Chapter 23

"So are you ready to close down for two whole weeks?"

Will looked up to see Elizabeth smiling at him from the doorway of his shop. He took a quick glance around the front room, peered through the open door to the forge behind him.

"I think so. Everything's shut off. All the orders that were due in the next two weeks have been picked up. Everything due after that is finished. I think we're good to go."

Elizabeth leaned against the counter, grinning. "Good." She looked around. "You know, I don't think I've actually been in here in months. We've both been working so much to save up for our honeymoon, and then there was all the wedding planning…" She trailed off, her eyes on the sword display on the wall. "Will…"

"Yeah?"

She turned to face him. "Where's your sword?"

"What?"

"Your sword. Your favorite sword. The one with all the gold inlay, the one you said you worked on for three weeks?"

Will busied himself with locating the key to the forge. Elizabeth tugged on his arm, spun him around.

"Will."

She couldn't help noticing that he didn't quite meet her eyes when he answered, "I sold it."

"Why?"

He shrugged vaguely. "Someone wanted it. Offered me a good price."

"Will…" She slipped off her engagement ring, held it up in front of him. "You sold it so you could buy this, didn't you?"

Will finally looked up at her as he answered quietly, "Yeah." He glanced briefly at the swords on the wall. "Before I started looking, I sold a couple other really nice ones that I'd been hanging onto. I thought that'd be enough, but… well, it wasn't."

"Who did you sell it to?"

"I don't remember," Will said unconvincingly.

"William Turner, we are getting married tomorrow," Elizabeth said firmly. "You are not lying to me now. Who did you sell it to?"

Will looked distinctly embarrassed. "…James Norrington."

Elizabeth stared at him in confusion. "What?"

"He was in the Pearl one day when I was talking to Jack about how I wasn't sure if I could afford a really nice ring. He heard me and said he'd consider buying a sword." Will shrugged. "He liked that one."

"Did he know you were proposing to me?"

"Liz, there are three pictures of us in this room alone," Will pointed out with a faint smile.

"Oh. Right."

"He said you looked really happy, and if I was the one who made you feel like that, then I deserved you."

Elizabeth looked slightly stunned. "Wow." She moved around the counter and wrapped her arms around Will, resting her head against his chest. "You sold my ex-boyfriend your favorite sword so you could buy me an engagement ring."

Will leaned into her embrace, burying his nose in her hair. "You're worth it."

"Jack, what the hell did you do?"

Jack stuck his head through the doorway, his face the very picture of innocence. "Wha'?"

"What the hell did you get on my shirt?"

Jack stared at his best friend, looking affronted. "Wha' makes yeh think it was me?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Because it smells like alcohol, idiot."

"Oh."

"I'm getting married in an hour, Jack." Will ran his hand through his hair distractedly. "Elizabeth is going to kill me. Actually no, you know what? She's going to kill you," he amended.

"No' if I tell 'er it was you," Jack grinned.

"I don't drink rum."

"Damn you."

Will fought the urge to roll his eyes again. "You know what, Jack? Go find my dad."

"Wha'?"

"Go find my dad! We're exactly the same size, he can switch shirts with me! And hurry up, before Ana comes in here and goes and tells Elizabeth that my shirt is dirty."

"Are yeh sayin' my life could depend on this, mate?"

"Pretty much."

Jack sighed melodramatically. "All righ', all righ', I'm going." He got up and ambled unhurriedly out of the room. As the door swung shut behind him, Ana slipped inside. Will hastily stuffed his shirt out of sight.

"Will! Why aren't you dressed?"

"I – er – well, uh… okay, we had a bit of a problem. But we're solving it! We are fixing it, and eveything'll be fine! And, uh… please don't tell Elizabeth," he finished pleadingly.

Ana rolled her eyes. "I won't. But she wants to see you – well – not see you – well – she can see you, but you can't see her – "

"Are you serious? I'm wearing a t-shirt and shorts still, she'll kill me – "

"So get dressed as much as you can! And hurry up!"

"All right, calm down… and go wait outside, would you?"

"Yeah, I'm going…"

Will emerged from the room a minute later in the proper pants and shoes, but still wearing his t-shirt.

"Seriously? Where's your shirt?"

"That's, um, sort of the problem. But like I said, we're fixing it, I swear!"

"Men," Ana muttered, shaking her head. "Come on, let's go." She steered Will down two hallways and a flight of stairs to Elizabeth's hotel room, where she knocked on the door.

"Elizabeth? I've got him!"

A hassled-sounding voice from inside answered, "Finally! Will, close your eyes!"

"What?"

"You're not allowed to see me before the wedding! Now close your eyes!"

"Okay, okay, they're closed – whoa!" The door opened suddenly, and someone yanked him inside. "Liz! What's wrong?"

"Nothing – I'm just – is everything okay? Why aren't you dressed?"

"Er, no reason. Everything's fine. I, uh… I haven't gotten around to it… yet."

"William Turner, you are lying and you know it, but I'm not going to ask you why, because there's obviously a problem, and if there's a problem, I'm going to panic!" She took a deep breath. "Is there a problem? Please tell me there's not a problem – "

"Elizabeth! Calm down – wait, where are you?"

"Right in front of you," she said, her voice moving closer to him.

He reached out and found her shoulders. "All right, calm down. There was a problem, but now there is not a problem, because it's taken care of. All right? Everything is taken care of. We're going to get married in an hour – "

"Forty minutes."

" – in forty minutes, and everything is going to be perfect. All right? Come here." He pulled her into his arms, and they held each other tightly. "Are you okay now?"

"I guess," Elizabeth answered quietly, her voice slightly muffled by his t-shirt. "I'm just a little nervous, is all."

"I know. I am, too."

"…are your eyes still closed?"

Will laughed. "Yes."

"All right." Elizabeth took a step back, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm happy. Now go get ready."

"Where's the door – ow!" Ana grabbed his arm and pulled him back outside. He finally opened his eyes as the door swung shut behind him, glancing at his watch.

"I'm getting married in thirty-five minutes."

Ana nodded. "Yep."

"And I'm not even dressed yet."

She shook her head. "Nope."

"Shit."

Grinning, Ana said again, "Yep."

"Will!" Bill emerged suddenly from around the corner. "Where the hell have you been? Jack tells me I'm supposed to switch shirts with you, and then we get to your room and you've disappeared!"

"I know, I know…" Will said wearily. "Let's go…"

"What the hell were you drinking, Jack?" Bill asked, examining Will's stained shirt.

"Rum."

"Rum isn't red, you sodding idiot," Will said irritably.

"…there may have been a bit o' cranberry juice involved as well."

Bill glanced at his son with a raised eyebrow. "You are so lucky we're the same size."

"I know it."

"You kids do know th' wedding's in half an hour, righ'?"

Both Turners intoned in unison, "Shut up, Jack."

"And would you go get dressed? Without spilling drinks on everything?" Will added. "Actually, preferably without drinking."

"Yer takin' all the fun out o' this wedding, mate."

Bill unceremoniously shoved Jack outside and locked the door behind him. "We'd better get a move on if you want your best man to be sober enough to stand."

Will shrugged. "Well, the more drunk he is, the more Elizabeth'll yell at him, and that's always fun."

"Jack isn't going to be drunk, is he?" Elizabeth glanced at Ana in her mirror.

Ana just shrugged somewhat apologetically. "I really don't know. If ever there was a time for Jack to be sober, you'd think it would be his best friend's wedding. But then again," she added, "I've never known Jack to not be at least a little drunk."

"I don't suppose you want to go find him and make sure he's not drinking?" Elizabeth suggested hopefully.

"Not really…"

"Please?"

Ana sighed. "All right, fine. But if he bludgeons me with a rum bottle, you have to give a eulogy at my funeral detailing exactly how my untimely death was all your fault."

"Deal," Elizabeth grinned.

"I'm getting married in twenty minutes."

Will stood in front of a mirror, staring at his tuxedo. Bill came and stood next to him.

"Your bowtie is crooked."

A tiny grin crossed Will's face.

Bill rolled his eyes. "You just thought of that weird show you always watch, didn't you?"

"Bowties are cool, Dad. I can't help it." The smile faded from his face. "Seriously, though… I'm ready for this, right?"

"Do you love her?"

Will had never looked so sincere in his life. "Absolutely."

Bill slung his arm loosely around his son's shoulders. "You're ready. I know it."

"How?"

Bill considered Will's refection for a moment. "It's in your eyes. They're your mom's, you know. I could always tell when she was dead set on something. You have that same look."

"Yeah?" Will sounded faintly pleased.

"Yeah."

"Do you… do you miss her?" Will asked hesitantly.

"Sometimes," Bill admitted. "Not as much as you do, I'm sure."

"I wish she was here," Will said quietly, wistfully.

"I know," Bill said, just as quietly. "She'd be proud if she was. I know I am."

Will allowed himself to smile. "Thanks, Dad."

Bill glanced at his watch, clapped his son on the back. "Fifteen minutes. You ready to go get married, kiddo?"

Will took a deep breath, grinning nervously as he attempted to flatten a bit of his unruly hair. "Yeah." He laughed. "Allons-y."

Elizabeth patted her hair, tucked a few loose strands back into place, and turned to Ana.

"Well… how do I look?"

Ana smiled at her friend. "Amazing. Will's going to fall in love with you all over again."

Elizabeth smiled as well as she looked at her reflection in the mirror, absentmindedly twirling her engagement ring on her finger.

"Are you nervous?" Ana asked.

"A little," Elizabeth admitted. "I really don't know why. I mean, it's Will waiting for me out there, not some stranger. My Will," she added softly, more to herself than to Ana.

"Being nervous is normal," Ana said reassuringly. "I bet Will's feeling the same right now. But I promise, this is going to be the best day of your life."

"Thanks, Ana," Elizabeth grinned.

There was a knock on the door. "Is the bride ready?"

Elizabeth got up and opened it, smiling at her father. "I'm ready. Are you my escort, then?"

"Of course." He offered her his arm, and she laced hers through it. "You look beautiful, little girl. Your William is a lucky man."

Elizabeth laughed a little shyly. "Thanks, Dad."

Guess what happens next! :D

Review if you're super excited for the wedding!