2012 to 1912

A/N: So I finally ventured in to make my own time travel Titanic fic! I saw so many putting their own spins on it and I just had to throw my own into the fray.

April 11, 1912

"Um, this might be a little nasty sounding, but where the hell are we?" a girl about 18 years old sat up. She had raven black hair and bright blue eyes. Dressed in unfamiliar garb, she wondered what kind of costume party her boyfriend had brought her on. Standing up, she dusted off the long brown skirt and turned to see herself in a storefront window. Her hair was done up in a knot and she had on a small brown hat.

"I have no freaking idea." a boy about 6 feet tall stood up as well, finding himself in a 3 piece brown suit and a brown derby on his head. He had piercing blue eyes like the girl but he had brown hair. "Hey, do I look hot in this outfit?" he put a hand in his pocket and turned with a cocky grin on his face.

The girl laughed and socked him in the shoulder. "That's right, Artie. You look so freakin' cute in that outfit!" she did a spin and made the skirts flare out a bit.

"You look cute in that outfit there, Izzy." Artie gave her a sly look.

"Where's Leah?" Izzy turned around to see a lady in a dark blue dress come up to them, dusting off the top of her hat. She had about 3 eagle plumes in it on the left side stitched in place, it was at a diagonal angle so that the feathers didn't stick up straight. Underneath the brim of the hat, warm brown eyes peeked out. Leah had wavy brown hair that was in a knot at the back of her neck and several ringlets framed her face. Dark pink full lips and an aristocratic looking nose complemented her features. She picked up a drawstring purse that dangled from her left wrist and rooted around inside it.

"If I'm not mistaken, we've gone back in time." Leah had a loud and lively voice just like her two friends. She was older than the two other people, about 30 years old.

"Ya think?" Artie stuck out his round chin playfully, teasing his friend.

Izzy punched him in the arm lightly, grinning. "Don't be stupid!"

"Thanks, Iz." Leah looked over at Artie. "I'm glad she's your girlfriend, Art. I don't need to be the one socking you all the time!"

"Oh ha ha," Artie grimaced as Izzy gave him a saucy smile. "you're so in for it!"

"Whatcha gonna do?"

"You'll find out later. Leah, where do we go from here?"

"Why, on the Titanic of course." she showed them 3 first class tickets. "Follow me." she pulled out a dark stained hornbeam walking stick that had a brass topper on it, then led them to the pier.

"She looks so much like the others here," Izzy told Artie as they watched Leah striding purposefully toward the pier. "She belongs in this time period."

"Speaking of which, I hope our cell phones still work." Artie pulled out a Samsung Galaxy 3 while Izzy pulled out an iPhone 4. The two of them fiddled with their phones for a minute as Leah enjoyed the walk, smelling the salty sea air and hearing the waves lapping against the docks. Seagulls screeched and fought amongst themselves in the sky. The Titanic loomed up overhead, 3 of her 4 stacks already smoking and puffing out black clouds. It was immense, intimidating, standing out like a monster that could not be tamed. Momentarily Leah was taken aback and not sure whether she wanted to board or not, but she set her shoulders and boldly walked up the gangplank and handed over the 3 tickets, gesturing to the couple behind her. "These two monkeys are with me."

"Pleasure." Lightoller took their tickets. "Second officer Charles Lightoller, chief officer Henry Wilde." Wilde was a tall bloke with somber blue eyes and a waxed mustache. Lightoller had a lively look in his eyes, a hint of mischief about him, and a great smile. She shook hands with both of them, not noticing Wilde's intent glance at her.

"Likewise. Leah Brun. This is Artemis 'Artie' Webber, and Isobel 'Izzy' Frost." the aforementioned Artie and Izzy shook hands with the officers, stashing their phones in their pockets. Leah shot them a look meaning behave as they looked at her with a grinning expression, yet a hint of mischief in their eyes belied what they were thinking.

"Allow me to show you to your rooms, ma'am." a steward bowed and showed them the way from the first class entrance into the superstructure of the ship as a steam whistle sounded loudly, making Artie and Izzy jump.

Leah, however, was enchanted with the opulence of the public spaces. Any photos of the ship 100 years from then were all in black and white and didn't really do the ship any justice. She noted mahogany and dark oak paneling with golden colored accents, decorative wall sconces every few feet, and ornate paintings hanging everywhere she could see. Leah looked up and saw one of the beaded light fixtures that she last remembered seeing in one of Robert Ballard's photos from his 1986 undersea expedition to the wreck of the ship. There wasn't any marble pillars or flooring, but Leah did not think that mattered much. She could see her own face in the pillars as she passed by.

"What is that, a dead skunk wrapped around that lady's shoulders?" Artie waved his hand in front of his face like he was waving off a rancid smell. "Woooo-eee!"

"Behave!" Izzy tried to hide her laugh, but her boyfriend knew her far too well for that. The steward led them into the elevators, which reminded Artie of a gilded cage. The outer gates were brass, but the inner ones were wrought-iron. Leah stood to one side as Izzy and Artie came in. The elevator chugged to life as Artie pursed his lips and let out a very high-pitched farting sound, making Izzy smirk and even Leah cracked a small grin.

One of Leah's weaknesses was a penchant for toilet humor. She liked farting and belching, and often times Artie would make those sounds to publicly embarrass her. Izzy tolerated it to some degree, though if she was wound up, she would contribute to the noisemaking. Artie turned to look at Leah and she was biting down on her lips, trying to hide the grin. She met her friend's glance and gave him a look that clearly said stop-or-I'll-murder-you-later. Artie pretended ignorance and waved gaily with a big smile on his face.

Walking towards their rooms, Artie pulled out his phone and keyed in a text to Leah, hitting send and putting it back in his pocket before anyone noticed. A noise like a velociraptor exploded from Leah's pocket at high volume, even startling Izzy and Artie. Leah jumped as the steward jumped in surprise.

"What the devil was that?!" he unlocked the door and let them in after taking a moment. The ladies filed in and then Artie did so, sniggering openly. Leah shot him a death glare as the sea trunks came in. Izzy directed the stewards on where to put the trunks and other objects as Leah pulled out her phone, dialed the ring volume down, then sent a text to Artie with a slight smirk on her face.

"Nothing, sir. My stomach makes that kind of noise when I'm hungry." she made an excuse as Artie checked out the baths down the hall. Izzy looked out the window and saw the ship was leaving the pier amid all the cheering and waving. She smiled, thinking of the scene in Titanic where it departed, and thought that it looked very like the real thing which was now happening.

"What the hell!" Artie jumped as a long farting noise issued from the phone in his pocket. "Did you do that, Leah?"

She had just shut the door behind the steward. "Nope." a sly grin on her face, she turned to look at the electric fireplace. Artie checked the text message from Leah, which simply read ASS.

"Why thanks for noticing!" he said with glee, turning Leah around and waving his rear at her. "You like it, don't deny it!"

"Oh, really appropriate!" she smacked him lightly up the top of his head. "Grow up!"

"I'm 18!"

"Only in your head!" she laughed as she went into her bedroom, taking out the articles of clothing and hanging them up. "It's a grab bag of Edwardian garb in here. I want my jeans!"

"Me too!" Izzy moaned. "I hate dresses and heels!" Leah pulled out her books, several of which were piano sheet music, and stacked them up on the dresser. She looked around the room one more time and admired the emerald teardrop earrings she just realized she was wearing. They didn't match her outfit but they added a little extra color. Deciding to keep them in, she went into the living room where Artie was sprawled on the couch.

"Go unpack, you." she scolded. "I'm heading out on deck."

"Shouldn't we be careful or something? Like Back to the Future?" Izzy pulled off her blouse, revealing a corset, causing Artie to growl at her suggestively.

"Perv!"

"Nah. I wouldn't worry about that." Leah told them. "We're here to have fun and I doubt we're changing history at all. They'll write us off as really weird people and that's it."

"I like that idea." Izzy smirked. "Can I come up on deck with you?"

"Sure. Coming, Artie?"

"Nah. I'll chill out in here for awhile." Artie picked up and blue and gold gilt book and thumbed through it lazily. Leah and Izzy glanced at each other with their mouths open.

"Artie READING?! Wow!" Izzy mocked as they left, dodging a flying pillow.

Up near the stern deck, they saw a redhead in a lace gown with a green undershirt. "That must be Rose." Izzy remarked as they leaned against the railing. Sure enough, Hockley came over to her and said something, then she left. "Poor thing looks so unhappy."

"I would not be happy with that jackass." they watched two stewards come down the decks with a handful of dog leashes each. Leah smirked, sent a text to Izzy, whose notification ringtone was a high pitched whistle. The dogs heard it and started barking, pulling at the handlers mightily. Leah and Izzy laughed until tears nearly fell from their eyes.

One of the dogs, an Airedale, broke loose and dashed towards Leah. Before the dog could react, she had knelt down and snatched up the leash as soon as it passed her by. Izzy gave her a standing ovation as Leah bowed and they walked the dog back down to the hapless steward.

"Thank you, miss," the man was flushed and worried-looking. Izzy guessed that he was a newbie at working with dogs, maybe afraid of them on some level. "Mr. and Mrs. Astor will thank you greatly, I'm sure."

"I only want them to have the pleasure of their dog's company," Leah said eloquently. "I didn't bring my dog but I know canine love." Izzy smirked and poked at her friend's ribcage, knowing that Leah was never so formal. Leah ignored her as she nodded at the steward and walked away, forcing her friend to come with her.

"Where should we head now?"

"Don't know rightly," Leah felt like dancing but Artie, though an accomplished dancer like herself, was a bit lazy and they were on the ship to relax. "let's head to the bow."

"Deal." they passed by Jack and Fabrizio who were returning to steerage. The Italian took a shine to Izzy, though she rebuffed him gently.

"We saw dolphins out there by the ship!" Jack raked his hand through his dirty blonde hair as the salty sea spray gently splashed him.

"Don't be silly! They wouldn't be out here in such cold water!" Izzy sat on a capstan as Leah stole a look at the bridge. She mentally saw the bow as it looked in 2012, degraded with wood-boring organisms and caked with rust. Everything was corroded and junky, yet when she opened her eyes, it all looked new. It was an overwhelming feeling to know the ship was headed to her doom, but she couldn't see anything to stop it. Leah knew the ship had to hit the berg and sink so the reformed laws would take place, most of the laws coming from Lightoller himself. He was the practical seaman, though he wasn't on watch at the moment.

"Well Leah, I'm going to lunch. Coming?"

"Sure." the went to the small cafe where they found Artie already there. Several groups were already dining even though they were early for lunch, as it was only 11:30. Izzy and Leah admired the light and airy atmosphere with the decorations and paint done tastefully to accentuate the feeling of vastness the room had.

"What's going on for whores-de-overs?" Leah giggled.

"What?" Izzy looked up from her menu.

"Whores-de-overs. My dad calls hors d'ovures that."

"Your dad is funny."

"Thanks, Art. He is a hysterical guy but he says everything so deadpan so you can't tell if he's joking or not."

"Really?"

"Yes, Iz. He's been like that for as long as I've been around."

"What is this? Cream of chicken?" Artie put on a British accent. "Ooo, we have to have cream of the chicken because we can't sound like Americans; they're too common!" Izzy and Leah started chuckling, giving Artie fuel for his little performance. "Consomme Mirrette? My number one rule is if you can't say it easily, then you shouldn't order it! What's next here? Golden Plover? Oooh, we can't have regular plover because it's just too mediocre as we're British! It has to be golden because that's the only color we looooove!"

People were turning around and staring at them now. Molly Brown, Thomas Andrews, Bruce Ismay, Hockley, and the two Bukaters were equally bemused. Hockley and Ruth looked like the sewer had just backed up their noses while the others were mildly amused. Izzy and Leah tried to look embarrassed but they were giggling too hard to pretend.

"Anything else?" Izzy put her face in her hands as she tried to stifle her giggles.

"Nah, I'm done with that." Artie decided quickly. When the waiter came, he ordered the creamed chicken, Izzy chose roast chicken, and Leah chose salmon. There were a few minutes of comparative silence as they ate.

Izzy and Artie had met only a year ago in high school and Artie had described it as fireworks from the start. Leah envied the both of them, as she'd been devoid of male company for several years. She loved her freedom and was too proud to enter into a relationship for the sake of a relationship. Just because her friends were dating didn't mean that she had to either. The last man she'd dated was too intellectually challenged for her so she broke it off. The man was dumb and dense as a post and Leah didn't see any fun in a relationship where she had to explain things to him constantly. So not being her intellectual equal, she'd stood him up for a date, dumped him, and was very happy that she did.

"Earth to Leah." Izzy smiled at the faraway look in her friend's eyes.

"What?"

"Artie and I are going to the gym and then to the sauna. Coming?"

"No thanks. I am going to hit the library."

"You're on vacation!" Artie stood up as they did, leaving a tip on the table.

"What's your point?" she said with an eyebrow raised. Artie raised his hands in mock surrender.

"OK, some on." they parted ways.

Leah was prone to fits of moodiness sometimes. She walked past the first class dining saloon which was empty, then spied the piano. Opening up the glass doors, she stole into the room and sat down at the piano, cursing when her skirts got stuck on one of the foot pedals. She opened up the right damper by using the right pedal, moved the shelf over the keys up, then folded it back. Both Leah and Izzy were musical prodigies. Izzy was an expert with the flute, Leah with the piano. They would play together and scold Artie when he held his ears and bayed like a dog.

"Let's see if I remember this one." Leah played the opening to Hymn to the Sea by James Horner from the Titanic soundtrack. She played the tune and opened up her mouth, doing the wailing that some female vocalist did on the track. Putting her effort into it, when she reached the end of the song, she was a little taken aback at the silence that greeted her.

"That was amazing, Miss Brun." she turned in surprise.

"Oh, Mr. Wilde is it?" she'd recognize his mustache anywhere. He came up to her and kissed her hand.

"Indeed it is. I didn't know you had such a marvelous voice."

"Thank you, sir." she began another tune. "I'm far too shy about my own voice. I just got caught up in the song and it's like I didn't hear myself."

"I understand that completely. What are you playing now?"

It was Hedwig's theme or the beginning music from Harry Potter. "It's a little tune from where I come from. Very complex." Wilde watched as she rolled her fingers up and down over the notes, the long digits were effortlessly gliding over the keys.

"What sort of surname is Brun anyway?"

"I believe it's Dutch-can't be sure really. I do know my ancestors are Scandinavian on my mother's side."

"Your father's?"

"Mostly English and Irish. And you, Mr. Wilde?" she looked up during a pause in the music and she saw a look in his eye that was similar to the way Artie looked at Izzy. She and Wilde barely knew each other! Wilde had a soft glance in his eye which told her that he was definitely having a crush on her. Why me? I'm too plain and unattractive, she thought.

"I don't know, possibly some Swedish but mostly I'm a Brit first and last." he winked at her. "I have watch at 6 so would you like to join me for supper at 5?"

"Sure. What time is it now?" she glanced up at the clock. It was 4:45 p.m. "Wanna start heading down now then?"

He looked surprised. "Don't you want to dress first?"

"We'll be in the officer's mess or where?" Leah stood up and smoothed out her skirts. Wilde covered up the piano keys and followed her. The stewards and waiters had started to flit around here and there, getting the room ready for the supper service. Leah surreptitiously saw the plate layout and was glad that she wasn't going to dine there, at least not that night.

"If you like we can use the officer's mess. It's very informal."

"Informal is good, Mr. Wilde." she grinned. "I don't like being with a lot of hoity-toity doddering fools who talk bullshit all night. I'd rather be with the seafarers."

"Well you made the right choice then." he opened up the door and ushered her out onto the deck. "It's a bit chilly out here." Wilde put his jacket on Leah's shoulders. "So where are you traveling to then?"

Leah hastily made up a story. "The Bruns, being prominent young upstarts in a gold and zinc mine in Canada, have decided to teach me the business of gold and zinc refining and I volunteered to learn how to cast gold jewelry. My dad got me and my 2 friends tickets so we could come back home. My grandmother on my father's side also owns a store nearby so I will be managing that business as well."

"What is the store's name?"

"Stevens Inc."

"You're related to the Stevens?"

"Indeed I am."

"I've heard so many things about that family," they came up to the door and Wilde opened it for her. "it's really quite something."

The officer's mess was informal, painted in white with a pale hardwood floor. There were several framed black and white photographs of various ships and a few portholes that were cranked open. Two junior officers were playing War, of which Leah recognized as Boxhall and Moody. Wilde pulled back a chair for her and she sat down primly.

After placing their orders with the steward, Wilde told her about his 4 children and the hijinks that they managed to get themselves into all the time. Leah giggled and laughed as he regaled her with tales, then he asked her if she had any children.

"No, I can't have children."

"I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I'm not too fond of them anyway. My relationships don't last."

"Surely there must be someone who is worthy of you?"

"I don't know, Mr. Wilde."

"Henry."

"Henry then. The last man I was involved with was too stupid. How fun is it when you have to keep explaining everything to someone so dense they can't even tie their own shoes?" Leah sighed and ran her finger around the rim of her glass, making a noise.

"I can imagine. There's been nobody else since?"

"Nah. I just don't want drama. The right man will complement me in all the right ways, his strengths will offset my weaknesses, etc."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"He has to have a good sense of humor, laugh at himself, be a good handy man. I like men who work with their hands." Leah eyed Wilde and smiled as she ordered a glass of slightly diluted absinthe. "I love the sea as my grandfather was a sailor. He was pleased sort of that I can swear just like him." Wilde chortled.

After their supper concluded, Leah was introduced to Moody and Boxhall. Wilde walked her back to her suite and paused outside the door, looking down at her.

"Might I have the honor of joining you at breakfast? About 7:30?"

"I think I could get up that early this once." she teased. Wilde laughed and edged his face in nearer to hers.

"Do you mind? Am I going too fast?"

"Not at all." they kissed. "You're very good." Leah said when they parted.

"I'm glad." he kissed her hand. "Goodnight, Leah."

"And you, Henry." she unlocked the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. A smile played upon her lips as she picked out a book from the stack on her nightstand and read for several hours.

Artie and Izzy spent the day in the sauna, had a late supper in the first class dining saloon, then stumbled into the suite, giddy. Leah looked up in amusement as she turned a page. Izzy kissed Artie and both of them burbled on about what a great supper they had made more interesting for Hockley and the old fart Ruth. The lovebirds talked at once and Leah tried to understand what was being said, but she couldn't.

At about 10 p.m., Leah went to bed and set her alarm on her phone, an HTC Impulse. Dreaming of Wilde, she knew she was lovestruck already.