Eugene: Ok…. this is the last chapter. I mean, despite what I've been through from earlier (long waits, the hater, etc…), I actually had fun writing this. ^^ I also got some support from friends, old and new. Besides, without them, I would've never got through this. But just in case of haters yet again, I edited some stuff so that people won't get the wrong idea. Anyway~ thank you for making this (insanely long yet detailed) reader-insert awesome!. ONWARD WITH CHAPPIE 9! THE FINAL CHAPTER…. OR IS IT~? I will explain on the next 'chapter'.
Saturday. April. 20, 1912
New York City, New York, America
"Hey…. isn't this the Grand Staircase?"
You were inside Titanic, still in her luxurious conditions even after she ended up in the bottom of the ocean. The ship was still sailing but it felt more like flying, something like the Flying Dutchman's ghostly ship. The floors were clean, everything in the room shined, the cherub statue gleamed while still holding its shining light, and you could see the glass dome overhead shining the natural light (moonlight, sunlight?) while it sparkled, iridescent yet reflective at the same time.
Every passengers and crew were all there, even the ones who had died earlier that somehow came back here alive. You recognized most of the familiar faces, with delighted looks, smiles, and a comforting feel in the air of their presence. You could see Captain Smith tipping his hat towards you, Officer Lowe giving you a thumbs-up, Denmark and Prussia mouthing out 'Good luck', the entire band plus Austria playing a soft yet melodic tune, Switzerland giving you a modest nod, a few second and third-class people softly clapping, and even saw America, Canada, and your parents helping you up the stairs….
There were so many people, all in one room. The ones you know and the ones you do not meet yet, the ones alive or dead earlier, all in different classes and statuses…. they were all here. As if they were anticipating for something… but what?
One difference compared to when you were at the ship before the collision was the dress you were now wearing, which was completely different. You wore a lace dress, the crocheted designs overlapping your bare skin, with a champagne-gold sleeveless top underneath and a sheer skirt that looked like an inverted calla lily. Your hair was arranged differently as well, for it was set into a high yet loose and elegant bun with the small elaborate curls framing your face, the ornamental hairpins dotting the strands like stars. Even your shoes were different, for they were in a cream colour with a small heal.
As you approached the top connecting the upper two stairs, you could see a familiar someone looking at the carved clock for the time. You had to squint to examine closely but before you even started to, he turned around to face you and smiled, making you recognizing the person immediately.
Arthur Kirkland… or in your case, England.
"Hello, love." He greeted, reaching for your hand.
You were unsure of what to say; even though it was about five days after Titanic sank and that you had last seen him, but it felt more like many years too hard to count. Managing to speak, you shyly replied "Hello" back. Now facing him at the top of the stairway, you found yourself drowning into his green-eyed gaze.
"[first name]? There is… something that I quite wanted to do for some time earlier here on this ship.. but I'd never seem to find the time to do so until now…" Then to your surprise, he knelt down on one knee, possibly his right one, to reveal a small velvet box from his pocket and inside contained a ring with a silver band with a pink diamond on the center and tiny diamonds and pearls framing the jewel itself…
"My love, marry me, will you?" He asked in a soft yet honest voice.
NOW you felt speechless. No one ever thought of marrying you one day… especially at a very young age like at this moment. And you had never thought that countries could actually be in love with other 'mortals' and even marry them so that they would be together forever…
"England…. I.. I…." Not caring if you said his true name right in front of everybody, you tried to find the proper word or sentence to say.
"YES!" Was the only word that you finally decided. Launching him into a huge embrace, England struggled to stay upright at first but managed to do so as he embraced you back. At the bottom of the Grand Staircase, you heard everyone down there cheering.
As you felt him sliding the elegant ring on the third finger of your left hand, you tiptoed a bit and went closer as a request for a kiss. He eagerly accepted it as the light from the glass dome shone the light brighter and the people cheered once more, louder this time. The noise felt deafening though yet you could only see the blinding white abyss and you even heard a whisper saying "I love you…"
"BLOODY HELL!"
Yes, it was all a dream. No, it was not real in there. But it certainly felt like it…
You were sitting up from the bed, hoping that you didn't wake up anybody. That fact was half-true, for your parents had to work for half the day today (from morning to mid-afternoon) while American and Canada were still sleeping in the spare room. You panted hard as you tried to regain oxygen, feeling sweat dripping downwards on your skin. Your heart kept beating hard and you were blushing.
"Oh my god… that is absolutely the first time I had ever dreamed of something… like this." You thought to yourself wildly. That statement alone brought you to one question: Did you miss England that badly?
"I… come on, just say something already!" Even if you cannot bring the answer out from your mouth, you knew how to reply to your question: You love him and you miss him that badly. And now that you had mentioned it, it made your heart hurt with pain…
Unbuttoning your nightgown to reveal the English Rose necklace, you unclasped it to watch the pink flower gleam oddly in the arising morning light. You were not sure if England would be alive or not… but if he is, then how is this even going to help him? You sighed, unsure of the answer. But then all of a sudden, something hit you right in the open.
Getting up to reach for your 'Peter Pan' book, you flipped through the pages to reveal another thing pressed in there; a couple petals loose from the English Roses that mysterious secret admirer sent were fully pressed. You were keeping them in there, in case you would have the chance of finding out who was the sender. But then as the ship sank, you almost never found who it was…
Examining the rose and the necklace, you remembered that England was the one who put on the necklace on you yet while you ended up with the roses from someone else. Then you realized that no other country or any other passenger would've known you that well or even know that the English Rose is actually the national flower of-
"Wait a second, he was the one who sent the roses, too? But why would he-" You cannot think of the reason why yet again. If he was the one that had sent both, then… could it mean that he was trying to court you or something?
"Ugh.. I better think about this later…." You groaned before grabbing a change of clothes and heading off to wash up. You didn't realize that as you were heading to the bathroom, your necklace glowed with a golden tinge, as if it was sprinkled with the magic of the fey..
Your parents still had to work that day but they will have a half-day tomorrow so that they will show you some others things in New York City. In the meantime, you, America, and Canada had to deliver the violin, the dime-store book, the wooden soldier, the watch, the music sheets, the napkin, your postcard and the remaining blank two pieces of vellum stationary to some of the members in America's government; while they were currently trying to search for anything or finding any dead bodies left in Titanic's spot, America had mentioned about some of the stuff that you found and/or saved in your possession. Since the lifeboats and life belts were the only things that were left that time, they plan to keep the things for safekeeping in memory of the disaster (thank goodness you do not have to give up Italy's drawing, the telegram, and America's own drawing of the ship you drew with Mr. Andrew's assistance).
After that was over with, the three of you encountered a group of second-class kids, approximately your age, playing with tops on the sidewalk. For the rest of the morning and all the way until very late in the afternoon, you played games that involved how long can one top spin compared to the other. Finding inspiration, you came up with a game; the way it works was that the tops were spun at the same time, clashing against each other as one top spins the longest while the others cannot spin any longer due to the victor's wrath.
"Go! Go! Go! Just a few more seconds…" You chanted, gritting your teeth as you watched the top that you were using tried hard to spin longer. The remaining 'opponent' was a young boy about one or two years younger than you and his own top may be the one standing.. until your top gave out enough energy to tilt the other's edge in an angle, hitting the ground and stopping its track. That meant one thing; you won.
"YES! I win! I win!" You cheered, fist-pumping in the air. America gave you a high-five while Canada meekly smiled.
"I can't believe I lost like that…. good game, though." The boy said before shaking your hand briefly. America was about to have his turn when you saw three girls running from the corner of a street to the area where the game was still going on.
"Hey! I think someone's around here, tryin' to scare us!" The girl with sweet-looking curls exclaimed.
"Wait, who was?" One of the boys in the group, the one with a brown cap, had asked.
"I don't know! But whoever he was, he looked scary!" The other two girls (one with braids and another with a white hair ribbon) said at once.
"The hero will check where that guy is! Have no fear!" America was about to head to the street corner when Canada suddenly stopped him by grabbing his arm.
"A-Alfred.. I don't think that is a good idea…." Canada tried to reason.
"Then what I am gonna-"
"I will do it then." You announced, standing up and putting on your best-looking brave expression. Besides, perhaps some heroes do need backup that much.
"Aw, c'mon! You can't make it there alone!" Was all America could say before earning a shove from Canada. "…just make it quick, [first name]." He revised.
"Of course." With a dash, you headed for the dark, abandoned corner. Nothing was there except for a dustbin, a few weedy-looking dandelions without their seeds growing at the edge, and a door with a faded brass doorknob on one of the brick walls enclosing the pitch-black space.
"Ah…. see, there is absolutely nothing there- OH MY GOD!" Something had just clasped onto your lilac-shrouded shoulder, causing you to shriek! Shoving it away with a jerk on the arm, you started to run, despite the fact that you had nowhere else to run in the first place. Right, left, right… turn to left again….
Finding yourself in another corner of the street, you had to stop running so that you can catch your breath. It was not as bad compared to last time but… it was still terrifying. It was less dark but it was more quiet this time. There were no other sounds heading your way, not even the sounds of horses, carriages, or automobiles from farther away, which made it easier for you to think.
At first, you relaxed, but then felt something pushing you, causing you to fall back-first with a hint of pain. Watching the stranger with wide eyes, you saw green eyes glazing towards you, as if he was planning something quite odd…
"Bloody hell! If that person is planning to beat up, kill me, or- whatever it was by force, I am too young to suffer after what I have been through during Titanic's sinking!" You tried to wriggle away like a fish, but the stranger just held your wrists by the side in a firm grip, making your escape impossible. And for the love of the Queen, you can't even do anything about it!
Closing your eyes shut, you muttered out a 'Good bye, cruel world. I'll miss you.' and tried to yell out a 'HELP ME!' when all of a sudden, you felt lips crashing into yours, strangely deep with some sort of… passion in it? And come to think of it, the contours and the taste of it felt unusually familiar..
"[first name]?" The voice sounded familiar now, too, which made you think that you were perhaps mad… "[first name], love, I…" And then it happened. As if by cue, a glint of sunlight from the now-approaching sunset lit up the street corner, revealing the person right on top on you, who turned out to be….
"I… I cannot believe it!" You realized in shock.
England… he's alive!
"Y-Y-You're…" Your voice started to shake with pure realization, joy, and relief at the start, but then did not say anything else as soon as you pulled him closer, kissing him as much as you could. "You're alive- I thought that- you- drowned- from the- sinking-" You tried to say between each kiss.
Finally making an attempt to pull away, only to sit up and to hold you close, he said, "I know, I thought that I would suffer myself, but then a passenger found me holding onto a deck chair and tried to help me recover at a ship called Californian.."
Aha, so your theory was somehow right! You knew it! England did make it back alive.. but he was recovering at the ship that came after Carpathia headed off to New York City… how did he managed to find you was something you had to understand.
Then England noticed the English Rose necklace that you were still wearing around your neck. Smiling fondly at it, he gave a small kiss at it before looking at you to say, "But right now, I am glad to find you again.". You two were about to kiss again when-
"Hey [first name]! What's going on- here…." America and Canada just came right out of the open (the kids must've went home earlier or perhaps they were somewhere farther away), relieved that you were ok, but then their eyes widened in shock, disbelief, and relief at the sight of England.
"IGGY~!" America was the first to react, rushing straight towards England, glomping him to the ground while the Brit struggled to be upright. You giggled at the sight of this. "IGGY, I MISSED YOU SO~ BADLY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" He cried out while hugging him without any move to stop.
"Ugh, Alfred F. Jones, didn't I told you that-" England was about to say something like 'you're still a twat-faced git' or something like that when he saw the looks on yours and Canada's face. Plus, America does truly miss him ever since the sinking… He sighed before finishing with, "I miss you, too, idiot." and giving him a small hug back before standing up immediately.
"W-We're just glad that you're alive after all, eh?" Canada just said while helping his former charge up, also giving him a small squeeze.
"Yeah…"
"[first name], ALFRED, MATTHEW! EVENING MEAL!" You heard your mother calling out; she and your father must've arrived from work and they made dinner already.
"Ah, bullocks, I haven't got a place to stay and my luggage is still at the bottom of the sea…" England murmured to himself at the mention of the evening meal.
"Then why don't you come stay at my new place for a few nights? My parents can help you get through the meeting that you had missed and probably even help you get back to your own land later…" You suggested.
"Yeah, Artie, it ain't all fun and games without you around." America added before smirking. Canada just rolled his eyes at his brother's statement.
"….Well, alright. Perhaps that is a better idea.." He felt reluctant at first, but eventually agreed.
Relieved at the fact that he would be more comfortable settling with your family while he had to settle some things, you dashed off before yelling back to England, "Splendid! Follow me, then, chaps!". Somewhere behind you, you heard your lover muttering 'Bloody hell, she's fast! At least she is not tripping…'.
The evening passed and it went pretty well. America started a pillow fight at the end though, causing England and Canada to be startled whenever a pillow would be flung at them. You were the only one who can last against him, even though he won at the end. Right now, your parents had made England sleep in the room you were sleeping, which made America tease the Brit all the way. He looked flustered every time he mentioned it. You do not mind the sudden change though…
"[first name]? You're not sleeping even though it is past midnight already…"
England gestured to the pocket watch near your bed, which said 12:30 AM. You were, of course, surprised. "That late already? Geez…." But instead of snuggling on the covers of your bed, you just stared off space. After the pillow fight, you were thinking about Titanic's sinking yet again, your questions still unanswered.
"Are you feeling alright?" He tried to make you focus at him, since you were in your train of thought again. At the sound of this, he softly gripped your hand, causing you to look at him.
"…Forgive me, but it's just that…." A sigh came out from your lips. "something that I do not get from when Titanic sank was that why did most people die with or leave behind the ones they love.. it just does not feel right! Everyone else should've lived-" Your voice started to shake just thinking about it…..
All of a sudden, you felt yourself turned around and ended up with your back pressed against the bed, almost forcing out a yelp of surprise. Jade-green eyes became focused on yours. This sudden gesture of movement made you gulp, reminding you of what happened inside the Renault before the collision with the iceberg.
"[first name], listen to me very closely this time; everyone in the world may end up losing their own lives at one point or another.." At one point, you heard England mutter out 'except of course, me and the other countries' before continuing his statement. "but that does not mean that they should shed their tears for eternity once a person fades away."
You were confused at this, finding what he said difficult to understand. "What do you mean?"
He sighed and rubbed his temples a little harder, not wanting you to feel too much grief again like last time. "The important thing is," He started to poke at the area of your heart. "a person can be still remembered here, in the other's own heart even after one dies and the other lives. The heart must go on even if a part of your life is missing. The lost souls would be more at ease if you move on in life."
"Really?"
"Yes, love, I am being honest."
You bit your lip slightly at those words; remembering from what happened after England left you before the ship officially sank, you did manage to bring yourself to sanity as you saved Denmark, rescued Iceland and Switzerland, and helped the remaining passengers to safety. Even after a couple days of the sinking, somehow, you did manage to live on after all; you just didn't know it (and the fact that England may be right about 'the hero' part; in some ways, you're the 'hero' while other times, you are just yourself, despite giving off a weak proof of bravery).
Somehow, the words reassure you now, putting your thoughts into ease. You were about to say 'Thank you' or something quite like that when he silenced you by placing a finger on your lips.
"Ah-ah-ah, not so fast. Not until you say the words." England just said, tutting in a sarcastic matter.
You started grit your teeth in irritation. "What words?"
"Say it. Say the following 'My heart will go on, even if my love is not here with me.'." Was all he commanded.
…Alright, now that felt a tad bit embarrassing. Especially right in front of him. But if saying it might be the only way to save yourself from possible depression afterwards, so be it. "M-My heart will go on, uh… even if my love is n-n-not here with me?" You tried to say, uncertain of if you said it right. It did lessen most of your tension though, meaning that at least saying it helped. To ensure that he heard you clearly, you had to say it a few more times in a louder voice.
After a few minutes of silence, his expression more relaxed and relieved. "Much better, [first name]. Now come on, you must sleep." He was about to pull you close and tuck you in when you stopped him by gripping his arm. He stared at you oddly.
"Oh yeah? Make me." A playful smirk came from your lips. Not catching your hint, England's eyes widened.
"W-What is that supposed to mean?" Was all he could sputter out.
Realizing that he did not understand of what you actually meant, you gave off a small frown, but then whispered into his ear while your voice dropped to an octave lower. "I meant to say 'Will you kiss me, please? I promise to go to sleep right away.'."
Finally understanding the meaning, he smirked back and said, "As you wish, Miss [last name]." before pulling you into a kiss you craved for yet again. Even if it took him a tad bit longer than he expected, you eventually started to fall asleep with him. You were just glad that despite the consequences that you suffered from the last year until the last few days, at least you have a new home, your dear parents, and your childhood friend right here with you at the same time. And of course, England will still be with you in the morning. The thought made you smile a bit as you closed your eyes.
Behind the slightly-closed door, America snapped a photo of the two of you sleeping together with his camera as he tried his best not to giggle. Canada sweatdropped a little, but America just smiled and said, "They're so cute together, even after Titanic sank, at least love ain't dying." before the two North American countries tiptoed off to the spare room and slept as well.
Eugene: And~ THE. STORY. IS. DONE. *phew* However, the story contents are not done. The last 'chapter' will come soon, just wait for it.
