I don't own these characters; Disney does.
2: The Little Mermaid
The shrill cry of sea gulls echoed through the clear day over the soft sound of breaking waves. The sun peeked out behind thin clouds roaming through the crisp, blue sky. The air was warm, but a gentle breeze blew off the water that made the temperature perfect. It was a peaceful day, perfect for relaxing, and it seemed like it might stay that way.
"Hey, I think we have floater on the port side, Captain!"
And there was goes the peace. The captain sighed and looked over to the crewman. Frustrated hands went up for a moment. "Bring it aboard! It might have some valuables on it!"
"It's come down to this, my love? You're plucking coins off of corpses?" The question was asked by a gentle voice with a teasing lilt to it.
"Don't start, Vivi. It's not like the corpse needs the money," the captain pointed out, lightly slapping Vivi on the backside. It was quite easy to do since Vivi straddled the captain's waist.
Vivi yelped from the soft swat. She then leaned down, causing blonde hairs to tickle the captain's face. "I didn't start anything, but you're about to start something if you keep hitting me like that in front of the crew."
"Says the woman lying in my lap, using me like a mattress. I wouldn't suggest you threaten me on my ship, Vivi."
The blonde let loose a scoff and her blue eyes rolled. "Your ship? My dear captain, if I left right now, you'd be lost at sea for the rest of your life. You'd be forced to eat Will."
"I was unaware that wood was edible." The retort was made in a dry tone.
A teasing smile worked its way onto a smooth, creamy face. "Trust me, as I know all about that."
A growl escaped the captain. "Is that a slight against me, Vivi? Talking about the captain is mutiny 'round these parts, ya know?"
Dramatically, Vivi put her hand to her forehead and let out a low wail. "Ah, I wonder what the terrible Hound of the Sea would have done to this poor noblewoman that was kidnapped at such a young age."
The captain snorted. "Kidnapped my ass. And don't even get me started on the noblewoman rubbish you're spouting, Vivi. Now, can I get back to enjoying this warm, peaceful day before we get back to business as usual?"
A taunting sigh was followed by a simple, "Fine."
This put a smile on the captain's face. An onyx eye drifted shut while lithe arms wrapped themselves tightly around the blonde's slender body. Sleep was mere moments away when the captain was called again.
"Captain, you better come look at this!"
A snarl clawed its way from the captain's throat. "What? What do I have to look at? If you've seen one dead body, you've seen 'em all! Now, just check the damn thing for valuables and then throw it back in the damn water before it stinks up my ship!" How hard was that?
"I think it's a mermaid!"
The captain made a strangled noise, not sure where to start being outraged from those words. "Are you some new kind of idiot?"
"Betty," came the scolding tone from above.
"Vivian, don't! You know more than the rest of these curs how long I've been wanting to just relax for five minutes and now I have to put up with hearing foolishness about mermaids!" the captain reminded the blonde.
"But, you're the one who ordered they pull the body in, Betty. So, stop whining and go see what they want."
The captain frowned and put a stiff finger up. "I, the feared and deadly Hound of the Sea, Betty Blackheart do not whine, Vivian."
"You're doing it now. Now, get up before I let your crew know your surname is far from Blackheart." And there was that teasing smile again.
The captain grumbled under her breath, but she did not say anything. She shifted Vivian to the side, sliding the blonde off of her. After that, she climbed to her full height and yawned. She had a feeling this was the end of her lazy day.
Clear blue eyes followed Captain Betty as she straightened out her navy blue jerkin (1). Vivian was about taunt the captain with a whistle, but she decided against it and just made it a point to look extra-comfortable in the captain's favorite lounge chair. Betty glanced back just in time to see Vivian stretch out like a lazy kitten.
"Oh, Vivi, if you weren't my navigator." Betty scowled, shaking a fist at the blonde.
A flash of white teeth gleamed in the light as Vivian smiled. "Is that really the only thing saving me, dear?"
The brunette captain only frowned deeper and walked off before Vivian ended up embarrassing her any more than she already had. Stepping down from the poop deck, Betty marched over to the crewman who obviously could not handle one corpse on his own… or one mermaid, as he would like her to believe it was. She thought about how she could punish him for stirring her from her very comfortable resting place when she suddenly saw why he called her.
"A girl…?" Betty muttered to herself when she saw the wet, petite body of drowned redhead on the floor.
Her hair masked her face, so Betty could not determine much about her condition. She then noticed the slight rise and fall of her small chest. She adjusted her eye patch, in case it was somehow affecting her vision. It was not. The girl was breathing.
"A live girl," she corrected herself, rubbing her chin in thought. While the girl was clearly not a mermaid, she could understand why she was disturbed now.
"Eh, Captain, what should we do?" the sailor asked with his eyebrows curled up and his shoulders hunched in a shrug.
Betty sighed and shook her head. "How troublesome. Take her to my quarters. Maybe our resident know-it-all can do something about this drowned mermaid."
The sailor shrugged and Betty turned her attention back to the poop deck. How troublesome indeed. She would now have to go back to Vivian, whom she had made it a point to be especially mean to all morning, and ask for her help. Well, it was either that or she would have to handle the strange mermaid girl on her own… for Vivian to find out later.
"Since I have no desire for the crew to raise a blue flag (2) anytime soon, I'll let Vivi tend to the girl," Betty commented to the air as she walked back up the stairs to the poop deck. She growled again and made a tight, aggravated fist when she saw Vivian had the nerve to actually fall asleep! It was supposed to be her lazy day, not everyone else's!
She wanted to rant and rage over Vivian's sleeping form, but it would not do any good. Sighing, the captain's shoulders slumped. She had to remember she needed to be on Vivian's good side right now. If she asked Vivian for the favor and Vivian rebuffed her, it would only lead to more trouble down the line. With that in mind, she gently shook the blonde awake.
"Hmm… it's a little early and out in the open for you to be hovering over me, my dear," Vivian remarked with a small smile as her eyes focused on the captain.
"I have a matter I need you to attend to," Betty replied in a low, tense tone.
Vivian's smile transferred into a smirk; one that the captain fully recognized. "Ah, but I thought you didn't like performing for the crew," she teased, reaching out and grasping the brunette's arm.
A familiar growl echoed in the wind. "Not that kind of matter! It seems the mermaid they fished out is still breathing."
A golden eyebrow lifted. "And…?"
Betty's body shook with frustration. "And I wanted you to attend to her, but if her royal highness is too busy napping, I suppose I could take care of it!" she snapped. Oh, boy, she knew she was going to get it later on for the attitude, but she did not care at the moment. Vivi was so frustrating sometimes!
Sky-colored eyes narrowed and pink lips twisted into a frown. "You could take care of what? Pawing at this girl?"
There was a snort. "Oh, now I have your attention. Before, I couldn't get the time of day when I requested your help, but now when you think I'm going to have my hands all over some pretty body you suddenly care!"
Shriek did not begin to cover the sound that escaped the blonde. "Pretty?"
The crew, being quite used to the captain and Vivian's bickering, went on like nothing was happening. Eventually, both stormed off the poop deck, retreating to the captain's quarters. The crew was actually surprised the noise did not continue there. In fact, the silence was so strange it was deafening to the sailors.
"Vivian… killed the captain?" one man dared to voice the fear of several crew members.
"Idiot! As if! Sure, the captain acts scared of Vivian, but in a real fight, we all know the fearsome and dreaded Hound of the Sea would devour Vivian!" someone countered. And this brought on bets as to who was murdered since there was no screaming coming from the captain's cabin.
-8-8-8-8-
"So, how is she?" Betty asked from her seat across the spacious, neat room… where she could not see any of the "mermaid's" body. It was a strategic position on her part, so she would not later be accused of sneaking peeks, which would lead to an argument she really did not care to have.
"Aside from almost drowning, it seems there's nothing majorly wrong with her. I was a bit concerned over the bloodstains on her clothing, but she's not cut anywhere. Well, not recent cuts anyway," Vivian reported. She stood over the young woman, who they had laid down on the large bed. The velvet bedspread would need to be changed later, Betty made a mental note of it.
An eyebrow rose over Betty's eye patch. "Not recent cuts?" That seemed like an odd thing to point out.
"There were light marks here and there. I suspect she had an active childhood. Probably something like you," Vivian replied, turning to smile at the captain.
Betty smiled a little, too. "We don't run into lots of women who are 'something like me.'"
Vivian shrugged with a playful glint in her eyes. "It could be a sign that we found this mermaid then."
"Yeah, we could use an extra-deck hand!" the captain joked.
"Remind me not to vote for you again when we need a captain," Vivian teased. A small groan from their cabin-mate drew their attention back to the figure on the bed.
Betty's boots echoed dully on the light wooden floors as she marched over just as olive green eyes fluttered open. The captain stood by Vivian as they peered into deep eyes that clearly looked passed them. They suspected those eyes looked passed the ceiling, maybe even passed the world.
In fact, the world was a meaningless blur to the owner of those green eyes. Even the pain tearing through the worn out, half-drowned body was inconsequential. The mind barely registered the fact that it was not icy cold anymore and water was not all around anymore.
"Awake now, are you, mermaid?" Betty inquired.
"Careful sitting up," Vivian cautioned, but the petite body did not heed her warning.
The redhead rushed up, a deep, agonized moan escaping her. Despite the obvious agony that poured through her eyes, she remained standing up. She took deep, loud, ragged breaths, causing her back to rise and fall as her chest moved in and out. Her face was almost white and her lips had a blue tint to them with black circles under her eyes. Vivian hunched over a little, in case she needed to catch the young woman. Betty just watched, unconcerned.
"I can guess I'm not dead… unless Hell smells like the ocean and has sea gulls in it, which would make sense," the young woman muttered. Underneath the ocean smell, there was a soothing scent of sandalwood.
The blonde had to chuckle. "Well, this might be Hell, but I can assure you that you're not dead."
"I'm fairly certain Hell wouldn't have such a comfortable bed," Betty grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.
Groaning a little and rubbing her pale forehead, the redhead squinted as she tried to focus. "Where am I?" The question came out scratchy and exhausted. Her eyes scanned her new surroundings, noting that nothing appeared familiar.
"On the Global Justice," Vivian answered.
The redhead frowned. "Another ship, great," she groaned through her teeth. "Where are you bound for?"
"We don't have a real destination right now. Why, mermaid? Someone chasing you?" Betty asked with a bit of a sneer. Vivian reached over and patted her hand, knowing the brunette was in a funk over what she felt was a slight against her ship because of the younger woman's attitude.
"Does it matter?" the young woman countered. They thought it was highly likely someone was after the redhead. Why else would there be blood on her clothes? The real question was if it was through fault of her own or not?
"Actually, it doesn't. This would be the perfect place to be if someone is chasing you. Joining up with Betty Blackheart's crew means no one in their right mind — or even their wrong mind — would mess with you," Vivian remarked, a light laugh escaping her.
"Betty Blackheart…?" the dazed woman echoed, brow furrowing in thought. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but she could not remember where she heard it. She could not remember much of anything at the moment.
Betty scowled again. She was only the most dreaded pirate in the waters, and yet this little whelp had not heard of her? Vivian squeezed Betty's hand a little tighter to rein in her temper. Betty sighed and ran her hand through her short, brown hair.
"Are you from the mainland?" Vivian asked.
"Yes."
"You might know her better as Betty Director," Vivian supplied, earning a monstrous glare from the captain. The blonde gave a small, angelic smile as a false apology.
The redhead thought on that for a few seconds and then suddenly nodded. "Oh, the daughter of the shipping company baron who went missing years ago." She turned her attention to Betty, squinting a bit to help keep everything in focus. "Why are you on a ship then?" she asked.
Betty blew out a breath. "I didn't go missing. I took this ship and went out on my own when my idiot father decided there was no way he would let a woman take control of his company. He just says I'm missing now to save face. If anything, it's this idiot who's missing." Betty jabbed her thumb at Vivian.
"Vivian Francis Porter," the blonde introduced herself, extending her hand to the redhead.
Olive eyes blinked hard, recognizing that name almost instantly. "Your husband is a baron… Rumors have been flying that you were kidnapped by pirates…"
"Rumors are just that. I'm this ship's navigator and part-time doctor, making me the most important person on this ship, despite how it might look," Vivian boasted, holding her chin up high. "And you are?"
"Oh!" the redhead chirped, coloring slightly as she realized her rudeness. "I am Kim Possible."
Betty nodded. "Well, Kim Possible, you look well enough and able-bodied enough to know this is a pirate ship, and you're now the latest addition to the crew."
Oddly enough, Kim did not look alarmed. Vivian looked over at Betty, who just arched an eyebrow to the lack of reaction. Olive eyes just swept over the cabin, taking in the light wood of the room, the clearly rich furniture, and several mirrors to make use of the sunlight coming in through the bay window at the back. Kim turned her attention back to the two older women.
"A pirate ship?" Kim echoed and then she pointed to Betty. "And you're the captain?" she asked, face scrunched up with mild confusion. But, women were considered to be bad luck on a ship. How did a woman become a pirate captain?
"Actually, I only let her think she's in charge," Vivian remarked, bumping the Captain with her hip.
Betty groaned and mumbled something that suspiciously sounded like, "This really is Hell."
Kim's face twisted a little more, having some trouble keeping up. "So, I've been conscripted into the crew. How did I even get here?" She rubbed her wrinkled, clammy forehead with her right hand. "The last thing I remember…" she trailed off as flashes of blood and Josh's lifeless body bombarded her mind. Her body started to shake and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep her being together.
Blue eyes softened with some understanding as Vivian sat down next to Kim on the bed. She put her arms around the younger woman and held her, not too tight. She had no desire to spook the girl.
Betty stood still, watching and noting Kim really did not register the presence embracing her. It was like Kim did not need the embrace, Betty thought. Although, she knew Vivian would not see things that way, so she did not share her thoughts. No need to get into even more trouble.
"We fished you out of the water, mermaid," Betty stated plainly, sensing Kim would hear her despite the fact that it seemed like she was lost in her own head. "You were basically dead when you got hooked. So, now, you're part of the crew. Don't try to wiggle your way out of it."
Kim nodded, which Betty actually expected. She was pretty good at reading people and she could see strength in the petite form cluttering her bed. The petite form that Vivian cuddled against like a stuffed doll, she realized.
"And, try to stay away from Vivi. She's the greatest troublemaker here," Betty said, motioning to the blonde with an almost dismissive wave of her hand.
"Only when it comes to you, my dear," Vivian replied with a sly smile.
Kim noticed the expression, but did not have the brainpower to ponder it at the moment. A grunt escaped the captain as she left the cabin, giving Vivian a simple look. The blonde nodded.
"Well, Kim, first thing we need to do is get you out of those clothes. You're soaked to the bone. Now, you'll never be able to fit anything from me or Betty and, unfortunately, we don't have any other female crew members at the moment. But, we'll figure something out," Vivian proclaimed with a chirp in her voice, as if to soften a blow.
"No other female crew members?" Kim shuddered as her stomach twisted. Great, on another boat full of horny men. "Dare I ask why?" It seemed odd to her that the captain was a woman and there was the very feminine blonde in front of her, so for some reason, she thought there would be other women on board.
Vivian smiled. "They tend to leave once they earn enough money to make a respectable living. The men are much too shortsighted for that and blow their earnings on wine and women."
"I can believe that." Kim considered that might be why more women were not sailors in general.
Vivian rubbed Kim's shoulder. "Yes, now, let's find something for you to wear. Do you have any preferences? I'll warn you, it'll be hard to do any work in a dress."
Betty laughed as Kim glanced at Vivian. "Don't worry. Vivi doesn't work." Vivian was in a very basic gown and she glared at Betty.
"I don't mind trousers," Kim replied. Vivian nodded.
-8-8-8-8-
Betty stood on the poop deck, staring down at her crew. She had them assembled to have a brief meeting. Her hard onyx eye gazed down on them, letting them know she meant business, so they had better listen to what she had to say or there would be terrible consequences.
"Men, we'll be getting a new crew member in a few minutes. She's a young, pretty little mermaid fished out of the sea. Probably younger than any woman we've had onboard before. I expect you to treat her like any other sailor, but also expect you to be smart about how you handle her. You know how I am when we get lasses on the Global Justice. Now, unless you be wanting to feel the kiss of my bullet or the embrace of my cutlass, I'm sure you all know what to do," Betty announced. She then turned to a young man standing behind her. "Make sure you keep them on their toes, Will."
The young man, Will, saluted with vigor. His eyes were sharp and his body rigid. "Aye!"
"And, Will, try to be a little less… navy," Betty said, even though she knew that would be a waste of words.
As expected, Will's onyx eyes squinted briefly, showing he had no idea what his captain meant. Instead of getting a headache and explaining to Will for the millionth time that he was not in the navy anymore, Betty gave up. She threw her hands up and walked away, returning to her chair and determined to get back to her lazy day. That lasted for about five minutes before a shadow blocked her sun.
"Yes, Vivi?" Betty inquired, knowing it was the blonde even though she had her eye closed. The navigator was the only one onboard bold enough to stand before her when she was attempting to relax.
"I thought you might want to see our newest sailor in her new clothes," Vivian replied, sounding all too pleased with herself for whatever reason.
"Unless she's got a mop in her hand and is now scrubbing the deck, no, I don't want to see her," Betty replied, not bothering to look up. "Take her to Will and get her some chores." She then dismissed the blonde with a flick of her wrist.
Vivian giggled and turned to Kim. "Today was supposed to be her day off, but you'll find she's always grumpy unless she wants something."
"I suppose finding a 'mermaid' didn't help matters today," Kim commented, taking a look around the ship. It looked like any other ship, bustling with activity.
Kim looked and felt a little better. Along with finding her new clothes, of a plain shirt and brown knee breeches, Vivian had given water and food. She was not strong enough to do much, but she could probably handle a chore like mopping the deck.
"I'm surprised since she likes mermaids, a little too much," Vivian replied, eyes narrowing on the captain.
"I'm not letting you get to me, Vivi. Take her to Will and get out of my sun," Betty commanded, sharply waving her hand to banish the blonde from her presence. Her hat was right underneath the chair. She grabbed it and used it to cover her eyes.
Vivian smiled a little. "I'll remember how thoroughly you dismissed me later on tonight."
The captain made a strangled noise, knocked her hat off of her face, and her eye popped open just in time to see the backs of Vivian and Kim. They were down on deck before her throat cleared enough for her to say anything. Since they were gone, she fell back to her chair and just accepted she was screwed… or, more accurately, she would not be.
"I'm taking you to meet Will Du. He's the boatswain," Vivian informed the redhead. "Do you know what that is?"
Kim shook her head. "Until recently, I was strictly a land-based creature."
Vivian smiled even more, amusement sparkling in her cerulean eyes. "Funny that the crew is going to refer to you as the 'mermaid' from now on then. But, the boatswain is just in charge of making sure everyone's doing their jobs and keeps the ship sailing. He's a little uptight. Betty says he doesn't realize he's not in the navy anymore and she doubts he ever will realize it."
Kim nodded, showing she understood the parts she needed to anyway. Before they made it to Will, she understood the rest. He was easy to pick out, barking out orders and standing so rigidly Kim considered his spine might have been a metal rod. His clothing was much neater than the rest of the sailors and his hair was cut short and combed back unlike everyone else's. He did not have the appearance of a salty sea dog like all of the other men.
"Hey, Will, this one's all yours," Vivian announced, patting Kim on the back.
Will turned to regard the pair. He looked Kim up and down with a careful eye. For the first time in a long time, she did not feel leered at. He seemed to be sizing her up.
"Right. The captain told me," Will replied.
"Well, I'm sure the captain didn't tell you this, I want you to take really good care of her. She reminds me of a certain grouch," Vivian remarked with a smile.
It seemed Will did not get the joke, not that Vivian expected him to. She was fairly certain she had never heard him laugh. His attention turned back to Kim and he seemed to look at her as one would look at a hammer. That was much better than the way the sailors on the last ship she was on looked at her, but it still bothered her.
"Here," Will said, scooting a bucket of water over to Kim with a gentle nudge of his foot.
The redhead peered down into the clear water and Vivian shook her head. She did not say anything, but she had a feeling that using Kim to scrub the deck was a waste of talent. But, then again, there was really nothing else to do anyway. It was a lazy day, after all.
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: Kim learns about being a pirate.
1: a jerkin is a sleeveless, man's close-fitting jacket, which was typically made of leather.
2: pirates flew a blue flag when they lost their captain.