AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Twenty-Nine

Rose yawned as they returned home from the wedding. She was so thrilled for Eliza and Maxwell. She knew things would work out. They had to.

"I suppose you're happy about all of this." Jack smiled, taking her coat and hanging both coats on the coat tree.

"I can't help it, Jack. I mean, it was so spectacular. Maxwell coming to whisk her away like that." Rose grinned, plopping down on the nearby sofa.

"Molly and I will take the children to bed." Ruth took the babies away from Jack and headed upstairs with Molly behind her. Jack stared after the women until they disappeared on up the stairs.

"Your mother was great tonight." Jack came and sat by Rose. "Don't you agree?"

Rose nodded. "She really did surprise me. I thought she'd side with Mrs. Hathaway, but she didn't...she stood up for Eliza."

"I think you ought to commend her for that. Let her know that you noticed," Jack said.

"Jack..."

"She's your mother, Rose, and she obviously loves you, and you do love her. I saw it in your eyes tonight." Jack turned Rose to face him. "Rose, she's your mother. Do you know how lucky you are to have her? How truly special she is?"

"Jack..."

"I would do anything to have my mother alive and well, here with us right now. But that can't be. But, Rose, you have your mother here, right now, waiting for you to finally forgive her...to love her." Jack stroked her cheek gently. Unshed tears were welling up in Rose's eyes. "Rose, there are so many things I've wanted to say to my parents but will never have the chance, because I waited too long. By time I was ready to say what I wanted to say...they were dead. Rose...I'm begging you. Don't let that happen to you. Don't wait to tell your mother your feelings. Let her know now before it's too late."

Rose wiped at her tears, touched by Jack's words. She had no idea it was like that for him. Now she could see why reconciling with her mother was so important to Jack, and he was right. She had to let her mother know how she felt. "You're right, Jack. I'll go up and talk to her right now."

"I knew you'd do the right thing."

Rose smiled as she left Jack and went upstairs to find her mother reading a story to the twins.

"Mother?" Rose asked, entering the nursery.

"Oh, Rose." Ruth immediately stood up, laying the book she was reading down on the bed. "I'm surprised to see you. I thought you and Jack were in middle of something."

"Mother...I just wanted to thank you for standing up for Eliza like that tonight. I must say that I was surprised." Rose smiled. "That really meant a lot to both me and Jack."

"Oh, it was nothing." Ruth walked up to her daughter. "I just didn't want to see someone make the same mistake I made. That's all."

"Well, Mother...I just wanted to say that you did a good thing tonight and I'm proud of you. I really am."

Tears welled up in Ruth's eyes. She couldn't stop the tears. This had been the moment she'd been waiting for for so long. "Oh, Rose...you don't know how much that means to me," Ruth cried, taking her daughter in her arms and hugging her tight.

Jack watched the scene from out in the hall and smiled to himself. Things were as they should be. Rose and her mother had now taken another step towards reconciliation.

He was about to go to his and Rose's room to get ready for bed when there was an urgent knock at the door. Wondering who it could be, he went downstairs and opened the door to Maxwell and Eliza.

"Hey, you two," he greeted. "What are you two doing here? I thought you'd be on your way out of Chippewa Falls by now."

"That's the problem. We don't have anywhere to go but here. Mother and Lee will be waiting for us at Maxwell's house," Eliza explained. "This was the only place we could think to come until we can figure out what to do. It's okay if we stay here, isn't it?"

"Of course it's okay. We'll be happy to have you." Jack beckoned for them to come in. "Rose is upstairs with her mother right now, but she'll be down in a second."

"I'd like to thank you two." Maxwell smiled. "Eliza told me that you and Rose were part of her final decision to come with me. I don't know how you did it, but I'm glad you did."

Jack just shrugged and smiled. "I don't know how we did it, either."

"It was your experience on Titanic that made me open my eyes. If you two could survive all that and still be together...then I could find the courage to do what made me happy."

"Rose told you about that?" Jack was surprised. They hardly talked about Titanic anymore.

"It was a long time ago that she told me. But it stayed with me. You two are absolutely unbelievable."

Jack didn't know what to say. He just smiled and glanced at the floor. "Well, I guess Lee was right when he said that it was my fault you left him."

"That's Lee for you. He could be bleeding out of his eyes, and it'd be your fault." Eliza smiled, giving Jack a short hug. "I'm sorry if I brought trouble into your life by doing this."

"Don't worry about it, Eliza. I handled the meanest fiancé alive on Titanic. I can definitely handle Lee Conway." Jack laughed.

"Eliza! Maxwell!" Rose cried as she came down the stairs. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you, Rose. For everything." Eliza hugged her friend tightly. "I hope that we can be as happy as you and Jack are right now."

"Oh, you will be, Eliza. Believe me." Rose smiled, walking over to Jack and putting her arms around his waist.

Suddenly, there was a loud banging at the door. Everyone immediately knew who it was.

"It's Lee." Eliza gasped.

"Don't worry. I can handle him." Maxwell stood in front of her.

"I'll answer it," Jack said, leaving Rose's side to answer the door.

Indeed, it was Lee when Jack opened the door. Not only Lee, but it was also Marge Hathaway. Both were extremely angry.

"Where is she, Dawson? Don't say you don't know. I know better." Lee barged in and stopped when he saw Maxwell and Eliza in each other's arms.

"If you don't mind, Lee, keep it down. The twins are asleep, and Rose and I want to keep it that way." Jack closed the door behind them.

"Get your hands off my daughter!" Marge demanded, storming up to Maxwell and Eliza. This just made Maxwell hold her tighter.

"What do you want, Lee?" Eliza asked. "I'm not going to marry you."

"Yes, you will marry me! You're my fiancée!" Lee shouted, advancing on the couple. Maxwell immediately pulled Eliza behind him.

"Lee, calm down. Getting angry isn't going to make her come back to you." Jack came up behind him. "Face it. She doesn't love you, and doesn't want to marry you."

"This is your fault, Dawson!" Lee turned on Jack. "I bet it was here that she met him!"

"Don't blame Jack. He had nothing to do with it." Eliza spoke up. "This is my decision. No one else's."

Suddenly, two pairs of cries erupted from the house.

"I'll go check on them." Rose sighed, heading upstairs to see what was going on with her babies.

"Come on, Eliza. We don't have time for this foolishness. We have a wedding to reschedule." Marge crossed her arms. "You've had your fun. Now, it's over."

"Go away, Mother. I'm not leaving with you...either of you." Eliza refused.

"This is absurd." Marge snorted. "You're behaving like a child."

"Listen, why don't you two just go home for now and come back in the morning? You can talk about it then," Jack replied.

"And have them be gone by morning? I don't think so." Marge turned on Jack.

"I've had enough of this foolishness!" Lee exclaimed angrily. "You're coming with me!"

Lee reached behind Maxwell, grabbed Eliza's arm, and began pulling her towards the door.

"Lee, no! Let me go!" Eliza screamed.

Rose came to the top of the stairs, a crying Molly in her arms. She couldn't believe what was going on in her own house. She had to do something. "Jack, do something."

"You're not taking her anywhere, Lee." Jack stepped in front of the door, giving Maxwell enough time to catch up with Lee and pull Eliza out of his grasp.

"I've had enough of this, Dawson." Lee punched Jack hard enough to knock him against the door.

"Jack!" Rose screamed.

"Lee, stop it!" Eliza yelled.

"This is all absurd." Marge came up behind Lee, just in time for Jack to recover from Lee's punch and throw a punch of his own, sending Lee into Marge.

"Stop it!" Eliza cried.

"What's going on here?" Molly Brown appeared at the top of the stairs. She immediately went downstairs and got between Lee and Jack before Lee could retaliate. "Stop this foolishness right now, boys. There's no reason to fight."

"I just want my fiancée back," Lee growled, glaring at Jack.

"Well, darling, I hate to break this to you, but Jack's not the one who stole her away from you. You punched the wrong guy. Besides, that won't bring her back to you," Molly said. "Now, I suggest you take poor Marge here home and get some rest yourself. You're doing no good being here."

Lee glared at Molly and turned and glared at Eliza and Maxwell. "This isn't over yet," Lee growled, grabbing Marge and pulling her out the door.

"Jack." Rose ran down the stairs and into his arms.

"It's okay now, Rose. He's gone."

"But he won't be gone for long. What are we going to do?" Eliza cried, burying her face in Maxwell's shoulder.

Then, the idea popped into Jack's head. He could remember the conversation he had with Rose months and months ago on the deck of Titanic.

"We'll drink cheap beer, ride the roller coaster 'til we throw up, and ride horses right in the surf..."

"Santa Monica." Jack smiled.

"What?" Rose asked, pulling out of his arms.

"Rose, you remember, don't you? The pier...California." Jack openly grinned now.

"What are you talking about? What does California have to do with any of this?"

"They can go to California...all of us can. It's perfect," Jack said. "Lee won't look for them there. It's beautiful and warm, the perfect place to raise children...besides, I have a promise to keep."

Rose laughed at the memory. She'd completely forgotten about that conversation. But Jack was right. It was the perfect place. Then, her smile disappeared. "What about Molly and Mother?"

"Oh, don't worry about us, Rose." Molly walked over to the girl. "We'll be fine, and we'll come visit as soon as you're settled."

"Does this sound good to you guys?" Jack asked, turning to Eliza and Maxwell.

The couple looked at each other, both deep in thought. They hated to leave Chippewa Falls. All their friends and family were here, but they also knew that as long as they stayed here, it would be almost impossible for them to stay together. Following Jack and Rose to California was the only way.

"Sounds good to us." Maxwell nodded. "So, when do we leave?"

"How about two days from now? That'll give Jack and Rose some time to pack up their things, me enough time to get the tickets for the four of you, and in the mean time, you two can stay with me," Molly suggested. "That way that Lee won't be bothering you."

"That sounds great." Eliza hugged Molly. "Rose was right. You are a guardian angel."

"But, Molly, you don't have to buy the tickets. You've done so much for us already," Jack said.

"Jack, I want to do this. Don't even think about refusing my offer," Molly growled. "But since you're going to be full of pride, how about this? I'll pay for Eliza and Maxwell. You can pay for you and Rose and the children. How about that? Does that sound good to you?"

Jack smiled and nodded, pulling Rose into a hug and whispering, "Be ready to ride like a man," which sent Rose into a fit of laughter.

The four young people were now happy and looking forward to their new adventure in California.

Chapter Thirty
Stories