Alright you guys…here it is, as promised…the next chapter in Titanic….a chapter devoted ENTIRELY to Chad and Taylor. I hope I get more than one review, but I'd still be happy with just one. Thanks for that review RememberxDecember! Lol. So, without further adieu, here it is…
Titanic
Chad and Taylor
Chad slept soundly, his arm wrapped loosely around Taylor's expanding stomach, a smile perched lightly on his face. He was dreaming. In it, he and Taylor were sitting in their living room in their new house, sipping coffee and just enjoying each other's company. Their baby sat on the floor adjacent to him, in front of Taylor. And then suddenly it was like the whole world was shaking. He had just jumped up to grab the baby when the roof caved in and the last thing he heard was Taylor's scream before he awoke…sitting straight up in bed, swathed in sweat. Only…in a way, the dream wasn't real. For one thing, Taylor was still pregnant and they were still on Titanic but, they were shaking, and Taylor was screaming…for him to wake up though.
Around him, the whole room was…vibrating? Things on his dresser were falling off-a bottle of perfume he bought Taylor when Titanic had stopped at Cherbourg shattered when it hit the hard, unforgiving floor, the lamp by the chaise fell, the bulb exploding all over the carpet. The chaise itself was slightly rocking, and the bed…he figured if his weight wasn't holding it down, it would be moving too. There was a sudden jolt and their bed shot from the wall, and grabbing out, his hand grazed the wall in time to feel a slight bulge which quickly retracted. What was that? There wasn't time. Standing up, he made his way over to the light-switch by the door. Flicking it on, the damage was evident. Broken and dented objects all over the room, covered the floor. Staring through squinted eyes, he silently asked Taylor is she was okay-she quickly nodded yes before climbing out of bed and tying an oversized robe around her.
Shaking slightly, she walked over toward her husband, wrapping an arm around his waist…squeezing lightly. A cold wind blew through the cracked window. "Wha…what was that?" she wondered more to herself than to anyone, although he didn't care. He was too shaken up.
"I…I don't really know Tay."
There was a scuffle outside-feet pounding on the hard floor of the hallway and throwing open the door, he saw a large mob of third classmen running up the stairs. In their hands, they carried blankets, suit cases, and pillows, and they looked like they were panicking. And then, it was like another mob of stewards came out of nowhere, trying to hold off the mob without much success. He noticed-and this scared him the most-that the feet of the third classmen were squeaking in their shoes-as if they soaking wet.
Turning quickly, he slammed the door, startling Taylor, who had stooped down to pick up a picture of a ship rocking in a storm that had once hung over the couch. "Get dressed" he commanded, running to the bedroom, already stripping down. Grabbing a pair of khaki pants, he threw them on before putting on a t-shirt. Crossing to the closet, he grabbed a light blue button down. In the background, he could hear his wife throwing her clothes on the floor in her hurry to obey her husband. In any other situation, Chad would have laughed hysterically. This was the first time that his wife had done what he had said, no questions asked. She lightly pushed him, and he stumbled slightly as she made her way to the wardrobe they shared. Grabbing the dress that she wore when Troy had invited them to dinner, she quickly stepped into it, and then motioned for Chad to zipper it. He did, and then he reached up, grabbing a life jacket for her. He slipped it onto her before she even realized what it was, but afterward, she looked at him with a half questioning, half horrified expression.
"You think…you think it might be SINKING?" she looked horrified, as if the possibility was out of the question and now that it had dawned on her that it might at that second be sinking…it felt like a wall of bricks had hit her.
"I slammed the door because I just saw a mob of third class passengers running up the passenger staircase carrying all their belongings. Tay, they had wet feet. Whatever is happening, it's not good. And the only explanation I have for that is because something is flooding. And to flood, there has to be water. Ergo…I do think it's sinking. That and the fact that the stewards that just appeared out of nowhere look scared out of their minds. Something is happening."
"So…what do we do?" she had thrown a thick jacket over the life jacket and now was rummaging through a suitcase for gloves.
"We get up those stairs to the boat deck…before they close the gates separating the classes. Whatever we hit…I think it hit only the front of the ship, and if it is flooding, it's going to be flooding right below us…and the water will be rising soon. We need to get out now while it's easy. "
She nodded her face slightly pale. She started toward the door before stopping and turning around, grabbed the family bible-the one that had been in their family for generations. At the same time, rummaging through the suitcase, Chad grabbed his father's pocket-watch and a photo of his family before turning. Mustering a smile, he grabbed her hand, and turning, let his eyes behold their room for the last time. Never again would they come here. Turning the knob, he opened the door before turning out the light, sighing as he left.
The original game plan was to follow the crowd, but he figured that by the time they waited in the huge mob, the gates would all be closed, and so turning, he led Taylor through hallways she had never been too. A couple times, he consulted one of the metal maps of the deck that had been screwed into the wall, which only confirmed they were on the right track. They were going closer to the bow, and as they did so, they felt it sort of sag? It didn't feel steady; and certainly not even but nobody seemed to be awake in that section at all and the going was easy. As Chad expected, nobody had closed the metal gate, which left a clear path to the upper decks, and guiding her by the small of her back, he led her up the stairs, letting his right hand firmly grip the railing.
Two floors up, there was more commotion, this time in the form of hurrying crew members. Most were stewards and stewardesses, but there were a few officers as well. They all seemed nervous, a fact which unsettled them both, although the effect on Taylor was worse, she had to lean against the wall and take a couple deep breaths to steady her nerves. She let a few tears escape, which led to a few inquiries by stewardesses if they needed any assistance. They always replied with a hurried thank you but no, which rewarded them with a grateful smile and little nod every time.
They joined the throng of crewmembers all filing up toward first class, and Chad hoped that they wouldn't be seen and told go back down to their area. That would lead to a blatant confrontation and a scene that Chad really didn't want to get into. He would kick his ass…he knew that-but he didn't think there was time. Whispers amongst the crowd provided clues, but because he never trusted gossip, he couldn't figure out which to trust and what to dismiss. A few facts though, had been repeatedly said by many, which did leave him stunned and yet sure that they were true.
1) They were really sinking. The unsinkable Titanic was sinking. That in itself was enough to scare the living daylights out of him. How could something unsinkable…sink? Didn't that defeat the purpose of the name it had been given? If it wasn't so serious he would have laughed at it, but now that it was seriously putting everyone's lives in danger it became something dead serious. Several people during the course of their climb tried to lighten the mood but they were always glared at untill they stopped speaking and a hurried silence ensued.
2) It was bad. Already on E deck the mail room was flooding, and reports were coming in of drowning from third class passengers near the collision site. The water tight doors had been closed, but there was speculation about its effectiveness permeating the crowd.
They passed through the gates leading into first class, and were instantly self conscious- a feeling that they had experienced the night of the invitation to dinner. They weren't meant to be here-this was a whole other world, way different from the one they were accustomed too. There were different rules, ones that to be accepted you must follow that didn't exactly fit right with them. Chad was most surprised with the fact that they were all so calm. None of them looked remotely preoccupied that they had been, for some unknown reason, called out of their beds at midnight. Instead, they were drinking brandy, champagne, and wine; dancing to the music diffusing around the room, and chatting lively to one another.
They settled in the Grand Staircase, leaning on the rail overlooking the stairwell and everyone on it. If he looked straight ahead, he could see the famous clock, with the figures of Honor and Glory crowning time. His wife was staring transfixed to the glass dome, and he had to nudge her to keep them from looking to conspicuous. He noticed the band playing down below, near the doorway which led out onto the promenade deck and as he watched, he witnessed the girl that Troy was supposedly so transfixed with whisper quietly to the man at the piano who looked remarkably like her before turning away. The look on his face was full of worry, yet somehow, her face-even though he only glimpsed it for a second- seemed to hide everything so well. She had this look which seemed to reassure you that everything was fine, yet she walked with a purpose. He followed her with his eyes untill she was lost by the overhang they were currently standing on. Taylor was now looking around her in awe. She had never been good at hiding her surprise and fascination and he was worried it was going to bite them in the ass soon.
Looking around, he tried to spot any changes in the behavior of the passengers, a group moving outside toward the davits which were, even as he thought, being hooked up to the first lifeboats. But, as he expected, the first class passengers paid no attention to what was happening outside. They were too busy with their social lives and the gossip around them. He was sure they would only migrate outside when the drinks were no more and when the musicians themselves had moved, although they looked like they would be staying in their corner for a while. A few couples danced to the music, but most just chatted.
They were so ignorant. None of them could see the danger they were in. Or at least the danger he sensed. He himself was almost lulled into the false assurance in the air-the assurance that this was all some big funny misunderstanding-almost. He did notice that the people climbing up the stairs seemed to be tripping over themselves, a sure sign of the danger that they were all about to be enveloped in. But those people…they just smiled or laughed embarrassedly and kept moving. How stupid could they be? Or were they just naïve? He wanted to desperately get Taylor onto a lifeboat, but for now, that wasn't possible. And so, he waited, hoping that the time would come soon when he could save her. In the background, Estudiantina Waltz was playing, and more couples joined the already dancing couples. He scoffed, and together they waited.
Alright guys! There ya go. Review please! Oh…and I'm not really into the whole advertising other fanfictions but RememberxDecember is doing this story called Endurance:Disney and it needs votes from peeps. SO…give it a chance, review for it, and see how you influence the story! And don't forget to vote on my poll! So far The Shining is winning-I was surprised. Lol. Alright…thanks for reading!