindsay frowned before she jolted back upright.

"Oh, more surface area! You can displace more water!" She exclaimed, pointing at Barbara.

"I understood none of that. But yes." She said and Lindsay sighed.

"My intelligence is wasted." She moaned. Barbara just laughed at her. She then grinned.

"How do humans... you know?" She asked, quietly.

"How do humans what?"

"Make loooove~" Barbara attempted the deepest voice she could and Lindsay burst out in high laughter. It continued as she rolled onto her side, still breathless.

"Well, when two people love each other very much-" Lindsay managed to start before Barbara reached over to playfully hit her.

"It's okay! I don't need an answer!" Barbara clarified as Lindsay continued her hysterics. It took a few minutes to calm down. Not helped by how Lindsay would look Barbara dead in the eye and then laugh again. They lost count of how many times it happened.

"You know..." Lindsay rolled over to face Barbara, with a smile that still perfectly fit her face. "How do Merm- no, Mer do the do?" Barbara tried to discern if she was serious or not. She opened her mouth but Lindsay immediately cut her off, "No, I don't wanna know. I forfeit that question." Barbara pouted with her familiar smirk.

"Damn, I was going to get really in detail." She said and Lindsay shook her head.

Over the next hours, the two learnt a lot. Barbara learnt that humans are extremely messed up. They would fight over pointless things, of course Mer are just as bad but at least their's make sense. Mostly. She learnt that humans mate often for life and have a ceremony known as marriage. Barbara had heard of it but Lindsay explained it in a bit more detail. She learnt about Lindsay's past relationships and some facts about her childhood. In turn, Lindsay learnt about Mer. She learnt about their past, different species and she filled three and a half pages of hastily scrawled notes and drawings. She found out about Barbara's friends, she found out about Miles, a shark hybrid who recently went missing. Barbara brushed it off and Lindsay let her.

"We both have one more question." Lindsay said, lying on her back. They'd moved to more open water and they both lay in it. Lindsay hair floated at the surface, tangling with Barbara's. Their hands were laced between them and the clouds slowly drifted across the sky.

"Huh." Barbara said, watching one cloud as it continued its journey. She could feel Lindsay's stare on her and turned to meet it. "You're first, then." She watched as Lindsay stared back at her, eyes holding her gaze.

"I," Lindsay stopped, shut her mouth and tried again, "How do you, well, like me?"

"What?" Barbara asked, flatly and Lindsay back away from her, lying back to avoid her stare.

"It's nothing. Seriously. Nothing at all." Lindsay deflected and Barbara sat up, rolling over and keeping herself steady over Lindsay, looking her dead in the eye. Her tail draped awkwardly to the side.

"Are you asking if I love you?" She said, firmly and Lindsay's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to speak but Barbara cut her off, "'Cause if so please hurry up and admit it because this position really hurts." She watched as Lindsay's expression became one of shock and then a blush spread across her cheeks.

"You certainly know how to make a girl feel loved." Lindsay finally said with the wide smile across her cheeks. Barbara returned it as she dropped on top of her. Lindsay squeaked in protest.

"Wow, you're actually pretty comfy." Barbara mused, tucking her head onto Lindsay's chest.

"We confess our undying love and now you're using me as a pillow?" She complained. Barbara hummed and Lindsay giggled as it vibrated across her chest. "True love."

"Could we just sleep out here?" Barbara asked as the sunset started to settle across the horizon. Lindsay sighed and Barbara just groaned at the answer.

"If I could I'd carry you back and put you in my bath but its cramped and you deserve better than that." Lindsay said and Barbara rolled off her. Lindsay shuffled onto her side and smiled at her. She gently took her hand and held it between them.

"Can I?" She asked, with a nod to Lindsay's lips. Lindsay nodded.

They kissed and it tasted of sea salt. It felt like the warmth of the sun. It caused both of them to grip their hands a little tighter.

In that moment, everything was perfect.

- - 4 - -

Miles was back.

The word had spread quickly amongst the community and yet Barbara had been one of the last people to hear about it. Meg had rushed in, talking quickly and it took Barbara a while to even understand what she was saying. She was grateful when Ryan followed, explaining it far more slowly for her. The three of them had then rushed to the main meeting hub of the town. Mica was waiting there for them.

"He's apparently fine, he says he doesn't remember much about what happened to him." She explained. Her long, draping fin rocking back and forth as she frowned. (Royal blue, with a purple tint. She was one of the rare bettas that lived in communities. She had a rose tail and her top mimicked it. Ryan was a Longhorn Cowfish, with a yellow tail similar to Barbara's and two horns sticking out of his head. Meg was a Coral Beauty with a smaller fin but beautiful colours that changed as the light hit her.)

"That's good news." Meg nodded, swishing her tail around. They were all doing some kind of nervous habit by now.

"He was lying." Mica said, "I could tell." Ryan frowned, being one of the closest to Miles.

"Why would he lie about something like this?" He asked and Mica shrugged. She looked over her shoulder at the crowd, who were suspiciously watching them.

"He asked for Barb'." She then said and the two turned to look at her. Ryan seemed curious whereas Meg seemed slightly more ecstatic. Barbara squinted at her.

"Are you sure?" She asked and Mica nodded.

"As can be. Come on." She waved her forward. The crowd parted for them. There was still a lot of stigma around Mer that weren't normal fish that were known as aggressive and violent. Mica used it fully to her advantage as a frequent visitor of the community. Barbara couldn't really blame her.

"You know," Mica turned to her as they approached the sunken ship, "I have a feeling you know why he lied." Barbara scowled at Mica. She stopped and cut Mica off.

"What are you suggesting?" She snapped back and Mica held her arms up whilst the fins at her elbow fanned out.

"Nothing bad. Just that you've spent a lot of time at the surface." Mica said. Barbara still glared but continued to follow her.

"I always spend time at the surface." She reminded her. Mica just smirked at her as she continued leading the way.

"Not for a whole afternoon." Was Mica's reply. From there on she said nothing - simply swimming ahead of Barbara a little further. She hissed at having been brushed off but there wasn't anything she could do about it. It wasn't like she could deny her time at the surface. She couldn't risk them finding out about Lindsay.

The ship was one of Barbara's favourite places. It had sunken long ago, an old wooden structure that jutted out from the sand. It had been partially buried when they found it. They uncovered what they saw, marvelling at the structure. It became a centre point of the town. They ducked through the worn away hole in the side, swimming up through the layers of wood. Barbara could only catch glimpses at the wooden sculptures decorating the ship that were worn and beaten by time. They held new life now - coral and seaweed overgrew the wood and blossomed with colour.

Miles waved away the Mer surrounding him as they approached. He grabbed Barbara by the arm and quickly pulled her away. She didn't say anything to focus on trying to keep up. Miles was stronger than her, naturally. He was a shark Mer. Grey skin, sharp teeth (that made him look pretty goofy, really), bigger than average gills on his sides and the customary shark fin. Despite how menacing it should be, he just looked like a nerd. This was why Barbara liked him.

Well until they reached an isolated corner and he spun her around and whispered, "Lindsay."

"What?" She blinked, unsure if she had heard him correctly or not.

"Lindsay." He repeated. Barbara's face instantly became a scowl.

"How the hell do you know about her?" She said, breaking away from him and threateningly flicking her tail. He flinched and looked honestly confused.

"She- I- She talked to me." He tried to explain, running a hand through his hair nervously. Barbara continued to flick her tail up in front of her. She crossed her arms for added affect.

"Continue." She nodded and Miles froze, closed his mouth and then looked down.

"I met a guy, okay?" He said, quietly. "A guy called Kerry. We met up a lot. He showed me stuff, a lot of stuff." She noticed him smile slightly, "Dude, he showed me so much anime. Like, we spent two days straight watching the stuff. It was so awesome. Then I decided I wanted to stay with him."

"Why?" Barbara asked and Miles' eyes finally met her's. He seemed sad still, an out of place, subdued look across his face.

"I was getting there." he joked, despite how empty it seemed, "We worked together. And so we did the research and we took the chance and-" he broke off, "And it almost killed us both. He was barely able to keep himself alive but he still looked after me. He had to hide me in his apartment."

"That doesn't seem smart." Barbara mused and Miles laughed. He ran his hand through his hair, a little longer than it normally would be.

"It wasn't. It was like a comedy of errors. Kerry would do the stupidest stuff to try hiding me." Miles admitted with the reminiscent smile still on his face. "In the end, it was Lindsay who talked to me."

"About what?" Barbara snapped before she could help herself.

"She'd rather tell you herself." Miles told her, "She's waiting for you."

"At the surface?" Barbara asked. The moment Miles nodded she flicked her tail. He was faster, grabbing her wrist before she could get away completely.

"Barb'?" He said, quietly, "I'm sorry." Then he let go of her wrist. Barbara watched him as he silently swam back to the group of Mer. She watched a while more before she left.

The sun was setting as she burst through the water. It bounced off the cliffs and off Lindsay. She sat on the rocks, like a goddess. Her hair was almost aglow in the amber light; her arms reaching behind her as supports. She bathed in the glow. The jeans she wore were already dirty with sand. Her top fluttered in the ocean breeze. Barbara pulled herself onto the surface. The sand gritted into the wax and into her skin. She was sure some got stuck in her scales.

"You came." Was called. She heard the squelching footsteps and a hand reached out to take hers. Barbara took it, letting herself be pulled up and then carried.

"As soon as I could." Barbara assured her. She saw Lindsay's smile above her. She settled them both onto a rock. Barbara was still sat over her, tail draping off onto the rough surface.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She asked.

"Tell you what?" Barbara asked back and Lindsay shook her head.

"You, you hurt yourself by coming up here. By coming to see me." She said. She watched the sun over the waves and Barbara could see the beauty in her eyes.

"I did it before you as well." Barbara objected.

"That doesn't make it any better." Lindsay said, simply. Barbara tried searching her face but it was scarily neutral, scarily even. She was meant to read Lindsay clearly.

"I'd still do it without you." Barbara then stated.

"It literally hurts you to!" Lindsay suddenly exclaimed. Barbara jumped, falling off her and onto the sand. "Miles told me. He told me about the wax. He told me about the throat. He told me about the dryness and the burns you get from the sun. Why?"

"It's boring in there." Barbara said. The ocean's calm waves lapped one another peacefully. "I love my friends but there's something different up here. A feeling you just don't get down there."

"Up here is a mess." Lindsay's voice was powerful. "Up here we argue about whether we should or should not consider each other human beings. Mer would be tested on, threatened, made extinct. You'd be killed."

"Down there," Barbara argued, "We sink ships for fun. I'm lucky to live in a Multi Mer community because some Mer attack others for the fun of it. Some Mer only acknowledge those of the same type. Believe me, we are just as bad but we can kill with no drawbacks."

"That doesn't excuse it!" Lindsay snapped back. "I don't want to be the reason you hurt yourself, okay? This can't work out. We've gone into it too fast and without looking at the consequences."

"Are you saying you don't want to see me anymore?" Barbara held her voice steady.

"If you hurt yourself then yes. I am." Lindsay said back, standing up. Barbara bit her tongue, slicing it but it was at least enough to hold back the stinging in her eyes.

"Okay." Barbara nodded and her voice cracked but she refused to show it. She held herself with shaky arms, trying to lift herself back to the ocean.

"Don't... Don't do that." Lindsay sighed, reaching down to lift her. Barbara flinched back and Lindsay seemed to freeze. "Just, let me carry you back."

"Why? My wax might rub off on you." Barbara sneered and Lindsay shook her head. She picked her up anyway. Her arms were warm around her, soft skin against her harsh rubber.

She stopped at the edge of the waves. It licked her jeans, darkening the edges and spraying the front. She knelt down, carefully placing Barbara into the water. Barbara glared up at her anyway.

"I'm sorry." Lindsay said, softly. The words were true but Barbara didn't feel it. There was just coldness. A weight in her heart that made it sink to her stomach. She felt empty.

"Don't be." Barbara hissed in response. She dragged herself away without second thought. Lindsay was left standing at the water's edge. Her arms wrapped tight around her middle. Barbara only looked back when Lindsay finally turned away.

- - 5 - -

Ryan was by her side. He was still fussing, despite Barbara insisting he looked fine. A lot had happened with Miles' return. Miles had come clean to their circle of friends and they ended up hitting it off with most of the people on the surface. It led to frequent hang-outs at the beach. Lying in the sun, bringing lights and eventually a barbecue so they could hang out during the night. Now they had candle lit tikis, various chairs and tables and buckets for collecting water. Barbara had met a lot of them, especially the one Ryan was now going to meet.

"It's just a party, you look fine." She insisted, again. Ryan looked up at her in shock.

"What if he doesn't like my outfit?" He protested and she rolled her eyes, spinning him and giving a shove towards the door.

"Oh dear." She said completely deadpan. Ryan just whined as she continued to lead him out. "I see why Meg bailed out on you." She said, and Ryan crossed his eyes with a childish frown. "Okay, have you seen Gavin? He's an idiot. Who's completely head over heels for you. You'll be fine."

"That's easy for you to say!" Ryan exclaimed, "You two have been best buddies!"

"Hence why I listen to him whining about your stupid face all night with only minimal complaint." Barbara said. Ryan still wasn't impressed and she just sighed. "We're going to be late, come on." She let go of him to flick her tail. The surface was close and her body waved and twisted to keep up with her desired speed. Ryan effortlessly kept up with her. It was honestly irritating.

She smiled at the beach as they broke the ocean waves. It was lit up already, soft amber lighting up the darkened sky. She could see everyone in groups, sat around on rocks, a few in the ocean, some sat around tables and eating or drinking. The few wheelchairs they kept were at the side, for the Mer too heavy to be picked up. She still wasn't sure how they managed to work on the sand, but they did. She'd asked Kerry and he'd only said 'duct tape'.

Gavin waved them over from the surface, running away from his group to meet them. Barbara grinned at his approach and Ryan seemed to shrink behind her.

"I thought you'd never make it!" He called as he met them at the shoreline. His hair was stuck up and wild with his sunglasses sitting pretty in it. A loose button up shirt - the top few left undone - and shorts adorned his figure. "Wow Ryan, you look top." He said as Barbara fist pumped. She shrugged at the accusing and confused looks.

"Right, carry me!" Barbara held her arms up, shutting her eyes. Instead of being carried her sides were assaulted with tickles, and she crumpled to the ground with a squeal. She opened her eyes to see Gavin towering over her, with a grin across his face.

"Come on!" He beamed and lifted her with ease. "Where do you wish to go, my highness?" Barbara took a glance over the crowds, finally landing her gaze on another of her human friends, who was getting drinks from their freezer.

"To Jon!" She exclaimed and Gavin rolled his eyes.

"Of course." He said, knowing full well Barbara's plaiting tendencies. He slowly carried her over, cradling her until they reached Jon. He was still turned away, searching for a drink that wasn't some kind of beer. She took the opportunity to screech.

He fell forwards, almost over the freezer until Barbara was able to grab him. He took a moment to recollect himself, pushing his hair back before turning around to face them.

"Damnit, Barb’.” He muttered, slowly opening his eyes and taking a deep breath. Gavin beamed at him, innocently.

"Hi Jon, she's your problem now. I have a date." Barbara was transferred from Gavin's arms to Jon's without a moment's wait. She smirked up at Jon as Gavin bounced back to Ryan, to probably end up kissing and being gay somewhere.

"Sup." She waved and Jon just sighed.

"So I'm babysitting you tonight?" He asked.

"I cannot believe you think so little of me." Barbara fake gasped, "After I beat you in Smite too!"

"That was one time!" Jon reminded her as he walked over to one of the tables. He sat Barbara back into the chair and then sat across from her. He paused, groaning. "I didn't get a drink."

"Am I that distracting?" Barbara asked with a sly smile. Jon shook his head quickly, getting up to grab another drink. He returned quicker and slid one over to Barbara across the table. They both settled down to drink, Barbara resting her tail up on the table. Her fin draped over the chair next to her.

"We need to meet up another night to play games." He said and Barbara nodded quickly. "I've got a load I want to show you."

"Hey, if you help me with my fishing business then..." She suggested with a knowing smile. Jon batted her leaning figure back.

"I am not touching any bloody fish, thank you." He said and Barbara huffed.

"You'll at least help me run a crafts shop?" She asked, more serious this time and Jon nodded.

"Yeah, I've already started on the page and getting some of the photos taken. I'll have to show you the ideas I've had at some time." He said. Barbara listened. She honestly liked listening to Jon. He made things sound interesting and he'd often read human novels to her on the beach. Or poems. Otherwise they made fun of 'mermaid' movies and how inaccurate they were.

"I'm free for pretty much all week, if you have time to pop down." She said and Jon nodded.

"Yeah, I can do that." He agreed. There was a small buzz as he took his phone out from his pocket, "Friday?"

"Yeah, I'll be up around midday so if you want to bring food for yourself then I would." She said.

"You mean food for you?" He replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Well..." Barbara shrugged and flicked her eyes away from him. He had that stupid affectionate smile as he shook his head.

"Do you mind if I bring someone over? I think you'd like them." He asked, putting his phone back away. Barbara looked back at him and tilted her head before shrugging.

"Sure." She said and Jon grinned at her.

"Awesome, I'll be right back." He took off again across the beach. Barbara took the opportunity to get comfortable again. She sat further back in the chair and rest her head back on her arms. The stars shone above her, glittering in the dark sky. She was glad she could see it now, feeling safe and at home with others. The sound of chatter still drifted around her. It felt like a strange, messed up family.

Jon strode back over, his voice audible over the noise. She glanced forward to see who he was with and froze. Red hair, straighter than before and now gradiented into a lighter orange. She wore a loose beanie, hands in the pockets of her jeans as her and Jon chatted. She met her eyes and stopped.

"Jon, I-" She started. Jon winked at her, raising his hands.

"Sort out your problems." He said, and walked away. Lindsay watched him. Then she looked back to Barbara. Then she took a breath and sat down.

"Hey." Barbara offered, and Lindsay stared at her a little while longer.

"Hey." She replied. There was a gap and she gulped. Then she met Barbara's soft stare and said, "I'm sorry."

"Why?" Barbara asked back, tilting her head. She’d moved now, from her laid back position to sit up straight. She watched Lindsay twirl her hand as she thought.

"I guess, I spoke too fast. I freaked out and then I never tried to fix it. So, I'm sorry." She finally said and Barbara smiled.

"That's okay." She told her and Lindsay blinked, startled.

"You'd just forgive me, like that?" She asked and Barbara laughed.

"Nah, you have to grovel first. But you can't do that if you don't talk to me." Barbara said and Lindsay smiled at that. She nodded in agreement.

"That seems fair." She replied. Barbara thumbsed up. Lindsay seemed to consider her choices again, before adding, "I'm willing to try again, as well. Maybe slower but... It's a start."

"In that case," Barbara reached over and took her hand, "I'm willing to try again too."

And they smiled.

- - +1 - -

"You're going to be late!" Gavin exclaimed, patting down Barbara's hair. Mica had done the braiding in it, and Meg had made sure her dress was perfect. The day was going perfectly, besides the fact they were a whole minute late. Barbara wasn't too worried.

"Just wheel me out then!" She exclaimed, batting at him and Gavin suddenly remembered that was something he was meant to do.

"Right, come on!" He lifted up his arm, grabbing her and wheeling her out of the small cave. There was already a small crowd, their wooden and plastic chairs arranged into a ceremony on opposite sides. The Mer sat on one side, humans on the other. Barbara caught sight of Lindsay, dressed in a dress similar to hers. Her hair pinned back into a bun, a braid running through it and a small tiara on her head. Barbara openly grinned at her as Gavin waved. They met in the middle.

"Alright, this is not an official service so you get to deal with me." Miles clapped his hands, sat between the two. "You guys promise to love each other until death and whatever, right?" He asked and Lindsay reached over to whack him.

"At least do the repeating bit!" Barbara protested. Miles groaned but sat up slightly straighter.

"Right, Lindsay repeat after me." He turned to her, "I promise to love Barb' despite all her fishy bits and the weird ways she mates and-"

"Miles you stop right there. I take it back." Barbara interrupted. There was laughter from most of the people sat around and both girls smiled bigger than they thought possible.

"So picky!" He moaned, then he turned serious "Lindsay, do you take Barbara to be your fish bride?"

"I do."

"And Barbara, do you take Lindsay as your human bride?"

"I do."

Miles clapped, "Right, the audience doesn't get to object because you're all pricks. So kiss!" Lindsay picked Barbara up out of her chair, leaning her backwards over her knee as their lips met. Barbara laughed and when Lindsay pulled away her face looked as if it would split if she smiled any wider. Then, Lindsay pulled her in tight, tucking her head onto her shoulder.

"To the future, right?" She asked. Barbara nodded.