April 15, 1912

12:03am

Kurt had been woken by the violent shudders, not aware of what had just occurred. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that Anna Marie was not there, and he surmised that she was likely up in first class with Max.

But what had caused that ruckus?

He had pulled the covers off his bed, and his feet….had been submerged in cold water when they hit the floor. It startled him completely awake.

It didn't take long for him to venture out into the hallway, where others were experiencing the same confusion. Members of the crew had passed out life vests, and everyone was quickly making their way to the staircases to get up to the top deck.

He hoped and prayed that his sister was alright, that Eisenhardt was keeping her out of harm's way.

As he made his way to the nearest staircase, he found it was crowded. There was a gate blocking the way, and he could hear the crew speaking loudly over all of them.

They wouldn't be allowed to pass until all first class passengers had made it onto the boats.

He took some solace in hoping that Anna Marie would be on one of those boats, along with Ororo.

All he could do now was wait.

"Kurt!" He heard a familiar female voice behind him and when he turned….

"Ms Ororo? What are you doing down here?"

"I came looking for you…and for Anna Marie. They say the ship is sinking."

"I'm afraid so. My sister is likely up in first class with Mister Eisenhardt."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank the gods. I had hoped that he wouldn't be far from her."

She looked up at the gate that was keeping them from ascending the stairs. "Now, to find a way for us to join them…that might be difficult."

"Which way did you come down? We can try that."

"I took the lift, but they're closing it. They won't let us back that way."

Kurt thought for a moment. "We can try the other staircases. Come on." He extended his hand to her.

"Lead the way." She took his hand without hesitation.

Up on the top deck, Max was tense with calculated fury. Charles was surreptitiously holding him hostage as they waited for instructions on who could board the boats and when. He could feel the cold steel of the gun at his back, and was trying to think of a way to escape, to find Anna Marie.

There's no telling where they took her. I need to find her before the ship is submerged.

All he could do was bide his time. He had to wait for Charles to be distracted.

"If you even think of running, I will shoot you." Charles reminded him.

"In the back? So cowardly. How fitting." Max spoke with pure spite and disdain.

Charles pressed the gun further into his back. "In the span of time we have been on this ship, you have completely lost your mind. You're going to throw away all our hard work for some woman you've barely known for four days. I have half a mind to have you committed when we make port."

Max had only one phrase to say to him. "Fick dich."

Charles spun him around, to look him in the face, and grabbed him by his shirt, opening his mouth to yell at him.

But in doing this, he left Max an opportunity.

Max swung a fist at Charles' face. Hard. He clocked him in the jaw, making him stumble backwards, and Max took off like a mad man, hoping to find someone who could lead him to Anna Marie before it was too late.

The Master at Arms had taken Anna Marie down to E Deck, detaining her there. She had tried to plead with him, telling him that the ship was sinking, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

One of the ship's crew had come down to his office, telling him he was needed up on the top deck. She begged him to uncuff her, but he simply cast a sympathetic look and said he would return shortly.

Now, she was left alone in the room.

She looked out the porthole, and could see the night sky and the water….

Wait. The water. The water level was rising against the glass.

She heard a rush come from the door, and she turned around to see that water was seeping into the room under the crack.

Oh no.

She tried her best to climb onto a secondary pipe, getting above the water, but it was no use. She couldn't move the way she wanted to.

"Help! Someone please help me!" She started banging the metal chain of her handcuffs against the pipe, hoping the noise would attract someone's attention, the water level slowly rising.

Max was able to locate the architect, who, holding true to his upbringing, was making his way down the halls of first class to ensure that everyone was getting their life vests on and heading to the boats.

The man must have thought Max looked like a madman, but at that moment, Max didn't care. He needed to find Anna Marie, and that was all he could think about at the moment.

The architect, Mister Andrews, had told him that the Master at Arms would likely have taken her to E Deck.

Max had sworn under his breath, hoping that level hadn't been submerged yet.

He made his way for the lift, and was stopped by the attendant.

"I'm sorry, sir, but the lift is closed-"

"Quite frankly, I am done being polite, dammit." He shoved the attendant into the lift. "Take me down. Now. E Deck."

The water level was rising, and Anna Marie waited for the desk that was in the corner of the office to drift closer, using what strength she had to try to stand on top of it, but finding the wood slippery.

She kept banging the metal against the pipe, trying to see if she could get free of the handcuffs, but it was no use.

"Help! Please! Someone get me out of here!"

She heard a voice, faint as she stopped the banging.

"Anna Marie!" The voice was louder now. She knew that voice.

"Max?" She called.

"Anna Marie!" He shouted, desperation in his tone as he searched for her down the corridors, water coming up to his knees.

"Max! Ah'm in here!" She shouted and began banging the metal against the pipes, knowing that the more noise she made, the faster he would find her.

Eventually, the door opened, and there, standing knee deep in water, looking disheveled and half-drenched, was Max. He waded through the water towards her and immediately took her face in his hands, kissing her like his life depended on it.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"Ah'm fine, save for bein' handcuffed. What about you? How'd you get away?"

"I punched him in the face." He said it so nonchalantly, and she looked at him for a minute before letting out a short laugh.

"God, ah love you. Now help me get out of these things. We need a key."

He gave her a small grin before starting the search.