On the second day of Christmas James Cameron gave to me
2 handmade dresses
Madeleine Astor was usually a very quiet, unassuming girl. Except for today! She didn't mean to snap, she was just frustrated! She'd tried to get into her favorite gown this morning, but her swelled stomach made it so she couldn't fit. She'd ripped the dress by accident trying to get in, and it made her incredibly angry. So now she sat in the stateroom all by herself, still in her nightgown. The only company she had was Kitty, which was John's airedale.
Speaking of John, he was gone. She wasn't exactly sure where he had headed off to, but he certainly wasn't here. Perhaps he'd gone off to the smoking room to tell the other men what a terrible little wife she was. She'd snapped at him terribly this morning after ruining her dress, saying it was all his fault that she was fat now. After she'd snapped at him she'd gone into their bedroom, slammed the door shut, and cried like a child. When she was done crying, she reentered the stateroom meaning to apologize, only to find he was gone.
Now she felt absolutely terrible, and what made things worse was that it was Christmas Eve. They should have been snuggling on the couch together, enjoying each others company and talking about the future and their child. Suddenly the door opened and Madeleine jumped slightly, startled. John came into the room with two rather large, carefully wrapped boxes in his arms. He kicked the door shut behind him before setting the boxes down on the table.
"My goodness Maddie, didn't you bother to turn the heater on? It's frigid in here!" he said. She lowered her head slightly, mumbling that she had forgotten. She really hadn't noticed the cold, she was too upset. Deciding that calling for a maid would take too long, the Colonel started a fire by himself and draped a blanket over his wife's shoulders before sitting down next to her "I know you're upset Maddie, it's alright to be. But please, don't fret anymore. I know you didn't mean what you said this morning" he told her.
She sniffled and felt tears brimming in her eyes at his words. He was always so kind to her, and yet she'd snapped at him. It wasn't his fault she couldn't do the things she wanted to do anymore. Not really! When he noticed her tears he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him, letting her bury her face in his side and cry "I'm so sorry John!" she said. He kissed the top of her head affectionately and sighed "Maddie you don't need to be sorry. I know it must be hard. But I've gotten you something to make up for it" he told her.
This made her slightly more upset, he actually got her something after she said those horrible things to him! She didn't even have anything to give him in return! Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she began to laugh. She felt John put his fingers under her chin and tilt her head up so she was looking at him. She still continued to laugh and he raised an eyebrow in confusion "What's so funny?" he asked her after a moment. She continued to laugh as he wiped her stray tears away, stuttering before finally managing to ask "Oh John, where on earth could you have possibly found something worthwhile on this ship to give to me? We've been stranded in the middle of the ocean for months!".
He smiled "Oh, don't doubt that your presents are worthwhile! It took quite a bit of effort to get them, but I did!" he told her. She looked around him at the boxes, full of curiosity that she could hardly contain "Well do I get to open my presents?" she asked. He chuckled and shook his head "I'm sorry to say, but it's not Christmas yet" he told her. She stood up and pulled on his arm "Well come on then John! Let's go to bed right now so Christmas comes sooner!".
He leaned back on the couch "Gee I don't know Maddie, I'm pretty comfortable sitting right here!" he told her teasingly. She shoved his shoulder with all her might, which wasn't much, and he laughed "Alright I'm coming dear!" he said. He stood and escorted her back to their bedroom. It took a while for him to get her to settle down though, as he'd excited her a great deal. She tried to get him to tell her what he'd gotten her by playing a round of 20,000 questions, but he hadn't caved and eventually she fell asleep. He went to sleep soon after her.
The next morning he woke to find Madeleine still asleep, which was a relief! Mornings where he woke up before her meant good days, as it meant no morning sickness that day! He nudged her awake gently and she groaned, trying to swat him away "I'm busy!" she told him. He chuckled "Don't you want to open your presents?" he asked. Suddenly her eyes fluttered open and he looked at him with a look of confusion for a moment, before her face finally lit up "Oh yes!". She sat up and hopped out of bed, groaning slightly. Her ankles were swelled and she had trouble when she first got on her feet in the morning. John was right by her side and helped her into the sitting room, sitting her on the couch.
He picked up the two boxes from the table and sat next to her "Alright, which would you like to open first. Both of them are good" he told her. She looked at both boxes before looking down at Kitty "Which one do you think I should pick boy?" she asked. The airedale nudged the box on the right and she took it from John. She excitedly tore open the paper and opened the box. Her eyes widened and she nearly dropped the box in shock "But John!" she said "How did you get this?" she asked.
The Colonel stood and gently took the gift out of the box. It was a gown, but not just any gown, Maddie's favorite, the one she'd broken the seams of the day before. It had been altered, that was for sure. He pointed out the alterations "You don't have to worry anymore Maddie. You'll fit in it now! And you'll still look as beautiful as ever!" he promised. She smiled and took the gown in her hands "How though?" she asked. He chuckled "You know, the third class passengers are quite a kind group of people. I went down there and found a group of seamstresses. They agreed to make an order I placed and I payed handsomely for it, but when you ruined your favorite dress I brought it down and they very kindly agreed to mend it on one condition" he told her.
She raised an eyebrow "What condition?" she asked. He laughed "Well they said they wanted a free day in first class. So I talked with the Captain and Mr. Ismay and..." he trailed off and Madeleine gasped, before giggling "You mean they're going to let the third class passengers up here?" she asked. He nodded "Yep, they get their free day" he looked at the clock on the mantel and chuckled "Actually you know they get their free day today!" he told her. The couple both laughed as they thought of their aristocratic friends fainting at the sight of the poor immigrants using their gym equipment and swimming in their pool. The more they thought about it, the more they laughed.
Finally Madeleine looked at the other box "So is that another dress?" she asked. He nodded and handed her the box, allowing her to open it. She pulled out the gown and gasped "Oh John, I think I have a new favorite gown! It's so beautiful!" she told him. Indeed, the gown was just like the expensive ones she saw in boutiques in France. It amazed her that the third class had made this just for her. John smiled "Oh, you can thank the seamstresses later when they come up! Perhaps you can wear it and show it off" he told her. Madeleine kissed him "You mean this one will fit too?" she asked excitedly. He nodded "Can't have you breaking all of your dresses with our child. The two of you should fit in that just splendidly" he told her.
She kissed him, her eyes brimming with tears of joy "Oh John, I'm so sorry I don't have anything for you!" she told him. He smiled and rested a hand on her stomach "You're gift to me will just be a little late, that's all" he replied. Maddie sighed and put her hand over his "Are you happy?" he asked her after a moment. She laughed at him, reaching for the gown he still held in his other hand and running her fingers over it "I've never been more happy in my entire life" she told him easily. And it was true, after everything they'd been through, all the negative press and all her morning sickness, it was worth it. She couldn't have been happier.
A/N. Hello! Thanks for the positive feedback guys! Here's day 2, the Astors. It's just so FLUFFEH!. Now if it isn't already clear, the order of characters is going to be alphabetical. Therefore tomorrow is going to be Molly Brown's day. Don't worry though, Jack and Rose will have their day. And I'll give you a hint, they will be the 5th day. Who do you think will be giving 5 somethings, and what will those 5 somethings be?
Thank you so much for the reviews, keep them coming! They motivate me to write. Now here's a little warning for you. I originally planned to update this story every day as a sort of countdown to Christmas, however my internet has been acting up lately and I have a lot of work to do at school which is stopping me from typing it there. But don't worry, you will have all 12 Titanic days before Christmas Eve! Hopefully before the supposed 'End of the World' (That is the 21st for anyone who doesn't know).
Thanks for Reading!
