AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Thirty-Two

April 18, 1913

Rose shivered from the intense cold of her dream. It was the same dream she'd had since the anniversary of the sinking. It was dark and she was cold and alone.

"Rose." A familiar voice called to her. "Rose, darling, wake up."

Rose awakened to the feel of warm lips pressing against her own and two strong arms holding her in their tight embrace. The delicious smell of sausage, eggs, and pancakes whiffed into her nostrils. She opened her eyes to gaze into a pair of lovely blue ones.

"Jack," she happily whispered when their lips parted.

"Good morning, sunshine." Jack smiled.

"What time is it?" Rose yawned.

"Time for you to get up. I have a big day planned for us today." Jack smiled, leaving her side to go to the dresser.

"Jack?" Rose was suspicious when she spotted the small silver box he withdrew from the top drawer. "What are you up to?"

"Happy anniversary, my love." Jack brightly smiled, presenting the box to her.

Of course! Their anniversary! She had completely forgotten. "Oh, Jack!" Rose cried. She hadn't even gotten him a gift yet.

"Go ahead. Open it," Jack urged. Looking up at him for a second and back at the box, she opened the box to reveal a silver heart-shaped locket.

"Oh, Jack...this is so beautiful," Rose cried, throwing her arms around him. "I love it. By the way, where are the children? I didn't hear their cries this morning."

"I dropped them off at Kathy's earlier this morning. She's been begging me to let her keep them. So I decided that today was the day to grant her wish." Jack smiled. "Now, get up and get dressed. We have a busy day ahead of us."

"What are we going to do?"

"I can't say. It's a surprise." Jack smiled. "Now, hurry. We want to be on our way before it gets too hot." Jack helped her out of the bed.

*****

"Can't I just have a little peek?" Rose shouted over the loud hum of the car. Jack had blindfolded her and now they were heading to God knew where.

"Not a peek, Rose. You'll find out when we get there," Jack answered. "You're going to love it, Rose. Trust me."

"I trust you," Rose replied, her voice is a little weak as she wondered what Jack had in store for her today.

The car came to a complete stop. Rose got nervous when she heard Jack leave the car and sighed in relief when he opened the passenger door.

"Don't worry, Rose. I didn't leave you." Jack laughed, taking her hand and pulling her out of the car. He walked behind her and took off the blindfold. He noticed that Rose still had her eyes closed.

"You can open your eyes now, darling." Jack squeezed her shoulders.

Rose gasped in surprise and delight when she saw the roller coaster rising above the pier.

"Oh, Jack! It's the pier!"

"I told you I'd take you here, didn't I? I just wanted to make sure the day was special when we went. What's more special than our anniversary?"

"Oh, Jack, thank you! A day at the pier is the greatest way to spend our anniversary."

"So, my Rose. What do you want to do first?" Jack asked, then followed her gaze to the roller coaster. "You want to do that first?"

Rose nodded and took his hand to pull him over to the roller coaster line. Jack wrapped his arms tightly around her as they waited.

"Jack...I'm so nervous. I never rode on a roller coaster before," Rose confessed.

"Oh, Rose, it's great. It's truly like you're flying. You're going to love it."

"Tickets, please," the man requested, as their turn came up.

Settling into their car seats, Jack squeezed Rose's hand. "Try not to throw up now." He smiled.

Rose just smirked at him. Then, suddenly, she gripped the bar in front of them as the roller coaster began to slowly make its way up the tracks.

"Jack!" Rose screamed as the car reached the top and plunged down the track, pushing the wind into Rose's face.

"Hold your hands up, Rose!" Jack shouted.

Rose did as she was directed and felt the freedom she had felt at the bow of Titanic when Jack was teaching her to fly, except this time the feeling was more intense.

All too soon, the ride is over.

"Well, Rose, how did you like it?" Jack helped her out of the car.

"It was so invigorating. I loved it." Rose happily smiled. "I haven't felt that free since that time on the bow of Titanic."

Jack smiled at the memory, glad that he could give her that freedom again.

"Jack, what's that over there?" Rose asked, pointing to a strange-shaped building.

"Oh, that's the house of mirrors. It's a maze of mirrors. The purpose is to try to find your way out," Jack explained. "Do you want to go in?"

Rose quickly nodded and took off for the mirror house without Jack.

"Rose, wait up!" Jack called after her, breaking into a run of his own. Jack entered the house to find images of Rose everywhere.

"Rose!" Jack called, moving along the room searching for his wife.

"Jack!" Rose called back as Jack himself appeared in the mirrors.

"Rose!" Jack appeared behind her in the mirrors.

"Jack." Rose turned to find herself staring at another reflection of Jack. Where was he? "Jack?"

"Rose, over here!" Jack appeared to Rose's right.

Spotting him, Rose ran to him to find it was just another reflection. That was when fear began to twinkle into her mind. What if she couldn't find her way out of this maze?

"Rose?" Jack stepped up behind her and laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, trying to calm herself down.

"Rose, you're crying." Jack wiped away a stray tear away from her eyes and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay, Rose. I'm here now. It's all right."

"Jack." Rose laid her head on his shoulder.

Jack then lifted her face up to look at him. Their eyes met. Then, they kissed, a long, passionate kiss.

"Ew! They're kissing!" Two little girls giggled.

Jack and Rose broke from the kiss to see the little girls run away.

"I guess we better get out of here. We still have a long day ahead of us." Jack took her hand and led her outside.

"Where to next?" Rose asked.

"There." Jack pointed to the dunking booth. "The throw and dunk."

"Hey, Dawson!" The man sitting on the pedestal greeted Jack as they approached.

"Hey, Sonny. Long time no see." Jack smiled. "I see you're still taunting people for a living."

"Yep. And what about you? Are you still a starving artist?"

"Far from it. In fact, I brought my wife, Rose, here for our anniversary." Jack placed an arm around his wife.

"Oh, I see. She's very beautiful, Jack. You've done well for yourself. In fact, such a beautiful lady deserves a teddy bear. What do you say, Jack? Think you can dunk me?"

"I don't think I can dunk you." Jack laughed, picking up a ball and handing the cashier two dimes. "I know I can."

Rose winced as Jack missed the first shot. He had two shots left.

"Some shot you are!" Sonny taunted. "I hope baseball isn't a dream of yours."

Jack threw another ball and missed. Sonny then turned to Rose. "Sweetpea, it doesn't look like you're getting that bear."

Narrowing her eyes, Rose grabbed the last ball and threw it at the target, hitting it directly. Sonny screamed as he fell into the water tank.

"Looks like we have a winner!" the cashier announced.

"Cal used to call me that," Rose explained to Jack.

"Yes, I remember. I also remember the anger in your eyes when he called you that."

"She's a pistol, Jack." Sonny resurfaced. "I hope you can handle her."

"I'm handling her just fine." Jack grinned.

"Which bear would you like, little lady?" the cashier asked.

"You pick one out, Jack." Rose grabbed his arm.

Jack immediately spotted the one he thought was perfect for Rose, a white bear with a shiny party hat and a shiny bowtie. "That one."

"Here you go, sweetie. You two have fun now." The cashier waved as Jack and Rose left.

"Where to next?" Jack placed an arm around her.

"That shop there. Let's go in there." Rose pointed to the small store up ahead.

"Why?"

"I want to window shop a little." Rose giggled, pulling Jack over to the store.

It turned out to be a general supply store. Jack went over and looked at some toys for the twins, but Rose immediately spotted what she was looking for. It was perfect for him.

Grabbing the item and another small package, she went up to the cashier. "How much extra are these to have them wrapped?"

"Twenty cents. A extra five cents for a written message."

"That comes to five dollars and fifty cents," Rose thoughtfully muttered, wondering if they could actually afford it, but she decided Jack was worth it. "I'll take it." She grabbed a pen and paper available for engravings. "Write this message inside the cover."

"Yes, Miss." The cashier nodded, disappearing into the back. Ten minutes later, the package was ready and paid for.

"Have a nice afternoon, Miss." The cashier smiled as Rose rejoined Jack.

"There you are," Jack greeted. "Are you ready to go?"

Rose nodded, hoping he wouldn't spot the package. She wanted to wait until they were alone to give it to him. "Where to next, Jack?"

"Follow me." Jack smiled. Jack took her free hand and pulled her out of the store and down to the ocean, where a man with a gorgeous white Arabian horse tied to a rope he held in his hands was waiting.

"Why, hello, Jack Dawson. Never thought I'd see you in these parts again," the man greeted. "Jasmine here sure has missed you."

"Hi, Sal," Jack greeted. "It has been a long time, but I'm back for good now. I've moved my family here. I'd like you to meet Rose Dawson. I promised her that I'd teach her to ride like a man, and I was wondering if you could help us out."

"Sure I will. Jasmine would like that, too. She loves teaching beautiful young ladies how to ride. I'm sure she'll love you two." Sal smiled at Rose.

"She sure is beautiful." Rose smiled, looking over the horse. She'd never seen a horse as beautiful as this one.

"White Arabian she is. I bought her off a horse trader that had visited there and received her as a gift from the sultan. He didn't know what to do with her, so he sold her to someone who did. She sure cost me a pretty penny."

"How much, Sal?" Jack asked.

"For you two it's free. I'll even let you have her for as long as you want. Just be sure to get her back to me before sundown. If I don't get her back to the stables by eight, I'll lose the space." Sal smiled. "Have fun, you two."

Rose and Jack waved as he handed the reins to Jack and disappeared down the beach.

"Okay, Rose, lesson number one. Hop up on the horse like you normally would," Jack directed, leading her over to the side of the horse.

"Oh, Jack, it's been so long," Rose replied, unsure if she could even remember how to ride a horse.

"Don't worry, Rose. I'll show you. Just do as I say," Jack reassured her. "Just put your foot in the stirrup and swing your leg over the horse."

Rose did just as Jack said. "That's a girl, Rose. You did perfectly." Jack hopped up behind her and gently placed his hands over hers that were tightly gripping the reins. "Loosen up your hands, Rose. Relax. Jasmine can feel your nervousness and that will make her nervous. Don't worry, Rose. I won't let anything happen."

"Okay, Jack." Rose loosened her grip. "Now what do I do?"

"Tap the horse lightly with your foot. That should get her moving," Jack directed.

Rose did so and gasped in surprise as the horse began walking down the beach.

"See, this isn't so bad, is it?" Jack asked.

Rose shook her head and leaned back into Jack a little, enjoying the closeness of his body. "So, this is what riding like a man is like." Rose smiled.

"No, not really. It's much faster than this." Jack laughed.

"Well, then, let's go faster," Rose replied, feeling a lot braver than she had a couple of minutes ago.

"Are you sure, Rose?"

"Positive, Jack. I just needed to get used to the horse again, that's all. I'm used to it now, so now we can go faster."

"Okay, Rose, here we go." Jack tapped the horse a little harder than Rose the first time, and Jasmine bolted into a fast gallop. Again Rose was overcome with the feeling of intense freedom as the wind whistled through her hair.

Jack suddenly guided the horse into the surf of the ocean. Rose laughed as water sprayed up, slightly wetting her face. They rode like this for a while, until the sun was high above them.

"Tired?" Jack asked, slowing the horse down.

Rose just nodded. She was ready to stop horseback riding and move on to something else. Maybe lying beside Jack on the beach and enjoying his company. Maybe she'd even give him her gift.

Jack guided the horse over to a pole and helped Rose down after he hopped off himself. After tying the horse to the pole, they settled onto the beach and stared out at the ocean stretching out into the horizon.

"Are you hungry, Rose?" Jack asked.

"A little," Rose replied, letting her head drop to Jack's shoulder.

"I'll go get us something." Jack suddenly stood up. "Stay here with Jasmine. I'll be right back."

"Jack..." Rose was again struck with fear. She didn't want to be left alone here on the pier. She didn't know anyone here, hardly.

"I'll be back in a minute, Rose. Don't worry." Jack reassured her. "Just sit here and relax."

Rose nodded and watched him disappear into the crowd. She drifted off to sleep as she waited for Jack to return. She dreamed of Jack and the first time she met him. He was stroking her hair and whispering her name lovingly.

"Rose." His voice was a little louder than the one before. "Rose."

Rose's eyes popped open awake to stare into a familiar pair of brown eyes. Fear leaped into her heart as Caledon Hockley came to mind, but that fear turned to joy and delight when she notices her friend Kate Milton from finishing school. Kate was what was called new money, and Rose was the only girl who was nice to her. She had often wondered what had happened to Kate.

"Rose DeWitt Bukater! I can't believe it. The last time I heard you had died on that ship that sank last year!" The other girl hugged Rose.

"I survived." Rose shrugged, returning the hug. "I just don't go by DeWitt Bukater anymore. Wow, I haven't seen you in forever. What have you been up to?"

"I'm a actress now in the moving pictures." Kate laughed. "Can you believe it? Me, Kate ‘The Bookworm’ Milton’ is now an actress and a pretty good one, too, if you don't mind me saying."

"Wow. You really have come up in the world."

"And you? Did you marry that pompous jerk Caledon Hockley?"

"No way. I got rid of him when the ship went down. But I am married to a wonderful man named Jack Dawson. Oh, Kate, he's so perfect. So different from Cal. He has blond hair, blue eyes, and has the kindest heart..."

"Is that him?" Kate asked, nodding towards Jack, who was not paying attention to them but at his effort not to drop the food he had brought for them.

"That's him." Rose grinned.

"Oh, Rose, he's beautiful...I know men can't be beautiful, but it can be said about this this one. There's no other word to describe him. I bet Cal was put out when you two met."

"Put out doesn't describe it." Rose remembered how angry Cal was that morning after the steerage party and couldn't help but shiver. She was so happy Jack had saved her from marriage to that man. He was so violent.

"Well, you're one lucky woman, Rose, to have caught that one. He must turn a lot of heads."

"Hey, Rose." Jack finally made it back to them. "Here's the food."

"Jack, this is a old school friend of mine, Kate Milton." Rose took her half of the food from him.

"Hello," Jack greeted.

"Hi." Kate shook his hand, entranced by his intense blue eyes. He was even lovelier up close. Rose certainly was a lucky woman to wake up to those eyes every morning.

"Kate's in the moving pictures now. I was so surprised to see her." Rose grinned.

"You're an actress?" Jack asked, his eyebrows arched in interest.

"Yep. I've starred in a couple of pictures already. Next I'm starring in this film about the Titanic. I'm extra nervous about that one." Kate laughed.

"What's your part?" Rose asked, her curiosity piqued about this moving picture about Titanic.

"I'm a first class passenger who finds romance with a man from steerage," Kate explained. "Sadly, he dies at the end and she's eventually saved. Oops, I ruined the ending for you."

"Sounds sort of familiar." Rose glanced up at Jack. "But that's okay, Kate. I very much doubt we'll be going to see any moving pictures about Titanic."

"Oh, that's right." Kate opened her eyes wide in shock. "You two were on Titanic, weren't you? I'm sorry. How stupid of me to forget."

"That's okay. We're pretty much over it now." Jack smiled.

"I'm sure you'll be a hit, though, Kate."

"Well, I better get going. I have to get to rehearsal. I'll see you two around sometime. Maybe we can do lunch." Kate smiled. "It was so nice meeting you, Jack, and it was grand seeing you again, Rose."

"Same here." Rose gave her one more hug and let her leave. "Can you believe they're making a movie about Titanic? And fashioned off our story to boot, except you didn't die."

"It's a popular tale, and a lesson can be learned from it," Jack said, staring after Kate. "Listen to me. I sound like Molly." He laughed, plopping down on the sand.

"But you don't look like her, though. As Kate put it when she first saw you...you're beautiful." Rose laughed.

"Men can't be beautiful, Rose."

"Well, it's like Kate said, there's no other word to describe you." Rose grinned, kissing his cheek. "Besides, who said men couldn't be beautiful?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't really know. I just never heard anyone call a man beautiful before. But let's drop the subject. How do you like your hot dog and cheap beer?"

"They're good." Rose grinned, taking a bite of her hot dog. "Very good, actually. As for the cheap beer...I've tasted better."

"Well, Rose, we've done everything we've talked about. We rode on the roller coaster, I taught you how to ride like a man, and spit like a man. We've just drunk cheap beer..."

"But you didn't teach me how to chew tobacco like a man, Jack. Remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Well...to tell the truth, Rose...I don't chew tobacco. I've always thought it was a disgusting habit." Jack looked at the sand.

"But you smoke," Rose said. "Some say that's a disgusting habit, too."

"Rose, I haven't had a cigarette in over a year now...not since Titanic. I don't know why. I just never went back to it," Jack said. "Besides, you wouldn't want me coming to bed smelling of cigarettes, anyway."

"So, what you're saying is no chewing tobacco. Right?"

Jack nodded, "I hope you're not disappointed."

"Not really. To tell you the truth, I was kind of looking for a way out of it." Rose laughed. "I'm quite relieved."

Jack just smiled and looked back at the ocean. Rose's attention returned to the package she had purchased for Jack. She couldn't wait anymore. She had to give it to him.

"Jack," Rose said tentatively, picking up the package. "I've brought you something."

Jack looked at her, confused, wondering what it was that she had gotten him and when. Then he remembered the little shop. There had been a minute or two when she had gone off by herself.

"Here." Rose handed him the package. "Open it."

Looking up at Rose, Jack opened the package to reveal a black, genuine leather portfolio and a package of art supplies. "Oh, Rose...I don't know what to say."

"Look inside the cover," Rose directed.

My dearest Jack,

There's no words to say how much you've meant to me in the past year. You have changed my outlook on life, you changed the way I live my life as well...making each day count...especially each day with you. I try to see things the way you see them...you make the simplest things seem magnificent. So I'm giving you this new portfolio not only to replace the one lost, but also to symbolize how I feel about us...our relationship. It's like every day is an empty page just for us to make beautiful art on...to make the day magnificent. I love you, Jack Dawson, and I want to be with you forever.

Love,

Rose Dawson

"Oh, Rose...this is beautiful. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Rose smiled. "I knew you needed a new portfolio and this was so perfect for you."

"Well, I love it and I love you. Thank you." Jack smiled, pulling her closer to him to kiss her. Then he got an idea. "You know what? I know what I want my first drawing to be."

"You do?" Rose asked.

"You on Jasmine, ready to ride like a man, with the ocean and that roller coaster in the background."

"Jack...you mean you want me on that horse by myself? With one leg on each side?"

Jack nodded. "Don't worry. I'll hurry. I just think that'd be a great picture. My beautiful Rose on a beautiful horse."

Rose blushed as always when Jack called her beautiful. "Okay, Jack. I'll do it."

After Rose was on the horse and in the right position, Jack began to draw, making sure he caught the very essence of the day. After an hour, Jack was done and it was time to return Jasmine.

"What do you think?" Jack asked, showing Rose the drawing. Rose gasped, Jack had done it again. He had truly captured her spirit.

"It's beautiful, Jack. You captured the whole meaning of the day." Rose grinned.

"It's time to return the horse. Let's go." Jack placed an arm around Rose and they led Jasmine back to her owner.

When they got home that night, both Maxwell and Eliza had gone to bed, and they went to their room to revisit the stars. This was a day that neither of them would ever forget.

Chapter Thirty-Three
Stories