This is a one shot dedicated to Diana, after a popular theorie on tumblr about Ariel being Killian's mother.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT

The woman had settled the dark haired boy on her hip as she ran through the streets, her gaze shifty and horrified, her grip on her son tightening with every second.

She could hear the screaming of the villagers trying to escape her father's fury; Triton had sent a huge tsunami to destroy and erase the town.

Running wasn't something she was used to yet, and she could feel her feet burning and her heart beating too fast. The little river next to the street was calling her; she wanted to give in and just jump in the water, but she remembered her son, her baby boy with his father's too blue eyes, scared and burying his head in her neck.

"Mommy", he cried, his hands closing into fists around her tresses.

"Shh, Killian, we have to be quiet, remember?" Ariel told him, rubbing his back gently; their house shouldn't be so far now. "We're gonna find dad really soon, okay?

Her fingers tangled in his hair and she dropped a kiss on his forehead; she might not make it, but Killian would, and he would be fine.

It was precisely then that Ariel felt her magical legs; her feet were burning with the effort of running, pain spreading through her veins, almost cutting off her breathing, and only Killian's heartbeat echoing against her chest made her run faster. The way home had never seemed so long before.

They finally reached the porch of their house and Eric stopped pacing the length of it; he looked worried, but he relaxed as soon as he saw his wife and his son.

Eric came to them and breathed a sigh of relief as he wrapped them in his arms.

"Are you both okay?" Eric caressed Ariel's hair while his other hand went around Killian. "Are you okay, Killian?"

The boy nodded and Ariel gave him to her husband, kissing him quickly and holding back her tears.

"I have to go."

"Ariel, no."

"This is the only way", she said, all hope lost now that she had let go of her son; it seemed to her that her heart had stopped beating altogether. "We have to give him his best chance, so take him and run,"

Ariel took off her necklace, a pendant with fairy dust swinging gently from it.

"Keep it. When you leave the island it will protect you both from my father… go to the sea, he won't think to look for you there."

Eric remained silent, a single tear rolling down his cheek; Ariel brushed it off and pressed her lips against his.

"I'm gonna be fine."

"Liar", Eric smiled humorlessly, his hand on her waist going up and down trying to give her some strength.

"I know, but this is the only way", Ariel whispered, caressing her son's hair. "Be a good boy Killian, don't get into too much trouble", she told him and kissed his palm when he tried to reach for her. "Don't be afraid of the sea; mommy will always watch over you."

She brushed his hair behind his ear, the boy looking at her with wide eyes, like he was hypnotized.

"And remember, you have to fight for what you want, always; you only deserve what you get when you fight for it, just like mommy fought to be with daddy. Be brave, Killian", she nuzzled his neck with kisses. "I love you little prince, I love you so much."

And pressing a kiss on his forehead, Ariel let go of his hand, kissing her husband once more before she left them to face her own father.

She wouldn't make it and she knew it.

Ignoring her son's cries, Ariel jumped into the river, giving up her legs and her used-to-be charmed life, becoming one with the water and leaving behind her the shattered pieces of her heart.

Killian cried at the top of his lungs, his tiny arms shaking in the air, trying to reach for his mother, and Eric gripped him tighter before he started running.

"It looks like it's a pirate life for us now, laddie", Eric tried to reassure his son, attempting to take his mind away from Ariel, risking her life… no, sacrificing it was more like it, for them.

For Killian. To give them a head start.

Following Ariel's advice, Eric went in the direction of the port; as a man who used to be a sailor, he was completely familiar with the ships and boats, and smiling grimly at the memories flashing behind his lids, Eric stepped on the dock among the sailors and pirates.

After a brief discussion with an old and smelly guy he managed to arrange a ship for them, trusting Ariel that they would only be safe out at the sea. The deck of the ship cracked under his feet, and he let the salty scent of the sea fill his lungs as he made his way over it, Killian safe on his hip.

The men aboard the ship looked quite intimidating; some of them were lacking limbs, and few of them had teeth. At the bow of the ship, a few pirates were ogling him and Killian; they had impressive tattoos on their arms and even on their faces and Eric felt his son hold onto him tighter, probably afraid of the men staring at them as if they were a piece of meat.

Once he reached the cabin he had paid for, Eric settled Killian on the tiny bed; the boy looked sad and tired, sighing heavily and rubbing his eyes again and again, exhausted of the too many tears shed for a lost mother.

She would never see her son growing up.

xxx

"Come on boy, show me how you walk", Eric coaxed Killian, trying to get him to take a step forward; Rojer, one of the pirates Eric stoke a tentative friendship with watching them with a playful smile.

"He's got some sea legs, that lad of yours."

Eric caught Killian before he fell, poking his sides.

"You should have seen his mother", he said, his voice coming from afar, from a time when a young prince had fallen in love with a mermaid. "He gets them from her."

"Mommy coming?" Killian asked, patting his father's cheek and requesting his undivided attention; Rojer laughed and left father and son alone.

"Do you see the sea, Killian?" Eric said with a steady voice and took his son's tiny hand in his, leading him to the rail and lifting him upon it; he held him safely and Killian leaned back against his chest.

"Mommy is somewhere out there, looking over you."

"In sea?"

"In the sea, boy."

Turning around and almost losing his balance in the process, Killian scowled, "I miss mommy."

Tilting his head to the side, Eric sighed; there was nothing he could do to ease the absence of Ariel.

"I know, laddie", he said and pulled his son into a hug. "I miss her too."

xxx

Six years had passed since they sailed off aboard the ship; Killian was growing up fast and he turned out to be a bright boy for his age, his eyes reflecting the ghost of his lost mother.

They never talked about her; it was like an unspoken deal made between them a long time ago.

He was only seven, but Killian already knew how to hold a sword; Rojer had found a tiny one for him when they passed by a town and the young lad was sleeping with it like a true pirate.

Nevertheless, that night, Eric couldn't find sleep; he couldn't help but think about what he had learned the day before.

It's the only solution, the prince kept telling himself as he walked back and forth in their tiny cabin, Killian deeply asleep and curled around himself in the small bed.

Pausing in his tracks, Eric stared at Killian's form and tried to gather his thoughts.

He had to try.

Kneeling down, Eric straightened the covers over Killian and the boy shifted a little at the motion, making a cute noise. Fluffing Killian's dark hair, the once upon a time prince allowed himself to smile at the innocence of his son.

"I'm sorry, laddie."

As if he had heard him, Killian moved closer to him, curling around the too thin pillow, seeking his father's warmth.

Leaving his son behind would kill him.

But it was for the greater good; he was leaving to bring back the boy's mother.

There was a chance Ariel was alive; some pirates told everyone who wanted to listen to them that a mermaid was leaving in the water of Neverland.

He had to try; Ariel had told Killian to fight for what he wants, so Eric should too; he should fight to bring back his wife, to bring back Killian's mother.

They both needed her.

"Be a good boy, Killian, and I will come back as soon as I can", Eric said and kissed Killian's forehead, sealing his promise with a brief touch of his lips.

Eric stood up and took off the necklace Ariel had given him a long time ago, the one that was supposed to protect them from her father's fury, and put it around Killian's wrist.

He would be safe. Rojer had promised to keep an eye on him during his absence.

"Be a good pirate, laddie." Eric whispered with a broken voice, before turning on his heels.

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