"I'm not sure. It's probably nothing to worry about."
"I don't know Brian. Something doesn't feel right."
"You shouldn't worry so much. If anything, I'll protect you from any harm," he says softly as he wraps his strong arms around her.
Arlene looks at him with dreamy eyes. There is no doubt in her heart now. She truly loves this man. I feel so safe with him. He is the one, my soul mate. I just want to stay wrapped in his arms forever. "Brian, I didn't say anything before, but, now I'm sure. I love you too." His face beams with happiness.
"You don't know how happy you've made me. Wait 'till I tell N...Nick..."
He suddenly remembers that they aren't friends anymore. Arlene notices that he has this sad look on his face.
"Baby, what's wrong?"
"It's just that...."
He wasn't able to finish, for suddenly they are surrounded by crew officers running around the ship telling everybody to put on the lifebelts and go outside to where the lifeboats are.
"Brian, I'm getting scared," says Arlene as she clutches unto him.
"Don't worry, I'm sure this is just a precaution. Let's just do what they say," he says, though he is also a bit scared himself. They start walking hand-in-hand towards the lifeboats. It better be just a precaution. Otherwise.... It suddenly dawns on him what he had said earlier to Nick.
"..there aren't enough lifeboats for everybody on the ship." All the color drains from his face.
"Brian, are you ok? You don't look so good," says Arlene worriedly.
"Huh? Uh, yeah, I'm fine. Come on, let's go outside."
"Ok......" Arlene replies unsurely.
"Oh my God, Nick, that thing was huge!"
"Yeah, I know. I can't believe we crashed into that thing!"
"Nick, I have a bad feeling about this..."
"Hey, don't worry, it's probably nothing. And anyway, I promise I won't let anything happen to you," he says softly. "Before anything else happens, I just wanted to say to you that I love you. I loved you ever since I laid eyes on you." Priscilla had tears in her eyes. "I must be dreaming..." They then share a deep kiss. The emotions they feel is so strong, like some kind of force is in them. After a long while, they pull away. "Nick, let's go back to my room. We have it all to ourselves now."
"Anything you say, my love." Oh, it feels so good to hear him say that to me, she thinks happily to herself.
Hand in hand, they walk slowly back to her room. When they get there, Priscilla quietly closes and locks the door and tells Nick to sit on the bed. She sits next to him and for awhile they stare into each other's eyes. Their faces then get closer and closer until they finally find each other's lips and start kissing passionately. Eventually, to get more comfortable, they lie down in bed without stopping, each kiss and embrace more passionate than the other. After some time, they stop their little make-out session and pull away, gasping for breath. He smiles at her, gives her one more kiss, and finally lays down on her chest to rest. Priscilla gently strokes his hair and sighs happily. This is truly the best night of my life. I'm so happy. She suddenly yawns. And so sleepy, I think I'll tell Nick...oh, never mind, he fell asleep already. He looks so cute and angelic. She lets out another yawn. I'm...so...tired.....She gently lays Nick next to her so as not to wake him. He gives out a satisfied sigh and hugs Priscilla close to him. After a while, they both fall into a deep sleep.
"Whoa, it must be something serious if they called all of us up here. Do you think we will have to get in the lifeboats?" "I hope not. If we do though, we're going together, so don't worry. I won't leave your side, I promise."
"Aww, you always know when to say the right things to me." Brian smiles embarrassingly.
"Well, that's the kind of guy I am," he says jokingly. Arlene laughs.
"Just the type of guy I want!"
As they approach the crowd, they can see clearly that one of the officers on the ship is going to speak.
"Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please!" he shouts.
Everybody quiets down to hear what he has to say. "Thank you. Now, before I announce what I am about to say, please keep in mind that we are not absolutely sure, so please do not panic."
Arlene snickers. She whispers to Brian, "If he really didn't want us to panic, he shouldn't have said that."
Brian chuckles softly. "Ok, well, it seems that earlier the ship hit some sort of big rock, probably an iceberg. There is a chance that it might...sink." As soon as those words come rolling out, everybody starts shouting at once.
"The ship is gonna sink?!"
"Oh my God, we're gonna die!!"
The officer suddenly puts a whistle in his mouth and blows hard. The loud and sharp sound shuts everyone up. They all stare at him.
"Everybody, please calm down! Now, we are going to start loading the lifeboats, but only the women and children can go in. The men will have to wait."
Everybody stood silent for what seemed like an eternity, then they start talking again, only this time more hysterically. All the color had drained from Brian's face, and it didn't help that Arlene was becoming hysterical.
"What?! No way, I am not going to leave you Brian!"
"You have to, baby. I'll get on as soon as I am allowed. Just please get on the lifeboat," he says in a surprisingly calm manner, though his voice was trembling a bit.
"No!! I won't go!!" she cries out as she embraces him. "Please Brian, let me stay with you until you are allowed to go."
Tears start to well up in his eyes, but he is determined not to let her see him like this. He pulls out of her embrace and grabs her shoulders. Arlene could feel him trembling.
"Arlene, listen to me, you have to go. I know for a fact that there's not enough lifeboats for everybody, so you have to go now!" he blurts out.
Arlene stares at him in shock. Not enough lifeboats? No wonder he's pushing me to get on. She shakes her head. "I still won't leave you!!" As they continue arguing, the officers start loading the lifeboats. One man tries to sneak on, but an officer sees him and grabs his arm. The guy resists so the officer pulls out his gun. He gets scared and tries to wrestle the gun away from him. They both hold it in such a way that it points straight at Arlene. Brian happens to look out of the corner of his eye, notices the gun and sees that the man is about to shoot.
"Arlene, watch out!"
"Wha....?"
He jumps in front of her and at the same moment a shot rings out. Everybody yelps in surprise. To Arlene, everything is just a blur. Brian looks at her with pained eyes for a couple of seconds until he finally topples down. She doesn't know what has happened until she sees a red blotch forming in his chest. The realization finally hits her: her beloved has been shot right in front of her eyes.
"Brian?" she whispers. She kneels down beside him, never-ending tears streaming down her face. "Brian!" she shouts. "No, please, you can't leave me!! You promised me! Brian, answer me!" She starts trembling all over.
"Somebody, please help him! Help him, he's dying!" One of the officers there finally kneels down beside him to check his pulse. "He's still alive, but barely. He's lost a lot of blood already. Here miss, hold this cloth tightly on his wound. It'll help lesson the flow." He gets up and turns towards the commanding officer. "Sir, I think you should make an exception and let this man get on a lifeboat. It's the only chance he has." He tenses for a moment, then finally nods. "Right, you and you, help this man into the lifeboat."
"Yes, sir!" shout the two other officers. They gently lift up Brian and place him in the lifeboat. Arlene, who is emotionally drained, gets up to go with him. She gets on and sits down right next to Brian and places his head on her lap. "Alright men, lower the lifeboat!" With that, Arlene feels it start moving and then it finally hits the water. The officer on the boat starts rowing away from the ship. She starts stroking Brian's messed-up hair and weakly smiles. "You're going to be alright, my love. Just hold on....." she says to him, newly fresh tears falling down her face.
One hour later...
"I love you, Mr. Carter." Just then, as they are about to share a kiss, water comes pouring into the church. She hears screams everywhere and watches in horror as Nick is being pulled away by the current.
"Priscilla!!!" he screams, reaching out his hand. "Nick, don't leave me!!!"
She reaches out to grab him, but it's too late. He slowly gets farther and farther away. "Noooooo!!!!!!! Nick!!!!!!!" Priscilla wakes up with a start. Panting, she realizes she is covered in sweat. Then she sighs in relief. It was just a dream, well, more like a nightmare. She looks over just to make sure and to her relief sees Nick still sleeping peacefully beside her. He looks so cute. I wonder, how long have I been asleep? She looks at her watch and opens her eyes wide in astonishment. It's 1:00 am already?! Damn, I didn't realize it was so late. How come Arlene hasn't come back yet? She decides to get up, but the sight of her room makes her freeze. "Oh my God!!!!!! Nick, wake up!" He groans.
"Just a few more minutes. I'm so tired....." he says sleepily. Priscilla starts to shake him. "Nick, wake up now!! Our room is flooded with water!"
He reluctantly wakes up, not understanding what she had just said. "What did you sa.......huh?!" he cries as he sees the room. "Wha.......what happened?!"
"I don't know. But I'm getting scared. Wait a minute........remember when we saw that iceberg?" Nick nods. Then he starts thinking about it, and his face drains of all color.
"Wait, you don't suppose......."
"Nick, I think that iceberg did more than just bump us."
"Shit! Come on! We have to get out of here!!"
As soon as his feet touch the water the water, he yelps. "Damn, this water is ice cold!"
Priscilla scoffs. "Well, what did you expect! We're not exactly in the Caribbean waters, you know!"
"Why are you getting all angry at me for? It's not my fault that iceberg hit this ship!" he shouts angrily. She suddenly realizes what she is doing and starts to cry.
"I'm sorry Nick. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just that I'm so scared," she says between sobs. Nick's facial features soften. He puts his arms around her and tries to calm her.
"Shhh, don't cry. It's ok. Don't worry, we're gonna get through this together. I promise. Now come on, let's get out of here." Priscilla nods and wipes her tears away. The water is knee deep, so it's a struggle for them to walk quickly enough. For every step they take down the hall, the water gets deeper and deeper. By the time they finally reach the stairs that will lead them to the upper deck, the water is up to their upper chests. With a groan, Nick pulls himself up, then reaches out his hand to help Priscilla get out. She gratefully takes it and pulls herself up. Once they're out, they start looking around for a lifeboat.
"Nick, I don't think there are anymore."
"Yes there are! Over there!" he happily cries out, pointing at the boat where a crowd has gathered a few feet away from them. They both run over there as fast as they can. As they approach the boat, they hear, "Any more women and children?"
"Wha.....men aren't allowed?" Priscilla asks the officer. "No, miss, only women and children at this time." Nick hesitates for a moment. He finally says, "Come on Prisci, you're next." She backs away.
"No, Nick, I'm not going without you."
"Yes, you are. Now get in the boat."
"No way."
"Get in the boat, Priscilla," Nick says more sternly.
"No Nick, I won't!! I won't leave you!" she cries out.
"Damn it, get in the boat!" Nick cries out, his voice trembling a bit.
"No! Not without you!" she cries, tears spilling on her cheeks. Despite the aching pain that Nick feels, he manages to smile bravely at her. "Look, don't worry about me. I'll get on the next one that allows men as soon as I can. If anything, don't worry, I'm a strong swimmer. Please, just go."
Before Priscilla can even respond, the officer grabs her hand and pulls her towards the boat. She reluctantly goes. As soon as she gets in, she turns around and reaches out her hand to Nick. He holds it, feeling as if he can never let go, until the officer breaks them apart. "That's it. Lower the boat!" shouts the officer. Priscilla gasps as she feels the boat lowering slowly. She looks at Nick, and they both gaze into each other's eyes. Nick feels as if his heart is tearing in two. He knows that there is no chance in hell that there will be another boat for him. I love you so much, Priscilla. Please take care of yourself..... With that, his eyes start filling with tears. He tries to control himself, but it's no use. The tears start sliding across his cheek. Priscilla, who is also crying, notices this and figures out the truth. No.....I'm not leaving you! I won't! I won't! Giving Nick one last look, she quickly goes to the side of the boat facing the ship and jumps. All the people aboard, including Nick, gasp in horror.
"Priscilla!!" he frantically cries out. "Priscilla, no!" She luckily grabs the railing of the lower deck of the ship in time. There, she pulls herself up and starts running towards the stairs. Nick sees this and starts running as well. What is she doing? She's crazy... Priscilla reaches the stairs just as Nick is coming down them. She sees him and runs into his arms, crying hysterically. Nick, who's crying as well, starts kissing her like crazy. "Why did you do that, huh? Why did you do that? Why?!" he asks, his voice trembling with emotion.
"Remember when you promised we would get through this together?" she asks softly, choking back a sob. "Well, I intend to keep you from breaking that promise."
Nick manages to laugh through his tears and gives her another kiss. "Also, I.......I just couldn't bare to leave you. I love you, Nick!!"
"I love you too..."
He gives her a deep kiss and holds her closely as they cry...
Part Four
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