CHAPTER 5
"Who will console me and kiss away my tears when love has gone away?"
-1992 Jetlag Production's Cinderella*

Time is a friend to no one. It goes by slowly when you're eager and flies by when you wish for the world to stop. Ariel had never really thought about time but tonight, it was all she could think about: time and how quickly it was running out. She stayed away from the bed; couldn't risk falling alseep. And she stayed away from the porthole; her homesickness was too much. She paced the floor at times. And at times she stood perfectly still. She felt like a mad woman, scheming and lurking about. And the lack of sleep didn't help her psyche.

Max was asleep, snoaring softly. Sebastian slept curled up on the bed pillow. Poor old crab. He needed the sleep.

But tonight he wasn't getting any...

Sebastian yawned, still drowsy and still unware of how shaky Ariel's hands were. Normally he'd travel in her pockets but seeing as her nightgown didn't have any, he had to make due with her cold, shaky hands. "Are you sure 'bout dis Ari-yal?"

She nodded. She had already played all of the scenarios in her head. This was the only way. Sebastian was to crawl out to the bowspirt and await her signal that she was alright. In the meantime, Ariel would do the deed and rush out through the Prince's large window in his cabin. Hopefully she'd be able to get out before her tail came back.

She took Sebastian to the bow and would have placed him on the bowspirt herself, but a noise caused her to hide, fearful that someone would find her and discover her scheme. Sebastian surried away unnoticed while Ariel hid behind a few barrels. What was the cause of the disturbance? A sleepy sailor stumbling down from the crows nest. They must be rotating their shifts now. she thought.

She snuck up the steps leading from the main deck to the quater deck. On shaky legs, she slowly made her way to the captian's quater's where Prince Eric and his new bride were sleeping. She didn't know how long she had been standing infront of the door, clutching the handle, but finally she mustered up enough courage to venture inside. No turning back now.

Slowly Ariel eased herself into the room. Moving at a sea slugs pace, it felt like hours before half of her body came inside. She paused when a sharp breath was heard. Someone had rolled over but they were still unconcious. Still, Ariel held her breath as she inched inside.

She felt a madness wash over her as she proceeded. A nervousness made her hands clammy and her feet shaky. On top of that, her stomach was light from lack of food and the stress she was going through threatend to make her faint. But still she pressed on.

...

The night had reached its darkest point and still Ariel felt so far away from completing her task. She was completely inside and that calmed her a little but her nervousness could not be tamed completely. She was just halfway across the room and still she jumped at every sound, at every rustle in the wind and every shadow that stood out in the inky darkness.

...

She had finally made it to Eric's bedside. The deathly instrument was firmly grasped in her hand; her fingers were stiff with an odd rigamortus, trapping it there and she had a sense of dread that made her want to sink to the bottom of the sea and rot.

But he looked so cute! As dreamy as the day she "met" him. Yet she had never seen him like this, so...serene looking. Usually he was such a fun loving, goofball. He was a goofball on the ship when she'd first seen him, at dinner, in town, during their lagoon adventure and even earlier today. And she had loved that about him. But now, it was like seeing a different side of him...a more mature side of him. The way the moonlight fell on his raven curls and silken face gave him a peaceful air. But his dimples still winked at her and Ariel couldn't help but smile.

And that's when she realised she was still in love with him...

"Love doesn't matter anymore" she told herself. She shook her head as if to get rid of such thoughts. "All that matters is getting home."

She gathered herself, and raised her arm high over her head...

Eric awoke!

He gasped and sat up in his bed. He looked around nervously, expecting something to jump out at him but instead he was greeted with an "Ugh..." from Vanessa. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked.

Eric looked around once again, and once again found nothing. "I could have sworn that someone was standing right here." He looked at the empty space next to his side of the bed.

Vanessa just rolled her eyes and said, "You probably just had a nightmare. Go back to sleep."

Eric laid back down, no longer feeling in danger. But no longer feeling very peaceful either. But by some miracle Eric did manage to get back to slumberland where he dreamed of a beautiful woman from the sea caressing and singing to him on a beautiful beach...

Sebastian sat calmly...or as calmly as he possibly could. He was shaking with anxiety, waiting for Ariel's signal. It had been such a long time since he had last seen her and he was worried that she had been discovered. But much to his suprise (and relief) she appeared behind him, disheveled, sobbing, and "talking" a mile a minute*. Sebastian had to wave both of his claws, "Slow down, Ari-yal. I can't understand ya."

She complied and did slow down but her frantic pacing and fast arm gestures made it impossible to understand her silent rant. (Not that he would have been able to understand her even with her voice.) Eventually, she collapsed onto the deck, curled up and started crying.

Sebastian didn't have to listen to her to know what happened. She couldn't go through with it and he couldn't blame her. He was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to do it either. "It's okay, Ari-yal." he said as he crawled beside her and patted her hand. "We'll just get home some udder way."

A couple of hours had passed and Ariel had long since stopped crying...

She stopped babbling...

She stopped everything...

She just stared blankly out into the endless ocean. Sebastian had been going on about something; solutions, suggestions, something...Ariel wasn't listening. She couldn't help but think that it was all her fault. And in her guilt she developed a numbing barrier that kept her seperated from the rest of the world.

It's funny really...If only I had just remembered the concert, then I never would have gotten into that fight with Daddy...I never would have gotten upset and swam off, and I never would have met Eric... Ariel thought as she remembered that fateful day. Then a sudden realization came over her. But if I hadn't have been there, he would have died...

"AAAHHHH!" Ariel silently screamed. Even after everything that has happened, it still didn't make sense. On one hand, she wished that she had never met the guy and on the other, she was glad that she did. In her frustration, she clenched her fist. She became aware of a humming sound and a tingle spreading up her arm. She looked down at her fist; the dagger was the source of this new sensation. As she glanced out into the brightening sky, she remembered that Ursula did say that the dagger was made out of sunlight; perhaps this was a warning that she only had a few moments left. As the humming grew louder, she raised the dagger to her eyes and this time, she saw the ugly face of guilt and heartache; how it laughed and jeered at her. It taunted her to the point that she could hear its' stinging laughter. And with a final burst of anger and desperation, she hurled the toturous object into the horizon...

...an idea struck...

A/N 1992 Jetlag Production's Cinderella: this is the very first version of Cinderella that I remember seeing and it's one of the few versions that I like. I often have dreams with this song in it. (When Love Has Gone Away)
a mile a minute: I know that this saying wasn't around at the time but you get the picture

Whoo! Finally! It took forever to get this chapter just right. BTW did you really think that I would kill of Eric? I know that Jim didn't appear and I know that they haven't really met yet, but (are you ready for this?) they're going to meet at the very begining of the next chapter! YAY! Until then,

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