Chapter 8

~Two Years Later~

When Elizabeth walked into Will's shop at five-thirty in the evening, her first impression was a strong sense of déjà vu. The front room looked much the same as it had the first time she'd seen it two years earlier. The walls were still the same shade of dark blue, at the moment stained purple by the ruddy light of the setting sun that shone through the front windows. Soft overhead lights gave the room a warm glow, casting a yellowish reflection on the three long, glass display cases. Most of the swords on the walls were different, the originals having been long since sold and replaced by the ones she saw now. Will's favorite sword was still there, though, its gold inlay shining as brightly as it always had.

But the thing that made the scene most familiar to Elizabeth was William Turner himself, fast asleep, his head resting on his arms on top of one of the display cases.

Elizabeth walked over to him, leaned against the other side of the case, looking down at him. He was so cute when he was asleep. He always looked so young and peaceful. Reaching down, she gently brushed his dark curls back off of his face, smiling as she leaned over and kissed him lightly.

He shifted slightly in his sleep, slowly opened his eyes, blinking up at Elizabeth.

"Hey, you," she whispered, kissing him again. "Long day?"

He sat up, rolling his head from side to side until his neck cracked. "Longest day ever. I don't think I've ever done so much in eleven hours."

"Eleven?" Elizabeth exclaimed. "You told me you were coming in at eight!"

"Oh, er… I changed my mind, I guess."

"Are you saying you've been here since six o'clock this morning?"

Will nodded exhaustedly. "I had to finish all of those orders. I just finished…" He glanced at his watch. "…half an hour ago."

"Poor thing. No wonder you're so tired," Elizabeth said sympathetically.

Will nodded again, ran his fingers through his hair. "So how'd everything go?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Great. Jack and Ana were a huge help." She pulled a key out of her pocket. "I am now officially moved into my second apartment." She grinned. "Three whole rooms this time. It's great."

Will mock-groaned. "I'm jealous. That means you live in a bigger place than I do now."

Elizabeth laughed. "Sorry. Do you want to see it?"

"Absolutely. But I hope you brought your car, because I'm certainly not driving right now."

"It's right outside."

They stepped out of the door, and immediately a blast of freezing air assailed them. Shivering, Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Will and stuck her hands in his jacket pockets as he fumbled with his keys, trying to lock the door in the cold. He looked back at her over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised.

"A little cold, are we?"

"I forgot my gloves," Elizabeth grinned, pressing closer against him.

"Ah." Finally managing to lock the door, Will slipped an arm around Elizabeth, holding her against his side until they made it into her car, turning the heat as far up as it could go.

"I can't believe how cold it is!" Elizabeth exclaimed, rubbing her hands together.

"They said on the news this morning that this is the coldest winter Britain's had in fifteen years."

"Ugh." Elizabeth cupped her hands over her nose, trying to warm her face. "At least it's snowing yet."

"It looks like it's going to, though," Will said, glancing up at a heavily overcast sky. "We'd better get going before it does."

Elizabeth nodded, pulling away from the curb. A little ways down the road, she turned to Will to say something, and saw that he was leaning against the window, already nodding off. "Hey, Will," she said quietly, shaking his arm.

He opened his eyes. "Huh?"

"Are you sure you want to do this now? I can take you home, and you can come see the apartment tomorrow."

Will shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "No, I'm okay. I want to see it now." He stifled a yawn. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you move."

"You've said that about ten times," Elizabeth laughed. "It's okay, really. I know you had to work." A few snowflakes drifted down and melted on the windshield. "Uh-oh. Aren't we supposed to get a huge snowstorm tonight?"

"Mm-hm." Will grinned at her. "Looks like I might be sleeping on your brand-new couch tonight."

It was just beginning to snow in earnest as they reached Elizabeth's new apartment building and ducked inside the lobby.

"Nice timing," Will remarked as they watched the thick, white flakes swirl against the glass.

"Looks like you're definitely staying here tonight," Elizabeth the flurries quickly escalated toward a full whiteout. She squeezed Will's hand. "Come on. Let's go upstairs."

They walked up two flights of stairs together, hand in hand, Elizabeth's small fingers intertwined with Will's rough, calloused ones. When they arrived at her door, she unlocked it with her left so she wouldn't have to let go.

"Well… what do you think?"

Will looked around, grinning. "I think this is pretty nice." He pulled Elizabeth against his chest his chest, hugging her tightly. "So are you glad you listened to me two years ago when I said you should get your own place?"

Elizabeth squeezed him back, leaning into his hug. "Absolutely." She kissed him briefly. "Can I show you around?"

"Sure," Will smiled, loving her obvious excitement.

The apartment was nice. Nicer, in fact, than Will's own apartment. The door opened into a comfortable living room with a matching pale blue sofa and armchair. There was a coordinating throw rug spread out on the floor, and on the walls, Will noticed with a grin, were some of his very own black-and-white photos, one of which showed himself and Elizabeth curled up on a picnic blanket in the middle of the park where Jack had caught them making out the day after their first date. A couple of end tables with small lamps completed the scene.

The kitchen adjoined the living room. It had a fridge, a fairly new over, and plenty of cupboards and counter space. It wasn't particularly large, but neither was it small enough to be uncomfortable. Will could easily imagine himself helping Elizabeth make dinner in it.

A door in the living room led into an equally comfortable bedroom with a sizeable closet and another door leading into a surprisingly roomy bathroom. Almost all of the space in the bedroom that wasn't taken up by Elizabeth's bed and nightstand was cluttered with boxes.

"I haven't quite finished unpacking yet," Elizabeth said, "but you can help me with that tomorrow."

Will gave her a tired smile, stifling another yawn. Elizabeth took his hand, pulled him back out into the living room. He flopped down exhaustedly onto the couch. Elizabeth sat next to him, playing with his curls.

"I think I'll make tea. Do you want some?"

Will shook his head, rubbing his eyes. "No, that's all right. The last thing I need right now is caffeine."

Elizabeth pressed a kiss to his cheek, then got up and went into the kitchen to boil some water. "Make yourself at home," she called back over her shoulder. There was no answer. Curious, she went back into the living room, walking around the couch to look at Will. She laughed quietly. He had kicked off his boots, leaned back, and immediately fallen asleep. She shook her head, smiling.

"Oh, Will, you ridiculous boy." She sat next to him, running her fingers through his hair. "William," she said softly, smiling as he blinked up at her.

"Hmm?"

"I see you managed to get your boots off before you fell asleep," she teased.

"You told me to make myself at home," he answered sleepily.

Elizabeth giggled. His sleepy voice was undoubtedly the most adorable thing ever. "Lay down," she whispered gently.

He slid sideways, stretching out as she slipped a pillow under his head.

"I love you, Will."

"Love you, too," he answered faintly.

Smiling, Elizabeth pulled a blanket down from the back of the couch and covered him with it as he drifted off.

The next morning, Elizabeth was curled up in her armchair sipping coffee when there was a knock at the door. She got up and opened it, pleasantly surprised to see Anamaria.

"Ana! What are you doing here?"

"I know you didn't finish unpacking yesterday, so I braved the snowy roads to see if you wanted some help. And I brought breakfast," she added, holding up two paper bags with a grin.

"That's great, thanks!" Elizabeth said happily, stepping aside so Ana could come in.

Ana smiled when she noticed the lone occupant of Elizabeth's couch. "I just knew he'd be here. I even brought enough breakfast for him."

Elizabeth leaned over the back of the couch, looking fondly down at her peacefully sleeping boyfriend. "I picked him up from work last night so I could show him the apartment. It had started to snow by the time we got here, and then he fell asleep, so…" She shrugged, smiling. "Here he is."

"Long day at work yesterday, I'm guessing?" Ana said with a smile.

"It certainly sounds that way," Elizabeth said. "He was completely exhausted."

"I know how to wake him up," Ana said, grinning. She grabbed one of the bags she'd brought and opened it, letting a delicious smell fill the room.

Almost immediately, Elizabeth saw Will's eyelids flutter, and in a sleepy voice he said, "Bagels?"

She let out a snort of laughter as he blinked innocently up at her.

"What's so funny?"

"That works on Jack, too," Ana said, sounding amused. She shook her head. "Boys."

Will sat up, rubbing the back of his neck. "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. I came to help Elizabeth unpack." She watched his eyes wander down to the bag of bagels in her hand. "Oh, for goodness' sake. Here." She reached into the bag, tossed him a warm bagel.

Will grinned. "You're an angel."

"Hey!" Elizabeth laughed. "She brings you food, and suddenly she's an angel?"

"Uh, right…" Will said, quickly swallowing a mouthful. "Ana, you're just a saint. The position of angel has been filled." He shrugged, grinning. "Sorry."

Ana shook her head again, pretending to be upset. "I've been demoted."

I thought it was time for things to move forward a little faster, so I utilized the magic of time travel. Between Doctor Who, Back to the Future, and Lost, I consider myself somewhat of an expert in the field ;)