A/N: Credit to Zay (Zayz) for the idea! Thanks darling! This takes place post AWE, AU. Sort of a for-fun fic – I didn't bother trying to make it my greatest piece to date. I am aware that there is a Sparrabeth fic like this on FF, though all of my inspiration came from Zay's lovely fic, "May I Have This Dance?" She had fed me the idea months ago (like back in April), and I just got to finishing it now. How characteristic of me; procrastinating as usual.

I write for all you readers/fans out there – if you're going to favorite this or something, leave a comment please. I'll know if you don't. ;3

Edit 1/2/08: God, I just realized how hideously fluffy and horribly written this is, and so I apologize. I fixed a few typos, and the fact that Jack said 'love' about eight thousand times.

Disclaimer: Five words - Will would have never existed.

Care to Dance?

It was raining.

Like tears shed down from the heavens, millions – no, billions of water droplets plummeted down to the Earth in a torrential rainfall that obviously held no intention of letting up any time soon. It pitter-pattered against the Black Pearl soothingly, humming a melancholy tune quietly, a lonesome note amongst the wind and ocean crashing against the nearby shores.

A man with dark eyes scowled, watching intently as a single drop of water ran down the glass of his window slowly, reflecting the dark gray clouds outside in its tiny bead-like body. When it reached the bottom of the glass, the wood frame seemed to suck the water in, the little droplet vanishing instantly.

The man's nose twitched.

Jack Sparrow hated rain.

It was nothing but a bloody nuisance, especially at that moment – the storm had triggered gargantuan swells to rise from the ocean depths, making setting sail far too dangerous. If they were to set coarse now, they might just be blown back into the harbor or worse, they could be signing their wills.

Delays – they were not really what the good captain of the Black Pearl wanted at that moment.

So yes, Captain Jack Sparrow loathed rain.

He brought a bottle of rum to his lips with annoyance – was this his second or third bottle now? Not being able to recall which one it was, he looked over his shoulder. Ah, so it was only his second bottle. Well, at least now that he was decidedly drunk he might be able to entertain the notion and conger up some idea to keep himself amused for the day while the rest of his crew moped about the port they had docked at. Well, not the entire crew was in town – a certain Elizabeth Swann had decided to stay aboard.

The thought made a grin spread to Jack's face and he rolled his eyes – he had made that particular woman very angry the day before, and he was certain that she was still irritated by whatever it was that he had done. Something little, he was sure. Why would he ever purposely bother her?

His smile turned to an innocent frown.

Actually… well, now that he did take time to ponder over what had happened, he did recall getting into a quarrel with her; she had very indignantly made (rather rude, in his opinion) statements and accusations while he had merely acted indifferent, bothering her until she stormed from his cabin, slamming the door behind her. Elizabeth had neither spoken to nor looked at him since, obviously still irate with him.

That woman needs to get her knickers out of that implausibly large knot, he mused, twirling his bottle around on its bottom rim and watching as the remainder of his amber rum licked up the sides of it and then trailed back down. His eyes squinted for a moment and he twirled the bottle around again, watching the liquid spin inside of it. Wait – spin. Spinning…

His eyes widened and he stood up from his seat, only to swagger unsteadily for a moment. Though he supposed he should leave the young woman to cool off, his sudden epiphany was far too tempting to let down. Grabbing his coat and hat, he made his way to his door, with only a slight wobble in his usual purposeful arrogant stride.

Sitting contentedly in her dimly lit personal cabin, Elizabeth held a fine leather-back book in her hands, however she could hardly be described as paying any mind to it – her attention was drawn to the window, her hazel eyes watching the rain as it plummeted down into the ocean, disturbing it's once glassy appearance. She was rather enjoying the soft, comforting sound of the drops of water smacking off against the hull and deck of the Pearl rhythmically, placating her.

She did not love rain, and that had been a trait of her since she was a child – rain always meant staying indoors when she was little, for her father had fears of her being plagued by an illness caused by the dreary weather. However, now that she was older and had the time and the matured conscience to thoughtfully muse over the natural event, she had grown fonder of it, for it was like a mini miracle. It produced life, making new trees, flowers, and other vegetation flourish greatly into lush, green plants. It swept away the wrongs and ailments of the days before, and left a fresh, clean canvas to start over with, ready for a new painting to appear on surface.

Though she hardly believed that it would rinse away her fury at Jack from the day before.

Her lips pursed into a thin line, and her gaze flickered away from the water as her concentration broke. That stupid, bloody, insensitive, pirate. Still irate with him, she had chosen to give him the cold shoulder, though she did not know how long she would be able to pull it off; it was always difficult staying mad at him.

Sighing, Elizabeth tried to send her interest back to the faded text of her book. What was she reading again? Ah yes, a book of old sea myths… Now if she could just find her place again…

A soft knock at her door startled her – giving a small jump, she shut her book, and brushed her hair back instinctively.

"You may come in."

Her eyes immediately narrowed upon seeing her visitor.

"Hello love," Jack greeted cheerily as he strode into the room, throwing his hat onto her chair and shedding his coat as well. He swaggered more then usual and she could only guess that he had taken an interest to the spirits lately. His lips held a warm smile while he strode towards her desk, leaned his hip against it and picked up a small, green, ornate box, opening it and observing it's contents with interest.

Snapping her book shut, Elizabeth snatched the box from his hands and tossed him a glare. "I'd rather you not go rifling about my things, Jack."

"S'captainly business love," he assured her, his bottom lip jutting out slightly.

The young woman stood, resting one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her chair. "What do you want? I know you did not just come here to invade my privacy."

"Well…" He considered her words for a moment. "Lizzie," –he flourished a hand towards her- "I've got meself a rather imposing idea that I'd like to share unselfishly." At his pause, she frowned.

"No."

"No? But love-."

"I'm not about to do anything with you," she growled, her voice lathered with half-hearted aggravation; even if her rage was slowly fading, she did not want him to see that. "How could you even think that after yesterday, that I would possibly even consider the idea of-."

Jack held up his pointer finger to her face, silencing Elizabeth both to her great surprise and annoyance. "Hush Miss. Swann; just hear me out. You've yet to see my rather ingenious and just eminently enjoyable activity that I have dwelling up me sleeve, that I am most certain you would find enjoyment out of, since the idea in mind is one that most persons would find enjoyable, if not more."

She folded her arms across her chest, a spark of interest flashing in her eyes. "And what activity is this?" skeptically Elizabeth queried, her curiosity getting the best of her, to her disdain.

Jack grinned, bearing a mouth full of ivory and gold. "That darling, is for you to come and see."

A sigh escaped Elizabeth's mouth, and despite her will to stay in her room so she could carry out her punishment to him, she instead told him, "This better be worth it Jack."

Smile growing, he assured her, "Of course it will – have I ever given you reason to doubt me?"

Muttering something of how he had on more then one occasion, Elizabeth followed him out of the room nevertheless when he placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her through the door.

Leading her down a short passage, he brought her to the end of it where it met the deck, the above forecastle acting as a ceiling to prevent them from getting wet. They paused there and Jack turned slowly towards her, as if the site before them was something impressive and epic.

Elizabeth pursed her lips, glancing between the deck and Jack. "I could see the rain quite clearly from my cabin windows, dear Captain."

"Excellent observation that is dearie, though I didn't bring you here to compare your viewing pleasures, as interesting and fascinating as they are."

"Then why did you bring me here Jack?" she asked, exasperated that he kept evading what he wanted them to do.

His two pointer fingers (yet again) appeared in front of her, his eyes becoming two slits for a moment as if to say 'watch me'. Carefully, he doffed off his suede boots, baldric and effects, placing them neatly in a pile, before stepping out into the rain, becoming drenched in seconds; she watched him, both in awe and also having to question his sanity (for what wouldn't have been the first time).

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth nearly exclaimed.

Jack's grin grew. "It's rather nice out here love," Jack answered, smacking his feet against the wet deck of the Pearl. "You should join me."

Suddenly aware of his idea, she stepped away from the deck, shaking her head. "No thank you."

Jack pouted. "You know Miss. Swann, if you do not come willingly, then I shall be forced as captain of this ship to physically bring you to my desired destination, regardless of your wishes."

She looked at him, daring him to do so. With a flow of grace, she turned around and headed back to her cabin, intent on leaving the clearly insane captain to himself.

Apparently he desired to take her up on the offer.

Before she could even step away, a strong hand found hers and pulled her, causing her to stumble backwards and fall bottom-first right onto the soaked deck, getting drenched instantly as the rain doused her. Her eyes wide, she sat there for a moment, staring up at Jack in shock. However, when he began chuckling at her appearance (she really was quite a site), she growled, stood, and began pealing off a few layers of clothes.

When her last item sat in her hand (a left boot), she eyed it for a moment, her brown irises glimmering angrily with a slight underlying layer of humor, and then heaved the article at Jack, hitting him square in the face.

He staggered a bit, a small "Ouch!" leaving his mouth. Shaking his head vigorously, he wiggled his nose and rubbed his face.

"I suppose I deserved that," he muttered, looking at her with a grimace. Elizabeth smirked quickly, and then let it fall back to an indignant frown.

The two stood there for a moment staring at one another, both soaked to the bone with rainwater, their clothes clinging to their skin, revealing every curve and indentation.

Stepping very close to Jack, Elizabeth brought her face to his and told him with a dangerously quiet tone, "Now that you've gotten me soaked Captain, you might as well begin explaining yourself as to why you forced me into this situation and you can pray that it is a good excuse." She refused to let him off the hook easily this time.

His dark eyes assessed her, raking up and down her body while he contemplated her words, making her bite her lip. "Now…" Jack's usual impish grin appeared on his face and he tilted himself away from her, holding his palms up. "Now we dance!" His eyebrows and fingers wiggled.

"Dance." Elizabeth repeated, unsure if she should be entirely surprised or not.

"Aye – dance." He raised his arms up and swayed, as if dancing with an imaginary person. "In the rain. Surely this is a new experience that you would like to partake in with none other then the dashing Captain Jack Sparrow?"

She shook her head back and forth. "You are… bloody insane."

Jack smirked. "Ta, love. Now I insist that you grace this corsair by taking his hand, Miss. Swann. As captain, I must see if your steps are tip-top shape, should anything occur that requires them, of course." His smirk grew to a mischievous and playful grin.

Elizabeth let out a snorted laugh. "You really think I'm going to dance with you?" She found it wonderfully strange that they could have a conversation in the middle of the pouring rain, and he still managed astound and amuse her.

"Dare I be so bold as to make a correction to your statement?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I don't think you're going to dance with me love – I know you're going to dance with me."

"And how is that?" she challenged, leaning closer.

Even through the thick haze of precipitation that altered her vision of him even when he was that close, she could have sworn his smile was bright enough to light the entire deck. Any trace of anger towards him immediately fizzled out at that moment.

"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

Attempting to reach for a few straws, she stated, "I can't dance."

Jack's lips curled upwards – he rather doubted this, coming from an ex-woman of high-class society, but he played along anyway. "Then it shall be my chivalrous duty to teach you."

He suddenly swept her hand up in his and placed the other palm on her lower back, startling her when she became nose to nose with him. Elizabeth's eyes darted down to her other arm and she tentatively wrapped it around his side, her fingertips resting on his back; tilting her head up slightly to his, she blinked as the drops of water pelted down on her. There was no way out of this.

"Mr. Sparrow," she said lightly, clearing her throat.

"Miss. Swann," he agreed. "Just put your trust in me love – I shan't make you appear anymore foolish then you already are."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to retort, but Jack cut her off - with a sweeping amount of grace and suavity, he pulled her with him into a steady flow across the deck, confidently leading and tugging her along. The pirate king immediately was able to follow his steps, familiar with the dance that he was leading her into; she had done it countless times before with suitors across the exquisite, ivory dance floors of lavish ballrooms with violins, cellos, or harpsichords creating a melodious rhythm to move to.

Never before had she found interest or enjoyment out of the art of dancing; she always found it difficult to move fluently and elegantly in the heavy, long gowns she was forced to wear, and she did not like putting herself into the arms of a man whom would always look at her as if she were some prize to win.

But this was different.

She was surprised that Jack actually knew how to dance, though a part of her told her it was foolish not to think so, him being a man of travels and experience. His eyes stayed locked with hers the entire time, but not with a look of a suitor; he looked at her with mere contentment, seeming satisfied that he had at least managed to get her in his arms for the moment. Elizabeth was unable to pull her eyes from his; they were so captivating, so enrapturing. She feared she might drown in them.

"It is my deepest regret to inform you that you are quite the horrendous dancer," Jack told her randomly, spinning her around once which elicited a smile from her. "I ought to give you more lessons."

She flung her wet hair from her face with a toss of the neck, her eyelids fluttering as raindrops clung to her lashes. "You are ever so bold, Captain Sparrow."

A grin lit up his features once more.

He pulled her body close to hers once more, letting go of her hand and shamelessly placing both palms on her waist, quirking an eyebrow at her. Elizabeth bit her lip slightly, aware of how close his touch felt through her wet clothing; however, she lifted her lips to him, ran one hand down his arm and grasped his hand in hers again.

Leaning in to his ear, she murmured, "Keep you're hands to yourself, captain. We shan't want the crew to gossip."

Jack pouted at her quickly before giving a short chuckle. "But my dear swan," he told her, "the crew is not here."

"You never know who may be watching." Of course this really made no sense; whether he was groping her waist or holding her hand, it was still apparent to anyone watching that they were much closer then usual.

He smiled knowingly, and they fell into a silent dance once more, save for the melodious music surrounding them that Mother Nature was performing; the wind whistled with the elegance of a group of low octave violins, the thunder roared like an ethnic drum being brought to life, and the rain fell from the sky the same way notes drifted from a pianoforte, forming an entire private orchestra just for the two pirates.

A loud crack of thunder was accompanied by a flash of lighting. It faded out slowly, and Jack, sensing the end of his dance, dipped her and held her there, his face close to hers.

"Ta," he grinned.

He began pulling her back up when another crash of thunder was heard, only this time deafeningly loud, making it feel almost as if the ship were shaking. Both jumped in surprise, and Elizabeth, having lost her balance yelped, and fell to the deck once more, pulling the captain down with her.

She muttered a small, "Ow," suffering from a knock of the head to the wooden deck. She felt something heavy on top of her, and assuming what, or rather who it was, she muttered, "Get off of me Jack."

"I'd rather not," he grumbled, but she felt the weight leave, and then he was pulling her up, a grin badly concealed on his face.

"Is my bonnie lass dead?"

Elizabeth reached back and felt her head; it hurt a little, but she'd be fine. "Not yet."

They held each other's eyes for a long while and then, without any explanation or excuse, Elizabeth began laughing uncontrollably, bending over to hold her sides.

Never before had Jack heard such a lovely and unbearably contagious sound, and soon his chuckles joined hers.

"You're absurd!" Elizabeth exclaimed between bouts of giggles. "Honestly, what gave you the idea to go dancing in the rain?"

"Rum?" Jack said, leaving them in stitches once more.

The rain doused their wave of some abstract form of a laughter-high after what seemed like ages, when Elizabeth and Jack's sides felt like if they might break any moment. Elizabeth wiped away a few tears that mixed with the rain, another giggle escaping her mouth.

Jack composed himself and said smugly "I told you it'd be enjoyable."

"And it was," she agreed. "Thank you Jack."

And just like the last time she uttered those three words to him, her lips on his soon followed, and in the dreary, pouring rain, the two corsairs finally caved in and decided that once would never be enough.