[A/N: This story is verrryyyyy sappy. But I'm posting it anyway 'cause I wrote it, haha. I think it'll help transition from the past timelines to a new one. Not that I'm going to stop jumping all over the place with my stories, it's way too much fun.

This story takes place with them as adults, and engaged, in what I call the "main" timeline.

And thanks again for the reviews, and to the Guest who commented on the nicknames, I agree! It also annoys me when people give someone, i.e. me, a nickname just because they can't be bothered to learn the correct pronunciation of a name.]

A Pullover, a Box, and an Old Financial Register

William was rapidly loosing his patience. His temper was starting to flare up, and he was taking deep breaths to try to control himself from yelling. It was only causing more of the ticklish yarn fibers to enter his nostrils.

Eliza was panicking, she knew William was getting angry, she could see the rise and fall of his chest, and she could hear his breathing. And we had been getting along so well…

"Eliza..." he said in a low rumble, dragging out her name the way he did when he was angry with her, "How much longer till you get me out of this? Or will I have to dislocate my shoulder first?" "Will, calm down, you are taking this way too seriously." She said. "I AM TRAPPED IN A PULLOVER!" He finally shouted, or at least tried to, it came out more like, "imtrdinplvrrr" and she couldn't help but laugh. "ELIZA!" "Sorry, sorry, I'm trying, but you're too tall. Sit down." She said. "I would, IF I COULD SEE!" He bellowed as best as he could.

Instead of having the intended effect, of getting Eliza to hurry it up, it had the complete opposite. He heard Eliza trying to stifle her giggles, and that just set him off more. He had called on her earlier that evening, expecting a nice meal, prepared by Ivy of course, and in exchange she had asked him to try on a pullover she had knitted. Getting it on was no problem. Getting it off on the other hand...

He froze when he felt her hands on his waist. "Do stop shouting William. I'll guide you over to the settee. Take two steps back." Her touch was gentle on his body, he felt himself calm down almost immediately.

Eliza was enjoying herself more that she should have. She was smart though, and didn't want to press her luck, she lightly placed her hands on his hips. He feels so good, she thought absently, as she guided him backwards. She was so distracted, that she had forgotten to tell him that the settee was right behind him. It hit William in the back of the knees and he sat down hard, the wind knocked out of him. "Ooof!" He said in surprise, Eliza, shocked, tumbled awkwardly on top of him.

Feeling her body against his, William smiled, not that she could see it with the wool covering his face. He still couldn't see, but he could feel her, she was trying to set herself upright. She had finally stopped moving, and he realized, with not a small amount of surprise, that she hadn't gotten up, but instead was straddling his lap.

"Lizzie? Are you alright?" He asked, wondering if he should be concerned. "Yes, of course, just trying to think of the best way to release you." She said. He felt her hands go back to rest on either side of his waist again. Then tantalizingly, she ran her palms up and over his abdomen and then his chest. She paused for a moment, keeping one hand by his heart, it was beating faster and faster by the moment.

He shifted awkwardly, William desperately wanted to wrap his arms around her, but the pullover had his arms trapped at an odd angle, partially over his head. She carried on, hands at his neck, trying to push her fingers between his skin and the pullover's neckline.

"Will?" She said.

"Yes?" He replied.

"I think I may have to cut a bit of your beard off."

"Lizzie, my love."

"Yes?"

"I hope you are joking."

"I am, I am."

"Good." He paused, "Do you really dislike my beard?" He asked curious.

"No, I'm teasing you, I promise."

She managed to pull the pullover up, just enough to uncover his mouth, it was now stuck just beneath his nose. She studied his face. Gently, she stroked his beard and ran her fingers over his lips. He gasped slightly. Ever so softly, she pressed her lips to his and pulled back quickly.

"Oh, Lizzie, how you tease me." He murmured, trying to lean forward to kiss her more.

"Will?" She said.

"Yes?"

"If I offer to give you a… well let's call it a present of sorts, do you promise not to shout once I get you out of the pullover?"

"Mmm… depends on the present. Will I like it?" He asked, wondering what she was going to give him.

"Yes, I think so."

"Okay, no shouting."

"Good. Your nose is in the way."

He sighed, "I'm going to be stuck here for a while, aren't I?"

She kissed him again, "Do you truly mind?"

"No."

Taking her time, she carefully managed to yank the pullover off of his head. "My arms are still trapped." He said.

Balancing on her knees, she rose up slightly, and pulled the pullover higher and he finally managed to get his arms free.

She took a good look at him, his face was red, there were fibers stuck to his beard and hair, and he kept wrinkling his nose, trying not to sneeze.

She smiled at him, and reached out to stroke his cheek. "Lizzie, I want to change our conditions of the deal." He said in all seriousness. "Oh?" She asked. "Throw in a kiss too." He said. "Of course William, but I want to give you your present first." She said with a smile.

He couldn't even imagine what she was planning. She hadn't moved off of him, and there were no boxes, or anything resembling a present, laying around. "Lizzie?" "Shhh…" She placed her fingertips over his lips. Then she took her hand away and reached up, removing a pin from her hair. She let it fall from her fingertips to the ground.

William was still confused. Does she have a headache? He wondered. But then she deliberately reached up again to remove another hairpin. Her bun came undone and her long thick plait came tumbling down.

William gasped, "Lizzie, what? What are you doing? We're not married yet… I don't understand." "Hush, Will, we're almost married anyway." She said softly. "But… but… it's not proper for a man to see your hair down!" He protested. "But it's proper to kiss the way we do?" She asked wryly. He couldn't help but chuckle, "You have a point." She pulled the ribbon from the bottom of the plait and was about to undo it when William whispered, "Wait, may I? Please?"

Eliza nodded, she took his hand and guided it to her hair. He picked up the braid and ran his fingers through it, loosening the strands until they cascaded over her shoulders. William was still shocked, he thought he might be dreaming, running his fingers through her hair again had been a long time coming.

Shifting himself so they were sitting straighter, he used both of his hands, and starting at the top of her head, he ran his fingers through her long golden hair, all the way to the ends. "Like golden silk." He whispered. She smiled, and stroked his beard, "Wooly mammoth." She replied. "Ach, Eliza, I am never going to live that down, am I?" He asked. She shook her head, grinning, "It's still better than scruffy bear, isn't it?" He gave her a look as if to say it was debatable.

"Will?" Eliza said.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Would you like your kiss now?" She inquired.

"Yes. Please." He replied.

She leaned forward and their lips met. This time, instead of having his hands around her waist, or cupping her face, he ran his fingers though her hair and stopped right before reaching the ends. Grasping it, but not too tightly, he kissed her till he thought a fire would spark between them.

She pulled back, just enough to rest her forehead against his. His eyes were still closed, and they were both breathing deeply. "You sure you haven't started reading any of Petunia's novels?" He asked. She smiled, "No. I haven't "

He didn't know when she had become this confident, she wasn't at all nervous about touching him, or kissing him anymore.

"You're very good at this." He said.

"Thank you, it's because of you."

"Oh?"

"I trust you." She whispered into his ear. He moved his hands from her hair and wrapped his arms around her to embrace her tightly. She turned her head to the side and rested it on his shoulder. He was gently stroking her hair from the top of he head, down to her back. She sighed in contentment.

"I have a present for you too." He said.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yes. Well, a present of sorts." He clarified.

"Okay…" she responded, confused, but curious.

"I slid it under the settee when I let myself in. Hold on." He said.

She wasn't quite sure how, but in one fell swoop, William had scooped her up and had her sitting next to him. He leaned over and felt around under the settee. "Aha, here it is!" He said as his fingers closed around the lid of a box. He pulled it out and put it on his lap. Eliza leaned over to see better.

"William! That's your box! The one from your childhood. You kept it all these years?" She asked surprised. He nodded smiling, "It still has my most precious treasures. Although, I think it's time for a new box, maybe a wooden one. This one has seen better days." He said patting the lid fondly. It was a cardboard shoebox, any markings that had once been on it, had faded away over time.

"I want to show you what I have in here." He said, "I had promised to when I was ready, remember? To be honest, I would have sooner, but it had slipped my mind. It was only when I pulled it out more recently, to add to it, that I remembered."

Eliza laughed, "Better late than never!" He grinned and pulled the lid off. The box was stuffed to the brim, a few of the pages on top almost fell out. Eliza caught one and smiled when she saw what it was. "You kept these?" She asked. He nodded, "Yes, our IOUs." He said looking at them fondly.

She picked them up and read them aloud,

For William,

I owe you one kiss. Not on the cheek.

To be redeemed at your discretion.

-Lizzie

Dearest William,

I am amending the original IOU. I think it will serve us both for the best if, instead of one kiss, it becomes unlimited kisses, whenever either person desires.

Lizzie

She grinned at him, she was incredibly flattered that they were that important to him. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. He turned to smile at her, "I love you." He said softly. "Even though you just inhaled a sheep's worth of fiber?" She asked, plucking some fluff from his hair. "Even then." He said.

Eliza reached into the box and pulled out a small black box. "It's your engagement ring box." He said, "Do you want it?" She shook her head, "No, I haven't taken it off since you put it back on my hand, and I don't plan on removing it." "Okay." He put it to the side with the IOUs they had already removed.

William continued pulling some items out, a small vial, an envelope, ticket stubs, even some candy wrappers.

"What's in here?" Eliza asked curiously, as she picked up a small leather pouch. William's smile faltered slightly. She had noticed, and stopped opening it. "Will, I don't have to open it if you don't want me to." He shook his head, "It's okay." He took it from her, pulled the cord open that had been keeping it closed, and emptied it out into Eliza's hand.

A small round pendant on a thin chain fell into her palm. It was gold, and looked as though it had been worn extensively. She turned it over. The letter M was engraved in script on the front of the pendant. "M, for Mary?" She asked, looking over at him. William nodded, "They said my mother never took it off. Apparently my father had given it to her."

Eliza reached out and placed her hand on the nape of his neck and gently stroked his hair. "I'm alright, Lizzie. I… I just try not think of my past too often." He said shakily. She nodded, and leaned forward to kiss his cheek. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Most of what I know of my parents is second-hand, from what I could glean from my older cousin. I was only 5 when they were killed. It was a carriage accident, they… they were hurrying home to me. My father was a shipwright, he was an incredibly skilled woodworker, but oft times he was away, he only had work when there was a contract secured for a particular ship. He had been gone for a while, but then his contract had ended. My mother had gone to visit him and to bring him home. From what I know, they loved each other deeply, and she missed him terribly when he was away."

William paused to rummage through the box. He removed the photograph that he had usually kept in his wallet. "I had shown this to you, it was getting worn, I decided to put it in my box to keep it safe." It was the photo of his parents, holding him as a baby. She smiled, wishing she could have met them. Wishing William could have known them.

"While they were on their way back, I had fallen ill, they had left me with my Uncle, my mother's brother, and he had sent word to them. They were already so close, only one day's ride away from home. Instead of staying at an inn and returning the next morning, they rushed back, it was dark, and another carriage was coming from the opposite direction and…" WillIan's voice broke off. Eliza took his hand and squeezed it.

"My father, he had a deep rumbling laugh, I… I remember that. And my mother, she would sing…" William hummed softly, the words coming back to him, "Bà bà mo leanabh beag, Bidh thu mòr, ged tha thu beag, Bà bà mo leanabh beag, Chan urrainn mi gad thàladh… she had a beautiful voice, Cat, Catriona, my cousin, she said that my father fell in love with my mother when he had heard her singing."

Eliza's head was spinning, she had known William for twelve years, yet she felt like she hardly knew him at all. "Were you and your cousin close?" Eliza asked. William shook his head, "Nay, she was six years older than me and terrified of her father, she wouldn't befriend me. My uncle hated my father, he thought Mary had married beneath her station, he blamed me for her death, he had loved Mary, and he took his anger out on me. He only took me in out of familial duty, something he never failed to constantly remind me of." William leaned his elbows on his thighs and hunched over. "I loathed the man, Eliza." William said with so much vehemence, it startled her, "He terrified me."

It was so hard for her to imagine William, now this man, who was so big, and strong, and loud, as a small and lonely child, afraid, and with no affection in his life. He turned to look at her, a sheepish grin on his face, "Crazy eh? Even now when I think of him, it unsettles me, I feel like a mere babe again."

"Did you have no one on your side?" She asked. She had so many questions, but didn't even know where to start. "Later on, I became friends with the neighbor's daughter, Seasaidh, we'd hide in her barn, far from my uncle and pretend it was a different world." He chuckled, "I haven't thought of her in the longest time either." A fond expression crossed his face, and Eliza realized she felt slightly jealous. Eliza! She was a friend who helped him through a difficult time when he was a child! She scolded herself, and shook her head to clear her thoughts.

William leaned back and took a deep breath. "Lizzie, do you mind if we leave it at that for now? I'd almost rather get stuck in that pullover again than have too many memories come back at once." She nodded, "Of course. Let's see what is next in here." She said, spotting something that would probably make him laugh.

She pulled out a flyer and smiled, he took it from her and as he read it his face turned green and then he burst out laughing, "Ach, Lizzie, of all the things, you had to pick this! I had nightmares for a week after this!" She burst out giggling, it was the flyer from the Anthropomorphic Taxidermy Exhibit. He shuddered, "I've seen many things in my line of work, but nothing that even came close to that accursed kitten bride!"

William turned to look at her and did a double take, with her hair tumbling over her shoulders, and laughter upon her face, she looked like the girl of 14 that used to drag him all around, to strange exhibits, on crazy investigations, to every new pastry shop or bakery that would open in town.

"Will?" She asked, noticing that he was staring at her. He smiled, "Eh, nothing Lizzie. I was just thinking that you're incredibly beautiful." She flushed, remembering when he had said that to her in their youth.

"William, what's this crumbled up paper?" She asked, pulling it out and smoothing it over her lap. As she read it, her face paled.

My Dearest Lizzie,

I want to apologize with all my heart for kissing you. I truly did not intend to take advantage of you in your time of grief. I was relieved you were not hurt by the carriage, and you felt so nice in my arms. I enjoyed our kiss and I thought you had too, after all, you did kiss me back.

I hope you can accept my most heartfelt apologies. You are very precious to me, my only friend, my only family, and I don't want to lose you.

Yours truly,

Will

P.S. I promise our next kiss will be better.

The paper was covered in runny ink, as though droplets had fallen on it after written. She looked up at Will, slightly aghast, "William, you never gave this to me… How come?" He shook his head, "It's one of biggest regrets, I was going to, and then we had another fight, about something irrelevant, and I was angry, and I threw it out. And then I took it out of the trash, and I still didn't give it to you… and the next day Henry got me the position at Scotland Yard and I was so excited… I had forgotten…"

Eliza was stunned, they had drifted apart for almost ten years, it had been more than just the kiss that had caused it, but in her mind, the kiss had been a tipping point, the moment they realized they were no longer children, and their friendship was changing. For William, it had changed to love, for Eliza, it had been the fear of losing her independence to William.

She felt tears running down her cheeks, she realized the runny ink must have been caused from William's tears. She touched the page gently. "Lizzie, please, don't think on this much." William said, gently trying to take the note away from her. She pulled it closer to herself, "William, may I keep this? Please?" He looked surprised, "Of course, it is after all technically yours." "Thank you." She whispered. She carefully folded it and put it in her dress pocket.

They were both silent for a while, the air felt heavy around them. William finally cleared his throat and took out the last item at the very bottom of the box. It was his old financial register. Eliza wiped her eyes, and took it from him.

She smiled, flipping through the register's pages. William had always been meticulous about his spending. The dates began the day he had moved in with them. There were two columns of numbers.

"What are the columns for? The first one looks like money you had made running messages, and money you had spent. What is the second column, IOH? What does that stand for?" She asked, unable to figure it out. William smiled, "I Owe Henry." Eliza was surprised, "For what? Gambling?" She asked completely confused.

He chuckled, "No, no. I had wanted to pay him back, for everything he had provided me with." "Really? I can't imagine Father ever taking money from you." She said, concerned. William shook his head, "He wouldn't and didn't." Eliza smiled and went a few pages ahead. The words IOH and been crossed out and the column name had been renamed to For My Life with Lizzie. Eliza gasped and quickly scanned the page for the first date that money had been added to it. It was a month after William had started working at Scotland Yard. A decade ago.

She looked over at William, he was looking back at her, nervously. He knew, that she knew, that he had loved her before she had fallen in love with him. He was pretty sure that she hadn't known exactly how long that had been. "William…" She whispered breathlessly.

"I've loved you from the first moment I had ever laid eyes on you. Even soaked from the rain, and delirious with a fever, I knew it from that first glance. I thought you were an angel." He said so softly she could barely hear him.

She turned each page, every pay check, he had added money to that column. Different amounts each time, but no matter what, there was always an addition, even if it was small. She was looking for a specific year and when she found it, she realized tears had started to run down her cheeks.

"Even then, Will?" She asked amazed. He nodded, "Even then. I never stopped loving you." He had kept adding funds, even during the years they had been at odds with each other, and hadn't spent much time together. She turned to the last page. There was a tidy sum at the end of the register, but the date had ended a few years back.

"I have a bank account now, I still add to it from my wages, every single time." He said. Eliza was at a loss for words, her mind caught up in the past, thinking of all the little things he would do for her, knowing he didn't have much money, but always trying to keep her happy.

"You… you bought me chocolates and cakes, you let me drag you around to follow through with my 'investigations'. You were, are, always there for me, and I didn't see it. When… when we had that fight, about marriage, and I had kept going on about wanting to work with Father… you had wanted to marry me and I, I thought… I didn't know… I was afraid." a sob escaped her, "I must have hurt you so badly, with what I had said."

"Lizzie, no, you were right. I did want to marry you, but I thought I had wanted you as a wife at home to take care of me, cook, clean, have our children. That's not you. We would've been so unhappy together. You were right when you had said we weren't ready for each other then. I think, no I know, that now, we are. Please don't cry." He said, tilting her face up. She was sniffling.

"Your face is red."He said, knowing it would make her laugh. She smiled and he leaned forward and kissed her cheeks, tasting her salty tears on his lips. "We have to move forward, we have our whole future ahead of us, we're not children anymore, we're both adults, and we both know what we want now. I love you." He said.

"I love you too." She whispered back. "William?"

"Yes?"

"Let's get married."

"That's the plan." He laughed softly.

"No, I mean, let's pick a date, lets get married, soon."

He pulled back to look at her, "I thought you had wanted a long engagement. I'm okay with waiting."

"I thought I did too, but I think it's time we start our life together. I don't want to wait a moment longer."

"Truly?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He said, his heart pounding. It was all he had wanted, to call her his. And for him to be hers. He kissed her hand and placed it over his heart. It belonged to her, it always had and always would.