A steady tap, tap, tap, hit the window.

It sounded like the beat to a popular song on the radio. Marcie wiggled her toes inside her worn-out shoes, but resisted the urge to hum out the song. It was drizzling outside; she wished she had a pair of rain boots so she could run out and jump through the puddles. Anything was better than being locked up with Melody's incessant sighs.

"I wish it wasn't raining," the dark-haired girl said, for what was the millionth-time Marcie felt like. She had purposely chosen to return to this out-of-the-way window seat because it was quiet, to be alone with her thoughts, not because she wanted the dark-haired girl to find her. "I could have been at my riding lesson right now."

"You said riding yesterday," Marcie intoned, tearing her gaze from the window to look over at Melody. "What do you ride? ATV's?"

The wild look she got in response was more than enough to know that she was way off. "No, horses."

"Oh yeah, this place has a stable," Marcie mused, recalling having put it down on her map as the outer grounds.

"Do you ride?"

"Horses?" A nod in confirmation; Marcie frowned. "Nope. I've ridden cows, though, does that count?"

Melody pulled a face, stating, "Not really."

Both girls went quiet, and Melody once again looked forlornly out the window. Marcie counted backwards from five; on two, Melody did not disappoint and sighed again. Now the redhead had enough.

"If you want to go riding so bad, just do it. No one's stopping you," she said, irritably, staring down the other girl, who turned her face back to her. She seemed surprised at the sharpness of her tone.

"The Stable Master would never have a horse saddled for me in these conditions," Melody answered, pulling her legs to the side of her, like she would her tail. "I can't exactly ride bareback."

Marcie wanted to face palm; was that the whole issue? "Can't you saddle up your own horse? How hard is it, you buckle 'em up, and go."

"You can't just buckle up a horse," Melody corrected, her tone becoming dry. "If it were that easy I would do it myself. But saddling a horse takes practice, and you have to know the way a rider rides, otherwise it could be dangerous."

"Well then go be mopey somewhere else," Marcie retorted, bringing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on top. Melody could tell she was not wearing a petticoat again. "I'm busy."

"You're not doing anything," Melody replied, stubbornly. "Besides, if anyone's being mopey, it's you. You barely said three words at breakfast and looked downcast the entire time."

"Yeah, well," Marcie said, turning her face to the window, fighting back sudden, the stinging, frustrated tears in her eyes. She cleared her throat, and pressed her thumb over the charm on her makeshift bracelet. "Maybe you'd feel rotten too if today was a whole week you'd been gone from home."

"…oh."

Marcie said nothing. Melody looked down at her dress, flinging off invisible dirt, suddenly feeling bad. She hadn't meant to make the girl feel worse.

"Mom and Dad will get you back," Melody finally said, her voice confident. "And then maybe you could come to the palace every so often and visit? That way you'd still feel like part of both families."

"Maybe," Marcie said, though her voice was flat, because she knew going through the In-Between again would probably be her last time. Whatever she had done to go through it, she wouldn't risk again. "I've never been away from home so long."

"Not even on a trip?" Melody's interest was piqued now, and she leaned in, curious.

Marcie noticed, and scooted back a bit. "I've never gone on a trip."

Melody's brows creased together. "Vacation?"

"Nope."

Now Melody frowned, asking, "Where's the farthest you've been?"

"Two hours away, once, for a field trip." Marcie supplied, shrugging as Melody's face reacted in shock. Of course she wouldn't understand; Marcie managed to smile wryly. "Can't miss what you've never had, right?"

"But trips are fun!" Melody protested. "Well, the carriage ride really isn't, but the destination is! And other places have so much to explore!"

"I guess," Marcie returned, sighing. "I don't know if I'd like exploring. I like where I live, it's all one bike ride."

"We're a family of adventurers," Melody responded, her frown still evident. How could someone think they may not enjoy exploring? "Dad was always sailing, Mom has a story for everything, and even me, two weeks ago I found this cave of glow shells that—"

CRASH! BANG! BOOM!

Melody gasped, the noise cutting through the stillness of the palace. Marcie reflexively curled tighter into a ball, raising an arm to protect her head. Melody hopped off the window seat quickly.

"Where are you going?" Marcie demanded, still in a defensive position.

Melody looked at her for a moment, scrutinizing her odd behavior, before saying, as though it was obvious, "That sound came from the kitchen."

Marcie looked at her blinking. "So?"

"I've got to get there before Louis catches him," Melody declared, almost as though she was speaking to herself.

"Catches who?" Melody wasn't paying attention, having already turned around and picking up speed as she walked. "Are you seriously going towards the scary, bad sounds?"

It didn't seem like Melody heard her. Marcie stared at the empty spot across from her, then where the girl disappeared around the corner. She could just let her walk into whatever mess that was about, it didn't have anything to do with her...

"You don't have to fight my battles," Marcie said crisply, pulling out a sweater from the laundry. She tossed it to Adam, who caught it easily with one hand. "I could've handled it. He wasn't that bad."

"You don't have to be a smartass either," Adam answered, coolly, pulling the sweatshirt over him with a wince. "You know how he gets after a game."

"I wasn't being a smartass, I just don't think it's fair that I have to clean up when it's not my mess," Marcie grumbled, shoving the rest of the laundry into the basket. "You know, I'm not gonna do your laundry forever. Next year you'll be in college and you'll have to figure it out on your own."

"'Kay, well, that's a next year problem," Adam replied, rolling his shoulders back. "Maybe I'll come back every weekend so you can keep doing my laundry for me, and I can be here if you mouth off again."

"Adam, I'm serious," Marcie said, sighing as she reached deep into the drum to pull out a sock. "I can handle the old man. Don't worry about me."

"Yeah, yeah," Adam replied, watching as she struggled with the laundry basket, but making no effort to take it from her as he pulled his car keys out of his pocket. "You want a ride to Matt's? I'm driving out to see Caity."

"Dammit," Marcie muttered, pushing her legs out and standing up. The girl was too soft, she'd never survive whatever mess she got herself into.

The teenager pushed her glasses up her nose and headed towards the kitchen. She walked faster than normal, but did not run to catch up with Melody because the odd looks she received were enough as it was. It took two wrong turns, but eventually she could hear telltale signs of someone yelling, and followed the voice.

But as she headed towards the kitchen, she heard Melody first, as though she was speaking to someone in a hallway. Marcie decided to take a detour from the kitchen, because hopefully the girl had avoided getting involved in whatever that was and was alright.

She saw Melody from behind, her head ducked and nodding, as though she was listening to someone. Someone shorter than her? Marcie could hear another person, but couldn't see anyone else in the hallway.

"…dese legs aren't as fast as dey used to be!" A male voice moaned, and Marcie heard Melody stifle her laughter. "Every time, every time! I'm too old for dis, mon!"

"He wouldn't do anything, Sebastian," Melody promised, though her voice was on the edge of giggles. "Mother would be so upset, and Carlotta would probably tear his ear right off!"

"Hmph! Dat's what you say!" The voice replied, miffed. "Tell dat to 'is boiling water!"

"Who're you talking to?" Marcie asked, eyes flying across the hallway, but still seeing no one there.

Melody gasped in surprise, whirling around to the voice. "You scared me!"

"Good, we're almost even then," Marcie said nonchalantly, still seeing no person in the room. Melody was holding, however, what looked to be a…crab? Its jaw was wide open. "Are you talking to a crab?"

"Huh? Oh!" Melody looked down, her eyes bouncing back between the other two creatures in the hallway. After a long pause, she finally said, "This is Sebastian. Sebastian, this is…Harmony." After a beat, she added, "My sister."

"Wha—what—how—?!" The crab looked at both girls, his head swiveling between the two in shock. "Oh, mon," he breathed—before he toppled backwards in Melody's hands.

Marcie waited for a moment, then inclined her head. "You might need new batteries. It died."

"He fainted, he's not dead!" Melody answered indignantly, poking at the crab's shell. "Sebastian…?"

"Cool toy, but the whole talking thing might freak people out," Marcie said, not seeming to be bothered by the talking crab.

However, the way she talked about him…"Sebastian is not a toy. He's a crab."

"Okay, whatever," Marcie shrugged. She'd given up playing with toys long ago, but if that's what this girl wanted to do, then that was her issue. Even if it was quite realistic looking, at the end of the day it was still a toy.

"Oh! That's Mom," Melody said, cocking her head to the side as she heard the telltale, light click of a shoe upon the marble. "She's probably going to the kitchen, I should let her know Sebastian is safe. She is not going to be happy."

Misinterpreting what she meant, Marcie started to grow anxious, nervous, saying, "Maybe…I should go then, if she's gonna be mad. I didn't do anything, okay?"

"You didn't do anything," Melody answered, confused, watching as Marcie started to retreat from the hallway, her face white as a sheet.

"Right, you let her know that, okay?" Marcie answered, turning about face and running out of the hallway. She sped right by Ariel, not stopping, despite the woman appearing startled by the teenager's presence.

"What in the…?" Ariel wondered aloud, pressing her wrapped hand to her heart. She cleared her throat, calling out, "Sebastian?"

"In here, Mom!" Melody's voice carried from a hallway tucked right before the kitchen. Ariel slipped into it with ease, her eyes immediately falling onto Sebastian in Melody's cupped hands.

"What's wrong?" Ariel demanded to know, taking the poor crab from her daughter. "What happened to…to…" the name stuck in her throat; she still struggled to say it, even after a week.

"I introduced her to Sebastian, and then he fainted." Melody explained, her own features puzzled over this. "I think she thinks she killed him. She told me to say that she didn't do anything."

"Sebastian saw her?" Ariel's eyes widened as Melody nodded. Ariel groaned. "Oh, no."

"And just when were you going to tell your family about dis girl?" Sebastian glared at Ariel, his gaze withering, claws on either side of his shell. He stood on her boudoir, clearly vexed at the abridged version of events she had given him.

Ariel, feeling like a teenager getting a lecture, refused to meet his eyes, instead focusing on brushing out her hair. "She's only been here a week, Sebastian. I haven't really had an opportunity to sit down and explain Atlantica to her."

"You haven't told 'er about Atlantica?!" Sebastian exclaimed.

Ariel bit her lip, closing her eyes a moment, before reopening. Wrong move, he had her for one thing, now he had her for two. "No."

"She doesn't know about de Sea King or your sisters or—"

"No."

"De last time you didn't tell Melody about Atlantica, Morgana got the trident! And I'm not as young as I was, I can't go chasing after another teenager!" Sebastian declared, pointing a claw at her like a wagging finger.

"I know," Ariel said, gently, trying not to upset him. She winced at a tight knot in her hair. "But this is different. I'm not hiding Atlantica from her."

"Den why not tell de girl?"

"It's been a lot to throw at her. I don't want to complicate things." Ariel answered, as honestly as she could.

Sebastian's glare didn't let up. "Well what's so complicated that you can't tell de girl about your family? If she really is Harmony."

Ariel set down her brush, finally looking at the crab. "Sebastian, she's from Earth."

That threw him for a loop. "What?"

Ariel bit her lip. "Somehow…when she disappeared, she must have gone through…well, humans call it the In-Between, I'm not sure what it's called in Atlantica? It was the passageway to Earth, to the other world."

"De Divide?" Now Sebastian blinked furiously, unsure if he was hearing this right. "No one can go through de Divide, it's been sealed for hundreds of years, land and sea!"

"Right, that's what Eric and I thought," Ariel replied, now pulling at her fingers nervously. She took a deep breath. "But she did, Sebastian. She went through twice—once as an infant, and then again a week ago."

"Ariel, dat's impossible," the crab said, bewildered that she would even consider such an outlandish notion. "Maybe de girl is playing a trick on you?"

"She didn't know the In-Between, the Divide—whatever it's called—existed. She thought she was still in Earth when she came through." Ariel replied, her voice unaccustomedly serious. "Her schoolbook had a full, detailed map of Earth."

"But de Divide is sealed! How would Harmony get through? Twice?"

"That, we're not sure about. Obviously, she doesn't remember going through as an infant. She says this time she was walking, bad wind suddenly hit her, and the next thing she knew she was outside of the village. She thought she had been knocked over." Ariel gave him a thin, humorless smile.

"Are you sure de girl isn't lying?" Sebastian pressed, finding it difficult to come around to the idea. "De girl magically appears and claims to be a missing princess from another world? Sounds too convenient, Ariel."

"Why is everyone's first reaction to think she's lying?" Ariel muttered, annoyed at the notion. The image of the girl a week ago flashed through her mind; scared, crying, begging with bound hands. "And she never claimed to be anyone but herself—or, I guess, who she thought she was. She had proof."

"What kind of proof?" Sebastian eyes narrowed, suspicious.

"Besides her schoolbook that had a map of Earth?" Ariel answered, exasperated. "She had this card on her that had her name, school, and a tiny portrait of herself. It's the only thing she says that had her full name."

"De girl's full name isn't Harmony?" Sebastian asked, puzzled now.

"Not in Earth," Ariel answered, weakly smiling. The name on the card was seared into her memory. "In Earth, she's Marcella Nicole Johnson. It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Hmph," Sebastian replied, not sold on the notion. "Even if de girl is who she says she is, how do you know she's Harmony?"

Ariel tapped her fingers on the desk, feeling impatient as she answered, "Melody had this bracelet charm as a baby, with the kingdom seal on one side, and her name and birthday on the other. She had the same one, although the word Harmony has been scratched out—we had the original jeweler confirm it. Then we matched her handprints to a set I made years ago, you know, for memory's sake. That was also confirmed, by experts, to be the same. And the palace doctor had recorded a shell-shaped birthmark on her temple."

Now Ariel sighed, her shoulders slumping as she said, "Even without all the proof, I know she's not lying, Sebastian. If anything, she wants to go back home."

Sebastian looked baffled at her statement. If the girl was trying to play at some con, wanting to leave was an odd way to go about it. "What?"

"She wants to go back to Earth," Ariel answered, getting up from the boudoir, making her way over to her wardrobe. "She didn't even know she'd been missing. In Earth, she had been adopted, she had a brother, friends, school—a whole life. A normal life."

"Hmph. Normal." Sebastian muttered, his tone full of disapproving. He drew a claw over his face, asking, "Did you at least tell 'er she's a Princess?"

"We didn't. Melody did." Ariel answered, snorting at the idea. She would have rather gotten the opportunity to speak to the girl first, but she couldn't change what had occurred now. "She didn't even know she was in the palace. She thought it was a large house. With guards. And servants."

"How could she not realize…?" Now Sebastian was sounding wary, and from over her shoulder, Ariel could see he looked it too.

"That's what I'm trying to say, she's lived differently in Earth." Ariel replied, pulling a familiar, dark blue dress from her wardrobe. She needed something a tad nicer than her simple day dress for today's meeting. "She's grown up in a farming village; living in a palace was far out of reach for her. The last week has been a rough transition."

"But she's better off 'ere than in Earth!" Sebastian insisted. "She's got everyting she could ever need!"

"I think so," Ariel answered, dryly, stepping behind her dressing screen with the other dress. It was less out of modesty and more out of habit. Fifteen years on land and the idea that her wearing only underthings was 'undressed' still felt ridiculous. "But a week ago her life was turned upside down. Once things are…calmer, I'll introduce her to the rest of the family."

"Hm," The crab said, tapping his legs against the desk in thought. It was his turn to sigh now. "De Sea King might understand, but your sisters aren't going to like it. Dere going to dink you're embarrassed of dem."

"I know, I know," she answered, shrugging it off. She wasn't ashamed of her family, or her heritage, but her six sisters, their husbands, and all their children could be…loud. "She needs to settle in more before she meets everyone, though. She's fragile right now; I promise, as soon as Eric and I feel she's ready, I'll let them know."

"De girl is fragile?" Sebastian questioned, taken aback at the description. That was certainly not a word that could have been used to describe Ariel or Melody.

"Maybe fragile is the wrong way to put it," Ariel began, slowly. "She's...hard to read. It takes a lot to get her to open up, and then when she does, one wrong question and she clams up again. Melody says she talks more when it's just the two of them."

"How is Melody taking it?" The crab asked. From the brief interaction between all three individuals, it had seemed Melody wasn't completely hostile, which was one good thing.

"She wasn't happy, at first. But now? I haven't had the chance to really ask her, but I don't think she minds." Ariel returned, stepping out from behind the screen in the new dress, pulling at the laces behind her absently. "You know Melody, as long as she has her locket, and the sea, she's fine."

"And Eric?"

Ariel shook her head, creating a bow at the small of her back. Now she just needed shoes. "Thrilled, of course. We're both so, so ecstatic, and grateful that she's okay."

Her voice had risen slightly at the end; Sebastian caught onto it. "But…?"

"It feels awful to even complain, after we waited so long," Ariel said, keeping herself busy, opening up her dresser full of shoes. "I guess I always imagined her coming back and life would go on. I didn't realize how hard it might be for her to adjust…but she'll do it. Everything will work itself out. It has to."

"Hm…" It was clear that even though she was optimistic, there was worry in her tone, almost like she was trying to convince herself. "When are you gonna tell de king and your sisters?"

"Well…" Ariel said, gritting her teeth, and pulling out a pair of shoes. She knew her next request would not go over well. "I was hoping you might do it, for me, Sebastian?"

"Me?!" The crab's voice rose three octaves, sounding faint again at the very idea. "Ariel, this is your daughter!"

"I know, I know, but…" Sebastian was right, her father would understand her need for privacy, and probably Attina too, but the rest of her sisters would adamantly ignore her request. Better if she sent the crab to tell them; least then they couldn't accuse her of being unfair. "I just need a little time, and let's face it, everyone listens to you!"

"Well, dat's true," the crab said, seemingly pleased with himself for a moment, before straightening up. He knew what Ariel was trying to do to him! "But it doesn't mean I'm going to do it!"

"Please Sebastian?" Ariel sat back at her boudoir, pouting, knowing full well the crab's inability to tell her no. She'd always been his favorite out of her sisters, probably because he got caught up in so many of her messy adventures. "Pretty please? Seaweed sorbet with sea cucumber on top?"

"…fine." He was awarded a brilliant smile from the redhead, as she pulled on her shoes. "But don't get used to it! And if de princesses get mad I'll tell them it's your idea!"

"That's alright," Ariel answered. She could deal with her sisters later on; at least this would buy her some much needed time. The clock chimed the hour, and Ariel looked up, alarmed. "Oh! I'm late for the Autumn Festival Committee meeting!"

Before she said anything else, she swooped down, kissing the crab in appreciation. "Thank you, Sebastian!"

"Yes, well…" Sebastian watched as she nearly ran out the door, mumbling to himself as he realized she had done it again. "Always on me last claw, mon."

Disclaimer: Ariel, Eric, Melody, Sebastian, etc. and the setting for this story are from The Little Mermaid, which is property of Disney. I own nothing; everything represented from the film(s), tv series, etc. is/are the property of Disney. Other characters are from my own imagination and are not associated with Disney.