"I'm still coughing up water from the last time you let me drown." -unknown

The Captain looked at his "crew mates" with a look of dismay. They were not like his previous loyal subjects—these were a new mixture of people. The Evil Queen, her stepdaughter, her Prince Charming, and their daughter, Emma, their "savior". And the crocodile, although he had already left for the island without them.

He was not a man who easily put aside his hatred and it still astonished him as to why he was working alongside that…filth. Bloody hell, he was supposed to be a man of principle. But what if everything—his entire life—has been a complete waste? The creature he set years on trying to kill, he is now working alongside. But what now? What's his purpose now? Does he even have one? Regina said that villains aren't supposed to have happy endings…perhaps she was right. The dark haired captain was lost in his thoughts and was surprised when he noticed all of the people on his ship quarreling.

"Hook!" Emma shouted, "What is that?"

A dark swirl occurred in the water, getting larger and larger. All of those on the boat ran to the edge to observe the growing hole, however just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared.

"What was that?" Snow asked shocked as her husband, Charming, clutched her to his chest.

"I believe you mean, who is that?" a musical voice rang from behind the group. They all turned to see a naked woman sitting on the bridge of the ship, with her green tail swinging back and forth as she combed her firey red hair with her fingers.

"A mermaid!" Snow gasped.

"I'll take care of it…" Regina started as she began to have a ball of fire grow on her hands as she prepared to throw it at the creature on their ship.

"Not this one!" Hook shouted before throwing himself in front of Regina's incoming ball of fire, protecting the girl sitting on a box and blocking her from their sight. Once he made sure that no one was going to attack the ship's newest member, Killian moved and the mermaid became visible to everyone except now her tail was gone and she had two legs crossed.

Killian smiled at their newest guest before he walked up to her, as he took off his jacket, "Hello, again, love. Long time no see."

The siren's eyes sparkled with mischief as she smirked back at the captain, "Were you hiding from me, Hook?"

He offered his coat to the beautiful creature, to which she stuck her arms inside and wrapped it around, shielding her body from the others. Snow White may have been the fairest of them all in the Enchanted Forest, but she was nowhere as close to being the beauty of the sea.

The Captain helped her down from her spot on the bridge and kissed her dainty hand, "I would never hide from you, lovely."

The siren stepped closer to the captain of the vessel and with her lips almost touching his, she responded, "You couldn't hide from me even if you tried."

Right when their lips were going to meet, the pair was interrupted by a shout, "Wait! Who are you?" Emma demanded.

The siren, annoyed to be interrupted in her own affairs, turned a glare onto the human, however did not respond. The siren, instead, looked at the blonde woman in front of her up and down before chuckling without saying a word.

"You haven't answered my question." Emma demanded yet again, an unwise move on her part. Hook, who had faced the wrath from his redheaded companion before, quickly stepped in before his ship was destroyed.

"This is Ariel."

Ariel, wrapped in Killian's jacket, had her arms crossed hugging the material close to her chest as she felt mist from the salty water splash her skin and the breeze whip her hair. At the stern of the ship she could see the carving of a young maiden in the front of the Jolly Roger and for a moment she felt like that maiden—carved and curved by her experience on the ship captained by a man with a hook for a hand but tied to the water. Half above the surface and half engulfed by the ocean.

She was an outsider to the people occupying the ship; she knew none of them except for Jones. He had introduced her to Regina, known as the Evil Queen, Snow White, Prince Charming, and their daughter Emma who looked to be the same age as her parents. When she raised an eyebrow in question to that fact, they just said it was a long story. Killian had briefly explained enough to them about who she was to temporarily halt their questions, however it was evident that they didn't trust her. The reputation of her kind beseeched her although most of the stories were true—her sisters being the ones who liked to antagonize sailors and lure them into the rocks for entertainment.

Listening to the waves gently crash against the boat as Hook sailed through them made Ariel look at the dark abyss below the ship. Her home. Was the water really her home though? She was a mermaid so yes she belonged there; she ruled it for Heaven's sake. But she was different. She was unlike any of her sisters and with the guilt she had about her father; she was sometimes ashamed to be in the water and to call herself the princess.

The Jolly Roger had been a safe haven for her once, perhaps even a second home in the Captain's quarters. Running her hand up and down the cherry wood bannister, she couldn't help but let out a small smile as her mind plagued with a memory she had on the ship.

Killian Jones, the infamous pirate thief who ransacked the treasures and goods off of the kingdom's ships, was attempting to teach her how to properly use a sword.

All the men of the crew were sitting down on the deck, drinking some recently stolen rum and munching on bread as they laughed at the mermaid trying to learn the "art" of sword fighting. It always looked so simple to her when she watched the men of the ship overtake another, swords clashing as they moved with their feet in a dance. A dance that would prove fatal to the partner who lost their concentration, but a dance that Ariel wanted to learn herself. How hard could it be?

Well, for a mermaid trying to become accustomed to two wobbly, clumsy legs it was much harder than she originally anticipated. She could hear the men laugh as she tried to take a jab at Mr. Smee who quickly stepped out of the way of her incoming jab. Granted, the idea of sword fighting was foreign to her but even she knew it was an embarrassment to miss her target—it was Mr. Smee! The man, although loyal to their captain and quick with knowledge, was a pitiful swordsman due to his slow movements.

"Well lass," said a deep voice behind her, "even Mr. Smee seems to be too much of an opponent for you."

Frustrated, her eyes flashed with anger as she started to make quick jabs at the older man with the red hat who still avoided her aims. She turned to see the Captain slowly walk down the stairs near his cabin, with a smug grin on his face knowing that his words taunted her.

"It's this bloody sword!" she shouted frustrated, moving it around for him to see, "It's too heavy."

"Hmm…" Hook looked up to the sky for a moment with his hook resting on his chin as if he was deeply pondering something, "I believe I may have a solution."

From his belt, he unclasped his slender sword from its holder and handed it to her. It was long but the blade was skinnier with a define point making it easier to slice through the air. The mermaid eyed him before grabbing the sword and lifting her arm up and down with it, moving in different directions.

"The trick is, darling," he started as he came up behind her and put his hand over hers; helping her maneuver the lethal object in her hand, "Don't look at the spot you're aiming for. Keep eye contact with your enemy—yes like that—and swing to your target quickly before—no not so quick, you don't want to fall over in the process."

"I'm trying!" she shouted before taking a deep breath of air and did as the Captain told her. Eyes locked with Mr. Smee, steady hand, she swung the sword to Mr. Smee's side making him deflect the blow but tumbled to the ground in the process. Delighted at her success she couldn't help but smile triumphantly, "I did it!"

The Captain chuckled as his crew roared with laughter, teasing Mr. Smee that a wee little lass knocked him onto his behind.

"Why yes, love, you did it."

Ariel came out of her thoughts as she heard talking near her. Slightly turning her body, she had a better view of the people behind her. Regina had gone to the bottom of the ship to presumably get some rest but everyone else seemed to be up. Emma and her mother, Snow, were in the corner discussing possible ideas on how to get a boy named Henry back. When asked about him earlier, Ariel assured them that she had not heard of him but the women still looked at her with doubt and disappointment. She knew though, that if Pan wanted him then he would have him. The real worry was not to find Henry, but how they would find him. Once a boy became lost—corrupted by the temptations of Neverland—it was almost guaranteed that he would be lost forever.

The voices that shook Ariel out of her thoughts, however, came from the two males on board. Looking further, Ariel could see Hook speaking with Prince Charming and telling him that he needed to get a few hours of rest too before navigating their way through the forests of Neverland. As he handed the wheel over to the Prince, Killian turned and briefly looked at her signaling her that they needed to talk. He didn't have to look at her to know that though—she knew he would never voluntarily give up command of the ship to someone else, regardless of it being temporary.

Carefully sticking to the shadows, she watched Prince Charming stir the ship on the calm waters following Hook's directions as she made her way across the deck and towards his cabin. The Prince did indeed hold up to his name with his chiseled features. Due to the current situation, it was not a time for smiling for his family but she guessed that his smile most likely dazzled the ladies where he came from. She knew she could have fun with him later on. Slipping through the door that led to Hook's main chambers, she made sure to shut it gently as to not pick up notice from the people on deck.

The Captain, who himself had broke many ladies hearts back in the day with his suave and dark mysterious look, was sitting on his bed, cleaning his notorious hook while staring at the window in front him. The light from the candle in the corner flickered making shadows dance on the walls, while lighting up the handsome man's face. She knew that he was aware of her presence but had yet to say anything as he finished cleaning his hook.

"Don't trust your companions, captain?" she asked smirking before moving to sit next to him on the bed.

The man sighed before facing her with a far off smile before raising his hand to rub his thumb over her cheek, "Not while I speak with you, love."

Ariel raised her hand and put it overs his in response as she stared at the man in front of her. The man she spent four years with, the one who taught her how to wield a blade, the one who gave her a new life, the one who left her…

"Why are you back?" she abruptly asked, "You tried so desperately to leave these waters and finally succeeded—all for you to return again with a crew of people who know nothing about this land. And don't tell me it's because of this boy because I won't believe it."

He looked down and avoided her gaze and made a motion with his tongue in his mouth before making a bitter smile, "What if my life has been wasted? I've been so devoted to killing the crocodile, but what happens after? Have I done nothing to prove my bloody worth?"

Ariel pursed her lips in contemplation as if in deep thought before winking, "Well, you did find me."

Hook let out a grin and nudged her shoulder with his own, "Aye, I did."

"But," Ariel said answering his previous question, "I cannot tell you what to do. Even if you did succeed in killing the crocodile, what would you have done after?"

"Oh I don't know," he joked, "Perhaps the two of us would have sailed off into the sunset and I would have finally won you over."

Ariel laughed to disguise the pang she felt in her chest, "You can keep imagining."

Hook surveyed the mermaid in front of him. She was right when she said that he had left without a backwards glance—he was too caught up in his vengeance to kill the man who cut off his left hand that he not only left this land but he left her behind without coming back…until now.

"I'm sorry for leaving you," he murmured as she played with his hand, creating invisible patterns on his skin with her fingers.

"I missed you." She said, ignoring his apology. It wasn't accepted, nor was the conversation over, but she didn't want to get into that discussion at the moment, "The ocean tide has been somber…lonely."

The Captain sighed as he placed his forehead against hers seeing the blank look in her eyes, covering the pain and anger she was trying desperately to hide, "I know, love."

Lifting her head, Ariel brought her lips to his, cherishing the feel of him again. It had been so long and she was still angry with him but as he turned his body towards hers and gently laid her back on the bed, she couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck and respond back willingly.

This man would be the death of her.

First chapter! :D Thank you for reading this story—I hope you're interested! This (in case you haven't noticed) takes place at the beginning of season three of Once Upon a Time. I do not own the characters, however, I decided to change Ariel differently than the way she is depicted in the show. I apologize if you're a OUAT-version-of-Ariel fan but I came up with this idea when I first heard that they were going to incorporate Peter Pan in the show. Also, I know that in the first episode of the season, the Jolly Roger is surrounded by mermaids and is practically destroyed during the storm but I decided to leave that part out and have their encounter with Ariel instead (makes it easier for me to follow along with plot this way). From now on, I promise to try to stick as close to the show as possible while adding my own little twists. This is a Hook/Ariel story but there will also be a bit of Ariel/Pan and Hook/Emma to spice things up a bit.

Ariel and Hook's history will be revealed through flashbacks in later chapters, similar to the way this one was. Also, since I'm portraying Ariel differently than the way she is in the show and changing her back-story, I personally see Holland Roden playing her. That's just me though. x)

Please leave a comment if you have any questions, concerns, thoughts, opinions, etc. Criticism is welcomed and much appreciated, whether it be positive or negative! :)