The Little Mermaid

Chapter 6: Sex Ed

She cries in his arms, silently as she can, because nobody can know that she's there. And he rubs her back soothingly, telling her that everything is going to be alright, that they'll figure it out. They were relieved at first, when the water hit her and she didn't change, it was a good thing, it would have been a disaster if Finn were right about the water turning her back, but after separating from his friends following the unenviable task of explaining why Rachel freaked out so much over the sprinklers they both got to thinking, if it wasn't the water then what was it? It was the only idea he had and it was shot to hell in an instant. Maybe the myth was right, maybe she would be stuck this way forever. And when the thought of it hit her she couldn't control the wave of emotions that crashed over her, sadness for the family that she had lost, fear for the new life she was forced to lead, guilt over not being thrilled at the prospect of Finn being all she had in the world. She cries all night, cries until they both fall asleep.

He jerks awake, somehow knowing that something is wrong. She's not there, she's not there next to him, and his breath seizes and his pulse starts to race. She was upset, she was more upset than he had ever seen her, but she wouldn't run away would she? He jumps out of bed frantically and checks the clock, it's 3 am, hours before anyone has to wake up to start their day, so if she's in the house somewhere chances are nobody has seen her, still, that's not a risk they can afford to take. She's not in the house, but she's close by, he doesn't understand how he knows that, how he always seems to know. The shed, it's the first place he thinks to look, it's kind of random, but he grabs his flashlight and decides it's worth a shot. He leaves the house from the back door and finds it, the door is slightly open and the water hose is unspooled and the end of it is going into it for some reason. He opens the door hesitantly and shines his light into it. She's sitting in his old kiddie pool, her knees pulled to her chest, and she's crying and his heart breaks for her in an instant.

"Rachel," he says scrambling over to her and hugging her. "You can't leave my room unless nobody else is in the house, you know that."

"I'm sorry Finn, I couldn't sleep," she says quietly.

"It's okay," he says, stroking her wet hair. "Are you alright?"

She shakes her head no. "I thought it might work if I soaked them awhile."

"How long have you been here?"

"Since your bedside clock read 2," an hour, he thinks silently. "I like it here, I really do… but."

"But what?" he says, even though he already knows.

"I never thought that this was forever, I guess I knew deep down that water wouldn't change me back, but just to have that small sliver of hope, I could just love being with you, on land, on this island without having to deal with the fact that I'd never see my family again," she says miserably. "I tricked myself into believing I could just change back whenever I wanted if I followed certain rules, but I don't even know what the rules are."

"Look, just because the water didn't work doesn't mean nothing will, I mean, maybe you actually have to be in the ocean."

"Do you really believe that?" she says quietly.

He hesitates and his face becomes sad.

"No," he finally says, defeated. And she continues to cry bitterly.

"Listen Rachel," he continues, once again hugging her tiny, wet, naked body to him. "There's something I want you to know, something I've known for a really long time but have never said, because I guess I thought it kind of went without saying."

"What's that?" she says softly, looking down at her possibly permanent legs.

He gently grabs her chin and forces her to look him in the eye. Then he places his hands on her shoulders.