A/N: A rewrite of the original story. There were some consistencies with the history and the overall flow of the original, so a rewrite had to be done.
Disclaimer: Story and character rights go to both James Cameron and Roy Ward Baker and to their respective production companies. Third party characters (e.g. Jesse Williams, Eric Almstead, Karl Johann Heikkinen) are the creation from my head, and are not related to anyone, living or dead. While this story is slightly based on actual events, and to also represent the tragedy of the R.M.S. Titanic over 106 years ago, the names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents created herein are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. However, even as an A/U type, this story will be written in a realistic way possible.
Prologue
Seagulls cry above as the crew aboard the largest ship ever built prepares for the maiden voyage to America, from the port of Southampton, England, on the evening of April 9, 1912. The thin, wispy clouds casts a hue of violet, pink, red, and orange as the sun slowly set in the horizon. A final steward exits the R.M.S. Oceanic, followed by a young American and his new immigrant friend. The steward pats the young, tall American as he exits the ship, while the young immigrant looked up at his friend. This tall young man stood out, as he was well ahead of his time. He had hair that constantly covered his eyes, which was highly unusual for the Edwardian era. He gave a small, dimpled smile, as the young immigrant blushed. He pushed his hair to one side, before clipping it, then they hoisted their meager belongings over their shoulders to begin their trek across the busy dock to the White Star office, to begin getting their tickets. They later arrived at a nearby South Western Hotel as they prepared themselves to board the largest, most luxurious and safest ship ever built in the morning. However, these young men are traveling back to America as third-class passengers.
The R.M.S. Titanic's horn echoed throughout the night for the final time, before the young men decided to settle in for the night at a nearby inn. A young immigrant by the name of Karl looks out the window, and sees a ship in the darkness, as the lights are ablaze against a backdrop of blackness over the port of Southampton. He couldn't contain his excitement, even during their trip throughout Europe, as he left his native home in Finland. In addition to traveling with his American friend, he was also traveling with another young man named Eric, but he disappeared and hung out with a couple of young men who were named Jack Dawson, a fellow American and penniless artist wandering Europe, and Fabrizio de Rossi, another immigrant from Italy. A young man named Jesse shifted in his bed for the last time before finally falling asleep, for he was weary from the long journey, and the fact the sister ship he was on previously had lost a propeller blade en-route to Europe, and since then the two men had been stuck there. At this point, he was looking forward to going back home as well. Eventually, the young immigrant closed the curtains and finally went to sleep, thinking of plans of what to do in his new home in America.
Titanic's horn blows in the distance as Eric hangs out with his new-found friends Jack and Fabrizio, as they engaged in a final round of late night poker, filled with cheap beer and stale cigarettes, as Jack was desperate to find a poor sap to take his tickets from. Eric had already purchased his tickets, but was dismayed he was boarding as a third-class passenger, not in the coveted first-class he had been in since he was in the R.M.S. Olympic just months prior, with Jesse. After that inconvenience of the ship losing a propeller blade, he and Jesse had stayed in Europe, but both became weary and wanted to return home, since Jesse's work with repairing cars had been done since their arrival. Eventually, he, Jack and Fabrizio decided to turn in for the night, to get ready for the maiden voyage, and for Jack, hopeful to get a ticket, and finally go home after he spent nearly a few years in Europe.
Together, with approximately 2200 passengers and crewmembers, including the ship's builder, chairman, and the captain, they would be boarding on the Ship of Dreams, on a maiden voyage to America.