Sink or Swim

Epilogue

Jane's POV

~Two years later~

June 18th, 1914

"April, no running please!" I called out to our two year old daughter, as she giggled and ran about the house. I shook my head with a small smile as I walked around with fresh linen sheets in my hands for the bedrooms upstairs.

We hadn't washed the beds in weeks and I couldn't have a dirty house when we had guests coming over. 

"April!" 

My little girl came running back into the foyer of our large house with a huge smile on her face. I chuckled as she stood there, twirling her curls in her fingers as she smiled up at me. 

"Come on," I smiled, "we must go say hi to daddy!"

She squealed and I laughed before I set down the bed sheets on the stairs. I picked her up and placed her on my right hip, and reached down to pick up the bed sheets in my other arm. My daughter played with my dress's collar as we made our way upstairs. 

I turned into each room and made sure to set down a linen sheet on each bed, for the maids to take care of it when they have a chance. I then looked to April, who's brown eyes smiled up at me and sparkled in delight. Her dimple showed prominently and reminded me of someone.

Sadness filled my heart as I thought of him. I hadn't seen him in so long. Sometime's I'd think about being so far away from him, and my heart would nearly seize at the thought. 

I shook my head, and looked at April, "let's go see your father?"

She nodded happily and I laughed before I made our way towards the largest bedroom in the house. I found my husband with his back towards me, folding his clothes before he put them in our dresser. I knocked on the door and he turned to look at me, smiling brightly at us.

"Why, look at you two," he laughed, eyes crinkling with delight. I smiled and walked into the room, meeting him halfway as he took our daughter out of my arms and into his. He smiled at her and nuzzled his nose with hers and she giggled, reaching her small hands out to grasp his face. He smiled and turned his head to me, as April rested her head on his shoulders. His hand came to wrap around my waist.

"Miss me?" he whispered, pulling me to him.

I nodded, "very much."

Harry smiled and leaned over to kiss my cheek, "I almost died every time I thought about how far away you were from me. I'm never taking a business trip again...even if it is for the bank."

I laughed and looked at his green eyes that sparkled with affection and love as he looked at me, "I love you."

He smiled brightly, "I love you too."

"Love daddy," April mumbled. We laughed and I ruffled her curls as Harry kissed her head. 

"I love you, my beautiful angel," he smiled before he turned to me, "did she get her nap in? She always gets moody later in the day when she doesn't get enough sleep."

I nodded, "don't worry. She did. I made sure of it."

"Good," Harry nodded and turned around before he headed back over to the dresser, to resume in unpacking his clothes. He did so with one hand as he was holding our daughter in his other arm.

"Have you heard from Fred and Millicent?" I asked as I sat down on our bed. He turned his head to look at me with a small smile.

"They had their baby," he replied, "two weeks ago. Bastard didn't tell me until I got to New York, but either way, they're coming to spend a couple of weeks at the Inn."

I smiled brightly, "oh wonderful! We'll have a party, and it'll be grand. And I'll order the most scrumptious food and-"

"Darling," Harry called, earning my attention, "calm down."

I nodded, breathing in, "they're our family. A simple dinner will be enough."

"How can you say that!" I gasped, "they've just had a baby. Remember how important it was for us when we had April. You threw parties every week."

Harry turned to face me and opened his mouth to speak, but looked towards April before covering her ears. 

"Yes, but I wasn't allowed to have my way with you until a month after," he pouted, "I had to do it all myself for a month!"

April laughed wildly and thrashed around in Harry's arms as he let go of her ears and kissed her head.

"Well you can have me now," I smirked, causing him to look over at me. He said nothing but made his way out of the room. I sat there confused on the bed until he walked back in shortly after, shutting the door.

"I put April in her crib and left her with a wack load of toys," he said, "can I have you now."

I laughed and bit my lip, shaking my head at him as he walked over, slowly unbuttoning his shirt before he threw it off somewhere. He kept his eyes on me as he made his way to me, stopping only when he stood in front of me. He looked down, eyes dark, and a small smile on his face as he winked.

"You're not done unpacking," I said. He rolled his eyes and picked me up before he tossed me back on the bed.

"It can wait."

~

The blankets were wrapped tightly around our bodies. I lay on Harry's bare chest, tracing patterns over his skin with my fingers as I pressed kisses on his neck every now and then.

"Jane?" he murmured, "do you ever miss your parents?"

I frowned, "sometimes. But they never bothered to meet me or find out about what had happened to me after the sinking."

"How do you know that they didn't find out?" he asked. I shrugged.

"Did they come to see me?"

He stayed silent and let out a small breath, "I just don't want you living with regrets."

I looked up at him, "I love you. I married you and I have a beautiful daughter that is a result of my marriage to you. I have no regrets. I promise."

He smiled softly before he pressed his lips to my forehead.

"Do you ever think about that night?" he asked, "when the ship sunk."

I nodded, sinking back to wrap my arms around him again, "I do. But it's more just a bad memory now. Something of the past. I doubt it'll even become a huge event that many people will talk about in the future."

"What if it does?" Harry suggested, "what if the story of the Unsinkable Ship becomes one that echoes through the ages....you know? A classic tragedy."

I looked at him, "well then, I guess there will be a lot of people telling their children about the story. The story of a large, and royal ship that was taking her passengers across the ocean in hopes of giving them a future, full of opportunity and choices...only to leave them with two in the end."

Harry tilted his head at me, "and what would those choices be, my love?"

I looked at him, biting my lip, "to either sink...or swim."

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It is finally finished. Once again, just a huge HUGE thank you to everyone who has read this book. I hope you all enjoyed it and I can't wait to share new and interesting stories with you all. 

Love,

S.