Another Piece Of Paradise Chapter 2 free porn video

Another Piece of Paradise By JJ This is a work of fiction (unfortunately). It may also contain themes and opinions that some may find objectionable. If you are not of the age to be able to view such things, then stop now. I'm writing in the universe of Patricia's "Changes in Paradise." If you have not read her magnum opus, and are interested in mermaids, then you should go right over to Fictionmania.tv and read it post haste. This story assumes that you have some understanding of her fantastic vision of mers, but I've tried to explain some things about her universe. I'd like to thank her for expending so much time, energy, and thought on her story; it's what inspired me to start writing. I'd also like to thank her for her permission to write in her domain, and her outstanding suggestions and ideas for the story. I'd like to thank Len and Patrick for their input and work proofreading my grammar and spelling. Several of Patricia's characters enter the story here, as a result of her larger narrative meant for the incomplete Changes in Paradise Chapter 18. As with Patricia's story, when you see a character's speech surrounded by brackets [word], they are using CHEW to mentally communicate. This chapter is dedicated to the memory of Patrick. He was the editor for Changes in Paradise and Part 1 of Another Piece of Paradise. Swim free sir. I've tried to contact Patricia through the channels I have, and she has not responded in over a month as of this story's posting. I can only hope that she is okay, and that this part, should she read it, meets with her approval. Chapter 2 "Try it again," Sarah urged. The new pod floated above the grotto where they'd all changed, all facing inwards about five feet apart. Their pod leader had decided that they needed to figure out communication with their headpieces. Telepathy sounded like a big advantage at this point. "Try saying something between just the two of us," she said to Jenna. Jenna looked over her podmate again. Sarah's long brown hair floated out like a halo around her. Jenna's gaze flowed down her body, past her breasts and toned abs, down to where Sarah's silver and blue tail, fringed in pinks, slowly moved back and forth, light shimmering and reflecting along her so-soft scales and fins. Her flukes and smaller fins moved subtly, holding her position in the water column. The motion only served to heighten the shimmering effect. Jenna smiled at her beautiful pod-mate. It was hard to believe that less than 72 hours before, the young, sexy mermaid that floated before her had been a middle-aged business executive. Indeed, less than a week ago, Jenna herself had been human, with no real interest in Sarah. Now, she was intensely attracted to this beautiful creature floating in front of her. "You're pretty," Jenna said aloud with a mischievous grin. "Will you please focus?" Sarah said as she blushed at the compliment. In the two plus days since Sarah had finished changing, her pod mates had showered her with love and affection, and she was still getting used to it. "I can't help it!" Jenna protested. "Josh, can you be serious for a minute so we can get this?" Sarah said exasperated. "Okay," Josh said. He pushed out all of his air in a stream of bubbles and concentrated on feeling his gills refill his chest as a way of centering himself. He started by trying to simply throw words in his head in Sarah's direction. HEY SARAH! he yelled in his mind, brow furrowed in concentration. Man you've got a great rack. He thought with as lecherous a voice as he could muster in his head. It would have been fun to see her reaction to that, but it wasn't getting through. Just thinking the words in the general direction of the mer he wanted to converse with wasn't enough. He found himself mentally stretching, trying to figure out a pathway for his thoughts to get to Sarah's mind. Of course, the mer-bonds! He thought. Closing his eyes, he tried to feel the ties that reached between himself and his three wives. He felt it, the bond between their four souls manifested as unconditional love. It was wondrous, that feeling of being loved, treasured, and desired. He visualized the bonds back to each of his pod mates as beams between them, following it back to their bodies, and feeling each of their emotions reverberate back along the beam. Jenna's upbeat outlook and desire to skip this exercise and go play, Sarah's determination to figure out communication, and Manami's concern over what communicating between their minds would mean. Josh paused. We don't consider her enough, do we? He thought. Josh made a note that he'd have to talk to Jenna and Sarah about that. Manami might go along to get along, but that didn't mean that she should be steamrolled in decision making. He was still figuring out balancing attention and the dynamics of being a husband to three mermaids. He just wanted to do right by all of them. Anyway. Got to concentrate now. Refocusing on his goal, he concentrated on their bonds, and then visualized sending words down each beam. He sent the words that felt right: [I love you all so much.] Jenna was watching Josh's face as he concentrated on communicating with them. He closed his eyes, and she wondered if he was trying to use the Force or something, then she actually felt a tingling through her mer senses. It was like she was more plugged into him, specifically, maybe like he was probing her? Then the words formed in her mind, in his voice even! [I love you all so much.] Jenna started, Manami put her hand to her mouth, while Sarah just looked relieved. "How'd you do that?" Sarah asked after a moment. [Well, first, I visualized the bonds between us as sort of beams, then, I just thought about the words traveling along them.] Josh shrugged. [I was first just trying to throw words out to you, and that didn't work.] "We love you too, by the way," Manami added with a smile. "Okay, let me try." Sarah closed her eyes and concentrated on her bonds. She visualized her bond to Josh first, then tried to move words down that bond. [Do you hear me?] she sent. [Yes, I can hear you,] Josh replied. [Keep practicing. It's getting more automatic every time I do it.] [Can everyone hear me?] came Jenna's mind voice. [Yes, I can,] Manami agreed. [Let's all back up from each other, try to figure out our range.] Sarah said as she waved her tail to move backwards. Jenna backed away with Sarah, Josh backed off in the opposite direction, and Manami followed him. She swam forward as he swam back, a slight smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. He smiled back as he turned and fell in beside her as they swam away. [Can you hear me now?] came Sarah's call over their mental channel. [Yes, we can,] Manami replied, taking Josh's hand as they swam towards one of the openings between the islands making up the atoll. [We're going to head out of the lagoon,] Josh said casually over their new channel. Manami gave him a worried look. "It'll be alright," he said aloud. "We need to find out how far these things go." "I don't know..." Manami fretted. "It'll be fine. There is nothing out there that we can't outswim," he reassured her. "You don't know that," Manami said. "We'll have to go beyond the lagoon to get their island sometime. I also want to scout the outside of the atoll," he argued back. [We'll head out too.] came Sarah's reply over the telepathy. Josh guided Manami out through the southeastern gap in the rock and coral ring created by the islands in the atoll. After only about 30 meters of shallows, the sea floor quickly dropped away, coral giving way to darkness as they passed into the open ocean. Josh could sense Manami's heart pounding as she saw the fish and other creatures hug the coral along the nearly vertical slope of the undersea mountain the atoll sat upon. She was trying to appear confident, but she couldn't hide her fear. [Okay, we're out beyond the atoll. How are you guys doing?] Josh asked. [Uh, okay,] came Jenna's voice, sounding distressed. [Is something wrong? What's going on?] he demanded. He tensed, getting ready to charge to the rescue. [No, it's fine,] Sarah came back. [We just ran into some currents once we got into the outer reefs. How are you guys?] [It just drops off here about 30 meters from the entrance,] Manami replied. [We can't see the bottom, but it's calm.] [Okay, we're going to explore here for a while,] Sarah replied. [Manami, you can head back to the lagoon if you want. Josh can meet us on this side.] [I think Josh and I will hang out here for a while,] Manami shot back, a little miffed. Josh smirked at that. [Okay.] Sarah half chuckled over the link. [See you in a few hours then] Manami turned and saw Josh smirking. "What?" she challenged him. "Nothing, nothing at all!" Josh put his hands up in surrender. Manami floated closer to Josh, immediately regretting her bravado. Josh turned and just stared into the abyss that fell away below them. "What are you doing?" she asked. "Can you feel it? There's something down there," he replied, furrowing his brow. Manami tried concentrating on her mer senses, and sure enough, she felt that there was something big, about 50 feet below them, out of sight in the gloom. "What is it?" she asked, reaching out and grabbing Josh's arm. Josh tried to suss out what they were facing. It definitely had a great deal of mass, and was moving slowly in their direction, but it didn't feel long enough or aggressive enough to be a shark. Josh tensed a bit, ready for whatever was heading towards them. Slowly, the huge animal made its way up from the depths. It was languid in pace, and Manami realized that it felt like the animal itself was sluggish, lacking in energy. Their question was soon answered. A massive fish loomed out of the dark deep. It moved its huge, blue-gray body in front of them and presented a profile that for all intents and purposes was a giant, elongated capital "D" with fins on the top, bottom, and left side, with one eye the size of a softball on each side of the massive body. "I think it's a sunfish," Manami said. "A mola mola?" Josh asked. "Yeah," she replied, "this one must have been eating jellyfish and is coming up to warm up. I've never seen one in real life." "Me either. It must weigh at least a ton, it's huge!" Josh said. The mola mola floated upright, looking over them with one eye and towards the coral reef behind them. Suddenly, dozens of fish swarmed from amongst the coral, whooshing past Josh and Manami and towards the sunfish. They swarmed over and pecked at the giant's body, stripping away the parasites and dead skin from the visitor. A few of the fish stopped and "sniffed" at the mers, but finding nothing to peck at, turned back to the mola mola so as not to miss any of the feast. Manami released her grip on Josh's arm and floated in front of him, rising so they faced eye to eye. She hugged herself to him and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. "Everything all right?" he asked. "I am just trying to keep up with you three. Plus, I wanted you all to myself for a while too," She smiled shyly. "I haven't really had that since I changed." "I've been worried about that since I realised that I'd be the mate for all three of you." Josh released his air in a stream of bubbles, shaking his head. "You have been wonderful. Sarah and Jenna make it clear when they want you alone, and I will too," Manami stated. She smiled as she rested her head on his chest. They hung in the water for a moment, Manami listening to Josh's slow, steady heartbeat. It was so strong and stable, more so than an ordinary human. It felt like something immensely powerful at rest, but it could unleash that power at a moment's notice. "Come on," she said, taking his hand, "let's go take a look around this side of the atoll," The two mers swam off hand in hand. Jenna shot through an opening in the coral, the fast currents that switched direction with the waves boosting her through the narrow gap, completing that section of the underwater obstacle course she and Sarah had found in the shallow northern reefs of the atoll. A moment later, Sarah shot through the same opening, timing her charge with the next wave to boost her speed. "Admit it. That was fun," Jenna chided as they used their tails to hold position in a slightly calmer area, bobbing up and down in the action of the waves. "Alright, it was fun," Sarah replied. "But couldn't you have waited to figure out whether one of these currents was going to smash you into the reef?" "It was fine, I could feel how the currents and reefs were going," Jenna said, gesturing left and right with her hand to illustrate the twists and turns in the reef they'd just gone through. "Just be careful okay? I know we're all excited, but I don't want to explain to Josh and Manami how you made yourself into a grease stain," Sarah chided. "Is that it, or could you just not bear the thought of living without me?" Jenna teased. "Well, that too," Sarah blushed. "I bet we have a moment before we need to meet them," Jenna said. "I get the feeling she wants him alone for a while." Sarah didn't say anything, she just took Jenna's hand and led her underneath a coral overhang that acted as an eddy in the fast currents. Jenna let her momentum carry her directly into a kiss as Sarah turned back to her once they arrived. They wrapped their tails around each other, light flashing chaotically as they intertwined them and ran their hands up and down each other's torsos in a frantic expression of affection. Sarah broke the kiss first and dropped her head to Jenna's nipples, sucking and nibbling as the younger mermaid moaned in pleasure. Jenna thrust her chest up to meet her mouth, her hands heading down Sarah's torso towards the line where human skin met scales. "No," Sarah lustily said. "I'm playing with you. You can play later." Sarah continued her assault on Jenna's chest, while her left hand batted away Jenna's and her right plunged to the pink-tailed mermaid's vent. "Open up." Jenna relaxed her tail and felt her pelvis and the remnants of her hips rotate out, the closest she could get to spreading her legs, her vent opened and she cried out under Sarah's continued ministrations. She orgasmed once, then twice, crying out each time under Sarah's ministrations. She couldn't hold herself back anymore and turned the tables on Sarah, flipping the older mermaid onto her back and diving for her vent with her tongue to ravish her sister-wife. Josh and Manami swam around the outside of the atoll, using their mer senses to scout the sheer drops of the outer edge of the atoll. Shoals of hundreds of fish species moved in and around the corals jutting out from the cliff. Josh felt like he needed to burn some energy, so he sped up, pulling a loop in the water, swimming in circles around confused fish, doing barrel rolls around Manami, and more loops around coral outcroppings as she looked on with a bemused smile. [What are you doing now?] she asked over their mental channel. "I'm having fun," he said aloud as he settled back down to swimming beside her. "I was never been able to run as fast as I can swim now. I can maneuver myself like a fighter plane in the water!" He punctuated the statement with another roll. "Are you sure you aren't just showing off for me?" she replied with a smirk. "Maybe that too," he said, sticking out his chest just a little. He'd never felt like he had the looks or a body that he could show off, but the changes, especially from human to merman, had brought out a new confidence in him. It was hard not to be confident when he had three willing and enthusiastic partners, whose attraction for him was so utterly clear through their actions and the bonds they shared. Manami looked back towards the coral wall as she sensed something. There was a gap in the bio-electrical fields from living coral that she could pick up with her mer senses. Josh noticed her attention and felt it too. An opening about ten feet below and 30 feet ahead of them. They cruised at about 40 feet now, so it wasn't any strain on their bodies to dive to the opening. It was a dark cave entrance, about seven feet in diameter. Neither of them could feel any large animals hanging out, and their mer senses could feel the first twenty feel of the old lava tube twist upward and into this part of the atoll from the bio-electrical patterns of the microorganisms that lived further into the structure. "I can go first. It might be a tight fit for you," Manami offered. "Who said we were going in there at all without the full pod for backup? You don't need to prove yourself to us. I hope you can feel that through our bonds," Josh pleaded. "This isn't about proving anything. I'm curious. We can handle this. I can handle this. It will be okay," Manami declared and moved into the opening. Josh could sense how determined she was. He just hoped that she could sense his worry as he followed after her. The cave did twist upward, and inward. At one point it narrowed to where Josh had to squeeze his shoulders in to get through. Manami moved deliberately, often stopping to scratch an arrow leading back to the entrance into the rock with her hard nails and feel out where the tunnels went next with her senses. She marveled that, even in the dark, her eyes could get just enough light to give her an idea of where the tunnel walls were, while her mer senses could map out the routes ahead and provide her a mental image of the arrows she left in the rock that she had scratched clear of organisms. "It seems to go up farther and widen, then, I think the water stops. It doesn't feel like a wall, but I can't sense more than empty space beyond a certain point," she reasoned. "I can tell we don't sense things nearly as well out of the water." "I'm surprised we haven't found anything sleeping in here," Josh added. "Do you want me to take lead in case there's something at the end of the tunnel?" She thought for a moment. "Go ahead. I'll be right behind you." Josh squeezed past Manami and started up the tunnel. Manami left another arrow marker before following him. Going another twenty feet and around a curve, Josh saw faint sunlight in a circle where the water of the tunnel ended. His mer senses could now definitely feel an air-filled space beyond the water. He moved upward slowly, his head surfacing in a cave with a small opening in the roof, about ten feet above the water. The chimney looked like it turned 90 degrees before opening to the air, the sun only streaming in faintly. There was about a ten foot square shelf covered with sand next to one side of the tunnel entrance he floated in, and another shelf about half as large behind him as he turned around, although far less sand had blown in through the chimney to cover it. "Oh wow," Manami said as she surfaced and looked around. She squeezed past Josh in the narrow opening and hauled herself onto the shelf. "Come join me Josh," She patted the sand next to her with a mischievous look. "What a great find!," he said as he pulled himself out of the water. "We might be on the same island as our campsite. It?s definitely rocky enough to have a cave like this hiding in it." Manami felt a little buzzed from the excitement of exploring the tunnels and finding a little secret grotto. She?d share it with Jenna and Sarah, of course, but for now it was for her and Josh to have to themselves. She rolled from her front to her side, thrusting her chest up enticingly, propping up her head with one hand, running her fingertips along the purple edge of a pelvic fin with the other, gently swishing her fluke in the sand, looking up at Josh as he stood up on his flukes to get closer to the opening. "Josh," she said quietly, her eyes lidded slightly. Her excitement from finding the cave was starting to become another kind of excitement as she looked at her merman. They did have some time alone, after all. Her tail?s bioluminescence started up, a slow rhythm of flashing silver light rolling from her waist down her tail, reflecting around the chamber, becoming faster as she aroused. He?d been trying to see how large the entrance to the mouth at the top of the cave was and how much of an overhang it had to keep the opening hidden from someone walking on the surface when he heard her voice. More than that, he felt the change in her demeanor. Even apart from the bonding, he could always tell when the ardor of one of his wives was up. When he?d first met Rose, she?d had a distinctive smell when he was up close. Now, it was a natural perfume that always tickled the edge of his consciousness, and inflamed his passions when his wives were in the mood. Mermaid pheromones were powerful things, as he?d learned first hand. He looked and saw her face, her chest, her tail?s light, and decided that the cave opening could wait. He lowered himself back down to his front and salamandered over to her. His own tail began to luminesce as he pressed against her and kissed her as Manami rolled onto her back. He opened his vent and entered her. "Give me a baby," she gasped, as he wrapped his tail around her and began thrusting. Manami was content to let Josh do the work this time. When they were in the vertical in the water, she would often push back against him or kiss him. Not here. She let her head fall back and closed her eyes, riding the sensations rolling through her. She lay her arms back, hands above her head, luxuriating the feeling of being loved by her husband. Josh grasped her hands, bracing against her, trying not to lose control and hurt his mate. Manami felt herself be pressed into the sand, she felt overwhelmed by Josh?s strength. Her release built inside her, faster and faster, but she couldn?t thrash around with Josh holding her tail and hands. With no way to release her tension, she built to orgasm faster than usual. She clutched Josh inside her and screamed her pleasure, feeling her breasts let down and release their milk. Josh didn?t slow down, continuing to thrust into her in his own ardor. He heard and felt Manami scream and clamp down a second time. That pushed him to the brink of coming himself. Growling to focus himself and hold off just a bit longer, he kept stroking into Manami. Manami couldn?t help herself, she had just orgasmed for a second time and she just wanted more. She heard Josh growl, he must be close, she felt herself building again, she hoped Josh came this time, she wasn?t quite sure if she could withstand a fourth time. Hearing Manami scream for a third time, Josh couldn?t hold back anymore, he raised his head and roared as he came into Manami. Coming down from their peak, Josh released Manami?s hands, panting as he twitched in a few aftershocks, Manami was still clamped down on his member, her eyes shut, lower lip quivering, exhausted by their encounter. He put one arm around Manami?s shoulders and used the leverage of his wrapped tail to roll Manami with him, staying inside her as he rolled both of them to their sides. Manami used his bicep as a pillow, and he kissed her head, and the two mers fell asleep entwined in each other?s arms. "Holy crap," Sarah said as she and Jenna held each other. They each expelled bubbles and let their gills refill their oxygen quickly in the closest approximation of panting possible underwater. "I love you," Jenna responded. She combed her fingers through Sarah's chestnut hair as she hugged her. "I love you too. I?d ask when that happened, but really, we know, don?t we?" Sarah responded. "Yeah," Jenna said. "I felt bonded to you more and more after I changed, especially when you started drinking milk from me, but you changing made me really want you, you know, sexually," she emphasized the point with a nip on Sarah's nipple. "Hey!" Sarah jumped, then giggled. She thought to herself. "If we?re going to do that, let?s go somewhere a bit calmer. Better yet, how about we find Josh and Manami?" "Okay," Jenna pouted, then, with an impish smile said "Since when do you giggle?" "I don?t, or at least I didn?t," she replied. "I?m just more relaxed, at peace, than I?ve ever been. Since I changed, I finally feel like I can let my guard down in a way I was never able to in my old life." "Good. Now, let?s get our mates and see if they found anything interesting. I get the feeling they spent their time alone the same way we did though." Jenna smiled and floated off before powering away to the east into the currents toward the nearest break in the ring of the atoll to get back into the lagoon. [Gosh, if only I?d thought that,] Sarah sent mentally, adding a sardonic edge to her voice as she smiled and followed Jenna. She started reaching out to Josh and Manami. [Manami, did you and Josh find anything?]. Mental silence was the only response. She kicked harder, reaching a break in the atoll further east than the one they?d exited, not too far from the start of the sea grass plain. It was a tight fit through, the break being not much more than a deep creek or stream at high tide like it was now, and able to be jumped by someone on foot at low tide. Sarah kicked harder, moving to get through the passage and into the lagoon. Maybe the signal didn?t work as well moving through shallow water? [Jenna, can you hear me?] she sent a test as she reached the exit and saw Jenna about twenty yards ahead in the lagoon. [Yeah. You come in loud and clear,] Jenna replied. [I can feel their signals, they?re on the opposite side of the lagoon, but they aren?t answering.] Sarah?s mental voice had a drop of worry to it now. [JOSH! MANAMI!] Jenna sent out in what felt like the mental version of yelling. Pouring all of her concentration to "boost the gain," as it were. "I?m worried too, Jenna." Sarah put a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her a bit. "But the fact that we can feel their signals means that they?re alive. Let?s follow them, and see if they need help." "How do you know that? What if there are residual signals after death?" Jenna?s anxiety was spiking, and beginning to bleed over to Sarah too. "I need you to get a grip," Sarah said, turning Jenna to face her and putting both hands on her shoulders. "I feel that fear too. That thought that we just started this family and now we can?t find half of it, but we can?t let that overcome us. We will find them, but losing our shit won?t help." Jenna exhaled in a cloud of bubbles and tried to push her fear aside as she looked at Sarah with her eyes and felt her signal with her mer senses, drawing calm and strength from their connection. For a moment, she noticed something else, but put it out of her mind to focus on the matter at hand. "You?re right. I?m sorry." "It?s okay. These bonds are very powerful, and so far we?ve only gotten the fun parts." Sarah smiled. "We?ll learn to deal with this too. Now come on, let?s start where they went out of the lagoon and follow their signals from there. Jenna and Sarah swam out of the atoll and found themselves at the same sheer drop Josh and Manami had seen the sunfish at. The big fish was long gone, but Sarah and Jenna were awestruck by just how steep and deep the drop off was. They couldn?t sense anywhere near the bottom. "Why would Manami stay out here?" Sarah wondered aloud. "I could feel her determination through her mental connection," Jenna replied. "She is trying to prove that she?s ?mermaid enough? to keep up with us. Josh would go with her to keep her safe." "I just hope they didn?t get trapped somewhere. Their signals seem to be coming from the northwest, around the southwest part of the atoll. Let?s follow along the curve of the atoll and try to pinpoint them," Sarah said as she swam off around the coral reef. Jenna quickly followed. Manami woke from her nap first. She was trapped, wrapped up from the waist down in Josh?s tail with his manhood still pleasurably filling her. His left arm wrapped around her torso just below the level of her breasts while she rested her head on his right bicep. She felt a bit sticky from her own fluids, both milk and, well, other things that had come out of her during their lovemaking. She laid there, enjoying the feeling of closeness with Josh, listening to his breathing, a sound she didn?t often hear in the aftermath of the other sessions she had with her mates, being underwater most of the time. The light was dimmer through the opening in the top of the cave, meaning the sun was lower in the sky than she remembered it being when they?d started. They must have been asleep for at least an hour. She didn?t want to move. She just wanted to stay right here for a while, letting Josh sleep while she listened to his breathing, looked at his slumbering face, his mouth pulled into a slight smile, and felt his warmth and power envelop her. Unconsciously, she?d even "pulled in" her mer senses, just focusing on this small little pocket of the world that she and her mate occupied, and the new life that she hoped was taking hold inside of her. Sarah was getting more and more worried. She could feel Josh and Manami?s signals, they were just above and in front of her, like they were on the island that made up the western part of the atoll. She?d even sent Jenna back into the lagoon to confirm that they weren?t there. [Maybe they?re on the island, and they can?t hear us because this telepathy only works underwater,] she sent to Jenna. [That must be it,] Jenna replied. [Why don?t we both head onto the island and meet in the middle? That?s the only place they could be.] [Alright, I?ll see you there,] Sarah said before kicking towards the shallows above her. Sarah swam up over the lip of the drop off, into shallower water of coral mounds with channels of sandy bottom in between. Surfacing on the southwestern beach, she salamandered up the beach and into the scrub, finding paths where she could and using her hands to push brush aside and flattening it with her tail when she couldn?t. She could feel Jenna getting closer, and kept pushing to where she felt Josh and Manami?s signals. After about half an hour of struggling through the undergrowth, she arrived where she thought she could feel her missing mates' signals. There was a small mount covered in sand to her left, so she tried to crawl on top to get a better look. Pulling her torso up, she could see bushes rustling and hear cursing as Jenna struggled through the undergrowth. "Up here!" she called. She saw the top of Jenna?s head pop up. Hair tangled with twigs and with a look of frustration. "I'm starting to miss my legs now!" Jenna called back. She resumed struggling until she reached the base of the mound Sarah was stationed on. "Alright," Jenna said as she caught her breath. "Where are they? I can feel them close by, but they?re not here." "It?s like we?re right on top of them," Sarah said, frustrated. Jenna looked at her, then they both looked down at the sand-covered mound Sarah sat on. Jenna salamandered around the mound, looking for an entrance. She spotted a small horizontal opening on the western side, so she reached in and started digging, knocking some of the sand down into a larger space beyond the hole. Manami thought she heard voices, and pulled out of her daze, she nudged Josh, who awoke and smiled down at her. "Hello beautiful," he said in a drowsy voice as he gently touched her cheek with his hand. His head perked up when he heard muffled voices from above. Just then a handful of sand fell from the mouth of the cave and landed right on his head, causing Manami to squeak in surprise. Coming fully awake, he listened and reached out with his mer senses to find out who had dared to intrude on their nap. Another couple of handfuls of sand came down on their heads as Manami closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. He felt two very familiar signals and heard a familiar voice speak. "Hey, there?s, like, a whole cave under here!" Jenna exclaimed. "Are you trying to bury us, or what?" Josh asked. He was only half- kidding. "Are you alright?" Sarah asked. "How did you get in there?" The opening still wasn?t nearly large enough for a mermaid or merman to fit through. "We?re fine. We were having some alone time and fell asleep. There are tunnels underwater from the outside of the atoll, and one of them leads here," Josh answered. Jenna and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "We?ve been calling you through the headbands and going sick with worry when you didn?t answer!" Sarah said angrily. "Then we get to the reef and the closest we could figure out was that you were inside the land!" "I?m sorry," Manami said finally. She felt the echoes of the anxiety and fear Jenna and Sarah had experienced now that she was fully engaging her mer senses. "I just wanted to be alone with him for a while. I didn?t mean to scare anyone." "Can we talk about this face to face, not through a hole?" Josh asked. He hugged Manami to his chest. He couldn?t bear to feel her distress or that of Jenna and Sarah. It got his heart racing, his instincts telling him that his wives would only be this upset if there were a threat nearby, but intellectually, he knew that their distress was based only on emotional responses. He and Manami needed a moment to collect themselves. "Yeah," Sarah said, feeling their distress in turn. The mer-bonding could act like a feedback loop. One person gets upset, so another gets upset, then the whole pod is upset because the others are in distress and it just feeds back into itself. "Let?s meet by the entrance to the tunnels. Where is it?" "It?s about 50 feet deep or so, in the wall of the drop off. Just head straight out and over, we?ll head to the cave entrance. You?ll find us easily from there," Josh answered. "Yeah. Okay," Sarah confirmed, and she and Jenna began retracing Sarah?s path back out to the beach. Josh unwrapped his tail from around Manami, withdrawing himself from her vent with a shiver of pleasure and a quiet gasp from her. His tail had become stiff from being in one position for too long, so he stretched out his tail and torso muscles. Manami sighed and stretched herself. This had been so nice, but her silliness had hurt two people she loved. She?d never have acted so selfishly before. She felt a large, webbed hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Josh?s sympathetic face. "Hey, it?s okay. We are all still getting used to this. We?ll figure out a way for two of us to disappear for a while without freaking out the other two," he smiled. "I know. Come on, let?s not keep them waiting," she sighed as she salamandered over to the water entrance and slipped down headfirst into the tunnel. Josh followed, feeling the water wash the remnants of their lovemaking off of his front and his gills kick in as he re- embraced the briny deep. Water, as always, had more than a physical cleansing effect. The mers felt it as they swam through tunnels and the open ocean. The physical exercise of the act of swimming, moving nearly every major muscle group in their bodies, combined with the greater connectedness brought by the improved functioning of mer senses in the water, released endorphins into their brains. They felt the calming effect as they swam to meet the rest of their pod. Josh and Manami twisted through the tunnels, following Manami?s scratched arrows back through the tunnels to the entrance. They swam lazy circles near the mouth of the caves as they waited for Jenna and Sarah to complete the longer journey across land and over the shallows in the southwest corner of the atoll to the dropoff. Jenna and Sarah moved through the shallows quickly, and the bottom fell away to an abyss of deep blue. They picked up Josh and Manami?s signals and accelerated toward their mates. Sarah sped into and practically tackled Josh. She felt an enormous sense of relief at seeing him. She turned and hugged Manami as Jenna arrived and wrapped herself around Josh and kissed his chest. "Not that I?m complaining, but we were only gone for a few hours," Josh said puzzled. Jenna lifted her head up and lightly slapped his shoulder. "Don?t joke about this! We were freaking out!" "When you didn?t respond over the mental link, we thought you might be hurt, or worse," Sarah explained with a shiver. "We?re all still getting used to the bonding, and like I told Jenna, we?ve only gotten to the fun parts up until now," She kissed Manami?s forehead and stroked her hair. "Okay. I get it, we?ll leave a message next time we go out of the water in a situation that could be trouble," Josh agreed. "So... we were exploring these caves, what were you two doing?" "It turns out, there are lots of channels through the coral in the reefs to the north of the island, and they get some pretty strong currents through them from the waves when the tide is right. It?s fun to shoot through the gaps with the currents!" Jenna said. "It?s fun, but could also be pretty dangerous if we had hit a coral wall in a strong current," Sarah added. "Then we had some girl time..." Jenna said, raising her eyebrows. "Yes, girl time," Sarah smiled at the memories of their liaison. "Well, we found a cave," Manami piped up. "It?s probably big enough for all four of us to hang out in. Josh and I were pretty comfortable." "And what did you do in this cave?" Sarah asked suggestively. "Would you like a demonstration?" Josh asked. "All in good time, honey," Sarah replied. "Let?s start with a tour, okay? That, and I?d like to get out of the open ocean." "Come on, it?s through this opening," Manami broke away from Sarah and swam into the tunnels, followed by Jenna and Sarah, with Josh bringing up the rear. Manami kept a steady pace as she navigated the twists of the tunnel system. [Did you find any big animals in here?] Jenna asked over their connection. [No, which surprised us. I would have thought something would have wandered in here to sleep. Some sharks will go into a torpor during the day, and the entrance area could have held one or two,] Josh replied. [Even with our senses, it would be very easy to get lost in these tunnels,] Sarah said worriedly. [That?s why I marked walls to show the way back out,] Manami responded. [Though there are microorganisms already filling in where I scratched them off. If we want to keep coming back, we?ll probably have to think of something more permanent. Last turn here.] She went around the final curve and up through the opening into the cave. Manami left the water to make room for the rest of the pod behind her. Jenna stopped in the opening and looked around, with Sarah surfacing beside her. "Definitely cozy," Jenna remarked. "Not sure I?d want to call it home, but if there?s a really nasty storm, this would make a good shelter." She hauled herself out next to Manami on the large shelf, and Sarah moved in beside her to make way for Josh in the small pool. Josh surfaced and floated vertically in the water while the mermaids dried out in the sand. "How hard was it to find from above?" "If we hadn?t been able to sense you, we wouldn?t have found it," Sarah responded. "The mound is covered with sand, and there?s an overhang that makes it even harder to see the opening. If there were a bush or something in front of it, it?d be pretty much invisible unless someone knew what they were looking for." "Good," Josh said. His head lowered as he thought for a moment. "What?" Jenna asked. "He wants to hide this place, so we can have somewhere to go in case we need to be invisible," Sarah realized. "That plane that flew over... " Manami said. "I?ve been thinking. It wasn?t a commercial airliner, it was a Gulfstream. Unless they were a private plane that was REALLY off course, I?d bet it was an intelligence agency surveying the area," he said with a sigh. "And we were all laid out on the beach, practically posing for the camera," Jenna groaned. "Could they see us well from the air?" Manami asked. "The U.S. has cameras they put on satellites that can read car license plates from orbit. They could probably count the scales on our tails once they got the pictures back to the CIA, or the National Reconnaissance Office, or wherever," Josh said. "We don?t know that it?s the U.S. It could be Australia, Japan, China, anyone with interests in the South Pacific," Sarah said. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Josh and Sarah stared at each other in worry, while Jenna and Manami lay against each other lengthwise, holding hands, Jenna entwined the end of her tail around Manami?s, while Manami lay her head on Jenna?s shoulder. "Way to kill the mood guys," Jenna said with a smile. "Hmpf," Josh softly huffed. "What do you say we get out of here? It?s getting late in the day, we should head back inside the atoll before it gets any darker. I don?t know what comes out at night on these reefs, and I?m not sure I want to find out while I?m worrying about you three." "We can swim almost as fast as you, thank you very much; but your protection is appreciated," Jenna smiled. "Can you find this place again Manami?" Sarah asked. "Yeah, I think so," she replied with a smile. "Just tell the rest of us if you?re coming here, please," Sarah cautioned. "I really don?t want to feel the way I felt when Jenna and I couldn?t find you two again," her mask of calm slipped at the memory of the panicked feeling she?d suppressed earlier. Josh glided over to where Sarah lay and took her hand, smiling lovingly at her. "Okay. We?ll let you know if we do something like this again. I?m sorry, I love you," he said to her. She leaned down and kissed him, slipping her tongue into his mouth. "If you get killed and I have to turn into a guy, I will kick your ass," Jenna joked. "You?" Manami asked, surprised and worried. "Not that I?m planning on it," Jenna assured her. "Well, we have to keep him alive now, losing those boobs would be criminal," Sarah said with a playful smile. "Can we plan my untimely death after dinner?" Josh asked. "I?m actually getting hungry." "Okay, we?ll feed you. Turn your butt around and head out of the tunnel, we?ll be right behind you," Sarah ordered. Josh smiled at the mermaids, flipped in the small pool, and slipped down the tunnel, slowly cruising his way out. "So," Sarah said as she salamandered in front of Manami and Jenna. "Did you enjoy your alone time with him?" A bright, almost cherry red blush appeared from Manami?s forehead to her nipples. "Yes," she said sheepishly. "I just hope we made a baby." "Isn?t she just so cute when she blushes?" Sarah said. "Oh I could just eat her out," replied Jenna. "Don?t you mean eat her up?" Sarah came back. "That too," Jenna said with a sultry tone. She and Sarah burst out laughing as Manami blushed even harder and shyly looked away. "There may be more to making a baby than just sex with mermaids," Sarah cautioned. "Otherwise, we?ll all be pregnant, all the time. I wouldn?t want to be pregnant all the time, and I don?t think the other mermaids are." "Besides that, we want details, girl!" Jenna teased, nudging Manami with her elbow. "Got any fun sex tips for Sarah and me?" Manami sighed. "Miki asked me the same thing after I told her I?d had sex with my first boyfriend. Okay, I?ll tell you the short version," she said. Josh circled around the opening to the cave, getting a sense of the water around him. His mind whirled through possible implications and scenarios arising from the flyover while he waited for his wives. What if they sent the freaking Navy SEALs after his pod to capture them? Josh, like most Americans, had been raised to respect the military as heroes, and they were. Special Forces like the SEALs were held in awe. The image of legendary warriors, 10 feet tall, practically breathing lighting, striking and fading away without making a sound or leaving a trace was prevalent in American society. He thought back to a recruiting commercial that had been on TV when he was younger, that started with a view of a moonlit beach looking out to sea, the moon passing behind a cloud, and emerging after a few seconds and illuminating sets of footprints on the previously pristine beach, made by SEALs exiting the water silently and moving inland to bring down righteous justice on the enemies of freedom. How do I protect them from that? He worried. He was far stronger than a normal human. He?d killed a huge tiger shark in one hit. He remembered that he had a paralyzing barb tucked away at the end of his tail, though he hadn?t used it yet. What good would those do against a 5.56mm round from an M4 carbine? [Is the coast clear out there Josh?] came Sarah?s mental voice as she entered the water after Manami and started down the tunnel. [Yeah, it?s all quiet. Just the usual big fish like groupers and whatnot,] he replied. Pushing his fears deep down to keep from worrying the girls, he tried to focus on the bonds he shared with them. Those feelings were calming. Better for his state of mind than relaxing with a fine whiskey on the balcony of his old apartment listening to one of the frequent rain storms in Singapore. He waited a few minutes and saw his wives emerge from the tunnel entrance. [Everyone ready?] he asked. [Let?s go. We?ll even get the food this time, you just relax. You clearly exhausted yourself today,] Sarah said with a roll of her eyes. She and Manami swam by smiling and holding hands. Jenna kissed his cheek as she passed by and followed them. Josh felt like he?d missed some important conversation back in the cave. He just accepted that they were way ahead of him again, and swam off for the entrance to the lagoon, ready for dinner, and whatever other activities they could get up to that evening. A few days later, the pod was out collecting breakfast, and Sarah had a thought as she pried oysters from an outcropping. [Hey, random question, but does anyone still have a passport or anything with our old clothes? My purse was lost in the crash, but I had a backup passport and some cash in a zipper belt I was wearing with my clothes,] she sent to her pod mates who were gathering food around the lagoon. [My wallet went to the bottom with my purse. It had my driver?s license and passport. Nothing to find,] Jenna replied. [The same,] Manami replied. [Miki?s would have been with her too. So there would be nothing to link back to me here,] she thought sadly. [My wallet was still in my shorts. I remember putting it in the raft somewhere when we found out we were staying here. I haven?t thought of it since,] Josh said with a mental smile. [Yeah, funny how things like that lose their importance,] Jenna replied. [What?s a zipper belt Sarah?] Manami asked. [A trick I learned about the hard way after I had my purse snatched in Kuala Lumpur. I was left with no money, plane tickets, or passport before cell phones were popular. I had to beg for a ride to the U.S. Embassy and sweet talk the Marine guard outside and was stuck in the temporary embassy housing since I?d already checked out of my hotel,] she remembered. [Oh that sucks,] Josh said. [How long did it take you to get a new passport?] [Four damn days. I was able to use the phone at the embassy to call credit card companies, my company, and the airline and get things straightened out. Those bastards put $10,000.00 on my credit cards before they were cancelled!] she exclaimed. [Anyway, the belt has a zipper along the side that faces your waist that no one can see when you wear it. I have $500.00, an extra passport, a spare debit card, and a credit card just in case anything like that happened again,] she explained. [Not going to lie, for just a second, I thought ?Oh, that?s a great idea! I should get something like that when I get home.?] Josh laughed over the mental link as he plucked a huge scallop from the sandy bottom. He heard "laughter" over their telepathy. [I?ve done that too a few times, don?t worry,] Sarah replied. [Before we go down that conversational rabbit hole, the reason I asked about IDs is that if someone comes for a visit, they?ll find the campsite, and I don?t want them to find anything that can be linked back to us. No reason to give them any more information, even if Josh and I don?t really look like our ID photos anymore,] Sarah explained. [Yeah. Good idea. We can move them to the cave,] Josh thought back. [How about we eat at the campsite, pick them up, and look around for anything else?] Manami suggested. [Deal,] Sarah said. [I think I?ve got enough, I?ll meet you guys there.] Josh picked through odd clothing items, survival food bar wrappers, and even a couple of unused flares in the emergency supplies inside the raft. At last, he found his wallet and passport. They were badly damaged from the salt water. He peeled the wallet open and found his driver?s license, insurance cards, employee ID, credit cards, and the remains of the ticket from a memorable college football game that he?d kept as a souvenir. The polymer Singapore dollars he carried for cash had survived fairly well, though. He looked at his passport photo. He could just about make out his image. That life felt a million years ago, when in reality it was only five weeks or so since he?d boarded that plane. He turned and clambered out of the raft, whose entrance was definitely not tail- friendly. He salamandered up to the survival belt Trevor had left. He?d kept it hanging on the lean-to, because it slowed him down in the water. Now, he clipped it around his waist so it could be moved to the cave for safer keeping. Sarah had found her old skirt and was showing Manami and Jenna the belt where she kept her emergency stash. "Who is this old woman?" Sarah joked as she held up her passport photo. She kept looking and found her spare credit card. "Who wants to go shopping? My treat!" "Shoes!" Jenna said as she laughed. "Hong Kong has some great shoe shopping," Sarah said. "Though I am NOT springing for the thousand-dollar Manolo Blahniks." "Forget shoe shopping. We should hit up Manami?s neck of the woods, grab a bullet train, and go to Akihabara in Tokyo. I really want to build a new computer," Josh suggested. "You do that, the girls and I will go to Tokyo Disney! My parents took us there for my birthday one year and I?d love to go back," Manami joined in. They all shared a laugh as they looked over the last detritus of their old lives. They each felt waves of nostalgia, but they also felt the wonderful bonds of the present. "No regrets," Jenna said. "No regrets," Josh agreed. Sarah sighed. "No regrets," she admitted, smoothing back her long brown hair. "Been only five days, but yeah, no regrets." "Just one," Manami said. "But with any luck, her spirit will be reborn soon," she held her hand to her abdomen. "We didn?t mean..." Jenna trailed off. "I know you didn?t," Manami reassured them. "I like to think I would have chosen this. Nothing could have kept Miki away from this." "Just because we don?t have regrets, doesn?t mean we didn?t leave things behind," Sarah said. "Ever since I moved to Singapore, I?ve missed my Mom's homemade mac and cheese. She would crumble Ritz crackers and mix them with a little melted butter before putting them on top of the macaroni in a casserole dish and bake it until it had a perfect crispy top," Josh said as he smiled. "Oh hell, dairy products in general," he admitted. "My Dad made the best barbeque ribs every summer. The smell as they smoked for hours in his pit over wood chips was better than any restaurant I?ve ever eaten at," Sarah said. "He would only pass the rub and sauce recipes down father to son, so my brother got them, but not me!" "The takoyaki fried octopus balls from food vendors in Osaka were just so good," Manami remembered. "They had a little crunch from the tempura bits, and this great savory flavor. I?d get some every time we went to Osaka for my father's business." "Koolickles. I am all about the Koolickles," Jenna chimed in. "What on earth is a Koolickle?" Sarah asked. "Is that what you called lady parts where you?re from?" Manami giggled. Josh and Sarah burst into laughter. Jenna just gave a mock annoyed look. "You take whole dill pickles and split them in half. Then you strain the spices and bits out of the juice. You add cherry Kool-Aid mix and a cup of sugar to the pickle juice, then stir it up and put the pickles back in the jar and let them sit for about a week," Jenna explained. "Sweet, sour, and salty all in one bite. On a hot summer day on the Gulf, a cold Koolickle out of the fridge was better than ice cream," she closed her eyes for a moment to remember the taste. She opened them to looks of wide-eyed horror on the faces of her pod mates. "I think I?d rather try the octopus balls," Josh said. "Y'all don?t know what you?re missing." Jenna shook her head. "Those are all good memories. Hold onto those; but we?ll make new memories," Sarah said. "Your kids will make memories." "Not your kids?" asked Manami. "Maybe. Someday. Someone has to help out if you two get pregnant at the same time," Sarah said. "Let?s drop this stuff off at the cave, and then figure out the rest of the day," Josh said. "What else are we going to do today?" Jenna asked. "The same thing we do everyday Pinky. Have sex!" Josh said with an especially deep voice. "I get the reference, but call me Pinky again and you?ll find a jellyfish in your vent one morning," Jenna joked. "Ouch. Fair enough," he surrendered. "I'm glad you got the reference, because I didn't," Manami complained. "There was a cartoon show about two talking mice in a lab," Josh explained. "At the start of each episode, one would always ask ?Gee Brain, what are we going to do tonight?? his friend would always answer ?The same thing we do every night Pinky: Try to take over the world!?" "And you thought this was a good pet name for your mermaid lover?" Manami asked. "I never promised that all of my jokes would be funny," Josh folded his arms across his chest. Manami rolled her eyes. Jenna turned towards the water with a satisfied smile on her face. The rest of the pod followed her to head out to their cave buried in the atoll. Josh bolted awake in the darkness. He was floating vertically underwater in the coral grotto he and his wives had transformed in. His mind raced: Why am I standing up? I?m underwater! I?m going to drown! His eyes shot open, his heart pounding, the adrenaline rush pushing him fully awake. He calmed down when he felt the three mermaids cuddled up to him. Manami and Sarah had their heads on each of his shoulders, and Jenna used his broad chest as a pillow. He closed his eyes to concentrate on his mer senses. The bonds between he and his wives calmed him. What the hell was that? It wasn?t the first time in his life he?d woken up in a panic in a relatively new place, his mind having momentarily flashed back to an earlier period of his life. It had happened when he first moved to Singapore, and when he?d gone off to college, and even sleepover camps as a child. But he?d been on the island for over a month. It hadn?t happened when he?d been sleeping on the beach. Why was it different now? He kept focusing on the bonds, and felt that Sarah was in a bit of distress. "Don?t do it," she whispered, and her face twisted in pain. Manami and Jenna twitched and made faces signaling their anguish as well. His emotional distress must be influencing them. It was radiating out through the pod and causing sympathetic nightmares. He was just the first to have woken up from it. "Pop-pop don?t go," Jenna murmured. Josh had to stop this. "Hey. Sweetie," he gently shook her shoulder. "Jenna. It?s a dream, wake up," he brushed her cheek with his other hand. He heard Manami awake on one shoulder. "AHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, her eyes wide with terror as she looked up at Josh. Josh put a hand on her shoulder. "It?s alright. It?s just a dream." Sarah woke up with a start, gripping Josh?s shoulder to steady herself. "Oh G-d," she gasped out. Jenna?s eyes were screwed shut, her face had a look of deep grief. "Jenna? Are you okay?" Josh asked. She didn?t answer. [Jenna,] Manami thought to send down their telepathy. "He was. I..." her eyes opened. She had her head turned towards Manami, who saw in her puffy eyes that she had been crying. "Did we all just have a nightmare?" Sarah asked. "Yes, but different," Manami said. "I saw Miki, and she was a mermaid, but not like us," she sobbed. "She was a mix of human with a shark tail, scales all over her whole body, and a mouth full of shark teeth!" she cried into Josh?s shoulder. "I had a moment of panic like I?ve had when I?ve woken up in a new place. I know this place isn?t exactly new, but try telling that to my unconscious," Josh said as she tried to steady himself. "So we did trigger nightmares in each other." Sarah put her forehead on Josh?s shoulder. "We are so far into each others? heads," she exhaled and let her lungs refill. "We really don?t know how deep the bonds go." "Jenna, dear?" Manami said, she was quiet, and hadn?t moved her head off Josh?s chest. "It?s okay. I remembered my Pop-pop, grandfather dying. I was really little, and usually it doesn?t hit me this hard, but the dream was so vivid. Like I was reliving it," she cringed. Josh gathered the women into a hug. They hung there for a moment, taking solace in each other. "Josh, will you... make love to me?" Manami asked. "Now?" Josh asked. "No, she?s right," Sarah chimed in. "The bonds strengthen when we have sex. I can feel it happening. I think we need that comfort right now," she smiled at the memory. Jenna closed her eyes, and ran her hand up Josh?s chest. "Yeah. I just need to be as close to you three as possible. Please." Josh kissed the top of Jenna?s head. She lifted her head up and they kissed on the lips. He broke the kiss and deeply kissed Sarah and Manami. Lights began slowly pulsing from their tails. The four of them made love quietly, without any abandon. The mermaids stayed glued around Josh, only moving to switch places and take their turn in the middle. The four of them were subdued, focusing on taking comfort more than pleasure. An hour later, the four of them fell asleep again, their luminescence died away, leaving the reef in the dark again. Each had a smile on their face. The pod slept until nearly midday. Sarah awoke first, and she felt the need to be especially doting on the younger pod members after the group nightmare. Slipping away from Josh, not easy since she?d fallen asleep in the middle position, she set out to find food. Returning with two arms full of seagrass to start, she found Manami and Jenna awake, but still clinging to Josh. "Is he still asleep?" Sarah asked. "No," he answered and opened his eyes. "I just didn?t want to disturb anyone." "Thank you," Jenna said. She peeled herself off of Josh to eat. Manami followed suit. "Want me to go get some shellfish?" Josh offered. "This is fine. Thank you Sarah," Manami said as she ate. Jenna nodded in agreement. The four of them ate quietly. They stayed in the coral grotto, which felt safe and protective for them. This is where they?d formed their bond. They listened to the flow of the water through the coral, felt the life around them, felt their bonds to each other, and looked up at the diffused sunshine in the water above them. "I don?t think I?ll ever get tired of this," Josh mused as he looked around. Jenna smiled. "Is it everything that you fantasized about?" Sarah asked. "Better," he replied. "I never expected the mer senses or the bonds. I didn?t think it would be so calming to just sit and be here in the ocean. I didn?t think my mind could be so focused and peaceful." "Good," Sarah finished eating. "I?m in no hurry to go anywhere," she stretched out and floated horizontally just off the sandy bottom. Her pod mates nodded their heads in agreement. They felt something on the periphery of the lagoon through their mer senses. At first they were annoyed at something intruding on the lagoon. Then they became concerned. When something, several things, entered the lagoon at high speed. They felt alive, but what could swim so fast? "I?ll check it out." Josh left the grotto, the mermaids moved rocks in front of the entrance behind him while he investigated. He hugged the coral, staying low, then he saw shapes darting along. He heard extremely high pitched squeals and clicks, and he knew what he saw in the distance. Spinner dolphins had returned! [It?s alright,] he sent back to the others. [Our dolphin friends are back.] He felt relief flood back to him along the bonds and the mermaids removed the rocks and joined him. Jenna and Manami streaked past him to greet the dolphins, while Sarah swam up and hugged his left arm. "Just what we needed," she said with a smile as she laid her head against his shoulder and watched the younger mermaids play. Unlike the last time they?d visited, the dolphins couldn?t swim circles around Jenna and Manami. The mermaids were able to keep up with the fastest of the dolphins, even if they couldn?t quite turn with as much precision as their visitors. Manami was doing matching barrel rolls with one of the females. They twisted around a central point in the water, going faster and faster and getting closer and closer, they pulled out of the roll, and crossed in front of each other in the water. As they passed, she reached her hand out and brushed the pectoral fin of her playmate, and a feeling of absolute happiness and joy ran through her mind. Manami was taken aback.The thought had crashed through her mind like a romping, playful puppy. [Did one of you just say something mentally?] she sent to her pod. [No. At least I didn?t hear anything,] Sarah replied. Her underwater acrobatic partner cruised up in front of her, tossing her head and clicking happily in an attempt to get Manami to play again. Manami reached out and touched the female?s head with her hand. Her dolphin playmate was waiting, wanting this fun creature to keep playing. Manami withdrew her hand. She could feel the emotions of the dolphin! [Hey, did any of the mermaids say anything about talking to dolphins with our minds?] [No...] Sarah replied. [Wait there, we?ll come to you.] The dolphin had lost patience with this mermaid who had stopped playing, so she went to the surface to get a breath and find a new playmate. Manami looked at her hand and tried to process what she?d done. She looked up and saw Jenna crash down into the water after she?d imitated the spinner dolphins? namesake leaping corkscrew into the air, then she shot off, giving chase to another dolphin. Josh and Sarah pulled up next to Manami, and a small contingent of the dolphin pod came over to check out this gathering of strange creatures who could swim so fast. "So, what?s this about talking to dolphins?" Sarah asked. "I touched one as we pulled apart from a roll, and I felt her happiness in my head. I felt her thoughts some more when she floated in front of me. She was trying to get me to keep playing with her," Manami explained. Josh reached out to a curious dolphin circling them. It was a juvenile male. His fingers rubbed along the rubber skin of the dolphin?s flank. Feelings and impressions rolled through his mind. Images from the dolphin?s perspective of the male dolphin coupling with a female, coupled with an animalistic drive to mate passed through his mind. Josh pulled his hand away. "Get anything?" Sarah asked. "Yeah. He?s horny, and I think he?s worried about me as a rival," Josh said. "You could take him," Manami joked. "I?d rather not find out, but it?s pretty intense." Sarah floated to the male, who made a long, drawn out squeal, followed by a series of clicks as her hand rested on him for about half a minute. "Whoa!" her eyes went wide as she pulled her hand back. "What?" Josh asked, moving between her and the male. "That is amazing. They focus on different things than we do. He doesn?t seem introspective either. But maybe it?s just because of how ready to go he is. By the way, he?s not just thinking about female dolphins, Josh," she teased. "Really?" He stared down the dolphin, who clicked happily and swam slowly off, his head held high. "I remember reading that bottlenose dolphins will try to mate with humans, but I?d never heard of these spinner dolphins being interested," Sarah observed. "Well, we don?t look like normal humans," Manami said. "He might just be confused." [Manami! Come back out and play before they get tired!] Jenna mentally called after she re-entered the water about 50 yards away after yet another splashdown. [Have you touched one of them yet?] Josh asked. [Not really. Why?] [Just try it, please,] came his response. In the distance, Jenna saw a juvenile female swimming just below her, she reached down and put her hand just in front of his dorsal fin. The bubbly thoughts of the dolphin passed into Jenna?s mind. She saw images of herself jumping earlier with this female alongside her. She was seeing the dolphin?s own memories. She removed her hand. [That?s unreal!] she sent back. [Can the rest of you hear them too?] [Yes. Though Manami discovered it first,] Sarah answered. [I wonder if they?ll understand anything we send,] Josh sent. He kicked slowly to one of the more sedate pod members and gently patted the dolphin, who buzzed and clicked happily at the contact. Josh concentrated, and tried to send memories of the sunfish he and Manami had seen. The dolphin seemed unimpressed. Sunfish were something that they saw fairly often. Josh smiled. It was funny how he could perceive the tone in the dolphin?s thoughts. The last feelings reminded him of a dog tilting its head, not knowing what it was looking at, wondering why the memory of a big, slow fish appeared in his head. Josh figured that he?d try an actual dog. He thought of the labrador he?d left to keep his mother company when he moved to Singapore. Her barking, jumping, tail wagging, jumping into a lake to retrieve a bumper that he?d thrown. He also sent feelings of enjoyment [Friend. Happy.] The dolphin was really confused now. What was this creature? What was the creature it was thinking of? The thing was jumping into water, but it didn?t swim like anything the dolphin had ever seen. Spinner dolphins didn?t usually go close to the coasts, so they didn?t see dogs. The dolphin thought that caution was the better choice and swam away from Josh. He let the confused animal go. "He was unimpressed when I sent him something he was familiar with. Then confused when I showed him a dog playing." "So he did see your thoughts," Manami said. "Rose never mentioned this," Sarah said. "I don?t see any harm in it. It?s cool!" Jenna said as she swam up. Manami felt something on the periphery of her mer senses. It was sort of a wall of static coming towards them. It was a ways off, but it was massive, and heading towards the island. "Hey..." "I feel it too," Sarah said. The mers swam up to the surface and looked around. To the east, they could see bands of dark, angry clouds reaching up into the sky, with the occasional spear of lightning. . "Does anyone have anything they might want from the raft?" Sarah asked. "We moved all of our momentos to the cave the other day," Josh replied. Jenna and Manami nodded agreement. "Okay. Good. Josh, you got the survival belt, right?" She checked. "I did. It?s in the cave for safe keeping," he reported. "Alright. Our first big storm folks. Let?s go to the cave. The entrance is deeper, and I don?t like the thought of the grotto?s coral coming down on us in a storm," She reasoned. "I?ll grab a meal for us on the way there," Josh volunteered. They heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. "I?ll help," Jenna said. "Manami, let?s grab some rocks and mark the path into and out of the cave for when they get back," Sarah said. "Will do," she replied. "Alright everyone. For a place with nothing to do, we?re sure not bored are we?" Sarah joked. The pod laughed, breaking some of the tension. This is one thing they?d wanted from her when they?d asked her to join the pod. They had a concrete plan, and time to execute it. "Let?s go then," She said. The four mers dove from the surface and headed off. They noticed that the spinner dolphins had headed back out of the lagoon to open water as well, getting as far away from land and the storm as possible. The storm rolled in just after dinner. The mers waited out the night in their new redoubt. They could hear the wind howling and the rain hitting the sand, interspersed with lightning flashes and rolling thunder, through the opening at the top of the cave. Josh lay with the mermaids on the larger of the dry cave shelves, awake in the darkness, listening to the breathing of his pod mates. He smiled. Jenna had the cutest snore he?d ever heard. Suddenly, a horrible cracking sound and a loud thump echoed through the cave. The mermaids woke up and Josh rose to a sitting position "I think a tree fell," Josh said as he turned to look at the opening. "Were you awake?" Sarah asked. "Go to sleep." Josh laid down, taking Sarah's advice and falling asleep to the sound of the rain. Dim light filtered through the hole at the top of the cave. The sound of rain hitting the ground and distant thunder filled the room. Jenna woke and sat up. Despite the humidity, her gills still felt dry. She quietly slid into the small pool, submerging herself. She tried to focus her mer senses while she was in the water, but the storm, despite the fact that the strongest part of it had passed, was still throwing what she perceived as static, aside from the bonds between her and her pod mates. Speaking of her mates, she felt Josh stir and move to the water. She moved to the side to let him into the pool. He slid in head first. "Good morning," he said smiling. "Did you sleep okay?" She shrugged. "It was fine, though a little weird. It?s amazing how quickly I?ve gotten used to sleeping underwater." "I?m going to go for a swim. I want to check out the lagoon and see if there?s any damage," he said. "Would you tell them?" his thumb indicated their two sleeping pod mates. "I?m going with you," she said. "They?ll need to get in the water as soon as they wake up. They?ll be able to talk to us as soon as they do. It won?t be like you and Manami going comatose on us out of the water when we had no idea where you were." "Okay. But if Sarah asks whose idea it was, I?m telling her it was you," he said with a smile. "We haven?t had any alone time in a while. Can you blame me?" she asked. She flipped around upside down in the water once Josh swam down the tunnel and swam after him. They followed Manami and Sarah?s rock markers back out, exiting the tunnels, they looked around the reef in the general vicinity. "Thank goodness nothing blocked the entrance," Jenna noted. She and Josh swam east towards the gap into the lagoon. "No kidding. It actually looks pretty intact around here. I would have expected some of the longer spires to break off from the storm currents, but I guess we?re deep enough that it?s not an issue," Josh observed. They did begin to feel some buffeting from the churned up sea when they entered the atoll. The passage was only about 10 feet deep. There was significantly more sediment in the water in the shallows of the sea grass plain. The storm was weakening, and the lagoon wasn?t as choppy, but there was still enough interference that they?d need to visually check the lagoon. They swam for deeper water and headed for the grotto where they?d changed. Along the way, until the water got to 20 feet or so, they saw some pieces of coral laying in the sand that had broken off. Their senses were still full of static, but something was off. Something besides the storm. [Maybe I should have stayed in the cave,] Jenna sent. For some reason, she didn?t want to talk out loud. [You feel it too, huh?] Josh answered. They came upon the grotto, and were relieved to see that it was undamaged. At 35 feet down, it must have been deep enough to not be affected by the churning of the water. Josh felt Jenna?s relief as she entered. There were some small bits mixed into the sand, but no real damage to the latticework of fan coral above them. [Want to get some food and check the campsite?] Josh asked. [Sure!] came her reply. They stuck to the deeper parts of the lagoon, noshing on shellfish as they went. The storm continued to move off, and the lagoon slowly brightened as the clouds thinned, then parted. [Hey, where are you?] came Sarah?s mental voice. [Checking the lagoon and getting breakfast. We?ll bring some back for you. We..,] Josh froze. His mer senses had cleared out enough that the source of the uneasy feeling he and Jenna had felt became apparent. There was something big, something that wasn?t alive, on the surface of the lagoon. It was near their campsite. [You what? Josh? Answer me please,] came the plea from Sarah. [I don?t know if you can feel that, but there?s something in the lagoon. It?s artificial,] he sent back. [Get back here!] Sarah sent. [Jenna, come back here now!] [Dive for the bottom. Stay there,] Josh sent as he did just that. He put a coral boulder between himself and the signal. It was a boat, it had to be. It didn?t feel like a large animal. [On my way to you,] Jenna sent as she zipped low along the bottom. She arrived at Josh?s position and they held hands for a moment to calm each other. [I want to confirm what we?re dealing with,] he sent. Jenna?s eyes went wide, but she remained silent. [Be careful,] came Sarah?s voice. [I can go-] Jenna volunteered. [No!] came the simultaneous thought from both Josh and Sarah. [If something happens, I?ll need backup. Just keep your senses tuned in, okay?] Josh smiled. [Is Manami okay?] he asked. [Yes, she just got into the water with me, I?m telling her verbally what?s going on,] Sarah sent. [Okay. I?m going in,] he sent. He slowly kicked around the boulder and headed toward the object while sticking to the bottom. Sure enough, as he reached within 100 yards of the water?s edge, he found an anchor and chain. He looked up, and sighted a boat. He felt another, smaller vessel half out of the water on the beach. The silhouette of the hull above him didn?t look particularly military, or even high-performance, and was only 50 feet long. [It could be a fishing boat. There aren?t any lines or nets in the water though,] he sent. [Maybe they were just sheltering from the storm,] Manami offered. [Maybe. I want to see them though. I?m going to go up under the boat and stick my head out of the water. I won?t take more than 30 seconds. Any longer than that, and Jenna should swim for it back to the cave and get the cavalry,] he said. [Be careful,] Sarah said. He swam slowly, keeping himself below the dead center of the bottom of the boat. He didn?t sense anything large enough to be a person alive on it, or see anyone?s head sticking over the side. Moving along underneath the boat, he didn?t see cameras or bulges that would indicate sonar or hydrophones that could detect him either. He silently cursed himself for not thinking of that before swimming right up to the damn thing. Keeping his focus, he moved forward. At the bow, he paused. [Okay, head out of the water in 3, 2, 1,] he made sure to steady himself with his hand on the bow and only poked his head up to his eyes above the water line, keeping the boat between him and the shore and peeking around it. The campsite was a wreck. The lean-to was a total loss. There were small bits of debris from within the raft everywhere. A downed palm tree laid across the spot where they?d built fires. The raft was upside down, blown up and hanging from the canopies of three other palms, the contents, which thankfully weren?t much more than old clothes, dumped out beneath it. He saw their visitors. Three men, two women. Their zodiac was pulled up onto the beach. They didn?t look like any South Pacific fishermen he?d ever seen. They were all white, dressed like people on vacation in the Bahamas or the Gulf of Mexico. They walked, talked, and gestured like professionals doing a job. One had a video camera, another was taking still photos of everything, while two more bagged up anything loose. He heard snippets of American English too. Realizing that his time was up, he slipped back underneath the water. [I?m on my way back. They sure didn?t look like they were taking shelter,] he sent as he descended towards the bottom. [What did they look like?] Sarah asked. [They were white, and looked like they were trying to appear to be on vacation. Why they don't have a regular civilian boat, I don?t know. They were looking for us, or at least clues to where those mers they spotted from the air might have gone,] he replied. He swam up to Jenna, who hugged him. [Let?s get some more food, and head to the cave,] she suggested. [Yeah. We need to plan some things out,] he sent back. "So, first off," Sarah said as they ate. "No one goes off alone, and no one goes into the western half of the lagoon at all." "They might not stick to the-" Josh froze as he heard sounds people stomping through the undergrowth filter through from the opening above. "What are we out here looking for anyway?" said a female voice, very close to the opening. "Watch the down trees." "I see ?em," said a male voice. "Something about pirates? Didn?t an airliner go down out here a month ago?" "Since when do we do rescue or recovery?" the female said as they stopped and sat on the trunk of a nearby tree, thankfully not the one that had fallen in front of the mouth of the cave. "They didn?t even find wreckage, never mind bodies." "That raft could have come from it though. There was still a serial number on it, I?ll call it in at our next check-in," said the male. Sarah closed her eyes as she admonished herself. She?d never even thought to check the raft for anything like that. Manami and Jenna were scared, but didn?t dare move a muscle or make a sound as the two humans talked above them. "What the fuck is with the boss anyway? He has out here going from island to island in that fucking tub, looking at random shit Then two days ago sends us here while we were on the way back to the barn, and we barely miss that storm? They could have at least given us a yacht. This whole thing is half-assed," the male griped. "Fuck if I know man," his female companion answered as she took a swig from a canteen. "No one's telling me shit either." "Fucking typical," the male said. "Still weird though," the female said. "It looks like someone was here, but there?s no bodies or anything." "Some of the locals probably found it, stripped it for what they wanted, and either dumped the bodies in the ocean, or ate them, or shrank their heads, or whatever the fuck they do out here, and then left the raft," the male said. "That?s racist," the female deadpanned. There was a moment of silence before they each erupted in laughter and stood up, continuing to gripe as their voices faded into the distance. "Dammit," Sarah swore quietly. "I?m sorry guys." "It?s on all of us," Jenna said. Manami nodded her head. "Josh?" Manami noticed that he was still focused on the opening. His jaw muscles were tense, and he was deeply breathing. The mermaids could feel the waves of anger flowing off of him. Jenna shook his shoulder. "Josh. It?s okay," she said softly. The red haze lifted from his mind. Every instinct had been screaming at him to fight, to kill, to rip and tear until his pod was safe. He looked at his mermaids and saw the concern on their faces. "I?m sorry. I have got to talk to other mermen. The thought of you three being threatened is overwhelming. All the peace I feel, the stillness, the clarity, it just goes out the window when I think you?re in trouble," he sighed, further centering himself. "I scare myself when I think of what I?d do if one of you was taken." Sarah salamandered over to him and took his face into her hands. "I love that you want to protect us, but you have to be smart. Killing these people will only bring more, and then we will be caught," she held back tears at the thought of being separated. The thought of Jenna or Manami being cut open in some lab was horrific. "Change of plans: We need to stay out of the lagoon all together. We need to hunt on the outer reefs. They can?t find anything but fish and coral, or we?ll never be safe here," she declared, turning to Manami and Jenna. "I?m not losing anyone." The mers kept to the outside of the atoll and their cave over the next two days. Their senses kept them apprised of the position of the boat. It hadn?t moved. They sometimes felt the zodiac moving between islands, likely delivering other small teams to other islands around the atoll to conduct searches and take photos. Josh was out hunting for grouper when he felt the zodiac moving out of the gap in the southeast corner of the atoll. [Everyone to the cave now!] he sent. [Manami and I are here,] Sarah sent. Josh waited a moment. [Jenna?] he sent. [Sorry! I?m on my way. I feel it,] Jenna sent from her foraging area in the shallows just above the cave entrance. [I?m going to tail them. I?ll stay deep,] Josh assured them. He moved towards the zodiac, diving to 40 feet down, his senses still picked up the boat and he could just make out the outline of the boat. He heard, and saw, a splash as a diving buoy went overboard. Then a diver entered the water [Shit. Diver in the water,] he sent as he went deeper. The anger began to build. If he ambushed the diver... No dammit. Gotta play it cool. He kept going until he could just barely make out the zodiac?s outline, though he could still sense the diver. He could even hear the diver?s SCUBA gear. [We?re all in the cave. Please be careful,] Sarah said. Josh dove again. He passed a line where there was no more of the tropical coral they were used to. It was too dark and cold for the algae the polyps relied on to thrive. He?d never been this deep before. The mer senses kept feeding him information; and not just about the diver. Now he worried about something with very big teeth ambushing him. Pushing the thought aside, he kept up. It was amazing just how much he could hear in the water. No wonder sonar operators could pick up ships and subs from miles away. These people might swear like sailors, but they didn?t use military equipment. There was no way SEALs would be caught dead using gear that put out that much noise and created that many bubbles. Who the hell are these people? [I?m following him. I?m down pretty deep,] he updated the mermaids. [Okay]. Came Sarah?s response. Josh felt the tension in her mental communication. The diver seemed to be taking video of the reef. He had an underwater camera aimed ahead of him as he swam along. Josh followed. His heart almost stopped when he swam 15 feet above the entrance to the cavern. Red haze threatened to overwhelm Josh again. He got ready to charge him the second he hit the cave entrance. The diver stopped and looked, but did not enter the cave. Even the best professional divers didn?t want to mess with unknown cave systems alone. The diver actually swam for the zodiac, which had moved slightly west of the cave mouth. He stopped at the surface for 10 minutes, then descended again and continued filming. Josh followed the diver all the way around the western end of the atoll, until the rough, shallower outer reefs began chopping the water and creating currents that made it unsafe for the human diver to continue. The zodiac collected the diver, then sped back south and east to the opening, Josh keeping up the whole way, where the diver re-entered the water and filmed along the drop-off until the outer reef at the northern end again made it impossible for him to continue. Once the zodiac was safely in the atoll, Josh felt the tension in his body abate a bit. He had been stalking the diver for more than half the day, and he?d skipped lunch. [All clear. Anyone else hungry?]. [Yeah, if you can get something, please do,] Jenna sent back. Josh picked out a medium-sized grouper, and used the knife from the survival belt to kill the fish. He felt several large animals have their interest piqued by the blood and the thrashing, so he grabbed the corpse by the tail and swam back to the cave as fast as he could. He cleaned the fish?s guts out before getting to the entrance, leaving the guts for the scavengers around the reef. Josh moved through the tunnels, glad to be back, and needing to hold his wives. He surfaced, and was immediately mobbed by all three mermaids. They tossed the fish onto the smaller shelf and hugged and kissed him with gusto. "He just filmed the reef. I was afraid he?d go into the cave, but he didn?t. I don?t get it," he reported. "We don?t care. We?re just glad you?re alright," Manami said. Josh smiled. "It was funny. I doubt that he would have seen me, but he still didn?t really look down." "Can we eat now?" Jenna asked. "I have plans for afterward," she smiled. The mers smiled at that, and after they ate much of the grouper, fell together in the water, making love in the small entrance pool in their cavern, using the water and tunnel to prevent their cries of pleasure from possibly being heard. They fell asleep in the water, exhausted and relieved. The next day, around noon, finally, They heard the engines of the fishing boat start up from outside the lagoon. Josh entered the lagoon and hugged the bottom. He watched the boat motor slowly overhead towards the southeastern exit, and heard and watched it accelerate away to chug through the small breakers. As a parting gift, a bag of trash, weighted to sink, was thrown overboard just before the drop off. It landed in the shallows like a giant plastic turd. Josh looked perturbed as the boat made it?s way away from the atoll. Hopefully never to return. [Well, they?re gone. Finally,] he sent the mermaids. [About damn time,] came the answer from Sarah. [They dumped their trash before they left. At least they bagged and weighted it down. I?m going to push it over the edge. It?s right on the precipice,] [Wait,] Came Sarah?s mental voice. [Check it with your mer senses. If I wanted to lay a trap to have us confirm that we?re here and they just can?t see us, I?d put a tracker in something that we?d want to get rid of and put it right where you?re describing,] Josh opened his mer senses, trying to sense any electrical or magnetic fields that would give away electronics coming from the bag. He didn?t feel anything. [It seems like it?s just trash. I guess we?re lucky they didn?t dump their sewage close to the atoll.] He carried the heavy bag over the edge of the dropoff and released it far enough out that it wouldn?t damage any corals on the way down. He wished he could just throw it back onto their boat, but that wasn?t possible anymore. [Bombs away,] he sent as he released the bag. He watched it plunge into the dark depths. Jenna arrived and kissed his cheek. He could see Manami and Sarah wave as they headed towards the entrance to their atoll. Just as he was about to take Jenna?s hand and follow them, a long, low-frequency sound echoed out of the deep from the northeast. All four mers quickly focused their mer senses. At the very edge of their range, they felt something larger than the boat, but without the steady, artificial signals it generated. They also felt the creature?s distress. It was dying. [I want to go check it out. We might be able to help. You three should stay here. I?ll leave the belt,] he said as he went to undo the snap around his waist. [Why?] Sarah sent. [It?s over a mile out. We?ve never gone into the open ocean like that before. For crying out loud, we just got the lagoon back,] She swam up to Josh with a concerned look on her face. [I don?t know. I just feel like I should. Like it?s important.] Josh shrugged. Jenna examined him with her mer senses. He seemed calm. His heart beating slow and steady, his signal bright, clear, and free of the stress that they?d all been under for the last few days. [Then I?ll go with you to have your back.] She took his hand and smiled. He smiled in return. Sarah and Manami floated in shock. Manami sent a thought to her pod mates: [I think we should all go. I?m not sure why. I just have a feeling in my gut that we should.] "Okay. I guess we?re going," Sarah said out loud. "I?d never do anything that I thought endangered you," Josh tried to assure her. "I know," Sarah replied. "This is just sudden." "We just watched one threat move away, and now something huge is looming out there. I know I?m trying to rationalize an irrational feeling now, but..." He trailed off. "Okay. Get out the compass. We?ll go straight out and straight back. Take the lead and hold us on course. We?re in your hands," Sarah challenged him. "Thank you," he said. "I?ll draft for the three of you. Manami, you stay next in line behind me. Then Jenna, and Sarah can cover our rear," He popped the compass out of its compartment on his survival belt and found north with it. He lined up his course with where the signal he was feeling was strongest. It was a heading of 37 degrees on the compass from his position. "Okay, I have a heading of 37 degrees. Everyone ready?" "Ready." "Yep." "Let?s go," came the voices of the people he loved more than anything else in this world. He smiled, aimed himself a bit more toward the surface, since he only intended to swim at 10 feet of depth. He started off at a leisurely pace, and felt his pod fall in behind him. He accelerated to a medium pace, and he felt the atoll and the life on and around it begin to fall away behind him. [Go faster! You drive like an old lady!] Jenna sent along their mental channel after about 10 minutes. Josh chuckled. [Just trying to make sure you can keep up.] [I want to get home in time for dinner!] Jenna admonished him. [Okay. Let me know if you need to slow the pace or take a break,] Josh sent as he accelerated. He felt the nictitating membranes come over his eyes and his dorsal fin rise from what has been his butt. The extra stability at this high speed was nice. [How?s this?] he asked. [Now we?re talkin?!] came Jenna?s reply. His mer senses confirmed that Sarah and Manami weren?t being stressed with this pace, so he kept it up. He had no way of gauging their speed, but at the rate the island was falling away, they must have been going at least 20 knots. They kept up this pace for an hour, each concentrating on swimming and their own thoughts. The animal, he figured that?s what it was, was floating at the surface, with part of its mass exposed to the air. Josh kept their course steady, and slowly he began to see a shape floating in the water ahead. Their hearing even picked up a slow, steady heart beat that was at such a low frequency they could barely hear it. Josh recognized it almost immediately. [It?s a blue whale,] he sent back [It?s not moving though.]. It was immense. He had read about how big they were, the size of three school busses, but seeing one up close gave him an appreciation of a living, breathing animal with blood vessels large enough for him to swim through. [I?m going to head towards, well, the head,] [This thing is huge!] Jenna was in awe. [Magnificent,] Manami agreed. The pod moved slowly, reverently. They fell out of formation and passed over and under the immense pectoral fin. 20 feet long on it?s own. Its skin showed decades of abuse. Scars, barnacles, knicks and random remora fish stuck to the rubbery hide. Finally, they came to a stop near the whale?s left eye. The eye almost had a drowsy look to it. Like the animal was very tired. Information poured into their mer senses. As strong as the sound of the whale's heart was, it was not well. The electrical signals were becoming more erratic, and almost non-existent about 20 feet from the massive caudal fin. The whale was dying. Even on its last legs the whale?s eye moved and looked at these strange little creatures that had swum up to it. It wondered what they were. It had seen similar creatures on the metal things that would skim across the surface and sometimes follow it, but the things in front of it were in the water, and swam like the little dolphins (not his word) that would play and squeak as they drafted from the massive wake it put out. One of the newcomers reached out with something that didn?t look like a fin and touched the whale a foot away from its eye. Something was strange. It felt, other thoughts. It didn?t know what to do. It sent out a very weak call to see what would happen. The whale sent out a song. A low frequency rumble that shook the organs of the four mers, despite the attempted gentleness of the whale. Manami took her hand off the whale?s hide and put her hands to her ears like the rest of the pod. "What was that?" she asked when it stopped. "I think it was trying to talk to us. It has probably never had anything like us try to communicate with it, never mind through telepathy," Sarah guessed. "It?s a he, by the way," Manami confirmed. "Okay," Jenna said. Do you want me to try or do you want to go again?" "I?ll go again," Manami said, and placed her hand back onto the whale?s rubbery skin, just forward of the eye. He stopped singing when it looked like the little creatures were in pain. If nothing else, the little beings were something interesting to occupy him. The same little one touched him near his eye again. There were... feelings, images coming through to him. Some of them he understood. Family. Mate. He knew those. He sent images back. His family. The feeling and sights he saw when mating with the females he?d come across. Manami pulled her hand back again. "I think he understood. I sent him images and feelingings of family, and of us having sex. He sent back images of his family, and him mating." Josh, Jenna, and Sarah joined Manami in touching the whale around his eye. Now the whale felt all four of these very interesting creatures touching him. The feelings of these four things came rushing in. They were all mates. Those feelings he understood. Family. These little things were fascinating indeed. He felt so tired though. His pod had left him behind when he couldn?t swim anymore. He and the other males had joined up as they always did to go to the feeding grounds. But he was too tired and couldn?t go on. They had to leave him. "He?s dying," Manami said. "I don?t think he understands though." Each member of the pod sent feelings of comfort to the whale. They didn?t know if he could understand what they were trying to convey. He liked this feeling. These creatures? thoughts were calming to him. How wonderful. He sent more feelings and images back. Images rushed through the pod?s mind. Images of the bachelor pod the whale had lived in when he was young and looking for his first mating. The pain and confusion of one of his pod mates being hit and killed by a huge metal object. The mers recognized it as a container ship. The images switched to scenes of mating over a sea mound, of feeding, the sensations of taking huge amounts of seawater into his mouth and filtering out the krill through baleen. It was a totally alien feeling for the mers. More images poured through of the rhythms of the simple life in the open sea. He felt tired. He had felt like this before, and he could sleep, after a fashion, switching off only part of his brain. He didn?t want to sleep though. So he just looked at the creatures before him. He felt slower now. His breathing was slower. This wasn?t just sleep. What was happening? Manami cried. Feeling the whale?s confusion. She looked around and saw that her entire pod looked like they were crying. They each had their eyes shut, as they felt the emotions of an animal that, while intelligent, didn?t quite conceptualize what was happening to him. She decided that she?d do what she would do for any person passing away. She concentrated and sent more feelings of love and comfort. [It?s alright. We are here. We won?t leave you.] He didn?t understand the words, but he took comfort from what he felt. He returned them with thoughts of appreciation and happiness. The mers, as one pod, sent the same reassuring emotions again, along with another word: [Family.] This was good. He was going to sleep. Maybe the nice little creatures would be here when he woke up. They felt him lose consciousness. His massive heart slowed, then stopped. A long, whistling moan rippled through the water as his lungs deflated. Their mers-senses reported that the electrical activity of his brain and body had become unorganized, random, and was fading. He was gone. Josh looked into the eye of the massive creature. No longer focused, it's enormous pupil dilated. He hugged himself as he tried to process what he?d just experienced. The whale?s mind hadn?t had the bouncing exuberance of the dolphins they?d touched. It had been this serene presence, looking at them with curiosity and amusement the way he would have looked at a puppy. He?d felt him die. Did this creature have a soul? He hoped so. For he felt that if this whale didn?t, then he might not. Sarah, Jenna, and Manami all pulled him into a shared hug. He needed this. Needed the comfort from his wives. They needed comfort from him too. After a good, long hug, their emotions calmed and they were able to untangle. Josh began to think of the danger they were in. They were floating in the open ocean, right next to an immense buffet of flesh. "We need to go," Sarah said. "I can feel predators, big predators, headed right toward us." "Yes. Back to the atoll," Jenna agreed. "Same as before. I?ll draft for you three. We need to move fast so I?m going to go fast right from the get go," Josh confirmed. He waited and got nods from all around. The sun was starting to get low in the western sky. He kicked hard, and took off south. Goodbye my friend. He thought as he felt the mermaids fall in behind him and match his high speed. He accelerated a bit more, and they kept pace. He was definitely going faster than he had been on the trip out, and though he felt the signals of some very big sharks in their vicinity, fortune was with them, and they were far more interested in the smell of the dead whale than four very fast things that they would have to expend energy to catch. Navigation back turned out to be simple. As they headed south, the rhythmic signals of the life of the atoll were like a beacon on the horizon guiding them home. In a bit less than an hour, thanks to the increased speed, they were welcomed into the loving arms of the place that had rebirthed them as they passed into the lagoon. Finally free of the human interlopers, the mers reclaimed the grotto where they?d all changed. They ate a meal silently as the sun settled beneath the horizon. The four of them held hands in a circle in the fading light. Josh had a strange mix of feelings. He was remarkably sad for the death of the magnificent whale, and awed by the majesty of the animal, but he also felt at peace. He was alive, fed, safe with his wives, with a lifetime of memories of things no human had ever experienced before to sift through. He could tell that his pod mates were feeling some of the same emotions. Jenna broke the silence: "When I die, if you need to weep, cry for someone walking the street beside you. You can love me most by letting hands touch hands, and souls touch souls. You can love me most by sharing your goodness and multiplying your acts of kindness. You can love me most by letting me live in your eyes and not on your mind." "That?s beautiful. Did you write that?" Manami asked. Jenna shook her head. "It?s Jewish, actually, by Rabbi Maller." "I didn?t know you knew Jewish poetry," Sarah said. "Only a little. From a website I found while researching mourning rituals for a comparative lit class, I think. I just thought it was pretty." "Is it alright if we turn in?" Josh asked. "I think I?m ready to call it a day." Sarah answered by swimming up to him, wrapping her tail around him, and kissing him. "There?s just one last thing for us to do," she said as her tail?s illumination appeared. Josh smiled and opened his vent. Like the last time they?d made love in the grotto, it was slow and tender. Jenna and Manami actually paired off, kissing and running their hands over each other?s bodies to near the peak of arousal before joining Josh and Sarah as Sarah grunted through her orgasm and Josh growled his peak. The mermaids took their usual turns with Josh. It always amazed him how the three of them could be so different. Sarah was so direct in demanding what she wanted from him. Jenna freewheeling, reveling in the pleasure he gave her. Manami was sweet, and somewhat nervous, even after numerous sessions with him. She even got the look on her face of slight discomfort when Josh entered her, like he was just a bit too big, that all men secretly love. The pod eventually fell asleep, and each member dreamed of seamounts, krill, and long migrations. Josh and Jenna orgasmed simultaneously as he thrust into her in the seagrass. They?d gone over to the plain in the eastern atoll to gather food. Jenna had other ideas and made them very clear to Josh once they had some privacy. She wanted him alone, and this was as good a time as any. After they peaked again, she smiled and kissed him, running her hand through his hair. "It?s been awhile since it was just us," she observed. "Like, a week!" Josh exclaimed. "Have you noticed how much the three of us love sex?" she asked. "We want you quite frequently, and this time I wanted you to myself," she said possessively. "Do you regret changing them?" Josh asked. "Oh no. Hell no!" Jenna emphatically insisted. ?I love them too. I was surprised how easy it was to do the things I do with Sarah and Manami. It?s just that, sometimes..." she trailed her hand up the muscles in his arm. "Sometimes I want you. Just you. They feel the same way. Does it bother you that you aren?t monogamous?" "There?s still a little corner of my head where I feel a little guilt. Like I?m cheating. It only bothers me when I?m off alone. When I?m with any of you, or all of you, I?m just overcome with pheromones and the bonding and the most beautiful women I?ve ever seen. There isn?t much room in my head for introspection and moral worry," he mused. "Good," she smiled. "Because I wouldn?t expect us to give you a break anytime soon if I were you." "I?ll just have to gird my loins and make sure I?m up to the challenge," he joked. Jenna rolled her eyes. "Gird your loins?" she mockingly repeated. "Really? Okay, just for that, y?all get to carry all of the seagrass back to the beach," She disengaged from Josh and swam off back to the west to meet up with Sarah and Manami. Josh waited a moment for her to come back. "Oh shit. She was serious," he said to himself. He set about gathering the sea grass for their meal. He made sure to gather it well away from where they?d made love. "So," Sarah said once she swallowed the last scallop. "We seem to have a good handle on our senses and talking with our minds." "The whole talking to dolphins and whales thing is pretty surprising, and cool," Jenna observed. "It is, but beyond that, I want to see how far we can push it," she sighed. "Rose said that another pod would be around in a month or so. I know it?s only been about five weeks, but no one has come by. I just hope something hasn?t happened to the island. With people snooping around here, it would be nice to know if we?re alone." The mers stopped for a moment as the implications of that set in. None of them were good. The atoll had felt so remote when they?d arrived and before their change. Now a plane had flown over, and a boat load of people doing who-knows-what had been snooping around for several days. They sorely needed backup, or at least advice. "When we couldn?t find Josh and Manami, I tried concentrating to make my telepathy go farther. I have no idea if it did anything, but it?s worth a shot," Jenna suggested. "Right. Now, Josh, you said you visualized our bonds when you figured out the telepathy," Sarah figured. "What if we all visualized our bonds and tried to combine them, and concentrated on making them as ?loud? as possible and sending a message to the island?" "It?s worth a shot," Manami said. "Though we should focus it in a direction. Do we know what direction the island is in?" "No," Sarah said. "Which makes this even harder." "Nothing to do but try," Josh shrugged. "Try each point of the compass and see if we get a response." Half an hour later, they were outside the southeastern exit from the atoll, floating in a line facing north, far enough out that their only blocked line of sight was to the northwest. "So we start north and go clockwise?" Jenna asked. "Yes. We can move if we need to send northwest," Sarah said. "Try to visualize sending words down our bonds, but concentrating them together and sending them out to the north. Sort of like four laser beams going out to make one," Josh said. "What do we say?" Manami questioned. "How about: ?Rose??" said Jenna. "It?s one word, so it?s simple for us to say together, and it calls a specific person." "Let?s do it then," Sarah confirmed. The four mers lined up side by side, holding hands, and began to picture their bonds fusing into one solid mass that surrounded them. [Good. Now project the word in 3, 2,1.] [Rose,] all four mers sent out in a combined beam they each imagined projecting out in front of them. [Rose,] they tried again. They tried every 15 seconds or so for 10 minutes, then listened for another 10. There was only silence on their mental link. "Let?s turn 45 degrees to the right," said Sarah. They turned, lined up, and repeated the process. They listened for another 10 minutes. They were just about to turn 45 degrees to the right again. When they heard an unfamiliar female voice: [Who is this?]. "Holy cow we did it!" Jenna exclaimed. "Hold hands again so we can send back," Sarah said quickly. "Let?s just say one of our names." "Say ?Sarah?," Josh said. "You?ll speak for us," he smiled at her. The pod lined up and focused together again [Sarah,] they sent back. After a moment, the voice replied. [Oh! You were calling Rose because you?re that group her pod left on that atoll!] the voice realized. [You?re really quiet. We thought we were hearing a bunch of ghosts or something. It really freaked her out,] An image appeared in their heads of a single mermaid, with a group of other mermaids and mermen arranged behind her. [Put one person, whoever is talking, in the front, and have the rest concentrate on boosting her CHEW,] "What the hell is CHEW?" Josh asked. "Let?s do what she says," Sarah said. "Josh, get up front." "It should be you," he insisted. "You?re the leader." She smiled. "Thanks," she said. She moved in front of her pod mates. Josh, Jenna, and Manami lined up again and began concentrating on their bond to Sarah, amplifying her individual signal. "Whoa," She felt a surge in her tail and head as their efforts affected her. She gathered herself and concentrated on talking to the distant mermaid. [Is this better?] she asked. [Much,] said the voice. [I?m Pat, you said you were Sarah?]. [Yes. It?s nice to meet you. Rose mentioned you before she left. You?re the leader of the mers?] Sarah asked. [I wouldn?t call myself that. I?m hardly the queen of the island, but people seem to go along with my ideas. I actually have MANY questions for you,] Pat switched the subject. [Same here. How long do you have?] Sarah responded. [I don?t have anything else on my planner today,] came the reply with a bit of a smile in her voice. [How are you doing this? We've only observed mers being able to speak with the tiaras.] [We are all mers,] Sarah said. [Have been for about a week. Jenna and Josh were first, then Manami, and then me.] [Excellent!] said Pat. [Rose's tips worked! If it's okay, I?d like to speak to Jenna and Josh and document their changes. I?m trying to document mer transformations as much as possible.] [Can we stick with the more practical concerns?] Sarah asked. [Rose said there?d be a pod here in about a month, and that was about five weeks ago, I think. We?ve been flying blind here, and if it hadn?t been for Jenna, we wouldn?t have changed. Is there something we need to know about?] [Sorry, you?re right. It?s the scientist in me. Just one question: Rose reminded me that you were emphatically against being a mermaid. What changed?] Pat asked. [I changed my mind. Woman?s prerogative,] she said with a mental and physical smile. [I decided that running sales for a company wasn?t as interesting, or pleasurable, as being a mermaid. Despite my best efforts, I felt drawn to my pod mates the more time went on, and they finally asked me. I don?t have any regrets,] Sarah smiled as she felt a surge of love and affection from her podmates behind her. [That's wonderful. I probably don't have to tell you, but it's the best decision you'll ever make. As far as no one coming for you, I?m sorry. We?ve been very busy. The outside world has been intruding more, and we?re starting to feel the heat,] Pat said. [Speaking of that. I need to tell you that we?ve had visitors. The day after I changed, a private, unmarked plane, Josh called it a Gulfstream, flew over. We were all lying on the beach, so we know it saw us. Three days later, a fishing boat showed up. People checked out our campsite and all of the islands on the atoll. They even filmed the reefs around the outer ring of islands. They didn?t see us, we hid in a cave we found,] she explained. [Crap. There?s nothing we can do about that now. Obviously it was good that they didn?t see you when they showed up. What did these people look and sound like?] Pat asked. [Josh said they looked white, and we could hear them speaking American English. They complained about their command pressing them for a while, and about having to use a fishing boat with bad equipment. Josh also said the diver that filmed the reef had SCUBA gear that didn?t look military,] Sarah answered. [We?d actually removed our old IDs and the belt Trevor gave Josh to our cave, though they did find a serial number on the rescue raft. I didn?t even know those things had serial numbers.] [Alright. It sounds like all they could know is that survivors from your flight were on the atoll, and there were mers there, but they can only guess at who you are exactly and where you are now. That?s good, because we have a favor to ask,] Pat was thinking. [What?s the favor?] Sarah asked suspiciously. [We need to scatter from this island,] Pat answered. [Governments have figured out where this is, and we don?t want all of the world?s mers in one place, so we?re spreading out. I?d like for Trevor and Brian's pods to come crash at your place until the heat is off, if that?s okay.] [What kind of ?heat? are we talking about?] Sarah asked. [Probably several countries. We just neutralized a crime lord who had been giving us all kinds of problems, but governments have figured out that we are real, and so, we?d like to lay low until the heat blows over,] Pat said. [A crime lord?] Sarah asked. She started feeling something approximating a tension headache coming on. [That?s a really long story, and I can tell you?re starting to feel bad. Drink some milk from one of your pod mates when we?re done, you?ll feel better faster. That works for any cuts or scrapes you get too. So is it okay if we send a couple of pods to stay with you?] she asked. [Yeah, of course it?s fine. We?ll even dust the furniture and pull out the sofa beds. We were hoping for company, and maybe to come back to your island, so we weren't hanging out here all alone,] Sarah answered. [When can we expect them?] [They will be leaving within the next day or two. They were going to offer to transition you when they got there, but that doesn?t seem necessary. It takes 10 or 11 days to swim between our island and your atoll, so you should see them in about two to three weeks. If they don?t appear in three weeks, contact us again,] Pat said. [One more thing before we go: Rose never mentioned that you can talk to dolphins and whales. Is that normal?] [Well, some of the mermaids have learned the high-pitched squeaks and clicks and can speak some dolphin language, but it's not something we all have knowledge of,] Pat answered. [No, I mean we can touch a whale or dolphin and send thoughts and images back and forth. We've done it with spinner dolphins that came to visit us and a blue whale yesterday,] Sarah explained. There was silence on the other end of the connection. Sarah thought she'd lost contact. [Shut the front door!] Pat's voice returned suddenly. [Sorry. We've never had any of us be able to do that!] Pat's mental voice was astonished and excited. [Dammit. Now I really wish we could get you back here so we could run experiments to see what makes your pod unique,] Pat cursed. [Are we in any danger? Could this indicate that we have some weird mutation or disease?] Sarah asked. [No. Other pods have unique abilities, and they're fine. Rose's pod is the only one that could make the tiaras you're wearing, until recently. It's so frustrating to not be able to take measurements of you doing it. Maybe another time. For now, just hang tight until the other two pods arrive,] Pat sent back. [Okay,] Sarah was starting to really feel the strain. [We?ll wait. Glad to meet you. I think I need to go.] [Yes, go. I?m serious about drinking milk from your pod mates. It will help with anything that ails you. Rose says hello, by the way,] Pat said. [Say ?hi? from me too,] Sarah said. [We?ll all feel better with two more pods for company. Take care,] [Bye for now. Welcome to the pool,] Pat said. Sarah felt her pod mates stop focusing on amplifying her telepathy, and had she not been floating in the water, would have collapsed as fatigue and the headache hit full force. She put her hand to her forehead. Josh moved up on her right and she leaned into him, closing her eyes and laying her head on his chest. "Did you hear all of that?" "Yeah," Jenna said as she and Manami came up on her other side. "Good. Looks like we?re getting roommates then," Sarah said, keeping her eyes closed. "It sure does," Jenna beamed. Manami pressed against the other side of Josh?s chest facing her and thrust her breasts towards Sarah. "You can feed from me." "Okay. I won?t argue." Sarah opened her eyes and leaned into Manami, suckling from her nipple. Manami?s milk flowed into her and she did start to feel better. She felt Josh stroking her back lovingly. It was all very soothing. She felt loved and protected, truly cared for. She enjoyed the closeness and the mer-bonds. After the days of fear and tension while hiding, and the sadness of feeling the whale die, they?d accomplished something positive, and they weren?t alone in figuring things out anymore. She finished draining Manami?s first breast and figured she wouldn?t mind if she drank from the other one too. She took Manami?s other nipple into her mouth and ran her tongue around the aureole as she began to suck. Manami moaned in pleasure. "When you?re done, let?s get back into the lagoon," Jenna said as she stroked Sarah along one of her pelvic fins. Sarah nodded. It was so nice to be loved. Sarah swam along the bottom of the lagoon a couple of weeks later. She cruised 35 feet down, doing the equivalent of taking a walk. A chance to clear her head and do some thinking. Her pod mates were wonderful, but also distracting. She smiled at the memory of their love making this morning. No, don?t get distracted. she admonished herself as she stopped to grab and pry open an oyster for a snack. She wondered if oysters really were an aphrodisiac for mermaids like the old wives? tales claimed they were for humans. That might explain why she and her sister wives were so libidinous. Contemplating oysters wasn?t the reason why she was out here. They had company coming, they'd be here any day now. The day after their contact with Pat, they?d tried to think of ways to spruce up the atoll, but they didn?t really have any. They could have tried to pull the raft down out of the trees, but they didn?t want to give away the fact that there were people present to any eyes in the sky. The raft had fallen out of the trees on its own a week ago anyway. They didn?t have any possessions beyond that and the stuff in the cave. They weren?t going to groom the beaches or anything, and they kept the shells and bones from their meals cleaned up anyway. There was really nothing to do physically. Sarah wanted to plan though. She never went into any meeting in business without a plan, and now that there were more mers coming, she wanted to order her thoughts. She had known Rose, and knew that she was an artsy type, and Kate and Ann weren?t going to try to steer the course of actions of the pods. The mermaids of Brian?s pod though. What would their leadership style be? She wanted the three pods to operate together well, like a functioning team. How could she get them to do that when her pod had been so used to doing what it wanted and having the run of the atoll? Wait, she remembered now! When Josh had been talking with Rose?s pod about mers changing genders, they mentioned that her, Kate and Ann?s father had become a mermaid with their mother to be in a pod with their aunt and uncle. Was that "Brian?s" pod? That would really throw things for a loop. Could their mother and father basically order Rose?s pod around? Would these two pods gang up on her pod and overrule everything her pod would want to do? That was just a non- starter. She couldn?t be outright hostile, but she had to stand her ground and put her foot down for her pod. "Well, not a foot," she said to herself as she lifted her tail fin up and looked at it. Her mer senses tipped her off that someone was coming. Josh was out for a swim too, it seemed, and had found her. Her planning could wait. She spent precious little time with him alone. "Hello handsome," she said brightly as he circled, pulled up and floated down to face her. "What?s a gorgeous mermaid like you doing in a joint like this?" he responded playfully. "Oh, you know, there?s this guy. Tall, long dark hair, dreamy blue eyes. I thought I?d hang out, see if he showed up," She hugged herself to him and laid her head just over his heart. He enfolded her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "You okay?" he asked. "You don?t usually leave us unless you?re getting food." "I just needed a walk, so to speak, to clear my head," she responded. "So, what do you think about how we?ll interact with the new pods?" Josh thought for a while. "I think we?ll be okay. Trevor?s pod seems pretty laid back. I don?t know anything about the other pod we?re getting, but I hope they?d send a pod that got along with Trevor?s." "Remember how Rose mentioned that her mom and dad are in a pod with their aunt and uncle? I think that?s the pod coming with them," she told him. "Oh yeah. That makes sense. They ought to work well together," Josh figured. "Maybe a little too well. I don?t want our pod getting steamrolled. This is our atoll, I want us to be central in decision-making." Josh nodded. "I agree. We shouldn?t get steamrolled. I don?t think we will though. Remember, Trevor?s pod is all in their late teens and early 20?s. They might still have a streak of teenage rebellion, especially since they?re so independent as a pod. Their parents might not be able to say ?I?m the mom. That?s why!? to them," he suggested. "True. Don?t get me wrong, I?m not actively planning to wedge myself between the two pods or cause trouble between parents and children. Once they figured it out, they?d close ranks and be all over us," she tried to reassure him. "I get it. You want to be prepared. Let?s just not be openly hostile. Can we be clandestinely hostile, with the way we read emotions?" he pondered. She laughed. "Probably not." She wrapped her tail around him, rubbing his powerful muscles as she shifted gears from strategy to more, if not relaxing, more enjoyable pursuits. "Hey, have I ever had you alone before?" "It must have happened by now. Though we do it so many times that I can?t keep count," he said with mock exasperation. "You love it you big lunk," she said, grabbing what had been his butt. "Mine," she said possessively. "Yeah. I do," he admitted with a smile. Now the pheromones Sarah released hit him hard. "Definitely worse ways to spend a day," he growled as his member began hardening and pressing at his vent, ready to be let out. Sarah unwrapped her tail from around him, backed up a few inches, and looked him in the eyes. "Don?t keep me waiting," she said with a predatory look. "Yes ma?am," He smiled and released his vent, his member standing straight out. "One dick. Ready to service." She grabbed his pelvic fins and lined herself up, taking his member slowly, inch by wonderful inch. She twitched as she felt him slide inside her. "G-d you feel so good." He wrapped his tail around hers, barely able to keep himself from going at it with reckless abandon. "I love you." "Show me," she grunted through clenched teeth, squeezing down on him inside. That did it. Josh leaned down and kissed Sarah hard on the lips, bending her torso back as he began thrusting in and out of her as they floated vertically in the water. She bent back far enough that he was able to pull one of her nipples into his mouth. He nibbled, sucked, and teased her as he thrust. "Oh, yes, fuck, more, yes. YES!" Sarah screamed in her first orgam. Milk sprayed from her breasts, one into Josh?s mouth and the other into the open water around them at the bottom of the lagoon. Josh kept thrusting as he drank her milk down. Was it somehow richer than other mermaid milk he?d drank? He thought he had drunk enough recently that he could tell the difference. No time for that now. She felt Josh?s mouth come off her breast as he exploded into her, grunting and growling as he usually did. He also kept thrusting into her. She fervently kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth and tasting her own milk. This was sex. This was love. For the umpteenth time, she wondered why she?d been so reluctant to accept this life. If she?d known it would be like this, she might have quit her job in Taipei and made her way out on her own without a plane crash. Josh?s orgasm made his tail fin wave up and down in the water, and the movement tipped her over backwards. It was almost like he was dipping her in a dance, or laying her down on a bed like normal humans do. She felt herself climb, and then orgasm a second time. She bit his lip and tasted blood. To his credit, he didn?t stop thrusting until his second and her third orgasm fired off minutes later. They broke their kiss then, floating upside down in the water, in a cloud of her milk and their hair splayed out around them by their motion. "Sorry." She shuddered in pleasure. "Sorry about that." "I think the rest balances out a love bite. I don?t even taste the blood anymore." She reached up and pulled down his lip. Sure enough, the cut had sealed. Not even a scab was left. She released his lip and kissed him again. She was careful not to bite. He unwrapped his tail and kicked to get them rightside up while holding the kiss. He stayed inside her, each enjoying the feeling of that most intimate closeness. [Hey guys, sorry to interrupt,] came Jenna?s mental voice with a hint of mischief. [But Manami and I are over near the entrance in the southeast, and I think we?re about to get company.] Josh and Sarah smiled. So this was it. They wouldn?t be alone anymore. Not that being alone was a bad thing. "I was going to see if I could hunt down tuna from a passing school so we could have a special dinner when they got here," Josh said. "You can go hunting with your new mer-bros later," Sarah said. She backed off, and they each moaned as he slid out of her. "Now put that thing away. We might be naked, but it?s probably still bad manners to greet visitors with a penis sticking out." "We don?t know that!" he protested. "Mermen might measure up against each other to establish social hierarchy." Sarah had to laugh and shake her head at the mental picture of Josh and two other mermen comparing size. He'd probably win, she figured, while smiling at the memory of him filling her. "Come on, we don?t want to be late," She swam away before her daydreaming could set them both off again. Manami and Jenna floated just inside the southeastern entrance to the lagoon. With how rough the northern edge of the atoll could be with its shallow reefs and fast currents, and the proximity to their cave, they quickly considered this the "front door" of their home. They could feel eight signals approaching quickly. Not dolphins, but not sharks either. They weren?t artificial like the boat had been. Still, it might be a good idea to identify them. Jenna focused in their direction. [Hello. This is Jenna.] [Hi Jenna, it?s Rose! I was wondering who was floating there. How are you?] Rose?s thoughts were loud and clear, despite being a mile or so off. [I?m doing well. Swimmingly, even,] she smiled as she thought back. A chorus of mental groans at her bad joke came across her telepathic link. Manami put her face in her hand and groaned out loud. [Manami is here with me, and Josh and Sarah are on the way.] [Hello Manami! How are you doing?] Rose greeted her. [I?m doing better. I?m not afraid of sea life anymore,] she responded. [That?s good. We?re really close, we?ll do introductions once we?re all there,] Rose returned. [See you then,] said Jenna. "What were Josh and Sarah doing when you called them?" Manami asked. "What do you think?" Jenna arched her eyebrow suggestively. "Of course," Manami smiled at that. "Good. Sarah hasn?t been alone with him much." "You know he sometimes feels guilty. Like he?s cheating on two of us when he?s alone with just one." Jenna shook her head. "Such a goof." "That?s crazy!" Manami said. "He knows how we all feel about things, and how the mer bonds work." "I know he does. I think he feels guilty about something else. I?ll get it out of him eventually." Jenna winked. Josh and Sarah arrived a minute later. Jenna and Manami could tell from their signals that they were fresh from making love and were trying to settle themselves before the new arrivals got there. Josh and Sarah looked at Jenna and Manami as they smoothed their hair and saw knowing smiles on their faces. "What?" Josh and Sarah asked simultaneously. "Oh nothing," said Jenna. "Just glad you had some time to yourselves before it got busy around here." She was still smiling. Soon, shapes appeared in the distance. In the clear water, they resolved into brightly colored blonde, brown, and black hair fluttering along as the mers swam through the atoll entrance. "Their mermen aren?t as big as Josh," Manami whispered to Jenna just before they swam up to meet them. "No," Jenna smiled. The two newly arrived pods stopped a few feet in front of Josh?s pod and took a moment to look over the newest mers in the Pacific. Rose saw Jenna and confirmed that she had achieved her dream. The pink- tailed mermaid had long, blonde hair tinted with pink highlights that shimmered and changed as the sunlight dappled through the water and her hair floated in the lagoon. She looked at Josh. The sirenophile who became a merman and the mate to three adoring mermaids of his own. He had gone from being six feet seven inches tall and overweight as a human when she'd left him to just about twelve feet long as a muscled, strong merman with broad shoulders and deep blue eyes that matched his black-fringed tail. Manami, who had been so grief-stricken and afraid of anything with scales and fins that she was barely functional, now sported a silver and purple tail herself and had new life in her big brown eyes. She floated confidently before the eight new arrivals. Sarah, who had been vehement in not wanting to be a mermaid, now looked over their guests. Restored to an idealized version of herself at a much younger age, her long brown hair framed her face in the water, with a tail of mixed blue and silver patches with pink fringes on her fins, signifying her role of gluing the pod together and guiding them in their new lives. "You all look amazing. We?re so happy for you," Rose felt tears come to her eyes as she swam forward and hugged Jenna. "I was so glad when we heard that you had figured out changing yourself!" "It wasn?t easy, but it was worth it," Jenna said. Trevor swam up and mock-punched Josh in the shoulder. "Looking good dude! Hey Brian, John might not be the biggest merman anymore." "Thanks Trevor. I feel good. Good to see you again," he said as he mock-punched Trevor in the shoulder in return. Trevor winced a little bit, despite Josh holding back. Brian swam over to check him out. "Good to meet you. Name?s Brian, as you heard." Josh took the hand of the grey with green highlighted-tailed merman. They each looked into the other?s eyes and measured their counterpart. "Good to meet you Brian. Welcome to the atoll." Kate and Ann both floated over to Manami. "Hi. Do you remember us?" Kate asked. "Of course! It?s good to see you again. I?m sorry I didn?t really talk to you when you were here the first time," Manami said. "It?s okay. You'd been through hell," Ann continued for her twin. "I love your tail." Jaclyn, Janice, and Julie looked around ruefully as the mermen and younger mermaids fell into conversation. Finally, Janice swam up to Sarah and offered her hand. "Hi there. Janice Connor. These are my sister wives Jaclyn and Julie. I?m sorry about the lack of introductions, My daughter must be awfully excited to be so rude," she said loudly with an admonishing voice. "Sorry Mom One," Rose said sheepishly, then went back to checking out Jenna?s hair while Jenna and Manami compared notes on tail color choice and hair accessories, which they hadn't thought of yet, with Kate and Ann. Josh was telling Trevor and Brian about killing the tiger shark to save a still-human Sarah. "Sarah Mendelson. Excuse me, Mom One?" Sarah asked the red and black- tailed mermaid whose coloring mirrored Rose?s. "I?m Jaclyn Connor," a very tall blonde mermaid with a green with gold fringed tail coloring similar to Kate and Ann?s said as she held her hand out to Sarah. "I used to be Hank Connor. Janice and I birthed these rude spawn," she said with a too-loud voice to scold her children. "Now that I?ve embraced my feminine side, I?m called ?Mom Two.?" "I said I was sorry!" came Rose?s voice. "Ah, right. Rose mentioned that. Interesting way to change up titles," Sarah remarked. The last mermaid from Brian?s pod, one with a black and green- highlighted tail, swam up and shook Sarah?s hand. "I?m Julie. Janice is my sister. Human sister, not just sister wife like we are now." "Nice to meet you. Welcome. We?re glad to have the company and a bit more knowledge about being mers," Sarah replied. Rose floated over to Sarah and gave her a hug. "Good to see you. You?re a really pretty mermaid!" "Thanks. It?s nice to see you too. I?m sorry I was such a bitch the last time we met. You saved me and I couldn?t stop yelling at you," Sarah apologized. Rose shrugged. "I can?t blame you. If I'd been in a plane crash, and then I was told I was going to shack up with random people and change species, I?d have been upset too. Man, you guys got busy with a baby and everything." "What do you mean? I know Manami and Jenna want kids, but we have no way to tell. We?d been having sex so much that we figured we would all be pregnant at some point. Though I?d like to ask if there?s such a thing as mermaid birth control." Sarah smiled. Jaclyn, Janice, and Julie all turned toward Rose with a surprised and mildly annoyed look. Janice put her hands on her hips. "Rose Connor. You didn?t tell them?" she said loudly enough that all other conversation stopped immediately. "I didn?t think I?d have to! They weren?t going to be mers until we came back for them," Rose defended herself. "Tell us what?" Sarah asked suspiciously. "Of all the things to not tell a new pod," Jaclyn chided her daughter. "Tell us what?" Sarah asked with her manager?s voice. Josh, Jenna and Manami surrounded her, concerned. What was so important that it provoked a reaction like this? Rose steadied herself. "So, I?m pregnant, you can tell by looking at my signal with your mer senses. I?m not far along obviously, so you might have to focus just on me, but you can feel a little something extra in my signal. That?s my unborn baby. Trevor and I conceived her just before we rescued you four." "Oh yeah. I can feel the baby. Congratulations!" Josh said. "Thank you." She smiled mischievously. "Now focus on each member of your own pod. The mermaids, anyway. We?re not like seahorses." Each member of Josh's pod probed with their mer senses. Jenna and Manami checked out each other. Josh checked Jenna, Sarah checked Manami before moving on. Sarah was the first to sense it. The exquisite little spark of new life growing. Full of possibilities. The only act of true, unique creation mere mortals could achieve. Her eyes went wide. She heard Jenna and Manami gasp. Josh was silent, his eyes staring wide open at her in shock. There was going to be a baby in their pod. She heard Jenna squeal with joy and felt her and Manami move to either side of her and shower her with kisses. The guest pods floated in front of her, smiling, applauding and sharing congratulations with her aloud. She placed her hands on her own abdomen. "How? Why me and not them?" she asked once everyone quieted down. "Tell me," Rose said. "Have you ever looked into Josh?s eyes while having sex and wondered what color your baby?s eyes would be?" That snapped Josh out of his reverie. "What?" "I... I did. That first time after I changed," Sarah answered. "When I..." she trailed off. "You would have squeezed him really tight inside you, pumping him uncontrollably. Then you got an orgasm so strong you lost consciousness. Right?" Rose prodded. "Yes, she did," Jenna remembered. "Josh panicked. We didn?t know what happened." "She ovulated, and trapped Josh and his sperm inside. It?s batting a thousand so far. No mermaid has ever done it and not gotten pregnant," Rose confirmed. "I?m going to be a mommy," Sarah confirmed to herself. The hint of a smile formed at the corners of her mouth. Josh floated around in front of her. His face had gone pale. "I know you didn?t want... I?m so-" "Don?t you dare apologize," Sarah interrupted him. She reached out and took his hand, placing it on her abdomen and smiling in full. "This is a happy day. Our baby will be so beautiful," she felt tears of joy start as she said the words. "I love you," he said to Sarah, as he felt himself start to cry in happiness. He dropped down and kissed her abdomen, right in front of everybody. Sarah patted his head affectionately. "So, I?m not pregnant," stated Manami, in a small, disappointed voice. "No sweetie, I?m afraid not," Rose answered. "You haven?t done the eye thing like Sarah did have you?" "No," Manami answered. Jenna wrapped her arms around Manami?s chest from the side and kissed her cheek. "I bet she will tonight," she said with a smile. "But I know you want a baby too, and we probably shouldn?t all be pregnant," Manami replied. "I can wait a little while and be the cool auntie until your and Sarah?s little ones are out of mer diapers, or whatever," she smiled. Josh and Jenna had figured, with no evidence mind you, on their first full day after transformation that the mermaids couldn?t be pregnant all the time, so there was something that stopped conception. Maybe the mermaids had seasonal fertility or something. The answer was different than they?d ever expected. Mermaids had total, conscious control over when they conceived, whether they knew about the mechanism or not. "I guess we have 9 months to pick a name," Sarah said. "Oh no, more like 11," Rose interjected. "All mermaid pregnancies have lasted 11 months. Except for Liga with Mari, but Liga is a very small mermaid." "Eleven then." Sarah was again taken aback. Seeing that Sarah and Josh were still in a bit of shock, Jenna took charge. "You must be tired and hungry. Would you like to relax and get some food?" she asked. "That sounds like a great idea. Thank you," Janice accepted gratefully. "It?ll be so nice to sleep somewhere that?s not the open ocean." "Josh, why don?t you take Trevor and Brian to hunt down something big enough to be meat for all of us? Manami and I will get grasses and shellfish. Let?s all meet at the campsite on the western end of the lagoon," Jenna suggested. "I?ll go. You guys can rest," Josh suggested. ?We?ll help," Brian said. "No reason for you to go alone. We can keep up, right Trevor?" "Yeah," Trevor agreed. "Show us your favorite hunting spots." "I was thinking of going out and seeing if I can get tuna..." he thought. "Don?t go to so much trouble, just one of the big groupers or a few of the medium fish," Rose insisted. "All right then," Josh said. "We?ll be back. This way guys. I need to get the survival belt and knife from the cave." Josh led Trevor and Brian back out of the lagoon and turned west, vanishing from the view of the mermaids. Sarah finally recovered from the shock of learning of her pregnancy. "Thanks Jenna." "Hey, I?d like to call in to Pat to let her know we got here okay," Rose said. "It won?t take long. Could I get a few mermaids to give me a boost?" Kate, Ann, Jaclyn, and Julie agreed and moved into position just outside the entrance, facing northeast behind Rose. They stayed still as they focused on boosting Rose?s communication with Pat. After only about 30 seconds, Rose moved again and the five mermaids moved back into the lagoon. "It was just a quick check in. Pat?s happy we?re here, but I could tell how worried she is. I kind of wish we?d waited so we could help," Rose worried. "They wouldn?t even let us take any of the data backups." "They wanted us out of danger," Jaclyn consoled her daughter. "There?s also really no place to put it on this atoll." "We did find a small cave. It?s where we store our stuff and shelter from storms, but I?d be surprised if all three pods could comfortably fit in there," Sarah said. "Enough talking. I?m starting to get hungry, and our guests must be starving." "You are eating for two," Manami joked. "You?re going to start with that already?" Sarah asked. "Yes," came the simultaneous answer from her sister wives. "Rose, can you just lead the way over there and we?ll get food please?" Sarah pleaded. "Sure thing. I know I?m looking forward to dry land too," Rose acknowledged through a smile and she moved off with her sisters. Sarah shook her head and made to go with Jenna and Manami to gather food, but Janice stopped her. "Honey, you?re pregnant. Let your pod mates get the food," she suggested. "I?m fine. A little surprised, but fine. Go relax, you?ve been swimming for a week and a half," Sarah assured her. "Maybe when I?m big as a house, I?ll take advantage of the pregnancy card," she smiled at her waiting sister wives, who rolled their eyes at her. "We?ll get you a little bell, so you can ring for service," Jenna joked. "Now that?s a good idea," she agreed. "We?ll see you over there then," Janice said as she and her pod followed Rose, Kate, and Ann. Sarah watched them head west for a moment, then turned and saw Manami and Jenna staring at her with huge smiles on their faces. "Love you," Jenna said. "This is wonderful," Manami gushed. "We know you didn?t want to, but it is so exciting." "It?s a shock, that?s for sure." Sarah rubbed her abdomen protectively as she focused on her baby?s signal. "But now that she?s a reality, now that I know she?s there, I can?t imagine things any other way," she started crying happy tears again. "Oh good grief. Let?s go get food before they wonder what happened to us." The mermen swam around the outside of the atoll, Brain and Trevor took in the sights along the vertical wall of the dropoff. There were plenty of large fish swimming around the corals, with more circling below, and even a few big sharks, who seemed to want nothing to do with the mers. "Josh, did we miss the entrance?" Trevor stopped and pointed to the hole in the coral that surrounded the underwater cave mouth. "Oh, yeah, sorry guys," he said, breaking out of his daze from learning of his impending fatherhood. "It?s right through here. There?s only one cave that we can get to." He guided them through the entrance and into the tunnel. He switched to their mental communication. [Manami and I found it a few days after we changed. The way is marked with rocks. When you come here again, just follow those and you?ll get right to the cave,] He rounded the last corner, surfaced, and hauled himself out of the small pool to make way for the other mermen. Trevor surfaced, Brain next. They looked around the interior from the water. "Cozy," Brian remarked. "Yeah. It was fine for the four of us when we had to wait out a storm or when we hid from that group of people snooping around, but I don?t think we?d want all twelve of us to shelter in here for too long," Josh said as he ambled over to the far end of the larger shelf where he kept the original survival belt Trevor had left him. He clipped the belt on and checked the and resheathed the knife. "You guys want to relax for a moment? Take off your belts?" "Don?t mind if I do," Trevor said. He and Brian exited the water and unclipped their heavily-laden belts. They?d brought lots of extra lines. Wet line became very heavy. "Ugh. I could go a while without that thing," he groaned as he stretched and moved his torso around to work out the kinks. "I?d offer you both a beer, but I?m out at the moment," Josh joked. "That is nothing to joke about," Brian said back. "Don?t get me wrong, this merman thing has been great, but I miss being able to have a cold one." "Just so long as it?s not some light, sex in a canoe garbage beer, I agree with you," Josh answered. "Sex in a canoe?" Trevor asked. "Fucking close to water," Brian filled him in. "Though the way mers do it, fucking in the water beats even the best beer." "I won?t argue with you there," Josh paused. "I actually need to talk about some serious stuff with you guys. Stuff that I don?t want to talk about around the girls," the words hung in the air a bit. "?Stuff?? Okay, we figured you?d have questions," Brian told him. "and we?ll happily answer them. Just not all at once, and not right now, okay?" "Yeah," Josh nodded. "I understand. Just one question though, and then we?ll hunt and eat, I promise: Do you get really angry? I just... when those people were looking around the atoll, I know Sarah told Pat about them, so I assume she told you guys. When they walked by that opening at the top of this cave, sat down, and talked before walking off, I was enraged. All I could think of was tearing each of them limb from limb like an animal. I don?t know what I would have done if I?d actually been able to reach them." "Your mermaids didn?t have to hold you down or anything, did they?" Trevor asked. "No. I was just able to keep a hold on myself. It was the same thing with a diver filming this drop off area," Josh said. "I?m not some psychopath. I?ve never had this kind of anger before. If anything, my mind is calmer, clearer, more focused and at peace since the change. I just worry about keeping a cool head in a dangerous situation." Brian nodded. "I haven?t been a merman for very long. Trevor actually beat me to it by a few months. But It sounds like, with the diver, you did keep a cool head. You didn?t kill him." "The only time I?ve heard of something like that happen is if there?s an odd number of mermaids compared to the number of mermen," Trevor answered. "So, if the three of us were out and about, we would have to have no mermaids, or one, two, or three each with us. If the numbers get off kilter, it can get ugly. I heard Mark and MuSu got into it pretty bad when the mermen were training while Rose and I were off on a scouting mission. Mark?s pod showed up and started cheering him on. They went aggro on each other, and Eric tried to break it up, but even he went a bit nuts and got into a three way fight. John had to send Mark?s pod away to get them to calm down." "Do all the mermen normally get along?" Josh asked. "Oh yeah. It?s really chill," Trevor responded. "Normally, we?re all just happy, loving our mermaids. Though Mark is training up a mer navy and he and MuSu have been teaching us martial arts, just in case. We'll show you the moves they taught us. They're specially adapted to take advantage of mer anatomy " "Mark?s not a bad guy, for a squid anyway," Brian added. "Squid?" Josh asked. "Does he have eight arms or something?" "Sorry, I was in the Air Force. ?Squid? is what the other services call someone from the Navy. He was a SEAL though, and he knows what he?s talking about," Brian explained. "Now, can we get some food?" "Yeah, sorry, let?s go. As you saw, the game is plentiful around here," Josh apologized. He salamandered over to the pool and slipped into the water, heading back down the tunnel. Trevor and Brian followed, leaving their heavy belts in the cave. Meeting up outside they headed back east to find suitable prey. "How about that one?" Trevor asked, pointing at a cod lazily making its way along the reef. Josh unsheathed the knife to make the kill, but was stopped by Brian. "Why are you killing it with that? You don?t use your barb?" he asked. "I thought it was venomous, and I figured it wasn?t a good idea to inject that into our food," Josh answered. "We?re immune. Mers, even pregnant mermaids, have been eating fish caught that way since the first pod changed. I?ll show you," Trevor sped off towards the cod, which barely had time to register that something might be wrong before Trevor unsheathed the barb tucked in at the base of his flukes and jabbed it right behind the gills with a quick "thud". The fish spasmed for a few seconds, then went quiet. "Not a ton of blood from the kill, so the scavengers don?t come as fast. Try it out man," he said as he pulled the catch back to where Josh and Brian hovered. Josh swam forward, aiming for one of the groupers. It was swimming away as quickly as it could, but Josh caught it. Unfortunately, when he tried to pull up even with the fish and hit it with his barb, he lost too much momentum and missed, and the fish swam off. "You need to follow through. You should be swimming by, not stopping, to hit it. Do it again," Brian said. Josh picked out another fish closer to the surface and tried again. This time he came at the fish from below, and kept the speed on until he was almost completely past the fish, then he jabbed with the end of his barb. This time it struck true, and the fish went into the same spasms Trevor?s catch had, and went limp. "Nice job. This should be enough. Is there another entrance to the lagoon closer to where the girls are?" Brian asked. "I?m afraid not. There are two on the north side, and the one in the southeast where you came in," Josh said. "I like to clean my fish outside of the lagoon, if I can." "Then let?s do that and get to the girls," Trevor agreed. Trevor?s mates emerged from the water at the beach they?d left the survivors on almost two months before. There were still several downed trees up the beach, the remains of the lean-to were left where they had fallen, and the raft, though it wasn?t in the tree anymore, had obviously seen better days. The canopy supports had been crushed when it fell to the ground, though it had bounced right side up, "This place has seen better days," Kate remarked. "Trevor will be disappointed that the thing he built with Josh fell over." "That last typhoon that went through must have hit this place dead on. The fact that the raft is even here is pretty remarkable," Rose said. Their parents and aunt arrived and relaxed on the sandy beach together. Jaclyn held Janice from behind while Julie laid her head in her sister?s lap. "What a great beach," Janice said as she relaxed. "Are there any bad beaches in this part of the world?" Julie asked. "This one is great because we?re here and we?re done with the trip over, and can relax for the first time in 11 days of swimming," Janice replied. "Very true," Jaclyn answered and lightly kissed Janice?s neck. Rose, Kate and Ann settled down and began grooming each other and settling into their new, hopefully temporary, home. "I wonder if they got lonely here," Kate mused. "It was just them for a while." "I?m sure they?ll tell us all about it," Rose said as she combed out her sister?s hair. "I really want to ask them about that trick they do where they talk to dolphins with their minds." "No kidding. That must be awesome!" Kate answered. Sarah, Jenna, and Manami had finished gathering food and headed towards the beach. Jenna carried two great armfuls of sea grasses, and Sarah and Manami had their arms loaded with shellfish. They?d have to go back to using collection bags whenever possible, just to up their carrying capacity if they were going to have a single pod collect food for all three. They salamandered onto the beach with their loads, and the Connor sisters stopped grooming to help carry it up from the water and distribute it. "Thanks ladies," Rose said as she handed some of the shellfish to her parents and aunt. Sarah and her podmates made to sit in their own group, but Janice spoke up. "Maybe we could mix together, get to know each other?" Jenna smiled. "Great idea!" she made to sit with Rose?s pod, while Manami and Sarah sat with Janice and her pod. They ate and started conversing while they waited for the mermen. "So Jenna," Rose asked. "We were just talking about this ability your pod has to talk to whales and dolphins. What on earth is that like?" ?Oh it?s amazing," she confirmed. "The dolphins were just happy and playful, and according to Sarah and Josh, the male they talked to was kinda horny." "He definitely wanted me," Sarah said ruefully from the other group. "The whale was different though," she remembered. "He was dying. It seemed like he was sick or old. He must not have been able to migrate anymore." Manami continued. "It seemed like he understood some of the same words as the dolphins. We could tell he was intelligent, but there was definitely a difference in perspective." "Could you tell what he thought about you?" Julie asked. "Yeah. At first he was confused, but curious. Then, we started exchanging thoughts and I think he understood the word or concept of ?family?, he seemed, almost amused," Manami smiled. "It was almost like he thought we were cute. Like puppies." "We stayed with him until the end," Jenna said, wiping away a tear. "He sent us images and memories of his life. We all dreamed of them that night. It was completely unlike anything I'd experienced, but also so close to us, just a different perspective," she sighed. "That sounds amazing," Julie smiled. "It was," Sarah confirmed. "Seeing and feeling what an animal the size of a building experienced was profound. I think Josh had a real epiphany from the way he reacted right after the whale died." "Oh I felt that too," Jenna added. "He was shaken for a moment there." "How has he been as a merman?" Rose asked. "He?s a good man," Sarah smiled. "A bit intense when it comes to our safety, and his jokes are hit and miss, but he?s gentle, and kind, and he makes me feel..." she trailed off, blushing and popping another oyster into her mouth. "Yeah," Jenna smiled, and Manami nodded. "You can say it out loud," Rose encouraged them. "He makes me feel wonderful," Sarah admitted. "All my podmates do." "We love you too," Manami said, her hand patting Sarah?s tail. "I think the main course is coming," Kate said, feeling the approach of the mermen. Trevor and Josh hauled their cleaned 30 pound catches out of the water, and Brian joined them. Josh took out the knife and started butchering the cod Trevor had caught. "We stashed our gear in the cave. It?s smaller than we're used to. The seating out of the water is about the size of the nursery cave back on the island, but the pool is much smaller," Trevor reported. "Well, the builder didn't give us a chance to have input on the design. We bought it on spec," Jenna joked. "I don't mean anything by it," Trevor protested as the other mers chuckled. "Could we all shelter there if we needed to?" asked Janice. "Maybe. It would be really tight. One pod would have to sleep in the water if it came down to it," Brian answered. "We?ve done that, and other things in that pool," Jenna offered with a smile. Brian and Trevor helped distribute pieces of the cod. Josh started in on the grouper. "There are really big groupers out there, but killing one of the two or three hundred pound ones always seemed wasteful," he said. "This is perfectly fine," Manami said. "You can salt and preserve fish. We'll show you how," Janice offered. Josh finished butchering the main fillets of the fish, then sliced off the collar meat, and the cheek muscles from each fish. He picked up the cod?s cheek muscles and salamandered up to Sarah, who was just finishing her food. "I saved the cheek muscles for you." "Thanks," she said as she took them with a smile. "Can I get you anything else? Do you want some more grasses, or the collar meat?" he asked, looking eager to please. "Um, I'm good for now, thanks. Did you eat before you got here?" she asked him with a puzzled look on her face. Jaclyn and Janice, the two parents of the group, shared a knowing smile. "I?m alright. I?ll get some of the fish or something else," Josh insisted. He watched her eat, making sure she finished everything in front of her and waited for any requests. Jenna ambled over. "What is wrong with you?" she asked Josh. "He?s doting on Sarah," Jaclyn answered. "I did it when Janice was pregnant with our children. Particularly our first since I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing," she shook her head. "I just want to make sure she?s okay," Josh protested. Sarah smiled at him lovingly, while Jenna and Manami laughed softly. "Thank you Josh. I?m fine. I?m pregnant, not disabled." "You?ll appreciate it later on, trust me," Janice replied. "Having someone to help you and get things will be a godsend." "Well, when that time comes, I want a merman who hasn?t been starving himself. Eat you lovable doofus," Sarah poked him with her fluke. "Okay," Josh said, chastened. He turned to the fishes and ate the collar meat from the cod and cheek muscles from the grouper, along with some of the grasses that hadn?t been eaten yet. Once the pods had finished eating, Josh?s pod moved to clean up the shells and bones and dump them out in the lagoon. "Oh, don?t do that," Janice said. "We?ll get those, right?" "Sure!" Rose answered. "After a nap?" "Okay," Janice laughed. "We?ll nap first, but really, leave those for us. You brought and prepared it." "A nap sounds wonderful," Sarah agreed. The three pods laid out together along the beach. Some mermaids curled up along their mermen, some laid out flat to fully catch the sun. Sarah lay on her back, and Josh lay beside her, with his hand over her womb. Their bright tails glinting in the noonday light as the food settled in their bellies and the two newly arrived pods relaxed after their long journey. Four hundred miles above, a satellite orbited along a longitudinal path, taking pictures at predetermined intervals. It photographed twelve tails, red, green, grey, blue, silver, pink, and black, and transmitted the images back to Earth. A computer received the images, and an A.I. program recognized the shapes and colors that had been present in the hundreds of images it had been fed to train it. It flagged the new pictures with the correct keywords in the database and generated an alert to the required user. To Be Continued!