Fate

by tim

This story is protected by copyright law, © 2004 by tim. Please do not distribute this story for profit or post it to other sites without the author's permission. This is a fictional story. Any similarities to real people are purely coincidental. This story contains sexual situations between young males. If this type of story offends you or you should not be reading it, you assume all responsibility for continuing. Please send all comments to: TimTheStoryGuy01@cs.com . I would like to thank everyone for the volumes of e-mail that I have been receiving about this story. You readers are why I write, thanks. I would also like to apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. Setting up an internet connection in my new location has proven to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Thank you very much for your patience.

Fate - by tim

Chapter 5

Jacob and Mickey had barely escaped from Steerage Class with their lives. The water they swam through had chilled them to the bone, but at least now they had a chance. The boys wasted no time making their way to the boat deck, only to find that the last lifeboat had been launched.

"Oh my God!" screamed Mickey. "How are we going to get off this ship now?"

"I don't know." said Jacob. "Let me think for a moment."

"Are we going to die Jacob?" asked a frightened Mickey.

"Not if I can help it." replied Jacob. "I've waited for you my whole life, and I'm not going to give up after I just found you. Let's go to my room quickly and get some better clothes on. We also need to get you a life vest."

The boys hurried back to Jacob's room where Jacob found some insulated, waterproof clothes for both of them. He then grabbed a spare life vest for Mickey. The boys put on the warmer clothes and rushed back out to the deck. When they got back to the deck they couldn't believe how many people seemed to be accepting their fate. Even the ship's band was continuing to play, as if nothing unusual were happening. It was now becoming very difficult to get around on the deck, due to the extreme list of the sinking ship.

"The way I see it," said Jacob, "no one is going to come near this ship to look for survivors until the ship is gone. We need to stay away from the water as long as we possibly can because we won't be able to stay in the water for long, not even with these clothes."

"Do you think we can make it?" asked Mickey.

"I don't know," said Jacob, "but this is our only chance right now."

The boys began to work their way toward the bow of the ship, as the ship's stern was almost underwater now. The ship was listing more and more all the time, which made it very difficult to reach the bow. The boys did finally make it to the bow though, and it seemed as though only a few other people had come up with the same idea.

"I don't think we have much more time left on this ship." said Jacob.

"I'm scared." said Mickey. "Could you hold me Jacob?"

Jacob wrapped his arms around Mickey as he said, "We need to stay here until the water gets right up to us." He then gave Mickey a passionate kiss and continued, "When it gets harder to stay on our feet we're going to have to hold on to the railing tightly. We have to be the last ones off the ship." Jacob kissed Mickey again very deeply then said, "If you do fall overboard too soon swim as fast as you can in the direction that the lifeboats went towards. The water is going to be very cold, but try not to think about it. You have to keep swimming, that's the only chance we have."

"I love you Jacob," said Mickey, "and I always will no matter what happens."

"I love you too Mickey," said Jacob, "and I'm glad that we finally found each other even if only for a short time. There's always the next life if things don't work out."

At this point the ship was listing so badly that the boys had to hold on to the railing to keep from falling overboard. The water was getting closer to them with every passing moment. The band had long since been unable to continue playing, and now all that could be heard was the sounds of a dying ship. Metal tearing, wood shattering, and people screaming were the sounds that serenaded the boys as they waited for the approaching water. Suddenly the ship lurched violently, causing Mickey to lose his grip and fall to the water below. The water was so cold that it numbed Mickey's mind for a few seconds, then he remembered what Jacob had told him and began swimming.

Meanwhile Jacob could not think of what to do after his Mickey had fallen overboard. He knew that he should stay with the ship as long as he could, but his Mickey was out in the water all alone. As the water got closer and closer he finally decided to go after Mickey. Jacob took a deep breath and let himself drop to the water below. He never saw the debris that struck him in the head, and knocked him unconscious. Jacob was left drifting away from the ship, face up in the water.

Mickey was swimming with every ounce of strength that he had left. He had made it almost a half mile from the ship before he could swim no further. He turned to look at the ship that had caused him to be here alone, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was sinking fast now and the screaming was becoming more desperate. He couldn't bear the thought of his Jacob still being on that ship. Then the last thing he saw before drifting into unconsciousness was the Titanic finally slipping beneath the waves.

After the Titanic had plunged beneath the waves Mary spotted a form she recognized floating in the water. "Over there, in the water!" yelled Mary to the people who were guiding the lifeboat. "I think I know that person in the water!"

The lifeboat made it's way to Mickey, and several people dragged the unconscious boy on board. "Oh my God!" shouted Mary. "It's my son's friend, and he's still alive. Get me something dry to wrap him in!"

Soon Mickey was wrapped in a couple of dry blankets, and Mary was trying to raise his body temperature. Mickey did begin to warm up and stopped shivering, but would not regain consciousness. The lifeboat did search the area were Mickey was found, at Mary's insistence, but no sign of her son was found. The other people on the boat assured Mary that another lifeboat may have picked up her son, if Mickey and Jacob had stayed together. Mary was sure that the boys were together, and that Jacob would be found when all the lifeboats had been accounted for.

In the early morning hours the Titanic's lifeboats were picked up by the Carpathia, the only ship that had responded immediately to the Titanic's distress call. By this time Mickey had regained consciousness. As soon as no more lifeboats could be found, Mickey began searching the Carpathia for Jacob. After several hours though Mickey could find no trace of him.

Mickey went to Mary in tears to tell her the bad news as he said, "I'm so sorry ma'am, I cannot find Jacob anywhere."

"Weren't you two together though?" asked Mary.

"We were until I fell overboard." cried Mickey. "If I hadn't fallen overboard maybe I could have helped him."

"And if you were with him maybe we wouldn't have found you either." said Mary. Suddenly the events since last night began registering in Mary's head, and she completely broke down. Mickey held onto Mary as the two tried to comfort each other.

The Carpathia did search the area where the Titanic had sunk, but did not find any more survivors. Mary searched the water in the area of the disaster, but could not find her son's body. She was not convinced that he was dead, but she also did not have him with her. Mickey was also dealing with his loss. Not only did he lose the person he felt he was meant to be with, but he also lost his entire family. Mickey never felt more alone in his life than he did on the rest of the way to New York.

Although Mickey did help Mary greatly aboard the Carpathia, it was a great relief for her to meet her husband in New York. By this time the whole world knew of the most terrible shipping disaster ever known to man. When Michael found out how Mickey helped Mary, and tried to help Jacob, he immediately filed for the adoption of Mickey. Mary and Michael would now raise Mickey as they had been raising Jacob. The couple, especially Mary, grasped onto Mickey to fill the void left by their son.

Although this is the obvious end to chapter 5, I do not wish to leave the story this way. This is mostly due to fear of hate mail, hehe. Therefore I present the prelude for chapter 6.

Fate - by tim

Chapter 6 prelude

It had been one year since the tragedy that changed Mickey's life forever. He was now getting ready for another day at the private school in Washington D.C. that his new parents were sending him to. Mickey now loved Mary and Michael as if they were his true parents, as they were now the closest thing he had left to parents. Although he still missed Jacob very much, the nightmares of that night had become less frequent. Little did Mickey know that this day would turn out to be the happiest day of his life.

On the other side of town, it had been two weeks since Jacob had regained his memory. He had been suffering from amnesia since his dive from the bow of the Titanic. Now though his memory was back, and he had found out that Mickey was now living with his parents in Washington D.C. He would have returned home sooner but the ship that plucked him from the overturned lifeboat had been on it's way to England. Jacob was the only one left alive on the lifeboat. One of the Titanic's crew had tied the boy to the boat before he died, so that Jacob would not slip off. Jacob was nursed back to health in England, and it seemed to take an eternity before he finally regained his memory. Now his memory was back though, and he intended to give his loved ones the surprise of their lives.

Now I feel much better in ending this chapter. Please catch chapter 6 for the reunion of Jacob and Mickey. Send all comments to: TimTheStoryGuy01@cs.com .