Norman woke up and he cursed himself: he didn't even closed his eyes...he couldn't after all. The melodic tone of the mermaid saying his name played in his head like a melody and he couldn't think about anything else. Actually he gave up in sleeping and did something he didn't do for a long time.

He opened his window and climbed to the roof of his apartment. In felt so nice to feel the cold night wind blow his white silver hair away. He closed is eyes as he tried to picture and memorize de light of the city in his imagination. 

Did he ever felt this lonely? He always liked to be by himself, just him and his tought were enough for him. The silence of his presence didn't like the noice that others made. Still, he felt attacked to those lights, to those people working and drinking, their tinny life just as meaningless as a little light in between millions of others 

Just like the universe...it scared him that his life was such a little silent light 

This father did said now meaningless their life's were, but for Norman he was everything and the memories he carried so heavy, enough to bring him down to his knees. He did tell him to let go...but he did nothing but to hold on...anyway he could

His presence was still here...but it was a sad emptiness and he wanted to be able to took at all the left behind and smile, toast to his life and smile from the found memories...the cold wind felt refreshing in his mind  

" Maybe...I should go back inside...it's getting cold" 

He feel asleep as he played the voice of the mermaid in his headphones. Still, when he felt his mind give up to his tiredness it was already day and it was already time to go back to the lab. A little bit frustrated, Norman got up ad prepared himself to head out to work

Just as he picked his jacket and his papers, his eyes deviated to the little shelf he had just by his bed and he was able to smile...even if he was conscious that it was a sad smile. He stood by the shelf as he picked the little book his father once gave him. 

" Well, let's put this to a good use! It's no use being here getting dust, right? She will like it" 

Just as Norman arrived at the lab a little late, Don and Gilda had left a message in his desk. What was it about? 

Hi Norman, me and Gilda were requested to work in another facility for today! Don't worry! The government just wanted to test something and they needed or help! Hope you are ok and be careful with that mermaid! Don't be hypnotized by her charms... be strong man! 

- Don

Norman sighted: Don was quite funny but he was a bit strange in Norman's eyes since it was difficult to read if he was kidding or talking seriously and that made in quite confused. Still, another experiment in another lab? Why didn't they called him? He had the highest grade he had the most expensive work contract... 

Still, he was happy they din't called him. Now whit no one but him ( expect for the body guard that was always here by his side in the lab door ) Norman had all the time and space to interact with the mermaid. He was happy

" Hi there! Good morning! Hope you are all right! Did you sleep well?" 

The mermaid waved back at him with a smile...she seemed well and Norman wondered if it was ok to take her bandages off. After all she had a powerful regeneration system...oh he wish he had that too cuz his hand as still hurt.

Still, she didn't seemed to mind that. Her eyes were locked on the strange unknown object Norman had on his hand as she wondered that that might be? 

" Oh...you want to check this out? It's a little present that I brought for you! It's called a book."

" B-O-O-K? Norman? "

" That's right well said! You can learn a lot of things from books! Read about reality about fantasy! Books can take you to different worlds!" 

The book Norman gave her was "the little mermaid" How convenient, right? It was his favourite book as a kid and Norman always pictured himself as the prince who would find the mermaid at the beach, lost. 

Still, that was a distance child's dream. The reality was much harder and he was sure he wasn't living in a fairy tail. He too had become the adult he din't want to be giving her that book to make her learn more words, to see if she knew about other mermaids, to see if she recognized the ones of her kind 

* She is so surprised by the book? Is it because she never saw other mermaids or because she can recognize that the picture in that book is also a mermaid just like her? *

"Norman? Human?" 

Norman looked at her as she pointed to the picture book of the prince and pointed back at him. So he was able to associate the pictures and understand the concept of the words? 

" That's right! He is a human like me, but...in this case-" - Norman pointed at the prince of the history and than to the mermaid with red hair that was watching the prince

" This is human Adam...and this is mermaid Emille, do you understand?"

Well, that might be confusing to her, but Norman wanted to understand the extent of her intelligence since he noted how fast she learned words and used them in the right contexts, and how she was able to vocalize the human language and sounds...

Still here was something that was bothering him...the mermaid of the history had a name

Shouldn't he gave her a name too? Calling her just mermaid seemed a bit wrong in his eyes, but he knew that if he was to give her a name...there would be no return on that. That was indeed a hard question.

Because Norman knew...what human put names on things to make them theirs

They name things to give them a individuality, to make something unique...if he was to give her a name, as if he would make her his, he felt like he would never be able to say goodbye, or to do mean things to her, that the government might demand in the experiment sessions 

Because the name he would call would be hers, and no one else from the whole world 

The one that would call out his name would be an unique individual, his special and dear...

Still, he too was human and he did wanted to give her the individuality she deserved. If he was going on with the peaceful approach and all that was implied in that, he knew that giving her a name was just a matter of time...

He was scared...scared that the path he choose would be the hardest, scared that he might had to go against his heart. Still, she smiled because he knew he wa taking the hardest path and he took it without hesitation. He was following his heart...and as his father said 

All the pain would be worth it, if it was for the sake of love 

So.. he pointed at him and said his name and than he pointed at the mermaid and sighted 

" And you are Emma, Emma the mermaid" 

Norman smiled...she seemed to like the name... but did she understood that it was her name, that she was Emma? He wondered that...no soon his douts vanished as he pointed at herself with a funny face 

" Emma? " - Than she pointed at Norman to his surprise - " Norman?"

" Yes that's right! My name his Norman and your name is Emma! You sure are intelligent! I need to take notes on that...well you can read the rest of the book if you feel like it!" 

As Emma passed the pages of the book in a very human way, Norman was taking notes on how intelligent she has...maybe she could understand a whole language system? Maybe mermaid did have a specific language that could be even more complex than human language? 

The possibilities there endless and Norman was quite excited to discover so much about her in such a simple way... in some way he seemed like a child to him in her innocence and lack of knowledge but her ability to learn was of an adult for sure...

He had forgotten how important little things are  

As Emma watched Norman take his notes she glimpsed at the picture book with amusement. In the history the mermaid Emille was also curious about the human she never saw before and he extent her hand to touch his face. 

Emma watched Norman's every movement. She wondered how could he walk in those two legs? Why was he able to live out of water for so long? More than that, he had something weird in the place of her gills? He also seemed to eat a strange food...nachos he said? 

She wanted to know. She wanted to know that was like to be human, why was he so kind to her. In her toughs, she extented her hand like the mermaid in the picture book, hoping that he would understand her intentions even without verbal communication.

Still she was hesitant...was she allowed to do that? 

" Emma? What's wrong? Do you want to tell me something?" 

" Norman?" - Norman looked at the picture book Emma was pointing at. The beautiful draw of mermaid Emille extending her hand to touch prince Adam. At first he din't understand that tough that she was showing him the picture she enjoyed the most but...

Emma was also extending her hand towards him, just like he picture book

Holy Jesus now Norman was actually nervous and Don's words for some good stupid reason came back into his mind to make him feel even more nervous than he already was by now 

" It looks like the fascination you feel isn't one sided, Norman!"

Stupid Don! She didn't felt THAT kind of fascination towards him! She just wanted to imitate that she saw in the book since imitation is one of the best ways to learn and everyone knows that. After all, Norman knew that it was unfair how he got to investigate her, but she never requested anything from him. 

If she was as worthy as him, if she had the same dignity as a living being, she had rights too

" So...you're curious about me too, right? Well, it's all right go ahead!" 

Norman knew that is WAS NOT ALL RIGHT and yes he was lying to himself trying to calm his heart that was beating to fast into his chest that seemed like it was going to explode at any moment. His hole body was pulsing, the only sound he was able to hear, his heart echoing in his whole body...

Now that was freaking scary...he was losing his mind as she touched his ears, pated his white soft hair and ran her hand on it, sniffing his checks and face. Why was she was so close to him? 

He was sure he was red as a tomato.

She was so close that he couldn't help but to stare at her bare skin, her open lips as she looked at him, the water draining from her hair and her green shinny scales that covered her shoulder and her elegant neck as she touched his chin

Ok Norman was losing it he wasn't thinking strait anymore 

" All- All right!...why don't you take another look at the book, Emma? I'm be right back!"

" Norman?"

Norman was worried...worried about himself and why he was feeling like that...should he see a doctor? It wasn't normal to be that messy, to hear his heart so loud in his chest around Emma. After all she was a test sample and he was the scientist that need to use her as a lab rat.

Treating her like that and receiving her affection wasn't something he would deserve

Did she actually understood the meaning of her actions? Of course not! She was such touching him out of curiosity, she had never touched a human before, like a child who touches the thing they don't know about to understand them better. 

Great, now Norman felt disgusted at himself for having such dirty toughs when she was just touching his face in a innocent way. What was he? A perv? And she was a mermaid...  

*She is a mermaid, she is a mermaid...* 

Norman repeated that countless times on his head. He felt like if he stopped he would forget she was indeed a mermaid. He gave her a name, he gave her the statue of a unique being, different from all others...and now the humanity of her presence was getting him even closer to her. Norman sighted as he looked at her, from inside the lab, reading her book, his book in such a peaceful way. And he could stare at her like that for hours...

He would stare and always find something new, he would stare and see new expressions born on her face. He would stare and see that time passed so fast by them...because time was cruel because it made what he loved vanish as quick as it appeared in his mind, in his heart and now it was time for him to leave. 

As he waved her goodbye and she raised her free hand as she continued reading her book, Norman knew that he was feeling, he knew but he rather not know...he rather just forget

Because those who were bounded to be loved by him there also bounded to die. 

------------------------ O ---------------------------

Thank you so much for reading this chapter! All the credits for the art , cape and AU ideia and comics of this fanfic are to @stray_tori on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram! Please go check her fantastic art!

Note: Mika-hime changed her name so please search her art by the new name of her account! Also this chapter's title is a reference to the song "Clocks" by Coldplay! 

Thank you so much and see you soon!