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Disclaimer: Anna Lyn Connor and other unknown characters belong to me. Everyone else (who is NOT in the movie) is real. Any of the enjoyable characters of James Cameron's movie belongs to him, along with all of the legalities and technicalities.
Thank you to Raven the Guardian and Sachita for reading, and reviewing and to everyone also! Thank you for all of your profound support! It truly means a lot to me!
Asides from that, enjoy!
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"I do hope Lights didn't give you a scare?" Murdoch asked as they worked their way down the corridor. He had to keep his thoughts occupied with other trivial things to resist the urge of looking off to the side to glance at her face.
"No," Anna shook her head with a slightly distressed and bemused smile. "However, Mr. Lightoller is a man who should get an award for all of his deviousness. I dare say he has the energy of a five-year-old boy," Anna mumbled.
"You just need to spend a few voyages with him to become immune to his mischief!"
"No doubt you are the best of friends, Mr. Murdoch?"
"Oh, the very best! But there's something about Old Lights that will never change, regardless of age."
"And that is…?
"His magnetism of mischief," Murdoch said as he pushed a white door open.
Anna allowed herself a good laugh. "So, it's not that mischief finds Mr. Lightoller, but it is Mr. Lightoller who finds mischief?"
"I couldn't have said it better myself, Miss Connor!" He stepped to the side and allowed her to walk into the room before him. When both of them were situated inside the small cabin, he shut the door firmly. "Well, Miss Connor, it's not much, but welcome to the first officer's cabin."
"It's bigger than my own bedroom at home, Mr. Murdoch. The privileges that you get with this cabin are a lot more than I can ever hope for as a woman in my position."
"Please Miss Con—umm, Anna, you are now fortunate to enjoy such luxury…as you so deemed my quarters. Please…enjoy the comforts of what my insipid quarters can give!"
Murdoch offered her the sofa as he settled tiredly into his desk chair opposite from her. Anna was looking around the plain quarters as she was trying her best to avoid his gaze and an uncomfortable conversation she didn't want to be in. Their silence was achingly painful. Now that they were alone with no one to interfere, it felt as if it was just too alone.
--
"Mr. Moody!" Lightoller whispered from the corridor and both Pitman and Moody turned towards the voice.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Lightoller?" The young man turned slightly from the bow of the ship. He had his fun, now it was back to business.
"Come, Mr. Moody! I wouldn't want you to miss out on this little piece of the fun."
"Mr. Lightoller, I can get in trouble!"
Lightoller knew the consequences of negligence of work. Something both he and Moody couldn't afford during the maiden voyage. He couldn't come home to Sylvia and tell her that he was discharged because he took another officer away from his work to snoop on the first officer. Even though Lightoller was a committed sailor, this opportunity that he had miraculously placed and put together was something he could not afford to miss out on.
"I will take full responsibility of your missing."
"Go, Mr. Moody. I will cover for you for the next five to ten minutes or so. Mr. Wilde will not notice that you are gone."
"Sir?"
"I'll just say that you needed to use the water closet and it cannot wait until the end of the shift. You know bad breakfast or something of that matter."
"An unlikely story…" Moody mumbled in agony as Pitman gave him a smile that was laced with mischief also. They just loved to poke fun at the youngest of the group.
"Come, Mr. Moody!"
"Mr. Pitman, I thank you," Moody couldn't help but sound weary.
"You owe me your dessert," Pitman cried as Lightoller and Moody disappeared around the corner.
"What exactly are we doing?"
"It is what I call the 'guardian angel operative'!"
Moody blinked in confusion as they stopped at Murdoch's door. It finally dawned on him about what they were going to do when Lightoller quickly knelt down on one knee and pressed his ear against the white door.
"We are going to listen into the door? Mr. Lightoller! I don't call that the 'guardian angel operative' at all. That's just being nosy!"
"Shush, Mr. Moody!"
--
Murdoch's ear twitched when he faintly heard Moody's voice. He didn't know if it was close by or from a distance. His stomach told him that the young man was up to no good. Most likely his dear friend Charles Lightoller was pulling at the boy's leg to participate in his fun and games.
"I should have known Lightoller would drag the boy into his 'entertainment'."
"You mean, Mr. Moody?"
"The very one." Murdoch looked up when he realised that she knew too. "You are observant, Anna."
"I am of age, Mr. Murdoch. I've been through a young man's obvious hints, and prone to his magnetism of fun and games."
"They're talking about you, Mr. Moody!" Lightoller spoke quickly.
With that little injection, Mr. Moody was now hooked onto Lightoller's bait for participation. "What are they talking about?"
"Well, it is silent now." He pressed his ear even more closely. The white paint cooled his bare ear as he listened again for any sounds other than the constant hum of the ship.
"Anything?"
"Murdoch is talking, but it's very soft…wait, wait, Anna's now replying."
"So, what's she saying?"
"Something about muddy and lemon pies are lying on the poor—posed as a question…"
"Muddy lemon pies? Are you sure Mr. Lightoller?"
"These ears went through years of training, Mr. Moody!"
"Well, they must be filled with sand for I am sure they are not talking about—"
Before Moody could finish what he was saying, Lightoller quickly pushed off the door, and dragged himself away before they would get caught red-handed. "Make for it, Mr. Moody, footsteps a-coming!"
Moody and Lightoller shoved and pushed each other toward the nearest opening as their escape route. They chose the Marconi shack as their hideout, hoping Murdoch would just open the door and close it again when he didn't see anything strange outside his door. The Marconi boys looked up from their work as sounds of heavy footsteps took them out of their busy day. Lightoller and Moody, who weren't supposed to be there, appeared unexpectedly out of no where. They both had suspiciously guilty looks on their faces.
Murdoch pulled his door opened and peered towards both sides of the corridors. He narrowed his eyes on to the two bodies of the blue who weren't supposed to be there standing in the doorway of the Marconi shack.
"Well, Mr. Moody! The Marconi boys are busy at work, yes?" Lightoller started when he heard Murdoch coming up behind them.
Moody blinked and stuttered to reply. "Yes, yes! Uh, very much, sir! They are very busy!"
"Keep your ears off my door, Lights," Murdoch said in a low tone when he stopped right behind Lightoller.
"Ah Will! How's Miss Connor?"
"I'm warning you, Lights!" He then turned to the also-guilty looking Moody and narrowed his eyes. James Paul Moody could think of nothing else to do but smile sheepishly at his senior officer. "You, too, Mr. Moody! It is best to bail before he pulls you in any deeper! Aren't you supposed to be on your shift?"
"Uh…S-sir?'
"What are you talking about, Will? I caught Old Mood here coming from the water closet. You know bad breakfast and all. Stay away from the eggs, he'll tell you. And we are now just admiring the working potentiality of the Marconi boys. Right, Mr. Moody?"
Moody glanced around for answers, but only managed to cough up just a tiny reply. "Yes, sir, they are very busy, sir!"
"Very busy!" Phillips chimed in from his hunched position next to Bride.
All four men waited for their first officer to say something, but they could tell from the look on Murdoch's face that he wasn't buying one bit of their horribly acted lie. "Lights—"
"Loosen up, Will! Anna is a great gal. Try to get to know her—it doesn't hurt to make new friends, eh?"
"I would be a lot easier without your help, thank you very much, Mr. Lightoller. It's like a sense of an impending doom with you hovering over my situation."
"Call it your better conscience, Will!"
"With you as my better conscience, I don't think I'll get any where in life!" He mumbled in a mock serious tone.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
Murdoch then sighed as he looked between all four men; especially at Mr. Moody. He narrowed his eyes sternly in a warning. The young man turned away from the scrutinizing glance. "Lights for once…"
"It's fair game, Will! All men are victims."
Murdoch shook his head at Lightoller's reply. He didn't bother to dwell around the four men any longer since Miss Connor was waiting and it would just be a big waste of energy to be arguing with Lights. He didn't need the excess stress. Without another word, Murdoch went back to his door, and closed it with a soft click.
Lightoller turned around and let out a large sigh of relief. "Good work, Mr. Moody! You too, Mr. Phillips!" Phillips saluted and sported a good smile.
"Thank you, sir," Moody replied, meekly.
"You see it too, Mr. Lightoller?" Phillips asked before the two men departed from their door.
"What?" Lightoller turned around to face the Marconi boys. "About Miss Connor and Mr. Murdoch? Of course! I maybe weathered, but I'm not blind!"
"But you are surely deaf," Moody said softly, referring to the incident with the 'muddy lemon pies'.
"Don't push it, Mr. Moody."
"We have a bet going on about those two."
Charles Lightoller's eyes shined like the morning on Christmas day. "Count me in! I like a good competition! Three pounds for Murdoch and Anna!" He cheered with great enthusiasm, causing Phillips to whoop in joy also as Bride groaned in despair. He was hoping at least Mr. Lightoller would see Mr. Murdoch's virtues and will-power. Maybe Mr. Moody would side with him.
Lightoller turned to Moody with his regular boyish looking grin. "Well, Mr. Moody, what is your call?"
"Please sir, I only make eight pounds a month, I cannot afford to partake in such competition."
--
"Mr. Lightoller and Mr. Moody, Mr. Murdoch?" Even Anna thought that was a mouthful to say.
"Lights is a bad influence on that boy. Before you know it, they'll be skating around the bridge; something which Lights has done before."
"Mr. Murdoch—"
"Will, please!" Murdoch cried happily, wanting her to call him by his first name.
"Sir?" Anna questioned in angst. "I cannot!"
"Anna, Miss Anna—" He groaned slightly in aggravation. "Anna, you've given me the privilege to call you by your first name, please, do the honour of calling me by my first name."
"Mr. Murdoch, I cannot!" Anna cried again, holding on to her teachings and foolish mentality of class ranks.
"Anna, please."
The more he persisted, the more she resisted. "Mr. Murdoch, 'tis not proper!"
Murdoch leaned back in his chair and shook his head in frustration at her obstinacy. "Would you prefer for me to call you Miss Connor then, Miss Connor?"
Anna whipped her head back from its turned position and gaped at Murdoch's tone of voice. "N-no! You have every right to call me Anna due to my status and position on this ship!"
Murdoch leaned in dangerously. "As a reminder, Miss Connor, you are neither lower nor higher than me on this ship…"
Her eyes went as wide as two eggs. "Mr. Murdoch!"
--
"They are arguing!" Lightoller whispered, hurriedly.
"Already? About what?" Moody asked in equal urgency.
"Where to sleep?" Phillips continued, cheekily.
Lightoller chuckled, but shook his head. "That would be a conversation, no doubt, but this argument is about calling each other by first names rather going along with formalities."
"I've already had that argument with her," Moody sighed.
"What are they talking about?" Bride called from his position in the shack with one ear on the headphone and the other perched at its best, trying to catch what the others were talking about.
"Hush it, Bride! I'll tell you later!" Phillips cried before leaning back to hear what Lightoller was going to say next.
--
"Miss Connor, if you are so insistent on calling me Mr. Murdoch, then I shall stand my own ground and call you Miss. Connor!"
"Do the burden as you will, Mr. Murdoch! But, I shan't call you Will for 'tis not proper to call you by such familiarity!" Anna crossed her arms in a dignified manner and turned her body away from him childishly.
Murdoch couldn't help but crack a tiny smile that she never saw. "Fine by me, Miss Connor." And that argument faded into silence.
--
"Those two are positively annoying!" Lightoller mumbled with his ear still pressed against the door.
"What now?" Bride cried from the shack.
"Hush it, Bride! I will tell you later!!"
"Is there a meeting?" Mr. Andrews's voice chimed from the far door, causing the younger officers to stand rigidly at the chaste inquiry.
"Mr. Andrews, sir!" Moody and Phillips greeted Andrews with great formality while Lightoller was still kneeled on one knee, ear pressed against the door.
"Mr. Lightoller, are you listening for rodents?"
"Hush now, Mr. Andrews, they are starting to talk again."
"Oh, I beg your dearest pardon then, Mr. Lightoller." Andrews rolled his eyes and waited for the right moment to jump in. Andrews didn't want to anger Lightoller because he didn't get to have his fun. He took off his hat and leaned against the wall. What started as two people having innocent fun grew from three to four. Well, five, if you count Bride trying to listen intently from his seat.
--
"Miss Connor," Murdoch started slowly when he realised that they couldn't just sit there frustrated with each other's folly and conduct. "Please, I do apologise for my behaviour. It is strange, in my case, to find such a woman so insistent on her convictions. It truly took me by surprise, and I acted according to the only way I knew how to act." He breathed in deeply, and allowed his uneasiness to subside. What could get worst? He'd already argued with this woman. Truly, the next best thing (or worst thing) to do was to make love to her; something that would, in this Titanic lifetime, never happen. Now all of his crazy, illogical fluttering feelings turned to almost feelings of awkward commitment. Her headstrongness and stout mentality for what she wants amazed, surprised, intrigued and confused him a lot more than any of the female creatures he came across in his life.
"Mr. Murdoch, you are in no state to—"
"Please, just accept my apology…Anna. I'm in no state to argue."
The way he looked at her pleadingly made chills run up and down her spine. The jolts of electricity made goose pimples rolled like the ever ebbing waves, and tinkled at her fingertips in an ever joyful state of delight.
She nodded slowly, and managed a weak smile. "Y-yes, sir. I forgive you."
--
Lightoller was conveying just about everything the two were saying to the crowd that surrounded him.
Andrews chuckled when he heard the last bit. "Old Will fell for her beauty, no doubt!"
"Yes, but Miss Connor is also an agreeable woman, Mr. Andrews!"
"No doubt, about that."
"She's very kind, friendly and caring. Though, there are those occasional moments when she is strong on her vindications of her intelligence, and respect of status. But I dare say her amiability offsets her tendency to argue," Moody spoke enthusiastically about the woman he'd just met a few hours ago. He had gotten along well with Miss Connor and felt that it would do her the utmost justice to portray her as truthfully as he could before Mr. Andrews make a wrong judgment of her nature.
"You got to know her that well, Mr. Moody? In so short of time?" Andrews questioned with a fatherly manner.
"Not well enough to know her history, Mr. Andrews. But from the brief time, she isn't all that horrible!"
"Her intentions are well sought. She's tr—" before Lightoller could even finish his sentence, the door he was leaning on disappeared and in place was a neatly pressed black trousers, and a mixed annoyed and bemused Scotsman.
"Lights…"
Andrews quickly stood up straight from his leisure position, and started to stumble on his reply. "Mr. Murdoch, I—"
'I heard your voice, Mr. Andrews, don't waste your energy on attempting to explain."
"Oh dear…"
"And Mr. Phillips?"
Phillips looked around towards the others for answers, but they were contemplating their own, waiting to be questioned. "Nice weather we are having, eh, Mr. Murdoch?"
"I think it's best for you to get back to ol' Sparks before he keels over."
"What's going on, John?"
"Hush it, Bride!"
"Mr. Phillips got caught, Bride. Please get on with your work!" Murdoch shouted towards the shack.
There was a faint "damn" emitting from the shack as Phillips stalked back towards it.
Lightoller stood up and smiled sheepishly at his friend.
"Mr. Moody, I think it is time for you to go back to your post. Mr. Pitman is going to wonder why you were gone for so long. I don't think the breakfast was that bad for you to be gone to the water closet for more than ten minutes!"
"Yes, sir!" Moody quickly moved from his spot and ran out of the officer's corridor.
"And as for you, Mr. Lightoller. You will—"
"Don't reprimand Mr. Lightoller so harshly, Mr. Murdoch. He was just having a little fun. That is all." Anna came up from behind Murdoch pushing him slightly off to the side with a gentle shove from her hand. Her rough elegant hands rested comfortably on the crook of his elbow. Murdoch was too annoyed with Lightoller to notice. Lightoller was too afraid of Murdoch to notice, but Thomas Andrews saw the tiny gesture and took a mental note of it.
"A little fun at our expense, Miss Connor," he mumbled off to the side before turning his attention fully on Lights. "You're lucky she likes you."
"I'm in debt to you, Miss Connor, for fending off the evil fiend!"
"Lights!" Murdoch growled in a warning.
Lightoller took the hint, and tipped his hat. "I'm leaving! Cheerio!"
Lightoller practically ran out of the corridor leaving Andrews, Murdoch and Connor to watch him disappear.
"Miss Connor," Andrews called the attention back to him, and Anna Lyn stepped out of the door. "I couldn't find an extra berth for you, but you are welcome to take place on a sofa of a woman in the first class. She also has the extra toiletries and perhaps some extra dresses for you to borrow until the end of the voyage. I can take you now, Miss Connor, since I have a bit of free time before my next meeting. I apologise that I cannot take you later myself, but I'm pretty sure the other officers will not mind escorting you to the cabin."
"I would like to wash up before anything else, sir. I'm going to take up your offer of leaving now."
"Very well, then. If you don't mind, Mr. Murdoch?"
"'tis Miss Connor's decision, not mine."
"It is set then. Miss Connor?" Andrews nodded as a gesture towards Anna.
"Let me grab my things, Mr. Andrews. I'll be just a moment—"
Andrews waved his hands slightly for her to stop. "I'm going to wait for you in the bridge then. Please meet me out there whenever you are ready."
--
Lightoller was whistling a cheery tune as Thomas Andrews emerged from the corridor. Even though he wasn't on his watch, he wanted to catch Andrews before he left.
"There's a bet going on, Mr. Lightoller?" Andrews said, putting back on his hat.
"You are quick man, Mr. Andrews! What of it?" Lightoller was surprised that Andrews had caught on so quickly. He, himself, was just about to ask Andrews to join in on the fun.
Andrews turned to look sternly at the older Lightoller. "Add me to the pot."
"The best investment of your life, I will tell you that, Thomas!"
"You best be right, Mr. Lightoller, because I better win!"
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