A/N: Thank you for the reviews! And it was DaisyJane's birthday recently, so many happy returns to her :) And thanks, as always
Yes I'm stuck in the middle with you,
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place,
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right,
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.
Stuck in the Middle with You—Stealers Wheel
Chapter Seven
The silence was stunned. Alexa took the paper from him and stared at it. She scanned through the article and then had a look at the paper itself; the quality, the typeface, the smell of it, the quality of the ink that came off on her fingers. That, combined with the world outside, was enough to convince her.
"Well, this is real. So presumably the ship is too."
"Time-travel. Oh joy."
"Hey, this is my first time—I figure I'm not a real member of the League till I've been to the past or the future." When Kal looked unamused, she said, "Okay, sorry. Bad joke."
"Just a little. Now, what are we going to do?"
"Well, 1912 … there's nothing else that's going to happen, not with such a global impact. The First World War isn't for another two years. So we can either get onto the ship, or we can stay off it and see if there's another reason for us being here. My vote is all for getting on, personally. There's apparently no other point to this little sojourn into the past. We've been given lives of people who have first class tickets, so if we go, at least we're going to be comfortable."
"Until it hits the iceberg and everyone plunges into the North Sea," Kal pointed out.
"Until then," she agreed.
He crossed to the window again. "Alright. Let's do it."
The car came right on time, in a shining and elegant dark green, the sound of the engines purring. They were not the only Titanic passengers to be staying at the hotel, and most of the others in first class seemed to know them. Neither Kal nor Alexa had any idea who they were, but Alexa was quick at finding out. The valet's name was Williams; Alexa's maid was Ethel, the driver Henry, and Mr—Dominic, according to his ticket—and Mrs Chiltern were travelling home to America after spending the winter in Europe. Alexa wasn't sure how long they were supposed to have been married, but it didn't seem to have been a honeymoon trip. Everything seemed to have been so carefully prepared, so that Kal and Alexa could just slot into someone else's lives, that it made Alexa sure it couldn't have been an accident.
It hadn't been impossible before—the earthquake might have been some kind of atmospheric disturbance, they may have somehow crossed into a parallel world or time stream … she had even considered that perhaps Kal had developed another power, or she had. It would not have been the first time someone had accidentally activated a previously-unknown ability. But if that was the case, then they would have randomly ended up in the past for no specific purpose.
Not that she was sure what the specific purpose to this was. Nor was she certain who had sent them here. Naturally, the first probability was –
"Any ideas yet?" Kal asked lowly, squeezing her hand to draw her from her thoughts.
"A few. It's possible that the gods could have brought us here. The luxury and wealth seems to indicate that—they're making us comfortable while we do … whatever it is we're supposed to do."
"Isn't that pretty obvious?" Kal asked, looking surprised.
"Not necessarily," she replied. She had her own reasons for hoping they would not be required to save the Titanic, but she couldn't tell Kal yet.
"What else could it be?"
"I don't know. I just think we need to wait and see where this takes us before we try to do anything. Time's a delicate thing."
"You don't have to tell me that," he muttered.
"I'm sure whatever it is will reveal itself in time. We're either here to facilitate or stop something, and as yet I don't know which it is. Do you have any ideas?"
"No."
"Well then." She sighed. "At least we have our powers, so we're not completely vulnerable."
It was slow progress moving through the hundreds of people milling about on the docks, but neither Kal nor Alexa really noticed. All their attention was focused on the metal monolith, towering above Southampton. Kal had not let go of her hand, and she was extremely glad about it, because a cold shiver was racing across her skin. This ship, her wrecking and legacy, and been a legend before either of them had been born. In this, there was no disparity between them. It was a ghost ship, full of living people.
The car came to a halt, and the driver and Williams got out. Kal had opened his door without thinking—she would need to talk to him about that—but Alexa remained where she was. Henry opened the door for her, and offered a gloved hand to help her out of the car. She took it, and got out with as much elegance as she could muster. She didn't thank Henry, as it wouldn't be expected at all, and would attract more attention if she did.
She turned to him. "Ensure the car is safely stored in the cargo hold, would you?"
He inclined his head. "Yes, ma'am."
Whether it was a guess or his natural character, Kal came over to her and offered an arm. She took it. "That is a ridiculous hat, by the way," he said conversationally.
She grinned. "I know. Brilliant, isn't it?"
"I'm surprised your neck can take the weight of it actually."
"Only just."
"They both looked again at the ship. "Well. Shall we?"
She nodded. "But you have to change your attitude. You're being too lower-class about the whole thing."
"Lower class?"
"Yes. This is 1912, Kal. You're first class. New money maybe, but you still have to change how you act to people. Walk around like the whole world belongs to you; be polite to servants, but not friendly; don't do anything yourself that someone else can do for you."
He frowned. "If I didn't know you so well I'd think you weren't serious."
"I am. I know it's against everything you believe in, but –"
"But in order to fit in, we have to do it."
"Yes. We're plutocrats, so you don't have to be snobbish. But you do have to be aware of the line which exists between you and the people of a different class."
Kal sighed. "Just when I was on the point of demolishing the barriers between me and the rest of the world …"
She squeezed his arm. "This isn't our world, Kal. And we won't be stuck here forever, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that."
The gangway loomed before them, but neither hesitated in walking up it. It was more than wide enough for them to move side by side and into the belly of the ship together, Williams coming up just behind them. When they got to the lobby—wood-panelled, electrically lit—they were met by smiling White Star stewards.
"Good morning, sir, madam. Welcome aboard the Titanic."
"Good morning, "Alexa said graciously.
Kal leaned over the desk. "Mr and Mrs Dominic Chiltern. My valet has our tickets. Williams?"
"Yes, sir."
Williams gave the tickets to the steward, who looked them over and then nodded brightly. "Of course. If you would care to follow me, Mr and Mrs Chiltern, and I'll escort you to your state rooms."
They followed him, smiling and nodding at everyone who smiled and nodded at them. Everyone around them was rich—Alexa knew that the Titanic had a steerage class, but there was no sign, up here, that such a thing even existed. Luxury was everywhere, and when they reached the state rooms, luxury became opulence.
Everything was the finest silks, velvets, metals, marbles, everything had been polished until it gleamed to perfection, and the rooms were huge. There were two bedrooms, a large bathroom, a dressing room, a sitting room and a private promenade desk. As they wandered from room to room, the steward hovered a little nervously. "I hope everything is to your satisfaction, sir?"
Kal nodded. "Yes, I think so …" He motioned to Williams, who nodded and pulled out a wallet and gave the steward some money. When he was gone, Kal said to Alexa, "I think this is bigger than my new apartment …"
"I'm sure Dominic Chiltern has mansions," she smiled back.
She removed her coat and hat, and put them immediately into Ethel's waiting hands. Williams did the same for Kal, and Alexa turned to her maid. "Have you finished unpacking, Ethel?"
"Yes, ma'am; all your things are hanging up or folded away."
"Thank you. You may go and see to your own accommodation, if you wish. Return in time to help me dress for dinner."
Ethel dipped a curtsey, recognising the dismissal. "Yes, ma'am."
Taking the cue from his 'wife', Kal also dismissed Williams, and the two heroes were left alone. Alexa crossed to the promenade deck and looked out of the window, where the Atlantic stretched before her. All she could hear was the roar of the crowd though, on the other side of the ship. People cheering and waving to relatives they were sure of seeing so very soon, and the people left behind bid farewells to loved ones or simply came to exalt in the Titanic's glory. Alexa didn't want to go and look at Southampton; at the people she might soon have to let die.
Please, she prayed silently, don't make a coward out of me. Make it something else.
Then there was another noise, booming above the people—the ship's horn. It burst out of the four chimneys and sent echoes racing around port. Pulled by tugs, the great ship began to slowly inch away from the port and into open water.
"Well," she said quietly, "too late now."
Kal put his hand on hers. "How long does the ship have?"
"Less than five days. April 16th, at about two in the morning. This ship's on borrowed time now."
They ordered some coffee from the stewards and then sat, exchanging theories. "Alright, so the gods are one possible reason for out time-travel, another could be … aliens, a culture that we haven't yet come into contact with, or at least one we don't know has time-travel technology."
Alexa nodded. "Or an individual with the technology. Obviously not Chronos; he's trapped in a time-loop, but it is conceivable that someone else could have invented a similar device."
"It is extraordinary we're here at all," Kal said. "More than two hundred years …"
"You've travelled centuries further before."
"Yes, but it doesn't feel like that now. I don't know whether it's because we're in the past rather than the future, or whatever, but something is different from the last time. Maybe it's just having a companion."
"Maybe."
After they'd finished coffee, Alexa went into her room and had a look through the clothes she was expected to wear. Kal was less concerned about that—he remembered clothes like these, or at least clothes similar enough. He was very glad they weren't expected to share the same bed—people of their class wouldn't, not every night—since just thinking the words 'Alexa' and 'bedroom' in the same sentence sent hot desire shooting through him, made him clench his fists hard enough so that he could feel his bones creak. He turned away from the bed and the phantom images of Alexa his imagination had put there, looking at anything and everything to distract himself. He found absolutely nothing at all, unfortunately. Apart from a small shaving mirror on a dresser, which only showed him his own reflection. That did help though. Because while he didn't look ancient, he certainly looked older than Alexa. It reminded him of every obstacle that existed between them. Certainly more than should be overcome. No matter how much he wanted her, any kind of relationship between them, however purely physical—and he had never been a guy to do purely physical very well—could only just end up in a bad place.
The dinner bell—or dinner fanfare, as it turned out to be—was played at seven p.m., to give the first class passengers time to dress for dinner. It was an activity almost as requisite as being in possession of a fortune. Kal's evening attire consisted of a tail suit and a crisp white shirt. Dressing with the help of a valet was an odd experience; he put pants and shirt on himself, but the bowtie was done for him, and Williams helped him on with his jacket, and then brushed imaginary dust from his shoulders. Mindful of what Alexa had told him, he didn't stop Williams, and thanked him casually.
"Is there anything else you need, sir?"
"No, thank you. Take the rest of the night off."
"Thank you, Mr Chiltern. I'll see you in the morning, sir."
It apparently took Edwardian ladies about the entire hour to get ready, because Alexa still wasn't, fifteen minutes before they were due to go in to dinner. Kal didn't mind—he was slightly dreading the experience. Pretending other people were beneath him was bad enough, let alone spending the entire evening with people who actually believed it.
A few minutes later, the door to Alexa's dressing room opened. "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, darling."
He stood, turned, felt his jaw drop and all coherent thought evacuate his mind.
Her dress was deep blue silk, Chinese style with silver thread embroidered all over it. Beads shimmered along the silver thread, catching the lamplight as she moved. Her dark hair was swept up, held in place by a jewelled hair clip in the shape of a butterfly, one lock of it hanging by her face. Long white gloves covered her hands, diamond bracelets set on each wrist to compliment the necklace which encircled her throat.
"How do I look?"
"Incredible," he breathed immediately, and without thinking. "I mean…" No, she really was- "You look beautiful."
A wide and dazzling smile spread over her features. "Thank you." She held out her hand. "Care to escort a lady to dinner?"
"I'd love to."
From the moment they entered the dining room, Alexa behaved like a duchess—she was beautiful, charming and so graceful it almost hurt to look at her. She eased into this world of glamour and riches, and fooled everyone right from the word go. Being a little on the outside, simply because he felt so out of place, enabled Kal to see more of what she was doing. She somehow controlled the entire table, but not in any malicious or obvious way. The men she charmed, the ladies she flattered—she kept the topic away from anything too specific, so that their ignorance of the time wouldn't show, yet at the same time kept the conversation flowing and interesting. She also found room to include him, make sure he was using the right set of cutlery at all times (there were about nine knives and at least seven forks). As the plates were cleared away between the main and the dessert course, she leaned towards him.
"Relax a bit. You're doing beautifully."
"I really don't feel like I am."
"Just remember one thing," she whispered, moving her mouth to his ear, even though they both knew she didn't have to.
"What?"
Her eyes were positively shining, even though her mouth wasn't smiling. "You're Superman, Kal." Quickly, she kissed his cheek and went back to her conversation with John Jacob Astor.
Kal felt better after that, at it became easier to square his shoulders, lift his chin and altogether become someone else entirely. Someone who belonged at this table with tycoons and aristocrats. When Alexa caught his eye again, she was beaming with pride. Kal winked and mouthed, Nothing to it.
After dessert came the coffees, then the gentlemen 'retired' for brandies while the ladies continued chatting for some time longer. Tiring of it, Alexa decided to fake a migraine.
"As much as I would delight in continuing our discussion, Baroness, I fear it may have to wait until tomorrow evening—I've a sudden headache developing."
Everyone made noises of polite sympathy, and the baroness was certainly taken in by Alexa's acting. Her grimace of pain did look genuine, to everyone except Kal. He immediately echoed the expressions of the others, and offered his hand. "Perhaps the taking of the night air would help, my dear."
"What a wonderful idea. Goodnight, ladies and gentlemen."
They left arm in arm and went outside into the cool evening. There were a few other people strolling around, most of whom wore coats and hats. They passed one of the lifeboats, and Alexa shivered, seeing RMS Titanic stamped everywhere.
Mistaking it for the cold she didn't feel at the moment, Kal removed his jacket and put it around Alexa's shoulders. She smiled and tried not to make it obvious that she was she was enjoying being surrounded by the scent of him. Not that she hadn't before, of course, but if the opportunity was there …
"So how was I?" Kal asked.
"Oh, you were passable I suppose."
He cocked an eyebrow. "Just passable, huh?"
"Alright. You were magnificent. Hardly looked like new money at all."
If things could have stopped there and Kal hadn't needed to ask, and he'd just let himself bask in her admiration, then the evening might have been almost perfect. But when they got back to the state rooms, he had to ask.
"So. How are we planning to stop it?"
Alexa got up and poured herself a brandy, then sat down without sipping. She removed her gloves, then let her hair down. Kal frowned. Why was she avoiding the question? He sat opposite her. "The simplest way I see it is just to fly ahead of the ship and move the iceberg out of the way."
"There are hundreds of bergs out there, Kal."
"If we don't do it until the 16th, then we'll just move the one the ship is heading straight for," he countered.
When she said nothing in response to that, he leaned forwards. "Alexa, what's wrong? You're holding something back."
She sighed, then met his eyes briefly. "Kal, we can't."
"Can't what?"
"We can't move the iceberg. And we can't save this ship."
"What? Why not?"
"Because whatever we're here to do, it can't be that."
"Why not? Alexa, we have an opportunity to save fifteen hundred lives here. We can't ignore that."
"We have to."
"But you and I—either of us or together—could lift this ship to safety. We could fly her to New York. And we could save everyone."
"I know," she nodded. "But then what? It's not just lives we'd be changing, it's history. The Titanic goes down in infamy, and it's not up to us to change that."
"Then what is the point of all this?" he demanded. "What's the point of a Justice League at all if we let people die when it would be so simple to save them?"
She sighed, sat down and buried her head in her hands. "Kal, I can't yield to your experience on this, I'm sorry, but … It's not just a bunch of strangers we'd be saving."
"What do you mean?"
"Has Dad ever told you where his money comes from?" she asked. "I mean his inheritance?"
He shook his head. "Trade, shipping and landholdings?"
"Yes but my great-great grandfather had suffered through a couple of business panics or recessions. His shipping business was heavily in debt. He was going have to sell most of his land holdings to try and save his business. But his brother died. And he died on the Titanic, his only son with him. My great-great grandfather inherited his money, and it enabled him to save the business." She looked up at him. "If my father isn't in a position to finance the Justice League, there is no Justice League. My parents never meet, I'm never born."
Silence fell as he struggled to think of anything to say. Finally Alexa stood. "We can save fifteen hundred lives now, Kal. But we might be dooming the whole planet later."
Leaving him in silence, Alexa went into her bedroom and shut the door. It was a very long time before he moved.
A/N: Well, I hope that cleared some things up. Or at least kept your appetites whetted :D Review please!