To carriemarrie78, glad you liked it sweetie, and it appears you have read my mind :D. Hope you enjoy this.
To Kcrane, I have that idea, but so far I can't seem to fit it in, but we'll see.
To Jason, lol. No it actually reminded me of Home Alone. Glad you liked it.
To Evilregal, ask and you shall receive.
To Barbara Montgomery, yay. My first Portuguese review :D. Glad you liked it.
To all my readers, reviewers and followers thank you for the support and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
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Regina sat in her bed listening to the sounds coming from the bathroom, as her daughter got ready for bed. She was trying to decide whether to talk to her daughter about it or not, if it's better to talk about it or to just let it be. She suddenly became aware of someone calling her; she looked up and found Ariel standing next to the bathroom door.
"I'm sorry sweetie, did you say something?" Regina asked her, as she tried to compose her thoughts.
"No, I just noticed the look on your face. So I called your name." Ariel answered her, "Are you ok?" Ariel asked her, as she walked over to the bed.
"Yeah."Regina gently answered her daughter, a warm and loving smile spread across her lips when she saw Ariel take the pillow next to her, put it in her lap before she laid down on it. Ariel took a hold of one of Regina's hands, and Regina used the other to run her fingers through her daughter's hair.
"Then why do you look so….thoughtful?"
"I'm just savoring all of this, I guess." Regina gently chuckled.
Ariel looked up at her mother, and she was confused at the look in them. They were happy and at peace, yet something was bothering her, preventing her from enjoying it all.
"We won't disappear mom. Snow already said that she won't go back to the Enchanted Forrest and Emma wont take Henry away." Ariel assured her mother.
"I know." Regina nearly whispered.
"Neither will I. I will go back for visits but that's it." Ariel added.
Regina just smiled at her daughter. She had to admit that a part of her wanted Ariel to stay, but she knew she couldn't ask.
Ariel saw some of her mother's worry fade away and smiled up at her. Regina returned the smile, and Ariel saw that something was up with her mother.
"Mom, what's wrong? Something is bothering you." She asked her mother, with concern evident in her voice.
"I just….."Regina had absolutely no idea how to finish that sentence. She didn't know what to tell her daughter. Looking down at Ariel, and noticed the worry in her big chocolate eyes, she momentarily lost herself in them; they were warm and loving. She felt Ariel squeeze her hand.
"I know about the rape, sweetheart." She gently said and immediately felt Ariel stiffen, and her hand squeezed tight; as Ariel subconsciously tightened her hold on her mother's hand. Regina squeezed her hand in return, and kept running her fingers through her hair.
Ariel's heart skipped a beat at her mother's words, how could she possibly have known? She averted her mother's gaze and closed her eyes shut, trying to keep the tears at bay. She opened her eyes, when she heard her name being called.
"Ariel." She gently called her daughter. She felt her heart snap in half at the tears and pain she saw in her daughter's eyes once she opened them.
"How?" Ariel asked, still averting her mother's gaze.
"The mirror." Regina answered.
Ariel's head shot up in horror, "You saw it?" she asked.
"No. We saw your conversation with Hook." Regina told her, and hated how Ariel visibly relaxed at that. She shouldn't be worried about what Regina saw, she should focus on herself.
"Is that why David punched him this morning?" Ariel asked, still trying to avoid talking about it.
"Yeah." Came Regina's gentle answer.
"Well, he wasn't lying. He didn't know. I checked; the footsteps I heard were one of the Lost Boys. He had come to get something for Hook from the ship, and heard the commotion. He ran to get Hook, but by the time they arrived I had already escaped." Ariel told her.
"That's the only reason why he's not dead." Regina told her, and she smiled slightly at the small chuckle her daughter released.
Ariel kept silent for a few seconds debating what to do; she could just ask her mother to drop it, but that wont be fair. Not to mention that the bigger part of her wanted to talk about it, to finally let it off her chest. And who better to talk to about this than her mother?
She took a calming breath and released it slowly, before she started telling her mother what happened.
"The first time I went to Neverland was about a year before; I spent over a month there. I used to go back home every day to ease my parents' minds, but then I would go back. I met Hook; and well, I fell for him. So I used to go there more than mom and dad knew about. I didn't tell anyone about it, cause I knew how it was going to sound. That day, I was incredibly upset, so I opened the portal and went through." Ariel started her tale, her voice was pained and choked, and it tore through Regina's heart, "I cried my heart out in his chest." She added, smiling at the memory.
"When he saw how exhausted I was, he suggested that I go below deck and get some sleep. I was too tired to argue so I did. I woke up some time later and found my hands tied to the bed, and 4 sailors standing there. One of them, they called him "The Giant" because of how big he was, was standing over me. I knew what they were going to do, none of them had known I was a mermaid yet. They still thought that I was just a female sailor. Only Hook knew the truth. I tried to use my powers on them, but for some reason I couldn't."
"Fear paralyzes power." Regina gently told her, trying hard to keep her tears at bay. She had to be strong for her daughter.
"Yeah, I figured that part out later. He had started to spread my legs and pull up my dress, when we heard footsteps up on deck. I started screaming, thinking that it was Hook. They all paled and one of them used his hand to cover my mouth. The Giant went up to see what is going on and came back down saying that Hook gave them permission." Ariel said, almost in a whisper. Her voice was choked up from the tears, and she was stuttering a bit.
"I found out later on, that those footsteps was because the boy had already saw what was going on, and knew that he had to go get Hook fast; so he started running and didn't care that his footsteps would be heard. When the Giant got on deck and found it empty, he decided to tell me that Hook agreed to break my spirit. And it worked."
Regina's mind thoughts were filled with images of what Ariel had gone through, she hated herself for not being there for her. She kept running her fingers in her hair, and held her hand tight.
"I couldn't believe my ears, and I think I just stopped fighting. Only one…." She trailed off not knowing how to phrase it.
"It's ok. Keep going I get it." Her mother gently told her.
"I was so angry, that my powers literally exploded out of me. That part is hazy; all I know is, one moment I'm tied to the bed; the next, all 4 of them are pined against the wall with my magic and I have my hand inside the Giant's chest about to rip his heart out." Ariel tearfully told her mother.
"The look of pure horror on his face snapped me out of it. I pulled my hand out, ran back up and left. I hid in Neverland, until I was able to calm down and face my parents." She finished.
"Why didn't you go to them? Why did you face it alone?" Regina gently asked her daughter.
"I couldn't face them. How was I supposed to go tell them this?" she tearfully replied, "I couldn't face you for 3 years." She added.
Regina looked confused at her daughter's statement.
"I knew Cora was gone, I saw the memory before I went to Neverland. That's why I went to Neverland. I wanted to clear my head." Ariel explained, "I didn't tell Hook why I was so upset; I told him to shut up, hold me and let me cry, and he did."
Regina's face was unreadable from the amount of emotions she was feeling. She was devastated to hear what her daughter had gone through, alone. And the fact that she kept herself away from her out of shame or fear was horrific.
She gently pulled her daughter up, and gathered her in her arms.
"Baby what happened to you was NOT your fault. Fear paralyzes power, that doesn't mean that you let it happen. Why would you think that I would think that?" she asked, holding her daughter tight against her chest.
"No, mom. I knew you wouldn't think that. I just…. I don't know, I guess I was just scared. I didn't want you to know about it." Ariel said, tightly clutching onto her mother's shirt.
"I'm your mother. I am supposed to know. Hey, look at me." Regina said, as she reluctantly let go of her daughter, and lifted her chin so she could look into her eyes. Regina didn't think her heart would snap any further but she was mistaken, as she felt it shatter at the pain in her daughter's eyes.
"None of this was your fault. And that won't make me look at you differently. You're my daughter, my baby. And I am very proud of that. So don't ever think that something like this would get me to push you away. Nothing will." She gently, yet firmly, assured her daughter.
"I know that. I just…" Ariel trailed.
"I know." Regina said, pulling her back into her arms.
Ariel held tight onto her mother's pajama top and cried her heart out. Regina could feel her tears soaking through the silk fabric, and her heart snapped with every sob and shake. She didn't try to get her to calm down; she knew she had to release it all. So she just held her close, ran her fingers in her hair and rubbed circles on her back. She occasionally kissed her head, and whispered reassuring words like 'it's ok' or 'I've got you' to her. She was glad that her daughter had finally opened up about what happened. But it pained her that she had to face it alone the first time, and throughout all those years. It angered her, infuriated her that she did, if only Cora and Rumpelstiltskin hadn't took her away, maybe she would have been able to protect her against all of this. She vowed that they WILL pay for it.
About an hour later, Ariel had finally stopped crying and fell asleep against her mother's chest. Her mother's steady heart beat and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed calmed her down. She was still clutching onto her mother's pajama top though. Regina used one arm to put the pillow back in its place, before she slid under the covers with her daughter in her arms. She moved slowly, so that she doesn't wake up. She turned onto her side, so Ariel would more comfortable, and wrapped both her arms around her. She suddenly realized that she was humming the song that she sang to her while she was still pregnant, the one in the locket. She smiled as she saw Ariel's peaceful face and kissed her forehead gently.
She kept her mouth resting against her daughter's forehead, taking in her smell. Her daughter's warm breath against her skin, and the warmth of being in her arms, calmed her down as she drifted off to sleep.
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The next morning, she felt something resting against her chest before she opened her eyes. She fluttered her eyes open, and was met with her daughter's hair. She gently looked down, and saw that what was resting against her chest was Ariel's hand as she rested her head on it. She smiled gently at her daughter, and used her hand to get some of her hair out of her face, gently stroking her cheek. She felt her other arm around her waist.
She lay in bed for a few moments watching her daughter sleep. She looked so peaceful, and so….young. Regina looked over Ariel's shoulder at the clock and saw that it was before 7. She quietly and gently wiggled her way out of her daughter's arms; made sure she didn't wake her and then left the room. She figured she can wash her face in the downstairs bathroom to avoid waking her daughter. She tiptoed her way to the stairs, and gently climbed them down. It was a Sunday, so she knew that they will all probably sleep in. She nearly jumped out of her skin, when she walked into the kitchen and found Snow there. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle the yell before it escaped her lips.
"Oh my God, Snow. You scared the hell out of me." She whispered.
"Sorry." Snow smiled apologetically.
"No it's ok. I just didn't expect anyone to be awake at this hour on a Sunday."
"Yeah, I've been up for a while actually."
"Something bothering you?" Regina asked, concerned.
"No. But I'm not much of a sleeper." She said smiling, "She told you about the rape didn't she?" she asked, as she noted the look on Regina's face.
Regina looked at Snow in shock and confusion, "How…?"
"Hook told me." She answered, and Regina raised an eyebrow.
"I saw the way he was looking at her, so I cornered him and he told me the story. But she doesn't know I know."
"Yeah, well she knows that this is why David punched him yesterday."
"David knows?"
"Yeah, so do Henry and Ruby. We all saw her and Hook argue about it after the ogre attack. And even though I know Hook fed them to the sharks, and that he didn't know, I still find myself wanting to punch him."
"I did. I tried to take the high road after he told me, but then I turned around and punched him." Snow declared.
"Thank you." Regina smiled gratefully at her.
"I can't imagine what she must feel like. What you must feel like." Snow thought out loud.
"She's devastated. She didn't tell Athena or Triton, and she even kept her distance from me AFTER she knew that my mother was gone because of this. She was scared of facing us." Regina told her, and Snow easily spotted the held back tears in her mother's voice.
"Oh God".
"Every sob and shake tore through my heart. I felt so powerless, I want to take it all away and I cant." She went on, as tears started to fall down her face.
Snow walked over to her and wrapped her in a hug, "I know. But you're no powerless; giving her an opportunity to talk about it and let it all out is huge. Especially with you around; she didn't just need the support of somebody, she needed her mom." She soothed.
"I know. But I just…."Regina trailed off, not knowing how to finish her thought.
Snow caught on what her mother wanted to say, "Hey, this had nothing to do with what happened to you. They didn't hurt her because of who you were, no one knew she was yours. Hell, you didn't know she was yours. You didn't fail her mom, if you knew that she existed, that she was out there, you would have searched the globe till you got your hands on her. And she knows that. And I know that if you knew what happened at the time, you would have brought them back to life just so you can feed them to the sharks yourself." Snow soothingly said, as she rubbed her mother's back.
Regina chuckled at Snow's last sentence, and hearing Snow calling her 'mom' was heart warming as well.
"Snow?!" David's questioning voice came from the doorway of the kitchen.
Both Snow and Regina turned to face him, and concern clouded his face at the tears running down both women's faces, "What's wrong?" he asked.
"We were just talking about what happened to Ariel in Neverland." Snow told her husband, coyly avoiding using the word 'rape'.
"You know?" he asked in shock.
"Yeah, I cornered Hook and he told me. But she doesn't know I know."
"She knows you know though. She figured out that this is why you punched him." Regina informed him.
"And I will again if he so much as looks at her in a way I don't like." David stated, and both women burst out laughing.
"What's so funny? I wasn't joking."
"Oh I know." Snow giggled.
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I know I know, short chapter, but the next one will be long I promise. Although it wont be tomorrow, unless I take some sort of break from studying. Hope you all enjoy it and please R&R.