The dagger screamed for blood, and protested its wielder's decision. Aquiline left the room. She had made her choice, and would not turn back now. Maybe the three humans wouldn't understand. Maybe they would doubt the reasons she had to leave. They didn't know why she had ended up on land again in the first place. Fate had done it, by her best guess. She needed the dagger to end this nightmare properly. This was the only way.

She knew nothing of elevators, and ignored the retracting metal doors with the lit arrows beside them. The building was multiple stories, a complete research center. Instead, she found a staircase. This was something that she could understand, and use without feeling like there was some vital piece of information that she was missing.

The five flights of stairs alone were enough to make her feet ache. She left a clear trail of blood, and belatedly thought of taking the slippers, if only to leave them on the beach. He would sleep, hopefully, because any idiot could follow this trail. He had proved that he wasn't a complete idiot. He had done several dumb things, but no one could miss such an obvious path. She would only have to move quickly.

The first few halls were empty. Small rooms used for different types of science were closed, with only dimmed floodlights illuminating them. A few larger rooms were in the next hallways, half of them tended by a sleepy-eyed student watching their latest project. Aquiline slipped by them easily. She even passed without incident a pair of students involved in an exuberant session of kissing. She knew there would be a problem when she came to a student sitting in a desk in the open area, wide awake from coffee and glancing at the halls occasionally, looking for someone to talk to.

Mike Hurst was bored. All had to pull the night shift occasionally, but that didn't make it exciting. He had already been through a full pot of coffee, and had done his assignments. He even had checked them over, something he rarely had time to do. There were no other calls, and the storm had been over for hours. The sun wouldn't rise for at least another few hours, and his turn at midnight watchman, as the other night owls called it, was over at six o'clock. He checked his watch. It was 3:58 A.M.

She decided to just be done with it. She walked across the open area, unconcerned that she was still leaving a bleeding trail. She definitely should have opted for the shoes, but she wasn't about to go back up all those stairs, and past those rooms again, to go find them. She had been lucky the first time in the room, that no one had been jarred out of sleeping. They all deserved a nice rest, as what they would know in the morning may not be pleasant.

"You're looking better," Mike remarked. It was no lie. She had a more normal tinge to her skin. She still had a grey cast, but her skin was more translucent than transparent. Her eyes were still odd and a cloudy shade, but Mike had not seen them before. He was too polite to remark about them. Mako had strange eyes- perhaps hers were also natural.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, forgetting for an instant that speaking was allowed. The pause she had created quickly died away. "I just need to stretch my legs a bit. Doctor's orders, as I can't have any atrophy." The explanation flew easily from her tongue, and she was proud to have remembered the clinical term.

"What's wrong with your feet?" He was in school to be a veterinarian, and couldn't possibly miss such an obvious symptom. "You're bleeding pretty heavily."

"I ran into a coral reef. The storm came out of nowhere, and I couldn't get back in, so I headed for the shallower bay." It was a plausible reason. She had always had a decent imagination, but never had realized how easy lying was. It was like telling a story, but not letting anyone know your intentions.

"That's rough," he remarked, not knowing she would take him literally and puzzle over the statement. "Are you sure you want to go out in that? It's pretty cold out there." He looked doubtfully at her strapless gown, one that looked expensive and custom-made. He guessed that Jesse had been keeping the dress for her, as it wasn't attire to wear for a swim in the ocean.

"I'll be fine. If it's too cold, I can always just come in and grab a coat." She slipped out the door without any further words, not listening to any reply. Walking to the beach with a businesslike stride, she forgot that he had seen the dagger that she was carrying. The strange dress could have been the only clothes to fit her. The bleeding feet could have been a symptom. The fact that she was walking in the middle of the night was excusable. With all three together, along with her odd appearance, there was only one thing to do.

Mike dialed the number for Jesse's room, crossing his fingers. This could get him in quite a bit of trouble, if Jesse was trying to sleep. After all, none of Candy's three conditions had been met. The building wasn't on fire, no one was in imminent danger of nuclear warfare, and the odd purple-dressed woman was nowhere in sight. He still felt that Aquiline's appearance qualified as something worthy of notification. She had looked very close to death earlier, and it was rare to recover so quickly.

The ringing of the phone woke Jesse. He sat up suddenly, and memory came rushing back. He had found Aquiline, and that was all that mattered. He glanced at the bed. She was gone. Aquiline was gone. He stood quickly, forgetting the phone for a second as he looked around. The tome of fairy tales was open, and there was still-drying blood on the picture. The dagger was gone. The phone was ringing.

"Jesse here," he said tersely into a hastily grabbed receiver, still trying to imagine where Aquiline could have gone.

"Look, doc, I know you said not to bother you-" Mike began.

"What is it?" Jesse was in no mood for polite exchanges.

"It's your girlfriend. She just went out onto the beach, wearing a really fancy dress, bleeding like mad from the feet, and carrying a really fancy knife. She said that she was just stretching her legs." He gave the small report as quickly as humanly possible. Jesse's tone was worrying him. Doc, as the students often called the founder of MRC, was usually very easy-going. The last time he had been this upset- Mike couldn't even remember a time. This couldn't be good.

"Don't follow her. I'll be right down." Jesse slammed down the phone out of pure haste, leaving it on the nightstand. He paused for only a second, as both Candy and Mako were staring at him, waiting for an explanation. "Lille. Beach. Knife. I'm going." He ran from the room, still dressed in an outfit damp with saltwater. He had a clear trail to follow, one that would be very fun to clean up later.

He ignored the elevator. Aquiline had taken the stairs. He hurtled down to the first floor, a veritable juggernaut. He doubted that he would have been able to avoid anyone going up. He raced down the halls, ignoring curious looks from students. Mike tried to ask a question, but Jesse ignored him. He had a mermaid to find, before she did something that they both would regret. Well, she would be dead, but that didn't mean that she couldn't regret it.

The trail outside was about as clear as mud. He should have brought a flashlight. Her prints blended into the dark red sand, and he doubted that even the light of noon would help him. The beaches in this part of California were darker. Basing his actions on pure instinct, he headed for the shore. If she was going to some other place, he wouldn't know what she was doing anyway. If his guess was correct, she would be near the water, where the tide would be in just an hour.

The waning moon gave just enough light for him to make his cautious way over rough ground. The terrain was rough even through tennis shoes. He doubted that he imagined the blood on the rockier outcrops. This area was far rougher than smooth floors on bare feet that were not made for the ground. The stars peered from behind clouds, occasionally giving him enough light too see tracks. He usually took the cleared road to the beach, but he knew she had used the rougher path.

He finally was on the cliff overlooking the beach. There was a narrow path that hugged the edge, steep and rocky. Fragments of seashells made the path even rougher on the feet. He did not need the additional light from the stars to see blood gleaming, its own path down the bluff. He followed, staying as close to the solid edge of the path as possible as he tried to catch up with Aquiline. He couldn't see her on the beach yet, and was not foolish enough to glance over the side of the path in an attempt to see her.

The last part over the narrow path was nearly drenched in blood. The sand was damp with it, and the smell of drying blood was appalling. How much blood is she losing? That couldn't be healthy. He worked with enough med students and wounded animals to know that losing blood was not at all good. She was in no real condition for such a walk.

Finally, he reached the beach. He was out of breath, and he was no slouch at exercising. He had taken up cross-country running, where the average runner could cover four miles of rough ground without breaking a sweat. This late-night journey over territory he knew fairly well was exhausting. He felt half-trapped in a dream, and a real sense of déjà vu. He had been in this type of scene before, the first time she had to leave. This time, the abandonment seemed to be her choice. Did she change her mind?

He ran across the beach. There was a figure silhouetted against the moonlit water, and he saw the flash of dim light against a blade that shone too bright. This was the last stretch of the race to beat her before she did whatever she intended. He doubted it was anything good. The blood had been more than enough to make him doubt she had intentions that were positive to either of them. He felt his breath return, and knew he would sleep for quite a time after this mess was over.

"Aquiline!" The word was a prayer, a hope, and a dream all at once. It was still late. He didn't know what time it was, as he always took off his watch before going on a rescue mission. The water-proofing wasn't an issue. Thrashing dolphins were a problem, and no watch could withstand being bashed against rocks at a high velocity.

She whirled. "Stay away, Jesse. I'm serious." The knife was held ready in her hand, and from her wild eyes that still looked dead, she was serious. The dim light made her all in shades of grey, from pale skin with darker veins to dull grey eyes to wild hair to a dress that appeared solid black. The only color around her was a blue-white light reflecting from the blade.

"Lille, there's another way. You don't have to do this."

"What do you know?" she demanded, narrowing her eyes. "You've had it pretty easy, sitting around and saving the wittle dolphwins with all those college students running around and admiring you and making you some role model that belonged on a pedestal. They did put you on a pedestal, in fact, doc." The fond nickname became something worthy of derision. She didn't give any chances for him to defend himself. "Did you know that one of the girls was waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs? I'm sure she'd say yes in less than one of her nervous heartbeats. Everyone knows that you said yes to Sirene right away."

There really was nothing to say to that. She wouldn't believe him. He had to try, though. After so many years, he wasn't about to just let her go that easily. That last comment was a bit too harsh, in his opinion. He was not that Jesse any longer.

"I've changed, Aquiline. Ask any of my roommates. I haven't had a girlfriend in eleven years. That girl who was waiting has already been told no on at least nine separate occasions. And I'm a different person now." He tried not to be defensive, but wasn't completely effective.

"So am I." She sounded almost sad for a minute. "That's why you have to go." She was angry again. Anger was safe. Anger would not make her feel like she was ripping herself to pieces inside. "I have something to do, and you're only in my way."

"What are you going to accomplish by that, Lille? You're already freed from Sirene's binding." He wouldn't let her ruin everything he had hoped for to keep herself from remembering. "You can make a choice."

"No, I'm not. I'm trapped in it just as surely as you're weaving a trap to keep me here. I have made a choice, Jesse. You could try to be a bit more appreciative. Don't you see? It isn't just me. Once I'm done, the mermen will be back. The merfolk will be there again. It's the best thing for everyone. Now, will you please leave?" He hadn't moved any closer than ten feet away, where she first threatened with the dagger. Her frenzied explanation of the predicament of the merfolk was not nearly long enough to make anything clear, but she had no patience for details.

"I love you, Aquiline." It had been far easier to say than he would have guessed. He didn't hesitate. It was the easiest thing he had ever had to say, and this time it truly counted. Saying those words to an unconscious person simply didn't count.

The angry tirade she had prepared fell to shreds. "You do?" she asked shyly. That was not at all what she wanted to say. Say it, you pansy. "I don't love you anymore". Just say it, and he'll leave, and everything will turn out fine. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. She couldn't say it. She just could not say it. For all her biting words, and decisive plans, she couldn't lie about that, of all things.

"Yes. Ever since the morning you left, I've known that. That's half of the reason I created a team to join the Coast's mammal retrieval squad program, you know. I wanted to be an expert, in case you ever needed help." He noticed that the dagger had dipped lower, and took a few quick steps forward.

"Don't make this harder. I have to save my people." They were her people. The mermaid of Anderson's tale had been a princess. Lille was the last of the royal line, save the old queen who only waited for her husband to return. The crones needed no ruler to make decisions. They were of one mind in what should be done.

"Don't you understand? You've won. You had a year on land. I fell in love with you. Even if the year had passed, I have told you that I love you. The requirements are met. Lille, just listen to me," he pleaded, moving closer to her cautiously. When she first met him, he would not even grow close to such a tone. Now, he would do anything to keep her. He could not lose her again.

"No," she said uncertainly. "That can't be right." The dagger pointed straight at him again, stopping his slow forward progress. "Stay away. There is no alternative. All mermaids who serve the sea-witch kill themselves. I will be the first to use the pride-gift of the sisters to spill blood, and that will free the captive merfolk from their bonds." The dagger glinted viciously. "There will be blood, but I will feel no pain."

"Aquiline, just drop the dagger. It's doing something to you. Just leave it on the sand. I won't touch it. No one will." He moved no closer. He was just a little more than three feet away, and she could almost touch him with the outstretched blade.

"No. The dagger lets me see what is real, and what is true." Her voice was distorted, as if someone else was speaking through her. "I will see that all mermaids have a soul, a hope, a dream, a wish, a chance!" The distortion grew, to such proportions that her voice was no longer recognizable.

"Lille. Didn't you listen to the spell? It never said that you had to find some declaration of love within the year. All you need to do is put the knife away." Something was wrong. He didn't even need to look at her wild eyes, manic in their intensity, to be able to tell that much. This was not something he could stop.

"I am the last of the mermaidens. I am the fate that will bring the rest home. I will perpetuate the race." That was not the manner of speech she usually used. "I am the one to save my people. No man can stop me!"

"What about love?"