Black Dahlia

A/N: This is a written rendition of LoveAndHeartbreak's fabulous YouTube video of the same name-with a twist. I claim no ownership of or rights to the characters Jim Hawkins and Ariel, and I have permission from LoveAndHeartbreak to use her plot line. If you are unfamiliar with her work stop everything you are doing and go on YouTube, because she is an absolutely brilliant crossover artist and you will love her videos.

Enjoy!

Breathing heavily, Jim sprinted through the servants' passageways that ran throughout the castle like arteries, connecting everything from kitchens to bedchambers. Rounding a corner, the brown-haired young man stopped abruptly and sat down, leaning against the wall and clenching a pistol tightly between his fingers. There was no risk of being discovered; practically the whole town was still at the presentation of Queen Ariel's newborn—who wasn't Jim's. Pain and grief flooded Jim along with mismatched memories from the past year, memories of his lost love.

The kingdom and the castle staff had been greatly anticipating the return of Prince Eric from his diplomatic sea voyage to a neighboring kingdom, when a terrible storm had battered their coastline. Upon someone finding wreckage from a ship and fearing it was the Prince's, many of the servants—including Jim—had been sent out to search the beaches. He found the prince who, to his shock, was being tended to by a singing mermaid with long red hair. The young man was hardly able to process what he saw before she was gone, and the woozy prince got up. Once they were back at the castle, the infatuated Prince Eric ordered Jim, the only witness, to find this mermaid and bring her back to the castle. Jim didn't much like the arrogant monarch, but he hardly had a choice in the matter, and so he was quickly provided with a ship and a crew.

After many weeks, to the crew's utter astonishment, they found an island whose waters teemed with merpeople. Jim managed to find the same mermaid he'd seen singing to Prince Eric, and was surprised by her willingness to get on the ship and return to the castle. Of course, Jim was unaware that the only reason the mermaid agreed was because she wanted to get to know him. He did know that when he was carrying the mermaid—whose name he learned was Ariel—back to the ship he found it difficult to do simple things like breathe, or watch where he was walking.

A few days into their return voyage an unexpected event occurred. Ariel had been watching the sunset while Jim and the others worked on deck, when suddenly, she was surrounded by a bright light. As it faded, Jim's jaw hit the floor and everyone gasped. Ariel's green fish tail was gone; instead she had legs and was wearing a dress. To her delight, Ariel learned she could change back and forth at will, allowing her to swim alongside the boat as well as walk around deck. She spent most of her time with Jim, who found himself looking at her too often—especially since he was supposed to be bringing her back to Prince Eric. But as the days passed Jim felt increasingly drawn to her in ways he'd never imagined, captivated by her bright smile and swaying hair.

One night, after most of the crew had gone to bed, they sat on deck watching the stars. Ariel broke the silence. "Jim, do you want to know why I agreed to get on this ship?" He turned to look at her, "Yes, actually, I've been wondering why you didn't fight me about it. I know I would have." She spoke slowly, feeling nervous. "See, I don't love the prince. Of course I was going to help him during the storm and I'm glad he is alright, but when I saw you back at the island I…well, I've never felt that way before. And I knew that if I wanted to have any chance to…get to know you, I'd have to come on the ship with you." Jim felt his mouth go dry when she took his hand, leaving no doubt about the meaning of her words. "Do you…do you feel the same?" she whispered. Abandoning reason, Jim was already leaning in before he answered. "Yes" he breathed, drowning in her blue eyes before they closed and her soft lips met his. Spurred by her gasp, Jim wrapped his arms around Ariel's waist and pulled her closer, humming as she ran her hands over his chest and through his hair. His lips tingled as her sweet mouth moved with his, everything in the world having faded away except for her.

As the days flew and the ship drew ever closer to Prince Eric's kingdom, Jim and Ariel's relationship intensified rapidly—with both strain and passion. The only female on board, as well as the guest of honor, Ariel had been given her own room; and she and Jim took advantage of it. Sitting there in the passageway of the castle, Jim was overwhelmed by his memories of many of their nights onboard the ship. The smoothness of her bare skin, the way she touched him, the sounds she made as he kissed her most sensitive areas, the mind-numbing ecstasy they felt when they joined. She had said she loved him, and they talked of a future together. Jim had known they would probably have to run away, though Ariel insisted they should at least try explaining things to Prince Eric first.

But when their ship docked Jim felt as though a hand was clenching his heart when Ariel was introduced to the Prince, who was as enamored with her as ever. Social protocol prevented Jim, a servant, from spending time with a royal guest; still, Jim expected Ariel to talk to the prince and then come back to him—but she never did. The day the marriage of Ariel and Prince Eric was announced was the day Jim's heart broke. How could she do this to him? He thought he'd meant something, everything to her. Burying his pain, Jim continued on with his work as though nothing had happened, even though he was dying inside. Many times he considered leaving the kingdom and trying to start a new life; but he couldn't bear to fully eliminate his brief glimpses of the new queen, even as he hated himself for it.

Today, about a year after the wedding, the new princess was presented to the public, and Jim lost it. He didn't have to see her jet-black hair to know she wasn't his; too much time had passed since he and Ariel had been together. The tough shell Jim had built around himself shattered, the pain so intense he couldn't breathe, and he knew there was only one way out.

As he sat in the little corner, about to pull the trigger, Jim was startled by a noise from the other side of the wall. Peering through a large crack, Jim was surprised to realize he was near the princess's bedchamber, and that Ariel had just walked in and laid down the baby that should have been his. His anger dulled to curiosity though when he heard Ariel talking to the infant, her voice heavy and eyes sad. "You deserve a better family, a true family. I wish the prince wasn't your father. I don't love him, and I never wanted to marry him." At this Jim let out a sound somewhere between a gasp and a whimper, eyes widening in shock. Ariel continued her confession to the blissfully unaware baby. "I told the prince about Jim, and that he was the only man I ever wanted. He tried to win me over at first, saying he could give me far more than a 'servant boy'. I never should have mentioned Jim, but I didn't realize that until it was too late. Mermaids respect true love, and I thought the prince would to. When I refused to marry him he said he would kill Jim." Breath held and mind reeling, Jim watched as Ariel sat on a nearby chair and wiped her eyes. He had been so severely hurt when she'd left him that he thought nothing could mend it; but now, realizing she was only trying to protect him, he felt a spark of hope. "So I did. But I still love Jim."

Tears streaming down his face, Jim looked at the pistol in his hand and then tossed it to the floor, watching as the noise made Ariel jump and look around. Trembling and still very emotionally battered, Jim spoke her name softly through the crack in the wall. His heart pounded in his chest as he called again and saw Ariel run over and fall to her knees on the other side of the wall to peer at him. "Jim?" She whispered in disbelief as she slid her fingers through the crack, desperate to touch him. Warmth filled Jim as their fingers connected. "Did you mean what you said?" his voice breaking as he looked into her bright blue eyes. Nodding through her tears, she whispered, "Yes Jim, every word. I swear you're the only man I love, I was trying to protect you, he said that if I told you or we ran away he would hunt you down and kill you, and I couldn't bear that." Ariel bowed her head in shame. "Can you forgive me?" "I can now."

Jim paced anxiously in the faint moonlight, eyes flickering around for the slightest sign of movement. He had been waiting for what seemed like eternity on the outskirts of the city, under a huge maple tree far from the castle. After their reunion a few days before Jim had convinced Ariel to run away with him. She was to switch out her opulent garments for a maid's dress while Jim gathered whatever food he could get away with, along with his few personal belongings. Their timing was ideal—the king had a series of urgent meetings with his advisors and several foreign ambassadors tonight; he had even told Ariel not to wait up for him, since the meetings would go until the wee hours.

Jim let out a sigh of relief when he finally spotted Ariel, knapsack over her shoulders, emerge from the narrow city streets and come to join him under the tree as she pulled back the hood of her cloak. There had been the problem of Ariel's daughter, the infant princess. Jim had made sure Ariel understood that he was fully expecting the princess to come with them, but Ariel said no. While it pained her to leave the baby, she knew her daughter would be far better cared for at the palace than on the road to who knew where; and she didn't want to deny her that. And, Ariel wanted nothing to do with her former husband; her life was with Jim now.

Remembering this conversation, Jim took Ariel's hands and looked into her eyes as they stood underneath the tree. While there were some unshed tears, he could also see the relief and joy in them that matched his own feelings. Overwhelmed, Jim quickly drew Ariel into a tight hug, hardly daring to believe that she was his again, this time for good. Ariel melted into him, truly relaxing for the first time in months as her marital troubles and fear for Jim washed away. Pulling back slightly, Jim looked into her blue eyes again before bending his head and slowly placing his mouth on hers, cherishing the long-overdue feeling of her lips. The kiss became frantic almost immediately; fire coursing through them as their lips met over and over, hands as well as tongues caressing in a desperate attempt to make up for the prolonged absence.

Winded, they broke apart smiling, and though both knew that this next chapter of their lives would be far from easy, they were jubilant as they joined hands and took to the road leading away from the city; their world finally right.