A/N: This was an idea that just wouldn't go away. Enjoy!

Hook's Perspective

Ariel swam as fast as she could through the ocean in her mermaid form, tail whipping furiously in her haste. The pirate Blackbeard had directed her to Hangman's Island after she'd saved him from drowning and being eaten by sharks, where she hoped to find her prince Eric. He had to be there…after everything she went through with that traitorous pirate Hook, he had to be there. If he wasn't…then she would have to start over again from scratch. She just hoped that this would be the place where he'd be.

Breaking through the surface of the water, Ariel saw the supposed island just up ahead. She was almost there…just a little further.

As she got closer to the shore, she clasped her enchanted bracelet back on her wrist, turning her tail back into legs. Walking out of the water, she looked around excitedly. She was finally there; she was almost with her True Love again. She saw a lone figure on the beach, a fire insistently burning. He turned at the unexpected sound of another person, and suddenly her heart stopped.

Eric. He was there. And he looked as handsome as when she had first met him.

A grin formed on her face as she started running to him, while he jumped up and did the same. They met in the middle and hugged fiercely, both so happy to be together again they could hardly stand it. And nothing would keep their love apart again.

"…and so, Blackbeard told me about this island and said you'd be here after I rescued him and promised to leave him alone. And now, well, here we are!" The fire crackled pleasantly in front of the couple as night fell and Ariel recounted her adventure to Eric. He smiled at her adoringly as he took her hand in his and squeezed lightly.

"That sounds like quite the adventure, Ariel. It must have been exciting for you; you always did like those kinds of stories in the royal library."

Ariel nodded emphatically with a huge grin on her face. "Yes, it was very exciting," then her features grew solemn and dark, "but I wish it could have ended differently."

Eric looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean? You found me."

Ariel sighed sadly. "Yes, but…I wish I didn't have to rescue that no-good pirate. If Hook had kept up his end of our deal, I wouldn't have had to do that and willingly let a dangerous pirate wreak havoc on the seas again. I mean…why couldn't he have just given up his stupid ship? Why couldn't he have helped me? I thought, when I heard what he did in Neverland for Snow White and her family, that he might have changed. But I was wrong." Ariel's features grew angrier. "Once a pirate, always a pirate. And I'll never forgive him for what he did to keep us apart."

Silence enveloped the two as Eric looked away from Ariel and stared into the fire. For several minutes, neither spoke. Then Eric's voice pierced the air.

"Ariel, why do you think Hook betrayed you to keep his ship? Why do you think he wanted to keep it so badly, that he was willing to let Blackbeard die, even though he had information about me?"

Ariel tossed her hair behind her shoulders angrily as she answered. "Because he's nothing but a selfish, villainous pirate who doesn't care about anything but himself, and never will." She should have known better than to trust him.

"Are you sure that's the only reason, though, Ariel?" Eric asked patiently. "Maybe it was about something else for him."

Ariel whipped her head to glare at Eric. "Are you saying that you actually agree with that pirate scum? That what he did was okay?" How could her love agree with that villain? That pirate was a coward.

Eric shook his head vigorously when he saw how angry his fiery-haired lover was getting. "No, no, that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying that there may be more to his story than you know, and that you should look at it from his perspective."

"And what would his perspective be, exactly?" Whatever that pirate's view, what he did was wrong. He should have helped her find Eric. True Love was more important than a dumb ship. Why couldn't he have seen that? Why couldn't he have chosen to be good for once?

Eric looked up at the stars as he spoke. "Well, for one thing, he never knew either of us before you came to him. He didn't actually have a personal motive for finding me. But you said that as soon as he knew about his ship, he dropped everything to go find Blackbeard. Now, what does that tell you, darling?"

Ariel furrowed her brow as she thought about it. "I suppose…that his ship was really important to him."

"Do you remember what he said when he left? Anything significant?"

"He said that he hadn't been himself, and he thought that it was his ship that was causing it. It was like…he needed it to live. At the time I didn't think much of it, though; I was just trying to get to you."

Eric chuckled, shoulders shaking with laughter. Ariel pouted at him. "The fact that I was trying to find you is funny to you?"

Eric shook his head with a small smile. "No, it's just that…this Hook sounds a lot like captains I knew in the Navy who were suffering from a broken heart. They threw themselves into their work, and they paid extra-special attention to their ships. They thought it would help them forget their pain if they focused on something else. And that sounds a lot like what this Hook fellow was doing, too."

Ariel gaped at him. "Are you saying that Captain Hook is in love?" That pirate certainly hadn't acted like it if he was.

Love brings nothing but wasted years and endless torment; I'm doing you a favor.

Eric sobered up, looking at the fire as he thought about it. "I don't know, but it certainly sounds like it to me. And maybe he was so desperate to keep his ship because it was the only thing he had left of his love, and he didn't want to lose the only tie he had left to her."

Ariel frowned. She remembered how angry she herself had been when Hook had ripped Eric's cloak in the forest—the only thing she had had left of him. But, even if she had had to give up that cloak for someone else's happiness, she would have still done it in a heartbeat. Things didn't make up for the actual person. "Well, maybe…but the fact that he was in love should have helped him make the right choice—"

"Ariel." Eric spoke calmly and patiently. "You were asking him to give up his home for a complete stranger. And would that choice have helped reunite him with his love? What he did may not have been right, but if he had made the right choice, you would have been leaving him with nothing in return. I know it's hard to accept, but a lot of people don't like to do things without having something done for them in return. Not everyone is like you, my love," he said with a small smile. "Not everyone is always selfless. And people are going to disappoint you, but that doesn't mean they're completely heinous. It just means that they made a mistake."

Ariel looked at Eric in astonishment, stunned by his speech. She never knew he had that kind of diplomacy in him. "When did you get to be so wise?"

Eric grinned as he squeezed her hand and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. "Probably around the time when I met the most beautiful girl in the world who helped open my eyes to life and love."

Ariel laughed with him into the night. Yes, this conversation helped her see Captain Hook in a different light. It didn't mean she wasn't still mad at him, though. But maybe it meant that, if she ever saw him again, she could tell him that she understood and forgave him. Right after she slapped him again, of course. Of course, Eric could be wrong about him. Maybe he really was nothing but a cowardly, selfish pirate.

But maybe not.

A/N: Read and review, please!