LOVE THAT NEVER FADES
Chapter Forty-Four

It was daybreak, and Rose was sound asleep beside Jack. Rose’s birthday had been, by far, one of the best days of her life. After they had finished eating their cake at the restaurant the morning before, Fabrizio had taken them to his apartment when he was on his break and had given Rose a statue of an angel. She was fragile, made out of glass, her golden wings were spread, and in her hands, she held a crystal. Her long white dress, which also was made of glass, glistened in the light. The skirt of the dress circled around the wooden base, her golden hair down her back. Her crystal blue eyes looked up, a crown on her head. Rose had refused the gift, seeing how expensive it appeared, and hadn’t wanted to take it from him, but Fabrizio had insisted, saying that it was meant to be hers. Rose had embraced him and thanked him, saying that it was one of the best gifts that she had received that day. Rose treasured the angel, and when she had arrived home, she had put it on the dresser in the bedroom beside her jewelry box.

Later that night, Jack had taken her on a private candlelit dinner in the same restaurant that Fabrizio worked in. They were put in a room away from the public area, the table set with lit candles and a perfect meal. Jack and Rose had enjoyed their meal, and had stared into each other’s eyes. The candlelight had put a warm glow on Jack’s face, and had brightened Rose’s face. After they had eaten their dinner, Jack and Rose headed back to their apartment, where they shared several kisses and went to bed, cuddling and slumbering dreamlessly.

The sun shone brightly into the room, causing Rose to stir slightly in Jack’s embrace. She brought a hand to her face as a shield and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up, seeing that the sun was out and it was Christmas morning. Rose stretched quietly and yawned, covering her mouth politely. After awhile, Rose turned to face a still-sleeping Jack and smiled. His closed eyelids made him look younger, his hair falling over his face. His mouth was partially open, his chest rising and falling. Rose smiled tiredly and scooted closer to him, pressing her lips firmly against his own and feeling him stir, kissing her back in response. Pulling away, Rose gazed into a pair of blue eyes, shining with love.

"Merry Christmas," Jack said, his voice hoarse, a small, tired smile coming over his lips.

Rose smiled in return. "Merry Christmas, Jack," Rose said. "This is our first Christmas together."

"Yeah, it is," Jack said, stretching. He leaned on his elbow, his cheek resting on his hand. "What a beautiful way to be awakened. An angel kissing me."

Rose smiled and felt blood rush up to her cheeks. "Well, I do have my ways to romance you," Rose said, running her fingers over his jaw.

"As do I," Jack said, leaning over to steal a kiss from Rose.

Rose smiled, pressing her lips against his, while Jack gave her a passionate kiss that grew in intensity and love, wrapping his arms around her. Rose put an arm around his neck, feeling Jack pull her closer. Jack hovered over her under the covers, their lips still connected and his arms still around her.

"Wanna go to the parlor to see what Santa Claus brought for us?" Jack asked, smiling.

"Why not?" Rose asked, smiling, uncovering herself, and slipping on her robe.

Jack slipped on his pants, remaining shirtless. He put his hands on Rose’s shoulders, leading her into the parlor, where the underside of the tree was piled with presents.

"Seems to me that we’ve been nice this year," Rose joked, looking at him.

"Seems so," Jack said. "Why don’t we open them?"

Rose giggled as Jack let her sit on the couch, scurrying towards the Christmas tree and taking out a present that was thin and light. Jack sat beside Rose, handing her the gift.

"What’s this?" Rose asked, perplexed. "It seems so…paper-like."

"Just open it, and you’ll see," Jack said, watching Rose, a smile on his face.

Rose looked at him, then at the present. Rose began to unwrap the gift carefully, revealing a few sheets of paper.

"Jack, what’s this?" Rose asked, looking at him.

"Read it," Jack urged, waiting for her reaction.

Rose read the papers, and immediately a wide smile came across her face. "Oh, my God, Jack. We have our very own house!" Rose looked at him, finding that he had a bright smile on his face, and moments later, she threw her arms around him and held him close.

Jack chuckled and held Rose close. "Yes, Rose, I bought a house," Jack said. "But read on. You’ll find out where I bought the house."

Rose looked back at the papers and continued to read the last page. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "We’re moving to Santa Monica?" Rose looked at Jack.

"Yep," Jack said. "We are. Once the baby’s born."

"Oh, my God, Jack!" Rose cried, embracing him again. Her eyes filled with tears, holding him close. "You did as you said you would. Oh, Jack, this is the best Christmas I’ve ever had!"

"I promised you that I would get a house in Santa Monica, and I did," Jack said. "I don’t break my promises. The Dawsons never break their promises."

"Well, I’m certainly glad that you’re a Dawson," Rose said, her face bright with happiness. "I love you, Jack!"

Jack chuckled. "I love you, as well, my love," Jack said, caressing her curls. "And I’m glad to be a Dawson, just as I’m glad that you are, too."

"I’m more than glad, Jack," Rose said, looking at him. "I’m honored. There’s nothing more I could ever want to be than a Dawson. To me, being a Dawson is like being crowned by a king or a queen. A Dawson, in my eyes, is a person who cares and loves a person for who they are, not what they have, and a Dawson is a person who keeps their promises and does not break them. And most importantly, a Dawson is a person who is free. Free to do what they want when they want. They are never controlled by someone they hate, or dislike, rather. That is why I’m proud to be a Dawson."

Jack’s lips curved into a small smile, bringing his face closer to hers and devouring her lips with his, giving her a loving, passionate kiss. After he pulled away, he gazed into her eyes and smiled.

"And I’m glad to have you as my wife," Jack said.

Rose smiled and looked at the papers. Her smile broadened, setting the papers carefully on the coffee table and getting up and going towards the Christmas tree, lifting a gift and looking at Jack. She waddled back towards him, handing him the present and sitting down beside him.

"Now, this is my gift to you," Rose said, smiling.

"Wonder what it is…" Jack said, looking at the gift and turning it over.

"Well, open it and find out," Rose said.

Jack smiled and did as he was told. He ripped open the wrapping paper, revealing a square box. He pulled the lid open, his smile growing. He looked at Rose, his eyes shining.

"Rose…" Jack said, lifting a little silver plate that had a message engraved on it. It had a shiny surface, a wooden base holding the plate in place. "This is…beautiful."

"I had a message engraved," Rose said. "Read it."

Jack smiled and looked at the plate. Jack Dawson, you are the man who saved me in more ways than one. You are the man who made me feel loved and cared for. You are the man who taught me to live my life to the fullest and that I should make each day count. You freed me from the gilded cage that locked me up throughout the seventeen years that I did not know of your existence. You made me know what it feels like to be free, free as a bird with the ability to fly towards the horizon whenever it feels like it, just as you taught me to fly on that magnificent yet dreadful night. But there’s one thing that you are and always will be, Jack. You are my husband, my lover, my soulmate, and my best friend. You are there for me when I need you the most, and you’re always by my side when I need a loving embrace. I love you, Jack. I love you for who you are inside, and I love you for who you are outside. You’re still the same Jack that I met on the back of the ship. This is my message to you. I love you. From Rose. Jack looked at Rose, his eyes shining with loving laughter. He looked at the plate, then back at his wife. "This is by far the best Christmas present I have ever received. Thank you so, so much, Rose."

Rose smiled and nodded her head. "I knew you’d like it," Rose said. "I saw that plate in a department store and couldn’t help purchasing it and having a special message engraved. Or, in this case, it’s more like a letter, but it’s still the same. There’s so much more I can do to express my love for you. And this is one way I can."

Jack shook his head, setting the plate carefully on the coffee table. "There’s no need for you to express your love for me, for I already know that you do. Just as you should know that I love you the same, if not more," Jack said, caressing her cheek. "Rose, my love for you is worth more than all the money in this world, and worth more than any diamond. I can’t describe the feeling I have for you, nor can I describe the way I love you. It’s more like a wordless feeling. Something that can’t be defined with words, but with feelings and with our hearts."

Rose didn’t have any words to say at the moment. She looked at Jack, a small, loving smile on her face, closing her eyes and feeling Jack’s fingers gently graze against her skin, cherishing his touch. Her eyes opened, and Rose couldn’t help but smile at him. She brought her hand over his and gripped it lovingly.

"Why don’t we go up to Mother’s apartment?" Rose asked. "We can spend our morning there and tell her the news, and then we’ll head over to Annie’s, then Michael’s…and then we’ll have the night to ourselves."

"Hmm…" Jack said, smiling. "Sounds good to me."

Rose smiled and kissed Jack on his lips. "I’ll go get dressed," Rose said, getting up and waddling towards the bedroom door.

"I’ll go with you," Jack said, getting up and following her.

"Of course you will," Rose said. "As you always do."

Jack chuckled, closing the bedroom door behind him. "I can’t blame myself for enjoying watching a beautiful angel getting dressed," Jack said, seating himself on the bed.

"Beautiful?" Rose asked, turning around, a smile across her face. "How in the world do you find me attractive?" Rose looked at herself. "I’m practically a watermelon!"

"Well, you’re carrying our child," Jack said. "And you’re beautiful, no matter how you look. And you know as well as I do that looks aren’t as important as they seem to be."

"Well, still, I look like an ugly, fat, pregnant woman who has a belly as the size of a watermelon, and, may I add, weighs about as much as a watermelon as well!" Rose said, rummaging through her dresses and pulling out a green dress with a velvety texture. She put the dress on the chair, removing her robe along with the nightgown she wore.

"You’re not ugly, Rose," Jack said. "Stop saying that about yourself. You’re beautiful, and just leave it at that. One more time you say something bad about yourself, you’re gonna get it pretty bad later tonight."

"Oh, really?" Rose asked, her brow raised.

"Really," Jack said, stepping closer to her. "I don’t like it when you say bad things about yourself. It makes me wanna make love to you more and more until you feel better about yourself."

"And that’s a bad thing?" Rose asked, looking at him, a teasing smile on her face.

"Well, not entirely, but still," Jack said. "I don’t want you to say bad things about yourself. You know you’re beautiful. I know you’re beautiful. But your beauty is at the bottom of the list of things that I love most about you, for your beauty could be taken away and I would still love you the same. I love you for you, not for your looks. You should feel the same about yourself." Jack looked at her, his hands on her waist.

"All right, Jack. I will," Rose said, smiling. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Jack said, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Now, go on and get dressed. We don’t wanna stay here all day, bickering over nothing."

Rose laughed and shook her head, going to the mirror to brush her curls.

After the two got ready, they made sure that everything was in its place before they got the gifts that they would give to Ruth and left their apartment, heading up the stairs, to spend Christmas with Rose’s mother.

*****

The day passed quickly, and before anyone knew it, it was ten o’clock at night. The two had a wonderful morning at Ruth’s apartment, and they had a big Christmas breakfast. They gave their gifts to Ruth and Patricia and watched as they opened them. Rose gave a new dress to her mother, and Jack gave her a drawing of herself, which he had drawn several days before. Patricia received a dress and a drawing from Jack as well. The two gave them their gifts, which were a new coat for Rose and a new pair of pants for Jack. The two thanked them and spent the rest of the morning chatting.

Now, they were heading back to their apartment, getting ready for bed. They were both exhausted and could hardly wait to sleep on their warm bed, cuddling against each other. Rose dressed in her nightgown, while Jack removed his outer clothes and slipped under the covers beside Rose. He put an arm around her shoulders, kissing her.

"Good night, my love," Jack said, smiling.

"Good night." Rose smiled. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Jack said, shutting off the lamp, lying down, and pulling Rose close to him.

Moments later, the two fell fast asleep, cuddled against each other, both glad to have spent a wonderful Christmas together.

Chapter Forty-Five
Stories