UNTIL I FOUND YOU
Chapter Twenty-Three

A week had passed since Jack and Rose’s misunderstanding. Ever since, the couple had been closer than ever. They talked about everything, from Rose’s nightmare to Jack’s guilt over his parents. George and Cillie were ecstatic that the young couple was back on good terms. Finally, everyone was happy and secure, no trouble in sight. Little did they know that trouble had just arrived in the form of a telegram addressed to Jack.

Everyone was on the porch, laughing and talking, generally enjoying the day, when the messenger arrived.

"Mr. Jack Dawson?" the boy stammered, stepping onto the porch, holding the telegram out in front of him.

"I am he." Jack grinned, stepping away from his wife, who stood just behind him, still giggling from the joke he had told just two minutes before.

"This is for you, sir." The boy handed the card to Jack and quickly scurried off the porch, not waiting for a tip.

"What does it say, Jack?" George asked, furrowing his brows. He wondered who Jack knew that would send a message like this.

Jack shrugged, and read, "I’m coming. Meet me at the train station in Eau Claire. I’ll be waiting."

"Who’ll be waiting?" Cillie frowned.

"I-I don’t know." Jack looked at Rose.

"Could it be someone you knew from your travels?" Rose asked, laying a hand on Jack’s shoulder.

"I don’t know." Jack looked at his wife.

"Jack, Cillie and I are heading inside. It’s getting kind of hot out here." George cleared his throat. "If you go and meet this person, let us know you’re leaving."

"Sure." Jack nodded, not looking up from the telegram.

"Jack…remember all the prostitutes you drew when you were in Paris?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. I remember."

"Could it be one of them?"

Jack frowned. "I don’t think so."

"How about the one-legged prostitute? I mean…are you sure there was no attraction there?"

Jack laughed at Rose’s suggestion. "Rose, I’m telling you, the only attraction was her hands. There was nothing else but friendship. But she did have a niece I had a fling with. Her name was Babette."

Rose made a face. "Babette?"

"Don’t judge her by her name, Rose. Sure, the name does need work, but besides being a prostitute, she was a good person."

Rose only laughed. "Sure. So, tell me about this…Babette."

"What do you want to know?" Jack took her hand and led her to the porch swing. He sat down and pulled her down onto his lap.

"How serious was this relationship of yours? Did she love you? Did you love her? Why are you with me now, and not her?" Rose asked, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Well, I can’t in good faith call those feelings love. They weren’t as profound or strong as love. I mean, I would never sneak up into first class for her or risk getting framed for her. Let’s call my feelings an infatuation. I was infatuated with her. I thought I was in love. I really did. But I know now I wasn’t. The things I’ve done for you and to be with you, Rose…I would never have done for her."

"Why did you two break up?"

"Her pimp said I was messing up business. Plus, he was mad because I wasn’t a paying customer. She had a choice. Her profession or me. She didn’t love me enough, so she chose her profession. I did tell her, though, that if she ever wanted to leave that lifestyle, to look me up in Chippewa Falls."

"Well, then, maybe the telegram’s from her," Rose suggested.

Jack shook his head. "Nah. Her pimp would never let her go. He didn’t then, and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t now."

*****

Meanwhile, at the train station in Eau Claire, a young woman with red hair and blue eyes stepped off a train. She looked at a worn piece of paper in her hand and wondered if her telegram had reached its destination. Well, all she had to do now was sit and wait. Surely he'd show up. He'd never let her down before.

*****

Curiosity getting the best of them, Jack and Rose decided to go to the train station and at least see if anyone was waiting for Jack. Jack took Rose, thinking that getting out of town for a bit would be good for her. Plus, if this was another woman, he wanted her to see that her trust was well invested.

"How do we know this person when we see them?" Rose asked, just receiving a shrug from Jack.

"I don’t know. So far, I’ve seen nobody I know." Jack tightly grasped his wife’s hand. Maybe this was just someone’s idea of a joke, making him come all the way out here for nothing. If this was so, he was going to have their heads.

"Jack!" a feminine voice called out from the crowd. "Jack Dawson! Over here!"

Rose turned to see a petite girl with red hair and blue eyes. She wasn’t dressed modestly at all. In fact, her mother would have called her scandalous.

"Oh, my God. It is her!" Jack shook his head in shock. He had never expected to see her again, much less in Chippewa Falls. "Babette!" He dragged Rose over to where the other woman stood. "I can’t believe it’s really you."

"Well, believe it, handsome. I’m here. Why are you so shocked? You invited me, remember? I do. You said right before you left, if you ever need a place to stay, just hop on a boat and a train to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and send a telegram to one Jack Dawson, and you'd come right out to pick me up."

"Well, you could have left your name. We had a time wondering who the sender of that telegram was. We might not liked to have come," Jack scolded, pulling out of the hug. Babette frowned. Jack wasn’t as affectionate as he had been when she last saw him. In fact, he seemed to be keeping himself at a distance.

"Sorry about that. But I was afraid that someone who knew Jacques would put two and two together. There’s not too many people named Babette." She pinched his cheek affectionately, hoping to get a more affectionate reply. But none came. Instead, he pulled away and wrapped an arm around an attractive woman…no, a girl, really…with red hair that swam down her back in waves and green eyes.

"Babette, there’s someone I’d like you to meet. Babette, this is Rose DeWitt Bukater Dawson. My wife. Rose, this is Babette."

"Hello. Jack’s told me so much about you." The girl politely smiled.

"You’re married?" Babette blinked back her shock. "Wow. When did that happen?"

"Not too long ago." Jack grinned. "Last April, in fact."

"Wow. I never thought you’d get married so early in life. Most men wait until they’re in their thirties or so. Wow. Oh, it’s a pleasure, Rose." Babette shook her hand. "Congratulations."

"So, shall we get back to the house now that we know who sent the telegram?" Jack grinned at both women.

"Ahem." Rose cleared her throat.

"What?" Jack looked at her, hoping she wasn’t thinking what he thought she was.

"Are we forgetting something?"

"Oh, come on, Rose. I don’t really have to say it, do I?"

"Jack, come on. You know how I love those three little words."

Jack rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Oh, all right. You were right."

"Huh?" Babette was confused.

"Rose thought the telegram came from you, but I was insisting that it didn’t." Jack smiled sheepishly.

"Never underestimate the intuition of a woman, Jack. I thought I’d taught you that by now." Babette wagged her finger at her former boyfriend.

"Some lessons are hard to learn, I guess." Jack laughed, wrapping an arm around each woman’s waist and leading them to the car.

*****

The trio found George and Cillie in the kitchen. Cillie was cooking a soufflé, and George was reading the paper. They both glanced up at the interruption.

"We’re back," Jack announced.

"We can see that." George got to his feet. "So, are you going to introduce us to your little friend here?"

"Babette, this is my cousin, George Dawson, and his wife, Cillie. George, Cillie, this is Babette, a friend of mine from Paris. She’s the one who sent the telegram."

"Ever heard of leaving a name?" Cillie arched a brow.

"Cillie! Don’t be rude!" George scolded his wife. "Welcome, Babette. Any friend of Jack’s is a friend of ours. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you like."

"Thank you. That’s very kind of you." Babette smiled uncomfortably.

Cillie frowned. She wasn’t happy at this at all. She looked at Rose, who was busy whispering in Jack’s ear, making him smile.

"Why don’t Jack and I go show you your room?" George offered his arm. Laughing, Babette accepted the offer.

"Are all men in America as well-mannered as you and Jack?"

"No. We do have our rotten apples, but there are plenty that are." George grinned, leading Babette out of the room with Jack lagging behind.

"Coming, Rose?" He turned back to his wife.

"She’ll be there in a minute, Jack. I need her in the kitchen for a second." Cillie smiled, grabbing her friend’s arm.

"Okay. Don’t be too long." Jack smiled at Rose before following Babette and George.

"So, what did you need me for, Cillie?" Rose asked curiously.

"I don’t like her."

"Who? Babette? Why?"

"Look at her, Rose. She’s after your husband! It’s so obvious!" Cillie hissed. "She could barely keep her eyes off him."

"Cillie…forgive me, but I think you’re reading too much into her. Babette doesn’t want Jack back, and even if she did, Jack would never do anything with her. I trust him. I know that I’m the only one Jack loves and wants to be with. He would never cheat on me."

"Rose…how can you be so sure?"

Rose shrugged. "I don’t know…I feel it, I guess. Jack’s a one-woman man."

Cillie sighed, shaking her head. "I hope you’re right, Rosie. For your sake, I hope you’re right."

*****

A full day had passed. Jack and Babette sat down in the parlor, just talking about the old times in Paris and laughing over old stunts.

"So, everyone’s great, huh? How’s Lisette?" Jack shifted position, getting tired of sitting.

"Okay. I mean, business has been slow lately. I mean, no one seems to want to sleep with a one-legged prostitute. But other than that, she’s fine. She misses you. Before I left, she said to me, tell young Jack don’t stay away too much longer. I’m in a mood for another modeling session. You sure did make her feel special, doing that for her, Jack. Yes, you did."

"Well, she was special. She was one of a kind. Besides, I had to capture those hands on paper."

"Where is that portrait now, Jack? I’d like to see it." Babette looked around for Jack’s famous portfolio and spotted it on the table. Before Jack could stop her, she picked up the new portfolio and glanced through it, looking for the pictures. She frowned. "Jack…what happened to all our pictures? The one of Belle, Lisette, Babyface, and me? You were so proud of those. Did Rose make you get rid of them?" She arched a brow.

"No, Babette. Rose didn’t make me get rid of them. In fact, it was thanks to those pictures that I have her with me now. She was astounded by my artistic talent when we first met." Jack smiled at the memory.

"Okay. Tell me what happened to them."

Jack sighed. "It’s a long story."

"So? I have plenty of time. Come on, Jack. Where are our drawings?" Babette insisted.

"They’re laying at the bottom of the North Atlantic. Are you happy now? You know." Jack got up and paced the room.

"What?"

"You want to know where Rose and I met? Do you?" He was aggravated now, and wanted to bombard her with the truth. "Well, we met on the Titanic. Yes, the Titanic!"

"Oh, my God…" Babette gasped, ashamed of how she had nagged. "Jack…you don’t have to tell me now. Not if you don’t want to. I’m sorry for my behavior earlier."

"Rose got me that one a while back. It was a wedding present, I do believe. She knew how much I missed sketching. She’s wonderful that way."

"It sounds like you really love her."

"I do. She’s everything to me. My entire life." Jack grinned. "I never thought I could feel that way about anyone, but I do. I’d die for Rose. Heck, I almost did. Well, enough about me for now. Tell me about you. How did you get away from Jacques?" He took his seat once again.

Babette swallowed. "I sneaked away. I had gotten tired of the life of the underworld. I wanted to live out in the open, be free to love. You know from firsthand experience that Jacques didn’t allow his girls to be involved in relationships, not serious ones, anyway. That’s why he ran you off. He thought you were taking away from business."

"I know. So, what happened?"

Babette smiled. "I fell in love. Oh, Jack you would have liked him. He had curly blond hair and brown eyes. They sparkled when he smiled. And he could sing--oh, could he sing, Jack! He put the nightingales to shame. And most of all…he loves me. He really loves me. He even took Jacques on for me. No one had ever done that for me before, Jack! Not even you…no offense."

"None taken." Jack laughed. "So, what’s this Romeo’s name?"

"Philippe. Isn’t that the most beautiful name you ever heard?"

Jack had to smile. He was happy to see Babette in love. He was worried that she thought that the fling they had was serious. He was glad to find the opposite true. "So, tell me, why are you here and not with Philippe?"

"Jacques." Babette sighed. "He threatened us. He told us to end the relationship or he'd have Philippe killed for messing with his property. So we ran away. Philippe thought it wise if we split up. Just in case Jacques followed us. So once we reached New York, he headed for Kentucky to stay with relatives, and I headed here. He, of course, knows I’m here. I told him I had a friend in Chippewa Falls who offered to take me in one time. That maybe the offer was still standing. And if it wasn’t, I’d write."

"So, when are you two going to hook back up?"

"In three months. We should know by then if Jacques came after us or not. Oh, Jack, I’m so scared. I’m afraid that Jacques will find Philippe and kill him! That I’ll never see him again!" Babette burst into renewed tears, her shoulders shaking with each sob. His heart going out to his friend, Jack pulled her into a comforting hug.

"Shh, Babette. It’ll be all right. Philippe will be fine. In three months, he’s going to walk through that door, ready to start a family with you. I’m sure of it."

"How do you know that, Jack?"

"Because after all the misery that Rose and I have been through with our love intact, I know for a fact that love can make it through anything." Jack laughed as he pulled away from her. "I mean, at least you don’t have to go through class barriers, disapproving mothers, evil fiancés, their just as evil menservants, and a sinking ship just to be together, and then almost dying in below freezing waters on top of that. So, really, you two have it made."

Babette’s expression was one of shock and awe, and then she laughed. "Jack Dawson, you are quite a guy. Rose is a lucky girl to have found you." She threw her arms around his neck in a friendly hug, and that was what Cillie walked in on.

"Excuse me." Cillie cleared her throat. "Am I interrupting something here?"

"No." Jack pulled away from the hug. "Babette and I were just talking about old times."

"I bet you were." Cillie frowned. "Jack, dear, I think Rose is looking for you. She seemed pretty…I don’t know…in a mood."

Jack’s face lit up, and then he looked at Babette. "I guess I’d better go find her. You’ll be okay here by yourself?"

"I’ll be fine. Go and be with your pretty wife." Babette waved him away. Jack only nodded once and headed out the door.

"So, you and Jack are friends, huh?" Cillie began straightening up a nearby desk.

"Best friends." Babette smiled, thinking that she had never had a legitimate best friend before, but after all that Jack was doing for her, that was what he was. Her best friend.

"So, that’s your only interest in my cousin-in-law? Best friends?"

"Cillie, what are you getting at here? I know you don’t like me. You made that quite obvious earlier. So, why don’t you just stop beating around the bush and tell me what’s really on your mind."

"Okay. Fine. I like Rose. I care about her a lot, and she and Jack have been through too much just to have you come here and ruin it!"

"I’m not trying to ruin anything." Babette frowned. "Jack and I are just friends."

"Probably on Jack’s side, yes. But you…I’m not so sure."

"Cillie, I don’t know where you get off, but…"

"Leave Jack alone. He’s a happily married man, and it’s going to stay that way. You got that?"

"Tell me, is Rose this insecure about Jack’s love for her that she has to send you to do her dirty work? Does Rose herself want me gone?" Babette crossed her arms. "Because if she does, all she has to do is say so."

"Excuse me. What’s going on in here? I heard you two shouting from outside." Rose entered the room, staring at the two women. Cillie had gotten pale and started looking uncomfortable, and Babette looked furious.

"Listen, Rose, if you don’t want me here, just say so and I’ll leave. There’s no need to send your messenger here." Babette got up out of the chair and started for the door, but Rose stopped her.

"Wait. What do you mean by that? I never said I didn’t want you here, and I never sent any messenger. What are you talking about?"

"Cillie here came in ranting and raving that I have designs on Jack, which I don’t. Now, I know for a fact, Rose, that Jack is deeply and madly in love with his wife. I would never try to come between that. Jack and I are only friends, and that’s it. There’s no reason for you to be insecure about that."

"Babette, listen. I am secure in that. I know that Jack loves me and would never do anything to hurt our marriage or me. I have complete faith and trust in him. I don’t know why Cillie said all those things to you, but they didn’t come from me. I have no problem with you and Jack being friends. In fact, I’m happy that you’re here. Jack does need a friend right now after the loss of Fabrizio…I’m sorry if your feelings were hurt or if you were made to feel that you weren’t welcome here, because you are."

"Thank you, Rose." Babette sighed. "I see why Jack loves you so much. You are a good person."

"Hey, there you are!" Jack came downstairs, not looking too happy. "Cillie told me you wanted to see me, saying you were in a mood?"

"This is the first time I’ve seen Cillie in a couple of hours." Rose crossed her arms. "I just got back from town. We were out of bread."

"Oh. Is that so?" Jack looked at Cillie. "Cillie, why did you tell me that Rose wanted to see me when you hadn’t even seen her?"

"I think I hear George calling me." Cillie backed out of the room before anyone could catch up with her.

"Your cousin-in-law has a problem, Jack." Babette looked at the spot where Cillie had once stood.

"I’ll have a talk with her, but right now inspiration has struck. How about the three of us go down to the lake, and you two can pose for me? Fully clothed, of course. They’d run us out of town otherwise." Jack grinned, picking up his portfolio.

"Now, that’s an idea I like." Babette smiled, grabbing her sweater.

Chapter Twenty-Four
Stories