Saving Prince James: A James and Sofia Love Story

Set in an alternate universe, James is now 20 and usurped his father as king and conquered every kingdom to create an empire, but he has lived his years as a lonely king with only power and wealth to keep him company. When Cedric summons a banished Sofia, 18, to the castle to secretly save the kingdoms and James, something stirs in James's heart the moment he sees a grown and blossomed Sofia. Can a banished princess save the kingdoms and a ruthless prince find his way into the heart of a princess he once lost?

Chapter 35: A Mermaid's Secret Grotto

Sofia

Sofia lost track of time as a comforting silence wrapped around them. She sat nestled in James's lap, cradled close to him and his heart. She could hear it beat with a happy, easy rhythm as she readjusted herself so that her cheek was pressed against his warm chest. In the background, the soothing sound of the waterfall splashing onto the pool danced with the silence.

As she rested her head against him, Sofia watched as James's feet played with the water like a gleeful child experiencing water for the first time. It sort of reminded her the time when Amber accidentally had Cedric transform James into a toddler and Amber and James both got into a water fight when they bathed him after he dirtied himself with chocolate cake. The way he swung his feet up and down so that it would sploosh and splash on the water's surface was an unmistakable tell of his inner child.

Cute… the word popped into her head. Sofia was sure that if she were to look up at him right now, she would be seeing a lazy, lopsided smile on his lips.

She was right.

There was a lazy, lopsided smile on his lips.

It was a sloppy, goofy, and adorably cute smile. She was right when she compared his slashing feet to a child because he was smiling like one utterly and completely fascinated with the water while holding onto his favorite toy. He looked so content and happy right now, as if he wouldn't trade having her in his arms like this for anything else in this world. His smile was one that made it so that she couldn't help but softly laugh to herself at the complete silliness etched all over his face.

After a long and emotionally exhausting day like this, it did her heart good to see him smile so unabashedly. Especially after her meltdown and their screaming arguments earlier. She may be completely drained of practically everything in her, but it was still nice to see James be so loveably goofy right now.

James just knew how to hold her together when she falls apart...

In all honesty, Sofia didn't fully understand why she has such a need to run every time something overwhelms her like this. She wasn't even fully aware of this crazy habit of hers until Amber found her in the forest that one day. it was an extreme part of her she never really knew of. It was just something she did to numb the pain because… because it just felt so good to not hurt so much. To not feel or even remember all that made her tears fall uncontrollably. To detach herself from it all.

Originally, when she first walked into the forest after their exile, the quiet sounds of the trees and the loud rushing of the waterfall made it all so easy for her to just cry as loudly as she wanted without any judgement. It was a place of solace for her.

Where her demons went away in the dark shadows of the forest. Where they couldn't find her.

A place where she could just be away from everything.

Away from the pain.

Not long after just walking into the forest that first day, it all sort of just became a need of hers to be alone and away from everything constantly. It was a mechanism for her to numb herself from all that hurt her or else the weight of it all would crush her and her heart. And she didn't think that she'd be able to return back to her old self once her heart was broken into a million pieces.

It was never her intention to isolate herself from everyone or to hurt the people she loved with this crazy thing of hers. All she could think about was how good it felt to push everything into a glass bottle and forget about it, how much better it was to put the pressure off of her heart before it could kill her.

During the days when the bottle that contained all her pain became full and she couldn't press it all down any longer, she wanted the privacy to just let the pain break her until she could find it in her to suppress it back in again. To simply let out her frustration and misery in whatever form it took – usually the form of destroying whatever was in her line of sight. It also kept everyone from seeing her like this: unhinged and crazy.

There was no judgement or anything like that when she was alone.

Plus, it was always a way for her to never burden Amber and her mother with her issues. She wanted to care for them, to not add on more to their already filled plate of worry and stress. They've already been through enough as it is.

That was why she kept so much from Amber and why she sent her mother back to the countryside estate, to be away from the chaos that followed Sofia and the dangers of what the courts have become. She didn't want her mother to worry or be in any danger, but….

She was utterly wrong.

The man behind this was able to force his way into the estate and nearly burn everything down. He used her mother against her, as if she was just some chess piece in all of this.

How could she possibly keep her mother safe now? Safe from this man and safe from the demons inside of Sofia?

She never wanted her mother to worry about her, but with her secrets out in the open and the way she latched onto her old habit of running off into the forest again, what will Amber and her mother do? Obviously their going to worry, but what will happen? Will they look at her with pity? They've never forced her to talk about this, but what if this time they do since she's relapsed again? Will they overly worry about her like they did before?

Oh stars, she doesn't want that.

It was hard enough the first time when Amber found her and told their mother about it all. In the beginning, they were gentle and understanding, but it only got worse when Amber discovered Sofia's cuts and bruises from her tendency to wreck nearby logs and trees and even rocks. That was when everything progressed into nights and days of just monitoring Sofia's every move because they were worried she might do something dangerous in the forest. Or even purposefully hurt herself because of her repressed emotions.

She felt suffocated by their monitoring and guilty about causing them to worry so much about her. That was when she decided that the best way to ease their worry and stress was to just permanently bottle it all inside. Box everything away. Pretend to be the perfect princess she once was before the betrayal….

What will happen this time…?

Sofia was scared to think about it because she didn't want this one mishap to change everything again. She didn't want pity or sympathy or anything like that. It wasn't like this habit of hers made her any weaker or less validated. It didn't make her a broken doll.

I'm still me, she realized. The only difference was that she had more issues than what people knew of.

So… maybe James is right... Maybe she shouldn't keep running away any more…. Maybe she should embrace her pain and all the hellish crap that comes with….

It wasn't healthy to keep it all inside, she knew that. But she can't help it. It just feels so good to not be in pain and to just numb it all away.

But she wasn't happy that way. She was just numb. It never truly did her any good to just continuously break down alone and try to mask it all away on a daily basis.

It was exhausting to be honest.

All she ever did was run into the forest and meltdown and then wipe it all away like it ever happened, lie to her family about her issues and try to make it to the next time she can do it all over again. Keeping it all from breaking loose was the hardest part of it all and it wore her down constantly. It's not helping her in any way.

So… maybe she should take her own advice and come to terms with her pain. It could do her some good like it did James.

Sofia lifted her head and gazed at James again. He seems so much happier

When Sofia first came back to the castle, James was an utter mad mess. He wasn't happy. He was in his own hell and lived nightmare after nightmare. He was so deep in the darkness that he was nearly blind from it all. But with her help, he is slowly starting to acknowledge it all. He was starting to realize his problems and issues and pain. The moment he started to understand it all, Sofia saw just how much happier he became. The pain that once weighed on his shoulders slowly started to leave him and James started to grow and mature and became so much stronger. He became the man she loves.

So maybe, it is time for her to accept her own pain. She had issues and secrets like the next person, but she was still the same nonetheless. She'll be free.

But….

If she was to let this habit go – no matter how hard it may be – what would become of her? Don't get her wrong, she really does want to let this thing of hers die, but she knew that it would be hard to do and she is afraid. What if she can't function without it? What if she is just too damaged and crazy?

When she let her Pandora's Box free, nothing happened to her except for being emotionally drained of every tear she had in her body. Would the same happen to her when she lets this need of hers go? Would she be emotionally tired, but free? Or would she be nothing?

Once her demons were set free, would she drown in them or would she swim?

James must have felt her gaze on him because he turned his head and gave her a lopsided smile before lowering his head to gently kiss her forehead. She closed her eyes against his kiss and leaned in further to him.

No, Sofia realized. I am going to swim. I am going to survive.

I have James and he has me…. And we are going to live.

"What were you giggling about earlier?" he said.

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you looked kind of like a kid splashing his feet."

"A kid?" he laughed.

"Yeah…." Her voice was tiny and tired. "I'm sorry…" Sofia whispered. She realized that with all that has happened, she never apologized for yelling and getting so angry with him when all he wanted to do was help her.

"For what?" she heard him asked.

"For yelling and being so mad."

James laughed softly. "It's alright."

"No, it's not…" He looked down at her a little confused. "I mean I never apologized to you about always running away and getting mad at you every time you try to help me. I…."

"It's okay. It's okay. I'm not mad or anything. Look, I should be apologizing too," he said, almost rambling. "You were in a very emotionally vulnerable state and I realized that I was being too pushy and it's not fair of me to make you do something you didn't want to do. I didn't mean to do it be insensitive or inconsiderate towards your feelings. I-I-I only wanted to help. I – you see – the thing is – I just care about you so much Sofia. I mean, you shouldn't have to feel like you always have to be the strong one for everyone. There's nothing wrong in letting yourself be vulnerable and letting others take care of you. The world's not going to end if you let us worry about you once in a while."

For the millionth time today, Sofia is left speechless. She just did not know how to respond to James's honest ramble.

He always has this kind of effect on her. He would say something so profound, so loving, so heart-stoppingly wonderful that her mind just can't form any kind of coherent sentence.

"I'm babbling again," he continued, shaking his head bashfully. "But Sofia, I just love you so much and I only wanted to just try anything to make you happy again –"

Sofia stopped him with a light finger over his lips, surprising him. But his wide eyes soon softened into a gaze that burned with a fire that only her touch alone can kindle.

Her mind may be unable to form any words for her to say back to him, but there was another way she knew that can replace her words. Another way – one action that can speak for her instead and say everything she wanted to say.

She twisted around to fully face James and slowly rose to meet him at eye level, her finger never moving from his lips. She felt his hands circle around her, pulling her closer towards him. His thumb brushed against the exposed skin below the hem of her camisole top, sending a thrilled shiver through her.

Sofia pressed closer to him, so close that no space was left between them. And in her thin camisole top, it felt like all there was between them was just wet bare skin. She notice James's gaze fell down on her lips just as he subtly placed one kiss against her fingertips.

There was no need for words, Sofia noticed. He didn't need or want her to say anything back to what he just said because… words just aren't enough sometimes. It's the actions that speak loudest. Not words.

Because they had a connection that didn't require them to need to hear anything. Yes, hearing each other's voice is a wondrous thing, but being physically together? Being able to touch and feel one another without any restrain? Now that is best. Better than any word in this known world can describe.

Just seeing the love in each other's eyes and feeling it in their heart, their core was more than enough. It was all they needed.

And since it's been a long day for the both of them, speaking isn't wanted. Simply just be in each other's arms like this, basking in one another's warmth and the quiet serenity of each other's presence is needed.

She let her fingers drop away and settled on his cheek. Then Sofia slowly lowered her head and softly press her lips against his. She wanted her apology to be infused with the kiss, telling him just how sorry she was for always being so crazy. She wanted the kiss to be filled with nothing but her heart and love for him. To tell him just how much her heart beat for him and how much she appreciated him for all that he has done for her. For always running after her and always finding her. For never giving up when she tries to push everyone away.

For loving her for her, crazy faults and all.

James immediately responded back with a kiss of his own, gentle and sure, but deepening the kiss onto a new level. Her fingers wound up into his wet and soft hair as she nudged his mouth open, igniting a fire between the both of them. Tongues met and she could feel his skin grow hotter the longer they kissed. His moans echoed against the sounds of the waterfall and she wanted to hear more.

Each time they broke apart, Sofia would reclaim his lips, barely giving him the chance to catch his breath. She was impatient and hungry for him. James didn't seem to mind though because she would hear him groan passionately against her lips every time.

"Wait," she heard James hoarsely say as he broke their kiss and pull his lips away from her before she could seal them with her own.

"Hmm?" Sofia's vision was slightly hazy and her mind was a little disoriented from the kiss. It felt good. Her lips itched to kiss him again. She leaned down to bring their lips back together again, but James dodged her.

"I'm sorry. Wait. I'm sorry."

Why does he keep apologizing? I thought we were done with all of that?

"What is it?" she asked, her own voice pleasantly hoarse.

She felt him touch her swollen bottom lip with his thumb. "I'm sorry. I just have to know."

"Know what?"

"Are you – do you still want to run?"

Do… I still want to run?

"I realized that we never got around to that part. Every time I found you, we never really talked about that and I don't want to go back to the house until I know for sure that you don't want to run anymore. I can't keep worrying about when is the next time you're going to run from me again."

Oh… I guess we never did really talk about it. She didn't realize James needed to hear her say verbally if she was going to drop this habit of hers just to ease the worry in his heart.

"Just please. Don't take everything on your own anymore and share your pain with me. I know that is easier said than done, but just talk to me or Amber. Anyone, Sofia –"

Sofia leaned her head back down to him, leaning her forehead against his. Their nose touched. "No. I'm not going to run anymore."

"Really?" He looked hopefully up at her. There was so much relief and happiness in his eyes.

"I promise," Sofia nodded. "It's going to be a hard thing to break and I'm going to have some mishaps here and there, but I'm going to try and not run anymore."

Sofia just needed to learn how to recognize her demons and learn to live with them instead of trying to run each time. It may not be the easiest way, but it would be the best way because she knew that would mean she would be happier in the end.

"And you promise to actually talk to me or Amber or Mom about any problems you're having instead of hiding it inside of you? Like actually talk?"

"I promise." She hugged him close to her, burying her face into the crook of his neck. "And I'm sorry for always worrying you. I never meant to do that. It's just that whenever I feel the need to run, that's all I can think about. Running"

He rubbed her back up and down, trying to soothe her. "It's okay. It's okay. I said I'm not upset about that, remember? We both have our own crazy shit to work out, but we'll do it together because we're a team. You and Me. A soulmate team. That means you're stuck with me for life, Sofia. Whether you like it or not."

Sofia laughed amusingly at him. "Who said I didn't like it?"

"Oh, I don't know… maybe the girl who kept screaming at me to leave her alone?"

"Okay, that's not fair." Sofia looked back at him with a raised brow. "I was in an emotionally vulnerable place and my mind was on the crazy side. You can't count that against me."

"I will –"

"No, you –"

"– if you don't show me your mermaid tail again."

"What?"

He smiled at her, childish but with a little mischievousness. "Show me your mermaid tail again."

"What?"

"Please? I really like it when you were in your mermaid form and I want to see it again."

"I don't know…" Sofia looked behind her at the water pool and saw just how dark it was becoming. The sun was nearly done setting. "I mean, it's getting pretty dark and I don't think you'll be able to see my tail –"

Wait.

Was she actually considering this? Is she really going to just pop right back into the water and just turn back into a mermaid in front of James?

Okay, yes, he has already seen her in her mermaid form before, but that was unconsciously done because she was upset with him for trying to swim to her while it was still early spring. But this time, she would purposefully change in front of James… and that made her kind of nervous because….

Because this is James for crying out loud!

"Please?" James begged again. He even pouted for full effect.

"Why so eager?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Because I really want to see you as a mermaid."

"Why?"

"Because I really like it."

"James."

"Sofia…" he whined. She crossed her arms, waiting for him to fully explain. "Okay. I had this whole plan to take you to Merroway Cove this summer, just the two of us, so I can see you as a mermaid and swim around with you. But now that I got to see you this once, I want to see you again. So, please?"

He looked up at her with such a child-like wonder that she didn't have it in her to say "no." He looked like a kid whose dream was just about to come true and she didn't have it in her heart to crush it.

"...Okay," Sofia gave in. "Fine. But only for a short moment because it's getting dark and we need to get back before we worry the others. Deal?"

"Deal," James said all too fast.

She narrowed her eyes at him and he just smiled back like an innocent puppy excited for a treat.

Stars, I can't believe I am doing this.

Sofia let out a nervous breath before she took a deep one and slide away from him. She fell backwards into the water below.

The moment she hit the water, she released all of her control and let the water around her take over. Immediately, her clothes melt away, leaving her feel completely naked underwater for a brief moment. Then, a bright, glittering purple and white light burst from her amulet. She felt a familiar cooling sensation run all through her body like her skin was absorbing the cold water around her. It seeped into her skin and straight to her bones.

Glitter and purple light shone all around her as her legs became bound together and she felt the muscles of her legs merge into one. And like always after the binding of her legs, needles and pricks shot through her legs for a short while as her skin became scales. A solid weight sat on her forehead again, telling her that her circlet crown returned back to where it belonged on her head even though she threw it away into the water moments earlier. Next, she felt her entire chest tighten as the seaweed wrapped around her like a warm thick cloth. The last thing to materialize on her was the crystalized seashell broach that matched her crown.

When Sofia resurfaced, she found James staring at her awestruck and the happiest she's ever seen him. His smile was so wide that it stretched from ear to ear, toothy and so completely goofy. He even let out a giddy-sounding laugh that made him look even more like a child.

His wide-eyed expression made her laugh.

"Amazing…." If it was even possible, his smile widened further. "This is incredible…."

Sofia blushed and didn't know where else to look. She didn't want James to see her burning cheeks, not that she was even sure if he could because of the dying light beyond the waterfall.

"I still can't believe that you can turn into a mermaid…." James braced his hands on the edges of the solid rock and leaned a little too far off the ledge like he is trying to get a closer look.

Her hot cheeks felt even hotter. "Yes, well," Sofia coughed, "the short moment is over so –"

"No, wait." James surprised Sofia by suddenly jumping into the pool. "The moment is so not over. I barely got a glimpse of you because there isn't enough light out to see all of you."

"You could have just said that instead of jumping in and splashing me," Sofia said as she wiped the water off of her face. She took off her crown and tossed it over her shoulder, letting it dissolve away like before.

That was one of the good things about her mermaid powers. If she ever took off or lost an article of her mermaid outfit, she never had to worry about lsoing because it would be back where it belonged the next time she transformed.

Sofia actually didn't know about this power until she was about ten years old, a little after her mermaid attire changed for the first time.

When Sofia first got this power, her mermaid form was a lot more different than it was now. Originally, her tail wasn't a succession of nearly every shade of purple, but simply one solid color of purple. She could even remember the sparkly fins that used to be on her hips. And her top wasn't as revealing as it is now. It was actually a very modest sequin purple suit with pearly straps and pink seashells fitted on the top. Her original crown was a seahorse crown and she remembered having a starfish bracelet.

Sofia honestly thought that her first form was going to be her only one, but she was wrong because her outfit would change every few years as she grew up and matured.

The first time her mermaid outfit changed was when she and her family were vacationing in Merroway Cove again when she was ten. She had run off to spend the day with her mermaid friend, Oona. She didn't realize the change until Oona said something. Her top was still modest and covered her well, but her pearly straps and pink seashells were gone and it wasn't the same light purple color any more. It was strapless and light lavender with one green seashell bow on the center. The top wasn't sequin any more either, it was almost scaly like soft fish skin. Her tail and fins were still the same except that it became a shade darker. The starfish bracelet was replaced with one that matched her green bow, the very bracelet that showed her the one unique thing about her mermaid power.

Oona had asked to try it on and Farley, Oona's seahorse friend, accidentally dropped it into a dark abyss. The three of them had searched all day for it, but to no avail. When Sofia returned the next day to continue the search, they were all surprised to find it back on her wrist. Oona was the one who came up with the theory of it magically returning to her because no normal mermaid had such a power. She tested her theory out numerous times with her tiara and bracelet before Sofia had to stop her.

The second change was about a year after James's betrayal. Sofia was fourteen and had accidentally tripped into the water pool during one of her rampages. Her tail became plumb colored while her suit became shorter and exposed half of her stomach. It was a plain dark eggplant color with matching plumb colored pearls decorating the top. The dark colors of her second change matched well with the emotions she was drowning in at the time. Even her crown had darkened into a simple dark purple.

Her most recent change was when she turned seventeen. She was out for a swim and was starting to feel a little more content with her life in the countryside when she noticed the third change. This form is actually her most unique out of them all. Her tail was gorgeously colored with every shade of purples and sparkles and shimmering scales. The fins on her hips were gone and replaced with her tail just melting into her skin. Her usual modest tops were replaced with a revealing seaweed wrap around her bust and the jewelry was gone except for her amulet and crown. The tiaras that usually adorned her head was now turned into a pearly circlet crown.

The normal frilly extras from her past attires became simple in her most recent change, but Sofia has loved this one most of all because she feels as though her newest form made her more connected to the water in some odd way.

"No can do, Sofia," James said as he swam up to her and brought his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him until their bare stomachs pressed against each other and bring her back from her thoughts. "You were about to change back and I want to savor this moment. I still can't believe that you can change into a mermaid all this time and I never knew about it."

A part of Sofia knew that she and James should be heading back now because of how dark it was becoming, but she couldn't bring herself to do so because of the utterly happy and amused look on his face. It would be like breaking a kid's dream of magic or something.

So, instead of bursting his happy bubble, Sofia impulsively said, "do you want to go into the cave?"

"Huh?"

"The little cave here. Do you want to? There's this natural grotto inside that –"

"Yes." He looked even more excited than when she agreed to turn into a mermaid for him.

She laughed a little as she slipped out of his arms and took his hand, leading him towards the completely dark cave.

Sofia had first discovered this cave behind the waterfall about a month into exile. She was exploring the surroundings around the waterfall in one of her many attempts to ignore her feelings when she decided to why not just swim around for a while. If she remembers correctly, it was during high noon when she noticed the dark cave behind the waterfall. It was a little odd to her because the cave shouldn't be so dark when the sun was brightly shinning that day. It was like the cave's entrance was a black hole absorbing all light. Nothing could be seen passed the entrance. So, ignoring all signs of caution, she just swam into it.

And it was the best impulsive idea she had because she realized just how amazing the cave is. It had a special kind of magic.

Sofia felt James squeeze her hand as they entered, the pure black darkness of the cave enveloping them. For just a second, nothing could be seen and all she could hear was James's excited but nervous voice. "Sofia?"

"Just close your eyes and don't let go, alright?" Sofia answered back as she kept on swimming. She knew how intimidating it can be to swim into a pitch black cave, so she didn't blame James for being slightly nervous.

"Okay," he said. She couldn't tell if he did or not. It sounded like he did though.

For some time after discovering the grotto inside, Sofia researched about it and learned that it was dark despite how bright a day can be because it was naturally cut off from light. But there's also a magic inside that makes it hard for anyone to see into it. It didn't let any light in nor out. She didn't understand why it was like that, but she wasn't complaining because the moment she set her mermaid tail inside, the cave became hers. Anyway, it didn't need the sunlight because it had its own special kind of light inside.

Sofia kept swimming until she saw the light emerge and engulf them just like the dark did. "Okay, open your eyes."

When he did, she saw just how wildly amazed he became as he took in everything. His mouth hung open in a smile and his eyes lit up with the lights that shined inside her secret grotto. "Woah…."

Everywhere inside the cave, from the walls above the water to the walls below, glowing cave crystals shined. It lit up the entire cave with an amazing blue glow. A million crystals glowed and shone and casted the entire cave in a mystical and magical light. Some glowed with a dark blue color while others shined in bright blue, bright like starlight. Each one different and special just like this secret grotto of hers.

One of the magical things about this cave is that the crystals are like special sensors. They only shine when someone is inside the grotto. Sofia found this out when she noticed one day how fast the crystals' lights dwindle the moment she swam even an inch outside of the grotto.

Another thing is how attuned the crystals are to emotions. The light blue crystals shine brighter when she is sad and the dark blue ones darken the grotto when she feels like she just needs to wallow in some silence. It's like the recognize her emotions and its needs.

The ceiling of the cave was high and arched with a smooth, eroded curve. No spikes or limestone pikes were dripping from the top. The rocks were smooth and soft to the touch. Off to the side of the grotto, there was the small waterfall that she told James about. It flowed gently with a soft easy trickle. Sofia knew that there was a hole somewhere in the ceiling of the cave that connected to the river above to the waterfall inside, but no matter how hard she searched both inside and out, she couldn't find it. The hole was hidden somewhere.

Sofia led James to the solid brink of the cave in the far back and sat him down on its smooth, wet surface. He looked too busy to even register where she was leading him to.

The cave wasn't large nor small in Sofia's opinion. It was decently sized for just two people to be in. There were even some rocks and boulders large enough for a man three times James's size to sit and lay on. There weren't any ledges like there were on the outside of the cave, but Sofia like her cave just as it was.

She watched as he continued to take it all in, loving just how amazed she made him by bringing him into her own mermaid's grotto. She leaned on the inclining slope of the smooth brim. "Do you like it?"

It took a moment before Sofia heard a reply from him. "I more than like it. I love it. I can't believe this kind of place exists behind the waterfall." He looked down at her with an awestruck expression. "How long have you known about this place?"

"Since our exile I guess. When I stumbled onto the waterfall and started exploring." She turned around to gaze at her grotto and propped herself on her elbows. "This was the one place where I hide the most when I'm out here in the woods. I would just go swimming or explore whatever was down there at the bottom of the pool."

"And what is down there?"

"Nothing much really. Just some rocks and crystals and some knick-knacks that come from the river and a mermaid's manual I hide down there."

There wasn't much in her grotto. On the surface any way. Everything she had that was special was down at the bottom of the pool, hidden away in little nooks and crannies in the wall.

"A mermaid's manual?" James perked up at the words. "Where did you get that?"

Sofia chuckled at him. "Remember Oona? My old mermaid friend from Merroway Cove?"

He nodded vigorously.

"She gave me that book when I was ten."

"Why?"

"Well…. Did you notice earlier that even though I let my crown just dissolve away, it would reappear back on my head? She was the one who helped me discover that neat trick and wanted to see if I had any other cool tricks with this mermaid power. So she got this book for us to use as a guide and for a while, we just experimented to see if I had some powers that a normal mermaid would and wouldn't have."

"Do you?" he asked excitedly.

"Oona and I didn't get to experiment much. So far, the only power I know of is the one where if I ever lose any article on me as a mermaid, it would return the next time I transform. That and I can do some cool mermaid potions."

"Potions?"

"Yeah, the manual has some potions recipes inside and sometimes I would mess around with it. I turned my hair blue and green once for a week."

James suddenly jumped into the water again. "We have to get that manual."

"Why?" Sofia asked as she pushed herself back into the water.

"Because I want to see that manual. I mean, that's a mermaid's manual, Sofia. A mermaid. You're one and that book belongs to one and I am freaking out, can you tell?" He rambled fast. "Do you know how long I've wanted to swim with you when I learned that you can turn into one and here we are! And now I hear you have this mermaid manual with potions and spells and cool stuff? I want to see it."

He started to dive under, but he would resurface a couple seconds later because his little eager rant earlier made him a bit out of breath. It was like he was surging with excited adrenaline and he was acting solely on it.

Sofia laughed amusingly as she watched him.

James was nothing but a thrilled and maybe a little too hyper. This was the explorer in him. The one who seeks only adventure and excitement and answers to ancient old riddles. The one who would go into anything and everything head first without a clear-cut plan.

And she couldn't help but love him for it. He was like a kid in the body – the amazingly attractive body – of a twenty year old.

The lovable, idiotic, childish twenty year old.

Then, another impulsive idea popped into her head.

"James," Sofia said in between her laughs. She stopped him when he was about to dive for the fourth time. "James. The book won't work up here. It's meant to work only in water, so the words of the book won't show in air. Anyway, it's all the way at the bottom of the pool, you won't reach it. It's too deep for you."

His face fell. "Then, how –"

"But I know a way you can." His face immediately brightened again. "Hold your breath and go under. Don't take a deep breath or anything. Just hold in whatever air you have inside and go under." Sofia demonstrated and she watched as he followed.

Underwater, he looked at her with a big, round-cheeked smile, waiting for her next instructions.

"Let out all of the air you're holding in," she said as she moved her hair away from her face.

James looked back at her like she lost her mind. He shook his head.

"James, trust me. If you want to reach that book down there, you're going to need to let that air out."

She could see him mentally contemplating his options here. It sort of offended her a little that he didn't trust her, but if things were switched, she would probably do that same.

He relented after a few seconds and let the last of his air out. The bubbles floated up and were gone.

"Good." Sofia took a deep, watery breath of her own. "Breathe," she said just before taking his face into her hands and gently pressing her lips against James's. His hands instinctively wrapped around her waist as his lips opened immediately like it was a reflex of his whenever her lips met his. She blew the oxygen her mermaid lungs took from the water into him.

This is actually the first time she's even testing this sort of thing out. When Oona had given her the mermaid's manual, they had barely managed to experiment with some of the stuff inside of the book before Sofia and her family had to return back to Enchancia at the end of the summer. The last time she and Oona had looked through the book together was when she was twelve, the very last time she had ever been back to Merroway Cove since her exile. Since then, Sofia had only flipped through it once in a while and mess around with some of the potions and spells that didn't require more than one person.

This little mermaid trick was one that needed two people.

Sofia had read this when she rediscovered the manual in one of her belongings a year or two into their exile. She decided to not try it out because there was no one to test it with and because there was no one she wanted to share her first kiss with. It was personal and she didn't feel all too welcoming to remember any particular feelings at the time.

She heard James suck in a sharp breath before he pressed back eagerly, kissing her like he never wanted to stop because this kiss – this underwater kiss – was something special. Something he wanted to last forever.

He pulled her closer and closer and closer until she was being deliciously crushed in his arms. Her fingers snaked up into his hair, enjoying just how much softer they felt under the water. Each strand flowed so smoothly in between her fingers.

And his lips.

Oh stars, his lips….

They kissed her without any restraint, like he couldn't get enough of her. Like she was some delicious dessert he wanted to eat in one bite.

Rough, but soft. His lips tasted so much saltier and sweeter at the same time.

Soft and sweet. Rough and salty.

She felt his hands sneak up her spine and inch close to her seaweed top. Then underneath. His fingers played with the skin under her top, making her shiver in his arms.

James must have liked feeling her shiver in his arms because his hands started to get a little more playful. Each finger teased at her skin and her spine a little more while his lips and tongue became more than enthusiastically passionate about what it was doing.

Sofia knew that she should be stopping this kiss soon, but she couldn't because it was just too good.

It was supposed to be something short just to help James breathe underwater, but of course it got out of hand. Anything that involved their lips touching would get out of hand. But that was how the mermaid manual instructed this physical spell – mermaid's breath. If a mermaid wanted her human partner to breathe below the surface of the water, she needs to make him or her breathe in her own air directly from her lips. That was how the spell worked.

But… well, shit. It's not her fault James – and maybe Sofia too – gets like this every time they touched lips.

It is just like James to take any opportunity to kiss her like this, senseless and eagerly. And it was just like Sofia to comply easily with one of James's whims. She was weak against his touch.

Anyway, Sofia fully understood how this was going end anyway. So she might as well just enjoy – no. She is more than just enjoying it. She was full on thriving in this kiss.

After a while that proved the experiment to be far more than just a success since he has been able to kiss her for this long under the water, she reluctantly pulled away and looked at him. It actually took everything in Sofia to break the kiss because she knew that if she didn't, they would have been kissing all night and probably into the morning.

His cheeks were beet red and the gaze of his eyes were more than dazed. He looked a little disoriented. Sofia noticed his chest heaving up and down with his ragged breathing.

"Sofia…" James let out in a low moan.

Oh stars, how she loved hearing say her name like that.

She leaned her head low like she was going to kiss him again, her eyes trained on only his bruised lips. "Hmm?"

"I…." She felt his gaze on her lips. "I can… breathe."

"Yeah…" she slightly mumbled. She found that she couldn't think or talk correctly. Not after a wondrous kiss like that. A kiss that completely wrecked her. "It… uh… it was this-this… um…."

"Sofia?" Just hearing him say her name again made her want to just forget about getting that manual and go back to what they were doing seconds ago.

"Sorry." She couldn't focus on anything but his lips right now. "It's a trick I read about in… in… in… the manual. Mermaid's breath."

A corner of his mouth turned up, slightly amused. "Mermaid's breath?"

"It's where…" Sofia shook her head in a vain attempt to clear the fog from her head, "a mermaid... can help her human partner... um... breathe underwater if they just breathe in air... air directly from her."

He nudged her nose with a smile. "So it's a magical mermaid kiss then?"

"I guess you can call it that if you want. I mean, the technical term in the book is mermaid's breath and the way it works is –" James stopped her with a laugh and another kiss.

It was a short-lived kiss, but it had the same effect on her as their much longer ones. Shivers, tingles, and blissful aching ran all through her as she melted in his arms.

After they both managed to calm down a little, James asked, "how long will I be able to breathe for?"

"As long as you're in the water," Sofia said as she watched his blond hair float around his face in the water. "How it works is that once the air is inside you, its magical properties will coat your lungs so that it can make it possible for you to breathe. It will make your lungs work like a pair of mer lungs, taking the oxygen molecules from the water molecules. A bonus is that you won't get pruny."

"So I am able to breathe as long as I want so long as I stay in the water? What about what happens when I get out?"

"The magic breaks."

His eyes sparked with pleased mischief, as if he liked that answer for a reason she couldn't understand. "So that means every time I want to breathe underwater, all I have to do is kiss you just like we did earlier?"

"Only if the mermaid is consensual about it. I have to give it willingly or else you might as well drown trying to get that kiss. And no, just a peck will do. All that matters is the air passing from me to you. The whole kissing aspect doesn't really matter."

And we only kissed like that because it's us, Sofia wanted to say. It couldn't be helped. It's like our lips are two magnets extremely attracted to each other.

"But we can if we still want to right?"

"Yeah," she laughed. Then she took his hand and started to swim down towards the bottom of the cave, "now come on. Let's go get that book you wanted to see so badly."

The cave wasn't that deep actually. It was just a little deeper than the water pool outside. And just like the walls above, the walls underneath the surface of the water was dotted with many cave crystals that glowed beautifully.

Besides the crystals, there were small nooks and crannies within the walls that held small little treasures Sofia had discovered throughout the years. They were mostly intact seashells that somehow made its way down the river, but some were lost little trinkets and oddities she found endearing. Like lost bracelets or diamond earrings. Or the hardcover binding of a book she can't name. Or an elegantly bedazzled ribbon choker.

All lost things she has found and kept.

At the bottom of the pool were two large wooden chests that she managed to haul down to the waterfall her first year here. One held all of the treasures that she has found and didn't put on display yet. The other held all of the things she has destroyed during her rampages. It was mostly clothes and jewelry and other nonsense that she was too ashamed of anyone else knowing about.

Near the chests were large piles of books that she sneakily brought into the pool. The waterfall and the cave became her sanctuary, so it was only natural that she bring in some things that would make it more of her place. She had to have books in here.

Other than that, labeled bottles of old potions she had created during her experiments littered the floor beside the books. Most were successes because they were beginner spells that just changed a person's hair color or made the water sparkle red instead of blue. Simple spells, really.

"Cool." She could hear the amazed smile in his voice.

Sofia released his hand and swam over to the large stacks of books. She filtered through them until a familiar large dark emerald green color caught her eyes. "Ah-ha! Here it is."

"That's the mermaid manual?" James said as he swam over to her.

"Mm-hm." Sofia held the old book in her hands, feeling the thick green coral binding and the golden seashell encrusted on the center. The smooth, thick cover of the book was dark green with age and the pages were a little loose and flimsy. The book wouldn't deteriorate in the water because it was made out of magical kelp paper. She remembers Oona telling her how nearly every book made under the sea is spelled to last for centuries.

She looked around for a decent place for them to sit, but found none. Unlike the areas above, there weren't many comfortable-looking rocks large enough to sit on. They were barely big enough for her to place any treasures on. Anyway, Sofia never really needed an area to sit on because there was an abundance of it above on the surface and she always lounged about on the soft sandy floor of the pool.

Some were slanted enough to lay on, but they were slightly bumpy and rough. She figured James would want something decent to sit on, not something that looks like it would cause him some back pain.

"I don't think there's a decent place for us to sit," Sofia said as she handed him the book.

"That's okay, I'm fine with just sitting here." He just sat down onto the floor. Well, tried to. He sort of was just floating in place as he slowly sank down. Then he looked up at her expectantly, like he was waiting for her to sit down with him before he began to look through the book.

She rolled her eyes at him and began to sit down, but apparently he didn't want her beside him. He wanted her nestled between his legs. He just pulled her to him, sat her down where he wanted her, and held her tight. Just by that action alone and the way his skin touched hers again, every part of her electrified and became all too aware of him.

His warm chest pressed to her back. His arms on either side of her as he held the book in front of them. His breath brushing her neck.

Thankfully, that didn't fluster enough to render her mute. She was still able to speak coherently. "So, what did you want to see in the book?" Her voice even managed to sound calm and cool.

He nuzzled the crook of her neck with his chin and opened the manual in front of her. "I don't know. I just wanted to see what it had to say about mermaids. I know that we met them when we were kids, but we didn't get to learn much about them and I've always wanted to know more besides what the textbooks said. Textbooks written by humans by the way."

He flipped through the pages in an almost absent manner, just skimming the words. It was like he was searching for something to pop out to him.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"Something…" he said, too engrossed in his searching to fully answer her.

Then he suddenly stopped his page flipping and went directly to the book's index. She still couldn't understand just what it was he was looking for after he was finished with the index and was quickly flipping to a certain page.

"Found it."

She looked down at the page he stopped on. "Qualities of A Mermaid's Kiss", it said in big black letters.

Really? Sofia thought humorlessly.

He must have noticed the impassive look on Sofia's face because he explained, "since blowing air into another person gives them the ability to breathe underwater, I wanted to know what a kiss can do."

Sofia already knows what a mermaid's kiss can do because she has read this manual front to back and back to front numerous times. And what she found out is that it's not anything special.

It doesn't do much and if it does, it's not on the highest level like other aspects of a mermaid. A kiss can heal, but only small cuts. A mermaid's tear can heal just about anything with just one drop. It can't grant special powers like the mermaid's breath or any kind of concoction she makes. No super strength, no super speed, nothing. It can grant short-term telepathy to whomever they kiss, but only a mermaid's first kiss with her chosen mate can do that. It can't make another person into a merperson, only a special mark from a royal trident is able to do that.

But she didn't tell James that.

He was too focused on reading the manual that she was sure he wouldn't even hear a word she says. Anyway, the book will tell him all he wants to know about what mermaid kisses can do. She didn't need to waste her time on trying to explain it all to him and be responsible for making him disappointed and sad.

So, when he was done reading the entire section on a mermaid's kiss, she expected his face to fall when he learned about the lack of special properties to it. But she was surprised to see that he wasn't sad. He just looked calm.

"Huh… A mermaid's kiss can't do much," James said with a nonchalant shrug.

What?

"Why do you look so okay with that? I thought you'd be a lot more upset because it's not something magical."

He chuckled a little. "I am a little disappointed that there isn't any magical qualities to it, but I'm not upset because now I know that I don't have to worry about any crazy magical side effects whenever I kiss you when you're as a mermaid."

"That's what you were looking for?"

"Yeah." He flipped through more of the pages. "I mean, magical qualities is one thing, but kissing is an entirely different thing. The only kind of magic I want to happen whenever we kiss is the magic we share between us."

Sofia looked at him incredulously. She was so sure… that he would be – that he would probably throw a fit or something.

She was wrong.

Well, I'll be damned. She didn't think James could surprise her any more than he has today, but he has.

To be honest, maybe she wasn't giving James the credit he deserved. He can be a bit childish – okay, more than childish – sometimes, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what's important. He knows his priorities and what has more value than others. She's always treated him like he doesn't, but he does. He really does.

And she needs to recognize that in him a little more.

He does have a sensible head on his shoulders. He just sometimes likes to put a child's brain inside of that sensible head of his.

"Oh, cool. It says here that you can make anything glow with this mixture of crushed blue coral with octopus ink and heat it with eel electricity," he said.

Sofia recognized the potion he was talking about. "It's called Everglow. I already made it sometime ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I still have it somewhere here." She nodded as she swam out of his arms and searched around for the potion. It was somewhere among the cluttered mess of potion bottles and scattered things. "It should be around here… somewher – Ah-ha!" Sofia held up the small curved glass bottle..

She can remember how slimy and gooey it was when she first made it a couple months before returning to Enchancia. It was a green, grimy looking concoction with small shards of the bright blue coral. It was fun to make and play with, but the damn thing stained her hands green-black for three days.

James swam over to her. "Can we make something glow?"

"Sure, if you want," she laughed. "But I don't know if it will be anything spectacular because of these cave crystals glowing so brightly and this potion is kind of old."

"That's fine. I mean it's a mermaid's potion. That's cool enough as it is!"

Sofia laughed again. He was being too cute right now. "Alright. What do you want to make glow?"

"Umm…" He looked around the cave. His eyes roamed around the cave for a second before stopping on something in the far corner and swimming over to it. He held up a tiny broken seashell and smiled lopsidedly at her. There was something so cute in his unrestrained smile that Sofia just wanted to wrap it up and protect it forever like it was her new found treasure. "This."

"A seashell?"

"Yup." He smiled so endearingly that she just wanted to kiss him for it.

Okay, he needs to stop with the cute smile and adorable expressions before Sofia attacks him with her lips and tongue. She is only a girl with so much self-control.

She swam to him and removed the bottle's large cork then quickly put the tiny seashell into the bottle. The seashell James picked out was small enough to fit inside of the bottle, so there was no need for her to worry about having to find a special type of bowl that would quickly contain the potion inside before it would spill out and spread everywhere.

Through her many experiments, Sofia learned that each potion created has different types of densities depending on the ingredients used. This potion, Everglow, has a weak density. It's very light and can easily leak into the water around them and dye them green-black like it did to her hands the first time she messed around with the potion.

"Now we shake it for a second or two," she said as she corked the bottle and began to vigorously shake the potion a few times. "Done." She removed the cork and swiftly fished the seashell out and watched as the tiny thing absorbed the slimy residue left on it before handing to James.

James stared down at it with a curious and somewhat disappointed look, like he was waiting for some kind of big burst of magic or something. "When will it start – Oh, wait. Never mind."

The shell started to slowly glow in the palm of his hands. A bubbling kindle of light grew at a slow pace, starting from the center of the shell and spreading outward. The glow was colorless and low, like the dying light of a candle in mid-afternoon.

Sofia figured the low light must have been due to how old the potion was and the interference of the cave crystals. She wanted to offer to make another one so James can see the potion's magic at its finest, but she didn't because of how adorably amazed his expression was.

He was gazing at the tiny, glowing shell in his hands like he was holding a star from the night sky. He looked like she had just given him the most amazing gift he could ever ask for.

And while she had finally acknowledged how mature and intelligent he is, she never wanted him to lose this child-like wonder of his. This bright optimism. The way he looked at the world. His amazing, wondrous enthusiasm he had for everything around him.

She can never let him lose that because it made everything he touched and looked at a thousand times better.

It made her better.

She was the practical one and he was the impractical one. A conventionalist and an unconventionalist. A realist and a dreamer. He was the one that believed she can fly and she was the one that would always catch him if he falls.

They were perfect for each other.

"This is amazing…." James gaped. The lighted played with the green colors of his eyes, making them shine brighter than humanly possible.

If someone told Sofia a few months back that she would have found her soulmate and she would be her happiest beyond compare, that her issues and demons and open-wounds would be disappearing and healing, she would have never believed them. She was so sure that her hole was too deep for her to escape from… but she was wrong.

Because….

Because….

Because James had helped her climb out.

He held her hand and slowly helped her find her way – an unconventional way – out of her hole.

She owed him so much. She could never repay him for everything he's done for her, everything she never even knew that she needed. Sofia had gone back to save him, but he managed to save her without her even knowing that she needed to be saved. She had ran so far into the dark that she forgot she was even there, but James found her and brought her back home.

Back to where the sun shined brightest.

"Thank you…." The words slipped out before she even realized she said it.

James looked up at her, confused. "For what?"

Her gaze fell to the bottle in her hands and she fiddled with it. "For…. For always finding me whenever I run away."

He didn't reply.

And she couldn't bring herself to look up at him.

Instead, she saw one of his hands reached out to her and take her hand. She let the bottle fall to the grotto's floor. He pulled her towards him so slowly and gently that it was almost like he wasn't even holding her hand and it was the water that was pushing her to him, not James. Her entire body shivered. She saw him drop the seashell and watched it as it shortly fell to the floor.

Then his other hand went to her cheek, barely touching her. He lift her head so that she looked into his eyes.

And what she saw in the eyes that stared back at her was both sincere and hungry.

She met the most intense and gentle gaze she's even seen in his pair of green eyes. Like ember starting a fire. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart felt like it stopped and started with a burst at the same time. She will never get used to how much James can affect her.

"I'll always find you." He released her hand and cupped her cheeks with both of his hands.

Gentle. Always so gentle.

And in those four little words, it sounded as if he left something more unsaid. As if he was trying to tell her that no matter where she was on this earth, no matter how far she was from him, he wouldn't stop searching for her until she was back in his arms. Back home with him.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she notice the crystals' lights dwindle and lower. The crystals were reading their emotions and adjusting themselves to what they were recognizing, creating a deep atmosphere that matched to what they were feeling.

Soon, the only thing that glowed the brightest was the small seashell on the floor between them.

It casts shadows across all of the handsome features of James's face, making him look a thousand times more beautiful than he already is. Even the little tiny details on his face was magnified by the glow of the tiny shell.

His perfectly sculpted cheekbones and chin and nose looked like something made from the stars above. The curl of his lips made them look fuller and softer than they already were. His green eyes burned with a fire she has come to recognize as her fire, something that only showed in his eyes whenever he looked at her and wanted her right then and there. He was hungry and she was the only thing that can satisfy that fire in him.

But there was something else in his eyes too.

Not desire or wanting. It was some kind of emotion that was simply love. A love that was special to them and them alone. It had no depth or height because it was limitless.

It was the kind of love that was shown in every little detail. The way he always needed to touch her or just hold her hand. The way she enjoyed just running her hands through his hair or how she melted in his arms whenever he crushed her towards his chest. The way his laugh sounded so low yet booming whenever he tried to be quiet. The way her eyes always immediately finds him in a crowded room.

But in this moment? With just the two of them underwater wearing nearly nothing?

It was in the way he swallowed and licked his lips like he has been starved of water for more than a year and she was the water he was in desperate need of. Or how her hands rested on his smooth, taut chest, feeling it rise up and down heavily like he was having a hard time trying to catch his breath. Ironic, considering he's breathing underwater.

She could feel his heart pound under the palm of her hand.

"No matter what, I'll always find you." His voice is low and smokey. There was a pleasant roughness she liked hearing. And with that classic smirk of his, he said, "even if you don't want me to."

Sofia let out a little laugh that seemed more like a huff, liking his attempt at humor at a time like this. They both clearly know where this was going and how it was going to end – if it even does this time – and in her opinion, humor doesn't seem to be a part of any of it.

Hell, not even words are going to be a part of it.

"Even if I get mad at you for it?" she teased.

"Yup." His smirk became even smirk-ier.

"Really?"

"Yeah." He leaned his head down closer to her like he was about a second away from being done with this conversation and go back to what they were close to starting.

"Why?" Her gaze couldn't help but flutter from his eyes to his lips.

"Because…." He leaned even closer. "Your wrath is worth facing…."His lips hovered over hers, making it nearly impossible for her to focus on what he was saying. "If it means you're okay and..." Their lips are barely touching now. She could feel the heat coming off of him and she just wanted to press into him already. "We can…."

They were so close to each other now.

If she were to just purse her lip or tilt her head up even a centimeter, they would touch.

"Still…." His eyes were nearly closed and so were hers. "Do…. This…."

Finally…. That was only thought she could think of when he kissed her.

Her mouth was already open when he met her. Eager. So was James's.

Gentle.

Rough.

Perfect.

There wasn't the usual sense of impatience she tasted from James. Instead, it felt like he was savoring every second, every touch, every little morsel of the kiss. Deepening it to where the heat and the passion lied, but taking his time slowly.

He wanted to take his time with her.

Sofia didn't mind all that much. It was always good to feel the blissfully slow rise of the kiss, but after a day like this, after the last twenty-four hours of complete emotional mayhem and chaos, she was the one who was rather impatient to ignite the kiss into a blazing fire. There was an urgency that rose in her core and made her want to skyrocket this kiss to the sky and beyond.

She slipped her arms around the back of James's neck, pulling him closer and kissing him harder. Longer. Deeper. She was ravishing him. Gone was her ladylike behavior, her prim and proper etiquette. All that was left was just a girl who wanted to kiss the love of her life and who wanted him to kiss her back like there was no tomorrow.

Goosebumps rose on her skin.

Kissing James was addictive and therapeutic and good.

Just plain good.

It made her heart pound loudly in her chest and the heat of her skin exploded.

The last few – many – kisses they shared today and yesterday and the day before were all good and perfect in their own right, but this one was better than the others because no two kisses are ever the same. Each next one they shared is always better than the last because Sofia always manages to find something new.

Something like James really enjoyed it when she kisses him behind the ear and under his jaw.

Or she positively loses her mind when he trails his lips past her collarbone and onto her chest.

Or when his grip on her waist tightens whenever she presses her chest to his.

Or the way he leans his head back with a moan whenever she starts to kiss the base of his neck.

Something new. Something thrilling. Something good.

Something that always deepens and furthers everything.

His hands trails up and down her back, like his hands were memorizing every little detail of her. All the while, trying to hold onto her like he was afraid of her disappearing from his arms the moment this kiss ends. His fingers went under the top like before, but this time… Sofia wanted the top gone. She didn't want his fingers under the top just to feel her skin. She wanted his fingers everywhere. All over her skin.

Her fingers released the broach that held the top together. She let it slip off of her and dissolve away like her crown.

James must have really liked that she was now topless because the moment the top was gone, he squeezed her even tighter to him. Bare skin against bare skin.

Lips and tongue crushed harder into each other as hands roamed where they usually never do.

Moans and groans filled the vacant grotto whenever they parted for air, whenever their lips touched anything but each other's lips. The echoing grotto was creating a symphony of the sounds that left their mouths.

Touching and sucking. Tasting and licking.

Everything. Everywhere.

The water around them felt cold against how hot their skin was becoming.

Red faces. Rapid heartbeats. Restless hands. Ravishing mouths.

So much and so little.

When she pulled away for air for the nth time, she saw that they had somehow ended up on the floor. Sofia was on top of him. Her long hair was everywhere. James had his hands on either side of her face, keeping her hair away from her face. He gazed up at her like she was something magnificent and wonderful, a star on earth. Like she was the mysterious side of the moon he was trying to understand.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting up. James sat up with her; his hands didn't budge from her.

"You're beautiful," he whispers fast and low, like he couldn't stop the words spilling out of him.

He was looking at her with eyes filled so, so, so many emotions. And it all made her heart swell a million times its size.

His fingers trailed down her cheek and her neck. Across her collarbones and down the center of her chest. Burning her already inflamed skin. Her skin becomes all too hypersensitive to him, to his skin and everywhere it is touching her.

"You're so beautiful…," he said, like it was the only words he knew how to say and what they meant. His eyes followed his fingers and where it was going.

Sofia touched him back.

His breath caught in his throat.

Her hands ran across his heaving chest, feeling how smooth and strong he was. Firm and handsomely shaped muscles running around his shoulders, over his arms, and down his chest.

Perfect.

So perfect, her heart rang.

That thing of hers is always beating too fast and too slow whenever they kiss, like it was trying to catch the rhythm of their kisses and write it into a song that can only be heard in the heart she and James shared. A secret song that played the passions and strengths of their love.

She wanted him.

James was her fire just like she was his and she wanted to hold him tight and let herself burn. To let the fire engulf her and just burn.

Oh stars, she wanted him.

Every part. Every piece.

All of him.

And she was just about to have him, when she heard a familiar voice ring in the back of her head.

"Sofia! James! Where are you two?"

Amber.

She and what seems to be the others – Lucinda, Edward, and Hugo – were near the bank of the waterfall, searching for them. Sofia is able to hear them this far inside of the cave and below the water because she is somehow connected to everything around the waterfall whenever she is in it. She is able to sense whatever is happening near the waterfall.

"Shit," Sofia hissed under her breath.

"What is it?" he mumbled, more than ready to resume what they were doing. She could tell that he didn't really mean what he asked because his eyes were more than dazed and he was actively trying to recapture her lips.

"Amber and the others. They're out at the bank of the waterfall."

"What?" He seemed too distracted by her lips to even pay attention to what she was saying.

"Amber and the others," Sofia said again, turning her head away from his kissing attempts. That didn't discourage him though because he started to graze his lips against her neck.

"Mmm..."

"We need to get back. They must be worried sick."

"Sofia, kiss me," he said, clearly not listening. His voice was smooth and low, all too soft and persuasive.

"No, I can't," Sofia protested, pushing him back a little. "We have to get back. Amber, Lucinda, Edward, and Hugo are already out there and they sound like they are a breath away from sending the entire Enchancian army to search for us."

"Just one more. Another kiss won't make much of a difference."

"Yes, I think it will," she laughed, slipping out of his arms. "We've been down here a long time. I wouldn't be surprised if it is nearly midnight by the time we get back to the house."

"Sofia…."

"James."

He didn't look too thrilled that she wasn't in his arms, but he didn't press his luck with her and argue. James let out a defeated sigh and got up. He settled on just taking her hand. "Okay, let's stop the wonderful thing we were just doing to go back to the others."

She rolled her eyes at him and started swimming back to the surface and out of the grotto.

Sofia didn't like ending their fun either, but she didn't want to keep making everyone else worried. She wanted more than anything to stay in the grotto with James and kiss forever. Maybe do something more, but their fun had to end eventually. Time and the entire world won't stop just for them. There was still danger out there and that mad man was on the loose and she had a responsibility to save everyone and to save James. So, as much as she hated to admit it, the kissing had to stop.

For now.

They could still always pick up where they left off in her room later.

And that is exactly what she told him when they made it out of the entrance of the cave.

She promised him that when they make it back to her room and cleaned themselves up for the night, they would continue on. James just happily kissed her as a show of his surprise and to seal the promise.

They were about to get lost in each other again and recreate their kiss, but Amber's shouts beyond the waterfall brought her back. "Sofia! James!"

"Where the hell could they be?" Lucinda asked. She was right when she sensed that there were four people out at the bank of the river, and two of them were holding lanterns. Those must have been Hugo and Edward Sofia figured.

It was completely dark outside. From beyond the waterfall, Sofia could see the distorted silhouette of the moon high in the sky.

"I don't know, but they have to be around here somewhere." Amber sounded so worried that guilt washed over Sofia immediately. She felt horrible that the entire time she and James were having their fun, Amber and the others were just back at the house worried sick.

"Sofia!" Hugo's voice rang out. One of the lanterns shined its light into the dark woods that surrounded the waterfall. "You don't think they could be in the forest, do you?"

"No. The waterfall is the place where Sofia always runs off to whenever this happens," Amber replied.

"I think it's best if you transform back, Sofia," James whispered. "I really don't want to explain to Amber and the others why you're topless. Plus, I just don't want Hugo to see you like this."

"I can't. I can only turn back when I am out of the water and since there's no dry way out from behind the waterfall, I'm just going to have to swim out there as a mermaid."

"But," James began, gesturing to her bare bust with wide opposing eyes, "Sofia –"

Sofia rolled her eyes at him as she swam over to their ledge and reach up for her things. "I didn't say I was going to go out there shirtless. I'm going to wear my shirt and just stuff everything else into my bag. You, on the other hand, are going to have to swim out there shirtless."

"Better me than you," he said as he watched her put on her shirt and button it up. "By the way, how did you know that they were out there while we were at the bottom of your grotto?"

"The cave is magic. Whenever I am in there, it's almost like I am connected to it and I can just sense whatever is happening around this waterfall."

"Hey! I just found what looks like James's clothes!" Hugo shouted.

"Really? That's great," Amber sighed, relieved.

"Well, sort of. Why is his clothes here? And not James?" Hugo said.

"I don't know, but it has got to mean that they are around here, " Amber replied.

"Somewhere," Lucinda said.

"Shit," Sofia grabbed her bag and James's hand as she hastily rushed out from behind the waterfall with a large splash. She didn't bother trying to swim under the waterfall like she did when James found her here. Screw that. The others already figured they were around here, so why try hiding it?

Anyway, it was late and dark and she just wanted to curl in her bed with James. The faster she got this over with, the faster she could get to that bed. With James.

Amber was the first to notice them come out of the waterfall. "Sofia! You're okay!"

Hugo and Edward turned their lanterns towards the waterfall. "Sofia!" Hugo exclaimed. "You're –"

They all stopped.

The moment the light was shined on them, Sofia's tail was revealed and everyone froze. Everyone but Lucinda that is. Amber and the two boys just stood there, rooted in their spots with gaping faces. They were shocked at the fact that Sofia was a mermaid. It was like their earlier worry and stress were gone and was replaced with shock and amazement.

"You're a mermaid…" Sofia heard Hugo say.

Lucinda was the only one who didn't seem affected by the surprise of Sofia's mermaid appearance. She already knew about it and was just unfazed by it. She ran towards them as James and Sofia swam up to the rocky shores of the waterfall's bank. "Sofia!"

By that shout, the others followed and the moment the others reached Sofia and James, questions flew at them left and right.

Well, Amber's questions. The other two boys just stood there gaping at Sofia's tail.

Amber didn't even give Sofia the chance to change back into her human form before throwing questions after questions at them. The questions were more directed at Sofia than James. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? Do you know how worried we were? Were you in the waterfall this entire time?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine," Sofia reassured her and the others. She curled her tail under her and tried not to think too much on the fact that she had no coverings underneath her rather thin white shirt.

Amber kneeled down beside Sofia and studied her, looking her over from head to tail. She grabbed her head and turned it to and fro, like she was searching for any signs of damage on her. "I'll be the judge of that."

"Really, I am fine. I didn't go on a rampage this time, I swear. I didn't destroy any rocks or trees or anything, so that means I don't have any cuts or bruises on me."

"I can attest to that. The only thing she destroyed was her corset," James said as he stepped out of the water. Edward came over to him and handed him his clothes and boots.

"James," Sofia hissed at him. She didn't want anyone knowing that.

"Sorry," James cringed as he put on his boots. "That just came out."

"You're corset?" Amber looked down at Sofia's shirt appallingly. "Tell me that's not true."

She quickly transformed back into her legs and quickly hugged her legs to her chest. Lucky enough, her shirt didn't disappear like her tail did. "It's no true?"

"Sofia!" Amber scolded her. "Why?"

"Because it was the only thing near me and you know that whatever is near me is not safe. I have to destroy whatever I get my hands on," Sofia tried to save herself from Amber's horrified look. "I was just in a really bad place, I –"

"And what about you?" she heard Hugo ask James and saw him eyeing his bare chest suspiciously. "Why were your things left on the rocks over there?"

Sofia could literally hear Hugo's unsaid questions. Why were you shirtless with Sofia behind the waterfall?

James obviously didn't like the look Hugo was giving him, but he took it in stride and answered him coolly. He went on putting back on his shirt. "I found Sofia hiding in the water behind the waterfall and since I didn't want to leave her there alone any longer than she has been, I just swam to her."

"With nearly all your clothes off?" Hugo narrowed his eyes even further. "In front of Sofia?"

"Well, I couldn't swim with a cloak and boots."

"But did you really need to take your shirt off too?"

She saw the muscles in James's jaw tighten. No. Not again.

"Stop it, you two," Sofia warned them both. "If you two start this shit again, I swear I am going to –"

"Okay. Okay," Lucinda tried to placate the tension. "Why don't we Sofia and James back to the house before they get sick? It's pretty cold out here and they are both soaking wet."

"Lucinda's right," Amber said, helping Sofia up off the ground and taking her bag from her. That seemed to be a big mistake for her because she nearly fell to the ground because of it. "By Fate's Will! What's in your bag?"

Edward hurried over to her and took the bag from her. Sofia couldn't help but smile at his chivalry towards Amber.

"Um, my things?"

"What things?" Amber looked at the bag like it was made of stone. "Rocks? Cinderblocks? Freaking mountains?"

"No. My boots and my cloak. My torn corset. Other things I took with me while James and I sneaked out last night. Which isn't much because that's just my Book of Hyproti."

It's crazy to think that it had only been last night when she and James snuck off to Lucinda's. With all the craziness that has happened in the last twenty-four hours, it feels like nearly a month has passed since that time. So much has been revealed.

"Well crap, it doesn't feel like it," Amber complained still as she looped her arm through Sofia's and started to lead her back to the estate.

But Sofia didn't get very far before James surprised her by picking her up into his arms and started to carry her back to the house.

"James!" Sofia exclaimed, her face stared to burn. "What are you doing? I can walk on my own."

Has he gone mad? Why was he carrying her in front of everyone?

She understood that everyone knew about them now, but that was only twenty-four hours ago. That wasn't enough time for Sofia to be used to being like this in front of everyone. She was used to hiding it and doing this kind of thing in the privacy of just the two of them. Not Amber and Edward and Hugo and Lucinda.

"James," Amber looked confusingly at him.

"You're not wearing any boots, Sofia." James just kept on walking like they weren't having this conversation.

Sofia looked down at her feet. She didn't realize that she still hadn't put on her boots yet. They were still in her bag, her soaking wet bag. There is no possible way for her to wear them now that they went for a swim like she did.

"That's because they're flooded," she said.

"Exactly. So you can't wear them. That means you are going to be walking through the forest barefoot. Walking over rocks and twigs and whatever else is there. Do you remember the last time you did that? You had to have your feet wrapped for nearly three days, Sofia."

"Yes, but –" Sofia tried to wrench herself free, but that only made his arms tighten.

"Edward, pull out Sofia's boots for me," James looked over at the quiet knight.

Edward just blushed and shook his head. "Her corset is in the bag. I can't."

"Amber?" James tried. "You want to get her boots and show her how unwearable they are and then try to explain that she can't walk barefoot through the forest?" He was still walking like nothing was happening.

To her dismay, Amber looked over at the soaked bag and gave a conflicted shrug like she was siding with James over Sofia. "By the looks of the bag, Sofia, I am going to have to agree with James. You can't wear them and you can't walk barefoot. The last time you did that, you had rocks and twigs in your feet. I am not going to let that happen again."

"Amber," Sofia gasped in betrayal.

She still tried to struggle out of his arms with a burning face, but it was all in vain. He was determined to not let her down. Sofia wanted to ask Lucinda for help, but she didn't seem like she even paying a second thought at what was happening. Nor did it seem like she was that much interested in the drama that was ensuing. The witch just stared ahead and continued to walk like she was lost in her own thoughts. There was a grim seriousness in her expression.

Lucinda?

"Okay, I think that's enough, James," Hugo said with a deadly calm, bringing Sofia back. He stopped James with a firm hand on his shoulder. "She wants to be let down."

She wanted to be grateful to Hugo for his help, but it didn't feel right. It still felt like he was trying to win over Sofia's heart even though he was freed from The Evil's hold on him.

James looked coldly at the hand on his shoulder like it was trash that landed on his person. Sofia could see his nose turning up in disgust. He roughly shrugged Hugo's hand off of him and continued on walking like nothing stopped him. "I don't think so."

Sofia and Amber exchanged wary, dry glances between each other. Really? Is there going to be another fight?

She honestly thought that the moment they removed the black diamond from Hugo's body that things would calm down between him and James. The tension between them seemed like it reduced, but why is it still there? Why is it still so angry?

"But listen to what she wants and just let her walk on her own," Hugo said.

"I am not going to let her walk barefoot through this forest. End of story, Hugo."

"You –"

"No. You –"

"Stop it. It's fine. We're almost back. There's no point to this conversation anymore." Sofia gave up. This was not worth arguing over nor was it worth starting a fight between Hugo and James.

She sank down in James's arms with a defeated sigh.

"Ha," she heard James huff smugly under his breath. She could hear his pleased smile.

"James," she whispered, giving him a scolding look, but it didn't make his overly pleased-with-himself smile didn't break. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Be nice. I mean it."

"I am."

"No, you're not. Did carrying me really mean that much to you?"

"Yes."

"James."

"Sofia."

"James."

"Sofia, you weren't wearing any boots and I didn't want your feet getting hurt like last time. Plus, Hugo's still in love with you and I didn't want him trying to make a move on you. A move like this."

Her accursed heart melted and softened. Despite his very bad behavior, Sofia and her traitorous heart couldn't stay upset at him. No matter how hard she tries, she can never be mad at James for very long.

Dammit.

"Anyway, you're not wearing a corset. He would have been able to feel everything I am feeling right now." Just to show her, he squeezed her close and pressed her very squishy chest to him, reminding her of her lack of a certain article of clothing.

Shit.

"Okay. Okay. I get it," Sofia blushed.

James laughed loudly, making it ricochet off of the trees and mixing it with the nightly sounds of the forest. "Besides, I just don't like the guy."

Sofia looked behind them at Hugo and saw him narrow his eyes at James's back. He obviously heard that. "James."

He just continued on laughing, not bothering to try stopping it for decency's sake. She sighed and gave up. Again. Sofia rested her head against his shoulder and stared to toy with the hair behind his neck as she watched the light from the house grow nearer and nearer.

James must have liked how it felt when she was played with his hair because his laughing slowly faded and he gave her a lazy smile, utterly contented with how things were despite the fact that they were both soaking wet and a bit chilled from the night's early spring weather.

There was an odd feeling that settled in the pit of Sofia's stomach as they came closer to the estate. It was hard to explain, but it felt as if the moment she and James stepped back into the house, everything will start again.

When they were back at the waterfall, things were like as she had called it: time had stopped for them for a while and they could just be with each other and forget reality and its craziness. But the moment they return, so does reality and everything that came with it. The danger and the mad man. The worry and fear. The constant threats and… bloodshed.

It was nice while it lasted to be honest. She liked forgetting everything and just getting lost in James's arms and his kisses. Her grotto was a safe place, wrapping her in a warm embrace of security.

But she couldn't ignore what world needed from her. She couldn't just forget her place in this world and her place as everyone's savior.

She was going to save everyone. Her mother. James. The kingdoms. Everyone and everything.

This time she isn't going to run. She was going to stand and fight. She is going to avenge Queen Anne and defeat this man. He started this fight, but Sofia was going to end it.

He was an evil man that uses the darkness as his source of power, believing it was unbeatable. But she was the light and light always defeats the dark because no matter what, light always shows in the darkness. It has no power against the light.

Darkness is weak compared to the light. Her amulet grew warm under her shirt, as if it was acknowledging her thoughts. She grabbed it into her hands and squeezed it as if she can somehow gather its warmth into her and send it to the people she loved, protecting them.

He's going to pay. I am going to make sure of it.


Chapter thirty-five! Woo!

Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry! I am so sorry! I know this chapter is super late. College and school has been utter ape-shit and I have so many papers due. I have tried to keep up with working on the chapters and updating, but school is beating the crap out of me. I am so, so sorry. To show you how sorry I am and as appreciation for being such loyal readers, I made this chapter my longest yet and filled with nice Jamesfia moments. They are so close to doing it. *wink, wink*

There won't be a chapter in the next few months because I have finals and projects. It wasn't a wise decision of me to take more than two English classes, but I am stupid and I thought I am invincible. Crap. So, that means I will be on hiatus and I will return sometime in December. Sorry, but school is kicking my ass. I will try to pop in and out like before, giving you all snippets of my next project, The Return of Princess Sofia, and of future chapters.

Thank you for being so understanding and such loyal readers. I promise I am not giving up on this project, I love writing this fanfic to much to give it up. I will return. Just be patient while I try to finish up my semester with a bang (ie, a bunch of A's).

Read, review, etc.

Thanks :)