A/N: Hokay, so I've been MIA for about two weeks. I did finally move, but it's been busy, what with packing and moving all my crap in less than 24 hours, catching up on everything at work, and a seven hour emergency room visit. Please excuse the delay, and thank lionessrampant and oh-you-pretty-things for getting me to write again. To compensate for the long absence, this has turned out to be the longest chapter yet. 4,000+ words. Also give lionessrampant a huge hug for fixing my story and making it flow better. This is for you.
Three weeks had passed since Will had stumbled upon Dina lying nude under her office lover…and he had never felt better. He was on his way towards The Pub, arm-in-arm with his new-old girlfriend. She was happily giggling as she talked about how glad she was to be going back to Pirate Party Fridays. Will shared her excitement, although he would be lying if he said he hadn't enjoyed the past two Friday nights that he had spent (alone) with Elizabeth. That first week they had been together, he took her on their second-first date – their first in over nine years. He had done his best to give her the most entertaining time she could imagine by taking her all over London, showing her his favorite haunts, many of which Elizabeth knew nothing about. As an added bonus, Will was very pleased to receive his second-first date kiss...at every single shop/bar/park they visited. The next Friday (as well as every day before that) was spent snuggling on the couch while they browsed Elizabeth's vast movie collection, until distraction arrived in the form of a heavy snogging session. When Will had arrived home extremely late that evening, Jack was already back from The Pub. Will had to hide his amused expression when his roommate all but begged him to come back to The Pub on Friday nights.
And here they were, at the entrance to their favorite bar, making their way inside where the already loud music, easily heard from the outside, nearly knocked them over as they opened the door. The couple was surprised to see how much the crowd had grown since their last visit. The music was thumping loudly through the speakers, and Tom was swamped with orders at his counter. Incredibly, Jack spotted them through all the chaos inside and quickly made his way towards them as they, in turn, walked towards the bar.
"'Bout time you got here! Look at what you've been missing!"
Will laughed and gave his friend a slap on the back. "We're going to get something to drink. Why don't you get back to playing the music?"
Jack just narrowed his eyes before he broke out in a huge grin, evidently elated that his friends were back where they belonged. As the pirate DJ made his way back to his pirate ship booth, Will and Elizabeth worked their way towards the area of Tom's counter where they were able to receive their usual free rounds. Miraculously they were able to find two empty barstools and sat down while they people watched and sipped their beers. After the novelty of drunken dancers wore off, they turned their attention back to each other and eventually began an unashamed public display of affection. Their kiss was interrupted by Jack, who had come over to see them.
"Don't you two ever stop? It's sickening, that is! Why don't you stop humping each other and join the party?"
Grinning widely, Will asked, "What's the matter Jack? I thought you enjoyed what you saw a few weeks ago. We were going to treat you to another show."
Jack gave him a rude hand gesture, and Elizabeth was thankful he couldn't see her blush. She still felt slightly embarrassed every time she was around Jack, even after these three weeks. Will's eyes twinkled as he watched his friend retreat, and they continued to do so as he looked at his girlfriend. She lost herself in those dark brown eyes, and at that moment, for the first time in a long while, she felt comfortable enough to lower her guard ever so slightly. Elizabeth reached for his hands and took them in her own, moving her delicate fingers over his palms.
"Will," she started, lowering her eyes to her lap, where she continued to massage his warm hands, "I feel so fortunate that I've found you again. I'm lucky to have you with me."
"No, I'm the lucky bastard that's managed to persuade the most beautiful girl in the world to have another go with me." His smile was just as charming as his words, and Elizabeth could feel herself melting underneath his gaze.
Their romantic moment ended when Tom shouted, "Will! You mind taking these to Jack?" He was holding up four bottles of his finest and looking frantic.
"Be right there!" He gave Elizabeth an apologetic shrug and a quick kiss before rushing to Tom's aid.
She sighed, but couldn't help but grin inwardly as she watched him walk away. He was absolutely amazing, and she was still in disbelief that her life had taken such a positive turn for once. Will had kept his word and allowed them to build their relationship one step at a time. It's what she adored about him – the fact that he gave her enough space to get comfortable with him, even though he didn't completely understand why she needed to move as slowly as they were going. Elizabeth was so engrossed with this new feeling that she didn't notice the woman standing next to her until she spoke.
"I see that this place has lowered its standards for patronage."
There was no mistaking that voice. Elizabeth cringed as she stood to face Dina. "What the hell are you doing here?"
She gave a self-righteous smirk as she replied, "I've been coming to The Pub a lot longer than you have, although I suppose I'll have to find somewhere new now that you're coming here regularly…"
Elizabeth decided it was better to leave than fall for Dina's obvious baiting attempt. Before she could turn away, however, Will's ex said something that tore through her.
"You've come here to start over, but old habits die hard."
Elizabeth glared at her, "And what would you know about it? You don't know me."
"I know that you've been with quite a few men, and you've been hoping that somehow you'll be able to shake off your tendency for finding the kind of bloke that runs all over you. And now, you think you've found your saving grace in him, but tell me something Elizabeth: How long did it take before you screwed him after I left that night? A few days? I'll bet you didn't even make it a few hours because you needed it that badly. You're the kind of woman that finds her worth in other men."
"Shut the hell up."
Dina grinned as she continued. "I'll also wager that these men never made love to you. They just fucked you, didn't they? Is that what Will did? Did he fuck you?"
Elizabeth felt her hand rise to slap the woman, but a strong grip around her wrist thwarted her attempt. She turned to yell at the person that halted her assault and was surprised to find Jack at her side.
"Dina," he growled, "you need to get out of my sight before I turn her loose."
"You can't do anything to me, Jack. This isn't your establishment, and I'll do as I please."
He leaned in close to her face, still gripping Elizabeth's arm as he pulled her behind him. "This entire night is mine, and I'll not have you instigating and insulting my mate. No slags are allowed in this establishment – so you've got no business here."
"Neither does the whore you're holding onto."
It only took a split second for Jack to release his hold on Elizabeth and yank Dina out of the pub. By the time he returned, Will had finally found his girlfriend and was holding her in a tight embrace as she cried into his shoulder. With a confused expression, his roommate asked, "What happened?"
Knowing that it would only anger him, Jack reluctantly told Will, "Dina was here." Before he could finish, Will's confusion turned into anger as he hugged Elizabeth closer to him and whispered, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I was in the loo. I'm sorry."
Jack felt very badly for his friend and was just as angry that Dina had made her so upset. He quietly suggested to Will that he take Elizabeth to her flat and promised to check the entrance for any sign of the horrible wench that had ruined their evening. As Jack walked to the door, Will once again leaned down to whisper in his girlfriend's ear, "Do you want me to take you home?"
She silently nodded as her tears continued to flow. He wrapped his coat around her shoulders and covered her head with its hood. With his arm around her small frame, they quickly made their escape, weaving in and out of the dancers that were unaware of the crisis that had just happened. Will peeked his head outside to look for Jack, who gave him the all clear and motioned for them to join him.
"She wants to leave, so…"
Jack waved him away and said, "I'll see you later, mate. Just get her home."
The couple made the trek in silence, which was broken only by Elizabeth's occasional sobs and Will's soft reassurances. After ten minutes of walking, they finally arrived at her building, and he helped her up the stairs leading to the entrance. Once they reached her door, he asked for her keys, which she fumbled to find, and opened the door, ushering her inside first. She walked inside and waited for him to close and lock the door before heading into her living room and collapsing on the couch. Will took his place beside her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, allowing Elizabeth to rest her head against his chest.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to get her away from you."
Her voice was soft as she replied, "It wasn't your fault, Will."
"Still…I'm sorry she's gone after you. I'm sorry you've been involved like this…but I'm not sorry that I'm with you."
She lifted her eyes to his and felt the confidence she experienced earlier that evening returning. "I'm not sorry either." She smiled, and Will was relieved to see it. He grinned back at her, which caused her to laugh softly and nuzzle her face into his shirt.
"Will?"
"Hm?"
"I like your facial hair."
"Thanks."
"I also like that your hair is getting shaggy again. Now I've got something to play with." She laughed some more and moved her hand to the top of his head and began to run her fingers through his hair. The feel of her tiny fingers moving over his scalp was very soothing, and when her lips met his, he eagerly returned the kiss, desperately wanting to help her forget what had happened that evening.
Elizabeth tried to shrug his coat off her shoulders and was assisted by Will when she failed to get it off after a few seconds' struggle. Her hands moved back to his longer locks, while his hands roamed over her backside, pulling her closer to him. She stopped him and quickly stood, grasping his hand in hers and doing her best to pull him up with her. The look she was giving him indicated she wanted to move to the bedroom, that she was finally ready to give herself to him, for the second first time in their relationship. This made Will ecstatic at the thought, but at the same time, he didn't want to rush into things like they had three weeks ago. They had refrained from sexual intimacy since that first encounter at his flat, and he was doing his best to make sure he didn't pressure Elizabeth into something she wasn't ready for.
"Are you sure? We're not going too fast?"
She just smiled and continued to pull him from her couch. Not needing any more persuasion, Will stood and followed her to the bedroom. Their entrance had woken Ellie, who had curled herself into a ball on Elizabeth's bed.
"Sorry, Ellie. I'm going to have to kick you out." Elizabeth picked her up, and Will could have sworn he saw the cat roll her eyes as his girlfriend carried Ellie past him before placing her outside the room and shutting the door. It seemed that his little toy peace offering, as well as the huge supply of catnip he had brought by his first week with Elizabeth, had converted Ellie into a Will Turner fan, and being in the kitty's good graces made him very happy, as well as a bit relieved. But he didn't want to think about the cat at the moment. Will was more interested in thinking about Elizabeth and how he would be able to take care of her.
She walked back to him slowly, looking up at him shyly through her long lashes. Her hand moved to cup his manhood, while her other hand snaked under his shirt and slinked up his back. Her mouth found its way to his neck and began nipping the skin, which made Will sigh contentedly as he wrapped his arms around her tiny shoulders. Her small movements hypnotized him and a few moments passed before he snapped out of his trance and remembered his goal of caring for her.
"Elizabeth," he whispered, gripping her shoulders and steering her towards the bed. "I'm looking after you tonight."
Will captured her lips with his before she could reply and slid his hands underneath her top. In one swift motion, he pulled it over her head and discarded it somewhere behind him, all the while inching them closer to her bed. One of his hands tangled itself in her hair while the other flawlessly removed her bra. Elizabeth gasped when she felt the cool air against her bare skin. Her gasp turned to a cry of surprise as Will quickly scooped her up and plopped her in the middle of the bed. She did her best to pull his shirt away from his body, but he prevented her from doing so when he grabbed both of her wrists and playfully pinned them above her head.
"Now, now, Miss Swann. You need to sit back and enjoy the ride."
He continued to grin devilishly at her as he held down her arms and straddled her legs with his own. His free hand lightly touched her cheek, and then caressed her face before trailing down her neck, making its way to her breast. Will took pleasure in the little mewing sounds coming from his girlfriend as he gently massaged her. When she closed her eyes, he leaned in to nibble the skin around her jaw and neck, knowing as he did so that there would be little reminders of this evening all along her skin the next morning. Elizabeth was aware of this fact as well, but the idea of Will marking her as his own was extremely arousing, and the possessiveness he was currently demonstrating made her ache for more.
Will abandoned his attention on her breast, and instead, worked his way down her stomach, leaving trails of fire along her abdomen. He ran his tongue along her collarbone as his fingers began to work her skirt down her hips. A low groan reverberated in his throat when he realized she was not wearing any knickers.
"Elizabeth, you're killing me," he murmured as he tossed her skirt to the side.
She was about to give him a snarky comment, but Will's fingers suddenly came to a rest between her thighs. He began to rub small circles around her most sensitive area, doing his best, in her opinion, to torture her and kill her slowly. Elizabeth tried to move against him, but his weight against her legs, as well as his firm grip against her wrists, prohibited any movement.
"Will…"
Upon hearing the pleading tone in her voice, he relented, releasing her arms and grabbing her hips as her hands flew to his head, wrapping themselves in the hair she enjoyed so much. While she busied herself with his hair, Will moved his body down hers, kissing the smooth skin of her stomach the entire time. Soon, his mouth replaced his fingers, and Elizabeth's grip flew from his scalp to her sheets.
"Oh!"
Will flicked his tongue and varied his technique by running his teeth and lips over the little nub. Elizabeth began to lift her hips instinctually, but he held her against the bed, rendering her immobile. She gave a frustrated sigh, and he decided to appease her and brought one hand down to assist his mouth by sliding his fingers into her. The sound of heavy breathing reached his ears, and he looked up to see her worrying her bottom lip between her teeth as she watched. The fact that she was observing him made Will's insides twist in tight knots. When their eyes met, she cried out, and he felt her tighten around his fingers. He could feel her body shake as she rode the waves of pleasure that washed over her. When she finally stilled, he moved to lie beside her, wrapping his arms around her body and assaulting her neck with kisses once again.
"Damn, Will! Give me some time to recover!"
He grinned. Waiting for her to come down from her high, Will hugged Elizabeth closer to him. His clothes brushed against her naked body, and for the first time since he had pinned her hands above her head, she realized that he was still fully dressed. When her mind finally became clear, Elizabeth turned and began to remove his shirt, belt, and jeans – continuously kissing his jawline and neck in order to mark him as her property, just as he had done to her. Will, unlike Elizabeth, was wearing underwear. She removed this last article of clothing lethargically, allowing her fingers to drift and linger around his groin. Impatience got the best of him, and he promptly finished removing them for her. While his boxers were still flying through the air, Will rolled Elizabeth on her back and hovered his body over hers.
Looking deep into her eyes, he looked for any sign of hesitation. He did not want to push her into something they weren't ready for, and he definitely did not want her to call tonight a mistake. Will stared at her longer than he intended and felt a little embarrassed when she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he replied. He could tell that she was worried that he was having second thoughts. "I just wanted to make sure that you're ready. Are you re– ?"
She didn't let him finish. "I'm ready."
To prove it, Elizabeth grabbed Will's face and brought it down to her own, giving him a long kiss. He gently lowered his body on top of hers while their tongues continued to wrestle. Her legs spread to accommodate him, and as tenderly as he could, he entered her.
Will moved at an agonizingly slow pace, allowing them both to enjoy the connection they had. Their kiss was still ongoing, and Elizabeth raised her knees to his sides before wrapping her legs around his waist, allowing him to penetrate deep inside her. Her hands moved to his lower back, and she squeezed him hard, urging him to move faster. Will denied her request, determined to take his time and prolong their experience. His hips gently rocked against hers, doing his best to force her to meet his rhythm. While they moved, one of Will's hands traveled the length of her body, carefully exploring every curve and dip it could find. He lingered over her breast for a while, before moving to her stomach and then to the area just above their intimate union.
Elizabeth could no longer concentrate on the kiss they shared when Will's fingers imitated the motion of his hips. Fascinated, he stared at her face. She looked so beautiful at that moment. Her eyes were closed, her brow was furrowed, and her mouth hung open slightly as her breathing came out in pants. How she was able to look so attractive doing anything is what amazed him, and it was one of the things he loved about her.
Loved?
The thought made something catch inside Will's throat. Loved. The shock of this word was enough to cause his entire body to stop moving. Loved. Did this mean he was in love? Had he ever been in love? He had told girls he loved them – he had even told a fifteen year old Elizabeth Swann he loved her, but was this the same thing? Friends and family and celebrities in the cinema described love as not being able to stop thinking about a girl. A man would rather be around her than his best mate. But what did that mean, really? Will searched his soul and compared this moment with every memory of every girlfriend he had ever had. That past love – he thought he knew what he was saying. It wasn't like he tossed the word around. Will had never told Dina he loved her. Elizabeth was his first love, or so he thought, and he thought he had had a second and third and fourth and…but had he ever had a true love? His stomach was flipping, and his head was spinning as these thoughts rushed over him. Love.
"What's wrong?" Elizabeth's eyes opened when Will had stopped. "Is everything okay?"
In that instant, as he looked into her dark eyes, Will Turner realized he had never understood – or even known – true romantic love. As Elizabeth searched his face for some indication of why he had stopped, he realized it was these little things that defined love. It was all these tiny snippets of life that couldn't be described in the words of musicians or poets. Love could only be described through what he felt when he looked at her.
"Will?"
The realization had fallen on him so fast and hard that he had trouble breathing. They had only been together for three weeks. He didn't know how it could even be possible to know that you're in love with a girl so soon. Will had always chastised and ridiculed other couples that were so quick to use those three words, and now he found himself completely and utterly head over heels for the woman underneath him. Logically (his mind was telling him), it was way too soon to be considering such nonsense. He had been with Dina for nine months, and the thought of saying "I love you" to her had never crossed his mind. But this…
"Will?"
He could feel his heart beating rapidly inside his chest as he struggled to speak. "Elizabeth…I know this sounds ludicrous, and you'll probably not believe me, but don't think I'm completely nutters. Please." He paused, closing his eyes while he drew a deep breath. When he exhaled, his eyes opened and stared straight into hers. "I love you."
Whatever she had been expecting him to say, this was clearly not it. Concern turned to confusion as she involuntarily quirked her eyebrows at him.
"Elizabeth, I'm not asking or expecting you to share the same feeling right now, but I just realized that I never knew…never really knew what love was supposed to be. You don't have to say it until you're ready, but…Elizabeth, I love you."
Her breath caught in her throat at his words, and he leaned down to kiss her once more. When their lips met, Will started moving again, this time with more energy. It wasn't long before both of them were holding onto each other tightly, desperately trying to catch their breath.
After a few minutes of silence, Will thought he heard Elizabeth sniffle, and he lifted his head to look into her face. He was horrified to find her in tears for the second time that evening and became terrified that he had somehow hurt her physically or emotionally.
"Did I hurt you? Elizabeth…"
She shook her head and wiped her tears away. "No one has ever treated me the way you have."
"They've never told you they loved you?"
"No. But it's not just that. You…I've never had anything like this before," she motioned around the bed.
Will's expression softened, and he kissed her forehead. "You can't have had very many decent boyfriends."
"You're right…I've never experienced…sex like this before. It was amazing."
He understood what she was trying to say, but Will gave her a big smirk and said in a pompous voice, "Will Turner never disappoints the ladies."
His effort to make her laugh succeeded, and he held her close to him, keeping her warm for the rest of the night as they slept peacefully.
A/N: I hope this was worth the wait. Sorry again!