Rose looked out over the railing of the Carpathia. She was totally numb. Some of it was from the icy waters that she had only been out of for ten hours, but most of her numbness was the loss of Jack. The thought of losing him made her feel cold and empty. She pulled the blanket tighter around her. She looked up at the sky. The sun was shining. How could it shine when she felt so terrible? She closed her eyes against the pain she felt. She turned from the rail and turned straight into Cal.

"Rose, I thought I lost you."

Rose put up a hand to stop him. "Don't speak. Let me say this. I have a business deal for you, since that is what you understand. You are never to look for me. You are never to find me. You are never to speak of me. If you do this, I will not speak of your horrible behavior last night. No one will ever know how you behaved." She turned back the rail.

"What will I tell your mother?"

"Tell her that her daughter died with the Titanic." Cal bent his head down. Rose didn't say anything.

"Rose, you're precious to me."

"No, Cal, jewels are precious to you. Now good-bye, Mr. Hockley." This time it was clear that Rose was dismissing him.

*****

The cold April shower poured down on Rose's face. She looked up at the Statue of Liberty as the Carpathia passed by it as it headed into the New York Harbor. Rose was lost in her thoughts when she heard someone say something to her.

"Can I have your name, Love?" Rose slowly looked from the Statue of Liberty to the steward that was asking for her name.

She gave her name with only a second of thought. She heard the words she had told Cal. `Tell her that her daughter died with the Titanic'. She then realized that if Jack had lived, they would be getting married as soon as they could. She would have his name then. "Dawson, Rose Dawson."

"Thank you."

At least Jack's name would go on. She looked back at the Statue of Liberty. The semble of freedom. She had gained her freedom a few moments before that. She was finally able to be herself. She didn't have to be the porcelain doll any longer. She looked from the statue as she felt something in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw the necklace. Cal had put in his pocket when the ship was sinking. She smiled when she thought that he had lost the one jewel he treasured most.

*****

Jack sat at the table with Sarah and David. He was perusing the paper for any good stories that could hold his attention. He was trying to keep his mind off of the job that he would be doing that afternoon. He would be giving Sarah away at her wedding. She was marrying a Boston lawyer. Jack had taken the train from Santa Fe to Boston so he could give his ex-fiancée away at her wedding. The entire deal seemed odd to him, but he couldn't say no to his best friend. He had agreed to do it when he found out that Mayer Jacobs had died only a month before the wedding. He had a massive heart attack in his sleep.

Jack didn't have to look for long before he found the story that was catching the entire world's attention. "Have ya guys read da headlines taday?"

David and Sarah looked up from their cups of coffee. "No. Why, Jack?" Sarah asked.

"Well, listen ta dis. `Titanic sinks. Fifteen Hundred Lives Lost'." Jack shook his head. He quickly scanned the article. "It apparently hit an iceberg an' sunk quickly. Dere wasn't enough lifeboats for everyone." He shook his head again. "What a shame." David and Sarah quickly agreed. He took a sip of his coffee. He continued reading the article. It was amazing that the ship that had been deemed `unsinkable' had sunk. He finished the article and picked at his breakfast. He hadn't known anyone on the ship, but he didn't feel like eating while he thought of the people that had died.

He decided that he would take his mind off of the tragedy by talking about his plans after the wedding. "Did I tell ya dat I'm gonna visit Crutchy on me way back ta Santa Fe?"

"No." David looked surprised. Jack hadn't been back to New York since he and Sarah had broken off their engagement ten years ago. He had left for Santa Fe. "Why'd ya decide to go back."

Jack shrugged. "I dunno. I kinda miss the city. I haven't seen any of the guys in years, an' I thought how it would be nice ta see how they're doin'. I'm gonna stay with Crutchy and his wife. Dey have a couple of extra rooms at the Lodging House. It'll be nice ta stay dere again. Kinda reminicin'." Sarah smiled. She hadn't seen Jack in ten years, but he was still the same Jack. He still had that dreamy look in his eyes. He was still sensitive, but he covered it by the tough street kid image. Except now that image was replaced by the rugged cowboy image he had always wanted.

"That'll be good," she was really happy that Jack had agreed to give her away. She knew it must be weird for him, but she also knew that he would do anything if it made her happy. "Tell everybody we said hello." Jack nodded at Sarah's request. Sarah turned when she saw Jeremy Dawson enter the breakfast nook. "Good morning, sweetheart." Jeremy walked over to Sarah and gave her a brief kiss.

Jack was looking Jeremy over. He had arrived last night and hadn't met him yet. He was trying to decide if he was good enough to marry Sarah. "Jeremy, this is my best friend, Jack Kelly," David said to introduce Jack. "Jack, this is Jeremy Dawson."

"Pleased ta meet ya." Jack stood and stuck his hand out. Jeremy took it.

"Sarah has told me so much about you, Jack." Jack nodded. "I'm glad you could break away from your busy schedule on the ranch to give her away. It means a lot to us." Jack was finding it hard to not like this guy. He was nice and seemed to make Sarah happy.

That afternoon Jack gave Sarah away, and that night he boarded the train to New York.

*****

Rose looked up at the Carpathia as she walked away from it's berth. She was leaving everything she had ever known behind. The thing she found odd was that she didn't feel sad. The only thing she felt was fear as the prospect of facing the world without Jack ran through her mind. She wandered the streets of New York for most of the day. She noticed that it was getting close to night fall, and she had no idea where she was going to stay. She had no money, except for the necklace, and she refused to sell it. She refused to let Calden Hockley help her in anyway.

She stopped when she saw a building that a bunch of boys were going into. There had to be close to forty boys that entered the rundown building. Rose started walking toward the building. "It's worth a shot," she said aloud to herself. She stopped on the front step to the building. She looked at the faded sign that hung over the door. The only words that were legible were "Lodging House". She entered the building, albeit very self consciously. The front room was full of boys. They ranged from her age of seventeen to the age of six.

The instant she entered the room fell silent. The older boys couldn't believe their eyes. She was beautiful. Her red, thick, slightly curly hair fell around her shoulders. She was wearing a long black coat despite the warm spring weather. The white, pink and blue dress that she wore under it was much too fancy for her to be from their side of Manhattan.

Rose noticed the boys as they stared at her. She gave them a quick look and a weak smile. She walked up to the desk where a man was standing. He was leaning on a crutch. The man looked to have had a hard life, but he looked happy. He was in his late twenties or early thirties. He had a sweet face. He wasn't handsome, but he was nice looking since his smile lit up his face and made his eyes sparkle.

"Can I help ya, Miss?"

"Yes. I. . .uh. . .I need a room for the night." Rose was suddenly wondering if she was doing the right thing.

The man looked at her with a disappointed look on his face. "I'm sorry, Miss, but dis is a newsboys Lodgin' House. Dere's a girl's boardin' house down da street."

Rose nodded at his reason. "Well, thank you anyway, Sir." She started to leave when she heard one of the boys speak up.

"Crutchy, I's disappointed in ya. Ya always told us how when you were a Newsie ya helped goyls all da time. Ya always said dat Kloppman would always letcha bring in any goyl dat needed help, an' dat Cowboy was always da one ta bring in da most." Rose looked at the boy. He was around her age, and appeared to be the leader because everyone was agreeing with him.

The man sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry, Miss. We have a couple a rooms dat aren't used. I'll show ya to one."

Rose smiled at the boy. "Thank you," she mouthed. She followed the man down the hall. "I'm sorry to be such a burden."

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry dat I said ya couldn't stay. Ya apparently are in some kinda trouble if ya turned ta da Newsies fer help." He opened the door to the room that she would be stying in. "Da name's Robert Morris, but ev'rybody calls me Crutchy." He patted the crutch. "Ya can stay as long as ya need ta."

"Thank you so much. I'm Rose Dawson." He turned to leave her to get settled. "Mr. Morris, is there some where I can wash up?"

"Crutchy, please? Yeah, da washroom is down da hall." Rose nodded and she entered the room. It was plan in decoration, but it was nice none the less. There was a dresser and a double bed. She smiled to herself. She liked this much better than the opulent furnishings of her old life. She took off the coat and placed it on the dresser. It was still damp from her sitting in the North Atlantic and the rain that had been coming down this morning as she arrived in New York. She still felt chilled to the bone, but it was from loneliness.

She looked around the room. There was a small window that looked out into the alley behind the building. She saw several of the boys from the front room standing in the alley smoking cigarettes. She watched one that had blond hair that fell over his eyes in a defiant manner. He looked at her and in that instant she saw Jack. She tore her eyes from window. Tears filling her eyes. "Why did I promise you I wouldn't give up? Why couldn't you have found a way for us to both be on the piece of wood? Why, Jack?" She shook her head. "I won't cry. I'm too strong for that." She wiped her eyes dry and sat on the bed. She was exhausted. She hadn't slept since the night before Titanic sank. She had gone five days without sleep. She yawned as she began to feel increasingly drowsy. She stretched, and began to lay down. She sat up a moment later. "I can't sleep until I get a shower. I have to wash the water off of me."

She left her room and found the washroom. She undressed and stood under the steaming hot water. It felt marvelous to her cold body. The icy water of the North Atlantic had felt like a thousand knives that stabbed her all over her body, but so did the steaming water from the shower. Ironically she welcomed the stabbing feeling. She was hoping it was erasing some of the pain. She stepped out of the shower after she had scrubbed her skin till it was almost raw. She had washed her hair several times to get all of the salt out of it. After she dried herself off she realized that all she had to wear was the same white, pink and blue dress. She reluctantly put it on.

She finished dressing and headed to find the kitchen. She was starving and she hoped that there was something to eat. All she had had in the last five days was some bread and hot tea that they gave the survivors. She entered the kitchen to find Crutchy, a lovely woman, and a man that was short with sandy blond hair. He looked rather arrogant.

"Rose, I see ya got cleaned up." Crutchy said as she entered the small kitchen.

"Yes. I feel a little better." She looked at the man again. He too looked to be in his late twenties. She looked back at Crutchy. "Mr. Mor. . .uh. . . Crutchy, I hate to be a burden, but do you have something for me to eat. I haven't really eaten in five days."

"I sure do," the lady said. "I'm Marilyn, Robert's wife. I just fixed some soup. I hope that that is all right."

"Yes. Thank you. I'm Rose Dawson." Every time she said her new name she felt a warmth creep over her. It was almost like Jack was saying he was glad that she had taken his name.

"Well, Rose, I'm Michael Conlon."

"I'm glad to meet you, Mr. Conlon." She stuck out her hand and was surprised when he kissed it. She snatched her hand back when the memory of Jack kissing her hand at the base of the Grand Staircase flashed across her mind. She looked horrified when she realized what she had done. "I'm sorry Mr. Conlon. I wasn't expecting that."

Michael nodded. "Please, call me Spot. Ev'rybody does." Rose nodded as she took the seat next to him. Marilyn handed her the bowl of soup. Rose thanked her and began to eat. She was listening to the conversation that was going on between Crutchy and Spot.

"Guess who's comin' for a visit?" Crutchy was smiling as he always seemed to do.

"Who?"

"Da one an' on'y Cowboy." Spot's jaw dropped.

"He ain't been here in ten years. Not since Sarah said she couldn't marry a dreamer." Crutchy nodded. "When's he arrivin'?"

"Sometime in da next two days. He's up in Boston givin' Sarah away at her weddin'." Spot looked even more surprised.

"I nevah expected dat. I hope Davey was dere ta keep him from soakin' da guy." Crutchy nodded.

"Yeah. He was da best man. Da guy is a big lawyer in Boston."

Spot laughed. "Guess Sarah ain't gonna hafta make doilies no more." Cruthcy laughed. It was contagous. Before she realized it, Rose was smiling. Spot sobered and looked at Rose. "So, Rose, where ya from?"

Rose set her spoon down. "Philidelphia." Spot nodded.

"I was dere once. Nice city. Full of muckity-mucks, but it's a nice city." Rose smiled. She wondered what he would think if he knew she use to be one of those `muckity-mucks'.

"When did ya go ta Philly?" Crutchy looked like he didn't believe Spot.

"Da summer aftah da strike. Remeber I found out dat I had family dere?"

Crutchy nodded. "Yeah. Your Uncle Nathon." Spot nodded.

"Yeah, Nathon Hockley. He had a brat of a little boy. What was his name?"

"Calden. Calden Hockley," Rose said. Both Crutchy and Spot looked at her.

"How'd ya know dat?"

"I knew Cal. I knew him very well, before I left." Spot looked at Crutchy. They both knew that she had a past that she was hiding from if she was hiding in the Lodging House, but they now knew that her past must be an interesting one. She finished her soup and excused herself. She went to her room and crawled into her new bed. She found it was easy to sleep.

While she was sleeping she saw Jack's face. It was a pleasant dream. They were on the bow of the ship. She felt his kiss for the first time. Suddenly the dream took a drastic turn. The wall of water came crashing after her and Jack. She was running as fast as she could. Jack was pressing her forward. Just when she thought they had outrun it, the water swept them off of their feet and it pushed them down the dim corridor. She felt her bones ache and her breath escape her as she slammed into a locked iron gate. She once again felt a crushing blow as Jack crashed into her with as much force as she'd had when she hit the gate. The dream changed again. This time she was lying on the piece of drift wood holding Jack's cold hand. Everything was quiet. All she could hear was the lapping of the water and her singing. In the distance she could hear someone yelling. She looked and saw a boat. Jack had been right. They had sent the boats back. She rolled and tried waking Jack. "Jack," her voice came out as a horse whisper. "Jack, there's a boat." There was no response. Jack's eyes were sealed shut by the ice that had formed on them. He looked so peaceful. She began to realize that he wasn't asleep. "Jack! Jack! Jack! Jack!" Her voice was getting worse as tears started to choke her. "There's a boat, Jack!" She shook his arm, but there was still no response. She laid there with him for a second. After she came to the sad conclusion that he was gone, she began to think about staying there with him and dying like he had, but then she heard his words in her mind. "Promise me that you won't give up. No matter what happens. Promise me now, Rose." "I promise," she had reluctantly answered. "And never let go of that promise." "I'll never let go, Jack. I'll never let go." He had looked so pleased when she had said that. She began to pry her hand from his. She held his hand to her mouth and kissed it. "I'll never let go. I promise." She released his hand and watched him slip peacefully under the water.

Rose awoke in a cold sweat. She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest. She fought the tears that threatened to spill. "I'll never let go, Jack. But you're making this awful hard." She laid back down, and tried to sleep. After tossing and turning for close to an hour, she decided to get up and make some hot tea.

She entered the dark kitchen and found the light switch. She began searching the cabinets for the tea and tea cups. She finally found the tea. It was in a tin on the top shelf. She couldn't reach it and decided that she would have to climb on the counter to reach it.

*****

Jack had just put his clothes in his dresser when he heard the door across the hall from his open. The next thing he heard was someone rummaging through the kitchen. He decided to see who was up at that un-Godly hour. He had been there for three hours. Crutchy and Marilyn had gone to bed an hour ago, and Jack had begun to unpack.

He entered the kitchen just in time to see a girl climbing up on the counter. She had on a dress that was mostly white, and way too fancy to be living in the Lodging House. Her long, red, curly hair fell over her shoulders. From the back she almost looked like an angel. Jack jumped from his thoughts as she slipped off of the counter. He could hear her leg scrapping against the wood. What happened next surprised him.

"Damn it!" She hissed. Then more quietly under her breath, "Jack, if you were here, I wouldn't be doing this. Why did you make me promise?"

Jack knew that she wasn't talking about him, but he felt compelled to answer. "I am here." She whirled around. Fear, shock and hope were all in her eyes. She almost looked like she expected to see someone else. When she saw who had answered her private plea, her hope faded. The fear and shock still remained. "What do ya need?"

"The tea from the top shelf," she sounded a million miles away. Jack reached up and got the tea down for her. She took it from his hands and set it on the counter. "Thank you." She opened the lid and took out two tea bags. "Would you like a cup?"

"Yeah. Dat'd be great." Jack sat down at the table and watched her boil the water. She fixed the tea and took the two cups to the table. She slowly sat down and watched the strange man.

"Are you Cowboy?" She broke the silence.

Jack smiled. "I haven't been cawled dat in years. Yeah. But me name's Kelly. Jack Kelly."

"That's why you said you were here. I thought you were someone else at first." She put her cup down. "I'm Rose Dawson." Rose once again felt that warm feeling wash over her.

"Ya any relation to the Boston Dawsons?"

Rose couldn't help smiling. She remembered how John Jacob Astor had asked that. "No. The Chippewa Falls Dawsons, actually." Her smile became one of tenderness as she remembered and used what Jack had said.

"Nevah hoid the `em." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "So how'd ya end up in da old Lodgin' House?"

Rose looked up from her cup. "I lost everything I had in the world five days ago, and I had no where to go. I found this place. I thought it was a kind of boarding house. I didn't know it was a Newsboys Lodging House. Crutchy let me stay anyway."

Jack smiled. Rose couldn't help noticing how nice it was. "Yeah. Crutchy's nice like dat."

"Yes he is. I also met Mr. Conlon. I feel funny calling him Spot though."

Jack laughed. "Spot intimidates everybody, but he's actually a real softy." Jack looked at Rose for a long moment. He knew that something was wrong. She was too young, and appeared to be from a rich background to be where she was. "Ya look like ya been through a lot in da last week." Rose nodded. "Ya got any family ya could go to?"

Rose shook her head. "No. As far as my family is concerned, I'm dead." Jack didn't know if she really meant it or if it was just a figure of speech. "Like I said, I lost everything I had in the world a few days ago." She looked down at the tea cup. "Would you mind if we changed the subject?"

Jack didn't want to, but he agreed. "Sure. How long ya stayin' in New York?"

"I'm not sure. I want to eventually make it out to California and be an actress." She looked at Jack. "Are you shocked?"

Jack shook his head. "No. Ya'd be a very good actress. Da camera would love ya." Rose blushed at that comment.

"Thank you." Rose looked at her now cold cup of tea. "I heard Spot say this is your first time in New York in ten years. Why did you stay away for so long?"

Jack sniffed and smiled. "I was being a coward." He laughed. "Da guys would laugh at dat. I was always da strong one when we was growin' up. I went soft when I fell in love. In da end da goyl left me, and I left da city. I followed my dream a goin' ta Santa Fe. I started a ranch a few years later an' have been doin' dat evah since." Rose found his story really interesting, but she was beginning to get tired. She hoped that she would be able to sleep without dreaming of Titanic and her beloved Jack.

*****

Rose woke to the sounds of boys running down the stairs. She crawled out of bed and walked into the hallway. It was empty. She slowly walked to the front of the Lodging House to find forty boys running down the stairs and out the front door. They were unbelievably active for six-thirty in the morning.

She rubbed her eyes and stopped to stand by Jack. "Where are they going?"

Jack looked down at her. It was the first time that she noticed that he was as tall if not taller than her Jack. He smiled as he saw that she was barely awake. "Dey're goin' ta carry da bannah." Rose gave him a puzzled look. "Ta sell da newspapers." She nodded when she finally understood.

One of the boys stopped at the desk. "We should get a good headline taday, Crutchy. Dat ship sunk an' the papes are full a stuff about it."

Crutchy and Jack looked at each other and smiled. Jack looked at the boy who looked to be close to eleven. "What's ya name, kid?"

The boy looked up at Jack. "Cards."

"How long ya been a Newsie, Cards?"

The boy thought for a second. "About a week, I guess."

"An' dey haven't taught ya da foist thing ya gotta learn when ya become a Newsie?" The boy shook his head. "Well, let me tell ya. Headlines don't sell papes. Newsies sell papes." The boy nodded and then quickly ran out the door. Jack looked over at Crutchy, who was memicking everything Jack had just said.

"Headlines don't sell papes. Newsies sell papes." Crutchy laughed as Jack gave him a light, playful punch in the arm. "Ya ain't said dat since Davey joined da ranks thirteen years ago."

Jack smiled. "I know. I felt good ta say it." Jack put his arm around Crutchy's shoulder. "Come on, lets go eat breakfast." They walked down the hall and into the kitchen. Rose followed them a minute later. She waited till the chill that had run through her had passed. How could someone be excited about making money off of the tragedy that had ruined her life and the lives of fifteen-hundred other families?

She walked into the kitchen to find Marilyn, Crutchy and Jack all sitting at the table and drinking coffee. She sat in the one empty chair beside Jack. He looked at her. She didn't look like she was feeling too well.

"Rose, are ya okay?"

Rose looked at him as if she had been in a daze. "Yeah. I'm fine. I just don't see how the boys could be so excited about the headlines when they are surrounded by sorrow for so many families?" She almost sounded stricken.

"It's a horrible tragedy, Rose, but those boys have to make a living, and the better the headline the easier it is."

Rose shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I mean poor Madeline Astor. She is pregnant, and now she will have to raise that baby with out it's father. Or what about Mrs. Gugenhiem? Or the dear little Cora in third class? Why should people make money off of other's deaths?" Tears welled up in her eyes. She stood up from the table. "If you'll excuse me, I'm not that hungry." She quickly left the kitchen before her tears fell.

"Wonder what got into her?" Crutchy asked as they stared after her.

"It almost sounded like she knew those people," Marilyn sounded very sad. More for Rose than for the people she had just mentioned.

Jack stood up. "I'm gonna go an' see if she's all right." He left the kitchen and knocked on Rose's door. He looked back into the kitchen with a wary look. He felt like he was seventeen again and helping a girl that he was unsure of how to help. A weak smile crossed his face when he thought that it never failed that when someone was in need he was the one that had to be there for them.

"It's open," came a moment later between sobs. He opened the door and stepped in. He closed the door behind him and waited for his cue to move any further. He really hadn't changed when it came to helping girls. He was thirty years old, and he still got so nervous about helping them that he nearly shook. Rose looked up at him. Tears stained her pale face. Her blue eyes looked like they had seen enough pain and suffering for her to be near ninety. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have flown off the handle like that. I know those boys have to support themselves, but it angers me so when I hear they are making money off of other people's pain. . .," she paused for a second. Almost as if she was debating on if she should add what she was really feeling. She decided she should. ". . .off my pain."

Jack took that as his cue to move to the bed. He sat down on the bed beside her. She didn't say anything, but let him hold her. He held her till she stopped crying. When her eyes had finally dried a moment later, she pulled back and looked at him. "Thank you."

"Ya knew people on the Titanic?" Jack asked gently. He didn't want to upset her.

Rose nodded. She bit at her lower lip before she said anything. To Jack it looked like she was trying to keep from crying again, but she was debating on weather she should tell him that she was on it. She would never tell him of her Jack, but she decided to tell him that she was on Titanic.

"I knew the people. I was a first class passenger on the ship. I watched as the ship hit the iceberg. I was one of the first people to realize that the ship was going down. My fears were confirmed when Mr. Andrews, the ships builder, told me that it would sink in an hour or so. I knew then that half, if not more, of the people would die. There weren't enough lifeboats onboard. I didn't make it to one on time. I was lucky that when the boat came back for survivors in the water, I was one of the six. Six!" She closed her eyes against the tears that were stinging her eyes. "I watched people I knew, people I had only seen, slowly freeze in the water. When the boat came, I was the only one alive that was near me."

Jack swallowed hard. He had known that what had happened had been a tragedy, but he had never imagined that when he came home to New York he would be meeting one. "I'm so sorry, Rose. Ya must be beside yourself?"

Rose shook her head. "I've got my memories. That's all I need."

"So your family died in the sinking?"

Rose hesitated again. Should she tell him that she left her family? If she did that she would have to tell him about Jack. She decided to lie. "Yes. I lost my mother and fiancé in the ship. My remaining family has never met me, and I'd prefer to keep it that way. I'm happy living the life of a pa. . .poor person." "Go on, poor person. Ya can say it." Rose smiled when she heard Jack's laughing voice when he said what she had been thinking when they had spent that first day together on deck.

"Ya seem ta be feelin' better," Jack said to the smile that crossed her face.

"A little." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for listening. I'll get better with time. My heart will go on."

Jack smiled and patted her on the leg. He looked at her clothes. It was the same dress that she had been wearing earlier that morning when they had met in the kitchen. "I guess dat dress is all ya got ta wear, huh?"

Rose looked down at herself. The dress looked rumpled and old. She had just gotten it in Paris a week before they sailed on Titanic, but now it looked as if it should belong in a second hand shop. "Yeah. I wish I had something else to wear. If I did, I would burn this thing." She picked up the skirt that had gathered on her lap.

Jack stood up and took her hand. "Come on. We're gonna get ya some new clothes. Now go get ready." He looked at her. "Um. . .I mean go brush your hair and put on your shoes." Rose gave a small laugh at his correcting himself. He started pulling her to the door.

"No, Jack. I can't possibly. . .," she stopped when what she was saying had an all too familiar ring to it. She stopped walking. Jack turned and looked at her. "I can't let you buy me new clothes. You hardly know me."

Jack shrugged and rubbed his eye, which was customary for him to do when he was thinking. "Dat don't matter. I like ya, and I wanna help ya. We'll go shopping an' den for some lunch. And I won't take no for answer," he said the last part with an edge to his voice. Rose figured it was the ranch owner tone, and it was, but years ago if had been referred to as his strike leaders voice. No one ever questioned him when he used that tone, which wasn't often. But then again, no one usually questioned him about anything. What he said went. It didn't matter if you were a Newsie with him at the turn of the century or one of his ranch hands in Santa Fe. Questioning Jack Kelly just wasn't done. It wasn't that he was a mean man, or a violent man. He was just someone that everyone respected. He was a born leader.

Thirty minutes later Rose met Jack in the front room, and they started their shopping spree. By lunch time Rose and Jack had been to six stores and she had enough clothes to last her a near month. They weren't as expensive as she had thought they would be since they were no where near as fancy as she was use to, but she welcomed the simplicity.

"Where are we going to eat, Cowboy?" Rose had started calling him ‘Cowboy' since she felt more comfortable with that than Jack.

"Um, I don't know." He looked around the area. "I'm not sure what dere is anymore." Almost as if he had just come up with the greatest plan in the world, his face lit up. "Let's see if Tibby's is still open. We always use ta eat there." Rose nodded and they started walking toward Tibby's.

They had almost reached the restaurant when Rose heard someone call her name. She turned around and all of the color drained from her face. Jack turned to see a full figured woman walking toward them.

"Rose, Darlin'!" Rose turned back around as if she hadn't seen the lady. She started walking in the direction that she and Jack had been walking in. "Rose?!" She hadn't started walking fast enough because the woman reached them before she had taken two steps. She touched Rose's arm, forcing Rose to acknowledge her. The expression on her face was one of relief. "It is you, Rose. I'm so glad you survived. Does your mother know you are alive? She will be so pleased when she finds out."

Rose went even paler as the woman mentioned her mother. Jack was now looking at Rose in confusion and anger as he was finding out that everything she had told him hadn't been completely true. "No she won't, Molly. It has already been made known to my mother that I am dead, and I will remain that way." Rose looked up at Jack. The expression on his face clearly showed what he was thinking, but Rose's expression was perfectly unreadable. It was the face she had been taught to wear when in the upper class. A proper lady never reveals her emotions. Bah! Rose took Molly's arm in hers. "Molly, could I have a word with you for a moment?" Molly nodded. Rose then looked up at Jack. "I'll be right back Jack." Jack nodded.

"Jack? That wasn't the same Jack that was at dinner with us that one night, was it? He looked too old."

Rose closed her eyes for a moment. "As much I wished it were him, no it's not. That is a friend, Jack Kelly. He's visiting New York for a few days before he returns to his ranch in Santa Fe." Rose took a deep breath. "Molly, I have already had my mother notified that I died on the Titanic. I took Jack's name when they were taking names on the Carpathia. I'm Rose Dawson, now." Again she felt that warm feeling. "Jack didn't make it. He froze in the water before the boats could reach us. I'm trying to start a new life with out him, and Mr. Kelly is helping me. I hadn't told him about Jack or Cal completely. He thought that my mother and Cal died on Titanic. I'm sure that he will be wanting an explanation for the lie I told. So if you will excuse me, Molly, I have to go dig my self out of a hole." Rose started to walk back towards Jack. "Oh, and, Molly, forget that you ever saw me. All right?" A stunned Molly Brown nodded before she began walking.

Rose reached Jack in a few steps. He looked as angry as he had been when Rose had pulled Molly aside. "Ya wanna tell me what that was all about, Rose?"

Rose looked at him and sighed. "Not really, but I'll tell you over lunch." They walked the rest of the way in silence. Rose was slowly regaining her color when they reached Tibby's.

Jack's mood lightened when he saw the same door. There were no Newsies inside, but he figured that some things had to change. He opened the door for Rose and she entered. There was no one else in the restaurant. Jack showed them to the booth where he use to eat at when he was a Newsie. A minute later the owner came out of the back with two menus. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Jack sitting in the booth.

"Well, if it ain't Jack be nimble. Jack be quick." Jack stood up and spit shook with Spot.

"How's it rollin', Spot? I see ya moved up in the world. Got a business an' ev'rything." Spot smiled. He seemed to be the same ol' Jacky-boy.

"Yeah, ol' man Tibby left it to me when he died. I started woikin' here when I couldn't be a Newsie no more." He looked at Rose. "Hello, Rose."

"Hi, Mr. Conlon."

"I already told ya ta call me Spot."

"Okay, Spot." He handed them the menus.

"So, Jacky-boy, what are ya doin' wid dis lovely lady?" Spot sat down in the chair beside Rose.

"Takin' her shoppin'." Spot nodded. Just then two more customers came in, and Spot said he'd talk to them later. That was fine with Jack since he wanted to know why Rose had lied to him. Rose on the other hand was wanting Spot to stay. She didn't want to have to explain everything to Jack. She especially didn't want to have to explain her whirlwind romance with Jack Dawson. She wanted to keep him a secret that she kept in her heart. She felt that if she told about him, she would be breaking her promise to him, and she couldn't do that. She could never let go.

Rose was busy looking at the menu when Jack pulled it out of her hand. "Cowboy!"

Jack laid the menu in front of him. "Now, tell me what all dat stuff dat lady said back there was about."

Rose paled again. She really didn't want to tell him, but she owed him the truth. "Okay. My family didn't die on Titanic. I just said they did. During the voyage it was made clear to me that I didn't belong in the gilded cage that they had me trapped in. I was told that I would die if I didn't' break free, and that person was right. I made some really tough decisions, and broke off the engagement with my fiancé. I then chose to go with what my heart felt was right. After Titanic sank, my ex-fiancé found me on the Carpathia. I told him that he was never to look for me once we docked, and that he was to tell my mother that I died with the Titanic. It was true. I did die with it. The person I had always been was dead. I was a new person. I was Rose Dawson, and I was free of my mother and fiancé." She took a deep breath when she finished. Jack looked like he didn't believe her. "I promise that is everything, Jack. I'm telling the truth."

Jack handed her back the menu. "Who told ya dat you'd die if ya didn't get out a dat life?"

His question took her by surprise. "Someone that I cared a lot for. Someone that showed me what it meant to be alive." Jack nodded. He understood if she didn't want to say his name.

After lunch they went back to the Lodging House. The next day Rose went out and found a job at a flower shop. She was going to save her money and head to California. By the end of the week, Jack returned to Santa Fe, but he promised her that he would always be there for her if she needed it. He thought of Rose as a sister. He loved her more than he could ever imagine loving a sister.

For the next six months, Rose worked in the flower shop during the day, and played cards with the Newsies by night. She was beginning to come out of her shell. Her nightmares had stopped. Now when she dreamed of Jack Dawson, they were bitter-sweet. She enjoyed them even though they saddened her a little. She knew that one day they would be together.

She had finally saved enough money to go to California. She had promised the Newsies, Crutchy, and Marilyn that she would write and visit as often as she could. She left the Lodging House with a heavy heart. She had grown to love them like they were her family. To her Rose DeWitt Bukater never existed. She had only been Rose Dawson.

*****

Jack stood beside his horse and looked at the cattle heard that was dotting his land. He had been back six months now, and hadn't heard from Rose. He hoped she was doing all right. She had barely begun to resemble a person when he left. He knew that her healing process was going to be a long one. He just wished that he could have helped her more than he had, but there was nothing he could do about it now.

*****

A week after Rose had left New York City she arrived at the Santa Fe train depot. She grabbed her bags and walked up to the information booth. The man behind the glass was an old man in his early seventies. Rose set her bags down.

"Excuse me, Sir." The man looked up from his newspaper. "Can you tell me how to get to Jack Kelly's ranch?"

"Jack Kelly? Jack Kelly?" The man shook his head. "I don't know any Jack Kelly ranch, Miss." Rose looked disappointed.

"Thank you, Sir." She picked up her bags and started to leave the station. She was stopped at the door when a man asked her a question.

"Did ya say ya were lookin' for the Jack Kelly Ranch?"

Rose turned to see a man with a cigar in his mouth. He looked close to Jack's age. "Yes. Do you know where that is?"

"I sure do. I'm waitin' for a shipment of stuff for da ranch. I'm one of Jack's ranch hands." The man took the cigar out of his mouth. "Actually, I help him manage da joint." He stuck out his hand. "I'm Antonio Higgins."

Rose met his hand shake. "I'm Rose Dawson. It's a pleasure to meet you, Antonio." Over the last six months she had lost a lot of her formalities she had been raised with.

"Call me Tony. Jack's told us about ya. Your da one that was on dat ship, right?"

"Yes. The Titanic." Tony nodded.

"As soon as they unload the shipment, we can head out ta da Single K ranch." Rose nodded. They didn't have to wait long before the shipment was unloaded and on the back of the wagon. It was an hour ride out to the ranch. Tony and Rose talked the entire way. He was a sweet man. He said he had known Jack when they were younger. They had been Newsies together. He had moved out here when Jack had bought the ranch to help with the money aspect of it and had never left.

Rose told him how she was only passing through on her way to California. She was going to be an actress, but the first thing she wanted to do when she reached it was to visit the Santa Monica Pier. She had some things she had to do there. Tony didn't question what she had to do. He just let it go at that.

It was close to five in the afternoon when they arrived at the ranch. Rose's breath was taken away when she saw the beautiful two story ranch house that was an old Victorian style house. She knew it must have cost a fortune to build. Tony pulled the wagon around to the barn and unloaded the supplies that he had picked up. He then helped Rose carry her bags to the house.

He showed her to the room he thought she would like to stay in. He then left her to settle in. "Jack should be in in about an hour. I'll tell him you're here."

Rose nodded as she watched him leave the door way. It didn't take long for her to settle in. She didn't unpack; she just left her things in the bags and left them laid open by the bed. She opened up the side pocket of the bag and pulled out the necklace. She felt the chain and diamond with her fingers. "I've done this with out you so far, Calden Hockley. I can continue to do it with out you." She put the necklace back in the bag and left the room. She found the kitchen quite easily. All she had to do was follow her nose.

She found Tony sitting at the table while a woman in her mid twenties stood at the stove. "Rose, dis is my wife, Malinda." Malinda turned around when Tony had started talking to someone. "Malinda, dis is Rose Dawson. She's here ta visit Jack."

Malinda wiped her hands off on her apron and held out her hand. Rose gently shook it. She then noticed that Malinda was in a rather delicate condition. "It's a pleasure to meet the young lady Jack claims as his little sister."

"Thank you. I'm pleased to meet you too. Little sister, huh?" She sat down at the table. "Is there anything I can help with?" Malinda shook her head.

"We're just waitin' on the rolls." Rose smiled at her.

"How far along are you? If you don't mind my asking?" Rose flushed slightly at her forwardness.

"Oh, not at all. I'm at six months." Rose looked at Tony and he was beaming. The two ladies talked while Malinda waited for the bread to finish. The conversation stopped when Jack entered the kitchen.

"Race, did ya get da supplies from da train. . . ." He stopped in mid sentence when he saw Rose sitting at the table. "Rose?!"

She stood up. "Uh huh." Jack walked over to her and scooped her into a huge hug.

"When did ya get in? I didn't know you were coming!" He exclaimed as he sat her down.

"Today. I figured I'd beat the letter here." He kissed her on the lips in a brotherly manner and hugged her again.

"How are ya doin'? Is everythin' gettin' bettah?"

"I'm doing fine. It's slowly getting better. My nightmares have stopped. I only dream about the bitter-sweet moments of the voyage." Jack nodded. When he had left, she had been having horrible nightmares.

Jack looked at himself. He was filthy. "I'm gonna go clean up." He left the kitchen. About twenty minutes later he returned wearing clean clothes and his hair was wet from his bath.

They all sat down at dinner and talked about the ranch, Rose and the coming baby. It was nice for Rose to see exactly what Jack did. She couldn't help feeling guilty when she looked at him. She loved him like he was her real brother, and she was keeping a major secret from him. She was beginning to wonder if she should tell him about Jack.

That night they all went to bed rather early because Jack and Tony had to be out in the fields early. Malinda had to get up to do house work depite what her husband thought about it, and Rose was exhausted from her trip.

*****

Jack awoke to someone screaming his name. He walked out into the hall to see who it was. It was coming from the guest room. Rose! Jack started down the hall till he found which room she was in. He opened the door to find her tossing her head back and forth and screaming his name. He ran to the bed and tried to wake her up. After a moment of gently shaking her she woke up crying. He pulled her to him and smoothed her hair. She was sobbing into his bare chest. It took Jack a moment to realize that she wasn't just crying, but she was saying something as well.

"I'll never let go, Jack. I promise." She was mumbling it very quietly. It was almost inaudible, but the silence of the room made it louder. After she had exhausted all of her tears, she pulled out of Jack's arms. He looked really confused.

"Who's Jack?"

Rose looked at him confused this time. "You're Jack."

Jack shook his head. "You were sayin' ‘I'll never let go, Jack. I promise'. So who's Jack? It ain't da first time ya've mentioned him. Ya mentioned him da first night we met. Ya were talkin' ta yourself an' ya mentioned his name. Now, who is he?"

Rose shook her head. She felt her tears coming back anew. "I really don't want to say." The tears started to fall. She couldn't help it. She was really upset about the dream she had just had. It had been months since she had dreamed about Jack's death. But the strange part about it was at the end of the dream she was kissing Jack and when they broke apart she wasn't staring at Jack Dawson, but Jack Kelly. She didn't understand. She couldn't possibly be falling for Jack. She had made a vow to herself that she would never love again. If she loved again, she would be letting go of her Jack, and she couldn't do that.

Jack pulled her into his arms and held her as she silently cried. He smoothed her hair and kissed her on the top of the head. As he kissed her head, she slowly brought her head off of his chest. Jack's kisses began to slowly move down her face and onto her cheek. He was kissing away her tears. One rolled and came to rest on her lips. Jack instinctively moved to kiss it away. When he did, he found that he didn't stop kissing her, and much more to his surprise he found that he didn't want to stop kissing her.

Rose didn't know why she was moving her head from his chest. All she knew was that she wanted him to kiss her, not her head, but her. She got what he wanted when he kissed a tear off of her lip and then continued to kiss her. Rose slowly moved her arms around his neck and the kiss deepened. Jack ran his fingers down her back till he found the laces on the back of her nightgown. He began to deftly untie them. As he did so he slowly laid Rose back onto the bed. Rose welcomed his weight. She hadn't felt this whole since the one time with Jack in the Carter's Rounalt. Jack!

Rose quickly sat up and pushed Jack off of her. She was mortified, embarrassed and angry. "I can't believe you would take advantage of an upset woman, Jack! I thought you were different. Get out!"

Jack stood up, and looked down at Rose. Her tears still stained her cheeks. "I did not! You're da one dat moved your head for me to kiss you! I thought it was what you wanted. I'm sorry I was wrong." He stormed out of the bed room. He walked out into the hall to find both Race and Malinda staring at him in disbelief. He glared at him as he stormed back to his room.

Rose looked through the still open door. Race and Malinda looked between her and Jack's slammed bed room door. Rose stood up and shut her door. She laid back down on her bed and began to fight the tears that were pricking the backs of her eyes. "What have I done, Jack?" She didn't sleep the rest of the night.

*****

Rose had fallen asleep right around day break. She was awaken what only felt like minutes later by Malinda softly shaking her shoulder.

"Rose, Dear, you need to get up. It's one in the afternoon." Rose slowly opened her puffy red eyes to look at Malinda. She rubbed the sleep from them and smiled a very weak and unconvincing smile.

"I didn't mean to sleep in so late." Rose climbed out of the bed. She then remembered that Malinda and Race had seen what had happened between her and Jack the night before. She looked horrified. "Oh, Malinda, I am so sorry that you had to see everything last night! What you must think of me?!" Rose was quickly trying to apologize. Malinda only held up a hand to try and stop her.

"It's all right. It was good to know that Jack does have feelings for someone other than that Sarah girl he was once engaged to." Malinda laughed. "At least he has good taste in women." Rose blushed at the compliment.

"None the less, I'm going to gone by tomorrow anyway. I don't think I can face Jack again. I'm sure he hates me, and I. . . ."

Malinda interrupted her. "He doesn't hate you. He does feel like you aren't telling him the entire story."

Rose was shaking her head. "I'm not, and I'm never going to tell him the entire story. A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets, and the one I'm keeping from him is the one I will never tell anyone." Malinda nodded and left the room so Rose could get dressed.

"She must have loved him with all of her heart," Malinda said to herself as she walked down the hall.

Ten minutes later Rose came down stairs to find Jack sitting at the kitchen table. She walked passed him and picked up the coffee pot. She poured herself a cup and leaned against the counter. Jack sat with his arms crossed over his chest and stared at her. Rose sat down her coffee cup and stared right back at Jack.

"All right, Jack, I admit that last night was as much my fault as it was yours. I'm also going to tell you that it will never happen again."

Jack stood up without saying a word. He walked over to her and leaned his forehead against hers, forcing her to make eye contact with him. His voice was barely a husky whisper as he said, "I wouldn't count on it, Rose. Ya enjoyed dat kiss as much as I did, an' I plan on experiencing it again before ya leave." Rose let out a small gasp as he said that. Jack leaned back and kissed her on the forehead. He then left the kitchen with out another word. Rose too left the kitchen, and when she did, she was right on Jack's heels.

"Jack!" Jack didn't turn around. "Jack!" He didn't turn around. She knew he heard her, but he was ignoring her. She ran up behind him and grabbed his arm. He whirled around and glared at her.

"Do you have somethin' ta say, Miss Dawson?"

Rose didn't like the ice in his voice. He almost made her name sound wrong like it didn't belong to her. Was his tone right? Did she really have a right to take Jack's last name? Of course she did. If he had lived, they would have been married by now.

"Yes I have something to say! You are presumptuous and rude! What makes you think you can determine that we will kiss again?!" She was yelling. She hadn't yelled like that in a long time if ever. She was a well brought up lady, and she was brought up not to yell. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning, and it will be with out you feeling these lips again!" She started to walk off. "And to think I betrayed my heart because of that man?" She was mumbling to herself.

Rose didn't make it five steps before she felt Jack's strong hand on her arm. He whirled her around to face him, and before she could say anything he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Rose was stunned at first, but then the shock wore off. She began to feel the tenderness behind the kiss. He was absolutely furious with her, but his kiss was tender. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. The kiss grew steadily deeper till he suddenly broke the kiss. Rose stood there only inches from his face and stared bewildered. Why had he broken the kiss? She kept her arms around his neck.

"Don't ever say I won't do somethin'." Jack released her as quickly as he had grabbed her. He turned and began to walk to the barn. Rose stood, staring after him. She slowly brought her fingers up to touch her lips. She still felt the pressure he had place on hers. They were still slightly damp from his kiss. She slowly turned and walked back to the ranch house more confused than she had been when she got out of bed.

She walked into the kitchen and saw Race and Malinda sitting at the table. "Hello, Tony, Malinda." She just kept walking. She didn't even hear their greetings. She was dazed. There were some things that just didn't make sense. She walked up to her room and began to try to figure them out.

She loved Jack Dawson. She always would. He was the one true love of her life. He had saved her from jumping off of Titanic. He had saved her from dying in her gilded cage. But he had died. He had made her promise to never let go. To never give up. She had promised, but did that promise mean she could never love again? If she did fall in love again, would she be betraying her heart? She felt like she had just betrayed her heart and her promise to Jack when she had kissed Cowboy. She was so confused. Nothing was clear anymore. Nothing had been clear since she had first met Jack Dawson. Would her life ever be simple again?

Rose stayed in her room till it was well after ten o'clock that night. She hadn't eaten anything that entire day, but she wasn't hungry. She had finally made up her mind about what she was going to do about Jack Kelly. She walked down the hall to his room. She didn't knock, but entered. Jack was laying on his bed reading his newspaper. He looked up at Rose puzzled.

He slowly started to get up off the bed. "Rose, are ya okay?" She was very pale, and from the distance he was at he wasn't sure if she was shaking. "Rose?" He was walking over to her and stopped inches from her.

Her answer came out as a whisper. "Kiss me, Jack." Jack only looked puzzled a second longer before he pulled her into his arms and kissed her very tenderly. Rose leaned into him as she returned the kiss. Much to her surprise Jack began walking her so that her back was facing the bed. While he did this, he was very easily unbuttoning the back of her blouse. He began walking her back to the bed. He gently laid her down and slowly joined her.

*****

Rose awoke a little before four the next morning. She was laying on her back with Jack's arm over her stomach. He laid on his stomach with his face turned away from her. She could hear his light snoring. She slowly crawled out of the bed and dressed. She scribbled a note and left it on her pillow. She hated to leave like this, but she had to follow her dream of becoming an actress. She knelt down beside the bed and kissed Jack on the cheek.

"Thank you. I love you." She then stood up and quickly left the ranch house. She walked out to the barn and saddled up a horse. She knew which direction the town was in. She strapped both of her small bags to the back of the horse and started to lead it out of the stable. She mounted with little difficulty, but found that she hadn't chosen a side saddle. She remembered that day on the deck with Jack. "You have to ride like a real cowboy. None of that side saddle stuff." Rose smiled as she shifted her weight and put one leg on each side of the horse.

An hour later she reached the train depot. She handed her bags to the attendant. He took them and placed them in the baggage car. "Are you taking the horse as well?"

Rose looked at the horse she had ridden in on. "No. I need you to take that back to the Single K, and tell Mr. Kelly thank you for everything." The boy nodded. Rose boarded the train and watched the town of Santa Fe slowly begin to fade behind her.

*****

Rose sat on the horse as it galloped down the California coast. She was having the time of her life. She stopped the horse right at the edge of the surf. A family was passing by. She stopped them and handed her camera to the man. "Could you take a picture of me on this horse, please?" The man nodded. A moment later the picture was taken and the camera handed back to Rose. "Thank you, Sir." The man nodded and continued walking with his family.

*****

Rose entered a stationers shop in the downtown section of Los Angeles. She was on her lunch break from the movie shoot. The woman behind the desk smiled at her. It was her neighbor.

"Hello, Rose."

"Hello, Glenda." Rose smiled at the middle aged woman. She had welcomed Rose into her family the day she had moved in next door.

"How are you today? Is the shoot going well?" Rose smiled. Glenda was everything Rose had always wanted her mother to be.

"I'm fine. The shoot is going great." Rose looked at some of the stationary samples that were laid out on the table. "I need you to do me a really big favor. I'll pay you, but I need you to print one wedding invitation. I only need one." Rose dug through her purse and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Only one, Dear?"

Rose smiled. "Yes. Only one. There is only one person that needs to receive it for now." Glenda nodded, still not understanding what she could possibly want with one wedding invitation. Rose handed her the piece of paper. "I need it to say this." Glenda read the paper and smiled.

"You never do things the conventional way."

Rose nodded. "Could you please mail it right away? And put my home address on it, but please do not put my name on the return address?" Glenda nodded.

"I should have it ready and mailed by closing." Rose mouthed a thank you as she left the shop and headed back to the studio.

*****

Jack came into the kitchen late for dinner. He looked at Race and Malinda. His mood had been foul ever since Rose had left without saying goodbye a year ago. Malinda was holding her daughter. Race couldn't quit grinning.

"Did ya get da supplies from in town, Race?"

"Yeah, and somethin' else too." Jack looked up from his plate. He always hoped that Race would come back with Rose like he had that first time a year ago, but he never did. Could it be that she was actually back this time?

"What?" Jack asked. He was in no mood for games. Race handed him a letter.

"The return address says Los Angeles."

Jack looked up at Race. "I can read dat, Race." Jack opened the letter and was surprised to find a wedding invitation. His heart sunk.

Race noticed this. "Maybe it ain't whatcha think, Jacky. Maybe it's one ta Les' wedding?"

Jack shook his head. "Les lives in New York still. I saw him when I visited last year." He opened the wedding invitation and began to read it. His fears were confirmed when he read the first line. "You are invited to the wedding of Rose Dawson." Jack folded up the invitation and stood up from the table. Malinda and Race were giving him a funny look. "Rose is getting married." He left he kitchen without another word.

Malinda looked at the invitation. She picked it up and began to read it out loud. "You are invited to the wedding of Rose Dawson. It will be held as soon as her groom answers this invitation. She plans to marry Jack Kelly, if he will have her." She finished reading and looked at her husband. She handed their daughter to him. "I'm gonna go and make Jack read the entire invitation.

She knocked on Jack's door. "Go away, Race. I ain't in the mood.!" Jack shouted at the door. Malinda opened the door very slowly. "Are ya not hearin' so good? I said leave me alone!"

"I'm not Tony." Jack looked up to see Malinda entering his room.

"I'm sorry ta yell at ya, Mindy. Could you leave me alone, please?"

Malinda looked at Jack and saw that he had a bottle of cheap whiskey in his hand. "Before you get drunk, let me read something to you." Jack looked at her funny. She pulled the invitation out of her skirt pocket.

"I already read it."

"No you didn't." She opened the invitation as she gave Jack a glare that said not the interrupt her. "You are invited to the wedding of Rose Dawson. It will be held as soon as her groom answers this invitation. She plans to marry Jack Kelly, if he will have her." She closed the invitation. "It's an invitation to your own wedding. Are ya going to go, or are you going to sit her and fall in love with Jim Bean?"

Jack was in stunned silence. He handed Malinda the bottle of whiskey. "I'm gonna go to my own wedding!"

*****

Rose was sitting at her kitchen table with her director when there was a knock on her door.

"Will you excuse my, Kenny?" He nodded as she walked to the door. She opened it to see a face she was hoping it was.

"Will ya marry me?" Rose couldn't believe her eyes.

She bit at her lower lip as tears filler her eyes. "I believe I already asked you that question."

"Den I'll take that as a yes." He stepped into the house and kissed her. They broke the kiss and it was just in time to see Kenny enter the foyer. "Who's dat?"

Oh, Jack, this is Kenny Anderson. He's my director." Jack nodded at Kenny. "Kenny, this is my fiancé, Jack Kelly."

*****

EIGHTY-THREE YEARS LATER

"Brock, you've got a call!"

"Do you see these submersibles, Bobby? We're trying to launch here."

"Believe me you'll wanna take this call." Bobby hands the phone to Brock Lovett. "She's kinda old, so you'll have to speak up."

"Great!" Brock puts the phone to his ear. "This is Brock Lovett. How can I help you Mrs. . . ." He pulls the phone away from his head and looks at Bobby.

"Kelly. Rose Kelly."

". . .Mrs. Kelly?"

An old Rose is sitting at a table with her Granddaughter, Lizzy. "I was wondering if you'd found the heart of the ocean yet, Mr. Lovett?"

*****

"I'm tellin' ya I've done a background check all the way back to the twenties when she was working as an actress. An actress! There's your first clue, Sherlock. Her name was Rose Dawson back then. She marries this guy Kelly. They move to Santa Fe, and she punches out a couple of kids. Now Kelly's dead, and from what I hear their ranch, the Double K is dead!" Bodine was yelling over the sound of the boat's engines and the incoming helicopter.

"Right, but everybody that knows about the diamond is suppose ta be dead or on this boat, but she knows."

*****

An old Rose looks at her Granddaughter Lizzy and smiles. Lizzy has tears running down her face. She then looks at a Mr. Bodine as he speaks to her. Tears are staining his cheeks too. Tears are staining everyone's cheeks except for Brock Lovett's. He looked as though he has just been punched in the stomach. All of his searching had been in vain.

"We never found anything on Jack," Mr. Bodine said regrettably.

"And you wouldn't, would you? I don't even have a picture of him. He exists now only in my memory," Rose sounded thoughtful. Her memory was still as fresh as it was the day she met him. She then looked at Lizzy. "I've never told anybody, not even your Grandfather. A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets."

*****

An old and tired Rose climbs in to her nice warm bed after she had finally told her complete story of her voyage on the Titanic. She closes her eyes and begins to drift into her final sleep.

She's now on the deck of the Titanic. It looks just as she remembers it. The wood decks are shiny. It is absolutely spectacular, except it isn't the slave ship she had boarded eighty-four years prior. It's different some how. It almost feels as if it holds the key to her happiness.

She enters the grand staircase to find all of the faces that she knew from when she was seventeen. She walks up the stairs and the young man standing at the top slowly turns around. It's her Jack. She had been waiting for this moment for the last eighty-four years. She was finally home. She looks down at herself and she's seventeen again. Jack Dawson pulls her into his arms and they kiss. It's a kiss that they have been waiting for her entire life.

Rose knows at that moment that she kept her promise to him. She had lived her life for him.

My Titanic Disclaimer (so James Cameron won't sue *pleading grin*)

All characters from James Cameron's Titanic were his creation and his only. All of the characters from the movie Newsies were the creation of Disney. I borrowed them with out permission, but please do not sue. I am just a huge fan of both movies. All parts that are quoted from either movie are from their creators. Once again I borrowed them with out permission. Some of the changes were taken from the original Titanic script. Some changes were not, but I hope they do not anger anyone. All I ask is that no one sue me because I have nothing. Thank you. *sheepish grin*