Okay. So I have a new idea for a story. I know I haven't finished the last story yet and I haven't written anything for it in... forever. But I had to get this idea written out first before I lose the will to write it. I'm not sure if anyone has written a story about this before and if they have, I promise I'm not copying you its just that two great minds think alike.

Disclaimer - I do not own Twilight or its characters, that's Stephanie Meyer. I also didn't write (the movie) and I also don't own (the ship) Titanic or any of its characters, that's respectively James Cameron and some guys somewhere (I think its the RMS Titanic INC.). Okay so now that's out of the way let's get started.


Preface

The year is 1996. Many things have passed and advancements have been made to form the America that I knew now. But one thing in the world that haven't changed… was me. I have experienced so much in my time that focusing on the future was the only thing that kept me moving forward. Otherwise I would be stuck reminiscing about my past life, with her.


My name is Mary Alice DeWitt Bukater. I was born May 1, 1884. I remember my mother told me that I was a tiny baby, and that no doctor expected me to survive. My own father didn't anticipate me living past the first year. To say the least, I wasn't so sad when he died.

"But I knew you would survive," my mother would say with a twinkle in her eye. "You were my little fighter."

Now of course I would be mad that she called me little, but I couldn't help but feel proud when she said I was a fighter. It made me realize that I could do anything my heart desired.

I planned to go to school and be one of the first women in my family to go to university. I dreamed of prospering on my own and starting my own fashion business. I had aspirations to travel the world and learn new cultures.

I always woke up with a smile on my face, happy with my dreams, until that wretched day when she told me she had found me a suitor. That was the day I also realized that my dreams were never going to come true.

Our family was having financial problems and was slowly traveling down the path of poverty. After father died, we had no steady income and were living off of his life savings. So my sister, Cynthia, and I tried to help mother by becoming a part time dressmaker.

Of course this was only done when the others of the elite class weren't watching lest they might realize that we were poor. That would ruin our status and we would be dropped from our position of power.

My mother hated the idea of a woman working. She hated it more than those women with the high hats finding out that we bought our clothes in scraps and slowly mended them into expensive looking dresses.

She figured that the fastest way to regain our money was to marry into wealth. Since I was of age, she began the search for a proper wealthy man who would take my hand in marriage. Within a month's time she found a potential suitor for me. "It's your duty," she would say, "to do whatever you can to help this family."

My mother played off of my weakness. She knew that I would do anything to help my family. I already had a part time job making dresses with my sister and was thinking of starting our own business.

But I knew that making a business off of dressmaking from own labor would sacrifice our social status, which my mother would never willingly do. I understood that my duty was to make my mother happy, no matter what it cost me in return.

The man that she found was named Jasper Whitlock. He was a rich, southern gentleman who would happily take my hand in marriage. Only I wasn't too happy to take his in exchange.

I didn't want to be tied down by marriage. I wanted freedom. But the way to freedom those days was to have a man at your side.

Jasper was a nice man and he tried his best to sprout interest for him in my heart. We went sailing on the Mississippi and tried foreign cuisine, and still nothing he did would impress me. I will admit that everything we did was interesting but he felt like a close friend and no more.

Jasper wouldn't give up trying to impress me. He was a fighter like I, which made him unable to take defeat. So he had my family journey to England for a special surprise.

The surprise was that he was going to propose to me. The moment our ship docked, Jasper turned to me and got down on one knee and held up the prettiest ring imaginable. The ring had a large diamond with so many facets that it was twinkling like a star on a dark night. Then all around the ring was intricate cuts and swoops that formed the band.

It was beautiful and must have cost a fortune.

Of course my mother was splendidly happy and my sister, just sixteen looked jealous. I just gave a small smile and accepted the ring. It was too many people around us to not say 'Yes' without embarrassing my mother.

He had the butlers leave with our bags while we slowly made our way to the hotel.

Jasper and I walked hand in hand in comfortable silence enjoying the scenery. He would lightly tap my ring, as if to make sure it was still there.

My mother and sister walked behind us smiling widely the entire time. Upon reaching the hotel, the doorman opened the door to reveal a party that was already in progress. Jasper had already anticipated me to say yes, and had planned our engagement party in advance. A group of strangers hugged me and congratulated me on my engagement to Jasper, while he slowly made his way around to all the guests greeting them with warm smiles.

I felt wrong being with all those people. I wanted nothing to do with the lavish celebrations going on downstairs, so I retired to my room. Gazing out my room window and I idly spun the ring on my finger. The night was cool; making me shiver. I felt a knot forming in my stomach and it made the hairs on my neck stand up. The faster I turned the ring, the stronger the feeling got.

"Mary Alice." A whisper behind me said. A hand shot out of the dark room and grabbed my shoulder.

I spun around in fright and met the worried eyes of Jasper. "Mary Alice? Would you take a walk with me?"

I put a hand over my heart to slow its beating and nodded my head 'yes'. He politely slipped on my fur coat and led me out the back door of the hotel to avoid all of the partying guests.

The crisp air hit my lungs with a vengeance and expanded all my senses.

Jasper looked nervous. If it was even possible he looked more nervous than when he proposed to me earlier that day. I decided to help him out.

"Did you want to speak to me about something?" I said pulling the coat around me tighter.

He nodded and smiled. "Actually the party inside wasn't the only surprise I had planned for us."

He paused as if considering his words.

"I saw that you weren't participating in that party, so I was afraid you wouldn't like my next surprise."

I felt sad for him. I finally decided to give him a break since he was only trying to let me have a good time.

"No I was just tired from the voyage. That's all."

Jasper took a great sigh. "Well that's great, because I bought tickets for an ocean liner where you can get as much rest as you want. It's practically like this hotel behind us," he said pointing, "only bigger."

I tilted my head in amazement. Bigger? The hotel behind us was huge, on a grand scale and there was a boat that was bigger than that? I couldn't imagine. He saw the look of disbelief on my face.

"Yes bigger. It's leaving tomorrow so don't bother unpacking your suitcase. Make sure to tell your sister and mother also." He was absolutely beaming with excitement now.

"What's the name of the ship?" I asked in wonder.

"Umm…" He said fishing the tickets out of his coat pocket.

"The RMS Titanic."