When they made it back to Coasta Sirenas early in the morning, she saw James waiting on dry grounds. Her tired aching limbs burned as she crawled on the banks of the sea and James rushed over towards them. She fell down onto the wet sand, breathing heavily and tiredly since it took forever to get back. Vanessa couldn't believe it, she was so surprised with herself at the moment at how strong and brave she was about fighting against Queen Severina. She knew it wasn't over but at least right now it was over. Another battle right now is complete.

"Vanessa." James said beside her on his knees.

She pressed her hands against the ground and lifted herself up. Her arms felt like jello and her arms gave out but James caught her. Breathing heavily as she looked up at the burning orange sky as the sun was making its way up.

*

Vanessa pulled her hair up into a bun as she walked down the bank of the ocean. Turning around, she continued to pace back and forth with the Elixir in her hand since she felt like all of it wasn't real. What if the Elixir doesn't work after all? What if James does take it, he becomes human, but he still ends up dying? What if the Elixir was the only chance for her and Raphael to continue being human? The vail wasn't very big and she wasn't sure how much was needed.

Raphael walked over towards her and gently took her arm before pulling her into his chest. She hugged him tightly, pressing her cheek against his warm skin.

"It was like some bad dream." she said finally. "I was so afraid for us all. Tavia, Alia. . .we should have never left them!"

He ran his hand up and down her back, "I know, I know. What choice did we have though? Nessie, you should go home and sleep."

"I can't sleep." she said, sighing heavily. "I won't be able to sleep until I know we're all fully safe. I need to give James the Elixir, before the end of today. Or he changed when the moon all the way up."

"Why have you given it to him yet?" he asked.

She brought her hand up to her face sighing heavily, "I don't know. Raphael. . .it's so selfish of me. What if we could go back to our old lives? This could do it."

Raphael was quiet for a moment before he finally spoke, "Either lives I had are great. But it's his life that's in danger, Nessie."

She looked at the bottom of the floor, "Right, of course."

He pulled himself away slightly, "I'm gonna go get us some food. I'll be right back."

Vanessa nodded and he leaned down pecking her on the lips. She gave him a small smile, reaching up and touched the cut on his face that was healing. He turned and walked towards the boardwalk. She turned her head and saw James sitting in the water. She sighed heavily as she walked over and sat beside him.

James touched his red flippers, "It serious feels like this whole time been some crazy dream to me. Like I'm gonna wake up soon."

"Well you are. Very, very soon." she said. She pulled the necklace up to her face, "This were liquid is what's gonna turn you back to human." She pulled it off around her head and laid it down on her palm before holding it out to him, "Here, take it now. No worry about turning."

When he didn't take it, she took his hand roughly and placed it in his palm. He stared down at it for a moment and Vanessa was so confused why he didn't seem happy that his life was being saved right at this moment. She was expecting him to cheer and dance when getting this. This way he could go back home and get proper care for his illness.

"James, what's the matter?" she asked. "Take it."

He looked up at her, "I know this isn't the life you want, Vanessa."

Her eyebrows furrowed together, "What?"

"I know you wished you weren't a Mermaid. You said it was forced on you." he said. He took her hand and put the Elixir in her hand, "You take it. Deserve it more than I do."

"James," she said, scoffing. "I didn't risk my butt-my tail for nothing. I got this for you, you take it."

"Why do you care so much about me, Vanessa?" he asked, making her unable to answer that. It's just who she is, she cares about people. "Stop worrying about others happiness and think of your own. When you drink this, it'll probably turn even Raphael back since you were the one to turn him."

She sighed heavily, "James, I can't-"

He grabbed her chin gently and forced her head back. He quickly pressed his lips against her and she dropped the Elixir from her hand from shock because she hadn't been expecting it. He was so quick and didn't hesitate.

She pulled away, grabbing the Elixir from the ground as she stood up eye wide as she stared at him. She saw someone in the corner of her eyes and she turned her head to see Raphael standing a few feet away.

"Oh, my Go-Raphael, wait." she said when he dropped the bag from his hand and walked over.

"You little piece of shit." Raphael coldly said, reaching out towards James.

James fell back on his back and he was dragged into the water. Vanessa eyes widen, "James!" she screamed, rushing into the water but Raphael grabbed her.

"What just happened?" he asked coldly.

She pushed herself away, "Not the time! Ninda!" she cried out to the girls a dozen feet away near a large rock. They all looked her way, "She's back." She turned to Raphael with a hard look, "Now you can come and help me or wait here. But I'm going after him."

She turned to leave but he pulled her back. He breathed out heavily as he stared at her for a moment, "Well, lets go."

They ran into the ocean and swam forward into the ocean keeping an eye out for James. Vanessa wasn't sure what she was gonna do but she only knew recusing James right now. She saw him being dragged and pushed her tail harder to catch up to them until she saw the person dragging him.

Vanessa paused a dozen yards away from Queen Severina and her girls. Vanessa looked at Queen Severina scar-free chest. Queen Severina grabbed James by his neck and pulled him towards her as if she was gonna kiss him. Vanessa didn't know what was gonna happen while Queen Severina pressed her lips against his. A white ball of light formed between their lips and it quickly grew brighter and larger.

She watched James come together and his tail start to form. The bright light flash brightly and right before her eyes she saw James as a full Merman. He had a bright red and gold shimmering tail that was a very inches longer than her with scales fading up the side of his abdomen.

"What the. . ." Vanessa said under the water. Did Queen Severina really just turn James without it going naturally.

She pulled James away and let go of him, giving Vanessa a cold look, "And that will kill him quickly." she heard from Queen Severina.

James pushed his arms to hold himself up, not use to the new weight of his fully formed tail as she pushed himself away from her as he looked at himself. Queen Severina opened her palm and grabbed James, holding him away from them.

"Wanna be Queen? Then fight like one. Just you and I." she said, looking directly at Vanessa. She held her hand up and a sharp crystal blade formed in her hand, bring it down towards James neck and Vanessa eyes widen as she jerked forward holding her hands open. "Or I'll just give him a quick death."

Vanessa nodded, pointing her hands at her chest. Queen Severina pushed James away and swam over towards Vanessa grabbing her by her throat. Raphael came over to help her but Queen Severina pushed him away with the palm of her hand. Queen Severina grabbed the necklace from her hand and brought it up towards her face.

Her fingers slowly gripped around the crystal and Vanessa saw a crack forming. Her eyes widen and she reached for the vial but Queen Severina pulled her arm away baring her teeth at Vanessa, "The Elixir does work but there's something you should know about the thing you want so much." she said. "You turn mortal but every full moon you get your tail back for one night so you never get rid of the Mermaid. I won't give you that pleasure."

Vanessa thought of something. She looked behind Queen Severina and acted like she saw something shocking by making her eyes going big. Queen Severina turned her head around and Vanessa quickly brought her hands up to her chest and pushed Queen Severina off her. She held her arm out and pushed the queen further down into the water.

She pushed the queen around in the water roughly since she wasn't sure what to really do. She couldn't let queen Severina destroy the Elixir though. Something gripped onto Vanessa wrist, making her stop forcing Vanessa around. Queen Severina swam back up to her and grabbed her neck roughly. Vanessa cried out as Queen Severina started to choke her.

She brought her hands up to Queen Severina face and stiffen her fingers. She felt the water starting to heat up and Queen Severina hissed as she pulled away from the burn. Vanessa grabbed the Elixir from her hands as Queen Severina brought her hands up to her face before threw her hands down growling.

Something grabbed Vanessa and pushed her up out of the ocean into the air. Vanessa gasped as she was raised high into the hair, her gut dropping inside her stomach. When she was thirty feet into the air, the thing holding down dragged her back. Vanessa brought her hands up to her face as she was forced back into the water, her stomach turning like how it does when going down a rollercoaster.

She was twirled around in the water when the thing let go of her. When she finally stopped, her heart beat quicken as she looked at Queen Severina begging for her to stop. Something shimmered in the corner of her eyes and she turned to see two pointed sharp crystals aimed at her.

They came at her before she could swim away and she closed her eyes holding her arms up to her face. Something slammed into her that was big and heavy. Confused, she opened her eyes and saw it was Raphael body that was against her.

Her eyes widen as she grabbed onto him and sank to the bottom of the ocean of the when a big large lighten flashed into the ocean causing everything to go quiet. Vanessa cried out in terror as she turned Raphael a little to see one of the crystal in his shoulder and the other in his abdomen. Another lighten flashed into the ocean. He started coughing up blood and her eyes stung with tears.

She laid Raphael onto the floor of the ocean and held her arms wide apart. The water around them cleared away and Raphael coughed heavily as he looked up at her. Tears rushed down her face as she dropped her arms and pressed her face against the space between his neck and shoulder, "Raphael."

Raphael groaned heavily and moaned in pain, "Ne-Nessie."

She shook her head, "Why did you do that? No, you're so stupid."

Raphael breathed heavily, "You know why I did it." he said. She lifted her head, tearing streaming down her face and dripped down to his chest. Looking down at his abdomen, she knew the crystal was in the strong place and way too deep for Raphael to survive.

"No, no, no!" she said, shaking her head. She grabbed his face gently, "We-we're gonna get you to a d-doctor just hold on." He coughed up more blood and she lifted him up slightly but he cried out in pain so she rested him back down on the ground. "Raphael, I'm sorry. Please, I love you. I gotta move-"

He forced a weak smile on his face, "I love you too, Nessie." His eyes fluttered a few times before they closed.

In frustration, she slammed her fists into the ground because everything felt like it was falling apart. No, she refused to just let Raphael go in front of her and him just die. No, this isn't how it was supposed to be! Last thing she ever wanted was for Raphael to badly get hurt. No, she refused to let him die.

She looked at the crystal vial in her hand and she opened her fingers. She knew it was for James but she had to at least try just a little of it. If she had to give him the whole thing, well. . .

She didn't hesitate anymore. She pulled the cork out of the vail and forced Raphael mouth open, "You're not leaving me." she said, tipping the vial a little.

She felt someone come up behind her and at the moment, she didn't care who it was. Without even looking, she forced another lightening into the sea and forced whoever away from her. She tipped the vial into Raphael mouth and poured a little bit of the Elixir into his mouth. She closed his mouth, running her hand down his throat to help it go down.

She breathed heavily with impatient and after five seconds she was beginning to go crazy. She grabbed his arms and shook him, "Raphael. Raphael, wake up. Come back to me, you can't go." She shook him harder, "Raphael!"

His face scrunched up in pain and he moaned loudly. She saw the scales on his arms quickly peeling off his arms and the scales on his abdomen peeled off as both the crystals were forced out of his skin. He breathed quickly as she watched his legs quickly came back and he was completely naked. Her cheeks burned heavily seeing him naked before she looked back up at his face.

His face was still scrunched up, "I feel different."

Even though right now was now the time, she chuckled as she brought him up and hugged him tightly. She looked up out of the circle up at James and saw him watching them. She looked down at the vial of Elixir and realized she couldn't find the cork anymore. She knew she had to get this to him somehow but it'll pour out in the water.

She brought the vial up to her lips and poured the rest of the Elixir into her mouth but didn't swallow it. She heard Queen Severina voice, "Ready for round two, Queen Vanessa?" she sarcastically asked.