Hooked

Ariel watched in awe as the portal opened up in the ocean once Killian had thrown the magic bean into the water. The latest members of the ship were in position, pulling ropes and preparing for the trip to Neverland. She didn’t think she’d ever be ready.

She glanced at Killian as he started to move the ship towards the glowing hole in the water. She grabbed onto some rope that didn’t appear to be attached to anything important and braced herself for whatever was about to happen. Just as they were about to go over the edge of the portal, she shut her eyes—and then they dropped. She could feel her stomach flip as her hair whipped around her face. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, knowing that if she were to open them she would instantly regret it.

And suddenly it was over. She knew it was over without even opening her eyes. She could feel the difference in the air, in the smell… A warm breeze caressed her cheek and there was thunder in the distance. She opened her eyes finally, finding that it was nighttime in Neverland. She could hear the others discussing their next move, but all she could see in front of her was an expanse of darkness and the silhouette of rocks and land in front of her every few seconds because of the lightning cutting across the sky.

It all felt so familiar to her… but at the same time completely foreign. She stood at the edge of the ship, hands braced against the railing as she held her breath waiting for that next bolt of lightning. Seeing those rocks… She could remember sitting there with friends, with family, fin skimming the water as they watched the storms roll in. She could hear the songs they would sing.

She closed her eyes. As the thunder boomed above her she could feel the familiarity of the memory as if it had happened yesterday.

“You seasick, sweetheart?” The familiar voice jolted her back to reality, and she looked at Killian as another bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. It was strange, seeing him completely serious in this moment—she had expected there to be the usual smirk, but all she saw was concern. She wiped at her eyes, realizing that she had been crying.

“I’m fine,” she said quietly. She knew that he knew she was lying, but she didn’t want to discuss her past and she was sure he didn’t want to hear it. She jumped when she felt his hand brush a few stray hairs out of her face.

“We’re going to head towards land before this storm really gets started,” he said after a moment. “They tend to get pretty bad here.”

“I know,” she whispered, looking back towards the rocks.

---

“So, I don’t think we’ve met before, but I’m Emma.”

Ariel looked at the blonde woman in front of her. She knew exactly who she was but that was because Ariel knew who everyone is. She was good at staying out of sight, and even better at finding out information that she felt was important.

“I’m Ariel,” she said after clearing her throat. They were getting closer to shore; it hadn’t started raining yet, but Ariel knew it wouldn’t be much longer. She watched as Emma stared at her with curiosity.

“Like, ‘The Little Mermaid,’ Ariel?” she questioned.

“Something like that,” Ariel answered. “But not exactly.”

“Sorry if you don’t want to talk about it,” Emma said. “I’m still getting used to fairytales being real.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “I’m sure you’re finding that our stories aren’t exactly true to what our realities are.”

“Definitely,” Emma said, suddenly distracted by the fast approaching land. She noted the look of worry on the woman’s face.

“I’m sure we’ll find Henry,” Ariel said quietly. Emma looked back at her for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the land.

“I hope you’re right,” she said.

---

It felt like her body was ripping into a million tiny pieces and there was no way to stop the pain. It felt like her lungs were collapsing, unable to draw in air. Through the pain she could taste the salt on her tongue as the water invaded her mouth in a way that was unfamiliar to her.

It was sweet relief when she finally blacked out.

She came to with clear blue eyes staring into her own in concern. She sat up quickly coughing up water on the beach beside her. It was then that she realized that the person hovering nearby was none other than the man she had been watching before Rumplestiltskin had come along. Rumplestiltskin!

She immediately looked to where her fin used to be and instead found two long and perfect legs stretched out in front of her. Hesitantly she reached a hand out to touch them.

“Are you okay?” the man asked. She glanced at him and smiled.

“I’m perfect.”

Ariel woke up from what should have been a happy memory, but instead she just wished Prince Eric had never found her there on that beach.

She sat up in her bunk, looking around at the other beds where the rest of the group was sleeping. Of course, Killian had his own room and his own bed—he was the captain after all. They had found a place to dock the ship a few hours ago and had decided it would be best to get some sleep before they went searching for Henry. The fact that it was still night and that it was storming would only make the search that much more difficult.

Ariel got up from her bed and left the bunk area. She was glad she had come to help and face her own fears, but right now she wished she was back in her apartment. At least there she knew where the alcohol was.

When she opened the door to leave the bunk area, however, she almost knocked over a bottle that had been placed by the doorway. She picked it up, looking at it closely before pulling the cork out of the top. She sniffed it, finding that it was alcohol. She couldn’t help smiling to herself. She was sure Killian had left it there for her, knowing she would eventually go looking for it.