Written by Elizabeth Davidson
Based on some situations originated by James Cameron.

The pull of the dark water transported her with an unimaginable force to her destination beneath the waves. In reality, what would normally take hours passed in mere seconds, and then out of the darkness there it was, buckled and broken on the ocean floor. The Titanic. Through the cold, hard exterior an inner light so beautiful and unimaginable to the human eye beckoned to her tired, travel-weary soul. Rose felt a rush of adrenaline unlike anything she had ever experienced in her life before, but now her life as she had known it was over and a whole new chapter was about to begin.

A new pull took hold and Rose felt herself being drawn toward the light within, over the bow railing and across the poop deck, up the steps to first class and along the promenade. The light was brighter now, and all around her, the broken, worn decks began to repair themselves, returning to their previous grandeur before Rose's eyes. And then she was there, at the entrance to the grand staircase. Rose had been here so many times before, physically and in her dreams. She could see them waiting on the other side of the glass, just like so many times before, and now fear gripped her heart. What if they were waiting for somebody else? Someone more deserving than she. What if she was to be denied entrance like so many times before in her dreams? What if Jack wasn't here? And then the door opened and the smooth voice of the steward squelched every fear that she had.

"We've been waiting for you, miss." He beckoned to her to enter, and smiling, she walked through the door into the light and safety of home.

So many familiar faces were here, people she had known and, oh, Mr. Andrews, and there was Fabrizio and Cora. Seeing so many familiar faces had taken her mind off something for a brief second. Pausing at the bottom of the staircase, Rose caught her breath. Standing facing the clock at the top of the stairwell was Jack. Wonder took over and slowly, incredulously, Rose made her way up the stairs.

At the top of the stairwell, Jack held his breath. He felt her presence behind him and a giddy feeling rushed over him. Now, after eighty-four years, he was finally going to be able to touch her, hold her, and tell her all that he couldn't previously. Then he could wait no longer. Turning slowly, he caught a glimpse of her red curls, and his heart stopped. Catching his breath, a smile spread across his lips, and then he saw her, young, beautiful, love pouring from her entire being. He held his hand out, and when she took it he pulled her to him, drinking her in, never forgetting how it felt to hold each other, so familiar, so warm. And then, after eighty-four years apart, they finally kissed, and were complete once again. Applause echoed around them into infinity, and Jack put into words what he had not had a chance to eighty-four years before.

"I love you..."

"And I you, Jack."

A feeling of completeness came over Rose. At last, after eighty-four years, she was finally whole again, finally with the man with whom she was meant to be with her entire life. Although she had had a full life and a loving husband, whom she had loved equally in return, there had always been something missing for Rose, and now she stood in his arms.

For Jack, after eighty-four years of having no one to hold, came a calming sense of serenity. There was no sense of time here. The clock told its truth. 2:20 AM, April 15, 1912, yet Jack had known the time, had seen her moving on, his one and only love. He remembered the first time he had come here, walking along the promenade and through those beautiful glass doors. Seeing wives and the husbands that they had refused to leave, people that he knew—Fabrizio, Tommy. Standing at the clock had been Mr. Andrews, his shoulders stooped, feeling his loss imperceptibly. Sensing someone behind him, he had turned and seen Jack. Jack, all alone. His eyes searched, looking for his missing partner, young Rose, whom he had grown fond of. Seeing the question in his eyes, Jack simply smiled softly and shook his head. Mr. Andrews, understanding immediately, had returned the smile, given a quick nod, and returned to staring at the clock, much heartened that not all who deserved to live had been lost.

Returning his attention to his beautiful Rose, looking her straight in the eye, he slowly led her away from the staircase, across to the lift and down two decks to room B52. No words were spoken between the two. There was no need. Walking hand-in-hand, together, after all this time, was enough for now. Entering the room, Rose gasped, surprised, at the splendor she saw before her. It had been a long time since she had been in such opulent surroundings. Jack looked at her and chuckled.

"What's the matter? Not used to all this grandeur, eh?"

"Oh, I'm sure that I'll acclimate in a minute. I just forgot what it was like to live like this. I haven't seen anything like it for so long. You'll help me, won’t you?" Rose asked, looking Jack straight in the eye.

Grinning slightly, Jack answered, "I guess it's a handle-able situation." Leading her to the bedroom, where this time there was no need to lock any doors or worry about unwanted visitors, they took their time to explore each other’s soul and become the people that they should have always been, completed by each other.

It was the next day that Jack took the time to explain that now Rose could see anyone she felt she wanted to. Immediately, Rose wanted to see her father, and so it was. Rose and Jack found themselves standing at the beach. It was a place Rose knew well. Her grandmother’s house was only a short distance from here, and Rose had spent many happy times here as a child with her father. It was then that she saw him, standing tall and strong against the blue sky. Walking slowly toward her and Jack, in the same way that he always had, he smiled softly and beckoned to her. Forgetting formality, Rose flung herself into his arms and hugged him with all she had in her.

"Oh, Father, I've missed you so very much."

"And I have missed you, too, Rose, but I have been watching over you all these years. I know how well you've lived your life, and how wonderful your family is. I know all that you've achieved, and you have been very fortunate. You have had many people watching over you from here. Myself, of course, Jack here, and your mother also..."

Rose pulled away from her father's embrace and looked into his eyes. "Mother?"

"Yes, your mother came here not long after the Titanic sank. A year, two years maybe. She was surprised to find you not here, and it was then that I explained. She understood that she had made mistakes, and she is as proud of you now as I. She always was proud, and loved you dearly. She just did not know how to show it."

There, in the distance, stood Rose's mother, love shining from within her. This place had allowed her to become a person that she never could have been before she had come here.

Speaking softly, she said, "Come here, Rose, and Jack, too. You are as much a part of this family as any of us."

Finally understanding the person that her mother truly was, Rose was delighted, as all the things that she had wanted her entire life came to be. Her family reunited, her mother accepting Jack, and most of all, being with Jack again. Jack took Rose into his arms and held her tight. He, too, had waited for this moment when everything became right and all was as it should be. Now Jack and Rose could go into eternity at peace. They were together forever.

*****

Sitting on the deck of the Keldysh, Lizzy stared at the night sky. Although she had anticipated her grandmother's death, it still came as a shock when it finally happened. As if from nowhere, there was a flash in the sky, and a new star emerged that seemed to Lizzy to shine brighter than all the rest. At that moment, a sense of warmth came over her, and instinctively she knew that everything would be okay. Lizzy knew that Rose was happy and her star was shining down from heaven to prove it.

The End.

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