The bar was crowded. Drunkards were pushing through the counter to swipe a drink. Mugs of beer were spilling all over tables. Peanuts were scattered around the floors, waiting to be picked up. The loud raucous could split the head of any sober being but everybody in the bar was drunk. Save for one.
A young redhead stood in the corner, arms crossed in exasperation. Why do I work at a bar again? she thought to herself. Her green eyes glared at everybody who passed her. Some even took a long look at her body before they walked off: to them, she flashed an eye roll. Whether it was the ear-splitting noise or the idiocy in the room, it didn't matter. Eventually, her bad mood would wear off. Smee, her boss, waved at her desperately to begin wiping down the tables as clients gradually slowed to a manageable amount.
While the drunks left into the darkness of the night, Shay Winters began to hum a melody, pulling at the wipe towel from her side pocket. She had missed singing so much. When the young woman thought nobody else was listening, she began to hum slightly louder. Each note lifted above her voice and filled with bar with calm serenity and undying admiration. Shay was so self-absorbed in her song that she didn't see a dark figure approach her.
"Got a lovely voice there, sweet cakes."
Shay swiveled around. A red-faced problem drinker looked her squarely in the face (or her fuzzy twin next to her). He flashed her an unruly smile as he stared into her beautiful emerald pupils.
"Thanks," Shay said, refusing to look at the drunkard for too long. She turned around and returned to the messy table, that is, until she felt an unwelcome hand caressing her waist.
"How 'bout we take this to my place," he slurred in her ear.
Shay grimaced. Her fists clenched into tiny balls. This guy had picked the wrong day to mess with the bartender.
She turned around swiftly and aimed a right hook directly into the man's jaw. It would've done some severe damage had it not been for the hand that grabbed her fist in midair. Shay turned to her right to see who was dense enough to irritate the bad-tempered mermaid. There was only one person.
"Normally, I'd applaud your efforts, mate," Killian Jones smiled at the drunk, "But not tonight. Get out."
The drunk scurried out of the pub when he stole one look at the hooked hand on his wrist. He wasn't sober but he was clear-headed enough to know not to get in a ruffle with a pirate as infamous as he.
"You shouldn't reveal yourself so openly," Shay muttered. "Wouldn't want to ruin your evil plans before they begin."
Captain Hook smirked. "Shouldn't there be a thank-you in there somewhere?"
"Not if I could've handled myself," the redhead remarked, continuing to wipe down the table.
"I don't doubt that," Killian smirked as he slid down into the chair and placed his feet on the table.
Shay glared at the pirate. "I was cleaning."
The pirate pouted his lips. "By all means, go ahead."
It has been a week since the pirate and the young mermaid first met, a week since Shay joined the merry band of misfits in their quest to destroy the Dark One. When she hadn't heard from either Cora or Hook for over that week, Shay assumed that they simply forgot about her.
It's not like I'd be much help to the world's most notorious pirate and humanity's most powerful witch, Shay thought to herself.
But it seemed the silence was broken when Hook decided to stop by during business hours. And here, Shay had hoped she would never have to see his pompous face again.
"You've missed me, little mermaid," the pirate joked. "I can tell."
"Keep telling yourself that," Shay remarked stiffly as she pushed his legs off the table.
"The cold shoulder can only last so long, love," the pirate smirked. "One day, you'll warm up to me."
It seemed that his flirtatious attitude didn't wear off, even with their intimate chitchat the other night: Hook's tale about the tragic Milah and Shay's very own personal misfortune. She had hoped that the pirate would act more sincere rather than his normal self. Her mistake.
Shay rolled her eyes. "Why are you here again, Hook?"
"I'm here on behalf of Cora," the pirate's grin wore off. "She wants you down by the docks in five minutes."
"So what are we waiting for?" Shay threw down her towel and grabbed for her jacket.
Smee, her boss, shot her a dirty look, which she shrugged off. The pirate rose from his seat and swaggered across the bar, the impressionable bartender following swiftly behind. What was Cora up to now? Shay thought as she pushed the doors open to the darkness of the night.
The young girl was sly. She nonchalantly entered Storybrooke's grocery store, her hands tucked innocently behind her back as she watched the cashier. There were many customers crowded into the shop, pushing each other for the day's last slice of roast or the remaining candy bars. She shut her eyes to calm her breathing. Everybody pushed past her but she remained still, staring directly at the bushel of apples standing before her.
Carefully, the young girl grabbed the luscious red apple and examined it. Others took no notice to her as she clandestinely pocketed the fruit in one of her many jacket zippers, slipping the apple in the midst of bulky cushions of stuffing. As the store clerk argued with another man for the price of Kool-Aid, the young girl shuffled out of the grocery store, quietly celebrating her small yet significant achievement. She made it!
As she exited the shop, she removed the red apple from her pockets and took a bite out of its side. She was so hungry that she had forgotten what the fruit had tasted like itself.
"Bravo."
The girl looked up in fright, leaving fruit juice dripping down her cheek. There was a scrawny, tall figure lurking the shadows of the shop, smiling at her.
"That's pretty good for an amateur," the boy grinned. "Was that your first time?"
"Who are you?" the girl demanded, gripping the apple tightly around her fingers.
The boy had unkempt black hair strewn across a pair of deep chocolate eyes. He was tall but rather skinny, like he was almost starved to death. His face however was warm and friendly. There was no sign that he was hostile, especially to her.
"My name is Al," he smiled. "What's yours?"
The girl paused. She never trusted anybody easily, but for some reason, she decided to trust him.
"Shay," she nodded. "Shay Winters."
Al smiled softly at her. "It's nice to meet you, Shay."
He looked at her from the bottom up. She was wearing nice clothing, hardly something a thief would be caught dead in. But her demeanor said much more. She was reluctant to trust the boy, hugging the apple like it was the last scrap of food, and gradually stepping further and further away from Al as time passed. She was one of them.
"Here, why don't you come back with me?" Al suggested. "You can tell me all about your story."
"My story?" Shay murmured.
Al nodded. "Everybody has a story worth telling, don't they?"
Shay smiled for what felt like the first time in a long while.
The young boy grabbed her cold hands and led her down the street. Shay took another bite from her apple, feeling the sweet juice drip down her chin and for once, enjoying the taste that it filled her mouth with.
Empty docks. At least that's what Shay assumed. The fog had descended upon the nighttime air. An eerie echo of seagulls clucking in the atmosphere filled Shay's eardrums with an overall ominous feeling. At this point, the young girl had wished she'd stayed behind in the bar.
"Well," Hook smirked. "Aren't you coming aboard?"
Shay raised an eyebrow. "Have you gone blind since the last time we spoke? There isn't anything here."
The pirate smiled mysteriously. He took a step forward and ascended like he floated in midair. Impossible: people couldn't fly.
"How…" Shay muttered in disbelief.
"Magic," Hook sighed. "Vexing nonsense but efficient, I must say. Now are you just going to stand there, darling, or come aboard?"
Shay took a hesitant step forward and felt the ledge with her feet. Gradually, she climbed faster and faster up the plank, watching her feet rise above the ground in awe. She felt a wave of invisibility pass through her. Did her eyes deceive her? There was an entire ship before her.
She couldn't help but let out a slight smile. With all the ships she had seen in her lifetime, watching them from afar on her distant rock during her childhood, this was by far the most extravagant, the most beautiful ship. With its yellow lining and royal blue hull, Shay was deeply impressed. So much for cold shoulder.
"It's amazing," she whispered.
Hook smiled and for once, it was truly genuine. "She's my masterpiece."
Shay ran her fingers across the wooden board, feeling the smooth panel against her soft hand. She couldn't help herself. For a second, the world once again saw a glimpse of Ariel.
The pirate coughed slightly. Ariel disappeared from the world and Shay took her place once again. Those brilliant emerald eyes shimmered less as her feet were once again grounded steadily on the wood of the ship.
"You may want to save your applause for later, love," Hook stated. "Cora doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Shay nodded, turning away from the smooth panels of the ship. The pirate led her down into the captain's quarters of his ship where the pair swung along with the movement of the waves. Shay held onto the wall of the ship while Hook moved effortlessly down the stairs. As she reached the bottom of the ship's belly, Shay felt a thin breeze of wind run through her, sending chills up her spine. That's when she knew Cora has arrived.
"You called," Shay remarked sarcastically, her eyes fluttering around the hull of the ship in search of the invisible witch.
Like that, a flash of purple smoke emerged before the pirate and the mermaid, revealing a tall and vicious magician before their midst. Cora flashed her a slight smile, remaining stone still. Out of the corner of her eye, Shay noticed the pirate tensing at the presence of the sorceress. He was afraid of her (with good reason).
"Look in the back," Cora addressed both Killian and Shay. "I left a present for both of you."
The sorceress was as mysterious as ever, never forwardly admitting to her plots or motives. Hook moved forward, pulling the doors of the cabinet at the floors of the ship. As they swung open, the pirate let out a faint smirk.
Shay glanced into the bottom and saw a truly horrific sight: man tied up and gagged. Upon a look, the redhead knew exactly what the two villains planned to do. She never had the taste for torture or violence; the only vice she allowed herself to indulge in was thievery and even then her conscience often interrupted.
"That's the town shrink," Shay observed. "What's he doing here? Everybody thinks he's dead."
"Well he looks awfully alive to me," Hook said, facing the witch. "How is this a gift, Cora? I believe I made my requests quite clear."
"That you have," Cora nodded. "That cricket is the key to unlocking the Dark One's secrets."
"Pray do tell," Hook said, scratching his chin.
"He knows the comings and goings of every townsperson," Cora smiled darkly. "Even you, Shay Winters."
Shay's eyes looked up from the ground. She was shooting daggers through the sorceress's forehead, but it had no effect on the witch's impending taunts.
"I had no idea you were such a notorious thief in Storybrooke," she smiled. "With such a sophisticated upbringing, I expected more."
"Are we here to talk about my family history," Shay snapped, "Or get some work done?"
Hook smiled. "She has a point."
Cora turned back to the poor man trapped in the chambers of the ship. His eyes flashed by Shay in a sense of recognition, realizing her presence with these villains couldn't be good for Storybrooke's wellbeing. She crossed her arms and looked away from the man's judging eyes. She was only here for the prize, not the ride.
"I'll leave you to your interrogation," Cora remarked. "I have other business to attend to."
And in a flash of purple, the witch disappeared before their eyes.
Without hesitation, Hook began mercilessly grabbing the man from the cupboard, pulling him above the hidden burrow and setting him on the ground.
Shay stood there, shuffling her feet. It wasn't like she was going to be much help in an interrogation: Shay didn't have the stomach for ruthless beating and torturing information out of prisoners. Up until now, she hadn't truly seen the despondent pirate in his element. That night, the redhead caught a glimpse of it.
Hook shoved the therapist off to the side and grabbed him by his collared shirt. "What do you know about Rumplestiltskin?"
"I…I don't know much," the man stuttered.
"Aye," Hook smiled cruelly, "But you know something."
The man gulped.
Killian grabbed his throat, causing an unpleasant gurgling sound to emerge from the therapist's lips. Shay pressed together her own lips in disapproval.
"Your silence is unsettling, cricket," Killian muttered into the man's ear. "I would hate to have to make you talk."
This went on for a while, or for what felt like a while. Shay stood there with her arms crossed, watching with a pained face as the pirate intimidated his victim. Shay didn't know what else she expected from Killian: he was a pirate after all.
Threats were thrown back and forth but the cricket wouldn't waver, though he stuttered much. Shay was rather admirable of his bravery while Hook was irritated by it.
"My patience is wearing thin," he muttered.
"Strange," the cricket whispered through his teeth.
"What was that?" the pirate demanded in a cruel voice.
The cricket's eyes widened as he saw Hook press his prosthetic hand against the man's chin, watching him squirm. The therapist clearly knew what cruel deeds the hook had done and he did not want to become one of them.
He cleared his throat and spoke his conscience.
"Just some observations," the therapist mumbled, "Symptoms of psychotic obsession and vengeance-driven rage."
Shay scoffed. Both men turned to stare at her.
"The guy's spot on, Hook," she shrugged. "You should listen."
The therapist continued, "It's probably driven by a death of a loved one. A spouse, perhaps."
Hook let go of the man's shirt, backing away from him. The therapist took this as a positive sign so he proceeded with his prognosis.
"You're probably feeling despair or loneliness, which is quite normal for people in your position," the cricket rambled on. "But you've kept your feelings buried deep for a long while which amounted to your hard exterior and your excessive pursuit of women."
Shay smirked quietly to herself: dead on. The grin was wiped off her face when she saw the look that Hook expressed: utter shock and misery. But the therapist, unbeknownst of the pirate's reaction carried on his psychological analysis.
"The real problem with this particular condition is the accomplishment of vengeance," the cricket said. "Patients afterwards are often empty and without motive. That's when the true psychotic behavior begins."
"That's enough," Hook growled, his fists clenched dangerously firm at his side.
Both the cricket and the mermaid widened their eyes in fear. Shay scrunched her eyebrows at the pirate's agitated appearance. He seemed genuinely bothered by the cricket's psychoanalysis. Killian stood there glaring at the cricket, as if examining him under a microscope for dissection. Without warning, he pulled the prisoner back into the hull of the ship, leaving him shrugged against the walls of his prison. The pirate himself climbed up the staircase to the sea-breezed docks of his ship, leaving in isolation to process exactly how accurate the cricket's predictions of him truly were.
Al led her across Storybrooke into the outskirts of town, where no upstanding citizen dared to venture. He told her he was bringing her home, wherever that was.
When they stumbled upon an abandoned pathway, the young girl was beginning to regret her decision to follow this stranger. The street was paved with foul drifters and other unruly beings, staring uneasily at her. Shay's green eyes darted around her, trying to ward off any lingering hobo or dangerous mugger that may come onto her. Al chuckled at the young girl's panicked reaction.
"Relax," he whispered. "You're safe with me."
Shay certainly didn't feel that much safer. The neighborhood was far from what she was used to, even before becoming an alleged thief.
After passing a lane of frightful looking individuals, the boy pulled her aside into a deserted, old house. The decrepit building stood along a pathway into the deep forests of Maine. The faded white paint and broken porch didn't bode well with the girl's perception of "safe". There was a distant cackle of laughter emerging from the inside the house. Shay took a few steps back.
"Come on," Al whispered softly. "They're waiting inside."
Who was waiting? Shay thought to herself as Al took her hand.
As they stepped closer and closer towards the crummy shack, the laughter and conversations began to grow louder and louder. Shay gripped Al's hand tighter as she felt a wave of anxiety roll through her.
Their feet stepped onto the porch; Shay was careful not to make any sudden movements that could accidentally fracture the entire structure.
"Shay."
The young girl's eyes peered at Al. He smiled welcomingly, pushing open the door.
"Welcome to your new home."
Inside, revealed ten or so guys sitting along the floorboards. Some were playing cards. Others were arm wrestling. They aged from as small as eight to as old as Shay: some were even older like Al. All of them were wearing raggedy clothing stolen from garbage bins or thrift shop. There was no doubt that they were all thieves and yet each wore a huge grin on their face as they saw a new addition to their misfit family.
"Boys," Al smiled as he placed one hand on Shay's back. "Meet our newest member, Shay."
The boys all gathered around Shay, introducing themselves to her. They had never seen a girl in a long time, especially not one as beautiful as she. Though she was still quite frightened, Shay still stood out as exceedingly appealing, with flowing auburn hair and glowing emerald eyes. The band of thieves was enchanted.
"Where'd you find this one?" one of the older boys asked as others began to greet her to their humble abode.
"She was stealing apples outside the old Sleepy's pharmacy," Al grinned. "Quite good at it for a newbie."
Shay smiled as she shook hands with a blonde young boy around the same age as her. Out of the entire group, he looked the friendliest including Al. He wore a familiar grin and a rather nostalgic blue hue of eyes. He looked so familiar: she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"I'm Shay," she nodded.
"Sebastian," he beamed, "But people here just call me Stan."
For the second time that day, Shay smiled. It was a record, smiling twice in one day. One that would be broken with each passing moment.
"That's a nice name," Shay said, staring hard at Stan.
Shay wouldn't remember every person in the intimate group, but a few stood out to her immediately. There was a young boy around ten who reminded her of an ecstatic puppy: he called himself Fred. Another boy around his teens with was less exuberant and almost blank: he didn't give her a name. Then there was Jason, the charismatic young fellow that was one of many that acknowledge the young girl flirtatiously. Down the line, Shay met every boy: Al made sure of it. If she was to be properly initiated into their family, she needed to meet them all.
"Now, I want you all to make Shay here feel welcome," Al twinkled, "After all, she's been having a hard day."
After introducing her to everybody in the family, Al settled down next to a boy named Rob and began discussing some private business, probably a new ambush on the local grocer.
Sebastian offered Shay a fresh banana from their heap of stolen goods.
"Hungry?" he asked.
Shay shook her head. "No, thanks. I just ate."
The pair sat down on the ground across from a group of youngster playing Go-Fish with a moldy deck of cards. Sebastian stared at Shay for some time before opening his mouth and speaking his mind.
"How did you end up as a thief?" he asked.
Shay pursed her lips. "It's kind of a long story."
Stan shrugged. "We've got plenty of time."
She bit her lower lip. Where to begin? The young girl thought back to her old life, digging up unwanted memories. She didn't remember much about her family: for some odd reason, the recollection was hazy. But she remembered.
"I ran away from home," Shay explained.
"Really?" Stan asked sympathetically.
Shay nodded. "My family was always telling me to be someone I was not. Be the perfect daughter. Be the cute younger sister."
"So you ran away."
"And became a street rat," the redhead smiled to herself. "Not one of my best plans, I have to say."
Sebastian looked admirably at the girl, her shoulders shrugged against the wall but her spirits held high above the ceiling walls of the torn-down roof of Storybrooke's most infirm home.
"You're brave," he remarked.
Shay scoffed. "Right. I'm sure they give out medals for worst daughter of the year."
"No," Stan shook his head. "I mean you're brave to just pick up and run. No person I know would have enough guts to do that."
The redhead let herself grin brightly at the flattering boy. "Thanks, Sebs."
They sat there in silence. Shay shut her eyes and drifted off into an easy sleep with the melodious sound of laughter and warmth encompassing her into a sweet dream.
As the redhead emerged from the belly of the ship, she immediately spotted the captain sitting against the ledge of his ship, sipping from a silver flask. His ruffled brown hair billowed in the wind as his eyes wandered distantly into the darkened horizon. He looked distraught, or slightly drunk. Shay shook her head.
The mermaid could hardly blame him for acting this way. His prisoner brought to light every mistake he had made throughout his life and shoved them into one compact mental evaluation of his impending insanity. Anybody would be upset, if not furious.
She carefully strolled up the stairs, watching as Hook purposely avoided eye contact with her. As the therapist noted, he made it his duty to conceal the inner workings of his mind: to have them revealed like an open wound was probably a blow to his façade or, God forbid, his ego. Shay was probably the last person in the world he wanted to see.
Such feigned indifferent didn't stop her. The young girl reached the head of the ship and sat herself down next to the distressed pirate.
"Nice night," Shay acknowledge weakly.
Hook remained silent.
Shay cleared her throat. She never planned as far as here. Comforting and sweet-talking a pirate was not in her skill set.
"You know," the redhead jokingly smiled. "I hear therapists make horrible party guests. Go figure."
Again, utter silence.
Shay bit her lower lip. She was almost out of ideas. The pirate took another sip from the flask, drops of alcohol slithering down the edge of his mouth. She ran her fingers through her chestnut hair, pondering her next move.
"You mind if I take a sip?" Shay asked, pointing at the bottle Killian gripped tightly in his right hand.
"You drink?" he said, looking at the girl with raised eyebrows.
Shay rolled her eyes. "I'm a bartender, Hook. It's in the job description."
She awaited the many taunts that would come from the pirate's mouth, but surprisingly, none came. He simply handed her the silver flask without a sound.
Shay grabbed the flask and took a sip. It was strong tasting liquor with an almost spice-like flavor. In short career of bartending, she'd never come across a drink quite as zesty. She scrunched her eyebrows and attempted to swallow the piquant beverage in one gulp. Still, the pirate made no joke.
It was time for the last resort. The redhead reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out a tiny packet.
"What's that?" Hook asked, taking back the flask.
Shay smiled. "Jellybeans," she said, waving the colorful package in front of his disoriented blue-green eyes.
Hook stared at her. "You're not going to leave anytime soon, are you?"
"No."
The pirate took the packet of jellybeans from Shay's hand and examined it under fluorescent light. They were small spits of red, blue, green in one convenient little case.
"Are these magic?" he asked her.
She shrugged. "Pretty much."
Cautiously, he tore open the foreign pack with his teeth and dozens of jellybeans scattered across his palm. He picked up one of them and twirled it around on his fingers.
"Not that one," Shay exclaimed, stealing the jellybean away from his fingers. "Blue ones are my favorite."
Hook made a face that reminded the redhead of the phrase "stealing candy from a baby". But she didn't care. Shay popped the blue jellybean into her mouth and grinned at him, with a teethful of blueberry flavor.
He picked up a red jellybean and mimicked her action. Killian placed the candy in his mouth and chewed.
Shay didn't expect the treatment to work so soon but the moment the pirate swallowed the "magic bean", he let himself smirk once more.
"It's quite good," Hook remarked.
"Would I ever steer you amiss, captain," Shay smirked, taking another jellybean from Hook's palm.
The pair sat there devouring the candy.
Killian seemed to take a particular liking to the blue jellybeans, to Shay's detriment. Whenever she tried to snatch another blue one, the pirate was one step ahead of her. She would grimace, taking a green one instead. After finishing off the entire collection, the pirate seemed to revert back to normal conversation.
Carelessly, Killian threw the empty plastic wrapper of jellybeans off the edge of the ship; it landed in the dark water, floating away from the Jolly Roger.
"That's littering," Shay exclaimed.
"You just happen to have these beans with you on the whim?" Killian asked, ignoring the girl's pleas.
Shay nodded, her eyes still wandering to the floating trash on the seabed. "Jellybeans are the only thing that make me feel better when…"
She left the words hanging mid-sentence.
"When you're thinking about him," Killian finished for her.
The two sat there watching the faint waves carry them from left to right. Shay took a deep breath. She almost missed the reminiscent scent of the ocean. Almost.
Shay turned to look at the pirate with piercing green eyes.
"What was she like?" the redhead whispered.
Hook stood there strong and silent. Shay didn't know what reaction she hoped to gain. Anger? Perhaps. A punch in the face? Most likely. But her curiosity got the best of her. Shay wanted to meet the woman who had enough spark to enchant the famed playboy pirate.
"Wild," he recalled with a sincere smile. "And fearless."
"I can see what you liked about her," Shay warmly said.
"What about your prince?" Hook asked, taking another sip from his flask.
Shay thought, Where to begin? The girl hadn't thought about him so more than 28 years, but she still remembered every outline of his face down to the cheek dimples.
"He was adventurous. And caring. It was never boring when he was around," Shay sighed.
Her mind began to wander deep into her memory, recalling those naïve days where Eric and she would walk hand in hand down a beach with no care in the world. Shay looked back on her impression of her old self and realized how truly childish she was, thinking she could be Ariel forever.
The redhead peered down at the man's right arm as his fingers fiddled with the silver container. She noticed some writing sprawled across his forearm in red and black ink.
"You must've really loved her," Shay pointed out.
Hook smirked. "What makes you say that?"
The former mermaid pointed at his forearm. "Your tattoo. It has Milah's name on it."
Killian smiled at the observant young girl. It wasn't hard to figure out that he was truly in love with Milah, but not many had the pluck to say it to his face. After all, he had the tendency throw overboard anyone who would dare mention the taboo name.
"Does it bother you?" Hook inquired.
"No," Shay shook her head. "Why would it? I have one too."
Killian's eyes sparked up in delight. "You have a tattoo?"
Shay nodded, immediately regretting her words.
The pirate smirked, eyeing her up and down. "Where?"
Shay rolled her eyes. "That's for me to know."
"And me to find out?" Hook flirted.
The redhead scoffed. "Glad to see you got your ego back, Hook."
Though Shay had no taste for the flirtatious Hook, she still would rather see him talkative than mute. It was odd to think that Killian Jones was a man that could be broken with the single mention of a woman's name.
"Thank you."
Shay's eyes perked up.
"What was that?" she asked, staring down the captain in utter surprise.
Hook smirked. "Surely you've heard me say that before, sweetheart."
Shay was sure that she hadn't. The pirate has said many things, mostly dirty words or heated threats. However, never did she nor any of his past crewmates hear the captain utter those two words. It was completely out of character: very un-Killian-like.
"No," Shay shook her head.
"Would you like me to say it again?" Killian joked.
Shay smiled. "I think I may have a voice recorder if you want to give it a go."
He grinned. Shay couldn't explain why but Killian's smile suddenly filled her heart up with tenderness, a feeling she hadn't allowed herself to feel since Eric's death. The pirate warmheartedly slid his hand over hers: the mermaid flushed a shade at the slight touch of human skin.
"Thank you, Shay."
The pair beamed at each other and for the first time since they met, the two shared a truly intimate moment. But their friendly exchange was short-lived.
At the intruding sound of heels clicking against the docks, Shay and Hook looked up from their prolonged stares in panic. Killian's expression shifted form adoration to
A young girl dressed in a loud shade of red walked along the wharf, a Dalmatian accompanying her. Shay recognized her from Granny's Bed and Breakfast. She was that girl who worked there. What was her name again? Scarlett? Renee?
The girl leaned down and petted the dog on its head.
"Do you see Archie, Pongo?" the girl said into the dog's ear. "Is he close?"
Damn it, Shay thought. They were looking for the therapist. How the hell did they even know he was alive?
Hook immediately reacted. His hand moved from hers as he stood up from the ledge, preparing for an attack on his craft. His blue-green eyes skimmed over the docks, scrutinizing the girl's every movement.
Shay jumped up from the side of the ship and peered over at the intruders.
The red girl walked closer and closer towards the ship. Shay could hear her heart pounding in her head. The girl and the dog were so close to the vessel that they could reach out and touch it. Pongo, sensing their presence in the water, turned towards the dock, barking incessantly at the invisible ship. Red Girl frowned.
"There's nothing here," the girl whispered to the dog.
Shay almost sighed out in relief: they weren't discovered.
Until the girl paused. Something had caught her eye. Pongo had stopped barking but she had leaned over the edge of the dock, the ship's wall inches away from her face. Shay gulped as Red Girl fished around in the water and picked up with her manicured hand a discarded jellybean wrapper.
Shay turned and glared at Hook. The pirate replied with the silent drawing of his sword. He knew it was a matter of time before the girl would be aboard the ship.
Red Girl wiped the residue water on her shirt and straightened out the packet, holding it against her nose. Shay furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
Killian mouthed, "What is she doing?" to his accomplice.
Shay shrugged.
They eyed at the girl as she shut her eyes and took in the scent. Too late did Shay realize that Red Girl was smelling them. When she opened her eyes, golden lupine-like pupils stared directly at them, seeing through the invisible shield that kept them safe. Shay shivered as she watched the girl's wolf-like eyes dart around the docks. The golden shade faded from her pupils but she had already gotten what she wanted.
In a matter of seconds, Red Girl found the invisible ledge and was approaching the Jolly Roger at a rapid pace.
"Ah, hell," Shay muttered, picking up a spare sword from the random jumble in Killian's stash. She needed to defend herself.
The redhead positioned herself next to the pirate captain, holding the sword in an awkward position at the side. Killian let out a taunting smirk at her impotence at swordplay before grasping the peril they faced when the girl laid eyes on them.
As Red Girl passed through the shield of invisibility, she saw two unruly individuals pointing swords at her chest, threatening her entrance upon the vessel. Her eyes widened in shock as the entirety of the ship unveiled before her eyes. Shay stood there, quivering from the heavy weight of the sword while Killian, standing beside her, stood naturally still. Red Girl's eyes glanced from the pirate to the girl.
"What's going on here?" she demanded, gripping the jellybean wrapper tight in her fist.
"I could ask you the same thing, love," Killian snarled. "What are you doing aboard my ship?"
Red Girl, ignoring the pirate's words, turned to Shay.
"You," she whispered. "I recognize you. You're the girl that works at Smee's bar, aren't you?"
"Part-time job," Shay remarked. "How did find this ship?"
Red Girl gloated by revealing the jellybean wrapper in her hands. "You two should learn to cover your tracks."
Shay gritted her teeth, shooting Hook a fatal look. It was his wrapper that he threw into the ocean. This was simply karma repaying their misdeeds. The pirate, however, returned with his signature smirk.
"It's what you get for littering," Shay muttered to her partner.
"What's life without a little vice, eh?" Hook breathed in her ear.
Shay couldn't help but smile. It seemed harder to give Killian the cold shoulder after their heart-to-heart earlier.
Red Girl stood in front of them, her face resolute.
"Where's Archie?" she demanded, her eyes flickering from a mellow brown to a dangerous gold.
"Walk away," Hook said coldly, facing the yellow-eyed girl, "Normally I wouldn't be saying that to a beautiful woman but I'm going to have to make an exception for you."
Only the infamous Captain Hook could possibly be threatening and coy in the same sentence. Red Girl grimaced. She was outnumbered and everyone on the ship knew it. However, either she was extremely brave or extremely stupid because the girl stood there unmoved. She obviously wasn't leaving without getting what she came for. They'd reached a standstill.
"I leave you for a few hours," a voice emerged from behind. "And you managed to jeopardize our entire operation."
Shay whipped her head around and faced a disgruntled Cora, standing in the center of the ship and angrily eyeing the intruding passenger. The mood promptly darkened; the mermaid noted, out of the corner of her eye, Red Girl stiffening at the smell of black magic.
"It's hardly our fault," Shay muttered contemptuously.
"The trespasser on Hook's ship seems to say otherwise," Cora stated as she nodded at the Red Girl.
Shay, pumped up with anger, swiveled around and faced the witch. She drew her lips in a thin line and shot menacing looks.
"You wanted an interrogation," Shay seethed. "We gave it our best shot."
"Perhaps," Cora flashed a cruel smile. "Now here's mine."
Curiously enough, the sorceress dissipated in a flash of ostentatious smoke once again. Shay began to become very irritated by her employer, not that she wasn't already before.
She turned back around to deal with their problem at hand. But it seemed their problem just got ten times worse.
"It seems I may have coined a misnomer," Killian bantered uneasily, "When I called her a beautiful woman."
Shay's eyes widened. Red Girl was no longer in sight, but an angry black wolf stood in her place, snapping at them with jaws of sharp teeth and eyes of pure animalistic instinct.
"You think?" the redhead remarked sarcastically.
The pair backed away from the animal, but it slowly followed in their footsteps, stalking them towards the edge of the ship. Shay gripped her sword tightly as she watched the big bad wolf creep closer and closer towards them, each stride larger than the last. Her legs quaked in fear, but she tried to stay strong. Killian remained speechless, but Shay knew that he was just as scared as her. And whenever that was the case, she knew they were in deep trouble.