Page 12

Lucas

It was amazing how the cast and crew of The Little Mermaid pulled together to get everything back on the right track after that first performance. As soon as it came to light that Eric had deliberately sabotaged the show in an attempt to, well, I wasn’t even entirely certain what his motives were. Yes, he wanted to get me and Zack both fired so that he could have most of the glory, but honestly, I think his own ambition and his ego shifted from wanting to turn the spotlight on himself to wanting to ruin the whole thing out of spite.

It was weird how people did that sometimes. But as is usually the case, Eric’s ambition spiraled so far out of control that it ended up hurting him and bringing the rest of us together.

Everybody showed up bright and early at the VPAC the next day to work on repairing set pieces, remaking costumes, and reprogramming the lights and sound for the show.

“Hey, my grandma made a bunch of cupcakes for everyone,” Zack announced as we arrived carrying two big boxes of cupcakes. “But watch out. Grandma has a funny sense of humor. The ones that look like they’re chocolate are actually cherry-flavored, and the ones that look vanilla are actually white chocolate.”

“Ooh! I don’t care as long as they’re cake!” Lindsey said, taking the box Zack held.

The cupcakes were a huge success. Zack’s Grandma Thalia was amazing. I loved her in an instant, and when she found out that Zack was pregnant with my child, she was beyond thrilled. She hugged me so tight I thought my tail might pop out, and declared that I was forever her child, too.

“You might be related,” she’d said once the three of us sat down to talk about the future and our plans to get married. “Distant cousins, of course, but you know how things were back in the old days. Gods, demigods, muses, sirens…we’re all only a degree or two away from Zeus anyhow.”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to think about that too hard. There was nothing quite so unnerving as finding out you might just be related to your fiancé.

Not that anything was official between me and Zack. Not yet, at least. Marriage was inevitable, seeing as he was carrying my child and we’d definitely bonded. I was waiting for just the right time to actually pop the question. I wanted to make certain everything was perfect and settled so that Zack wouldn’t have any doubts at all about building a life with me, wherever that life might end up.

Because, of course, there was one big issue that still hung over our heads….

“I’m kind of glad they decided to let you transform for the finale every night instead of making you a new costume,” Zack whispered as the final scene leading up to the finale played out on our last night of performances. “I have to admit, you’re incredibly hot with your tail.”

He sprayed me down so I would be extra shiny when the lights hit me and wiggled his eyebrows as he did.

I laughed. “You’re sure you’re okay with it?” I whispered as I maneuvered myself onto Triton’s throne. Transforming on land wasn’t just itchy and uncomfortable, it was awkward and so much harder to move around than when I was in the water.

“I’m more than fine with it,” Zack said in a comically sexy voice. He leaned in and made a purring sound before kissing my shoulder and my neck.

“Careful,” I giggled, feeling myself heat. “There’s nothing more off-putting than a merman with an erection.”

“Um, no, that’s a total lie,” Zack said, pushing himself back and giving my tail one final squirt. “That’s actually one of my favorite things right now.”

I grinned heatedly. In the last couple of weeks, as our relationship had settled and our bond and feelings for each other grew, we’d spend an awful lot of time in the shower, Zack pinned against the wet tiles while I showed him all the things I could do to make him shout and sigh and come while in merman form. Pregnant omegas were almost as horny as when they were in heat, and I was more than happy to give him everything he needed.

“Zack! Get off the throne!” Betty hissed from somewhere behind us. “Triton is going on in three seconds, two, one?—”

Zack jumped back and skittered off into the darkness of the wings as the scenery opened up and my throne and a few other pieces moved onto the stage for the final number.

Everything went beautifully. It was a little bitter-sweet singing that finale song while the chorus danced around me, Lindsey, and Vincent. All-in-all, we’d had a fantastic time. We’d had amazing reviews in all the local papers and websites, we’d played to packed houses nearly every day, and Lindsey had even had an offer from a big-name agent.

Everything was perfect.

Well, almost perfect.

As I’d done every night of the show, throughout the show, I scanned the audience, searching for any sign of my mom and dad. Mom had been swishy-swashy when I tried to get an answer from her about whether she was coming to see me perform or not. Every night I’d looked for them, and every night I’d been disappointed.

When we sang that final note and struck that final pose as the curtain came down, I couldn’t decide whether I felt triumphant or thoroughly defeated.

“Don’t worry,” Lindsey said as we hurried to the wings to take our order for the curtain call. “You did an amazing job. I know you wanted your family to see you, but you don’t need their approval to shine.”

I smiled gratefully at her. “You were pretty amazing yourself,” I said, giving her a quick hug.

“You really were!” Zack flew up to us and nearly slammed into me with a hug as soon as I let go of Lindsey.

He had the trousers I needed to quickly put on after shifting back to legs, but I was so happy to have him there in that moment that I just kept hugging him, bare-assed, as the chorus went on to take their bow.

“Did you see your parents tonight?” Zack went on, moving back to hold my trousers so I could step quickly into them.

“No,” I said, feeling ungrateful for sounding disappointed when I had so very much to be grateful for. “They didn’t come.”

Zack blinked at me once I had the trousers on and was fastening them. “What do you mean?” he asked. “I ran into Frisia in the hallway, and she said your parents were there with her. I didn’t have time to meet them, but?—”

“My parents were here tonight?” My heart swelled and soared so fast that it made my stomach lurch.

“Lucas! Come on, come on!” Betty rushed toward us, grabbed my arm, then pushed me toward the stage.

I didn’t have time to think as I walked out to take my final bow along with Lindsey and Vincent. The crowd swelled with applause and shouts of “Bravo!” Everyone rose to their feet to give us recognition.

It was so wonderful and affirming, but instead of drinking it in, I scanned the audience excitedly, looking for Mom and Dad.

And then I saw them, over on the right in the balcony. They were there with Frisia and Uncle Caliban, and they were applauding just as wildly as anyone else. Mom was dressed up, which, to her, meant she was wearing seaweed and pearls in her long hair and her favorite shell necklace. Dad was dressed like fashions hadn’t changed on land in six hundred years, but in a place like Valleywood, he didn’t look as out of place as he might have.

I couldn’t help myself. It was like I was a kid of one hundred again. I beamed at them and waved to let them know I saw them and I was overjoyed they had come.

The curtain call seemed to go on forever. As soon as they brought the curtain down for the final time and the cast called out, whooping and hollering for the great success we’d just had, I dashed for the wings.

“It’s over!” Zack cried excitedly as he jumped into my arms and wrapped his legs around me. “I can’t believe it’s over! We survived The Little Mermaid !”

We survived this Little Mermaid , I said, sliding a hand between us to the subtle bump of his growing stomach. “We might have to survive another little mermaid soon, too.”

Zack laughed out loud, then leaned in to kiss me hard. For one beautiful moment, the world seemed to disappear. All there was was Zack and our baby and the entire future.

That moment passed quickly as I leaned back with a gasp and said, “My parents are here! I saw them in the balcony.”

“I have to meet them!” Zack said, joy and fear both lighting up his expression as he loosened his legs and put his feet on the ground.

“You do,” I said. “Let’s go meet them now.”

I grabbed his hand and headed back out onto the stage in front of the curtain through the gap at the side.

“What, right now?” Zack said, letting me pull him along. “Without changing out of your costume?”

“I can’t wait,” I said.

Finding my parents in the sea of people trying to leave the theater was easier said than done. We probably should have gone through the backstage area and out into the lobby like everyone else. I had to wedge my way through far too many people, most of whom wanted to stop me and congratulate me for a job well done.

“You could make a career on the stage, you know,” one middle-aged woman said in particular as she blocked me from heading out into the lobby. She reached into her purse and pulled out a card. “I represent some of the biggest names on Broadway. Give me a call on Monday morning and we’ll talk.”

“Um, thanks,” I said, eyes wide. “I don’t know if I want a career in the theater, really, but?—”

“He’ll call you on Monday,” Zack answered for me, then pulled me along into the lobby.

“You didn’t have to say that,” I said as we dodged more people while looking for my parents.

“You absolutely should have a career on Broadway,” Zack said. “You’re too talented not to.”

“Maybe,” I said, still not sure where I wanted to live next.

I didn’t have time to think about it. With a high-pitched scream that might have shattered one of the bulbs in the light fixture near me, my mom spotted us.

“Lucas, you were incredible!” she said, rushing forward and pulling me into a tight embrace.

With legs, my mom was only around five feet tall. She was a little powerhouse, though, and I felt like putty in her arms as she hugged and kissed me and called me her baby.

“You really were magnificent, son,” Dad said, coming up and taking a turn hugging me, too. Dad was built like me, and he still had a strong Scandinavian accent. “Who knew you had it in you, eh?”

“I always knew my baby was a star,” Mom said, patting my cheek with a wide smile. Her gaze slipped to Zack, who was almost hiding behind me, and she asked, “Is this the omega you’ve told us so much about?”

“Um, hi,” Zack said, peeking out from behind me and waving quickly. “I’m Zack. I’m Lucas’s baby-papa.” He sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide as he looked at me. “Oh, shit. Have you told them yet? Did I just let the cat out of the bag? Or the fish out of the net?”

Mom gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth. “Is your omega pregnant?” she asked.

I couldn’t tell if I was in big trouble or if I was suddenly the hero of the family. The only thing I could do was inch closer to Zack, put my arm around him, and say, “Yes, Mom, Dad. Zack is pregnant. And we’ve bonded. We’re going to be a family.”

I waited, holding my breath, no idea how the whole thing was going to pan out.

But Mom let out another squeal, threw her arms wide, and said, “But this is wonderful! I’m going to be a yiayia!”

She pulled Zack into her arms and hugged him so hard that Zack made a strangled sound and flailed. His eyes bugged as he looked to me for help, but I could only laugh.

It was going to be okay. Everything would work out after all.

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. My parents wanted to know the whole story of how Zack and I had gotten together, and I wanted to tell them, but Zack and I also had the cast party to go to. We made arrangements to have dinner with my parents in a few days…at home.

Once that was done, Zack and I headed backstage, where I took off my costume and make-up and dressed in street clothes while Zack joined the rest of the crew in essential clean-up backstage. The bulk of strike would happen over the next few days, but a lot of that would be done by the VPAC’s staff, since they had another show loading in just a few days.

The cast party was a ton of fun. I couldn’t speak for Zack, but I felt like I’d made friends for life. It was the last time we were all spending time together at the same time, but I knew I’d remain close to a bunch of them.

Zack and I spent most of the next day in bed sleeping. We both needed it so much. Zack more than me, in a lot of ways, since he was growing a baby.

“You sure you’re okay if I leave you to run a few errands?” I asked him around mid-afternoon, as he lay wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa.

“Yeah, yeah, I just want to sit here and zone out to the tv,” he said.

I leaned over and gave him a big kiss. “Okay. I won’t be too long. Take care of yourself.”

In fact, I had a very specific errand to run…to a jeweler. Then I headed to one of the transformation points to make arrangements with the guys there. Everything had to be perfect for the night I’d planned for Zack.

That night came two days later.

“You said we’re having dinner with your parents, but it doesn’t look like there are a lot of restaurants around here,” Zack said as we walked up to the transformation point. “I’m not even sure what this place is, but it looks nice.”

I couldn’t contain my giddiness. The transformation point was decorated in tiny white lights and flowers. The guys I’d looped into helping me set up had lit two rows of candles leading from the front entrance to the tank.

“Whoa! Is this like a hot tub out on a pier?” Zack asked as we approached the pool. “It’s got a great view.”

As he looked out the window at the bridge, I dropped to one knee and took the ring box out of my pocket.

“Ha! You could almost say this is where we me?—”

His mouth dropped open and I felt a jolt of surprise and happiness through our bond as he saw me kneeling with the ring.

“Zakai deMuse,” I said, beaming up at him. “You are fins down the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I didn’t know what was missing from my life when I swam up here to audition for the show. I thought I would find a fun experience. Instead, I found the love of my life.”

“Aw, Lucas,” Zack said, pressing a hand over his heart.

“I know in my heart and yours that this is just a formality, but it’s an important formality,” I went on. “I love you, Zack, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, wherever we spend it.”

“I love you, too,” Zack said. “And yes, by the way.”

My mouth twitched. “I haven’t asked the question yet.”

“Well, my answer is yes,” Zack said with a laugh, dropping to his knees so he could throw his arms around me. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Zack, will you marry me?” I said, pretending to be exasperated, when actually I was the happiest creature on earth.

“Of course I will,” Zack said, then slanted his mouth over mine in a big kiss.

I wanted to kiss him for hours and more, but I only indulged for a few seconds. There were much more important things to deal with just then.

“Okay, put this on,” I laughed, taking the ring out of the box and sliding it onto his finger. Zack squealed with delight, but that sound turned confused when I added, “Now, take your clothes off.”

“What, here?” he asked, blinking. “Isn’t this a little public for, um, you know. And your parents are coming for dinner.”

“Actually, no,” I said, standing and taking him with me. “We’re going to their house for dinner.”

“Say what now?” Zack asked, his eyes wide.

I laughed. “I’ll show you,” I said. “But you need to get undressed and get in the pool.”

“Um, okay,” Zack said, side-eyeing me like he wasn’t entirely certain whether he trusted me.

I led him over to the storage lockers on one side of the room and undressed myself. He undressed as well, and I showed him how to store his clothes. Once they were all tucked away, I walked with him back to the pool, and we both got in.

“Here’s the thing about being married and mated to a merman,” I said as we sank in the water to our necks. “I have magic in my kiss.” It was a little bit of an exaggeration, but it was close enough.

“I’m all for magical kisses,” Zack said, floating into my arms and wrapping himself around me.

“Wait,” I stopped him. “Keep your legs straight.”

“Okay,” Zack said slowly.

“Are you ready?”

“I have no idea,” he laughed.

I laughed with him, then kissed him soundly.

It wasn’t just any kiss, though. It was the way merpeople shared the magic that allowed us to transform our mates so they could survive and thrive with us underwater. As our kiss continued, I sank with Zack until we were both underwater. I felt Zack grow a tail for the very first time, though I wasn’t sure he was aware of it.

At least, he wasn’t aware of it until I ended our kiss and separated from him slightly.

“That was—whoa!”

Bubbles poured out of Zack’s mouth, but I heard his words in my head, the way I communicated with every merperson.

“Holy shit!” Zack went on, noticing his tail at last. “Am I…did you…how is this…cool!”

We’d reached the bottom of the tank, and the attendant on duty opened the door and let us out into the lake. I took Zack’s hand and pulled him farther away from land.

“See?” I said. “You don’t have to worry about where we’re going to live. A fish and a bird can fall in love when they each have the ability to transform into whatever form they need to live together.”

“So I’m a merman now?” Zack asked, testing out his tail as we glided on.

“Yep,” I said. “And our baby, our babies, will be, too,” I went on, happier than I’d ever been. “We can also live on land. And the best perk of all is that we’re both going to live for a very long time. But you might have lived for ages anyhow, since you’re a muse.”

“This is…this is…this is going to take a lot of getting used to,” Zack said, though he grinned at me as he said it.

I squeezed his hand tighter and sent all the love and affection I could through our bond. “We’ve got all the time in the world to get used to it,” I said. “Together.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed Zack and Lucas’s story! I have it on pretty good authority that you’ll be seeing a lot more about Blue Haven City and the world underwater next to Valleywood coming soon! But my lips are sealed about that.

Thank you to Giovanna Reaves and the rest of the Valleywood crew for inviting me to come play in their playground! There are a ton more stories that take place in Valleywood that you can download today here !