Disclaimer: I do not own anything remotely to do with Pirates of the Caribbean.
Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is another one-shot I've written for a challenge. What would happen if Elizabeth offered to teach Will how to dance? Please read and review! I would really love to hear what you think! I hope you enjoy!
Practise Makes Perfect
A young woman hurried along the streets of Port Royal, greeting everyone she passed with a nod and a smile. Normally Elizabeth Swann enjoyed strolling along the narrow streets and talking with the townsfolk, but today she was in a rush. She placed her hand on top of her head to stop the wind from catching her hat, and quickened her pace as she drew nearer her destination. She caught site of the blacksmiths and a wide smile appeared on her face. She strode over to the door, knocked and walked in.
Will Turner looked up as the door opened and broke into a grin at the sight of his fiancé. He put down the tools he had been using and quickly wiped his hands on a piece of cloth. "Elizabeth, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you," was her reply as she watched him drop the cloth and come striding towards her. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of him with his shirt partially unbuttoned and his tousled hair. It was obvious Will had been busy all day, working on his pile of orders.
"I was going to come and see you later," he said, taking her hands. "But it seems you beat me to it."
Elizabeth grinned and stepped closer to him. "I have."
Will closed the remaining distance between them and pulled her in for a kiss. "It's so good to see you, Elizabeth," he muttered against her lips, once he had pulled away. "It seems like forever since I last saw you."
"You saw me yesterday, Will," she giggled.
"That is still not often enough," he said.
Elizabeth lifted a hand to his face and traced his features lovingly. "Soon I will never have to leave your side."
"I know."
She smiled and then remembered the other reason for her visit. "I've got something to tell you," she said, excitedly.
"You have?" questioned Will, grinning.
"Father is hosting a ball in our honour," she announced.
Will's face fell at once. "Elizabeth…you know how I feel about balls."
"But you'll have me," said Elizabeth. "I will be there with you."
"I know you will," he sighed. "But-"
"Please Will!" she begged, clutching onto his arm. "It will be fun, I promise."
"Torture more like," said Will, pulling away. "I'm sorry Elizabeth but I'm not going to this ball thingy with you."
"It's practically for us!" implored Elizabeth. "My father has organised this as an engagement gift. You can't not go, Will."
"You know I don't like balls, Elizabeth," he said. "I can't dance for toffee."
"You don't even have to dance if you don't want to," she said quickly. She paused then added, "Well actually it would probably be expected but-"
Will laughed. "Then the answer is definitely no."
Elizabeth followed him as he walked over to a work bench. "My father is expecting both of us to be there. We can't turn down the invitation. What would it look like?"
He sighed and turned to face her. "Elizabeth, I know this is important to you but there is no way you're dragging me to that ball. Seriously you would regret it. I've got two left feet."
"Then I could teach you to dance," she offered, grabbing his hands.
Will's eyebrows shot up. "You would teach me?"
"Of course I would," said Elizabeth quickly. "I'll have you dancing wonderfully in no time at all."
"I-I don't know," said the young blacksmith, still unsure.
She pouted and slipped her arms around his middle. "Please Will."
He looked down into her face and rolled his eyes. "Alright."
Elizabeth squealed and gave him a big squeeze. "Thank you so much, Will!"
"Yeah, well I find it impossible to say no to you," said Will with a grin.
She giggled and stretched up on her tiptoes so she could give him a quick kiss. "You won't regret it, I promise."
"You've got your work cut out for you, you know?" he said, grinning down at her.
"It will be worth it just to be able to dance with you," replied Elizabeth, resting her cheek against his chest.
----
"So what do we do first?" asked Will, wondering if he'd made the right decision, agreeing to these dancing lessons. He was mildly irritated with himself too, for agreeing to the embarrassment that was bound to follow.
Before going home the night before, Elizabeth had promised to return the next day and give him his first lesson. She had kept to her promise, arriving at the smithy in the morning, fresh faced and excited. They were now standing in the middle of the room, facing each other and Will was waiting for his first instructions.
"Well firstly you have to take me in your arms," Elizabeth told him, holding out her hand.
"Now that I don't have a problem with," he said, with a grin. He strode over to her and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.
Elizabeth giggled but gently pushed at his chest, pushing him away slightly. "I don't mean quite like that, Will!" She grabbed his right hand and placed it on her waist before placing her left hand on his shoulder. She joined their other hands and then said, "You hold me like this."
"Well this isn't hard," smirked Will, giving her waist a squeeze.
"There's more to dancing than this, Will," said Elizabeth, rolling her eyes.
They spent the next hour going through some simple dance steps, with Elizabeth having them go over them again and again. As Will had expected all along, he was struggling. He kept forgetting the steps Elizabeth had taught him, kept stumbling and had stepped on his partner's toes a number of times.
"Ouch!" yelped Elizabeth. Will had just stood on her toes for the fifth time. She pulled away from him and bent down to clutch at her injured foot.
"Elizabeth! Oh God, I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Will, moving to her side instantly.
"It's alright," she said, hopping over to the nearest bench and leaning against it. "It doesn't hurt very much."
"No, it's not alright," he replied. He walked over to stand in front of her and kneeled down on the ground at her feet.
"W-Will?" said Elizabeth, breathlessly, her eyes wide. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to look at your foot," replied Will, matter-of-factly, as he grasped the hem of her dress and hoisted it up above her ankles.
"I-It's fine," she said quickly, her cheeks reddening.
"Let me be the judge of that," said Will, prodding her foot with a finger.
Elizabeth gasped and moved out of his reach. "T-That tickles!"
He chuckled and rose from his crouched position on the ground. He stepped closer and slipped his arms around her waist, kissing her briefly on the lips. "I think you'll live."
"That's good," she said, slightly reproachfully.
"I'm sorry for hurting you," said Will, reaching up to stroke her cheek.
"You didn't hurt me," insisted Elizabeth. She leaned forward and kissed him again, then pulled back and smiled at him.
"Are you beginning to regret offering to teach me?" he asked. "All I seem to be doing is standing on your toes."
She laughed and reaching up, pushed some stray strands of his hair out of his face. "I'm not regretting it one bit. If it means I can spend all day in your arms, I'll gladly take a couple of sore toes."
"Let's see if you're still saying that later," said Will. "I'm afraid I'm going to embarrass you at this ball."
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his middle and leaned into his chest. "No, you won't. Everyone is going to be jealous of me at the ball."
"And why is that?" inquired Will, grinning.
"Because I will be dancing in the arms of the most handsome man in the whole of Port Royal."
He laughed and squeezed her back. "And I'm sure I'll have many jealous men looking at me, because I have you in my arms."
"It will be our chance to show how much we love each other," said Elizabeth, smiling.
"Yes, it will," agreed Will.
"Come on then," she said, stepping back and holding out a hand. "The day is still young and there is plenty more time to practise."
He chuckled and took her into his arms again.
"On the count of three, step to the right," she instructed, closing the gap between their bodies even more.
Will grinned down at her. "You know I quite like this bossy Elizabeth. You enjoy telling me what to do, don't you?"
"Maybe I do, a little," she responded, smirking. "Now come on. After stepping to the right, go straight into the other steps."
"Yes, milady," chuckled Will, bowing his head.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes again and then began to count them in.
----
Some time later they were still practising, and though Will was reluctant to admit it to himself, he was starting to really enjoy himself. Of course the fact that he'd had Elizabeth in his arms constantly had nothing to do with this new found enjoyment.
He stared down at her as they moved slowly around the floor. Her light brown hair was coming loose from where it was piled on top of her head and her cheeks were flushed with colour. He didn't know if that was because of the exertion from the dancing or from the heat of the smithy. It was certainly very warm in the room because of the forge and Will's own shirt was beginning to stick to his back.
Luckily there was a big enough space in the middle of the room to accommodate the dance and they were able to narrowly avoid the work benches, tools and other pieces of old furniture that were scattered around the room.
Elizabeth had them moving in gentle circles around the room, varying the speed of the turns. In the beginning he had felt awkward and clumsy; the complete opposite to Elizabeth who moved effortlessly around the room with ease, but now he had started to relax and was moving more gracefully. He knew of course it was all down to his wonderful teacher whose patience and encouragement had never wavered.
Elizabeth had led the dance all the way through, but he certainly didn't mind. In fact he rather enjoyed following her lead, admiring his betrothed's elegant posture, and listening to her soft voice counting out the steps. He gave her waist a squeeze and drew her in nearer, causing the young woman to look up at him. He smiled at her and she smiled back, looking up into his eyes as they continued to spin across the floor.
Will began to lose himself in her gaze and stopped thinking about the steps. Unfortunately, he ended up tripping over his feet, falling to the ground and pulling Elizabeth down with him. He landed on his back with a thud and she fell on top of him, knocking the wind out of him. They lay there stunned, trying to catch their breath as they stared at each other.
Suddenly Elizabeth realised she was lying on top of him, and blushing tried to scramble up. However as she moved, pain shot through her ankle and with a whimper she fell back down on to Will's chest.
Hearing her whimper he sat up quickly, bringing her with him. "Elizabeth? Are you hurt?"
"Huh? No, I think I'm alright. It's just my ankle…" she told him, rubbing her ankle as the pain ebbed away.
Will immediately grasped her waist, lifting her off his lap and sitting her on the floor beside him. He gently batted her hands away and lifted her foot into his lap so he could take a closer look. Elizabeth winced and he apologised before turning his attention back to her ankle. He lifted her foot gently in his hands, and slowly removed her shoe.
Elizabeth watched breathlessly, as he examined her ankle tenderly and soon she completely forgot about the pain and instead was completely absorbed in the rough feel of his hands, as he gently checked her ankle for an injury.
"Where does it hurt?" he asked, turning to look at her.
She swallowed and met his eyes, as a faint blush stained her cheeks. "I-It doesn't r-really hurt anymore."
Will turned away and ran his hands gently over her foot, unable to pull his hands away from her soft skin. "I-I can't see any injury. I think you must have just twisted it when you fell."
"Oh…" whispered Elizabeth, unable to say anything else.
Will looked up into her soft brown eyes again, absent-mindedly tracing small circles on her skin. She stared back, shivering under his caresses. Unable to stop himself, he leaned forward and kissed her gently. Elizabeth moved her arms up to his shoulders and slipped them around his neck, and he deepened the kiss slightly. For a minute both of them completely forgot about anything but the feel and taste of each other as they kissed.
Eventually they pulled apart and realising the position they were in, Elizabeth immediately blushed again. Will smiled and got to his feet before offering her a hand up. "Be careful. Let's see if this ankle can support you."
She bit her lip and holding on tightly to his hand, got to her feet. Once she was standing, he slipped an arm around her waist to lend her his support. Slowly and carefully she put some weight on her twisted ankle, and as it felt alright she stepped fully onto it. But as she did this her ankle gave out from beneath her and she grabbed onto Will with a wince.
"I've got you. I think you're going to have to rest that ankle for a while," said Will, letting her lean against him. He reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I'm so sorry. All I seem to be doing is causing you pain."
Elizabeth turned and squeezed his hand back. "It wasn't your fault."
"Yes, it was."
She could see he blamed himself from the look in his eyes. She let go if his hand and cupped his face in her hands. "It wasn't. It was an accident."
"I'm still sorry though," said Will, caressing her cheek with his fingers.
"I'm sorry for landing on you when we fell," said Elizabeth.
"It's alright," he chuckled. "You aren't heavy."
"Well that's good then," she declared. "I've forgiven you and you've forgiven me. We can forget all about it now."
Will gaped at her and then started laughing. "I've never known anyone else quite like you, Miss Swann."
Elizabeth smiled at him and then tugged gently on his hair. "It will be Mrs. Turner soon," she pointed out.
"It will indeed," replied Will, smiling down at her. He pulled her closer and leaned down so their lips were almost touching. "And I can't wait."
Her eyes widened and she felt her cheeks burn yet again. "Whatever do you mean, Mr. Turner?"
"You will have to wait and see," he smiled, pressing his lips to hers for a moment. He grinned as the young woman reddened some more and then took her hand once again. "It is getting late. I shall walk you home so you can rest that ankle properly."
----
The next day Will was rather surprised when Elizabeth turned up at the smithy once again. "Elizabeth? What are you doing here?" he asked, when he opened the door to find a grinning Miss Swann on his doorstep.
Elizabeth gave him a strange look. "Well to give you another dancing lesson, of course."
"Should you be dancing? Wouldn't it be best to give your ankle a rest?"
She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh no, it's fine. My ankle is alright. It doesn't hurt at all. And anyway we haven't got much more time, have we? The ball is tomorrow after all."
Will's eyes widened. "What? Tomorrow? You didn't tell me that."
"Didn't I?" asked Elizabeth, frowning.
"No, you didn't. I would have remembered," said Will.
"Oh sorry, Will," she said, moving into his arms. "I thought I had." She looked up at him and smiled. "But it doesn't really matter anyway, does it?"
"Of course it matters. I won't be ready."
The young woman in his arms laughed. "Of course you will be ready. You danced really well yesterday."
"I made you twist your ankle!" said Will, incredulously.
"We've already discussed that," she responded, calmly. "That wasn't your fault. Now come on, Will. I know you can dance…I saw you yesterday. Didn't you enjoy it?"
"I…I did enjoy it," he admitted.
"Then come on then," she laughed, walking into the room and holding out a hand.
Will sighed and followed. "Alright, but if your ankle starts to hurt, you tell me and we stop immediately," he insisted, pointing his finger at her.
"Of course," replied Elizabeth grinning.
The rest of the morning went by in a blur. They went over the steps again and to his surprise, Will remembered all the steps perfectly.
"See. I said I would make a wonderful dancer of you," said Elizabeth, beaming at him. They continued to move around the room gracefully, their steps flawless.
"Well I had a wonderful teacher," said Will. This caused her to blush and then their eyes met and locked once again. He pulled her closer and unconsciously they slowed their steps.
Elizabeth felt a shudder run down her spine as their bodies touched. She let out a soft sigh as he let go of one of her hands to brush some of her hair off her face. She stared into his deep brown eyes and leaned into him more. "You are quite perfect aren't you?" she smiled.
"I am?"
"Yes, you are. You are kind, funny, clever, brave, handsome…and a wonderful dancer," she declared.
"I'm all that?" inquired Will, amused. "Well in that case, you are perfect."
Elizabeth blushed and tilted her head to one side. "I am?"
"Yes," he responded. "You're sweet, kind, clever, brave, a lovely dancer…and unbelievably beautiful."
She laughed and they drifted into silence again, simply enjoying being in each other's arms. As they spun around, it occurred to her just what she was asking Will to do. She knew he hated balls with a vengeance and here she was, his soon-to-be wife, forcing him into going to one. She suddenly felt awful. "W-Will, we don't have to go. I know you don't like them."
"Don't like what?" asked Will, raising an eyebrow.
"Balls, social gatherings. I know you hate them and here I am practically forcing you to go. I'll tell Father we can't go. I'm sure he will understand-"
"Shh…" said Will, pressing a finger to her lips. "You're not forcing me."
"I am," said Elizabeth. "I told you we were expected to go. I made you feel we had to."
"No, you didn't," insisted Will. He took her hand and held it to his chest. "You want to go and I want to support you."
"But Will-"
"We're going," he repeated. "We have to go now or the last two days will have been a waste of time anyway."
"I don't care about that, I just want you to be happy," said Elizabeth.
"And I will be," smiled Will. "I'm the happiest man in the world because I've got you. We are going to be together forever and I want to be by your side through everything."
Her heart swelled with emotion at his words. "And I will be by your side too," she breathed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I promise."
Will held her to him and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "I know you will be."
She pulled back and stared up into his eyes. She could see the overwhelming love he felt for her, in those deep russet depths. Not able to stop herself, she let her gaze drift down to his lips and then looked back up into his eyes.
Will noticed her wandering gaze and smiling, leaned down to capture her lips for a gentle kiss. He moved his hand to brush the back of her neck and bring her face closer. As they melted into one another, they stopped moving all together. They just stood in the middle of the smithy, kissing each other.
Elizabeth pulled away and caressed his face with one hand. "I love you, Will."
"I love you too," replied Will, kissing her again lightly.
A/N: So what do you think? Please review! I hope you enjoyed it!