Surrender

He was made of earth and fire; she was made of water.

Their love will never be free - not until they surrender.

Civil Twilight - "Surrender"

Killian Jones remembered a time, long before his brother passed away and his life took such a surprising turn, where he was told stories about beautiful creatures living in the sea.

Mermaids, Liam had told him and warned him about the treacherous beauty that led many sailors to death.

He had always thought this was nothing but a stupid tale. Like the stories parents tell their kids to get them to eat their vegetables.

Killian had sailed the sea for many years now. If there would be the possibility of real mermaids existing, he would have seen them.

If only our dear Captain had known that he would be proved wrong soon enough.

They had been in Neverland for about a month now, the Captain guessed, since it was really hard keeping track on time in Neverland.

But as much as he loathed this place, the constant threat kept him from thinking. About Liam. And Milah. About everything that has been taken away from him.

When he was not trying to escape some evil plants, he was busy plotting his revenge. But truth be told, he had no clue of how to kill the imp. He would have already despaired if there weren't dangers waiting behind every tree to keep him occupied.

But one night, as he was standing at the helm of his ship; flask in his hand and his eyes looking up at the black sky, his mind was with his dead loved ones again.

It was just another warm night and everyone else was asleep. Except for the Captain.

Finding sleep was really hard these days. And if he would ever fall asleep, he would be plagued with gruesome nightmares consisting of pictures of Milah and Liam that his mind set up to torture him with.

That is why he preferred staying on deck for a while, trying to clear his head and hoping to find some peace. But of course it would not be this easy.

And though Killian would never admit it, he felt terribly lonely. And helpless.

The last time he had found himself helpless, he had been forced against the mast of his ship by the Dark One's magic and watched his love dying right in front of his eyes.

He took a huge sip of rum, closing his eyes and savoring the burn of the clear liquid as it ran down his throat.

And just as he was about to get back to his cabin, to try and get some sleep after all, he heard it.

A soft, melodic voice sang a beautiful tune that he was oddly familiar with. It filled his soaring heart and comforted him in a way he did not know was possible.

Opening his eyes, he searched for the source of the lovely song. And as he found it, he could not believe his eyes.

Not even ten feet away from him, a lass was sitting on one of the rocks near the shore; her blonde hair cascading down her back and chest in wet, tangled locks, and her pale skin shining in the moon light.

Killian thought he had never seen something as beautiful before.

She continued to sing, her sparkling eyes meeting his, as he scooted closer towards the rail, watching her entranced.

It was when she beckoned him over with a fluid motion of her graceful fingers, that the Captain snapped out of his trance. Shaking his head violently, he took a step back and as his eyes met hers again, it was with a distrustful glare.

"What are you?"

The creature laughed at this, the sound was pure bliss in Killian's ears. He shook his head again.

Then she scooted a little closer, wiggling around with the emerald green fishtail that he took a few seconds to admire.

"What do you think, Captain?"

"That's not possible," he murmured.

She laughed again, shaking her head at him with a smile and Killian could not help but glance at the movement of her blonde hair longingly.

Damn, she is beautiful; he thought.

"The song you were singing - what was it?" He heard himself asking before he could stop himself. He should not make conversation with a creature that would most certainly try to eat him. If the story he heard could be trusted, this was what mermaids did. Why else would they lure sailors into a death trap?

He had never believed this stories, but now that he knew that mermaids did exist, he needed to be careful. Maybe this part of the tales was true too?

"Oh, you recognized it? I already feared you didn't."

The pleased smile on her face should not look appealing to him, but damn.

Taking his silence as a sign to continue, she said: "I remember hearing it when I first saw this ship here in Neverland. But this was a long time ago."

"What-"

"You have changed a lot, lieutenant. And I don't know if I like it", the mermaid said, smiling at him a last time before jumping into the water and vanishing from his sight.

When Killian finally found sleep this night, he was not plagued by memories of Milah and Liam haunting his dreams. Instead, there were pink lips, singing to him. Pale hands stroking his hair, and green eyes sparkling.

During the next days, Killian thought about the mermaid more than he would ever admit. He wondered where she had seen him before. And why he had not noticed her the last time he has been here.

Why had she not talked to him earlier? How did she now about his former title? Why had she not tried killing him?

Why the hell did he even care?

Why did he recognize the song the lass sang?

Well, this one he could answer. He had thought about it a lot recently, the tune playing inside of his head again and again. And then he remembered. Liam had sang this song a few times. This would also explain why he felt comforted hearing it. It reminded him of old times, when he and Liam were sailing together, feeling as free as could be.

Now he knew that they never were free.

But he was now. Alone, but free.

Alas, he was not alone. If only he knew about the blond mermaid hiding in the shadows, her emerald green eyes watching him from afar.

This night, when he was on deck again, his emotions were conflicted. Killian was afraid to see her again. Not because she might hurt him. Or kill him. If it was for him, she should give it her best shot.

No. He was afraid, because she was making him feel. Because she took his mind of the darkness that seemed to take a hold of him.

However, he could not stay away either. The possibility of seeing her again was too deliciously seductive.

And he was not disappointed. It was not long until he heard a splashing of water and a soft laugh. As he looked up, he saw the mermaid sitting in the same spot as the last time, her lips curved into a smile.

"You're making a habit out of this, Captain."

"Why are you here?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Because you want me here?" she tried, smiling at him knowingly.

Killian was actually taken aback for a few seconds. The nerve of this lass.

"I don't."

He watched as she inched closer towards the edge of the rock; leaning forward to be as close to him as possible. He licked his lips as he eyed the curves of her body appreciatively.

"Liar."

"What?"

"I said your are lying, Captain Hook."

The way she was murmuring his moniker breathlessly made his pants appear a little tighter than usually. He cleared his throat.

"How would you know?"

"It's a secret."

The two eyed each other for a moment, green orbs meeting blue ones in a heated glare.

"A secret, huh?""

She nodded.

They sat in silence for a while. Killian could not deny that this situation was kind of comfortable. He could just sit here, looking out towards the dark sky and not having to talk, but knowing that someone was here with him.

"You drink a lot," the mermaid noted as Killian took a sip from his flask.

Silence.

"Desperate times, I take it?" she continued.

"Stop making assumptions."

He watched as she hesitates, biting her plumb lip. He had to stifle a loud groan. It was like she was doing that on purpose.

"Sorry", she murmured, making him wonder if she really was. He was pretty good at reading people and she seemed to be ashamed for her actions. But one could never be sure.

They went back to silence for a while and Killian soon noticed that he did not even know the mermaid's name.

"What's your name, lass?"

He looked up with a smile, only to see that her spot was empty.

She was gone.

A/N: So, there will be about two or three more chapters, since this is just supposed to be a cute little thing to get my mind of writer's block. Anyway, I hope you liked it.