She dragged him down, going deeper and deeper into the ocean. He screamed into the water as she bit on his neck, blood floating around him. He could see himself being dragged down into the abyss of the bottom of the ocean. Hook fought back, taking his hook and stabbing the mermaid near the nape of neck.

The mermaid hissed but she didn't loosen her hold on the pirate. He struggled to break her hold, attempting to kick her tail, stab her, anything at all. She was too quick however. He felt himself getting weaker as his need for air grew intensely. He could usually hold his breath for quite some time, but the struggling wasn't helping. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on.

The mermaid seemed to be carrying him towards some underwater cave. He had to get out of her grasp now if he was to survive this. He managed to remove his other hand from her arms and used it to punch the mermaid in the face. He felt her hold loosen just a bit and before she could grasp him more firmly once again he took his hook and stabbed her once more, this time near her shoulder. The hook ended up dragging down on her skin, leaving a long wound from her shoulder to her elbow as he floated away.

The mermaid screamed in pain, bubbles forming all around her, blocking her vision. This was his chance. He started to move his arms and kicking his legs, moving as fast as he could, but of course his handy-cap made it extremely difficult to get anywhere. Still, he had to survive. He bought himself some time with the wound but he knew the mermaid would be back and she would be much faster than he was.

He turned his head slightly to see where his enemy was. She wasn't there. He stopped, floating, about half-way to the surface. Perhaps I scared her off, he thought to himself. But no, she wasn't that easy to get rid of, that much he knew.

He figured the best thing to do would be to keep going to the surface; hopefully he would be able to escape her. He started moving towards the surface when suddenly he felt something tug at his leg. He looked down, it was her. She started to move her hands up his leg, trying to get a good old of him so she could drag him down.

He started to see black spots in his vision. His lungs were failing him. He kicked at the mermaid as hard as he could. He wasn't going to die, not like this. He kept kicking at the mermaid, trying to connect his foot with her face but she kept evading him. Finally, he was able to make contact. The blow was so strong that it pushed the mermaid down, and it seemed that she was unconscious. He didn't have much time to revel in his satisfaction however, he had to get back to the surface and quick or he would end up just like her.

He could see the rays of the sun shining on the surface. He was almost there. Finally he made, his head crashing through the surface. He inhaled a huge breath, letting his lungs breath in air. He stayed there for a few moments, catching his breath. He then saw the boat with Mr. Smee in it coming towards him. Once he was close enough, Smee helped the Captain get on the ship, helping him settle in.

"Cap'n are you all right?" Smee asked, worry in his voice.

"I'm fine. But that bloody fish. She's mine."

-ariel is afraid to love, tells Killian that after he overhears Ariel and Regina

-X-

It was quite a curious thing, Regina coming in to her classroom and telling her to stay away from Killian. But then again, Ariel figured she didn't have anything to worry about. She liked Killian; she liked him a lot. But she was sure it wouldn't last very long. She was just enjoying it while it did.

She proceeded to the desk to get her purse. Killian should be here soon she thought. A couple of minutes later Killian showed up the door.

He didn't say anything and Ariel didn't notice him until she glanced over. "Oh there you are! Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Actually I think its best we cancel lunch" he said, avoiding her gaze.

"What? Why?" asked Ariel.

"Why go out to lunch and waste our money? You probably just want the sex don't you? I mean that's why you're here after all. I'm just your man candy toy for you to play with till you get bored aren't I?"

Ariel was shocked. Why the hell was he talking to her like that all of a sudden? "Where the hell is this coming from?"

"I think you know exactly where" he said in a low but seething tone. Ariel had never heard him talk like that. He still refused to look at her but Ariel realized he must have heard her conversation with Regina.

"You over heard me talking to Regina didn't you?"

He nodded, looking at the ground.

"Killian I'm sorry I didn't mean any of that. It's just Regina can get very control-freaky at times and for some reason she didn't want us to see each other so I just told her what she wanted to hear" said Ariel.

"Did you? Cause it sounded to me like you were telling yourself what you wanted to hear" he said, hurt in his voice.

"I—"

"Ariel I know that we've only known each other for a couple of days. I know that this all started out as a one-night stand and then it turned into a date. It's not in the most traditional sense but I …I like you. I've dated quite a few women, I'm not going to lie, but I don't think I've ever felt like this before," he paused, finally looking into her eyes. "I really would like to see where this can go. The question is, do you?"

Ariel opened her mouth to answer but couldn't. She looked away, unsure of what to tell him. She took a deep breath and proceeded. "Killian the truth is, I… you know I told you I don't really date guys. The longest relationship I've had was a month and it was barely a relationship. I'm not good with commitment. I… I don't want…" She looked down again, tears threatening to escape her eyes. She didn't want to do this, not in front of him.

She couldn't allow herself to be so exposed in front of him. Killian saw that she was beginning to cry. He let out a small sigh and walked towards her. He placed his hand on her chin and gently moved her head towards him.

"Hey, hey it's ok" he said, trying to console her. He wrapped his arms around her and brought her in to an embrace.

Ariel allowed herself to fall into his arms, letting the tears roll down her face.

"What are you so afraid of love?" Killian asked softly.

"Everything" she said.

Ariel then pulled away, wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry. I just… I've never been very good at relationships. I can't even have a good relationship with my sisters. Every relationship I've had I've wrecked. I don't want to do that with you."

"Hey, I can assure that won't happen. Maybe it's time you took a little leap of faith" he said smiling at her. "I think you owe it yourself to take a chance at a real, loving relationship. What do you say?"

Ariel looked into his deep blue eyes. They seemed to be full of love and wonder. Maybe it was time to take a chance. Maybe it was time to let her heart be open, to be loved. She gave him a small nod and smile as assurance.

Killian smiled back at her. "Well, this will certainly be an adventure."