Hooked

“You’re a mermaid?” She shivered at the feel of cold steel on her throat, sliding down to her collarbone. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding when the threat was removed. A moment later, however, the point of his hook was pressing gently into her jean-clad hip. “How’d you manage to lose the fins, sweetheart?”

Ariel woke suddenly from her dream—it had just been a dream, not some haunting memory and she felt some relief from that. It took her a moment to realize that it hadn’t been the dream that had woken her, when her apartment gave another violent shake. She hopped out of bed and went to the living room, straight to the window overlooking Storybrooke. She gasped when she saw the vines coming out of the clock tower and a tree bursting up through the middle of one of the streets. What the hell was going on?

It was in that moment that Killian came bursting through the door and Ariel turned and met his gaze.

“Do you know what this is?” she asked.

“Well, to make it as simple as possible, basically there are two people dead set on destroying this town and the people in it,” Killian answered, stepping over to the window to see what was happening at the moment. Ariel watched him carefully. “I’d say they’re easily on their way to getting what they want.”

“Isn’t there any way to stop it?” Ariel questioned, dread filling her stomach.

“Plans are being arranged for the people in town,” he said. He turned his head to look straight at Ariel. “I have a way out of this, if you care to join me.”

Ariel looked back out the window, watching as people hurried down the streets.

“What about everyone in town?” she asked.

“Arrangements are being made for them,” he said. “But if you want to survive this, we need to go now. And as much as I hate to say this now, you might want to get dressed.”

It was then that Ariel realized that she was only wearing a t-shirt and underwear. She felt her cheeks redden as she spared the streets one more glance. She sighed and looked back at Killian.

“Give me a few minutes to pack too,” she said, heading to her bedroom quickly.

---

“So where exactly are we going?” she asked, as she followed Killian to the docks.

“You remember those magic beans I was telling you about?” he asked. He didn’t wait for her response, “I managed to get a hold of one. We have no choice to return to our world. We won’t survive here now.”

They were at the docks now, and Ariel could see that Killian’s ship was now visible. They climbed aboard and she watched as Killian immediately began preparing the ship to sail.

“Do you know which land we’re going to?” she questioned.

“No,” he answered. “Do you have any preference?”

“No,” she said. She was still trying to figure out how she felt about this, about going back—even if she didn’t know where she was going. She’d still be closer to the family she had left than she had been for a long time. Everything was happening so fast that she didn’t even have time to process what was going on.

Before she knew it, they were heading to open sea, Storybrooke growing smaller and smaller in the distance. She stood by Killian as they moved forward, he looking straight ahead as she looked behind them.

“You’re sure everyone will get out of there?” she asked. Killian glanced down at her, meeting her worried gaze. They stared at each other for a moment before he looked behind them, staring at Storybrooke now. She could tell he was fighting something within himself.

---

Ariel watched as several people climbed aboard the ship—they were people she knew, but who didn’t know her. They stared at her in curiosity: Emma, David, Mary Margaret… and then there was Regina and Mr. Gold. She could see they were surprised to see her but they didn’t say anything.

She followed Killian to the helm of the ship. He turned to her when she was right next to him.

“You do not have to come now if you don’t want to,” he said, glancing to meet her curious gaze. “The town is safe now.”

“What’s going on then?” she asked, glancing at the new passengers on the ship as they conversed quietly. “Where are you going?”

“A boy has been taken—Henry,” he said. “I’m taking them to rescue him.”

“Where was he taken?”

“Neverland,” Killian said darkly. Ariel stared at him as he glanced out at the sea. She looked down, a heavy feeling settling in her stomach.

She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and said the two words she didn’t think she would ever say in a situation such as this: “I’m coming.”