Ariel froze in the doorway of A17, as though there were an invisible boundary preventing her entry. In all honesty, she had hoped never to set foot in the room again, for it held so many frightful memories, despite the short amount of time she had actually spent there. She looked first to the floor, where Warren had pinned her, then to the corner of the room, where he had trapped Cory, then to the bed...
With a broken sob, Ariel turned her back on the room, burying her face against the right side of Eric's chest as she fought to compose herself.
Eric wrapped an arm around his love, and pressed a soft kiss atop her head, agonising that Warren had ruined what would have otherwise been a pleasant voyage. That the mere sight of the room she had so briefly shared by her husband had such a devastating effect upon her, made Eric's blood boil and his heart break simultaneously. He silently vowed never to let such harm come to her again.
"It'll be alright" he assured, his voice soft as he spoke, desperate to provide her with a feeling of safety for once in her life.
From beside his mother, Cory, who picked up on her distress immediately, reached up and gripped her middle and index fingers in his hand, blue eyes full of a compassion that very few would have attributed to a three year old. In return, he received warm smiles from both adults and, together, they stepped into the room.
They had eaten breakfast early, after watching the sunrise from the promenade, welcoming a new day that they all hoped would bring a new life with it. A better life. A happier life. It was then that Ariel and Eric had made the decision to return to the adjoining rooms of A11 and A17, to rest some more before the remainder of their day began. Ariel and Cory would share one, and Eric would take the other; wanting to be near them both, but not wanting to make any untoward advances upon a woman who, technically, was still married. Ariel, of course, hadn't protested the decision at all.
Laying beside Cory in the bed of A11 caused the young mother's heart to race, for it seemed as though she were once again at the mercy of her husband. Still, it was infinitely better than returning to the bed of A17, for her memories there were so much worse. With a lingering glance to her left, she was able to make out the faint light of the room which Eric currently occupied through the door that connected the two.
She smiled wistfully, but was able to at last settle down, instinctively pulling Cory closer as she did so, eliciting a quiet protest from him, his fragile body still healing.
"Oh!" she gasped, relaxing her protective grip on him so that he might make himself more comfortable. "I'm so sorry darling."
The three year old adjusted himself, before nestling back into the crook of his mother's arm, resting his head against her shoulder, red curls brushing her neck.
"Are you alright?" Ariel continued, not raising her voice above a whisper, for she knew that Eric, like she and Cory, would be at least attempting to get some sleep.
Cory nodded in response to his mother's question, eyes fixed upon her.
"Mummy?" he queried, matching Ariel's gentle tone.
"Yes my love?"
"Is Eric going to stay with us forever?"
Ariel fell silent for a while, wondering whether the hope she'd heard in her son's voice had been merely a figment of her imagination. "I don't know darling... would you like him to?"
Cory nodded, yawning. "I like him more than daddy."
With a sad smile, Ariel pressed a soft kiss to her sons temple, as the weight of sleep became too much for him to battle. "So do I" she said, finally allowing her eyes to drift shut, "so do I."
A strange feeling washed over Eric as he lay in a bed which, only a few nights ago, had been shared by the woman he loved and her husband. He felt simultaneously as though he belonged here, and that he was trespassing.
Presenting Ariel with the ring had lifted a huge weight from him, and he felt able to think more clearly now that it wasn't constantly lingering in the peripheries of his mind.
Until Warren had been properly dispatched, and his marriage to Ariel terminated, Eric knew that he would have to keep up a façade that showed them as nothing more than friends, lest Ariel face social and no doubt public humiliation. That wouldn't do, and Eric would keep her from anything that may cause upset or embarrassment to his beloved, and Cory too. He would let her take the lead, going at a pace at which she felt entirely at ease; no doubt it would come as a welcome change having been so rashly pushed into things by Warren four years ago. If they were to have a relationship it had to be different, and it would be, at the very least Eric felt able to grant her that.
The three of them woke sometime around midday and, after a quick bite to eat in one of the quieter lunchrooms and a visit to the hospital, where the gauze around Eric's shoulder was changed by one of the on board doctors, returned to the promenade, Cory's kite in hand.
To Ariel it seemed almost as though time had turned back, and if she closed her eyes she could almost imagine the hustle and bustle of the Irish port of Queenstown. In many ways she wished that were the case, for there was no doubt that Titanic was a marvellous ship, and one that she would have so loved to explore. Alas, given the happenings of the voyage thus far, the opportunity was yet to present itself. Perhaps tonight, if he felt up to it, she would ask Eric to walk with her, and show her parts of the ship that she had yet to see. Whether or not Cory joined them would depend on how tired the day ahead rendered him, and Edith had expressed her willingness to help wherever she could, so leaving him in her capable hands was very much an option.
Eric, with his shoulder still aching from its recent examination, soon found that he was of little help when it came to kite flying, and so opted for sitting close by whilst Ariel spent precious time with her son.
It was a rare sight to see them both so happy, their smiles infectious, and Eric allowed his mind to drift towards the future, a future that saw he and Ariel together. In theory, he would potentially become a father to Cory, a prospect which both terrified and delighted him, for as much as he adored the boy, he realised that he knew very little when it came to caring for children. Still, he would embrace it should the opportunity present itself, because Cory deserved nothing less than a father who would cherish him.
Later that evening, once Cory had eaten, the three returned to their adjoining rooms so that Ariel and Eric may change for dinner, the door between the two being momentarily shut to provide necessary privacy.
"You look really pretty mummy!" exclaimed Cory, his feet dangling off the side of the bed as Ariel adorned another of the dresses she had created for herself in the weeks prior to the voyage. The linen bodice and skirt were a pale blue, and a delicate white tulle bordered the neckline and bloomed from the cuffs of the sleeves at her elbows. An apron of the same lacy material hung from the front waistline, and Ariel completed the look with her mother's white shawl, and a pair of black, leather, lace up boots, though these remained hidden.
Her hair she wore loose, her natural waves of crimson cascading past her shoulders, and pinned back from her face by two identical shell-shaped white pins, a birthday gift from Eric two years prior.
The ring hung from a slim chain around her neck, tucked beneath the bodice of her dress.
It was, in comparison to the attire of the other women staying in first class, a rather simple outfit, and one which betrayed her social standing. Still, she had no alternative.
She smiled at her son's comment and cupped his face in her palms, brushing her nose against his and causing him to giggle.
"Thank you my darling," she replied.
The toddler offered a gap-toothed grin, one which faltered when a sharp cry reached them from the adjoining room, drawing the attention of he and his mother.
"Cory, wait here a minute" instructed Ariel, making her way to the door which separated them from where Eric was dressing for dinner.
She hesitated, listened, and then knocked lightly.
"Eric, is everything alright?"
"Fine."
Even through the closed door, Ariel could tell that his reply had been forced.
"May I come in?" she asked, waiting for permission before easing the door open and peering into the other room.
She found Eric sat on the end of the bed, dressed from the waist down but bare-chested, his shirt hanging from the cuff around his left wrist as he cradled the injured arm against his chest.
Ariel flushed, and saw her embarrassment mirrored in the deepening pink of Eric's neck. He offered her an apologetic smile, though it came across as more of a grimace, and Ariel realised that dressing was something of a struggle with only one arm in operation.
She left the door ajar, and stepped towards Eric.
"Here," she offered, "let me help."
He stood, and she eased the shirt sleeve over his injured shoulder, pausing at Eric's sharp intake of breath and only continuing once he was able to relax a little, guiding his free arm through the opposite sleeve and buttoning the front. She then did the same with his tailcoat, forgoing the waistcoat in favour of less constriction against his shoulder, as had been advised by Doctor O'Loughlin.
Eric's eyes never once left hers as she nimbly looped a bow tie around the collar of his shirt and fixed his sling in place, her hands shaking slightly as though afraid that her actions would hurt him.
"Thank you" he breathed.
Ariel smiled, finished her task, and then looked up to meet Eric's gaze, lifting her right hand to his cheek.
"It's the least I can do" she whispered, standing up on her toes and pressing a kiss to his cheek, excited that they would finally be able to enjoy an evening together.