Eric stormed out of The Rabbit Hole, desperate for the salty tang of ocean air. For years, it had been the only thing that helped him keep his sanity intact, the one thing that had offered him any comfort at all. His stability. His joy. And occasionally, his sorrow.

Vaguely, he registered the sound of the bar door slamming shut behind him, and he almost stopped in his tracks. Guilt warred with satisfaction over the rise he'd managed to get out of Emma Swan. But anger flared to life again, hot and bright, consuming any other feeling. Anger for the way she'd been treating his best mate, anger at his own loss of temper, anger that her accusations probably reflected the opinions of over half of Storybrooke, if not the majority of it.

But mostly, he was angry with himself for allowing Snow White to plant hope in his heart again. Twenty-nine years in hell hadn't been able to scrub Ariel from his mind; the haunting echo of her voice as she sang hadn't been erased, nor or the shine of her eyes and the glow of her excited face when she discovered something new. He'd learned to endure it, even distract himself from it when necessary, but he had never forgotten a single detail of his beautiful Ariel.

And the longing he'd held in his heart for nearly three decades had culminated to pull the breath out of his lungs when he'd finally seen her again...

Storybrooke, six weeks earlier

"Captain," Snow White said, picking her way over to him as the rest of their shipmates hurried to gather their belongings the moment he guided the Jolly Roger into port and dropped anchor. "I want to thank you for your help in rescuing Henry," she said with a bright smile.

Eric peered at her over his shoulder. "No thanks necessary," he assured her with a light smile. "I'm just glad Emma has her son back."

"If there's anything I can do for you-"

"Ariel?" he asked haltingly. "If...will she see me?"

"I'm sure she will," the princess reassured him. "She wanted to be with you, but-"

"Regina," he said darkly, his eyes sliding over to the scowling brunette. She had been in a foul mood ever since the final confrontation with Pan in Neverland. And for her, he gathered, that was saying something.

"She's trying to change," Snow murmured, watching her stepmother with an unreadable expression. "For Henry's sake. I think...I hope it will stick this time."

And Eric knew without another word what she was really telling him. And although his soul railed against it, screaming for the vengeance that he should have for his Ariel, he nodded in silent agreement. He wouldn't act against Regina. Not if it would upset Henry and Emma. He owed Jones that much, at the least.

"Me too," he said gruffly.

The important thing was that he had his Ariel. That he would see her again soon, hold her in his arms and make things right again. The way they should have been before Regina's interference.

"Careful," Charming's voice floated over to them. "Don't bump his head."

Neal grunted with effort, helping the prince angle the makeshift stretcher better as they eased it out of Jones's cabin. "Are you kidding? After what he did for me?" He shook his head, expression mildly disturbed. "I don't think I can ever repay him."

"If I know Hook," Charming said as he carefully stepped onto the main deck, walking backwards, "he'll never to think to ask you to repay him." Jones's unconscious form slid into view as Neal pushed from the other end and stepped onto the main deck himself.

Emma hovered nearby, as she had been for hours, her parents hardly able to convince her to leave Jones's side to sleep and eat while they sailed back to Storybrooke. Her fingers stretched toward Jones, almost touching him but not quite, before her hand dropped again. Her worried expression smoothed into a soft smile, and she followed her father and her ex-lover down the gangplank as they transported Jones to a strange carriage with lights that flashed blue and red, waiting at the end of the docks.

Eric nodded at Snow and followed her off the ship, the only one to leave his belongings on the Jolly Roger. For the time being, it would be his home. Jones had left it in his care before he'd died, and Eric knew he'd honor that agreement, but he had no intention of keeping his best mate's ship now that he was alive again. When Jones was ready to Captain it, Eric intended to hand it over to him in as good of condition as he himself had maintained his own ship, the Lagerkron; at least before mermaids had destroyed it and forced him onto Neverland's shores, where he was eventually captured by Pan.

His eyes swept through the crowd of people when he stepped off the gangplank and walked toward the end of the dock, searching for her. He knew she was unlikely to be there. Why would she expect to see him again after twenty-nine years, much less walking off the Jolly Roger with the small band of heroes that had set out for Neverland weeks ago? He was prepared for the disappointment, had already decided to ask Snow where he might be able to find Ariel later, after they settled Jones at the hospital, when he saw a flash of bright red hair toward the back of the crowd.

His breath caught in his throat, almost suffocating him, and he pushed aside several people, heedless of anything else. Heart beating wildly, he parted the sea of people at last and came face to face with Ariel, sitting in an odd chair. Eric stared, drinking in the long, soft waves of her red hair. He'd dreamed about it for so long, fantasized running his fingers through the tangle as they made love-

Her head lifted, and blue eyes, a mesmerizing shade of teal offset by her porcelain skin, met his own. Her brow puckered, and she frowned, a look of fear entering her eyes. Puzzled, Eric stepped toward her, wanting to offer her comfort, to explain his absence and everything that was on his heart, but Ariel's chair shifted forward suddenly, propelled by her hands as she spun two wheels attached to its sides. Before he could form words, to understand anything at all, she had turned her chair away from him and wheeled out of his sight.

"There was a...boating accident," Snow said from his elbow, startling him. He looked at her, bewildered. "Damaged her spinal cord. She can't walk anymore, Eric."

He tried to focus on Snow's words. "Is that what you thought she should tell me herself?" he croaked.

She sighed. "Not exactly. The accident happened about a year ago. It had nothing to do with Regina." Snow shook her head. "She hasn't been the same since. Hardly speaks a word to anyone, even after Regina gave her voice back."

"Her voice?" he said sharply. "What was wrong with her voice?"

"You'll have to talk to her about it," Snow sighed again. "It has to do with why she couldn't come meet you."

"Why didn't you tell me," he whispered, forcing the words out before he lost the ability to speak.

"Because I hoped to break it to you gently, away from Neverland," she admitted with chagrin written all over her face. "I didn't expect to her to be here at the docks when we arrived. I thought I'd have more time to prepare both of you-" She peered up at him, her face earnest, her eyes pleading. "I knew it wouldn't make a difference to you."

And he knew that while it sounded like a statement, she was begging for him to confirm her faith in him.

"It doesn't."

"Come on," Snow said in a gentle tone, laying one hand on his shoulder, "I can tell you more about her injury at the hospital, while we visit Hook."

He followed the princess, but his eyes flicked in the direction that Ariel had disappeared. Their reunion had not gone at all the way he had fantasized it would. He needed to speak with her, make her understand that he still wanted her, that nothing could ever stop making him want her.

He would make it right between them. Somehow...

The memory faded, and Eric found himself, not on the docks of his beloved sea, but in front of Ariel's modest residence. He often did, after he'd been drinking. His feet seemed to bring him here of their own volition, though his mind knew it wasn't a good idea.

He hesitated in the driveway, debating whether to approach or turn away. So many times, he simply went back to the docks without ever knocking once.

Eric walked to the front door, taking in the single light that shone from one of the lower level windows. She was still up, even at this late hour. Was she thinking of him at all, or was he alone in the memories that so often haunted his evening hours?

He knocked on the door softly at first, and hesitant, but then louder and more insistently. "Ariel," he called loudly, "open the door. We need to talk."

A light flicked on inside, near the door. Moments later, the curtains on one of the windows shifted, revealing her face. She peered at him, her expression unreadable. He edged toward the window, afraid of scaring her off, and laid his hand on the glass, the only barrier that blocked him from caressing her face. "Ariel," he said, "please."

The curtain moved again, and her face disappeared from sight, but the hall light remained lit. He held his breath, waiting with wild hope that this hesitation meant something. The moments ticked by, and Eric scarcely moved. The door lock rattled, and he drew a shallow, hopeful breath.

The sound of a deadbolt being secured deflated the air from his lungs. The light near the door blinked out. He slumped against the house in defeat, and the light went out in the other room, plunging the house and his heart into darkness.

She'd turned him away again.

It shouldn't have shattered his heart so. It had happened half a dozen times already. He knew what a risk it was by now to reach out, to willingly put his hand into the fire just one more, desperate time. But how could he stay away when he felt more alive even being burnt by the fire of her rejection than he did without her?

"Ariel, please," he implored. "Come back to me."

But no response came. She was already gone.

A/N: Guys, I'm so ashamed. I spent weeks trying to come up with a title to properly encompass the storyline of this fic, and then I sat down to write while listening to The Little Mermaid Soundtrack one night. Half the song titles alone would have made awesome titles for this fic! *hangs head* But I selected "Kiss the Girl" because I thought it fit rather well the romantic and angsty tones this fic will take.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'm having so much fun writing this already.