Ash and Serena went to the third class open space while everyone else went to their respective cabins. They kissed fiercely with Serena's back against the wall as Ash warped one arm around her waist and caressing her cheek with the other hand. Serena held onto the back of Ash's shirt with both hands as she moaned softly, her heart racing as they celebrated their bond as husband and wife. When they parted, Serena pulled Ash closer and rested her head against Ash's while stroking his hair.
"Guess what," Serena whispered into Ash's ear.
"What?" Ash asked.
"I love you," Serena said.
"I love you too," Ash said.
Serena smiled and proceeded to kiss Ash's neck. Ash chuckled, tickled by Serena's lips. Then his eyes widened, and he turned his head to the table where his sketchbook and Serena's flowers were lying on.
"You still plan to leave your drawing in Mivashkama's safe, right?" Ash asked.
Serena's face fell, and she groaned while resting her forehead on Ash's shoulder. She was so focused on marrying Ash that she didn't think of putting her drawing in Mivashkama's safe while collecting Molly to attend their elopement. Ash smiled and patted Serena's back.
"Let's do that quickly before Mivashkama or your stepmother return to your cabin," Ash said. "It might be a good idea to pack some of your things so we don't get off with you having nothing."
Serena frowned and lifted her head to look at Ash.
"I don't have any other possessions, but it would be a good idea to grab some clothes," she admitted.
Ash nodded and let go of Serena to get his sketchbook. Serena moaned again as Ash let go of her. She was holding him for so long that she became cold as though she was taking off her coat. Ash came back and took Serena's hand, making her feel better.
They took an elevator to B Deck to avoid bumping into Mivashkama or Oleana at the Grand Staircase. Serena looked back as she and Ash walked down the hall to ensure her stepmother and fiancee weren't around. When they reached Serena's cabin, Serena slowly opened the door and peeked her head in to make sure no one was in. She and Ash went in and closed the door behind her before they went into Mivashkama's room, where a large, green safe was on a table beside his bed. Ash carefully ripped his drawing off his sketchbook and gave it to Serena.
"Thank you," Serena said in a singing voice.
She entered the combination to the safe, opened it, and slid the drawing inside. Serena then grabbed a pen and a piece of parchment and wrote a note. Ash covered his mouth as he snickered while watching Serena write from over her shoulder.
Mivashkama,
You want to see me always wearing the Gieldanstone. Knock yourself out with this.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Serena Ketchum
Serena slid the note inside to stand against the drawing and closed the safe. She took Ash's hand and guided him to her bedroom on the other side of the cabin. After closing the door behind them, Serena opened a suitcase from her closet and filled it with dresses.
Suddenly, Ash and Serena heard a door opening from the other side of the wall. They looked at each other briefly before Serena quickly forced the suitcase closed despite being overfilled. She gestured to Ash to follow her as she took her suitcase and quietly opened the door next to her bed that led to the hall.
"Ms. Serena?"
Ash and Serena froze. In retrospect, Serena should have considered the possibility of Mivashkama sending Morfious to check on her. She turned off the lights and pretended to snore. She hoped that would trick Morfious into thinking she was asleep so he would go away, but the deception only led Morfious to knock on the door to wake her up. Serena rolled her eyes and took Ash's hand as they exited the bedroom and carefully closed the door behind them.
Ash and Serena walked down the hall holding hands while Serena carried her suitcase with her other hand, trying to act casual. Serena tried not to laugh as she wondered how long Morfious would be knocking on her bedroom door, not knowing no one was in there. Ash looked back, realizing he had left his sketchbook in the cabin, and frowned, knowing there was no way to get it back.
They were halfway down the hall when Serena's bedroom door opened. Ash and Serena looked back to see Morfious exiting the cabin and looking around until he spotted them. It took the bald, menacing manservant a moment to process what had happened before he glared at them with his pale yellow eyes.
"Ms. Serena!" Morfious shouted.
"Run!" Serena shouted.
Ash and Serena bolted with Morfious not far behind. Serena dared to look back to see Morfious catching up. He did not reach out for his gun, which gave them an advantage. She looked down at her suitcase and debated with herself before mentally shrugging, deciding to worry about clothes later. She let go of Ash's hand and swung her suitcase toward Morfious with both hands. The flat bottom of the suitcase hit Morfious' face, and he stepped back, holding his nose. Ash and Serena laughed as Serena took Ash's hand and ran again.
"Ms. Serena, get back here at once!" Morfious roared.
But Serena wasn't afraid. If anything, running away was rather thrilling. She laughed like a child playing tag as she and Ash rushed into an elevator. Their sudden appearance startled the lift attendant as Ash closed the gate before Morfious could enter.
"Take us down," Ash said.
"Uh, where to?" the lift attendant asked.
"Just down," Serena said.
The lift attendant hesitated before pulling the lever. Morfious banged on the gate with a growl of irritation as the elevator descended. He glowered at Ash and Serena with blood coming down from his nose, and Serena merely smirked before biting her thumb at him. The newlyweds snickered as Serena followed her insults with a little wave before Morfious was out of sight. The lift operator waited patiently for Ash and Serena to tell him when to stop, but the young couple was too lost in their moment to notice.
Finally, when the elevator reached E Deck, Ash opened the gates, and he and Serena hopped off the elevator before it fully reached the floor. Ash led Serena to a narrow staircase, and they went two floors down for good measure. When they reached the bottom steps, they went down the hall through a door with a small, circular window and stopped to catch their breath.
"Boy, that guy is pretty persistent," Ash said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a cop."
"I think he was some sort of military guy. He does have that sort of statue that implies he's fought in a war or something," Serena said.
Ash chuckled as he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. He turned his head, and his eyes widened to see Morfious through the door window, livid as he raced towards them.
"Oh, crap, he's here! Run!" Ash shouted.
He grabbed Serena's hand again, and they bolted down the hall with Morfious not too far behind. The young couple zoomed through a cook passing by, pushing a tray of food, and a fireman (or stoker as they're sometimes called) taking a smoke break as they ran until they found themselves at a dead end. Ash opened a door on the left side of the dead end, and he and Serena went in. Ash closed the door behind them and locked it seconds before Morfious reached out to grab the knob. Ash and Serena were relieved before they covered their ears, realizing they were in a small room with ear-piercing machinery all around them.
"Now what?!" Serena shouted.
"What?!" Ash asked.
"Now what?!" Serena repeated, speaking slowly and mouthing out the words.
Catching the question the second time, Ash looked around until he saw a manhole and a ladder leading further down. He gestured to Serena to follow him and climbed down the ladder with Serena climbing down after him. They reached the bottom to find themselves in a boiler room with dozens of firemen shoveling large lumps of coal into the boilers or carrying piles of coal in wheel barrels.
"Oi, what are you two doing here?" The leading fireman asked, standing behind Ash and Serena. "You shouldn't be here. It could be dangerous."
Ash and Serena ran away from the fireman as if on instinct, never minding that the fireman wasn't Morfious. Other firemen stopped what they were doing, confused with two passengers running down the boiler room. Ash and Serena didn't know where they were going but didn't care. As far as they were concerned, running through the boiler rooms was simply part of the adventure.
Finally, Ash and Serena took a passageway outside the boiler room. They descended the passageway, finding themselves in one of Titanic's cargo holds. All three cargo holds contained various items, including, but not limited to, food, furniture, machinery, books, and various merchandise. One of the first-class passengers was traveling to Galar with his family and his new Renault town car, but Ash and Serena didn't find one there. When Aunt Sonia and I looked at Titanic's manifest when researching for this book, the car was listed as "1 case auto," so it's likely it wasn't fully assembled.
Ash and Serena found a crate to rest their legs. Serena rested her head on Ash's shoulder with her eyes closed, and they sighed in relief. The young couple sat in silence, thankful to be alone again. After about a minute, Serena opened her eyes and scanned the cargo hold before lifting her head to turn to Ash.
"Do you think we could stay here until the ship docks?" Serena asked.
Ash looked around and thought about it before he shook his head.
"Even if Morfious can't figure out where we are, those guys in the boiler room might report us and send someone over here to find us," Ash said. "Sooner or later, we'll need to keep moving and find a place where they will never find us."
Serena frowned and said, "But where? Now that I think about it, they might look for me in your cabin after Morfious saw you running away with me."
Ash pursed his lips and diverted his eyes away from Serena in thought.
"It's going to be tricky. They might look for us in other third class cabins thinking we're hiding in someone's cabin for the rest of the trip," he said. "If we're lucky, we could find Sonia and see if we can stay in her cabin."
Serena nodded, smiled, and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck.
"Well, wherever we go, I'm not letting you out of my sight," she declared.
Ash smiled and put his arms around Serena's waist.
"Me neither," he said.
Ash and Serena stared into each other's eyes as they leaned closer until they smashed their lips together, with Serena running her fingers through Ash's messy hair and Ash rubbing Serena's back. When they parted, Serena took Ash's hand and kissed his fingers. She looked up at Ash and stopped mid-kiss with a serious look. Ash's smile faded as Serena lifted her head to face him. It was hardly the right place, but deep in their hearts, they knew it was time.
"Nervous?" Ash asked.
Serena gave Ash a small smile and lightly pushed Ash until he was lying down on the crate.
"No," Serena said.
From that night on, Ash and Serena were one.