Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Under the Sea (seduced2cheat and Candira)

Candira

Candira

Singularity
Joined
Jan 9, 2009
Music. Gently floating through the air, violently cutting through silence, gracefully soothing the souls of those who choose to listen. It has the power to excite, the power to mellow, the power to lighten the load of others or add to it. Emotions attach themselves so easily to the melodies and the words that are soon added. It has the strange power to attract strangers or make people turn away. It also has the potential to carry through different worlds.

The Sirens of the ancient seas, the gospel chorus of the churches, the pop singers of today all have one thing in common: the power to touch others with sound. The power to lift a celebration to the utmost pinnacle of jubilation. It was music that inspired the mermaids of this world to venture out into the place of humans. To disappear from Atlantica and join the overworld in moments of triumph and sadness, and to lend their voices to sooth aching souls.

This is the story of a mermaid who became more than a simple myth. She became flesh and blood and so much more to a man that hadn't realized just how much he needed someone to sooth his aching heart, and someone to save his life. The story begins at a private harbor in present day California...

* * * *​

Bordello was his name. Alex Bordello. He was a very rich man with rich friends in a world that could only be described as decadent. His life was mostly spent towering over the others of the large city his business was based in. He stared out over them every day as he conducted his lucrative business. He was like a great overseer in his eyes. In the eyes of his employees he was a pompous, elitist ass. Of course, the were rewarded for keeping their thoughts to themselves with employment. And some less fortunate employees were rewarded with their lives...

Alex Bordello was not an easy man to get along with if you didn't know him well. But he was less easy to handle when you were an underground business contact. Still, even without his questionable business deals, Alex was a powerful man. Making an enemy out of him would not have been a wise decision. He was ruthless and had little time for mistakes or mercy. More often than not, he killed without remorse and did it himself. He enjoyed seeing others being punished for their misdeeds. It was for this reason his more...questionable employees remained silent, vigilant, and thorough. They took care of his needs and he took care to let them live.

Being a man who had inherited a great deal of his fortune, Alex was friends with a large group of people on the A-list. Tonight, he was throwing himself a little birthday party. On his yacht. More like an ocean liner in many respects, the vessel in question was full of people tonight--caterers, friends, strippers, crew, and corporate spies. There was loud, blaring music that traveled through the air and down into the depths of the ocean, catching the attention of the mermaid princess herself: Autumn. She swam to the surface to see this great party, colored lights hitting the water as well as the shoreline and the sky above. It looked so exciting!

Deciding that she needed to see more, the fiery-haired mermaid swam closer to the boat just as the group was toasting the birthday boy and his great party. It was at this time, when everyone was distracted that the music started up again and fireworks fired off into the sky. Stunned by their beauty, Autumn let her grey eyes be captured by the lights. And that's when she saw some motion out of the corner of her eye. She looked up to see a man falling from the boat and heading toward the water which was much too deep and too cold for normal humans to handle at this point. She dove into the water and hastily made her way toward the unlucky man who'd been pushed to almost certain death.
 
His world was one of wealth, privilege and power. Alexander Bordello lived in a world of elegance and decadence that few could even imagine let alone experience. His blood was the bluest in color and his attitude of entitlement shined through in everything he said and did. William Bordello, his great grandfather, had been the patriarch who had built the family fortune from a small mom and pop motel into the largest hotel chain in the world. The Hotel Saphire chain was the most elite and luxurious hotel chain in the world with over 176 Hotels worldwide in 27 different countries. Their clientale boasted movies stars, professional athletes, politicians and CEOs of fortune 500 companies.

The work ethic and brutal ruthless business tactics of William Bordello had been passed from generation to generation through his family. William Bordello had built his business by not being afraid to destroy anyone in his way. He had used union busters to keep wages under control, mob contracts to get supplies at rates that allowed him to undercut his competitors, and had bribed anyone from local police to state and federal authorities. It was this culture of the ruthless tyrant upon with the Bordello fortune had been built.

The patriarchs who had ruled over the Bordello empire were as unsuccessful in romance as they were successful in business. William Bordello had been married seven times each new spouse being an even less appropriate choice then the spouse before. Alex’s grandfather had done no better leaving the wreckage of five marriages and countless meaningless affairs in his wake. By comparison, Alex’s father Frederick had been a shining example of marital bliss having divorced only twice. Frederick had learned the lesson of his predesessors including the high cost of California community property law.

Frederick’s first marriage had been foolish. Against, his father’s wishes he had married for "love." She had been of ordinary stock. Her father a pensioner in government service. He had been naïve to think someone who had not come from within there own world of opportunity and privilege could survive in their world. Frederick’s second marriage to Stephanie Charmaine was worse. At 22, she was 18 years his junior and had been a hostess in one of his hotels. He married her within two months of meeting her and divorced her twice that fast. There marriage had been so short that the divorce had been relatively painless costing less than $2 million.

The only thing good that came out of his marriage to Charmaine, was a commitment never to marry again and an heir, Alex Bordello. Shephanie Charmaine had been shrewd enough to know that her marriage to Frederick would never last. She had also realized that faulty birth control could mean a life of comfort that would last long beyond the duration of her marriage. She did have any interest in being saddled with a child at 22 and had effectively sold Frederick their son in the divorce proceedings. Frederick carefully instilled in Alex the importance of focus, drive and ambition. He also learned that woman were at best a distraction and at worst an anchor.

Bordello men and romance did not mix. Alex learned this lesson well and avoided romantic entanglements like the plague. When he did seek out the companionship of a woman she was always ridiculously inappropriate intellectually or socially. He was a handsome man by conventional standards. He had a tall lithe body and hair as black as the night sky. His piercing blue eyes drew one in. Despite his handsome features, the ice that flowed through his body seemed to cast a cold frost over his features. He made sure never to allow any woman close who could ever be a challenge. He was 34 and had never once felt the slightest glimmer of love toward a woman. He had not even known or loved his own mother.

Frederick had successfully instilled his values in Alex. He was as brutal and dogged in his business pursuits as his grandfather had been, perhaps, more so. His ability to avoid such vices as "romance," "love" or even "compassion" had allowed him to build the Bordello empire far beyond that of his father or grandfather. For all the privilege and wealth Alex’s life afforded him, he was empty and hollow inside. He had been raised without being taught the concept of loneliness. It had shielded him from realizing how profoundly lonely he really was.

Tonight, he was celebrating his birthday iin the same way he always marked such occasions completely lost in a sea of people. His parties were legendary; people came to be seen. Many of his guests were celebrities. Those who were not celebrities were there to see celebrities. He could care less. Celebrities were no different than anyone else. They were pawns on a chess board; his job was to move those pieces carefully. He was not niave enough to believe anyone on his ship moored in Newport Beach Harbor was happy for him. Most of them his employees, business competitors, industrial spies, even those that called him their friend disliked him. While others in his social circle used philanthropy to connect with the masses and stave off envy and resentment. He preferred misanthropy to philanthropy, which his isolated existence made clear.

He watched the theatrics with bemusement as the fireworks show began to erupt. He had paid for a firework show with a budget twice that of the Newport Beach’s own Fouth of July fireworks show. He got no pleasure from the spectacle but enjoyed watching his guest pretend that they were happy to be a part of his birthday. For many, the pretending was so painful that he did what he could to extend the conversation simply so he could watch their agony as they desperately tried to excuse themselves. They were here to drink his booze and eat his food. His presence was of no consequence.

The finale began and the sky was ablaze with color. As rockets of all color shot through the sky, the figure of a man with a long beard holding a trident glowed in the middle of the explosions. A rumble went through the crowd. Someone explained, "That is King Trident, the King of the Sea he rules over all the merpeople." Alex almost laughed, "How cheezy. I will have to figure out who decided to make this the theme of my firework show so I can fire them tomorrow at the office. What a stupid superstitious idea.

As he contemplated the ridiculous theme of his firework show, the sky seemed to go dark. He might have thought he had angered King Trident if he had "believed in such nonsense." The clouds looked bad. The wind started to rip through the decks of the boat. He recognized the storm that was brewing and knew the party was over. He needed to get the main sail down before the mast broke. Damn the sail had been locked down. He moved down to the lower deck towards the bow of the boat. The wind and the swells were causing the boat to rock violently. As he leaned out over the railing to loosen the sail, the boat lurched. He fell over the railing of the boat hitting his head as he plunged into the icy waters. The only light was the reflection of the water from the ships lights and the moon. He was semi-conscious and disoriented as he hit the water.

He knew that he was in trouble. He was dizzy and could barely stay afloat, and the music was too loud for anyone to hear even if anyone on board would have been inclined to help. It was far from certain that anyone would have helped him anyway. Then he saw her. Even in the moonlight her long red hair glowed like fire under the moonlight rays. Her sweet beautiful face would haunt him. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. He watched her wondering what she was doing here. She was so amazingly beautiful. Where had she come from? Where did she go? For the first time in his life, a contact with someone had ended and he wanted . . . needed more.
 
Autumn made it to the man in trouble in no time. She recognized the storm that had fallen upon them. She wasn't sure what he'd done to anger her father, but she knew that it was probably not enough for him to deserve death. She appeared before him in the moonlight, her hair shrouded around her face, though she could see him clearly. Once he stopped flailing around a bit, she swam to him and put her arms around him, bringing him back to the surface. He wouldn't make it on the boat, and it was doubtful that anyone would find him there. So she brought him to the beach, swimming to the shore while she kept him afloat. Once they were on the beach, she lay him on his back and looked down at him, most of her still in the water.

As she took him in now, she saw a very attractive man. His dark hair and blue eyes stuck out in her mind. No merman she'd ever known had had that color of hair, nor had she seen such clear, blue eyes. Carefully, she leaned over him, her crimson hair dripping just a bit as she looked down at him. "Are you alright?" she asked, watching as the boat was brought back under control and safely docked. Her voice was sweet and full of concern. It was almost melodic.
 
Everything was a blur. He tried to clear his head and understand what was happening. He had been on the boat. He remembered the storm and trying to put down the main sail. He had fallen in the water. He felt a piercing pain in the back of his head. When he looked at his hand, it was covered in warm sticky blood. He blinked and moved his hand to his eyes trying to see clearly. When he opened his eyes again, he saw her. She had been so beautiful that he assumed she was a hallucination. Her blazing red hair was so long and straight. The red hue brightened by the reflection of the moonlight. Her face was so sweet and innocent; it was a pure untouched beauty.

He reached up to touch her face. "You can’t be real. You are too beautiful to be real. You could not have survived in the frigid waters." He felt his hand gently move over her soft skin. She was not a hallucination. She was a beautiful girl who had somehow emerged from the sea and saved his life. The moonlight reflecting off the water framed her face. When she asked if he was okay, he could not believe how sweet her voice was. The simple question sounded like a beautiful song. "How did I get here? How did you survive in the water?" He asked.
 
He was lucid, but he was also bleeding. Frowning, she reached her hand up to his head and brushed some dark hair from his eyes, her skin soft but cold as the water they'd just come from. "Shhhh...rest now," she said softly, a soft melody escaping her to help heal his wound. At least he wasn't bleeding anymore. Once that was done, she looked down into his eyes once more and shook her head. She couldn't answer him as much as she might like to. And she could never see him again. "I can't stay," she said with a soft smile. "Rest a while longer before you call for help." That said, she leaned down and kissed his cheek softly. "Farewell."

With that, Autumn pulled away from him and turned to the waves, pulling herself back into the water as she gave him a full view of her tail fin as she dove in. She swam out into the ocean and headed back for home, wondering if he would remember her the next day or think she was nothing more than a dream.
 
He felt her hand brush his hair back from his face and heard her beautiful voice that seemed to soothe his nerves and ease the pain. The beautiful melody of her voice seemed to lift every part of his being. He saw this girl that did not seem to be real kiss his cheek and felt a longing he had never experienced in his life. He wanted to believe she was real, but how could she be so beautiful. He wanted to reach for her but had little strength. Almost as soon as her lips had touched his cheek he had lost her. He saw here tail as she slipped back into the sea and out of his life. She . . . it could not be true. Those were silly superstitious rumors, but how could he explain what had happened. Here voice echoed through his mind. Her voice was as beautiful as her face.

Once she had returned to the sea, he wondered if she had been just a beautiful dream. The sound of her sweet voice played in his mind. He found himself wanting to find her. He had never thought he would ever need anyone in his life. Now, he was not sure. He could not understand it but somehow he felt drawn to her.

He called out to his crew who saw him and came to bring him aboard the ship. He told them of the beautiful girl from the sea that that had saved his life. John Smyth, his first mate, laughed saying, "I think we better have a look at your head. You may have bumped it worse than you thought."
 
Autumn swam back to Atlantica, greeted by her sisters with some caution--Triton was not pleased with the little display of fireworks. This made the redheaded princess a bit wary of her father. Still, when he saw her, he was glad to know that she was safe in his palace. It bothered him that he couldn't always know where she was--that she seemed to come and go as she pleased. Of course, Autumn would inherit the kingdom from him and it was good that she was independent and social, so he tried to put it from his mind. Tonight, as he saw her swim past on her way to her room, he waved at her. He was greeted with a smile that was full of love and understanding.

That night, the princess slept well, dreaming of the man she'd saved again and again. She woke with the need to see him again. Perhaps Sebastian and Gabe would know where to find him. Surely they knew everyone in their area--they certainly gossiped enough to give off that impression. After a light breakfast, Autumn was off to the surface again. She swam to the dock where her two surface friends often hung out and smiled when she caught sight of Gabe Scuttle sitting on the dock.

Scuttle was a flighty man--older and a little touched in the head, but very kind. He didn't see Autumn as anything out of the ordinary, and was just happy that he could help a pretty girl. She smiled up at him and waved as she broke the surface. "Good morning, Scuttle." She was just in time to see Sebastian, a younger fellow step out of the boat he'd been working on. He grinned when he saw her and sat next to Scuttle to greet his royal friend.

"Mornin' Autumn! It's great to see ya again, lovely." Gabe had first met Sebastian when the young man was just coming out of the closet. When the poor thing had no one else to turn to. He was always kind and supportive of Sebastian's choice, but if you had just seen them together for the first time, they made an odd pair. Gabe was older, tanned by the sun and a bit scruffy in his appearance. He was also short--he only came up to Sebastian's shoulder. Somehow, however, he still managed to look stylish and neat. He was a bartender with many powerful connections, and just happened to have tended bar at the party where Sebastian had been playing music. He'd broken up with a girl and told her he was gay. She'd spread it all over the room and embarrassed the poor boy. Gabe picked up the pieces and put him back together, showing him the ropes.

"What brings you to the dock this morning, my sweetheart?" Sebastian asked as he passed the tools to Gabe. "Something exciting to tell us, honey?" He was a sweet man, young and attractive. He had smooth tawny skin and a fantastic body, which most men found very appealing. Unfortunately for Sebastian, women found it attractive too. He had to explain over and over and break many hearts every day. He was also fairly tall, a rare thing in his Asian family. Not that they often spoke to him now. The rock singer was always stylish and polished in a way that showed himself off perfectly no matter the activity he happened to be engaging in. Yes, seeing them together for the first time would leave quite an impression. It was often assumed that they were together, but they were just friends. It was also often assumed that they were complete strangers. Strangely enough, Autumn found their relationship to be perfectly normal, and their life choices were admirable to her. Hearing their stories often made her smile, despite the stars of the tales both being men. It didn't diminish her enjoyment at all. It was one of the reasons they were friends with Autumn.

The princess smiled and told them of last night's exciting party and the man she'd saved. Both of her companions could see that she was smitten. "Do you know who he was, sweetie?" Sebastian asked as he fixed part of the speedboat they'd been working on. When Autumn said that she didn't, immediately they started to think of the big wigs who were having birthdays.

"Oh, I know," Scuttle said. "Do you remember the name of the ship? We could find out who he is for you if we knew that."

Thrilled by this news, she told them the name of the ship and where she'd been last night and left the two to their work and their new mission. She would come back to them around noon to hear more. Until then...she was going to go back to where the yacht had been.
 
Alex lost consciousness from his blow to the head and was trying to clear his head and focus his eyes as he recovered from his blow. The sun hurt his eyes and the world was blurry and unclear. He saw his ship and cried out as he tried to stand. He staggered as he rose falling back to his knee. His mind was still spinning. Grimsby, father I am over here! Help!" He waved frantically trying to get the attention of anyone on the ship. He saw Grimsby with the spy glass looking everywhere but at Alex. Alex jumped up and down waving his hands trying to get Grimsby’s attention. Finally, Grimsby saw him, "Hey over there. Alex is alive!" Alex saw his father come running to Grimsby’s side and saw the look of relief in his eyes.

As Alex sat in the rowboat Grimsby and two crew members paddled back toward the ship. "Alex, we were sure you had drowned. The storm was fierce so we did not know how you could have survived floating in the rough waters." Alex realized that without the intervention of the beautiful mysterious girl he would have died. "Grimsby, a beautiful girl with long flaming red hair and beautiful eyes saved me. Her voice, Grimsby, it was so enchanting. When I heard her voice it was as if she was singing the most beautiful melody. I wanted to follow her as she disappeared back into the sea. I think she was a mermaid?" Grimsby laughed heartily. "Sir, I think we need to get you back to the ship in a hurry. It sounds like you hit your head a lot harder than you realized." "No Grimsby, she was real," Alex pleaded. Grimsby laughed heartily. "Hey boys, Alex was saved by a mermaid." They all laughed and joked.

When Alex returned to the ship, his father hugged him. "Alex, you really gave us a scare." Alex looked around the ship, "I guess the guests all left. It is nice to see how concerned they were with their host’s predicament." Frederick looked at his son with concern. "Its all right father; I have no delusions about why the boat was full of people on my birthday." Grimsby walked up to the two of them still chuckling. "Great news Frederick. our Alex was rescued by a mermaid." Frederick looked at his son with concern. "Are you sure you are all right son. Have the doctor take a look at that bump on your head." Alex knew that he had seen her even though she was almost to beautiful to be real. He could not get her beautiful face and long flowing red hair out of his head. The melody of her voice continued to play on his mind enchanting him.

After the doctor had dressed his wound, Frederick came into check on Alex. "I am feeling much better father, but I really did see . . . the most beautiful girl. She rescued me." Frederick dismissed him, "Well I am glad she is a mermaid because she cannot distract you or get in the way of business. Alex I have great news. We are going to be building a resort on the island here. It will be our crown jewel, but I have even better news. The geographical studies show the island and the sea next to it is filled with oil. We are going to be able to develop the petroleum reserves at the floor of the sea, and the proceeds will pay for the entire resort. Alex thought of the beautiful mermaid, "But won’t that harm the sea life? Won’t oil escape into the water." His father looked annoyed, "Alex the petroleum development will finance the entire $75 million resort. Do you realize what that means in terms of our profits? I had to bribe a few politicians and regulators, but we have the green light." Bill fell silent thinking about the beautiful mermaid swimming in the water clouded by the pollution from the resort and petroleum development.

Alex went up on the upper deck and looked out over the water. Though he had no reason to expect it, he hoped he would catch sight of the beautiful mermaid moving gracefully though the blue sea. Had he really dreamed her? It was true she seemed too beautiful and intoxicating to be real, but he could not believe she had been no more than the pleasant hallucination resulting from a blow to the head. "Hi stranger, how are you?" He recognized the voice of Gwen Matheson who was constantly angling to be the next Bordello mistake. He found her more annoying than attractive but she kept legitimate suitors at bay so he tolerated her. She was beautiful in the stereotypical Southern California beach blonde bimbo sort of way. She reminded him of everything else in his life shallow, empty and boring.
 
Autumn had stayed and chatted with Sebastian and Scuttle while they cleaned ships, helping them a bit, getting a lesson in how they worked and why things needed to be done a certain way. She shared a Popsicle with them--her favorite flavor, strawberry, had been brought along just for her. She smiled and talked animatedly with them about the man she'd saved. How his eyes were so bright and blue--just like the sky, or the water in her favorite cove. They'd been unfocused when she'd rescued him, but she'd stayed too long as it was. His dark hair had been so soft and nice.

"I wished that I could have stayed longer. I felt horrible leaving him alone there...but I couldn't stay. If daddy had found out that I'd gotten close to a human..." she shuddered at the thought. "If he knew about you two, I'm not sure what he'd think, but he probably wouldn't be happy. Imagine what he would do if he found out I saved someone who made him mad." She frowned and sighed.

Scuttle chuckled and looked down at her as he finished off the grape Popsicle he'd been slurping on. "Sounds like you like him more than just a stranger you found in the sea. Did he say something to you?" the older man asked.

Autumn grinned and blushed a little. "Well, yes. He said...he said I was too beautiful to be real. And he asked me how I'd survived...I don't know...He seemed so helpless. I left him just lying there on the beach. I wish I knew if he was alright."

Sebastian frowned and moved some of her fiery hair from her face. "I'll tell you what, hun. You tell me the name of that guy's ship and me and Scuttle will find out who he is and if he's okay. How's that?"

"Oh, could you really?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "I would appreciate it so much. Just name a favor, and it's yours."

"Maybe some day when you sprout some legs, you'll be my wingman," Sebastian teased.
 
Alex had tried to bury himself back in his work but found the going difficult. His mind kept drifting back to that night and the beautiful girl who had captivated him ever since. Her voice was always there calling out to him. When he took out his yacht, he found himself headed back to where she had saved him from the sea. He hoped he would catch a glimpse of her but started to give up hope that he would ever see her again.

His father had put him in charge of developing the new Hotel Isla Bonita on the island where she had first spoke to him. The project gave him an excuse to search for her, but the project made him uncomfortable. He found himself drawn to the environmental impact reports. The reports all seemed to suggest that the resort and petroleum development project would do massive damage to the region’s eco-system. Most troubling was a special report he had commissioned that discussed the potential environmental impact of a malfunction in the drilling operation being used to extract oil from the region. The report discussed serious environmental risks in the case of a failure of the drilling platform. The report contained phrases like "complete dead zone," "real legitimate risk," "ecological Armageddon," and "ecological dead zone."

Bill had never even read an environmental impact report before this project. The reports had always been something that they would pay an expert for so they could justify their development projects. If the "whore" of an expert was not enough, they would simply bribe a local politician. Now he wondered what his project was doing to the home of the beautiful girl who had saved him that fateful evening. Frederick had been furious at Alex because the project was moving extremely slowly. Alex knew he was dragging his feet because for the first time in his professional life he was worried about the collateral damage from his company’s development projects.
 
Autumn smiled as Sebastian and Gabe as she thought back to last night. She remembered the music, the lights, and the fireworks. Of course, the storm came next and then the man she'd saved. Finally, she came across the name of the grand ship he'd been aboard. Her grey eyes locked onto the two men and she said the name with confidence. "Lady of the Sea." She remembered it as though it were her reflection. Something about the man she'd seen...he gave her a good feeling. If it was more than infatuation, she couldn't be sure. But what she was sure of was the fact that she wanted to see him again.

She thanked her friends for their company and promised to come back again the next day. Her body cut through the water like a dolphin as she swam close to the surface for now. She came back to the port where she'd seen the man, surprised to actually find his ship there upon her arrival. Curious, she swam along the surface, skimming along the top of the waves as she took in the ship they called a "yacht." She wondered if he was there today, or if it was even his place to be. She didn't know anything about him except that he had been hurt and he didn't seem to be lying on the beach now. Good--someone had come to help him.
 
Alex sat at the stern of the yacht looking for her. He had always pursued his business endeavors with zealous and ruthless commitment. Now he was completely distracted constantly finding his thoughts drifting to her. He had never found himself tempted to violate his father’s philosophy to avoid romantic entanglements until now.

He searched for the slightest glimpse of her blazing crimson hair that seemed to light up the sky brighter than the rockets of the night before. When he would hear the sound of the sea, he hoped to hear her siren’s song call to him. He did not understand what he felt only that he needed to see her again. His whole life he had been taught not to allow himself to feel the need or love for a woman, but now the image of a girl whose name he did not know consumed him.

He first saw her flame red hair, the smooth lines of her body, and the grace of her movement as she glided through the water. He assumed it was the burning need within him and the bright reflection of the sun off the water fooling him into see what he wanted to see. He called out to her, "Hello, please what is your name." He did not know if she had heard him, but she seemed to continue on without slowing. He looked at the cold hostile sea and jumped into the water without a plan.
 
She heard a splash behind her and turned around, expecting to see a dolphin friend. What Autumn saw, made her gasp. It was the man she'd saved. What in the world? Was diving into the sea a habit of his? Immediately she swam toward him. In mere seconds, the redheaded beauty was at his side. She put her arms around him and broke the surface with him, keeping him afloat. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked, checking to see if he was alright. He didn't seem to be hurt, but she couldn't be sure.
 
When he hit the water the icy chill began to envelope him. He tried to make his limbs move, but his body would not listen to his mind. He felt himself begin to be swallowed up by the icy waters. Just as he began to sink into the icy depths, he saw her and felt her arms surround him. He reached out and gently touched her face with a look of longing and amazement in his eyes as they reached the surface. "You . . . you are real. How can you be so beautiful?" He wrapped his arms around her tightly afraid that if he did not hold her tightly to him she might disappear again.

He looks into her beautiful eyes which seem to draw him in. "I had to find you. I had to jump . . . I was afraid I would never see you again. I have thought of nothing else but seeing you again since you saved me from the sea. Thank you for saving my life."
 
Autumn's eyes widened a bit as he touched her face, his arms wrapping around her so tightly she thought she might burst. She was stunned as he questioned her existence yet again. She began to question his sanity. While wildly romantic, his choice to dive into the icy water of the ocean was not very wise. Her grey eyes stared back into his blue orbs and she listened to him thank her. Still, as foolish as it was, his actions had touched her.

"You shouldn't have come after me. You could have drowned! I'm not supposed to exist. You shouldn't know about me at all," she said, her worried words sounding like a song. Still, she found herself softening as he looked at her like that. "Promise you won't do something like that again. You could have really been hurt."
 
As she spoke, the beautiful sound of her voice touched his heart like the most beautiful aria. "I know maybe I should not have jumped in to find you but . . . I was afraid I would never see you again." He thought about what she said. He was not even supposed to know she exist, but now he knew and could not have forgotten her if he tried. "I promise I will never do something like that again if you promise you will never disappear."

He was happy to be here in the dark icy waters with his arms around her. He marveled at how he seemed to be changing since their first encounter. Yes, he had been distracted allowing his mind to drift to her, but he also felt a deep longing and need that was unfamiliar to him. He felt the need to be close to another. As he held her close, the need did not go away but grew more intense.

His men had started whispering behind his back that the accident seemed to have made him "soft." His cold hearted ruthless demeanor had been replaced by compassion, a feeling he had shown no sign of having before. His father also was worried. The company had closed an operation in Bangladesh meaning the firing of over 230 employees. Alex had given the entire staff 2 months severance pay. Previously, the most generous severance package he had ever offered was 2 weeks pay. That "generous" package had been offered by him only twice before. Her kindness and beauty had touched a part of him that he thought had died long ago.
 
"I can't promise you that," she said, frowning. "I shouldn't be with you now..." Then again, she shouldn't have been with Gabe and Sebastian either. "If you swear you'll never tell anyone about me, I'll come back to see you." She watched him carefully, trying to make sure he didn't start shivering too much. The last thing she wanted was for him to catch a case of hypothermia. "Tell me your name?" she asked.
 
He looked into her beautiful grey eyes and listened to the hypnotic sound of her voice. "I promise," he said simply. He was not sure anyone would believe him anyway nor did not want to tell anyone. His world now seemed tainted somehow. It was a world that he did not want to touch her because it might destroy the innocent beauty of her world.

Despite the chill of the water and the potential danger that surrounded them, he felt . . . content? It was an unfamiliar feeling that he could not precisely define. He just knew that it was a feeling he did not want to go away. Even as the water swelled threatening to swallow them both, he knew this was where he belonged.

He heard her voice and it occurred to him that he did not even know her name. "My name is Alex. May I ask your name?" He knew he should not be here. This was dangerous for both of them. His father would be furious if he knew how he was spending his time. He was supposed to be developing the land and sea that surrounded them not floating in the ocean with a beautiful and mysterious girl. But at that moment, he could not imagine wanting to be anywhere else more.
 
A sense of relief reached her as he promised to never tell anyone about her. It was quickly washed away because she could feel his skin taking on the same temperature as hers--something that wasn't particularly good for humans. She started to swim slowly toward his ship, looking for a place he might be able to get out of the water to as he said his name. She committed it to memory: Alex. She smiled softly and repeated it, enjoying the sound of it on her tongue.

"My name?" She blinked, stopping them both for a moment. "My name is Autumn," she said, her voice lilting just a little as she said it. "You should get out of the water, Alex. Humans aren't meant to be this far out."
 
Alex was so lost in the sensations of her touch that he did not notice the frigid chill of the water. His mind began to drift as the cold chill of the ocean’s depths began to slow his muscles and cloud his mind. He heard her say her name which sounded like a beautiful melody rolling off her tongue. "Autumn . . . ," he repeated. "So beautiful." The world went dark.

His mind drifted to images of following her gracefully swimming through the smooth calm blue waters. He held her hand as they swam through a tropical world bursting in colors. There was sea life of every variety and a virtual rainbow of colors moving through the crystal blue waters. The brightly colored fish move in and out of the brilliant red corral. Then he saw the brown sludge seeping from the bottom of the sea. The beautiful panorama of colors began to become dull and fade to a dingy brown.

The beautiful world of his dream became an ominous nightmare of forboding. He stopped swimming as he felt her squeeze his hand tighter. She was choking as the brown sludge that rose from the bottom of the sea flowed in and out of her body with each breath. He took her in his arms and looked into her beautiful grey eyes, "Autumn, please don’t leave. I am so sorry." He saw the light go out in her eyes. "Please, Autumn I am sorry," he said. He started coughing as his eyes began to open slightly trying to understand where he was and what had happened. He saw the sweet innocence of her face and knew his life had changed forever.
 
When Alex lost consciousness, Autumn started to panic. She searched frantically for a place to get him back aboard his ship but couldn't get him there by herself. So it was that she brought him back to shore again, letting the warm sand take care of him. She listened to his heart beat and checked for his breathing and saw that he would be fine. Unfortunately, Autumn wasn't terribly calm. She shook him to wake him up again, gently stroking his face and running her hands over his broad shoulders. Anything to get him warm again. She continued to rub against him, desperate to wake him.

"Alex, please," she begged, her voice soft and sad. "Wake up." When he started coughing, she knew he was coming to again. Relieved, she watched as his eyes opened. "Promise me that you will never ever dive in after me again."
 
Alex’s eyes started to clear as the warm sand and the warmth of her touch drove the chill from his body. His blurry vision began to clear allowing him to see her beautiful face staring down at him. His mind was still cloudy and sluggish confusing him when he saw Autumn unharmed. He was overcome with joy as he reached out and stroked the soft skin of her cheek. "Autumn, it is really you? You are safe. Thank God, it was only a nightmare." Without thinking, he reached for her wrapping his arms around her. "I was so worried about you," he said. "Autumn, I will promise as long as you promise that you will not disappear."

His future and direction had always been so clear, but now he felt as if his life was like a ship lost at sea without a sail being blown aimlessly to and fro. He only knew that when he was with her he felt like he belonged. After the terrible nightmare, he was afraid to leave her side. He pulled her to him wanting to wrap her in his arms and kissed her softly and lovingly on the lips. "Autumn, I never want to leave this beach."
 
Once he came back to, she let out a sigh of relief. Autumn blinked as he said something about a nightmare. Had he dreamt of her while his body had taken him away from reality? "I'm safe," she said softly, repeating his words to reassure him. She blushed as he put his arms around her for something other than staying a float, enjoying the feel of his warm body against her. "A-alex..." she tried to tell him that she couldn't promise that--that she couldn't stay. But his lips were pressed against hers and all coherent thoughts escaped her. Her first real kiss...it belonged to a human man. One who'd nearly drowned twice--once to meet her, and another by accident.

He never wanted to leave the beach? She would be happy to stay with him. "I..." and then she heard a noise in the distance. "I can't stay!" She looked up and around trying to get back into the water. "I'm sorry Alex. I can't stay as long as I'm a mermaid...And you can't keep trying to follow me. You'll just hurt yourself." She frowned, tears welling up before she turned away and started back for the ocean. Well, Sebastian and Gabe didn't need to come and find her mysterious man...She'd found him. And now it felt like she'd already lost him.
 
When he kissed her, all of his doubts evaporated away into the sea air. He knew who he was and what he wanted. His arms held her tight not willing to allow the deep blue sea to take her from him as it had before. Despite his father’s instruction to avoid romantic entanglements, he had kissed many girls, but the kisses had always left him feeling cold and empty inside. They had been kisses of duty, obligation and experimentation while Autumn’s kiss lit up the night as a warm euphoria washed over him. Her soft sensuous lips against his soothed a place inside him that had always been filled with pain and loneliness.

Just as he felt the wave of contentment and happiness wash over him, he heard her tell him that she could not stay and that he could not follow her. When she withdrew from his arms and retreated to the sea, the emptiness inside was back as it felt like she was taking a piece of him with her. "Please do not leave Autumn. I . . . ." As quickly as she had emerged from the sea, she was gone. As he watched the graceful movements of her body slice through the tranquil sea, he rose on still uncertain legs and considered jumping in and following her but knew it was too late.

When he got back to his ship, his mood had changed. Grimsby was concerned about Alex because he had seemed distracted. Alex had shown weakness and compassion that could not be permitted in their world. Grimsby remembered Frederick’s words to him, "Keep him focused. I do not know what is bothering him, but he cannot be soft. This project is important, and we are facing all kinds of heat from regulators. Alex cannot afford to be anything less than his ruthless best." Alex had thrown himself into his work to bury the pain and dispair of losing her.

Grimsby smiled as Alex barked at his men who recognized the tyrant that had ruled over them for so long. Alex drove his men on working them like slaves in two 12 hour shifts around the clock. The environmental impact report that had so concerned him laid under a pile of papers on his desk collecting dust. His father would be pleased that the single minded purpose and ruthless demeanor was back. Whatever the sea had taken from him during his first fall into the water, it seemed to give him back upon his return to the icy sea. The beautiful mermaid still called to him in his sleep but her words haunted him, "I can’t stay . . . you cannot keep trying to follow me." For a fleeting moment, she had opened his eyes to a world full of happiness that he had been too blind to see, but it had been followed by the loneliness of losing her. Despite his loneliness, her kiss still burned deep inside him.
 
Autumn stayed just beneath the surface where he couldn't see her anymore. But she could still see him. Terrible loneliness washed over her, as did a swift pang of guilt and pain. How she had wanted to stay with him...she wished that she could have, no matter how many times her logic tore that wish asunder. "Alex," she said softly, tears escaping her. She was tempted to pull herself out of the sea and expose herself to the world, but if she did that...

Not only would her father be furious and go on a rampage, but she would be endangering herself and the rest of her kind. She sobbed as she swam back to the dock where Sebastian and Scuttle were waiting for her to tell her things she already knew. When she arrived, the first thing they noticed was that she was crying. Scuttle put an arm around her and listened to her story while Sebastian covered her fin with a long blanket.

"He was so wonderful. He kissed me and I freaked out....that is the right term, right?" Autumn had always been a little confused about the terminology of humans. When Sebastian nodded she continued. "Reality came crashing back and I knew that I couldn't stay with him. I wanted to so badly, but what if someone had found me?" The thought of being examined and torn apart like her father had explained might happen was absolutely terrifying and she snuggled into Scuttle.

"There, there, Autumn. What did he do when you left?" the older man asked, smoothing her wet hair.

"H-he went back to his ship. But the look on his face....it was like I'd broken him." She sniffled as she remembered that look all too well. It pained her to think of it.

"I wish there was a way to help you, sweetie. I wish we could give you legs, but I'm not made of magic," Sebastian said, drying away some of her tears.

Magic. Ursula. Autumn stopped her despairing when she remembered the sea witch who'd been exiled for her dark magic. She'd been a sort of criminal. But she told stories of this sort of thing when she was still in Atlantica. Stories of star-crossed lovers coming together with the aid of her magic...It was a long shot, but maybe....

No. There was a reason Ursula had been exiled so long ago. Something always went wrong for the person in the deal-they couldn't pay the price or follow through with the deal. She frowned and thought of asking her father. The answer she would most likely get resounded in her head and she wanted very much to hear the opposite. She had to try.

"I need to talk to my father," she said with a frown. Sebastian kissed her head after Scuttle and the two of them let her go. She was off to see King Triton with the new information she held about Alex. He was what the humans called a "developer." Perhaps she could use that knowledge to deal with her father...then again, she didn't know what it really meant. The way Sebastian had explained it--it meant that he built houses and things on empty land and increased its value somehow...But that didn't seem like her father would be impressed. Sighing, she decided not to bring it up at all, and just swam home, hopelessly in love.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom