Hey readers, so wow, three years this story has been in the making. That's truly shocking, and I'm so sorry for not finishing it earlier like I had planned, but I promise, I will finish it!

Jay Gatsby

KITKAT DONUT- I tried to PM you back in response to your review, which thanks for reviewing btw, but apparently its blocked. O'well, I plan on the story being about 20 chapters or so. Im not quite sure where its going to land out though. If youd like, I sorta have a plan for all the chapters, I can send it to you if want! And that goes for anyone btw, you know, if you just don't feel like waiting to know the ending.

-Dawn-

Leaf and Gary were in equally bad moods. Paul, well he's Paul, his mood was worse than theirs. I had spent the past few months attempting to hate the masculine form before me, but I only achieved a much deeper feeling for the man. He was brutal in all the right ways, and muscular in all the right areas. The shadows of his face even helped him look more…attractive isn't quite the word; it implies a certain softness Paul doesn't have. However, menacing wasn't the right word either; Paul was somewhere in between, but it was perfect for him.

Unluckily for me he still hadn't put on a shirt, which only made it harder to concentrate on things other than him. Seemingly, he noticed my obvious staring. "And here I thought mermaids would have enough self-control not to stare." His tone was flat and his face blank. Never in my life had I ever wanted to be anything other than a mermaid, until now. I wanted to be a mind reader, but most importantly, I wanted to read Paul's mind. I wanted to know what he thought of mermaids, of the world…of me. I wanted to know why he was so harsh and cruel around others but so soft, in a way only Paul could be, when it was just us. I wanted to know him, more than I've wanted anything.

Gary eyed me when I failed to move, "Obviously she didn't get it." His tone and face were just as empty as Paul's, but his comment shook me out of my daze nonetheless. My head sprang to life and I turned to Gary with a dainty snarl that only made the man chuckle, even Paul snickered. Paul, however, didn't seem to appreciate Gary's comment either.

Paul turned to Gary before standing and replying "And yet somehow, she's still smarter than you Oak." I felt a small smile and warmth grace my body when he said that. He stood up for me.

Paul, still shirtless mind you, made his way to his kitchen to grab a glass of water and ice as we heard the door open and the voices of our various friends. May and Drew were enthralled in a constant bicker while Ash and Misty chatted alongside one another. I noted that Misty had her pendant in her hand while Ellen and Thomas's hands were clasped together. Sweet, I thought, they deserved to be happy; they deserved each other.

The second May saw me she gasped and headed straight for me in concern, interrupting her current argument with Drew who was obviously disgruntled by her sudden actions. She took my face in her hands and kneeled beside me, ready to comfort me if she needed. There was no need however, Paul had already done so when the event first transpired, but it did help to know she was there for me. I thanked her, telling her I was fine, although it was a lie. Thanks to Paul, I might be calm, but I wasn't fine. I was anything but fine. I was swimming in fear to say the least.

As May left Misty came and placed a hand on my knee, looked at me with deep understanding, and nodded. She smiled lightly before removing her hand and making her way into Ash's arms who was now happily chopping on an apple in a cushioned chair, completely oblivious to the mood of the room. I laughed lightly at his demeanor before returning my gaze to where Paul once was and where Gary still sat. I couldn't help but notice the small tinge of jealousy on Gary's face as he saw Misty rest her body with Ash's, and in that moment, I felt sorry for him. If we were to get our way, he would be denied both his pendant, and his girl. :'c

I placed my gaze on the floor then, I wasn't ready to face what had happened. Paul seemingly was however, as he placed his large hands on my shoulders and stood behind me, peering down into my eyes with hopeful onyx irises. He looked up toward the others after I gave him a light smile, probably my sixth today and still not my last. "Did the boys all tell you why you're here?" His voice was so soothing to me now and I was glad he was the first one to speak.

I watched as my fellow females solemnly nodded meanwhile, Ash took a rather large bite of his apple, biting into the core and exclaiming in pain disrupting, again, the mood of the room. The boys all glared at him while Leaf, May and Ellen simply looked at me. Misty half giggled before she took his apple telling him that if he couldn't eat it responsibly, then he couldn't eat it at all. "Amen." Leaf said in response causing me to giggle along with most everyone else. Ash was still clueless, and slightly hurt Misty had taken his apple and was now taunting him with it taking slow bites as she looked at him.

Drew, who was leaning against the wall, snickered in a manly way before stating "Always the comic relief, huh Ash?" I gave another slight smile as even Paul experienced a twitch to the scowl he always wore.

"Better than the alternative I suppose, we wouldn't want another Paul on our hands now would we?" Thomas spoke lightly, avoiding the conflict we still had to discuss.

His comment peeked my interest however, and I got pulled into the conversation as well. "And what's wrong with having another Paul, Thomas?" I held a light smirk, also avoiding the conflict. Thomas was desperate though, any wrong words and he'd have a rampaging Paul to deal with.

He began to stutter and mumble unsure of what to answer with, finally settling with "well, you know…Paul…" I felt Pauls' grip on my shoulder tighten then loosen so I decided to carry on my little game. "I'm afraid I don't understand Thomas, you think you could clarify what you mean by that?" Everyone in the room had their eyes locked on Thomas, Misty was even frozen mid bite. The whole scene was hilarious to Paul and I, the others just seemed expectant for a Paul outbreak. Although Thomas was clearly not amused, even one else had that small bit of anticipation in them, aside from Ellen, who had been next to Thomas and was now slowly moving away. Smart choice.

Paul spoke next with a threatening tone. "Chose your next words carefully Thomas, or they may be your last." Thomas, wide eyed and slightly pale, gulped.

He looked around the room looking for help to which Gary responded by throwing his hands in the air waving Thomas off. Thomas looked back at me and then to Paul before nervously stating "So, how exactly are we going to get your pendant back Dawn?" He bit his lip and closed one eye waiting for Paul's response, who simply nodded before mouthing nice save and descending his gaze to me.

"So, what's the plan?" Paul gave me a small smile, very uncharacteristic for him, but I needed it. I leveled my head and tried to think. What was the plan? I didn't know what to do to be honest, and I didn't even know if the boys would even be willing to help.

Whilst looking back up at Paul, I began. "I don't know, would you guys be willing to help us? It'll be dangerous, life threateningly so. Are you okay with that?" If they were to help us they had to know what they'd be getting themselves into.

Again, Paul gave me a small smile. "If it's going to be dangerous, then there's no way you're going without me. And I think that goes for all of us." Paul looked out then, to all what boys, who nodded in agreement.

I felt happy then; I knew everything would be alright because Paul would be there. And I knew he wouldn't accept failure. I leveled my head once more before continuing. "Then you need to know what Sindar can do now that he possesses my pendant." I glanced at Leaf once before I continued, seeing her nod her head lightly to encourage me. "Misty is the owner of the water pendant, thus the princess of the water Mermaid kingdom…"

"But don't you all live in water?" Ash interrupted me with a mouthful of the now finished apple. Obviously he had gotten it from Misty who now appeared to be pouting in his lap. I noticed Ash flinch slightly as Paul gave me a slight squeeze. If I had to guess, I'd say Paul said something to Ash through their minds reprimanding Ash for interrupting me. Ash turned to me and apologized. "Continue, I won't interrupt again. Cross my heart, hope to die, won't happen again!" Ash then waved for me to continue.

"Well…" I started with light laugher in my tone, "we all live in the water but Misty and her kingdom were selected specifically to govern the water, namely currents and sea levels. Misty's home ocean is the Pacific; it has the most water, so her kingdom was chosen to care for the water. If Sindar were to get ahold of Misty's pendant, he could tear the currents, move them if you will. He could also make the seas rise where they shouldn't, and fall where they are needed.

"As the princess of the Artic, and the kingdom chosen to govern the air, I deal with ice." Tentatively, I took the ice from Paul's glass, which he had set on the table before me long ago. Levitating it, I began to harden the ice, making the half melted cube less transparent. "With my pendant, the consequences are vastly different, but equally as horrifying. Sindar could freeze the clouds, oceans and seas, even melt the polar caps leaving hundreds of animals homeless. He could make it hail and snow for as long as he likes, make water freeze and melt at will." I demonstrated all that I said with the small piece of ice I had taken and watched as the faces of those around me changed with what I said and stared in awe at the morphing ice.

I was about to continue before Ash's voice stopped me. "Wah, but what would happen if he got all the other pendants?" He looked around nervously before realizing he'd made a mistake. I saw him flinch and peer at Paul with wide eyes before I heard Paul growl out Ash's name with eyes like slits. At the moment, I was more afraid of what Paul would do to Ash than of what Sindar would do to the world. "Oh, I…again. Right, sorry Dawn, promise it won't happen again!" he began to wave both hands before him fleetingly.

I couldn't help but giggle, which prompted Ellen to continue in my place. "If Sindar were to obtain my pendant, Poseidon forbid, as my pendant is the pendant of earth, he would create underwater earthquakes and landslides. Then the land people would have much worse things than federal debt to deal with." Ellen concluded with a light shrug.

Leaf looked at May before taking over for her. "May's pendant governs the temperature of the seas as well as underwater volcanoes. As for my pendant, it's the pendant of life, what do you think it does?" Leaf crossed her arms and leaned back against the couch only a cushion to my left.

"It's absolutely critical that Sindar does not get Leafs pendant. Yes, he can cause destruction and death if he has any of them, but the death toll for the other four pendants will be nothing compared to the death toll of the life pendant. All aquatic life, it depends on us protecting Leafs pendant." I looked at Gary as I stated this, and lifted my finger to point at the pendant loosely hanging around his neck. The boys all nodded in acknowledgement, seemingly understanding the situation.

-no one in particular-

Leaf, however, had some to add. "He, in theory, can obtain my pendant, just not in combination with the other four. My pendant is special in that for anyone, other than the pendants chosen guardian and royal family, no one can use it without the other four pendants." Leaf looked at her lap before placing her gaze on Gary, promptly getting the two locked into each other's eyes. "There's only one problem with that though. We know for a fact that my pendant will reject a stranger without the other four pendants, but Sindar might be an exception. Because he is immortal and thus of the same magic that was used to make the pendant, some believe he would be able to wield the pendant without the other four. To be honest, I don't think he even knows if that's true." Gary and Leaf remained as they were, locked in a moment unlike any other.

Then, suddenly, Gary stood placing his hands on his hips still locked into the brunette's forest orbs. "Well then," he exclaimed "I believe this" as he spoke he began to remove the brilliant golden chain around his neck to reveal an equally as brilliant pendant. "belongs to you," with this Gary walked around the table in between he and Leaf, who simply gazed at the man in awe, mesmerized by his, currently chivalrous, actions. "my princess." Gary placed the pendant in Leafs small hands and wrapped her fingers across the surface of the pendant, encasing her fingers with his as he knelt down to her level. Gary and Leaf sat there, staring into each other's eyes until Drew cleared his throat.

As Drew stood, Gary didn't move his body or his hands, just his head. Leaf did the same, neither recoiling her hands nor moving her body. Drew, in a husky voice, found May with his eyes and began to make his way to her as well. "And I believe this," drew gestured toward the flashy chain around his neck and stopped just before May. "Belongs to you." Drew bowed his head and removed his pendant, handing it to May in the same gesture as Gary. May looked at Drew, both ecstatic and shocked.

Gary snickered before adding "Copycat." and smirking at his beloved friend. Drew turned back to Gary and smirked in acknowledgement. Both men withdrew almost simultaneously and turned their gaze toward Thomas, the last man to hold his pendant.

Thomas had already made his way to the woman he loved, the woman with teal eyes and bright blonde hair who stared longingly at him now. "This is, and never truly was mine." Thomas, in a similar fashion to the two men before him, relinquished his pedant to Ellen adding "This belongs to you, mermaid princess."

Ellen was unable to remain unaffected by Thomas touching gesture as she felt a single tear roll down her tanned skin. Glancing at the pendant that was now in her grasp for only a second before returning her eyes to Thomas, Ellen spoke with a tenderness she didn't know she possessed. "I wish that was true, Thomas, but this Pendant is now yours as much as it is mine. The pendant, for some unknown reason, probably a stupid one really," Ellen added with laugher, bringing humor to the passionate moment between all of them. "Chose you. And now you, you alone are the guardian of the pendant. I'm sure of that now. If you'll accept the pendant as your responsibility, when this is all over it's yours to keep. Just know that if we need it we'll be calling you." Ellen smiled and shrugged looking for a response from Thomas.

Ash looked around confused (obviously, it has to be ash who ruins the moment) before asking Misty "Wait, does that mean that technically the pendant, well, your pendant, the pendant of water and all, chose me? To be its guardian?" Ash's question held genuine stupidity, to which everyone in the room laughed, even Paul, just a little.

Misty continued to giggle while she answered the dimwit beneath her. "Yes, Ash, the pendant chose you, and now you, just as Thomas does, just as Paul, Drew, and Gary do, have to make a choice. Commit to the pendant, and be the guardian it seeks from you, or don't and avoid a whole world of troubles." Misty was slightly nervous that Ash might be dumb enough to say no, but she also had faith in the dunce.

Ash glanced at Paul before looking back at the firecracker in his lap. "Does that mean you'll stay, here, with me? Also does that mean I'll get the pendant back because, I'll be honest, I really like that thing?" Ash's childish tone made the group giggle once more while Misty nodded her head, affirming that Ash's suspicions were true. "Well then heck yeah count me in Mist! Now if you don't mind I'm going to go get another apple, great thanks!" Ash grinned while he spoke and gave the girl a thumbs up, adding to her glee.

May smile at the scene that unfolded before her and turned to Drew. "And you, will you be my guardian?" She looked on hopeful for the response she knew he'd have.

Drew, who flipped his hair while he spoke, smirked and stated "Is that even a question?"

Okay, so please review! Tell me how you guys liked it because your reviews really help! Also if youre KitKat Donut read the stuff above! Because yeah, I mentioned you! Great Thanks!

Courtesy of,

Jay Gatsby