A/N: As always, you guys rock with encouragement. Thanks so much for the kind reviews =) I'm definitely hitting the chapters of great excitement here, because we're closing in on the last day before the iceberg. As bad as we hate to admit it, I'd be willing to bet we ALL kinda look forward to that part, because we can do our most dramatic writing.

I want to settle in to do some reading on here tonight, add some to my favorites list ^_^ On a whim last night, I decided to list why my favorite stories ARE my favorite stories on my profile page. Not to butter anyone up, just I think it's always encouraging to find out WHY your story is so well liked. So I thought I'd elaborate on that a bit.

Now for Chapter 9. By the way I have no idea why, but I couldn't get a divider to stay when I put one between the first sequence here and when Keely says "Good morning". So just imagine one there, as the two scenes are several hours apart.

"Yaaaaughaaa!"

I sat bolt upright in the darkness of the stateroom, nearly cracking my head against the bottom of Keely's bunk. "What, what's happened?" I managed to say before I was even able to establish where I was.

Keely moaned and rolled over above me as one of our roommates jumped down from her bed and was fumbling for a light.

When she found one, I had to shield my eyes, but soon saw one of the Danish girls holding both sides of her face and looking around frantically, big doe eyes darting at last to the small window of the ship above us.

Her sister, who had turned on the light, jumped onto the bed beside her and rubbed her back, speaking a host of phrases in Danish. I finally managed to look around and spot the wall clock, which read something past two.

"I..." the girl started, before standing up and going over to look out the window. Taking a visible breath of relief, she came back and sat down in her bed, giving a shaky smile. "I am sorry, only bad dream," she managed in broken English.

"Must've been a hell of a bad dream," Keely murmured.

Nodding, the Danish girl lay back down, wrapping her covers around her. "I dream we sink. It crazy."

The girl's sister gave her a final smile and stood up to go turn out the lamp once more, satisfied everything was alright. "It all okay Lise, back to sleep." Without regarding anyone else further, she snapped off the light and the room fell into darkness again.

"Hmm," Keely grunted. "This ship wouldn't be the one to sink, that I can promise yeh." I heard her roll over again, and light snoring was coming from her bed in minutes.

Sinking ships being the very last thing in the world I liked to think about, I attempted to shut out the rude awakening and go back to sleep myself. Thank goodness it happened easily.

"Good morninnng!" Keely greeted me the next morning, shaking the frame of the bunk.

"Hush," I murmured, pulling the covers up over my head.

"Ah come on, smile yer pretty face up here..." she countered, tugging on my blankets. "It's Sunday, and there's a church service. You strike me as a church-going kinda lass, get up!"

I sat up finally, peering at Keely strangely. "You're in an awfully good mood for someone who's in the condition to wake up sick of a morning."

"Exactly." Keely went to the sink and splashed water onto her rosy cheeks. "I got up an hour ago and couldn't go back ta sleep, so I've tha time ta pester yeh."

As I sat up and raked akimbo curls out of my face, my mind began to wander back to last night. Thankfully by the time I had been overcome with emotion, most of my listeners had dwindled away toward their beds with sleepy children. I had at first thought no one noticed until I soon felt Keely sit beside me on the piano stool and place her arm around me. "Now now... I didn't have a piano brought down to yeh ta send you into a fit of tears. Come Lass, let's head back. It's late."

Not wanting to wake the others, Keely and I sat in my bed while I talked about my father and did a good bit more crying until something past midnight. Talking about him after so long felt like a boulder had been plucked from my shoulders. But it having only been a few hours ago at this point since my melting down, she was likely still concerned.

"And you're going to services?" I asked, swinging my legs around to stand up.

"Haha! Are you kidding? No, I actually thought I'd take a stroll on deck. Feelin' cooped up these days," she replied, wrapping a scarf around her neck and sitting back down to wait for me. "Sinners don't belong in church, my ma always told me."

I wrinkled my nose, going over to the sink. "That sounds like something my mother would have said as well. But it's really kind of backwards, when you think about it. We've all done things to be ashamed of to varying degrees; it's a good thing God loves us anyway. At least, that's how my father believed." I washed my face, cringing at the coldness.

Keely snorted. "My father never talked about tha Lord at all. Funny how that never stopped him from quotin' tha Good Book at me when he found out my condition."

I shook my head. "I think we could all stand to do a little less quoting and a little more living. I mean myself even when I say that." Becoming distracted by my frizzy hair, I sighed. "I've been washing it too much..."

"Washing what?" Keely looked up, having busied herself with a loose strand of yarn in her scarf.

"My hair. Perhaps I should braid it today and leave it at that." For some unbidden reason, Tommy's face popped into my mind. "No... I'll tame it with a bit of water and use my combs."

"Yeh have a perfect thing about yer hair, Lass," Keely chuckled. "Good thing I know this by now and brought our breakfast back here instead of waitin' on yeh."

As much as I wanted to prove Keely wrong, I did end up taking a full hour to bathe myself and get ready for church. Finally when I was sizing myself up a final time in the mirror, Keely began to get impatient.

"I don't think Jack Dawson's a service-goin' type either, if that's what yer worryin' over. Come on!"

Forcing my eyes away from the mirror, I grabbed my shawl. "I know that, I wasn't thinking about him. Or anyone at all," I added quickly.

Shaking her head, Keely opened the door and we made our way toward the general room. Just before I reached the doors, we parted ways with the intent of meeting up at lunch in the dining saloon.

"Ah! Top of tha mornin' to yeh!" another Irish gentleman greeted me at the entrance. "It's a fine day tha Lord's given us."

"Buongiorno!" a dark-haired Italian with a handlebar mustache grinned from the other side.

I smiled at them, thinking not for the first time how the lower the station in life, the less people seemed to allow matters such as race, religion or background to get in the way of them bonding over things they did have in common. It was warming, and not at all what I'd experienced during my years in the aristocracy.

The general room was packed full, and just as everyone was standing to sing the first hymn, I found myself at a loss for where to go. Several rows of chairs were assembled together with an aisle in between, but there were so many people I was almost unable to tell where one row ended and another began. Many men were standing in the back to allow room for wives and children, but as I had arrived late I didn't intend to try to catch the eye of a man who would give up his seat for me.

Just then I caught sight of Tommy standing at the end of a row close to the front. He stood there holding a White Star hymnal in one hand for a woman who had her arms full with two children, his other hand in his pocket. Something about this struck me as charming and I couldn't help but smile.

My surprise was evident when he suddenly turned around for his eyes to sweep the back of the room, and almost immediately caught mine. This time I didn't work so hard to hide the smile and gave him a small wave of greeting. His face fairly lit up as he nodded to the woman next to him and slid out, making his way back toward me.

"Aimee," he greeted me in a whisper. "Are yeh well?" A look of concern crossed his face.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" I replied, then remembered that he must have been present still during my last song on the piano last night.

"I waited ta see yeh at breakfast," he continued, then flushed. This may have been something he didn't want me to know so directly.

"I'm fine," I smiled. "I'll talk to you about it later."

Would I?

The question seemed to have drifted into his mind as well and he looked at me for a moment, seeming slightly surprised. "Sit in my seat," he finally shook himself out of it and handed me his hymnal, pointing to where he was. I nodded and went to it, holding the book open as he had been doing for the mother of two. I wasn't sure why I felt a flush on my face, and I certainly wasn't sure I was happy about it. Even supposing... supposing... I'd had a change of heart about Tommy Ryan, it was wrong of me to do so now after turning him down already.

Don't make too much of it, I chided myself. People have strange thoughts and feelings while traveling to a new place.

The piano had undoubtedly been taken back up to second class earlier in the morning, because we now sang "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" in scattered a capella. Afterwards there was a bit of scuffling about as chairs were pulled this way and that, and more men stood to let women who had filtered in have a seat.

I managed to keep my focus throughout the sermon despite the many distractions there were around me, and after the closing prayer I turned to find myself sweeping the crowd for Tommy's face. I didn't have to do this long, however, as in a moment he was at my side. "An' where's yer tag-along?" he winked.

"Keely? Oh, she... didn't feel up to services this morning. I believe she's out walking the deck," I replied, pulling my shawl from around the back of my chair.

"She's... caught up in somethin' rough, isn't she?"

I turned quickly, searching Tommy's eyes. "You know about that?"

He shrugged. "I don't be intendin' to listen to gossip, but it does reach a lad after a bit. Especially on a ship."

I nodded, thinking of how Keely's morning sickness along with her "free" behavior aboard the ship thus far probably spoke more than I'd counted on. "Yes, she's... very brave for coping with it so well."

"That she is," he shifted his weight and flushed. I realized illegitimate pregnancy wasn't the usual conversation to be having with a man, so quickly changed the subject for both of our comfort as we walked side-by-side out of the general room.

"Last night, I... just had a difficult moment is all. My father passed away not long ago, and the song I was playing reminded me of him."

Tommy nodded. "Ah, makes sense then."

I quickly realized how easy it was to talk to this man, and did so more than I'd originally intended. Instead of parting at the doors, I barely thought about the fact that I was following him out onto the deck as he asked me a few more questions about my father and I answered them. Once we reached the railing, however, I covered my carelessness quickly by pretending to search for Keely. "Hmm, I wonder where she went?"

"Well, it's a big ship ta be sure... but I doubt yeh'll lose her fer good even on here," he smirked. "She may pass us in a minute or two."

The conversation turned from my father to his work in lumber yards after awhile, and I listened with interest as this man described a lifetime of blue collar labor.

"My father did it before me," he added as we made our way in a slow stroll around the deck. "As I said about the builders of this ship..." he held up his hands for emphasis. "Big Irish hands are a force to be reckoned with."

I chuckled. "I'd not think to catch many of you near a piano in that case."

Smiling, Tommy turned his eyes to look ahead of us. "Yeh play well. I coulda nigh lost myself in that last night."

"I don't know that I could ever truly be happy if I didn't have a piano," I sighed, pausing to place my hands on the railing to lean back and tilt my head up slightly, loving the fresh breeze even if it was cold. I saw out of the corner of my eye how Tommy watched me as I did this, but I wasn't bothered by it at the moment. I even felt something of a drop in my chest when he quickly turned away from me as though reminding himself of a reality.

"Aye, so... do ya know what yeh'll do when yeh reach New York?"

We began to walk again as I foundered to sound like I had a definite plan.

"In other words," he gave a smile as he lit up a cigar. "Yeh don't know anything much."

I flushed. "I'm afraid that's true. I've not worked an actual job before, nor did I ever know many people in my circle who did. But it's the first logical step, being as I have no money of my own."

"Yer a strong lass, though," he countered gently. "I could tell it from the start. Yeh'll figure it out... and yeh'll go fer it."

I smiled at him, wanting to ask him suddenly if this was one of the things that drew him to me to begin with. But not wanting to sound like a tease or make him feel any more awkward than he probably already did, I stayed silent on the matter. Instead, I found myself taken by whim.

"Let me try that," I suddenly demanded, reaching for Tommy's cigar. "I was always told a proper woman shouldn't smoke."

He blinked. "You... want ta try it? Sure, just don't be getting' yer hopes up about it bein' easy the first-"

Having taken a larger than intended draw off the end of the cigar, I promptly felt as though I'd swallowed a candle whole and began to cough violently, thrusting it back at him. "Why would anyone... want to do that?" I choked out as he gave me a few pats on my upper back.

"There, there, yeh alright, Lass?" I could hear the laughter in his voice mingled with concern.

"Mm." I finally stood up straight and took a deep breath of clean air, placing my hand at my chest. "I think so, other than being in desperate need of water." I had to giggle at myself.

Tommy laughed once more. "I think I mighta turned green tha first time I had one. Come, let's find yeh a drink of something."

Still chuckling between ourselves as we descended the stairs to the dining saloon, I realized I had no idea what time it was and how long I had been with Tommy. What's more, I wasn't too concerned about it.

"Ah, there yeh go," he had gone to the counter to get a tumbler of tea for me, and came back to sit down. "An' yer sure yer alright?"

I nodded, taking a long swig. "Much better now that I've had that."

He gave another short laugh as he began to fidget with the tablecloth. I watched him for a moment.

"Might I ask you something?" I began, cautiously, finding I really wanted to know.

Looking up quickly, Tommy regarded me for an extra second. "Sure."

I cleared my throat to dispel the last of the smoky feel in my lungs. "Why did you want to court me?" Before the surprised look on his face could fully register, I went on. "It's no secret that I'm a spoiled little snob much of the time, and I nearly thrashed you when you danced with me the first time. There are plenty of good, kind girls on this ship, why didn't you go after one of them?"

Reaching up to rub the back of his neck as I noticed he had a habit of doing when nervous, Tommy glanced away for a moment. "Well... I don't think I can explain it."

When he saw that I was still looking at him for more of an answer than that, he continued.

"Yeh had this determined-like way about yeh. Stubborn even, maybe a bit like my mum," he shook his head, smiling. "But I could tell at tha same time that there was more than what was lyin' there on tha surface. Sort of a mystery, and I felt like if I could unlock it... I'd find somethin' more than what I could see off tha bat."

I nodded, pondering over this.

"... And, uh..."
"Go on?" I prompted curiously.

"... I liked the way yeh tucked yer hair behind yer ear," he flushed. "The way yeh'd fumble with tha necklace yer always wearin' when yeh seemed to be thinkin' hard about somethin'."

It was my turn to flush. He had evidently studied me well the first day or so of the voyage.

Shifting in his seat as he began to fumble with a salt shaker, Tommy glanced up to meet my eyes again in an uncharacteristic shy moment. "... Well, and yeh have pretty eyes. Lovely hair, an' I've always had a thing for a lass with dimples."

Instinctively placing a hand to my forehead to hide my embarrassment, I chuckled. "... Thank you. For saying those things, even though you flatter me." Needing something to fumble with myself, I moved the toothpick holder toward me. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to reply with something more, for once not taking time to even know for sure what it would be. "... I want you to know th-"

"Ahh, Tommy!" We were both jolted from the conversation as Fabrizio came over and slapped Tommy on the back. "I looked for you all over the place!"

I could tell Tommy had to force a laugh to an extent, likely as lost as I was in what we were talking about. "Sorry, sorry. What time is it?"

Looking at the clock above the door, I saw that it was nearing noon as there was another indication of lunch being soon – people drifting into the dining saloon.

"Good afternoon, Miss," Fabrizio cheerfully greeted in his Italian accent.

"Oh, good afternoon to you too," I smiled distractedly. There was no more time to finish any talking between Tommy and I as next I spotted Keely walking in alongside Mrs. McGalliard.

"Well, Mr. Ryan," I stood up from the table, but the look on his face told me there was no need for formalities now. "... Tommy, rather... I will see you this evening. It was a nice walk, and thank you for my tea."

Giving a brief nod, he sat back in his chair and took a refreshing breath to complete our abrupt transition. "It was a pleasure, Miss Aimee."

When I made it over to Keely, she was looking over my shoulder at the direction I came from. "What's this?"

"What's what?" I blinked. "Oh! I just ran into Mr. Ryan when I was looking for you earlier. He was kind enough to fetch me a glass of tea when I took a coughing spell. This cold air, you know."

Keely smirked. "Oh, I know alright. Come, let's sit."

I took my own deep breath, and nodded, following after.