IN THE ARMS OF A STRANGER

(Author's note: This story is about what happened to Rose and Jack if Rose had wondered away from her mother and Cal before they boarded Titanic and if Jack didn't win that poker game. I hope you enjoy it.

PART ONE: Southampton

Rose Dewitt Bukater looks up at the ship as she steps out of the car. It was majestic...wonderful...magnificent. But she wasn't about to let Cal and her mother know that. In fact, she dreads the journey back to America. To most, the Titanic was the ship of dreams, but to her it was a slave ship, carrying her back to America in chains.
Two weeks from now, she'll become Mrs. Caledon Hockley, a fact she dreads. She hates, no she despises Cal. If it wasn't for the fact that her and her mother will be flat broke if she didn't marry Cal...she'd be off to explore the world, a dream of hers since she was a little girl. But that dream isn't to be.

Cal was not the traveling type and when he did travel, he controlled where they went.
Yes, Rose was miserable with this arranged marriage and she's determined to let everyone know it...no matter what. "It doesn't look any larger than the Mauritania," Rose looks towards Cal.
"You can be blase' about some things Rose, but not about Titanic. It's ten times larger than Mauritania and far more luxurious," Cal gazes up at the ship then turns to Rose's mother. "Your daughter is far too difficult to impress Ruth."
Her mother only laughed at the comment and gazes up at the ship.
"Come ladies, we'll be late," Cal walks ahead.
Rose sighs forlornly. She had to get away fro just a second. the ship wouldn't be going anywhere for another five minutes or so. She glances at the back of her mother and Cal and decides that they wouldn't notice if she slipped away for a few seconds. She'll catch back up with them in a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, Rose turns in the oppositer direction and disappears into the churning crowds of South Hampton.

"I'm sorry Fabrizio," Jack sighed as he turned to his friend.
"What do you mean you're sorry?" Fabrizio asked.
"We lost. We won't be going to America on Titanic," Jack throws down his cards.
"Jack, you bastard! You bet everything we have!"
"Look at it this way Fabri. When you have nothing you have nothing to lose, and we have nothing," Jack tries to comfort his friend. "Olaf, Sven, it was nice doing business with ya," Jack offers his hand to the

two Swedes setting across from them. "Have a safe voyage."
Both Swedes nod before getting up and leaving, both glad that they were able to keep their tickets to America.
"Don't worry Fabri. We'll find our way to America, one way or another," Jack smiled enthusiastically. "For now, let's get baack to our flat. It may be small but it's a lot better than that bridge we were sleeping under last week."
"Yeah yeah," Fabrizio shrugged standing up from his chair.

Six o'clock p.m

Rose sinks to the ground as she finally accepts her situation. For the past two hours she's been trying to deny the fact that she was lost and the ship had departed without her. She had kept walking, trying to find it, but now there's no denying that she had missed the Titanic and now she was not only hungry and alone in Southampton, England, she was in one of the roughest neighborhoods. She had to find a decent place to sleep tonight, but where?
What am I going to do?" She begins to sob uncontrollably.
"Well well well. What do we have here," a slurred voice asked. Rose glances up to see two sloppily dressed men advancing on her. It's obvious that they're drunk and don't have the best intentions towards her. "Looks like we have a real lady in our mist."
"What's a lady doing in a slum like this?" one of the men slurred, now hovering over the shivering girl.
"Waiting for two handsome gentlemen like us of course," the other man laughed, reaching down to touch Rose's hair. She immediately shrinks away.
"Please go away," she sobbed.
"Oh look Ed. She wants us to leave her alone. Whatever shall we do?"
"Sal, don't you know that when they say no they mean yes? It's the fact s of lice," the man named Ed grabs Rose and forces her to her feet. "I go first though. I saw her first."
"No!" Rose screamed.
"Shhh now dear. No one can hear you here in the slums. The only people here are drifters in those run down flats and us drunks, and believe me, those drifters don't care one bit about swells and their fancy ways. In fact, they'd probably cheer us on."
Rose stares into the man's eyes and sees pure lust. She wished with all her might that she hadn't wandered off from mother and Cal, or that one of those drifters in those flats did care, but most likely the man named Sal was right. She saw how people of the lower classes looked at her. Resentment was always present. No one would care if two drunks raped and maybe even murder her.
"Now be a good girl and let us have our way, or do we have to hurt you?" Ed tightens his grip on her arm, causing her to wince in pain.
"Let her go," a strong voice speaks from behind the two men. Rose glances over Ed's shoulder to see a handsome blond man about twenty years old and the blueset eyes she's ever seen. His expression was a mixture of concern and seriousness.
"This is none of your concern whoever you are. I suggest you go back to your flat and pretend that you never saw this," Ed growled, not bothering to look at Jack.
"Yeah kid. She's not worth it," Sal sneered, leaning so close to Rose that she could smell the sick scent of whiskey on his breath.
"Please help me," she whimpered.
"Shut up!" Ed hissed, squeezing her arm even tighter.
"Jack? What's going on?" Another young man appears behind the other man known as Jack.

"I'll tell you one more time to let her go," Jack's voice is stronger now and he takes a step towards Ed, who was still holding onto Rose's arms.
Ed turns to Jack and recognition is in his eyes. "So it's Jack Dawson, the boy who was interested in my daughter. Come again to play hero?"
"Jack, I think we should forget it and leave," Fabrizio grabs his friend's shoulder. "We don't know this girl. She's not our concern."
Jack takes another look at the frightened girl. She was very beautiful and was obviously upper-class. Hmmm, maybe he can use that fact to save her. MMMakkk lkkjl;ljkljklhklhlhjhjgghgjhv ihihhihi Maybe if he can make the two men believe she was related to someone powerful enough to destroy their lives, they'll leave.
"No Fabri. We're not going. There's bound to be an award when Mr. Conway hears of this."
"Conway?" Fabrizio asked.
"Yeah Fabrizio. Mr. Conway's going to want to know the description of the men who raped his granddaughter."
"Granddaughter?" the man named Ed asked. "He doesn't have a granddaughter."
"Of course he does and you're trying to assault her right now. When he finds out...let's just say I wouldn't want to be in your shoes."
"Ed, we better get out of here. If the boy's right...there'll be big trouble we don't need," Sal whispered to his friend, stepping away from Rose.
Ed glared at Rose, then released her arm. "She better not breath a word Dawson or I'll be back."
"I'm sure she won't say a word," Jack glanced at Ed before he and Sal disappeared down another dark alley, perhaps looking for another girl to assault. Jack looks back at rR
Rose in enough time to catch her as she begins to fall to the ground sobbing. "It's okay now Miss. You're safe. No one's gonna hurt ya."
Rose looks up at Jack in relief and gratitude. She instantly recognized he didn't have a English accent. "You're American?"
Jack nods. "And so are you I can see. What are you doing here in the slums of Southampton alone at this time of night?"
"Titanic," Rose managed to choke out. "I just stepped away from my party for a few minutes, but I got lost and the ship left without me."
"And you ended up here in the slums," Jack sighed. "With nowhere to go. I'll tell you what Miss. You can come with us and stay in our Flat. You'll be safe there. Then in the morning, we'll think of a way to get you back to your family. What do ya say to that?"
Rose simply nods, grateful to this gaurdian angel that had showed up out of nowhere. "T-thank you."
"No need to thank me mam. It's just good ole Wisconsin hospitality," Jack smiled, helping her to her feet. "Come on. We'll get you inside where it's warm. By the way, what's your name?"
"Rose Dewitt Bukater," Rose answered, her voice void of emotion.
"I'm gonna have to ask you to write that one down for me," Jack smiled at her.
Rose smiled at the joke. Looking back towards the ocean, where Titanic has begun it's voyage, Rose allows Jack to lead her to his flat where she got a bite to eat and a good night's sleep before starting on the adventure of her lifetime.

Rose winces and rubs her neck as she wakes up. She couldn't believe how stiff one can be after a night on a hard cold floor, but she didn't mind. She was just thankful to the two young men who had taken her in, even though the flat wasn't even big enough for the two of them much less a third person. But neither seemed to mind sharing their space.
She sets up and looks around, taking in her surroundings in daylight. The place was indeed small. It hardly had any furniture, only a table and three chairs, and a lantern to light up the place at night. She has to wonder how anyone could be happy in such surroundings. Looking around, she spots the Italian known as Fabrizio asleep in the corner, but there's no sign of the handsome American who had saved her life. She wondered where he had gone. She had to admit that she was looking forward to seeing him aagain this morning. He was much better to wake up to than the bleak future with Cal she's been stuck with for the past year.
"I see sleeping beauty is awake," Jack enters the flat, carrying a bag in his arms. "I've rounded us up some breakfast. It's not much, but it's enough to survive on."
"Mr. Dawson...I'd like to thank-you for what you've done for me last night," Rose gets to her feet. "I know most people would have just turned away."
"Well Rose, I wasn't raised to turn away when I saw people in trouble. Always help out when you can and make each day count was two of my father's favorite sayings," Jack smiled. "Oh and call me Jack. Mr. Dawson was my father."
Rose couldn't help but smile, his sunny attitude was contagious. "Ok Jack."
"Come sit," Jack motioned towards a chair. "I'll fix ya something to eat."
"Shouldn't we wait for Mr. De Rossi?"
"Nah, he'll wake soon enough and can eat then. By the way Rose, you don't have to be so formal with us. We're not going to die if you don't use our last names. Just call him Fabrizio," Jack shrugs.
"Fabrizio," Rose said the name with a smile. This was the first time anyone encouraged her to use his or her first name right off the bat like this. She loved it; it was like breaking one of her mother's unwritten rules.
"So Rose. You were going to sail on Titanic. Whatever made you get lost from your party?" Jack asked, placing the food, three polish sausages and one loaf of bread on the table.
"I needed to get away from my mother and fiancee for a couple of minutes. I thought I had time before the ship left. Then I heard the whistle and tried to find my way back, but the crowd was too heavy. By time I got back to the dock, Titanic had pulled away," Rose explained, staring down at her hand and the big diamond engagement ring Cal had given her. she wondered how much she could pawn for..

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