A/N: Hey there guys! I hope you all recovered from "Pretty Red Lady" and you're ready to come on another journey with me :) Blame the movie "Titanic" for this fic, because it gave me the idea when I saw it on TV a few months ago. For those of you wondering about the title – it'll all be explained later :)
It'd be cool if you could give it a chance since I know Extreme AU is always a bit difficult to read but also to write. So… here are your tickets for the maiden journey of the Titanic with Jane and Lisbon on board! I hope you enjoy!
Summary: "She didn't care about the money; the only thing she wanted were the two one-way tickets to America, aboard no other ship than the Titanic. The ship of dreams." A tale of love beyond classes and the fate of two lovers enmeshed in the web of destiny in a heartbreaking tragedy. Extreme AU / Romance / Drama
Disclaimer: None of the characters from The Mentalist belong to me, they belong to Warner Brothers and producer Bruno Heller. Neither does the background idea of the Titanic movie from James Cameron. Also, I claim no rights to the RMS Titanic, a ship of White Star Lines. Only the idea to this story belongs to me.
Tear of Paradise
(1)
Never in her whole life had Grace seen a mighty and magnificent ship like this. She had to stretch her neck right up, so she could see through the window of the car up to the four tall yellow funnels, which was almost impossible, because they were too high up. The only thing she could see was the fuselage, colored in a shiny new black, and the deck, which was held in a precious white. The Titanic.
For a second, she held her breath, the realization sinking in that this ship would be her way into a whole new world. Goodbye, England, goodbye London, goodbye to what she'd called "home" for her whole life, and hello America. The Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams, a floating paradise – too bad that it felt more like a nightmare to her.
Panic rose up in her chest, but she swallowed it down, like she'd been taught to by her governess. A real lady didn't show sadness or fear in public. A real lady smiled. Carefully, she forced a smile on her lips, finally being allowed to exit the car.
"The Titanic is the biggest ship in the world, my dear. Gigantic, isn't it?" the young man who helped her out of the car asked impressed.
"Indeed, Mr. Stiles, indeed."
He shook his head, giving her a concerned look: "Please, Grace. I asked you to call me Craig after you accepted my proposal, remember?"
Grace smiled apologetically, suddenly feeling the weight of the beautiful engagement ring on her left ring finger that was hidden under the white satin gloves she was wearing. Of course, she forgot. This wasn't Mr. Stiles, this was Craig, her fiancé, the man she would marry once she stepped on American soil.
The panic in her chest came back immediately. Thankfully, their conversation was interrupted by a second car stopping right behind them. The first one to exit was a tall man with blond curls, wearing a fine dark blue suit. He threw her an encouraging smile before he turned around to help the woman exiting the car after him.
She was also tall, with black hair neatly in a bun, and wore a tight dark red coat with a fitting hat. Her cold brown eyes lingered on Grace for a second before they slid to Craig and a warming smile entered her face.
"It's so good to see you, brother," she exclaimed, rushing over to him, not waiting for the blond man to lead her. "Did you enjoy the ride here?"
Craig nodded. "Yes, we did, Lorelei. Grace was surprised about all the people here, weren't you, dear?"
The redhead nodded dutifully, before she was welcomed with a warm hug by the blond man, who wasn't paying attention to the crowd or the ship. "Hello Grace," he whispered, "are you okay?"
"I am, Patrick, don't worry all the time!" she answered, but she knew her brother could see right through her. Grace was glad she wouldn't have to take the long journey with only her fiancé and his sister Lorelei, who for some reason despised her. Her brother would be with her, and he'd done long journeys like this before. Also, she wouldn't be alone once they arrived in New York. He'd promised to stay with her until the wedding was through, before he would cross the country to attend to his business in California.
He released her from the hug but stayed right beside her, much to Lorelei's discomfort. The woman really had laid an eye on him and when their father had found out, plans for a second liaison between the two families were quickly made.
Speaking of their father, a third car arrived, honking at the crowd to get out of its way. Three men exited, all dressed up in fine black suits, wearing top hats on their heads. They came over immediately, greeting the group that had already arrived.
"Good morning, Mr. Jane, Miss Bertram, I hope you had a pleasant ride here?" The oldest of the three asked, before he bowed slightly to take Grace's hand and kiss it lightly.
"We did, Mr. Stiles, thank you for inviting us to join your journey to New York," Grace said formally.
"My pleasure, my child. I'm afraid your father is not going to join us. You're not going to miss your only daughter's wedding, are you, Gale?"
Gale Bertram, the man standing next to him, forced a fake smile. "I can't say for sure, Mr. Stiles, but I'm sure I leave my daughter in good hands. Also, Patrick is with you, so she won't be walking down the aisle alone."
Grace felt her brother stiffen and prayed for him to not do anything stupid. The relationship between Patrick and her father had always been very difficult since their mother died. Especially because Patrick wasn't his child; he was from their mother's first marriage with a troubled man named Alex Jane, a conman, who'd been able to con everyone into believing he was a rich businessman from North America. That's why her father hated Patrick so much, although in Grace's opinion, it wasn't her brother's fault.
Still, she felt a little sad her father wouldn't be with her on her wedding. He'd been the one to pressure her into accepting young Mr. Stiles's proposal after all, because his company was almost broke. Making her marry into the family of one of the richest men in North America and England would bring his company new contracts.
"May I have a word with you?" Jane asked his stepfather, suppressing the anger in his voice. "Alone?"
"Patrick…" Grace mumbled, trying to hold him back, but he just shot her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Grace. Please do me a favor and board the ship with the Stileses, would you? Your baggage will be taken care of, right, Mr. Stiles?"
Bret Stiles nodded, offering an arm to his daughter Lorelei, who didn't look happy at all right now. "We still have some time until the Titanic casts off, so why don't we explore the deck while they bring the baggage to our suites? Miss Bertram, would you like to tell your father goodbye?"
Grace left Jane's side to kiss her father on the cheek. Usually she would have hugged him, but she knew they were in public and besides, she was still a little angry with him for making her marry Craig.
When she was a little girl, he'd always told her to wait as long as she wanted until her prince came along, so she could fall in love like he had with their mother. He hadn't kept his promise to her and she'd been really upset. But she knew a lady had to do what a lady had to do. That's what her mother had told her.
"Goodbye, Grace. I'm proud of you. Promise me you'll have an eye on your brother."
"I will," she whispered, teary-eyed. I'm going to miss you, daddy…" She swallowed hard, giving him another kiss on the cheek, before she turned around and left with the Stileses, knowing full well this would probably be the last time she'd see her father for a long time.
Craig tried to comfort her by pressing her hand, but the thought that she'd have to leave her old life and start something completely new with a man she didn't love in a country she didn't know was scaring her deeply. So comfort from a complete stranger who was going to be her husband soon was no comfort at all.
Patrick Jane and Gale Bertram waited until Grace and the Stileses were out of earshot before the blond man was finally able to let all his suppressed anger out. "I can't believe you're making her do this!" he shouted angrily.
"It's the best for your sister. Craig Stiles is a good match for her," Bertram answered calmly.
"You mean it's a good match for you and your company!"
"Do I have to remind you, Patrick, that I'm the one who's been sponsoring your crazy adventures all around the planet? We all have to do what we have to do. Yes, I do hope my company will be better after the marriage, but think of Grace! She's marrying into a wealthy family and I don't have to worry about her anymore. Do you want me to go bankrupt and let her live a life below her standards?"
"I only want the best for her," Jane said, still angry, although his stepfather had a point. The chances his company would get better on its own were small, so if the family lost all the money, they would also lose their reputation in London's high society. People would turn their backs on them; so called "friends" would snub them.
Grace wouldn't survive all of that. Of course, she was strong, especially after their mother had died, but she could never stand the gossip. It'd make her sick. It still wasn't fair to her.
"You want the best for her, Patrick, and that's what I'm doing. She might not be happy at first, but she'll learn to live with it."
"That's why you made me come to England, right? So I'd be with her," Jane concluded.
Bertram nodded. "Yes. And if you want to keep on living that extravagant lifestyle of yours, you should consider your chances here. I talked to Bret Stiles. His daughter is very interested in you."
"Yeah, there is no chance to overlook that fact," the blond mumbled. Of course he had a thing for women, had had many over the years, but he was good at reading people and Lorelei Stiles was nothing like what he'd call a woman for the rest of his life. Behind her innocent brown eyes was a coldness that made him shiver sometimes.
"Well good, Patrick. See, you give me the impression that you're a clever man." The two men shot each other a look full of disdain. "So if you know what's good for you and your sister, you might consider the offer Bret made me. If you marry into the family, you can work for his company and still have an eye on Grace."
"You want me to marry Lorelei so Grace isn't alone?"
"She'd be devastated if you left her. You don't want your sister to be unhappy, right? Once you marry her, it doesn't mean you can't have other women. I think if you talk to her you'll see that she's not interested into having a single lover for the rest of her life, either. So here's the deal. You're going to make Lorelei a present that will show your affection for her. You will woo her, and once you arrive in New York, you're going to propose. Heck, it would be even better if you did it on the last night you're on the ship," Bertram explained. He pulled a little case out of his suit jacket that was flat and about the size of a hand.
Jane kept staring at him in disbelief. His step-father couldn't be serious, could he?!
Bertram opened the black velvet case, holding it toward Patrick. Inside was a long silver necklace with a turquoise-green emerald in form of a perfectly shaped drop, about the size of his thumb. Jane had never been much interested in jewelry, but this necklace must be a piece of art and highly expensive.
"It's called the 'Tear of Paradise,' a very rare sort of emerald. There are only three known gems with this color and this size."
"I've heard of it, when I was in Berlin. A museum there is displaying the two counterparts. It's weird you're giving it to me, because I've heard the third one is lost. I didn't even know it was in our family's possession. I thought your company was in trouble! If you sell this, you could save it and Grace wouldn't have to marry Stiles's son. Instead you want me to give it to Lorelei. Have you ever thought about giving it to Grace?" he asked instead.
Bertram shut the case, debating whether to give it to him or not. "It's not as easy as you think, boy. Stiles knows about the necklace and wants it in his family. It was one of the reasons why he agreed that Craig should marry your sister. I couldn't give it to her, because it would still be hers then. If you don't give it to Lorelei, Stiles is going to make life very difficult for your sister once she's married, so I dare you. Don't screw it up, Patrick. We all want what's best for Grace."
The men kept staring at one another, until Jane finally took the case and pushed it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. "Where did you steal it from?"
Bertram smiled. "Don't worry your head about formalities, Patrick. Remember what I told you. Now you should board the ship. I wouldn't want it to cast off without you. Driver! Take me back to London," he shouted, before he stepped inside one of the waiting cars without saying goodbye.
"Bastard," Jane mumbled angrily. Just to screw with his stepfather's plans, he'd like to miss the journey, but Grace would be devastated. So he pulled himself together and walked toward the gate where the first class passengers could board.
He really didn't want to go. He needed a drink to let everything settle in first. Grace was going to marry Craig Stiles, while he was supposed to propose to Lorelei. Over the years he'd met enough women to tell exactly what kind Lorelei was. Bertram was right. She wasn't the faithful type and got bored extremely fast.
Why should he waste a life with a woman like her, a woman he didn't love? Moments like this brought to mind the few memories he still had from when he was a kid. His parents had loved each other, even if his dad was a conman. The look he had when he came home and his mother was waiting for him… it was true love.
He didn't want any woman, he wanted someone like this, someone like his mother - a woman who challenged him but knew how to keep him in line, a woman who loved him unconditionally. Lorelei was definitely not this woman.
A quick look at his pocket watch told him he still had over half an hour until the Titanic would cast off, so he fought his way through the crowd and smiled when he saw a pub at the end of the road. Thank god this was England and thank god they had tea everywhere.
The clock was ticking. Carefully, very carefully, she observed the two men in front of her, who were staring at their cards. The left one always blinked when he was bluffing, she could tell. But the right one was far harder to read. Well, one could screw Rigsby over, because even a layman could see he didn't have anything.
So, the match would be between the fat right guy and her. Teresa Lisbon took a sip of her beer, waiting for the fat guy to make a move. She didn't care about the money; the only thing she wanted were the two one-way tickets to America, aboard no other ship than the Titanic. She needed these tickets badly.
Come on, give me a sign you're bluffing! But his mind was hard like a stone. If they didn't hurry, none of them would use the tickets, because they would miss the ship.
Maybe she had to put more pressure into the game. "All in," she said, putting her last money onto the middle of the table. She had to get these tickets.
"Lisbon!" Wayne mumbled in shock. "I'm out." He threw his cards on the table, while the guy on the left did the same.
"Mind if I join in?" someone asked. The four players turned around, casting a look at the newbie behind them, who was holding a cup and saucer in his hands.
"What the hell do you want?" the fat guy asked, annoyed. "Get your fancy ass away from our table and fuck off."
Patrick Jane smiled apologetically before he pulled a bunch of U.S. dollars out of his pocket. "I'm sorry, I thought you might be interested in this… But I can leave if you want."
The fat guy's eyes lit up at the sight of so much foreign money. "Hardy, lend the gentleman your chair."
"But Smith…" the other man complained. One look from Smith and he jumped up, giving the chair to Jane, who set his tea down and took two cards after throwing the money into the middle.
"I didn't agree to this," Lisbon exclaimed.
"Shut up, girl, and show your cards!" Smith said, making the stranger chuckle.
She threw the blond man an angry look, but he just grinned at her, shrugging his shoulders in anticipation. Sometimes she hated being a woman and not being taken seriously by men, especially with things like poker.
Lisbon took a deep breath before she laid her cards down. "Straight."
"Dammit!" Smith shouted, throwing his cards on the table. He had three of a kind. She knew it. She knew he'd been bluffing when he called. The tickets were as good as safe. All eyes wandered over to the gentleman in the blue suit, waiting for him to show his cards.
First, he took a long sip of his tea, then he showed his cards with a sly smile. "Full House. I'm sorry for the money guys, I have a ship to catch." His eyes wandered to the clock on the wall. It was time to go, especially because the two guys didn't seem pleased he'd won at all. Quickly, Jane grabbed his bills from the table and left, hearing the two guys starting to fight.
Winning a little game of poker was a real satisfaction. He felt better now.
Teresa started after the blond man, furious with Smith, Hardy, and him. She would have won if he hadn't shown up! She was supposed to be on that ship. She had to be on this ship, because she'd just given her last money to win the tickets.
One last look at the cards made her realize they had been fooled. This guy had cheated with a card that wasn't from their deck! Anger bubbled up inside her. The son of a bitch had pulled one over on them without her realizing it.
Why would someone like him, who looked like he grew up getting everything shoved into his butt, need two third-class tickets for the Titanic? He looked rich enough to own the ship!
"Come on, Wayne!" she shouted and grabbed her bag. This business would not be left unfinished.
"Where are we going?" the tall man asked, slightly disappointed. He regretted he hadn't been better help in the game.
"Well, we are going to get our damn tickets of course! I won't let a chance like this slip away."
They grabbed their things, leaving Smith and Hardy to their fight. From afar, Lisbon could see the blond curls vanishing into the crowd. Sometimes she really hated that she was so short. "Can you see him?"
"Yes, come on, I think he wants to board the ship!"
Regardless of consequences, the two friends pushed their way through the crowd, earning mean looks from the people who were waiting for the ship to cast off and wave goodbye to their families on deck.
"Hey," she screamed, pushing a woman aside to get to the blond man, who was turning around, confused, when she grabbed his arm.
"I'm sorry, do I know y—aaargh!" He almost went down, holding his nose, while Teresa massaged her knuckles.
"Dammit! You cheating bastard! Give me my tickets!"
Jane looked up, surprised to see the small woman from the poker game standing in front of him, her magnificent green eyes sparkling with anger. She was petite, dressed in a simple pair of trousers – very uncommon for a woman in this era – and a green wool jacket, wearing her dark brown hair in a high ponytail. Damn, how could such a little woman have a punch like that?
"Give me my tickets," she demanded again, her fist balled and ready to punch him one more time.
"I'm sorry, but I don't see why I should do that."
She was about to punch him again, when her tall friend held her back. "Don't, Teresa. People are looking and I don't want to end up in jail – again."
"Everything was fine until you came along! I'd have won that stupid game! But you, you had to come and interrupt us! I saw the card you had, you cheated, you lying bastard! Why would you even need the tickets, when you could buy the whole ship with just your fancy suit! I need those tickets you got!"
"So the first thing to do is punch the man who is holding the tickets?" Jane asked, now amused. "I didn't even know I had your tickets. I thought it was all money. You simply could have asked, woman!"
Teresa looked at him in surprise. "Excuse me?"
He almost laughed. Oh he loved it when people were fun to mess with, and this petite brunette definitely was. "I told you, you simply could have asked and I would have given you the tickets. No need to punch me for that! Well…?"
"What well?" Was he kidding? Was he secretly enjoying messing with her? Probably, because his grin became wider and wider.
Jane laughed, but flinched when his nose started hurting. Thank god nothing was broken. "Well, do you want the tickets?"
"Of course I do!" Lisbon exclaimed, reaching for them, but Jane held them out of her reach.
"Then be a nice girl and ask."
She looked like she'd really like to shoot him right here and now. Jane raised an eyebrow, looking to her, up to her friend, and back to her. He could see how the tall man gave her a nudge with his elbow.
"Fine. Could you please give me the tickets you illegally won, you cheating son of a—"
"I think that's enough," Jane grinned, before he pushed the tickets into her hand. "I'd love to continue our little discussion of what I am, but I'm needed on board. Have a nice journey, milady."
Before Lisbon could add another curse, he was gone. "Oh, I wanna beat him up and throw him into the ocean," she mumbled, but Rigsby just smiled. "What's wrong?"
"I've never seen a man get to you like this, that's all. We got the tickets, so let's hurry and get on the ship before it casts off without us. America, here we come!"
They were on board just in time, as the workers pulled the gateways away and loosened the ropes.
The ship honked, white smoke emerged from the funnels, and every passenger could feel the ship starting to float away from the dock.
People were waving their loved ones goodbye, calling one last wish, while others were just standing there and watching. The maiden voyage of the Titanic had started. The biggest ship of its time. It would stop in Cherbourg and Queenstown before it started its long journey across the Atlantic Ocean to New York.
The feelings of the passengers were mixed. Some were happy to leave England behind and looked forward to becoming a part of the American dream, like Teresa Lisbon, who clutched the arm of her friend Wayne Rigsby, happy to have made it on the ship in time.
Others looked back at the port teary-eyed, afraid of what the future in a far away country might hold for them.
Grace Bertram was one of these people. She clutched her hands around the railing, wishing to be back in her room in her townhouse in central London, getting ready for lunch. But no, lunch would be served in the dining saloon today, followed by the dinner afterward.
The Titanic was not paradise, like Lorelei had called it when they had entered their suites for the first time. It was her prison now, until they arrived in New York. There was no escape. Her room was directly next to Lorelei's, followed by Craig's, then Patrick's. Speaking of which, she hadn't seen him since she left him with her father. Hopefully he'd made it. He wouldn't leave her alone, right? Right?
Just then, said blond man appeared next to her, watching the ship leaving Southampton behind. He laid one of his hands on hers and squeezed it, like he wanted to tell her everything was going to be fine. Grace doubted it, but she was a lady, no matter what.
"Come inside, dear, I don't want you to get cold," Craig said, when the port of Southampton wasn't more than a line at the horizon. She obeyed. This would be her life now.
A/N: Well here we are! Special thanks goes to Idan for betaing and Totorsg and Nerwen Aldarion for helping me with my doubts about this story.
I really hope you enjoyed it and would like to read more! As always, the captain would love to hear your opinion about how good or bad the ship is sailing so far… so feel free to leave a review :)
Liefs