Author's Note: Well, this one certainly seemed to take forever, yeah? My apologies. Apparently my manager thinks I don't have a life and saw fit to schedule me for 7 nights in a row. Needless to say, I didn't really have as much time as usual to work on this. Anyway! On with the show. Hope you find it worth the wait. :) Oh yeah, +10 Awesome Points for whoever gets the chapter title reference.
Chapter 7: Party Hardy On Titanic
Some take their hope, and hide it away
It burns in the darkness, like gold in a grave
There's a spark inside, that can't be concealed
No heart is so secret that it won't be healed
So before the night is over
Make your heart an open door
Then all we hold inside us
Won't divide us any more
So before the night is over
And the time we have is done
Before our courage fades away
Let our hearts be bound as one
And I've lost my way, when nothing is clear
And I've been afraid to love, then I heard what I fear
I can face the night, find strength in your eyes
Not afraid to fall, not afraid to rise
So before the night is over
Make your heart an open door
Then all we hold inside us
Won't divide us any more
So before the night is over
And the time we have is done
Before our courage fades away
Let our hearts be bound as one
- Gaelic Storm, "Before The Night Is Over"
6:20 p.m.
"When's your watch?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"At ten," Will replied.
"Shouldn't you be getting some sleep, then?" I dropped back into reality.
"I've gone on less," he said, "and I would hate to disturb you. It looks as if this is the first time you've been so calm in quite some time."
"It is," I sighed deeply. How true that was, too. I'd lived a rather intense life, always having to have my guard up, always being alert, not to mention the pressure of constantly having to prove myself. Even with Colin I never truly got a reprieve, because we occasionally had spats over his drinking.
I could tell Will was different though; my instinct is very rarely wrong. Why else would I have let him in this far? I felt so calm when I was near him, as if him just being near me silenced the chaos in my head, and for once I could just be. Which gave me a fantastic idea.
"Feel up to getting into some mischief?" I sat back upright and grinned at him. Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to ask a senior officer, but I figured both of us could use an opportunity to let off some steam. Plus, I wanted him to see that I, in fact, did know how to have a proper good time.
"What?" Clearly, he was confused as to what I meant.
"Not that kind of mischief," I laughed as I stood up, "I mean partying." I put my hat back on, walked back over to the ladder and started to descend to the boat deck.
"But I've-"
"Relax, I'll have you back up in time for watch," I reassured him. "Besides, I followed you, didn't I?"
Will couldn't argue that, he knew full well he'd distracted me from my duties. I considered this payback.
"Aye, you did," he said, smiling, before making his way down to the deck. "So where is this party, then?" he asked.
"Third class," I replied, "Lights told me they were having a 'right jolly time' down there last night." I made sure to imitate Mr. Lightoller's accent, which was either really amusing or a really bad attempt, because Will burst into laughter...which in turn got me to laughing.
And so it continued that way as we walked all the way to the aft end of the ship, and below to C Deck. Will and I tried hard to be mature, proper adults around the passengers, but considering the good mood he had put me in, we ended up acting like teenagers. Each time we'd pass a first class passenger, one of us just had to make some sort of commentary, which got the other trying hard to stifle laughter or keep a straight face. We did finally calm down and behave ourselves once we got to the third class area, because really, who is there to scandalize in third class?
We entered the third class general room to find the party had already started, as we were greeted by music, laughter, and some hollering from already drunk passengers. Never fails; there's always a few who start early. Having worked in a pub for most of my career, I immediately felt right at home.
I grabbed hold of a steward. "Have you got anything German?" I asked him.
"Yes ma'am, we have-"
"Good. Get me a Warsteiner," I told him, clapping him on the arm, before sending him on his way.
"Should you be drinking?" Will asked me.
"I'm not drinking, I'm just having a pint," I explained as I tipped the steward when he returned with my beer.
Will was about to say something when someone suddenly crashed into me from behind. Thankfully I managed to keep from falling over, but half my beer ended up on the floor. I turned around to find it had been a rather young lady who, judging by her dress, had snuck down from first class. I was shocked, to say the least. I always thought first class women stayed away from us dregs of society.
"Oh! I am so sorry!" The woman apologized.
"No worries," I said, giving her a small smile, "no harm done."
I felt Will slide his arm around my waist as I took a swallow of beer. "You know you're dancing with me, right?"
I nearly spilled my beer again. Dancing? Oh lord, that would be a disaster. Wealthy men with attitude issues were no problem for me. Dancing with a man? That was quite a different story. I looked at him and pointed at what was left in my glass. "I'm going to need a bit more than this if we're going to do that!" I was only half-serious.
Will chuckled. "Alright, stay here, I'll be back," he told me, and he disappeared to find a steward. By the time I'd finished my beer, Will returned with a full glass. "Here, try this," he said, handing it over to me. I took a swallow, discovering that it wasn't beer, but cider. Damn, he really did want me to dance with him!
"I am warning you, I haven't danced ever in my life," I told him as I finished off my cider.
"Never?" Will had taken his jacket off and was rolling up his shirt sleeves.
I shook my head. "Never. My ex wasn't much for dancing...he liked to drink though, perhaps a bit too much."
"Well then," he said, extending his hand out to me, "allow me to be the first."
The liquid courage was beginning to take effect by now, and honestly, I don't think I could deny him anything as long as he smiled at me. "Alright, sailor man," I smiled back as I placed my hand in his, "impress me."
'Alright Regen, no turning back now,' I thought as Will led me to the floor.
"Now, we're gonna have to get pretty close," he said, his Scottish accent becoming a bit more prominent than it had been, "like this."Will wrapped his right arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him, so that there ended up being very little space between us. "Relax," he said, "don't think."
He needn't worry about that, as my mind had gone blank as soon as he had all but eliminated the air molecules between us. I don't think I could have formed a coherent thought at that moment even if I was stone cold sober. The sensory part of my brain, however, seemed to kick into overdrive as we danced. Everything seemed non-existent except for him. The warm yet firm grip he had on my hand, his arm around me, feeling the muscles in his arm flex under my hand, all of it seemed magnified. I don't know if it was the alcohol, or the feeling I got from being so close to him, but I almost felt as if I wasn't even touching the floor. It was a wonderfully intense experience.
Our dance came to an end as the band began playing a slower tune, one with more romantic intentions.
"Fancy another go?" Will asked.
I checked the time; the clock read 8:45. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid I should be getting back," I replied, somewhat remorsefully, "and you need to get back soon as well."
"Aye, it's probably best," he agreed as he put his uniform jacket back on. "Walk back with me?"
Ah, officers...always disguising commands as questions.
"If you insist," I smiled at him. This time, we did manage to behave ourselves on our way back topside.
Upon reaching the boat deck, and after making sure there was nobody about, Will and I linked arms again.
"Well, Regen, I must admit I enjoyed shirking duty with you this evening," Will said.
"You weren't shirking anything," I laughed, "It was you who distracted me, remember?"
"Ah but you did come with me," he argued.
"Well, you're an officer. I wasn't exactly going to disobey an order now was I?" I'd got him laughing again.
"Promise me you won't lose that quick wit of yours," he said, "it's one of the many things I like about you."
I blushed again. "I'm glad to know you can appreciate it...it's rare to find someone who understands it."
We came to a stop just short of the bridge and separated to a more "professional" distance.
"Thank you for, you know, dancing with me," I said quietly, still embarrassed that, at 30, I hadn't previously engaged in such an activity, "I should like to do it again sometime."
"You can count on that," Will said, smiling at me again. "I must go now," he said quietly.
I nodded, understanding but not entirely liking that fact. "Good night, Will."
"Good night, Regen." He took hold of my hand and placed a gentle kiss on the back of it, gave me one last smile, and went off to prepare for his watch.
I watched him go, then turned to look at my hand, somewhat in disbelief that he'd just done that. I quickly shook my head, as if doing that would snap me back to reality, that I'd wake up and this would all have been a dream, but alas, this was reality, and I loved it.
I turned to go make the long journey back down to E Deck, during which I came to the realization that I had fallen for Will. Hard.
And I was perfectly fine with that.
A/N: I'm well aware that crew would never have gotten by with this (let alone deck officers), but if Rose could get away with it, I see no reason why Will and Regen can't. 'Tis fiction, after all. ;)
