Written for StopTalkingAtMe for the 2019 Night on Fic Mountain Exchange. She requested a Death in Paradise fic with a Jack/Catherine pairing, mutual pining, a bit of case fic, and some local customs...and I was happy to oblige! :)

Dancing in Paradise

Doesn't your mother dance? - Camille

Not like that! - Richard*

…

Jack Mooney sat with his team on one side of the bar and nursed a beer while he watched Catherine on the other side. She was dancing again – as she often did whenever she had a free moment in-between customers. Good Lord, that woman knows how to move, Jack thought appreciatively. She did not really move to the music, though. Instead, she flowed with it – as if her body and soul were at one with the harmony…and perhaps they were. All Jack knew was that the effect was extremely sensual…and the sight of her drew him in and he longed to join her. It made him feel things that he had not felt in a long time – not since his Kathleen had passed away.

The thought of his wife…even if she had been gone for over a year…broke the spell that the dance had created and brought him back to cold hard reality quickly. The guilt of even thinking about another woman overwhelmed him and he purposely turned away from the tempting sight to focus on his team instead. As he looked at them all fondly, Jack thought about how they often gathered at Catherine's bar when they had left the station for the day. The group liked to unwind there in the evenings. Over dinner, or just a beer, they often discussed the clues of their current cases in the much more relaxed setting - while the sounds of the ocean and island life played on in the background. More than once, that combination of goodnatured fellowship and the informal environment (and maybe even the little bit of alcohol, too) led to the right breakthrough in the case at the right time…and the previously dark answer would suddenly become crystal clear.

Crystal…as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Jack made the connection with the team's current case. The secretary did it and then hid the diamonds in the crystal decanter! As soon as he came to that realization, he jumped up from the table with a shout. All heads turned towards him, but he was so deep in thought as the details of the answer just continued to come to him, that he barely even noticed.

"You figured it out, didn't you, Chief?" Dwayne asked proudly and Jack nodded absentmindedly.

"Gather all of the suspects at the crime scene," he instructed his unorthodox and laid-back officer, as well as the more conscientious JP. "I just have to go pick up the evidence bag at the station and then Florence and I will meet you there."

…

Catherine watched him go as he rushed out of the bar – obviously on a mission. He's probably solved another case, she thought as she shook her head fondly. Saint Marie had a history of employing brilliant Detective Inspectors – and Jack was no different. All of them had become important to Catherine, too – in one way or the other. After all, easy-going Charlie had been a very good customer, dear Richard had obviously stolen her daughter's heart before his untimely death, and sweet clumsy Humphrey had been almost like the son she never had.

However, none of them had ever affected her the way that the perpetually rumpled Irishman had. From the moment they met, Jack's quirky mannerisms and lively accent had intrigued her - and her fiery French heart longed to know him better. He was just so different from all of the other men she had known! However, the knowledge that he was a recent widower made her vow that even though they could be good friends, she needed to keep her emotional distance from the man who was obviously still in mourning and, therefore, would not be able to return her feelings. After all, she had never had the best of luck in the romance department, anyway. Camille's father had been no good for either of them,** the holiday romances had never lasted once the men had returned back to their everyday lives, and her last l'amour, Aidan, had even turned out to be a murderer!***

Catherine had not welcomed another man into her life…or her bed…after that – especially since she was in no hurry to have her heart broken again – even unintentionally. Consequently, she allowed herself to keep Jack close in order to help him in any way that she possibly could. However, she kept any other feelings that might have developed for him pushed down deep inside…while she continued to dance through life alone.

…

After the murderer had been arrested and the case was successfully wrapped up, Jack went back to the shack alone. As he sat on the veranda and looked out over the waves, he realized how much he had come to love his new home…and how nice it would be if he could share the magnificent view of the moonlit waves with someone special. His Kathleen came to mind immediately and he smiled at the irony that it would not have been her – even if she had still been with him. His wife had been wonderful and he had loved her with all of his being, but she always hated the beach and the ocean on the few times that they actually visited it on holiday when Siobhan was younger. Kathleen disliked the sand, the heat, and the intense sun…and even the relaxed nature of the place. No…his wife was a city girl…through and through. She loved the hustle and bustle. If she had been able to stay with him, they would have still been in London. There was no doubt about that.

In fact, that was one of the main reasons why he had agreed to the relocation. He knew that he needed to separate himself from that life or he would never heal from his loss. However, he also knew that he would never forget Kathleen…nor did he want to. The island of Saint Marie, and its people, though, had helped him move past the pain so that he could remember their life together with pleasure…but also so that he could continue on with his own.

As he thought about the people of Saint Marie, his mind wandered back to Catherine. Besides his work friends and colleagues, she was the one who had touched his life the most in his new home. The lively woman had been such a good friend to him. She had helped him to settle in, introduced him to many aspects of the laid-back lifestyle that he would not have discovered on his own, kept him fed with her excellent island cooking, and had provided some much needed motherly advice when it came to Siobhan. He also admired the fact that Catherine was such a strong woman, too. By herself, she had raised her daughter (who, according to the Commissioner had grown up into a force to be reckoned with in her own right), established a successful business, and had even become the mayor of Honoré! Along the way, she had known her own share of disappointment and tragedy, as well. Yet through it all, she kept dancing. Jack knew that he admired her very much…and he was beginning to suspect that he felt even more than that.

He did not know exactly what held him back, though. Yes, he felt guilt over his wife…but Kathleen was gone and she was not coming back. Plus, he knew she would not have wanted him to put his life on hold forever. Even Siobhan was gone now…off to University…and on her way to becoming her own woman with her own life. Consequently, he was alone…and he realized that he did not want to be. He wanted someone with whom to share this paradise. The sight of Catherine's smile as she danced flashed through his mind…and he knew without a doubt that he wanted that someone to be her!

…

Despite his revelation, Jack found that he just did not know how to approach Catherine. After all, he had been out of the dating game for far longer than he had ever been in it. Therefore, he simply had no idea how to push their friendship up to the next level.

Siobhan, when he had asked for her opinion about the whole situation (because he never wanted to do anything to hurt her), had been enthusiastic about the idea. She had been reluctant to go on to University simply because she worried about her father being alone so far away from the place that they had always called home. Even though she knew that nobody would ever be able to replace her mother, she had also grown fond of Catherine during her time on the island. Consequently, she knew that the spirited woman would be her father's perfect counterbalance…and she encouraged him to go for it and just ask the woman out.

He found that it was not quite as easy as it sounded, however. Even though Jack continued to frequent Catherine's bar and restaurant both with and without the team, his interactions with the woman herself stayed at the same friendly and casual level that they had always been. Any attempt on his part to bring the subject closer to even the idea of a date always ended up shifting to awkward comments about the weather or a bumbled request for another drink. In his desperation to fix his communication problem, he even briefly considered asking Dwayne or JP for advice...but he could not bring himself to do it. The team looked to him for answers, not the other way around...or so he told himself. In reality, he was just much too embarrassed to go through with it.

Florence, however, was much more perceptive than either of the men. Even though the two acted the same that they always had around each other, she could see the way that Jack looked at Catherine – especially when she danced. She also noticed how often Catherine's eyes…or touch…lingered on Jack whenever they were near each other, as well. Her romantic heart knew that her two lonely friends would compliment each other well and that they obviously needed and wanted each other. However, she also knew that neither of them would make the first move. It was clear that they were both still too uncertain and gun shy when it came to relationships for that to happen.

Florence waited until a time when Dwayne and JP were both busy with some police work on the other side of the island before she broached the sensitive subject with Jack while they were alone at the station. "You know, Sir," she said respectfully. "The Erzulie celebration**** starts tomorrow night."

"Oh, does it now?" he replied with interest. "Is that why they were decorating the square?" Jack loved to throw himself into island life and he was always interested in the unique cultural happenings in the area. "What does this…Erzulie…celebration entail?' he asked casually as he turned around to clear the information about their last case off of the board.

"Well…it's a festival to honor Erzulie, the Voodoo goddess of Love," Florence answered and she saw him stiffen slightly at her words. However, he did not turn around or say anything else. Therefore, she plowed on. "It's a time to celebrate lovers…and it is also a time for those who need to finally acknowledge their hidden feelings to do so."

Jack had still not turned around. However, she noticed how his shoulders automatically tensed at her words and how his hands stopped pulling the pictures off of the board. For a moment, she did not think that he would respond, but then he spoke quietly.

"Just how does one do that?" he asked, and she could hear the hint of desperation hidden within his Irish brogue.

"Well, Sir…I have heard that actions speak louder than words," she responded gently, "and I think that the first step is actually being there." With that bit of advice, she dropped the subject and they both went back to work - even though their minds continued to be elsewhere.

…

The Erzulie Festival was in full swing. The music was loud and the revelers danced in the streets while the lovers lost themselves in each other and the music.

Catherine smiled softly to herself as she stood at the entrance to her bar and watched as the festivities happened around her. It was nice to see so many people so happy…and so much in love. In fact, she was so invested in the scene before her that she barely heard the softly spoken "Catherine" that came from behind her. Her smile only widened, however, when she turned around to see Jack standing there – looking nervous and uncertain.

"Catherine, I…um…just wanted to..." he started to say, but stopped and looked at her helplessly.

Her heart swelled at the idea of what his presence…and his absolutely adorable awkwardness…meant. She decided to take pity on him. After all, she did not need the words. She only needed him. Therefore, she simply held out her hand to him.

"Come dance with me, Jack," she requested softly. As her invitation sunk in, the nervousness left his face to make room for the wide smile that took over as he reached for her offered hand. They discovered that they did not even need to speak as they started to move - especially since this was not the first time around the block for either of them. Even though Jack was a bit stiff and unsure at first, he let Catherine guide him. Consequently, their movements soon increased in skill and ease as they melded together…more and more in sync with each other as they continued to move...and as they let their bodies finally say what their voices could not yet do so.

Author's Notes:

* "Wicked Wedding Night" (S1:E2)
** "Political Suicide" (S3:E5)
*** "Amongst Us" (S1:E8)
**** "Murder on the Plantation" (S2:E1)