They ran through the boiler room. She was ahead of him, her white dress flying behind her. She jumped over a pipe. He did the same.
"Excuse us! Don't mind us! Great job, though. You're all doing a great job!" he shouted as they pushed through the men in the room.
"Hey! You can't be down here!" exclaimed one of the men.
"Sorry, buddy! We're leaving right now, then," he said, closing the door behind him. They ended up in the cargo hold. "Well, would you look at this."
"Jack, we shouldn't be in here," she said.
He detected worry in her voice. "Rose, don't worry. We're fine," he told her. He saw a Renault. "Hey, check this out!" He jumped into the front of it. She jumped into the back. He spoke in a bad English accent. "Where to, Miss?"
"To the stars," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him.
She pulled him back. He provided some support by pushing off the seat with his feet to make it easier. He wrapped his arms around her.
"Are you nervous?" he whispered.
"No," she whispered back. They put their hands together, and she kissed his fingers. "Put your hands on me, Jack." He kissed her, and she slid down on the seat underneath him.
*****
Jack took Rose's hand, led her out of the theater, and looked across the street to see that Lynette's saloon, McBragginson's Beer, after her husband, who had died on the ship, was still open. He smiled, then looked at Rose.
"Wanna attend a real party? Kind of like the one we went to on Titanic in third class?" he asked.
"Jack, what are you doing?" Rose asked.
Jack dragged her across the street. They went into the saloon and sat down at a table. Standing nearby were Lynette, Martin, and Cora. Lynette was clapping her hands in time with the music, so Jack got up, took Cora’s hands, and danced with her.
Lynette sat down with Rose and they watched as Cora and Jack danced together. They laughed as Jack tried to twirl Cora around, though she was a little small. Cora didn't care. She was laughing and smiling as Jack danced with her.
Rose got up, took off her shoes, and joined them. She took one of Cora’s hands and spun her around as Jack stood by, clapping along with the music.
"Yeah, Cora!" he shouted, cheering her on. The music stopped, so Cora ran to join her mother as Jack took Rose's hand and they began dancing.
"We're going to have to get a little closer," Jack said, pulling Rose closer. "Like this."
They ended up dancing by jumping around. Jack took one of Rose's hands and spun her around. They separated as a new part of the music came and Jack performed a little step dance. Rose did the same, and then Jack took Rose's hands and spun her around. Martin took Lynette's hands and they started dancing as well. Jack entwined his right arm with Rose's left and they started dancing in small circles. Then they switched arms and danced the opposite way.
"Jack, no!" Rose shouted as Jack took her hands again and spun her around. They laughed. The music ended and the crowd clapped. Rose was out of breath. "Jack, that was incredible!"
"I told you that you'd enjoy this," he said. They sat down again, joined shortly thereafter by Lynette and Martin.
"So, how did your audition go, Rose?" asked Lynette, drinking a glass of water. Rose was a little surprised to see Lynette not enjoying her own beer. Lynette noticed her expression. "What? You obviously haven't seen my waist." Rose looked down at her waist and saw that she, too, had a bit of a bump.
"Don't tell me. You're expecting?" Rose asked. Lynette nodded. "Oh, I'm so happy for the both of you!" Rose told them.
"So, how did your audition go?" Lynette asked again.
"I got the part!" Rose exclaimed.
"Seriously?" Lynette asked. "When do you start?"
"Tomorrow morning at six," said Rose.
"Ah…we open at seven, so I might be able to make it there to support you!" Lynette told her.
They looked up to see Jack, a cigarette in his mouth, and Martin, sipping his beer, arm wrestling. Jack's face was straining as he struggled against Martin's grip, but he managed to win the war and slammed Martin's wrist down on the table. Rose and Lynette clapped.
"Thank you, ladies. I appreciate the applause for my glory," Jack said, joking around.
"Oh, stop bragging, Dawson!" exclaimed Martin.
"Who said I was bragging, Martin? I was thanking them for their applause," Jack replied.
"Yeah, and then you said for my glory, which is the same as bragging!" Martin spat back. Jack laughed at his drunken friend.
"So, Lynette, do you live near here?" asked Rose.
"Right above the saloon, actually," replied Lynette. "Would you like to see it? I decorated it on my own."
"Oh, I would love to," said Rose. Lynette stood up, as did Rose.
"Cora, dear, would you like to come?" she asked. Cora nodded and took Lynette's hand as the three of them went upstairs.
Once at the top of the stairs, Lynette unlocked the door and they walked into the apartment. Lynette turned the light on, and Rose was surprised to see how big it really was. It was long, really. The saloon must have a large storage room downstairs. Rose looked around. A portrait was hanging of Lynette, Martin, and Cora. There was an Irish flag hanging proudly on the wall. There was a worn-out sofa that looked quite comfortable. There was one bathroom, one bedroom, an area where a table and chairs were set up, and a kitchen.
"Lynette, this is beautiful," Rose said.
"Thank you," said Lynette.
"That portrait—did you just have it done?" asked Rose.
"Yes. About a week and a half ago," replied Lynette.
"It's beautiful," said Rose.
"I'm sure the place you live in is a lot better than this," said Lynette.
"Actually, I live at my father's. He's a very wealthy man. His house is very large. Too large, in fact," said Rose. "I'd much rather live in a place like this. A lot more comfortable."
"Martin always complains about having such a small apartment," said Lynette. "That's why we started the saloon. To make money, move to Chicago, and start a restaurant."
"That's a wonderful dream, Lynette," Rose told her.
"It's not as successful as the acting career you'll have," replied Lynette. All of a sudden, there was a huge crash downstairs. Men were yelling. Women were screaming. "Stay here, Cora!" Lynette raced downstairs, followed by Rose. Three men were fighting. Martin was one of them, and two other men were in it as well. Jack was nowhere to be seen.
"Jack!" Rose called, pushing through the crowd. "Jack!" She tripped over someone's foot and landed on a table. She stood up on a chair and searched for Jack. "Jack! Jack, where are you?"
All of a sudden, Jack came out of nowhere, blood dripping from his nose, and punched one of the men in the face. Martin and the other man took over.
"Jack!" Jack looked up at her, then ran over and helped her off the chair.
"Come on! We're leaving!" he exclaimed.
He took Rose's hand and ran out of the saloon. He continued to run down the sidewalk, dragging Rose with him. Rose was trying to get out of his tight grip.
"Jack! Jack, stop! Jack! You're hurting me!" Rose exclaimed, but overcome by rage, he didn't pay attention. "Jack!" He finally turned around, still gripping her wrist tightly, his teeth clenched.
Rose slapped him across the face, and he let go.