A Fishy Tale, The Sequel - Fanfiction for H2O Just Add Water

Chapter 112

Chapter 112

It felt strange to return to everyday routine. Some of the children, particularly Ariana and Jennifer, were very excited to start school for the year, after their long adventure. By the time they returned home, they had missed most of the first week back. The families decided that it would be best to let the children miss the Friday, and start up again on Monday. This would give them time to recover and enjoy being home together. Everyone was amazed at how long it had felt since they had been home – in reality the detour only made the trip a week longer than planned, but it honestly felt like a month. This was likely because the time was so emotionally draining for them all.

While it was strange to be home, there was an atmosphere of genuine appreciation in the village; everyone knew that everything could have been very different. The mothers took more time and extra care tucking their children in at night, and spent more time with their husbands. There was a sense of joy when everyone greeted each other in the morning, over breakfast in the dining hall.

On the Saturday night, a few days after their return, the boys put on a 'Welcome home' celebratory barbeque, inviting a few friends over. Alan and Jessie were there, as well as the Jacksons -Fred, Kelly and their son Perry. Everyone socialised and played a few games of soccer under the summer sun.

OoOoO

The next few weeks were relatively uneventful for the group. Mostly, they were in a rhythm, working and attending school. Anna returned to work a few days after the rest of the girls, her arm still bandaged. When Jessie saw her at work, she tried to persuade Anna against being there so soon.

"Stay home a while longer," Jessie had said, "I can cover for you with Warren, and help with your work,"

"I've told you that you don't need to worry," Anna replied. "This injury was not your fault, and you don't need to make up for it – don't feel guilty for..."

"That's not what this is about," Jessie responded. "You need to rest, to help your body recover – that was a serious arm injury – which you then swam home with untreated – all the way from somewhere between Fiji and New Caledonia!" she added the last part in a harsh whisper.

Anna gave Jessie a look.

"I can cope," she said. "I've already used most of my vacation days and sick leave – I don't want to waste more,"

"Fine," Jessie said. "But let me know how I can help,"

"Okay," Anna said. "You won't be taking any of my clients though – you already have enough on your plate, planning for your wedding,"

"I have everything organised for the wedding," Jessie said with a smirk. "It's only a few weeks away now. You can't use that excuse to get out of help from me," Jessie grinned. "Besides, I've already talked to Warren, and he agreed that you should take it easy for a while. He said that we can also make use of the new interns, if need be,"

OoOoO

Ryan decided to take his time.

There was no need to rush this. He knew that if he tried to expose them now it would backfire. No. He needed to gather all the appropriate evidence and that would take time.

He was going to get his proof, and his community would finally believe the truth about mermaids.

OoOoO

The day arrived for Alan and Jessie's wedding.

The ceremony was held in a church on the mainland, with their close family and friends in attendance. Having the wedding inside prevented any potential mishaps regarding weather changes. Alan and Jessie were happy with a simple wedding, just close friends and family in attendance, and a small bridal party. Anna was Jessie's bridesmaid, and Alan's best friend since high school, Tom, was his best man.

Family and friends came in and took their seats. The mer clan took up a few rows of pews, and tried to get their children settled. All of the children were excited to see Jessie and Alan get married. As they waited for the ceremony to start, another familiar face came over to say hi.

"Hello everyone," Linda Denman said.

"Linda," Lewis greeted, "How have you been?"

"I've been well, thank you," Alan's aunt responded. "Honestly, everything has been great since my memories returned the last time I saw you all,"

"Good to hear," Cleo said.

"Thank you for keeping your word, and not saying anything," Lewis said with a smile. "I hear you've also been shutting down other inquiries about the subject also?"

"Of course," Denman smiled. "Family is more important than research discoveries,"

"Indeed," Lewis said.

"Well, see you after the ceremony," Denman said, returning to her seat on the groom's side.

"I still find it weird that she's on our side," Rikki said with a laugh, "Even after so long,"

"Yeah – it's definitely a blessing," Lewis said with a smile.

Outside the church, Anna, Jessie, and the rest of the bridal party were getting ready to go in.

"I get to marry my best friend!" Jessie exclaimed excitedly. Anna grinned and squeezed Jessie's hand encouragingly.

"I'm so happy for you, Jess" Anna said.

"Ready?" Anna asked.

Jessie nodded energetically. She took a deep breath and took her father's arm.

"Let's do this," Jessie said.

With that, the church doors opened and the wedding procession made their way in.

Alan stood at the altar, beaming at his bride. Jessie felt her eyes welling up, overwhelmed by how happy she felt.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to..." the pastor began. The ceremony was beautiful and everyone could see how deeply in love Jessie and Alan were with each other.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride," the pastor announced.

With this, Alan drew his wife in for a kiss. The audience erupted with applause, hooting, and hollering.

A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry that the update took a while, and that the chapter is a little shorter than normal - it just felt like a good place to stop :) Still super busy, but as always, I'll update when I can :)

Thank you for continuing to read my stories, and sorry that the gaps between updates are really long. Some day, I'll have more time lol :P

Thank you so so much to the following people for commenting - I seriously appreciate every comment, and it motivates me to continue writing my stories. Thank you for the encouraging words.

girlygirl01052004, Nancymer172, Trouble-neglects-me,  softballgirl214, theblackandredwolf, GiverofLove552, xPatheticallyx

Love you guys,

See you next time!