-1912-

- The Titanic -


"Women and children! Men step aside!" The officers were calling across the deck, the scattering of people had turned to a full crowd in the hour that she had been waiting. She was near the railing, at a safe distance from the boats. One of the officers had grabbed for her, intending to pull her onto the boat before it was hoisted down. Calypso had refused, where was he? He had said it would be a short trip, and that he would be right behind her. But she knew that was impossible now. They were denying even the richest of men a seat. How would he be any different from the men who were slowly filling the deck?

The ship had long since come to a halt, people had not been overly alarmed when they had first come out, waken from their beds for what they deemed, no good reason at all. But now it was different, there was a definite tilt to the ship that hadn't been there before. And the urgency of the officers seemed to suggest that it was important to be loaded onto the life boats, whether they could see the immediate danger or not. Still more of them continued to come up from the stairwell, all looking fresh from their beds, some dressed only in nightgowns and a coat. Any who brought luggage with were firmly told to leave it before they could be ushered onto a lifeboat. She watched over the edge of the railing as the first few splashed into the dark water below, the ropes releasing them and the crew rowing out away from the ship.

That sent her heart racing. The reality of the situation was sinking in, just like it was for many of the passengers. This was really happening, the ship had sent out flare after flare into the night sky, but there had been no responses. They would sink alone into the cold grip of the Atlantic. What was worse, was that Calypso had heard whispers of there not being enough space to save everyone. The idea seemed ridiculous to her, how could there be too few? What kind of madman would set sail without proper safety precautions for the passengers? The kind of man who proclaimed his ship 'unsinkable' she supposed.

"Excuse me." She grabbed a young man as he darted through the throngs of people, she had seen him twice before, conversing with the crewmen. The boy was probably no more than a page, passing messages back and forth from captain to deck hands. He nearly pushed right past her, but she was insistent, and so was her grip. "Can you tell me what's going on?" His eyes darted away from hers, but the officers hadn't noticed them and didn't look to be coming to rescue him from the haughty young woman.

"Seems to be trouble with the engines miss." He said uncomfortably meeting her gaze. "Women and children to be loaded into lifeboats until we can get it sorted. I suggest you queue up."

"Are we sinking?" She asked sharply, there had been nothing wrong with the engines before, and if they had failed, there was no real reason that they could not all remain on the ship. He jerked his head around sharply, aware of the others that surrounded them on the deck, though few gave them any notice.

"Please miss," His voice was lowered. "They've told me not to alarm anyone needlessly. Don't want to cause a panic. I just…suggest you get yourself on a boat. Quickly." She could read it in his eyes plain as day. They were in serious trouble. It felt like a lump had settled itself deep in her stomach.

"But…I have a friend, down below decks. I'm waiting for him. How bad is it?" She was fooling herself if she thought he could give her good news.

He gulped, passing his eyes over those nearest him and leaned forward. "She's taking on water fast, miss. I'd suggest your friend get up to the deck just as quick as he can. But I'd get yourself on a boat anyway. I don't think he'll be getting a spot, now or otherwise."

"But why?" She shook her head.

"There's not enough boats." He said the last part so quiet she almost didn't believe he had said it. But he was just confirming what others had been muttering about in hushed tones. The shock of it loosened her grip enough that he stepped back from her. "Go on miss." He said from a safe distance. "Plenty of them now. Find yourself a spot, if I see your friend I'll tell him you got off safely."

She nodded her thanks and let him go, watched as a father gave a reassuring squeeze to his two children as they were shuffled forward with the rest who climbed aboard the small vessel.

"That idiot." She fumed to herself. People were still streaming onto the deck, how many of them would be forced to stay behind as their families were divided? How many of them were even now strolling around casually, laughing, commenting on the sharpness of the weather. Oblivious. "I'm going to kill him."


It had been a struggle to get back down below decks, even more so since every crew member she came across insisted that the best route was to head up toward the deck. She had, quite ungraciously, ended the last exchange by screaming at the man. He had given her a wide-eyed look and continued past her, muttering to himself while tossing one more dark look over his shoulder. But once she had evaded the crowds and the crew, it was largely calm. Those who remained below, and there were very few, were either oblivious to the situation, or disbelieving that anything could go wrong. She couldn't blame them, though she did try to encourage those who would listen to go, to head toward the decks.

Her heart was heavy as she told them, knowing that even if they listened to her, they might not survive. She became more aware of the tilt of the ship as an abandoned dining cart slowly came rolling down the hallway toward her, rattling the dishes it carried gently. It carried on past her until it slammed into the wall ahead.

That alarmed her more than anything, she had been unconsciously compensating as she searched for the Doctor, but now it was a reality. They were sinking. It was only a matter of time. Time which she didn't really have. Each level down led her to another largely empty hallway, filled with locked rooms and no sign of the Doctor. She couldn't be certain, but she didn't think she had passed him, something was compelling her to continue her search further down. Because, of course, the Doctor would find himself in the bowels of a ship just when he needed to be getting out of it. He just attracted that kind of trouble. Sometimes she wondered if he didn't specifically seek it out.

But she stopped herself halfway down the stairs when she realized that the carpet down here was already under a few inches of water. She had come across no one in the halls, and she doubted there was anyone down here who still believed the ship would be alright.

"Hello! Don't mind me! I'm just going to sit down here and rot. It'll be just fine. Really, all I want is a cuppa! So if someone could bring that along shortly, that would just be lovely!" His voice echoed up the stairway, confirming what she suspected to be true. He was a madman. And, it seemed, he was also trapped. She took a steadying breath before she was able to step off that last rung, splashing into the icy water below. Her shoes were little protection and her feet started to ache with the cold before she was even two steps from the stairs. She tried to follow where she had last heard the voice and was rewarded with the sharp clanging of metal on metal up ahead.

"I am so having a little chat with the captain just as soon as I get out of this. Course I'll have to jump earlier in his time stream to do it…" He sounded thoughtful. "But don't think I won't!"

She finally found a half open door, the black word 'Brig' stenciled onto it. She pushed it open, ready to scathe the Doctor with numerous accusations, but they all died on her lips when she spotted the body, now nearly floating, on the floor. It was an officer, possibly the one who had brought the Doctor down here, and he was, unquestionably, dead.

"Finally!" The Doctor said, exasperated. "I've only been hollering for-" He stopped and she was able to tear her gaze away from the dead man between herself and the set of small cells at the back of the room. The Doctor, locked in one of them, had his hands gripping the bars and was looking in her direction. Whatever relief he had felt was suddenly torn from his face. "I told you to get on a life boat!" He actually looked annoyed.

"The ship is sinking." She said absently, still able to see the body bobbing out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes. Thank you. Very much aware. You know, a giant iceberg will do that. I've heard." He said in a huff. "Which is exactly why it's important for you to be up on the deck, getting off the sinking ship."

"What happened to him?" She knelt next to the man, but didn't touch him. His skin was incredibly pale and his eyes stared lifelessly into nothing.

"Well, he met a rather unfortunate end with a Garoth." He had the decency to sound apologetic. "Still, not the point. Why aren't you leaving?"

"You said you were coming back." She stood again, shooting him an accusing glare.

"Yes, well. There were complications. As you can see." He shook the barred door irritably. "Which wouldn't be a problem if I could reach the keys, or if I hadn't misplaced my-" He stopped mid sentence and a grin spread across his face. "Oh, right. In my jacket. You're brilliant." He pointed to her through the bars.

"Excuse me?" Calypso was thrown by his sudden change in demeanor. She had been preparing herself to listen to another one of his lectures about why she should be safe and he shouldn't be. She nearly had it memorized by now.

"The sonic screwdriver. I left it in my jacket pocket. The one you're wearing."

"Oh," She stuffed her hand into the jacket, finding the heavy metal tool waiting for her. She pulled it out and, careful to step around the body, handed it to the Doctor.

"Excellent." He said as the sonic whined and the door popped unlocked and drifted open with little resistance from the rising waters.

"What were you doing down here anyway?" She asked him as he took her hand, leading her from the room.

"Really? Is now the time?" He asked, nodding to the water at their feet, she hadn't realized it was already rising above her ankles now, soaking into her dress and weighing her down as they sloshed through the hallway together. There was now a current dragging at their feet, a signal that the water was rushing in, when it had only been trickling before. She tried her best not to think about it.

"Yes, because we're always running. And you never answer my questions when we're running."

"Oh, alright." He muttered, he seemed to be familiar with the halls, as she was already confused as to which way she had come from. "I was…helping an old friend. There wasn't really time to explain before, and well, there isn't really time now either. What, with the sinking and all." He shot her a glance. "So if you could just focus-"

"You weren't going to follow me on the life boats, were you?" She eyed him calculatingly. Her skirts really were slowing her down, but if he thought she was resisting to be stubborn, well, she wasn't going to correct him. She did deserve an explanation.

"Well," He paused and looked back at her guiltily. "No. Not precisely. But, yes. Sort of. I thought if I could get down to the TARDIS-"

"The TARDIS is here? Why would you send me to the boats? You know there isn't enough space for everyone?"

"You seemed to be making a life for yourself here, I didn't want to ruin that. If you let the lifeboat take you to safety, you would also be fine. And who knows, I might even be able to track you down again. But if I took you with me," He shook his head. "Well, then I've lost you again. Who knows for how long." His voice was sad when he admitted that last part. She realized that although she was angry that he had lied to her, again. She couldn't exactly fault his reasoning.

"Alright," She said conceding his point, but she gasped as the water rushed up past her knees, causing her skirts to billow out in a murky pattern. "I think I've left that option a bit too late." Her legs prickled painfully as the water inched higher and higher, her ankles now felt like sharp little knives were digging their way into her flesh and she couldn't really feel her feet they were so numb.

"Yes, I think we have." The Doctor said with a grim look. "Might as well find the old girl now. Won't do to have you freeze to death." They continued to follow through the ships labyrinth of halls, each step seeming to take them into deeper waters.

"So who were you trying to help?" She asked in an effort to distract herself from her chattering teeth. Even though the water hadn't quite reached her waist, it had soaked up into her dress, which was now clinging chillingly to her skin.

"Oh, you know. Basically. Me." He gave her a lopsided grin.

"I'm sorry?"

"Well. It's a bit complicated. It's just that I've been here before. I was hunting the Garoth, not me me. Myself from the past, when I was here before." Calypso thought she had understood that. "And last time, I bloody well chased the stupid thing into the ocean, where it drowned and I spent six hours swimming in the Atlantic waiting to get picked up, freezing my bits off." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, my…fingers, toes. You know." He clarified, looking slightly awkward. "Anyway, wasn't the most pleasant swim I've ever had. Then again, it wasn't the worst either…" He trailed off. "Anyway. Thought if I went ahead and snagged the bugger myself, I could skip the whole 'bits' part."

"Isn't that cheating?" She asked with a frown.

"Well, yes. But this is very low on the cheating pole. Like having some frosting off the cake before anyone's actually served it. Smudge it all back together and it's good as new, no one's the wiser." He smiled but she was looking a bit bewildered. "Yes, anyway. It's not a fixed point. Well, the Titanic is, but not the part where I'm floating in the ocean for an indeterminate amount of time. Doesn't matter anyway since I've lost the Garoth." He paused at the crossroads between two halls and for a moment looked perplexed, but then they were pushing forward again and she had to hope that he knew where he was going.

"What's a Garoth?" Everything was starting to hurt, at least the parts that hadn't already lost all feeling. If the Doctor noticed the chill of the ocean water, he didn't mention it. She realized that if she had to endure six hours of this she'd probably be dead. A sharp reminder that he was not as human as he appeared.

"Oh, basically harmless. Just about extinct. Descendants of the Yssgaroth. They were these great huge winged snakes that-" His voice stopped as he looked over his shoulder and saw the look of horror etched onto her face. She was trying very hard not to think about a winged snake slithering up next to her in the chilly water. But now every swirl of her dress seemed to remind her that it was possible. "I mean, they're not any more. They're just vampires really, blood drinkers." He shrugged.

"Oh good." She said weakly. "You had me worried for a moment there." She wasn't really in a joking kind of mood, but if she didn't, she was pretty sure she would start to get hysterical.

"It's alright." He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Well get back to the TARDIS here shortly. It'll be just fine." She nodded her head and let him continue to lead them on. He came to a stop outside of a locked crew door and he jiggled the handle.

"Well that's not good." He let go and pressed his hands against the wood of the door, listening carefully with his ear. "Oh." He said thoughtfully. "That is extremely very not good."

"What is it?" Calypso asked as he took a step back, staring up at the door nervously. She watched the door and realized that near the top seams, it looked like it was leaking.

"Back!" He said, pushing her the way they had come. "We have to get back!" He was shouting and half dragging her as they did their best to run through the water. A second later she heard the wood door groan and then shatter under the pressure. Before she could look back, a wave of frigid water struck her from behind and sent her hurtling forward. Her body exploded in pain as the cold sent sharp needles up and down her body. She held his hand as tightly as he could, but the water swirled and cut off her air, spinning her in awkward directions. And with a garbled cry, her fingers slipped from his, and she lost the Doctor.