Ch. 1: The Carpathia (Rose's POV)
To describe the state that she was in, Rose was numb. She had just lost everything with the Titanic; most importantly she lost the love of her life. Part of her wanted to die with Jack, but she remembered the promise she had made him. That promise was the only reason why she went after that whistle to get the lifeboat's attention. It was almost daybreak, when another ship came into the horizon. The officer who rescued her grabbed a flare to get the attention of the ship. As the lifeboat got closer to the ship, she could make out the bright bold words "Carpathia".
She is so numb that when she comes onboard the rescue ship, she is barely able to stand. Kind strangers drape more blankets onto her numb body, and she is given a cup of hot tea. She ends up draping one of the blankets over her flat curls.
Rose makes her way to the stern; after everything she went through she feels that she belongs more with the third class passengers. She has no plans to return back to first class. Her heart is still reeling…she can't believe that Jack is gone. She can hardly believe how quickly she fell in love with Jack Dawson since they had only known each other those short three days. But it was the truest love that she had ever known; one that she will treasure for the rest of her life. They should have had forever; they should be together making plans for the next step of their lives. Would they have gotten married? Rose shook that thought from her head; she had no doubt in her heart that Jack would have married her if he had survived. Deep in her soul, she knew a part of her would never stop loving Jack until the day that she died.
Late afternoon, the deck becomes crowded with Titanic survivors; the majority out on the deck is third class passengers. Rose still has her blanket over her head, when she hears a steward talking to a first class passenger. She hears the steward say "You won't find any of your people here, sir. It's all steerage."
Rose is curious, and slightly turns to see that it is Cal. She is devastated to see that Cal survived. It is so unfair…why did a kind soul like Jack had to die and a bastard like Cal survived? She has nothing but hate for Cal now. Her mind is made up…after everything that her and Jack went through to be together it would be a slap to Jack's memory if she returned to her old life. She tightens the blanket around her hair so Cal wouldn't see her. Cal walks along the deck searching among the sad faces, when she suddenly hears him say "Rose!"
Cal is not that far away from her, and she really thinks that he had found her. But he grabs a woman with similar red hair. He is shocked seeing that the woman is not her, and walks away from the woman with a look that has a mixture of regret and sorrow.
Rose is relieved when Cal finally walks away and makes his way back to first class. She feels slightly guilty making Cal and her mother believe that she is dead. But she is going to keep her promise to Jack that she will live her life. She was surprised seeing Cal like that; he had never shown his emotions like that before. He looked like a man with regrets, but it wouldn't change her mind. Any love that she had for Cal was long gone. Maybe a small part of Cal did actually love her, but she could not forgive what he did during the sinking. Cal never had treated her like the woman he loved; he just treated her as a trophy that he could show off to his high society friends. Maybe with her "death" Cal will learn that love has to be earned and cannot be bought.
The rest of the voyage, Rose spends the majority of her time on the deck with the third class passengers or in the third class dining saloon. She sticks to the third class areas and avoids first class like the plague. Unfortunately all of Jack's third class friends did not survive. It would have been nice to see a friendly face, and it broke her heart that all those good people died. Part of her seriously considered trying to find Molly Brown, the only down-to-earth first class person she actually liked, but it would be too risky.
It was nighttime when the Carpathia finally arrived in New York. Rose was out on the deck despite that it was raining. She stared at the Statue of Liberty; a symbol of freedom. A young officer walked up to her with a clipboard and kindly asked, "Can I take your name please, love?" Rose turned and replied, "Dawson. Rose Dawson." The officer nodded and wrote her name down on the list.
Rose now felt a sense of peace. It felt right taking Jack's last name. It was not only a perfect way to remain hidden from her mother and Cal, but to honor Jack and the life they would have made together. Rose Dewitt-Bukater died with the Titanic; now as Rose Dawson she was ready to live her life.
Rose decides to head back inside, when she feel something bump against her leg. She reaches into one of the pockets of the coat she is wearing, and finds the Heart of the Ocean. She can't believe that the diamond survived the sinking, and quickly puts the diamond back into her pocket. She suddenly remembers that the coat she is wearing was the one Cal put on her at the lifeboats! It didn't surprise her that Cal tried to save the diamond, but thought it was funny that he unintentionally gave the diamond to her. Well it was supposed to be his engagement gift to her, so it made sense that she would now be the owner of the blasted necklace. She could sell it and be set for life…but something stopped her. If she tried to sell it, that would give Cal a clue that she was still alive. It also meant that she was accepting his money once again. She found some money in the other pocket, and decided she would use that for room and board once the ship docked. She would find a job and make her own way. Maybe she could fulfill her dreams of becoming an actress; the world was now full of possibilities for her.
I got inspired when I heard the song "Forever" by Rascal Flatts. I thought it fit perfectly with Titanic's theme and it's my first attempt to write an original Titanic story on my own. I usually write short stories based on the movie, trying to get into the head of the characters. I plan on switching between Rose and Cal's point of view and how they deal with the aftermath of the sinking. I'm a little nervous on writing this, so please don't be afraid to give me constructive criticism if I start to make them too out of character.