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Chapter 2: Final Cut

Checking in was tedious, it involved queuing and queuing and queuing. With every minute, the kids would get more and more restless, Lee threatening to dash away again as soon as his father took his eyes off him. They moved forward step by step, not measuring time by minutes any more, but by people that still stood between them and the ship. At least meeting each other had provided some sort of distraction for Bill and Laura, some sort of personality in this huge anonymity that was their constant companion around the Titanic. They were only Class 3 travellers, only a handfull in a sea of thousands. Nobody would remember their names.

After a while, the father put his younger son down to lift up the other boy who called out in delight, making an older lady next to them frown. Laura kept an eye on Zak while the other two were busy, apparently discussing facts about the vessel that would carry them across the Atlantic. Truth be told, she found it kind of scary to go on It, to trust her life into this monstrum of steel. They said technique was more reliable than people were. They said steel was indestructible. They said nothing could sink the Titanic. What of this was true? Everything? Nothing? A faint cry ripped her out of her thoughts, it was the little boy at her feet who was obviously feeling very neglected and probably scared by the huge amount of adult legs around him. Without hesitation, Laura picked him up, setting him down securely on her hip.

Zak's eyes became big in surprise when settled on his new position. Tentatively, he stretched out to touch one of Laura's red curls, making her laugh. It was only then that Adama realized what us offspring was up to and he looked a bit flustered.

"You don't have to Ma'am. If you just wait a second, I will take him."

He put down one boy to receive the smaller son from the woman. However, none of the two where particularly pleased about the change of scenery. Laura found that she hadn't minded holding one of them for a bit, but just at that moment the crowd was moving forward and they head to take up their bags again.

Finally, they reached the inspection point, where any boarding passengers of the lower class would be checked for diseases, lice and other issues of that sort. As the official apparently expected the father to lift Lee up frst, the woman wordlessly motioned for him to pass Zak over again. Gurgling happily, he waited on her arm until it was his turn to be checked and didn't even make a fuss when they combed through his dark curls.

As all three of them were through, the family could have easily moved on, but something he couldn't quite pinpoint made Bill stop and wait for his new acquaintance. Just when the young official motioned for her to come closer and asked her to take her hat off, she glared at him with such forte that he immediately turned beet red. Motioning her through without further ado, he seemed genuinely intimidated by her. Not that Bill could blame him. A force look from a beautiful woman could do that to you. Keeping her head up and her expression neutral, she caught up with the little group. Only the glint in her eyes betrayed how much she enjoyed her little victory.

"Nicely played," Bill complimented her.

"Thank you," she accepted his compliment gracefully.

Change the simple navy coat and straw hat to the white dress with the huge monstrum of a hat that he had seen on a first class woman earlier and Miss Roslin could easily pass as a lady, the man mused. Where did she get that poise from? After all, she was travelling the same class as him.

Once inside the belly of the beast, there were corridors after corridors that both of them had to get through. He went left, she went left. She turned right, he followed. Until he stopped in front of number 33 while she walked on, coming to stand in front of the room next to them, 35.

"You are our neighbour!" Lee declared, while his father ushered him and the other little one inside so they could get rid of their luggage. Even though the cabin was actually one of the very few third class cabins designed for two, Bill had used his money to book it for the three of them, with the boys sharing a bed. After all, Zak could be a lot of trouble during the night. He himself didn't mind dormitorys, his soldier and sailor time had cured him of that, but he didn't want this for his children.

"Daddy, please let us go upstairs!" his older son begged as soon as they were inside, ready to head out again.

Bill siged but then smiled, he had no reason to trap his boys down here longer than necessary. Then he suddenly had to think of the woman who was currently just one wall away from him. It would be nice to have some adult company, wouldn't it? Well, who was he kidding? He wanted to see her again.

"Alright, but I will ask Miss Roslin whether she wants to come with us," he declared.

The little ones nodded eagerly, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. When he opened, he was staring straight into a very pretty and very female face - Laura.

"Hello, I hope I am not disturbing?" she asked a bit hesitantly.

"Of course not, we were just on our way up to deck and wanted to ask whether you'd like to come along anyway."

She gave him a blinding smile that hit him like a ray of sunshine.

"I would love that, thank you."

Sorry again for the long wait, but among other things I did a lot of research to get facts as correctly as possible. Let me know what you think!