Author's note: Many thanks go out to madasahatter for beta reading my story for me and helping me out with ideas.
Chapter OneThe blaring of the ship's horn could've easily deafened any innocent passerby. Charles Lightoller and William Murdoch found themselves covering their ears but exchanging excited smiles. They were like two little boys on Christmas morning.
This was it; they were officers aboard the greatest ship ever built! They were on Titanic!
"Imagine the stories you'll have to tell," William Murdoch said.
"You can write back to your family and lovely wife..." Charles Lightoller's sentence trailed off as he looked over the railing. He could see an endless sea of faces he didn't recognize but there was one that was familiar...
I don't care what he says Josie; I'll never leave you!
"Lightoller? Charles?"
Charles was brought back to the reality of the moment by Murdoch who was busy shaking his left shoulder.
"Are you all right Lights? For a moment there you were thousands of miles away," Murdoch said.
"Huh? Yes, I'm...fine." As hard as he tried Charles couldn't make himself sound convincing.
The expression on Murdoch's pleasant face revealed his disbelief. He followed his friend's gaze downward until his blue eyes spotted a young woman dressed in brown holding a straw hat so that it would not go flying away in the breeze. "Isn't she quite the prize?" He remarked.
"Yes," Charles said quietly.
"If you know her go say 'hullo' to her."
Charles found himself looking away as a pained expression crossed his face. "I can't do that. Not after what happened."
Swallowing a comment about making amends Murdoch found himself wondering how to aid and comfort his friend. Glancing over once again he saw the girl there again but this time with two people he assumed to be her parents. An older man was urging the girl and other woman along. There was something about him that Murdoch could not place his finger on, the man was almost... Adjectives failed the Scotsman who thought the father looked very much like a stern figure.
"Why don't you go inside? I'll see the Cap'n," Murdoch offered his friend. Perhaps some time inside where he couldn't see the girl would do Charles good.
~*~*~*~
"They say she is unsinkable," Ruth Phillips commented.
Reaching up she tucked a wayward wisp of her dark hair back into the elaborate and outdated knot it was in. Her sharp eyes were a deep emerald green. For the first day of the voyage she wore a dress that matched her eyes.
Ruth watched as other passengers passed by smiling and tipping their hats. Ruth smiled back at a middle-aged man.
"Practically unsinkable Mama," Josephine corrected. She cautiously placed her hand on her head to keep her hat from falling off. Once she was in America she was buying a new one—one that fit! It both annoyed her and yet amused her at the same time as she was forced to wonder how many other women experienced the same problem.
Josephine herself was the child of an Irish father and an English mother. Her parents had met when her father spent what was to be a brief trip in England. Upon his meeting Ruth he decided to stay.
"Don't talk back to your mother, Josie," Alexander Phillips ordered.
"Sorry Da."
Alexander frowned as they passed another window. "How does one find their way 'round this ship?"
"Ask the stewards, dear," Ruth said.
Alexander made a face but said nothing. His hazel eyes glared at Ruth like daggers.
Josephine began to keep one or two steps behind her bickering parents. Their marriage hadn't always been like that; it had been a good marriage once. But that all ceased on the day Abigail died.
...Abigail had been the older of the two girls and Alexander's favorite though Josephine wasn't far behind.
At a rather young age Josephine had fallen in love with a sailor and wanted to learn how to swim to be with him. Never mind he was an adult and she a mere child, it didn't matter to her.
Through fits of laughter fourteen-year-old Abigail agreed to teach her seven-year-old sister how to swim. It was there something went terribly wrong.
Josephine couldn't recall much of the events of the day. She could remember someone's large hands pulling her out of the water and into a lifeboat. She could recall screaming for her older sister who never resurfaced.
"A terrible accident and tragedy" they all called it.
Ruth and Alexander never recovered from the blow and blamed one another. Had one of them been there to watch then perhaps it wouldn't have happened...
"How does one—oh!" Ruth began to fall backwards and into her daughter's arms. They both came close to falling over and would've had some passing men not intervened.
"Are you all right, ma'am?" One of them asked.
Putting on a smile Ruth nodded to the man, "I haven't quite acquired my sea legs yet. It's been quite a long time since I've last been on a ship."
"It'll come with time ma'am."
It was killing Josephine not to smile as she recalled an incident of her own.
How does one walk from one end of the ship to the other? Josephine had wondered to herself. And more importantly how long did it take a person to earn their sea legs?
She didn't dare hitch up her skirts as she did her best to walk. Perhaps it would be easier if she crawled... The idea of doing so did make her laugh to herself.
"Are you hurt, ma'am?" A distinguished English voice asked.
Looking over Josephine saw a man watching her. His hat covered his dark blonde hair. His blue eyes shone out from under the brim that was busy casting dancing shadows across his handsome face. When he smiled politely the cleft in his chin deepened.
"I still have yet to earn my sea legs," Josephine explained.
"Then let me help you ma'am." Without any other words he walked up to her and scooped her up into his arms.
Josephine felt her heart rate quicken at what had just happened but the man smiled kindly at her. She knew she could've slapped him for his behavior but she couldn't raise her hand. She could only look up at him.
"Where do you need to be?" He asked.
"Below decks. My parents are waiting for me," Josephine said.
"Below decks it is then!" He carried her down the steps without an ounce of fear.
Josephine, on the other hand, was rather frightened and feared him tripping. Her arms tightened around his neck making him chuckle.
"Never fear, ma'am. I won't let you fall," he said. He decided to change the subject, "I suppose I should ask you your name?"
"Josephine Phillips."
"Where is your family's cabin located Miss Phillips?"
"It's room forty-two-A. And you?"
"Pardon?"
"Your name sir."
"Lightoller. Charles Herbert Lightoller." Charles took a moment to admire his charge. She was a pretty thing, though younger than he. Her hair was a shade of reddish-brown he had not seen in a long time. Her eyes also struck him, as they were such a dark green they were almost black.
"Josie!" A familiar voice cried out.
"Mama—" Josephine said.
Ruth interrupted, "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"No, Mama. I was havin' difficulty walkin' and Officer Lightoller helped me by carryin' me downstairs."
Charles' attempt at verifying this one fact was cut short by Ruth demanding that he put her daughter down this very instant.
"Yes ma'am," Charles said. He carefully set Josephine down and would not let her go until he was certain she could stand on her own.
"Thank you, Officer Lightoller," Josephine said.
Charles reached out to kiss Josephine's hand. He was about ready to when she was pulled away and he was left kissing the air. Sighing to himself he saw Ruth pulling her daughter down the hall by her wrist as Josephine was frantically explaining that Officer Lightoller's intentions were perfectly noble.
A friendship quickly blossomed between the two as Charles made it a point of carrying her around everywhere he could. It began with the two of them talking, getting to know every detail about the other.
He had taken to calling her by her nickname of "Josie."
The other sailors teased Charles mercilessly and loudly made bets on how long it would take for him to propose to her.
Charles quietly took notes at how to get them back.
The eleven-year age difference didn't appear to bother them as they connected on an entirely different level in just a few short days. It was a level that went beyond just friendship.
"How will I ever earn my sea legs if you carry me everywhere?" Josephine asked.
"Fair ladies such as yourself needn't worry 'bout such things," Charles joked.
"Are you going to carry me around every ship we set foot on? Goodness, people will think we're married!"
Charles laughed. "And that's a bad thing?"
"Do you carry all the ladies around the decks?"
"Only the lovely ones named Josephine Phillips."
"Josie, would you like to stroll around Titanic?" Ruth asked.
"Hmm? Yes, Mama, I would like that," Josephine said.
"Be back in time to change for supper."
"Yes Mama." Turning her back on them Josephine felt as if a two-ton weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She loved her parents dearly but heaven help her they frustrated her to no end! If it wouldn't be so scandalous she imagined they would've gotten a divorce years ago.
Josephine walked away as quickly as she could without looking rude. She pretended to be interested in the architectural style of the ship and admiring the freshly painted walls. Before she knew it she was forced to hold up a gloved hand to her mouth to keep from giggling.
Of all things someone had missed a spot! She could easily see a small patch of wall that had not been painted. Whoever was responsible was most likely to get a long lecture if the missed area were ever discovered by someone in charge.
Glancing to the side she could see women passing by dressed in a rainbow of colors. She reckoned many of the women had worn their nicest clothes for show today and would perhaps do so on their last day aboard Titanic. Some people liked to keep up appearances.
"Lookit that!" An excited voice exclaimed. Two young men, who couldn't have been any older than sixteen, were bent over the railing to get a look at the water.
Josephine watched them for a second but also feared that they could easily fall overboard. She feared the railing wasn't high enough and someone could easily get hurt, or worse, fall overboard and drown.
"Gentlemen, you'll want to step back," an officer said. He took the shoulders of both men and pulled them back. "We wouldn't want you falling overboard."
The two looked at one another as if they had been caught doing the exact opposite of what they should be doing. It didn't take them long to run away under the officer's gaze.
The officer turned and hit something solid. It took him only a second to realize he had ran right into a woman passenger. He reached out to steady her all the while apologizing. "Terribly sorry..."
"It's my fault, I wasn't lookin'..." Josephine said as she looked up at the officer.
Charles looked down.
Oh, God.
Those eyes.
"Josie?!"
"Charles?"