Jack watched Rose stare up at the Statue of Liberty. She was entranced, and didn't seem to notice the rain. He wondered what she was thinking. Was she regretting the decisions she made the night before? His stomach tightened, knotting around a ball of fear. She loves you. If she didn't, she wouldn't have done all of that. Yet he couldn't help but doubt it just a little—after all, what could he ever really give her? He knew who he was and he knew who she was.
Rose noticed that Jack's gaze had been lingering on her for quite some time, but she wasn't sure why. I know I look awful, she thought. Unable to take it anymore, she turned her head slightly and met his eyes. "What is it?"
"Nothing," he answered quietly. "I was just thinking."
"What were you thinking about?"
Jack opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again. He wasn't sure how to say what was on his mind. "Rose," he began slowly, "you don't…" He let the sentence dangle, unfinished.
"Don't what, Jack?" Rose's voice held a hint of worry.
The hint urged him to finish his question. "You don't wish you'd decided to stay with—"
"No!" Rose exclaimed, cutting him off. "How—why would you ever think that?" she asked incredulously.
"I was just afraid you, that maybe you'd realized how serious the choices you made last night were, and you were regretting some things." Jack took her hand. "I don't want you to be regretting anything," he added, stroking her palm with his thumb. "But if you are…" He looked down at her hand in his. Her hand looked so small compared to his. Her skin was so much lighter than his—she'd never spent the kind of time in the sun he had. She'd also never done anything compared to the kind of work he had. Her hands were so soft, so smooth. He gently traced her palm with his slightly calloused fingertips. "But if you are," he started again, determined to finish this time, "I'll understand." He looked into her eyes. "I really will understand if that's what you need—to go back."
Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was speechless for a few seconds after Jack finished talking. "Are you saying you want me to go back?" she asked, afraid of the answer. "Do you—" She could feel herself beginning to cry and was trying to hold it together. "Do you—" she tried again, tears springing to her eyes this time.
Jack pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She was crying heavily now, her words muffled by his shirt. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into her curls. "I love you. I love you," he chanted, squeezing her tighter. "I don't want you to ever leave me." He tilted her face up, holding it in his hands. His thumbs stroked her tear-streaked cheeks. "Never. Okay? I survived because of you, and not just because of what you did for me. You are the best thing that ever happened to me." He kissed her. Leaning so their foreheads met, her face still in his hands, he continued quietly, "I want to marry you."
"You do?" Rose was shocked—and overjoyed. "You really want to marry me?"
"Yes!" Jack exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "I want to marry you as soon as possible. I want to spend every day of the rest of my life with you." He took her hands. "I want to show you the world, Rose. The real world, the things I've seen. I want to watch the fire get stronger."
Rose was crying again, but tears of joy this time. She wrapped her arms around Jack. "Yes! Yes, all of that!"
"You mean it?"
"I've never wanted anything more," she said, looking up into his eyes. "I love you, Jack."
He didn't say anything else, just kissed her. He kissed her for a long time.
Eventually, they came back to reality, and realized they were soaked from the rain. It was still early in the day, but they couldn't stand around forever. It would be night before they knew it.
Hand-in-hand, they walked toward a man in a White Star Line uniform. He was calling out to survivors to come forward and give their names. "And who are you two?" he asked. Jack started to answer, but Rose beat him to it.
"Dawson," she said. "Jack and Rose Dawson."
"Thank you," he said, walking on to collect more names.
"You used my name." Jack could only stare at her.
"What?"
"Just then. You used my name."
"Of course I did." Rose wondered what he was getting at. "Would you rather I hadn't?"
"It isn't that I would rather you hadn't," he replied. "I guess I just didn't expect it."
"But you just asked me to marry you." Rose laughed.
"You're right. I did." Jack grinned. "I don't know what I was thinking. It's so unreal to me—that you would want this."
"We're not going over this again, Jack," Rose said quietly. "I love you, and I want to be with you."
He nodded and squeezed her hand. "Okay. It’s settled, then."
Just then, another White Star Line official began making an announcement. "All survivors of the Titanic sinking will be given free lodgings and tickets out of New York City if they so desire—"
Jack and Rose smiled at each other. Things were looking up.