A/N: Hey there guys! Finally the new chapter :) Thanks everyone for their reviews, I'm so overwhelmed and happy you like this story so much :)
I'm apologizing for the delay, but university got in my way and probably will be until the summer. But I'll try to post once a week! Now enjoy :)


(4)

Dinner was served at seven o'clock. The ship's bugler wandered around the decks and let the people know by sounding the traditional White Star Line meal call.

The dining room filled slowly with the first class guests. Patrick Jane and Walter Mashburn were waiting at the end of the opulent wide staircase, where all the first class passengers walked down from their private suites to the dining area.

Lorelei was the first to arrive, accompanied by her friend Erica Flynn, both perfectly styled. Mashburn, always the gentleman, bowed in front of the ladies and gave each one of them a hand kiss. "You look very lovely tonight, ladies."

"Thank you, Mr. Mashburn," Lorelei answered with a sly smile before she looked at Jane, who only nodded in approval. Lorelei had a perfect shining outer appearance; too bad her inside was black and rotten as the night.

"Patrick, why don't you escort me to our table?" she asked, smiling and stepping closer to him so he could offer her his arm.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lorelei, but I'm waiting for someone." Her face fell for a second before she shrugged it off and turned toward Mashburn.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Miss Stiles, but I'm also waiting for someone."

Lorelei scowled before she walked off with Erica, shooting both of the gentlemen angry looks.

"You're waiting for someone?" Jane asked, surprised. The dark haired man just shrugged, grinning.

"I'm sure this was the first time in her life Lorelei didn't get what she wants. You have to be careful, my friend. She's like a lion, waiting for its prey to make a move."

His attention was drawn to the top of the stairs, where Grace emerged with Craig. She had her eyes down, forcing a fake smile on her lips. Jane felt immediately sorry for her because he knew she hated him. Well, hate was a strong word… she disliked him, perhaps that would fit better.

The man himself looked a little annoyed, but Jane guessed it was because his father had given him a lecture earlier about how to treat his fiancée. They greeted each other with a short smile before Craig continued to escort Grace into the dining room.

The next one was Wayne Rigsby. To Jane's and Mashburn's surprise, he wore a fine black suit, which only seemed to be a little bit too short in the trousers. Otherwise he looked very tarted up, with his side parting and the suit.

"Did you lend him one of your suits, Patrick?" Mashburn asked, surprised, but Jane had to shake his head. He had no idea where the man had gotten the suit from, because it was expensive material and didn't look like something a man like him would own. Especially because it was a little bit too small.

"I have no idea… but it looks fine."

"Gentlemen," Rigsby said when he reached the end of the stairs. Now they could see he was more than nervous and had a hard time keeping it together.

"Mr. Rigsby, I'm so glad you decided to join us," Jane grinned, shaking the other man's hand. "I'm afraid you just missed my sister. She's already inside, but if you hurry, you may have a chance to sit next to her."

He watched the other man's face fall at the mention of Grace, but the promise of maybe getting seated next to her cheered him up immediately. "So…can I just go inside, or do I need a password or something?"

Mashburn laughed. "You can just go, I'm sure they won't stop you after the way you cleaned up."

The man nodded a thank you before he turned around and moved off. "Wait," Jane called suddenly. "Is Teresa not coming?"

Rigsby gave him a smile. "She'll be here any minute, Mr. Jane."

Relief flooded the blond man, because until now he hadn't been sure if she would come after the little encounter with Lorelei this afternoon. Teresa had a loose mouth – which he liked – but he was afraid it would get her in trouble sometime.

A silent whistle from Mashburn made him look up. He saw Kim Fischer and Madeleine Hightower walking down the stairs, both wearing pretty dresses. Mashburn's eyes lit up immediately. So he hadn't been wrong about his friend having a crush on Miss Fischer after all.

The dark haired man stepped forward, greeting both women with a hand kiss. "You look especially beautiful tonight, my ladies," he grinned. "May I escort you to your table?"

"Of course, Mr. Mashburn," Kim smiled, before she and her black friend each took an arm of the billionaire and were escorted into the dining room. Walter didn't have any problems with shooting everyone who raised an eyebrow at him escorting the two infamous ladies a disdainful look.

Just then, Jane's attention was drawn back up the stairs. Teresa emerged from the left, walking down the first part of the staircase with her eyes glued to the floor. He could see she was scared of tripping over the incredible bright red and black dress she was wearing. It was a very modern cut with a v-neck, tight around her décolleté and loosened in the waist, falling in a straight line. Her hair was put up halfway with a comb and the orchid blossom he gave her earlier. It fell on her right shoulder in soft chocolate brown curls, little diamond earrings sparkling in her ears.

Jane was speechless. She looked so different from when he'd first seen her, with her boyish look, the trousers and big coat; only the annoyed expression on her face when she came to a halt in the middle of the staircase to look for him reminded him of the "old" Teresa Lisbon.

Finally, she saw him, cracked a smile, and went to the banister to have something to hold onto in case she tripped. Relief flooded her face once she stepped off the last stair.

"What?" she asked uncertainly. "Do I have something on my face?"

Jane shook his head, still taking in the shining sight of her in the yellow glow of the lighting. "No, no… look at you."

"Oh please don't start," she mumbled, blushing and trying to look away.

"I don't start. You look beautiful, Teresa."

Lisbon tried to hide behind a raised eyebrow and a questioning look. Were they on a first name basis now? She took a deep breath. "Well thank you, Mr. Jane. That's very nice of you. You didn't clean up too bad yourself."

"Such a compliment from a lady like you. I feel honored."

"Oh shut up and let's get to the dinner stuff, I'm actually really hungry. I hope you have real food and not just canapés." Jane grinned at her before he offered her his arm, leading her into the grand dining area, where almost every seat was taken.


They arrived at a long oval table with eleven chairs, nine of which were taken. The only ones that were still unoccupied were one between Rigsby and Mr. Mashburn and one on the other side of the table between Mr. Stiles and Lorelei.

Teresa was glad to be seated between Mashburn and her friend, because after the look Lorelei shot her when they approached the table, she was sure the woman would have no problem with throwing her overboard and making it look like an accident.

Jane, being all gentleman, pulled her chair back and helped her to settle down. She shot Grace, who was sitting right next to Mashburn with Craig Stiles on the other side, a quick smile before she watched Jane take the seat opposite her.

"What a pleasure for you to finally join us, Miss…" Stiles said, a little too friendly for her taste.

"Lisbon. Teresa Lisbon. Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Stiles. My friend and I feel very honored to be here."

"At least they didn't come here in their moth-eaten, dirty outfits they wore the night before," Lorelei mumbled, which made her friends Erica and Krystal laugh. Even Haffner couldn't hide a smile.

"I must compliment you, Miss Lisbon," Mashburn cut in. "You look very enchanting tonight." Jane gave his friend a quick smile, which made Lorelei scowl.

"So do you, Mr. Rigsby. You look like a real gentleman," Grace added with courage, her cheeks reddening.

"Thank you, Miss Bertram," Rigsby said proudly, his gaze never leaving hers.

The tension at the table was tangible. It got even more intense when Lorelei made a blunt comment about how Teresa and Rigsby were able to afford such expensive tickets for a ship like the Titanic.

"We didn't steal them, if that's what you're thinking!" Lisbon explained, offended.

"That's right," Jane added,. "Miss Lisbon and Mr. Rigsby won the tickets at a poker game in a pub close to the harbor… Well actually I won them, but…."

"Only because you cheated!" she said, which made him laugh.

"When did you have time to play poker, Patrick?" Lorelei asked, surprised. She didn't like the fact that Jane and Lisbon must have met before.

"Oh Patrick, please tell me you didn't cheat on this lovely lady here," Mashburn sighed. "Have you never been taught any manners?" Walter was trying to keep the conversation on a playful level, because the whole Stiles family didn't seem very amused.

"In my defense, I didn't even know they were playing for the tickets, I just thought it would be fun to mess up their game a little. I gave you the tickets back, after all. So gentlemen, if Miss Lisbon ever invites you to play cards, don't agree if you don't want to end up with empty pockets. She's a hell of a player."

"All life is a game and to me it looks like you hit the jackpot, Miss Lisbon. It's interesting to hear about your poker skill. Sounds like a challenge,." Mashburn grinned and waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Lisbon couldn't hide her smile.

"Mr. Mashburn, it's not proper to invite a lady to a game of cards," Erica Flynn cut in. She had laid an eye on Mashburn since they first met and everyone could tell she seemed a little jealous at how he was flirting with Lisbon.

"Well, I don't think she is a lady, so why not?" Lorelei pointed out, which made Jane's hands tighten to a fist under the table.

Suddenly Lisbon started to wave a little air toward her with her hand, sniffing carefully. "Oh, what's this lovely smell? Someone here must have taken a bath right before dinner," she murmured, surprised.

"Lorelei, I saw you taking a bath a few hours ago," Grace noted, not knowing the context of the earlier conversation between Jane, Lisbon, and the three women.

Jane started chuckling, and even Lorelei's friends Krystal and Erica couldn't hide an amused grin, which vanished once the tall brunette threw them a mad glance.

"Well that explains a lot," Teresa grinned.

The first course was served, hors d'oeuvre with oysters. Lisbon shot Jane a raised eyebrow look, because she'd asked for anything but canapés. She liked fish a lot, but she'd never had an oyster before and the slimy white thing in the shell that looked like someone had eaten it before made her want to vomit.

First, she looked for one of the - what felt like - hundred forks on the left side of her plate, before she watched how everyone took the shell in their hands and slurped the slimy oyster out of its shell. The sounds they made were rather unpleasant and sounded more like her three little brothers trying to eat very hot soup than a bunch of first class people eating an oyster.

Rigsby was the first to try the oyster… and he didn't look like he enjoyed it much. Sighing, Teresa stared at it, before she took all her courage and slurped it out of its shell. It tasted nothing but salty and slimy, and she'd have spit it out if she hadn't felt Lorelei's challenging gaze on her.

"Did you like the oyster, Miss Lisbon?" Mashburn asked after she swallowed it down, trying not to make a face.

"It was… an interesting experience, but so is this whole dinner." She kicked Rigsby's leg under the table, because he kept staring at Grace all the time and he even forgot how to eat. And if her friend forgot food over something else, it was serious, very serious. She had to talk to him.

"Speaking of interesting experiences, tell us about the accommodation and steerage, Mr. Rigsby. I heard they are quite good on the ship," Bret Stiles suddenly asked, not enjoying the way the man was looking at his future daughter-in-law.

Rigsby looked up, surprised the man had spoken to him, before he answered the question. "The best I've seen, Mister. Hardly any rats."

"There are rats on the ship?" Krystal squealed, her eyes widened in fear.

"Well I saw a few when I came up here. There are not as many rats on this ship as on others. Though I think this one has more of the human kind on it, right, Mr. Stiles?" This time Teresa wasn't addressing the older man, but his son, who'd called them "third-class-rats" not so long ago.

Their talk was interrupted as the staff served the next course, and their conversation went on this way. Jane was amazed how easily Teresa beat the Stiles's unfriendly remarks with her own smartness. His adoration for the petite woman grew with every second she talked, the sparkle in her green eyes never fading. He felt a little sorry, because she couldn't enjoy herself as much as he wanted her to, but this was more because of the company here than anything else.

The other guests in the dining room just assumed Lisbon and Rigsby were one of them, but Lorelei didn't miss any chance to make them feel unwelcome and like outsiders. This woman was a walking beast. He'd not really liked her before, but now he started to hate her.

Marrying her was out of the question, even if it would break Grace's heart. Who knew, maybe he should run off with her once they arrived in New York. Screw Bertram's plans.

Even if he couldn't offer her the wealthy life she would have with Craig, anything was better than this. Tomorrow he'd sit with Kim Fischer and her sister to avoid talk like this during dinner. He was sure Walter would join him, because the man had a thing for her.


Once dessert was served, people started moving away from the dining room, back to their rooms or the reception room outside of the dining room. Craig invited Haffner, Mashburn, Jane, and his father to play a round of cards, purposefully excluding Rigsby from his offer. Jane declined, and so did Mashburn, who excused himself to walk over to the table of Kim Fisher and Madeleine Hightower, which was in the back corner of the room, where the guests who complained about the black woman wouldn't feel disturbed.

"I don't know why he's always talking to that woman and her slave," Erica mumbled bitterly.

"She is not a slave!" Teresa cut in. "I don't know where you grew up, but Europe abolished slavery a long time ago, and especially Britain and France have fought ever since to abolish it in their colonies! Even the United States abolished it less than 50 years ago. Just because she's black doesn't mean she's not a human being like you and me. This woman went through a lot in her life because of people thinking like you do. That is what makes her a thousand times better than the three of you ever will be. Come on, Wayne, I'm sick of this company."

She got up, leaving the three other women behind, speechless. Rigsby followed her and so did Jane and Grace, who hated the three anyway. Once they were outside on the deck, Teresa stepped over to the railing and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

She heard someone stepping up next to her and figured it was Wayne. That was why she was surprised to see no one but Patrick Jane, who looked at her with adoration.

"I've never met anyone like you before."

Teresa sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you in trouble or anything. It's just the attitude of these rich people makes me want to vomit."

"I know what you're talking about. But it's not their fault… they were raised this way. Not everyone is as independent and freethinking as you are. You're a special woman, Teresa Lisbon."

She smiled. "Still, my mother would kick my ass if she knew I treated my host this way."

"I was your host too, and you didn't treat me badly. Though you must know, not all of us are like them."

"I know. After I left you on the deck this afternoon, Madeleine stopped me and offered to help us with the clothes. I was surprised, but now I kind of know why she and Kim were so nice to Wayne and me…. Speaking of Wayne, where is he?"

Jane grinned. "Oh, don't worry. I think he and Grace finally get to have the talk they've been longing for the whole evening. I guess I have to thank Miss Fischer and Miss Hightower for making you look so beautiful then."

Teresa turned around so she was leaning with her back against the railing. "They are very nice. I asked Kim to give me one of her old dresses, but she insisted on this one here, which has never been worn before. The best thing is, I'm allowed to keep it…. Although I don't really know what to do with it since I can't wear it during work."

"You could wear it to another dinner."

The thought made her laugh. "I don't think I'll be invited back here any time soon, Mr. Jane. I don't really want to, to be honest."

"Well, that's too bad…. If you don't want to join me for another dinner, then maybe you could start calling me Patrick instead?"

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Fine, Patrick. I'm Teresa."

"Well then, Teresa, would you like to take a walk with me?"

She watched him a little uncertainly before she nodded and entwined her arm with his. "No funny business, Mister."

"I wouldn't dare to risk another punch in the nose."

Xxxxx

Rigsby watched his friend step toward the railing, Mr. Jane following right behind her. He could feel there was something going on between the two of them, even if Teresa didn't want to admit it.

A quiet "Excuse me…" behind him made him turn around. He gasped when he saw fine Miss Grace Bertram standing behind him, her fingers fiddling nervously with a part of her dress. She looked insecure and a little scared. Maybe it was because he was over a head taller than her; maybe it was because she'd never talked to someone from third class before.

"Miss… Miss Grace," he breathed, "I didn't realize you were following us."

"After your friend over there gave Erica and Lorelei a lecture about humanity, I didn't want to stay any longer. She is very brave, your friend. I wouldn't dare to say any of the things she had. I wish I were a little braver."

"Oh but you are brave, Grace…. You were brave enough to climb back on board yesterday night. You could have jumped and made all your problems vanish, but you didn't. Instead you climbed back to face them." He could see she was shivering, but he didn't know if it was because of the cold air or because of his words. He guided her back inside, happy to see none of the first class guests had decided to sit in the veranda café you could enter through the dining room to get outside on the deck.

They settled down at one of the tables, Grace still feeling very insecure, because it was anything but proper for a young lady like her to sit in a dark café on a ship with a man she didn't know. Her father would ground her to her room for a week.

"I didn't get the time to thank you properly for saving me yesterday, Mr. Rigsby. I placed you and your friend in great danger."

"There's nothing to thank me for, Miss. I was glad to be of service. I just… I still don't understand why a lovely lady like you would want to end her life? It's making me sad."

"Oh please, Mister Rigsby…."

"Wayne. My name is Wayne."

Grace sighed. "Fine, Wayne. I don't want to talk about it, because I am having a crisis at the moment. People have high expectations of me… I have high expectations of myself, I don't know where to start or where to stop. I feel kind of stuck in my life and I don't see a way out. How do you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked, confused.

"How do you get up every morning and know exactly what you want to do today?"

Suddenly Rigsby started laughing, which offended the redhead. She stood up, putting her hands on her hips. "This is really rude! I'm pouring my heart out and you start laughing at me! Good night, Mr. Rigsby!"

She turned around to leave, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Please wait, Grace, I didn't mean to offend you."

"Then what's so funny about it?"

"The funny thing is that I don't wake up knowing what is going to happen, or who I'm going to meet. Yesterday I was still home in England, sleeping in a little room with rats and roaches and tonight I dined with a bunch of first class people…. Life is a gift and you shouldn't waste it by planning out every single step you make. You spend more time thinking than actually living. You have to make each day count."

Grace stared at him, her mouth slightly open. "That… sounds wonderful…."

"You should try it some time… Just letting the wind decide where it'll take you."

"I wish I could," she whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. "I wish I was brave enough to tell all of this goodbye, but I don't think I can. I have to marry Craig, I have to help my father get his company back on track, I have to…." She pressed her hands to her face, not making any sound while she cried silent tears about a life she wished she could live but never would.

Rigsby didn't know what to say, so he got up from his chair and knelt down beside her, hugging her close. It didn't take long for her to finally get over her fear and hug him close, hiding her face in his shoulder.


Jane and Lisbon finished their walk on the forecastle. Once again they stopped at the railing, carefully leaning against it and watching the darkness that surrounded them. There was not much light on the ship and the moon currently hid behind a cloud, so the line between sky and sea was nowhere to be found.

Because she shivered a little, he took off his jacket and gave it to her. First she refused, but after he pointed out he didn't want her to freeze because he dragged her out for a walk, she took the black jacket and pulled it around her shoulders.

"I must thank you for coming with me tonight, Teresa. I know the dinner didn't turn out to be all fun, but I'm still glad you came."

"It wasn't that bad… the food was actually quite good. Except for the oyster. The oyster was weird…so slimy."

"Don't get me wrong, but I take it you're the type for fish and chips and pizza."

She laughed and nodded. "Yes. Give me the greasy food and I'm happy. I'm not the tablecloth and napkins type. Dinner was so… stiff. It's more fun down where we are. Sometimes I feel the more money you rich people have, the unhappier they are."

"I can't argue with that," he mumbled. He leaned a little closer to her so his shoulder bumped into hers, but she didn't seem to mind.

"Hey, if you ever want to see a real party, you should come and visit us down in third class."

"Sure. How about tomorrow?" he suggested, which threw her off guard.

She had a hard time hiding her excitement; instead she bit her lip, grinning like a fool. "Great…I uh…should get back now. I'm sure Wayne is waiting for me and our roommate Cho wants to know about the dinner."

"Sure. Will you meet me here tomorrow after lunch?"

"I guess I would like that."

"Great!" Jane grinned. "See you tomorrow then." He stepped closer and kissed her on the cheek, his lips lingering a few seconds too long there to make it a casual kiss between friends.

Surprised, she cupped her cheek, staring at him with wide eyes before she murmured, "Good night, Jane…"

"Good night, Teresa." He watched her leave, the light smell of her perfume in his nose and his lips still prickling from the sensation of her soft skin. Tomorrow was going to be interesting.


A/N: My cat got kittens today so I'm the happiest person on earth. You'd make it even better if you told me what you think of this chapter ;) free kittens for everyone!