"I'm a little nervous, is that bad?" Jack asks me as he straightens his bowtie for the 17th time this afternoon. I can't help but chuckle "It's natural to be nervous. I'm not sure why though, there's nothing to be nervous about!" I tell him. He nods "I guess you're right. I think I'm just a little tired. I was up all night writing my vows" he tells me. I smile at him sympathetically "I'm sure she'll love them" I assure him.
Suddenly one of the delinquent's friends pokes her head in the door. I can't remember her name, as the ruffian introduced us very briefly and I never got a chance to get to know any of them. But luckily I believe this is the one who is the least crazy of the bunch. "Hey guys, you about ready?" she asks, Jack looks terrified so I answer for him "Yes, we're ready" I tell her. She nods "Ok, we'll probably start in about five minutes. Thomas, you might want to go see Gabby before then, she's been asking for you" she tells me before disappearing out the door.
Jack looks up at me "What do you think she wants? Do you think she's changing her mind?" he asks. I roll my eyes "No Jack, I'm sure she's just as nervous as you are. Jack, why don't you just take some deep breaths and I'll be right back" I suggest. He nods and mumbles something I can't make out as I leave the room and head down the hall to where I know the delinquent is. I knock on her door gently and I hear her call for me to come in.
She stands before me in her wedding dress "Thomas! I have to ask you a question!" she tells me as I close the door behind me. She looks just as bad as Jack does, on the verge of a panic attack. I approach her slowly "Yes?" I ask, she looks up at me "Um, I really shouldn't ask you such an akward question. So I apologize ahead of time for asking this. But I consider you a really close friend, and you're the only friend I have who has been married. So I'm going to ask you this!" she explains to me. Suddenly I feel incredibly uneasy, I don't like where she's going with this!
"Thomas, um, you know after a wedding and all that the couple is supposed to, you know, consummate the marriage and all that. But um, I was just wondering. Does it hurt?" she asks me. I swear this girl is going to make me have a heart attack! I clear my throat and sit down, her question really threw me for a loop! I stay calm though, after all we're all adults here and she's asking me a very serious question. But still, of all things for her to ask me about it had to be that? And I'm a man! How am I supposed to know it if hurts? It sure didn't hurt me any! She looks at me expectantly and I ask her why she couldn't ask one of her other female friends.
She sits down in a chair next to me "Because! They have done it so many times and with so many different guys they probably don't even remember the first time! And even if they did, they would lie to me and tell me horror stories to scare me. So that's why I'm asking you! You'll be honest with me! So, did it hurt Helen? Would you say?" she asks. I fumble over my words for a moment, still stunned that she would even think to ask me such a question "Well, it will probably hurt at first. But I'm sure you'll, um, get over it quickly" I tell her. I'm not going into any details for her! I'm not drawing her a picture!
Finally she nods "Ok, I'm sorry to ask you Thomas, I just needed to know. I'm kinda nervous" she admits. I laugh "It's alright, I'll tell you a secret. Jack is just as nervous as you are, perhaps more! But neither of you have anything to be nervous about!" I tell her, standing and going over to the table where her veil is sitting. I pick it up and carry it over to her, carefully placing it on her head "You both love each other, that's what matters. I'm pretty sure he will do his best not to hurt you" I assure her. There, now we're officially done with this conversation!
After a moment she stands up and picks up her rose bouquet "Alright Thomas, I'll take your word for it. Now you better get back to Jack, I'd rather my fiance not have a stroke before the wedding" she tells me. I nod and slip out of the room, returning to Jack who is standing in the hallway "Well? What did she want?" he asks. I swallow "Um, well she's a little nervous about tonight is all" I tell him. He smiles lopsidedly "Oh? Well she'll find out pretty quick she has nothing to be afraid of" he tells me. I feel myself turning red, what is wrong with these two? You know what, they are perfect for each other! Just perfect!
Jack and I go upstairs and walk down the aisle together. We stand at the front and wait for the delinquent to come out, and I keep a close eye on Jack to make sure he doesn't pass out. "Don't lock your knees" I whisper to him, he glances at me and nods before looking back towards the door once more. Suddenly the organist starts playing and the doors open revealing the ruffian in all her glory. She didn't have enough time to get her friends bridesmaids dresses, so she had to settle without having any.
For the first time all day Jack smiles brightly. The ruffian is smiling too, I would hope she was after what I just told her! When they reach us the priest welcomes everybody before asking "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?". Her father nods "I do" he replies before giving her a kiss on the cheek and sitting down next to her mother in the front row. I believe the two of them decided they wanted to have the wedding be as quick as possible, so after a quick prayer they dive straight into the vows "The bride and groom have written their own vows, which they will recite to each other".
I can see Jack shifting nervously, and I silently pray he doesn't mess this up. But by the way the delinquent is looking at him, I am almost positive he could burn the church down at this point and she'd still marry him! He clears his throat before saying "Gabby, I knew from the moment you first opened your mouth that you were not like any other girl I'd ever seen before in my life! You are crazy!". That earns him a few chuckles from the audience and he pauses for them to finish before he continues "But I absolutely love that about you! I didn't want the typical upstanding rich girl. I wanted a girl who could hold up a conversation, who could make me laugh when I felt sad, who could teach me new things, and who I knew would never leave my side no matter what. I know that girl is you, because again and again you proved to me".
He seems slightly less nervous now as he goes on "When you were on Titanic you must have known the ship would sink, and yet you still said yes when I proposed to you. And when I ended up in the freezing waters of the Atlantic you jumped right into the water with me even though you could have died right alongside me! You stayed with me until the bitter end, and beyond that. And for that I know for sure you are the one. In our time together I promise to devote the same loyalty to you that you devoted to me. I promise to love you and cherish you, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, although I'm certain we've already been through the worse part, in sickness and in health, and until death once again do us part" he finishes.
The poor delinquent looks like she wants to cry at his words but she swallows and starts her own vows "Jack, when I saw the James Cameron movie I thought Harold Bride was much cuter than you. I also thought when I went back in time that I would end up with a devilishly handsome officer on the Titanic. Well when I first saw you everything I ever thought before immediately flew out the window. I mean, you're really REALLY cute!" she says. One of her friends in the audience, I think the boy crazy one, stands up and yells "HELL YA!" before another friend drags her back down. The ruffian laughs at her friend before turning back to Jack.
"The more I got to know you, the more I grew to love you. By the time you proposed I knew there was only one answer to your question, and so I said yes. I knew I was supposed to go back to the future, but after meeting you I was ready to stay in 1912 and live out my entire life with you! When that ship sank I was bound and determined to change history so we could be together, but I couldn't. I tried Jack, I really wanted to save you because I loved you more than I'd ever loved anyone else before in my entire life! I wasn't going to just leave you in water, if Officer Lowe hadn't come along I was ready to die with you! And to this day I still would die alongside you if it ever came to that again!" she tells him.
She continues "Fate has given us a second chance! And this time I'm not going to mess up. I'm going to do everything right this time! I want to spend every day with you, and do all the things we only got to dream about before! I promise to be the best wife I can be. I won't leave your side no matter what happens, through thick and thin, through good times and bad. I promise to love you as long as we both shall live and beyond that". With that she finishes and Jack looks like he wants to kiss her right that instant! But they're going to have to wait just a little longer!
Next they exchange rings, Jack takes her hand and slips the gold band on, saying simply "With this ring I thee wed". The ruffian copies what he did and finally the priest gives a final prayer before saying "I now pronounce you husband and wife. What God has joined together let no man put asunder. You may kiss your bride". Jack kisses her, and everybody claps. I think most of her friends just want to get to the party, so the delinquent raises her bouquet and calls "FIRST ONE TO THE HOUSE GETS A FREE DRINK!".
That church clears out unbelievably fast and the ruffian kisses her husband again. I never thought I'd actually say that, Jack being her husband! The ruffian takes his arm and he begins leading her out of the church, where her silly pony is waiting for them. The ruffian goes over and gasps "Jack! Who put a bearing rein on my poor pony?". Jack and I look over to see that whoever harnessed Rocky did indeed put a bearing rein on him. She asks Jack to undo it, but he doesn't know how, so I take the liberty of unfastening it.
By the time I finish the two of them have gotten into the carriage, so I climb into the drivers seat. I snap the reins and the pony trots forward steadily. As we head back towards the delinquent's house I can't help but wonder what kind of night I'm in for. If there's one thing people are insane about in this time period, it's partying! And considering the type of people living in this little farm town, I would not be surprised at all if more than half her wedding party got completely wasted tonight!
And you know what! I was right! About 2 hours into the wedding reception most everyone was drunk, with the exception of myself, the bride and groom, and the delinquent's parents. Of course, her parents disappeared after the first hour, so basically everyone else was drunk. And you know what, I've never had a grander time in my whole life! I remember Elba telling me she could climb trees like a redneck! At the time I'd been absolutely appalled, but now I find myself wanting to apologize to these rednecks! They know how to party!
Things got even more wild as the night went on! And they convinced me to have a drink or two. However I made sure not to drink enough that would make me want to vomit the next morning. Still, I felt a little tipsy as one of her friends walked up to me and asked me where some person I didn't know was. I thought for a minute before telling them "Take the elevator to the very bottom! Go to the left, then go right, then go to the left, and left again at the stairs, down the crewman's passage. Then go right, then go right, go to the left. Then go right, and right, and left again at the stairs you'll come to a long corridor. Go to the left! Then go right, then go to the left, and left again at the stairs, down the crewman's passage! Then go right, then go right, then go right again. And you'll uh, be there". The person was so drunk they actually nodded to my directions and said "Ok Thanks! Which way to the elevator?". I pointed them towards the woods and they wandered away in search of the nonexistent elevator.
Finally things at the party begin to wind down, and Jack pulls me aside "Thomas, I need to ask you to do me a favor" he says. I raise a skeptical eyebrow "What kind of favor?" I ask him. He reaches into his pocket and hands me a key and an envelope "Listen Thomas. I never told you this, but while we were on Titanic I had a dream about Harold Bride. He told me there's another portal into 1912, and the way to open it was with that key! In the dream he gave me the key and then I woke up with it in my hand!" he explains. I nod to him "Go on" I say, he looks over his shoulder to make sure no one is listening, however they're all so drunk I don't think they'd remember the conversation even if they did overhear.
"He told me that key opens a door in a house, in Belfast. I want you to take a plane to Belfast as quick as you can, and I want you to buy that house!" he tells me. That's simple enough, there's only one problem. Which house in Belfast could he possibly be talking about? There are a ton of homes in Belfast! When I point this out he smiles slightly "I thought of that, there's an ad in that envelope there that has the house. Go there and buy it". I open the envelope and look inside, the ad is in there, along with a ton of money! In cash! "Where did you get all this money from?" I ask, startled by the sheer amount of it. He laughs quietly "Thomas! You realize we're celebrities right? We can have whatever we want!" he tells me. I shake my head "Where did you really get the money?" I ask him. He sighs "Fine, James Cameron 'donated' it. There's enough money there for you to buy the house, and keep us living until you and I can manage to get jobs of our own" he replies honestly.
I nod to him and promise him I'll have the house bought by the time his honeymoon is over. He smiles brightly "Thanks Thomas, and, do me a favor and don't mention this to Gabby. She doesn't know about it just yet, I'd like to surprise her for Christmas. You know?". I once again nod "I know. So I take it we'll be having Christmas here then?" I ask. Now it's his turn to nod "Yep, Gabby's siblings really want her to spend Christmas here. And also Gabby is trying to book passage for that pony of hers to go to England on Titanic II. I'm going to have to intercept that though". We say some parting farewells and good lucks before he and the delinquent leave.
Now I just have to get to Belfast and buy this house! But how do I get there quickly? It takes nearly a week by ship! But the time I get there they'll be done with their honeymoon! Then it hits me, I'm going to have to fly there, in a plane! My stomach turns over slightly at the thought, oh I would rather not have to fly in a plane! But I must, I'll be brave about it! And besides, Elba flew planes and nothing bad happened to her, while she was flying the plane anyway. I quickly pack my suitcase, tell the ruffian's family goodbye, and head off to find a taxi that will take me to the nearest airport. But of course, being as she lives in the middle of nowhere, I had to ask one of her friend's parents to drive me. That was embarrassing, but I figured better safe than sorry! I wasn't about to ask one of those drunkards to take me!
School starts tomorrow! Oh My! I can't believe summer is already over! I did so much but feel like I did so little! But looking back on it, I wrote 2 1/2 fanfictions this summer! That is the craziest thing I've ever done! I mean, I'm lucky if I finish a fanfiction at all, but to finish 2 in such a short span of time? And now this one is gonna be done soon too! I have a terrible record of getting writers block and not writing for long periods of time, but somehow this summer I pulled through and finish! So, yay for that! I suppose it's Titanic, makes me just wanna keep writing! And I also think it was in part to my favorite fanfiction reviewers! You guys motivated me like no other reviewers have! So THANK YOU!
Just a side note, I've finally gotten my laptop back. This weekend I'll hopefully post the next chapter. After that, I'm going to be in a rush to finish this story, so expect this to be over by the end of the month. Once it's done, I'm going to say goodbye to fanfiction for a little while. But only a little while! Then I'm going to be back, but not to write Titanic! I'm going into War Horse, I'm absolutely positive on this! And the major fanfiction novel I write over there is actually going to be a slight crossover. Even though you guys didn't give me any feedback *Glares* I've decided I'm going to write about Gabby's adventures in the cavalry anyway! Now, you don't necessarily need to have seen War Horse to enjoy that fic when it comes, but it might help if you see the inspiration for it. It really is a great movie! One of my favorites (Next to Titanic of course)! That is, if you even care to read it. If not, well it's been nice havin ya read my Titanic fiction! Maybe I'll write a couple one-shots here and there about different people, maybe!
Anyway, today in the review shop we have Plush Titanics! And these are real, I swear on my life I'm not even making this up! There really are Plush Titanics, they come with a book called 'T is for Titanic'. Honestly, who comes up with this stuff? Anyway, you only get one if you review! Thanks for Reading everybody!
P.S. You guys only got 1 cookie! Everybody got the little mermaid right, the second picture is actually Lilo and Stitch, which was the inspiration for some of the gags in the original grand misadventure.
P.S.S. If you actually watched that video I posted a few chapters back, you'll probably get one of the jokes in this chapter. If that is the case, you get that extra cookie that you DIDN'T get from guessing the picture ;)
P.S.S. If they came out with 'Titanic, the Water Ride', would you ride it? And yes, I'm aware there is a blow up Titanic slide, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about if there was like, a legit attraction at a water park based on Titanic!