LOVE THAT NEVER FADES
Chapter Twenty-Four

It was now close to seven o’clock, and Jack and Rose were finishing dressing in their finest clothing. Jack wore his wedding tuxedo, which Rose had packed for him before they left for their honeymoon, and wore his shiny black dress shoes. His hair was slicked back, giving off a shiny glow in the light. The tuxedo made him look as handsome as Rose last remembered seeing him. Rose, on the other hand, wore a beautiful evergreen-colored dress, which was floor-length and had a train that lay behind her. It had gold designs that gave the dress more elegance, and it was low-cut, showing off her cleavage. It was long-sleeved and showed off her shoulders. Also, the fabric was velvet and had a dark green sash that went around her waist. The big bow behind her hung down, making the dress look as elegant as the old high society clothes she used to wear. She had on dark green shoes, which she had borrowed from Katherine, and her hair was pulled up in a bun, held by pins and a ribbon. Makeup was perfectly applied upon her face, and a feminine fragrance lingered in the air, the perfume Rose used making her smell like a fresh rose that had been picked from a rosebush. Emerald earrings hung down from Rose’s earlobes, as Katherine had allowed Rose to borrow them as well.

By the time it was 7:20, they had finished dressing, looking as if they were from high society. Rose, of course, was more accustomed to the high society life, while Jack wasn’t. He had only experienced high society entertainment one time, at the first class dinner aboard the unsinkable ship, although nobody had realized that Jack had come from steerage until Cal had announced it. Rose watched Jack fixing his bowtie, holding his chin up. He tensed a bit, putting his hands in his pockets and staring at his reflection in the full-length mirror. Rose went over to him, interlocking arms with him and looking at their reflections in the mirror before them.

"Don’t be so tense," Rose said. "You did this before. Only it’s not aboard a ship."

"I know, but I’m still not sure that Cal is really going to be the nice person that we always wanted him to be," Jack said. "I’m not sure if he’s just setting a trap so he can take you away from me. It’s just hard to trust a man like him. Especially after what he did to us aboard the Titanic. I--"

"Jack, there’s nothing to worry about," Rose said, stopping him in mid-sentence. "I know Cal wasn’t as nice as we expected him to be aboard the Titanic, and I know it’s hard to trust him now. But I do believe we can give him another chance. If we don’t, then God knows what he’ll do. He might break us apart, and Jack, that would kill me. It’s better that we give him our trust. That way, we might become friends and end this hatred between us. Besides, I do believe Cal can change if we give him time." Rose put a hand on his cheek. "And he won’t take me away from you. We’re married. I’m your wife, not his. He has no right to take me away from you. I won’t let him."

"Neither will I," Jack said, leaning down, closing the space between them, and bringing her into a kiss.

"I know you won’t," Rose said after they broke apart from their kiss. "I can trust you on that one."

"I’m glad," Jack said.

"Besides, I’ve always trusted you on everything," Rose said. Jack smiled at her.

"I know," Jack said. He glanced over at the clock that hung on the wall, finding that it was half past seven. He sighed. "Well, I suppose we should get going. It’s already half past seven. We should get over to the hotel in fifteen minutes."

"All right," Rose said, going towards the dresser to retrieve a small purse that Katherine had lent her. "Let’s get going!" Jack smiled and held out his elbow. Rose gladly slipped her arm through his, exiting the guestroom. They descended the stairs to find Katherine playing with Amanda in the parlor. At the sound of Rose’s clicking shoes, Katherine looked up, wide-eyed.

"My God!" Katherine said, getting up. "You two look marvelous."

"Why, thank you," Rose said, a bright smile on her face. "I want to thank you again for letting me borrow your jewelry and your shoes. They’re magnificent. And thank you for lending me this little purse. I absolutely love it."

"Well, if you love them that much, you may have them," Katherine said, smiling.

"Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly--" Rose began.

"Nonsense," Katherine replied. "I want you to have them. Besides, they’re of no use when I have them. I hardly ever wear the jewelry, and I never wore those shoes. Might as well give them to you, where they’ll be of good use."

"Oh, thank you so much, Kat," Rose said, going towards her to give her a hug. "You have done so much for me. How can I ever repay you?"

"There’s no need," Katherine said, returning the hug. "You’re the best friend any woman can have. I never met a woman like you before. You’re unique, and because of that uniqueness, I’ll be more than happy to be your friend. You don’t judge people before you know them, as most people around here do."

"I’m not the type to judge people," Rose said. "I have to get to know them first."

"I feel the same way," Katherine said.

"Uh…Rose, I hate to say this, but we gotta get going. Five minutes have already passed," Jack said. Rose turned and smiled.

"Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess," Rose said. "We probably won’t be back until midnight or later. Depends on when the dinner ends."

"Okay, then. Have fun and be safe," Katherine said.

"We will. Thanks," Jack said, leading Rose out the front door. "So, are you ready?"

"I’m as ready as you are," Rose said. Once again, Jack held out his elbow, Rose slipping her arm through his. Both exited the gate and began walking towards the hotel they had been staying at the day before. They waited at the front entrance, where they were expecting Cal to show up. As they waited, many people looked at them, wondering why a finely dressed couple would stand beside a not-so-expensive hotel. They ignored their glances and just continued to wait.

"Do people always stare like this?" Jack whispered, his eyes on the passersby, who kept looking at them before walking away.

"Well, they’re not used to seeing fancy clothing. This is not the richest part of the town, so they’re sort of confused as to why we’re waiting here. They assume that we’re upper class rich people," Rose whispered back, her eyes looking at the other people with caution. Jack nodded slightly, understanding her explanation.

"Guess I’m not used to all these stares," Jack whispered. Rose smiled.

"I’m sort of accustomed to it," Rose murmured. "Besides, I’ve received worse than this." Jack laughed. Just then, a white Daimler-Benz pulled up. The driver stepped out and walked towards them.

"Caledon Hockley asked me to pick up a Jack and Rose Dawson," the driver said, assuming that the couple was the Jack and Rose that Cal had asked for.

"That’s us," Jack said, smiling.

"He awaits you at the Irresistible French restaurant," the driver said. "It’s said to be the most expensive restaurant in town." Jack and Rose just smiled. "Mind if I escort your beautiful wife to the car?"

"Not at all," Jack said, letting Rose’s arm go. Rose slid her arm through the driver’s as he helped her into the Daimler-Benz. The driver closed the door and opened the other door for Jack, who stepped inside. Once the driver had closed the door, he went back to the front and drove off, heading towards the fancy restaurant. Jack placed his hand on top of Rose’s as she looked up at him. Rose placed her other hand over his and smiled at him. Jack smiled back and placed a gentle kiss on top of her head. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Rose whispered back, giving him a bright, loving smile. It was five minutes past eight when they arrived at their destination. When the car stopped, the driver quickly made his way towards Rose’s side and opened the door. The driver held out his hand for Rose to take. Rose accepted his hand and allowed the driver to help her out of the car. Rose thanked the driver and turned, waiting for Jack to appear next to her. A few seconds later, Jack was by her side. Rose smiled and interlocked arms with him, entering the restaurant with the help of two doormen, who held the door open for them. They walked over to the host’s desk.

"Is Caledon Hockley here?" Jack asked. "He’s expecting us."

"Oh, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Dawson. Am I right?" the host asked.

"Right," Jack said.

"Follow me." The host led Jack and Rose to the middle of the restaurant, where they found Cal with a beautiful woman sitting beside him. "Mr. Hockley, your guests have arrived." Cal looked up and smiled, seeing Rose.

"Thank you," Cal said to the host, who nodded his head and left. Cal smiled and got up. "Don’t you look beautiful tonight?" Cal took Rose’s hand and kissed her knuckles. Rose smiled.

"Thank you," Rose said.

"Nice to see you again, Jack," Cal said, a smile on his face.

"Same here," Jack said, smiling.

"Well, why don’t you two have a seat?" Cal asked, taking his own. Jack helped Rose to her seat before he took his own. "I would like to introduce to you Rebecca Stevenson. I met her back in Philadelphia, after--you know."

"It’s nice to meet you, Miss Stevenson." Rose smiled.

"Do call me Rebecca," Rebecca said.

"As long as you call me Rose." Rose smiled.

"Of course," Rebecca said.

"This is my husband, Jack Dawson." Rose introduced Jack to Rebecca.

"How do you do?" Rebecca asked.

"Fine, thanks," Jack said, nodding at her with a smile. Rebecca smiled at him.

"Waiter!" Cal called out. Shortly thereafter, a waiter stood beside him, tall and straight. "We would like to order."

"Very good, sir," the waiter said, preparing to take their orders.

"I’ll have the special with a bottle of champagne for all of us," Cal ordered. The waiter nodded, writing his order down. He went to Rebecca and took her order. He did the same for Jack and Rose. Once he had everybody’s orders, he left them in peace. "So, how long have you two been married?" Cal eyed Jack and Rose.

"Five days so far," Jack answered.

"Did you marry in a church or a courthouse?" Cal asked.

"A church," Jack answered. "Our new friends were there, and a few others." Cal nodded.

"So, you must love Rose, then?" Cal asked, eyeing Jack carefully to see if he would lie.

"I do," Jack said, looking at him, his eyes shining with truth and honesty. "I love Rose with all my heart. I’d do just about anything to make sure she’s safe." Cal nodded, finding that Jack wasn’t lying.

"I’ve been wrong about you, Jack," Cal said. "I always thought you were steerage trash. That you had nothing to offer to Rose. I realize now that you really love Rose. More than I did. I did love her. I just didn’t show it as much as you do." Rose looked down at her fingers, listening. "I guess you did the right thing by saving her before it was too late. Before I married her." Jack just looked at him, not able to say anything, for he could find nothing else to say. He just listened. "I explained everything to Rebecca here, so she knows what we’ve been through. I have to tell you that I’m glad you were the one to marry her. She seems happy to be with you, more than she was with me. I’m sure that she would be more miserable with me than she would be with you. You seem to bring out that spark in her that I never could give her. I just hope you take care of her."

"Don’t worry," Jack said. "I’ll take good care of her. I love her too much to hurt her."

"I know. And I’m glad you do love her," Cal said. "That’s the one thing I never showed her. I should say I was more of a coward back then than I am now. But I believe that I like things better this way." Rose looked at him, making eye contact. "With you two happily married."

"Me, too," Rose said, after being silent for five minutes. Cal smiled at her.

"I’m glad," Cal said. Just then, two waiters arrived with two plates of food in each hand. Each waiter placed a plate in front of the four people, while another waiter came with the bottle of champagne.

"Should I pour it for you, or do you suggest that you do so yourself?" the waiter asked Cal.

"I’ll manage, thank you," Cal said, taking the champagne from the waiter.

"Very good, sir," the waiter said before leaving.

"Well, I have an announcement to make," Cal said, opening the champagne bottle, bubbles spilling out of the bottle. He poured his champagne, as well as Jack’s, Rose’s, and Rebecca’s. "Rebecca and I are to be married by the end of this year." Rose smiled, as did Jack.

"Congratulations!" Rose said, smiling at both Cal and Rebecca.

"Thank you," Caledon said, smiling and raising his glass.

"To Cal and Rebecca," Rose said, raising her glass.

"No," Cal said. "To friendship." Rose smiled.

"To friendship," Rose said. The four clinked their glasses together, taking sips.

"Rose, since I have heard so much about you, I would like you to be my matron of honor," Rebecca said. Rose smiled.

"I would be honored," Rose said, smiling brightly. Rebecca smiled.

"Great. I’m sure we’ll become wonderful friends," Rebecca said.

"I’m sure we will." Rose smiled. She looked over at Jack and smiled at him. He smiled at her and gave her a wink.

"Well, Jack, I would be honored if you were my best man for the wedding," Cal said. "After all I’ve put you through, it’s the best I can do." Jack smiled.

"I would be glad to take you up on that honor," Jack said, smiling, happy to know that Cal had changed. Cal smiled.

"I’m glad you have come to forgive me," Cal said. "I still regret what I did to you two on the ship, and I still feel guilty. That’s why I’m going to give you some money."

"Cal--" Jack began.

"No, Jack," Cal said. "It’s the best I can do. I would rather repay you with money than live with that guilt for the rest of my life."

"Cal, that’s really not necessary," Rose said, looking at him. "We don’t need the money, and I’m sure that--"

"Rose, please," Cal said. "I need to do this. Besides, I don’t want to see you two suffer. I know Rose isn’t accustomed to working, so I’ll be depositing two million dollars in your bank account."

"Cal, I couldn’t possibly accept--" Rose began.

"Nonsense," Cal said. "I’m giving it to you as a gift. Besides, I have ten million dollars. What could it hurt if I take away two million?"

"I don’t want you to make a mistake," Rose said. "You were never one to give away such an amount of money, Cal."

"Well, that was then. This is me now," Cal said. Rose sighed.

"I’m not sure, Cal," Rose said. "It’s just so much. It’s hard to believe."

"Well, believe it," Cal said.

"But isn’t the Heart of the Ocean worth two million dollars?" Rose asked. "At least, that’s what I’ve heard from you."

"It is," Cal said. "But I want you to have it. After all, what am I supposed to do with a two million dollar necklace?"

"You could always sell it," Rose said, looking over at him.

"Yes, but what good would that do?" Cal asked. "To you, that necklace holds memories. To others, it’s just a piece of jewelry worth a lot of money, and I don’t want to see you throw your memories away."

"It’s just unbelievable that you actually care," Rose said. "You never did before."

"I made a mistake, and I can’t take it back," Cal said. "You deserve Jack more than you deserve me."

"You’re making me feel guilty now," Rose admitted.

"Don’t be," Cal said. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am," Rose said, looking at him. "I’ve been happy ever since I first laid eyes on Jack. He changed my life. And when you say that you’re giving us two million dollars, it’s just...I don’t know...strange? After ten months of being miserable, I never intended to be as happy as I am now. Moreover, I never intended to be offered two million dollars by my ex-fiancé."

"Rose, you just have to believe that I’ve changed. I really have," Cal said, his dark eyes shining with seriousness. "The only reason I’m depositing two million dollars into your account is so you two can live a better life and do whatever you please."

"I don’t know..." Rose began.

"Rose, just take my offer, please," Cal said. "You deserve it. Both of you deserve it."

"Cal--" Rose began.

"Rose, if we have to argue about this, it would be best if you just accepted my offer and moved on with your lives. This offer is the best thing I can give you after what I’ve done to you," Cal said. Rose looked over at Jack, wondering what she should do. She leaned in close to his ear.

"Should we accept his offer?" Rose whispered, pulling away to look into his eyes. Jack just looked at her, contemplating whether they should or shouldn’t accept the offer made by Cal.

He knew that Rose was used to living in high society, for she had been a rich girl all of her life until she had married him. He, on the other hand, had never seen nor had the amount of money that Cal offered. The Dawsons had been one of the poorest families in Chippewa Falls, but he had always believed that one day he’d become a famous artist and become rich. If he accepted the money, he’d be rich, but he wouldn’t be a famous artist unless he actually had his own art gallery and showed his own drawings. Jack believed that Cal has changed, for he could tell in his eyes that he wasn’t lying. Jack would love to have that much money in his account, but he didn’t want to end up miserable for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to live life being stuck-up like many high society people were. He still wanted to have the free-spirited life that he had before, and he didn’t want to have maids serve them, nor did he want to have a big mansion for only two people. He wanted to live a normal life, the life that he was living now. Not the life that people chose for him. Having thought on it, he finally came to his decision. He looked at Rose and smiled. He gave her a slight nod to give Rose his answer. Rose glanced over at Cal, who had been staring at them for quite some time.

"Well, Cal, we have come to the decision to accept your offer," Rose said. Cal smiled.

"Wonderful!" Cal said, raising his glass before taking a sip from it. Jack and Rose did the same, as did Rebecca.

"I would just like to thank you for your offer," Rose said.

"Not a problem," Cal said. "I’ll have the money brought to your bank by tomorrow morning. You live in that apartment, am I right?"

"Yes, the apartment by Central Park," Rose said. "Our bank is a few blocks away from there."

"Perfect. I’ll have my father deposit the money for you," Caledon said. "For now, let’s enjoy our meal."

"Of course," Rose said, lifting up a fork and beginning to eat as elegantly and perfectly as any upper class lady would eat. Her eyes landed on Cal, who smiled at her, and then she glanced over at Rebecca, finding her eating her meal. Rose swallowed her food and looked over at her husband, who was having a difficult time choosing the right fork. Rose smiled and tapped his shoulder. Jack looked at her. She leaned closer. "You’re having trouble, aren’t you?" Jack smiled and nodded. "Well, just start with the ones that are farther from the plate, then continue on from there." Jack smiled.

"Thanks," Jack whispered, picking up a fork and beginning to eat. Rose smiled, continuing to eat her meal.

The rest of the evening was silent, with only the sound of forks hitting the plates and the murmurs of people sitting at other tables heard in the restaurant. The waiter came to their table and placed their desserts in front of them. Rose picked up her spoon and dipped it into the rich vanilla ice cream that was before her. Once she had a spoonful of the ice cream, she placed it in her mouth and swallowed it. The others did the same. Cal was the first to break the silence that had lingered between them for the past half hour.

"So," Cal said. "What do you two plan to do after your honeymoon?"

"Well, go back to New York and continue with our lives," Jack said. "Hopefully, we’ll find our own home instead of living in the apartment, but I believe we can stay there for another month. We’re probably gonna go get a house then." Jack took a napkin and wiped his mouth with it. "I was hoping to find a house here." Rose turned to face him and smiled.

"Really?" Rose asked, her eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, since you really like it here," Jack said. Rose tried to stop herself from hugging him, but failed when she threw her arms around his neck anyway.

"Thank you so much, Jack." Rose smiled. "You don’t know how much this means to me." Jack smiled and hugged her back.

"Anything for you, Rose," Jack whispered in her ear. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Rose whispered back, putting a kiss on his lips.

"Aren’t they in love?" Rebecca asked Cal, smiling at them and finding them lost in each other.

"Of course," Cal said. "Why wouldn’t they be?" There was a hint of sadness in his voice as he said this. In his heart he had loved Rose, and he still did. He just wished he had treated her better than he had, but he knew it was too late. Rose was already happily married to Jack, and she seemed to be madly in love with him. It was hard for him to become friends with Jack Dawson. Jack had stolen Rose away from him and made her fall in love with him while they were engaged, and that had angered him. But after thinking about the situation after the sinking, it had come to his head that he had treated Rose terribly while they were engaged, and that Jack had been the only person to really show his love for her, to actually love her for who she was and not for her beauty. He had come to realize that Rose wasn’t for him, and that he would never win her heart, especially since Jack and Rose were married. Rose was his past and always would be. He was still willing to be her friend--even after what had come between them during the past week--and not cause her or Jack any trouble as he had done aboard the ship. He watched as Jack and Rose smiled at each other. He saw the sparkle in her eye every time she smiled at him. He had never seen that sparkle when she had smiled at him, possibly because her smile was forced, and not true as her smile for Jack was. He also noticed that whenever she looked at him, she had this sparkle in her eye as if Jack were the only man in the world that existed, also something that he never seen Rose do for him when they were engaged. Cal’s thoughts were interrupted when Rebecca called him. "Yes, sweetpea?" Cal smiled at her.

"Where are we going after this?" Rebecca asked, looking into his eyes.

"Well, I was thinking of going to the beach and looking at the stars," Cal said, checking his pocket watch. Rebecca smiled.

"That sounds very romantic," Rebecca said. Cal smiled, noticing the sparkle in her eyes when she smiled.

"I’m glad it does," Cal said, happy to finally be loved by a woman. Rebecca smiled happily at him. The waiters came and cleared their table. Cal set his napkin down and called one of the waiters over. "Check, please."

"Right away, sir," the waiter said, hurrying over to the host to retrieve the bill. Returning to Cal’s table, he handed him the piece of paper. Cal took it and took out his checkbook, writing in the amount and signing his name. He handed the check to the waiter. "Thank you, sir. I hope you enjoyed your meal."

"I did, thank you," Cal said, getting up. The waiter nodded and walked away. "Well, why don’t we get going." Cal pushed his chair in and stood behind it. "I’m planning on taking you to the beach so we can look at the stars." Jack and Rose smiled. "It seems to sound romantic, so I thought it would be perfect to end our night together."

"Sounds wonderful to me," Rose said, getting up from her seat with Jack’s help, who stood behind her. Cal smiled as Rose stood beside Jack, interlocking arms with him. He felt Rebecca do the same for him. He looked at her and kissed her forehead.

"Well, we should be moving along, then," Cal said, smiling at all three of them. The four exited the restaurant, Cal’s white Daimler-Benz awaiting them. The driver stepped out and opened the door. He held out his hand, helping Rebecca step in, as well as Rose. Jack and Cal stepped in on their own, sitting beside the women. The driver drove off, heading towards the beach, the four sitting quietly in the car. "Rose, that dress looks beautiful on you." Rose smiled.

"Thank you," Rose said. "I bought it in New York the day after we moved into our apartment. I figured I should have something fancy, just in case."

"Well, it does suit you, Rose," Cal said. Rose smiled. Cal looked over at Jack, who was staring out the window, watching as the car passed an art gallery. "So, do you still draw, Dawson?" Jack looked over at him.

"Uh…yeah," Jack said. "I still do."

"Why don’t you sell your drawings?" Cal asked. "You seem to be an amazing artist, although I’m not as interested in art as Rose is."

"Well, the drawings that I had earlier went down with the ship," Jack said. "But Rose bought me a wedding present yesterday, a brand new portfolio with blank sheets of paper and art supplies. I just started drawing this morning, seeing that I hadn’t drawn anything since the night of April fourteenth." Jack folded his hands in his lap.

"Well, you should," Cal said. "You’ll have good business." Jack looked over at Cal, never expecting to hear advice from Cal. Jack gave a small smile. "Really, Jack. I’m sure with the talent that you have, you’ll be able to make lots of money."

"I hope to become a famous artist someday," Jack said. "But right now I want to concentrate on being a husband to my wife." Cal nodded.

"I understand perfectly," Cal said. An awkward silence lingered in the car for a few minutes, the two couples waiting to arrive at their destination. Once they came to a halt, the driver stepped out of the front seat and opened the passenger door, holding out his hand to help the ladies out of the car. Rose was the first to exit the car, putting her left hand into the driver’s right and stepping out of the car without tripping. The next to exit the car was Rebecca, then Jack and Cal. "Just wait for us at the corner over there." Cal pointed. "We’ll probably be back in about an hour or so."

"Yes, sir," the driver said, leaving Cal and the others in private. Cal put his hands in his pockets, turning and finding Jack and Rose staring at each other as if they were the only couple on the beach. A small, inaudible sigh left his lips as he walked beside his new fiancée.

Chapter Twenty-Five
Stories