WriterFreak001:

As soon as I uploaded the last chapter, I jumpstarted this one! :)

In case you haven't noticed, most of the dialogue is very similar to the movie in the scenes that are not added ones. I found a raw script of Titanic online so I'm using that as a skeleton for my work. I've noticed there are subtle differences between the script and the actual movie so not every added scene is a scene I've completely made up.

Regardless of how I am constructing this story, please enjoy!

The Scorpion

Written by WriterFreak001

Chapter 6:

First Kiss

~ SCORPION ~

She counted the minutes before her mother was deeply engaged in conversation to slip away from the table. Her mother didn't even ask her where she was going as she exited the dining saloon, but Paige didn't care (and was grateful for the lack of questions). Eagerly, she crossed the A-Deck foyer and smiled when she saw Walter still waiting for her at the landing above. As the clock softly chimed the hour, Paige carefully ascended the staircase, never looking away from him. As though Walter could read her mind and knew she was approaching him, he turned around and found her hazel eyes as his lips curved to a gentle smile.

Paige couldn't stop grinning, herself. "You're still here."

"I knew you'd come," Walter replied softly as she hooked her hand around his arm.

"Incredibly smart and psychic," Paige laughed melodiously as they started climbing the stairs. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Walter smirked, suddenly making Paige's stomach flutter. "Trust me," he casually covered her hand with his, "you'll enjoy it."

"Oh, I'm sure I will."

…

Paige was tremendously amazed with how happy everyone looked as Walter escorted her into the Third Class social room. Unlike earlier in the day, the music was louder, people were dancing and laughing and acting like fools, but everyone was enjoying themselves and having fun.

"I want you to meet someone," Walter whispered into her ear as he guided her through the room towards a poker table. "The idiot in the hat who just lost the poker game is my best friend, Toby. He's brilliant and can be an ass sometimes," Walter paused when Paige giggled quietly, "but he's good people."

"Walter!" Toby exclaimed from across the room. "Long time no see, my man! Almost thought we lost you to the perilous sea of First Class gentlemen!" Toby sprinted up to the inventor and gave him a big hug, ignoring the fact that his friend didn't like a lot of unwarranted physical contact. Walter tensed a little and then pushed the gambler off of him. Toby then saw Paige and then smiled at his friend. "I see you took my advice, Walt."

"Shut up," Walter rolled his eyes and lightly pushed Toby towards an empty table. "Sit."

"But I'm not done with my game yet!"

"You're done. I saw you lose. Now, sit." Walter pointed to the chair, and Toby heaved a loud sigh before complying.

"At least my new friend is buying me more beer." Toby huffed as he took off his hat and crossed his arms in front of him. "She should be back any minute."

"She?" Walter cocked an eyebrow, and Paige giggled.

"Yeah, she." Toby grinned ear to ear. "She's from First Class like your lady friend there," the gambler pointed to Paige, "but she's unlike any woman I've ever met. She's brilliant, Walt. Like us!"

Paige suddenly spotted Happy making her way to the table with four glasses of beer. "Happy?"

"I saw you two on your way over here so I got both of you beer as well." Happy said as she handed Toby a glass. While Walter didn't take any, Paige picked one up and sipped from it.

"What are you doing here, Happy?" Paige buried her face into her drink as Happy sat down next to Toby. "I mean, will you get in trouble if you're caught down here?"

"No," Happy chuckled as she picked up her glass and took a swig. "My father wouldn't dare step foot down in steerage. And even if he did, I wouldn't care if he found me here or not. This place has cheap, good quality beer. Who is he to stop me from living my life?"

"I guess you're very lucky your father doesn't keep you on a tight leash like my mother does me." Paige sighed before taking another sip from her beer. "Do me a favor and don't tell anyone I was down here tonight, okay?"

"Don't worry. I won't." Happy grinned as Toby picked up his hat and slapped it down at the center of the table.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul either," Toby slurred and happily took another large gulp of his drink.

"You don't know anybody in First Class," Walter mumbled as he resisted the urge to smack Toby upside the head.

"I know her," Toby pointed to Happy and then added, "And I know her."

"My point exactly," Walter shook his head slowly as Paige placed her drink on the table. She grabbed his hand and eagerly pulled him towards the center of the room as he eyed her suspiciously. "W-What're you doing?"

"I want you to dance with me," Paige laughed as she centered herself in front of him and placed one hand on top of his right shoulder and slipped the other into his left hand. Walter, almost naturally, brought his free hand to the small of her back, bringing them incredibly closer.

"I don't know the steps," Walter muttered into her ear, and she giggled as she shook her head slowly.

"Neither do I," Paige bit her lip and smiled.

Walter brought his lips closer to her ear, and his low voice made her shiver. "I'm serious, Paige. I don't dance. I can'tdance."

"It's easy," Paige hummed into his ear as she squeezed his hand. "Just move with me, and don't think about it."

Walter gulped audibly, and once the music began, they were off. The two of them stumbled a few times, but as the music continued bouncing off the instruments, both Walter and Paige found the rhythm and danced swiftly together.

Suddenly Paige clutched Walter's shoulder and pleaded him to stop.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yes," Paige nodded as she bent down to unbuckle her high-heeled shoes. She kicked them off towards Toby before grabbing Walter's arm again. Like silly fools, they plunged back into the dancing crowd and swung faster to the music. Paige had never had so much fun in her life! Surely she looked like a maniac, dancing and swaying to the crazy, obnoxious music, but she didn't care. She didn't care if she was sweaty or if her feet were throbbing from all of the dancing; she absolutely didn't care about anything! Never before had she ever felt so free in her life, and for the first time in many, many years, she felt so alive and so happy.

She didn't want any part of the night to end.

But once the music jolted to an abrupt finish, Walter tugged her towards the table where a drunk Happy was making out with a very drunk Toby. Paige, feeling adventurous and a little cocky, grabbed Toby's unused cigarette, lit it with the flickering flame of a candle, and took a big drag before stubbing it out. She then picked up her almost forgotten glass of beer and chugged it down quickly, capturing her new friends' undivided attentions.

"What?" Paige cocked an eyebrow and slammed the empty glass onto the table. "You think a first class girl can't drink?" Before she could continue, two men a few feet in front of them started yelling at each other. One punched the other in the face, and then the other man knocked his assailant over. "Hey!" Paige shouted at them, surprising everyone in the room. "You think you're big, tough men because you can throw punches?" Toby audibly gulped, Happy smirked, and Walter's jaw dropped at her outburst as she took off her stockings and dropped them to the floor. "Let's see you do this."

Paige slowly rose her arms, assuming a ballet stance, and lifted herself to the tips of her toes. She stood there for what felt like an eternity as everyone gawked at her incredible control. She then grimaced in pain and instantly dropped down into Walter's arms, sending everyone in a fit of laughter.

"I haven't done that in years!"

"With the way your face screwed up, I can't imagine why anyone would do that." Walter chuckled as he helped her to a chair. She giggled a little in response.

"When your mother wants you to be the best in the world, you have no choice but to do some painful things," Paige replied quietly as she grasped her chest. "Being a woman is a pain, sometimes." She then covered Walter's hand with hers and asked, "Want to get out of here?"

"And go where?"

Paige shrugged. "On a walk on the deck?"

"Sure," Walter grinned. "I'd like that."

A colorful smile found Paige Dineen's lips. "Me too."

~ SCORPION ~

Paige, a little tipsy from the beer she drank earlier, held onto Walter for support as they walked along the row of lifeboats just under the starry sky. She chatted happily with Walter as they strolled towards the First Class Entrance, but the closer they neared the doors, the slower they walked. Paige suddenly let go of Walter and grabbed a davit. She leaned back as far as she could and stared at the cosmos.

"Isn't it magnificent?" Paige mumbled as her eyes glimmered with shimmering stars. "So grand and endless." She then reached for the rail and leaned against it as Walter stood dangerously close to her. She secretly wanted him closer. "They're such small people, Walter… my crowd. They think they're giants on the earth, but they're not even dust in God's eye." She paused and sighed quietly. "They live inside this little tiny champagne bubble, and… someday… the bubble's going to burst."

Walter leaned against the railing next to her and also looked up towards the stars. Their pinkies were almost touching, and both of them longed for more contact, but they knew it was utterly impossible and much forbidden.

"You're not one of them, Paige." Walter mumbled distantly as he absentmindedly touched his pinky to hers. "There's been a mistake."

Paige cocked an eyebrow and stared at him in confusion.

"A mistake?"

"Yes," Walter nodded swiftly. "You were mailed to the wrong address."

Paige giggled loudly and rolled her eyes as their shoulders bumped together. "I was, wasn't I?" She slightly angled herself towards him and flashed a loving smile as her eyes found his. Boldly, she grabbed his hand, entwining her fingers with his, and started running away from the lifeboats towards the stern where he had saved her the previous night.

Walter almost didn't recognize himself; never in his life had he been so carefree before. He was always focused on his inventions that he had never given him time to, quote, unquote, have fun. There was just something about Paige that made him like this new vision of himself, and, even though he had just met her, he felt like he had known her his entire lifetime.

"Look!" Paige exclaimed as they stood exactly where they were the night before and pointed to the stars. "A shooting star!"

Walter glanced up at the sky and watched the streak of light whip across the starry darkness. "For centuries, some people associated shooting stars with superstition, and others believed they were conjured from the wrath of their gods. However, in 1807, a fireball exploded over Connecticut, and several meteorites fell from the sky, and a new theory about shooting stars, or, as some call them, "falling stars," emerged, suggesting that shooting stars were nothing more than broken pieces of asteroids and dust, hurling towards Earth."

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Paige muttered in awe as she squeezed his hand while continuing to gaze above.

"What's amazing?"

"How the sky can transform brokenness into something incredibly more beautiful," Paige mumbled softly, unaware of how close Walter was to her. He was standing behind her, with one hand in his pocket, itching to hold her, and the other hand still curled together with Paige's. She suddenly turned towards him and gazed deeply into his dark brown eyes. "Aren't we supposed to make a wish now?"

Walter, though he didn't believe in superstition, grabbed her other hand and tugged her impossibly closer. "And what would you wish for?"

Paige's face suddenly fell, and she immediately stepped away from him. "Something I can't have." A sad smile found her lips as she slipped her hand slowly from his. "I… I should go."

As she turned to leave, Walter reached out and clutched his fingers around her small wrist. Boldly, he approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as possible. "Don't… Don't go."

Though her mind protested, Paige sank into his embrace and closed her eyes as he stood between her and the rest of the ship, shielding her from her world of scrutiny. She laced her fingers with his and softly whispered, "I don't want to." Paige suddenly spun around in Walter's arms and visibly bit her bottom lip as her arms strung around his neck. Her eyes fell from his dark brown irises to his light pink lips, and though she knew she was crossing a bridge she shouldn't be crossing, she couldn't help herself. She wanted Walter. She desired him in ways she never desired Drew, and in that very moment, she didn't care about anything or anyone else. All she wanted was Walter O'Brien, and when his mouth crushed hard against hers, shattering the space between them, she knew, instantly, that he wanted her too.

~ SCORPION ~

WriterFreak001:

I enjoyed writing this chapter very much. :)

Let me know what you think! :D