Rose sat at the large dining room table twiddling her thumbs nervously, she bit her tongue to keep from laughing as she could almost here her mother chastising her.
She shook the thought from her head and forced herself to focus on the task at hand. She was sitting at the large mahogany table in Molly Brown's dining room. Across from her, clutching a china doll, was Madeleine. Staring at her with curious, she'd even go so far as to describe them as suspicious, eyes
They'd been sitting like that for ten minutes at Molly's insistence that the pair get to know each other after an exhausted Jack had fallen back a sleep.
She still couldn't get her head around the notion that he had a daughter an adopted daughter, but a daughter nonetheless. A daughter who completely relied on him, and was judging by the look on her face, a quintessential Daddy's girl who was not taking kindly to Rose's sudden intrusion.
"Who are you?" she finally asked, her eyes narrowed in a way that would have been rather funny if it hadn't been so terrifying. This was ridiculous. She had been raised by Ruth DeWitt Bukater for pete's sake, one of the most intimidating women in Philadelphia's society and she was letting herself be intimidated by a six year old?
"I'm Rose, a friend of your daddy's"
Maddie regarded her for several moments before nodding resolutely "Will you take me for ice cream?"
Rose blinked "Uh sure, if its okay with Molly?" she glanced at Molly, who'd been watching the exchange from the doorway, who nodded "Sounds like a good idea to me. Just make sure you wrap up warm, its cold outside"
"Okay!" she jumped down from the table and ran towards her bedroom, leaving a stunned Rose behind.
000
An hour later the pair were sat in an ice cream store sharing a sundae "Do you love my daddy?"
Rose paused the spoon half way to her mouth "Yes, I do. Very much."
Maddie nodded "Good. I do too. I really want him to get better"
"I'm sure he will sweetie" Rose smiled softly, desperately searching for a way to ease the tension her eyes roamed the room before they landed on the doll laying in the little girl's lap that she'd yet to see her go anywhere without
"That's a pretty doll. Does she have a name?"
Maddie nodded "Sarah. Daddy picked it, said it fit because I'm princess. He got it for me before he went to war and said that I was ever sad all I had to do was hug her and she'd get the message to him"
Rose couldn't help but smile that sounded like something Jack would say. "Well he's right, you are a princess"
Maddie blushed "Thank you, you're really pretty"
Now it was Rose's turn to blush and the two exchanged a smile before focusing on their ice creams again, neither sure what to say.
0000
Maddie burst into Molly's apartment practically bursting with excitement, although Rose feared it was from the sugar more than anything. At the same time Molly had come out of the kitchen carrying a tray of tea.
"Calm down child, what's got you so excited"
"Rose took me out for ice cream. Can I go see Daddy?"
Molly looked dubious "please Nana" she dragged the word please to twice its normal length and it seem to work for Molly soon relented.
"Be careful!" she called after her though she had already fled the room "Damn that child. Makes it impossible to say no"
Rose laughed as she hung her coat "She has you wrapped around her finger"
Molly rolled her eyes "and has done since the moment Jack brought her home. Just you wait she'll get you too"
Rose laughed again "is that for Jack?" she asked motioning towards the tray "Yes, could you give it to him for me? I'm running late"
Rose nodded and took the tray heading in the direction of Jack's room. Maddie was already there bouncing on her knees as she chatted excitedly
"Oh really? You and Rose went for ice cream?"
"Hu hu. I had a sundae it was really yummy!"
"I'll bet it was. So I'm guessing you didn't tell Rose about our sugar rule then?" Maddie shook her head "No, daddy"
"Didn't think so. And what is the sugar rule?"
"No sugar except on weekends 'cause it makes me hyper. Sorry daddy" she pressed a kiss to his cheek and ran out of the room.
"No running in the house!" Jack called after her, before breaking into a cough. Rose immediately went over to him and rubbed her hand soothingly over his back until the fit and fluffed his pillows before he lay back down.
"Sorry about the ice cream" she murmured sheepishly "she never said a thing"
Jack let out a laughing breath "don't worry about it. She's the master manipulator when she wants to be. I'll just let Molly try and put her to bed"
Now it was Rose's turn to laugh "Jack Dawson you are terrible. I'll put her to bed, its my fault"
"If you insist, but don't say I didn't warn you"
Rose rolled her eyes "how are you feeling?"
"Better" he reached over and squeezed her hand "Really"
"Good, that's good" she ducked her head avoiding his gaze "Hey, what is it?"
"Nothing it doesn't matter"
Jack sighed "It does matter Rose, you may not want to talk about it but it does matter"
"You have to get better Jack, you have to, I can't…."
"Hey, its okay" he had no idea where this was coming from, she'd seemed fine the past few days.
"No its not okay Jack. God nothing about this is okay. I mean think about it, we met, I abandoned my mother, you died, I met my husband, finally let myself be happy and then he died. I can't handle anymore Jack, if anything happens to you…"
She trailed off, her breath coming in short painful gasps as her hands moved up to her neck. Jack forced himself, with great difficulty, to sit up and grab her arm when she passed, making her stop short.
"Rose, I promise you, nothings going to happen to me" He tugged her arm, eventually coaxing her on to the bed. Her shoulders were still shaking with suppressed sobs as she struggled to hold herself together.
Gently, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her shaking body to his, resting her head on his shoulder "Let it out" he whispered running his hands over her hair "just let it all out".
Finally she did. It flowed out of her like a burst dam, as she finally let go of months, years, of anguish that had been building up inside of her.
Eventually, neither of them knew how long, the sobs subsided and her breathing regulated somewhat but she made no move to get up.
Jack kissed her forehead tenderly and craned his neck so he could see her face "Feel better?"
Rose nodded and moved to sit up, attempting to brush the remnants of tears from her cheeks "Good" he reached up and brushed her cheek with his thumb. She looked like she wanted to say something but stopped when Maddie ran into the room now dressed in her pyjamas carrying her favourite blanket and doll.
She ran to the bed but stopped short when she saw Rose "Daddy, why is Rose crying"
Rose opened her mouth to deny it but Jack got their before her "She's just feeling a little sad sweetie, why don't you give her a hug to make her feel better"
Maddie nodded and jumped up on the bed, resting on her knees in front of Rose and threw her arms around her shoulders, squeezing with all her might. Rose sat stunned for a moment, looking at Jack who smiled encouragingly. Slowly she wrapped her arms around the girl's shoulders and returned the hug, inhaling deeply.
"Don't be sad Rose" Maddie whispered and Rose's heart melted in her chest "Oh sweetie I'm not sad , not anymore. Now c'mon lets get you into bed" she moved off the bed and pulled Maddie into her arms resting her on her hip "you're still in big trouble for not telling me about the ice cream young lady"
