AA: I love OUAT so I thought I would give this a try. If this sucks, please, kindly let me know. AU. I don't own OUAT, no matter how hard I wish.

Cassandra Jones watched the island receded. She had done it. She was one step closer to finding him. She supposed she should feel guiltier about the mutiny she had just commited. Bick hadn't been a bad captain. He had been a strange one, but not bad. But that depended on how you looked at it. Bick wasn't a bad pirate, but he was certainly a bad person. So maybe he deserved it. Maybe he deserved to be left alone on the island, watching his ship disapear into the thick fog. Not that Cass was exactly a good person. The blood staining her shirt and coating her sword could attest to that. She shrugged it off, what kind of person you were didn't matter at sea. Besides, she had something bigger to worry about. How had Bick gotten the ship in the first place?

He would never give up his ship Cass thought. She might not have seen her father in thirteen years, but she knew he would never give up the Jolly Roger. Trying to ignore the persistent possibility that Killian Jones might be dead, Cass decided to go try to relax and pull her thoughts together. She had only been six the last time she was on the Jolly Roger, but she could easily make it to the captains quarters with her eyes closed. After, checking that the crew was doing as told, she left Jeremy to watch them, and headed below deck.

The cabin she had spent so much time in when she was little looked...exactly the same. The nostalgia hit her in a wave. And so did the smell. She rushed over to the single window and cracked it open immediately. Taking a breath of the salty air, she turned around to further examine the cabin. Apart from the occasional piece of disgusting laundry, it really did look the exact same. Bick must not have been here that long. She plopped on the bed, fighting tears. It was times like this she missed her father more than ever.

She moved to lie dwn when she felt a sharp pain in her side. Bick must have kicked her harder then she thought. Wincing, she slipped off her coat and lifted her shirt to see a huge yellow-purple bruise forming on her ribcage. "Damn it." Cass cursed under her breath. Might as well asess the rest of the damage She reasoned, pulling the rest of her shirt off. The shirt itself was salvageable, she could scrub the blood out easy enough. The coat was fine too, and slipping off her well worn boots she saw that they were sturdy as ever. Her pants were a different story. One leather leg was split with a huge gash. It was about time she got new pants anyway. Maybe something more interesting then black, like red or even brown. Looking back over at her black coat and black shirt and black boots she realized it might not hurt to spice things up a little. Purple would match the stud in her left ear, but purple pants would look stupid. At the thought of the earing, she reached up to finger it, only to come back with her fingertip smudged with red. Bick ripped out my earring. Cass felt a lot less guilty. She checked her other ear, running her finger over the four studs lining it. She made a mental note to get her left ear re-pierced as soon as they reached land, and maby a fifth stud in her right ear, a gift to herself.

Finally, she undid her bun, letting her slightly curly dark hair fall over her shoulders. Cass was a pretty good-looking girl, as far as pirates go. Her beauty was almost harsh though. She looked at everyone harshly, like love was a language she didn't know or care to learn. But she'd survived because of that harsh look. Taking a final look around the cabin, she felt exhaustion wash over her. A little nap would be nice. Ripping off the sheets Bick had used, Cass got a blanket from a cupboard and curled up, hand under her pillow wrapped tightly around a dagger. She'd go on a stealing, shopping, spree when they brought Jeremy home the next day. She could pick up new clothes, new earrings, and set out to find her father. She just hoped Jeremy wouldn't expect her to stick around for too long once they reached Camelot.

...

19 years ago...not counting the confusing years of the curse

Killian didn't like the squirming thing he'd just been handed. It was tiny, and fragile, and cute. No. It wasn't cute. He wasn't doing this.

"What do you expect me to do this?" Killian spat.

"Right now I just want you to look at her." The woman had her head just barely above the deck floor, her face peering through the rail. Killian could see her arms shakinf from the effort of holding herself up. Having a tail must be heavier than having legs, he almost started to ask her but stopped.

"Well, I looked and I don't like what I see." Killian answered, indignant.

"Then give her back." He didn't.

The thing looked a little like Liam. It had been so long since he'd seen his brother, since he'd had family, maybe...no.

"Is this what you do? Play tricks with men, then show up months later toting a baby and scales that you most certainly did not have when I last saw you."

"No. This is a first for me." She smiled a little. "Her name is Cassandra."

"I don't care what her name is."

"You didn't say 'the thing'"

Killian's mind reeled. Every part of him wanted to stuff her...the thing...back through the rail to its mother but his heart wanted him hold her closer. To smile at her, and love her. He sighed.

"She looks more beautiful the more I look at her."

"You mean the thing? Yes, thats what it feels like to look at your child."

"I can't take her. She can't live in the life I do."

"So you'd rather her be like me? Luring men to their deaths, living her days out alone in the darkest depths of the ocean." The mermaids expression was pained. She didn't want that life for her daughter.

"And being a pirate is better?"

"You'll be allowed to love her. It's more complicated than that for me. She gets the rare chance to be a human. If you keep her out of the water for the next day and she'll be human. Take her for then. If you change your mind just set her in the sea, and I will get her. Her fate will be sealed."

"I didn't know that's how it worked." Killian laughed dryly.

"I hope I never see either of you again." She cast one last forlorn glance at Cass, then disapeared.

Killian adjusted the bundle. She whimpered. Chuckling, Killian gave Cass his finger to grasp, which calmed her down.

"Well Bonnie, we have one day. Now what will I do with you?"

He carried her across the deck, heading for below deck. He ignored the strange looks from his crew. When reaching his cabin, he propped open a drawer and placed Cass inside. She complained a little when he took his finger away, but fell asleep soon after.

"Cap, the crews got some questions."

"We've got a new member." Killian answered,his eyes never leaving the adorable tiny baby asleep in the drawer.

"A baby?"

"Aye, and you'd be smart to treat her well, I've got a feeling one day she'll be ordering you around."

Killian was liking the thing asleep in the drawer.

...

Cas woke up to shouts and the thumping of boots above deck. She didn't feel like putting on her bloody shirt, so she threw on her coat and buttoned it all up, before rushing up the stairs.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing?!" Cass screamed.

Jeremy tied to the mast, Smee trying to ut him lose, and the rest of the crew laughing.

"The snot was telling us what to do." A big burly pirate spoke up. He wasn't intimidated by Cass.

"Well that snot is allowed to tell you what to do." A dangerous look came over Cass.

"I do what I want. I shouldn't even listen to you, I mean what pirate gets led by a lady." He laughed, most of the others joining in.

"A lady?"Cass laughed, high and sharp. "You, sir, are gravely mistaken."

The crew had stopped laughing, but the ig burly pirate kept grinning stupidly.

"A lady wouldn't cut you ear off for insubordination. A lady, wouldn't tie you to that mast and whip you 'til you beg, a lady," Cass let out a breathy laugh "wouldn't make you walk the plank and take swim with the Kraken."

The burly man stopped smiling.

"Do you think I'm not serious? Or do you think I'm crazy?" Cass had carried her dagger up, and now had it a centimeter from the burly pirates chest.

She tapped the tip against his heart. "Now get us ready to make way for Camelot before I make all those threats," She moved the dagger up and sliced his cheek. "A reality.'

No one moved. "Now you imbiciles!"

Cass watched them trip over themselves tying to get to work. Jaw clenched, she turned to where Smee had cut down Jeremy.

"Cap was right, you've got them running round like trained pets."