Hey guys! Thanks for the amazing reviews. They're absolutely great! TheBlueJellybean, I'm watching you :P [if that isn't who I think it is, then please ignore that comment]. Enjoy!
It was another dreary day. Gray clouds were looming over the humdrum town of Storybrooke, Maine: a land cursed and blessed by magic from another realm. The hazy skies filled everybody's hearts with dull boredom. Everything was quiet like a lazy Sunday afternoon. Sleepy citizens wandered aimlessly about, searching for nothing as they had for 28 years.
Apart from one.
Shay Winters, a young bartender, laid in her bed, enjoying a peaceful nap into the late afternoon. Bleak overcast light drifted into her window, fluttering against her smooth pale skin. Her auburn hair glittered against the muffled sunlight, shining even brighter than the rays of the golden star. She was calm. He almost didn't want to wake her.
"Ahem," the voice coughed.
Shay peeked open her emerald green eyes, her mind half way between worlds. She sleepily acknowledged the intruding voice before wandering back into a dreamy state.
"Little mermaid," the voice cooed, "Wake up."
Once again, she opened her eyes, this time a little more awake. That voice, she thought. The redhead abruptly stood her, her eyes blaring at whoever violated her privacy. A tall, dark figure leaned against her doorway, smirking at the disheveled young girl as she shot him deadly looks.
"Hook," Shay grumbled, "What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?"
Captain Hook smirked. His blue-green eyes twinkled against the meager light, illuminating the room with his playful banter.
"Aren't you glad to see me?" the pirate jested, flashing the young girl a flirtatious wink.
Shay straightened out her hair, trying to process why exactly Killian Jones was in her apartment in the first place. She didn't remember inviting him here last night, nor this morning. The redhead rubbed her eyes, pushing back the migraine she felt on the back of her head.
"You were rather drunk last night."
Shay paused.
She couldn't have been drunk. She was at home the whole night. Wasn't she? No, no, it was all coming back to her. Last night, Shay was in the bar with Killian, talking to him about something. What were they talking about?
Shay scratched the back of her head. Everything was a blur.
Killian fiddled with his silver hook as he keenly watched the mermaid climb out of her bed. Her pile of red hair fell against her shoulders like a cascade of flames. The young girl was half-clothed, with a short-cropped shirt and boxers: her glistening thin legs immediately drew the attention of the lustful pirate's lingering gaze.
Shay turned to Hook, whose wandering eyes were fixated on the one reminder of her deal with Rumplestiltskin.
"Hey," the redhead snapped. "Eyes up here, sailor."
Killian's eyes found their way back to eye level. He smirked: a trademark move.
"Feisty this morning, are we?" the pirate grinned. "Get dressed. We have a lot to do today."
Shay grimaced. "We?"
She didn't like the sound of that.
Hook raised an eyebrow. "You promised, didn't you?"
The young girl's memory from last night was still hazy. She barely remembered how she got home, let alone any past conversation she had with the pirate.
"Promised what?" The redhead furrowed her eyebrows.
Killian revealed a coy smile. "To show me the zoo," he said.
Shay stood there, her mouth wide open. She watched in a confused daze as the pirate gave her some privacy to change. Her hands were on her drawers, holding onto the knobs for support. Her knees were going weak.
I promised what now? she thought.
"This is a zoo?" Killian frowned, crossing his arms at the entrance.
Storybrooke's town zoo was located near the outskirts of the town, nearly touching the town border with its farm animal exhibit. It was a small park with few animals held captive which was probably the reason why not many people were too eager to go to the zoo: it was abandoned most days.
But Shay loved coming here. Whenever time cleared up (or whenever she felt down), the young girl would wander over to the zoo and watch the dolphins flip their fins and the horses gallop. It was her escape, her private sanctuary.
Now, she was bringing a pirate.
"Are you coming or not?" Shay exasperated.
Killian smirked. He sauntered up to her, his eyes beaming down at the young mermaid. Hook reminded Shay of a lazy jungle cat, the way he moved, so self-assured, like he was stalking a prey. Or a lover.
"What's your rush, sweetheart?" the pirate said, his faces inches away from her lips. Shay blinked at him as she felt a tinge of his warm breath against her cheek.
The redhead pursed her lips, watching as Killian's enchanting eyes looked away and intruding in her safe haven. Though she wouldn't care to admit, the pirate did intrigue her. She let out her long-held breath and followed him inside.
If either of them were blind, they would immediately know their whereabouts by the smell alone. There was a sharp odor of animal fur and worthless hay that filled the air. Exotic animals bleated and roared in perfect synchrony. Shay giddily smiled at the sound of a cow letting out a prolonged "moo" in the distance.
As they entered, the entrance man flashed Shay a warm smile. She waved at him back as Killian watched her with a curious look.
"You've been here often?" the pirate asked.
"What makes you say that?" the redhead smirked, edging onwards.
Upon entrance into the zoo, there were many colorful signs pointing in different directions around the park. One pink arrow indicated the direction of the farm animal patch. One blue sign pointed towards the jungle cat cage. Another green one led to the way to a quaint birdhouse. Where to begin?
The pair visited Storybrooke Zoo's most well known attractions first, if any could be deemed "well-known". The mermaid and the pirate strolled around the reptile room, watching the caged creatures itching at the glass cage. Shay revisited the only giraffe in the entire facility, a lonely animal named Herman, whom she empathized with. Killian, using his unhooked hand, fed the resident baby deer, his eyes gleaming with delight at the innocent animal's large endearing eyes.
As much as the mermaid would not care to admit, Killian and Shay were indeed enjoying each other's company.
Even, she had to admit how surprisingly fast time flew by. The two were so invigorated by the sights and sounds that they barely noticed the Storybrooke Bell Tower chiming. They had been out for more than three hours: a surprising record even for the fascinated young mermaid.
The redhead watched with amusement as Killian poked his fingers through the barbed wires of the predatory birdcage. The pirate seemed genuinely interested in the animals at the zoo, a fact that was quite a shock to the redhead. She never took him to be the sensitive type who appreciated nature's gifts. Seeing the man grinning uncontrollably at the majestic birds, Shay knew how wrong she was.
"Come on," the redhead grinned, resting a hand on Hook's shoulder. "There's something you have to see."
Hook followed Shay towards the indicated direction of a blue sign with worn-out white words scrawled across the wooden board. The words were long faded, washed away with age and indifference. The pirate had no idea where they were headed, but there was a clear impression that the young girl indeed saved the best exhibit for the last.
"Where are you taking me, mermaid?" he asked, his long leather coat swinging at his thighs with the slight breeze.
"You'll see," Shay smiled, charging forward.
Hook wore an amused grin on his face. The two were the only ones strolling along the sidewalks of the abandoned zoo, paving their footprints against the dirtied stepping-stones of the ground. Their strides were in sync as Shay's emerald green eyes glittered with anticipation.
The withdrawn sun shone its glory, gradually emerging from the mass of gray clouds that departed from the blue skies. Shay felt the warmth of the sun's rays descend upon her cheeks, praising the end of the formerly bleak weather. The lethargic demeanor was lifted and the town reawakened in vitality.
When Shay saw the exhibit, the redhead came to a complete stop.
She smiled, gesturing towards Killian the magnificent sight before them.
The pirate smirked. "This is it? Fish?"
An aquarium stood before their eyes, with a rainbow of fishes and sea creatures swimming around a semi-large tank. The colors reflected the sunlight against the pale shade of clear water as schools of these graceful mammals swam from one end to the other. Shay cracked a smile.
"They're so much more than fish," she said, resting her arms against the rail and observing in awe.
Killian shifted beside her, watching her eyes trace the movement of a tiny yellow fish, paddling across the surface. He chuckled at her subtle gestures. A faint smile, a twitch of the eyebrow, a scrunch of the nose.
"You seem to be healing quite nicely," he remarked, motioning towards Shay's right shoulder.
The young girl looked down, seeing the painful reminder of their previous encounter with the wolf. The wound was healed, now stitched and sealed from further bleeding, but Shay still winced slightly at any sudden movement in her arms. But the wound was healing, as was any memory from that night. Or so she thought.
"Thanks to you," Shay nodded.
Why did you say that, Shay thought, mentally kicking herself in the shin.
She sighed. Ever since Regina, Cora's unholy daughter, joined their merry band of evil, the redhead has been on edge. The mermaid and the Evil Queen were, by no means, associated back in Fairytale Land, but they were, in fact, disdainful towards the other. Seeing as how Ursula, Ariel's stepmother, was a dedicated asset to the Queen, Regina was less than pleased to meet the girl responsible for the wicked stepmother's demise. They have been having difficulties working together since.
Killian recognized her suffering immediately and most likely stemmed from similar ones. Although he and the Queen had no grudges, the pirate could feel the overcrowding of their group. Four was a crowd. His solitary way of life was compromised, his lone wolf tactics no longer called upon.
The mermaid and pirate were both at loss.
What else could the pair do but drink their sorrows away?
She chastised herself for allowing enough interactions with Killian; God knows she gave him enough last night. Shay scrunched her eyebrows, thinking back to that night. Blurry images. She was sitting on the tabletop, giggling at a drunken Killian fumbling around the tables. Was that it? No, she remembered distinctly talking to Hook. She still couldn't recall their conversation, just mindless drinking and a lot of laughter and her curiosity was tearing at the seam.
"Hook," Shay quietly said. "What exactly did I say last night?"
The pirate smirked, turning to face her. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
When Shay stared him down with serious green eyes, Killian pursed his lips, watching uncomfortably as her eyes pierced a hole through his heart. She looked concerned, like she revealed herself to the wrong person. Hook wanted desperately to prove that she didn't.
"Most of it was a jumble," Killian shrugged. "A lot of talk about the zoo, your roommate. Some of it made no sense."
"And the part that did?" Shay egged on.
Killian smiled. Shay, seeing his expression, was first in shock. She had rarely seen the pirate sport a genuine grin: those were reserved for feeding baby deer and petting bald eagles.
"You talked about Eric," the pirate said.
The redhead winced, contemplating the imaginative range of things she could've revealed.
"Relax," Killian smirked, "You said nothing of importance. Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed that talking was all we did last night."
Shay let out a sigh of relief. As much as the mermaid had grown tolerate Killian's comings and goings, she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to trust him yet. After all, he was a pirate.
"You must get annoyed at how much I talk about him," Shay sympathized.
The pirate simply shrugged. "I don't mind."
There was an unspoken understanding between the two as they eyes glided across the fish tank. The little yellow fish floated steadily before their sight. Its beady eyes stared at the young girl, watching her with confusion. Shay reached out to touch the glass seconds before the fish fluttered away. She smiled.
"Why do you enjoy coming here?" Killian asked, watching the intrigued girl.
Shay sighed. Her eyes were distantly watching the ocean of fish, hoping to once again retreat in her dream world.
"It's the closest I can get to home," Shay said.
"The ocean?" the pirate asked.
The girl gave a small nod, shutting her eyes. In that moment, she was back home with her sisters, wandering Atlantis before Rumplestiltskin, before any curse. They were smiling at her as they did 30 years ago. Their gemstone tails glittering against the afternoon sun beaming down into the waters.
Shay opened her eyes, anticipating the sea. All that stood before her was a tank.
"Let's go," the redhead muttered. "The zoo's about to close."
Shay treaded towards the entrance, the pirate pacing beside her. She watched as the exhibits passed by their peripheral vision: birds, reptiles, cows. They all nodded at her as she passed them by, as if to say goodbye to their dear friend once more.
The melancholy feeling of leaving the zoo overwhelmed the young girl. As much as she loved coming here, she hated leaving even more.
As the pair neared the entrance, she knew that the day was ending, that Sunday was close to its demise. Soon, it would be the start of another week, another lifeless adventure.
Just before the two would bid farewell at the entrance, Killian smirked at the young mermaid, his eyes glistening with mischief.
"You never formally invited me to the zoo," he admitted, wearing a wry grin across his face.
Shay paused. "I didn't?"
The pirate shook his head. "You talked about it so much last night that I became intrigued."
The redhead let out an exasperated breath. "Couldn't you have come alone instead of dragging me with you?"
Killian smirked. "I'd come to enjoy your company, little mermaid. Besides, something tells me you wouldn't pity another visit to your home."
Shay opened her mouth to say something witty, but the pirate whisked away into the distance before she could respond. She bit her lower lip, not knowing what she felt. Betrayal? Surprise? Glee?
As she too walked away from the abandoned zoo, Shay smiled to herself. She glimpsed back at the distant pirate, shuffling across the sidewalk with his leather coat and sinfully brown hair. For once, she acknowledged him for what he was.
Her friend.