Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own anything Titanic. Happy reading!

Chapter Six

First Day on the Job

May, 5, 1912

Millions of stars were shining over the dark velvet sky as over a thousand people were left floating on the freezing depths of the North Atlantic; the majority were already dead while there were still others barely surviving. Rose was lying on a piece of driftwood and clutched onto Jack's hand while she softly sang 'their' song. She seemed completely oblivious to the world surrounding her until she felt a beaming light hit the side of her face. She turned to face the direction in which it came from and caught sight of a lifeboat searching for survivors.

A tiny smile formed at the corner of her lips as she reached over and gently shook his arm, hoping to wake him from his slumber. Not even a second later, she turned to face him and noticed just how peaceful he looked when he was asleep; she was almost hesitant on waking him but knew that she had no other choice.

"Jack," she whispered with a tender smile.

There was no response. Rose took a quick look over at the lifeboat and found that it was rowing closer to where they were. She instantly turned her attention to Jack and proceeded to call out to him.

"Jack," she repeated, slightly louder than before. She glanced down at him and realized that he was not moving. "Jack, there's a boat . . ." a hint of hope was heard in her voice, soon followed by a twinge of worry. "Jack . . . Jack," tears were blurring her vision and pretty soon, she felt one slide down her cheek. Her heart began to break in two when the realization finally hit her hard; he was not waking up. Even so, she continued to call out to him. "Jack . . . JACK . . . Jack . . . there's a boat, Jack . . . Jack?"

She stared down at his peaceful face, knowing that she would never look into those beautiful blue eyes again. She took a quick glance over at the lifeboat and found that it was now rowing farther away from her, thus making Rose lose any ounce of hope she once had in being rescued. She let out a silent sob and gently rested her head over their clutched hands while she closed her eyes, ready to join him in the afterworld.

Not even a moment has passed when her eyes suddenly shot open, having just remembered her promise to him. However, upon lifting her head, she noticed that everything around her disappeared — including Jack. She was standing in an empty white room which no means of escape to it. Her breathing became heavy as she looked around in a panic, wanting to find a way out. All of a sudden, the room began filling up with hundreds of people who automatically began murmuring incomprehensive words to one another while there were others crying, screaming, and laughing which brought total chaos to the crowded room. Rose kept on looking around, desperately trying to find a way out while she started to call out to the one person who brought her total comfort.

"Jack!"

Her voice seemed to have bounced off the walls in a low echo and the crowd kept on growing bigger; no one seemed to have noticed her, which made Rose feel all the more isolated and claustrophobic.

"Jack! Where are you?"

Once again, her voice echoed. She looked around her and noticed that every single person was engaged into a deep conversation while the rest of the crowd proceeded to make any ounce of noise that would come out of their mouths. Rose felt as if they did not hear her, despite her constant screaming. She was literally standing in the middle of a crowded room, screaming and crying, yet no one looked and no one cared — or even noticed her. Tears were streaming down her face when she fell to the floor and sobbed in agony; she wanted him to save her like he did so many times before, but she was left alone accompanied only by her pessimistic thoughts and a broken heart. She looked up at the ceiling and mustered up enough strength scream as the walls were beginning to close in on her.

"JACK!"

"Jack . . . no, please, Jack . . ." tears were sliding down her cheeks, yet her eyes were still closed. She kept on tossing and turning under Jack's tender embrace while her breathing became irregular. "Jack, where are you? Jack? Jack!"

Jack let out a slight groan and opened his eyes when he felt Rose squirming in his arms. He heard her constantly call out his name and asking where he was, when he clearly was beside her. He sat up a bit and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before he reached over and attempted to wake her.

"Rose," he mumbled as he watched more tears slip down her cheeks; he could not bear to see her cry, even in this time of night. "Rose, I'm right here . . ." his voice became stronger after a few moments while he gave her another gentle, yet firm shake. "Rose, wake up!"

Despite his efforts, she continued to call his name out in despair, which only caused for him to become even more worried than he already was.

"Rose," he said a little louder than before while he reached his hand over and softly caressed her cheek.

The sound of his voice finally caused for her to awaken from her horrible nightmare. She instantly sat upright and let out a startled gasp as she placed her trembling hands over her sweaty forehead. Her heart was beating so fast that she was beginning to think it would burst within any given moment. A glimmer of fear was shining through her eyes when she turned to face the man who sat beside her. The fear that overcame her emotions earlier soon vanished and was replaced by the glow of relief.

"Jack," she whispered while she gently caressed his face. "You're here . . ."

"Of course I'm here," Jack said, partly confused. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," she admitted before she lowered her head. "I guess it all was just a nightmare."

Jack instantly pulled her into his arms and threaded his fingers through her soft curls. "Don't worry," he breathed with tenderness. "Everything's all right now."

Rose clutched onto his shirt and listened to the sound of his heart beating, which managed to comfort her from her sudden fright. She felt a few tears roll down her tears when she lifted her head and stared into his piercing blue eyes, knowing that she was lucky to have him in her life. She traced the outline of his jaw with her finger before leaning over to kiss him. When they pulled apart a moment later, she lightly pressed her forehead against his and closed her eyes, wanting to cherish this precious moment for as long as she possibly could.

"Are you okay?" he asked after they spent the past several moments in silence.

She mustered up a smile and nodded her head in reassurance. "Yes, I'm better now," she said. "Thank you."

He smiled tenderly while he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he said.

"I love you too," she whispered as she leaned against his embrace and kept her arms wrapped around him. "More than you could possibly know."

He pulled back slightly and lifted her chin so that he could gaze into her eyes before he gave her yet another kiss that filled both of their hearts with immense passion. Momentarily, the two broke from their kiss and held each other into a loving embrace where they soon feel into a dreamless slumber, waiting for the new day to begin.

The sunshine crept through the window of the small bedroom and gleamed over the two lovers that slept on the worn out mattress. It was only a matter of moments when Rose finally awoke from her slumber, shielding her eyes from the bright sunrays. Once she managed to get her vision focused, she turned and found that the love of her life was still fast asleep. She gently brushed her fingertips over his cheek while the corner of her lips curved into a soft smile. She spent the next five minutes lying in bed before she finally got up and took her waitress uniform, knowing that she has to leave for work within the next hour. She also grabbed a few other necessities before she stepped out of the bedroom and quietly left the apartment where she made her way into the bathroom.

She instantly locked the door behind her and draped her clothes over the small stool that was placed at the side as she began to prepare her morning bath. She spent the next fifteen minutes cleansing herself before she got out and dressed herself into the uniform, finding that it fit perfectly. She smoothed out the skirt of her dress and gazed at her reflection in the mirror while a twinge of nervousness glimmered over her green-blue eyes.

Today was her very first day working and she really did not want to mess anything up. She had to prove to herself that she could survive in this life, even if it was the complete opposite of what she was so used to. She did not want to be treated as if she were a child, incapable of doing anything but obeying orders; she had more to live for than just by constantly looking beautiful. She had stronger ambitions to reach for that her past life would not allow. She wanted to see the world, to live life as it should be lived, and to finally accomplish her dream of becoming an actress. Before, all that seemed so far away but now, thanks to Jack, all she had wished for in her past life could possibly come true.

She picked up her brush and began running the teeth through her hair, smoothing out her tousled curls. Once she was through, she set the brush down and began to apply a touch of color to her lips. Nearly five minutes has passed by when she finally finished and after having made sure that everything was properly set, she grabbed her things and opened up the bathroom door. She then noticed that someone waited rather impatiently and stared down at her with annoyance. Rose gave him a shy smile and brushed past him where she rushed into her apartment and closed the door behind her. She let out a sigh and walked into the bedroom where she tossed her things on the chair before she slipped into her work shoes.

Rose then walked over to the dresser and ripped out a sheet from a small notepad that was placed in the top drawer. She grabbed a pen and began to scribble down a quick message before she headed over to Jack and placed it beside him so that he would see it when he awakes. Shortly after that, she slipped out of the bedroom and left the apartment while she began walking directly over to Joe's Café. She could already feel her heart pounding with every step she took and only hoped that her first day would pass by smoothly.

It has been approximately ten minutes since Rose first left the apartment. Her previous worries concerning her first day working were soon forgotten when thoughts of becoming Jack's wife began to fill her mind. Nothing could possibly make her any more happier than she was, knowing that she would get the chance to spend the rest of her life with the one man she truly loved. She took a quick glance down at her left hand and caught a glimmer from the tiny diamonds that decorated the ring beautifully. It was a simple ring, but one she treasured with her life. The engagement ring Cal had given her was highly extravagant and possibly one of the most expensive rings he could find. It never did impress her; it only gave her a daily reminder that she was to step into eternal misery by becoming Caledon Hockley's wife; thankfully, all that has changed when she first met Jack.

She was so engrossed within her thoughts that she nearly missed the café. She casually walked over to the entrance door and pulled it open where she found that the small café was empty, aside from the other waitress who also worked here. She checked the clock that hung over the wall and found that it was approximately a quarter to nine in the morning. She let out a confident sigh and finally stepped in as she made her way over to Joseph's office and gave the door a few swift knocks.

"Come in!" came Joseph's muffled voice from the opposite side of the door.

Rose reached her hand over and gave the doorknob a firm twist before pushing the door open, revealing her new boss who sat behind a desk cluttered with piles of paperwork.

"Rose," Joseph greeted with a beaming smile. "It's so nice to see you. Please, do come in."

She did as he said and smiled shyly. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she said.

"Oh, no, of course not," he reassured her.

"Good," she said, smiling. "Um, I was wondering . . . where should I begin?"

"Oh . . . well, all you have to do is simply take the customer's orders and give them to Sylvia," he said. "She will take care of it."

"All right," she said with a brief nod. "Is there anything else?"

"Sylvia will be sure to tell you whatever you need to know," he said.

"Thank you, Mr. Calvert," she smiled politely while she tucked a loose curl behind her ear.

"No need to be formal with me, Rose," he said. "Please, just call me Joe; everyone else does. Besides, Mr. Calvert is my father."

"All right, Joe," she said.

"Good," he said. "Well, you run along now. I'll be here if you need me."

"Okay," she smiled casually and walked over to the door. "Thank you."

After having said that, she stepped out of the office and closed the door behind her. She then made her way over to the counter and found that the woman she saw earlier has just finished cleaning out the counter.

Upon having noticed her presence, the woman tossed the cloth in the sink and smiled at her. "Hello," she said. "I'm Sylvia Watson."

"Rose," she said as she shook her hand in greeting. "Rose Dawson."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rose," Sylvia replied with a grin.

Sylvia appeared to have been around her age or possibly a year older. The beautiful brunette stood to be around the same height as her and even had the same wild curls that she did. By having gazed into her warm brown eyes, Rose automatically knew that this was a beginning of a brand new friendship.

"Same here," she said, smiling.

"Well, the customers aren't going to arrive until another hour or so," Sylvia began. "Would you mind helping me clean out the tables? I sure could use a second hand."

"Of course," Rose said as she walked over to the sink where she retrieved a damp cloth. "That's what I'm here for, isn't it?"

Sylvia just smiled and continued on with her line of work. Rose, on the other hand, walked over to the set of tables that were available and began wiping the small hint of dust off of the surface. As she was doing so, her thoughts drifted off into another world. She was still rather amazed on how quick her life has changed from the moment she first boarded the Titanic. She started off as a rich debutante who was engaged to one of the most eligible bachelors in all of Philadelphia, only to end up becoming a part of the lower class who was engaged to the man she loved the most. She knew that if her Mother saw her right now, she would be incredibly appalled. Her Mother would never understand her reason for choosing this life and most definitely, she would not accept it. All her Mother cared for was financial security; she was born and raised in a rich family. She simply did not have the strength or the willpower to live in a life that was below the upper class status. Rose could only hope for the best when it came to her Mother because she knew that Cal would not support her for long; it would only be a matter of time when he would kick her out in the streets.

Rose instantly shook the thought out of her mind and concentrated more on cleaning out the tables. Upon doing so, she caught sight of her engagement ring and could barely resist the smile that was glowing on her face. Her life was finally taking the path she had wanted to follow throughout her whole life. This time, no one would be able to alter her direction; not her Mother and definitely not Cal. She was going to marry Jack and spend every waking moment with him. She was going to fulfill her longtime dream of becoming an actress and maybe someday, she was going to be the Mother to Jack's children. After having spent the past seventeen years under her Mother's control, she was finally capable of controlling her own life. She no longer had to attend boring social parties where she would be forced to have mindless chatter amongst people who cared about nothing but themselves. There was no longer a need for her to constantly look pretty or have maids attend to her every need; she was capable of taking care of herself, just like every person should be.

Jack taught her how precious life can be and how every moment should be treasured as if it were her last. She found happiness through him and most of all, she gained love. He was her reason for living and her determination in surviving in this lifestyle. Had she not met him, she probably would still be a miserable woman, forced to spend the rest of her days with a man she did not love. Luckily, fate brought them together and now she could see a clear future with Jack. He made her feel as if she could accomplish anything and it was something she has never felt before; he was her true inspiration in life and no one was capable of taking that away from her.