Of Mermaids and Angst (Eric/Ariel/Alana)

[Ariel]

A few days later Ariel actually gathered up the strength to talk to Alana. She wasn't looking forward to it but she owed Alana more then she ever could begin to pay her back for.

Ariel found her where Arista said she might be near the radio station on her lunch.

"Alana?" Ariel called to her, "Can we talk please?" Ariel expected Alana to walk away and if she did... well Ariel didn't have a plan B. She could write her well maybe she just didn't have plan B that didn't suck.

[Alana/Opal]

Alana clenched her jaw.

"Do you mind if we DON'T?" She shot back, eyes glaring at the computer on her lap. "I'm rather busy looking for a new job, since my boss is now sucking face with the enemy..."

[Ariel]

"Look it was a mistake, I had no idea you liked him or that he liked you Alana. If I did I would have never went out with him. I am sorry Alana I know, you don't believe it but its true. It didn't mean anything he loves you and we were just... I don't know caught up in the moment I guess..." Ariel stood back waiting for Alana to tell her off as she normally did. Ariel would leave and wonder again how her life got so messed up.

[Alana/Opal]

"I could care less." She said, not even looking up from her screen. "He's a human, I'm a mermaid. I've SEEN what men are capable of... whether they are pirates, mermaid kidnappers, or even asinine brutes like Arista's ex. I could care less Ariel... do with him what you will. Our work relationship will soon be coming to an end, so he's ALL YOURS."

If she was really okay with it, she wouldn't be putting on such a big show about how it wasn't really a big deal... but what she said was what she believed to be true: all humans were untrustworthy. Eric... she had thought of him as an exception... until he...

Alana closed her computer and looked up at Ariel. "Does that clear your consciousness? We wouldn't want you to lose sleep over you feeling guilty for anything."

[Ariel]

"Damn it Alana! Wont you let me make up for anything! I am trying to at least apologize for half of what I did. I have something for you, I am so sorry. Alana I didn't know but I couldn't kill him." Ariel dug in her purse and pulled out the dagger.

"Here, I am sorry, I couldn't use it then again, I would never wish for your death not ever. How could you care about me this much Alana when I lied to you? Your the best sister I could have asked for and I am the worst so I wanted to say I'm sorry for that. I made mistakes I did what I could and if I hurt you because of it I'm sorry. I'll go now.."

[Alana/Opal]

Alana blinked up at the dagger. Something flitted across her face, but it was over-shadowed by a scowl. She took the dagger from her sister. She had bought it, after all. And Ariel was spitting upon her gesture of self sacrifice.

"You SAY you're sorry..." She muttered, running a finger along the dagger's edge. "...but what are you doing to SHOW that you mean it? Are you cutting off ties with that pirate? will you no longer return to his bed?" Her sister's silence was answer enough. "You're not looking for forgiveness Ariel... your looking to smooth it over, make your conscience clean with our blessing to CONTINUE to live with that vile man in your life. You won't have mine. Perhaps THAT is your curse, Ariel. Instead of 28 years of holding the pieces together, you get tied to a man who can't truly love you back. You chose it. And you're so FOND of all your choices."

She looked the dagger over in her hands. "I have regrets over some of mine." She looked up at Ariel, conveying her meaning. She set the dagger down. "Is that all?"

[Ariel]

"Shut up Alana! Please I am so sick of this! Yes he is a PIRATE one who helped me more then you will ever know. I am not his Whore! I am so sick of being called that, if I want to sleep with ONE Person and there isn't love there it doesn't make me a whore! Sleeping with the whole town does."

Ariel paused and took a breath.

"If I had killed him you would be dead! How can I live with myself if I did that? Does that mean I am tossing what you did to the wind? No, I just can't Kill anyone including you! I wont defend him not to you and not to anyone. I don't care what you think I made decisions maybe they weren't the best but they were MINE! If you don't like them then fine! I just don't care anymore! I can't please anyone and if I am selfish then fine I will be selfish!" Ariel went to leave but she turned in the last moment.

"If I was truly a selfish whore, I am fairly certain I wouldn't let a man like Eric go because he loved my sister!" Ariel, watched Alana this was going worse then she expected but she was tired of always being the bad guy.


Who was she hurting because she felt for Hook, they didn't know him as she did. Ariel knew Killian, not to mention she wasn't sleeping with him anymore. Even if she was, Ariel was an adult and sleeping with someone just because you wanted to was pretty much the norm here. Lots of people did it it didn't mean she was a whore. Ariel knew it wasn't like that with Hook and her anymore they had something she couldn't name an understanding maybe?

[Alana/Opal]

"Don't ACT like I was the reason that you couldn't do it!" Alana shouted back. "Eric was the ONLY person I told that detail to, and I'm SURE you didn't come into light of that fact until AFTER you failed to take the Captain's life. You couldn't do it because you LOVE your pirate; your murdering, selfish, vengeful pirate! So what does that make YOU?" Alana couldn't shake this feeling of hatred. It sunk it's teeth and talons into her very core and made her spit out these vile words.

She hadn't been the same since she gave so much to purchase that dagger. Turning to foam would ALMOST be a release compared to this spiteful existence. She KNEW how unreasonable she was being... how spiteful and ruthless, and yet she was powerless to stop it. Only when she collapsed alone in her room, crying over what she had done to those she cared about, did she feel enough like herself against to feel the unbridled guilt of what she had done.

But now was not that time.

And Eric was a touchy subject. She had tried for so long to open herself up to him, in her own way, but after seeing him in the arms of Ariel, she had shut back up like a clam AGAIN.

"OH, how THOUGHTFUL you are, Ariel." Alana mocked. "I thank you so much for allowing me to pick up your scraps because YOU DIDN'T WANT HIM. How kind of you!" She crossed her arms. "I've told you, I know my place; he's a human and I'm a mermaid... and it would break daddy's heart. I won't do that to him. Not when he's still healing from what you did. Not ever."

Alana finally stood, to raise to Ariel's level. "Perhaps if you had turned to your FAMILY during your time of need, instead of him, things could have played out differently. But you wanted him in your life. Your human. You wanted it more then you wanted your family; you can't have BOTH worlds... or at least, you couldn't back then. Apparently you can NOW, here in this cursed town. Aren't you lucky..."

The older sister collected her things, about to leave. "Oh, and you can try to convince yourself otherwise... but being USED the way he uses you, without love, and you returning for MORE of the treatment... that DOES make you like a whore." She hissed at her. "Or a pathetic victim. I just feel that 'whore' is more empowering, so I thought you would prefer it. It suits you."

[Ariel]

Ariel wasn't exactly shocked at Alana, she was being just terrible Ariel was pretty sure she didn't deserve all of that. What the hell had the curse done to her sister?

"Look whatever Alana, your the fool of you think you can't be with Eric because news flash your not a mermaid anymore. I am sorry if you think differently. Fine! Do whatever you want and think whatever you want! I am just done." Ariel turned and walked away. She wasn't sure what to do how she might fix things.

"After all the only thing I am good at in this family is walking away." Ariel told her, her voice cold in a way she had never been with her sister.

Alana wasn't going to listen Ariel realized that she wasn't getting through to her. So there was no use trying not anymore. Ariel would have to face her father sooner or later. They would never understand and they never had.

[Alana/Opal]

Alana spun on her sister, yelling as she walked away.

"I WILL ALWAYS BE A MERMAID. I AM PROUD OF MY HERITAGE. I DO NOT RUN FROM IT!" she shot. "And you should SERIOUSLY think twice before accusing ANYONE of being a fool, given YOUR track record!!!"

She had to stop. If this escalated anymore, she was going to have another attack. She was shaking with rage. So what was the WHOLE point of that little conversation anyways? Ariel seeks out her sister to apologize and then turn around to tell her off? Did she REALLY think that would go well? Why couldn't she just STAY OUT OF ALANA'S LIFE? Alana was already going through great pains to ignore her... yet she popped up EVERYWHERE in this Neptune forsaken small town.

If Alana could leave, she would. She had contemplated it, often... but her thoughts would always come back to father and her sisters... at least the sisters she was still in good standing with.

...And Eric... or for a time thoughts of him kept her from doing it... but now...

If she couldn't remember her family... it would be as if they didn't exist at all... that she was disappointing no one... Just look out for herself.

But that would make her NO BETTER then Ariel... and that filled her with fury. Enough to banish the thought away.

[Ariel]

Ariel walked down the street she felt terrible, Alana was angry she had every right to be and Ariel just let her temper get the better of her.

Why couldn't she ever fix things with Alana? Ariel doubted she ever could, maybe she could talk to Eric again but he already done so much. Ariel made her way down to the beach. She had to figure this out, she had lost everyone. Was it her? Was she really that much of a terrible person? Ariel saw good in everyone and that included Hook, though this seeing good in everyone was what could be bringing her down.

Ariel knew she had to face her father, she loved him and missed him. Knowing he was so close and she couldn't talk to him because she couldn't handle the disappointment in his eyes. He knew Ariel got the trident back with Killian's help he wasn't happy but he understood it at least. Ariel wasn't sure he would understand her sticking with him after though, she was damn sure he would disown her for sleeping with said pirate.

Ariel took a breath, she had so many mix feelings about it all. If Ariel had gotten the necklace sooner she would have left her home. They would have felt the same way about her so either way, she was a bad daughter and sister. She might as well accept that. It didn't mean it didn't hurt her.