Author's Note: Sanctuary Bingo. As usual, using . to indicate paragraph break
Prompt: Mermaid
Declan McCrae, head of the UK Sanctuary and battle hardened former soldier, was feeling more than a little nervous. In fact, abjectly terrified would probably be a better way to describe how he was feeling, as he stood in front of the large aquarium that held the Old City sanctuary's resident mermaid, Sally. The mermaid in question floated serenely only a few feet away, on the other side of the glass, and watched with amusement as Declan and Will argued.
"What do you mean 'without a suit'?" Declan demanded, his nerves increasing with each passing second.
"Just that," Will replied, fighting to keep from smiling. "She prefers you to be in your 'natural' state."
"Just how 'natural' are we talking? Are shorts allowed or not?" the Brit wanted to know.
"She prefers naked," Will told him, unable to keep from smirking at his friend's nerves. "Don't worry, you'll be fine, she'll look after you."
"How do I know this isn't some wind up? That you're not all gonna be laughing at me on the video later?" Declan asked, sounding more scared than annoyed.
"Ask her yourself, she'll show you," Will replied, winking as he turned and walked away. Declan turned to the aquarium and hesitantly raised his hand, pressing it flat against the glass, surprised to find it was almost warm to the touch. Sally swam forward and laid her hand against the glass, directly opposite his, smiling as she projected images of the others swimming with her. Satisfied that he was not just being hazed, Declan nodded and made his way to the small airlock which allowed entry into Sally's home. Stripping off, he placed his clothes into the small locker on the wall and keyed in his private access code, secure in the knowledge that his clothes would still be there when he came out. He opened the airlock door and stepped gingerly down into the water, closing the hatch behind him and securing it.
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Taking a deep breath, Declan used the ladder to propel himself deeper into the tube that led into Sally's habitat. As he swam through the opening into the main aquarium, he began to worry that he couldn't recall any sign of air at the top of the tank. As the first vestiges of panic began to set in, Sally appeared out of the shadows and laid her hands on either side of his face. Not knowing what to do, Declan remained still as Sally pressed her lips to his and breathed air into his lungs. She repeated the process three more times, and with each breath Declan forgot his fear. She pulled away and smiled, telling him in his mind that he could breathe now, without fear of drowning. He drew in a breath, knowing Sally would not allow him to come to harm, and was pleasantly surprised that he didn't immediately start choking on water.
"Your lungs are able to breathe my water, at least for a little while," Sally told him, her voice like music in his mind. He wondered idly if she could hear his thoughts and smiled when she nodded, indicating the telepathic link worked both ways while they were bonded. "Swim with me," she requested, holding out her hand. Declan took her hand and kicked his legs, finding it easier to swim as she did than as he would normally have done. He revelled in the freedom of swimming with her, forgetting his duties and responsibilities as he simply enjoyed being alive. Through the link that allowed them to communicate silently, he felt the emotions that the mermaid felt; passion, desire, joy, sadness, loneliness.
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He realised that the swims were Sally's way of having contact similar to that which she had once had with her own people, and which she had given up when she came to live at the Sanctuary. He knew she missed her people, that she had lost the male she had once hoped to mate, when the parasite had caused her kind to become insane with rage and tear each other apart. He learned that, while her Old City Sanctuary friends had all swum with her, more than once, he was one of only a few select others she had asked to swim with her. But more than anything else, as they swan together he caught a glimmer of what it was like to swim deep in the ocean, free of any concerns other than enjoying the moment. He was so caught up in the moment that he failed to see Helen enter the shoe, smile as she saw him swimming with Sally and activate the screen on the tank that would give them some privacy. Sally turned to him again, knowing they were completely alone now, and pressed her lips to his. She breathed air to him once more but did not break the contact once she had finished, instead turning the touch into a kiss. Pushing logic, and practicality, aside, Declan returned the kiss with a surge of passion he knew must be heightened through the link, losing himself in the emotions that consumed them both as they began to swim the mating dance.
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Helen sat at her desk, watching the security camera feeds and smiling serenely to herself. She knew that Will and Henry, both being little more than eternal children, would be annoyed at her intervention, stopping them from getting ammunition with which to taunt their friend after his swim. She also knew what Sally had planned when she had made the request for Declan to swim with her, and she had readily agreed. She had, of course, conveniently 'forgotten' to mention the reasoning to Declan when she had relayed the request, and when he had arrived. She would ensure that Sally's secret was kept, and that the others would never know Declan's part in it all.