Chapter Six
A/N: No reviewers.
"Is this the ship that I think it is?" Sybil gasped, her mouth still open wide from the revelation.
"I think it must be. Although, I have been on another Titanic once, and that was based on this one." the Doctor stated, shrugging his shoulders a little. Even the memory was strange for him, as he had been a whole new man back then. Literally so.
"What happened to it?" the young woman questioned him, curiosity and the merest touch of fear mixed in her chestnut eyes. Immediately, the Time Lord regretted ever mentioning the subject.
"It… almost crashed, and killed just about everyone on it." the Doctor admitted, seeming to think that honesty was the best policy to have at that present moment. If he had seen the look it would bring to Sybil's face before he had said it, then he may have rethought.
"And that ship was based on this one?" she asked, the fear quite obvious in her tone now, as it faltered and faded away from her throat.
"Loosely." he reasoned, in an attempt to comfort her.
"How loosely?" she shot back, not caring at all for his efforts.
"Entirely, but that doesn't mean it will happen here." the Doctor felt the lie sting his heart, even as it escaped his mouth. Looking off the ship's deck, you could still just about see land in the distance, though the sight of it was faint. 10th April 1912. In just four days' time, half of everyone on the ship would be dead.
"Doctor?" Sybil asked for the third time, waving her hand in front of the face of the man, who had been unaware of the dazed expression that had adorned his face for the past few moments. He had been completely lost in thought, and had not noticed her first and second attempts to bring him back to reality.
"Sorry, I was thinking." he responded, attempting in futility to convince the woman, although technically, he was telling the truth.
"Well, batten down the hatches, this cannot be good." Sybil told the man, nudging his arm slightly, to prove that she spoke in jest. "What were you thinking about?"
For a moment, the Doctor considered telling her, allowing the young woman to know what would happen in just a few days, but seeing the beaming smile lighting up her features, he could simply not bear to be the cause of the smile fading away.
"Nothing." he answered, with a smile of his own. For a moment, Sybil's eyes narrowed, as if she did not trust his answer, but she let it pass, allowing herself to believe him, for now, at least.
"So? Are we just going to stand here all day?" Sybil asked him, the sarcasm extremely obvious in her usually gentle tone. "Let's go and explore!"
And so they did. The pair had walked together around decks, dining rooms and the driver, or at least the point where the Doctor stated that a 'true ship' would have had one. Sybil disagreed entirely, liking the familiar efficiency of the alternatives to wind power, having been brought up around them for her entire life, though never having travelled on one such ship before.
"It's just as amazing as I thought it would be." Sybil told the man, sighing at the beautiful view that came into sight when they had reached the decks once again. "When our friends told us about the plans for Titanic, I thought it would be utterly brilliant. And it is, it really is!"
"I know. All the effort that has gone into this ship, all the people that were attracted to attend on its maiden voyage." the Doctor agreed, another thought swimming its way through the buzz in his mind. 'All that life, gone to waste.'
"Yes. A couple of my mother's close friends are on the ship today. They were so excited about the voyage when she last spoke to them, and now I can really see why." Sybil commented, raising her arms out in what seemed to be an attempt to catch the sea breeze. Remembering just how worried this had made the Doctor earlier, Sybil retracted her arms after just a minute, leaning back until she was safely back on the deck.
"Thank you for that." he commented, with a slight smile on his face. 'At least she was a little more obedient now than she had once been.' he mused, chuckling slightly to himself.
"You're very welcome." she responded, with equal amount of cheek and sarcasm to his.
The pair stood in silence for the next few moments, merely admiring the view of the Atlantic Ocean. It was truly beautiful, if one took time out from the facilities to enjoy the wonders of nature, and Sybil vowed that, should she come on the ship again, she would spend the majority of her time doing so. Unfortunately for these plans, there was a strange feeling from somewhere deep inside of her that she would not return to Titanic.
"Now you're daydreaming!" the madman beside her exclaimed, with a playful jab to her arm. "It isn't just me after all."
"I was thinking about something rather more important than fish fingers and custard." the young woman shot back, a tiny quip of annoyance in her voice.
"And what would that be? Hair, nails, a new gown you've left in your wardrobe back at the Abbey?" The man was truly jesting with her now, and Sybil knew as much, but she still felt another stab of annoyance hit her squarely in the chest as he did so.
However, that annoyance lasted for merely a second, as, out of the corner of her eye, Sybil spotted someone she would not have expected to see on the boat. Or rather, two people.
At precisely the same moment, the pair of men turned, a look of shocked happiness mirrored across both of their faces.
"Sybil?" they asked, in near unison.
"Cousin James? Cousin Patrick?"
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