Part 26
As soon as the flying monkey appeared, Killian yelled for help, his eyes never leaving Bella and the direction the flying monkey was going in and everyone came rushing outside. Unfortunately, it had all happened too fast for them to be able to do anything. Sending a fire ball after Felix would have meant risking Bella's life and they couldn't do that. Even if the fire didn't hurt her too much, the fall would be deadly.
"I can't drag them back here, Felix must be protected against magic." Gold spat.
"We need to follow them then, quickly." Emma said and Gold made them all appear as close as possible to Felix so they didn't have too much to catch up on before they all started running after the beast, calling for Bella, hoping she could hear them and that she knew that they were coming for her.
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Felix had been watching them from afar with un-hidden pleasure as they failed in convincing Bella that she was one of them but when it became obvious that the Captain would succeed, he had no choice but to take actions and to take the mermaid away. Maybe if he dropped her back in the sea, she'd forget about them all over again.
He also wondered what would happen if he bit her. Would she become some kind of Mermaid/ Flying Monkey hybrid? Since it wasn't in the plans, he shook this fun idea out of his head. Maybe he'd do it later, after they had gained and lost hope of getting Bella back a couple more times. It would definitely be a fun experiment to have.
He could see them following him and he knew that he'd have to fight them once he reached the shore but he was willing to die to enact his revenge, he didn't care what happened to him as long as they suffered along. Plus, he knew that he could trust Zelena to carry on his wishes after his death. After all, she promised him that once in the past, she'd contact Pan and Him to warn them.
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"Shoot him in the shoulder!" Emma yelled at her Graham who had joined them with his patrol car.
"What if I hit Bella?" he asked her.
"As long as you don't hit the heart or the head, I'll heal her. Just get him down before he reaches the water." Gold added and Graham nodded before he tried to shoot Felix with Emma's help.
The flying monkey was moving quickly and hitting him wasn't easy, especially since they had Bella's safety to consider.
After a few trials, Graham managed to shoot Felix in the right shoulder without hitting Bella at all. If it wasn't enough to kill the Flying Monkey, it was enough to get him to drop his hold on Bella and to allow them to shoot him once more, in the heart this time.
Bella fell hard on the sand after the Monkey was hurt and she was in a lot of pain. Who knew that sand could hurt this much? She knew that she probably had a broken tail because of the odd angle it was at and because of the horrible pain she was feeling.
The man who claimed to be her father rushed to her and used magic to try and heal her but it wasn't working.
"My magic doesn't work on her. It won't work as long as she's a mermaid!" Gold snapped, angry.
"Killian... I'm not feeling well..." She whispered, seeing everything in a blur.
"You've been out of the water for too long Love, you have to let me take your bracelet off, please. If you don't you'll die." Killian pleaded with her as he joined her side, happy to see that she was relatively safe.
He was too worried to be happy that it was his name that she called out.
"Fine. Do it." Bella whispered with a tired nod as she closed her eyes and Killian smiled triumphantly before he gently took the bracelet off the wrist of the woman he loved.
The change was almost immediate, Bella's tail divided into a pair of legs and since she wasn't wearing much anymore, Killian took his long leather jacket off and placed it on her shoulders, protecting her from prying eyes and from the cold while Gold rushed to heal her. Not only her legs had been broken, but she had a few bruises all over her body that he managed to heal easily.
"It worked!" Emma exclaimed.
"Oh God... I have a headache... I swear if Felix isn't dead yet I'll kill him myself..." Bella whispered, finally human again but not feeling too well.
"Don't worry love, he'd dead and ashes." Killian reassured her as he hugged her close to his heart, feeling complete once more.
"What do you remember?" Her father asked her.
"Everything... The mermaid part seems like a dream now but I do remember it pretty clearly..." Bella explained before they started slowly making their way back home so she'd be able to sit, eat and rest.
"So, did you make friends? You mentioned earlier having friends in high places... or was it just an empty threat to scare us into freeing you?" Emma asked her sister.
"I did make a couple of good friends but... Oh no! I think I made a mortal enemy!" Bella exclaimed, stopping her walk.
"I have a hard time believing that." Neal told her.
"Yeah, you don't really make enemies Bella..." Emma chuckled.
"I assure you... I encountered Blackbeard and I might have caused his ship to wreak against a bay full of sharp rocks..." She paled.
"Why?" Emma asked her.
"I was combing my hair in the sun, enjoying the peace and quiet when he arrived, made lots of noise and his men and him were very rude... I didn't really think as clearly as I do now... I tricked him, hit his ship with my tail so he'd change his course, caused a fog so he didn't see the rocks... he swore to find out who I was and to get his revenge on me..." Bella explained.
"Don't worry love, we'll deal with it when the time comes, if it comes at all. I can handle Blackbeard." Killian reassured her, keeping her in his arms.
"Yeah, right... What can the most terrible cut throat pirate in all the realms do against us, right? He can't be worst than Pan." Neal tried to joke.
"He's right. He probably doesn't even know that you were a cursed human, I bet he has no idea where to look for you." Her father said to calm her down.
"It's almost time for school to end, let's get back to your father's place. Henry will love to hear about everything you've done these past couple of weeks." Emma smiled.
"I'll go and pick him up. We'll join you there with food for everyone." Neal offered.
"Grab me a burger Neal! I want meat!" Bella called after him.
"Sure thing sis." he called back, making her smile.
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About an hour later, Bella was showered and changed and everyone was in the living room, waiting to hear about her adventures as a mermaid. Ariel and Eric were also present, so was Mary-Margaret, David, Ruby, August, Tinkerbell, Leroy and Astrid.
"You have no idea how nice it feels to eat this burger!" Bella exclaimed as she took a huge bite out of the burger that Ruby had brought her.
"I bet." Henry smiled.
"So, who did you become friends with? You seemed pretty sure that they'd come and find you here. That they'd come to rescue you..." The pirate asked his love.
"Ever heard of Calypso, Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman?" Bella asked them, putting in the same sentence 3 names that Killian had never wanted to hear when he was a pirate.
"Please tell me you didn't piss off Davy Jones love? I don't think this town could survive his wrath, nor Calypso's." Killian pleaded with her.
"Don't worry, I didn't. He's the friend I told you about." She smiled softly at him.
"Really? How did you managed that?" Neal asked her.
"It was soon after I got changed, actually, it was probably on the same day... I was confused as to where I should go and I ended up in front of the Flying Dutchman. There was a man trying to sneak off board with a bag on his shoulder and I didn't like him. Don't ask me why, I don't know. I made noise to get the crew's attention and once Davy Jones arrived, I told him that I saw a man leave with something and they managed to catch him before he got too far. The man had stolen Davy Jones' heart and was going to use it to control him and make him do everything he wanted. Needless to say that the Captain was thankful. We got to talk and I asked him why he took his heart out in the first place if it placed him at people's mercy and he told me that it was so he didn't feel the pain of his broken heart, the one Calypso left him with." Bella explained.
"So this is real too? Like with Jack Sparrow and everything?" Emma asked.
"Well, there area few differences from the movie, like Davy Jones doesn't have any tentacles, nor does his crew but yes, it's all real." Bella nodded.
"Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you managed to make friends with the most terrible pirate captain of all time." Gold chuckled.
"What about Calypso? Did you meet her as well?" Henry asked her.
"I did. I found her a couple of days after leaving Davy Jones and managed to talk her into going to talk to him. She agreed and they eventually decided to give each other a second chance." Bella told them quickly.
"That's our Bella, bringing people together, even when she doesn't believe in Love." Emma chuckled.
"It's not that I didn't believe in it really, it's that I was convinced that it wasn't for mermaids. It probably had something to do with the bracelet." She explained.
"By the way, where did the bloody thing go? We can't let it fall in any hands. We should destroy it." Graham suggested.
"I have it. Here." Killian said as he placed it on the table in the middle.
"Maybe you should put it in your vault Rumpel. The one without doors." Belle suggested.
"Good idea. Maybe we'll need it some day." He nodded.
"What else did you do?" Henry asked his aunt.
"Now that I think of it, not much. I was obsessed with my hair and with sunbathing... I saw a lot of underwater things but didn't meet many people... It was like I had to see it all as soon as possible... Ariel is the only other mermaid I met." She tried to explained, pushing herself back into Killian's safe arms.
"It's the call of the sea. It's hard to resist, especially for humans." Ariel nodded.
"Well, I'm glad it's over. I felt so empty without knowing why... Well, now I know that it was because of Killian's absence but still... I'm happy to be home. Thanks for bringing me back." she smiled.
"We might have brought you back here but Killian is the one who convinced you to trust him and let him take the bracelet off." August and Tinkerbell smiled.
"Yes, he got inspired there." Neal nodded.
"I simply let our love guide her back, like the Rainbow Fairy suggested." He shrugged, blushing a bit.
"It was brilliant." Bella smiled at her love before giving him a sweet kiss on the lips.
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Snow and David left Bella's welcome back party early to go see Doctor Whale at the hospital. Snow had been feeling weird and they were hoping to find out that she was pregnant.
"Well Your highness, your instincts were right. You're 2 months pregnant. Congratulations." Doctor Whale smiled ta them, not seeing his new mid-wife smirking behind him.
Zelena was jubilant.
Only abut 7 more months and her revenge plan would be put in place. It didn't matter if Felix died and failed, she wouldn't. She would win. She'd get in the past and manage to kill Princess Eva before she could stop her mother from marrying Prince Leopold. She'd grow up as a princess and one day, she'd be queen. It was as simple as that.
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"Are you sure you don't want to stay here tonight Honey?" Belle asked her daughter as she reached for the door on Killian's arm.
"No, I think it's time for me to go home. I'm craving another shower and a night in my own bed." She smiled.
"We'll see you tomorrow then. Good night." Gold nodded, kissing his daughter goodnight.
"We could have asked Emma to drop you off if you're too tired to walk." Killian told Bella as they walked back to her place very slowly.
"You need to stop worrying Killian. I'm fine. I'm just enjoying the quiet night with you. I've missed you." She smiled, snuggling closer to his side.
"I've missed you too, you have no idea how much." he sighted, tightening his hold on her possessively.
"How much have I missed? What happened in town?" She asked him.
"I honestly don't know for sure. I've spend most of my time surveying the port, waiting for your arrival or searching the town and the woods for the wicked witch and her flying monkeys." He told her.
"Any luck?"
"No, nothing yet. But don't worry, we'll find something eventually." he assured her.
"Did you at least relax a bit with your men?"
"Smee tried to force me into relaxing a bit... I did go and had a few drinks with them a couple of times but my heart wasn't into it and he understood." Killian explained.
"Well, maybe tomorrow we can all have a night out together. It's time I got to know your crew better, don't you think?"
"Absolutely." He smiled, simply happy to have her with him right now.
When they reached her apartment, Bella knew that Killian would be a gentleman and go back to the Jolly Roger but she didn't want him to go.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then..." Killian started, about to say Good Night.
"Don't go." She pleaded.
"Excuse me?"
"Please, come in. I... I don't want to be alone tonight."
"You're tired Love, you need to sleep. You need your rest." He reminded her, coming inside none the less.
"And I will. I just want you to stay and hold me... Please?" She asked him.
"You know that you don't have to beg Love, I'm always here for you. Especially if I get you in my arms all night long." He smiled softly.
"I'm just going to... You know... Dress for the night... You can get comfortable... help yourself to anything you want. Emma told me that she kept everything stocked just in case." Bella told him with a blush on her face before she rushed to the bathroom.
She could hear Killian taking his leather coat off in the other room and the idea of him in her bed, in probably nothing more than boxers, made her smile happily. She had taken one of her prettiest nightgown on the way to the bathroom and quickly changed, figuring she'd shower in the morning. She had cleaned up at her father's and she really didn't need another shower, she just felt like it.
After brushing her teeth, she joined him in her bedroom. He was already lying on top of the covers in his boxers and she blushed.
"Is there anything you need before we get to bed? To sleep I mean?" She asked him nervously.
"I'm fine Love, come and lie down. You need your rest. I have to admit that so do I. I haven't slept much since you were taken and a night of peaceful sleep with you would be welcome." He smiled and she happily slipped under the covers, inviting him to do the same.
She turned the lights off and gave Killian a soft, loving kiss on the lips.
"I love you Killian, never doubt it." She whispered against his lips.
"I never did love. I never gave up. I never will. I promise you, I'll always believe in us, in our love." he replied, kissing her between each sentence.
"Good night."
"Good night my Bella. I love you." He whispered, kissing her one last time before she placed her head on his chest, over his beating heart while her hands played with the hair of his chest.
Bella slowly let the beats of his heart lull her to sleep. It was like a soft melody repeating "I love you" over and over again and it played just for her, she knew it. Just like she knew that he would never again hold anyone the way he was holding her right now.
They belonged to each others.
Killian let his hands run slowly over the smooth skin of Bella's arms while she slowly fell asleep in his arms, her ears against his heart. He had almost lost her and knowing that she was there now, that she still loved him and that she needed him as much as he needed her was a great feeling. There had been moments when he had doubted the strength of their bond and having her with him right now as he fell asleep was simply a reminder that he had been right. That believing in their love had been the right choice.
He couldn't think of spending another night away from her now. He hoped she'd be ready for him to move in or to move into the Jolly ROger because he wasn't ready to let her go anytime soon.
So, you know what to do. next chapter, there will be wedding talk. For two different couples.
What would you like to see happening next? Any ideas? Personally, I just put everyone in a very difficult situation but I don't know how I'll get them out of it... Hopefully inspiration will strike and i'll come with a grand idea.
In the mean time, enjoy this!
Review please.
Lorelei Candice Black