Dear Fate

While Olivia was off joining the rich and famous for her dinner, Holly had the opportunity to join her own people, per say, for the evening meal. After she saw Olivia off at 6:30, she made her way out of the suite and up onto the deck, careful to avoid any mishaps with increasingly familiar officers. When she reached the third class deck, Tommy Ryan was nowhere in sight and she was slightly nervous that he was standing her up, and immediately felt foolish for even coming down here. She quickly turned away and was halfway up the steps and back to the first class deck when she heard a familiar voice below.

"Skipping out so soon? We haven't even been to dinner yet. You could at least wait until after before leaving."

She turned around slowly and saw a smirking Tommy Ryan looking up at her. She hesitantly walked down the steps towards him and stood on the second from the bottom, so that she was almost eye level with him.

"I saw ya come down here. Ya didn't wait very long to see if I'd show up," he said.

"You were testing me to see how long I would stay? That's very gentlemanly of you, good sir," Holly replied sarcastically, throwing in a curtsy for good measure.

"Well, well, well. So she does speak," he smiled, holding out his arm to her.

She looked at it for a second before cautiously accepting it. He helped her down the last few steps and they were on their way into the ship. He led her through a couple of corridors before stopping outside of two double doors.

"Well, here we are," he said, pushing the door open and leading her into the rather large room.

It was nothing like what Holly had expected. It actually looked rather elegant, for third class anyway. The walls were a plain white, and the tables, although there were no table clothes, were a beautiful type of wood which Holly was unfamiliar with. They were long and made so that everyone sat together at either one of them, but it was still nicer than what she was expecting.

After they were seated and had their food in front of them, courtesy of the buffet table at the end of the hall, conversation began.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I've just realized we've not been properly introduced. My name is Tommy Ryan, and this here is my friend Fabrizio De Rossi," he said, pointing to the young boy beside him who Holly just realized was the dark skinned boy from before.

"My name is Holly Spencer," she replied, sticking her hand across the table.

He grabbed it and shook it, smiling kindly at her.

"Nice to meet you, Holly," he laughed.

And so dinner commenced.

"So how old are ya, Holly? You act very grown-up, but you look so young," Tommy asked.

"I'm seventeen," she answered.

"So what are you doing going to America?" he asked.

"Miss Olivia Mae is going to meet her fiancé. As I'm her maid, I get to travel with her," she replied.

"Ah, so the monster does have a name," he laughed.

Holly smiled.

"So how did you end up being her maid anyway?" he inquired.

"My parents worked for the Hamilton's long before I was born. When they died, the Hamilton's took me onto their staff as Olivia's maid instead of sending me off to an orphanage," Holly explained.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tommy's ever present grin slipped off his face.

"It's alright. It's been so long I hardly remember them," she smiled softly.

He hesitantly smiled at her again.

"So, what are the two of you going to America for?" Holly ventured, trying to make conversation.

"A new life," Fabrizio said simply.

Holly smiled and looked back down to her barely touched plate. She pushed some of her food around on her plate before taking a small bite of some of the vegetables.

"So, why do you stick around with your mistress when she treats you so badly?" Fabrizio asked.

"Where else am I to go? I am but seventeen and I have nothing to offer to any man to be his wife. But honestly, she's not that bad most of the time," Holly answered.

"Not that bad?" Tommy asked, raising his eye brows.

"Really, she's not. She may seem like a spoiled rotten brat to most, and she may get most of her joy in life out of my embarrassment, but she is the one that begged her parents to let me stay on as her maid when my parents died. And she insisted I have a first class ticket so I could travel with her. And while I could have stayed in London, she asked me to come with her. I'm really the only friend she has," Holly replied.

"You consider her a friend?" Fabrizio asked.

"Yes, I do. Like I said, she may treat me with little respect most of the time, but she has always been there when I really needed her," Holly said.

"I guess I can see where some could find friendship in there," Tommy said slowly.

"You don't eat very much, do you?" Fabrizio asked, nodding at Holly's plate.

"How could she? She's so little. She probably only weighs ten pounds soaking wet," Tommy laughed, gesturing at her.

Holly blushed and looked down.

"No need to get embarrassed, love," Tommy laughed.

They joked and laughed a little bit more, Holly getting to the point where she almost felt comfortable around the two of them. She was really starting to enjoy herself when the bell signaled that dinner was over.

"Well, Miss Holly, are you ready to see how a real third class passenger enjoys themselves, or are you ready to go back up to the boring life of a first class maid?" Tommy asked, smiling widely.

"Oh, I really would love to, but I must be getting back. Miss Olivia will be getting done with dinner and I must be there to attend to her," Holly replied.

"Oh come on! Live a little! She cannot get undressed by herself for one night?" Fabrizio asked, as he and Tommy each took an arm.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Holly mumbled, following the two of them without a fight.