It's almost Christmas!

Chapter 10

Elizabeth arrived at Will's apartment from her father's house at exactly five minutes 'til five o'clock on Christmas Eve.

Will grinned as he let her in. "Nice timing." He wrapped his arms around her, hugging her so tightly that he actually lifted her a few inches off the floor. "Are you ready to spend Christmas together for the very first time?"

Elizabeth giggled against his shoulder. "So ready."

Will set her down and kissed her once more, softly.

"Ready to go?"

He picked up a duffel bag. "Ready."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand excitedly. "Let's get going, then."

When Elizabeth woke up, the clock on the dashboard read 7:45. Rubbing her neck, she turned to look curiously at Will.

"How long was I asleep?"

"An hour, I think. At least, that was when you started snoring," he teased. Then he added, "We're about fifteen minutes out."

"I do not snore." Elizabeth stared out the window, peering at the darkened landscape. "Where are we?"

"The country," Will answered, smiling. "Haven't you ever been this far out of London before?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Not really. We used to fly out to the coast for vacations, but we never just got in the car and drove like this."

Will smiled wistfully. "I grew up in a place like this. I loved it."

He was driving with only his right hand, so Elizabeth leaned over and took his left. "It must have been hard moving to the middle of London so suddenly."

Will nodded. "I hated it for a long time," he said quietly. "It was so crowded and noisy, and I just didn't know what to do with that. I think that's partly why it took me so long to be comfortable with my dad," he mused, half to himself. "I didn't understand how he could want to live in a place like that. Then I realized that he didn't really like it, either. That's why he moved out here after he retired."

Elizabeth smiled. "My country boy. You must have wished you could go with him."

"Yeah, I did," Will said, almost longingly. "But I already had my shop, and I was doing well for myself, so I stayed." He grinned suddenly. "Here we are." He slowed, brought the car to a stop in front of a small cottage.

Elizabeth got out of the car, rubbing her hands together in the cold as she looked up at the house. She absolutely loved it. Will watched her from the other side of the car, in love with her delighted smile and the way the white Christmas lights hanging from the front porch reflected in her eyes.

"What do you think?" he asked quietly.

Elizabeth turned away from the house, looking out at snow-covered fields and hills that stretched away as far as the eye could see. It was so quiet. She had assumed that she would find the lack of London's ever-present background noise unsettling, but on the contrary, she found it to be wonderfully peaceful.

"I think I love it."

Will grinned happily at her. "We'll make a country girl of you yet." He stepped up onto the porch and knocked on the door, and immediately Elizabeth heard a muffled voice from inside the house.

"Coming!"

A few seconds later, the door swung open, and the first impression Elizabeth had of William Turner, Sr. was that he and his son were nearly identical. The only noticeable differences that she could see were mostly from age: Bill Turner had some lines on his face and streaks of grey in his hair at the temples. But other than that, the only other distinguishing feature between the two was their eyes: whereas Will's were the deepest brown, his father's were a clear, bright blue.

This was all Elizabeth had time to register, because almost as soon as the door was open, Bill had pulled his son into a bear hug, which Will returned, grinning.

"I miss you out here, kiddo."

"I know," Will answered. "I miss you, too, Dad."

When Elizabeth saw them both standing there side by side, she couldn't help staring at them. They were almost like twins. Twins with a twenty-or-so year age gap. Almost.

"I know what you're thinking," Bill said with a smile. "He has his mum's eyes, in case you were wondering."

"I – I was wondering."

Bill chuckled quietly. "You must be Elizabeth." He held out a hand, which she shook warmly. "I've heard a lot about you."

"Likewise," Elizabeth replied as she stepped inside and Bill closed the door behind her.

"Nothing too terrible, I hope," Bill said, glancing at his son with an almost apologetic look.

"Dad," Will said, quietly but firmly. "Don't. It's been a long time since I've felt like that."

Bill smiled gratefully. "You two can put those bags in the hall closet there, if you want. Dinner's almost ready."

"Since you've felt like what?" Elizabeth asked softly as she followed Will a short way down the hall.

Will glanced back at his father. He knew he could still hear them. "When I first moved to London to live with Dad, I was… angry. I was scared. I said a lot of things I didn't really mean." He shrugged. "It took a long time for me to get used to everything. For used to get used to being around each other."

As they came back out into the kitchen, Bill added, "It wasn't just Will who said things he didn't mean, either. I was scared, too. I mean, think about it," he said dryly. "Will turned thirteen just a couple months after he moved in with me. A father with no idea how to be a father suddenly trying to raise a teenager? It's not exactly what you'd call a good combination."

"So… what happened?" Elizabeth asked. "Obviously you get along just fine now."

"That first year was the worst," Will said. "I spent a lot of time at Jack's place, just to get away. To try to forget that I was in London instead of Scotland. After that, though… I don't know. We just got used to the way things were, I guess."

Bill smiled slightly. "You could call the next couple of years after that a sort of uneasy truce, if you'd like."

"It was, a bit, yeah," Will agreed, grinning apologetically. "School made things a lot worse. Going from a sixth grade class of about forty kids to a seventh grade class of three hundred was downright awful."

"It didn't exactly help that you were half a foot shorter than you should've been , either," Bill chuckled.

Will made a face. "Thanks a lot, Dad."

"Aww," Elizabeth said, grinning. "You never told me you were short."

Will shrugged, reddening slightly. "I had a growth spurt the summer before sophomore year."

"Completely out of the blue, he grew seven inches in two months," Bill said. "None of his clothes fit."

Elizabeth giggled. "That's adorable."

"Yeah, right. It wasn't so adorable when the eighth graders decided that their new favorite pastime was 'Shove the Little Paisley Boy in a Locker,'" Will said darkly.

"You never told me that," Bill said in surprise.

Will shrugged. "I was fast."

Elizabeth laughed, squeezed Will's hand. "You're not just my country boy. You're my Paisley country boy."

"Hey, come on! I'm not even from Paisley!"

"A mile outside of Paisley still counts as Paisley, kid," Bill laughed. "Your accent was Paisley all over."

Will gave up. "Fine." He glanced at Elizabeth. "You know, we should go to Scotland sometime. I could show you where I used to live. I haven't been there in thirteen years." He stared absentmindedly at the countertop that he was leaning on. "I wonder what it looks like now."

Elizabeth ran her fingers through his hair. "We'll go sometime." She kissed him lightly on the cheek. "I hope it still looks the same as you remember."

Will looked up at her with a wistful smile. "Yeah… me, too."

The living room was lit only by the colorful lights on the Christmas tree, and fluffy snowflakes were drifting peacefully past the frosted windows. Will was sitting on the couch with an arm around Elizabeth, who was curled up against him. Bill sat across from them in an armchair.

"So, Elizabeth… Will tells me that he hasn't actually met your father yet." Bill sounded rather amused.

"I don't really blame him," Elizabeth said quietly. "My father is nice, but he can be sort of intimidating at times. And honestly… I think it still bothers him a bit that I'm dating a blacksmith with a motorcycle."

Will shook his head. "No respect for the bike. Or the profession, for that matter," he added thoughtfully. "Should I be insulted?"

Elizabeth laughed. "It's nothing personal. He's just being overprotective."

"Doesn't he know I'd do anything to take care of you?" Will whispered softly, kissing the top of her head.

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually."

"I certainly hope so," Will said, a twinge of apprehension in his voice.

"You're scared of him," Bill said, grinning. It wasn't a question.

"No, I'm not…"

Elizabeth poked him lightly in the ribs. "Yes, you are."

"I just don't want him to hate me, is all," Will insisted. "I mean, it'd be nice to know that I have his permission if I ever decide to – " He froze, staring at Elizabeth as she stared right back at him.

The tension in the room was almost tangible. Bill resisted the urge to clear his throat or cough, just to break the silence. He was staring at his son just as hard as Elizabeth was.

"…To what?" Elizabeth asked after a very long moment. She could feel Will's heart racing.

"To – " Will swallowed hard and closed his eyes briefly, then said quickly, "To ask you to marry me…" He opened his eyes, looking at her nervously. "…At – at some point…"

Elizabeth continued to stare at him for a moment longer, her face blank with shock.

Will was practically on the verge of a panic attack, wondering exactly what the chanced were that the earth would suddenly open up and swallow him where he sat. Probably not good, he thought miserably. But a guy can dream.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to say something, then changed her mind and closed it again. And then, on an impulse, she threw her arms around Will's neck and pulled him toward her, kissing him hard. Will reacted surprisingly fast, recovering from his shock in a matter of seconds and returning the kiss with equal fervor.

When they finally separated, Will said weakly, "So, does – does this mean you're okay with that, then?"

"I am if you are," Elizabeth said breathlessly.

"Just to be clear here, you know I'm not actually proposing right now – "

"I – I know."

"…But at some point… you know…"

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Yeah. At some point."

"O-okay then." Will managed a faint smile. "Glad that's settled."

Finally deciding that it was once again safe to make noise, Bill exclaimed, "What the hell just happened here?"

"We decided we want to get married," Will answered, grinning. "Someday. Not right now. But someday." He glanced at Elizabeth. "Soon?"

She kissed him lightly, happiness welling up inside her. "Soon," she agreed quietly.

Review if you think Will and Elizabeth are nothing short of adorable ;)