1 The lifeboat had finally come to the rescue. Rose had no more strength left in her to move. She shivered, numb with the freezing air, soaked to the skin from the cold Atlantic. Tears stung her eyes as she stared into the deep sea below where Jack had fallen in. The whistle fell from her lips. She could no longer hear the screaming and wailing of dying people.

An officer in the lifeboat called out to her. Her ears weren't working properly at the time, so she could only hear his voice mumbling something. Then she felt herself being lifted up and set onto the hard wooden seats. A blanket was put about her shoulders, and she heard more slurred voices. She stared up into the sky, and remembered the promise she made to him.

All Rose felt was a deep sadness that he had died before she did, and now she would have to live on. The realization of this was to difficult for her to bear, but she knew she would have to remain strong. She stared at the sea they went through, travelling through the bodies of those who didn't survive.

"Where are we going?" She whispered, hoping her voice was loud enough, trying to hide the fear that gripped her, and closing her eyes to the floating graveyard.

"The Carpathia." the officer said, loud enough for her to hear.

Sure enough, a ship loomed up ahead. Not as big or grand like the Titanic, but it would keep her safe. She saw the people there, tiny dots from where she was, milling about. Maybe her family were on board. They would most likely want answers from her about her actions

She didn't want to face them again, but knew she had to. Rose watched as the ship loomed closer and closer. A ladder dropped down, and she had help climbing upward.

She couldn't remember how long she had been on the Carpathia, but she saw a statue up ahead, one that looked very familiar. The Statue of Liberty. The ship had arrived in America. She felt a few wet splatters on her hand, and it began raining. An officer came up to her with an umbrella.
"Can I get your name, love?" He asked.

"Rose... Dawson." She wanted to keep at least the memory of Jack alive.

When he left, she continued staring at the statue. The rain felt cool against her cheeks. She placed the blanket over her head when she saw her fiance walking by.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to be seen by him. Cal did appear slightly worried, moving through the crowd. Rose assumed he was searching for her.

She pulled the blanket closer together and turned away from him. She didn't love him, and had no desire to be in the same relationship. But, something within her made her want to see him again. She tried to shove the thought away. After all, Cal did try to kill her and Jack. However, Rose felt the need to speak to him. Turning around slowly, she saw him among the people, still searching.

Sighing, Rose let the blanket drop from her head. She excused herself as she pushed her way through the people. She thought of what to say.

"Cal..." She said out loud.

He stopped, and slowly turned around. He frowned for a moment..

"You're still alive?" He asked incredulously, "I thought you had drowned with that guttersnipe."

"I have no regrets about what I did, Cal." Rose said haughtily, holding her head high.

"There's one question that has been on my mind, ever since that blasted ship sank,"
Cal said, closing his eyes briefly, "why did you do it?"

'I thought you would have figured that out for yourself."

He clenched his fists slightly, unsure of how to respond to her sharp replies.

"No Rose, I haven't. All I saw was a stubborn and selfish girl who was difficult to understand."

"Then you truly don't understand," Rose replied, "all I wanted was some respect."

The words were barely out of her mouth when Cal exploded. "Respect! I gave you respect, I gave you everything your selfish heart could desire!"

She stumbled backward at the sound of his voice.

"Clearly, speaking to you was a mistake," Rose said, "I must go."

He caught her arm before she left.

"How dare you speak to me in that manner," He whispered harshly, "now I demand a proper explanation for your actions."

Rose looked up gratefully as her mother came along. She still wore the same hat. She frowned when she saw Rose, then her face quickly changed to worry. She walked up to Rose and took her arms just as Cal released her.

"Rose, I was so frantic with worry about you!" She said with alarm, but kept her voice low at the same time, "how could you do this to us?"

Rose could not think of a proper explanation.

"You shouldn't have run off like that," she said, "why must you be so difficult? On the ship too! Your behaviour was abominable, do you not care for our reputation?"

"I believe there is no reputation to uphold, Mother," Rose said, "once the ship sank, people lost everything, now everybody on the Carpathia is 3rd class, including us, and you will just have to accept that."

"Don't speak to me that way again." Her mother said firmly.

Her mother placed her hands on her face and seemed to be crying. She started to walk away, and hid herself in another room. Cal waited until her mother had completely left to speak, but paused for a moment, searching for something decent to say.

"I... I admit that I haven't been very fair to you, but that was no excuse to-" He broke off, his voice wavering a little in anger.

Rose quickly cut in. "Do you remember the story Jack told you about saving me from drowning?"

"What of it?"

"That night, I had rushed off, frustrated that nobody took me seriously, but Jack... he actually listened to me. I wanted adventure, something exciting-"

"And what is exciting to you, Rose?" Cal asked harshly, "wasn't the polite company enough? The dancing, the music?"

"While that was going on, I was supposed to sit still and just listen, just take everything in," Rose said trying to stop her voice from rising, "I got frustrated with doing that every bloody day!"

"Of course you were supposed to, that's what the first class does!" He said, gripping her shoulders, "we are better than those 3rd class citizens!"

"Excuse me? I have had the privilege of spending time with them thanks to Jack, I liked their music, I actually enjoyed myself for once."

Cal took her firmly by wrist and led her into a separate room, not wanting to create a scene. He shut the door behind him.

"I loved you Rose, that's what mattered to me, and now, I just don't know."

"Loved me so much that you tried to kill me and him?"

"I would rather have seen that boy dead, than see you betray me."

Rose glared at him, anger and resentment flooding through her like a tidal wave. "I no longer love you Cal, it's over between us."

He gripped the edge of a desk. So much anger, guilt, and sadness came over him, that he didn't know how to respond. How could she do this? He remained that way for a while, trying to control his feelings. Already he felt like using the gun again, whether to turn it on himself or fling it into the sea.

"Not to me." He said shakily.

Cal slowly made his way to the door. When the door shut behind him, Rose sat on the bed. She stared at the floor. She felt nothing for him but anger. If only she had found a way to rescue Jack, maybe he would have taken her away from all of this,