Hook, Line and Sinker

Chapter 11

Killian was losing it. He hated himself for just letting her leave, but he wanted her to be happy. And he was depressed at losing the most valuable thing in his life but he had to let her go. His emotions were ranging all over the place and all he knew was that he wasn't happy. He should have been helping the crew prepare for the departure but something had taken over him. The next thing he knew, he was walking through the doors of the palace into the grand ball.

He stuck out like a sore thumb, clad entirely in leather and completely disheveled, but he didn't care. He didn't care if someone recognized him as the infamous Captain Hook. He didn't care if he was arrested or hung or killed in any other way. He had to see her, to see if she was happy. He walked around the party a fair bit, ignoring anyone who wasn't her. Then he caught the glimpse of red hair he had been looking for. She was dancing, just like he'd taught her, with the prince. He couldn't see her face, but he could tell by her movements that she was happy. The song came to an end and Prince Eric escorted her off the dance floor in the opposite direction of Killian. He whispered something in her ear, and she nodded excitedly. Eric took her hand and led her up a grand staircase. Killian didn't need to watch anymore to figure out what was about to happen. He had been there many a time. He took that as a sign of finality and returned back to the ship, ready to depart.

Killian raced out of the party and tried to get his priorities straight. She had chosen Eric and that was it. He needed to get away from this land as fast as possible so he could try to forget about the little mermaid.

Upon his return to the ship, he was immediately greeted by Smee.

"Have the men raise the anchor Smee. I think it's about time we leave this land."

"Captain, wait! There's something I need to tell you."

"Not now, Smee."

"But Captain!"

"I said not now!" he said, as he stormed off onto the main deck.

He took the wheel and waited for the anchor to emerge from the water. Once it did, the sails were set in place and the ship started to move. Killian steered it out into the vast open sea and once they were on track, he handed the wheel off to one of the crew members. He had had enough for the day, and was in need of a few glasses of rum.

He opened the door to his chambers and sat down at his desk, he found there was a full glass of rum sitting there waiting for him. He assumed Smee had prepared it. He took a long swig from the glass and tried to forget about the events that had occurred today.

"Hey stranger..." he heard her voice. He knew he was imagining it. His mind and emotions were playing tricks on him.

"Killian?" the voice spoke again. He took another swig, finishing his drink this time. The illusion was getting more and more realistic, but he couldn't give into it.

Next he heard footsteps walking across the room, clad in high heels. At this point, it was just too much. The pain was overwhelming him once again, and he felt a single tear form in the corner of his eye.

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and tried not to be startled. He turned to see who the hand belonged to and found the stunning red head at his side.

"Ariel!?" he sighed, standing up to size her up and make sure she was real. She nodded and threw her arms around his neck.

He could feel her touch and was intoxicated by her scent. This had to be real.

"What are you doing here?"

She pulled away from him and he could see the tears in her eyes. He brushed her hair behind her ear and placed his hand on her cheek. "What's wrong love? What happened?"

She shook her head and looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry. The minute I left I regretted it. And the minute I got to the party, I realized I didn't belong there and I wanted to be back here."

"But I saw you dancing with the prince and I saw you go upstairs with him. I thought you were happy."

Ariel looked puzzled, knowing she did no such thing. Then it hit her. The girl she had run into at the party. The girl with the auburn hair and lavender dress. They probably looked alike from afar...it must've been her that he saw. "That wasn't me. I did dance with him briefly, but it didn't feel right and I left right after. I've been waiting here for hours."

"I don't understand love, why did you give up your dream?"

"Because I realized that wasn't my dream. All this time, my dream was being here, with you."

Killian reacted quickly and pulled her close to him, placing his lips onto hers. She melted in his arms and kissed him back with passion. Ariel had never felt like this before. It was her first kiss, and she couldn't believe she'd waited so long to experience this.

Killian on the other hand was completely stunned by this feeling. He had kissed many women before, but had never felt a kiss like this. Not even with Milah.

The two pulled away and Ariel looked up into his deep blue eyes. "I think I love you," she spoke. "I know, I don't actually know what love feels like, but-" He cut her off by placing his finger on top of her lips.

"I love you too." He responded with a smile. Ariel was beaming and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he grasped her waist. As their bodies grew closer he leaned her back into a dip. Eventually the two parted and decided to merely enjoy just being together. They ended up sitting facing each other on the hardwood floor, two glasses of rum between them.

"You know, I never expected to see you again after you left. And then when I saw what appeared to be you with the prince, I thought for sure I'd lost you."

"Why did you come to the ball?"

"Because I needed to see you were happy. If I was going to lose you, I wanted you to at least be happy. And if you weren't, I was going to try and convince you to stay with me."

"No convincing necessary. I think I knew all along, I just wasn't sure where your head was at. I mean, you were so kind and generous towards me, but at the same time, you were so mysterious. I couldn't read you."

"Well all that matters is we're together now, and we have the rest of our lives ahead of us."

"I can't wait to explore the world with you," she said. He kissed her hand and suddenly there was a loud crack.

"Well hello there, dearie."