April 13th, 1912

When Emily awoke, she did not know where she was, nor how she had gotten there. She was still fully clothed in the torn dress from the night before, but she was in a comfortable bed, even though she remembered falling asleep on the hard cold floor. She was facing a white metal wall, and, when she sat up quickly, she hit her head painfully on something solid.

"Ow!" she cried, clutching her head in both hands. Hearing a sleepy grunt from her other side, she turned her head quickly, whimpering as it spun dizzyingly. When her vision cleared, she saw Tommy laying next to her. "But how?" she marveled, reaching down to touch his cheek, making sure that she was not dreaming, though the pain from her head should have been indication enough. "Tommy?" she whispered. He simply grunted again and rolled over, throwing an arm over her waist in the process. She smiled down at him, reaching over to stroke his stubbled cheek tenderly. His eyes fluttered open at her touch, and he smiled up at her sleepily.

"Good morning, Love," he whispered. She smiled softly as he pushed himself up on his elbow and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Good morning," she murmured back. He pulled away from her face for just a moment to look into her eyes before lowering his head down to kiss her lips. She smiled against his mouth, and he smiled back. They pulled away sheepishly as they heard three separate whistles from Tommy's roommates. Emily blushed pretty and turned her head so that her hair covered her face.

"Ah, bugger off," Tommy grumbled good-naturedly, and his roommates all laughed before exiting the room, closing the door behind them. "Now, where were we?" Tommy placed a finger under Emily's chin, pulling her face towards his, and planted a sweet kiss on her waiting lips.

"Tommy?" she asked breathily.

"Yes Love?"

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Tommy grinned as he remembered their first conversation. "O' course," he smiled.

Emily hesitated for only a moment before rushing on. "I think I love you." Tommy did not answer at first, merely sitting and looking at her. Then, as she was about to lower her head in embarrassment, he captured her lips with his again.

"I think I love ya too," he whispered between kisses. Emily grinned, and then leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and twining her fingers in his hair. He responded by wrapping his big, strong arms around her tiny waist, pulling her even closer. Emily forgot all about the night before, as the man she loved held her close, kissing her fears away.

xXx

They spent the day together, strolling hand in hand around the ship. They mostly stayed outside, enjoying the view and each other's company. Emily felt that she had never been happier than she was with Tommy, his fingers entwined in her own. As they walked around the deck, Emily was pleased to find that she received no curious stares; the dress she had borrowed from the fiancée of Tommy's roommate did well to hide her supposed social status.

But still, even as she walked with Tommy, she could not banish the horrible memories of the early morning, and what had led her to be with Tommy.

"What's wrong love?" Tommy asked her in his beautiful Irish voice.

"I was just thinking," she answered softly, not looking at him.

"Were ya thinkin' 'bout las' night?" he inquired shrewdly.

"Yes," she whispered, feeling tears prick the edges of her eyes.

"Will ya tell me what happened?" The question was gentle, not demanding, allowing her to decline if she wished.

Emily hesitated a moment, turning her head to look into Tommy's fathomless eyes. "He was waiting for me," she began, "by the fireplace. He smelled of alcohol." She turned away, unable to hold Tommy's sympathetic gaze. "He asked me where I had been, and I told him I fell asleep in a deck chair. He knew that I was lying. He..." Emily shuddered to a stop.

"It's okay, Love," Tommy said kindly, stroking her face soothingly with a gentle thumb. "Nothing happened did it?" Emily shook her head, reaching up hastily to dash the tears from her eyes. "Sh," he whispered, gathering her small body to his large one, stroking and kissing her hair. "It's alright, Love. You're safe with me."

"I know," Emily whispered back, turning her head up to kiss him on the jaw. He turned his head and kissed her back on the lips. Emily sighed, feeling content despite her recent retelling of the horrible events of the night before.

xXx

"Emily, love, it's six o'clock. Aren't ya hungry?" Tommy's face was concerned and amused as he looked at the angel sitting in his lap on a deck chair, looking out at the ocean.

"Hm?" she asked distractedly.

"Are ya hungry?" he repeated, the concern lifting to be replaced fully with amusement.

"Oh, a bit," she replied absently, still not looking away from the water.

"Let's go, then." He stood up, picking her up by the waist so that he didn't dump her on the deck. At this movement, she seemed to come back to earth.

"I really am hungry," she said, this time sounding like she actually heard what she was saying. "Something about being surrounded by this beautiful blue water makes me ravenous."

"That ocean is exactly the color o' yer eyes," Tommy said, looking down into the eyes he had just complimented. Emily blushed prettily and looked down at her feet. "C'mon, Love," Tommy laughed, taking her small hand in his big one. "Let's go eat."

xXx

The atmosphere of the dining room was lighthearted and friendly, and Emily felt much more at home than she ever had in first class. Everyone accepted her like one of them, though most of them had only met her once.

When they had eaten their fill, Tommy and Emily exited the dining hall, unaware that a very hostile pair of eyes was watching them as they departed.