The night was filled with a horrendous sound, as if the entire Earth was being torn open and it was screaming in protest. The huge ship shuddered as it made contact with the iceberg, shaking the deck and throwing JC and Justin off their feet. JC automatically scrambled over Justin, shielding him from the boulder size chucks of ice raining down onto the deck. He felt Justin’s tense under him and held the boy tighter, covering them both. And then, it was over. An almost deathly silence filled the air as the ship shifted away from the iceberg. JC lifted his head, spying the crew standing along the wheel deck, looking shocked. His eyes met one officer’s gaze, could see the panic there, and in that moment, JC knew something dreadful had happened. Alarms rang and activity resumed. Officers and sailors started scrambling around the ship, and with a lurch, the huge liner came to a halt. JC moved off of Justin, pulling the younger man into his arms. “Are you alright?” he asked, moving his hand over Justin’s arms and face, leaning in and kissing him. “Are you hurt?” His hands shook as they moved over Justin’s frame. Justin shook his head. “No, no, I’m fine.” He pulled JC close, hoping to calm JC down. “What happened?” he asked, looking around at the deck. “Did we hit?” JC nodded. “We did indeed,” he said, rising to his feet and pulling Justin up as well. “Let’s see what we can find out.” They walked along the deck, trying to grab a crewmember or steward. JC finally managed to get one man to stop, only to have him tell them that there was nothing wrong, and to return to their cabins. JC and Justin both knew better, and went in search of further information. Entering the Great Hall, they spied Thomas Andrews scurrying along, arms filled with blueprints and ledgers. Justin and JC hurried after him. “Mr. Andrews,” JC called out. Andrews turned. “JC. Justin. I’m sorry, I don’t…excuse me.” “Mr. Andrews, we saw the iceberg,” JC said. “We know the ship is in trouble,” Justin continued. Andrews looked at JC, then Justin. “Remember what we talked about, Justin? On the tour of the ship?” Justin nodded. “Try and…do what you can. I have to go.” He disappeared up the staircase. “Justin?” JC asked. He saw the fear enter Justin’s eyes. “What was that about?” Justin grasped JC’s hand. “The lifeboats,” he said. “There’s not enough.” “Not enough?” “For all the passengers,” Justin explained. “Not enough by half.” They stood there, hands clasped, as passengers and crew streamed around them. A jumble of emotions passed between them, both realizing what might, what probably would happen. “Well,” JC said. “Yes, well,” Justin said. “What do we do now?” “I think we need to tell your fiancée, don’t you?” JC said. “She might not even know what’s going on.” “JC…” “Come on. No sense standing here and getting run over,” JC said, moving them both out of the way as more crewmembers stormed though the Great Hall. They climbed the stairs, moving quickly down the hall, watching other passengers leaving their room, swathed in heavy coats and bulky life vests. They neared the suite of rooms, loud voices coming from inside. Standing at the doorway, they observed Catherine and the purser. “I want him found! Now!” Catherine screamed. “My fiancé has been missing for hours, and no one seems to care.” JC and Justin exchanged a glance. “Catherine, I’m right here,” Justin said as they entered the room. “Justin!” Catherine raced over to Justin, throwing her arms around him. “What’s happened? Did he hurt you?” She turned to the purser. “Arrest him!” she screeched. “He kidnapped my fiancé!” “Catherine, JC did not kidnap me,” Justin said, standing between the purser and JC. “I wasn’t abducted.” “I can see that,” the purser said. “But where were you?” “In my suite, mostly, then down to JC’s cabin.” “In Third Class?” the purser said, pulling from his pocket sheet of paper and scanning it quickly. “What’s the last name, sir?” he asked JC. “It’s Chasez,” Catherine supplied, glaring at Justin’s protective stance next to JC. The purser read his paper, then narrowed his eyes at JC. “I don’t see a Chasez listed as a passenger. I think you should come with me while we sort this out,” he said, moving toward JC. Justin blocked his way. “He’s not going anywhere,” he vowed. “Justin,” JC said, moving from behind the younger man. “Take care of Catherine. I’ll meet up with you later.” The purser grasped JC’s arm, and began pulling him out of the cabin. “No!” Justin protest, holding JC’s other arm. “No, you can’t…” “Justin.” JC looked at the purser for a moment, and the other man let go of JC. Holding both of Justin’s hands, he pulled the younger man close. “Listen to me. You have to take care of Catherine, get her to safety. Right now, that’s your first duty. Not to me, but to her.” “JC…” “No,” JC shook his head. “After that, after she’s safe, we’ll find each other. I promise.” Tears stung Justin’s eyes. “You promise?” JC squeezed Justin’s hands. “I promise.” He caught Catherine’s venomous eyes, smiling slightly and nodding his head at the woman. He turned to leave the cabin. “Not that it matters much now,” JC said to the purser as they walked down the passageway, “but I’m not on your list because I’m a stowaway.” Justin watched him leave, a feeling of dread sinking in his belly. “A stowaway!” Catherine exclaimed. “I knew there was something shifty about him, something criminal.” Her voice trailed off at Justin’s glare. “I mean, well, really. And whatever did he mean by making sure I’m safe?” She watched the furious activity outside the cabin, people passing in life vests, clutching bags and hats and each other. “Why isn’t the ship moving?” Justin didn’t answer right away, but instead went to Mrs. Hill’s door. Without even knocking, he opened the door, flipping on the light and startling the older woman in her bed. “Mrs. Hill, get up, please, and get dressed. As warmly as possibly.” “Justin!” Catherine came to stand next to him. “What the devil are you doing?” He looked down at Catherine. “We’re sinking, Catherine. You and your mother and Maggie need to get into a life boat, as soon as possible.” “Sinking?” Catherine looked incredulous. “We can’t be sinking.” “This ship is made of iron, Catherine,” he said, moving to the small servants room opposite the sitting area, rousing Maggie from her bed. “It can sink.” “But…how?” “We struck an iceberg,” Justin explained, handing Maggie one of his own warm coats and slipping on another. “Posh,” Mrs. Hill said, as she finally came out of her room, dressed. “Ships hit icebergs all the time. I was assured by Mr. Ismay himself that this ship could not sink.” Justin pulled a fur coat out for Catherine, tossing it to her. “I spoke to Mr. Andrews, Mrs. Hill. He built the ship. He told me in no uncertain terms to get to a life boat as quickly as possible.” “You’re being over dramatic,” Catherine scoffed. “It’s that man, that artist. He’s somehow convinced you of this lunacy. By the way, Mother, we were right. He is a criminal. He’s a stowaway. But then, it figures when people try to live above their station…” Crack. Catherine’s hand rose, covering her cheek where Justin has slapped it. “Justin!” “Don’t speak of him like that,” Justin said. “In fact, don’t speak of him again.” “You’re mad,” she hissed. “Am I?” he countered. “Maybe so, but you have no idea about JC. He’s noble and loyal and far braver than any of us. His first thought was to make sure you were safe, though why he thinks you deserve saving is beyond me.” “Saving…” Her eyes had gone blank. “Catherine.” Justin took her by the arms and shook her a bit. “This ship is going to sink. You have to get to a life boat now.” “Oh my god,” she breathed, breaking free of Justin and scrambling to her trunks. She pulled out small boxes and soft velvet bags, shoving them at Justin. “Here, take these,” she said absently, moving to the bathroom and snatching up more jewelry. “Catherine,” Justin said, pocketing the boxes. “There’s no time for this.” As if on cue, a steward entered their suite. “All passengers must exit their cabins and gather on A Deck,” he said, handing out live vests to the women and Justin.
*** A Deck was a sea of chaos. Crewmembers were unlashing the life boats for the davits as people rushed forward, trying to claim a seat on one. The deck of the ship was noticeably tilting to the bow of the ship, and flares were being shot into the sky, illuminating the inky ocean for seconds before flicking off into blackness again. Justin maneuvered the three women through the mass of people, spying a semi-empty lifeboat nearer the bow of the ship. He approached the boat, seeing the Astor’s and Molly Brown waiting to board the tiny vessel. “Well, seems the gang’s all here!” Molly Brown called out with forced joviality. Her eyes met Justin’s, a knowing look passing between them. “Catherine, honey, here’s our boat. You!” Molly pointed at Maggie. “Get in, girl, and help me with these women.” Maggie did as she was told, helping in first Mrs. Hill, then Catherine. Mrs. Astor was reluctant to part from her husband, crying and holding him close. “Come on, Madelyn,” Molly said soothingly. “We gotta get on this boat.” Finally, Mrs. Astor did as she was told, tears streaming as she parted from her husband. “Justin, get on in now,” Catherine called out. “Women and children only,” a crewmember said as Catherine tried to pull Justin in. “Don’t be silly,” she said. “This is Justin Timberlake, you fool. And Jacob Astor. Of course they can get in this boat!” “No, ma’am, they can’t,” the crewman said. “Sorry, sirs.” “I understand,” Justin said. Astor nodded as well. “No!” Catherine was wild, her eyes wide with fear. “No! Justin, get on this boat!” Justin shook his head. “I have to find JC, Catherine,” he said simply. “Don’t be ridiculous, Justin,” she said, her voice sharp and nervous. “You have to come now. The ship is sinking. You have to come with us.” “Even if I could, I wouldn’t,” he told her simply. “My life is with JC, Catherine. For whatever time we have left.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. “Good bye, Catherine,” he said, nodding to the crewmembers working the davits. The lifeboat slowly lowered, Catherine screaming for Justin until the small boat was out of sight.