A/N: Here I am with a new chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Liverpool, MARVEL LINE headquarters – May 25, 1909

The meeting had been going on for almost three hours already. Howard Stark and his shipbuilder colleague and friend Hank Pym had both taken lots of notes about the changes Alexander Pierce wanted to be done on his "marvelous ship", as he usually called it. But apparently they weren't done yet. On Pierce's big desk there were several drawings made by the architecture department led by Stark, as well as a model of the ship.

"And the staircase needs to be much grander" Pierce said, looking at the ship's drawings.

Both Stark and Pym weren't surprised by that request. After all the years they had been working at Pierce's side they both had learnt the MARVEL LINE CEO had a thing for big stuff.

"Alright, I'll let my department know about the change" Pym commented, adding another note on his notebook. "We'll need to order more wood though"

Pierce nodded. "That won't be a problem. Everything for my marvelous ship"

Before Pym could even end what he was writing down, Stark caught their attention. "Uh, gentlemen?" he asked, looking at the drawings. "There might be a problem"

Both men looked at him. "What problem?" Pierce asked.

"The bulkheads" Stark answered, pointing to a specific part of the drawing that represented Titanic's hull.

Pym followed Stark's gaze and looked at what his colleague was referring to. "Oh, that's right. I didn't consider that"

Pierce frowned confused. "What? What is it?"

"Well, a bigger staircase requires more space obviously" Pym explained. "If we want to obtain that, we'll have to lower the bulkheads to E deck"

"Hmm. And would that be a problem? Isn't she safe?"

Pym and Stark glanced at each other. "Of course she is safe" Stark answered. "But, well… here, I'll show you" he then took one the ship's drawings the drafting department had made. "As you can see, the ship will be subdivided by 16 primary compartments" Stark pointed to a series of straight lines on the hull's drawing. "In case of emergency, 15 bulkheads can be activated from the bridge. Titanic is designed to stay afloat even with 4 flooded compartments. However lower bulkheads would allow water to enter at a faster pace, should more than 4 compartments be damaged" Stark looked at Pierce, who didn't look like someone who understood his colleague's words. "In other words the ship would sink faster"

Pierce remained silent for a moment. "Is it even possible to create such a big damage?"

"I…" Stark hesitated. "I guess everything's possible" he glanced at Pym again who simply shrugged, for he didn't know how to answer to that question either. "But in all honesty I can't imagine what could possibly happen to damage more than 4 compartments. Probably only a collision with another ship" Stark eventually sentenced.

"And we already know that is not possible. Not with a ship like my Titanic at least" Pierce commented proudly. "Such accidents cannot happen with our modern technology. So, can these bulkheads be lowered? Or is it too late?"

"No it's not. The construction is still at a very premature stage" Pym answered, although he didn't sound convinced by the opportunity of that change and, judging by Stark's face, he wasn't either.

"Alright, good" Pierce eventually said before sitting down on a chair. "Let's lower the bulkheads then. I want the main staircase to be big and luxurious"

Pym and Stark could do anything but nod. "As you wish"

While Pym confirmed the change on his notebook, Pierce stared deeply at the ship's model that was right in front of him. "The boats clutter the bridge"

Pym immediately stooped writing and both him and Stark looked at the other man with a raised eyebrow. "Clutter?" Stark asked.

"Yes, they clutter it. Passengers do not pay to look at lifeboats"

For the third time in less than 10 minutes Stark and Pym glanced at each other. "They're 48, a reasonable number" Stark said slowly. "And anyway I'm sure the Government will soon increase the number of lifeboats ships like Titanic must have on board. They haven't updated the law in years"

Pierce simply chuckled. "It is not up to us to anticipate the Government's decisions" he then removed one, then two, then a lot of boats from the model. Pym and Stark stared at the scene in shock. Only 16 lifeboats were left, once Pierce was done. "There. Much better. That way passengers will have a much better view of the sea"

For some time no one said a word. Eventually Stark cleared his throat. "Alexander" he said calmly. "If we reduce the number of lifeboats so drastically there won't be enough for everyone aboard in case of emergency. I believe you should reconsider your decision"

"Come on Howard, you know better than me it is a waste of space and money. We're talking about an unsinkable ship after all"

"A what?" Pym asked without being able to stop himself.

But Pierce didn't even pay attention to him. "Alright gentlemen" he said, looking at his pocket watch "I think we're done for today. I will let Mr. Ross know about what we have discussed today. Thank you so much for your precious help" he then got up and walked toward the door.

Pym turned to Stark, looking agitated. "Tell him to increase the number of lifeboats" he whispered "At least 30"

"I… I don't have the power to interfere with his decisions" Stark whispered back.

"You are the director of the drafting department!" Pym whispered louder. "And Titanic's main designer!"

"Doesn't matter who I am! He is the owner of the damn ship!"

"Just tell him!"

Pierce had just stepped out of the room when Stark cleared his throat. "Uh, Mr. Pierce?"

Pierce walked back with a frown. "What is it?"

"We, uh… we really believe the number of lifeboats is not appropriate. Maybe you could increase it to 30?" Pierce raised an eyebrow. "It's still a lower amount than 48. The bridge would be less cluttered and the number of boats would be more appropriate"

The other man looked at the ground, thinking about it for some time. Eventually he looked up. "20"

Stark blinked. "Beg your pardon?"

"20 lifeboats" Pierce said "That's more than enough" he then turned around to leave.

"Can't we make it 24?" Pym asked before Pierce could walk away.

The man stooped walking but didn't bother turning. "20" he repeated slowly "Not one more" and finally he walked away for good.

After he was gone, Pym sat down on a chair and pinched his nose. "20 lifeboats. 65 passengers for each one makes-"

"1300 passengers" Stark answered, looking at his colleague.

Pym just shook his head. "That's just a third of all the passengers Titanic can take on board. It's madness. Not to mention the new kind of davit I invented won't be of any use, after all"

They remained silent for a couple of minutes. Eventually Stark signed. "We still got two years before Titanic's launch. The Government will change the law"

"And if it doesn't?"

Stark bit his lip. "Then I guess Titanic itself will be the only lifeboat we'll need"

Belfast, port – June 10, 1909

Considering how misfortune had been continuously following them like their own shadows during the last few months, Sam had no idea how the hell they managed to secretly board a cargo train to New York, an ocean liner to Southampton and finally a cargo ship to Belfast without being caught by authorities.

Not that the trip had been enjoyable. As stowaways, they had to remain hidden most of the journey, which meant no clean air, no food, no actual bed to sleep. Luckily on the ocean liner they boarded to cross the Atlantic, Steve managed to steal a uniform from a casket of dirty laundry and, pretending to be a crew member, he stole some food from the kitchens.

Unfortunately that same trick could not be done on the cargo ship they boarded from Southampton to reach Belfast, so when they finally left the ship they were tired, hungry and kind of dirty. But they had made it. They were in Belfast.

"See?" Steve asked, putting his arm around Sam's tired shoulders while holding their worn out bag with almost nothing in it with his other hand. "It didn't go that bad"

"You two! Stop!"

Steve and Sam, almost jumping off their own skin, turned around and saw two policemen approaching, both with their guns raised.

"Put your hands up!" one of them shouted "Now!"

Sam closed his eyes and signed deeply. "You had to speak"

Although it was quite early in the morning, the man was already in his office working on some papers that, according to Mr. Coulson, needed his immediate attention. And that's when he heard the noise.

"Shut up and walk!" a voice yelled from outside.

"We came to get a job" another younger voice said. "We just want a job!"

"Some time in a jail, that's what you'll get for coming to Ireland illegally!"

The man left his desk and walked outside where he saw two young men being escorted not too kindly by two policemen. The captain of the cargo ship they had boarded, a man around his 60s, was following them a couple of steps behind.

"What is the matter, gentlemen?"

"Mr. Erskine, sir" the policemen stopped walking. "We caught these two men leaving a cargo ship" the man who was holding Steve by the shoulder explained. "They are obviously illegal migrants. We must report them"

"We're not illegal, we have documents!" Sam protested.

Nobody paid him any attention. "This is the captain of the ship" the second policeman glanced toward the captain. "He said he had no idea these men were on board"

"I see" Erskine then looked at Sam and Steve with curiosity. "You're Americans I presume? Certainly you're not Irish"

"Just like you then" Sam said in a challenging tone, referring to the man's foreign accent.

"Hey!" the policeman holding Sam tightened his grip on his shoulder "Try to have some respect!"

"Or what? You going to shoot me?"

"I could do that, actually"

Sam growled. "I'd like to see you try"

"Sam" Steve whispered because being angry wasn't going to help at all. "Don't get angry and stay calm"

"Fuck that! It took us three goddamn weeks to come here hoping we would finally get a job and now they're bringing us to jail just because we didn't pay the fucking ticket?! I'm allowed to get angry!"

"Now that is interesting" Erskine commented, apparently not bothered by Sam's mood. "So you're telling me you left the United States to come working at a shipyard in Ireland?" Erskine raised an eyebrow, but Steve noticed he didn't look skeptical. Just surprised.

"Yes. Unfortunately we didn't have money for the tickets, sir" Steve explained calmly, hoping the man he was talking to was as reasonable as he seemed to be.

"Oh it isn't the way you used to come all the way here that interests me" Erskine said "It's the reason. From what I know, America's economy has been growing for years now, which is the main reason why thousands of Europeans go there. And yet you, two young American citizens, chose to do the opposite, leaving your rich country and your families behind" he paused, looking intently at both of them "Why?"

"Well" Steve shrugged. "Just because our country is rich that doesn't mean all the people who live there are rich as well. We've been looking for a stable job for a lot of time, but apparently the American dream is not for everyone. Then we read an article about a shipyard here in Belfast looking for workers and so we thought-"

"You thought" Sam interrupted him "This was your damn idea"

Steve rolled his eyes. "Fine! I thought that if we can't find what we're looking for in our own country, maybe we can find it here. As for the family, we only have each other so…"

"I see" Erskine eventually said with a nod. "Well, we can't lose all this willingness to work, can we?" he then looked at the policemen "Thank you for your excellent work gentlemen. You can let these men free now"

"What?" the two policemen, Sam and Steve asked at the same time.

"Excuse me, sir" the man holding Steve began to say. "We have orders. Anyone who arrives in Belfast illegally must be reported"

"I know what our current law says about that. You said you have documents with you?"

"Yes" Steve, sure that luck was finally coming to their side, gave his ID to Erskine. "Sam" he then said to his friend, who looked like he didn't trust Erskine at all. Steve raised an eyebrow as to say, what are you waiting for?, and Sam, reluctantly, handed over his ID too.

"Samuel Wilson and Steven Rogers" Erskine read. "You're both from New York, I see"

"We are" Steve confirmed. "But we met only a couple of years ago. We've been traveling through the US ever since"

"Understood" Erskine gave back the documents to their respective owners. He then took his wallet "Sir?" he asked, handing over some money to the Captain. "This is more than enough to repay you for the trouble these two young men have caused you. Will you accept the money or will you report them to authorities?"

The Captain seemed a bit uncertain on what to do. "Unfortunately our law does not provide a reward for those who report illegal migrants. Just so you know" Erskine added innocently.

The man shrugged. "Even if I wanted to report them I couldn't. I've got to leave this city in an hour" he then took the money and, after counting it, nodded satisfied. "Already forgotten" he commented before leaving with a satisfied smile.

"Well, I guess it's settled then" Erskine turned to the policemen "Thank you for your services, gentlemen"

The two men seemed hesitant, but eventually they let both Steve and Sam go and walked away. They weren't smiling like the Captain. Sam looked about to say something but Steve hit him in the arm. "Shut up before they change their mind"

"Excellent idea Mr. Rogers" Erskine said, looking amused by the whole situation "Now, follow me please"

Sam and Steve followed Erskine inside the building. It was huge, with many doors on both sides of the hallway.

"So, have you ever worked at a shipyard before?" Erskine asked.

"Uh, I did" Steve answered.

"What kind of ships did they build? Ocean liners? Cargo ships?"

"Wooden boats that could host 20 people" Erskine looked at Steve over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow. Steve simply shrugged "The city of the shipyard I worked at was close to a river. A very small river"

"I see. How long have you worked there, exactly?"

"I think a couple of weeks. No" Steve immediately corrected himself. "It was eleven days. At my twelfth day of work, the rope I was holding to lift a wooden beam slipped out of my hands. The beam hit our chief on the head, leaving him unconscious for three days, and I got fired"

Erskine immediately stopped walking after that phrase and slowly turned around with his eyebrows completely raised. "And…" Steve mumbled, trying to ignore Sam's groan. "Maybe I shouldn't have said that…"

"Well" Erskine eventually said. "At least you're honest. A quality that's becoming rarer than gold" he then kept walking and, after a moment of hesitation, Steve and Sam followed him. "What about you, Mr. Wilson?"

"Never worked at a shipyard in my life" Sam simply answered. "But I built a building once. On my own"

"A house?"

"A shed"

Erskine didn't bother commenting.

"Building ships can't be that different, can it?" Sam asked more to himself than to others. "It's just assembling stuff together"

"That's a very simple way to describe our job" Erskine commented. "But I guess it is not wrong". He then opened the door of his office. "Please, have a seat" he said, before taking his place behind the desk. Erskine then started to prepare some documents while Sam and Steve sat patiently in front of him.

After some minutes of silence, Steve cleared his throat. "Not that we do not appreciate it sir, but why are you helping us?"

For the first time since they entered the room, Erskine looked up from his papers. "Do you need a reason?"

"I guess we're just not used to people's help" Steve answered honestly "I mean, we've found someone who's helping us on our first day here in Ireland. In America we've never been that lucky. I guess this situation is a bit strange for us"

"From my point of view-" Erskine put his signature on one of the documents "-two young Americans like you coming to a small country like Ireland looking for a job is strange. But who am I to talk? I am a German born engineer who works at an Irish shipyard where we're building an ocean linear for a British company that is controlled by an American banker"

"That's…" Sam tried to find the right word "Messed up"

Erskine chuckled. "I guess it is" he then, with a serious expression, looked at them in the eye. "I can offer you two a chance. Only a chance. It'll be up to you to prove yourself worthy of my trust"

"We won't disappoint you, sir" Steve told him.

"I know you won't" Erskine signed one last document and then he put them together on an organized pile "Done. You both work for SHIELD shipyard now. Congratulations. You will start tomorrow, in the meantime I suggest you start familiarizing with the shipyard. And also you should find some place to live. Many workers live at the popular houses a couple of miles from here. You should check them out. I've heard their quite comfortable"

Erskine then stood up and extended his hand towards Steve. "Welcome to SHIELD shipyard"

Steve shook it firmly, with a huge smile on his face. "Thank you, sir. For everything"

Turned out the workers houses weren't comfortable at all. The buildings, one next to the other, were all of the same color and size. Each building had multiple apartments on each floor. Steve and Sam's apartment was just like them: poor, simple and a bit smelly. The kitchen was very small, the bedroom was even smaller, with just enough space for two old beds next to each other and a wardrobe that missed one of the two doors. And of course they had no personal bathroom. There were a couple of toilets at the end of the hallway of each floor that people could use. Plus a room with shared showers with no hot water.

But all of that didn't matter to Sam and Steve. During their time together, they had rarely slept on an actual bed. Inside an actual building. Most of the time they had to spend the night under old bridges, sleeping next to each other to fight the cold. And during those time, toilets and showers weren't an option.

Now they were far away from the country they had called home for all their life. They were about to start a job they had never done before. But they finally had a roof over their heads. They finally had a job. They finally had a purpose.

After years spent surviving, they were both ready to start living.

A/N: I know things as described here are not historically accurate. Luckily this is fanfiction world, and I need things to go my way for the sake of the plot I created XD. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter. I know, it's shorter than the previous one but I think shorter chapters are going to work better with my schedule.
What do you think so far? Let me know with a comment!