Nuala was in the library looking over the container she had been given taking out the paper from within, while Abe was up on a balcony overlooking the library that was also an access to his aquarium. He took out rather large eye contact placing one in each eye, blinking until they were set.

"It is blank! No coordinates." Nuala said in surprise then looked up to the books around her as if hearing something. She walked over to one of them and pulled out a blue book opening it to the center reading aloud as she paced.

''Be near me when my light is low,''

''when the blood creeps,

and the nerves prick,''

''and tingle; and the heart is sick,''

''and all the wheels of Being slow.''

''Be near me when the sensuous frame''

''is rack'd with pangs that conquer trust;''

''and time, a maniac ...''

"Tennyson, ''ln Memoriam'', a beautiful poem. It is in fact one of Ariel's favorites." Abe recalled the nights they sat up, him reading to her as they lay together. As Abe came down the stairs he noted that his sudden appearance has caused the princess to jump slightly. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you."

"No, no, I borrowed this book." Nuala held up the book. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, no, please, this is your home now." Abe assured her. "You are safe here."

"My brother will find me." Nuala said. "He always does."

"How could he? Our location is highly classified secret." Abe told her.

"Yes, but I know it now, which means that he does too. We are twins. Even as children, a link has bound us, one to the other. Something I cannot explain." Nuala said shaking her head.

"No need." Abe assured her as she seemed to study him.

"You look different!" Nuala commented.

"Do I? Perhaps my hair?" Abe gestured to his bald head.

"No, it's your eyes." Nuala said with a smile. "I can see your eyes."

"Yes. Just trying a new look." Abe said nervously, not used to such attention outside of Ariel. "Is that a map?"

"Yes, it was in the cylinder, there are no coordinates." Nuala said as he took the paper holding it up.

"Perhaps there's a watermark?" Abe said looking it over.

"You were very brave, vouching for me. How did you know I am not the enemy, bringing me here?" Nuala asked stepping closer to him.

"Just what you're saying, just now. From intuition…maybe a link." Abe shrugged, taking a slight step back. "Normally I'm able to read up this quite quickly, but... I've never met anyone like you."

"Nor I like you." Nuala said with a shy down-casting of her eyes. "Good night, Abraham."

"Good night, princess." Abe replied as she moved by toward the exit. Abe watched her go for a moment before he sensed another presence in the room and turned to find Ariel had come in through another door. "Ariel."

"Abe." Ariel replied a bit stiffly and as he moved over to her she moved away confusing him. "How's her highness holding up?"

"She seems well, but she is worried about her brother and of course saddened by the loss of her father." Abe said following her over to the table where the map was setting.

"You two seem to be getting close." Ariel commented as she picked up the book of poems, starring at the cover before flipping through the pages, her own mind filled with images of she and Abe cuddled up together, but they turned sour at the thought of the princess.

"Yes, she has the same ability as me, it's quite interesting and she is very kind and brave for coming with us to stop her brother." Abe said not knowing the effect it was having on Ariel's heart. "I've never met anyone like her before."

"Great, glad you like her so much." Ariel snapped slamming the book down on the table causing Abe to startle. He took in her tense form, her tail switching back and forth in agitation as he hands fisted tightly.

"Ariel, what's wrong?" He reached out for her, but she avoided his touch not wanting him to glean anything from her.

"Nothing." Ariel snapped, her tail twitching sharply.

"It does not seem like nothing, why are you angry?" Abe asked in confusion and a bit of hurt.

"Why are me so clueless? You have no idea the way you act, how it might be taken. You never realize what you're saying is the absolute worst thing you could…and you don't even…" Ariel shook her head as she passed her hand over her face.

"Please Ariel, if you would just let me…" Abe tried once again to touch her.

"No! I don't want you to touch me!" Ariel snapped. "I don't want you to read want's wrong with me, I want you to know." Ariel ran her hands through her hair. "I just want…I just want you to know how I'm feeling without having to…" Ariel shook her head and turned to leave. "Never mind."

"Ariel, wait, where are you going?" Abe asked as she opened the doors.

"Wherever the heck I want." Ariel slammed the doors shut leaving behind a very confused icthosapien.

-0-

"You should have heard it Liz." Ariel said forlornly as she sat on her and Red's bed eating a giant tub of vanilla ice cream, both girls clad in their pajamas, Ariel's consisting of black harem pants that reached her ankles and a maroon high neck backless crop top tank top. "He said they had a link, a link Liz, as in a connection."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it that way." Liz tried, but from what Ariel had told her she was feeling pretty angry at blue herself.

"Do you know another definition for link? Can you explain that to me?" Ariel countered before she went on with her rant. "His apparatus bubbled when he looked at her and she's quoting love poetry around him, romantic poetry."

"Ariel, Abe loves you, I'm sure." Liz pressed.

"Yeah, I used to think that to, but he said he's never met anyone like her." Ariel glowered stuffing the last of her ice cream into her mouth. "And there's nothing I can do about it. She's a freaking princess not to mention a touch telepath as well, how can I compete with that Liz? How?"

"You don't have to because I'm telling you there is nothing going on between those two. Abe would never hurt you like that." Liz said as she took the empty ice cream from Ariel setting it aside.

"She likes him back as well." Ariel said softly. "I could tell that right off." Ariel curled up on her side into a ball, tears streaming from her eyes. "I'm losing him Liz and I don't know what to do."

Liz gently ran a hand through Ariel's hair trying to sooth her as best she could knowing that the state she was in she wouldn't be listening anymore. Slowly sleep consumed Ariel and Liz, both dealing with their own troubled thoughts.