A Human This Close
Chapter Six
Ruby came in the room with the pirate's clothes, and she somehow managed to get his hook. She saw him staring out the window glancing around the room there was no sign of Ariel.
"Where's Ariel?" Ruby demanded, the pirate turned to look at her he seemed angry.
"She's out swimming." he replied, then noticed she had had his clothes.
"Oh ok, well I took the liberty of bringing your clothes from the hospital, I knew Ariel would be questioned if she back so I took them after I went back there." she said dumping his clothes and hook on the couch.
She left then. Hook finally left the window to dress, he was so angry with himself and at her. Angry at himself because he wanted her, physically that is, and that she was a siren, if there's one thing he hated more than Rumplestiltskin it was mermaids. He couldn't explain why he did but he hates them.
Ariel didn't keep track of time but when she noticed that dawn was arriving she needed to get back to the room. Quickly swimming to shore she pulled herself on to land her tail dried and her legs returned, throwing her gown back on she hastened back to the hotel.
She crept up the stairs tiptoeing down the hall, as quietly as she could she opened the door so she wouldn't wake Hook. He wasn't on the bed when she peered inside, she figured he was in the bathroom. She closed the door not even aware Hook was behind her waiting for his moment to pounce.
He grabbed her from behind pulling her to him putting his hook to her throat, she stilled instantly. "Is there something you want to tell me, siren." Ariel's blood ran cold, Oh gods, he knows!
Ariel was lounging on a rock in a quiet little lagoon, perched up on her elbows she examined the object she retrieved from the pirate's ship yesterday. She swam back to her father's kingdom swimming to her room first hiding the object. Turn's out that her father was just frustrated about something to do with the kingdom, she was relieved.
She stuck around the palace that day then when everyone was asleep she sunk to a small island nearby taking her new treasure with her, she likes to go into this sea cave that leads to a nice lagoon pool. In the middle of the pool is a rock she likes to sit or lay on and look up at the night sky.
Before her mother, Athena, died she would tell Ariel and her sisters stories, her favorite was the one about Neverland. One night when Ariel was young her mother brought her to this lagoon and showed her the very star where Neverland should be.
Athena would often sing to her daughters and Athena made a special song for Ariel about that star. After her mother died Ariel did not return to lagoon for a while it was too painful, but when she finally did it felt like she still had a connection with her mother, especially when she sang the song her mother did.
Unbeknownst to Ariel the very same pirates she saw yesterday were on that island in search for treasure, their captain had gone off for a walk when he came across the lagoon pool hoping for a nice quiet swim instead he saw a mermaid. Under the moonlight he could see she had red hair, her human part of her was small, and her shimmering tail looked to be blue-green.
He could see she was holding an object, a shiny object. It was his spyglass. She had his spyglass, he was about to approach her when he heard her humming. It stopped him short he had never heard anything like it. Her was beautiful, she had enchanting voice he listened to see of she would actually sing.
Ariel hummed the notes to her mother's song but it's when she sang the words is when she felt her mother's presence.
"The second star to the right
Shines in the night for you
To tell you that the dreams you plan
Really can come true
The second star to the right
Shines with a light that's rare
And if it's Neverland you need
It's light will lead you there"
Ariel finished staring at the star she sang about placing her hand to her heart, she could feel her mother as if she were right there.
The captain was stunned. Never in his life had he heard such a beautiful voice, he knew mermaids had beautiful voices, and at a time or two he had Neverland's mermaids sing to him but their voices failed in comparison to this mermaid's voice.
Her voice seemed to sooth his dark soul, like she was a light he needed in his dark miserable life.
He came from the bushes, "That is a lovely voice." he complimented.
Ariel gasped in surprise, a human! Found her in her secret spot, she knew she jump in the water and swim away, she knew she shouldn't have let someone see her but she made no move. For this man was the very same one she'd seen yesterday and here he was.
"I give you a compliment and the polite thing to do is say thank you." he teased.
"Thank you." she said. She remembered his thing he dropped in the sea, she reached around and grabbed it. "I think this belongs to you." she said holding it out for him to see.
"So it does, which brings me to a question I have for you. How did you know I dropped it?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
What was she to say, she saw his ship passing by wanting to see what pirates are like and saw that he dropped the thing-ma-bob in the ocean.
"I saw you drop it." she admitted in a small voice.
He chuckled he knew how she got it he wanted to see if she would tell the truth, "It's quite alright, darling, better you find it then it being lost at sea." he said.
She gave him a small grin, taking the object in her hand she slipped into the water and cautiously swam up to him. He sat down on the bank watching her approach him, he could tell she was wary of him. When she was close enough she reached out timidly giving him his object back.
"Thank you, love." he said setting it down next to him. "What is it called?" she asked curiously.
"It's called a spyglass, you look through it to see things that are far away." he explained picking it up and showed her how it works.
She looked through it looking all around her at things that appeared to be so close when they were far away. "What a lovely human thing this is!" she exclaimed.
He smiled at her she was so fascinated by a simple spyglass, if that excited her he wondered what would happened if she saw the world like he did.
"Ariel!" a voice called out for her. She gasped it was Sebastian if he saw her here with a human…she didn't want to think it.
She turned back to the human, "I'm sorry I've got to go." she rushed swimming out of the lagoon.
"Wait!" he called after her she stopped looking back at him, "Can I see you again?"
She smiled he wanted to see her again, "Meet me here same time tomorrow!" she said.
"I'll be waiting, one more thing. What's your name, lass?" he had to know her name.
"I'm Ariel." she answered. "What's yours?"
"Killian Jones." he said grinning.
"ARIEL!" Sebastian yelled again getting annoyed. She waved good bye to Killian Jones then dove under.
A siren?! Of all things he could insulted her with he choose siren. "I'm not a siren." she hissed.
"Siren, mermaid, what's the difference you're all the same. Leading poor sailors to their death with the sound of your voice." he said with disgust.
"Have I killed you yet." she countered, "I have saved you from Mr. Gold, got you out of that hospital so he won't try to do it again, and brought you here to heal. I think you can show a bit more gratitude." she said angrily.
She had a point but was he to know she wasn't setting him up, he'll just have to watch her carefully. He released her from his grip she stood a few feet away from him wanting to why he was watching her.
"I thought you were asleep when I left last night." she said.
"I knew you were acting strange so I pretended just to see what you were up too." he told her.
"Well now that my secret is out, you can't tell anyone I'm not ready for them to know I'm a mermaid yet." she said with pleading eyes.
"Why?" he wondered. "Everyone here cam from that blasted land like you, and they know who they are."
"Because it's been so long since I've been a mermaid, and for the first time I actually feel whole. I get to have my legs like I've always dreamed, and I also get to have my fins, I'm not missing the other I get to have both. I would like to enjoy that for a while." she explained to him.
He could see how passionate she was about this, maybe she wasn't a siren. She looked too kind and innocent but he'll still remain on his guard. He decided he would give her a chance while fulfilling his bargain with Cora, and maybe since she had her memories he can figure out why the witch's sister wants her.
"I won't tell your secret." he finally said, she sighed in relief.
"Well you can't lay around in this room all day long, you need to get out and start learning how this world works." she said.
"And what are we going to do?" he asked her. She couldn't believe she was going to do this, she really should stay away from him but something was drawing her to him. She couldn't explain what but it was there.
"Well first off, you need new clothes. Can't go around town looking like you're trying out for a play. Second, I'll give you a part time job at my shop then maybe I can arrange something till you're on your feet." she proposed.
"A job? I take no orders from anyone, especially a girl." he proclaimed, he will not be reducing to listening to a girl. He may as well kiss his manhood good bye.
"Listen, here I am trying to help you whether you like it or not. While you are in recovery you are under my care and as long as you are, you are under my roof and my rules don't like it I'll kick you to the streets and Gold can finish you off. And I suggest that you listen because he has magic, you on the other hand don't. He'd turn into a snail faster than you can blink and squash you. Got it?" she was in his face then.
Though her head came to his chin she was trying her best to win this stand off with him, again she did have a point.
He flashed her a seductive smile, "You're cute when you want to be in command." he said.
There was that smile again, how it made her insides melt but she couldn't let him know that. "Do we have a deal or not?"
"Aye."
Okay here's a new chapter for you guys. And the song Ariel sings is different from the other versions of that song, it's called Magical! - Full Soundtrack click about 0:38 seconds in and listen till about 1:28. It's how I imagine she would sound like. Anyway, enjoy and please leave a review.
*I do not own these characters!*
