A New Beginning

Chapter 92: What Might Have Been...

The house felt oddly empty with everyone else gone for the time being. Carl and Holly had taken Thomas back home to SoHo while Ruth travelled with Molly to her mansion in New York. All was done to give everyone in the Carson/Whitman home some much-needed time to themselves. It was difficult to comprehend how long the eight of them had been living together and they were an interesting bunch, to say the least. A millionaire socialite, two lawyers, a steel plant worker, a homemaker, a former heiress, a young child, and a toddler; all with very different personalities and values and they had all somehow managed not become sick of one another... Perhaps it was due to their common goal of rescuing Jack and Rose that they had very little time or energy to get on each other's nerves. The lack of sleep shared amongst all of them was likely a factor as well, too tired to get into disputes.

Despite the current separation, both Peter and Emma could not have asked for a better family... and team, even if it was rather unusual and unconventional. Never in a million years had Emma thought that she would be surrounded by people who were there for her just as much as her parents had been. If they had not been around, Emma was uncertain whether she'd be able to hold herself together as she had been.

Holly and Carl were the family's rocks; they were the ones who stayed calm and rational when things became difficult and they were able to lend a hand when needed. Molly was the voice of reason in the family, but she also had a good head on her shoulders and could come up with a new plan within a few minutes of thinking. She was the glue that kept everyone together and pushed them forward in the search of Rose and Jack. Ruth was a little harder to read and place in their familial unit... often she seemed rather helpless as she'd lived in the wealthy, upper-crust bubble for so long that she had little knowledge on how to deal with the real world. She also wasn't exactly the most maternal, her daughter could attest to that. However, she was the person who was always there to listen when there was a problem, and she had the best understanding of Cal and how he worked. Thomas and Sybil were the relief and the ones to break the tension; after a long day of searching, work, and other forms of drama, the innocence of the youngest members were sorely needed and renowned. At the end of every day, Thomas would amuse them with fun activities by including the adults in his playing with toys or his mischievous actions that would often lead to a scolding from his mother. Sybil's antics as a toddler of exploring the world also kept everyone's spirits up and reminded them to smile when they needed it the most. Finally, Emma and Peter were the determined members and driving force of the family/team, the ones who made things happen and who kept hope alive. They worked non-stop on the front lines, making sure the police were doing their job and using the law to their advantage. All that was missing was the heart, something both Jack and Rose embodied and the reason that the family had come together in the first place. The couple needed to be rescued as soon as possible.

Emma plays with Sybil on the floor of the living room while Peter lays on the couch, reading a book that was not related to their ongoing search. It was nice to have a bit of a break, even if it was temporary.

"Pretty strange isn't it?" Emma asks.

"What?" Peter asks, looking up from his book.

"How quiet the house is."

"I know, it's been a while since it's just been the three of us..."

Sybil grabs a block from the tower she's been building with her big sister and shoves it into her mouth.

"How it could have been if we'd never gone to that party or the ship hadn't sunk."

Peter grimaces and shuts his eyes, trying to shove away the memories of that horrible night. However, the same feeling of dread washes over him and he can see the ship alive with lights, many of them underwater as the stern rose higher and higher into the air. The thoughts of where Emma might have been on the ship as it plunged into the dark water or if her screams were amongst the thousands he heard, freezing and dying ... it was amazing that he hadn't become violently ill in the lifeboat as the thoughts now cause him to stand up and go to the kitchen for a glass of water.