The next morning was dreary and overcast, which did not put Erin in the mood to swim, at all. Carrying her coffee mug outside, she went down to the dock and took a seat, letting her feet dangle in the water once more. Looking around, she couldn't help but smile when she noticed a pink bikini hanging off the left hand post.
"Oh, Emily, there is no way I'm putting this tired body in a bikini," she murmured as she reached out and fingered the silky material. She hadn't worn a bikini in years, since before her second child was born, and that was almost two decades ago, now. In the distance, she could hear singing, something similar to yesterday's song, but also happier, freer. It made Erin smile to hear it, and she sipped at her coffee, waiting for her siren to appear. The thought gave her pause, and then she shook her head a little. "It's easy to give way to flights of fancy, I suppose," she said as she watched and waited.
The woman didn't disappoint her, appearing at the dock in minutes. "Do you like the swimsuit that I picked out for you?" There was a cheeky grin on Emily's face, and Erin felt bad to disappoint her.
"I do, it's just…I usually wear something a little more conservative."
"I think that you'll look pretty in it. Will you wear it for me?"
It was so hard to say no to Emily, but Erin found herself shaking her head. "Maybe after you've seen me in my regular suit? Then you can decide if you want to see more of me." She blushed a little, a response that caught her off guard, since she wasn't accustomed to being embarrassed at her age.
"All right. So, where is this mythical swimsuit? Do you have it on under your clothes?"
"No, it's so dreary that the thought of swimming never occurred to me. Why don't you come up and visit with me in the cabin? David won't mind me letting a stranger into his home, especially not one as nice as you."
Emily frowned and shook her head. "I don't have clothes to wear," she stammered, looking down at the wood of the dock. Erin couldn't help but peek over the side to see that the woman was telling the truth, she was naked as the day she was born from the waist up. And a strange clench of desire twisted her stomach as she took in the dusky brown nipples that capped Emily's generous breasts. "So I see," she managed to squeak out, closing her eyes a little while Emily giggled.
"Well, you could always swim like me," the younger woman replied, and Erin shook her head. "Fine, then would you please go put your swimsuit on? I'll be waiting here for you to get back."
Erin knew that Emily meant every word she said, the way that she cocked one eyebrow up so impertinently told her so, and she let out a deep breath. "I suppose that I can do that. For you."
"I knew that you'd see it my way, Ma'am," she drawled out, and Erin blushed once more as Emily winked at her. Getting up off the dock, she left her mug there, knowing that it would be the only way that she came back out.
It didn't take long for her to get back to the cabin, and then she was resting against the door, trying to catch her breath. She was really considering going through with this, letting a new friend see her in a swimsuit. Even David hadn't seen her in one, and he had seen her naked on more than one occasion. There was just something to intimate about that outfit, though, as if it had the power to define who she was just by how she looked in it. Finally, she scrounged up the nerve to clamber up the stairs and into the master bedroom.
She couldn't help but peek outside to the lake below, wanting to see if Emily really had stuck around. And as she did so, she managed to see something that too her aback. Blinking a few times to make certain that she was awake, she looked once more and saw the same thing – a bright red tail was slapping down on the water impatiently. Sucking in a breath, Erin found herself suddenly wondering if she had fallen into another dimension.
It took her much longer to change into her one piece than it normally did, and Erin had to convince herself that it was not because her hands were shaking. Finally, though, it was in place, and she wrapped her robe protectively around her body as she made her way back downstairs.
As she walked to the dock, she began to hear Emily's song again, this time it was a joyous tune, and she sighed a little as she let her feet slap down hard against the wood to get the woman's attention. Only, it seemed like Emily was completely out of it, as her song was reaching a raucous crescendo. "Emily!" she barked out, a little more sharply than she intended, and the beautiful song abruptly came to an end as the woman turned in the water to look at her.
"Oh! You're back!"
"I am. And I know what you are."
A look of fear crossed Emily's features before she pasted on a confused look. "I'm sorry?" she asked, trying to sound vapid and uncomprehending.
"I think you know what I mean, Emily. You're a mermaid. I saw your tail when I looked at you from the bedroom window."
A sheepish look replaced the fake confusion, and Emily shrugged a little. "Well, I'm still all woman, even if I do have a fish tail. Besides, isn't this everyone's fantasy? To find an enchanted creature and befriend them?"
It was Erin's turn to shrug as she let the robe slip from her shoulders. "I wouldn't know, I never was like everyone else. I was too eager to sell out my friends and I almost paid the ultimate price for that." She absently traced the horrid scar on her wrist, thinking about how John Curtis had almost murdered her. Absently, she heard a splashing sound, and then she felt the weight of another being next to her, as a cold hand took hold of her wrist, copying the movement of her fingers.
"You were hurt," Emily said quietly. "I was hurt, too, by someone who claimed to love me, but only wanted to use me for my singing voice."
Erin glanced up at her through her bangs, noticing that Emily was crying. "Who would ever want to hurt someone as beautiful as you?" she whispered as she covered Emily's hand with her own.
"Because beauty can be deadly."
"Ah."
They fell silent and Erin found her mind mulling over the question that was threatening to burst from her lips. She just didn't know if it was appropriate to do so. Then again, Emily was a mermaid, so maybe human conventions didn't mean anything to her. "You want to know what my scar looks like."
"Yes?" she asked, turning her body to face Emily. "Or would that bother you? I don't want to upset you at all. I have so few friends in my life right now."
Emily gave her a mysterious smile before taking hold of Erin's hand and guiding it to her breast. "He branded me, before stabbing me. I was left with two scars that proved to me how dangerous human men can be."
Erin nodded as she let her fingers trace out the shamrock brand that marred the smooth skin of Emily's chest. "Was he Irish?"
"How did you guess?"
"The shamrock was a dead giveaway." She let her fingers trip down Emily's torso until the encountered the ugly feel of scar tissue. "And this is where he stabbed you, because you wouldn't let him have his way. Did you love him back?"
"I don't think he ever really loved me, even if I did the stupid thing. I should have guarded my heart a little more carefully."
"Sometimes, we can't control our feelings. We just tumble headfirst into love, and it can destroy us." She was thinking about Alex, and the way they had hurt each other, and once more, she began to cry. In an effort to distract herself from her feelings, Erin took hold of Emily's hand once more and squeezed. "So, you mentioned something about swimming?"
"Yes, let me show you my home. I'll share my breaths with you if you need them." They shared a tender smile, and Erin nodded, deciding to let Emily lead her into the depths of the lake.
