Five times the sun rose over Neverland during the next few days and each time Gwenevieve had been awake to watch it. Sleep was hard to do with her mind running in all different directions, she found herself tossing and turning each night. It was as if her body was subconsciously aware of the body that slept on the floor just a few feet away and she felt her nerve endings tingling from the enclosed space of the small room that shielded them in from the outside world. She was aware of everything he did; whether it was to simply turn the lantern on or to shift in his sleep she could feel it. She was enticed by everything he did and she caught herself several times staring at him as he spoke with another lost boy, or watched as he caught their dinner.  

Which was probably the reason she had repeatedly failed at catching her own food. Harry assumed she just wasn't a quick learner and he showed her patience every time he had to re-teach her how to catch a fish or to repeat himself when telling her which berries were safe to eat and which would land her on a death bed. Little did he know it wasn't because of her inability to learn quickly but because she was too busy staring at him to grasp what he was saying. He was a distraction.

And he was one right then in that moment as they walked through the forest, bushes brushing against her arms as they threaded their way through. She knew Harry was saying something else important but she had been too busy staring at the muscles in his back contract as he moved and the way his curls bounced at the nape of his neck. She tried to remember it was what he had told her and almost asked one of the boys walking beside her but came up short when she saw the glare he sent her. Her, along with most of the lost boys were heading towards the sea where Harry agreed for them to have a swim. She wasn't so sure if she would be joining them this time but she agreed to at least attend with them when Tristan had begged her to.

Thinking of the boy, she glanced down beside her to see him still clutching her hand as he walked. His eyes were set on the view ahead of them and it was only when she saw his eyes light up with excitement, did she turn to take in what he was looking at.

The cheers of the boys around her flooded her ears just then and she jumped when they pushed and ran around her. She moved out of their way, taking Tristan with her and watching them run to the end of the forest and out into the open. Some tore the worn-out shirts they had on, while the others kept the leaves covering them intact. She could hear Harry's booming laughter bounce off the trees and she looked up to see him smiling widely, dodging the last of the boys that ran past him.

Harry turned around, green eyes meeting Gwen's hazel ones. Dimples punctured his cheeks as a slow grin split across his face and he waved Gwen over. "Come on."

Gwen followed behind Harry the rest of the way and Tristan released her hand, small legs jogging up to Harry. She watched as Harry looked down at him, a grin on his face as the two exchanged words before Harry ruffled Tristan's hair. She hurried to catch up to them and just then they walked past the end of the forest and out into the open, Gwen's feet sinking into warm sand. Tristan ran off in excitement but not before Harry told him to stay close to shore. Gwen walked further down the sand, stopping halfway with her hands resting on her hips. Harry walked up beside her and his arm brushed hers, sending a tingle up his skin that he tried his best to ignore.

"Are you going to swim?" Gwen asked when she watched the boys jump into the sea. They were laughing and splashing each other back and forth, diving beneath the clear water before coming back up. Tristan sat on the shore with his legs crisscrossed and fists keeping his chin up as he watched them. A feeling of guilt coursed through Gwen but she had to remind herself that he wasn't ready to go out there yet. She might have been giving him a few swimming lessons in the lake but he still had a lot to learn before he could be on his own.

"I don't think so. I'll keep you company." Harry said and a small smile played on Gwen's lips. She nodded and Harry lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair. Gwen watched in awe, stomach fluttering when the sun reflecting off the sea shined in his green eyes. The color was so clear it reminded her of an emerald sparkling diamond. Right then she decided his eyes were her favorite physical trait about him. She felt like she could see everything he was whenever she stared into them and like he could see right through her when he looked back at her. Those eyes, they spoke volumes.

Harry's tongue poked out to lick his bottom lip and he gazed down at Gwen, her cheeks flushing immediately when she realized he must have caught her ogling him. He didn't, but he was very curious as to why her cheeks were turning a bright red. Though he didn't ask, knowing it would only embarrass her more if he did.

Instead, he sunk down onto the sand and leant back on his hands. His knees were drawn up and his toes sunk beneath the sand. He looked up, eyes landing on Gwen who stood with her arms crossed over her chest. She was staring towards the boys swimming in the ocean and Harry took the opportunity to scrutinize her further. Goosebumps were covering her arms and the way she had her arms folded in front of her caused her bosom to perk up, the swell of her breasts peeking out over her gown. Harry swallowed thickly and looked away just before Gwen turned to look down at him. She tucked her hair behind her ear then sunk down onto the sand next to him, adjusting her gown over her knees as she brought them up to her chest.

"You've seem to be adjusting well." Harry commented after a brief moment of silence between them. Gwen took a glance at him, pausing to stare at the muscle protruding from his biceps with the way he was leaning back. Good Lord, she thought and sucked in a quiet breath to calm her suddenly accelerating heart rate.

"I am." She nodded, fiddling with a fray string on her night gown. "It's not so bad here, besides the boys of course. They really don't like me."

"They're just not use to having a girl around. You have to remember it's been years since they've been around a female. Give them time."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" He glanced at her with an arched eyebrow and Gwen shrugged, tucking her hair back again when the breeze blew it past her shoulders.

"How long has it been for you since you've seen a girl?"

"Well the mermaids are girls," He pointed out and Gwen tensed at the reminder of mermaids who obviously did not like her. Harry was oblivious to it. "But five years I suppose if we're counting my own kind of...species."

"You don't seem to have trouble with me and you've been here longer than they have, haven't you?"

"Yes." Harry nodded, staring back at the sea to watch the boys now sitting on each other's shoulders and playing a game of shoving one another off. "And I don't have trouble with you being here because I quite like your company. It's refreshing." He admitted and Gwen's stomach fluttered in response. She chewed on her lip and a timid smile appeared there.

"You aren't terrible company either." She said, playfully nudging him with her arm. Harry grinned at the water then turned to look at her with a teasing glint in his eye.

"You're just saying that because I appear to be the only one who can stand you."

Gwen knew he was only teasing her and a loud giggle escaped her lips, her eyes rolling as she shook her head. "That's where you're wrong Harry; Tristan can stand me."

"Yes, but he's six years old. He likes pretty things."

Pretty. He just called me Pretty. Gwen's head was replaying his words over and over again like a broken record and she refrained from fidgeting at his compliment. She played it off like his words hadn't affected her but it was with great difficulty on her part. Especially with him sitting so close to her.

"Were there many girls back in England? Before you came here?" Gwen asked out of nowhere and Harry's eyebrows furrowed before he briefly glanced at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I'm sure you had a girlfriend of some sort." Gwen commented, shyly looking down at the sand.

"No," he answered slowly and Gwen looked back up to see him watching her closely. "I never had a girlfriend. I spent a lot of time with my friends."

Gwen was surprised. Harry was undoubtfully the most attractive boy she had ever laid her eyes on and she was sure that other girls must have noticed his beauty as well. She pictured a flock of them following him everywhere he went when he was back home. Surely, he had been promised to a girl to marry before he came here. He was seventeen, the age where arrangements were made and there was no way it could have been hard for him to find a future wife.

"You look surprised." He said after gauging her expression. She tore her gaze away and stared down at her lap, biting the inside of her cheek.

"I guess I am. I would have thought tons of girls would have been at your feet."

A simper pulled at Harry's lips, eyes twinkling. "I suppose there were, but I didn't respond to their advances. A girlfriend would only raise the question from my parents whether it could be a possible wife and I didn't want them to arrange a marriage for me. I steered clear of that possibility."

Gwen nodded in understanding and Harry's hand in the sand slid closer to her until it was just behind her back. The action brought Harry's body closer to Gwen and he stared at the side of her face, watching the way her pink lips were gaped open. "Do you miss the boy you were promised to?"

Gwen turned her head to look at him, a crease forming on her forehead when she did. Harry thought it was cute. "Alexander?"

So that was his name, Harry thought. His lip curled up slightly at the thought of him with her and he felt an unfamiliar feeling of irritation towards a boy he didn't even know. "Yes."

"Oh," Gwen blinked and her face twisted in thought, lips pinching together before she shrugged. "No, I don't. If anything, I miss the possibilities I knew he would end up giving me."

"Like a family?"

She nodded somberly and Harry hated the way she frowned at the reminder that she was probably never going to get that now. "Yes. And love, eventually."

Harry fell silent after that. He didn't know what the right thing to tell her was because if he was being completely honest with himself, he was happy she would never get that with him. He would never speak it aloud but he despised the thought of her marrying him, of having his children, and of her loving him. Just the mere image of her kissing him or touching him made him sick to his stomach. And he felt absolutely rotten for feeling this way, knowing she was upset.

"Harry!" He tore his gaze away from Gwen and towards the ocean to see Peter waving his hand at Harry, beckoning him over. "Come join us!"

He pursed his lips and shook his head. "No, it's alright. I'm speaking with Gwen!" He called back. Peter frowned and his eyes briefly flitted between the two of them. Harry remembered what Peter had said to him a few nights before and he met his stare with a challenging one. Peter's jaw clenched and he gave a stiff nod then turned his attention back to the boys.

"You can join them if you'd like. I'll be fine here on my own." She told him, noticing the way Peter had looked at them. She was sure Peter hated her the most out of them all and she also recognized he was the closest to Harry. The last thing she wanted was to cause tension between the two friends.

"No, I want to talk to you."

Again, Gwen's heart sped up and she nodded slowly. "If you wish."

Harry shifted closer to her and Gwen tensed when she felt his hair brush her shoulder. She turned her head to see him already looking at her, his green eyes hooded with something she couldn't figure out. He was so close to her she could smell the scent of the coconut butter he used when bathing that morning. His gaze flickered between her eyes and down to her mouth, taking in the natural pinkness of them. He noticed how her bottom lip was plump and full while her upper lip was thin, but not so thin where it was almost not there. She had a perfect mouth and the thought of tasting her lips caused him to subconsciously lean closer to her. He just wanted one kiss...

"Has Alexander ever kissed you before?" Harry asked her without thought. Fucking word vomit. He cursed himself for asking such a thing.

Gwen was stunned by the question but with a wave of confidence she held Harry's eye and slowly nodded. Harry exhaled quietly through his mouth, another spike of irritation rushing through him. She didn't need to speak aloud any longer but she still answered him with words. "Yes, once."

"Just once?"

Her mouth quirked into the smallest of smirks. The way Harry had his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched made it seem as if the thought of another boy kissing her bothered him. It seemed ridiculous to her that he might be jealous but she hoped he was.

"Just once." She confirmed.

This made Harry smile and Gwen returned it. He was still leaning close to her and Gwen could feel his shallow breaths fanning her shoulder. His eyes were set on her gaze but at the spoken words of kissing, he was licking his lips and his attention was drawn to hers. He wanted to press his mouth to hers and make her forget about ever kissing someone else. To overpower Alexander's kiss and make her crave only his. He had no idea where these urges and newfound feelings were coming from but the more he denied them, the stronger they became. And just maybe, if he gave in just once it would simmer his want.

But he can't.

The reminder of the boys swimming just a few feet away was like a bucket of ice cold water being throw over his head. He pulled back instantly, blinking several times to rid himself of thoughts about kissing her. He had to keep his self-control. No matter how much he wanted to give in, he had to remember that the boys would only riot if they found out Harry's interest in her. They would blame his feelings on the reason why he was putting them all in danger. And maybe that is the very reason, but if he didn't act on it then he could just keep pretending it wasn't.

He looked away from the crestfallen look on Gwen's face and stood up abruptly, needing to put space between the two of them. He forced a smile on his face and looked down at Gwen, nodding his head towards the sea. "Let's go sit with Tristan and put our toes in the water."

Gwen stared up at him confusedly but nodded slowly and pushed herself back up on her feet. Harry held her elbow to help her but he drew back the moment she was well balanced, turning his back to her and walking to where Tristan sat. She watched his back in disappointment but shook her head and followed him. He stopped once he reached Tristan and the small boy looked up, sent a small smile, then turned his attention back to the other lost boys who were playing. Gwen came to Harry's other side but stood back enough to keep her feet away from the water. Harry took a step until his feet were covered in the cool water, lightly washing up to his ankles. He looked up and saw Gwen's reluctance, an amused grin pulling at his lips.

"You won't stick your feet in?"

"It'll be cold."

"It's warm enough," Harry said but she still shook her head. "What? Are you afraid?" He teased her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, I just don't want to." She retorted and a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. Gwen was quickly becoming accustomed to what Harry's facial expressions meant and it was why she began to step back but it was too late. Harry kicked his foot up and a big splash of water was thrown over Gwen. She gasped in surprise and her hands fell out beside her, eyes wide in disbelief. Harry boomed with laughter at seeing the expression she held and after her moment of shock, she shoved him.

"Harry!" She yelled and smacked him in the arm. He was still laughing and though Gwen was supposed to be mad, a smile was threatening to come out. She couldn't help it; Harry's wide grin was contagious.

"It's only water." He said after a moment, low chuckles still shaking his chest. Gwen shook her head but she held a closed lip grin on her face. He caught her eye just as a breeze blew past them and Gwen's hair flew around her shoulders, some whipping across her face. Harry hadn't even stopped to think about what he was doing when he reached forward and tucked those strands behind her ears. Her hazel eyes were staring up at him in admiration and god, did he love the way she looked at him. It made him feel important and like...a man.

His eyebrows furrowed at the feeling, unsure if he liked it or not and his thumb subconsciously brushed her cheek. Her eyelashes fluttered and his stomach felt like there were birds flying around. It was as if there was an invisible string pulling them closer together because the next thing he knew, his face was bending closer to Gwen and hers was tilting up to meet him half way.

"Harry!"

He jumped at the voice and immediately ripped himself away from Gwen. She too was startled by the voice and stepped back, blinking repeatedly before looking to Peter who was the one that shouted. Harry too was now staring at Peter, thinking he had called his name to stop him from what he was about to do but then saw the panic written all over Peter's face.

"Harry! The Pirates!" He shouted, causing the boys who were playing to suddenly halt and fall silent. Harry's eyebrows furrowed tightly.

"What?"

"The pirates!" He repeated and Harry's, along with everyone else's eyes followed to where Peter was pointing. He squinted to see in the distance, raising his hand over his eyes to shield the sun from his view. It took a moment for him to understand what he was yelling about, but when he did, his body went rigid just as he heard Gwen silently gasp.

Because there, in the distance was the familiar red pirate ship. Hook's, pirate ship.

And it was headed straight towards them.

* * * * * * *

Hi :) Hope you all enjoyed this semi short chapter! The story will be picking up faster now that I've got everything planned out. I'll update more frequently once I go on Winter break. This is my last week of school so it'll be soon :)

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