Hey all! It's been a couple of weeks but here I am, back to writing! In my defence, I have been extremely ill the last few weeks...well, actually, the last couple of months. What I thought was a cold ended up being a really nasty chest infection and cough, and I've had to take days off work, had to take antibiotics, had an x-ray done, then been busy with work because the TA of the other classroom has left so now I'm doing her work on top of my own... yeah, it's been chaotic. But of course I managed to squeeze time in to write this fic, it's my baby!
Quick warning for this chapter (other than the obvious danger/peril/swearing), a character has somewhat of an autistic shutdown in the middle of a precarious situation. He has loved ones supporting him, however, and the part is easily skipped to be honest.
I'm autistic and yet I find it difficult writing autistic things sometimes because I'm all too aware of how every autistic person is different, and how my autism affects me is going to be different to how it affects other people on the spectrum... I tried. But I wanted to try to push myself a little more, and also the opportunity presented itself when I was writing so it really just wrote itself quite honestly.
This chapter has NOT been beta-read so apologies in advance for any errors - usually I spot them later and then, red-faced, have to quickly edit it then but right now my brain is not wired properly so... yep! No beta, we die like the men in this fic! (sorry)
Without further ado, please enjoy this chapter!
"HELP! Can anybody hear me?!"
Newt pulled at the pipe with all of his strength, hoping that it might come away from the wall or at least budge slightly to give him more room; it stayed firmly in place, not affected in the slightest by his efforts. Giving up on pulling, he rattled the chain of the handcuffs on the metal of the pipe, hoping that it might create enough noise to draw some attention.
"Hello, help me! Help me, please!" He yelled as loudly as he could, growing more and more desperate. "Can anybody hear me?! Somebody, please, help me!"
And still, no one came for him.
Thomas Andrews was on one of the first-class corridors, opening various stateroom doors and making sure that the passengers were out - the least he could do, he thought. As it turned out, a number of people were not happy in the slightest to be forced out of their rooms, clearly not understanding just how desperate the situation was. As he came out of one of the rooms, he quickly flagged down a passing crew member. "Steward, check the starboard corridor."
"Yes, Mister Andrews!"
One woman was just peering out of her room, casually taking some time to pull on her gloves; Andrews approached her, trying to keep calm. "Madam, please , put on a lifebelt. Get to the boat deck immediately." He turned away without waiting for her response, spotted one of the maids and offered her a kind - if somewhat strained - smile. "Lucy, for God's sake, put on your lifebelt… Set a good example."
She nodded quickly. "Yes, sir."
As she hurried off down the corridor, he pushed open the next stateroom door and quickly peered inside. "Anyone in here?"
"Mister Andrews? Oh, Mister Andrews!" He lifted his head just in time to Tina Goldstein running up to him, completely breathless but looking relieved to have found him. "Mister Andrews, thank God! Where would the Master at Arms take someone under arrest?"
Andrews blinked at her, not sure if he had heard her correctly. "What? You have to get to a boat right away-"
"No!" She argued stubbornly. "I'm doing this with or without your help, sir…but without will take longer."
He paused, taken aback by her determination - but he knew, even after only a few days of having made her acquaintance - that there was no use in arguing with her. With a sigh, he started to walk her towards the foyer where the elevators were located. "Take the elevator to the very bottom. Go to the left, down the crewman's passage. Then go right and left again at the stairs - you'll come to a long corridor…"
As Andrews rattled off instructions, Tina could only listen and pray that she was going to remember it all - after all, she couldn't afford to waste time by getting it wrong.
I'm coming, Newt…just wait.
Newt sighed, his legs aching from standing for so long with his arms cuffed in front of him; the skin around his wrists felt raw from the handcuffs chafing him as he attempted to escape, and his voice felt hoarse from his attempts at shouting for help.
"This could be bad," He muttered to himself.
All of a sudden, there were the horrible sounds of trickling and gurgling; turning as much as he could towards the door, he realised that water was now starting to leak into the room, spreading rapidly across the floor.
"Oh, bollocks!" He panicked, looking around for something to help him; there was a small table just behind him, and he quickly stepped onto it, lifting his arms further up the pipe and being careful not to bump his head on the ceiling. "Bollocks, bollocks, bollocks!"
Newt grunted as he struggled, attempting to pull one hand out of the cuffs as quickly as he could; within seconds, the room was already flooded a couple of inches deep and continuing to fill quickly - and all the while, there wasn't a single soul in the deserted corridor outside to hear his pleas for help.
Tina didn't bother to stop as she pushed past the crowds to get to the elevators, hurriedly throwing apologies over her shoulder but not caring one bit who she shoved. Just as she reached the elevators, she noticed that one of the operators was closing up his lift to leave.
As she ran up to him, he gave an exasperated huff. "Sorry, miss, but the lifts are closed."
She blinked - and then without thinking, she grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and shoved him back into the elevator. "I'm through being polite, goddamnit!" She snapped before gesturing to the lever that made it work. "Now take me down right now!"
The operator hurriedly fumbled to close the gate before starting the lift, absolutely terrified by her sudden anger. "Where-"
"E-deck," She instructed impatiently. "Don't stop for anyone else - just take me straight down."
As he gave a terrified little nod, Tina settled back against the wall of the elevator to take a moment to breathe; as much as she hated being rude, she couldn't help but muse that desperate times called for desperate measures - and this was most certainly a desperate time if ever there was one.
You know, she thought to herself with some satisfaction, I may never be polite for the rest of my life at this rate.
The hull of Titanic loomed over Boat Six like a cliff, its enormous mass suddenly threatening to those who were huddled inside of the tiny boat. At the tiller was Quartermaster Hichens, who wanted nothing more than to get away from the sinking ship - unfortunately, the two seamen he'd been saddled with couldn't seem to row for shit, much to his displeasure.
"Keep pulling," He ordered tersely. "We've gotta get away from the ship. You, on the starboard side, you're not pulling evenly."
"Sorry, sir."
Molly, who had been watching them struggle for the last few minutes, looked at the seaman. "You look like a duck with a broken wing," She remarked, though not unkindly. "Ain't you ever rowed a boat before, sonny?"
"No, ma'am."
Figures. "Here, gimme that oar. I'll show you how it's done." The young man didn't argue as she carefully moved to take his place to get at the oars, nearly stepping on a few women's feet as she settled.
As they rowed further and further away from the ship, the evacuation was in full swing; some boats were like theirs, rowing away slowly but steadily whilst others were still in the process of being lowered. By the time they had made it a hundred or so feet away, it was enough to see that the ship was angled down into the water, the bow rail less than ten feet above the surface.
Sensing that the morale was dropping, Molly cleared her throat. "Come on, girls, join in - it'll keep you warm. Seraphina, you wanna come help me with this one?"
But Seraphina Picquery-Graves was too busy staring at the spectacle of the great ocean liner, its rows of lights blazing as it slanted down into the sullen black mirror of the Atlantic.
Through the wrought iron door of the elevator, Tina watched the decks going past; it was amazing that just a few short hours ago, she and Newt had been laughing as they did the exact same thing, running away from an irritable valet to find someplace private where they could be together. The thought made her shiver slightly.
Don't be silly - I'm going to find him and we're going to get off of this boat together, just like I said we would.
The elevator began to slow as it reached E-deck - and then suddenly ice water was flooding the small elevator car, shocking her so badly that she let out a scream; the operator gave a yell of surprise as the cold water swirled up to their knees, already reaching for the lever to take them both up.
"No!" She quickly clawed the door open and splashed out, hiking up the skirt of her dress as she did so.
"I'm going back up!" He told her urgently, but he didn't wait; the elevator was already moving back up before she could even so much as glance over her shoulder.
Tina swallowed as she looked around at the deserted corridor, realising that she was now entirely on her own; trying not to think about how cold the water was, she looked to her left and spotted where she needed to go next. "Right… No, left. Left, crew passage."
Reminding herself why she was doing this, she slogged down the flooded corridor and through the door that was marked as "crew only".
Every part of Newt's body was aching as he strained against the pipe desperately; when his energy finally gave out, he was bright red from exertion and starting to feel that maybe, just maybe, his luck had truly run out this time.
As Lally would say, he thought to himself without humour, I'm absolutely screwed.
He wondered if Theseus and Lally were on deck at that moment waiting to be loaded onto the boats - or, even better, already on a lifeboat. If nothing else, he could at least die happy in the knowledge that his brother and friend were going to survive this, that they were going to live full lives even if his own was cut short.
And Tina, he thought sadly, Tina will be fine too - it's better this way really.
Despite this line of thinking, it really did very little to cheer him up.
Tina was breathing heavily as she came to a cross-corridor, the water starting to rise rapidly with each second that passed. She suddenly couldn't remember where she was supposed to go, all of the directions given to her by Thomas Andrews getting mixed up in her head, and she started to panic.
"Newt?!" She called, hoping that he was in one of the rooms nearby. "NEWT!"
Taking a random guess, she turned left and started to splash down the corridor, looking at the doors on each side. The lights started to flicker slightly but remained on, much to her relief - the last thing she needed was to have to attempt this in the dark.
"Newt!"
No… No, it can't be…
Newt lifted his head, listening as best as he could over the sound of the water filling the room and the furniture that was starting to float and bump into the walls: for a moment, he could have sworn that he'd heard someone calling his name.
And then he heard it again, muffled slightly by the closed door but loud enough for him to recognise that it was his name - and he knew the voice too, one he would never allow himself to forget.
"Tina! Tina, I'm in here!"
The voice - his voice - was coming from a room just behind her along with a clanking sound; she quickly spun around and ran back, locating the right door. There was a small wave created as she pushed it open, and she wasted no time in racing inside as quickly as possible
And there he was, cuffed to a pipe and looking tired but perfectly alive.
"Newt? Oh, Newt!" Tina splashed over to him, her heart racing at the mere sight of him as her eyes began to water. "Newt… Newt, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Newt was grinning as she threw her arms around his neck, for once not minding the physical contact one bit; he minded it even less when she suddenly pressed a kiss to his mouth, pulling away only to utter more apologies and not letting go of him. "Tina…"
"I'm sorry," She repeated tearfully between kisses. "I'm so sorry!"
He was so happy to see her that it was almost embarrassing, and all of a sudden he wanted to explain everything to her, wanted to make sure that she understood none of what had been said was true. "That Abernathy fellow put it in my pocket…"
"I know, I know, I know," She agreed immediately, holding him close to her. "I'm an idiot, I'm an absolute idiot!"
"No, you're not," Newt reassured her before remembering the water that was now swirling up to their knees - and it was only going to get higher. "Tina, there's a spare key for these handcuffs but I don't know where - could you perhaps check the cabinet over there? It's a little silver one."
Tina gave his face one last kiss before trudging over to the nearby cabinet; she swung the door open and started to look through it desperately. "Silver… silver… These are all brass ones!"
"Drat. The desk?" She moved over to where he had indicated, pulling the drawer out and rooting through it anxiously. "Tina?" She turned to look at him, abandoning her search momentarily, and he couldn't help but look bashfully at her. "Out of curiosity… How did you find out I didn't do it?"
"I didn't," She told him truthfully. "I just realised that I already knew."
Newt's grin was so bright that it made her feel like she was looking at the sun, so contagious that she couldn't help but smile too even as she went back to her search through the desk. She was almost ashamed of herself for ever having doubted him, for having assumed the worst about him - but she wouldn't make that mistake again, she vowed, not so long as she lived.
After nearly a minute, she stopped and looked at her lover anxiously. "No key… Newt, there's no key!"
"Alright… Listen, Tina," Newt said as calmly as he could, not wanting her to panic anymore than she already was. "You're going to have to go and find some help. It will be alright."
He didn't particularly want to separate from her, not when they'd only just found each other again - but it was the only choice if they both wanted to make it off of the ship together, for there was nothing in this room to help them further. He watched her bite her lip, clearly feeling the same as he did but also knowing it would be for the best - and he knew she understood.
Tina hesitated for a single moment longer before crossing the room towards him, pushing aside floating chairs to reach him. "I'll be right back," She promised fiercely before taking his head in her hands and pressing a quick kiss to his mouth; when she pulled away, he gave her a nod to show that he knew she'd come back for him, that this was not a final goodbye, and watched as she turned away to leave the room. The water swirled and splashed as she went back through the doorway, and she disappeared from his sight once more.
Newt sighed once she was gone, looking down at his cuffed hands and the slowly rising water. "I'll just… wait here, I suppose."
By the time she had made her way down the corridor and to the nearest stairwell, her coat and the skirt of her dress were both soaked, the weight of wet material weighing her down; she shivered as she climbed the steps to the next deck, reminding herself sternly that she could worry about being cold and slow later, once Newt was no longer in danger. Out of the water, she found herself standing in a long corridor - yet another part of the labyrinth of steerage hallways, completely empty now.
"Hello?" She called urgently, running down the hallway and hoping there was someone - just one person - left behind who could help. "Is there anyone here? Hello?!"
The only answer she received was the groaning of straining metal, echoing along the hall as the ship continued to flood. She turned a corner and continued to run, determined to not fail her task.
"Is there anybody down here?" She called again desperately. "We need help! Hello?!" Tina suddenly found herself at a dead end and, frustrated, turned back around to run back in the direction she'd just come. "Damn it… God damn it…"
It seemed hopeless, she thought despondently, because all of these corridors looked the same: the same white doors, the same white paint, the same lights, all of them empty save for her and a few pieces of dropped luggage that passengers had left behind in their mad rush to get upstairs. She wasn't even sure where the stairs she'd taken were now, although she had made sure she hadn't gone that far even in her haste.
Just as she was starting to give up home, she heard a noise from behind her; when she turned, she saw another passenger coming towards her, a man, and exhaled in relief as she hurried to meet him. "Oh, thank God! Please, I need your help…"
But he wasn't listening, much to her despair; he barely seemed to even hear her as he rushed past her, eyes crazed. She tried to grab him to stop him, but he just brushed her aside and continued on.
"Wait, no! No, please!" She begged, feeling like she was in a terrible dream. "There's a man back here and he… he's… no, wait! Wait!"
But the man didn't listen to her pleas in the slightest, not looking back as he rushed down the corridor and turned the corner away from her. Tina had to try desperately not to break down into tears as she found herself alone once more, terrified out of her mind and worrying only for the man she loved who was relying on her to help him.
As she took a step forwards, a horrible groan seemed to echo around her as the ship buckled, and the lights started to dim before going out completely - leaving her in utter darkness. For a moment, she allowed herself to lean against the nearby wall, suddenly more terrified than she'd ever been in her entire life, her thoughts racing wildly in her head.
I can't save him… he's trapped. It's my fault. I should have believed him. I should have looked for help in the other direction. I should have searched the room harder for a key.
She was beginning to hyperventilate when the lights mercifully came back on once more; Tina forced herself to take a deep breath, willing the barrage of cruel thoughts to go away so that she could think properly once more. She was still debating what to do next when a steward suddenly rounded the nearest corner, arms filled with lifebelts. "Hello?"
He took one look at her and gave an exasperated huff, clearly upset that a passenger was still here. "Miss, you shouldn't be here now," He said quickly, his free hand grabbing her arm and beginning to pull her down the corridor with him like she was a wayward child. "Come, come this way-"
"Wait. Please, I need your help," She pleaded desperately. "Just listen, I need-"
"This way, quickly," He urged, clearly not listening in the slightest.
"No, wait! There's a man down here and he is trapped-"
"This way! Yes, yes, alright, come now, quickly… There's no need to panic."
"No, I'm not panicking!" Tina snapped, trying to pull herself free from his grip. "You're going the wrong way! Let go of me right now… LISTEN!"
Surprised by the way her voice had risen, he turned to look at her in surprise - only to immediately receive a punch to the face that shocked him into letting her go while he staggered backwards. Shocked by her punch, he pressed a hand to his nose and noticed the blood now beginning to trickle from it.
"Wait-"
"To hell with you!" He spat in disgust, pressing a sleeve to his nose as he ran away.
She bristled at his words, glaring after him. "Yeah? Guess I'll see you right there then!"
That's two men I've hit in the face in the last thirty minutes, Tina realised drily, and though there was admittedly a thrill to it, she couldn't help but wince because her hand was now hurting from where it had connected with the steward's nose. Even worse than this was the fact that she still hadn't found help for Newt, and she was fast running out of time. As she glanced around the corridor, she noticed a glass case on the wall with a fire-axe in it; without thinking twice, she reached for the fire-hose that was underneath, unravelled it enough to lift it, and quickly smashed the glass. Careful not to cut her skin as she reached into the now-broken case, she took hold of the axe and immediately began to run back the way she had come.
When she reached the stairwell she had come up from, Tina couldn't help but let out a small gasp; the water had flooded the bottom five steps now, and the corridor was nearly completely submerged. She already felt cold and wet, and the thought of plunging back in made her shiver - but she had to, she reminded herself, because Newt was trapped and needed her. Knowing it would make things slightly easier if she wasn't so weighed down by clothing, she quickly lodged the axe in between the wall and the banister of the stairs so that it wouldn't get lost before shrugging out of her blue coat and tossing it away; it had cost hundreds of dollars, but she couldn't have cared less - such a thing was trivial in light of everything else going on.
"Okay," She muttered to herself, reaching for the axe once more before cautiously stepping down into the water; it seemed even more freezing than before, and she hissed at the feeling. "Oh my God… Mercy Lewis…"
The water was up to her waist as she carefully navigated her way down the corridor and back to the room where her lover was trapped, axe held above her head so it wouldn't be swept out of her hands; somewhere nearby, electricity sparked and crackled, and she found herself desperately hoping it wouldn't reach the water - she didn't know a great deal about the science of it all, but even she knew mixing the two was a terrible idea. The water was so cold that it felt almost painful, and it took all of her willpower to continue onwards instead of turning back.
When she reached the office of the Master-at-Arms once more, she noticed that Newt had climbed up onto a nearby bench and was hugging the water pipe he was chained to; his face lit up immediately at the sight of her wading towards him. "Tina!"
Her teeth felt like they were going to chatter as she showed him the axe in her hands. "Will this work?"
His eyes widened slightly at the sight of it, but he managed a small nod. "Well… I suppose we'll find out."
He spread his hands as much as he could so that the chain connecting the two cuffs was taut across the top of the pipe; it was, of course, extremely short and she felt her stomach drop at the sight of his exposed wrists on either side of it. "Okay. Alright." She took a deep breath, gripping the handle of the axe in both of her hands and positioning herself.
"Wait! Wait wait wait!" Newt suddenly mumbled, and she stopped immediately; he nodded his head in the direction of a nearby wooden cabinet. "Perhaps you should try a couple of practice swings over there - just to be safe."
"Oh. Yes, probably a good idea," Tina allowed anxiously, moving towards the cabinet; she hefted the axe in her hands before bringing it down on the wood with a loud thunk.
"Good!" Newt said encouragingly, though she could hear the nerves straining his voice. "That's really good, Tina! Now try and hit the same mark again, Tina - you can do it."
Encouraged by his praise (feeble though she knew it was), she aimed the axe before swinging it hard once more: the blade buried itself about six inches away from the first mark.
Newt felt his heart race uncomfortably: they really didn't have time for anymore target practice, and although he fully wanted to believe in her and her abilities, he had a sinking feeling that he may be about to lose a finger or one of his hands.
I just hope it's not my right, he thought to himself, though he didn't dare say such a thing to her, At least then I might be able to draw still.
"Okay," He managed shakily. "That's enough practice. Come on, Tina, you can do it." As she sloshed over to him, he quickly pulled the chain taut once more and began speaking even faster. "Listen, all you need to do is hit it really hard and really fast." She raised the axe, both of her hands at the bottom of the handle, and he tried not to wince. "Wait, hold on: open your hands just a bit more."
Tina quickly did as asked, and he noticed that she was starting to shiver - whether from nerves or from the cold, he couldn't tell. "Like this?"
"Right. Good. Tina… Tina, listen," He urged, forcing himself to remain calm as she looked at him. "I trust you, Tina. I know you can do this."
She took a deep breath and nodded, readying herself; as she raised the axe for a final time, he quickly hid his face into the side of the pipe so that she wouldn't see him wince or - if she happened to miss - cry out in pain. Squeezing his eyes shut and trying to mentally prepare himself as much as possible, he inhaled deeply.
"Alright… Go."
Tina closed her eyes, terrified, and then swung the axe with as much force as she could; she heard the sound of it hitting the pipe before it bounced off with a clang, and her heart stopped in her chest. She was almost too afraid to look as she gingerly reopened her eyes to see the damage, hoping that she hadn't hurt him too badly; at the same time, Newt was opening his eyes and letting out a disbelieving laugh as he turned to her, showing her his wrists - which were now sporting two separated cuffs.
She dropped the axe into the water, the strength going out of her as she rushed towards him; she was unable to stop herself from laughing with him out of relief as he reached for her, pressing kisses to the top of her head. "I did it!" She blurted, shocked by her own success. "Your hands are okay, I didn't hit them… I actually did it!"
"Of course you did! I never doubted you, Tina," He chuckled, though he'd been just as terrified as she had been. Without much further ado, she helped him climb down from the bench and down into the water - and the breath suddenly left him completely as the freezing temperature overtook his body. "Oh shit, this is cold!" He exclaimed before he could stop himself. "Sorry, excuse my French, but…"
"No, it is cold," Tina agreed with a shiver as they waded out into the hallway. "Shit is right."
Much to her horror, when they had left the room she realised that there was now only about a foot of the stairwell opening visible. Newt followed her gaze and frowned to himself. "No, it's too deep."
"But that's our way out!"
"Come on, we'll have to find another way out," He insisted, taking her hand and leading her in the opposite direction. "There's enough bloody staircases on this ship - surely there's another one leading up."
On Boat Six, all of the women and children onboard could only watch in stunned transfixation at the sight before them; once fifty feet above the waterline, the majestic Titanic was beginning to slip bow-first below the dark surface of the water, the letters that had once decorated the front of the ship and proudly proclaimed her name disappearing. Above, another of the rockets exploded and lit up the whole area; a dozen boats were now in the water, spreading out from the dying ocean liner. They could still hear the music from the orchestra onboard, eerily echoing in the silence around them all like a strange morbid record.
Seraphina couldn't take her eyes from the sight, her thoughts not for the outfits she had lost, not for the jewellery she'd left behind, not even for her mother's most beloved brooch - but for her husband, who she hoped would be allowed on a lifeboat soon, who she would hopefully see in a matter of hours when another boat came to help them. Most of all, however, her thoughts were focused on the girl she had promised to protect, the orphan she had tried to raise after making a promise to her parents, the young woman who she had not understood as well as she should have.
Beside her, still clutching one of the oars, Molly was staring at the great steamer too; when she spoke, her breath came out as a cloud in the cold air. "Now, there's something you don't see every day."
Another rocket went up in the sky above them - and in the light it briefly cast, it became all too clear that there was no help, no other steamers coming to the rescue… just the sinking Titanic and her lifeboats, stranded in the never-ending darkness.
On the ship, Captain Smith watched as his crew attempted to load the frantic passengers onto the lifeboat with very little success; turning around to the front of the ship, he noticed the water flooding onto the deck. The flares exploding above nearly made him jump but he remained calm despite his fears - it would not do well to panic, not when he was in charge of this ship and the crew on it.
The crewmen were currently all shouting orders, both to each other and to those they were loading onto the lifeboats; to their dismay, many of the passengers were bringing heavy suitcases and other items of luggage with them, clearly unaware of the magnitude of the situation. Lightoller, especially, was beginning to lose his patience at them. "There's no room for luggage in this boat! What's this luggage doing here?" He shouted, taking a suitcase from one woman and throwing it overboard. "Get rid of it - get rid of it all! We need the room!"
As the chaos and confusion raged around him, Achilles was pushing his way through the crowd in an attempt to find his fiancée; he noticed one woman was calling for a child who had become separated from the crowd, a man shouting over people's heads. At one point, he brushed against a rather hysterical older woman who was clinging to her husband, the officers having to pull her away and onto the boat as they ordered her to keep calm; moments later, another younger woman was throwing herself at her own lover, in tears as she embraced and kissed him goodbye. Fifth Officer Lowe looked between them somewhat hesitantly, not yet pulling her away - he was clearly giving them this one final moment together.
Out of the corner of his eye, Achilles saw his valet hurrying towards him through the aisle connecting the port and starboard sides of the boat deck; he went to meet him, somewhat relieved. "Ah, Abernathy…"
"She's not on the starboard side either," Abernathy muttered, shaking his head to himself.
Achilles huffed, annoyed by this. "We're running out of time, and this strutting martinet…" Here he gestured to Lightoller. "...isn't letting any men on at all."
"Well," The smaller man said slyly. "There's one on the other side letting men on."
"Then that's our play," He agreed with a nod. "But we'll need some insurance first. Come on."
As he charged ahead, followed by his valet, he tried not to think too much about where Tina had ended up - she had made her choice, after all, and if she wanted to die for some steerage scum then that was her error, not his.
The Crew Alleyway - sometimes known as Scotland Road - was the widest and longest passageway in the ship; it ran almost the entire length of the ship on the port side of E-deck and was used by crew and third-class passengers alike. Many steerage were currently moving along it now, like refugees, as they headed aft in an attempt to escape the bowels of the sinking ship; meanwhile, one steward was trying to herd them along, making sure that no one was dawdling or staying behind, when there was a pounding from one of the doors.
"What the-..."
With a great crash, the wooden door frame suddenly splintered and the door burst open in a show of incredible force; moments later, Newt and Tina stumbled through and out into the corridor, damp and cold but otherwise no worse for wear. Many of the other passengers were shocked by the sudden appearance of the couple - the steward, however, was frowning unhappily as he marched over to them.
"Here, what do you think you're doing?" He demanded to know, but he was ignored as they looked around to gather their bearings. Infuriated, he began to stalk after them when they walked away. "You'll have to pay for that, you know! That's White Star Line property-!"
"SHUT UP!" Both of them snapped, turning together to glare at him. Dumbfounded, the steward stopped immediately, staring as he watched them join the steerage stragglers going aft.
The next lifeboat was just about to be launched when a woman took hold of Lightoller's arm, tapping his shoulder so that she had his full attention. "Would you hold the boat a moment?" She asked obliviously. "I just have to run back to my room for someth-"
She was silenced when the officer grabbed her and shoved her bodily into the boat with a small grunt. "Sit down!" He ordered impatiently, having had enough now, and then turned to his fellow crew. "She's the last. Prepare to lower."
Before they could do this, however, Thomas Andrews came rushing up to him; the older man was aghast as he took the other man by the arm. "Mister Lightoller! Why are the boats being launched half-full?"
"Not now, Mister Andrews…"
But Andrews was pointing down at the water to where several already-lowered lifeboats were floating. "There, look! Twenty or so in a boat built for sixty-five - and I saw one boat with only twelve. Twelve!"
"Well, we…" Lightoller shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "We weren't sure of the weight, Mister Andrews. These boats may buckle-"
"Rubbish!" Andrews admonished heatedly. "They were tested in Belfast with the weight of seventy men! Now fill these boats, Mister Lightoller, for God's sake, man!"
Officer Lightoller looked back out at the water, at the half-filled lifeboats he had launched, the constant chatter and shouts of the passengers still awaiting evacuation weighing heavily on him. Breathing shakily, he swallowed the lump in his throat before turning back to his crew. "Please, I need more women and children!"
The corridor that they found themselves in was almost completely blocked by large families carrying all of their luggage, people panicking and pushing each other in their haste to find a way out of the labyrinth of Titanic's many corridors and decks. As they walked, staying hand in hand the entire way, Newt was trying every single door and gate that they came across, only to find that all of them were locked.
As he rattled one gate halfway up the corridor, he noticed a steward through the bars running away. "Sir!" He called, giving the gate another shake. "Sir, could you please open this up?" But the steward disappeared up a flight of stairs, ignoring him completely. "Please, it's flooding down here! Can anybody hear me?!"
Tina watched in slight despair, shivering in her gauzy dress and wishing she had something to warm herself up; she had no doubts that Newt would offer her the clothes off of his own back if he thought it might help, but she would never allow that - he was in just a white long-sleeved shirt, his "borrowed" coat long gone, and he was no doubt freezing already. She was certain that her skin had goosebumps now, however, and that her lips were blue from the cold.
As if someone was granting her wishes, she felt someone throw something warm and heavy around her; when she turned her head, she realised that a woman had put a blanket around her shoulders. "Here, lass," She murmured in a soft Irish accent. "You cover yourself."
Despite knowing it was most likely for modesty's sake and not because she was visibly freezing, Tina couldn't help but smile, touched by this act of hospitality. "Thank you."
Knowing that this gate was a lost cause, Newt now turned back to her; at the sight of her wrapped in a blanket, her wet hair limp and lips blue, he sighed. "Thank you," He muttered to the Irish woman with a nod, putting his hands over Tina's now-covered arms and giving them a small rub in an attempt to warm her up. "You're very kind."
"Here, miss," The woman's husband said, pulling a flask out of his pocket and handing it to her. "This'll take the chill away."
Tina took a big swig of the whiskey, grimacing only slightly at the taste but smiling when it made her feel somewhat warmer inside; she handed the flask to Newt, who gave a nod to the other man. "Cheers," He toasted quietly before taking his own swig.
Near to where Lifeboat Eight was waiting for launch, a finely dressed elderly couple were on the deck and awaiting further instructions; Ida and Isidor Straus were a very well-known and well-regarded couple, both on and off of the ship - Isidor had once served as a U.S. congressman and was one of the co-owners of Macy's department store. Amongst the chaos, Ida was holding onto her husband and refusing to let go despite his best efforts to make her.
"No… No… Please, Ida," Isidor pleaded desperately. "Get into the boat."
"No!" His wife said firmly, in a tone that left no room for argument. After a few seconds, her expression softened slightly and she laid a hand on his shoulder. "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go. Don't argue with me, Isidor!" She insisted when he opened his mouth to protest. "You know it does no good."
Isidor looked down at his wife for a long and poignant moment, filled with sadness and great love; slowly, he began to nod in agreement, and they embraced gently among the chaos of the other passengers on the ship.
The E-deck corridors and stairwell had descended into pure chaos; people were desperately pushing against the locked gate, begging the three stewards on the other side to let them through but to no avail. At the front were Tommy and Theseus, both of whom were getting more and more agitated with each passing second and shaking the gate uselessly.
"You can't keep us locked in here like animals!" Tommy snarled at them. "The ship's bloody sinking!"
One of the stewards bit his lip before raising his hands in a weak attempt to calm them. "Bring forward the women! Unlock the gates." He said to one of the other men unsurely before turning back to the crowd. "Women only! No men!"
As soon as the gates parted slightly, passengers were surging forwards and attempting to make a run for it; some were women and children, but many were also men, scared and some of them not understanding English. The stewards hurriedly tried to push the surge of people back, though a few slipped under their arms. One crew member had grabbed a fire axe and now started to beat back one man with the handle; the first steward quickly pulled a small gun from his pocket and pointed it at the unruly crowd.
"Get back!" He shouted, gesturing wildly whilst his colleagues shoved the men and women; as soon as they were behind it, they started to pull the gate shut again. "That's it! Lock the gates! Get back from the gates!"
Newt and Tina, having heard this commotion, had made their way towards it in the hopes of it offering a way out; as they reached the base of the stairs, the young man suddenly saw a familiar face and grinned in relief. "Lally!"
Lally turned at the sound of his voice, looking around; as soon as she spotted him, her face broke out into a disbelieving smile and she pushed through the other passengers to go down the steps to him. "Newt! There you are!" When she reached him, she threw her arms around him and gave him a squeeze; he hesitated awkwardly before raising one arm to pat her on the back. "Where on Earth have you been, Newton?"
"It's… a long story," He muttered as she pulled away; it was only then that her eyes drifted to Tina, clearly surprised. "Oh, sorry… Lally, this is Tina."
"Hi," Tina said quietly, suddenly feeling awkward.
Despite the mad rush around them, Lally smiled at the other woman and put an arm around her. "Well, it's wonderful to make your acquaintance, Tina - even if it is under such dreadful circumstances. Oh, you look like you're freezing!" She gave her friend a slightly disapproving look. "What exactly have you been doing, Newt? You both look half-drowned!"
"Like I said, a long story," He repeated before looking around once more. "We've got to get up onto the deck before all of the boats leave. Where's Theseus?"
She pointed with her free arm over the heads of the solidly packed crowd to the top of the steps; standing next to Tommy, Theseus had his hands on the bars of the steel gate and was simply furious. "For God's sake, man!" He snapped at the stewards behind the gate. "There are women and children down here! Let us up so we can have a chance!"
But the crewmen were scared now, knowing they had let the situation get out of hand and that they now had a mob - there was very little chance that they'd be opening the gates again anytime soon. Tommy gave a huff of exasperation before tapping Theseus on the shoulder and gesturing for him to follow; the two men went back down the stairs, fighting against the crowd, and it was only once they were at the bottom that they realised who Lally was standing with.
"Newt… Newt, oh my God!" Theseus exclaimed, suddenly embracing his brother tightly; Newt went bright red but didn't attempt to move away, merely putting a hand on the older man's back. "I've been worrying about you for the past hour and a half! Where in God's name have you been?"
"It's-"
"A long story," Lally finished fondly, shaking her head at the two of them.
Theseus pulled away from his brother, his eyes oddly misty. "Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? What matters is that you're safe." His eyes darted to the young woman standing with his girlfriend, and he suddenly grinned knowingly. "That you're both safe."
Newt's cheeks went pink but he turned to Tommy now. "Can we get out here?"
The Irishman grimaced. "It's hopeless that way!"
"Whatever we do, we've got to do it fast," Tina stated anxiously. "This whole boat is flooding - the decks below are already gone."
"There's nothing this way," Newt added, gesturing to the direction they had just come from. "Just locked gates and angry stewards."
Lally considered this before giving a nod. "We'll go the other way then. Come on, boys," She called, taking Tina by the hand and leading the way. "You follow us - and maybe on the way, Newt, you and your friend can fill us in on that long story of yours."
The safe opened with a loud clunk that echoed in the empty suite rooms; Achilles wasted no time in opening and reaching into it, immediately putting several stacks of bills that were still banded by bank wrappers into his pockets. Abernathy watched as the other man took out a jewellery box next, which he opened; Achilles took the Heart of the Ocean, the very necklace they had planted on the unsuspecting steerage boy just a couple of hours previously, out of its case before tucking it into his overcoat pocket and reaching for more bills.
"I make my own luck," He mused, turning to look at the shorter man.
Abernathy gave a smirk, pulling aside his jacket to show the loaded gun tucked into a holster against his side. "So do I."
Achilles grinned and gave a small chuckle, tucking the last of the money into his pocket before closing the safe and locking it. As the two men left, neither of them spared any thought to the drawing sitting inside of the locked container, blissfully unaware that the next time it would see the light of day or be opened would be in eighty-four years time.
The further they walked, the more lost they seemed to find themselves - and things seemed to get even more confusing and manic as they went. As they attempted to find a way out, they found themselves pushing past so many frantic passengers that it was almost dizzying; a mother changing her baby's diaper on top of an upturned steamer trunk, a woman arguing heatedly with a man in a strange foreign language whilst their child wailed next to them, a man kneeling to console a woman who was sitting on the floor sobbing, another man with an English-Arabic dictionary trying to figure out what the signs meant whilst his family waited patiently. It made Tina's head spin, and she wondered if it was because of the whiskey she'd had earlier or if it was merely a result of the chaos.
Behind her, she heard Newt let out a groan. "Thee…"
"I know, I know," Theseus murmured soothingly, and when she turned her head to look back, she saw that he had put a gentle arm around his brother's shoulders. "We'll be out of here soon, Newt, I promise."
He closed his eyes, all but being pulled along by his brother now; between the sounds of people shouting and screaming, the constant confusing labyrinth of never-ending corridors, the groans of the ship as she flooded and buckled, the constant feeling of people bustling against him, the fear he had for his own life, the fear he had for Tina , for his brother, for his friends… it was too much to take in, too much to process. His head was beginning to pound, and all he wanted to do was collapse where he was and wait for it all to end.
"Are you okay?" Tina asked worriedly; perhaps he had hit his head at some point and she hadn't noticed.
Newt was suddenly unable to meet her eyes, instead placing his hands over his ears as they walked and clearly embarrassed that she was seeing him like this, but Theseus managed to give her an uneasy smile; it was only then as she looked at him, his brown hair somewhat dishevelled and an errant curl resting on his forehead, that she realised how alike he and Newt truly looked. "He'll be fine - he just doesn't like crowds. Too much noise, too many people, too much going on… you get the idea. The sooner we get out of here the better."
Tina nodded in understanding before pulling on Lally's arm to stop her. "Hey, Lally? Any sign of an exit yet?"
She turned at the sound of her name, noticed the way Newt was getting agitated, and pressed her mouth together in a firm line. "No, but you know what? I'm going to make one. This way."
"Newt, come on," Theseus urged, but his brother was stopping now and starting to rock uneasily on the spot. "No, no , absolutely not, not right now! This is life or death, Newt, we need to move! We don't have time for this!"
Tommy frowned at the sight. "He alright? What's going on with him?"
"Come on," His older brother pleaded, more desperately now. "We're not going to leave you behind, but we really don't have time to waste! We all really need you to move."
"Can't…" Newt whispered, tears in his eyes. "Thee… I can't."
Tina didn't think twice before letting go of Lally's hand and moving towards him. "Newt?" Her voice was soft as she spoke calmly, not a trace of anger or frustration to be found. "It's okay. It's all very overwhelming, isn't it? Can I take your hand?" For a moment, he didn't respond in the slightest and she worried that she was just making things worse - but then he gave a small nod and slowly removed one of his hands from his ears so that she could link their fingers together. "That's it… It's going to be okay, Newt, and we're going to get through this together - you jump, I jump, right?" The smallest of smiles flitted across his face, making hope spread in her chest. "You don't have to do anything, alright? We'll find a way out, and once we're on a boat then we can all rest. But we need to keep moving, remember?"
"Yes," He managed hoarsely, and to her surprise he looked right into her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," She murmured, and he wondered what he'd done to deserve someone so understanding, so kind, so wonderful falling in love with him. "I'm not going to let go of your hand, alright? Not unless you want me to. Can you walk with me?"
He nodded, and to her relief he started to move forwards with her; Theseus looked simply stunned and relieved at the sight, clearly not expecting this - but Lally merely gave a small knowing smile before pointing further up the corridor. "Come on, let's check over here."
They followed her to a narrow stairwell that was - blissfully - less packed than the deck below; by the time they had gone up two flights of steps and found themselves stopped by a small group pressed against yet another steel gate, Newt was somewhat calmer. The passengers were yelling at a rather frightened looking steward, however, who was attempting to placate them unsuccessfully.
"Just go back to the main stairwell and everything will be sorted out there," He ordered as calmly as he could.
"The hell it will!"
"Liar!"
A vein on his temple throbbed. "It'll all get sorted out back there. Go back to the main stairwell."
Theseus pushed his way to the front, took one look at the scene in front of him, and immediately drew himself to his full height. "Open the gate," He ordered, his voice low.
"Go back down the main stair-"
"Open the gate right now!" He repeated threateningly.
But the steward remained unmoved. "Go back down the main stairwell like I told you."
Theseus looked at the rest of his group - his brother who was still clutching the first-class girl's hand tightly in his own like a lifeline, said girl in question who was draped in a blanket and looked like she'd been through hell already, his girlfriend who was gnawing on her lower lip worryingly - and finally snapped.
"GOD DAMN IT!" He found himself snarling before he could stop himself, shaking the gate so hard that it was a wonder it didn't rip apart. "SON OF A BITCH!"
"Hey, stop that!" The steward scowled but now the other passengers behind the bars were starting to shake it too, calling for him to open the gate. "Stop this right now! Do as I've told you!"
Theseus moved back through the crowd, looking around for something to help; to his left, just behind the back of the crowd, was a bench that was bolted to the floor. "Fuck it." He quickly went over to it and started to pull at it as hard as he could. "Newt, Tommy, give me a hand here!"
Tommy immediately joined him, starting to rip at the other end; Newt hesitated before letting go of Tina's hand and doing the same. Some other passengers were soon coming to help them, and after some time of pulling, the bolts sheared enough for the bench to break free. As they adjusted their hold on the object and lifted it up, Tina realised what exactly they were doing; one look at Lally told her that she understood too.
"Move aside!" Tina called to other passengers, who - thankfully - started to listen to her. "Quickly, move aside!"
Lally moved to the front, helping to make sure that there was a clear path. "That's it, everyone, mind out the way!"
The steward's face paled at the sight of the men holding the bench - he, too, seemed to have figured out what they were doing. "No! Put that down! Put that down right now!"
"On the count of three," Theseus called to other men purposefully, ignoring the shouts of the crewmember. "One! Two! THREE!"
They ran up the stairs with the bench and rammed it straight into the gate with all of their might; it clanged but did not break open, though the steward behind the bars looked terrified. "Again!" Newt ordered, and they took a few steps back so that they could have another run up to it.
The second collision did just the trick, ripping the gate loose from its tracks and making it fall outwards; relieved, they dropped the bench in the middle of the hallway and the crowd surged forwards with cries of relief. Newt quickly climbed over the bench first before turning back to help Tina over it; next he went to assist Lally, who merely smirked and lifted her skirts before jumping over it herself, and within seconds they were joined by Theseus and Tommy. All of them having gotten through, they began to follow the other rushing passengers in their search for a way up to the decks.
"No!" The steward shouted after them uselessly. "You can't go up there! You can't do this-!"
He was cut off by Tommy giving him a punch on the nose, rolling his eyes to himself; before the crewman could even so much as look around, clutching onto his nose, all of the passengers were gone.
Molly Brown was exhausted as she rested on her oars; Seraphina had taken up rowing with her by this point, but it was still incredibly difficult given that the only other people rowing were two other women and the incompetent sailors. It also didn't help that Hichens, the Quartermaster in charge of their boat, was doing little more than calling out terse orders to pull faster and put their backs into it. As they rowed steadily, she allowed herself to look back at the ship for a moment; it was slanting down in the water, still ablaze with light, and the only thing that was forward of the bridge that wasn't completely submerged was the foremast. It was - frankly - a depressing sight.
As another rocket went off above, lighting up the dozen or so boats moving outward from the ship, Captain Smith was on the boat deck rail with Andrews and Chief Officer Wilde; the shipbuilder pointed out Lifeboat Six grimly. "There, that one."
Wilde took the silver whistle from around his neck and gave it a sharp blow; Smith lifted a large metal megaphone and began to call out to the boat through it. "Come back! Come back to the ship! Boat Six, come back to the ship!"
On Boat Six, the whistle came shrilly across the water, the shouts loud and clear; when Hichens did nothing, Molly turned to the others rowing and raised a hand. "Stop! We have to go back-!"
"No!" Hichens interrupted, gripping the rudder in fear. "The suction will pull us right down if we don't keep going."
Molly was aghast as she gestured to the half-empty boat they were seated in - twenty-three on a vessel that could take sixty-five. "We have lots more room! I say we go back!"
"NO!" Hichens snapped. "It's our lives now, not theirs. And I'm in charge of this boat, madam! Now row!"
Hesitantly, those at the oars began to do so again, though Molly sent him a deeply loathing glare; as the shouts continued from the ship, Hichens merely glanced back but otherwise ignored it.
"This is the captain!" Smith tried yelling again. "Come back to the ship!" But the boat continued on, pulling further and further away from them; with a sigh, the captain slowly lowered his megaphone. "The fools… the damned fools…"
In the A-deck foyer, Achilles and Lovejoy were just crossing the room when they encountered Benjamin Guggenheim and his valet, both dressed in white tie, tailcoats and top hats. Achilles stopped for a moment, somewhat bemused by their attire. "Ben, what's the occasion?"
The older man smiled rather proudly. "We have dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen."
"Oh." Achilles gave a small nod, plastering a fake smile to his face. "Yes, well, that's admirable, Ben… I'll be sure to tell your wife this when I get to New York." And he walked away before the other man could respond.
Meanwhile, in the ship's gymnasium, a number of the first-class were awaiting evacuation in their lifebelts and - bizarrely - even taking turns on the rowing machine and exercise bikes. In one corner, the ship's gym instructor was telling one passenger as to why he was not wearing a lifebelt of his own. "It would only slow me down," He stated jovially before doing swimming motions with his arms. "Impede my stroke!"
"Right you are, Mister McCawley," John Jacob Astor mused. "It is seven hundred miles to shore, so you wouldn't want anything to impede your stroke ."
By the time this conversation finished, Achilles and Abernathy were now walking aft on the A-deck promenade outside with a purposeful stride; as they walked, they passed a number of people who were tossing deck chairs over the railing. One such person was Charles Joughin, the Chief Baker, who had worked up a sweat throwing furniture overboard; after throwing another of the chairs over the side and into the water, he decided to take a break and reached into his pocket. Not caring who was looking, he pulled out a bottle of scotch and opened it; when he drank, he drained the entire bottle in one swig before tossing this overboard too.
Well, if I'm going to die, he thought somewhat unsteadily, why not be absolutely sloshed when it happens?
Panic was now truly beginning to settle in around the remaining boats that were aft; the crowd here was a mix of all three of the different classes, but such a simple thing as social class mattered not when they were all desperately trying to save their own lives and escape death. Officers had to repeatedly warn men back from the boats, but very few seemed to be listening; the crowd continued to press in closer, and one of the seamen near Boat Fourteen found himself having to bradish the tiller of the boat to discourage a close press of men who looked ready to rush the boat.
One gaggle of passengers suddenly sent a woman standing near the edge flying off; she landed on the side of a lowering lifeboat with a scream, clinging on for dear life. As the seaman, Scarott, pushed away the crowd with his tiller, a number of hands pulled the woman back onto the ship from one of the lower promenade decks; she was shaking and in tears even after her feet touched the floor below her.
Suddenly several of the men broke ranks and rushed forwards; Lightoller hurriedly pulled out his Webley revolver and took aim at them. "Get back, I say, or I'll shoot you all like dogs!" He exclaimed, and the men backed down. "Keep order here! Keep order, I say!" Once they were far enough back to not be an immediate threat, he turned away from the crowd and directed his next words to Officer Lowe. "Mister Lowe, man this boat."
Lowe watched as the older man opened up his pistol, revealing an empty gun; Lightoller calmly began to load it with bullets, letting out a long breath. Deciding it was best to not go against the other man's orders, he made his way to stand in the nearest lifeboat so that he could take charge. "Right… Is everybody alright? Nobody panic!"
On the starboard side, Achilles and Abernathy arrived just in time to see Murdoch lowering his last boat; many of the passengers on the lower decks were trying to reach out in the hopes of clambering on from portholes and windows, only to be stopped by the crewmen manning the boats.
"We're too late," Achilles huffed in frustration, not wanting to show that he was feeling slightly more anxious now.
But Abernathy seemed unconcerned. "There are still more boats down the front," He informed his employer. "Stay with this one… Murdoch. He seems to be quite practical."
In the water below, there was another panic; Boat Thirteen was already in the water but was still attached to its falls, meaning that it was being pushed aft by the discharge water being pumped out of the ship. It was now directly underneath Boat Fifteen, which was coming down right on top of it; the passengers shouted up in panic to the crew above to stop lowering, only to be ignored; some men put their hands up, trying futilely to keep the five tons of the boat above from crushing them. Frederick Barrett, the stoker, had gotten out a small knife and was now leaping to the falls, climbing over people and paying no heed to their shouts of protest; he quickly sawed away at the aft falls while another crewman cut the forward lines - Boat Thirteen drifted out from beneath Fifteen just seconds before it touched the water with a slap.
Achilles, looking down over the rail, jolted in surprise at the sudden sound of gunshots; from the other side of A-deck, Officer Lowe was firing his gun as a warning to a herd of men threatening to jump into the boat as it passed the open promenade on A-deck. "Stay back, you lot!" He yelled, brandishing his gun frantically at them. "Just stay back!" He pointed the gun away and fired twice more in warning, making the crowds scream.
As the shots echoed away, Achilles turned to Abernathy hurriedly. "It's starting to fall apart. We don't have much time."
He hadn't even taken two steps forwards when he saw three dogs run by, including an ugly black French bulldog - evidently, someone had released the pets from the kennels, and they were now dashing around in search of their owners, some of whom had most likely already left the ship and abandoned them. He wasn't particularly fond of animals, he found them messy and irritating quite frankly, but even he had to admit that there was a certain kind of sadness to seeing these loyal canines looking for the humans that had left them behind.
Before he could dwell too much on this, Abernathy was tapping his shoulder and gesturing in the direction of the davits of Boat Fifteen; Murdoch was turning away from them now and was starting to walk towards the bow. Seizing the opportunity, Achilles hurried over and fell into step easily beside him. "Mister Murdoch?"
"Mister Tolliver." The officer spared him a quick glance before turning his attention to two crew members. "You two, with me, now!"
"I'm a businessman, as you know," Achilles started to tell him. "And I have a business proposition for you…"
Deleted Scenes included: "Molly Takes Charge", "Irish Hospitality", "Ida and Isidor Straus", "Boat Six Won't Return", "First Class Prepares To Leave" and "Release the Hounds".
Fun Fact: Ida and Isidor Straus were real people and a real couple on the Titanic. In the film, the scene where Ida announces she won't go without him was cut but you can still see them during the "Nearer, My God, To Thee" scene as the old couple spooning on the bed together as the water rushes around them. On the night of the sinking, Isidor and Ida were seen standing near Lifeboat No. 8 in the company of Mrs. Straus's maid, Ellen Bird. Although the officer in charge was willing to allow Isidor to board the lifeboat with the women, Isidor Straus refused to do so while women and children still remained on the ship. He urged his Ida to board, but she refused, saying, "We have lived together for many years. Where you go, I go." It's truly one of the most poignant and beautiful things to come of something so tragic, I think.
Okay, the scene where Theseus got mad and snapped was super cathartic, not gonna lie - Callum Turner has the most beautiful deep voice (literally first time I heard it I was shocked, I was like "Daaaaaamn" because he looked so young?), and just the image of him drawing himself up to his full height, taking charge, voice deep and commanding... I felt stirrings I probably should NOT have. Both of our Scamander men are damn fine, I think we can all agree!
I'm honestly not sure how many chapters we've got left at this point; I was thinking we'd have ten in total, but who knows to be honest? The story will be as many chapters as it needs to be. I'm going to set the chapter counter as being out of ten but only for the time being - this is very much subject to change!
As always, comments and reviews are greatly appreciated!