Chapters might be a bit hard to get up this week, with school starting back up and all, but I'm trying my best :) Thanks for all of your suggestions Liz, I hope you notice that I took you up on a lot of them. lol and don't worry this chapter is a bit more exciting than yesterdays :)

Remember guys I would love to hear any kind of suggestions you want to give to me. I really am open minded and won't be offended or yell at you lol

Oh yeah one more thing. For awhile I was pretty good about sticking to the officer schedule that I found on the internet but realized just today that Harry really should be working right now. So I switched it around a bit and now Moody is. I guess it was my blonde moment of the day or something, anyway, I realize I made a mistake with that so I'm sorry to anyone who is really picky about that sort of thing.

Chapter Twelve

Dinner finished up that night without too many uncomfortable moments, for which I was thankful.

Col. Gracie stood up as the dessert plates were being cleared. "Well, join me for a brandy gentleman."

Finally it was over with. I wiped my mouth with my napkin and laid it down on the table. Slowly we all began to rise from the table.

"Joining us, Mr. Dawson? You don't want to stay out here with the women, do you?" Col. Gracie asked as Jack rose from his seat.

"No thanks. I'm heading back." Jack answered.

"Probably best. It'll be all business and politics, that sort of thing. Wouldn't interest you. Good of you to come." Cal said as he walked away from the table. He and the other men disappeared from the dining room leaving Jack to say his goodbyes. He walked over to Rose and I could see them speaking quietly to one another, he lifted her hand and kissed it before leaving the table.

I watched them with a happy heart and then noticed that Aunt Ruth was speaking to the other ladies at the table. I figured this was as good as time as any to make my getaway.

"Sarah!" a loud whisper pulled me back to the table.

I looked over and saw Rose looking at me with intent eyes. She motioned for me to come over next to her. Mr. Andrews had left and I scooted over into his seat.

"What?"

She handed me a piece of paper, keeping it hidden under the table. I unfolded it and read it.

"Make it count. Meet me at the clock"

I looked at her full of question. Why couldn't she have just asked me to meet her at the clock? I looked down at it again and realized it wasn't Rose's handwriting.

Make it count...I thought. Then it hit me, it was from Jack.

"Come with me." she pleaded.

"I..." I was torn, I really wanted to be there for Rose, but at the same time my heart was practically aching to see Harry.

"Where is he supposed to meet you?" another voice asked from behind me. I turned around and faced Mrs. Brown.

"How..."

"Just tell me, I'll meet him there and then tell him where you are."

"You'd do that for me?"

She smiled and playfully pinched my cheek. "You're about the cutest thing I've seen in all my years, I'd love to...it'll make me feel young again."

Both Rose and I laughed. I quickly told Mrs. Brown where I was supposed to meet Harry and she promised to tell him where I was. Rose and I excused ourselves from the table saying we were going to my room, and quickly made our way up the stairs and towards the grand staircase. We saw Jack standing at the landing looking up at the clock. Rose suddenly stopped in her tracks. She looked at me, her face covered in anxiety. I reached over and squeezed her hand tightly and smiled. She smiled back and stepped forward. As if on cue Jack turned around and smiled at her, he saw me behind her and gave me a quick wink, his eyes then went back to Rose.

"So you wanna go to a real party?"

Moments later...

Jack had led us down an endless maze of staircases to the third class General Room where we found a party in full swing. An band of, who I am assuming were Irish, men and women were in the center playing their instruments and all around people of all different races were dancing together. Jack sat us down at a table and went off to find us some drinks. I noticed that there were a few people staring at us, mainly the women, but their gazes didn't linger and soon it seemed as if they accepted us.

Jack came back with glasses filled with a brown liquid for each of us. He set them down on the table and a little girl with curly brown hair came up to Jack and tapped him on the leg. He turned around and smiled at her. He swung her up in his arms and brought her over the area where everyone was dancing. He set her down and she stepped on his feet and the two of them started to dance, a little awkwardly, but dancing none the less.

Rose and I both started to laugh. She took a long drink out of her glass. She set it down, and made a puckered face.

"What is it?" I asked examining the glass.

"Beer, I think." she replied and took another drink. I decided if she could drink it then I could to and quickly took a drink. At first I felt like gagging, but after a moment or two

I got used to it and took another. The music started to pick up and both Rose and I found ourselves clapping to the beat of the music. I found myself polishing off my entire

glass. A young man who had set himself down across from me, smirked at me.

"Good eh?" his accent was very Irish and very thick.

I smiled and he handed me another one and then left the table.

Next to me Rose was laughing as she watched Jack dance with the little girl.

"Look at him, he's so sweet with her!" she yelled as to be heard over the music.

"We used to do that, remember?" I asked, talking just as loudly.

"Uncle Richard!" we both said at once and immediately burst into giggles and then both took a drink. Uncle Richard was an older gentleman who wasn't really an uncle, more like a friend of the family. He used to dance with Rose and I like that when we were young.

The song ended and Jack leaned over to the little girl. "I'm going to dance with her now." he said pointing to Rose. He walked over to Rose, who looked at me quickly in a

panic. I smiled with encouragement.

"C'mon" he said.

"What?"

"C'mon..." he pulled her up.

"Jack, Jack wait..."

The music started up at a faster pace this time and with Rose still fretting Jack began to turn her around the dance floor. Her face was shining as Jack spun her around. She was obviously becoming more comfortable with the music and with him.

From behind me a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around me and just by the feel of his skin I knew who it was. I giggled and tilted my head up, Harry leaned over and kissed me sweetly. "Someone's been drinking." he said as he pulled away.

I covered my mouth. "I'm sorry." but for some reason laughed at the same time.

He looked at me with amusement. "Obviously a little too much."

"It's not my fault, it's really strong" I said loudly as the music became louder. "Do you want some."

He shook his head and laughed. "I'm entertained enough just watching you..." he looked over at the dance floor and then back at me. "You want to dance?"

"Oh no..."

"I don't like that answer...let's go!" he got up and pulled me up beside him. I felt my head spinning from all of the beer I had just drank.

"Harry!"

He hand went to my waist and he took my other into his. I pulled up my dress as we started to dance, I had no idea what we were doing. I just let him lead. And he was

good. Obviously having done this before. We danced for what seemed like hours, Rose and Jack were dancing so well together that everyone actually stopped to watch them.

"She's smiling" Harry said to me.

I nodded. She was...

Later...

I couldn't help but laugh as Harry pushed open the door and led me outside onto the deck. I felt extremely lightheaded now, but I didn't care. The cold air was a relief after being inside the General Room which had become hot and stuffy with so many people and I could feel it return some of my senses, but none the less I threw my arms around Harry and kissed him. Our lips still locked together, he picked me up and twirled me around, causing my head to swirl even more. It was a wonderful feeling. Here with him under the bright stars with nothing around us but miles and miles of ocean.

He set me down and looked me in the eye. "Is this even real?"

I smiled. "It doesn't feel like it, does it?"

He shook his head and kissed me again. It was like our first, only much much better. I felt like I was melting in his arms, his hands were in my hair and then running over my back and then up and down my arms.

We he pulled away I was still hung on the moment and between that and my inebriated mind the words I had been wanting to say just came pouring from my lips.

"I love you."

I expected him to be shocked, I'm not sure why, but he surprised me.

"I love you too...god damn I love you" he said without any sort of hesitation and kissed me again.

"God, Harry get a bloody room will ya?"

Harry pulled away from me and we both looked in the direction of the strange voice. It belonged to another officer, he was young with a round face, which was now sporting a mighty cocky grin. Harry took off his hat and threw it at him.

"Privacy, Jimmy, go look it up!"

Jimmy, as I now knew he was, caught the hat before it hit him and laughed. He came up and put it back on Harry's head and looked at me. "So you're the girl we've been hearing so much about..." he looked me up and down and I could feel my face burn with embarrassment. "...you're not unattractive." he leaned in towards me and whispered. "...so why are you with him?"

My giggling resurfaced and quickly pushed away any embarrassment I had been feeling. Harry scowled at him but soon his face broke into a grin. "Jealously is a horrible thing Mr. Moody and shouldn't you be on the bridge."

"So I took a walk..." he turned to me. "...by the way it's very nice to meet you Sarah, I haven't had a moments peace since Harry met you at the hat shop."

I smiled. "Thank you."

"Hey now, don't change the subject!" Harry said playfully pushing him away from me.

"I'm not, I was using my manners."

"Is there a reason you're here?"

"That's a good question, is there a reason any of us are here?"

Harry looked annoyed, I covered my mouth to hide my amusement., Jimmy grinned obnoxiously.

"All right, all right. Boxhall sent me down here, there's some party and he wanted me to make sure everyone was behaving themselves. I honestly didn't come look for you, but what a pleasant surprise, eh?"

"Yes, what a surprise..." Harry replied rolling his eyes. "Is Lights still on duty."

Jimmy nodded.

Harry turned to me and took my hand. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?"

"You can mingle with my kind for awhile."