Author's note: This was written as a challenge response given to me by oh-you-pretty-things. It is to her that I dedicate this to. ) Enjoy.

Retribution

The glitter and glamour of the hall created a soft glow that illuminated the walls and seemed to be reflected directly into the bodies occupying the floor. The music playing was a recognizable piece, perhaps by that respectable young Austrian, and was received well by the crowd, who had taken to twirling and bowing slowly on the dance floor.

Sparkling silver platters garnished with fizzing champagne glasses and glistening hors d'oeuvre were carried about the soiree by stiff butlers, their wigs freshly powdered and cuffs delicately folded. The men and women exchanged laughs and small gossip as they sipped their drinks in the warm, golden bubble of a room.

Everything was in its right place, and yet there was one soul who felt completely misplaced and irritated. Her dress was as golden as the large roman candles that currently embellished the walls and large Victorian chandelier that hung from the ceiling. Her jewelry was simple, yet delicately deliberated, with only a modest necklace adorning her neckline. Her beauty was unmatched by all, though the disapproving sniffs of jealousy and disdain did not go unheeded.

Elizabeth stood by a far fall, fidgeting slightly as she was preoccupied with her nerves and he was late. Unconsciously, her hand went up to the charm at her throat. It was a small swan, hanging by a glittering chain around her neck. It was molded by the hardworking hands of her endearing fiancé, whom she despised at the moment.

The engagement ball her father had thrown for her was absolutely perfect, and Elizabeth hated it. She hated these people and their false pretenses of congratulations, she hated the food, the wine, and the silly laced jackets the butlers wore. She only thing she could not bring herself to hate was the soothing melody currently coming from the orchestra at the far end of the hall. Yes, she was sure it was from that Austrian man; Mozart, perhaps. He was supposed to be a prodigy of sorts.

The swan charm had been warmed by her hands and she glanced down at it. It was a soft gold, not authentic by any means, but a rather clever mix of metals to create the illusion. Nevertheless, it had come out marvelously.

Huffing in frustration, Elizabeth had half a mind to go to her father and tell him to send the guests home and to forget about the engagement altogether. Will wasn't coming, and he had obviously developed cold feet and no longer wanted to marry her. With a deep sigh, she willed herself to calm down. What use would she be if she drove herself into hysteria?

As tears threatened to well up in her eyes despite her efforts to sustain them, a gently hand grasped her elbow and she turned quickly. Although she did despise him, he did have a knack for arriving just in time to save her from any situation.

William Turner, handsome in a starched suit of a classic navy blue smiled down at her. His hair was neatly combed into a tie at the base of his neck, and the ubiquitous stubble that adorned his cheeks and chin was gone. He lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her pale wrist.

"You're late," Elizabeth breathed, though she was no longer angry. He was here, and that was all that mattered.

"I'm sorry," Will murmured in response. "It's been bloody hell trying to get here."

Elizabeth smiled at his particular choice of words at such a respectable gathering. His presence had made her feel so much more relaxed and carefree, and his appearance sparked a devious hunger within her.

"It doesn't matter," she said in a low voice. "What's hell is this bleeding corset. I wish you could remove it." Her batted eyelashes added to the remark and Will frowned slightly.

"Elizabeth…" he warned, regarding her with slightly incredulous eyes.

His fiancé pouted in return and leaned in closer. "Oh, but darling, it's so dreadfully boring, and I was only entertaining myself with thoughts of how we could make the evening so much more… pleasurable."

William grasped her forearms gently and pushed her away from him slightly. "Don't speak like that," he whispered frantically, nervously looking about to see if anyone was eavesdropping. "You know I would not like to be hanged before our wedding." And then it seemed he groaned internally. "I knew the other night was a mistake."

Elizabeth smirked and attempted, in vain, to sidle up closer to him. "A mistake?" she chuckled. "That's not what you said then." She quirked her brow seductively, and Will glared at her.

"That is the last time I will ever let you seduce me," Will declared darkly, moving to turn and walk away from her. Elizabeth sighed in exasperation and caught up with him, looping her arm through his.

"Will, I was only jesting," she said in defeat. "Come, my father wants me to introduce you to our boar-like guests."

"Elizabeth!"

That portion of the evening went fairly well according to Elizabeth's standards. She could tell Will was nervous. He fidgeted endlessly with his cuff buttons and the lapel of his jacket, but otherwise, he was marvelous. He was cordial and polite; he bowed when appropriate and kissed all of the right hands, and even went so far as to offer a dance to a respectable Earl's wife. She had come off the dance floor exhilarated and beaming, claiming she had never felt so young. She was now in her sixty first year.

All of the married women had turned their noses haughtily upon the young couple, scrutinizing Will with calculating eyes that did nothing for his nerves. Yet when asked his profession, he stood proudly and answered steadily. After all, he was the best blacksmith in all of the Caribbean, at least Elizabeth thought so. That was really all that mattered to him.

When approaching the young, unmarried women, Elizabeth couldn't help but clutch his arm a bit tighter in a sudden surge of possessiveness. These women were looking for prospective husbands, and although this was her engagement ball, they ogled Will openly. Will took care to keep his hand at the small of her back as they approached the bachelors made up of Lords, Dukes, Earls, and other men with various important titles. Elizabeth smiled inwardly at this, and she hated these men, for she could see the laughter in their eyes at this petty man who had won claim over the heart of the formerly unattainable Elizabeth Swann.

Finally, and to her relief, the dinner chime sounded. Elizabeth, still attached to William by the arm, led him to the grand table that sparkled with plates heaping with steaming food and tall, garnished wine glasses. Will pulled a seat out for her, and she graciously sat, offering him a smile as he took a seat opposite her at the table.

Once everyone was seated, the governor stood proudly and cleared his voice. Everyone went silent and politely turned their attention to him.

"First, I would like to thank you all for coming to this grand and joyous occasion. As you know, my only daughter, Elizabeth, will soon be married, to a highly respectable and hardworking man of this fine town…"

Elizabeth smiled across the table to Will, who had turned red at her father's words. At this angle, she was able to get a good look at him, and she couldn't recall a moment where he had looked finer. Of course, she would always prefer the pirate Will, but seeing him like this, as a true gentleman was another facet of her betrothed that she hadn't been able to imagine until now. The result was quite invigorating, and she felt a strange itch to bring her hands forth and touch, kiss, or maybe bite the bit of skin that was exposed above the collar of his shirt.

Will caught her gaze and smiled a bit bemusedly. Oh, that smile. He was wearing layers of clothing, and she imagined they would be difficult to get him out of.

The drone of her father's voice continued on, and Elizabeth knew from past experience that when giving a toast, her father could easily speak for endless minutes. Being his daughter, she knew this was bound to be a long one.

Will tilted his head and listened politely to the governor's words, but Elizabeth was uninterested in toasts made by people who hardly remembered her name. Her attention was solely upon Will, as she noticed the precision of his combed hair. She wanted nothing more than to run her fingers through it, leaving it messy and tangled.

A sudden applause jarred her out of her thoughts and she automatically raised her wine glass and took a sip, along with everyone else. Her father beamed at her, and promptly settled into his chair. At once, the feast began and butlers began heaping portions of food onto the plates. The princess inside of her wanted to fold her arms and stomp her feet. But she didn't want food! She wanted Will!

Of course, it would have been entirely less than proper to admit that to everyone, so she sat silently and picked at her food. Will caught her gaze once and she smiled seductively, causing his brows to furrow in annoyance. He didn't look at her again during dinner.

After the food was served and eaten everyone resumed their places in the grand hallway and dance floor. The music had picked up another mellow tune, and Elizabeth felt quite giddy and warm, perhaps from the wine she had consumed so eagerly. She found her fiancé and took him by the hand.

"Are you alright, Elizabeth? You barely touched your food," Will asked in concern, and Elizabeth smiled.

"Yes, don't worry yourself. I was not hungry for food." She hoped he would catch her intimation, but he gave no inclination that he did. "Will, you have not danced with me yet tonight."

At this, William smiled and turned to her with a slight bow. "My apologies miss. Would you be so kind as to dance with me?"

Elizabeth stuck her nose up quite haughtily and sniffed in disdain. "Oh, if I absolutely must," she sighed, and Will laughed.

"You could easily pass as one of them," he muttered softly as they nearly glided onto the dance floor and took a position. "If I had not known of your obsession with pirates, I would have assumed as much."

Elizabeth laughed and leaned in to press her cheek to his momentarily. "You're wrong. I am no longer obsessed with pirates," she stated, "only you."

As they began to sway and move to the music, Will smiled and looked down upon her. "I am no pirate," he said in a small voice, and to this, Elizabeth looked up skeptically.

"Well you certainly were the other night, what with the way you plundered and ravished me so." She smiled at his indignation and silenced him with a finger before he could reply. "You're my pirate," she whispered. "And that's pirate enough."

William shook his head in defeat and gave a small sigh. "I may as well get used to this," he said, a small smile gracing his features. He went to kiss her, but it seemed something held him back and he gave a pained smile. "Your… your necklace is crooked," he mumbled, looking at the chain against the pale curve of her neck.

Elizabeth looked down. "So it is. Will you fix it for me?" She asked and tilted her head forward. Will raised his hands and nearly brought them to her skin before pulling them away as if singed.

"I can't, Elizabeth, not here… it's not proper." They had stopped dancing and Will was immediately fidgeting with his cuff buttons. Elizabeth quirked her brows, incensed at his words.

"Not… proper?" She repeated with indignation. "Will, when have you ever known me to care about what's proper or not? Fix my necklace."

Will shook his head vehemently. "I shouldn't touch you. Not here, Elizabeth, please." Elizabeth glared at him and she raised her hands to adjust her own necklace. This action, although it was exactly what he asked for, stung him more than her sharp tongue; for he knew he had hurt her.

She regarded him coolly for a moment and Will hung his head in shame. However, after a moment, Elizabeth smiled. "Don't worry, Will, it's alright," she said. Will raised his gaze to hers in confusion and noticed her smile. He didn't like the looks of it.

"It… is?" He asked, not quite believing her. Elizabeth laughed.

"Yes, Will it is. However, I'll need you to come with me for a quick moment." She grasped his hand and walked leisurely off of the dance floor and began to weave her way through the people.

Will was even more bewildered now. "Come with you where?" Elizabeth smiled again… that smile. It left him uneasy.

"It's a surprise. I just want to show you something for a quick moment, it won't take long." She replied nonchalantly.

What was even more bewildering to Will were her current mannerisms. She glanced and looked about the ballroom as if searching for something, and if she were, she was quickly leading them out of the way of the guests. They left the hall entirely and entered an uninhabited hallway behind the stairs. There were only three doors, and Elizabeth stopped at the first one triumphantly.

She looked to Will and grinned at his confusion. "Well, this is it," Elizabeth said with a smile. William quirked his brow as if he thought her quite mad. "Aren't you going to open it?"

Will regarded her for a moment, unsure what to make of the situation. It was just a door, right? So, he opened it, and inside… there were coats and hangers. It was a closet. Bewildered, he turned to his fiancé.

"Elizabeth, what—"

He was never able to finish that question, for Elizabeth pushed him forcefully inside and he was enveloped by an innumerable amount of cloaks. Her felt more than saw Elizabeth enter the closet along with him, before she shut the door tightly, encasing them in darkness.

Breathing hard and sprawled against the back wall of the closet, he waited until he could make out Elizabeth's figure before he spoke. "What in the hell are you doing?" He croaked, and he was surprised to find his voice sounded fearful. Well, he certainly was afraid.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson," Elizabeth replied silkily as she stepped closer to him. He could feel her warm breath against his neck, and in spite of his indignation and fear, he felt his breeches tighten at the sensation. Her lips were at his pulse point and she spoke in a low voice.

"If you try to escape me I will hurt you," she breathed, and she felt Will swallow under her lips. Her hand snaked down to cup him through his breeches and she was pleasantly surprised to find him in a state of arousal. "Something tells me that you won't try to escape," she added with a laugh. He gave an incoherent groan in response.

She brought her lips up to his and was taken aback when Will kissed her with vigor, as if he had been wanting to all night. The kiss was sloppy and frenzied, and through it, Elizabeth had somehow managed to slide his jacket off his shoulders and release his hair from its bond.

His lips were delicious but not enough by any standards. He must have been wearing at least two more layers, but Elizabeth felt no need to rush. She painstakingly removed his vest, dropping it to the floor along with his jacket and set to the frilled shirt underneath. Will had moved his lips from hers and had begun to trail a path across her jaw and down her neck.

Her hands shook as she became a bit more frantic and frustrated at the buttons. She grunted and tore the rest of the shirt open. It was a silly thing anyway. She heard Will gasp. "Elizabeth!"

But before he could complain, Elizabeth had captured his lips once again and ran her hands down his chest. Will, however, had seemed to be back into his right state of mind. "Elizabeth, what are we doing? We need to stop this."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and stooped her head to take a nipple between her teeth, causing him to inhale sharply. Peppering kisses across his torso, she administered the same attention to the other nipple before she began a trail of wet kisses down. She paused at his navel and tongued delicately, hearing his groan softly above her.

The sounds elicited by him were filling her with a heady boldness, and as she reached the strained bulge in his breeches she put her hands forth and unclasped the button, slipping a hand into the waistband to tease him.

His hands were soon in her hair and his trousers were now around his ankles. His muscles were tense and as Elizabeth enveloped him with her lips, he groaned her name and sagged against the wall, grasping onto a coat to keep his body from falling.

She worked absolute magic with her lips and tongue, moving them along him smoothly until he felt as if he would lose his mind. His fingers were still entangled in her hair and he used them to urge her on. He was completely beyond self control; the only thing that mattered was the warmth of her mouth surrounding him.

She grazed her teeth against him and he lost himself completely within her, giving a guttural moan. Will barely had time to collect himself before Elizabeth rose back to her feet and kissed him vigorously.

"Elizabeth," he gasped, trying desperately to push her away. Elizabeth all but snarled and bit down on his earlobe roughly.

"I took the time to make sure you were completely satisfied, darling," she purred. "I won't let you leave until you do the same for me." Elizabeth smiled as she felt Will's lips upon her throat, his teeth nipping at the sensitive flesh until she was sure he had left a mark.

"You will be the death of me, Elizabeth," he groaned, before twisting their bodies so that he pinned her up against the wall. His lips attacked her viciously, running down the smooth curve of her neck to the soft pillow of her breasts above her corset. The dress she was wearing was cumbersome. It needed to come off.

Reaching his hands behind her back, Will fumbled with the clasps of the dress and quickly became frustrated. He tore at the fabric and was satisfied to hear a loud rip. Elizabeth gasped and William claimed her mouth. "I have repaid you in kind for my shirt," he whispered, and she laughed.

"Pirate," she hissed as her dress fell around her ankles, leaving her in her corset and light chemise.

"Only yours," he countered as he hoisted the hem of her under dress up to her waist. She was to retort with something witty, but lowered himself to his knees and his hands found the velvet mound between her thighs.

It was her turn to keep herself upright then, and she lost all coherent thought as she felt one finger, and then another inside of her, testing her. They moved within her, curling until she let out a groan. Seemingly satisfied, Will pulled away.

However, before Elizabeth could protest, his mouth was upon her, and he attacked her with his lips, tongue and teeth. She shuddered and felt as if her knees would cave in. She felt her insides tightened, and then he applied his fingers once more and pumped roughly. She clenched around him and with a low cry, she came.

Swiftly, without letting her time to recuperate, Will rose and caught her lips with his, all the while grabbing her by her bottom and lifting her against his waist. She wrapped her legs around him to keep her balance and he pushed her against the wall, entering with one swift stroke.

He began to thrust swiftly and desperately and she kept her arms out, holding on to either ends of the closet to brace herself. Bringing one hand up between them, Will fumbled with the ties of her corset frantically, and became relieved when it came apart easily. It fell to the ground to accompany their various other articles of clothing.

Her chemise had been bunched up at her waist, and he now took the opportunity to remove it completely. Soon she was as bare as he, and Will wasted no time in running his mouth over every attainable inch of Elizabeth's body.

Elizabeth gasped as he took a nipple into his mouth and nipped almost roughly. She brought a hand to entangle in his now disheveled hair as his thrusts increased in virility and power. Pulling his face towards hers by his hair, they kissed sloppily and hungrily, their breathlessness not overcoming their need.

As Elizabeth came for the second time, so did Will. He buried his face into the crook of her neck as she bent her head backwards and released a low moan. William thrust a few more times before he stopped completely.

Shaking and panting, Will pulled his face away from Elizabeth's skin and surveyed her. "Christ, Elizabeth," he breathed, pressing his forehead against her chest. "Christ."

Sweating and not able to breathe properly herself, Elizabeth merely laughed in return. Will placed her onto the floor and pulled away, collapsing against the opposite wall. He all but glared at her as she regained her breath enough to stand and begin dressing herself once more.

"You're the devil, woman," he muttered darkly.

Elizabeth merely smiled sweetly as she pulled her dress on. She frowned then, examining the ties. "Will, you've ripped my dress."

It was Will's turn to smile. "You ripped my shirt." He stood and pulled up his trousers, buckling them in place before he looked around the dark closet for said ripped shirt.

Elizabeth laughed and sighed. "Well, next time I suppose we'll have to wear more suitable clothing."

Will paused and looked up at her incredulously. "Next… time?" he asked incredulously. Sure she was joking… ?

Elizabeth noticed his tone and laughed it off casually. "Don't worry. I'm only jesting," she replied, and yet Will wasn't completely convinced. She took the ripped shirt from his hands and helped him dress, covering up the missing buttons with the vest that went over. Will quickly shrugged his jacket on and pulled his hair back into a tie.

They both smoothed out their clothing as best they could and surveyed each other in the dark to see if the other was acceptable. Will reached for the doorknob, but was blocked by Elizabeth.

"Just one more moment, my darling," she murmured, pressing her lips to his ear. "Know that this was a punishment. If you ever refuse anything of me for the sake of propriety again, now that these punishments will continue."

Will smirked to himself and nodded. "Understood," he replied, and then opened the door.

Thankfully, there were no people in the hallway and the couple was able to make it back into the grand hallway to resume the ball.

"Oh, Will!" Elizabeth called as soon as they had reached the center of the room. Will turned to her and noticed her playful smile.

"It seems my necklace has fallen out of place again. Will you fix it for me?" She batted her eyelashes innocently, and Will chuckled. He had half a mind to refuse her once more, but his gentlemanly side won over.

"As you wish, my lady," he replied, setting his fingers to her neck, righting the charm that rested upon her pale skin.