Killian and Ariel walk across the beach, the dark brown sand clinging to their shoes. The ocean is a greyish color, as bland and bleak as the rest of this town. It's nothing at all like the ocean back home; there, it was every shade of green and blue and, at sunset, orange and red. Killian wonders whether Ariel misses the sea. He does.
"I offered her my voice, you know," says Ariel.
Killian looks at her.
"Ursula," she clarifies.
"Oh," he says. "Why did she say no?"
"Why take a voice when you can take a heart?" she replies bitterly.
Killian is silent. He does not know how to comfort Ariel when she doesn't have a heart. A million years ago, he might have held her close and stroked her hair. He might have whispered how much he loved her and how grateful he was to have her. But now, he just doesn't know.
Killian never thought he'd regret sleeping with a woman, and he certainly doesn't. But he can't deny that it's complicated things a bit. For the past two days, Ariel has been slightly distant, and they've barely touched each other since.
Killian reaches for Ariel's hand. She does not push him away, but nor does she embrace his grip. Her hand hangs limp inside his.
"The last thirty years," he begins, "What was it like for you?"
"You mean during the curse, or after you left me?" asks Ariel.
She poses the question innocently enough, but Killian can feel the venom underneath.
"During the curse," he says through tight lips.
"It was like death. I felt nothing. I did nothing. I remember things, of course, but in that way you only half-remember what you wore last week. It's just broad brush strokes. Nothing interesting happened. It was like being in a coma, except I was conscious," says Ariel.
"Was that the curse, or the lack of a heart?" he asks.
Ariel shrugs. "No way to know for sure."
They're approaching the dock now. There's no one in sight, but Killian can't help but feel like he and Ariel shouldn't be out in public together. After all, they need to keep Ursula in the dark, so to speak. For all they know, she could be watching right now.
Killian drops Ariel's hand. He misses the contact immediately, but he doesn't get the impression that she does.
"When are you going to start looking for it?" asks Ariel. She doesn't have to specify what she means by "it".
"Today. The sooner I find it, the better," says Killian.
"You've got your work cut out for you," she replies.
They round a corner in the direction of her house. Down the street, a dark-haired man, is heading in their direction. He is not unattractive; his face is defined by sharp angles and high cheekbones. He wears a thick coat over simple but nice clothing. Killian notices what looks like a very expensive watch on the man's wrist.
The man gets closer, and he seems to recognize Ariel. He smiles and waves, calling out, "Ariel!"
The man jogs the last few yards toward them. Killian glances at Ariel to gauge her reaction: she seems ambivalent, as far as he can tell.
"Hello, Eric," Ariel says to the man.
"Hi," he replies, "Who's your friend?"
"Oh, this is Killian," she says, "Killian, this is Eric."
Killian nods, but he doesn't offer to shake hands. His hook, he keeps tucked in his pocket. He's been trying to make a point not to scare the locals.
"Are you new in town?" asks Eric.
"You could say that," says Killian.
Eric gives Ariel a meaningful look. Ariel ignores it.
"Anyway, I haven't seen you around lately, Ariel. Have you been okay?" asks Eric.
"I'm fine," she replies, "Just…busy."
Eric's eyes flash to Killian and then back to Ariel. It's subtle, so subtle that Ariel probably doesn't notice. But Killian does.
"I'd love to see you later, if you're not doing anything tonight," says Eric.
"Killian and I had plans," say Ariel.
"Are you sure? Granny's shouldn't be too busy tonight," he suggests.
"We had plans," repeats Ariel.
"Oh. Well, maybe some other time," says Eric.
He looks forlorn. Killian might have felt bad for him if he didn't lean down to kiss Ariel on the cheek. Immediately, Killian despises this man, from his expensive watch to his dark hair to his shiny shoes. He is grateful when Eric walks away and he can continue walking with Ariel.
"So…ex-boyfriend?" says Killian carefully, when they're far enough away that Eric can't hear them.
"Sort of," says Ariel.
"Oh, please tell me I didn't have sex with a woman who's taken," moans Killian. "Fun as it may be, it's never worth it."
Ariel chuckles. She replies, "Not taken, technically. It's…well, it's kind of hard to explain."
"Try me," he says.
"I guess 'friends with benefits' would be the term?" says Ariel. Her tone rises at the end as if it's a question.
Killian shrugs and gives her a confused look. They are at Ariel's front door by now, so his confusion is prolonged as she lets them both into the house. When they are through the door and Ariel has tossed her keys on a nearby table, she continues.
"Fuck buddies," she says, "Basically, we have sex. No strings attached."
Okay. Wow. That hits Killian harder than he expected. He feels a bit of guilt, mixed with some rage, and maybe with a little curiosity sprinkled on top. The idea of "friends with benefits" was certainly nothing he had come across back home. This world definitely had some aspects that recommended it. But the idea of Ariel doing that with Eric…
"How often?" asks Killian.
"Does it matter?" she responds.
Killian nods, mentally bracing himself for the answer.
"Usually at least two or three times a week," says Ariel.
Killian remembers what Ariel had been like the other day in bed. Downright irresistible, in his opinion, with all her red hair and soft skin and warm hands. But now Killian can't stop himself from imagining that it's Eric making Ariel moan and sigh like that, that it's Eric running his hands over her perfect breasts.
Killian is practically seeing red. He steps toward Ariel. He raises his hand to her face and kisses her roughly, maybe a bit too roughly. He's more liberal with his tongue than he usually is (and usual for him is still pretty tongue-centric). Ariel gasps and moans through the kiss. Her hands clutch at Killian's shirt, pulling him closer.
Killian moves Ariel toward the wall and presses her between it and himself. She moves up a hand to tug at his hair. Killian presses his hips against hers. Rage and lust are all that are driving him right now; he can feel himself letting go, and little by little his touch becomes rougher. Ariel seems to like it, though. She gasps and sighs and kisses Killian all the harder.
"You're mine," he growls, pulling away for a brief moment. "Mine, not his."
His lips are on hers again.
She pulls away. She replies, "I was never his. I said we were friends with benefits, not dating. It was just sex."
"Just sex?" says Killian heatedly, "You seemed pretty familiar when he kissed you."
"On the cheek!" protests Ariel.
"The man's bloody in love with you!" he exclaims, "Any fool could see that!"
Ariel eyes him suspiciously. Then a sly grin curls over her lips, so luscious and red from all the kissing. Killian forces himself to focus.
"You're jealous," she says.
"You can't be jealous over something that's already yours," says Killian.
"I keep telling you," says Ariel petulantly, "I'm not yours anymore."
He moves his hand down to Ariel's waist and pulls her closer (as if there were any more space between them to begin with). His grip is rough but not cruel.
"Really? You weren't mine when you invited me into your bed? You weren't mine when I made you come so hard you forgot your own name?" demands Killian. "Or perhaps you were his the whole time. Perhaps you're stringing me along with all this 'friends with benefits' nonsense. So answer me this, love: whose are you?!"
Ariel pushes him away and straightens her clothes. Killian stumbles back. He grabs the table to steady himself, but he accidentally uses the wrong arm. His hook leaves a hole in the wood. Ariel doesn't notice.
"I belong to no one," she says definitively, "But my heart belongs to Ursula. You want me to take you back, forgive you, keep you around? That's never going to work unless I have my heart back. Call me a heartless bitch, go right ahead, Killian. It's your damn fault in the first place. Nothing's happened here that you couldn't have prevented."
"I told you I'd get it back," he says.
"Then go do it. And you'd better not come back until you have it," says Ariel.
"But the sea witch –"
"Will use my heart against me if she finds out about you. Leave now, or else I'll call the sheriff."
Killian thinks of the sheriff, and he isn't so sure that Ariel has the threat she thinks she does. Still, he promised Swan he wouldn't cause any trouble. No sense in breaking any promises today. He won't cause trouble like he promised Swan, and he'll find Ariel's heart like he promised her.
Ariel flings the door open and holds it out for Killian. He nods at her politely, like the gentleman they both know he isn't. He steps outside, and the door shuts almost immediately behind him.
The sky is still as indecisively grey as ever. Killian wonders whether the sky ever changes in this forsaken little town.