Titanic [STEFAN SALVATORE]

Chapter Two

THE sound of gurgling, of someone gasping for air, made Stefan stop. He let the body he was feeding from drop to the ground with a soft thud. Someone was drowning and Stefan, for some unknown reason felt compelled to help. Maybe it was the fact that he'd done more bad than good, having been on the Titanic for a few hours and already and managing to kill a dozen of the passengers. He didn't want to. But he had.

The hunger was so strong. It was all he felt. It was stronger than the buried emotions of guilt and self-pity. And perhaps, if he helped save someone, it would prove he wasn't a complete monster. Which he was, he was slowly learning to accept the cold and hard truth of being a vampire. He softly ran down the hallways of the ship, running closer and closer to the sound.

When he reached the deck, he paused. He could hear a distant heartbeat, growing slower and slower. Alarmed, he leaned closer, looking at the ocean. It was dark, but despite the darkness he still managed to see pale arms moving in frantic motion. He took a step back, gaining momentum as he leaped into the water. It wasn't until he was swimming towards who appeared to be a woman, that he recognized her.

Margaret.

He swam faster, reaching her in the matter of seconds. He wrapped his left arm around her waist, bringing her up, with his right hand swimming ahead, bringing them closer to the Titanic. He glanced at her, noticing how her head was moving from side to side. And then, he noticed he was wrong. She was unconscious, her heartbeat was almost non-existent.

She was going to die on his arms.

THREE HOURS EARLIER

Margaret spent most of the remaining of her time in one of the bathtubs of the Turkish Baths cooling room. Her skin was wrinkly from the amount of time she had spent in the water. But she didn't move. She felt a sense of contempt and peace as she read, her hair seemingly changing color in the water, appearing lighter than it was.

When her eyes got tired of reading, which they did much to her dismay, Margaret focused her eyes on the ornate and colorful blue and green tiles. It was a shame, really. The Titanic was growing on her. She was beginning to explore the many things it had: a gym, a swimming pool, numerous of cafes and sitting rooms.

Her mind wasn't going to change because her circumstances weren't going to change either. Her life was on a clear path, one that would end to a unhappiness and misfortune. Alas, the only way to stop that from happening was by jumping. Her mother probably preferred it that way. Better a daughter of hers died than she live in poverty.

Thomas would take care of her parents. She knew him enough to know he'd take pity on them if she died. Things would workout. Her mother would get what she wanted. She'd have a comfortable life. Her dad would grieve her, that was one of the things holding her back. He'd grieve her. But in a few years time, Margaret knew his heart would heal.

Getting tired of the water, Margaret grabbed her bathrobe and towel. She quickly dried herself and slipped on the bathrobe. Without changing into her clothes and wearing nothing else but a bathrobe, Margaret left the Turkish Baths cooling room. She felt eyes on her as she walked the halls barefoot. Women gasped, putting a hand above their children's eyes. Men stared. And Margaret smiled.

She opened her suite, went inside and closed the door after her. She stood for a while, in the center of the room, looking at the dresses she had. Did it really matter what she wore the last time? Clothes were all the same. And yet, doing as told, she got the prettiest dress she owned. When she was about to slip it on, a knock interrupted.

Thomas peeked his head in. And then he coughed awkwardly. "My apologies, Margaret. I didn't know you were changing."

"What do you want?" She asked him, turning to face him. His face was blank for a moment as he noticed and she too noticed, that she hadn't called him Mr. Douglas. He meet her eyes, licking his lips. His blue eyes looked stormy.