Serena kept kicking until her lifebelt lifted her back to the surface. She opened her eyes, but the starry night sky was all she could see. Countless people were screaming and splashing all around Serena. Some weren't moving either from falling to their deaths when the stern went vertical or went into cardiac arrest from the freezing cold.
"Ash! Ash! Ash!" Serena shouted.
All she could hear were people panicking. With no other choice, Serena began swimming without knowing where she was going. Suddenly, she felt two hands on her head and pushed her down. She struggled to get back up to catch her breath, only to be pushed back down soon after. Serena went back up again and swatted the hands away, but she heard a man's voice panicking from her action and wrapped his arms around her head.
"Let go! Please, let go of me!" Serena shouted.
But the man was in such a state of shock that he didn't know who or what he was holding onto. Serena reached for his hair and pulled, but the man was so shaken that he didn't noticed.
"Help! Somebody help me!" Serena screamed.
"Serena!" Serena heard from a distance. "Serena, where are you?!"
"Ash! Ash, help me! Ash, please!" Serena screamed.
Serena heard someone swimming toward her and the man, grabbing her lifebelt by the strap. Ash tried to pull her away, but the man wouldn't let her go. Using the man's screams to determine where he was, Ash punched him repeatedly until he finally let go of Serena. Then he reached out for Serena until he felt the strap of her lifebelt and grabbed it again.
"Serena, is that your lifebelt I'm grabbing?!" Ash asked.
"Yes!" Serena answered.
"Okay, we gotta find something to get out of the water! I need you to swim, Serena!" Ash shouted.
Ash began swimming with one hand while holding onto Serena's lifebelt. Serena followed as best as she could based on what direction Ash was pulling her. Eventually, Ash felt a large plank of wood and swam around it to determine its size with his hand.
"Serena, I think I found something big enough for us to get on," Ash said.
He pulled Serena over to the wood, and they grabbed the opposite end of it. They pulled to get on, but the wood became unbalanced, tipping them both. Serena tried again first, climbing on one side of the wood before Ash slowly crept up on the other side. They were both on the wood but still half submerged in the water. They then tried to kneel on the wood facing each other and huddle in an embrace, but the wood tipped over again. Finally, Ash and Serena got into a position where they held their bodies up next to each other on one end of the wood while their legs were still in the water, with Serena on the right side and Ash on the left. Serena slowly eased up with most of her body out of the water, but she could hear Ash shivering intensely.
"Ash, you're shaking. We should try a different position," Serena said.
"N-n-no, we can't. We've spent too much energy as it is," Ash said. "W-w-we have most of our bodies out of the water, so it'll have to do."
Serena grew unsettled, still feeling they could get their entire bodies out of the water, but remembered Timothy's warning about using too much energy. She put her hand on Ash's and rubbed it, thinking she was sharing body warmth in some small way. A loud whistle came from behind them as an officer holding onto rubble tried to catch everyone's attention.
"Return to the boats! Return to the boats!" he shouted.
The officer kept blowing his whistle, but no one apart from Ash and Serena could hear him. Ash grinned with his teeth chattering and turned to Serena.
"T-t-the boats are coming back for us, Serena," he stuttered. "Now that the suction is over, they'll be coming back sooner than Mr. Durbin predicted. Just hold on a little bit longer."
Serena looked in Ash's direction. She couldn't see him, but she imagined him grinning at her. She smiled back despite knowing Ash couldn't tell and focused on keeping her upper body out of the water. But no words of confidence or the extent of how loudly the officer blew his whistle could protect Ash or Serena from the screams.
"Help us!"
"Please, help us!"
"We're over here!"
"Where are the boats?! Where are the boats?!"
"Save my baby!"
Serena wished she was wearing earmuffs to drown the screams, or she and Ash were on something everyone could safely get on until the boats arrived. To hear countless people scream to their deaths was a horror she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy. Feeling Ash's hand was the only thing keeping her sane. Ash wanted to scoot closer to Serena and hold her to comfort her. If nothing else, he thought holding her might help him endure the nightmare they were in.
The screams and the splashing died down as time went on. More and more people succumbed to the cold water, and their bodies froze. One woman was sobbing, calling for help despite knowing she wouldn't make it. The officer blew his whistle to his last breath. Before they knew it, Ash and Serena were alone, surrounded by lifeless bodies floating in the water.
"I-I-I-it's so quiet," Serena said, shaking.
"I-I-I guess it's taking a little longer for the boats to get organized," Ash said. "I don't know about you, but I'm writing a s-s-s-strongly worded letter to the Macro Cosmos Line about this."
Serena forced a chuckle and rubbed Ash's hand with her thumb. Then she felt mighty low as more people passed on. Her legs were numb from still being in the water, and her hands and arms were so cold she thought they would turn into ice. Ash was shivering more intensely, and Serena could tell from his breathing that he was trying to hide it. With no sound of boats coming their way, it looked certain to Serena that Ash was going to die, and she was going to join him soon after.
"I love you, Ash," Serena said.
Ash turned to Serena and shook his head in disbelief. With a firm grip, he moved his hand away from Serena's hold and put it on top of her hand.
"Don't you dare do that. Do say your goodbyes," he said.
"I'm…I'm so cold, Ash," Serena said.
"This isn't the end, Serena. We didn't come this far just to die now," Ash said. "Don't give up until it's over. You said it yourself, remember? Say it. Say it again."
Serena wanted to cry. She thought telling Ash she loved him would help him come to terms with the situation. It seemed cruel that he would refuse to back down rather than let Serena hear him say, "I love you too" one last time. Then, she said Ash's words in her head and remembered they were the words she chose to live by. Why she abandoned Oleana and threw away the life of luxury she could've had as the Lady of Hammerlocke. Why she risked her life to save Ash and chose him over getting to safety on a lifeboat. And finally, why she took Ash as her husband without a second thought. Serena turned her head to Ash and smiled weakly.
"Don't give up until it's over."
"Right, and it's not going to be over for a long, long time," Ash said. "We're gonna get out of here and reunite with our friends. We're going to start a new life in Galar. We'll get our wedding rings and travel all over the region as husband and wife."
"Yeah. Yeah, we still need to get our rings," Serena said. "We'll get you a new sketchbook, too, and you'll make lots of money with your drawings."
"A-a-and you'll be wowing whole crowds with your dancing again. And later, we'll start having babies. As many as you want," Ash said.
"Three. Three would be perfect. A boy and two girls," Serena said.
"You got it. We're gonna watch our kids grow, and later, we'll have grandkids and spoil them with sweets," Ash said. "And then, we'll die very old and in each other's arms with our family and friends surrounding us. Not here."
"No, not here," Serena agreed.
Ash squeezed Serena's hand.
"Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me, Serena. It led me to you," he said.
"And falling in love with you gave my life new meaning," Serena said. "You made me a better version of myself than I ever thought I could be."
Ash and Serena wanted to follow up with a kiss, but they stayed still to keep the wood plank balanced. Serena looked down at the stars reflecting on the water and smiled. If it weren't for the danger, she would've thought it romantic that she was alone with Ash, and they could've laid on the wood on their backs to look at the stars together. The thought led her to imagine flying up in the stars with Ash, like how it felt like she was flying when they were on the bow. Her mind then went to when Ash sang into Serena's ear before they had their first kiss, and she began singing the song.
Come, Josephine, in my flying machine.
Going up she goes, up she goes
Balance yourself like a bird on a beam
In the air she goes, there she goes
Up, up a little bit higher
Oh, my, the moon is on fire
Come Josephine in my flying machine
Going up all on, goodbye
Ash smiled and joined in singing the song. The couple thought of the party with their friends as they sang from the beginning. Aunt Sonia flirting with Leon, Goh, and Chloe dancing together, Gary with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of beer in another, and Mindy with her father and the woman in the white dress. If nothing else, it was comforting to sing an upbeat song to break the silence.
Their voices dried up as time passed, and they could only sing the song to themselves. Serena grew tired, not used to staying up so late at night. She hung her head, and her eyes grew heavy while holding her body up with her arms. The song was still playing in her head, but her voice was a murmur. Eventually, she closed her eyes and began to doze off until she heard a voice.
"Is there anyone alive out there?! Can anybody hear me?!"
Serena lifted her head and saw black shapes at a distance that looked like men on a lifeboat. Four men were rowing while one was sitting at the stern. Two other men were at the bow checking the bodies in the water. Serena's face slowly lit up, and she shook Ash's hand.
"Ash. Ash, there's a boat," she said.
Serena's smile faded when she heard no response. She turned to Ash and realized he was shivering less. It took a moment for Serena to realize Ash was also dozing off, and his body was starting to give in. She moved closer to Ash, nearly tipping over the plank, and bumped him with his shoulder.
"Ash!" she wheezed.
Ash jumped and groggily raised his head.
"Huh? Wazzat? Herrphmurmer degiabumur…" he mumbled.
"Ash. Ash, wake up. There's a boat, Ash. We're saved," Serena said.
"Boatzzz? A boatzzz? Huzzahurr," Ash said.
Serena frowned and slapped Ash upside the head. She hit him again twice as hard, but it barely fazed him. Finally, Serena scooped water with her hand and threw it at Ash's face. The sudden splash of ice water gave Ash such a startle that he nearly tipped over the plank.
"I'm up! I'm up! What's going on?!" Ash said.
"There's a boat, Ash. Help is here," Serena said.
"Where? I can't see anything," Ash said.
"Dead ahead," Serena said.
Ash looked ahead and saw the black shapes. He studied them for a moment before he figured out what they were, and his hope rose at the sound of Cress' voice.
"Hello! Is there anyone alive out there?! Can anybody hear me?!" Cress called out.
"Yes! Yes, we're here! Help us!" Ash called out.
"Please, we're right here! Get us out of here!" Serena shouted.
But their throats were so dry they could only hear each other. The boat passed by with Cress still calling out to anyone alive. Ash watched in disbelief while Serena began crying, afraid they had missed their window. Then something clicked in Serena's mind, and she looked behind her.
"Ash, I think I know how we can reach them," she said. "Grab my lifebelt."
"Why?" Ash asked.
"Because we're getting off," Serena explained. "I think the man with the whistle is still behind us. If I can get to his whistle, I can blow on it, and they can hear me."
Ash looked behind him and then at Serena despite being unable to see her, and he hummed in approval.
"Alright. You got this, Serena," he said.
Serena smiled and kissed Ash's hand. She then lifted his hand to the strap of her lifebelt, and Ash grabbed it. They took a second to prepare themselves before they got off the plank, and Serena swam in the officer's direction, with Ash following behind. Serena bumped into a beach chair and felt a pair of arms holding it. She reached for the officer's face and moved her hand around it until she felt his whistle still in his mouth and snatched it. Serena blew the whistle loudly and repeatedly, looking in the direction of where she last saw the boat. Ash waited while holding on to Serena's lifebelt and faintly heard Cress shouting, "Come about!"
"Serena, I think they're coming back," Ash said. "Keep going. Give it everything you've got."
Serena couldn't entirely hear Ash with her blowing the whistle, but she was sure he said the boat was coming back. Again and again, she blew as hard she could, ignoring her throat aching. The black shapes grew until the boat was inches from Ash and Serena. Serena felt someone grab her coat and pull her toward the boat.
"Wait, help my husband first. He's on my right side," Serena wheezed, pulling Ash toward the boat. "He needs to get on more than I do."
Ash reached out for the person grabbing Serena, and touched his arm. The person on the boat grabbed Ash's hand and carefully pulled him in with the other men supporting the boat on the other side. Serena blew the whistle again to ensure they knew where she was before pulling her into the boat. Ash and Serena sat beside each other, shivering and rubbing their arms.
"Here, take a swig. It'll warm you up," a man said.
Serena felt a flask in her hand and took a sip. The unexpected hot feeling of whiskey going down her throat made her cough violently and she nearly dropped the flask. She handed the flask to Ash, who also coughed after taking a swig before handing it back to its owner. Yet as unpleasant as drinking whiskey was, Ash and Serena felt a little warm.
"Is there anyone else with you? Do you know if anyone else around you is alive?" Cress asked.
"No, sir. It's just us," Ash said.
"I think he's right, sir. I don't hear anyone else moving," Ash and Serena heard someone say.
"Well, keep checking," Cress said. "And you two, mind what's in front of you. There are two poor souls that we found too late lying there."
Ash and Serena looked down and grew uneasy, imagining the frozen corpses before them. Cress and his team continued to look for survivors while Ash and Serena kept each other awake. Eventually, Cress accepted with a heavy heart that Ash and Serena were all they could save and ordered his team to return with the other lifeboats.
For another hour or so, there was nothing anyone could do but pray and wait for help to arrive. Then, they saw a white flare exploding above the horizon. Another one exploded about 15 minutes later, closer to the area. Another 15 minutes passed, and a flare exploded closer to the lifeboats. As the flares were spotted, the sky turned to a subtle shade of pink. Cress and the other officers leading the boats ignited green flares and waved them in the direction where the white flares were going off.
Eventually, the sun rose, and Ash and Serena could see the other boats. To their surprise, they found themselves in a field of icebergs, indicating that Titanic was at greater risk of hitting an iceberg than they thought, and any one of them could've been the one that sank it. The survivors heard one more flare explode, and they looked to find a liner 558 feet long and 7 decks high drifting towards them. Some passengers were crying in relief as they watched the TCP Varpathion come to their rescue. Ash and Serena huddled closer together, with Ash's arm around Serena, and Serena rested her head on his shoulder as she began to tear up.
"We did it," Serena said. "We made it."
"Yes, my love, " Ash said. "It's finally over."