11

Jacklyn is upstairs in Jack’s and Rose’s room putting away some clean sheets and blankets. She’s not surprised to find Rose asleep, but she is surprised that the girl seemed troubled and was mummbling in her sleep.

Jacklyn takes a step closer and is surprised when Rose begins talking in her sleep.

"I rather be his whore than your wife," Rose mummbles. "At least I’m with you…Jack! I’ll never let go Jack…I’ll never let go! There’s a boat Jack! A boat! Please wake up!"

Rose was tossing and turning by now obviously caught in a nightmare, crying out for Jack. Jacklyn immediately goes and shakes her awake. Rose’s opens she cries one last time for Jack. At first she’s a little disoriented, but turns and sees Jacklyn, she remembers where she is.

"Are you okay?" Jacklyn asked. "You were having a nightmare."

"Where’s Jack?" Rose asks.

"Out in the fields with father…you want me to get him for you?"

Rose doesn’t answer for a minute then shakes her head. No reason to drag Jack back to the house because of a nightmare.

"…you were talking in your sleep you know. Want to talk about it?" Jacklyn asked, looking curiously at Rose, some things about her mysterious sister in law and brother was coming to light. Those two have really been through something horrible that they weren’t talking about. Plus Rose…she was such a contradiction. All her manners and speech, and posture spoke of a upperclass status as if she has gone to finishing school and taught to be a real first class lady. But everything else…the fact that she’s married Jack, a poor drifter and that she didn’t have much in the ways of clothes spoke differently. Plus how pale she’s went at the party when Titanic was mentioned and just a while ago when kimberly and her mother was talking about a certain first class girl who had died aboard the ship? Could Rose have possibly known those people?

Rose looked at her sister in law and sighed in defeat. Jacklyn and her parents in law have been so kind to her since the day she stepped upon their porch on the arm of their son. She couldn’t lie to them anymore, but could she talk about Titanic without Jack by her side? Looking at Jacklyn…at those same blue eyes and blond hair that Jack possessed, she felt more at ease.

"It’s a long story…"

"I have time."

Rose nods and swallows, gathering her wits about her and her courage. It was time to go back to Titanic for hopefully the last time. Because after today, she’s determined never to bring the ship up again.

"It was a week ago…wow, it seems like such a long time…like years actually. But it was a week ago, after a pre-matrimonial trip to Paris that my mother, fiancee and myself boarded the liner Titanic."

Jacklyn’s eyes widen. "Oh my God…The Titanic?"

Rose nods and goe on with the story. "To everyone else, Titanic was called the ship of dreams…but to me…it was a slave ship. Taking me back to America in chains. I was everything a well brought up girl should be…but inside I was screaming. I guess before I go any further, I should tell you my maiden name…Rose. Rose Dewitt Bukater."

"Rose Dewitt Bukater? That’s the name of…"

"Caledon Hockley’s deceased fiancee, rather ex-fiancee. Despite newspaper reports, Cal was no hero. He’s an unimaginable bastard. He framed Jack for stealing a necklace and chased us deeper into the sinking ship while shooting at us the whole time. Even before Jack he was horrid. Never listened to me, always abusive, emotionally and physically."

"Why did you get engaged to him then?"

"My mother. You see, my father died leaving us nothing but debts covered by a good name. In order to keep our upper class status…she arranged for me to be courted by the rich Caledon Hockley. At first he was charming but after the third date, he became possessive and boorish. I was going to break it off at the party my mother was throwing. Imagine my surprise and horror when my mother got up along with Caledon and his father and announced our engagement."

"They never even discussed it with you?" Jacklyn asked in disbelief. It was so hard to imagine a mother doing that to her daughter, but then again, the same thing was happening to Kimberly right now.

Rose shakes her head. "Not once was I aware of my mother’s plans. I begged and pleaded for her to call off this charade, but she refused. My feelings on the matter wasn’t important. So I decided fine, if I was to be miserable so would they. I was determined to make them pay."

"How did you do that?"

"I would do little things. Like if my mother picked out a dress for me to wear, I show u p wearing something I knew she’d hate. One time, when they were picking out bridesmaid dresses, my mother for once had me make a decision. So knowing that she hated the color lavender, I ordered all the bridemaids dresses to be lavender. She was so furious with me for that. And then, we were to sail on Titanic, I wore black, but Cal, horrified by my choice made me go change. Then when we saw the Titanic, I made the snide remark that it didn’t look any bigger than the maurtania knowing that it was far larger and luxerious. There were other little things I did that got on their nerves," Rose laughed lightly. "When I met Jack, I had Cal invite him to dinner just to get on both Cal’s and mother’s nerves. But Cal tried to turn the tables, but Jack turned the tables back on Cal. He was a big hit at the first class dinner. He had charmed everyone except mother and Cal of course."

"How did you meet Jack anyway?"

So Rose told the rest of the story. Of how Jack and Rose first saw each other on the deck, of Jack talking her over the railing and how she had gotten Jack out of trouble. Of their time together on the deck and how he had taught her to spit like a man. Of the first class dinner and the steerage party. Of how she had told Jack she wasn’t going to see him again and of Jack teaching her how to fly at the bow of the ship. Of him drawing her nude wearing nothing but the heart of the diamond. Of their fleeing Cal’s valet and the renault. Of how Rose told Jack she was going to get off the ship with him all the way until they were in the water and Jack had made her promise to go on. Of the Carpathia and their impromptu wedding once they reached New York. Neither Rose nor Jacklyn realized that Jack’s mother had joined them near the beginning of Rose’s tale until Rose was finished and she gasped.

"So that’s the reason we weren’t invited," Nancy gasped.

Jacklyn turns around and stands. "Mother?"
"Jack on the Titanic…how?"

"Poker game," Rose bows her head. "He had won third class tickets."

"I always knew that game would get him in trouble," Nancy shook her head and looks at Rose who had tears streaming from her eyes as she remembered all of their friends that were not as lucky as her and Jack. "You two were lucky you were saved."

"I know. Fabrizio and Tommy and my maid Trudy…they weren’t so fortunate."

"You must have loved Trudy a great deal to be crying for her loss," Jacklyn squeezes Rose’s hand.

"She was my best friend…the only one who would listen to me cry over what was happening. She knew how much I loved Jack and was the one who made me see saying good bye to him was the worst mistake of my life. She would be so happy if she knew that Jack and I married."

"So your mother and that Hockley man thinks you dead."

"And made up that absurd story of me going back for that necklace. It wasn’t that necklace I was going after…It was Jack. I wasn’t about to get on that boat knowing that he was trapped down below."

"I guess we should thank you on all counts. For saving Jack’s life not once, but twice. Having him fall in love with you…freeing him out of those cuffs, and then making him promise to hang on until help came…that was so brave of you Rose. Not all women would do that for a man they’ve known for only a couple of days," Nancy came over to hug her daughter in law. "to think, we never would have known if things turned out differently. We would have thought our son would have disappeared off the face of the earth."

"Jack’s a wonderful human being. You did a great job raising him," Rose smiled. "I was telling the truth when I said I never met anyone like him before. And I should be the one thanking you for bringing him into this world. If it wasn’t for him, I would have been the one at the bottom of the Alantic ocean right now, before the ship even sanked."

"We must be in trouble," Charles and Jack appear in the door way. "Three beautiful women gathered together…what did we do this time?"

Nancy gets up and goes to her son, giving a big hug. "You are so brave and I am so proud of the way you handled yourself aboard that ship while it was sinking."

"What?" Jack asked surprised. He looks at Rose and knew that she told them about Titanic.

"I couldn’t lie to them Jack. Jacklyn was here while I had a nightmare…they deserved to know the truth," Rose explained.

"Truth about what?" Charles asked confused about the somber expressions in both Jack and Rose’s eyes."

"Jack and Rose were on the Titanic Daddy," Jacklyn stands up. "That was where they first met and fell in love. We’re lucky to have them here with us now."

"I’m sorry we lied earlier," Jack bows his head as his mother released him from the hug. "We just thought the less we talked about Titanic and the less people knew about us being on it…the better. Well at least I did. Rose’s having a tougher time letting it go."

"At least now I understand why you two were so upset last night about the whole Titanic talk and all," Jacklyn nods.

"Well it is the biggest news to hit Chippewa Falls in a long time," Jack shrugged, remembering what Kimberly had said. "We shouldn’t expect people to just ignore it and act like they don’t care."

"Rose…about your mother…have you contacted her at all after the sinking? She must be devastated," Nancy asked.

"Uh…no. I haven’t and I don’t really care to. After all she’s done to me…I don’t think I’ll be ready to do so anytime soon."
"I think it’s best if we wait for Rose to heal some more before she even attempts to contact Ruth. Both Ruth and Cal had hurt Rose more than anything," Jack goes to his wife and squeezes her hand.

"Well Nancy and Jacklyn…let’s leave these two alone for a while. It looks like they have a lot to discuss," Charles pulls his wife to the door and motions for Jacklyn to follow.

"We’ll talk later," Jacklyn smiles, following her parents out of the room.

Silence engulfs the room as Jack and Rose are left alone, their feelings and thoughts thrown into turmoil. Jack is the first that speaks first.

"Are you really ok? I know how hard Titanic was on you…"

"I’m fine Jack. Really. I’m sorry that I didn’t wait for you to get back…it’s just that…I couldn’t lie to them. They’ve been so good to me and accepted me into the family so quickly, just like you had quickly accepted me into your life. I love them Jack just like I love you."

"Don’t be sorry Rose. I understand, but I’m sorry for not being here for you. We should have told them when we came back instead of hiding it. That way we would’ve been together."

"…So…do you think we need to tell all your friends here in town? Or should we just leave it within the family?"

"To tell the truth…I can’t see the use of letting the whole town know we were on Titanic. I mean, it’ll bring us nothing but pitying glances and curious stares and a bunch of questions we don’t want to answer. I think it’s wise if we keep it in the family."

"So do I," Rose smiles, leaning into Jack’s arms and shivers as she thinks about what if her dream was real? What if she really had lost Jack to those horrible waters. Then she’d have to tell his family about his death and she didn’t think she’d be able to do that.

"Are you ok?" Jack asked, tightening his embrace.

"I’m fine. Just thinking. I love you Jack."

"I love you too Rose. And don’t worry. We’re going to be fine."

"I know."

With that said, They drifted off into a dreamless sleep, their love blocking out all painful memories of their adventure aboard the ship of dreams.

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