Chapter 6

"Jack?" Rose gasped. "Is that you?"

Jack stared at the woman in front of him, unsure of what to do. "Um, yes. It's me."

She stood for a few more moments before suddenly throwing herself into Jack's arms. Her sudden outburst took him by surprise but he luckily he caught her as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face into his shoulders. Jack lifted his eyes and stared past the red hair that was almost covering his face. He looked up at the crowd that had gathered around him before his eyes finally landed on Costello who was standing with his eyes burning into Jack's, clearly not happy at the display of affection from his star performer. Sensing Costello's rage, Jack quickly pulled away from the young red head, still utterly confused about why she was so pleased to see him. He looked her over again and tried to place her. He couldn't work out how she knew him. He had never seen her before.

"Jack?" She spoke again. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

Jack continued to stare at her, although he could feel his cheeks growing redder and redder from the obvious attention that the pair were getting.

"Jackie?" Jacks thoughts were interrupted by a voice behind him. He turned and saw that Clarissa had now stood up. "Aren't you going to tell us how you know our young Rose?"

Jack was completely speechless. He turned back to Rose, who now had a small tear forming in her eye.

"Jack?" She said again. "What is the matter? Aren't you even going to talk to me?"

"Im sorry." Jack finally stuttered. "Its just..."

"Just what? After everything we've been through? I thought you were dead! And now that I find you here, you can't even speak to me?" Rose cried. "You know what, forget it. I cant believe this is the reaction I'm getting after everything thats happened, everything we had to deal with, all the running around, having to hide from everyone." Rose found herself ranting, her voice was raising drastically the more she spoke. Feeling frustrated, she pulled her cloak closer to her body, almost acting as a shield. She pulled the hood up over her head, hiding her flame coloured hair from the world and pushed past Jack and stormed towards the door. She threw it open and disappeared out into the night, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Jack stood for a few seconds before finally letting himself sit down on the stool behind him.

"You look like you could do with this." William stated, pushing the brandy glass towards Jack who gratefully lifted it and knocked the drink back down his throat.

"What was all that about Dawson?" Costello finally asked.

Jack sat for a moment before finally turning to face his boss. "I have no idea Sir. Ive never seen her before in my life."

...

Rose ran all the way home, rushing past people until she finally reached the run down boarding house she had been living at. She pushed the door open and ran quickly up the stairs, not even stopping to acknowledge Mrs Baxter. Finally getting to her door, she pushed the key into it and unlocked it. Rose closed the door and let her back fall against it and slid down until she finally reach the floor. Only then did she eventually allow herself to let the tears that had been threatening to fall to slide down her porcelain cheeks.

why did he act like that? Why did he act as though he didn't want anything to do with her?

Rose couldn't understand it at all. She had been unsure when she had read the paper that the man who had come out of his coma could be her Jack but then to see him at the bar, to be in such close proximity to him felt surreal. She had long since accepted she would never see him again but all of a sudden, he was there, in front of her. And then he was in her arms. His touch, his smell, it all came flooding back to her. That last night they spent together, wrapped up in each others arms in the back of the Renault. Rose had spent many a trip in one of those cars long before she met Jack but no trip had ever been as fun or exciting as the trip to the stars that she took with Jack. For the first time in her life, she had felt safe and secure lying naked in the back of the car and since then, since she had let Jack go and watched him sink down into the cold icy depths of the Atlantic, she had felt lost, lonely, and scared.

Rose finally looked up from the material of her dress which was now sodden. She wiped her eyes, smearing the cheap make up that covered her face. She eventually stood up and walked towards the small window which normally allowed some sunlight into her room. She pressed her forehead against the cold glass and sighed, staring out into the dark night. The streets were quietening down and the flames of the streetlights were slowly starting to die down. Rose stood for a few more minutes until a noise dragged her from her dream state. unsure of what it was, she listened for it again. There was silence for sometime until the noise came again and she realised it was a tap at the door. She walked slowly towards it, unsure if she even wanted to open it. she wasnt in the mood for guests. The tap came again, slightly louder this time and Rose eventually placed her hand on the handle. She pushed it down slowly and pulled the door open, just enough to allow her to peer out into the dimly lit hall. She lifted her eyes up the figure standing in front of her and took a sharp intake of breath when her eyes landed on Jack's.