Titanic

Chapter Nineteen

Finally reaching the end of the staircase, Elizabeth pushed through a group of men finding her husband walking down towards a hallway.

"Thomas!" She yelled out watching as he stopped and turned to face her. His eyes searched the people before landing on her.

Panic filled his face as she ran to him. Nevertheless, his arms wrapped around her and held her close to him as she held on to him.Her arms were tight around his neck as they both tried not to cry.

"What are you doing? Where's Heather?" He asked frantically. His hands cupped her face as he let her stand on her own two feet again.

Her hands rested on the side of his neck. Tears welling up in her eyes and beginning to spill down her cheeks as she felt the warmth from his hands.

"She's on the boat with Molly. I couldn't leave you, Thomas. Where you go, I go. It's been that way for eight years and I'm not about to change it now," she said moving one of her hands to his cheek. She rubbed her thumb over his cheekbone before he pulled her back in.

He stood with her for a minute before deciding he needed to get back to work. He needed to make sure everyone was out.

"Please Beth, please get on a boat," Thomas pleaded once again. It was useless, he knew as much. Once his wife made up her mind that was it.

"Get on with me. None of this is your fault. I'm not going without you," Elizabeth stated looking up into his eyes.

Thomas searched her face. Hating that the tears welling in her eyes were anger at him and the frightening reality of what was happening.

****

"Hello?! Is everyone out?!" Elizabeth yelled banging on one of the stateroom doors. She pushed it open finding a horrid sight in front of her.

A mother asleep on the bed with two of her children. She had clearly given them something and taken something herself. Moving backwards she closed the door.

Her breath caught in her throat as she fell back against the wood panelled walls. Her heart aching for her own daughter. She began to cry for the first time that night. Looking up the hallway she watched people rushing up the grand staircase. She could go.

Looking back down the hallway she noticed the water starting to fill it. Slowly crawling it's way up towards her. This was it. She wouldn't have long to find Thomas in the other corridor.

Turning, she ran as quickly as possible. Moving up the near empty corridor, she noticed the panic building among the passengers left behind.

"The boats are gone!"

"We're in for it now"

"There's nothing left for us to do,"

Stopping in her tracks by the stairs, she pondered the idea, if she got out she could swim. Maybe there was something to hold on to. No. She couldn't leave him.

If they made it out of this, she was going to kill Thomas. She loved the man but his big heart and his conscious are the reason he won't leave.

Stopping again, she could've laughed. They weren't making it out of here. She was going down to Thomas and staying with him, waiting for whatever happened. They'd be together.

Blocking out the voices around her she continued down the stairs towards the men's smoking room. Only to be met with water almost up to her chest. She had come the wrong way.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she removed her coat. Throwing it behind her she knew it would only slow her down.

Walking until she couldn't touch the ground, Elizabeth began to swim towards the smoking room. Her chest was tightening through the cold before she finally felt the shift in the ship.

It was starting to tilt even more now. Moving as quick as she could, she felt her feet find the ground again. Beginning to walk up, she gasped as she hit someone's back.

Looking up at the person, she glared at the sight of Cal standing before her. The sickening smirk on his lips as he held his gun.

"Rose. Where is she?" He asked gripping her by the back of the dress to hold her up and so she couldn't escape.

He needed to find Rose before the ship split and went down altogether. He would get her back.

"I haven't seen her. But I'm damn glad she's not with you. Now, let me go. God dammit! Let me go!" She yelled before balling her fist and punching him in the throat.

He let go immediately and that allowed Elizabeth to escape. She ran as quick as she could through the water. Not daring to look back at Cal.