"I think that we should listen to Philip." Syrena said. "Don't worry, Erin, you will be fine – don't leave me after we've got so far together..."

Claudia looked long and hard at me before nodding. "Okay, let's take her up."

Thank you all so much for the reviews! 3 Sorry this chapter is a bit rubbish, and my least favourite but it had to be written. Hope you enjoy it anyway!

...

I opened the door to the Doctor's, "Excuse me, Sir, is there any chance of you performing an emergency operation on this woman? She is injured – potentially fatal. I will pay however much you need to get her healed."

The Doctor looked over his glasses at Claudia who was wearing the black coat and holding her sister who was not clothed. Philip had given his shirt to Syrena to wear and the Doctor looked as though he couldn't work out what had happened especially as we were all sopping wet. He nodded slightly bewildered, "Bring her in; I'll see what I can do. I must ask you all to stay out here while I perform this task."

Claudia took her into the room where she lay Syrena down on the bed.

"I must ask you to leave while I operate on her." The Doctor said again.

Claudia hesitated before returning to us.

I glanced at Syrena but her eyes were too full of concern for her sister to return my small smile. The Doctor closed the door behind him and I sat down along with Claudia but Syrena remained standing, staring after the Doctor and her twin.

"Syrena, she will be alright, don't worry." I stood back up and slid an arm around waist. She leaned her head against my shoulder and bit her lip.

She didn't cry because she couldn't.

The next few hours were agony. The tension was so thick that it could have been sliced and Claudia was switching between fidgeting in her seat and pacing the length of the room. Syrena simply remained still and silent in my arms. I kept shooting glances at the door until finally the door handle turned and the Doctor walked out, twisting his gloves in his hands.

I felt Syrena catch her breath but she straightened up but I kept my hand on the small of her back.

"She will be free to leave tomorrow or the day after considering how quickly she recovers."

Claudia stood up and walked towards the Doctor, "Can she not rest at home?"

"I would think it best that she stays here until tomorrow at least." The Doctor spoke, intimidated by Claudia's clear authority, "Perhaps you would be best to leave her to rest for now and come back tomorrow morning."

"I'm not leaving her." Syrena said quietly.

"Well, do as you please but I must ask you not to speak to her and distract her from her rest." The Doctor sat down behind his desk and surveyed Syrena and Claudia as they opened the door to see their sister.

I watched them as the door closed and I spoke, "How much do you need? I can pay whatever the cost."

The Doctor shook his head, "Don't worry about it."

"No, I insist, please. Although I don't have any money on me at the moment, I will go and fetch some."

"Well, the cost should be... let's see..." The Doctor picked up some papers on his desk and mentally added the figures up, "About... 150 Gold Pieces..." He looked up at me, nervously.

"Of course, I shouldn't be too long." I turned from the building and ran home. I arrived back and pulled a pouch from my bedside and counted the money that was inside. I managed to find 150 Gold Pieces and dropped it back into the pouch. I placed it in my pocket as I ran back to the Doctor.

"Here." I handed over the pouch of Gold and the Doctor tipped it out onto the desk just as Claudia and Syrena stepped out of Erin's room.

"I think there's 150 Gold Pieces there, if not I can go back and get more." I indicated to the money scattered in front of him.

"No, in fact, I think you may have given me too much."

"Oh, that's alright, don't worry about it. Consider it a tip and I'm just grateful you were able to heal her."

I felt Syrena's fingers lace into mine and she said to the Doctor, "Erin wishes to see you."

As the Doctor left to see his patient, Syrena touched my face, "Philip, is that not a lot of money?"

"It's a decent amount, why?"

"You were willing to pay all that?"

"Of course, I'm not just about to let it go unpaid. That would be dishonest."

Claudia was just about to speak when the Doctor came out, "She wishes to return home... I cannot within rights keep her here if it is her wish to go home. I mean... she seems to have made a remarkable recovery... I cannot even see the wound anymore. But she is unable to walk." The Doctor looked as though he could not quite believe it and he pulled out a handkerchief and mopped his face.

"She has not learned how to yet." Syrena whispered to me.

Claudia stood, "Then I shall carry her. That is only if she feels well enough."

"Yes, I feel well enough to return." Erin spoke from the other room a little breathlessly.

Claudia left for the room and picked her up.

Erin smiled at the Doctor, "Thank you."

The Doctor stumbled over his words, "Not at all. Er – are you sure you'll be alright?"

Erin nodded and Claudia also thanked the Doctor.

I wondered vaguely how Erin had made such a miraculous recovery when Syrena answered as though she read my mind, "Claudia's kiss."

"Ah, of course."

None of us spoke until we reached the tides again and I felt someone touch my shoulder as we submerged ourselves beneath the waves.

I turned and saw Erin smiling at me, "Thank you, Philip. Were it not for you I probably would have... well... let's just say I wouldn't be here to tell the tale."

I shrugged, "I didn't save you. It was the Doctor."

"But you paid almost everything you had to save me even after I treated you so disrespectfully and... well... thank you. Really."

Claudia didn't look at me directly but nodded, "Yes... thank you. I suppose I can now see what Syrena meant when she told me you protect."

I did not speak but nodded as Erin and Claudia turned away.

"Syrena... you can go with them. I don't mind. There are probably a few things I could get done on land. That is if you want to be with your sister now?"

Syrena shook her head, "I want to be with you right now." Her fangs extended and her eyes changed.

Of course... we had unfinished business to attend to. We swam towards the cavern and Syrena thanked me along the way, "Thank you for saving my twin, Philip. I cannot express my gratitude enough."

"Well, I really didn't do that much."

"You showed my sisters how different you are and now they are more likely to trust you." She turned to face me and locked her arms around my neck. And her eyes closed as I brushed my hand along her cheek. I leaned in to kiss her neck and as my lips touched her I heard someone speak, "You two just can't keep your hands off each other can you?" It sounded like Cynthia and Syrena remained exactly how she was and acted as though nobody had spoke.

"Are you deaf, Syrena?"

Syrena replied, "No."

"I didn't think so."

"Why are you here?" Syrena shot a glare over my shoulder in Cynthia's direction as I pulled my head up.

"Oh, my apologies, I didn't realise you were the only person allowed near this cavern."Cynthia replied acidly.

"That's not what I meant."

I tried to pull away from Syrena, but her hands remained fastened around my neck. Cynthia laughed harshly and Syrena spoke, "What do you want?"

"I only wanted to see the lucky man you caught in your net and thank him for saving my sister, that's all."

Suddenly Syrena's eyes turned black and she growled, rather menacingly, "You will not come near him."

"Oh for goodness sake, Syrena, I'm not going to hurt him. If you want to hold his hand while I talk to him, I'm sure that's fine."

Suddenly Cynthia was next to us and Syrena was snarling.

"I don't think she intends to hurt me, Syrena." I spoke gently.

"I know exactly what she intends to do." Her fangs flashed as she tightened her grip on my neck.

I looked at Cynthia properly and saw she certainly was beautiful like the rest but she held darkness behind her eyes. Was it jealousy? Anger? I couldn't' tell.

Cynthia laughed merrily, "What's your name again?"

I smiled politely, "Philip."

"So where did my sister find you?"

I told her the story of how it was my fault she was captured and Cynthia clicked her tongue then I went on to explain the journey and how she saved my life. "Then she brought me down here." I finished.

"That's quite a story." Cynthia raised her eyebrows.

"You missed the parts out when you saved my life on countless occasions."

"Yes, but had it not have been for me, I wouldn't have had to save your life because you would have been free."

"You're such a hero. I wish I was as lucky as my sister to have a man like you." Cynthia smiled. She didn't seem as bad as Syrena made her out to be.

"Not another word, Cynthia." Syrena spoke softly.

Then I thought perhaps I was missing something.

"I wasn't going to say anything." Cynthia sighed, but then her tone turned dark and mellow, "Your Philip doesn't need to know what a bad girl you've been in the past."

Then I knew I was missing something.

"That is enough, Cynthia." Syrena closed her eyes in aggravation.

"Oh, don't worry, I wasn't going to tell him about what you did that changed the course of my future perhaps forever."

Syrena let go of me and turned to face Cynthia and then she hissed in her face, "I must ask you to leave. You've done enough damage as it is."

"It's not nice when someone ruins your chances of love, is it? And I hadn't done talking." Cynthia's fangs had lengthened and her eyes blackened. Suddenly she turned to me, "Philip, how much do you love my sister?"

"More than my own life."

"I see."

"Cynthia, Philip doesn't want to talk to you." Syrena pleaded.

"Is that so? Am I boring you? I have a tale that could easily change that. Shall I tell him, Syrena?" Cynthia flicked her gaze to Syrena who hissed again.

"If you tell him I know you will only twist things."

"No, I will simply tell him how it looked to me." Cynthia said loudly, brushing Syrena aside.

"If he wants to hear it, I will tell him, but only when he asks." Syrena resumed her position next to me.

"Might as well get it over with." Cynthia opened her mouth to continue but I cut her off.

"No, I'm sorry, Cynthia, but I have no desire to hear this story. Whatever has been done in the past should be forgotten."

Cynthia arched an eyebrow, "Should it?"

I bowed my head, "Goodbye, Cynthia."

She turned away, "Another time, then." Goodbye, Philip. Nice meeting you."

I watched her turn and Syrena looked down, "Philip – I thank you... but... I can tell you if you want. Just please don't think badly of me."

"Syrena, I have no desire to know what it is because I know that everybody makes mistakes and nobody is perfect. Not even mermaids. Whatever it was that you did I'm sure it was long ago and you have expressed sorrow and apologised to Cynthia and shown your regret. There really is nothing else you can do."

Syrena nodded, "Of course I have apologised... over and over again. But still she insists on clinging to the past and blaming all her hardships on me and treats me as though I am only dirt to be trodden on."

I wrapped my arms around her and she collapsed onto my chest, her arms weaving around my back.

"Come on, let us go and rest."

...

I woke up the next morning feeling empty. Syrena was not by my side. In fact the whole cavern was deserted. Had I really overslept that much?

I sat up and drifted to other caverns to search for a sign of Syrena. They were all empty except one.

"Elaine, where is everyone?" I asked as I saw Elaine sitting moodily on a rock, her arms folded tightly.

"They always do this to me." The young mermaid complained, "Just because I'm the youngest, they think I can't look out for myself. They always tell me to stay here in case I get hurt."

"What's going on?" I tried to conceal the panic in my tone.

"They're fighting again, aren't they? Apparently there is a boat that is trying to steal us all or at least kill us or something but I'm never allowed to fight because I'm not old enough..." Elaine murmured, sighing.

"Is it just you here?"

"Yes but I get awfully bored and lonesome because they take ages."

"Where are they?"

"Don't say you're going as well... Now I'm going to be really bored... Well anyway, if you swim to the surface, you'll see them." Elaine huffed.

"Thank you and take care of yourself."

I swam to the surface hurriedly praying that Syrena would be alright. I saw fire and heard screaming and shouting a little way off. The sky was black and I assumed it was either a lot of smoke or it was still night-time. I made my way as quickly as possible over to the fire and then I came across Claudia who was looking extremely savage and I almost didn't dare approach her.

"Claudia, where is Syrena?" I spoke a little timidly.

"She is around the other side of the ship. Philip, do not go to her." Claudia warned.

"Why not?" I asked, confused.

"She may die trying to protect you."

"But I want to make sure she's okay."

"Philip, please." She spoke impatiently.

"Remember when you asked us if we would protect each other? Well that's exactly what I want to do right now."

"Oh do as you will, but she didn't want you to find her in case it was you who died trying to save her."

I turned and swam underneath the large ship until I was able to resurface again.

"Are you looking for Syrena?" I turned and saw Erin with her fangs extended at a rather worrying length. I nodded.

"She is over there. The one fighting off that man. Don't worry – she will easily beat him. He was silly trying to get an advantage in the water."

I made my way over to her as fast as I could and I thrusted myself from the water as hard as I could and tackled the man from her. I dragged him beneath the waves. He stared at me and I spoke, "I will let you go only if you swear to not attack another mermaid again."

The man still stared at me in complete shock. I tightened my grip, "Do you promise?"

He nodded feverishly and I released him.

It was all pointless when I saw another mermaid pull him in the general direction of the cavern.

Well... I tried, at least.

"Philip, what are you doing?" Syrena asked me and I pulled her away as another man threw himself at her.

"Thank you... now please go." She gasped. I pulled her once again as a cannonball plunged into the water next to us.

"Thank you again."

"Don't mention it. What is going on?" I asked.

"The ship is trying to capture us but it's nothing really... we have a lot of experiences like this."

"Is anyone hurt?"

"Not from our sisterhood."

"Wait... so you aren't the only mermaids?"

"Of course we're not." She was looking about us, searching for signs of danger.

I then saw a group of mermaids with emerald tails thrashing past us heading towards the surface.

"They are our cousins and friends. But, Philip, please you must go. They will kill you if they see you."

I nodded, "Fine, but I don't want to leave unless you're coming with me. I will protect you. And if you want to sink the ship, why don't you attack it from the bottom?"

Syrena shrugged, "I will speak to Claudia." She touched my cheek before she swam away.

"Wait, Syrena!" I called after her before I saw a mermaid with an emerald tail swim towards me, her hands reaching out to grab me.

"Stop! He is a friend! He is with us!" Erin swam in front of me and waved her arms.

The mermaid with the emerald tail nodded, "I apologise, only you'd better get him to leave. He may be killed otherwise."

She turned away quickly and Erin faced me, "You had better go."

"Thank you, Erin."

"I guess we are even now." She grinned before swimming away. I then saw all the mermaids suddenly shoot towards the bottom of the ship and begin tearing the wood away and piercing holes in it. This was my cue to leave. Just as I was about to swim back towards the cavern, I was dragged down towards the bed of the ocean.

I could see nothing in the darkness apart from two fangs glint at me in a wicked smile.

Cynthia.

Again, apologies for the short, crap chapter and the delay. I know it's my worst chapter but I've just been so busy lately and have been neglecting all my stories, but hope you enjoy it anyway. And thanks again for all the reviews, I really appreciate them and they make me happy and more likely to update sooner ;D