LOVE THAT NEVER FADES
Chapter Sixteen

A True Love’s Embrace

Jack and Rose were still at the bar, along with Jack’s old friends, Jonathan and Charles, who Jack had reunited with ten minutes earlier. The four had been talking for awhile, until Jack got up, holding Rose’s hand. Rose stood by his side and leaned on his shoulder, looking up at him. Jack smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Well, Rose and I had better head off now," Jack said. "I hope to see you guys more often. We’re staying at the hotel by the pier, so if you two ever want to visit, feel free to do so. But as of now, Rose and I had better go on for the day. There are a few things I promised I’d do with her, and I want her to experience the joy of Santa Monica before our honeymoon is over."

"Whatever you say, Jack," Jonathan said, patting Jack on the shoulder. "You two go and have some fun. You two deserve it. Charles and I will visit later in the week, okay?"

"Okay, Jon," Jack said. "See you guys later, okay?"

"No problem," Jonathan said, smiling, as he watched the couple leave the bar after paying for the two beers that they had had. Jonathan turned to Charles and smiled at him, knowing that both were glad to have finally been reunited with a good friend that they hadn’t seen in two years.

Once Jack and Rose left the bar, Jack led Rose to a bench a couple of yards away. Jack stood in front of the bench, holding Rose’s hand. Jack stared at the bench and smiled. Memories came to him when he stood in front of this particular bench. Jack squeezed Rose’s hand a little tighter, feeling her put her head on his shoulder. Jack kissed the top of her head and pulled Rose close to him, taking a seat on the bench, Rose right beside him. Jack looked into Rose’s eyes and smiled.

"This is the bench I always sat on when I drew portraits," Jack said. Rose looked up at him and smiled.

"For ten cents apiece?" Rose asked, a smile spreading across her face. Jack smiled and nodded. The conversation they had had on the Titanic suddenly came back to her.

*****

"After that, I worked on a squid boat in Monterey. Then I went down to Los Angeles, to the pier at Santa Monica, and drew portraits there for ten cents apiece," Jack said, staring down at Rose as they faced the evening’s sunset.

"Why can’t I be like you, Jack? Just head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it." Rose swung her arm up at the sky, as if to emphasize her point. "Say we’ll go there sometime, to that pier, even if we only ever just talk about it."

"No, we’ll do it. We’ll drink cheap beer. We’ll ride the roller coaster ‘til we throw up, and we’ll ride horses on the beach, right in the surf. Now, you’ll have to do it like a real cowboy, none of that sidesaddle stuff," Jack said.

"Y-you mean, one leg on each side?" Rose asked.

"Yeah," Jack said, looking at her. Rose seemed hesitant, but smiled.

"Can you show me?" Rose asked, looking up at him.

"Sure, if you like," Jack said.

"Teach me to ride like a man," Rose said.

"And chew tobacco like a man," Jack said, with a bad western accent.

"And…spit like a man," Rose said, giving a small laugh.

"You mean they didn’t teach you that in finishing school?" Jack asked, teasing her.

"No!" Rose said, laughing.

*****

"So, Rose, are you ready to ride the roller coaster ‘til we throw up?" Jack asked. He noticed that Rose was staring straight ahead, as if she had drifted into another world. Jack waved his hand in front of her face a couple of times. Rose blinked a couple of times, then looked up at Jack, smiling. "Are you still with me?" Jack teased her with his crooked smile.

"Of course I am," Rose said, smiling. "I was just remembering that conversation aboard the Titanic, that’s all."

"Don’t worry, Rose. We’re gonna do everything we ever talked about on that ship. I promised you, and I’m not the type of person who breaks his promises," Jack said. "You know me." Jack smiled at Rose, looking into her emerald-green eyes, which shone with happiness and love--for him. He saw Rose smile back, so he leaned closer and closed the space between them with a kiss, not really caring if people were staring at them. They just held each other close, totally oblivious to the world around them. Rose was the one to pull away.

"So, are we going to ride the roller coaster or not?" Rose asked, smiling at him. Jack smiled back and got up, helping Rose up, as well.

"Well, let’s get going, then," Jack said. Rose smiled, and followed him towards the roller coaster. They reached the line. Jack and Rose stood behind several people, who were waiting for the roller coaster to come down from the previous trip it was taking. Rose stood patiently beside Jack, holding onto Jack’s hand, excited about going on the roller coaster. Jack looked at her and smiled at her. He placed his hand on her waist and brought her closer to him, kissing the top of her head. A few minutes passed, and they heard the roller coaster come to a halt, the passengers getting out of the cars. The ticket taker was giving the new passengers tickets so they could get on. When it was Jack and Rose’s turn, Jack took out a twenty dollar bill and handed it to the man, taking the tickets. The ticket taker handed him the change, and Jack accepted it, placing the change into his pants pocket.

Jack and Rose went over to one of the cars and stepped in, handing the tickets to the man who helped them in. Jack and Rose held onto the metal rail in front of them. It took approximately two minutes for the other passengers to board the cars. A couple of minutes later, the cars began moving. Rose turned to Jack and smiled happily at him. Jack smiled back, then looked straight, yelling loudly with a big smile on his face. He spread out his arms and let the air run through his hair. Rose let out a sharp shriek as she, too, spread out her arms, the roller coaster speeding over the tracks, going faster and faster.

"Jack!" Rose screamed happily, her eyes going wide when she saw that there was a loop ahead. When the car made the loop, Rose shrieked and searched for Jack’s hand. When she found his hand, she held onto it as tightly as she could. Jack and Rose just stared straight ahead, the roller coaster speeding over the tracks, causing Rose to shriek louder. A few minutes later, the roller coaster came to a halt and allowed the passengers to step out of the cars. When Jack helped Rose out of the car, she laughed and held onto Jack tightly. "I never screamed that loud in my entire life." Rose smiled up at him.

"I could tell. Luckily, I didn’t become deaf," Jack said, teasing her.

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to scream in your ear. It’s just that I’ve never been on a roller coaster, so it was sort of scary, but fun at the same time," Rose said. She stood in front of Jack and placed her hands on his shoulders, looking up at him. "I’m so glad you brought me here. I never had so much fun in my entire life."

"Well, I’m glad you did," Jack said. "Besides, the fun is not over yet. We still gotta ride the horse right in the surf."

"Oh, I can’t wait!" Rose said.

"Well, you’re gonna have to, my sweet Rose. We’re gonna do that later this evening, in the sunset," Jack said. He saw Rose pout. "Don’t you do that, Rose. I still have lots to show you here in Santa Monica. We’ll just save the best for last, okay?"

"Well, if you say so," Rose said.

"Don’t worry, Rose. You’re gonna love it. Trust me," Jack said.

"I trust you," Rose said, smiling at him. Jack smiled back, then leaned closer, engulfing her mouth with his in a loving kiss. Rose wrapped her arms around his neck, while Jack wrapped his around her small waist, bringing her closer to his body. He lifted her up and began spinning around, their mouths still connected. Rose swung her legs, laughing into Jack’s mouth. Jack stopped and carefully set her down, still kissing her.

"You’re amazing," Jack whispered once they pulled apart. Rose smiled and kissed him again.

"I know," Rose said, smiling. She began walking away, with her back straight and her legs moving as elegantly as any upper class lady. She turned her head and watched Jack stand there, totally perplexed. She stuck out her tongue and began walking faster when she noticed that he was heading towards her. Her steps began to quicken until she was running. She looked over her shoulder and noticed that, he, too, was running. Rose laughed and ran towards the pier. She stopped at the edge of the pier and turned, seeing that Jack was coming closer. Rose looked down at the water and smiled. She turned towards him and stuck out her tongue once more before jumping in. She resurfaced and shook her head, spitting out the water that had gone into her mouth. She looked up and found Jack staring down at her. Jack smiled, and jumped in as well. Rose shrieked and began swimming farther from him, laughing the whole time.

"Come back here, you!" Jack said, swimming towards her. He finally caught up with her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Rose let out a shriek and laughed. "You thought that you could run away from me, huh?" Jack smiled at her.

"Well, I did give it a try, didn’t I?" Rose asked. "You could at least give me credit for that." Jack laughed.

"Well, I could," Jack said. Rose smiled and kissed him. Jack was the one to pull away. "You know, you look gorgeous when you’re wet."

"So do you, Mr. Dawson," Rose said, a smile appearing on her face. Jack kissed her lips with all the passion in him. After a few minutes, Rose pulled away. "You know, you always have to do that to me."

"Do what?" Jack asked.

"Kiss me, get me weak in the knees, and cause me to get lost in your kiss," Rose said.

"Oh, really?" Jack asked.

"Really," Rose said.

"Well, you’re gonna have to deal with it until the day you die!" Jack said, smiling and splashing her. Rose laughed and splashed him. They kept on splashing each other, laughing. Rose put her hands on top of Jack’s head and pushed him under, laughing as she did so. Jack resurfaced and shook his head. "Oh, so you’re gonna be like that, huh?" Rose laughed. Jack did the same to her. When she resurfaced, Rose spat out the water in his face. Jack wiped the water off of his face and stared back at her. "You’re gonna pay for that!" Jack smiled.

"Really?" Rose asked. "Well, you’re going to have to catch me first!" Rose quickly swam away. Jack quickly swam after her, catching up to her, since he was a better swimmer than she was. Within seconds, Jack caught her and dunked her. Once she resurfaced, Rose swung her hair back and smiled at Jack before pushing him under. Only this time, Jack didn’t resurface. Rose looked around, beginning to panic. "J-Jack? Jack?" Jack still didn’t resurface. "Jack, this isn’t funny." Still no Jack. "Jack, come on. Quit playing games, Jack. You’re scaring me now. Please, come back up. Jack?" Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "Jack?" Rose suddenly felt someone grab her around the waist. Rose let out a shriek, then turned around, finding Jack laughing. "Jack Dawson, don’t you ever do that again!" Rose slapped him on the arm. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I’m sorry," Jack said, pulling her close to him. "I didn’t mean to scare you like that."

"Well, you did," Rose said. "I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had lost you!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, afraid that he’d disappear into thin air if he left.

"I’m sorry, Rose. I really didn’t mean to scare you like that. It was just a joke. I didn’t know that you’d break down like this," Jack said, stroking her wet hair. Rose’s head rested on Jack’s wet chest, tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. She clutched Jack’s shirt, holding him tightly.

"I’m just afraid that I’ll lose you!" Rose cried. "I almost did on that dreadful night."

"Rose," Jack said, lifting her chin with his finger. "You’re not going to lose me, I promise you. I married you, and I’m gonna live with you ‘til the day you die. I’m a survivor, Rose, and you know that. I survived the fire my parents died in, I survived poverty, I survived traveling the world by hopping on trains, I survived the sinking of the Titanic, and most of all, I survived the freezing waters. Rose, it’s gonna take more than any of those to get rid of me, trust me. When I say I’m a survivor, I’m a survivor." Jack looked at her. "Rose, I love you, and I promise you with all I have that I’ll never leave you. Rose, you’re stuck with me forever. You can’t get rid of me. Not now. Not ever." Rose smiled at him.

"Oh, well. I guess I have to put up with you all my life," Rose said.

"Well, you should. You married me, didn’t you?" Jack asked.

"I sure did," Rose said. "And I’m glad I did." Jack smiled and leaned down, kissing her with all the passion and love within him.

Once they pulled apart, Rose looked at him and stared into his deep blue eyes, the blue eyes that always made her feel weak in the knees, and numerous times, she had gotten lost in them, always staring into his blue eyes of mystery and love. She moved up to his tousled blonde hair. She slowly brought her wet hand to his hair and ran her fingers through it. It was now shorter, since he had had it trimmed for the wedding, but it was still long enough to get into his eyes, as it always did. She looked at his face and saw that he was giving her one of his famous smiles, which always made her feel weak in the knees. Rose smiled back and gently placed a kiss on his lips. Rose placed a hand on his neck, while Jack placed his on her back, their mouths still connected in their kiss.

Jack pulled away and looked into her eyes, smiling at her lovingly. He brought his wet hand to her hair and gently caressed her red curls, which were limp from getting wet, but the color was still as fiery red as he remembered. He gently ran his fingers through her curls, which were soft and wet to the touch, but still the same hair that belonged to the one woman who he loved with his heart and soul. His hand moved down to her peach-colored cheek, which was soft to the touch and rosy from the chill of the wind. His eyes moved up to her own. Her emerald-jewel eyes were one of the things that had made him fall in love with her. Her eyes, which were windows to her soul, which he read perfectly, as if she were a book. Pages which had words written of her feelings and her concerns and her worries, in which Jack was the one who was able to perfectly understand the words and feelings that she held within her soul.

Jack looked into her eyes deeply, as if trying to comprehend her feelings at this very moment. He saw that Rose’s eyes held a tint of blue, which held love and care for the man she had married. Her sapphire-emerald eyes, which were the eyes of mystery and love. The eyes that held love for one man, and one man only. Jack looked down at her ruby-colored lips, which he kissed with all the love within his soul. The ruby lips, which always curved into a smile when she looked at him. The ruby lips, which always brushed against his in a kiss that made him fall in love with her all over again. Jack gently caressed her lips with his thump, feeling the soft texture of them. Jack saw that Rose had closed her eyes, so he gently ran his thumb over her eyelids as if caressing her soul, healing the wounds that it held within it. The wounds that hurt her soul whenever she looked back at the past. The wounds that had been made on the night of April 15, 1912, the night the ill-fated ship had sunk, taking over fifteen hundred people with her. Almost taking them with her. Jack thanked God that He had spared their lives, giving them a second chance to live. A chance to start their lives as they had planned to when they had first met.

Rose felt Jack caress her red curls and run through them with his fingers. She looked at him, his hand moving down to her delicate porcelain cheek, feeling his rough but gentle caress with love and care. She saw him look into her eyes, reading her soul, as he always did. He read her soul as if it were an open book. Only Jack was the one to understand her feelings, for he was the one who had freed her from the miserable life that she had lived for seventeen years. For all her years on earth, she had prayed for someone to free her from her misery, to free her from the cage that locked her away from the wonders of the world, to free her from the forceful engagement to Caledon Hockley. And luckily, she had met the person who freed her from that cage, and made her a free butterfly, able to fly around the world and explore the wonders and hopes it held. Whenever she looked up at him, she felt loved. She felt as if she was the only woman in the world, to be loved the handsomest man, who cared for her and loved her for who she was, not for what she was. She hadn’t felt loved after her father had passed away. Her father had loved her with all his heart, always caring for her and always there when she needed him.

Her father had died of leukemia at the age of forty-five. He had been diagnosed at the age of forty-four, living with the cancer for a year before death overtook him. Rose had been devastated when her father had passed away. He was the only one who had loved her and cared for her. The one who had always made her feel happy and loved when she needed it. Rose had loved her father with all her heart, and she had adored him more than her mother, because her mother had never cared for her the way her father had. Her mother had been the one who cared about the money, never about her daughter’s feelings. Her father had often argued with her, telling her that she should spend more time with her daughter instead of worrying about money, but her mother had never listened. When her father had passed on, her mother had immediately sold her off to the richest bachelor in town. And that bachelor had turned out to be thirty-year-old Caledon Hockley, son of Nathan Hockley, Pittsburgh steel tycoon. Rose had never loved him, had never even liked him, but had had to play along, knowing her mother would be furious if she turned down the proposal.

Now, when she looked up at Jack, she saw love and care. Never in her entire life, besides her father, had she seen someone love her as much as Jack Dawson did. Jack was the only man who cared about her and loved her with all his heart and soul, so much so that he would risk his own life just so that she would live. Rose saw Jack staring down at her ruby lips, which always brushed against Jack’s pink lips into a kiss that only these two could, and would, ever share. She felt Jack’s fingers gently caress her lips, feeling the rough texture of his fingers. For a brief moment, Rose closed her eyes, relishing the moment, enjoying the feeling of his fingers against her lips. Suddenly, she felt his fingers brush against her eyelids, softly and gently, as if he was scared that he would damage her eyes with more pressure. Rose let Jack caress her eyelids and feel her the way he wanted to. When she felt Jack remove his fingers from her eyelids, she opened them, seeing Jack smile at her, his eyes shining with happiness and love that only he could give her. Rose smiled at him and brought her hand up to his cheek, gently caressing his face with her delicate fingers. She brought Jack closer to her as she placed her lips over his, giving him a loving kiss, showing him just how much she loved and adored him. She placed her hand at the back of his neck, feeling Jack place his at the small of her back, bringing her closer to his body, holding her close to him.

Once they had pulled apart, they looked into each other’s eyes, smiling and enjoying each other’s presence. Jack kissed the top of Rose’s forehead as he swam towards the pier. He grabbed hold of the pier with both of his hands as he quickly climbed up. Once he stood on his own two feet, he shook the excess water out of his hair and wiped his face of the water that trickled down it. He blinked a few times, removing the water that went in, until he finally kept his eyes open. He motioned for Rose to swim towards him, and she did. He kneeled down, holding out his hand for her to take so he could help her. Rose gracefully placed her hand into his, which fit perfectly with each other, and allowed Jack to lift her out of the water and onto the pier beside him. When Rose was finally on her own two feet, she squeezed the water out of her red curls, as well as her lavender dress. Once she was finished, she looked at her husband and smiled.

"Wouldn’t you suppose that we should head over to our hotel room and change our clothing?" Rose asked. "You wouldn’t want to walk around all soaking wet, now, would you?"

"Well, I don’t mind," Jack said.

"Suit yourself. I’ll go over to our hotel room and change, while you stay here all wet and soaked to the bone. I just hope that you don’t catch a cold, since it’s a little chilly, and surely you can feel the breeze against your wet body," Rose said, a teasing smile on her face. "So, if you’ll excuse me, I have to change my clothes, for I know that I don’t want to end up catching a cold." Rose turned and began walking away from Jack. Jack smiled and began walking after her.

"Well, I’ll reconsider now, since you gave me your little speech there," Jack said, smiling. Rose turned and stared up at him.

"That was no speech. That was a lecture, and I’m sure you enjoyed it," Rose said. Jack chuckled.

"You know, you sounded just like my mother. She would always tell me to button up before I left the house during the autumn, and always made sure I had my coat, gloves, scarf, hat, and boots before I left the house during the winter, and trust me, if you argued with her, you’d get a half hour lecture on how you’d catch pneumonia or influenza if you don’t do as she says," Jack said. "But I sure do miss her, though. She was a good mother, and she would’ve loved you. She would treat you as if you were her own daughter. I just wish that I had been there to save her and to save my father. But I was out on that stupid lake, instead of at home. I should’ve listened to her! I should’ve just--" Jack began, but Rose placed her fingertips on top of his lips, causing him to stop what he was saying.

"Jack, if you had gone in that house, you would’ve burned to death as well, and I wouldn’t be able to have you as my husband," Rose said, looking up at his tear-filled eyes, which didn’t flow down his cheeks. "Jack, I’m sorry that your parents died, I really am, but if you had gone in and rescued them, you could’ve died, and I would be married to Cal right now. And because of you, I’m not, and I’m thankful for that, Jack." Rose looked up at him, with her own eyes filling with tears. "Don’t you understand, Jack? I love you. I can’t lose you. Not now. Not ever. I found you, and I’m not going to lose you. I know you loved your parents. I know you still do. They’ll always be with you in your heart, just as my father is with me. He passed away a year ago from leukemia, and he was the best man I’d ever known before I met you. He cared for me, he loved me, and he did absolutely anything to make me feel happy and loved, just as you do. I know you want to turn back time to bring them back to life, and I know I would to bring my father back to life, but we can’t. Remember what you told me that night, before the boat came to save us? Don’t you remember your own words?" She looked down for a brief moment and looked back up at him. "You told me to promise to survive and move on with life, no matter how hopeless, or what happened. Jack, I’m fulfilling that promise because you’re alive. And…and if y-you weren’t, I would’ve still kept that promise, just because you told me to. Jack, you have to do the same for me. I’m not telling you to forget your parents. All I’m telling you is to move on and remember the good times you had with them, just as I do with my father." Rose brought both of her hands to his face and forced him to look into her eyes. "Jack, you have to promise me that you’ll move on. No matter what happens, and no matter how hopeless. You have to promise me that you won’t dwell on the past, and you have to promise me that you won’t blame yourself for your parents’ deaths, for God knows that it wasn’t your fault. Jack, I love you with all my heart, and I don’t want you to be hurt and blame yourself for something you didn’t do. So, Jack, you have to promise me, just like you made me promise to live on that fateful night. Please, Jack. I love you. Please, promise me." Rose looked at him. She saw Jack close his eyes and open them as he looked at her. He gave her a weak smile.

"I promise," Jack said, with a tone of meaning and love. Rose smiled and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him close and burying her face in the crook of his neck, letting the tears flow down her face and onto his neck. Jack wrapped his arms around her as he hugged her back tightly. "I love you, Rose." Jack buried his face in her hair. "Thank you. Thank you for helping me through this."

"You’re welcome," Rose said, her voice shaky from her tears. She pulled away, just far enough to look at his face and smile at him. She quickly wiped away her tears before placing her hands on his shoulders. "Shouldn’t we be heading to our hotel room so we can change?" Rose asked. Jack looked down at their clothes and smiled, nodding. Rose smiled back and pulled away from their embrace, but held Jack’s hand in a tight, loving grip.

The couple headed towards their hotel, going up to their hotel room to change into dry clothes. They hung their wet clothes up on hangers to dry. Rose went over to the wooden box, opening it and taking out a red dress which was short-sleeved and low-cut. It was floor-length with five layers, almost like the dress she had worn when the ship sank, only it was red and didn’t have beads or embroidery like the other one had. Rose put on her light red stockings and slipped on her matching shoes, which she had bought with her mother when they had purchased her wedding dress. Rose went over to the dresser and picked up her brush, beginning to brush her hair, untangling it and making it shine and making her curls bounce lightly. Rose pulled her hair into a ponytail, securely tying it with a red ribbon as a few strands escaped from the ribbons. Once Rose had tied her hair in place, she made sure it was secure, tucking a curl behind her ear. She smiled and turned, finding Jack slipping on his suspenders.

Jack sat down on the bed, slipping on his boots and tying the laces. Once he was finished, he stood up and ran his fingers through his hair before putting his hands in his pockets as he always did. Strands of his hair fell into his eyes and he swung it out of them, looking at Rose with a smile upon his lips. He went over to Rose and held out his hand. Rose slipped hers into his as they left the hotel room and went back out into Santa Monica to continue exploring, as Jack had said.

Chapter Seventeen
Stories