A/N: Thank you everyone for being so very generous with and in your reviews on the last chapter. This is the longest chapter I've ever written. This one was fun to write. I hope you like it too. The characters once again took over the story and ran with it in a direction I didn't anticipate. Oh and the title means 'Silence is Golden' in Latin.

Thank you Courtland for being such a wonderful beta!

CHAPTER X

Silentium est Aureum

"Their love was strong,

But timing was wrong,

And love decided

They didn't belong."

12, April 1912:

After Cal and Robert's little talk, Robert agreed to join Patrick in the first class General Room for a game of cards. There was nothing to bet but bragging rights and a few scattered coins, but that didn't seem to stop anyone. In fact, within a few hours, the small game between Patrick, Robert, James and Cal had evolved into something of an impromptu tournament.

Robert, for his part, had folded ages ago. Usually, he was good at poker, being blessed with an ability to compose his features into a mask of near permanent impassiveness, but tonight he found it hard to concentrate and rather than getting himself good and properly trounced, Robert opted to back out. After all, he had nearly two more days left to spend with these fellows; there would be plenty of time for him to beat them.

After a while he decided that he'd had enough of playing; the cards weren't serving him today at all. He left the smoky room, tasting the last bits of whiskey on his lips. The General Room could easily be called the social hub of first class, and it seemed that nearly all of the rich had settled there to pass the rest of the evening by.

Peace reigned in the hallways of the Titanic. No sound could be heard. All doors were closed and it was as tranquil as some hidden, closed library. Hallways were empty and people were nowhere to be seen. It felt like time had stopped.

Until the crack of the heavy, gold painted elevator doors awoke, disturbing the calm. The doors opened and Robert stepped out. He looked around the lit hallway, putting the black, leather box into his pocket.

He took a few steady steps forward, ready to go back to his room. He was trying to find the key to his room inside his pockets. It was an impossible mission since he had drunk a little too much that night.

His intentions were stopped by a sweet, fast pitter-patter. It almost sounded like running, the heels made a strangely familiar sound. It sounds like... Cora.

The sound got louder and resounded around the hallways, faster and faster, never faltering. It sounded as though it was just around the corner now. But as it grew louder and faster, he could tell the difference between Cora's classy steps and this rough, hurried, almost fearful, sound.

No, not my wife...but still attractive and mysterious to the ears.

Hurried steps suddenly stopped and Robert paused in wonder. He took a moment to scan the rest of the hallway - until a flash of red hair caught his eye. Robert realised that he was half hoping to spot Rosamund, but when a round face peeked out, he realised who the young beauty was.

"Mr. Crawley." The voice was velvet as she spoke, and she stepped out, continuing to walk forward.

"Rose?" Completely confused, Robert said. "Why are you hiding?"

"I'm not exactly hiding..." Rose added, stopping in front of Robert. Her expression looked relieved. "Well, maybe a little. The truth is I don't want to stay through dinner, so..."

" - you decided to disappear, and I understand completely." He finished instead of her, still searching for the key to his room in his pockets.

"Please," she opened her eyes wide, looking pleadingly at him, "if anyone asks, say you didn't run into me."

"I will, don't worry." Robert said easily, his eyes were still pooled with confusion, which he tried to hide with each new blink.

"Need anything while I'm still here?" He asked, seeing how the young girl fidgeted on the spot. She was slightly opening and then closing her lips again and again, like a flower refusing to bloom.

"Can you please escort me if it's not too much to ask." She pleaded finally; her eyebrows raised just a little. "I heard what happened to your wife when she went in third class."

He thought about it for a second before giving her his final decision, still processing her words. "Of course, I will." Giving up from finding his key, Robert abandoned his first class room door and headed after her. They walked down the quiet hallway until Robert spoke up again.

"Where are you actually going?" He asked, following her lead.

Rose inhaled deeply, making her way to the second class staircase.

"Third class is having a party. I said to a few of my friends that I would go." She didn't have to look at Robert to know that he frowned at the mention of Third Class.

Rose felt her mood lift almost the moment she stepped out of first class. Nothing mattered here and she loved the freedom. Robert, following closely behind her, had kept wisely silent for a few minutes. He didn't want to say something that could offend her, or her friends. Usually, he wasn't the type of person that cared all that much about what he would say and to whom, but with Rose it was slightly different.

Rose didn't mind the lack of conversation, but she wished he would stop giving her those little darting looks as though he was afraid that one false move would trigger her temper again.

"Mr. Crawley," Rose said finally when she caught him at it for the hundredth time, "will you stop that?" She asked, giving him a slight smile.

Robert looked over his shoulder like he was hunting for a clue as to what she was talking about, "Stop what?"

"Looking at me like I'm a bomb about to go off," Rose replied. She crossed her arms and gazed at him sternly, "I'm a girl, not a stick of dynamite."

"Could have fooled me," Robert said, chuckling dryly.

Rose glared at him for a moment, then a smile crept across her face.

"I'm only mostly annoyed when I'm with Cal. I lose my temper when I'm with him...or mother. But I'm sorry if I made you think that I'm like that most of the time." She chuckled, shaking her head from side to side. Her red curls flowing in the air like embers from a fire: "I'm really not like that."

"I know." Robert laughed, "but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Oh stop it." She giggled, investigating the hallway this time. Robert laughed and shook his head a few times, walking after her.

"You know where we're going, right?" He commented with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

Seeing her wandering across the enormous hallway didn't pour a lot of hope that she knew where she was going. She peeked through some doors, but it seemed none of them led to third class.

"Not quite, but I'll pretend that I know the way." She flashed him a cheesy smile. Rose started to climb half way up a staircase that, she presumed, were the third class rooms.

A small noise, like a clearing of the throat, caught Rose's attention. Robert was still standing at the bottom of the staircase looking up at her, as though he wasn't sure if it was the right way.

Rose smirked, amused, "You can come up here, you know?"

Robert returned the smirk and shook his head, walking up the stairs.

"I know I can't talk you out of it, but at least be careful there." As these words quietly slipped from his mouth for a second he thought he was talking to Sybil. This young, lively girl had so much of Sybil in herself.

"I will, I promise." She gave a soft smile and looped her arm through his as they made their way through - what they hoped was - the third class hallway.

Both of them could see the curious looks bequeathed upon them from the people who passed them. These people weren't used to such fancy clothes and jewellery. It was clear that they didn't belong here, but none of them seemed to care enough to stop and turn around.

"You're such nice company." Rose commented aloud.

Surprised by this tidbit of knowledge, Robert forgot his discomfort entirely and rotated to face the young lady beside him, "really?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You seem rather surprised by this, huh?" She gave a giggle, looking once again at his precious expression.

"Well, I'm not on a very good terms with women these past few day, so I don't know what to expect anymore." Robert laughed at his own words.

"You mean with Cora, yes, well, I noticed." Rose looked up at his eyes, he seemed relaxed, untroubled by her words.

"Well, in my defence, I'm trying to fix the situation." Robert raised his hand defensively, giving a soft laugh.

They fell silent again, but this time there was none of the previous tension. They slowly walked forward, following the signs around them, trying to seek out the mysterious room.

Later, Robert would wonder what on earth had possessed him to do such a thing and come in third class, but at that moment the thought never crossed his mind. He simply felt that someone ought to help her and it may as well be him.

They opened the heavy third class door, and in an instant merry voices filled the air, laughing and chattering amongst themselves in more languages than Robert could even begin to name. Children chased each other, shrieking with glee, in and out of the rows of teak benches, while their mothers exchanged harried looks and rolled eyes. Families, friends and new acquaintances alike sat together laughing and swapping stories while the band played fast, cheerful music. It was a pleasant melody, streaming through the welcoming atmosphere and Robert thought it felt a little bit like home. It was a strange feeling, though, because he was never the kind of guy to go to informal parties, but nonetheless he liked all he had seen so far.

"I see." Rose said, grinning mischievously at him. "You like it."

"I won't deny, I do." Robert answered, totally stunned.

Rose turned her head, looking directly at him, "Do you want to stay and have fun with us?" She asked, "No one will know, I promise." She giggled.

"Well," he paused, "I would rather..." Robert's sentence was interrupted by another male voice. It was childish, young, but it was silky. Somehow it felt familiar, but Robert couldn't remember.

"Rose!" Jack approached them, running up the stairs and stopping in the middle. "You've managed to come." The joy on the boy's face was priceless; his eyes shone brightly when he saw the young lady. The boy's dark hair fell into his face, his cheeks incredibly red; by the way he was dressed it wasn't hard to guess that he belonged to the third class.

"I somehow did." Rose added, her cheeks blushing, "but I have to thank Mr. Crawley." She turned to him, smiling brightly. Her shining smile and messy fiery curls, yet again clawed at him, reminding him of his beloved Sybil. Those dark pair of green eyes had always glimmered with such happiness each time she had seen him.

"Please," Robert rolled his eyes. It was the littlest thing he could do in helping her. "It was my pleasure. Besides, at night third class is never safe."

"Robert?" Jack muttered, his eyes revealing curiosity. "Robert Crawley, right?" The boy continued.

"That's me." Robert confirmed a little confused by such a sudden question. He slightly narrowed his eyebrows at the stranger in from of him.

Jack suspiciously examined him for a minute before speaking again. "Is your wife Cora?"

"As far as I know, I think she is." He added a chuckle, crossing his arms over his chest. It bothered him a little that he named her only Cora, it somehow seemed too casual for a stranger to name his wife, but he could see that the boy was fearless. There was something mischievous about him. He always talked to everyone in the same tone and manner; he would talk the same no matter who stood in from of him; first class or third class - it didn't matter to him.

"Anyways, has something happened?" Robert continued.

"It depends on how you look at it." Jack grinned, taking a sip of his, now warm, tasteless beer. "I think I saw her here a few minutes ago. She was in someone's company... I think his name was... well, something beginning with S, as far as I can remember."

It didn't take long until Rose and Robert both realised who Jack was talking about.

"Simon." They said in unison, their eyes colliding. Shock could be read from their facial expressions, perhaps even anger. Who could know?

"But that's nonsense." Robert disguised his face coolly, though his fists clenched up.

"She stayed at the dinner, and why on earth would she come here with him?" Robert almost shouted, thank the heavens the music was louder. From his tone it was easy to conclude that he wasn't at ease with it.

"Aye, there she is." Jack squeaked. "Look!" His index finger travelled up in the air, pointing somewhere in crowd. And really, there they were. As soon as Jack raised his finger Robert immediately spotted her. Cora's clothes and unruly caramel curls were easy to pick out of a crowd. Robert found his eye getting pulled to the corner more often than anywhere else, a fact that did nothing but annoy him. He told himself that it wasn't just because Cora was over there, but because she was accompanied by Simon. It made him anxious. The group in the corner was the largest and indeed the most vocal out of all others in the room.

"You must be joking." He sighed, half in disappointment, half in misery.

After a few more hours of conversing with the different passengers and dancing to some more music, Charles turned his head and whispered to Elsie.

"I think we should go before something more happens." He sighed, "I'm really not in the mood for more drama, besides I wouldn't want them to find out that we're here."

Without any hesitation Elsie agreed, nodding her head. She grabbed her coat and headed to the nearest exit. It was indeed late and she felt her eyelids growing slightly heavier with each passing minute.

The staircase, it turned out, was not particularly wide. There was enough room for two people to climb side by side, but just barely. This became immediately apparent when Charles stepped next to her and the pair suddenly found themselves in very close quarters, close enough that their shoulders were pressed together, close enough that if they turned to look at the other simultaneously; they would find there was hardly a foot of space between the tips of their noses. Of course, the first thing Elsie did when she realised this was turn to look at him, and of course Charles did the same so that they discovered very quickly how little room they had.

It shouldn't have mattered in the slightest, but it did. There was a ridiculous stretch of dead silence in which they both stared wide-eyed at one another.

His eyes have flecks of grey in them, Elsie thought, completely out of nowhere and the fact that she had noticed this caused a wave of heat to rush from her neck to the top of her head. The knowledge that she had likely just turned magenta effectively broke Elsie out of her stupor. She dropped her gaze to her feet and with hurried steps scooted as far away from Charles as she could, which in all truth was not very far after all.

As she slowly managed to climb up the tiny stairs, she could hear people shouting behind them to stop blocking the way out. She didn't care for them, but it meant that Charles had still stayed behind and was probably wondering what had happened.

She walked down the hallway and later she heard his steps behind her, but she didn't bother to turn around. After a while Charles surpassed her and now they walked next to each other again. Neither of them seemed to have recovered the use of their vocal chords, so for another torturous minute they said nothing.

Finally, Elsie made a desperate stab at speech, blurting: "It was nice to forget about the world for a little while, wasn't it?" And then immediately wanted to slap herself for saying something so asinine.

Fortunately, Charles didn't seem to care that the conversation was idiotic, only that there was conversation at all. He nodded, making a pointed effort to avoid looking at her. Elsie could have sworn that he was suppressing a smile and she had to restrain herself from boxing his ears.

"Yes, if we get another chance for something like this, I'll gladly take it again." He commented, still avoiding her gaze.

"And the voyage is quite pleasant." Elsie commented, still perched rather rigidly. It was another beautiful day at sea. It barely felt like they were on the water right now, like they were soaring through the cloudless sky, free, and not upon waves that crashed into metal sides.

"If the sea was rougher do you think it would make a difference?" She continued.

"Oh, sure it would," Charles replied matter-of-factly. "The swells are small now, but we'd feel it if they got much bigger."

Elsie glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "You say that like you know for sure."

Charles shrugged. "That's because I do know, don't I?" He said easily, "When I was a boy, I used to go fishing with my father."

Surprised by this information, Elsie forgot her discomfort and looked at him fully.

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Of course not - I never told you." Charles said with a crooked smile, "Now, it's different maybe, being on a big ship like this; I expect you don't feel the waves so much. Still and all, I don't suppose we'd much enjoy having to sail through a bad storm, fancy big ship or not."

"Ah no, I'd think not." Elsie agreed, shuddering at the thought of being tossed around at the mercy of the sea. She had heard tales of ships capsizing under the strain of a ferocious gale, their hulls dashed to pieces by the crash of waves. But then, the Titanic was said to be unsinkable, so she likely didn't have to worry, even if there was a storm.

Standing in front of their room door, out loud Elsie said, "Well at least you managed not to die fishing."

Charles huffed a little laugh and replied. "Yes, well I'm grateful for that too." He opened the door for her and followed her closely behind.

"Otherwise I'd have never met you." He said easily an she passed by. He could tell that her cheeks had gone dangerously red at the tone he'd used, and he adored it. Adored her.

As soon as Elsie returned to her cabin she switched her coat for another one - a warmer one - and chose a different hat. She didn't speak, she didn't dare to say anything. She knew her face was probably red as a tomato by now, but she couldn't help it.

"Going somewhere?" Charles asked amazed, his eyes examining her actions carefully. He stood in the middle of the room. He wanted to change and go to sleep, but it seemed that Elsie had different plans for the night.

"Follow me." She said softly and passed him again, her contagious perfume hitting his nostrils as she did. She turned once again just to look at him and gave him a small smirk before vanishing completely. And even if he wanted to protest she wouldn't hear him; so what was the point in that?

He followed - of course he did.

He always would.

The music continued to get louder and louder with each passing minute; it swirled around everything it could find in perfect concord. They all talked, had fun, joked and gossiped about first class. She bowed her head down, looking at her drink. It was tasteless, but she pretended to enjoy it. Simon constantly glanced at her and he noticed that she was getting progressively quieter as the evening wore on. Now she had an odd pinched expression on her face, one that she was almost managing to hide but not quite.

"Hey there," Simon said, calling for her attention. "Are you alright?"

Cora rose her head, gripping the drink in her hands. "Absolutely." She answered his question, but not truthfully. Of course, she was feeling guilty. The guilt was eating her from the inside. She'd had an amazing time down here, but her inner voice was telling her that it was a mistake. She should have told someone, she should have let someone know where she was.

"Just need some space." She smiled lightly, "I'll be back in a minute."

Cora managed to get through the crowd and journeyed to the other side of the room where there weren't so many people, the music was quieter too like a small child's whisper, the voices muted. She wasn't sure if she should go up on deck or down below to the cabins, or even back to her room.

Robert walked steady through the crowd, Cora wasn't hard to find. He followed her silently and he practiced his breathing on his way to her. He really didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone, he was trying to get his jealousy - or madness - under control.

It was no easy feat navigating the room. Nearly half the population of third class was up on their feet dancing to the lively tunes coming from impromptu band of musicians and avoiding collision with the with the joyful swirl of bodies was challenging to say at least. He dodged several couples whirling through the improvised dance steps, a line of children cheasing each other pell-mell through the crowd, a line of mothers trying to catch their pell-mell children, and a pick of men cheering for their friends at what appeard to be an arm wrestling tournament before finally coming out the other side of the room feeling as though he had just gone through a windmill.

The moment he stepped out of that noisy crowd, and escaped the dance floor, Robert spotted her standing in the corner near some little, round window. As he approached, Robert could see how hard she was grasping the railing, her head bent and her eyes closed.

"Cora?" Robert said, once he was within hearing distance.

Apparently, she had not heard him coming because Cora gasped in surprise and jumped about a foot, cracking one wrist hard against the uppermost railing.

"For heaven's sake, where did you come from?" Cora exclaimed, shaking one hand with a hiss of pain. "Why did you sneak up on me like that?"

Robert grimaced. "Sorry, I figured you had heard me coming." He gestured to her newly bruised wrist. "Did you hit it very hard?" He took her gentle palm into his masculine hands, examining it carefully.

"It's fine." She replied with the tiniest wince. Finally, she seemed to register that it was Robert who had joined her and she frowned in thought - she was puzzled about how he had come to be here.

"How did you get here?" She was shocked to see him. He wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't supposed to find her here. "I thought you were playing cards with the other men?" She was completely stunned. He was so calm, and he looked right into her eyes with such gentle care that she forgot how to breathe and he caressed her palm lovingly.

Her voice had an odd quality to it, as though she was talking through clenched teeth. Taking a closer look, Robert could see that she didn't look entirely right either; her face was pale with a faint greenish tinge around the edges.

Ignoring her questions completely, Robert said: "Cora, what's wrong with you?"

Cora rubbed the bridge her nose and squinted up at him. "Well, that's a nice greeting to give your wife." She said dryly.

Refusing to let her sidetrack him, Robert raised one eyebrow and said. "You're the colour of your dress." He tugged gently on one of her white sleeves to illustrate the point. "You're seasick after all?"

For some reason the question seemed to bother her. Cora turned away from him, leaning heavily on the rails once more. "No, I'm not; it isn't that." She said in the same tight voice.

Robert shrugged. "Homesick then?"

Cora peered up at him sideways for a moment and then seemed to decide that he wasn't going to leave her condition alone. She sighed.

"Not that either."

Straightening Cora tucked a stray curl behind one ear and attempted a weak smile. "Nothing but a case of too much excitement and tasteless food mixed with cheap drinks, I expect."

She was a very good liar, Robert decided. But why is she lying? Alright, perhaps the food did have something to do with why she was here, looking like she was about to be sick, but that wasn't all of it. Robert tried not to show his scepticism, but he could feel his brows knitting into a V in spite of his efforts. This marked the second time that day he'd become sure she was hiding something from him. The first had occurred early in the morning after their love session, but he told himself that it was because she was feeling tired. Robert wasn't sure what was giving her away - something in her eyes perhaps - but he felt positive that Cora was not being entirely truthful.

Still, Robert couldn't see the point of pushing the issue, especially when she looked to be about five seconds from vomiting on his shoes. He knew that she would tell him eventually and it was never good to pressure her if she didn't want to say something, she most likely needed more time.

"Then it must be that." Robert said, lying about the cause of course. The fact was she was still sick and Robert couldn't help but feel concerned.

"You're going to be alright? I'll take you to find the doctor if you want." He said, concern written all over his face.

"Lord no," Cora said with a little laugh. "I'll be fine. Just need some air and it will pass." A thought seemed to occur to her then, and she suddenly looked sly. A slow, crooked smile spread across her face and her eyelashes dipped down; casting small fanned shadows along her cheeks.

She asked. "Robert Crawley, did you come here to check on me?"

Robert made a face, for a moment considered denying it completely, and then finally settled on saying. "After all, you're my wife... so... I could be." Robert said, as much as he could, in an offhand voice. It couldn't be disputed that Robert felt responsible for Cora, but he wasn't about to come right out and admit it. Besides, she was the type to look out for herself and Robert didn't want to insult her pride by saying the wrong thing.

Apparently his response was the correct one because Cora looked happy with the statement and made no move to admonish him. "Well, thank you." She said and, for a fraction of a second, appeared almost shy again, coyly peeking at him. Then, as fast as he could blink, the look was gone, but Robert wasn't sure he had imagined it.

"I don't want to keep you from your game though, Robert. You can go if you want, I'm alright here by myself."

"Eh, I wasn't playing anymore anyway." Robert replied with a one-shouldered shrug, "and Patrick is going to win; he's the better bluffer. So, I suppose I'll just stay here." Robert said hastily. "If you have no objection, of course." He slowly teased her.

"You can stay." Cora said and this time the bashful look was unmistakable, though almost as fleeting as the first one had been. For some unknown reason Robert felt stupidly pleased by this reaction. She already seemed better - the green cast to her skin had receded leaving her looking just a few degrees paler than usual - but still she circled her midsection with one arm and said. "Go on and distract me until I feel like myself again."

Robert pondered the request. "I suppose I can manage that." He decided with a smirk. "What kind of distraction are you looking for?"

Cora mirrored his twist of a smile with one of her own and shifted so that her back was braced against the railings. "Tell me something about yourself Lord Grantham. Something I don't know."

"You don't actually know anything about me." He teased her, smirking, the action sent crooked shadows under his lips.

"Oh yes?" Cora replied, with a lift of her brows. "Do you think that?"

Robert opened his mouth to confirm that yes, only to snap his jaw shut the next instant - it wasn't true and he knew it. Actually, he felt as though they had known each other for far, far longer than they actually had. They had been married for so long, but he felt that they had known each other for all of eternity and every day that came after that.

Cora nodded. "Exactly." She said, though he had not spoken.

Robert shook his head as though to dismiss the mysterious exchange.

"Well, say whatever you want, that's still an awful broad range of topics. Have you got any particular thing in mind?" Robert asked.

Cora checked through her opinions and finally said. "Tell me something about your wife?"

"She's the love of my life." Robert replied immediately; this was the thing that he felt most defined his wife.

This drew a surprised laugh from Cora. "Anything else about her?" She said with a smile that crinkled her eyes; they looked like small cobwebs.

"Well, yes." Robert said. "She's stubborn, but mischievous. I look out for her as much as I can, but she always thinks she can manage alone. If she heard what I said she would probably give me a good knock about the head for saying so." Robert shot Cora a conspiratorial half smile and added, "But that's only because she knows it's true."

Cora laughed again and Robert noticed that the colour was beginning return to her face. "I see you're feeling better." He had all but forgotten the initial reason he had gone looking for her.

"Oh yes, thank you." Cora grinned at him, then seemed to realise that they were supposed to be leaving. "Well, we should go." She hesitated. "Are you coming?"

"Oh no." Robert smiled, slowly walking towards her. "We're not leaving just yet." He took her wrist gently and started leading her onto the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" She chuckled slowly, but narrowed her eyebrows a little.

"We are not going to dance, are we?" She laughed and Robert pulled her on the dance floor. Her eyes widened, "No, Robert, no!" She yelled over the music.

"Why not?" Robert laughed and Cora looked down sheepishly.

"I can't dance. At least not like this." Cora yelped.

He laughed and pulled her with irrefutable force to the middle of the dance floor. No one stared, they looked just like them - alright, maybe a little more stylish and classy, but still. Robert threw his black suit jacket to a nearby table and put his arms around Cora.

"Don't worry." Robert said, "It's all in the leading."

He put one hand on the small of Cora's back and pulled her closer. Her chest and stomach pressed against his and Cora slightly blushed. He took her other hand and started to jump into the dance. She, of course, followed his lead.

"I really don't know the steps!" Cora said and he smiled, amused nonetheless.

"Darling, just move your feet and don't think." He said encouragingly. The music started and they were off. A little awkward at first, but then she started to get into it.

When the music flowed and filled the crowded room, her spirits raised. Hips began to swivel and she felt the rhythmic beat coursing through her veins. The scene was rowdy and rollicking. The steps were fast and she shone with sweat. The space opened around them and people watched them, clapping as the band played faster and faster. After a few turns to the upbeat music, Robert and Cora were twirling and dancing like there was no tomorrow. This was definitely more fun and easier than the slow dances they were used to. Cora laughed and relaxed into his lead. After the song ended and another began, they stepped off the dance floor.

They walked to a nearby table, flushed and sweaty, where Robert shook hands with a few men and was quickly offered two glasses of beer. He took them and was about to set them aside, but Cora stopped him.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" She asked.

Robert smirked. "I can't drink anymore tonight and I doubt you should."

Nonetheless, she grabbed the drink from his hand; extreme excitement took over her. Without thinking, she approached the glass to her lips and took a rather large gulp. She felt her throat burning, her eyes started to water in pain as it slid down her throat leaving a sizzling burn behind. But, it was quite odd...it, in a way, felt good. Very good. So much so that she found herself taking another sip and then another until reality grew hazy. By the time she was finished the glass was half empty.

Cora looked up and Robert was staring at her in awe, his eyes wide open, still not sure if he should comment or just leave it be.

"What?" Cora questioned, "You think a first class girl can't drink?" She laughed at his expression and grabbed some food for her famished stomach.

He looked at her, at her graceful movements. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her like this. So free, so mischievous, so... different. She finally met his gaze again. They looked at each other lovingly, not noticing the strangers around them. Robert gazed deep into her sapphire eyes, unfathomable and as churning as the sea below them.

Slowly, Robert began to lean closer to her lips. Breathing in, her now very weary perfume, he was only centimetres away from her lips. He didn't know what made him do that, but he was longing to touch those luscious lips.

"Cora?"

Her closed eyes quickly opened and they broke apart before they could even come together. They had been so lost in time, in one another, until someone had come and interrupted them.

There was a hint of worry in someone's voice. "I see you're alright now." Both of them turned their heads, looking at the intruder.

"Simon?" Cora gasped, since Robert had come she had totally forgotten with who she was here with first.

"Yes, everything is alright. We were just heading back. I'd like to thank you, this was an amazing night." She glanced at Robert and then switched her gaze to Simon. The two of them didn't make any eye contact. Robert twisted his mouth and Simon looked at his feet. It wasn't a comfortable situation.

"It was my pleasure." Simon muttered, that was the only thing he could actually say.

"Let's go," Robert moved his hand onto Cora's shoulders and they slowly moved forward.

When he saw that Cora was a little ahead of him, he stopped and turned his head to Simon, his now dark eyes flashed furiously, his gaze tense.

"And don't you ever go near my wife again, or you'll regret." With that he followed Cora's steps and disappeared from the room.

Elsie intended to go up on deck, but she thought maybe she would try and get to the forward Well Deck, via the route Jack had told her about the day before. The problem was that most of the third class deck space was at the stern; where a person had to always see where they'd come from instead of where they were going.

Following the signs and hearing Charles' steady steps and huffs behind her, Elsie made her way up one level to E-Deck and then started up one long corridor Jack had described. Elsie wondered if it really ran from one end of the ship to the other. If it didn't and she ended up getting lost for three hours in the depths of the Titanic, Jack Dawson was going to have some explaining to do.

Elsie travelled at a leisurely pace, admiring again the beauty and grandeur of the ship. She wondered what life was like on the first class decks. Elsie couldn't imagine any luxury finer than these clean white walls, and the electrical light in their shining brass fixtures; like the ones she saw each day in Cora's bedroom. Most of the third class supposed that rich folks had cabins draped in velvet and slept every night on silk sheets. Sleeping on material like that would be like sleeping on woven water, or cream. Elsie shivered pleasantly at the thought and wondered if the first class passengers - including her employers - had even the slightest inkling of how lucky they were. Likely not. No one ever did.

She shook her head to clear it from such thoughts and continued to walk forward. Frowning, Elsie scanned the area for something that would indicate that this was the staircase that would eventually lead up to the deck. She was sure there had to be a sign, but she couldn't immediately spot it. Hands on her hips, Elsie contemplated the steps, wondering if she should just try climbing them and see where she ended up.

"Are you going to go up the stairs then, or are you just going to stand here scowling at them?" Charles finally joined her, giving her a disgruntled look.

Elsie glared at him for a moment, then spun on her heel and started up the stairs, not bothering to ask if she was going the right way. She practically heard Charles hesitate before deciding to follow her.

Glancing out of the corner of her eye. Elsie realised that Charles had fallen behind by the time she hit the top of the staircase, he was still three or four steps below her. Elsie stopped and looked back at him questionably, hands fisted on her hips. Charles stopped his ascent and frowned up at her.

"I really hope this is the right way." Charles said finally, crossing his arms and sounding thoroughly irritated. "There's way too many steps. There's no way I'm climbing this again."

Elsie twisted her mouth to one side, trying hard not to laugh. She continued walking forward. She went through a hallway that she presumed led to the second class decks. There was a chained blockade at the end of the path, preventing steerage passengers from entering the higher class deck space.

By the time Charles got there he saw the chain slightly swinging back and forth. He stepped above it and opened the door. At the end it turned out that this indeed was the way to a nice view. The scene on the horizon took his breath away.

Elsie wasn't hard to find. The moment Charles stepped out on the deck, he spotted her standing at the starboard-side rails. As he approached he could she her eyes fixed out on the sea. The picture really was gorgeous- including Elsie in it. The simple colours of the night mixing so beautifully.

He started walking towards her and out of nowhere he said. "You've always been different." That caught her attention and she turned her head to face him, she leaned onto the rails, listening carefully. "You know it."

"Not really." Elsie said softly, sighing loudly. Charles looked at her curiously but she didn't meet his eyes. Scuffing her heels against the wooden planks of the deck, she explained: "When I was younger... my family... well... I expect I embarrassed them a bit. Because I didn't act like a proper girl."

The statement was so absurd that Charles didn't even know how to respond. It was true that Elsie was unburdened by the careful reticence that most young women chose to present themselves with, but that hardly marked her as improper. In fact, Charles thought it made her rather more tolerable than the silly, giggly, delicate swooning types that were a two-a-penny these days. He would have told Elsie as much had she not continued speaking.

"I never could figure them out; the way they're all so content to stay exactly as they are, never even trying to amount to anything more." Elsie shrugged, "all of them, completely happy with being nothing for the rest of their days. Even little children are blindly following exactly the same path as the others with no question at all." She inhaled deeply, she was telling him some things she had never told anyone else before, but here she was standing, in the middle of the Atlantic, telling her secrets and thoughts to a person she had known for years.

"I'm perfectly happy with my life. I, at least, have achieved something. I get to travel and I get to speak to different people each day. It's not a very big luxury, but at least I've moved a little from where I had begun."

Charles frowned. "Well, I suppose I'm a bit like that." He said, feeling mildly offended that she should think so low of people who understood the futility of trying to aspire beyond their means.

Elsie looked at him sideways and shook her head. "No Charles, you're not a thing like them."

Elsie looked hard at him then, not the curious sidelong glances she had been shooting him for most of the night. Charles met her stare - and though it wasn't the first time he had gotten the feeling that Elsie really did know exactly what was in his head - it was the first time that he thought he might have some idea what was going on in hers. In that odd moment it occurred to him that perhaps they understood each other better than either of them were willing to admit. Elsie tilted her head to one side and a smile ghosted across her lips before she broke eye contact.

"Nothing ever goes as planned, does it? Things change - and sometimes they're not that bad." She said, as though the conversation had never paused. Elsie pursed her lips, lost in some private thought, and Charles wondered if she would ever tell him what it was.

"But maybe in the end everything turns out to be alright. I accepted the tickets and decided to step out of my comfort zone. And now I get to travel to America on the most beautiful ship the world's ever seen, and on her first voyage no less." She grinned at him, her usual demeanour completely restored, "You and I, Charles, we get to be a little bit part of history." Elsie paused, taking in a deep breath, "Even you've got to admit that's something."

Charles chuckled and shook his head in resignation. "Yes, I suppose it is at that."

"Sure it is." Elsie replied. "So it's not so bad, plans changing. I get to see this ship after all, I wouldn't have met all these people otherwise... or you." She added as a afterthought, though Charles knew perfectly well she had done it intentionally.

Picking absently at her cuticles, Elsie continued with a rueful smile. "Of course, you might have preferred that - not having me talking your head clean off every second of the trip."

Charles almost laughed, thinking that she was teasing but stopped short when he caught sight of how determinedly she was examining her hands rather than meeting his eyes.

"No," He said nonchalantly, as though he hadn't realised that she was serious, "no, I'm glad you're on this trip. It would be boring without you, and I'd be dull as dirt otherwise."

Elsie turned to him surprised, a smile breaking over her face like the sun coming up. He could see how glad she was to hear it. She liked his company - or any company in general. This made Charles think of his own family; they would be sitting around the fire at home and no doubt they would be speculating about his well-being, hoping that he was managing all right without them. He wondered if Elsie's sister was thinking about her, or if he, Charles was the only other person in the world worrying about this poor brave girl. She must have felt terribly alone, but of course, she would never admit it.

"You're a big flatterer Charles Carson." Elsie said, even though she had to know perfectly well by then that Charles wasn't one to say anything without meaning it. She was still smiling. Folding her arms across her chest, Elsie shivered a little.

"It's gotten a bit chilly, hasn't it? I guess it's time I go back below before I catch my death." Once more she smiled at him and said. "Well, I'm off." She hesitated, "You coming?"

Charles smiled and almost said yes, but at the last second he changed his mind. "I think I'm going to stay up and have a smoke."

"Since when have you been smoking?" Her eyes winded in complete surprise.

"Only when I can't sleep." He exhaled sharply before looking out at the ocean, "and I didn't climb all those stairs for only a few minutes here."

Wrinkling her nose a little at the mention of the cigarette, Elsie said, "Alright, then I suppose I won't see you until tomorrow. Good night, Charles."

"G'night." Charles watched her go, disappearing into the warmth of the ship. Once she was completely out of sight, he pulled out a snuff box from an interior pocket of his coat, rolled himself a cigarette and turned back to watch the water roll by.

There was a yellow light from the Titanic's many portholes; overlapping with the white light of the moon and stars - they stitched themselves together through the black quilt of the ocean; silver, gold and pitch black. Charles thought about what Elsie had said, about being a small part of history. He shook his head; on a night like this, he could almost - almost but not quite - buy into her fanciful talk, her big dreams, her desires. Life, it seemed, still had the capacity to surprise him, and that, perhaps, was the biggest surprise of all.

Charles blew a wreath of smoke out into the night and watched as the wind caught hold and blew it out to sea.

"We'll see, won't we?" He said out loud, not even entirely sure what he meant by it, "we'll just wait and see."

Hot steam - caused by Cora's bath - was slowly rising behind the wooden door. She decided to treat herself a little bit and the hot water was an ideal luxury for her. She leaned her head back, feeling a slight headache that had been caused by the loud music in third class. Maybe she drank a little too much too. It seemed that the beer wasn't a good idea after all. She felt like she was in a dream, and that only the bright light around her and the searing headache she had pulled her out. But she was glad that she was now in her heavenly room, surrounded by peace.

She knew that she had to talk to Robert. Perhaps he wouldn't react the way she hoped he would, but he was hurt nonetheless. And she was angry at herself because she knew what she was going to cause him, but at this moment she didn't care at all.

Her head started hurting even more from too much negative thinking. She relaxed her muscles in the hot water, they were sore and aching after such a long day. The few candles around the room helped her to unwind. She slowly rubbed her sponge around her skin, leaving behind little bubbles that removed the dirt and left the enchanting smell of roses.

Once she decided to stop her bliss, she stepped outside. Cold air immediately hugged her body and she shivered a little. Finding her silky robe, she wrapped it around her fragile body. The cold fabric on her clear skin was a divine feeling. Her damp dark curls danced around her shoulders as she made her way out of the bathroom.

She walked out to find her husband sitting on the end of the bed. He was looking at some papers, but as soon as he heard her coming he set them aside. Cora fully had his attention and he had that innocent smile drawn on his face, and it only made her giggle.

She slowly walked towards him, her bare feet touching the fluffy carpet beneath.

"Feeling better, love?" Robert said. She moved closer to him, so that she now stood completely in front of him, tying the knot on her silky robe.

"A little." Cora bent down to kiss him. When she tried to break the kiss, he pulled her over and kissed her back passionately. After a few minutes of them kissing like that, an idea came to Cora's mind. She slowly let her hands travel up and down his chest before starting to unbutton his shirt.

He turned dead still and he clamped his hands over Cora's wrists. She didn't move, she didn't dare to breathe, she just stood there waiting for his next move. Her heart was beating at an unimaginable speed as her confusion grew. Robert pulled away to look at her face, disappointment written all over it, "Cora, no." He was stern and his eyes were hard; he carefully released her wrists.

"Why not?" Cora narrowed her eyebrows, looking confused.

"We have to talk." He muttered and Cora immediately collapsed on the bed next to him.

"About what?" She inhaled deeply, looking into his eyes, but he avoided her gaze.

"You know about what." He said dryly and heard her deeply sighed. "Why did you go with him?"

"I don't know." She said instantly, but her voice was calm. She clenched her hands in her lap, she felt guilty but she really didn't know the right answer to his question.

"That's not an answer." Robert muttered, turning his head to look at her.

"Well, that's the only one I have." She rose her head up and looked at him straight in the eyes. "I just wanted someone who cared."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned.

"You know what it means." She raised her voice and stood up, leaving his side.

"I don't know if you're aware, but you're not the easiest woman to predict." Robert smirked and looked at her. Just then Robert suddenly realised - she was lonely. The thought came to him clear as crystal; lonely and a little bit scared as well.

Feeling guilty for her tone, but not so guilty that she could stop herself from continuing, Cora said: "Well, I am." She clenched her fists and brooded quietly for a minute. "Besides I don't see how talking would make it any better. It can only make it worse as far as I can tell. You wanted to put me in a bad mood in the first place, didn't you? I know what I've done, and I feel guilt for it." Cora paused looking at Robert, who speechlessly sat on the bed. Her blue eyes filled with tears, it was only a matter of time for when they would spill out onto her rosy cheeks. But not quite yet, she wouldn't let them fall just yet, "What's done is done, right?"

There was a beat and then Robert said. "Why are you getting so upset if nothing happened in the first place?"

"Because nothing happened and I can feel that you don't believe me!" Cora spat, nervously pacing around the room.

"Who said I don't believe you?" Robert's eyebrows narrowed, looking at her in shock.

"I can feel it. I know it." She looked out of the window, now the tears freely rolled down her face. "You've been acting strangely for these past few days. You look at me differently, actually you look at me like you despise me. You don't even notice me anymore... you... you-"

"Me?" Robert cut her off and laughed in disbelief. "I watched you all those days and-"

"And did absolutely nothing at all." Cora proclaimed. She glared at him but got no response - he just stared blankly at her, still processing her words - a fact that only made her angrier, "God!"

Looking thoroughly confused now, Robert put his fingers to his temple. "Good Christ," he commented to no one in particular. "You're confusing."

Cora narrowed her eyes and glowered with all of her might for precisely five seconds before bursting into tears.

It was hard to say who was more surprised by the turn of events - Robert, who bolted upright and looked terrified, or Cora who clapped both hands over her face and, mortified, made a run for the door. Despite her head start, Robert moved faster and before Cora could disappear from the room, he had caught her by the upper arm.

"Hey darling," Robert said, clearly alarmed by her behaviour, "wait a minute. You can't just go."

Cora tried to pull free but Robert tightened his grip and pulled her back. Cora struggled half-heartedly and finally snapped, "Robert, let me go."

He immediately relinquished his hold. "All right," he said taking a step back, "I'm sorry." He looked at her, face creased with concern. "Dear Lord Cora, I didn't mean to... you know I didn't mean anything."

"I know." Cora waved him to silence. She wasn't even crying anymore; other than some residual of wetness on her cheeks, nothing appeared amiss. Whatever cracks had engraved in her defences, she had walled it right back up even tighter than before.

"It's not you. It really isn't you." She sighed, slowly calming herself down.

Robert looked vaguely relieved, "You sure?"

Cora nodded. "Yes." She wiped her damp cheeks angrily, furious with herself, "It's nothing... It's just... I'm fine."

"Clearly." Robert said, rolling his eyes. He made a small, helpless gesture with his hands. "Cora, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing," Cora repeated, more firmly, "it isn't anything to worry about." She wrapped her arms around herself and looked away, "I'm just... I guess I'm a bit homesick after all." She made a low, frustrated noise in the back of her throat.

"Robert, why would you care anyway? You haven't cared these past days and now you have decided to show your interest in me."

Robert narrowed his eyes at her and she spread her arms wide.

"Why do you care now?" She demanded, half despairing, half exasperated.

"Well maybe I came to my senses!" Robert snapped back at her so quickly that Cora was positive that he had spoken without even thinking first. Cora's eyebrows shot almost to her hairline. Robert rubbed a hand across his eyes.

"I do care Cora. I've always cared. I just guess that my..." He paused, avoiding her tense gaze, "... my jealousy or even my pride have made things worse. You know that I'll always care for you. I just don't like it when you're around that man, and I can see that he's crazy about you."

"That's absurd." She paused and inhaled deeply. Her eyes darkened and suddenly she realised she needed more air than usual. "And you know that I'd never want another man besides you." She smiled faintly and approached him.

"He was just..." She stopped unsure of what words to use, "he listened to me when I needed it the most. We share some same interests and that brought us closer." She looked pleadingly at him, her eyes softened and a little smile formed at the corner of her lips. "That's all, I hope you know that."

"And you know that you can always talk to me." He put his hand on her shoulder, calmly moving it up and down. "I'm always here for you."

"But sometimes you have to see some things by yourself." She breathed in his contagious perfume and for a brief second she thought she was lost. Cora put her palms onto his chest and pushed closer.

"You believe me, don't you?" She said, her voice a little shaky. She smoothed the fabric of his shirt with her palms. Cora placed a hand directly over his chest, feeling his heart bumping inside at a rapid rate.

"Do I?" Robert said. He let the question dangle for a moment before continuing. He could see the seriousness on her face, her expression shocked by his words.

"Kidding." Robert said quietly and let out a faint chuckle. "Of course I believe you." As soon as he said that, Cora gave him a solid back-handed slap across the shoulder that was hard enough to make him yelp.

"You better." Cora exhaled deeply, letting go of all her frustrations.

She breathed, giving him a half smile. "Now we need something to lift our spirits, don't we?"

Cora slowly leaned forward and they just stared at each other's eyes, not speaking. She turned her head and gazed as deeply as she could into his eyes. There was so much love and devotion hidden in their mysterious depths. Cora knew the same love was mirrored in her own eyes. He slowly leaned forward and she closed the distance. They embraced in the most passionate kiss they had ever had, it was perfect. Cora's eyes closed and her lips moved with his.

And the next minute, before they even realised what was happening, he was pushing her against the mattress and kissing her senseless. Perhaps it was the exhaustion that made him too tired to argue against Cora and her excuses. In that moment, Robert just wanted Cora to stop talking. So, during her complaints, Robert crushed his lips against hers, her protests dying short.

Robert was shocked himself. His instincts told him to pull away instantly. And yet she was responding to his kiss, tugging his collar and pulling him closer. She tasted like strawberries and her skin smelled like fresh roses. Robert's tongue swiped across her lips, intertwining with hers like twisting vines. He nibbled her lower lip, stirring a moan from the back of her throat. Yes, definitely strawberries.

Robert didn't want to stop kissing her. Instead, he was running his hands down her curves and to her waist, pushing himself against her.

A few minutes ago they had been arguing, conversing, fighting, and then the next, they loved each other so fiercely it was like nothing had happened at all. This night was going down a completely different path to what Cora had imagined.

Cora broke the kiss with a gasp. Her eyes were wide, equally as shocked as he was, yet darkened with lust.

"Robert." She breathed, slightly breathless.

He didn't give her a chance to continue. His lips were on hers again, his hands pinning her arms over her head, because she was looking for an explanation he didn't want to give - and that he didn't how to explain how they'd come to this. And because she tasted like strawberries and her lips were so soft that it was almost unreal. He felt like he could get drunk from her kisses.

Robert stopped abruptly and Cora blinked back, confusion flickering past her features as he studied her. His eyes lingering on hers. Just like her lips, they were so soft too, a soft shade of pink appeared on Cora's lips, like drops of roses. Robert's eyes drifted to the rest of her complexion. Would her skin be as soft as her lips too?

Robert brushed his lips against the corner of her jaw, taking Cora by surprise. He wrapped his lips around the curve of her earlobe, leaving a trail of kisses down the slope of her neck. Shortly after his lips found a path to her collarbone, kissing it slowly. Her skin was soft, smooth - untouched.

His excitement instantly was raised when he saw that she wore nothing beneath her silky robe. Absolutely nothing. Robert felt a smile pulling at the corner of his lips at the soft moans he was eliciting from her. It was certainly a pleasant change. He felt her resolve weakening underneath him. Her hands travelled up her silky robe, trying to find the knot to untie it.

He placed a chaste kiss to the corner of her jaw, murmuring beautiful as he did so. Cora's heart melted at his hoarse words, her eyes fluttering shut as his lips continued to pepper a trail of kisses down her neck, repeating the word like a prayer between each kiss. Cora bit back another moan when she saw him staring at her, his face millimetres away from hers. His gaze sent a wave of shivers up her spine. Robert stopped with a teasing smirk, wanting to capture Cora's lips in another kiss.

Before he could do so, he stopped, taking in a deep inhale. "I don't think we should," Robert said, tenderness in his eyes. "You don't look entirely..." His sentence was stopped because Cora crashed her lips onto his.

"I'm fine. Stop worrying. I don't need you to worry about me." She immediately rolled him onto his back with a triumphant smirk of her own, straddling his hips.

Robert seemed to sense that he wasn't getting anywhere so he closed his eyes briefly and took a deep breath. He pulled away slightly just so Cora could sense his seriousness.

"Fine." He said, looking at her again, "But just so you know, I'm going to figure it out."

Cora tilted her head to one side, puzzled. "Figure what out?"

"Whatever is it you're hiding." Robert replied, moving her caramel curls that fell onto his face behind her ear, "Sooner or later you're going to give yourself away."

"I'm not... I don't know what you're talking about." Cora gave a weak smile, feeling the blood drain from her face, "I'm not hiding anything."

Robert smiled blandly. "If you say so." He took Cora's face into his hands and his tone gentled significantly, "and whatever it is, I'm going to care."

"Yes you will." Cora whispered gently into his ear. "Oh God, you will." She murmured and Robert stared. Cora felt her throat close around anything else she might have said. There was a heartbeat's worth of silence in which neither of them moved. Until she continued to tease him like nothing had happened at all, releasing small groans when their lips embraced.

Her fingers reached down his arms, his shoulders and his chest, watching his muscles contract beneath them. Her lips slowly moved across the crook of his neck. Her eyes lingered over a faint scar before Robert caught her hand. Cora saw the hint of pain in his eyes and immediately understood. Bending down to kiss his lips once more their bodies harmonized and they were once again intoxicated by their love.

Still her words were rooted inside Robert's head, it puzzled him. Even though they enjoyed the moment, it still echoed in his mind.

What she wanted to say would still remain a mystery.

See, I was nice. They're finally communicating. And Chelsie fans please don't hate me for another almost-kiss. I think I enjoy those way too much.

Now, is everything over with Simon? What is Cora hiding? Will Elsie and Charles become a part of the history? Good or bad one?

This chapter probably left some opened questions and I want to hear what you think in the feedback. I gave you a very long chapter so please be equally nice to me and let me know what you thought by leaving a review.