Chapter 4

Time had flown by in the two and a half months that had passed since Will returned to Brighton, and in that time, Elizabeth was genuinely surprised at how quickly Emma gravitated towards him. She was almost as attached to him as she was to Andy, and Will loved to tease his friend about it. The connection was practically instantaneous as soon as he had handed her the stuffed lion the night they had been reintroduced. Of course, Emma didn't recognize him, but within a few minutes, she was listening to Will's stories about Africa in reverent awe that he had actually seen a live lion.

Elizabeth looked into the mirror in her bedroom as she put on her earrings. Andy and Will had invited her to their favorite club for the evening. She was reluctant to go when they first asked, but Emma had begged her to let her stay with her grandparents that weekend, and it was only after Elizabeth's mother said she'd be delighted to have her that Elizabeth finally agreed. Will had arrived thirty minutes ago, and Emma had dragged him to her room to play with Sir Humphries, the stuffed lion from Kenya. Andy had since shown up at her house and was busying himself in the kitchen, making himself a sandwich. Everyone was waiting for the Swanns to pick up their granddaughter.

Her family had always been encouraging Elizabeth to consider opening herself to find a new romantic relationship, but she always brushed it off, insisting she was in no rush to get married again. One afternoon when she and Andy visited with their parents, he picked up on her irritation, and he had been teasing her ever since. What annoyed her most was his recruitment of Will into the subject, and they had already suggested hooking her up with their friends three times since they had arrived that evening.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Emma shout from the doorway of the bedroom, "Mummy! Look what Will taught me!"

She turned towards her and saw Emma and Will standing at the entrance to her room. Her daughter was grinning, and Will remained characteristically quiet by the girl's side. When she caught his eye, he looked away nervously. Curious, Elizabeth said, "Let's see it then."

Emma looked at Will and tugged his shirt so that he would kneel beside her. Then he counted to three, and both of them started to whistle. The sound coming from her daughter was barely audible, but Elizabeth clapped anyway.

"How wonderful! When did you learn to whistle?"

"I practiced for a long time, huh Will?"

"That is correct. It's only been two weeks. That just might be a new world record," he said.

"It was brilliant, Emma."

The little girl grinned widely.

"You'll have to remember to show Grammy and Poppy when they get here. Have you got your things ready?"

"Yes."

"What about Sir Humphries' bag? Is it ready?"

Emma smacked her forehead comically. "I forgot!"

"Hurry and pack his things. They'll be here soon."

Will called after her as she ran back to her room to pack her lion's bag, "Don't forget to show your Uncle Andy you can whistle! And make sure you tell him I taught you how to do it!" Then he walked into Elizabeth's bedroom and looked at her. "It still takes you this long to get ready?"

"No longer than you, I'm sure."

He shrugged and wandered around the room as she finished applying her makeup. After a minute of silence Elizabeth looked at Will's reflection and to her horror saw him standing beside her bed holding up a slender purple object. He was examining it inquisitively, turning it slowly in his hands. All of the blood drained from her face before rushing back seconds later, and she knew there was nothing she could do to hide the enormous blush covering her face and creeping down her neck. She ran across the room, yanked it from his hand, and shoved it into the drawer of her bedside table, much to his surprise and silent amusement. Embarrassed, Elizabeth forced herself to meet his eye. Once she did, it was obvious that he had no idea why she was so flustered until a few seconds later, which allowed him to process what had just happened. She saw comprehension dawn on his face right before a coy laugh escaped him.

"Oh, shut it Will."

"Did you have to release a little tension before everyone came over?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Piss off."

"Who would have thought innocent Miss Elizabeth owned one of those? What else have you got in there?"

His hand started to open the drawer, but she slammed it closed before he could peek inside. "It's no one's business what I purchase for my own private use."

He grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. "You're the one leaving it out for the world to see. What if Emma had come in here earlier and grabbed it?"

Elizabeth covered her face with her hands and said, "She wouldn't have known what it was."

"But Andy would have. And so would your parents." He paused and then whispered, "And so do I."

When he started to laugh again, she gave him a hard shove away from her. "You're such a prat," she said as she walked away from him.

Before she could get far, he grabbed her and pulled her back to him. "No hard feelings Liz. You know I'm only taking the piss. What you do with your sex life makes no difference to me. You don't have to talk about your exploits."

She mumbled into his shoulder, and he leaned his head towards her. "I'm sorry? You'll have to speak up. I can't hear you."

Her head lifted, and she sighed as she looked away. "There isn't anything to say."

He looked at her incredulously. "What?"

"Why do you think I need a vibrator?"

"What are you on about?"

"Honestly Will. This is humiliating enough."

He pulled away to look at her and smirked. "You're telling me that you haven't bonked anyone since Paul?"

Elizabeth glared at him. "That's really mature, Will."

His hands lifted in defense. "I just find it surprising is all. I mean, you've never...restrained yourself before. At least, not while we were in university."

There was a twinkle in his eye when he spoke. Her mouth dropped in indignation, and she could feel a bubble of anger rise within her. "You're such a bastard."

The twinkle immediately disappeared. He tried to maintain his playful exterior, but it faltered, and she continued to glare at him. "Elizabeth–"

"Your mouth is going to get you into trouble one day, Will Turner. You need to process what you say through that thick brain of yours before you speak."

The harshness in her tone made him wince, and his voice softened. "I didn't realize this was a sore subject for you. I'm sorry."

Elizabeth remained silent as she walked back to her mirror and started slamming things around as she tidied up the area. "It's fine. I'm fine," she said.

"Elizabeth, I–"

She interrupted him. "Just drop it."

"I shouldn't have…I'm sorry."

She turned to look at him and saw that he was genuinely repentant. Her voice softened slightly as she explained. "These past couple of months I've just been so lonely, and I don't know why. I thought everything was fine, and everything was stable. But now…" A heavy sigh escaped her. "Maybe it's because Emma's finally in school, and I'm…alone."

He remained silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. "Have you been seeing any blokes?"

"I've gone out with a few since Paul…," she said quietly, looking into the mirror to finish getting ready, "but it never progressed further than a few dates."

Will stood behind her and offered, "We'll find someone for you tonight."

She scoffed. "I'm not going out to find another mate. I just want to spend some time with you and Andy."

"Liz, Liz, Liz. You don't go out to clubs to spend quality time with friends and family. You go to clubs to get laid," he said, offering a small smile.

"This isn't university, Will. I'm not interested."

"There's a purple vibrator in your drawer that begs to differ."

Elizabeth spun to face him. "What the hell did I just say?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist."

"You'd damn well better. I am not bailing you out when someone attacks you for your stupidity."

"Well noted. Look, if we can't find you a decent shag tonight, I suppose I'll have to volunteer my services if you're that wound up."

As soon as he'd said it, he looked away and laughed nervously, and Elizabeth wasn't sure whether it wasn't actually a joke. There was an awkward silence as she searched for a response, but a knock from the front door downstairs alerted them to the Swanns' arrival. They could hear Andy greet them and Emma's exuberant cheers. Pleased with the distraction, Elizabeth turned to check her reflection one last time, but before she could leave the room, Will once again wrapped his arms around her and met her eyes in the mirror as he spoke into her ear, "You'll find someone when you're ready. It will be obvious, and you'll live happily ever after."

A small wave of irritation washed over her. "That's what I've been trying to tell Mum and Dad…and you and Andy."

"I know, and I'm sorry. Look, I'll leave you alone about it. I, uh…I don't like upsetting you. I shouldn't have said the things I did. Please forgive me."

The wave of annoyance dissolved, and a slight shiver slid from her ear down into her spine. There was an intense sincerity in his eyes, and Elizabeth had to look away. "Thank you."

Will squeezed her shoulders, and then led the way for the two of them to say hello to Elizabeth's parents.

The Swanns didn't stay long, and soon the three young adults were on their way to the boys' favorite nightspot. After Andy parked his car, the trio worked their way through a large crowd outside and squeezed through the main entrance of the club, which was already bursting with life from the people inside. They walked towards the bar to order their first of the evening and surveyed the gyrating dancers. Andy quickly downed his lager and announced he was going to attempt to chat up a tall brunette standing near a group of what they assumed were her friends.

As they watched him try to woo the girl, Elizabeth leaned next to Will and said, "Andy told me that Bill is working with him."

"Yeah, Dad's on the same boat. He's excited about it."

"What made him decided to come back to Brighton?"

"Me. I mean, he told me he would move when I came back from Africa. Fortunately for him, he was never able to sell our old home, so he was able to move right back into it."

"Mum and Dad told me he'd left right after you moved to London, but I never knew why."

"He was never really clear about it either, but I think it was because he didn't want to be alone in Brighton," he explained. "I was all he had after my mother died, and being alone in that house was probably very lonely. He said he was offered a better job opportunity in Portsmouth, but I'm not entirely sure that's the real reason."

"Is he alright?"

"Oh, yeah. We've had a good time since we've both been back. He's having fun on Andy's boat, and I can tell he's glad to be back in Brighton."

"I should stop and see him soon."

"You should. I know he'd love to see you again." He took a sip of his drink. "Do you ever see much of Paul's family anymore?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "After both of his parents were gone, we never really saw his cousins anymore. They just lived too far away. Actually, Paul's funeral was the last time I saw any of them. He was just never that close with much of his family apart from his own mum and dad."

"I figured that was why Emma is so close with your side of the family. You could definitely see it tonight when she saw Weatherby and Suzanna. And then there's Andy…" he trailed off as he looked away and saw something that made him laugh. "Look at that barmy brother of yours," Will said, pointing at Andy who was dancing very closely with the young girl he spotted earlier amongst the throng of people. "and the lot of them. It's like watching soft porn. Not that I watch that sort of rubbish," he added quickly.

Elizabeth smirked. "Is that so?"

He smiled. "Only the hard stuff for me, thanks. Seriously though, do you want to wind him up a bit?"

"What are you proposing?"

He grinned, grabbed her hand, and started tugging her away from the bar. She noticed that it was warm and slightly sweaty, but not in an unpleasant way. "Just follow my lead, Liz."

"Will, wait–" she said, unable to finish her sentence because they had just entered the mass of gyrating bodies.

She had no desire to get involved in any sort of dancing that evening, but her protest was drowned by the music. Will began weaving through the crowd until he found a strategic spot near Andy. His hands clutched her elbows and pulled her close to him.

"What–"

"Dance with me. We still have to get a bit closer," he said.

Brief shock swept over her. Her good friend was being uncharacteristically flirty – rubbing against her in mock imitation of those around them as he crept closer to Andy and the girl he was with. When he said her name, she realized she was still standing there. Awkwardly, she danced with him, unsure of what to do or what had come over him. It felt strange, but when Will pushed one of his legs between hers, Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up, and he laughed easily, which, in turn, helped dissipate some of the unease her graceless movements gave her. Deciding to forget about the reasons why she was dancing with Will, Elizabeth decided to let go and see where it would take her.

It wasn't long after they started before they caught her brother's attention, and he stared at them curiously. Will had his hands above his head while he watched Elizabeth grind against his thigh. He met Andy's eyes and in feigned surprise commented, "Well, hello there! Fancy seeing you here."

"What are you two doing?"

Still unsure as to what Will was attempting to do to her brother, Elizabeth continued to play along and said, "Dancing."

Will nodded his agreement. "Dancing, old chap."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Bugger off."

"No, we can't, you see," Will said. "We're having too much fun. We just thought we'd join you and…" he trailed off, hoping Andy's partner would offer her name.

The brunette eyed him warily. "Alice."

"Hello, Alice!"

Suddenly, Will grabbed Elizabeth's shoulders and spun her so that she was facing away from him. His hands grasped her hips, and an intense tingle flowed through her body. It was a sensation she hadn't felt in years. She could feel her eyes roll towards the back of her head as his fingers roamed over her stomach. Instinctively, and before she could stop them, her hands grabbed the back of his neck. His breath felt warm against her neck, and eventually his hands returned to her waist, and she felt oddly disappointed, though she was pleased that his face remained close to hers. A strange fluttering started in her stomach when she realized exactly what she was doing, but her body refused to cooperate with her attempts to stop. She felt her mouth fall open to compensate for her increased breathing, and she knew she looked ridiculous, but there wasn't much time for her to dwell on it because the music started fading as the song ended.

She opened her eyes and flushed when she saw Andy staring at her with a look of combined amusement and disbelief. She could tell he was about to make a snide comment, but before he could do so, she heard Will suggest they order a round. Andy was still grinning stupidly at her, and Alice continued to look confused. Everyone followed him, and soon, they were all drinking their lagers at a nearby table.

"I don't know if Andy's mentioned us or not, but I'm his brother Will, and this is our sister, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth choked on her drink. Will patted her on the back and asked, "Are you okay?"

She looked at Andy, who was completely speechless, and then at Will. He looked concerned, but she could see the smile in his eyes. Instantly, she knew that this was his plan to bother her brother. "I…I'm fine."

Clearly embarrassed, Andy interrupted. "What are you playing at, Will?"

"What?" he asked, bluffing innocence.

Elizabeth struggled to hold in the giggle that was threatening to erupt. Alice looked thoroughly disgusted and walked away.

"Alice! They're not my brother and sister," Andy called after her. "Well, Elizabeth is, but Will's just a mate. Honestly!"

He made to chase after her but decided against it. He spun towards Will, looking very irate.

"You're such a toss-pot, Will!"

"It was all in fun. No harm done, mate."

"I was going to bang her tonight, man!"

"Oh, that's really classy, Andy. You're such a gentleman," Elizabeth said.

"Piss off, Liz."

"That's no way to talk to a lady," Will chastised. "How about I buy you a pint? How does that sound?"

Andy studied Will's face as he considered the offer. After a few seconds he agreed. "You'll be buying all of them tonight."

"Fair enough."

When they finished their drinks, Will ordered more. They stayed near the bar to allow Andy the chance to look for another girl. When he spotted someone and leaned over to ask for Will's opinion, Elizabeth tuned out of the conversation. Her eyes wandered round the club, though she wasn't focused on anything in particular. She finally mollified herself by watching the other party goers dance their cares away.

Despite maintaining a quiescent visage, her mind was whirling, dragging her deep into her own thoughts of what had just happened. She could scarcely remember the last time she had danced…provocatively…while in university, much less could she ever recall a time she'd seen Will so secure and carefree with himself. Sure, she'd seen him dance with girlfriends before, and she had danced with him countless times, but he'd always been carefully reserved. To say that she'd been surprised when he thrust his leg between hers would be a tremendous understatement. The moment the intimate contact was made, an overpowering wave of heat shot through her body. His hands left tingling trails in their wake when they roamed her stomach, and for an instant, whether intentional or accidental she wasn't quite sure, his fingertips slid underneath her shirt, creating a skin-to-skin connection just below her navel for the briefest of seconds. That had spurred her own fingers to find his neck and wind their way into his hair. It disconcerted her to recognize the desire she'd had to fight within herself because she desperately wanted to pull him closer to her. Buried deep within was the longing for his lips against her neck, something she'd not experienced since her time in university. But that had been a long time ago. Her fingers lightly stroked the spot beside her pulse point where his mouth had been centimeters away, breathing hot against her skin. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth as she struggled to sort the collision of confusing emotion wrecking havoc inside of her body.

Andy startled her when he interrupted her thoughts. "So…Lizzie. You found a bloke yet?"

Elizabeth jumped, momentarily forgetting that he could not read her thoughts. "I didn't come here to meet a bloke, Andy."

He grinned. "Then why are you chewing so hard on your lip while eyeing that fellow on the other side of the room?"

Elizabeth followed his gaze and realized she must have been staring at the man while lost in her memories. The man in question met her eye and blew her what she assumed he thought was a seductive kiss. She wrinkled her nose in disgust and turned away. "That is not what I was doing."

"Well, you need to find one soon. All that sexual tension you've got stored inside is going to explode if you don't release it, sis."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Andy laughed. "Oh, come on, Liz. Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. You were thoroughly enjoying yourself out there, even if it was with Will. I wish you could have seen your face! Your mouth was wide open!"

Elizabeth scowled, doing her best to hide her embarrassment. She had hoped her momentary loss of control hadn't been obvious, and she tried keeping her nonchalant demeanor strong. "Sod off! You know, you and Will should have been brothers. Neither one of you know when to keep your bloody mouth shut."

"Don't bring me into this," Will said.

"Tell her I'm right, Will. Tell her she needs to find someone tonight."

Elizabeth knew Andy was only teasing, but she silently pleaded with Will as she looked into his eyes not to push the issue. To her relief, he didn't.

"She is more than capable of making her own decisions. She's out to spend time with her two favorite boys. Right, Elizabeth?"

"Yes." Before she realized what she was doing, his hand was in hers as she squeezed it in appreciation underneath the table. She noticed that it was considerably damper than before.

Andy smiled and looked between the two of them. "So she's brainwashed you into taking her side, then? I see how it is."

Will yanked his hand from Elizabeth's, no doubt afraid that Andy had seen the display of affection. "No," he said, "I just think it's time to lay off is all."

Andy laughed. "Both of you have got something up your arses tonight. Maybe you two should shag and see if it'll help you relax a bit."

Elizabeth's eyes snapped to Will's, but he turned away just as quickly. She wondered whether he was feeling the same as she was. Neither said anything, but before the silence became too awkward Will said, "Whatever's in our arses isn't nearly as big as what's in yours. You're the only one who's been in a strop."

"Bollocks."

"It's true though. You were pouting like a little girl."

Andy gave him a rude hand gesture.

"I don't suppose you're to blame," Will said, and then paused for dramatic effect. "It's sort of something that runs in the family, innit?"

Andy laughed as his sister pummeled Will with her fists.

A/N: Life is busy, but I'm trying. I hope you enjoyed the update.