A/N: So here is the next chapter, it picks up right where the last one left off. Not beta'd. OUAT is not mine. And please don't pitchfork me in the end because there may or may not be another cliffy in your future.

Anyway, I know it's been a pretty dark depressing ficlet so far, and 7 chapters in miiiiiiiiiight seem like a lot (it sure feels like it to me writing it, finding that inner angst isn't as easy as it seems) but this fic was listed with the genres of Adventure/Romance and I do solemnly swear that while I am up to no good there will still be plenty of Romance and plenty of Adventure in future chapters as well as a little future lemon (after all it is also rated M…as soon as I can flipping get there) to make up for it. I have big BIG plans for this story and I hope I can keep you all with me while it develops.

So on that note, Keep Calm and Read On!

Posted: 09/09/13

Part of His World

By: Morgansgurl

"Aladdin," he obliged, and in a much more formal voice added "Sultan of Aragbah."

"Sultan of….yeah ok." She replied with a snarky laugh that clearly insinuated she wasn't buying a lick of it. She leaned her head back and pulled her red locks over one shoulder.

There were so many things wrong with this man's introduction she didn't even know where to begin. A Sultan, he didn't look the part of a King or Emperor or anything royal much less a Sultan of a distant land. No, his clothes clearly screamed that of a common thief, there were no fine linens on his body, just course and cheap cotton. He must have been trapped here so long he's gone delusional she mused, a sarcastic smile pulling at her lips. Was this her fate, was she start thinking she was a fairy or vampire? At least he choose something with plenty of grandeur for where they were. And wasn't that another problem all in itself. Why on earth, heaven, or hell would a Sultan be in the disgusting depths of a Pirates Ship brig? How incredibly unbelievable and outrageous. Surly if he was truly a Sultan his army, his servants, his people would have slayed the entire crew and hung the Captain high to dry as warning for taking their ruler. Well, depending on the type of ruler he was. Still the entire scenario was very unlikely, so unlikely it was laughable.

"You don't believe me?" He inquired.

"Not. At. All." Ariel stressed each word, a bit of a dry laugh in between each stop. Did he honestly expect her to believe him, because the number of reasons she couldn't wouldn't fit on both of her hands or her toes, she imagined that maybe he could figure that out on his own without her having to spell it for him.

"Why would you," he mused, making a tsking sound with his tongue. "Given the current state of things, I doubt I would believe me either." He surmised.

"Smart one you are." She interjected her incredulity showing.

"But….it is true." He said matter of fact, with that air and tone of authority and superiority that Eric had always used when someone questioned anything about his decisions or station. Not that it happened often if at all.

"I'm sure it is." She added. With each statement it was like she was trying to end an absurd argument with her sarcasm. Which really, it sort of felt like she was. She didn't want to converse about this man's crazy hallucinations, it was just a pathetic foreshadowing of her own drear future down here.

"I thought mermaids were curious creatures?" he asked, confounded by her short and sharp answers.

"We are." She answered, "but as you should well know, I am no ordinary mermaid." She explained. He should know this if he knew so much about her tale. The Hearts of the Ocean. She had never heard their love described like that before, but she found it oddly comforting and fitting. Defying everything she was for a human man, only to return to the sea at the end of it all. Sometimes, when it was quiet and her mind was soothed by the melody of the waves lapping at the sandy shore she would imagine that he was still there with her, part of the water she swam and lived in, his soul every drop of salt in the ocean and his emotions the pull of the currents. There really wasn't a tale as pure and strange as theirs.

"I had to be here," he tried to explain, and part of her was curious but part of her really just wanted him to stop talking. She could tell by his tone he didn't trust her, but didn't think he had much else of a choice. "On this ship I mean, I hadn't planned to be found out and thrown down here." Aladdin continued his voice holding a bit of irritation at the last bit.

"I figured that bit was obvious." Her tone conspicuous.

"I just need to find her." He said sadly, seemingly giving up on the conversation what with Ariel's less than interested and caring demeanor. He had to say he wasn't used to being treated so callously, he had become accustomed to people hanging on his every word since his world had become the most amazing adventure thanks to Genie. The change in his own inflection caught her attention and piqued her curiosity again. She was sure she would regret her next question, but if she were honest with herself his talking filling the musky space between them was far better than the dead silence that only brought with it images of impending doom.

"Find who?" she asked, trying to sound more concerned and sincere. Less of the bitch she had been minutes ago. Could she be blamed though, what with everything she had endured in this twenty four hour period alone?

"Jasmine." He said with such reverence as he spoke. In just her name alone it was easy to tell how much he cared for this woman, how much endless love he had for her. "She is the treasure of my life, and she was taken from the palace while I was away at the Covenant of Kings in Triiual…." His voice choked off and she could hear his throat close up with the anguish of the admission. Even a fool would be able to tell it was the single biggest regret of his life that he was away from Jasmine for any length of time. He blamed himself.

"Who took her?" she asked, trying to keep him from dwelling on what he perceived as the reason she was taken.

"A powerful sorcerer," there was a tightness in Aladdin's voice now, accentuated by his thick Indian accent. "His name is Ja`far, he was once the Royal Vizier of Agrabah to the former Sultan and Jasmine's father." The anger in his voice was barely restrained. "He was a problem before I had become a prince, I was sure we had taken care of him. I was obviously wrong." He finished, and she could see that his fists were balled up tight and she could hear him grinding his teeth in agitation.

"Why would he take her?" she asked, feeling more curious and enthralled with his tale as he wove it. Not that she would admit that.

"He was always obsessed with Jasmine…and power." He replied, the anger now mixed with a bitter sadness. "I supposed if he felt he couldn't be Sultan he would take the only thing in this life I truly cared for, but he could have taken her simply for his own benefit….with Ja`far it's impossible to tell." He let out a heavy sigh as if the weight of the world was pushing that very breath out of him.

Regardless of if his tale was true or not, even if it were some grand master mind hallucination from days of starvation and loneliness, it was still heart wrenchingly depressing. It was the fact that Aladdin seemed to truly believe what he was saying, and he was honestly feeling each emotion to the fullest as if he had really lived it. Even Ariel couldn't deny that he was in pain and that the brief snippets of his story that he had shared were horrible. She wouldn't wish it on anyone, even her worst of enemies. If the roles were reversed and someone had taken her from Eric….she couldn't even begin to imagine.

"Do you have any idea where she is?" she asked, contemplating everything she had been told so far. If her hallucinations became this detailed and depressing she would probably slit her own throat with her sharp nail like claws. It was one thing to have a vivid hallucination, another to be so entrapped by it that it replaced everything you were and had been.

"There is rumor that Ja`far has become king of the Arabian Knights a band of thieves," he explained, not mentioning the torturous weeks it had taken him to pull those rumors from the depths of Aragbah's foulest uncooperative criminals. "My quest required me to come here to Neverland so I could reach the land of Alibaba where they are rumored to be hidden, not an easy feat in this day and age." He let out a deep sigh before continuing his story and she half-listened patiently "I discovered that he had brought her to this world after many nights of searching for her, though his reasons are unknown to me, I assume it was to keep her from escaping as she had in the past, and to make it impossible for me to get to her this time." Aladdin leaned his head back against the wall and pushed some of his darks locks way from his face.

"I had lost all hope until I was in a tavern and overheard a group of Pirates talking about having gotten their hands on a magic bean that could open up portals to the other worlds." his words gained momentum as he spoke, his mind retracing the memories. "I used to be a thief by nature you see, the plan was to take this treasure from them and use it for my own purposes to come to Neverland. I was sure whatever their purposes for it were less than dignified anyhow, the most they would miss from it was the profit." His tone took on a bit of vindication, as if he was trying to justify it not just to Ariel but to himself as well.

"I hunted down their ship and stowed away, I figured a treasure so valuable would be kept on person, so I stayed hidden away and bided my time. When the men would return in a drunken stupor and stumble into bed I would search every nook and crevice, every personal item, every room, even though I knew it was with the Captain." His voice carried off into a bit of dismay, Ariel had long ago figured out the direction his tale was going but kept her silence, allowing him to continue his tale unhindered by her interruptions. "One day a evil creature of the likes I had never seen showed up also in search of the bean, he killed a woman on board in a way I didn't know possible, I watched it all from my vantage point...the Captain he turned into a rage, and before I could react and get out of dodge I was caught, captured, tossed into this brig and forgotten." His voice trailed off again, but this time into a longer pause of contemplation before continuing on.

"I would have fought harder if I hadn't heard him yell out that he was heading to Neverland," he explained. "What were the chances of my luck being so good? It was in my best interest to stay aboard this ship for they were going to take me exactly where I needed to be. But as you can see, I didn't think of a plan past that." He finished.

"Like how to get out of here?" she asked with a slight laugh of irony.

"I didn't think I would have to." He answered cryptically, not nearly as sharing as he was before. His choice of words and tone told her that perhaps there was more that he wasn't saying.

"Well, at least now you have company." She said, choosing to ignore his last statement, it wasn't really her concern and she wasn't that worried about it anyhow.

"Fine company it is." He told her, sounding very sincere.

Ariel wasn't sure when the conversation ended and when sleep began. She remembered chit chatting about nothing in particular, well more along the lines of Aladdin telling her all these wonderful memories and stories of Jasmine. The first time he had taken her on a magic carpet ride, the time she had been trapped in an hour glass full of sand, how he had first laid eyes on her and knew he was in love while she was hidden amongst commoners. They truly had a love of epic proportions that had up until now defied all odds against them.

She dozed off allowing the stress and exhaustion to take her as he told her the elaborate tale of how he had become a Prince, but how it was Jasmine had made him a better man worthy of her love and not his acquired title. The more he talked the more she felt herself inclined to believe his tall tale. If she were to tell him of her love with Eric and how her life with him had come to be, she supposed it would sound as equally delusional as she previously believed his.

Anything could be possible in this world.

There was no telling how many day's they had been locked down in the cells together, it could have been three, but probably four, most likely five. In the pitch darkness there was no way to gauge the passing of time and eventually the hours all started to blur. The only real notable change that was any indication of the passing days was her increasing hunger and the feeling of starvation consuming her. At some point she had to distance herself from Aladdin, sequester herself to the furthest corner of the cell from him and rely on only her willpower to stay there, and she wasn't even sure how much longer that would last.

What made it worse was him telling her he understood, that it wouldn't be her fault, that she had saved him and done all she could and for that he would be eternally grateful. Did he not understand how the steady thumping of his heart as it pushed the blood through his body called out to her, how the smell of his flesh was enough to make her stomach twist violently and make her fangs involuntarily extend.

Did he not understand her kind is known for eating men.

She was hungry. So very hungry.

This was a problem she had not foreseen.

Any creature backed into a corner would lash out and eventually put its own survival first.

It would be so easy to turn the emotions off and satisfy her starvation.

So easy.

That terrified her.

The only reason he was still alive now was because of how accustomed she had become to not eating human flesh, and because she had these pesky feelings towards humans. It was her sheer willpower and those two powering forces that had kept him alive this long, had kept her from her monster within.

It wouldn't stay that way for long.

Eventually her survival would outweigh her desires.

He was going to die.

And she was going to kill him.

"Sirens, they have songs to lure men also, are you one in the same?" he asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

"What!?" she snapped, her mind momentarily forgetting about her hunger pains.

"Mermaids and Siren's both sing and lure men, are you related?" he clarified. He was genuinely curious but he was also trying to distract her. It was a game they had been playing for who knows how long now. She had warned him about her cravings, warned him about what would most likely happen if they didn't get out of this depth of hell soon. He was doing all he could for however long it had been to keep her mind preoccupied from her instinctive nature.

"Sort of…" she let out a soft growl as her stomach lurched and pressed her hand tightly to her abdomen as if that would dull the pain and suppress the cravings. "It's…more like a wolf and a dog thing. We are closely related but not quite, if that makes sense?" she asked, her eyes rolling back into her head as she took in deep lungful's of air.

"It does." He told her. "Tell me about your time on land, do you miss it?"

"Every day." She told him, her mind recalling all the moments in the sun, all the times with Eric.

"What do you miss the most?" he asked, feeling desperate. They had already talked extensively about her live and love with Eric, and she had divulged things to Aladdin during those conversations she hadn't told anyone before. She was about to answer, but before she could there was a sharp click and loud creek as the cellar door was slammed open and a blinding light filled the brig.

She hissed loudly and quickly turned her face away from the offending brightness and threw a hand up to shield her sensitive eyes. There was the distinct sound of boots coming down the steps and then sloshing into the very muck on the floor that they had been forced to sit in for days on end now.

"Well, well, well…" the familiar cocky voice filled the small space with a resonating echo making Ariel flinch. "I had a very lovely and interesting chat with a dear friend of mine and you might know him." He started off casually, as if he hadn't a care in the world and like he weren't talking to a ravenous mermaid locked in a cage. She would gladly eat the flesh off his other hand he had left if he would just venture close enough. "Goes by the name Peter Pan around these parts, he told me you two were quite familiar."

Just the mention of that brats name made a sneer flare up on her features and a deep growl emit past her lips but she didn't respond, he would have to come on her side of the bars if he was looking to get a verbal rise out of her. At least that's what she told herself.

"Not that I needed his permission you see, Pirates don't ask permission…for anything really…" he paced back and forth in front of the iron bars and her eyes followed him with a predatory gleam. He was speaking but her mind was focused on how delicious his thighs would taste, and how rich his blood would be flowing down her throat. "But he told me, to my equal surprise and delight, that I can keep you and good riddance. Now why would that be, venture to take a guess?" he rhetorically asked her, not really expecting a response out of her.

"You can tell that boyish prick that it was one time! And if it hadn't been for his shadow it never would have happened in the first place." She snapped her voice a low vicious growl. She really thought she wasn't going to reply to him at all, she thought she would have more reserve then this. But she was starving and livid and that got the better of her mental resolve to stay silent. It was easy to make snap judgments and poor choices in the state she was in.

He just shrugged his shoulders at her response, which riled her ire more.

"As it were," he said with a lazy expression, his arms folded over his chest with one forearm extended out for emphasis of his words "I wasn't planning on letting you go regardless, but I'll be sure to pass on the message for you." His tone was an annoying mixture of condescending and amused and it drove her mad. Ariel bit her lip and felt her own blood well to the surface, the taste of iron making the growl coming from her chest an almost constant noise that she didn't even realize she was making.

Honestly she was surprised Peter had even bothered to come out at all, much less talk to the Pirate Captain. From what she understood Peter hated adults with a fiery passion so deep some claimed it was like looking into the depths of hell itself. His shadow was a terror, but Peter himself was a terrorist. He had such a blatant disregard for anyone and anything but himself. She remembered the night the shadow came out and terrorized the ship, back when she was naive enough to be captured by her curiosity and had romanticized fantasies of being close to these vile disgusting humans.

"….I just came to see if you had changed your mind about my, hospitality?" he finished, and she had missed everything he had said before that. The last thing she could recall as him talking about passing on the message and now he was asking if she had changed her mind about his hospitality.

"What kind of fucking question is that?" she spat, wrapping her hands tightly around the rusted bars. She could tell he wasn't pleased one bit with her response, the way his eyes narrowed and his lips pursed into a thin line. She could tell that wasn't the answer he was expecting out of her, and she could also tell that he was trying to figure out what to do or say next. Her eyes were dark and challenging, pushing her body up with her tail with what strength she had left so that she could stare at him more at his eye level instead of up at him.

"I see you still haven't learned how things go on my ship." He told her slowly, like he were talking to a small child that just didn't understand the ways of the world yet. "I had so dearly hoped you would have come to your senses by now." He tsked his tongue at her like he was ashamed, like he had any right. He took a few steps closer but kept just out of her reach.

When he moved though a ray of light his body had been blocking shined past him and caught the gems on her wedding ring, causing them to sparkle and caught his eye. He motioned with his hand behind his shoulder without looking to two of his men to step closer and they quickly obliged. As one stepped up and leaned over and whispered into his ear, so softly that Ariel despite her enhanced hearing couldn't quite make out, granted she wasn't exactly focused and wasn't sure she cared enough to try harder to listen.

The next thing she knew the two men were advancing on her quickly; she reached out with inhuman speed and slashed one of the younger ones on the arm, the smell of his blood making her mouth water and her eyes to darken into such a deep blue that was almost black in color. She tried to push her face through the space in the bars but they weren't spaced far enough apart and the next thing she knew her arms were being jerked up as the men were hauling her shackled lead chain back and using one of the horizontal bars for leverage.

Ariel thrashed and fought as much as she could, but her energy was badly effected in her weakened state. What she thought was a gallant fight was little to nothing but a fish flopping out of water, and the sound of the chuckles from those watching on the stairwell made a anger burn deep in the pit of her chest.

When she was pretty much immobilized the Captain stepped forward.

"Coward." She hissed at him.

"Not in the least love," he told her, seemingly unfazed by her accusation. "You don't survive on the sea's by being a stupid man." He explained, a smirk playing at his lips as he reached up to the hand that had the ring on it. Her eyes followed his movements and she hissed harder and tried to pull away but to no avail. "Now what do we have here?" he asked, as he hooked her wrist and pulled it tightly against the bar to keep it still. He reached is remaining hand to the finger with the ring and worked it off her finger much to her dismay.

"No!" she screamed, her voice cracking over the small word.

"Hit a nerve did I?" he asked her with a chuckle, holding up the ring between two fingers and turning it in the light so that he could inspect the quality. When he stepped away from her with her most treasured position the men let the chain lead drop and she fell to the floor.

"Give. It. Back!" she demanded, extending one hand through the bars reaching as far as she physically could. If her eyes could will the ring back onto her finger she would have.

"No…I think I'll hold onto it for now instead." He told her casually with that ever annoying chuckle and smirk. He looked like a cat that had finally gotten the cream and it irritated her to no end.

Her vision was seeing red when he slipped the ring onto his pinky finger, the only finger of his it would fit on. How dare him! He would pay for this. She had been a Queen and that was her wedding band. She would kill to get it back or die trying. If only she could get out of this damn cage.

"Perhaps you need to think about your attitude a bit longer missy," he told her, taking a few more steps back and holding his hand out admiring his new addition. "Maybe next time you'll be more…pleasant and accommodating…then we can chat." His first few steps up the stairs made a panic rise up into her throat, she didn't want to be left here again.

"We're not done." She growled at him, pulling herself over as if to follow his exit, leaning up against the cell door.

"Oh, but I think we are." He told her flippantly, not even bothering to turn around.

"You heard the lady, Pirate." A voice spat angrily from the back of the cell.

Aladdin! She had completely forgotten about him in the midst of everything.

It worked though; the Captain had stopped his ascent and turned around on his heel. There was just the smallest of shock settled in his features, almost unnoticeable. His eyes were narrowed again in that contemplative look of his and after a few moments he came back down the stairs with heavier steps than before. It was bit longer before he finally spoke, her eyes going between his face and her ring on his finger.

"Made a friend I see." He said, his tone carried the slightest hint of curiousness. "Shouldn't you be dead by now sewer rat?" he called out, taunting Aladdin with his words.

Ariel saw his form slowly appear as he stepped out from the shadows as far as his leg shackle would let him go, the bit of light moving up his form as he appeared giving him a demonic look. Hook's only reaction was to cock up one eyebrow.

"The kiss of death was defeated." Aladdin told him. Now she could see the Sultan in him. His strong features commanded authority, his eyes shown with the glimmer of a King that she recognized because it was the same gleam that had been in Eric's eyes when he was King. His tone was calm but triumphant, as if just standing there was defiance enough to mock the Captain.

"Right then," Hook responded, the wheels in his head turning as he tried to put it all together. "You really should be dead by now." He said to no one in particular, his voice cautious yet curious. He rubbed his chin with his fingers, as if the motion would help him put two and two together.

"Yet here I stand." Aladdin replied firmly.

"Yes, how is that exactly?" Hook asked curiously, his eyes narrowed in thought again.

Ariel had the good sense of mind this time to push back from the bars and out of man's reach, pulling the lead of the chain connected to her shackles with her as well. She would be damned if she would let them haul her up again like they had, if they wanted her they would have to come inside on her side of the bars and get her.

She really wished they would.

The movement caught Hook's eye and attention, and then his eyes went slightly wide with understanding. "You did this," he said, and it wasn't a question, it was a statement of fact. His eyes went between Ariel and Aladdin (not the he knew the sewer rats name).

Ariel raised her chin high, her eyes flashing with defiance and pride. She was glad to have done something that upset or at least agitated the Captain, since he was so preen about his beloved rules and such.

"How?" this time it was a question, though a bit accusatory. There was a hint of anger in his voice that made her smile in a `wouldn't you like to know` way. This time she refused to answer, feeling like finally she had the upper hand.

Her silence irked him, and if she hadn't been a mermaid he would have gone in there and throttle her, but he knew that's exactly what she wanted. He could practically see the thirst in her eyes, the desire that had nothing to do with a good toss in a bed. She was hungry, and it showed in every fiber of her being. In fact he was more surprised not by the sewer rat being alive and healthy as if the day he was captured and forgotten, but by the fact that she hadn't eaten every scrap of flesh from his bones.

He had an idea.

"Fetch me the boy." He ordered harshly, not even glancing behind him as the men went to follow his command. It took a few long moments where the three of them stood off against each other in a tension filled silence.

Aladdin defiant.

Ariel smug.

Hook angry.

The tension was so intense and thick it could have been sliced though with a sword. The Captain trying to assert his authority on his own ship to those that refused to obey. Why couldn't life just be simple? Then again, he wouldn't have become a Pirate if he wanted simple, for that he would have stayed in his father's iron smith shoppe. He vowed he wouldn't be treated like the dirt on the bottom of the Royal's shoes like he watched so many times happen to his father. He didn't have the blood of the prince, so he became a God of the Sea's instead.

"`ere ya go Cap`n" the scruffy voice of one of the deck hands said as the pushed the boy forward, watching as he stumbled a bit before he caught is footing. The boy was clearly confused, and slightly scared. She knew because she could smell the fear coming off him in waves.

She recognized him, it took her a moment to place him, but it was the same boy that was on the beach that day that had almost popped the berry into his mouth without thought. Now that she was closer she could tell he was younger than the seventeen she had previously thought, he looked about fifteen. She had seen younger boys on the ships before; they joined the royal navy at thirteen, so his age didn't shock her as much as it would some. But to be on a Pirates ship, what a fate.

"What do you know about Mermaids Max?" Hook asked conversationally, stepping behind the boy and running his arm around the boys shoulder and pulling him close to his side, keeping his eyes locked with Ariel's as he spoke.

"I….I d-d-don't know much sir." He admitted "I mean C-captain."

"That's a shame lad," he said, reaching his good hand up and ruffling the younger boys sandy blond hair. Aladdin shifted his weight from side to side, feeling uncomfortable and uneasy with the sight before him. Something was wrong; he had this gut feeling about it. "You see Mermaid's are wondrous creatures, the most amazing maidens of the sea, you see." He told him as he took a few steps closer to the iron door pulling the boy with him as he went. "Have you ever seen one so close?" he asked, his voice filled with awe and wonder as he spoke.

"No Cap'n, I-I never seen one at all." The boy whispered, his wide hazel eyes making contact with Ariel. His confusion was replaced with amazement and wonder. The kind of curiosity a child has with the world, which would make sense since he was just that. Only a boy.

"Well today's your lucky day boy!" he said excitedly as he nodded his head in the direction of the heavy pad lock.

After that everything happened so fast.

One of the men behind Hook jumped forward and shoved a large gold key into the lock, the click breaking the silence as if it were a gun being shot off in the confined space. Before she knew what was happening Hook was shoving the young boy into the cage and her instincts kicked in, it was like her emotions shut off and the starvation took over.

She lunged at the boy as he tripped from the momentum. She could make out the sounds of some screaming and commotion going on around her, but her focus was the body in her grasp. The taste of blood was overpowering and it filled her senses completely until all she could focus on was the taste of flesh.

So long since she had devoured a man.

Right now it felt like she was coming home.

The boy was struggling but it was hardly noticeable, even in her weakened state she was still stronger than his meager muscles. Max had no hope against a ravenous creature of her stature, even if they weren't in the sea. His screams and pleading fell on deaf ears.

She missed the sound of Aladdin screaming her name over and over again. Missed Hook and the other pirates yelling at her. It was like the world had faded away into the background and all she could focus on and hear was her fangs as they ripped into the boys supple flesh. Bite after bite after bite, the scent of blood was intoxicating. It was like a drug.

It wasn't until she glanced up and the world came crashing back down around her.

Two men were holding a struggling Aladdin in their grasp. Hook behind him holding a sword to his throat. Her eyes narrowed in confusing as she licked her lips, and then the haze lifted and she practically tossed the still barely alive body of Max to the side like a rag doll.

Her blood stained lips and dilated cat eyes were a sight to behold as he pulled back her lips and growled, much like a dog would when it was angry. The muscles in her arms flexed dangerously, and her tail twitched in agitation. She made a move to pull herself forward but Hook stopped her by pressing the sword tighter against Aladdin's neck.

"Finally!" he said loudly, "I was wondering when I would get your bloody attention." He said, sounding exasperated. Her only response was to sneer and lick the corner of her lips. The animal was barely below the surface, and she recognized Aladdin as the only friend in sight. Her foes, many as there were, she would gladly rip out their throats and shove their eyeballs down the shredded esophagus. She had had just enough of the boy's body to sate herself for the short time being.

"Oy, I want to know how you did it Mermaid." Hook told her, she could tell by the small tremble of his legs that he was worried if not scared. Good. If she could get Aladdin out of harm's way she'd prove him right in that regard. "How did you save the sewer rat?" he demanded.

When her only response was to glare he pressed the sword tighter and she watched a rivulet of blood flow down his neck. She licked her lips but suppressed the beast of her hunger and reminded herself that it was Aladdin, the only man to have shown her any kindness since she had ended up on this blasted boat.

"So I was right to assume you have some kind of attachment towards my friend here." He sneered at her, but the slightest bit of triumph glowed in his eyes. It caused a low growl to resonate through her being. "HOW'D YOU DO IT!" he screamed at her. If the tension in the room had been bad before, all the men were on edge and she could tell their prick of a Captain was as well…especially with the way they kept anxiously glancing with horrified expressions in the direction of Max's quickly fading body that she had practically torn to pieces.

"I kissed him!" she hissed darkly. If looks could kill, the Captain would have been flayed alive right then and there. She could tell he didn't believe her

"Save him!" Hook ordered, motioning just slightly with the sword towards where Max lay unconscious. Having passed out from the pain.

"No." she replied barely above a whisper.

"THEN I'LL KILL HIM!" he yelled at the top of his lungs again, his eyes flashing with a rage.

"Your sailor," she hissed darkly, pulling herself a few inches closer and watching as the two men holding Aladdin gave themselves questioning looks, contemplating their situation and perhaps considering it better to make a run for it and go live in the jungles of Neverland. Since if they were to abandon Hook he would run a sword through them both himself. However they stayed, shaking in their boots, but there none-the-less. "Will still be dead." She said flippantly, the nonchalance sending chills down everyone's spine, hook included though he would be caught dead before admitting that.

"How about a trade then?" he proposed, his voice tight but controlled. "You save Max and I'll let your sewer rat go."

She contemplated his trade for the briefest of seconds.

"I can't trust you." She said simply, her voice also tight.

"I might be a Pirate love, but I still have a code." He told her, sounding almost as if he were offended by her words of trust. "I want my sailor back; I won't lose another one to your kind. You saved this trash when I know he was at deaths doorstep, you can save him." When she didn't move or reply Hook took in a deep breath, as if trying to suppress his anger and keep himself from slitting open Aladdin's throat then and there. "You want your man back or not?" he asked darkly, pulling the sword tight again allowing a few more streams of blood to fall free and run down his captives chest.

Ariel's eyes caught Aladdin's. She could see the horror and fear there, but also the pleading and the trust. He barely nodded but she knew that as he had said before, he wouldn't hold her choice or actions against her. Damn that man and his nobility and kindness. It would be so easy to not care about this stranger and just rip him to shreds to get her revenge on the Captain for everything that had happened the past few days. For him having ever come to her peaceful land and ruining it with is filth.

In a silent decision she turned to Max, pulling the bloody body into her arms and giving his blue lips the faintest of kisses.

It seemed like they had waited forever in their poses. Her tightly cradling Max, and not out of caring or kindness but out of wanting to make sure her only leverage stayed in her hands. Hook with his sword pressed against Aladdin so tightly his shoulders started to spasm slightly with the exertion and his neck to ache with the pain of holding the position for so long.

Everyone watched as the gaping tears in Max's flesh started to mend itself, turning into pink scars before fading away into fresh new skin that looked like it had never been harmed. She could feel the beat of his heart become stronger by the second. It was probably a half hour or more of tension and awe from the Pirates at the healing flesh before Max awoke in a start. She held him tightly as he looked around dazed at first then remembered and started to struggle.

When he started to scream after having looked up at her she wrapped her clawed hand around his mouth effectively silencing him.

"Bloody hell." Hook whispered, and most of the other men nodded in amazed agreement. He had no idea that a Mermaid's kiss was so powerful. He had really taken a gamble with the boy's life, he hadn't even been sure the Mermaid had any inkling towards Aladdin but figured she must have if she saved him and hadn't eaten him yet. It was a hell of a gamble to take, but for Hook it paid off. Ariel gave him an expecting look and put her other hand around the boys throat in a similar threatening manner to Hook's sword. If he pulled it across Aladdin's neck she would suffocate the boy without a second thought in front of the Captain.

"On the count of three, yeah." Hook said, scooting him and Aladdin back towards the iron door. She didn't budge a muscle as she watched them. "One." He said the other two men releasing Aladdin's arms and stepping out of the cell "Two." He shifted his weight from foot to foot uncomfortably, the situation tense and palpable for all involved. In a sign of good faith, or whatever kind of faith you could have with a pirate in this kind of situation, she removed her hand from the boy's neck. "THREE!" he shoved Aladdin into the cell and Ariel upon seeing him holding true to his word shoved Max away from her towards the door, watching as the boy scrambled on all fours out of the cell his breathing labored and his eyes filled with terror.

The cell slammed shut with a loud resonating clink of metal that made her want to grind her teeth. The click of the lock closing shut creating a definitive moment in time. The other pirates didn't look back as they practically tripped over each other running up the stairs and out the cellar door, dragging Max behind them.

Hook gave her a hard calculating look before turning on his heel and making his way up as well. Her voice caught him mid-step and he paused for a moment to listen.

"You like a bargain," she said sweetly, as if what happened hadn't just "I'll trade you, for my ring." She offered trying not to sound hopeful that he might be curious and ask her what she wanted for it. That wasn't to happen though.

"You have nothing left I want." He told her flatly, his voice sounding hard but exhausted as he jumped up the last few steps and slammed the cellar door. Leaving them to the darkness of the brig again.

But she did. He had just seen her heal a man near death. She had something he wanted even if he didn't realize it.

"Are you alright?" Aladdin asked his voice concerned and kind. He went to put a hand on her shoulder but she flinched away from him.

"How can you not judge me right now?" she asked, feeling bitter and angry with herself for losing control. Had he not just seen her rip a man, no a boy, to tattered flesh with her teeth in front of his own eyes? She didn't understand why he would now try to comfort her.

"No one died, Ariel." He said softly, "I might not understand your position, but you didn't kill him. You reacted like any starved man given a live chicken would have. I can't condemn what you evolved to eat." He told her.

"I lost myself." She whispered to him sadly, brushing some of her hair away and the weight of the situation making her heart feel heavy.

"Ariel," he started, reaching toward her and now without his shackle which the men had taken off in order to pull him up with them, he was able to push forward and touch her in a comforting manner. Her flesh was cool and smooth beneath his skin, surreal feeling. When she tried to pull away he whispered "Please, I trust you not to hurt me."

She could feel the tears start to well up in her eyes now. This was all some crazy emotional roller coaster, seconds ago it felt like she was murderous and deep down she knew she would have taken every life on the ship save Aladdin's. How could this man trust her so after having seen her true nature, how could he not feel that she would make him her next mean, eventually the flesh digesting inside her would run out. How long would the Captain leave them down here this time? Quite possibly indefinitely this time around.

He pulled her in close to him, encircling her in his strong arms in a protective manner. Eventually she stopped fighting and let him comfort her as the tears ran silently down her cheeks. The stress of everything was quickly becoming too much a burden to bear.

"A great and wise king far beyond his years once told me that everything you see exists together in a delicate balance. He said that as king, you need to understand that balance and respect all the creatures, from the crawling ant to the leaping antelope." He took a breath and started to smooth his hand over Ariel's tangled locks. "He said that for when we die, our bodies become the grass, and the antelope eat the grass and so we are all connected in the great Circle of Life." His voice was calming and soothing to her soul as he spoke.

"Ariel, as a Mermaid you are just part of the circle of life. You were made as you were by forces stronger than us that we can't even begin to comprehend. You're urges and needs are not like that of man so how can I judge you as one." He tried to explain his point of view to her while still comforting her. "What matters is that despite it all, you healed that boy and saved him, in the same way you saved me. I doubt you could say the same would happen if it were any other Mermaid in this cell with me right now." He told her seriously.

She just stayed in his arms and contemplated his words. Jasmine was a lucky woman, never had she met a man as understanding as Aladdin. Only a truly good heart could see the best in her after everything he had just seen. They stayed silent in each other's arms for quite some time before Aladdin broke the silence yet again.

"You really should cheer up," he said, his voice having the hint of a playful tone that made her want to cringe. What could possibly give him that tone? She wasn't sure she wanted to know right now.

"Why is that?" she asked skeptically.

"Because," he said and she felt him shift under her and reach into his pants pocket. "In all the chaos I managed to snag these!" he added in an excited whisper, and the jingle of keys rang out. He was so pleased that his thieving skills hadn't been as rusty as he had previously thought.

"You didn't!" she said surprised, her heart skipping a beat.

"But I did." He answered with a huge grin on his face. "Ariel, we're getting out of here."

For the first time in days she felt hope stir inside her.

A/N: We'll there you have it. Let me know what you think, reviews are like crack and I love getting my fix ;) so please R&R!

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