Thanks for the lovely reviews guys! Am trying to do quite a bit before Christmas so this will be updated regularly.

Okay, is now sailing day and will introduce Henry first off as he gets off the train.

Then it'll switch back to Helen's side of the story so I hope you enjoy

Two: Just Say Yes

April 10th 1912

5:31am

As the train chuffed into the station, its screeching whistle woke a heavy-eyed Henry from his peaceful doze.

He rocked from side to side as the train came to a slow, agonising stop. Henry sighed, he had been hoping to take charge of his own vessel for the coming week, as a Captain finally, but, again, he was to be in the position of Chief Officer.

Not that he minded, of course, it just took a lot these days to be given orders rather than having complete control. Ever since that day, the day his world fell around him, he had been used to telling everyone what to do, how to act, how to behave.

Yet, he still followed orders when he was away from home.

He blinked open his drowsy blue eyes and stared out of the window at the bleak, grey morning which Southampton presented him with.

"It'll brighten up" Henry muttered to himself as he folded up yesterday's paper sitting on the seat beside him.

He sighed as he collected his small luggage case, which partly consisted of three sets of Uniform, his great coat, his cap, his shaving cream, razors, and some more personal possessions.

Henry adjusted his black flat cap as he stepped out of the deep red carriage, whistling in awe at the sheer amount of people clambering off the various carriages around him.

He shook his head; surely they couldn't all be here to see the Titanic off?

He raised his eyebrows quietly as he worked his way through the throngs of people, all working or lower middle class of course, no wealthy person would be seen dead on a public train platform. He smiled quietly to himself as thought of the likes of his employer, Bruce Ismay, and all his crowd who would turn their noses up at a place with so many 'idle vermin' as they would say.

As Henry hoisted his long black scarf over his shoulder, his ears picked up the shouts of the paper boy doing his trade in the midst of all the excited station commotion. "Get ya' papers! Get ya papers! Titanic sailing day! Titanic sailing day! Read all about it!". Henry smiled, threw the boy a tuppence and took a paper from the young lad's ever decreasing stack of the Southampton Herald . Henry shook the paper as he unfolded it and once again read the all too common headline "Titanic Sails Today: Wealthiest In The World Board". He sighed, rolling the paper back up and tucking it under his arm as he tipped his cap to the family that let him pass by them as he tackled the entrance to the station.

He breathed in the fresh sea air, this being the only thing other than the ships that Southampton had in common with his hometown of Walton. Henry sighed deeply, fixing his cap on his head as he took a left from the station toward the dock and the impending voyage of the Ship of Dreams.

But, as he walked the familiar route up to the White Star Line Buildings in the near distance, he felt a tugging sensation at the back of his mind. Something told him this voyage would be jinxed, and that made him want to run back onto the next train in fear.

But Henry knew he couldn't.

9:32am

Helen beamed from ear to ear as she stepped into her state-room for the duration of the voyage, A-36.

Elba pushed past her mother and trotted into to the ornate sitting area, one couldn't call it a room as it wasn't big enough, but it was certainly a spacious quarter in which Helen and her family could carry out daily tasks and rituals without losing that all important sense of home.

Helen smiled as her daughter, tottering on still unsteady legs, inspected her new surroundings. Her big, bright blue eyes were wide in awe as she took in the work of, although unknown to her, the beloved man she affectionately knew as 'Daddy'.

"Do you like it, Elba?" Helen asked gently as she removed her gloves.

Elba turned to her mother with a slight smile on her little face, her two porcelain like baby teeth just showing through her rosy pink lips. Her head was angled slightly, so her light ash brown hair fell behind her face.

"It's pretty" she approved with a nod of her head.

"That's good" Helen gazed at her daughter, laughing slightly as she hastily grew bored of the sitting room and ventured off into what would be the room of her and her brother.

Helen shook her head and her thoughts quickly returned to her unpacking.

"Right, I would like all of Elba and Tommy's things in one wardrobe and chest of drawers" she gently told Lala, and to her maid, Jessica Kelly, she said "I think all of my clothes will be able to fit into one wardrobe and chest of drawers also, Jess. Yes. They will be able to, right, Jess, you get to work on that and I shall see to it that Thomas also has clothes put away soon after."

"Right away, Ma'm" Jess curtseyed and dipped her head.

Helen noticed this and pulled the 17 year olds chin up, "I told you, Jess, you shouldn't do that, not to me, not my husband, not my children even. You do not see Miss. Lane doing it, do you?"

"With all respect, Ma'm, Miss Lane has been working for you a lot longer than I" Jess replied, not looking up.

"Jess, I do not care whether Miss. Lane has been working for me for longer, the fact is she never has curtseyed or dipped her head to either myself or Thomas" Helen laughed slightly "We do not wish for you to see us as heartless employers, we wish you to see us as friends, confidantes. We do not want you to look back on us as superior, but as equals."

"Yes, Ma'm" Jess faltered "But, Mrs. Andrews, I was always told by my mother than one should curtsey to one's mistress."

"Oh! For God's sake, Jess, just say yes and agree with me. I do not wish to see you curtsey of dip your head to me ever again."

"Yes, Ma'm" Jess finally slid away into the double bedroom beyond that of the children.

Helen shook her head, smiling as she walked over to the window which looked out onto the promenade deck.

There were very few couples she recognised, even not dressed in all their finery, she could only pick out a handful, most of whom she knew of from various magazines and papers.

Madeleine Astor, just a few years her junior, yet forced into a marriage with a man more than half her age.

Helen reached for her left hand and stroked her diamond engagement ring. She would never forget her wedding day, dressed in a fine, beautiful white lingerie dress with a 3 foot train and a trousseau of 6 bridesmaids, all in the same shade of mauve muslin with beautiful flowering violets.

She smiled warmly to herself as she remembered that loving look in Thomas' blue eyes as they stood at the altar in front of friends and family and promised to have and to hold from that day forward till death did they part.

Thinking too deeply made the peaceful dream turn into a nightmare as Helen saw an image of Elba, little over 18, being married to the disturbing child that was George Ismay.

Helen turned away from the window, her hand over her mouth; she was suddenly feeling unwell and as she began to stagger away from the world outside, she felt firm, strong hands on round her waist.

"Helen?" Thomas' gentle voice broke through the dark clouds in her mind "Are you alright, my darling?"

Helen opened her eyes to see her husband looking at her with concern in his deep, sea mist blue eyes.

And beyond that, was that same look of love that he had gazed at her with on the day of their marriage four years before.

Helen sighed so heavily that her whole body shook, she laid her head on Thomas' chest and closed her eyes as he held her like he had done so many times before.

"You didn't answer my question" Thomas murmured into her hair "Are you alright?"

"In all honesty, Thomas, no, no I am not alright. I am fretful that we will have to see our beloved little girl married off to George Ismay as soon as she turns 18 and that we won't have a choice in the matter" Helen kept her eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"We will have a choice, we are her parents and we shay she should marry for love, like us. Not for social status or any sort of personal gain, but for one simple thing..." Helen could hear Thomas' heart beating through his shirts as he spoke "...for love".

"And for nothing else" he muttered quietly.

Hope you enjoyed I know I enjoyed writing this, hope my introduction to Henry was satisfactory enough and hope you enjoyed my bit of Helen/Thomas fluff.

Will be updated by Thursday I hope. Happy readings!