A/N: (This chappie's all right for me, 3,527 words) Hey people! So glad you've decided to read this. If you have, I love you! This is probably the first ever Titanic/Final Fantasy XIII story ever, and it's certainly the only one I've ever seen, so yeah.

I first thought of this story when I was playing a DS game involving the Titanic, and I thought, You Beauty, I'll write a Titanic story! LOL. I'll write the first five chappies for this, and then I'll go back to my other story(s) and do them in a loop. It seems the easiest way to do things on this site, especially when you have two or more stories running at the same time.

I know it says Hope/Lightning up there, but I will warn you, there will be some Snow/Serah fluff in here too. Maybe some Fang/Vanille, but it depends how I'm feeling :)

To avoid confusion, this story is AU, and nearly all of my Hope/Light stories are when Hope is 18 or over, or when they both are teens (as in my story, New Beginnings (please review!)). In Better Days, they're all in Oerba, but Dajh is NOT a crystal, which classifies it as AU. Not that I'm not saying that teens shouldn't crush on adults, because what's the point, they're bound to at some point in their lives. I'm just saying that I don't think they should be acted upon in the real world, where there are real laws.

So no more delaying, here is my Titanic/FFXIII story, The Second Titanic. Enjoy!

PS: these chapters are going to change perspective, but are going to be third-person, so have fun reading. No, really.


It was late morning. Lightning sat on her couch in her plain, bare apartment, idly watching the news. There was nothing else on, and she was bored, so GNN news was the only thing on that wouldn't drive her insane in the first ten minutes. The twenty-six year old wasn't really into it though; her mind was floating off somewhere even she didn't know. She was hungry, yet she didn't want to eat or make anything; she was tired, yet she didn't want to get up and go back to bed. She was in one of those I-don't-care, CBF* moods.

Her doorbell rang, startling her. Who the hell could that be? I don't want to get up. Oh, what do I do? She thought. Stuff it; I'm getting up.

Slowly, she got up and headed toward the it was knocked again. Can't they be patient? She got to the door and opened it just as they were about to knock again. It was a postman, clutching a cream-coloured letter tightly in one hand, and his other was raised in a fist to knock again. He quickly lowered his fist and said, "A letter for you, Miss Farron." He politely handed her the envelope and quickly backed away.

Lightning shut the door, clutching the envelope. She frowned. It said on the front, 'Claire Farron,' and her address clearly. It couldn't have been Serah; she texts, not give letters. She sighed and placed it on the coffee table. She would open it later.

Ring, ring! Ring, ring! The phone rang, startling her slightly. She sighed and picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Omigod, Claire! Did you get a cream-coloured envelope just now?" Serah's all-too-familiar voice jumped out at her from the phone's speakers, nearly deafening her.

"Yes, I did. Why?"

"Get dressed, get over here, and bring that envelope with you!" Click.

Lightning put the phone back and sighed. Dammit, she wanted a relaxing day! Oh well. She would go see what all the fuss was about, and then come back home and sleep.

As she left, she did not notice the story on GNN News.


"This week marks the one hundredth anniversary of the tragic sailing of the RMS Titanic, the supposedly 'unsinkable' luxury liner that struck an iceberg and sank during its maiden voyage in 1912. Because the Titanic had been equipped…"

"Snow! Get in here!" Serah shouted. She had been looking over her letter, idly re-reading the words she had by now memorised:

Miss Farron,

As you might well know, this week is the one-hundredth anniversary of the launching of the RMS Titanic, and we have been hard at work building its replica, the Titanic II. As a descendant of William O'Sullivan, one of the original Titanic's survivors, we would like for you to join us on the Titanic II's maiden voyage as a special guest. Your complementary ticket to your 1st Class stateroom is enclosed in case you wish to join us.

Hope to see you on the trip,

Captain Nelson Miller.

"Snow! Where are you?" Serah shouted again.

"Coming, babe!" she heard her fiancé shout back. She could hear loud footsteps in the hallway, and suddenly she could feel warm arms circling her from behind. Snow planted a kiss on her cheek, making her blush slightly.

"What have you got there?" Snow asked, planting another chaste kiss on her neck.

Serah fought not to giggle. "A letter. You have one too; it's on the counter. I'll let you figure out what it is, though, because I have a feeling that mine and yours are exactly the same."

He let go of her and reached for the envelope on the counter addressed to him. He eagerly opened it and read through it, a small frown on his face. As he reached the end of it, his eyes widened and his trademark 'Hero' smile was on his lips. He carefully put the letter down and turned Serah in his arms until they were face-to-face. Serah smiled.

"Well?" she asked.

"We're going on a cruise, baby!" Snow exclaimed, picking his future wife up in his arms and spinning her around once. He put her back down and kissed her lips once. Serah drew him back down to her height and kissed him again. When she kissed him, time slowed down, and everything blacked out but him and her, as though they were in their own private bubble, separate from the rest of the world and in their own.

The doorbell rang once, but Snow ignored it, still kissing Serah until she was breathless. The doorbell rang again, repeatedly, as though the person ringing it was irritated and impatient. Serah sighed inwardly and put both hands on Snow's broad shoulders, gently and reluctantly pushing him off of her. His blue eyes met her cerulean ones, so like her sister's.

"Lightning's here," Serah explained, smiling slightly. In truth, her head was still spinning from Snow's kiss. She shook her head slightly, dizzy. Snow plopped down on the couch and idly watched the television, where a black-haired woman was reporting a story for GNN News.

"…The new ship, while harking back to that bygone era, has been updated to reflect the advancements in shipbuilding technology since then. Titanic II will sail along the Atlantic Coast, completing the journey…"

Snow's eyes widened for the second time that morning. "Serah, Lightning! You're gonna want to see this!"

He could hear running from the front door to the living room, where Snow waited. He pointed to the TV. "Listen."

"…The operators of the luxury vessel have gone to great lengths to track down descendants of the original passengers of the ill-fated Titanic and have invited them to be special guests aboard this maiden voyage. For GNN News, this is Rebecca Smyth reporting."

Silence. Everyone was silent. Lightning raised an eyebrow, confused. "What was all that about?"

Serah turned back to her, a smile on her lips. "Read that letter you got out loud and find out." She had a mischievous grin on her face now, the same grin she had when they were children and she had been caught by her mother doing something she knew she shouldn't, but knew she wouldn't get in trouble for it.

Lightning sighed, ripped open her envelope, and read, "Dear Miss Farron. As you might well know, this week is the one-hundredth anniversary of the launching of the RMS Titanic, and we have been hard at work building its replica, the Titanic II. As a descendant of William O'Sullivan, one of the original Titanic's survivors, we would like for you to join us on the Titanic II's maiden voyage as a special guest. Your complementary ticket to your 1st Class stateroom is enclosed in case you wish to join us. Hope to see you on the trip, Captain Nelson Miller."

Lightning's eyes widened. "Oh, my God. Serah, did you…?"

"Got it right here," Serah stated, holding up her and Snow's envelopes. "Snow got one too, and I bet we're gonna get a call from-"

Before she could finish that sentence, the phone rang harshly, stopping her. She grinned, picking up the phone. "I told you so." She pressed the call button and said, "Hello?"

"Serah! Omigod, did you see the news?" Vanille's chirpy voice practically screamed through the speakers, deafening her slightly. She fought not to laugh as she put her on speaker.

"You're on speaker, Vanille. Lightning's here too."

"Omigod! Me, Fang, Hope, Sazh and Dajh all got letters saying we've got complementary tickets for a cruise on the replica of the Titanic!"

"Really? So did we!" Serah exclaimed, eyes bright. Snow hugged her from behind, smiling, and Lightning had the touch of a smile on the corners of her lips.

"Get over here Vanille; we want to see the letters!" Serah said, putting her free hand on Snow's muscled arm.

"Will do! I'll bring the others with me!" and with that, she hung up. Serah put the phone back where it was and smiled at Lightning from Snow's arms.

"Good thing you're off work for a month, isn't it, Claire?" Serah's smile widened. "I'm waiting for a thank you."

Lightning shook her head, smiling slightly. "Thank you, Serah." She put heavy emphasis on the words 'thank you'.

Serah giggled. "Anytime, Claire!" she sang.

"Not on your life," Lightning said under her breath. Work gave her something to do, and she was on forced vacation for a month! Sure, she was still paid, but she was off work for a month! She needed something to do during the day or she would go mad. It was why she went to work in the first place.

When she finally broke away from her thoughts, she was met with the sight of them kissing. Lightning gritted her teeth.

"Get a room, you two!" she growled. Serah could do so much better than Snow!

"We have one, thank you," Serah replied, then pulled Snow back down for another kiss. Lightning rolled her eyes. Well, if she was happy, she might as well allow it. But the second she wasn't, she would be the first in line to punch Snow's cheeky little 'hero' grin off his stupid face. She turned away from the happy couple and almost ran to the guest bedroom she usually occupied when she was here, shutting the door behind her. She would leave them to it until the others arrived.

Meanwhile Serah and Snow were now on the couch, her legs tangled up in his, her hands in his hair as they kissed. His bandanna was discarded when they had made it onto the couch and was now lying on the ground. Serah pulled away slightly, and two pairs of heady blue eyes locked together. Snow smiled and ran his hands through her now-loose hair, twirling one of her strawberry curls around his finger. Serah smiled back.

"So…what are we going to do on that cruise, huh? You got anything planned?" Snow inquired. He was curious to see exactly what his future wife had planned.

"Yeah. You know how we don't have a fixed date for our wedding?" Serah replied, lazily tracing circles on her fiancé's broad chest with her finger.

Snow smiled and nodded. He knew exactly where this was going.

"I was thinking…maybe we could get married on the ship. Everyone will be there, and I always wanted a wedding on the water," she finished, planting a kiss on Snow's lips.

"I think it's a perfect idea. No Yuj to complain about what we have to wear, and what colour goes with what. Lebreau's gonna be pissed. She said she wanted to be the one to catch the bouquet." Snow smiled mischievously.

"Aw, I wanted Claire to anyway. I'm sure Lebreau can deal, can't she?" Serah rested her head against Snow's chest, listening to his heart. The steady thump, thump, thump relaxed her. She pushed herself back up, looking into Snow's eyes once more before pulling him in again for another kiss. She closed her eyes and gave in to the moment, all but hurled herself into it. All she could see was the backs of her eyelids; all she could feel was Snow's lips pressed against hers, leading them open and closed. The doorbell rang for the second time that morning, and when Serah pulled back Snow moaned, just a bit.

"Why do all our friends have the worst timing?" Snow muttered under his breath as Serah untangled her legs from his, replaced her usual side-ponytail, carefully pulled herself up and off of Snow, and walked over to the door to answer it, her head spinning again from Snow's kiss. She could still feel his lips against hers, as if he were still kissing her, and blushed slightly. She quickly shook her head and opened the door to find Vanille and Fang smiling at her. Fang was the same as ever, her hair still a mess and the same part of her hair braided behind her ear. She was wearing a plain black tee with black cargos. Vanille was still as bright as the sun; her bright-red hair in its usual style of two bunches on either side of her head. She wore a purple tee, a black plaid skirt and ballet flats. Serah looked behind them to find Hope, Sazh and Dajh staring back at her excitedly.

"Come on in, guys," Serah said, stepping back so they could enter. "I'll get Claire."

"No need," Lightning said drily. "I'm already here."

"Great! Into the living room, then," Serah chirped, leading the way into said room, everyone following behind her. Snow moved over so Serah could sit next to him, and everyone found a spot except Lightning, who had to take a spot next to Hope, perching on the arm of his chair, which was the point. Everyone knew that the 19 year old like-liked Lightning and Serah was sure that she liked him back, but both were too embarrassed to say anything about it. Lightning was stubborn as all hell, and refused to even admit that she liked him, and Hope could never get enough courage to tell her himself. Hopefully (pardon the pun) something would happen on the cruise that would make them see that they did like each other, and make them do something about it.

"Ok, we all know why we're here," Serah began, feeling a little nervous. Thankfully Dajh piped up from his place on his father's lap, "We're going on a cruise!"

Everyone laughed except Lightning, who merely smiled, and Serah felt less nervous because of it.

"Well, Dajh said it; we're going on a cruise. And," Serah looked over at Snow enquiringly, and he nodded. Smiling broadly, Serah continued, "Me and Snow are planning on getting married on the cruise as well."

There was a squeal from Vanille, and suddenly Serah was surrounded by her friends and her sister, congratulating her on picking a date, and then Snow was there, opening his arms to her, which she nestled herself into. Lightning smiled slightly. As long as Serah was happy, she would be. At least, that's what she told herself. She knew now that she could not talk her sister out of marrying Snow; she'd already tried when they'd announced they were engaged.

"What? You're engaged? To him?" Lightning spat. Serah shrank back into Snow's arms. She looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes. Snow smiled down at her, and wiped the tears away.

She looked back to Lightning. "Yes, Claire, I am. And there's nothing you can say or do to convince me otherwise."

"You can do better than him, Serah! You know you can!" Lightning yelled. "Why do you choose him?"

Serah lost her temper. "Because I love him!" she exploded. "You don't understand! You will never understand until you find someone of your own! And I hope to the Goddess you do. Come on, Snow," Serah finished, tugging the bewildered and hurt Snow by the hand out of the apartment.

Lightning never wanted to make her sister yell or cry like that again, so she hid her disapproval behind a steel door and locked it. It was the first time since she'd first joined the Guardian Corps that Serah had yelled at her like that. She hoped that it would never happen again.

It had taken her a long time to see that she had indeed crossed the line, and even longer to be able to even get the opportunity to apologise to Serah and Snow, let alone do it. They had readily agreed to accept her apology, and everything had been fine-ish ever since. They'd had their arguments, but they were small and easy to resolve. Don't all families have those arguments?

She saw a hand flash in her vision and her own hand flashed out, gripping it hard in her own. It wasn't a minute later that she realised that the hand she now held belonged to Hope, who was looking at her, a concerned look upon his face.

"You alright? You were kinda spaced out there," Hope said, fighting a blush. She was holding his hand. It felt like it was on fire but in a good way, as did his cheeks, which told him he had lost his fight with his impending blush. He tried to look away, but only succeeded in locking his emerald-green eyes with Snow's blue. He smiled and winked at him, which only made him blush harder. Oh, how he wished Snow didn't know he had a crush on Snow's sister-in-law-to-be. He wished that no-one knew he had a crush on Lightning, but sadly, you can't always get what you wish. Even worse was that with this group, you never get exactly what you wish for. Hope grimaced at that thought.

He wondered how he was going to get through a cruise with this group if he could barely get through daily life being their neighbours. He smiled, and looked over at Lightning, who had the hint of a smile on her lips. He'd get through somehow.


Is this ending a little too abrupt? I spent hours reading through the chapter, and most of that time whiled away with me sitting on my laptop, staring at the second-last paragraph, going "Aaargh, how do I end it?" but I managed to end it, as you can see :P

Omg, I was choking a little on the fluff I was writing, because it was more than I have ever written in one chappie before, but it's all right, Slayzer mentioned that it tasted like cotton candy. At least I'll die a happy and hyper girl ;)

Btw, CBF means Can't Be F***ed

Can anyone who read the story please review; or, you know, PM me so I know who I can thank for the Hits count.