Butterfly Effect

"Harry where are you taking me?" A blindfolded Uma asked quizzically. She had had a really trying day because it was as if everyone was trying to annoy her, so she was already in a sour mood and she hated surprises. She preferred to being in control of things, knowing what was going on at all times.

"You'll see", Harry says with a mischievous grin on his face. Though Uma had a blindfold on, he was behind her with one hand over her blindfolded eyes and the other hand on her back to guide her to wherever he was taking her. "My feet hurt and we've been walking for 20 minutes now, how much farther?" Uma whined, still sore from working at her day job as a waitress earlier that morning. "Just a little farther, we're almost there", Harry says. Uma gasped when she was suddenly swept off her feet and in Harry's arms. Back on the Isle, Harry would carry her around like that after she'd had a long day at work.

Soon they get to an area where they have to climb a slightly steep hill and Harry sets her back down then helps her hike up. "Woah is this a hill?" Uma asked, wobbling unsteadily. "Don't worry, I got you." Harry said, steadying her with his hands on her waist. Usually Uma wouldn't let someone blindfold her and take her up a somewhat steep cliff, but this was Harry, and she trusted him. They were used to climbing rough terrain anyways because not everywhere on the Isle was leveled and a lot of the land was uneven. After they make it to the top of the hill, Harry guides her through the woods until they walk into a large opening. There are dozens of gorgeous glowing flowers surrounding them, and a beautiful waterfall a few steps away from where they are standing.

"Is that a waterfall?" Uma tried to yell over the noise of the crashing water. "We're here." Harry shouted, smiling widely as he finally took Uma's blindfold off. When she saw what surrounded her she couldn't believe her eyes. She would've never thought a place this beautiful could ever exist. "Harry", Uma breathed, still taking in everything, "What is this place?" Harry's smile grew even bigger as he took both her hands saying, "Our new Cove."

Back on the Isle, every VK needed a place, anywhere, to get away from their wicked parents. On one particular day, 7 years ago, Uma had accidentally broken a plate at the Chip Shop and because materials were hard to get on the Isle, Ursula had a rule "No dishes can be broken". So when she found out Uma had tripped over a customer's foot and shattered a plate, she beat her in front of the whole restaurant, causing people to leave for fear that they would be beaten by the furious sea witch as well.

When Harry stopped by the Chip Shop shortly after the incident all he saw was his best friend on her knees crying, while sweeping up shattered glass into a dirty dustpan. She had bruises all on her legs and arms from being beaten, which made Harry's blood boil. He absolutely hated when someone (Ursula, to be exact) hurt Uma. But instead of confronting her mother, which would probably make things worse, he decided to cheer Uma up by taking her on a little "adventure".

The pair took Harry's little rowboat across the water until they found a cove. "Harry, what is this place?" Uma asked after they had rowed over to the entrance of the cove. "It's a cove! My papa told me about them when I was a wee lad." Harry said excitedly, thinking back to the time when his father wasn't an abusive drunk, when his mother was still alive.

"What do you think is in there?" Uma asked, breaking him from out of his thoughts. "Eh, probably a croc." Harry shrugged and said nonchalantly. "A crocodile?" Uma yelled in shock, her voice echoing through the cove, bouncing off its walls. "Yeah, my da lost his hand to a croc when he was in a cove once", Harry stated matter-of-factly. "We need to go back." Uma deadpanned, shaking her head while picking her oar back up, in fear of having an unwanted encounter with a certain sharp toothed reptile.

"What? No way, we just got here!" Harry protested. "Harry, you just said there could be a crocodile in there! Are you trying to lose your hand or something?" Uma says, looking fearfully into the murky waters. "Actually, I am." Harry revealed, causing Uma to go wide-eyed. "Are you insane?" Was all she could manage to get out, in shock at Harry's revelation. "Look, I thought maybe if I became more like my father, and lost a hand like he did, maybe he'd actually want me." Harry blurted out.

A rare look of sympathy passes over Uma's face as she puts a hand on his knee. "Ever since my mum died he started treating me like crap." Harry continues, looking off in the distance at nothing in particular. "Always telling me I was worthless, that he didn't believe in me, that it was my fault she died...that'd I'd never amount to anything, that I'd always be a..lost boy." Harry said, his voice cracking at that last part. Uma leaned over and gave her friend a tight hug as he silently cried into her hair.

"I was supposed to be cheerin' you up, not the other way around." Harry sniffed, his mouth forming a small grin. "I know, but I think you really needed to get that off your chest." Uma said, with Harry nodding in agreement. "Now you listen to me" Uma says, putting her hands on Harry's shoulders, a serious look coming across her face, "don't ever for a second even start to believe you're worthless. Your father is a messed up, broken man. He doesn't even know what he's saying half the time, it's the alcohol talking, so just don't even believe a word he says because Harry, I believe in you. You don't have to go do something foolish like get your hand ripped off, just to impress him. It's just not worth it." Uma says, looking deep into his eyes to make sure he's really listening to what she's saying, then she takes both of his hands in hers in reassurance. This caused Harry to have an unexplained slight fluttery feeling in his stomach (that would only grow over the years), which he decided to ignore for now.

"And Harry", Uma continued, "don't blame yourself for your mother's death, blame those stupid Auradonian's that trapped us here. After all, if she had lived there she wouldn't have died, the doctors there could've helped her." Uma said angrily, a distant and faraway look in her eyes. She was thinking about how her father had passed away too. She never got a chance to meet him, but maybe if they lived in Auradon they could've saved him and she wouldn't be stuck with the sea witch that is her mother. "Now let's go in that cove." Uma concluded, to Harry's confusion. "I thought you were afraid to go in?" "I am, but I'm also a bit curious to see what the inside of a cove looks like." Uma admitted, "Plus I trust you. If there's a crocodile in there, we'll fight it together." She says looking from down at the swords they stole from Harry's older sister, Harriet's, crew, to back up at Harry. "Together" Harry nodded and said, smiling widely.

Uma smiled brightly back at him and gave his hand a little squeeze before picking her oar back up. This was the first moment (of many) where Harry had the strong urge to say "I'm in love with you Uma", but he held his tongue.

When the two young VK's rowed the boat into the cove they were amazed at what they saw. There were faint crystals in the walls and ceiling of the cove so it made it look like stars were surrounding them, and the reflection made the water look like it was lit up and glowing. "Woah", the 10 year old pirates both said in amazement, looking up at their surroundings. "It's..beautiful." And from that day on, the two would always come to this cove to escape from the real world. It was their hang out spot, their solitude, their little secret, their Cove.

"It's beautiful" Uma gasped, smiling a genuine smile for the first time since they were moved to Auradon. "It's ours, Captain", Harry says before lifting her hands to his mouth and placing a kiss on them, like he always did. Hmm, butterflies, Uma thought to herself, unsure why she kept getting them when she was with her first mate.

Well, she did sort of have an idea why, "That fluttery feeling is called love, Uma. You're in love with Harry." Evie had told her while she was getting the young pirate fitted for a dress for an upcoming school dance. The two had gotten pretty close after a few weeks of sharing the same dorm room. Although she and Mal would probably never be as close as they were before, they eventually learned to tolerated each other, to Evie's delight (she was getting tired of old rivalries). "No that can't be it, he's my best friend. Maybe it was just something I ate." Uma said, waving off what Evie said, refusing to think she was going soft. She couldn't be weak and love someone, never again. "Uma, you said you get butterflies every time you're with him. So it couldn't have been something you ate. You're just in denial" Evie laughed at the cluelessness of her friend.

"I'm beginning to regret I ever said anything to you." Uma said under her breath, rolling her eyes. "Whether you admit it or not Uma, you love him. And he definitely loves you. I figured that one out a while ago, back when we were on the Isle." Uma felt her skin flush at that comment, and even though Evie couldn't see her blushing, she still laughed at the shocked look on Uma's face. "I don't believe you." is what Uma eventually said to her blue haired friend, shaking her head. "Funny, Mal said the same thing, and look at her now. Just wait, you'll see.." Evie responded back, with a knowing look on her face that made Uma wonder if she was actually right. Maybe she did love Harry. So, Uma did something completely out of character. She took a leap of faith.

"Harry?" He was about to respond when suddenly Uma's lips came crashing down onto his. At first he was completely shocked, but then he kissed her back. When they finally pulled apart he asked "What was that for?", a lazy grin on his face. Since Uma wasn't quite ready to say the L word just yet, she replied saying "Everything", smiling up at him. The truth was that Uma truly didn't know why she kissed him. Maybe it was the beautiful scenery that was surrounding them. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her, the way he always looked at her-with limerence. Maybe it was just the fluttery feeling of butterflies in her stomach. Or maybe--just maybe, she really did love him. "..it's the butterfly effect, and it works every time." Evie's voice said in the back of Uma's head. But she chose to ignore it for the time being and just enjoy the moment with her best friend.

Uma realized she may have just complicated their friendship and that they would eventually have to talk about it, but she didn't care about that right now. She didn't want to think about it, so she just continued leaning into Harry's chest as they sat peacefully with their legs dangling over the edge, above the body of water watching the waterfall. "Hey look Uma, a butterfly." Harry said, smiling, as the blue-winged insect landed on their intertwined hands. This was the best day of his life. He'd been wanting to kiss Uma probably forever, but he had no idea if she felt the same until now.

Maybe coming to Auradon wasn't so bad after all. He wasn't planning on telling Uma this any time soon, but he was beginning to reconsider taking over Auradon and freeing the villains like they had originally planned to, to get revenge on the Auradonians for all the harm they caused the VK's, for all the losses and defeats, for his mother. Maybe they could just stay here and finally have their happily ever after, like the AK's. Here, in Auradon, they were allowed to love, and it wasn't a weakness, it was a strength. Auradon was drastically different from the Isle, as the two pirates were beginning to realize.

"Yeah..Look at it." Uma muttered to herself, wondering if she made the right decision. She was always questioning herself and her decisions because of how many times she'd failed in life. She was determined to succeed and be happy for once in her life. Her mother always told her "Always remember that you can't have both love and power kiddo. You have to pick one, and love is a weakness, so I suggest you pick the other option. You can't have it all in life." Uma was so determined to prove her evil mother wrong. She was sick of people telling her what she "could" and "couldn't" do. Uma wanted to decide things for herself. She could get everything she wanted in life. Harry made her happy, and together they would take over Auradon and have complete power over everyone. She would get everything she wanted.

With this new conviction in mind, Uma decided to take another leap of faith and test out the waters with the dreaded L word. Uma took her hand out of his and looked up at him saying "Harry...I lo..." Nope. "I love this place, thanks for bringing me here." She says, plastering a fake smile on her face, (mentally scolding herself for almost giving into the weakness) and playfully giving him a punch on the shoulder, leaving Harry slightly confused.

"Yeah, yeah no problem. I remembered you saying we needed to find a new "Cove" when we first got to Auradon, and your boss was working you pretty hard at the restaurant this morning, so I figured you could use a break from the world. Ben told me about his place after swords and shields practice." Uma gave Harry a sad smile, seeing the way his face lit up when he talked about swords and shields. She was beginning to realize that he probably had had a change of heart, and that he didn't want to take over this land anymore. He really enjoyed being a part of a team when they practiced. On the Isle it was "prepare to die sucker" and then it was every man for himself, but here in Auradon, there was always someone you could rely on who always had your back. It was comforting because having your guard up 24/7 was tiring, and here you could let your guard down most of the time, without getting hurt. "You really like it here don't you?" Uma asked him, though she already knew the answer. I can change for him. I could get used to it here. After all, he'd do it for me. Uma told herself, realizing just how much her first mate meant to her. She had decided that she was willing to turn away from her wicked ways if it made him happy.

Harry nodded and said "Because it brought me closer to you", smirking, causing Uma to smile and roll her eyes. She brought her hand up to his hair and ran her fingers through it, and Harry sighed blissfully. "I love you too." Harry said closing his eyes, shocking Uma to her feet. "What?" "I knew what you were gonna say..and I love you too." Harry said nonchalantly. Little did Uma know, he'd been waiting his whole life to tell her that, but he never could on the Isle. "I was not going to say that!", Uma lied, "How do you even know what love feels like?" Uma questioned, still in fear of the possibility of love. It was an unknown quantity to her and she was the kind of person that despised (and feared) the unknown.

"Because I got the fluttery feeling. When I asked Ben if he'd ever gotten it before, he said he got it all time when he was with Mal and I get it every time I'm with you, heck, I even get it when someone just mentions your name. Just the thought of you gives me butterflies. Because I love you Uma. I've been in love with you for as long as I can remember" Harry admits. Uma's eyes go wide when she hears this.How is it so easy for him to say that? She wondered to herself."Besides, one of us had to admit it eventually, the romantic tension between us is undeniably strong." Harry says, winking at Uma. It takes her a minute to process this information and she doesn't answer at first, but when she finally does she says "Well I'm not gonna say it back so don't be expecting to hear it from me anytime soon", she crosses her arms. "Oh really?" Harry smirks mischievously and raises an eyebrow. "Mhm".

"Well if you won't say it on your own I guess I'll have to make you say it." He says slyly, standing up. "Oh no, don't you dare." Uma says fearfully, beginning to back up slowly. "Hook, you better not! I'm serious, sit back down" she says, already knowing what's coming. Few people know this but Uma's weakness is being ticked, she'll tell you anything you wanna hear to get you to stop. "I can't help it mama, I'm really ticklish." A young Uma had cried to Ursula when she accidentally told some pickpockets where they hid the money in the Chip Shop after one of them nearly 'tickled her to death', as she had put it. This incident earned her a long lecture about weaknesses and how they can be exploited, and also a harsh beating.

Uma truly hated that she was so ticklish, but she really couldn't help it. Harry ignores her threat and continues walking towards her, while she backs away from him. Alright, he's not backing down. Imma have to do something. Uma thinks to herself, then gets an idea. "You'll have to catch me first!" Uma yells before breaking out into a sprint, Harry charging after her. It may not look like it, but Uma is a fast runner, so when she made it all the way to the top of the waterfall, she had just enough time to consider what her options were. She had two choices. The first one was to accept defeat and be forced to say the dreaded L-word to Harry. The second choice was to jump. She looked down at how far the drop was and gulped. Welp, here goes nothing, and Uma jumped...

Only to be pulled back by a pair of strong arms around her waist. "Dang it!" Uma shouted, annoyed. "Put me down Harry!" She yelled. He ignored her and started tickling her rib cage. "Not until you say it." "Not--gonna hap--pen, Hook" Uma says between laughs. "Say it." "Never", Uma continues giggling. Uma was doing pretty good with holding her ground until it all just became too much and she'd finally had enough of this. "Okay okay okay...I love you!--Oh my badness, I love you...now please stop you idiot", Uma shouted between laughs, finally being released from his grip. "Victory!" Harry yelled throwing his hands up in the air, a huge smile on his face. That is not fair, Uma rolled her eyes looking up at him, annoyed. One thing people never got away with was tickling Uma. Not even her first mate. She always found a way to get them back because she absolutely hated being tickled, having her weakness exposed.

"I hate you." Uma growled standing up, glaring at Harry. "No you don't", Harry smirked, but that smirk was quickly wiped off his face when Uma pushed him off the ledge of the waterfall. Unfortunately for Uma, he had quick reflexes and grabbed her hand before he went over, and down they both went. "I hAte You Harry Hook!", Uma yelled before they crashed into the water of the cascade.

When they came back up for air, they were both laughing at what had just happened. "You're crazy!" "Hey, you were the one who pushed me off a waterfall! I could've died!" Harry exclaimed. "Oh please, you know I would've saved you, I'm part octopus remember. You would've been fine" Uma chuckles. They both continued laughing like the old friends they were and eventually drifted into a comfortable silence. Uma pushed her teal braids out of her face then swims over to Harry to close the space between them, then she places a kiss on his lips once again.

"Love me?" Harry asks in between kisses, and Uma began falling deep into the oceans that were his eyes. "I'm not ready yet." Uma shakes her head and shrugs, embarrassed that she can't even say it without being forced to. Harry understands--where they came from love wasn't existent. It was a new concept for all of the VK's, except maybe Dizzy, who was an exception because her Aunt Anastasia, who really shouldn't have been banned to the Isle like the rest of her villainous family, had been the one that cared for the young VK because of her loving nature.

Harry tilted Uma's face up by her chin and said "It's okay that you're not ready to say it yet." And Uma nodded, taking his hand under the water. Then after some more kissing and a splashing match later, the two VK's climbed out of the water, their skin all pruney. By the time they got back to Harry's car it was dark outside. "I really had fun today Harry." Uma said, her voice a bit raspy from having to yell over the loud crashing waterfall. Harry smiled, "I'm glad. We're definitely coming back here." he says, leaning over to place a kiss atop her forehead, Uma sighing contently in response, before driving back to Auradon Prep. Maybe Uma could be happy without taking over Auradon after all...

Heyy guys, hope you enjoyed that. I think it was the first one shot I ever wrote. (I know it was a bit corny, but these are Disney characters, they're supposed to be corny) Anyways, tell me what you thought about this in the comments, all of your comments really make my day.

Thanks, :)

Sidenote: Some of you may have read this on tumblr, but I don't have many followers over there so I decided to just put the story here cause why not. Shameless plug : please go follow me on tumblr at melia-u1439208832, thanks I really appreciate it