Well this was by far the hardest chapter I have ever written. I did get a good deal of help with it though. Kate and Tipper both gave me a lot of suggestions and pointers and I am eternally grateful to both of them.

I really hope you guys like this chapter, like I said it WAS REALLY HARD! Lol

Enjoy and R/R!

Chapter 51

I arrived at the Montgomery's house very early that morning. It was my intention to do that. I wanted to get there before any of the other mourners arrived because I needed to have Hailey and Sarah all to myself.

Their butler let me inside and invited me into the sitting room to wait for Hailey. I strolled in and gave him my hat and coat. He then left to fetch her and put my things away while I wandered around the room.

This was the day. After all of the work I had done making that officer look like the rat he really was and telling the world how he had taken advantage of Sarah, I would finally have her to call my own. Now Hailey knew what kind of granddaughter she really had, even though not everything had gone according to my plan, it still had all worked out. Five thousand dollars had gotten me a long way with Senator Roberts. He had never been able to turn down money before so there was no question that he would do it now, especially when it was such a considerable sum, far more than my Father had ever given him that was for sure. But not only had I made sure that there would be no further problems on the road to making Sarah my wife, but Officer Lowe's reputation would never be the same again.

And he deserves every bit of it, I thought, checking my reflection in a nearby mirror and seeing my swollen eye and bruised cheek. If I could I would sue that bastard for what he did to my face, but that would only make sense if he had money, and with that thought I smiled, what an idea!

"Cal? I was not expecting you until much later. What are you doing here?" Hailey asked coming into the room.

I turned to her and smiled, "I was hoping to get a chance to talk to you before the others arrived."

"Oh, well please, let's talk. I'm expecting George at any moment so please go on."

George? Just what I needed, an Officer Lowe advocate. I hid my distaste though and smiled in her direction, going over to sit next to her.

"I know that it has been an agonizing last few weeks for you, but I want you to know that I will be here to help you in anyway I can."

She patted my hand and smiled, "Oh darling that is very kind of you. Yes, it has been hard, between Ruth and Sarah I have no idea how I'm able to get up every morning."

Ah, this was perfect. "Well perhaps I can help; you know my offer about Sarah still stands."

"Cal, we have been over this. You're a very nice man, but even though I'm afraid the agreement your father and I had about Sarah and Taylor has fallen through, I'm still hopeful that by sending her to Russia she'll meet a nice gentleman and-"

"Russia?"

"Yes, Russia. I need to get her out of this country and as far away as possible from that sailor. Incidentally how are you?" she asked, her eyes lingering on my swollen face, "I can't believe that he did that to you. I don't care how angry he was about the truth coming out; he shouldn't take his frustration out on an innocent bystander."

"Yes, the nerve of some people, but back to Sarah. Why Russia, when you have a perfectly good suitor for her right here, one you know you can trust to keep her away from that person and to give her the life that she deserves, and proper great-grandchildren for you of course."

She smiled, "Yes, that is a valid point. I do not want to have to send her away, but every time I look at her I just become so enraged. I cannot believe that I raised her to be that way. I brought her up to have morals, to love, to care, and above all to be a lady."

"And she will be all of that with me."

She paused for a moment, consideration on her face, "Well, dear, you are very good at making a point." She paused again, "So, if you are serious, I'm willing to consider your offer. Sarah needs someone like you who can control her and her outlandish behavior."

"Yes, it sounds like a very good idea, of course now I'll have to see how you two are together, whether or not you compliment each other, because that's the most important part of a successful marriage."

"Really?" I asked, not able to contain my excitement.

"Of course," she said smiling at me, "Now you do realize that, I'm just considering this, nothing is definite."

"Yes, yes of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

Hailey and I both turned our attention towards the door where George stood, his face contorted in such an angry expression it was nearly comical.

"George, that is no way to make your presence known, now you get in here and apologize-"

"I will not!" he stalked into the room and I stood to meet him as he came to a stop in front of me, "What kind of a man makes a marriage deal on the day of his fiancée's memorial service?"

I was not going to dignify that question with an answer.

"You make me sick!" he spat.

"Really George, you ought to listen to your grandmother. I am not feeling that you are giving me your best company manners. If you want to be a doctor, you're going to have to work on that."

"Your opinions mean nothing to me and neither does your proposal of marriage for my sister. In the end I have the final say about who she marries…who do you think gives her away at the alter?"

Hailey stepped up and pushed her hand between us, "George, quit being ridiculous. Now I implore you to remember your manners or leave!"

George looked away from me and back to his grandmother, then to me again, "I'll take the high road." He said and left the room.

"I'm terribly sorry about that. I don't know what's gotten into him." She said looking after him.

"That's quite alright, people express their grief in different ways, and this is just his."

"You're very wise. Well, I do have some things to tend to before the others start to arrive, Ruth for instance; she has been locked in her bedroom since I brought her here. Why don't you go and visit with Sarah, she's in the conservatory."

Of course, I took Hailey up on her suggestion and made my way to the conservatory, which was located at the back of the house. When I got there, I stopped at the window that peered into it and saw Sarah sitting on the white chaise, gazing out the window and into the garden. She looked faraway to me and I decided to seize the opportunity.

I approached her cautiously, not wanting her to know of my presence until just the right moment. I reached out and touched her shoulder and she immediately snapped out of her daze and turned around quickly towards me.

Her eyes went wide and she moved back quickly, "Go away!" she snapped.

I smiled, "Come now, Sarah, that's no way to talk to your soon to be fiancé, is it? I've come to comfort you in this great time of grief for us all." I sat down next to her and she quickly got up and backed herself away from me.

"Get out of here, Cal." She commanded, which brought another smile to my face. She really had no idea what she wanted did she.

"Please, Sarah. You are so confused right now, you don't know wha-"

"Don't you dare stand there and proceed to tell me such things about myself! I want you out of here right now!"

I stood up, holding back my anger with a forced smile, "You will not speak that way to me." I said as calmly as I could.

She glared back at me, not back down; the look of fire and defiance in her eyes was all too familiar to me, "I will do whatever I want, whenever I want. Now GET OUT!"

That was it! In one quick motion I was in front of her and grabbing her roughly by the arms, "It would be best if you lost your tone with me, I've just come from speaking with you grandmother who has graciously given me the honor of asking you to marry me."

Her face lost of all its color, and she shook her head, "No."

"Oh yes, I think I may have even convinced her not to send you to Russia." I released my grip on one arm, reached out, and caressed her face with my fingers. Her skin was so soft, every part of her was perfect and soon it would all belong to me, "Just think of it, a year from now you could be my wife and who knows, maybe we'll be starting a family of our own."

She began to look even more pale, and I could feel my power defeating her, "I'm willing to forget the little things if you are," I moved closer to her face my lips coming closer to hers, "No Titanic, no officer. Nothing can come between us now. Your Grandmother is quite willing to hand you over to me to save you from the shame of your disgraceful behavior, and I'm all too eager to oblige."

She squirmed in a failed attempt to free herself from my grasp but I kept a tight hold on the one arm I had and pulled her back to me. She struggled again this time with more force but I held tightly to her, "Stop struggling! I will bet you did not do this with him, did you? You were a whore for him, why can't you do the same for me? You let him put his hands on you, you opened his legs for him, and you let him, a filthy sailor, take your innocence. He's had hundreds of women before you, I'm sure; you're just another notch on his bedpost."

Then she stopped, looking me right into the eye, and I watched as her face turned an ugly shade of gray and she suddenly sank down and began to vomit all over me. I dropped her and backed away, and saw that my jacket and pants were covered in her regurgitation.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked, in horror of the mess that was all over me. Not a drop seemed to have gotten on her, in fact, except for the tears that were now streaming down her face and her coughing fit, she seemed to be perfectly normal.

She slumped to the floor, not answering me and cried.

"What the hell happened? Sarah!"

And, like magic, big brother George appeared again. He ran to his sisters side and grabbed her just as she started to black out.

"What did you do to her?"

"Oh please, you don't honestly think that I…well will you take a look at me! Just look at the mess she made! If she was sick someone should have told me!"

He looked at me with frustration, his lower jaw clenched tightly.

Fine, let him be that way. He can take care of her and her sorry state; I needed to clean myself up. I left the room and went to find the nearest washroom. Using a wet towel, I was able to repair what she had done to me, but I could not help but wonder what had triggered it. She had seemed fine to me, no fever or flushness. The only other time I had seen that happen was when Virginia was in her delicate condition with Nate.

I quickly shook that thought out of my head. There was no way Sarah was with child. Besides a child of that scums would not be able to grow and flourish inside of a woman like her. Her womb was meant to carry a child of blue blood who would be guaranteed to prosper in life, not one that would always have a less than meager existence.

Then again, what if she was? How would I explain that?

No, I decided, everything was going to be fine. Within the year, I would have her as my bride and hopefully not long after that she would be bearing my children. She was going to be the perfect wife; doting, respectful, and above all mine. No, it would not be long at all.

When I woke up my head was throbbing and my eyelids were heavy. My vision was blurred, but I could make out the figure that sat next to me, holding tightly to my hand.

"George…" my voice struggled.

"Shhh, don't over do it. Here have some water."

He reached for a glass and then brought it over to my lips and tilted it so that some of the water flowed into my dry and foul tasting mouth. I drank it eagerly and asked for more once I had polished it off. He poured me more and I sat up and discovered that I was in my bedroom. I looked over to George as he handed me the water and asked what had happened.

"You fainted."

"Why?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." He said as I started to drink the water.

I finished off the second glass and brought it down from my lips, "What do you mean?"

"Well first of all I need to know, what did Cal say to you?"

"He…"

All those horrible things he had said were coming back, making me feel sick again and the last thing I wanted to do was to hear them out loud. Nan could not really have given Cal her permission to marry me. She was angry, that I knew, but would she go that far? Rose's death was still fresh and already Cal was making other plans, how could she approve of something like that? If it was true, if everything Cal had said that had caused me such anguish was true, she was far more vile and wicked than I could have ever comprehended. If I had the choice between Cal and Russia there was no doubt about which one I would choose. I would rather be thrown into a dilapidated hut in Siberia than spend the rest of my life in a lush mansion as Mrs. Caledon Hockley.

I looked over at my brother, the one person who I had close to me that I knew I could always count on to be there and understand me, and found my bravery. I began to tell him everything, even things he had not asked about; my confinement, Russia, Nan and her lying about the papers, even the conversation I had overheard between Aunt Isabel and Nan. Then finally, I got to Cal and what had happened in the conservatory.

When I was done, he took a moment to absorb everything that I just told him. He rubbed his chin with his right hand, looking off into space. Finally, he turned back to me, his eyes dark with frustration,

"I'm so sorry, Sissy."

I shook my head, "George, it's not your fault." I told him in a quiet voice.

"Yes, yes it is. As soon as I was 21, I had the opportunity to take responsibility for you and I did not. I left it to her because I thought…well, obviously I was wrong."

"George, you're still young and in college, it would have been unfair to you to have the added responsibility of a little sister to look after. I don't blame you for this."

"Well you should, your life is a mess right now and I'm to blame. You're being held prisoner in your own home, not allowed to go to your own cousin's funeral and on top of all of that you're ill."

I shook my head, "No, I'm not. I'm just fine; I'm just tired is all."

"Somehow I think it's more than that."

"Why, what do you think it is?"

Just as he opened his mouth a shrill voice, which I knew to be Nan's, called his name from the hallway. Annoyed, George got up from his spot next to me, went to the door, and opened it.

"Yes, Grandmother?"

"Ah there you are." I heard her say, and a few seconds later she appeared in the room and eyed me quickly before going back to George. "George, your Uncle Serge is in need of your help in the library."

"I'm busy at the moment."

"It's for Rose's service, and I know that you want to do all you can for your cousin, don't you?"

George rolled his eyes over my way and shook his head in irritation. I nodded my head and encouraged him to go, we could always finish this conversation later and besides, it was for Rose.

He nodded and left the room, Nan gave me another look before she followed, shutting the door behind her. Then I heard that all too familiar sound of her putting the key in the lock and locking me in to make sure that I would not be able to get out, and then my heart sank. I lay down on the bed and buried my face in the pillow, suffocating the tears that spilled from my eyes.

I did the best I could with my suit and stayed in the washroom until it was dry before I ventured out. A considerable amount of people had arrived while I had been away and the house was now full of floral arrangements and mourners dressed in black. I mingled with the appropriate people for a good hour before I found Hailey and inquired about Sarah.

"Oh she was suddenly taken with a slight cold. She's resting in her room."

A cold? Funny, I'd never heard of nausea being a symptom of a cold, but I didn't ask her about it and decided to go look for my parents, instead I found Virginia in the sitting room with that little demon she calls a son.

He roared at me when he saw me like some prehistoric animal and stamped on my foot before growling again and running into the hall.

"Virginia, why is he here?"

From her place on the sofa she looked, as always, near tears and pale. "Hamilton had to go out of town and we're in between nannies at the moment. I had no other choice."

"You could have not come!"

"Rose was almost my sister-in-law, of course I came."

Another growl was heard from the hall and it was followed by a woman's shocked scream. Virginia sprung up and started towards the noise, but I grabbed her arm, catching her. "Where are Mother and Father?"

"Oh Taylor took them into the library, he said he needed to speak with them about something."

"Really?"

"Yes, now please let me go and fetch my-"

"I AM A MONSTER FROM THE DEEP! YOU ARE MY SLAVES, BOW BEFORE YOUR MASTER!"

"-son." She finished, pulling away from me and going to find her 'monster from the deep' while I headed to the library to find my parents. The library was located at the back of the house, very far away from the crowd of mourners. The door was open and I heard the sound of their voices before I even got close enough to knock.

"…I'm just telling you the truth and I wish you'd believe me."

"Taylor, how dare you accuse your brother of such a thing. First you don't believe a word of his heroism with the Titanic and now you're accusing him of bribing a senator-"

"Senator Roberts none the less, who is a very dear friend of the family!" Father added his tone angry and irritated.

"I just can't believe you Taylor! I'm ashamed to call you my son!" Mother said, sobs clearly audible in her throat.

"You two are blind! It is all lies, I have proof! He's doing all of this just because he wants to marry Sarah Wilkes!"

"That's it, I have heard enough! Your jealously towards Cal has reached new heights and I will not sit here and listen to this trash! Eugenia, come, there are guests to tend to."

Quickly I moved away from the door and into the nearest corner to hide myself as the door, flung wide open and my parents fled the room ignoring my brother until they were completely out of sight. I laughed; this was honest to God, too perfect. My baby brother had done as he had promised and had come out looking like the fool I had prophesized. Sarah was going to be my wife, and Officer Lowe was nowhere to be found.

I waited until Taylor left the room and watched him go upstairs in a huff before I headed back towards the crowd where I found everyone starting to accumulate in the parlor as the service for my dearly departed fiancée began.

The service was long, with everyone getting up to say a few words about Rose. Ruth, who had appeared from out of nowhere, sat in the front next to Hailey and I, was perfectly poised in her bereavement. She sniffed and held a handkerchief to her face every so often, but other than that seemed to be off in her own world. Sarah was still nowhere to be found, but George was there. He sat next to Charles Hanson's widow, Polly. Next to her were Virginia and the spawn of Satan, and then next to them my parents. Taylor was nowhere to be found, but I mused he was in some empty bedroom mourning over his own defeat.

As the minister finished the service, we all rose to sing a hymn accompanied by the piano, yet through the musical notes the distinctive sound of the doorbell could be heard. I saw Hailey look back to her butler to answer it and we all continued singing.

When the song ended, people began talk quietly among themselves when a voice rose over them and carried across the room.

"I'm looking for a Mr. Caledon Hockley! Caledon Hockley, are you here?"

I turned around, "I'm Caledon Hockley!"

As the crowd separated, I saw whom the voice belonged to. A police officer.

"Can I help you?" I asked, making my way towards him.

"Yes, we need you to come with us." he said and that is when I noticed that he was not the only one. There were five others, all cross looking and all staring in my direction.

"What is this about?" Father demanded.

"Mr. Hockley is under arrest." The officer informed him.

"And what is the charge?" I asked, beginning to get infuriated.

"Bribery of a government official." He replied and reached for me, he forcefully put his hands around my back and began to cuff them.

"This is absurd! I demand you unhand me at once!"

"Sorry, sir, but I can't do that."

"Do you have any idea who you are dealing with officer?" Father asked, stalking up to him, "I make more money in one week than you will ever make in a lifetime, now I demand you unhand my son this instant!"

"I'm sorry sir, but your son has broken the law! If you have anything to say, save it for the judge, all right boys let's get him in the car!" he said turning and hollering to the others.

"No! This is a mistake! Unhand me!"

As I was dragged from the living room out into the hall, I saw Taylor leaning up against the doorframe, a satisfied look on his face. I glared at him and vowed to get my revenge. The last words I heard before they dragged me from the house were the screams of my nephew,

"Uncle Cal's getting arrested, Uncle Cal's going to the big house…"

Well what did you think? Argh! It was awful, I know! I'm so sorry! I'm gonna go take nap lol….

Chapter Title Inspired by 'Going Down in Flames' by 3 Doors Down