Summary: Belle is reunited with her Cousin Aqua, Alti in Storybrooke, and has been keeping a secret from Rumplestiltskin.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of ONCE UPON A TIME
Rating: T+
Pairing: Rumple/Belle Hook/Alti (OFC)
Note: The songs I used were Can't Fight the Moonlight by Leann Rimes, Wonderland by Natalia Kills, and Addicted by Kelly Clarkson.
THE BEAUTY AND A MERMAID:
Gold could have stopped, could have absorbed what Belle had just told him, but there was no time. Alti was choking and he had the magic to stop it. Coming to her, he put his left hand around her throat calling to his powers, willing the land stuck mermaid to breathe. Rumple concentrated so much the flesh of his hand heated up way beyond normal. He poured what power he could spare into Aqua. Breathe! Breathe! Breathe! He chanted in his mind over and over willing it to be so. All of a sudden she stopped gasped, her body stilled and her eyes glazed over for a moment. Then her spine bowed and she sucked down vital air. She slipped from the bed onto the floor on her hands and knees coughing, gasping, and dragging in more air. Rumple cast a pained look at Belle before he crouched down in front of her. "Aqua?"
Aqua felt her chest heaving with the effort to breathe the air that her lungs would have normally filtered out through the ocean water back home, or in the lake, or in the harbor. She could still feel Gold's hand gripping her throat pumping power into her, willing her to stay human long enough to keep breathing. Turning thankful eyes on him she threw her arms around him hugging him close breathing him in. She was teetering between crying, to screaming, to laughing hysterically. Right now she settled for hugging him. "You… saved me… Again," Aqua laughed with a tinge of lunacy to her tone. She was so happy to not be suffocating, to feel like she was drowning on dry land without water filling her lungs.
"I can't help myself," Rumple joked cupping the back of Alti's head but then sobered when he read the immense pain filling his true love's eyes. He was hugging another woman after saving her life. "I put you in harm's way before and I fear I've done it again." Gently he pulled back from her, from the woman who had helped to sooth his ravaged soul. Being the gentlemen, he offered her a hand to help her from the floor where she wavered but stood under her own power. Aqua stepped away from him and he felt as if he had been struck across the cheek. This was on him. He had set the events in motion for Aqua, Alti, to be hurt once again. He was such an old selfish fool.
"Belle…" Aqua shook her head, "It's not how it seems." She stammered knowing that her cousin was beyond furious with her. The fact that Aqua had been nearly suffocated by the very air she was meant to breathe did nothing to cool her raging anger. "I know how it looks, but nothing happened." Again she shook her head willing Belle to believe her. There was only one explanation that came to people where Alti was concerned. Women called her 'Whore', "Harlot', and 'Stripper'. Normally she was perfectly fine with that, but she wasn't ok with seeing those names flit through Belle's eyes.
Belle didn't know which emotion she should rely on. Anger? Jealousy? Disbelief? Aqua was here, she was happy to have more of her family with her, but she was terribly hurt that Aqua had been with Rumpelstiltskin; the man she loved so much. Yes, she knew they had been under a curse, no memories, nothing stopping them, but that didn't stop the hurt. "Then tell me what it is exactly." Not knowing was a worse pain than knowing everything.
Alti would have flashed some of her bravado, her disregard for anyone's emotions other than her own, but that was all a front to keep people from seeing how terribly lonely she was. When Gold had come to her, he had eased some of her loneliness and gave her a taste of belonging. For that she could never pay him back. "Last year, for a month, I was paid to be Mr. Gold's 'Beck and Call' girl. He needed someone to ease the lonely nights, to talk with, to just be around. I was…" Aqua shrugged not knowing what else to say. She fought against looking to Rumplestiltskin for help. That would only serve to further alienate her cousin from her. Aqua didn't want that. So she stood, let Belle pass judgment on her all the while her heart broke from bringing this trouble down on them. She thought back to the first night she had gone home with Mr. Gold.
The music played with Alti soaking up the thrumming beat, the tempo, letting the words crash over her. She turned in a graceful circle, starting to sway to the beat with Mr. Gold sitting in an overstuffed chair watching her with a curious gaze. That was a look she had gotten from men often enough. Alti knew what she was being paid for, what she was being paid to do. She put on her best sultry smile and danced with the music slowly making her way over to Gold who watched her with intent eyes. Alti straddled his waist forcing him to recline deeper into the chair as her hair came up behind her neck to pull free the tie holding the top of her halter up.
Gold put his hands up when the black fabric fell from her shoulders, "I think you miss understand my intentions my dear." He tied the black strands behind her neck. "I wanted someone to talk to, not…." Gold gestured with his hand, "This…" Alti looked confused still straddling his lap. "You can be as friendly with me as you like in the confines of this house… so long as the clothes stay on." He clarified setting his hands on her hips. "I just want to talk." Gold said again.
Alti was three shades confused and she let it show on her face. "Then why are you paying me?" She asked, not that she minded the extra money, and she was quite happy to be taking it. But she was feeling a little dumbfounded on how she should continue if he didn't want her to use her skill set. "Usually when men pay me, bring me back to their house; it's for more than talking. Usually my clothes come off," She pointed out not bothering to remove herself from his lap. Her clothes were still on.
"I'm not like most men." Gold said leaning back, dropping his hands; projecting mild interest. Alti nodded and slid off of his lap and on to the floor with liquid grace. Her hands ran down his legs where he could see knowledge pass through her eyes. She had felt his scars. "This is why." He said without showing the scars he knew she could feel.
Alti knew, everyone knew, Gold had been in a terrible car accident years ago leaving is leg terribly injured and scarred. Being the bold creature she was, that society condemned her for, Alti ran her hand up over the scar again seeing a flash of panic fly through his eyes. "Maybe there is something I can do after all."She rose from the floor and went to change the music to a gentle piano melody and then returned to him. Gently she worked from the knee down massaging the pain from him that she could tell he was carrying. Gently her fingers dug into his pants covered leg, "How'd this happen?" She asked rolling her gaze up to look at him.
"I was in a bad accident, my leg was trapped, bones fractured, and there was a fire." Gold answered feeling oddly at ease with this strange blonde who streaked her hair with aquamarine streaks. She was so familiar that it was killing him he couldn't figure out how. "The doctors were amazed that I was ever able to walk again." He muttered recalling that day with a fuzzy feeling…
"He. Paid. You." Belle punctuated each word. She couldn't believe it. There was no way that even Rumple, cursed to be Gold, would ever do anything like that. "Why did you accept the money? Not enough to do?" She snapped crossing her arms over her chest seeing her cousin flinch from the anger in her words.
"He was lonely." Alti said finding her voice, pulling free of the memory. "I don't know what made me accept, I just knew I had to. I knew I could help ease his pain for a while." Aqua willed her attitude to lie down, to keep back. She didn't want to anger her cousin any more than she already was. "He never wanted anything from me other than talking, my company." Then she couldn't stand anymore, her sarcasm came out at the wrong time. "Which I really couldn't understand. Pay me $300 dollars to keep my clothes on? Strange man…." She shook her head and then bit her tongue. Perhaps her best course of action was to find another place to sleep. "Look, I don't want to say the wrong thing," Alti turned pained eyes to Belle, "And I don't want to lose you, so I'm gonna go and sleep at the bar." Before Belle could say anything, scream at her, or yell Alti retreated battling back the tears that had come over her.
Belle wanted to call Aqua back, wanted to immediately apologize for jumping to conclusions, but her tongue remained silent. She turned to Rumple who wore a mask of caution. His eyes were devoid of any emotion that she would read from him lest he make her angry and she knew that was the last thing he ever wanted to do. "Was I harsh?" Belle asked going to him to put her hand in his. She needed his touch, the comfort of his warmth.
"You were hurt," He answered carefully keeping is tone light as he squeezed her hand. "I never meant…" Gold shook his head. "One day I saw her and then the next she was gone." Alti working for him had lasted only a month, a moment in his mind. Some part of him had never gotten over her just disappearing on him. "I needed someone who would talk to me without suspicion or fear or outright dislike in their eyes, in their words. Alti was that for me. She made me feel." Gold said letting the truth of his words fill his eyes so Belle could see how much he valued Alti, not for her looks, but for the way she lightened his burden, his sorrow.
"I…" Belle didn't know what to say. She moved into him and hugged him. Tightly his arms wound around her holding more affection that he had seen when Aqua had hugged him after nearly suffocating. "I hate feeling like this, this… jealousy." She finally said into the nape of his neck making Rumple laugh. Belle pulled back, "What?" Now she was the one who was confused. "Why are you laughing?"
Gold smiled, "No one has ever been jealous over me before." He cupped her face with his free hand. "It's flattering. I know I'm loved." Before Belle could speak he kissed her infusing her with all the passion he had for her. All he wanted to do was to take this night from her and make her feel secure that she was the only woman in his life; the only woman he ever wanted.
THE NEXT MORNING:
Aqua knew it wasn't going to be a good day when she opened her eyes and she was once again under the water, lying amidst the sea weed. She screamed scaring the aquatic life around her, but what shocked her, enraged her; was the fact that she had her mermaid's tail back. "Damnit!" She screamed again with bubbles coming out of her mouth. Memories flooded through her of all the times she spent just swimming through the shimmering water of the ocean back home. It warmed her heart and made her home sick. Aqua swam towards the surface crooked at first, but then she fell back into the rhythm she had known all her life. Her head broke the surface where she floated, swaying with the waves as she slicked her hair back clearing the water from her eyes She could see the dock was close and if she could, she could make it to the one and only emergency phone still working.
Hook used his scope to scan the horizon and then noticed a flash of blonde appear only to vanish under the water. It reappeared closer to the dock where his ship was anchored. "This might be worth a look." He muttered to himself. Killian abandoned his spy glass leaving the helm to set foot on the dock, walking to the end where he waited for the mysterious blonde to make her appearance. Jones didn't have to wait long. A female arm, strong and slender, braced against the end of the dock. Hook would normally have been content to just watch but he was in an undecidedly helping mood. With long strides he ate up the distance until his hand grasped the woman's arm helping her from the ocean. Killian lost his balance, falling back, with a mermaid landing over him, soaking him through to the bone with sea water. But what amazed him was the face that greeted him. "Aquamarine?"
Aqua had made it to the dock but she was having trouble getting her big fishy tail up so she could flounder around on the dock until she reached the phone. She hated how uncoordinated she was out of water without her legs. It was pitiful and plain wrong. She was a mermaid, the soul of liquid grace in the water and on land. This was insane. Aqua had been about to give up when a leather gloved hand reached down taking her arm to pull her over the edge. She hadn't seen his face, but she was more concerned with the fact they were falling over. At least she would have a nice soft human to fall on, until she heard his voice. "No!" She shouted looking at him. "No! No! No!" she pushed away from him nearly falling back over the edge of the dock. Her hands caught the edge to where she was dangling precariously. Hook came to her and took her hand again pulling her up so she was sitting on the wet wood.
"Nice to see you to love," He teased and then laughed when she made a rude face at him. "That was decidedly not nice darling." Killian crouched down and pulled her into his arms. The hook went across her back and his working hand scooped her under where her knees would have been bent, but all he felt were the glistening silky scales of her mermaid's tail. She was certainly a gorgeous creature with a voice to sing down the heavens and eyes to shame the sky in how blue they were. Ever since he had lost Millah, he hadn't thought he would ever find another woman to occupy his mind, until he had set his sights on Aqua in Neverland. She was everything he was looking for. "I take it you need some magical intervention?" Killian had thought to take her to Cora, but the Queen of Hearts would probably take it one step farther to Jones's dismay. That left Regina, who would not be in a helping mood, or Rumplestiltskin, who would still love to skin him. The imp would be the better choice than Regina. In his arms Aqua growled making Jones chuckle. "I've never heard a mermaid growl before."
"You're going to feel a mermaid bite in a minute!" Aqua shouted seeing that they were drawing a crowed of fishermen. Then she was suddenly on the ground, pain radiated out through her tail and she yelped looking up Captain Hook. She glared promising retribution, but he only smiled at her. "Oh, big man you are, dropping a woman with no legs flat on her ass." Aqua snapped crossing her arms over her bare chest. It wasn't the fact that she had no clothes on that bothered her it was the fact that her naked torso was now drawing a huge crowd.
"Play nice or I'll leave you to flounder around with your fish tail." Killian looked down seeing Aqua's ample breasts feeling lust shoot through him just then and straight to his manhood. Fortunately for him he was wearing constricting leather pants that would keep the bulge he knew he had from being noticed by others. Crouching down to face Aqua he said, "If you will refrain from biting me I will take you to Rumplestiltskin." He saw a flash of gratitude mixed with something else but he wasn't sure. She nodded and he once again took her in his arms. This time Aqua held tight to him, her arms draped over his shoulders.
"Please don't drop me again?" She asked digging her fingers into the fabric of his long black coat that molded to him like it was tailor made for his body alone. She shouldn't be checking out Captain Hook. It was wrong. It was terrible. It was fun. He was hot wearing head to toe leather. Aqua was slightly ashamed that she was still so hung up on the Captain who whispered promises to her and then left her behind. He had left her to find her own way home from Neverland to the Fairy Tale Ocean. She was truly sick in the head to still have a torch burning for this dastardly pirate. Aqua was careful to keep all of this off of her face while she was being carried through town for everyone to see. People weren't looking at her face; they were looking at her tail. Out of necessity she buried her face in the crook of Hook's neck to block out all the stares ash she started to shiver from the cool breeze along her wet skin.
Hook could smile freely as Aqua wouldn't see it. He was touched that she buried her face in his to hide her eyes from the faces of the people he strolled by. One by one he glared at them. He hated that they were staring at his mermaid, at the woman he had unwittingly claimed as his own, even though she was part of the ocean he loved to sail. "We're almost to Rumplestilskin's shop." He told her quietly hefting her closer to his body, a body he didn't want to let go of any time soon. Though, with her still in his arms how would he open the door to the shop when he got there?
Aqua brought her face away from the comforting touch of Hook's skin, "They're staring at me." She lamented. She hated being stared at because she was a mermaid. Yes, people in her land knew about them, but it was like seeing a unicorn for the first time. People just had to stare.
"Maybe they just can't believe what a lucky bloke I am to be carrying such a beautiful woman." Hook said with a charming smile. He had noticed the stares as he moved through town paying them no attention. But he could see that they bothered Aqua to with an inch of her sanity.
"Or maybe they think you're just that crazy guy who is carrying a big fish around." Alti remarked snidely trying to push away the faces, the open mouths, that greeted them as Killian carried her down yet another street. She looked away and finally saw Gold's shop. "Oh thank god."
"There's a problem love, my hands are occupied. I can't open the door." Hook smirked and noticed that Aqua started to blush lightly. Then he took her left arm from around his neck and reached out exposing her naked torso to his hungry eyes. Mermaids were definitely perfect in every way possible. He was half lost when he heard the jingling of a bell as the door knocked into it. To his disappointment she didn't turn her head back to him so he could show her with his eyes that he didn't think of her as a fish, but a beautiful creature who was the best of man and of the ocean.
Gold was in the back of his shop with Belle, they were still talking about his month with Aqua when the door bell jingled breaking up their conversation. With a small growl Rumple got up and walked out to the front of the shop where he nearly cursed at seeing Killian Jones standing as bold as brass, but what stopped him was Aqua in mermaid form in his arms. "What the hell…"
"White flag!" Killian said quickly. "I would wave one but I have very beautiful mermaid in my arms and I would rather not drop her." Again. He thought with a smirk. "I brought her here because I figured you would be more inclined to helping her rather than Cora or Regina.
Alti just waved saying, "Hi… Help!" If anyone could change her to a human it would be Rumplestiltskin. "Please." She would have thought to see the look of compassion cross his face, but she saw shame. "I'm sorry." Aqua said quickly not knowing why, but she felt it needed to be said.
Hearing her small voice utter 'I'm sorry' tore at his heart. "Oh, no, you have nothing to be sorry for. I can't turn you back." He had used too much of his power willing her to breathe normal air the night before that he hadn't thought it would drain as much as it had. Even Rumpelstiltskin had his limits. "I would have to concoct a potion to make you human." Gold stepped out from behind the counter forgetting that it was Hook who held his sweet Aqua. "I know you want to be human, but this will take time." He was trying to make her understand and he could tell that she did.
"So… what do I do. I can't stay in the harbor..." Aqua shrugged. "I could go to sleep one night and then wake up trapped in a tuna net. I'd rather not!" In frustration she flicked her glossy blue tail that was the same color as the streaks in her hair.
Belle had been talking with Rumple about Aqua and had managed to skirt the issue of her being related to the merfolk when she heard the voice of her cousin and rushed out to try and repair the damage between them but then came to a halt when she saw Jones. The captain was holding her mermaid cousin close, almost possessive. She went to Rumple and took his hand, not out of fear but out of a need to remain calm. Her eyes instead fixed on Aqua, "What happened?" Belle asked forgetting all about last night. She could put aside her anger, her jealously of what Aqua shared with Rumple. Her cousin needed help as she had reverted to being a mermaid.
Aqua smile at her cousin and shrugged, "Oh you know, I went to sleep at bar and woke up on the bottom of the harbor with a tail." Her sarcasm was given free reign. "Apparently it's just one of those days." She had to wrap her arms around Killian's neck to keep from feeling as if she was going to tumble from his addicting grasp. "Believe me this is not how I wanted to spend my day, especially in the arms of Captain Hook." She snapped digging her fingers into the rough fabric of Hook's coat. Desperately she was fighting the connection to Killian Jones, the sizzling lust that went through her just at his touch alone.
"Careful sweetheart, or I'll drop you on your delectable fishy tail." Jones hoisted her up in his arms, closer to his chest to where she gasped out of shock after seeing the look of concern flit through the imp's eyes in regard to the mermaid he carried, "I would put you down, but I don't see a large basin to set you in so you would be marginally comfortable. But, I am enjoying holding you Aqua." Just to annoy Rumplestiltskin, he put his mouth dangerously close to her ear and whispered, "I remember the last time I had you in my arms and you certainly didn't mind that you had a tail then."
"I hate you!" She raged punching his shoulder hard.
"Easy now," Hook laughed. "And you don't hate me," He said self assured.
"If I had legs I would kick your ass." Aqua growled glaring at him, promising death.
"Ok, let's all play nice like the adults we are." Belle jumped in. She was willing if everyone else in the room was. Turning the conversation, Belle said in a clipped voice to Hook, "Up the street there is an indoor swimming pool. Would you take Aqua there and we'll join you shortly."
"You hear that love," Hook smirked again, "We could go swimming." He teased suddenly wanting to be in the water with her, feeling her wet skin glide along his. The memories of her had haunted him, drove him to shear insanity in his dreams.
Aqua gagged, "I'd drown you." She stated dryly hoping to give off the impression that she would rather swim with the sharks than be anywhere with him. When in reality she didn't want to budge from his arms. Hook felt too god against her, but that was dangerous. He was a pirate, she was a mermaid; they weren't a good mix. Still, she couldn't help that in the Fairy Tale Kingdom she had fallen in love with him from the first moment she had happened upon his ship. No human had moved her until she had seen him dressed in black, brandishing a silver hook in lieu of a left hand, an a wicked smirk that would make any woman do whatever he wanted; even a half of woman. She feared her heart was already lost to the notorious Captain Hook.