Hi everyone :) This is a modern take on Jack and Rose meeting, inspired by the songs "New" and "New & Approved" by No Doubt. I don't own the Titanic characters or the songs.

Enjoy and please leave a review! :)

She stunk of hairspray and cheap perfume, but her smell wasn't nearly as bad as the stench of liquor, sweat, and blood that hit her as she stepped into the club. The beefy bouncer at the front door hadn't noticed when she snuck in, crouching and scuttling past him like a crab. It seemed like a long hallway that led to the dance floor, but she marched through it, triumphant of her successful "break-in." A cracked mirror hanging on the wall caught her attention just before she reached the crowd; she stopped and puckered her fuchsia lips, examining her outrageous, hot pink eye-makeup and thick, red hair. It had taken her nearly two hours to straighten her curly locks, and she prayed to the heavens that it wouldn't frizz up and ruin her hard work.

Satisfied with her appearance, she tugged down her lavender tank top to reveal just a hint of cleavage and stepped onto the floor, amongst the sweaty dancers. At first, her heart pounded not from excitement, but from fear—would one of these people notice that she was only seventeen and call a bouncer to escort her out? After a few minutes, she realized that no one gave a damn; they were either too stoned, too drunk, or having too much fun to pay attention to a rebellious teenager that wasn't supposed to be spending a Friday night in a club.

She treated herself to a shot of whiskey to loosen up and traipsed to the middle of the dance floor, underneath the blindingly bright strobe lights, and threw her arms in the air, swinging her hips from side to side. The beat of the music, a fast-paced techno song, vibrated throughout her body, sinking deep into her skin and filling her with happiness—or was she just tipsy?—as she made her way around the floor, getting close to people but not close enough to smell the alcohol on their breath. Right now, she didn't care that her parents would probably wake up to the sounds of her sneaking in through her bedroom window and maybe even slap her across the face; she could deal with that in a few hours. Right now, she was focused on having a good time and escaping her uneventful life for only a little while.

The music changed to a rap-metal song, and she stepped off the floor for a second to catch her breath. Her hand reached forward and snatched another shot glass off a table, bringing it to her lips. Her face contorted into an expression of disgust at the taste, and she threw the glass to her right. It crashed into the wall and shattered, but no one noticed it above the noise of the song.

The club was dark except for the colorful lights flashing across the walls; despite that, she could still see the puddles of liquor on the floor and the fornicating couples hiding in the corners. She wrinkled her nose—shouldn't that be done at home or a hotel? Then again, this was her first time at a real club, she reminded herself, so maybe this was a common act.

As she stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching people while she regained her energy, fingers brushed her own. Her head snapped to the left, her eyes catching sight of a smirking man only a foot away from her. He looked young—maybe late teens, early twenties—with slicked-back blonde hair and blue eyes gleaming from adrenaline instead of drunkenness. His t-shirt, minus the sleeves where it was evident that they had been ripped off, hung loosely on his thin frame, and it was too dark for her to see the details of the lower half of his body. She stared at him curiously; what did he want with her?

In one stride, he was standing beside her, leaning close to her face. His lips lightly touched the lobe of her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"You're cute."

She could feel the color rising in her cheeks as she watched him lean back and smile devilishly at her; what did he want from her?

"Thanks?"

His hand abruptly grabbed hers, his palm warm against her own. "What's your name?"

His voice was faint against the loud music, but she was able to make out his words. "Um…Rose."

"I'm Jack." He winked at her, squeezing her hand. "Can I dance with you?"

She gave him a brisk nod, and he led her back onto the dance floor, pulling her close to him as they began to move to the beat. The music playing was a mix of rock and techno, a remix to a song that she thought she knew.

"Don't let it go away, this feeling has got to stay, and I can't believe I've had this chance now…"

"Rose…"

For some reason, the way her name sounded when he spoke it made her skin tingle. Even in the darkness, she could tell he was the most handsome thing she'd ever seen.

"Yeah?"

He said nothing in response, instead snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her as close to him as she could get. She gasped in delight, her hands flying up to his chest as her breath caught in her throat. She had been with a fair share of boys before, but this was a new feeling entirely…

"Oh, you're different, different from the former… Like a fresh battery, I'm energized by you…"

"Jack," she whispered, almost silently; somehow he heard her and focused his sparkling eyes on her face, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Hm?"

"I…"

"You, you're so new… You, you're new… And I've never had this taste in my past…"

He eased his face closer to her, allowing her a few moments to prepare herself for the inevitable. His soft lips finally met hers, and she could've sworn she had taken off and was flying. The blood underneath her skin pumped through her veins, coursing throughout her body as her heart thumped wildly. She could feel her body go limp against his; he deepened their kiss, his tongue brushing her lower lip and erasing any thoughts she had in her head.

As the song came to an end, he pulled away from her, leaving her with a shocked expression.

"Was that not okay?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but struggled to form a coherent sentence; she sputtered child-like sounds, her cheeks bright pink in embarrassment. A laugh escaped his lips, and his fingers tangled themselves in her scarlet hair, driving her even crazier.

"N-no, that was… Amazing…"

His hands found both of hers and detached them from his chest. "Come with me."

She knew at that moment that she would do anything he asked her to, no matter how dramatic it was. She didn't know anything about this guy except his name; he could've been an axe murderer or a nerd, she couldn't tell.

But what she did know was that he gave her feelings she had never knew existed.

He led her off the dance floor and down a back hallway. The noise of the loud music and the shouting people became quieter and quieter the farther they went, but her heart continued to pound the whole way. Where was he taking her?

She almost didn't care.

He approached a backdoor and threw it open, stepping outside into the cool air and making sure she was still with him. The look in his eyes didn't scream "evil"; instead, it was comforting, almost loving.

Did he really like her, or was she just imagining everything? Maybe she was really at home right now; maybe she had fallen asleep while she was waiting for it to be dark enough to sneak out unnoticed, and she was dreaming that she went to the club and kissed someone named Jack.

Something told her otherwise.

They walked through the parking lot behind the club. She felt no fear or panic, only peace. She would've followed him anywhere.

She knew if anyone was watching her at this moment, they would've screamed at her to run away, they would've screamed at her to not get in this guy's car; but she did anyway. She knew this was absolutely crazy, but she couldn't bring herself to leave; she didn't even want to.

Was this what they meant by love at first sight? If so, then she was head over heels for him.

His car peeled out of the parking lot and raced down the empty highway, the clock on the radio blinking 1:42 AM. She had promised herself she'd be home by one, but it didn't matter now. They were silent as he drove, until he suddenly made a sharp right turn off-road.

She gasped again, her hand flying up to her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut. He kept his cool; he knew exactly what he was doing and where he was going. The car came to a gentle stop, and she felt his hand on her knee.

"Open your eyes."

Hesitantly she obeyed, turning her head toward him. The smile on his face was radiant.

"Look out there." He pointed to the glass, and she lifted her eyes toward his finger.

The car was parked at the edge of a cliff overlooking the beach; the big, silver moon beamed down on the calm ocean waters, the waves low and rare. Her mouth fell open in surprise, and he snickered.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? It's my favorite place." He gripped her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it.

This night was just like a dream.

She turned her face to him, and he leaned forward to give her a kiss more passionate than the first one they shared. Her heart fluttered in her chest like it had wings; her stomach rapidly filled with butterflies, and she struggled to keep from going limp again. His kiss made her melt like ice under the sun, and she loved every second of it.

As he removed his lips from hers, he couldn't help the smile that broke across his face. "Can I see you again?"

"Absolutely."


The sudden flood of light woke her up and nearly blinded her as her eyes flew open.

"My God, Rose, what happened to you? Why are you dressed like that?"

She propped herself up on her elbow, battling the drowsiness threatening to overtake her, and stared at her mother as she stood in the doorway of her bedroom. "What?"

"Your clothes! You're not even tucked in bed!"

She glanced down and groaned quietly. Her mother was right; her body was sprawled out on her neatly-made bed, and she was still dressed in the lavender tank top, black jeans, and ballet flats she had worn the night before.

"Rose, did you sneak out again last night?"

She shrugged sleepily, too tired to deal with her loud mother. She disappeared from the doorway with an exasperated scream, and Rose forced herself to get out of bed and find a mirror. Her makeup was smeared halfway down her face; her hair was frizzy and returning to its naturally curly state; her lip gloss covered not only her mouth, but also her chin and part of her cheek.

In short, she looked a mess.

She lifted her arms to stretch, her mouth opening in a yawn. How did she get home…?

The memory slowly returned to her; Jack had driven her home around three, promised he'd visit her, and made sure she made it inside her bedroom before he drove away. The clock resting on her nightstand said it was noon, but she was still exhausted. A flash of black outside her window caught her attention, and she rushed over to it to peer out to her front yard.

An ebony Mustang sat in front of her mailbox, the passenger window rolled down and a head covered in blonde hair sticking out of it.

It was Jack.

I think I will keep this as a oneshot, but if I get enough positive feedback, I might make it a full fic :)