At last, I have finally reached the final chapter. I have to say, I'm glad this one is over with. It's been a rough slog trying to finish it, and I fear the quality probably suffered because of it. However, I cannot stand leaving a story unfinished for a year so I powered through anyway.

None of this would have been possible without the amazing comments left by readers Krachwarn and Alice. Were it not for them, I would have given up on this a couple chapters in. Never underestimate what having two, or even just one, amazing readers can do.

Enjoy.

A month, a whole damn month without a single sign from Ben. Maddie wanted to remain hopeful at first, she wanted to believe Ben would wake any moment and life could start getting back to normal, but this was not to be.

Maddie could probably learn a lesson or two from Ryn. The mermaid rarely left Ben's bedside if she could avoid it but showed not a single inkling of worry. She was like a mountain in the storm, no force on this earth was going to budge her hope for Ben's return. Maddie wished she had a fraction of that strength.

Speaking of Ryn…

Maddie spent weeks trying everything within her power to avoid conversation with Ryn but now that she wanted to speak to her, Maddie found herself unable to.

Helen's words rattled around inside Maddie's brain without mercy. The older woman was absolutely right, of course, but what to do with this new knowledge had Maddie struggling for a decision of how to handle this.

Apologize? Ben was still out cold, and there didn't seem to be any words in the English language that were adequate for how badly Maddie had hurt Ryn. At the same time, Maddie couldn't just start acting like nothing ever happened to drive them apart.

"I'm going to check out the vending machines for a drink." Maddie announced, having just finished her latest novel. "You want anything?"

"No." Ryn's answer was simple, thankfully not calling attention to Maddie directly talking to her.

Leaving the room, Maddie trekked her way down the hall. Helen's words echoing through her thoughts with evert step.

"What do I do…" Maddie sighed, picking out a bottle of… something. She wasn't really paying all that much attention. The quest for a drink was more just to distract herself. One muffled thump later, and the bottle was waiting in the tray at her feet.

So distracted she was with her emotional turmoil, Maddie didn't see the reflection in the glass until after she kneeled down to retrieve her drink.

"Ryn? Everything okay?" Maddie felt like a complete moron for asking it, but it had been her first thought.

Ryn said nothing, her chin tilted down so that her face was almost completely curtained off by the waves of her brunette locks.

"Ryn?" Thinking Ryn hadn't heard her the first time, Maddie spoke a little louder. Ryn in such a state was already unnerving Maddie horribly. She hadn't appeared this distraught since Donna…

Ben!

"Maddie…" Ryn spoke at last, just as the panic welled up within Maddie's chest. Her unsteady, near broken, tone wasn't doing Maddie's lack of peace of mind any favors.

Fearing the worst, Maddie was a split second from rushing back to Ben's room when she heard Ryn speak again.

"Maddie… hate Ryn."

"What?" Of all things Maddie expected Ryn to say, that certainly hadn't been among them. "I…"

Whatever response Maddie would have concocted died on her tongue when Ryn tilted her head up. It occurred to Maddie that she'd never seen Ryn cry before, she even wondered if mermaids were physically capable of such a thing. The tears currently streaming down Ryn's cheeks were more than adequate evidence that yes, mermaids can cry.

Not only did Maddie now know that Ryn could cry, she'd already decided it was one of the most heart-wrenching sights she'd ever seen.

"Sister gone." Ryn was fully trembling now, her body plagued with quiet sobs. "Home gone, Ben never wake, Maddie hate Ryn…"

"Ryn… I don't hate you." Maddie had certainly been acting like it for the last month, much to her self-directed disgust.

"Ryn need Ben and Maddie." Ryn didn't seem to hear Maddie's reassurance. She didn't appear hysterical, but Maddie knew mermaids were not all that expressive when it came to emotions. "Not Ben. Not Maddie. Ben and Maddie."

No matter how cold hearted a person was, no matter how angry, nobody could have looked on and ignored it when faced with a person so upset. Maddie's only problem was she still didn't know what to do or say.

"Ryn need Ben and Maddie." Ryn took a step closer, reaching for Maddie. The taller female didn't miss he way the mermaid hesitated before touching her.

Unsure of Ryn intentions but willing to humor her, Maddie moved herself into Ryn's reach. The mermaid's hands only stopped upon reaching Maddie's shoulders.

Maddie was firmly rooted in place when Ryn's tear filled eyes found hers. There was so much raw sorrow and… something Maddie couldn't identify, in those cerulean orbs, Maddie couldn't have looked away if she tried.

The entire situation was eerily similar to that day Maddie was left alone with Ryn just before she had dinner with Ben's mother. Ryn had pinned her with a similar stare before kissing her. At the time, Ryn had mistaken it for a way humans said goodbye. They hadn't a chance to correct her until later.

Before Maddie could discern Ryn's thoughts, the mermaid leaned up on her toes.

The kiss was a far cry from the last one the two shared. There was no confidence in it whatsoever and a lot of apprehension. As if Ryn was expecting Maddie to shove her away at any time.

The kiss itself was quick, and completely unromantic. Once Ryn pulled almost a full step away, the taste of salt from Ryn's tears lingered when Maddie's tongue brushed her lip. Regardless, it still sent tingles down Maddie's spine for reasons Maddie had yet to determine.

Maddie was still processing what just happened when she saw Ryn swaying unsteadily on her feet.

"Ryn n… need Ben and… Maddie…"

Had Maddie's reflexes been any slower, Ryn would have fallen right to the floor. Instead, Ryn landed safely in Maddie's arms. It was a close call, though. Maddie had almost forgotten how heavy Ryn was.

Thinking quickly, Maddie glanced around and was thankful for the late hour. Not a doctor, patient, or visitor in sight. Shifting Ryn's considerable weight around, Maddie hefted the mermaid onto her back and carried her back to the safety of Ben's room.

Maddie did her best to be gentle, but she accidentally dropped Ryn a little too hard onto the couch in Ben's room. Not that it mattered, the mermaid was completely out of it.

The first theory to cross Maddie's mind was that Ryn was nearing the end of her time on land again. One quick examination proved this to not be the case. There wasn't a speck of the rash or dried skin that always preceded such a thing. Although all Maddie could check were Ryn's arms, neck, and around her collar, these were the spots that always went first.

Only for the briefest of moments did Maddie consider a more thorough look over under Ryn's shirt but she decided against it immediately. Ryn would understand but it still felt like a terrible invasion of her privacy.

Soothingly brushing the hair from Ryn's face, Maddie did her best to wipe away the stray tears that were already drying upon Ryn's cheeks. While doing so, Maddie caught sight of the dark circles beneath Ryn's eyes. She'd been so focused on her own woes, that Maddie hadn't even noticed them this entire time.

Putting the clues together, Maddie discerned Ryn wasn't drying out, she was sleep deprived. While they were not allowed to remain with Ben twenty-four hours a day, Maddie had zero difficulty imagining Ryn sitting beside Helen's phone every hour of the night waiting for news whether it was good or bad. If she'd been doing this all month, Maddie was amazed the mermaid had gone so long without crashing.

Maybe she had, and Maddie hadn't seen it.

Thinking back to Ryn's words in the hall, Maddie was hit with another painful truth. This entire time, she'd assumed Ryn's optimism and faith everything would be okay was unshakable. As it turned out, Ryn's hope wasn't quite as strong as she thought.

Ryn may have begun that way, but with each passing day she cracked a little more. Piece by piece, she broke until her body and spirit could take no more punishment.

Punishment that Maddie had been contributing to with her aloof and dismissive behavior. Helen had been right, but it wasn't just Ben that Maddie had abandoned.

Then there was that kiss! It wasn't like Maddie didn't have enough emotional turbulence to work out.

"Sleep." Maddie whispered, her thumb caressing Ryn's prominent cheekbone ever so slightly. Leaning down, she softly planted a kiss on Ryn's forehead. Lacking any pillow they could spare, Maddie bundled up her jacket and slipped it beneath Ryn's head so she could at least have something under her head.

With Ryn squared away, Maddie once again took a seat at Ben's bedside. Taking Ben's hand in hers, Maddie ran the pads of her thumbs tracing over the bumps of his knuckles.

It took Maddie a full five minutes before she even realized she'd taken what had been previously claimed by unspoken agreement as Ryn's chair. Oh well, if Maddie was keeping guard over the both of them, she might as well be sitting in the chief watchwoman's spot.

With Ryn asleep and no books left to distract herself, Maddie was left at the mercy of her current worst enemy. Her own mind.

"I don't know what to do anymore." Maddie confessed to the sleeping Ben. It wasn't the first time Maddie had spoken to Ben since his admittance to the hospital, but Ryn had done most of the talking to him thus far. "I messed up real bad. "I should never have left you. I can't believe I blamed Ryn for this when you're here because of me."

It was quite telling that Ryn had spoken more to Ben, coma and all, than Maddie and Ryn had to each other. Yet another thing to regret about this whole mess.

"I'm so sorry." Maddie dropped her head to land atop Ben's hand with a soft thump. "It's all my fault."

There was no telling how long Maddie stayed like that. When she heard the sound, she at first thought she'd fallen asleep and the staff was coming in to tell her it was time to leave. Except, the sound wasn't coming from the door.

It came from Ben's bed.

"Mads?" Ben's voice was raspy from disuse. "That you?"

"Ben?" Maddie blinked once, twice. Her body caught up with her five senses after a brief delay. "Ben!" She jumped up from her chair so violently that it was knocked over to clatter to the floor. "I… better go get one of the doctors."

It wasn't the Maddie wasn't happy to see Ben awake, but rather she was almost too scared to face him right now. In the end, it didn't matter. Maddie wasn't given a choice.

"Wait." Ben's hand shot out and caught Maddie's wrist. His grip was weak, Maddie could have broken free with the tiniest effort, but it might as well have been strong as diamond. Maddie wasn't going anywhere. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital." Maddie cleared her throat. "You've been out of it for a while."

"Out of it?"

"You've… been in a coma." Maddie chose honesty, but she was a little surprised Ben was so coherent. She knew what his next question was before he even asked it. "One month."

"But… I'm awake now?" Maddie couldn't recall the last time Ben had sounded so terrified.

"Of course you're awake. You've had us worried sick, you know."

"Us?"

"Here." It took Maddie a bit, but she found the controller that worked the hospital bed. Pressing a few buttons, she raised the bed so that Ben was sitting up more. "Ryn's been here the whole time."

Ben visibly relaxed at the sight of the mermaid sleeping on the couch. "Any… problems?"

Oh, there had been a crapload of problems. Maddie's first instinct was that, but she didn't think Ben needed to know that. "Everything's been quiet here."

"You're lying, Maddie."

Damn Ben knowing her tells!

"It's fine." Maddie quickly defended. "Everybody's safe." That at least wasn't a lie. They may not be okay, but they were safe.

"Okay." Ben obviously wasn't satisfied with that answer, but probably didn't have the mental clarity to pursue further.

By some bizarre coincidence, that was the moment Ryn stirred from her forced nap.

"Look who's awake." Maddie announced while the mermaid looked around, groggily trying to assess her surroundings. Her eyes fell to the couch and Maddie's jacket beside her. "Ryn, over here."

Maddie knew mermaids were fast in the water, but she wondered how they compared to humans while on land. Upon seeing Ben awake, Ryn crossed the room faster than Maddie would have thought physically possible.

Rushing up, Ryn jumped onto the bed, landing atop Ben. He grunted in surprise while the mermaid straddled him and threw her arms around him.

"Whoa, easy." Maddie lightly tugged on Ryn's shirt. It was an empty action, really. Maddie didn't have the muscle to pry the mermaid loose if she didn't want to be. "He's still pretty weak."

"Ben awake?" Ryn loosened her hold, but remained close in Ben's face, her hands running all over him. "Ben okay?"

Ben took a hard look at Ryn, like he was searching for something Maddie couldn't see. It wasn't long before his lips split into a fond smile. "I'm okay, Ryn."

Ryn let out a soft hiss of joy and took Ben's head in her hands. Pulling him close, she pressed her forehead to his. A familiar gesture of intimacy for the mermaid. One that Maddie found herself having no problems with right now. "I am happy."

"I'm glad to see you, too." It took an effort to do so, but Ben moved one hand up to lay over Ryn's shoulder.

While Ben and Ryn seemed to be having a happy reunion, Maddie found herself feeling like she didn't belong. The exhilaration of Ben rejoining the world being overshadowed by Maddie's guilt.

Maddie found herself being dragged from the hole she was burying herself into when Ryn grabbed and pulled her partway onto the bed. Ben was caught off guard too when Ryn held the two humans into the same near bone crushing embrace.

"Ryn need Ben and Maddie." Ryn whispered, only letting go a little so as to not hurt the pair.

There were those words again. Ryn need Ben and Maddie. Not Ben. Not Maddie. Ben and Maddie. Those were the words Ryn used, but what did she mean by that? It wasn't like Ryn literally needed them. It was surely taking a rough adjustment period, but she seemed to be doing okay with Helen. Not counting Ben's current condition.

Watching Ryn interact with the two of them now, the epiphany struck Maddie like an out of control train.

"Oh, my god."

"Seriously? That simple?" Maddie was skeptical, Ben would be too if he was being told this. "You just had to jump in the ocean? No way."

"I don't think it was that simple." Ben rolled his eyes. "But yeah, that was the last thing I remember before the hospital."

"Yeah, well, welcome to the wonderful world of dream logic." Maddie shrugged. "It isn't supposed to make sense."

"No kidding." Ben laughed. He'd told Maddie bits and pieces of what he remembered from his coma dreams since leaving the hospital, but it wasn't until tonight he'd gone over the entire story start to end.

Speaking of leaving the hospital, it felt damn good to be sleeping in his own bed again. At least his physical therapy hadn't been too bad. It definitely could have been worse if he'd been under longer than a month, but Ben preferred not to dwell on what could have been.

"You comfy, Ryn?" Maddie looked across Ben where Ryn was nestled into Ben's opposite side, her head on Ben's chest. To anyone looking, it would be easy to mistake her for being asleep.

Ryn's only answer was a tiny nod of the head. She was comfy alright, so much so she didn't even want to move if she could avoid it.

Smiling down at the mermaid, Ben's hand resumed stroking her hair. She let out a quiet hiss of approval but otherwise didn't react.

"So…" Ben watched while Maddie ran her fingertips over Ryn's hand. The mermaid shifted her hand to take Maddie's in hers, giving it a mild squeeze. "We never did finish that talk."

"What talk?" Maddie brought Ryn's hand closer to give it a kiss on the back.

"You know." Ben watched the exchange between the two women. "That talk."

"What's there to talk about?" Maddie sat up, but held on to Ryn's hand.

"I don't know." Ben motioned with his chin to Ryn, then to Ryn and Maddie's entwined hands. "Maybe this?"

"Nothing to talk about." Maddie shrugged again. "You and I love each other, and Ryn loves both of us."

"Ben and Maddie are love." Ryn added from where she lay.

"Exactly. Ben, Ryn isn't even human." Maddie's comment was enough to make Ryn lift her head. "I didn't say that was a bad thing, merely a fact." That was enough to make Ryn lay her head back down. "Nothing about…" Maddie waved her free hand to indicate the three of them in the bed. "This, is going to be normal, we're way past that now. This… this is something different."

"And what is this, exactly?" Ben arched an eyebrow.

"Whatever the hell we want it to be." Maddie thumped her fist on her leg. "Screw what society and everybody else says."

"If I had the use of both of my hands, I'd be clapping." Ben made a motion with his hands like he was applauding, but he was a hand short. The hand that had been petting Ryn's hair was now wrapped around the mermaid and she wasn't letting it go any time soon.

Ben thought back to Other-Ben's parting words, about his last challenge not being… wherever he was. At first, Ben assumed his twin was talking about Maddie or Ryn. He expected their reunion to be rocky at best.

Rocky didn't come close to describing it. Maddie had changed back to how she was before Ryn arrived in Bristol Cove. She'd also apologized almost two dozen times, Ben counted, for not staying while he was affected with the siren song. For some reason she took it hard what happened to land him in the hospital.

If there was one thing Ben had learned from this whole experience, it was that blame and regret were nasty pieces of work. Doling out the former would solve nothing, and keeping the latter in would eat you alive from the inside out.

Now, all had been long forgiven, and it was going to stay that way.

The song itself seemed to have disappeared, too. He'd had no desire to hear it, nor hallucinations of Ryn, or anything related to the song since waking from his coma. Maybe surviving that nightmare shook the cobwebs loose from his mind or it just wore off while he was out. Either way, Ben wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ryn had changed too upon Ben's awakening. Gone were the days where she would hold back from being affectionate. If she wanted to kiss one of them, she did it. For someone who didn't fully comprehend human customs, she'd made it clear that Ben and Maddie were hers.

Much like Maddie's apologies, Ben had lost count of the number of times Ryn told him she would "never leave again".

Ben fully expected Maddie to be grumpy about Ryn's new behavior. He received the shock of his life when Maddie not only accepted it, she liked it.

Perhaps it wasn't the reunion Other-Ben meant, but rather this new chapter of their lives, this new relationship Ben, Maddie, and Ryn were starting. But how could he have known about that if he was only a creation of Ben's subconscious mind?

Uh… too much thinking about the irrational was making his head hurt again. Best not to overthink it.

"You guys going to be here when I wake up?" Ben knew the answer, but he liked hearing it from his girlfriends anyway.

"Always." Maddie kissed Ben on the cheek.

"I never leave." Ryn repeated the act on Ben's other cheek.

With that, Ben allowed himself to drift off to peaceful and loving dreams.

I am finally done! Hate to say it, but I am so glad this story is over with. Each chapter has been a nasty slog that just drags on and on. The whole thing still gnaws at me like its poorly written but I get that on most of my works.

I knew I'd never be able to go until season 2 came out, but I'd hoped to last a while longer. But when the readers disappear there's no point. Hopefully they will all return with the next season. I already have a bunch of works planned, but I'm going to save them for season 2s readers.

And speaking of readers, I've said this before but I'm going to say it again. This story would have been discontinued were it not for the amazing comments of Krachwarn and Alice. It kinda feels like I wrote it just for them, but I guess if they're my only commenters then I guess I did. They're amazing (and long) comments were enough to keep me going and make any slog through the written mire worthwhile. For someone who relies so heavily on reader reviews/comments, not getting any was disastrous. But let this be a lesson to you all, it doesn't take that much.

I go now to join Siren in hibernation, at least until season 2 comes out. It is time for me to take my leave, but when Siren returns, so too shall I. See you all next year.