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They made it to the end of the boat in a record time, but the ship was sinking very quickly, too quickly for them to think. The stern had air inside, so it started rising. Elsie didn't let go of Charles, she was scared, and in pain. Tears run down her cheeks, thinking that this was it, the end, no more parties, no more kisses, no more dancing, no more living.

-Carson, there's nothing we can use to get out of here, and the floor is slippery.  If she keeps on rising we will fall into the water!

-I know! I can't think. I'm so sorry Elsie.

-Don't be sorry, how could you have known that this was going to happen?

-Your bad feeling. We should have listened to it.

-Oh Charles, I didn't even know, don't blame yourself.

-We can't die here. We can't!

Charles looked at the rising stern and suddenly a possible solution hit him.

-To the other side of the railing.

-What? We will fall Charles!

-No Robert. The stern will keep on rising, but if we are at the other side of the railing we won't fall into the water.

-Good enough for me. Come one Cora.

Carefully they took a strong hold of the railing and climbed to the other side. Charles covered Elsie with his body, letting her take a pretty strong hold of the railing and looked over his shoulder to see Cora and Robert in the same position, looking down to the water. The stern rose to an almost vertical angle, Elsie looked down to the water, with her eyes wide open and her knuckles turning white. She was scared for her baby; he or she was low in her hips, and she knew that if they didn't do something soon it would come without any help, in the railing of a sinking ship.

Suddenly they heard it. The sound of wood, crystal and metal breaking; they felt the boat shake violently and suddenly the stern started falling backwards. She had broken in half and it was falling back into the water. Elsie felt the air of the ship falling, but didn't let the railing go. When she finally collided with the water Elsie felt Charles move violently, but he didn't fall, they saw a tsunami of water coming from both sides of the broken ship and in no time it started sinking too. The stern rose again and quickly the water ate the remaining part of the boat.

-Charles!

-Take a deep breath and hold it Elsie. The water is going to be cold as hell, but we have to swim as fast as we can up to the surface. You understand?

-Yes. Yes, I do.

Elsie felt new tears filling her eyes; she kissed Charles and nodded, smiling up at him. She took a real deep breath when the water was only a meter away, and closed her eyes. The water was so cold against her skin, so cold it felt like daggers were ripping her skin off. She was taken off guard by this sudden change, but she tried to do as Charles had told her, fighting the force of suction from the sinking ship. She swam, and swam, contractions coming but feeling almost no pain, her body was numb, but she had to keep swimming. It was all dark, no one sure where they were. She broke the surface of the water and took a very deep breath, coughing.

-Charles! - She tried to stay afloat, moving her arms against the cold water, looking around.

-I'm here! Are you okay?

A very wet Charles swam to her, taking her in his arms. She was cold and her feet were numb. Cora and Robert weren't far, and both swam quickly to meet Charles and Elsie.

-Are you alright Elsie? How is Baby Carson?

-I'm cold. I can barely feel the pain.

-We have to find something that floats and see if we can get out of the water.

-What about that? –Robert pointed at a floating wooden panel from the Dining Saloon.

Charles nodded and swam to it, keeping an eye on Elsie. She was turning very pale, so pale she almost shone against the moonlight. They rested against the floating panel, but didn't get out of the water, it was too thin, and it wouldn't support the weight of any of them. Elsie was pushing and shaking, not very sure if the baby was actually coming out, her legs were numb too. Cora and Robert moved every now and then and kept close looks on Elsie, but Charles had turned very pale, almost blue, and was shaking.

-Come on Elsie, you are doing great.

-Hello?! – They heard the voice of a woman screaming. – Anybody there?! Hello?!

-Here!- Robert screamed and waved his arms.

One of the boats had come back, and it half empty. A woman was carrying a lamp and calling for them to keep talking, that they were almost there. When the boat got the wooden panel two strong woman took Cora out of the water and helped her settle on the boat, covering her with a blanket. The next one was Elsie, and they looked at her belly with worried faces, drying her and covering her with a blanket too.

-She… she… - They had taken Robert out and were now trying to take Charles, and he was stuttering so much they didn't know what he was saying.

-Her what sir? Who?

Suddenly there was a high pitch cry and Elsie rested her head against Cora's shoulder. She reached down and took the baby boy from the floor of the boat and held him close to her chest, covering him with her blanket.

-Oh my God! Let's go with the rest of the boats, there might be a doctor in one of them.

-Charles. – Elsie looked at her blue husband, who opened his eyes and looked at his son.- A boy

-I'm a father. – He was shaking badly, but some colour was returning to his blue cheeks.

-And we are alive.

-Thank you God. Thank you.

Elsie cried on his shoulder, keeping her son close to her, now warm, chest. Cora rested her head against Robert's chest, quiet, with her mind far far away. The sea of dead frozen bodies marked the place where the sea Queen had ended unexpectedly her journey. Elsie couldn't stand it, she closed her eyes, hiding her face in Charles' chest.

-It's alright, help will come soon.

-At this point I don't care, I'm just glad I'm alive. Does your watch still work?

-Yes. It's almost four.

-Look!

A big boat could be seen not far from their actual position, and the twenty boats cheered happily as help had finally arrived. It took the RMS Carpathia four hours and a half to pick up all the survivors, just 705 people, and by nine the last survivor was on board; they started moving. The doctor that was on board examined every single passenger and once they were free they were given accommodations according to which class they had been in in the Titanic. Even though the RMS Carpathia was meant for third and second class passengers for the first class passengers that had survived all they wanted was a warm bed, food and to set foot in America soon.

It took them three days to reach America, precisely New York. Elsie hadn't left her room; she didn't feel up to anything. She didn't want to see anyone; she just wanted to be with Charles and her baby son, Michael. Cora and Robert had got over the fact that they had almost died, and were trying to enjoy life as much as they could, even though it was hard. They didn't have anything, all their things laid now in the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, everything except two pictures, a locket and what they had been wearing when she sank.

The evening of the 18th of April they got to America, leaving the boat to be surrounded by the press and families who called for their loved ones. Elsie couldn't stand all the noise, the pictures, she wanted to leave, and she wanted to go back to England.

-Cora! Oh Cora!

The voice of a woman got to Elsie's ears and she saw Cora running to the open arms of a woman. They both cried and hugged, not wanting to let go.

-Oh mother, I'm so glad I'm back.

-I'm so glad you are alive. I'm very happy that you and Robert are alright.

-Mother, you remember I told you that I was bringing some friends, don't you?

-Yes. Are they okay? Did they survive?

-Yes. They are over there. – Cora pointed at Charles and Elsie, who were trying to get out of the press' path.

-Oh my, your friend looks as if she's going to faint, we better get here to the car.

Cora and her mother managed to safe Charles and Elsie and quickly got them inside the car, breathing in relief.

-It will be a long journey to Cincinnati, so try and rest.

-The longest journey of my life.

-Try and rest Elsie, you don't have to do anything. Mother, when we get there we will have to send a telegram to Downton, to tell them that we are okay, that we… survived.

-Elsie didn't. – Charles looked down at the sleeping form of his wife and son. – She's being consumed by the nightmares and the scenes. I don't blame her. I don't think she really has understood what has happened.

-I don't know if that's good or bad.

-As long as she doesn't turn her back on us.

-She needs us. This is much more different than a postpartum depression Charles. This is a matter of life and death, and being so close to the last one has her in a very deep shock. A very deep one. Who knows if she will ever go back to her old self.

Everyone looked at the pale shape of Elsie, trying to imagine what must have been running through her sleepy mind. Perhaps the thought of leaving Jane and Richard all by themselves, never seeing her sister again, lying dead, frozen, in the bottom of the sea. So many things were on her mind, and none of them made sense.