Written by 24Chocoholic24
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.
He heard her when she promised
not to let go, felt it when she kissed his hand, knew she had released him to
the sea. As he sank down through the freezing water, consciousness returned and
adrenaline kicked in. He was able to bring himself back up to the surface and
begin swimming, half-blinded–temporarily–by the hypothermia. He heard a whistle
and people in two boats; he was sure he heard them rescue Rose before he
himself was discovered and rescued by the other boat. Then, as they wrapped the
blanket around him, his world faded–again–to black.
On board the Carpathia, Jack
awoke in a cabin that had become a makeshift infirmary. He was among several
others overcome by hypothermia and a few with other ailments. Try as he might,
he could not find the strength or get permission to leave the room until they
reached America’s east coast. Then, when they did, he finally made his way out
to steerage.
On deck, small crowds huddled
together, taking in the sights of New York. Most were excited, some seemed
fearful, and a select few were hopeful and quiet. One of these few stood,
hardly moving, gazing sentimentally up at the Statue of Liberty. Her fiery,
curly hair cascaded down her back, her form hidden within the oversized coat
she wore. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jack knew it was her. He watched her as
she gave an officer her name, implying her devotion to Jack by taking his last
name as her own. Then, she seemed to find something in her coat pocket and
study it for a moment before returning it to its place. As she looked back up
towards the statue, he took a step towards her, but stopped as the officer
returned.
"I’m sorry, Miss," he
started. "I forgot to ask you if you lost anyone on the Titanic. We need
to know all there is to know in a situation like this."
Rose just looked at him for a
moment before she gave her answer. "His name was Jack…Jack Dawson."
The officer froze, slightly
confused. "Jack Dawson? I know for a fact that a Jack Dawson survived. At
least, that was the last name he claimed, due to delirium. His name was taken
as--"
"Where is he?" Her
question was forceful and rather rude, catching the officer quite off guard. He
could do little more than stare at Rose in disbelief, so Jack seized his new
opportunity.
"I’m right here," he
assured her.
"Jack!" Her face lit up
as she caught sight of him, and, in no time, she was in his arms. As they shared
a passionate kiss, the bewildered officer gave up on Jack and quickly moved on.
"Oh, God, I love you,
Jack!" Rose smiled as they broke apart.
"I love you, too,
Rose." He smiled back at her.
Then, suddenly, something inside
of Rose snapped, allowing all sorts of emotions to take hold of her and release
every tear she had withheld from her adventures since boarding the Titanic.
Jack pulled her securely to him, holding her in strong arms as she sobbed into
his chest.
"Shh…Rose…it’s okay,"
he said softly into her hair. "I’ve got you. I’ll never let go."
The End.