CHANGES
Chapter Twenty

Later, after getting the girls settled, Rose moved some of her stuff back into the master bedroom, where she would have to sleep while they were there. Unless, of course, she wanted to sleep on the couch. Even with their guests, Jack hadn't so much as uttered a word or glanced in her direction since Rose came home three hours earlier. It wasn't until their families arrived for dinner that evening that things finally came to a head.

*****

"This is a gorgeous apartment," Elaine gushed as Rose showed her around.

Rose smiled weakly as she led her into her and Jack's room. "Yeah, I guess. It's beginning to seem too cold and small lately, though."

Elaine heard the catch in her voice and shut the door behind them. Sitting down on the loveseat that was in the room, she patted next to her. Rose sighed inwardly and sat next to her, fidgeting with a loose string on her shirt. Elaine squeezed her shoulders. "Rose, what's going on?"

"I wish I knew. I really do," Rose said, wiping the lone tear that slipped down her face.

"Did you two have a fight?" Elaine asked gently.

Rose shook her head. "No. How can we fight when we've barely said a word to each other in three months?"

Elaine sighed and brushed a random curl out of Rose's face. "You're not even speaking?"

"No. The only time either of us say anything is if the phone's for the other or if Mandy wants one of us. I tried...God knows I tried at first, but he just kept pushing me away. I don't know what to do," Rose replied, exasperated.

"Would you want me to talk to him?"

Rose's head shot up. "No. He would get angry if he knew I...well, you know how he is."

Elaine nodded ruefully, knowing what a short temper her son could have at times. "Then you're going to have to make him talk to you. It's not fair for him to make you live like this. If things can't work between you--and I know you hate to hear this--but if they can't, you still need to keep your lines of communication open, for Mandy's sake. He still spends time with her, doesn't he?"

"When he's home. He spends most of his time at work or at school."

Elaine clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "I really should give that son of mine a piece of my mind."

Rose smiled slightly. "I wish I could say go ahead, but we don't need any more tension between us. Especially with Christmas only a few days away."

Elaine nodded in understanding. "I won't say anything unless I feel it's necessary. You're both adults. You don't need an old fuddy duddy mom meddling in your affairs."

Rose chuckled and stood up. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's go eat!"

*****

After everyone had dined on the delicious feast Rose managed to whip up, the two families sat around the large table, having a grand time. Jokes and stories were told and everyone had something to share when recounting past Christmases. Once the last of the dishes from dessert were cleared, the eldest Dawson, Jessica, directed attention to her and her boyfriend that had accompanied them to Boston. "Well, now that everyone's finally under one roof...there's something I'd like to share," she started out, smiling brightly. With that said, all eyes focused on her, and seeing she'd commanded their undivided attention, Jessica continued. "Well, see...James asked me to marry him and I've accepted," she finished, her face flushed with happiness. The reaction was instant, a flurry of people hugging and congratulating the newly engaged couple. Eventually the festivity settled down, and that's when Jack excused himself from the group, mumbling something about having work to do. For Rose, watching him retire whilst his family was there for work was the final straw. Everyone watched, flabbergasted, as Rose slammed her glass down on the table furiously, breaking it in the process, and marched out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her. Those who hadn't already been informed of the animosity between the two sat in shock. Finally, Elaine's face hardened and she rose from the table and went down the hall to reprimand her offspring. Simultaneously, concerned for his sister's well being, Frankie headed outside to see if he could locate Rose.

*****

Jack glanced up from his laptop just in time to see his mother shut the bedroom door. She turned to face him, her face stern and her arms crossed. Jack gave her a curious look. "Mom?"

Elaine didn't respond immediately, but took her time, wandering around the room before sitting on the bed. "Is there something you'd like to explain to me?" she asked, somewhat coldly.

Jack's blue eyes feigned confusion. "Like what?"

"Like why you just abandoned us out there. We haven't seen you since September. And after you outright forget we came in this morning!"

"I have work to do," Jack muttered, turning back to his computer.

His weak attempt to push Elaine away was ignored. She got up quickly and slammed the top of the computer down, glaring at her son. "Stop that right now, Jack Dawson. Just because you no longer live in my house doesn't mean you don't have to respect me. I'm still your mother."

Jack's face softened a bit. "Please just drop it, Mom."

"No, I won't just drop it, Jack. Now, I told Rose I wouldn't meddle unless it was necessary, but I think it is now. What the hell is going on with you?" Elaine demanded.

Jack stood up. "There is nothing going on with me," he said, trying to make a go for the door.

Unfortunately for him, Elaine anticipated this move and blocked his escape. "To quote you, horseshit. I'm your mother. I know when something isn't right. Now if you're not going to talk to me, you better start talking to Rose. Because if you don't, you're going to wake up one day and she and that little girl in there are going to be gone."

With his mother's revelation, Jack's face visibly paled and he sank down onto the bed. "Did she say that?" he questioned softly, his voice full of fear.

Elaine sighed and sat beside him. "Not in so many words, but she will if you don't try to put your relationship back together. She's fed up, Jack. She's not going to sit around and take it much longer. And she'll take Mandy with her. I just hope that whatever is making you wander is important enough to lose your fiancee and daughter over," she said, noting the effect her words had on him, praying it would be enough to make him talk to Rose.

Jack exhaled, his troubled eyes meeting his mother's. "It's not..." he finally admitted, after a long pause.

Elaine smiled. "Then go talk to her. Make Christmas special."

Jack glanced around the room before nodding. "She's not here, though, is she? I heard the door slam."

Detecting the panic factor in his voice, she sighed. "No. I'm sure she's probably just outside. Frankie went after her. He wouldn't let her drive mad."

Jack nodded and left, intent on finding her.

*****

Frankie found his younger sister outside on the building steps, crying. Sighing, he sat next to her and hugged her. "Mind telling me what happened back there?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

Rose looked up at him, her face red from both the cold and crying. Her green eyes narrowed and hardened. "He's pushing me away. Am I so horrible he can't stand being in the same room with me?"

Frankie shook his head. "You're not horrible at all. You know that. Have you tried talking to him?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Tried?" she scoffed. "The first few weeks of this shit I did nothing but try. But he just kept ignoring me. Finally, I gave up. I don't have enough energy to go to school, be a full-time mother, and try to make someone who obviously doesn't want to talk. I'm serious, though, Frankie. If this doesn't stop, I'm out of here. I'm taking Mandy, and we're leaving. Harvard's not the only law school in the country. I don't want my daughter growing up in this kind of environment."

"You're always welcome to come stay with me," Frankie offered.

Rose nodded. "Thanks. I hope it doesn't come to that. I don't want to leave him. I love him. But I can only take so much. You know when the last time he spoke to me was? Besides tonight when he asked me to pass the salt, I mean? Three weeks ago, and that was only because we ran out of milk."

"Damn. Maybe there's something wrong with him. Maybe he--"

"Maybe he doesn't love me anymore," Rose interrupted, on the verge of tears again.

Frankie hugged her again. "Any person who couldn't love you is an idiot, Rose. I'm sure that's not it, though. Jack can't help but to love you. He told me that himself."

Rose's face dissolved into tears. "Then why is he doing this to me?" she sobbed.

Just after those words were uttered, the door to the building opened and Jack peered out. Frankie noticed him, but Rose did not. He motioned for Jack to come take his place and Jack did so. Rose stiffened when she felt the familiar arms come around her. She looked up abruptly to see Jack's pensive expression, her eyes begging for some kind of explanation. But none came at that moment. Jack only closed his eyes and sighed, racking his brain for the right words. Finally, his blue orbs reopened and locked on Rose, while his grip on her tightened. His face worked with emotion and he opened his mouth to speak. "I'm so sorry, Rose." To hear his voice the way it was, was too much for her. Her eyes overflowed and she turned away, unable to look at him. Jack's heart broke. The one thing he could never stand was to see her cry. Especially if it was because of him. "Rose, please don't cry. Please," he pleaded in a whisper.

Rose choked back another round of sobs and hesitantly looked back at him. "Is there someone else?" she asked quietly.

Jack paled. "What?"

"Is there somebody else? Tell me the truth, Jack."

"No, there's not. How--why would you even think that?"

Rose cast her eyes downward. "What did you expect me to think? You don't talk to me, you barely look at me, and you're gone to all hours of the night. If there isn't someone, what in God's name is going on?"

Jack sighed deeply. "There isn't any good explanation. I wish there were. I got scared, I guess..."

"Scared? Of what?" Rose asked.

Jack shifted uneasily. "I'm not sure. You know how I always hated having people dictate what I should do with my life...and lately, it just seems like everyone but me has been planning the rest of my life for me. I started feeling trapped."

"Trapped?"

Jack nodded. "Like everything is all set. Go to college, get my law degree, do the lawyer bit, get married, be a father, live in suburbia USA for the remainder of my life. I don't want that."

Rose's face contorted in pain. "If you don't want to marry me, why didn't you just say so?"

Jack looked confused for a moment, but the realization of how what he'd just said sounded set in. "I DO want to marry you, Rose. I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. I just meant that I don't want to live life by what everyone thinks I should. I want to head out to the horizon, with you and Mandy. I want us to live life spontaneously, not like everything is set in stone."

"Why didn't you just tell me all of this, Jack? We don't have to live life by everyone else's standards," Rose said.

Jack hung his head. "I don't know. I guess I thought you might not want that."

Rose shook her head. "I thought you knew I'd go anywhere with you. But even that doesn't explain why you stopped talking to me."

"I was afraid of losing you...it sounds so stupid now that I say it, but that's it. I was afraid you were going to leave me after what happened while we were in Minnesota. And then I went and pushed you to that point anyway. I am so sorry, Rose, so sorry."

Rose inhaled deeply and met his gaze. "I can't be second priority anymore, Jack. If were going to work through this, this work crap you've been hiding behind has to be put aside. I refuse to take a back seat to it anymore. It's not only me, but Mandy, too. We have to come first. If you can't do that, tell me now, before I put myself into getting our relationship back, only to be right here again."

Jack nodded. "You're right. My family has to come first."

Rose smiled genuinely, for the first time in months, and stood up, dusting the snow off of her. "We can finish talking later. I'm freezing."

Jack returned the smile, standing as well. But unlike Rose, he didn't start for the door. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. "One more thing," he murmured huskily. And before she could respond, Jack pressed his lips to hers.

*****

Later, after everyone left and the younger ones were in bed, Jack and Rose sat together on the couch, talking.

"I made a decision," Jack suddenly announced.

Rose gave him a weird look. "About what?"

"About what you said earlier, putting you and Mandy first. I decided after we go back to school in January, I'm going to quit work."

"Are you sure, Jack?"

Jack nodded earnestly. "Yes. I've got some experience and learned a lot while I was there, but right now we need to focus on us. It's not worth losing you over. Besides, I'm not so sure I want to be a lawyer anymore."

Rose smiled and leaned up to kiss him, her eyes twinkling like the lights the adorned the tree in the room. "Let's go to bed."

Chapter Twenty-One
Stories