Chapter 21

Xander's private jet landed at Ronald Reagan Airport at 9am and a limo driver was waiting for her with a sign in his hand. That read"

"Ariel"

She couldn't help but laugh. That Xander what a card! When the driver passed her a sealed envelope she was more than a little surprised. Inside were five hundred dollar bills and a note that read.

Hey Dweeb,

I can call you that right? You probably don't need this, but just in case. Let me know if there's anything else I can do. Kelly says, "Ya'll better bring her back a souvenir."Don't worry I've explained to her you won't have time to shop. Good luck. We'll lookout for Cam while you're gone.

Xander

She almost lost the driver as she followed him to where the car was park; the tears that filled her eyes were so thick. Thinking: Nobody has better friends than her and Cam. Nobody!

Once inside the lush limo she sat back and relaxed knowing that a half an hour drive would probably take more than an hour in D.C.'s rush hour traffic, she closed her eyes to get a little more sleep. She was exhausted. She'd tried to sleep on the plane, but she was too nervous about seeing her father.

She hadn't seen him since the wedding. Any time he needed to fulfill his husbandly duties he did so in D.C. It had been four years now and frankly she thought it would be many more. He made zero effort to see her.

She sighed with her eyes closed and tried to take deep calming breaths, but her heart continued to pound in her chest and the knot resting in the pit of her stomach wouldn't let up. What was she going to say to him anyway?

Hey Dad you know how I didn't get that pony how about saving my boy toy instead?

"Urgh!" She growled, as she slammed her arm down on the armrest.

She didn't know what made her think he'd give a shit about a selkie he never met if he couldn't care less about her, but she had to try. Maybe she could guilt him into it. She rubbed her shaking hands over her face and threw her disastrous hair over her shoulder. Slowly she considered doing something about her appearance, he hadn't seen her in years what would he think about how she looked now. She didn't have a mirror but she knew if she could see herself she would see that she looked as desperate as she felt, maybe that would turn the tide. Tide? She almost laughed out loud at the pun.

She closed her eyes again and thought fake it 'til you make it and pretended to sleep, but soon the pretense became reality, and she drifted off as the car sailed across the freeway and weaved in and out of traffic.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Megan stood on the shores of their beachfront property in Cardiff South Wales, her mother stood tall beside her while her vibrant hair flew to the side like a flag in the wind. The surf was crashing on the shore and her mother was laughing at the little dance her daughter was doing in the sand.

The beach was their favorite place. They spent every day they could there even on the coldest ones. Young Megan loved to help her mom collect stones and beach glass as well as interesting driftwood and then watch her Mom turn those items into extraordinary pieces of art. Not the gaudy souvenir type but the 'this should be in a New York Gallery' 'type sculptures.

Her father had once told her a bedtime story about him discovering her mother on the beach one day, and she had laughed her little girl laugh when he told her he'd gone up to her like a real goof ball and accused her of being a pirate's booty and by mariner law since she was on his beach he had the right to claim her. That might have been creepy coming from any other guy, but when it comes out of the incredibly gorgeous and charming Lord of the Sea's mouth; well could she blame her mother for falling for it? And she had fallen. She'd fallen hard. They both had. Her father probably never intended to love a human. They are tricky messed up affairs that rarely end well, but she guessed that sometimes life, lives you.

In her dream she was back on the beach with her mom and she was running in the surf and screaming in a pitch that only really young girls can achieve -- Sounding like a teakettle in full boil -- while her mother looked on from her spot in the sand. He father wasn't there that day. She didn't know where he was, probably working. He works a lot her young mind had thought.

It was a beautiful August day the sun was bright, the water was warm, and the sand was hot. The day was full of everything she loved about the beach. Young Megan was wearing her favorite bathing suit the one with the flower petals on the bottom that made her look like a funny plant, and she was trying to convince her mother to come for a swim. Calling to her to come into the water as her tiny feet splashed through the sea foam.

Her mother just laughed and joined her. Megan was a strong swimmer. She was five now, she should be allowed to swim to the break water. She wanted to explore the giant stones. Her father had told her they were placed there by real giants hundreds of years ago, and she believed him.

"Please mommy," she begged, "I can make it."

She wanted to see if she could find any treasures there. She joked to her mom that her father had found his treasure -- now she wanted to find hers. Her father explained to her many times usually within her mom's ear shot that the sea had given him his 'pearl'. It had broken her heart all over again when she had found years later that the name Margot actually means Pearl.

"Okay darling, but you stay by my side and if you get tired you have to tell me. I will pull you the rest of the way, Okay?"

"Mommy, I can make it. I don't need your help." Little Megan said indignantly.

There was no reason not to believe her. Her mother knew she was a strong swimmer. She'd grown up on the beach; the water was second nature to her. So they both set out for the distant reef of stones. Megan's little body cut expertly through the waves, she easily kept pace with her mother who was also a first class swimmer.

And they were nearly there when it happened. Megan felt the pull of the undertow at her feet and her mother must have too, because she reached for her. She grabbed her tiny little wrist before she was submerged. All of a sudden they were in the midst of a maelstrom and they were both going under. Megan kicked furiously to rise to the surface and pull her mother along with her.

Her lungs were burning and she was frantic. Neither of them had the strength to surface and the look on her mother's face was tragic. She clutched at her then. They were going down together. That's when her father appeared out of nowhere in his three piece suit. He grabbed them both but the pull was too intense for him to surface. The more he tugged the further from the surface they went. Megan's mother cried out in the water. Air escaping her lungs in big bubbles that rose to the surface she kissed her father under the water and kicked out of his grasp.

Megan screamed as she watched her mother sink into the vortex while her father and her shot out of the water like cannon fire. When they came to the surface they were both met with a tsunami size wave that crashed both their bodies on the huge boulders of the break water. Her back struck a giant granite stone and she felt the agony of the break as she cried out.

Even though she screamed in anguish her father wasted no time in pulling her from the water and laid her across the rocks, before diving back down for her mother. When he resurfaced she was in his arms. She was as still as the stones Megan lay on and her father bellowed out her name.

"MARGOT!" My Pearl! Come back to me! I forbid the sea to take you!"

His voice had boomed across the ocean. Megan had shivered when she heard an eerie laugh in reply.

He tried to breathe life back into her lungs, but she wouldn't respond. After a long time others joined them on the break water and she was taken away in an ambulance.

Her father never accompanied her.

He never accompanied her ever again . . .

Megan woke with a start when the driver laid on his horn. Tears were streaming down her face and her throat felt tight with unshed tears. She noted ironically that it had started raining while she slept and the drops coursed across the window as she pulled up in front of her father's building.

Quickly, she rubbed her face with her sleeves to wash away her tears before the driver came around to open the doors. He looked at her with concern, but refrained from saying anything other than, "we've arrived at your destination."

He helped her exit the vehicle, and handed her a card at the same time with the quick draw of a gunfighter, and said, "I am at your disposal for the rest of the day. Just call if you need me." Then he tipped his hat before traveling back to the other side of the car and getting back behind the wheel, where he promptly pulled back out into rush hour traffic.

Meg watched him go and shook her head marveling at Xan's ability to arrange things at the last minute. With a deep sigh she entered her father's office building. No need to visit him at home in the middle of the morning he'd be here if he was anywhere. At least she hoped it wasn't a wasted trip.

She made her way to the elevator and pushed the button to his floor of office suites with a shaky hand, but she promptly chastised herself. Get it together Megan. There's no way you're showing the man that abandoned you this scared as shit side of you. You're going to be strong and aloof and you're going to demand he help you. He owes you at least that much.

She took in a jagged breath during her inner monologue which really helped her calm her nerves. She smiled at a couple of people that got on and tried to affect a nonchalant look and it must have worked because they just smiled back.

Finally she arrived at the 20th floor and she exited with another gentleman that looked a lot more like he belonged her than she did. She stiffened her back and walked purposely toward the circular reception desk where a nicely dressed young woman sat greeting the man that obviously worked here before turning her cool gaze on her. Uh-oh she was staring her down like a shark stares down its next meal.

Megan gulped and stammered out, "H-h-hi, I'm here to see my father. Dylan Merrick."

The woman visibly relaxed but looked at her skeptically and said," I didn't know Mr. Merrick had a daughter."

OUCH! Megan thought.

"Yeah," Megan said sardonically, "I'm his precious spawn. Is he in?' "She asked.

The woman just blinked rapidly in shock apparently she wasn't used to sarcastic teenagers.

But she replied, "Wait a minute I'll check.

Which apparently meant: I'll see if he wants to see you.

Oh God Megan's stomach did a sick little flip at the idea that he might turn her away.

The woman pressed a few buttons on her phone and talked really quietly on her head set, too quietly for a human to hear, but guess what she wasn't a human?

"Mr. Merrick I have a young handicapped girl here who says she's your daughter should I let here in?"

HEY! Megan thought she wouldn't describe her as the big boobed receptionist. Ah labels -- weren't they grand?

Megan listened hard for her father's response and nearly cried when she heard his deep frustrated sigh.

But he said reluctantly, "show her in." which was all she cared about. After today she didn't care if she ever saw him again.

Just please Lord make him help her.

****************** THANKS FOR READING********************

I hope you all liked this chapter -- Finally we find out how Megan hurt her back.

I wonder if her father is really the big baddy she makes him out to be?

Tune in tomorrow to find out.

If you like what you've read and want to know more please: follow, vote, or comment. OR all of the above. More importantly if you could share this story with your followers. I'm sure they'll love it too.