I decided to go back and edit / re-write certain scenes in this story I'm not exactly proud of so please take note that this story will be somewhat different than the original I posted. My reasons for re-writing this story have mostly to do with writing myself into a corner that I'm unable to find my way out of so if you've read most of this story before, I hope you will take the time to re-read it, and if you haven't read The Scorpion before, then I invite you to sit down, relax and enjoy!
Note: Several suggested for me to revise all of my current chapters first before posting them, but as you know, I've barely done anything towards the revision in months (otherwise, the revision would have been done months ago). That being said, I will post the first two revised chapters tonight and work on revising the next two this week. I hope to have all of the current chapters revised by the new year. I apologize for the wait. Thank you for being patient.
For now, I will leave the old version on my account until I've caught up, but please bear with me while I revise this story. I hope you're in for the long haul.
The rewrite will be entitled: "The Scorpion: A Tragic Love Story" because a FFN author cannot have two stories under the same title.
Title | The Scorpion: A Tragic Love Story
Story Type| Alternate Universe loosely based on the motion picture, Titanic (1997).
Description | REVISED. AU. Major Waige. Though this story is inspired by Titanic, it is a separate entity from the movie. The characters are different, and the storyline, save for a few major plot points, will not follow the pattern of the movie. I could tell you more about this story, but then that would ruin the fun of reading it and finding out what happens yourself! ;)
Rating| This fanfiction will be rated M for language, sensuality and death.
Some EXTRA Notes:
In the previous version's first chapter, I included a list of the Scorpion characters in lieu of the characters in Titanic. I decided to remove that list and write the story as if you've never seen the movie before. :) Please note that the "present day" portion of this story takes place in 1996 just like the film.
Chapter 1:
The Ship of Dreams
~ SCORPION ~
Slowly, she hovered her palm over the long, forgotten relics neatly laid out in front of her and closed her weary eyes as old, painful memories from her youth suddenly surfaced from decades of deep submersion. The soft strings of the viola… the violin… the cello… the bass… resonated inside her mind as his gentle, loving face smiled from her past and kissed her once soft, plump lips. She brought her long, frail fingers to her cold, wrinkled cheeks as she remembered the way his lips would feel against hers… how he would feather hot kisses along her slender neck, and how she would weave her hands through his thick, dark curls.
Remembering him and the way he loved her unconditionally unlocked an incredible amount of feelings she hadn't felt in many, many years, and if she could go back… if she could return to that one night and hold him in her arms again and kiss him and love him once more before everything was twisted and shattered and ripped away from her, she would.
She would always want to return to him.
Her weepy eyes fluttered open, and she spotted the silver tortoise shell mirror her mother had given her on her eighteenth birthday. Carefully, she wrapped her fingers around its handle and marveled at its intact beauty. "This was mine," she spoke quietly as she held the back of the mirror out in front of her. "How extraordinary. It looks the same as I last saw it." Then, she turned the mirror over and stared into its cracked glass. She frowned, not knowing what she had been expecting after so long.
"The reflection, though, has changed a bit..." Tenderly, she placed the mirror down on the cushioned table and picked up the next artifact. "My mother's brooch…. Such an ugly thing… I was surprised when she had tried to go back for it… Caused quite a fuss, actually." Remembering the often-crude ways her mother had treated her, she found the emotional strength within her to smirk. "Oh, the irony."
And then she saw the small butterfly comb she had worn in her once honey-colored, silky hair the night she had given him her everything…. She held it in her hands with delicacy as the comb unlocked more repressed memories.
She was going to run away with him... She was going to leave her fiancé and marry him and live out her whole life with him. There was so much they had planned to do together once they were far away from her family…, but fate had other plans in store for them.
Nothing, after that night, was ever the same.
"Mrs. O'Brien."
Her son helped her turn around towards the man (she couldn't remember his name) who had originally asked her to board this vessel floating in the middle of the Atlantic, and the frail, elderly woman forced a gentle smile. "Please call me Paige."
He nodded. "Paige?"
She glanced at her son and then to What's-His-Name before responding. "Yes?"
With a hopeful smile, he leaned forward slightly. "Are you ready to go back to Scorpion?"
She inhaled a deep breath and slowly nodded her shaky head. "As ready as I'll ever be."
The man (Oh! Why can't she remember his name?!) led her and her son to another room and then nodded over to a coworker. "Lewis is going to show you an animated analysis of how Scorpion drowned in April of 1912. If any of it makes you uncomfortable, please let us know, and we'll shut it off immediately."
"Mom," her son placed his palm over her shoulder and by the tone of his voice, she could tell he was concerned, "are you sure you want to go through this? You don't have to, you know? These men," he paused briefly, "will understand if you decide to back out."
Silently, she nodded and patted her son's warm fingers before prompting Lewis, the hairy, burly man, to begin his presentation. Though she listened and was curious of the analysis, she was unimpressed with the man's insensitive delivery. There were a few times, she was sure, her son had wanted to intervene and correct the man's verbiage on the scientific terms just by the way he had his arms crossed and was tense throughout the analysis, but her sweet Ralph kept still and listened quietly as he leaned on his cane.
She was so grateful her son agreed to attend this little vacation with her, but he wasn't as young as he used to be and without his cane, he could fall as easily as she. Yet…, despite Ralph's age, he had a young heart and loved the beautiful life he built with his wife, Sarah; his children, Anna and Sean; and his grandchildren. She smiled at the memory of holding her first great grandchild for the first time… if only… Paige blinked away her tears and refocused her attention onto the presentation, determined not to cry in front of her son and these strangers.
She had cried for many years after Ralph was born, wishing his father could be around to witness the tiny miracle they created… Their son's fetus shouldn't have survived the stress she went through during and after the ship's wreck, but he did, and even though his father didn't…, Paige would forever be grateful to him… for saving her life… for keeping her as warm as possible even though he was freezing… for preserving their child's life…. If she could go back again and live that moment over, she wouldn't change a thing no matter how tragic the experience was.
Their child lived… and has lived well for 85 years.
She would be forever grateful to her son's father, and she had never taken the family they created for granted. She loved each and every one of their descendants and spent as much time with them as she could. Falling in love with Walter Patrick O'Brien had been the best thing that had ever happened on that ship, and she didn't regret a single moment spent with him.
She had a feeling, a tiny one, that she would be seeing him again someday soon.
(But that's her little secret.)
Once Lewis was finished with his analysis, Paige straightened her back and inhaled a deep breath as Ralph took a seat next to her. She took her son's hand and squeezed it gently as she offered the bearded engineer a somewhat impressed grin. "Thank you for that fine forensic analysis." Ralph scoffed a little, and she tried not to laugh. "Of course," she continued in a clipped tone but kept her smile. "The experience was somewhat less clinical."
The nicer, more sensitive man knelt in front of her and quietly asked, "Will you share it with us?"
She first looked at her son, and then directed a nod towards the men in front of her. Perhaps it was time for people to know the truth of whom she really was…
Carefully, Paige pushed herself out of her wheelchair and wobbled over to one of the screens featuring footage of Scorpion in ruins below. Ralph offered to help her stand, but she assured him she was okay, so he relaxed against his chair but kept full alert in case she ended up needing him after all.
She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed her mind to drift her back to Scorpion. Ghostly music waltzed into her mind as she vaguely recalled officers shouting, "Women and children only!" as everywhere swarm of hysteria echoed everywhere. She immediately covered her eyes and wept quietly into her palms as the memories became too real for her.
"I'm taking her to rest," Ralph was on his feet in an instant, placing his palms on her shoulders to guide her back to her wheelchair.
Paige took a step away from Ralph and shook her head violently. "No!"
Everyone, including Ralph, grew quiet and stared at her in dead silence.
Eventually, the kinder man spoke again. "Mrs. O'Brien."
"Paige," the elderly woman reminded the young man as she sat back down in her wheelchair and folded her fingers on top of her lap. "Please call me Paige."
He smiled and nodded. "Paige, please tell us what happened?"
Ralph took Paige's palm in his, and she brought the back of his hand to her lips, kissing it gently to assure him, once more, she was all right. The elderly woman let in a deep breath of air and released it slowly as she turned to look at the footage of the ruined ship once more. "It's been 84 years…"
"Just tell us what you can," the man smiled, encouraging her to continue.
She blinked at him and pursed her lips as she quirked up an eyebrow. The sass from her younger years seemed to have resurfaced, and she gave the man a small, impatient smirk. "Do you want to hear the story or not?"
Everyone else, even her Ralphy-boy, snickered at her prissy attitude as the man – she really had a hard time remembering his name – awkwardly closed his mouth and silently prompted her to continue.
"As I was saying," she rolled her eyes a little playfully and leaned back in her wheelchair, "It's been 84 years, and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used, and the sheets had never been slept in." She then smiled as some of her happier memories came to life around her. "Scorpion was called the Ship of Dreams, and it was. It really was…."
April 10, 1912
A slender, white-gloved hand gracefully took the driver's palm as it's owner – a young, beautiful woman with flowing honey-brown hair and piercing hazel eyes – stepped down onto the pavement below. She smiled softly to her chauffer, quietly thanking him for his aid before tipping him with a few coins. She then dallied for a short minute and observed the masses of people gathered along the port of Southampton while bidding farewell to their loved ones.
It must be nice being part of a family who loved each other more than money. If only she could have had that….
Various people, from first class to third class, were lined up to board Scorpion, the fastest and largest ocean liner of the century. As her mother called for her attention, she ignored the prude woman for one more moment and gazed at the colossal vessel through her long lashes, studying its incredible features. She lost herself for a few moments, taking in the size and beauty of the Scorpion, but when her incorrigible mother and her incredibly smug fiancé joined her in admiring the steamer, Paige pretended not to be impressed and rolled her eyes dramatically as Drew, the man her mother was forcing her to marry, casually touched her back.
The nerve! Without a word, she stepped away from him and continued stoically gazing at the ship as though she was unfazed by its grandeur. She forced a frown and sighed loud enough to feign boredom and un-excitement. When Drew turned towards her, she pointed her nose into the air and squinted towards the ship as if to scrutinize it. "I don't see what all of the fuss is about," Paige clucked her tongue for added effect. "It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauretania."
"You can be blasé about some things, sweet pea, but not about Scorpion. It's over a hundred feet longer than Mauretania, and far more luxurious." He grinned much wider than he needed, and she wanted to vomit. Repeatedly. "It has squash courts…, a Parisian café… Even Turkish baths!"
'Nothing I haven't seen before…'
Not wanting anything more to do with Drew today, Paige shook her head and rolled her eyes before placing as much distance as she could between herself and Drew. She walked off to examine the ship's grandeur elsewhere. The last thing she wanted was to deal with Drew's arrogance this morning when she was still – mostly – in a good mood. In spite of Drew's materialistic description, she did agree with him on one thing, but he didn't need to know that.
As much as she would like to prove her fiancé wrong, Scorpion was indeed much larger than the Mauritania, but could the vessel really be more luxurious? She really doubted it.
Paige could still hear Drew's annoying voice talking to her mother, and she clucked her tongue and pursed her lips, just tempted to roll her eyes one more time this morning. Drew just didn't know when to shut up. His presence was the first of many things she wasn't particularly looking forward to during this trip, but since he had paid for their travels, she had no choice but at least pretend to like him a little more than she did. At least, that's what her mother wants her to do…
But, if she could have supported herself on her own, she would have stayed in Southampton and let her fiancé and mother leave for America without her. Anything to escape the life she was bred to live.
"Shall we go, darling?"
Drew suddenly approached her from behind and hooked his arm around hers ever so casually. If her mother wasn't looking, she'd slap him for being presumptuous and careless of her feelings. She knew that he knew she didn't like strolling publicly with him, but he, as always, was too proud to care about anybody other than himself. Perhaps he did care for her in his own way, but Drew had a strange and peculiar way of showing it. As did her mother.
She forced a tight smile and nodded, but she held her tongue to avoid confrontation.
Without looking back, Paige Dineen allowed Drew to lead both her and her mother to the boarding docks. Ignoring her fiancé's chatter, she secretly gazed at the deep black leviathan, wondering what the Good Lord would have in store for her as she made her way inside the Ship of Dreams.
Or rather, the slave ship taking her back to America in chains.
Walter O'Brien stared intently at the hand of cards in front of him and carefully gazed at each of the men sitting around the table. He couldn't afford to lose now. He and his friend, Toby, were far too invested in winning those White Star Line tickets to give up. He needed to win. No, he had to win. Not for himself (well, mostly for himself), but for his sister, Megan. If he didn't win those tickets, he might never see her again, and Toby would never forgive him for losing the one chance they had of returning home.
One card could very well choose his fate, and if he didn't, by some stroke of luck, receive the right one, he and his friend would be mortally screwed.
Toby eyed him suspiciously, and he silently encouraged him not to make a stupid gambling mistake, but Walter had to take the risk against the odds. "Hit me again, Sven," he said quickly and quietly.
Toby's eyes popped open. "Are you freakin' kidding me?! I know gambling, O'Brien, and you're going to lose all my money!"
Walter ignored Toby's rant – as usual – and slipped the new card into his hand. He inwardly smirked and stoically looked about the table of people again. "The moment of truth," he glanced at the Swedes and added, "Somebody's life is about to change."
Toby gritted his teeth and revealed his poor hand of cards as the Swedes did the same. Walter, however, chose not to reveal his just yet. "Looks like Toby's hand's a bust. Olaf…," Walter tsked quietly, "It seems the odds weren't in your favor either." Walter met Sven's eyes and then the Swede's hand. "Sven…. Oh, oh, oh, that's unfortunate," he frowned. "Two pair." He pursed his lips and groaned. "That's definitely unfortunate." A long-awaited smirk slowly colored his lips. "For you." His smirk grew ear to ear when he suddenly slammed his hand down on the table and exclaimed, "Full house!"
Toby's hands gripped his hair and jumped with excitement as he screamed and laughed in the Swedes' faces. Walter, though really excited he was actually going to America, contained his enthusiasm as Toby celebrated.
"You!" Sven grabbed Walter's shirt and aimed his fist at him before turning and ramming his knuckles into Olaf's nose. Walter scrambled away and dusted off his shirt as the men continued brawling on the floor.
"I can't believe you did it, Walt!" Toby exclaimed as he hugged him unexpectedly. Walter froze and pushed his friend off him. "I'm goin' back home! And when we get to America, we're going to be the richest sons of bitches there ever was! Oh," he paused and quickly added, "and your sister, too."
"No, mate!" The pub keeper called out to them and pointed towards the clock as they heard loud whistles echoing across Southampton. "Scorpion go to America! In five minutes."
"SHIT!" Toby exclaimed as Walter immediately grabbed his sketchbook and their tickets before both scampered out of the pub towards the thickening sea of people as Scorpion sounded its final warning whistle.
I hope you enjoyed the first revision. :) Please let me know what you think. I hope I'm not boring you because you've read some of this story before.
