Hey guys! How have you all been? Happy Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it! Hope you all enjoy this chapter and I'll see you guys at the bottom of the chapter!
Just a friendly reminder, it is 18 April 1912! ENJOY!
- Elizabeth -
- 11.15 am -
Elizabeth slowly blinked her eyes, willing herself to wake up. Last night they had all gone to bed in the wee hours of the morning, somewhere along the lines of 4am. Her body felt warm and she looked down to see Jim, sleeping soundly on her. She grinned and ruffled his hair, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to enjoy the silence.
- Harry -
- 11.45 am -
Harry's head was pounding so hard, it was as if a loud drum was installed in his ear. He tried to open his eyes but the light was way too bright so he turned over in the bed and stuffed his face into the white, fluffy pillow. He used his right hand to grasp around in the space beside him and frowned when he found that no one was there.
- Jim -
- 11.20 am -
Jim felt himself waking up and wrapped his arms more tightly around Elizabeth. He knew that he was sleeping on her and that it might've made her uncomfortable but he was comfy and didn't feel like waking up so he smiled to himself as she continued to ruffle his hair. "I know you're awake, Jim." She said, the smile evident in her voice.
"I know you know. Can't I stay like this a little while longer?" He laughed. Truthfully, she felt a little uncomfortable but with that sweet and gentle laugh, she didn't have the heart to refuse. The couple laid in the bed, contented and happy.
- Clara -
- 11.50 am -
Clara had been bored out of her mind since she woke up so early that day. It was a habit for her to wake up early, when she had duties to help around the Andrews household as a maid. Now that she had nothing to do, she felt a little lost, as if waiting for something to happen. That was when she heard a groan from the bedroom. Harry was awake.
She got a glass of water from the kitchen and went into the room to see Harry, shirtless as he laid on his stomach, face first into the pillow. After sharing the same bed with him for a few days, she came to realise this was how he usually slept. She also found it cute how he always wore his socks to bed, as his feet were sticking out of the sheets like a sore thumb. She walked over to him and shook him awake. "Harry? Darling, it's time to get up. I got some water for you." She whispered, knowing that he had a hangover from so much drinking the night before.
Harry simply groaned again. Clara giggled and put the glass on the end table next to the bed and walked over to the windows, closing shut the thick, wool curtains. That seemed to help as Harry propped himself up with his elbow and took big gulps out of the cup.
She went over to the edge of the bed and sat there, facing him. "Good morning dear." He mumbled as he sloppily kissed the side of her mouth. She laughed and took the glass from his hands. She was about to leave the room when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back so that she was sitting on his lap. "Don't go." He said, eyes closed. Clara blushed a little at how close they were, especially since he didn't have a shirt on.
"Come on Harry. Let's get you all cleaned up then we can go out for some breakfast...or lunch, in this case." She managed to get out of his arms and walked out of the room to get him more water.
- Elizabeth -
-12.30 pm -
By this time, ( they kept procrastinating ) they had already gotten out of bed and were ready to leave the room to go and eat some lunch. They initially wanted to find the other officers and Clara but decided against it, seeing as how they wanted some alone time for themselves after being recently re-united. Elizabeth had insisted that Jim use the wheelchair until they reached New York and when she gave him puppy eyes, he just couldn't say no.
- Clara -
- 12.40 pm -
Clara had finally gotten Harry all dressed up properly, smart looking with his tie, coat and cap. He didn't want to go out, but Clara decided that he would feel better if he were exposed to some fresh air. Being around Harry, Clara learnt in one of their conversations the usual cure to the officer's hangovers. Bright lights and fresh air. It seemed really odd to her at first but he assured her that although he would be in hell, he would feel much better later on.
Harry's cap was tilted forward so that his eyes were pretty much shielded from any form of vision and Clara held on tightly to his arm, making sure he didn't bump into anything or anyone. There was a monotone groaning sound emitting from him and Clara had to constantly pat him to make sure he wasn't sleeping.
They reached the deck in no time. Harry flinched visibly at the light then tugged on Clara's sleeve, begging her to let him back inside but she pecked him on his cheek and dragged him over to a bench and made him sit down, leaning her weight against him so he could not move.
- Jim –
- 12.40 pm -
Jim sat at the table as he watched Elizabeth go and take a tray of food for the two of them. He carefully looked at her. He noticed how she was never really the skinny, perfect girl he imagined her to be. The fantasy of her in his mind became more than the actual girl.
Elizabeth was a little more plump than the average girl. She looked slim but it certainly wasn't the case under her skirts. But Jim knew none of these things mattered.
He looked into the little things she did. Making sure the soup never slipped out of the ladle and onto anywhere but the bowl. Grabbing the utensils by the handle and never the top.
In the end, Jim knew that it was these small things and habits that made her the Elizabeth he came to know and love. She didn't have to be a model or have the skinniest legs for her to be the 'perfect' girl. He loved her for who she was on the inside. Plus, she made a wonderful cuddle buddy…
He was so into his thoughts he didn't even notice that Elizabeth was back with the food and that she was waving a hand in his face. "Hello? Anyone home?" She asked teasingly as he slowly brought his eyes back to look at her. Jim smiled when he saw that she was giggling.
The couple settled down and started to eat their food. The mood was light-hearted and they fairly enjoyed the time spent together. They agreed that after they finished lunch, they would pay Charles a visit before returning to their room to sort their things out before the ship docked that night. They knew the Carpathia was docking roughly that night as they had overheard one of the conversations between the officers on their way to the dining hall earlier.
- Clara –
- 1.00 pm –
Clara and Harry had been sitting out on deck for more or less 20 minutes and Harry was feeling a lot better. She smiled when he kissed her on the cheek, suggesting they go to the library.
Harry suddenly felt a rush of excitement run through his veins for no apparent reason and he grabbed Clara's hand and started to run. His headache seemed to be coming back but he continued to run, spurred on by her angelic laughter and kept a smile on his face.
- Jim –
- 1.30 pm -
After lunch, the pair decided to head to Jack and Rose's stateroom. They knocked and waited for almost a minute before the door swung open, revealing Rose with Jack no where in sight.
"Elizabeth! Where have you been? We were worried sick! I- Oh. That's where you've been." Her concerned frown turned into a smirk as she caught sight of Jim who stood next to Elizabeth with a hand on his neck, smiling sheepishly.
They stood in silence before Rose invited them in. "It's all right Rose. We won't take long. I just need to retrieve some of my things." Elizabeth said. Rose nodded and let them in.
Jim decided to stay outside at the door and wait for Elizabeth. Rose shut the door. Elizabeth took her notebook and purse before turning to come face to face with Rose.
"Well…Do you suppose we could keep it touch after the ship docks?" Rose asked. Elizabeth smiled and nodded. "I'll give you my grandparents' address. I'd probably head on there once the ship docks."
Elizabeth tore out a piece of paper from her notebook and used a pen from the room, writing down the address on it before passing it to Rose. "I'll miss you. I'll come visit you as soon as I can." Rose grinned and gave Elizabeth a hug before the two girls said their goodbyes.
- Clara -
- 4.20 pm -
Harry and her had been in the library for a few hours. Although the library wasn't as grand as the one on Titanic, they were satisfied, since the library had some Jane Austen books. They each picked up a copy of 'Mansfield Park' and sat on one of the two-seater couches. From time to time they would compare pages or even hold each others' hands and smile whenever they felt the cold ring touch their fingers.
They eventually stopped reading and stretched a while before leaving the library hand in hand.
"I still can't believe we're engaged. Seems so surreal." Clara muttered under her breath, smiling to herself. "I can't believe I dared to ask you. You're so wonderful sometimes I fear that I'm not good enough for you." Harry admitted. Clara squeezed his hand, making him stop to turn and face her.
She looked up at him and smiled before gently pressing her lips against his. "You're perfect to me." She stroked his cheek lovingly and he pulled her into a warm embrace.
- Elizabeth -
- 4.40 pm –
Elizabeth and Jim had been going round all the officer's rooms to pass out the photographs they took on the Titanic. They even went to go visit Harold Bride, the Marconi operator.
The couple only just got back to Jim's room. Tired, they laid down on the bed, side by side.
"What happens when the ship docks?" Jim looked at her.
"Well, I want to go see my grandparents. You'll come with me…right?" Elizabeth asked, now nervous whether or not he would accompany her. She always just assumed that he would follow her but now that the ship was actually docking, she didn't know what to think.
"Of course." He gave her hand a light squeeze and smiled. She did the same.
"I might have to go for some inquiries about the sinking though. You understand, right?" She nodded. So long as they could continue to be together, she didn't care what was going to happen next.
- Clara -
- 5.50 pm –
The now-engaged pair had been wandering on the deck for the past hour, briefly discussing where they'd want their wedding to be, but the details were still fuzzy. They agreed that one day, they'd return to Clara's home in Aston in England and get married there. Truthfully, Clara wanted to bring Harry home to his family in Wales but didn't voice it. Eventually she'd find a way to get him home.
"I'm hungry. Let's go find the others and get some dinner together!" Harry suggested. Clara agreed and the two went off to find their friends.
- Elizabeth -
- 6.15 pm -
You'd expect the couple to be sleeping peacefully. You're wrong. Jim had an arm draped around Elizabeth as he snored lightly. Elizabeth had a leg crossing over his, drooling a little.
There was a knock at the door but Jim didn't wake up. Elizabeth, being a light sleeper, jerked awake and used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.
She put on Jim's coat that he had taken off earlier and opened the door to see Clara and Harry. "Oh! Come on in!" She let them in cheerfully before running over to the bed.
Elizabeth whacked Jim on the shoulder and he woke up immediately. "Ow! What?" He said, cradling his shoulder. "Clary and Harry are here." She told him. Jim looked at them and smiled.
"Well, Clary and I" Harry pulled Clara closer to him "were hungry and were wondering if you might like to get dinner with us and the others."
"Sounds wonderful!" Jim commented. Elizabeth and Jim got ready in a few minutes and left for the dining hall.
- Charles -
- 6.45 pm -
Charles, Herbert and Joseph were already at a table, waiting for the others to get down. Tired of waiting for them, they had already helped the four to get some food so that they wouldn't have to queue up for it. Of course, being the gentlemen that they were, they waited for them before they started their meal.
"They're here!" Herbert said from beside him and the three officers turned to see the four stroll in before picking up their pace when they saw the officers stare at them with deadpanned expressions.
"Took you all long enough. I grew a beard waiting for you." Charles joked. "Sorry Lights." Harry apologized as they all laughed and took their seats.
Soon, the group started their dinner.
- 8.45 pm -
They took so long for dinner because straight after they all ate, they started to chat and talk and lost track of time. It wasn't after a Carpathia officer came in to announce that the ship would be docking in New York in more or less an hour that they realized how long they had actually been in the dining hall.
"I suggest we meet back on deck in about say…half an hour?" Charles suggested and everyone agreed before parting ways.
- Elizabeth -
- 9.00 pm -
Jim and her went back to the room to pack up whatever belongings they had. Jim had practically nothing while Elizabeth took her notebook and purse, shoving it into the pockets of her coat as she put it on, returning Jim his officer's coat.
They looked back to make sure they left nothing behind before they left hand in hand for the deck.
- Clara -
- 9.05 pm –
Clara and Harry had not much they needed to take with them. Clara put on her coat and made sure her book was in the pocket before she and Harry left the stateroom.
- Elizabeth -
- 9.15 pm –
By this time, everybody was assembled on deck and it was raining heavily. Jim and Harry both gave up their visor caps to the girls and took off their coats to hold it above them and their respective ladies, shielding them from the rain. The rest of the officers did the same.
"Would you look at that! It's enormous!" Elizabeth exclaimed. The statue of liberty was in sight and they all looked up in awe at the sight.
"Do you see New York?" Harry asked Clara, to which she nodded, seeing the pier.
- 9.30 pm -
The RMS Carpathia docked in Pier 54 in New York. The rain poured down relentlessly and tens of thousands of people stood there in the pouring rain, waiting for the survivors to get off the ship.
"This is it." Elizabeth squeezed Jim's hand as she whispered quietly. After all the necessary processes were done, they all got off the ship. Cameras and flashes were everywhere and Elizabeth was one of the main attractions.
Being the daughter of the naval architect who built the so called unsinkable ship meant that she would be the first one the press would look to for exciting news.
The officers knew this and made a little circle around her to make sure she got through the monstrous crowd safely, holding each others hands like they had done a few days ago on the sinking Titanic, to prevent men from getting into the lifeboats.
Cameras were thrust into Elizabeth's face and to her, it seemed as if the world around her was spinning and oxygen was leaving her slowly.
"Get out of the way!" Charles shouted, pushing back a few photographers who were persistent. "It will all be okay." Jim whispered comfortingly in Elizabeth's ears, slowly pushing her along to reach the end of the crowd which seemed impossible.
"Elizabeth!" A frail but confident voice cried out.
Elizabeth immediately turned. She knew at once who that voice belonged to.
So they're all off the Carpathia! But who is that voice? :O CLIFFHANGER!
For the previous chapter, I only got one review :( I don't wanna sound ungrateful or anything but maybe a few more? That would totally make my day :) But I love you guys no matter what. You know that.
To those who are wondering about Elizabeth : Guys, you all have to understand that I'm modeling Elizabeth after a lot of imperfections girls find in themselves, hopefully to show all of us that it's okay and that you're not being weird. I don't want to make her 'perfect' or anything because 1. She's not a Mary Sue 2. No one is perfect.
Now to thank the one person who left a review! Thank you to rebeccajoleneaumanwilson for your review!
rebeccajoleneaumanwilson : Thank you for your review! I would say I'm doing 'all-right' with this story. Whenever anyone says I'm doing great with the story I don't know how to reply because I don't think it's that good :/ oh well!
To everyone else, I hope you all are enjoying the story as well! Have a nice day and review if you liked the chapter! :D