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It was a cool night.
Harry didn't know exactly what time it was, but he knew it was after midnight. He was strolling along the shore, tapping some rocks with his feet as he waited for her. Same day, same time. Every week without fail they would go to the same place. The wet sand made him sink a little in his boots, but he hardly noticed it. As he turned his head to the sky, he realized that, for the first time in many months, two lonely stars were illuminating the cloud-covered sky.
"Harry?" He heard the voice from afar. He smiled to himself before turning around.
In the distance, there she was.
His captain.
"You're late!" He shouted from afar. She soon saw him standing by the shore, and then ran until she reached him.
The boy's smile only grew as his friend stood in front of him.
"You're just too early" she accused him with a half-smile.
He shrugged.
"Whatever you say”
Harry only allowed himself a few moments to look her in the eyes before Uma began to look at him weird for it. Then he raised his right hand towards her, and she accepted it without hesitation.
"I still don't understand why you insist on teaching me waltz" Uma stifled a laugh as they both swayed to the melody of the waves.
"I taught you years ago how to sword fight" His lips curved into a smile. "Why is it so different now for me to teach you how to waltz?"
Harry spun her around. Truth was, he knew that all these "dance classes" were just an excuse to spend more time with her. But he would never tell her.
"Because we live on an island ruled by the evil?" Uma's voice had a mocking tone.
"Hey, you're the one who agreed to this classes" He reminded her. "Which, by the way, haven't helped much these past few weeks"
She frowned.
"What are you saying, Hook?"
"That you're a terrible dancer" He couldn't help but laugh. "You step on my toes every three steps we take"
"Maybe you're right" Uma suddenly pushed him away so she could put her sword against his chest. Harry looked at her, clearly surprised. "But I'm a hell of a fighter. I've beaten you many times"
He looked her up and down and smirked a little.
"Fierce" He tought, removing the sword blade from his chest and moving it to the side.
"Besides" She continued. "I wouldn't step on your feet so many times if I didn't talk and dance at the same time"
"Then let's not talk” He pulled her closer, tugging her arm towards him.
Such a movement made them end up close. Maybe too close. Uma looked him in the eyes, quite serious all of a sudden. She realized that she had never been so close to her first mate before. He returned her gaze, and slowly took a step away. Then he intertwined his fingers with Uma's and very gently placed a hand on her waist to draw her back into the dance. She hesitated, but ended up resting her head on Harry's chest as her feet followed the rhythm she was slowly memorizing.
She could hear Harry's heartbeat with some clarity. The pace was quite fast, in contrast to the slow dance. She felt him gently lay his head against hers.
She even noticed those painfully soft caresses he was leaving on her waist.
But Uma felt something more than a caress. She felt her own heart racing as well. The new feeling in her stomach that she couldn't even put a name to. She was terrified, and at the same time, she had never felt more relaxed.
What the hell was wrong with her?
"You feel that too, don't you?" Harry's soft, shy voice against her ear made her react.
The wrong way.
She pulled away as fast as she could from him. And when she did, the chill of the night hit them both as it had never hit them before.
"... Feel what?" She asked in not much more than a whisper.
Harry took a step forward.
"The yearning" His voice was so low and raspy it was almost drowned out by the waves, but Uma heard him clearly.
She was more afraid than before. Afraid of the soft way Harry was looking at her. Afraid of making herself vulnerable again. Afraid of that hateful feeling that deep down she could actually put a name to. Afraid of falling so deep that she couldn't get out.
She didn't know what to say. She didn't see herself capable of lying to Harry. Not when he was leaving himself so vulnerable to her. A few words could destroy him, and Uma was aware that she was the one with that power now. The power to hurt him like no other could. But she would never hurt him.
Instead, if she admitted it, it would come true. She couldn't say it out loud. She wasn't even able to utter a word.
Luckily, she didn't have to.
"Uma! Harry!"
Quite familiar voices stole their attention. It was Smee's children. Sometimes they were left in charge of them when Captain Hook sailed for the Isle of the Doomed accompanied by his first mate. They were the most helpless children, so they actually cared for them. They both came running and looked a little scared, so the two teenagers also walked in their direction.
"What happened?" Uma hurried to ask them, while Harry looked in the distance for the threat. And he found it. But when he recognized her, he didn't even draw his sword.
"They were afraid of Voodoo" Celia approached them with a carefree smile. Uma and her older sister Freddie were quite close to eachother, so the four of them often spent time together.
"What have you done?" She asked in a more authoritative voice, crossing her arms.
"I just taught them a basic little trick and they ran away!" She threw up her hands and smiled. Uma shook her head before giving the girl's hair a quick tug.
"It's too late for you" She said. "We'd better get you home"
And so they did.
They went sneaking over to the Jolly Roger to drop off the twins and then had to wake Facilier to return his little girl, who was not particularly happy about it.
Then Harry, as usual, accompanied Uma home. It was obvious that they were not going to continue the dance, much less the conversation. She stood in the doorway of the restaurant and looked at him silently. Harry had a vague hope that she would answer him now.
"Good night, Harry" She murmured in a voice too shy for her liking. She did not miss the disappointment in her friend's eyes.
He nodded.
"See you tomorrow" He managed to smile a little before turning around to walk home.
Uma stood there, staring at him now that he couldn't tell as he disappeared into the shadows. Not long after that she went back to bed, and tried to ignore the empty feeling she still felt. "Someday I'll tell him" She promised herself. "Someday..."
But not that night. Not the next day. Not anytime soon.
After all, the Isle of the Lost was no place for love, was it?