So…as promised, this chapter did not take six months. It took almost nine! I am really sorry D:
But thank you to everyone who is still here waiting and reading and enjoying the story.
Also, we reached 150 reviews!
Thanks to lucky333123, embrace-the-deception, Melbi, NiffAreForever, AddieNiffler, Dewrr and Nicolene B for your lovely reviews.
I'm planning for there to be about 50 chapters altogether but there may be more or there may be less, we shall have to see what...happens.
Also, please remember that I will never abandon a story, no matter how long it takes me to update or how lazy I get.
Please enjoy!
"Carpathia's making seventeen knots, sir."
The captain turned from the table and frowned. "Is there anyone else?"
"No, captain. No one else in the area. The Carpathia says they can be here in four hours."
His blood ran cold, draining from his face. "Four hours?"
It was too long. They'd never make it in time. A new level of fear settled over the captain. The Carpathia may well be there in four hours; however the Titanic would certainly not be. It would be miles below, resting on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
"Thank you, Bride."
The junior operator nodded before turning and hurrying back inside.
The captain swallowed, turning his eyes out over the sea once more.
"She should be down here somewhere. This is where her cabin is."
Sebastian turned down another corridor, the rest of the pack following closely behind. They'd made a detour on their way to the deck so Sebastian could find Santana and – if she didn't already know – warn her of what was happening.
It looked almost deserted, though.
"This section must have been cleared already, Seb," Nick said, looking further down the hall, "there's no one down here."
"You're right. I'd better check though, just in case." He stopped in front of one of the doors and knocked quickly.
Jeff looked down the hall, noticing the state of disarray it was in. A couple of suitcases had been left on the floor as though they had been packed and then left behind.
Sebastian turned away from the door. "She must be up on deck already."
They continued down the hall quickly, each lost in their own thoughts. Jeff noticed something in the quiet of the corridor that he hadn't before. The creaking and groaning of the ship – which could always be heard in steerage but never in the First Class rooms – had intensified. A cold shiver ran down Jeff's body as he thought of the immense amounts of water that the ship must have taken on already. No doubt many had already died, a mere premonition of what the rest of the night was to bring. He spared a thought for the boiler rooms, which being located right at the base of the ship were almost certainly flooded by now, along with many of the workers who kept the engines turning.
He squeezed Nick's hand in his in a sign of fear.
"How long will it take?"
Finn's voice startled several of them back into the hall.
Nick looked over. "How long will what take?"
"How long will it take for the ship to sink?"
"A few hours, at the very most." Sam shoved his hands in his pockets as they hurried along the corridor. "It will take on water for a while. But when it does go, it will go quickly. "
Sebastian sighed. "Too long and yet not long enough."
It was unfair, really, Jeff thought, that even though it was certain at least a thousand people were going to die, it would take so long. Their last hours would be filled with fear and terror and there was nothing they could do about it.
His own would possibly be the same.
The sound of a commotion rang in their ears and Sebastian stopped. "What on earth is that?"
A stairwell came into view as they hurried down the hall, picking up their pace as they turned a corner.
There would have been seventy or eighty – if not one hundred – passengers crammed on the staircase, shouting and pleading as they desperately tried to make their way up. At the top, the heavy caged partition had been locked shut and several crew members were on the other side, their voices drowned out by the roar of the crowd.
"You have got to be joking," Nick murmured, his jaw clenching, "they're not letting anyone through?"
"That's sick. They can't do that." Jeff shook his head in disbelief. Obviously not everyone was under the same impression that he was that a life was a life, no matter the circumstances. The reality of their impending deaths sunk in a little bit more and Jeff shivered, a chilling shudder that crawled its way down his spine, pooling into a heavy blanket of dread in his stomach.
A young man pushed to the top of the stairs. "You can't keep us locked in here like animals, the ship's sinking! Give us a chance!"
A crew member in a white coat pulled out a gun, waving it threateningly at the passengers.
Nick squeezed Jeff's hand tighter. Things were getting out of control, and fast.
"Let's get out of here." Sam turned to face the others. "We'll find another way. Come on."
Nick nodded. "It's no use here."
They continued through the rapidly emptying halls back towards the deck. They were silent, their strides fast and their lips set into a grim line. The horror of the situation was still seeming to sink in.
"Jeff and I will check the upper decks if you want to check the lower ones."
Sebastian looked at his cousin gratefully. "Thank you, Nick. I'm sure she's fine, I just want to know for sure, you know?"
Nick smiled and raised his and Jeff's joint hands. "I get it, Seb. It's alright." He paused for a moment. "Remember a lifetime ago when we boarded this ship? Remember where we were standing and waving as we pulled out of the dock?"
Sebastian nodded. "Of course."
"We'll meet you there as soon as we're done, ok? If you're not there we'll wait for you."
"Sure, Nicky. Sounds good."
Nick pulled his cousin into a quick hug and smiled at Sam and Finn. "Be careful, you hear me? We'll see you soon."
"Yeah, Nick. You guys too."
With a last fleeting smile, the three turned and headed towards the lower level.
Nick and Jeff continued in silence for a moment before the blond spoke. "You're a good cousin, you know?"
Nick looked over and smiled. "I know he'd do the same for me. A million times over. I'm lucky to have him."
Jeff said nothing but rubbed his thumb over Nick's knuckles. Nick truly was the most selfless person he'd ever met. Despite the circumstances they were in right now, how had he ever been so lucky?
They rounded the end of the corridor quickly and took the staircase up to the next level, which was now almost ghostly silent apart from the last few heading for the decks. Although it was typical for it to be that empty at this time of night, the reasons for it being so were far from typical. Instead of being tucked up in bed, everyone on board the ship was out in the bitter wind, fighting for their lives.
Jeff squeezed Nick's hand a bit firmer at the thought. The love he felt for Nick was so strong it threatened to overthrow him. He had absolutely no idea what they were about to go through, but he knew he'd need Nick by his side.
Just before they stepped out onto the deck, a figure stepped in front of them.
Jeff shook his head before she even opened her mouth. "I'm not coming with you."
Brittany rolled her eyes. "I'm not here to try and convince you, Jeff. It's your mother. She's had some sort of episode."
"What do you mean, episode?"
"Her heart, I think. She almost collapsed. She seems alright now but is still feeling faint."
Jeff's lips pursed in worry. He would have to go and check on her, make sure she was ok. "Where is she?"
"Up at the captain's quarters near the bridge."
He nodded and turned to Nick, who spoke up. "I'll go with you."
Brittany opened her mouth but Jeff cut in. "No. You go after Sebastian and help him find Santana. I'll catch up with you guys on the deck."
Nick hesitated but then nodded. "Alright. Please be careful."
Jeff stepped closer and cupped Nick's face in his hands, kissing him firmly on the lips before resting their foreheads together. "I will be. You too."
Nick nodded and squeezed Jeff's hands. He smiled at the squeeze he got in return.
Jeff released his hands and turned to Brittany, who was already starting down the hall.
Nick watched him go with his heart in his throat.
Just minutes later Jeff jogged up to his mother, who was sitting on the bed in the captain's quarters looking pale. "Mother!"
"I'm fine, dear." She grabbed her hand in his as he crouched in front of her. "I'm feeling much better now."
His forehead creased in worry as he looked at her. It was clear she was unwell. "Brittany found me and brought me to you."
Jeff looked over his shoulder, but the blonde girl was nowhere in sight. Dismissing it, he turned back to his mother. "We have to get you to a lifeboat. Now."
John spoke up from where he was standing beside them. "She's better off in here for now in the warm. Your mother will have a place on a boat, don't you worry about that."
Jeff nodded uncertainly and looked back to his mother. "I'll see you when you get out to the deck then, alright? I'll come and make sure you're ok."
"Jeff," she squeezed his hand tighter in his, "Be careful. Promise me you'll get on a boat."
Jeff swallowed, his throat tight, knowing he most likely wouldn't be able to fulfil her wish. He looked to his father, noticing the restrained look in his eyes. "I promise, mother."
She smiled shakily and pulled Jeff into a hug. "Good boy."
He pulled away, smiling at his mother and nodding curtly at his father before backing out of the room.
As soon as he was out of the doorway, he turned and ran.
Nick frowned. He was having no luck looking for Sebastian and the others. Although he and Jeff had parted with them only minutes before, they were nowhere to be found. He decided to search along the upper decks as they'd planned and then meet them on the deck as Sebastian had mentioned.
"Nicholas!"
He frowned again. There was a blonde coming toward him through the people milling around, but not the one he wanted to see.
"Brittany? What are you doing? Jeff's not here, you know that."
It was only then that he noticed the panic in her eyes.
"What's going on? Has something happened to Jeff?"
She nodded quickly. "He's been hurt."
Nick's pulse sped up. "Where is he?"
"This way. Come on." She grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him down the deck in the opposite direction she had come from.
Nick was really beginning to worry. Surely something terrible must have happened if Brittany thought he needed to come.
He bumped into an elderly couple waiting on the deck and apologised before stumbling to catch up to the girl's pace.
"Brittany, tell me what's happened. Please."
She pulled open a door and they hurried down the corridor, pushing past people hurriedly making their way onto the deck.
"He got into a fight with his father. Heated words were exchanged and Mr Sterling put his fist in Jeff's face."
"His father punched him?" Nick swallowed, already knowing Jeff well enough to realise he wouldn't have fought back.
"Knocked him out cold."
Nick ran a hand over his face as they rounded a corner. The ship was sinking and Jeff was unconscious? He'd need to come out of it as soon as possible. He had to be strong.
He felt an unexpected rush of gratitude toward Brittany flow through him. The girl hated him – clearly – and yet she obviously cared enough about Jeff to realise that he would want Nick to know he had been hurt so that he could be there with him.
His thoughts stopped when he realised the direction they were headed.
"Wait, where are we going?
Brittany's brow furrowed as she looked across at him. "To see Jeff."
"Why would Jeff be in your suite? Aren't his parents in the captain's quarters?"
There was a slight pause before she answered. "They brought him back here so the doctor could look over him."
"Oh." A small shadow of doubt crept into Nick's mind at the pause but he dismissed it quickly as Brittany hurried on down the hall.
The ship was groaning, the lights flickering occasionally above them. An eerie glow had seemed to settle over the whole ship.
Brittany stopped in front of him and opened the door, gesturing for Nick to enter first.
After a beat, he did.
The suite was quiet in the night. A single light shone from further down the hall, but other than that, the cabin was in darkness.
There was a slam behind him, followed by the sound of a lock clicking shut.
Oh.
Oh.
It had been a trap.
He spun around, pounding his hands against the door. "Brittany, let me out!"
She laughed cynically. "You don't understand, Nicholas. I need Jeff. No one will stand in my way, especially not someone like you."
Nick suddenly felt stupidly, blindingly idiotic for believing a word that came out of Brittany's mouth. He couldn't fully blame himself, though, not when there was a real possibility that Jeff had actually been hurt.
He looked at the door in defeat. If he had been in steerage, the door would have been no match for him. A few hard shoves and the lock would break, falling open to display the long corridor. But they did things different in First Class. The solid oak door towering above him would not budge if he threw his weight against it a hundred times.
Leaning his forehead against the solid oak, he closed his eyes and thought of Jeff, the selfish part of him hoping he'd come and find him and the other part hoping he wouldn't.