AFTER TITANIC
Chapter Forty-Five

The day of Emmanuel Dawson's funeral was full of sunshine and melancholy. No one was happy to see the Dawson monarch go...except maybe Cameron. He had never forgiven his grandfather for what he did with the will. Rose and Jack and the three children stood at the forefront of the group, along with all three of Jack's cousins, at the same time trying to comfort Kathy as well. The poor girl couldn't stop her sobs.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust." The priest threw dirt on the coffin. Then he stepped aside as each Dawson family member and their respective spouses passed the coffin to drop a rose into the grave and bid farewell to a beloved man.

"Sorry I didn't get a chance to know you as well as I would have liked, Grandfather." Jack sighed. "But I'm happy to have spent the time I've spent with you while I could. Rest in peace."

He squeezed Rose's hand as he dropped the rose into the grave and led his small family away from the gravesite. He turned to Rose, concerned. "Are you okay, Rose? This doesn't remind you of your mother, does it?"

Rose was instantly touched. Jack was the one in pain right now, and still all he could think about was her well-being. She loved him so much for that part of his personality, and was eager to give back. "I'm fine, Jack. But how about you? How are you holding up? You've been such a rock for everyone else...you must be feeling pain, too."

"I'll be fine, Rose. I always am. I just hate it that he wasn't a bigger part of my life growing up, like he was with the others. I miss that. He must have been a great grandfather."

"He was." Kathy smiled, coming up behind Jack. "And believe me, Jack, these past couple of months have meant so much to him...he felt as if he had finally made up for lost time. It's just that I wonder--why did he have to go? And so soon?"

"Because it was his time, Kathy. He was in a lot of pain, and it was time for that pain to let him go to where he will never have to feel pain again." Jack rubbed his cousin's shoulder.

"Finally this funeral is over with!" Cameron exclaimed joyously as he approached the small group. "Now it's time for us to go to the reading of the will. Hopefully Grandfather had opened his eyes before he died and made the proper revisions."

"Is that all you can think about, Cameron? Money?" Kathy openly glared at her cousin. "Doesn't it bother you at all that Grandfather is dead?"

"Of course it does, Kathy. But I just want to know where I stand. I hate hanging in limbo like this."

James suddenly approached and his voice was firm. "Grandfather had already told us how he wanted his estate divided and we're going to honor that."

"We'll see about that, James. We'll just see about that." Cameron openly glared at all his cousins. "I will have my way! I always do!" With that said, Cameron left.

"Well, that was pleasant." Jack sighed. "Is he always like that?"

"Always." Jack nodded. "Just ignore him, Jack. His bark is worse than his bite...believe me."

"Can we go home now?" Lindsey tugged at Rose's hand. "I'm tired."

"Sure we can go home now." Jack grinned, scooping the little girl up in his arms. "We'll go home and you can sleep all you want."

Lindsey grinned happily and laid her head on Jack's shoulder. During the past couple of days Lindsey had bonded with Jack. He was her favorite person to be around now...she even liked Jack's company better than Rose's, but just a little bit.

"Looks like Jack bonded with her pretty well." Kathy silently smiled to Rose. "He sure does have a way with children."

"I know. He's wonderful with her. For how long I've had her, I've never seen her take to anybody like she took to Jack." Rose nodded in agreement as she watched Jack carry Lindsey to the waiting car. "Kathy...tell me the truth. How was Jack when he found out about your grandfather?"

"He was pretty broken up about it, Rose. First he loses you and then Grandfather died. I wished I were stronger for him, but..." Kathy sighed.

"I should have been there for him, Kathy. I guess it was another case of me being selfish...just thinking of my own needs..."

"Now, Rose Dawson, that's not true! You're not selfish at all. You just wanted to get your mind straight so you could be a better mother and wife to Jack and the twins. There's nothing selfish about that. In fact, it was the most unselfish thing you've done since I've known you." Kathy turned to face Rose. "I know how you love Jack. I see how you look at him...he's your entire life. It must have killed you to leave like that. But you did the right thing. It was killing him seeing you waste away like that."

"But, Kathy...he needed me to be there for him and I wasn't."

"But you came back as soon as you found out and that's what counts in not only my book, but all of ours." Kathy sighed.

"I just hope that it wasn't all for nothing." Rose looked at the ground.

"It wasn't, Rose. You've been the model wife since you returned to Jack. And he appreciates you doing this...he really does."

"Hey!" Jack called over to them. "Are you girls coming or what?"

"We're coming!" Kathy shouted back and grabbed Rose's hand. "Come on, Rose. Let's go."

Looking one more time at the graveyard, they headed on back to the Dawson mansion.

*****

Jack, Rose, Kathy, Cameron, and James were all gathered in the study in the mansion, waiting for their grandfather's lawyer to go over the will. As far as everyone knew nothing had been changed, but you could never tell.

"I'm glad you're all here. I'm sure Emmanuel went over everything with you at the gala last July, but this meeting is to make everything official. The Dawson business is to be split up between the three Dawson boys, Cameron, Jack, and James. The mansion in Boston is to go to Cameron. The house in Connecticut goes to James. The beach house, the chateau in Paris, and the gallery in New York go to Jack. The mansion in Santa Monica goes to Katherine, along with a monthly allowance of ten thousand dollars and her grandmother's jewelry. The care of finding Katherine a suitable husband goes to all three of the boys," the lawyer read from the will.

"What? Didn't he think I could make my own decisions on who I want to marry?" Katherine stood from her seat.

"Obviously not." Cameron grinned. "Don't worry, Kat. I've got the perfect man picked out for you."

"Don't tell me you're thinking about that awful Mitchell Humphrey. The man is so in love with himself that he doesn't even know I'm in the room!"

"Nonsense. In fact, he asked my permission if it'd be okay to call on you today. I told him it'd be a grand idea. Expect him to be here in about another hour." Cameron glanced at his watch.

"How dare you do this to me? How dare you and Grandfather?" Katherine growled. Then she turned to Jack and James. "You two aren't going along with this, are you? Jack, come on. Rose was in the same situation once. Certainly you can't be for this!"

"Katherine, all Grandfather wanted was to do right by you and this was the only way he knew how." James sighed. "Don't worry. We're not going to let Cameron push you into anything you don't want. All we want is for you to introduce us to any suitor you may have and let us give you sound advice. That's all. That's fair, isn't it?"

"That's more than Mother ever gave me after my father died." Rose walked over to comfort Katherine. "Besides, Jack's a great judge of character. He won't force you into anything."

"Okay. I guess you're right." Kathy sniffed.

"Well, that's all settled. You won't mind signing the necessary papers?" The lawyer pushed a stack of papers over towards the group. "Then we can all join the guests in the foyer now that this unpleasantness is over."

*****

Two hours later, Rose was standing in the corner by herself with a growling stomach. It was ridiculous, really. Food was everywhere, but Rose hadn't eaten a bite since a short breakfast that morning. She really hadn't had time. Suddenly, a delicious slice of cherry cheesecake appeared in front of her. "You must be hungry. Eat something," a voice spoke in her ear. She turned to come face to face with Cameron.

"What do you want?" she asked suspiciously. She never did grow to like the oldest Dawson cousin. He was rude and arrogant and he had never apologized about what he had said about Jack.

"Jack asked me to bring this to you. He said that you hadn't had anything to eat this morning. He's worried about you." Cameron smiled.

"Why would Jack ask you to do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe because I was the nearest person he knew here. Come on, Rose. Take a bit. It's delicious. Mrs. Lee always make the best desserts...especially cheesecakes," Cameron urged. He took the fork, broke off a piece of the cake, and held it up to Rose. "Here, take a bite."

"No, thank you." Rose turned her back on Cameron.

Cameron sighed. He was finding it hard to break through Rose's icy exterior. Maybe if he aimed for her heart...maybe she'd melt a little. "Okay, then. Fine. I'll just tell Jack that you refused to eat anything and have him worry some more about your well being."

"What?"

"On top of Grandfather's death, I heard Jack tell Kathy that he was still worried about how you were holding up after your mother's death. Refusing to eat will only make him worry more." Cameron smiled as he watched Rose's coldness melt away as he talked of Jack. The woman sure was in love with his cousin.

Rose's mind was in turmoil. Jack was still worried about her and on top of everything else...she couldn't allow him to worry anymore. Sighing in defeat, Rose accepted the cheesecake. "Tell my husband that I took the cake," Rose said.

"I'll do that." Cameron smiled, even more charming than the first time. "May I walk you around the grounds? Get some fresh air?"

"No, thank you, Mr. Dawson. In fact, I think I see Kathy. I'm going to go join her."

"Very well then, Rose. I'll talk to you again." Cameron waved as Rose took off for Kathy. He knew Rose would never be his, but he could make sure that he could remain as close to her as possible. He spotted Jack over by the ice sculpture, a glass of wine in his hand, staring off into space. The street urchin was probably thinking about Grandfather. Maybe Cameron could turn that to his advantage. "Hello, Jack!" he greeted, approaching his cousin. He shivered when Jack turned his eyes on him. Those startling blue eyes. Sure, the blue eyes were the Dawson trademark, but no other Dawson eyes had that penetrating stare that could read right through people.

"What do you want, Cameron?" Jack asked, his voice full of suspicion. Good. Jack was learning quickly. Stop being so trusting.

"I was wondering if you planned to go back to Santa Monica. It sure is a long way, and since Kathy's decided to remain here in the mansion...you and Rose will be all alone," Cameron replied.

"We have friends down there."

"But not family, and that's what counts, Jack. Especially since Grandfather died. It's important that we stick together. That's why I'm going to ask you this."

"Ask me what?"

"Stay on here in Boston. Stay in this mansion for however long you want. I know it's not as warm as Santa Monica, but your family's here and we do want to get to know more about you and Rose and be a part of the twin's lives. Plus, you'll get to learn more about us and give Rose what she rightfully deserves...to live in a castle. And this mansion does come pretty close."

Jack laughed. "You're telling me that you want me to move my family all the way from Santa Monica to come live here with you? The man who threw a fit when he found out he had another cousin?"

"Jack...I apologized for that outburst. I thought you had forgotten it, too. Please, Jack. Please come live here with us. Kathy will be here, too...we'll all be one big family."

Jack laughed again. "One big family. Yeah, right. But since my family does seem to be growing...and Rose does deserve a castle...okay. We'll stay. But only until I get a place of our own."

"Great!" Cameron nodded. "Kathy's going to be thrilled when she finds out you'll be staying here, too. She's going to be ecstatic."

"I'm sure she will be." Jack nodded, watching Cameron disappear into the crowd to find Kathy to tell her the news. He looked up at the gorgeous chandelier and prayed that he hadn't made the wrong decision in giving in to Cameron's pleas to stay in the mansion in Boston. He didn't want this to turn into the life that Rose had hated so much that she felt she had to jump off the back of a ship to escape.

*****

That night, Rose slipped into her flannel nightgown and slipped under the covers with Jack, who was just watching her.

"What are you looking at?" Rose smiled.

"An angel," Jack smiled. Then his face turned serious. "Rose...we need to talk...now."

"What is it, Jack?" Rose asked, sitting up.

"Do you like it here?"

Rose nodded. "Yes, I like here. But why are you looking so serious?"

"Well...Cameron invited us to stay here and I told him we would. But I know I shouldn't have said that without talking to you first. I want to know if you want to stay here in Boston or go back to Santa Monica."

"I want to go wherever you go, Jack. Do you want to stay here in Boston?"

Jack took her hand and intertwines his with hers. It was two minutes before he spoke again. "To be honest, Rose...I do. I mean, I need to do so. Plus, I want to get to know James better and I feel closer to Grandfather here as well. But if you don't want to stay, Rose, just say so and we're on our way back to California."

"Jack...if staying in Boston is what you want, then I want it, too. We've done all were going to do in California, anyway. We drank cheap beer, rode the roller coaster, and rode a horse like a man. That was the main purpose of going there. But now we're needed here and that's fine. We'll just return to Santa Monica long enough to pack the rest of our things and say good-bye to Eliza and Maxwell, and then return here." Rose squeezed his hand. "Does that sound good?"

"It sounds great." Jack pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, Rose. Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea." Rose smiled, enjoying his arms around her. She could remain like this forever. "Kathy's going to be so happy we're staying."

"I know. And I'm glad she'll be here, too. She can introduce you to some of her friends." Jack smiled.

"Mommy! Mommy!" A cry erupted from the children's room. Jack was first through the door, to see Lindsey standing up in bed, screaming. Molly and Tommy were standing in their baby beds, gripping the railing to keep their balance.

"Lindsey, what's wrong?" Jack immediately picked her up in a hug. The little girl clung to him, her sobs shaking her little body.

"Monster! In the closet!" the girl cried.

"Monsters in the closet?" Jack asked, looking at Rose with an expression of relief. "Do you mind if I check the closet?"

Lindsey nodded her head quickly.

"I'll just have Rose open the door. If there's a monster, she'll quickly close it. We won't let anything hurt you, Lindsey." Jack looked towards Rose and nodded.

Rose walked over to the closet and opened the door, just to reveal Lindsey's dresses hanging up, but no sign of a monster.

"See? No monster." Jack turned in an angle that the little girl could see into the closet.

"He must be under the bed," the little girl cried.

Jack bent down to look under the bed and saw nothing. "No monster there, either. He must have run away when we came in."

"What if he comes back?" Lindsey sniffed.

Jack didn't know how to answer this until he remembered what his mother gave him when he was Lindsey's age and had the same fear of monsters. He set Lindsey back on her bed and sat down next to her.

"Lindsey...there's something I want to give you...something my mother gave me a long time ago when I was your age and monsters started appearing in my room." He took out a chain with a gorgeous emerald ring hanging in the center. "This is a monster amulet. My mother gave me this to scare away all the monsters. And now I'm giving it to you, since I don't need it anymore. Whenever you see a monster, just squeeze this ring and wish real hard and the monster will go away."

"More magic?" Lindsey asked.

Jack nodded with a smile. "More magic. Here, take it." He placed it over her head.

"Thank you, Jack." Lindsey hugged him happily.

Rose smiled at the scene. He truly was a great father and Lindsey loved him dearly.

"Hey, Lindsey. Will you do me and Rose a favor? Use this ring to protect the babies, too?"

Lindsey smiled and nodded.

"Good. Well, it's time to go to bed." Jack tucked her back under the covers. "Good night."

"Good night." Lindsey sat back up and hugged him again. Rose stood at the door, smiling at the scene. Jack was truly amazing.

"That was a good thing you did in there." Rose smiled happily as they entered their room. "You made her feel safe."

"Well, she deserves to feel safe, after all she's been through." Jack put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "And so do you, Rose."

"Well, I do." Rose smiled. "As long as I have my husband here with me to take me to the stars."

"Are you giving me a hint?" Jack smiled, taking her in his arms.

Rose kissed him passionately and broke away to gaze into his beautiful blue eyes. "Of course."

"Well, then, I'll be happy to oblige." Jack scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed they shared.

Chapter Forty-Six
Stories