As proof that I'm still working on getting suggested/requested fics done, this one was asked by mikanxnatsume1228. They requested a mermaid fic and we went back and forth with ideas. I actually decided to put our two ideas together. So this is part one which was my pitch. Part two will be mikanxnatsume1228. Mikanxnatsume1228 check your inbox! Fanfiction isn't sending emails to alert you to PMs anymore but I tried to let you know I was doing this one this week! Hit me up there if you wanna beta part two when it's done!

Betaed in amazingly blinding speed by darkenedhrt101, masterray 5, knowall7, and sailormoon489. We all agreed this is a bit rushed in places but it was either that or give you guys a thirty-page one shot...again! I opted to make it short so it was a true one-shot (technically two-shot). I hope you all enjoy it anyway, I'm happy with it regardless.


Part One

We were docking and I had to calm myself yet again. While everyone else was getting wild and excited, their loved ones hanging about on the long, wide dock for them, I was the opposite.

The helm in my hands, I guided the large boat into port. The bumps and pops let me know I was perfectly in place and even though I couldn't see a thing, I knew the others were tying us down. Finally home after two weeks at sea, you would think I'd be happier about it. But what can I say, I'm a true sea dog.

My small duffle matched the others as they shuffled, some running, off the boat towards loved ones. That was another thing I was the opposite in, no one waited for me.

My first mate was greeted by her father, the old man smiling warmly at her and pulling her into a deep hug. It made me wonder if she, Amy, would return for the next run in a few days. With no other family, I knew she stressed about her father every day we were away.

Someone bumped into my shoulder hard, knocking my duffle off with it and I'd be more than annoyed by it if I didn't know who it was immediately. A cheeky smile on his face, I was already moving my hands rapidly, signing to him to communicate.

"What is it now, brother?"

He shrugged, his grin growing wider. Then his hands started moving as well. "I just know you. Missing the ocean already."

I sighed, even though he couldn't hear it, he could see the expression and knew what it meant. "And your point is?"

"How about instead of moping, you come out with us for once?"

It was a tradition of the men of my ship, to go to the pub in town and drink. I didn't get it, we just spent weeks together cramped up with no escape. Why did they want to go spend more time stuck to one another? "I'm good, thanks."

"You say the same thing every time!" My brother's hands were really flying now. But I only took his agitation as a deep concern for my welfare, however misguided. "The same thing every time, you sit on the beach at that house and drink stale beer alone!"

"You are welcome to join me?"

He huffed and shook his head, picking up his pace to leave me behind. I watched him shrink in the distance, a few other crewmen wrapping an arm around his shoulders to pull him along. I never wanted him on the boat with me in the first place, what with what happened when we were kids. It wasn't so much that he was deaf, Jeoff was strong and smart and held his own. When he insisted on joining my crew, I tried to get him up in the cabin with me. But no, that was too good for him, he had to be down on the deck. Somehow, he managed just fine, learning the vibrations of the ship and the nets to know when to move and where to move to.

Jeoff was also better with people than me. His social skills on point as he conversed with the crew. Using his hands and mouth, a few understood sign language, like Amy, and Jeoff could read lips, my capable brother showed all that he didn't need his ears to succeed in life.

Not sure what my excuse was.

Add in his light-colored hair and golden skin and we hardly looked like brothers either. Years spent working on the deck had bleached his already light-colored hair even more. Compared to me who stayed in the wheelhouse the whole time, my black hair contrasted greatly with Jeoff's short and shaggy blond hair.

Coming home was bittersweet, the house a bit musty from my time away. The age of the house was known by all in town, most growing up here as me and Jeoff had. But with my time at home spent fixing it as it broke down from age, you really couldn't tell the home was passed down to my parents and then me and Jeoff when they died.

My brother didn't live here, he wanted nothing to do with the house. Even a sailor like me, he hated the ocean, where I loved it. It was a good thing the house was so close to the beach, I couldn't sleep without the sound of the waves crashing in the distance.

It wasn't like the house was anything great, an old log cabin that was set up just behind some dunes with a forest as its neighbor. It was meant to be a vacation house, not a full-time home but it was secluded and mine. Jeoff's half of the house was paid for with his current employment, twisting my arm to hire him or he'd sell the place out from under me.

Balancing the paper bags from the small grocer on the island and my duffle in the other, I dropped my belongings, fully planning on unpacking later. Dinner was a sandwich eaten over the sink while I watched the waves hit the sand beyond.

Even if it wasn't the middle of February, I took comfort in knowing I was alone on the beach. So much so, I never worried about the lounge chair I left next to the circle of rocks I called a fire pit. A beer in my hand, I had the flames high just as the sun set. The combination of my thick layers and the hot flames had me comfortable even in the frigid night. No way in hell anyone would be around tonight, not even boats for joyrides went out this late at night in winter.

Which was why I was confused when I saw what looked like a body rolling around in the surf.

They stood for a second but were unsteady, falling again to the crashing waves. My beer flew somewhere as I dashed, getting waist-deep before gold flashed in the corner of my eyes. Grabbing blindly, I touched skin and dug deeper. A few tugs and pulls later and we were stumbling to the sand. The creature, a female, was bluish pink from the cold all over. I knew this because she was naked for some reason. Probably got drunk at some party and thought it would be funny to go skinny dipping. Alcohol plus the cold and dark ocean did strange things to people, hence why, for a second, I thought I saw a long fishtail on her.

Two long and lean legs were there now, her body cinching up in an attempt to stay warm. It cut off the circulation to the arm I had under her knees. Even though naked, I really only got a small glance at her, which I'm sure she was thankful for as was I. Things were strange enough as it was as she clutched my coat and shirt for life.

I really didn't know what was better; wrapping her up in my mostly dry but thick coat to stand next to the fire or rush us both inside? Pausing only to wrap her and put out the flames, I picked her back up and hustled us inside.

We said nothing, not a sound save for her chattering teeth as I piled blankets on top of her and prayed the chimney wasn't blocked with leaves as I started a fire. It wasn't until I stood before her, unsure what else to do, that I realized she was staring at me. Now things were weird, a naked girl sitting under a pile of blankets on my couch was staring at me without saying a word. A girl I found 'floating' in the ocean moments ago.

"You got a name?"

Her silent stare was unnerving, big eyes that held the clearest color of bright blue known to man. I was pretty sure no one on Earth had eyes like those and yet they did seem a bit familiar to me? Must be the third beer I had.

A small smile tugged on her lips the longer we stood in silence, staring at one another. If she wasn't going to look away, then neither would I, feeling no shame in taking in her appearance truly. Along with unnatural colored eyes, her hair was lightening as it dried to a bright gold color.

And I didn't mean a pretty blonde. This was truly gold, like liquid, melted gold sprunting from her scalp and tumbling to the floor. Even with the strange dual buns on either side of her head. The cherry red color of her lips, which had looked purple at first, were plump even as she continued to smile at me. Add in her long, thick, dark lashes that fluttered on her round cheeks and I was pretty sure I was seeing things. No way this girl was real, sitting on my couch, in the middle of the night...still naked.

"I'll get you something to wear." I stepped away and made for the small bedroom off the kitchen. My room. "What were you thinking? Out there in the water this time of year? Do you have a death wish?"

Grabbing a sweater and some sweat pants that would engulf her, I turned around only to nearly swallow my tongue. The girl was right behind me.

"Crap! God, you're quiet!"

She had a blanket crudely wrapped around herself and her body but with my attention, she dropped it. Whatever was in my mind was gone, completely blank as this strange girl stood before me in nothing. It was too late for me to 'turn away' or take my eyes off her because my eyes were devouring her perfectly rounded breasts. And I wanted to feel guilty but she was the one that came in here and dropped her covers. Wait, why did she come in here and do that?

So distracted by her luscious body, I missed the furious movements of her hands. She was signing.

"My name is Serena." She was signing over and over again until I paid attention.

I quickly apologized, rubbing a hard and slow circle around my heart as I pressed my fist into my chest. "I'm sooooo sorry."

She smirked, her hands going up again, a little higher so her 'box' wasn't right in front of her chest. "It's okay. I expected as much."

Holding out the clothes I picked, she slowly took them from my hands. "Alright, Serena. Want to tell me what the hell is going on now?"

She shrugged on my sweater and it made the sweat pants a little redundant, the hem falling almost to her knees. Thankfully, she still put them on, because I didn't want to look at her pearly white legs for much longer.

Clothed, Serena threw a damp pigtail over her shoulder. The color of her hair was getting lighter by the second too. "Nothing is going on."

I shook my head at her, indignant to her antics already. "Were you drinking? Not only is that dangerous so close to the water this time of year but you look like you're underage?!"

Her brows knit together in an adorable fashion as she returned the sign back to me as a question. "Underage?"

Maybe she wasn't from around here, our signs weren't matching up. So I had to hope she read lips like my brother, carefully explaining it in words. "Underage. As in not legal drinking age?" When she still looked confused, I went back to signing. "How old are you?"

I watched as she placed her fist to her chin, drawing it out like she was stroking a beard, and then held up her fist. 'Hitting' the air with her pointer and middle finger to her thumb, she flipped her hand around to hold all her fingers out. "25-years-old."

So at least she wasn't some wild teen like the others in town, bored to death with nothing better to do in offseason than sneak wine coolers and nearly kill themselves with stupid pranks. And yet, she still managed to wash up on the shore without her clothes.

"What happened to your clothes?"

The look on her face. It was guilt laced with what looked like shame. It made my heart pound angrily in my chest and my palms sweat. Did someone do this to her? What else did they do?! Suddenly, I didn't care what they did, I wanted to pound it out of them.

"Who was it? Give me a name?!"

I didn't know everyone in town but I knew enough to find anyone if I had a name. And even though this girl was a stranger to me, something pulled me into a protective craze that had me thinking of terrible things to do to whoever hurt her.

So when she shook her head at me, playing dumb and not wanting to give me a name, I nearly lost it. "Tell me their name, Serena! Or I'll just find the party you were at and beat it out of people until I get an answer!"

Now fear was on her face and I still couldn't stop. It was driving me mad, the thought of this angel before me getting touched or hurt? What the hell was wrong with me?

I carefully pushed past her and went to the kitchen. She followed closely behind, grabbing me a few times to try and stop me. But I needed something so I grabbed the nearly untouched bottle of whiskey in my cabinet and took a swig. Her impossibly large eyes looked back at me when I dared to look her way again. So I took another swig, the alcohol burning as it worked to numb me a little. It helped that I wasn't much of a drinker too.

A little calmer, my strange rage lowering back to annoyance, I realized how crazy I looked. "Sorry. I don't...I don't know what came over me."

She just shook her head slowly and smiled again. Holding her fingers up and together to say 'okay' to me.

"You can read lips then?" Which didn't make sense since she struggled earlier with 'underage'. "My brother can read lips. He lost his hearing in...in a boating accident." Great, now the alcohol was making me chatty and emotional.

Serena picked up on it immediately, placing a gentle hand on my forearm, one of the ones I had wrapped around my chest. We didn't need sign language or words at all to understand one another.

"It was a long time ago." She was still looking up at me with crystal blue eyes. Begging. "My dad was taking us out for a little fishing. Mom went with us and the radar malfunctioned or something so dad didn't see the sandbar until we were right on top of it. Honestly, I don't remember much of what happened. My brother and I floated for hours and almost drowned. I passed out after Jeoff did from exhaustion and hunger only to wake up on a beach just outside of town."

It looked like she was fighting off a smile. Which was weird given the subject but maybe she was still tipsy? But then something else hit me and it bothered me to no end. "Why haven't you asked me my name?"

Sure it was a small town and everyone knew almost everyone by name or association. And I was out of it when it came to social things so I knew even fewer people. But I did know that if you were unknown, you were found out. So for her to not only be strange to me and not find me strange was not normal. Not for this town.

"Do you...know me?"

I was sure I had never met this girl before in my life. But then there was something about her eyes...I couldn't figure it out! They were strange, rare. Never had I seen such a color before and yet, it was like I dreamed about them or something?

"You do know me, don't you? How?"

She tried to leave or something. I'm not sure what she planned but my hand shot out on its own and stopped whatever that was. Now she was staring up at me in fear. Not of me but of what I would find.

"What were you doing in the water, Serena?"

Dropping her head, she took her anxious gaze off of me and pointed it to the floor. She pulled at the arm I still held and I released her, somehow knowing that she wasn't going to flee this time. Instead, she lifted her hands without her head to sign to me. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

I lost myself for a second, speaking to her even with her head down but her hands moved again. "I just can't. Please trust me."

"You can hear me, can't you?" She nodded, her head still down and looking at the floor. "Are you mute then?" Peeking up at me, I caught the heavy flush that was now on her cheeks as she gently shook her head 'no'. "So...you just don't want to talk to me?"

Even though I didn't move an inch, she scrambled 'up' me, clawing her way up until she had her hands on my shoulders and I had my hands on her waist. The entire time, she frantically shook her head at me, fear back on her face again.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I mean...I don't get it, get it. I don't know why you can't talk to me but I understand it's not by choice?" She nodded furiously now instead, her hair flying everywhere in all the stress. At this rate, she might have a stroke. "Calm down, Serena. It's fine. I'm used to communicating this way."

Her face settled to a blank expression and Serena nodded yet again. Because she knew.

"You knew, didn't you? You knew you would be able to talk to me otherwise? Who are you?"

Slowly, she lifted a hand, "I am no one."

"You're someone. Someone who knows me but I don't know you?"

Her hand hung in the air for a few seconds, the other one joining to speak. "You do know me. You just don't remember. And that's okay, it's better that you forget."

I didn't understand. Her words or why she looked so sad with her acceptance. Her body danced for a second, a shiver running up her spine.

"Are you still cold?"

Without waiting for an answer, I grabbed the hand closest to me and led her back to the living room. The smoke struggled to get out the chimney but it could have been worse. Once in the fire's warmth, I loosened my hold but Serena didn't, holding on tight. It was bizarre but not all at once. Everything about this girl confounded me. Like how I felt like I knew her. Really knew her to the point that her holding my hand didn't feel weird at all. It felt right.

So instead of pulling away or freaking out, I gave in to whatever this was.

Serena must have sensed it, felt the change in me and my anxiety. Because she took a brave step closer and put a hand on my chest. It was as if her touch burned down to my soul, something deep inside me resonated because of her. It was pleasant and comforting.

"May I ask...why can't I hear your voice?"

When she hesitated, I thought she wouldn't tell me or say she couldn't answer. But then she took her hand off my chest. "It's dangerous."

"Why?" That time, I knew for sure she wasn't going to answer me. "The way that you look at me… and when you touch me it's like you know there will be history between us...look there's no way it's not going there. Every second with you, I want another. So just tell me…"

She cut me off, getting up on her toes and brushing her lips across mine. The few drinks I had must have been enough, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her closer. And she was still drunk or high because not only did she kiss me first but she wrapped her arms around my neck. I was tightly attached to her mouth now and not missing a beat while we mushed our lips together. It was a little sloppy, proving her drunken state. So I pulled away, pushing her back by my hold on her shoulders.

"Look..uh...we've both had...a rough night. And I'm sure someone is missing you so maybe you should just...tell me where you live…"

Pushing me back a little further, I didn't move so she didn't get upset. "Are you going to make me go home tonight?"

There was anger in her hands as she signed. And sadness. "No, not if you don't want to go. But...we should go to bed now and get up early. You need to get home."

The tears that filled her eyes only made them sparkle and I found myself mesmerized by them. "I don't have much time…."

She didn't finish, her hands falling and slapping her legs hard. With her head down, I still knew she was crying softly. The urge to pull her into my arms and comfort was strong, I'm not sure how I resisted. "You can sleep in my bed."

The house had one other bedroom but I had a feeling she would be more comfortable in my bed than any other. Turning without a sound, she snuck off to the room I'd gotten clothes from, either figuring it out or guessing. I flopped to the couch, watching the flames dance in front of me. Something didn't feel right like I was doing something wrong. But I wasn't, I was doing the right thing! She needed to sleep off whatever stimulants she was on and I needed to sleep off my attraction towards her. It was crazy and unwanted. By myself and her. The last thing anyone wanted was someone like me feeling anything but mild like towards them.

No, I was well on my way to becoming the town miser and I was happy with that.

I couldn't let a pretty girl change my thoughts and plans. It didn't make sense even if the girl in question had a perfect body. Or that her eyes held a strange knowing in them that made me feel more comfortable than I did with my own brother. Or if the curve of her plump lips when she smiled would haunt me forever now.

None of those things mattered in the long run. I was going to die alone and that's how it should be.

The sound of the crashing waves lulled me to sleep, already exhausted, just as they always did. I vaguely remember my head falling to the back of the couch and thinking I was going to hurt in the morning from this position.

The sound of waves got louder and I found myself struggling to open my eyes. They didn't want to open for some reason as if sealed shut. And I was cold, freezing.

Forcing lidded eyes open, my breath caught in my swollen lungs at the sight of big, round, and bright blue eyes in mine. It was all I could see and they took up my existence as the rest of the world dropped away like a rock. The eyes searched mine and I couldn't do more than breathe and blink, both of which were painful.

Something pressed on my mind, a thought that bloomed until it pushed out of my mouth. "My brother….?"

The blue eyes watched my mouth for a second while I spoke but then were back on my irises. Nodding, they watched as I struggled, only to grab my face in a careful hold and turn my head for me. A few short feet from me, my brother laid in a heap. His sandy blonde hair was dark and limp with the cold ocean water we had been dragged from. But dragged by who?

I turned back to the creature hovering over me, their eyes never leaving me for a second. "How are we...alive…?"

It smiled and my heart stopped, even if the smile was small and sad.

"You saved us?"

It was so small, how could it have done such a thing? A tendril of gold fell in its face and I finally looked elsewhere besides its magnetizing eyes. Its hair was long, falling over its shoulders and back while pearly white skin peeked through. It was naked and given its shape and size, I had to guess it was a female. A little girl had pulled me and my brother from the water before we both drowned.

Looking me over, small hands grazed my temple and swept back wet strands. I wasn't sure if it was the situation, an unearthly creature hovering over me without saying a word or that I was freezing to death but I shivered from her warm touch. That's when she fell to me, her lips pressing to my forehead before falling to my chest as if to rest. But the action left me feeling feverishly warm.

Blinking away the dream, I found my ceiling instead of the grey, cold skies in my memories. It was the same dream I had a few times as a kid and thought it was my brain piecing together events that had haunted me. I was watching the light dance on the wood above but then I just...knew.

Lifting my head and ignoring my stiff neck, I wasn't surprised to find Serena standing before me, watching me. "It was you, wasn't it?"

And she knew, nodding her head in continued silence.

"So then...this is it? You're an angel and you've come to claim my debt to you?"

My comforter was wrapped around her shoulders but after my question hung in the air for a moment, she dropped it. Now in only the sweater, I gave her, she crawled into my lap, a leg on either side of my hips. Her movements didn't stop until her mouth was pressed into the shell of my ear.

"Yes." She whispered and my heart beat so fast in my chest, it could have flown.

Somehow, my arms had wrapped so tight around her, it was a wonder that she could even breathe. Serena just leaned into it, pressing her little body against me until I felt like I was spinning. Her cheek against mine, I reveled in the soft skin she rubbed against mine and her fingers playing on my scalp. Even with all that, I still found myself pulling away a little at a time, finding the strength to look her in her eyes again. When I found them, they were glowing.

This time, I pressed my lips to hers and set the tempo. It was as if she had never kissed someone before but she was a fast learner, picking up on my speed and movements. It wasn't long until she took over, running her lips against mine over and over again.

My face was caged in her hands, taking full control of the situation and I let her. There was an undeniable need for her drawing me in. I couldn't say no and I couldn't pull away. It was scary because I didn't know how much of that was my own will and how much of it was her power over me. Little girl that I had only met twice in my life and I felt as if I would fall at her feet if she simply said the word.

Pushing me back, she ripped my sweater off her lithe body, sitting on top of me naked. My mouth opened, trying to get words of hesitation out, but she didn't let me. Pushing back against me, she made it clear, this was what she wanted. What she needed from me. My thoughts wandered, wondering if I would ever know why she chose me for this. Was it luck? Her getting washed up to me? That would make sense if it wasn't for our history. I was alive because of her. As was my brother. Was this payback for me?

Her little hands worked themselves under my shirt, cold fingers that grazed my skin and made my muscles tense from the sensation. A gorgeous smile split her face as she looked me in the eyes, my mouth dropping open in pure admiration.

No, this was not about anything I owed. Not in the slightest.

When it was clear where this was going, where Serena wanted it to go, I helped her take my shirt off. Instantly, I wrapped my arms back around her and groaned at the feeling of her skin on mine. She was cold, even with the fire behind her raging and my skin nearly on fire as well. It made me want to warm her up all over.

Getting to my feet, Serena kept herself wrapped around me as I carried us to the floor. The fire to our side, I laid her down on the thin carpet and worked my jeans off while she watched. And I watched her, wanting to see her reaction to me when I was naked before her. I crowed internally when her eyes widened at my cock. I had no way of knowing if she'd even seen one before but either way, she liked it, a smile spreading on her face again as her eyes traveled up my body to my face. My knees went weak when she curled a little finger at me to join her and I almost fell on top of her.

Starting with her mouth, I dug a hand into her golden locks and lifted her head to meet my lips better. Then used her angle to get at her neck better. She cooed as I made my way down to her shoulder, licking and nipping at her skin. She still tasted of salt from the sea like it was ingrained into her. A part of her.

She arched her back when I got to the tops of her breasts as if she couldn't wait any longer. I still made her wait, running my tongue around her skin. Then I licked the underside of her breast upwards, letting the soft mound drop off my tongue again and again. It wasn't until she gripped the back of my head and squeezed my roots hard that I took her nipple into my mouth. A small squeal came from her and it was lyrical like a song.

Now I wanted to make her warm and make her sing.

Serena already had her legs spread wide for me so I slipped a hand down between them. A feather-light touch, I grazed her folds. Her nipple still in my mouth, I listened to her breath hitch in her throat. I did it once more but she was quiet so I spread her folds and found her clit. It was hard and swollen already, making finding it easy. It was clear, Serena was trying to keep from making a sound as I rolled the sensitive flesh between my fingers. Flicking it, I switched to her other nipple while I bounced her clit back and forth.

Looking up, I saw her put her fist in her mouth, biting on her knuckles. Her eyes were closed tight as if concentrating hard. I didn't stop my assault on her clit but I did release her breasts, holding myself over her to watch her face twist in painful pleasure.

"The more you hold back, the worse it's going to get," I whispered to her.

She shook her head in defiance. So I slid two fingers inside her to prove my point. A small whimper escaped and again when I twisted my fingertips against her walls. I trembled a little myself, her so tight and slick around my digits. It made my cock strain for attention.

I loved the sound my fingers made when I removed them, more proof of how her body was ready for me and wanted me. Serena still had her knuckles between her teeth so it muffled the little sound she made when I dipped my tip inside her. Going no deeper, I bobbed at her entrance and she wiggled under me.

Finally, she dropped her fist only to hold it up with her other hand, signing away. "Please…"

When I remained at her entrance, even with her lifting her hips, she sighed long and loud before opening her mouth this time to speak.

"Darien...please…"

The sound of her chords in the air had my brain spinning in my head. I was deep inside her before it settled again, my face in her neck as I rammed my tip into her womb. It didn't help that she was openly moaning in my ear. Her fists were wrapped around my strands and I lost control of my hips...and my mouth.

"You know me...say it…."

It was breathy but there, her voice coming out again and again. "..yes…"

"You've...watched me…"

"Yes…"

"You..wanted me...all that time...didn't you…"

"YES!"

I sat back and she was close to weeping from the lack of my presence. "You made me wait, so now I'm not going to make it easy for you."

Grabbing her legs, I lifted them off the floor along with her hips and slowed my tempo. A rhythm formed, the slap of our skin and the soft moans from her throat. It was hypnotic like a lullaby. With her squeezing my shaft just right it was torture but I held out. The last thing I wanted was for this to be quick for either of us. But there was nothing I could do, her soft, spongy insides were coiled tightly around me. So much so every move of my cock had pleasure singing through my body.

Dropping her thighs, I pulled the rest of her off the floor and into my arms. Back in my lap like when we started, we moved together. She didn't shy away, looking me in the eyes so I looked right back into hers. They were still glowing, bright pools like the clearest parts of the sea.

Her palm grazed my cheek and I turned quickly to place a kiss on it before it hid in my hair again. When I returned my gaze back to her, our hips moving us together in perfect rhythm, my eyes dropped to her mouth as she opened it again to speak.

"Your eyes...blue like the sea during a storm…"

Is that what she saw when she looked at them? Did we both see the ocean in one another's eyes? Eyes that had been in my dreams as a child and drew me to the water even after it claimed my parent's lives. It had never made sense until now, Serena lifting her head back and exposing her long neck to me. Her song on her lips again, I bruised her skin with my mouth. I soon felt her quiver around me, heat flowing down my shaft to my balls. She was coming but didn't stop moving, making me come with her. I didn't mean to but I came so hard that I bit her shoulder hard while I groaned. Are you supposed to worry about protection when you have sex with an angel?

It was too late to wonder now, filling her up with my come and Serena did nothing but moan as her body soaked it all up. And when she popped her head up off my shoulder, she wore a bright smile again like she was full of energy. While I left all my energy inside her, laying her down before me to lay on top of her.

The worry that I was squishing her was outweighed by my fear of her leaving in the early streaks of dawn. With her firmly under me, I watched the fire light as it reflected on her skin. Now she was happy and warm, murmuring against my chest as I held her tight, slipping off to the endless void with her sweet song playing in my head.

When I woke on my back, still on the floor, my heart clenched in fear. Until I felt Serena curled into my side, her frayed strands tickling my skin. She had told me she didn't have much time. So how much time did I have until she disappeared from my life again? And would she tell me?

Did I want to know? A ticking time bomb on our time together would wreck it. I'd be looking at the clock the entire time and regretting each move of the hands.

So instead, I pulled her deeper into me and grabbed the comforter with my feet to spread over us. I didn't wake again until noon, Serena awake for who knew how long, watching me sleep. "Sleep well?"

She shrugged, back to non-verbal communication. My back was sore from sleeping on the floor and working muscles to thrust into Serena.

Propped up over me, I played a little with her hair for a moment, absent-minded as I enjoyed the golden silk around my fingers. "Are you hungry?"

I wore the sweats she discarded sometime last night and she was back in my sweater, sitting on the countertop while I cooked. She said nothing, no preferences or food cravings but also no objections as I made pancakes. It was one of the few things I made well and that Jeoff loved as a kid. Still did, asking for them even now as an adult whenever he came over. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, he didn't care, Jeoff could eat them anytime.

"Jeoff..my brother loves these by the way." She straightened up and looked pensive. "He's doing well. Even with his...differences." Her eyes watered and she pressed a fist to her chest but I stopped her before she could even complete one circle. "Don't. He's alive because of you."

That only made her head hang in shame for some reason. Tugging her fist out of my way, I stood between her legs and pushed her chin up with my finger. "Your family," she spoke and I trembled, "I'm sorry I couldn't...save them too."

She was whispering but her voice still affected me greatly. Curling my fingers around her jaw, I pulled her up to my mouth and kissed her hard. When I pulled back, her eyes were wide on me. "They were never your responsibility to save. Neither was I."

In the back of my mind, there were warning bells. Telling my raptured heart all of this was way too fast. They kept dinging away in my brain as I watched her pouring syrup onto her stack of hotcakes. But then when she got some on her cheek and giggled when I licked it off, the warnings in the back of my brain went silent. Dying before they caused me any more troubles.

The last of our breakfast consumed, I turned her towards me and poured some syrup on her thighs to lick off.

Normally, my days were spent in happy solitude. After spending weeks at a time stuck on a crowded boat, even Jeoff didn't question my need to be alone. This time, however, my day was spent with Serena and I was everything but annoyed with that. She had finally relaxed enough to whisper to me and it was driving me crazy. I couldn't take my hands off her and she didn't ask me to. The warnings in my head had long ago died away to nothing as every part of my being was satisfied in surrendering to her.

Serena didn't question my desire to stay home alone with her, only leaving the bed to feed us. Her lack of concern only proved my theories of her being an angel that had been watching over me. There was no doubt, she knew me and the knowledge of that only made me want to know her more.

Back in my bed, our bellies full, I rolled over on top of her after she had securely placed herself under the covers. They were still warm from when we left them as she wrapped her legs around me. Nuzzling her neck, she giggled gleefully and the sound had me going from half-mast to full hard-on in a second. With the day spent talking in quiet peace and making love, I was a bit lazy when I slid into her. I felt as though I knew her body better than anyone, loving the way she arched slowly with my entrance into her. Her movements aligned perfectly with mine, showing me that her reactions were because of me and nothing else. And I had spent the day stretching her out and yet, she still squeezed me tight, her walls quivering around my shaft like it was the first time.

Her arms wrapped around my neck so tight like she wanted me just as much as I did her. As I picked up my tempo and she began to pant and sweat, she still smelled like the ocean breeze. As if the salt from the waters was still on her skin.

She was sweetly mewing my name in my ear and I thought I would die from my heart bursting or our lovemaking. The whole day, she told me nothing about where she came from and I stopped asking. But I knew her favorite color, dark blue like my eyes, and I knew she had a hard childhood, just like me. Her struggles to fit in weren't voiced in so many words, but I knew what it looked like. Because I was the same. We were the same. She was my match in so many ways and not at the same time. Her laugh told me she was a child of brightness as did her eyes. Regardless of what she had suffered, she was still happy and sweet and loving.

The way she kissed me told me all of that, gently threading her fingers into my locks while kneading my lips with hers. Even as I thrust into her with all my strength.

I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing or hearing her come, pulling back from her mouth until only her hands remain on my face. Staring at her, I watched as her head twisted, trying to hide. Like she could hide from me; slapping our hips together with her help as she met my rhythm. Her grip on my cock tightened but I didn't slow or lessen my plunging, stabbing her womb with my tip again and again.

The pink hew on her cheeks turned red and her mouth fell open as she sang her song again. Her hold on my face tightened as well, nearly bruising, but I didn't pull away as she came. "AH...Darien! AHHH!"

I could listen to her verses all day, every day. Especially when she included me in them. I waited until she was finished, falling into a satisfied calm and twisting her face back to mine. Resting my forehead to hers, now she watched me with hazy eyes as I bucked my release into her. The long orgasm she gave me time and time again wasn't unnoticed by me, her name slowly releasing from my lips as I sang back to her. I didn't miss the prideful look on her face either, as if she knew she was driving me mad and inflaming my lust like no one had ever done before.

It was late and my lust was sated for now. Consciousness slipped from me with her in my arms, happy to know that she would be there in the morning and I would make love to her again when we woke.

My mother stood next to my dad as he manned the helm. The small skiff wasn't much but it was still nice; good for our small family to take a day on the open waters and fish. Jeoff sat across from me, turned towards the back of the boat to watch the wake our little boat's motor made.

Laughing so loud I could hear it over the rushing air and churning motor in my ears, I glanced back to see mom's head back and dad grabbing her arm to keep her from falling back. They were happy; good parents and a loving couple. This was what I remembered the most about my parents, that they loved each other and us.

Something else made it over the noise, a strange sound that only got louder. I searched for the source, realizing that I didn't recognize the area we were in at all. Dad had taken us somewhere new and all I could think was the rocks peeking out from the distant cavern were cool. Especially when the waves hit them, crashing and spreading the waters wide into white foam.

It was then I noticed the rocks getting closer and the sound getting louder. The sound was like...voices singing. When the boat veered, aligning its course with a large rock, I looked back at my parents. Neither of them were moving or speaking in an eerie manner.

Glancing back, I saw that we were still heading for the rocks. Any second now we would hit one with the bottom of our lightweight boat. Jeoff was shouting but I could barely hear him over the voices. They were so loud now, drowning out all other sounds and making my skull feel like it was on fire.

Gravity shifted, the forward motion of our bodies and the boat coming to an abrupt halt as my fears came to reality. We had hit a rock under the waters. It sliced through the helm and bottom of our boat like it was made of paper.

Things were a little hazy, slamming your face into the hard floor made of fiberglass would do that. That and the blood that flowed from somewhere above my eye. Jeoff was out cold, blood making his dark blond hair look strawberry blond instead. His stillness had my heart in my throat as water washed over him and he didn't move at all.

My parents were gone. Not even their bodies in sight as I pulled myself to Jeoff's side. The boat slipped out from under us, filling up with the cold water of the vast ocean and gliding to the sandy bottom below. The waves were unforgiving and tried like hell to wreck our bodies further on the rocks. I was already tired, trying to keep Jeoff and myself from getting dragged across the jagged surfaces and keep our heads above the water. The cavern I had seen from our once safe boat was a short distance, even with my legs and lungs already exhausted I was sure we could make it there.

But then the voices started up again, this time different. And they were coming from the cave. It was a warning, somewhere deep in my heart, I knew that we had to get away from the dark rocky entrance. As far away as we could.

Waking with a start, Serena still remained motionless even with my jerk. Something about her was triggering things in my brain. Things I had forgotten completely out of my own means of survival. I had tried like hell to forget that day on the boat and the events after. Like floating for a day in the frigid waters only to give up. There was a point where I actually gave up and allowed both my body and Jeoff's to sink into the ocean. I can't tell you how much time passed between that moment when I passed out and when I woke with Serena hovering over me. But I fell asleep in complete acceptance of mine and my brother's death only to wake with an angel over me. Literally.

Now that angel slept across from me. My arm was trapped under her head but I didn't care, I wasn't going anywhere. Her hands were curled at her chest and face, soft puffs of content breaths hitting my arm as she slept peacefully. It made the golden curls under her and me stir slightly, her hair falling out of the strange, but oddly fitting, hairstyle long ago. The painful throb in my chest was nothing new. It came and went since Serena arrived in my life again. But now I knew what it meant and even though it freaked me out a little with how ridiculous it was, there was no denying it. I was in love with Serena.

And she was going to leave.

It was one of the first things she told me about herself, her time with me was limited. And out of survival instincts, I hadn't asked how long I had her for, enjoying what time I was gifted with. Now, as my heart felt like it would rip in two, never had I wanted to fight for something or someone more in my life.

A small stir and her lashes danced on her cheeks, long and thick black feathers that fluttered as her eyes opened. I was sure before her bright blues focused on me again but now that they were, there was nothing holding me back. "Stay with me, Serena. Forever."

Still lazy with sleep, her smile was slow and it had my heart in my throat as I waited. But there it was, big and bright before pressing to my lips. Her hands went from curled at her chest to pressing into mine and then sliding up around my neck. Before another word was said on any subject, she had me on my back and straddled herself on top of me. The combination of her naked body next to me and it being morning made it easy for her to impale herself on me.

I groaned loudly as she rocked, arching her back and putting me so damn deep inside her I swear I could feel the come I left in her the night before. Squeezing her thighs to the point of bruising, my eyes closed on their own at the onslaught of pleasure she had racing through me already this morning.

It was why it took me a moment to understand, my bedroom door slamming open and Serena squealing to cover herself. It was then I saw Jeoff, shocked into a frozen state, standing in my bedroom door.

He wouldn't have heard the boisterous calls Serena and I were making as she fucked me hard. All Jeoff would have known walking into my house was that I wasn't up yet and it was well past my usual wakeup time. So he burst into my bedroom, full of worry, looking for me. Only to see more of me than either of us ever wanted him to see.

Jeoff was still in a shocked state while Serena was deep under the covers, hiding. My wits returned, I grabbed the sweatpants left on the floor yesterday and quickly, but gently, shoved my brother out of the room with me.

Now broken from his spell, Jeoff laughed, his hands moving soon enough. "You have a girl here? When did that happen?"

Sweats firmly on my hips, I tried to keep my hands from shaking as I signed. "Two nights ago."

"Wow. That's really fast for you."

"I know." Never had I ever lied to my brother...and I wasn't going to start now. "She literally washed up on the beach outside."

"That's...really weird, Darien."

"Look, I know it is but I'm telling you, she's special…"

The door creaked behind me, alerting me that we were no longer alone. Jeoff's eyes went wide and I glanced behind to see a ruffled Serena walk out in my sweater again. "Hello, Jeoff."

I didn't question how she knew the sign for my brother's name, because she knew everything. Meanwhile, my brother's mouth gaped, flopping open and shut again and again until his voice ripped out of his throat. "YOU!"

It was strange to hear it, but from time to time Jeoff spoke instead of signed. Having not been born deaf, you would never think he was listening to himself speak. I had decided long ago he didn't speak because it made things seem normal. Like our parents weren't dead. So he signed instead so that we never forgot. That's how I knew he was upset, not his tone or the look on his face. Because he spoke.

Serena, however, didn't speak. Still signing even though Jeoff used his voice. "It's nice to see you again Jeoff. And see that you're doing well."

Confusion mixed in with his fury and I grabbed hold of the man, fearing what he might do to the woman I loved. "It was you!" He screamed as much as his lethargic vocal cords allowed. "You caused dad to wreck!"

I pulled him back a little harshly. "No! She was the one that saved us!"

His head shook back and forth, his locks flying in his haste and urgency. "It was her. I'm sure of it. She and others made dad and mom wreck the boat." Looking around me, he glared at Serena. "Isn't that right? You killed them. You and your friends?"

Glancing back at her, I saw her head hang and my heart dropped into my stomach. She didn't answer but Jeoff didn't need her to.

"Didn't you?! That's why you saved us? Out of guilt!"

Her face had dropped towards the floor, nearly in her chest. "Serena...say it isn't true…"

Turning swiftly, she paced and tears burned my throat and eyes. Jeoff grabbed my shoulder and turned me back to him, signing again. "I thought I imagined it all. But now that I see her again…"

It was the same for me. I had thought the angel that saved us was a dream. And that the voices I had heard were my imagination. Both were my brain explaining something that made no sense as violence and death rarely ever did. Serena had stopped pacing, wrapping her arms around herself as she shook as if cold.

"I'm sorry." She squeaked.

Serena made sure Jeoff could see her lips so when she spoke he knew. He neither said or signed another word, storming out and slamming the door behind him as he left. Leaving me alone with the fallen angel.

"So what...this was all...your penance?"

She shook her head as she stepped closer to me, reaching out for me but I stepped out of her reach. "Darien…" She croaked out and it lacked the pull it once had on me.

"Is that why you saved us? Guilt?! Moral responsibility? No, if you had any of that, my parents would still be alive!"

I was raging. Angry at the pain in my chest. It felt like my parents had died all over again as the love I had for her ripped my heart to shreds. She tried to touch me again but I was afraid of what would happen if she did. Afraid I'd either hurt her or forgive her. So I jumped back, throwing my hands in the air and backing up quickly towards the door. Just as Jeoff had, I slammed it behind me, not caring when the winter air nipped at my skin painfully. Jeoff was just backing out the driveway and I ran to his car, hopping in without a word or sign yet again. I was too messed up to speak so I just pressed into the seat as the town came into view and raced by.

A borrowed shirt and many beers later, I stumbled into my home. It was still and silent, an eerie contrast to the last 24 hours. The walls that once reverberated with Serena and mine's luscious lovemaking now mocked me. Because they knew, I had screwed the woman that ruined my life all those years ago.

Again, my mind raced with the singular question. Why?

Why come back to me? Why make love to me? Why save me in the first place? Nothing about Serena screamed murderer. But they never did, did they? The guilt she had shown me from the start was the most honest she had been. Killers rarely had guilt though, only when it was a mistake. At least I could take comfort in knowing she hadn't meant to kill my family but it gave me very little solace.

Dizzy with emotions, thoughts, and booze, I was sure the fire on the beach, my beach, was my imagination. I still found myself out on the surf, the flames making the ocean nearby look like black ink.

"Hello."

I hadn't even noticed her, so deep in my haze. She was sitting in my chair but rose as I turned to glare at her. "You're still here?"

The laugh I released only made her cringe. I was too out of it to move away from her as she came to stand at my side. "I never...meant for it to happen…"

"What? You fucking me over for the second time in my life?"

Tears gushed out of her eyes every time she tried to blink them away. A sob released when she opened her mouth again so she switched to signing instead. "I...loved you for a long time, Darien. I'm sorry."

She waited a beat like I would say anything to her before pulling her borrowed clothes off herself and dropping them to the sand. The sight of her naked still made my heart race and I cursed it internally for being such a piece of shit. It was clearly a fool for letting her make me feel anything but hatred and disgust. That's what I wanted to feel, more than anything. But as her toes hit the icy water fear coursed through my veins.

"Wait!"

My anger, frustration, and tears made my voice crack as I called out to her. But she still stopped and looked back at me. The small smile on her face had my broken heart in my throat, the jagged edges cutting as I tried to swallow it back down.

"I'll always...love you. Goodbye, Darien. Be happy."

She dived in and I jumped after her, digging and clawing at the ice-filled waves. All I got in return for my frantic searching was a clump of seaweed. She was gone.

To be continued….