She had turned his beloved research center into a theme park. He had let her do it. It sounded like a reasonable thing to do, at first. Display a few of the sea's wonderful creatures while he conducted his research or nursed them back to health, and have interested visitors pay a little fee, so he could sustain his work and their station. It made sense and she had convinced him quickly. It could do so much good to educate people, she had said. They could buy better equipment, she had said. They might even be able to hire an assistant, so he could spend more time with his family. They could even pay for college, maybe, so Bae could study to become a marine biologist like he wanted. A real one - with a degree to his name.

His wife had a flair for business and was better with people than he was, so he had left everything up to her. Her sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks had made everything better. They were happy again, for a little while. There was a smile on her face when she looked at him, a spring in her step. Her excitement was contagious and soon his tentative smile had cracked into a wide one to mirror hers.

It didn't last. She was restless. Never happy with how things were. She wanted bigger tanks. She wanted more animals, bigger animals, rarer animals. They expanded constantly – adding a diner, water park rides and a shop with horrifically inaccurate ugly merchandise, toys, and other knickknack for the wailing children to torment their parents until they would waste their hard-earned money on it.

They also had a crew now. Obnoxious people in white collar shirts bustling about and making it hard to think. For all the good the money did them, Murchadh Gold always sighed with relief when the heavy golden gates closed and opening hours were over.

"Papa! Papa, come quick!" The door to his study flew open with a bang and his son, wide-eyed and panting, came bursting through.

"Bae, what – ?"

Before he could finish his sentence he was dragged out of his chair.

"They found one, Papa!" Bae beamed. "A mermaid! A real mermaid!" He grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room and into the hallway. "They are bringing her in now. Come on!"

Gold could not believe his ears. Of course he knew the legends. Merfolk were very much alive in them, but nobody had seen a living mermaid or –man in centuries. Most people believed them to be mere myth these days. Ever since he had been a little boy he had tried to find them, and had passed his fascination with the beautiful people of the sea down to his own son. Legend had it that their blood was pure gold that held the secret to eternal beauty. They had been hunted down to near extinction upon first discovery for it.

The pain in his ruined ankle momentarily forgotten, he found himself jogging after his son, who had let go of his hand and sped further down the hall to the main aquarium. There were no people here now, they had closed two hours ago.

"Hey, Murdo!" One of their employees, Killian Jones greeted him from the top ramp when he arrived at the scene. "Just in time for the big show. You won't believe your eyes when you see what a fine piece of meat got tangled up in our nets this afternoon. Milah is ecstatic."

Of course she would be. Golden blood in her veins or not, that mermaid equaled big money. His wife would be overjoyed at the thought of all the publicity and riches the poor creature would get them. Theirs would be the only sea park in the world with such a rarity.

He grimaced and looked around, but Milah was nowhere to be seen. She was probably on the phone with national TV right about now and had all the newspapers on hold. Murchadh shook his head.

"Where is she?" he asked, and wasn't sure whether he meant his wife or the mermaid or both.

"Nottingham and Nolan should be wheeling her in any minute now." Killian Jones checked his watch.

"What does she look like?" Bae asked, hopping from one foot to the other on one of the seats of the seating area to see better. Apparently staff had not let him through to the ramps.

"Eh, lad," Jones laughed, "like half a fish, I suppose."

Bae made a duh face and turned to him. "Papa, can I go watch from the top?"

Gold looked at the small group of white shirts on the ramps. Shook his head. "Not yet,"

His son's face fell.

"-but you can go up once she's settled in, alright?"

"Fine," he grumbled, "but I would not fall in. I'm not a baby."

Gold felt almost sorry for his boy. He could see the waves of excitement crashing through his tiny body. His 11-year-old tingled from his head to his toes, bounced on his flexing feet and rubbed his hands together. He wore the facial expression of a small child with an especially large Christmas present. Gold smiled.

They brought her in in one of the transparent containers. Three quarters filled with murky water. Gold could not help but hurry up the water-level ramp after them.

"Careful, people, that's a living creature!" He bellowed. They had thrown her out with the water onto the platform, where the trainers usually stood during their despicable live shows. "Show some respect."

"That's just a fish, man." One of the haulers, a short man with a grumpy face, said and shrugged. "It doesn't care."

Murchadh's hands curled into fists at his side. He very much wished that he had not left his cane behind in the office right about now. He didn't need it at all times, just when he got tired– or when he longed to smash people's heads in. Like now.

"Out of the way!" He pushed past the man and two others and crouched down beside their haul. It was a mermaid. She would have been beautiful with her pastel white skin dusted with light specs of gold, her pink lips, and long obsidian hair all black from the water, but there were bloody cuts in her tail (-red, not gold. So much for the rejuvenating elixir-) and angry red marks on her skin where the rope cut into it. The bastards hadn't even bothered to get her out of their fishing net.

"Jones, knife!" He barked and his demand was met instantly with a Yes, Sir!, and the requested object placed in his hand. People knew better than to cross him when he was angry, at least.

He cut her loose in a few swift, but careful, movements and tossed the remainder of the net aside. She was breathing, but still out.

"Bae," He called down to the seating area. "Can you get Dr. Whale's kit from the Cockpit and bring it to me, please?" The Cockpit was what they called the little circular office that looked like a tower. Bae was closest to it.

Within minutes the boy had fetched the vet's emergency kit and crouched down next to him, the water seeping through the knees of his pants as he leaned closer to look.

"Oooh!" He extended a hand to touch, but then drew back abruptly. "Papa, she's hurt!"

Gold's face softened at the indignation in Bae's voice. He had raised the boy well. Every living creature deserved to be treated with the same level of respect and kindness.

"Yes," He placed a soothing hand on Bae's shoulder, "but it looks worse than it is, I am sure. We can help her. Would you like to assist me?"

Bae nodded eagerly.

"Alright, my boy, first we must patch up the cuts… ."

They sanitized their hands with spray, and then Gold dipped a clean cloth in disinfectant. "I will clean the cuts first. You can help me sew them up."

"Uh-huh", Bae said without taking his eyes off the mermaid's tail, gazing in the same way he'd take in the night sky. "It's so blue," he squeaked. "Sparkly… ."

Blue it was indeed - a rich deep indigo. To the touch it was silky. Murchadh ran the cloth up and down slowly, expecting to feel roughness through the fabric. Instead it felt more similar to stroking glass, but softer.

He still marveled at the strange sensation when suddenly she jerked awake and bolted upright, her face turned towards him, her eyes wide. She had a look in her eye Gold had seen before, but not on a person. It was the look he'd seen in captive orcas' eyes when they came in for schooling, wild, not even knowing what people are.

He stopped, gazing, mesmerized by how very blue her eyes were. Lighter in color than her tail.

She drew a deep breath, hissed through her teeth and explosively slashed her tail back and forth, splashing them wet, then hurtled into the water.

They watched the faint red trail she left behind.

Gold sighed. She would probably not come out of the fake caves at the bottom of the artificial lagoon willingly to let them help and patch her up then. He did not want to sedate her to do it either, though. No matter what everyone else thought, she wasn't just an animal, just a fish. It would not have felt right. But help she would need, or her wounds would get infected.

Slowly he got to his feet. "Let's leave her for a bit until she calms down, Boy."

"But," Bae gestured to the water. "She's bleeding!"

Gold steered him off the platform and down the ramp, medical kit in hand. "I know. We'll take care of that as soon as we can." He shooed everyone off the ramps "I want everyone out of here! NOW."

The staff obeyed, but their faces were clearly disappointed. Had they been expecting some kind of show? Did they truly believe the poor thing they just captured and dragged here so barbarically, would entertain them in thanks? Oafs.

He dimmed the main lights and sent Bae upstairs. It was too late for the boy to be here anyway. It was a school night.

After everyone was gone, he sank down on one of the plastic seats and watched the water in the reef-tank, his chin resting on his palms. The dust and sand had settled and the fish had come back out, but she remained hidden. He could see her bright eyes flashing at him from inside the cave.

He wondered if she had a name. Every living creature in their tanks had been given a name. It was harder to mistreat something that had a proper name, he had found. Names were powerful that way. He would often pick out the names himself or let Bae do it, but somehow it felt wrong to give her one.

He would have to call her something, though. He looked at the bright blue shining in the darkness again. He loved the color blue. Blue was the color of his favorite things- the sea, bluebirds, bluebells and the sky. He would call her Indigo. For now.