Nothing On Earth

Chapter Fifteen

April 14^th, 1912

3:04 AM

R.M.S Titanic

James supposed he was never going to get any sleep at this rate. He'd slept on some of the most uncomfortable surfaces unimaginable many times in his past and had not forgotten what life without a comfortable bed was like. The hard wood of a Titanic bench, however, was digging into his back painfully, causing him to toss and turn every few minutes, and effectively keeping him awake at this God-awful hour.

He was the only one in the dark general room now, and it had been that way when he'd come back down inside after his fight with Remus. Several stewards had accosted him, telling him to go back to his cabin, but he had pretended he hadn't the slightest clue they were talking about, answering questions in a mixture of English and the bit of French he knew. Finally, the exasperated stewards had given up, leaving him in peace and muttering about mad Frenchmen.

The reason he was trying to sleep in the general room was because he did not want to go back to his cabin. He was still quite furious at Remus and going back to his cabin would mean confrontation with his difficult companion yet again. Now, as he was lying on the uncomfortable bench, he did feel slightly guilty for accusing Remus and yelling at him, but the urge wasn't strong enough to make him go back and apologise.

The horrible sleeping arrangements weren't the only thing keeping him awake. His thoughts were the real culprit at hand. His mind was spinning and churning out ideas faster than he could take them in. It was just too full, of everything and nothing at the same time.

He loved Lily, and he could not stop thinking about her.

Every moment he closed his eyes, trying to sleep, he saw her face and a bright smile on her lips. Each time he shifted on the bench, his body yearned to hold her closer again and remembered how wonderful it had felt to have her curled up against him. His heart nearly burst out of his chest whenever he thought about their kisses and their talks. He loved Lily.

James laughed out loud, feeling incredibly excited. The thought of him, James Potter, loving someone was just too humorous to imagine. Yet, here he was. Madly in love with a beautiful girl - but just not any girl. Oh, nooo. James had to fall in love with the fiancée of a murderous Death Eater. It was just his rotten luck - he had to fall head over heels with the one girl he couldn't have.

But who said he couldn't have her?
Startled by this thought, James sat straight up on his bench.

Yes, Lily was engaged, but she didn't want to get married to Malfoy. James had never heard her say this, but he was positive that this was the case. With the way he treated her, James couldn't blame her lack of commitment. If the way she kissed and held onto him last night were any indication, Lily probably felt the same way about James as he did about her - although he wasn't too sure about the loving part yet.

Really, the only thing holding them back from being together was Malfoy. Malfoy would never let Lily break their engagement, especially not this close to their wedding and not for some street rat. That would ruin his reputation. No, Malfoy would keep a tight hold on Lily as long as he could, even if it meant making them both incredibly miserable for a very long time.

Malfoy, however, could be worked around. If James truly wanted to be with Lily (and he did) or she with him, then they could find a way to be together. Murdering Malfoy was not an option; James didn't sink to Death Eater lows unless it was absolutely necessary. Sneaking or stealing Lily away had its fair share of problems too as Malfoy would most likely pin it as a kidnapping...There had to be some way for them to be together, some way...

James groaned and flopped onto his back.

Now he was most definitely not going to sleep tonight.

***

9:06 AM

Lily closed the door to her stateroom behind her and leaned against it, breathing a sigh of relief. Breakfast with Lucius had been absolutely nerve-racking this morning.

Very few things could cause such a fright in Lily as the maid had when she had come in and informed her that she and Lucius were to have breakfast alone in their sitting room, alone.

They never had breakfast alone, except when he needed to talk or he was mad at her...She hadn't seen him at all after she'd gotten back last night; he had still been in the smoking room and she had gone straight to bed. Was it possible that he had discovered where she had gone last night? Had he found out about her and James?

Shaking from head to toe, Lily had walked out of her stateroom and greeted Lucius as normally as possible, hoping he didn't notice her nervousness. The first few moments of breakfast were tense. Lucius had read the small newspaper, absorbed by every bit of information it held, and Lily had stirred her tea with a shaky hand, waiting for the blow to fall.

It never came.

Lucius had called their solitary breakfast to make-up for his behaviour for the night before, which had shocked Lily yet again. He said all sorts of things to excuse himself; "Johnson was overly eager, wouldn't let me get away - " or "The guilt of leaving you alone was tearing me up inside." She knew the truth of the matter. He wouldn't have come back even if he could, and he was just saying these things to make sure she didn't go running off to another man for comfort. But she had gone running last night, ending up in the warm arms of James Potter.

James.

Her heart ached just thinking about him. Last night had been the most romantic and beautiful night of her life. James was the prefect man, gentle, compassionate, intelligent - everything Lucius was not. She fit with him and she had known it, since the moment they had locked eyes on the boat deck four days ago. She had only known James for four days, but she knew - with the utmost certainty of her heart - that she loved him.

It was the strangest feeling, to be in love with someone. She had never experienced this feeling before, and it was slightly terrifying, knowing that the love of another person could consume your soul. It was an incredibly wonderful feeling, but along with the happiness came unimaginable hurt.

She and James could never be together, all because of her acceptance of Lucius's proposal. She had already lost James before she could have him and that loss would continue to haunt her until her dying day. It was a horrific feeling, to be denied the one you loved, the one person that could make you feel alive, and because of her stupidity -

Lily sighed, shaking her head in sorrow. If there were any way to be with James, if he gave some indication that he wanted to be with her, Lily would take it, regardless of the risks. Anything would be better than this sham of a relationship with Lucius.

She moved over to her dresser, checking the small clock on the fireplace mantle as she passed. It was just after nine, and the religious service started at eleven. Knowing Petunia, she'd want to be there a half an hour early, and it'd be best to start getting ready now, lest Petunia burst in and -

Lily froze, her grip tightening on her vanity chair in panic.

Sounds were coming from her enclosed wardrobe.

There had been a loud 'thump' at first, then a bit of muffled talk, before everything went quiet again. It sounded as though it had come from the back of the wardrobe, where the safe was stored, which could only mean one things - thieves.

She let go of her chair, and grabbed her ivory handled hairbrush, the only object on her dresser suitable to swing at someone's head. She walked quietly over to the wardrobe, brush poised and ready in case the thief decided to leap out before she got to the door. Hopefully, there was only one and he wouldn't be a brute of a man either - she grasped the handle and threw the door open.

"James!" she shrieked, dropping her hairbrush in shock.

He was standing in back of her wardrobe, and had whirled around at the sound of her voice, tucking one hand quickly into his pocket. He expression was that of a boy just caught sneaking sweets. He had been facing the safe before, and she wondered what he could've possibly been doing -

James quickly overcame the surprise of being discovered hiding in a woman's wardrobe. He closed the distance between them, cupped her face in his hands, and muttered, "Lily," in a deep, needy voice that made her legs wobble unsteadily beneath her. Then, he kissed hungrily, causing all thoughts to fly from her head except how good his lips felt on hers and how much she loved kissing him. She threw her arms around him, unbalancing him and causing him to stumble back into wardrobe, hitting one of the walls. He laughed, leaning against it, gladly letting himself be sandwiched between Lily and the wall.

"Good morning," he whispered, pulling away momentarily. He grinned at her, pushing his glasses back into place, before putting the hand back into her hair.

"Hi," she breathed, feeling like a shy, silly schoolgirl. She wanted to say something more, something intelligent, something sophisticated, but all she could do at the moment was just stare at James with a stupid smile on her face. Why was she suddenly turning into a pile of mush around him?

"Erm...Nice wardrobe you have here," he replied awkwardly, obviously put off by her uncomplimentary staring. Or maybe, he was nervous, though over what, Lily had no idea. "Very big, full of stuff - "

"I don't think you came to visit me this morning to talk about my wardrobe," Lily interrupted, salvaging her focus from his hazel eyes. She grabbed the collar of his jacket, pulling him down until his forehead was touching hers and their lips were just centimetres apart.

"No, I didn't," he murmured, voice low and full of desire. His breath tickled her face as he leaned in and closed the gap between their lips.

He skipped preliminaries and moved right into a deep, sensual kiss that sent her spinning. She loved every second his lips were on hers, loved everything about him -

"Lily?"

There was a knock on her door and Lucius's commanding voice came flowing into the room. Lily's eyes snapped open and she broke their kiss, staring horrifically at her stateroom door. If Lucius came into the room, he could see nothing from the doorway, but if he happened to glance into the mirror across the way...

"Lily?" he demanded again, jiggling the door handle.

"Don't come in!" she cried, trying to untangle her limbs from James's. There was a smirk of amusement on his face and he was doing nothing to help the situation. He might've been ready for all Hell to break loose if Lucius caught them in a passionate embrace, but she was most certainly not. "I'm - I'm changing!"

The doorknob stopped jiggling.

"What was that noise? You screamed."

"One - One of my hat boxes fell on my head," she lied, squirming uncomfortably. She felt warm lips on her neck, nipping at the skin, and she wobbled again, shooting James a desperate look. He smirked and continued downward, sliding the fabric of her sleeve down to kiss her collarbone. "I'm - I'm fine! No need to worry!"

There was no answer and Lily strained her hearing, catching the sound of fading footsteps. She breathed her second sigh of relief in minutes and slumped against James, relishing their closeness (and his seductive kisses) momentarily, before regaining her senses and pushing him away.

"What are you doing here, James?" she whispered, casting a furtive glance out into her stateroom before clicking on the light of the wardrobe and closing the door.

"I need to talk to you," he responded, straightening up and fixing his jacket.

"Now? And in my wardrobe?" she hissed, panicked. "You can't - that was far too close of a call and if Lucius catches you he'll - he'll - "

"Let him do whatever he wants," he declared, stepping closer to her. The wardrobe was incredibly cramped, with all of her dresses hanging about and trunks taking up space. "I'm not leaving until I talk to you."

"Well, then, talk already - I don't want him - " Lily was quickly silenced by another kiss from James.

"I love you," he murmured against her lips, kissing her again and again. His hands entangled in her hair, pulling pins out of place, and she was up against his body, their closeness sending tingles through her body. "I love you, I love you, I love you a thousands times more...That's what I wanted to say."

It took her a few moments to register what he had said - being kissed passionately over and over again tended to give a person no reason to listen - and her heart skipped a beat.

He...he loved her.

"You...what?" she repeated, just to make sure she heard him correctly to first five times. She pulled out of their kiss, staring at him.

"I love you," he replied, pushing a piece of hair behind her hair. His eyes clouded with confusion behind his glasses and he asked, "That's not a problem...is it?"

"A problem?" Lily said, her heart upping its pace against her rib cage and her breathing catching in her throat. "Of course - of course it's not a problem, James!" She threw her arms around his neck, toppling him into the wardrobe door this time. The door flung open and expelled them both in a laughing, joyous mass of humanity.

As she pulled him down into another kiss, her fingers entangling in his wild mess of hair, she whispered, "I love you too," and realised that kisses while you were in love were so much better than normal kisses.

***

It was one thing to realise that one was in love with someone, but it was a completely different thing to realise that that very same person loved you in the same way.

James couldn't believe all the emotions that were bombarding him at the moment. Disbelief - he was in love; confusion - he was in love?; and happiness - Lily loved him, were prominent among the mess that was James's feelings at the moment. He had hardly expected this when he had first snuck into Lily's wardrobe earlier this morning.

James had eventually fallen asleep a little later in the morning without discovering some miracle way for he and Lily to be together in New York. He had several ideas, but none of them seemed plausible. He knew the only way he could figure this out would be to talk to Lily in person. So, the instant he had woken up (no thanks to the Spanish bloke who had tried to sit on his face), he'd first snuck into his stateroom to change (Remus was still sleeping like a log, thank God) and grabbed his lock-picking tools, and then made his way up into the first class and eventually into the stateroom wardrobe, where he could talk to her.

Provided he ever got around from removing his lips from hers and decided to do some talking with them instead.

"This is insane," he mumbled, when they broke for air in-between kisses. Their foreheads were barely touching, his hands around her waist, hers in his hair. "Completely and utterly mad."

"I know," she replied, kissing his cheek. "But that's what I love about it."

James realised, in a somewhat hazy manner, that he and Lily were standing in the middle of her stateroom, kissing for anyone to see at any chosen moment. Surprisingly, however, he found himself not caring in the slightest. Let Malfoy find them. Lily loved him and that was all that really mattered.

"Do you remember last night - " she began, sliding her fingers up and down through his hair, causing him to shiver.

"Very vividly, actually," he laughed, kissing the tip of her nose. She frowned, annoyed at being interrupted. "Go on, I was only joking, love."

"Do you remember...when I told you that whatever we have is over, that'll I'll have to go back to Lucius in the end?" she asked, her voice low and green eyes serious. James nodded slowly, feeling his throat constrict at the thought. She couldn't be thinking about staying with Lucius, she couldn't want to stay with him...

"Well, I don't want this to be over and I'm breaking off my engagement to Lucius the instant we get to New York. I'm not leaving Titanic without you, James, because you're the man I want to be with."

James's throat constricted even more, though this was for a completely different reason entirely, and he had to gulp down the cries of joy that were rising in his chest. His heart was racing, pounding harder with every second, threatening to burst -

"You want to be...with me?" he repeated, knowing he must sound and look very stupid, with a silly grin plastered over his face. "We must be mad!"

She laughed, and in that moment, James knew she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. Her skin was glowing in the early sunlight, her eyes were alive and were the most beautiful, mesmerising shade of green imaginable...Everything about her was astounding and fantastic and she was going to be his...

"I'm in love, I'm going to be with the most amazing woman in the world, and I've discovered that we're completely mad all at the same time," he continued, pulling her closer and closer to his body until there was no room left between them. She had stopped laughing now, her face a mask of eager excitement. "But this is the best day of my life and I really just want you to kiss me aga - "

He was very graciously obliged before he was even finished with his sentence.

***

"Would you go and check on your sister, Petunia?" Lucius asked, glancing at Petunia over his shoulder. He was tying his tie - in the wrong fashion yet again - and she was standing in the doorway of his stateroom waiting for him to finish, and utterly bored. "She was having difficulty with her wardrobe a few minutes ago, getting attacked by the hat boxes and all that. She may need some help getting dressed."

Petunia rolled her eyes. If it was one thing Lily and Lucius both needed help with, it was fashion. They were a perfect match in that aspect - Lily sometimes came out of the house looking like she had dressed in the dark while Lucius always insisted on tying his tie in the same, out-dated fashion every time they went out. It was absurd.

"Of course," Petunia sighed in a wounded sort of way, trying to get Lucius to have some pity for her. Lucius, however, nodded his approval, and continued his business with the tie.

Huffily, Petunia turned and slammed the door to his stateroom closed. She was already in a bad mood this morning - Vernon had telegraphed, saying he was having difficultly selling the land and he wouldn't be joining her in New York since the coal shortage had caused yet another ship to cancel its voyage. The task of baby-sitting Lily and picking out her clothes was just another thing to add to her list of annoyances.

She stomped through the sitting room, knocking a breakfast plate onto the floor just because she felt like it, and was just about to wrench the door to Lily's stateroom open, despite the fact that her sister might be running around starkers, when she hesitated for the briefest moment.

Was that laughter she heard?

Her curiosity and natural nosiness got the best of her, and she leaned her ear against the door, listening for sounds. What would Lily be laughing at? Had her maid done something particularly humorous, like suggested she wear an orange coloured dress? Even Lily had enough sense not to wear orange -

The instant she heard voices from the other side of the door, Petunia knew that it was not the maid who was in that room. One was distinctively Lily's voice while the other was low and sounded very much like a male.

Petunia's sharp eyes narrowed in suspicion and she smashed her ear against the crack in the door just a bit more.

Who was in Lily's stateroom? It couldn't be Lucius, for she had just left his stateroom hardly two minutes before. It wouldn't be Tom Riddle or that Black boy because they both detested Lily. It could be...but that was just silly. They hadn't seen hide or hair of that boy since dinner two nights ago, and he most definitely wouldn't be in Lily's stateroom, making her laugh.

But he could be.

That thought alone gave Petunia enough motivation to make her next move. She grabbed the handle of the door and turned it slowly, opening it without the slightest sound. Years of sneaking into her parents' private parties or eavesdropping on the girls at school had taught her the proper way to go about spying on people. She eased the door open just enough to poke her head through to get a good look -

Petunia felt a trill of shock go through her and she blinked furiously, her mouth agape. This couldn't be happening - not to her, not to her sister...

Lily was currently engaged in a passionate kiss with none other than that horrible James Potter.

Petunia stared at them for minutes that dragged on endlessly. She couldn't - no, she wouldn't - comprehend what was happening in front of her. Lily was a good girl; she was classy, proper! She wouldn't - she wasn't raised this way - she couldn't be, but she was. She was kissing that steerage, that filth, like she had known him for ages, like they were betrothed -

What, in the name of God, could Lily be thinking, kissing a boy like that? She was engaged, she had the perfect man at her fingertips - she didn't need this - this - How could Lily do this to her? Didn't she know what would happen if she was caught? Her engagement was already nearing the rocks, but this would plunge it over the cliff! Petunia could already see the headline on the social section of one of the London newspaper, she could see the scandal heading her way, she was panicking -

Lily was talking now, almost so quietly that Petunia couldn't hear what she was saying. She tried to remain calm and focus, but her panicked mind was so full with thoughts and notions that she almost didn't listen to Lily.

" - do you have somewhere to stay in New York, James? I don't want to spend another moment without you."

"Of course I do," Potter replied, stroking her face. Petunia felt a surge of anger flow through her; Potter didn't deserve to be touching her sister's face -

Wait a moment. What was this about New York?

Potter was mumbling an address and Lily was nodding, committing it to memory. Petunia stared, horror-struck and panicked at the two of them. Was Lily planning to run away with this - this boy? She must've gone completely and utterly mad! She barely knew him and he - he wasn't like them! He was filthy, he was poor, he - he - he was going to ruin everything and make Lily's life miserable -

Using all of her self-control, Petunia slid out of Lily's room, slowly shutting the door behind her. She spent a few moments, collecting her scattered thoughts and figuring her best plan of action.

Lily couldn't go to New York with Potter. Petunia wouldn't allow it; her sister didn't know what she was thinking, she didn't know what was best for her...Lily, Petunia could handle, but Potter would be another story completely.

Something had to be done about this pest and, as she stared across the sitting room at Lucius's door, Petunia knew exactly what.

***

"Did you hear something?" Lily whispered, looking at her stateroom door nervously. She could've sworn she had heard her door click shut, but hadn't she closed it only moment ago? How long had it been since she had come in from breakfast, since Lucius had interrupted them? How long could she afford to keep James in her stateroom before someone came in without knocking?

"No," James replied, nuzzling her neck and very nearly drawing her attention away from the doorway. He was very distracting like that. "Why?"

Lily pursed her lips, not answering him right away.

"You should go," she cautioned, pulling away from him. She felt suddenly cold, deprived of James's body heat, and already she ached to hold him close again. One hand was still on her cheek, and she clutched it close. "I don't want them to find you here. Not now."

"All right," he agreed, nodding his understanding. His eyes were serious, yet so full of love and sincerity that her will almost cracked again.

She followed him to the opposite stateroom door, one of his hands clutching hers tightly, and they paused right in front of it, lingering and not wanting to let go so soon.

"I want to see you again today," she said. "Is there a place or time we can meet safely?"

"I don't know," he said in response, touching her face. "If you tell him today, there definitely won't be a safe place until we get to New York."

"Just...be safe and don't take any risks, coming to see me."

"Worried already, are you?" he asked, a light grin on his face. He drew her in closer one last time and laid a soft, parting kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, his face was serious, determined. "...Nothing on earth can keep me from you now, Lily. Nothing."

And then, with a quick swing of the handle and step across the threshold, he was gone.

He exit wasn't a moment too soon. Petunia came bustling in seconds later and Lily breathed a sigh of relief, happy that her secret was safe for now.

***

11:20 AM

It was rather hard to pretend to be listening to Captain Smith read scripture when one's sister would shoot strange looks at one every five minutes.

Lily was currently squashed between Lucius and Sirius at the religious service, nearly dying of boredom and pent up excitement from James's visit. Many people had commented on her "glowing look" before the services had started, Lucius included, but none of them could guess the true meaning of her happiness.

Lucius, who looked rather smug, probably thought his make-up breakfast had been the cause, but he could be no further from the truth. One of his hands was intertwined in hers, a simple gesture that he hadn't bothered with in a long time, and Lily was longing to retract her hand from his cold grip. Months, maybe even days ago, she would've died for this kind of attention from him - now, she could only think of getting as far away as possible and getting back into the arms of the man she truly adored.

Petunia, on the other hand, had not said a word to Lily since she'd finished dressing. Her lips were pursed in a furious way, and had been since she had stepped into Lily's stateroom. Lily didn't know what could've set Petunia off so early in the morning, unless it was the telegraph she had received from Vernon earlier, but she was certainly glad she wasn't going to be spending the afternoon with her irritable sister.

Right before the service started, Rose Dewitt-Bukater and her fiancé, Cal Hockley, had invited Lily and Lucius to take a tour of the ship with them after luncheon. Lucius had politely refused, but Lily had accepted, wanting to get away from Lucius and hoping to see James again. Unfortunately, Lucius, probably suspecting she'd try something to see James, had nominated Sirius as her escort and the pompous arse had accepted, ruining her afternoon already.

Maybe, she could try and get away from Sirius while they were out on deck. He hadn't snitched on her meeting yesterday with James and maybe if she bribed him this time, he wouldn't say a word to Lucius either -

Petunia was staring at her again.

Lily could feel her sister's eyes on her, causing her to squirm uncomfortably in her chair. Lucius glanced at her curiously, and she smiled vapidly, wanting him to look away. Petunia's glare intensified, and once Lucius turned his attention back to Captain Smith, Lily twisted her head around, leaning over Sirius, to glare right back at Petunia.

The look in her sister's eyes made her falter for the smallest moment. Instead of anger, her blue orbs held a certain smugness and superiority in them. Lily knew this look. It was the look that caused Petunia's friends to beg her for new gossip at teatime, knowing full well that once Petunia got "the look," she had something very juicy to go on about indeed.

Did Petunia...know something?

She had acted rather strangely after she had come into the stateroom to help Lily dress. Perhaps she had heard James's voice and had wondered...Her sister was very good at eavesdropping or connecting the pieces of a social puzzle -

"Stand up, darling," Lucius hissed, tugging on her elbow.

Lily started and stood quickly, opening her prayer book to the page Sirius had muttered helpfully into her ear. Someone was playing the piano and everyone gathered began to sing, O God Our Help in Ages Past. With all the noise and distraction of finding the right page, Lily soon forgot about her sister's look, a mistake she would regret hours later.

***

1:35 PM

Instead of playing cards, Tom had suggested they play a few games of chess during their meeting in the smoking room instead. He and Tom were the only ones meeting today, with Regulus attending to his mother and Sirius escorting Lily -

Violently, Lucius knocked one of the pawns off the board with his knight. The pawn went rolling off the table and onto the floor, landing without a sound. Tom, however, made a sound of disapproval low in his throat.

"This chess set is a family heirloom," he warned, eyes flashing as Lucius bent down to pick up the fallen piece. "I would appreciate it if you took your anger out on something far less valuable."

Tom always knew. He knew what someone was angry or happy about, when someone was lying, when an adulterous, conniving little bitch was planning on leaving her fiancé for some spit of humanity -

Lucius had to control the urge to throw something. He had been in a good mood earlier, until Petunia had asked to speak with him after their luncheon. Lucius had been hesitant at first, until she had told him about Lily's little meeting with Potter this morning. The harpy had shared all the details, including Lily's plan to leave with him once the ship docked and how passionately she kissed a man she barely even KNEW -

That information, topped with the sudden news from Tom that Lily had sneaked off last night to be with him had put Lucius in a very thunderous mood indeed.

"So," he replied through clenched teeth, easily taking another pawn after Tom moved. Chess was the one game Tom could loose without losing his temper as well. "What do you think of her - her - "

" - plan to run off with Potter and ruin you? Perfectly predictable of Evans," Tom supplied, making a careless move and leaving his king wide open. "I suppose I shouldn't mention what happened between the two of them last night again...Pity I didn't mention it earlier, you might've made use of your private breakfast to teach her a lesson or two."

Lucius growled under his breath, but said nothing as he moved his castle into position. He became furious at the very mention of Lily's tryst with that man. How could she do something like that? How could she betray him? How dare she try to humiliate him! He wasn't going to allow it, not this time, not ever again. She wasn't going to get away with this -

"What do you suggest I do about it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes as Tom moved. Lucius had always been best at strategy, the reason why he always won chess matches, but even he couldn't formulate a good enough plan to stop his unravelling engagement. His anger was clouding his judgement greatly - it was taking all of his self-control not to throttle the very life out of wee Potter and beat Lily into submission. Tom, who was always level-headed, would have a better idea.

"What do you think you should do about it?" Tom answered, knocking one of Lucius's pawns off the board and then watched impassively as Lucius captured his king and declared, "Checkmate."

"What I want isn't necessarily legal," he responded after a momentary pause, reaching for his drink.

"And when has that ever stopped you?" Tom's eyes glinted in amusement. After a moment, he glanced away, eyes focusing on the painting of a ship over the fireplace mantle.

"I would do what I wanted if we weren't on a damnable ship...I can't kill him like I want," Lucius ground out, swirling the contents of his glass around in irritated fashion. "because ships are a horrible place to do murder. A body with a bullet through the head or even a missing man will cause all sorts of unwanted questions, even if it is a steerage boy, and everyone will know the killer is on board...Pity we're not in New York yet. They wouldn't think a thing of finding a body in the gutter."

Tom, apparently, wasn't listening to Lucius, his attention still focused on that horrid painting. Lucius waited for the older man to say something, his patience stretching to the limits, and felt his anger grow a notch. Typical. A bloody painting would be more important than the pressing matters at hand.

"You know," Tom said at last, his eyes not moving from the painting as he spoke to Lucius. "That painting would be simply incredible if it wasn't for that ghastly frame...It just steals the beauty right out of it, do you see what I mean? Something simpler would've done nicely, don't you think?"

Lucius resisted rolling his eyes and glanced at the painting, resigned to the fact that his Potter problem wouldn't be solved until Tom got the answer he wanted. However, as Lucius stared mindlessly at the painting and mulled Tom words over and over again, a solution struck him hard and fast. Tom hadn't been talking about the painting at all. In fact, the old man had just given him the answer he'd been looking for.

"I do think you're right, Tom," Lucius replied, feeling at ease. He leaned back into his chair, observing the painting in a new light and with a smug smirk on his face. He knew what to do now, who to look for, and what to say. Lily and her beau were going to get what was coming to them...No one tried to cheat Lucius Malfoy out of what was rightfully his and got away with it unscathed.
"A simple frame would be perfect."