A/N: This is my first attempt at writing a fic that's more than a one-shot so please tell me if it's any good or not. I really listen to and appreciate any criticism given as long as it's constructive. This is un-betaed so all mistakes are mine. If you have an idea of what you might want to see later on, please tell me. Also, as much as I love Martha and Alexis, I couldn't figure out what characters they would be from Titanic, so as of right now, they won't be in this story. If you guys can think of someone I might've overlooked for those two, then just tell me. Thanks a lot guys J
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle, Titanic, or any of the characters, lines, or plot.
It was a beautiful day at the port of Southampton. The skies were clear with not a cloud in sight and the sun was shining down brightly. The docks were teeming with activity for that day was a very special, historical day.
Waiting patiently in the water was the RMS Titanic, a luxury liner that seemed to radiate importance and majesty. She was a massive ship, nearly 900 feet from bow to stern. A floating palace. Her four smoke stacks stood erect in the center, only adding to the beauty and grandeur of the image.
On the docks, people bustled about. Some were getting their health inspected while some were just there to merely observe this grand occasion. Cars were being loaded into cargo, ladies with their prim and proper poodles and terriers were boarding the ship, men carried bags, purses, suitcases, and many other kinds of luggage. No matter what they were doing, no matter their station or social class, their mood was the same: cheerful, happy, excited. There was a certain type of ecstatic energy in the air. Everyone felt it and contributed to it. That is, of course, except for one person.
Several cars drove onto the dock, beeping their horns at anyone foolish enough to not get out of the way. As they all came to a stop, a man sitting next to the driver of the lead car, hopped out of it and opened the door. He offered his hand for the woman inside to grasp and grasp it she did.
Carefully, Katherine Beckett got out of the car and looked up at the ship before her with disdain. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother, Johanna Beckett, step out of another of their cars while her fiancée, Joshua Davidson, joined her from inside their shared car. He had a look of awe and amazement on his face that she simply did not understand nor share.
"I don't see what all the fuss is about," she stated, turning to face Josh. "It doesn't look any bigger than the Mauritania."
"You can be blasé about some things, Kate, but not about Titanic," Josh replied excitedly. "It's over 100 feet longer than Mauritania and far more luxurious," he said as Kate turned back around to stare at the ship, still unimpressed.
"You're daughter is far too difficult to impress, Johanna," Josh informed the older woman as she walked over to meet them.
Johanna gave a knowing chuckle and said to no one in particular, "So this is the ship they say is unsinkable." She walked over to where Kate was standing just a few feet away.
Quick to boast about its glory, Josh said, "It is unsinkable. God Himself could not sink this ship."
An officer from the ship was trying to get Josh's attention and when he succeeded, told him, "Sir, you have to check your baggage through the main terminal. It's round that way, sir." The man pointed in a direction, but Josh didn't care. He wasn't a second class passenger who needed to check their own baggage. That's what having manservants and maids were for. And of course, money.
He took out a twenty, handed it to the officer, and told him, "I put my faith in you, good sir. Now, kindly see my man." Josh beckoned to his manservant/bodyguard, Thomas Demming, to come forward.
Demming grabbed the man by his shoulder and led him towards the awaiting cars, saying, "All the trunks from that car there." He pointed to the second car and then the third. "12 from here, and the safe to the parlor suite, rooms B-52, 54, 56." The man nodded and hurried to do as directed.
Whistles were blowing in all around them so Josh pulled out his gold pocket watch and checked it. It was almost time for the ship to be on her way out of port. Walking over to Kate and her mother, he said, "Ladies, we had better hurry."
The three, as well as multiple maids and servants, started off to board the ship. They passed people of all ages and sizes along the way. Many of them were third class passengers, being checked or waiting in line to be checked for health problems that would render them invalid or incapable of taking the Titanic to New York, her destination. Children's dental hygiene was being looked at, men with beards had to have them combed through to look for any signs of lice or fleas.
Johanna was the first to step onto the gangplank and then Josh followed closely by Kate. The former two were strutting up onto the boat like they owned it, but Kate wasn't nearly as confident as them. She hated this trip. She hated the fact that this wonderful, grand ship was taking her to her doom in America. The wedding to her fiancée was to take place not long after their arrival in New York and she couldn't have been any less thrilled.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
He blew out a stream of cigarette smoke and took a look at his cards. Richard Castle was hoping that his gamble was a good one. Otherwise, his best friend, Javier Esposito, was going to be utterly pissed at him.
The two men that Rick and Javi were playing poker with were now speaking in Swedish so neither understood what was being said. Javier decided that he would take advantage of that and turned to Rick to scold him. "Rick, you are loco. You bet everything we have."
Rick took another drag of his cigarette and leaned in towards his friend. "When you got nothing you got nothing to lose," he told him. Javier shook his head in disbelief, but decided not to say anything else. His friend really was insane.
Javier put down two cards and Rick gave him two more from the deck. The man sitting across from Rick, Olaf, only wanted one card and so did his buddy, Sven. Richard stared at his cards and then came to a decision. He put down one card and drew from the top of the deck.
Glancing at each of the men at sitting around the table, he noticed that all, including himself, were sweating bullets. They had a right to be doing so, too. Sven, whether from stupidity or from over-confidence, had bet his and Olaf's tickets onto the Titanic, which lay floating in the harbor that was only a few minutes away from the pub they were currently at.
"All right," he said at last. "Moment of truth. Somebody's life is about to change." He took the cigarette out of his mouth and faced Esposito. "Javier?"
With a look of disgust on his face, Javi put down his cards and announced, "Nada."
Rick nodded his head in acceptance and asked, "Olaf?" The big man put down his cards without saying a word and Rick declared, "Nothing. Sven?"
Sven showed everyone his cards as Rick said, "Uh-oh. Two pair." He looked at Esposito and said, "I'm sorry, Javi."
Javier looked at Rick and said, "What do you mean 'sorry'?! You asshole, you bet all the money we have-"
Rick interrupted him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, you're not gonna see your mom for a long time. 'Cause we're going to America. Full house, boys!" Rick slammed his cards on the table, and let out a whoop of joy. Esposito had grabbed the tickets and was dancing around the table, thanking god in the process. Rick had just started to gather up all their winnings when he felt a hand yank on the front his shirt. Olaf had a fistful of his shirt and was cursing very loudly in what he guessed was Swedish.
Olaf raised up his free hand and made it into a fist. Closing his eyes, Rick waited for the impact, but to his surprise, Olaf swung at his own buddy, Sven. The force of the hit knocked Sven's chair back and caused the big man to fall on his ass.
The other people in the pub as well as Rick and Esposito were laughing while Olaf continued to yell at Sven, who was on the floor and trying to escape his friend's grasp.
Rick turned to Esposito and declared loudly, "I'm going home!" He grabbed his friend in a giant bear hug that Esposito returned.
"I'm going to America!" Javier stated excitedly.
A voice rang out through all the activity currently going on. It was the bartender. "No mate," he said. "Titanic goes to America." He jerked his thumb at the clock on the wall behind his head and added. "In five minutes."
Rick and Esposito stilled and then sprang into action. Rick held open the sack he carried that held all of his belongings while Esposito dumped all of their money and cards into it. They each grabbed their new ticket onto the ship and ran out of the pub and onto the docks.
Running for all they were worth, they wove in and out of the many people who had crowded on the docks to see the Titanic off. Glancing back to check that his friend was still with him, Rick shouted, "We're riding in high style now. We're a couple of regular swells. We're practically goddamn royalty, mi amigo!"
The two kept running and nearly collided with a couple of horses attached to a carriage. "Come on, I thought you were fast!" Rick taunted Esposito as they approached the gangplank.
They sprinted up it as Rick yelled for them to wait when he saw that they gangplank was being removed. "Wait, we're passengers! We're passengers!"
The officer at the door looked at the tickets that Rick offered to him. "Have you been through the inspection sir?" he asked them.
"Of course," Rick said as Esposito nodded. "Anyway, we're Americans we don't have lice. Both of us"
The officer relented and said, "Right. Come aboard."
They jumped the couple feet that separated them from the door and ran through the halls to make their way up onto the deck.
"We're the luckiest sons of bitches in the world, you know that?" Rick told Esposito.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
The ship's horn blared as smoke streamed out of its smoke stacks. Men on the docks unhitched the many mooring lines and threw them into the water. People, both on and off the ship, were frantically waving goodbye and calling out farewells.
Rick and Javier found a place by the ship's railing where they stood and excitedly waved at the crowd gathered at the docks.
Rick dropped his bag right next to his and stood on the lowest bar of the railing. "Goodbye!" he yelled.
Looking at him questioningly, Esposito asked, "You know somebody down there?"
Rick rolled his eyes at him and stated, "Of course not. That's not the point."
Esposito shrugged and decided to humor his friend since he was the one who had the winning hand that brought them onto this ship. "Goodbye!" he shouted. "I'm gonna miss you!"
They felt the ship's engine start and the propellers began to spin. A small tug boat was tied to the ship's bow to help move the massive thing out of port. Slowly, but surely the ship sailed past the docks and into open seas. And on April 10, 1912, the Titanic began it's maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean.
A/N: So there's the first chapter. What did you guys think? Please let me know as I've never done a multi-chapter fic before.