He was on the third class boat deck when he saw her. The Italian Fabrizio and the American were apparently traveling with her. "The ship is nice, eh?" said the Italian.

"Yeah, it's an Irish ship," Tommy said with pride towards his Irish heritage. The Italian lad looked confused. "Is English, no?" Tommy scoffed. "No, it was built in Ireland! Fifteen thousand Irishmen built this ship. Solid as a rock. Big Irish hands," he said with pride toward his country.

He watched as an officer walked two dogs down the deck and scoffed again. "Ah, now that's typical. First class dogs come down here to take a shite." "Lets us know where we rank in the scheme of things," said the American, Jack, joining in the conversation. Tommy gave a sarcastic chuckle. "Like we could forget? I'm Tommy Ryan." "I'm Jack Dawson," Jack said, shaking the Irishman's hand. "Fabrizio," said the Italian. Tommy said hi to him too.

Tommy stared at the woman next to Fabrizio. She was beautiful, with cow-black hair and bright green eyes. "And who might you be, lass?" he asked quietly. She set aside her book and smirked. "I'm nobody. Who are you? Are you nobody too?"

Tommy let out a great barklike laugh. "Then there's a pair of us - don't tell! They'd banish - you know!"

"How dreary to be somebody!

How public like a frog

To tell one's name the livelong day

To an admiring bog!"

"Goddamn, you are something else," said the girl. Tommy was surprised. Here was a girl who could swear like a sailor and quote poetry like a lady. "Don't judge a book by its cover," he warned smilingly. "Come now, you must have a name."

"I'm Samantha Miller, but most folk call me Sam," she said.

Tommy turned back to Jack. "Do you make any money with your drawings?" But the steerage artist wasn't paying attention. Jack was staring at a beautiful redhead on A deck, completely lovestruck. Fabrizio waved his hand, but it didn't work and he laughed. "Ah, forget it, boyo. You're as like have angels fly out of your arse as gettin' next to the likes of her!"

"Tommy's right, Jack, you've not got an chance in hell with her," Sam pointed out. Jack snapped out of it and grinned. "Hey, a guy can dream!" Jack and Fabrizio went down to the general room to kill some time before lunch, leaving Samantha and Tommy to their own devices. "So Tommy, what's your story?"

"I'm from Belfast, but my mother and father moved us from there to Queenstown when I was sixteen. I'm 21 now. My father and I worked in a coal yard to pay for my ticket aboard the Titanic. Took damn near a year!" he said. "And what's yours?"

"I was born and raised in the heart of New York City. My parents died in a car crash along with my brother. I moved to Southampton when I was sixteen and I've lived there ever since until Jack, Fabrizio and I boarded. Jack and Fabrizio found me in a pub and won us our tickets in a poker game off some Swedish idiots who were drunk off their asses. Jack and I are going back home and Fabrizio is going to America for the first time," she explained.

This girl is beautiful inside and out.