Eugene: Ok, so the last chapter was dramatic. But then again, the genre of this story DID say "drama" as well as "romance", not "tragedy" because of a reason. Anyway, there's not much in there so far but you might get teary at the ending (since there's a reunion in there). ONWARD WITH CHAPTER 7! And did I mention that most of the chapters are edited at least once or twice..?

Tuesday. April. 16, 1912

R.M.S Carpathia, Somewhere at the Atlantic Ocean

So far, everyone else, including you, were still full of grief from what happened yesterday. Last night was the worst for you, especially since you ended up crying when you weren't supposed to. Because of that, it felt too difficult to fall asleep or to close your eyes for that matter. It was also hard to eat meals, drink liquids (even water), or even to think. Memories of what happened yesterday kept rushing to your head and it was hard to stop thinking about it. Part of you wanted to scream, cry, punch, kick, whatever, but as a young lady, you would never do such a thing. At least, you tried very hard not to.

Right now, some of the passengers were still crying (for how long exactly?) while others tried to set their minds off by conversing with their friends and beloved family members. Most of the countries were trying to put on brave faces, but from their red-rimmed eyes, perhaps they were crying as well, as they kept shaking and you could see beads of tears coming out from their eyes. The remaining crew from Titanic would glare at Carpathia's own crew, since the ship herself was made by Cunard, another shipbuilding company and White Star Line's rival. But other than that, it was either too quiet or too depressing around the decks due to the air of the passengers (by air, I actually meant presence).

Watching all of this was too painful to bear, so you had to stay away for a bit.

This afternoon, you heard shouting and insults somewhere at the stern. Curious to see what was going on, you followed the sound to find Mr. Ismay confronted by many passengers, most of them were women. At the sight of this, your eyes grew wide; what on bloody hell were they doing to him?

"Mr. Ismay, you are such a coward!"

"Yeah, you got to stay on this ship while others died!"

"Are you even part of the White Star Line-"

"W-Well, I… I don't know what you ladies are implying." Mr. Ismay sweatdropped.

"You, sir, are a big, fat jer-"

"ENOUGH!" The passengers stopped shouting their own insults to find you the one hollering at them. "LISTEN TO ME, YOU MAY CRITIZE HIM JUST BECAUSE HE MADE IT ALIVE BUT WHAT WOULD DO IF HE'S YOUR HUSBAND OR SOME OTHER MEMBER IN THE FAMILY? HE JUST WANTED TO LIVE!"

At the sound of this, they grew silent, doing nothing but to back away a tad bit in case you started to yell again. Even Mr. Ismay was quite surprised that you of all the former passengers would defend him in such issues like this.

"That's what I thought…" Was all you could mutter out before walking away. To tell you the truth, you were not sure if Mr. Ismay should be insulted in a harsh matter just because he got into a lifeboat and escaped the sinking. I mean, it looked cowardly and the other members of Titanic's crew would possibly be feeling betrayed (do people's spirits still feel those sorts of things?) but then again, he was scared like everyone else and he wanted to live, be back with his family, etc… for now, you will spare him for a bit. Just in case.

Although now that you think of it, you remembered that yesterday during that service, you forgot to pay attention to the approximate or exact number of the passengers and crew survived and/or died during the sinking. Or even where exactly did Titanic herself sink while traveling. If only those tragic thoughts would get out of your head… perhaps you should ask someone about this, especially with the number part.

Pacing around, you observed every passenger and/or crew member (of both ships) that you saw so far. So far, no one seemed to be the kind of person to encounter such fact and store it into their knowledge, which disappointed you slightly. Almost giving up, you were about to head for the decks again (yes, you were wondering around there for a long while since yesterday) when you saw Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Poland huddling together, trying to make conversation while staying warm from the slightly-piercing cold.

"Man, I like, can't believe that Russian-brute totally made it alive after all; he's been like, making Finland on the verge of freaking out even before Titanic totally crashed that iceberg!"

"I know, Feliks. H-He is quite scary…"

"W-W-Would h-he d-d-d-do the same to us?" (You could hear Latvia sobbing at this point)

"Raivis, that is impossible; we have been through tough times before we even met him; I am sure he is not that bad-"

"Um… will you all allow me to ask any of you a question?" The four countries paused their conversation and looked up at their direction as you came closer.

"Huh? Oh, all right, we do not mind." Lithuania replied. The others were quick to agree, nodding.

"Does any of you know the number of us passengers surviving or even the number of those who died when Titanic sank?" You asked them right out in the open. The others in the deck gave you weird looks, as if you were completely mad enough to ask such devastating question. Even the Baltic Trio plus Poland looked at you a bit oddly before whispering to themselves.

"Uh… do you know how many?" Latvia asked his friends, confused.

"Like, I don't know!"

"Me neither…."

"Actually, I can tell you this in a simple, logical, yet hopefully a not-so-grief-stricken matter…" Estonia announced, clearing his throat. "From what I saw from everyone yesterday at the Boat Decks and other places, there are only 710 of us, including you and us countries, that survived."

SEVEN-HUNDRED AND TEN.

It did not feel that it was not that much, but somehow, it felt smaller somehow….. COMPLETELY SMALL. As if everyone in the world was about to shrink into the size of insects. Also, there were many women and some children on board here at Carpathia but so few men.

Now that you mentioned it, the men who did make it were the ones working as part of the ship's crew. From the looks of it, there weren't many male passengers that made it. The countries didn't count though, since they would be less likely to be noticed by everyone else looking for them.

"And if that is not enough, 1514 people died."

ONE-THOUSAND, FIVE-HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN.

Was that the number of those who died while Titanic sank? Was Estonia saying it correctly or were you just imagining things? As he said the very number, you covered your ears with your hands, crouching down into a ball, and groaning while tears are starting to break from your resistance, about to stream into your face. Your body shook as the very bits of memory, each more horrifying than the last, flashed into your mind. Even the sight of England's face started to make you feel completely mental….

"[first name]? Are you ok?"

"H-Huh?" You looked up at Latvia's and the other's concerned eyes; you did not even notice that you nearly went completely mad yourself at Estonia's statement. "F-F-Forgive me; I was just terrified at the very thought… perhaps if I relax a little, I shall be fine." You gave off a small, quick bow at the others before heading off to wash up.

Trying your best to let the warm water wash away those thoughts (it was a bit of a fail though), you took a bath and sat there in the bathtub for a bit until the water grew lukewarm. Drying yourself up with a towel, you looked at a mirror to see if your eyes turned red from crying just as the others had. They were not, thank goodness, but your eyes widened at another shocking sight right at your reflection and yourself…

Your now-seemingly fragile-looking body and neck were covered in odd blotches and marks in red, purple, a tinge of green and yellow, and even a streak of blue, which were striking differences in your formerly-clear skin. Your lips still looked slightly pink and your hair looked a tad bit unruly (not as much as Denmark's though) somehow. Even the area between your legs still had a bit of that strange white substance sealed inside you, despite the bathwater.

"Oh my godthat probably happened from the- uh, things that England and I did…" You blushed furiously at the very night inside the Renault. "I cannot believe that my virginity would be taken away before the collision…. huh?" Before you could look away from the mirror, however, you saw something dangling around your neck and it felt quite odd..

There was a necklace around your neck, hanging by a silver chain. A pink stone (you were not sure what it was, actually… but it looked like either a pink diamond or something quite softer) in the form of an English Rose with a golden center, with bits of the silver chain strands sprayed out from the bottom, expanding wide. It was nestled comfortably into your skin, from the nape of your neck to the peek of your cleavage. It looked beautiful.. oh wait a minute, perhaps the term 'beautiful' for the piece of jewelry that you're wearing would've suited not you, but more fitting for a first-class lady. Even the touch of it felt foreign.

"But how did it-" Then a glimpse of a flashback played; you now remembered at one point while you and England kissed before you ended up saving Denmark and getting on at Lifeboat 4, you felt his arms around your neck while feeling something cold at his touch. Then you heard him whispering something like, 'Wear this; I will eventually find you one day.' for some apparent reason before he left.

"But wouldn't that mean he is actually alive by now, trying to find me… wearing this?" You thought to yourself, confused. Heck, you weren't even sure how that thing would help him! If he's truly alive right at this very moment, you would've seen him while at Carpathia. Or even hearing of his existence from Californian. But alas, no you did not and that sucked so badly. It would be possible that your theory would be right if countries can survive from the brink of death at any time of the day-

"HEY! FINISH YOUR TIME HERE ALREADY! I GOT TO TAKE MEIN BATH BEFORE MEIN BRUDER TAKES VERY LONG IN HIS!"

Startled by a harsh knocking sound that was interrupting your thoughts, you quickly changed back into the same clothing you wore yesterday and headed out of the lavatory so that Germany, the country who was waiting for you, can take a bath now.

Later in the evening, as you were about to find an area to sleep for the night (last time, you chose to bunk at the saloon), you found Switzerland at the corner of the same room, still wrapping his body around with the plaid coat. You almost passed right by him when he suddenly grabbed your arm and placed the now-folded coat on your outstretched hand that he was clutching. He almost flushed into an embarrassed red, but then softened into a light pink once he realized that you were not escaping from his grip at the moment.

"[first name]? I need to ask you… even after what I did earlier, why did you save me from being frozen to death?" He asked quietly, almost looking away.

To his surprise though, you gave him a comforting, reassuring hug, causing him to blush more into that light pink colour. Running your hands on his hair, you just whispered, "Because that is my way of saying 'I forgive you'.".

Wednesday. April. 17, 1912

R.M.S Carpathia, Somewhere at the Atlantic Ocean

Last night was almost as dreadful as the other, but this time with many nightmares of Titanic sinking. Every time you saw those dreams, you would try hard not to scream. But if you do scream, you had to run over to the decks again to do it and you would have the sense of people looking at you now, you were in a cabin that was once used by a kind, elderly man who was letting you use the room for the nights until the ship lands in New York City. Even though there was only a simple bed in the place, you do not mind one bit, as long as it was comfortable. Some of Carpathia's passengers would donate clothing to Titanic's survivors as well as toothbrushes and other necessities. Some even gave up their beds for them!

It was still hard to eat, drink, or think properly, though. But little by little, you felt enough strength to do at least a little bit of each. Besides, it's better to see America, Canada, and your parents as a healthy person than a sickly one (although you sort of do not care about either).

Despite the difficulties, you still got the strength inside. In order to keep your mind occupied, you also kept other countries company, helping Sweden to defend Finland while Russia was looking at him creepily (since he was ruling over the young Nordic), and tried to get to know the other passengers (from both ships Titanic and Carpathia) better. You even had enough strength to look after the younger children and babies. As of so far, not only did you play with Douglas, but also helped to take care of four infants, Bertram and Millvina Dean as well as Michel and Edmond Navratil. It sounded tricky at first, but judging from the labour you endured a year ago back in London, it must've paid off.

You also learned that where Titanic sank was in an area west of America, northwest of Canada, north of Greenland, northeast of Iceland, England, and Ireland, and east of France, Spain, and Portugal (something that you, yet again, happened to learn from Estonia), all by land. If only the ship made to the city safely, the crew in better training, more people in the lifeboats, and the icebergs not floating in the Atlantic waters, none of this would've happened…

It was close to sunset and you were nibbling on a ham sandwich that one of Carpathia's crew gave you and sipping a cup of tea. After eating the rich and savory first-class cuisine from Titanic for so long, it felt a tad bit unusual to eat normal food again, even though it had only been about a week. You were about to get up and ask for some more tea, for your cup was now empty, when you heard voices from the other side of the room.

"…You are kidding me. That's what happened?"

"Damn right, I'm certain! Really, everyone else should think about saving others more.." You recognized the voice; it came from Mrs. Brown. Curious about the commotion, you headed towards the direction of the voice. Sure enough, you saw the American socialite chatting with a few passengers from both Titanic and Carpathia.

"Wait, wait, wait." You had to say before realizing that you interrupted the conversation. "Please forgive me for intrusion but what did you say was happening?"

Mrs. Brown stared at you curiously before realizing what were you talking about. "Oh, that, you say? Well, when the Titanic sank, the man in charge of the lifeboat didn't wanna save the poor souls! So I gripped my oar, saying, "If you don't do what I say, I'll throw you overboard." and helped to save the people about to freeze to death.

From the sound of it, her situation sounded similar to yours when you saw Switzerland with his gun while floating at sea. In your opinion, however, she seemed to be brave than you were. Now that you thought about it, didn't saving Denmark and Switzerland from drowning counted? As well as helping Iceland and the others up from their watery graves?

But then again, you were the one who didn't die for everyone else. The one who didn't smash the gate with an axe. The one who went to the lifeboats by command. The one who… left her true behind.

Being a brave, courageous hero was more confusing than you thought. And you weren't sure of yourself either.

Thursday. April. 18, 1912

R.M.S Carpathia, Somewhere at the Atlantic Ocean, New York City, New York, America

Unfortunately, you did not find the owners of the dime-store book, the wooden soldier, and the violin here at Carpathia. You did find the owner of the photograph and gave the movie camera back to Mr. Marvin though. Even though most of the film in there were still wet from the water, at least the scene in which you and England starred in was safe (according to him, he might try to get permission to have the entire film seen by everyone else by the time the ship lands).

It was the third day in the row in which the skies were stormy and the air was cold. While you were trying to stay warm at the saloon with the others, you thumbed through the pages of 'Peter Pan'. What surprised you though, was that you did not expect to have so many things in your pockets and in the pages of the book.

The postcard and stationary from the first-class reading and writing room, the band's music sheets (apparently, the song was 'Nearer, My God, to Thee'; possibly the very last song before the sinking), a napkin from the dining saloon, your pocket watch tied with the lilac ribbon, and the third-class man's watch. For some reason, the watch did not work, as the hands stopped at 2:20 for some reason. It did not make sense to you why at first, but judging from the watch and the music sheets together, they must've represented the last hours of Titanic.

By now, it was sometime after 8:00 PM, you kept looking up at the sky while standing at the deck, still thinking of things. Staring up there in a daze, you were surprised to see a tall, green yet almost bronze-coloured lady wearing a pointy crown and a tunic while she was carrying a flaming green torch on one hand and a stack of books cradled in her left arm. As you squinted, you realized what the lady really is now.

"Oh my god… is that the Statue of Liberty?" You thought to yourself as you gasped. "Then this could mean-"

"HERE WE ARE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN; NEW YORK CITY. WE ARE NOW STOPPING IN PIER 54." A booming voice came from one of the crew somewhere in the ship.

There you go now, New York City. In the state of New York. In America's land; the country and your childhood friend. For a moment there, it felt like as though your citizenship as a British citizen was taken away and now you're not a Brit anymore, but starting to transform into an American. It felt quite odd, pray tell.

Everyone rushed over to the deck as well to look at the Statue of Liberty as well as the awaiting destination. You checked your pocket watch to find that it was 8:30 PM now, in the middle of a thunderstorm. Somehow, it matched the emotions of what everyone had gone through lately. By the time the ship steamed into the pier, you could see smaller boats surrounding it as well as the occasional bright flashes from cameras. There was also a tremendous crowd there waiting for others.

Before the gangways were about to be laid out, however, you felt a hand on your shoulder. You turned around to find that it was Sweden who was doing it.

"Ya sure th't you kn'w wh't you're doing?" Was all he said in his slightly rough Swedish accent.

You just nodded. "Yes, I am sure. Everything has been arranged." Although now that you think of it, you were not sure…

"Ve~ I've been looking all over for you! Come over here!" You heard another voice, this time from Italy, who was waving around a sheet of paper, making a 'come here' gesture. You had to lead away from the crowd of numb, tired passengers for a bit.

"What do you want, Italy?" You asked in a soft yet tired voice while rubbing one eye.

"Ve~ you looked more sad than the last time I saw you… I'm sorry that England did not make it." He now placed the paper on your right hand, putting you into curiosity. "So I thought that you might cheer up with this."

You unfolded the paper long enough to find the familiar White Star Line logo. Smoothing the paper out from the creases, you found yourself staring at an accurate, detailed sketch of a young girl and a first-class man at the bow of a ship as if they were flying together…

"That's you and England, ve… even if he is not here anymore, this may help you to not forget him again….."

"Italy, I…" Tears started to swell up, unsure of how to react exactly. All you did was to hug the picture, as the very memory of 'flying' was brought back to you. "Grazie." You choked out, using a little bit of Italian that you know. Italy gave you a quick hug before getting off the ship.

The sight of many people and countries soon grew chaotic as they would try to find one another. You were one of the last to get off, but you do not mind. Every time you passed by a reporter, photographer, or any other person who eagerly asked you if you've been on Titanic, you just either said 'Yes' or nodded; it felt easier that way for you.

It was hard to weave your way through the frantic crowds of people, but you managed somehow, ending up in a quiet street corner.

Now that no one was there, you would've been glad to have some space, but instead, you felt like you were going to panic. Admit it, you were in a strange city in a foreign land, with only clothes on you, a few pounds and shillings (unfortunately, British money won't work in America's land), and a few random possessions. Your parents were not there and neither was Canada or America. You wanted to go run off and try to find any of them but if you do leave, what if you missed them? What if any of them did not even receive the letters (and that telegram) from Titanic? Still surrounded by overwhelming crowds of strangers, you decided to find a place to stay for the night so that you will focus more clearly as well as finding a way to find the ones looking for you.

It was terribly cold out and you sensed the rain coming, just like back in London. You struggled to stay warm in your father's navy blue coat as well as your mother's plaid one underneath. The skirt of your lilac dress didn't entirely cover up your legs well enough and your plain white gloves started to feel damp.

As you walked farther and farther away, you saw one woman with donated clothing asking you for any assistance, but you just said 'No thank you.' before passing by forward. At some point, you wondered if you would end up sleeping on the streets (you did that a few times whenever the trips to certain houses took a day or so… believe me, it was not a pleasant experience) but then again, people would think that you're homeless.

You finally found a deserted bench before sitting down for a bit, but then lied down as soon as no one noticed you there. The sounds of nearby horses, people, and automobiles somehow sounded quite soothing enough to make you sleep… you were like this for a while until you heard familiar voices.

"M-Maple… is someone on the bench over there?"

"I dunno, let me see… hey, I recognize her!"

Finding the two voices annoying now, you turned to the side.

"[first name]! [first name]!" Wake up, wake up!"

Finally giving up as you felt a hand on your shoulder, you shifted your position to find familiar blue and violet-blue eyes protected by eyeglasses looking directly at you. You were terrified at first, but then recognized the familiar faces…

"Matthew! Alfred! You… You two are finally here!" You cried out.

"I know, right? Mattie and I were worried sick! So were your parents!" America exclaimed while giving you a huge hug. Tears started to drip from your eyes while being safe in your arms as you felt the American lifting you up and onto his back.

"We got your letter and that telegram from earlier… but by the time Titanic sank, Alfred thought that you died with it." Canada said in a soft, slightly sad voice.

"I know…."

"But don't worry; the hero just rescued you! You ain't gonna worry anymore, [first name]." Was the last thing America said before you rested your head against his back and started to close your eyes again for a bit. You heard sounds of thunder and lightning but they sounded so far away now. You also felt raindrops falling, touching your already-cold skin. But none of it mattered at the moment.

You were finally safe, reunited with America and Canada, and by the time you three headed for your new home, with your parents as well.