This is getting into some real conspiracy theories. The Ben Franklin one was made up, but this one has more legitimacy to it. There is a really long author's note at the end for anyone who is a history geek or a science geek (like me).

I don't own anything.

Chapter 7

A taxi dropped off Lucy and Flynn by the dock in Southampton England. Lucy was in awe as she looked up at the ship. I am actually looking at the Titanic in real life, not in a movie, she thought. I never thought it would have been this big. As Lucy gaped at the ship, Flynn was busy finding someone to help them with their luggage. The streets were packed with people waving goodbye. That is when Lucy realized that they were calling for final passengers to board. She seen Flynn walking over with a man in a bellhop outfit. Flynn gave her a ticket and then gave the bellhop their room number. Lucy and Flynn walked briskly to the boarding ramp.

"Ten minutes to spare," a man said as he checked their tickets. "You are in first-class. A map and schedule of first-class amenities will be in your room." They nodded and continued on the ramp. Lucy was buzzing with excitement as they entered the ship.

"We are in room A-14," Flynn said, looking at a map on the wall. He pointed down the hallway, "I think it's that way."

"Aren't we going to the deck to wave goodbye?" Lucy asked, looking out the window.

"Say goodbye to who? We don't know anyone."

"Come on, it will be fun," Lucy said.

"We are not here to have fun, Lucy. We are here to stop Rittenhouse. Now let's find our room so we can figure out a plan," Flynn said, turning to walk down the hallway. Lucy let out a sigh of annoyance, but followed him. It didn't take them long to find their room. They walked into a nice sized living area with a bedroom off to the left. A key, map, and schedule sat on the coffee table in front of an antique couch.

"So, what does Rittenhouse have to do with the Titanic?" Lucy asked. Flynn opened the curtains, the windows had a view overlooking the dock and local businesses on the street. They felt the ship kick back as it began to move.

"Rittenhouse has everything to do with the Titanic. JP Morgan, a key member of Rittenhouse, owns White Start Line, which owns the Titanic. He even had a special room built for his travels." Flynn answered. He picked up the schedule and skimmed through it.

"But JP Morgan was never on the Titanic."

"I know. He decided last minute not to go. And there were many other rich men that decided at the last minute that they didn't want to go. It's a little suspicious, isn't it?"

"You can't be serious…are you implying that JP Morgan sunk the Titanic?" Lucy asked, appalled by the possibility.

"It is rumored...But I don't know for sure if it is true. What I do know, is that there are three very important men on this ship right now. Men that don't get along with Rittenhouse. Isidor Straus, the co-owner of Macy's, Benjamin Guggenheim, a wealthy business man, and John Jacob Astor IV, the wealthiest man on this ship. If Rittenhouse doesn't like them, I want to know why. So, we are going to save them. They will have a lot of useful information for me. "

"And what are you going to do once they tell you everything? Kill everyone they name, including JP Morgan?" Lucy asked, hoping he isn't planning on going that far.

"How else are we supposed to eliminate Rittenhouse? We need to kill them. Rothschild, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Edison, Ford, and I'm sure there are many others. Once I get the chance to talk to the men on this ship, they will tell me about the inner workings of Rittenhouse, not just the names of members," Flynn explained.

"And what makes you think these men will help you? And what makes you think I will help you? I know all those men are probably assholes, but they are necessary for history. Where would we be right now without JP Morgan, Edison, and Ford?" Lucy reasoned.

"We would be in a much better place without them. You think they are necessary for our development in cars and electricity, but they are not. If JP Morgan and Edison didn't screw over Nikola Tesla, we probably would have had free and unlimited energy and all electric cars by the 1950's. But that's not what Rittenhouse wanted. They shaped the future the way they wanted it. That is why we must stop them." Lucy thought for a moments about what he said. He may be right, but we can't change anything. Something this big could erase all of us from history. Does he not understand what this could do to the future?

"We can't kill those all those men, Flynn. If we kill them, it would dramatically change our world. There is a good chance we would all be erased from history," she said. Flynn paced the room, trying to control his anger.

"Can we forget about that part for now? I only need your help to save the rich men on this ship and their wives. It will probably take us a few days to become friends with them. Then we can convince them to escape with us."

"So, what exactly am I supposed to do? Just sit next to you and look pretty?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, you will need to do that. But you also need you to make us look good when you talk to their wives. Make us sound like we're important." A knock at the door interrupted their conversation. "That must be our luggage," Flynn said. He opened the door and the bellhop rolled the luggage cart in. He placed their bags on the floor, and Flynn gave him a tip before he left. Flynn opened one of his bags, pulled out a piece of paper, and handed it to Lucy. She sat on the couch and read through it.

"Lucy Dawson

Birthday: May 8th, 1877

Age: 35

Education: PhD in History, Graduated from Colombia University 1907

Job: Teaching part-time at universities in Washington D.C."

"What is this?" Lucy asked.

"It's your profile. We can't just make up information on the fly anymore," Flynn explained. He handed her another sheet of paper, and she read it.

"Garcia Dawson

Birthday: August 15th, 1868

Age: 44

Education: West Point

Job: Department of Defense"

Lucy silently read through it again, paying special attention to his age. Oh my god, I've never really thought about how old he is. And I definitely didn't think he is in his mid-forties. He looks younger…She read through their fake names again. Now that we are pretending to be married, I am going to have to start calling him by his first name… This is going to be interesting, she thought.

"Aren't you going to ask me where I got the last name Dawson from?" Flynn asked.

"Where?"

"Before leaving for 1912, I had the pleasure of watching the Titanic movie. Jack Dawson had a common last name, and I was out of other ideas," he said, trying to suppress his smile.

"So you, a grown man, sat down and watched The Titanic? The movie that's a three hour love story?" Lucy asked, chuckling.

"Yes, I did. And I have to admit, the movie was….decent, I guess. It gave me a good idea what to expect."

"Yeah, it was decent, I guess," Lucy said, smirking. Flynn rolled his eyes and looked at the schedule, trying to avoid any further conversation about sappy love stories.

"They are serving lunch right now, shall we?" He asked, holding out his arm for Lucy to take. She locked her arms with his and they made their way to the first-class dining saloon. As they walked arm in arm, Lucy couldn't help but think about Flynn. He is very good at changing the subject. I almost forgot that he is plotting to kill the most powerful men in the world. I know I shouldn't help him, but he isn't killing them any time soon I hope. I'm sure I still have another week or two to convince him otherwise. She looked up at Flynn as they walked. Wyatt and Rufus would be against this. Hell, if Wyatt was here right now, he would try to kill Flynn for kidnaping me again….I really hope they are doing okay with Flynn's men. Lucy and Flynn walked into the dining saloon and sat at one of the empty tables. They ordered their drinks and lunch. After their drinks arrived, Lucy cleared her throat to gain his attention.

"So, I was wondering…" she started. Flynn raised an eyebrow at her. "What did your men do with Wyatt and Rufus?"

"I ordered them to take your friends into the city and set them up in a hotel room until we got back. They should have the freedom to do as they please," he said.

"That's good," Lucy answered. There was a long silence after that. Lucy thought back to her pretend marriage with Wyatt, comparing it to her current situation. With Wyatt it was only one day…this could possibly be three or four days long. Does Flynn expect us to kiss in public on a regular basis? I have to admit… I wouldn't really mind… And should I ask permission to call him Garcia? I've been calling him Flynn since I met him…It would be weird to suddenly start calling him Garcia…Lucy cleared her throat again.

"I was also wondering how we are going to do this," she said, motioning between the two of them. Flynn's face remained neutral, but she seen the confusion in his eyes. Lucy tried to clarify. "Um….you know…we are supposed to be married," she said, looking down at the ring on her finger. "Do we need to…you know…kiss in front of people, hug on a regular basis or hold hands?" Her cheeks went pink thinking about it.

"You seemed to have no problem kissing in the streets of Philadelphia," he stated. He tried to keep his face neutral, but a smirk formed on his lips when he seen Lucy's whole face go red. "But no, we don't have to do that if you don't want to." Lucy nodded, not wanted to talk more about the subject. She took a few bites of her lunch before remembering the other thing she wanted to ask him.

"I almost forgot to ask…Your–um, well, your first name is…Garcia."

"And, why are you stating the obvious?" he asked, amusement in his voice.

"Well…um.." he watched her as she fumbled around with her napkin. "I just wanted to know if it is okay for me to use your first name? It would be weird if I called my…'husband' by another name." Flynn smirked, amused that she would even ask him. She waited nervously for him to answer.

"You can call me whatever you want," he said.

"But what would you prefer?" she asked. The smirk fell from his face, as he considered her question. He was surprised she actually cared about what he prefered.

"Um…Garcia would be fine," he said

"Okay, Garcia it is," she said, giving him a small smile. His gaze was so intense she didn't want to look away. Lucy tried deciphering his facial expression, and felt that strange feeling in her stomach again. It wasn't until the waiter brought their refilled drinks that she finally looked away. They finished their lunch silently, and Lucy avoided all eye contact with him after that. He probably thinks I'm such an idiot. Who asks stupid questions like that? And what kind of person asks permission to call someone by their first name? Me, I do. She resisted the urge to kick herself. I feel like an awkward teenager again.

After lunch, Flynn walked Lucy back to their room and gave her the key. He said he was going to the smoking lounge to introduce himself to the first-class men. Lucy decided to hang out around the hotel room for a bit. She unpacked her belongings in the closet. She picked out the dress she wanted to wear for dinner that night, a green formal dress with matching shoes. She sat on the couch and looked at the clock on the wall. Only three more hours until dinner…great. I should have brought a book or something.

After a half hour of doing nothing, Lucy decided to stroll around the deck for the first time. She walked to the very front of the boat, and looked over the edge. This is amazing….just like the movie, she thought. I wish Wyatt and Rufus could be here for this…I bet they would appreciate it more than Flynn does. She spent most her time watching the waves and watching people as they walked by. A couple hours later Lucy made her way back to their room. Flynn still wasn't there, so she got ready for dinner. Lucy slipped on her green dress, matching shoes, and expensive jewelry. As she was touching up on her makeup, she heard Flynn enter the living room.

"Dinner is at six," Flynn reminded her through the door. Lucy stood and opened the door, finishing with her last earing.

"I'm ready," she said. He was busy picking out his tuxedo, but turned his head to look at her. He looked away before she could read the expression on his face.

"Good. Because I need to get ready," Flynn said, laying his tuxedo across his arm. He walked past her to the bedroom, and Lucy could smell cigarette smoke on him. She nearly jumped when he slammed the bedroom door. What the hell is up with him? she thought. He probably didn't get anywhere with those men. Lucy waited quietly on the couch for Flynn to finish. Five minutes before six he came out of the bedroom. "Let's go," he said in a demanding tone. He held out his arm for Lucy to take. They silently walked to the first-class dining saloon, took an empty table, and ordered their dinner.

"You don't seem too happy. Did something happen earlier?" Lucy asked.

"This mission is going to be more complicated than I anticipated," Flynn said grumpily.

"Why is that?"

"These men are in a clique. They don't like talking to strangers."

"What do we do?" she asked.

"I'll figure something out...There is not much for you to do right now," he said. Lucy looked down at her plate and pushed her food around with her fork. Great, she thought, another day of doing absolutely nothing. Why did he bring me if there was nothing to do?

After dinner, they headed back to their room. Lucy got ready for bed in the bedroom, and Flynn stayed in the living room. After putting on her white night gown, Lucy sat on the bed, considering her situation with Flynn. Should I ask him? This is a large bed, I'm sure we will both have plenty of room...Wyatt wouldn't be too happy about it though, Lucy thought. He said he would 'beat Flynn to a bloody pulp' if he touched me…She looked over to the door that leads to the living room. I don't know...he had to sleep in that uncomfortable arm chair last time, now he has to sleep on a couch for 5 nights in a row…I don't really think it would be that bad to share a bed…I just don't want Wyatt to think I'm sleeping with him.

Lucy slipped on a robe before opening the door to the living room. Flynn was sitting on the couch, busy going through some historical documents. He looked up as she entered, face neutral.

"Good, you're done. Can you lend me a pillow and blanket?" Flynn asked.

"Well…I wanted to talk to you about that," Lucy said, face going pink. She noticed the confusion on his face, so she continued. "I–um…I was wondering if you wanted to sleep with me. Not sleep with me, but you know…share a bed." Flynn's eyes went wide, and Lucy felt like she had to explain herself. "Last time you slept in the arm chair, and now you're sleeping on the couch…I feel bad. I have a king-sized bed in there, and I don't take up that much space." Flynn went back to reading through the documents.

"No," he stated.

"What?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"I said no. Just bring me a pillow and blanket, I will be fine," Flynn said. I'm trying to be nice, she thought, but fine. If he wants to sleep on an uncomfortable couch, that's his choice.

"Fine," Lucy said, walking in to the bedroom to grab him a pillow and blanket. She placed it next to him on the couch and silently walked back to her bedroom. Flynn put his papers away a few minutes later, and turned the living room light off. He thought about Lucy as he laid on the springy couch. There is no way I could sleep in the same bed as her. She is supposed to hate me right now…she's not supposed to be asking me to share a bed with her. Based on her journal she writes that she is pissed at me for taking her away from her friends again. She didn't agree with my plan to kill Rittenhouse members, which is normal for her. She just seems a little different than she's supposed to be... I did everything the journal said to do...well…the journal didn't tell me to kiss her…but I did…

Flynn couldn't go to sleep because of his thoughts about Lucy, so he turned on the light to read from her journal. He read a snippet from their Titanic mission. Nothing adds up…how could one kiss make a difference? Our first kiss was meant to be on the Titanic mission, not in Philadelphia. But that small shift in timing couldn't have made that much of a difference, could it? He tossed the journal to the ground and turned off the light to lay back down on the couch. Why did I do it? Why did I kiss her? I knew it was the wrong time…and I knew it could mess everything up…And now she wants me to share a bed with her…which would have been a horrible idea. One thing leads to another, and…no, I can't put that image in my head right now…

Their second and third days on the ship was similar to the first. They only met for meals because Flynn was busy trying to impress the rich men of the ship. Lucy was bored, and spent most of her time wandering around. For the little time they were together, Flynn would give her the cold shoulder. Lucy didn't know if it was because of her, or because of he was unsuccessful impressing the first-class men.

On the fourth day, Lucy finally decided to take some action. After Flynn took off to the smoking lounge, Lucy snuck into the reading lounge for first-class women. She sat in the corner to keep an eye on the entire room. She found a book on a coffee table and read it, looking up at the room periodically. After about an hour of reading, she looked up and noticed an older woman enter with a younger woman that was pregnant. That's Isidor Straus's wife and John Jacob Astor's wife, she thought, what can I do to get their attention? The two women sat with a small group of women. Lucy decided to ask if she could join them.

"Hello," Lucy greeted, walking up behind them. "I was wondering if I could join you? My husband brought me on this trip and I don't know anyone." A few of the women gave her a dirty look, but Isidor Straus's wife smiled.

"Of course, dear. Come join us," she said, sliding over to allow Lucy to sit with her. All the other women remained silent. "I am Ida Straus, and your name is?" she asked.

"I'm Lucy, Lucy Dawson."

"Well Lucy, who's your husband? Where are you from?"

"My husband is Garcia Dawson…he works for the government." No one seemed impressed. "And I'm originally from the New York City area, I went to school there. But after getting married I moved to Washington D.C. for Garcia's work," Lucy explained.

"You went to school in New York City? What kind of school?" one of the women asked.

"A PhD in History at Columbia University," Lucy stated, knowing it would catch their attention. All their jaws dropped in shock.

"How did you do it? I didn't even think Columbia gave PhD's to women," a woman asked. At that moment, Lucy knew she was in the 'clique'. She spent the next two hours telling the women about her time in college. Ida Straus offered for her and her husband to have dinner with them the next day. Lucy agreed, and Ida said she would ask her husband.

That night at dinner, Lucy was unable to control her excitement when telling Flynn what she had done.

"So," she started. "Did you get anywhere with those men today?"'

"No...I'm thinking of pulling a gun on them," he said jokingly. "We only have two more full days until the ship sinks."

"Well, I don't think that's necessary. I talked with Ida Straus today. Ida wants us to have dinner with her and Isidor tomorrow night," Lucy said with a grin on her face.

"How did you do that?" he asked, shock on his face.

"Ida was sitting with her friends in the reading lounge. I asked if I could join their conversation, she said yes. It was very simple," she said, still grinning.

"Okay, but how did you get her to agree to dinner?" he asked.

"Ida offered. I agreed, but she said she still needs to ask her husband. I don't know if it's one hundred percent yet."

"That should be no problem," Flynn said. "The Straus's go on a walk every morning at ten. We can 'accidently' run into them during their walk, and Ida can introduce us."

"Okay, that sounds easy enough," Lucy said, looking forward to tomorrow morning. Finally, I actually get to do something interesting… I didn't realize how boring the Titanic is. It is definitely not like a modern cruise ship.

A/N

Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all your reviews, I love reading them! I'm trying to update this story once a week. This chapter was just to set the mood on the Titanic. The next chapter will have more interesting stuff (like the sinking). I may also upload some random one shots here and there.

Timeless has a theme of introducing the forgotten people of history, so that's why I put in some stuff about Nikola Tesla. I'm not talking about the company or owner of Tesla Motors, but the scientist in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They don't really teach about Nikola Tesla in the public-school system (in the US). Public schools like to focus more on Edison, so I love telling people about Nikola Tesla. He was a forgotten man in history, and I think everyone needs to know his story. This is simplified, and I probably missed a lot of amazing stuff he's invented.

Nikola Tesla:

He was Serbian-American, and he was a super genius. He used to work for Edison, but Edison took his ideas/patents. Tesla invented Alternating Current, but Edison invented Direct Current (they got in a fight about which was better). JP Morgan was one of the men funding Tesla's ideas, but screwed him over in the end. Tesla invented remote controls before anyone else (and didn't get credit for it). And Tesla was trying to develop free and unlimited energy for everyone, which is why JP Morgan and Edison didn't like him (they couldn't make money from his free and unlimited energy). He invented the first hydro-electric power plant (which is at Niagara Falls). He conceptualized the internet, cell phones, and wireless electricity around the year 1900. He had an idea on how to take photographs of our thoughts (like take photos of our dreams). Tesla even had criticism of Einstein's theory of relativity, but never published any of his own research/equations.

If you're interested, these are some quotes by Tesla:

"I don't care that they stole my idea, I care that they don't have any of their own."

"If he [Thomas Edison] had a needle to find in a haystack, he would not stop to reason where it was most likely to be, but would proceed at once with the feverish diligence of a bee, to examine straw after straw until he found the object of his search. … Just a little theory and calculation would have saved him ninety percent of his labor."

"It seems that I have always been ahead of my time. I had to wait nineteen years before Niagara was harnessed by my system, fifteen years before the basic inventions for wireless which I gave to the world in 1893 were applied universally."

"In the twenty-first century, the robot will take the place which slave labor occupied in ancient civilization."

"Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality."