Written by Cora
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.

Rose Calvert sat on the front porch, a cup of tea in her hands and a forgotten newspaper by her side as she watched the sun beginning to set.

It was 1932, and she had just turned thirty-seven. While the rest of the world was reeling in the midst of what had been dubbed the Great Depression, Rose had rarely felt more content than she did as she sat on the porch and watched her children playing in the dirt against the backdrop of an orange and gold sunset. That night there would be a party, with games and singing and dancing and laughter. Rose smiled at the thought, looking forward to the fun that was just hours away now.

If only James would hurry back from that Goddamned business meeting he was at in Kansas City! He was due home today, and was running late. She hoped he’d make it back in time, and was getting increasingly worried with each minute that ticked by. He’d been gone for two weeks now, and hell did she miss him. Thankfully, it wasn’t often that the ranch owner needed to go out of town, but when he did, she didn’t like it. Even with her sons, Billy and Robert, and all the ranch hands, the farm felt wrong without Jim.

It was strange to know that she had been living out west for seven years now. Time seemed to have flown by since she’d met Jim in 1925 and he’d whisked her away from New York after a whirlwind romance. Rose had, at first, wondered if she’d done the right thing in leaving Manhattan. Her motion picture career had just been taking off after she’d managed to land some acting jobs. She’d starred in a few movies, but they had been little seen by the public and she’d been by no means famous.

But coming out West had always been her dream, and when offered the chance, she’d jumped at it without a second thought. She’d been feeling burned out in New York by that point, wondering if she’d ever get to go West and keep old promises about drinking cheap beer and riding horses in the surf like a cowboy with none of that silly sidesaddle stuff.

And then had come Jim, who had fallen for her hard. She’d been surprised when she had eventually discovered that she’d had feelings for him in return, though it had been a long time before she’d let herself succumb. It hadn’t been the lure of his ranch in California; Rose had made sure before accepting his marriage proposal that she really loved him. Jim had just been too charming for his own good. He was handsome and adventurous and funny…it would have been impossible for her to resist him forever, even though they had come close to losing each other when she had dwelled for so long over the proposal.

It had been one of the best decisions of her life, marrying Jim. The eight years she had spent at the ranch, having the twins…it had been wonderful. There had been a time in her life when she’d thought she’d never be at peace again, but she had rarely felt as happy as she did she sat on her porch and realized how far she had come from her early years in Philadelphia. Few people managed to live out their dreams, and although her current life had come not without sacrifices, Rose was thankful for what she had. Family. Friends. The life of her dreams. A promise kept.

"Mother! Mother!"

Billy’s excited call brought Rose back to the present. She looked up. Her sons had stopped playing and were standing at the white wooden gate, trying to see over it. Rose heard the distant sound of horse’s hooves clopping against the ground. She stood up.

"It’s Daddy!" cried Robert, bouncing up and down with glee as James Calvert came into view, sitting on the wagon’s passenger seat and chatting to its driver.

Rose’s face lit up and she ran to the gate. She barely gave Jim a chance to climb down from the carriage before throwing her arms around him and giving him a passionate welcome home kiss while the driver unloaded Jim’s luggage.

"It’s good to see you, too." Jim laughed, lifting off her feet and swinging her around with glee. "God, I missed you, sweetheart. How’s my birthday girl?"

"Worrying her husband wasn’t going to make it home in time for her little party." Rose grinned.

"Honey, I’d have made it home today, come hell or high water. Now, where’re my boys?"

On cue, Robert and Billy charged at their father with such force that he stumbled backwards. Rose watched the three of them as they threw themselves down in the dirt on top of each other as they began to wrestle, delighted shrieks and sounds of laughter ringing out as they tried to tickle each other.

In that moment, Rose knew one thing with complete certainty. This was where she was meant to be. She was living her destiny as it was supposed to have happened all along. Fate was working its magic.

She was home.

The End.

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