Okey; I saw the movie and couldn't resist. ;) Enjoy!

WARNING: Gets a -bit- gory a ways through.
__________
All characters but Malibu are mine
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TITANIC: 2074
by A. Gunner
(Animator03@wolf-web.net)

								April 10, 2074

	The cabin door swung open, revealing an awestruck couple. They walked in 
and set their suitcases down. "I still don't believe Dad got us the tickets.....," the female 
mutate said, running her hand back through her wind-blown hair.
"Yeah.... I heard that these tickets were expensive..." The male gargoyle with her said, 
looking around the room, fascinated. 
	The woman laughed. "Expensive isn't the word, Malibu. I looked at the price 
of our tickets. Dad paid over twenty grand for each of our first class
tickets...."
	Malibu blinked. "I know we said it would be neat to go on the new Titanic... 
I didn't think we'd actually be going...."
	Jessie shrugged. "He said it was an early wedding present...." She paused to 
look at a painting of the original Titanic on the wall. "But I'm beginning to feel guilty...
He's still got to pay for our wedding in four months, and he paid for our tickets 
plus all the expenses for a week in Great Britain."
	Malibu nodded, then hefted up his and Jess's bags and put them on the bed. 
"Well, we need to keep our promise and have a good time." He smiled. "After all, we 
are on the new Titanic."
	Jessie smiled and laughed, "And that makes it a whole lot more relaxing for me, 
lemme tell ya."
	He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist, then kissed her. "Well, just
remember all that was said on the passenger briefing."
	Jessie returned his kiss, nodding, "I know, I know. 'There are enough life boats 
for all on the ship; and icebergs are of no problem with the new metal on the hull.' Still
it's a little creepy." She paused and looked at the baggage on the bed. "Now. Are we
going to unpack now, or later?"
"Let's do it a little later. We'll watch the shove off, then look around the ship. Sound 
good to you?"
	She agreed; so they walked out of their cabin, hand in hand, to take a look at
the new Titanic.


	A dark figure stood in the shadows of the gigantic cargo area below the ship. 
Soon, another dark stranger slinked towards him. "Do you have it??" The first figure
hissed.
"I barely made it through customs; but I got it, "the other whispered. He held up a black
brief case and patted it gently. "Enough here to blow out this side of the hull; but weak 
enough not to hit the above decks."
"Perfect, "the stranger grinned evilly. "I told them that the Titanic would not make it to
see England, and they all laughed and once again dubbed it 'unsinkable'. But I'll show 
them." He took the brief case from his accomplice and set it between the side of the ship
and a crate. "I'll show them all. Do you have the remote control ready?"
"Yes; at your command; we'll blow the ship away."
"Good. Now let's get out of here before someone notices us..."
	And with that, the two dark figures went out as silently as they had come.


"This ship is bigger than I had ever dreamed!" Jessie said, looking down 
excitedly from the balcony on the very top of the cruise liner; practically falling over the
railing.
	Malibu leaned against the railing and gazed towards the front of the ship. "I 
remember how I used to watch the ships going in and out of this bay in the 1990's. I 
never thought I'd be on one...." He paused chuckling. "Let alone with my fiancée."
	Jessie smiled and put her hand on his arm. "Well, I personally wouldn't want to
go with anyone else." 
	Malibu put his arm around her waist and hugged her tightly. "Neither would I."
	The loud steam whistle blasted through the air; making them jump. "Well, it's 
time to shove off, "Jessie said, looking towards the dock where all the friends and 
families of the passengers on board were waving. She added quietly; "Last time we'll be 
seeing land for awhile."
	Malibu looked at her. Jessie's look of excitement had vanished; replaced by a 
worried, and even a little frightened expression. "Jessie; everything is going to be 
fine." He paused and smiled lovingly at his future wife. "I promise."
	She smiled at him; but he knew she was still a little worried. But she had the right
to be. Jessie was almost done with her junior year of college; and this trip was taking her
out of a lot of class time. When she returns for her senior year, she'll be 
married. That's a lot happening in one year, and Malibu knew that. He was 
always supportive; and he saddened when he couldn't help Jessie with a school problem.
And her parents.... They couldn't be supporting them any more than they already were.
But sometimes Malibu wished they'd back off a little and let he and Jessie get things 
done. Such as at least let them buy their own car. Malibu and Jessie 
had just returned from her grandparents house one day to find a brand new hunter green 
Chevy Blazer sitting in the driveway of the house her parents bought them. Not 
that the house was bad; and Malibu loved the car. But he still felt guilty. 
Especially since they're also paying for the wedding, and Jessie's education, and-
"Malibu? Hello?" 
	Malibu blinked a couple times then looked at Jessie. She looked at him oddly.
"What were you thinking about? You were really out of it...."
	Malibu smiled and kissed the top of her head. "I was thinking of about us and 
the future." He paused; looking past her. "Hey, there's a news camera..... Maybe your
parents can see us...."
"My parents? They're gonna be yours too, you know!" Jessie laughed then
turned towards the camera and waved.


	Soon the Titanic was out in open sea, and the passengers were out and about.
Jessie and Malibu had returned to their cabin to unpack and make it a little homier. As
Malibu took a shower, Jessie set to putting things away.
	She smiled and set framed pictures of her parents and friends on the dresser, 
then took another framed picture out from the suitcase and just looked at it, smiling. 
Malibu walked out of the bathroom, wearing only jean shorts, and drying his wet hair. 
"What're you looking at?" He asked as he walked up behind her, and looked over her 
shoulder.
"Our Valentine's Day dance picture. The one we had taken when we got home."
	Malibu smiled, tossed his wet towel on the bed, then wrapped his arms around
her. "You know what?" he whispered.
"What?"
	He grinned, saying, "I wish I had a picture of your reaction when I kissed you 
that night."
	Jessie could only laugh; but even through the fur on her face, Malibu could tell
she was blushing. He kissed her cheek then opened a drawer to grab a T-shirt. Once
he got one and put it on; he went to Jessie, who was carrying an armful of jeans, jackets, 
and nice shirts, and took the load from her. "So what do you want to do first? Swim? 
Eat? Dance?"
	Jessie shoved the empty suitcases under the bed; then flopped noisily down on 
it. "Rest, "she laughed.
	Malibu nodded, "I can deal with that." He paused, laughing; and sat down on 
the edge of the bed, patting her leg. "It's been a pretty busy day."
"You're telling me....," Jessie murmured; then yawned. "I need a nap."
	Malibu got up and kissed her forehead. Smiling, he said, "Well, you take one. 
I'll go to the gym or something."
"You just got out of the shower...," she paused and grinned. "You're going to get all 
sweaty and disgusting again?"
"Yeah, then I'll come and give you a big hug."
	Jessie laughed. Malibu threw a blanket over her and gave her a kiss. "Sleep 
tight, sweetheart."
	She returned his kiss, closed her eyes and replied, "I'll see you when I wake up,
love."
	He took his wet towel into the bathroom and hung it up; getting a dry one 
simultaneously. When he came back out; Jessie had already fallen asleep. Smiling, he 
crept quietly across the room and out the door; closing it softly behind him. 

	After closing the door, Malibu flung the towel over his shoulder and started 
walking towards the general area he remembered the gym was. Several young children;
both mutate and human; sped past him screaming, "Iceberg! Right ahead!!!" Then they'd 
start laughing, then scream it again. It was great that humans, mutates, and gargoyles 
were finally starting to live peacefully with each other; but sometimes the little ones cause
about three times more trouble. 
	Finally, he came to the gym. Opening the doors, he stepped into a good sized
room, filled with treadmills, step machines, barbells, and other miscellaneous workout
equipment. "Excuse me, sir."
	Malibu turned to find a muscular young man; probably in his twenties; standing
behind a desk. "Could you please tell me your name, sir?"
"Malibu."
"Last name, sir?"
"Uh, I don't have one.... it might be listed under 'Johnson'."
	The man- Jared was stamped on his name tag- looked down the list and nodded. 
"Yes, there you are. Now, what would you like to do?"
	Malibu shrugged. "Lift weights I guess. Bench press."
"Alright, Mr. Johnson; have you had previous training?"
"No..... And it's Malibu, please."
	Jared gave a crooked grin and shook Malibu's hand. "I'm Jared. Follow me; and
I'll be you're spotter."


	Malibu worked out through most of the day. He'd always take breaks to go see
if Jessie had awakened yet. It was almost five o'clock when Jessie finally woke up. They
had been informed earlier about a dinner in which the captain would gladly take any 
questions. Even though the dinner wasn't until seven; they decided they'd better get there
early to get seats close to the table where the captain would be sitting.
	Wearing comfortable but suitable clothes; they walking into the dining hall and 
found a good table. After making sure that they wouldn't be moved out of it; the couple 
began walking around, seeing if there was any familiar faces.
	After finding none; they sat back down at their table. Malibu glanced at his 
watch and sighed. "It's only six. We still have an hour; but nothing to do."
	Jessie sipped her water then set the glass down. Glancing around her, she said,
"We can dance..."
	Malibu laughed. "I'm too sore to dance. Jared gave me a good workout."
"Jared?"
"One of the trainers at the gym. I told him I'd like to bench press, and he told me he'd 
like to see how much I could lift. We started with eighty pounds, which I could lift easily.
Then 110; and all the way up to about 250 before I started to have trouble. "He paused,
chuckling. "He kept asking me if I had ever trained before."
	Jessie laughed, then said, "Yeah; when I was in my sophomore year of high 
school; I took drawing class, and for the first two weeks; my teacher kept asking me if
I had ever taken an art class. It took Open House and my parents meeting her for her to 
finally fully believe me."
	He smiled lovingly at her and said, "You are a great artist; I'm glad you're going
to an art college to fully enhance those skills."
"Yeah, well...." Jessie smiled and shrugged. "I didn't think storm chasing would stomach
well with my parents." She laughed and took another sip from her glass.
	Malibu blinked. "You wanted to be a storm chaser? As in run around after 
tornadoes?"
"I thought it would be interesting. Tornadoes have always fascinated me. But I love 
art more, so I took towards that."
"I'm glad you did; some how the thought of you chasing tornadoes makes me nervous,"
Malibu laughed.
	Jessie grinned at him, saying, "Why's that?"
"Because I worry, "Malibu replied, looking directly into her eyes and smiling. "Pure and 
simple."
	Suddenly, a rise in the volume of the noise in the room caused them to look 
towards the doors. A stately looking gargoyle wearing a uniform walked into the room.
Malibu and Jessie looked at each other in amazement; they never thought a gargoyle 
would be captaining the ship! 
	The black-skinned gargoyle walked towards his table, regarding the passengers
with a smile and nod. As he walked past their table; Jessie noticed that instead of having
the usual short military-like hair cut; the captain's light gray hair was fairly long, and tied 
neatly back into a pony tail. He smiled at them, then it suddenly turned to a pleasantly 
surprised grin. "Are you Malibu?" His voice held a slight Texan accent.
	Malibu stood in respect; but his face held an obviously confused expression. 
"Yes, sir. Forgive me, but if I am supposed to remember you; I don't..."
"You've never met me; Malibu, but I heard a lot about you." The captain smiled and 
looked at Jessie; who looked more confused than Malibu. "And you must be Jessica. I
knew your father; is he doing well?"
	Jessie stood also; and replied, "Yes, sir.... It might help my memory if you told 
me your name."
	The captain chuckled and said, "You wouldn't remember me; the last time I saw 
you were only this tall." He paused and held his hand about three feet from the floor. 
"But my name is Captain Duke Tellery. Your father always called me by Ace when I 
was in his squadron."
	Jessie laughed and grinned, "Yes! Uncle Ace!" She paused, laughing again. "I
just vaguely remember you, now. How're you? When did you switch to captaining 
ships?"
	Ace smiled and embraced her in a friendly hug, "Oh, when your father had that 
accident; I just couldn't sit in a plane anymore. I've been well. So, "he grinned at Malibu.
"In what relation is this young man?"
	Jessie smiled and took Malibu's hand. "Husband; in a few months."
	Ace laughed and clapped Malibu on the shoulder. "You're a lucky young man,
Malibu. You got yourself a lovely lady."
	Malibu smiled at the captain and simply replied, "I know."
"Well, I best get back to captaining... "Ace smiled. "I'll talk to you two later, eh?"
"Yeah. It was great to see you again." Jessie said.
	Malibu and Ace firmly shook each other's hands. "It was nice to finally meet you,
Malibu."
	Malibu nodded and smiled, "You, too, sir."
	Ace smiled and walked off towards his table; as Malibu and Jessie sat back 
down. "That was.... odd." Jessie laughed.
"Well, at least we know someone on the ship, "Malibu chuckled. 

	The rest of the dinner went as it was planned; most of the questions being about 
hitting icebergs and number of lifeboats. When Malibu and Jessie returned to their cabin 
two hours later; they were absolutely exhausted.
	Malibu changed into a pair of boxers and a T-shirt; and laid on the bed, burying
his head into the soft pillow. Jessie walked out after changing into a T-shirt and shorts, 
and yawned. "I can't believe how tired I am, especially since I had that nap."
	Malibu smiled sleepily and said, "So you can just imagine how I feel."
"No, not really, "Jessie chuckled as she flipped the light switch. "But I bet you're pretty
exhausted."
	Malibu shifted to his side as Jessie laid down beside him. After they kissed, she 
snuggled close so that her back was pressed against his chest; and he rested his arm on 
her side. "I love you, "Malibu said sleepily; then kissed her neck.
"I love you, too."

	And they were both out like a light.

_________________________________________________________________
								April 11

	The next day, Malibu and Jessie were out for a stroll on the deck. They stopped 
to look out at the calm sea, and Malibu slipped an arm around Jessie's shoulders, and she 
leaned her head against his shoulder, smiling. Both were silent; just standing there, 
gazing out at the sea. Jessie patted his hand; then squeezed it. Smiling, she looked at him
and said quietly, "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"
	Malibu smiled lovingly at her; and in a voice just as soft, replied, "Well, if you 
love me as much as I love you...., "he paused, kissing her; "It's impossible to say how 
much..."
	Jessie nodded, and was about to kiss his chin when someone shouted, "There 
you two are!"
	The couple turned and looked at Ace walking up to them. "I'm sorry if I 
disturbed you two...., "Ace apologized, seeing the slightly annoyed looks he was 
receiving. "But I was wondering if you would like to have lunch with me; just the three of
us. If you have other plans; I'll understand. Again, I'm terribly sorry for the interruption 
and last minute notice."
	Malibu and Jessie looked at each other, then Jessie said, "No, we don't have 
any plans.... We were just going to grab something for lunch and swim or something...."
	Ace smiled and said, "Well, then. I'll have to insist you join me for lunch. Let me
change out of this uniform and I'll meet you in the dining hall; alright?"
"Yeah, sure. See you there."
	Ace walked off towards his cabin; and after he was out of hearing range; Jessie
murmured, "I think Dad knew he'd be captaining this ship...."
	Malibu chuckled, moved his arm down to her waist, and as they started walking,
said, "Your Dad has always been protective of us."
"And you're telling me this?"

	The trio sat at a table in the dining hall; looking over their menu. Ace sipped at
his coffee then said, "Get anything you'd like, kids. It's on me."
	Malibu set his menu on the table and said, "I'm sorry if this is a bad topic, 
captain, but I was wondering why you're not stone during the day...."
	Ace set his mug on the table. "No, not at all. My grandmother was a human; and 
even though the rest of my family line is gargoyle; I lack the gene to turn to stone. And 
please, "The Texan smiled. "Call me Ace."
	The waiter came to take their orders; and after Ace ordered fried chicken, Jessie
a Philly steak sandwich, and Malibu a rack of ribs; they started talking about the past, 
and the future.

	Ace leaned back in his chair, dropping the last bare chicken bone on his plate.
"So you two have been together for over six years?"
	Malibu wiped the last bit of barbecue sauce off of his face, and smiled. "We 
would be married for almost four years if it wasn't for that law, I bet."
	Jessie smiled and nodded in agreement. "What has your Dad said about this?"
"He's all for it!" Jessie said, grinning. She paused, giggling. "I don't know who loves him 
more; me or Dad!"
	All three of them laughed. Malibu smiled, and said, "Jessie, you don't even know 
this; but Gunner was the one who told me that I could propose anytime." He laughed. "I 
hadn't even asked him. But he gave me the okey; and a couple days later, I did it."
"So when will the wedding be?" Ace asked, grinning.
"Well, we wanted to be fairly settled down before my senior year started in September.."
Jessie said, then paused, sipping her Coke. "So it's going to be August ninth."
"A month is time enough to settle down?"
"We've been living together for four years, "Malibu explained. "We just need time enough
for the marriage thing to set in."
	Ace looked at Jessie incredulously. "Your father let you two move in together?
That young??"
	Jessie shrugged. "Mom and him bought the house. They are perfectly happy with 
us living together." 
	Ace looked at his watch and sighed. "Well, it has been great chatting with you 
two, but I've got to get back to my duties." They all stood up. "I'll tell the waiter to put it
on my tab. So you two can eat dessert if you'd like; then just leave whenever."
	Ace shook Malibu's hand and gave Jessie a hug. "I'll see you both whenever!"
	And on the note; he started towards the doors.
"Well, "Malibu started, looking at the captain disappearing around the corner. He 
looked back to Jessie. "Do you have enough room for dessert, Love?"
	Jessie laughed, "Nope. How about you?"
"Not in the slightest," Malibu chuckled. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah," Jessie walked around the table and took his hand; entwining her fingers with his.
	The couple walked out of the dining hall and just started wandering around. "So,
what do you want to do now?"
	Malibu shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out a five dollar bill. Grinning, 
he said, "Beat the pants off of you in air hockey?"
	Laughing, Jessie let go of his hand and slung her arm around his shoulder. 
"You're on!"

	Two hours and fifteen bucks later.......
"Yes!!!" Jessie slammed her paddle on the air hockey table; then threw her arms up. "I 
win, again!!!!!"
	Malibu grumbled and tossed his paddle on the table. Jessie practically pranced 
over to him, tugged playfully on his shirt collar, and said, "I believe that makes the 
winnings, ohhh........ nine to six?"
	Jessie laughed as Malibu rolled his eyes. Chuckling; Jessie started to rub her 
right arm and shoulder. "Well, now that I'll be stiff and sore for the rest of vacation....."
	Malibu couldn't help but smile. "Well, you didn't need to use all your strength 
with every hit."
"I can't help it! No matter what type of hockey it is; I tend to get physically into it!!!" 
She laughed.
	Malibu put his arm around her shoulders and lightly rubbed her sore shoulder; 
guiding her out the arcade door. "I'll say. For a second there I thought you were gonna 
rip the table surface off!!"
	Jessie grinned sheepishly. "I hope they don't figure out who made those claw 
marks..."


	Jessie sat on the bed; half-heartedly flicking through the TV channels and 
rubbing her sore shoulder. The cabin door opening made her look towards it; finding 
Malibu walking in with a towel hanging on his shoulders and his sweat soaked hair 
hanging in his face. "Have a fun time at the gym?" Jessie smiled.
	Malibu limped over and leaned over, wincing a little, and kissed her. "Jared 
worked me ragged today; I hurt everywhere."
	Jessie smiled and touched his arm. "Why don't you take a nice, hot shower; and
afterwards I'll rub out the knots in your muscles. Sound good?"
	He smiled lovingly and nodded. "Sounds wonderful."

"Ow!! That hurts!!!"
	Jessie chuckled. "Well, it's not my fault, sweetheart. Take it up with Jared."
	Malibu moaned as she started rubbing another knot out of his lower back. He 
was about to complain again when a siren rang out. Jessie stopped and listened. "It's a
lifeboat drill. Let's go."
	Both grabbed the life jackets in the chest by the door; and ran outside. 

	Jessie sat on the rail next to their designated life boat; waiting for role call to 
make sure everyone was there. Malibu shivered in the cooling air. "I wish I would've 
had time to grab a shirt...This life jacket isn't helping any." 
	She jumped down and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Safety first, you 
know."
"And preventing hypothermia isn't part of that?" Malibu grinned. 
	Jessie grinned and nuzzled his nose. "Not for you, it's not." She paused, 
laughing. "Just kidding, sweetie."
"Just wait 'til the next time you're cold, hon," Malibu chuckled. 
	A tall man in a uniform stepped up to the crowd. "Okey, folks. Thank you for 
your patience, and great job on the drill. You may go back to whatever you were 
doing."
	Malibu blinked. "That was it?"
"Yup." Jessie shrugged. "C'mon, let's get back to our cabin. "She paused, grinning. "I 
don't want to hear any more of your whining about the cold."
"As if you don't whine about it, "Malibu retorted, laughing; as he slipped an arm 
around her shoulders.
"I whine because there isn't enough of it!" Jessie chuckled. 

	They spent the rest of the night snuggled on the bed; watching movies they 
brought with them. (AUTHOR'S NOTE- The movies were on a small disc that you 
inserted into the TV. VCR's were taken out of use fifteen years ago. When a new movie 
came to 'video'; a person went up to the store counter; handed the employee their 
disc; and paid for a specific movie to be added)
	Jessie sighed happily and snuggled closer to Malibu, and leaned her head against
his shoulder. He smiled and leaned his head against hers, and took her left hand and 
gave it a loving squeeze. She smiled as he rubbed his thumb against her engagement ring; 
then she lifted his hand and lightly kissed his thumb. Malibu smiled lovingly at her and 
nuzzled her nose. Jessie touched her nose to the end of his beak and whispered, "I love 
you."
"I love you, too;" he said, then kissed her. 
	They turned off the TV and lights, cuddled into the covers, and fell asleep in 
each other's arms.

__________________________________________________________________
									April 12

"So, what're we gonna do today?" Malibu said as he finished his last bite of cereal. 
	Jessie shrugged, and took a sip of hot chocolate. "I'm not sure. Not much you 
can do after a couple days on a ship."
	Malibu stood and looked out the window. "It's too cold now to swim. Wanna 
just stay inside today? I can go rent some movies; and maybe a game system."
"Sounds good to me." 
	Malibu grabbed his jacket and kissed her as he put it on. Then out he went.

"Where are you!?" Malibu muttered softly.
	He looked around; but Jessie was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he felt 
something poke his back. Whirling around; he came face to face with the barrel of a gun.
Jessie grinned. "Boo."
	She pulled the trigger, and a bright flash blinded both for a couple seconds; then
writing instantly materialized in mid air. 

 PLAYER 1  9183553 PTS 
PLAYER 2   9183555 PTS 
GAME OVER

	Jessie laughed as she pulled off the virtual helmet. "You almost got me that time!"
"I let you win that time," Malibu grinned; "After all; I did win five out of the eight times 
we've played." He paused, setting his helmet on the dresser. "That's an
awesome game, though."
"Yeah; I could feel everything. It was definitely different." She wiped her sweat-soaked 
forehead with her shirt sleeve. "Definitely wears ya out, too."
	He nodded. "So, what movies did you get?" Jessie asked, running a brush 
through her hair. 
"None; there wasn't any that caught my eye."
	Jessie set the brush on the dresser and looked at the clock. "Well; we could get a 
bite to eat and walk around the deck... enjoy the cool air."
	Malibu answered with a shrug. She walked to the closet and handed him his coat.
"I don't want to hear any complaining, "Jessie teased as she put her coat on. 
"Ha- ha," Malibu muttered, smiling. 

	They walked hand-in-hand out in the cooling air. Their breath came out as a 
mist; and they walked close together for warmth; and, of course, just to be close to each 
other. The setting sun caused the sky to turn a breathtakingly beautiful array of colors. It 
made a striking contrast to the already dark ocean; although the sun caused it to glitter 
spectacularly.
	Malibu stood behind his love; his arms wrapped tightly around her and his chin 
resting on her shoulder. They both gazed out at the setting sun; though neither of them 
were paying much attention to it. Jessie smiled and said softly, "This reminds me of the 
night you proposed."	He smiled and said, just as soft, "Yeah; but not as cold..."
	She chuckled and leaned her head lightly against his. "And besides, "Malibu said,
gently kissing her neck. "We're missing a song aren't we?"
"Of course, "Jessie smiled. She started to quietly hum 'Everything I Do'.
	Malibu closed his eyes and slowly exhaled happily. Both slowly rocked in time to
her humming; and soon Malibu joined in, whispering, but singing, the words. Jessie 
stopped and sighed happily, the breeze blowing the steam from her breath into their faces.
"I love you, Jess."
"I love you, too; and I always will."
	Malibu nodded in agreement; and they spent most of the night gazing at the stars.

___________________________________________________________________
									April 13

"I can't wait any longer!!"
"But, sir; I thought you wanted to sink the ship on the fifteenth!"
"They'll be within help of England by then!" The first figure growled. He looked 
thoughtfully at the small dot on the satellite link of the ocean. "I'll detonate the bomb at 
one. I'm not so cruel as to let them sink in the dark."
"Yes, sir."

"I'm so bored!!!" Jessie groaned; lying sprawled out on the floor. 
	Malibu looked over at her from the desk he was sitting at; drawing. "Well, only
a couple more days until we get to England."
	Jessie sat up, looking thoughtfully at the floor, "You'd think with all the new 
technology we'd be going faster."
	Malibu chuckled, "Well, not everyone has as short attention spans as you; hon."
	She laughed. Suddenly the phone rang. Malibu picked up the reciever. "Hello?"
He paused, listening. He covered the reciever with his hand and said, "It's your Dad."
	Jessie stood up and walked over to kneel beside Malibu. Pressing a button; he
dropped the reciever back into the cradle. A screen in front of them glowed to life, 
showing Gunner. "Hey, kids!" He smiled. "How's the trip going?"
"Alright; it's been pretty uneventful the past couple days." Jessie replied. She looked closer
at her father's image. "What's wrong with your eye?"
	Gunner laughed and said, "Oh, some drunk thought I was picking on him and he 
gave me a good right hook. The only damage to me was that he broke the contact for my
mechanical eye; he got a broken hand."
"That's a lot more exciting than anything that's happened here, "Malibu said. "By the way,
did you know that your old friend is the captain?"
"Old friend?"
"Ace is captaining the ship, Dad!" Jessie said, a little excited to tell him. 
"Ace?" Gunner paused, laughing. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah, we've had lunch with him and everything." Malibu said.
"My God..." Gunner chuckled. "Well, tell him I said hi."
"How's Mom?" 
"She's doing well, she sends her love." Gunner said. "She's asleep right now; it's only eight
here."
	Jessie looked up at the clock. It was twelve; no wonder why they were tired! She
never realized how many times they crossed into a new time zone.
"Well, I better go; I don't want to run up a long distance phone bill. I'll talk to you guys in
England! Love you both!"
"Love you too, Dad! Bye!" Jessie said; then the screen darkened. 
	She turned to Malibu and shrugged. "Lunch?"
"Okey."
	Both left for the cafeteria.

	Jessie yawned and leaned her back against the railing. Malibu walked up to her 
and kissed the top of her head; "Ready?"
"Yeah." 
	They both started walking when suddenly the boat lurched; and Malibu grabbed 
Jessie's arm to steady her. "What the hell was that?" He muttered, looking around.
	Other passengers where looking around, too. Many came out of their cabins, 
looking around; confused. Some were talking about icebergs. Malibu and Jessie looked at 
each other, then started walking at a faster pace to their cabin. 

"What is going on here?!?" Malibu screamed through the phone. He listened a while, then
growled, "Get me the Captain..... I don't care if he's busy; I know him personally, 
so patch me through!!!"
	Jessie squirmed nervously on the bed. "Capt- er; Ace!" Malibu heaved a sigh of 
relief. "Could you please tell us what's going on here?"
	She watched, frightened; as Malibu paled. "A bomb?!?!? Part of the hull
is gone? Are we sinking?..... Why aren't the sirens going off? What?..... There's a fire in 
the cargo bay?! Yes, of course, I'll let you go. Bye." 
	Malibu dropped the phone on the desk; not bothering to hang up. He dizzily stood
up and walked to Jessie; who was now standing, and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
She looked him in the eyes and said, "Do we need our life jackets?"
	He shook his head. "Ace said that there's an emergency field around the hole; it's
the fire they're most worried about."
"Then; if there's no danger; what's to be worried about?"
	Malibu looked at her, the fear for both their safety clear in his eyes. "Well, one; 
the fire is getting extremely close to the gas tanks. And two? There's a crapload of 
explosive material in the cargo that they were transporting to England." 
	Jessie paled; and sunk down to the bed, feeling dizzy and light- headed. He sat 
down next to her, staring blindly at the floor. "We should go for a walk; maybe it will calm 
us down..." She suggested.
	He could only nod. Both slowly stood up; and walked out the door; without a 
care to close it.
	Not fifty feet from their door; another explosion rocked the ship; causing several
people, including them, to fall to the deck. Screams were coming from everywhere, and 
Jessie clenched her jaw shut, helping Malibu up. Looking around; some of the stairwell
pipe- balance bars were mangled; smoke poured out from below- deck stairwells. "We 
need to get our life jackets, now!" Malibu shouted over the screams. 
	Jessie nodded and the both started to run back towards their cabin. Suddenly; a
more powerful explosion caused them to be blown off their feet. Malibu was thrown 
against a wall; and he painfully slid down onto a bunch of broken boxes. He clutched his 
shoulder; tears of pain blurring his eyes. He looked up and tried to peer through the 
smoke. "Jessie?" He stood up, finding that his leg must have been injured too; it was 
throbbing painfully as he put some of his weight on it. "Jessie?!?"
	He forgot about his pain and limped forward. "Jess, can you hear me?!?" He 
shouted, his voice cracking. 
	Malibu heard a small moan; so quiet he almost thought it was his imagination. 
Taking a step; his foot hit some sort of warm liquid. Looking down; he paled when he 
saw what it was. Blood; and after following the small trail; he gave a cry of fright when he
saw it originated from the limp form of Jessie. He ran forward; forgetting his own injuries
to see what happened to her. She was just laying there; staring ahead with a blank look on
her face. Malibu followed her gaze and his stomach wretched when he saw her leg. When
she was blown against the already mangled pipes; her leg hit a small broken pipe; and had
torn right through her calf muscle. He looked back at the dazed Jessie and said, his voice
quivering, "I've gotta move your leg, Jess...."
	She didn't even move; or recognize that he was even next to her. Now he began 
to worry that she might have slammed her head against something and have a severe 
concussion. He carefully took her leg into his hands; bit his lip; and pulled it off of the
sharp pipe. It was then Jessie realized someone was there; she screamed in pain; and when 
Malibu came to see if she was alright; she punched him in the jaw.
	He fell back and looked at her with a bewildered and surprised expression. 
Staring back; Jessie blinked a few times and suddenly gasped. "Oh my God!! I'm so 
sorry, Malibu!!!" She screamed in pain when she tried to move; looking, terrified at her 
torn up leg.
	He crawled up to her and took off his flannel shirt he was wearing over a T-shirt.
Wrapping it tightly around Jessie's leg; she said through clenched teeth, "You're going to 
freeze!" 
	Malibu picked her up into his arms; ignoring the intense pain coming from his 
shoulder and leg. "I'd rather that than you bleed to death..." He replied sternly.
	It was then the sirens started with a roar. Jessie looked at Malibu and said, 
laughing breathlessly, "Better late than never, eh?"
	Malibu gave her the best smile he could manage and looked at her leg. The blood 
was already able to be seen through his shirt. "Let's get back to the cabin; we'll get our 
life jackets and I'll grab the first aid kit."
	She gestured towards their cabin, "After you."
	He couldn't help but chuckle. No matter how bad the situation was; Jessie always 
found a way to joke about it. He limped as fast as he was able to towards their open 
door. Once he got inside; he set Jessie on the bed and looked for their life jackets. She 
watched him limp and rub his shoulder. "You're hurt...."
"It's nothing." Malibu muttered as he helped Jessie put hers on. 
"Yeah, and this is just a scratch." She said accusingly; pointing to her leg. "You're only 
hurting yourself more by carrying me. I'll walk."
	Malibu stopped strapping the first aid kit to his jacket and jerked his head up; 
looking at her. "Like hell you will. You're worse off than I am..." His expression 
changed from the slight anger to a mix of worry and love. "If you walk; you'll bleed more. 
I'm not bleeding."
"At least not externally...." Jessie mumbled.
	He ignored her protests and picked her back up. Malibu began the journey to 
their designated life boat. Several people ran past him; nearly knocking him off his feet. 
Finally; they made it to their life boat and a crew member took Jessie from Malibu's arms
and set her carefully in the boat; then helped him up. Once seated; he unstrapped the 
medical kit and opened it; looking for bandages and disinfectants. Jessie watched as he 
carefully cut away her jean leg; then open a bottle of peroxide. "This is gonna huuurrrt......"
Jessie muttered. 
"Just don't punch me again..."Malibu teased; motioning towards his bruised jaw and 
grinning.
"You're never going to let me forget that; will you?"
"Actually, "he said; painfully shifting his position. "I'd like to forget this as soon as 
possible."
"Ditto." Jessie closed her eyes and sighed. "Although I have a feeling the hospitals won't 
allow me to."
	Malibu tenderly cradled her bloody leg and said, "Ready?"
"Yeah." She dug her claws into the lifeboat; and screamed in agony as the peroxide 
poured around and through her leg. Tears flowed down her face as Malibu 
tightly wrapped a bandage with a splint around her injury. "There..." He smiled.
	Malibu tossed the kit on the floor and moved to the other side of Jessie; so that
she could lean against him. 
	Finally; the lifeboat was lowered into the water; and in the afternoon sun, the once
beautiful Titanic was about to join her 'mother'; at the bottom of the ocean. 
	Jessie looked at the sinking ship; and just as the last lifeboat reached a safe 
distance; the Titanic's nose sunk into the water; bringing the end up. Jessie paled. "Good 
God...."
	The entire back of the ship's hull had been blown off; leaving nothing but a 
ragged skeleton of twisted metal. They watched as the ship disappeared beneath the 
waves. Everyone looked towards the two crewmen in the boat. "There is a rescue ship on
it's way. It should be here in the next half hour." The crewman gave a grin and said, "Very
good job getting to the lifeboats. I think it went smoother than the drill."
	Jessie scowled and looked up at Malibu. He glared at him; but kept his jaw 
clenched; saying nothing. He looked down at her and smiled; lightly stroking her hair.

___________________________________________________________________
									April 15

	A rescue ship from Scotland had come and picked up the stranded passengers; 
and took them to Great Britain; where several ambulances where waiting.

"How's that leg doing, sweetheart?"
	Jessie looked up to see her parents standing at her hospital room door. "Mom! 
Dad!" She cried happily. 
	Andrea put her finger to her lips and pointed. Jessie turned to find Malibu asleep
in a chair; his head and uninjured arm on her bed. "What're you doing here?" Jessie asked 
quietly.
"When we heard what happened; we took the first plane here." Gunner said. "Are you 
alright?"
"Yeah;" Jessie tossed the covers off her leg; revealing a leg brace over a bandage. "I've 
got over two hundred stitches; and a sprained knee." She lightly touched Malibu's head.
"He's got a broken arm, an inflamed and torn shoulder muscle, and a sprained knee; and 
they're worse than what they should have been; carrying me stressed out his already
injured muscles...." She paused, chuckling. "He should be in his own room; he must have 
either beaten back the doctors, or snuck in here."
"When will you be able to leave?" Andrea asked.
	She shrugged. "I think as soon as they're sure we're physically able to." Muttering,
she added, "I'm going to be in this brace and using a cane for a while."
"Hey; just remember what I had to go through, "Gunner smiled.
	Jessie smiled back; then said, "I want to go home...."
"I'll see what I can do." Gunner patted his daughter's uninjured leg and walked out of the 
room. 
	Andrea pulled a chair close to Jessie's bed and sat down. "So; aside from the end;
how was the trip?"
	Jessie shrugged, and looked lovingly at the sleeping Malibu as she lightly ran her 
hand over his hair. "I enjoy any place as long as I'm with Malibu. But it did get a little boring
after a while. I was looking forward to visiting Scotland; but it looks as if I'll have to wait...
I don't want to have a bad leg that will act up climbing up castle stairs."
	Andrea smiled and put her hand over Jessie's. "I hate to tell you this; but you will 
probably always have a limp. Either that or it will act up whenever you're more active than 
usual."
	Just then Malibu inhaled deeply and slowly sat up; rubbing his eyes and groaning.
Jessie smiled and said softly, "Sleep well, my love?"
	Malibu smiled at her through tired eyes and shrugged his undamaged shoulder. "As
well as I could with a throbbing shoulder and arm, I suppose." He looked up at Andrea. 
"Hi! Where did you come from?"
"We caught the first flight here when we found out what happened." Andrea looked him 
over. Since he was wearing a tank top; she could see the bandages wrapped around his 
shoulder and chest. His arm was set in a cast and rested in a sling. She couldn't see his legs;
but she knew that one was set in a brace. "So how're you feeling?"
"Alright, considering the circumstances."
	Gunner walked in the room, and smiled when he saw Malibu. "How're you doing,
son?"
"Alright."
"Doctor said that you can be released as soon as they get the papers ready, "Gunner said,
patting Jessie on the shoulder. He looked back at Malibu and frowned. "What happened 
to your jaw?"
	Malibu put his hand up to his bruised jaw and chuckled. "Nothing; it was an 
accident."
	Jessie gave him a weak smile and he winked at her. "Just an accident."
"May I come in?" A voice from the doorway asked.
	They turned to find Ace standing there; his right arm set in a cast and resting in a 
sling. "Ace!" Gunner laughed and carefully gave his old friend a hug. "How've you been?"
	Ace smiled and gestured at his arm. "Oh, I've been better." He looked at Malibu and
Jessie sadly. "I'm sorry for all this, kids...."
"It wasn't your fault, Ace." Jessie smiled. Grinning she added; "I'll even sign your cast."
	Chuckling; Ace walked in the room and sat on the bed while she scribbled a note on
the plaster. He looked at Malibu, "So how're you doing?"
"I'm alright, "Malibu looked at Ace's cast. "How'd you break your arm?"
"When the engine exploded, I was blown against a banister."
	Jessie gave a good-natured smirk. "At least the one you got blown into wasn't 
broken."
	He chuckled and took the pen Jessie was holding out for him. Looking back at 
Malibu, he said, "What happened to your jaw?"

___________________________________________________________________
									June 24

"Jess, you coming?"
	Jessie walked out of the house, leaning on her cane. "Hold your horses! I can only
walk so fast, y'know."
	Malibu grinned and quickly walked over to her, and picked her up. "We don't 
have all day, sweetheart; we've got a plane to catch, remember?"
	Jessie grinned and tapped the handle of her cane on his beak as he carried her over
to their car. "Don't make me use this."
	He chuckled and opened the car door. He carefully set her in the seat and reached 
for the seatbelt. Jessie playfully slapped his hand away and said, "Hey, I'm not helpless!"
	Malibu smiled and shut her door; walked around and jumped in the driver's seat.

	Soon they were in their plane; waiting for take off. Jessie adjusted her chair to get
more comfortable. "It was pretty nice of the cruiser line to give everyone plane tickets to 
Great Britain."
	Malibu smiled a little and said, "Well, I don't think anyone would like another boat
ticket. And it was the least they could have done." He looked out of the window. "Besides,
it saved their butts from getting sued to high heaven."
"If they wouldn't have agreed to pay our medical bills; a plane ticket wouldn't have stopped
me from suing them." Jessie grumbled.
	He nodded in agreement. Jessie shifted her position a little and winced as her leg
moved a certain way. "You okey?" he asked; looking worriedly at her. Her leg had been 
known to give out on her.
"Yeah; just moved it wrong." Jessie said, then reached down and tightened her brace.
"Do you have your medicine with you?"
	She nodded. "I took it before we got on the plane." Smiling she added, "Don't 
worry about me; we're here to have fun."
	He leaned over and lightly kissed her cheek. "I'll never stop worrying about you. I 
love you too much not to."	Jessie smiled and took his hand, giving it a loving squeeze. "That goes for me, too."
"This is your captain speaking, "A voice over the intercom system crackled. "Buckle your
seatbelts; we're about to take off for Scotland. Have fun and enjoy the flight."
	Malibu and Jessie settled comfortably back in their seats and waited for their 
(second) vacation to begin.
The End
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