A/N: The title of this story means "the stork" in Spanish and if interested its pronounced like "Siwenia" abouts. So there's a huge hint to the story!
Please review it and let me know what you think. I'd like to give a biiiiig and special thanks to my twin and beta Leah, its thanks to her I even wrote this.
Disclaimer: I wish I owned these characters, probably Will in particular, but its not meant to be as I hear Disney has got quite the hold on them.
La Cigüeña
"The best feelings are those that have no words to describe them..."
- by Michelle Hammersley
It had taken him a couple of months to adjust to life as a blacksmith once more. Will Turner pondered this fact late one night as he carefully added the hilt to the fine blade he had just recently completed. After ten years at sea standing in front of a forge and meticulously molding metal with a hammer was not as familiar and easy as it had once been. He did, however, enjoy it very much. Elizabeth had managed to acquire the smithy, believing that her husband would want to continue the trade upon his return. She was right, the townspeople had to send out orders to other towns for lack of a blacksmith, so work came rather quickly. Most requests were small orders consisting of horseshoes, door hinges, and other such items which provided Will with ample time to reestablish his skills as a sword's smith, when his son wasn't bouncing around the smithy much in the same fashion his mother would many years ago.
The time finally came for a sword order and Will was confident he would create a blade as beautiful and even as those he made in the days before pirates, curses, and ghost ships. Will grinned as he ran his fingers over the sword, in spite of those ordeals and delays he was home with the woman he loved more than anything else in the world, and his son whom he had come to cherish more than life itself. His son was the reason he was at the smithy at this late hour. The sword was not expected until the day after tomorrow but Will had promised Liam a day out, just the two of them. Elizabeth narrowed her eyes in mock disappointment to being left out of the excursion, but in truth she was overjoyed at the fact that her two men had so easily connected as though Will had been there since Liam's birth. Besides, Elizabeth hadn't been feeling well lately and was more than happy to sleep in while they woke early to have their day.
Will was not used to staying out so late. In truth, the projects he worked on so far had not called for it, and long gone were the days where he would work late to keep himself from dreaming of Elizabeth. He didn't miss it, and had he not promised Liam the day he would have been home for supper and right now he'd be in bed with Elizabeth curled at his side. Hopefully she'd be feeling better and be able to sleep through the night; he didn't like leaving her alone while she was ill. However it was best to finish the sword now than to delay; Elizabeth had insisted that point when she saw him off in the morning. By this hour Elizabeth and Liam would be asleep, the servants would be in their quarters and his house would be dark and still. Will sighed deeply and then placed the finished blade gently in the box he had prepared. It was beautiful; he wasn't modest enough to deny that, and his skills seemed to have returned to the level they had been when he made the sword that altered his destiny. But now was not the time to think of that, his muscles ached too much and his skin was tight as he realized he had a good amount of soot and dried perspiration covering him. He quickly turned out the remaining candle light since the forge had long been turned off, locked up the shop, and headed home.
It wasn't long before he reached home, the town was not that far from their home even walking and since Will knew he would have a late stay he decided to go by cart. Once he unhitched the horse he went to pull some water from the well they had behind the house. Taking a bath now would delay his sleep but he simply couldn't settle for simply washing up. He nimbly maneuvered around the kitchen, grabbing a bite of bread left from dinner while he waited for the water to heat. Will marveled at how easily he had grown accustomed to his new accommodations. Nothing in their house was as grand or ornate as in the governor's mansion, but it was much more than he had ever known. The fact that Elizabeth had worked so hard to gain these possessions and build a home made them all the more special. His guilt slowly faded, she made sure of that, and all that was left was an intense feeling of awe and wonder at how amazing his wife truly was.
Will slowly ascended the steps with the pot of heated water, it was large but it would take more than that to fill the tub; it would have to do since he wasn't willing to go out to bring in more water. Having servants really was a luxury. Will was not lazy nor was he unwilling to do things for himself, but it was rather nice to have people assist him in certain things, such as filling the tub. However at this late hour a half-filled tub would suffice, too much movement would wake Elizabeth anyhow. Will reached their chambers and slowly pushed the door open; thankfully Elizabeth hadn't closed it shut. She was there lying in bed her back facing him, he could see that her breathing was slow and steady from the slight movement from her side. Her long hair was strewn about to his side of the bed and he was surprised that not more of her was scattered about, Elizabeth really was a crazy sleeper. He grinned as he tiptoed over to the adjacent washroom and closed the thin French doors that separated the rooms.
He placed the pot down on the ceramic floor as gently as he could; his already aching muscles ached even more now. Then he went to light a single candle, much light wasn't really necessary in this instance. Then, Will pondered how exactly he'd put the water into the tub. There was no avoiding it; it was going to be loud. He picked up the pot once more and emptied its contents into the tub. He paused a good few seconds after to listen if the noise had caused his wife to stir, it appeared it hadn't. He quickly removed his articles of clothing, untied his hair, and stepped into the tub. He nearly giggled as the water barely covered his body, but the heat was enough to ease the tension in his body as he leaned back to rest on the edge of the tub before reaching for the sponge.
Elizabeth heard Will the moment he entered the house, even if he had done so very slowly and quietly. It was true that she never wanted to sleep without Will by her side again, but that wasn't exactly why sleep eluded her. Elizabeth valued her sleep and the knowledge that Will would come home and join her was comforting enough to lull her to a peaceful slumber. But this night something else was on her mind, something she had to confide in her husband right away no matter the hour he returned from work. She climbed out of bed, slid on her night slippers and padded her way toward the French doors. It was just like Will to be as quiet as possible and only light one candle to not disturb her but there was no way she could sleep and wait to tell him what she had learned.
She slowly cracked the door open to see her husband facing the opposite wall, his head leaning back, eyes closed and curls hanging over the edge of the tub. She could see his legs were bent slightly due to the fact that he was slouching, and from her stance she was granted a generous view of his toned chest that was covered with dark ash and water droplets. They had been reacquainted for months now but her husband in such a position still made her catch her breath. He was indecently handsome and the fact that she knew how much he loved her ignited a bit of feminine pride in her.
It was clear he was tired, and the way he hung his arms down the sides of the tub indicated his muscles were tired and worn out. The knowledge that he did this for some uninterrupted time with their son warmed her heart even more than if it had been just to provide for her. He was a good father, so much so that it surprised her sometimes. Will never had a real father figure and he hadn't ever really been around children, yet the way he loved their son was perfect. Of course, it wasn't as if she had a maternal figure to tell her what to do. It was amazing how strong the bond of love for one's children was. Elizabeth crept slowly to kneel on the towel that was by the side of the tub all while keeping a close eye on Will, she reached for the sponge and went to dip it in the water when she stopped suddenly. How on earth would this amount of water serve as a bath?
"I was too tired to bring up another," Will's voice broke the silence of the room, startling Elizabeth and causing her to jump.
"Well you might as well of just washed up and gone to bed!" she playfully scolded, regaining composure.
Will chuckled lightly lifting his head to meet Elizabeth's eyes, she was also tired but her light brown orbs shined with something that he couldn't quite name.
"I didn't mean to wake you" he said softly as he watched Elizabeth dip the sponge into the low water and trace it up his chest.
"You didn't wake me," she replied just as softly while wiping the soot from her husband's body, a smile curved on his face as she seemed to be concentrating intently on the task at hand.
"And what were you waiting for?" he asked playfully as she lifted water with her hand to rinse his torso and shoulders.
"You" she replied, looking at him with an uncharacteristic shy smile.
"Really?" he purred seductively while taking a few strands of her hair between his fingers.
"Not for the reason you are thinking Mr. Turner," she said while splashing some of the water to his face. Will laughed in response, sitting up and picking up water to wash his face. Once the water fell from his face he turned toward his wife once more.
"You look better today," he said noticing some color had returned to her cheeks.
"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," she said fidgeting with the sponge. Her heart was pounding and this was becoming more daunting of a task than she expected, "I went to see Doc Abbott today".
"Oh?" Will replied, his head tilting in automatic concern, "Is everything alright?" he asked sitting up slightly in the tub.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine" she reassured, "He just told me…Well more confirmed really…I can't rightly believe I had doubts…"
"Elizabeth, please finish your sentences," Will pleaded, wondering what could have put her in such a state.
She looked up looking at him square in the eyes, her own already glistening with tears and a smile on her face, "He told me that before the year is out, we'll have an addition to our family."
Will's mouth opened slightly as he registered what she had just announced, his eyes dropped to her stomach and he struggled to find his voice.
"How….when?" He finally squeaked out.
"Well I don't think I need to tell you how, and when is anyone's guess it's not as though we haven't been trying." she replied, her voice filled with mirth, "Are you not pleased?" she asked, suddenly as her smile fell and her voice filled with worry when Will remained silent.
In response Will laughed and grabbed her head drawing her lips toward his to give her a passionate kiss, "Words can't describe how I feel right now," he said, moving back slightly and cupping her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, "I love you," he professed as tears crept out of the corners of his eyes. Elizabeth sighed in response raising her hands to the back of his head bringing him into another kiss.
She felt him begin to rise from the tub and she joined him, reaching to grab the towel laid out already to assist him.
"I had to wait nearly all day to tell you, I thought I'd burst from the excitement, and I couldn't tell Liam yet --"
"Oh I can't wait to tell him tomorrow," Will interjected, "Please can I say it Elizabeth when we tell him?"
"I can't deny you that" she laughed at his antics, "Besides, I did get to tell you" she mused as she finished drying her husband. Suddenly she felt her feet leave the floor.
She laughed hugging his neck and resting her head against the crook of his neck as Will took her out the French doors and toward their bed placing her gently down on the mattress. He raised a hand to her cheek and traced it down her neck and body; he lowered his head down to her mid section and placed a soft kiss to her stomach. With eyes closed he breathed deeply as he nuzzled her womb with his cheek. He looked up and returned to her lips giving her three consecutive soft kisses, a promise of past, present and future.
"You've made me happier than I ever thought I could be, thank you Elizabeth, thank you," he repeatedly whispered while lowering his lips to her neck and shoulders as he removed her camisole slowly and proceeded to make love to her.
"I love you," she murmured while wrapping her arms around him.
Elizabeth closed her eyes, relishing every emotion running through her mind, heart and body. Nothing on this earth could be more perfect than what she was experiencing at this moment, the fortune of having the man she cherished in her arms, a beautiful son that was a combination of the best of her and Will, and the promise of a new life growing with in her. She held her Will close, returning each kiss, caress, and embrace.
Thanks very much for reading and please review...
